Acting Out

by Paulette Oakes

  ACTING OUT

  A Star-Crossed Lovers Novel

  PAULETTE OAKES

  COPYRIGHT 2016 PAULETTE OAKES

  COVER ART BY STEVEN J. CATIZONE VIA UPWORK.COM

  All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, locations, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is for entertainment purposes only. All trademarked items are the property of the owner and used only for entertainment purposes.

  Note: I am an indie author with no professional publishing team. All editing mistakes are my own. Please judge me on the quality of the story and not the small mistakes that I may have missed.

  This book contains adult content and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

  Dedication and Thanks

  For all the readers that made "FIGHTING CHANCE" a success! You asked for a longer story, I delivered. You asked for more of Mahoney and Mikael, and I delivered! You complained about insta-love, I did NOT deliver that this time! I hope you enjoy Jessica and Korian’s story as much as I did writing it. They are very different characters than the first book, so the story will be a little different, too. You will meet more aliens, see more of T’Kala, and hopefully fall in love with this world like I have. Thank you, guys. This one is for you.

  Also, I want to give another shout-out to my bestie. She was the only beta reader for this book, and it was because of her constant encouragement and excitement that I was able to finish this book so quickly. Who could have a better cheerleader than a friend who sends this email after getting new chapters? “Um, cliffhanger much!!!! I need more! I’m addicted. Please don’t hold out on me, man! J You are the shit. Has anyone told you that lately? Cause you are so totally the shit!!!!” No, bestie. You are the only one who has told me that lately, and that’s only one of a thousand reasons I love you.

  And also for my Mama. Just because I will love you and miss you forever.

  SOCIAL NETWORKING

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Dedication and Thanks

  SOCIAL NETWORKING

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  OTHER WORKS BY PAULETTE OAKES

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Ouch! That hurt, dammit!” Jessica MacGregor snarled. “You’re really starting to piss me off!”

  She barely ducked out of the way of the fist swinging toward her face and countered with a blow to her attacker’s midsection. She growled in frustration when her assailant only ducked out of the way to taunt her before coming back with another attack.

  “Don’t focus on your anger. Emotions can be deadly in combat. You have to concentrate on my body language and predict where the next attack is coming from,” Mahoney, her best friend and all-around badass, answered her sternly. “If you get mad, or scared, or panic, you will get hurt. Now, assume the position and we’ll go one more time.”

  Jessica groaned loudly, but gamely faced off with the taller woman. Mahoney was doing her a favor, after all, in teaching her the fundamentals of self-defense and basic fighting techniques after Jessica had begged her to teach her how to fight. Of course, the favor had been extracted during a time when things were pretty normal for them. Jessica, as an up-and-coming actress shooting an action movie, had begged Mahoney, her stunt double and accomplished martial artist, for lessons in fighting so she could do more of her own stunts. While Mahoney had initially been reluctant, she had quickly changed her tune when their lives changed irrevocably only moments later when they had both been kidnapped from her trailer on set.

  Secretly, Jessica found it more than ironic that she had been in the middle of shooting an alien invasion movie when they had been kidnapped by actual aliens. Thankfully, these aliens hadn’t resembled the snarling, deformed creatures of CGI from her film, but instead, were very human in appearance save for the coppery shimmer of their skin and the ghostly, pale irises of their eyes. And they were also big, muscled, and more handsome than they had any right to be. The commander of the expedition, Mikael, was especially drool-worthy with his chiseled body, black beard, and easy smile. He had been immediately fascinated by the fierce Mahoney and her fighting skills, and had claimed her as his prize when his real mission had been to retrieve Jessica by orders of his king. Jessica had watched with glee as Mahoney finally met her match in the warrior commander, and had fallen in love despite her best efforts to the contrary.

  Mahoney’s realization that she loved Mikael almost came too late, however. When they were only hours away from landing on his home world of T’Kala, their ship was attacked by their enemies, the Warfarers, who had stolen cloaking technology and boarded their vessel. The attack was fast and vicious, and the outcome would have been even worse had Mahoney not used her fighting skills and quick thinking to program the training bots for combat. Because of her intervention, there were only 5 T’Kalan warriors lost to the stars, and many more injured. The most grievous injury was to Mikael himself when he pushed Mahoney out of the path of a Warfarer blade and took it himself through his stomach. Jessica had never seen her friend as wrecked emotionally during the fraught days of his healing once they reached the home world and the hospital. While Mahoney had held vigil at Mikael’s bedside, Jessica had kept herself busy by visiting the other recovering warriors and eagerly absorbing all the information she could get on the alien world and its inhabitants.

  The one alien she was most interested in, however, was the very one who had been avoiding her for days. Korian Ak’Falin, warrior king of the world of T’Kala, had been the whole reason for her abduction, and she was eager to find out more about the young, mysterious king. She understood from Mikael that she had been taken in order to distract the frivolous noble class who had recently become enamored of her first blockbuster movie, Taking Heat. It had been a coup for her to land the part of a young, female detective who became the target of a serial killer. The lead character had been her first serious role, and it had garnered her multiple awards and increased fame. Apparently, the rich nobles of T’Kala were able to afford the technology to pick up broadcasts from other worlds, and Earth movies were rare and of particular interest since Earth was mysterious and not yet part of the Great Alliance. Korian’s plan was to use Jessica as a distraction for the nobles in order to buy the time to ferret out who was behind the machinations to remove hi
m from the throne.

  That plan was now up in the air after the surprise attack from the Warfarer ship. The stolen cloaking tech could potentially be disastrous for them as a world if the enemy were to use it to launch another attack on T’Kala. Now, instead of focusing on the internal threat to his throne, the king was himself distracted by the looming threat of attack from off-world. Though Jessica could see how the situation would keep the king busy, it still rankled her that she had been left alone on a strange planet to amuse herself while the king was busy elsewhere.

  “Hands up higher, Jess!” Mahoney barked as she advanced on the shorter, red-headed beauty. “Now, watch my body and try to anticipate where I will strike.”

  Jessica clenched her jaw in concentration and studied the strong, muscled body of her friend closely. When Mahoney’s fist swung toward her face, she instinctively raised her forearm to block the strike and circle Mahoney’s arm until she had the taller woman’s elbow extended in an arm lock. Before she could counter the move, Jessica pulled her attacker toward herself and kicked her in the stomach. Even though it felt like kicking a concrete wall, Jessica was still gratified to hear Mahoney’s grunt of pain and she danced back away from the female warrior until she was out of the strike zone.

  “Oh, yeah! How you like them apples, Mahoney? Boo-yah, bitch!” Jessica crowed, her lips stretched wide with triumph while she pumped her fists in the air like Rocky.

  Mahoney shot her a dirty look, but her lips quirked with a smile. “Much better, Jess, but if you call me a bitch again, I’ll forget that we’re friends and introduce your face to the wall.”

  Jessica laughed and retrieved her zala berry-infused water, a T’Kalan favorite drink. It tasted like a mix of strawberries and grapes, and according to Ax’Sandre (Mikael’s mother), the fruit had natural electrolytes and energy-enhanced properties. Mahoney joined her and the two friends propped up the wall while they got their breath back.

  “So, how has it been living in the king’s compound?” Mahoney asked after a moment of comfortable silence. “This place is so huge that I would get lost just trying to find the bathroom.”

  Jessica snorted with unladylike censure. “Please, there is no chance of getting lost in this place. I am ‘escorted’ everywhere I go by a warrior, and even if that wasn’t the case, the king has one of those delightful computer systems that scares the crap out of me like the one on the ship. I can’t complain too much, though. I’ve learned a lot about this world in the past three days of my captive boredom.”

  Mahoney arched a narrow, black eyebrow. “The king has you under surveillance? Do I need to talk to Mikael about this?”

  “Nah,” Jessica forestalled her friend, completely unworried. “They’re all really nice and respectful and they aren’t intrusive. Besides, since you and Mikael have become ‘lifemates,’ you’re now a citizen of T’Kala and the king is now your king. No sense in making any more waves than our arrival has done already.”

  Mahoney nodded in agreement and replied, “Still, Korian has to know that your 30 days are ticking away before T’Kalan law requires him to return you home, so you would think that he would get his ass in gear on moving forward with his grand plan.”

  Before Jessica could reply, a knock sounded at the door of the training room they were utilizing in the king’s compound. The door opened and a young T’Kalan warrior by the name of Mantor stuck his head inside. He had been her usual escort for the past three days and they had become friendly enough with each other for her to wave him inside with a smile.

  “Hey, Mantor! What’s up?” the young actress inquired of the large, muscle-bound soldier.

  The warrior offered her a charming smile and then a warrior’s salute to his comrade-in-arms, Mahoney, by clasping his fist to his heart. Mahoney returned the gesture smartly and waited for him to continue. “Sorry for the interruption, Miss MacGregor, but I have a message for you from the king.”

  Jessica and Mahoney traded loaded looks before she turned back to him and replied, “First of all, for the hundredth time, call me Jessica. Secondly, we were already done training, so there is no interruption. Thirdly, what’s the message?”

  Mantor just shrugged and held out a small envelope for Jessica to take from his hand. She quickly opened the envelope and scanned the message inside before she met Mahoney’s openly curious gaze. “He wants me to have dinner with him tonight. In his rooms,” she explained, her sapphire blue eyes wide with apprehension.

  Mahoney smirked and teased, “What was it you said to me on the ship again? Something about getting some alien strange? And if the same thing holds true for all T’Kalan warriors, then I can assure you that his dick will indeed be as big as the rest of him.”

  Jessica’s pale skin lit up with a mortified blush as Mantor barked out a laugh at Mahoney’s crude words. “As a T’Kalan warrior myself, I can attest that the assumption is generally correct.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes and made a rude gesture to both of them. “Yeah, well, if I am indeed going to get any alien strange, then it won’t be the freaking king of all people. That’s just a little too pressure to put on a poor little Earthling like me. Now Zandar on the other hand…” she trailed off, waggling her eyebrows at her friend.

  Mahoney just rolled her eyes and began to walk toward the door. “Don’t hold your breath on that score, Jess,” the half-Japanese woman warned her. “If I have learned one thing about T’Kalan warriors, it’s that they are very territorial when it comes to their captives. Don’t be surprised if you find that Korian will want to keep you close.”

  Mantor, apparently feeling more at ease with the casual banter between friends, interjected, “I have to agree with Lieutenant Commander Mahoney, Miss MacGregor. Just the thought of my lifemate, Jaxon, around another man makes me want to pull my blade. It is my relief that he works as a teacher of younglings and has little contact with other males who may covet him.”

  Jessica’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. She wasn’t sure why it hadn’t occurred to her that same-sex partnerships were just as likely on T’Kala as it was on their own world. From his matter-of-fact admission, paired with his military training, it was also apparently a non-issue on this world. She recovered herself quickly, though, and replied tartly, “Well, I’m not the king’s lifemate, now am I? If I have to be here for the next month, then I mean to have as much fun as possible.”

  Mantor sighed as he held the door open for the feisty actress to walk ahead of him. “Somehow, I was afraid you would say that.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jessica wandered around her quarters with nervous anticipation. She only had about an hour before she was to be escorted to the king’s chambers for their dinner, and she had no idea what to wear. She had already bathed, shaved, and fixed her hair and makeup, but she had no clue what was appropriate to wear to dinner with an alien king. She regarded the computer screen that was flush to the wall and flipped through pictures of T’Kalan fashions, but nothing really caught her eye. T’Kalan women were generally much taller than her own diminutive 5’3” and their fashions would only make the difference in height that much more obvious. What she wouldn’t give to have access to her ginormous walk-in closet back at her home in Malibu. She had the perfect dress in mind, but that was thousands of light years away. If she only had access to a replicator, it would be no problem, but the ones on the compound were located in the kitchen and weapons rooms, and those were on the other side of the sprawling estate.

  Just as she was about to get desperate enough to make the trip, there was a knock on her door. “Come on in!” Jess called out absently. It was likely any one of the number of attendants that worked for the king in the castle. In her three days here, she had met several different workers that performed tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and food service. It wasn’t really that different from staying in a nice hotel back on Earth.

  “Pardon the intrusion, Miss MacGregor, but I have been sent to help you dress for the evening,” said a woman with a husk
y, accented voice.

  Jessica turned to face the newcomer and gasped at the sight of the female standing there. She was taller than Jessica by several inches, but she was very obviously not from the same planet as her. In fact, she didn’t appear to be T’Kalan, either. Her skin was a deep, rich brown, like dark chocolate, but there were swirled designs tracing over every inch of exposed skin with softly glowing orange light. Her hair was a buttery blonde in color and twisted up in intricate knots and braids on top of her head and decorated with vibrant purple flowers resembling lilies. Her eyes glowed with the same orangey copper as the designs on her skin, and her teeth were blinding white. She wore a form-fitting dress of purple that matched the flowers perfectly, and her abundant curves were on prominent display, most noticeably, the rounded swell of her belly. Jessica was stunned speechless, and she could only imagine what the female thought of her gaping like a loon.

  The female’s laughter was deep and seductive as she made her way further into the room, her arms overflowing with a sparkling blue material. “Ah, I see you have not met a member of my species before now. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Enahara and I am a designer and seamstress in P’Hartha. I am from the planet Yeyolani and I am the lifemate of the T’Kalan warrior Lexor Va’Alec. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss MacGregor.”

  Jessica shivered as the alien female’s voice curled through her veins and set her blood on fire with unexpected desire. She swallowed thickly, shaking herself out of her stupor, and struggled to respond. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Enahara. Please call me Jessica.”

  The female stopped mere inches from Jessica and the actress fought with herself not to sway toward the exotically beautiful alien who seemed to draw her in with unspoken promises of carnal delight. Enahara gripped Jessica’s chin in her hand and searched the human’s eyes carefully. “Tah, I was afraid you would be affected. Do not worry, Miss Jessica. The effects of the yeoling will lessen with exposure. Do not be afraid or embarrassed, for it is common for your kind to be susceptible to the pull of the Yeyolani. We will go about our business so the king will not be kept waiting, yes?”