Flame: Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Read online

  Focus on finding an idea to take back home… he thought to himself.

  “I don’t know why these Galaxy Brides guys are so worried,” Vin said as he stretched his neck muscles. “I’m sure we’ll blend in with the natives just fine. How hard can it be?”

  .

  Chapter Two

  Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America, Planet Earth

  One week later…

  “Give me all your Funky Chunky Cho Chocolate and your Vanilla Surprise. I don’t know what the surprise is, but I like the color spots in it. Not spots. Sprinkles. Spotty sprinkles.”

  Vin’s hands shook as he pointed down to the ice cream buckets hidden by a glass case. His breathing deepened in anticipation. He’d been searching up and down the Las Vegas strip for it and finally found an ice cream stand hidden inside a giant casino’s shopping center. Soft lighting, giant statues, and the indoor glass lakes held no appeal for him. He wanted the ice cream. He needed it. The shaking became worse as he gripped the top of the counter.

  “Now, give it to me, now,” he insisted when the girl behind the counter only stared at him with widened eyes. “And the pink one. Give me the pink one. Hurry. Now!”

  Vin snorted deep and then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. It caused the girl behind the counter to wrinkle her expression as she frowned at him.

  “Uh, Brett?” the girl whispered helplessly. Had she forgotten how to do her job? Seriously, how hard was it to hand him a bucket and a spoon? Couldn’t she see he needed it?

  “No. I am not Brett. I am called Flame. I’ll need a spoon,” he muttered, tapping the case. “Hurry, hurry, now, now, now…”

  “Ok, sir, just calm down.” A young man with a “Brett” name tag appeared. He held up his hands and gestured as if he expected Vin to bow his head to receive a special ice cream blessing.

  Vin grimaced and lowered his head while keeping his eyes on Brett and the employee who apparently couldn’t understand how to take a simple food order. A green-colored ice cream caught his attention. “I’ll take the green bucket, too.”

  When Brett only continued with his strange hand gestures, Vin lifted his head and said. “I can do it myself.”

  He stormed around the ice cream counter and slid the case’s access panel open. The girl gasped and scurried away from him. Brett was slower to back up as if protecting the girl.

  Vin ignored them both as he grabbed a scoop from inside a bucket and brought a to his lips. A strange chorus of noises rose up around him, but he didn’t care. Earth people were so noisy, and he chose to block the voices out.

  The cold, smooth flavor passed his lips, and he groaned as the shaking began to ease. He took another scoop, and then another, licking and swallowing the sweet, sweet, precious morsels. First pink, then white, then brown, then green, then white with brown specks, then…

  “Sir, we’re going to need you to step away from the case,” a woman ordered, interrupting his flow.

  Scorched blistersack!

  Where was he? Now he needed to start over. He reached his hand in, using his fingers instead of the scoop. The natural warmth of his body caused the ice cream to melt, so he needed to bring it to his lips fast.

  First pink, then white, then brown, then green…

  “Sir, put the ice cream down,” the woman demanded, louder than before. “Back away from the ice cream.”

  Fiery crevices!

  First pink, then white, then…

  “Sir!”

  Fire balls!

  A hand tentatively touched his arm, and he shrugged it off. First pink, then…

  “Careful, Borden,” a man warned. “Maybe I should—”

  “It’s all right, Officer Harris,” the woman answered soothingly. Her tone remained calm as if talking to a rampaging Egrat mammoth. “We’re just talking. Sir, have you taken any drugs today? What are you on, sir? I need you to look at me, please.”

  The hand touched him again. The shaking in his limbs had subsided, and his head felt better. He pulled is fingers from a bucket. White dripped onto the floor as the ice cream melted. He turned to face the woman.

  Brown eyes met his, and he found it hard to breathe. His heartbeat quickened. She wore her hair pulled back from her face, the style clean and neat and very unlike the other women he’d seen walking around Vegas. She had the kind of lips that would light up her entire face if she was to smile at him.

  “Sir, I need you to put the weapon down.” The beauty looked stern.

  Blast. No smile.

  He angled his fingers toward the floor, and the clump of ice cream fell off them. Vin grinned and felt a small trail of ice cream move down his chin. How had he not heard the sultry tone of her voice before now?

  “Sir?” She reached for his hand, and he lifted his fingers so she could take it. Instead of clasping her hand around his, she slowly removed the ice cream scoop he held and dropped it aside. “There you go.”

  “You’re lovely,” Vin said, smiling wider. The words were breathless. Tiny jolts of excitement filtered through him.

  “You’re going to have to come with us,” Harris stated. He wore a similar uniform as Vin’s dream woman.

  Vin arched the brow at the man. He did not wish to go anywhere with him. The woman, however…

  “Can you come with us?” she asked.

  “Of course.” Vin smiled. He’d follow her wherever she wanted.

  “What’s your name?” she continued, her tone pleasant in its calmness.

  “My name is Vinglarkenbauer. I mean Flame. Not Vinglarkenbauer. Just Flame. What is your name?”

  “Borden?” Harris asked. Vin really wished the man would quit interrupting. He was finally getting somewhere talking to a pretty Earth woman, and this idiot was going to ruin his chances of a date.

  “We’re just talking, Harris,” Borden answered. She reached behind her toward the man. “Hand me your cuffs.”

  Harris began mumbling something about how Vin had the right not to talk if he didn’t want to talk, and how he could go to a tourney, whether he could pay for it or not. He’d seen signs for a medieval show jousting tourney. If that is what this woman wanted to do with him, he’d go and happily. Finally, Harris finished his interruption with, “Do you understand these rights?”

  “Borden.” Vin made a move to touch her face. “That is a beautiful name.”

  She leaned away from his hand. “It’s Angela. Hold your hands out in front of you, please, Mr. Flame.”

  “Do you understand,” Harris repeated.

  “Yes. Fine. However I wish to talk to her, not you.” Vin glanced at Harris and obeyed Angela’s request as he held out his hands for her. “This man called you Borden, Angela.”

  “Holy shit, you’re the crazy whisperer,” Harris muttered.

  “Angela Borden.” Angela wrapped a metal band around his wrist. “You may call me Angela.”

  Vin glanced down at the present. “Thank you. It’s lovely.”

  “Yes,” Angela agreed. She snapped a second metal band around his other wrist, linking them together. “There we are. Now, I’ll need you to come with us.”

  “Do we have to go with him? It could just be the two of us.” Vin couldn’t take his eyes off her. Every detail of her mesmerized his senses. To be fair, the quick beating of his heart could have been from the ice cream sugar, but he knew for a fact the rest of his reactions were all from her. He shifted his hips. Yes, the erection was all for her. Should he tell her that? A woman had told his cousin Kal that honesty was important. He opened his mouth to let her know how much he wanted her when she again spoke.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t leave my chaperone behind,” she said. “Officer Harris has to come.”

  “I understand. I have heard of this custom for the sake of virtue. A woman as beautiful as you would have many suitors. It is wise you take protection in such a crowd. Yes, I would be honored to join you,” Vin agreed. Then, to Brett, he instructed, “Please have the buckets delivered to my room and cha
rge my suite.”

  Brett looked confused.

  “Officer Harris is going to have to pat you down,” Angela said. “Just to make sure you don’t have any sharp objects or weapons on your person.”

  “I do not have any weapons on me.” Vin gave her a small smile and winked. Women liked when a man had humor. He thought about making a joke about the weapon between his legs, but Harris began touching him, and Vin grimaced instead. Luckily the check was over quickly, and the man retreated. Instead, he went with, “Unless you count my fists in a fight.”

  “He’s clean. No ID,” Harris said.

  “Well, you just keep those fists to yourself and we won’t have any problems.” Angela grabbed a stack of napkins and held them in from of his face. “Is it all right if I clean you up?”

  Vin nodded in agreement.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Harris stated.

  “It’s fine,” Angela said. “Nothing wrong with a little human dignity.”

  “We’ll talk again after you’ve been accepted onto the force and worked the strip for a few years,” Harris answered.

  “I’ve lived in this area my whole life,” Angela countered. “I don’t think there is any brand of crazy I haven’t already seen.”

  “Let’s just see if you make it on, and then we’ll talk,” Harris said.

  “I’ll make it. They’ll take me because you’re going to give me a good recommendation when this is over, aren’t you, Officer Harris? And the department wants you to recruit more women.” Angela gently wiped the napkins on his sticky chin, trying to clean the ice cream that had trailed down it. Vin didn’t lose his smile. “There you go. That’s better, Mr. Flame.”

  “Thank you.” He began to lean in for a kiss, but she stepped back too quickly and tossed the napkins on the nearby counter. As Angela strolled with him through the shopping center, he ignored the fact Harris escorted them on their impromptu date. “I am fascinated by all the shops you have here. They sell everything. One had nothing but tiny little cups they called shot glasses for when you only want a tiny shot of water and not a full drink. Fascinating, isn’t it? And another store sold nothing but t-shirts. I bought this one, do you like it?” He pointed to the beer label printed on his chest. “Apparently, it is stylish because this is the only design they had. And another sold these bath bombs that you throw into the water and watch fizz. I put it in the toilet in the hotel bathroom, and it made strange pink bubbles. I’m not sure why someone would need a store for that, but apparently, they are very popular.”

  “Yes, sir, there are a lot of businesses,” Angela answered.

  “I thought about opening a business back home,” Vin admitted, not sure what prompted him to tell this woman his deepest dreams. “Maybe an ice cream business. But I am not sure the weather would permit. Storage will be a problem. And then there is the exporting of ingredients. We don’t have sugar. I like sugar.”

  “I can tell.” Angela smirked as if trying not to laugh.

  “Would you enjoy some? I am having it brought to my suite. You’re welcome to join me,” Vin offered.

  Harris gave a small laugh. “Looks like you got an admirer.”

  “Where?” Vin frowned, glancing around the area. All around him, toxins were being emitted. He tried to block them. Earth had a lot of smells and noises. The machines and fluorescent lights gave off a chemical smell that none of the locals seemed to notice, and the casinos were filled with billows of smoke from tiny sticks people put in their mouths. It didn’t take the skill of a Killian nose to analyze that those things were not healthy to ingest into a biological system, but that didn’t stop the humans from firing up one after another.

  Sometimes, Vin could detect the cancer inside of their bodies killing them. The one man he’d tried to tell that to had become violently angry. The old guy yelled about his God-given human right to smoke any damned thing he so chose without having to listen to hippy liberals and their agendas. Vin supposed the man was right. It was his decision if he wanted to die from the cancer in the next two years instead of seeking medical help.

  The visual stimulus for Vin wasn’t so much in the aesthetic like it was for Kal, but in how he felt about things. It was more of an impression, a combination of sounds and nearly invisible imprints emitting from the various machines—slot machines on the casino floor, phones in people’s pockets, cash registers, and card readers. Every time someone won at one of the machines, or answered their cellular phone, or paid with a credit card, the intensity of the impressions became unbearable to look directly at.

  Several people watched them as they walk by. He focused his attention on the men. Which one was his competition for Angela’s attention? He held up his hands so they could see the joined bracelets she’d given him. Several gave him strange looks, and he could only assume they were jealous.

  “Through here,” Angela ordered, taking him toward a door marked security. She pulled a card from her pocket and slid it through a scanner. The door led to a private hallway, and he relaxed. No competition in here. Just Harris the chaperone.

  Vin relaxed and kept talking. “There is not much call for a shirt with only one label on it, at least not a whole store full. Food would be something, but everyone eats in the settlement dining hall together, so I’m not sure how I could get them to change locations since food production is communal.”

  “You could always deliver the food, or have a food truck,” Angela suggested. “Sometimes people don’t want to have to get dressed and go out to eat. You could bring the food to them.”

  Vin thought about her idea for a long moment before slowly nodding. “You may be right. Start a delivery service that brings food to the people. There might be something to that.”

  “Glad I could help,” Angela answered. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind helping me out by stepping into my office?”

  “Yes, Angela, I’d be happy to help you in any way you needed.” Vin grinned, moving through the door she held open.

  “You may sit here,” she gestured to a bench surrounded by bars.

  He stepped into the small enclosure and looked around at the bars. “This is what you call a zoo theme, correct? The decorating you do in these rooms is amazing.”

  “Yep, buddy, and you’re the lion on display,” Harris answered as he shut the door and clicked the lock.

  “I’m not a lion, I’m human,” Vin corrected.

  “My mistake,” Harris answered. To Angela, he said, “All right, trainee, well done. Time to do your paperwork.”

  “Hand me the cuff keys.” She held out her hand to Harris. He dug in his pocket. To Vin, she said. “Slide your hands through the bar, and I’ll get those off you.”

  Vin looked at his wrists. “I would rather keep them if that’s all right. You gave them to me, and they are lovely. I’m sorry if I wasn’t appreciative enough.”

  Harris stopped digging in his pocket. “Suit yourself.”

  “Any chance I can convince you to do the logs for me?” Angela asked Harris. A phone began to ring, and they both ignored it.

  “Nice try,” Harris laughed. “This one is all you, darling.”

  “Would you like me to pick that device up and speak?” Vin offered, not liking the noise. They didn’t answer him.

  “I don’t even know what we can charge him with, really,” Angela said to her friend. “He offered to pay for the food he ate when he was finished. He didn’t resist arrest. He does not appear to be drunk, but he may be on something. Public disturbance, a misdemeanor?”

  A voice began talking from the little box on Harris’ shoulder. Vin couldn’t make out much from the garbled dialect, but the man’s expression became serious.

  “It’s all hands on deck. I have to go. There was some kind of pile-up accident on the strip. Traffic is backed up, and half the force went to secure the scene. Also, a fight broke out on a casino floor between a couple of jackass kids, and there are reports of a possible robbery attempt. Just another night in Vegas. Stay here un
til I get back. Just write the report up the best you can, and I’ll sign it later,” Harris instructed.

  “Do you need me to come?” Angela offered.

  “Sorry, but you’re stuck babysitting him until things get cleared up. You going to be all right on your own?”

  Angela looked up at the clock. “Yeah, I’m good. The receptionist will be back from her break soon to man the phones. I won’t be alone for too long.”

  Harris made his way toward the door. “We’ll probably have to call in a psych request for this one. Something here isn’t right.”

  “On it,” Angela acknowledged, taking a seat behind a computer.

  Vin cringed at how the radiation from the computer screen stuck to Angela’s clothing. Earth technology could really use an advancement. He had seen images of the older systems and had done the calculations of radiation as a youngster. The systems had been replaced eons ago on Bravon and other planets mainly due to the health hazards they presented. If he had his guess, some alien race had sold the secret Earth government group the old technology. The humans should have held out for safer, but then, they didn’t know any better, and now the same aliens would be able to sell them progressively enhanced technology each time they came.

  The radiation was a natural concern for him if any of them were to actually find brides to take home, especially if they were to have children later.

  “You are quite fond of your clunky processors here, aren’t you?” Vin smiled, trying to rekindle the conversation and draw her eyes away from the screen back to him. Now that they were alone, they could speak more openly about the clear attraction building between them. He glanced at her thighs, seeing what could only be the faint trace of desire waving in the air like heat.

  “Excuse me?” Angela looked up from what she was doing.

  “Your computers emit more radiation than they’re worth. I could calculate the probability of most things in less time it takes you to enter the data into that thing. All the while, it’s killing you.”

  “Ah, ok then. Thank you for that tip. I’ll write you down as a technophobe,” she said.