Alien Miner's Bride: A New Adult Science Fiction Romance (Moon Company Brides Book 1)

by Tia LaBeau

  I lie down on the bed and stare up at the white ceiling. I’m safe now, but I don’t know for how long. Time goes by slowly, and my nerves are starting to get jumbled again. I turn on the media feed. I’m still in the news. It doesn't seem like they have any real leads, but they’re still looking for me.

  I lay there for a while until there’s a knock on the door. I jump off the bed and creep towards the door. When I get there, I crack it open. Olivinia beams at me. “Can you believe it? I’ve found some for you. I’ll need you to select a bridal package now. Your groom will be paying one million credits for you. You will receive 25% of those credits.”

  “I will? You didn’t mention that before.”

  “Not much time to,” Olivinia says with a smile.

  “What else haven’t you mentioned?”

  “That there’s a pamphlet there on the bedside table. Tells you all the ins and outs. Of course, you don’t have time to read it, and there’s usually a contract for you to sign, but you don’t have time to sign it.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Your wedding will take place in about twenty minutes. Now get dressed. Your fake identification has been set up and awaits you.”

  She presses on her tablet and the closet door swings open. “There are tons of wedding dresses in there for you to choose from. They all come with veils. Choose wisely.”

  “This is nuts,” I say.

  “Life is nuts isn’t. Sometimes out of bad circumstances can come a bit of fun,” Olivinia says with a wink, and she’s out the door.

  Considering the circumstances, I don’t think so. My sister almost got raped, and she had to kill someone. Now I’m here.

  A voice speaks. “Please select your wedding package.”

  The feed screen changes from the news to a screen with selections. I can choose from a traditional 21st century Earth Wedding, a Moon wedding, and a Jovian wedding. I know I don’t want a Jovian wedding. Jovian weddings are much too gaudy. I have absolutely no interest in the hoopla of the 21st century Earth wedding either, whatever that even means, so I settle on a Moon wedding because they keep shit simple on the Moon, pared down, and minimalist.

  A long silver arm holding a dress shoots out of the closet. It’s holding a garment bag. I unzip the garment bag. Inside is a plain black dress covered with lace. Not bad I think. I slip into it and then remember that I haven’t showered since I left Mars, so I slip out of it. There’s a shower in the adjoining bathroom. I hop in.

  The available soap smells like strawberries and roses, and the water feels wonderful on my skin. I know I don’t have time to languish and it’s a bummer. I leave the shower and find lotion that has the same smell as the soap, a toothbrush which I can use to brush my teefers, and a hair brush. I use the hairbrush. I didn’t take the time to wash my hair, so there are a few tangles.

  When I’m finished grooming myself, I go back into the room. I notice that there are accessories in the bottom of the garment back. There’s a black veil which will be perfect for covering my face, black high heels, and a small black pouch. I put the dress on, gather the accessories and think about makeup. There’s no hair terminal in the bathroom, but there is a makeup terminal

  I approach the vanity and activate the makeup terminal. A plastic-like mold shoots out of the mirror. The mold moves toward my face, once on there, it wiggles around, obviously trying to get a good fit. I hear a beep. The mold comes off. My face is laid. I wish that I could afford one of these at home. I leave the bathroom and exit the room.

  The receptionist bot stands, waiting for me in the hall. “Congratulations, Miss Juno Vivey, soon to be Mrs. Xerxes Nic. Follow me please.”

  I’m about to ask who is Juno Vivey, but I remember that it’s the name I chose for myself in that video. So my new husband’s name is Xerxes Nic.

  I reach out and touch the receptionist bot’s arm. “Where’s he from? What does he look like? Is he nice?” I’m firing the questions off one after another without taking a breath.

  “You will see,” the receptionist bot says, and she smiles.

  My ankles wobble for two reasons as I walk down the hall. The first, I usually don’t wear high heels, so I’m finding it hard to balance in them. The second, I’m nervous as hell. Besides being wanted for murder, I’m about to marry a stranger.

  Location: The Asteroid Belt, Population: 123,345

  On the top of the altar, which is gilded in gold, a candle sits aglow. The rest of the lighting in the room is dim. I stand, waiting for Juno Vivey on a stair.

  When the door opens, in walks the woman I have selected as my wife. I must say that if I were to choose a human woman to “date” as they call it, I would select Juno Vivey for such a thing based purely on her looks. I still remember her face from the feed I watched in Olivinia Evawa’s office. I can tell that Juno Vivey is as nervous as I am because her arms are shaking and her walk is a bit wobbly.

  She paces up the aisle and stands next to me with her shoulders squared. I want to tell her to relax, that it is okay. I will not harm her, at least bodily anyway.

  Another human woman stands in front of us. She is the officiant. She is tall, and her hair is very long and curly. She has informed me that all I need to do is respond to the questions she asks me. I glance at my new bride. Her veil covers her face, so I do not know what expression she wears.

  “Do you, Juno Vivey, take Xerxes Nic to be your husband?” asks the officiant.

  “I do,” she says.

  “Do you wish to have a monogamous relationship or a polyamorous one?”

  “Monogamous,” she says. I enjoy hearing her voice but wish she might have chosen the polyamorous option.

  “Do you, Xerxes Nic accept a monogamous marriage to Juno Vivey? If you do say I do.”

  “Yes,” I say. Monogamy is fine I guess. I suppose I can make it a point to negotiate the type of marriage I’d like during this ceremony, but again I want to seem as committed to this marriage as possible. By choosing monogamous, it will no doubt seem as if I am one hundred percent interested in being married to Juno Vivey.

  “I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride then,” the minister says.

  “That’s it? And kiss?” Juno asks. “What do you mean kiss?” She jerks backward.

  “You must kiss to solidify your vows. It is required,” the minister says.

  I do not know of this kissing except for the fact that humans do it. We do kiss in my homeland Sewvi—at least not on the mouth as the humans do.

  Juno Vivey lifts her veil and turns towards me. She’s even more beautiful in person than she was in the video. I begin to wonder what it would be like to be her husband with all the physical benefits that would entail?

  “Plant one on me, big fella,” she says, closing her eyes and puckering her lips. I’ve seen the kissing done in feeds. I step forward, inhale her scent. She smells good enough to eat. I press my mouth against hers, and she presses her mouth against mine. I’m unsure of how long we ought to keep our lips pressed together, so I pull away, even though, I wish to feel the sensation again. Now I see what the humans find appealing about the kiss.

  We stand there looking at each other. Olivinia Evawa walks towards us clapping her hands. “Congratulations,” she says.

  “Thank you, Olivinia,” I say.

  “You okay, Juno?” Olivinia asks Juno. Juno nods her head, but she appears to be very uncomfortable with the situation. She is not exhibiting the giddiness I expected from a human bride based on all that I have seen on the human feeds and heard from others.

  “Do you wish not to marry me?” I ask. I don’t know why I ask it. What if she says no? But for some reason, I want to know how she feels about becoming my wife.

  “I am glad to marry you,” she says, but she does not smile.

  I think back to the contract and began to fear the prospect that she may run away. I don’t want this one to get away. There is something about her. Her aura, that I find appealing. Perhaps again I’m
only drawn to the promises in her wild eyes, and they are still wild now, as she stands before me.

  Olivinia leans over and whispers in my ear. “You may want to consummate this as soon as possible.”

  I turn to her, and she gives me a serious look. I wonder why she would say something like that. Does she think that Juno Vivey will run away if I do not consummate the marriage with her? And what if she doesn’t want to consummate the marriage with me? Shouldn’t I let her decide when, if ever? Of course, we will consummate our marriage at some point, right? The thought that we wouldn't is surprisingly disappointing.

  So many questions are swirling around in my mind as the two of us walk out the hall of ceremonies behind Olivinia Evawa. I walk behind Juno Vivey.

  I overhear Olivinia Evawa say, “I’ve arranged VIP travel to the Palace hotel if you want it.”

  I suppose that it might better for us to spend our first night together on neutral ground, but I ask Juno Vivey what her opinion is on the matter.

  “I wish to be escorted to my new home now,” she says.

  I am taken aback by her response. Being with her now makes me realize that I wish I had more to offer her for lodging than my mobil. When I purchase my asteroid, I plan to build a home station there—one that I can take with me when I move on to the next enterprise.

  “Maybe you’d be more comfortable at the Palace,” I say. “I currently live in a mobil.”

  “A mobil?” she asks. She seems to perk up. “I love mobils. I’d love to see it.”

  She smiles just a little. It’s enough to melt me. If she were to smile fully, I think it would kill me. My excuse to Wix is somehow manifesting itself. I’m feeling a slight dull ache in my balls now, but I do not need the issue studied because I know it’s only my body aching for Juno Vivey.

  “Well, then, the transport will drop you right off at your mobil,” Olivinia Evawa declares.

  Juno and I go back to our respective dressing rooms to retrieve our belongings. Later, we meet back up in the lobby.

  “This way,” Olivinia Evawa says.

  We follow Olivinia Evawa down a white corridor. Juno Vivey is still wearing her veil and her dress, and she stands out in against the stark white background of the hall. I’ve already changed into my underthings which I wear comfortably about.

  It becomes obvious that there is an exit which is different from the entrance. Olivinia Evawa pushes the door open. A long black hovercraft sits waiting.

  “Take them wherever they’d like to go, Celeste,” she says to the navigator. I recognize the navigator right away. She was the minister at our wedding ceremony.

  “Do stay in touch, Juno Vivey,” I hear Olivinia say. “I’ll be checking in with you soon to see how things are.”

  “Thank you for everything, Olivinia,” Juno says. There’s that voice again, rich and smooth.

  I allow Juno to board the craft first, and then I climb in beside her. She immediately turns her head toward the window. The craft doors slide shut.

  “Where to?” the navigator asks.

  “To the docking station. I’m docked there,” I say.

  “Right away, Mr. Nic,” the minister slash navigator says. Her long sleek body is wrapped in a black jumpsuit. Her blond curls are tucked behind her head. She wears a black cap which is tilted atop of her head.

  Celeste, the navigator, and minister navigates us towards the docking station. I glance over at Juno Vivey. “Are you all right?” I ask her.

  “I fine,” she says. “Are you?”

  “I’m fine,” I say.

  Of course, it is awkward between us. We don’t know each other.

  “My mobil has plate number 7623AB1. I’m parked in corral 10,” I say to the Celeste as we enter the tunnel to the docking station.

  “Aw, yes, I see it over there,” she says. Celeste zips the hovercraft over and floats next to my mobil. “Here we are.”

  An extender exits the hovercraft and lines up perfectly to the living compartment of my mobil. There’s a door which goes up vertically. I press the key on my unit to open the door.

  “Please go first, Juno Vivey.”

  “You can call me Juno,” she says.

  “Yes, right, Juno.” I’m a bit embarrassed. I always forget that in casual situations that humans wish to be called only by one name. It is okay to use either the first or the last, but they do not like it when you use both for it indicates a certain formality. One even said to me that it was like being chastised by one’s mother to be called by both names. I understand. I’ve never enjoyed being chastised by my own mother. Although, I do miss her greatly. Right now, I’d take her chastisement over her death. It is one of the reasons why I am so desperate to get my own asteroid. If I own a piece of property, perhaps that will convince my parents that they can have an equal footing in Teros after all.

  Juno startles me by leaning over me. It quickly becomes apparent to me that it’s the only way she can get out of the hovercraft. I admire the curve of her backside. I can’t help myself. If I were to grab it, I’m sure she’d slap me right in the face.

  Once she’s across the bridge to my mobil, I follow behind her. I leave Celeste a few credits for her trouble and tell her thank you for both the wedding and the ride.

  “No problem, Mr. Nic,” she says. “Congratulations. I hope I’m as lucky as her someday.”

  The hovercraft door closes once I’m out and across the bridge. I watch the hovercraft zip off as I shut the door to my mobil. Juno Vivey waits on a seat inside of the living compartment of the mobil.

  I have no idea what to say to her. “I am sorry that I do not have better accommodations for you at this moment.”

  “It’s cool,” she says.

  “Would you like something to drink or eat before we go to Clint, where I work?”

  “You are going back to work? What do you do?”

  “Yes, I suppose I should go back to work. I lied to get out of work early, you see. I’m a miner on the asteroid Clint.”

  “Uh huh,” she says. “Why’d you lie?”

  “I was desperate to procure a bride,” I say, scratching my head. “It gets quite lonely out here in the belt.”

  “So you have a thing for human women, hmm?”

  “Not particularly, I enjoy all sorts of females.”

  “Enjoy?”

  “I mean I like all sorts.”

  “Of females? No males?”

  “No males,” I say.

  She removes her veil. Her face is lovely. I remember what it felt like to kiss her soft pert mouth in the Moon Company Bride Hall of Ceremonies. My member quivers.

  I try to take my mind off of it, but it’s swelling up so hard. I turn around to conceal my arousal.

  “You okay?” she asks.

  “Yes. You did not say if you’d like something to eat,” I say turning around. I think to conceal my erection with my hands but decide against it. She’ll likely see it some time or another.

  “Sure, I’d like something,” she says. Her eyes move down to my crotch. There’s a flicker in her eye. She looks down, though. She removes her shoes. Her toes are painted blue. I find that to be attractive. I think of what it might be like to lick those blue toes, running my tongue between them slowly, perhaps sucking them. I wonder if they taste as sweet as she looks.

  I move to the cupboard where I keep food—nothing but jars of flippiants. I pull a jar out, take the top off and slide one of the delicious delights out of the jar. “Here, try this. It is most delicious,” I say dangling the flippiant in front of Juno Vivey.

  She jumps back. “Eww, what is that?” she asks jerking her index finger back and forth.

  “It’s called a flippiant. It is a delicacy on my home planet, Sewvi.”

  “You come from Sewvi huh,” she says. She frowns.

  “Why do you frown?”

  “Sewvians are known to be quite the lovers,” she says.

  “Is that so? I hadn’t heard it.”

  “Uh huh, is that all y
ou have to eat?”

  “Yes.”

  She reaches forward and grabs the flippiant. She sniffs it. “Aw, what the hell,” she says. She bites off the head. Her eyes get big, and she shoots the flippiant head out of her mouth with the quickness. It flies across the mobil and hits the floor. “Ewww, oh my God. Water, water!”

  I reach for a jug of water and hand it to her. “Here, help yourself,” I say.

  “Do you have a cup?”

  “A cup?”

  “Oh, never mind!” She flicks the top off of the jug and tips the bottle over. She drinks and drinks. I’m amazed that she has the capacity to swallow so much without stopping. She keeps drinking until the jug is empty. She gasps. “How do you eat that?”

  “Slowly, savoringly,” I say.

  “We’re going to have to go marketing, buy something else. I mean you will have to go marketing. I’m um, afraid of being in crowded places, you see.”

  Her fear puzzles me. How can someone be afraid to be in a crowded place?

  “I will go marketing when I get off the lines this night,” I tell her.

  “Do you mind if I change out of this dress?” she asks, standing up.

  “Sure, please. Make yourself as comfortable as possible.”

  She looks around frantically. “Do you not have any private quarters?”

  “I don’t. This is it, except for the front compartment where I drive. There is a seat up there.”

  She leans over to see where I’m talking about. She grabs her bundle that she brought with her and moves to the front of the mobil. I turn on the feeds, trying to distract myself from her.

  The news plays. I sit down with the flippiant jar in my lap and watch. Suddenly, the jar falls out of my hand and crashes to the mobil floor.

  “Is everything okay over there?” she calls from the front of the mobil.

  I don’t answer. I think my mouth will be down there on the floor with the jar. There is a picture of my new bride, Juno Vivey, except that the feed indicates that her name is not Juno Vivey, but it is Cleo Chou.

  I swallow. Cleo Chou is wanted for murder. A reward to reveal her whereabouts it says. I can’t believe that I just paid one million credits for a murdering fugitive.