So, that little ship will be watching me; surveillance and AI protecting us from would be thieves or kidnappers…
…unaware that the thief is the very passenger it’s protecting.
Watching me – and reporting back to the Aurelians.
That means when I make my escape from the market, I have to lose that ship, which will be following me from a distance. This adds an additional layer of complexity to my previously simple plan.
But I can adjust.
The white ship opens its door for us with a hiss. The cool, air-conditioned interior welcomes us. Sarah hops in, and I follow – sitting across from her on a plush, comfortable seat. The ship takes off with barely a sound. As we soar upward, I wonder if the Aurelians are able to afford to power their ships with Orbs. Even for trillionaires, that would be a great expense.
Sarah grins wickedly at me. “So… Last night. Did you finally… do it?”
“Sarah!” I’m sitting with a fortune in stolen goods in my lap, but it’s her question that makes me shift uncomfortably in my seat. “It’s...” My cheeks burn. “It’s embarrassing.”
Sarah gently touches my knee.
“Relax, Mia – it’s not. If you did, you did – and, if you didn’t, that’s okay, too.” She smiles. “You know, not all of the women in the harem are as jealous as Kendra – and the ones that are? They need to get a hobby. There’s more to life than simply lazing around and pleasuring men.”
I sigh. I guess it won’t matter what Sarah thinks of me when I’m gone, and if anyone is going to pause before judging me, it’s her.
“I didn’t have sex with them,” I admit, “but we did basically everything else.”
Sarah giggles. “You slut!”
My eyes widen. She laughs.
“I’m joking, Mia! I’m joking.” She punches me playfully. “Come on, relax.”
I blush bright red.
I can’t believe how foolish I was, to let myself be so attracted to those three Aurelians. I’ve just stolen something priceless from them, and yet some part of me is still stuck in the foolish fantasy of a happily-ever-after with them.
I sigh. It’s not like I could somehow go back now.
It’s not like I could tell them that I didn’t want to steal from them, that Darr made me.
It’s not like I could tell them I want to give everything back, as if it erases my criminal past.
A sudden chill runs through me. I suddenly feel like I’m standing above a cliff, and that little voice in the back of my head is telling me to jump.
I could do those things…
I shake my head. I can’t let anything overwhelm my survival instincts. I force back the idiotic thoughts.
“Yeah, I guess I’m not so innocent anymore, eh?” I answer. If only she knew how true that statement was!
I try to smile, but I know it has no warmth.
“So, what are we going to get at the market?”
Changing the subject is futile, but it’s the only thing I can think of so I don’t think any more about those three gorgeous, loving, amazing men.
I’m putting them firmly in my past.
Sarah remains oblivious, so bright and happy.
“Whatever we like, Mia! I just thought you might need to get out of the house for a bit. There’s this wonderful baker who makes a croissant to die for. We’ll start there. I also know the best gelato on the planet, no hyperbole.”
I laugh, and this time it’s for real. Only Sarah can bring me out of a dark mood. “It sounds more like we’re going on a food tour.”
Sarah shrugs. “Anytime I can eat outside of the mansion, I pig out. You’d be shocked at the looks I get from the other girls. They’re all soooo focused on keeping their figures.”
A pang of jealousy hits me.
Of course they’re worried about keeping their figures. They don’t want to be a woman ignored – one of the women who is never called upon by the Aurelians to service their sexual needs. Those women are all competing for the limited attentions of three men who can have whatever they want, whenever they want it.
Aurelian sexual appetites are boundless – but what are boundless appetites in front of an all-you-can-eat sexual buffet? An environment in which those men could have their pick of any new women shipped to them, at any moment?
I’m even more resolute in my decision to leave.
Even if I did somehow convince those law-loving Aurelians to accept a thief into their harem – which must surely be a monumental task – I’d still be just one among a stable of other women. I’d end up like Kendra. I’d feel that bitterness each and every day, wishing I was good enough but never measuring up.
“Well,” I try to buck up, “let’s start with food, and if we still have an appetite for luxury afterward, we can shop around. I’ve never been in a Sector 1 market.”
Sarah’s curious. She leans in. “So, where in Sector 4 did you come from?”
I shift in my seat. Sarah can sense my discomfort. She grew up in Sector 2, and I doubt she ever set foot in the slums.
“Don’t worry, Mia. You don’t have to answer.”
“I know. I…” I gulp dryly. “It’s just, I didn’t have the best path growing up. I don’t like to think about it.”
I walked a path I don’t want to think about – one that I’m still treading down right now. A path that is going to become my future, no matter which direction it forks in.
Well, at least for a little while longer. Soon, I’ll escape – and then find Darr, and hide out as it takes him the week or two needed to fence these priceless watches. I’ll have to lay low during that time, not accepting any other jobs as the manhunt starts.
I’ll just hope Darr isn’t in a temper. He should be thrilled – another job well done. More profit made.
Well, the job
