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Excerpts From:
Love Afar!
Excerpts
WET
By Imari Jade
Chapter One
The last place in the world Javonda expected to be was aboard a cruise
ship heading for Bermuda, especially since she considered herself one of
the biggest cowards in the universe when it came to traveling over large
bodies of water. It all stemmed back to her childhood when a friend of
her brother Malcolm picked her up and tossed her into her family’s
swimming pool. Everyone at the poolside thought that it was funny, but
she couldn’t find any hilarity in the situation since she nearly
drowned.
All she could remember was the burning in her lungs and a fleeting
glimpse at death before she lost consciousness. When she awoke everyone
was standing around staring down at her like it was her fault she was in
that situation, and with the lips of Will Simpson pressed against hers,
giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation. She thought it odd at the time,
since he was the one who tossed her into the pool in the first place. No
one seemed to care that what he had done bordered on attempted murder.
Her stomach rumbled as the cruise ship skipped over the waves. They were
barely out of port when the fear consumed her.
“Just take some Dramamine,” her best friend Angela had told her when
Javonda tried to explain what usually happened to her when she got
anywhere near a boat.
Well, apparently Dramamine didn’t work, and she couldn’t wait to get her
hands around Angela’s throat for suggesting it. Unfortunately, it was
also too late to get off the ship. She crawled out of bed. That’s where
she had been since the trip began. While the other passengers were busy
saying goodbye to their loved ones on the dock, she was in her cabin
room shaking from fear and saying her prayers. She didn’t know why she
had done such a foolish thing. She didn’t even like to look at the
water, let alone be trapped out on it for days. She grabbed her purse,
walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out into the dimly lit
hall. She knew that there was a doctor aboard somewhere and she was
going to find him or her if it was the last thing she did. Someone was
going to give her something to put her out of her misery.
The medical station was located on the second deck of the ship. The
doctor turned out to be someone barely out of diapers. He was dressed in
a pair of white shorts and a uniform shirt.
“What can I do for you, young lady?”
Javonda blanched at the term. “I’m nauseated, sweating, salivating like
a hog, and I’m sleepy. “
“You’re seasick.”
No shit, Sherlock, she thought to herself. She already knew that.
“What can I take to get rid of it?”
“What kinds of medications are you currently on?”
“None, except Dramamine,” she replied as he did a quick physical on her.
After the examination he unlocked the medicine cabinet, took a box of
pills and relocked it.
He handed the box to her. “This should help. It’s a bit stronger than
Dramamine. It should have you feeling better in no time.” He led her out
of his office and into the waiting room, which had filled up since she
arrived. A lot of the people looked worse than she felt…if that were
possible. She felt like she insides were about to explode. She slowly
waked out of the door, staggering like a drunk. She put her hand against
the wall for leverage and kept it there while she moved.
The sounds of slot machines assaulted her ears as he neared the door of
the on-board casino. The door opened as she staggered by.
“You don’t look so good,” someone said behind her.
She was about to reply back sarcastically when she looked up and saw who
it was. Her jaw dropped.
“Javonda Turlington, is that you?”
She was able to get in a quick nod before she threw up at the feet of
the last man on earth she expected to run into, Will Simpson.
He jumped out of the way just in time. “Since when have you taken up
drinking?”
She leaned against the wall. The ceramic tile cooled her brow. “I’m
seasick you ass,” she replied as a steward hurried over with a bucket
and mop to clean up the mess. Damn he looked good.
He arched his left eyebrow. “Still have that nasty little temper, I
see.”
“Yes.” She pushed away from the wall. “If I wasn’t dying and trying to
get back to my room I’d let you witness it first hand.” She swayed
awkwardly.
He chuckled. “I just bet you would.” He grabbed her elbow to steady her.
“Where is your room?” he asked as she walked next to her.
* * * *
Tasty
Temptations
By Mae Powers
Chapter One
Like a coruscating beacon, the igloo-shaped, three-tiered building—made
of a pearly material—shone brightly in the night sky. A glittering neon
sign blaring the establishment’s name, Throttles, complemented the
sparkling, ruby-trimmed, triangular-shaped glass windows. The blinking
lights and sporadic beats of music permeated from the nightclub’s
interior and rattled the mosaic windows intermittently. The gaiety and
wonder tempted Thela Montgomery inside its walls.
Thela stepped through the circular doorway, opened by a tall, thin
doorman/bouncer. She entered a long, tubular tunnel, which led into an
enormous area filled with a throng of liveliness. What looked like a
three-story building on the outside, turned into three semi-opened
floors of people, bars, and tables occupying them. Spiral stairs led up
to all three floors, as did glassed-in elevators. In the midst of the
huge area lay a big circular dance floor with twirling lights flickering
from the radiant flooring.
Above the dance floor, on two air levels, disc-dancers stomped and
swayed rhythmically to various tempos on hover platings. To her near
left, just a few feet away, stood the club’s main bar, semicircular in
shape and teaming with life from sound-masters to various alien
clienteles.
Thela glanced around the area hoping to espy her college friend, whom
she was to meet here for a short while before she left to go visit her
other friend Reema. Reema’s birthday party was set for later that night.
Which actually made her and Reema closer as friends. Their birthdays
were both in July. Although Reema’s people called the month another
name, they had similar astral signs. She and Reema were Cancers, or as
Thela preferred, Moon Child. Such a nicer zodiac name than Cancer the
Crab, and much better suited to her real characteristics, Thela thought.
She knew at times she could be moody, slightly self-conscious,
occasionally indecisive, and sometimes over emotional; but she liked to
think her passionate nature and natural caring towards others offset her
negative qualities. At least she wasn’t inconsiderate towards others. At
least she hoped not.
Her other friend wasn’t the same sign, but then Preterra wasn’t really a
friend, more like a friendly acquaintance. When Preterra learned that
Thela wanted to take a vacation, the alien female told her to come here.
A large distance between herself and her ex-lover Jake Harris was great
by Thela. Jake had wanted her to take him back, but that was not what
she really wanted. So, taking an extensive vacation from both her jobs,
to get her life back in order and just have some fun, became a strong
incentive for Thela. It also fell near her birthday, which Jake always
managed to forget.
Thoughts of her ex slipped from her mind as she nearly got pushed aside
when a couple getting on dance discs rushed past her. They were tall and
thin, nearly identical in their looks, with long stringy blue hair,
sparkling pink eyes and wearing similar sky-blue party tunics and pants.
The female had breasts jutting heavily forward beneath her clothing, and
her braided blue hair had streaks of gold in the plaits. Thela grinned,
and quickly moved out of the way, as the couple jumped on their discs
and floated upwards to the top level of the dance floor.
She’d dealt with a few people of the Nalean race, like the two dancers
who nearly toppled her over. They were a constant on the move people,
and evidently, by their twists flying above, they liked to dance modern
dances. She shook her head, not letting their unintentional rudeness get
to her. She glanced to see other couples and groups in various areas
around the huge entertainment club, in different stances of enjoying
themselves. It amazed her that plenty of caressing and playful
meanderings went on, when her friend Reema told her that public displays
like holding hands were against the law. Perhaps inside a place like
this one affections weren’t considered unlawful.
She shrugged her shoulders, and then careful at watching where she
stepped, went through the crowd to sit at the long, main bar. She
glanced at herself in the mirror behind the bar for a few seconds while
she decided what she wanted to drink. Earlier tonight her face looked a
little like she suffered from jet lag and time zone horrors. She smiled
at herself, appreciating her slight humor. It had been a long
spaceflight from the different planets she’d had to stop at in order to
get to this planet. Space ships were pretty fast these days, but she’d
had a few delays in her travel arrangements, despite all the modern
conveniences of the twenty-third century. Once leaving the resort
spacecraft, the last she took to get to the world of Lyndara, she’d
actually been able to get her reserved hotel room, where she finally got
some much needed rest from her long travels.
* * * *
The Warrior of
Estfor
By Ellen Margret
Chapter 1
His name was Lios and he was the bravest warrior of the Estfor tribe.
He loved the land that had been his home for thirty Estfor-years. The
land of Estfor was vast and encompassed many forests and valleys. In
those forests the trees stood tall and proud. The animals roamed the
vast land, taking what they needed from it to sustain them, until the
warriors came along and took them for food. The streams in the valleys
ran fast and clear, teaming with brightly coloured fish. The fish
tasted good. The anglhunters caught them in abundance. The land
provided for the Estfor tribe and they respected it.
Lios was a proud warrior although some had accused him of being somewhat
cold-hearted. He supposed there might be some truth in that but it was
not entirely the case. He had feelings for one very beautiful female
but she was beyond his reach for she was of noble blood. Certainly, he
had never loved any female of the common tribe. He had copulated with
many but none had meant anything to him. He was not even on the
friendliest of terms with his own sister, Avesel. It was she who had
introduced him to many Estfor-women, hoping that he would find love but
it had never happened and Lios had come to the conclusion that it never
would. He loved the land and that was enough.
He was about to lead a hunting party out into the forest when a hand
came down upon his shoulder. Lios turned to see his sister.
Avesel adjusted the arrow bag on her shoulder. Eyes, every bit as dark
as her brother's, looked at him directly. “I shall lead the party, Lios.”
Lios folded his strong arms and raised a black eyebrow. “Avesel, I know
you have led hunting parties before but they have been small ones. This
is to be large hunt. Thirty Estfor-men will ride out today.”
“The king has agreed that I shall lead them. He knows I am skilled and
that I possess courage.”
Lios frowned. “You do not possess my courage or my skill, sister.”
She adjusted the buckle on her leather belt and slid her dagger into its
pouch. “I can ride and hunt and shoot a bow as well as any Estfor-man.
I am one of only two woman in this tribe thusly skilled. You know
that. You taught me.”
“That is true but you do not ride or hunt or shoot as well as I. What
nonsense is this? Avesel, go home to mother. She needs you.”
Avesel stood her ground. “The king needs you. That is why I am to go
in your place. You, my brother, must ride with all haste to the king.”
“King Garcil desires to speak to me?”
“He does.”
“Do you know what he wishes to speak to me about?”
“No, I do not.” She swung up onto her horse. “I have delivered the
message, Lios. Now, I shall lead the hunting party.”
Lios cursed. He had been looking forward to the hunt. It exhilarated
him and made the blood flow in his veins. It got him away from the
Estfor-women of the tribe. They all looked at him the same way with
their big, dewy eyes. Some were passably comely and some were not.
Some were wealthy and many were poor. Some were thin and some were
fat. They all chased after him and he was sick of it. They told him he
was handsome. So, he was handsome but didn't he deserve privacy?
Couldn't he ride down the lane without Estfor-women swooning in his path
or tossing invitations his way? One had even torn off her clothing and
lain on the ground. He had urged his horse into a canter and leapt over
her. That had made him laugh. Estfor-women bored him and that's why he
had been looking forward to getting away from them. Now, he had to go
to the king and the king was surrounded by Estfor-women!
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