Page 27 of The Seducer
“What an absurd thing to say,” Miles exclaimed and gave a small laugh. “It’s not in my nature to use strong words, but in this case I will say you are beingridiculous.”
“Ridiculous?” Finn scoffed and crossed his arms, which only pushed up his enormous breasts. “Is that the strongest word you can use? Then how about when I call you a mothe…” He was cut off when I quickly placed a firm hand on Finn’s shoulder to stop him.
“Let’s not resolve to name-calling. I understand this is an emotional subject for many and you seem to have warm feelings for the Nmen, which we can all respect.” I was trying to signal to Finn to calm down, but he didn’t take my subtle hint.
“That’s right,” he sputtered. “And I’m not just letting this… ehm…mancall Nmen idiots.”
“I would never use such vulgar language,” Miles said in an offended tone of voice. “I said they were imbeciles.”
“And I say that you feel threatened by them as a male,” Finn claimed.
“Why in the world would I feel threatened?” Again, Miles gave a small chuckle, clearly uncomfortable with Finn’s rude accusations.
“Because the women around you are waking up, and realizing that there is more to life than kale, yoga, and endless meditation. The women of the Motherlands have systematically emasculated their male population to the point where there is no polarity or sexual attraction between the genders anymore. And now, the Nmen show up with alpha traits and the women start throwing off pheromones that confuse you.”
With a dismissive swing of his hand, Miles fought back. “Our women aren’t interested in Nmen, they are much too evolved for that.” He turned to the audience for their support. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Most people looked stunned by this unprecedented exchange of harsh words, and most of them looked down as if they wanted no part of it, but one woman stood up. She was looking at Miles. “I am just as puzzled about what is happening as you seem to be. I have friends who won’t stop talking about that young Nman who climbed a flagpole.”
Finn turned to her. “His name was Marco.”
“Yes, I believe you are right,” she said and nodded.
“What about the handsome guy with the beard? Are your friends talking about him too?”
“Oh, you mean the teacher, what was his name, Archer?”
“No, he only had stubble. I meant the other guy. The one that all the women were flocking around, Finn.”
If rolling my eyes would’ve been appropriate in the Motherlands, I would’ve done so, but instead I chuckled on the inside when the woman shook her head and wounded Finn’s ego.
“No, my friends haven’t mentioned him, but they are very excited about the five men who are visiting us at the moment. I only mention it to point out, that although it mystifies some of us, you do have a point, and my friends are all giddy and excited.”
“But surely, your friends are anomalies,” Miles claimed. “No modern woman would want a man who dominates her. The mere thought is laughable.”
For some reason that comment hit me hard. I’d met Christina, who was married to an Nman, and she had been willing to risk a lot to help me escape from the Northlands. To hear her described as a weak and submissive woman was upsetting. “Again, I think we should be careful about judging a situation that we don’t know first-hand,” I told Miles. “I’m sure that you are aware that a few of our females have married Nmen, and from all the articles written about these women, nothing suggests that they would let themselves be dominated.”
“Well, all I’m saying is that with the Nmen’s level of testosterone, I think we can expect to hear sad stories of abuse,” Miles said and looked around to gather support.
“Abuse?” Finn took a step forward, his expression hard. “Nmen fucking worship their women.”
Again, the audience gasped and this time protests arose with mutters about improper communication.
“A good debate should always be kept civil,” I said and, looking straight at Finn, I raised my eyebrows. “Thank you for sharing your perspectives. May, I suggest you take a seat before someone reports you for improper communication.”
Finn scowled at the audience as if he dared them to even try, but to my relief Hans came forward, telling Finn in a calm voice that they had to go.
Once they exited the virtual reality, I addressed Miles, who was still standing in front of the audience with me. “I apologize that the debate got a little out of hand.”
“Thank you. To be honest I’ve never met such a rude person,” he said. “And I didn’t want to bring it up before, but her voice was clearly that of a man.”
“Yes, I noticed,” I said with a small nod.
“So maybe his harsh words directed at me were more like a self-reflection on the fact thathefeels threatened and confused,” Miles said, his shoulders relaxing.
I raised a brow and tilted my head, curious to understand his logic. “You think he felt threatened by the Nmen?”
“Yes, it seemed like a very sore area for him, and I think all of us men can relate to his confusion and pain. Nmen behavior goes against everything we’ve been taught about being soft, caring, and nurturing. And for some women to find them appealing, well, it’s practically a personal insult to us good men.”
