Page 40 of The Heir
“No. You know we appreciate color, and they’ve already named you the sexiest woman alive.”
I hadn’t seen Thor move closer, but when Zola shifted her gaze to someone behind me, I turned my head. He was right there with his face drawn tight.
“I don’t have to warn you, Thor. You know that everyone will want a piece of the leader of the Nmen.”
“This isn’t my first visit. I’m well aware,” Thor said as Zola moved a little closer to him and made her voice soft and sexy.
“Will you grant someone a taste this time?”
Thor’s glance stayed with her a mere second before it shifted to me. “Could be.”
Instantly my belly did a flip. Thor and I had a complicated relationship, but the way he looked at me left no doubt that he still wanted to have sex with me.
With the French I sensed a strong sensual energy as a general life force. With the Northlanders it was different. They didn’t flirt left and right but directed their longings toward one person like a tsunami of need. Thor’s sexual interest in me made no sense. I couldn’t for the life of me imagine him being interested in a relationship with me. He had made that clear when he said that we didn’t like each other.
Back in the Motherlands, when I found him after five months without access to sex-bots it made sense that he was deprived and horny. That’s why I hadn’t taken his suggestions of us having sex seriously. Now, however, Thor had been home for two weeks and we were in a place where he could have as much casual sex as he wanted. He had no reason to look my way.
My confusion about Thor was pushed aside as we entered the night club. Located on the third subterranean level in an old farming bunker,Lâcheroverwhelmed me with its loud music and abundance in color, scent, and number of people. Adjusting my eyes to the dimmed light, I took in the room. In the middle was a dance floor surrounded by lounge areas and a bar in each end of the night club. The place was already packed with people, but our arrival still caused many to turn their heads.
“Come on, let’s go dancing.” The five Motlanders were a lively bunch and headed right for the dance floor. I was about to go with them when Mason stopped me. “Let’s just get a feel for the place first. How about we start by the bar and get something to drink?” He phrased it like a question, but it sounded more like an order and with the way Indiana, and Thor watched me, I got the feeling they were uneasy about how I would behave tonight.
“Okay.”
Freya walked next to me with a soft smile on her face and a beautiful posture that made her glide through the room with elegance. People stepped aside to let us through while blatantly looking us up and down.
I was familiar with attention. The sessions my mother and I taught several times a week meant that I was often recognized in public, and sometimes hugged by enthusiastic fans.
This felt different. The attention we got as we walked through the night club was intense, with people staring and blatantly talking about us. Over the years, I’d learned that each town and place had a unique energy depending on the people who lived there. From the moment we had stepped out of the drone yesterday, I’d felt a low pulsation of sexual energy permeating the atmosphere. I had described it to Freya as a sound wave too low for human ears but still present and impactful. This night club felt like the epicenter of that energy – as if what had been too subtle for normal humans to pick up on was now blasting at us with an intensity as powerful as the bass from the music.
“Do you feel it now? That sexual energy we talked about?” I asked Freya in a loud voice to overpower the music.
She nodded. “It’s in their eyes.”
I agreed. Every time I met a pair of eyes, I saw curious desire shine back at me.
Never had I felt this sexy. It was a massive boost for my confidence, but overwhelming at the same time.
“Stay close to one of us,” Mason instructed Freya and me with concern in his voice.
We were almost at the bar when someone tapped my shoulder. Turning my head, I recognized one of the Explorers whom I had vetted back in January. “Shiva.”
He lit up in a huge smile. “You remember me?”
“Of course I remember you.”
“This has to be fate,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “I never thought I’d see you again.”
“How are you doing?” My gaze darted around to see if there were more Explorers that I’d recognize from the interviews I did with them back in January.
Shiva’s hair was longer now, his beard was trimmed short, and his left eyebrow was blue, which had to be a local trend because I’d seen a lot of French people with colored eyebrows. Spreading out his arms, he told me, “We’re great! The work is awesome, people here are curious about us, and I’ve had some amazing adventures.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m happy to hear it.” Being raised in the Motherlands I didn’t think before I touched his shoulder, but he must have seen it as a sign of interest because he burst out:
“My offer is still open, you know.” Wiggling his eyebrows with a boyish smile, he grinned. “I’ve become quite skilled at the art of sex.”
I remembered Shiva flirting with me back in January and asking if we could ever have sex.
“I like your confidence, but…” I didn’t get a chance to finish before Shiva leaned in and asked:
