Shuffling her limbs to get more comfortable, Cassandra heard her partner inhale loudly before rolling onto his back to hold her to his side, and only then did she open her tired eyes. The ridges of his harshly toned, extremely muscular chest came into focus first and her hand automatically moved to run over them. She could still feel his abs pressing against her lower back when he pulled her back into bed and literally screwed her into exhaustion. If she got too tired, he cuddled with her and put a movie of her choice on the flat screen directly opposite his bed. But by the time it was halfway done. she was no longer paying attention.
“Cortana, what’s on the news?” Sighing as his voice rumbled against her cheek, deep and edgy and alluring, Cassandra heard his phone ping before unfurling herself to stretch.
“This is the news: ‘The single most anticipated game system release of the year is underway as millions of people flock to gaming stores around the world. According to statistics we’ve been receiving, there’s a Sect Seven Virtual Reality pack being sold every quarter of a second in just the U.S. alone. When GameReal tried to reach out to Next Gen, we were declined for comment, but that’s not unexpected. Rumors have always surrounded the system and the genius behind making virtual reality… well, reality. None of those rumors seem to be impacting the sales, though. Recent stock prices put Next Gen to profit nearly four billion dollars during this weekend alone.’”
Sighing softly, sometimes Cassandra wasn’t sure if she should’ve placed herself in such a stressful position. While she’d built and completely created the headset that made virtual reality gaming a real thing, she couldn’t make her own game. At least, not to the caliber she wanted. That’s why she came to Next Gen in the first place with Ryce. The model was finished, but she needed a game to go with it and this company was the absolute best at first person games.
It’d been a battle, but Ryce finally managed to get a 40/60 deal with the company instead of just being paid for the console itself. At first they wanted 15/85, and while Cassandra was fine with that Ryce wasn’t. It was the reason she was a lawyer. Being the youngest of the two, Cassandra had always looked up to her sister and this had been no exception, vaulting her to superstar quality.
Without her machine Next Gen would continue failing at attempting to create a working prototype, as they had been for years now. Ryce was very aware of this fact and had milked every last drop from it.
Really it was a win on both sides because Cassandra now had money to pursue other hobbies that had been pushed aside over the past four and a half years. Next Gen would have their fame and fortune and become gods of the gaming world. With their help and expanse of resources, her headset became what she wanted it to be.
Thinking about it made Cassandra grimace, and she rubbed her eyes absently in the silence. Her entire reasoning for making the headset wasn’t even for gaming, it was for medical purposes. Children and people in general with very painful diseases needed an escape, but they didn’t want to die. That was where this came in. They could live pain free, even if it was only for a few hours. Little boys and girls would be able to be all of those things that they dreamed about, like princesses and knights.
Cassandra didn’t even like gaming to be honest, but she liked doing for people and if she had to stuff four years of her life down the drain on something she disliked she’d do it. That being said, she’d been assured that having to be at the physical address for the launch wasn’t needed, so she didn’t feel bad about missing it.
“Morning baby.” Gasping when vice-like arms circled her waist, Cassandra hummed and twisted her body to look at the man before his name floated lazily into her mind. Lukas- that was it. The strong name she’d cried out countless times during the night that still sent goose bumps across her chest and down her arms.
“Hey.”
“You want some breakfast? I’m starved.” Watching Cassandra take on a thoughtful expression, Lukas simply couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. Her lips were puffy and her hair was a big tangle of snarls from being seized in his palms. He couldn’t deny he’d gotten lucky with her, but even then he realized one time wouldn’t be enough. In the back of his mind his inner beast, the entity that made him only half human, already wanted another go at her. That rare occurrence was unusual, but he didn’t have time to think on it before her slightly hoarse voice reached his ears.
“I think I should go home soon, actually. My mom might be worried about me.” Lukas frowned at that but Cassandra only stifled a giggle before reaching for his face to brush his lips with her thumbs.
“Don’t be like that, Lukas. I do have responsibilities, you know.” Sometimes being an adult was horrible, but she didn’t typically complain about it. After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t choose this. Still, she acknowledged that staying in bed with him was a better idea, she really didn’t trust her mom to be on her own for too long. She feared that if she wasn’t around, the older woman would do something to the house that she might regret. It had happened before when her mother bought carpet for the bathrooms in the small amount of time it took to go to the grocery store.
“Yeah, fine. I guess I have to go to work, too, even though I’d rather not.”
Smiling at Lukas’s griping, Cassandra pushed herself up to stretch her arms above her head with a groan.
The walk to her suburban home was a long one since she didn’t have her bus pass, but Cassandra didn’t mind because it gave her time to think about what she wanted to do now. Sure, she was extremely tech savvy and smart, but in reality she’d rather not work. Procrastinating was her favorite game. Taking the small steps up to her front door, she swung open the barrier to the sound of her mother talking up a storm.
“Casey! Is that you? Come in here!” Her mother had always been kind of hard, but she did raise two girls by herself, and Cassandra groaned softly at the call before shuffling in the opposite direction of the stairs. Around her there were pictures on the walls and all of the furniture was old, but well maintained, and she had a feeling that wouldn’t change because she’d become rich overnight. She wasn’t stingy by any means, but her mother was very set in her ways, and she had no reason not to be.
“What is it, Mom?” Popping her head into the kitchen, Cassandra was a little surprised to find a familiar face sitting at the kitchen, his angular nose down a coffee cup.
“Hey! You brought my stuff back?” Bouncing towards him, she smiled goofily and Lukas almost rolled his eyes, but his smile was there regardless. Cassandra was a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure. Her bouncy brown hair, her round face and her ample bosom that was hidden behind her shirt all pointed to an eternal optimistic. It’d been three days since they last saw each other, and he’d only discovered after she left that she forgot her leggings, her socks and her sunglasses. Really he didn’t mind because it gave him a reason to see her. They’d run into each other randomly twice now and he just about couldn’t take not knowing when it would happen again.
“Yes I did.” It was a short answer, but Cassandra smiled wider anyway as she got a look at him in the cold light of day. His skin was tan, stretching tautly over his muscles under his button down while his brown hair was styled messily just like she’d seen that night at the bar.
“Thanks for that. I’m sorry I left like that.”
“It’s fine. I actually have to go to work so I’m glad I got to see you. Thank you for the coffee, ma’am.” Lukas pushed himself to his feet and Cassandra felt her mouth get a little dry at how much taller he was than her puny five foot four-inch frame. How could she have just left him? It was a crime! Ignoring the way her mother beamed, she moved out of the doorway only for him to grab her hand and pull her with him towards the front door. Of course, it wasn’t like she wanted to run out on him but Ryce calling her in the middle of the night couldn’t be ignored. The last thing she wanted was to be on her sister’s bad side.
“I’ll pick you up at six, baby. Dress nice.” Grabbing her butt, Lukas smothered her squeak with
his mouth and Cassandra felt a shudder slide down her spine. She’d never get tired of his kisses, and she felt a pang of disappointment when he pulled away just as quickly.
“Okay…” Breathing out her agreement, Cassandra felt her cheeks fill with color when Lukas tweaked her nose before opening the front door. Today was just going by so fast she wasn’t sure she could keep up. First her mad dash to her workplace over an unexpected problem with her money, and now she had a date. That thought made her tense up and her eyes widened as she stared at the closed barrier.
She’d never been on a date before!
“Mom! Mom I have a problem!”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Lukas rolled his shoulders with a soft groan as he pushed his way into his apartment. The past hours couldn’t have gone by slower, and it was irritating that despite doing actual, physical work time crawled at a snail’s pace. Throwing his keys into the small bowl by the door, he shut the barrier with his foot and glanced around. When Alex was out of town the place seemed bigger and emptier. They’d been housemates for a few years now and it was like a match made in Heaven. His friend was ridiculously rich, as oilers seemed to be, so he didn’t have to pay for anything. In return he would keep up the place and make sure nothing bad happened.
“What’s got your panties in a twist, man?” Flopping onto the couch, Lukas glanced over at Alex for a moment just to take him in. The man was leaner than a bean pole but didn’t look unattractive because of it. Sandy blond hair framed his angular face and his blue eyes had the power to make humans wilt. Thankfully he wasn’t human, but even then Alex wasn’t a guy he wanted to cross.
“Just a long day. When did you get back? I thought you were supposed to be in Japan until next Friday?”
“The deal fell through, is all. No big deal since I wasn’t too invested in it anyway. Are you going out tonight?” Turning his attention to the ceiling, Lukas felt a smirk slide onto his face as he thought about Cassandra.
“I got a date, actually. This girl named Cassandra. We hit it off at a bar on Wednesday and then I saw her at Home Depot the other day. She’s a weird one, but I think she might be it for me, man.” Of course, Alex knew that Lukas wasn’t human because he just couldn’t keep it a secret from someone he lived with. While the beanpole never actually saw his dragon form, he’d seen enough to get over his speculation. Hearing him let out a long whistle, Lukas scratched his chin as his inner beast emulated the sound. It wouldn’t mind spending the rest of its life with that girl and frankly he agreed. She was just a person no one could dislike.
“Cassandra, eh? Sounds like a crazy name. Where are you takin’ her?”
“I don’t know yet and I have to pick her up in 45 minutes. I was thinking of just taking her to Guiseppi’s. Anything more fancy would make her uncomfortable.” The Italian restaurant wasn’t considered high class, but it also wasn’t a complete dump. It also helped that they made some amazing classic food.
“Well, good luck with that, brother. If she has a sister let me know because it might run in the family.” Pushing himself up to sit, Lukas flashed Alex a grin but didn’t offer a verbal reply as he left the living room. Instead he focused on his date on the way to the shower. Really it wasn’t often that he took a woman out on a date, but Cassandra was different. The very fact that his inner beast liked her was enough to tell him that. Most women made the animal roil in disgust and he couldn’t blame it. Knowing that, it was easy to believe that every time he saw her, when she came back to his bed, he was getting more attached.
It brought up a concerning point, though. He’d have to explain that he wasn’t human and he had no idea how she’d take it.
*****
Jumping up from the couch at the sound of a knock on the door, Cassandra smoothed her summer dress absently as nerves shot through her veins. Lukas was five whole minutes early, and she needed that time to prepare. Checking herself in the mirror for the hundredth time, she made sure her now curly hair wasn’t frizzy before squaring her shoulders. Her light coat of eyeliner was decent, and she looked alright, so there wasn’t a reason not to answer the front door.
“Hey Cassy.” Goosebumps ran across her chest and down her arms as Lukas smiled down at her, and Cassandra twiddled her fingers together. Her heels clicked on the hardwood beneath her when she shuffled, and she could feel her face turning pink as her eyes swept over his form. He wore a casual suit, nothing fancy, but it still made him look very sexy.
“H- hi…” Instead of paying attention to her nerves Lukas took her hand, pulling her through the barrier and into the fresh air of twilight. Cassandra did smile then, and he didn’t let go of her hand on the way to his nice car. She wasn’t sure what model it was, but it was a tasteful dark red color and she liked that. He opened the door for her and held her hand as she slid into the passenger side seat, waiting for her to adjust her flowing, knee length white skirt before shutting her inside. It was a surprisingly gentlemanly thing to do, but she figured she shouldn’t be so judgmental. After all, she barely knew anything about him.
“You look very beautiful with curly hair, baby.” Once Lukas pulled out of the driveway and onto the street he spoke up, glancing at Cassandra out of the corner of his eye. Her dress was a high waist, low neckline design with simple black on white, and her creamy legs were on full display above her cute heels. When he saw her at the door he wanted to skip dinner and go right back to his apartment, but he had his reservations. He didn’t want her to feel sexualized, or that he was only interested in her for a tumble in the sack. Their two past encounters might’ve suggested either of those assumptions, and that was why their date was so important.
“Thanks. My mom used to be a hair stylist so she helped me.” Blushing when Lukas reached over to tug on a curl, Cassandra busied herself with looking around his car. It wasn’t luxurious or anything, but the seats were fake leather and everything was sleek and sophisticated. Even his radio looked a little complicated to use if she hadn’t seen the model before.
“Why do you still live with her? If you don’t mind my asking.”
“I just was too busy to try to find a job or go to college. I dropped out of high school when I was seventeen, too, so I’d have to go back if I had any chance of even flipping burgers. But Ryce, my sister, she’s a lawyer and she’s so busy all the time that she hardly ever gets to see Mom.” Cassandra was kind of startled at how easily she gave up such personal information, but when she looked over Lukas didn’t seem to be judging her. It’d been a problem in the past because people wouldn’t give her a chance, no matter how smart she actually was. They took one look at a piece of paper and decided she wasn’t worth their time. It’d been a battle even getting a higher up at NextGen to even meet with her about her VR headset.
Thinking about it made her frown, and she furrowed her eyebrows. Her entire life was dictated by a system that didn’t accurately measure a person’s worth. It was a shame, but it wasn’t like she could do anything about it.
“Why did you drop out?” Lukas didn’t sound scornful in his probing, and that made Cassandra feel a little better about the whole thing. Of course her mother had supported her wanting to leave school, and while Ryce had taken some winning over it’d all panned out in the end.
“Because I was being bullied. I didn’t fit in anywhere, and Ryce had graduated the year before so I was unprotected, I guess you could say. No one tried to do anything to stop it, either. So I left, and I started working on a project that I just worked out a deal with Next Gen about. That’s why I left in such a rush this morning. If Ryce knew I wasn’t around for the launch she’d ream me a new one.” Arching an eyebrow, Lukas tried quite unsuccessfully to make sense of what Cassandra had said before she let out a little giggle.
“The virtual reality game they released last week. I made the head set, but I couldn’t make the game. I don’t even like video games. But basically making a fully immersive virtual reality was something they’d been trying to do for almost a decade, so when I went t
o them we agreed that they could stick their name on it since they’d make the game and I’d get royalties because I made the actual system work.”
“So you’re, like, a genius, huh?” Smiling, Cassandra shrugged at the question with a sigh. Any test she’d taken had told her she was only slightly above average in smarts, but she’d never been good at tests. Anxiety would kick in and she’d be a wreck.
“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t matter anyway. I’ll never have to work again. I’ve been thinking of indulging in some hobbies once the quarter is over and I get paid.”
The restaurant Lukas brought Cassandra to was low key but very nice, with cloth covered tables and a generally relaxed air about it. She realized she must’ve gone past this spot a dozen times in the past few months but never gone in. Seating herself in a booth, she mentally kicked herself in the rear because it seemed like such a gem. Not only that, but it was a classic Italian restaurant, and when she opened the menu there wasn’t a single mention of pizza.
She really didn’t like pizza.
“So what do you do for a living?” Scanning the menu, Lukas glanced across the table at Cassandra’s question before deciding he’d just eat what he always ate here. Everything on the menu was great, but their salmon should’ve been famous.
“I’m an architect. I make plans for houses and buildings and whatnot. It’s a nice job when the building contractors aren’t lazy or fight with me.”
They went back and forth, and Cassandra liked how relaxed she felt as opposed to earlier in the day. Her date had nearly driven her insane, always second guessing herself until her mother put her foot down. When Lukas placed their order the waitress was polite and nice, but most of all she didn’t linger on him. The rush of possession Cassandra felt was a bit surprising, though. They were on a date, yes, but they weren’t together.
Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) Page 4
