An uncomfortable Badru cleared his throat. “Okay, I do believe I get your point, loud and clear. No further discussion on the matter is required.” He glanced around the corner at Xander’s door one more time before sitting back down. “I just hope the abstinence part of what you say is true.”
“Oh, it is,” Nasiir replied with eyes of sincerity. “They will not go beyond a kiss in there, if that, since Xander is a much disciplined man.” He turned back to the control panel. “Now let the instruction period officially begin. As co-pilot and SSS of this ship, I have much to show you about Katanian technology and weaponry.”
~~~ >< ~~~
Back in Xander’s room, Afua felt slapped with heavy-handed rejection when he moved away. She immediately sought to fill the awkward moment with words. “Did I read you wrong? Did I misinterpret your words earlier? I assumed that you were in love with me, too. I apologize if all you feel for me is phileo love.”
Inwardly, Afua was starting to wonder if she’d indeed heard God right concerning her having a destiny with Xander. Even the best prophets missed it at times, especially when their emotions got in the way.[i]
Afua could think of one time in particular that she missed it big time. Four years ago, she deliberately overlooked the cautionary warning in her heart concerning Daniel, the young man that she gave her virginity to. She suffered terribly for that act of disobedience.
Xander shook his head and smiled. “I do feel the friendship kind of love for you, Afua, but that is not the only kind I feel. I also feel agape and eros love for you,” he said. Including unconditional love with the romantic kind of love was simply the right thing to do since Xander felt them both for Afua.
“So you do love me as a man loves a woman?” Afua looked puzzled.
“Yes.” Xander smiled.
“Then why did you pull away just now when I tried to kiss you?”
Xander reached up to stroke the right side of her cheek. “My withdrawal was simply due to a difference in mating customs. On Katan, the kisses never begin at the mouth, even though they all end up there.”
Afua was relieved and intrigued. “If not at the mouth, then where do they start?”
“Anywhere else you want them to,” Xander said, now speaking very candidly as he looked intently into her eyes. He planned to kiss her all over…one day, but not today. No, not today, despite how much he wanted to.
“Oh…” Afua blushed and chuckled. “What other unique mating customs do Katanians have?”
“On Katan, there is no such thing as casual or premarital sex. A man and woman are considered married from the moment they physically unite. There is also no such thing as divorce. And infidelities are rare due to our heightened sense of discernment.” Xander continued to stroke her cheek ever so lightly, enjoying the smoothness of her light cinnamon skin.
Afua blushed deeper in color. This time with embarrassment. “So everyone on Katan is a virgin when they marry?”
“Yes, unless they were violated in some way beforehand.”
“Wow!” Afua exclaimed. Her brows rose in amazement of this majority virgin custom. Especially since it no doubt applied to Xander, too. He was still unmarried and undoubtedly had not been violated in any way. “Katanian honeymoon nights must be filled with awkward moments.”
“On the contrary, no. We have thorough lessons in marital pleasure at the age of seventeen and once more a month before a union is about to take place. Therefore, Katanian honeymoons are filled with confidence as they build slowly to consummation. When the moment of consummation finally comes, it is done in absolute silence.”
“No one can say a thing?” Afua’s brows were at an all-time high now.
“They can, but they do not since it is such a sacred moment.” Xander’s hand moved down to Afua’s neck now, caressing the lining of her jaw. It pleased him to feel her shudder with pleasure from his touch. One day he would make her shudder a lot more…but not today. No, not today.
“Wow again. My first time was filled with tons of awkwardness and yips of pain,” Afua said, revealing the fact that she was not a virgin.
Xander suddenly ceased all movement. “You have been with another man?!” he strained out as he withdrew an arm’s length away. “Who is this man that forced himself upon you? I will go kill him at once.”
Xander automatically assumed that Afua’s first sexual experience had involved rape based on the type of person that she was now, not who she was back then. As such, he was ready to deal with that crime the Katanian way. On Katan, rape and gratuitous murder were treated the same – with capital punishment.
“I was not forced. I willingly gave myself to this man,” Afua admitted to her own shame as the color in her cheeks deepened even more.
Daniel had promised to love her forever and she’d wanted to believe him so badly. Sadly, he’d broken up with Afua the week after she gave herself to him. It took her heart a long time to heal from that humiliation. At times she still felt scarred from that experience. It had brought Afua no sense of redemption when Daniel ended up an alcoholic before the age of twenty. Rather it had saddened her even more.
“When did you do this?” Jealousy seized Xander like a vice-grip. Suddenly saving this world or any others took a back seat to his rage.
“During my wayward teen years.” Afua looked away in embarrassment. “I did a lot of shameful things during those years. I have many regrets.”
As if a pin had just been stuck into a balloon, all of Xander’s jealous rage deflated. He could not continue to be upset in the face of Afua’s obvious pain and multiple regrets. “Is one of those regrets about your mother?” He moved closer to her again.
“That’s the…biggest one,” Afua replied, nearly choking on a sob. She couldn’t believe how all over the place her emotions were today.
Xander pulled her closer to him and allowed her to weep against him once more. When Afua was calmer, they talked about her mother and the young man who’d broken her heart.
Xander found her willing to forgive herself for being so foolish during her teen years. Unfortunately, he could not get Afua to forgive herself for failing to warn her mother in time. Her resistance on this issue gave him cause for prayer. Much prayer.
________________________________________
[i] Deuteronomy 34:10; Numbers 20: 1-13
Chapter 24
While the males were conversing in the circular control room in the middle of the ship, Afua used that time to explore more of the alien aircraft. She could say two things for the Katanians; they were heavily into color schemes as evident by all the soothing colors on the walls. They also did not leave any stone unturned when building and outfitting this vessel.
A person could live aboard the Manning 2168 for at least five years without ever having to go out. Even Nasiir’s private kitchenette had a replenishing meadow to satisfy his needs. His west-placed cabin was also built to accommodate his unique animal needs.
On the east side of the spaceship was Xander’s cabin and kitchen. It was stocked with all kinds of foods that only needed the correct amount of water to return to their natural state. Even the Katanian seafood and breads regenerated like this, despite the fact that one had to wait at least an hour before eating them. The fruits and vegetables instantly regenerated.
Afua found Katanian fruit, which were grown on very large and very tall tree farms, to be especially good. In fact, she just finished one of their oranges. Like all Katanian fruit, that orange was juicy, very satisfying, and had a tendency to keep one’s breath fresh for hours after eating it. For a people who had only the minimum of farmland on their planet, they sure knew how to put it to good use.
Though Katanian farmland was also owned by the government, it was not used to control the people’s diets and purses. In America alone, the government controlled nearly all the land, including land that had been re-purchased from Indian reservations and religious groups like the Amish and Mennonites. Therefore, they grew whatever they wan
ted and charged whatever price they wanted for food since there was no competition.
We can learn a lot from the Katanians, Afua mused as she made her way around to the southeast portion of the ship where the extra cabin was.
She and her father shared this cabin. It used to be a storage room for artifacts that Xander and Nasiir planned to take back with them. Those artifacts mainly consisted of boxes and boxes of Bibles.
Now the extra cabin contained two twin-sized mittahs that Xander transported back to Katan to retrieve for them. The Bibles had been stored elsewhere on the ship, namely along the walls of the wide hallways.
Even as Afua sat on her mittah now, she sighed in contentment. It was the softest bed she’d ever been on in her life. She seriously doubted if she’d ever be able to go back to a regular Earth bed after this.
This is heavenly, Lord, Afua thought, laying full-length on the bed that was made of an adjustable gel-like substance that could harden or soften based on a person’s body structure. No need for a box spring or mattress here.
As Afua continued to lie there all comfortable and snug, she began to think more about the Katanians. Particularly about their origins. Unlike Earth’s Adam and Eve[i], the first of their kind did not sin. That was why they didn’t have the same obstacles as Earthlings. It was also why very few people on Katan had wrinkles.
Unfortunately, sin was eventually introduced to the Katanians due to their contact with other species over the years. Now each man or woman who turned from the righteous path was subject to be separated from the Creator for all eternity if they died in their sins.
As for how Katanians dealt with sin on their planet, they usually did with a heavy hand, especially when faced with violent sins. They firmly believed that one rotten apple spoiled the whole bunch. And regardless of the fact that the Katanians were peace-loving folks with more defensive weaponry than offensive, the offensive weapons they did have were deadly. Therefore, any enemies they had always tried to make peace with them.
With more thoughts of Katan dancing around in her head, Afua soon drifted off to sleep.
~~~ >< ~~~
Thirty minutes later, Xander walked in the former storage room and found Afua sound asleep. He smiled. She was so beautiful even in slumber. He almost hated to wake her. But he had to. They needed her input in the control room now that new plans had been drawn up.
“Beloved,” Xander whispered as he came further into the room.
A light sleeper, Afua’s eyes fluttered open. “Is something wrong? We don’t have to relocate again, do we?” She was just starting to like it here, which was very different for Afua since she seldom got attached to people, places, or things. The times that she had proved to be very painful.
Xander gave her a warm smile. “Nothing new is wrong. And no, you do not have to relocate. You are safe here. I just came to retrieve you for a meeting in the control room.” The men on board had worked hard all day to revamp their plans to expose Jay now that he was obviously on the offensive. It was time to share those updated plans with her.
Afua smiled and sat up on the mittah. “I feel safe here…with you.” When she saw Xander blush, her heart filled with even more love for him. In this day and age, most men didn’t blush. They turned red with anger, but they definitely didn’t blush.
So full of love for Xander, Afua rose to her feet and walked over to him. “I want to kiss your lips, Xander. Can you grant me that?” she asked, hoping that he would submit to that Earth custom. Afua didn’t know if her heart could take another rejection from him, even if it was well-meaning.
Xander nodded. “Yes, I can and I will.” His voice was husky with passion as he spoke. All thoughts of the meeting were long forgotten now.
Then standing on her tiptoes, Afua brushed her soft lips fully across his in a light manner before licking her way back to the other side of his mouth. She instantly felt Xander shudder, heard him moan deep in his throat with pleasure. Yet to her dismay, he withdrew two paces from her.
“Did I do something wrong?” Afua asked, looking at him with concern.
“No, I was simply taken off guard by the rush of desire that swept through me just then. I did not know that your slightest kiss would be so…so electrifying.” Xander took a deep breath in to bring some level of control to himself before blowing it out.
“If it’s too much for you, we can stop,” Afua suggested, moving away from him now.
“No!” Xander reached for her left arm. “It is not enough. I need more,” he whispered huskily. Then he pulled her closer and began to give her a very slow lesson in Katanian style kissing.
Afua didn’t know if she was coming or going as Xander cupped her face with both hands and proceeded to explore every corner of her mouth at an unhurried pace. As he relished the lingering taste of Katanian fruit upon her tongue, her moans of pleasure were either echoed by him or simultaneously uttered with his.
More moans sounded when Xander’s large hands began to tenderly cascade downward. Past Afua’s elegant neck, ever so softly over her upper curves, more firmly upon her lower curves. Those exploring hands were memorizing the slopes and valleys of her body, memorizing them in preparation for the day when he would have access to them all.
Draping her arms about his strong neck, Afua pressed herself even closer to Xander as he continued to explore her lower curves. Though she was not his wife yet, hadn’t even been proposed to yet, she already felt as if she belonged to him. As if he alone had every right to touch her any way he wanted to.
Xander felt the same way and thus had no problem taking a few more liberties. Squeezing her closer still, he aligned her pelvic with his and rotated his hips very, very slowly.
Afua tightened her hold on his neck and began to follow the flow of his hips with her own. Their rhythm was naturally compatible, unhurried, and held the promise of an explosive union.
Just then, Nasiir came walking up to the open doorway. “We are still waiting, my friends,” he said with a knowing smile.
Xander and Afua reluctantly withdrew from each other. Both were breathing raggedly as sparks of red-hot passion continued to flow between them.
“We will be right there, Nasiir,” Xander said, not breaking eye contact with Afua. His ebony eyes clearly showed that he wanted to ravish her. He could detect that she wanted the same thing. Yet neither would act on those urges. Not today.
“I will go relay that message to Dr. Karson.” Nasiir chuckled and turned to leave. “By the way, it is good to see you two finally getting along so well,” he added over his left shoulder.
When they were alone again, Xander cupped both sides of Afua’s face again and smiled tenderly down into her eyes. “Je t’aime, ma cherie.” He wondered if she knew that he was saying ‘I love you, my darling’ in French.
Afua, who had taken French in high school, smiled and returned with, “Je t’aime aussie.”
Xander grinned wide upon being told that she loved him, too. Then together they walked to the control room, hand in hand.
________________________________________
[i] Genesis 3 (whole chapter)
Chapter 25
Before they could tell Afua about their revamped plans, the three men had to first bring her up to speed about a few new things that occurred since their last major meeting. Things that showed how desperate Jay was becoming.
“First of all, several of the people that we previously interviewed have had government men sniffing around their houses, too,” Badru shared, leading the discussion as they sat at the round shulchan in the center of the control room. “Though none of their homes were ransacked like ours and though none of them were overtly threatened or taken away, our interviewees have all gotten the clear message that they are going to be watched more carefully from now on due to their connection to us.”
“As a result, many people are starting to have second thoughts about joining our crusade to expose this unrighteous man,” Xander inserted from beside
Afua. “Some are so afraid that they even want to retract the written statements they signed.”
“Which means we are likely going to have to carry out our plans alone,” Nasiir added from his place by Badru.
“Which also means that Nasiir and I will be unable to complete our original objectives for coming to Earth,” Xander shared with a sad frown. “With so many people afraid of Jay Horrell on this planet, we can’t trust anyone outside of you and your father with my birth parent’s last research, Katanian technology, or with the coordinates to where more habitable land can be found.”
Nasiir nodded in agreement. “Yes, from what we’ve learned and seen of Earthlings so far, as a whole they are nowhere near ready to live peacefully with other species. They need to learn how to live peaceably with each other first.”
“Amen to that,” Afua said, speaking up after her long silence. “Well, at least you get to keep your parents’ Bible,” she added to Xander. “As you know there are millions of Bibles just collecting dust on this planet, so your particular copy is definitely not going to be missed.”
“Sad, but true,” Xander replied, realizing at that moment that the only other original reason to remain on Earth now was to obtain Afua’s hand in marriage. It was just a matter of time before that happened considering how much they loved each other.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, Nasiir and I now have a new reason to remain on Earth, though it was not one of our original objectives,” Xander continued. “In fact, we cannot leave without stopping Jay Horrell from destroying innocent lives on this planet and others.”
“I have the perfect solution to all of our problems,” Nasiir interjected. “I can locate this man and eliminate him today.”
Afua, who practiced being swift to hear and slow to speak[i] at all times, thought now would be a good time for her to speak up again. “You would be moving outside of the will of God if you did that, Nasiir. For you and Xander were not sent here to be assassins. You were sent here primarily to be ambassadors for Christ[ii]. All the other stuff you came to do was just extras.”
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