by Maia Starr
I saw a large dark shadow just underneath the surface of the water. The massive ripples let me know that it was something fast. It looked dangerous, but I could not look away. I took a few more steps and got as close as I could to the edge of the cliff jutting over the Pacific Ocean. I was very scared of heights and I did not want to be anywhere near the edge, but I had to take a look. My knees grew weak as I looked out over the water.
"Are those wings?” I whispered to myself as I watched the dark shadow underneath the water get closer to the surface and create a dark outline. It looked like a very large bird swimming underneath the water.
"That can't be, Melody. I think the pressures of being the president's daughter have finally caught up with you,” I said as I rubbed my eyes and shook my head from side to side as though I could make it disappear.
I looked back at the water. Whoosh! Suddenly the creature burst from the surface of the water and flew straight up, shooting into the sky, into the blinding light of the bright sun. It was so fast that I could not exactly see what I was looking at. But in the backlight of the sun I saw a brief outline as the creature spread its wings out from its sides. They look to be at least 10 feet across and my mouth was wide open as I stared at it. What the hell was I looking at? Was it some form of dinosaur that we thought was extinct, but would reappear now and then to create a legend like the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland?
I took steps backward as the creature seemed to hit the highest point of its flight and change direction, toward me. It was diving very fast. I kept my eyes on it but walked faster; I could not run. I was too frozen with awe at the sight of this strange thing.
Boom! The ground seemed to shake underneath me as the creature landed a few yards in front of me.
"Holy shit," I whispered to myself as I put my hands over my mouth. I could not believe what I was looking at. It was a man. It was a very large man, almost 9 feet tall. His very broad strong chest was naked, and only a simple loincloth covered his waist down to his thighs. He was very muscular, toned, with six-pack abs that looked chiseled. His jet-black hair was long down to his jaw, and a 5 o'clock shadow beard covered his face. But as he took slows cautious steps toward me, it was not these features that made me feel like I was losing my mind. It was the imprint, almost like a tattoo, that covered his right arm from his wrist up to his shoulder. It looked like a strange pattern, and the very large wings that he had folded behind him let me know this was something not human. My breathing grew heavier, and I knew then that this moment was the start of something that would change my life forever. But little did I know exactly what it all meant.
I couldn't believe that all of this was happening simply because my friend Gloria had recommended I take a hike to clear my mind. I was the daughter of the current President of the United States, President Reeves. The pressure of all of it was getting to me, even though I lived all the way across the country in California. Being the daughter of the president was not all it was cracked up to be. I hated politics. But I hated even more the intrusion of privacy that came with it. I was a writer, and I wanted nothing more than to have an adventure in order to write about it. But I was never able to really get away without people knowing who I was. My father's security detail watched my every move. Even though I was 25-years-old with my own life on the other side of the country, my father ran my life. I could not wait for his term in office to be over. It affected my life more than anything, and that included my romantic life. I never knew if a man was interested in me because of my own personality or if he was just using me for my position in the world.
Just like the guy I had been seeing: James Buckley.
"Are you going to eat that?” James said as he sat across the table from me at a romantic restaurant. We had been dating for two months, and he was a very dashing, rich, Ivy Leaguer. My girlfriends loved him and thought he was perfect. I, on the other hand, thought he was just okay. He was nice and did everything by the book, but I found him to be very boring.
"No, I'm not,” I said pushing the plate of veal toward him.
"Good, I am famished.”
I looked down at my very expensive pink and maroon Dior dress and heels. “What a waste,” I said under my breath.
“What was that, Melody?” James said.
“Oh nothing,” I said.
“I worked out for two hours today before dinner. I'm working on my quads. Have you been able to tell?” he said.
"No, I have not really—”
"I'll show you later back at your place. My personal trainer says that I am doing really well. Maybe you should start going to him too. You could use a little strengthening,” he said squeezing my arm.
"You want me to go to your personal trainer?” I said, looking at him with annoyance.
"Sure. It's not like you can't afford it. Just tell your dad to cover it. You could use some working out.”
"I will consider it,” I said simply because I knew that opposing him would keep him talking about it. I did not have the energy to deal with that.
"Speaking of your father, when will you be visiting him? I would like to go with you if I could. Or better yet, when is he coming here? I'd love to show him around my office. I think he would be very excited about some of my proposals,” he said to me.
"I don't know,” I said rolling my eyes and turning my attention to the attractive waiter walking by the table. A part of me wanted to grab that waiter and take him home. I just wanted to have some passion without the man putting his agenda on me.
"Or, you could email him some of my proposals…” James continued talking about my father, and I tuned him out. This was how it went. This was always how it went. Even before my father was president, he was the Governor of Connecticut. Even then when I was dating, the men in my life always had a political agenda. It did not matter if I was dating a veterinarian or a stockbroker, they always found a way to try to help their position in life through me, and through my father. I wondered if I would ever find someone that did not care who my father was, someone that would really fall in love with me, me as a person.
"Ready to go back to your place?” James said as he pushed the bill toward me on the table. I gave him a look. I knew that he was rich. Why was he not going to pay for dinner, again?
"I think it's your turn to pay,” he said as he looked at the bill and stood up from the table. I sighed and took out my wallet and placed a couple of bills to cover the cost and tip on the table. Then I followed him outside.
Twenty minutes later, we were in my townhouse in Santa Monica that overlooked the ocean. The security detail was parked outside across the street, keeping an eye on my place, as they always did. Walking in with James, they knew that I was going to have sex, and that really bothered me. Would they be reporting that to my father as well? They reported everybody that I dated to him because everybody had to be checked out; they could be a spy from another country or an assassin. It was all ridiculous. So when I finally found someone that was cleared, I had a habit of sticking with him even though I did not like him simply because it was a major hassle to date someone else.
"How do you want to do this?” James asked as he stood in my bedroom and unbuckled his pants.
"What? What do you mean?” I asked him.
"Do you want to be on top? Or do you want me to be on top? I got to say that I'm really tired after working out and eating so much food. It's probably better if you're on top,” he said as he pulled off his pants and continued to get undressed.
"Whatever…” I said moving into the bathroom and freshening up. This was our routine. The sex was very boring, but it was sex. I deserved sex, and lots of it. I was a very sexual and sensual woman in my prime, and I wanted to enjoy it. Like I said, the hassle of getting another guy cleared was too much, so I had to work with what I had, and right now it would be the very boring in bed James.
The next day I had Sunday lunch planned with the girlfriends. We sat around the table of a lovely outdoor restaurant inside a luxurious hotel c
omplex in Beverly Hills. At least I felt like I wasn’t wasting my nice flower-print circle-skirt dress with my broad-rimmed hat with a leather band around it. I wore white pumps and topped it off with a small white purse. I wanted to dress up because I felt like I had wasted my outfit with James the night before.
“Killer hat and dress, Melody,” Sally said.
“Thank you, I am glad that you noticed. I felt like dressing up a bit today. You know, just to break the boredom,” I said.
“How can you be bored? You are the daughter of the president, for god’s sake,” Gloria said.
“Oh it is possible,” I said. “Do the same thing all the time, and before you know it, it is very boring.”
"I'm so glad we were able to meet this Sunday. We've all been too busy to meet up the last two weeks,” Gloria said as she sat down at the table.
"Oh good, we're all here. Mimosas?” Sally said, waving the waiter over.
"Yes, please. I need a drink after the awful date I had last night,” I said.
"What? Who are you dating that is so awful? I thought you were still with James?” Gloria said.
"I am. It was an awful date with James,” I said, smiling to the waiter as he put mimosas down in front of us. I took a large drink and sighed.
"How is that possible? James is so damn hot, and he's perfect,” Sally said.
"Yes, he is perfect, on paper. That is all. He is not perfect anywhere else; trust me,” I said to them.
"Oh, Melody, you are just too picky. Any woman would die to be dating James, and you are. You always find something wrong with every single man you date. James is perfect, and yet you say that he is boring. Maybe you're not trying hard enough to make the night fun,” Sally said.
"What should I do? Acrobatics?” I said.
Gloria laughed really hard. “You nearly made me spit out my mimosa,” she said wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin.
"Well it's true,” I said. “Why should I have to try to make it fun? It should just be fun naturally don't you think? I have had passion in my life before, and fun. I know what it's like,” I said.
"When?" Sally asked.
"When I was a teenager. When no one knew or cared who I was, I was simply me. I had really hot sex with Seth Ingram in the back of his Mustang. Now that was passion. That was fun,” I said.
"Oh… Seth Ingram, the bad boy at school,” Gloria said. She had grown up with me and was my closest friends. Sally was a friend from college, but she knew me after my father was governor. Gloria had known me before my father was anything.
I sighed, “Yes, he was a bad boy. He was filthy,” I said.
"Of course he was, his father was a mechanic, and he would help him,” Gloria laughed making a joke.
"Oh, I see. The bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. I can see how that can be very hot,” Sally said.
"Yes, it was that. But it was something more. It was Seth. And he did what he wanted, when he wanted. He was very exciting to be around. Something always happened when you were with him, something unexpected and fun. Sometimes even dangerous,” I said reminiscing and finding myself getting turned on by the memories.
"Oh yes, like that time that he made you sit in the passenger seat while he drag raced on that country road? That was stupid and dangerous. That should not turn you on,” Gloria said.
"I can't help it if it did. I guess I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” I said.
"You writers are always romanticizing life and wanting it to be this big, grand adventure. You have to get real sometime. And you know what is real? James. He is someone that can be a great family man and has the right Pedigree to be…”
"Be the husband of the President's daughter, right? You sound just like my father now,” I said to her.
"I think we already need another round,” Gloria said sensing the tension building between the opposing view that Sally and I always had.
"I'm just saying,” Sally said shrugging her shoulders. “I won't speak of it again.”
"Thank you,” I said picking up the menu.
"Do you know what you really mean? You need a really good hike on your own to clear your mind,” Gloria said. She was the yoga teacher, a mystical type. She always thought that nature could solve every problem in your life.
"That isn't an easy thing to do when I have my father’s security following me everywhere. See,” I said pointing across the patio where two men in black stood like statues outside the restaurant.
"I'm sure you can figure something out. I know a great place to hike in the Pacific Palisades. The security detail can stay in the lot, and you hike up to the top of the cliff. It is a great view of the ocean and very isolated, especially if you go there before everyone gets off of work. No one will bother you out there. You can go and meditate and figure out this whole romance thing and what you really want,” Gloria said.
"Who is the one on the right?” Sally said, still looking at my security detail. We all laughed hard.
"Or you can take Sally along to distract your security,” Gloria joked.
"Tell me where it is. Maybe I'll go tomorrow. I have some time, and I have a new article that I need to write so maybe I at least could get an article out of it,” I said to Gloria.
She clapped her hands cheerfully and began to type out a text on her phone, the information about the hike, and sent it to me.
That's how I ended up standing on the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean while a winged creature came toward me.
"Who are you? What are you?” I said as he continued to move toward me. I wanted to scream as loud as I could, but with the crashing ocean, I wasn't sure if the security detail would hear me. Of all days to convince them to let me hike alone, of course it was today that I actually needed their help.
"Stop! I'll scream,” I said to him.
He smirked a sideways smirk and showed brilliant white teeth. ”Go ahead.”
I sucked in a sharp breath of fresh air ocean air, “You speak English?” I said
"Of course I speak your language. It has become a necessity for all of us,” he said as he continued to take steps toward me.
"Don't come any closer!” I shouted.
He stopped in his tracks and stared at me. He looked me up and down. He took liberty in staring at every inch of my body. He stared at my feet allowing his eyes to move up my legs toward my hips over my stomach, lingered on my breasts, and then finally moved up to my face. I suddenly felt very turned on by this move, and I did not know why. I felt ashamed Buy it. Why would I suddenly feel so damn turned on whenever I was in danger? It couldn't be the fact that I liked adventure and was a bit of a thrill seeker, because this was way beyond being with my high school sweetheart in the back of his Mustang. This was serious.
"Do you still not want me to come toward you?” the winged man said.
"No,” I whispered. I put my hand over my mouth, shocked at my response. “I mean that's not what I meant. I don't know why I said that. Stay away from me,” I said in a panic.
To my surprise, he laughed loudly. “Which is it? Do you want me to come to you, or do you want me to stay away?” he said as his eyes burned through my skin. I felt like he was invading my mind. I suddenly had no control. “Come to me,” he whispered sensually.
"Yes, I will come to you,” I said as I slowly and seductively walked toward him. When I was halfway to him, I stopped. “What the hell am I doing?” I said confused by the fact that I was willingly going to him.
"You are harder to get through than most from my experience,” he said cocking his head to the side. “I like that about you, human female," he said.
"What do you mean harder to get through? Who are you? What do you want?” I said still feeling a slight urge to go to him. I was fighting it with every fiber of my being.
"I am called Cylo Hydros. I am a Draqua.”
"Are you saying that you are alien? You are not from Earth?” I asked, feeling my heart racing.
"I am not from Earth. Now, don't you wan
t me, human female? Say that you want me.”
"I want you,” I said stepping toward him. I moved right into his arms. I placed my hands on his strong test and moved them upward, slowly, feeling every single strong muscle underneath his skin. It was then that I realized the patterns on his arms were not tattoos; it was more like an imprint of scales, but they were not hard. It was just a design on his skin, but it glistened in the sunlight. His very large hands went to the small of my back and filled my body with warmth. I felt my nipples growing hard as I pressed them against his chest. I was growing wet between my legs; I was wild with desire. My hands moved up on top of his shoulders, and I moved my head back, arching up, expecting and waiting for a kiss. He smiled arrogantly. It was this arrogant smile that pulled me out of the daze that I was in. I pushed against his chest and move backward.
"What the hell was that? I did not mean to do that. What are you doing to me?” I asked, angry and frightened at the same time.
