The Brotherhood 5: The Out of Towner Read online

  Praise for the writing of Willa Okati

  The Brotherhood: Amour Magique

  What an intriguing story to start a series with! Ms. Okati has come up with a novel idea of an incubus who needs friends and wants to help them. But I’m not surprised, her stories are always creative and unique. I can’t wait for the next book.

  -- Joyfully Reviewed

  With a unique plot and a host of sexy characters, The Brotherhood: Amour Magique is a winner... From humor to intrigue, to sexual sophistication, this is a first-class read.

  -- Nancy Jackson, Coffee Time Romance

  The Brotherhood 2: Bite Me

  Tie me up, tie me down, do whatever you want as long as I enjoy it as much I enjoyed The Brotherhood 2: Bite Me. The writing is fabulous, with thought processes that are just funny as hell, and when the characters start talking to themselves it’s damn hilarious.

  -- Sin St. Luke, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  The Brotherhood 3: The Dragon’s Tongue

  I'd have read this in one sitting if real life hadn't intruded. Ms. Okati knows how to draw in a reader and keep them engrossed. Collin is very lovable. You will find yourself rooting for him to find love, and have a few giggles along the way.

  -- Astraea, Enchanted Ramblings

  Amour Magique, Bite Me, and The Dragon’s Tongue are now available from Loose Id.

  THE BROTHERHOOD 5:

  THE OUT OF TOWNER

  Willa Okati

  www.loose-id.com

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  * * * * *

  This book contains substantial explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable (homoerotic sex).

  The Brotherhood 5: The Out of Towner

  Willa Okati

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Loose Id LLC

  1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-29

  Carson City NV 89701-1215

  www.loose-id.com

  Copyright © April 2006 by Willa Okati

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

  ISBN 978-1-59632-256-1

  Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

  Printed in the United States of America

  Editor: Olivia Wong

  Cover Artist: Skye Wolfe

  Dedication

  To Allie, who’s always there for me.

  Chapter One

  Be there. Please, be there.

  The alien entity currently calling himself “Joey” looked around himself. So jittery his hands shook, he checked to make sure he’d locked his door. No intruders allowed. He’d barricaded himself in his own rented suite and burrowed into his walk-in closet. No windows, but one could never be too careful. He’d learned as much the hard way.

  “See if I ever stick my neck out again,” he muttered in his own language, which translated in English more closely to, “May the hands of the gods, be they ever so merciful, strike me dead with a terrible twist of the spine and the disintegration of my head from my shoulders if I make a fool of myself that way one more time.”

  He added a rider. “Men are complicated!” which translated to, “If I did not desire mating as intensely as the sun craves the zenith of the sky, I would cut off my own balls and live the life of a eunuch rather than consort with these insane human males.”

  English! The language had clearly been devised by lunatics. It would drive a weaker creature mad.

  Joey pushed a handful of worn khaki pants and dirty T-shirts off a dense plastic square that bristled with wires and antennas. An interior power source glowed back at him, far too bright in the darkness of the closet. Made him nervous. If anyone ever found his sanctum sanctorum or discovered his true identity -- well, he’d watched enough “science fiction” to know his life would be over.

  Which would be a shame, as he’d only just begun this new existence.

  “Be there,” he muttered in the American patois he’d tried so hard to learn. “Come on. Answer!”

  No response from the box. Joey hesitated, then reached out to slap the side with one of his broad palms. He’d heard this sort of tinkering referred to as “beating on the damn thing till it works” and frankly, he’d witnessed some miracles performed thus with televisions and computers. Also washing and vending machines.

  He thumped the box again. “Come in!” he begged. “I need advice!”

  The box flickered, glow dimming. Joey exhaled in relief, tasting the mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide on his tongue, tinged with the pepperoni pizza he’d had for his evening meal. Such strange textures and flavors on this planet. He’d never get used to all of them.

  “Are you there?” he asked, hopeful. “Joey to Command. Please come in, Command.”

  A small figure popped into the middle of the box. Not really there at all, of course, merely transmitting its image from light years away. “Mr. Nebraska,” it greeted him.

  Joey gazed at the being in wistful awe. He’d been so lucky with his assignment of governmental helper. Ixtl, as it liked to be called, had the beautiful androgyny that the richest families could buy, especially when his/its pretty fe/male face smiled up at Joey. Tall and slender, it floated one foot off the ground on crossed legs.

  At the present moment, Ixtl was very much not smiling. At all. “You are aware this channel is only for emergencies,” it cautioned. Its voice had too much of a silver, chiming lilt to ever sound truly snappish, but Joey could tell he’d displeased his superior.

  “I apologize,” he said, bowing his head. Unable to resist, he peeked up through his eyelashes to watch Ixtl float. “I really miss flying,” he murmured without meaning to speak the words aloud.

  “You know very well we cannot allow you flight. Human beings, as a species, do not possess the ability. The gravity on Earth is greater than what we are accustomed to. The physics are impossible. If you are to fit in, you must be content with the new body we structured for you. At great expense, I might add.” Ixtl crossed its arms as well and folded its wings behind its back, then sank gracefully down onto a soft blue cushion the color of an Earthly night sky. “Why have you called?”

  Joey looked up directly at it. “I need assistance,” he said in relief. He’d been more than half afraid Ixtl wasn’t going to listen at all, opting to scold him and disappear instead. “Please. Guide me.”

  Ixtl gave a long, put-upon sigh. “Very well. What seems to be the problem?”

  “There are so many things. I will attempt to be concise.”

  “Please do.”

  Joey lifted his hand, pausing ever so briefly to shake his head at how large and solid it seemed compared with the one he’d possessed previously, and counted on his long fingers. “This body is so peculiar. I cannot seem to manipulate it with any measure of grace at all.”

  “We have told you it takes time to grow accustomed to the g
ravity. Reminded you time and time again. It may be you’ll seem ... clumsy ... until you’ve adjusted. “Ixtl shuddered. “I do hope this is not your sole reason for re-establishing communications. You are aware of the risk.”

  “Oh, yes, I am, I am,” Joey hastened to reassure Ixtl. The governmental helper was his only remaining contact with his home planet, and if Ixtl decided to withdraw, Joey would be totally alone. He knew how dangerous it was for them to speak at all. Encoded and encrypted government channels aside, anyone with enough money to pay a “hacker” to break into the system feed would be able to trace him “in a heartbeat.”

  Joey shook his head again. “I think many of our books on the species of sentient beings on Earth are wrong,” he blurted out. “Cats may indeed be as intelligent as we’d hoped, but they do not speak. Wolves and seals have their own language, but humans do not comprehend them. Nor whales.”

  “Interesting.” Ixtl arched one slim eyebrow. “I presume you are having difficulty communicating with humans, too?”

  “Yes. Of all the locations on this planet, why was I sent to the Americas, and a southern state? The language is nothing such as we were given to understand. I have had to learn slang, dialects, accents, and all manner of linguistics that follow no rules of order and change on a whim. For example, did you know there are no less than seven separate patterns of inflection in the local culture, plus one corruption of English that is hardly English at all?”

  Ixtl looked bored. “You will have to learn. Joey --”

  “Why do they put the adjective in front of the noun? A blue car, not a car blue. This construction makes no sense! I --”

  “Joey!”

  He subsided. “I apologize.”

  “You will have to learn,” Ixtl enunciated very precisely. “I understand the difficulties and, yes, it would have made the transition easier to place you in a country with simpler rules of grammar and syntax. However, the DiXini family knows you studied countries such as France in your youth. They have already looked for you on other continents.”

  Joey’s eyes widened in shock. “You didn’t tell me!”

  “I did not deem it necessary for you to know.”

  “But DiXinis! Here, on Earth! The danger I was in, and you didn’t tell me?”

  Ixtl appeared to be getting closer and closer to truly upset. “Not necessary information,” it said. “Besides, they have left to search other planets. I believe they are currently sending probes into the Andromeda system.”

  Joey sagged with relief. “Thank you.”

  “We are not about to present you with real danger. We knew the DiXinis would do a cursory search of Earth at the very least, given your childhood interest in the planet and your studies of their customs. They appear to be satisfied and going on about their business hunting down the ‘enemy of their family’ elsewhere.”

  Joey wondered if his imagination were playing tricks on him or if Ixtl actually looked smug. The thought crossed his mind that the being needed a good “cussing out” to “take him down a peg,” but he discarded the notion as unwise. He needed Ixtl. Ixtl’s company. Ixtl’s delivery of funds.

  Ixtl, and the governmental protection of his home planet against the DiXinis, a crime syndicate dedicated to killing Joey for daring to testify against one of their own.

  On Earth, they called people in his position participants of “Witness Relocation.” His planet had another phrase for the operation, but the same essential meaning applied. Joey sighed unhappily and reached out to lay his hand against the box, as if he could touch Ixtl.

  He was so very homesick.

  “There are too many things I don’t understand,” he admitted, his voice sorrowful in accordance with Earth cadences. “I’m by myself with no guide but you, and I tell you, much of what has been written in our books of study is wrong. Either much has changed in five thousand years, or the explorers fell prey to drugs or strong drink.”

  He tugged at the hem of his loose button-down shirt and at the slightly torn knees of his jeans. “The clothing you gave me ... You would not believe how people laughed when they saw someone walking down a street in a loincloth. They asked me if someone was filming a movie entitled Tarzan.”

  “I did note you appear to be wearing far more than we thought necessary ...”

  “Loincloths are only for swimming, and then they are fitted tight.” Joey cocked his head. “Or for dancing in clubs where men smoke until the air is gray and foul, drink watered-down alcohol, and shout impolite comments to the performers.”

  Ixtl looked slightly intrigued. “Are these clubs sexual in nature?”

  “One would think so. However, for the longest time I was unable to find one that suited my particular needs. They were all focused on the display of ... women.” Joey shuddered eloquently.

  Ixtl made a shocked face. “For shame! You were so exemplary in your lack of xenophobia, I am dismayed by your lack of respect for heterosexuality.”

  “Ixtl!” Joey gasped. “Such language --”

  Ixtl held up a hand. “Stop right there. One thing we did note in the books, which appears to hold true yet, is that males and females are the predominant coupling pairs on Earth. Not men and men, or women and women. You must not cling to the old ideals of our world when, for all intents and purposes, you are as fully human and a part of the planet you live in as any who were born there.”

  Joey sagged. “Yes, Ixtl.”

  “I understand loneliness,” Ixtl went on, soothingly. “But surely you could find some place to search for company? We were careful to consult the auguries. A companion and mate waits for you in the very city where you dwell. You have only to find him.”

  “It is so hard ...”

  “Is it?” Ixtl actually craned its head, as if to look! “How can one tell, beneath so much clothing?”

  “Ixtl!”

  The being blinked. “Is this a transgression of manners?”

  “In this culture, yes. One does not do such things unless they are intimately interested in one another.”

  “My apologies.” Ixtl exhaled. “And see? You seem to have learned a great deal already, then.”

  “Some. Not nearly enough. Another thing we may have gotten wrong, Ixtl. Anatomy. I think I am ... misshapen.”

  The words earned him a blink. “Mis-- However so?”

  Joey felt his cheeks turn red, a sign of human unease, embarrassment. “I believe it is too long,” he said, voice small. “Also too thick. There are men who accept money for temporary relief of physical urges. I showed my organ to one. He said ‘no way!’ and fled.”

  “Nine inches is too big? But we were so careful to keep everything proportionate with your body size, which had to be large, heavy with muscle, and strong for self-defense ...” Ixtl’s eyelids sagged.

  Joey stared. Was he imagining things, or was Ixtl putting off an air of sexual interest? He squeaked and covered his crotch with a hand. “Please stop!”

  “Why?” Ixtl’s murmur was low and aroused.

  “It is ... one doesn’t ... if you are not someone I intend to ‘make love’ to, this simply isn’t done. Gazing at the cock is not polite behavior.”

  Ixtl blinked. “Your genitals have altered to resemble a barnyard animal?”

  “No!” Joey squirmed. “Cock is a name for the penis. Also dick, pecker, wee-wee, Mr. Happy, trouser snake, custard chucker, pleasure port, joystick --”

  “Enough. I take your meaning.” Ixtl looked vaguely ill. “So crude.”

  Joey lifted his hands. “You see what I am up against.”

  “I do.” Ixtl tapped its chin with one finger. “Is there nowhere you can go to search for your partner, then? Nowhere at all?”

  Joey perked up. “Yes! This is the primary reason I contacted you. I have discovered a male-to-male dance club called Amour Magique. The walls reek of age and magic. If I am to find my manQueen anywhere, I am sure he will be in there.”

  “Good! Have you begun your search yet?”

  “Er ..
. no.” Joey wilted. “Amour Magique has a very strict set of rules about who is permitted inside. Not just anyone can gain entrance. I had hoped you might ...”

  “Ah, yes. You wish for our influence in providing you an invitation?”

  “Please?” Joey tried not to sound or look too eager.

  “We will see what we can do.” Ixtl reached for a floating digi-entry pad and began thumbing it. He glanced up sharply. “No individual considerations that might make a spectacle, though. I cannot countenance you bringing yourself to the attention of anyone who might be seeking you.”

  “I understand.” Joey watched excitedly as lights flashed on Ixtl’s connection box. “Can you ...?”

  “Done. This Amour Magique is of Earth origin, but it seems to possess an intelligence of its own. The building is mutable, chameleonic, and remembers us from our previous visit to Earth. You will be permitted entrance. However, as they are unsure of what powers we possess, you receive no special favors. If your manQueen is there, you must find him on your own.”

  “Agreed! Just so long as I can make the trip inside.” Joey was certain his grin stretched from ear to ear. “At last. Thank you, Ixtl. You’ve made an impossible dream come true.”

  “Joey! Remember the rules. Now that we have gone to such trouble, you have an immediate and specific duty to bed this manQueen. According to our studies, the men on Earth do this in the same way as we have for millennia. Once you have finished, if he does not accept you, you know your duty. Allowing you a mate is a privilege, and you may only be with one you trust entirely. If this man should not measure up ...”