Video of exploding buildings in London and Rio filled the TV screen. Newscasters explained that the terrorists had bombed two more cities that day. All she could do was sit in stunned silence as clip after clip of the video played on the screen. Her heart raced and her mind was blank. The terrorists had taken it to a whole new level.
Newscasters argued about bombers’ intent and the wisdom of relying on the Draconians for protection. Finally, Loretta couldn’t take it anymore and clicked off the television. She sank onto the bed with a grunt, her head slapping against the pillow.
As soon as her back was on the bed, there was a knock at her door. Startled, she sprang to her feet and went to the door, looking out the peep hole. On the other side, she could see the outline of a well-defined chest. It was Mylash.
She flung open the door, her instinct compelling her to fall into his arms. She held herself back, confused. Why would she feel as if this man could give her comfort when she had just met him? They were from two different worlds. How could they ever understand each other, let alone depend on each other for support?
“I have come to speak with you, my little mate,” he said in a husky voice. She stepped aside and allowed him to enter her room. He took a seat in a chair that seemed too small for the scale of his body, and she closed the door.
“Yes?” she asked, still dumbfounded by the events of her day.
“Please sit,” he said, gesturing to the chair beside him. She went to sit down and waited for him to explain what he wanted. Her mind was dazed, and she wasn’t sure she could handle anything that came out of his mouth right now. It was all too confusing and too strange. “Since you are my mate, and there’s no other mate for me in the entire universe, I have come to ask you to be mine.”
“Well, I just met you,” she said, her voice hoarse and shaking.
“Understandable. You did not join the mating lottery so you are under no obligation to mate with me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Under what conditions would you agree to be my mate?” he asked.
Loretta shook her head, trying to shake out of the daze. It didn’t help. “Under what conditions?” she repeated.
“How can I convince you to mate with me?”
“What do you mean by mate with you?”
Mylash made a rumbling sound in the back of his throat and paused for a moment. “Your equivalent in human society is called marriage. So in effect, I am asking you to marry me.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“Yes. I understand why that would be a roadblock for you.”
“I don’t want to live on a spaceship.”
“I see our accommodations are well below what is acceptable for my mate. This is my proposition. I provide a luxury apartment in New York City. You will stay with me there, we will have relations. After a week together, if you do not feel attached to me, you can have double the bride price, and you will be free to leave.”
“But you already offered me five hundred thousand dollars,” she said, trying to make sense of what was going on.
“That was not a ruse. If you choose not to stay with me for the week, I will still give you the five hundred thousand dollars. However, if I am not given the chance to mate with my bride, I will slowly go insane. If you do find that you become attached to me, you will have a mate of your own. I’m told that this proposition is generally attractive to females of your species.”
“Generally, it is. So you’re saying I can have one million dollars, stay in a luxury apartment for a week, and not have any obligation to you after, if I have sex with you a few times?”
“That is my proposition,” he said. “Is this acceptable to you?”
“I don’t know. Are you paying me to sleep with you?” She didn’t like the idea of prostituting herself to an alien. Her mind was so muddled that she didn’t know if she was being melodramatic or not.
“I’m paying you to test whether or not you want to be my bride. I am confident that after we make love, you will want to stay with me. The money is nothing to me or the armada. But I know that it is quite important to humans. I’m offering you your most valuable resource in exchange for what is my most valuable resource, my bride.”
“Well, I guess I could do that.” She thought about the prospect of making love to the seven foot tall, brawny alien with the bulge between his legs that made her skin prick with goosebumps every time her eyes grazed over it.
“Fantastic. I already have an apartment secured for you, my little mate.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I haven’t agreed to be your mate yet.”
Chapter 8
Mylash open the door to the most luxurious apartment Loretta had ever been inside. It had a view of Central Park outside the expansive penthouse windows. It was furnished in tasteful modern decor in neutral shades with pops of color. She couldn’t even imagine how much a place like this had cost, certainly more than Mylash was promising to pay her for her time.
“This place is so gorgeous,” she said, turning around in a circle and clapping her hands together like a giddy schoolgirl. Being in such a beautiful environment was soothing after the day she’d had.
“I’m glad you like it. I am told this place is the best humanity has to offer.”
“It certainly is,” she said, just as she felt arms encircle her waist from behind her. Mylash pressed himself hard against her back, and she could feel the bulge in his pants stiff with desire. She gasped and pulled away, turning around. “What are you doing?” she asked indignantly.
“I want to mate with you. Now. My dragon cannot be contained, it scrapes at my mind incessantly. I must claim you.”
“But… I just got here.” Loretta thought that she could handle this arrangement, but being confronted with Mylash’s substantial equipment so quickly after arriving gave her second thoughts.
“You did,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve called for food delivery to be sent over. I hope you like sushi. I have no idea what that is, but I was told that it is a delicacy.”
“I’m from Alabama. I’ve had sushi like three times in my life.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s okay. But like I said, I’m from Alabama. I’m sure New York sushi is better than Alabama sushi.”
There was a knock at the door and Mylash opened it. Several people walked in and began preparing a feast at the gleaming dining room table under the crystal chandelier. Every imaginable kind of sushi was laid out for them and a few moments later the caterers were gone. Loretta’s eyes grew wide as she took in the display. There was sake and green tea along with some kind of green tea ice cream for dessert. It looked like artwork and made her mouth water.
“This is definitely better than the sushi I had in Alabama,” she said, the delight evident in her voice.
They sat at the table, and Loretta grasped a pair of chopsticks, dishing up pieces of sashimi and rolls to put on her plate. Munching on salmon and tempura, she let out little groans of pleasure. Each time she made the sound, Mylash looked at her as if he could barely contain himself. He joined in the feast and after about a half an hour they were both completely stuffed and satisfied.
“That was definitely better than the sushi I had in Alabama,” she said, laughing.
“I must admit, this human food was quite good. I would like to have it again some time.”
“Me too.”
“Are you now ready to commence the mating?” he said, his voice full of urgency.
“Um… Maybe?”
Loretta hadn’t had sex in almost three years. When she entered the MBA program, she simply did not have time for boyfriends between her studies, work, and her family. The idea of getting it on with a seven foot tall man with a bull-sized package was not something she was ready to jump blindly into.
“When we mate, you must allow me to spill my seed inside your womb.”
“What? You never told me about that before.” Coming inside her had never been part of the discussion
.
“I apologize. I was eager to begin our mating and neglected to tell you that this is a necessity.”
“What? If I don’t let you come inside me, the deal is off?”
“I must spill my seed on you or inside of you. It is necessary.”
“Oh my God. Could this day get any more strange?” She felt herself beginning to crack. If he came inside her and got her pregnant, where would she be then?
“Do you agree?”
Tears began to stream down her face and she couldn’t keep them under control. She stood from the table and ran to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Inside she found a beautiful king-size bed with a fluffy, comfortable looking comforter spread over it. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing, and she needed a tissue to dry her face. She found the gleaming marble bathroom and pulled a wad of toilet paper from the roll to dry her eyes. Once her eyes were dry, she looked around the room and found a huge bathtub with jets along the sides.
It looked so utterly inviting she let out a deep sigh. She’d traveled all the way from Alabama that morning, had a job interview, was taken hostage, and now was the mate of an alien. She really needed to relax.
Not thinking of anything else except finding some kind of comfort in the situation, she turned the hot water on and let the bathtub fill. There were sweet smelling oils and powders sitting beside the tub, and she poured lavender and rose scented bath oil into the water. The fragrance filled the room and calmed her nerves as the water bubbled to the top.
Mylash rapped his knuckles on the door and then opened it. “Are you all right?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.
“I’m going to take a bath to try to relax and gather my thoughts. When I’m done we can talk more about the conditions of our mating. Okay?” Her voice shook as she spoke. Mylash nodded his head once and turned to walk away.
He was intimidating and an alien, but Mylash was as cooperative as could be expected under the circumstances. She didn’t understand Draconian culture. From what Mylash had already told her, finding his mate was torturing him. The only relief he would find would be in making love to her and claiming her as his bride.
For a man who had a dragon inside his skull screaming at him, he was being extraordinarily patient with a tiny human woman he could overpower without a second thought. She definitely appreciated that fact. Just in case though, she flipped the lock on the door before peeling out of her clothes.
She’d agreed to have sex with him, but she wanted to do it on her own terms and on her own time. Dipping her foot into the water, she tested the temperature. It was just right, so she sank the rest of the way into the tub, letting out a deep sigh. Every nerve and muscle in her body screamed as it began to relax. She let out a little whimper, realizing how tense she’d been.
Loretta sat in the tub for a long time until her skin began to prune. Feeling more relaxed, she got out of the tub and pulled on a bathrobe. She unlocked the door and slowly stepped into the bedroom. Mylash sat on the bed, waiting patiently there for her. He looked up at her when she stepped into the room, his eyes piercing her with his need. She walked toward him, not sure what to do next.
He grasped the collar of her bathrobe as she stood in front of him, staring into his intensely blue eyes. He pulled the robe open and it dropped over her shoulders, revealing her breasts. His eyes grazed over her dark skin, causing her nipples to prick under his scrutinizing gaze. He held her bathrobe open and took her in, all her curvy flesh on display.
Loretta was a voluptuous woman. A lot of men liked her body. Then again, a lot of men didn’t. They’d been conditioned to only like super-skinny, pale-skinned supermodels. Loretta definitely wasn’t that.
Mylash shivered visibly and looked up into her eyes. “The commander was right. Human women are beautiful.”
“You like what you see?” she asked, her voice soft and distant. All he did was shake his head in the affirmative. He reached up and caressed her waist, sliding over her damp skin. He cupped one breast and then the other, squeezing them until he brought her nipples between his fingers and gave them the slightest pinch.
Loretta let out an involuntary moan as her body responded to his touch. She could feel the desire pumping between her legs as her body moistened for Mylash.
“Do you like that?” he whispered.
“Yes,” she said in a low voice.
Mylash growled and gripped her waist. He moved her swiftly onto the bed before she even knew what was happening. Her bathrobe draped around her and her legs were spread as he crouched between them. Her nipples went tight as little iron divots as he consumed her with his eyes. She flicked her tongue over her lips. Mylash hit a button on his uniform, and he was naked, his massive erection open to the air. Loretta glanced at it. It was just as imposing as she had originally expected, maybe even more so.
“Are you ready?” he asked her in a low growl.
She bit her lip and shook her head yes. She didn’t know what else to say or do. Was she ready? She didn’t really know. Mylash had been good to her. She’d agreed to come here. Loretta had always had the motto: no time like the present.
He bent down to her and pressed his full lips against hers, flicking his tongue into her mouth. The gush of liquid desire that washed over her body filled her with hot need, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They kissed passionately until he broke away and ran kisses over her neck and down her chest. He gathered a nipple into his mouth and sucked, stoking the tempest already raging in her core.
Mylash traveled lower, kissing her fevered skin. Loretta’s churning mind couldn’t make sense of the tsunami of desire she felt for this man who was little more than a stranger. When he reached the heat between her legs and licked his raspy tongue up her slit, her mind went blank. All that was left was Mylash and the deep need he created inside her. Wet pressure pressed down from within, swelling her clit painfully.
His tongue found her sweet ache, and she clutched at his hair. Moaning out her arousal, Loretta pushed against Mylash’s tongue. “Yes,” she whimpered. Her climax spiraled toward her, growing more brilliant when Mylash pressed two fingers against her opening. “Oh God,” she called out, biting her lip. He sucked her mount into his mouth and thrust his fingers deeper inside her.
On the cusp of release, Mylash lifted his mouth from her blossoming heat. “This pleases you, my mate,” he whispered, his voice deeply sensuous. “I wish to pleasure you all night long.” His fingers caressed inside her, caressing the tantalizing pressure within.
“Oh,” she gasped, ready to explode.
He purred against her pussy, blowing fire-heated breath over her inflamed need. She sucked a loud gasp and her body clenched. Spasms of pleasure quaked inside her core and sent shock waves through her veins. She lifted up on her elbows, barely able to withstand the sharp explosion radiating from her most secret place.
She ran her hand over Mylash’s hair, looking at his face. His lips glistened with her sex and he leaned in to kiss her, plunging his tongue inside her mouth. She felt his hard shaft over her softness, pressing through her folds. He lay over her tingling clit and she clung to him.
His bright eyes shone down on her and she gazed up at him, holding him tight against her body.
Getting off the bus that morning, she never would have imagined falling into bed with a Draconian, but here she was now with Mylash. Feelings stirred for him, quivering in her heart. She ran her hand up to his cheek and caressed the smooth skin, the slight green cast glistening in the afternoon light from the window.
Her eyes grew wide and she bit her lip. He wanted to come inside her. Should she let him? She didn’t know. She couldn’t think. It was all so sudden, but so right. She’d told herself she was doing it for the money, but now it was so much more. The smell of his skin washed over her, and she couldn’t get enough.
An insistent beeping filled the room, and Mylash stopped. He swore in Draconian and pulled back.
“What is it?” she gasped, grasping for him
.
“My Commander,” he grumbled. He stood, flicked a spot at his neck and his uniform slid back over his skin. He slid two fingers up his wrist and walked out of the room. Loretta lay on the bed, panting, light headed, wondering what had just happened.
Chapter 9
Commander Or, what do you need?” Mylash said, standing in the kitchen. They could see each other through the camera in the wrist of his suit.
“Where are you, General Shin? Why aren’t you in meetings with the humans?”
“I am in meetings with the humans,” Mylash said.
“I have information, Shin. I don’t want to pull rank with you on this, but I know you have a woman in an apartment in New York. A lot has changed around here since the technology leak, and we keep tight tabs on everything that happens within the armada. That includes you and your commandos.”
“Commander Or, let me explain.”
“I’m listening.”
“I met a woman at the sight of the first bombing. She was among the hostages. When my eyes met hers, my inner dragon leapt forth within me and proclaimed her my mate. The mating impulse is already upon me. But this woman, she was not part of the lottery. I took her to the consulate and tested her DNA against mine. We are a match. True mates. I offered her money. A place to stay off the ship. Anything to get her to agree to mate with me.”
“Has she agreed yet?”
“She has agreed to take my seed.”
“Hmm. Good. That is a start. She will warm to you after.”
“A true mate will always come to you after that.”
“This is an unusual situation, but you should have come to me first. We expect brides to come to the ship to protect Draconian males from the ravages of the mating impulse. But we cannot force the human to come to the ship against her will. Not when we want to attempt to teach the humans a better way of life. You need to bring her around, and I am willing to make accommodations. We will keep this quiet for now. Later, it may be necessary to reassess how we protect our brides and our males.”
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