Patrolling the Stars Read online

  “What for?”

  “Suspicion of being a front for a prostitution ring.”

  “The GPP suspected this?” Thesos asked.

  “No.”

  Mary narrowed her eyes at him. “You suspected this. How could you? Carolina is the kindest, sweetest person I know.” She leaned forward so only he could hear her. “She has also never been with a man, ever." Mary stood back up, satisfied by the surprised look on his face. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Mr. GPO.” She made to leave, but turned around and came back to the table. She picked up a water glass and threw it in his face. Then she stormed out of the restaurant, following after her friend.

  Drako grabbed a napkin and wiped his face again. He looked up at the Squid, who was still standing there. “Are you going to throw a drink in my face, too?”

  “No.” Thesos said as he pulled back all the arms on his right side. He swung out, hitting Drako with four of his fists and making the man fly backwards onto the floor. Then he left the restaurant in pursuit of his date.

  Drako sat there for a moment. He wasn’t sure what hurt the most: his pride, his bruised face, or his heart. He’d screwed up big time. He’d known deep down that Carolina was innocent, but he had no idea just how innocent she truly was. A virgin — Mary had said that Carolina was a virgin. That was a precious and rare thing these days. He had to find her and apologize. Would she forgive him? He actually deserved to be hit a few more times. A hand suddenly appeared in front of his face, making him flinch.

  He looked up and found Turk holding out a hand to him. He had a smug look on his face. “Need some help?”

  Drako grabbed his hand and pulled himself up. “More than you know.”

  *****

  Carolina ran all the way back to her suite. She’d never in her life been so insulted or humiliated. How could he have lied to her? He thought she was a damn prostitute! She snorted. Jerk. She sat down on the couch, and the tears started to pour out of her. She’d dressed special for him. She had been planning to end their professional relationship, in hopes that he would want to pursue a personal one. The man was hot, and there was no way she would’ve been able to keep her growing feelings for him at bay. Ending their contract was the ethical thing to do. Then she would have been free to date him for real. She’d hoped he wanted the same thing, and then to find out the only reason he’d even gone out with her was because he’d thought she was a prostitute! She was still crying ten minutes later when Mary came home.

  “Oh honey. I’m so sorry.” Mary went to her and sat down, taking Carolina in her arms.

  “How could he think…”

  “He’s an idiot.”

  Carolina cried some more, until finally the tears stopped. She feared that the moment the lights went out and she was all alone, it would start back up again.

  There was a knock at the door. Both women jumped a little.

  “What if it’s him? I don’t want to see him.” Carolina looked scared.

  Mary got up and called through the door, “Who is it?”

  “Thesos.”

  “Oh God.” Mary opened the door. “I’m so sorry, Thesos. I just left you there.”

  Thesos walked inside the suite. “It’s fine. Carolina left her purse at the restaurant, so I brought it.”

  “Thank you, Thesos.” Carolina grabbed her purse from him and then burst out in tears again. “Sorry.”

  Thesos knelt down in front of her and lifted her chin up to make her look at him. “He is an idiot if he cannot see how special you are.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He didn’t know what to do, so he patted her back gently and looked over at Mary for a sign. She gave him a warm, sexy smile.

  “Thank you,” she pulled away and gave his hand a squeeze. Then she noticed that his knuckles were red. “What happened to your hand?”

  He lifted his arms, showing the red knuckles on his right hands. Mary came over and took hold of his hands, looking at them carefully. He shrugged.

  “I didn’t have a drink to throw at him. So I had to improvise.”

  “You punched him?” Mary asked with shock and awe in her voice.

  “Yes. He shouldn’t have said what he did.”

  “How many times did you hit him to make your knuckles turn red?”

  “Just once, but I hit him really hard.” He winked at Mary.

  “Thank you, Thesos. No one has ever defended me before. I have such good friends. I think I’ll take a shower and then head to bed.” Carolina stood up and left the room.

  *****

  “Did I upset her more?” Thesos asked, standing up and looking at Mary. There was a different look in her eyes when she regarded him.

  “No, you didn’t do anything to upset her. Carolina has developed feelings for Drako. She’s devastated to find out he’s been investigating her.” Mary walked up to him and cupped his cheek. “What you did, defending her honor like that, was a wonderful thing.” She leaned up on her toes and placed her lips on his.

  Thesos held his breath, but the moment her soft, warm lips touched his, his breath escaped him. He enfolded her in his embrace, careful to allow only his two main hands to clutch her waist. He didn’t want to scare her with his tentacle arms.

  “Thesos.” She whispered his name, nibbling his lips and chin and placing kisses down his neck.

  “Mary.” He groaned at the feel of her hands on him. He fought to keep control. Don’t frighten her. He almost leaped out of his skin when he felt her hands touching his smaller arms. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to touch me there.”

  “I want to touch you everywhere,” Mary confessed, giving him a sultry look. “I want to feel your hands, all of your hands, on my body.”

  Thesos let go of his control and all of his arms wrapped around Mary. He lifted her up to his hips, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to her bedroom, but paused at the door. “Melanie?”

  “She’s spending the night with a friend.” Mary told him, licking his neck up to his chin.

  He kicked the door closed and quickly took her to the twin bed that he assumed was hers. The other had stuffed animals on it. He lowered her down onto the bed and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? With me?”

  She nodded. “Yes.” Mary moved to her knees so that she could remove her silver dress. She fumbled with the buttons, cursing with frustration.

  “Allow me.” Thesos moved slowly towards her with all eight of his arms limbs; two human arms and six soft tentacle ones. She nodded and moved her hands out of the way.

  Mary gasped. Thesos had her dress, bra, and panties off of her within seconds. His hands moved so fast. Then they were on her body just like he had fantasized since the first time he’d seen her.

  “Do my eight arms and hands bother you?” He worried that they might be too different.

  She shook her head. “I don’t care about all that. You’re a good man. I loved how you defended Carolina with Drako. I love how gentle you are with Melanie. Two arms or eight arms, it doesn’t change who you are in your heart.”

  God, he was falling in love with her. He knelt down to take one of her naked breasts into his warm mouth, wrapping his lips around her nipple. He suckled her while his hands explored every inch of her smooth soft skin. He loved everything about Mary. Her touch, the way she called out his name with the breathiness that was damn sexy. Her body was perfect — she was perfect. He realized for the first time that he loved her and would do anything to make her happy.

  “I need you, Thesos,” Mary said, grabbing one of his arms and drawing it down to the entrance between her gorgeous thighs.

  Thesos touched her as she demanded, feeling how slick and ready she was for him. There would be no waiting; he could take his time next time. And there would be a next time.

  Thesos settled over her, lining up his cock at the juncture of her opening. He pushed in slowly. She was so tight, so warm. It f
elt like her body was drawing him in.

  “Am I hurting you?” Thesos paused, looking down at her closed eyes.

  Mary opened her eyes and looked up at him with passion shining in them. “You feel so good, Thesos.”

  He lost all control after that. He began a steady, pounding rhythm, riding her to the sounds of her ecstasy. His extra hands stroked her entire body, touching her in ways no human ever could. He moved her, caressed her, and claimed her as his own. Forever.

  Chapter Seven

  Carolina didn’t want to get out of bed the next morning. She was still in a horrible mood from the night before, and she wanted to just cancel all of her dates and sleep the day away.

  Of course, it had to have been the one client she had feelings for. If that night had gone the way she planned, she would’ve asked him if she could tear up the contract so they could start really dating. But instead, Drako had to be an ass. He had the nerve to call her a prostitute in front of a room full of people — that had hurt like hell.

  She wasn’t angry that he was a Galactic Patrol Officer; she was upset because it felt like everything he’d told her was a lie. Was he even attracted to her? Resigning herself to the late lunch date she had scheduled, she put on a white sundress and pulled her hair up. She added some flat sandals and headed to the restaurant.

  *****

  Drako showed up at the restaurant early, hoping to catch Carolina and apologize to her. But the woman avoided him, and her date showed up right on time, leaving Drako without a single opportunity to speak with her privately. He sat at the bar, watching them. He could see the hatred and hurt in her eyes. He deserved every bit of it, and he knew it. He sipped his coffee and picked at his eggs.

  Turk came and sat down. “She’s still pissed,” he said.

  “She should be, I’m such an ass,” Drako returned bitterly.

  “I’m not quite sure if ass is a strong enough word for what you are, my friend.” Turk returned.

  Drako grunted his agreement and went back to drinking his coffee. He finished up and left quickly, not wanting to watch her hate him anymore.

  *****

  Carolina sat throughout her first date of the day, trying her hardest to keep a smile plastered on her face. When she saw Drako sitting in the corner of the restaurant, it was all she could do to keep from scowling. Seeing him just upset her more; she’d changed the hours she was going out for a while so she could try and avoid him, but apparently that wasn’t going to work.

  She was happy when he finally left. Carolina knew she couldn’t carry on like this forever, but she at least wanted to try. She couldn’t quit her job — she needed the money. Finally her date was over, and she could head home. The client walked her to her door, and she disappeared inside her suite.

  She was seriously contemplating cancelling her dinner date for the night, but he was a ‘high roller,’ so to speak. She couldn’t afford to miss that date. She heard the door open and turned to see Mary coming in.

  “I thought you were at work?” Carolina asked.

  “I took a long lunch to come and see if you needed anything.”

  “Thank you,” Carolina said. “I’m fine, though.”

  “He was there at the restaurant,” Mary stated, not bothering to frame it as a question.

  “Yeah, he was,” she answered.

  “It’s going to be hard to avoid him on the ship, you know that right?”

  “I know.”

  “I can get you a job at the restaurant.”

  “I’m not changing my life because of what he said,” Carolina said firmly.

  “Good,” Mary said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  Carolina smiled. “How was your night with Thesos?”

  Mary’s cheeks flushed red. “It was nice.”

  “I bet.” Carolina gave her a knowing wink. She’d tried to ignore the sexual sounds coming from Mary’s room.

  They sat mostly in silence while Mary ate her lunch. Carolina didn’t want to drown everyone in her self-pity. When Mary’s lunch was over she left, hugging Carolina tightly before she walked out the door.

  Carolina got up and ran a bath for herself and climbed in to soak. She sat there until she realized that Melanie should’ve been home a half an hour ago. She got out and dressed quickly, walking into the living room to see Thesos holding his eyes shut and counting. She heard Melanie giggle, but couldn’t see her. They were playing hide and seek.

  Thesos opened his eyes and smiled at her. He found Melanie fairly quickly, making her laugh as he roared playfully. Then he turned to Carolina. “I hope you don’t mind. I walked her home and heard you in the bath; we didn’t want to disturb you,” he apologized.

  “I don’t mind, thank you,” she answered, smiling kindly. “You know you’re always welcome here, Thesos.”

  He smiled in return. “I’d better get back to work now.” He gave Melanie a quick hug and left.

  *****

  Mary had gotten home from work a little late, so Carolina was running behind for her next date. She got to the restaurant to see the Soto she was meeting with looking around impatiently. Carolina was never late, and she felt terrible about it as she approached him.

  “Ambassador Clen.” She took the seat across from him. “I apologize for being late.”

  “Please, just call me Clen,” he answered as his big, black eyes roved over her body, looking her over in her thin black dress. “You’re more beautiful than I was told,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Carolina replied, smiling.

  The liaison date was going smoothly; they were talking easily, like she did with all of her clients. He opened up fairly quickly, considering most of her clients didn’t really start talking until the second date. The first one was usually a bit awkward, which was why she didn’t make them pay.

  Their meal was served faster than usual. She had another fifteen minutes left to go after they’d finished eating, so Carolina simply sat with her client and chatted with him professionally. Then the ambassador said something that made her feel awkward.

  “Come home with me tonight," he said.

  He made it sound like an order.

  “I don’t go home with clients, Mr. Clen. I have to keep things professional.”

  “You misunderstand. I want you to be mine, and mine alone. There will be no other clients.” Ambassador Clen spoke as if her agreement was a sure thing.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do that. My relationships with my clients are strictly professional. I don’t have feelings for you, either,” Carolina answered honestly. She needed to get the hell out of here. This guy was freaking her out.

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” Clen said, more forcefully than he had before.

  “You will have to in this case,” she said sharply, leaving no room for argument.

  “You will come home with me, and I’ll take care of all your needs,” he demanded.

  *****

  Drako and Turk walked into the restaurant and sat down at the bar to have a stiff drink before dinner. Well, a stiff drink for Drako at least, while Turk drank water. Out of the corner of his eye, Drako saw Carolina arguing with one of her clients. He couldn’t stop himself from watching as the client stood up and grabbed her arm, kissing her forcefully. She struggled against him, trying to get away.

  Finally, Carolina got her arm free and slapped the Soto. The man went to hit her back, but before he could Drako had a hold of his hand. He wrapped the guy’s arm around his back and pushed him up against the wall, hard, and began to shove him out of the restaurant.

  Turk went over to Carolina. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she answered, starting to walk away.

  “Let me walk you home,” Turk offered.

  “I’ll walk you home," Drako said, walking back inside.

  “No.” She turned Drako down fast, and turned to the captain. “Captain Turk, I’d appreciate it if you walked me home, please.” She didn’t look
at Drako.

  Drako watched in hurt and anger as the woman that had somehow become his obsession left with his best friend.

  *****

  Turk had walked Carolina halfway to her suite when they ran into Thesos. The steward looked from her to Turk and raised an eyebrow.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “One of my liaison dates just turned bad, that’s all,” Carolina answered.

  “I can walk her home from here, I’m headed there anyway,” Thesos said to Turk.

  Turk nodded, but leaned in close to Carolina before she headed off with Thesos. “He feels really bad for what he said," Turk whispered.

  “Who?” Carolina asked.

  “You know who. Give him a break and talk to him,” Turk suggested. “Have a good night, Miss Andiva, Thesos.” Turk walked away.

  “What happened, Carolina?” Thesos asked as they started to walk towards her room.

  “He, uh… Well, he wanted me to go home with him…” she began.

  “Captain Turk?” Thesos questioned.

  “No, my client, Ambassador Clen,” she answered. “He just wouldn’t take no for an answer. He tried to grab me.”

  “Well, who stopped him?”

  “Drako,” she answered reluctantly.

  “Well, that’s a step up from calling you a prostitute,” Thesos said, showing the obvious disgust he felt for the man still.

  Carolina went straight to her room, not wanting to talk about the second date in a row that had gone so terribly. Maybe she was jinxed. She laid on her bed until she heard a knock on the front door. Carolina got up and walked into the living room to answer it, even though was late for someone to be coming by.

  Drako stood in the doorway. “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she said, starting to close the door on him.

  “Are you sure?” he asked again.

  “Yes, but I’m still not ready to talk to you.”

  “For the record, I’m sorry,” he added just before she closed the door in his face.

  Carolina walked back to her room, trying to push Drako as far out of her mind as possible. She forced her eyes shut, feeling sick to her stomach with all the things that had gone wrong over the last two days. All she could think was that at least tomorrow was her day off. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, she finally fell asleep.