by Averi Hope
“We’ll discuss this in my office.”
She glanced down. “Am I dressed appropriately for that?”
“Be quiet, Erin.” His tone held no room for argument.
She probably should’ve felt afraid, but an image of his dream from the night before filled her mind and she shivered. Heat pooled at her core. Would he punish her? God, she’d love to have the real Caleb touching her. Inside her. Filling her like no other man could.
Their awkward elevator ride and silent walk down the hall finally came to an end with the door of his office closing softly behind them. She drew herself up, pushing down her erotic thoughts. This is reality, not a dream. And if you let him, this man will reduce you to nothing more than his secretary. You haven’t fought this hard to let one ex-lover stand in your way.
“You,” he said, turning around and standing over her, “will listen to me.”
She inhaled his masculine, earthy scent, pushing down the warmth that spread through her body at his scent. He towered over her, his big body crowding her space. His dark eyes had darkened further as anger flickered in their depths.
Keep it together!
“I’m listening.”
His mouth drew into a thin line. “If common sense didn’t tell you to stay away from those two cretins, then I’m going to make it an order— stay away from them.”
Huh? Why does he care? It isn’t his business.
“You told me my job was to handle public relations, right? That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
She heard his teeth as they ground together. “I am your superior officer. When I give a command, you’ll obey.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, knowing her face said exactly the opposite. “So which of your orders would you like me to follow? Handle public relations, or stay away from the guests? Or would you like me to check in each morning, in case you’ve changed your mind?”
“Enough!” he barked. “You will handle everyone else. I will handle those two dangerous thugs.”
That made her pause. Was he actually trying to protect her? For some reason that pissed her off even more. She didn’t need protection. He sure as hell didn’t care how she’d been these past two years, why should he start now?
“I’d glad to, sir, but Captain Vernan specifically asked me to handle them.”
She shouldn’t have loved the confusion and rage that came over his face, but she did. Good. Let him see that as much as he wanted to control her, he wouldn’t be able to.
It seemed to take him a very long time to answer her. “The Odyssey will be leaving for its voyage tomorrow. Everything must go perfectly.”
The tension in his voice was almost palpable. “Of course, sir.”
He circled to his desk and sat down, his back stiff. “Take a seat.”
She did, perching on the edge of the chair. What now?
“The civilians on board will be experiencing a mixture of fear and excitement. Your job is to build on their excitement and control their fear.”
Finally, she relaxed a little. She loved talking about her job and loved doing it even more. The Odyssey would be twice as fast as any human starship built before. The civilians might be worried about the new technology failing, but the crew was not. They would not have allowed civilians on the ship if there was even a tiny sliver of doubt that it would fail.
“I can keep them calm. It isn’t as if we’re the first species to use M-warp drives.”
He nodded, and she swore some the anger faded from his face. “Tonight there’ll be a massive celebration in the civilian relaxation deck. They’ll be a lot of drinking, dancing, and general revelry. In other words, it will be complete and utter chaos. Security will be on high alert for problems, but they’ve also been instructed to treat our important guests as respectfully as possible.”
She grinned. “So they’ll be managing a bunch of rich, drunk people,and they can’t just stun someone if they get out of line? I’m sure Hunter will have a blast with that.”
Anger flashed across his face once more. “I’m the commander. I’ll be the one handling things.”
Was he jealous? She liked imagining he was.
She tilted her hands, staring down at them for a second before glancing back at Caleb. “Well, you’ll be commanding Hunter on how to handle things. But frankly, I don’t think he’ll need it. He seems like the kind of man, strike that, Keltair who can take whatever we throw at him.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’m giving you the night off.”
Her brows rose in surprise. “Isn’t this exactly the kind of night where—“
“My Gods, are you this insolent to all your superiors?”
She tried to look serious as she leaned forward. “Only you, Commander Fallow.”
He gritted his teeth. “Enjoy your night off.”
For a second she wanted to argue, but she had a better idea. She smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Commander.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re simply going to obey me?”
“Of course.” She laced the words with enthusiasm. “You are my commanding officer, after all.”
He watched her through narrowed eyes. “Well, let’s go over the rest of today. I need to brief all the crew members and check in with each station. You have the rest of the guests to greet, and you should walk the civilian floor, ensuring that everyone is happy and comfortable.”
Like a damn maid at a hotel. She swallowed down the thought. Today, she might have to be his bitch, but he’d regret it tonight.
Her smile grew as she nodded along as he spoke, all the while the plans in the back of her mind fell into place.
Chapter Eleven
Caleb nodded at the two security officers guarding the outside the civilian relaxation deck. One hit the red button and the doors slid open, a booming music blasting out into the hall. Caleb blinked as he stared. The bar that was typically a quiet place for civilians and crew members alike to unwind had been turned into a club of some kind. The room glowed with blue lights that made the light colors shine and the dark colors disappear into blackness.
This should be fun.
He stepped in and was immediately accosted by a woman. “No shirts tonight!” she screamed, grabbing his shirt and ripping at it.
His top four buttons popped before he grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from his clothes as gently as he was able. Great. He’d have to have it fixed now.
“My uniform stays on.”
That was the first time he realized she was topless. Her little perky breasts had been painted so that they glowed, and fuck me had been written just above them.
“See something you like?” she asked, leaning in closer.
He took a step back, realizing that the door had already closed behind him. “I’m on duty. Thank you.”
And then she was smearing something on his chest. For the second time, he drew her arms back.
“Just to make you glow,” she shouted above the music.
A man stumbled past them and poked at the words on her chest. “I’ll fuuu-ccc-k you.”
She grinned. “Back there.” She pointed to a corner, then took his arm and was gone.
Caleb’s temple throbbed along with the music. It is going to be a long night. There was a section of elevated tables in the back reserved for important guests. The captain had already informed him where his spot was at the tables. He would sit there and count the hours away until he’d stayed long enough, then slip out. As much as he dreaded the evening, at least he had a plan.
He started the painfully slow process of weaving through the crowd of humans and aliens. It wasn’t exactly that there was a dance floor, but more that every available inch of space was taken up by dancing bodies. Some of the women wore hats that looked like lamp shades, flashing in colorful patterns. Different-colored glowing paint decorated most of their topless bodies.
Males fondled the females at leisure, regardless of their species. Some of the men wore masks. Others wore fake heads that looked l
ike those of different animals, a few human mammals, like horses and pigs, but also creatures Caleb had never seen before.
What have I gotten myself into?
He thought back to his conversation with the captain earlier that night.
These are the wealthiest people in the universe. Most of them spend their time engaged in drugs, alcohol, and sex. Whatever you imagine a party to look like, this will blow it out of the water.
He gritted his teeth. The captain wasn’t joking.
This is a whole new level of insanity.
He’d almost reached the table when a woman bent down in front of him, spreading her legs. Almost as quickly, a man wearing a mask had unzipped his pants and entered her from behind. Caleb stepped around the couple fucking like animals.
Where is their common sense? Do any of them wonder what consequences their poor behavior will bring?
Probably not. He doubted these people had ever had to deal with real problems in their lives. Any trouble they get into, they can probably buy their way out of.
A security guard nodded at Caleb as he stepped up to the V.I.P. section and opened the rope to let him pass. He sat at the table with the most empty seats. Only one couple sat on the opposite side of him, the female in the male’s lap as they made out.
He was glad when a waitress dropped a drink in front of him. Picking it up, he slammed it back. She set another drink in front of him, but this one he simply sipped. He had no desire to get drunk, but he’d needed the one drink to calm his nerves. This is definitely not my scene.
The music seemed to get louder after that. A low voice sang a song that seemed to race through his blood as the bass enveloped him. He became aware of scents, strong perfumes, the harsh tang of liquor, sweat, and the heavy scent he associated with sex. The lights swam before his vision, and warmth spread throughout his body, sending tingles into his toes.
Frowning, he glanced down at his glass. It’d gone down so smoothly. And one glass, regardless of what it was, shouldn’t affect him in such a way.
He waved the waitress over. “What the hell is this?”
She flashed him a smile beneath her glowing green mask. Leaning in, she shouted in his ear above the music, “The good Ambassador Eupher laced the V.I.P. drinks with ambrosia.”
His thoughts twisted slowly.
Ambrosia? His pulse jumped. “Ambrosia!”
She winked at him and sauntered away.
He felt an immediate need to leave. Ambrosia was a very powerful drug. It not only made the user feel drunk as hell, it made them horny as hell, too.
No wonder everyone is fucking on the tables. A few drinks of ambrosia, and they won’t care who their partner is.
Damn it, this is just what I need. As if I wasn’t already going crazy because of Erin.
Taking deep breaths, he reminded himself that the captain had officially asked him to make an appearance and that running off now would hardly be doing his duty. But the logical part told him to sit exactly where he was, talk to no one if he could help it, and leave before the hour was out. He gritted his teeth. It was a new plan, but a smart one.
He leaned back in his chair, determined not to move no matter what.
Which was exactly when he saw her.
Erin wore a pale skirt that seemed to float around her knees and a tight black shirt. It dipped dangerously low in the front, revealing a tantalizing display of her flesh. Someone had painted her chest with something that glowed white.
His cock hardened. He leaned forward, watching her as she weaved through the crowd. A waitress handed her a drink off a tray. She downed it gracefully and handed back the empty glass.
Caleb prayed she would march right up the stairs, approach his table, and lean over so he could push aside her barely there shirt and taste her sweet nipples. His cock gave a throb. With that skirt, he could put her on his lap. His fingers could push aside whatever tiny pair of panties she’d worn and touch her hot, hot core.
If she was wearing panties.
His muddled mind seemed to remember her mentioning a lack of undergarments.
He rose from his seat.
She didn’t look in his direction. Instead, she started to dance. Two men crowded her.
Fury rose within Caleb. What the hell!
As he stormed across the room, the logical part of him nudged the back of his thoughts. She’s dressed fairly conservatively, at least compared to everyone else. She’s keeping the two men at a decent distance. But the louder voice in his head roared, Mine. Mine to touch. Mine to taste. Why does my mate taunt me with these other, lesser males?
His head spun as he shoved people aside on his way across the dance floor.
When he reached her, he grabbed the throat of one of the men and pulled him close, the shorter man’s legs dangling a foot or more off the ground. “Walk away from her. Now!”
He dropped the man. The world seemed to spin as the human male glanced up, eyes wide, then ran.
Caleb spun to the other male and crowded him. “You,” he growled.
The man was human, wearing nothing but a cloth covering his cock. Or at least it should have been. His erection stood out, peeping out the side of the useless covering.
Blood roared in Caleb’s ears. Has this male touched my female? Rubbed himself against her?
He barely felt Erin grasping his arm, but her angry response, “Stop it right now,” rang through his mind as clear as day.
“You want to fight or something, man?” The male clenched his fists.
He’s big. But I’m bigger. He will learn to stay away from my female.
Suddenly, Erin was between them, grabbing Caleb’s face and pulling it down so their gazes met. “Calm down.”
Every muscle in his body tightened. “We’re leaving.”
Her green eyes blazed with anger. “You don’t own me. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Yeah,” the other male said. “We were having a good time.” The male’s dark eyes swept over her.
Caleb looked down at his female. She was intoxicating. Her firm, round breasts glowed beneath her shirt. Someone had reached beneath the thin fabric to touch them, to ensure that even her hardened nipples stood visible beneath the fabric.
His cock throbbed painfully. If it had been a male, he would die. No one touched her breasts but him. No one ran their hands along her creamy flesh, lingering on her tender, pink nubs. No one but him.
He reached down to trail a finger in the valley of her breasts. “Mine,” he told her.
He felt the shudder that ran through her. His cock grew harder. Tonight she would do more than shudder beneath his touch. He would make her come. She would wither and spasm as he stroked her wet womanhood. His mouth would follow the trail of his fingers stroking her nearly to completion. And then his cock would finally enter her, wet and ready for him.
“Do you like that?” He leaned in closer, his hand moving beneath her shirt.
She grabbed his other arm as if to steady herself. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You.” The word sounded like a groan on his lips. “Always you.”
And then, she was pulled from his grip.
The other male had his arm around her waist. “I saw her first.”
Erin frowned and tried to pull away.
“Don’t struggle, baby!” he shouted, winking at her. “You’re going to like what we do together.”
“Seriously,” her brows rose as she spoke, “You’re going to want to let me go. Now.”
He held her tighter, then reached for her hand, pressing it against his cock.
The world stood still as red-hot fury overtook Caleb. He would rip the piece of shit in half! He would tear his hand from his arm and—
Erin tore out of the man’s grip, and turned, kneeing him firmly in the groin. The man made a strangled sound and slid to the ground. Then, Erin whirled on Caleb. She marched up to him and poked him in the chest with one long finger.
“Go take a cold shower and calm
the hell down.”
It took his head too long to process her words, and then she was gone. He turned to find her slamming another drink in the V.I.P. section. His gaze turned to the smiling waitress who’d served him earlier. There was something she had said—
Another male was speaking to Erin.
Caleb’s teeth clashed together. Enough!
He hurried through the dance floor and up the stairs. Standing behind her, he leaned down. “We need to speak. Now. And that’s an order.”
She turned to look at him, anger blazing in her green eyes. Her full, pouty lips were drawn into a line. “Yes, Commander.”
He tried to place a hand on the small of her back as he rushed her down the hall at the back of the club. She shrugged away from his touch. His blood boiled with frustration and rage. He could barely control it. Pulling her against him, he leaned down. “Why do you defy me at every turn?”
Her mouth opened to answer, but whatever her response, it was cut off by the people behind them. “Move out of the way.”
He pulled them both out of the path, shifting to lean his back against the wall. A second later, he was lying sprawled on the floor on his back, Erin on top of him. He looked around wildly. A door tried to slide shut, but his legs stopped it.
The damn hidden room. Of course! He remembered something about it from his tour of the ship, although that felt like a lifetime ago.
The door tried to close against, hitting his calf. He drew his legs up, sending Erin forward, straddling his cock. He couldn’t stop the groan that exploded from his lips, as the door closed.
She rocked on top of him, and he threw back his head with a growl, aching from the need to take her. Calm down. This is not how a male mates his female.
“Where are we?” She sounded breathless, and he realized that most of the noise of the club had been silenced.
With effort, he looked around. Distract yourself. Control yourself.
It was a large room with a row of seats around the outside and a pole in the center. Windows lined most of the room, staring out at the blue lights of the club, and the people who danced. Two couples were pressed against the one-way windows, their naked bodies thrashing together as they had sex in the main room of the club.