Page 20 of Master
"It's not your fault." I let myself speak the words I knew to be true. "Luarian told me I’d have to take a client, or she'd sell me to one of those awful grizzly bear men.”
“The Kerzak,” Tarook said, a look of distaste twisting his features.
“Yeah,” I said, shivering. "As bad as I thought I had it with Luarian, I knew life would be much worse with one of those Kerzak. So, I decided to take a client. I just mistook you for Mr. Magoo.”
The feigned shock on Tarook’s face made me giggle.
“What? How could you mistake me for that short, bug-eyed fucker?”
“I didn’t know what he looked like,” I defended.
“Me... a Vaktaire warrior mistaken for a Karisian,” he grumbled. “Unheard of.”
"I said I didn't know what he looked like. Only that he bought me," I laughed, then confessed because I couldn't help myself. "If you want to know the truth, I was relieved when you walked into the room. I knew I would have to fuck an alien... something much easier to accomplish when said alien looks like Jamie Fraser rather than a blob of rancid Jello."
His laughter echoed throughout the skiff, and I found myself relaxing. He was a flirt, that was for sure, but I didn't hate this playful banter. Even before Curtis got sick, he was a serious sort. It might be nice to be around someone happy-go-lucky for a while. It would make the trip to Tau Ceti more enjoyable, at least.
“What is a Jamie Fraser.” Tarook issued a playful frown as he fiddled with the controls.
"He's the main character in a book series my friends and I like. We have a book club where we meet once a week and discuss the books and our love for the main characters. We were on a book club outing when the abduction happened.”
Tarook appeared to be studying my words. "And this Jamie Fraser? He is a good male?"
"The best male," I chuckled, remembering how my friend Pearl always wondered about the size of Jamie Fraser's private parts. I doubt even he could stand up to the Vaktaire. "He's a warrior too, something they call a highlander. He's brave, honorable, and kind. We call him the king of men."
"I like being compared to Jamie Fraser," Tarook announced, lifting an arm and flexing his biceps.
"Will you stop?" I giggled, but he kept flexing.
I might like this guy if our first meeting wasn't so embarrassing. "Tarook, will you promise me something?"
“Of course.” The flexing stopped at the serious tone of my voice.
I bit my lower lip and studied him for a minute. "Will you promise not to tell what happened between us on the hedonism ship?"
“Why?” He didn’t seem upset, only curious.
“It’s just that… even though you weren't a client. I just... I don't want my friends to think I was okay with being a prostitute." I already had one deep, dark secret. What was another?
Taroo’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “Our worlds look at pleasurers very differently, it seems.”
“What can I tell you?” I shrugged. “Us humans are repressed sexually.”
My hands lay on the armrests of the co-pilot's chair. Tarook reached over and laid his hand over mine, the touch gentle and tentative as though he expected me to jerk away.
“That’s not my experience,” he said with a bawdy wink that might have pissed me off if his expression hadn’t grown serious a second later. “You have no shame to bear, darlin’. You did what was necessary to survive.”
“Thank you.” I turned my hand over and gave his fingers a squeeze. “So, you won’t mention it to anybody? Promise?”
Tarook’s dark gold eyes held promise and protection. "I will not speak of it to another soul nor touch you again until you ask for it.”
Until I ask for it. The idea he considered sex between us again to be viable in the future gave me the strangest tickle low in my belly.
"Don't hold your breath," I quipped, pulling my hand from his and giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. God, his skin felt like warm velvet. I felt a strange softness envelop my heart.
Damn it all to hell.
I did like him.
