Page 51 of Volunteer 4711

“If I’m not allowed my uniform, I’ll need different clothing,” she reminds me.

I get up and sit at my desk. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she replies, and I order some basic clothing for her. “I’ve only ever seen the farmers, your crew, and the other commander’s females. I don’t know what I should wear.”

“Not what the other commander’s females were wearing,” I say. “You will figure it out.”

“Will you allow me to access the dramas and all from the Home Planet now?” she asks.

“Not yet,” I say, and I can see her disappointment.

“But why?”

“Because you aren’t ready,” I say.

“What are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why do you prevent me from discovering more about the Home Planet?”

“Trust me,” I say.

She does not say anything more about it. Then the wine arrives, and we each have a glass. She begins to relax, and we talk about the recent additions to the fleet, nothing personal. I am torn because I want to talk about personal things, but I also want to give her space to relax into this new situation.

When she yawns, I realize I have kept her up too late. “Wife, I think it is time we go to sleep,” I say, and she agrees. However, we are so caught up in our ways she comes to stand before me and begins undoing my collar. Instead, I put my hands on her shoulders. “No, let me undress you.” She is surprised and looks up at me under her long brown lashes. She’s never given me this look before, and it takes all my self-control not to throw her to the ground and enter her like an animal. But I am not an animal. I turn her around and undo the clasps on her dress. “Lift up your arms.” As she does, I take the dress off over her head. I know she is completely naked underneath, but it still comes as a shock to see her like this, and my eyes move over her body slowly. She is even more beautiful than I remember from the farmhouse or earlier today when I only saw her legs and her sex. I want to touch every bit of her skin with my hands, exploring her flesh, but I resist. I remind myself I must go very slowly despite what we did earlier. She did admit to being scared of my penises, but my penises heed no such warning, and I know they are ready to enter her if I merely get too close. I fold the dress and put it down as I get to my knees and take off her shoes. They are her work shoes, and I will throw them away as soon as she gets some shoes more suited to her position. When she is standing in the center of the room naked, meeting my gaze, I purposely admire her body for a minute, letting her watch my face as I inspect her head to toe before picking up her things and go into the wardrobe.

I return with a pair of my pajamas for her, a loose tunic, and loose trousers that are way too big for her. After she is dressed, I say, “You look adorable.”

“I’d rather not look adorable but something else, Husband.”

CHAPTER27

VOLUNTEER 4711

I didn’t thinkhe would return from the wardrobe with pajamas. First, I have slept in my underwear since I arrived on the ship. Second, I thought we were going to have sex. I know he wants to. His penises are double-tenting in his uniform. I am more than ready as well. Ever since he made me orgasm, my body has been gearing up for it. However, we were going to make this happen. And now he’s dressing me in some very unsexy pajamas. It’s really not the wedding night I imagined. But I know enough about Silver culture not to bring it up with him now. So I let him dress me like his doll.

Then he leads me to his bed and pulls the blanket up to my chin. I watch as he takes off his own clothing, and I wonder how he actually manages without me as I’ve been doing it for him these two years and puts on his pajamas and gets in bed. He purposely stood at such an angle I couldn’t see the front of his body, though.

“Good night,” I say.

“Good night, Wife.”

I reach out with my hand across the bed space between us and take his. I don’t have words for what I feel right now. The only word running through my mind as I drift off to sleep is ‘wife.’

* * *

The next morning, I wake up and expect to be in my quarters. Then I remember what happened and look over at my Commander, my husband. He is still sleeping and holding my hand with both of his. I watch him and can’t believe he married me. But my friend’s comment ring through my ears. ‘I knew he loved you.’ I wonder how she knew. It makes me wonder how much of this culture I’m still missing because I’m human. Then my mind jumps through all the available information I have memorized from the Home Planet, and I wonder what I am missing, and I wonder why he won’t allow me access to everything. All I can think is that he did some terrible things that he doesn’t want me to know about.

Before I can think about this too much, he wakes as if hearing my thoughts.

“Good morning,” I say. I can tell he wants more than that, so I add, “Husband.” It feels strange on my lips. It’s not a word I’ve said in the Silver language more than a half dozen times.

“Wife, how are you always up so early?”

“The Water Planet has fewer hours than the Home Planet, so I’m used to less sleep, I suppose.”

“Hmm,” he says, closing his eyes.

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