He kissed her deeply, arms wrapped tightly around her as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. When he pulled away, Samantha looked him in the eye, her smile a little sad.
“Look Blake. You’re a really nice guy, but we both know this isn’t going to go anywhere serious.”
“You’re wrong.”
She held up her hand to stop him.
“I’m okay if you want to keep dating, casually. I just don’t want to get my heart broken.”
Blake took a deep breath.
“Samantha. I wish I could convince you that I’m not what the tabloids make us all out to be. I’m in love with you. I’m not saying we should get married tomorrow, but I want to spend time with you. Lots of time.”
“I’m just afraid it’s not going to work out and we’ll both end up wasting our time.”
“So then, let’s enjoy the ride and let the pieces fall where they will. No pressure, no talk about the future. We’ll just enjoy each other and let our relationship evolve naturally. Deal?”
Samantha looked dubious, but she couldn’t argue with his logic.
“Alright, deal.”
He kissed her again and she gave herself over to the feelings, her mind going back to that afternoon in the hot air balloon. Today had been the best day of her life, and she had no idea how anyone or anything could ever top it.
But she was going to give Blake a chance to try. Even if it ended with a broken heart. It was about time she started living her life without worrying about what could happen. Blake Stemmons was a great guy. Even if they did breakup, at least she could look back on this time and remember feeling like a real-life princess.
How many women could say that?
***
The weeks became months and the months passed in a blur. While Blake continued to be the perfect gentleman, and an excellent lover, Samantha was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Blake sent flowers once a week, and Marta had tired of teasing Samantha over her love life. Samantha’s life returned to normal, well as normal as a life could be when you were a mere call center girl dating a football player.
Still, Samantha couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed with Blake in the last few weeks. They were coming up on their six-month dating anniversary and he’d been uncharacteristically quiet. He blamed it on training camp and the impending football season, but Samantha wasn’t so sure.
“Sammy, why are you borrowing trouble?” Jen asked her one day during their morning break.
“This is real life, Jen. Someday, a better woman will come along and he’ll drop me for the next. That’s how these sports celebrities work.”
Jen scoffed.
“Even I know that Blake isn’t like the others. You’ve caught yourself a good one, Samantha. Accept it and let yourself be happy.”
“I want to be. I just don’t want to lose him. When did I let myself fall in love with him?”
“I have my guesses, but I’m going to keep them to myself.”
“He’s just been so weird lately. I don’t know if he’s falling out of love with me. What if he was never in love at all? I was trying not to get my heart broken.”
“You’re doing it again, Sammy. Stop it.”
Samantha sighed, trying to push her thoughts out of her mind and focus on the positive.
“Are you coming to the game tonight? I have great seats, better than usual even.”
“I am. Are you? Have you even gone to a game since you two started dating?”
“No.”
“But it’s been months.”
“I know. I just feel weird; knowing that women are there just to see him. I don’t know.”
“Well, you better go tonight. I’m not going without you.”
“I am. I promise.”
“Do you need me to pick you up? Doesn’t he have to be there a few hours before the game?”
“Yes, he does. That would be great.”
“I’ll be at your house by six.”
“Thanks, Jen. You’re a good friend.”
“You have no idea, sister.”
*****
Samantha sat beside Jen, nervously clutching the armrests on her premium seat near the field as the players rushed the ball towards the infield. Helmets cracked together loudly as bodies rushed towards the ball, looking to stop its mad-dash towards the goal posts.
Only a few seconds remained until half-time, and Samantha was chomping at the bit.
“Were you always this nervous before?”
“No. I guess it’s different when you know someone getting sacked.”
“I guess so.”
The buzzer sounded, announcing half-time and Samantha let out the air she’d been holding.
“Want to get something to eat, Jen?”
“No. I just want to stay here and relax. You look a little pale. Maybe you should relax in your seat.”
“You’re right. Besides, I want to miss the restroom dash and I’m not really interested in paying twenty dollars for a beer.”
“Exactly.”
The sports commentator announced the half-time show, and Samantha perked up a little.
“I love watching the cheerleaders. I always wanted to be one.”
“We’ll need a volunteer from the audience,” the voice said over the loud speaker.
Thousands of people stood in their seats, waving frantically. Several of the cheerleaders used miniature canons to fire balled up t-shirts into the stands above, but a small group ran towards the premium seating.
“Why aren’t you raising your hand?”
“They never pick me.”
“Well, they’re coming this way, Sammy, so maybe now is a good time to jump up and down like you actually want to be chosen.”
Samantha smiled.
“Fine.”
She jumped up, waving her arms to get the cheerleaders’ attention. To her surprise, they headed straight for her.
“What’s your name?” the blonde in the front asked.
“Samantha Banks.”
“You’re perfect. Come with us, doll.”
Samantha looked at Jen, who threw her the thumbs up and smiled wide before sitting down. Samantha followed the girls onto the field, feeling entirely overdressed in her jeans and team jersey featuring Blake’s number on the back.
“Stand right here, doll,” they instructed, forming a circle around her as the camera rushed in to get it all on the Jumbo Tron.
What did I get myself into? she wondered.
The crowd grew hushed and the cheerleaders pointed behind her. Samantha turned, afraid of what she would find.
She wasn’t expecting to see Blake there, in his uniform, holding a microphone.
“Hi Samantha,” he smiled at her, his hand over the mic so their conversation would be private for just that moment.
“Blake, what’s going on?”
He winked at her, pulling the mic up to his mouth and looking into her eyes.
“Samantha Banks, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were special. When fate snatched you away and then brought you back again, I knew we were meant to be.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. She couldn’t help it. Suddenly, his recent behavior, his contemplative moods all made sense.
Blake reached out, wiping a tear from her eye before he continued.
“You didn’t make it easy, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We never appreciate what we don’t work for, and courting you was by far the most intense thing I’ve ever done. But you’re worth that and so much more.”
A man stepped forward from behind the cheerleaders, and Samantha was surprised to see her dad step up to Blake, handing him a tiny box as Blake knelt to the ground. He grabbed Samantha’s hand before stepping back into place beside her mother. Even though she suspected it, her eyes still grew wide and her heart jumped in her throat. Her parents smiled at her, and Samantha couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.
“Samantha Evelyn Banks, will you
marry me?”
Samantha looked at her parents, who smiled encouragingly. They both mouthed I love you to her as the tears ran freely down her face.
Too emotional to speak, she nodded her head vigorously, a nervous laugh escaping her as he slipped the ring on her finger. He stood, his face filled with love as he pulled her to him, dipping her as he had on the dance floor all those months before and kissing her deeply.
The crowd in the arena erupted in applause as they walked off the field hand in hand, her parents and Jen close on their heels.
“I’m going to say that’s a yes folks!” the announcer declared.
***
One year later
The bell over the door chimed and Samantha hurried from the back to greet the customer.
“I’ve got it, Sammy. You need to slow down.”
Her friend stared pointedly at her swollen belly, slipping past her and to the front counter.
“Never mind,” Jen called out. “It’s Blake.”
Before Samantha could waddle up to the counter, Blake met her in the back. As usual, his face was colored with worry.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“Maybe it’s time to stop working and let Jen take over the business while you rest. Don’t you like the bakers I hired?”
“I do. I’m just not ready yet.”
“You’re due any day now. How ready do you need to be?”
He shoved his hands into his hair nervously.
“You’ve got to calm down. Stress isn’t good for you.”
“I don’t know how you can be so calm. Impending fatherhood is hell on my nerves.”
“Everything is fine. This time next week, you’ll be old hat at this fatherhood thing and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without your little princess.”
“This time next week?” He looked genuinely perplexed and Samantha waited for a full beat before realization dawned. “Wait. Is she coming now?”
“Feels like it.”
Blake went into a panic, and Samantha reached out, her hand steady on his arm.
“Slow down. Relax, we’ve got this. Remember to breathe,” she said, mimicking the breathing technique they’d learned in the birthing class.
“Wait. I’m supposed to keep you calm.”
“Well, I guess this time, I’m going to take the lead in our relationship.”
She pulled him in for a kiss, groaning into his mouth as a contraction tore through her body.
He released her, gently brushing her silky hair out of her face and lightly touching the thin scar on her forehead.
“I was wrong, Blake.”
“About what. You’re not in labor?”
“Oh no. I’m in labor. I was wrong before. This is real life, and I am a princess in my own fairytale.”
Blake smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
“It’s about time you realized how lucky you are.”
She elbowed him in the ribs, and he laughed. Threading his fingers through hers, he took her hand, leading her to the car and the rest of their lives knowing that they were destined to live happily ever after.
THE END
Bonus Story 35 of 50
Bonded to the Cyborg
Josiah
“Josiah, you have a summons. It seems Lord Rixon requires your presence,” I looked up from the seemingly normal knee I was reconstructed with. It appeared unassuming to outsiders, but I could feel the slight mechanical flex and pull of the joint whenever I moved it. A courier, his name was Don I recalled, stepped into my room in the recovery quarters of the medical center and handed me the thick stationary.
“A handwritten summons?” I mumbled. The courier nodded, adjusted the badge he wore on his uniformed combat armor and then held his hands at ease behind his back. Couriers were at the lowest rank in our army, but they were trained harder than even some specialized combat warriors. The couriers had to be able to deliver messages through any given situation, save for their own deaths, which was something they were trained to avoid almost as much as their failing to deliver a message.
“Yes sir, Lord Rixon ordered me to bring this to you urgently. He would like you to report to him immediately,” the courier answered my largely rhetorical question and looked at me expectantly. I stood up from the bed and almost missed the aches and cracks of my old organic body. This one I had now, with new parts, felt too new. It needed some getting used to perhaps.
I nodded to the courier to lead the way and we exited the medical facility to walk to the nearest Tele Port. The usual bustling streets of the city Voltaire were unusually sparse. The war had wrecked our planet and all the inhabitants within. Planet Rodon would never be the same. The war though, was largely over, save for a few skirmishes of straggling warships here and there about the galaxy. I had wondered what Lord Rixon could have wanted with me. I was nearly killed in a stealth operation gone terribly wrong. If anything Lord Rixon would probably want to demote me as a specialized agent. Specialized agents did not get dismembered on assignment.
The courier and I stepped into the glass enclosure and he tapped the side panel that would bring the Tele Port to life. He typed in our destination and gave the clearance we needed to get to the palace grounds and then the familiar shifting sensation beneath our feet started. The world around us melded into bright rainbow colors and then it all stopped. The palace courtyard emerged into view around us and a guard opened the Tele Port’s sliding door to escort us out.
“Lord Rixon has been awaiting your arrival Josiah,” said a guard. The guard was tall, broad shouldered and stocky. He wore the customary gold plated armor over his white uniform that was much like the couriers. My intrigue was piqued and I wondered what was so pressing that the overseer of our planet and king of our race wanted to have a meeting with me in person.
The courier left. I followed behind the guard through the picturesque courtyard filled with plants and colorful flowers, through the large grand, golden double doors, and directly into the grand hall. The hall was elegant and had an air of understated opulence to it. The floors and pillars that lined the room were made of the same gold-veined white marble. The hall was decorated in crimson tapestries to reflect the blood our kind had lost in the war. Lord Rixon was sitting on his throne towards the front of the room and he was fiddling with his tall scepter rather anxiously. He looked up and his golden eyes widened with purpose and if I was not mistaken, excitement.
“Josiah, I’ve been awaiting your arrival. Thank you for meeting with me so swiftly,” Lord Rixon was often a humble ruler and it is what gained him so much respect amongst the people. I inclined my head before bowing at the waist with my fist crossed over my chest. “Rise, rise. Come Josiah we have much to discuss…” Lord Rixon was anxious to deliver whatever it was he needed to speak with me about. I rose and then approached his throne.
Rixon was physically intimidating, like many of the men on our planet he was tall and well-muscled. What distinguished him from the rest is his shock of silver white hair, his intense brow and golden eyes. From birth people whispered how he was destined to be royalty. It is why now Rodon’s colors are white and gold. If not for Rixon we would be a planet destroyed.
“What is so pressing my lord?” I asked curiously as I stopped at the bottom step of the raised dais which held Rixon’s throne. He gestured me closer and I walked up to stand directly next to him.
“I have a mission for you Josiah…how are your new limbs?” Lord Rixon studied me with a calculating eye; his gaze was almost tangible as it went from my new legs to my new arms. They looked organic, but were certainly not.
“They are strange my lord, but nothing I cannot get used to,” I assured him and Rixon nodded absently.
“Good, I am aware that the new limbs will bring you an intriguing level of strength and stamina…” Rixon looked at me knowingly and I nodded once. “That is what I need. Precision and discretion. As you know the results of the planet wide population census has
been reported,” Rixon paused and looked at me expectantly.
“Yes my lord, I heard the devastating news of our being classified as an endangered race. It will be slow, but I feel we can rebuild our numbers,” I commented and Rixon nodded, his expression was then thoughtful.
“Precisely. It will be slow because during the war, interestingly enough, not many female children were born. We need females to further our race and to ensure its survival. I had our greatest thinkers look into it and they have found that the women of Earth share largely the same makeup as our kind. Our kind could be renewed quicker if we had some human females here than if we simply left things up to chance as they are now,” Rixon explained. My eyes grew wide as I thought of the implications…or the possibilities. I saw where Rixon was going with what he was saying. But how would it be done?
*****
Josiah
I looked at Lord Rixon with wary eyes as he continued his explanations. “I want to integrate human women in Rodon. We have no other choice Josiah, what if tensions flare up again? What men do we have to protect us?” I took a deep breath; Lord Rixon had brought up a valid point.
“So you would like me to travel to Earth and bring human women here?” I asked with slight uncertainty.
“I would like you to travel to Earth and observe them. Report back what you find. If it could be possible without backlash to have more soldiers go to Earth to pick human mates and return with them here…” Lord Rixon looked at me expectantly as he awaited my reply.
“I understand what you want me to do my lord. Carry out an intelligence mission quietly,” I replied. Rixon nodded.
“Yes, I do not want to create even the slightest ripple that could endanger our planet all over again,” Rixon looked at me with a severe expression. I knew there was no failing this mission. In any event all I had to do was see what the human women were like and if they’d truly be compatible with Rodonian men.
“I understand my lord. I am confident in my abilities to carry out this mission to your highest regards,” I assured Rixon. He smiled in a regal manner, though with slight relief I could tell. Even Rixon’s own intended bride was killed during the war. He could benefit from this plan to induce human women to Rodon as well.
Pregnant to an Alien King Box Set Page 140