Which was a crazy thing to think about a plant, but why not? Clearly it was an alien life form—maybe it was a plant with the instincts of an animal or something like that. And animals had always liked and trustedMaddy—it was one reason she’d become a vet.
But for now, she concentrated on following Calden and trying to learn more about the layout of the Mentat station. She didn’t want to get lost if she ever ventured out on her own. Not that she probably should, considering how hostile the Mentats were to women, but still—it was good to know.
All knowledge is worth having, she thought as she trotted to keep up with Calden’s long strides. She just hoped the only knowledge she gained in the enzyme baths was how to get clean without dissolving.
Why had the bonding fruit plant reacted like that to Madeline’s touch?
Calden frowned at the memory as he strode down the curving corridor, passing various Mentat labs and facilities on either side as he went. The little plant had been droopy and morose-looking from the moment it had sprouted. Several times he had thought it might be on the edge of death, though he had tried everything from varying the moisture he gave it to adding different minerals and plant foods to its soil as well as giving it a sun-lamp for needed radiation.
But nothing had affected it or helped it in any way until Madeline had touched it, pressing her sweet face between its silver-green leaves, so much like the color of her eyes. Calden had been watching as she did and the immediate effect on the plant had been extremely surprising.
It had straightened up and seemed to shake itself—its brown and withered leaves plumping out and unfurling. It had also started emitting a sweet, temping fragrance that Calden had never noticed before. He would have sworn it was nearly dead but it was almost as though Madeline’s presence—her touch—had brought it back to life. And not just life—health. When they had left his domicile, the bonding fruit plant had been the picture of vitality. Why?
The plant isn’t the only one who reacts to her touch, whispered a little voice in his head. What about how hard your shaft got when you hugged her?
But that had just been a normal, biological response to the closeness of an attractive female, Calden told himself uneasily. It wasn’t as though he had planned it—his body had simply reacted to hers.
But your body shouldn’t react to hers—just as hers shouldn’t react to yours in turn, the little voice pointed out. Yet you know it did. You heard the increase in her heart rhythm, smelled the sweet feminine scent of her desire. The two of you aren’t sexually compatible and yet you’re acting as if you are. What’s wrong with you?
It was a troubling question and his scientist’s mind wanted an answer but they had no time for it now. Before he could even begin to conjecture, they came to the door of the enzyme baths.
“Come,” he said to Madeline, waving a hand over the sensor. The door’s light turned from red to green and the metal panel slid to one side, letting out a puff of fragrant steam.
He would worry about the bonding fruit plant…and the other questions that troubled him…later.
Eight
The door to the enzyme baths led into a kind of changing room, Maddy saw, as she followed the big Kindred through the doorway. It had plain, deep green walls with no adornment but rows of hooks which were mostly empty, although she did see a single white lab coat hanging limply from one of them.
It was about ten to fifteen degrees warmer in here than it was out in the hallway and puffs of steam floated through the air periodically, presumably from the other room. They smelled good—very clean in a way that reminded her of laundry deRarenent.
“Here we are—this is the antechamber before the steam room,” Calden told her. “We must steam first to let the impurities exit our pores and then get into the enzyme baths to remove them.” Then he began matter-of-factly removing his clothes.
“Oh—do we have to be, uh, naked in here?” Maddy asked, watching as he hung his own lab coat on a hook and pulled off his sleeveless black undershirt, revealing his broad, muscular chest.
“Well, yes.” He gave her a quizzical look. “Do your people take baths with their clothing on?”
“No…” Maddy bit her lip. She should have expected this when he’d told her the baths were communal, she supposed. But somehow she’d had the image of the pool at her gym back home in her mind and had been picturing herself in a bathing suit. But of course, there was no suit to wear. “Could…could I just keep my dress on?” she asked hopefully.
Calden frowned. “You can in the steam room but once you are in the baths, the enzymes will eat it off of you.”
“Oh.” Maddy felt stupid for asking, though he hadn’t been unkind—just honest. “I just thought…I mean…I know you saw me naked yesterday but I’m still kind of, well…shy. About public nudity, I mean,” she faltered.
“Are you?” He frowned. “Is that a species-specific cultural norm or does it have something to do with being female?”
“Both, probably,” Maddy said honestly. “Though I wouldn’t mind so much if I was thinner. But, well…I’m not.”
Calden shook his head. “Why would you want to be thinner when you are perfect just as you are? If you were thinner, you would be even more delicate and fragile.”
“Delicate and fragile? I’m five ten and a half and plus-sized—I’m hardly a delicate flower!” Maddy exclaimed, laughing. She sobered. “But of course you’re nine feet tall if you’re an inch so I guess I must seem tiny to you.”
“You do. And if plus-sized means curvy, then I much prefer you that way for safety’s sake.” He cleared his throat. “Also…I find your voluptuous measurements most pleasing.”
Maddy felt her cheeks getting hot. “Uh, thanks for the compliment. But I’m still not sure about taking off my clothes and parading through what amounts to a men’s locker room on an alien space station.”
“I told you that most of the Mentats should be gone by now,” Calden said patiently.
“It’s not the Mentats I’m worried about,” Maddy blurted.
“Oh.” He looked surprised as comprehension dawned on his face. “Are you really nervous about me seeing you naked again? But I have told you, Madeline—we would not be compatible because of our size and so I can have no sexual interest in you.”
“You just said that you found my, uh, curves pleasing,” she pointed out.
“Yes, but in a purely aesthetic sense,” Calden said earnestly. “No matter how beautiful I find you to be, we are still too different in size to mate.”
“I never said I wanted us to mate,” Maddy said quickly. “I just felt…you know, shy about you seeing me naked. That’s all.”
She had begun to feel silly about the whole thing. Here she was worried about what the big Kindred might think of her body when he clearly just wanted to get them both clean so he could get back to work at his lab. He might be kind enough to comfort her by cuddling her at night and hugging her during the day, but that didn’t mean he had any sexual interest in her. Indeed—it wouldn’t matter if he did because, as he had pointed out, he was much, much too big for her.
As if to prove his point, Calden took off his boots and trousers and hung them neatly on the hooks. This left him completely bare and she was able to see him naked for the first time. And what a sight it was.
Maddy’s eyes widened as she let them drift over the broad planes of his chest, down his muscular abs and long legs, and then back up to what hung between them.
Good God, he’s hung like a horse!she couldn’t help thinking. That thing is as long as my forearm and hand put together and it’s not even hard. There’s no way it would ever fit inside me.
She had a momentary flash of imagination—the image of Calden kneeling between her thighs and trying to fit that thick, long shaft inside her pussy—and then pushed the thought away. She felt her cheeks getting hot. What was wrong with her, imagining something like that?
“Madeline? Are you well?” Calden was looking down at her with worry on
his face. “Is it too warm in here for you? Your cheeks are very flushed.”
“Oh, no—no, I’m fine.” She shifted uneasily. “Just…just thinking,” she said lamely.
Thinking of things you shouldn’t be thinking of, whispered a little voice in her head but Maddy tried to ignore it.
“Would you like me to help you remove your clothing?” he asked courteously.
“Oh, yes—yes, I guess so.” Hesitantly, Maddy raised her hands over her head. The fact that the arm-holes in the shirt-dress were so large came in handy now because he had no trouble in pulling the black garment over her head. Soon she was as naked as he was, though considerably less comfortable with her nudity.
Calden didn’t seem to think anything about having no clothes on. He moved and talked as naturally as though he was still fully dressed. Maddy envied the big Kindred his apparent lack of body issues—she herself had to fight to keep from covering herself with her forearms and the too-large gloves. But she told herself not to be ridiculous—Calden wasn’t interested in her that way. And if his glowing topaz eyes lingered a little long on her breasts, it was probably just scientific curiosity, that was all.
“Come,” he said and led her down a short hallway and into the steam room.
Here the smell of laundry deRarenent—the good expensive kind—got stronger and the air was filled with steam.There were rows of benches made of some kind of dark wood Maddy had never seen before. Sitting on one in the front row was an elderly-looking Mentat with stooped shoulders and a dull look to his scaly skin. To Maddy’s relief, he didn’t pay any attention to them when they came in. He just sat there on a folded strip of blue fabric, staring straight ahead and breathing in the steam meditatively.
“Here.” Calden took two more pieces of blue fabric from a stack by the door and placed them on the nearest bench before sitting down.
Maddy sat beside him and did her best to breathe in the steam, as she was apparently supposed to. It was much warmer in this room than it had been in the changing area and she could already feel sweat popping out all over her body. She wanted to talk to Calden and act casual, as though she didn’t mind sitting here naked beside him in the steam but she wasn’t sure what to say. Besides, she didn’t want to disturb the old Mentat, who seemed to be staring into space and really zoned out.
After what felt like forever but was probably more like five minutes, the Mentat moved. Heaving himself off the bench, he hobbled to the far wall where there was another door.
That must be the entrance to the enzyme baths.
Maddy expected him to go through it but first he put out one seven-fingered hand and held it cupped under a small purple machine mounted on the wall beside the door. The machine made a soft purring noise and deposited a dollop of some blue gel into his palm.
What is that? Some kind of soap dispenser? Maddy wondered. She watched with interest, wondering if the Mentat was going to rub the soap all over his gray, scaly body before going into the enzyme baths. But the only place he rubbed was the bulging pouch under his narrow chin. As he did, a long, mottled member came down and the Mentat stroked it vigorously, coating it thoroughly with the blue gel.
Ewww! That’s his tokk—his dick! Maddy wrinkled her nose. Is that stuff lube or something? Is he jerking off right in front of us?
But the old Mentat didn’t seem to be getting any pleasure out of the act. He just made certain that his tokk was completely covered with the gel and then went through the sliding metal door which led to the enzyme baths. Maddy caught a glimpse of what looked like a vast, purple swimming-pool, and then the door slid shut behind him, cutting off her view.
“Okay,” she said, turning to Calden. “What was that all about?”
“What was what all about?” He looked honestly mystified.
“That—that rubbing his, uh, tokk with blue gel before he went into the baths!” Maddy exclaimed. She made sure to keep her voice low because she wasn’t sure how well sound carried in here but she really wanted to know.
“Oh—he was just protecting his delicate areas from the enzymes. It’s a necessity before getting in the baths.”
“It is?” Maddy raised her eyebrows. “So…are we going to have to put blue gel on our delicate areas too?”
“Well…yes.” Calden shrugged as though it was no big deal. “Unless you want the enzymes to eat into your sensitive tissues, that is.”
“Of course I don’t want that!” Maddy exclaimed. “But it’s not like I can put the gel on myself. You’ll have to, uh…” She could feel her cheeks getting hot again as she motioned with one of the oversized gloves at her naked body.
Calden’s topaz eyes widened.
“Forgive me—I hadn’t even considered that. Would you like to forget about the baths and just go now?”
Maddy opened her mouth to say yes…and then reconsidered. Was she making too big a deal out of this? Clearly it was normal here—so normal that the big Kindred hadn’t even thought about it. And would it really be so bad to have those big, warm hands rubbing the blue gel into her skin?
No, whispered a little voice in her head. It wouldn’t be so bad. In fact, it might feel good. Not that it’s a big deal—after all, the two of you aren’t even compatible. So what harm can it do?
“Madeline?” Calden’s deep voice murmured and she realized she’d been debating for too long.
“No,” she said at last. “I don’t want to go without a bath—I’m all sweaty now from sitting in the steam.”
“Come, then.” Calden rose and picked up the blue fabric he’d been sitting on. “Are you ready to get in?”
“I guess so.” Reluctantly, Maddy followed him. Calden dumped the blue fabric pieces they’d been sitting on in a nearby hamper and then held his hand under the purple dispenser. A squirt of blue gel was deposited into his palm and he rubbed it matter-of-factly over his long shaft—which was now about half-hard, Maddy couldn’t help noticing. Then he rinsed his big hands in a nearby sink, dried them on another piece of blue fabric, and got another squirt of gel.
“Come, Madeline,” he remarked, sitting down on one of the wooden benches again. “I think it’s better for me to come down to your level,” he explained. “Here—let me protect you. Where would you say your most sensitive areas are?”
“Um, well…my breasts I guess.” Maddy felt her heart pounding as she came to stand between his thighs. He was so big that even sitting down, as he was, he was a little taller than her. “Wait,” she said as he reached for her. “Exactly how cold is that gel?”
“It is kind of chilly. Here, I’ll warm it for you.”
Calden rubbed his big hands together briskly, warming the blue gel, and then reached for her again.
Maddy bit her lip as he cupped her bare breasts gently in his palms and then rubbed gently but firmly, paying special attention to her nipples which he was careful to coat with the gel. God, she knew it shouldn’t feel good but it did. She wondered if it was affecting Calden at all but she didn’t want to look between his legs to find out.
It’s no big deal, she told herself. We’re not even compatible.
But try telling that to her body. As he slowly rubbed the warm gel over her breasts and nipples, she could feel her heart pounding and her breath began coming faster.
“Calden,” she said at last. “I…I think I’m, uh, protected there now.”
“Oh, of course. Forgive me.” He pulled his hands away—reluctantly Maddy thought. “Well, then—if you’re ready we can get in the baths.”
“Um…” Maddy bit her lip, unsure how to broach the subject. “I, uh, have another sensitive area that needs protecting,” she pointed out at last.
“You do?” He frowned. “Oh, you do. Of course—how stupid of me to forget.” He nodded in a businesslike way at her thighs. “All right, spread your legs so I can get to you, please.”
It reminded Maddy a lot of the day before, when he’d washed her with the shower hose and made her come. But that had been an accident—she was
sure. Now she was opening her legs for him on purpose.
But only so he can spread gel on you to keep the enzymes in the bath from eating you up. Come on, Maddy—don’t be silly! she tried to tell herself. But she couldn’t stop the shiver of pleasure that ran through her when Calden cupped her pussy in one big, warm hand and stroked the gel over her outer pussy lips. It felt so good—like all her nerves were brand new and extra sensitive. So good that when he started to pull away, she stopped him.
“Um…what about inside?” she asked.
“Inside?” Calden frowned. “Inside your sex, you mean?”
“Yes.” Maddy couldn’t believe she was saying this but suddenly she felt tingly all over—just as she had when she sniffed the strange plant back in his room—and she didn’t want to stop. “I, uh, don’t want enzymes getting in my pussy,” she pointed out, feeling her cheeks get hot. “That’s pretty much the most sensitive area I have.”
“Oh, of course.” He frowned. “And…you would like me to stroke inside you with my fingers? To spread the protective gel over your inner folds?”
Maddy nodded.
“Yes. Yes, please,” she whispered. “Please, Calden—do that.”
“As you wish.” And then long, warm fingers were spreading the outer lips of her pussy and sliding into her hot folds to cover her with the blue gel.
“Oh!” Maddy whispered, fighting the urge to press against his fingers as they slid around and around the sensitive button of her clit. “Oh, God!”
“Am I hurting you?” Calden stopped stroking, though his hand stayed in place, his long fingers still bracketing her clit. He looked at her anxiously.
“No.” Maddy shook her head. “Just…I’m just sensitive there, that’s all. Do…do you think I’m covered enough now? Uh, protected enough? Or might the enzymes go even…even deeper?”
“Inside your sex you mean? Your…pussy?” He raised an eyebrow at her, his topaz eyes filled with an unspoken desire. The naughty word sounded hot in his deep voice and Maddy felt her lower body clench with longing. God, what was she doing? And why was she doing it? She ought to stop right now. Calden wasn’t her lover—he could never be her lover—and she’d just found out that everyone she had ever known or loved was dead. What was wrong with her?
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