Read Online A Desconian Marriage of Convenience (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Rachel Clark - Free Book Online Page B

guards said as they passed in the hallway.
    “Thanks,” he said, smiling at the very old human reference to the time between when Jenelle agreed to marry them and the mubella claiming ceremony. Not even humans used the expression anymore, but it seemed with more and more humans landing on the planet—and the sudden popularity of ancient Earth entertainment called “soap operas”—some of human culture was becoming a part of everyday Desconian life.
    Ironically, Earth several hundred years ago wasn’t all that different to Descon today. From what he’d read, humans had embraced a “live and let live” attitude several centuries ago, but overpopulation and food shortages had sent many into despair. They’d gone looking for answers to society’s ever-increasing problems and embraced new attitudes and new ideals. Slowly they’d turned on each other.
    In recent years they’d even gone as far as to segregate men and women, but that seemed to have created almost as many problems as it had solved. Children were discarded and left to fend for themselves, barely surviving in a world that saw no use for them.
    Judging by the refugees still arriving on Descon, the attitude wasn’t yet planetwide, but it seemed only a matter of time. The most insane part was that without offspring the inhabitants of planet Earth were liable to die out in the next fifty years or less. As the population aged, skills would be lost and society as they knew it would grind to a halt. The most labor-intensive work would suffer first, so things like farming and mining would collapse, and the shockwaves would be felt throughout the population. It seemed extraordinary that no one was addressing the issues that they would surely face in their own lifetimes.
    Jax found Tosh in his office finishing up some reports.
    “Ready to go home?” Tosh asked when he glanced up to see Jax in the doorway.
    “Anytime you are.” Jax stepped into the office and closed the door. “Have you heard anything else about the changes in the law?”
    “Only that it seems likely to be passed next week. We need to claim Jenelle before then.”
    “So the ceremony is still set for three days from now?” Jax asked, feeling a rush of excitement. Despite the fact that Jenelle had been in need of the comfort, it had felt very satisfying to have all three people that he loved in his bed last night. She may not realize it, but she’d quickly become one of their family, even if she didn’t usually sleep in their bed.
    “As long as Jenelle doesn’t freak out on us,” Tosh said, looking worried.
    “Why would she freak out?”
    “Think about it,” Tosh said with a small smile. “The woman hasn’t had sex in over ten years, and even then we have no idea what exactly she experienced. Making love to all three of us in front of an audience is going to be overwhelming, but if the woman has never experienced an orgasm before, it could be terrifying for her.”
    “Never had an orgasm?” The concept had never even entered his mind. Desconian adolescents were encouraged to masturbate and learn their own bodies. He should have realized it would be the exact opposite for humans. “So what should we do?”
    “I was thinking seduction might be a good place to start.”
    “I like the way you think,” Jax said as a myriad of exciting possibilities wound through his mind. “Hurry up so we can head home.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Jenelle smiled as Baylen brushed past her yet again. The kitchen wasn’t that small, so she got the distinct impression that Baylen was trying to get her used to having him around. Or maybe that was just how Desconians in the general population behaved. Jenelle had always known that the Desconians she’d encountered in the compound had been curtailing their natures. Desconians who dealt with humans every day, like Tosh did, understood how unnerving it was for them to be part of physical displays of affection.
    With the mubella claiming ceremony only three days