An Alien To Love
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An Alien to Love
Copyright © 2015 by Jessica E. Subject
ISBN: 978-1-61333-845-2
Cover art by Fiona Jayde
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
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An Alien To Love
Five Hot 1Night Stand Stories
Jessica E. Subject
Includes:
by
Jessica E. Subject
A 1 Night Stand Story
~
DEDICATION
~
To Rebecca who helped me add my SFR twist to the 1NS Series, to Lindsay for your constant encouragement, and especially to my understanding and supportive husband
.
“What do you mean, you want to stay?”
Frey balled his fists and watched the Mission Commander’s face turn from blue to purple to red. But he refused to step onto the ship. “Exactly that. I don’t want to return to Ginnun. I’ve spent one rotation around the sun here, established myself in their culture, and lived like one of them. And I’ll continue to do so. This is my home now.”
“One rotation is hardly long enough to call this place home. Besides, you’ve sworn your life to the Space Service.” As his MC’s eyes hardened further, Frey noticed all the wrinkles in the man’s once again blue face. His white hair stood up straight on an oversized head. If he remained with the Space Service, the stress of the job would age him exactly the same way.
“This is my last mission. I’ll be discharged when I return.” Frey wouldn’t receive any compensation for this mission, but Space Service credits were of no use on Earth.
“The only way to get out of the Service is to apply for mating. Won’t Tandee be waiting for your return?”
His stomach clenched upon hearing her name. “On the day we left, she confessed to already mating with Brand, my supposed best friend.”
The Commander only raised his eyebrow. Frey didn’t expect any compassion from him. “Ouch! So that’s why you failed to keep your emotions in check on the trip to Earth.”
He looked away. Even after his time on this planet, the memory of that day still stung. She’d flaunted her admission without a hint of regret.
“There are many other females on Ginnun who would take you as a mate.”
Frey looked back to the Mission Commander and shook his head. “I don’t want an emotionless relationship. When I choose a mate, I need to
want
to be with her. I want a mate for more than just procreation. I want to love.”
“Emotions just get in the way of your life.” His MC slammed his fist against the ship. “You’re our best field informant! If you’re leaving the Service, you could easily find yourself on the High Council. You don’t want to throw away your future for the overly sensitive women here on Earth.”
“It’s not just the women. I have friends here, not just acquaintances, as everyone is to me on Ginnun.” Many people he’d trusted on Ginnun wound up stabbing him in the back, as in his best friend who slept with his intended without any guilt. Returning to a planet of long-dead emotions held no appeal after living on Earth. He refused to hide his feelings again, and there were so many more he wanted to experience.
The Mission Commander signaled to the pilot to start the engines. “Stop this nonsense and get on the ship.”
“No.” He grabbed his sack and without remorse, turned his back on his Ginnunian heritage.
Carrie searched the hotel bar one more time. After two hours, she had to assume her date stood her up. Heck, it wasn’t even a date. The arrangement with Madame Eve only included a one-night stand with no guarantees for anything afterward.
She left the bar.
God, why did I agree to this? Am I that desperate?
The truth?
Yes.
But her first date after her divorce failed, as did her marriage.
She’d married her high school sweetheart. When he left her, her heart shattered. It was bad enough to be told she could never have children, but when Peter asked for a divorce three years ago, her life crumbled. Learning of his remarriage and pregnant wife led Carrie to desperation. With no real dating experience, the only night she did go bar-hopping with friends, she heard the word
cougar
whispered over and over and she vowed never to go again. As a pediatric nurse, she didn’t have much opportunity to meet many available guys anyway. Her options were limited.
The night she found out her ex-husband had become a father, her best friend, Tamara, had come over to share a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Magic Brownies ice cream. “Carrie, you really need to go out and have some fun. Stop moping around.” She pointed her spoon at her. “Now, I’m going to set you up on a date. It’s through a very popular dating service that so many of my friends highly recommend. The owner, Madame Eve, thoroughly screens everyone before matching them up. Leah married her match a few months ago.”
Tamara helped her fill out all of the online forms, but she locked herself in the bathroom to write the letter as to why she wanted to use the dating service. Terrified with thoughts of what Tamara would have told Madame Eve if she waited, she hit send. It couldn’t do any harm to apply.
Two months later, she received an email revealing her perfect
1Night Stand
.
“One-night stand?” she asked Tamara over the phone. “I thought I applied to a dating service, not a sex hookup.”
“Calm down, Care. It
is
a dating service. You’re guaranteed one night of fun, something you desperately need.”
“But, am I expected to have sex on the first date?” Before even agreeing to the date, her stomach twisted in knots. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“Yes! You’re wound up so tight, you need a good lay, but of course no one will make you do anything you don’t want to.” Static crackled over the phone. Had she lost reception? “Hold up, I’m coming over to help you arrange this.”
Before she could object, Tamara hung up.
She thought about sending a reject message back, but when she took a closer look at the profile on her computer, she decided to wait for Tamara.
Six foot one, her date owned a successful construction company, and the picture….he resembled every man she’d ever fantasized about. His dark brown, wavy hair looked perfect to run her fingers through and his eyes…
bedroom
didn’t even begin to describe how enticing they were. She got wet just looking at them in a picture. Oh, she needed to see them up close.
“God, he’s gorgeous,” Tamara said.
Carrie blinked. Since it took Tamara twenty minutes to get from her place to Carrie’s, she’d been staring at the picture all that time. She flushed, trying to shut her laptop, but Tamara held it open.
“Not so fast. I want deets. What’s his name? What does he do?”
“His name is Frey; weird, but I can live with it.” She read his impressive profile to Tamara.
“Wow, Madame Eve certainly worked her magic here. He’s perfect for you.” Tamara crossed her arms and pouted. “I only wish my match had been as perfect for me.”
“You used this dating service? Why didn’t you tell me?” She would have been less reluctant if Tamara had revealed that earlier.
“Because I didn’t want my experience to stop you from letting Madame Eve find your perfect match.”
“She didn’t find yours?”
“I thought she did. I mean, Josh and I enjoyed our first date and we kept seeing each other afterward, but two months later, we went our separate ways for work. Now dating is so much easier for me. You’ve seen how my self-confidence has improved.”
She
had
noticed the change in Tamara. “Yeah, I guess.”
Can I really do this?
She didn’t plan on playing the field like her best friend though. Carrie wanted to find her true love.
Clasping her shoulder, Tamara interrupted her thoughts. “So, let’s arrange this date. Perhaps you’ll meet your future husband or just have a good lay to get you out of the house and improve your mood.”
“Tamara!”
Her friend laughed as she sat down at the computer.
After emails back and forth between Frey, Madame Eve and Carrie, they finally agreed to have the date at a Castillo Resort in Ottawa. Carrie would have preferred to meet at a coffee shop. Being alone with a strange man in a hotel room made her nervous, but she would have the room all to herself now since he hadn’t shown.
Frustrated, she took the stairs to the luxury suite, rather than the elevator, trying to delay the loneliness as she walked into the room.
Moving past the foyer, any feelings of dejection fled as she stared at the king-size bed, fireplace and whirlpool tub. Even without a hot date, she could enjoy staying in this room. She planned to have a long soak in the tub sitting in the corner of the room followed by a good night of sleep in a bed not previously shared with her ex-husband.
While the water ran, she stripped and searched her overnight bag for something to sleep in. Tamara insisted on packing the bag that morning and included some black lacey getup meant to cover her boobs and crotch, but there wasn’t enough material to cover anything. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be wearing it anyway.
Disappointment clutched at her stomach. Her first date since high school and she’d been stood up. Maybe the man of her wildest fantasies thought her nothing more than the girl next door.
God! I have to stop thinking like this before I spend the night dwelling on this failed date and my failed marriage. No, I’m going to enjoy myself.
She gave up on the search for clothes to wear to bed. Then she poured a glass of complimentary wine she’d found in the kitchenette and placed it on the side of the tub along with a bowl of strawberries from the fridge. She slid into the tub, turned off the water and switched the jets on. Total relaxation.
“Frey, I insist you return at once.”
He fixed on his former Mission Commander’s fierce eyes. “You had to abduct me to say this? Even after two years, the answer is still no.”
“If I leave now, you will have no choice.”
He heard the threat in the older Ginnunian words and reigned in his anger. “And if you do, I will hijack the ship and return to Earth. You know I can do it.”
“But the Chancellor….”
“….can kiss my ass.” All control slid away. The MC found his sore spot. “The Chancellor’s daughter left me first. I don’t care if Brand died and now he has no one to give him an heir. Tandee can find someone else to fuck her.”