by Ana Hunter
″And that's it? The women work in the fields, some men work in the Command Center and that's it?″ Ava asked, fascinated by the simplicity of the life he was describing. No wonder they're so focused on sex, she thought, there was little else to do.
″What else would there be? ″
″Good question. ″ Ava said. She didn't know the answer. Suddenly her life on Earth seemed flawed. If someone had asked her before then she would have said you need to work hard in your career to make money and prove yourself. You need the money to buy things like a nice car, the latest phone and computer. There were a million items waiting for her at home that she had been happy to buy. Now she wondered if people on Earth were doing it right or not.
″So tonight you will stay in my home. ″ Erox informed her as they walked back up to his hut.
″Is there nowhere else I can stay? ″ Ava asked. Her feelings about him were so conflicted. On the one hand, he had saved her, he had shown her around and promised to go to the Command Center and arrange some help for her.
On other hand, he had been very aggressive with the woman in the fields; he loved himself and seemed to believe he was the greatest being there was. But that body, she thought, a lot could be forgiven of someone who looked like that.
″No. Many of my people are still very wary of our relationship with Earth. Although the males here will no doubt struggle with their instincts around you, the females are likely to fear you. ″ Erox said.
″Fear me? Why? ″
″Have you seen them? You look so different than them. You, you have all of this...″ He trailed off and stopped to run his hands gently down her sides, tracing her curves with a hunger in his eyes. Ava couldn't help but shiver. ″Our females, although attractive, they do not have that. Unfortunately. ″
″I noticed that. ″ Ava said quietly, ″It's probably the fact that you all eat only the food that you grow. On Earth, we've forgotten how to do that. ″
″What else can you eat? How can there be food that has not grown from the planet? ″
″Because of machinery, I suppose. We use machines to change our food. Chemicals to create it from scratch. ″
″That doesn't sound right. ″ Erox said.
″Not when I put it like that. ″ Ava laughed, ″But it makes some really tasty snacks. ″
″So, let us return to my hut. ″ He said, ″Food will be brought to us soon, we will show you how much better our food is than this strange manufactured food you eat on Earth. ″
″Ok. It seems I have little choice. ″
It turned out there was more to Erox's hut than Ava had realized. From under the bed, he pulled some small cushions so that they could sit comfortably on the floor.
Then really surprising Ava, he pulled a strange looking little plant out too. It was a tall stalk more than anything with only a couple of small blue flowers attached. Just as she was about to ask what it was, he seemed to flick it on the top and when he moved his hand there was a small flame on the top. Ava gasped, it was a natural candle.
″Wow that's remarkable. We have things like this on Earth, called 'candles' but they're made of a substance call wax. ″
″Another manufactured substance? ″ Erox asked.
″I suppose so. ″ Ava said, ″So now we're just missing the food. ″ Once they had finally stopped moving for the first time since the crash, she was hungry. She knew she should be tired but she was still oddly wired. It was almost impossible to believe that the day had begun with the ship crashing.
″Any moment now. ″
″Will it just appear? ″
″What do you think we can do here? ″ Erox laughed. It was then that Ava heard a voice from outside and a woman walked in holding huge a tray of food.
″Food time. ″ The woman announced with a smile. She walked in slowly, taking in the sight of the two of them sitting in front of her. She placed the tray down beside Erox and excitedly gestured and did hand signaled towards the two of them.
″Should I be scared? ″ Ava whispered.
″Of course not. ″ Erox laughed. Although she had mostly heard him laughing at her his laugh was becoming a pleasantly familiar sound. Erox returned some hand signals and the woman happily left.
″What was that about? ″
″She was saying that she thinks I will soon no longer need her services. ″ Erox explained, ″When a male has not been matched with a female and he lives alone, he has no one to prepare his food. There is a group of women that collects a selected amount of food from the pickers, they prepare it and deliver it to the solitary males such as myself. She said that because you are here, soon they would not be making my food. ″
″I see. She thinks I'll be making your food? ″ Ava said.
″She does. But that does not mean that you will. It is your free choice. ″
″Yes, it is. ″ Ava said.
″Although I am certain of what you will choose. ″ He winked.
″Me too. ″ Ava replied dryly.
″Let us begin. ″ He pulled the tray between the two of them and began to explain what they had, ″You will enjoy this. This is Breetes. It is our staple food, like your... grains I believe? And This is Kosches, much like your vegetables. ″
″Interesting. I've never seen a blue vegetable before. ″ Ava laughed. She looked at her portion and although she was hungry, it didn't look all that appetizing. Something about items of food she couldn't spell or even pronounce properly was off putting in a way foreign food never was.
″This is mostly what we eat. ″
″Maybe this is why we learned to make other foods on Earth, for variety. ″
″Perhaps. ″ Erox smiled, ″You will soon learn to appreciate our simple foods.″
″Hopefully I won't be eating them for long. ″ Ava said.
″I wonder, what is it that makes you so hurried to return to Earth? ″ Erox asked.
″Seriously? My whole life. ″ Ava said, ″I have a nice house. I have a job that I've worked so hard for and I'm finally getting somewhere. And when I get back I'll be a hero, especially when they find out what happened. They'll already be wondering since we lost communication. I'll collect what I need and within a week someone will be here to rescue me. ″
Erox ate quietly for a moment, taking the time to consider what he had just heard, ″Maybe by the time they get here, you will not need rescuing.″
″That's sweet. And I will make the most of my time here, I'll learn as much as I can. Then I will be leaving″
″I will do everything I can to help you learn. ″ He said. Ava was about to thank him until she saw the look on his face. He was definitely talking about a different kind of learning than she was thinking. Then again, she thought, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn something very interesting.
″So, just as a theory, as part of my learning, how do Ristites...″ She trailed off, wishing she hadn't asked.
″How do we what? ″
″How do you... have sex? Do you remember when we talked about that word earlier? ″
He nodded and finished chewing the food he'd just put in his mouth.
″Oh, well us males, we have something called a Tok.″ He explained, waving a hand over his groin, ″I think you saw that earlier.″
Ava nodded, remembering Rhobe's Tok.
″Ristite females do not have this, they have Tak, which part of our Tok's fit into. ″
Ava could feel herself blushing, ″It sounds a lot like how we do it on Earth. ″
″That makes sense, we look very similar to your Earth people. ″
″That's true. ″ Ava said, not speaking her thoughts of how much better he looked than most Earth males, ″Wait, you said part of? ″
″Yes. There are two parts of Tok. The bigger part fits into the females Tak and then the there is a part that rubs against the outer part of the female. This is the part that causes the female the most pleasure. ″
Ava did her best to look like she was interested because
this was an educational conversation but it was a struggle when all she wanted to do was ask to see his Tok. She wondered what effect it would have on her own Tak. All of a sudden, hers felt very ready to do some practical research on the subject.
″This is not bad you know. ″ Ava said, becoming more interested than necessary in her food.
″I am happy you like it. ″
″I'll be missing Earth food in no time. ″
″Maybe we can find some way to make up for it. ″ He suggested. They ate quietly for a while. Ava tried to think of some way to begin a conversation to distract herself from the thoughts filling her head after what they had discussed.
On Earth, Ava had always had strong morals; she had stuck to a very high standard at all times. Although she had had a couple of serious relationships, she had never been the kind of woman to sleep with men she didn't know well.
It wasn't that she hadn't been tempted; more that she worried about consequences and being taken seriously. That was why, it surprised her so much how attracted to Erox she felt. He was everything she knew she shouldn't want and yet she wanted to throw down her plate and run her hands all over his rippling abs.
After the food, Ava felt good and refreshed. She knew it was getting late but the lack of darkness outside threw her off.
″Are you ready to sleep? ″
Ava thought about it for a second. She knew she should say yes. Then for once, she gave in to her instincts.
″No. No I don't want to sleep. ″ She said. Whether Erox was truly in tune with what she was feeling or if he just wanted it too, Ava didn't know but she was happy he seemed to know what she meant.
He pushed aside the tray and stood. She thought he was going to reach out a hand to help her up from the floor but instead he reached down and picked her up in the same way he had when he found her.
Without a word, he took her over the bed and lay her down. As he lay down beside her, Ava realized his bed was bigger than she first thought. She turned to face him and finally giving in to the pull she had felt towards him all day long, they kissed. At first it was a gentle meeting of their lips as they both explored something brand new. He didn't disappoint.
His mouth was strong but he had incredible control. When their lips had explored each other’s for a few minutes, he gently pushed his tongue into Ava's mouth. She couldn't help but gasp.
It was the same as a human man's and yet different. It was soft and confident, filling her mouth in a way that made her hungry to be filled somewhere else. Ava moved her hands from his waist further up and felt his toned chest. Spurred on, he explored her breasts over her top.
″Wow. ″ He said, breaking away for a moment, ″This is much better than what I have felt. ″ He said, amazed by the way her breast filled his hand.
″Keep going. ″ Ava sighed and kissed him again. Soon, she felt something against her leg. When she broke their kiss to look down, she saw his Tok straining against his shorts and felt desperation to free it.
As he stroked her nipples through the thin fabric, making her gasp from the sensitivity, she undid his shorts. After she pushed them down, he kicked them off the bed and she lay for a moment, taking in the sight. It was different close up, though just as he had described. It was bigger than any human's she had seen.
″What do you think? ″ Erox asked, playing with the edge of her halter neck.
″I want it. ″
″I have never seen a human woman's Tak before. I am curious. ″
Without another word, Ava pulled off her bikini bottoms and threw it away from the bed. Erox got up and knelt in between her legs.
″That's different. ″ He said, stroking her tidy hair. Ava shivered with how close he was. She looked at his Tok, so close to her. First, he seemed to want to explore.
″May I? ″ He asked.
″Please do. ″ She said.
With a smile, he looked down at her, touching her slowly. Ava moaned as his fingertips grazed her. From the way he touched her, Ava could only guess that Ristite women were built much the same way or he wouldn't be so skilled. The way he stroked her and squeezed at her breasts made her struggle not to moan, knowing the hut wasn't soundproof.
″Go on, I want it. ″ Ava pleaded.
Then they heard something.
″Erox!″ A woman's voice shouted from outside, ″Erox!″ She was suddenly much closer and with an aggressive push, the curtain moved to the side. Ava rushed to cover herself up with her dusty blanket, while being watched by the woman in the doorway. She said nothing but the anger emanated from her, quickly filling the hut.
″Clar, what are you doing? ″ Erox asked. He sounded tired, disappointed. Very different from the sounds he'd been making moments before.
″So it is true. ″ Clar announced, stepping further into the hut. Ava sat up on the bed as Erox sat up and pulled on his shorts.
″Many things are true Clar. ″
″Do not try and use all of your pretend Earth thinking now Erox. ″ Clar said, ″I must say, when I heard you had taken an Earth woman into your home, I was not surprised. ″ She said 'Earth woman' the way Ava might say 'violent thug'.
″Clar, I have done nothing wrong. We are not attached. I have claimed Ava. ″
Ava opened her mouth to argue but Erox shook his head. He already seemed to know her so well. She assumed she could trust he was doing the right thing for both of them.
″When are you going to choose me, Erox? This silly Earth obsession must come to an end soon. ″ Clar said.
″Must it? ″ Erox asked. He nodded towards Ava as if to say she was the result of this supposed obsession, ″I would say that it has worked out well. ″
″You are fooling yourself. ″
″Can I say something? ″ Ava asked.
″I'd really rather you did not. ″ Erox replied, not even turning to look at her.
″Yes, do not bother Earth person. I did not realize how weak your species is. ″ Clar said with a smirk. Ava felt fury rise and struggled to sit quietly alongside Erox the way she knew she was supposed to.
″Can you really call it weakness, when it is this irresistible? ″ Erox asked.
Clar seemed annoyed but had nothing else to say.
″And to say that Ava is weak for wanting me, which again, I do not know how she could not, surely would be saying you are also weak? ″ Erox explained, ″It has been a lot of time since we tested ourselves together and yet you cling to it. ″
″You were the best of a bad lot. ″
Erox laughed so hard, he almost fell off the bed. Ava had no idea whose side she was on in this argument. He was being insufferably arrogant but Clar didn't seem like someone she wanted to get to know better.
″You say this and yet you come in here while Ava and I enjoy some time together. You are angry. ″
Clar seemed to struggle to come up with a response. She stood thinking for a moment in which Ava expected Erox would throw her out but nothing happened.
″I just wanted to illustrate the mistake you are making. ″ Clar said, ″You know you cannot find anything better than this. ″
″That is yet to be discovered. ″ Erox said and gestured towards the doorway.
Clar remained for a moment and then giving up, she stormed from the hut.
″Now, where were we? ″ Erox said, turning back to Ava, he removed his shorts once again.
″What we say at times like this is, 'the moment has passed'. ″ She said and turned to face the wall.
″Ava? Do not let Clar upset you. ″ Erox said, ″Back when she was made available to the males, I visited her. We went all the way and it was acceptable. It was not enough for me. We did not fit. She did not agree. Since then, she has not accepted any other male. She insists I made a mistake. ″ Erox explained.
Still refusing to turn over, Ava asked, ″How do you know you didn't? ″
″I knew my soul mate was someone else. I knew I did not feel right with her, that there was another female out there for me.
″
″Have you found her yet? ″
″I think so. ″
″So why are you here with me? You seem like an odd kind of romantic. ″ Ava asked. She had a feeling she knew who he meant but it made her feel weird. She'd known him for a matter of hours and he seemed to be talking about much stronger feelings than the lust she felt.
″I am still working these things out. ″ Erox said, ″This has a been an intense day. Now is a good time to rest. ″
″You're right. See you tomorrow. ″ Ava said. She was surprised to discover how comfortable his bed was. It hadn't looked like much. And as scary as everything about her life had now become, when Erox snuggled up behind her and wrapped his arm around her, she felt almost safe.
Chapter 4
It took Ava a long moment to work out where she was the next morning. At first, when she woke up she believed she had had the most vivid, long and detailed dream of her life. She thought when she opened her eyes she would be lying in her tiny bed compartment on the ship. Instead she found a strange arm around her waist.
Her first real feeling on her second day on the Planet Ristites was total and utter panic. The previous day had been a hellish one, full of unpredictable twists and turns. It had almost ended perfectly except for Clar bursting in and ruining it. Now that Ava had slept well, she could think more clearly. She was less overwhelmed by her desire for Erox. Sure, he was as gorgeous as he believed himself to be but she had a job to do.
Ava unwound herself from his body and carefully climbed over his legs so she could shower. Already she was beginning to adapt to her surroundings and didn't feel so self-conscious about having to strip in a stranger’s house to take an open shower.
Although Erox had a variety of faults, he was already becoming familiar. The way he had defended her against Rhobe had impressed her and she knew she could count on him to keep her safe, even if meant putting up with his dreadful attitude about himself.
″Hello. May I join you? ″ Erox asked, suddenly only feet away from her. Ava had been too busy washing her hair to notice.
″No.″ She said, struggling against her instincts, ″No, today I need to focus on my mission. ″
