"That behavior isn't frightening to his species, and you know it isn't frightening to ours if both people agree in advanceto it. Plenty of people are into kink, including me. Plus, it will only happen when they finish building the facility for the scenario," I said. "The spider explained everything. They wanted to monitor the whole process, but he had a pretty detailed list of requirements, so they're going to work with the film studio to set up a whole Truman Show-esque deal for it, so there isn't a risk of someone calling the cops on him if they notice something."
As flippant as I was about the contract, I did read it, especially the first section, where it detailed exactly what kind of courtship was giving consent for. The whole thing reminded me of some of the dark romance novels I loved, only better, because this way I knew what was coming, had agreed in advance, and had a series of safe words for specific moments. I had one to make it all stop, and I also had one for a check-in, like a pause button. Kink with consent sounded like a good deal to me, especially when the human stories of his species pre-Norratar invasion tended to be stories of murder sprees.
I took another big sip of my drink, the warm buzz of the alcohol sinking into my limbs. My face was starting to get a little numb, a sure sign that my drink was a lot stronger than it tasted.
“He doesn’t have to wait for the facility to be built,” Porcha said.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"Right here," she said, turning the contract so I could read it. "It started as soon as you signed."
I pursed my lips then took another big gulp of my drink, an excited flutter in my stomach.
"That was a week ago," I said, thinking back on my week. "Nothing has happened. He has to be waiting for the scenario."
"I'm going to send a security company over to your house to double-check your doors and windows," Porcha said.
"I don't need to do that," I said. "I signed up for this. I'm excited about it."
"It specifies in the contract that you should fight back and defend your space with any means desired," Porcha says. "It even says you are encouraged to shoot and stab him. It is very clear that he wants you to fight back, and..." she lowered her voice again. "Lam, if you want this mate to respect you in terms of his cultural expectations, then you can't just leave the door unlocked and lie on the bed with your legs open. Aren't you worried he is going to hurt you?"
I flushed, giggled, and took another big sip. "Mating with me without harming me while I fight him is an important part of his biological requirement for the mate lock. He isn't going to be able to do the deed if he hurts me. They get limp."
Porcha turned the contract back towards her and scrolled through the text. She gave me a knowing look as she found the section. "Skimmed it, huh?"
I grinned and nodded as the room swam a little. The need to pee punched me in the bladder like a hot knife. "I gotta pee," I said, lurching to my feet.
Porcha grabbed a napkin from the table and laid it on top of my drink before twisting in her chair to look towards the archway that led to the bathroom. "It's over there," she pointed. "When you get back, I want to talk about the long-term effects of this decision. This isn't like a one-night stand deal. If you go through with this, you are going to have a psycho alien mate for life."
I saluted her and swayed my way across the crowded room.
There were two doors in the small hallway, one with a generic picture of a humanoid form, the other with a picture of that same form but with ears and a tail. I laughed and pushed open the door with the sign for aliens on it. I let the door swing closed behind me as I made my way over to the normal-looking toilet. This bar hadn't done anything different in this bathroom exceptfor a prominent sign over the trash can that said: "Sheddings go in trash, not toilet!"
I swiped the seat with toilet paper to make sure I wasn't about to sit down into a mess, lined the rim with more toilet paper, then did my business. When I was done, I flushed and washed my hands at the sink.
The door I forgot to lock banged open, and a bleary-eyed human man with a five o'clock shadow and a beer belly stood in the doorway.
"Almost done!" I said as I reached for the paper towels.
"What the huu... hurrrrrry," he slurred as he tried to shut the door behind him, sending my cheerful mood careening into the trash can as anxiety spiked through me.
The door didn't close.
Above the drunk man's head, a set of strong fingers wrapped around the door.
The drunk man frowned, trying to pull the door towards him with a yank, but the door didn't move; instead, his fingers slipped off the handle, and he stumbled towards me with the momentum. I swiveled, pressing myself back up against the sink to avoid him, and he caught his balance a few feet in front of me. He turned, looking at me with empty, soulless eyes, alcohol painting anger across his features in lines that would last him the rest of his life.
There was a flash of blue, the sound of a yelp, a soft breeze of body odor and stale beer, and the man was gone, out the door.
A door that shut with a click, a towering figure standing with his back to me. He wore jeans that fit his form like he had to paint them on, and a light brown jacket that screamed everyday normal man, even though his height begged to differ. His hair was brown, the back of his neck a slightly lighter shade of brown, but it had that shimmer to it, that one that Porcha had told me to look out for. She made me look at dozens of pictures to makesure I knew how to spot the sign of one of those alien technology disguises. You could only catch the shimmer if you were close up and knew what to look for.
The man standing with his back to me, dressed and looking like an everyday Joe, was definitely an alien in disguise.
"Vlacul?" I asked, my heart thudding in my chest.
He turned around to face me, his chin tilting up as he narrowed his eyes, looking down at me like I was a treat he couldn't decide if he wanted to bite into now or save for later. I gasped. I recognized the sharp angle of his cheekbone, the smile that caught in the edge of his mouth.
"You were the shuttle driver!" I said. "Who brought me back to Earth! Does that mean we aren't waiting for them to set up a facility?"
