Mylash open the door to the most luxurious apartment Loretta had ever been inside. It had a view of Central Park outside the expansive penthouse windows. It was furnished in tasteful modern decor in neutral shades with pops of color. She couldn’t even imagine how much a place like this had cost, certainly more than Mylash was promising to pay her for her time.

“This place is so gorgeous,” she said, turning around in a circle and clapping her hands together like a giddy schoolgirl. Being in such a beautiful environment was soothing after the day she’d had.

“I’m glad you like it. I am told this place is the best humanity has to offer.”

“It certainly is,” she said, just as she felt arms encircle her waist from behind her. Mylash pressed himself hard against her back, and she could feel the bulge in his pants stiff with desire. She gasped and pulled away, turning around. “What are you doing?” she asked indignantly.

“I want to mate with you. Now. My dragon cannot be contained, it scrapes at my mind incessantly. I must claim you.”

“But… I just got here.” Loretta thought that she could handle this arrangement, but being confronted with Mylash’s substantial equipment so quickly after arriving gave her second thoughts.

“You did,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve called for food delivery to be sent over. I hope you like sushi. I have no idea what that is, but I was told that it is a delicacy.”

“I’m from Alabama. I’ve had sushi like three times in my life.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s okay. But like I said, I’m from Alabama. I’m sure New York sushi is better than Alabama sushi.”

There was a knock at the door and Mylash opened it. Several people walked in and began preparing a feast at the gleaming dining room table under the crystal chandelier. Every imaginable kind of sushi was laid out for them and a few moments later the caterers were gone. Loretta’s eyes grew wide as she took in the display. There was sake and green tea along with some kind of green tea ice cream for dessert. It looked like artwork and made her mouth water.

“This is definitely better than the sushi I had in Alabama,” she said, the delight evident in her voice.

They sat at the table, and Loretta grasped a pair of chopsticks, dishing up pieces of sashimi and rolls to put on her plate. Munching on salmon and tempura, she let out little groans of pleasure. Each time she made the sound, Mylash looked at her as if he could barely contain himself. He joined in the feast and after about a half an hour they were both completely stuffed and satisfied.

“That was definitely better than the sushi I had in Alabama,” she said, laughing.

“I must admit, this human food was quite good. I would like to have it again some time.”

“Me too.”

“Are you now ready to commence the mating?” he said, his voice full of urgency.

“Um… Maybe?”

Loretta hadn’t had sex in almost three years. When she entered the MBA program, she simply did not have time for boyfriends between her studies, work, and her family. The idea of getting it on with a seven foot tall man with a bull-sized package was not something she was ready to jump blindly into.

“When we mate, you must allow me to spill my seed inside your womb.”

“What? You never told me about that before.” Coming inside her had never been part of the discussion.

“I apologize. I was eager to begin our mating and neglected to tell you that this is a necessity.”

“What? If I don’t let you come inside me, the deal is off?”

“I must spill my seed on you or inside of you. It is necessary.”

“Oh my God. Could this day get any more strange?” She felt herself beginning to crack. If he came inside her and got her pregnant, where would she be then?

“Do you agree?”

Tears began to stream down her face and she couldn’t keep them under control. She stood from the table and ran to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Inside she found a beautiful king-size bed with a fluffy, comfortable looking comforter spread over it. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing, and she needed a tissue to dry her face. She found the gleaming marble bathroom and pulled a wad of toilet paper from the roll to dry her eyes. Once her eyes were dry, she looked around the room and found a huge bathtub with jets along the sides.

It looked so utterly inviting she let out a deep sigh. She’d traveled all the way from Alabama that morning, had a job interview, was taken hostage, and now was the mate of an alien. She really needed to relax.

Not thinking of anything else except finding some kind of comfort in the situation, she turned the hot water on and let the bathtub fill. There were sweet smelling oils and powders sitting beside the tub, and she poured lavender and rose scented bath oil into the water. The fragrance filled the room and calmed her nerves as the water bubbled to the top.

Mylash rapped his knuckles on the door and then opened it. “Are you all right?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

“I’m going to take a bath to try to relax and gather my thoughts. When I’m done we can talk more about the conditions of our mating. Okay?” Her voice shook as she spoke. Mylash nodded his head once and turned to walk away.

He was intimidating and an alien, but Mylash was as cooperative as could be expected under the circumstances. She didn’t understand Draconian culture. From what Mylash had already told her, finding his mate was torturing him. The only relief he would find would be in making love to her and claiming her as his bride.

For a man who had a dragon inside his skull screaming at him, he was being extraordinarily patient with a tiny human woman he could overpower without a second thought. She definitely appreciated that fact. Just in case though, she flipped the lock on the door before peeling out of her clothes.

She’d agreed to have sex with him, but she wanted to do it on her own terms and on her own time. Dipping her foot into the water, she tested the temperature. It was just right, so she sank the rest of the way into the tub, letting out a deep sigh. Every nerve and muscle in her body screamed as it began to relax. She let out a little whimper, realizing how tense she’d been.

Loretta sat in the tub for a long time until her skin began to prune. Feeling more relaxed, she got out of the tub and pulled on a bathrobe. She unlocked the door and slowly stepped into the bedroom. Mylash sat on the bed, waiting patiently there for her. He looked up at her when she stepped into the room, his eyes piercing her with his need. She walked toward him, not sure what to do next.

He grasped the collar of her bathrobe as she stood in front of him, staring into his intensely blue eyes. He pulled the robe open and it dropped over her shoulders, revealing her breasts. His eyes grazed over her dark skin, causing her nipples to prick under his scrutinizing gaze. He held her bathrobe open and took her in, all her curvy flesh on display.

Loretta was a voluptuous woman. A lot of men liked her body. Then again, a lot of men didn’t. They’d been conditioned to only like super-skinny, pale-skinned supermodels. Loretta definitely wasn’t that.

Mylash shivered visibly and looked up into her eyes. “The commander was right. Human women are beautiful.”

“You like what you see?” she asked, her voice soft and distant. All he did was shake his head in the affirmative. He reached up and caressed her waist, sliding over her damp skin. He cupped one breast and then the other, squeezing them until he brought her nipples between his fingers and gave them the slightest pinch.

Loretta let out an involuntary moan as her body responded to his touch. She could feel the desire pumping between her legs as her body moistened for Mylash.

“Do you like that?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she said in a low voice.

Mylash growled and gripped her waist. He moved her swiftly onto the bed before she even knew what was happening. Her bathrobe draped around her and her legs were spread as he crouched between them. Her nipples went tight as little iron divots as he consumed her with his eyes. She flicked her tongue over her lips. Mylash hit a button on his uniform, and he was naked, his massive erection open to the air. Loretta glanced at it. It was just as imposing as she had originally expected, maybe even more so.

“Are you ready?” he asked her in a low growl.

She bit her lip and shook her head yes. She didn’t know what else to say or do. Was she ready? She didn’t really know. Mylash had been good to her. She’d agreed to come here. Loretta had always had the motto: no time like the present.

He bent down to her and pressed his full lips against hers, flicking his tongue into her mouth. The gush of liquid desire that washed over her body filled her with hot need, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They kissed passionately until he broke away and ran kisses over her neck and down her chest. He gathered a nipple into his mouth and sucked, stoking the tempest already raging in her core.

Mylash traveled lower, kissing her fevered skin. Loretta’s churning mind couldn’t make sense of the tsunami of desire she felt for this man who was little more than a stranger. When he reached the heat between her legs and licked his raspy tongue up her slit, her mind went blank. All that was left was Mylash and the deep need he created inside her. Wet pressure pressed down from within, swelling her clit painfully.

His tongue found her sweet ache, and she clutched at his hair. Moaning out her arousal, Loretta pushed against Mylash’s tongue. “Yes,” she whimpered. Her climax spiraled toward her, growing more brilliant when Mylash pressed two fingers against her opening. “Oh God,” she called out, biting her lip. He sucked her mount into his mouth and thrust his fingers deeper inside her.

On the cusp of release, Mylash lifted his mouth from her blossoming heat. “This pleases you, my mate,” he whispered, his voice deeply sensuous. “I wish to pleasure you all night long.” His fingers caressed inside her, caressing the tantalizing pressure within.

“Oh,” she gasped, ready to explode.

He purred against her pussy, blowing fire-heated breath over her inflamed need. She sucked a loud gasp and her body clenched. Spasms of pleasure quaked inside her core and sent shock waves through her veins. She lifted up on her elbows, barely able to withstand the sharp explosion radiating from her most secret place.

She ran her hand over Mylash’s hair, looking at his face. His lips glistened with her sex and he leaned in to kiss her, plunging his tongue inside her mouth. She felt his hard shaft over her softness, pressing through her folds. He lay over her tingling clit and she clung to him.

His bright eyes shone down on her and she gazed up at him, holding him tight against her body.

Getting off the bus that morning, she never would have imagined falling into bed with a Draconian, but here she was now with Mylash. Feelings stirred for him, quivering in her heart. She ran her hand up to his cheek and caressed the smooth skin, the slight green cast glistening in the afternoon light from the window.

Her eyes grew wide and she bit her lip. He wanted to come inside her. Should she let him? She didn’t know. She couldn’t think. It was all so sudden, but so right. She’d told herself she was doing it for the money, but now it was so much more. The smell of his skin washed over her, and she couldn’t get enough.

An insistent beeping filled the room, and Mylash stopped. He swore in Draconian and pulled back.

“What is it?” she gasped, grasping for him.

“My Commander,” he grumbled. He stood, flicked a spot at his neck and his uniform slid back over his skin. He slid two fingers up his wrist and walked out of the room. Loretta lay on the bed, panting, light headed, wondering what had just happened.