Page 21 of Sloane

I don't say anything, though. I just cross my arms over my chest and glare at the two males hellbent on making me feel embarrassed for being unsure of where I stand with the two aliens I kind of like a little bit more than I should since they're my job and not supposed to be anything more.

"Turn it to green. Don't turn it to green. Either is fine with us," Holoth says, his smile still spreading his lips as he watches to see what I'll do. "You're our friend. We don't push our friends to do anything they're uncomfortable with."

"We're friends?" Phial cocks his head to the side the other way, the movement rustling his feather as his talons tap against his chair arms.

"I hope so," I tell him, giving him another pathetic laugh. Apparently, that's all I can do today: give pathetic laughs and half-assed smiles.

I grab for the pendant around my throat, knowing I came here for a job, and I don't like that my friends are getting hurt because I'm not holding up my end of it.

I thought when Jovi and Alik didn't come to see me at all, it was because they wanted nothing to do with me. Which is still true. I didn't know they'd also still need me to help with the release of aggression they need. Especially not since it hasn't even been close to the five days they're used to waiting. Maybe that's my fault for telling them I don't really have a cooldown period.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?" I say to the two sitting in their navigation chairs.

They watch me open the door and step out, a look of concern marring their faces, but they just hold up their hand in goodbye as the door closes. When I'm left alone in the hallway, I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and then walk back to my room.

I wait until the door slides open before I click the pendant over to green. I don't know why I expect them to knock down mydoor immediately, but they don't. I have time to get undressed, comb through my hair, and brush my teeth before I hear pacing outside my door. I also have enough time to decide how I want this to happen.

nine

Sloane

Itake one more steadying breath before I walk over and open the door, trying not to look as hurt as I am now that they're both standing right here. They could've talked to me or come to see me at any point since that night, but they haven't. Even now, they're both still pacing, running their hands over their chests through their hair, doing anything other than standing still and acknowledging that I'm here.

"Which one of you wants to go first?" I ask, trying to keep my voice light.

It works well enough because Jovi looks over at me with a smile on his lips as though he can't tell that they've hurt me these last two days by ignoring me. He steps up in front of me, a hand reaching for my face. The way he cups my cheek makes me want to cry, but I hold myself together.

"So you first, then Alik?" I ask, waiting for a nod from Jovi before pulling him into my room. "Is he coming to watch or not this time?"

Jovi's eyes narrow on me like he can tell I'm not fine right now. He doesn't question it, though. He just turns to Alik, who still hasn't turned to face me before entering my room.

"Just me right now," he says, the words not holding the humor they normally do when we talk with one another. He starts to unbuckle his pants as the door closes, and I walk to my bed. "I'll be fast today, okay?"

"Sounds good," I murmur, crawling onto the bed on my back, spreading my legs, and waiting for him to crawl on top of me. His fingers brush over my breasts as he plucks the pendant off me and holds it up. "Oh, right."

I take it from him, clicking it to orange to let everyone know not to enter my room because I'm getting dicked down, and then lie back down. I don't know how much time passes without him even touching me when he finally sits on the edge of the bed, lower arms on his knees, upper arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't want to take a female who is unwilling, Sloane." Jovi's voice is dark, sad almost as he speaks. "I'll apologize to Phial, but I'm not having sex with you right now."

"Jovi," I start to try to reason with him, telling him he needs to work out whatever his aggression issues are with me so he can continue on this mission without hurting anyone else.

His eyes snap to mine, emotion warring on his face as his jaw ticks back and forth. He's not whatever animal part of him came out when he was fucking me the other night. No, he's all Jovi, and he looks broken. I start to talk again, knowing I need to make sure that I do my job. Sure, I may not want to fuck him right now, but there are other things to do besides that. Things that I find hot right now, even if I'm mad at them.

"I can't have you hurting my friends. What would you feel comfortable doing right now to work through some of this?"

Jovi's body tenses. The fingers on his knees flex until the knuckles turn pale. He looks over my body, his eyes not lingeringanywhere for too long, almost like he hates himself for even looking. It makes me feel small like he can't let me do my job right anymore, either. He stands from the bed, and I think he's about to leave the room entirely. Instead, he unbuttons his pants and shimmies them down slightly until he's taking himself in hand.

"Can I come on you?" he asks, already pumping his cock. A hardness creeps into his eyes as I slide down the bed closer to him, spreading my legs and offering my body for him to release on.

"Yeah, come on me, Jovi."

I grab my breasts and squeeze them together. One of my hands trails down my abdomen and between my legs, spreading myself open for him and rubbing on my clit enough to have me moaning. His jaw tenses, and he looks like he might stop, so I keep talking.

"I want this. I wouldn't have turned the pendant to green if I didn't want you. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to. I want to touch myself for you."

I stop caring about how pathetic it might be because it feels so good, and Jovi is here with me now and he's looking at me like I'm his entire world. It's easy to get lost in this moment. A part of me wants him to need me and find pleasure in me, even if it is just for this small moment we have together when he needs to work through his aggression. Something in him changes, the same cold look taking over his gaze as I make my confession.

"Fuck yourself with your fingers," Jovi commands, pumping himself faster as I begin to insert two of my fingers into myself.

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