Promenade a Deux

Promenade A Deux

By ID Locke

With many thanks to my betas, readers and family for their continuing support and to a friend for providing me with the Bengali words I needed.

I checked the mirror once again and sighed. Brown eyes hidden behind wire-rim glasses, short brown curly hair, average nose and average lips. Skin pale from too much time in the lab and not enough out in the field gathering specimens and an average to skinny build. The only thing I could see that I had going for me was my brains. Even then, I couldn't seem to hold a decent conversation with somebody that somehow didn't involve insects, my chosen field of study and passion, or my hobby of collecting pressed flowers. I couldn't be geekier if I tried.

I muttered at my reflection in Ojibwe, feeling that in this instance, my native tongue best expressed how hopelessly dirt dull I was.

I was pretty sure that if I made a move on the absolutely stunning creature that had my libido in a vice grip, I'd be shot down in flames. There was no way in hell that anyone that gorgeous would want to have anything intimate to do with someone as uninteresting as me even if he did swing both ways. There was also the fact that nobody at the base I worked at knew I was gay. I took great pains not to flaunt my sexuality. There wasn't any outright gay bashing in the facility; Commander Eldridge wouldn't stand for that under his watch. But I'd heard some not so nice comments spoken in low tones about the few people in the facility who were out and I wanted no part of that. I was awkward enough as it was and didn't need the further stigma of being that weird
faggy
bug guy.

I smoothed a hand over my lab coat and adjusted my glasses once more before leaving my room. I had paperwork to do that I'd been putting off and it needed to be handed in by month's end, which was a scant two days away. Mooning over one of the Gen-Mods wasn't going to do anything for me other than make me hard as a rock and needing to spend a little quality time on my bed with a tube of lube and my pants around my ankles.

I nodded at personnel in the hall as I hurried to my lab. I didn't need to go through the lab to reach my office, but I liked to stop and say hello to the various insects and arachnids there. Other scientists laughed at me for talking to my bugs, but I thought it helped them to know I didn't mean them any harm. I'd never been stung or bitten by any of the various species under my direct care, while several of my assistants had. It could be years of experience and a healthy respect for the dangerous creatures they were, but I believed they could sense my admiration.

I headed straight to my favorite and touched the glass of her tank as I said a soft hello to her. I called her Abigail and she was an absolutely beautiful
leiurus quinquestriatus
, a Deathstalker scorpion.

"How are you today, Abigail? Feeling lonely now that all your babies have moved on to their own homes? That dapper young man Jeremy you had the fling with last time is still here. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to come on over and maybe share a nice meal of fat crickets before taking you out for a twirl around the dance floor. Or maybe Patrick is more to your liking this time around. He's a little older than Jeremy, but still very good looking for his age. How about we go for a little stroll just to see what's on the market?"

I lifted the lid on Abigail's tank and grabbed a wooden dowel from a jar on the counter. I wouldn't disturb her if she really didn't want to be bothered. Handling a Deathstalker bare-handed was very dangerous. They were the most venomous of all the scorpions, but I was confident in my skills and knowledge of scorpion behavior. Abigail also liked me. I gave her a gentle prod with the dowel and she moved easily away from it without becoming aggressive. I lowered my hand into the tank and nudged her to my hand with the dowel. She climbed on and refused to move off when I gave her another gentle push. I laughed softly. Obviously she wanted to go for a walk and check out the available males.

I walked slowly and carefully with Abigail in my palm. I stopped at the first tank with the male Jeremy inside and moved Abigail close. She immediately shifted around until her side was facing him, ignoring him completely.

"He was a little too eager and quick off the mark last time wasn't he? That's okay, girl. There are other gentlemen here worthy of your fine self."

I moved to the next tank holding Patrick and held her close to the glass. She faced him briefly before turning away.

"Not him either? Too set in his ways for you? Hmmm. Okay, we'll try somebody else."

I moved further down the wall and stopped at another male's tank. "This is Edgar. I don't think you'll like him. He's pretty aggressive."

Abigail didn't turn to face Edgar even when he banged one of his claws against the tank. There was one more male I could show Abigail and if she wasn't impressed by him, I had no idea who I'd breed her with. Logically, I knew I could just drop any of the mature males into her tank, but she had a habit of eating males she didn't like. Herbert was eating a cricket when we stopped at his tank and when I presented Abigail to him, he extended his claw with the cricket toward her, rocking slightly. He was clearly smitten with her, as well he should be. Abigail juddered slightly but turned away from him as well.

"Oh come on. He offered you some of his dinner. He's really very sweet and a little shy. How can you not like him? Don't you think you're being just a tad too picky?"

Abigail suddenly started waving her claws in the air and rose up as high as she could on her legs. As easy as that, I knew exactly who was standing behind me. I wasn't the only one who lusted after El-Ashir.

"She is a lady who knows what she wants and recognizes a quality male when she sees him, Doctor Noojimanidooshiwe." Humor was in El-Ashir's deep voice.

My libido surged to life at the way El-Ashir's voice caressed my name. I was secretly thrilled that he'd taken the time to learn how to correctly say my name even though I reminded him every time to call me Doctor Bertram like every other person in the facility did.

A stinger the size of a large dagger arched over my shoulder and the tip gently touched Abigail's. She went into little pleasure shivers, and when a large hand reached around me, she moved whip quick onto it. Evidently she had superior taste in men and I didn't feel the least put out that she'd abandoned me for El-Ashir. Hell, I would've dumped her into Herbert's tank without a second thought for poor Herbert turning into a meal for Abigail if I could crawl into El-Ashir's arms.

My cock firmed at that lovely thought and I closed my eyes briefly to try and will away the erection. At least I was wearing my lab coat and the fact that I was suddenly very happy in the pants wouldn't be visible. Thank God for small favors. I turned to face El-Ashir and any prayer of my erection going away vanished when I saw him.

He'd likely been training with the other Gen-Mods or soldiers as he was shirtless and was wearing his fatigues and combat boots instead of the loose pants and sandals he favored when he was on personal time. I had to grip the edge of the counter behind me to keep from reaching out to touch him as he played with Abigail, letting her scurry over his hands.

El-Ashir was the only successful Insect/Arachnid Group Gen-Mod with scorpion DNA. There weren't a large number of Gen-Mods in general, but there'd been countless failures when combining the scorpion DNA with the fire ant and human genetics. He wasn't quite what the bio-scientists had wanted appearance-wise, but he lived and wasn't mentally retarded or insane. Considering how many Gen-Mods failed the intelligence or sanity tests and needed to be destroyed, a little thing like an extra set of arms was nothing.

El-Ashir was shorter than me at five foot five but he had a solid thirty pounds of muscle on me. He looked to be in his twenties but was chronologically only eight years old thanks to an accelerated growth regime. His skin was cinnamon colored and matched the ultra short hair on his head. His eyes were human shaped but completely black and it wasn't until you were very close that you saw they were faceted like jewels. His upper arms were heavily muscled and used for grasping, gripping and even crushing, like a scorpion's claws. The lower arms were more in line with regular human ones and were used for all fine motor skills. He could even perform independent tasks with each set of arms at the same time. His tail was as thick around as my thigh and exactly like a scorpion's and he did produce the highly toxic Deathstalker venom. If he used his stinger and the stab didn't immediately kill his enemy, there was more than enough venom delivered in the one hit to kill a full grown man a few times over.

I thought he was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my entire life.

"Please, El-Ashir, call me Doctor Bertram. Would you be so good as to put Abigail back in her tank? She's impossible to please when you're around. No other male can compare to you."

A blush heated my cheeks when I thought of how that last bit sounded, but El-Ashir laughed and deposited Abigail back in her tank. She went up on her back legs and when he closed the lid, she looked utterly dejected as she sank into the soft sand. I smothered a sigh. I was going to have a moody scorpion on my hands later.

"She likes you. She says you are kind. That is why she never stings or pinches you," El-Ashir said with a smile.

I looked at El-Ashir in surprise. "And you know that how?"

"She told me. She is really quite the little chatterbox."

I stared at El-Ashir with my mouth open. Nobody had said anything to me about him being able to communicate with scorpions. Not that I was involved in bringing the Gen-Mods' abilities to the forefront or even teaching them the basics of language and general interaction with people. I was just the consultant on all things insect, arachnid or crustacean and responsible for offering the best combinations based on what the military wanted the Gen-Mod to be able to do. Excitement surged through me at the idea that he could actually communicate with scorpions, pushing my desire temporarily to the side.

"Can you talk to all scorpions? Or is it just some? Oh, God, this is so thrilling. Do you have time to talk about this or were you on your way somewhere? If you're busy right now, can you come back later to talk to me?" My hand landed on one of his upper hands and gripped it tight in my enthusiasm.

El-Ashir smiled at me and giddiness exploded in my belly at that look. That look couldn't possibly mean what I thought it meant. I wasn't that up on intimate signals, but not even my virgin self could miss the heat and intent in El-Ashir's gaze. His eyes clearly said that he knew of my attraction to him and would love to act on that. I didn't understand how he could know I secretly lusted after him. I hadn't said anything to anyone in the facility about my attraction to El-Ashir or being gay. Even when I infrequently left the base, the gay-friendly bars I went to were generally well off the beaten path.

Before I quite knew what was happening, El-Ashir twisted his hand under mine, his big fingers clamping around my wrist. His other upper hand darted out and snagged my other wrist. He tugged down slightly until my face was level with his. I could see myself reflected thousands of times in his faceted eyes. My breath caught at the possessive move and the desire I could see in his face. There was no way this could possibly be happening.

"Abigail said you think I am beautiful. She said you desire to mate with me and she does not understand how that is possible as we are both male. She said if there is a way for that to happen and I am acceptable to the idea, she would like you to be happy because you are kind and give her plenty of fat, juicy crickets and sometimes even a mouse."

I stared at El-Ashir with wide eyes. I had the most insane urge to giggle. I'd said nothing to any
person
in the facility, but I'd certainly talked to the scorpions and spiders and praying mantis about my situation, how attractive I found El-Ashir, and how I'd love to find my way into his bed, even if it was just for one night. Heat washed into my cheeks and I lowered my eyes in acute embarrassment. I'd be guarding my tongue from this day forward.

"Doctor Noojimanidooshiwe? Was Abigail mistaken? The mating habits of scorpions are very different from humans, but she said you spoke of this desire many times while you were alone in the lab. I assumed she was correct because I can scent sex pheromones from you whenever I am near you. I have asked other Gen-Mods if they can smell them on you and they say that they only really smell them strongly when I am near you."

Oh God! Other Gen-Mods knew I popped a rod whenever El-Ashir was near me? My cheeks burned hotter.

"I am not going to let you go until you answer me, Doctor Noojimanidooshiwe. I noticed you often smelled of a willingness to breed when I was near you, but I thought it would be rude to make advances unless you said something first. Xai-shen said I should simply kiss you since you seemed shy and see what happened. I think he was right."

El-Ashir tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips to mine. His lower arms settled around my waist and he moved close to fit snugly against my body. My surprised little gasp when I felt his erection pressing firmly against mine allowed him to sweep his tongue teasingly into my mouth. It was a mind-melting kiss, worlds better than anything I'd fantasized doing with him. If my butt hadn't been pressed to the counter behind me, I'd have probably slid to the floor as he turned my knees to jelly.

I groaned softly and tried to get my arms free so I could wrap them around him, but he held fast to my wrists. I wanted to touch him as he was touching me. One of his lower arms held me securely against him while the other swept up and down my back and traced over the top of my ass. The lab coat that had been a blessing for hiding my erection a short while ago was now a curse as it stood in the way of him getting his hands under my sweater or the waistband of my dress pants. El-Ashir pulled back from the kiss and one of his lower hands cupped my cheek.

"You
do
wish to mate with me. I would be honored to have that privilege. I suggest we move someplace less... crowded with the curious. I am not fond of all the directions Abigail is shouting at me with regards to mating with you. Abigail will just have to wonder how I will mate you because I am certainly not going to tell her and I do not think you will either."