She slid the key into the lock of her door and wondered if she should bring him inside with her. Glancing at him, she felt an odd assurance that everything would be alright and unlocked the door. She’d already had sex with him and left him alone in her van. He had plenty of chances to hurt her. But in all honesty, she didn’t think she was in any danger with him. Pushing open the door, she waved him in and shut the door once they were inside.
“This isn’t exactly like my place,” Chris said as he inspected the room, “though there are some similarities.”
“Oh?” She went over to her computer and turned it on. Then, maybe for amusement or morbid curiosity, sat down in front of her computer desk and opened the envelope.
“I had furniture and a window, but not this or that.” He motioned to the TV and computer. “We used to have things similar to those, but that was five hundred years ago.”
She rolled her eyes. What alien race was not advanced?
He went over to her bookcase and read the titles on it. Romance books. And most of them were steamy. He’d hardly be interested. Amused as he took a book out and studied it, she turned her attention to the packet of crisp white papers in the envelope and pulled it out. At the very top was a separate sheet of paper that was supposed to be a marriage license. Well, that could be drawn up with a simple Word program.
She set the piece of paper aside and looked at the packet. The title on it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. It was incredibly cheesy. It read: Congratulations on your marriage to Rilo An, Earth name Chris West.
Congratulations. What was she supposed to be doing? Opening a bottle of wine? She flipped the title page over and noticed the table of contents which outlined topics such as why she was picked, what his background was, the purpose of Star Systems Unlimited, and what she was to do now.
At the bottom of the page was the disclaimer that this was permanent and she couldn’t return him. She chuckled at that. For some reason, it made her feel as if she’d just picked up a stray animal from the pound.
As she flipped to the next page, she noticed that Chris shook his head and put the book back on the shelf before he scanned the other titles. She turned her attention back to the paper in front of her.
Congratulations, Caitlyn Davis. You have been selected as the ideal wife/life mate for Rilo An. He requested a woman who wanted a permanent life bond with a man and children. No other specifications were given, so it was up to us to complete the requirements. We ran his personality evaluation through our system and compared it to the records of every woman on Earth. You were the closest match who desired what he wished for.
Just how did they know anything about every single woman on Earth? She found that highly suspect but pushed aside the question. She continued through the packet and read through his profile and the questions and answers for his personality test. Apparently, he’d been in charge of constructing spacecraft. She didn’t know what he’d do here. It wasn’t like she lived near the Kennedy Space Center. Shouldn’t the agency have taken that into consideration when selecting a woman for him?
Glancing up at Chris, she realized that he’d given up on finding anything good to read from her bookshelf and was studying the pictures on her walls.
She flipped to the last page of the packet, which was the section on what she should do now. It described some tips on how she might help him find a job and adjust to his new life. It said that he ate food similar to hers and had no allergies that she needed to be aware of. When she finished the rest of the contents, she rolled her eyes. What did they think he was? A pet? A child? If he read through the packet, he might be insulted. She knew she’d be if it was her they were describing.
“Who is this?” Chris asked.
She placed the packet back into the envelope and shoved it in her desk drawer. Looking at the picture he pointed to, she said, “That was my first husband, Randy.”
“You’re already married?” he asked in surprise.
“No. He’s not alive anymore.”
“So why do you still have his picture up?”
She shrugged. “Just because someone dies, it doesn’t mean you don’t cherish their memory.” That might be awkward for him, considering that he was supposedly her new husband, but it was the truth.
He nodded and proceeded to the next picture.
She swirled in her chair so she could bring up the Internet. Now to look at her financial documents. She brought up her bank account first. To her dismay after she typed in her username and password, it greeted her as Caitlyn West. She went through her credit card statements and her utility bills. Caitlyn West. Over and over again, her last name was West. She had just paid her electric bill that morning and distinctly remembered seeing Caitlyn Davis.
She picked up her purse and pulled out her wallet. She blinked. How was this possible? Everything, her driver’s license, her social security card, her credit cards, even her library card read Caitlyn West. Her jaw dropped and she looked over at Chris who was now looking through her DVD collection. There was no way he or anyone else could pull off something this elaborate. And that left only one conclusion: he was telling the truth.
And that meant she was married to him. She groaned, threw her arms on the desk and put her head down. How could this be possible? A place for people to buy wishes existed in outer space? There was a planet without any women on it so the men sought out places like Earth to inhabit? Other planets with other intelligent life forms on it? It was too much to take in at once.
“Caitlyn, are you alright?”
She took a deep breath and lifted her head, glancing at the man—her husband—who stared at her in concern. With a loud sigh, she returned her gaze to the computer screen where her electric bill welcomed her as Caitlyn West. She rubbed her eyes. “It’s going to take me time to get used to this,” she admitted. There was no sense in denying any of it was true. It was. She could only hope Chris wasn’t psychotic.
To her surprise, he went over to her, knelt by her, and rubbed her back. His touch was gentle but firm. “I don’t know why, but I thought the agency would have warned you I was coming.”
“You didn’t escape from your planet because you did something horrible, did you?”
“Like what?”
She caught the laughter in his voice and turned to him. “Oh, anything. Like murder, stealing, lying...”
“No. I didn’t do that.” He took her hands in his and studied them. “Your hands are smaller than mine and softer. Your whole body is soft.” He directed his gaze back to hers. “It’s nice. I never saw a woman before I came here. Well, there were a couple of females that looked similar to Earth women at the agency, but you’re much nicer. You’re compatible with me.”
Her breath caught in her throat. There was something beautiful in the way he tenderly spoke and touched her. And in that moment, she knew he was a good man, an honest man, a man who was tired of being on a world full of men so he sought out female companionship. Letting out her breath, she squeezed his hands and smiled. “I guess we have a lot to learn about each other.”
He returned her smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Shocked, she realized she was too. It’d been a long time since she’d been with a man in this way, and she had to admit, it felt nice. Less alone. More complete. But she had much to learn about him. She didn’t even know where to start.
“Who are all the people in the pictures? I recognize you.”
That might be a good place to begin. She stood up and walked to the wall where she had hung up the pictures of her family and friends. He stood close to her, and for a moment, that unnerved her, but she supposed if they could have sex, then they could be close like this too.
“Those are my parents,” she told him, pointing to the older couple with graying hair in the picture which was taken a year ago at the beach. Since the rest of her family was in it, she tapped her finger on the brunette male. “He’s my brother. His name is Blake. Over here,” she motioned to the younge
r woman, “is my little sister Lexie. Well, her full name is Alexandra, but we call her Lexie.”
“They live nearby?” he asked.
“They live in Fort Walton Beach. That’s only a half hour away.”
“I look forward to meeting them.”
She sighed. Right. Meeting her family. That meant she had to introduce him. She slowly exhaled, wondering how in the world she was going to explain her sudden marriage. Telling Sandy was one thing, but her parents? She couldn’t exactly say, “Mom, Dad. I had this customer at my restaurant and thought he was really sweet so I had sex with him in my minivan and took him home. Don’t worry though. This agency out in space married us, so it’s all legit. I even got a packet to prove it.” No. That wouldn’t work.
She noticed that he took her hand and held it. It was strange that he seemed to crave the physical contact as much as he did, but perhaps that’s how men on his planet were. She certainly didn’t mind. His hand was warm and comforting. It was odd that the driving passion that spurred her on earlier was absent now.
Turning to the next picture, she said, “This is Sandy.”
He nodded. “The other waitress.”
“Right. And those are her two brothers. Randy, who was my...” she glanced at him, “first husband, and that is her other brother, Andy.”
He frowned. “Are those names supposed to rhyme?”
Chuckling, she said, “Her parents have a weird sense of humor. They said if they had another girl, they would have named her Mandy.”
“What do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asked.
“Not a lot.”
“You don’t have any interests?”
“Of course, I have interests.” She shrugged. “I like to read, as you can see.” She motioned to the bookcase.
“Those aren’t real books.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll let that one go since you’re not from Earth, and since you didn’t grow up with women around, you don’t know any better.”
“What did I say that was wrong?” he wondered, looking concerned.
“In time, I think you’ll know.” It’d been a long day, and she didn’t feel like giving him a crash course on women and the need for romance, whether it was in books or real life. Opting for a change in topic, she said, “I hope you’ll find a job. I don’t want you to loaf around all day.”
“I worked on my planet, and I’ll work here. I want to be useful.”
“Good. Tomorrow, while I’m at work, you can search through the job listings on the Internet. I can show you how to work the computer before I leave.”
He smiled, amusement on his face. “That’s an antique. I learned how to use a contraption like that when I was three.”
Rolling her eyes, she let go of his hand and went to close the website she’d left open from her search through the Internet.
“Did I upset you again?”
“You are going to be sorely disappointed around here because everything we have to offer on this planet is elementary to you.”
“I’m not disappointed.”
“Well, there’s nothing to challenge you.” She turned back to face him. “You know computers, TVs, and spaceships. How can you be satisfied with this planet?”
“You are here.”
His answer settled her.
“I had the things I did back home, but they didn’t make me happy,” he continued. “They were things. No matter how many things I accumulated, it didn’t fill the void in my life. I didn’t mean to offend you when I said I know how computers worked. It’s just that you don’t have to spend the time teaching me. I already know. Besides, I’d rather learn about you than have you teach me about machines. You’re much more interesting.”
She didn’t know why, but the admission made her blush. “Alright. Let’s sit down and learn about each other.”
Nodding, he smiled and joined her on the couch so they could talk.
Chapter Seven
Chris was sleeping when his body surged with heated desire. His eyes, still heavy from exhaustion, remained closed, and though he mentally told his arms to move, he stayed still. Next to him, Caitlyn slept, her back pressed against him, her bottom cushioning his growing arousal.
Chris let out a low moan. Struggling to wake up, he was trying to figure out what was happening to him. His hand reached out and caressed Caitlyn’s thigh. She sighed and moved against him but still slept.
His skin grew hot and his erection caused an aching sensation. Again, he willed himself wake up. Had the day not been long, he imagined the process of opening his eyes wouldn’t have been so difficult.
Come on. Wake up.
His hips moved, his erection rubbing along the soft curve of her butt. He groaned, louder this time, and continued moving. Her flesh yielded to him as he finally became fully aware of what he was doing.
His eyes flew open. His breathing heavy, his hands clenched her thighs. By the way his body tensed, he knew that he was about to ejaculate. Gasping, he separated her legs and found her entrance which was wet and warm from their connection as her body readied for him.
He refused to spill his seed outside her body, and if he didn’t act fast, he was in danger of that. He wanted to be inside her. He recalled how amazing the orgasm had been when they had sex, and there was no way ejaculating outside of her would be anywhere near as pleasurable. He only had enough time to enter her when he found his release. She let out a muffled cry, the link between them demanding she have her orgasm so her womb would open for him.
Every part of him tingled from the effects of lovemaking. His head cleared slowly, and as it did, embarrassment came over him. He had no control over his ejaculation at all.
Still slightly out of breath, he dared to whisper her name.
She didn’t respond.
Slipping out of her, he got up on his elbow and looked over at her. “Caitlyn?” he softly asked.
Her eyes remained closed and she gave no reply. Her breathing wasn’t exactly slow and steady, not since her body had just found release, but she was sleeping.
Relieved, he settled back on the bed and glanced at the clock. 1:35. Just like that, his body ejaculated, and once again, he had no control over it. He’d only been half-awake for most of the build up to it. Was it always going to be like this? Would he never gain any control over his need to ejaculate?
Now he remembered why he took the pill to inhibit his sex drive. His need to ejaculate got in the way of his work. But he’d managed a system around that before he gave in and started taking the pill. He had organized his time and events so he could slip into a private area to take care of his biological needs.
No wonder most men on his home world opted for the pill. But it was the way they were designed. The desire to have children and pass on their genes made ejaculation a mandate, rather than the choice it had once been. And so, it brought Chris to this point in time.
Caitlyn rolled over, and he tensed. Did she know?
Her eyes fluttered open and she frowned. “Did we just have sex?”
His face grew warm in shame. This was worse than being watched as he ejaculated in his clothes. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he said, “I was asleep and then had to ejaculate. There wasn’t enough time to wake you up.”
“You mean, you have no control at all?”
He winced and shrugged. “Not yet. I’m trying. It’s just so new and overwhelming.”
“Huh.” She didn’t sound disgusted, as he had feared. Instead, she seemed curious. “Men on Earth say they have no control, but the truth is they do. They choose not to exercise it. But you really mean it when you say you don’t.”
Sighing, he stared at the ceiling, heat rising to his face. How did Earth men do it? What was their secret?
She rested her hand on his arm and gave a gentle squeeze. “It’s alright.”
“No. No, it’s not.” He didn’t mean to snap at her and immediately added, “I’m sorry. It’s... It’s been a long time sinc
e I produced sperm. I took a pill to inhibit that part of my brain.”
She remained silent for a moment, as if choosing her words with great care. “I suppose that if there aren’t any women, there’s no need to have sperm.”
“No, there wasn’t.” Feeling less awkward, he looked at her. “It wasn’t always like this for males on my planet. There was a time when we could control it, but that was long before I was born. There was a time on my planet where men and women married and had children, like you do here. Then some people decided to make babies in labs. At first, it was an experiment to see if it was possible, but then the women decided it was better to have children that way instead of going through pregnancy and childbirth.
“Needless to say, that left men out of the equation. Women no longer wanted to marry us and have our children. Over the course of two centuries, men developed the ability to entice women to bond with them. On my world, the first time we have sex, we establish a life bond. We’re linked to each other until either the husband or wife dies. This was why women didn’t want to have sex with us. They knew as soon as they did, they’d be trapped and have to go through pregnancy and childbirth.
“But it was more than avoiding physically having a child. You see, with genetic manipulation, they were able to make perfect children. They could specify what they wanted, and then they got it. There were no guarantees when they had children the old-fashioned way. In response, men realized that they were unable to pass on their genes to the next generation. So they developed the ability to emit a sex hormone to make the female of his choice have sex with him, and that established a life bond that led to children.”
She chuckled. “It works amazingly well.”
“It’s a survival instinct. Men adapted because they were desperate, and one of the side effects was that until the woman they bonded with conceived, they had to ejaculate at regular intervals. It was the way they ensured that conception would happen.”
“So what happened? How did all the women die off?”
“The women tried to find a way to inhibit the sex hormone so it would no longer affect them. Long story short, it made them unable to conceive females. By the time we figured out the cause, it was too late. The last female died one hundred years ago.”
Suddenly a Bride Page 5