I was sure to gyrate my ass over to Betra and Oses frequently. The gazes were quite appreciative, I’m glad to say. If I looked ridiculous, it wasn’t to those two. Each time I went over to give them a show, I got closer. I ended up grinding my butt against Betra’s crotch in a most suggestive manner while rubbing my hands over Oses’s chest.
“She’s asking for it,” Betra said to the Nobek, yelling to be heard over the thundering pulse of music.
“So I see.” Oses glanced at the door at the back that led to a storeroom. “I say we take her there and give it to her. I hate for my woman to be reduced to begging.”
I giggled in reply. I’d not gone overboard on the drinking, but I experienced few inhibitions. When Oses tugged me toward the door, I danced in his wake. Betra followed close behind.
It turned out we weren’t the only celebrants searching for privacy. The light in the storeroom was turned down so that all I saw were refill containers for the liquor dispensers and shadowy figures up against walls. Moans and glad cries joined with the bass throbbing a low beat from the main venue.
The Swollen Crotch has a relief area, apparently. Good to know.
I’d been uncomfortable that I might be recognized in the pleasure club a few nights ago, but in the back room I had no inhibitions. Maybe because it was dark. Maybe because I had been drinking. Maybe because I was so high on having fun. Having Oses and Betra as my playmates didn’t hurt either.
Oses led us to a section of wall with a few feet of space between others working off their frustrations. The Nobek’s teeth gleamed in the low light as he grinned at Betra. “You can brace yourself up against the wall. Since she’s been offering you her ass, I’ll let you have it.”
“You won’t hear me complain,” Betra laughed. He leaned up against the wall. I saw well enough to realize his hand was at the crotch of his pants. Despite the deep thud of distant music and the noises from others, I heard the telltale purr of a seam opening.
Oses pushed me against the Imdiko, who caught me up by the backs of my thighs and lifted. Oses whipped my skirt up so that it was caught between our bodies. The hot wet lengths of Betra lay against my ass.
Eager arousal took hold of me. My pussy wept moisture, my senses galvanized by the idea that I was doing something clandestine. I was being taken in a place where anyone could spot me. The idea of discovery excited me, as being shown off to others in the pleasure club had.
The way Betra and Oses went about it tripped all sorts of switches too. I’d been the victim of unwanted sex on Earth. Nothing about being truly coerced or forced enticed me. Yet the fantasy of being ravished by men who had pulled me out of the main room, of being taken without being asked if it was what I desired, did something to my head. No doubt I could enjoy it because I trusted Oses and Betra with everything.
With Betra behind me and Oses’s face in shadow, I could pretend these were strangers making me helpless to their lust. My breath caught as rough fingers yanked my panties aside. They slid along my slit, discovering the soaked flesh held open for ruthless examination. They demanded entrance, first pumping hard into my trembling pussy, then spreading juices to the rear entrance.
I guess during his exploration Oses brushed up against Betra’s cocks. The Imdiko uttered a startled noise and shifted to the side.
Oses muttered, “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were right there.”
Betra’s chest moved against me as he pulled in a deep breath. “It’s okay.”
And it was. Oses continued to ready me for rear penetration. If he accidentally touched Betra again ... and I didn’t comprehend how he couldn’t have ... it was not remarked on. It was a measure of how much trust they’d developed between each other that didn’t stop us from continuing on. I felt a rush of happiness for the pair.
A rush of a different kind came when Oses stopped fingering me and stepped in close enough that his prick brushed my female entrance. His hands went to the backs of my knees to lend his support.
“I have her. You can claim that tight hole,” he grunted to Betra.
“Oh hell yeah.” The Imdiko’s voice was almost as growly as Oses’s. He positioned himself for the first thrust.
He speared me, taking what he wanted all at once. It was forceful and demanding. Once again, I thought of sudden, secret liaisons in dark places with faceless males. I cried out, my body responding with a burst of enthusiasm.
The big man in front of me, whose massive body eclipsed mine, crushed against me. His mouth bit down on mine, his tongue shoving inside. I succumbed to the brutal kiss, realizing there was no denying him. He would take what he wished, all he demanded.
As the hidden lover behind me drew out of my ass, the man in front shoved inside my pussy. The force of his entrance drove the breath from my lungs. They set up a rhythm, one withdrawing as the other pushed in. The dual friction burned a fiery trail, lighting me up like a candle in the dark.
Rough hands shoved the top of my dress down, baring my breasts. The jiggling mounds were treated to squeezes, twists, and pinches that excited more than they hurt. I clawed at cloth-covered shoulders and pounded against a granite wall of chest as brute lust tore at my insides.
I knew Oses and Betra were mindful of what they were doing. They were careful to do no damage. Yet they managed to make our encounter feel wonderfully violent and harsh. Whether they sensed I craved the illusion of force or simply had the shared need for a quick and dirty fuck, they gave me the raw, passionate fantasy I could never enjoy in truth.
It took only a minute for ravenous orgasm to rip through me. I wailed as they heaved and rutted, shoving their cocks up into me until they too found release. Ecstasy poured into me and overflowed to drip down the insides of my legs and onto the floor.
It was crude. Debauched. And so very, very delicious.
After a few moan-filled minutes, we sagged against each other. Depleted, we stood there listening to our breathing slow and the cries of other lovers fulfilling their lusts. As our heart rates calmed, they disengaged from me with satisfied grunts. Betra found stacks of paper napkins on nearby shelving and grabbed a handful so we could clean ourselves up. There was a lot of snickering as we put ourselves to rights, reminding me of naughty kids who’d gotten away with smoking in the school restroom. We were pretty pleased with ourselves.
At last we were ready to go out among the lights and decent-acting people. We stepped out of the back room and into the musical din of the dance club. I thought a drink was in order since I wasn’t so sure how eager my still-wobbly legs were about bopping. I was about to say something to that effect to Betra and Oses when the music suddenly cut out. Strident alarms took its place, along with a gruff voice.
“This is not a drill. All Mataras and nonessential personnel, evacuate to escape shuttles immediately. Repeat, this is not a drill. All Mataras and nonessential personnel, evacuate to escape shuttles immediately. All officers, report to your stations at once. Captain Wotref to the bridge. Weapons Commander Oses to the bridge.”
There were a few startled cries, but everyone was already leaving the club in an orderly fashion. We were well practiced for this eventuality.
Betra patted my shoulder and ushered me to take my place in the exodus. “Go. Half our group isn’t in here, so I have to run to the Matara section and snag the rest. I’ll collect Anrel and Megan.”
We hit the exit, and he jogged off in the direction opposite where I was going. Oses had already disappeared.
I knew Betra would reach Anrel before I could, but my feet dragged as I moved toward the in-house transport that would take me to the shuttle bay. I had my portable com at my mouth when Tep’s voice issued from it.
“Shalia, don’t come to us.”
I breathed a sigh of relief to hear him. “Betra’s on his way to collect the rest of our group.”
“I’m heading to Medical, but I’m escorting Megan and Anrel to the shuttle bay first. I’ll com Betra that we’ll meet you there.”
“Thanks, D
oc. You’re the best.”
Since I knew where my baby was and that she was in the best of care, I stopped second-guessing where I should go. I squeezed into a transport with a bunch of other women from the club and had a second to be grateful I’d finished Happy Sex Festivities in the nick of time. Boy, wouldn’t that have been an awkward ending.
As the transport opened to the shuttle bay and we surged out, the alarms quit blaring. We turned questioning glances to each other but kept moving until the gruff tone began speaking again.
“Immediate evacuation postponed. Remain calm but on standby for further instructions.”
We halted and looked around, waiting to discover what would happen next. More transports arrived, spilling out women and liaisons. Tep and Megan also appeared. Megan held Anrel, who blinked wide eyes in the bright lights of the bay. I hurried over to them.
“Here’s Mommy.” Megan gave Anrel a kiss on the cheek before handing her over to me. “A dramatic end to the grand opening, huh?”
“No kidding.” I smiled at her and Tep. “Thanks for watching Anrel. Any idea what’s going on, Doc?”
“Not yet, but I should head to Medical just in case. Excuse the abrupt departure.” He brushed Anrel’s cheek, kissed Megan on the forehead, and offered me a wave before hurrying to the lift.
“The alarms woke her up,” Megan said. “She yelped once but calmed right down.”
I paused between kissing my baby’s adorable face to ask, “No problems?”
“Not a bit. She’s such a good girl, aren’t you, Anrel?” Megan sighed as she looked at the baby. “I want to play the field before I settle down, but I’m getting mommy fever. She is wonderful, Shalia.”
Candy and Katrina located us, followed a second later by Betra and the rest of our group. “All present and accounted for,” he grinned. “And no, I haven’t heard what’s going on this time.”
As if to make a liar out of him, his com went off. The same announcer that had spoken over the public address system issued from the device, speaking Kalquorian. Since I don’t hear as fast as Kalquorians talk, I only caught a couple of words ... but I distinctly heard ‘Earther’.
As soon as Gruff Voice stopped talking, we gathered around Betra expectantly. He looked troubled. Knowing us so well, he didn’t try to give us any false assurances.
“Potentially bad news. We detected an Earther battlecruiser along with three Tragoom ships and a couple of Bi’isil hunter-killers. They started heading for us, but suddenly turned tail and ran when we went on alert and armed all weapons. No doubt they were feeling out our defenses, learning how ready we were to engage.”
We stayed silent as we digested that news. My fears reflected on every face.
It was Candy who choked out, “Earthers, Tragooms, and Bi’isils? Banded together?”
Betra grimaced. “Maybe. Quite a few of your space fleet went rogue after Armageddon. They’re mostly behaving like pirates, attacking smaller vessels for food, power, that sort of thing. A few have targeted Kalquorian vessels, still fighting a guerilla war on their own.”
“But working with Tragooms? How is that even possible?” Katrina spoke slowly, as if in shock.
“Tragooms are opportunistic. Kalquorian technology is a huge prize for them, so it would be no surprise if they offered to help rogue Earth ships in fighting us.” Betra scowled. “It’s more probable that Tragooms got hold of that battlecruiser and are flying it themselves. There may be no Earthers on board at all.”
“What about the Bi’isils?” I asked.
Betra’s lip curled. “As much as I’d enjoy a reason to point a finger at those scrawny beasts, it’s more probable that the hunter-killers are stolen by Tragooms. I doubt Bi’isils are roaming about with Earthers and Tragooms in the hopes of taking out a small Kalquorian convoy.”
“We’re so close to the empire,” I mused. “Why would they be flying near your borders?”
“Because once we’re within our borders, they’ve got damned little chance of getting to us. They know our fleet is mostly concentrated within the empire and near to Earth. It could be they hoped we would be more relaxed this close to home.”
“They had enough ships to challenge us,” Katrina said. “I wonder why they didn’t?”
“Because a challenge is not a definite win,” Betra said. “Tragooms are cowards if they don’t have a clear-cut advantage along with surprise. They had neither in this instance.”
Candy blew out a breath. “I realize there is no point in worrying. Either they attack us or they don’t. Still, I don’t expect a lot of sleep tonight.”
“You didn’t plan on that anyway,” I pointed out. “Go back and dance until your feet fall off.”
Candy pulled a face. “I’m afraid my desire for dancing is out the window.”
That was the consensus. With the all-clear given, we drifted toward the transports. Our big night out was done.
Betra had to file reports anyway. And no doubt Oses would be on the bridge for several hours. I smiled at Anrel. “Ready to crawl into your own bed, tiny warrior?”
Megan handed me Anrel’s diaper bag. “How was the club until the party was crashed?”
“Amazing. You’re going to love it. And if a more intimate type of dancing is wanted with your beaus, the back room is the place to go.”
Megan laughed. “Gotcha. I’ll keep that in mind.”
We all headed to the transport, ready to call it a night. I was delighted to have Katrina close so I could interrogate her about showing up with Clan Wotref earlier.
“Things are back to normal with you and the captain’s clan?” I hoped with all my might that the news was good. “Did Matthew—?”
“My son has not come around yet. I hope he will.”
Candy slipped her arm around Katrina’s waist. “What convinced you to start up with Clan Wotref again?”
Katrina shrugged. “I can’t be held hostage from my own happiness. I want my son and grandchildren in my life, but it’s wrong to let my life be dictated to me. Matthew has no right to force me to live by his beliefs.”
“You must have struggled with that decision,” I said quietly. We reached our section and got off the lift. Megan wished us good night and went on to her rooms.
“Let’s go to my quarters,” I suggested to Candy and Katrina. “If you feel up to telling us what happened.”
“I do. It seems as if I cut you two out, but I could hardly think about it, let alone talk.”
We went to my suite. Anrel had drifted off to sleep, so I settled her in her crib. I left the door between rooms open. We sat on my lounger to talk quietly.
Katrina picked up her tale. “I have decided to live my life as I deem fit. I sent Matthew a message saying he no more knows God’s mind than I do, and he had no justification to be so self-righteous. I asked him to reconsider keeping the grandchildren from me. I am willing to visit them without my potential clan since Matthew can raise them as he feels. But I won’t cut Clan Wotref out of my life to accommodate him.”
“Good for you,” Candy agreed. “Even though that must have been the hardest message you’ve ever had to send.”
Katrina shrugged. “It’s actually a relief. Had I done as my son wanted me to, I’d resent his interference. I’d feel I’d not been true to myself. I couldn’t live like that, angry at Matthew for ruining my chance at love and happiness.”
“Where does your relationship with Clan Wotref stand?” I asked. “They looked pleased. Well, Wotref and Ret did. Siko didn’t look ready to tear heads off, so I guess that’s a good sign.”
Katrina snickered at my observation. “Siko is a big marshmallow under all that rude language and grouchiness. When I showed up at their door, he was the first to hug me. It took Wotref threatening to break his arms before he would let me go.”
“Tell me they’ve offered to clan,” Candy begged.
Katrina nodded. Candy and I both clapped our hands over our mouths to muffle our delighted squeals. “You answered yes?�
�� I demanded.
“Settle down, you hopeless romantics,” Katrina laughed quietly. “I told them to consider us engaged to be clanned.”
“Katrina! Why wait?”
“Because I need more time to try and convince Matthew I’m doing what is best for me. If I join Wotref’s clan immediately, he may decide it’s only to spite him.”
“How long will you wait for him to see it your way?”
“Clan Wotref plans to retire from the fleet in a couple of years. I can’t stay on the ship with them, and they won’t be on Kalquor too much until then. I’ll go through with my plans to work as a liaison for the Matara Complex.” Her eyes twinkled mischief. “If my big strong fellows haven’t regained their senses by the time they resign their commissions, then I’ll become their Matara.”
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