Chapter Nine
She came to two conclusions the following morning. The first, she would never drink santorilin brew again. Her head felt as if it were going to explode—which JB didn’t take into account as he appeared at her door, not showing any mercy. He forced her to listen to his lecture on giving up too easily and not even trying to make this work. All the while she helplessly threw up in a hole that passed for a toilet. After she emptied her stomach, and with her vision swimming and throat burning, she came to the second conclusion—she would give living on Sonis another chance.
It took hours to pull herself together. Aside from cleaning the stench of stale liquor and throw-up off her, the hot bath did nothing to get rid of her hangover. She grabbed a rumpled jumpsuit from her duffle bag and added unpacking to the list of things she had to do. But first she needed to make sure she still had a job.
She left her apartment and promptly got herself turned around. Nothing looked familiar from yesterday. Some of the walls held pictures with scenery and animals that she didn’t recognize. Every now and then she passed a statue or a table holding various artwork or vases.
“Shit, I’m lost.”
She knew she had left the residential living area when the regular-sized doors were replaced with double doors and open-area rooms. She could have stopped one of the Sonian females that walked past for directions but none of them seemed open to conversation. As they scurried by they averted their eyes and didn’t acknowledge her presence.
“Fuck it, I don’t need help,” she said as another female breezed past her without so much as a friendly hello.
“May I be of some assistance?”
Jess startled at the voice that came from no particular place. She threw out her arms and turned in a tight circle, searching for the source. “What the?”
“It is I, Ship. I did not intend to frighten you.”
“You didn’t scare me,” she hurried out as she repressed the urge to rub her chest where her heart thumped erratically. Turning around had made her sick again. Her head swam and the nausea returned. She reached out for something, anything that would stop her from swaying. “Not again.”
“Are you still unwell?” he asked.
She pressed her chest and cheek against the wall. The support helped to keep her steady and allowed the nausea to subside. “How did you know I was sick?” Had he been in her apartment…watching her without her knowing?
“I spoke with JB after he visited with you. He told me you drank too much and were ‘paying the price’.”
“Right.” JB wasn’t a gossip but how soon would it take everyone in the palace to know that she’d gotten pissy drunk her first night on Sonis?
She pushed away from the wall and looked around. Nope, she still didn’t know where she was or how to get where she wanted to be.
“Are you lost?”
She chewed on her lip and didn’t answer. She was lost. She could ask for Ship’s help but that would mean he would offer to show her the way. She held nothing against Ship but having the invisible alien trailing her made the nausea return.
She closed her eyes. I do need his help. She opened them. “Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
She ran a hand across her hair. “To Rasha’s office. I was hoping he would be there. I need to talk to him.”
Ship was silent for a moment. Then he said, “He is. If you make a right down the next hall you will find his office on the left.”
Her heart sped up a beat. Time to face the music. “Thank you, Ship.”
“My pleasure.”
Without wasting any more time, she followed Ship’s directions to Rasha’s office. She paused at his open door to knock. He was sitting behind his desk and Mazel sat in a chair opposite him. Both Rasha and Mazel turned as she approached.
“Councilor Horal would like to set an appointment to view the property. He doesn’t feel comfortable purchasing it without a viewing first,” a voice that seemed to come from a device on Rasha’s desk said.
Jess backtracked. “I can come back if this is a bad time.”
Rasha rose and motioned for her to come into the room. “I am sorry but I must leave the conversation. Jess, my new personal assistant, will take my place.”
Wide-eyed, Jess entered the room.
Mazel pressed a button on the console. “Jess, please have a seat.” Mazel indicated Rasha’s now empty chair.
“But I don’t know what we’re doing,” she said in an urgent tone.
“You’re trying to sell property,” Rasha said. He grabbed his jango off the shelf and strapped it to his bare back and headed to the door. “I’ll be on the training field if you need me.”
“Does this mean I still have a job?”
“Of course,” he said.
She exhaled deeply. That went a lot better than she expected.
“Ready?” Mazel asked.
On Jess’ nod, Mazel pressed the button again. “Sorry for the delay. Now are you ready to compare schedules?”
* * * * *
Over the following days she learned a lot from Mazel. The job was pretty easy. The technology wasn’t much different from what she had been accustomed to. Although Taio was off-world with Kane, helping him secure his position within the Galactic Council, Mazel oversaw everything as though Taio were still on Sonis.
Every morning, Jess sat with Mazel while she held a conference call with Taio. Afterward, Mazel spent the rest of the day making sure his wishes were met. While Jess and Mazel were technically never off duty, Rasha had been right, there was plenty of free time.
From what Jess could gather, the idea of the job was being able to anticipate Rasha’s needs and see to them.
Her only problem?
Being in the same vicinity as Rasha.
Eva had promised her none of the males had the ability to give off pheromones that made women go all goo-goo gaga over them.
But why did he have this kind of effect on her? He was an alien. She didn’t fuck with aliens nor did she find any of them attractive.
She couldn’t ignore what was happening. After his return, whenever she was in the same room with Rasha, the competent, organized, “no job’s too big for me, I’m your girl” was no different than a bumbling idiot. Since it wasn’t pheromones making her feel this way, she chalked it up to some other unknown force.
Rasha didn’t necessarily do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. It was quite the opposite. He seemed to go out of his way to make sure she had everything she needed. He even continued his constant complimenting. Normally she would have told him exactly what he could do with his compliments but…
She found herself enjoying his company.
* * * * *
It took a week after officially starting her new job for her to realize she was bored out of her mind. Besides handling Rasha’s schedule there was nothing else to do.
When she heard Rasha enter his office, she jumped up and went to him.
He had his back to her, bent over, searching for something.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
He glanced up briefly then continued to feel around the back of the shelves. “The strap that holds my jango in its sheath broke.”
“Your what?” she asked, coming closer.
“The strap holds my jango in place. It broke. If I find the missing piece I can have it fixed.”
“You don’t have another sheath?”
He shook his head. “I was going to have one made but I forgot.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do it for you.”
He stopped searching and straightened. “Many thanks.”
“It’s my job.” Even under artificial lighting his jango seemed to shine. She reached out to touch it.
Rasha raised it out of her grasp. “You should never try to take a warrior’s weapon.”
She pulled her hand back in record speed. “I wasn’t trying to take it. I wanted to feel it.”
He lowered his weapon in front of her.
She flicked her hand out nonchalantly. “Never mind. You’re acting like it’s been kissed by Jesus or something.”
“Who?”
“Forget about it. It’s precious, I get it.”
“There’s no reason to get upset. If you no longer want to touch this weapon, I have another…weapon…you can touch.”
She shifted on her feet, feeling the bumbling idiot trying to rise to the surface. “No thank you.” Yes please.
He ran his hands down his muscular thighs. “Another time then?”
Jess had the fleeting thought of him running his hands on her. Oh jeez, how good would those hands feel on me? “Hmm?”
“I shall leave you alone. I’m sure you have plenty of work to do.”
“Alone? Again?” She immediately wanted to take the words back.
He cocked his head. “I could stay if you wish. Eva said you would need ‘space’ in the beginning.”
She snorted. The sound wasn’t pretty at all. She might as well have oinked like a pig while she was at it. “I don’t wish you to stay.”
“Really? Are you sure? We could do something about that.”
Was his voice always this deep?
She picked at her hair nervously. “About what?”
He inhaled sharply. “I can smell you.” Then he let his gaze fall to her crotch.
She instinctively dropped her hands to shield herself. She gasped as he got on his knees. “What are you doing?”
He wrapped his arms around her and cradled her ass. Her mouth opened as he nuzzled his nose between her thighs. “I can take care of this…you.”
She dug her nails into his shoulder blades. Should she push him away or keep him where he was?
He made a sound so animalistic, so hot and sexy it made her pussy respond in ways she didn’t want it to.
“That’s it.” He sniffed into her.
His fingers worked in unison to massage her ass, all the while pulling her onto his face. She tried to stand her ground even when she rocked to her toes.
He looked up at her with eyes smoldering with heat. “Can I do it, Jess?”
She blinked, trying to remember his question. “Do…do what?”
“Lick you until you come.”
Oh God. Her knees buckled.
“I want to taste you. I want to bury my face in your pussy. I want to…to…” Growling, he bit her.
Holy shit. Reality came crashing back. She pushed him away and wiggled out of his grasp. “No.” She positioned her left leg behind her and balled her fists. From her experience, aliens had a hard time with the word no.
He rubbed his hand across his face as if trying to regain his composure. She readied for a fight.
He rocked onto his heels and stood. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. As you can see, I lost control.” He grabbed his crotch. His hand held the thickened outline of his cock.
“Is that all you?” She should have been ashamed for asking, but damn.
He nodded.
“It’s so freakin’…” So many words could be used to describe it—gigantic, humongous, enormous. “Big.”
He leisurely rubbed his cock. “Is it acceptable to you?”
Acceptable, said the lion to the rabbit. But she couldn’t keep her eyes off it. It was mesmerizing.
“Do you want me to fuck you instead? We can do it here.” He motioned toward the desk. “I could clear the desk.”
She forced herself to turn away. “Does it look like I wanna fuck you or anyone else for that matter?”
He gave her an appeasing stare. “Always ready to fight. Even though the situation does not call for it. Stand down, Jess. I’m not into rough sex.”
She hesitated. When he made no moves toward her, she straightened. “I told you before.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “What comes out of your mouth contradicts what drips out of your pussy.”
Heat crept across her cheeks. Betrayed. By her pussy.
He shrugged. “But since you say you don’t want me, I have no choice but to keep my distance.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” That’s what I’m saying. That’s what I’m saying, she repeated, trying to make the thought stick.
“Very well. I’ll return to the training field,” he said nonchalantly.
“I’m going with you,” she blurted.
“Why?”
“Why not?” she said.
* * * * *
She met his pace stride for stride. At times it felt as though he was trying to leave her behind.
“Females are not allowed to train,” he said for the hundredth time.
Unperturbed, she stayed at his side.
Jess nodded toward Eva. “Can’t you use some of your influence so I can go out there with her?”
So far Eva and Lo’Ren were the only females allowed on the training field. Eva had negotiated with Taio for herself and Lo’Ren to be able to train. According to Mazel, Eva was in the process of negotiating with Taio to allow her to train other females.
Rasha turned to her. “I didn’t know you were a fighter as well. I seem to find out something new about you every day.”
She looked past him. Off in the distance, heat radiated off the lake, showing as rising steam. “I didn’t used to be but I’ve fought because I had to…”
The Mindari’s slimy tentacles were all over her.
Wet.
Cold.
Sticky liquid slid slowly down her muscles as his tentacles wrapped around her arms, torso and legs. Poking and prodding…
“Jess?”
She snapped back to reality. His concerned eyes were on her, searching her face.
Jess rubbed her arms, soothing the goose bumps that had erupted over her skin. No tentacles, no slime, but most of all, no Mindari.
He placed a gentle hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring stroke. “Females should not feel as though they need to fight,” he said softly.
She pulled away. “Yeah, well, tell that to all the women in the brothels. I’m sure they’ll agree with you.”
Jess stared across the training field. She’d never seen anyone who enjoyed fighting as much as Eva. The woman actually laughed as she somersaulted up and around one of the training simulators.
If I had martial arts training, I would have fared better in the brothels.
“So what am I supposed to do now?” Jess asked, not wanting to give up so easily.
“You may have this time to yourself.”
And that was the problem. Time to herself. Jess needed something else to do and JB wasn’t any company. She couldn’t catch him alone. Despite Eva’s warnings, wherever JB went, his small entourage of horny women followed. Something that didn’t sit well with the Sonis males.
Rasha flashed a wicked smile. “Unless you want to stay and watch me train?”
Jess rocked back on her heels. “Watch you and the other giants grunt and hit each other? Um, I think I’ll pass.”
She so wanted to stay and watch the way his pants hugged his legs. How every time he moved just right the outline of his thick cock could be seen.
And the sweat that dripped from him. She suppressed a shudder. Oh how she had to resist so many different urges within herself not to lick each and every drop from his chest and abdomen.
He dipped his head and sauntered to the training field. His training suit caressed every inch of his body. She groaned.
I want to trail my hands over every fine muscular line. And his ass. Wow.
Ass…so…tight. The thought of her teeth grazing across it made jaw clench. Jess tore her gaze away from his ass. She looked at the next best thing, the backs of his thighs. Very thick thighs. The kind of thighs that would feel good between her splayed legs.
When he reached the field, Rasha glanced at her over his shoulder. Catching her stare, he grinned. “Big,” he mouthed.
Heat flushed across her face. She whipped around and almost ran right into Marcie. Was it too much to ask that Marcie hadn’t seen her ogling him?
“He’s mine,” Marcie declared.
Yep, too much to ask.
Jess snorted. “Congratulations.”
She’d been ogling his body. So what? It didn’t mean anything.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” Marcie said as Jess passed her.
Jess couldn’t help but stop. “And what might that be?”
Marcie took a peek at the training field then back at Jess before straightening her shoulders. “You’re trying to steal my man.”
“You mean your alien. That’s not a man over there.” Jess motioned toward the training field. “There aren’t any ‘men’ over there.”
“You’re right. Those aren’t men, those are warriors. Look around, Jess, this planet is full of strong and able warriors. Men didn’t rescue me from that asshole who bought me, a warrior did.”
“That’s because most of the men are still slaves, toiling away in work colonies,” Jess said slowly.
Marcie opened and closed her mouth as if she couldn’t find a retort.
Jess shook her head. “He’s my boss, nothing more. You can have him. He’s yours.” All she wanted to do was get away from here. “Not interested. Don’t want him.”
“He can’t stay away from me.”
Jess began to walk away but then stopped and cocked her head. “Are you forgetting that I make his schedule? He hasn’t seen you since I arrived. When’s the last time you were with him?”
Marcie’s face flushed with anger. “He’s just been busy, that’s all.”
Jess started for the palace doors. “Or maybe just bored?”
“Bored? Of me? Ha! You think you can steal him away? He wouldn’t want you anyway!” Marcie shrilled to her back.
As if.
If she were really a bitch she would tell Marcie how just moments before she had pushed Rasha’s face from her crotch, just like he was a dog in heat. But she didn’t. She was growing as a person.
“You can’t compete with me. You’re a hulking gorilla. There’s nothing feminine about you. The only reason any warrior here would even want you is to have babies and you can’t even do that!”
Jess whipped around without thinking. She balled up her fists. Marcie stood ten feet away. Her green dress accentuated her curvy frame. Dainty sandal-clad feet poked from under her hemline. Her blonde hair flowed around her angelic face.
Jess closed her mouth just as fast as she’d opened it. Marcie stared back, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.