Page 10 of Temple

The captain paused and then said, “They wish you to climax twice per sevenday.”

Sage laughed. “Done. Hell, I did it twice today.”

The captain paused, and then he started to laugh. “Do you mind if I bet on you?”

“Go for it. Your funds are your own. I just want to get through this, and then, if I am not chosen, I will be on my way. If I am chosen, I am going to have to deal with what my actions have gotten me into. Either way, I am glad that I have my lute and a Tekko board. Masturbating can only occupy me for so long.”

The captain laughed, and their meal came in. They covered other details, including the cameras that were everywhere in the quarters. Her efforts were going to be recorded for posterity.

Chapter Three

“Mistress Sage, thankyou for coming to be a candidate for our Overseer and Overlord, Zell.” The minister of the tower bowed low.

Sage smiled. “Thank you for the offer of... hospitality.”

The man blinked, and hope burned in his gaze. “Please, Mistress, come with me.”

“Certainly, Minister.”

He swallowed and offered his wrist. “One more candidate arrives tomorrow, but you can begin your routine tonight if you like.”

She placed her fingers daintily on his wrist, and they walked away from the ground transport and toward the giant structure that blocked out the sun. It was two kilometres wide and possibly as tall.

Their path was lined with fashionable city dwellers. All were wearing expensive clothing and gems and were looking at her curiously. The body style of the women resembled the previous consort. Slim, girlish, all adult, but on the narrower side. There were a lot of looks toward her curves and murmurs.

Sage smiled slightly as they walked toward the tower. “So, who chose me?”

“It was an analyst on the council. He went looking for a numbers match, not one from Zell’s known preferences.”

“Ah, I do love being just a number.” She used every trick that the Temple had taught her to move like a fluttering flower petal toward the tower. It was five hundred metres, and she felt the weight of the videorecorders every step of the way. She maintained her head up as she passed the hopeful population. “What do they want him to expand?”

“We wish him to get rights to a nearby asteroid field where gem deposits have been identified.”

“Got it. Fashion and art are the lifeblood of your people. Well, I will do my best not to distract him from his purpose.”

“You will not tempt him to rise?”

---