An Unexpected Return

by Jessica E. Subject

  Sucking in a deep breath, she straightened her back and mounted her resolve. She would become an Echelon Four Adamo, and a damn good one, to make Kalara proud.

  Men will come from all over the universe to request my services. She giggled at the thought. But in an instant her euphoria melted away. How would she find love and have a family? That dream simply wouldn’t be possible.

  No time to think about that now. I need a couple hours of sleep to be ready for tonight.

  She weaved through the streets, passing natives and tourists, some guiding big, black orokes to carry their abundant purchases. Never would she have any use for the large creatures, as she could walk faster, and only purchased items in small quantities. A gust of wind blew her hair into her face. She brushed the strands aside and looked up to see the large red feet of a yeemid coming at her. Another form of transportation she never understood. She ducked out of the way—the creatures were blind, and their riders didn’t always steer with accuracy—and continued past the vendors selling creams, oils, clothing, and jewelry made from eletin. The street vendors sold inferior products at a higher price, yet tourists still waited in line to purchase every available commodity.

  Finally reaching the outskirts of Havmiola, she turned down the laneway to her house. Sleep. She entered the small spire, planning to snooze as long as she could.

  “Good afternoon, Xia.” Kalara set a pitcher filled with her eletin cold tea on the table in front of two Terran men. “You remember Adem and Gavan.”

  She nodded. How could she ever forget the two pale-faced men from the planet of her parents? Regulars of Kalara, they visited often and sometimes, asked her to join them. But she’d never been knowledgeable enough to provide them with services. And did she really want Terrans as clients? They might know the parents who had abandoned her on Elatia, and she couldn’t be reminded of that while bringing someone pleasure. All the more reason not to tell them she had graduated to Echelon Two.

  “It’s good to see you again.” Adem grinned at her, revealing his perfect, white teeth.

  “Yes, very good,” Gavan said, raising his eyebrows. “I do hope you can stay this time.”

  A rush of desire stirred in her loins, a strange and new sensation to feel for someone else. She searched the room, her examination stopping when she spotted lit candles on the console table to her right. Had the eletin in the air affected her already? “I…I just came by to grab some supplies. I have to go back to school. Night classes.”

  Jacobus never taught them in the evenings, but Kalara didn’t seem to notice.

  “That’s too bad.” Adem sat back and took a sip of the tea. “Perhaps another day then, since we’ll be here all week.”

  She rushed to her room, then packed scarves and robes for the next few days. Was she attracted to the men because of their heritage, desperate to feel pleasure at the hands of a man for once, or had the eletin simply messed with her head? No matter. She wouldn’t live at home until Adem and Gavan had left. Then she’d return, the temptation of letting her sexual desires take over, gone. She had to remain in control until she decided what she wanted in life.

  Before Xia left, she glanced at Kalara. Would she understand?

  You’d be surprised what I understand. We’ll talk as soon as they leave.

  Only through Kalara’s thoughts did she find the woman she once knew, the woman who’d rescued her as a child, and not the one in a constant state of arousal from her eletin injection. Xia couldn’t telepath back, though, and only received the thoughts Kalara was willing to share.

  Taking a deep breath, she left the house then headed back into the city.

  Where am I going to go? The hotel? Perhaps there would be a place for her to lie down until her appointment. It wasn’t as if she had any friends who would put her up for a few days. No, they all had other people depending on them and no room for her. She only had Kalara and Jacobus to rely on. It was no wonder she secretly wanted more.

  Walking into the silky rear-end of an oroke, she came to an abrupt halt. The creature had been walking at a steady pace and then stopped. She’d failed to notice in time. Wiping fluff off her face, she turned around and walked into another hard body. “I’m so sorry.”

  Hands clamped down on her arms. “Are you all right?”

  She stared up into deep brown eyes. Chewing her bottom lip, she nodded. If this man hadn’t been holding on to her, she would have fallen to the ground. The word swoon held no meaning for her until now.

  Am I only like this because of the eletin I inhaled back home? Or was there something more she found heart-racing about the blue-skinned, well-muscled hunk of an Otarian who held her up?

  No, she couldn’t feel anything for him. Their races had been sworn enemies for years. Everyone across the galaxy knew that. Yet here she was, standing face to face, gazing intently at him, with no will to move.

  He smiled at her, drawing her attention from his eyes to his lips. How would they taste? She’d never kissed anyone intimately before.

  “What’s your name?”

  Name? Gods, what was her name? “Zee…Xia.” Had she told him, or only thought the word?

  He released her arms to brush his fingers along her jaw line. How she remained standing, she had no idea.

  “Xia. A beautiful name belonging to a beautiful woman.”

  Moisture pooled between her thighs. Her cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”

  She sighed as he trailed a hand down her arm. Her entire body tingled from his gentle touch.

  “You’re welcome. Now tell me, why were you in such a rush that you walked into the rear end of that slow-moving beast? We’re supposed to be on vacation, enjoying all this planet has to offer.”

  Laughing at his description of the oroke, she leaned against his arm. Never before had she enjoyed a man’s attention like this. “I’m not visiting. I live here. Have my whole life.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Really? So, what was it like growing up on the pleasure planet?”

  “I…I don’t know. Normal?” She couldn’t think clearly around him. Her tongue felt numb in her mouth.

  His smile traveled all the way up to his eyes. He leaned closer and rested his hand on her hip. “Then perhaps you could be my personal tour guide,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I can’t. I have other plans.”

  He drew back and frowned, but she could still see the glimmer in his eyes.

  “I’m jealous of whoever you’re going to be spending your time with.”

  She giggled at him. “I’m just going to sleep. It’s been a long day, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t be good company.” There was no way she would tell him she had to spend a few hours that night with another man.

  Losing the fake expression, he smiled again. “Tomorrow then? I’d really like to see you again.”

  Woo-hoo! A man wanted to see her again. It made her feel like the most desirable woman on the planet. “Sure, I’d like that, too.”

  “Great. Now, before you go, could you point me in the direction of the Delectacio Hotel? I have an appointment with an Adamo, and I can’t seem to find my way back.”

  Her heart lurched. He’d flirted with her, made her desire him, and then thrown his appointment in her face. Would her life always be like this on Elatia, men seeking only sexual release and nothing more? In that case, she’d need to harden her heart, or end up lacerated by rejection. “Find it yourself.”

  Spinning away from him, she ran. I don’t need this right now. I have to sleep so I can be ready for tonight.

  “Xia, wait.” He tried to grab her, his blue fingers skimming across the back of her hand, but she ducked away.

  She took back alleys and private paths to get to the hotel; she had to escape. But would he follow her? When she reached the office, she hid under the desk Jacobus occupied.

  “As much as I like you, I am not in need of your services.”

  She slapped his thigh. “I’m not offering my services. I’m hiding.”

 
“From whom?”

  “No one important. Listen, the client I have tonight, is he Otarian?” She would refuse to service him if he turned out to be the man she’d seen on the street. Sure, he’d made her heart flutter, but she couldn’t remain in control of her feelings if she had to pleasure him.

  “I’m not supposed to tell you. Learning to adapt is part of the experience.”

  Taking hold of his ringed nipple, she pulled. “I need to know.”

  “Ouch!” He took her hand and squeezed until she let go. “Fine, I’ll look on the appointment log.”

  She shook the pain from her hand while he examined the book.

  “It just gives a name. Aristides.”

  Shit. She hadn’t found out his name. Dropping her bag to the floor, she peered around, hoping to locate some place to sleep.

  “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going home.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” She spotted an empty room, not much bigger than a closet to her left, and picked up her bag. “Can I rest in there?”

  “Sure.” He tossed her a pillow and a blanket from the shelving behind the check-in desk. “I’ll make sure you’re up in time for your appointment.”

  “Thanks.” Her mind spun out of control as she walked away. In a short period of time, she’d run into three men who’d stirred unfamiliar desires in her. If she continued training as an Adamo, would her life be filled with never-ending heartache? How would she ever get to sleep now? She lay on the cushion, pulled the oroke-skin blanket over her, and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Three

  Aristides sighed heavily, waiting on the bed. He couldn’t get the young Terran woman he’d met on the street out of his mind. Xia.

  But she shouldn’t be in his thoughts; Terrans and Otarians did not mingle. They didn’t even speak from distances. Their planets were positioned far from each other, across the universe. Bad blood had been spilled many star cycles ago, causing a rift between the two societies. And yet, he would bridge the gap, if given the opportunity, to experience Xia.

  He closed his eyes, envisioning her beautiful face, her long, raven-colored hair flowing down her back, her almond-shaped, violet eyes. Oh, he craved her, a feeling he’d never felt for anyone in his life. Is this what Ben felt every time he fantasized of Madelia?

  A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts.

  Shit! His Adamo had arrived. He’d been lucky to get an appointment so soon after his quarantine period. The bronze-skinned Elatian man at the desk wanted him to take tomorrow night, but a few gems he’d managed to collect from the caves of Tyto had persuaded the man to rearrange the schedule. How would the woman sent to him feel if he turned her away? He’d never get his money back, but could he enjoy the pleasures the Adamos were known for if he had another woman on his mind? Perhaps that would further heighten the experience. And how would he find this Xia anyway? He knew nothing but her name and the sight of her shapely body.

  Might as well enjoy the planet while I’m here. “Come in.”

  The door to his suite slid open and the woman slipped into his darkened room. “Sir, I’ll be your Adamo for the evening. Would you like me to turn the lights up?”

  “No, leave the room dim.” He planned to picture Xia bringing him pleasure instead.

  The woman gasped. He opened his eyes to get a better look, but couldn’t see her facial expressions. Somehow, though, he could sense something familiar about her.

  “Aristides. Your name is Aristides?”

  “Xia? You’re my Adamo?” Am I really this lucky? His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t have to imagine anything. The woman he’d planned to fantasize about stood in front of him.

  “Yes, I am.” She kept her tone curt, distancing. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started. Please get up on the table, sir.”

  Her accentuated last word stung. What had he done to piss her off?

  “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you this afternoon.” Gods, could I sound any more like a teenager?

  But his words seemed to soften Xia’s glare, and she tilted her head to the side. “I’m surprised, considering you couldn’t wait to get here and have fun with your Adamo.”

  What the Claustrum? “Yes, Terran, but you are my Adamo.”

  If her eyes held lasers, he’d be ashes on the floor.

  “I can easily find a replacement if I’m not to your liking.”

  Quite the opposite. He slid off the bed. Stepping forward, he brushed a hand down her tanned arm. She belonged with him on Tyto, not here to provide pleasure for others. Where did that thought come from?

  She wouldn’t be accepted in his kingdom. She was Terran. Right now, he didn’t care. “I don’t want anyone else. I want you.” And he’d give her as much pleasure as she gave him, more even.

  She didn’t shy away, but calmed down against him. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he ran his thumb along her full pink lips. He couldn’t wait to taste them, have them around his cock. Gods, she drives me wild.

  He leaned forward to savor her luscious lips, but she pulled away with a whimper. “I can’t do this.”

  “But you’re an Adamo. This is what you’re paid to do.” He wanted the experience to be more than an obligation. Having the night end before it began didn’t work for him.

  She gazed down at her feet. “This is my first appointment. I…I’m not used to kissing and all that.”

  A beautiful woman like her had never been kissed before, and on Elatia of all places? How was that possible? “You can take the lead then. But join me on the bed.”

  She stiffened, as if becoming distant. “We’ll start on the massage table for the standard rubdown, sir. We’ll move to the bed later in the night.”

  Oh yes they would, and there he’d turn the tides, take control of the night and escort her into the land of oblivion. He need only wait for her to let her guard down.

  At the table, he dropped his robe to the ground, ensuring Xia had a full-frontal view.

  What would she think of him? Was she disgusted by his Otarian form?

  His abnormal self-consciousness helped to calm his raging hard-on, but his mind kept returning to Xia. He needed to touch her again, taste her, be in her. Finally, he’d found a woman he hungered for, rather than one he’d simply use as a means to an end. But was the feeling simply a by-product of the eletin added to the water of this planet and infused into the hotel’s ventilation system? He lay down, cringing in the process. This was going to be a long night.

  “Are you ready, sir?”

  Sir, again? “Yes, miss, I’m ready.”

  She unzipped her appointment bag. “You may call me Adamo.”

  “And you may call me Aris.” I plan to have you screaming my name by the end of the night.

  “I prefer sir. Please lie still and relax.”

  He sighed. One way or another, he would break down her walls.

  Oil sloshed onto his back, the strong scent of eletin encapsulating the room. As Xia’s hands met his bare skin, he tensed then melted into a puddle. Her hands worked to loosen every muscle throughout his back, down his legs, and along his arms. No touch had ever made him so rested, yet raring to go at the same time. Though this was her first time, she’d learned well, digging deep into his body. He couldn’t wait to turn over and experience her knowledge of his other erogenous zones.

  Trailing a finger down his spine, she whispered, “It’s time to move to the bed, sir. Please lie on your back.”

  With his legs flimsy like rubber, he wobbled over to the bed, his mind set on how to seduce her, make her want him the way he wanted her.

  Chapter Four

  From the moment she’d heard his deep, husky voice, her body raced with anticipation. She’d recognized him, remembered the intense, sensual dreams she’d experienced while trying to rest during the afternoon. And she’d only just met him. How would she feel after this appointment ended? Would every client make her experience the same ru
sh of emotions, or only Aris, the Otarian man who must remain a sworn enemy?

  Sighing, she sauntered toward the bed. She couldn’t think about the problems of her race—they’d abandoned her. No one had ever come to find her.

  And she had a client to pleasure. That’s all he could be. Nothing more.

  She crawled up onto the bed, positioning herself between Aris’s spread legs. His ample arousal jutted high into the air, ready to take pleasure in her mouth. But she’d follow procedure, spending time on other parts of his body first. With the eletin in her system reducing her inhibitions and heightening her body’s responses every time she touched his bare skin, if she broke the routine she’d come to memorize, she’d wind up putty in his hands. Not ideal for her first client. She had to remain in control.

  After she’d poured more oil onto his chiseled chest, she leaned forward to massage it in. She pressed firmly into his hard muscles, not having to push through scales and layers of other physiological coverings like the mannequins she’d used in training. Aris’s body presented everything out front to her, including his damn enticing cock. Never before had she wanted a male appendage in her mouth so much. She tried to ignore the tip pressing against her stomach, dancing against her skin with every stroke of her hands across his chest. But she couldn’t. Cream built up in her molten core, urging her to take the massage into foreign territory. She longed to be filled by a man. By Aris.

  No! She leaned back, skipping the massage of his temples, his scalp, and his underarms, for she was required to lean over him rather than move around to his head, and that would take her core dangerously close to his hard shaft. She couldn’t allow him to bring her any pleasure, heighten her emotional connection to him, and leave her susceptible to heartbreak. Aris is your client.