Phates mate, p.4
Phate's Mate, page 4
“Introduce me to them,” the bride stated, gaze still locked onto the trio.
“No, you’re about to get married. Introduce them to me,” the mother countered.
The bride-to-be turned to her mother with mouth agape. “You’re married too!”
Her mother waved a hand in the air. “That can easily be undone.”
“You’re talking about divorcing my father!”
Tasha couldn’t pay attention to the squabbling between them because Phate had backtracked and was coming through the door. The alarm chimed as he entered with the other two men on his heels.
The short racks of clothes she’d placed strategically in the room, along with the comfortable seats had appeared cute and cozy when she initially set it up. Now, the space shrunk from the presence of the three large men.
As she watched Phate make his way toward her, blood thundered past her ears, and she couldn’t get her breathing under control. His presence wreaked havoc on her internal system and her mind screamed for her to run.
Phate stopped in front of her, enveloping her in his foreign scent. He stared down with a smile and her heart fluttered in response.
“The female called Tasha,” he said in his drawling accent. “Hello. Good afternoon. Greetings. How are you doing? Nice to see you again. How are you enjoying the weather?”
Tasha frowned. Why was he spouting a plethora of greetings?
Wilma elbowed her. “When a man as fine as that talks to you, no matter how odd he’s being, you respond.”
And that’s why Wilma was her favorite aunt. Tasha swallowed the lump in her throat. “Hello. Phate, is it?”
Smooth. Real smooth. As if she hadn’t been repeating his name in her head and even tested it out on her lips a few times since meeting him.
She would never admit it to Nisha, but she’d put her ear up to the vent last night because there was a lot of talking going on in their apartment. She couldn’t understand anything because they spoke in their language. All the while, she’d wished that she’d asked where they were from, so she could’ve turned on her translator app and eavesdropped.
“Phate,” he said, nodding. He motioned toward the other two. “Kien and Solgre.”
When Tasha couldn’t snap out of her stupor fast enough, Wilma stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “I’m Wilma, her aunt and employee.”
Phate took the outstretched hand and shook like he didn’t quite understand the up and down movement. “Aunt. You’re related by a parent.”
They dropped hands and Wilma stepped back with an eyebrow raised. “Um, yes. That’s usually how it works.”
The mother and bride cleared their voices simultaneously. “Um, these are...” Crap, although they’d both given her their names, Tasha couldn’t remember them. The day had been trying to say the lease.
Luckily, the mother stepped forward and instead of an outstretched hand, she went in for a hug. “I’m Joan and any friend of Tasha’s is a friend of mine. We adore her little boutique. We could’ve gone to a much larger shop but as I told my daughter, Jessica here, we needed to support more small African American businesses.”
Jessica groaned and slapped a hand across her face.
The door alarm chimed again as two women breezed through, eyes on the hot trio.
“Oh, this is such a nice store,” one said, gaze hyper-focused on Solgre.
The other pretended to look around but her gaze quickly landed on Kien and stayed there. “Yes, yes. This is a cute place.”
“Excuse me while I see to the new visitors,” Tasha said, happy for the distraction.
When she reached the newcomers, smile on her face and hand extended in greeting, they didn’t pay her any attention. Their paths led directly to where Phate, Kien and Solgre stood.
“Hello. Do you come here often?” the redhead asked Solgre, thrusting her prominent bust up toward his gaze.
“We’re new to town,” Solgre grumbled.
With a lopsided grin on his face, Kien seemed too happy to be the center of attention while Solgre seemed uneasy about it. As if he were afraid of being caught off-guard, Solgre’s gaze darted from the door to the large, picturesque window and back to the door.
The redhead repositioned herself in Solgre’s line of vision. He stepped to the side so she wasn’t blocking him and the exit. The redhead sent a defeated look to her dark-haired friend.
“But we can come here often if this is where we should be spending our time,” Kien offered.
Both women perked up and giggled to each other.
Uh, no. Tasha didn’t need these three disrupting her place of business. It would be pure chaos if the five giggling women in her presence were any indication. They acted as if they’d never seen attractive men before. Even Wilma stopped paying attention to Tasha and gazed longingly into Solgre’s eyes like a lost puppy.
“Oh! Are you on any of the dating apps?” the redhead asked.
“Dating app?” Solgre asked with a frown.
“Excuse us,” Kien said. “We’re not from here. What is an app?”
“It’s what single people use to meet, hook up and date each other,” Jessica said. “It’s how my husband and I met.”
“I thought we were never going to tell anyone how you two met,” Joan sang to her daughter.
Hearing the description of what a dating app was drew Phate’s attention from Tasha. She wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the loss of his gaze left her suddenly bereft. Her eyes narrowed on the fawning women. To her surprise, an unexpected spike of jealousy hit her.
She wasn’t confident enough to believe she had more to offer than these other women. As far as looks were concerned, she was average at best. Nisha was an avid dating app user and she’d showed Tasha a slew of photos with the most gorgeous women available and searching for men. There was no way she could compete with some of them.
Jessica rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with dating apps, mom. Using technology to determine if two people are compatible takes a lot of the second guessing out and helps to weed out the weirdos.”
“It sounds like what the IDA uses,” Phate said to Solgre.
“Hm, definitely something to consider,” Solgre responded.
She was about to ask them what IDA stood for and if it was a new dating app, but at the moment Kien turned a dazzling smile on the two newcomers, and they immediately broke down into another round of giggles. Tasha rolled her eyes at the display of teenage antics from obviously grown women.
“Are you both on dating apps?” Kien asked the women.
They nodded.
“But we can bypass that and go out on a date,” the redhead offered.
Kien stepped closer to her and angled his head downward to look into her eyes. The intensity was enough to have Tasha fan herself.
“I would like that very much,” he replied.
“This is something we will discuss later, privately in our home.” Solgre pulled Kien back by his shirt. Kien resisted at first and a brief struggle ensued before he grimaced and ended up by Solgre’s side. Solgre grabbed Phate’s elbow with his other hand. “We must be leaving now.”
Everyone in the boutique watched the trio make their way toward the door. Even Tasha couldn’t find the strength to look away from Phate’s perfectly sculpted ass.
Phate glanced over his shoulder and their gazes connected. Her face reddened at being caught staring at his butt. “Tasha, are you on this dating app?”
Tasha choked. Her on a dating app? If she wanted to do that kind of damage to her pride, she would go to her upcoming high school reunion. “Absolutely not.”
Solgre pushed through the exit, dragging Phate with him.
Chapter Five
Pizza in hand, Kien dropped into the seat next to Phate. The couch creaked under his weight. “We should try this dating app thing. It sounds like the database that the Intergalactic Dating Agency uses. If we’re wondering if the humans would be candidates for the IDA, we should research how things are set up here and how well they will fit.”
Phate took a bite of his pizza. He’d told Kien no fourteen times at last count. Ever since Kien found out about the app, he’d become obsessed about it. “I don’t want to join.”
After leaving Tasha, they’d gone into another store. It was larger and seemed to have everything he’d seen on television in it. There’d been aisles and aisles of stuff...just useless human stuff. Solgre had thought they could pick up equipment for the communicator, so they’d scoured the electronics department for anything remotely advanced enough to match their tech.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t had the time needed to conduct a proper search. The human females gravitated toward them, crowding their space, asking them questions and wouldn’t leave them alone.
Not wanting to bring any more attention to them than necessary, Solgre hastily grabbed anything in reach, tossed it into the cart provided and they’d left. The walk back to their apartment had been fast even with the cart. It had taken some effort to push the cart home with its one wobbly wheel, but they’d done it. Even with two men they’d recognized from the store’s entrance chasing after them.
“We know why you don’t care to join,” Kien said between bites.
“Because Tasha isn’t on it,” Phate confirmed as he picked up the remote from between the seat cushions.
Phate had done his research on what exactly a dating app was and after hacking into the most popular one and seeing the messages between the males and females, had decided it wasn’t for him. After sharing what he’d found with Solgre and Kien, Kien focused solely on the sexual aspect of it.
Some couples got together for dinner and drinks to test their chemistry, while others “hooked up” for purely physical interactions. The latter obviously appealed to Kien. Solgre hadn’t shown interest either way. His interest remained on desperately attempting to repair the portable replicator.
Normally, Solgre would’ve thrived in an unknown environment, but for some reason, being on Earth had changed him. He wasn’t himself.
Phate glanced his way. Solgre sat at the same table where he spent most of his time, eyes downcast, focused on the equipment spread out before him. The cart, with their newly acquired items, was parked beside him.
Concentration made the lines etched into his face pronounced. His eyebrows were pulled together, and a fine sheet of sweat dotted his forehead.
Kien caught Phate staring at Solgre and nudged him. Phate turned to see the questioning look in Kien’s eyes. Without exchanging words, Phate knew Kien wondered the same thing as he did. Why was their fearless leader acting so apprehensive about this new world?
Yes, none of them wanted to be dissected for public viewing, but they were taking precautions to hide what they were and so far, none of the government authorities had contacted them.
Phate didn’t think that was the answer. Even without the beacon going out, a ship would’ve been dispatched when Solgre and his crew hadn’t checked in at their scheduled interval.
Something else worried Solgre and Phate needed to find out what it was. Solgre was a strong, prideful and independent leader. Phate needed to approach the subject delicately to get to the root of the cause. He would bring it up before bed and after dinner as Solgre seemed calmer after drinking the human wine.
Phate just hoped Solgre would be open to talking to them about whatever was on his mind.
“What in Ancient’s is your problem?” Kien asked Solgre bluntly.
Or Phate could just let Kien bring it up.
Solgre didn’t look up. His face knotted in concentration. “Nothing.”
“Pft. Nothing?” Kien asked. “You say that as if we don’t know your personality and can’t see the change in you.”
“I have to fix the portable replicator.”
“I understand the need. We all miss some of the comforts we’re used to,” Phate said. “You’ll get it done. We trust you. So, tell me, what else is bothering you?”
“Maybe I’m tired of being on this planet? Or that I hate breathing this polluted air. Or could it be that the only thing I’ve eaten is pizza since leaving Halo One? Pick your choice!”
“You don’t like the pizza?” Kien frowned as he studied the slice in his hand. “It’s delicious.”
“I don’t think it’s meant for everyday consumption.”
“It’s the food substance of every American male,” Phate replied. That’s what the commercial had said anyway. “We have to eat it, so we’ll fit in.”
Solgre squeezed his eyes shut and let out a deep breath. He clenched his hands around the tools in his grip. “Fine.”
Kien and Phate exchanged concerned glances again. This type of emotion coming from Solgre was...unsettling.
Phate stood. “Solgre, talk to us.”
“Fine. I’ll talk.” Even though this was said, Solgre still didn’t lift his head and address Phate directly. “Do any of you get the feeling that we forgot to do something at that store? These humans have funny little ways and antiquated thinking. I feel like we should have logged the goods or something of that matter?” He shook his head wearily. “So many little things to remember.”
“Solgre. Forget about the store,” Phate said. “If it’s something about the mission we should know about it. Is the rescue ship not coming? Should we be concerned?”
“Should you be concerned?” Solgre asked slowly. Solgre raised his head. His eyes were red with strain. “Crash landing on an unvetted planet with billions of backward, blood thirsty hungry aliens should’ve concerned you. But it didn’t. You and Kien only think of the females and your tool between your legs, instead of getting off this miserable rock. Why would you be concerned?”
Kien heaved himself from the couch to stand as well. “That’s unfair. Of course, we’re concerned but we’re also trying to make the best of our situation and continue this mission by amending the parameters previously set because of the circumstances we now find ourselves in.”
Solgre pushed his chair back and the legs scraped harshly against the kitchen floor. He flicked a hand nonchalantly through the air. “Fine. Join this dating app, Kien. Mingle with the human females. Get to know them. Have sex, do whatever you want. Is that what you want to hear from me?”
“Yes,” Kien said with a nod.
Phate jabbed Kien in the side. “That’s not what I want. I would rather know why you’re upset.”
Solgre chuckled but it didn’t sound jovial at all. He crossed his arms and widened his legs as he stared both Kien and Phate down, leveling a dark look on them. “No. No. No. As you both keep reminding me, we’re still on a mission—even if it has changed. We’re to find out if these humans are compatible and worthy of joining the IDA.
“So, that’s what we’ll do. Join the dating app and report back after each encounter. Don’t forget to make nightly entries into your logs.”
Phate shook his head. “The only female I want to get to know here—”
“Is the one next door,” Kien said under his breath.
Phate ignored Kien. “I’ll ask Tasha on a date.”
Solgre shook his head. “Dating our neighbor doesn’t sound like a good idea. Besides, focusing on one female isn’t our new mission. This dating app will allow you to focus on an array of females and gather more information in a short amount of time.”
“Yes, finally!” Kien said with a whoop. “You’re seeing things my way.”
“But—” Phate interjected.
“That’s an order, Phate,” Solgre said. Then his gaze bounced between Kien and Phate. “Are we done here? Satisfied?”
Kien grabbed the tricorder from Phate’s hand. “I am.”
“Phate?” Solgre asked him.
No. “Yes.”
Chapter Six
Slam!
Could’ve been the pizza man or...
Another date?
Her new neighbors seemed to have an unhealthy love for pizza. Maybe they didn’t have pizza where they’re from?
Coming or going?
Tasha wondered as one of her new neighbors slammed their apartment door. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth as she chopped the cucumbers for her salad.
Which one is going out this time? Phate or Kien?
For the past week both men had been coming and going at all hours of the night. To be newcomers in town and the country, they seemed to have the dating game down pat. Not only did she have to listen to their door opening and closing constantly, but she’d also seen them frequenting local restaurants.
Theirs was a small town. Talk should already be spreading about the new guys and how they were players. That should’ve put an end to any swipe rights, but nope. Their dating life appeared to be going strong.
If Tasha went to the window, she could catch a glimpse of which one headed out.
No. She shook her head. Why should she be concerned about what her neighbors did?
She wasn’t tracking all the neighbors, she admitted to herself. Just Phate.
Tall, incredibly sexy and handsome Phate.
To be honest, her neighbors were unlike any of the men in Point Breeze. And even if word did spread about them being players, she doubted that would slow the influx of dates. The six-four, two hundred and fifty pounds, blond men with accents was all everyone seemed to talk about.
Heat flushed her skin with the mere thought of Phate and his beautiful eyes. She fanned herself. She couldn’t stop thinking of them...him either.
She let out a deep breath. Who was she kidding? Even with their reputations growing, Phate and Kien still probably had dates lined up every night for the next month. Besides, Phate wasn’t her type anyway. She preferred her men medium ugly because they were humble and knew how to treat a lady.
One look at Phate and she could tell he was out of her league. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could pull a hottie. What concerned her the most was the number of women she would have to compete with. The very thought made her skin prickle.
Her other concern? He didn’t belong in Point Breeze. Phate seemed bigger than her and her small town.
