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“You still kissed her.”
“That was a mistake. She was in need of my help.”
“How could you help her by kissing her?”
“I thought it was what she needed. She said something about her boss being unhappy with her if last night’s event did not succeed.”
“You made quite an impression.”
Faron’s eyes narrowed. “How would you know?”
Sala chuckled, his white teeth gleaming in the overhead lights. “I forget you don’t watch the info casts.”
“They are full of lies and propaganda. When I want the truth, I seek it out for myself.”
“You need to seek out this particular truth. Those camera bots at the event last night, they caught your kiss with that female. And they followed you to dinner.”
Faron’s brow furrowed. He recalled Kendra asking about bots but hadn’t noticed one at their dinner. He’d been too focused on her. “What was shown?”
“It looks like you had a great time. There’s even footage of Kendra sweet talking you into using a fork. I never thought I’d see the day. She must have quite a hold on you.”
Faron grunted. “I was humoring her.”
“You look good together.”
The fury Faron felt raised its head. “She is not for me.”
“Don’t be so quick to write her off. I saw sparks.”
“That was most likely a camera malfunction.”
Sala laughed out loud. “Whatever you say. Let’s get on with the work. We’ve got a busy day outside the station repairing that faulty valve and testing the filtration system.”
Faron let out a slow sigh as they joined the rest of the crew.
Petanc was there. As usual, he was laughing and joking with everyone and making a spectacle of himself. It was typical show-off Forka behavior.
Petanc’s attention turned to Faron, and he grinned. “You are a dark horse.”
“I am nothing of the sort.”
“I’ve seen that broadcast of you with that hot human. I didn’t realize you bent that way.”
Faron’s anger bubbled up his spine. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“The camera doesn’t lie. You devoured her like she was your last meal.”
Several of the work crew laughed, but their expressions were cautious. They’d all seen Faron when he got mad. It was rare but not a pretty sight.
“That is none of your concern.”
“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Are you two official?”
Faron glowered at him. “We are nothing to each other.”
“If that’s so, I’ll take a crack at her. She looked willing when you grabbed her. Bet she’s a firecracker in the bedroom.”
Before he realized what he was doing, Faron grabbed Petanc’s throat and slammed him against the wall. “Keep your filthy hands off her. You are not to go near Kendra. You do not touch a single hair on her head. She is not to be spoiled by you.”
