Page 13 of Enticed By the Alien Chef
It was like my thoughts jinxed it, but that was silly. One moment, everything seemed warm and mellow, with the whole world stretching in front of me, a curl of desire in my belly for what Rex had promised me for the night. The next moment, Drova pranced into the kitchen wearing an unholy kind of grin that turned my stomach. He was followed by two Ovters in crisp white uniforms and the Kertinal male who had to be the ringleader in my kidnapping.
Rex jerked me away from the cleanser and behind his back protectively, and I instinctively curled my fingers into the belt around his hips. It was then that I noticed the cleaver he had tucked into a loop, and I realized that while I had started to relax, Rex never had. I didn’t know what to expect, but my alien chef seemed almostgleefulwhen he glanced over his shoulder and winked at me, his spots bright yellow before they leveled off into a soft gray.
“Are you Rex, former Prime Gladiator?” one of the uniformed Ovters asked. This male was taller than I remembered Laza to be, but not by much, and his gray skin was freckled around his jowls and cheeks with green spots that darkened into brown at the edges. When my chef nodded his proud head, the male stretched his very wide mouth into a disapproving curl. “You have been accused of stealing the property of this fine gentleman here,” his eyes flicked to me while indicating the Kertinal male, “and you have been found in the presence of said contraband. What do you say?”
The coldness of that statement struck me to the bone. I was the contraband, the property that had been stolen; they did not care one bit that I was a human being. This was exactly what the Kertinal had warned me about in the safety classes, but I had started to believe that it couldn’t be that bad. It wasn’t that bad with Rex around.
“That’s a false accusation, sir,” Rex signed fluidly. The sight of his hands moving made Drova smirk, and it made the Kertinal male bark out a surprised, “He’s mute!” But the two Ovter officials remained professional, their eyes on my man’s hands. They understood what he was saying, which was good. “I have the paperwork to prove that Kara is a registered employee ofthis establishment, and not a stolen or escaped slave. Here,” Rex said, and he pulled free his datapad to hold out to the nearest of the two Akrod police officers.
The male bent his salamander-shaped head over the tablet, eyes flicking left to right as he perused the documents that Rex had produced. I had no clue what they were or when they’d been filed, but they kept the Ovter occupied. He slicked his eyeballs twice with his long slimy tongue before he was through, but then he gave his partner a decisive nod. “The paperwork is in order. This human was licensed as a salaried worker a week ago. That was well before the gentleman’s property was reported missing. Can you prove that this is your property?” they asked of the Kertinal male, and he started to nod.
“Hold on,” Rex signed, his boot clashing with the floor for a loud, interrupting noise at the same time. “This female was stolen from Ker, from a human compound. As such, I have informed the Kertinillian Empire of the situation like a good citizen should.” He leveled a glare on the Kertinal male. “More likely, that male is the thief who stole her from his homeworld.”
“We will leave that for the Kertinillian Empire to decide,” the first officer said, the one with the green and brown spots and the officious expression. “Very well, our work here is done.” The two Ovters turned and began to walk out, under the sound of a spluttering, confused Kertinal speaking in his deep sub-harmonic voice. Drova stared in baffled confusion, which quickly darkened into fury. “You idiot! You registered her? Why would you do that? You could have been pocketing her wages this entire time!”
The first police officer had already stepped out of the kitchen, but the second was still within hearing range. He spun on his heel and wagged a finger in warning. “Must I remind you, sir, that such sentiments are illegal under Legalization five point six two?” He caught Drova by the arm and guided him out of the kitchen, still talking in a very stern voice. Sadly, it sounded like Drova was getting a reprimand, but that was it.
The Kertinal still remained in Rex’s kitchen, staring after the pair of officers but no longer talking. He was a big fellow with smooth, spiraling horns jutting from his forehead. Green streaked his black hair and ran like jagged lightning bolts over his black skin. His eyes were also green, and they glowed with fury when they landed back on Rex. “You are going to regret this, you bastard. That human is going to make me a fortune on Ov’Karal. I’m not leaving without her.”
Rex shifted on the balls of his feet, his upper set of arms crossing over his impressive chest, the lower set with balled fists on his hips. Apparently, the Kertinal didn’t mean to leave with me right now, though. He bolted as soon as my alien leaned forward, racing off with his tail between his legs. Literally, as the Kertinal had a long, spade-tipped tail.
Chapter 18
Rex
My body roared with aggression, my spots blazing purple on my face. That bastard was the one who had stolen my mate from Ker, and he’d harmed her in the process. I still recalled her poor, blistered feet and the many cuts on her tiny fingers. The purple ring of bruises around her slender wrists had been vividly engraved in my mind, marks made by ropes tied too tightly. It was incredibly hard to remain in place and not chase after that bastard, but that would undo everything I’d achieved.
“What just happened?” Kara asked me, and the touch of her small hand against my back settled me. She was safe; at the very least, she was safe from the Akrod authorities. They had closed the Kertinal’s case of ‘stolen property,’ which had probably been Drova’s idea. If I went to prison for theft, the bar would be his—free and clear again. That was his angle.
I turned around, dropped my cleaver on the counter so she couldn’t hurt herself on it when we hugged, and then I held her close for long minutes. Eventually, I drew her away from me just enough that I could sign with both hands where she could see. “Drova got that thief to report you as stolen, then sicced the police on us. Registering you as an employee gave you certain protections; it would have been a long, bureaucratic process. But the threat of the Kertinillian Empire was enough to dissuade them from investigating. You are safe.”
Kara didn’t look happy about this; her dainty brow furrowed deeply as she gazed at my face. “So when will the Kertinal showup to take me back to Ker? I don’t want to go… I want to stay with you.” She said it so easily, so boldly, and that made me happy beyond words. I crushed her close, then claimed her mouth with mine. She came eagerly, tangling her small tongue with mine, her hands roaming my chest. My cock surged in my pants, eager for the claiming I had planned for the night.
When I let my female up for air, it was only so I could sign to her, “You are mine. I am keeping you.” That made her smile, but I hurried to explain I was serious. “I never contacted Ker; the last was a bluff. Nobody is coming.”
Her eyes went wide as she processed that, as it hit her what that meant. I told her I would reach out on her behalf, and I had not. She had changed her mind about wanting to leave, but I had never given her that choice. From the start, I’d set out to keep her, and I’d lied to her to do it. I expected her to be upset, but she sighed. “I guess that makes us even, doesn’t it? I didn’t tell you about the perma-contacts and Laza, and you weren’t honest about this. Promise me the truth from now on?” I nodded immediately. Of course, I would never want anything but honesty between us. Now that nothing stood in our way, there was no reason for subterfuge.
“So you never intended to let me go, did you?” she asked, smiling as she raised herself onto tiptoe and curled her arms around my neck. I had to duck down so she could reach me, but it was worth it when she brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I did some research on your species, you know. You mate for life, don’t you?” I nodded, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. “Am I your mate, Rex?”
“Yes,” I nodded, and when that smile grew wide on her face, happiness filling her eyes, I yanked her close and kissed her. Screw the bar for the night. Drova could manage slinging drinks for a few hours; I was taking my mate home to claim her. Kara didn’t object when I started to flick off stove buttons and lock up my knives; it made her giggle when I bundled her in her cloak and cradled her against my chest. Then I was jogging out the back door to the sound of her laughter and an eager: “Hurry up, Rex.”
I reached my home in record time, ignored the surprised sound of the building’s supervisor, who had just ducked out of his office, and barged inside. I dropped Kara in my hammock and spun to lock the door, slide the deadbolt home, and then flicked on the lights and located the heater. I felt her eyes on me as I moved, but I did not look until I was done, certain she would distract me from my tasks.
I froze at the sight that greeted me. My pretty female had undressed while I’d secured the place, and my eyes feasted on pale skin and sweet, sexy curves. Her breasts were tipped with pink nipples, a little thatch of brown curls at the apex of her thighs. The perfume of her arousal floated through the air and made my mouth water, my cock jerked in my pants, and my tai ached for touch. They twined and curled against each other, but that was no substitute for touching my female with the sensitive tendrils. I wanted her so badly that I knew the first time would be rushed, but that was okay because I’d make her come for me over and over tonight.
Drawing in a deep breath through my teeth, I stalked closer and watched as that made her swallow roughly, her expression a mixture of excitement and worry. My upper hands signedassurances for her. When that eased the tension from her body, I started telling her about all the things I wanted to do, starting with licking her pretty petals, and definitely followed by filling her with my cock until she screamed my name over and over.
That made a deep flush settle on her cheeks and down her throat, a pink that came close to the shade my spots went when I was turned on. It was such a familiar sight already, and it reminded me of how a Pretorian female would look in bed if I did my job right. I definitely intended to do my job right. My thumb located the buckle of my belt, and with a flick, I started to open my pants, freeing my cock and tai. The small tendrils had all twisted down to curl around the base of my cock, squeezing it tightly, but to show off, I raised them and curled them in the air so my mate could see what I was packing.
A Pretorian with many tendrils was coveted, and the longer they were, the more attractive they became. Mine were particularly numerous, and some were as thick as a finger, perfectly designed for a female’s pleasure. I already knew all about the little pleasure button located at the top of my female’s folds; my tai were going to be very, very compatible with it.
I did not bother to kick off my boots or shuck my pants, leaving them on because I simply couldn’t wait. My upper hands steadied the hammock first, while I used my lower set to grab Kara’s legs and pull her to the edge. That would put her off-balance, in my complete control to do with as I wanted, and I craved that mastery as much as I craved the sound of her moans. Already, her pink folds glistened with her juices, and I bent down to lap them up with an eager, soundless groan. Yes, first I’d feast, then I’d fuck her.
Chapter 19
Kara
Did I get a little nervous when I got a good look at Rex’s cock? Yeah, definitely. It was huge— not dauntingly long, but very thick and veined. He was going to stretch me so much when he put that in me, but I really wanted to try. My whole body was on fire for him, and my chest felt all warm and soft with feelings. To know that he’d conspired to keep me to himself from day one? That should freak me out, but it felt so right. Hadn’t I felt drawn to him from the start too? Hadn’t I sensed, intrinsically, that I could trust him, despite all the warnings the Kertinal had hammered into me?
