Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“I’ll be back. Please finish your breakfast,” he muttered distractedly, looking at his phone and then another small tablet as he left the room.
He hadn’t finished his breakfast, and suddenly I wasn’t so hungry anymore either.
***
He was dressed casually in a half-unbuttoned forest green long-sleeved shirt with small pleats from his collar to his elbows. The sleeves were shoved halfway up his forearms and his curly hair touched his defined collarbones. He wore chocolate brown suede trousers and black shoes with a heavy tread.
I wore black pants from home and a blue button-down cold shoulder shirt with a lacy scalloped neckline. I put some makeup of my own on and left my hair loose. I usually wore it up in a bun for work or in a ponytail on weekends, but I’d kind of had this little niggle that told me to step outside of my comfort zone. And I was having a great hair day, for some reason (maybe the shampoo and water on this planet) so I’d thrown the ponytail holder into my pocket before calling myself ‘ready’ in my head and then calling out to Zane to fetch me from the bathroom where I was again on that chair. I’d hopped to the toilet on my own this time without his help, then hopped back to the chair where I waited.
I’d put shiny lip gloss on and though I rarely wore earrings other than studs, I’d also put in a pair of silver hoop earrings that I’d had with my cosmetics from the night of the Jessica Rabbit costume party, courtesy of Maeve. The shirt, I’d bought months back, but every time I wore it, I’d change it at the last minute before leaving my apartment. But today, I felt… I don’t know… a bit braver.
I would have worn yesterday’s heels, too; they’d look great with this sweater I had on, but I knew that wasn’t the best idea with this ankle of mine so I put on a pair of thong flipflops that were in my bag.
My nipples went erect when he lifted me into his arms to carry me to the elevator to go to the sky car. And he saw it, too. It wasn’t my fault! Our faces got so close that if I’d licked my lips, his would’ve been licked too. And there was the fact that he smelled like… like Zane. In other words, edible.
I’d been worried about baring my shoulders through the blouse all the times I’d changed out of it with no idea that the clingy fabric would so spectacularly show off my nipple erection.
That hungry look he’d given me when he’d come into the bathroom and stalked toward me hadn’t helped, either.
Add that to the fact that he just smelled so appetizing and had this strength to him that made me feel so small and protected up in those arms; it was making me feel like I’d been given an aphrodisiac.
Maybe the one they’d given the day before hadn’t worn off yet. For me, anyway. Zane seemed to have his wits about himself. Mostly.
And kind of unfortunately.
***
The sky car ride wasn’t a long one and when we went over the mountains behind his backyard, I curiously watched our surroundings, taking in the busy-looking city with buildings of all shapes and sizes, some that had to be a hundred stories high, most of the very tall ones with landing pads on the rooftops. This could be any huge city at home. But with moving vehicles in the sky and on the ground. And there were people walking around. But as we moved closer to it, therefore flying at a lower altitude, I saw that they were all men on the ground. Some walked dogs. Some talked on phones. A few conversed with one another. I saw a few with male children. Mostly, lots of busy-looking males were coming and going. No females. Not one. And that was so, so strange. And very, very sad.
Everything was so colorful. And though I would’ve thought I’d be afraid of flying, I wasn’t. I had this big, strong, capable man beside me, commanding this vehicle and I was completely at ease about it.
I saw a flying car with roof lights off in the distance and that made the previous day’s events click into place in my mind, overshadowing the beauty of the flight.
What if other women were in the same position as me whose gemstones had changed mysteriously but they weren’t actually safe from catching that illness?
And Zane had been absolutely amazing so far with me. But, what if all Phallyxian men weren’t like him? If Jetta, Lacey, and the others were now married, were they with good guys like Zane or a bad guy like one of the guys who broke into Zane’s house? And I wondered about the women that were missing. Were they hurt or afraid? Were they now married against their will?