Lara Santiago - Menagerie Read online

  “Why can’t he just call them? I’m not letting go and you can’t make me.” Valerie hugged Hauser even tighter, if that was possible.

  Green stiffened. “Your behavior is highly irregular, human.”

  “May I speak?” Hauser, his gaze fixed on the floor, hands still in the air, asked.

  An orange alien approached from the sidelines of where all the rest of the noisy gauntlet arena men now fidgeted. Green huffed as if affronted by Hauser’s request. “Go ahead. Speak.”

  “If you check my files, you’ll see that I have authority to select a female without consulting my group as long as she understands our requirement to sexually service all five of us equally.”

  “Yes. That’s right. I want to select him and his group and service them equally,” Valerie parroted.

  “We have been without sexual service for almost two months. It is imperative for my group to engage a female at today’s gauntlet arena. The next scheduled gauntlet arena night is past our sixty day maximum sexual drought.”

  Green again sighed very deeply and promptly consulted with Orange in a whispered conversation she couldn’t hear. Valerie frowned. She thought these aliens should be a little more understanding of the situation. Orange looked at the screen of the hand-held device he carried, pushed several buttons and spoke this time. “Very well. Both of you stand up.”

  Over his shoulder, Green called out, “Bring the contract seal device.”

  Valerie didn’t release Hauser, but she did help him stand up. He kept his hands well away from her person. She guessed he wasn’t allowed to touch her until the bargain had been struck.

  The device was as large as two clipboards stuck together. Each side had a place to put a handprint. Hauser placed his hand on the left side. She snuck her hand out from under his shirtsleeve and flattened it on the right side of the large device. The flat gray panel warmed beneath her hand and a beep sounded after several seconds.

  “All right. You are officially sealed. You may kiss now if that is your wish.”

  “It is.” Hauser removed his hand from the clipboard and immediately clinched his arms around her in an intimate embrace. Now that they were ‘sealed,’ Valerie guessed he was allowed to touch her.

  Hauser hugged her to his frame and whispered. “Thank you.” His lips grazed her temple and the sensation of his lips touching her skin sent a zap of electric warmth straight to her clit. If he kissed her mouth she’d probably climax.

  “No problem,” she responded breathily, raising her face. She wanted a kiss in the worst way.

  Trailing kisses down the side of her face, Hauser had her panting by the time he got anywhere near her mouth. She tilted her head back further to encourage a more intimate kiss to test her theory.

  Licking her lips to moisten them in preparation, she thought she’d scream bloody murder if her alarm went off and ruined this perfect kiss dream.

  Hauser’s head bent close, his lips were suddenly a whisper from hers. The breath from his mouth caressed her skin sending a shard of heat to her core and then, the door to the arena banged open with force. Out of the corner of her eye, Valerie saw Blue march through the entrance . He fixed a gaze on her and shouted, “Stop! Do not kiss her!”

  Hauser hesitated, his face rose slightly to see what the interruption was. He loosened his grip, but Valerie ignored the shouted warning. She wanted this kiss. She wanted it now before anyone or anything stopped it. Not to be deterred or deprived, Valerie closed the distance between them by lifting up on her tiptoes and planted her lips firmly on Hauser’s mouth. He groaned and his tongue immediately shot inside the warm confines between her lips.

  As their tongues curled around each other, a wave of blissful and near orgasmic power bolted down her body. She stiffened, broke the seal of their mouths and cried out as every nerve in her body sang. It wasn’t an orgasm exactly, but close enough to feel amazing. She was ready for another.

  Valerie’s knees went weak as Hauser shuddered. He bent at the knees still clutching her hard in his arms, but stayed on his feet. She clung to him, unable to get her legs to function.

  “What have you done?” Blue shouted. “I told you not to kiss her. Release her, this instant!”

  “He didn’t do it. She did. She kissed him,” Orange said as Valerie recovered from the near blissful moment. Grateful that Hauser still held her close, she’d likely be on the floor in a satiated puddle otherwise.

  Blue made a strangled noise. “She hasn’t gone through orientation yet. She never officially volunteered for gauntlet duty.”

  Everything stopped in the room.

  “What?” Green shouted. “Then how did she know about the gauntlet arena?”

  Blue pressed his lips together into a flat line before saying in a low tone, “I mentioned it in the preamble before leading her group to the orientation area. We had to make some sudden changes that were not fully rehearsed.”

  Green seemed unconvinced. He sent Valerie a disgruntled look. “She seemed to understand the rules.”

  Raising his arms, Blue yelled, “She’s not even supposed to be at this advanced gauntlet arena! Look at how she’s dressed. Could you not tell she hadn’t gone through orientation?”

  “You were the one who lost her from your initial pre-orientation party. I can’t be blamed for this. Besides, the only one complaining is you. They seem very happy.” Orange clamped the large clipboard beneath one arm.

  “Of course they do, they experienced pleasure when their mouths met, you idiot. If she hadn’t kissed him, we could have reversed everything.”

  Orange raised his dark brows and sent her a terse look. “It’s too late now. They’ve been sealed. She’s stuck with his group for the duration of her journey. They can’t return to Earth unless she cooperates.”

  Valerie, now partially recovered from the best kiss she’d ever experienced, was abruptly worried about why the aliens were arguing.

  “Explain to me why everyone is so upset. What’s the big deal?”

  “The ‘big deal’ is that because you have circumvented our process, you must sexually service the other men in his group.”

  Valerie shrugged. “So?”

  “So, you haven’t even met them yet. You don’t know what they might like and you have to service all of them.”

  Valerie shrugged. “I knew that already.” She wasn’t sure what he meant by his statement of “what they might like.” She assumed they liked sex.

  Blue crossed his arms. “And you have to do it for the next three years.”

  “What! Three years?” She turned to Hauser. “Did you know this?”

  He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes. I knew the length of service. I thought everyone did. I’m sorry you weren’t informed.”

  The three aliens and Hauser surrounded her and they were all a lot taller than she was, making for a claustrophobic feeling.

  Three years?

  Edging closer to Hauser, Valerie whispered to herself, “I’m just in a very intense dream. I’ll wake up in a few minutes.” She mashed her eyes shut and started counting backwards from ten in a whispered chant. When she got to one, she opened her eyes. Everything was the same. With the exception that the aliens regarded her with stern expressions. Perhaps they thought she was even crazier than they had originally suspected.

  Green heaved a long sigh. “Put her through orientation. She will return here and go directly to meet the others in Hauser’s group. We can’t deviate from our practices any further. You must remain with this man’s group. Do you understand?”

  Valerie nodded and glanced at Hauser. His tender smile reassured her.

  Orange turned to Blue and with a stern tone said, “Take charge of her. See that she goes through orientation this time and understands her role. Then bring her back to Hauser in the lounge. He will wait for her there. And get her some other clothing. She looks too human.”

  Valerie frowned. Too human? What did that mean?

  Hauser squeezed her once reassuringly b
efore she was led away.

  Three years. Five men. Sex two times a month with each of them. Somehow this didn’t seem like a dream any longer.

  Deep in her soul, Valerie knew the kiss she had shared with Hauser felt too real to be a dream. She hadn’t ever felt an attraction to another man like the one she experienced with Hauser. At least she didn’t think so. She shook her head in frustration. The memories of her life before this place continued to fade. She would do as she was asked and play along. She didn’t have much of a choice, did she?

  Valerie held onto one single thought in the face of three years of sexual servitude to five men. Regardless of how Hauser or any of the others made her feel, she wanted to go back to Earth.

  She would do anything to ensure her return.

  Chapter 3

  “These are the laws you will need to familiarize yourselves with,” the monotonous tone of the tan alien intoned. “It’s unfortunate that you’ve been brought here, but the fact is now that you are here, you must follow our rules or dire consequences for your fellow human males will result.”

  Valerie wanted to raise her hand and ask several questions as to what their definition of dire consequences was, but the subdued atmosphere didn’t lend itself to a sharing of ideas. She’d already been labeled a troublemaker for going missing from the original group she’d come in with, not to mention somehow circumventing their eight-step process. Valerie decided silence was the better course of action in this instance.

  “Rule number one states that each female volunteer will be matched up with their choice of a group of men…”

  The alien’s monotone voice continued as her attention drifted. She’d never been very good at sitting quietly and listening to lectures. This scenario was no different. She wanted to get back to Hauser and glanced at the door. If she’d seen any form of clock, she would have been watching it. Unease seeped into her mind. She wasn’t convinced that the multicolored aliens would be true to their word. After all, they freely admitted to sucking humans up into their vortex. Were they truly trustworthy?

  “Rule number three states that there will be no adultery allowed between mated humans…”

  Rule number three? What happened to rule number two?

  Valerie’s fingers twitched with the desire to raise her hand and ask about rule number two, but decided against it. She made a concerted effort to focus on the alien giving the orientation. He continued on and on about rule number three and adultery. Valerie didn’t remember much about her life on earth, but didn’t think she was the type to be a cheater.

  Given that she was about to embark on a three-year sexual odyssey involving the carnal health of a group of strange men, the concept of ‘cheating’ was sort of stupid anyway.

  “Rule number six only applies to males of your species, however…”

  Rule six? Geez, pay attention.

  Although, if rule number six only concerned men, why did she have to know it? Valerie let loose a long quiet sigh and glanced around the room again. She caught the eye of another female fidgeting in her chair, who seemed even more restless than Valerie. Her dark curly hair brushed agitated shoulders until she noticed Valerie. She stopped moving and her quick grin made Valerie smile in return.

  “Now that all eight rules have been explained,” the tan alien said, “we have refreshments in the back of the room for you. Then you’ll be taken to the staging area to receive further instructions on daily living.”

  Valerie wondered how she’d managed to miss the explanation of so many rules. Perhaps there was a handout she could read later. A hand in the front row went up from a female dressed in a pink fluffy robe with matching slippers and the dark tan alien narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

  “Do we get new clothes? I heard something about new clothes.”

  Dark Tan crossed his arms. “After refreshments and the next class, you’ll be sent to wardrobe for new attire.”

  Another hand went up. “How many outfits do we get to pick out? And also, do we get jewelry and other accessories?”

  “This is unimportant information.”

  Valerie thought so too and tuned out both the women and their foolish fashion questions. She was more concerned about the other four men in Hauser’s group. Didn’t these women understand what they had to do here?

  “What if we refuse to have sex with the men we’re assigned to?” Valerie’s mouth had gone ahead and asked the question without her brain’s permission.

  The room stilled. Slowly, all eyes turned to her. The dark tan alien frowned. “That’s not an option for you. Once you’re sealed to a group of men, you must provide what you’ve agreed upon.”

  “Or else what? Listen, I didn’t agree to be here.” Valerie gestured to the room around her and arched a brow. “You’re the ones that brought me to this place, against my will, I might add. Why should I cooperate?”

  “Because if you don’t help your group of men with their sexual needs, then none of you can go back to Earth after the allotted three years.”

  “Why?”

  His expression darkened. “Your question is irrelevant.”

  “I want an answer.”

  “These are our rules.” The original blue alien who’d been assigned to her approached Dark Tan and whispered in his ear. Together they turned and stared at her as Blue pointed and gestured.

  After listening a long moment, Dark Tan smirked and said, “You are apprehensive because you already circumvented our established policy. The men you’ve been assigned to during this trip require you to fulfill their sexual needs so that they might function while temporarily ensconced in our world. Are you truly going to deny them a sexual outlet, thereby forcing their permanent incarceration? It’s not their fault that you didn’t attend orientation before demanding to be assigned to them.”

  Valerie narrowed her eyes. “And you’re deliberately being obtuse. It’s not my fault that I was brought aboard. Tell me why I’m even here.”

  Dark Tan took a half step forward as if he might forcefully stop her questions, but Blue blocked him. “That information is immaterial. It doesn’t matter why. You are here now. Do you wish to release your group of men and allow them to find another female?” Blue’s question was accompanied with a gleam in his shiny brown eyes.

  The dark tan alien started to object, Blue held up a fist and he stopped.

  “I was led to understand that it didn’t matter. I’m trapped.”

  “If you do not wish to service the men in your existing group, then another group can be assigned. I will see to it personally. However, once you’ve allowed yourself to be sealed the initial time, then no other option exists. You must service one group while you’re here. Do you wish to change groups?”

  Valerie came to her senses, even though she hadn’t met the majority of Hauser’s group. “No. I’ll keep the group I have.” Given the look on Blue’s face, she knew he’d choose a collection of hateful, deviant men. At least she knew Hauser.

  “Carry on, then. We’ve wasted enough time.”

  She turned and headed for the table in the back of the room that displayed a bounty of food. Opting for a cup of coffee, Valerie pondered her circumstances and did her best to pretend this was all a very vivid dream.

  “You already have a group of men assigned?” The voice came from behind her.

  Valerie turned. The dark-haired woman she’d noticed earlier during the endless orientation sipped a cup of coffee as well. At least, Valerie hoped it was coffee.

  “Yes. But I’d better warn you I’m a rebel. You may not want to be seen talking to me.”

  The other woman laughed. “Well, since I’m a troublemaker too, I think we’d better become best friends.”

  “You think so?” Valerie took a long, strengthening sip of the best coffee she’d ever tasted.

  “Yes. Besides we have the same sophisticated style in clothing.”

  Valerie noticed that the other woman was wearing a darker shade of similar gray sweats.

&nb
sp; “I’m Daisy, by the way.”

  Valerie extended fingers warm from the coffee cup and said, “Valerie.”

  “What is the gauntlet arena really like?” Nodding over one shoulder at the group of aliens gathered at the front of the room, Daisy added, “They make it sound very romantic.”

  She snorted. “You want the truth?”

  “Of course. We’re best friends now and the complete truth is required at all times.”

  Valerie liked Daisy. Checking to make sure the aliens couldn’t overhear her, Valerie whispered, “It’s scary. They crowd you and grab at you. But once you make your selection, they all back off.”

  “Are you afraid of the men you’ll be with?”

  “Not yet, but I’ve only met one so far.” Valerie shrugged. “After this illuminating orientation I’ll go to meet the other four.”

  Daisy lowered her voice. “I must be a slut, because the truth is I find the idea exciting and a little arousing.”

  Valerie tilted her head and smiled. Leaning in confidentially, she whispered, “I can’t remember if I’m the type to kiss and tell, but the first time Hauser kissed me, I nearly climaxed.”

  A giggle escaped from Daisy’s lips and she slapped one hand over her mouth. She spared a glance over one shoulder, but the aliens didn’t look at them.

  “The trick is to find a man beforehand and make a deal,” Valerie said. “I don’t think it’s allowed, but there’s a reason I’m labeled a troublemaker.”

  “Where did you find him?”

  “I was wandering in a hallway that I wasn’t supposed to be in.”

  Daisy sent another quick glance at the aliens before turning back to whisper, “Will you distract them so that I can escape to search for my Mr. Right?”

  “Sure. After the next orientation lecture, I’ll cause a scene so you can search for your own Prince Charming…if you tell me the eight rules again. I missed half of them while day-dreaming.”

  * * * *

  Valerie trotted along the endless maze of hallways, again trying to keep up with the fast pace Blue set with his angry strides. It was quite possible that he was justifiably livid this time.