Page 5

She cocked her head. “If they allow it, the machine can just continue until I am tired. That would help.”

“You can succumb more than once?”

Reem nodded. “Yes. Nine times in three hours was my personal best, I believe. My body can certainly do more than take the edge off.”

“Don’t you need to be in need?”

“No. The unit can get me there fairly effectively.” She paused. “Should I go now?”

He looked at her and then sat back in a calculated manner. “Yes. However, return here when you have emptied yourself.”

She didn’t correct him. She knew what he meant. “Yes, Overlord. I will return when I have completed the task. Could you warn the Pleasure Centre that I am on the way?”

“Already done. This is a very interesting experiment.”

Reem nodded, bowed, and left. She felt him staring at her until the trees obscured her form.

Down at the Pleasure Centre, she approached the desk, and a frightened attendant gave her the door key and stated, “It has been programmed to look for signs of pain or distress, but other than that, it will continue. You can also call a halt.”

“Thank you. I will manage.”

“Why is he doing this, Comptroller?”

“I believe he likes the way I taste.”

“I see. Well, you are familiar with things, so please, surrender the key on your way out.”

“I will. Good afternoon.”

The attendant left, and she put the key with her clothing in the cleaning unit so things would be nice when she was done. She verified the programming of the unit and settled onto the gel bed.

The unit above descended to press the weight on her that she favoured, the digits entered her, and another teased her clit while her breasts were sucked and squeezed.

She let the unit play her body, and six minutes after settling, she gasped and moaned as her body clenched.

It allowed her rest for a moment, and then it started again.

This time, it took eight minutes, and then eleven minutes, and as she was not responding as quickly, a tendril entered her ass and swelled to plug her.

She went off again, and five minutes later, she finally called a halt after the last shock to her system had worn off.

The unit cooled her skin, soothed her, and then retracted to cleanse itself and set her free.

Reem took the solar shower, got dressed, and returned the door key to the front desk. They looked at her, startled and bowed low. She headed back to the lift and returned to the overlord’s garden.

She looked around, and things felt different. She shrugged and walked back to Wenvari’s desk. He wasn’t there. She remained waiting until he returned.

There was a deep sigh, and she heard the thud of wings. His voice came out of the shadows. “You know, for centuries, I have felt that I was getting enough energy from my population. I was alert, awake, and functioning. Now, what have you done?”

A huge shadow launched toward her, and she blinked as he landed in front of her, the glowing lights of his markings bright and blue.

She would have been terrified, but it was an emotion she couldn’t manage. “Did you get what you needed, Overlord?”

He was breathing heavily. “I did. What is your physical situation?”

“Sir?”

The lightning-like marks would have been intimidating if that were how her mind worked. She didn’t have room for that brand of fear.

“Are you exhausted? Does your body hurt?”

“There is some light aching, but I will be fine tomorrow.”

His eyes glowed. “I see. There is no mention of it, but how long is your channel?”

She cocked her head and then added the context of her conversation. She held up her hand so that the height was across the knuckles. “About this. They had to remove everything above this point.”

“So, you don’t copulate?”

“No. That would be painful.”

“How do you manage with the unit?”

“It has learned my limitations.”

He let out a noise that was part huff and part growl. “This is frustrating.”

“Why? I can commute as comptroller and deal with colony matters via coms.”

He looked surprised. “You can? Ra wants you to remain with your relation.”

“I do not have a place there. I have a place here. Well, I need to renegotiate my contract with you.”

“Why?”

“Because I paid my bond? I mean, I earned enough for it a while ago, I just didn’t notice.” She met his gaze. “I paid it off today, so if you would like to retain me as comptroller when I return, we need a new contract.”

Wenvari looked down at her, his wings flexing. “That is a good idea. Come to my desk.”

He stepped back and turned, and that was the moment she realized how close he was. He had to back up to give his wings clearance to pivot.

She followed him to his desk while keeping a respectful distance. He began typing with clawed fingertips on what she recognized as a contract tablet. The tapping was precise and far longer than a simple renewal had to be. He glanced at her up and down and then nodded as he returned to his creation.

He nodded. “You can edit the version on that tablet.”

She slowly picked up the tablet and read it. It began with a renewal of her position as comptroller, but then it opened an option for her to take up a position as companion.

She looked at him with a frown. “I am not physically capable of being a companion.”

“I am aware that that is the situation. There is an addendum that if your biology changes, you will accept the position of companion for five years, and then we will renegotiate your position as comptroller and as companion.”

She looked at the price of the companion contract. “That is excessive.”

“You are complaining about being paid?”

“It is excessive.”

“It is the calculation of one release per day, commiserating with what you were being paid for your visits to the Pleasure Centre. When you add them up over five years, that is the value, plus a bonus for no days off.”

“I see. So, I will remain as comptroller?”

“Yes. It is nice to have someone who can manage the colony. You are doing very well.”

She nodded and increased the comptroller contract by twenty percent. “As I am doing well, I need a bonus.”

He looked at her in astonishment, and then he noted the glow in his arms. “Acceptable.”

She nodded and went over the ridiculous possibility of that kind of repair. No one repaired corpses.

She signed with a thumbprint, ocular scan, and a pinprick on the side of the tablet. She reached forward and set the tablet on his desk.

He sighed and sealed his contract. There was a light from the screen as it filed itself in the digital archive.

She nodded. “I have a forwarding to set up for all requests for my attention while I am gone.”

“I need to speak with you before you leave.”

“Would you like me to visit the centre tomorrow as well?”

He blinked. “Can you?”

“Certainly. It doesn’t hurt. Well, there is some muscle ache the following day, but as I am about to leave for a month, it will not be an issue. I can recover on the vessel.”

“That would be enjoyable. Verify that I am in my office so that I may get the full benefits and not just my plants.”

She looked around and saw flowers where there had been tree trunks and green before.

“I apologize. That was not my intent.”

“I have been tinkering with them to help Hmrain find compatible partners more easily. A visual clue helps some of us with difficulties identifying faces.”

She looked at him and saw a rueful expression on his face. “Oh. I see. That is why you designed a colour-coded species.”

“Correct. What does the blue mean?”

“Physically relaxed.”

He smiled. “Do you feel relaxed?”

“For a while. During my cycle, I am less relaxed, and my sensors warn me of hormonal buildup. Mostly, I just feel neutral.”

“Well, if you are able to go to the centre tomorrow, do let me know. I would hate to miss it.”

“Yes, Overlord.” Reem nodded. “Am I dismissed?”

“You are dismissed, Comptroller.”

She turned and walked back to the lift, bemused at what had just occurred. She didn’t mind him consuming her output, but she was practical. They weren’t a good fit.