Jessica E. Subject BUNDLE (Intergalactic Heat) (10 page)

Chapter Two

V stared across the concourse, trying to spot her charges. She’d been told to expect three people through the portal from Earth, two Terran females and a Ginnunian male who might be disguised as a Terran.
How would he look?
The blue-skinned species had never needed to hide their identity on the space station. Would he still show a hint of his natural color, or would he resemble his traveling mates?

They’d all be easy to spot. V was only one of five people from Earth who worked at Space Service Headquarters. Every day, she saw thousands of Phanties, a species with large ears and a trunk like an elephant; Pillites, who reminded her of a giant pill bug; Goopers, blue blobs with eight short tentacles as feet, and many other species from around the universe. But Terrans could only make it out to the space station—perched on the far edge of the Milky Way from their home world—using a portal the government deemed classified.

She’d never dreamed of working off-planet back when she waitressed for a quaint Italian restaurant in New York while putting herself through grad school. But one unusually calm night, she’d served a man who’d reminded her of a character from
Men in Black
. He’d appeared surprised when she’d understood his order—spoken in German.

While her other customers languished, he’d engaged her in friendly conversation. Charmed by his witty repartee, she’d revealed she spoke five different languages and was working two jobs to put herself through school. Along with a generous tip, he’d left his card—containing only his name and number—with
If you’re looking for a job that’s out of this world, call me
written on the back. Thinking he was some kind of quack, she’d tossed the card in the trash before greeting a new table of customers.

He returned the next night and every evening for a week until she consented to sit down to listen to his job offer. Six months later, after completing rigorous training, she’d walked through the portal to serve as a concierge for the space station’s interstellar hotel. She hadn’t returned to Earth since then, her position so top secret she’d been unable to so much as tell her boss why she’d quit with no notice. Other than spending a few familiar holidays with her fellow Terrans, she almost never crossed paths with anyone from home.

She continued her education as well, overwhelmed and fascinated by ancient space history consisting of much more information than that of Earth. Still, she missed her own kind. Terrans were seen as inferior to those from other planets, governed by cowards who hid the idea of other life in space, yet took full advantage of the technology. Thankfully, no one held her accountable for Earth’s deficiencies.

She was drawn back to the present as the crowd parted in front of her, like the Red Sea to reveal her charges. They walked along with the other new arrivals, oblivious to the multitude of curious looks they received. The blue, lanky Ginnunian male led his very pregnant terran wife toward her. Peering past the pair, V caught a glimpse of a dark-haired woman tucked closely behind them before the crowd closed in once again, grunting, squeaking, and clicking in communication.

She waved to get their attention, thankful her charges had arrived without incident. “Hi, I’m Flavia, but you can call me V. That’s what everyone here calls me.” Because no member of any other species on the station had been able to pronounce her name without it sounding vulgar in his or her language.

The Ginnunian stepped forward and surprised her by reaching out to shake her hand—not a custom for his people. “Hello, I’m Frey, and this is my wife, Carrie.”

She shook his hand and then his wife’s, trying to hold in her excitement at meeting someone from home.

Frey moved to the side, revealing the petite woman behind him. “And this is Jewel.”

V squealed. Unable to hide her exhilaration any longer, she wrapped her arms around Jewel. Not only was she from Earth, but she looked to be only a couple years younger than her. All the Terrans on-station were her parents’ age. For once, her unwavering loneliness would ebb, at least for a few days.

But her hug wasn’t returned, only met with a gasp. V stepped back. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

Jewel shook her head, but wouldn’t make eye contact.

“I think she’s a little self-conscious about her scars,” Frey said.

V winced.
Why did he have to mention them?
Sure, she’d noticed, but she had friends with fins, feathers, and elephant ears. A few scars wouldn’t stop her from being social. Was that why she’d been asked to entertain Jewel during her stay?

Chapter Three

Jewel tagged along behind the rest. V’s hug had taken her completely by surprise. Smiles, now touching? She thought she’d been prepared to go on a one-night stand, to have sex with a strange woman, but maybe she wasn’t. Sure, her traveling companions hadn’t made her feel like a freak, but Carrie had married, and was now pregnant with, a blue alien. Imagine what Jewel’s neighbors would say if they saw Frey on the street.

Leaving the concourse, they traveled down a long hallway. V stopped and placed her hand on a pad beside a metal door, which slid open. “Frey and Carrie, this is your suite. There is a buffet every evening in the dining hall, down the corridor and to your right. If you need anything at all, press the front desk button on the communication panel.” She gestured to the screen inside the door. “Enjoy your stay at the SS Hotel, where everyone in the universe is welcome.”

Wait! Everyone in the universe? This place is filled with aliens. Jewel’s head spun. Is that why Madame Evangeline sent me here? Because no one on Earth would want to date me? She cringed. The elephant and the blue women had been somewhat attractive, but she hadn’t noticed a difference between the male and female bug people or the blue blobs. Her vision blurred with the onset of tears. I’ve made a horrible mistake.

Something touched her shoulder and she jumped.

“I’m sorry I scared you.” V startled her again by reaching to wipe moisture from her cheek. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know this place can be overwhelming when you first arrive.”

That’s for sure.
She couldn’t imagine living there. “So, will you show me to my room?” She yearned to hole up like she did back on Earth, lose herself in a story until she went on her date with the alien. Except for V and Carrie, she’d seen no other humans on the space station, and she wasn’t supposed to meet her date until tomorrow night. Sure, the idea had excited her in her books, but none of the humanoids and other beings she’d seen were fashionista beauties.

She’d gone through a week of emergency procedure training at a top-secret facility even she wasn’t allowed to know the location of, with the couple who traveled with her. All of that packing and training for one night with a space creature whom she’d never see again? During that week, they’d met with the director of the space station, an odd character as well; why hadn’t she objected then?

V put her arm across her shoulders. “You’re staying with me.”

“I am?”

“The director thought it might be easier on you, since my suite is set up for people from Earth.” She guided Jewel down the hall. “I have an extra bedroom you can use.”

“But how’s that going to work with my date? Will we go somewhere else?”
Shit!
She wasn’t supposed to mention her reason for the trip. 1Night Stand kept their business dealings discreet.

“I’m not aware of the itinerary for your entire stay, but if you have something scheduled, I’ll make sure you get there. Right now, I’m supposed to get you settled in and keep you entertained.”

V stopped, her arms dropping to her side. “We’re about to go in the tube. It’s a transportation system for getting around the station. I admit, it feels really weird, but it’s the fastest way to my place.” She smiled at a giant bug who seemed to have dropped from the sky. It waved a long, skinny limb before skittering off down the hall. “Since you’ve never traveled this way before, I’m going to hold your hands and we’ll go through together.”

V pressed a green button on the wall then linked their fingers. Jewel had no time to comprehend how the transport worked before they were sucked up into the air then shot through a narrow cylinder. She now knew what traveling through an industrial vacuum would feel like. If she hadn’t been so worried about hitting someone else along the way and how she’d land, she could have enjoyed her proximity to V. No matter how much she tried to deny her feelings, she enjoyed her touch.

When they dropped out of the pipe, V reached out for her, but Jewel wasn’t ready for the impact. She crumpled to the ground, pulling the other woman down on top of her.

Giggling, V rolled off. “Thankfully, these floors are padded. I haven’t landed like that since my first week here.” She jumped to her feet then helped Jewel up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to expect.” But she wasn’t sorry. Being that close to such a gorgeous woman awakened long dormant desires.
If only she was my date, my one-night stand….

“No problem. I guess I should have explained the tube before we used it, but we had to get through while it was clear.” V grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s get you settled. I have a lot planned.”

Planned? That sounded like she wanted to take her out in public. She knew what to expect from people on Earth, but here? She couldn’t handle negative reactions from other species. “Um, I’d rather settle in for the night.”

“Oh no, I don’t think so.” V placed her palm on a screen and after a beep, a gray steel door slid open. She pulled her inside. “You can rest for a bit, but I’m taking you to the club tonight.”

“A club?”
No way.
She’d refuse to go.

“Yes, like a dance hall back home. The music and drinks are a bit different, but it’s the same idea. You should see some of these aliens move.”

Her stomach churned. The meal she’d eaten before the day-long trip through the portal wanted to make a quick escape. “I…I don’t think I can go. I need to find the bathroom.”

“You are looking a little green.” V stuck her arm through hers. “Let’s get you to the loo.”

Jewel had no time to take in the apartment. She had to concentrate to keep the food in her stomach.

Chapter Four

V left Jewel in her spare room to rest. The poor woman had so little self-confidence. So what if her face was scarred. She still had the most appealing blue eyes and such soft, creamy skin. Her wavy brown hair would make most women jealous and men want to run their fingers through her locks. She couldn’t stop touching the petite beauty. Who on Earth had made her feel so insecure?

Well, I know what I have to do.
She would take her out, show her that she didn’t have to be afraid to be seen in public, that she truly was a precious gem.

She smiled, thinking of the surprised expression on Jewel’s face when they’d been sucked up into the tube. And when they’d landed…. Maybe she should have tried harder to keep her standing, but she’d rather enjoyed landing on top of her. She’d rolled off quickly to keep from kissing her charge. After all, Jewel had traveled there for a date, or so she said. But with whom, and why hadn’t the director included that fact in her briefing?

V grabbed the tote full of Earth food, which had come up through the cargo tube with Jewel’s luggage. Inside she found pasta, bread, cheese, garlic, red sauce and—
oh yeah!
—strawberries. Her stomach growled already. She hadn’t had anything besides replicator food in months, the portal being too expensive to start up for only Terran food.

A beautiful woman and delicious food? Perfect. No!
She couldn’t have lustful feelings for her charge. She’d make dinner—anything to distract her from slipping into the bedroom and crawling into bed with her houseguest.

It had been so long since she’d been with anyone. Gar, a Phantie she worked with at the hotel, had asked her several times to be one of his bedmates, but she’d turned him down. He didn’t understand monogamy. When she chose a partner, whether male or female, she didn’t want to share them with anyone else. Gar’s current collection of bedmates consisted of five females, each from a different planet.

She started a pot of water boiling for the pasta then opened her last bottle of Canadian Ice Wine and poured herself a glass. She had found a reason to drink it. Now, if only she could figure out a way to get Jewel to the club without making her turn green again.

***

Jewel awoke, the scent of garlic and red sauce making her stomach groan with hunger.
I’m on a space station. How is that possible?
During training, she’d been told to expect tasteless, replicated food. She padded to the adjoining bathroom and returned to dig out a fresh outfit from her luggage. Decorated in silver and blue, V’s guest room reminded her of any bedroom back on Earth, with a bed, dresser, closet, and armoire. Unlike the palm activated mechanisms in the public corridor, the door slid open as she approached.

Crossing the plush gray carpeting, she took in the view from the upper landing overlooking the living room, dining room, and kitchen, all open-concept and decorated for comfort and to resemble Earth. None of the floating furniture she’d marveled at in the concourse and hallways of the space station in sight. She followed the winding staircase’s graceful curves, amazed that such an elegant fixture would be found on a space station in the middle of nowhere.

V stood in front of the stove, tasting the aromatic red sauce. She’d changed from her drab uniform into black yoga pants and a pink, spaghetti-strap tank top. Jewel could only think of running her hands over the woman’s curves, of being underneath her once more.

Waking up to her, to such a domestic scene, felt so normal, so perfect. But it wouldn’t last. She’d go on her one-night stand with some alien who could be a creepy bug, return to Earth in a couple of days, and never see the beautiful woman before her again.
Why is life always so unfair?