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“Good afternoon to you both,” the woman said cheerfully.
She was a Maltaffian, with a blue skin tone, wearing a crisp white lab coat and a big smile.
“I’m Dr. Oppyx,” the woman said. “I see you two have met. We here at the Center are all so glad you’re here.”
Chloe smiled back, and Jubal gave a little nod.
“First things first. It’s time for you watch our welcome holo-vid,” Dr. Oppyx told them. “If you’ll just have a seat, I’ll dim the lights.”
She gestured to a booth at the back of the bar.
They would both have to sit on one side if they wanted to watch the presentation. And the bench seat was small for two people. Especially when one of those two was a massively-muscled Maltaffian.
But Dr. Oppyx was waiting expectantly.
Chloe slipped into the booth, squeezing herself up to the wall as much as possible.
Jubal slid in beside her, his big thigh pressed against hers.
She could feel the delicious heat of him through that hard thigh. She repressed a shiver.
The bench began to adapt itself to them, the pliant material softening and supporting, and also pushing them closer together.
A wicked half-smile tugged at the corner of Jubal’s lips, and he moved his arm to the back of the booth behind her as the seat pressed her fully to his side.
Chloe focused on breathing slowly, begging herself not to notice his intoxicating scent, or how good it felt to be pressed to all that sinuous muscle.
Dr. Oppyx waved her hand over the disc she had placed on the ten-ball table and the lights in the bar dimmed further as the light of the holo-vid emerged from the little orb.
A female figure with Maltaffian horns appeared, floating in the air above the disc.
“Welcome to the Midsummer Center for Fertility,” she said crisply. “I’m here to tell you a little about the center and the work we’ll be doing here. Let me start by saying that you are the most important part of that work.”
She began to move, walking along the beach in the exact path Chloe had taken to get to the hut.
“A first of its kind, the entire center was uniquely designed, planned and implemented by a single AI,” the woman said. “And that AI, nicknamed Oberon, will also host you throughout your stay, attending to all of your needs and ensuring the best possible environment to meet our goals. We’re proud to tell you that the Midsummer Center for Fertility was denoted by the Intergalactic Physicians Association as the most conception-friendly place in the galaxy.”
The woman turned before she reached the beach hut. Suddenly, she was standing in a meadow. Lush green grass surrounded her, and birds sang out joyfully.
“Each day will begin with relaxing, shared activities for surrogate and intended parent,” the woman went on. “Oberon has crafted a plethora of pleasant locations to help you feel at ease and get to know each other better.”
Chloe stole a glance at Jubal, wondering if he was thinking about his mate back home, and how she would feel about him going to romantic places with a surrogate.
He only tapped his foot, his face surprisingly stoic.
“Here at the Midsummer Center for Fertility, everyone has responsibilities,” the woman said, suddenly sounding serious.
The camera zoomed in on her face in a dramatic close-up.
“It’s the responsibility of this clinic to ensure your safety at all times,” she said. “Say the words escape me now at any time, and Oberon will cancel programming immediately.”
Chloe tried not to think about why that might be necessary. She supposed that all kinds of males might want surrogates, even the ones who didn’t respect females, especially Terran females.
“In addition, for security and training purposes, everything that happens at the Midsummer Center for Fertility will be recorded,” the woman went on. “However, if you say the words confirm privacy mode, Oberon will not record or display the proceedings to our staff.”
She almost sighed in relief.
The idea that footage of her in a compromising position might end her teaching career was a hard one to shake. No matter how the center might tout the NDAs everyone had to sign, she was certain they had a large staff. If images were leaked, how would they even know who had leaked them?
