Charming Charly (English Edition) (Lords of Arr'Carthian 3) (16 page)

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He needed no further Aufforderung. With a groan he pulled her more tightly to him and closed her mouth with his.
   

Chapter 1
0

Kanavirius System

In the Orbit of Moron2

21
^st
Day of the Month of Manao in the Year 7067

Federation Time

Charly looked down at the planet below them. Moron2 was an ice planet. All she could see was snow-covered mountains and valleys.

“Well that doesn’t look very inviting,” said Lory shuddering. “What’s the temperature down there?”

“I don’t know your units of measure when it comes to temperature but it is definitely too cold to be on the surface for more than a few minutes,” replied Amano.

“So how are we going to find your astronomer?” asked Charly.

“Under the surface of course,” replied Amano.

Charly looked at him skeptically.

“Of course,” said Lory sarcastically. “Do you mean to say that the people here live in caves under the earth? Without sunlight?”

“Something like that,” replied Kordan. “Come on, we have to get changed. We can’t possibly go down like this.”

Charly followed Amano into their cabin. She was so excited. So much depended upon their visit to this ice planet. If they actually managed to find out the coordinates of earth, then they could fly to earth. They could find more women for the Carthians, give Keela’s friend a message and Charly could pick up a few things from her flat that were important to her. If they could only find out where earth was.
 

Kanavirius System

22
^nd
Day of the Month of Manao in the Year 7067

Federation Time

“I can hardly believe it!” cried Charly enthusiastically.

“What do you want to do first when we get there?” asked Lory, just as excited.

“Oh, I don’t know. Eat loads of unhealthy Fast Food, go to the cinema and I really need to fetch something from my flat. That is, if my things are still in there. It’s been months, after all.”

“What’s that?” asked Lory. “What do you want to fetch?”

“I’ve got a small chest full of my mother’s things. I’d like to take them to Karrx7,” explained Charly. “What about you? What do you want to do?”

“Well, Fast Food is at the very top of my list, too. I’m not against going to the cinema either. But I definitely would like to go to my favorite club. The girls’ eyes will pop out of their heads, there, when they see our men.”

Charly giggled.
 

“Yes, I think they’re really good for showing off with.
And I bet all the guys will wet themselves when Kordan turns up there. Compared to his two meters twenty all the bouncers are just little dwarves.”

Lory grinned.

“Yes,” she sighed. “He really is a fine specimen of a man.”

“That he is,” Charly agreed. Of course she preferred her Amano, but since she had got to know Kordan better and knew that he was not as ice cold as he appeared, he had gradually seemed more likeable to her.
 

“He was impressive in that labyrinth,” said Charly as she recalled the events on Moron2.

Due to a small misunderstanding because of the very strange laws in the cave community on the ice planet, Kordan was condemned to defend his life in a labyrinth full of dangerous creatures and traps. The male who had to go through the labyrinth before him was torn to pieces by horrible
beasts and Lory and she had been desperately afraid when it was Kordan’s turn. But he had succeeded and they had had to end their visit prematurely as they were no longer welcome. Fortunately, however, in the nick of time the astronomer had found out where earth was and given them a star chart. Now they were on their way and whilst the males discussed the route, Charly and Lory had gone into Lory’s cabin to celebrate their glee about their trip to earth.
 

“Would you like a drop more?” asked Lory, holding out the almost empty carafe of
gejee
to Charly.

“Yes, I’ll have another one,” said Charly and she held her glass out to Lory.

“To our wonderful men!” she said, once Lory had poured them both some more.

“Yes, to the best men on Karrx7!” agreed Lory.

“Only on Karrx7!” came an amused voice and Charly blushed as she set eyes on her mate who was standing at the door, grinning, with Kordan.
 

“Really,” Kordan joined in, too. “Only the best out of a few million males? Perhaps you’re hoping to find something better somewhere else.”

Unlike Amano’s, Kordan’s expression displayed no flicker of emotion, but Charly knew the man well enough now to recognize the twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes.
 

“Well,” she said. “Perhaps we’ll need to reconsider that.”

Amano had crossed the room and was lifting her out of the seat to throw her over his shoulder.
 

“Hey!” she shouted in protest. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you a reason to reconsider your statement!” he murmured, patting her bottom intimately. “Perhaps you need your memory refreshing so that you know how good I really am.”

She suddenly felt very hot and her lower regions began to tingle in anticipation. She could hear Lory laughing and Kordan quietly murmuring. Clearly he intended, likewise, to refresh his mate’s memory.
 

Earth, USA

New York

5
^th
Day of the Month of Lumino in the year 7067

Federation Time

They used the darkness of the night to beam themselves down into Central Park.
 

“Ooooo,” said Amano, shaking himself. Large raindrops were falling on them.
 

“Yes, I know,” said Charly apologetically. “The weather here can’t compete with that on Karrx7. Especially not at this time of year. Hold on a minute! What month is it now?”

She looked at Lory. They both worked it out in silence.
 

“It’s the end of September,” said Lory at last.
 

“Yes, that’s what I’ve worked it out to be, too. Well, it’s no wonder then. September is already autumn. In summer it’s lovely here. In spring, too. But autumn. Brrr.”

“At least it’s warmer here than on Moron2,” said Kordan.

“Well, we have snow and ice here in winter, too, but it’s not as cold as on that damn ice planet,” said Lory.
 

“We ought to get hold of some money first,” said Charly. “I know where we can exchange the gold.”

“You mean a fence?” asked Lory, her eyebrow raised.
 

“Where else?” said Charly. “A jeweler would ask too many questions.”

Lory nodded.

“OK, chaps, come on then.”

They got almost five thousand dollars for their gold and, satisfied, they left the filthy backstreet workshop in which the fence had his office.
 

Lory looked at Kordan and Amano critically.

“First of all we should organize some clothing for you. You’ll stand out too much in this gear.”

“What’s the problem with these?” asked Amano, smoothing down his tightly fitting uniform shirt.

“Perhaps it’s this insignia here,” Charly answered him, tapping it with her forefinger, “And the fact that there’s a completely unfamiliar script on it?”

“I know where we’ll get some,” said Lory. “Come on.”

Lory hailed a taxi and said an address. They drove for a good half an hour through the town before finally stopping in front of a fitness studio. Lory paid the driver and they got out. It had stopped raining and the cloud cover seemed to be breaking up.
 

“Here?” asked Charly.

“Yes, if we’re going to find something for my big male, then it’ll be here,” replied Lory, running up the steps to the entrance.
 

Charly, Amano and Kordan followed her into the building. Lory walked confidently up to the reception desk where a well-built young man with Rasta hair was sitting and chewing on a toothpick. His face lit up when he set eyes on Lory.

“Sweetie!” he cried, giving Lory a broad toothpaste smile. “Where’ve you been? We’ve missed you. No! Say nothing. It’ll definitely be a strictly confidential undercover mission.”

“You could say that,” replied Lory, laughing, and she hugged the man over the counter.

Kordan uttered a warning growl and the Rasta man let go of Lory, looking at her in shock.

“Did he just growl?” he asked.

Lory laughed.

“Don’t worry, Lamin. He’s tame,” she said reassuringly. “Aren’t you, Kordan? Now don’t look so miserable. Be nice so that I can introduce you. This is my good friend Lamin. He works here. Lamin, the big one here is Kordan, my husband, and next we have my friend, Charly and her husband, Amano.”

“Hi,” said Charly with a grin. It was obvious that Lamin was gay but Kordan would probably not realize that because there were no same sex couples on Karrx7.
 

“Hi,” said Amano. As Lamin was not wearing a translator he could only copy Charly’s greeting. Lamin would not understand anything else anyway.
 

Only Kordan remained silent, on principle, giving Lamin an icy cold killer look.

“Nice to meet you,” said Lamin, who had now come out from behind the counter, but was deliberately avoiding getting close to Kordan.

He put his arms round Charly and kissed her on her right and her left cheek, then he put his hand out to Amano. At first Amano seemed to be a little uncertain as to what he should do with Amano’s hand, then he took hold of it briefly and quickly pulled it away again.
 

“Homophobia?” Lamin whispered into Charly’s ear.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “They have no idea what that is. These two are not from here.”

“Clearly,” replied Lamin, sighing. “There are no such splendid specimens here.”

Charly chuckled and looked across at Lory and Kordan who were having a quiet but heated discussion.

“Lamin is my friend!” hissed Lory. “A good friend, nothing more. So screw down your damn testosterone, OK?”

“No man apart from me is to touch you!” snarled Kordan.
 

Lamin leant towards Charly, raising an eyebrow.

“Does Goliath think that Lory and I have … hmhmhm?” he whispered.
 

“Looks like it,” chuckled Charly.

“Lamin!” called Lory.”Would you mind coming over here?”

“Do you think he’ll …?” Lamin murmured to Charly.

“Don’t worry. Lory has him … under control, I think.”

“If you say so. OK.” He sighed, but set off.
 

“Come on,” said Charly, taking Amano by the arm and pulling him along with her. “You need to step in if Kordan tries anything stupid. OK?”

“I have no idea what’s going on here, but OK,” he muttered, and they went across to the others.

“Lamin,” said Lory, glancing at Kordan. “Please tell my thickhead of a husband here when you last had anything to do with a woman.”

“What?” Lamin squeaked in horror. “Me? With … with a woman?”

“Yes!” snapped Lory impatiently. “So, when?”

“Never, you know that.”

“I know that, yes, but he doesn’t. And when do you think you might next have anything to do with a woman?”

“What’s all this about?” asked Lamin. “You know that I’m gay. And what’s more, what’s the point in me telling him anything when he doesn’t understand our language?”

“He does understand,” said Charly. “He just can’t speak it.”

“Lory!” snarled Kordan. “What’s going on here? Why are we here and who is this male?”

“We’re here so that you can get clothes, you know that,” explained Lory, irritated. “And this man is Lamin, a friend, as I’ve already told you. And he’s gay. That means that he’s not attracted to women, OK? He has no sexual interest in women.”

“Every man has sexual interest!” snarled Kordan glumly.
 

“Lamin loves men, you blockhead!
Understand?”

Charly had to laugh as Kordan’s jaw dropped. She had never yet experienced the controlled, ice-cold general expressing any emotion as clearly as at this moment. Bewilderment, disbelief and awkwardness spread over his otherwise so reserved features.
 

“Where do they come from for them to have never heard about gay people?” asked Lamin, shaking his head. “I didn’t think there’d still be a place on this planet where …”

Lamin stared at Charly, his mouth agape. Then he shook his head again. He glanced over Kordan’s body, then over Amano’s and finally back to Charly.

“No!”

“Well,” said Charly awkwardly. She looked across at Lory helplessly.

Lory shrugged.

“We can trust him. I know him. He’ll keep it to himself.”