“That would be my fault,” Sahran said sheepishly. “I mixed up our gifts when I wrapped them yesterday, I’m afraid.”
“Which means that I got your oven mitt and Melanie got my gift,” Sonja added.
“What was your gift then?” Clear asked, looking puzzled. “And why didn’t the two of you just switch?”
“You’ve already seen my gift—at least I think you did,” Sonja said. “If what Melanie told me about last night is true, I think you saw quite a lot of it—and quite a lot of her in it.”
“What are you talking about?” Strong growled, losing patience. “My head is pounding today from that fucking punch last night. So just tell us what you mean.”
“Welcome to the club—we’ve all got horrible headaches today,” Sonja snapped. “And what I’m trying to say is that Sahran’s gift to me was a sexy red nighty trimmed in white fur with panties to match. Now have you seen it or not?”
“Goddess…” Clear’s eyes went wide.
“Yes, we saw it,” Strong said, frowning. “Melanie came over wearing it last night.”
“I thought so.” Sonja nodded. “And I’m assuming the three of you got up to some monkey business?”
“Monkey business?” Clear frowned. “What do primates have to do with it?”
“And why would we do business with them?” Strong asked, frowning.
“Sonja is using a human expression for doing something you perhaps should not have been doing. Something mischievous, or in this case, sexual,” Sahran put in helpfully.
“What concern is it of yours if we did this ‘monkey business’ with Melanie?” Strong growled, glaring at the two of them. “What a warrior and his twin do with the female they care for is private.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to help you out!” Sonja threw up her hands. “Come on, Sahran—we’re leaving.”
“No, not yet.” Sahran put a hand on his fiancée’s arm to get her to wait. “Now look,” he said to all of them. “None of you is feeling his or her best this morning—that much is clear. But we would be doing our friends a disservice if we didn’t tell them the whole story here.”
“All right.” Strong crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re listening.”
“Fine.” Sonja took a deep breath and blew it out, obviously trying to calm herself. “Melanie has left the Mother Ship,” she announced at last.
“What?” Clear looked worried and Strong could feel his twin’s sudden anxiety through their link, just as he was sure Clear could feel his.
“Why?” he asked.
“Why, because of whatever it was you three did together last night, of course!” Sonja sounded exasperated.
“What did we do wrong?” Clear asked. He looked at Strong. “We’ve offended her somehow. We need to find out what we did!”
“We stopped before we bonded her to us,” Strong pointed out. “Even though we did other…sexual things, we held ourselves back from making a rash decision before discussing it.”
“She’s upset she did anything at all!” Sonja said, frowning at them.
“Anything at all? You mean she feels that she demeaned herself by allowing two younger, low-status males to pleasure her?” Strong demanded.
“But she didn’t treat us like she thought we were low-status last night,” Clear objected. He frowned. “Though she has pointed out several times that she thinks we are ‘too young’ for her. Maybe you’re right, brother. Maybe she decided that a mature Elite like her is too good for the two of us.”
“No, no, no! You two just do not understand at all!” Sonja exclaimed.
“Darling…” Sahran put a hand on her shoulder to steady her and she shook her head.
“Sorry, honey. This headache is just the worst.”
She pressed her fingers to her temples and took several deep breaths before opening her eyes and looking at Strong and Clear.
“Okay, let me explain this to you…I know, because Sahran here explained it to me, that on Twin Moons, a woman with extra curves—an Elite—is valued, right?”
“Of course.” Strong and Clear both nodded.
“And it’s apparently even better if she’s a mature Elite—a woman who’s a little older and secure in her profession, correct?” Sonja asked.
They nodded again.
“Okay so try to wrap your heads around this,” Sonja told them. “It’s the exact opposite down on Earth.”
“What do you mean?” Strong growled.
“I mean older women who have more curves are valued less, not more by men on Earth. At least in the society Melanie and I both come from, they are,” Sonja explained.
“What?” Clear looked as shocked as Strong felt. “But…how can that be? An Elite is the most beautiful creature the Goddess ever created!”
“And a female with wisdom as well as beauty is the pinnacle of perfection,” Strong pointed out.
“Not on Earth, unfortunately,” Sonja said firmly. “Men prefer young, skinny women down there.”
“They do?” Strong shook his head.
“I had a hard time believing it too, Brother,” Sahran told him. “Especially the part about wanting stick-thin females over those with curves.” He shrugged. “But it’s true.”