I deselect bondage… and almost all the other kinky stuff. They’re not hard nos, but they arenotfirst date activities.
There’s a collapsed section at the bottom that says “Advanced (0)” and I can’t even open it to see what it would entail. But none of the items are selected, so I don’t worry about it this time.
I press the spot on the wall to accept with changes and the list disappears.
“Thank you and enjoy your time in the ring room.”
The bot goes quiet and the room starts to rotate. “Um…”
“Don’t worry, this is normal.”
That doesn’t really set my mind at ease, but anxiety disappears when a wall that had once been blank metal is replaced with one that seems to be all glass.
Beyond it…
The star field is almost completely obscured by a plane of ice and dust I’ve never had the chance to see in person before. There are virtual postcards I’m not allowed to take back home with me, and ads for excursions and the restaurant at the top of the station—that I’ve never had anyone to go with—that gives you an unimpeded view, but this…
MiNo station orbits a planet with a ring system that is all blue haze and floating debris. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know any of the science. I just know it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I had expected something like the narrow porthole in my hotel room. This is so much more. I feel like I can see everything… I feel like anyone could see everything.
“These rooms are private, right?” I ask the bot.
“A one-way filter keeps the exterior of the three foot thick plasglass opaque to anyone on the other side. But ships and shuttles aren’t allowed this close. They would disturb the rings and the planetary governing bodies have authorized the station to use lethal force to keep that from happening.”
I look up at the ceiling, confused. “Why?”
“The rings are part of the planet’s main draw for tourism. But, there is a general consensus that damaging the rings could destroy the planet itself.”
“Okay…” I don’t ask if she means literal destruction or economic collapse.
I lean against the glass, trying to look in either direction, but I can’t see anything. I’d hoped I might see the shuttle line that ferries people back and forth to the planet’s surface. I thought it was on this side of the station.
Someday, I’ll be on one of those shuttles. Maybe I’ll come here for a week and go straight to an island paradise down there. Maybe I’ll convince Feather to take a girl’s trip after I’ve gotten to know her a little better.
The bot makes an exultant noise.“He’s here.”
CHAPTER 3
Mooralan steps through the door and I blink at him for a moment.
It’s not that his picture was a lie, I think I may have missed some smaller details. For one, he’s shorter than I thought. For another, he’s missing fingers on one of his hands. Neither of those things are a problem and I reset my expectations quickly.
“Hello,” I say with a soft smile.
His client file said he speaks English, which doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been told it’s one of the easier galactic languages to learn… unless your anatomy makes it impossible.
“Hello, Jade.” His voice is heavily accented and something about the gravel in it makes me want to shiver.
He’s wearing a jumpsuit and it makes him look bigger… or maybe that’s the coating of dust.
He looks down at himself as if following my gaze. “I apologize for my appearance. A work issue meant I had to take a later shuttle, so I was unable to change before I came. Let me clean off, and we can begin.”
“Sure.” I try not to feel resentment for that job taking time away from me. It’s paying my bills, after all.
But he doesn’t move right away, his gaze travels over me and he smiles. “Sorry. I’m just imagining you covered in my cum again.”
“The faster you shower, the faster you’ll get to see it in real life.”
