by Zaires, Anna
Mia blinked at him. It felt strange, yet effortless. “It seems to be okay,” she said again in Krinar. “I just don’t understand how it works. What if I want to say something in English?”
“If you want to say something in English, you just have to think English, and you’ll switch languages,” Saret explained. “Right now, your brain’s natural response is to speak in Krinar because that’s the language in which we’re addressing you. You have to actively think that you want to speak in English in order to do so when confronted with Krinar speech. However, later on, when you get used to the implant, switching back and forth will be automatic and won’t require any extra thought on your part. This is really not all that different from being multilingual. I’m sure you know people who speak several languages fluently – and now you have that same ability, just taken to a different level.”
Mia listened to his explanation, the reality of it seeping in. “Wow,” she breathed softly, “so I can really, truly speak any known language now? Just like that?”
She wanted to jump up and run around the room, screaming with glee, and she controlled herself with effort, not wanting to appear like a silly kid in front of Korum’s friend. It was just so unbelievably amazing. She had always been good with languages in school, studying Spanish and French throughout high school, but she’d never managed to become fluent. And now she could speak whatever language she wanted? Her earlier reluctance forgotten, Mia could now only think of the mind-blowing possibilities.
“Just like that,” Korum confirmed, looking down at her with a smile, and Saret nodded as well.
Struggling to appear dignified, Mia fought back the huge grin that threatened to split her face. “Thank you,” she told Saret. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Mia. I hope to see you soon.” And with that, he touched Korum’s shoulder again and left, the wall to their right disintegrating to grant him passage.
Chapter 3
Once Saret was gone, Mia couldn’t contain her elation any longer. She felt like she would choke from the sheer delight that filled her from within, and she knew that she was grinning now, probably looking like an idiot. But she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore, her excitement too strong to be restrained.
She was now a polyglot!
She tried to picture herself speaking Cantonese, and the words suddenly came to her. Opening her mouth, she heard the harsh tonal sounds coming out as she told Korum, “I can’t believe this is real.” Promptly switching to Russian, she continued, “I can’t believe I can do this!” And then again in German, nearly jumping from excitement, “Oh my God, I can speak them all!”
He grinned at her, his face glowing with pleasure. Letting go of her hand, he brought his palm up to her face, curving it around her cheek. Looking down at her, he said in English, “I’m glad you’re excited. There’s so much I want to show you, darling . . .”
Mia stared up at him, her excitement over her newfound ability suddenly transforming into something else. He was so beautiful, and the warm expression on his face as he gazed down at her made her heart squeeze. “Korum,” she said softly, “I . . .”
She didn’t know what she could say, how she could express what she was feeling. There was still so much unresolved between them, but in this moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care about the way their relationship had started, about all the mutual lies and betrayals. In this moment, she knew only that she loved him, that every part of her longed to be with him.
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and tentatively brought his face down toward her. Rising up on her toes, she kissed him on the mouth, her lips soft and uncertain on his. She rarely made the first move – he was usually the one to initiate sex in their relationship – and she could feel the sudden tension gripping his body at her touch.
He kissed her back, his mouth hot and eager, and she found herself lifted up into his arms and carried somewhere. The destination turned out to be the bedroom, and they ended up on the bed, his powerful body covering her own, pressing her into the mattress with its weight. Mia’s hands frantically tore at his shirt, trying to find a way to get it off him, to feel his nakedness against her own. She felt like she was burning, her skin too sensitive, and the barrier of clothing between them was simply unbearable. Wanting more, she kissed him harder, catching his lower lip between her teeth and biting on it lightly.
Korum sucked in his breath, and she felt him abruptly pull away. Before she could do more than blink, he reared up on the bed and swiftly pulled off his shirt and shorts, revealing his large erection. Mia’s mouth watered at the sight of his naked body, all toned muscle covered with that smooth golden skin, his chest lightly dusted with dark hair – and then he was on her, tearing off her dress and leaving her lying there, spread out and exposed before his eyes.
Crawling on top of her, he kissed her again, more aggressively this time, and his hand found its way down her body and toward the junction between her legs. Mia moaned into his mouth, arching her hips toward his hand, and his fingers stroked her folds softly before one finger found its way inside her opening and pressed deep, causing her inner muscles to tighten with the sudden rush of pleasure. “I love how wet you are,” he murmured, penetrating her first with one finger and then two, stretching her, preparing her for his possession. Mia cried out, her head falling back, and felt the moist heat of his mouth on her neck, licking and nibbling the sensitive area.
There was something else too, a strange but pleasant sensation that registered somewhere in the back of her brain, a warm vibration that felt like massaging fingers sliding over the back of her body, stroking and caressing her shoulders, the curve of her spine, gently squeezing her buttocks and the backs of her thighs.
The bed, she realized dimly, it had to be the intelligent bed, and then she forgot about it, too immersed in what Korum was doing to pay attention to anything else. His fingers had found a rhythm, two thrusts shallow, one thrust deep, and his thumb was now circling her clitoris in a way that drove her insane. Her nails dug into his back, her entire body shaking with need, and then his thumb pressed on her clit directly and she came apart, convulsing in his arms, waves of pleasure radiating all the way down to her toes.
After the last aftershock was over, Mia opened her eyes and looked at him. He was staring at her with such burning hunger on his face that her breath caught in her throat and her stomach clenched again with answering desire. His fingers were still inside her, and he took them out slowly, causing her to shiver with pleasure.
Bringing his hand up to his face, Korum licked the fingers slowly, clearly savoring her taste. Mia stared at him, mesmerized, unable to look away even as she felt his knee parting her thighs and the hardness of his penis pressing against her vulnerable folds.
He began to enter her, still looking into her eyes, and Mia gasped from the sensation. Even though they’d had sex only a few hours earlier and he had prepared her with his fingers, her body still needed a moment to accommodate him, to stretch around the organ penetrating her so relentlessly. There was something incredibly intimate about being with him like that, feeling his bare skin against her breasts, his shaft inside her vagina, while meeting his gaze with her own. It was as if he wanted to possess more than just her body, Mia thought vaguely, as if he wanted something more than just the sex.
Still looking at her, he began to move his hips, slowly at first and then at a faster pace, each stroke adding to the tension that had again begun to coil inside her. Giving in to the sensations, Mia moaned and closed her eyes, feeling each thrust deep within her belly. He lowered his head, and she felt the warmth of his breath against her ear as he tongued it lightly, making her shiver again. And then his pace picked up again, his hips now driving into her with such force that she was pushed into the mattress, barely able to catch her breath between each powerful stroke.
Her entire body tightened, and Mia screamed as another orgasm hit, her inner muscles squeezing him tightly. As
her pulsations eased, she could feel his penis swelling up inside her, and then he came with a hoarse yell, grinding against her loins until his contractions were fully over.
Breathing hard in the aftermath, Mia lay there, his body feeling heavy on top of her. Apparently realizing it, he rolled off her and pulled her against him, hugging her from the back. His hand found its way to her breast, and he just held her like that, pressed up against his body. As her galloping heartbeat slowed, she felt languid, relaxed . . . and incredibly contented.
“Are you sleepy?” Korum whispered into her hair, stroking her nipple lightly with his thumb, causing it to peak against his palm.
“No,” she whispered back. She felt like every muscle in her body had turned to mush, but she wasn’t sleepy. Her lengthy nap earlier had taken care of that. “What time is it, anyway?”
“It’s about eleven in the evening.”
“I slept the entire day?” No wonder she felt so refreshed.
“You must’ve been exhausted,” he murmured, raising his hand to move her hair to the side. The curls were probably tickling his face, Mia realized with some amusement.
“So Saret makes house calls this late?” she asked, her thoughts returning to her new and amazing ability. A huge grin appeared on her face as she imagined demonstrating her skills to her family and friends. They would be so envious . . .
“It’s not that late for us,” Korum explained, turning her around in his arms so that she was facing him. “You know we don’t sleep as much as humans. Any time before one in the morning and after 5 a.m. are considered regular working and visiting hours.”
Mia blinked at him, her grin fading. It made sense, of course, but this was yet another way she would be an outsider here. If she tried to keep their “regular” hours, she would quickly find herself sleep-deprived.
“You must’ve been bored in New York,” she said quietly, “with me sleeping all the time, and few places open in the wee hours of the night.”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, not at all. That’s when I would usually get my work done, when you slept so sweetly in my bed.”
“What kind of work? The designs?” Mia inquired with curiosity. There was still so much she didn’t know about him, about how he spent his days – and nights – when he wasn’t with her. It had been enlightening, observing his interactions with Saret today. She had caught a small glimpse of who Korum was outside of their relationship, and she was hungry to know more.
“Yes, I often work on the designs – that’s my passion, that’s what I really love to do,” he answered readily, regarding her with a warm look in his eyes. “I also have to run my company, which takes up a big chunk of my time. I have a number of talented designers working for me, both here and on Krina, and there’s always something that requires my attention –”
“You have people working for you on Krina?” Mia asked in surprise. “How do you communicate with them or oversee them?”
“We have faster-than-light communication,” Korum explained, “so it’s not that much more difficult to communicate with Krina than with, say, China from here. Of course, I can’t see them easily in person, but we do have what you would call ‘virtual reality,’ where we can have meetings that very closely simulate the real thing. You experienced it a little bit with the virtual map –”
Mia nodded, staring at him attentively. She suspected very few humans knew what he was telling her right now.
“Well, the map is a very basic version of that technology. What we use to conduct cross-planetary meetings is far more advanced.”
“Is that also your design? The virtual reality, I mean?” Mia asked, wondering how far his technological reach extended.
“Some of the latest versions, yes. The basic technology has been around for a very long time; it far predates both me and my company.”
Mia’s stomach suddenly growled. She flushed, feeling embarrassed, and he grinned in response, handing her a tissue for clean-up.
“Of course, you must be hungry after sleeping all day. Why don’t we eat and continue our conversation over dinner?”
“That sounds good,” Mia said, realizing that she was starving.
He got up, pulling her out of bed as well. Before she could even ask for it, he handed her a brand-new outfit that he’d managed to create in a matter of seconds. It was another dress, similar in style to the one that was now lying torn on the bed. This one was pale yellow in color, and Mia gladly put it on, loving the feel of the soft material against her skin. Korum pulled on his shorts and shirt from earlier, which had somehow survived their sex session.
“Ready?” he asked, and Mia nodded. Taking her hand, he led her toward the kitchen.
Like the living room and bedroom, the kitchen was similar in appearance to the one in his TriBeCa apartment. Further evidence of Korum’s attempt to make her feel comfortable here, thought Mia. Walking over to one of the chairs, she sat down and looked at Korum eagerly. He was an amazing cook – part of his passion for making things – and even his most basic creations were more delicious than anything Mia could come up with herself.
“What would you like?” he asked her, walking toward the refrigerator.
Mia shrugged, uncertain how to answer that. “I don’t know. What do you have?”
He smiled. “Pretty much everything. Do you want to try some foods native to Krina or would you rather stick with familiar tastes for now?”
Her eyes widened. “You have foods from Krina here?”
“Well, they’re not imported from Krina – they’re grown right here, in Lenkarda and our other Centers – but we did bring the seeds from our planet.”
“I’d love to try them,” Mia said earnestly. She was an adventurous eater and loved to taste new things. Thanks to her Polish heritage, Mia had grown up eating foods that were not normally part of the standard American diet, and she now had an open mind when it came to enjoying different cuisines.
Korum grinned, looking pleased by her enthusiasm. Taking a few things out of the refrigerator, he quickly chopped up some strange-looking plants and roots and put everything in a pot to cook.
“How do you usually cook here?” she asked him, watching his actions with fascination. “I can’t imagine you use all these appliances normally . . .”
“You’re right, we don’t. In fact, we usually don’t cook,” Korum said, taking out some red leafy plants that vaguely resembled lettuce. “Remember when I told you that our homes are intelligent?”
Mia nodded.
“Well, one of their functions is to always keep us supplied with food and to prepare it in whichever way we like it.”
Mia gasped, unable to contain her excitement. “Seriously? Your house makes food for you whenever you want?”
He smiled, amused at her reaction. “I can see how that would be appealing to you.” Mia’s cooking abilities were nonexistent – a fact that her mom frequently lamented – but she loved to eat.
“Appealing? It’s amazing!” Why would anyone bother cooking when they could just have their house make food for them?
“It’s all right,” he said with a slight shrug. “It’s convenient and it definitely saves a lot of time, but sometimes I get the urge to make something on my own, to see if I can improve on the recipes the house has in its database.”
“Is that how you learned to cook so well? By tinkering with those recipes?”
Korum nodded, his hands now massaging the red leafy vegetables in a way that made an orange substance emerge from the leaves. “More or less. Cooking is a fairly recent hobby of mine – I’ve only gotten into it since coming to Earth. And it’s really only in the last few months that I’ve learned to use the human appliances instead of just programming the house to tweak the recipes it uses.”
Mia stared at her lover in disbelief. He had an intelligent house that could make whatever food he wanted, and he was wasting time learning how to use the oven? Chopping vegetables using knives instead of utilizing their fancy technolog
y? That was something she would never understand, Mia thought to herself. Not that she minded, of course; it was only because he had this strange hobby that she’d enjoyed so many delicious dishes back in New York.
He finished squeezing the orange liquid out of the red leaves, washed his hands, and took out a long yellow plant that looked a little like a zucchini with a shiny skin. Quickly cutting it up, he added it to the bowl where the red leaves were now swimming in the orange liquid, and then sprinkled some greenish powder over the entire dish. Placing the bowl in the middle of the table, he put a few spoonfuls of the bright-colored salad on Mia’s plate and a larger helping on his. The utensils that he used were unusual, resembling some type of tongs with one flat side and one curved side.
“Try it,” he invited, watching her expectantly.
A smaller version of the same utensils were lying next to Mia’s bowl. Mimicking his earlier actions, Mia grabbed some of the leaves with her tongs and took a bite. The flavor exploded on her tongue, a perfect combination of sweetness, saltiness, and a tangy bite of spiciness underneath. “Oh my God, this is so good. What is it?” she managed to say once she’d swallowed. Her mouth was almost tingling from the overabundance of sensations.
He smiled. “It’s a traditional dish from Rolert – the region of Krina where my family is from. It’s very easy to make, as you saw, but the trick is to squeeze the shari well – that’s the red plant – so it releases all the flavors and nutrients.”
Mia listened to his explanation while gobbling down the rest of her portion. As soon as she finished, she immediately reached for a second helping. He grinned and polished off the salad on his own plate.
“That was amazing. Thank you,” Mia said when the salad was completely gone.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Korum said, carrying away the dishes. Instead of putting them in the dishwasher, he simply held them near a wall. An opening appeared, and he placed them there. And just like that, the dirty dishes were gone.