“Blessed Resplendence! Why are you on the ground? Are you alright?” he asks and pulls me up to a sitting position.
“I’m okay. Just missed a step.” I stand up and straighten the oversized pants.
Boss’s eyes narrow on the borrowed clothing. I can almost feel his thoughts, and he is not happy.
“Those rags are not fit for the goddess,” he says with a sneer. “Allow me to find you something more…suitable.”
I return the look. “Don’t bother yourself with such a menial task. Surely you can findsomeone elseto do it.” I jab at the way he treats his fellow brethren.
“Sweet Divinity, I am your humble servant and equal to all the brethren in your servitude.”
I’m not buying it for a second. His over-the-top choice of words are less and less genuine every day.
“Cut the bullshit,” I say, getting straight to the point. “We both know that isn’t true.”
He recoils. A flicker of shock before he recovers quickly and returns to the phony subservient tone he uses with me.
“I will admit to taking leadership when the brethren require it. When we landed here on Sabaak, there was pandemonium. If I hadn’t stepped in, we would have perished. I would think our goddess would be appreciative of my efforts.” Vitriol sneaks back. Apparently, he can only maintain the facade for so long.
This motherfucker. If he thinks he can intimidate me, he’s got another thing coming.
“Listen here,Brethren,” I say, emphasizing the title to help get my point across, “You need to chill the fuck out.”
“Chill? I am not overheated. Perhaps you need to cool down from the trip on the surface.” If he is trying to rile me up, it has the opposite effect. My irritation manifests as ice in my veins.
“It means you need to back off.” I poke his broad forehead with my index finger, adding fuel to the argument. I’m ready to fight.
His eyes blaze with anger and then he bows, “If it pleases you, consider it done.”
He slithers away into the colony without another word. I was not expecting that. I was ready to finally have it out with him and lay it all on the table!
The abrupt end to the conversation leaves me unsettled. As I walk the tunnels back to my room, I try to put the disturbing interaction behind me and instead focus on the giant warm tub waiting for me.
TWENTY-FIVE
Tai
Isink down into the tub and resolve to never ride another h’axom as long as I live.
Before long, Bri steps into the bathroom and our eyes meet. Fuck. I still want to kiss her. I want to do more than just kiss.
“I’ll close my eyes,” I tell her and squeeze my eyes shut. The sound of her clothes hitting the floor goes straight to my cock. I blindly swipe my arms across the water, gathering bubbles around me, hiding evidence of my reaction to her. Anyone in my situation would have a similar response to a beautiful woman getting naked.
“You can open them now,” she says. I peek through one eye and she’s across from me, the water lapping at her collarbones. She has a serious look on her face, and I can sense something is wrong right away.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, everything is fine. I’ve had it with Boss’s shit,” she says while she unties her long braid. The way she gently pulls apart the three sections is fascinating. How does she not let it all get tangledup? She turns, and her pink hair cascades down her back, concealing her soft golden skin from view. My fingers itch to reach out and touch her.
“What did he do now?” I ask, suddenly concerned he did something between the time I left her face down on the ground and now. I feel terrible for leaving her down, just so I could win the stupid bet.
“His normal bullshit.”
“What happened?” I press for answers. Whatever it is she doesn’t want to say I really want to know.
She squints and quirks her mouth to the side in the most adorable way.
“I don’t want to tell you,” she says and turns away, pretending to inspect the line of glass bottles along the edge.
