She spread her thighs for him and held out her arms, letting him knew she was ready for him. His aim was perfect as he drove his cock home and claimed her mouth in another fierce kiss. He rammed his shaft into her, pounding into her again and again, and she clung to him voicing her pleasure into his ear.
“Yes, yes, yours, only yours…!”
She didn’t know how many times she came before he finished. It had started to feel like one extended climax toward the end. Zara felt as though every last shudder of sexual pleasure had been wrung from her when he finally shot his seed inside. She clung to him moaning and panting as he collapsed on top of her.
Korjh looked down at her concerned as she looked exhausted and utterly sexy. “You are mine, and don’t you forget it,” he growled.
His eyes were still dark with passion and possessiveness.
“I saw the way those women were looking at this gorgeous body of yours,” she teased him. “So, you just remember who you belong to.”
“Just so long as you remember,” he said, but with a slight edge, indicating his jealousy hadn’t been laid to rest.
How could he think she would ever forget? She had never given him a single reason to think she could ever be like this with anyone but him. Did he really no know how much she loved him? Saying the words wouldn’t convince him when she had been showing him over and over with her body and her passion.
He still didn’t trust her even though she never gave him a reason to distrust her. Zara wasn’t looking forward to his friend coming at all. She would have to do her best to steer clear of him so as not to give Korjh any reason for his jealousy.
A few days later, Tydo Flann commed that he had arrived in Sezrop. Korjh chose to meet him alone to get a handle on his demeanor before he exposed Zara to him.
She was glad to have time to herself to spend more time creating designs on her drawing screen. She had gotten some new ideas from the clothing worn by their dinner guests, both male and female.
Zara had had invitations from four of the women who had come to the gathering at her home. They were interested in seeing some of her designs and getting first-hand information about one of the most recent worlds to join the Alliance.
Korjh had started to teach her to operate the aircar so she could visit her new friends on her own. He had entered the coordinates of all her new friends. The car almost ran itself, flying a few hundred feet above ground level. He was comfortable with her going alone to her friends’ homes, but not Sezrop because security was not adequate at the starport to keep undesirables contained. He would know immediately if she went anywhere other than she told him. As with all of his machinery his cybernetics were connected.
Alliance Law Enforcement patrolled the system to keep unauthorized space crafts from landing at random on the planet. Most of the FTL ships were too big to land and maintained an orbit around Modonne while sending shuttles to pick up goods and passengers. Some of them were pretty big.
As his aircar sped toward Sezrop, Korjh wondered again what business would keep Tydo on Modonne for two weeks. He supposed he could be waiting for a transfer of passengers or goods that required him to wait for their arrival. But Tydo didn’t have to come ground side for that. Korjh figured he would have to wait and see.
Korjh found Tydo in the starport lounge at the bar having a drink of Narovian liquor. He ambled up to the bar and took a seat beside him and signaled the bot tending bar for a drink.
“Hey, Tydo, how are you?” he slapped his old partner on the back. “Six years, eight months, four days, nine hours, and fourteen minutes since I last saw you.”
“And thirty-seven seconds,” Tydo added being a smart-ass. “Good to see you Korjh. So, you got yourself a female.”
“Yes, we are genetically matched by the Narovian Matchmaking Service. We are married.”
“You didn’t tell me that. Why the hell would you do a thing like that?” Tydo shook his head giving him a mocking look.
“Companionship, to breed with and make a family,” Korjh said simply. “I had a family once before the bugs came and killed them. I just want one of my own.”
“You don’t have to make it legal for that, just fuck them and send them on their way,” Tydo said. “You don’t have to burden yourself with them for life.” Tydo took a sip of his drink, relishing the burn as it went down. “You wouldn’t want to share the female, would you. It’s been a while since the last pleasure station.”
Korjh stopped his glass midway to his mouth and scowled, setting it down a little too hard, so the potent liquor sloshed over the side. “Don’t even fucking think about it!” Korjh growled the warning. “We are pledged. She is mine and only mine! All you want to do is stick your cock in something; just get yourself a pleasure bot.”
“Take it easy, old friend,” Tydo said, “I’m just asking. I get it. No, offense intended.”
“What’s your business here, that you need a place to stay for half a month?” Korjh asked him bluntly.
“What’s the matter, you afraid your female might take a liking to me?” Tydo taunted him.
“I fucking doubt it,” Korjh asserted. “I’ve spoiled her for anyone else.”
“Then you’ve got no worries,” Tydo said. “There have been rumors of artifacts of an ancient spaceship crash site in the southern hemisphere here. I brought a team of archeologists who want to explore the region where scans from space show remnants of it.”
“I don’t have to stay if it’s going to cramp your style,” Tydo said, “I just thought it would be a nice chance to see you again and your place here.”
Korjh nodded with a blank expression and raised his glass to his lips. He knew Tydo well enough to know that he liked to needle him until he got a rise from him. “Have you ever seen a horse?” Korjh asked him.
“Those animals you used to fantasize about getting?”
Korjh nodded.
“Nah, just the pictures you showed me. Did you finally get some?”
“I got eight of them---raised them from embryos in nurturing tanks,” Korjh said. “I’ve got them all trained to ride if you’d like to try it. Zara and I go out almost every day.”
“It’s something I haven’t tried before. Sure,” Tydo said agreeably.
“Well, drink up and let’s get going. Third meal should be ready by the time we get there,” Korjh said. “I program it for a month ahead.”
“Isn’t that what you have a woman for?”
“She doesn’t have a cybernetic processor that can do it in seconds,” Korjh told him.
“How did you rate a full human mate?”
“Lucky, I guess.” Korjh shrugged. “The matching service accepts cyborgs if you ever want a mate.”
“Maybe someday,” Tydo said.
But, Korjh knew he probably didn’t. Tydo just wanted to get laid, not a lifetime commitment.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Zara was still in the bedroom using her drawing screen when Korjh arrived home with their house guest. He had set up a table in that room for Zara to work at. Korjh showed Tydo to the bedroom farthest from the master bedroom opposite from his com-room.
“Stow your things in there, and we’ll meet you in the lounge,” Korjh told him. “I’ll go find Zara, and we’ll get something to eat.”
“Thanks, Korjh,” Tydo said and incline his head briefly in salute as a sign of respect.
Korjh walked on down the hall, and the doorway was opened. Zara was getting up from her chair at the work table to come greet him with a hug and a kiss.
“I heard you talking to your friend,” Zara said turning her face up for his kiss.
She felt so good in his arms as he kissed her lightly, he wished they were alone so he could mate her before third meal. Instead, he ended the kiss before he wanted and just held her for a few moments with her face pressed against his chest, stroking her hair.
“We’d better go out,” he said with a sigh. “He seems a little mellower than I remember, but I ‘m still not sure I wa
nt him around you.”
Zara looked up at him and frowned.
“He’s as horny as a feline in meomee bonding. And you are so sexy, I don’t trust him to keep his hands off you,” he murmured.
“I certainly wouldn’t encourage him,” she whispered vehemently.
“I know,” he said, not sounding quite convinced. “Come on, let’s do this.”
They found Tydo in the lounge area, and Korjh made the introductions. Zara noticed right away that the two cyborgs were a contrast to each other. Where Korjh was fair with platinum hair and blue eyes, Tydo had jet black hair and dark brown eyes and olive skin. He was a handsome male, and the only outward sign that he was cyborg was the half-moon cybernetic interface on his right temple.
Zara had already learned that people from Alliance worlds generally didn’t shake hands at introductions. Just a slight bowing of the head in acknowledgment was all that was required. She was glad not to touch Tydo as she saw the way he was devouring her with his eyes. It made her feel uncomfortable. Korjh was the only man she wanted to look at her like that.
“Our meal is ready,” Korjh said evenly, as though he had not noticed the raw hunger in Tydo’s eyes as he took in his mate. He couldn’t blame him for looking. That was no cause to put his fist in Tydo’s face even though sorely tempted.
Instead, he led the way with Zara at his side to the formal dining room where the table was set and the food arranged on the plates. It was a mixture of vegetables, tikas meat, and a grain similar to barley with a sweet-salty sauce. It was served with bowls of a fresh fruit medley and a cold herbal tea blend slightly sweetened. Most of the food was produced there on the farm.
“Korjh tells me that you’re from that dirt planet that just joined the Alliance last year,” Tydo said as they sat down at the table for twelve. Korjh sat at the end with Zara on his left and Tydo at his right.
“Not dirt, Earth,” Zara corrected using the English word. “That’s a common misnomer. Apparently, the Alliance decided it would be easier to keep the slavers from stealing our people if the natives helped fight them. Then the Drayids attacked before the countries could stop squabbling about ratifying the Alliance offer of recognition.”
“What made you come way the hell out here for a mate?” Tydo asked between bites and took a sip of his tea.
“Korjh was my match. We commed back and forth and decided the matching service got it right,” she told him. “Without the ability to recognize a soulmate like the felines do, finding the right mate is like gambling. You win some; you lose some. I wanted better odds.”
“According to the Narovian Matchmaking Service’s genetic analysis, Zara and I are soulmates,” Korjh added.
“I see,” Tydo said speculatively. “I know how those felines are about meomee.”
“I am that way with Zara,” Korjh said pointedly.
As the silence grew a bit tense, Zara said, “Korjh said that you are Captain of your own passenger freighter. I came to Modonne on one of those, the Be’Kal Zephyr. Captain Zeke is a feline, and his wife is from Earth. He helped rescue her from Tenzari slavers. That’s when he discovered she was meomee.”
“Yeah, I’m not much for settling down on one planet,” Tydo said. “Maybe if I had a woman like you I might, someday.”
“Sign up with the matchmaking service, maybe they could find you a mate,” Zara said.
Tydo looked at her thoughtfully. He didn’t want some hypothetical mate they might find for him in the future. He wanted Korjh’s mate, but he kept his face in a neutral expression. Avoiding her eyes, he took a mouthful of food from his plate.
Then he shrugged, and said, “Maybe I will.”
Tydo didn’t say much for a while and just continued eating. Then he asked Korjh about his farm and how he built it. Zara just let the two men talk and went about eating her meal.
It was still early when they finished the meal so Tydo asked if Korjh would show him the horses and tikas. There was no mention of Zara going with them, which suited Korjh. Tydo was not hiding his interest in Zara as well as he thought because Korjh had noticed a couple times when his mask slipped.
“That’s okay, Korjh. Show Tydo around. I have some drawings I would like to finish. Jodra Yaechar asked if I would design her something original for her son’s mating ceremony. I have an idea I want to sketch before I forget.”
Korjh smiled and nodded, happy to take Tydo away from her proximity. Zara got up from her chair and gave her husband a light kiss before she left the room. As she went back to her drawing screen, Zara thought Tydo had come to the wrong world if he wanted casual female companionship. There weren’t even any android pleasure stations on Modonne and a limited number of pleasure workers.
Zara thought Tydo’s attention was because she was female, and men thought she was sexy because of her curvy body. Even though she believed she understood and could sympathize that he was probably lonely as well as horny, he made her uncomfortable---but not because he was a cyborg.
The two men stayed out quite a while. Zara had finished her sketching and had written some emails with pictures to her parents, brother, and Ellie, who had finally emailed her. She missed them all, but at least it was her choice to come here. She wasn’t kidnapped by alien slavers like Jenna Be’Kal had been. In fact, as she thought about the other young woman, she decided to send her an email to let her know the scary cyborg was proving to be a suitable mate. She left out the fact that he was also a mind-blowing lover. An astute woman would read between the lines.
Over three hours had passed, and the men still hadn’t returned even though it was dark. Zara just shrugged it off and decided to go to bed. She knew Korjh would wake her if he wanted her or wait until morning. She had put in a long day and was tired. Since getting regular doses of nanites from Korjh, Zara discovered that she required less sleep than she had before, but only about an hour less so far. It was still a lot more than Korjh required. He often went out to check on things and catch up on maintenance chores in his bot shop while she slept.
Zara was self-conscious about Korjh watching while she created her designs, but she was happy to show him her finished work. He surprised her with some intuitive suggestions for improvement. He had an eye for symmetry, and he knew what looked attractive on females.
In the morning, the three of them went riding after first meal. Korjh chose the next calmest horse after Dema for Tydo since it was his first contact ever with the beast. He had Zara demonstrate how to guide the horse on Dema, and Tydo picked right up on it. With their cybernetic data banks, interfaced with their human brains they would practically remember every minute of their lives. That made them easy to train for almost any job.
Tydo seemed to enjoy the riding, so they took him on their morning rides. It also kept him busy for at least part of the day. Korjh let him use the com-room to contact the archeologists to check on their progress. They were still on schedule to leave in another week, of which Tydo was glad as he was getting antsy to go and get back to his ship.
Zara contacted Jodra Yaechar after emailing several designs of outfits she might possibly like for her son’s mating celebration. They could have easily ordered fabric for Zara to make the gown once they found some that were suitable. But Jodra actually wanted to feel the texture of the fabric before having it made into a custom design.
Jodra wanted to go to Sezrop and visit the fabric outlets with Zara to pick it out. Since they would be in the city anyway, Zara suggested contacting Naomi to have second meal at the outdoor café Zara liked. Jodra though it was an excellent idea because she had met Naomi at the party Korjh threw for her.
By then, Zara had learned how to operate the aircar by voice command, but Korjh wanted her to learn to fly it manually in case the AI in the car malfunctioned before she went off on her own with it. Jodra was okay with that since she had planned to fly hers into Sezrop and it was only a few minutes out of her way to pick Zara up. Jodra later confessed that part of the reason she wanted to fly to Sezrop was t
o get away from the farm for a few hours.
Zara was also happy to leave Korjh to entertain Tydo without her because she felt the tension between Tydo and her growing. Even her blatant displays of affection with Korjh didn’t seem to deter his hungry looks when he thought Korjh wasn’t watching. She was actually counting down the days until Tydo was due to leave. She would indeed breathe a sigh of relief.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Zara left the house with Jodra shortly after First Meal, telling Korjh they probably wouldn’t return until just before third meal. By the time they went to a couple boutiques, a fabric warehouse and sewing factory, plus second meal with Naomi it would take at least that long.
Korjh and Tydo took the morning ride without Zara. Dema seemed disappointed that her rider was not with them and whinnied in protest when the other two horses left without her.
After they returned from the ride, Tydo needed to com the Starport to see if there were any passengers requiring transport on his route. Then he had to make some interstellar coms to set up freight pickups when he left in a few days.
Right after second meal one of the relays in the force field that kept the tikas contained failed. Korjh could have the service bot replace the relay, but no bot could round up the tikas before they were scattered all over his farm. He needed to get them back inside the forcefield perimeter and then replace the relay. Those left outside the protective field at night would be killed by predators.
To his credit, Tydo asked him if he wanted help. Korjh declined because Tydo had no experience with the birds and the other horses weren’t as good as Korjh’s stallion Bakus at herding tikas. Korjh didn’t expect to be gone that long.
All he needed was a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to replace the relay. Korjh put those in his cargo pants pockets, then went out to the barn to get his horse saddled. He hadn’t bothered to com Zara because he only expected the task to take just over an hour and a half.
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