by Selena Kitt
Ariana nodded her thanks and lay down on the bed. The T-shirt she wore rode up, revealing the tops of her thighs and what lay between them. Finn gulped and said. “You can get under the sheet if you want. Sleep well.”
He backed out of the room and closed the door. She slipped under the sheet. Why had he seemed so flustered? He hadn’t reacted that way when he’d seen her nude at the shore, but it seemed the sight of the place between her legs upset him.
She touched the hair down there. It was soft and curly. She slid her fingers lower and encountered a hard nub. Touching it made her shiver; she hadn’t felt anything that pleasurable before. Experimentally, she pushed on it harder and caught her breath. What an amazing sensation!
What else was down there? She was reluctant to stop touching the nub, but was curious. She felt a small opening right behind the nub; when she touched it, she felt the need to urinate. How did humans do that? She got off the bed and opened the door. Finn was sitting on one of the chairs, talking into a small device. “I don’t know where she’s from,” he said. “She doesn’t talk.” He noticed Ariana in the doorway. “Ariana, do you need something?”
She nodded, but was unable to think of a way to explain what she needed. “If you’re thirsty, there’s some bottled water in the fridge,” Finn said. “And that door right there is the bathroom. You might need to go; sorry I didn’t think of it.”
The word “bathroom” was unfamiliar to her, but she decided to check it out. Inside were a low porcelain seat, with a large hole in it, a stall enclosed by a curtain, and a taller porcelain item. This last looked somewhat familiar to her; she had seen things like it in the piles of cast-off surface items she had found on the bottom of the sea. She turned one of the knobs and water gushed out. This must be how humans cleaned themselves.
The seat was a mystery to her. She sat on it and relaxed. To her astonishment, water gushed from her! The relief for her bladder was immediate. This was how humans urinated? How strange!
She stood and turned on the water again. She ran her hands through it, enjoying the moisture on her skin, then left the room. “Ariana, next time you go to the bathroom, please close the door,” Finn said wearily. “And you need to flush the toilet, please.”
Ariana looked at him, confused. The toilet? Which item was that, and what did “flush” mean? “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Finn said. “Here, let me show you.”
He led her back into the bathroom and pointed at the seat. “This is the toilet,” he said. He pushed a metal lever, and with a loud noise, the water inside the toilet was sucked down. “And that’s flushing. Do that every time you use the toilet, okay?”
Ariana nodded. “Where do you come from?” Finn mused. “Where is it that doesn’t have cars and toilets?”
He seemed to be talking to himself more than to her, so she didn’t worry about answering. She touched his shoulder in thanks and went back to the bedroom.
With the door closed, she lay on the bed again and resumed her exploration. Beyond the first hole between her legs was another, larger hole. She slipped a finger inside. The feeling was wonderful. She moved her finger in and out, longing for something, though she didn’t know what. After a few moments, she returned to the nub, rubbing and pressing it until suddenly it felt as though every atom of her body was coming apart.
Frightened, she lay still until the feeling subsided. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but although it scared her, it had also been the most incredible thing she’d ever felt. Was this what a man might make a woman feel? What would it be like if Finn’s fingers instead of her own touched her there?
She turned onto her side and closed her eyes. Within moments, she was asleep.
She woke to the sound of voices in the other room. Cautiously she opened the door and saw two women sitting in the second chair in the room. Finn noticed Ariana and smiled. “Ariana, come meet my sister Jackie and her friend Petra,” he said. “Jackie, this is Ariana, the mystery girl.”
Jackie looked at Ariana suspiciously. “She’s very pretty. Hello, Ariana. I’d like to know more about you. My brother’s a little too trusting sometimes.”
“Oh, Jackie, stop it.” Petra smiled. “Hello, Ariana. Finn’s been telling us about you. It’s nice to meet you.” She wriggled out of the chair and picked up a pile of fabric from the floor. “We brought you some clothes,” she said. “I hope they’ll fit. Finn’s right, you can’t walk around in that T-shirt.”
“You guys astound me,” Jackie said. “How could she not have clothes? How come she can’t tell us anything? Ariana, you can write, can’t you? You could write down stuff, if my brother hadn’t been too clueless to think of it.”
“I’m not clueless,” Finn protested. He got up and took a thin stick and pad of paper from the top of a tall thing in the kitchen, and brought them to Ariana. “Here. You can write, right?”
She studied the stick. She’d never seen anything like it, and had no idea what it might have to do with writing. After a moment, Finn pulled part of it off and ran the other part over the paper. It left a mark behind. “This is writing,” he said. He wrote the same letters the Sea Witch had scribed on the piece of skin. “And this is your name. Can you write anything about where you’re from?”
She shook her head, but took the stick and clumsily copied the letters Finn had formed. “Good job,” he said. He turned to his sister and her friend. “Guess writing is out. Petra, why don’t you help her with those clothes? She had trouble with the T-shirt when I gave it to her to put on.”
“This is ridiculous!” Jackie exploded. “No one is that ignorant!”
Petra took Ariana’s hand and pulled her into the bedroom. She shut the door. “They’ll argue for a while, but we don’t have to listen to it,” she said. “Now, let’s see what you should try on first.”
Ignoring the raised voices in the other room, Ariana and Petra passed the next while looking at the clothes. Petra patiently helped Ariana try things on, in the process teaching her how to put them on and take them off herself. When they finally emerged from the bedroom, Ariana was dressed in a pine green tank top and denim shorts. Finn’s eyes widened when he saw her. “You look very pretty, Ariana,” he said.
“Yeah. Really pretty.” Jackie sounded completely insincere. “It’s a good color for her, I guess. So are we going shopping, Petra? I guess we need to replace the clothes she’s borrowing.”
“Jackie, give it a rest!” Finn snapped. “I don’t know what your problem is, but Ariana isn’t here to take advantage of anyone. She needs help, and I’m helping her.”
“You’re too nice. But whatever.” Jackie stood. “See you later, little brother.”
Petra gave Finn a peck on the lips. “Don’t worry about it, Finn. She’ll get over it.” She followed Jackie out the door.
Finn looked at Ariana and forced a smile. “Don’t worry. Jackie’s always been a little overprotective of me. Did you have a good nap?”
Ariana nodded. “That’s good,” Finn said. “Maybe tomorrow we can go somewhere, get out of here. I mean, I’m sure you don’t want to spend all your time in my apartment.” He yawned. “But right now, I think I need to sleep. See you in the morning, okay?”
She nodded and gestured toward the bedroom. “No, you sleep there,” he told her. “I meant what I said. You sleep in there and I’ll sleep here. It’ll be fine.” He pulled a lever on the side of the chair and a footrest sprang up. He pushed back against the back of the chair until he was lying almost flat. “See? I’ll be all right. Good night, Ariana.”
She smiled and went back into the bedroom. She thought she wasn’t tired anymore, but she fell asleep almost immediately.
* * * *
Over the next few days, Ariana and Finn grew more accustomed to each other. He worked, but taught her how to use the TV and the DVD player so she was entertained while he was gone, and took her out to see the city when he returned home at night. Although the walks they took were painful to her, she
never minded. At least she was with him. A couple of times, Petra joined them. She seemed to like Ariana, and flirted constantly with Finn, though Ariana thought it was just a game between the two of them.
After they returned home on those nights, Ariana listened while Finn talked about himself, his past, his dreams. She sensed that he didn’t often open up to others, and was honored that he felt he could talk to her. She only wished she could return the favor; she wanted him to know everything about her, but despite her best efforts, she still could write only her name, and of course couldn’t speak.
She spent much of her time alone trying to decide how best to show her feelings for Finn. Her love for him deepened daily, and she was certain he felt the same, though she desperately wanted him to say so. She also continued her explorations of herself. She discovered the kind of touch that made her feel best, and experienced many more of the bursts of pleasure she’d given herself on the first evening. Among the DVDs Finn had, she found some that showed men and women together, touching each other and doing what the people in the films called “fucking”. After watching those, Ariana always felt the desire to touch herself, or better yet, to try what was in the films with Finn.
But with only two days remaining of her seven, she was no closer than on the first day to winning his love. He cared for her, clearly, but she needed him to truly love her and to express that love. Finally, she made a decision. She understood from watching the DVDs what Havian and Garrett had wanted from her, and she determined that she would give that to him.
He came home from work exhausted and sat in his recliner. “Ariana, I’m sorry, but I’m not up to going out tonight,” he said. “It was a really long day, and I just want to rest. Is that okay?”
She nodded and went to him. On one of the DVDs she’d watched, a man had come home tired and his woman had rubbed his neck and shoulders. The man had seemed to enjoy it, and it had led to more. Perhaps Finn would enjoy a shoulder rub. She stood behind the recliner and began to gently rub. “Mmm,” Finn murmured. “That feels nice, Ariana. Keep going, please.”
She massaged his neck and shoulders, pleased with his sounds of appreciation. After a few moments, she gave into an impulse and bent to kiss his lips. “Ariana?” he said hesitantly. “What are you doing?”
She replied by pressing her lips more forcefully against his. He pulled her around the chair and onto his lap. His tongue slid between her lips; unlike that of the Sea Witch, his tongue felt pleasant against her own. The kiss brought a feeling of tingling moisture to the spot between her legs, and the feeling grew stronger when his hand caressed one small breast.
Abruptly, he broke the kiss, though he didn’t remove his hand from her breast. “What am I doing? Ariana, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…”
She covered his hand with her own and smiled reassuringly. “Do you want this?” he asked hoarsely. “Do you understand what’s going to happen if we don’t stop now?”
She didn’t understand, not completely, but she knew it would be what the men and women in the DVDs did, and she knew she wanted him to do that to her. She nodded and moved his hand from her breast between her legs. “Ariana,” he moaned. “All right. All right. I’ve wanted you since I found you. If you want me, then okay. But in bed. This chair isn’t comfortable enough for fucking.”
She gracefully slipped from his lap. More clumsily, he got up from the chair, almost falling over the footrest. Was he this flustered because of her? Now she knew why he’d seemed so nervous her first night there, when he’d seen her naked parts on his bed. She extended her hand to him and he took it and followed her into the bedroom.
Beside the bed, he pulled her close against him and renewed their kiss. As his tongue explored her mouth, his hands roamed her body. He didn’t touch between her legs, not yet, but his touch on even the bare skin of her legs set her body on fire. She felt as though she would explode from the pleasure of it. Growing bolder, she moved her own hands over his body, feeling his chest beneath his T-shirt, caressing his buttocks.
Against her belly she felt something hard, and reached between herself and him to touch it. It was a large bulge in the front of his pants. Cautiously, not wanting to hurt him, she put some pressure on it. “Oh, god, Ariana, that feels good!” he exclaimed. “Here. Wait a minute.”
He let go of her and peeled off his clothes, then helped her off with hers. For the first time in real life, she saw a naked human other than herself. Between his legs he had what the men in the DVDs had, a hard shaft with two small sacs hanging beneath them. In person, the shaft looked larger than the ones in the films. She reached for them, then looked at him questioningly. He nodded. “You can touch. You can touch me anywhere you want,” he said hoarsely. “Have you done this before?”
She shook her head and cupped the sacs in her hand. He moaned. “Ariana, wait, please.” She took her hand away, and he caught it in both his hands. “Ariana, have you ever had sex before? Ever done anything with a man?”
Again she shook her head. “Are you sure you want to do this now, with me?” he asked. “I want to. God, I want to. But if it’s your first time, it will hurt, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
Hurt? How could it hurt? She stroked his shaft and a thought occurred to her. Her fingers felt good when she put them inside her opening. This part of him was much larger than her fingers. If it was meant to go inside her, it would hurt; his shaft looked too big to fit. But she knew she wanted him to try. Wanted to join with him that way, to be as close to him as possible. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “You want to make love to me?” he asked huskily.
She nodded. “Then lie down,” he commanded. “If this is your first time, I want to make it incredible for you.”
She lay on her back on the bed. Finn lay beside her and pressed his lips to hers. His hand moved over her breasts and down, down to the place between her legs. He pressed a finger against her nub and she caught her breath. “That feels good, doesn’t it?” he whispered in her ear. “Ariana, you’re so wet! I can’t wait to be inside you, but I want to do something for you first.”
He moved down the bed, leaving a trail of light kisses from her neck to the junction of her thighs. She waited to see what he would do, and was astonished when his tongue touched the nub. She jumped, then relaxed into the pleasure as he licked and sucked it lightly. She felt the now-familiar sensation building, and knew she was about to burst, but had no way to let him know until the strong pleasure hit her, stronger than she’d felt with her fingers. She bucked, and he looked up with a grin. “Did you like that?” he asked.
She nodded and smiled enthusiastically. He slipped one finger into her opening, then two. “God, Ariana, you’re so tight,” he said softly. “It’s going to hurt when I fuck you, but I’ll go slow, all right? You’re still sure you want me to fuck you?”
His fingers felt amazing; Ariana was sure she was going to explode again. If his fingers brought her that much pleasure, she had to know what his shaft could do. She nodded and spread her legs wider apart, inviting him to lie between them. He accepted the invitation, covering her body with his own, and she felt the head of his shaft against her entrance. “Are you ready?” he asked softly.
She replied by kissing his lips. He pushed his shaft forward, and she felt her opening stretch to accept him. There was discomfort, but at the same time it felt so wonderful, as though she was connecting completely with him.
Slowly he pushed into her, then stopped. “The next bit is going to be the painful part,” he said. “But it will only hurt for a minute, and then it will feel very, very good. Okay?”
She nodded, and with one fast thrust, he was fully inside her. Tears came to her eyes at the sharp, searing pain between her legs. He lay still. “I’m sorry, Ariana,” he said softly. “I know that hurt, but just wait and it will stop, I promise.”
As he’d said, after a moment, the pain subsided. She moved against him, and he took the hint, beginning a slow, steady motion in and out of her. “Is it okay?”
he asked.
Better than okay. It was the most incredible thing she had ever felt! She meet each of his thrusts with one of her own, savoring the intense pleasure, until another burst came and she opened her mouth in a soundless cry. “You came again?” he asked, astonished. “Damn, Ariana, you’re amazing! I can’t believe how good you feel!”
He picked up his pace, thrusting harder and faster into her, until he shouted, “I’m coming!” She felt him push hard into her, then he rested on her. “That was so fucking good,” he said. “Did you enjoy it, Ariana?”
He looked at her face to see her response. She couldn’t speak, but it occurred to her that she could still move her lips in the shape of the words she needed to say. “I love you,” she mouthed.
He stared at her, stunned. “Ariana, no,” he said finally. “No. You can’t love me. You don’t know me. And I- I care for you, a lot. Having you here has been wonderful. But Petra and I...God, Petra’s going to kill me. Ariana, Petra and I’ve been dating for a long time. We’re planning to get married in a couple years. I care about you, but I love Petra.”
She felt her heart shatter. Finn loved Petra? That explained the flirting and teasing between them, but why then had he introduced Petra as his sister’s friend, not as his girlfriend? And why had he entered Ariana as he had if he loved someone else?
“Ariana, I’m so sorry,” he said. He moved away from her and sat on the edge of the bed. “I never meant to hurt you. I just...I can’t explain. I love Petra, but I wanted to make love to you. But it can’t happen again, okay?” He stood up. “I’m going to go take a shower. We can talk about this after. I need to think.”
He left the room, and after a second Ariana heard the bathroom door close behind him. She got off the bed; where she had lain was a bloodstain, which she realized must have been from when he had buried himself in her. Just as the Sea Witch had predicted: pain and blood.