Blind Date

"Hi. My name's Melissa...um, oh yeah, I'm twenty-six years old, full-breed human, about five-foot nine and perhaps looking for my first alien lover. Please don't contact me if you're not willing to commit to a relationship, or if you're one of those Master Dominator-types. I guess I'm looking for someone like my last human lover: gentle, compassionate, and patient-ow! What? I can't make a good reference? Ugh, fine, but I'm really very sensitive, guys, so consider yourself warned. Annnd...thank you, I guess," I remember saying all that into the video/voice recorder over at Rachel's place a long month ago. She had pushed me to put up an ad at this blind-dating service for aliens and humans on the Mars colony. I still remember being hesitant about it even then. I had never been around extraterrestrials much, and had always considered that such services, like the one I had been forced to sign up for, were just for those desperate whorish girls who needed a good screwing every night before bed like some sick kind of midnight snack.

Oh well, I guess I was kind of desperate at this point. After all, it had been nearly two and a half years since my break-up with Ben. I knew I had to move on, but it was as though I had lost all my passion when I had lost my relationship with the man I had committed myself to for seven years. Rachel had been there to push me to try everything, desperate to get me out of the emotional ditch I had crashed into. I dated men, I dated women, and I even dated Rachel when the options ran out. She had been a real sweetheart, but I couldn't make myself feel for her the way she secretly felt about me.

Now here I was standing outside the entrance to the Gunton Hotel on 274th Strip. It was a real fancy-looking place, but even its glowing interior, visible through the glass doors, seemed so very frightening. You couldn't blame me, either; I was about to have my first romantic encounter with a creature that was not even remotely human, and that hotel was to serve as our meeting place. The moment I stepped inside, I was surrendering myself to a strange and unknown new world that I was honestly very frightened of.

I shivered again, rubbing my gloved hands together in the cold of the street. The pitter-patter of the rain around me only made me less enthusiastic about this whole date. It just wasn't natural for aliens and humans to copulate or fall in love with each other. But then they had said the same things about gays and lesbians, and about royalty and peasants before them. Who am I to judge how love could work when I didn't dare to admit I knew a single damn thing about it. Everything I had thought I knew had been proven wrong when Ben left me.

No, I shook my head. No, tonight wasn't about Ben. He didn't exist in my life anymore; I sure as hell didn't exist in his, these days. I looked up slowly to peer once more through those glass doors into that warm-looking hotel lobby, the rain dripping off of my hood like the years' worth of tears I had shed in loneliness. Right then I realized fully that if I didn't take a risk for love, then love would never again come to me, and I was not prepared to spend the rest of my life alone and cold. With a sigh of conviction, I gathered up my strength and stepped through the glass portal into a warm new world.

The alien at the desk clicked its mandibles as I approached. "Ah, you finally decided to come in," the insect-like creature chirped at me in fuzzy English, "You were out there for so long, I was beginning to wonder if you were frozen out there and that I should go out and fetch you. Glad to see I don't have to get out in that dreadful icy rain after all. Welcome to the Gunton, how can I help you?" At first I was taken aback that the monster could even speak my language. It took a while for me to interpret what he was saying past the distracting clicks and grinds of his mandibles overpowering the soft words he struggled to speak through his segmented mouth, but I eventually understood him. Silently I scolded myself to stop staring, as I could see after a while that I was making the creature uncomfortable in my prolonged silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I stumbled out finally, stepping forward a bit cautiously, "I...I'm here to meet my blind date. I was told-" The creature interrupted me with a raised claw, reaching behind him and plucking a room key from a little hook on the wall. "Say no more; I've been expecting you," the host chirped, "Take the lobby stairs to level 3. It's room 366. Enjoy your stay, Miss."

I stared at the little golden key in front of me for a bit, struggling to make my hand reach up and take it. Of course I was expected, I thought, what other desperate sort of bimbo girl would end up on the far side of the Mars colony dating strange monsters. I shook my head again, clearing these distracting doubts from my mind as I reached up a trembling hand and took the key from the concierge. "Ohh, don't be frightened, darling; there's nothing to be so shaken about," the insect chimed in a strangely comforting tone, "Must be your first time with an alien, hm? This guy seemed really gentle and very nice when I met him earlier this evening; I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about, dear, really. Just relax and try to enjoy yourself. If it was meant to be, then you'll know, and if not, you'll know." His words were strangely charming, made sage-like in content due to the alien accent of his voice. I quietly thanked the concierge and smiled for the first time this whole week.

Then, I turned and slowly made my silent way to the stairwell to the right. The stairs were empty, and the walls blank even in their soft, warm tones. It all just made me feel more alienated and uncomfortable in this already-discomforting situation. However, I hesitated for only a moment before reaching my foot up and carrying myself along the first flight of steps. Time seemed to fast-forward, and before I knew it I was staring at a door with a big "3" on its face. I pushed the door open slowly to reveal a still hallway.

My feet padded soundlessly on the carpet as I drifted silently into the hall, the door clicking softly behind me as it shut. It took me a few minutes to find room 366 amongst the tiny labyrinth of candle-lit halls on the third floor, but I finally did manage to locate it. For a very long time I just stood there in front of the door, fiddling with the key in my fingers. I went through the laundry-list of little rituals that went into the alien dating ceremony which everyone was supposed to follow. I had accepted this date, or Rachel had accepted it on my behalf while I had struggled to keep her fingers from hitting the Enter button, but now I had to go through with this. When it all boiled down I wanted to move on, and I wanted someone new in my life. I needed to be with someone, and they weren't going to come to me if I didn't make some steps to meeting them. If anything, this encounter could just be more "good practice" like the other numerous dates I had been on, but that didn't really make me feel much better. Instead of moping some more, I decided it was time to take charge of my own destiny, and I used the key to open the door.

It was dark inside. The lights were all completely off in the room. As I stepped inside, I was given a peek at the room's contents as the soft lighting from the hall revealed a slice of the chamber to my eyes. There was a large chair near the door next to a small coffee table with an ash tray sitting next to a digicomm unit. Beyond this was a large bed with red satin sheets. Above the bed, and in the center of the far wall, was a window with white drapes which were slightly pulled aside to reveal the moonlight reflecting off the crashing droplets of rain against the glass. I shut the door behind me as I entered the room and plunged myself into darkness.

I found myself breathing hard, my mind racing as my eyes stared widely into the blackness of the room in a vain attempt to make out what was there while my pupils slowly adjusted to the extremely low light filtering through the window. Slowly shadows came into view: the chair and table, the bed, a shape in the corner. I nearly jumped and screamed; this was too much. I wanted to turn and run, but found myself too frozen with terror to do a thing. My eyes then spotted something hanging from the ceiling, like a long thick pipe or length of tubing that had sunk through the top of the room. As I stared harder, I noticed it was no pipeline at all.

In fact, there was nothing drooping out of the ceiling. What I was actually seeing was a tentacle drifting patiently in front of my face. I jumped at how close it was to me, but found there was little room for me to back away as I had the wood of the door already pressing my back. Then sensible thought finally drifted up from the chaos and panic that was riding my instinct. The rules, I had forgotten about the order of conduct that this blind dating service followed. I blushed as I realized how stupid I must have looked just standing there in shocked paralysis for so long.

Collecting myself as quickly as possible, I gave a small curtsy in greeting to my date. In the darkness, I watched as the shape in the corner moved and the tentacle in front of my face bobbed in return of the greeting. Now it was the alien's turn to initiate action, and the tentacle in front of me dipped down and wrapped gently about my right hand. I dropped the key I had been holding pinched between my fingers, and clasped the tentacle as it drew me deeper into the room. The alien's arm led me to the chair next to the coffee table, and in the darkness I made out movement as the tentacle released my hand and made a brushing motion down my figure.

I nodded in understanding, slowly unbuttoning my coat and draping the soaked garment across the chair. I bent down and untied my boots, pulling the thick, soggy leathers off my feet first and then my soaked socks after them. After laying out both boots and socks along the floor next to the chair, I removed my gloves and laid them across the chair's right arm. Now dressed down to a set of black lingerie, I turned to face my date.

The alien in the shadows gave a growl, which I had learned was like a purr or similar sign of approval for this alien race. Now that I had properly revealed enough of myself to my date, it was his turn. With a shift of weight and the slither of tentacles dragging along the carpet, the creature pulled itself into the dim light from the window. I gasped at what I saw. The alien looked very similar to the pictures of his kind that I could find on the information net: a very small, round mass served as the body which was ringed by eight thick tentacles. The top of the body tapered off into a long, thick neck, which was more akin to a tree trunk than the skinny necks of most Earth-born creatures. The top of this neck was crested by a smooth, near-lizard-like head which was dominated by a trio of nostrils at the tip and a long, attractive fin at the back of the skull. The creature had no mouth, ears or eyes, and its tentacles served as legs, arms, tongues and fingers. His skin was the smooth black of the males of this alien race, and was coated in colorless oil that made it look as though he were made of ink.

The monster raised the same tentacle from before up towards my face again. This was the next step in the dating ceremony. This ceremony had been developed for such intimate interaction between different species to fit the limitations of the two races so that a meaningful experience could still be had while maintaining the image of a formal occasion rather than a cheap, dirty excuse for free sex. The ceremony was broken up into steps so that either partner could halt the date and call it off before things had progressed out of control. Since this alien species had no mouth, the dating service developed a rigorously structured session of coitus to determine compatibility between seeking individuals instead of the more conservative form of dating that most humans were akin to. Currently, the alien had accepted me twice, and I was now in the spotlight.

Before, I had thought this decision would be the hardest one for me to make all evening: Step 2 – acceptance of the exposed mate. All I had to do was refuse this alien and it would all be over, and I could leave and go home and be comfortable... and be lonely. As it turned out, I realized that my decision at the front of the hotel had been the hardest; to take that very first step towards really going through with this crazy date scheme in a last-ditch attempt at finding love. It had been a very desperate move on my part, but maybe it was the right choice to have made after all. Slowly, I raised my trembling hand and accepted the tentacle waiting patiently before me.

The warm tentacle gently guided me to the bed, another tendril smoothing out the sheets before allowing me to sit at the foot of the mattress. This was it, then, we were really going to go through with this. My eyes remained glued to the alien body just a meter or two away from me. Right now, sitting upon the base pod of his main body, the alien only rose to about one and a half meters; I could only imagine the height it took when it stood upon its tentacles. He really was strangely magnificent to me; perhaps it was some trick of the lighting, or the feeling that I was doing something darkly forbidden that was exciting me. Maybe it was something else entirely, something that I had lost two and a half years ago...

I couldn't discern what it was that I was feeling other than apprehension, but my hands took on a life of their own as I slowly robbed myself of my bra and panties. The creature shivered and gave a throaty growl from deep within that thick throat of his, sounding like a lion who was pleased with his lioness. Something about that train of thought made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and caused my skin to tingle all over. More and more I was beginning to relax and open my mind to this new experience. I could do this-no, I was doing this, and the more I went forward with it, the more I found myself anticipating the next step.

The alien male approved of the position I had taken on the bed. It could sense me and my movements via the fin on top of its head, which sensed vibrations in the air in much the same manner as echolocation. Only that this system worked by reading the movements of air molecules to paint a mental picture in the alien's brain of its surroundings. The fin sensed my arms moving and sensed the movements of my undergarments as I laid them on the floor next to the bed. It knew that it was now his turn once again.

My heart raced as the alien reached for me with four of its long tentacles. My breath caught in my throat and I froze up stiff as a board as the serpentine limbs found my face. Two of them met me at the chin, either tendril then departing in opposite directions to trace along my jawbone. The third pressed lightly against my left cheek, swirling about as it enjoyed my soft skin and I enjoyed his warm, smooth touch. The final tentacle tapped daintily against my puffy lower lip before tracing lazily across the entrance of my mouth. The first tentacle slipped under my chin to playfully stroke me there with its pointed tip as its brother found my earlobe and began to flick at it gently. The third tendril coasted up to my forehead and then sunk into my silky, short length of dark brown hair, wrapping around to cradle the back of my head.

I noticed my breathing getting heavier, far too much for my little nose to compensate for. I was forced to part my lips and gasp lightly for trembling breath. The monster took this as an invitation, and slipped the fourth tentacle between my barely-parted flesh to explore my mouth. I gasped with surprise, closing my eyes a moment later as the pleasure of this alien kiss took hold on my senses. In acceptance of this intrusion, I wrapped my pink lips about the tip of that black, fleshy appendage and suckled him gently. The alien growled loudly in a rising pitch, making the noise sound much more like a groan of pleasure (and perhaps that is indeed what it was). I know my moan was one of pleasure as that same tentacle coiled about my tongue and stroked it ever so skillfully

The tentacle stroking me beneath my chin dipped lower, exploring my throat. I gave a purr as the tendril tickled me, and I heard another growl rise up from the creature. The limb snaked about my neck slowly, gently pressing against my skin so it could feel the vibrations of my throat, moderate my breathing and keep track of my racing pulse. I knew this was common practice for this species, so I did not feel any panic when he hugged my neck.

The two tendrils that had been exploring my ear and my shoulder-length hair suddenly dipped down as well, but these went lower than their brother. Each took station at the smooth, lightly curving expanses of my sculpted shoulders. They were soon joined by two more tentacles that had not yet involved themselves with my body until that time. Nonetheless, these additions were eagerly welcomed as I sighed to their exploring touch while each of the four tips traced every last inch of my shoulders. Once each team of tendrils had reached the end of either of my shoulders, they split into four separate search parties. Two took to my arms, one began slithering along my upper chest, while the last tendril simultaneously moved along my shoulder blades.

My body was singing with pleasure. I had not made love in so very long, but even then I had never been handled so tenderly, so expertly, as I was right then. I felt like a goddess, like an angel as those alien arms slithered against my flesh. The room was so silent, adding to the private atmosphere, allowing me to sink into this microcosm of passion. Nothing but the gentle hiss of flesh against flesh, the gasps and groans emitted from our throats, and the constant music of the pattering rain against the window competed for my thoughts; it all just seemed to coalesce into this soft orchestra of pleasure which rang inside of my mind, relaxing me and letting me accept each new brave step into this strange coupling.

The tentacles exploring my own smooth arms had found my hands and the pleasure that I could wield if I used them. My fingers gently caressed either tentacle, and I stroked their lengths tenderly, doing my own exploration for a change. The creature growled again in pleasure as my fingers slid along the smooth flesh, which could only be described as being akin to plastic which was slightly wet in its glossy smoothness and animate in its unnatural softness. Despite these qualities, I could feel the ripple of flexing muscles with every last movement of the tentacles in my grasp; they had to be capable of such amazing strength. Thinking this, I suddenly grew a whole new plane of appreciation for the tenderness I was being shown by this curious beast. It served to make him seem all the more cognitive, and acceptable; that he was capable of thinking such caring thoughts and feelings so as to treat me so heavenly, was a pleasurable sensation all on its own.

The tentacle upon my front suddenly cusped my left breast with a gentle, coiling grasp. I blushed at the touch, my cleavage rising and falling in sharp breathes as the strong appendage played with the globe of creamy flesh. The alien stroked the tentacle upon my back straight down along my spine, causing my back to arch and my chest to thrust forward. The tentacle that was occupying my mouth departed slowly, letting me gasp for breath as it dipped down to claim my right mound with its own smooth length. I let him know just how much I enjoyed the touches as he caressed me by cooing to him softly. The alien perked visibly, and I giggled as the creature's attentions to my chest noticeably increased and tickled my sensitive flesh.