Authors: Julia Sexton
Chapter 7: Judgment Court
Sandy and Josh walked down the long hallway. General Baliik stomped behind them clutching the red pen-like object in his hand.
Even with Josh next to her Sandy was apprehensive. These…things…wanted to get rid of her. Josh had sacrificed his freedom to stop them. She shivered. Josh held her hand as they walked. The closer they got to the room the more her sense of dread built. It was as though everything inside her head was turning black. Josh squeezed her hand when they arrived at the door.
“Enter,” General Baliik commanded.
Josh pushed the handle of the door and opened. The three of them went into the room. General Baliik walked to the table and sat.
Sandy noticed that this time there were two more chairs at the table. In the center, directly across from where General Baliik settled into his chair. He motioned to the chairs.
General Baliik began. He turned his head around and spoke in the hisses and grunts of Zinka to the others at the table. Then he turned to Josh and Sandy.
“For the sake of the…woman, I will speak your language.”
“Thank you,” Josh replied with sincerity.
“Thank you,” Sandy echoed in a whisper. Her hands were cold and clammy. Her heart thumped. She was certain everyone could hear it.
General Baliik pulled out a tiny red rectangle. “The plenary of Zinka has made a grave decision.” His once blue skin was white with tiny filigrees of orange. He looked at Josh.
Then, he began to “read” from the rectangle. “We the Plenary of Zinka Sectors have met with The Absolute…”
Josh whispered to Sandy, “That’s my father.”
“…and in concurrence in every regard with the statements from the High Absolute which have been transcribed and appended herein…” General Baliik, stopped. Glanced at the table. Dropped the red reader. Hissed and then growled. And, then…he disappeared! He disappeared before Sandy’s eyes. The only thing left was the little reader.
Sandy sat stunned. She felt Josh relax next to her. Obviously the general’s disappearance was a great relief to him. She felt the black darkness in her head, that sense of dread, dissipate as Josh relaxed.
She leaned close to Josh and whispered, “What happened?”
“His time here in this environment was at an end. He had minutes to get back to Zinka before he expired.”
One of the other Zinkans had picked up the red reader. He began reading aloud but this time in the hissing language of Zinka.
Sandy watched Josh’s face turn stern, then angry, then resolute. The Zinkan continued to read. Two of the Zinkans at the table got up and left the room. As the Zinkan read, Josh glanced at Sandy with a big smile. His body had relaxed. His blue-grey eyes sparkled, and his cheeks tightened with a very big smile.
“What?” Sandy breathed.
“Shh,” Josh whispered back. “I’ll explain in a minute.”
The two absent Zinkans returned to the room. The reader stopped speaking. All six turned to Josh and saluted by raising both hands above their heads and hissing in unison. Then, as the general before them, they disappeared.
Josh looked into the middle distance. “I’ll have to adjust. But we’re free.”
Sandy could tell he was relieved, but she also sensed he was troubled in some way.
“Josh, please tell me. Tell me what they said.”
“We’re free,” he repeated. “I’m free. According to the decision, I am no longer a Zinkan. I have been denounced and banished.”
“Denounced? What does that mean?” Sandy felt the pit of her stomach tighten.
“My heritage is taken, my Zinkan father has renounced any of my Zinkan characteristics. The planet has declared that I am not only not a prince and leader, but not a citizen.”
“So you are stuck here? Stuck here with the humans? You’re a non-Zinkan on Earth. Is that it?”
“Yes.” Josh gazed at the wall across the room.
“What about the mission?”
He answered absently without taking his eyes away from the wall. “They’ve abandoned the mission. Those two who left the room cleared all the data and severed the connection to Zinka. My powers are gone. My mission is abandoned. From this moment on I’m just Josh Harrington, inventor and businessman.”
“How does that make you feel?” Sandy wanted to know. Deep in her heart she wanted to know. Did he care about her or was that passion just imprisoned tension release? But she wasn’t going to ask about them, the two of them together. It had to come from Josh.
“Feel?” Josh looked momentarily puzzled.
Sandy couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, that proves you are human for sure. Another man who is not in touch with his feelings. That was my main reason for leaving Spain and coming back to the U.S.” She laughed again. “So, Josh Harrington, man, do you know what you feel?”
Josh reached out with both arms and took Sandy’s hands in his. The long, strong fingers wrapped around her delicate hands. She felt the heat sparks start in her body. But she wasn’t going to push. She’d tried that with Bob, it didn’t work.
“I don’t know,” Josh said. “I really don’t know. There’s so much. So much has changed. It’s like a part of me is wrenched out, leaving a big hole, but there’s no feeling. On the other hand, I haven’t been on Zinka in over 12 years. Even then I lived in a bubble, not able to interact with anyone there. I’m numb.” He paused, looked into the distance beyond her shoulder. “I don’t know who I am.”
Then he turned his gaze back toward Sandy. He lifted his right hand and ran his fingers through her hair, combing and rearranging the tresses around her shoulder.
Sandy instinctively knew this was a time to be quiet. She wanted him. Each time his hand touched her shoulder as he combed her hair, sparks flew through her body. When she thought about what had just happened though, she was not conflicted. She was free. Free!
She reminded herself that Josh would have to make a decision. She knew how she felt. His every touch sparked a hunger and a flame. How much of that was because of their situation. It was so unbelievable. Even here, with Josh next to her she had a hard time grasping the confinement. The stifling feeling of being trapped.
Did he care about her? Her, Sandy? Or was that just a physical tension release. She thought about his tenderness, the way his lips touched hers. The tiny soft kisses and then the passion. The passion like nothing she had experienced. Her feelings for Josh seemed overwhelming. But now, he was lost at the moment. Lost without a self. How could a man without a self-love?
Now that he was free, how would he treat her? Would he go back to the demanding, arrogant, tycoon? If that was the case, she wanted no part of Josh, or Harrington Ltd. After those kisses, she needed all. She wanted all…or nothing…from Josh Harrington.
They sat quietly for a few minutes. Then Sandy made her decision.
“Josh, I’m going to leave you to think about what just happened. All of it. The imprisonment. Our imprisonment. Your loss of heritage. What you’re going to do next. I’m going home. I’m going home to be free and to feel normal. I just need one thing from you.”
Josh came back from wherever his mind had gone. He did look stunned. His eyes were blank reflecting no emotion. “What?” he asked.
“My bag.”
“Your bag?” Josh looked bewildered.
“Yes, when you locked me away you kept my bag. My wallet, my mobile phone, my keys. I’m going back to my apartment. I’ll come back later to get the clothes. I just want to go home. Home to be free.”
“But your car.” Josh suddenly seemed to focus.
“What about my car?”
“We took it back to your apartment.”
“What!”
They heard a knocking at the front door. Then the doorbell chimed.
“What now!” Josh exclaimed.
He started down the long corridor. Sandy trailed behind him. She was going to go home! And as soon as possible.
“Wait in the great room. I’ll deal with whatever this is and then take you hom-…to your apartment.”
Was that a hesitation? Did he stop himself from saying “home?” Did he want her to think of this place as home? Sandy couldn’t tell. She decided it was wishful thinking, her wanting a man she didn’t really know. She sat on the great leather covered sofa and thought about freedom. She would never take it for granted again.
“Hey, Josh, what’s happening?” Sam Cole’s easy, cheery sales voice burst through the door. “You disappeared. We called, but you didn’t answer. We called the house, no answer. You were going to call me when you got back from Denver.”
“Sam,” Josh replied. “Welcome. I had a couple of things come up. Come on in.”
Right, thought Sandy. I kidnapped a woman and made her prisoner, I was imprisoned by aliens. Just a couple of things. Let’s see how he handles this one.
“Sandy!” Sam looked startled, then he looked at Josh and gave him a wink.
“Sandy’s here to help me with a special project that came in from Vienna. I didn’t go to Denver. This one’s big. I hope we make the connection. We were just taking a break.” Josh ushered Sam into the great room.
The sun was shining, the ocean sparkled. Sandy could see dolphins, little black dots darting above the waves.
Well, the man could certainly make up whoppers, right on the spot. Smooth. She would match him.
“We’re done for now. I need to get home and tend to my life. Personal time after working the weekend.”
“Where’s your car. Little Toyota, right? I didn’t see it out front.”
“It was urgent,” Josh filled in. “I drove her here.”
“Well, I can take you back, Sandy. No probs. It was just that Josh seemed to have disappeared.” He looked at Josh then at Sandy, trying to make sure that the Vienna project was something real and that they hadn’t been shagging all weekend, big boss and assistant. He looked ready to start some office gossip.
What a self-important dork! Sandy was definitely right about Mr. Wonderful. Shallow as they come. But smart, in a slick way. Good salesman. Revolting human being.
Sandy batted her long, dark eyelashes at him and gave him the beauty queen smile. “Sam, that’s so thoughtful. I’m sure your busy.”
“No, no probs. Really Sandy. I’d love to get to know you. We can chat on the way to OB. We’ll take the ocean route.”
How did he know where she lived? Had she said something? She didn’t talk much about her personal life at work. Ha! Her personal life had been nil, until this weekend.
“I’ll just need my bag.” She gave Josh a meaningful look.
“I’ll come with you,” Josh said. “Thanks, Sam. We’ll just settled some things on the project and be back in a minute.” He strode off toward the other side of the mansion, the part she hadn’t seen. “I think you left your bag out on the South terrace.”
“Hang on, Sam. Thanks a million. I’ll be right back.” Sandy gave him another biggy smile and followed Josh down the hallway.
“Josh,” Sandy said when they were in a utility room at the far end of the hall. “This is so awkward. Sam, of all people.”
“Sandy.” His voice was gravelly.
Could he be sorry she was leaving? Was there really some feeling there?
“I need the freedom. I need to feel normal. I really need to feel free. I want to smell the ocean. I want to make tomato soup in my little kitchen and watch the surfers. Josh, I really need to feel normal. I’ve got to think about things. I’m going to take the rest of the week off.”
Josh opened a metal locker and pulled out her bag. He handed her the bag. “You’re right, this is awkward. I was so wrong. I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything.” She wanted to say,
Kiss me. Kiss me again. Light the fire. Make it true.
Chapter 8: Home Free
“Vienna, huh?” Sam gave Sandy a knowing look as they quietly drove the Coast Highway down to Ocean Beach in his black Jaguar. “I hadn’t heard about that one. Nothing when I came in and checked on Friday.”
He took one hand off the steering wheel and patted Sandy’s knee. “You’re quite a girl, you know. Three weeks on the job and you’re in the sack with the boss.”
Sandy took Sam’s hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. She sat up very straight and kept her eyes straight ahead. God, what a jerk. His manly profile seemed attractive but what was inside gave her the creeps.
“You’re right, Sam. It wasn’t Vienna. But it’s not what you think.” Sandy said keeping her eyes on the road ahead. “It’s a special project that Josh wants to get going. I’m certain he’ll tell you about it when he’s ready.”
“Right,” Sam smirked. “He pretty much keeps me abreast of everything he plans for Harrington. He tells me so I can prepare the marketing materials. You don’t fool me for a minute. You’re a good looking gal. I’m no dummy.”
Hah! If he only knew. No! He could never know. He was so off base. But was he? She had never met anyone like Josh Harrington. Her body still rang with his touch. He could look at her with those grey-blue eyes and she melted. But Sam would never know. Just get me home, you big, empty jerk.
“Sam, it’s not up to me to tell you. You’ll have to ask Josh. If it’s something he needs to tell you, he will. We both know he can charm anyone, but underneath he’s all business.”
“OK, Sandy. If you say so.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence until he pulled up in front of her apartment complex.
“How about, I come in and we’ll have some coffee and…”
“Sam, that’s not going to happen. It’s been a long, long weekend. I’m going in. I’m fine. I just need to relax.”
“I can help you relax.”
Was there no end to him?
“Sam. No.” She turned to him, gave him her beauty pageant smile just to make him suffer and said, “Thanks so much for the ride.”
And then she was home.
Sandy unlocked the door to her ground floor apartment. The sparsely furnished but tasteful living room, small as it was compared to a giant mansion, welcomed her. Home! Her kitchen with the window looking out toward the bay. No more confinement. Freedom. She’d think about Josh later. Now she’d just relish her freedom. She peeked out the window to make certain Sam had left then turned around and walked right back out the door.
Through a couple of alleyways and she was at the long, white beach. She took off her shoes and walked. Children playing. Teenagers holding a loud and vigorous game of volleyball. Two little old ladies walked their two little old dogs. Out beyond, in the water, she watched a paddle surfer zoom in to shore and paddle out then loll idly balancing on the moving swells.
Everyone was free. No aliens. No confinement. She could walk on the beach forever just watching all the people…being free. She was free. Free! She did a little dance in the sand, feeling it sink under her toes. Free!
She sat down in the sand and watched all the people enjoying life.
When she got home. She was exhausted but relaxed. She went into her calming blue and white bedroom, slipped out of her clothes and slept.
She woke to the sound of her mobile phone chiming. She fumbled in her bag which she had left by the side of the bed in her hurry to sleep in safety. Jenna! And she had ten voicemail messages waiting.
“Hi! What’s up?”
“What’s up with you, girl? You ditched our girls’ night and then I don’t hear from you for days. We were going to the Woody Parade on Sunday. Did you forget? I’ve been calling and calling.”
“I had a long weekend. It’s hard to explain.”
“Yeah, well, how about I come over with something from Sam Wo, and we’ll have a nice chat.”
All of a sudden Sandy was ravenous. Food sounded wonderful and Jenna always made her laugh. They had such easy times together. Great friend.
“I’m starving. How did you know? See you in 30?”
She took a quick shower, came out of the bathroom and went to her closet. Empty! Of course, she’d forgotten. All her clothes were at the mansion.
She picked up her clothes still lying by the bed. As she slipped the navy T-shirt over her head she could smell him. Josh. His scent made her dizzy. Memories flooded in. The Zinkans and their blue skin. Josh covering her lips with tiny kisses. His hand on her breast. The way his thigh touched her as he turned in the swimming pool. A deep longing surged through her and concentrated in her groin.
And, he had given up his freedom to keep the Zinkans from using her as an ultimate human experiment. He had rescued her from certain death in their alien atmosphere. He had sacrificed his freedom for her life. While it was all happening, she hadn’t realized the significance of his act. Now it struck her like a thunderbolt.
“Hey! Chicken chow fun, plum wine, and a big container of hot and sour soup! The door was unlocked. You here? We can eat, sip wine, and maybe catch up on the next episode of Peaky Blinders.” Jenna’s cheerful voice came from the living room.
A wave of gratitude swept over Sandy. “In here, just a sec.” She pulled on her jeans and walked barefoot into the living room.
“Hey, girlfriend. Looks like you had a long weekend. Work?” Jenna started pulling out takeaway boxes from two large bags. “You still look gorgeous.”
“Yeah. Hard to explain. Let’s eat. I’m ravenous. But first…” Sandy walked up to Jenna and gave her a big hug.
“Hey. What’s that for? You OK?”
“I’m fine. It’s just…you’re a great friend. You’re so normal and happy and cheerful and pretty damn cute. One great friend.”
“Yeah, well. Gushy isn’t like you. Big corporate stuff got you, huh? You must really be hungry. Come on.”
Jenna ran to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of bowls. Sandy took the chopsticks out of the paper wrappers and broke them apart.
They sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table covered in steaming, hot food. Two hours later they were sprawled on the couch sated and laughing.
Jenna broke open a fortune cookie. “You will spread happiness wherever you go. Whoa! That’s not telling me much. I was looking for a tall, dark stranger.” She tossed the paper into one of the empty containers. “So, tell me. What was so great that you missed girls night out and the Woody Parade?”
Sandy, hesitated, then decided to go with the story she’d told Sam. “Some big project the boss thought was urgent. He gets all fired up when he has a new idea.”
“You were at the office? All weekend?”
It came out before she could think. “No.”
“Oooh, tell me. Tell all. Come on.”
“Well…it was…sort of work.”
“Uh huh.”
“Jenna, I’ve never felt this way about a man.” Was he a man? He said he was human, genetically modified.
“Mmmm. He’s well… You’ve seen his picture. He is good looking. Handsome. But that’s not it. There’s this guy, Sam, he’s gorgeous…picture perfect…and he’s a jerk. The guy no sane girl wants to date. And that’s just it. Josh makes me feel like a woman.”
“Uh huh. Never felt like this. Makes you feel like a woman. Could this be love?”
“It’s complicated. He’s…different. When you meet him at work he’s demanding and brooks no error. But then there’s this…” she searched for a word. “…nobleness. When he’s pushed to a corner, he does the right thing.”
“The right thing in your panties, you mean?”
“No, I mean, yes, that’s true, but that’s not what I mean. Underneath the demanding, even arrogant, businessman is something true. I can’t explain it.” How could she explain being saved from aliens? Jenna would have her checked in at the nearest hospital.
“Can you explain the under the panties part?” Jenna always dug for details.
“Um…well…he’s wonderful. He planted this little wispy kisses all over my lips. I didn’t know you could get so many kisses into such a tiny space. They were so delicate. I felt so cherished. Oh, forget it, I’m sounding maudlin.”
“Lovestruck more like it. Come on, Sandy. He’s the most eligible man in the state and he likes you. He’s a billionaire. Is that’s what scaring you? Think you’re not good enough?”
Sandy laughed. “Come on, Jenna. That’s not it. Maybe I’m scared of…you know…taking it seriously. Two years with Bob. That was such a mistake. I don’t want to make another mistake.”
Whatever she told her friend, she felt, way inside, a pull. Like an invisible thread that tied her to Josh. How did she explain that? Aliens. Invisible threads. It just didn’t make any sense. Not to her and certainly not to anyone else.
“Well, I think we both know he’s not Bob.” Jenna started laughing and suddenly they both had the giggles. They couldn’t stop. They cleaned up the containers still giggling and then Jenna went home.
Just what I need…normal laughter. Girl giggles. It’s wonderful. Tomorrow. Job search. Sandy sighed. Back to freedom, normalcy, and job search.
The phone chimed. Sandy startled from her reverie. She should have turned it off. Oh, well. “Hello,” she mumbled.
“Sandy, it’s Josh.” Just his voice and the fire started in her groin. “I need you here. You understand the predicament I’m in. Totally human. I need your help to run the business.”
“Josh, after all that happened, I can’t. I just can’t. Working for you, working with you, it would be too hard.”
“I miss you.”
Oh, if he only knew how much she longed for his touch, for that smile with the crinkles around his blue-grey eyes. His hand on her shoulder. His hand on her breast. She let the silence linger for a moment.
“I miss you, too. But no work. That’s impossible. Just thinking about it makes me cringe with the horror of being confined. You felt it, too. Confinement is dehumanizing.”
Silence on the other end.
“Josh, it’s late. I need space. I’m sorry. I sound like some jerk trying to break up. That’s not it. I…I…”
“Will you think about it?”
“No. I can’t. I need to clear my head, so much happened. It won’t work.”
“If that’s the way you feel, I have to respect that.”
“I went for a walk today. I saw people. They were walking dogs, playing volleyball, normal things. I need a big dose of normal right now. My girlfriend came over with Chinese food. We watched television. Normal. I need a great big heap of normal. Working for Harrington, Ltd., working with you, it’s not normal. Josh, you are not normal.”
She sounded mean. She could hear it in her voice. But it was true. Deep inside she knew it was true.
“Sandy…”
“Please don’t ask me again. I’m done with Harrington, Ltd. I’m going to bed. I need to call it a night.”
“Good night.” He said it softly but he hung up before she could say the same.