The Frog Prince

by Tracy Lauren

  “What are you doing?” he growls, when I push him back on the bed, straddling him.

  I smile through our kisses. “What does it feel like?” I ask, grinding against his already hard length.

  “It feels like you’re avoiding the subject. You’re stalling, Princess, and I want to know why.”

  “Stalling?” I pull back. It’s annoying how easily Kethian can see through me. Unperturbed, the alien man beneath me just cocks his brow and waits…and I’m…quick to break.

  “Fine.” I roll my shoulders and look around the room. “I’m just nervous, I guess. What if I don’t have the proper identification to get a job? Or nobody hires me because I have no work experience?” I leave out the rest, not mentioning that nothing feels exactly the way I thought it would. Or the fact that being back on Earth gives me the same pain in my gut as the tail end of a 64 oz root beer float.

  “Then we’ll make something else work. I’m here with you, Madison. We’ll come up with a plan—if it even gets to that.” The way he says it is so reassuring and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with in this moment.

  I lean back down and hug my alien friend tightly. “I never would have made it back to Earth if it weren’t for you, Keth.”

  “Don’t remind me,” he says, sounding morose.

  I slap at his chest. “Don’t flirt with me. It’s not what I need right now.” Like I’m not confused enough as it is.

  “Don’t flirt with you? You’re the one who mounted me, Princess.”

  “Kissing and flirting is different and you know it.”

  “Do I?” He laughs, clearly disbelieving my irrational proclamation.

  Kethian’s demeanor is light and playful, but I’m still on edge and it comes out in the words that follow. “Look, I don’t have any mental space for this ‘run away with me’ bullshit right now, Keth.”

  Instantly I’m filled with regret, if only for the way Kethian’s easy expression washes away. The spark leaves his eyes and his jaw grows tight.

  “Bullshit?” he asks. “Is it bullshit because I’m a guardsman and you’re a princess?”

  “Don’t even start. You know my title means more to you than it ever did to me.” I try to roll off his lap, but he stops me, gripping my hips with his strong hands.

  “Then explain it, Princess. Why is the idea of running away with me bullshit?”

  I’m already on edge, ready to break under all the stress of the past few days, not to mention my growing sense of unease when I think of life on Earth. And so I snap—at the safest thing within reach—Kethian. “I’m nothing more than adventure for you, Keth! I’m bragging rights.”

  “How the hell do you know what you are to me?”

  “Because I can’t be more! I belong on Earth! And you—” I wave my hand at all his alienness. “You don’t!”

  Without warning he flings me onto my back and I gasp in surprise. Emotion flares in his eyes. I’ve made him angry. “You don’t know where you belong, Princess. You came here, not looking for your home or your friends, but for stale food and a familiarity that’s waning.”

  His words ring too true for my liking.

  “And what is there for me on Tevera? I have no home there, no friends besides—” I snap my mouth shut, too angry to admit the truth.

  “No friends besides me.” The way Kethian says it, it’s not a question. He knows damn well he’s all I have. “You’ve got me, Princess. And I think that’s worth a hell of a lot more than food that makes you sick and a scrawny little boy who sings songs to teenage girls.”

  “What do you know?” I ask defiantly. Kethian leans in close and despite my agitation I get a whiff of his wonderful scent—natural and masculine. I breathe him in.

  “I know you’ve been talking about the man of your dreams. You act like he’s some human you’ll find on Earth, yet all the while you’re looking at me. I know I’m the only man who’s ever held you, and kissed these beautiful lips of yours—” His thumb grazes my bottom lip.

  “Stop—” I begin, but he ignores my words.

  “And I’m the only man who’s ever touched you until you came.”

  I flush at his words. Despite my anger, I’m unable to deny the pounding in my chest. Kethian excites me in a way I’ve never felt before. Not even my wildest midnight fantasies could compare to the heat he’s causing to blossom in me now. If I were a more experienced woman I might beg him to touch me again, until I’m writhing and screaming his name. But I don’t know what to say, so instead I dig my hands in his wild hair and force his lips to meet mine. This time his desire matches my own. It’s like he wants to prove to the both of us how strongly he makes my body react. And I just want to let him.

  I wrap my legs around his waist and grind against him, needing that heat to catch fire. I want to feel his skin against mine and I’m relieved when Kethian’s hands hastily go for my belt. Frantically, I kick off my shoes.

  I’m so ready for this, I think to myself as we work together to strip me of my pants.

  “I want all of it off,” Kethian growls, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it blindly aside. For a stark moment I sit there, naked on the bed, feeling both self-conscious and aroused under his probing gaze.

  “Do you have a better friend than me, Madison?” he asks suddenly, his hands skating up my legs and his voice sounding gravelly with lust. I stare at him wide-eyed and shake my head.

  “No. There’s no one.”

  He lowers me back down on the bed, kissing my lips—gentle, but insistent. His hands slide down my body, pausing on my breasts to tease each aching nipple. I arch my back, needing more, and Kethian heeds my silent request, moving his kisses to my breasts. One of his hands wanders farther down my body and I spread my legs in anticipation.

  A thick finger slides through my folds, spreading wetness all along my slit. I gasp and clutch at my new bedspread and Kethian groans, sounding as eager for release as I am.

  “Is there another man who makes you this wet, Princess?”

  I whimper, but I can’t bring myself to speak. My cheeks burn too hot with embarrassment, regardless of the fact that Kethian’s bold words bring me ever closer to the edge.

  “You ask me what I know?” Kethian growls again, pulling away to watch my face as he presses that thick finger into my core. “I know I’m the only man who would take you halfway across the galaxy, chasing your happiness. I’m the only one who would risk war just to see you smile.”

  I suck in a breath as he pumps harder into my body. But as good as it feels, it’s not enough. I want more. I want Kethian to take my virginity. I struggle to string words together. “More,” I plead.

  “You’ll take all of me before you’re done, isn’t that true, Princess?”

  I clench my eyes shut, nodding my head in desperate agreement. Yes…all of him. That sounds perfect.

  “And I’d give myself to you gladly. Every part,” he whispers against my neck, twining the fingers of his free hand with mine and forcing it up over our heads. “But I won’t take all of you.”

  My eyes blink open as I process his words. I realize suddenly that I’m spread out like Thanksgiving dinner, but Kethian is still fully clothed. Our eyes lock and I give him a questioning frown as I try to reach for his belt, but he holds my hand at bay. I refuse to be deterred so easily. I push myself up on my elbows, ready to argue, but then Kethian is moving down the bed, his strong hands locked on my thighs.

  “Kethian, it’s okay. I want this,” I tell him.

  “You want me inside you.”

  I blush at how brazen this man can be. I mean, it’s true, but I just don’t know if I can say it the way he does.

  “Tell me I’m the only man to ever touch this perfect cunt, Madison.” His fingers tease my lips. I want him to press inside me again, or spread me wide and spear me with his cock. But all I can do is gasp.

  “Kethian!” Beyond that, I’m not sure what I mean to say. Surely he doesn’t want me to repeat such filthy things�
��but then I wonder what will happen if I do? Will he make love to me? Will he take my virginity? Is there some magic word I can use to convince him that this is really what I want?

  I swallow hard and steel my resolve. “I want you. You’re the only one.” At that, his fingers dip into me once more.

  Roughly, Kethian spreads my legs farther apart and looks down at my pussy as he fingers me. The wet sounds coming from his ministrations are both terribly embarrassing and incredibly erotic. The fact that he’s watching his fingers disappear into my core makes me squirm. It’s an all new experience for me and it pushes me to the edge of my comfort zone, but it’s also undeniably hot. I realize suddenly how pathetic my fantasies used to be before this moment, because nothing could be sexier than this.

  “Tell me you want me to kiss you there, Princess,” Kethian groans, his eyes still locked on my sex.

  My brow furrows under the pressure of unfulfilled desire. “Don’t tease me, Kethian,” I choke out.

  “Never.” And with that he drops down between my legs. I nearly come unhinged when his tongue swipes over my folds. Kethian keeps me pinned in place, firmly gripping my thighs as I scream out in pleasure.

  “I’m the only one to taste this sweet pussy,” he murmurs against me. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Mmm,” I give him a small squeak of agreement.

  “Say it!” he demands, his voice sounding raw and desperate.

  At this point I’d do anything to keep him going, I’m so painfully close to cumming—I think I’d die if he stopped. So I start muttering small things, things that aren’t too hard for me to say without blushing. But soon, the words are spilling out of me, urging Kethian on as he brings me closer to my climax. “You’re the only one. Just you, Kethian. I’m all yours. No one could ever make me feel the way you do.” And somewhere in the back of my mind, where coherent thought is still a real thing, I know this to be true. I’ve never felt this way before, and after Kethian leaves…I’ll never feel this way again.

  “There’s nothing after you,” I mutter. And then I’m cumming for him.

  Chapter 29

  Madison

  I want to chuckle at Kethian’s raging hard-on, tenting the covers even as he sleeps. But my heart is too heavy. We’ve fooled around a couple of times now, and poor Kethian always seems to walk away unsated. Perhaps it’s for the best, considering what meager time we have left together. And that is a sobering thought.

  I need to start claiming my own life here on Earth. I’ve been relying too heavily on Kethian to figure things out, a luxury I won’t have for much longer. With Keth’s help I was able to get money, a place to stay, and supplies. I have to tackle the next step on my own—finding a job.

  I leave a quick note, then quietly, I slip into my clothes and duck out the front door.

  I can’t sit in the motel room today and stew over my mixed-up emotions. What I need is one tiny sliver of success. I need a moment here on Earth where I can say, “Look, this is where I belong.”

  So today I’m going to get myself a job. I walk down the street to a Dunkin’ Donuts and grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper. The 12-year-old version of myself nods in approval. This is exactly how grownups find jobs.

  Eventually I find the classifieds and I begin to scan through them. Delivery driver for a medical supply company. Requires a class A driver’s license. Forklift driver. Certs required. An ad for a beauty school. Welder. A telemarketing ad. A suspicious-sounding pyramid scheme…

  I take a sip of my coffee and nearly spit it across the paper. Grimacing, I look around the front of the donut shop to see if anyone else is as distressed as I am with the taste of this god-awful coffee. Everyone but me appears content however. I fold my newspaper and head back up to the window.

  “I’m sorry, but this coffee tastes terrible.”

  “Oh! I’m so sorry, let me get you a fresh cup,” the girl at the front says. “How’s this one?” she asks, handing me a fresh and steaming paper cup. I bring it to my lips, but again I’m left grimacing.

  The girl tilts her head at me. “How do you normally take your coffee?”

  “I don’t know. Normally it’s lighter and there’s whip cream on top and sometimes chocolate sauce.” I shrug.

  She laughs and shakes her head at me. “Girl, this coffee is black. If you want cream and sugar we have a station right there.” She points next to the window.

  “Oh.” I can’t say I really understand what she means, but I move to the bottles and paper packages of sugar. Sugar I know, and I start ripping into the little pink packs and dumping them into my cup. I’ve got a small haystack of trash next to me before I venture to taste it again.

  The sugar definitely eases some of the harshness of my coffee, but the color’s still nothing like the drinks my mom used to get me from Cinnabon. Luckily another patron steps up to the counter and I watch as they pour what looks like milk into their coffee cup. I wait until they walk away to inspect the bottles, choosing one that’s labeled Mocha. I fill my cup to the brim and take a sip.

  Now that is what coffee is supposed to taste like.

  Finishing my drink, I scan the newspaper one last time. Still, I don’t find any jobs of consequence. So instead I decide to walk the long street my motel is on, looking for restaurants. Fast food would be a last-ditch option. I want a place where I can earn tips. Unfortunately, none of those places open until 10 or 11am. And here I was trying to be the early bird. Perhaps I could at least make a good impression, waiting outside before a place opened.

  Unfortunately, the first place I go to shoots me down. Not hiring. The second place lost interest the second they realized I had no work experience and I skipped Applebee’s entirely, just in case they discovered Keth and I stole tip money from them. I’m still paranoid that someone’s going to call the cops on me.

  And then, all that’s left is Red Robin.

  “Welcome to Red Robin! How many?”

  “Hi. Um actually, I was wondering if you were hiring?”

  “The manager who takes care of that isn’t in yet, but if you leave your résumé I can give it to him,” the young woman offers helpfully.

  “Oh.” I scoot a little closer to the podium she stands behind, lowering my voice. “I actually don’t have a résumé.” I clear my throat. “Or any work experience. This would be my first job. Do you think that would be a deal breaker?”

  The girl sighs and gives me a considering look before deciding to share something with me. “Anyone can have a résumé, even if you haven’t had a job before. You should bullshit one and bring it by this afternoon.”

  “How do you bullshit a résumé?” I ask, my voice quiet and conspiratorial.

  She thinks back. “When I got my first job I think I put some high school stuff on it. Clubs and organizations I was involved in, my GPA, that kind of thing. As long as you turn something in, you’re likely to get a call back. I mean, you want to be a waitress, right? No one expects you to have ‘intern at NASA’ on your résumé.”

  “You think there’s anywhere I could find an example?” I ask, still unsure of my bullshitting skills, especially since I never went to high school.

  “The internet.”

  “And…um…if I didn’t have the internet?”

  “Oh, ah…the library? Kinkos?”

  “Okay.” I nod, feeling like this world is rejecting me once again.

  “Hey, you really need a job bad, huh? Come by after three. Derek, the hiring manager, will be here and I’ll put in a good word for you. I’ll say you used to babysit my cousin. Put that on your résumé.”

  “Really? Okay, cool! Wow. Thank you!”

  Once outside, I stare back at the Red Robin with reverence. This might be my very first job. Hell, maybe I even made my first friend.

  But then I think of Kethian waiting for me back in the motel room. Kethian and his generosity. Kethian and his wild sense of adventure. Kethian and his green alien body, that really has no business being here on Earth. Kethia
n is my friend. I bite my lip as I cast one last glance back at Red Robin. It’s hard to feel excited about a job waiting tables when I know what I have to give up in exchange.

  How long will Kethian stay after I get a job? Two weeks? Until I have my first pay check and can deposit it in the bank? Will he help me move over to the nicer Extended Stay America and then be on his way?

  My limbs feel like lead as I walk back to the motel. What am I going to do, I wonder? I wanted Earth for so long. Now…now I don’t know if I can admit to myself that somehow it isn’t fitting the mold.

  I stop for pizza on the way home, remembering to ask if I have to use a credit card over the phone for delivery. It appears I’m in luck. No card necessary. Now I can feel free to order as much pizza as I want, delivered directly to my door. That will make things easier once Kethian is gone.

  It’s another thought that pulls me deeper into my despair.

  Chapter 30

  Kethian

  I wake with my face pressed against cheap sheets and scowl as I remember the purpose of my mission. Madison. She’ll be done with me soon and I’ll have to go back to Atana and face the consequences of my actions. My only solace is in the few moments I have left with her. Those I will savor. At that, I roll over in the bed, reaching for the woman who holds my heart…only to find that I am alone.

  “Madison?” I call, but the bathroom is dark and there is nowhere else in the room she could be. I push myself out of bed and go to the window. The aged blinds crinkle as I peer out at the street. It’s still early morning and Madison is nowhere to be seen.

  Not knowing where she is makes me uneasy and I hurry to retrieve my pants. That’s when I notice a quickly scrawled note. Gone job hunting. I frown down at the scrap of paper before crumpling it and throwing it angrily across the room. That unease I was feeling at Madison’s absence—it’s now morphed into anger.

  She simply snuck out. No goodbye. Didn’t bother to wake me. Even after our night together, her first thought upon waking was trekking back out into this horrid world that I know not even she can still have love for. Still, she chooses it over me. I seethe over the thought, venturing into the putrid bathroom to distract myself with a shower.