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Brida Pact

Page 4

by Leora Gonzales


  “Yeah…no. Can you imagine us working together? We would definitely move from bish to bitch pretty quickly. Plus, I’m pretty sure with my tendency to say ‘fuck’, you’d have to fire me the first day.” Shuddering at the thought of having her sister as her boss, Poppy shuffled past her to get a bottle for herself.

  “You have a point. But maybe I can help you check around. I have some connections with our vendors. Maybe one of them is hiring.”

  Both women headed into the living room to collapse onto the tiny loveseat.

  Pixie tipped her bottle at the TV. “What are we watching?”

  “Oh, there’s supposed to be another presidential address in a little bit. I wanted to watch it before we started the movie. Tell me what happened today at work, I need the comic relief after my bust with the classifieds.”

  Pixie soon had Poppy laughing with what she now referred to as Brenda’s Blunders. “Pixie, why don’t you fire her already?” Poppy felt it was a fair question considering Pixie had obviously given the woman multiple chances.

  “I’m thinking I may have to.” Making a face that showed this was going to be an issue, Pixie huffed. “She’s making more work for me and messing up orders left and right. I just feel bad. She was my friend before I hired her but now I can’t stand to see her after-hours and she seems to be honestly trying. When I have her do things in front of me, she follows instructions perfectly. It’s when I leave that mayhem ensues.”

  Poppy and Pixie both grew quiet as the news flashed to the presidential news conference. The president was now not alone at the podium; four men stood to his side. Almost spitting out her cider all over her coffee table, Poppy sat up straight and pointed at the TV.

  “Oh my god!” she yelled, making Pixie jump beside her.

  “What the fuck, Pops? You scared the shit out of me.”

  “It’s them!” Poppy was stunned at what she was seeing. Unable to believe her eyes, she stared harder at the TV.

  “It’s who?” Pixie yelled in frustration.

  “It’s the Mega Mart rock stars!” Poppy now stood to get closer to the TV.

  “What the fuck are you babbling about?” Pixie was blotting at the cider she’d spilled on her shirt when Poppy had startled her.

  “Oh my god. Remember the hot guys I saw at Mega Mart? I told you about them watching everyone, and, and about their leather pants. I swear to god, it’s them!” Frantically pointing again at the men standing next to the president, she hopped up and down. Being able to see them clearly now, she realized how fucking hot they were. They were much taller than the president, who happened to be a little over six feet himself, and they were buff. All four men were broad in the shoulders but seemed lean everywhere else.

  “Wow. They are hot,” Pixie said, eyeballing each of the men and fanning her face.

  Hell yeah they were smokin’. These men were the entire package. Strong jaws, great hair, and boy, did they fill out leather pants well.

  “Shhhhhhh, he’s talking.”

  “Good afternoon, everyone. I am happy to introduce you to some members of the Phaeton Council. Many of you have questions regarding their species and they are here to answer those inquiries.” Stepping back from the microphone, he gestured toward the man closest to him.

  “Holy. Fucking. Shit.” Poppy was having trouble breathing.

  These were the aliens. And she had seen them. In person. And they were hot. Not just a little hot, but really hot.

  While her brain was trying to play catch-up, Poppy sat stunned at what was in front of her. Not able to make a sound, both women were glued to the TV. As the camera panned to the man closest to the president, Poppy almost drooled over the gorgeousness filling the screen. When he started talking in a deep voice, she felt like melting into a puddle on her couch.

  The Phaetons who were representing their race took turns answering questions that had obviously been pre-screened for the conference. Poppy threw all thoughts of little green men right out of her head. If this was what the aliens looked like, what the hell was she waiting for?

  When the conference ended, Poppy and Pixie still both sat stunned.

  Finally clearing her throat to move the frog that seemed to have appeared there, Poppy could only say one thing. “Wow.”

  Pixie nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. Wow.”

  “They are gorgeous…and not…alien-y.” Poppy was still trying to connect the dots as to why they’d been at Mega Mart. When people had been told the aliens were here to “observe”, she had assumed they were watching from their ships. It hadn’t even crossed her mind they would have been walking around among humans. Of course, at that time, she had imagined they wouldn’t appear “normal”. Aliens were supposed to be green, dammit! Not smokin’ hot guys tempting Poppy into doing something she knew Pixie would think crazy.

  Seeing the expression on Pixie’s face that always came right before a lecture, Poppy quickly popped in the movie to take her sister’s mind off the aliens. Since the DVD was one Poppy had seen before, she knew she’d be able to at least pretend she was watching it while her mind whirled with the possibilities of a sexy alien man in leather pants.

  That evening, after Pixie had left and Poppy had locked up her apartment, she did something that had her hands shaking. Poppy logged on to the State Department website to view the application for the Bridal Pact. There had obviously been quite a few visitors to the site. The system crashed twice due to high traffic issues before she was even able to click on the link. Not wanting to take a chance of having to start all over, she quickly hit the Print button on her laptop.

  She reasoned, “It’s not like I’m going to fill it out. I’m just curious about the questions.”

  After scanning the paperwork she now held in her hands, Poppy admitted some of the questions were pretty invasive. Setting the stack on her nightstand, she tried to get some sleep. After an hour had passed with Poppy tossing and turning, she finally turned to the packet of papers that was keeping her awake. She picked up the application and walked to the kitchen table.

  “For fuck’s sake, this is going to drive me batty.”

  She reached for the cup of pens she kept on the table. Clicking a pen several times, she took a deep breath and read the first page.

  Bridal Match Questionnaire

  Please complete the following thirty pages. Any questions that you are unable to answer please mark as “unknown”. Please answer all questions listed. Potential matches are based on your answers, so honesty is extremely important. Upon completion, please return this form and all signed documents to the nearest Intake Center and you will then be assigned a human liaison for the rest of the application process. Please be aware that if your last physical examination took place over thirty days ago, you will need to have a new exam, including a Pap smear and blood tests, prior to being assigned a liaison.

  Name: Poppy Williams

  DOB: September 20, 1987

  Blood type: Unknown

  Weight: 180 pounds

  Height: Five foot three

  Living relatives: Pixie Williams (sister)

  Parents: Deceased

  Children: None

  Medical conditions: None known

  School history: HS diploma and college BS

  Own or rent your home: Rent

  Allergies: Seasonal and cats

  Medications: Birth control, vitamins, and OTC allergy medication

  Number of previous sexual partners: Two

  Date of last sexual encounter: Six months ago

  Last medical exam: Six months ago

  After filling out the first portion, Poppy rolled her shoulders and dropped her head back. “Pixie is going to fucking kill me.”

  Chapter Six

  Poppy awoke the next morning thankful that she didn’t have a day job to go in to, considering she’d slept like ass. Cracking her neck to loosen the knotted muscles, she looked at the papers next to her bed. After she’d tried to fall asleep for the second time, she’d given u
p and reached for her vibrator. Her “pocket rocket” had been her best friend lately and the only outlet for sexual release she’d had in six months. Picturing the warrior from the press conference, Poppy had no problem going off like a rocket alone in her bed. In fact, she could have gone another round if she hadn’t been so damn tired.

  After tucking her little friend away in the nightstand, she’d stared at the papers resting on the tabletop until she’d fallen asleep. Poppy’s dreams had been riddled with thoughts of aliens and the man she’d seen yesterday.

  Deciding she’d stretched enough, Poppy crawled out of bed and glanced around her room. Her apartment was small and plain and that included the bedroom where she stood. Her furniture had seen better days and was the stuff college kids bought until they got “real jobs”. Poppy’s problem was that she’d never gotten a real job. Particleboard was the material of choice at her place.

  Kicking a T-shirt on the floor out of her way, Poppy mused out loud, “I’m really going to do this.”

  She decided she might as well get it over with and dialed Pixie.

  “Hello?” Shuffling papers accompanied Pixie’s greeting.

  “Hey, Pix. Do you think you can come over tonight?”

  “I should be able to. What’s wrong?” “Big Sister” mode seemed to be second nature to Pixie.

  “I need your help filling out an application.” Hoping Pixie would assume Poppy had found something in the classifieds, she left it at that.

  “Sure. Want me to bring dinner? I can order whatever the special is from the restaurant and head over straight from work.”

  “Sounds good. Text me when you’re on your way.” Hanging up quickly before Pixie could ask any questions, Poppy decided to get showered. Then she planned on getting as much of the application filled out as she could before her sister came over later.

  By six o’clock that night, Poppy was on pins and needles. Pixie had messaged saying she was on her way and Poppy set out the paperwork on the kitchen table. A majority of it had been easy to do herself. She had come across some problems when needing to answer family medical history though, which was where Pixie would come in handy.

  Poppy’s phone buzzed, signaling a text message had arrived. “I parked. Need you to open door. Hands full.”

  She smiled, knowing Pixie had probably ordered them a feast. When her stomach growled, Poppy realized she’d been so keyed up all day she’d forgotten to eat a meal and just snacked on a granola bar and some fruit. No wonder she was so hungry.

  Opening the door to see Pixie making her way up the stairs, she yelled out, “Faster, bish! I’m starving here!” Laughing when her sister tried to give her the finger while holding food bags, Poppy opened the door wider to let her sister pass.

  “God that smells good. What did you bring me?”

  “I got a couple orders of lasagna and some salads…along with tiramisu.”

  “Do you have anything to drink?” Pixie asked as Poppy opened the takeout containers and dished up their food.

  “I should still have some cider in the fridge. Get us each a bottle.” Poppy put their plates on the small bistro table that they ate at and moved the paperwork sitting on the table closer to her plate.

  Pixie sat down in the other chair and the women dug in to their food as if they hadn’t eaten in years. Between mouthfuls of cheese and sauce, Poppy mumbled, “Your restaurant has the best food ever.”

  “I know. I’ve gotten a little sick of it though. I try to only eat there once a week now. Plus, my ass was getting mad at me every time I ate there. I think I’ve gained twenty pounds since I started that job.”

  Poppy rolled her eyes at Pixie. “You weigh less than I do, and your ass is fine.”

  Watching Pixie fiddle with her fork, Poppy had a feeling that something was wrong.

  “What’s up, sis?”

  “I don’t know. It seems that since I gained a little bit of weight…” Pixie stopped when tears filled her eyes.

  “What?” Reaching across the tiny table, Poppy gripped her sister’s hand.

  “Brian doesn’t seem too frisky lately, that’s all.” Rubbing her nose, which was now running, Pixie looked everywhere but at Poppy. “And he’s been working all the time. Do you think he’s avoiding me?”

  Poppy squeezed the hand she was holding and smiled at her sister. “Don’t be an idiot. Brian loves you and I’m sure he’s just been really busy at work lately.” Shrugging, she went on, “If it really bothers you, though, you need to talk to him about it.”

  “You’re right.” Gathering up their empty plates, Pixie gave Poppy an affectionate shoulder bump as she walked by. “Where’s the application you needed help with?”

  Poppy took the last gulp of cider from her bottle and decided now was the time to pretend she had balls. Big balls.

  “Well…first I want to let you know that I’ve thought about this a lot,” Poppy started.

  Pixie stopped what she was doing and turned her attention to Poppy. Eyebrow raised in question, Pixie waited.

  "And I’ve decided to apply for the Bridal Pact.” The words rushed out of Poppy’s mouth so fast they slurred together.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually going to do this!” Pixie yelled.

  “Okay, Pix, calm down. I’ve thought this over for a while, and it makes sense.” Holding up her fingers to tick off her points, Poppy began her prepared speech. “I have no job. I have a shitty apartment. You are my only family. And I haven’t had a successful date for a while now. I’m lonely. You have Brian and I have nobody. I’m starting to feel like the third wheel every time we go out somewhere. It’s uncomfortable and depressing.” Stopping to take a breath, she then said in a softer voice, “Something’s got to give, Pix. I’m a step away from going to the doctor and getting something to make me feel better about just being me… That’s not good.”

  Both sisters sat staring at each other, each one hoping that the other would give way first and blink. Pixie must have read the determination on Poppy’s face, because her face softened and she nodded once in understanding.

  “You’re right, Pops. I just worry. If anyone has thought this through to the point of obsession, it would be you. Tell me everything and don’t leave even one tiny detail out. I have to know what’s going to happen if you get selected and how to find you if I start to wig out.” Pixie took a huge sip of another hard cider she’d snagged from Poppy’s almost bare refrigerator. “And by the way, I am going to need something sooooo much stronger if I’m going to be able to process this. Do you have the stuff to make ’ritas?”

  “I think I’m out of the mix, but I might have straight tequila somewhere in the cabinet. We should probably try to stay sober though if you’re going to help me out with this packet,” Poppy pointed out, waving it in the air before setting it down.

  Getting herself another cider from the fridge and grunting over the stubborn cap for a second gave Poppy the time she needed to compose herself enough to figure out where to start. She picked up the Galactic Bride Welcome Packet off the coffee table again.

  “Okay, it says here women are compensated based on how much of the actual process they complete.” Poppy had to admit that the money was a nice touch. With the resources they’d been spending on trying to secure other energy sources now freed up, the government was able to pay debts and more importantly pay brides to apply.

  “I get ten thousand dollars for completing the application and signing the contract and that’s even if I don’t get selected! Do you know how many bills that can pay off?” Poppy pulled out some papers from her welcome packet. “See here. It says if I fill out all questions, provide a doctor’s report and sign the contract, then the first portion of the stipend is mine as long as everything is verified.”

  She sorted another paper from the stack and found the FAQ sheet the Intake Center had included in the packet. “This says that the aliens have implants to be able to speak English as well as other languages and I’ll have the option to get on
e as well in case I want to understand their language. Well, I guess that beats the hell out of me flunking out of Spanish, like in high school.” There seemed to be so much information to go over in this packet that her head was starting to spin a little.

  “I really need your help with the medical part. It asks some stuff about family medical history on the second page that I wasn’t sure of.”

  “What kinds of questions are these?” Pixie asked, skimming the first part of the packet.

  “You know, the normal…age, weight, height, sexual experience…” The last couple words were mumbled into her bottle of cider and of course that was the part Pixie decided to latch on to.

  “Did you just say ‘sexual experience’?”

  “Pixie, c’mon now, you know the whole reason they’re needing brides is to procreate. You can’t be surprised that it’s a question on here. It really does make sense. Plus those aren’t the questions I need help with. I’m pretty sure I can recall all of my dismal sexual experience on my own. The harder questions are the ones I got stumped on. Do you know if Mom or Dad had any medical problems before they died?” Poppy asked in a calm voice.

  “No, they were healthy as horses. I’m not sure about our grandparents though. So what else other than medical crap do you need help with? This bundle seems huge. There has to be at least fifty pages of questions here. Why didn’t you just fill this out online?”

  “Because my crappy laptop decides to shut down every thirty minutes no matter how much charge it has and after that press conference with the hotties on it yesterday, their website keeps crashing. I actually prefer paper though anyway. It’s easier for me to flip back and forth. It is a lot to digest, but they probably have a bunch of questions to weed out the crazies and make sure the matches are as good as they can be. The more questions there are, the more I actually feel like this might work.”

  By this time, Pixie had moved on to the last cider in the fridge.

 

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