“Out of bounds. We have certain punishments when it comes to training Nobeks. Some include sexual debasement, which I already told Resan would not be tolerated with you women.”
“He didn’t get the message.”
“He may have thought it only meant he couldn’t touch you intimately. Not that he wants to. He’s made that abundantly clear.”
“I’m well aware he has the same erotic interest in me that I hold for him, and since I’d rather fuck an Ofetuchan than that asshole, I have no fear he’d make a move in that direction. Nonetheless, I won’t tolerate even the semblance of such an urge from him. Hard limit, full stop. I mean it.”
Oses sighed. “I’ll talk to Resan and ensure he understands sexual threats aren’t allowed, including speech. He needs to be tough with you, but I won’t have you feeling insecure in that manner.”
I couldn’t help but plead. “Oses, let someone else train me. I can work hard without that bastard.”
He considered before shaking his head. “Resan is too well versed in Earther anatomy and abilities. He had to be in order to train us for fighting during the war. He is the best, Shalia.”
I slouched in the chair, dispirited that I was stuck working with my hated enemy. “If I didn’t feel I needed this so bad...”
“It’s because you need it that I won’t shortchange you by giving you less than our finest.” Oses smirked. “I would have paid a year’s wages to see his expression when you threw the grav-bell at him.”
I grinned back. “It’s worth the retaliation. I hope he gives me another chance to scare him.”
Oses narrowed his eyes. “If so, you’d better hit your target. I’m not training you in combat techniques for you to miss your enemy when the chance to strike happens. If you hadn’t scored the kick, I’d punish you.”
I looked forward to my next lesson with Oses. We had moved beyond self-defense. Real fighting skills were being taught. Between that and knife fighting with Nobek Idow, I’d found enjoyment to counteract the misery of Resan’s work. Well, almost.
I sighed. “I hate him so much.”
“Use that hatred to prove him wrong. Make it your tool. You’ll need it since you’ve given him something to use against you.”
“What, the humiliation? Damn Oses, even Betra would have wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from that level of debasement.” I shriveled inside. Being called down so loudly in front of dozens had hurt more than I wanted to admit. Resan had found my weakness.
Perhaps Oses saw that. He switched the subject to nicer things. “Are you ready for the club opening?”
My heart lifted. “Dance for hours as if I don’t have a care in the world? You’d better believe it.”
“Who’s keeping Anrel?”
“Tep and Megan.”
Oses frowned. “I thought Tep’s clan was courting Sonia?”
“That was last week. I wear a pair of panties longer than Sonia sticks to a man or a clan.”
“I used to know everything that happened on this ship. With you women, things move too fast.”
“Yeah, having freedom to enjoy sex after so many years of repression is turning us into bunnies. Almost every woman on the ship is a bit of a sex maniac.”
Oses smiled at me. “You are among the very few who doesn’t switch partners every few days.”
I wiggled my brows at him. “When a girl finds perfection, she sticks with it.”
He snorted, as if to say he wasn’t buying the flattery. “I’m surprised you found a sitter to keep Anrel. Everyone has been talking about the opening for weeks.”
“It’s not big enough for all of us to go at once, especially because a lot of the ladies attending tonight are bringing guests. Megan drew lots to get in tomorrow. She volunteered to keep Anrel for me for the grand opening.”
“So Tep jumped at the chance to help watch the baby as well, given that his clan is currently romancing Megan.”
“He’d watch Anrel with or without Megan. He says he’s in baby withdrawal, though it’s only been a day since Anrel was released from Medical.” I chuckled. “Megan accused Anrel of being ‘the other woman’. All in fun, of course.”
We had a few more minutes of chitchat. I was aware Oses had work to do, so I soon excused myself. I was in a much better mood than when I’d shown up ranting. I was free of Resan for a while, and I had a fun excursion ahead of me.
The best revenge on Dramok Jerkface Resan is to enjoy myself despite his bullshit. It’s my mission to have a wonderful grand opening celebration.
August 22, later
Anrel was a good girl while I readied for the big dance party. And by good, I mean she slept for most of it.
I love how Betra set up my vid and com as a monitor. It allowed me to take a nice, long shower while still keeping an eye on Anrel in the other room. I’m enjoying this stage. Once she starts crawling and walking, taking time for myself will be another matter entirely. I don’t mind. I’m happy to be wrapped around her tiny finger.
I was dressed and made up before Candy came in and worked her magic with my hair. I can’t do a thing with it, and Candy is a born hairdresser. A lot of women ask her for tips. It doesn’t matter the length or texture; the woman can style like a pro.
I’m hopeless in that regard. Candy did this really cool thing, giving me a messy braided bun that was a fun break from me just ignoring it.
“There.” She stood back to view her handiwork. “It’s the type of arrangement that you can sweat your ass off dancing, and it will still look fabulous.”
“Terrific.” I turned my head in every direction to enjoy each angle in the mirror. I appreciated how the untidy ‘do contrasted with the sleek dress I wore. “Just the thing for a night out on the transport.” She’d placed a sparkling barrette next to my temple, which went well with my sleeveless silver dress. I wore no other jewelry. I already resembled walking bling.
“You’re hot,” Candy grinned. “Flex those guns! You’ll have to thank Resan for those awesome arms.”
I shot her a dour glare, and she burst into giggles. What a butt.
Candy was insanely gorgeous as is usual for her. Her hair was caught up in a high curly ponytail. Her dress was daring and flouncy at once. The ruffled neckline of her black dress plunged daringly, halfway to her navel. The inner curves of her breasts were a tease without quite crossing the line into sleazy. She had the ‘girl next door gone bad’ look down to a tee.
“You’ll be lucky if Ama and Mihi let you dance more than one song,” I commented. “They’ll trip over their tongues.”
She tossed her head, making the gazillions of loose curls sproing. “I will dance for hours whether they like it or not. I’ll promise them extra special consideration for patience.”
Her wink was too wicked for someone as cute as her. I nearly fell over laughing. I ended up waking Anrel with my loud mouth.
That was our cue to coo and make silly faces as I cradled my child. When my door announce went off, we were still carrying on with high-pitched voices and smearing our lipstick on Anrel’s round cheeks.
The sound of a visitor reminded Candy to glance at the time. “Oh no, I should have been out of here ages ago! See you at the club, Shalia! Love you, Anrel!”
She ran at the door. It opened for her. In her haste, Candy nearly ran over Clan Dabil and Megan.
“Oops, sorry,” she yelled as Tep and Nobek Kegad made room for her to pass. “Sorry, I’m late; have a good night!”
“Opening night jitters?” Dramok Dabil asked, his broad features breaking into a wide grin.
“No, that’s just Candy,” Megan laughed. She stepped in and gave me a hug. “You look amazing, Shalia.” Her voice went up a hundred octaves. “Hi Anrel. Hi, pretty girl.”
Tep already had his arms out to hold her. “Let me have this little lady. Medical is so quiet without you, Anrel.”
Megan pulled a face, but it was good-natured. “If I’m allowed to hold her for a single second, I’ll be amazed. No, go ahea
d, Tep. Be aware that if you’re hogging her, you have diaper duty.”
“Sounds right to me,” Kegad muttered to Dabil. His teeth flashed behind a heavy mustache and beard. “Thank the ancestors they never covered that in training camp.”
I grinned at the Nobek. “You’re a head of ship’s discipline. You can assign diaper-changing duty as punishment. I wouldn’t mind.”
He and Dabil laughed. Meanwhile, Tep took Anrel over to the lounger and sat down. “Don’t listen to them, pretty baby. You are precious no matter what you do or how it smells.”
“Then why did you have an orderly take care of such business when it happened in Medical and I wasn’t available?” I told Megan and the rest of his clan, “If Tep’s changed the first diaper, then I’m a Tragoom.”
My announce went off again. “Enter,” I called.
Betra and Oses stepped in. They exchanged bows with Clan Dabil. “So many people to take care of a tiny child,” Oses smirked, his gaze challenging Kegad.
“We were just discussing the diaper changing. With the stories I’ve heard, it seemed appropriate to have backup.”
“I had not considered that. I wish you well tonight. Remember, Kegad, sometimes retreat is not so dishonorable.”
The rest of us chortled over the deadly serious manner the Nobeks discussed the issue. I swear Kegad only partly joked.
I handed Megan the bag I’d prepared as Oses fussed with the lock. “If I’ve forgotten anything, Oses is programming the door to allow you in here. And you can com any of us if you need me.”
“We’re on it, Shalia. Go have fun.” Megan’s eyes twinkled. “Com when you’re headed home, and we’ll meet you here with Anrel.”
Tep stood and came over. “She’ll be fine. Have fun and don’t worry.”
I smiled up at him. “With you taking care of her? Not a worry in the world, Doc.” I replaced the lipstick kisses that had disappeared from Anrel’s face while in his care. “Good night, Anrel. I love you. Be a sweet girl and I’ll see you later.”
We all headed out together, splitting up as Clan Dabil, Megan, and Anrel headed in one direction and Oses, Betra, and I went another. I walked between my sweeties, my arms in theirs as we headed for the promenade. I wore a big smile. Anrel was taken care of, I was going dancing, and I was in the company of the best guys on the ship. It was going to be a great night.
We arrived on the promenade to find a huge crowd clustered at the door to the dance club. I swear, it was like the red carpet at an awards ceremony! Kalquorians lined up to wave and cheer the gals going in. Jeez, what a commotion. I knew they’d gotten a kick out of watching us dance on the Xniktix station, but this was unexpected. After each woman and her escort (or escorts) entered the wide-opened double doors, the Kalquorians craned their necks to peek inside.
“Big turnout,” Betra laughed as I gasped. “You should have set up a vid feed from the inside so everyone outside could watch.”
“This is crazy. All this fuss over us dancing!”
Oses snickered. “It can be exciting to watch. Especially when you women wear certain things.” He ogled my dress, which covered everything it needed to while being formfitting.
Thinking about all those eyes on me, I glanced down at myself to be sure my gut wasn’t sticking out. That stubborn bit of pooch was disappearing, but not fast enough to suit my vanity. There was a slight curve, but I supposed I wouldn’t die of embarrassment over it. Besides, I had an excellent reason for having it. I refused to begrudge my Anrel a stretch mark or bulge.
The shouts of approval as we walked through the throng shored up any issues of shaky esteem that might have lingered. I heard my name yelled along with compliments on my appearance and dress. Aw shucks, guys. You know how to make a girl feel good.
We squeezed into the club. I’d witnessed it in all its stages of being built and decorated. Yet it still dazzled me as if I’d never entered it before.
The bar was long and curved in the shape of a C near one wall. Candy’s Nobek playmates had done a lot of the design and building of the piece. On the end, it held the tall cylinders that dispensed alcohol, keeping track of the crew’s intake since they were allotted only so much during a day. With the dangers of space, no one was allowed to be impaired. There was kloq, dlas, and the more potent bohut, as well as a couple of Adraf ales. A bartender was also present with bottles of other beverages, ready to be poured.
The countertop was covered in tall, thin flutes filled with an aquamarine blue liquid. As a present to our endeavor, Captain Wotref had secured a couple of cases of shel, a Plasian wine-like drink. It would have been nice to have the topnotch leshella, but that’s insanely expensive stuff. I was more than grateful to Wotref for springing for the shel. He’s so nice.
The walls and ceiling were a mix of metallic and mirrored tiles. It gave the surroundings a warm glow reflecting the lights. Panels of floor-to-ceiling mirrors interspersed at regular intervals on the walls, making the space appear bigger. All around the edges were circular black tables. Some were low, with white and dark purple seating cushions scattered around them. Others were taller with white and purple upholstered stools. The stark black and white with the bursts of purple color were a surprise against the metallic walls, but it looked great.
Most of the floor was open space because ... dance club. The flooring was firm with a little give and textured to keep it from being slippery. It was a dull bronze finish with tiny scattered bits of purple, white, and black to tie in with the rest of the decor.
We’d outdone ourselves. The place had turned out better than we could have dreamed.
Even grander were the people filling it. After grabbing my flute of shel, I joined the small group at the front of the room, the people who had put in hours of work to make the night happen. Because of pregnancy and recovering from too many adventures, I’d been more cheerleader than helper. Yet I’d done what I could, and the gang insisted I be a part of the opening ceremony.
I grinned at the women and their dates as they greeted me. I hugged and kissed my shipmates and friends. I thanked the fellows who offered flattering remarks. I got to Candy, Mihi, and Ama for more hugs and such.
“You guys deserve the biggest vote of gratitude,” I told Candy’s Nobek paramours. “You did a ton of the heavy work and building. How can we possibly thank you?”
Ama and Mihi gave a blushing Candy significant leers. “Don’t worry, Matara Shalia. We are being compensated quite well with the promise of more,” Mihi grinned.
I burst out in laughter. I would probably have laughed a lot longer, except Katrina walked in. With Clan Wotref.
Candy gasped and grabbed my hand. “Shalia, look! They’re back together!”
We squealed and jumped up and down like a couple of schoolgirls. Katrina saw us carrying on, of course. She laughed at us from across the room. Imdiko Ret grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. Captain Wotref winked. Siko stomped in their wake, the grim, scary Nobek he is. I thought I detected the hint of a smile fighting to escape his typically grouchy face.
I was dying to know for sure that all was well with Katrina and her sweethearts. As the person who had started the ball rolling for our club, she was more interested in starting the party. She grabbed her shel and joined us. She raised her glass. “Welcome to the Plush Bush Club, the newest hotspot of the good ship Pussy ‘Porter! Let’s thank Captain Wotref for the first round.”
I mouthed Plush Bush Club? at Candy. She snorted. We’d never discussed naming it.
Katrina. That woman always has something outrageous to say.
She made short work thanking everyone involved, but her words were filled with sincerity. We cheered for each name mentioned. Then Katrina called, “Listen, we have only a few weeks to enjoy this thing. Enough talking. Let’s turn on the music and party already!”
That earned the biggest, loudest cheer of them all. The hectic yet sensual beat began to throb from the sound system, and the celebration went into full swing.
We women
danced as if we’d never have the chance again. Since Kalquorian males don’t dance, we were left to sway and grind and boogie with each other. Sometimes I danced with a knot of my friends. Sometimes I danced with Candy, since we tended to have the best time together. Sometimes I danced over to the bar to refill my glass. Once the shel ran out, I chose to have dlas, the mildest of the Kalquorian drinks. I wasn’t interested in getting smashed. I was all about the joy of dancing. It felt incredible to move to the music, to celebrate life.
Most of us danced for our dates, who sat at the tables or stood around the dance floor. No man appeared bored, even when they weren’t having drinks while hanging out and talking to each other. The guys think dancing is taboo to their masculinity, but they love to watch us gals do it. That’s ‘love’ with a capital LUST. I’m going to suggest to Katrina she redub the name of our venue ‘The Swollen Crotch’.
Shalia's Diary Omnibus Page 140
