by Zara Zenia
Yanking my skirt down over my ass, I felt horribly exposed and shivered in the chilly night air. Behind us, someone whistled and I hurried away, my heels clacking along the ground as I struggled to walk.
"These heels are killing me!" I moaned as I looked down and saw the way my toes were scrunched into the front of my shoes. "I'm going to have blisters tomorrow, I just know it."
"Will you just chill?" Miranda rolled her eyes and linked her arm into mine.
"Sorry. I'm just so stressed and I can't stop thinking about work. Those things the satellite were picking up. I've been researching them and there's something really weird going on. It's not just a meteor shower like the boss told us. It's something else. They're more organized than meteors, more, I dunno, sentient."
Miranda stopped in her tracks and pulled me closer to her.
"Listen. For one night only, can you stop with all the geekery? Seriously, we love satellites and meteors as much as you do, but we love to party and have fun too. Now put a smile on your face and wear this."
She handed me a VIP pass and I begrudgingly hung it around my neck. I didn't want to go inside, I didn't want to wear these horrific heels that made my feet feel as though they were on fire. And I definitely didn't want to get drunk and dance around with all the creepy guys that were lined up waiting to enter like they were on the cusp of entering a cattle market.
"I'm nervous," I said. "Everyone here is so glamorous."
"And you are too," she said as she reapplied her lip gloss. "Now come on, VIP won't know what hit them."
Walking to the main door, the bouncer greeted us with a smile as he lifted the red, velvet rope.
"Heaven must be missing a trio of angels," he said as he winked. “Head right on in.”
As soon as I placed one foot inside the club I was hit with the electronic punch of music, the feeling of bass and kick drums slamming me in the gut. The smell of sweat was thick in the air as it mingled with rich cologne and expensive perfume. A group of girls sidled past us, tall, lithe creatures with impossibly high cheekbones and even higher heels. They all had the same expression on their faces that exuded pure confidence and sophistication and they pushed in front of us, eager to reach the VIP suite before we did.
"Bitches," Miranda said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Just because they're models they think they're all that."
I watched them strut away with their hips swaying from side to side as though they were walking down a catwalk.
"I wanna go home," I blurted out. "I don't belong here."
"Nonsense," Susan said and took my hand in hers. "After a drink, you'll be feeling better. Come on."
Navigating our way down the long, narrow hallway, the only light that guided us was the shining of a distant strobe that glinted off the glittering sparkles of the wallpaper. It was so dark I barely saw the door when it appeared in front of us, gold and shimmering like the perfect makeup on Miranda's face.
"Passes ladies, please," the doorman said and we all held up the lanyards that were draped around our necks.
He gave us a serious nod then opened the door.
"Welcome to the Champagne Suite. Have a good night."
And we were in, pushing our way through hordes of glitzy people that I felt too ugly to be seen with.
"Wahoo! Champagne for everyone!" Susan cheered and pointed over to a corner booth.
A moment later we were seated beside the mirrored wall watching a waitress walk over with a tray of glasses and bottles. Before I had the chance to refuse a drink, I watched her pour three glasses and hand me one. When I noticed the cold edge of the glass against my bottom lip, it was too late. I took a liberal gulp of the icy liquid and grimaced.
"You don't like it?" Miranda asked before she drained her glass.
"I'm not much of a drinker," I said. "Actually, I've never had champagne before."
"What?" she spluttered. "Ok, girl we need to sort this out. Tonight, you're going to have a night you'll never forget. You're doing it all in the VIP tonight."
I didn't like the sound of that. It meant being out of my comfort zone. It meant new experiences and new people, it meant relinquishing all the control I had so carefully maintained throughout my adult life. I wanted to get up and run away, head back to the safety of the office where my usual clothes were. I wanted to escape back home where my cat would be waiting for me with a gentle brush of her fur against my leg as we settled down on the sofa. I wanted so badly to do that, but the champagne was holding me down, making me feel weird and heavy. Gripping the sides of the table, I started to panic.
"I need some air!" I gasped.
The girls laughed.
"Relax," Miranda said as she slid another glass over to me. "You're fine. You're just tipsy. Now you wanna get stinking drunk!" she cackled.
"Yeah, relax," Susan chimed in. "The bubbles will be going to your head. That's all. Chill out."
My heart began to hammer in my chest and it began to beat faster as more people filled up the suite. A group of men swaggered in, all in matching leather jackets and slicked back hair in the universal, unofficial uniform of the cool guy. They looked over at our table and smiled before sitting at the opposite booth.
"Oooh, they're kinda hot, right?" Susan said to us, although she was smiling and wiggling her fingers at them.
"So hot," Miranda agreed. "I think we need some company. How about we invite them over?"
"No!" I said with a little too much gumption. "I like it with just the three of us. You know, just us girls."
They both shared a conspiratorial glance and looked back at me.
"Anya, when was the last time you had a boyfriend?"
I cast my mind back. I had a boyfriend once, a real cute guy back in high school but we went our separate ways when we both moved away to college. Of course, there was the occasional fling in my first year away from home but apart from that, there had been no one. I'd always been happy by myself, always telling people I was alone, but not lonely. I enjoyed solitude and books, the feeling of being curled up alone in bed with a good movie. I loved being free to study and work without distraction but more than anything, I loved not being dragged into the drama that inevitably comes with relationships. Love hurts, everyone knows that.
"I've had boyfriends," I said. "Loads of them."
"Uh-huh," Miranda smirked. "But when was your last one?"
I bit down on my lower lip and felt the heat rush to my face.
"Four years ago," I finally answered.
They both gasped and looked to one another before reaching forward and grabbing my hands.
"You're lying. You must be. Four years on your own!" Miranda said horrified. "How do you cope?"
"I'm fine," I lied and pulled away. "Really I am."
But they wouldn't listen.
"Please don't tell me it's been four years since you last had sex," Susan said leaned in close.
I didn't say a word, but my eyes said it all. Her grip around my fingers tightened and she pulled me into a hug.
"Oh, honey! A girl like you shouldn't be alone! You're so gorgeous and smart and funny."
"You're beautiful, Anya!" Miranda said. "I can't believe you haven't been with anyone."
For a second, I felt tears begin to prick at the back of my eyes but I swallowed hard and forced them away.
"I've just been preoccupied with work," I said. "It's not like I wanted to live life as some sort of cat lady."
"But that's what you are," Susan said. "I'm sorry, but it's true. We both love our jobs as much as you do, but you need to have fun. You can't let work consume you or you'll go crazy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, remember?"
I nodded and looked down at my lap feeling utterly humiliated that they now knew my secret. I was a weirdo, a loner, a girl who had a closer relationship with her pet than she did with any man. I was a girl who hadn't had an orgasm in four years, had never felt the touch of a man on my skin for as long as I could remember and didn't even realize
how lonely she was.
"You don't want to be alone, though, right?" Susan asked as she sipped on her drink.
I shook my head.
"You've been hurt before, I can tell. I've been where you are now. Men can treat us like dirt at times and then you tar them all with the same brush, but they're not all that bad."
"It's not that I think they're all bad it's just..."
"Just what?"
I glanced over at the table of boys across the room. One of them raised his glass at me and his face spread into a dazzling smile. He was too good for me, all of them were. They were too rich, too handsome, too tough. Men like that ruled the world and they knew it. They could chew a girl like me up in seconds and spit me out like I meant nothing. That's why I always stayed away from gorgeous guys. They were fickle and arrogant and would break your heart just for fun.
"Yo, Anya. Are you there?"
Miranda waved her hand in front of me to snap me out of my daze.
"I just don't wanna be hurt," I blurted out. "Men are pigs. Jerry left me as soon as he got an offer to a good college. The next boyfriend I had was John and he dumped me after he got bored and then there was Brad. It only lasted three nights with him and he got what he wanted. And of course, there was my Dad. He left my mom for his secretary because, God forbid, she put on a little weight."
I shook my head and took another gulp of my champagne. I was starting to loosen up, could feel my tongue begin to say things my brain was too shy to say.
"You know what, Anya. I think you were so busy building a maze around you to stop people getting in that you can't find your way out."
"That's actually very perceptive of you," I said.
She smiled and flung her hair back.
"I'm good at stuff like this," she said. "Have some gypsy blood in me. It makes us all super perceptive, psychic almost."
Miranda groaned and pointed over to the bar.
"You might be a psychic, but you never noticed that hottie over there."
We all turned to see a tall figure leaning against the bar. With his leather jacket and dark hair, I assumed he was with the other guys but a quick look at his face told me he wasn't. There was a maturity that the others lacked, a few rogue lines around the eyes that showed he'd lived a full life. He was bigger too, with broad shoulders and a muscular chest that bulged out the front of his white t-shirt. I couldn't stop myself looking him up and down. It was the first time I had taken notice of a man, I mean really taken notice. It had been so long since I'd seen the shape and strength of a manly body and now it was in front of me I wasn't looking away.
"You like what you see?" Miranda asked with a nudge and a wink.
"No! I mean, maybe. Yes. He's super-hot."
My eyes were running over every inch of his body, from his biker boots to his thick thighs and solid abdomen to his taut chest and strong jaw. Then his eyes met mine. A shock of goosebumps ran the length of my spine. I felt my stomach lurch and the hand around my glass trembled. His eyes, there was something about them I'd not seen before. They were bluer than the brightest cobalt and alive with a dynamism that blew me away. When he smiled, it felt as though the room around me disappeared and there was nothing but the look in his eyes and the flutter in my heart. Susan shimmied up close to me and put her hand on my shoulder.
"I think he likes you," she whispered in my ear. "Why don't you go introduce yourself?"
My eyes were firmly focused on his. I had the strongest compulsion to walk over and say hi, but something was holding me in my seat.
"I can't," I said. "What if I make a fool of myself?"
"So what if you do? What if you make a great impression? What if he shows you the time of your life?"
I thought about it for a second. All the while, his smile was widening. Miranda's eyes shifted from me to him then back to me again.
"Well if you're not going to, I will," she said and slapped her hands on the table.
"Wait! Fine, I'll go, but if I trip over on the way over, promise you won't laugh at me."
Susan patted me on the back and helped me to my feet.
"You'll do great. You look hot as hell. He'll be eating out your hand in no time."
For a second, I felt pretty good. I was being confident for once and doing something I'd never done before. But then I took a step and felt how unsteady I was in my heels. I stumbled and fell against the table, before correcting my balance and smiling as though it never happened.
"Don't worry. I don't think he noticed," Susan said as she gave me a gentle shove in the back.
The bar was only a few feet away from the table, but stepping away from the comfort of the booth felt as unstable as stepping out onto a cloud. I took a few tentative steps and walked slowly, making sure I kept my balance.
"Hi," I said before looking down to the ground as I blushed.
"Hey there," he replied, his voice gruff and deep.
There were so many things in my head that I wanted to say but the words never left my mouth. They danced on my tongue, made me stutter and stumble over the most simple of sentences.
"I- er... You come here often? I mean, I've never been here before. I mean, it's not like I never go out. I just... um..."
"Relax," he said with a warm smile and gestured for me to sit on the stool beside him. "I don't normally talk to girls either, so it would seem we're both a little nervous."
Climbing up on the stool, I noticed he didn't move away. His stomach pressed into my leg, the hardness of his muscles feeling solid and strong against me. I could smell his scent, it was rich, mysterious, and unfamiliar.
"I don't think I believe you," I said.
He raised his eyebrows.
"I bet you talk to girls all the time," I said. "And you don't look like the kinda guy to get nervous."
He smirked and moved in closer.
"You got me," he said with his voice almost a purr. "I do talk to girls all the time, but none that are as pretty as you."
His breath was hot on my ear and his voice felt as though it was moving through me, beckoning me closer. My body was responding to him. I reached out to stroke his arm and he took my hand in his.
"You fancy going somewhere a little more private?" he asked.
In a panic, I glanced over at Miranda and Susan who were watching us intently, their eyes wide like saucers.
"I...um... I-I."
"It's ok," he said as he ran a hand through my hair. "If you don't want to, you can always go back to your friends. I won't pressure you to do anything."
"I want to!" I said with a little too much enthusiasm. "I mean, sure, let's go somewhere private."
With my hand still in his, he led me away. I gave Miranda and Susan an apologetic smile and they each gave me a thumbs-up and a wink.
"How about over there?" he pointed.
At the back of the VIP suite, sat a sofa shrouded in shadows. The nearby tables were empty and the lights were dimmed. I nodded and gulped down my anxiety.
"Come sit down," he said and patted his lap before pulling me onto him.
"Won't we get in trouble? Won't someone see us?"
"Shhh..."
He silenced me with a kiss and firmly clasped his hands around my face. It had been so long since I'd been touched since I felt as though I was desired. I let out a slight moan and gasped as his hand began to stroke the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.
Then his fingers were stroking me, touching the sacred spot that had long been forgotten about. His hardness was under me, pressing against me as it grew thicker and longer.
"Touch me," he whispered as he moved his hand slowly beneath my skirt.
Unzipping his jeans, I pulled him free from his underwear and stroked him gently. He let out a low grunt and leaned back against the wall.
"Someone'll see us!" I said.
But the thrill was intoxicating. Over the top of the tables, I could see people laughing and drinking, while a few feet away I pulled my legs apart and straddled him.
; "I've never done anything like this before," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
He didn't say a word, just kept his eyes fixed on mine as he guided himself inside me and let out a long exhale. He was big, almost too big and it stung slightly as I lowered myself onto him. But then the pain gave way to pleasure and I wanted more and more until I couldn't stop the frantic swaying of my hips. I rocked back and forth, moving faster and faster until an orgasm ripped through me in a tidal wave of pleasure. Then I fell forward, gasping for air as my heart beat hard and sweat dripped from my forehead.
"Oh, fuck."
He smiled and brushed the stray hair from my eyes before kissing me one last time.
"There's something so different about you," I said. "You don't feel like other men."
That signature smirk of his returned and traced a finger down the side of my face.
"No, I'm not like other men."
Chapter 3
Draygus
My ears were ringing as I stepped out of the club. I could never get used to human music with its repetitive beats and constant bass rhythms. I couldn't get used to the human concept of romance either. The woman was attractive, that was for sure, but she was no Orban. I did what I had to in order to gain her trust. She was a way to get inside the satellite facility, nothing more, nothing less. Still, I couldn't stop thinking about the way my cock throbbed inside her as she screamed, or the way the subtle light fell across the curve of her breasts.
But I didn't have time to think about her too much. I had something more serious on my mind. Standing in the parking lot of the club, my eyes scanned over the line of luxurious cars. Then I looked over at the people wagon I had arrived in. It was time for an upgrade.
Sidling up to a blacked-out SUV, I laughed to myself as I simply unlocked the door with a swift movement of my mind. Human vehicles were easy to break into at the best of times, but ridiculously simple when approached by the Orban psychic mind. Climbing into the driver's seat, I breathed a sigh of relief and reveled in the comfort. There was no stench of diapers in here or broken toys clogging up glove box.