Page 5 of My Alien Sunshine

A slaver. Of course the rich, hot mercenary is a slaver. And to think I actually liked him! Bah! I shudder in disgust.

I need money, but I’m not so desperate I’d fuck a slaver. Besides, it’s too dangerous. Farpoint Gateway has decent security and people rarely ever get kidnapped, but humans are valuable. Faelin might look all sweet and nice, but if I went with him, I might wake up in a cage on his ship, on my way to yet another auction.

Memories of what happened last time try to surface, but I stamp them down. It’s bad enough they plague my sleep, waking me every single night. I won’t let them poison my waking hours, too.

I’d survive the ordeal again. I know I would. But I can’t leave this place. Not without Ellen.

I head for the restroom, hoping Faelin will take the hint and leave. Unsurprisingly, he does not. He’s waiting for me at the back of the bar, leaning against the wall in all his red, muscular glory. Why do the hottest guys have to be evil? It’s so unfair.

When I notice him, I look around for a bouncer. One word from me and they’ll kick Faelin out of here, roughing him up on the way out.

“Wait, please,” he says before I can call for the brawny Lakhartan bouncer nearby. “I don’t mean any harm, Nala. If you want me to leave, I will, but I would like to know what I did to offend you.”

He sounds so earnest and dejected that I hesitate. I don’t want to get into an argument, but he deserves an answer. “It’s not personal. I just don’t work with your kind.”

“Oh. Hybrids.”

“What?! No!” Where did he get such a ridiculous notion? Looks like I’ll have to spell it out for him. “Slavers. I don’t do slavers, so please find someone else for tonight.”

Faelin’s jaw drops and he gives me an indignant look. “Excuse me? I’m not a slaver.”

I shift my weight, hugging my bare arms. He’s either an excellent actor or I’ve just falsely accused him of being the worst kind of criminal. “Oh?” What should I say? I don’t think he’s lying but I’ve been fooled by plenty of men before.

“Why would you think that?” He doesn’t sound angry. If anything, he’s hurt.

I raise my chin defiantly, unwilling to buy what he’s selling. “You said you have humans aboard your ship. The only people who have humans are slave traders or owners,” I defend myself.

Faelin considers my words before inclining his head. “You have a point. I understand why you drew that conclusion. You’re wrong, though. The humans we have on board are, in fact, rescued slaves who decided to stay with us. One of them is my friend’s mate and they’re both respected members of our crew.”

“Oh.” That sounds almost feasible, actually. Now I feel like an idiot. I’m supposed to be bright and charming to attract wealthy customers. I’m seriously killing it tonight… Not. “I’m sorry, Faelin. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just…” I take a moment to consider my next words. “I have to protect myself, and slavers are dangerous.”

His bright, earnest smile would melt my panties, if I was wearing any. “I understand, Nala.”

Oh, god! The way he says my name makes me want to moan out loud. What’s this guy doing to me?

“Do you still want me to leave?” he asks and I’m surprised to realize he’s being sincere.

If I said yes, he’d disappear and never bother me again. I’m not used to such courtesy from my potential customers. They usually pull out the ironclad argument of “I bought you, so you’ll do as I say” or “the customer is always right”.

I don’t want Faelin to leave. Not just because he’s still holding the credit box, which I assume contains a fortune, but also because I like him. In my line of work, it rarely ever happens, and I’m ready to jump on the opportunity. Having sex with someone I actually like? Yes, please!

“I don’t want you to leave,” I say. “It was a misunderstanding and I apologize for overreacting. I should probably buy you a drink as an apology.”

He shakes his head, his sexy grin almost knocking me off my feet. “No need. In fact, I’ll buy you one if we can talk some more. Deal?”

“Deal.” I’d be stupid to refuse such an offer.

We find an empty table at the back of the bar. I sit across from Faelin, doing my best to showcase my goods as I gracefully lower myself into the plush seat. He looks captivated by my body, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started drooling from the corner of his mouth like a St Bernard. I’m back on the right track with him.

“So, what brings you to this remote corner of the galaxy?” I ask, picking a safe conversation topic.

Faelin drinks, grunting in appreciation. “Wow, this is strong. What brings me here? We’re offloading captured slavers and their now freed slaves to the UGC. Making repairs on the ship. Things like that. And this is hardly a remote corner of the galaxy,” he adds, giving me another joyful smile. Fuck, I love his smiles!

“It’s not?” I prompt, pretending to sip from my drink even though I merely wet my lips. I need to stay sober. “I thought Farpoint Gateway was considered quite remote.”

“By the UGC, yes. It’s on the very edge of our,” he grimaces ever so slightly before changing the pronoun, “their area of influence. But the galaxy is much larger. I think the most remote place I’ve ever been to is the Cygnus Erisi system. It’s considered to be the furthest point from the center of the galaxy.”

This is far from the usual conversations I have with my customers, but I’m intrigued. “What is it like?”

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