“But shouldn’t you…you know…go to the ladies’ showers?” I ask, my breath coming up a bit short.
“These are the ladies’ showers,” Nalani answers as she shimmies her dance shorts down over her hips. And if she’s anything like the other dancer I dated, she’s most certainly not wearing anything under them.
“Then uh where’s the guy’s?” I ask unevenly as I stand. Trying not to think too hard about that fact that Nalani is standing an arm’s length from me, and probably naked from the waist down.
“Here too,” she replies as she pulls the loose top off over her head, and tosses it into a bin labeled launder above the one labeled footwear before turning back to face me. “They’re communal showers.”
“What?” I ask as my hakama pants slip down to the floor.
Nalani stands before me completely naked, an amused smirk on her lips. The only thing covering her skin the IdentiBand, and a small trillion-shaped adhesive device on her breast bone just below her chest. “Communal, as in everyone shares the same—”
“I know what communal means,” I snap indignantly, trying to shake my head clear. But I can’t stop staring at her. At the way her boobs look as though they’re being held tight to her body by invisible hands.
Nalani arches an eyebrow. “What, you never seen a ForceBra before?” she asks as she presses her finger to the trillion-shaped device. Her boobs bounce, almost seeming to double in size once freed from the invisible force field.
Oh, I have. Just not holding in quite so much.
“Of course I have,” I state as I desperately rack my brain for a way to direct the conversation away from her body. In particular, parts of it I’d very much like to run my hands across. “I was just wondering about the…bins.”
“The bins?” Nalani questions dubiously.
“Yeah, what are those about?” I ask with mock interest.
An amused grin tugs at the edges of her lips. “It’s real simple. Your footwear goes in the bin labeled footwear,” she says, tapping the bottom bin. “Anything you want cleaned goes in the bin labeled launder,” she continues, tapping the large center bin. “And everything else goes in the third bin,” she finishes as she peels the trillion-shaped device from her skin and drops it in the top bin.
“Oh,” I answer stupidly.
With an amused snort, Nalani moves past me—her chest bouncing with each step—and I realize just how much her ForceBra was compensating for the sheer volume of her boobs.
She stops as she reaches the doorway that leads to the showers, placing a hand on her naked hip. “You coming, Moon Boy?” she asks with a challenging smile, her eyes alight. “Or are you afraid you won’t measure up?”
I hesitate as I step into the steam-filled grey stone room. Ryder and Ollie are already occupying the open-backed stalls along one wall of the four-stall communal shower, and Nalani’s taken the stall opposite Ollie. So the only stall left is the one beside her. Fekk. I’m considering waiting until they’re finished, but the challenging look Nalani throws me makes it impossible to back down. If I do, I’ll never hear the end of it.
I sigh, entering the stall beside her. But as the water turns on the design flaw of the communal shower becomes immediately apparent. Because the only thing separating me from Nalani’s naked body is a few centimeters of steam covered glass. And trust me, the glass isn’t nearly fogged up enough to prevent me from seeing every single tempting curve of her glorious body. Her sleek, strong, dancer’s legs, surpassingly long for someone who’s probably only a hundred and fifty centimeters tops. Her pleasingly wide hips, starting the bottom of her hourglass shape. The perfect C-curve of her—
Gods, her ass is perfect.
I try to think about anything other than the water sliding across her naked body, but I can’t seem to manage it. I’ve never been this close to a naked woman I wasn’t fekking—or in the case of Amber almost fekking—and it’s nearly impossible to smother the urges raging through my body right now.
As if she knows, Nalani runs her shower poof over the large curve of her breast. The soapy water snaking its way down to the edge of her torso. And I feel myself go rigid.
Fekk! I look away, but I only last a few Terra-secs before I can’t help but look back. But it’s the worst mistake I could have made, because now she’s sliding the poof along the indent between her hip and abdomen, and going lower.
Double fekk!
Her eyes shift to me as she slides the poof across to the other side of her body.
I lean past the glass. “You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?” I state unevenly.
“Doing what?” she questions as she bends forward, her fingers reaching all the way to her feet. Giving me a perfect view of her—
It takes every shred of restraint in my body to turn around, and go back to my own stall. Taking a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think about all the least sexy things possible. But no matter what I try, nothing seems to make me less hard.
My eyes slide open as the water in Nalani’s stall shuts off, but she’s only moved to join Ryder in the stall across from me. She gestures animatedly to him and a second later I realize they’re speaking in VSL—Versal Sign Language.
As Nalani notices me watching them, a mischievous smile tugs at her lips. She signs something to him before moving into his stall, placing her hands against the shower wall. He shoots me a curious look before following after her. As Ryder lifts the soapy poof, sliding it down her back, my heart begins to race so fast I can feel it everywhere. And I mean everywhere.
Nalani moves her head slightly, looking back at me over her shoulder, and a wicked grin spreads across her lips. She grabs Ryder’s hand, and pushes it into the small of her back. Seeming to understand exactly what she needs, he begins to push his thumbs into her skin.
“Yes, right—right there…” she practically moans as she arches her back.
I dig my nails into my palms, my body aching desperately to be the one touching her. And I’m really not sure how much more of this I can take before things get…embarrassing.
And as if sensing this, Nalani turns to face Ryder. “Thank you. That was exactly what I needed,” she purrs as she presumably signs the same things with her hands.
Nalani shoots one more quick glance in my direction before rising up onto her tiptoes, and kissing him on the cheek. The shiny cherry on top of her tease sundae.
I just stare at her open-mouthed as she slinks out of the showers with a smug spring in her step. After a long moment, Ryder taps me on the shoulder to get my attention, and then signs something to me.
“I’m sorry I don’t speak VSL,” I reply distractedly.
“He’s asking if this is your first time in a communal shower?” Ollie translates for me.
“Why does he ask that?” I question unevenly as I pull my attention away from Nalani’s fantastic ass.
Ryder signs to Ollie whose eyes drift down the front of me before drifting back up to mine. “He says because you look hard enough to punch a hole through this wall.”
Five
KEALAN
Ryder and Nalani move across the floor of the rehearsal studio, running through their sensual duet for the third time, while the ensemble dancers take a breather. The choreography so intimate that even though they’re clothed it’s even more supernova than any porno could ever be. My heart starts racing again just like in the showers and—
Oh for fekk’s sake body, seriously, now?
I shift my body.
“Oh what I wouldn’t give to fekk her just once,” Tarou states suddenly from beside me.
I nearly choke on my coffee. “Pardon?”
Ze gives me a dubious look. “Oh come on, like you haven’t been thinking it since you got on this ship.”
I shift my body again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tarou’s eyes drift down the length of me, and then back up. “You can lie all you want, but your body’s outing you, sahavi.”
I huff out an
exasperated sigh. “Fine, I’ll admit it, I’m attracted to her. But who wouldn’t be with hips like hers?” I state as I look back toward her and Ryder. And it’s just my horrid luck that it’s one of the sensually erotic sequences of the dance that’s coming up next.
Ryder lifts Nalani up by her upper hips so her knees slide to either side of his torso. She holds the position for a long moment before she leans back, unfurling her body. Her upstage leg extending out to a point as his hands slide along her ass to the small of her back. She rolls her body up and then back down several times before Ryder lowers her back onto her hands. Nalani moves seamlessly into a perfect stag split handstand that would put any gymnast to shame, and holds it while Ryder does a short solo.
I divert my attention back to Tarou before the dance moves into an even more alluring sequence. Though I’m beginning to wonder just what exactly the show is about. “So is it just her, or…?”
“Am I into girls too?” Tarou finishes. “I am, but even if I wasn’t I’d definitely be into her. I mean have you seen her ass?”
“Among other things,” I answer unevenly as I remember how perfectly heart-shaped it was when she bent over in the shower. My eyes drift back to the stage area.
Nalani rises up on one pointed toe as her other leg extends out to the side. And as she looks over toward Ryder, he runs his hand along the bottom of her extended leg. Bending her legs in a split that well exceeds one hundred and eighty degrees as his other hand slides along her body to cup her breast.
Holy fekk she’s flexible.
“She seems pretty into him?” I comment unevenly as I pull my eyes away from them, not wanting to have to watch the next part.
“Ryder? It’s probably because he’s safe.”
“Safe?” I question before taking a sip of my coffee.
Tarou gives me an amused look. “He’s gay.”
Hir words sink in as I force myself not to turn back to the designated stage area. “But in the showers they seemed so…”
“You took a shower with her? Damn you’re brave. I don’t think I could deal with that level of temptation,” Tarou admits, hir brows rising.
“Yeah, well it wasn’t planned, trust me.”
Tarou studies me for a long moment before standing. “Well, word to the wise, don’t try anything. Last guy to touch her without her permission wound up with a hand full of broken fingers.”
My eyebrows rise up. “Seriously?”
“You don’t grow up among burlesque dancers on Awai Sashai without learning more than a little hand-to-hand defense.”
“She grew up with burlesque dancers?” I ask in surprise.
“That’s what I heard—” Tarou states, hir eyes drifting back to the stage area. “And you just missed the cue.”
“Wait, what?” I whip my eyes back toward Nalani and Ryder.
“Come on, Moon Boy! What the fekk am I paying you for?” Nalani shouts from the stage area.
“Sorry,” I fumble the tablet, nearly dropping it along with my coffee before I push the audio.
“Wrong!” she calls out loudly. I hit another place in the show’s script. “Wrong again.” I try a third one. “Not even remotely—were you even paying attention to where we were in the show?”
Heat rushes to my face as she leaves the stage area, and moves purposely toward me and Tarou. Nalani let’s out a heavy sigh as she reaches us. “Look, I know Tarou’s really distracting.”
“Thanks, Nalani,” ze interrupts with a huge grin.
“You’re welcome, now go get your cute butt on stage,” she commands with an indulgent smile as Tarou trots off toward the stage area. Nalani turns her attention back to me. “But really, Mishra, it’s not that hard,” she states as she stands in front of me, her back bumping up against my body.
Oh it’s hard, believe me, I comment in my head as I pray to Daenara that Nalani doesn’t notice how revved up I am at the moment.
“All you have to do is follow along with the script,” she continues as she grabs my right hand, bringing it alongside her body so my thumb grazes her breast.
I suck in a sharp breath as my heart kicks up the throttle. Oh, gods, there’s no fekkin’ way she won’t be able feel it now.
“And press the screen to play the next piece of music so we can rehearse,” she finishes as she presses my index finger to the tablet, starting the audio track. Her soft skin against mine is like an electric jolt racing through my body. And her closeness only makes it worse.
“That was mean,” I say unevenly, my whole body tense.
“Well then pay attention, and don’t screw up in the future,” Nalani states as she watches the dancers on stage. Seemingly oblivious to the effect she’s having on me.
Or is she?
“No, I meant about teasing me like you did yesterday,” I state as I rub my thumb against the edge of her hand where it still rests atop mine. My lips close to her ear. “When we were naked in the showers,” I continue, breathing her in. Gods, she even smells incredible.
Nalani sucks in a shuddering breath as my lips brush lightly across her ear lobe. And impossibly her intoxicating scent seems to increase. I’ve always been drawn to the way they smell, but the other girls were nothing like this. Even Amber never smelt this good.
My left hand slides slowly over Nalani’s hip. “Did you mean it as an invitation, when you bent over like that?” I purr into her ear, my lips dancing across her skin.
Nalani bolts away from me so fast her horns collide with my bruised cheek. She whips around to stare at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “You’re just vexed I didn’t fall for those pretty blue eyes of yours.”
A crooked smile spreads across my lips as I rub my sore jaw. “You think I have pretty eyes?” A flustered blush tints her cheeks scarlet, and my grin spreads wider. “Oh I was wrong. You really, really like them,” I tease as I lean toward her.
Nalani opens her mouth, and then clamps it back shut again.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to say it. Your face already has.”
She scowls at me, and with a huff, shoves the tablet into my chest. And I try desperately to suppress my growing smile as she storms away toward the stage area.
I round the corner of the lockers heading toward the showers after another long nine-hour day of rehearsal, and run smack into a short, familiar female form.
Nalani collides with me so hard she bounces back, landing on her ass. “Sorry, I—” she stops when she realizes it’s me. “Oh, it’s you.”
I try desperately to ignore the very revealing position she’s in, and quickly offer her my hand. But she just scowls at it. I sigh, “I don’t bite, you know.” I extend my hand a bit farther, and she finally takes it.
After I pull her easily to her feet, she just sort of stands there with an odd expression on her face. I lean in. “Well...not unless you want me too that is,” I offer with a mischievous smile.
Nalani pulls her hand from mine like I might be poisonous. “In your dreams, Moon Boy.”
“Oh, you’re in them for sure,” I continue playfully. But my smile quickly sours.
Unease and anxiety roll off Nalani in waves, and it finally seems to hit me that we’re standing naked in a locker room. And that I’m considerably larger than her. And even more importantly—that she’s the only thing between me and Ensign Asshat jetting me out into space, which means I really shouldn’t get on her dark side.
Fekk.
I run my hand back through my hair. “Look…Nalani—”
“That’s Miss Kirikiri,” she corrects sharply.
“Fine, Miss Kirikiri,” I amend. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard about me back on Awai Sashai, but I have never, and would never take advantage of you or any other girl.”
Nalani crosses her arms under her chest defensively. “If you’re trying to tell me you’ve never fekked—”
“Oh I have plenty. But every one of them was a very willing participant, trust me,” I state without a shred of conceit. “I may
be an unabashed bed-jumper, but I don’t want it ever said that I was the source of someone’s regrets.”
I shift my weight, moving my body even farther away from hers. “Now it’s clear I’ve made things uncomfortable between us, and I’m sorry for that.” Nalani gives me a dubious look. “Really I am. I thought I was just following your lead, but apparently I read your signals wrong. So this is me, backing off,” I state as I put my hands up in a calming gesture. Finally moving my gaze back to hers. “But if you ever want to take up this little game again you just let me know. Until then I’ll treat you like my own sister.”
Nalani is silent for a long moment before she asks deadpan, “You’ve stood around having naked conversations with your sister?”
“I… We’re twins, so yes, but not anytime recently I can promise you that,” I reply in a flustered rush.
Nalani’s eyes travel down below my waist, and her eyebrows arch slowly. “Does that also happen when you’re having these naked conversations with your sister?” I don’t even have to look down to know what she’s referring to.
Heat rushes instantly to my face like I’m a twelve-year old boy again. “Like I said, naked conversations with Kaela are a thing of the past, and—wait, are you smiling?”
A small quirk of a smile tugs at her lips. “No,” she lies.
I fold my arms self-consciously across my chest. “Might I point out it’s a perfectly natural biological response to a supremely beguiling stark naked woman.”
“You think I’m beguiling?”
“You do realize me and nearly every other guy in the cabaret would spent a night with you in a heartbeat if you’d let us, right?”
Nalani leans closer, her boobs spilling over her crossed arms. “Would you really?”
I lean forward as well. “Just say the word—any place, any time.”
She runs her teeth temptingly over her bottom lip before arching an eyebrow. “But I thought you were pretending I was your sister?”
My mouth drops open as Nalani slinks past me. Her hips swaying seductively with each step.
“Did you just get cock-blocked by your own analogy?” Tarou asks as ze steps out of the showers and into the locker room. Confirming my hunch that ze’s anatomically male.
Cosmic Cabaret Page 30
