“I did much more than that,” I replied, chuckling, feeling the abrupt urge for something cherry flavored.
“Details.” Ryker pulled a cigarette out of his jacket in offering.
He knew I was running low because I got drunk on Main and smoked most of mine the day before we landed. Gesturing toward the group, I had everyone lean in, knowing damn well others listened too.
“We made sweet, sweet love,” I cooed, causing all of them to release a range of disagreements and complaints. I hugged my arms around my chest. “Under those glowing little worms, I simply couldn’t stop thinking about his worm and that sweet hole of his.”
“Lucky!” Ryker shouted. Arana listened with rapt attention.
“Then there we were, lost together in the dark, exhausted and hungry in a myriad of ways. I simply couldn’t resist his temptation!”
“I hate you. So much,” said Zavir. He and Lilea got up to pretend they weren’t part of our group.
“So I ripped off the captain’s clothes and fucked him raw.” I moved in to make kissy faces at Ryker, who slid the smoke over and gagged. “He’s a screamer, by the way. Oh, Lucky, yes, right there, just like that, please!”
“You know what, take the entire pack.” Ryker threw the pack, got up, tossed the lighter at my head and left.
Snickering, I popped a smoke between my lips and lit it. Arana remained, not bothering to hide the message she sent to her girlfriends requesting nudes. I looked at her. She looked at me.
“Your story made me horny,” she admitted as the commlink flashed. Her girlfriends replied, offering a video call. Arana stood. “Excuse me, I have business to attend to.”
“Make it quick. I’m exhausted.”
She looked between me and the pack of cigarettes. “Finish this pack before you come to the room.”
“I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”
Arana puckered her lips and knew better than to argue. “Done.”
Then there was only Iylene, who had listened intently, as they normally did. They munched on flora that must have come from outside and was, apparently, edible. As usual, their expression hadn’t changed from apathetic even with my riveting rendition. That freakishly long tongue of theirs spun around the flora to yank into their mouth whole.
“No wonder the captain was limping. You should know how important it is to use proper lubrication for anal sex, and he was injured. You should have controlled your urges,” Iylene said simply.
“I was joking, dear.” I laughed and offered them a smoke.
Iylene accepted and let the cigarette hang from their mouth. I lit it for them, chuckling when they said, “I see. I suppose that, regardless of injury, passionate fornication would have made the ordeal much more pleasant.”
“Can’t say I disagree.” And it sure did.
Together, we smoked, and I stashed the pack in my pocket. I half expected my commlink to go off with a message from the captainsaying to keep my mouth shut about what happened. He seemed the type to freak out, even if he was a more than eager participant. But Arana’s fifteen minutes were up — seventeen, technically — and there was no message. Saying goodnight to Iylene, I headed to the barracks where I knocked on the door.
“Enter!” Arana called, and I did so, hesitantly. She laid on the top bunk, her clothes strewn on the floor and blanket held tight under her arms. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness toward my needs.”
“So long as you remember this the next time I need alone time.”
“What really happened down there?” She rested her hands on the railing of the bed and her chin on top of them.
“I gave the story,” I replied while tugging off my clothes.
“You gave some of the story. Something happened with the captain.”
“Yeah, he put up with me alone, in pain and hungry, for nearly two days.”
She tapped her chin. “True, it is a miracle he didn’t commit manslaughter. I probably would have.”
I fell into bed. Exhaustion hadn’t settled until my head met the pillow. The weight of my eyelids brought an overwhelming ache I couldn’t ignore.
The bunk squeaked as she leaned over the railing. “Nothing happened? Really?”
