Page 19 of Desperate Measures

“I should hope not.” Toni was amused at herself for taking pleasure in being the attractive clan’s first date in ages.

The night wore on. The conversation flowed easily, and she realized she was putting off going home. Even after their dishes had been swept clear and they agreed they’d had their limit of drinks…Toni stopped at two glasses of wine and the men had quit early too…they continued to talk. The subjects ranged the gamut: their jobs, their backgrounds, even the shows and music they enjoyed. And still Toni delayed the moment she’d have to say goodbye.

At last, noticing the waiter eyeing them and the emptying tables as the restaurant prepared to close, Toni admitted what she had never thought she would. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but would you think less of me if I invited you to take me home for a nightcap? Maybe more?”

Grins bloomed around her. “We don’t view such invitations as Earthers do. You’re as honorable a woman whether we say goodbye now or in the morning,” Imon reminded her.

“I know, I know. Old habits die hard. I made it pretty clear early on I feel three men are too many. Still…” She wasn’t sure how to finish.

“Curiosity?”

“Partly. Mostly, I like you guys. Not enough to run off to the stars…or military sites,” she quickly added with a laugh. “But I like you. I’m having fun. I don’t want it to end until you have to leave.”

Imon glanced at his clanmates, then beamed his brilliant smile. “Yes, Toni. We’d love to go home with you.”

“If you change your mind at any time, just say so.” Feru chuckled. “Thanks to our work evacuating your first Earth, we understand how overwhelming an entire clan can be to humans.”

“All right then.” Toni was shocked to feel relief they’d agreed.

Who am I tonight? If Stacy learns of this, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.

Chapter Five

Toni could have lived in the governor’s quarters at the Government House. Stacy certainly had room thanks to five guest suites at her disposal. However, the elder Nichols sister spent her nights on Alpha Space Station in the company of Clan Rihep. Staying alone in Stacy’s beautiful but vast apartment was akin to residing in a mausoleum.

Toni had leased a small house on the outskirts of New Hope City, a short shuttle hop from the Government House. She adored her rented little blue bungalow with yellow trim and flowering garden. The upstairs balcony off the rear, attached to the master bedroom she occupied, was a big plus. It overlooked a wooded area from which deer and the occasional fox emerged on her lawn, sniffed around, then retreated into its shadowed expanse. Toni started each day sitting there, drinking coffee, and contemplating what the day might bring.

This certainly wasn’t on the agenda. She glanced at the trio of Kalquorians who’d joined her in gazing at the dark swath of trees under a curtain of stars. The bedroom had been left in darkness, the better to enjoy the beauty of star-filled nightfall.

“It’s a small place, but it does me fine.” She sounded apologetic to her own ears. Her home was a cozy retreat, in which she’d added sentimental decorations and furniture designed more for comfort than to impress. Comfort for an Earther, anyway. When she’d invited Clan Imon to her home, she hadn’t considered her double bed. There was no way the four of them could successfully romp, much less sleep, on such a small surface.

“You want to talk tiny? You should see our quarters on the ship. There’s room for the sleeping mat and little else.” Imon inhaled the pine air deeply, his expression demonstrating only pleasure. “This is a lovely place.”

“Lovely doesn’t make my bed any bigger.”

“But you have plenty of floorspace. Blankets and pillows will do nicely…unless you’re having second thoughts?”

Was she? Gazing at the three men surrounding her, Toni felt warmth. Curiosity. Yearning.

“Not at all. I’m ready to learn why so many Earther women dared their lives to join clans before the war.”

Wovir snickered. “Thanks for putting no pressure on us to perform.”

Toni laughed. “Don’t tell me the Nobek warrior is nervous about impressing little ol’ me?”

“After hearing you verbally destroy the poor Chesran? I’m terrified.” His grin flashed in the starlight.

“No need. I’ve had exactly four lovers in my thirty-three years, so I’m hardly an expert. Especially when it comes to multiple men.”

She’d heard the stories, however. She had an idea of what she was in for. It made her extremely nervous…and excited.

Imon turned to her. He took her hands in his and kissed their backs, his gaze steady on hers. She remembered his people saw much better in the dark than Earthers. “The Kalquorian word for stop is sholt. Use it if you decide it’s necessary.”

“What’s wrong with me simply saying ‘stop’?”

“You might be the type of woman who enjoys pretending she’s being taken against her will. Or yells ‘don’t’ or ‘stop’ in the heat of excitement. Using sholt tells us you mean it.”

“Oh.” She felt her face warm at the candid statement. No cute euphemisms. Straight-up information, on the verge of being bald. To cover her sudden embarrassment, she offered her own unvarnished truth. “I’ve always been the kind of girl who yells, ‘more.’ So, you do roleplay type stuff?”

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