“Yes, golf.” She pointed to one of the players. “That stick they have is used to, I suppose the best way to describe it, is bat a little ball over long distances. They have to try to get the ball into a hole in as few moves as possible.”
He scowled ahead, trying to watch one of the players in action. “That’s a game?”
She laughed. “I didn’t and still don’t like it, but Becas love it. I knew they would. It took us a while to explain the rules, and we had to invest in a sublim machine to explain them when no one seemed to understand them, but it took off like crazy. We have three different kinds of tournaments held here, and this course has been replicated on a dozen other nations. But this is still the most popular with Becas.”
“Who are tritonite rich and spend a fortune here?”
She winked at him. “Exactly. When they’re not on the course, they’re in the bars, and if they’re not there, they like gambling, too. Especially another game I brought here: roulette.”
“I can imagine your sublim machine gets a lot of use.”
Parker laughed. “It did at first.”
She dragged him off, showed him the ten different room complexes—each one with their own selling points to different Federation nations. Some tilted a certain angle toward Madison’s suns, another tilted away from Madison’s three moons.
“The rooms are just as tailored. We’ve made it our business to house guests in quarters that suit their own needs. It’s why we’re so large. We’re one of the only resorts to successfully target so many and so well.”
He squeezed her hand. “You did all this, didn’t you?”
She smiled, but shook her head. “Knox and I did it together. None of this would have been possible without him gluing it all together. We needed the capital to be able to create such a large resort, and he handled that side of things. I helped keep the guests happy. That’s why we’re both so hands on.
“This place started with just over a hundred rooms. There were hardly any facilities, because Knox had spent a huge amount on the domes and getting the underground tunnels for transport between them constructed. Just getting that sorted out cost us a small fortune—nearly half his trust fund. But without the domes, there was no point in having a hotel here. The party this notte is to do with the domes.”
“In what way?”
“Life support technology has really diversified in the last twenty annals. Before, when we first had them constructed, they had to be a certain size, otherwise the material wouldn’t be able to support itself. That’s why there are three of them currently on the planet. We wanted to cover certain places, because we knew they would be places tourists would just buzz around.
“But now, with the technology so advanced, we can have just the one dome covering the same distance as the three do now.”
“That’s a lukcin amount of space.”
“Yeah. We know,” she told him with a grin. “The land in between the domes was lost to us, but not anymore. Knox and Royters, the planet’s government, are celebrating the new deal they’ve struck. Firstly, that the new dome is going to be built at all, and the fact that Knox has just bought huge plots of land surrounding our own.”
“You’re going to build a theme park, I think he said?”
She nodded, lips quirking at the way he said theme park. He obviously had no real idea what one was. “We’re at full capacity for this dome at the moment. Any more additions to the resort were a no-no and when I told Knox about this idea I had for something that used to be popular on Earth, he immediately looked into ways of adding to our plot size.”
“What actually is a theme park?” Rafer asked, his cheeks turning red as though the question embarrassed him.
She patted his hand. “Only humans know what they are, love. So there’s no reason to be embarrassed. We’re also investing in a water park, but I’m not as excited about that one. Rollercoasters are the main attraction at a theme park. And a rollercoaster is like.…” Parker blew out a breath as they took a seat in one of the bars. She eyed one of the waiters, who immediately scurried over to take their order. When the man retreated, she murmured, “It’s hard to describe, really. I explained it to Knox with kids’ toys.”
He chuckled. “That was the only way you could figure out a way to explain?”
She nodded. “Right, imagine my hand is a carriage. The carriage is attached to tracks, and the tracks make up the rollercoaster.” She moved her hand upward, mimicking the first ascent of the carriage on a ‘coaster. Seeing she had his attention, she dropped her hand then went into a quick loop, only to go into another loop, a larger one this time. “That is a rollercoaster.”
“Are they dangerous?” he asked, obviously astounded by her little display. “What keeps the carriage on the tracks?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Physics. Physics keeps the carriage on the tracks. Well, gravity to be specific, and other bits, but I’m going to leave that to the designers. We’re going to start off small, because this technology is so new. We’re the only ones developing it, and we don’t want for anyone to be injured thanks to the newness of the designs. Eventually, though, we’ll make them bigger and better.”
His brows rose. “Imagine the fortune you’re going to make on the patents.”
Her smile was smug. “Knox promised that it would be my name on them.”
“You’re going to be on the front cover of Federation Finance.”
She winked. “I certainly intend to be. The designers are actually living on site, trying to turn my memories into physical beings. They’re trying to figure out how to get the tracks built, even though I’ve told them they used to be on stilts. The idea just astounds them. And they’re also having issues with the carriage staying attached to the tracks when the car is hanging upside down on the loops.”
He choked at that. “You think people are going to enjoy this?”
Parker snickered. “It was a huge industry back on Earth. I have no doubt pleasure and thrill seekers will be intrigued by the idea of all this. I thought you, my own Action Man, wouldn’t be frightened off by the idea of a rollercoaster.”
Rafer shook his head, and was about to speak when Knox’s voice interrupted them with a teasing, “Don’t let her impugn your masculinity, Rafer.”
“Oh, but it’s such fun.” Parker retorted with a grin, and she sat up, fully expecting the kiss Knox pressed to her lips. Rafer watched as his brother’s tongue slipped between his mate’s lips, and rather than feel jealous, or in any way envious as he might have a semanal ago, a delicious curling sense of peace settled in his heart.
Shuzons were raised with the knowledge they’d have to share their mates. It was the way of their world. Why each male had a twinling, and each female a twinling. But there were two people to share. Not the one, as was the case in their situation. Rafer had always feared there would be no place for him in Knox and Parker’s relationship.
That had been another reason why he’d stayed away. Stupid, really. Staying away was what had placed distance between him and Parker, as well as allowing her and Knox to grow closer. But the knowledge that he might not be entirely welcomed, that he would be left out in the cold, had filled with him fear. And Rafer was not a man to be afraid. Oh, sure, the idea of hanging upside down on a rollercoaster made him nervous, but he wasn’t scared at the notion.
“Scared” happened when a man’s ship was blown to pieces. When he lay on the deck, blood weeping out from countless holes in his injured body, staring up at the ceiling, knowing death was coming, and realizing he’d lost so much by staying away from his felixi. Scared came from the knowledge that a man was about to die and he had more regrets than happy memories.
No, it took a lot to make Rafer scared. And he knew he had no need to fear now he was here. Even as Knox took her mouth in a prolonged kiss, a kiss that had her squirming on her seat, Parker’s hand was tucked in his, and she didn’t try to pull it away.
When he eventually let her up for air, Rafer mused, �
��I don’t know why you torture yourself.”
Knox chuckled. “It wouldn’t be torture if she was in our quarters, where she’s supposed to be.”
Parker blushed. “You were looking for me?”
He nodded, brow cocked. “I suppose Rafer asked you to take him on a guided tour of the complex?”
“Yeah. I wanted to show him around. He has to pick out a place where he wants to work, after all, so I thought he should see it all, and by someone who helped shape it.”
Knox nodded. “That was a good idea, Parker, but did it have to be on the deya we have a dinner party with Royters?”
Rafer held up a hand. “It’s my fault, Knox. I just needed a break from bed. I was going crazy up there. Or it felt like it, anyway.”
“I thought Parker had given you homework to do.”
She wrinkled her nose at that. “You’re making me sound like his mother.”
Knox just grinned. “If the shoe fits.”
Parker glared at him. “I haven’t been coddling him. Not much, anyway.”
He snorted, and Rafer watched on with amusement at the ease with which they both dealt with one another. It was a joy to behold. “You won’t let him out of bed, Parker. Not even now when the doctor says it’s okay.”
“Oh yeah, because he really listens to me, doesn’t he? Does this look like his bed?”
“I wish it was now,” Rafer slipped in, earning a frown from both of them. “After that show of a kiss.”
Parker’s cheeks grew warm at his comment. “You’re not ready for the Ceremony, are you?”
He narrowed his eyes, then glanced up at Knox. A question in his gaze. “Not if you aren’t.”
Knox’s brows shot up when Parker sighed with relief, and Rafer, olan, he didn’t know whether to be upset, amused, or concerned at Parker’s reaction to the idea that the Ceremony was fast approaching.
His twinling had remained standing, almost as though he wanted to grab Parker and hustle her along so she could do whatever it was he wanted her to do. But at her reaction, he took a seat beside her, sandwiching her between them both.
In the cool environs of a bar that had been designed with Shuzons in mind, with dim lighting, and sandstone floors covered with different hemp rugs that spanned meters of floor. Each wall lined with one long, squashy sofa, broken up only by the tables that squatted in front, and the small chairs that sat opposite the sofa. Wall hangings made from Shuzon lint and decorated with natural landscapes, as well as virtual images of Shuzon’s most beautiful scenery, all of these details added to the calming ambience.
According to Parker’s market research, because of the owner of the hotel was Shuzon, Madison Planet was the top destination for most of his kind, and that was why they deserved a bar decorated specifically to their tastes.
Amused at the memory, but not feeling in any way soothed by the bar, he sat back, intending to let Knox decipher what was wrong with Parker. He was capable of asking himself, he had a lukcin tongue in his mouth. But…he wanted to see how Knox handled her.
Handled was a harsh word to use, however there was no disrespect meant. He’d seen how Parker handled Knox, and had been heartened by it. Parker was effusive in her love. She fully expected Knox to kiss her, even in public. That was not the Shuzon way, not at all. Public displays of affection weren’t uncommon, but they were a big deal—especially in the Baxx household. That Knox was at ease with something so alien to the customs he’d been raised with told Rafer how important it was to Parker that she be tactile with her partner. It in turn told him how deep Knox’s feeling for their mate ran.
“Parker, what’s wrong?” his twinling said, turning to her with a frown on his face.
Whether it was concern or impatience, Rafer wasn’t entirely sure, but he doubted it was the latter.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied, her voice a little high. For a second, she hid behind the Luisianan cocktail she’d ordered for them both, a drink made entirely of different fruit punches native to Luisiana on Shuzon.
“Don’t lie to me, Parker, you know it pisses me off when you withhold the truth from me.”
She snorted. “Like I get a chance.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can tell when I lie, so I don’t bother anymore. And I wasn’t lying when I said nothing was wrong. Nothing is wrong.”
“Yeah, so why does the idea of the Ceremony make you look terrified?”
She glared at him, then tugged her hand from Rafer’s clasp and folded her arms on her chest.
“Mutiny, love? I’ve handled a fair share of those in my time,” he murmured gently.
“Well, isn’t that reassuring?” She slumped further down in her seat, and mumbled, “Wish I’d had Malst put a dash of Fire Vodka in my drink now. I could do with the buzz.”
If anything, that made Knox look even more perplexed. “You never drink.”
“Well, I might just start.” She pursed her lips, and when neither man spoke, grumbled, “You don’t remember the Ceremony, Knox. You spent half of it passed out.”
He frowned. “I apologized for that. But you know I couldn’t help it.”
“I know, but that didn’t make it very pleasant. And Rafer will be exactly the same.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be with you as well. I can make up for whatever the hell he does.”
Rafer frowned. “I resent that.”
Knox shook his head. “There’s a reason our fathers couldn’t explain the Ceremony to us, and why mothers tell their daughters. It’s to prepare them. I couldn’t even tell you what happened that notte.”
Parker snorted. “Exactly. And while I want to be mated to you, Rafer, and I really mean that, because I’ve been wanting to be mated to you since God knows when…but the Ceremony is a sucky way to start a relationship. I spent the first annal with Knox terrified I’d do something to trigger it off again.
“It’s just hit home that the Ceremony will be happening again. Soon. I’d put it out of my mind, but now we keep talking about it, I can’t help but remember.”
Knox’s light-blue skin was tinged with the pinky purple that told the world, without words, he was embarrassed. “I’m sorry it was so bad, maja.”
She sighed. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Didn’t do what on purpose?” Rafer asked, clueless.
“All I remember is waking up covered in…” Knox paused, more purple tinged his cheeks. “Cum.”
“Cum? As in seed?” Rafer demanded to know, astounded.
Parker wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. I looked like I’d been covered in paint.”
Rafer grimaced. “That sounds pretty grim.”
“Exactly,” Parker declared. “It was.” Her head jerked to the side suddenly, and she sighed. “Well, it wasn’t disgusting.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, it was very nice. It was just gross. And at least this time I won’t have to clean up afterward.” Her attempt to brighten her own mood had Rafer’s lips twitching. Not that he let her see him smile. “Plus, I won’t be a virgin. Maybe that’s clouded my mind a bit. It did hurt that first time.”
Knox sighed. “That’s the only Griljerrd part of that notte I can even remember. You crying out in pain, and me asking if we should stop.”
She reached for his hand and squeezed his fingers. “I’d have killed you if you had.”
“Even though it was such an ordeal? One you don’t want to experience with me?” Rafer questioned.
“I’ve just built it up in my head. It won’t be so bad this time.”
Both men knew she was reassuring herself more than anything.
“Didn’t our mothers prepare you?”
Knox shook his head. “I found her on Napalmi. The instant I met her, I knew what she was to me. I didn’t wait to get back to Shuzon, and anyway, you remember the fuss back then. The mothers wouldn’t speak to either of us, not even to say hello, never mind to help us, even if they could have.”
Rafer sighed. “Yeah, that was
a stupid question.”
Parker patted his hand. “Don’t worry, we all make them.”
He grinned at that. “Thanks for putting up with my stupidity.”
For the first time, she seemed to relax a little. “You’re welcome.” At his outright chuckle, she smothered her grin with her hand.
He tugged her fingers away and gripped them. “We won’t go through with the Ceremony until you’re ready, maja.”
She grimaced. “That’s just it, Rafer. I don’t think I’ll ever really be ready. I think it’s going to have to be a Band-Aid moment.”
“What’s a Band-Aid?”
Rolling her eyes, she grumbled, “Never mind. I think I just need for it to be over and done with. Sorry if that doesn’t sound very loving, but you know how I feel about you, right?”
He kissed her fingers. “You’re not one to exaggerate, so I can’t even imagine what happens for it to be such a bad experience. I’m just sorry we have to go through with it.”
“Make no mistake, Rafer. I want you as my mate, I just wish we could go to a church and say ‘I do.’”
Both men stared at her. “That was all you had to do back on Earth?”
Her smile was as sheepish as her nod. “Yeah.”
“Hell, no wonder your society never developed.”
Parker glared at Knox. “We developed just fine, thank you very much. And this hotel is proof of that. Half of its success lies on Earth’s traditions.”
“She has you there, Knox. But, Parker, in a way, he’s right. You just met a man and decided he was for you?”
“Yeah. The ceremony was called a wedding. You didn’t usually have a wedding until you’d known the person for a long time, though.”
He snorted. “Like that would help. Your bodies didn’t play a role in the decision?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, we didn’t have a wedding unless we were attracted to each other. But it wasn’t like what happened with us.”
Knox shook his head. “How is it we never talked about this before?”
“I don’t like discussing Earth customs. You know that. It makes me upset. Not as upset as the idea of the Ceremony is making me, but still, I prefer not to think about my world.”
A Menage Made On Madison [The Federation 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 14