Clenching his fists, he spun around, marched back to his suite, and packed his belongings. He had to leave, to get out. To clear his head, or for good, he wasn’t sure which. Why had he come here anyway? How could he have thought an Adamo would fall in love with him when obviously he’d been just another client to her? He stormed through the halls, down the stairs, and out into the street. The air in the hotel was so thick with eletin, he couldn’t think clearly, and yet his anger still cut through any desire.
All around him, blissful tourists and Elatian citizens paraded around. Their joy only made him angrier. He had to get away, find some place secluded where he hadn’t shared tender moments with Xia. As he raced through the streets, his heart pounded. Why did she have to betray him? And to think, he’d been willing to give up everything for her, including his parents’ blessing. For they would never accept her as his future wife. Most likely, they already had him betrothed to another.
Reeling to stop, he sank to the ground. Why hadn’t he thought this through? Xia could end up shunned on Tyto. She’d never forgive him, then. Even if he forgave her first.
“Hello, handsome.”
Aris took in miles of blue legs coming to a halt underneath a short, black leather skirt. As he continued his gaze over her flat stomach and barely-covered breasts, he cock stirred. Until he saw her face. “Madelia, what are you doing here?”
“Having a good time with Ben. You can join us if you’re interested.”
“No, sorry. I like the outfit, though.”
She grinned, swaying her hips in front of his face. “Ben looks even better in leather. I must thank you for setting us up together. I never expected him to enjoy taking orders.”
He cringed. “I didn’t need to hear that.”
“I thought you two knew everything about each other.” She eyed him up and down. “Every intimate detail.”
“We weren’t that close.” Could she darken his mood any further?
“Hey, don’t be grumpy with me. This
is
Elatia, the planet where all of your desires can come true. Go find yourself an Adamo.”
“I already have.”
And she broke my heart
.
“Well, go find another to wipe that scowl off your face. The first one obviously didn’t do her job.”
She’d done more than just her job; she’d loved him, made him fall in love with her.
He winced.
Xia
.
No matter what he’d seen, he had to get back to her rather than let her be with another man. He loved her too much to give up without fighting for what he wanted. “I’ve got to go.”
“Well, be quick about it. Your parents are here, too, looking for you.”
“Shit.” He rushed back to the hotel, peering around every corner first to ensure he would not run into the king and queen of Tyto. Not before he claimed Xia as his, and his alone. For he could
never
share her with another.
Chapter Nine
As Xia rubbed the oils deep into the man’s scaled body, tears slid down her cheeks. She didn’t want to touch this man, be anywhere near him. Not when Aris waited for her back in his suite. Why had she told Jacobus she’d take this appointment? And now she’d have to live with the guilt of pleasuring another man after promising herself to her one true love.
“Oh, dear Adamo, you know how to relax my body.” The man rose onto his arms. “But I want you to fulfill my desires. I want to feel your hands and mouth on my cock. And if you’re really good, I’ll let you go for a ride.”
She shuddered, her stomach threatening to depart with its contents. She couldn’t stay in this room any longer. No, she had to leave.
The man swung off the table and sauntered toward his bed, stroking his shaft as he went. “You coming?”
Backing away, she tripped over her appointment bag.
I can’t do this
.
She regained her balance before she fell, and raced for the door. Nothing could make her stay. Waiting for the door to open, she realized she’d left her bag behind. She considered returning for it.
No
!
You won’t need it again. Get out
!
Escaping into the corridor, she fled for Aris’s room.
“Adamo, get back here.”
Peering over her shoulder, she cringed as the man stood outside his room in the buff, shaking his fists. How had she thought she could handle going from one man like him to another, star cycle after star cycle? Even without Aris, she would need to settle down, for that’s what she’d desired all along.
Out of breath, she slid her card through the reader to Aris’s suite. If he asked her to leave now, she would. She had to get away from this life, this planet. Leave it all behind.
The door opened, revealing an empty room. She went farther inside. Maybe she’d find him in the shower. She’d join him and wash away all signs of the other man. But Aris had left. Even his bag was missing.
Dropping to the bed, she grabbed the pillow, which still retained Aris’s scent. She pulled it into her chest as sobs wracked her body. He’d abandoned her.
But why? Why had he changed his mind, decided he didn’t want a Terran girl like her?
The world spun around her. She couldn’t go on like this, refusing to take clients or become a Mistress. No, that option ended when she’d walked out of her last appointment. But without Aris, she had nothing.
Help me
!
She sucked in a breath.
Kalara
?
Her mentor’s cry came again.
The door to the suite burst open. Jacobus stood in front of her, his eyes bulging, his hair and clothes a frenzied mess. “Your client, he’s mad, but, oh gods…. Xia, it’s Kalara. There’s been an accident. We need to get to the
hospes
.”
She wiped her eyes, then leaped from the bed. Nothing meant more to her now than the woman who’d raised her. Besides Jacobus, she had no one else. She never had. “What happened?”
“An oroke. It stampeded through the streets…knocked her over. She smashed her head. Oh, gods.”
If she took the time to comfort Jacobus, she would break down, too. Grabbing his hand, she bounded down the stairs and raced outside. As she ran, she tried to mind-speak with Kalara, but once again failed. With so many tourists around, they had to dodge to the alleyways to reach the
hospes
faster.
The large minnica spire of the
hospes
loomed in front of her. The building was usually filled with tourists who pushed their bodies past their limits. What condition would she find Kalara in? Would she lose someone else she loved? With Jacobus still too distraught to tell her anything, she had to get in there and find out for herself.
Nutrix
rushed through the halls, traveling from patient to patient. In the waiting room sat Adamos, soothing those worried about patients.
“Are you Xia?”
She spun toward the firm, female voice. “I am.”
“Follow me then.” Dressed in blue scrubs, the
nutrix
opened the sealed doors, ushering Xia in to the world beyond. Patients lay in beds attached to various tubes and monitors. The sexual energy zinging around the rest of the planet failed to penetrate this space.
Coming to an abrupt halt, the
nutrix
glared at Jacobus. “I told you last time, sir, you are not recorded as family and therefore must wait outside.”
His frenzied gaze turned hard and focused. He gripped Xia’s hand with more strength than she’d expected from him. Through clenched jaws, he spoke. “This woman is my wife. I am her husband. Just ask our daughter here.”
Husband? Daughter? What’s going on?
The
nutrix
fixed her steely stare upon her. “Is he your father?”
Even given the seriousness of the situation, the question struck her as funny and she stifled a laugh. They believed her, a Terran, to be the daughter of an Elatian Adamo Mistress, but would not believe Kalara to have an Elatian husband, another Adamo at that?
At the same time, were the two of them really married? That would explain why Jacobus frequented their house, only leaving to spend his nights elsewhere if Kalara had clients. But why hadn’t they told her?
“Well?”
Getting to Kalara her main focus, Xia eyed the
nutrix
. And Jacobus had as much right to be with her as she did. “Yes, he’s my father. They adopted me after my parents abandoned me.”
Setting on her way again, the
nutrix
called over her shoulder. “Well then, let’s go.”
***
Aris slammed his fist against the desk. “Where is Xia?”
Two men stared back at him, the Elatian man who’d booked his original appointment with her, and the Mikashe he’d seen her follow into his suite not long ago.
“I’d like to know the same thing, since she walked out on me.” The Mikashe glared at him. “You’re going to have to wait in line, buddy. She still owes me a blow job.”
Aris saw only red and slammed his fist into the Mikashe’s nose. The man slapped his hands to his face, blood now spewing down his arms.
“Gentlemen!” the Elatian cried. “There’s no need for violence. This is a peaceful planet.”
Aris pivoted toward him. “I don’t care if that
is
her job. No one talks about my wife-to-be like that.”
“Ah, so you’re the guy she’s turning down clients for?” The Elatian man strolled over and shook his hand, squeezing hard at the same time. “You’d better treat her right.”
He clenched his jaw. “I will, but I can’t find her. She went into that man’s room, and I haven’t seen her since.”
“Well, she walked out on me.” Accepting a towel from the Elatian, the Mikashe held it to his nose and inched closer. “She was just about to give me a…she’d just finished my massage when she left the room crying, and never came back.”
Gods, had she gone back to the room and found it empty? She’d think he abandoned her. How could he have been so irrational? This was her job, after all. She’d sworn she’d leave with him after tonight. But where could she have run off to? “Well, where is she?”
The Elatian ignored him, dealing with the other man. “I’ll give you a full refund and find you a replacement, on the house. She’ll clean you up and tend to your needs. Go back to your room and she’ll be there shortly.”
When the Mikashe left, the other man sighed. “She’s at the
hospes
. Her mother was in an accident.” Then he walked out of the room.
“And where is that?” Aris called after him. But his question went unanswered.
She must be a wreck right now. First I’m not there for her, and then she finds out about her mother
….
Aris sprinted from the building. He would comb the entire planet to find her. He’d vowed he wouldn’t leave without her by his side. And with his parents now on Elatia, he had even more reason to find her as soon as possible.
Chapter Ten
“There appears to be no swelling,” the
nutrix
said, her voice much softer than before. “But we’d like to keep her overnight for observation. She’s awake, and we need her to stay that way, so if you see her drifting off, please let us know, immediately.”
Xia nodded and entered the room, followed by Jacobus. Kalara grinned at them, but Xia could not return the sentiment, only hide her gasp. The woman’s once-perfect golden skin sported cuts and bruises on every exposed inch.
Jacobus rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. But Xia stood in the same spot. So much had happened since she’d last seen her mother, and yet, nothing had changed. Or maybe everything had.
“Come here, sweetie.” Kalara motioned for her to step closer. “There’s something Jacobus and I need to tell you.”
She inched toward the bed, fearful of causing the woman any more damage if she got too close. “First, please tell me you’re all right.”
“A little banged up and sore, but I’ll live.”
With a sigh of relief, Xia responded to her mother’s smile with one of her own. She sat on the edge of the bed, while Jacobus sat on the chair by the bed, and taking careful measures, embraced the woman who had raised her.
At least I have you
.
Kalara stroked her face. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way. We meant to tell you earlier.”
Vices gripped her stomach. “Find out what?” As if the day hadn’t been bad enough.
Jacobus chuckled, taking her hand. “That Kalara and I are married.”
She drew in a quick breath. “Really? You mean you didn’t just make that up to get in here?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t make the story up. We’ve only been married for a week, though, and we haven’t yet changed our emergency contact documents.”
“But how? Why? What about your clients?” With everything that had happened with Aris, she didn’t expect to be filled with joy, but she couldn’t help but be happy for them.
Kalara reached for Jacobus, and he stood beside her. “We trained together, were each other’s first sexual experience, and kept in contact over the years.”
Her mother grinned up at him. “It got to the point where no matter how many clients we tended to, we could only think of each other.”
“I managed to find a teaching position first,” Jacobus said.
“And now that I’ve found other Adamos for all of my regular clients, I will be joining him in the classroom.” Kalara brushed her hand over the front of his pants.
Perhaps the motion should have made Xia uncomfortable, yet she could only think of Aris at the moment.
“That’s great!” She tried to share in their excitement, but her loss hit her hard and fast, like a wall of cold water. Her bottom lip trembled.
Kalara embraced her, holding her head against her chest. “I’m so sorry. I wanted you to be there, to have your blessing, but you seemed so involved with your new client, I—”
“I’ll let you two talk.” Jacobus left the room.
“I’m really sorry, Xia. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No, it’s not that.” A sob tore through her body. “It’s just that…Aris…he asked me to marry him. And then he left me.” Her heart ripped all over again.