Page 29 of Saved By the Servali

“HEY. NESSA WANTS TOsee the chef. She has something to give him.” Jaxson strolled into the kitchen, grabbing a spoon and sticking it into the stew. “Mmmm.”

“Ay! Out of it!” Kamau smacked the big Canid’s paws with a well-placed flick of his tail, which he then curled around his wrist to stop him from going in for another bite. “You’re having millet cakes and bacon. I don’t feel like cooking anything complicated tonight.”

“That’s a damn shame since that’s your job—and your secret weapon.” Jaxson put a splayed paw over his chest, leaning dramatically against the stainless chromite refrigeration unit.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Nessa. She wants you—and she wants to give you more than praise for your fish stew by the looks of it,” Jaxson sighed heavily. “I don’t mind telling you—if you don’t want her, buddy, I’ll have her.”

Kamau spun and lunged, face pressed close to the taller Canid’s throat. “You’llhave her? She is not a spare containerof tuber dumplings! You can’t snatch her up like an unattended snack! How dare you speak of a strong, beautiful, voluptuous—”

“So youdowant her, then?” Jaxson stepped back with a weary smile and a calming paw on Kamau’s shoulder.

“What? I—”

“She wants you. Why the hell are you here in this cold, hard kitchen when you could be in a soft, warm bed, holding that gorgeous Queen?” Jaxson shook his paw as if he’d been burned. “Voluptuous doesn’t even begin to describe it,” he hummed longingly. “I never thought I’d notice another Queen after Alana, but... Damn. She turns heads.” Jaxson’s lustful expression turned serious, and he stared down Kamau. “Heads. Not hearts. I think that’s reserved for you.”

“You... You don’t know what I heard,” Kamau’s clenched fists uncurled.

“No, but I know what I saw. There’s a Queen in a little white nightgown in the room down the hall, just waiting to be gobbled up,” Jaxson licked his lips, “but when she saw me, her face dropped a thousand miles. She wanted you. She likes you.”

“I like her. But Servali males want to marry and have cubs. When we have romantic relationships, we expect them to have a high chance of going somewhere permanent. I heard Nessa on her call. She had another partner.”

“Oh, Kamau! If you’re going to tell me every Felid is some kind of virgin saint—”

“I’m not! I’m no saint, and I wouldn’t pretend to be. It’s just... It was never just about ‘a good time.’”

Jaxson arched one brown and black brow. “And it was with her?”

Kamau studied his apron. “I heard her tell the man she spoke to today. She slept with him—just for a good time. I don’t judge, Jaxson! It’s only... well. Yesterday—”

“I knew it! I knew it!” The Canid’s tail began to wag in triumph. “The nose knows!”

“We embraced! Not the way two Felids would, but it was a passionate embrace. I thought perhaps she might... That there might be feelings for me in some small way. I even wondered if they could grow. Now, I wonder if I was merely for pleasure. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“Yes, you do.” Jaxson crossed his arms.

“All right, yes, I do, by Bastet’s whiskers! I don’t like it. I wished it could be more. At the very least, I thought it would be something special for us to remember when we parted, and now I wonder if it was only for a physical sensation.”

For a long moment, Jaxson said nothing, nodding slowly. “What else did the Queens back on Sapien-Three have to hope for?”

“What?”

“I’m serious. I’ve listened to Wendy, Jade, and Layla talk about their lives. Any sort of intimacy only seems to be for physical gratification. Nothing permanent. Nothing meaningful or lasting. Hell, they’ve legalized the brothels and made them giant attractions, Pleasure Parks, they’re called.”

“I know,” Kamau whispered.

“Not ‘Love Parks’ or ‘Relationship Parks.’ Pleasure is paramount. Pleasure and a good time are all the Queens get to hope for unless they’re rich or upper class. Love is a luxury.”

“A luxury—and she deserves such fineries and luxuries! She’s a woman elevated in her career, serving an important purpose, up for a promotion! And what am I? A ship’s cook on a long-haul freighter! I have no luxuries to offer her.”

Jaxson suddenly growled, smirked, and seized him by the scruff of the neck. “You have the luxury of your love, which is something she couldn’t afford on her planet and, therefore, something she could never have until you. Stop sulking andthinking you were just her toy. Go convince her you can be so much more.” Jaxson snapped his teeth together. “Don’t make me chase you down the hall, Felid.”

“You’d catch a taste of these claws, Canid.” Kamau shrugged Jaxson’s paws off and smoothed his fur. “Dinner—”

“Lycen can handle the core flush I’m running. I can handle the millet cakes and bacon for dinner. But I’m pretty sure Nessa only wants one Felid to handle her—and that’syou.”

Chapter Ten

---