*hard blinking*

Why was I fighting this? I had already traveled to the far reaches of the Milky Way galaxy. Why not go to the Pollenverse? It’s not like I wanted to be around these motherfuckers anyway.

The irony of it made me chuckle. They were embarrassed of me because I was too fat for their tastes, but I was equally embarrassed of them. They were all dumber than a pailful of shit, greedy as nursing calves, and mean as bulls.

And my dear mother. Oh, how I wished I had one good thing to say about the woman who brought me into the world, but she was also a disappointment. Not that it mattered. She was equally disappointed in me. Even though I was the reason this companywas thriving, as far as my mother was concerned, my value was in securing a good marriage, not running the family business.

“You have two brothers to do that,”she reasoned.

I snorted. As if these two assholes would bother. That would require them to pull their dicks out of their assistant’s cunts long enough to make a deal. My brothers came to work for pussy, not clients.

In addition to their lack of work ethic, they often took all the credit for the successes of Pailful Dairy. I should not be surprised mother thought them capable when they lied like rugs.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll leave now.”

I turned and walked out, not giving pause to allow them to comment. I traveled so much these days that I didn’t even have to go home and pack. I had clothes on my private craft.

I would get the crew together and see what lay in store in the Pollenverse.

Chapter Two

THE INTER-UNIVERSAL WORMHOLE:

Deep Space

My first venture into the Pollenverse was an immediate failure. After crossing through the Milky Way’s inter-universal wormhole, we came out on the other side and were greeted by pirates.

Our technology was no match for theirs. We didn’t even get a chance to send out a mayday. They disarmed our weapons and disengaged our engines. After they secured a sealed boarding bridge between the ships, I could do nothing but helplessly standby as they opened my vessel’s door.

I indicated to my small crew to remain seated. The was no reason for them to get hurt when the pirates were likely here for me. I swallowed my chuckle. I couldn’t guarantee my family would pay my ransom. I might be royally fucked.

My crew gasped in distress when armed alien wasps boarded the craft, followed by a dark-haired human woman.

Well, I think she was human. She spoke their language, which seemed impossible for a human mouth. She might have been a hybrid. I had heard of such creatures—human DNA mixed with whatever.

The insects were huge, towering over me on approach. Years in business had taught me to mask any reactions, and I wasn’t easily intimidated.

The woman walked up to me, and she spoke in perfect fucking English.

“Welcome to the Pollenverse. We will be seizing your vessel and enslaving you and your crew.”

“Why bother with the crew?” I asked. “They are worth little in way of ransom.”

The woman smiled tightly, and I found myself plummeting into the uncanny valley. Instinct screamed danger. The creature before me was now more terrifying than the ten-foot-tall wasp soldiers. She looked human, but not.

“No ransom. You will be going to auction,” she replied.

I lifted my brows, unimpressed. “I’m worth more in ransom.”

The woman’s gaze traveled down my body and back up again. She then looked around my hips to glance at my ass. When she straightened, it was to stare at my tits. Granted, they were quite large, but I was also a full-figured girl.

“Definitely not.”

“My family is wealthy.”

“Not wealthy enough. You are worth more than the combined wealth of your planet’s resources.”

I burst out laughing. I had never heard something so absurd in my life. I wasn’tthatimportant.