3
NORA
Nora had to wait until the end of her shift. Xarex kept getting called into meetings—most of them over the viewscreen in his office—and she couldn’t get him alone. So it wasn’t until the last Kindred warrior had called his bride for the day and the happy couple left the HKR building that she was able to go to her boss and say,
“Excuse me, Commander Xarex , but can I please have a word with you in private?”
He looked down at her from his great height with a perfectly impassive expression. She wished his face wasn’t so hard to read! But all he said was,
“Of course, Ms . Thompson . Let’s step into my office.”
Once they were in his office, he closed the door and went to lean one hip casually against his desk. Even leaning that way he was still so tall that Nora had to look up at him. She wished he wasn’t so damn big and imposing! His shoulders were twice as broad as her own and he could easily twist her into a pretzel with that robot arm and hand of his!
But the Kindred never hurt or abuse women—never, she reminded herself. It was one of the biggest selling points of being called as a Kindred bride. A woman never had to fear that her Kindred husband would turn out to be an abuser—they were very respectful of women.
She felt a little better when she remembered that and it gave her courage.
“Well, Ms . Thompson ? What is it you needed to talk to me about?” her boss asked, one black eyebrow arched.
“I… I …” Nora took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “ I was in here—in your office—the other day and I happened to see a certain file on your computer. A certain erotic file,” she added knowingly.
Both eyebrows shot up and his silver eyes narrowed.
“Oh? And what were you doing snooping in my private computer, Ms . Thompson ?” he rumbled. “ That is what you humans call it when someone makes an unlawful incursion into the privacy of another, correct? Snooping ?”
“Yes, that’s right but none of that matters,” Nora said quickly. “ What matters is what I found.”
The corners of his thin but sensual mouth turned down and if she didn’t know that he had no emotions, Nora would have been certain that he was extremely displeased with her. Maybe even angry.
“I suppose you’re wondering why they all look like you,” he growled.
“I…why… I mean…” Nora stumbled over her words. She hadn’t expected him to be so blunt about the resemblance between herself and the women in his preferred porn.
“You have nothing to be concerned about,” he continued. “ Just because I find your physical characteristics to be extremely attractive doesn’t mean I would ever attempt anything with you.”
Nora didn’t know what to say to this. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. Was he saying he found her attractive? But he was built like a professional athlete and she was plus-sized and curvy—was he serious?
Apparently so because his silver eyes were roving up and down her body, making her feel like she was wearing a stripper outfit instead of her usual sensible button-down silk blouse with a black pencil skirt. There was a kind of feral hunger in her boss’s gaze that made her feel like prey— naked prey!
Then she came to her senses.
Get hold of yourself, Nora ! It doesn’t matter if he thinks you’re hot or not—this is supposed to be a blackmail attempt and you’re botching it!
Okay—she needed to start again.
“I saw what was on your computer and I’m prepared to go to your direct supervisor, Commander Sylvan , and tell him everything,” she said, lifting her chin.
“Oh?” Xarex raised an eyebrow again. “ And what would that accomplish?”
“Well, it would probably get you fired or at least reprimanded!” Nora exclaimed. “ Don’t you care about that? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing?”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under his black uniform shirt.
“As a Dark Kindred , I have no emotions. ‘ Embarrassment ’ is not something I am capable of feeling.”
His eyes—which had been so hungry and feral a moment ago—were now flat and blank as though he really didn’t care.
Nora felt at a loss. She’d expected him to be upset with her—to ask her not to tell on him—hopefully to offer her anything she wanted in exchange for her silence. But that wasn’t happening. In fact, none of her plan was going the way she’d hoped. She supposed it made sense when she considered that he had no emotions, but it just wasn’t how she’d seen things happening when she made her plan.
“I…you don’t care if I report you at all?” she asked, feeling helpless.
He shrugged again.
“Do as you please.”
“But…but…” Nora didn’t know what to say.
“Is that all, Ms . Thompson ?” Xarex asked in a bored voice. “ Do you wish to come up to the Mother Ship with me right now to make your report to my supervisor? Our shift is almost over so this would be the optimal time to meet with him.”
Nora was taken aback. Not only did he not care that she might tell on him—he was offering to take her up to his supervisor himself so she could make a report. But what good would that do? It wouldn’t get her treatment for Anna and it might possibly make her lose her job, which she couldn’t afford.
This is going completely wrong! What am I going to do?
“Well?” Xarex rumbled. “ Would you like to go?”
“I… I …no, that’s not what I want at all!” Nora exclaimed.
He frowned.
“You do not wish to report me? Then why did you threaten me?”
“I…you don’t understand,” Nora said quickly. “ It’s not that I wanted to report you— I wanted to…to marry you. To get Joined with you, I mean. And I thought if I threatened to report you, you’d agree to a Joining between us.”
Both of his eyebrows shot up again and if she hadn’t known he was emotionless, Nora would have sworn he looked surprised.
“I don’t understand. You wish to Join with me after seeing the salacious human pornography I have stored on my computer? But why? Do you wish me to do all the things to you that the human men in the images are doing to the human women?”
“What? No !” Nora felt her cheeks getting hot. “ Nothing like that! It’s for my daughter—she’s actually my niece but after my sister died I adopted her.” She was aware that she was babbling but she couldn’t seem to stop. “ She has a rare medical condition— Pulmonary Crystalosis . If she doesn’t get treatment soon she’ll die and I know that all the women married to a Kindred warrior get free health care. I need care for her— I need to save her life!”
“You need…?” He seemed to be trying to take in her sudden outpouring, his brow wrinkling in uncertainty.
“Please!” Nora was past threatening now—she was outright begging. “ Please , if you’ll just marry me so my daughter can be seen by a Kindred doctor, I’ll let you do anything you want to me! You can whip me or punish men. You can tie me down and…and taste me too for hours on end. Just please— Join with me so I can save her!”
Her cheeks were so hot she felt like she had a fever as she made her desperate plea, but she couldn’t stop—couldn’t help herself. She was just so desperate to save Anna !
“I’ll let you do anything— anything. Look !” she exclaimed.
And standing on her tiptoes, she looped her arms around his neck and dragged him down for a kiss.
At first it was like kissing a robot—he didn’t move a muscle and seemed frozen in space and time. But then, just as she was about to give up and leave him alone, two long, strong arms looped around her waist and pulled her closer.
Nora gasped as she felt his mouth move and then he was taking charge of the kiss. Fierce and hungry, his lips claimed hers, molding to her mouth as he demanded entrance with his tongue.
Moaning, Nora opened for him. She felt like her whole body was flushing, like she was falling down and down and she didn’t know where she might land. His warm, spicy scent was suddenly filling her with desire. At the same time, Commander Xarex’s big hands were sliding over her back and sides and his tongue was sliding into her mouth.
He didn’t gag or choke her though, like she had expected. Instead he was tentative at first…he seemed to want to taste her, to learn her flavor. As soon as he did, his big hand fisted possessively in the hair a the nape of her neck to hold her still while he explored her thoroughly…making her feel completely owned and overwhelmed at the same time.
She could feel her body responding to the rough kiss. Her nipples were suddenly almost painfully tight and between her legs she was wet and ready, her pussy swollen with sexual need.
Oh God , what’s happening to me? What is he doing—why is he doing this? Why did I kiss him in the first place?
She’d only meant to show him how serious she was—that she really would give him whatever he wanted. But she’d never expected that he would kiss her so possessively. His big hands were roaming all over the place now, down to stroke the curve of her hips and lower to cup her ass and squeeze possessively.
“Mmmph!” she gasped against his mouth, wiggling in protest at his overly familiar touch. After all, they weren’t Joined yet!
Xarex let her go abruptly and she nearly fell—would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her arm and kept her on her feet.
For a moment both of them were silent. Nora was almost panting. What in the world had just happened between them? She felt dizzy and weak in the knees—she wished she had something to hold on to or lean against.
What must he think of me? I can’t believe I did that…and I can’t believe he acted like he did. Aren’t Dark Kindred supposed to have no emotions? But the way he kissed me…
“So…you’ll agree to let me do what I wish with your soft, curvy body as long as I Join with you, so your young one can visit the Med Center aboard the Mother Ship ?” His deep rumbling voice broke both the silence and the anxious monologue that had been running through her mind.
When she looked up at him, Nora saw that his silver eyes were blazing.
“Yes!” yes panted. “ Yes , anything at all! Except you can’t actually kill me,” she added quickly. “ I have to be here to care for Anna and my mother.” His kiss had been so fierce—so overwhelming—she felt like she had to add that.
“Kill you?” His eyebrows shot up again. “ Was there something in my erotic activities file that made you think I wished to kill you?”
“I don’t know.” Nora’s throat went suddenly dry. “ It just seemed like…like something a serial killer might do—saving all that porn where the women looked like me, I mean. But no, I didn’t see anything like actual torture porn,” she added.
“Torture porn?” He frowned.
“You know…” Nora made a little gesture with one hand. “ Porn where the woman is actually hurt and abused—like cut or beaten or burned or?—”
“Stop!” He held out one big hand, as though he couldn’t stand to hear any more. “ I have heard that human males have some disgusting tastes and I have seen some of what you’re talking about in my search for erotic activities that interest me. But I would never participate in the torture of a woman—such an idea is wrong and repugnant to me.”
He talks like a robot, Nora thought, but his words made her feel a little better. He might be a Dark Kindred but he was still a Kindred and she knew they didn’t abuse women.
“So…you’d agree not to actually hurt me…too much?” she asked timidly. “ Because I don’t mind being tied down as long as you don’t pull out a hammer or a pair of pliers next.”
At least, she didn’t think she would mind being tied down. She’d never tried it before— Steve had been as vanilla as they came. He hadn’t even wanted to make love in anything but the Missionary position with the lights off.
“I will not torture or abuse you in any way.” His deep voice was firm. “ Are you prepared to put your offer to me in a contract that we both can sign?”
“Oh, er, sure.” Nora nodded. Was he actually going for it? Was he really going to Join with her?
It seemed so because Commander Xarex seated himself at his desk and began typing on his computer at once.
Feeling bemused, Nora came around to stand behind his shoulder and see what he was typing. From her paralegal point of view, it looked like a fairly standard contract. An agreement that she would allow her boss to touch, use, and taste her body in return for his Joining with her.
“It doesn’t have to last forever,” she said, as she read over his shoulder. “ Just until Anna is healed or has a treatment plan that works for her.”
He half turned his head, raising an eyebrow at her.
“So you wish to put a time limit on our Joining ?”
“I’m just saying you’ll probably get tired of me after you, you know, do what you want.” Nora could feel her cheeks getting hot again but she made herself go on. “ I’m not asking you to tie yourself to me for life—just long enough for us both to get what we want out of the relationship.”
He nodded.
“That seems fair.”
He began typing again and Nora read what he had written and nodded.
“Okay, that’s good.”
“I am glad you approve.”
He finished typing and hit the print button, sending the contract to the printer in the corner of his office. It hummed for a moment and then spat out two identical copies—one for each of them.
“We’ll sign both copies and each keep one,” Xarex said. “ And if you agree, I will set our Joining Ceremony aboard the Mother Ship .”
“Can it be soon—as soon as possible?” Nora asked quickly. “ The doctor is only giving Anna six months to live—she needs to see a Kindred doctor right away!”
“I can plan it for Tuesday of this coming week if you wish,” he said gravely. “ After we are Joined you will need to move to the Mother Ship with me in order for our contract to be fulfilled and your daughter to receive treatment. Will that give you enough time to gather your things and move?”
Nora bit her lip. It was Saturday and they would be getting married—or Joined —on Tuesday . Two days was absolutely not enough time to get her life on Earth wrapped up in order to move to the Mother Ship . But she had asked for a fast wedding and her boss was obliging. And the sooner Anna saw a Kindred doctor, the better.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “ That’s plenty of time. Thank you so much. Er …what should I wear?” she added uncertainly. “ I mean, do you really want to have a formal ceremony and?—”
“I wish to have the traditional equivalent of a human wedding,” Xarex said. “ I am…most interested in your species—you fascinate me. That is one reason I started looking into human erotic activities in the first place.”
“Oh, er…all right.” She nodded. “ Well in that case…it’s just that it’s going to be hard to find a wedding dress and get a cake and a venue and everything in only two days.”
He waved a hand.
“Leave all of that to me. I know a human woman aboard the Mother Ship — Kat —who plans these kinds of events regularly. All you need to do is be here at the HKR building at nine in the morning on Tuesday . I’ll bring you up to the Mother Ship and we can have our ceremony in the afternoon.”
This all sounded too good to be true to Nora , but if he really thought he could pull a wedding together in two days with no input or effort from her, she was more than willing to let him try. After all, she wasn’t doing this to have her dream wedding—she just wanted Anna to be seen by a Kindred doctor.
“I’ll be here. Along with my daughter and my mother,” she told him. “ I’ll want them to be involved in the ceremony too.”
His eyebrows shot up in what looked like surprise.
“Do humans often involve their families in their Joining ceremonies?”
“Yes, they do,” Nora said firmly. “ My mother will want to walk me down the aisle and Anna can be our flower girl.”
“Flower girl?” His eyebrows climbed higher.
“The person who you say plans ceremonies all the time can tell you about it,” Nora told him. “ And other than that, I’d like to invite my best friend Samantha . She already lives aboard the Mother Ship —she’s married to a Beast Kindred ,” she added.
He nodded.
“Of course—you can invite whoever you want.”
“And after the ceremony, I want to take Anna straight to the Kindred Med Center ,” Nora said quickly. “ After she gets to see a Kindred doctor, I’m all yours and you can…can do whatever you want with me for our honeymoon night.”
Xarex nodded gravely.
“Of course. That seems fair. In fact, I’ll make an appointment for your daughter when I talk to Kat about the wedding plans. We can go directly from the ceremony to the Med Center if you like.”
“Thank you—that sounds just perfect.”
Nora felt relieved. She’d been afraid that he might want to rush her off to a honeymoon suite and ravish her immediately. The stories she’d heard from Samantha about her wedding night with her Beast Kindred husband made it sound like all the Kindred warriors were absolutely insatiable. But she absolutely couldn’t surrender her body until her mind was put to rest. She was glad that her scary boss was being so understanding.
“You’re welcome.” He signed both copies of the contract and then handed her the pen.
Feeling like she was in a dream, Nora signed as well. Was she actually doing this? Was she actually going to marry her huge, scary Dark Kindred boss?
It seemed she was. She handed the pen and one of the contracts back to Xarex . He folded it and slipped it into the pocket of his shirt.
“Well… I guess that’s that,” Nora said uncertainly. She turned to go but Xarex surprised her by pulling her back by the wrist. “ Yes ?” she turned to face him again. He was still sitting at his desk but even with him sitting and her standing, they were almost eye-to-eye.
“I want to seal this bargain,” he rumbled.
“Seal it?” Nora asked, frowning. “ How ?”
“With a kiss. I want you to kiss me again…but slowly this time,” he directed.
“Er…slowly?” Nora asked, still confused.
“You came at me too quickly last time—it caused the W’rx part of me to react,” he explained. “ I want to see if I can be gentle. Think of it as an experiment.”
“An experiment, huh?” Nora asked. But she had already kissed him once and they were going to be doing a lot more than kissing in the immediate future.
Hesitantly, she stepped forward. He turned towards her, the office chair swiveling. He seemed less intimidating this way, with the two of them almost eye-to-eye, she thought. Leaning forward, she closed her eyes as she pressed her mouth to his.
Xarex stiffened at first…and then he was kissing her back. He was more gentle this time, she thought as she found herself sinking into the kiss. His mouth tasted like cinnamon—a detail she hadn’t noticed before due to the intensity and passion of their earlier kiss. He kept his hands to himself this time too, though Nora found she kind of missed feeling them running up and down her back and sides…
No, what are you thinking? That’s crazy—you’re only doing this to seal the deal. And you’re only doing the deal to save Anna . It’s not like you actually enjoy kissing him—he’s a huge, scary Dark Kindred and he’s your boss. He’s the last person you ought to enjoy kissing, she told herself.
And yet, she found herself enjoying it more and more. Or at least, her body was enjoying it—her nipples had gone tight again and below the waist she felt absolutely molten. Why was it that kissing her Kindred boss had such an effect on her? She’d never felt like this when she kissed Steve —hell, she’d never felt like this when she kissed anyone before!
The kiss seemed to go on and on. Nora didn’t know how to stop it and after a while she found she didn’t want to stop it. She wound her arms around Xarex’s neck and before she knew it, he had drawn her down into his lap and was deepening the kiss. This time it was almost like he was inviting her to explore him the way he had explored her earlier. He sucked lightly on her tongue, inviting her in and Nora found herself taking him up on his invitation. Oh God , what was happening to her? Was she actually making out with her boss? What was?—?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a perfunctory knock on the office door and then someone said,
“Excuse me, Commander Xarex , I —oh!”
Nora yanked away from her boss and scrambled off his lap in record time but she could feel how hot her cheeks were as she turned to face the door. A very shocked-looking Kindred security guard was standing there.
“Pardon me,” he said stiffly. “ I did not mean to interrupt you, Commander Xarex . I just thought…” And then he trailed off, clearly at a loss for what to say.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t interrupt,” Xarex said, though the security guard most certainly had interrupted in Nora’s opinion. “ I was merely showing affection to my soon-to-be-mate. I am calling Ms . Thompson as my bride.”
“Oh…you are?” The security guard, who was a Beast Kindred , raised his bushy black eyebrows in apparent surprise.
“Yes. The Joining Ceremony will be held in the Sacred Grove this coming Tuesday ,” Xarex said coolly. He looked at Nora . “ My darling, should we invite our coworkers to attend?”
“Oh, um…sure, I guess.” Nora wasn’t sure what was more surprising—the smooth way her boss was playing this off or the fact that he had called her “my darling.”
“Very well.” He turned back to the security guard. “ You are invited to attend if you wish to.”
“Er, thank you, Commander . That’s very kind of you.” The Kindred guard nodded, still looking shocked and a little uneasy. “ I’ll try to make it.”
“That’s most kind of you. Now what did you need? My lovely fiancée was just leaving,” Xarex nodded at Nora who took the cue to move towards the door of his office.
She slipped out just as the security guard started to explain and breathed a sigh of relief when she got out the door. It was time to go home but first she had to go to the ladies' room to compose herself.
Once inside, she put a hand to her beating heart and closed her eyes to take a few deep breaths. Was it really true? Was she really going to marry Commander Xarex in three days?
The crinkling of paper in her hand reminded her of the contract she’d signed. She opened her eyes and examined it. Yes , it was true all right. And once they were married, she’d given her legal consent to let him do anything he wanted to her—anything at all. Well , except to kill her. But he was still probably going to want to tie her up and do all kinds of kinky things to her body.
It’s worth it—it will all be worth it to save Anna , she reassured herself. But she couldn’t help flashing on the images she’d seen on her boss’s computer—the women who looked just like her tied down with their legs spread, waiting to be tasted and teased and punished…