Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Thus reassuring herself, her eyes drifted closed and she sank into sleep like a stone thrown into a pond.
Forty-Four
“Well now, I didn’t think you’d do it and you didn’t, but you did come close,” a deep, rumbling voice announced.
“Huh?” Torri blinked. What was going on? Where was she?
Then she looked up and saw a tiny, alien face hovering over her. It was stretched out from its owner’s body on a kind of long, stretchy, pinkish-gray trunk that looked like a weird special effect in a sci-fi movie.
A scream rose in her throat but just then she heard Vic’s voice say,
“A little privacy please, La’Gross. I know you Gemmites don’t mind showing yourselves without clothing, but my female is a bit more sensitive and likes to keep covered.”
His words made Torri remember the night before and where they were. It also made her realize she was naked in bed with the big Kindred and the huge Gemmite mechanic was looming over them.
“I’ll give you privacy,” the mechanic said, frowning. “But it’s past time you got up. I’ve already given you an extra ern to finish filling the meter but I’m afraid you’re still fifty yorns short.”
“I can pay the remainder with pain if you need us out of the room,” Vic offered.
La’Gross nodded.
“Acceptable, Kindred. By the way, your new communication module is installed and working perfectly. As soon as you settle your account, you should be able to contact your Mother Ship.”
“Thank you,” Vic said, nodding. “I appreciate the fast service.”
“Just see that you finish the payment,” La’Gross said warningly. “I’ll see you outside in a few ernnets.”
Then he left, stumping out of the bedroom and shutting the door heavily behind him.
“Oh no—I can’t believe we fell asleep before we finished filling the meter!”
Torri sat up, clutching the heavy, silky sheets to her chest and turned to look over her shoulder at the tall energy meter. Sure enough, though the thick red line had crept almost to the top, there was still just a tiny bit of empty space. They had generated four hundred and fifty yorns the night before, but they were still fifty short.
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” Vic said dismissively. “I can pay it easily enough—it’s only fifty yorns.”
“But how will you pay it?” Torri demanded. “You said you were going to pay in pain.”
“I will.” He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling with the motion. “I’ll probably just chop off a finger or two—I’ll regrow them in a day or so,” he added, at her horrified look, as though it was no big deal to mutilate himself.
“What? No!” Torri exclaimed. “I don’t want you to have to do that—I don’t want you to have to hurt yourself, Vic!”
He frowned.
“I’m afraid there’s no other way. We’re out of time and the payment is due. In fact, we need to be getting dressed right now.”
He got out of bed and started pulling on his Kindred uniform.
Torri got out too—sliding carefully down the side because it was much higher than the beds she was used to on Earth and the top of the mattress came up to her breasts. She started digging in her duffel bag for clothes, but her mind wasn’t really on what she was going to wear. She didn’t want to see Vic hurt himself to finish the payment for the ship’s repairs. The idea of him chopping off his fingers was an awful thought, even if he could regrow them!
But what else could they do since their time was effectively up? They couldn’t generate a whole fifty yorns just from a kiss or a quick grope.
She finished pulling on her clothes and was searching in her duffel for a warm pair of socks, when her fingertips felt something cool and hard. Grabbing it, she pulled it out and saw that it was one of the jars of Nana’s cinnamon apple preserves, that she’d brought along for the Kindred High Council to try. Suddenly, an idea began to form in her mind.
“All right, time’s up.” The bedroom door swung open and La’Gross came in again. “You ready to come finish your payment, Kindred?” he asked Vic.
“Ready.” Vic turned to Torri. “Finish packing up, sweetheart. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He means he’ll be back after he chops some fingers off! Torri thought, feeling sick. She couldn’t let that happen!
“Wait!” she exclaimed, as Vic turned to go with the Gemmite mechanic. “Wait just a minute—I might have something you’d like better than, uh, pain yorns,” she told La’Gross.
“You do, do you? Eh—what is it?” La’Gross swiveled towards her and his face stretched down to peer into hers.
“This.” Praying that he would be tempted, Torri broke the seal on the jar of cinnamon apples and pried up the lid. She waved the glass mason jar under the mechanic’s tiny nostrils enticingly, wafting the scent of sugar and cinnamon through the room.