Maggie's Story (Intergalactic Matchmaking Services) (13 page)

She met members of other clans—there was the Parci clan that wore a tattoo of a stylized dragon on their heads; the Treso clan with their various types of trees; the Dozni clan with tattoos of lightning bolts and what she took to be clouds. The aliens all had mottled skins, usually a combination of two or three very pale colors. There was pink, yellow, orange, purple, blue and green. They all had the vertical slits to their large eyes, with the eye coloring being dark blue, brown or a shade of gray. She didn’t think any of the other Nordonians had eyes as compelling as Daxon’s, however. While Maggie enjoyed meeting so many other crew members, she really just wanted to get to know the security chief more. He seemed to be warming up to her and Mamzell. She had been right when she thought his smile would light up his face. Among his friends, he was more relaxed and laughed often at the questions they asked Maggie or he laughed at her attempts to explain human behavior to the Nordonians.

It took two days for Daxon to show Maggie all of the areas she could venture into on her own. They took their meals together in the eating hall, sometimes just the two of them and sometimes with other crew members joining them. Many times Denot joined them for meals, too. Maggie wasn’t sure she was comfortable being the “source” for their information on humans, but she did her best to answer their questions, leaving out her opinion as much as possible. How could one woman accurately represent an entire species? A species that was broken up into many governments, races, religions, and cultures. She tried to stress this point to the males; she wasn’t an authority, she could only give them as much knowledge as she could with none of it being complete. That was one of the great things of being a human; individuality.

Many evenings she would join the crew members in what they called a recreation room. While part of the room was set up with various sized tables, presumably for playing games, the larger part of the room was set up like a small home theatre. One of the aliens would choose a show or movie to watch and then they would all ask Maggie questions about why the humans behaved a certain way. Trying to explain entertainment, for the sake of entertainment, was difficult. Not to mention time-consuming, with all the pauses for question-and-answer sessions in the middle of programs.

It did not appear the Nordonians had actors and actresses and pop stars and paparazzi in their culture.  They found it interesting that people made a living out of pretending to be someone else; that other people would pay to watch them do so. They had music and singers, but not to the variety the humans had aspired to. Just like humans, however, once they heard the variety of music available, they chose a favorite and wanted to learn more about it and the people who made that style of music. Maggie was by no means an aficionado on the topic of music, so she had to encourage them to look things up on the human internet like they had been. She was a fan of country music and folk music, but personally, she couldn’t carry a tune with a handle attached.

A week after boarding the starship, Maggie decided to spend a night in her room, away from the constant questions from the crew. A night in with Mamzell was just what the doctor ordered, she told herself. Daxon showed up at his usual time to see if she wanted an escort to the recreation area.

“I think I need to stay in tonight. Maybe spend some time with Mamzell.” Right on cue, Mamzell approached Daxon and proceeded to shed all over his pants legs. “If you would like to stay in with us, you are more than welcome. I’m just not up to the crowd in the rec room tonight.”

“If you are sure you do not mind the company,” said Daxon nervously. He had already become accustomed to spending his free time with Maggie.

“Of course not! Please, have a seat,” invited Maggie.

Daxon sat on the couch, Mamzell following him and settling on the cushion next to him. Maggie joined them, sitting on the opposite end of the couch, the cat between them.

“
Mrawr
.”

Daxon knew what the cat wanted at this point. He had seen it often enough over the last week. He reached out and petted the cat’s head, running his hand down its spine. Mamzell started purring in satisfaction immediately. She figured this new person’s training was coming along very well indeed. She climbed in his lap and circled a few times before settling in for a nap.

“I think you like cats,” chuckled Maggie. “Mamzell is wrapping you around to her way of thinking pretty quickly.”

Not knowing what to say to that, Daxon asked, “Are you feeling well? Is there a reason you wanted to avoid the recreation area tonight? The crew members will miss you.” Though he tried to say it as lightly as possible, he knew it was the truth. Many of the crew members could talk about nothing else but Maggie. She was quite popular with the Nordonian males that were looking for mates.

“I’m fine. I just get to feeling overwhelmed with their questions sometimes. I thought I would stay in my rooms and enjoy the peace and quiet for one night. But I’m glad you came over. I enjoy your company.” Maggie blushed, admitting that aloud.

“I enjoy your company, too, Maggie,” said Daxon.

She couldn’t help but notice he was staring at her mouth. Running her tongue around her lips, she at first wondered if she had something on her mouth. When she saw his eyes follow the path her tongue took on her full lips, she wondered if he were thinking of kissing her; she was definitely thinking of what it would be like to kiss him.

“So what would you like to do? Or talk about?” she asked.

“Are you enjoying your time here? Or are you ready to go back home?”

“I like it up here. It would be easy to get used to. There would be a few things I would need to change, though.” She smiled at the mental list of human comforts she missed. First and foremost was junk food. “I would need to find a job up here; something to do to make me feel like I was pulling my weight or at least contributing something. Is there anything you can think of that would suit me?”

“We could always talk to Pacer about that; he might have some ideas. You contribute now, though. You are helping the crew members learn about human society. You are wonderful at explaining things so that they are understandable to each person.”

“So I could remain a teacher in some aspect, is that what you are saying?”

“Sure, that would be perfect for you, correct?” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess it would. I do love to teach. But sometimes they ask questions I don’t feel qualified to answer.”

“That is understandable. There is no one person that is the sole authority on Nordonians. We can be just as individualized as you humans.”

“How long is the IMS program going to continue if none of the couples who have already mated become pregnant? Will you leave Earth’s orbit and continue on your way? Or are you scheduled to leave soon anyways?” The weight of the decision of whether to stay or to go home weighed on her more and more each day.

“I am not sure how to answer that. To my knowledge the program will continue for a while. And the
Starrays
is not scheduled to leave orbit for several more cycles … months. Then another starship will take our place.”

“And the scientists are really sure that we’re compatible?” Maggie knew she was blushing, but she had personal questions to ask and he was finally available, alone, not surrounded by fellow aliens, for her to ask her questions.

“Yes, we are compatible,” he smiled, looking again at her mouth.

Maggie decided to be bolder than she normally would be; this was supposed to be an adventure, after all. She reached up and lightly traced Daxon’s lips with her small fingers. They were full and as soft as she had hoped. She already knew from touching his hands that their skin was a tiny bit thicker than a human’s. She wondered how that fact effected them in other areas. The thought had her blushing more, her cheeks heating.

Pulling her knees onto the couch, she knelt beside him, still tracing his lips, watching his eyes for any sign that her attention was unwelcomed. So far, so good. She traced his jawline to the side of his head, running her fingers softly around the shell of his ear. His pulse beat quickly in his throat. Now she knew for sure he wasn’t immune to her, just as she wasn’t immune to him.

Daxon mimicked her movements, pushing her hair aside as he reached for her ear, tracing it in return. She smiled at him. “Have you ever been with a human female?” she asked softly.

“No. I have never wanted any other human female.”

“What a coincidence, neither have I.” She smiled as she saw he understood she was teasing. She often reached for humor when her nerves were making themselves known. “And since I’ve never been with a Nordonian, is there anything special I need to know?”

“Nothing special, no. The mechanics are the same for each of our races.”

“Good. The chemistry is definitely different, though. For me at least,” she said softly as she leaned in closer.

“Me, too,” said Daxon, right before his lips closed on hers.

Maggie was ecstatic to learn that at least this Nordonian seemed to enjoy kissing as much as she did. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned into him. She nibbled his lips, encouraging him to use his tongue. He immediately opened to her, letting her lead. She breathed in his scent; clean with a hint of something almost cinnamon-like. She found it rather enticing, making her want to breathe in more of him.

Daxon smoothed his large hands up her back, gently massaging her through her shirt. Since being bolder was working, Maggie decided to go with it. She picked up the cat and placed her on the floor, then straddled Daxon’s lap and pushed him further into the back of the couch as she ran her hands over his shoulders, his chest, and his arms. He was muscular, but not in a bulky way; he was solid. She didn’t feel too large in his arms. While she accepted herself built the way she was, with curves and roundness, she knew many human males were stuck on the twiggy train, as she thought of it.

As she reached to release the clasp on his tunic, Daxon leaned forward, holding her with one arm, never releasing her lips. With his other arm, he helped her divest him of his tunic, then his long-sleeved undershirt. This left him bare to the waist. Maggie sat back in his lap and looked down at his chest. The gentle blending of light blue and light green was everywhere. She thought he was beautiful and could not resist moving her hands over his chest. He was watching her expectantly, and she realized he was just as nervous as she. While she worried her plumpness would be a deterrent for him, he seemed to worry his “otherness” would be a deterrent for her.

“You’re beautiful,” she said. She ran her thumbs over his nipples and watched as they hardened. Quickly she removed her own shirt, tossing it onto the chair nearby. She took his lips in another kiss, clasping his face in her hands. She really did enjoy kissing this wonderful male. Never before had she felt so electrified on the inside. It felt like she had a small electrical charge skimming along just beneath the surface of her skin.

Daxon gently held one of her breasts in each hand. His hands were so huge, she fit perfectly. “How do I remove this item?” he asked, indicating her black satin bra.

With a smile, she guided his hands to the back, showing him where the hooks were. Finally she was totally free of its restraints and watched as Daxon tossed it aside. He seemed fascinated with her breasts, making her wonder just what Nordonian females had looked like.

“Are you not used to females with large breasts,” she chuckled as she asked.

“Most females of the species we have encountered have breasts, though different than their males. But not to the variety and degree that human women do. Nordonian females had very small breasts that only became enlarged while they were nursing. Other species have other differences.” While he was speaking, he massaged her breasts, teasing her tight buds by lightly pulling on them. Finally, he lowered his head and took her into his mouth.

“Well, I can’t speak for other women or other species … but my breasts happen to be very sensitive to what you are doing,” she moaned.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, pulling away from her.

“Don’t you dare!” exclaimed Maggie, grasping his head and bringing him closer. They were both breathing much heavier.

Daxon suddenly scooped Maggie up into his arms, walking into the bedroom with her. He gently placed her on the bed.

“Are you sure you want this, Maggie? If not, I need to leave now.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She had never been
more
sure of anything in her life. She wanted this male and she wanted him now. Reaching for her pants, she quickly slid them down her soft legs and tossed them away, to land where they would. This left her in only her panties. She wondered how he felt about leopard print.

Daxon watched her as she removed her pants. Following her lead, he removed his boots and then reached for the closures on his pants. Never taking his eyes from her face, he slowly removed his last articles of clothing.

Maggie was happy to see that, yes, they were compatible. He was built just like a human guy, perhaps slightly bigger than average, at least compared to her limited knowledge. There should be absolutely no problem with her accommodating him, she was relieved to see. Putting the brakes on this now would be torture!

Daxon joined Maggie on the bed; he fit perfectly with its longer length. He gathered her to him, kissing her deeply and she was once again drowning in his distinctive cinnamon scent and taste.
He seemed to have been made exactly for someone with a sweet tooth
, she mused.