“I don’t like Boss. I don’t like the way he runs this place and treats everyone terribly. They all live under this fantasy of being equal, but he’s clearly abusing his authority.”
Tai runs his hands through his damp hair. It’s short by his ears and a little longer on top and in the back. It looks good on him. I don’t know many who can pull off that haircut.
Stop it. Stay focused.
“How long is your little religious reformation going to take?” he asks, sounding exhausted.
His question gives him away. He’s actually considering it.
“A few days. A week max.” I try to suppress my smile.
Victory.
“I’m only agreeing to this because I know how dangerous leaders like Boss can be.”
I kick my feet under my blankets and free the smile I’ve been trying to rein in.
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do, so don’t get too excited.” He sounds so gruff and serious. I was able to convince one of the most stubborn aliens I know to go along with my plans for the second time in one day. Now I have a few brethren to get through to and we can be on our way.
“What’s with the orgasm thing?” he asks, changing the subject abruptly.
“You want to talk about that now?” I hoped he had already forgotten about the awkward greeting.
“Yes, I do.”
“This is going to sound crazy.” I stop right there and search for the words to describe what happened earlier.
“Try me.”
“So, before you got here. Well, I guess it began with some prophecy about their goddess needing satisfaction?—”
I stop myself when a laugh bursts out of him. It’s a nice laugh. Even though it’s at my expense.
“I told you it’s crazy.”
His laughter is contagious, and soon I’m laughing so hard I’m clutching at my side trying to get the rest of the story out. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good hard laugh. Tai’s laughter softens. He inhales deeply and wipes a tear from his eye.
“Go on. I can’t wait to hear what happened next.” He watches me with a persistently wide grin on his face. The orb light near the door casts a warm light across the room. His bright eyes watch me with amusement. It’s a nice smile to go with his nice laugh.
“Well, they kept propositioning me in different ways. I had to pull the goddess card to get them to stop offering to eat me out.”
He chokes and coughs. “Eat you out?”
“Go down on me,” I explain.
“Yeah, I know what it means. I just can’t imagine the brethren doing that.”
“I’ll have you know I am a very desirable person, and an extremely capable lover,” I blurt out, instantly cringing from embarrassment. I don’t need to defend myself to him of all people.
“Capable lover?”
“Whatever—you know what I mean.” I punch my pillow and try to beat it down so it’s more comfortable. I huff and turn my back on him to face the wall so he can’t see me blushing. My face is hot and I want the ground to swallow me up. Memories ofthatnight back at the muraDome flood in. The night I can’t seem to forget.
We had both been drinking just enough to let down our guards. My face got hot and red every time we made eye contact. We were all celebrating the breakthrough in our research which would end the food crisis on Earth. Our mission on j’Tilak was a success—the unique environment held the key to ensuring crops could be grown on Earth. There was hope in the air, which felt even more intoxicating than the drinks.
Over the course of the night, I had forgotten why he was so annoying and why I was holding a grudge. He was smiley and kept laughing at all my jokes. Our shoulders brushed when I went to refill my drink. I remember that feeling of static electricity when our arms touched.
I woke up curled up against him on a couch that was too small for the both of us. His arms around me. It was the closest thing to home I’d felt in months. He climbed over and effortlessly scooped me up and started walking.
