UNFORGETTABLE VOYAGE (Sci-Fi Erotic Romance)
Deacon books a cruise on a pleasure ship only to make his business partner, Lukas, happy, but then he meets Romana, a member of the ship's crew. As Deacon gets to know Romana, he begins to believe that, despite his partner's pleasure-only attitude about women and sex, love is still a possibility and great sex doesn't have to be optional in a real relationship. As his two weeks draw to a close, he only hopes that Romana comes to believe that as well.
Excerpt [G-rated]
Deacon opened a couple drawers and separated his clothes before heading into the bathroom. He had to admit that he could see where all the money really went on this ship. The bed was big enough for five people, and the walls were covered in tapestries and other “inspirational” art. A mirror hung over the bed, the rim decorated by golden nudes. The bathroom boasted a tub as big as the bed and a mosaic of, naturally, Aphrodite. He thought it was a copy of a painting by a famous Earth artist, as that was the planet this goddess of love hailed from, but it had definitely been enhanced. The breasts dominated her figure, and no draping robes or long, flowing hair covered any part of her anatomy. He didn't care one way or another about art, but he did like something a bit more subtle.
He set his little bag of essentials on the sink, then took his boots off and tossed them against the wall. In about ten minutes, the ship would be leaving the port, which meant it would probably be thirty minutes or more before he could order room service. He stretched, grabbed his “Getaway Guide,” and lounged across the velvet bedspread.
He already knew he wanted some of the local eel for dinner, so he turned to page seven to check out the digital video options. Almost every title included a person's name and the words “journey,” “adventure,” or “discovery.” There was absolutely nothing fit for family viewing. He looked all around the room, but there weren't any books. With two weeks stretching out before Deacon, he'd have been willing to settle for The Story of O or Planet of the Forbidden. At least those were classics with some value outside of masturbation assistance or teaching one new techniques.
He rolled off the bed and got to his feet. He was very glad he'd brought his computer along because he'd probably be able to get a great deal of work done on reorganizing the databases. Lukas had no interest in helping with that, so Deacon had been doing it alone since their last job while Lukas bought drinks for beautiful ladies of all species.
He was just finding all the right places for the wires when his door beeped.
“Yes?” he called.
It didn't open, but a voice came over the intercom. “My name is Romana, Mr. Clax. I wanted to inform you that we are taking off now.”
Deacon stared at the closed door. “Thank you, Romana.”
“You're welcome. May I come in for a moment?”
Deacon rolled his eyes. He could imagine her already. Tiny underwear, barely a bra to speak of, and a flowing diaphanous robe would be covering a voluptuous blond with red lips and large eyes.
“Sure, come on in.” He crossed his arms, ready for anything.
Except the woman standing there when the gleaming silver doors slid aside. She had long brown hair that curled slightly at the ends and very pretty green eyes. She wore plain black pants that did not show off her figure and a purple top with a black jacket over it. She smiled at him as she hefted the bag on the floor next to her.
Deacon recovered and went over to help her. “What's this? I haven't ordered anything.”
Romana smiled. “I brought you some of my books, Mr. Clax. I was checking a comlink when you and your friend arrived, so I thought you might need them. If you were in fact serious about what you said. We usually get one guest every couple of months who is here for reasons other than the obvious.”
Deacon laughed. “Well, that's very kind of you. And please call me Deacon.” He gestured around the room. “I was just noticing the lack of books. Any chance of getting a plain room too?” He wasn't sure if he was being serious or flirting.
She shook her head, obviously taking him seriously. “Only the crew rooms are plain, and we're full to capacity now. We aren't allowed to stay in these too long because it's supposedly too stimulating.” She shrugged and smiled again. “Someone has to actually fly this thing.”
“Oh,” he said. “You won't get in trouble for coming here, will you?”
“Oh no. In fact, guests do get involved with the crew sometimes. It's not actually forbidden, since everyone has to pass disease tests. But we aren't allowed to sleep anywhere but our own quarters for more than two nights a week. We have to be easy to find in case of an emergency, without disturbing the guests, of course.”
“Hmmm. Must get exciting around here.”
“From time to time.” She checked her chronometer. “I have to go now, but I'll see you around. There are lots of different books, as I didn't know what you might like, so let me know if you find any of the books or subjects more interesting than others.”
Deacon nodded and gave the bag a quick glance. “I will. Thank you again.”
She smiled and walked out of the room. “See you later.”
“Bye.” He lifted his hand in a little wave.
She waved back and walked down the hall. His door closed again.
“Well, I'm sure Lukas met a girl before I did, but I think mine is actually worth meeting.”
He pulled a couple of books out of the bag and looked at them. One was a historical fiction novel from his home planet of Ribos. He read the back cover, then set it aside. As he looked through the books, he decided not to tell Lukas he had met Romana. He knew Lukas would never notice the books, even if he did dare to stop by, and then he'd only think Deacon had brought them himself. All books looked alike to his friend.
He also didn't want Lukas teasing him or trying to meet Romana in order to “check her out.” She'd seemed very casual about mentioning that the guests and crew sometimes had relationships, however brief. He didn't think she'd been coming on to him, but he'd been around Lukas long enough to know when someone was interested. And Romana did seem interested.
He pushed the call button when the light announcing that room service was available flashed. Whether it was a good idea or not, he definitely wouldn't object to talking to Romana again very soon. The ship wasn't that big, and he was bound to run into her again--if he tried hard enough.
Now available from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
