Taken (Selected Book 2)

by Robin Roseau

  We played a short practice game for me to learn, and then we played a game, "For honor."

  Geneviève promptly offered an alliance to me. "We humans must stand together against extraterrestrial aggression!" I immediately accepted.

  To my surprise, it wasn't Moirai that wrested me from my pact with Geneviève. It was the two Catseye. More surprising, I became Ivy's vassal, and Geneviève became Lotus's.

  Moirai didn't interfere with any of this. Instead, she built her resources. I thought it was an amazingly restrained reaction.

  The two Catseye then began to compete with each other, both attempting to maintain control of their vassal while also attempting to wrest control of the other's away from her. Geneviève and I were passed back and forth between them for a few minutes until Moirai attacked both.

  Immediately they formed a pack and went after the Temier together.

  The rule of the game was that as a vassal, I had to accept the orders I was given. I belonged to Ivy at this point, and so when she told me to attack Moirai, I did. Gleefully. My Temier noticed my joy and growled at me, but she seemed to enjoy the challenge.

  In the end, the Catseye couldn't make Moirai a vassal, but instead they defeated her. They then turned to each other and declared a truce.

  Geneviève laughed at the end. "If your mate had succeeded in wresting one of us away, she would have attacked the weaker of the Catseye, and the other Catseye would have joined her. One of them would have lost, and then the other Catseye would have turned attention to Moirai and her vassal. She would have won, and then there would have been one winner, two vassals, and two losers."

  "So it's better to end as a vassal than to be vanquished entirely?" I turned to Moirai. "I am surprised by your play."

  "I built strength before beginning my hunt." She frowned. "But now the game is over, and you must return to your mate."

  "Oh, no," said Ivy. "I won her fair and square, and now she remains mine for a while longer." And with that, a tentacle reached out and wrapped around my arm.

  Geneviève and I both laughed, especially when Lotus did the same to Geneviève.

  * * * *

  Sometime later, we showed them out, but not before agreeing to make this a regular occasion, rotating between the three homes. And so, once a week thereafter, we met for dinner, conversation, and more Boardwalk. Geneviève and I never won, but Moirai did not always lose. However, the Catseye seemed to take particular delight in capturing me from her, and there seemed to be a good tug of war over both humans. I was amused, and Geneviève clearly enjoyed both the game and the attention.

  At the door, I did receive proper goodbyes. Both Catseye enveloped me as before, and Lotus took me at my word.

  Catseye tentacle is definitely an acquired taste. It was one I would acquire over time.

  * * * *

  As long as I am talking about our Catseye neighbors, I must jump ahead in my story somewhat. At about my fourth month anniversary on the station, Lotus asked Bronze if she could have a private conversation with me. Bronze granted it -- I am not sure how happily, as I didn't ask her. She delivered me to Lotus's house, and the five of us were to share dinner at a restaurant later. I would remain in Lotus's care until then.

  We greeted, and then she led me to her own sitting room. Drinks were already waiting, and we made small talk for a while before she had sufficiently bolstered her courage to talk about what she really wanted.

  "I am lonely," she started.

  "I know," I said.

  "I seek advice."

  "I will help if I can."

  "I have watched Geneviève with Ivy, and I admit to great jealousy. I have seen you with Moirai, and my jealousy grows even higher."

  "I'm sorry."

  "It is not your fault, and I am pleased my friend, Ivy, has a mate who makes her so happy. I am pleased to have gotten to know you and your mate. I would trade none of this."

  "But..."

  "I want a mate of my own, to hold at night the way I know Ivy holds Geneviève. And both of you taste so good. Do all humans taste as you do?"

  "I couldn't even guess as to an answer."

  "I know you and Geneviève are unusual in your acceptance of us. The two of you are the only humans I am allowed to properly greet."

  "I love our greetings," I said. "Will they continue even when you have your own mate?"

  "Oh yes. It is the Catseye way. Will you help me?"

  "I'll try, Lotus. But I don't have anyone to introduce to you. If I were home, perhaps I could find someone, but from here?"

  "Will you tell me what you suggest?"

  "Will you be surprised if I admit I have thought about this?"

  "Yes, but I am touched."

  "Do you have to do it the way Geneviève and I were taken?"

  "Not necessarily, but tell me what you suggest."

  "Human women like to date. They like choice. Geneviève was not given a real choice, and I wasn't given any at all."

  "Geneviève wants to be here."

  "She didn't want to be taken from her home the way she was."

  "I do not agree with what we do. No Catseye agrees."

  "But Catseye help. The testing centers and the challenge center are administered by a Catseye."

  "Yes. We are a Federation, and when we lose a vote, we do not rebel."

  "So you couldn't ask a human woman on a date? You know that the Catseye on earth dress as human, hiding their tentacles under their clothes. It would take very little for you to pass as human."

  "I do not wish to replace my eyes to appear human."

  "You can hide them behind glasses."

  "The woman would know."

  "Oh, you wouldn't lie to her. But you could avoid attention from other humans. You could walk the streets. You could take her to museums and art exhibits, if those carry interest. You couldn't take her to a restaurant, because you couldn't pass for human when you eat. But there are a lot of ways to spend time and not draw undesired attention while doing it."

  She looked away for a moment then turned back. "But how do I find such a woman?"

  I smiled. "That is the easy part. You place an advertisement."

  "Excuse me?"

  So I explained about internet dating. "You place an advertisement. You see who is interested. Then you spend time getting to know the people who respond. There will be a lot of xenophobes. And there may be some who hide their xenophobia behind polite words. I don't know how you would detect these."

  "I can check the results from their testing," she replied.

  "You could be open. You could send invitations to many women, based on their testing scores."

  She paused. "They would be the second choice women, the ones who aren't selected automatically."

  "They would be willing." She waved her tentacles at that, a gesture that indicated assent. "There is another choice as well. I do not know how much influence you have, but I know someone with a great deal of influence. You could alter the process."

  "I have no authority for that."

  "You could give the collected women more choice in the matter. You could give them more chance to get to know you. Once they are collected, there are many ways to spend more time with them before they are forced to make decisions. You could even get to know them before they understand why they were collected. But I would much rather you find a way to meet someone without her being forced into a relationship. The way they take us is barbaric, and it continues to serve as a significant divide between Moirai and me."

  "I understand. I know I am strange to a human. I once went to Earth and asked three different women if I could touch them. They each recoiled in horror. Am I that horrible?"

  "Do either Geneviève or I act as if you are horrible?"

  "No. But I don't understand why."

  "There are many things you could try. You could collect all the women together in one room and introduce them to some of you. You could show them your nature and ask if any of them could bring themselves to a
llow a touch. Many will not, but some will, some in each group, I bet. Or better..."

  I paused, considering carefully. "Host a reception. Dress like this." I gestured.

  "We cannot. We cannot be widely seen like this."

  "Why not?"

  "It was decided."

  "Change the decision. Frankly, the people who are going to be xenophobic are going to remain xenophobic. Find a way to weed out the worst. I don't know." I paused. "Lotus, you are brilliant and you are kind. I see how happy Geneviève is with Ivy, and I cannot imagine you would be any less wonderful a mate. And human women are lonely, too." I paused. "I would start with Internet dating. Give them a chance."

  She didn't take my advice, not directly, but I was pleased when she found a mate.

  Touch

  But now I return to the night I first met our neighbors. The door closed, and I moved to Bronze's side.

  "So, did you like them?" she asked.

  "Yes. Give me a few minutes then come find me." I slipped away from her and headed to our bedroom. I took care of my needs, hung up the dress, and then slipped into the bed.

  I wasn't wearing a thing, not even the visor. It sat on the nightstand, waiting until morning.

  Bronze slipped into the room a few minutes later. She did her own puttering around, finally dressing for bed before slipping in next to me. It was then that she froze. "What is this?"

  "I want to talk to you."

  "Dressed like this. Or undressed like this?"

  "I want to talk to you before you begin to fully explore how undressed I am," I said. "Lie down and let me cuddle, but if your hands grow too frisky, I'll get out and get dressed."

  She half froze, but she did as I said, and I pressed against her side, my head on her shoulder, and one leg atop her. I found myself with one of her hands behind me, resting on my hip, and the other resting on my thigh.

  "You are furry here."

  "Thanks for reminding me."

  "I know that tone. Why are you suddenly angry with me? My hands do not misbehave."

  I sighed. I hadn't wanted to talk about this. "Fine. Humans have standards for female beauty."

  "I have told you-"

  "If you interrupt, I won't tell you, and then I'm getting dressed."

  She grew quiet.

  "Do not interrupt to argue with me. I am going to explain, and you will listen and accept what I have to say."

  "Of course. When would I interrupt?"

  "Right. There are standards of female beauty. There are variations across the world, but for the most part, there are some standards. As a feminist, I find those standards to be anywhere from annoying to deeply insulting. But as a women in the western world, I have been inundated since childhood with those images. And virtually every woman wants to be seen as beautiful."

  "You are beautiful."

  I began to slip from the bed, but she clasped at me. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Please finish."

  "One more interruption, and I'm done. This is not an easy topic for me."

  "I'm sorry."

  I let her pull me back into place, but it would be the last time that night.

  "You've actually helped with some of it. I get so much exercise I'm in the best shape I've ever been."

  "You are healthy. That is what matters." I allowed that interruption, as I had paused anyway, and it was an appropriate comment.

  "Looking good matters to me," I said. "It's stupid, and it doesn't matter what you think. That's not true. It does matter. But even if you find me beautiful doesn't mean I do."

  "And one of these standards has to do with body hair."

  "Yes. Women should have a full head of rich tresses, thin eyebrows, and not another single hair. That is the standard. We are allowed a neatly trimmed section in our most private areas, and we are allowed very fine fuzz upon our arms, but it must be so exceedingly fine as to be invisible. And so we give in, and we manage hair that naturally grows elsewhere. There are a variety of ways to manage the hair on our legs, and I typically used to shave to achieve smooth legs, especially if I was likely to have another woman finding out for herself how recently I had shaved."

  "I see."

  "And I haven't shaved since shortly before I was collected. I haven't been given the chance, and when I asked for a razor shortly after we arrived, you denied it to me."

  She said nothing, so I continued.

  "Typically I shave myself. One can get other treatments. One can have the hairs removed with hot wax. Basically the hairs are yanked from the skin. It is uncomfortable."

  "I imagine."

  "And I had one girlfriend who once shaved my legs for me. It was quite sensuous until she cut me. That put a damper in things. She felt terrible, and since then I have not allowed anyone else to shave my legs. If anyone is going to cut them, it will be me."

  I paused then said, "So reminding me of fur on my legs is reminding me I am not living up to expected standards. Even if you like the fur, although you didn't say, I don't. My legs are supposed to be smooth and soft. That is the standard."

  She didn't respond, and so I told her, "That's all I have to say about it."

  "May I speak?"

  "Yes. Now you may speak."

  "You are perfect, Sapphire, fur or no fur. It is different. It is not better one way or the other."

  "You've commented on how much you like my skin in other places. Now you feel fur there, not skin."

  "I like what my fingers fine," she repeated. "Trust me on this."

  "Thank you." I cuddled more tightly against her, and when her fingers next found my leg, I only slightly stiffened before relaxing again.

  "This was not what you wished to talk about."

  "No. It's not. I want to be touched. Do you think you would like touching me?"

  "I would like that a great deal."

  "And..." I paused. "I want to be teased. Do you know what I am saying?"

  "I believe I am."

  "You may touch me however you want, wherever you want. Do you understand what I am saying?"

  "Are you asking me to seduce you?"

  "Anywhere but that."

  And so she began touching, and stroking, and kissing, and licking, and a wide range of other things that I enjoyed a great deal.

  * * * *

  It was four evenings later. I'd been playful, and I'd asked for enough games that she had gotten me completely naked. Bronze was terribly amused and wondered what had gotten into me.

  "I'm going to bed now."

  "Actually." She captured my wrist. "I had another idea."

  "I'm out of clothes for you to take, and I want to be in bed when you fondle my body."

  "I was wondering whether you would let me fondle your body during a bath."

  "A bath." I thought about it. "All right. I think that would be nice."

  And so I let her lead me to the bathroom. The tub was already waiting. "Cocky, Temier. Very cocky."

  She picked me up and set me in after making sure it was warm, but not too warm. I sank down to my neck in the bubbles and signed in pleasure.

  Then I watched as she undressed and climbed into the tub, stepping in at the other end. Then I closed my eyes as she bathed me.

  It wasn't our first bath together, and I had grown quite accustomed to accepting her attention. It felt so good.

  Then she held me against her, my back to her front, and she said, "There is something I wish to offer."

  "Oh? Do tell."

  "I remember what you told me the other night. I think you are perfect the way you are, but I understand you disagree."

  "I feel too good to talk about that."

  "Open your eyes." When I did, she was holding something before me. It was a small handle with a head of some sort.

  "What's that?"

  "An alien razor," she said. "It can remove your hair without touching your skin. I know you do not agree with me about certain things. And so I would like to tend to your needs, and one of your needs appears to be smooth
legs. Will you let me take care of this for you?"

  "You want to shave my legs?"

  "I promise I won't cut you. You can close your eyes and trust me. Although you have to first switch ends and then give me your legs."

  "You promise."

  "I promise."

  She didn't just shave my legs. She shaved my legs in a fashion that made it exceedingly sensual, and I had never enjoyed having my legs shaved the way I did that night. Finally I opened my eyes and looked at her. I crooked a finger. "Come here."

  She moved forward, and when I offered my lips, she accepted the offer. "Touch me," I whispered between kisses.

  She did, although she didn't touch me the way I wanted. I opened my eyes and looked into hers. "This is not a promise," I said. "This is progress, but not a promise. Tell me you understand."

  "I understand."

  And so I took her hand and moved it between my legs. Then I cupped my hand over her fingers and helped her find my opening. "Touch me," I whispered. "Do you know what to do?"

  "Yes," she whispered.

  And, it turned out, she did.

  * * * *

  We made love for hours, hours and hours, first in the tub, then in bed. I was quite the princess that night. She used hands and fingers and lips and her long, long, amazing tongue. She reduced me to a quivering pile of Sapphire, unable to articulate anything but, "Yes, oh, yes, more, don't stop." Until finally I said, "No more. I can't take any more."

  I'd been with her just less than two months, and I gave her my body, my entire body.

  And I was happy.

  * * * *

  For the next three months, it was one long sex fest. Some nights I was the princess, but only some nights. She taught me what she liked, and I asked her whether it was possible to give me a tongue like hers. She laughed and didn't answer, but she didn't seem to mind that my tongue wasn't as clever as hers.

  We made love. Every single day, we made love. And it wasn't just sex. It was lovemaking. She was tender, but strong at the same time.

  And we played. And explored the station, and talked for hours and hours.

  And it was wonderful.