by Megan Hart
Linna shook her head. "Howard Adar is full of shit."
The vehemence in her voice made him chuckle. "Don't we all know it."
She sighed and handed him the last cup of broth only half-eaten. "Do you believe the MHU had anything to do with the Dome failure?"
Del shook his head. "Nah. I don't think anyone but the upperrankers would believe that. I think some tech somewhere messed up and Adar's just using this as a good reason to crack down. I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps this city under Code Red for a week while he rounds up as many mechos as he can and makes them disappear."
Linna swallowed heavily and looked down at her hands, twisted on her lap. "And if he does that, it won't be long before he goes after the Offworlders too, Del."
"I know that."
Linna looked at him, her face tense. "What should we do?"
"I think we need to get out of Newcity, Linna."
She nodded. Her fingers twined with his. "If they check my registration, they'll find out I'm not a Pleasurebot. I'm not a KMPN, Del. I'm a mecho."
He'd known already, but that she'd trusted him enough to tell him the truth meant a lot.
"How long?" he asked her gently.
Linna bit her lip. "Three years."
He waited for her to tell him more, but she remained silent for so long he thought she wasn't going to say. Then she took a deep breath and squeezed his hand like she was drowning and he was the only one holding her up.
"I used to be an upperranker. A ninety-thou actually. I lived in a house, not an apartment. I was married." She waited, as though her admission would surprise him.
Newcitizens were ranked on everything from ancestry, to marriage, to education, to personal achievements. The rankings went constantly up and down, and privileges were tied directly to rank. The system had been designed--or so he'd heard--to eliminate class distinctions. All it had done was make it impossible for anyone not born or married into the upper rankings to get there.
Linna gave a half-smile. "My husband had a very bad temper and a penchant for affairs. I didn't mind. It kept him out of my bed, and as long as he was fucking other women, he'd do what he liked to them and leave me alone. I didn't have a bad life, Del. Money can buy a lot of happiness."
He thought of his life on Xanderra where he'd never lacked for anything financially. "Sometimes."
"Eventually, his human mistresses no longer put up with his tastes. He went through four VCTM units in as many months before he turned to me."
"He went through Victims? You mean he got tired of them?"
Linna shook her head solemnly. "I mean he used them up. Wore them out. Shut them down. The last one fell to pieces, literally, in our dining room."
Del's stomach twisted. "And then he turned to you?"
Again, she nodded. "A man of his rank can consider himself above the law and be right, Del."
"Who was your husband?"
"I was married for four years to Daniel Hackman."
Del gave a low whistle. "Adar's left-hand man."
Linna nodded and took her hand from his. She drew up her knees and linked her fingers around them, then rested her cheek there. "The same."
"He hurt you." He didn't make it a question.
Fury filled him, and he got up and began to pace. The thought of that smug-faced bastard putting his hands on Linna made Del want to pound something. Hard. Rip it apart. It made him want to kill Hackman.
"He didn't mean to, I'm sure." Her voice was dry, sarcastic, and he searched her face to see if she was excusing the benizona, the son of a whore. "I was more expensive to replace than a VCTM. Unfortunately for him, and for me, I also wasn't capable of simply allowing him to hurt me."
"You fought back."
She nodded. "As best I could. That only made him angry. He...he lost control. He cut me. He pushed me down some stairs. Other things, which, thank God-of-Choice, I don't remember. I woke up in a hospital bed."
"He authorized the surgeries?" Del clenched his fists, still pacing.
"Oh, I don't think so. I'd been admitted as deceased. The medtech who took the admission was training an assistant and they decided to use me for the training. I came out of the surgery alive."
"And unauthorized."
"Yes."
"So they...what? Didn't tell Hackman you weren't dead?"
She shook her head. "And risk losing rank? Or worse...being arrested? Even three years ago Adar was speaking out against mechos. What they did to me was illegal."
"And immoral." Del snorted. "That would never have happened on Xanderra."
She met his gaze calmly and her chin lifted a little. "I'd rather be what I am than dead, Del."
That chastened him. He sat next to her again and, following an impulse he didn't want to think too much about, took her hand. "Me, too."
That made her smile. Tension arced between them like an electrical spark. Her cheeks flushed and her tongue slid along her lower lip.
He wanted to kiss her again and more than that. Her lips parted and her pupils dilated again, but this time in passion. His cock hardened and he let go of her hand to put some distance between them.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said.
The lights flickered and came on. The viddy screen blared to life, still showing Adar, this time joined by the members of the Ruling Council. Del's gaze zeroed in on Hackman, who sat in the back. He wanted to punch the viddy screen.
"Code Red is still in effect," Adar said to the camera. "We've apprehended those who were trying to destroy the Dome that protects us. And we'll see to it they're punished to the harshest degree."
The screen cut to a picture of a group of men and women being herded into ground cars by SecOps. One man appeared to resist and was taken down immediately by a stunner.
"They were using bullets when I was out there," Linna spoke up.
He looked at her. "Adar's pulling no punches."
She shrugged. "Do you expect any less?"
"Code Red will remain in affect until we've rounded up all these criminals. Please pay attention to System announcements. You'll be notified when the Code changes."
"Viddy off," Del snapped and the screen went dark. "Well, I guess that's it."
"I guess so." Linna chewed gently on her lower lip. "At least the power's back on."
Del looked around his apartment. "This rat hole looks better in the dark."
She laughed, a real laugh that sent warmth flooding through him. "Believe me, it's better than Kitten's."
He wanted to ask her how she'd managed to take on a Pleasurebot's identity, but figured that would be a story for another time. "Let me see if I can order us something real to eat."
She put a hand on her stomach. "That would be terrific."
Code Red apparently meant no deliveries, as System informed him in a frustratingly calm voice that he was not authorized to access the supply depot at this time.
"Power conservation in effect," the voice announced on the heels of denying him his food order. "Cycling distribution will begin now."
"Cycling distribution? What does that mean?" Linna asked.
The lights flickered and dimmed, then went out.
"I think it means we're stuck in the dark again."
Her next words made heat surge through him again. "At least we're together."
"Yeah, at least there's that."
She smiled and her eyes glowed in the light from the battery lantern, which he hadn't shut off. "You've been a good friend, Del."
He shrugged, and then grinned back at her. "Guess I'm just a nice guy underneath this tough exterior."
"I happen to like that exterior."
All at once, Del wanted her so badly it hurt. Physically hurt. He bit back a groan and turned away from her. He found the crumbling plaster of his wall and used it for support. Every muscle in his body seemed locked in a spasm.
"Del? Are you all right?"
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He kept his back toward her. He could
n't risk seeing any invitation in Linna's eyes, or he'd be lost in more ways than one.
He heard the whisper of the blankets as she got up from the futon. He heard her feet pad across the floor. Then he felt her tentative touch on his shoulder.
He groaned again, the pain of wanting her like a knife in his gut. He gritted his jaw and put both hands on the wall to keep from grabbing her with them. His fingers bent and scraped at the rotting plaster.
He felt her breath on the bare skin of his back. Her presence made every nerve tingle. She put her other hand on his other shoulder. Her fingers were cool on his suddenly overheated skin. She pulled at him gently, urging him with soft pressure to turn to face her. "Del?"
The sound of his name made him lose what small level of control he'd managed to save, and he turned to face her. Then she was in his arms, her mouth on his, and he was lifting her. Her legs went around his waist. He felt the heat of her center on his stomach through her thin jumpsuit.
His hands cupped her firm ass and pulled her even closer. The kiss deepened as she rocked against him. She made a low noise of passion in her throat. The sound of it made his cock grow harder.
Linna wrapped her arms around his neck. Her tongue slipped into his mouth. Her mouth left his and found his cheek, his jaw, the curve of his throat. She nipped, nibbled and licked until he thought he would come from that pleasure alone.
His arms trembled, not from her weight, which was like nothing to him, but because of the intensity of his arousal. He walked with her to the futon and settled her on it, careful not to crush her with his weight.
"It's okay," she whispered, urging him to lay on top of her with gentle pressure on his hips. "I'm strong."
He had never felt a woman's body beneath him. He'd never let himself get this far before. She was soft where he was hard, curvy where he was rigid, smooth where he was rough. He buried his face in the curve of her shoulder and let the silk of her hair rub on his face, over his eyes and nose.
Her arms stroked his back and held him close to her. Her hips lifted beneath him as her legs parted to press her cunt to his cock's thickness. She rubbed herself on him as she kissed and licked his throat.
Her breath and the beat of her heart were was as rapid as his. He kissed her. She opened beneath him, open to his tongue and lips, to the nip of his teeth and the exploration of his hands.
He cupped her breasts, her nipples like pebbles beneath his palms. She arched under his touch and reached up to pull open the front of her jumpsuit. She was bare beneath it. She put a hand to his cheek, brought his mouth to her nipple and gasped when he sucked gently.
Linna wiggled out of her jumpsuit and lay naked beneath him. This was Linna. Linna who could set him on fire with her smile, the Linna who had brought him a cold drink on a hot day, just because she knew he needed one. This was Linna kissing him, Linna stroking him through his pants and tugging at the belt buckle.
She loosed him from his pants and took him in her hand, and he nearly spent himself right there. He shuddered as her fingers danced along his shaft, then slid lower to cup his balls for one delicious moment until she returned to stroking him. She slid up, palmed the head of his erection and squeezed it gently. He pulsed in her hand and his hips rocked of their own will.
He had raised himself on one arm to allow her that exploration. Now she took his other hand and put it between her legs to her slick heat. She circled his fingers on her clit, already erect. She shuddered the same as he did when he stroked her there. She tilted her hips to urge him to slide a finger inside her.
Ah, she was so hot, so wet, so tight...He imagined sliding his cock inside her and groaned aloud.
She murmured his name. He pushed his finger deeper inside her, then slid up again and returned to her clit. He hadn't known a woman could be so hot down there, so wet, or that the center of her pleasure could grow so large. He stroked her, imagining what she would like based on what he knew would please him. She responded with a low cry and a roll of her hips. He took her clit between his thumb and forefinger and stroked her gently once, then twice, before sliding two fingers inside her again. The heel of his hand pushed against her clit while his fingers slid in and out, faster, just like wanted to fill her with his cock.
His own breath came in shuddering gasps. Linna moved under him. Her hand clutched at him and drew him down to her mouth again. Her heat surrounded him. Her clit spasmed against his hand as her opening bore down on his fingers.
"Del!" She cried his name this time instead of whispering it. Her pelvis rocked against him. She shuddered and went still.
He felt delirious with arousal. His orgasm filled his cock, his balls, from his toes to his head, and only sheer strength of will kept him from spilling loose.
"Make love to me," Linna whispered.
Her words forced their way into his subconscious. They brought him back to reality. He found the strength to move away from her.
"Del?"
Without a word, he went to the sink and ran cold water, then splashed his face and chest until he cooled down. He gripped the sink so hard his fingers hurt, but little by little, he regained control of his body. His balls ached, as did his cock, but he calmed his breathing and the pace of his heart.
"Del, what's wrong?"
"I can't make love to you."
He heard the rustle of her putting her jumpsuit back on. She got off the futon and came into the kitchen, though she kept her distance.
"Is it because of what I told you?"
The tremor in her voice made him clench his fists. "No, Linna."
"Then what?"
He turned to face her. The lantern light shone around her like a halo and obscured her face. He found it easier to tell her that way, facing a shape outlined by light, rather than looking into her eyes.
"I'm from Xanderra," he said.
"I know that, Del."
He took a deep breath and concentrated on further regulating his body's response to her. "Do you know anything about my planet?"
She shook her head. Strands of her hair became outlined with light. "Not much." She gave a soft laugh. "I know you're built the same as Earth men."
The thought of her hand on him made him surge again and he forced himself to calm. "Xanderrans are descendents of Earthen colonists. Our physiology is the same as yours, except for the differences in our evolution. We're stronger, in general. Quicker to war, though I'd bet you guys have us pretty close to beat on that, but from culture not genetics. We have the same average lifespan. The same diseases and immunities. Our people can even procreate together."
"But?" She still spoke softly and he sensed her unease.
She thought he didn't want to be with her.
"Culturally, our society is...not the same."
"I wouldn't expect it to be, Del."
He took a deep breath. "Linna, we mate for life."
She seemed stunned by his answer. "You mean you don't have dissolution or divorce?"
"We don't have marriage. Not the way you do. We don't need it."
"I'm not asking you to marry me." He could tell she'd tried to make her voice light, but it still held a tinge of hurt.
"We don't marry because a ceremony means nothing, words mean nothing, once a Xanderran man and woman have sex. We mate for life."
"I don't understand."
"It means that if I made love to you, Linna, I'd be bound to you forever."
Chapter 3
Linna swallowed, then shook her head. "Wow."
Del shrugged and she realized her response had been less than accepting. She took a deep breath to compensate for the lightheadedness she still felt. He'd made her body sing, sent her into a climax so strong she thought she might faint from the pleasure of it, and he'd taken none of that for himself. She was having a little trouble focusing.
She tried again. "I'm not sure what to say."
His smile was less bright than usual, but still knee-weakening. "I don't expect you to."
"No, Del, I mea
n...is it a religious thing? A cultural thing?"
"It's a latent virus," he told her flatly. "What you Earthers used to call an STD. It's triggered by semen and vaginal fluid, and when it's activated, it causes an almost immediate chemical change in the part of the brain that controls arousal and euphoria. Xanderrans make love, share fluids, and bam--they're bound. We call it behsherit. It means you've found your soul mate."
Linna sat in stunned silence for a moment. She'd never heard Del speak so expansively. "Soul mate doesn't sound too bad."
Del's lip curled. "It has nothing to do with your emotions. It's completely tied to a disease. Sex is as much mental as it is physical and the virus completely fucks up the mental part."
"Even so..." she faltered, uncertain what, exactly, she meant to say. "If you made love to me, you'd only be able to make love to me for the rest of our lives?"
Del swiped a tongue across his lips. "Yes."
"And I –"
"You're not Xanderran," he interrupted. "It wouldn't affect you. You could fuck me once and go on your merry way. I'd never be able to have sex with anyone else again."
Linna sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. "But I don't have the virus."
He scraped at his head with his palm and looked discomfited. "You don't have to have it. I have it. It's part of the Xanderran genetic makeup. It lies dormant until it's triggered. Come triggers it. I come inside you and your fluid activates my virus. It would be same for you if you had the bug."
She'd never heard of such a thing before, but then, Linna wasn't a tech. The universe was filled with weird diseases not found in her small world. She thought of something else. "What about partners who have sex and then decide they can't stand each other?"
"They either live the rest of their lives celibate, or..." Del shrugged again. "There are a lot of accidental deaths on Xanderra."
She winced again. "Murder?"
He shot her an expression she couldn't identify. "We're a society that prides itself on strength and scars, Linna. Survival of the fittest."