“If that’s true, then he’s not a guy you want in your life anyway,” Olivia said firmly. “And it’s better to know that now than wonder about it the rest of your life.”
“Liv is right, doll,” Kat said, nodding. “You don’t want to be wondering ‘what if’ the rest of your days. Sometimes you just have to go for it.”
“You’re right.” Chloe nodded firmly. “I just need to get the nerve to go after what I want. But…” She nibbled her lower lip, some of her self-confidence leaking away. “But what if he doesn’t want to see me?”
“Oh, he’ll see you all right—especially wearing that outfit,” Kat said dryly. “Of course, you’re going to have to wear a cardigan over it when you go to find him but once you’ve got him someplace even semi-private, just let it fall open and…viola—instant sex kitten!”
“Just talk to him,” Liv advised. “And get him to talk to you. This is all a big misunderstanding—he thinks you’re mad at him because the perverted mattress made the two of you do the nasty and you’re afraid he’s angry because he used the crystal on you instead of himself. Once you get talking, you’ll get it all settled.”
“And once you get sexing you won’t care about talking so much anymore,” Kat added, grinning.
“But…but the whole point of his quest when he found me was to cure his stutter,” Chloe protested. “He wasn’t able to do that and all because of me. I mean, I’m a speech therapist and I can help him work on it, but I can’t cure it immediately like that stupid rainbow crystal could have done!”
“Oh yes you can!” Kat said firmly. “You know how to get him to talk without stuttering? Bond with him. There are no speech deficiencies in mind-speak.”
“Mind-speak?” Chloe frowned.
“She means once you two have bonded, you’ll be able to send and receive thoughts—sometimes feel emotions too—through the soul-bond you’ll share,” Olivia explained. “And I do believe she’s right—I’ve never heard of anyone’s speech problems carrying over through the link. It’s a much purer form of communication.”
“I never thought of that,” Chloe murmured. “Even if he could only communicate with one person—with me—without his stutter getting in the way, I think it would help.”
“You’re damn straight it would help. And so will a good old fashioned boink-fest,” Kat said, wiggling her eyebrows theatrically. “There’s nothing to put a man in a good mood like bonding sex.”
“Well, Kat is right about that—even if she does have sex on the brain.” Liv laughed at her friend. “Well, Chloe—what are you going to do?”
Chloe took a deep breath and looked at herself once more.
“I’ll do it,” she said, decisively. “I’ll get Tark to bond with me. I mean…at least I’ll try to convince him to.” She sighed. “I was feeling so confident there for a while, before he refused to see me at the med center. But now I’m back to where I was before—wondering why such a huge, gorgeous guy would want Plus-sized me.”
“Don’t feel like that, doll,” Kat said earnestly. “I know—I felt the same way too with my guys—especially Deep, my dark twin. Both of them look like they stepped off the pages of the latest male fashion vlog and back in high school, I was always ‘the fat girl.’ It was really hard to believe two amazingly hot guys would want me.”
“But they did,” Liv said, smiling. “Deep and Lock nearly drove themselves crazy wanting her. Most Kindred seem to like girls with a little more to love but Twin Kindred or anyone raised on Twin Moons idolizes them.”
“Really?” Chloe looked at herself in the viewer again. “I own my curves,” she said out loud, trying to feel the same body-positivity she had worked so hard to win back on Earth—that feeling of confidence that the Commercians and their damn weight-loss house had stripped from her layer by layer when they held her captive.
“You own them, girl,” Kat said, giving her a supportive smile. “You’re freaking gorgeous and don’t you forget it. Any man would be lucky to have you!”
“Thank you.” Chloe grinned at her tentatively in the viewer. “I used to be better at this before I spent time in the fat-shaming house from hell with the Commercians. But I’ll get back to where I was.”
I hope, she added to herself. She had to remember that Tark had always seemed to like her curves. He had called her an Elite—had said she was perfect. Did he still feel the same way?
Chloe certainly hoped so or she was about to make a monumental fool out of herself.
“All right,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll go to him.”
Chapter Twenty-five
All right, Tark thought to himself. I’m as ready as I’m going to get—I’ll go to her.
He looked at himself in the viewer one more time. He was dressed in a dark red uniform shirt, black trousers, and high black boots. His wild hair had been tamed somewhat and his beard was neatly trimmed. The wounds from the Slimerian’s sucker-teeth had healed neatly and cleanly, not even leaving a scar. He looked about as good as he was going to get—it was time to go ask Chloe’s forgiveness and hope she would grant it to him.
* * * * *
“Come on, Chloe—you can do this,” Chloe told herself. “Get out there and give it your best shot. And if he doesn’t want you, then it’s his loss.”
Lifting her chin high, she smoothed down the see-through blouse and sexy, flirty skirt. She was wearing high heels and thigh-high hose with garters as a final touch. Kat had recommended them before she and Liv left.
“Remember, back on Twin Moons you’d be a super model,” she had advised Chloe. “Strut your stuff and don’t be afraid.”
She and Liv had given Chloe parting hugs and made her promise to call them the next day and let them know how things had gone between her and Tark.
“Why the next day?” Chloe had asked. “Don’t you want to know sooner than that? I can call you both tonight.” She tapped the thin wire circlet called a "Think-me" which Kat had given her and taught her how to use.
Olivia had laughed.
“Honey, if you really understood how long bonding sex with a Beast Kindred takes you wouldn’t offer to call us until next week.”
“Liv is right—any kind of bonding sex takes time,” Kat had said. “So don’t worry about us, we can wait until tomorrow to hear the dirty details.”
“Thank you again for everything,” Chloe told them. She had been full of confidence but now that they were gone, she wasn’t so sure of herself.
“Super model,” she told the image in the 3-D viewer. “Sex kitten. Go for it, Chloe! Come on—go now before you lose your nerve!”
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the lightweight, black cardigan around her to hide her breasts, which were fully visible under the sheer pink blouse, and stepped to the door of her suite.
The door slid open…revealing a surprised looking Tark who was just in the act of knocking.
“Oh!” Chloe took a step back, her heart thumping with surprise. God, he looked amazing—and taller than ever—if that was even possible. His wild, shaggy mane had been tamed into almost neatness and he was wearing a dark red shirt that went well with his dark tan skin tones.
His golden eyes widened as he took her in and Chloe realized that the black cardigan had come open and was showing her breasts.
“Um…” she took a step back, feeling a burst of embarrassment. She had to resist the urge to snatch the cardigan closed and cover herself.
I’m supposed to be a sex kitten—not a prude, she reminded herself.
“M-muh-may I c-come in?” he rumbled, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Oh. Oh, yes! Yes, of course…” Chloe realized she was just standing there staring at him like an idiot. Making a sweeping gesture with one hand she stood to one side, inviting him into her guest suite. She kept a smile fixed on her face but inside her mind was working a thousand miles a minute.
What is he here for? Does he want to tell me it’s over officially? Ask me to leave him alone and stop botherin
g him? Why did he get all dressed up just to see me? What’s going on?
She shut the door behind them and turned to face the big Kindred, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.
“I, uh, was just coming to see you,” she said, trying and failing to sound confident. “I was hoping we could talk. I—”
But before she could go any further, Tark completely astounded her by dropping to his knees before her.
“Chloe,” he growled softly, looking up at her—not very far up though. He was so tall that even on his knees they were nearly eye-to-eye. “I’m so s-s-sorry about wh-what happened at the r-r-resort. Will you for-forgive me?”
“Forgive you?” Chloe looked at him blankly for a moment. So Monk Aaroni had been right—at least about this. Tark really did feel like the incident in the sex cubby had been his fault.
“I n-nuh-never should h-have asked you to c-come with me in the f-fuh-first place,” Tark rumbled. “And then w-what h-happened in the c-cluh-class—”
“Wasn’t your fault,” Chloe cut him off firmly. She dared to reach out, running her fingers through his long hair and cupping his scratchy cheek in her palm. “Tell me the truth, Tark,” she murmured, looking into those golden eyes. “Why wouldn’t you see me when I came to you at the med station? Are you mad because you used the Rainbow Crystal to come get me instead of curing yourself?”
His eyes widened in shock.
“N-nuh-no!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “I th-thought you were up-up-upset with muh-me. Th-thought I d-d-didn’t deserve t-to see you.”
“How could you think that?” Chloe demanded. “I mean, yes I was upset—it was kind of scary because you’re so big and that stupid gella mattress went freaking crazy! Also I was afraid I might get pregnant—but now I know I couldn’t have” she added quickly, as he opened his mouth to explain. “I made some new friends here—one of them, Olivia, is married to a Beast Kindred. So she…” She felt her cheeks getting hot but she went on anyway. “She told me how you can’t get pregnant by a Kindred unless you have bonding sex with him. And you can’t get pregnant by a Beast Kindred unless you, uh, let his mating fist all the way inside you.”
God, just talking like this was making her feel overheated and naughty but she kept her voice steady and didn’t look away from Tark’s surprised expression.
“I th-thought I c-could ask you for sp-spuh-speech th-therapy sessions,” he said at last.
“Oh…” Chloe felt her heart drop. “Therapy session? Is…is that all you want from me? Is that why you came to see me?” And here she’d been talking about bonding sex! God, did she feel stupid.
But Tark’s eyes widened and he shook his head.
“N-no!” he said quickly. “B-but I thought you m-might be afraid of me after the c-class. I thought m-muh-maybe if we spent some time j-just doing th-therapy…”
“Hey, I am not afraid of you.” Chloe poked him in the chest. “But if all you want from me is therapy—”
“N-no!” He looked frustrated, as though he wanted to say more but knew his stutter would get in the way.
“Sing it,” Chloe suggested. “Like you did back at the resort. Sing what you want to say, Tark.”
The big Kindred nodded.
“I don’t just want therapy,” he sang, in sonorous, baritone notes that reminded Chloe of Gregorian chants. “I want you, Chloe—but I was afraid after what happened—after what I did—that you wouldn’t want me.”
“Oh, Tark!” She threw her arms around his neck—much easier to do since he was still on his knees. “I want you too,” she whispered in his ear. “I know we haven’t known each other long but I dreamed of you long before you found me in that stupid house the Commercians put me in.”
He pulled back, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Y-you did?”
Chloe nodded. “Did…did you dream of me?” she asked shyly.
Tark frowned. “Y-yes. B-but I n-never thought…” He shook his head and resumed, singing this time. “I never thought a male like me could hope to win an Elite. You’re so beautiful, Chloe—any male would want you. I never dreamed you might pick me.”
“I…I feel the same way about you,” she whispered. “I never thought a guy like you would want to be with a girl like me.”
“I d-do!” he insisted fiercely. “Gods, Chloe—I w-want you so much!”
Chloe bit her lip.
“Just for sex? Or for…you know, something that lasts longer?”
Tark’s eyes blazed pure gold.
“I want to bond you to me forever,” he sang, but somehow his deep voice was more of a musical growl. “I never want to let you go. But I don’t want to scare you or hurt you.”
“I told you, I’m not afraid of you. Get up.” Chloe tugged at his arm until he rose to his feet. Then she planted both palms on his broad, muscular chest and pushed him backwards towards the couch.
Tark’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Wh-what are you d-doing?”
“Proving I’m not afraid of you. Here—sit down.”
Chloe pushed him down on the couch, though of course he was so big he wouldn’t have budged if he hadn’t been letting her move him. He settled back in the middle of the couch and looked up at her, a bemused expression on his face.
Feeling a strange mixture of determination and desire, Chloe shed the black cardigan she’d been wearing to cover the sheer pink blouse and straddled him on the couch, putting her knees on either side of his lean hips.
“Ch-Chloe?” Tark frowned at her uncertainly. “Y-you don’t h-have to d-do this.”
Chloe arched an eyebrow at him.
“You want me to stop?”
“No!” His response was swift and there was a hungry look in his golden eyes but Chloe had the idea he was afraid to move—afraid he would somehow hurt or scare her. It was definitely up to her to make the first move here. Suddenly she had an idea of how to proceed.
“So you said you wanted therapy,” she said, trying to sound innocent and concerned.
Warily, Tark nodded. “Y-yes…”
“But I think you might need a different kind of therapy this time,” Chloe told him. “Remember how the monks at the resort kept saying you had the Skin Hunger?”
“Well…y-yes.” He was still looking at her like he had no idea what she as getting at. To be honest, Chloe only half-knew herself. She was kind of making this up as she went along.
“So…have you ever heard of ‘touch therapy’?" she asked innocently.
Tark shook his head.
“Would you like me to tell you about it and maybe show you how it’s done?” Chloe asked.
He nodded, his eyes blazing. She could feel how tense his big body was under hers. No doubt about it—he needed this. She had been making the whole “touch therapy” idea up but now she remembered him telling the monk at the resort, “I have been hungry all my life.”
The words resonated in her memory and Chloe realized something—Tark actually did need to touch and be touched. Suddenly she felt as hungry as the big Kindred obviously was. But she wanted to take things slowly…wanted to move at her own pace—not some frantic rhythm set by anyone or anything else, as had happened with the stupid gella mattress during the Oneness class.
“So with touch therapy,” she continued, running both her hands through his hair and down over his broad shoulders. “The therapist—that’s me—starts by touching her client very gently. And it’s better if I’m touching your bare skin. Do you mind?” she asked, her fingers hovering over the buttons of his dark red shirt.
Tark shook his head. “G-go ahead,” he rumbled.
“Good.”
Slowly, Chloe unbuttoned his uniform shirt and pulled it open, baring his mouthwateringly muscular chest. God, he looked amazing! And being this close to him, she could smell the warm, smoky, spicy fragrance of his skin.
“God, you always smell so good,” she murmured, running her hands over his shoulders and chest. “Why is that?”
“My b-bonding scent,” Tark said hoarsely and then sang, “My body makes it for you to draw you in…to make you want to bond with me.”
Well, it’s certainly working! Chloe thought. And his explanation certainly answered a lot of questions.
“No wonder I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off you at the resort,” she exclaimed. “I kept thinking how good you smelled and how I just wanted to get closer to you. And then I felt bad for being unprofessional. But I guess I was under the influence of your bonding scent.”
Tark shrugged apologetically.
“S-sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Chloe told him. “Now come on, we have to get back to the touch therapy.” Which she was totally still just making up as she went along, but what she was doing felt right somehow so she decided to keep it up.
Tark nodded. “C-can I touch you now?”
“I think that would be a good idea. But not with your hands—not yet,” Chloe told him, smiling a little. She was beginning to really enjoy this—enjoy having the upper hand.
She made sure the big Kindred was watching and then, slowly, she unbuttoned her own blouse and pulled it open, baring the black lace demi-bra which held up her full breasts while leaving her tight pink nipples bare.
Tark made a low, animalistic groan in the back of his throat and Chloe felt something hot and hard nudge her between her thighs. Good, she was definitely having an effect on him!
“Now, Tark,” she said, mock-sternly. “Settle down, please. How can I conduct this therapy session if you’re growling at me like that?”
“S-sorry.” His deep voice was hoarse.
“Now,” Chloe said. “I can tell how deeply affected you are by what we’ve done so far. Come here and lay your head on my chest.”
She drew him forward and placed his head on the tops of her breasts, making sure he could feel their soft curves against his cheek. His dark beard felt scratchy against her tender slopes and a shiver of pleasure went down her spine at the intimate contact.