“You’ll do it,” Kat said briskly. “Nobody gets things done like a teacher! Now, come on, doll—I have to fix your hair and make-up too.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Well, we’re off.” Chain threw her that charming, crooked grin of his as he piloted his little spacecraft out of the vast Docking Bay of the Mother Ship. “On our way to Priima Belle. Are you excited to go to an alien planet for the first time?”
“Excited and nervous both,” Vicky admitted. “I just don’t want to mess up your mission.”
“Don’t worry, beautiful Victoria.” He reached out and grabbed her hand for a brief squeeze. “With your dramatic skills and your flair for languages, you’re going to be fine. And you’ll be happy to know that the Priima Bellans are willing to sell us the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe, which should make this trip a lot more, shall we say boring than my trip to the Varian home world.”
Vicky shivered.
“I’m glad we’re not going someplace filled with lizard people. Wait—are we?” She turned towards him anxiously. “I never asked but what do the Priima Bellans look like?”
“Never fear, they’re humanoid,” Chain assured her. “Though my understanding is that the women wear very elaborate make-up—which I see you must already know,” he added, nodding at the thick, curving lines of kohl that Kat had drawn around her eyes.
“Yes, in this dress and make-up I feel like Cleopatra,” Vicky said, laughing.
“Who?” Chain asked, frowning.
“Oh—an ancient queen from Earth’s past,” Vicky explained. “She ruled Egypt, which was a major world power in her time. And she did it in a male-dominated society, so she was pretty bad-ass, all things considered.”
His frown deepened.
“’Bad-ass?’ What was wrong with her behind?” He shot Vicky a grin. “I’m sure if it looked half as good as yours does in that gown, it was perfect.”
Vicky slapped at his muscular arm.
“Stop. I know I look kind of weird in this outfit—it’s like I’m dressed up for Halloween or for a part in a play.”
“That’s exactly what it’s like,” Chain said earnestly. “We’re going to be playing our parts. You’re a renowned scholar from Earth and I’m a humble student accompanying you and coming to Priima Belle to learn. Those are the identities the Lady Kat set up for us when she made the arrangements.”
“But what am I a scholar of?” Vicky protested. “I mean, I teach French and Spanish back on Earth but it won’t be like anyone on Priima Belle will know anything about those languages.”
“But don’t you see, that’s perfect!” Chain exclaimed. “You can be a professor of lost languages that no one else knows. In academia, the more obscure your subject, the more respected you are. The Priima Bellans are going to love you.”
“Well, I certainly hope you’re right.” Vicky gave him a nervous smile. “Otherwise I got all dressed up for nothing.”
“Not for nothing.” Chain’s eyes went half-lidded as he looked at her. “It gives me a chance to admire your beautiful body, which I assure you, Victoria, I very much enjoy.”
Vicky felt herself blushing again. She might have felt offended or harassed if they didn’t already have such a strong mutual attraction to each other. But honestly, the big Kindred’s teasing, flattering comments made her feel good—sexy and attractive in a way she hadn’t felt in years. Still she couldn’t completely let it pass.
“You’re sweet and I’m sure when this is all over and we go our separate ways you’re going to make some nice girl your own age very happy,” she told Chain.
He frowned.
“That would be assuming I wanted a female my own age or that she would want me in return. And anyway, why would I choose to be with someone based solely on age?”
“Well, not solely on age,” Vicky said. “But you can’t be more than thirty-one or two. You ought to be with someone my daughters’ ages—they’re in their twenties,” she added for clarification.
“I’m sure they’re lovely girls but they’re not you, Victoria and you’re the female I want to be with now,” Chain said firmly. He flashed her a grin. “And I’m thirty cycles exactly—which is plenty old enough to know what—and who—I want.”
Only thirty years old. He’s practically a baby! whispered a little voice in Vicky’s head. You’re way too old for him, Vicky. They have names for women your age who go after much younger guys—they call them cougars. You’re a cougar.
She winced at the thought but just then, Chain announced that they would be folding space. Before she knew it, the little spaceship was flying through a red gash in the fabric of space-time and then they found themselves in orbit around Priima Belle.
Chapter Fourteen
Priima Belle was a small, pearly gray and moss green planet—about half the size of Earth. Its habitable zone has a temperate climate all year long thanks to the nearly-non-existent tilt of its axis and its perfect distance from the blue giant star it orbited. Above the zone—which was a broad band just north of the equator, about two hundred miles wide—it was all frozen tundra. And below the habitable zone was a hellish desert. But the zone itself was perfect—balmy and mild—exactly suited for the clothing they had to wear.
For Chain had an outfit for his “character” too. As soon as they were in orbit, he excused himself and went to the back of the ship. When he came back, he looked like a cross between a Roman gladiator and a Greek god, Vicky thought.
The bottom part of the outfit was a kind of short leather kilt, made of many different strips of brown and black leather stitched together.
