“And we’ve got more coming up after the break on recent Argonian abductions. What are they? Why are they happening? Why is the government saying nothing about it?”

I hit mute on the TV remote and brush hair back from my sweaty forehead. I’m three hours into a twelve-hour shift at the gas station and it’s already felt like an eternity. It’s so hot out today that no one wants to go outside. Al’s is already a quiet spot as it is, but this is a new level of ridiculous.

“That’ll be an even fifty with your snacks,” I say to an overweight trucker as I ring up a bag of snacks and gas. His fat hands fish around his sweaty overalls and he pulls out a palmful of creased notes. I look at them as if they’re radioactive and take them with much reluctance. He’s the third customer I’ve had in as many hours, and he just can’t seem to keep his eyes off my tits.

“Awful quiet in here, innit? Just you in here?”

I hand the hick his change and raise a suspecting brow. “Yeah, it is.” Just me and my steamy romance novel. I push the book under the counter out of his sight and cross my arms. The trucker doesn’t even have the courtesy to pretend he’s not staring at my tits.

“Hot out. Great weather for a sweaty fuck.”

It’s brazen, I’ll give him that. “I’ll have to pass sweetie. Doubt my boyfriend would like that.” Doubt your over-sized heart would either. I don’t want to spend too much time picturing a romp with hick-zilla, but I can definitely see him having a heart attack halfway through foreplay (not that he’d ever waste time on something like that). The trucker grabs his bag of cheesy snacks, winks at me and shuffles back through the door. My boyfriend is actually of the non-existent kind, but Romeo here doesn’t have to know that.

“Your loss.”

Somehow, I doubt it.

Alone again, I study the ghost of my reflection in the window next to me and try to understand what I’m putting out there today to warrant such attention. I’m the same curvy brunette I was yesterday and there’s even more sweat on my tank top today on account of the heat.

“It’s your tits girl!” Is what my granny would have said. All of the women in the Denzel family had that same rotund figure. Growing up I’d called it fat. Granny Denzel had always slapped that word away and opted for the more alluring, curvy.

Fat, curvy, round. Whatever. I was a plump hourglass with a gigantic ass, wide hips and tits that hurt after a day of standing. Somedays I was a fan of my figure, other days I wasn’t. Today I was still undecided, but it seemed the local population of inbred truckers were definitely gunning for a go.

Maybe there was something in the air.

The truth of the matter is that it wasn’t just my boyfriend that was imaginary. Since Granny Denzel passed away a few months ago there was no one left in my life. Things had started to get lonely, so I’d turned to the old reliable: steamy romance books.

I sit down in my chair behind the counter, pull out my book and dive back into the steamy world of Pasha and Zargon. A whole hour passes by before the next car pulls up.

It’s a station wagon. Mom, Dad, and a bunch of kids that have energy to spend from being trapped in the car for too long. They all wander up and down the aisles for longer than necessary, enjoying the AC and the opportunity to stretch their legs.

“Can you believe that?” the Mom says to me as I pack up their assortment of snacks. She nods up at the TV behind me and I turn to see the bit on the news about Argonian abductions. “It’s disgusting. I can’t stand the sight of those… those things! How can those rats in the white house sit there and call them allies?!”

Gee. I don’t know. Maybe they’re scared that advanced alien civilization will use their hydrogen bombs to blow earth to dust? I tilt my head and push her bag back across the counter. It’s always a delight to talk to an anti-Argonian, but today I’m in no mood. She seems to pick up on my short attitude and flashes and accusatory glare my way.

“Don’t tell me,” she laughs. “You’re one of those alien lovers.”

“Have a nice day ma’am,” I say with little affection. Get back in your truck with your portly husband and his three-inch dick. I’d take an Argonian alien lord over an earth male any day. Not that I’d ever get the chance.

The nuclear family clamber back across the sticky tarmac and pull back onto the long desert road. I let out a loud sigh across the shop and bring my attention back to my book. I’ve only had it a few weeks, but it’s already well-worn and dog-eared. I look at the front cover and smile.

Mated by the Alien.

Underneath the bold orange font there’s an illustration of a dainty blonde pressed up against the muscled torso of a handsome alien dude with red skin. He’s got one hand around her waist and a laser pistol in the other. It’s cheesy as fuck, okay, I know, but fuck. I’ve been really into this shit recently. Ever since the whole Argonian thing started. I settle down in my chair and open the book.

Romantic right? It’s the kind of shit that really gets your heart going. Okay, maybe not heart, but it definitely gets something going inside of me. I don’t really know why I’ve been on the alien hype lately, but I’ve spent many nights in the bath with a glass of wine, some chocolates and dear old Zargon, the red-skinned alien gladiator with the massive vibrating penis.

My attention flickers back to the broadcast on the TV—which is still muted—and I see a panel of concerned ‘experts’ talking about the Argonian situation. It’s muted because I’ve already heard everything I have to hear. The Argonian space station first arrived twelve months ago and set the world ablaze with chatter. The giant alien craft sits hovering in orbit high above the earth, still against the sky as a giant chrome maraca. Yes. That’s what it looks like. The ship is so large that everyone in the northern hemisphere can see it, day or night. It’s several miles above Washington DC, but even I could see it if I walked outside now. It’s still hot as fuck though, so fuck that.

Those first few months were crazy. The ship just lay there in the air. Nothing happened. A small fraction of the population were still convinced it was the end of the world, but everyone else just got on with their job. It’s crazy, it’s still crazy, but everyone has accepted it and it’s just become part of the weird normality.

Then they made first contact.

The world stood still as the President of the United States made a joint statement to the union with Raka, the leader for the Argonian people. It was quite a funny sight to see our six-foot president dwarfed alongside the seven-foot, blue-skinned Argonian male. Every man, woman and child took notice to watch the fifteen-minute speech. Every woman especially. It was very hard to ignore what a stunning specimen Raka was, and it definitely didn’t help that Argonians only wore tight black trousers.

There he stood next to the president, as a seven-foot behemoth of blue steel. Chiseled, powerful, commanding. Those mysterious blue eyes captured the hearts of a million women, as did his strong jaw and handsome face. He was a super model sent from the Gods.

“I’m proud to announce today a union between earth and Argonia. This landmark day sets the precedent for our future. Other civilizations exist, and they are here as our allies!”

There were many questions after that, most of which weren’t answered, even in the upcoming months. All we knew is that the Argonians were here as some sort of protectors. People got on with their lives and went back to their grindstone. The mystery only made the allure more powerful. Factions sprang up overnight composed of people that were pro and anti-Argonian. Kids bought Argonian warrior action figures, TVs pumped out brightly colored cartoons featuring cool Argonian agents.

It was everywhere. I considered myself neither pro or anti-Argonian, but I couldn’t deny that the aliens were fucking hot. There were several more statements to the union after that. Raka was always present and sometimes he’d have friends with him too. The statements were vague and contained little information and seemed only to serve as a friendly reminder that the Argonians were good guys.

Some women were fanatics. People set up forums and started writing fanfiction about fucking Argonians. I never took it that far, but I must admit I did get swept up in it recently when the abductions started. The Argonian abductions.

It started several weeks ago when a story hit the mainstream news. An outraged couple were put before the cameras, screaming at the top of their lungs that Argonians had abducted their daughter. No one believed them until they played the clip. I must have watched it a hundred times on Youtube afterward. Mom and Dad are sat out back having a BBQ with their eighteen-year-old daughter when a chrome spaceship bolts down through the air. It hovers there with great waves of heat rolling off it. A blue beam shoots down and grabs the girl. She’s screaming, her parents are screaming. It pulls her up, a door opens and the next thing the spaceship is gone. Lyra Jones was just eighteen. She hasn’t been seen since.

There’s been five more reports of abductions since then.

I’m lost in my thoughts, staring at the muted TV when the phone rings beside me. I pick it up. It’s Al. The station’s owner.

“Tell me you’re seeing this,” he says. His voice is panicked and grave.

I look around the empty shop, wondering if he’s tapped into the surveillance cameras again. “Are the coyotes raiding the bins out back?”

“Get outside and turn the pumps off. Now!” A large clunk sound follows this, and I can only think that Al has dropped the phone. I put the handset back in its receiver and walk around to the front of the counter, not noticing the image of the exploding Argonian station on the TV as I do so. Al must have seen something pretty shocking on the surveillance cams. Probably a fire on the forecourt. Time for me to act.

I run outside and to my surprise I see no fire. I hit the switch for the pumps anyway and turn around under the shade of the station roof, trying to figure why Al would call me in such a panic. It’s deathly quiet out on the court. The long desert road just ahead is boiling under the hot sun. I must be the only one for miles.

A cataclysmic boom disturbs the quiet and I walk out from under the station canopy to look up at the sky. There I see the giant Argonian station, slowly splitting apart in the sky. Crimson fire bisects the station in two. Something has gone horribly wrong. I stand there lost in amazement, staring up at the explosion which is many miles above my head. A feeling twirls in my stomach that this is not good. Were the Argonians under attack? Were we under attack?

I feel as if I’ll never be able to pull my eyes away when I hear the roar of jets behind me. Hand cradling my eyes against the sun, I turn around slowly and stare slack-jawed at the sight before me. A spaceship is landing.

The chrome orb—perhaps the size of a whale—slowly descends to the red desert on a ring of powerful blue jets that kick up orange clouds of dust. The roar is deafeningly loud, and I can feel the heat even from here. It stops at level with the top of the gas station, a door appears in the smooth chrome side and a set of stairs connect the floating ship to the floor. An Argonian male appears at the top, descends the stairs with powerful grace and steps onto the desert.

His sparkling blue eyes pierce my soul. I don’t realize it at the time, but my whole body is trembling with adrenaline. I can’t stop staring at his body, as crazy as it is. He looks so huge, and his muscles are glistening with sweat under the unbearable sun. He opens his mouth and a voice comes out. It’s deep, rich and beautiful. It’s hypnotic.

“You are Piper Denzel.”

My jaw stammers in disbelief. This beautiful creature just said my name. “M-Me? Yes! That’s me!” How could he know my name? What could he want with me?

“My name is Vax. I have been assigned to collect you. I’m afraid we don’t have much time. Please come with me.” Vax holds out a hand in the air and I stare at it for a long moment, blinking wildly. I don’t know if Argonians are ever warned about stranger danger when they’re growing up, but from the way Vax is looking at me it’s almost as if he expects me to jump in without question.

I cross my arms and laugh. “Excuse me? I’m not just going to hop into a spaceship with some random ass guy. You need to tell me what’s going on here, and I’m not going anywhere until I get answers.”

A smile breaks on those gorgeous blue lips and he makes a small huffing noise which I can only assume is amusement.

“They warned me you’d be difficult, but very well. We can play it that way.”

I’m one second away from asking Vax who the hell they are, when he launches a small silver stone at me. My reaction times have always been awful, but there was no dodging this thing even if I wanted to. The chrome disk explodes in the air and wraps around my throat. The metal instantly morphs against my skin and forms a tight collar. I grab at the collar in panic but there are no seams or breaks.

“What the hell was that?!” I shout, desperately trying to pull the thing off.

Vax lifts his other hand and I notice he is wearing a chrome glove. He smiles at me. “An Obedion. Argonian technology. Very handy for dissenting prisoners.” He turns the palm of his chrome hand to the air and curls his fingers up, my feet lift off the ground and I gasp.

“Prisoner! What?!”

The blue-skinned alien moves his arm through the air, and I float forward with some speed, barely stopping an inch before him. “Open your mouth.”

Go to hell, I think, but to my surprise my mouth drops open and Vax shoves a giant golden pill in it. “Close and swallow.”

As he speaks I feel the collar vibrate with each word. He talks, and my body follows. The collar is controlling me somehow. I swallow the strange pill with little fight, and suddenly find the ability to speak again.

“What the hell was that?! You bastard!” I want to surge forward and punch Vax in his pretty blue face, but my body is frozen, suspended in the air before him.

“Aquigen. Argonian medicine. It will let you breathe the air of any alien atmosphere. Come.”

Vax ascends the staircase up to the ship, pulling me through the air behind him, a helpless prisoner, trapped to his alien technology. The ramp recedes, the door closes and we’re inside the ship. A large silver room surrounds us. I instantly feel the force of a sharp ascent. Vax turns back to face me.

“I apologize for the sudden abduction. Earth is in grave danger and it was time to act. The Argonians have been attacked, and we had to act fast, moving our plan forward by several years.”

“What plan?!” I say, still struggling against the invisible restraints keeping me held in the air.

“Abducting suitable fertile mates,” he says plainly. “Earth was chosen because human females are very alluring to us and carry the capacity to bare our seed.”

“W-What!?” It all seems a little fucking crazy. “You’re not strapping me to some table and placing one of your babies in me!”

Vax lets out a deep chuckle. I find the laugh attractive despite the situation. Damn my weakness for a deep voice.

“Our processes aren’t so surgical. I can assure you that pleasure is the main objection.”

“Listen dude. I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about, but I’d really appreciate it if you set me down and returned me back to earth. You’ve got the wrong girl!”

His sparkling blue eyes blink back at me and he shakes his head. He waves his chrome hand through the air and it projects the image of a profile. My profile. I stare back at the hologram image of my face dancing on the air in front of me. “You are Piper Denzel, are you not?” Vax asks.

“Of course, I am!” I shout, not quite believing he has my picture. “Who are you and why is my photo here?!”

“We’ve been watching earth for many months,” he explains calmly. “Scanning and searching for suitable mates that perfectly match our Argonian kind. You’re assigned to me.”

Scanning? Searching? Suitable mates? Assigned? It all wizzes past my ears and only raises a hundred more questions, but all my mouth can let out is a disbelieving “W-What?!”

“You’re my mate Piper Denzel. My sexual property. And this is my ship. We are to mate together here and join in the act of sexual union. Come now, and I will show you to the sleeping quarters. We must start the mating ceremony very, very soon. You are far more attractive than I realized, and I’m not sure I can wait.”