Page 40 of Joven's Bride
Chapter Twenty-Two
The dinner party was originally planned for about twelve people, but Rader Knight, head of Glasica Law Enforcement, called Joven to suggest he invite the officers in charge of the other communities to the gathering to meet his team members. By the time he finished, there were over thirty people coming to what started to be a cozy little dinner party. They had to borrow tables from two of Joven’s team members to accommodate everyone.
Carly wore her new purple outfit for the event while Joven donned the new suit she’d convinced him to order when she got her new clothes. He was gorgeous to begin with but the new outfit made him look utterly scrumptious. Enough to make Carly think about taking it off him.
The sexy smirk he gave her told her he was having the same ideas about her. She grinned at him and sighed. It was way too late to do anything about it. Joven came to her and took her face between his hands. “You look beautiful,” he murmured and pressed his lips to hers.
What started as a casual caress turned quickly into a hot passionate tongue tangling kiss that left them both panting with arousal by the time their lips parted.
“Ah, Joven, no fair, doing that to me when we have a house full of guests arriving any moment.”
“Waiting until they have all left will make it that much sweeter when we are finally alone,” he whispered and gave her a peck on the lips just before he released her; said the man who could make her wet with a look. He was so going to get it later.
The house AI signaled the arrival of their first guests, and they walked out of their bedroom to the entryway to greet them. Rader Knight and Makus Driza arrived together with their spouses Skye and Jhenre. Skye hugged Carly enthusiastically when they were introduced.
“It’s so good to see someone from the old homeworld,” Skye said. “Love the new outfit.”
“Nice to finally meet you,” Joven said bowing his head briefly in greeting. “I just learned that my second in command Kelbor Refkid has been matched with an Earth woman. She has accepted his proposal.”
“Wonderful!” Carly and Skye said almost in unison.
“Did he tell you who, and where she’s from?” Carly asked.
“Alicia Fox from Virginia, about 200 klicks from our base there. “She is tall with brown skin, blue eyes and black hair. He will probably show her picture on his com when he gets here. He’s showing everyone who will look.”
“I hope they don’t get intercepted by pirates,” Carly grumbled.
“She will be arriving in just over three months on theBe’Kal Zephyr. His ship is smaller and faster than theStar Traveler. He is a fine Captain.”
“And they are really nice people, too,” Skye added.
As more guests arrived, Carly invited them to get drinks and appetizers in the dining room while they welcomed the rest of the guests.
When everyone arrived, the men and the women gathered in separate groups initially while they were having drinks andhors d'oeuvres. Joven was having a short official meeting to introduce his teams to Rader Knight and Makus Driza, who headed planetary Law Enforcement, and representatives of most of the other teams.
“I got the baby dragon,” Carly said when the men had gone to the living room for their meeting. “They couldn’t find a pack that would take her back, so I am going to raise her.”
“Can we see it?” Vres asked.
“She is not used to people, but we can take a peek at her. I have her in my den. I fed her just a little while ago so she is probably sleeping.” Carly led them to her den which was quite spacious and softly lit. The little dragon was asleep on a pillow beneath the work table. “Let’s try not to wake her,” Carly whispered.
Each woman paused in front of the desk and stooped to get a look then filed out to the hallway to rejoin Carly.
“No wonder they have people poaching them and trying to smuggle them off planet. She is just adorable,” said Deja. “Did you give her a name?”
“Issa, but mostly I call her baby. If I do well with her, Dr. Meksaj said I may be able to raise more if needed.”
“You’re not going to keep her?” Hezzi asked.
“When she is old enough, it will be up to her. We will introduce her to some local dragons when she is big enough to see if they will accept her. As much as I love her already, she is not meant to be held in captivity. When she is grown, she can defend herself against the raptors. Hopefully, she will find a mate that can help her.”
“Skye said you were going to do a series on the Selkeres dragons as one of your courses,” Jhenre said, “I know my kids would enjoy it.”
“I will make it available to everyone. But I will make it very clear that they are wild animals. I don’t want to encourage anyone to come and capture them.
The women re-integrated with the when Joven finished discussing coordination with ground side enforcement and star system security. Dinner was served promptly afterward, and Carly thought the android performed remarkably well. All of the food was delicious and served to the table efficiently.
When everyone finished eating, the droid served drinks of a slightly sweetened wine like beverage. After conferring with Joven, Carly stood up and called everyone’s attention.
