by Cara Wylde
“You don’t understand?! What kind of fucked up planet do you come from? Oh, Unxendio! Is that what you guys do there? It is like some sort of fun sport to shove an unsuspecting woman inside a room full of naked men?”
“What? I don’t know! We don’t do that on Unxendio.”
“Then… why?”
She motioned toward Thivo and the other two men. She believed she had seen one of them before, in the common room. He was one of the pilots. She had no idea who the third man was. She had to admit, however, they all looked drop-dead gorgeous despite the alien pigment of their skin, but this whole thing was so messed up that ogling them was the last thing on her mind. Besides, she would’ve really appreciated if she hadn’t seen Ark’s First Officer in his entire naked glory. At least, now she knew they could never be friends.
“I… I thought this was…” Ark began, but didn’t know how to continue. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to put his thoughts in order. “Thivo, come here.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Oh my God, no! Please cover yourself. Please!”
The First Officer was shocked for a second, but then quickly manifested his standard uniform and put it on.
Ark motioned for the other two guys to do the same.
Reluctantly, Alison opened one eye to make sure Thivo was fully dressed before she had to face him. She straightened her back and composed herself. She wrapped her trembling arms around her chest, but she didn’t feel like stepping away from the door just yet.
“I hope there’s a good explanation for this,” she said in a harsh tone.
“There is. I promise,” Ark appeased her. “But I… I still don’t understand your reaction. I thought you’d like this.”
“Like?! Are you insane? Why would you ever think that?”
“Miss Page, this is all my fault.”
Oh, so now Thivo was addressing her with “Miss Page”. Interesting.
“It was my idea.”
“Horrible idea! There, I even gave you feedback.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Page. Now I see I completely misunderstood the traditions of your species.”
“The traditions of my… What the hell are you talking about? Ark?”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” the Captain mumbled as he ran his hands through his raven black hair.
He was sweating profusely, which was another completely new experience to him. Apparently, every moment he spent in Allie’s presence was bound to take him way out of his comfort zone.
“Yes, I can’t believe you’re doing this either.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I… I know I must be honest with you now, and it’s very hard for me.”
She cocked an eyebrow. Her only chance at finding out why this whole embarrassing mess was happening was to be patient and allow him to compose himself and gather up his courage to speak. However, it was very difficult for her to stay put and not scream her head off when she was trapped in a room with four bulky aliens. Had Ark been referring to this particular situation when he’d asked her whether she trusted him?
The Captain shoved his hands in his pockets and started pacing the room.
Thivo took a couple of steps back. He was trying to make himself as small as possible. It was a laughable attempt, given his impressive height and size.
Speaking of size… She shook her head to chase away the inappropriate thought. No, she couldn’t think about that. Not now, not ever.
“Please leave us alone,” Ark dismissed the two men lurking behind him.
Allie hated leaving her spot, but she had to step aside and allow them to exit the room. She did her best to avoid their eyes as they moved past her. For a moment, she considered making her escape through the door as well, but then she had to accept she was simply too curious about what the hell the two idiots in front of her had been thinking.
“This is why I always end up in stupid situations,” she mentally cursed herself. “Instead of walking away when I should, I always hesitate. When will my curiosity stop getting the best of me?”
“Alright. Alright. Here goes,” Ark started. The dread in his voice was painfully obvious. “There’s no other way to say this, so I’ll just say it. Even with the risk of looking like a fool.”
Allie huffed. “Well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you already look like a fool. The both of you.”
Her words stabbed Ark right through the chest, while they made Thivo shrink in his corner even more.
Allie ignored them. Right now, she didn’t care how they felt, and she had no intention of being understanding or diplomatic.
“Just spit it out already! So, you got me in a room with three naked men. What was going to happen afterwards?”
She hated asking that question, but it had to be asked.
“Were they going to… Damn it! I don’t know. I don’t even.”
“No! No, no, no.” Ark’s heart dropped in his stomach when he realized what her question implied. “They weren’t going to do anything to you. Anything you didn’t want, that is.”
Allie shook her head. She was at a loss.
“They… they were supposed to be your pleasure slaves.”
Sky-blue eyes went as wide as saucers. Again. Jaw dropped. Again. Briefly, Alison wondered whether putting on this particular expression every couple of minutes could be considered face yoga. If nothing else, the continuous shocks Ark expertly delivered could, at least, help with some wrinkles.
“I… No? No pleasure slaves?” Ark turned to Thivo. “What exactly did you research? I asked you to look into the courtship traditions of Old Earth.”
“I-I did. I thought I did.”
“Wait, what?! Courtship traditions of Old Earth? What are you two talking about? Oh my God, this is getting more and more fascinating every second.”
“Well, how about checking right now?” Ark was all over Thivo.
For the first time since they’d been working together, the Chief Officer was seriously terrified by his Captain. Dutifully, he turned to the closest table and pressed an invisible button to light up a screen which covered the whole surface. With the power of his mind, he brought up the folders, documents and pictures he had used in his research.
Ark stepped closer to the table, and Allie couldn’t help doing the same. Again, her curiosity was getting the best of her, but what could she do? It was too late already. She might as well see this through.
The screen was filled with various articles and images depicting luxuriously dressed women surrounded by naked men who were either kneeling at their feet, or feeding them exotic fruits from golden platters. To her disappointment, Alison couldn’t read the text. She remembered what Shirin had told her when they went to the bar and she couldn’t read the labels on the bottles. It only meant that the language was completely unknown to her, so there was no way she could understand it unless either Ark or Thivo gave her some clues or words to work with.
“What is this?”
“It’s one of the traditions I could find when I searched love, sex and relationships in the database of Old Earth we have on The Hesperia.”
“You idiot,” whispered Ark. “This isn’t the database of Old Earth. It’s of Ancient Earth.”
Thivo’s whole face lit up with understanding.
“Wow! I am so sorry. I don’t know how this happened.”
“You had one job, Officer. One job.”
“Ancient Earth?” Allie used the tips of her fingers to scroll through the pictures. She didn’t know how to command the screen with the power of her mind, but she instinctively knew it would work as a touchscreen if she wanted to use it that way. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my whole life, and the language is completely alien to me. I mean… I’ve never been a history buff, but… you know. Still. If they came from my planet, they’d ring a bell.”
“They’re not from your planet. I mean, they are, but at the same time, they’re no
t,” Ark explained.
“If you think that makes sense, think again.”
“Ancient Earth existed before Old Earth,” Thivo intervened, hoping he still had a chance to atone for his sins. “Both Ancient Earth and Old Earth were on the same planet from a physical and material point of view. Once the humans of Ancient Earth evolved enough, the planet switched to a new dimension and reality, and became Old Earth as you knew it. That’s why you can’t read the writing.”
“So, the people of Ancient Earth were humans?”
“Yes. Less evolved humans.”
“Wow. I learn something new every day.” Allie took her time to study a couple more pictures. “So, what was the point of all this?” She turned to Ark. “Alright, so Thivo had to do research on Old Earth to find out how humans viewed love and relationships, and he obviously messed up and looked up the traditions of Ancient Earth instead… That’s an honest mistake, I guess.”
Thivo thanked her silently, then took a step back when Ark’s eyes threw daggers at him.
“Why would you ask your First Officer to do something like this? Don’t you guys have more pressing matters to deal with?”
Arkvar sighed in defeat. “I was afraid of this question. You know that I like you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’ve told me.”
“I just thought I should try to… you know… make you like me back? But in a way that was familiar to you. It was stupid of me, I see it now. But yes, I did ask Thivo and Shirin to research the traditions of your planet and come up with some ideas I could use. Obviously, Thivo failed epically. I-I’m sorry. This is so embarrassing.”
Allie stared at him for a moment. He looked so sad, disappointed and utterly ashamed that she almost felt mercy for him. Almost. She coughed, then coughed again, this time covering her mouth with her hand. There was no use. She couldn’t hold it in. She burst out in laughter, and she laughed and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks and she had to double back and hold her tummy. She was laughing so hard that the muscles in her abdomen ached. It was more efficient than an abs day at the gym. Her lungs failed to absorb the air she so dearly needed, which reconfirmed she’d still hate cardio if she were to take up fitness again.
Her laughter was contagious, but only to Thivo, apparently. He chuckled softly at first, then laughed harder and harder, until he had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.
Ark, however, was anything but amused. He felt his cheeks burn with shame, something he hadn’t felt in years. He could vaguely remember feeling like this at some point in his childhood, when his father was teaching him how to use his power of manifestation, and tiny Ark managed to manifest a rotten apple instead of a bow with arrows. When a white, slimy worm crawled out of it, his father made a joke about how his son appeared to visualize the concepts of war and bravery.
When Unxendi blushed, their blue skin turned a darker shade, and their neck and cheeks looked like someone has spilled uneven blotches of ink on them. It was exactly what happened to Ark now, as his First Officer and his twin flame kept laughing openly. So far, his efforts had been nothing but a joke. He squeezed his fists at his sides and took a sharp intake of breath. Yes, he could admit that, from the outside, it must have looked like a feel-good comedy show. Unfortunately, he was the last person in the room who could adopt that perspective.
Thivo noticed the expression of utter pain and embarrassment on his Captain’s face, and cleared his throat a couple of times, as if a coughing fit had taken over him and he hadn’t been, in fact, laughing.
“Maybe I should go,” he mumbled and immediately headed for the door. “Shirin might need me on the Bridge.”
Ark didn’t say a word and didn’t move a muscle.
Once Thivo was gone, Allie finally stopped laughing, but she still needed a few seconds to compose herself before she was able to form coherent sentences.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Ark said stiffly. “I can imagine what this looks like.”
Allie glanced up at him and noticed how his cheeks had gotten darker, and how he wasn’t even looking at her. She mentally cursed herself for having been so ruthless. In truth, she hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time, and it felt good. It felt like her body had just released an incredible amount of tension she hadn’t even been aware of.
She straightened her back, smoothed her blonde curls down her shoulders and chest, and licked her lips before rounding the table and closing the space between her and Ark. Gently, she placed her hand on his strong, bulky chest. When he didn’t react, she took his face between her palms, and forced him to look at her. Their eyes met, and a jolt of excitement coursed through Allie’s entire being. Her knees felt a tad weak, and no matter how much she tried to control herself, her very core started throbbing with desire. She caressed Ark’s square jaw with her thumbs, and let down her psychic wall just enough for him to get a glimpse of what she was thinking.
“You’re so silly,” she whispered. “And sweet, at the same time. But mostly silly.”
Her unexpectedly warm touch made Ark smile and forget some of his embarrassment. She had never come so close to him all on her own before, and she had never touched him so seductively. Just like all her random reactions, this one surprised him, too. In a good way.
“I’m sorry I messed up and made you feel uncomfortable.”
“Let’s look at the bright side,” she chuckled. “Now I know Ancient Earth had much more interesting traditions than Old Earth. I mean, have you read about pleasure slavery on Old Earth? It was horrible all through our entire history. And women were the ones who suffered the most. There might have been cases in Ancient Greece or Rome when the mistress of the house was allowed to have intimate relationships with the family slaves, but mostly men were those who took advantage of their power, and used young, defenseless girls and women for their own twisted fantasies. So, you know… all things considered, strong women who dressed in expensive garments and lived in fabulous palaces owning sex slaves… yes, please!”
Ark laughed. “If you want to read more about it, we can find a way for you to learn the language of Ancient Earth. Apparently, the male slaves didn’t mind being part of a woman’s personal harem.”
“Oh, I bet.”
They looked into each other’s eyes for a while, unsure of what to say next.
Then, Alison did something even more unexpected. Out of the blue, she lifted herself up on her tiptoes, placed a chaste kiss on Ark’s lips, then quickly took a step back and batted her eyelashes coquettishly.
“I’m curious to see what Shirin comes up with.”
“What? You’re going along with this?”
“Definitely.”
“But it’s one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had…”
“That’s exactly why I want to go along with it.” She laughed cutely. “Hey, what Thivo did wasn’t that bad. It earned you a kiss, didn’t it?”
Ark furrowed his brows and tried to hide the stupid smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Alison Page sure was one fascinating human being. The most confusing and unpredictable woman he’d ever met. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“But before moving on to plan B, you need to help me with something.”
“Of course. Anything!”
“Remember Skippy?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I was so caught up in this… I completely forgot about him. What’s wrong?”
Allie puffed her cheeks. “It’s horrible! He’s got some sort of nasty fleas. They’re all over him. He’s scratching and scratching all the damn time… It’s driving me insane. Someone has to do something about those pests. Now. I can’t take it anymore. He kept me up all night, and I’ve no idea what to do. I tried to manifest them away, but apparently it doesn’t work like that.”
It was Ark’s turn to laugh his head off.
Allie crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her
foot in annoyance.
“It’s not funny.”
Ark went back to his serious expression in an instant.
“Sorry. I’ll help you.”
“Good. Right his way.”
Allie started walking toward the door, and Ark followed obediently.
“Those tiny pests are done,” she mumbled under her breath. “They won’t even see us coming.”
CHAPTER TEN
The Captain’s ridiculously failed attempt to seduce her had only managed to ensure Alison would start laughing every time she saw him, and blush to the tips of her ears when she accidentally bumped into Thivo. She did her best to avoid the First Officer, which proved to be rather easy since he was avoiding her as well, but she used every excuse to see Ark as often as she could. He didn’t mind, at first, but once he realized it was impossible to have any sort of serious conversation with her, he turned into the grumpiest man on The Hesperia. Mischievous as she was, Allie had made it her mission to let his grumpiness reach the highest levels before mellowing up to him, lifting herself on her tiptoes, and placing a quick kiss on his pouty lips. That always did the trick.
“Human women are the strangest creatures in the Universe,” was the mantra Allie would hear Ark mumble under his breath.
Three days had passed since the sex slaves disaster, as Allie called it. She was still hanging around with Shirin, but the Second Officer refused to reveal what she was working on for the Captain. The suspense was killing Alison! Fortunately, Kimmy and Skippy kept her busy, and she’d also resumed the hobbies she used to have on Old Earth. Painting in oil was one of them, and even though the materials she managed to manifest weren’t exactly what she needed, she made them work. Now, besides the bedroom and the bathroom, her quarters also had a workshop where she spent hours painting and writing in her journal. When she got bored of these two activities, she manifested music blasting through the walls, and tried to dance to it, which proved to be quite impossible. The Unxendi music had nothing in common with her favorite pop songs. At best, she could sway back and forth on the soft, etheric tones, or shake all she had while singing at the top of her lungs the songs she could remember. She had never had the best singing voice, but she also didn’t care whether anyone could hear her. They could kiss her sexy, bouncy booty if they didn’t like it.
