by Tracy Lauren
“Is that it? Is the game done?” I whisper to Dax, who gives me a gentle head butt in response.
“It is done,” he tells me.
“Well, what the hell happened?” I hiss.
“Your traveling companion won,” The Oscillion puts in. “Come, let me buy the two of you a drink.”
I look to Dax and his expression is easier now, happy and playful. He is back to his normal self. I look to The Oscillion and…well, I don’t know what to make of him. I get to my feet, and Dax reluctantly releases the grip his tail has on me, but his hand remains possessively on the small of my back.
Soon we are led to a private table beyond the bar. It’s just the three of us now with the exception of The Oscillion’s guards lingering nearby. A waiter comes and Dax orders something for me. It arrives in a pretty little feminine glass. When the rest of the orders are poured and set out on the table I see a stark contrast between my drink and what the men are having. I turn my glass in my hands, eyeing it uncomfortably.
“Speak freely, Dax, are you here for the Rally?” The Oscillion asks, spinning the contents of his glass.
“To be honest, I have not planned that far ahead in our journey. I came to show V the old training grounds. She is quite the pilot, though she refuses to admit it,” Dax says, praising me.
I cut my eyes to The Oscillion, who is studying me again. “Does that surprise you?” I ask, oddly eager to know how this information affects his perception of me. I can’t stand that he thinks he knows me. Perhaps my vendetta against him is because he actually does seem to see me more clearly than anyone else. At least, more clearly than Dax does. Dax somehow only sees the good in me, or the good he wants to see.
“One of the consequences of rarely being wrong is rarely being surprised.” He shrugs.
I frown and sniff at my drink. It smells syrupy sweet. Dax lifts his own glass to his lips and I reach over and take it from him, slamming the contents like a shot. He cocks his head and watches me with narrowed eyes and an amused smile.
“Didn’t like your drink?” The Oscillion asks. He sounds smug.
“It wasn’t really my style,” I tell him. He smirks and nods to one of his guards. Seconds later a fresh bottle of God knows what is brought to our table with an additional glass. The waiter makes a move to clear my original drink, but Dax scoops it up.
“I am not ashamed to say it is my style,” he announces to the table, sipping at the fluted glass.
The Oscillion doesn’t hesitate to pour me a fresh drink. His pointed, clawed fingertips click against the bottle and glass as he touches them, drawing my attention to his alien features. When he passes me my drink his hand grazes mine. It’s cold to the touch and the contact makes me turn away in discomfort.
“Are you still flying your LWSS? I heard it was locked up in impound for some time,” he says to Dax.
“I am. I’m surprised you knew she was in impound,” Dax replies.
“I can’t imagine there is anyone who did not hear the story of your escapades on Lock VI,” The Oscillion laughs.
“I haven’t,” I put in, still scanning the place. It seems Zair has left and the game of Tilt has resumed without Dax and The Oscillion. A few people have gathered in front of the band and dance to a hedonistic melody. Eventually, my eyes settle on a couple tucked away at a dark little table across the room.
“The story has been greatly exaggerated. It actually all started very simply—”
“I heard it was a bet,” The Oscillion puts in.
“It was more like…helping a friend move,” Dax counters, with laughter in his voice.
But I’m only halfway listening. I’m more interested in the couple across the room. The alien man is leaning toward his date, so much so that it’s like a magnet is drawing him nearer. But she doesn’t flinch or falter. She holds her ground and I see her hands roaming over his body…across his shoulders and his chest, her fingers skimming his jawline and lips. Their body language practically radiates their desire for one another.
“Once we got her in there we realized there was no way to turn around, so I figured the best course of action would be to go straight through…” I vaguely register Dax explaining the escapade that got his ship impounded.
I sip at my drink, the liquid burning my throat on the way down. Enviously, I continue to watch the couple. I am acutely aware of Dax’s protective arm wrapped around me. Unfortunately, I’m also acutely aware of the lack of passion on the part of its owner. Sure, Dax takes care of me, sure he flirts, but it’s in the way a guy would treat his best friend’s sister.
I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this kind of thing right now. I have been crushing on Dax pretty hard lately. He’s just so fun and happy and handsome and so sweet to me all the time. I guess when I saw Zair slide into his lap like she owned it, like she’d been there a hundred times before, it drove me a little bit crazy. I take another sip of my drink and nod at Dax’s exuberant telling of his story.
“At that point we had the supervisor’s cat. Obviously, we could not allow them to board or they’d find the thing. I figured if we could just disguise the animal they would not recognize one cat from the next. Unfortunately, after we dyed it then we could not recognize one cat from the next. Incidentally, that’s why the vandalism charges were filed and not for plowing down the pillars in the main thoroughfare…”
The Oscillion really got under my skin. He was right about everything he said. Zair does have something I don’t. It’s the same thing the woman across the room possesses. I don’t have that fire in me that every single person I’ve met since my abduction seems to have. If I did, maybe I’d still be with the others. Maybe I’d show Dax that I’m not just a prude, but that I can be fun…sexy…desirable…
“And there he was with his pants around his ankles. The only reason he didn’t arrest us on the spot was because he was so embarrassed. I don’t think he would have been able to bear seeing us in the lockdown every day. He took my ship instead and sent us off on a shuttle not more than five minutes later,” Dax tells us.
“And what happened to your cargo?” The Oscillion asks in good humor.
“Delivered safely, of course, sent back to their rightful homes.”
“A saint,” The Oscillion proclaims and he thinks on his words for a moment. “A saint and a goddess traveling together. What a pair…”
I look up at his words, but I don’t speak. I hadn’t thought he recognized me as one of these fabled goddesses.
“What is it that draws your interest so?” he asks, turning to peer at the room. I blush into my drink, knowing he’ll guess I was watching the couple—the couple currently neck deep in a make out session. “There must be a very compelling lampshade somewhere out there to draw your attention away from a story like that.”
“Sorry, just lost in thought,” I say, more to Dax than to The Oscillion. Dax gives me a gentle squeeze, unaffected by my distance.
“I have heard of Dax’s adventures, perhaps you might regale us with some of yours. A goddess likely cannot get far in this galaxy without having a story or two of her own.”
“Nothing so fun as what Dax shared, unfortunately.”
“So, it is unfortunate that you have not had more fun?” The Oscillion questions.
“No…I mean, it is what it is. I’m not here looking for a good time.”
“You’re not? I thought you were here to race, is that not a good time?”
“It is, I just meant—”
“V is not interested in a good time,” Dax tells The Oscillion in an attempt to be helpful. I grit my teeth, trying to conceal the fact that I absolutely hate what he just said. He branded me a prude without even realizing it.
“What did you do for a good time on your home world?” The Oscillion asks. “Something about you tells me you have secrets, and I am betting they are more thrilling than you let on.”
“An astute assessment, Oscillion,” Dax confirms, sipping at the fruity cocktail he hijacked from
me. I follow suit and take another sip of my drink, finishing it.
“I didn’t realize we were stuck in the truth portion of truth or dare. When’s it going to be your turn to share?” I challenge.
“What is truth or dare?” The Oscillion asks, and I instantly regret my choice of words.
“Nothing, it’s just a dumb game,” I tell him.
“Those are my favorite types of games,” Dax delights. “Let’s play.”
I catch myself just before I object, realizing I’ve never actually played truth or dare before. At least, Prudence hasn’t. But here…maybe I can be V. I grab the bottle from the center of the table and top off my glass.
“Careful,” Dax whispers. “There is only one thing I want you hugging tonight and it is not the toilet bowl.”
I look over at him with a smile, feeling tipsy and empowered. Mostly tipsy… “Okay, it’s a simple game. We all take turns and there are only two choices: truth or dare. Truth means you have to tell the truth about something, and if you choose dare you have to do whatever it is the other person dares you to do.”
“I’m game,” The Oscillion says.
“Okay, you can go first then. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“So, what gives with your ‘intuition’? Is your species clairvoyant or something?” I ask, more boldly than I normally would.
“No, my intuition is a quality I have had many years to refine. Quite necessary in my line of work.”
“What’s your line of work? Gambling?” I ask, raising my arms up to indicate the casino.
“I believe my turn has passed,” he replies with a smile.
“I will go next, I choose dare,” Dax declares.
“Of course you do. Okay, let’s see…” I look around the room and see a behemoth of an alien man over by the gambling machines. “Do you like this song?” I ask Dax sweetly.
Dax listens for a moment before he answers. “Yes, I do.”
“Do you like to dance?” I ask.
“Are you daring me to dance with you, sweet V?”
“No, sweet Dax. I’m daring you to dance with that guy, right over there,” I tell him, pointing at the man who looks more like a rhinoceros than anything else. Dax leans over close to me to get a good look at who I point at. He cuts his narrowed eyes at me, only inches from my face.
“You will pay for this on your turn. You know this, right?” he tells me, but I just bat my eyes and smile.
He stands up and makes a big show of pulling the tie from his braid and tousling his hair. “I have to look good if I am to get a dance from him, no?”
“Whatever works,” I tell him in a sing-song voice, and he begins to make his way over with a confident stride. I can’t help but giggle, and I notice that even The Oscillion looks amused as he watches Dax sidle up to the mammoth of a man. Once next to his target, Dax starts swaying to the music. The rhino man looks down at Dax, who proceeds to make some small talk while swaying. I know the instant Dax asks for a dance, because steam literally blows from the rhino man’s nostrils. I don’t even see the fist come flying at Dax, but I do see him stumble back into one of the game tables. A few men stand, angry that their game was disturbed, but Dax calms them with a few short words and backs away, waving to the rhino as he does, who bucks his snout angrily at him.
When Dax gets back to our table I rise to meet him. I’m concerned about the hit, but I can’t keep from laughing. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“Not even bleeding. I think if I had pressed a little longer I could have worn him down,” he assures us.
“Oh stop, there are no winners in truth or dare. Only losers. You did your part,” I tell him.
“It seems it is your turn,” the Oscillion puts in.
“I guess it is,” I say as Dax and I return to our seats.
“Truth or dare?” Dax asks.
“Dare,” I say confidently.
Before Dax has a chance to speak, The Oscillion issues his dare. “I want to know one of your secrets,” he tells me.
“Sorry, I didn’t pick truth,” I tell him smugly.
“I dare you to show me one of your secrets,” he corrects, and the smile on my face falters.
“That is not a fair one, let’s choose another—” Dax starts.
“I have issued my dare,” The Oscillion states, unbending. Dax stiffens, but I put my hand on his arm to calm him.
“No, it’s fine…I picked dare. It wouldn’t be fair to back out now.”
I pick up my cup, holding it while I mull over my options…show them a secret…show them a secret…hmmm…
I only really had one secret back on Earth: the fitness classes I took. I look around the room once more and notice a slim metal pillar at the end of the bar, anchored to the ceiling. I bite my bottom lip and notice that I’m biting back a smile and not my nervousness.
Before I get a change of heart I take another long gulp from my drink and rise to my feet. Without looking back, I make the short walk toward the bar, channeling Dax’s confidence. I squeeze in between two big aliens waiting for their drinks and hoist myself up onto the bar.
“Excuse me,” I say, smiling politely. Something wild comes over me and I blow a kiss back to the table. Dax has his mouth hanging open and The Oscillion reclines in his seat, watching me with interested eyes. They aren’t the only ones watching me now.
The patrons at the bar all face me and some of the nearby game tables actually go still. I feel a thrill building inside of me and I begin to saunter the length of the bar, pushing out the noise and focusing only on the hedonistic sounds of the band.
Glasses of liquor get caught in the crossfire of my seductive stride and are sent crashing to the ground. When I reach the metal pole I lean against it and wiggle my hips provocatively before grabbing on. I start strong, because I don’t know how long I have before security comes and makes me get down. I do the first advanced routine I learned, so the moves are all like second nature to me.
Martini spin, pirouette, fairy sit into a Z pose, before I invert and hold it for five… four…three…two…and fall back down into a straddle spin—because I love the spins, apprentice, then fang, and then hold it for poison. I count down again in my head. The band must have noticed my dance because I notice their song follows the waves of my motions…or maybe it’s just easier to hear them now that the room has fallen so silent. I dismount with a simple front hook spin and finish with a back slide.
I finally have the chance to look back over at Dax, but I’m surprised to find the table is empty. I’m further startled when I look down and see the population of the room has crowded around the bar. I suddenly register that all the eyes looking up at me belong to a sea of monsters and the room is eerily silent. What have I just done?
I fall a few steps away from the pole and nearly lose my balance and fall into the crowd. I reach out for the pole to save myself, but it is just beyond my reach. I feel hands reaching up my thighs and grabbing on to me, and I call out in fear and surprise, but the hard warmth of the man they belong to is familiar. It’s Dax.
He pulls me down from my stage and holds me in his arms. The Oscillion is with him, and his guards as well. The Oscillion calls out for people to move, and reluctantly the crowd parts, but their harsh murmurs wash over the room, filling it with the roar of white noise. The Oscillion’s guards push away any curious onlookers who try to get too close. Dax and I are led to a back door. We push our way outside, and when the heavy metal door swings closed the roar of the room is muffled, but not completely shut out.
Dax doesn’t bother to try and set me down, but I push away from his hold on me, feeling…I don’t know what…weird…embarrassed maybe? The Oscillion seems to be the only one who is in a good mood and he laughs outright.
“What’s so funny?” I ask defensively.
“Not a thing, sweet V, not a thing. It is just a pleasure to be surprised for once.”
“You didn’t think I had something like that in me?” I assert.
<
br /> “No, I don’t think anyone knew you had that in you. No one has ever seen anything like that,” he tells me.
“What do you mean?” I ask, looking up at Dax, whose features are hard. He doesn’t answer me.
“Perhaps we will have another opportunity to discuss it in the near future,” The Oscillion tells me. He waves his hand and a small hovering craft approaches. “I’ve arranged a ride and escort for you back to the inn. You will definitely need it tonight,” he says with another laugh.
“V, my darling, it has been a rare pleasure,” he says before taking my hand and dropping into a bow. I almost expect him to do something human, like kiss my hand. But instead I feel something like a prick on my fingertip and yank my hand away, only causing more mirth in the shadowy and ominous-looking man. Did he just nip at me?
