Shalia's Diary Book 10

by Tracy St. John

  An annihilation that didn’t come. As soon as Larten felt me closing in on climax, he stopped again. I was left on the verge of orgasmic obliteration, forced to watch as it grew dimmer and disappeared.

  I squalled. I know there are far worse things than a missed climax, but that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks. Especially when it was one that would have been as good as the one Larten denied me.

  “Someone’s getting her feelings hurt.” Somehow I heard Cifa’s teasing voice over the roar in my ears.

  “She’ll learn. I am a professional trainer with a one hundred percent success rate,” Larten snickered. “And most of my students are far less intelligent than our smart little girl here.”

  Cifa didn’t respond. He was sucking on my breast again, scraping his teeth over the nipple to deliver excruciating pleasure.

  Once more, Larten waited for me to quiet before latching onto my clit again. I felt my body rising to the siren call of sensual destruction with a sense of doom. I couldn’t deny the gorgeous rapture that hurried me towards orgasm even though I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to have it. I was a damned soul, given a glimpse into paradise but never allowed to enter the gates.

  I was so close to detonation that for one sweet moment, I thought Larten couldn’t possibly stop me this time. But he did, allowing only the first quivers of obliteration before denying me.

  How many times did I endure being taken to the pinnacle only to be turned away? I lost count. My cries, muffled by Seot’s endless kiss, grew louder with each refusal to let me come. My pussy ached, not just pulsing with need, but pounding in time with my heartbeat. I felt like one huge agony of desperation.

  Larten’s voice at last came from far away. “Shalia, I’m going to ask Seot to let you speak now. Remember that Anrel is asleep in the other room.”

  Seot drew back. His smiling lips were puffy from our long kiss. All three men looked at me, their different facial structures somehow identical from the single expression they wore. They’d tormented me beyond belief, but all I saw was adoration. Even fierce Larten looked openly devoted.

  It shook me deep inside. I realized their many declarations that they felt I was the only woman for them had not been flattery. They meant it. For a millisecond, I was seized with terror.

  Not knowing I was having a revelation, Larten remained focused on our current situation. “You must offer your apology quietly but with sincerity. If I believe you this time, you will be allowed to come. If not—” a cruel grin spread across his face “—then what we’ve been doing will seem like only a tease.”

  As he spoke, he stroked my clit and pussy with a light touch. I was so wound up that it felt fiery profound. I gasp and strained as arousal surged yet again.

  I couldn’t even remember what it was I was supposed to be apologizing for. But if it would get me off, I’d proclaim my guilt for all of Armageddon, for every evil that had befallen the universe since the beginning of time.

  In a ragged, desperate whisper, I said, “I am so sorry. I really, really am; I swear I’ll never do it again. I promise on my immortal soul I’ll be good.”

  Seot shot Larten an amused smile. “That sounded authentic to me.”

  “I agree. All right, my clan, she’s earned her reward.”

  They were on me again before I could quite register my apology had been accepted. Another penetrating kiss to devour me. Hands and a mouth on my breasts and belly to claim me. Friction against the hotspot within my desperate pussy. Wet warmth stroking my clit.

  The vicious craving returned, a brutal demand that made me want to scream. It grew monstrous and huge faster than before, eclipsing all sense, all sanity. I fell before it, blinded by its shadow as it fell upon me.

  It tore through me, shredding and consuming in great, violent seizures. I felt myself rent from the inside out, engulfed by a rapacious appetite that would not stop feeding until every bit of me had been swallowed down. I was shattered and razed in a seething maelstrom of furious glory.

  Have I mentioned what a lucky girl I am?

  I came out of the storm wrecked beyond redemption. The men chuckled breathlessly, the crotches of their pants darkened. It was a good thing the guys didn’t need my attention, because I was the most useless thing in creation.

  “Are you still holding back the full sex party?” I asked later as we crowded on my cramped sleeping mat.

  “Only because we’ve agreed we want our first time – the first time we make actual love – to be in a romantic setting,” Seot said, snuggling me against his chest. “I promise that the first night on Cifa’s ship will be the end of the waiting.”

  “The best possible way to christen the maiden voyage,” Cifa mumbled sleepily in my ear. The Imdiko spooned against my back. Larten was behind him, and both men had their arms and legs slung over me. I felt ridiculously well cuddled.

  “Talk about your bon voyages,” I sighed. “I can’t wait to cast off.”

  December 9 (early)

  Anrel woke ahead of the alarms Clan Seot had set, so the guys were primed for a leisurely breakfast before having to head off to their respective duties. Cifa was more than happy to take responsibility for getting the baby ready for her public, and he told me to do the same for myself. Then he started barking orders at Seot and Larten, making them practice taking care of Anrel.

  Giggling to hear the sweet-voiced Imdiko giving commands to his Dramok and Nobek, I snagged a clean outfit and headed for the bathroom. On my way, I furtively grabbed my portable com as well.

  I turned on the shower to mask the sound of me comming Betra and Oses. They were out of range of real-time communications, so I had to leave a message.

  “Hi guys. I’m just checking in. Anrel and I got back to the complex okay, and everything is fine. We’re leaving in a few days again to take that cruise with Clan Seot. It looks like Candy and her lone Nobek are going with us.”

  I thought about Betra and Oses and felt something painful in my chest tug. I don’t deny I’m having a great deal of fun with Clans Seot and Aslada. It’s wonderful to not worry about being attacked every time I turn around too. But I sure did miss my former shipmates. They were always going to have place in my heart.

  There wasn’t much more to tell them, because I’d sent them a message just before I’d left Clan Aslada. They hadn’t had time to respond to that yet, but I knew they’d want to know we’d gotten ‘home’ safe and sound. I shared a few more tiny tidbits of gossip and then clicked the com off. I got into the shower and shed a couple of tears (it still happens every now and then), and hurried through making myself presentable enough to be seen in the dining room.

  Breakfast lifted my spirits. Anrel was bubbly after being relentlessly adored by the guys first thing this morning. Her happy little chirps and babble kept everyone smiling. Who can be grumpy when that bright beam and those twinkling purple eyes move your way? Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to be her mom?

  Then it was time for the boys to head out to work. Suddenly, Anrel and I were on our own.

  I was at a loss, especially since Candy was off at a doctor’s appointment. She’s in need of getting some uterine fibroids taken care of. She should have done that on the transport that brought us here. By the time she’d consulted Tep about the painful and heavy periods she’d endured for most of her adult life, we’d been only days away from Kalquor. Thanks to our repressive Earther society, Candy has a deep distrust of doctors, particularly male ones, taking care of her gynecological needs. Hence the delay in having anything done about the issue. Katrina finally decided enough was enough, dug into some research, and located a female Kalquorian doctor a few territories away. As the Earther Matara liaison, Katrina took it upon herself to bully Candy onto a shuttle to keep the appointment she’d made for her. It will be nice to not see Candy suffering from the awful cramps that sometimes double her over.

  There were any number of things I could do to occupy myself. Shop for our cruise. Work out. Take a class. Swim in the pool.
Have a massage with a funky-looking Tratsod. Eat more food.

  Nothing felt particularly appealing, though. It was like being back at Clan Aslada’s home, almost. The difference was, I was in charge of Anrel again. No Manny Snoy was going to trot up and take her from me.

  “What do you want to do with yourself today?” I asked my adorable armful. She blew spit bubbles at me and laughed. “Ba-ba-ba-ba.”

  “The beach?” Now that had possibilities. My girl is like Cifa in that she seems to have seawater in her veins. Whether its playing with the sand (and trying to eat it by the handful) or splashing in the waves, Anrel is one certified beach baby.

  The beach it was then.

  I put her in the bright pink soaksuit she’d acquired during our stay with Clan Aslada. The color made her brown skin glow. “Pink is definitely your color,” I told her. “If Auntie Candy was here, I’d have her put a matching bow in your hair. You are too cute for real life.”

  I donned a modest green one-piece and a lacy sarong. Anrel got a little cover-up jacket added to her outfit after I spritzed her liberally with sun protection. The spray made her laugh, but everything makes my happy girl laugh. I stuffed a carry bag with water, juice, and snacks for the two of us, a float belt for Anrel, along with some toys she could use in the sand. At last we were off to the beach.

  The walk was a long one, but I enjoyed it. I found it was nice to stroll along with only Anrel, watching her react to her surroundings. We were hailed by my fellow Mataras we met along the way and I stopped often to let them briefly coo over the baby. As I got nearer to the tunnel that would take us from the underground area to the beach, I saw more and more Kalquorians. The men bowed and the half dozen women nodded to me.

  Then we were in the tunnel, joining the moderate foot traffic going through. The scent of sea salt grew heavy, and Anrel crowed. I think she recognized the smell of the beach. She kicked and waved her arms in the sling I wore to carry her. I’d made a good choice for our outing, it seemed.

  We got to the pink-sand beach, the color a pastel version of what Anrel wore. The moment my feet sank into the powder softness and my ears filled with the rumble of the green waves, peace settled over me. The sky was a soft watercolor blue overhead, stretching forever to the horizon. The cliffs reared up behind me, stately giants regarding the world with calm and everlasting strength.

  “Wow,” I breathed, taking it in. It’s amazing to know paradise is all around you.

  I headed down the beach, searching for a place for us to settle. With most Kalquorians at work, we had plenty of space to choose from. There were a few dozen Earther girls, a scattering of Kalquorian men, and the occasional Kalquorian woman. That was all.

  I set Anrel down on the sand, only a few yards from where waves dashed back and forth. “What’s first?” I asked my excited child. She crawled towards the water.

  We spent the next hours in play, first splashing around in the white-foam surf, then on the unbelievably soft sand. It was there that Anrel surprised me.

  She reached up and grasped the shoulder strap of my bathing suit. Then she pulled, nearly exposing me to our fellow sun worshippers. I tugged the strap out of her grasp. “Hey, I have enough romantic options,” I said. “You don’t have to attract any more for me.”

  She grabbed me again, this time gripping the top of my suit with both hands. I laughed as I took hold of her tiny little fists. “Hey lady, stop trying to make me flash. Your old lady isn’t the peep show type, okay?”

  Anrel strained her arms, pushing down against my hands. She used the leverage to bounce her bottom on the sand. She unleashed a yell that I would have described as demanding.

  “What is it, sweet baby? Do you want to try standing? Is that what you’re trying to do?”

  I lifted her to her feet and held her upright. She squealed and jerked in my grip. I put her hands on my shoulder…away from the strap she’d been determined to yank down…and let her try to hold herself up. She managed it for about three seconds before plopping onto her butt in the soft cushion of sand.

  “Look at you, big girl! You’re starting to stand!” I got out my handheld and set her up again. I took a picture of her balancing as she clutched my shoulder for a full five seconds, wearing a shocked and overjoyed look on her face.

  She shouted, a tiny victor before plopping on her butt again. I laughed and applauded her.

  “Look how Anrel’s grown,” a wondering voice said from behind me. “And in such a short time!”

  I turned to see two familiar Kalquorian women standing behind me. I’d only met them once before, but they’d made an impression: Oni and Hina.

  It was Hina who had spoken. She knelt down in the sand to smile at Anrel, not caring that her filmy green ankle-length dress and wavy waist-length hair were covered in pink sand. She was the prettier of the two women, with more delicate features than Oni’s. They were equally magnificent, muscled but still feminine, in the way of the mythological Amazons. If I remembered correctly, they had both lost daughters to the damaging effects of the altered DNA of the Kalquorian race.

  Oni also knelt, equally as unaffected by her no-doubt expensive dress and long braid being covered in sand. “Anrel is what, six months old now? Shalia, you are to be commended on how healthy she is.”

  It said something that the two remembered Anrel’s age and our names. Female babies are such a huge deal to the Kalquorians, particularly to the women who have had far too much heartbreak seeing theirs not survive. It hurt to see the brightness of unshed tears in Hina’s eyes.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’ve had a lot of help, though.” Clan Aslada’s staff had not missed a single trick when it came to proper care and nutrition during my stay with them.

  We spent several minutes together, though there wasn’t much conversation between me and the two women. All their attention riveted on Anrel, and I was happy to let them enjoy her uninterrupted. It helped assuage the guilt I felt over being able to have a healthy daughter when their efforts had not been successful. I know, why should I feel guilty? It’s not my fault Mother Nature had chosen to deliver a kick to the teeth of the Kalquorian women. But I did feel bad for Hina and Oni. That they were denied the greatest joy of my life made me incredibly grateful all over again for Anrel.

  They moved on, continuing their walk. Hina kept casting longing glances over her shoulder as she went. Each yearning look sent a fresh dagger to my heart.

  Deciding it was high time to go back to our quarters, especially since my stomach had begun rumbling for lunch, I packed us up and started back towards the complex. As I went, my com buzzed. I answered to find my stepmother Joelle on the line.

  “Hi Shalia! How are you?”

  “Great,” I said, glad to hear her enthusiastic greeting. “How’s the ship? Are you almost to Kalquor yet?”

  “I’m here. I walked in my clan’s home not even an hour ago.”

  I nearly dropped my com. “What? You’re on Kalquor? Why didn’t you tell me you were so close?”

  She made a noise of disgust. “That awful transport kept breaking down. We didn’t know from one day to the next if it would be stalled for repairs again. I was afraid if I told you we were almost here, that I’d jinx the damned thing!”

  I laughed. “When are you visiting me and Anrel? Make it soon, because I’m off on a trip with Clan Seot in the next few days.”

  “Goodness, woman, you are a flurry of social interaction, aren’t you? Weren’t you just with Clan Aslada?”

  I talked with her all the way back to the complex, filling her in on what was happening since we last spoke. She said she didn’t know if she’d get out to see me in time, but she’d try. “I’m dying for us to meet in person, but I’m supposed to meet with my clan’s legal representative to make sure I have access to everything I need,” she said. “Hopefully, I can get that out of the way quickly.”

  “I hope so too,” I told her. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out.”

  I was ex
cited to know my dads’ Matara had gotten to Kalquor safe and sound. It was impossible to not feel impatient for her to get her status squared away.

  December 12

  Whew! I’m taking a break from packing. Again! At this rate, I’ll never grow roots. And of course I left it to the last minute, so now I’m in a panic.

  I blame Seot, Cifa, and Larten for the procrastination. They’ve taken the last few days off work to get ready for the trip. Because I can’t seem to refuse an invitation to hang out with them, I’ve gotten none of my own packing done until today. And we launch tomorrow.

  Stidmun made it in time to leave with us. He arrived yesterday. Candy is beside herself with delight. When I ran into her and the big stud during breakfast this morning, it turned out she hadn’t packed at all either…she’s been too busy celebrating lover boy’s arrival.