by Rebel West
“Almost as good?”
“Yes, definitely. Dar’tellak really has a magnificent way with words. It’s too bad you can’t read it in the original, but I know our linguists are working on a translation into English so you may enjoy it too.”
“Me?”
“Well, you, meaning Earth people.” Amara flips her hair. “I don’t know how and when things will be shared. But if you already have this scientific delegation going, surely there will be arts and literature ones soon, too.”
“Yes, probably.”
“So! I will see you in a few segs.” Amara breezes to the door. “It was wonderful meeting you, Cali.” She sounds so sincere and sweet that I can’t be upset with her; after all, Amara is just the messenger.
“You, too,” I say, and mean it. I’m eager to meet with Amara later, and hopefully I can turn the alien into a real friend.
* * *
The dresses arrive less than a few hours later, when I’m back from the lab, relaxing in my quarters.
I choose the green and gold one, marveling at how perfectly it fits. These aliens definitely know what they are doing with custom-tailored clothes for everyone. I’ve never felt so slim or pretty. The shoes, strappy gold sandals, look too high and awkward to even consider trying on.
But when I slip them onto my feet, I realize they have some kind of mechanism in them to help me stay upright, and that they work with the bouncy atmosphere here to give me that gliding, sexy hip-swiveling walk the alien women seem to demonstrate. Furthermore, the shoes don’t hurt; in fact, my feet feel perfectly aligned. What magic this is!
I’ve noticed that the women don’t wear much makeup, although they do seem to like lip gloss, and Amara has provided several in various tones from dark purple to blue to lavender, the colors that suit Luminarians. None of them are a match for my skin, so I pick the most neutral one, a pale pink, and put on a light coat, smiling at the mirror. The gloss plumps my lips, making them pouty and sexy.
When Lock comes to fetch me, I’m ready and waiting, looking out my window at the flock of zebb in the distance, wondering if “my” zebb is in the group, the one that let me touch her horn, or the sick one that Meryke had showed me.
“Cali.” His voice is low and sexy. When I turn to face him, his eyebrows shoot into his forehead. “You look... amazing.” His voice becomes slightly hoarse and a blue flush stains his jaw.
I smile and stand taller, pleased, and my eyes widen when I see how handsome he looks. His slacks are tailored to fit perfectly, showing his lean hips and narrow waist, not to mention his strong thighs, to perfection. His Luminarian shirt is loose and flowing, sort of pirate-y, if I had to make a comparison, but the thin fabric clings to his body as he moves and turns, and I can easily see the strength of his shoulders and arms beneath it. And those boots do it for me, too. Fuck, he’s hot.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
He approaches and bends over, kissing my neck. “You are so gorgeous that I nearly want to cancel dinner and stay here with you,” he growls, tapping my ass. “And play with your body as I please.” He pulls up my long skirt and runs his fingers under the band of my panties.
Desire surges. Now that his hands are on me, all I want is to tear off my clothes, and his, and make mad rough love over and over again. I slide my hands over his chest, wanting to get to his bare skin, and make a noise of frustration at the fabric blocking my way.
He glides his hand further down, cupping my mound beneath the panties. “Are you ready for me?” he asks in a hoarse whisper. “If I took you right now, would you be wet and slick for my cock?”
“Yes,” I moan, as he bites my neck once, and then again, harder. “I am.”
“I don’t think you’re wet enough,” he reprimands me, sticking two fingers deep into my pussy. “You know how big my cock is, human. You need to be dripping to handle me properly.”
“I’m almost there,” I whimper. “So close.”
“Because I want you so badly that I’d just push my cock into you immediately,” he says. “I want to teach you to be constantly ready for me. Always wet and needy, so I could grab you with just a second’s notice and fuck you. If you weren’t wet enough, I’d take my strap to your ass, too. I’d fuck you and strap you, and in the future you’d be sure to think about me and get your pretty pussy ready for a hard fucking every moment of the day. I’d have you aching for me every fucking second.”
“Yes,” I moan, the thought of it driving me mad. “I want to be ready for you all the time.” My voice is breathy and low, full of need.
He strokes my clit. “You think you’re ready, but I can get you much, much higher before you come,” he says, continuing to touch with light, soft movements. “You see? I do this,” he taps my clit, making me cry out and jerk in his arms, “and you respond. Think about how needy you’ll be after a full seg of this teasing.”
“No, you can’t tease me that long, that’s like an hour,” I whisper.
“You have no idea,” he chuckles. “I might make you wait several suns and tease you like this each one, until you are so full of desire and need that you will do literally anything and everything I say.”
“I already will do that,” I babble, pushing my hips into his finger, seeking his touch.
“You think so,” he says. “But it’s just the start.” His dark promise makes a flock of birds take flight in my stomach. “No, I’ll get you to the point where you’ll be begging me with everything you have, promising to suck my cock ten times a day, in front of anyone I choose, promising to fuck another male if I ask you to. Have you ever had two men at once?”
At my incoherent murmur, he laughs and flicks my clit, but then his face turns dark. “Although I never want to share this sweet pussy with anyone else. It’s mine only. Is that clear?”
“Yes, yours only,” I agree, with a small whimper. “I’m so close. I can…”
“You can wait.” He pulls his fingers out of my body and wipes them deliberately across the back of my panties, then gives me one hard slap across my buttocks. Then he puts his index finger into his mouth and sucks it clean. “Delicious. Just a taste for both of us… until later.”
“I can’t wait,” I complain, pressing my thighs together.
“But you will,” he says simply. “And it will be better later for it, you shall see.”
I can barely tamp back my arousal, and it hurts a little bit, in a strange way, to let my desire simply dissipate down to a manageable level. I’m positive that I’ll be squirming all through the dinner.
Chapter Twenty Four
Riding in Lock’s larger, luxurious space pod makes me feel glamorous. His guards are there, and his advisor Allik. The aliens who ride with us are welcoming, a handful of advisors and lawyers who greet me pleasantly and seem to be interested in learning about me and Earth customs. In fact, I find myself the center of attention for most of the ride, fielding questions about Earth food, homes, and gravity.
Driving through the city is fascinating. It’s a busy time, and the air lanes are full of pods and crafts of all sizes, from small personal hovercraft to larger luxurious ones, like this palace craft. Again I note that there are several tiers of airspace, and this time I ask, “So how do you know which lane to go in?” gesturing out the window.
“It’s auto-controlled by destination, mostly,” says Lock. “That middle lane is express. Craft in that level are going longer distances, and won’t need to slow down as much to turn out of the lane. The lower lane is for deliveries and short stops. This upper lane, the one we’re in, is for general passengers.”
“Of course,” adds Allik, with a cough, “any royal vehicle gets precedence over all other traffic.”
“I see.” I crane my neck to look at the lower tier of traffic, and see that it’s comprised of smaller pods, some of them battered and worn, which dart out of the flow to dock at nearby buildings. “This is just so cool.”
The group launches into a new line of conversation, and I swivel m
y chair to see all angles. We’re in the center of the city, amidst the tall spire buildings made of metal, fusion materials, and glass, some extending so high into the sky that I can’t see the tops out of the craft window, even if I crane my neck. And still, mixed into the area are smaller buildings, too, some made of local stone, shaped to look gothic and Victorian and Greek. Park spaces dot the area, vast patches of rolling lavender shi with some of the large purple trees and flower gardens. I see aliens walking in the gardens, and some walking on the street below, but most of the traffic seems to be in the air.
“Ah, we’re here,” said Lock, as the craft pulls out of the flow and enters a building right at flight height, into a dissolving wall that opens to meet us.
“There are parking spots at the top of buildings?” I’m intrigued.
Allik answers, “Of course, to make it easier for the flow of traffic. There are parking stations built into every high-rise, as well as on the ground floor. We do have some wheeled auto-craft.”
“You do?” I look down at the ground, hoping to see some, but they are already inside the building, in a vast lot that seems to go on for miles. “This is so large.”
Allik nods. “There has to be ample room to accommodate all the craft. However, if a lot is full, the craft can be set to auto-find the closest lot, and then return to pick up the passengers when they are ready. For royalty though, there is always room. In fact, if there was not, certain craft would be auto-ejected to find other lots.”
“Wow.”
Allik frowns as Lock takes my arm. The eagle-eyed advisor clearly disapproves of the way Lock touches me in public. Does he know that Lock fucked and spanked me? I redden at the thought. Although I suppose we’re consenting adults and it shouldn’t be embarrassing, it’s still personal, and I’m not sure what it means… if anything. I don’t like Allik’s speculative gaze.
I squeeze Lock’s arm, and he smiles at me. “Are you enjoying the outing so far?” His voice is low, and the others have gone ahead, so it’s just us, flanked by his guards, and Allik.
“Immensely. Your city is fascinating. Everything is so new to me. I love seeing it all.”
“I’m glad. I enjoy showing it to you. I’m so proud of it,” he says. And I realize again how different we are, not just as Luminarian and human, but our entire lives and roles: he helps guide and rule this entire planet; I’m a mere cog in a larger machine. The inequity makes me uncomfortable.
“Are you all right?” he inquires, then leans in and lowered his voice. “Is it what I did before we left? Please, tell me if…”
“No, it’s not that. That’s fine.” I flush. “I just feel very different, all of a sudden.”
“More different than usual?”
I shrug. “It’s just that I’m so alien. And I don’t know how to behave.”
“Just behave as you normally do,” he says. “I promise the citizens will like you.” He smiles. “You are quite charming when you are natural. And everyone is intrigued to meet a human.”
“That’s just so much pressure, you know?” I look up at him, my fingers tightening on his arm. “I don’t know that I’m ready, or equipped, to be... a sole example of humanity to a new world.”
He shrugs. “None of us are ready or equipped to be an ambassador, and yet here we are, just doing our best. In the end, I suppose that is the only thing we can ask of ourselves.”
I nod. “I suppose. I just worry that if I’m not vivacious enough, or smart enough, or interesting enough, your citizens won’t be impressed enough to want to continue the IRT. I have a lot of pressure riding on me. And I can’t even talk about my real job here.”
“There is pressure,” he agrees. “But you have the grace to handle it.”
“Now you’re just saying that because you like to fuck me.” I immediately regret it, because he stops short and frowns.
“That is not true,” he says, his voice firm, brow furrowed. “I do like to fuck you, but that is not why I admire you. I admire your courage, and your spirit, and your intellect. You have a kind of vivacity that I haven’t met in anyone, ever. Your zest for life is... exhilarating.”
“But you... you think humans are not as smart as Luminarians.” Tears burn my eyes.
“That, as well, is not precisely true.” He shakes his head. “There is much I admire about the human civilization, Cali. You are more advanced than we are, in fact, in the areas of atmospheric science and pollution control. Some of your medical techniques rival ours, in terms of bone grafts. The future of the IRT does not rest entirely in your hands. We are, even now, assembling a team of human researchers to consult with us on a mild, yet undeniable increase in radiation in our atmosphere. The Earth’s experience with reversing your own historic climate change may prove to be quite valuable to us. And your history of arts and literature is... overwhelming.”
“I thought you and all the Luminarians figured you were better than humans because of your tech.” I wave my hand. “Your hoverpods, and your holo implants and stuff. So advanced.”
“We are more advanced than humans in those areas,” he agrees. “But then, when it comes to atmospheric science, humans have done experimentation that is at least ten cycles ahead of us. It’s not so simple as one culture being better. We’ve talked about this, yes? How we each have strengths, and we need to share them? Even on our first day together.”
“We have a lot of great things on Earth,” I urge, as if trying to convince myself. I know it’s true; although much of Earth is broken and ugly, parts of it shine with immense potential and beauty. Yes I’m embarrassed for the greed and corruption that exist. I want Earth to do more, be more.
“If there are more humans like you, I have no doubt,” he says, and touches my face. The tender expression in his eye makes me catch my breath, and I feel that surge of emotion that is far more than arousal. But I can’t fall for him; he’s not available to someone like me, an outsider. I’m the alien here, and I’m going home soon.
Allik hovers, and I notice how close he’s standing. I frown, and Lock looks over.
“Allik. Are the others already inside?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
* * *
The restaurant blows my mind. Somehow, a ribbon of water floats in the air about seven feet in the air, winding its way around the entire room—a thick band of water three feet wide and three feet high, an undulating liquid snake. Strange alien fish float past; brilliant blue and purple globes with fins, strange long flashing eels with purple and yellow stripes. Tiny fish no more than a pinprick, but each a different luminous color, so when they gather in a school they flash like little fireworks in the water, explosions of color.
“My God!” I stop and stare. “Lock.” I touch his arm. “It’s… how do they do that?” I approach until the water is right above me. I smell the ocean salt, so similar to Earth ocean. “Can I touch it?” I reach up, then draw my hand back, even though it’s too high for me, anyway.
Lock smiles. “No, we don’t touch it. The fish in here are from our closest ocean, Lakko Me’Ren. I understand that some of them are Earth fish that we took centuries ago, but most are unique to Luminar.”
“But that’s incredible.” The ribbon exits the room through a hole in the wall. “Where does it go?”
“There’s a large holding tank in back, like an aquarium. Later on, we’ll go see it, if you like.”
“Yes, please! I would love to.”
As we make our way to the table, Lock stops to speak to a Luminarian man. He is seated at a table, but when he sees Lock he stands. Tall and handsome, his chest ripples, the white shirt he wears opening slightly to give me just a peek at his sculpted abdomen and muscles. Once again, I’m grateful that Luminarian men hardly ever wear buttoned-up shirts, and I suppress a grin.
Instead of the usual Luminarian greeting, the two men embrace in a man-hug, similar to the way human guys show affection.
“Lock.” The other alien man smiles broadly.
“Tor.
” Lock grins as well. It’s obvious they’re friends. He turns to me. “This is Commander Tor Callax. And a good friend of mine. Tor, this is Dr. Cali Taylor.”
“Nice to meet you.” I bow my head and raise my right hand.
“And you, Dr. Taylor.” He gazes quizzically at Lock, raising an eyebrow just slightly, as if asking without words what Lock is doing with a human. But then I look at the commander’s companion and I’m surprised to see that she, too, is from Earth.
“Willow.” The commander gestures with his chin at the young woman, and she stands, smiling shyly, her blonde curls dancing around her shoulders. “Lock. Dr. Taylor. This is Willow. She’s in my care, and under my protection, temporarily.”
“Nice to meet you.” Willow smiles, and I can’t help but wonder what this other human’s relationship is with her alien. Are they together? It certainly looks like it, at least from the glances they exchange with each other.
When Commander Tor asks Lock if he has a few minutes before dinner, I’m glad for the interruption. The two men stand close, heads bent, talking in low voices about something that seems serious. I turn to the other woman, unsure what to say, but happy that Willow seems eager to talk to me as well. I shouldn’t judge by appearances, but she doesn’t give off the vibe of a researcher.
“Have you been here before, Willow?”
Willow shakes her head, her big blue eyes glancing around the restaurant. “No. And I’ve never seen anything like this before. The water? The fish? Amazing!”
I nod. “Lo—Prince Lock told me it’s really good. Though I’m still a little nervous to try new Luminarian foods. Everything’s been tasty, but I worry I’ll offend someone by, you know, spitting out a mouthful of a sacred cuisine or something.”
Willow’s smile shows relief. “Me, too! Everything here on Luminar is so interesting and fascinating. But I keep breaking rules, even though I don’t always mean to.” She blushes, looking down at her hands on her lap.