“Who are you to judge me, simple-minded human?”
“Simple-minded? Ha! You have no idea what I’ve been through and I’m still here. I only entered the stupid lottery for a chance to give you a piece of my mind!”
“A piece of your mind? I have no wish to be given a piece of your simple mind. It would not serve me or this process. I have no wish to be mated with a backward, underdeveloped human female. If I could reverse the mating impulse, I would send you on your way.”
Octavia looked down at her body on impulse. Underdeveloped? Was he talking about her tits or her mind? Even after starving for two months, she still had her curves. He must be talking about her mind. Which was a way worse insult than her tits.
She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her bosom. If he didn’t want a mate, fine. She’d leave, right after she told him exactly what she thought of his idiotic designs.
“Your blueprints are completely wrong. You clearly have no understanding of what humans need.”
“These are standard Draconian colonial constructions.”
“You designed spaces for Draconian colonists. Not humans on their own planet.”
“Your kind is less developed than mine. Our designs should be perfectly suitable for you. You are, in fact, living in filth and squalor.”
“Even the men on the mating armada understood humans better than you. Why did you get the job reconstructing our planet?”
“I am the highest level architect on Draconia. Draconians have respect for our experts. Unlike simple-minded humans like you. I was sent specifically by the president himself.”
“Well, your president doesn’t know what he’s doing if he thinks you are qualified to reconstruct Earth. You’re going to make it into some kind of industrial dystopia. Humans can’t live like that. We need variety. Culture. Trees. Recreational opportunities. Community. You’ve given us rows and rows of nondescript buildings with zero variety and no opportunity for communal socialization.”
“You simply need housing, food, and water to survive. I am providing you that. What you do with it after that is up to you.”
“But you are creating an infrastructure that will not allow us to build the kind of communities we need to thrive.”
“Human. I grow tired of your voice.”
“Screw you. I’m out of here. I’m going to tell my friends back at the refugee camp that Draconians don’t care. We’ll just move off this island and go build a real community somewhere else.”
She turned to go, and he crossed the space between them in a split second. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. That same smug look etched his face as he sniffed the air.
“You can’t leave,” he growled.
She tried to yank her arm away, but he held tight. “You’re an asshole, and I refuse to mate with you.”
He bared his teeth at that, showing his sharp canines. “The feeling is mutual. But my mating impulse has begun. I have no choice but to claim you, or I will lose my mind.”
“You’ve already lost your mind if you think I’m going to let you touch me.” Even as she said the word, her body screamed for his touch.
“I will do more than touch you.”
“Is this how all Draconians treat their women? I was under the impression that you guys were super giving or was that all propaganda?” Her words were hard but they began to quiver at the end of her statement.
His fingers dug into her flesh, and she began to panic. Would he hurt her? Force himself on her? All she’d wanted to do was convince him to build a city that would suit human needs instead of something that looked like a massive jail. He wouldn’t listen to reason, which was bad enough. Now she was afraid he might hurt her.
“You aren’t a Draconian,” he said smugly.
His grip finally loosened, and she rubbed her arm where he’d held her.
“That’s for damn sure.”
“I never wanted a human mate. But here we are. We must make the best of a bad situation.”
“Oh, now you’re all hearts and rainbows. Why are you such a jerk?”
“I had no intention of taking a human bride. But it has been decreed that all males enter the lottery. Now I’m stuck with…you.”
“You don’t have to make it sound so disgusting. You’re no prize either.”
She felt a tear start to well in the corner of her eye. She would not let this guy see her cry. No freaking way.
Octavia took a deep breath and blinked away the tear. If she had to stay with this guy and let him mate with her, she was going to do her damnedest to change his mind about the reconstruction of her city and world.
“So. This is your first project on Earth?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Yes.”
“Why this design?”
“This is standard for colony planets. It saves resources and consolidates space.”
He was treating her home like some unpopulated colony on some far off moon or something.
She had to deal with this more delicately. Obviously, Draconians could be pig-headed and single-minded in their focus. If she was going to make him see reason, she’d have to go about it in more subtle way.
“How does this whole mating thing work, anyway? I just entered the lottery a few hours ago. Haven’t been doing much research on your mating rituals.”
“It is my very limited understanding that humans are far too small to be claimed immediately. Your body must be opened slowly so that you can accommodate our substantial size.”
Octavia almost choked when he said that. So, the whole size thing was an issue. She glanced down at his package. It twitched under his skintight uniform. She bit her lip and averted her gaze, trying to look at something else, anything else, besides his shlong. Her mind went fuzzy, but she tried to focus.
“How do you ‘open’ a woman to accommodate your size?” She looked back into his eyes. They were narrow slits and his nostrils flared angrily as he stared directly at her.
“Our semen is an aphrodisiac. The pheromones will cause the body to become more elastic at a genetic level.”
Octavia mouthed the words “genetic level,” trying to comprehend what that meant.
“Your semen changes a woman’s genes?”
“Precisely.”
“That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard. How exactly do you accomplish that?”
“I must spill on your bare skin.”
“Wha…? That’s just… I wouldn’t have taken you for a kinky freak.”
“I am not a kinky freak. I am the Grand Architect of Draconia.”
“Okay, Grand Architect. How do you propose to get your semen on my skin?”
Octavia’s heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. The idea of letting this guy do such a dirty, dirty thing to her was not completely unpleasant, no matter what a jerk ass he happened to be.
There was something about him that was deeply appealing. He was so damn sexy. So big and masculine. It was like her body wanted to jump up and start humping him against her better judgement.
She felt herself grow slick and wet between her legs. She bit her lip, imagining just how he might come on her body. The visual made it even worse. Her nipples tightened painfully and she took a step back.
“To accomplish something of this nature, we should both be naked. We should proceed with all haste to the bedroom to begin the process.”
“Eh… I don’t know about that. How about you buy me dinner first,” she said sarcastically. She didn’t really care about that kind of thing. It was just something to say to buy her some time.
No matter how much her body betrayed her, she still couldn’t just get freaky with a snobby asshole she’d just met.
If she had to be mated with this guy, she at least could retain some kind of self-respect. That meant no coming on her tits until she was damn good and ready.
Chapter 7
Buy you dinner? I need not buy you food. I have a replicator right here. Do you require sus
tenance?”
“Sure. Sustenance. The food in the refugee camp pretty much sucks. You can only eat oatmeal and spaghetti so many days in a row before you never want to eat that again.”
“Very well. What meals do you prefer?”
“A big juicy steak might be nice. Mashed potatoes with creamy butter. Biscuits. Oo. Wait. No. Sushi. Wait… Pho. No. Chicken teriyaki. Oh my god, I’d die for a bacon cheeseburger.”
She couldn’t decide what she wanted to eat first. She’d spent two months in a refugee camp subsisting on crappy scraps. Her stomach gurgled at the idea of a full meal.
“I have no idea what those things are,” he said. He seemed angry that he didn’t know something. She had to stifle a giggle.
“What about your food replicator? Does it have human food in it?”
“I’ve been told the other males have begun to adjust things for their brides. It is possible your food preferences are already available in the replicator.”
Joss strode across the room and pressed his foot onto a spot on the floor. He stepped back, and a circular table with a bench around it sprang up from the floor. He waved his hand over the center of the table and a hologram popped up in front of him.
“What would you prefer to eat?” he asked.
Octavia thought for a moment, her stomach gurgling. She could have anything she wanted to eat and the prospect was almost too overwhelming to decide.
“I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger,” she said, finally. “With French fries.”
“All right,” he said, flicking his finger over the holographic screen. “Whatever that is.”
“You should have one too,” she said. “You can start learning about the people whose world you’re trying to reconstruct.”
She smirked at him, but he didn’t look up from the hologram. A second later, two plates popped up from the table out of nowhere. She could smell the scent of bacon cheeseburger waft through the air toward her. Her mouth watered uncontrollably and her stomach lurched. She hadn’t had meat in weeks.
Octavia bounded across the room and sat in front of one of the plates. She was almost too excited to eat. Almost. She gripped the perfect bacon cheeseburger in her hands and lifted it to her mouth. She took her first bite and chewed, the flavors spreading over her tongue. It was so delicious. She never would have imagined in her old life that something as simple as a bacon cheeseburger would give her so much pleasure.
“Oh my God, this is so good. Sit down, you’re making me nervous standing over the table like that.”
He growled and slid into the bench in front of his own plate. He lifted the burger to his face and sniffed, frowning.
“What is this, anyway?” he asked.
“I told you, it’s a bacon cheeseburger.”
“Where does it originate?”
“Well, burgers come from cows and bacon comes from pigs. Do you eat meat on Draconia?”
“We did, in the distant past. Now, most of our food comes from replicators. It is more civilized and uses less resources.”
“So, where do the ‘resources’ come from to make this food?” she asked, curious as hell as to what kind of energy sources they used.
“The replicator is fueled, like all our machines, from the energy of the void of space.”
“The void of space?”
“Yes. There are vast storehouses of energy within every square inch of space in the universe. There is enough energy in a teacup to fuel the entire Earth for a decade. I’ve heard that your people used fossil fuels to propel your machinery. So infantile and backwards.”
He scoffed and took a bite of his hamburger. Octavia frowned at him. She had to agree that human energy systems were outdated and insufficient while at the same time destroying the planet, but he didn’t have to be such a jerk about it.
“Your bacon cheeseburger is not repulsive,” he said.
“So, there’s something about humans that you like?” she said, mocking him.
“I didn’t say I liked it. I said it was not repulsive.”
“I can see the distinction. Like the way that you are not repulsive to me,” she said, giving him a meaningful look.
“It pleases me that I am not repulsive to you. It is a start, and all that is required from you to perform your function.”
“Joss, has anyone ever told you that you’re super romantic? Really, you should write greeting cards.”
“I have been told I’m romantic. Long ago. Finish your meal, and we will proceed with the mating process.”
“Hold your horses there, big boy. I said you’re not repulsive. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to let you ‘spill your seed’ on me.” Octavia made air quotes around the words.
He gave her a shocked expression as if she were being a tease or something. She certainly was not being a tease. She didn’t even know how she could be a tease in this situation. Although, maybe she was. She had entered the lottery with a completely different purpose in mind than hooking up with a Draconian.
Maybe she’d have to bite the bullet and give in to the arrangement to some degree if she ever wanted to accomplish what she’d come here to do. She licked her lips and gave him a pleasing expression. As pleasing as she could possibly muster, anyway.
“We just met. I understand we need to do this whole mating process thing. But generally, humans don’t start doing a mating process when they’ve just met each other. In fact, it’s kind of considered taboo. No sex on the first date and all that. You know?”
“I do not know. Your words are confusing and irrelevant.”
“Would you not say stuff like that? It’s totally rude,” she said. How was she supposed to warm up to him if he talked to her like that? “My words aren’t irrelevant. Lesson number one about human women: Don’t tell us our words are irrelevant if you want to get in our panties.”
“What are panties?”
Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. This wasn’t getting anywhere. She’d have to take some kind of new tactic.
“It doesn’t matter,” she muttered.
“And you say your words aren’t irrelevant,” he said smugly.
“Touché. If we’re going to start the mating process, you’re going to have to help me out. It’s not common for human females to just let someone come on them as soon as they meet.”
“But I am your mate, human woman. Does that mean nothing to you?”
“As a matter of fact, not really.”
“What do you require?” he said in a tone that suggested she was exhausting him. He’d been exhausting her from the moment he’d landed on her planet. But pointing that out wouldn’t help anything.
“Do you have any, like, you know, foreplay on Draconia?”
“What is foreplay?”
“Have you had sex before?” she asked, realizing he probably never had, even with a Draconian female.
“That is irrelevant.”
“Would you stop saying everything is irrelevant? It’s really annoying. Here’s the thing, I’ve had sex before. I actually know what works. So, if you want to do this thing, I suggest you listen to me.”
“What do you require?” His voice was becoming even more irritated and exhausted sounding.
“I could use a shower,” she said. “I haven’t bathed in two months.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?”
“I thought it was irrelevant,” Octavia said mockingly.
“That is the one relevant thing that you’ve said since you arrived,” he said.
“How am I supposed to know what you think is relevant?”
“Just…stop talking. The bath is right this way,” he said, standing from the table and walking towards the door that led into the bedroom.
She followed him through the bedroom that consisted of one big rectangular foam mattress and nothing else. Then they walked into a bathroom where there was a big pool of white stone. It was circular and deep, looking as if it could accommodate a Draconian’s seven-foot height. There was a circular walkway tha
t led up around the outside so that one could lower themselves onto the series of benches along the inside.
“Wow, that looks freaking amazing,” she said.
He tapped a few buttons and the water began to pour at an amazing speed into the tub. It felt much faster than she would’ve thought possible. She climbed up to the top and sat on the brim. It looked as if it were sunk into the floor, making it even deeper than she had originally thought.
Octavia put her hand to the hem of her sweatshirt and was about to pull it off when she met his gaze. She frowned. She wasn’t into the idea of taking her clothes off in front of him. Not yet, anyway.
“Do you mind?” she asked, widening her eyes and staring at him meaningfully.
“Do I mind what?”
“Do you mind getting the hell out of here?”
“And you consider me rude?”
“Just go,” she said. “We can talk about who’s ruder after my bath.”
“You may dry yourself under the pressurized fan,” he said, walking out of the room with a shrug.
She pulled off her clothes as soon as the door was closed and dipped her toe into the warm water. It was so luxurious and amazing, she almost had a full body orgasm the minute she sank into the warm liquid.
Octavia sat on one of the higher stone benches and sighed. She had been getting used to her own stink, but nobody ever really gets used to that. There were some bottles along the brim of the tub that she assumed must be soap. She lifted one of the bottles and squirted some of the contents into her palm. It smelled floral and musky at the same time and gave her a little jolt of excitement in her core.
Interesting.
She rubbed the soap into her hair and over her body, washing off months of terror, heartache, and pain.
She could stay in the tub for the rest of her life. The water never seemed to go cold, no matter how long she sat there. The one thing this bathroom was missing was a big screen TV or a book that couldn’t get wet in the water.
Finally, she decided that it was probably time to get out. She climbed up over the brim and walked down along the circular staircase to the floor. Joss had mentioned something about a pressurized fan, but she’d never heard of such a thing and preferred to go with what she knew.
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