Page 10 of Secret Twins for the Alien Dad

I put my full weight against the door to unstick it. It gives way and I’m in, though I can't say I feel better. Thank the stars Zair and I didn’t end up here last night. So embarrassing. I sigh, but these are the digs. With Brev taking almost eighty percent of everything I make, it's not gonna get any better. Shrugging, I snag a wrench from the counter and head for the shower.

“Someone will fix that,” Brev promised when he set me up here. How long back, I can’t even remember. Three loud bangs on the stack door and I know it’s Lyrenne, battling her way in.

“Fucking door!” Her screams greet me as I reach for the shampoo. “Is that you?”

“Who else?” I confirm as soap seeps into my eyes. I reach for the tap, trying to adjust it with the wrench as the water rushes cold. “Just enjoying my four-minute shower!”

“Hey, you were out late,” she remarks, a cold tone in her voice not lost to me. Lyrenne’s situation is a lot like mine. We’re both ‘rescued’ from Armstrong, property of Brev. There’s just one small difference. “Did you pick up a date?”

“Not that kind of date.” There’s never an easy way to let her down about it, either.

Brev only saves girls, and employs them as he chooses in his casinos. For some reason, he pitied me and sent me to learn cards. Lyrenne wasn’t so lucky.

“Make more money that way.” The sting in her voice burns more than the shampoo. I’m never totally sure where I stand with Lyrenne. She’d love to have me with her, dancing by day, turning tricks all night. Whether that’s friendship or jealousy, I’m not sure. Still, she knows more about spending the night with rich, sexy aliens than anyone else.

Shampoo-free and on the rug, I’m doing my best to forget about the plush digs I spent the night in. Suddenly, I remembered the dream I woke up next to. “Hey, Lyre? You’ve been with a Kaleidian before right?”

Her laugh fills the stack, “So we’ve had our first Kaleidian. Finally! I don’t know about you, but those cocks, the way they open up, my gods...” she trails off, eyes rolling back into her head.

“No, really, I need to know. Are there…” I’m too scared to say it out loud. “Are there after effects?” Lyrenne’s shrill laughter fills our tiny space until every corner is bursting with my shame.

“I’m serious.” I plead. The sex was real, the room was real, and whatever the hell happened to me afterward was real, too. “I hit the floor. Like my knees gave out. Ten steps out the door, and I was flat on my ass. Is that normal? It felt like Ishouldn’t have left.”

Lyrenne looks amused, like she wants to say more, but shrugs it off, “Kaliedian dick is some of the best. If you’ve found a cock that literally knocks you off your socks, I’d go get that cock and fuck it again.”

Lyrenne’s giggles, along with the smoke of one of her post-work slammer joints, fills the air until she passes out. In the ten minutes before I head into my shift, I find myself looking out of our only window. With a bowl of cereal perched on my lap, I open it as far as it will go, thinking about the skyline of the city from the night before. The glittery picture is dulled by something unfamiliar bubbling within.

I don’t have time for this kind of distraction. Keep your head down, save, earn, and buy back your contract from Brev. That’s the plan. But the sweet underlying temperament Zair showed me last night pulls me back into the passion we shared only hours ago. Lyrenne’s not wrong, he did knock me off my socks. But looking around at my hazy hovel, it's clear. He’s not just a rich guy enjoying his playtime. He’s too good for me.

It's hilarious, thinking about us together. His groomed suit on the clothesline next to my dealer’s uniform. It's ridiculous. The ringing sound of my alarm raps me back to attention.

Whatever. Time for work.

6

ZAIR

Iwake up to the sweet smell of fresh sex. Still half asleep, my mind wanders back over the events of the previous night. It makes me smile, and I wonder if she wants another round so soon.

Turning over, I’m gutted to find that I’m alone. She has left me with crumpled sheets and a tantalizing aroma to remember her by.

So, I’ve found my fated mate.Now all I have to do is convince her of that. My smile deepens.This is going to be fun.

As far as I’m aware, humans don’t believe in fated mates, but it is intrinsically interwoven into the Kaleidian culture. A gift so rare and fine that people have been known to hold out their entire lifetime searching for the right one. I know very few people who have found theirs.

I examine the feeling that the link with my fated mate has created within me. I knew it the moment she touched me. The sex was the best I’ve ever had because we were so in tune. But there is more, so much more, so much deeper. Like a longing I never knew I had has suddenly been fulfilled.

I close my eyes and focus on her. I’m sure I know where she is and what she’s doing. She’s in the shower, and she’s thinking about our night. I lick my lips at the thought of her touching her own body as she remembers mine.

I lie in bed with the image in my mind for a while. Maybe it’s just my own fantasy, but I don’t believe it is. I’ve heard the link with your fated mate creates that kind of empathic bond, so I’m going to believe it’s real.

Well, I’m not going to win her over by lying in bed.I throw off the covers and head for the shower myself before tracking down my drinking buddies.

“Hey, nice score, Zair. Did she go well?” Skalt calls across the bar with his usual tact.

“Like a dream,” I reply as I sit down with them. “Fuck, you’re on the strong stuff already?” I eye their glasses dubiously. “You’re all going to be fucked by the end of the night.”

“Better get yours in quick. You’ve got some catching up to do,” Skalt replies, trying to order for me.

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