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I turned to my desk and glanced in the mirror back at her. She peered at her surroundings and paid attention to the underside of the chair arms and the desktop. Did she think my office was bugged?
“Shall we get down to business?” I said.
“Yeah…” she said, her eyes still wandering around the office. “Sure.”
We took seats on either side of the desk. I looked her over properly for the first time. I was wrong. She wasn’t pretty. She was beautiful. She had eyes big enough to fall into, set in a face that promised desire, passion, and yes, more than a little challenge. Surely even Cleb would behave himself with her?
“Do you have your resume?” I said.
“I’m afraid I didn’t have time to print it out,” Bianca said.
“No problem,” I said. “So, what experience do you have with teaching small children?”
“I was an elementary school teacher for three years back on my homeworld. I taught a range of subjects and developed a good rapport with my students.”
“You sound like you loved your job very much,” I said.
Her smile faltered again.
“I did,” she said. “Very much.”
“And your students must have loved you. Students always love the teachers who teach with passion.”
She smiled at me and it lit up the entire room.
“I hope so,” she said. “I agree with you. Kids always know when their teachers are being honest with them. I guess we all do.”
And did her eyes shift minutely to the restroom door?
Waev knocked on the door before he shouldered it open and entered with a tray of drinks. Bianca looked like she wanted to get up and give him a hand but wasn’t sure how to behave in this kind of situation.
While she was distracted, I took the time to run my eyes over her appreciatively.
How long had it been since I did something like that?
How long had it been since I peered up from a dry piece of paper to look at something so beautiful?
To have a real conversation with someone and not just trying to score negotiation points?
Longer than I cared to admit.
“How did you come to be on Arcturon Prime?” I said.
“I… wanted to see more of the galaxy,” she said. “I wanted to see other alien species and planets.”
“Has it been everything you hoped it would?”
If I didn’t know any better, I would have said she was on the verge of tears.
“It’s been very… educational,” she said.
“Do you have any plans to return home?” I said.
“Yes. One day.”
“It must be difficult being so far from friends and family.”
“The people I’ve met here have been very kind to me,” she said. “For the most part.”
