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Dinner was a success. Each male polished off two deluxe burgers and a few strawberry shakes. Macy couldn’t resist the idea that these masculine males drank pink drinks. It appealed to her sense of humor. She mentioned where possible that there’d be a special treat after tomorrow’s evening meal. And she did hope they loved it. She was looking forward to it. They were days from reaching Etteria, her new homeworld.
All enjoyed the rock and roll music she’d played. The men...males were more comfortable in her presence, content to talk to her and ask her questions, some of them were bold enough to tease her. They were well-behaved. No one tried to feel her backside or proposition her for late-night activity. And they didn’t mention her too-generous curves or her dull coloring. They were the sweetest males she’d ever met.
Regardless of the success of the evening and the barrage of questions thrown at her, she still returned to an empty room.
Quin and Xan had made an appearance but had left shortly after Xan had consumed his second milkshake. The way he gathered her close told her exactly how he felt about her Amazon friend.
Cyndi and Iddan had shown their support, but they hadn’t stayed for long. This would mean that poor Illan had nowhere to go. Macy activated her O.D.I. and messaged him to come over if Cyndi and Iddan occupied their shared quarters. In the meantime, she hopped into the cleanser, air-dried, and was in her oversized T-shirt ordering a bottle of water when her door chimed. She commanded it to open. Illan wore his usual soft yoga-type pants, loose tunic, and sandals, ready for bed.
“Welcome, my friend. Want anything from the rehydrator?” she asked him.
“No, thank you, Macy. I fear I’ve overindulged again with your delicious food.” He stepped in then dropped into the closest comfy.
“Some water then to help it digest?” She handed him an ordered bottle before slumping into a seat next to him. Since the comfys were facing the display vid to watch vids, she activated her O.D.I. and selected a docu-vid on elephants. It had him riveted in seconds, and for forty-two minutes, he didn’t say a word.
“They are marvelous creatures,” he gushed as soon as it ended. “Have you seen one on Earth?”
She shook her head. “They live in secluded parks built in their natural habitat. At one stage, in Earth’s history, animals were becoming extinct at an alarming rate and as per music, movies, and games, the government intervened. For the most part, we live normal lives, similar to our grandparents.” She shrugged as she ordered another bottle of water. “Little things have changed like we can space travel now and use solar power. All technology has come a long way, I suppose. O.D.I.s aren’t common though.” She assumed her seat again but twisted to face him. “Our air, water, and soil are still polluted, but we’re repairing them and not making it worse. We’ve always had an abundance of food, yet people used to die from starvation. Our food now has birth control in it. You have to apply to birth a child. Once your application is successful, the government delivers special food to you.” She raised a teary gaze to his. “That only applies to law-abiding people. Those dodging the law eat what’s available so unwanted babies still happen. It is why we have orphanages. I was such a baby.”
“You were an orphan?”
“No, my mother met a man who wasn’t...well-behaved. Needless to say, the birth control in the food is for men only. Since their seed contains one hundred million possible babies in one milliliter, it made sense to control their fertility than females who only have a maximum of two eggs a month.”
“And since your father...”
“Donor,” she said with a dismissive wave.
“And since your donor wasn’t consuming government-approved food, he was fertile?”
“Yes, but in all fairness, my mother loved me, even if I was a surprise.” Macy flashed him an overly wide smile, attempting to thwart her tears. “My gran too, in her way. It was hard for her to raise me when her two daughters died together.”
“She lost both her children?” he asked.
“Yes, my mom was a twin.”
His eyelids flickered. “Now I see, two born at once and both died at the same time. There is harmony in that.”
“I suppose.” She shrugged, trying not to think too much about those first few months. They had been hard to endure, to survive.
“I assume you never knew your donor?”
“No, I don’t even know his name.” She gestured to his O.D.I. “Message Iddan, tell him to keep Cyndi by him. You can crash with me.”
“What? Crash?” Illan frowned.
“Since Cyndi’s spending time with Iddan, you can share the bed with me.” She grinned when Illan blinked with wide-eyed horror cementing his face. “No, silly, as in sleep only. No hanky-panky.”
“Hanky-panky?” His eyes twinkled with humor after their brief flutter.
“Yes, none of that. As friends, we can share a bed, like brother and sister.” She requested a blanket from the replicator and tossed it to him.
Despair clogged her throat, but she refused to show it. Even he didn’t want to touch her. Her friend. Well, what had she expected? She’d only ever had one lover, and he’d been a one-night stand when she’d been too drunk to care. It had happened shortly after her gran’s death. Hell, she couldn’t even recognize him if he bit her on the ass. “Now there won’t be accidental touching in the middle of the night. That should appease your honor?”
He huffed but trailed her. Within minutes, his private blanket cocooned him. She stared at his back for the longest time, fighting the sorrow burning her eyes with unshed tears. Smothering a sob, she rolled herself inside her blanket, turning her back on hope.
~*~
“Alodon’s balls, what happened?” Oyaz watched their human friend charm his males, sharing bright smiles with her hair swirling around her.
“She worked hard today,” Illan said, licking ice cream off his spoon.
“She does not look exhausted,” Oyaz said, biting into his seventh hotdog. Macy had explained that even though it was called a hotdog, it didn’t have their dog creature in it, which Illan was grateful for. And that she knew not why it had such a strange name.
“What has you so displeased?” Rior drank his soda, his foot tapping to the music she had chosen.
“I am concerned she will dress in something revealing,” Oyaz said, even though she wore blue leggings and a black, buttoned-up shirt, he still didn’t trust that she’d remain so.
“She said she would not, and she is a woman of honor.” Illan wore the garments she’d ordered for him, as did Oyaz.
“Yes, she is honorable.” Oyaz relaxed his shoulders. She’d worn what she said she would.
After the males helped tidy up, each receiving a sweet smile of thanks from the adored Macy, she nodded at Kemt. The lighting dimmed.
Bright colors bombarded Oyaz’s vision. The music played loud enough to vibrate the bulkheads. Rior gathered his nano-meds to store in his quarters since the vibrations might disturb them. Macy laced her fingers through Oyaz and Illan’s and tugged them into the middle of the common. The thumping beat flowed through Oyaz, merging with the beats of his hearts.
He swung his hips, unable to deny the urge to dance. It didn’t take long before more males joined them. Ladies Cyndi and Quin wiggled to the music. Xan’s lustful gaze was riveted on Quin, revealing that he had other needs on his mind. But under her determined instruction, he too jerked his body. It was yet another success, and hours later, the image of a happy Macy lured Oyaz into an exhausted slumber.
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