She stared up into deep brown eyes. Chewing her bottom lip, she nodded. If this man hadn’t been holding on to her, she would have fallen to the ground. The word swoon held no meaning for her until now.
Am I only like this because of the ipsum I inhaled back home? Or was there something more she found heart-racing about the blue-skinned, well-muscled hunk of an Ubetron who held her up?
No, she couldn’t feel anything for him. Their races had been sworn enemies for years. Everyone across the galaxy knew that. Yet here she was, standing face to face, gazing intently at him, with no will to move.
He smiled at her, drawing her attention from his eyes to his lips. How would they taste? She’d never kissed anyone intimately before.
“You look familiar. What’s your name?”
Name? Gods, what was her name? “Ni…Nixie.” Had she told him, or only thought the word?
He released her arms to brush his fingers along her jaw line. How she remained standing, she had no idea.
“Nixie. A beautiful name belonging to a beautiful woman. Have we met before?”
Moisture pooled between her thighs. Her cheeks warmed. “Thank you, but no.” She’d definitely remember meeting him.
As he trailed a hand down her arm, she sighed. Her entire body tingled from his gentle touch.
“Okay, weird. You must remind me of someone else. Now tell me, why were you in such a rush that you walked into the rear end of that slow-moving beast? We’re supposed to be on vacation, enjoying all this planet has to offer.”
Laughing at his description of the uidiss, she leaned against his arm. Never before had she enjoyed a man’s attention like this. “I’m not visiting. I live here. Have my whole life.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Really? So, what was it like growing up on the pleasure planet?”
“I…I don’t know. Normal?” She couldn’t think clearly around him. Her tongue felt numb in her mouth.
His smile traveled all the way up to his eyes. He leaned closer and rested his hand on her hip. “Then perhaps you could be my personal tour guide,” he whispered in her ear.
“I can’t. I have other plans.”
He drew back and frowned, but she could still see the glimmer in his eyes.
“I’m jealous of whoever you’re going to be spending your time with.”
She giggled at him. “I’m just going to sleep. It’s been a long day, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t be good company.” There was no way she would tell him she had to spend a few hours that night with another man.
His smile returned. “Tomorrow then? I’d really like to see you again.”
See her? Like an actual date rather than as a client? The idea made her feel like the most desirable woman on the planet. “Sure, I’d like that, too.”
“Great. Now, before you go, could you point me in the direction of the Sturban deversorium? I have an appointment with a Suavita, and I can’t seem to find my way back.”
Her heart lurched. He’d flirted with her, made her desire him, and then thrown his appointment in her face. Would her life always be like this on Schedar, men seeking only sexual release and nothing more? In that case, she’d need to harden her heart, or end up lacerated by rejection. “Find it yourself.”
Spinning away from him, she ran. She didn’t need the hurt and rejection. Only sleep if she wanted to be ready for her evening appointment.
“Nixie, wait.” He tried to grab her, his blue fingers skimming across the back of her hand, but she ducked away.
She took back alleys and private paths to get to the hotel; she had to escape. But would he follow her? When she reached the office, she hid under the desk Garesh occupied.
“As much as I like you, I am not in need of your services.”
She slapped his thigh. “I’m not offering my services. I’m hiding.”
“From whom?”
“No one important. Listen, the client I have tonight, are you sure you can’t find someone else to take him?” She would refuse to service him if he turned out to be the man she’d seen on the street. Sure, he’d made her heart flutter, but she couldn’t remain in control of her feelings if she had to pleasure him.
“No. Everyone else is booked with regular clients, or have other specialties that have been requested.”
Taking hold of his ringed nipple, she pulled. “Please, Garesh.”
“Ouch!” He took her hand and squeezed until she let go. “No, not unless you’d like to service two men at the same time.”
She shook the pain from her hand. “Fine. Then can you at least tell me the name of my client.”
“I can do that.” He eyed the appointment log. “It’s Mekai. That’s all I’ve got.”
Shit. She hadn’t found out the name of the guy she’d bumped into. Dropping her bag to the floor, she peered around, hoping to locate some place to sleep.
“What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going home.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She spotted an empty room, not much bigger than a closet to her left, and picked up her bag. “Can I rest in there?”
“Sure.” He tossed her a pillow and a blanket from the shelving behind the check-in desk. “I’ll make sure you’re up in time for your appointment.”
“Thanks.” Her mind spun out of control as she walked away. In a short period of time, she’d run into two men who’d haunted her nightmares and one who stirred unfamiliar desires in her. If she continued training as a Suavita, would her life be filled with never-ending heartache? Perhaps that’s why the Suavitas took the ipsum, to avoid these emotions. How would she ever get to sleep now? She lay on the cushion, pulled the uidiss-skin blanket over her, and closed her eyes.
Chapter Three
Mekai sighed heavily, waiting on the bed. He couldn’t get the young Terran woman he’d met on the street out of his mind. Nixie. Not only was she absolutely stunning, she also reminded him of the woman he’d dreamed about for years.
But she shouldn’t be in his thoughts; Terrans and Ubetrons did not mingle. They didn’t even speak from distances. Their planets were positioned far from each other, across the universe. Bad blood had been spilled many star cycles ago, causing a rift between the two societies. And yet, he would bridge the gap, if given the opportunity, just to experience Nixie.
He closed his eyes, envisioning her beautiful face, her long, raven-colored hair flowing down her back, her almond-shaped, violet eyes. Oh, he craved her, a feeling he’d only felt for an imaginary woman until now.
A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts.
Shit! His Suavita had arrived. He’d been lucky to get an appointment so soon after his quarantine period. The bronze-skinned Schedarn man at the desk wanted him to take tomorrow night, but a few gems he’d managed to collect from the caves of Carbae had persuaded the man to rearrange the schedule. How would the woman sent to him feel if he turned her away? He’d never get his money back, but could he enjoy the pleasures the Suavitas were known for if he had another woman on his mind? Perhaps that would further heighten the experience. And how would he find the Terran woman anyway? He knew nothing but her name and the sight of her shapely body.
Might as well enjoy the planet while I’m here. “Come in.”
The door to his suite slid open and the woman slipped into his darkened room. “Sir, I’ll be your Suavita for the evening. Would you like me to turn the lights up?”
“No, leave the room dim.” He planned to picture Nixie bringing him pleasure instead.
The woman gasped. He opened his eyes to get a better look, but couldn’t see her facial expressions. Somehow, though, he could sense something familiar about her.
“Mekai. Your name is Mekai?”
Yes, he knew that voice, had heard it earlier in the day. “Nixie? You’re my Suavita?” Could he get any luckier? His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t have to imagine anything. The woman he’d planned to fantasize about, had always fantasized about, stood in front of him.
“Yes, I am.” She kept her tone curt, distanced. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started. Please get up on the table, sir.”
Her accentuated last word stung. What had he done to piss her off?
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you this afternoon.” Gods, could he sound any more immature?
But his words seemed to soften Nixie’s glare, and she tilted her head to the side. “I’m surprised, considering you couldn’t wait to get here and have fun with your Suavita.”
What in Tenebrae? “Yes, Terran, but you are my Suavita.”
If her eyes held lasers, he’d be ashes on the floor.
“I can easily find a replacement if I’m not to your liking.”
Quite the opposite. He slid off the bed. Stepping forward, he brushed a hand down her tanned arm. She belonged with him on Carbae, not here to provide pleasure for others. Where had that thought come from?
She wouldn’t be accepted in his kingdom. She was Terran. Right now, he didn’t care. “I don’t want anyone else. I want you.” And he’d give her as much pleasure as she gave him, more even.
She didn’t shy away, but calmed down against him. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he ran his thumb along her full pink lips. He couldn’t wait to taste them, have them around his cock. Gods, she drove him wild.
He leaned forward to savor her luscious lips, but she pulled away with a whimper. “I can’t do this.”
“But you’re a Suavita. This is what you’re paid to do.” He wanted the experience to be more than an obligation. Having the night end before it began didn’t work for him.
She gazed down at her feet. “This is my first overnight appointment. I…I’m not used to kissing and all that. Only a massage followed by your pleasure.”
A beautiful woman like her had never been kissed before, and on Schedar of all places? How was that possible? “You can take the lead then. But join me on the bed.”
She stiffened, as if becoming distant. “We’ll start on the massage table for the standard rubdown, sir. We’ll move to the bed later in the night.”
Oh yes they would, and there he’d turn the tides, take control of the night and escort her into the land of oblivion. He need only wait for her to let her guard down.
At the table, he dropped his robe to the ground, ensuring she had a full-frontal view.
What would she think of him? Was she disgusted by his Ubetron form?
His abnormal self-consciousness helped to calm his raging hard-on, but his mind kept returning to Nixie. He needed to touch her again, taste her, be in her. Finally, he’d found a woman he hungered for. But was the feeling mutual? Could he make love to her the way he did in his fantasies? He lay down, cringing in the process. This was going to be a long night.
“Are you ready, sir?”
Sir, again? “Yes, miss, I’m ready.”
She unzipped her appointment bag. “You may call me Suavita.”
“And you may call me Mekai.” I plan to have you screaming my name by the end of the night.
“I prefer sir. Please lie still and relax.”
He sighed. One way or another, he would break down her walls.
Oil sloshed onto his back, the strong scent of ipsum encapsulating the room. As Nixie’s hands met his bare skin, he tensed then melted into a puddle. Her hands worked to loosen every muscle throughout his back, down his legs, and along his arms. No touch had ever made him so rested, yet raring to go at the same time. She’d learned well, digging deep into his body. He couldn’t wait to turn over and experience her knowledge of his other erogenous zones.
Trailing a finger down his spine, she whispered, “It’s time to move to the bed, sir. Please lie on your back.”
With his legs flimsy like rubber, he wobbled over to the bed, his mind set on how to seduce her, make her want him the way he wanted her.
Chapter Four
From the moment she’d heard his deep, husky voice, her body raced with anticipation. She’d recognized him, remembered the intense, sensual dreams she’d experienced while trying to rest during the afternoon. And she’d only just met him. How would she feel after this appointment ended? Would every client make her experience the same rush of emotions, or only Mekai, the Ubetron man who must remain a sworn enemy?
Sighing, she sauntered toward the bed. She couldn’t think about the problems of her race—they’d abandoned her. No one had ever come to find her.
And she had a client to pleasure. That’s all he could be. Nothing more.
She crawled up onto the bed, positioning herself between Mekai’s spread legs. His ample arousal jutted high into the air, ready to take pleasure in her mouth. But she’d follow procedure, spending time on other parts of his body first. With the ipsum in her system reducing her inhibitions and heightening her body’s responses every time she touched his bare skin, if she broke the routine she’d come to memorize, she’d wind up putty in his hands. Not ideal with any client. She had to remain in control.
After she’d poured more oil onto his chiseled blue chest, she leaned forward to massage it in. She pressed firmly into his hard muscles, not having to push through scales and layers of other physiological coverings like some of her previous clients. Mekai’s body presented everything out front to her, including his damn enticing cock. Never before had she wanted a male appendage in her mouth so much. She tried to ignore the tip pressing against her stomach, dancing against her skin with every stroke of her hands across his chest. But she couldn’t. Cream built up in her molten core, urging her to take the massage into foreign territory. She longed to be filled by a man. By Mekai.
No! She leaned back, skipping the massage of his temples, his scalp, and his underarms, for she was required to lean over him rather than move around to his head, and that would take her core dangerously close to his hard shaft. She couldn’t allow him to bring her any pleasure, heighten her emotional connection to him, and leave her susceptible to heartbreak. Mekai is your client.
Cyresse and Garesh both swore her heart would recognize the difference between a client and a lover, but she preferred to keep her heart guarded from them all.
Working Mekai’s inner thighs, Nixie returned to a safer zone. Yet his engorged flesh now stood tall and in her face, tempting her again to take him into her mouth. His alluring, musky scent radiated into her nasal passages, overpowering the ipsum. Her resolve wavered, but she couldn’t give in, refused to give up control. His pleasure and subsequent release remained her goal for the night, not her own.
Mekai thrust his hips into the air. “I’m ready for you to massage my dick with your sweet mouth.”
She rolled her eyes. What had she seen in him? He was just there to satisfy his own needs. He’d only be a one-time client, and never call on her again.
In her dreams, though, he’d forsaken his own pleasure for hers, made sure he left her satisfied, complete. She’d never felt that way before, not even by her own devices.
With a deep breath, she sank her lips over his shaft. She couldn’t think of what her mind had created, only of what she’d been trained to do. Up and down she traveled, teasing the tip of his cock, giving it a lick or a nip with every pass. She could do this and remain detached.
He moaned and his entire body tensed. “Oh yeah, a tantalizing tongue, just as I imagined. No one has ever made me feel this way.”
Her stomach clenched. He’d been with multiple women? How many? Sure, she’d pleasured other men, too, but her job required it. Wait, why did she care? With every word he said, he made it easier to keep her distance from him.
She toured his shaft with her tongue, her mouth, exploring his most sensitive areas, remembering the way his testicles puckered just before he came in her dream.
It wasn’t real. He won’t want you after tonight.
The faster she made him come, the sooner she’d be rid of him and the conflicting emotions battling in her heart.
The muscles in his legs tightened, and as instructed, she presse
d her thumb against his perineum. If she made his orgasm as intense as possible, he could possibly be asleep within minutes, and she’d be free for the rest of the night. She shoved thoughts of something more with Mekai to the recesses of her mind. One day she would be a level Four Suavita and train other Suavitas. That was her future.
“Gods, Nixie, I’m going to come.” He thrust into her at the same time he released.
She kept pumping his cock, swallowing all of his cum and priming him to go again.
Sitting straight up, he grabbed her head. He pulled her off his shaft, clutched her wrists, and flipped her onto her back. Positioned between her breasts, he released a second time. “Frolicking farzles, woman, you’re good at your job.”
He slid down her stomach to settle over her pubic bone and leaned down to capture her mouth. Oh-so-gentle lips tugged at her soul.
She pulled away, gasping for air. “I can’t do this, Mekai.” He would destroy her self-control. She refused to open her heart to any client, to consider another life.
“I don’t plan on letting you leave without hearing you scream in ecstasy.” He trailed kisses across her chin and down her neck. “You deserve pleasure, too. You deserve so much more.”
As he laid claim to her lips all over again, she melted under his weight and fierce tongue. Perhaps she did want her dreams to become reality. The morning, and the end of the appointment, seemed so far away.
Chapter Five
Mekai didn’t think it possible for his cock to still be rock-hard, but the sensations brought by Nixie’s slender body under his proved otherwise. Yet his heart seemed to have swelled inside his chest. He knew he would have to leave her soon, but he never wanted to be with another, couldn’t bear the thought of her being with anyone else, either. For the first time, he considered settling down with a woman. With Nixie. For he had already loved her for years.
When she relaxed beneath him, he released her wrists, dragging his fingers down her arms and sides. Never had he met another like her. She’d left him sated and implanted herself in his heart.
Beyond Reach: SciFi Romance Page 2
