Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Oh, there’s a Moon shuttle you can take,” Goodie Oo-lah assured her. “But unfortunately, it only comes once a solar month and it just left yesterday week, so it’s gonna be a bit before you can catch it and get up there to Anterize.”
“Why does it only run once a month?” Andi asked, feeling irritated. What kind of service was so infrequent?
“Why, because we only got one pilot, of course,” Oo-lah said. “I told you the males used to rule the roost—they wouldn’t let women train to fly spaceships—no way! The only reason we have even one pilot is because one of the women had a husband who trained her in secret-like. She’s trying to teach some others, but it’s a complicated business, from what I hear.”
Andi thought of the vast array of buttons and dials on the instrument panel of the long-range shuttle and had to agree with her.
“All right,” she said nodding. “I understand. Then I guess…I guess I need to find a place to stay until the Moon shuttle comes back. Are there any hotels or motels or anything like that around here?”
“Well…Goodie Tight-azz keeps a boarding house—it’s up the road apiece, across from Goodie Bo-long’s mansion, don’tcha know. But I don’t know if she’d take you or not.”
“Why not?” Andi asked. If this was the only place in town to stay, she needed to be accepted there.
“Well, Goodie Tight-azz is a New Order believer,” Goodie Oo-lah explained. “Them’s the women who don’t believe we ought to have no procreational contact with the Manimals, don’tcha know. Not even if the Manimal in question was your husband before The Incident. She will allow for the control of your Manimal with Sweet Drops—though she prefers a control collar. Absolutely no other intimate contact though.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Andi said quickly. “As I said before, Cade is my coworker, not my boyfriend or husband—I have no intention of having, er, intimate contact with him.”
As she spoke, her cheeks got hot as she remembered how the big Kindred had latched onto her nipple earlier, but she tried to push the memory aside. It had been an accident—a one time thing. Nothing like that was ever going to happen again—she was sure of it.
“Well, if you assure her of that, she might take you—not with your Manimal wearing clothes though,” Goodie Oo-lah said, frowning. “He’s got to be bare—otherwise how can you tell if he’s getting riled or not before it’s too late?”
“Oh, um…” Andi bit her lip. She really didn’t want to take off Cade’s clothing, but it was beginning to sound like she had no choice.
“You can get him undressed over here in one of our changing booths,” Goodie Oo-lah said helpfully. “That way you can bring him right from my store to Goodie Tight-azz’s house with no problem.”
“She really won’t take us unless he’s, uh, naked?” Andi asked desperately. “You’re sure she won’t make an exception for off-worlders like us? People who aren’t used to your ways?”
“Goodie Tight-azz make an exception?” Goodie Oo-lah laughed as though the idea was ridiculous. “No, she won’t make no exception. She’s very strict, she is. So be sure you don’t let her catch you doing nothing you shouldn’t—she won’t stand for it.”
Andi didn’t see how she could be sure she wasn’t doing something she shouldn’t when she didn’t really understand the laws or social norms of Zo’rath Three and the conversation with Goodie Oo-lah hadn’t helped a great deal. But she hoped that maybe if she and Cade could just stay out of sight, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Er, thank you,” she said to Goodie Oo-lah. “I’ll be careful not to do anything improper.”
“Good—then let’s get your Manimal out of them clothes. Come on—this way.”
And Goodie Oo-lah stumped away, plunging back into the jumbled store and leaving Andi to follow.
14
CADE
Cade was confused when his female led him into a small dark booth with a cloth over the front of it. What was the meaning of this place? Why was he here?
Then she started unfastening the front of the fabric that was covering his chest and arms and back and pulling it off him.
Cade felt immediate relief. He hadn’t liked being covered in fabric—it was so constricting—but it was all fastened on him in such a way as to make it seem impossible to get it off. Now his mate was taking it off for him—how kind she was!
He rumbled with approval and leaned down to rub his cheek against hers. He loved her sweet scent and the softness of her skin.
“All right now, you don’t need to do that,” she murmured.
Cade didn’t understand the words, but then she reached up to stroke his head in the way that he liked, so it seemed that she approved of his gesture of affection.
“Let’s get back to business,” she said after a moment. “These clothes aren’t going to take themselves off.”