by Shara Lanel
She let out a loud breath. “I’m glad, ’cause from where I’m sitting, it looks like we’re going to die.”
“Have a little faith, please. I’m a better pilot than that.” He glanced at her and noticed her knuckles were white. Her hands squeezed the arm holds relentlessly. Her eyes were wide and glassy and stared straight at the view shield and the overwhelming vision of oncoming rock. Nate pulled the throttle harder, becoming prone in his chair, hoping leverage would work in his favor. Finally an idea came to him.
“Do you want to help?”
“Absolutely.”
“First, let go of the chair.”
Her hands popped off.
“Press the purple button in front of you. When the throttle appears, grab it and pull it back, just like I’m doing.”
She obeyed. Nate’s arms screamed at him, asking why he hadn’t thought of that earlier. The co-pilot’s stick connected to the same hydraulics. Helena didn’t have the strength to do it alone, but she certainly could make life a bit easier for him. Nate dared to take a deeper breath as more of the horizon came in view. They were leveling out.
* * * * *
“So we’re clear. My last name is Terra, and I’m mated with Helena.”
“Excuse me, why do you get to be mated to Helena? I think I’d like that honor.” At least Freddy’s sense of humor had returned, though under his bulky vest he was loaded like the ancient Rambo icon.
Nate rolled his eyes. “Helena and I have already met a couple of the de Lunas. No need to confuse them.”
I stood next to Ju and kept glancing at the hatch while resisting the urge to chew my nails. I was thinking I’d be safer in the engine room with Daed and Tracha. But I also didn’t want to let Nate out of my sight. “Are you sure we need to leave at all?” Yeah, I know, stupid question.
“Do you want to colonize here with hostile neighbors?”
Not. Though Clint had said his biosphere was quite lush. A shiver ran through me as I thought about April sucking my nipples. I couldn’t help it. That had been the most erotic sexual experience I’d ever had.
“All right,” Nate continued. “We stay together and back each other up. Our goal is to find, buy, barter, or steal the A5L Rubinski thruster clamp. Got it? That’s all we need. Then we’re outta here.”
I watched Nate’s arms as he unlatched the hatch. He’d told me how much pain he’d been in during our landing. He’d never show it to the others, though. I wished I had time to give him another massage. I knew he could use it.
We positioned our air masks and stepped into our weight-boots, then climbed down the ladder in silence. I personally was concentrating on the unfamiliar boots. Heavy and awkward. I almost missed a step entirely. The ground came up to meet us, since we’d slammed into it. The lack of gravity grew more obvious. I felt a lot lighter, like I’d never need to diet again. I bounced to the ground and bounced a couple of times more before I steadied. Nate was last to descend. We couldn’t see much but rock and ship until we got a hundred yards out. Then we could see rock and sky. By sky, I mean stars, thousands and thousands of sparkling little lights with no atmosphere to dull their intensity. Most of the ground illumination came from the cruiser’s lights and the tower lights that we could barely see beyond the crater’s edge. The tower lights meant a biosphere was nearby.
Have I mentioned that I hate hiking? Especially in weight-boots and knee-deep dust. Nate held my hand until we reached the crater walls. The crater walls, viewed from our perspective at the bottom, actually looked like a sheer cliff. We tag teamed with ropes and other climbing equipment. Breathless, we reached the ridge, and there we were greeted by a committee of the moon tribe.
“Welcome,” the leader said. He was in a glow-in-the-dark green suit. I could barely see his face through the face shield, and his voice sounded digitized.
I won’t bore you with the mainly useless conversation that went on for the hour it took to reach the biosphere. Nate did convey our need for the thingamabob to repair the ship. The reply was non-committal. They did ask us to dine with them. Ah, not good.
The biosphere was vast, just like the one on Mars. Anti-grav vehicles zipped by us on three levels. Above that, a people-mover tracked past domes with giant LCD screen advertisements. Windows reflected silver-gray, so that we couldn’t get a view of the beings inside. The delegation revealed themselves by removing their helmets, then escorted us to the people-mover and from there to a grouping of el-shafts. We went down instead of up. Stepping out, we found ourselves in a vast, lush, man-made cavern. Greenery fell from boxes down along walls. Huge full-spectrum lights gave the impression of daylight, though the sky wasn’t visible. Trees towered, as did transmitter columns. El-shafts on every side of the space glimmered, and beings walked, jogged, sat, chatted along every surface. Our weight-boots tied us down in here, where gravity was created artificially. We clumped along the center track following our guide.
Every moon person was gorgeous. Ju’s mouth was open, and I suspected she was drooling. Freddy’s face held a cautious expression with blank eyes. I couldn’t see Nate’s face, since he was in front of me.
Our hike ended on a center island that was suspended midway within the cavern.
An unbelievably gorgeous Apollo greeted us wearing elaborate robes of iridescent green, blue, and orange. “Welcome, visitors. We are happy to acquaint with you. I am Vincent de Luna.”
That’s when I realized what was missing from all the motion around us. We were the only aliens. On Mars and the space station, there were tons of alien beings mixed with short, chubby, imperfect Earthlings. Here, all you could see were tall, slender, perfect people. My body kicked into fight or flight mode, increasing my oxygen, tensing my muscles, and making it damn hard to concentrate.
“I believe two of our kind have met you previously,” the robed guy went on. “May I reacquaint you with Clint and April de Luna?” He waved an arm, and two bio-engineered beings emerged from the shadows. Two very familiar beings. I cringed and blushed at the same time. I wondered what Nate was thinking.
“Nate and Helena Terra, we greet you.”
“Greetings,” Nate said in a low, neutral voice.
April smiled. “We are appalled you have brought weapons into our place of peace.” She sounded so formal. “Please remove them.”
I followed Nate’s lead and handed over my hip gun.
“All of them.” Clint gestured to our ankles. We removed those weapons as well. All I had left was my pen-slashing thing. Someone we didn’t know patted us down, but left my pen. As soon as that was done, I grew giddy, like I had a great buzz going.
“Please drink with us,” April offered. Bad idea. Had Nate warned the others about the rogashen? I took one sip under the de Lunas’ watchful eyes and was ready to jump Nate’s bones in front of everybody. I casually pretended to sip after that. Ju moaned. I looked over at her. Her hands were sliding down her body as if she was doing a pole dance. Clint watched her with interest, before casting his eyes in my direction and winking. Nate had said I should have some resistance to the pheromones. If this was resistance, I couldn’t imagine what Ju was feeling. Well, yes, I could. She was ready to strip and jump all of our bones.
Now that the formal greetings were done, Clint and April offered to give us a tour. Vincent promised that he would have our needed part delivered to our ship, but he didn’t promise that we would be delivered with it. Was he a man of his word? Had that been programmed into his genetics?
Clint took Ju’s arm, which caused Nate to growl, but he took my arm, probably because we were supposedly mated. April clung to Freddy and petted his shoulder. He was obviously torn between stoic soldier and turned-on playboy. Poor guy.
Thoughts kept spinning through my head, like pulling Nate to a stop and sucking him off in front of everyone, or throwing him over that bench and devouring him from toe to head. He glanced at me, and his eyes were on fire. The need was so clear on his face, it made me wet and achy. Where were they taking us? How long was I
going to be able to stand this?
In front of us, Clint whispered to Ju, and she laughed. He guided the group into a ball-shaped room filled with tables and moon people. They chatted and laughed, oblivious to the display on the stage. Two women reclined on a chaise, groping each other. I tried not to watch, but the fact that one woman’s fingers were twirling the other woman’s clit made it hard for me to turn my face away. Liquid leaked from my pussy as my stomach tightened. My nipples did, too. Beyond the women, a man was bent over a high bench, gripping the edges, legs spread wide. A second man shadowed him, stomach to back, cock to ass.
I noticed Nate had an erection, but he also wasn’t happy about it, judging by his flushed cheeks and grimace.
We were shown to a table very near the stage, where we were offered more rogashen and oysters imported from Earth. Nate and Freddy flanked me.
“Can you touch my boner, please?” Freddy whispered, shocking a gasp from me. “If I come, maybe I’ll be able to think again.”
“They might pounce on you.”
“But at least then I’ll be able to get out of the way.”
I leaned toward Nate. Across from me, Clint, April, and Ju seated themselves. Clint seemed to have Ju enthralled, despite Nate’s attempts to engage her in conversation. April focused on Freddy, but at least he knew what was up. “Nate, would orgasm help break the spell?”
He looked at me, shocked. “Here?”
“Freddy wants me to touch him. Should I touch you, too?” I hoped my whisper sounded calmer than I felt at the idea.
“Why, that scum ...” Nate paused his diatribe and took a deep breath. And another. “Yes, it would help clear our heads.”
“But will it make them, you know, want you for dinner?”
Chapter Eight
Nate refused to dwell on anything but the touch of Helena’s fingers as she caressed his thighs. He couldn’t dwell on how unmanly this whole thing was, or how unsexy, or even how ridiculous. He just needed to fight the pheromones in a room overflowing with moon people. Even without the added drug, he would have been aroused by the two women tonguing each other on stage, but it wouldn’t have brought him pain and disorientation. He undid his pants and waited for Helena’s touch to move higher, refusing also to think about the fact that she was doing the same to Freddy. He’d really have to slug the man once they were safely away from here.
Oh, her light touches on his taut skin sent lightning bolts around his groin and straight to his brain. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to concentrate on his breath. So good, so good.. He was resisting the release, though. It went against his upbringing to shoot his load in public, even under a table. It might land on Ju, who’d been chugging the rogashen and caressing Clint’s chest. She might fall completely under the de Lunas’ spell, but he and Freddy were already losing their grip.
How had things spun out of control so quickly?
Simple. It was much harder to fight seduction than brute aggression. They couldn’t go at the moon people guns blazing, even if they’d still had their guns, because they hadn’t been overtly attacked.
Breathe, man, relax. Helena had this look of concentration on her face, and her tongue was caught between her lips. Wasn’t she feeling just as aroused? But she’d been in direct contact with the de Lunas for a longer amount of time than any of them. She was the one person who might be able to keep her senses functioning. He certainly wasn’t.
She squeezed his shaft on the upstroke and relaxed her fist on the downstroke, then brushed along the top of his balls before stroking up again. Freddy’s eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open. Helena’s arm position had to look abnormal to an outside observer, but no one seemed to be watching her. April sipped her rogashen and watched Freddy through slit eyes. Did she know what was going on?
Close your eyes and let go.
* * * * *
Men’s penises are interesting things. Different sizes, different states of arousal, bumps, skin, amount of hair. Tiny little disparities. Nate’s felt familiar as I slipped my hand over the head and slid it down the erect shaft. I liked the weight, the thickness, and the memories of him deep inside me. Freddy’s penis was a bit smaller, but just as erect. Semen leaked out of the top, and his balls seemed tighter, closer to release. My fingers walked along his skin, trying for different strokes and sensations. Every now and then I heard a moan from his direction, despite the loud crowd surrounding us. I was dying for a glass of wine, or some sort of alcohol that I trusted, just to relax a bit.
I settled back and watched the stage show, just to avoid April’s eyes whenever they strayed from Freddy. I think she was playing footsy with him, not realizing he was otherwise occupied. The precum at the tip of Freddy’s penis lubricated my thumb and fingers, hopefully increasing his pleasure. I thought he said something like “God,” and that’s when I caught warm liquid in my palm.
Have I mentioned that I was totally turned on? Every single one of my nerves was electrified. I don’t know if it was the pheromones or just having two men in my hands. Maybe it was the crazy sex show in front of me. Whatever, but I longed for Nate or Freddy to duck under the table and lick me. Hell, even April would work. And, at the moment, my hands weren’t free for me to help myself.
Freddy seemed to be leveling out again. He, too, avoided his drink. Ju was the one who was lost. The fact that she was licking Clint’s neck was a big clue. I hoped Nate had a plan, because I honestly couldn’t see how we were going to get out of here with the ship’s part.
I managed to wipe my hand on a cloth napkin. Freddy clenched it for just a moment, then let go and started making conversation with April. Nate still hadn’t come. I leaned against his arm and felt his tense muscles. He wasn’t breathing right, not the way he normally did during sex when he was getting close to the edge. Performance anxiety was my guess.
“Look at the ladies,” I whispered. One actress’s limbs were wrapped around the head of the other lady. We could hear the amplified lapping sounds of the women, as well as slapping sounds from where the men came together. I couldn’t keep my eyes away from the men fucking. It was so unfamiliar to me. I found myself imagining someone doing that to Nate. Freddy perhaps. Or the other way around, with Nate’s big hands gripping Freddy’s waist as he thrust into him. Disturbing, yet so erotic. My nipples reacted at the slightest brush of my top, and my panties were more than damp.
I tried to turn my thoughts back to Nate alone, because my mental images were distracting me from the job at hand. If only Nate could have some kind of mind/body link with me, then he could escape his self-consciousness. Or maybe I didn’t have the rhythm right? I decided to experiment with a different pressure and speed. If I could have crawled under the table and sucked him off, no problem.
“What if I touch myself?” I said into his ear. “What if I slide my hand into my pants and slip my finger lower and lower, the way I did at your desk? Do you remember?” Finally a drop leaked from his penis. “Remember how you flipped me onto my stomach and fucked me from behind the other day? I could touch myself while you fuck me. Make my vagina clench.” My words were for him alone, and I think knowing that helped him relax. Now I recognized his breathing as it escalated with passion. “Or I could slip under this table and open my mouth wide to suck in the head of your cock ...”
I didn’t have to go on. He exploded, even before I had time to catch him. I could only hope that no one was paying attention to his eyes at that moment, because they were smoky slits. I waited for his breathing to regulate before I moved my hand away, once again wiping on the napkin on my lap. Then I let the napkin drop to the floor. Great. Everyone was happy, except me.
Nate leaned across the table to speak to Clint. “I’m afraid we can no longer enjoy the show. We’re on a schedule to get to Earth.”
Clint gave a lazy smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d think Helena traded favors with you, if I didn’t know she was your mate.”
“Well, she is my mate. Vincent promised us th
e part, so I’d like to check with him on the progress.”
“Certainly.” Clint pulled Ju up with him as he stood. April followed suit. Freddy, Nate, and I followed cautiously. Ju was the one we needed to pull away, but she was at the point where she didn’t want to let go.
“Ju, would you like to join April and I for a nightcap?” Clint asked.
Nate slapped his shoulder. “No, she would not.”
“Yes, I would,” Ju said. “That sounds heavenly.”
Nate ignored Clint’s glare. “Ju, remember what I told you.”
“Oh, that’s silly. They’re not going to eat me. I’m not an earthling, remember? I just want to stay with them. They like pleasure here.” Clint massaged Ju’s breast right in front of us. He wasn’t fazed by her tri-eyes or fuzzy skin.
“Ju.” Nate sounded desperate. Did her being Neptunian make a difference? Would she be safe? Nate didn’t seem to think so.
April said, “Now, dear, why don’t we let the rest find Vincent and their part, while we entertain Ju here?”
“We’re not leaving ...”
Freddy clamped Nate’s arm. “That sounds like a great idea.”
What could I do? Should I offer to join them, stay with Ju? I looked at Nate for guidance, but there was just pain in his eyes. “Ju, you don’t want to do this.”
What about my pen? I could slice them through the chest.
That’s when I noticed the crowd growing around us. Beings had drifted after us, away from the stage show. They all had hungry looks in their eyes.
Freddy had an iron grip on my arm. “We’ll go find Vincent. That sounds perfect. We’ll look for Ju after.”
I had to do something, didn’t I? I couldn’t let Nate down this way, when this whole trip was because of my obsession.
“Ju, come with us,” I said. “Nate and I want you in our bed, honey. You don’t need to go with them.”
April had come around behind Ju, and her hand made slow, steady strokes along the V of Ju’s legs. She purred. I knew what she was feeling. “No, Helena. You and Nate are meant to be together. I want to stay here,” the melting female said.