Sinath makes a choked sound, raising his hands again.
Rektar glares in his direction. "Do not."
"Oh come on," Sinath protests. "It's the perfect set-up!"
He's not wrong. I stroke my chin, trying to decide what sort of “date” that Ashley would like. Perhaps we would start with something obvious, like dinner at Port's small cantina. Then we could move on to something more specific.
And then I realize I'm thinking long term and about more than one date, and I grin to myself. Maybe Ainar's right. Maybe I do enjoy a challenge.
CHAPTER 7
ASHLEY
I stare in the mirror, fussing with my hair like this is a real date. It's stupid, of course. This is blackmail, nothing more. Even so, I want to look nice. We're going out to the cantina in town, which doesn't surprise me. It's the only real “get out” sort of place that Port has, other than the occasional get-together that the other human colonists put together. It's a far cry from when I lived in Houston, where you couldn't throw a rock without seeing a restaurant or a coffee house somewhere, but this is what I have now, so there's no sense in crying over it.
I fluff my wavy, dark hair into something that looks decent and then bite my lips to give them a bit of color. Not that I care what Custodian i'Yani—Khex—thinks. But he called on me earlier this morning to claim his date and asked if I was free tonight. And his expression had been rather affectionate and friendly, and his tone loud and clear and not slow like I was stupid, and maybe I'm dumb, but I'm actually looking forward to this date.
Will I have to suck a bit of alien dick at the end of it? Maybe. This could all be a ruse to get me in the sack. But honestly it's just really nice to have a friend. To have something to do other than clean my stupid little house and stare at my stupid plants while they grow and stare at my stupid burned-out barn.
So yeah, even though I don't really like Khex, I'm craving something different in my life, even if it's a date with a questionable jerk.
There's a bang at the front door that makes me jump and yelp in surprise. I race across the house, grabbing a heavy-looking pan to use as a weapon just in case, and head for the door.
Khex is there, a guilty expression on his face, his fist still poised over the front door. "Was that too loud?"
"It just startled me, that's all," I manage breathlessly. "Was that your first knock?"
He grimaces. "No. So I thought I'd try harder."
"It sounded like you shook the whole door," I joke.
"I kinda did." He chuckles and then points at his ear. "How's the hearing today?"
I arch a brow at him, amused at the idiocy of that question. "The same as it is every day. It doesn't change with the weather, you know."
He puts both hands in the air, a look of amusement on his face as he steps inside my house. "As my first commander once told me, there are no stupid questions."
"Yes there are," I exclaim, laughing. "There are plenty of stupid questions, and that's one of them!" He winks back at me, and I realize he's just teasing with all of this. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
"So I've heard." Khex's gaze skims down my figure. "You look nice."
Do I? I glance down at my bodysuit. It's a green and gray one that was issued to me, but with nothing else to do, I added a few modifications to it with a needle and some thread. I pulled it in at the bust, adding darts in the front so my boobs would have somewhere to go instead of being flattened, and with a colorful matching green scarf, I added a skirt to cover the ass. It sits low on my hips like a sarong and probably looks stupid to a lot of non-human people, but the clothes we were given were more for function than anything else. I've seen some of the women modify their clothing and decided I could do the same. "Thank you? You look like…yourself?"
He makes that hair-smoothing gesture and kisses his bicep again. "You mean I look amazing."
"Sure," I say with a snort of derision. "Let's pretend I said that."
To my surprise, he offers me the crook of his arm, just like a gentleman. "Shall we go into Port and eat, then?"
Is it weird that I'm already having fun? Because I'm already having fun and he just got here. I set down my pan on the nearest surface and slide my arm through his. "Ready when you are."
CHAPTER 8
KHEX
The moment we get to the cantina, I can tell this was a mistake. It's crowded, with a lot of the merchants and locals squeezing in near the small bar to get drinks. A few older females are inside, drinking with a couple of mesakkah males that work at the port docks, and the odd bounty hunter I've a mind to keep an eye on. There are only three tables inside the small cantina, all of them occupied. Ashley clings to my arm and I can tell she's uneasy, stepping closer to me. I pat her hand and glare at one occupant as he eats the last of his fried leaves and gathers his things. "I think I see a table for us."