Page 21 of Tempting Her Grumpy Protector
“Ahhh… the lovely human scientist with the huge milk-makers!”
Sunny froze, heart leaping into her throat. She still had on nothing but the grass skirt and her shoes—now she wished she’d taken time to put on a blouse as well. Her bare breasts felt very…well, bare.
Slowly—reluctantly—she turned her head. Chief Lowhung was standing not fifteen feet away, grinning broadly, all three eyes fixed squarely on her chest.
Great…just great.
“I… uh…” she began, but he was already beckoning her forward with a thick-fingered hand.
“Come. Drink with me,” he said, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Sunny’s stomach tightened. She’d seen the frothing mugs, which seemed to be carved of animal skulls, being passed around. They must be filled with something alcoholic—some of the locals were already swaying where they stood. She was a lightweight on her best day and if that stuff was as strong as she suspected, she’d be out like a light if she wasn’t careful.
“Oh, I couldn’t—” she began to protest.
“You will.” He frowned at her warningly as he pressed a mug into her hand. “A guest must share the cup with her host. Especially when she disobeyed his orders and came back to the ceremony without permission.”
When he put it that way, Sunny didn’t see how she could refuse. She looked down into the animal-skull mug. It had been a creature with huge eyes and sharp teeth. The holes in the skull had been plugged with some black, waxy substance.
The liquid inside was thick and amber, smelling faintly sweet but with an edge of something sharp beneath. Maybe like hot sauce? She took the tiniest sip she could manage, meaning to buy time… but as the liquid trickled down her throat, it was like swallowing pure heat. It spread instantly, warming her chest, tingling down her arms and legs.
Sunny gasped.
“Oh my! That’s strong.”
“It is bela’qua, lovely one—the Mating Drink,” Chief Lowhung purred. “Taste of it…and soon you will see how much pleasure there is to be had.”
He pushed the cup to her lips, urging her to take another sip…which she did, against her rapidly deteriorating judgment.
This time the warm, tingling sensation spread to other parts of her body. Sunny nearly moaned as she felt her nipples grow tight and her pussy began to get wet and hot and ready. Oh, this probably wasn’t good—she shouldn’t be feeling this way, she was sure of it.
Her vision wavered. The drums sounded louder, closer.
Somehow she found herself dancing with the Thropp’ian women. Copying their moves, she slid her hands over her bare breasts, teasing her nipples as she moaned and swiveled her hips. The men standing in a loose knot around the dancers hooted and whistled and several of them said something about,
“Huge milk-makers!”
Suddenly, Sunny realized what she was doing. She was dancing for strangers—shaking her breasts and spreading her thighs like she was some kind of stripper. God, what had been in that drink?
I have to stop this—I have to get out of here. Get back to Greer!
She started to leave the group of dancers, but suddenly Chief Lowhung was there, blocking her way.
“But why have you stopped dancing, lovely one?” he purred. “You make such a beautiful sight, stroking your milk-makers for us.”
Sunny felt sick. God, she’d really been putting on a show, hadn’t she? But she couldn’t let the Chief know she was trying to sneak away.
She forced a smile.
“Excuse me, your Chiefliness, I, um… I need to step away for a moment. To take care of…of lady business,” she finished desperately.
He frowned at her suspiciously.
“Very well—you may go but you must not wander off.” He gestured, and a tall Thropp’ian woman with glossy black hair stepped up beside Sunny. “See that this lovely one does not leave us,” he said to her. “Take her to the necessary place and then bring her right back to me.”
“Yes, my Chief.” The woman bowed low and took Sunny by the arm. “Come, I will show you where you can make your waste water.”
“Er, thank you.” Sunny wanted to shake off her hand, but that would be too obvious. She let the woman lead her away from the Communal hut to a smaller structure among the nearby trees. There was an open trench there and the smell rising from it stung Sunny’s eyes and sobered her up a little. But she couldn’t do what she needed to with the woman watching.
