Anything else is pure idiocy. I shouldn't be making myself up like one of the minxes in the harem, fawning over the three men for their attention...
…yet, on the other hand...
I do have to get into Gallus’s bedroom to take those watches, don’t I?
While they might not be too concerned with privacy, I still need an excuse to get into his room – and it could be a very... delicious excuse, indeed.
I blush again. "Thank you, Sarah. You did an amazing job." I’m overflowing with gratitude towards Sarah.
Finally, I stand up from the chair. My plain clothes suddenly look so out of place compared to the exquisite make-up adorning my face.
"Now,” Sarah claps her hands together, “Let’s get you a dress."
I raise my eyebrows. "I'm not wearing anything like that," I say, pointing to her gorgeous, but revealing gown. "Not judging, but I'd be so embarrassed."
I can still see the dark circles of Sarah's nipples under her gossamer dress. She giggles, utterly shameless. "Don't worry, I'll find something in your color."
“It’s not the color I’m worried about!”
Sarah just giggles – taking my hand and leading me through the back door.
We go through and my jaw drops as we enter the next room over.
I’d thought Gallus’s walk-in wardrobe was impressive – but that’s like a shoe rack in comparison.
This new room is filled with clothes – and that’s a lot of filling!
In fact, the room stretches out at least a hundred feet, looking like a cathedral for those who worship fashion. On each side is a rack of dresses, skirts, and clothes; an entire shopping mall of them, in all sorts of colors, styles, and fabrics.
Sarah skips down the long room, running her fingers across the hanging clothes as she passes.
"This is my happy place," she laughs, and I feel a surge of envy at how... happy she is.
Sarah has this beautiful nonchalance – this joy de vivre, as if she truly found what made her happy, and clings to it with carefree innocence.
I can't even imagine feeling so right – especially when she’s just one of thirty women in a harem, serving the sexual needs of three dominant, gorgeous aliens – but, somehow, she does, and without even a hint of jealousy towards those other women.
I guess when no one is Bonded to the three Aurelians, everyone is the same to them.
Still, I wonder if they have favorites. They must. I mean, my favorite food is chocolate cake, but I still wouldn’t eat if every day. Occasionally variety makes you appreciate your favorite even more.
But what a life… I wonder sadly if the women forced to leave this harem ever truly want to have families after all they’ve experienced – or if they resent the Aurelians for making that choice for them, as if they’re children themselves, who can't decide what’s best for their own futures.
The Aurelians truly are a... bossy race.
I guess I understand it, though. If an Aurelian’s one, overriding purpose in life is to father sons with their Fated Mate, surely they wouldn't understand how a woman could be content not to become a mother – to remain childless in their harem for the rest of their lives.
But the truth be told – it’s a scary universe out there, especially for women. Now, more than ever, it’s a recipe for heartbreak to bring babies into the world without the likes of an Aurelian triad to protect them. There’s disease, poverty, or even grimmer fates that await the unlucky – like being sold to a Toad slaver, being killed by a Scorp or – even worse – dragged to their Queen, to have her eggs implanted in your still-living body.
I shudder.
I’d have to feel very secure in life before I’d ever consider bringing children into this world.
"Ooooh! This will be perfect!"
Sarah’s happy tone snaps me from my gloomy thoughts. She’s grabbed a blue dress from one of the racks. It’s low-cut – almost obscenely so – but at least the fabric is opaque, and it will still be a much more modest choice of outfit than the sheer gossamer Sarah is currently wearing.
I accept the dress skeptically. "I'm not much of a dress wearer."
Sarah smiles. "You'll love how you look in it. There's a mirror over there." She cocks her head toward a changing area. “Go try it on.”
I slip out of my dirty, worn clothes, and pull the blue dress over my head, wriggling it over my breasts and hips. It hugs me in a tight embrace, and I shiver at the sexy sensation.
Finally, feeling incredibly self-conscious, I step out from the changing area and Sarah gasps as soon as she sees me.
"You look gorgeous, Mia! Really, you do."
I look back in the mirror – and I gasp too.
I don't even recognize myself. I went from bland, drab, and boring to this. Now, I stare at the reflection of a beauty equal to any of the others in the harem; and that’s even with my own super-critical, self-deprecating eye. I’d never have thought I could compete with any of the gorgeous women I met earlier, but the irrefutable evidence is somehow standing right in front of my own eyes.
My brows knot with a sudden, nerve-wracking realization:
I’d already felt Cyrus's hunger for me in the shuttle, when I was wearing what amounted to a potato sack and my face was unwashed and bloody.
How out of his mind will he – they – go for me now?
And how strongly can I resist them?
I shudder. It’s a question I shouldn’t even have to ask myself. I’m here to do a job…
…and yet, I find myself imagining how good it would feel to just surrender to these three sexy, dominant men.
The sheer ownership of the three Aurelians – just by the intensity of their desire and the physicality of those towering, muscular bodies – would feel like the ultimate form of just letting go.
I gulp, and
