by Rachel Clark
Barely able to breathe, Kaydin dragged Jerrod over the top of him, fusing their mouths together in a frantic kiss. “I love you,” he whispered over and over as he peppered his lover’s face with soft kisses.
“I know,” Jerrod said with a soft laugh. “And I love you, too.”
* * * *
Serena wasn’t quite sure what was going on. She’d expected some sort of interview or briefing or meeting of sorts, but what she’d gotten instead was a visit to what seemed to be a beauty salon. When the women insisted that she step into a tub of red liquid that looked like some sort of disinfectant, she wondered if this was maybe a kind of delousing. She’d never been off-planet before, but she supposed it was probably a necessary step to ensure that she didn’t bring any unexpected microscopic little critters with her. She went to dip her head under the water but a surprisingly strong grip in her hair dragged her face back up.
“No…jhedn…permanent.”
“Oh,” she said, not really understanding the warning thanks to her cheap-ass faulty translator.
The women around her urged her out of the tub a moment later, and as she stepped out she was surprised to notice every hair on her body had been removed. The urge to clap her hand over her suddenly bald pussy was near overwhelming, but two of the women grasped her hands and led her to a type of massage bench. They arranged her facedown on the padded mattress and then left the room.
Surprised to be left alone, Serena was still deciding whether to get up and look around or stay where they’d left her when the door opened and two people came in—men, judging by the footwear that she could see.
“Stekal...beautiful…seera,” one of the men said as he stepped closer to the table. “Heedonal si doe…honor and a privilege…mubella.”
She wanted to ask what they meant by honor and privilege, but in the last few moments it had finally occurred to her that she may not be given a position as nanny simply because she couldn’t understand the damn language. She’d spent nearly every cent she had—except for her passage home—so ending up jobless now was certainly not an option.
She nodded her head without actually lifting it from the hole in the table and hoped that her response was appropriate. If she could just muddle through the first few weeks as a nanny, she’d spend her first paycheck on getting the stupid translator fixed.
The men seemed satisfied by her response, so she took a fortifying breath and tried to relax—a situation that proved nearly impossible when the two of them started smoothing a sweet-smelling lotion all over her skin. She’d never had a massage before, and despite the fact that she was probably sporting a full-body blush, relaxed under their competent touches.
She squeaked in surprise when thick fingers dipped between the cheeks of her ass, but she managed to hold still as the man massaged copious amounts of lotion over the sensitive skin. Embarrassment flared anew when they urged her to roll onto her back, but the firm touch and warm hands all over her body quickly distracted her with more carnal thoughts. She moaned before she could stop herself, barely even realizing the sound came from her own mouth until the taller of the two men leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. He smiled warmly, touched her face with just the tips of his fingers, and went back to work.
After the attention they’d given to her ass, she wasn’t really surprised when they urged her to open her legs and began massaging the lotion into her mound, around her clit, and then lower. Every inch of her tingled as they very thoroughly coated her pussy inside and out. Their touch was gentle, almost loving, but she had to wonder if this process varied from a usual massage on this planet. Was this part of the new culture she’d decided to embrace? If she hadn’t been on the verge of begging them to keep going until she screamed in orgasm, she might have even been a little unnerved by the whole process.
But then everything stopped. She opened her eyes to find both men smiling down at her. They were both quite tall, from what she could tell in her lying-down position, but that was where the similarity ended. The shorter of the two men was a slightly thinner build, but it was obvious that he exercised regularly and took care of himself. His hair was a red-gold color and his eyes a deep hazel brown.
The taller man had bright blue eyes and definitely reset the bar for Serena’s idea of tall, dark, and handsome, but if someone had asked her to choose at that moment, a greedy voice inside her said “both.”
Serena finally realized she was looking at these men—these professional masseuses or maybe even medical staff—and dreaming romantic thoughts. This was obviously their job. They probably did this for every off-worlder who stepped foot on their planet. Sheesh. She had no business thinking that way about anyone. Hadn’t she been hurt enough by the last guy she’d thought she’d loved?
The tears in her eyes took her by surprise, but it was the men’s reaction that kept them flowing. The words they asked were completely jumbled by the translator, but considering their concerned expressions she assumed they asked if she was all right. The trouble was that when she nodded in a “yes, I’m fine” gesture, the tears flowed even faster.
Serena somehow found herself cradled against the tall man’s chest as he carried her over to a seat, sat down, and rocked her like a frightened child. The fact that she was naked and more turned on than any time she could remember in her whole three-year relationship with her ex just made the whole situation even more bizarre. Both men spoke constantly in soothing-sounding words, but not being able to understand them just made her more miserable.
Unable to hold back the emotional storm that had been brewing since that night, Serena let herself go and fell into the abyss of misery.
* * * *
Jerrod held their woman close and wondered if this was the best way to treat a crying human female. He was trying to set aside for the moment that she was naked and hopefully understand why she was upset. It was obviously a big decision to move to a different planet, culture, and lifestyle, but after the fiasco that had followed the first human bride’s arrival the Desconian government had sent a delegation to Earth to screen the women before letting them emigrate to their planet.
Judging by the crying woman in his arms, the screening process seemed to have a few holes.
“I’m sorry,” the woman said as she cried even harder. She tucked her head under his chin, muffling her sobs against his shirt. Kaydin sat beside them and pulled her legs into his lap. He caressed her feet and calves, gently easing the tension from her body as the woman finally cried herself out.
After several minutes of complete quiet, the woman made a hiccupping noise and dragged in a deep faltering breath. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again, obviously embarrassed by her emotional meltdown.
“That’s okay, little one,” he said, brushing the hair away from her face. Even red and blotchy from crying, their mubella was beautiful. “Do you feel better now?”
But instead of answering his question the woman glanced around the room and started apologizing all over again. He was about to cut off her rambled explanation when she begged him not to mention this outburst to her new boss.
He glanced sharply at Kaydin, seeing his own shock reflected in his lover’s face.
“Boss?” he asked, trying not to grind his teeth. What the hell were they telling the human women before they got here? She looked a little frightened, so he tried to lower his voice. “Who did they tell you would be your boss?”
The woman gave him a nervous smile, her gaze darting around the room before settling back on his face. But again she didn’t answer his direct question.
“I th–think I’m okay now. You can let me up.”
But Jerrod couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong here. He wasn’t going to go ahead with a mubella claiming ceremony until he was certain his human bride understood what was going on.
“Sara, what did they tell you about moving to Descon?”
She gave him a vague smile, patted his arm, assured him once again that she was all right n
ow, and tried to climb off his lap. He held her closer instead. A suspicion was starting to worm its way into his brain, and he decided to tackle the issue head-on. He’d never been one to dance around the truth anyway.
“Sara, do you understand anything I’m saying?”
Again the vague smile.
Kaydin looked shocked, so Jerrod pulled him close for a moment before dragging his communicator from his back pocket. It took some maneuvering, but he finally managed to press the small earpiece and mic into place without letting go of his husband or the woman they’d hoped would be their wife.
He tapped the mic to switch it on. “Ewin,” he said, hoping the man was still on duty. He’d lost track of time in this room, and even though he could see the women who would finish his mubella’s preparation waiting just outside the door he wasn’t leaving until he knew exactly what was going on.
* * * *
Kaydin wasn’t at all surprised when Jerrod asked Ewin to track down Cindy Richards. Hopefully their problem communicating with their mubella was a translator malfunction. It didn’t happen often, but there were a few shoddy companies selling them cheaply. At least with Cindy Richards speaking the standard language of Earth they would be able to identify if their mubella was simply not understanding them. He tried not to think of some of the alternatives, all of which would mean that their hopes for the future were seriously in doubt.
They wouldn’t take a mubella into their lives unless it was truly what the woman wished.
As usual Jerrod seemed to sense Kaydin’s sad thoughts. His arm tightened around Kaydin’s shoulders and he leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead. “We’ll work it out,” he whispered in his usual confident voice. The woman seemed surprised by their affection for each other, confirming in his mind at least that she wasn’t fully aware of what her role would be in their relationship. In fact, just about everything the human had said and done so far didn’t seem to fit what Kaydin had been expecting.
There was a soft knock on the partially open door, and a moment later Cindy Richards entered the room with both the prince and princess by her side. Kaydin gave her a smile that he hoped wasn’t as shy as it felt. Cindy was the primary reason they’d entered the lottery to win one of the first chances to take a human woman as their mubella. She was calm, relaxed, comfortable in her surroundings, and had adapted very well to life on Descon. Both Kaydin and Jerrod had hoped for a similarly happy union to that of the three people who’d just joined them in the room. Considering the way things had started with their mubella, it seemed unlikely.
“Hi, Sara,” Cindy said with her hand stretched in front of her. Apparently humans were more comfortable “shaking” hands than they were with public displays of affection. The woman in his arms curled in on herself, seemingly embarrassed by the fact that she was naked. Kaydin quickly grabbed a square of cloth from the table beside him and draped it over the woman in his lover’s arms. She gave him a grateful smile and, tucking the edges under her arms to hide her beautiful breasts, held her hand out for Cindy to shake.
“Welcome to Descon,” Cindy said with a wide grin. “Did you have a pleasant trip?”
“It was okay,” the woman said with a genuine-looking smile. She glanced around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “I’m sorry to have caused such a fuss.”
“That’s okay,” Cindy said warmly. “I imagine it can be quite overwhelming even when you know what to expect from a mubella claiming ceremony.” The woman tapped her ear. It was obvious that she thought the translator was malfunctioning. Cindy smiled. “The word mubella doesn’t translate into the Earth language.” She glanced over at her own mubella. “I changed that myself when I realized how easily it could be misinterpreted. But don’t worry. It still has a very similar meaning to the word wife.”
“Wife?” their mubella asked quietly. She looked like she was going to be sick. “I thought I was signing on to be a nanny.”
Chapter Two
Jerrod tried not to pace the hallway. The moment Cindy had realized the mix-up she’d kicked everyone out of the room. Sara—no, Serena—wasn’t the woman who’d been sent to be their mubella. A quick check on the ship’s manifesto showed that their mubella, Sara Coates, hadn’t even boarded the ship from Earth. Authorities on Earth were currently trying to figure out what had happened, but considering his previous dealings with human organizations Jerrod wasn’t holding much faith in them finding her.
Cindy had stuck her head out the door only a few minutes ago and asked for Eric to organize a visit from the doctor. The fear that their mubella might be ill had pounded through him before he could even remind himself that Serena was not the woman chosen to be their wife. He still felt sick to the stomach with worry.
He dragged Kaydin into his arms and held on tight. It almost didn’t seem real that only a few hours ago they’d been wondering whether taking a human mubella into their lives was the right thing to do. The disappointment they were feeling suggested that they’d both been ready.
“Maybe you should head home,” Eric said with a sympathetic smile. “We’ll make sure Serena gets where she’s supposed to be.”
“No,” Kaydin said quietly.
Jerrod shook his head. “Thank you, Eric, but we would like to stay for a while. Maybe get a chance to talk to Serena before she leaves.” The idea of Serena leaving without giving them a chance to know her didn’t sit well at all. It seemed ridiculous that they would feel such a strong attraction to a woman they’d just met. It was likely due to the mistaken belief that she’d been theirs to love, but he didn’t want to just walk away.
Eric smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, almost as if he understood completely. Considering the mix-up around his own mubellabina’s claiming, perhaps he did. And it was at least heartening to know that Earth Ambassador Cindy Richards had grown to love both Eric and Loukie despite being married to them accidently.
The door opened and Cindy stepped into the hallway. She kept herself between them and the door so it was obvious they weren’t being invited in.
“I believe the problem has been caused by a faulty translator. It seems Serena Wilkins has been traveling for days without being able to understand even half of what was being said.”
“Why didn’t she say anything?” Eric asked before Jerrod could form the words.
“It would seem that money is an issue. She used almost every cent she had to get to her new job. Unfortunately, the faulty translator means she was on the wrong ship, to the wrong planet. Did we find out what happened to the woman who should be here?”
“She didn’t board the ship,” Eric said. “Perhaps you have some contacts on Earth who could help find out what happened.”
Cindy didn’t look very confident, and after her last disastrous trip to Earth who could blame her, but she nodded. “I’ll do my best.” She glanced over her shoulder. “The doctor is almost finished replacing her translator.” She stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. “Serena is very concerned that she doesn’t have the money to pay for her treatment. I told her not to worry, but she is insisting on paying her own way. Would it be possible to organize a work visa for her?”
Eric smiled, nodded his head, and touched his wife’s face. “Of course, if that is what Serena wants. I’m sure we can find some sort of employment for her.”
He looked directly at Kaydin and Jerrod as he said that, obviously giving them an opportunity to keep the woman close if they wanted. Kaydin had never been slow on the uptake.
“There is a teacher’s aide position vacant at the school. I’m certain that the principal would view Cindy’s nanny skills quite highly.”
“Excellent,” Eric said with a quick wink. “I’ll make a few calls. Perhaps you could assist Serena in finding a place to stay while she is on Descon.”
Jerrod nodded his thanks, hugging Kaydin harder as the possibilities started to roll through his brain.
* * * *
Serena was certain she was bright red wi
th embarrassment. She’d foolishly left more than half of the money in her joint account with her ex. At the time, she’d been trying to calculate how much money he would need to pay out the rental agreement, keep himself fed, and cover other preexisting expenses until he could get back on his feet. In actuality he’d probably taken the money, partied hard for a few days, and then moved in with his latest bed-buddy.
It was quite likely that debt collectors would come looking for her when her ex failed to use the money responsibly.
And of course, trying to do the right thing had left her without enough money to buy a good translator and landed her here on the wrong planet and mistaken for some sort of mail-order bride.
“Everything will work out just fine, Serena,” the doctor said kindly.
“But I can’t pay you,” she said anxiously, half expecting the man to rip out the new translator and leave in a huff. Instead, he smiled kindly.
“I have no need for compensation,” the man said happily as he packed his equipment away. He must have recognized something in the stubborn set of her jaw because he turned an assessing look on her once more. “But perhaps you could do me a favor.”
“Anything,” Serena said, probably unwisely, but she believed in paying her debts.
“Be kind to Jerrod and Kaydin. It’s supposed to be their wedding day. They’ve waited a long time for their mubella. For her to not arrive today must be devastating.”
Serena nodded. “I’m really sorry I’m not the woman they were expecting.”
The doctor nodded and tilted his head slightly. “I’m a great believer that things happen for a reason. Maybe the goddess has bigger plans.”
