by Sophie Stern
“You’re fired,” I say coolly. Trevor chuckles, but then he notices I’m not laughing, and his face pales. He turns a strange, sickly shade of blue.
“What? Why? What? What are you talking about? Gaz?”
“I don’t work with clients who lie to me, Trevor. You know this better than anyone else.”
“What are you talking about, Gaz? Buddy,” he decides to try to appeal to our longstanding relationship. “We’ve been friends for a long time. I never lied to you, Gaz. These charges from Orchid? They’re all false. Made up. Completely bullshit. You know that.”
“No, actually, I don’t know that,” I tell him. “Trevor, I made it clear from the start that if you lied to me, I would be unable to represent you in court. You hid the fact that you’re wanted on Orchid from me. Did you not notice I’m Orchidian and would eventually find out?”
He pales further, if that’s possible.
“No,” Trevor shakes his head. “You’re from Mirroean. You told me.”
“What? I never told you that.” I never tell people where I’m from, but I also don’t lie. If they ask what planet I’m originally from, I simply ignore the question.
“Uh, I might have,” Izzie raises her hand and flashes a guilty smile my way. “He wouldn’t leave me alone, boss. In my defense,” she adds innocently. “You look pretty Mirroean to me, what with the shoes and all.”
We all glance at my feet. Unlike my brother, I’m wearing shoes. I always do on Sapphira. Drawing attention to myself, especially about something like this, is pointless.
“Nice digs,” Rex says.
“Fuck you,” I retort playfully. Then I turn back to Trevor. “You’re going to need to find yourself a new lawyer,” I tell him.
“But no one will take my case,” he says, suddenly looking scared and nervous. Trevor has a lot of money, and I’m not scared of a challenge. I took on his case because I wanted to see just how good I really am. I wanted to win this case because sometimes, being a lawyer gets boring, and I like to push myself.
Winning a case isn’t just about evidence. People always think that if you have enough evidence against someone, it will somehow impact the way a case plays out, but that’s not true.
Being an attorney is about reading people and reading a situation.
It’s about choosing the perfect word that will create emotion in the eyes of the jurors and the judge.
It’s about playing a room like a master, like a game.
It’s knowing exactly what it takes to win, and then winning.
And winning.
And winning.
“That is not my problem,” I say to Trevor. “Leave.”
“But…but…”
Trevor looks around helplessly from Rex to Hayden to Izzie. He even looks at the two passed out guards. They’re starting to stir, and I realize Izzie only gave them a little bit of her special tea. Is drugging people legal on Sapphira? Not really, but Izzie is the best receptionist I’ve ever had and I’m more than happy to turn a blind eye to any of her indiscretions.
“You can’t do this to me, Gaz. The charges…they’re too much. I’ll be slaughtered.”
“You should have thought about that before you committed crimes against the people of my planet,” I tell him.
“But I didn’t know! I didn’t even know you were Orchidian,” he says once more. I’m growing tired of this. He’s whining, and I’m not going to change my mind. All I want right now is to leave and go home with Hayden. I just want to spend the day wrapped around her. I want to lose myself in her smell and her touch and her kisses.
I certainly don’t want to sit around the office fighting with Trevor.
“You stole the diamonds of Perulla, from old women, from the poor,” I shake my head at him. “I would have helped you if you had been honest, but you swore your crimes on Sapphira alone had been overinflated and exaggerated. The one stipulation I have for my clients is honesty, Trevor.”
“I might have an idea,” Rex says suddenly, and I look at my brother. His face is serious, but his eyes are fucking twinkling.
Mischievous motherfucker.
Anything he says right now is going to be a lie or a trick, but I’ve had enough of Trevor, so I allow it.
“What’s your idea?” I say, narrowing my eyes.
Trevor looks at Rex hopefully.
“I’m returning to Orchid,” he says. “And I could take you with me.”
“But why would I go to Orchid?” He says. “I’ll be prosecuted.”
“You could stay,” Rex says. “You could take your chances here, but let’s be honest: Gaz is the best lawyer on the planet. You really think anyone worthy or capable is going to take your case after this?”
Trevor shakes his head sadly.
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice,” he says, looking defeated. “All right,” he glares at me. “I’ll go to Orchid, but I want a lawyer,” he adds. “A good one.”
Chapter 13
Hayden
“That was weird,” I say to Gaz as we leave his office. Rex and the cops left almost immediately. Once they had Trevor in custody, they were ready to hurry back to the planet. “Do you really think his odds are better on Orchid?”
“Going was the smart choice,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t tell anyone to refrain from representing Trevor, but they know my honor code. If I step away from a client, the other attorneys know it’s got to be a particularly impossible case. No one wants that kind of a loss on their record.”
“Will he be able to get an attorney on Orchid?”
“Of course. He’ll probably get a light sentence, too, but it’ll look good for Rex as he begins his reign as king. The people will see that he brought back a wanted criminal and they’ll view that as a show of loyalty. It’s kind of a win-win for everyone.”
“Except for you,” Hayden says quietly. “Except for the people he stole from.”
“The diamonds were insured,” Gaz says. “And I guarantee my brother will make things right with the people who were robbed. As for me,” he says. “Trevor is no loss to me. Besides, I’ve won the best prize of all.”
“What’s that?”
“You, Hayden.” He pulls me close and kisses me, right in front of his office. His hovercar appears behind him.
“Again?” I laugh, slipping out of his arms and into the car. He climbs in the driver’s side. “You know, it’s really not that hard to walk over to the car.”
“But this is so much more fun,” he says, laughing.
“I messaged my boss,” I tell him. “I’m taking the rest of the day. Personal emergency.”
“Is that right?” Gaz says. “You might be surprised to hear this, but I also have the rest of the day free.”
“Oh my,” I feign surprise. “Whatever will we do with ourselves?”
“I can think of a couple of things,” he says, but I fall quiet. I’m too excited to think straight. This is really, finally, actually happening.
Gaz and I are going to do this.
Finally.
After all of this time.
It’s strange to think about the magnitude of what we’re doing. I’m about to give myself over to someone for the first time willingly. Although I’m not a virgin, I basically am, and this is the first time I’ll have had any control over my sexuality. This is the first time I’ll have had a choice. This is the first time.
And I’m choosing Gaz.
I’m choosing his sweet spirit and his bravery and his smile.
I’m choosing his compassion.
I’m choosing his ferocity.
I’m choosing him.
And I will continue to choose him forever.
“Your place or mine?” He asks gently.
“Yours,” I say quickly. “Yours. Definitely.” I’ve been to his house before, but this is different. I’m filled with the knowledge that today, I’m going to give myself over to Gaz, and I’m both anxious and excited.
We arrive at his house and go in
side. He pours us each a glass of petal juice and I down my quickly before handing it back.
“More?” He looks surprised.
“Just one more,” I say.
“Nervous?”
“A little.”
“You don’t have to be nervous,” he says. He hands me my glass and this time, I sip the petal juice slowly, taking my time to enjoy the way it warms my belly and my spirit.
“I know. It’s just…”
It’s just that I’ve wanted this for so long.
It’s just that I’ve dreamed of Gaz for an eternity.
It’s just that LeBlaie stole so much from me and today I’m getting that part of myself back.
Today I’m reclaiming what was lost so very long ago.
Today I’m standing up for myself and taking what is mine.
Gaz.
I set my glass down and kiss him deeply. He groans and pulls me closer to him, so our bodies are tightly pressed together. I can feel every inch of him and I know he can feel all of me, but I want more.
I need more.
I want all of him.
I run my hands through his hair and jump up into his arms. He holds me and I wrap my legs tightly around his waist.
“Hayden,” he groans. “We can take this slow, sweetie.” He keeps kissing me, and I grip his hair, holding him tightly.
“I don’t want slow, Gaz. I want you. Now. I need you. I need this.”
I’m practically a virgin.
I get it.
It’s normal that he would be scared of hurting me, of freaking me out, but I’m not scared, and I’m not hurting, and I’m definitely not worried.
I trust Gaz explicitly, but right now, I just want all of him. We’ve waited so long for this moment that I can’t wait another second. I need him now, and I know he needs me this same way.
He carries me through the house, bumping into things as we kiss. He pins me against the wall for just a moment, and slides his tongue over my lips.
“I love you,” he whispers. The words aren’t just words in this moment. They’re a promise. They’re everything I’ve ever hoped for, and everything I thought I would never be able to have. They’re an eternity. They’re endless.
They’re mine.
These are words he is offering to me, and I offer them right back.
“I love you, too,” I tell him. “With all of my heart, Gazley Oleandair.”
He chuckles at my use of his full name and keeps kissing me, and then Gaz carries me to the stairs. He kisses me the whole way up, never stopping or setting me down. I don’t even have a chance to look around because all I want is more.
More kissing.
More touching.
Just more.
Chapter 14
Gaz
I drop her on my hoverbed and climb up beside her.
“Nice bed,” she smiles, running her hands over me. She kisses me more and I close my eyes, enjoying the moment. We’ve both been waiting for this moment for so long that I’m worried any miscalculation, any mistake, will ruin the aura of perfection.
“We can take this slowly,” I promise her again.
“Gaz, I love you, and I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I don’t need slow right now.”
“No?” I’m not convinced, but she shakes her head.
“When LeBlaie took me all those years ago, he stole something precious from me, Gaz. Yeah, he took my virginity, but he took something else. He took my innocence. He robbed me of my ability to view myself as a sexual creature without worrying about what he did to me. He stole that, Gaz. He took that from me.”
I know my eyes are narrowing, and I’m growing angry because I’m pissed. I’m hurt. I’m devastated for my sweet Hayden. No woman should be introduced to sex in such a violent and terrible way. No woman should be crushed like that.
Sex is supposed to be fun and exciting and interesting. Oh, sex can be kinky and dirty and naughty. Sex can include spankings and handcuffs and blindfolds, but it doesn’t have to, and even if it does, it shouldn’t be scary.
It should never be scary.
Hayden should never have experienced fear in conjunction with sex.
“But Gaz, you’ve given me a second chance,” she continues, and she reaches for me. I lean into Hayden’s touch and for just a moment, I feel completely at peace. I feel young again. I feel like this is the first time.
We’re both broken and jaded in our own ways, but right now, Hayden is offering me something precious and valuable. She’s offering me her trust, and I will never break that. I will never hurt her.
“And Gaz, today, it’s like,” she shrugs, and just smiles. Her smile is so bright it lights the whole room and my whole damn heart. “It’s like it’s a second chance, baby. Just you and me, Gaz. That’s all I ever want. You and me, and this moment,” she kisses me, and I kiss her back, and just like that, I’m ready to lose myself in Hayden.
I’m ready to lose myself in the most beautiful girl in the world.
Slowly, I run my hands over her body.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” she says. “Talk to me, Gaz.”
“I can do that, princess.”
“What do you think when you look at me?”
“Well,” I stroke her clothed breasts softly. “I think you’re beautiful, and sweet, and completely perfect for me.”
She laughs. “I like it. What else? Tell me more.”
“I think you have the perfect breasts, Hayden. They’re the most perfect ones in the whole damn world.”
“I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ll take it. Maybe you should look at them now, and double check.”
I chuckle and help her out of her dress. I toss it to the floor and look at her soft, sweet body. She’s wearing pink panties with a matching bra, and I touch the bra carefully.
“Yep,” I tell her. “They look pretty perfect to me.”
“I like them, too.”
“And your skin,” I tell her.
“What about it?”
“It’s soft, and you always smell so sweet.”
“I can be a little naughty.”
“When you want to be,” I agree. “But I think you’re mostly sweet. You’re nicer than naughty.”
“More, Gaz,” she closes her eyes and leans her head back against the pillow. “Tell me more.”
I run my hands down her belly and trace the top of her panties with my fingers.
“I think you have a sweet, beautiful pussy, Hayden.”
“It sounds so bad when you say it like that.”
“How should I say it?”
“I like it,” she confirms. “It’s just bad. Naughty.”
“I’m going to be a lot naughtier than this, pretty girl.”
Hayden bites her lips and wiggles a little, and I chuckle, but keep exploring her body. I know she feels like she’s in a hurry, but there’s nothing wrong with slowing down a little bit. We aren’t in any sort of rush. We have the rest of the day to explore one another. We have the rest of our lives to get this perfect.
Normally, when I make love to a woman, things are passionate and hard and fast. With Hayden, I’m taking my time. With her, I want to savor every second we’re together. I want to memorize every inch of her body so that even when we’re apart, I can close my eyes and see her.
I run my hands down the outside of her legs and back up. I touch her ankles and her calves. I kiss her thighs. I run my lips over Hayden’s hips and back up to her breasts. Then I settle in, kissing her neck, kissing her mouth.
She wraps her arms around me and pulls me close. Now she touches me, running her own hands over my clothes.
“You’re so…hard,” she breathes out.
“What do you mean?”
“Your body,” she chuckles. “It’s so much harder than mine, so much firmer. Like, seriously, Gaz, how much do you work out?”
I laugh. Most of the Sapphiran men I meet are much larger than me, physically, but I’m still so much bigg
er than delicate little Hayden.
“A lot, actually. I have to keep up with the Sapphiran guys and it’s not as easy as it looks.”
“It doesn’t look easy.”
“It’s not.”
“Take your clothes off,” she says. “Please. I want to watch.”
I climb off the bed and slowly begin to undress while Hayden looks at me. Her gaze is curious and excited. She’s eager and interested, and it’s a strange, but welcome feeling.
She’s not the type of woman who wants to rush through sex and just get it over with. Hayden likes to analyze, just as I do, and as I see her eyes roam over my body, it makes me feel decidedly masculine.
Once I’m completely naked, she grins and crooks her finger at me.
“Come here, naughty boy,” she says. “I’m ready for you.”
Chapter 15
Hayden
Gaz covers my body with kisses and slowly takes my bra and panties off. As the last of my clothing falls off of the bed, I smile at him.
“I love you,” I say for the millionth time. He kisses me again, somehow so deeply that my entire world begins to spin.
“I love you, too,” he says, and then he settles himself next to me. He tugs me, gently pulling me so I’m situated above him.
“What are you doing?” I ask. I’ve never had sex this way before.
“Hayden, I love you, princess, and today is all about you. There will be plenty of times where I can be on top, but right now, I want you in full control.”
I don’t want to tear up, but I do because he’s being so thoughtful. There was a part of me that worried having him on top of me would bring back terrible memories of what happened to me.
I wasn’t sure how to bring this up or how to say anything about it to Gaz, but as it turns out, I shouldn’t have even worried. He’s handling the entire situation so perfectly.
“Just breathe,” he whispers, and I lean over him and kiss him. He runs his hands through my hair and down my back before he settles them on my hips.
“I’m not sure what to do,” I admit, biting my bottom lip. I’m an adult. I should know things. I should know how to do things. I should know, specifically, how to do this thing, yet I don’t.