Shalia's Diary Book 5

by Tracy St. John

  As loving as an older sister, Candy tucked me in. She made sure I had a cup of water on the stand next to the bed and made me promise to wake her up if I had any nightmares. “Anything at all,” she insisted. “Don’t be brave, Shalia, because God knows if I see that dark entity again, I will be screaming your ear off.”

  I smiled as my eyes began to close, partly because of Candy’s dramatic ‘dark entity’ description, but mostly because in her presence, I wasn’t assaulted by visions of the hellish past.

  I guess she was as comforted by my presence as I was by hers, because she didn’t wake me with screams. While sleeping with Candy isn’t nearly as nice as sleeping with Betra, I don’t remember having any nightmares. I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. Even opening my eyes to a nauseatingly adorable teddy bear in a pink tutu sitting on the bedside stand didn’t bother me.

  I was also able to look forward to the day ahead with a sense of motivation. Days are easy. It’s the nights that suck.

  March 31, later

  Oh boy. I finally noticed I had a message waiting on my room’s com. It was from the number one clan on my lottery list, Clan Seot. I must be getting better because looking and listening to them has my motor running, pussy purring, hormonal soup simmering...

  I need a cold shower.

  Okay, beyond my crazed libido and on a purely platonic level, this bunch is interesting. I keep reminding myself of that. Substance, Shalia. Concentrate on the substance, the stuff that really matters. Brains. Personalities. Stability. Even some humor. Nice smiles, even from Nobek Larten, though he’s got a little bit of evil in his eyes. And wouldn’t I just love to know what he’s thinking when he gets that look? Ooh, when I think about him looking at me that way, maybe just before he rips my clothes off with those big, powerful hands—

  Damn damn damn damn damn damn. I’m doing it again.

  So, anyway. I told the com to play my message. All at once they stood before me, those three big delicious creatures: Seot, Larten, and Cifa. I had seen their vid pics before, of course. I guess I forgot how amazing they look. Either that, or the pregnancy hormones are giving me Lust Vision.

  I was so enthralled standing in front of their images and looking up into those stunning faces that I missed what Dramok Seot said in the first couple of seconds. Okay, more than a couple of seconds. I missed probably half a minute of his greeting. This is my private journal, and I can be as stupid over hunky men as I like. No need to play it cool here.

  “Com, play message from start,” I said. I rolled my eyes at how breathy I sounded. Damn, I should get laid before I’m reduced to humping something inanimate. Wait, I have that dildo Katrina gave me for Christmas. Where did I put that?

  And I’ve wandered off again. Stupid libido.

  Anyway, the message started over. The three men, Seot in front, bowed low and straightened. “Greetings, Matara Shalia,” Seot said. His voice was as smooth as butter. I shivered from head to toe hearing it. If I had to pick a clan on voice alone, Seot would win it for his guys. That man could quote the bible to me from front to back and I’d be a puddle at his feet.

  Enough. I am telling this story and my pussy will not interrupt me again. Damn it!

  He said, “Greetings, Matara Shalia. We were delighted to receive your message that you are considering my clan as a potential life match. As you no doubt know from viewing our profiles, I am Dramok Seot, leader of this clan.”

  He gestured to the big but adorable specimen on his left. “This is my Imdiko, Cifa.”

  Cifa personified cute to the extreme. At Seot’s introduction, he beamed a bright smile that had me smiling back. His voice was every bit as cheerful as his demeanor. “Hello, Matara Shalia. I look forward to meeting you in person once you get to Kalquor.”

  Seot gave his clanmate a gentle look that spoke of an easy tenderness between the two. Well, that was sweet to see. Then he turned to the dark and dangerous creature to his right. “And this is my Nobek, Larten.”

  Larten nodded his head respectfully to me ... well, to the recording device that had delivered the message. “It is a pleasure, Matara Shalia. I too eagerly await your arrival.”

  I shivered again. Larten’s voice was low and deep and thrilling. It was the kind of voice that if he shouted, you’d expect a mountain to crumble before its might. Wowsers.

  I had a moment of imagining that voice ordering me to do naughty things. I had to make the com reverse because I missed some of what was said again.

  When I had it cued up once more, Seot had taken over the talking. “We hope the message you sent means you will allow us to trade further communications prior to you reaching Kalquor. We’d very much like to get to know you better as soon as possible. Our high compatibility rating makes us hopeful we would make you a satisfactory clan.”

  “We’ve never rated such high compatibility with anyone in the lottery. Ninety-seven percent!” Cifa chimed in. He was all boyish enthusiasm that made his companions smile. I had to remind myself that the guy is 63 years old. He comes across as much younger.

  Larten’s tone was gentle even as he reminded his Imdiko, “A computer program cannot measure the intangibles that make a lifelong relationship work, however. There is far more to it than a list of likes and dislikes.”

  “That is true,” Seot agreed. “However, the questionnaires were more in depth than that. The rating is a strong indication that we would make Shalia a good clan.”

  “As well as being good fathers for her child,” Cifa added. He grinned harder than ever. “I have a younger brother and sister, and I was often left in charge of them while my parents worked, Shalia. It’s not the same as being a parent, but I have some experience in the matter.”

  He seemed ready to keep talking, but Seot took over once more. “We are all three excited at the prospect of welcoming a Matara and babe to our family. At this time—”

  Cifa couldn’t seem to help himself with his enthusiasm. He interrupted with, “We have already begun to study Earther writings and recordings on how your race sees to childcare. Some of it is quite contradictory, and of course, your wishes are the most important. Ultimately, we’ll follow your lead on the matter, but we want to—”

  “Cifa,” Seot said.

  The Dramok’s buttery voice was quiet. It was even gentle, without the slightest hint of temper. He smiled at Cifa. Yet the Imdiko shut up in an instant, blushing fiery red. His grin didn’t dim in the least, though. Larten chuckled, his deep voice vibrating my ears. His grin at Cifa made the scary man look a lot more approachable.

  Seot turned back to me. His expression was amused, but he didn’t comment further on his clanmate’s exuberance. “At this time, we will leave the decision as to our continued communication to you, Matara Shalia. As you can probably tell—” he crooked a brow at Cifa, who shrugged without real remorse “—we are most excited at the prospect of hearing from you again. Until then, please take care of yourself.”

  They bowed. The message ended. I replayed it a few more times.

  So that was Clan Seot. It wasn’t much to go on for me to form a real opinion (besides the fact they look so damned fuckable), but I admit to being intrigued. I like that Seot is leaving our continued communication up to me. It’s nice to have a Kalquorian man leave things up to me for a change. I like that Larten isn’t ready to accept me simply because I’m female, I can breed, and I’ve shown an interest in them. He wants to know we’ll actually work well together. As for Cifa – could a man be any more adorable? He seems so sweet and caring. That he has experience with kids isn’t a bad thing either.

  Above all, I like the little bit I saw of how that clan interacted with each other. I felt respect between the three. I REALLY liked how Seot was able to show leadership without being an asshole about it. If the gentle way he was able to get Cifa to settle down was any indication, he’d make a great father.

  It may be wishful thinking, but I sensed a lot of warmth there. It kind of reminded me of my dad clan.

&nbs
p; Obviously, I’m going to keep talking to Clan Seot. The potential there is huge, at least for me. I guess it would only be fair to warn them about what they would be in for, however. I wonder if that will send them running to the hills? It’s best to be honest right off the bat though. I can hear the start of my message now: Hello, I’m Shalia Monroe, and I am pure trouble. You’ve been warned.

  And if they are brave enough to give me a try? Let’s just say I’m looking forward to all the scenarios that means. I wonder how soon after we meet in person I can see them naked? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

  I think I’m going to watch that message again. And then I’m going in search for that dildo. Wait, it’s the end of shift now, isn’t it? Ha ha, then I’m going in search of Betra. He can finish what Clan Seot started.

  April 1, morning

  Well, like the rest of life, last night was a mix of good and bad. First the good: sex with Betra.

  I showed up at his door, my makeup done and wearing one of the flirty little dresses Candy had supplied me with. I showed a bit of cleavage framed by the teal dress’ ruffle, and a lot of leg with an almost scandalously short skirt. My growing tummy was accommodated by the stretchy material. I’d originally thought the dress would look obscene. I mean, what was I going for? Pregnant Woman Slutting It Up? Yuck. Yet once I had the dress on, I had to admit Candy had a good eye for these things. I looked like I was expecting, but I thought I looked kind of sexy too. With Betra’s adoration of my baby belly, the dress seemed perfect to wear for him.

  Indeed it was. When the door to his quarters opened, I was pleased to note my efforts were appreciated. Betra looked me up and down, a slow smile spreading across his face.

  “This lovely package had better be for me,” he said. “I swear, if you’re stopping by to tell me you’re spending the night with Oses—”

  “Oh, is he free?” I said and made as if I would leave to hunt the Nobek up.

  With a playful growl, Betra grabbed my arm and pulled me into his quarters. “Even if he is, he’s out of luck.”

  I laughed. The door shut, leaving us all alone. I reached up to wrap my arms around Betra’s neck and tug him down. He was more than happy to oblige me. Those big, strong arms curled around me, one hand cupping the back of my head to hold me for the Imdiko’s kiss.

  Ah, sweet bliss. Betra’s mouth moved gently over mine, almost as if we’d never kissed before. His was a careful but thorough tasting. First he explored my lips with his own, then his tongue darted to taste, and then teeth gently closed on my lower lip to tug. I sighed with pleasure. With my mouth parted open, Betra accepted the invitation to venture inside. He kissed me with sensuous slowness, taking his time to enjoy all the flavors and textures he found. Had I ever been so carefully plundered? If I had, I couldn’t remember it.

  That such a tender kiss could birth the raw, biting passion that swept through me was a revelation. All at once, my pussy ached. It begged for a cock to shove in. I moaned from the need. Yet I did not do anything to rush Betra into satisfying that ravening part of me. The kiss was too amazing. Even if everything below my waist had exploded from want, I would not have stopped Betra. It had to have been the greatest kiss of my life.

  When it ended, I almost cried. I’ve seen things of astounding beauty. I’ve felt joy that made me want to shout and dance. Betra’s kiss seemed to be made up of all the most amazing things I’d ever experienced. It sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s not. There are no words to truly describe it.

  He looked at me rather quizzically, perhaps seeing some of what I felt on my expression. I unleashed a trembling breath. “You have no idea how wonderful you are, do you?” I asked.

  Equal parts worry and pleasure crossed his expression. He dealt with the worry part of it. “Don’t do it, Shalia. Don’t feel more for me than you should.”

  “What, love?” I felt sadness tinged with humor at his concerns. “I’m allowed to love you like I do any of my friends. I can love you like Candy and Katrina. We can’t keep that from happening, and I wouldn’t want to.”

  “Just friends? You’re sure that’s all you feel?”

  “Not quite. I want to fuck your hot body too. I don’t want to do that with my girlfriends.”

  Betra looked relieved for a moment before amusement took over. “Oh, so no chance of me seeing you intimate with Candy, huh? That would have been exciting.”

  I crooked an eyebrow at him. “Like you, my darling Imdiko, I am hardcore hetero. Now kiss me again before I lose the mood.”

  “Oh no, don’t do that.”

  Betra kissed me once more, with as much as finesse as ever. However, I sensed a little reserve this time. The idiot was thinking too hard, probably about how determined he was that I not fall in love with him. It was a great kiss, but didn’t approach the poetry of the one that preceded it.

  Oh well, maybe that kind of kiss is a once in a lifetime thing. My toes still curl thinking about it.

  Betra picked me up and carried me to his bed. There wasn’t far to go. Like Oses’ quarters, Betra’s room was pretty small. It looked a little larger simply because he didn’t have the spanking bench that took up most of Oses’ available floor space. Instead, he had a very small table with some personal items decorating the top: a still vid of his parent clan (very good-looking people – Betra is the spitting image of his Dramok father but with a gentler smile), a commendation for saving my ass from raiding Tragooms a few weeks ago, and a championship trophy for some sport that sounds an awful lot like Earther surfing.

  I noticed something new. I hadn’t seen it when I spent the night with him a couple of evenings ago, needing a bed buddy to keep off the nightmares. Lying on Betra’s sleeping mat, I nodded at the hooks imbedded in the ceiling. “What are those for?”

  He grinned, a bit of deviltry sneaking into that sweet Kalquorian-Next-Door face. “I just installed those. Hold on just a moment and I’ll show you the entire setup.”

  He went to the wall next to the tiny table and touched it. A closet slid open, showing three armored Fleet formsuits and a few other clothing articles suspended in mid-air. Betra reached behind them to a set of shelves. He retrieved some contraption made of long black straps, metal fasteners, and a length of thick, cushioned dark blue material.

  “What in the world?” I asked.

  Betra stepped up on his sleeping mat, his long legs straddling mine. He attached some of the metal fasteners to one of the hooks on the ceiling. When he did that the strange device, now swinging in front and to the right of me, made sense. It was like a swing, sort of. The blue length of material was a sling. An ass sling.

  “Oh,” I breathed. I had nothing else to say.

  There was more, though. Betra moved some of the straps hanging from the sling so that they draped from the other hooks on the ceiling. I noted the loops at the ends of the straps ... perfect to insert one’s ankles in to hold the legs high and wide.

  “Oh boy,” I said, adding another word to my verbal arsenal.

  Betra grinned fit to split his face. “You’ve got that nervous-excited look on your face that tells me you want to try it.”

  “It will hold my weight?” I had an ugly vision of my growing body straining the straps, sending me, the sling, and half the ceiling crashing down onto the sleeping mat.

  The Imdiko snorted. “It would handle my weight. Come on. Stand up and let’s play with our new toy.”

  He helped me to my feet and then lifted me to sit in the sling. The back of it rose high enough that I was supported from head to ass. I had to hand it to Betra; the thing was super comfy. Even when he lifted my legs to secure my ankles in the loops and I was splayed like an offering to a gynecologist, I was snug in the swing. Ha-ha, for once I actually appreciated ‘having my ass in a sling’.

  I wrinkled my nose at my stomach. With my legs drawn up, squishing my torso a little, my belly looked bigger than before. Of course Betra went into rapture at the sight.