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I shake my head, then slide my ruined, no-longer-white shirt off my shoulders, leaving me completely naked—and I can tell Nuj notices by the abrupt tilt of their head.

“Like what you see?” I tease, before the faux pas hits me. "Oh, fuck. You don’t have?—”

Throwing their head back, Nuj cackles. “Nowthatwas not professional. I’ll dock your points for cultural insensitivity.”

“Shit.”

“And that’s another penalty for foul language.” Nuj tuts. “I’m afraid one more infraction merits a failing grade.”

My lips part, but I can’t think of an appropriate repartee.

Nuj saves me with a bump of their shoulder, grinning like a hanged skeleton in possession of forbidden knowledge. “It’s all right. If you’re that concerned about your grade, I’ll allow you to re-take the exam.”

I arch an eyebrow. “You’llallowme, hm?”

“Generously,” they clarify.

“Extremely so,” I agree, crossing my arms over my bare chest. “Would you mind handing me my blazer?”

“And if I do mind?”

“Then I’ll accept my near-failing grade and report the mission failure to my program director.”

Without further protest Nuj grabs the clothing item from the back of my desk chair, then plucks my pants and undergarments from the floor as well. I don’t miss their curious squish of the silicone penis prosthetic before they hand everything over, and their smile informs me they couldn’t care less that I noticed.

Once I’m dressed—doing my best to ignore the weight of Nuj’s unwavering attention—I take a moment to prop my ass against my desk. I consider Nuj, who is now standing across the room, on the other side of the scattered chess pieces.

My heart begins to pound as I take a reckless shot. “Did…” I swallow hard. “Do you think my performance tonight merits a repeat, Spokesperson?”

“Haven’t the foggiest idea what you mean, Mr. Landfall.”

Ah, fuck.

“My mistake,” I say with an unavoidable twinge of disappointment. “Of course I don’t expect a prolonged arrangement. That would be presumptuous and possibly compromise our professional decisions.” I hazard a weak smile. “Wouldn’t want you to get soft on me during negotiations, after all.”

I didn’t fuck Nuj for professional gain, and am loath for it to appear as if that was my goal in pursuing an affair. In the interest of not revealing my foolishly hurt feelings, I turn the toppled game table upright and resolve to pick up all the pieces tomorrow, then navigate through them to the control panel. I reset the automatic sensor on the office door and set the lights to turn off in ninety seconds. Just enough time to make a dignified retreat.

Except when I try to leave, Nuj doesn’t move. Their smaller figure allows me to see the only exit with pained longing, but I don’t dare push past them. If they didn’t grab me with their radia, its full strength still unbeknownst to me, a mere flick of that powerful tail would send me flying.

One long stride brings Nuj achingly close. They brush damp hair out of my eyes, then lean in until our lips graze, just shy of kissing. “Discard your fears, Mr. Landfall,” they purr. “I plan to inform our superiors about how impressed I am by yourexceptionalproficiency at business negotiations. We’ll proceed with a fresh mutual understanding. And…”

Nut stretches to murmur in my ear. My breath catches when their chest rubs against the bare skin exposed by my partially unbuttoned blazer.

“In the meanwhile, I’ve found the rules of chess are much more complex than I had expected. Therefore, another lesson is in order. And perhaps a few more after that, if we find our gameplay enjoyable.”

I try desperately not to grin, but fail. “That’s more than all right on my end. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to figure out how to bleach my uniform shirt before tomorrow’s meeting without raising any suspicions.”

Nuj flicks the tip of their tongue over the spot on my neck where their teeth nicked, then withdraws from my space. They swish their tail behind them so the office door slides open with a whisper, then step into the hallway. Just as the door is closing behind them, I hear: “Good luck with that, Chance.”

I linger, unmoving, until the timer runs out and the light flicks off, leaving me standing rumpled and alone in the dark.