by Shara Lanel
But I wanted Nate. Every moment I spent with him sent my heart drumming. I could smell his scent in my sleep, and when I simply couldn’t sleep, I’d strip naked and play between my legs. Like right now, watching him bend to lift the Coca-Cola boxes and slide them onto the upper storage shelves, I was getting so hot I was tempted to sit in the chair behind the desk and dip my hand into my pants. What would he think of me then? I suppose it would confirm my slut status, but maybe, just maybe, it would tempt him into my bed.
The light was dim in that corner of the office. The desk lamp was off. It was a manual unit, an antique. I slid into the wheeled chair, knowing that Nate would eventually wonder where I was. I could still see him across the room, but he’d have to search for me in the shadows. I leaned back and spread my legs, imagining Nate there between them. I slipped my slim hand past the waistband of my pants. I felt constrained by the odd position of the chair, with my feet hard on the floor for balance and my forearm held tight by elastic. I listened to my breathing and thought about the twitches and sensations running through my body at trying something so brazen. My fingers quested through my triangle of pubic hair. I combed it lightly and applied a circular pressure, a pressure that gradually drifted downward, closer and closer to my pleasure center.
Nate looked around, realizing I wasn’t where I’d been moments ago. He wiped his forehead and scanned the shadows with a frown on his face. The creak of the desk chair clued him in to my position.
“What are you doing back there in the dark?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Already my breathing had grown heavier and more ragged just from the light touches to the tip of my clit. I was teasing myself, not ready to get hot and heavy until I had Nate’s attention.
He shrugged and turned back to the shelf to heft another box, but then something made him turn back around. Had I made a noise? I thought I might have squeaked because the last press had felt so good. I had a circular pattern going now, and the dampness coated my fingers.
Nate shoved the box in place, and I admired the etching of the muscles in his back as they flexed and strained. He turned to me again. “You’re not ...?”
I wasn’t going to tell him. He’d have to come closer and find out for himself. And the thought of him moving toward me, watching me, made me wet. With my free hand, I tweaked the tips of my nipples through my shirt and let my mind wander. I imagined Nate naked, standing before me, touching his long rod while he watched me come. Then I found my mind drifting to memories, memories of sex with the de Lunas. I don’t care how dangerous that had been, the memory thrilled me every time, knowing that I’d had a woman’s mouth on mine, knowing I’d licked and swallowed her cream. The moon man was once again parting my flesh, stretching me, fucking me, as April sucked my breasts, one by one, and sat on my face.
“Mmm.” I flicked my nipple under my shirt.
Nate stood on the other side of the desk. He reached out and clicked on the lamp. The golden glow clearly illuminated my game. I thrilled at hearing his quick inhalation. “What are you doing?”
“I’m touching myself. Do you want to watch?”
“Helena ...”
I closed my eyes. I knew he wanted to be a spoilsport for my party, when all I wanted him to do was join in, throw me against the desk, and take me like he owned me.
“God, what are you doing to me?” I heard him move around the desk, and I thought I could feel his body heat from his legs near mine. “Helena, I just want to help you.”
“Help me now. Fuck me.” I opened my eyes and met his. “I need you to get me off, now.” I knew my crude expressions didn’t evoke romance, but heat flamed into Nate’s eyes. He was sitting on the desk in front of me, so he spread his legs wide. My tongue trailed along my bottom lip as I waited to see what he would do. He pushed his pants past his hips, revealing first his pubic hair, followed by hips and the top of his shaft rooting for escape. The pants stopped at mid-thigh, allowing me to see his heavy testicles and his proud penis. I glanced up at him, still intent on stroking around my clit. Not direct pressure. I wasn’t ready to cum yet. I wanted to draw it out.
“Can you suck me? Please?” Nate asked, his voice lower than before. Sexy, sending vibrations through me. And that “please” made my heart race. He was finally asking for something more from me, something I could give. My emotions calmed, clueing me in to how out of control I’d been feeling while waiting for Nate to keep his promise. Before, he’d had no reason to keep his promise to me, and now he would.
Without a word, I leaned forward, catching a faint whiff of cologne mingled with sweat and purely male musk. My tongue touched the soft, taut skin on his shaft. I licked him like a lollipop and drew a moan from the big man before me. He tasted salty. Using my free hand to cup his balls, I cradled them, tested their weight, and admired their texture, which was both prickly from hair and smooth from skin. I licked slowly from base to head and around the tip. His stomach, moving with his forceful breaths, brushed my forehead. I felt his palm on my crown, warm, with a gentle pressure, urging me to take more into my mouth, to suck.
I licked to the head once again and opened my mouth wide, placing my lips lightly all the way around.
“Suck me.”
I closed my lips tightly, then slid them down, taking more and more of his dick into my mouth. I adjusted my angle so I wouldn’t gag, so I could take him deeper to the back of my throat. He moaned again. I closed my mouth and sucked, turned on by the large cock moving carefully in my mouth. His precum salted my tongue.
“Shit, that feels so good. Don’t stop.”
I had no plans to. I wanted him to desire me as much as I craved him, and I thought this was a good way to invoke pleasant memories. We’d be on the ship together for a long time, and I wanted him to know that it would all be worthwhile.
Something else, too, something I refused to admit to myself. I admired Nate, not just his physique, but his personality, his integrity. I wanted to learn more about him, not just sexually. But this all scared me too much, so I switched off my mind and concentrated on the feel of thick cock rocking in and out of my mouth. I felt my own orgasm build, both from the erotic taste of Nate and from my fingers steadily kneading my clit.
“Wait,” Nate said, tapping my head. “Wait, I want more than this.”
No way was he making this stop. I ignored him and continued to play with him with my mouth.
He groaned. “Let me fuck you.”
I leaned back. “Now?”
“Hell, yeah.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me to stand, then he pushed my pants lower. After that, he quickly stroked the desk free of debris before helping me onto it. I lay down on my back, staring up at him as he assessed the situation. Apparently, my pants were still in the way, so he yanked them off completely. It crossed my mind that, even though it would be unusual, several employees had access to this backroom and could walk in at any time. I closed my eyes and smiled. Not that I wanted an audience, but the inherent risk sent tingles to my toes.
Nate gently spread my knees apart and pulled me closer to the edge of the desk. I straightened my legs so that they leaned against his shoulders.
“Perfect,” he said. His tip gently nudged my entrance. I was already well lubricated from my finger play. Mmm. He pushed in slowly, and I felt each inch of him as my vagina expanded, accepting him. Clint de Luna had been abnormally large, obviously bio-engineered that way, but Nate -- I’d have to say Nate was just right.
“Oh, lovely.” My words sounded more like a moan than speech.
“Glad you like it.” When I opened my eyes, he was grinning, but the passion in his gaze was unmistakable. He grew serious. “This is not a trade. Are we clear on that?” He pulled out an inch.
“Don’t you dare stop now, or there’s no way in hell I’ll fly with you to Earth.” I wrapped my fingers around the base of his cock and squeezed, just enough to make him close his eyes again.
“Not stopping,” he said, as I rolled my body up i
nto a mini-crunch so I could play with his balls. He moaned again and pushed back into me full-force. Ah, God. Now I was with the stars, floating along the Milky Way to that place that swallowed stars, as I was swallowed with pleasure.
Finally, I was in the moment. Not thinking about Earth, not thinking about ships and exiles. Just Nate’s body connecting with mine, in and out, bringing me to the mythical heaven. Nate leaned over me so I could run my fingers along the hard planes of his abs and chest. When our eyes met, they mirrored intensity, passion. With one arm, he pulled my back from the desk so he could reach my breasts with his mouth. That was all I needed to send me over the edge. My body contracted rapidly, and the squeezing inspired Nate to lose it as well. His orgasm warmed my interior walls, and I met his eyes and saw something I’d never seen before.
Warmth. There was warmth in his eyes. A warmth focused on me. Not pity or the care he’d show for an acquaintance. This was something else. I couldn’t quite explain it, because I didn’t understand it, and it scared the shit out of me.
Nate saw the fear in Helena’s eyes, probably before she even knew it was there. He wanted to roar in frustration. She was pulling away from him, not physically -- their bodies were still locked -- but emotionally, and there was nothing he could do about it. Something in herself or maybe her past with her mother rode her, something she’d have to work through on her own, but it galled him that he couldn’t give her an easy fix, couldn’t make her feel what he was starting to feel.
Not love. Love didn’t exist in this interplanetary wasteland. But chemistry and companionship, a connection, something rare and worth holding onto.
He gently pulled from Helena’s body as she pushed herself into a sitting position, avoiding his eyes. Maybe she figured he was just like all the other strangers that she’d tried to barter with. Maybe now she felt like she was in control again. That thought made him feel sick.
“That was not a trade,” he said again, more for himself than for Helena.
She nodded, but still didn’t meet his eyes. Sliding from the desk, she landed on her feet and reapplied her clothes. She mumbled something as she straightened her hair, but the static in Nate’s brain prevented him from translating the words. When he looked up again, she was gone, figuring correctly that he wouldn’t dock her for leaving during working hours. He wasn’t that big a hypocrite. But he knew one thing he needed to do immediately. He needed to get the ship and crew ready to leave the red planet in its dust, before things got really awkward around the fueling station.
Hours later, he found Ju at the bar and wound up spilling his guts. What did it say about him that his best chum was a female? He needed to hang out with Ghenl more and do manly things, like hiking out of the biosphere with only one bag of oxygen. Ju poured him another sata shot. She wasn’t one to keep a man from his drink -- even if he needed it. He swallowed the shot in one gulp and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. There, that was manly.
“Why are you smiling?” Ju asked.
Better keep mum about the manly wiping of the sleeve.. “Do you want to be on the crew?”
“You’re drunk.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m not serious. It does mean you’ll have less choice for mating.”
“You’d be there.” She leaned across the bar so her forearm brushed him.
Nate sighed. “This is nothing against you, Ju, but I’m going to be focused on Helena.”
“She’s already proved she doesn’t mind a trio.”
The music dulled a moment, before cranking back up louder than before. Nate raised his voice to be heard over the incessant beat. “Well, I don’t know how she feels about Neptunians. But more than that, I’m looking for a real relationship. You know, one on one.”
“An outdated Earth notion. Helena may find you too old-fashioned for her taste.”
He pretended to punch her arm. “Thanks for the vote of support.”
“Just a dose of realism. I’d pine to see you heartbroken by your own stupidity.”
“I take it back. I don’t want you on the crew.”
Ju smiled and widened her tri-eyes innocently. “Too late. I’m already on it. You’ll obviously need someone there to pick up the pieces. So tell me, which other pieces of meat are you planning to have ride with us?”
“I invited Ghenl, but he said Zebot would need someone left to run the fueling station. He thinks he might get a promotion once we leave.”
“A wise being.”
“Indeed. So I’ve tracked down a few unknown quantities. I learned of their skills by reputation, but I’ve only met them each once.” Since the bar remained sedate so that Ju could keep listening, Nate went on. “Daedalus is from the mining settlement on Titan. Apparently, he’s very good at keeping equipment running under the worst circumstances.”
“But how does he look? Tasty?”
Nate scowled. “Hell if I know. He looks like a guy.”
Ju sighed as she swiped a rag across the bar. “Men are so descriptive.”
Ignoring the barkeep seemed the best course of action. “Then there’s Tracha. She’s one of the life forms from the moon Europa.”
“Europa, huh? Don’t think I’ve met anyone from there before. Are they humanoid?”
“Biped, but furrier than you, and I’ve heard their skin is thick like leather hide to accommodate the cold, though I couldn’t tell just from looking at her.”
“Hmm.” Ju seemed interested. “And what’s her role to be?”
“She’s a comp tech, so between her and Daed, I’m hoping we’ll actually reach Earth. I’m still searching for one more crew member. I’d like a co-pilot with some muscle and weapons skills ... just in case.”
“Good idea. Of course, if you don’t know the guy, he could be the dangerous one.”
Chapter Five
Finally! When Nate had said to be patient, he’d meant it. I’d waited what seemed like a full Earth month, though around here time seemed to stand still, and it had nothing to do with the sun or Mars’ moons. It was just monotony, pure and simple. I’d been basically avoiding Nate since we’d had sex. Yeah, I’m a chicken shit. Mom always said so. Why not live up to her expectations? Geez, I needed to find a good head shrink once I got back to Earth, or get one of those virtual reprogramming things I’d heard tell of. They were supposedly tiny brain implants that did away with the old mood-reforming drugs. Was an implant really an improvement? I’m thinking a glass of rogashen could solve all my problems.
I waited for Nate at the fueling station. We were officially unemployed now. Zebot had accepted our resignations with shrill comments about hurrying our butts back here before the whole place fell apart. He’d also given Ghenl a heart attack with the load of instructions he’d dumped on him. Nate had pulled Ghenl aside later and told him to ignore most of that.
I’d heard Jujanza was to be part of the crew, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I knew she and Nate were tight as friends, but did their relationship extend beyond friendship?
No, I was not flippin’ jealous, since there was nothing between Nate and I except a one time sex thing. He was going to fly me off the red rock, and that’s all that mattered to me.
Really.
I stood on the curb in front of the main store, staring out at the sea of pumps and ships and the fluctuating view of the sky beyond the biosphere. I’d been here for five years. Perhaps I should’ve felt more sentimental about what I was leaving behind ... but I didn’t. I couldn’t muster up a single tear. Was that a sign of my dulled emotions, or was it the fact that the only person I’d remotely connected to here -- Nate -- was going with me?
Luckily, all potential maudlin thoughts were cut off by the sight of the Voyager Centennial Cruiser rolling around the corner. A solid, if ugly ship, the cruiser was as slow as the Mars core on the ground, but it’d make some good speed once we blasted off. For a moment, I remembered the antique toy I’d been given as a child. My stepdad at the time had called it the Millennium Falcon, and he’d sai
d it was from a classic vid that was famous long before my time. He’d said to take good care of it, since it was rare and valuable. Of course, my next stepdad had crushed it with a lug wrench.
This ship was more angular than the Millennium Falcon had been, with a smooth, domed nose to help it escape the atmosphere, and a wide rectangular base that emitted the blast that allowed lift-off. Holos of Saturn decorated either side of the nose, and its bays held retractable wings to stabilize it when landing on a planetary surface. It took another fifteen minutes for the cruiser to arrive at a space by one of the pumps. Nate and three other beings climbed out of the side hatch. I looked around for Ju, hoping she wouldn’t be the one to hold us up on our journey. She appeared at the top of the ramp that led to the bar, hovering luggage following at her heels. Quite a bit of luggage, compared to my single large duffel bag, the same bag I’d left Earth with. I wondered if I should help her with the bags, so she wouldn’t take an hour, but then I decided perhaps Nate could use my help with readying the ship.
I sauntered over to the center island closest to the cruiser, and as soon as I was there, the heat from the idling engine singed me. Ships were full of contrasts. Most had cooling shields that were as cold as liquid nitrogen and contained cores as hot as nuclear blasts. I simply didn’t want to think about the small space between those two extremes that allowed us to live during interplanetary travel.
Nate looked up from the pump. “Hey, our passenger of honor!”