The Duke of New York_A Contemporary Bad Boy Royal Romance

by Lisa Lace

  “This is erish and lete.” He told gestured first to the sphere and then the spaghetti. “It is an Evion delicacy.”

  Ruth gave her a subtle thumbs-up across the table.

  Remembering her instructions, Bethany waited for Klowix to take the first bite before tackling dinner herself. Klowix made it look a lot easier than it really was. Bethany dropped the erish the first time, and spent ages using the stupid spherical spoon to snag a piece of lete. Klowix ignored her incompetence and spoke to Culip about her day.

  Apparently, Culip was always one to want to learn new things, and Klowix obliged her by bringing her any book she wanted. She was currently learning about inter-dimensional theory. Though her words boggled Bethany, Klowix kept up with the conversation with no difficulty. Of course, he had to be gorgeous and intelligent.

  The erish was good; it tasted like a strange mixture of meat and spices, though it had the texture of mousse. The lete seemed to be some kind of vegetable, and complemented the taste of the erish perfectly. Bethany eyed the plate, wanting more but hesitant to embarrass herself with the utensils again.

  Lizzy saved her, casually taking Bethany’s fork, expertly snagging more erish and lete, and handing the balanced parcel back to her.

  “Thanks.”

  Lizzy shrugged. “Don’t mention it. Took me weeks to learn how to use these things, and that’s with some prior experience dining with Evions.”

  Beoli chimed in. “This is the proper way to eat, but where I grew up, where it wasn’t so high class, people would use the ends of the forks and spoons to spear things to eat.”

  Privately thinking that seemed a much more practical approach, Bethany chanced a glance at Klowix. He was watching her. She blushed and went back to her food.

  Dinner was about as good as she could have expected. Klowix was polite, spending time talking to each of them. He seemed nice.

  That wasn’t what was bothering Bethany, though. She felt flustered around him. He seemed to make her lose her voice with just a look; no doubt he thought she was an idiot by now. She reminded herself that it was a good thing; she didn’t want him to like her, after all. Did she?

  She snuck glances at Klowix throughout the meal, finding herself wishing he’d put his hand on her again. He never did.

  She could see his muscles flex under his clothes as he ate, as though he worked out every day, but not excessively. His skin was tanned and his bright green eyes seemed to see everything. His black hair was neat and cut close to his head, though still long enough to run her fingers through – not that she wanted to do that.

  Klowix was slightly taller than her and powerfully built, but it was his face that captivated her most. High cheekbones illuminated his captivating eyes, and his thin mouth seemed pinker than most people’s. Entranced, Bethany even watched those lips move as he ate.

  After they’d all eaten their fill, Klowix stood up and the others hastened to do the same; Bethany copied them.

  “May I give you a massage, Commander?” Anna was eager to please.

  He seemed to think about it. “Yes. Come.”

  Anna followed him to his room, looking pleased.

  “I thought he hadn’t…?”

  Trili shook her head. “Oh, he hasn’t. It really is just a massage. Anna gives them to us as well, she’s excellent. Anyway, we’re all off for the night, let me just get something for you first.”

  It seemed a bit early to Bethany to go to bed, but she wasn’t complaining; she was exhausted. More than that, she was frustrated. Watching Klowix throughout dinner left her wishing he wasn’t quite as restrained as the others had told her he was.

  Everyone else seemed to melt into their individual rooms, but Trili came back out holding something long and purple.

  Bethany nearly choked. “Is that… a vibrator?”

  Trili laughed. “Oh, come on, you know you want to. Where do you think the others all went off to? Klowix didn’t just get so many applicants because of his money. Most any woman on the planet would jump at the chance to be with him. Watching him sit there, all sexy and remote, all through dinner… anyway, we keep a spare for new people, because never come prepared.”

  Bethany hesitated, but Trili pushed it into her hand and was gone before Bethany could protest. Not wanting Klowix to see her standing in the hall with a vibrator in her hand, Bethany quickly went into her own room and shut the door.

  She couldn’t resist. She imagined Klowix’s strong arms around her, imagined him kissing her…

  She turned the vibrator on and pulled up her dress. Not even making it to the bed, she sank down onto the floor as the vibrations went through her…

  The next day, Anna came to wake Bethany up for breakfast, which was a lot easier to manage than dinner. It consisted of a kind of sweet bread they called reni, and it was thankfully eaten with hands rather than utensils.

  They all said goodbye to Klowix in the same manner as they greeted him. Once he was gone, the girls clustered around Bethany once again.

  Ruth gushed right away. “He likes you.”

  Bethany knew she should be horrified, but she couldn’t help being a bit pleased. “How do you know?”

  Snia explained. “Klowix isn’t exactly known for his patience. He didn’t help any of the others with their food, he left that all to me.”

  Culip interrupted. “Enough of that, we need her to have something spectacular to wear when Klowix comes home.” She whipped out the same screen they’d used yesterday. “Let’s see what we can do.”

  Bethany watched as Culip searched for silk dresses. She opened her mouth to indicate she didn’t want silk, but the words wouldn’t come out. She wondered how Klowix would react to her in some of the things Culip was flicking past. Before she could put a stop to the madness, the girls had ordered at least ten stunning dresses for her, from simple and elegant to the kind a queen might wear.

  “Come on, while we’re waiting I’ll teach you Evion etiquette.” Ruth grabbed Bethany’s hand and dragged her through to the dining room.

  The day seemed to fly by. Bethany was glad she’d gotten a good night’s rest in that huge, comfortable bed. She’d been especially tired and relaxed after… well, the vibrator was now in the drawer next to her bed, and there it would wait for her.

  The bell rang intermittently with deliveries, which always signaled a pause in what they were doing to try on yet more dresses. Bethany had to admit, they were amazing. In them she looked… regal. She’d never worn such clothing before.

  In every spare moment, she was learning. Ruth taught her about Evion etiquette. Snia taught her how to dance in the traditional fashion. Beoli ran through common customs with her. Lizzy gave her tips on how life with Evions differed to life with humans. Culip showed her the proper way to dress on Telion. Trili told her about history, both the history of Telion and Klowix’s personal history, which she found a lot more captivating.

  Constantly throughout the day, the girls shared bits of advice on how to be a good member of Klowix’s harem. They seemed to know a lot about what he liked and what he didn’t. It was all so much to remember, Bethany was tempted to ask for paper to start writing it down, but resisted the urge. She could do this.

  By the time the sun started setting, she was once again exhausted. While the others were all getting ready to greet Klowix, Anna massaged her shoulders, which had been getting more and more tense for the past hour as the time for Klowix to get home drew closer.

  Despite feeling slightly overwhelmed, Bethany was a little more confident tonight. She knew a lot more now; hopefully she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Trili had called ahead to ask the chef what they were eating for dinner, and Bethany had already practiced picking up the new food with the strange Evion utensils.

  She didn’t even scream anymore when one of the Evions suddenly blurred out of sight and appeared on the other side of the room. She was still working on keeping her feet under her when they took her with them.

  Klowix surprised everyone
when he came home. After exchanging greetings, he announced that he would like to have a private dinner with Bethany to welcome her. Instead of looking disappointed, the girls gave Bethany encouraging smiles; perhaps this lack of competition was an Evion thing she had yet to understand.

  Klowix handed over a card and told the others to go have fun. Their faces lit up; from what they’d told Bethany, this was the first time they’d been given permission to leave their quarters. She wished she was going with them. All too soon, she and Klowix were alone.

  “Tell me more about yourself.” His voice was commanding and sexy.

  Bethany scrambled to work out what she could tell him and what she couldn’t. Not wanting to get caught in a nest of lies, she told him mainly about her past, avoiding her more recent history. Klowix seemed genuinely interested in her life.

  “So these… backlands. The king of your planet does not visit them? He does not make promises to you to improve your lives?”

  “Earth is ruled by governments, not kings. They say they’re going to make things better, but never really do.”

  “Ah yes, Lizzy has told me of these governments. I do not mean to sound judgmental to your chosen system of ruling, but it seems an awfully inefficient one to me.”

  Bethany couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing. Klowix looked at her in confusion. “You’re right, it is inefficient.”

  Klowix smiled at her, and she felt herself melting. “Here too, there are many areas that could be improved. Some of my men have joked that they could replace the king with a monkey and no one would notice.”

  Bethany giggled, and Klowix smiled more widely.

  “Of course, I disallow such talk, but though I would never say it to them, I believe they have a fair point.”

  “From what I know of the history of Earth, human kings and queens were about the same.”

  “Perhaps neither of our races have yet perfected matters of rule, then. That is why we have armies, of course.”

  “What?”

  “Are armies on your planet not made up of people from all places and all peoples?”

  “Yes, they are.”

  Klowix nodded. “There you go. Armies know what the people need, and give it to them. Why have Earth’s armies not brought technology to these backlands?”

  “Armies do what the government tells them. Isn’t it like that here? Don’t you need to obey your king?”

  “Of course, disobeying the king is treason, but he seldom gives orders. For the most part, I just direct my men in seeing to what the people need. I still keep them sharp, though; in times of war, the army is the line of defense around the planet.”

  Bethany was fascinated. “There haven’t been times of war here for… what, about a generation?”

  Klowix nodded again. “Over twenty years. I see Trili has been teaching you.”

  “She knows so much about history. It’s a bit intimidating, I don’t think I could ever have the kind of knowledge she does.”

  “It is not necessary, Each person has their own area of interest in which they have great knowledge. I take it you don’t know yours yet?”

  Bethany shook her head. “No.”

  “Most who come to me don’t. Here, you will have the time to explore any field you wish. You will find your passion.”

  The word passion coming from his lips made Bethany blush. She realized that they’d finished eating. Klowix stood up and she hurried to do the same.

  “Come.” He held out his arm, indicating the lounge. Bethany made to follow his direction, but he stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder. He leaned in slightly.

  He was close enough that Bethany could feel his breath on her cheek. She yearned to reach out, to close that distance… but she mustn’t. She mustn’t let him become interested in her, or she’d never be allowed to go home. His hand moved to the back of her neck. He was moving slowly, giving her ample chance to pull away.

  What would she do if he did, though? He may be polite, even nice, but he was powerful and intimidating, and clearly a man used to getting what he wanted. Could she dare reject him? Did she want to?

  Chapter Four

  “I wish to kiss you.”

  The words were so soft she almost thought she imagined them. Klowix’s eyes were fixed on hers, waiting for an answer. Beoli had told her about this; it was custom for a man to ask a woman before he kissed her, at least the first time. She had to answer yes or no.

  She opened her mouth to say no, and instead out came a breathy whisper. “Yes.”

  Then Klowix’s lips were on hers. They were hot and insistent, and she responded, letting her mouth fall open. She gasped as his tongue slid in, slick and fast and delicious.

  All too soon, it ended. She was glad he still had his arms around her, because she was not sure if her legs would support her weight right now.

  “How do you feel?”

  Bethany gasped. “I don’t know.”

  The room started to spin even more as Klowix moved her to the lounge in an instant the way Evions often did.

  “Tell me what you are thinking.”

  Bethany looked up at him; he had her on the couch, and she was practically lying in his arms. “You know, Evions are a lot more direct than humans.

  He smiled. “I’ve been told.”

  Bethany wriggled to get up and he let go of her, letting her scoot over to the other side of the couch. How did she feel? She felt like she wanted another kiss, that’s what. She couldn’t exactly tell him that, though. She needed to get that thought out of her head right now.

  “I have never been to a human planet. I find your customs… confusing. How do humans get simple information if they do not ask for it?”

  “Um… it’s hard to explain. We do ask some things. Others, we kind of infer it from how people around us act.”

  “That seems a flawed way to get accurate information.”

  Bethany giggled. “It is, I guess. Maybe your way is better.” She leaned back against the couch. “Some of your ways are strange to me as well. Trili spent about an hour explaining how it would be considered very rude to stand in the wrong place in a room. Humans don’t have those kinds of invisible lines inside buildings, I’m glad she told me.”

  As Klowix started to tell her a little more about Evion culture, Bethany found herself relaxing, even enjoying herself. Pushing the raging desire she felt for him into a small ball of denial in the back of her head, she admitted to herself that she liked spending time with Klowix. He was still intimidating, but she found herself being happy to be in his company.

  “Have any of the others told you about the sharing?”

  “No, what’s that?”

  Klowix looked uncomfortable. “Ask them to explain it to you. Then, think about this: I wish to partake in the sharing with you.”

  Bethany swallowed. She didn’t know what this sharing was, but the way he said it scared her.

  “I’ll – I’ll ask them.”

  “Good. Then I will bid you goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.” Bethany watched as Klowix got up and left.

  “Bethany, finally, you slept for ages! We wanted to wake you, but Klowix said to let you sleep. Anyway, we were thinking what else to teach you, and Trili thought of showing you this. Come on!”

  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Bethany followed Culip to the screen and moaned. “No, no more shopping.”

  “Oh, there will be more shopping, but not now. You’ve only seen Klowix at home. As a Commander, he’s… well, something else. Look at this. It’s a video of when an extremist group moved against the crown, trying to assassinate the king. The army came in…”

  Bethany’s eyes were drawn to the screen. It was chaos, weapons firing and people shouting. In the middle of it, Klowix stood, tall and proud, shouting orders to his troops. They rushed at the enemy, and Klowix backed away, moving in front of the king. He fired his lasers with deadly efficiency.

  Bethany gasped as he was disarmed from behind. Klowix
didn’t even falter, swiftly breaking the neck of the man who had attacked him. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. Bethany didn’t think she’d ever seen anything hotter – or anything more intimidating – than Klowix standing there, dominating the battle.

  “Bethany? What’s wrong?”

  She sank onto the chair behind her. “What am I doing?” She was supposed to be not being noticed. What she was doing – she was definitely being noticed.

  Bethany looked at them directly. “What’s the sharing?”

  All the girls burst out in giggles. “It’s… well, none of us has ever done it, of course, but it’s… well, part of it is sleeping together.”

  Bethany had to focus on keeping her breathing steady. “And the other part? Beoli, maybe you could explain?”

  “It’s exactly what the name implies. It’s a sharing – a sharing of spirit. The male Evion initiates the link, draws out some of your spirit, and drinks in your essence. It’s said to be an experience like no other. It’s very intimate, more than just physical. Most Evion pairs do it, but some humans aren’t comfortable with it.”

  “You mean I have a choice?”

  “Yes, of course you have a – wait, what do you mean?”

  “Klowix told me to ask you about the sharing. He wants to ‘partake’ in it with me, whatever that means.”

  Anna squealed. “Ooh Bethany that’s wonderful!”

  “So soon, too, it’s only your second day here…”

  Bethany was mentally trying to picture how Klowix would react if she said no. He still scared her a bit.

  She muttered and held her head in her hands. “No, no, no, this is wrong, all wrong.”

  The noises of jubilation around her faded away.

  Snia hesitated. “What do you mean? This is what we’ve all been hoping for. It’s why you came here. You’re so lucky.”

  Bethany didn’t know what to say to her, didn’t know what she could say without getting her family killed. “I know. It’s just all happening very fast.”