The Athlete

by Elin Peer

  “I don’t know. I just don’t want you to get too close to anyone. Nmen don’t need much encouragement before they think you want to marry them.”

  “Are you saying that I can’t look at them or talk to any of them?”

  “It would be easier if they thought you and Jonah were a couple, but you look too much alike.”

  “Yeah, no thanks, I’m not playing some sick role-playing game with my brother, pretending to be in love with him.”

  “My sister pretended to be in a relationship with our friend, Tristan.”

  “Why?”

  “To keep Solo away.”

  She scratched her arm. “But isn’t Solo the guy she’s marrying?”

  “Yes.”

  “So the plan didn’t really work, did it?”

  “No. But that was different. Solo and Willow were in love since they were teenagers.” I sighed. “I just want to avoid any drama and I know the easiest way is for you not to be single. If you are claimed, the men would leave you alone.”

  “Claimed. What does that even mean?”

  “It means that you’re taken.” I thought about it. “I could pretend to be your mate, but it might cause a ton of media attention for the both of us.”

  “That sounds complicated, and I don’t like the part about pretending.”

  I arched a brow at the irony. “Really? It’s the part about pretending that you dislike the most?” I wanted to confront her with what she had done tonight so bad, and part of me was angry at her for putting me in a bind like this. “Ema, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Remember when Marco told you how Shelly pretended to be a sex-bot?”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Do you remember your comment about it being involuntary if she didn’t get his consent?”

  She gave me an almost inaudible “yes.”

  “I’m just curious about how I should feel about that woman tonight. I know she wasn’t among the three women I had asked Cole to send in. So, whoever she was, she didn’t ask for my consent before making love to me.”

  Emanuela blinked her eyes. “You could have just said no, couldn’t you?”

  “Yes. I’m not saying I feel violated in any way. It just popped into my mind, how in some ways it was similar to what Shelly did to Marco.”

  Emanuela pulled her cover higher. “That reminds me, Hunter, did you use the sperm-killing spray? Remember how Marco got Shelly pregnant by accident. You don’t want that to happen with a stranger.”

  “No. You’re right. I want kids, but not yet. First, I have to find the woman who wants all of me.”

  “So you used the spray?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Come on, Emanuela, just fucking tell me the truth. My sperm is still inside you and the lies between us make me want to scream.

  “Good night, Hunter.”

  “Good night.”

  She was quiet for a few minutes before she asked in a whisper. “Are you going back there? To the club.”

  “Why?”

  “I just wondered if you were hoping for another passionate night with that woman.”

  “I am. But going back would be too much of a gamble. What if she didn’t show up? Or even worse, what if she did and I bonded deeper to her? If she’s not willing to be in a relationship with me then it’s probably better that I stay away from her.”

  “I understand.”

  We were silent for a moment before I muttered, “I’m thinking about asking Cole to give her a message from me.”

  “And what message would that be?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Maybe the choice for her to meet with me outside of the club.”

  “If she wants a real relationship with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “But what if you don’t like her outside of the club? What if she can’t give you kids because of her job? What if the whole idea of being in a relationship scares her because she doesn’t really understand what it means?”

  So those are Emanuela’s concerns.

  I took my time before I answered. “To be honest, I don’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship either. I imagine it’s very similar to what you and I have, except with lots of sex too.”

  “You think you and I are in a relationship?” she breathed.

  “Sort of.”

  “But you’re going to be dating other women.”

  I yawned and stretched my arms. “I’m tired of people telling me what to do. The only woman I’m interested in dating right now is the one I made love to tonight.”

  Emanuela opened her mouth to speak. I stopped breathing for a second, thinking she was going to finally confess.

  But instead of coming clean, she closed her mouth and pulled her blanket a bit higher.

  Dammit. I wanted to confront her, but at the same time, I knew it would be a mistake. I sighed. “For now, I’m just going to dream about having delicious sex with my mystery woman.”

  “Well, sweet dreams then.”

  “And you, what are you going to be dreaming about?”

  “Winning big this Friday. Our team could use it.”

  “Fair enough. Good night, Ema.”

  “Good night, Hunter.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Jonah’s Style

  Emanuela

  On Friday night, we played our third game and just barely won. Hunter threw a tantrum on the field that shocked the audience and the press, and then he dismissed it as “passion for the sport” when he was interviewed after the game.

  “You can be as passionate as you want to be, just channel it into goals instead of screaming at the opponent,” I had told him and of course he responded by rolling his eyes.

  The trouble was that after the other night in the sensory deprivation room, I knew what it felt like when he unleashed his passion, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That’s why I was glad that it wasn’t just Hunter and me in his drone on Saturday morning when we flew to the Northlands for Willow’s and Solo’s wedding. Jonah was with us, nervous, and chatting with excitement.

  “Are you sure that Pearl knows I’m coming?” It was the second time Jonah asked Hunter that question.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I told my sister, and that place is like a little village. Everyone will know you’re coming by now.”

  “I’ve seen pictures of the border. Did you know that it takes more than ten thousand drones to patrol the entire border to the north?” Jonah informed us.

  “No, I didn’t know that.” Hunter sipped on his coffee, his hair still a bit messy from sleep since we’d left at five a.m.

  “It’s true, I was reading up on facts about the Northlands last night.” Jonah couldn’t sit still in his seat so I leaned over and placed a calming hand on his thigh.

  “Relax. I’m nervous too, but it’s going to be fine. You look sharp and I’ll bet Pearl is just as eager to meet you as you are to meet her.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible.” Jonah bit his lip. “And I’m not sure about my new look. I went all out to impress her.”

  Hunter turned in his seat and scanned Jonah. “Really? So what the hell went wrong?”

  Jonah’s face fell. “Wrong? I had a personal stylist help me with the newest fashion.” He nodded to me but kept looking at Hunter. “Ema always says I don’t have any sense of style so I thought I’d get some help.”

  I defended my brother. “Don’t worry. You look very stylish. Silas often wears tight pants like those – lots of men do. I also love this wrist band.” I touched the peace sign that hung from a black chain made of a soft fabric.

  “Thank you, sis.” Jonah turned back to Hunter. “Do you think Pearl will find me presentable? I asked the stylist to make me look masculine since I figured that with Pearl living in the Northlands she might prefer that.”

  Hunter wrinkled his nose up. “Is that why she made you look like an old-fashioned pirate?” He pointed to Jonah’s eyes. “Men in the Nor
thlands don’t wear makeup.”

  “Are you sure? The stylist said that the eyeliner would make me look a bit more intimidating.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Maybe to her. But I’m an Nman and to me you look like a man wearing make-up, that’s all. And that dark nail polish has to go too.”

  Jonah held his hands up and sighed. “I knew it was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let her talk me into it.”

  “Why did you? When I met you at the park you looked normal.”

  “Normal?”

  “Yeah, you and Cole dressed and behaved similar to my friends from home. That’s why I liked you guys.”

  Jonah frowned. “You do realize that we were in costumes, right?”

  “Costumes?”

  “We were dressed as someone from the early twenty-first century.”

  Hunter raised a brow. “I liked those plaid shirts.”

  “We sell them in the gift shop if you want one.”

  “Thanks, but I already have a few just like it at home.” Hunter looked thoughtful. “What do you normally wear?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. All I care about is the clothes being comfortable.” Jonah looked down at the dark silk shirt and tight pants he was wearing. “Which is why this was a stretch for me. I just wanted to look my best.”

  Hunter gave Jonah a sympathetic smile. “I understand but if you want to impress in the Northlands, you can’t turn up like that. Pearl might find you handsome but she likes everyone. And it’s not her that you should worry about anyway.”

  “But she’s the reason I’m going.”

  “Yeah, but the people you should worry about are Khan and Magni.”

  “Her husband, the ruler, and his brother, the commander.” Jonah nodded to indicate that he knew whom Hunter was talking about.

  “Exactly. Those men hold the power, and think about it: if they like you, you’ll have a chance of working with them on different integration projects.”

  “I would love that,” Jonah exclaimed.

  “Then you need to listen to me, because I guarantee you that if you turn up looking like a Momsie peacock they’re not going to take you seriously.”

  Jonah frowned again. “Okay, got it. I brought a few other shirts with me. Maybe one of them is better?”

  “Show me.”

  Jonah reached for his bag and pulled out more colorful shirts and a black knitted hoodie.

  “That one.” Hunter pointed to the hoodie. “That looks like something I would wear. Do you have any T-shirts as well?”

  “I have some white ones.” Jonah suddenly broke into a bright smile. “No wait, actually, I have a retro shirt from the park. I just sleep in it because it’s soft, but if you liked the plaid shirts then this might work too.” He pulled out a multicolored T-shirt that made Hunter frown at him.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s an old technique called tie-dye. It was very popular in the late twentieth century.” His enthusiasm fell as he watched Hunter pick up the T-shirt like it was a soiled diaper.

  “Don’t wear this shit. No man has ever looked good in pink, purple, and blue washed-out colors.”

  I took the T-shirt from Hunter. “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it. This T-shirt is amazing.”

  Jonah scratched his head. “I’m so confused. I can’t get fashion right in the Motherlands and I can’t get it right in the Northlands either. This is hopeless.”

  Still holding the tie-dyed t-shirt in front of me, I cheered him up. “You have plenty of other things that you’re good at and everybody loves you. Fashion isn’t that big of a deal.”

  Hunter patted his shoulder hard enough for Jonah to jerk forward. “Don’t sweat it. We’ll figure something out. I can lend you a few things, but I didn’t bring enough clothes for the both of us for three days.” Hunter began looking up people on his wristband. “I’ll think of something while you remove the nail polish.”

  Jonah rubbed at his nails. “It’s not coming off.”

  “Can’t you peel it off? Here, let me try.” I reached for his left hand.

  Hunter gave us a sideways glance. “I think we need to call in Mila. She’s good with that sort of thing.”

  “Who is Mila?”

  “A friend and former classmate. Mila is a Motlander by birth and she won’t judge or ridicule you; she’s far too nice for that. Who knows, she might even understand this whole fashion thing you have going on.”

  Less than an hour later, Hunter’s friend Mila met us when we crossed the border. It was impossible to miss her as she stood waiting for us in front of a black drone with two puppies on a leash, and two huge men on each side of her.

  Jonah stared out the window. “Are those men her friends? They don’t look very friendly.”

  “They are her guards.”

  “Her guards?” I took in the beautiful blonde woman who looked a few years younger than me. “I don’t understand.”

  Hunter spoke as the door opened. “What’s not to understand? I told you, women have to be careful here.”

  Hunter walked out of the drone and Mila rushed forward with the largest smile on her face revealing the cutest dimples.

  “Hunter. We’ve all been so worried about you.”

  Hunter gave her a warm smile, but he didn’t touch her. Instead he bent down to pet the dogs. “Thank you for your concern, Mila. As you can see, I’m good.”

  “Willow is so impatient to see you; she already called me four times this morning.”

  Jonah and I walked out of the drone too and Mila’s eyes shifted to us. “Oh, hello.” Mila came over, followed by her stern-looking guards and the two playful puppies.

  I smiled at her. “May peace surround you.”

  “May peace surround you too.” She reached for my hands and there was so much kindness in her eyes. “Welcome, Emanuela. Willow told us you were coming and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

  I smiled back. “Thank you.”

  Mila moved on to Jonah and reached for his hands while I sat down to pet the dogs.

  The two of them stood for a few seconds, sharing warm smiles. “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he told her with sincerity in his voice.

  Mila’s smile widened. “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you to say. Not that your kindness surprises me, since I have only heard good things about your work.” One of the puppies was yapping at her feet now and it made Jonah bend down and pick it up.

  “You want your mom, don’t you?” With a smile Jonah stepped closer to Mila and it made both guards tense up. But Mila and Jonah didn’t seem to notice as they were scratching the puppy behind her ear. “This is Samba. And the other one is Blaze, short for Trailblazer. They are ten weeks old. I’m giving them to Willow and Solo as a wedding present.”

  “That is some gift.” I smiled at her. “I’m sure they will be grateful.”

  “Oscar, would you mind holding the puppies, please?” Mila set down the dog and handed the leash to one of her guards before turning back to Jonah. “Now, let me look at you. Hunter said you needed my help.”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Mila, did you bring the stuff?” It was clear that like me, Hunter had noticed the guards’ unease about Jonah being so close to Mila, and he pulled Jonah back a little. “He can’t meet your dad and Khan looking like that.”

  Mila turned to the other large guard. “Would you please grab my bag in the drone? I forgot it by my seat.”

  The solemn-looking man followed her instructions and returned with a bag.

  “Thank you. Okay, let’s see what we can do.” Mila opened the bag as she spoke. “Don’t worry, I didn’t bring anything made of leather. I snatched some things from Mason’s closet. That boy has so many clothes but he only wears the same five shirts. He won’t notice anything is missing.”

  I offered my hands to hold some of the clothes that she was pulling out of the bag. “Who is Mason?”

  “My brother. He’s around the same size as you, Jonah, so it shou
ld work.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Mason just turned ten.”

  “Ten?” Jonah’s eyes bulged out. “But that’s impossible, I’m twenty-four and no small man.”

  Hunter was quick to ease Jonah’s obvious humiliation at being compared to a ten-year old. “Mason isn’t the typical kid. He’s unusual even for a Northlander. His dad is seven feet tall and his mom Laura is at least five-nine.” Hunter explained. “It runs in the family.”

  Mila saw the confusion on our faces. “I wish I could translate it to centimeters for you but I’m still so confused with all their talk about feet and inches.”

  “Come on, Mila, we learned how to convert that in school. It’s not that hard.” Hunter snatched a pair of pants from the bag and held them up.

  “I know, but it never really sank in.” She shrugged. “All I know is that my brother will no doubt be as tall as our father, Magni.”

  Jonah held up a hand. “Hold on. Is your dad Magni Aurelius, the brother of your ruler?”

  “Yes. Well, adopted father to be exact. He’s my gentle giant.”

  Hunter snorted. “There’s nothing gentle about Magni.”

  “That’s because you don’t know him as well as I do.”

  “How tall am I in feet?” Jonah asked Hunter, who measured him against his own height. “I’d say you’re around six foot, which is pretty good for a Motlander.”

  “I’m one meter and eighty-four centimeters.”

  “Ahh, so I was right.” Hunter smiled. “A little over six feet.”

  Mila held up a shirt against Jonah’s chest. “You’re very tall for a Motlander, but things are different here.” Using her chin, she nodded to the two large guards, who observed us in silence. “I always feel small among these giants but they can’t help it. It’s genetic. Each new generation of Nmen have always been fathered by the tallest and strongest men in the country. Over a span of four hundred years that makes a difference.” Mila gave Jonah a warm smile. “It will be nice talking to you without having a sore neck from leaning my head back all the time.”

  Hunter grinned. “You’ll see for yourself at the wedding. Solo, the groom, is more than seven feet tall and so are a few of his friends.” He held his hand up above his head indicating their height.