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Wanda was a loner, mostly because being a telepath she immediately knew what others were thinking. She couldn't understand why most people said one thing, thought another and did a third. She'd been called haughty, selfish and a number of other names, so she ended up raising her mental shields for her own peace of mind and keeping herself company with imaginary friends.
Her mother had told her the gift went from mother to daughter and she should never talk about it. Her mind-reading ability was never discussed in the family. She had two brothers, but only her cousin Lyssa had the same gift. Their mothers had been twins, and were so connected, that they'd died at the same time.
So even in her own inner circle she couldn't find much company, and in the years since her mother's death her life had been very lonely. Mostly because Lyssa's father had taken her away on SETH World – and then Wanda's father had died too, forcing her elder brother to be in charge of the house.
Even if she lived on the pleasure planet, she couldn't say she was happy. Especially when she saw people pretending to enjoy themselves, in order to bury the shadows in their minds. Her insight into other people's minds meant she couldn't find someone she trusted and she hadn't fallen in love yet.
Lately she was hanging out with a group of people about her age – fellow university students or graduates like her. When they discovered it was her birthday, they insisted that she celebrate it with them. She didn't like parties, didn't enjoy the same things most people liked, but there she was, trying to fend off ideas for a proper birthday bash.
Her friends said she was now twenty-two and it was time she started going out a little more. She was an orphan all right, but enough mourning, life was wonderful and she must stop playing the recluse. That she was pretty and why couldn't she find a boyfriend – or girlfriend if that was her taste? Someone even said out loud that she was a lesbian but didn't know it – which stunned her speechless.
If only people could read minds like her, they'd probably avoid relationships as much as she did!
Her friends were only slightly more honest than the rest, and seemed to really care. They insisted she shouldn't be such a loner. Since she lived on Vilas Lok, she should take advantage of the environment. She surrendered, if only to make them shut up.
They started dragging her from place to place in the colorful night of Vilas, the main town of the planet. Her family owned a couple of clubs, but her friends took her out to see if they could find something she liked best.
They checked live shows, casinos, private clubs, strippers, but nothing was to her taste, so eventually they took her back to her night club, disappointed and bored. None of the suggestions included hiring an escort to entertain her so far. Even if she was a virgin, that didn't mean she didn't have fantasies! And Krista, who had led the whole party-going, knew that she was interested in men.
Here she was on her own again, while the others laughed, talked and danced almost ignoring her. She cursed herself for admitting to Krista that she hadn't known men, but the few guys who had tried to get through to her were spreading ugly rumors, so at least now they'd shut up. When her mother was still alive, Wanda didn't care what others thought, but when Lyssa had stopped on Vilas Lok, was almost raped by creepy Nathan Hasencamp and ran away to find refuge on the Sire planet, Wanda had felt so lost and lonely that Krista had managed to uncover her secret – the virginity, not the telepathy.
Being treated like a ten-year-old mascot wasn't exactly what she had in mind, though, especially since it was her birthday and supposedly her party. Moving to the music, she imagined being with her ideal man, who at the moment had the face of the King of Music, Zaphadin, who lived just outside of the town. She could easily picture him dancing with her – she'd watched his videos and performances so often, he was alive in her head as if she'd actually met him.
A man embraced her from behind and she closed her eyes. Now Zaphadin was tridimensional in her dream! She couldn't smell him yet, so she thanked her mother for the birthday gift, deciding not to probe the man's mind and raising her mind shields to the maximum.
"Are you the birthday girl?" a husky voice whispered in her ear. "Come with me, they tell me you don't know pleasure yet..."
She kept her eyes closed as he took her hand and guided her to a corner. She didn't want to see him and discover he was nothing like Zaphadin. Although most male escorts were gorgeous, but what if she didn't like him? She might as well keep daydreaming, even if he didn't sound like Zaphadin. But then, the noise in the disco was so loud, who could really tell?
"Relax," he said, pulling her into his arms and gradually holding her tighter, caressing her back. "Let me undress you."
"Here, in front of everyone?" she protested.
"They're too busy to look this way," he replied. They pretended to be. Probably Krista was keeping an eye on them to make sure Wanda enjoyed the birthday gift. So they had played her all night, after all, and now was the time for the real fun. Tricky friends she had! She was glad she'd kept her mind shields up and not tried to read through their cheerful jokes.
She barely glanced at him, though. She didn't want to look at him in the dim light of the room.
Again he caressed her back, sending shivers down her spine, whispering reassuring words in her ear. Without thinking, she put her hand on his chest, sliding her fingers under his shirt's fabric to touch his smooth, hairless skin.
"Well done," he said, still caressing her. He sat on a corner love seat and pulled her into his lap, helping her to relax even more.
She'd never been very outgoing and had never touched a man, but gradually curiosity won her and her hands explored him more. But she didn't want to get naked in public, so at some point she pulled away from him.
"Let's get out of here," she said, and took him to her room.
The light flooded her bed that had been so empty until now – except for her fantasies of having Zaphadin next to her. And she couldn't avoid looking at the man she'd taken into her kingdom now that they were alone. He wasn't handsome, but he was good – he knew exactly what to say and where to touch.
She took down a mind shield to explore him. He was patient and controlled, but there was a hint of boredom in his eyes.
He waited for her orders with his shirt open. He knew he wasn't the most gorgeous man in the universe, but he was young and an expert, and that was why he'd been chosen. He thought she was the weirdest virgin he'd ever met – and she wondered what he'd think if she told him she was a telepath.
"You can go now," she said, breaking the silence.
"I'm supposed to teach you everything," he objected. "We've barely scratched the surface..."
"I don't want to do it with an escort," she replied. "I took you here. Nobody will know that we didn't do anything. For my friends, we spent the night together, if that's what they paid you for."
"Do you want to marry still a virgin?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, but I want to do it with someone I can keep, not a prostitute."
She's definitely weird, he thought. She refrained from transmitting a snarky reply to him. Here's that bruised male ego again. That was why he wouldn't do. He might pretend to be patient, might be an expert, but at the first "no thanks" he felt wounded in his pride.
"Don't worry," she teased. "I survived as a virgin for twenty-two years, I can wait for a few more until I meet the right man! Thank you for coming and for what you taught me today."
"It's nothing compared to what I still have to show you," he replied, wounded in his professional dignity.
"I don't want anything else for today," she assured him. "You can go now."
She turned her back on him and went to sit at her desk.
"Is there a man you'd like to be with?" he asked.
"Yes, but I'll never get to him," she answered without turning to look at him.
"Tell me his name," he said, coming closer. Then he saw her screensaver and recognized the slideshow of pictures. "If it's him that you want, you'll have him," he said before turning around and leaving.
She could feel his sadness, but she shrugged it off. If she – the daughter of a wealthy Alahairian family living on Vilas Lok – couldn't get near Zaphadin how could an escort give her the King of Music? She watched two of his videos, then decided to go to bed and imagine having sex with the megastar.
***
Wanda was startled when her computer screen showed the face of the caller. She held her breath at the sight of Zaphadin's dazzling smile.
"Hello," he greeted. "I've been told you're always alone, and it's obviously true."
"Yes," she answered, breathless. "How did you..."
"We have common friends." He grinned. "No matter how much I pay him, I still owe Feliks Slickfingers, so when he calls, I answer."
"Is he a male escort?"
"Of course! And one of the best!"
"So you had him?" Wanda's heart sank a little more every passing moment. She should have kept dreaming, but she never expected the escort to actually know Zaphadin. Unless it was a trick, of course... but no, it was a restricted number calling and it did sound like Zaphadin.
"You're smart for a virgin," he replied.
"I wasn't born yesterday, asshole," she retorted.
"Wow, first time someone's called me asshole in years." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I thought I was your ideal man!"
"Was." She glared at the face on the screen. "You've just made a fool of yourself. Unless it's a prank, of course."
"No, it's really me and yes, I'm an asshole." His laugh sounded a little sick. She wondered if he was high or what. "Feliks is right, you're weird. So, do you want to meet me?"
She desperately wanted to discover it was a prank. So she agreed and told him the name of her father's club. He said he'd be there in half an hour, so she went downstairs to wait for him in a secluded booth with a love seat.
A little commotion announced the superstar's entrance, but he was alone when he sat next to her.
"See, it's really me," he said, grabbing her wrist. "You can touch me, I'm real."
He put her palm on his chest, and his shirt was open much like Feliks's had been.
She touched his smooth skin and muscles, startled by such openness on the part of the reclusive star. He seemed drunk, although he didn't smell of alcohol.
Touching him meant she immediately had access to his mind, and her curiosity had the best of her. But she gasped at the sight of the many shadows in Zaphadin's mind. The man behind the myth was haunted by pain and sorrow nobody would ever see, threatened constantly by his bullying manager and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Shocked, Wanda pulled away from him and quickly rose from the love seat.
"I'm a telepath," she said bluntly. Why was she telling him? He was a galactic megastar and she'd promised her mother she wouldn't flaunt her gift like that! But somehow it didn't feel right to be able to read his deepest secrets without telling him – he was a celebrity but also a mystery for his fans, and what she'd seen in his mind had deeply unsettled her.
His smile vanished. "You read my mind? We shouldn't have met... Although maybe you could help me..."
"I don't think so," she said quickly, turning her back on him and storming away.
She wasn't sure if she was madder at the escort or at her idol who had suddenly fallen from his pedestal. Zaphadin was a junkie who preferred men and she better find herself another virtual lover. As for that escort – what was the name, Feliks? – maybe he'd done it on purpose. Maybe he had even told Zaphadin what to say.
She called her friend Krista and asked her where she'd hired the escort. Krista told her with some snarky comment that made Wanda even angrier, but she took a deep breath to calm down before calling Feliks's workplace. They put her through without asking questions.
"Oh, hello," he greeted, sleepy and half-naked.
"Busy with some other virgin?" she snapped.
"No, I was resting and this room is very hot – the AC is broken," he answered with a shrug. "Besides, I'm not doing virgins anymore."
"How come?"
"The latest was a tough case. Did your beloved call you?"
"Yes." Her tone was icy as she frowned.
"When will you meet?"
"We met."
"So why are you calling me?" he asked, puzzled.
"First of all, I didn't ask you to call him on my behalf. Second, how do you know him?"
"This is a nightclub for both sexes," he answered. "And when Zaphadin calls, one goes even if it's on the other side of the planet."
"Does he call you himself?"
"The first time his manager requested young men. But then he took a fancy to me, so now he calls me personally, yes. Why? He wasn't as you expected? I'm sorry, stardom does this to people, I'm afraid."
"And you knew it?"
"I got to know him a little. I think he's very unhappy. And yes, he definitely likes men. But if I had told you you wouldn't have believed me."
"Maybe I would have. You could have spared me."
"Sorry to disrupt your dream, princess, but you are twenty-two, it's time you start being a real woman – virgin or not. You don't need to dream of the King of Music anymore, find yourself a flesh-and-blood man. I'm free at the moment and nobody is paying me to make you happy... why don't you come over?"
"Forget it," she grumbled. "I don't want an escort."
"I can leave this job when I want," he said. "I started early and saved a lot, so I can quit any time and start a new career to please my lady."
"Which lady?" She was lost. Still upset with Zaphadin, but also with Feliks.
"You, who else?" he answered with a smile.
"Go to hell," she muttered ending the call.
She wished she could go back a few days, to before her birthday. When she hadn't allowed any man to touch her yet, and hadn't brushed the surface of Feliks and Zaphadin's minds. And she could still imagine Zaphadin was her virtual lover.