Zen (2 page)

Shawna made her way out of the sports arena. She followed the throng of people who were going to the Galactic Cage Fighters ship. Her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID—it was her boss.

“Shawna Baker. Yes, Samuel, I am on my way to the GCFA after party. I haven't had time to introduce myself yet. I arrived just before the GCFA event started. No, Jimmie isn’t here yet. Of course. I’ll report in with you in the morning.” Shawna hung up.

Her boss was being pushy about this in-depth interview. She wasn’t the first choice for this assignment. She wasn’t a sports writer. She had to push and push to convince them to give her the story. She was a good reporter and they knew it. In the end, she had gotten her way.

She showed her press ID to the security detail at the main entrance to the ship. She had her bags delivered but she hadn’t had a chance to check in yet so she went to the front desk.

“Can I be of assistance?” the desk attendant asked.

“Yes, I am Shawna Baker. I have a reservation booked by the Galactic Times.”

The attendant checked her listings and smiled. “Of course. We have you in the executive suite. Your bags have already been delivered there. Security is on their way to give you your GCFA ship access pass and then will escort you personally to the after party.”

Shawna smiled. “Thank you.” She wished she had time to change into something a little more party appropriate. She was dressed in casual dress pants and a white silky blouse. She was lucky the arena seat she was in was not a prime spot for the blood spray that occurred during the fights. She shivered at the thought of being covered in someone else’s blood—so not her thing.

She watched as a large blue man walked toward her. The closer he came, the more she could see of him. He was quite attractive. His hair was jet black and his eyes were lovely lavender. She had to admit he was altogether yummy, for a blue guy. She gave him a smile, which made him stumble over his own feet.
Wow, he was adorable
.

“Miss Baker?” he asked, looking her up and down several times. He lingered on her breasts.

“Yes. But please call me Shawna.” She reached out a hand to shake his.

The tall blue man gently took her hand and shook it. He didn’t let go right away. “I am security officer Guy. Welcome to the Galactic Cage Fighters Association Ship.” He let go of her hand reluctantly and handed her a badge for her to clip onto her shirt. “Keep your access badge with you at all times. If you misplace it or lose it, report it to the security office…or to me directly.” He helped her adjust the badge on her shirt, gently moving her long sable brown hair out of the way. “If you will follow me, I will take you to the after party. The GCFA officials are getting ready to make the big announcement. Did you have a cameraman with you?” He looked around the lobby.

“No. I will take pictures myself as needed for tonight. There was a mix up with the flight itinerary, so the cameraman will arrive tomorrow.” She followed him as he led her down the hallway. She could hear music and a mixture of voices laughing and talking.

“How long have you been with the GCFA?” Shawna asked.

“Not long. About four months. I am training as a substitute fighter. I want to fight full time though.”

“Why would you want to do that? It looks dangerous getting beat up all the time.” Shawna just didn’t understand it.

“The fighting is rough on the body. As a halfsie, we heal quickly enough. As a fighter the paycheck is a lot bigger and worth a little pain.”

“How much does a starting fighter with the GCFA make?” Shawna knew she was being nosy, but it was her job as a reporter to ask questions.

He stopped walking and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Shawna looked up at him in shock. “Really? That much to start?”

He nodded and started walking again. “That’s just for amateur ranking. The pros who have the experience can make almost five times that in one circuit.”

Holy shit.
So senior fighters like Zen and Rage were loaded. Good to know. “Will other fighters be at the after party tonight? Like Rage?”

He frowned down at the human goddess walking beside him. “Rage has a mate.”

“Huh? Does mate mean he is married?” None of her information said anything about Rage being married. The only fighter that had recently gotten married was Talon.

“Rage and Rachel haven’t married in the human way yet, but they are mates. So you shouldn't try to seduce him.”

“What? I wasn’t…”

“I am available and I find you very attractive. I would be more than happy to share sex with you,” Guy told her, stopping just outside the double doors leading to the large banquet room. He touched her shoulder lightly, causing goose bumps to appear on her arm.

“I appreciate that. I think you are attractive too. But I am not here to…seduce anybody. I was just hoping to get to meet some of the other fighters.” Though she was there to interview Zen, there was another man she had hoped to meet with. She had been waiting a long time for this. For Rage.

“Keep me in mind if you decide you wish to share sex. I will leave you here. I have to patrol two more floors tonight.” Guy waved goodbye giving her one more lingering look.

“Thanks, Guy. See you around.” She waved goodbye, then turned to open the doors. She was immediately blasted with the sounds and smells. The place was packed full of people.

She plastered a smile on her face when she walked inside. The crowd had a mixture of fans, GCFA officials, and fighters all socializing. A buffet style table was set up on the other side of the room with all kinds of finger foods. A dance floor was in the corner and it was packed full of bodies swaying and gyrating.

She decided to grab her something to eat quickly. She made her way through the throng of people. She was groped a few times by hands that she couldn't find the owners to. She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to the table. There wasn’t a line, so she filled her plate with some fruit and a few chicken strips. She found an empty chair in a spot on the other side of the table. She sat down and ate her food while she observed the crowd. It didn’t take long before she spotted a person who was familiar to her.

Zen was in the middle of the dance floor sandwiched in the middle of two females. He leaned down to listen to what the pretty blonde female with the large breasts had to say. He didn’t actually care what she said, he just liked the view he got of her luscious mounds every time he bent over. He planned to have her bared within the hour and his cock firmly planted between those soft mounds. He felt her brunette friend’s hands rubbing his backside. He turned to give her some attention as well. The more the merrier in his mind.

“Zen, you are so sexy,” the brunette told him, brushing her lips against his cheek.

Zen was not a fool. He took the opportunity presented to him and kissed the female full on. She wasn’t bad at all. Between the two females he should find some pleasure this night. The Zen Master was well on his way to making a comeback. It had been months since he bedded a female. For him that was be like years for others. His species was highly sexual. He ran his hands over the curves of first one girl then the next. They also moved their hands over his body, warming him and arousing him. His cock was throbbing with need. Just a little longer and he could set his stiff cock free.

He was about to suggest the three of them ditch the party for something more private, but a motion toward the front of the room caught his attention. He was being flagged by one of the GCFA executives.
Damn it!
There were photographers and reporters everywhere. Sneaking out wasn't going to happen now.

“I am being called for work, sweethearts. Let me take care of business and then hopefully I will be able to then take care of each of you.”

“Hurry back, Zen!” the blonde called out as he walked away.

Zen gave the females a sexy smile and sauntered to the front of the room where the GCFA executives were waiting.

Shawna watched him with the sleazy women. Did he have no self-respect at all? When he walked away he had such long smooth strides. He was confident in the way he carried himself and he oozed sex without even trying. Though at that moment he was definitely letting his sexuality roam freely.

“Attention everyone please! My name is Nigel and I am the assistant director of the Galactic Cage Fighters Association. I want to thank everyone for coming. We have a very special announcement to make tonight.” He waited until Zen was closer and motioned him to stand next to him. “We just received word yesterday that our very own Zen has been nominated by Galactic Times for the Sexiest Male.”

Applause roared throughout the room. Zen was shocked. It took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t some kind of joke. His cheeks tinted a little pink. He quickly covered his shock and gave everyone a sexy half-smile.

“No one else stood a chance,” Zen said cockily. He noticed some of his friends rolled their eyes at his comment. The female fans were pushing to get closer to him. He really didn’t need extra help in attracting females. They were overwhelming already. Now it was going to be nearly impossible for him to go anywhere or do anything without drawing more attention, wanted or unwanted. He focused back on what Nigel was saying.

“There were almost two billion nominees throughout all the regions. Zen was chosen above all the others and the GCFA could not be more thrilled. The GCFA execs have agreed to allow a two week press event. A reporter for the Galactic Times will be traveling with the GCFA ship to get in-depth interviews and views from behind the scenes.”

Crap!
Zen stopped smiling for a moment before he quickly covered his dissatisfaction. He pasted another smile on his face and posed so the few photographers there could take his picture. He winked at the two females he had been dancing with earlier. The females took that as an opportunity to get their picture taken too so they pushed their way on to either side of him and shoved their barely covered chests against him. He was having a hard time breathing, they were pushing the air out of his lungs. But he didn’t want to be rude so he smiled and bared it.

Shawna stood in the background sipping her glass of wine. The man was such a show off. Begrudgingly, she understood why he was chosen. Zen exuded sex and charm. He had perfect features and no doubt a flawless body. Just looking at him made her body warm and her nipples hard. No man had ever made her do that just by looking at him.

She knew what his chest was like because his fight outfit left his upper body bare. He had a golden skin tone and was smooth and hairless. She wondered if he was golden everywhere. She shifted from foot to foot. Her body tingled imagining what he looked like completely naked. She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts.

No way would she fantasize about a man who went through women like some of her girlfriends went through shoes.
Nope, not going to happen to her
. She jerked to attention, her eyes suddenly locked onto his. She felt frozen to the spot.

All the camera flashes hurt his eyes. The contacts he had made for him helped to a certain extent. Thankfully Nigel motioned for the photographers to stop. It took a couple of seconds but as his eyes adjusted and came into focus, he found himself staring into the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever seen, despite the ugly glasses she wore. The face that went with it was delicate and porcelain fine. It was framed with shiny sable brown hair pulled up in a ponytail. She was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and he only could see her from the neck up. Why hadn’t he noticed her before? He made to move toward her but was pulled back by the two females who had latched onto him like leeches. For humans they were surprisingly strong.

“Ease up a bit, honey. I have to breathe,” Zen told them with a gentle smile. They giggled but eased their hold somewhat. He turned to Nigel who was still talking to the crowd.

“There will be a schedule for all the reporters and photographers giving them a chance to interview Zen. However, the Galactic Times has sent their own reporter who will be given an exclusive story and will follow Zen throughout the entire two weeks.” Nigel leaned over and whispered to Zen, “You will be introduced to the Galactic Times reporter first thing in the morning at breakfast.”

Great, he had a shadow for two damn weeks.
Could it get any worse?
He looked around trying to locate the brown-haired woman with the pretty blue eyes. She was suddenly gone. She also took all the joy with her.

“Are we going back to your room for some more fun?” the blonde asked him.

Zen looked down at the two eager females, all his desire from earlier had evaporated. He wanted to hunt down the brown-haired female. But without her name, it would be nearly impossible. He would probably never see her again. It left him feeling bereft and alone. He could drown his loneliness in these females, but they didn't appeal to him at all.

“Maybe another time. I need to get plenty of rest because my first interview is first thing in the morning.” The blonde pouted and tried to make some kind of excuse to stay with him. But Zen held firm and introduced the females to Torch and Maxim. He left the banquet and headed to his suite.

People stopped him on his way to the elevator to congratulate him. He smiled and thanked them, but he didn’t feel grateful in the least. This title would only add another level of fame that he never really wanted, but he would keep going. He always did.