by Alana Khan
“I’m eager to go. I have to tell you, though, I’ve never held a weapon.”
“The sword is for looks and intimidation, although even a novice can lop off a head if properly motivated,” he tosses me a grin. “You’ll need little tutoring for the pistol. You point it at your enemy and pull the trigger.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll inform Shadow, and he’ll ensure no one asks you to do anything you’re not qualified for. Just being with Star and giving her emotional support will be your main job. Think you can handle that?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He hands me a black leather kilt with a sash that hangs over one shoulder and ends at my waist. A minima later I have a three-fierto sword hanging from my waist and heavy knee-high black boots on my feet.
“There are no innocents on this vessel, Ar’Tok. Not the males, anyway. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. You never need to tell me what you were imprisoned for. I don’t care.
“I’ve never made it a secret that I’ve done things I’m ashamed of. We all have. You are not your history—not to me. You’re who you are today. And the male I’ve watched since you’ve been onboard is honest and trustworthy. That’s what matters.
“I’ve watched you with the female. I don’t give advice often, but I have some for you today. See yourself through her eyes. That will help you be kinder to yourself.”
“Thank you, Sir.” I turn to leave, not knowing what to do with Zar’s advice.
“And one more thing.”
I pivot to look at him.
“I doubt you were meant to be a gladiator, and if you were truly interested, you would have entered the ludus at least once in the two lunars you’ve been on board. However, after we’ve left the Pleasure Planet I’d like you to meet me to spar twice a week. You’ll be surprised what it will do to your self-confidence. And . . . you’ll like the reaction you’ll receive from your female when she watches you.”
The captain gives me a lascivious grin filled with razor-sharp canines. I don’t protest that Star’s not my female. In my mind, she’s been my female since our first comm.
Star
I’ve laid all the groundwork in not only the computer system on Paragon, but interconnected systems throughout the galaxy. The microdot hidden in my navel, when properly installed, will activate the thirty-nine programs I’ve written.
It’s a complicated interdependent structure that should prevent Federation noses from prying into Ergonn’s business.
I can’t wait to complete this meeting with him, so I can have some time alone with Ar’Tok. It’s been a long two days since that incendiary moment we shared with my back pressed against his cabin door.
My hormones have spiked several times a day to the point I had to take care of myself while sitting alone in my room in front of a computer. I forbade myself from asking Ar’Tok to relieve me. I left him alone and wanting once, I’m not selfish enough to do it a second time. Besides, when we finally come together I don’t want it to be rushed. I want it to be memorable.
He stalks into the cramped exit area where I’m standing with my four gladiatorial guards. As my mom would say, ‘be still my heart’. Could any male of any species on any planet look as hot and sexy as Ar’Tok?
Black kilt and sash, three-foot sword swinging at his slim hips, and his cirr pulled into a top-knot on his head. Since when did fierce equal sexy to me? I have no idea, but just gazing at him is making my panties damp.
“You’re coming?” I ask, excited. He’d told me he wouldn’t be on my safety detail. I release a long sigh in relief that he’s going to accompany me.
“My job is to be by your side and help with whatever you need. Ready?”
I’ve never seen his shoulders thrown back like this—in pride. He looks confident, and also a head taller than the other males because of his horns.
The ramp opens and even before my feet touch the ground, I’m hit with many foreign phenomena at once.
“The hover-limo’s this way,” Shadow announces as he leads off to our right.
I grab Ar’Tok’s wrist and halt mid-step, almost flattened by overwhelming emotions.
“What’s wrong,” Ar’Tok asks, his tone rough and deep with concern as he leans to get a better look at my face.
“The sun.” It’s so bright it hurts my eyes. Even with my lids closed it’s too bright.
“It’s okay. Just stand with me a moment,” his calm voice isn’t helping.
“And . . . what’s that smell?” I can’t place it. I’ve never smelled anything like it.
“Are you smelling the fuel of the nearby ship about to take off?”
“I don’t know. It’s . . .” I know all the males are waiting for me. Surely they’re wondering what’s wrong. Perhaps they doubt I’m equipped to handle this operation.
I breathe in and out, slowly, eyes still closed. “It’s odd. Slightly sweet.”
“Would you call it fresh?” he asks.
“Maybe.”
“You’ve never been on a planet before, right? Never seen the sun? Never smelled any air that wasn’t synthesized by an oxygenator?”
“No. None of that.”
“What you’re smelling is fresh air.”
Really? Now that he’s labeled it and I know what it is, it’s wonderful.
“The glare of the sun? You’ll get used to it. And how about the gravity? Do you feel heavier or lighter than you’re used to?”
“Yes, come to think of it, I feel light as a feather.”
“Your first step on a planet.” He reaches down, grabs a handful of dirt and pebbles, and pours them into my palm. “Welcome to Paragon.”
It’s totally ridiculous that I feel like crying, but I can’t control the emotions welling up inside me. I’ve been denied these simple pleasures—air, wind, gravity—because I’m not supposed to be off planet Earth in the first place. I’m an illegal.
I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and pull Ar’Tok toward the others who are waiting at our hover. He must be watching closely as the males climb in because he manages to get that sweet ass and his long sword into the vehicle without looking like he’s never done it before.
The bright sun still hurts my eyes, but that doesn’t stop me from gawking at everything we pass on our way to the meet. The hover makes my tummy swirl, and although I’ve been in the Fool, which travels at the speed of light, it feels like I’ve never moved this fast before.
“Having fun?” Ar’Tok leans to whisper in my ear.
“Maybe.” I don’t think I’ll be having fun until after this meeting with Ergonn.
Our meet is in a grimy warehouse district. It’s a squat building with an open door big enough for our hover to slip through.
My heart is pounding and sweat is beading on my upper lip. I’m about to meet an underworld bigwig who’s expecting an older male, not a young human female. I’ve never been this terrified. Let’s face it, it was less than a week ago that I met a living being other than my mom or dad for the first time.
My gladiator contingent surrounds me as we exit the craft. I have to peer around Shadow, who’s in front of me, to see what we’re facing. Ergonn must be in the middle of his contingent of males—there are eight aliens of various races, shoulder to shoulder, guarding him.
When he finally steps forward, I see why he needs such a heavy defense—he’s maybe three-feet tall. I don’t recall seeing pictures of his race on the Intergalactic Database. He’s brown as a crima nut, and wizened, with wide blue eyes. If he wasn’t scowling and surrounded by a mountain of fighting flesh, I wouldn’t be intimidated at all.
“Which of you is O?” he wastes no time asking as he scrutinizes my gladiators.
I step forward. “Me.”
“What race are you? I’ve been dealing with you for twenty years. You don’t look old enough to be O.” His frown deepens.
“Let’s get down to business. I’m ready to do the download. It will take the better part of a week for
my bots to invade nets all over the galaxy, then scrub the All-Link-Detectors the Feds use to scour for illegal activity. Do you have the Hardimon Supercomputer I said you’d need?”
He doesn’t move for a moment. I can’t even detect his chest rising or his eyes examining me.
“If your bots do not perform, if you do not succeed, I will kill you and everyone you hold dear.” He spears every one of the males with a piercing stare. “And I swear by Vorhee’s left nut, if you bring the Feds down upon our heads, I will torture you as slowly as is possible. Do you understand?”
Ar’Tok is to my right. Maybe I’m imagining it, but I can feel him vibrating with anger. He seems half a second away from jumping the six-foot distance between him and Ergonn in an attempt to slice off his head.
“My mom always taught me you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” I say as sweetly as possible, knowing his translator won’t be able to make sense of my comment. “I will install the microdot and then my males and I will start our vacation. Let me reiterate that you can’t expect any results for seven days. I’ll return in three days to check that things are progressing properly.”
I see the Hardimon sitting on a table in a dark corner, looking as if no one was aware it was worth over a million credits. As I walk to it, I toss over my shoulder, “You know where our ship is parked, I’m sure we won’t be able to leave the planet until you check my work in seven days. During the intervening time, you’ll allow my crew free rein on this planet. And by the balls of Freyd, you will not follow us or interfere in any way. Do you understand?”
I don’t look at him, just walk to the corner, lift my shirt to access the microdot in my navel, and get to work. I hope I’m too far away for him to see my trembling hands. Holy shit, I just threatened a cartel boss. Where did I find the balls to do that?
Then I hear a deep laugh erupt from his three-foot-tall self. “That was either the most courageous or most reckless thing I’ve seen in a long time, O. I’ll leave you and your crew alone—no tails, no harassment. We’ll meet in three days to double-check that your bots are doing their job. Have fun on Paragon, but my threat still stands.”
I install the microdot in a matter of minutes, then my posse, who immediately surrounded me as I walked to the computer, escorts me back to the hover.
“We had guns. I don’t see why we didn’t put them to use,” Ar’Tok grumbles as soon as we climb into the hover. “I know it would have put Star at risk and been a foolhardy thing to do. I just . . .” His fists ball at his sides.
He wanted to defend me. It warms my heart.
“Negotiations are half serious, half spectacle,” Shadow explains. “He needed to give us a show of force. I have to say, Star, you handled him like a pro. Did you learn that from your father?”
“My dad never met with his customers in person. If they wanted something he couldn’t provide, he just said no to the deal. No one ever threatened him, and our location was secret.”
“Well, the way you put him in his place was off the chain.” He turns around in the front seat to look back at me and smiles. It seems everyone is having fun with Earth slang.
“Don’t get jiggy with the slang,” I chide.
“Take a chill pill,” Dax says from my left.
“Don’t go postal,” Stryker scolds from behind me.
“Do you think everyone’s ready for some R & R?” I ask to change the subject.
“More than ready,” Shadow says. “The plan is to keep a small, rotating contingent on the Fool, which is on the ground. We’re leaving the Devil’s Playground unmanned in orbit.”
Our driver hovers us to the Multi-Pleasure Hotel. We’re going to use it as a base of operations, going on our individual excursions all week.
The lobby reminds me of an ancient ballroom of gigantic proportions like I’ve seen on vids. It sports tall columns and an impressive mural of clouds on the high, domed ceiling. Aliens of every description bustle around us as we check-in.
The white columns are festooned with purple and gold decorations, as is every flat surface in the well-appointed room.
“Do purple and gold represent the flag of your planet?” I ask a uniformed staffer dusting an already immaculate sideboard.
“No ma’am. Most natives of the planet worship the Indiran religion, and next week we celebrate Blessed Peace Day, the holiest day on the calendar. This entire week is a festival of love, joy, connection and giving. You couldn’t have arrived at a better time.”
Perhaps Ergonn put the fear of the Gods into the management, because as we check in there’s a lot of bowing and scraping as they assure us their army of staff will attend our every wish. I grab a computer pad loaded with brochures of various excursions because later I want to check everything out. I didn’t have time to investigate all the fun options on this planet—I was too busy programming.
Ar’Tok and I are escorted to the same room. I guess our recent sleeping arrangements didn’t escape Callista, who organized the hotel. When we both toss our packs on the spacious bed, it hits me that I’m finally alone with the object of my lascivious fantasies.
Standing at the foot of the bed, I take a moment to put everything that happened in that warehouse behind me. I was scared shitless. Ergonn and those eight males were the most intimidating thing I’ve ever encountered. Shadow said I handled it like a pro. Obviously, my fluttering hands and dry mouth flew under his radar.
I order those thoughts out of my mind as I ground myself. Our room is at least as large as the bridge on the Misfit. I’ve never been anywhere but that ship, except for the last few days on the Fool. All the room—the high ceilings, the space—scares me. Everything is so foreign—even the air I’m breathing and the gravity pulling me to the floor.
To relax, all I need do is glance at Ar’Tok. His interesting eyes are gazing at me, luminous with desire. I walk into the harbor of his arms and let him hold me. He rocks me side to side, and his rumbling purr vibrates through his chest and into mine.
“I want you, Star,” he whispers into the crown of my head, “make no mistake about that. But I’ve watched you for the last two days and don’t think you got more than six hours’ sleep total. Why don’t you take a shower, then join me in this bed? I’ll hug you to sleep.”
He’s right. I’m dead on my feet. It wasn’t just the sleep deprivation, it was the intense concentration required to do all that programming. We can explore each other later. I have a feeling we’re going to learn a lot about each other over the next week.
Three hours later, I wake with a feeling of well-being I’ve never experienced before. Ar’Tok’s arm is slung tightly over my waist, and my back is to his chest. The tendrils of his cirr are gently stroking my face, and his soft purr reassures me from behind.
Inspecting his arm, I see it’s relatively free of the scars that cover so much of his body. The palm of his hand, though, is crisscrossed with them, like he was defending himself from an aggressor. Whatever he did to get those red welted scars, the gentle male I know couldn’t have deserved them.
“You’re awake?” he asks, his voice deep and mellow.
“Mmm.” I’m ready for his kisses and so much more.
“Before we do something that can’t be undone . . .” he says, his tone completely different. Where before it was soft, almost sleepy, now it’s tight. “You should know about me.”
He’s not waiting for an argument, he’s waiting for consent. I don’t want to give it. I’ve been preoccupied, but not so busy that my mind didn’t stray to musing about where he got those marks. I’m not certain I want to know.
“I know all I need to know, Ar’Tok. I know you convinced your captain to fly across the galaxy to rescue me. I know what types of books you read and that you like swacheck music. I know you cherish the taste of the ocean and the feel of rain on your face. I know your words and touch are always gentle. What else do I need to know?”
“The truth.”
That last word hangs in the air, a
silent accusation that I don’t know anything about him. I tip my chin to my chest as I digest this. He’s right. I should know who I’m about to share my body with. And he’s ready to tell me.
I turn in his arms; his cirr release me immediately as if they, too, agree this has to be done.
His mouth is pressed into a thin line, his face tight with worry. His gaze runs from mine as if he can’t bear my scrutiny. Stroking his cheek with my palm, I tell him, “I know who you are, Ar’Tok. I don’t think when you tell me what you’ve done it will change my assessment of you.”
“In a minima you’ll know everything. Then you can be the judge. I secured my own room when we checked in. If you want me to go there after I tell you my shame, I’ll understand.”