“You’re still not ready?” Giny exclaimed from my doorway, dressed in a black gown that fell to her ankles, her fabric glimmering from the lights overhead. The thin belt around her waist matched her tiny pink horns, while glitter sparkled from her trimmed black hair.
She was one of a couple of women from the house who smiled at me, said hello, and even sat next to me during meals. Her family, I learned, lived on a nearby moon and were both scientists, and she admitted to have a major fangirl moment over Corran, but like me, she was alone on the planet.
“Is everyone going fancy for dinner tonight?” I slipped out of my tennis shoes and rushed toward the cylindrical wardrobe as I’d spend most of the day training, while my mind had been floating on clouds from my date with the Vepar last night. If that was an indication of what my future with them would bring, I was ready and had no doubts about my decision to not take Zeni up on her offer to fly back to Earth. Though part of me kept hoping I hadn’t made the wrong decision.
“Yeah, it’s a big feast and Corran, Thane, and Derrial will be attending. Everyone’s getting dressed up.”
“Really?” The idea of seeing my men again so soon had me rushing into the wardrobe cylinder, needing to look perfect for them.
“Oh, one of the girls dropped out of the ritual last night. Did you hear about it?”
“Who? Why?”
“Jexie. Her father insisted he found another mate for her and ordered her to return home.”
“That’s horrible. Do females not get to choose their own partners here?”
“It’s more of a family event.” She lifted her wrist and stabbed something on the screen, making the monitor in the common room switch on.
Three columns of print appeared on the screen, and it was slowly scrolling down to show more and more and more.
I stepped close and read a few of the titles.
Xeorian Estate Heir Searching for Mates.
Galaxy Engineer Seeks Union with Three Vepar.
Underneath were a list of traits like this were a job interview with details on education and wealth and even a description of her appearance and size of horns. Apparently the smaller the better on a female.
“Are these ads for husbands?”
“If by husbands you mean mates for life, yes. It’s all orchestrated by families to find the best mate for the best possible chances of conception.”
“Wow. It’s very different on Earth. We select who we want… well maybe not in all cultures.”
“The mate selection process means we’re united with the best possible suitor. Makes sense to me.”
I could see the benefit of both sides, and with the way my Vepar selected me, I didn’t quite get a choice either.
“Alright, hurry up, Ella. We’re going to be late.”
I turned to the small panel and selected the type of gown I was after, down to the color, and even a hairstyle. Several minutes later, I emerged.
Giny’s mouth gaped open. “What style did you just select? I need to change my dress.”
I laughed and glanced down at myself, but my eyes widened. “Whoa!” A white dress studded with miniature diamonds dropped to my feet with a split racing up the side all the way to my bikini line. The dress cinched in at my waist with the corset lifting my breasts. I twirled on the spot, revealing stilettos that were clear as glass.
“I look like freaking Cinderella.” My dark hair fell in curls past my shoulders and when I glanced in the mirror, I wore a simple diamond tiara.
“Cinderella?” she asked. “Is that a really famous celebrity on Earth?”
“Yeah, sort of I guess.” I spun in the mirror, still in awe. “You think this might be a bit too much.”
“No. You want to look the best you can. Anyway, I’ll see you in the dining room.” She whisked away, unable to leave quick enough.
With another quick look in the mirror, I couldn’t believe I had an hourglass figure this insane. Sure, the corset made it a bit hard to breath, but… my three Vepar were going to die when they saw me.
“Dinner,” Luren, the elf Vepar called out as he rushed past, herding all the girls.
I pouted my ruby lips at the mirror and strolled out, struggling to remain steady on such high heels.
“Ella, you look gorgeous tonight.” Luren joined me. “Just watch the other girls tonight because this dress will take everyone’s breath away.”
I looked over to his brilliant smile. “Why do all these beautiful clothes resemble the ones we have on Earth? It’s like I am back home but on steroids.”
“Our scientists have been studying your planet for centuries, along with the culture and history and fashion. Some of the elements it seems have slipped into our world. Some Vepar embrace it, while others resist and stick to the old ways.”
He smirked and nodded. “Now, let’s move fast, you don’t want to be late.”
We moved through the corridor and stepped into a lift. Seconds later the doors slid open, and we walked out into a ballroom. We no longer were in the plain rooms they were keeping us in. This clearly was where all the opulence was.
Floors of marble, floor to ceiling windows, and golden pillars lined the walls along with mahogany framed paintings of the galaxy. They reminded me of the ones in Cherry’s home. My life had changed so much since we were friends. The last I saw her was in the streets when I begged her for help and she refused to lift a finger. I’d come a long way to realize the only reason I was her friend was fear. I didn’t want to be alone, so I excused her using me. But those times felt like a lifetime away.
I walked into the grand room with at least six chandeliers dripping in crystals. To the right lay a dressed table with gold cutlery and goblets and so many flowers of every possible color. There were even balloons in the corners. Things didn’t quite match in this room, looking like a mash of various styles.
Everyone was gathered on one side of the room, chatting. I scanned the small crowd and found no sign of the men.
I spotted Giny and strolled over to her. She no longer wore her black dress, but was in a golden, strapless dress, straight and body hugging.
“You look gorgeous,” I mentioned to her.
She turned and shrugged. “Couldn’t let you be the only one to steal the limelight.” She broke into a laugh, while the two women she spoke to earlier sneered my way and walked away.
“What’s up with them?” I asked, swallowing hard as I noticed everyone’s eyes on me.
Giny shrugged, but avoided looking at me. “What would you like to drink?” She walked off before I could respond.
I tried to smile when all I wanted was to run out of there. I shouldn’t have worn this dress, and hated how everyone glared at me, judged me. Except I had to remind myself this was a competition to them, and despite their jealousy, I also knew my three Vepar wanted me over them.
Luren was at my side, taking my elbow and guiding me to the table. He wore a steel gray outfit with a red crevet. “Do you like the room?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Derrial insisted we dress it up to resemble a human party.”
I turned to him, unable to stop smiling so widely. “Really? It looks gorgeous. I’ve never been to a ball this fancy before, but always wanted to.”
His smile brightened my evening and he walked me to a seat at the table, others joining too. He pulled the chair out and I sat down, but before he left, he leaned down and whispered, “Don’t drink or eat anything one of the other contestants give you.”
He pulled back and broke into laughter with someone else, all fake of course.
Giny sat down next to me and set down a flute glass with blue bubbly inside. “We call it, Shooting Star.”
“Thank you.”
“Try it.”
I swallowed hard. “Maybe a bit later. I can’t drink on an empty stomach without it going straight to my head.”
She studied me with a strange look. “Not sure what that means, but okay.” Wth her own drink in hand, she sipped the blue beverage.
Everyone else joined us at the table, most chatting to each other, and I felt left out. I fiddled with the golden cutlery that had tiny engravings at the end of the dual sun emblem. I sat tense amid bubbly conversation and smiles, my gaze kept shifting to the door. Listening to the conversations, everyone was fake, complimenting each other, but you could see in their eyes, they tossed daggers at their enemy. The first round of food came out, and still no sign of my Vepar. A jelly-like sausage was placed in front of me, the color of a cucumber. Was this a sea cucumber...or a slug? Did they even have those here?
Everyone around me cut into their dish, slurping the pieces into their mouth, and I gagged. I poked mine with a fork and it wobbled.
“Our food isn't good enough for you?” Zeni blurted out, grabbing everyone’s attention and turning it towards me.
“Umm it’s fine.”
“Then eat the sea sausage.”
I almost vomited in my mouth at the sound of that. Eyes… so many on me, expectant. What if it’s a major faux pas to not try something at a Vepar party?
I sliced a tiny bit off the end, and stabbed it with my fork. Swallowing hard, I slid it into my mouth.
They watched me, studied me, ready to judge me.
I smiled while I chewed the most disgusting thing in the world. It tasted like I had just eaten a dirty sock.
“Announcing Derrial, Corran, and Thane,” Luren called out from the doorway.
The women all cheered and turned their attention away. Swiftly I grabbed the napkin and put it into my mouth, spitting out the sea sausage. I reached for the blue drink, anything to get the bitter taste out of my mouth, but stopped, remembering the warning. I pushed the glass away from my section of the table.
The three Vepar took seats at the table, several spots away from me, but I caught Corran’s attention from further across the table.
They were served the starter, and all three didn’t touch the sea sausage. Smart idea.
Music played overhead, a high beat, and at once I almost burst out laughing. It was the Macarena, and everyone was bopping away at the table to a song that was a fad back on Earth so long ago. I wondered what exact history they referenced for their ball information.
Two of the females moved to sit closer to the men, chatting their ears off, and I’d be a nun if I said I wasn’t jealous to see them laughing and placing their hands on their arms and touching their hair. They were even sticking their chests out when they spoke with them.
The second meal came, a round dish with what looked like lasagne. I poked the top and pulled out a forkful. There were layers of what looked like vegetables amid something green. Seaweed sheets? I tasted it, rolling it over my tongue. It tasted like an explosion of sweet and savory flavors, much better than the sea sausage. I dug in, trying to ignore the giggles or the men’s voices, sounding honestly interested. Fire raged in my veins, but I sat quietly, pretending to smile and remain calm when I wanted to scream for them to stop touching my men. Yep, clearly I was the green eyed monster today.
Zeni slid into the empty seat next to me, staring at me, touching my cutlery. “Are you having fun?” she mocked.
“Absolutely,” I responded, my voice dripping with honey.
“Good. The party’s just getting started so be ready.” She reached out and grabbed my drink before guzzling it down in one go, then left.
I should have stopped her, but then again, it might be interesting to see if Giny had indeed spiked the drink.
When the waiter came around, I ordered myself water, catching Zeni practically sitting on Corran’s lap. I clenched my jaw. When Giny returned to her seat, she leaned in closer to me. “She’d do anything to win them over. It must be burning you up to see her all over them.”
I nodded, unable to pull my attention from them. Zeni caught me looking and broke into a fake laugh. “Oh Corran, I have something you’ll want to see,” she cooed and slid her fingers down the front of her heart-shaped dress, pulling the fabric purposefully down to show lots of boob.
I dropped my gaze, crossed and recrossed my legs, and tapped my fingernails on the table. Derrial and Thane were hard to see from the heads between us. And it scorched me alive to sit at a table with three men who captured my heart, who drove me insane, and ignore all the women who were pouring themselves all over them.
My mind filled with revenge. Tampering with their wardrobe cylinder, having Zeni wake up and find fifty sea sausages in bed with her, a threat. They sounded reasonable to me.
A gasp caught my attention and I looked for the source. Zeni and Corran were so close their heads touched, both of them staring at something that looked like a photo. Did they have old fashioned cameras here?
Corran shot to his feet, his chair scraping across the marble floor, Zeni flailing as she almost fell face first to the ground before she caught herself. He rounded the table to show Derrial and Thane the photo or whatever it was.
I swept my gaze back to Zeni who reclined in her seat smiling like a Cheshire cat, staring at me, proud of herself. What did she do?
The desserts came around as Corran took his seat, and none of them looked my way, seeing to be ignoring me on purpose. I felt sick to my stomach, and despite the fact that the pyramid green desert intrigued me, I couldn’t stomach a thing. My knees bounced under the table, and I had to know what was going on.
Fire scorched my insides. I needed water, fresh air, something before I combusted.
When Zeni made her way to the bathroom, I excused myself, climbed on my feet, and marched after her.
I didn’t remember ever feeling so furious, but I left the room and saw her slipping into the bathroom.
Quickening my pace, my fists clenched, I was about to shove myself into the bathroom when someone looped an arm around my waist and swooped me backward and off the ground.
I kicked and wrestled, looking back to find Corran. “Put me down,” I roared.
“Not until you calm down.” He said, as he carried me farther down the hallway and into a lift. We stepped out into what looked like a hotel room. No people were around.
“What did she show you? What lies is she spreading now?”
He grabbed my wrist and hauled me into a bedroom, my legs wobbling on my too tall heels. Once inside an empty room, he released me and locked the door.
“Are you going to talk to me?” I demanded, the fiery anger still surging through my veins.
He pulled out the paper from his pocket and held it by his side. “It’s nothing, seriously.”
He lifted the photo and flipped it over. I blinked hard at seeing a photo of me completely naked in a full frontal straddling a tree branch while I slept.
“I don’t get it?” Sure, it wasn’t my best side and hell, I could do with a brazillian, but what was I missing?
“Zeni is very competitive, and everything to her must be perfect.”
I glanced down at myself in the photo. “And I’m not perfect?”
He smiled and tucked the photo into his back pocket. “You’re more than perfect, which is why I took the photo so I always have you with me.”
I stared at him bewildered.
“On Veon, women never let their hair grow too long.” And it took me several seconds to realize exactly what hair he was referring to.
My mouth dropped open, and I felt violated to have Zeni laugh at my private area and show it to the Vepar like I was a monkey on display. “She’s sick. And besides, when was I supposed to get waxed? When I was locked in my prison cell?”
“Told you. Nothing to worry about.”
“I doubt that. So with all your technology, why do you still have printed photographs.”
“Nostalgia mostly.”
Walking predatorily in my direction, he stopped in front of me, lowering his head in a flash to capture my mouth, stopping any further discussion of Zeni. I moaned as our lips connected. His kiss was remarkably soft as he cupped my jaw in his hands, tilting my head slightly to deepen it. I wasn’t sure how he was managing to control himself so well when I felt like I was about to combust.
As was always my reaction to him, I was lost, completely swept up in him and his ability to render me speechless. I absolutely loved that he made me lose all thought with his kisses, all my insecurities of being here completely obliterated once more, every kiss feeling like the first.
He walked me backwards towards the bed, through the embrace of our lips and tongues. Pulling away, he lifted me gently, searching my eyes before laying me down softly on the bed. I reached for him in unspoken need, his body molding over me as he searched my lips for another passionate kiss.
I needed him to show me how much he wanted me after days of watching other Vepar females do everything they could to get his attention. I needed to know that he needed me as much as I craved him.
A visceral feeling passed over me. Our eyes met and I saw enthrallment in his gaze, in the sensations of our kisses as our coming together imparted. Feeling his hardened erection pushing against me, I moaned into his kiss, sliding my legs along his length. My desire and need clear in my pursuit to speed things up. It was all for naught, as he took his sweet time, gently nipping along my jaw and down my neck. I remained still, taking my cue from him as he proceeded to undress me in slow measures. Unzipping my dress, he peeled it up and over my head, then rained gentle kisses along my stomach before worshipping my breasts through the thin layer of my strapless lace bra that I had finally figured out how to get the dressing cylinder to give me.
“I don’t want any barriers between us,” he whispered, slowly removing every layer of my clothing, my overheated skin relishing the coolness of the room. Leaning forward, I dragged up his shirt, pulling it over his tight stomach, across his strong arms, like unwrapping the most cherished and wanted present. Lost in our silent fantasy, he stared lovingly into my eyes as we unfastened and removed his pants, dropping them and his briefs to the floor. Completely naked, no barriers between us, as he’d wanted.
The anticipation of feeling him on me, in me, overtook my body, and I shuddered in his arms. He lowered himself over me. His strength and weight felt absolutely delicious, warming my blood with desire. In unspoken understanding, our undeniable mutual need declared the undressing experience as foreplay enough. I thrummed with so much kindled desire, that I already floated on the edge of an orgasm from his touch. My silent pleas signaled I was more than ready to welcome him inside me. He spread my legs with a gentle push of his knee. With slow, measured movements, he slid into me before leisurely thrusting deeper. I moaned, my back arching, captured by his unwavering stare.
“Yes, that’s it, baby. So perfect,” he whispered, pulling himself all the way out, before pushing back in slowly, forcing me to open. I pulled his face down to mine to devour his mouth, gently nipping his lower lip. I was lost to the sensations of his steady rhythm, the slow sensual gliding in and out, as though he had all the time in the world.
I wished we had that kind of time. This was a stolen moment. We’d escaped from the party and everyone would ask questions soon, then it was back to the games. I memorized this moment inside of me for when it got too hard...for when it felt impossible to keep going.
But I realized at that moment that I want a lifetime of this. Of these Vepar men.
“I want you to fight for me...fight for us, because I’ll never stop fighting for you,” he whispered, not breaking eye contact for one moment.
Maintaining his languid strokes, he brushed his hand down my body, pushing it between us to gently stroke me, skating his thumb along the bundle of nerves in succession with his thrusts. Euphoria soared within me, growing, escalating. He drove me wild, pushing me over the edge.
I writhed uncontrollably in his grip as he dangled me closer to the plunge of ecstasy. My body trembled in desire, achingly empty in the need for more, begging for release.
“Corran . . . please . . . ”
“Shhh, baby,” he whispered.
Fisting his hand roughly in my hair, he held my hip securely in place, refusing to let me speed up our movements.
“It’s too much,” I pleaded in desperation.
I quaked in his arms, screaming in pleasure, my body pulsating and tightening around him. Pulling my lips from his, I screamed, “Corran!” Slowing the gentle glides of his fingers on my sensitized clit, he pulled his hand away, entwining his fingers in mine, our hands held firmly as he drove into me with final thrusts. He’d taken his time until I exploded, and now this was for him to take me, to bring himself to the edge with me. He hissed as he slammed into me harder. Our mesmerized gazes locked and he whispered my name, before coming deep inside me.