"And this Han Solo I heard you mention before, he is a pop culture?" His clear blue eyes bored into hers as the elevator stopped, and she almost fidgeted at his intense look.
"He's a movie character. From Star Wars." At his blank look, she laughed. "I don't think I can explain this without you seeing the actual movie. But, basically, your whole bad ass buccaneer look was first done by Harrison Ford who played Han Solo in the Star Wars trilogy."
The brows of her captor drew together. "I am not an actor."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. I'm just saying, at first glimpse you reminded me of him in that role. But don't worry, now that I've really gotten to look at you without the whole pain and exhaustion thing messing me up, I've changed that comparison to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Except you have whiter teeth, pointier, too."
His lips tightened at her words. "Nothing you've just said makes much sense. I am myself, and while there are those who would try to copy me, I am unique." He stepped from the elevator into a long hall, his back stiff.
Megan laughed. It appeared as if Tren, her purple pirate, was offended. "I never said you weren't unique." He swiveled to peer back at her and shot her a dark glare. She smirked, and with a shake of his head, he turned back again. "Just forget it. So where are we going?"
"My quarters."
Megan stopped walking. "Excuse me. When I said I was hungry, I meant for food, not sex."
He craned to look at her over his shoulder and she definitely couldn't mistake his slow grin this time. It transformed his face and made her heart stutter. "Who said anything about sex? It's where the food replicator is located. Although, since you keep offering, I am not averse to testing the merchandise after our meal."
Megan's mouth rounded into an ‘O' of surprise. "Like hell."
"I would assume you mean no. But do not blame me for offering. You are the one who keeps referring to intercourse. I was just trying to meet your obviously insatiable needs." He eyed her frame up and down in a slow perusal that ignited a slow burn between her legs.
She pressed her thighs tight together. "I need another lover like I need a hole in my head. No thank you. And I am not some kind of nymphomaniac." Even if the current conversation was making her hot.
"If you say so," he drawled as he led the way into a large suite, which, of course, held a massive round bed.
Megan ignored it, afraid any comment would lead him to believe she wanted to test its springs-which her pussy certainly did-but went against the grain. While she enjoyed a healthy sexual appetite, she had one teensy tiny requirement in her partners. She had to at least like them.
She wandered around the space noting the table bordered by chairs that appeared made of rubber. A shelving unit built into the wall held strange objects, figurines of creatures, but like she'd never imagined. One appeared a mix of fairy and a dragon in a rainbow of colors. Another, a voluptuous woman with five boobs, waved four arms.
"Are these real creatures?" she asked running her finger across their varied surfaces.
"Keepsakes from some of my more notable conquests," he boasted.
She snatched her hand back and whirled with wide eyes. "You fucked all of them?"
He frowned at her. "If you mean had sex, then yes. But that's only a fraction of the females I've been with, and like I said, the most memorable."
"Great, I'm stuck on a ship with man whore," she snorted with disgust; although, she couldn't deny a certain curiosity. Exactly how knowledgeable is he about the female form?
"I am not paid to pleasure my partners. However, if the need is great and I am not in the mood to woo, then I will recompense a female for her time."
"Great. I made it to space and met my first alien only to discover men all over the universe are pigs."
Tren's brow knitted into a frown. "I do not like your tone or implication. My method is the one most widely followed through the known universe. How do your people handle their sexual needs?"
"We date. You know, go out to dinner, maybe see a movie. Then, if we like each other, we go to bed."
Tren laughed, a short barking sound. "So instead of exchanging credits, you are purchased for a meal or an evening of entertainment. I see no difference other than your females can be cheaply bought. And at least my conquests don't try to kill me after we're done."
His reference to her boyfriend's attempted murder rankled and Megan glared at him. "I'm really starting to dislike you."
"Good. I hate clingy females."
With that rejoinder, he turned his back on her and fiddled with something on the wall above the table. A moment later, an odd aroma tickled her nose.
Curious, she stepped forward and saw two plates, the steam still rising, resting on the table. "What is that?"
"Food."
She slid into the rubber chair which molded to fit her bottom and almost caused her to scream. When she realized her seat wasn't about to swallow her, she relaxed enough to poke at the purple and green stuff on her plate, interspersed with white marble things. "What kind of food?"
"The kind that won't kill you, so eat."
Using a pair of silver rods, much like chopsticks, he dug into his meal. With trepidation, and yes, a fear of food poisoning, she followed suit. To her surprise, she didn't immediately spit it back out. Whatever the goop on her plate was, it tasted pretty good. She ate with relish, the only dinner sounds consisting of them chewing and swallowing.
As her hunger eased, curiosity prompted her to question him. "So, you're obviously not human. What exactly are you?"
He swallowed before answering. "I am Kulin, a mighty warrior race superior to your own."
"Well, you're definitely more conceited, I'll give you that. As for superior, I'd say the jury is out on that one." She ignored the dirty look he shot her way, and continued on her quest for answers. "So are there like a lot of other alien type dudes out in the galaxy? I mean, other than your skin color and teeth, you look kind of human, so is that the norm?"
"The universe contains many varied life forms. While bipeds are the most common, it would be ignorant to assume that most creatures are like yourself. Especially given your lower status on the evolutionary scale compared to the more advanced and genetically enhanced civilizations."
"Wow, you really are a jerk. Apparently, when it comes to manners, you're not so advanced, Mr. My-shit-smells-better-than-yours." His furrowed brow at her insult was his reply. A portion of his statement caught her attention, though. "Wait a second? Did you say genetically enhanced? What's that mean?"
"Some of us choose to expand upon the abilities we are born with. It's almost a standard procedure along with embryo manipulation to ensure not only physical perfection, but mental astuteness as well."
"Great, you're not only a purple freaking space pirate, but a Mutant X one on top of it." Once again, she pretended not to see if his annoyed expression. She actually wanted to ask him a whole bunch of other questions, such as did he have any super powers, but she wasn't sure how far his patience would stretch before he shut her down. Prudence dictated that she leave the subject of his genetic aberrations for later to hit the most important query first. "So where exactly are we going?"
"Somewhere I can auction you off."
She frowned at him. "And where would that be?"
"The first planet we come across which offers that service."
Irritation at him and his plan in general made her flick-accidentally of course-a piece of food in his direction. The jerk opened his mouth and caught it. Intrigued, she flung another piece. Arching a brow at her, he caught it again with a snapping jaw. Megan didn't, however, manage the same with the chunk he tossed at her.
She wiped it off her cheek all the while glaring at him. He just grinned back and continued to eat.
No longer hungry-and petulant he'd beaten her at her own game-she pushed the plate away and looked around, but didn't spot what she wanted. "You got anything to drink?"
Without pausing in his meal, he slapped his hand sideways and pressed the wall a few times causing a faint glow to appear each time. A moment later, a compartment slid open and out slid two glasses, more like pitchers considering their size.
She dragged one toward her and peered into its ruby colored depth. "Please tell me this is wine."
"If you mean an alcoholic beverage, then yes."
Just what she needed. Megan took a sip and wondered at his idea of alcohol given how smoothly the stuff slid down her throat. Thirsty, she took several swallows before she noticed him watching her.
"You may want to imbibe more slowly. The Kijar you drink can prove quite potent for the uninitiated."
She blew him a raspberry. "Bah. I can drink like a fish." Her boast came out slightly slurred and she giggled. "Fish. I guess since you caught me in your space net, I'm like some kind of m-mermaid." She howled at her own joke. She glanced over at him and saw his puzzled look. It set her off again, and she fell off the chair laughing. She scrambled to her feet, swayed and took another swig of the yummy wine.