Page 33 of Alien in the Depths
Aliens of all kinds moved on the dance floor, limbs, tentacles, and antennae bouncing in unison to the beat. Some moved deftly, others wildly, and some, Sofia noticed, appeared to move with very little control over their bodies at all.
As she followed Vexis further into the throng, she noticed a strange smell permeating the hazy air—something between burning rubber and strawberries. When she caught several pairs of shaky eyes staring at her from the club’s darkened corners, she shuddered a little.
“Let’s dance,” Vexis yelled over the music, turning and placing his hand on Sofia’s lower back to steer her toward the crowd. She could feel his fingers touching her skin where the black dress opened at the waist, and it made her skin crawl.
“Aren’t you going to offer me a drink first?” Sofia countered with a flirtatious smile.
She figured this might help prolong their night for Zaraq’s sake. That and she didn’t want Vexis to start grinding on her any time soon. The Rikuan paused, the club’s strobe lights intermittently showing the smirk that was forming on his face.
“You women are all the same,” he scoffed but turned around, guiding Sofia toward the bar instead.
When he finally took his hand off her back to order the drinks, she breathed a sigh of relief and buried her indignation at his sexist remark under the desire to get out of this date alive. Zaraq had said he only needed an hour or so to get the job done, and Sofia figured she could do anything for an hour. Even flirt with this cretin.
Sofia watched closely as the bartender mixed her drink, some bright orange concoction that Vexis had called a singe. Zaraq’s words came back to her. “Watch your drinks, don’t accept any ‘cigarettes,’ and most of all, stay alert.”
She could definitely do those first two things, and she hoped the singe wouldn’t impair her ability to perform the last.
Her thoughts were broken when she saw Vexis’s enormous mauve hand wrap around the glass and lift it from the bar, along with his own drink.
“Let’s hope this loosens you up a little.”
“I’m sure it’ll help,” Sofia replied with a wink, taking the glass from him.
That seemed to do the trick, and soon Vexis was grinning at her, running his eyes hungrily over her body without a hint of subtlety. Without even looking her in the eye, he leaned down close to her ear.
“This way,” he growled, taking her free hand in his.
He pulled her away from the bar, past the throng of dancers, and toward a set of red-carpeted stairs that led up to the club’s mezzanine. A security guard blocked the staircase, but as soon as he caught sight of Vexis, he nodded solemnly and stepped aside. It was as though Vexis owned the place.
“Friends in high places?” Sofia asked as Vexis guided her to a VIP booth. As she sat down, the fake leather seats grabbed at her exposed thighs, and she attempted, in vain, to tug her dress down to cover them.
To her surprise and disgust, Vexis reached over from the seat opposite and stilled her hand, letting his fingers graze her legs.
“Leave it,” he instructed, before letting his eyes drop down to her lap. It felt, to Sofia, almost as intrusive as his touch.
She could think of plenty of things to say in return, plenty of things she’d said to men in the past who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. But tonight she knew she wouldn’t say any of that. She would play the perfect blushing beauty.
And then, when she got back to the hotel, she would take a long, hot shower to wash his touch, his gaze, and his words off of her.
“So, you’re a big deal around here, huh?” she asked again, trying to turn the conversation away from how long or short her dress was supposed to be.
Vexis seemed to like this boost to his ego, and he removed his hand to lean back in his seat, sipping his drink with an arrogant grin.
“You have no idea how big I am,” he told her once he’d swallowed his mouthful of singe. “But if you’re lucky, you might find out.”
Sofia forced herself to smile seductively, though everything in her wanted to throw her drink in his face. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that she was helping Zaraq, and her plan was working.
Maybe working a little too well, she conceded and tried to figure out how to keep Vexis on the hook but not give anything up.
“Aren’t you a charmer?” she lied, twirling her straw in her drink. “You learn that at the casino?”
She figured she could pump him for some information while she was at it, flirting just enough to distract him from what he might be giving away. She was just some bimbo dancer, after all. Right?
As a little extra incentive, Sofia pulled the straw out of her drink and lifted it to her mouth, keeping eye contact with Vexis the entire time. She twirled her tongue around the straw and sucked the slick orange liquid off it, knowing what she was doing was driving the Rikuan crazy.
The look in his eyes reminded her of a hungry dog, and she raised an eyebrow as if to say,well?
“I’ve had my fair share of women there if that’s what you mean,” Vexis replied, leaning forward again. “Women love a man in power.”