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Jamen conducted two brisk introductions. He waved his arm at the tall man, whose face was marked by a crooked scar along his cheek. “This is Gawen. And Atlas.” The other man had high eyebrows and wrinkles around his neck. Neither man was as young as Jamen.
She bowed, correctly as he’d taught her to do—from the waist with her eyes cast down until she rose up.
“Gawen is…” Jamen pursed his lips, hunting for a word that would make sense with her limited vocabulary. “A fixer. Atlas is my representative. He meets local people on my behalf. Both of them are key people on my team. You’ll be working with them when needed.”
“Gentlemen,” she said sweetly. For some ridiculous reason, she blushed. She knew her cheeks were turning hot and red. They were looking at her intently. She was the only human on Halos, and more than that she was a hanjin, which meant they would all know she was having sex with Jamen. Their curiosity was something to which she must become accustomed to experiencing. She’d not anticipated how awkward it made her feel, knowing they were probably judging her appeal based on her physical appearance. “Yes, I am human,” she added.
Atlas blinked and averted his eyes. Gawen grinned, chuckling softly under his breath. He glanced over to Jamen, who pressed his lips firmly together.
“Human,” Gawen repeated. “A weak species.”
She narrowed her eyes to slits and clenched her fists. “I am—”
“No, you’re not weak,” Jamen interrupted in English. “You will have to accept this kind of prejudice, Paige. And, not insult my dignity by offering any kind of inappropriate response in reply.”
He meant ‘don’t take the bait.’ He snapped something at Gawen too quickly for Paige to comprehend. Gawen shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed by Jamen’s tone of voice.
Atlas seemed a different kind of man to Gawen. “I look forward to working with you, Paige,” he said quietly. “I am honored to have you on our team.”
“Thank you,” she said, adding a layer of sweetness. If he was nice to her, she’d be nice back. As for Gawen, she hoped their paths wouldn’t cross too often.
After the two men had left the room, Jamen kissed the palm of her hand and appeared more relaxed. “I am sorry about Gawen. He was a soldier who suffered a terrible injury at the hands of another alien species. He treats all aliens that he meets with equal contempt. However, his family has loyally served mine for generations and that loyalty means he will do no harm to you.”
“I met Elga and Sava outside,” she began, as they walked toward the elevator. “They invited me to visit the Yulta with them. In a few days’ time.” She held her breath—would he disapprove?
“That’s a good place to visit. Yultas are for women only. You should make friends.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “But, be sensible. Don’t talk about us too much. I don’t want you becoming a spectacle.”
She snuggled closer to him. “I don’t want to be one either.”
* * *
Another six days flew by and she ended her formal lessons with Leesa. And with Leesa, she’d also made her first friend on Halos. Leesa promised that if Paige needed any further help with her language development, then she should contact her.
Paige considered herself reasonable fluent in Vendian. Her writing skills were lacking a little compared to her reading, but Leesa assured her they would continue to improve over the coming weeks. At last, she was ready to do some real work for Jamen.
Rising early, showering in her private bathroom, she dressed in the executive mode that she’d seen Elga and Sava wear. She was no longer a student of anything. The hours spent reciting lists of words and fathoming composite sentence structure were over. She was embarking on a new day as Jamen’s hanjin and one where she hoped she might be fully employed and not just in his bed entertaining him with her body.
“You are very beautiful,” he said as she stepped into the elevator. He squeezed her hand.
That had been the last time he touched her that day before they finished work many hours later. By then, she was exhausted.
Returning to the apartment, she staggered into a chair. “My god,” she muttered.
He ruffled her hair. “Quite good,” he remarked. “For your first day.”
She’d spent it collating reams of numbers. At least the Vendu’s numeracy system was similar to hers. They counted in groups of twenty, not ten, but that wasn’t too bad because she’d found a calculator on the console to help her convert formats. She even managed to create a chart of some kind that Jamen thought was reasonably representative of the data. Although, he did show her a better way of doing it.
“You are a quick learner,” he said, from over her shoulder, poking his fingers at the console. “You impress me every day.”
His compliment sent her stomach into a buzz of excitement, which was short-lived because, back at the apartment, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
He tossed his jacket into his closet before the unit vanished beneath the floor. “Aren’t you visiting the Yulta this evening?”
She groaned. “Yes.” She wasn’t sure she had the energy to cope with hordes of new and highly inquisitive Vendu.
“Eat. Change into something loose-fitt
ing, but elegant. I shall inspect you before you go.”
