I snorted. I was feeling decidedly unintelligent. Born where? In my case, it was apparently under a rock.
Even when I thought that, it didn’t hit me. Not until I shifted uncomfortably on the hard stone I’d parked my tuckus on.
“Carip knows his Earther insults,” I said, standing up and turning to look at my perch.
This time, it was Larten who was slow on the uptake. “Yes, he has mastered several of your world’s languages. Once Earther women started coming to Kalquor, Cifa and his siblings made it mandatory that their employees learn at least one tongue from your planet.”
I walked around to the back of my sitting stone, the part closest to the wall of mountain. From a crevice between the rock and the ledge surface, I saw the corner of a small box peeking out. I stooped, drew it out, and showed it to Larten in triumph.
The Nobek’s eyes widened. Then he unleashed a whoop that echoed over the landscape before slapping a palm to his forehead. “Why did I not think to look around the rock? Ancestors, please don’t tell anyone I was that stupid. Any of my recruits would have had better sense!”
I laughed. “I didn’t think about it either until the answer to Carip’s final clue literally dug into my ass.” I explained it to Larten. “It seems kind of unfair that only an Earther or someone fluent in Earther sayings would have picked up on that.”
“Not really,” Larten opined. “It should have been automatic to look around and under that big rock, so it was just a little extra hint that shouldn’t have mattered.”
“Except for us silly people who don’t think of the obvious. When I saw the rock, my only thought was to take a little rest break.”
“Open it, Shalia. Let’s see what this treasure is.”
It turned out to be a green jewel set in gold and hung from a slender gold chain. Larten confirmed it was a real emerald. He insisted on putting it on me.
“Like I don’t have enough jewelry,” I griped as the light gem was hung around my throat. “You should see the baubles Clan Aslada gave me. Big, chunky things crowded with gemstones.”
Behind me, Larten’s voice was quiet. “I take it those ornaments are much nicer than this.”
“No, not nicer. More elaborate. Oh, they’re beautiful, but hedging on gaudy. This is much better for me,” I decided. “It doesn’t make me feel like I need an armed guard to wear it.”
I turned to look up at Larten. His dark eyes riveted on me, and his expression was unreadable. Was he let down now that our quest was at an end?
I looked down at our prize, which was apparently going to be mine to keep. A happy thought occurred to me. “You know what makes this extra special? Every time I look at it, I’ll think of us going on a little adventure to find it together. It’s much better than any of the other stuff, because I found it with you.” My fingers brushed over the twinkling gem, a lovely reminder of having fun with Larten.
Fun he was eager to add to. His arms went around me, pulling me close. I looked up to gaze into his face, but before I could see more than his gorgeous purple eyes, he kissed me with eager passion.
Well, of course he did. He was a Nobek, one who had just been on the hunt. A hunt that had ended in success. Such things got his breed excited, and I could feel that excitement growing hard against my stomach. Hello, big guy.
I don’t know which swamped my senses more; the feeling of Larten’s tongue stroking against mine, his big delicious body pressed against me, or the awareness of how much he wanted me. I went gooey in an instant, my arms trembling as they wrapped around his neck so I could cling as my knees wobbled. I was overcooked spaghetti in an instant.
He pushed me up against the mountain’s wall and pressed close. Ooh, power grab. Yummy. I wrapped my legs around him and ground my crotch against his. I wanted to celebrate our victory too.
Larten kissed his way to my ear. “I’m going to fuck you.”
The statement was bald. Asserted as a simple fact. Who knew that five little words declared in such a way could raise the hair on my head? It sure as hell did though.
I had one thought as he unwound my legs from his waist to yank my shorts and panties off. “We’re out in the open. The others might see us.”
“Do you think I care?” Larten yanked the crotch of his shorts open, freeing his cocks. He grabbed my legs, pulling them around him again.
I had a moment of anxiety. Sure, I have more than a passing fondness for exhibition, but usually only when the potential spectators don’t know me. Yet with Larten’s front firmly mashed against mine, I realized that no one would see any of my naughty bits. Just a hint of my rump. They would know what we were doing if we were seen, but I thought maybe Cifa’s in-laws would have enough courtesy to look away. Well, maybe not Erom. He’s basically a good guy, but also kind of a jerk when there’s teasing to be done.
However, I didn’t have time to really consider the potential ramifications of copulating with Larten in full view of any passersby. He was positioning his cocks to fill me. With one thrust, he speared me all the way through.
Clan Seot and I had ended last night and started today with sex. Larten was a snug, almost achy fit, but I was able to adjust to him quickly…a good thing since he was pounding me for all he was worth. With our bodies crushed together the way we were, he rubbed all the good stuff, including my clit. I was racing for orgasm in record time. The noises I made alerted my lover, and he grinned down at me like a hungry wolf. Prophets help me, I love it when he scares me with that look.
“Come for me then,” he snarled. “I want to see you do it.”
Maybe a minute later…probably less…I did. I climaxed with a shriek, clawing at his back. He already wore my scratches from our previous romps, so I was glad he was wearing a shirt.
“That’s it,” Larten encouraged me, still hammering me. “Let’s see how many more I can give you.”
It turned out four was the magic number, each one more intense than the last. My body rioted with internal fireworks that had me yelling fit to make the volcano echo. I pulled Larten’s hair and beat on his back as he made me surrender to voluptuous pleasure.
I might have kept going, except he did not. When he let go, it was with a roar fit for a lion, making my ears ring. It made me realize that even if no one was in the right spot to get a glimpse, they more than likely heard us. I knew a walk of shame was in my future.
But for the moment, it was divine to come down from our glorious celebration in Larten’s arms, the two of us re-learning how to breathe normally again. He sat on the ledge, holding me in his lap and petting me.
“Best possible treasure I could hope for,” he said, the eternal evil twinkle in his eye. “Better than any piece of jewelry.”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
We made our leisurely return to the beach. When we got there, everyone else had already returned. As I’d suspected, they’d heard enough to deduce the treasure hunt had been successfully concluded. Seot, Cifa, and Joelle congratulated us between snickers and giggles. Erom, irascible as ever, greeted us with slow applause, his grin bright. Everyone else chuckled.
Larten strutted with his chest thrown out, the smug Nobek. I gave Erom a vulgar gesture. “Shut up or I’ll lock you in a room with Tej and Pexet and tell them to sing every song they know.”
“I’d rather hear you sing, Shalia. Your voice carries nicely. I bet I could hear you from the other end of the island.”
Larten was happy to sneer at Cifa’s brother. “Too bad you can’t help Bazi demonstrate the same talent. Though I understand that she does have a lovely-sounding yawn.”
While the rest of the men howled and the women rolled their eyes, Erom tackled Larten. They wrestled until Erom had to swallow his pride and concede to the Nobek.
Boys. They are silly things, even when they happen to be Kalquorian.
December 16
We are underway again, trading our unspoiled island paradise for the high seas. I think Cifa and I got some really great footage for the promotiona
l vid. I’m eager to see how I can put it together, so I was delighted to learn he’d brought along a small but topnotch editing program. I was ready to try it out as soon as I saw it, but he protested.
“No, no, only if there’s nothing else to do!” he insisted. “Sure, we can mess with the project a little during the cruise, but I want you to enjoy yourself too. Come on, the crew just finished setting up a little dance club in the main deck’s cabin. They used the description you gave me of the transport’s club.”
“Really?” I hesitated, delighted with the idea of a dance club but really wanting to check out the editing program’s specs. In the end, I caved in and opted to cavort with everyone else…after all, if the crew had gone to that kind of trouble, I wasn’t going to scorn their efforts.
It was still no reason to put on a fancy gown or anything special. Our uniforms for the cruise so far had been soaksuits, sarongs, light tops, and shorts. In my halter top and shorts, I was prepared to be escorted by scantily soaksuited Cifa to the party. (Good night, doesn’t he look scrumptious in those tight little shorts!)
Even before we got to the door of the ‘dance club’, I could hear the throb of a rhythmic beat. I squealed with delight, glad Cifa had talked me out of playing with the edit suite. He laughed at my eagerness, his face bright with anticipation.
I stepped in to see everyone already having fun. The room wasn’t exactly what we’d had on the Pussy ‘Porter – and I hadn’t expected it to be – but the crew had captured the vibe pretty well. The lighting was lower than usual and strobing different colors in time to the thumping beat. The window vids that were usually set to display the seascape around the ship had been configured into mirrors. It made the room look bigger and allowed for everyone to be seen from every angle.
The tables and blue seating cushions that usually took up the floor had been moved against the walls, leaving plenty of room for us few women who wanted to strut for the guys. The music was right too, a steady pulse that wasn’t too fast nor too slow. It had a bit of the same flavor of the Zelt band’s music, which I was beginning to associate with tropical surroundings. It was bright and happy and demanded we move to it. Even with their strict manly code of not dancing, the guys were bobbing their heads and twitching in time to the beat.
Crewmembers were serving drinks, mostly to the men. The women were dancing about. Joelle had Anrel and swooped her around to my little girl’s crowing delight. Ila and Bazi were watching Candy and trying to copy her sexy moves, which we’d learned during our stop at the Adraf station. Stidmun’s eyes were dark as he watched his sweetie sway suggestively, her eyes riveted on his face as she danced for him.
“Did we get it right?” Cifa asked me, talking loud to be heard over the music.
“Perfect!”
Seot sidled close to me. His wide eyes were on Candy. “I thought Earthers were too repressed to move like that. It’s like seduction to music. It’s like how Plasians dance.”
I laughed and gave him a quick kiss. “You Kalquorians showed us the error of our ways when it comes to missing out on sex. Here, let me demonstrate a few of my moves before your stare pisses off Stidmun.”
I began to dance for them, happy to discover that the long break from shaking my stuff hadn’t resulted in me forgetting how to do it. Seot seemed to forget all about Candy as I swayed hips, shoulders, and everything in between. I discovered something pretty amazing…my training had made me quite a bit more limber than before. I moved muscles I hadn’t known I had. The effect on Seot, Cifa, and Larten was spectacular. They crowded close, mouths hanging open. Their obvious excitement (thank you tiny, tight shorts!) made me feel especially sexy, and the more sensual they made me feel, the more erotically I moved.
“Yeah,” I said with a naughty smile. “I think this little dance club will do. Get yourselves some drinks, guys. I might be in here for a while.”
“Maybe,” Larten growled as he watched my hips shimmy about. “Maybe not.”
“Silly Nobek. Don’t you know the benefits of delayed gratification?”
If he didn’t then, he does now. Even the more innocent turns I took from time to time to dance with my sweet little Anrel didn’t discourage Clan Seot’s ardor. I danced until my legs trembled. Then the men took me back to our quarters to make all of me tremble.
The dance club idea was a huge success. Cifa, Ila, and Erom have confirmed they will make it part of the ship’s regular activities, as well as incorporate it on the rest of their fleet.
December 17
Just when I think I’ve seen the most beautiful sights Kalquor has to offer, the planet amazes me anew. Today, we arrived at the astounding port of Nacabri.
The island is given over to pure indulgence. It’s a playground destination. I’m not sure how to begin to describe it.
First, there are rock formations jutting out of the peridot-green water near the white-sand shore. Not massive formations like the one Clan Seot has burrowed a home in, but sculptural pillars and arches shaped by nature. Some looked like worn towers erected millennia ago, some like stately columns, some like the jagged ruins of fantastical structures. They range in size from my height (if I could stand on water) to skyscraping edifices. They are as pristine white as the nearby beaches, a white so pure it dazzles the eyes. I was blinded to the point that it took me several seconds before I noticed the people walking on air.
I squeezed my eyes shut, sure I was hallucinating. Opened them again. Repeated. The Kalquorians remained high above, walking from formation to formation, some straining as they mounted the sky, climbing to higher pillars. Others loped easily downward. I shook my head, convinced I was going crazy.
“What the – how the – am I really seeing this?” Candy said.
“The walkways are something else, aren’t they?” Ila laughed. “Material so transparent, it looks like they’re not even there unless you see them up close.”
“And rather disconcerting if you go to the higher elevations,” Erom added. He winked at Joelle, who was just as open-mouthed with astonishment as Candy and I. “I hope you have no fear of heights, Matara Joelle.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t even like to be this tall,” she chuckled, the sound a little breathless. “My goodness, some of them are a long way up there.”
“I want to go,” I told Seot. “The view must be magnificent.”
“It is. We will be delighted to take you.”
“We’ll have to remember the vid recorder,” I said. “Maybe it’s not a big deal to Kalquorians, but the Earther gals they’ll want to bring here will beg to come when they see this.”
“Actually, there are strict limits to how many people can be here at a time. There are many Kalquorians who haven’t seen this,” Cifa said. “We booked this visit the moment we decided to build this vessel five years ago, before we even designed it. We’ve made sure to reserve more spots for every six months, the most we were allowed.”
“It’s a big part of this ship’s promotion,” Erom added. “Ours is the only cruise line that is allowed to visit.”
“We’re definitely bringing the vid recorder then,” I insisted. Cifa nodded an adamant agreement.
The ship swept beneath the first of the walkways, between two monolithic columns of alabaster stone. I admit I couldn’t keep myself from cringing to see people over my head, seemingly without support. It felt like they would drop from the sky at any moment, plummeting to crash on me and the deck. I breathed easier as we continued closer to the shore.
If there had been palm trees, I would have named it the postcard-perfect tropical paradise. There were trees in the distance, but they were many-limbed, stretching their lavender-leafed branches wide as if to hug us in welcome. Sand stretched on either side of the land we neared. Beyond that, dunes and a few rock formations nestled like lumpy creatures dozing in the sun. Music, the same kind as what the Zelts played, drifted from the gorgeous setting on whispering breezes. Farthest away were a couple of volcanos, which I at first took to be co
vered in snow. Actually, they were the same white rock that made up the arches and columns that we floated amongst. Cifa assured me the two peaks were dormant.
“They’re terrific for scaling,” he added. He grinned at his sister’s clanmates. “If we don’t do well enough to qualify for the kurble tournaments they run here, there’s always a good climb.”
“Excellent,” Dramok Orim said. “They look more exciting than the last one too.”
“Not according to Shalia and Larten,” Erom laughed. He’s never going to let me live that down.
“This place was meant for amusement,” Ila said, shoving her younger brother to make him shut up. “Games. Tournaments. Sports. Little pools that Anrel can play in while we relax. Slides and chutes built into the side of a cliff that you can coast down if you’re brave enough. A staff second to only ours who will fetch you food, drink…anything!”
Shalia's Diary Book 10 Page 12