by Zoey Draven
Eve froze. It wasn’t the first time that Genni had thrown her inheritance in her face, but she’d never done it so directly and with so much disgust in her voice.
She was so stunned and hurt that her ‘friend’ would even say something like that, knowing how much her father’s death still cut her.
But she recovered quickly and said, in a controlled tone, “I’m not going to talk to you when you’re like this, Genni. Enjoy your party.”
Then she disconnected the call with a deliberate swipe of her hand.
Eve knew that Genni had a temper and she knew that come morning, her friend would probably call back and apologize profusely for saying something so hurtful. But Eve was tired of it, she was tired of pretending that it was okay.
She sighed, taking a moment to compose herself before she wrapped up the delicate book for the night. When she got her emotions under control, she did just that before closing up Mr. Wrenton’s shop. It was only a short walk to the tram and only a ten minute ride to the Garden District.
And once she reached her townhouse, she shook off the slight chill in the air. It was the Programmers’ way of saying the season was about to change and Eve was glad for it. She preferred colder weather.
For some reason, the moment she entered the townhouse, she went into her father’s study…now her own. It was where he had often spent his nights before dinner, pouring over his business transactions, or researching fair market prices for his goods among the colonies, or calculating how much fuel he would require on his next drop.
Eve opened the top drawer and opened the letter she’d read over a hundred times since his death. It was her inheritance contract, which her father had written out, by hand, himself. At the time of his death, the amount he’d left her had been 58,980 credits, but it was now well over 80,000 through investment. Including the townhouse, his precious antiques, and the two cargo ships that were currently sitting vacant and unused in Port, her net worth was well over 400,000 credits.
She’d never touched a single one.
Genni accused her of being rich…and in her own way, Eve was. But what Eve didn’t appreciate was Genni implying that she didn’t work hard because of it.
She worked just as hard as Genni, worked just as many hours at her job, if not more.
She’s just frightened, Eve needed to remind herself. It was a chilling prospect to be a woman, alone, with no family, and aging on Everton if you didn’t have an inheritance or ample savings.
It’s not an excuse, Eve thought. It doesn’t give Genni the right to say hurtful things.
She sighed, feeling her chest squeeze as she read over her father’s written words.
The last line of the inheritance contract always made her cry and right then was no different.
It read: And lastly, I give you my love, so that it will be with you always.
Eve closed her eyes, wiping her cheek, before carefully folding and tucking the paper away. It was, perhaps, one of the most precious things to her. Her father had never written anything down in handwriting. Handwriting was almost as dated and old as the antiques he’d surrounded himself with. But, it was as if he’d known how comforting it would be to her to have her inheritance contract written so.
Handwriting was special. It was as different and unique as a fingerprint and she had three pages worth of her father’s.
Eve left the study, carefully closing the door behind her. Sometimes it felt like she lived in a museum of her father’s things, but she’d allowed that to happen. When she was still surrounded by his things, sometimes she could pretend that he was still with her.
It was entirely possible that he was still alive. His cargo ship had never been found, thought to be destroyed by meteors. And for a long time, Eve had held onto that hope. But every passing year tamped some of that hope down, farther and farther into her chest.
He’d never been declared dead, only missing.
But Eve knew.
Deep down inside, she knew that he was gone. She could feel it. And for some reason, that night, that knowledge hit her harder than it had before. And maybe it was because she’d just had a fight with her only friend, but the loneliness that night was debilitating. It was crushing.
40 more hours, she thought sometime later, after she’d eaten and had her cup of tea by the fire and once she was dried up of her tears.
Only 40 more hours until she could see him.
And maybe then, she might not feel so alone in the universe anymore.
Chapter Ten
Eve wore another of her silk dresses that night. It was a deep indigo blue that she thought complimented her skin tone and instead of capped sleeves, the dress was held up by thin straps that bared her shoulders. It was slightly more low cut than her others, dipping into a deep ‘V’ and her hands shook as she adjusted the fit, remembering the feel of Khiva’s warm tongue on her breasts.
She left her hair down and even added a little rouge to her lips. When she looked in the mirror that night, she didn’t see a great Everton beauty, but she thought she looked pretty. Her eyes gleamed with nerves but her chest rose in excitement.
The driverless car was waiting outside for her at six and when Eve arrived to Madame Allegria’s, twilight was just breaking over Everton.
Valerie greeted her once again, but instead of stopping her, she simply led her over to the elevator and said, “He is waiting for you.”
Eve shivered in the elevator on her way up to the third floor, goosebumps breaking over her skin.
And right then, she allowed herself to finally acknowledge what was going to happen that night.
Eve would finally lose her virginity. She would experience sex for the first time, to an alien male who she hardly knew, but who she was madly attracted to.
The hallway seemed to stretch for ages as Eve’s heart thundered in her chest, but shortly, she arrived at the wood door, with its gold geometric lines.
When Eve entered the room, it was just as before. It was dark, with that addicting incense burning, mixing with Khiva’s own natural scent. The fire was flickering in the hearth, warming the small room.
Unlike last time, however, Khiva was standing near the window, not sitting in the armchair. He turned when he heard her open the door and her attraction to him hit her like a punch in the gut.
Immediately, he crossed the distance between them, that trilling sound working its way up his throat. Eve’s stomach fluttered when he caught her around the waist, pressing her back into the closed door. His large palm cupped the nape of her neck and he molded the front of his body against her.
It felt very…dominant. Very possessive. But she liked it.
“H-hi,” she whispered, her throat tight with desire.
“Evelyn,” he rasped.
Eva-leen.
His pupils were wide and dark and Eve swallowed, hesitantly running her hand over his forearm, feeling the gliding sheen of a light oil. For the first time, she wondered if this was his room, where he slept and spent his time. Did he put that oil on by the fire before she arrived? Or perhaps in the washroom, which she hadn’t seen yet.
Then, Khiva jerked. His grip on her neck loosened slightly and he immediately stepped back, giving her space. Eve’s brow furrowed in slight confusion and she straightened from the door.
“Forgive me, leeldra,” he rasped, inhaling a short breath. “I forget myself.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
His jaw ticked, but his eyes never left her. “I touch you like an untried male during his first Rut.”
Untried male? First Rut?
“I don’t mind,” she said softly, understanding what he was saying though she might not understand his words. “I would rather you act naturally with me, Khiva, even though I’m your…client.”
“Even so, I forget my manners,” he continued, tilting his head forward slightly. “Good evening, leeldra.”
Eve couldn’t stop the small smile that crossed her lips. “Good evening, Khiva.”
<
br /> Some of the tension drained from his shoulders and he reached out to touch her hair. “Are you hungry? Shall I send for your meal?”
Truthfully, Eve hadn’t eaten much that day, too excited and anxious to eat. But right then, she wasn’t all that hungry either, her stomach too swamped with butterflies.
“Maybe after,” she said softly, finding the courage to hold those beautiful eyes.
Khiva growled, closing the remaining space between them. “Pax? Will it be this night then?”
Her cheeks warmed when his hands slid down her sides, cupping her hips before pulling her more firmly into his body. His cock was already hard.
“Yes,” she said.
Khiva closed his eyes at the word and she felt his cock actually jump against her. But if Eve was expecting him to get right into it and immediately push her back onto the bed, she was sorely mistaken.
“Come,” he murmured, drawing her forward, towards the door, which she assumed led to the washroom. And she was right.
But what she hadn’t expected was for it to be as large as it was. The most massive, claw-footed bathtub—an old style that Eve knew was hard to come by—sat off in the left corner and next to it was a glass enclosed, walk-in shower. A double vanity was set below an ornate gold mirror. The lighting was dark, but it made it feel…intimate. Cozy.
Eve tilted her head in slight confusion when Khiva stepped past her to turn on the faucet over the bathtub.
“You…want me to wash?” she asked, wondering if this was required before sex.
He made a slightly chortling noise in his throat and when he was satisfied with the temperature, he returned to her. “The hot water will help relax your muscles, leeldra,” he purred, his fingers slipping under the thin straps of her dress.
Eve’s lips parted, realization hitting her. “Oh, I see.”
“We will need you as relaxed as possible,” he continued, rounding behind her. He brushed aside her hair so that it fell over her shoulder and she swallowed thickly when she felt his lips gently touch the side of her exposed neck.
Her hands trembled at her sides, watching the tub fill slowly with half-lidded eyes, as Khiva continued to kiss her bare skin, starting at her sensitive neck before trailing his lips to her bare shoulder.
“Your scent, Evelyn,” he rasped against her. “I cannot get enough of it.”
Slowly, he pushed the straps off her shoulders, the loose dress sliding a little bit. She wasn’t wearing a bra that night due to the slim straps, so when Khiva tugged the bodice down a little more, her breasts sprang free as the dress fell around her round hips, where it caught and held.
He growled. He could see her nipples over her shoulder since he towered over her. Immediately, his warm hands cupped them and Eve moaned softly, goosebumps trailing over her arms at his touch.
She clutched at his strong forearms when he tweaked both of her nipples. He murmured something, something not in English, against her neck like he was pleased, but then his hands left her breasts before he swiftly unhooked the back of her dress.
It fell in a pile at her feet, the warm, humid air in the washroom brushing over her exposed skin. The tub was almost half-full right then and Khiva helped her out of her heels before he promptly rid her of her panties.
When he rounded her, his eyes were flickering over her nude body. Her breaths were coming out quick, a part of her wanting to raise her arms in self-consciousness. He was the only male she’d been naked with, but the way he looked at her…she knew that she had no reason to try to hide her body. The look in his gaze was all desire and that did amazing things for her confidence.
“You are…” he rasped, sweeping her from head-to-toe, before his eyes connected with her own. “Vellka. Beautiful.”
Warmth pooled in her stomach, pleased by his words though they also embarrassed her. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments, much less from attractive males.
A little, ugly voice in her head reminded her that she was paying for his time, that it was in his best interest to say pretty things to ensure that she returned, which was probably what Madame Allegria trained all the Krave to do.
It was still business, after all.
No, she thought, shutting down that trail of thought.
Though she hardly knew him, Eve knew that Khiva wouldn’t say those things just for business. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes. She might be a virgin, but she knew what that look meant. She’d seen it plenty in the eyes of men whenever they looked at attractive, beautiful women.
He made her feel beautiful…and because of that, she felt beautiful that night.
She wouldn’t allow her own insecurities ruin that feeling for her.
Eve gasped, arching her neck up, when he suddenly stepped forward to kiss her. Immediately, his tongue swept into her mouth and she sighed, feeling her head swim. He kissed her so well, driving out all lingering doubts from her mind, and by the time he pulled back, she was clutching onto his shoulders, on her tiptoes.
The sound of splashing water made them look over at the tub.
“Vauk,” he cursed when he saw it overfilling. Quickly, he turned off the faucet, draining some of the water so that it wouldn’t spill out when she got in. Then he returned to her, catching her by the lips again as if he couldn’t stand to be parted from her.
As he was kissing her senseless, he undressed, pushing off his loose black pants and tugging off the shirt that molded to him like a second skin, briefly parting from her so he could get it over his head.
“Oh,” Eve gasped in surprise when she suddenly found herself swung up in his arms. Her breasts were pressed against his chest as he carried her over to the bathtub.
She realized why it was so big. It was because it was meant to accommodate the size of a Keriv’i. Khiva settled against the back of the tub and pulled her between his legs, so that her back was against his front.
Eve’s eyes fluttered shut as she sank down into the hot water, feeling her tightened muscles immediately begin to loosen. That wasn’t all she felt, however. Khiva groaned against her as her backside settled over his hard cock. She could actually feel him throbbing against her skin.
“I cannot wait until I am inside you, leeldra,” he rasped against her. “Until I cum inside your cunt and make you moan for me.”
Eve’s breath hitched, feeling those crude, arousing words pool between her legs. Slowly, her head fell back against his chest as his hands trailed down the front of her body. She made a little sound when his fingers brushed her nipples, jerking in his lap.
Then she held her breath as those fingers dipped lower and lower.
“Khiva,” she whispered, her hands finding his strong, powerful thighs underneath the water. She gripped them as her eyes fluttered shut, as his fingers found her sensitive, pulsing clit. He rubbed her there, in expert little circles, using just the right pressure. “Oh!”
“Do not cum, female,” he murmured against her, his voice so dark that it was unrecognizable, even as he quickened his fingers.
Gone was the male who remembered that she was his client. Gone was the male who had asked her last visit how she wanted to begin, allowing her the lead if she desired it.
This was Khiva, she realized. This dominant, dark, maddening alien male who told her what he wanted…who demanded it. It was Khiva who had pushed her up against the door the moment she’d stepped inside that night. He was not the Krave that took orders from his clients.
She was his plaything for the night, as if he’d paid for her, and that made her belly clench in pleasure.
“Khiva,” she moaned, her tone bordering on desperation as she felt that desire begin to unravel. Her breath came out in rough pants. She’d been aroused almost all day, thinking about him, that it wasn’t going to be long before she did orgasm. “I can’t…I—”
“Do not cum,” he repeated again, his voice bordering on a growl. But he finally took pity on her and stopped playing with her clit. Her body sagged in relief and disappointment a
ll at once.
But her reprieve didn’t last long.
Instead, his fingers slid lower.
Eve’s hips pulsed upwards as one of his long, thick fingers stilled over her entrance. His chest heaved against her back as he murmured into her ear, “I am going to work inside you slowly, pax?”
He could’ve said anything at that moment and Eve would’ve still lolled her head in agreement mindlessly.
Khiva made that pleased sound again and brushed his lips across the shell of her ear, making her shiver and gasp.
And then, he slipped about an inch of his finger inside her.
Immediately, her body tensed, even though it didn’t feel uncomfortable. She’d done much the same to herself, whenever she masturbated, but had been frightened to push any deeper. She was a wimp against pain, but for some reason, Eve trusted Khiva. She knew it would hurt like hell, tearing her hymen, but she trusted him to do it.
He made sure she was comfortable before he pushed deeper, another inch of his finger going in. With his other hand, he slowly began to apply pressure to her clit, flicking the small bud back and forth, until she was squirming. Naturally, her body began to relax and he pushed further.
That was when she felt a twinge.
“Vauk,” he rasped. “You are tight, leeldra.”
How in the world was his cock going to fit inside her if one of his fingers was slightly painful?
But she was determined. “More,” she whispered, rocking her hips against him.
With a growl, he slid his finger deeper and then held, rubbing her clit as she got used to it. He slid out of her, before pushing back in. And after a few more times of that, Eve felt her body clench in pleasure, not discomfort.
“Good,” he murmured, feeling her respond, brushing a kiss across her shoulder blades. Underneath her fingertips, the muscles in his thighs tightened and if possible, his cock felt even larger against her back than before.
Soon, he was working a steady rhythm between her thighs and her moans echoed around the large washroom. Water sloshed out of the bath on both sides, pooling before draining through the floor. And when he added a second finger, stretching her further, it only took her a brief moment of discomfort before she could handle it well.
