“Given you’ve agreed to help us pair warriors and human females, does that mean you need to visit Xaanda?”
She recoiled in surprise. “I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Is that possible? How long does it take to get there and back?”
“Depending on galactic conditions…” Jaspar paused as he waited for Beta to give him the answer. “The equivalent of ten human days to get there, another ten to come back.”
“That seems quick.”
“The ship provided to us contains the latest technology. So, if you wish to see for yourself how our society functions, that can be arranged.”
“You’re talking about me being away more than a month, though.” She went to the counter and poured more of the wine into her glass. She approached him with the bottle and refilled his empty cup. “I don’t suppose your computer could send me some stuff to read or watch?”
“Beta can definitely prepare something.” Jaspar found himself smiling and feeling rather warm, which was probably why he said, “Thank you for agreeing to work with us.”
“Tentatively agreed. We still need to hammer out the terms, but I’ll admit, I am intrigued.” She took a sip of her wine, a strangely fascinating thing to watch—the way her lips parted to grip the rim of her glass, the fluid moistening them, the way her throat rippled as she swallowed. He startled when she said, “Will you be using the service once we get it up and running?”
“Me? No.” He shook his head. “I mentioned earlier, I have no interest in mating.”
“What do you do for companionship?”
He frowned. “I thought I made it clear I prefer my own company.”
“Which is all well and good, so do I. What I meant is, who do you fuck? Or do only married guys get to have sex?”
Her blunt query raised his brows. “Fornication is allowed, although for the unbonded, given the scarcity of our own females, it tends to be with alien species.”
“You have to visit other worlds to have sex?”
“That is one option. One of our moons also has a brothel to serve the unattached.”
“You rely on sex workers?”
She said it with such shock he felt a need to defend. “On our world, females are rare and cherished. Since they are few, they are only intimate with their mates. Given males have carnal needs that sometimes require satisfaction that isn’t self-inflicted, professionals in the erotic arts provide an acceptable alternative.” At her twisted expression, he added, “I take it that is frowned upon on Earth?”
“Yes and no. I mean, we have sex workers here. Personally, I’m not keen on the whole paying for it. Then again, I don’t have issues finding sexual partners.”
“You fornicate for free?” He couldn’t help a lilt of surprise.
“I fuck for pleasure,” she replied with a chuckle, and the sound had an effect on his cheeks, which heated. Before he could reply to her outrageous statement, she added, “I can see why your planet might have different rules. Cade said something about a virus wiping out most of your women.”
Jaspar nodded. “I lost my mother to it.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Those responsible paid for their actions.”
“Wait, you’re saying it was intentional?” She gaped at him.
“Yes. A tragedy that our Oracle saw glimpses of, but by the time she realized how it would happen, it was already too late.”
“Damn. That’s a horrible thing to do, and now you’re running into the issue of population decline because a lack of women means no babies.”
“Exactly.”
“By the sounds of it, marriage is a big thing in your culture.”
“The bonding is an intimate joining of two that lasts a lifetime.”
“Monogamous aliens. I can use that in the sales pitch,” she mused aloud.
