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“Your brother is an asset to us,” Rhodan said.

“That he is.” Faron hoped his brother would show these new infants more kindness than their father had to them. He’d learned quickly that any weakness was beaten out of you. It was the same with emotions. Tolongs followed logic and order, and nothing else mattered.

Faron’s fingers traced along the rows of scars on his forearm. He had these marks all over his body. They were evidence he’d struggled with Tolong rules. His emotions had always burst through and questioned the way of his people.

The dozens of beatings his father had given him over the years were a testimony to how hard he’d worked to make him conform. Faron still remembered the last beating he’d received. The words of failure and scorn his father had poured on him. He’d given up on Faron after that. There had been no more physical attacks, but the emotional torment continued to this day.

“We must see this female,” Rhodan said.

Faron jerked in his seat. “That won’t be possible.”

“If you are involving yourself with a potential mate, it is imperative we meet her,” his father said. “Your judgment has always been questionable. We must assess her suitability to ensure she does not bring the family name into disrepute.”

“Another time. This might come to nothing.” Faron wished he’d never said anything. He didn’t want them involved in his private life. If they learned he’d not been truthful, it would be another black mark against his name.

“When will you know if your commitment is serious?” Siblis appeared on the screen as his father shuffled out of the way to make room for her.

“Another month, at least.”

“A month! What of my grandchildren?”

“Mother, you have four on the way with Bartlek. You must content yourself with those.”

“I need more. The ambassador’s wife has twenty-five grandchildren. How am I supposed to compete with that?”

He longed to argue with her and tell her it wasn’t the number of offspring that was important but the way they were treated, the love given and kindness shown. The more children, the less attention they received. Of his twenty siblings, five of them were dead.

Instead, he simply nodded. “I will do my best to ensure a successful end to this coupling.”

“Your best is not good enough,” Bartlek said. “We know you are disadvantaged, but you should still make an effort to restore our family name.”

“Why bother? It appears you are making the effort for both of us.”

“I work as hard as I can to ensure our tarnished reputation is restored.”

Faron glared at his feet. “And for that, we are eternally grateful.”

“It pleases me to hear that,” Rhodan said from off-camera. “We do not need to cut you off entirely if you show willing. You will let us know when you have more information about this mate?”

An alert pinged on Faron’s port screen. It was the excuse he needed. “I must go. I have a work emergency to deal with.”

“No one will call you when there is an emergency,” Bartlek said, “unless it’s a blocked waste pipe they want you to crawl along.”

Faron had dealt with worse than blocked effluent in his time on Prodigy. “Someone needs to clean up the shit others leave behind.” He cut the comm link before his brother could mock him anymore. Bartlek was a jumped up, arrogant, asshole.

Faron took a deep breath and opened the comm message. A flicker of surprise ran through him. It was a dinner invitation from Kendra.

He stared at the message. It was a simple request. Dinner at eight tomorrow night. She listed an appropriate restaurant.

He read the message several times. This was unexpected. Kendra must desire his body. She had certainly not found his company pleasurable. Still, she must see he held some value, some part of him that could pleasure her in a physical way.

Faron slid a hand into his jumpsuit. His erection had returned with vigor at the thought of seeing Kendra again. He could get pleasure from this situation. If this female was willing, he would give her what she wanted and enjoy himself while he did it.

If Kendra could overlook his deficiency, they would gain enjoyment from a brief coupling. It could be nothing more than that, a simple transaction to meet physical needs. There was no connection between them. No opportunity for a long-term relationship. And no grandchildren to fulfill his mother’s obsession.

Faron moved to his single bed and shrugged off his jumpsuit. His hand returned to his hard shaft, and he pleasured himself as he thought of Kendra, her soft skin, the touch of her mouth on his, and those large dark eyes gazing up at him, until he dropped into an exhausted, sated sleep.

Chapter 7