Chapter 4 | Markas

Chapter 4

Markas

By the time we line up to board The Excelsior , we’ve committed enough fraud to get us locked up for a decade. We’re at the VIP boarding dock and there are only a few people in front of us waiting to board the luxury spaceship.

I thought it might make me feel worse, going with Justine since she despises me so much. But I see the upside now. I’ll be able to keep an eye on her and protect her from any stray hazards, unless she kills me on the way. But I think I can wear down her defenses and maybe get her to a peaceful kind of dislike rather than a raging inferno of hate. Goals!

We should be good until we arrive on Xanx, where I’m definitely not welcome and I’ll have to leave immediately. It’s a small price to pay for getting to stay close to Justine. And this ship’s pretty amazing too. The only thing that’s dimming my happiness right now is that trucker and whatever the fuck he was doing, getting so close to my girl.

I look up at the ship on the loading dock. They’ve outfitted The Excelsior like an old-fashioned earthling ocean cruiser. It’s designed for pleasure voyages between planets for about 100 guests. When she heard that, Justine made a joke about a ship called The Titanic , but I didn’t get the reference.

I can tell from her wide-eyed expression when we arrived that this is not how Justine usually travels. Even though it’s relatively small, The Excelsior looks grand and imposing on the launch pad. Its gleaming chrome hull is decorated with Art Deco designs that scream elegance and class. I bump Justine’s shoulder and whisper in her ear.

“Try to look like you’re not impressed. We’re supposed to be snooty rich people on their honeymoon.”

“Sure, darling .” She says the last word with so much sarcasm I think it might actually cut me.

I lean in closer.

“Seriously, at least try to pretend you don’t hate me.”

“Fine,” she huffs, and grabs the arm I offer her.

A shiver wracks her body when she touches me. It gives me a little ego boost every time it happens because I can tell how much I affect her. Her dislike can’t extinguish the fire of lust that flares every time I get close. I know it’s selfish, but I want to exploit this weakness of hers and see how hot I can make her.

“Welcome to The Excelsior . My name is Ronnika and I’ll be helping you board this afternoon.” I turn away from Justine to look at the well-dressed Xanxian woman waving at us from the walkway. Ronnika is our connection onboard and can help us with any difficulties.

Justine clutches my arm tighter, and I pat her hand.

“Ronnika’s a friend,” I tell her, and her grip relaxes.

Ronnika smiles widely as we hand over our biocomm device with the code for our ill-gotten tickets. Then she hands us lanyards with special VIP badges.

“Wear these whenever you’re not in your cabin. It ensures access to all the areas of the ship you’ll need.”

The two of us are wearing fake ID grafts that are as believable as stick-on tattoos, so these lanyards will help us survive.

“Thank you so much,” I say because Justine seems awestruck as we walk into the grand entrance of the ship.

I understand how she feels. The entranceway is several stories high, with a stained-glass ceiling. Huge, carpeted stairways lead to different decks, and the balustrades are intricately carved and polished to a high sheen. Justine’s jaw falls open and Ronnika’s brow furrows. We’re not doing a great job pretending to be rich and entitled guests, so she probably wants to hurry us out of the busy foyer. As I scan the room, I notice several guests giving us dirty looks.

“We can walk around some more later. I can’t wait to get into the cabin.” I say suggestively. This snaps Justine out of her reverie.

She narrows her eyes at me, and I motion her to follow Ronnika. The rest of the trip to our cabin passes quickly with Justine trying to keep up with Ronnika’s speed walk to Deck 3.

When we arrive, Ronnika turns to us, and her smile falls away.

“Tonight at 1900 hours we’re having a welcome reception with the captain. Make sure you’re dressed right and behave correctly, or we’ll all be in trouble.”

“We will. Thank you for your help.”

She nods, and her smile reappears.

“Remember what I told you and have a great trip!”

It only takes minutes to unpack the few belongings we brought. I sit down on the small sofa by the viewport window and watch as Justine looks around. She touches every polished surface and turns every brass knob with reverence, like she’s afraid she’ll damage it. That’s something we’ll have to work on.

I wonder what Justine’s life was like growing up on Earth. She was definitely not a member of the upper classes, but she seems unfamiliar with the rough-and-tumble lower rungs of society as well. So probably middle class, with a family that loved her. I’m guessing she was kept safe from lowlifes like me, which made her extra vulnerable when I came along.

I sigh and look at the star-scape behind the curtains. I hate that I dragged her into a life of suffering and uncertainty. I mean, bad things happen to everyone. But in her case, I’m the bad thing, along with that whole disaster thing she survived. Bah.

It’s not my fault I’ve had to play the bad guy to get by in life. But I wish she could look at me with something other than hate mixed with a dash of lust. All I can do right now is try to keep us safe. And to do that, I need my identity graft. And not just because I’d feel a lot better if it was back in my possession.

“You should give me my identity graft back,” I say, breaking the silence. She spins around and looks at me like a bug that started talking. “One fake we can explain, but two is asking for trouble, even with the lanyards,” I continue.

She considers my words, then shakes her head.

“Not until we’ve left the dock. I’m not letting you slip through my fingers again.”

Before she can turn back around, I continue.

“Alright then, we should get some better clothes, like Ronnika said.”

“Is this one of your schemes?”

“I wouldn’t tell you if it was. But anyway, we should look like we’re a wealthy couple on vacation. Something other than two good-for-nothings that bribed our way on board.”

“Do I look like a good-for-nothing?” Her eyes glint dangerously.

“Your clothes don’t exactly scream money and privilege.”

She frowns at her basic jumpsuit and my dusty suit.

“Do we have enough credits to shop here?” She raises her eyebrows. Ronnika had briefly mentioned the high-end boutiques available on Deck 2.

“We do, within reason. I’m afraid we can’t afford jewels or anything like that.”

“Jewels. Ha! I’d settle for sturdy boots and some new makeup.”

“That’s your thing, isn’t it?”

“Makeup? Yeah, that was my job on The Adventure .”

“Could you make us look like totally different people?” This talent of hers could come in handy.

“Yes. Planning to steal someone else’s identity?”

“No. I was just wondering. It’s a good skill to have.”

“If you’re a criminal?”

“Yeah, if you’re a criminal. Let’s go now. When the ship launches, we’ll be stuck in our room until we reach open space.”

* * *

We’re strolling down the corridors of the ship hand in hand towards the shopping area on Deck 2. Justine still looks wide-eyed at the opulent decor that surrounds us. I lean down to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t bother checking the price tags when we’re shopping. Just assume you can afford it.”

She nods and smiles at an older human couple walking in the other direction. They grimace at us. Some older humans dislike inter-species relationships. I feel Justine’s anger prickling.

“Don’t make a fuss. We don’t want any extra attention,” I tell her.

“Whatever,” she whispers furiously.

Then, when she’s sure they’re watching, she throws her arms around my neck and drags me in for a messy kiss. She’s clearly doing it for their benefit, not mine. But my body reacts like it’s real. I mean, her lips are mashed against mine, she's crushed her body against me, and I can feel the soft outline of her shoulders. And the mating signals she’s sending are as real as anything. So, I kiss her back, and not just for show.

I can feel her startle when I take control, but she doesn’t pull away. She sinks into the contact as I slide my hand around her waist, and she opens to me when I deepen the kiss. My hearts beat faster. Even when I was scamming Justine, the desire I felt for her was real, and now it’s even stronger.

I love how quickly she melts into my arms, how eager and excited she is. She’s practically climbing my body to get closer and all I want is more. I pull her in tighter, giving her the contact she wants, giving me the friction I crave. She makes a little gasping noise as my hardening cock presses into the softness of her belly. I can feel her desire so clearly that I’m tempted to push further.

If she was Xanxian, we wouldn’t need words. Her signals would be permission enough. I could just take her—rip that flimsy jumpsuit from her body and expose her right here. I could push her against the wall and spread her with my fingers, my tongue, my aching cock, until she’s keening with pleasure and screaming my name. Except she’s human, and as all Xanxians learn in school, you have to ask first. And we’re in public.

Stars! I almost forgot we’re in the main walkway of The Excelsior . There can be no spreading and screaming here. We want people to see us as besotted newlyweds, not degenerates.

Slowly, I wind down the kiss and pull away. Her liquid brown eyes search my face, confused. And then she realizes where we are and pushes me away. Her eyes sharpen and she looks like she wants to flay me alive.

“Remember, you’re supposed to love me, darling.” I kiss her chastely on the corner of her mouth.

“I’ll show you just how much I love you when we’re alone.” She says it like a threat rather than a promise. I nod in agreement. It would probably enrage her to know that I’ll happily take her anger if it means I can keep spending time with her. Maybe I’m drunk with lust right now, but I think I should stick with Justine for as long as I can. Forever maybe?

I’m definitely not thinking straight. Maybe my cock has taken over. Or my hearts? I need my brain to come back online because this is dangerous thinking.

“Shall we?” I hold out my arm for her, trying to shove down everything that’s swirling in my head.

She growls but takes my arm and lets me lead her towards the shopping area.