by Selena Kitt
Deliah reluctantly follows me, not really wanting to leave the close proximity of that alien, but knowing that as my friend, she has to show some support.
“What did he say?” She’s very intense, she really wants to know
I try to play it cool. “Oh, nothing special. Alien stuff, I guess. They have their own ways of doing things.”
She gestures to my crotch. “He seems to have had an effect on you, that’s for sure. Is that something you can try to control at all? It’s pretty obvious that you’re... turned on or whatever you are.”
She keeps her distance, not wanting to get too close to a friend with an obvious boner. But she’s kind enough to place herself between me and the rest of the party.
“Well, you know,” I say lamely, the cold sweat running down my back, “there are so many hot chicks here...”
She just looks at me, not buying it at all. She knows me too well. “Uh-huh. I think maybe someone needs to realize that it’s 2016, and that whatever turns you on is not something to be ashamed of. That guy has an effect on everyone here. But you’re the only Earthling he’s talked to.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out thin. “I’m not turned on, silly. All these girls in their space bikinis and the smell here... It’s enough to get anyone a little fired up. I think that the haze in here has some narcotic effects, probably an aphrodisiac...And who knows what’s in this drink...” Yeah, I’m struggling.
And of course then I look straight at him, and he looks at me and I can see how his eyes just pierce me, which is impossible, because he’s twenty feet away, and I wonder how his skin feels to touch. And my cock twitches in my pants, not wanting to go down like a good boy.
Deliah somehow notices and hmphs in annoyance. “Well, I’m not going to spend my evening in this UFO standing here talking to you, while surrounded by hot aliens. If you can’t control that thing, you’re on your own. But take it from me: Life is much better if you do what you feel is right, not what others feel is right for you. Got it?”
I nod, trying to remain nonchalant. But my heart is beating fast and hard and my mouth is dry.
Her duty as a friend done, Deliah turns her back and sashays over to a cluster of aliens and Earthlings. Her dress is tight and her butt was always very round and full, so seeing her walk away with those exaggerated hip movements should be a real treat, but it has no effect on me now.
I try to pinpoint Jaiana in the crowd. No, she’s talking to Brax’on, and I avert my eyes before he can see that I’m looking in his direction.
I down the rest of my drink and put the empty glass on a nearby horizontal surface. I see the thing that dispenses drinks, and I need something to do now, so I make my way over, past happy and excited Earthlings and confident, beautiful aliens. Well, I know they’re beautiful. But somehow they seem bland to me now, uninteresting. Common, even, compared to him.
The drinks machine is hard to get to work, and an Itherian woman comes over and helps me. This one is almost pitch black and has eyes so yellow I can just stare. The contrast is surreal, and the more I look, the more her beauty captivates me. Her movements are supple and graceful, her chest ample and her hips wide and feminine. And yet she leaves me cold. It’s like looking at a commercial piece of art – perfect, but ultimately lifeless and uninteresting. My intellectual mind can appreciate the beauty and the perfection, but my erection dwindles rapidly.
She gently nudges me away so she can operate the machine, then hands me a cylindrical glass with another alcoholic fluid.
“I’m Yuah,” she says and flutters her eyelids in a way that I choose to interpret as friendly, not flirting.
“You’re me?” I say, confused. Is this their philosophy, that we’re all the same? Or something like that?
She giggles. “No, it’s my name. Yuah. Yoo aaahhh.”
“Oh, I see. It’s a nice name. I’m Aithan.” And don’t you know it, I stretch my hand out to shake hers as if it’s a business meeting.
She giggles again, then touches my hand with her fingertips, and I feel the slender coolness as I grasp it and pump it once. It has the effect that we’re now almost a yard apart. Part of me wants to be closer to this Itherian female, but another, much stronger part wants her at arm’s length. Shouldn’t I want to just jump the bones of this woman?
“Nice to meet you, Yuah,” I say. I’m not at my best. My mind is otherwise occupied.
“Thank you, Aithan. Are you enjoying the experience?”
I take a sip of my drink and look around the room. I don’t have to check to see where in the room Brax’on is. That I can feel with my whole being. “Sure. It’s very alien. And everyone is very nice. How do you like us Earthlings?”
She smiles, and it’s a very fetching, charming and real smile. Her white teeth are just perfect, and the contrast to her smooth, black skin is breathtaking. Or would be, if my mind were all present.
“Oh, I find your species very attractive,” she says. “I saw you were in conversation with Brax’on.”
“M-hm.” I would prefer to keep my thoughts away from him, but at the same time I want to know everything about him.
“He’s very important to us,” Yuah says. “We want him to be happy. He’s always troubled, it seems to us.”
“Troubled? Why?”
“The responsibilities, I suppose. The cares, the loneliness. He needs a mate, Aithan.”
“A mate? A woman that can bear him children?”
She smiles enigmatically. “Something like that.”
I’m confused. “Isn’t that what you all want? Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“It is. Partly. Mainly it’s because our prince needs a mate. And Itherians are not to his taste, it seems.”
“Yes, I heard of your prince. But I haven’t seen him.”
Her eyes widen. They’re very yellow. “Oh, but you have! You have even talked to him.”
I just stare at her for a moment. “But the only one I’ve talked to is-”
She can probably see the penny drop, and my head whips around. Brax’on is in easy conversation with some other Itherians. He’s not the tallest or the most beautiful male here. But still he dominates the whole room, radiating a quiet power, seeming to be larger than he really is. His stance is wide and he’s in perfect control of both himself and everything else. Of course he’s the prince. He has leadership and royalty and alphaness written all over him, now that I know what I’m looking at.
He glances over at me, his gray eyes glinting in amusement, as if he knows what I’m thinking.
I avert my eyes again.
But not right away.
Chapter Six
- Prince Brax’on -
I can pinpoint the exact moment when he realizes who I am. I hold his gaze for a moment, and he can take it for a whole second before he has to look away. I smirk to myself. He’s impressed.
The prince thing is more important to others than to me. People assign me superhuman abilities and skills, when in fact I’m just an ordinary man who has to cope with a lot of responsibilities. It has made me resilient and strong, I suppose. That’s useful in a ruler.
“He is warming to you,” Tana says. “He’s like a virgin, taking some time to process his attraction.”
“M-hm. He may not be able to turn his confusion into excitement, or even acceptance,” I muse.
“Oh, he will,” Tana says. She has dismissed the men who massaged her, giving them hopes and promises about intimate frolics to come. She’ll deliver, too.
“I almost envy you, Brax’on. There is something about that Earthling that attracts me, too. An innocence, mixed with otherness and that alien appearance. I would take him for a night myself. Are you considering-”
“I don’t know,” I cut her off. I know what she’s going to say. And certainly, it’s not impossible that I will seduce him. Indeed, it feels natural to consider it. But nothing is settled. Aithan speaks to a primitive part of me, one that I can rarely feel. That has value in itself. But I d
on’t usually seduce males.
I look around. Everyone is having a good time, it seems to me. I think some couples have gone elsewhere to be private and complete their matings. I wanted to keep this occasion informal, and no Itherians are required to address me as ‘Your Highness’ here and now, which is otherwise common protocol. It’s strangely liberating. I may dispense with that protocol entirely. We’ll see.
I glance over at Aithan once more. He feels it, and sends me quick look of his own. I want to talk to him again, hear his voice. But I manage not to walk over there.
I give a sign, and the music changes, becomes louder and more rhythmic. We have carefully tailored the music to appeal to Earthlings, and I can see that every one of them starts subconsciously tapping their feet or their fingers or swaying back and forth. They have dance in them, this species. And so does mine.
A dance floor appears, subtly outlined by light, and three couples immediately get on it and start dancing. They’re good. The styles are different, but with party dancing, it doesn’t really matter. They’ll mirror each other’s styles and learn, creating a hybrid dance style that will appeal to both Itherian and Earthling.
Tana can never resist dancing. She grabs hold of a random Earthling female and holds her tight, moving in the most sensual way. The female is initially surprised, but Tana’s confidence and sexual energy soon has her smiling and moving, too, enjoying herself.
I know that same-sex couples are not uncommon in this civilization. But still Tana is helping me by showing Aithan that we don’t mind that, either. Tana leads the dance, of course, because that’s what she does. She’s as dominant as I am, almost.
The woman in the blue dress, Aithan’s friend, comes over to me, seeing her chance now that Tana is doing something else. She strokes her hair and smiles. It’s a nice smile.
“Hiii,” she singsongs. “How are yoouuu? I’ve been dying to talk to you!”
I smile back, less widely than her. “Have you? I’m flattered.”
She comes close and casually places a delicate little hand on my chest. She’s had a drink, I’m sure, but she’s not exactly inebriated. This is her normal mode of getting to know someone she’s admired from a distance, and it’s very direct. I don’t mind that.
“I’m Deliah,” she says into my ear. It’s not necessary, because the loud music has been carefully tailored to not ruin conversations.
“Brax’on,” I say. “How are you enjoying our little party?”
“Oh, it’s great! The aliens are- I mean, the Itherians are just stunning and so nice! But do you know when the prince will be here?”
Hmm. I suppose I’m not very princely-looking. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. He has a mind of his own, our prince. Very unstable. We may wait for hours.” I smile regretfully.
“Yeah? Do you know him? Is he hot- I mean, is he a lot like the other Itherians?”
I sometimes enjoy games like this, not revealing who I am. It’s childish. But it’s fun.
“Oh, no. He’s not very attractive, the prince. More quirky than handsome, you might say. And he has a strange sense of humor.”
She frowns in concern. “Oh! How? I mean, what, like, he tells dirty jokes?”
I nod, very seriously. “Sometimes. And he will sometimes be in a room, even at a party like this, trying not to be recognized. He may even claim not to be the prince, or act all innocently when the prince is brought up, not revealing his identity.”
I keep a straight face, and she stares at me, taking it all in. I can practically see the wheels turning.
She leans closer and looks up at me with big eyes. “Is he... is he, you know, crazy?”
I shrug. “I couldn’t tell, I’m afraid. I suppose it just amuses him. But of course, many of our kings and princes have been insane, so you never know. How is your friend?” I nod in Aithan’s direction.
“Oh, he’s fine. I think he likes you. But I’ve never seen him with a man before. So I wouldn’t get to attached, you know?”
She looks at me as if caring, as if she wants to protect me from the heartache that would follow if I were to be rejected, trying to get me not to try at all.
But I see through her, and I have to stifle a smile at the thought that females are the same all through the galaxy: She’s jealous of the attention he got from me. She wants that attention.
Part of her knows that I’m the prince. But it hasn’t yet propagated to her conscious mind.
“I see. Yes, I figured. I like him a great deal. But, as you say...” I pretend to dismiss the whole idea with an airy hand gesture.
Tana has let go of the first dance partner, and the Earthling female is sending longing gazes in her direction, probably having had some strange feelings awakened in her for the first time. Tana’s delicate and sophisticated dominance can do that. She’s immensely gifted.
But women are easier to turn like that. Men sometimes need more persuasion, even if they know deep down that they want it. Especially if they know that.
And I’m about to find out if I’m as gifted as Tana.
Chapter Seven
- Aithan -
Deliah is talking to the prince, laughing and standing really close to him. A little flame of rage briefly blossoms in me at the sight of it. But it’s okay. I’m not attracted to guys. She can have her fun. He sure seemed to want to talk to me more than her, but whatever.
The woman he’s been talking to, the one who had her foot massaged, is on her way over to me. She has a beautiful smile and skin the tone of caramel, long hair cascading down her shoulders and a frilly, turquoise dress that she shouldn’t be able to get away with, here or anywhere. But it works like crazy on her.
“Aithan,” she purrs, but I can’t remember being introduced to her. “I can’t take my eyes off you. Come on, let’s dance.” She takes hold of my hand, puts a hand on my chest and gets pretty close.
She smells nice, very... feminine. A little too sweetly, for my tastes.
I seem to remember that her name is Tana. As we dance, with her leading, I feel her warm, firm body against mine, feel the softness of her breasts as she pushes them against me and smiles.
She’s just about the same height as me, and she has a sensual way of moving that I feel should turn me on. I have my hand around her back, and she discreetly pushes it further down, towards her butt. I feel the gentle curve of her back and the softness where her shape starts to curve the other way. She feels just like a normal woman, just like an Earthling. But she comes from many light years away. Is that why I can’t even feel a twitch in my crotch when I’m pretty much groping her shapely butt?
I have fantasized about this moment since I knew that the aliens were coming, trying to imagine what it would be like to get really close to an alien woman if they were to turn out to be humanoid. And they’re more attractive than anyone had dared hope. But in my fantasy, I’m always turned on by their touch and by touching them.
Here, in reality, I’m not.
I glance over at Deliah. She’s stroking his chest now, probably saying something about muscles. Can’t she leave him alone? He wants nothing to do with her!
Tana must have felt me tense up. She smiles at me again. “Don’t worry, Aithan. There’s only one alpha male in this room, and he’s the only one that matters. That’s what you’re feeling. Your body knows it only too well.”
Damn, is she reading my mind? I swallow in a dry throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.
She laughs, a bright little sound of real amusement. “Oh, I think you do, you naughty boy. Sure, I’m probably an alpha female. But Brax’on is in a different league. And he’s male. And a prince,with a dominant streak to boot. He likes you, you know. A lot.”
My eyes dart around the room again. I like hearing this, but I’m not attracted to guys.
“I’m not attracted to guys,” I say.
She laughs again. “I’m sure you’re not. But you’re attracted to him. Why split the world in two
and then decide to deprive yourself of one half? Believe me, it’s much more fun to take people one at a time, not thinking of which group they belong to, just see them for them. See Brax’on for who he is! He’s magnificent.”
“I’m sure he’s very nice,” I say. But her words ring true, I know he is. Everyone in the room knows.
“I see that you’re trying to run from him. It’s no use. If he wants you, he’ll get you. He always gets what he wants. And he does want you, Aithan.” Her eyes are very big, and she’s being serious.
I feel as if I’m standing beside myself. He wants me. “I’m not attracted to guys,” I repeat mechanically.