This time, it was Larten who was slow on the uptake. “Yes, he has mastered several of your world’s languages. Once Earther women started coming to Kalquor, Cifa and his siblings made it mandatory that their employees learn at least one dialect from your planet.”
I walked to the rear of my sitting stone, the part closest to the wall of mountain. From a crevice between the rock and the ledge surface, I saw the corner of a small box peeking out. I stooped, drew it out, and showed it to Larten in triumph.
The Nobek’s eyes widened. Then he unleashed a whoop that echoed over the landscape before slapping a palm to his forehead. “Why didn’t I search the rock? Ancestors, please don’t tell anyone I was that stupid. Any of my recruits would have had better sense!”
I laughed. “I didn’t think about it either until the answer to Carip’s final clue literally dug into my ass.” I explained it to Larten. “It’s kind of unfair that only an Earther or someone fluent in Earther sayings would have picked up on that.”
“Not really,” Larten opined. “It should have been automatic to check that big rock, so it was just an extra hint that shouldn’t have mattered.”
“Except for us silly people who don’t take note of the obvious. When I saw the rock, my only thought was to take a rest break.”
“Open it, Shalia. Let’s discover what this treasure is.”
It turned out to be a green jewel set in gold and hung from a slender gold chain. Larten confirmed it was a real emerald. He insisted on putting it on me.
“As if I don’t have enough jewelry,” I griped as the light gem was hung around my throat. “You should see the baubles Clan Aslada gave me. Big, chunky things crowded with gemstones.”
Behind me, Larten’s voice was quiet. “I take it those ornaments are much nicer than this.”
“No, not nicer. More elaborate. Oh, they’re beautiful, but hedging on gaudy. This is much better for me,” I decided. “I don’t feel as if I need an armed guard to wear it.”
I turned to look up at Larten. His dark eyes riveted on me, and his expression was unreadable. Was he let down now that our quest was at an end?
I gazed at our prize, which was apparently mine to keep. A happy notion occurred to me. “You know what makes this extra special? When I wear it, I’ll remember our adventure to find it together. It’s much better than any other jewelry I have, because I found it with you.” My fingers brushed over the twinkling gem, a lovely reminder of having fun with Larten.
Fun he was eager to add to. He pulled me close and kissed me with eager passion.
Well, of course he did. He was a Nobek who had just been on the hunt. A hunt that had ended in success. Such things excite his breed, and I could feel that excitement growing hard against my stomach. Hello, big guy.
I can’t say which swamped my senses more; the feeling of Larten’s tongue stroking against mine, his big delicious body pressed against me, or the awareness of how much he wanted me. I went gooey in an instant, my arms trembling as they wrapped around his neck so I could cling as my knees wobbled. I was overcooked spaghetti in an instant.
He pushed me up against the mountain’s wall and pressed close. Ooh, power grab. Yummy. I circled my legs around him and ground my crotch against his. I wanted to celebrate our victory too.
Larten kissed his way to my ear. “I’m going to fuck you.”
The statement was bald. Asserted as a simple fact. Who knew that five little words declared in such a way could raise the hair on my head? It sure as hell did though.
I had a concern as he unwound my legs from his waist to yank my shorts and panties off. “We’re out in the open. The others might see us.”
“I don’t care.” Larten yanked the crotch of his shorts open, freeing his cocks. He grabbed my legs, pulling them around him again.
I had a moment of anxiety. Sure, I have more than a passing fondness for exhibition, but when the potential spectators don’t recognize me. Yet with Larten’s front firmly mashed against mine, I realized no one would spy any of my naughty bits. Just a hint of my rump. They would realize what we were doing, but maybe Cifa’s in-laws would have enough courtesy to look away. Well, maybe not Erom. He’s basically a good guy, but also kind of a jerk when there’s teasing to be done.
I didn’t have the chance to consider the potential ramifications of copulating with Larten in full view of any passersby. He was positioning his cocks to fill me. With a single thrust, he speared me all the way through.
Clan Seot and I had ended last night and started today with sex. Larten was a snug, almost achy fit, but I was able to adjust to him quickly…a good thing since he was pounding me for all he was worth. With our bodies crushed together the way we were, he rubbed all the good stuff, including my clit. I was racing for orgasm at a record pace. The noises I uttered alerted my lover, and he grinned down at me like a hungry wolf. Prophets help me, I love it when he scares me with that expression.
“Come for me,” he snarled. “I want to watch you do it.”
Maybe a minute later…probably less…I did. I climaxed with a shriek, clawing at his back. He already wore my scratches from our previous romps, so I was glad he was wearing a shirt.
“That’s it,” Larten encouraged me, still hammering me. “Let’s find out how many more I can give you.”
It turned out four was the magic number, each more intense than the last. My body rioted with internal fireworks that had me yelling fit to make the volcano echo. I pulled Larten’s hair and beat on his back as he forced me to surrender to voluptuous pleasure.
When he let go, it was with a roar fit for a lion, making my ears ring. If no one was in the right spot to catch a glimpse, they probably heard us. A walk of shame was in my future.
For the moment, it was divine to come down from our glorious celebration in Larten’s arms, the two of us re-learning how to breathe normally again. He sat on the ledge, holding me in his lap and petting me.
“Best possible treasure I could hope for,” he said, the eternal evil twinkle in his eye. “Better than any piece of jewelry.”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
We returned to the beach. When we reached it, everyone else was there. As I’d suspected, they’d heard enough to deduce the treasure hunt had been successfully concluded. Seot, Cifa, and Joelle congratulated us between snickers and giggles. Erom, irascible as ever, greeted us with slow applause, his grin bright. Everyone else chuckled.
Larten strutted with his chest thrown out, the smug Nobek. I gave Erom a vulgar gesture. “Shut up or I’ll lock you in a room with Tej and Pexet and tell them to sing every song they know.”
“I’d rather hear you sing, Shalia. Your voice carries nicely. I bet I could hear you from the other end of the island.”
Larten was happy to sneer at Cifa’s brother. “Too bad Bazi’s never demonstrated the same talent. Though I understand that she does have a lovely-sounding yawn.”
While the rest of the men howled and the women rolled their eyes, Erom tackled Larten. They wrestled until Erom had to swallow his pride and concede to the Nobek.
Boys. They are silly things, even when they happen to be Kalquorian.
December 16
We are underway again, trading our unspoiled island paradise for the high seas. Cifa and I shot some great footage for the promotional vid. I’m eager to discover how I can put it together, so I was delighted to learn he’d brought along a small but topnotch editing program. I was ready to try it out as soon as I saw it, but he protested.
“No, no, only if there’s nothing else to do!” he insisted. “Sure, we can mess with the project during the cruise, but I want you to enjoy yourself too. Come on, the crew just finished setting up a dance club in the main deck’s cabin. They used the description you gave me of the transport’s club.”
“Really?” I hesitated, delighted with the idea of a dance club but wanting to check out the editing program’s specs. In the end, I caved in and opted to cavort with everyone else…after all, if the crew ha
d gone to that kind of trouble, I wasn’t scorning their efforts.
It was still no reason to put on a fancy gown or anything special. Our uniforms for the cruise so far had been soaksuits, sarongs, light tops, and shorts. In my halter top and shorts, I was prepared to be escorted by scantily soaksuited Cifa to the party. (Good night, isn’t he scrumptious in those tiny tight shorts!)
Even before we got to the door of the ‘dance club’, I could hear the throb of a rhythmic beat. I squealed with delight, glad Cifa had talked me out of goofing with the edit suite. He laughed at my eagerness, his face bright with anticipation.
I stepped in to find everyone already having fun. The room wasn’t exactly what we’d had on the Pussy ‘Porter – and I hadn’t expected it to be – but the crew had captured the vibe pretty well. The lighting was lower than usual and strobing different colors in rhythm to the thumping music. The window vids that were usually set to display the seascape had been configured into mirrors. It made the room seem bigger and allowed for everyone to be viewed from every angle.
The tables and blue seating cushions that usually took up the floor had been moved against the walls, leaving plenty of room for us women who wanted to strut for the guys. The music was right too, a steady pulse that wasn’t too fast nor too slow. It had a bit of the same flavor of the Zelt band’s music, which I was beginning to associate with tropical surroundings. It was bright and happy and demanded we move to it. Even with their strict manly code of not dancing, the guys were bobbing their heads and twitching to the beat.
Crewmembers were serving drinks, mostly to the men. The women were dancing about. Joelle had Anrel and swooped her in a circle to my little girl’s crowing delight. Ila and Bazi watched Candy and tried to copy her sexy moves, which we’d learned during our stop at the Adraf station. Stidmun’s eyes were dark as he watched his sweetie sway suggestively.
“Did we get it right?” Cifa asked me, talking loud to be heard over the music.
“Perfect!”
Seot sidled close. His stare riveted on Candy. “I thought Earthers were too repressed to move in that manner. It’s seduction to music. It’s how Plasians dance.”
I laughed and gave him a quick kiss. “You Kalquorians showed us the error of our ways when it comes to missing out on sex. Here, let me demonstrate a few of my moves before your gawking pisses off Stidmun.”
I began to dance for them, happy to discover that the long break from shaking my stuff hadn’t resulted in me forgetting how to do it. Seot appeared to erase Candy from his consciousness as I swayed hips, shoulders, and everything in between. I discovered something pretty amazing…my training had left me more limber than before. I moved muscles I hadn’t known I had. The effect on Seot, Cifa, and Larten was spectacular. They crowded close, mouths hanging open. Their obvious excitement (thank you tiny, tight shorts!) made me feel especially sexy, and the more sensual I felt, the more erotically I moved.
“Yeah,” I said with a naughty smile. “This dance club will do. Grab yourselves some drinks, guys. I might be in here for a while.”
“Maybe,” Larten growled as he watched my hips shimmy about. “Maybe not.”
“Silly Nobek. Haven’t you heard about the benefits of delayed gratification?”
If he didn’t then, he does now. Even the more innocent dances with my sweet little Anrel couldn’t discourage Clan Seot’s ardor. I danced until my legs trembled. Then the men escorted me back to our quarters to set the rest of me trembling.
The dance club idea was a huge success. Cifa, Ila, and Erom have confirmed it’ll become part of the ship’s regular activities, as well as incorporate it on the rest of their fleet.
December 17
Just when I think I’ve witnessed the most beautiful sights Kalquor has to offer, the planet amazes me anew. Today, we arrived at the astounding port of Nacabri.
The island is given over to pure indulgence. It’s a playground destination. I’m not sure how to begin to describe it.
First, there are rock formations jutting out of the peridot-green water near the white-sand shore. Not massive formations such as what Clan Seot has burrowed a home in, but sculptural pillars and arches shaped by nature. Some resembled worn towers erected millennia ago, some similar to stately columns, some like the jagged ruins of fantastical structures. They range in size from my height (if I could stand on water) to skyscraping edifices. They are as pristine white as the nearby beaches, a white so pure it dazzles the eyes. I was blinded to the point that it took me several seconds before I noticed the people walking on air.
I squeezed my eyes shut, sure I was hallucinating. Opened them again. Repeated. The Kalquorians remained high above, walking from formation to formation, some straining as they mounted the sky, climbing to higher pillars. Others loped easily downward. I shook my head, convinced I was going crazy.
“What the – how the – am I really seeing this?” Candy asked.
“The walkways are something else, aren’t they?” Ila laughed. “Material so transparent, it’s as if they’re not there unless you’re close.”
“Rather disconcerting if you go to the higher elevations,” Erom added. He winked at Joelle, who was as open-mouthed with astonishment as Candy and I. “I hope you have no fear of heights, Matara Joelle.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t even want to be this tall,” she chuckled breathlessly. “My goodness, some of them are a long way up there.”
“I’m dying to go,” I told Seot. “The view must be magnificent.”
“It is. We’ll be delighted to take you.”
“We’ll have to remember the vid recorder,” I said. “Maybe it’s not a big deal to Kalquorians, but the Earther gals they’ll bring here will beg to come when they see this.”
“There are strict limits to how many can be here at once. Many Kalquorians haven’t visited,” Cifa said. “We booked this stay the moment we decided to build this vessel five years ago, before we even designed it. We’ve reserved more spots for every six months, the most we were allowed.”
“It’s a big part of this ship’s promotion,” Erom added. “Ours is the only cruise line that is allowed to visit.”
“We’re definitely bringing the vid recorder then,” I insisted. Cifa nodded an adamant agreement.
The ship swept beneath the first of the walkways, between two monolithic columns of alabaster stone. I admit I couldn’t keep myself from cringing with people over my head, seemingly without support. It felt as if they would drop from the sky at any moment, plummeting to crash on me and the deck. I breathed easier as we continued closer to the shore.
If there had been palm trees, I would have named Nacabri a postcard-perfect tropical paradise. There were trees in the distance, but they were many-limbed, stretching their lavender-leafed branches wide as if to hug us in welcome. Sand stretched on either side of the land we neared. Beyond that, dunes and a few rock formations nestled, lumpy creatures dozing in the sun. Music, the same kind as what the Zelts played, drifted from the gorgeous setting on whispering breezes. Farthest away were a couple of volcanos, which I at first took to be covered in snow. Actually, they were the same white rock that made up the arches and columns that we floated amongst. Cifa assured me the two peaks were dormant.
“They’re terrific for scaling,” he added. He grinned at his sister’s clanmates. “If we don’t do well enough to qualify for the kurble tournaments they run here, there’s always a good climb.”
“Excellent,” Dramok Orim said. “They look more exciting than the last one.”
“Not according to Shalia and Larten,” Erom laughed. He’s never going to let me live that down.
“This place was meant for amusement.” Ila shoved her younger brother to shut him up. “Games. Tournaments. Sports. Little pools that Anrel can play in while we relax. Slides and chutes built into the side of a cliff that you can coast down if you’re brave enough. A staff second to only ours who will fetch you food, drink…all your heart desires!”
Cifa c
ontinued. “There are gorgeous paths to walk, a stunning lagoon to swim in, a menagerie of rare and exotic animals and birds, fishing excursions, and more things than I can possibly name. If you can’t be happy here, then you need to determine what’s wrong in your heart.” He winked at me. “That’s the island’s official motto.”
I noted our ship veering starboard, cruising parallel to the stunning beach where maybe fifty people lounged or strolled or swam. “It sounds like heaven,” I sighed.
Seot had been watching me more than our surroundings, though I’d gathered he’d never been here before either. He pressed my hand to his lips. “I am glad it worked out so we could be here with you.”
“Both of you,” Cifa grinned, hugging Anrel close. She grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked, her favorite entertainment these days. Cifa didn’t wince and he didn’t stop her. He never does.
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