Chapter Eleven
“Hi, I’m Kat and this is Liv and Sophie and Lauren,” a girl with generous curves, like Vicky’s own and long auburn hair greeted her as soon as she stepped out of Chain’s ship into the vast, echoing Docking Bay. She nodded at the other women with her—two had identical features, though one had blonde hair and gray eyes while the other had brown hair and green eyes. The third woman had creamy light brown skin and lovely amber eyes—she was also holding a tray of delicious smelling muffins.
“We’re the welcome committee,” she said, smiling at Vicky. “Want a muffin? They’re fresh—just came out of the oven.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.” Vicky selected a small blueberry studded one and smiled. “I’m trying to watch my carbs but I can’t resist—they smell so good!”
“Well, thank you.” The woman called Lauren nodded and her smile got even wider. “I’m always happy to know my baked goods are so yummy they can make someone fall off the diet train.”
“And why are you on that train in the first place, doll?” the girl called Kat demanded, putting one hand to her full hip. “You’re an Elite, like me—you ought to be flaunting your curves, not trying to lose them!”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Chain said, coming around from the other side of the ship with a grin on his face. He put an arm around Vicky as though they were a real couple and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Elites are meant to have full curves—it’s a blessing from the Goddess. But Victoria here, keeps telling me to ‘watch my back’ every time I pick her up.” He chuckled—a warm sound that Vicky couldn’t help liking. “I think she’s too used to the puny human males down on Earth,” he finished, grinning at Kat.
Kat laughed. “Well, I can understand that—we’ve all been there. Let down by a human guy and then we find a Kindred, right?” She winked at Vicky. “So are you excited for your trip to Priima Belle?”
“Oh, um…” Vicky shifted uncertainly, not quite sure what to say.
“You know,” the girl Kat had introduced as Liv said, “Priima Belle sounds way more like an upscale Italian restaurant than a planet full of wise women and scholars.”
“Wise women and scholars?” Vicky echoed doubtfully. Well, that didn’t sound too dangerous, but would she really fit in?
“Yup, so I hope you’re prepared to play the part of a teacher or a sage,” Kat said practically.
“Victoria will be perfect for such a part,” Chain said before she could answer. “She is already an instructor down on Earth—she teaches languages and dramatics.”
“Oh my God, that’s perfect!” the girl called Sophie clapped her hands. “It’s like you were born to go there.”
“So…it’s not dangerous at all?” Vicky asked.
Kat snorted.
“Hardly. Unless you’re worried about being bored to death by the really long discussions and dinner parties they have there.”
“Well, after years of faculty meetings, I think I can handle it,” Vicky said dryly.
“Perfect.” Kat nodded decisively. “Come on—let’s get you ready for your mission.”
“Oh, um—but I think I’m supposed to be meeting with some kind of Alien Cultural Coordinator?” Vicky said hesitantly.
“Oh, that’s me.” Kat laughed. “I’ve been doing this kind of thing for years because I really enjoy the research and the fashion aspects of it. So Sylvan there finally decided to make it official and gave me a title.”
She nodded at the tall blond Kindred who had spoken to Vicky and Chain on the viewscreen. He had been standing quietly to one side during their meeting but now he smiled politely at Vicky.
“Kat is the best at what she does. You’re in good hands, Victoria, and it’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Vicky nodded back. It was a damn good thing she wasn’t an introvert or all these new people would have made her want to crawl back into Chain’s ship and hide, she thought. As it was, she felt mildly overwhelmed but also extremely welcome. All the people she’d met so far on the Kindred Mother Ship seemed genuinely happy to make her acquaintance, which was nice.
Strangely, it reminded her of that one vacation she’d had to Canada—everyone she’d met in that country had been warm and genuine in the same way. So much so that Vicky had wished she could move there—that was until one of the natives told her it got down to thirty degrees below zero in the winters. That changed her mind pretty quickly. After years of living in the hot Florida climate, she was certain she wouldn’t survive in such frigid conditions.
“Can I borrow my Lady for just a moment before you take her away from me to prepare her?” Chain asked Kat, breaking into Vicky’s train of thought.
“Sure.” Kat smiled. “Take your time. If the two of you just got together it’ll take a crowbar to pry you apart.” She rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I know.”
The other girls laughed as though it was an established fact that any woman who had just gotten together with a Kindred would barely be able to pull herself away. Vicky smiled and then Chain was drawing her to the side to talk.
“Well?” he murmured in her ear. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds great.” Vicky couldn’t stop herself from grinning at him. It looked like her big adventure was going to happen after all! She just hoped she wasn’t being rash, going off with a guy she barely knew to an alien planet where she would be completely dependent on him.
But then she remembered the way Chain had held her while she slept and how gently he had healed her wounds. She was safe with him, she thought—he would never hurt her. She might not have known him for long, but that much she could tell. After years of teaching, she considered herself an excellent judge of character and Chain was definitely one of the good guys.
“I’m so glad you’re coming with me,” he murmured, leaning down to give her a soft, lingering kiss on the mouth, just as he had in the Last Call bar. “So glad we get to spend more time together.”
“I…I’m glad too,” Vicky confessed a bit breathlessly.
Chain stroked her flushed cheek.
“Why don’t you go get the details of the assignment from the Alien Culture Coordinator while I speak to Commander Sylvan about the small matter of remuneration.”
“Remuneration? You mean pay?” Vicky asked.
“Well of course!” A frown creased his face briefly. “You don’t think I’d ask you to come along on an official mission without getting paid for it, do you?” He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Always get the money up front. Don’t worry—I’ll be sure you get a fifty percent cut for coming with me.”
“Oh, well…thank you.” Vicky smiled at him, wishing her voice didn’t sound so breathless when he got really close like that. It was his warm, spicy scent affecting her brain again she told herself. He was so handsome and charming already but adding that delicious smelling pheromone scent on top of all that made him damn near irresistible.
Chain gave her a long hug and another kiss before letting her go.
“Have fun with your new friends, beautiful Victoria,” he murmured. “I’ll meet you back here at the ship later.”
Vicky watched him walk over to Commander Sylvan and then she turned back to Kat and the other girls as well.
“Done saying goodbye?” Kat smirked at her, one auburn eyebrow arched.
“Oh, um…” Vicky could feel herself blushing.
“Don’t tease her, Kat—you know how it is when you first bond with a Kindred,” Liv said, elbowing her friend in the ribs and glaring at her.
“Oh, we’re not, uh, bonded,” Vicky protested. “We’re just together for now—for this mission, I mean,” she added.
“Just for now, hmm?” Lauren shook her head skeptically. “Girl, we all saw that kiss. I think your ‘for now’ might be in danger of becoming ‘for always’ if you’re not careful.”
“As well as being the Alien Culture Coordinator or ACC, as I like to abbreviate it—” Kat bega
n.
“Which sounds like Akk! Like a cat coughing up a hairball,” Liv interrupted, grinning at her friend.
“Or maybe Ass,” Sophie said thoughtfully. “Which is hardly any better.”
“Whatever.” Kat gave her friends a look of mock indignation. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that as well as being the ACC, I’m also the Mother Ship’s premier wedding slash joining planner. So if you need help planning your nuptials—”
“Oh, I’m sorry to disappoint you but that’s never going to happen,” Vicky said quickly. “I mean, have you seen Chain?” She cast a glance at him as he walked away, down the long row of ships, with Commander Sylvan. He wasn’t wearing his scatterlight cloak for once and his ass looked especially good in the tight black leather trousers he had on.
“Yeah, we see him. So?” Sophie put a hand on her hip. “Is there some reason the two of you could never get Joined?”
“Well, I mean, can’t you tell the age difference?” Vicky asked. “He’s at least fifteen years younger than me.”
“So?” Liv shrugged. “You wouldn’t be the first girl to get bonded to a much younger man around here.”
“But I’m too old for him!” Vicky protested.
“Listen, doll—the heart wants what the heart wants and that’s especially true when it comes to Kindred,” Kat lectured, as she led Vicky down another long row of ships. “Kindred warriors don’t have the same values—or lack of values—that Earth guys do. When they fall for you, they fall hard. And they don’t change their minds.”
“Well…that’s very nice.” Vicky smiled uncertainly. “But I don’t think it’s the case here. Chain and I are just doing this one mission together—that’s all. “Anyway,” she went on, wanting to change the subject. “What can you tell me about Priima Belle—other than the fact that it sounds like an upscale Italian bistro?” she added, which made them all laugh.
“Come with us,” Kat told her. “We’ll tell you everything we know…”
Chapter Twelve
“So I call these ‘goddess gowns,’ because look, aren’t they pretty? They remind me of something you’d see on a statue of a Greek Goddess like Athena,” Kat said, holding up a dress made of flowing, gauzy material for Vicky’s inspection.
It was, indeed, a bit toga-like—an off-the shoulder gown on one side with many floaty layers. The material was light and airy and the gowns all seemed to have graduated colors. For instance, the one Kat was showing started out very pale blush pink at the top and then deepened gradually to a lovely mauve near the waist and then turned into a gorgeous deep maroon at the bottom half of the flowing skirt which fell to Vicky’s ankles.
Kat had already made similar dresses in shades of blue, green, and purple using Vicky’s measurements and an ingenious device which seemed to be some kind of 3-D printer for clothes.
“Oh—those are beautiful!” Vicky exclaimed.
“And they drape just right to accentuate your curves instead of making you look like a puffy wedding cake,” Kat promised. “You want to try one on?”
“I’d love to!” Vicky stepped behind the folding screen Kat had set up in one corner of her office—which was just a room in her suite that she shared with her two husbands and three sons. Outside the door, Vicky could hear the kids running around like crazy but they left “Mommy’s office” strictly alone, “On pain of death or of getting in trouble with my Dark Twin husband, Deep” as Kat had said, smiling.
Vicky decided to try on the green dress first, since it would accentuate her eyes. It slipped easily over her head and fit perfectly but when she smoothed it down to admire it, she found a problem.
“Kat?” she called, looking down at the dress. “I’m afraid there’s a rip in the green gown. Or actually…two rips,” she went on, frowning.
“Make that three,” Kat said, coming around the screen to stand beside her. “There should be one in the crotch area too. And they aren’t rips—they’re ‘teaching slits.’”
“What? What does that mean?” Vicky stared down at herself in concern. The two slits were located over her breasts and her bra was currently poking through them, completely visible on either side.
“I have to be honest with you, doll—I’m not exactly sure.” Kat looked at her apologetically. “The Priima Bellans are great about sharing their learning and philosophy, but they’re kind of private about their customs and daily lives. We know they’re a safe world because it’s run by women and they welcome visitors—mostly students who go to learn or other scholars who go to share their own teachings. But we don’t know much else. In fact,” she went on, “I had a heck of a time getting pictures of their fashion to copy—they have a few public areas but they spend most of their time in private dwellings and temples and universities where photography of any kind is strictly forbidden.”
“So…you’re sure I’m supposed to wear a dress that shows my bra?” Vicky asked hesitantly.
“Oh, you’re not supposed to wear a bra, doll,” Kat said brightly, as though it was no big deal. “You’re supposed to be bare under the goddess gown—it’s the custom.”
“What? But I thought you said it had a slit in the crotch area too!” Vicky looked down at herself and—sure enough—there was a long slit that ran from just the level of her crotch all the way down to the bottom hem. Why hadn’t she noticed that when she was putting it on?
“Yup.” Kat nodded. “Hey, don’t freak out,” she added quickly, seeing the dismayed look on Vicky’s face. “Look—I added some secret modifications for you.”
She showed Vicky some tiny, almost invisible magnets sewn into the sides of the slits that closed them completely and held the fabric together.
“There, see?” she said, grinning. “I knew you’d probably freak out at having to wear a gown that shows your goodies so I made a way for you to cover up.”
“Thanks,” Vicky said gratefully. “That certainly makes me feel better. But, well…I still can’t wear my bra with this off-the shoulder toga thing going on.” She frowned at the black lacy bra strap which showed clearly on her one bare shoulder. “What am I going to do about that? I really can’t go without a bra. At my age, the girls just aren’t as perky as they once were.”
“Ha—try breast-feeding three babies with only two breasts,” Kat said flatly. “I don’t care what age you are, that puts some serious city miles on the old ta-tas. But never fear, I have a solution for you.” She pulled out a small black box and opened it to reveal two tiny blue dots about the size of the fingernail on Vicky’s pinky.
Vicky stared at them blankly.
“Um—what are those?”
“Float dots,” Kat said triumphantly. “Permanent stickers that exert a kind of gravitational field just over your ta-tas. We got them from an underwater world where the women go topless all the time—well, except for nipple rings,” she added and winked at Vicky. “Bet you’re glad you’re not going to that particular planet.”
“You’re right, that place sounds awful,” Vicky said with feeling. “But, well, how do these work?”
“You just stick one to the underside of each boob—right where the bottom of your breast meets your chest—and voila—instant lift. Go on—try them, you’re going to love them. We all do.” She nodded down at her own breasts, which were high and firm, despite being rather large.
“Really? You’re wearing some now?” Vicky asked.
Kat nodded. “Go on—I’ll give you some privacy.”
She stepped out from behind the screen and Vicky pulled down the goddess gown and took off her bra. She looked rather dubiously at the float dots—how could such tiny little things do anything to help lift her breasts? Having always been big on top, she had struggled for years to find any kind of strapless bra that really worked. They always slid down, leaving your boobs exposed at some point. But really, she supposed the least she could do was at least try the little dots.
Lifting her right breast, she pressed one small blue sticker under it and then did the sa
me for the left. What she saw when she was done, amazed her.
“Wow, they’re floating!” she exclaimed, looking down at her chest.
And they were! Her breasts had lifted and risen to become perfect round globes with the nipples poking perkily forward. The effect was magical—it took years off her boobs and the little float dots did all the work. Without any tight bra straps digging into her shoulders or bands pressing into her stomach, Vicky felt liberated…elated. Her breasts looked gorgeous and it didn’t hurt at all!
“They’re pretty fantastic, right?” Kat asked from the other side of the screen. “Ever since we got out hands on them, we’ve been synthesizing them as fast as we could. I think everyone on the Mother Ship is wearing them now.”
“I can see why.” Vicky pulled up the top of the gown and smoothed it down, making certain the little magnetic tabs were engaged so she was decently covered.
Although, she couldn’t help thinking, that “decent” was a relative term here. True, it was better not to have her bra poking out of the slits in the dress, but at least the thick fabric of her bra had hidden her nipples. The float dots made her so perky that, without the bra in the way, her peaks stood out in bold relief just under the thin material of the dress.
Well, at least I won’t be the only one dressed this way, she told herself, trying to feel better about it.
And it’s not like Chain hasn’t already seen your breasts…not to mention sucked and licked them, whispered a little voice in her head.
Vicky shifted uncomfortably, squeezing her thighs together at the memory. God, she was still kind of surprised she’d done that with Chain—let him lick and suck her nipples and then touched herself while he talked dirty to her until she came. It seemed like something someone else would do—some other younger, hipper, much more daring woman.
But no—that was really me, Vicky admitted to herself. And I’m really going to a strange planet with a man I haven’t even known for twenty-four hours yet. Can’t believe I’m being so impulsive!
She hoped her daughters would believe the text message she’d sent them—that she was going out of town with a friend and might be out of touch for a while. She didn’t want them to worry about her, which they certainly would if they knew the truth.
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