Playing Their Parts

“Doesn’t he ever sleep?” Cassie asked innocently. “I mean, does he stay up on his, uh, platform there all the time?” She nodded at the rectangular platform the Slimerian was laid out on.

“Slimerians don’t need much sleep,” The Beast said. He frowned. “I’d say he sleeps…oh, two or three hours a night, maybe. It’s pretty much the only time his guards get to rest, too. They’re always grateful to get a reprieve, since watching his favorite vids makes his Slimefullness horny and he wants to penetrate them.”

Ugh! Cassie thought but didn’t dare to say aloud—not when she was so close to Gozeriam.

“That’s interesting,” she said coolly. “Do you know how much longer the public viewing goes on?”

“Oh, it’ll be over in a minute. His Slimefullness just has to dismiss us,” The Beast said. “Say, after he lets us go, what would you say to spending a little time at my place? We could, er, work on some techniques—maybe you could teach me some of your moves.” He gave her a hungry look and Cassie felt her stomach roll over in disgust.

Stone glared at the other male, a low growl rising in his throat, as he pulled her even closer to his side.

“Uh, without your body-slave, of course,” The Beast added, eyeing Stone doubtfully.

Cassie wanted to say something cutting but she reminded herself again that they were trying to reel The Beast in. At some point she had to get him to follow her back to their ship, so they could take him back down to Earth to stand trial. So she made herself smile at him, even though it made her want to puke.

“Of course. But I have a better idea,” she purred. “Why don’t you meet me a little later on and we can go to my ship? I have some, uh, special equipment I bet you’d like to try out on me. And of course, there’s more privacy that way.”

The Beast’s fake-gold eyes lit up with a hungry glow.

“That sounds fucking perfect, Mistress. When do you want to meet?”

“When is his Slimefullness usually asleep?” Cassie asked. “We’ll want to be able to sneak out of the palace without anyone seeing us,” she added.

“Between the hours of one and three is when he usually snoozes,” The Beast said, nodding.

“Good! Then you can meet me at two,” Cassie told him. That should hopefully give her and Stone time to destroy the Pain Fruit plants and grab the snuff film while everyone else was asleep. Then Stone could wait out in the ship while she lured The Beast outside. And then…

And then we’ll go home, Cassie thought to herself. The thought made her sad for some reason—not because she liked this crazy porn palace, of course. But because she and Stone would have to go back to just being friends.

But that was how her partner wanted it and that was how it was going to be, Cassie told herself stoically. There was nothing she could do to change it—nothing at all.

Forty-Six

“I do not like the idea of you being alone with The Beast,” Stone growled, the moment they were back in their room. “You swore to me that you wouldn’t be.”

“He’s not going to come if he thinks you’re there!” Cassie protested. “Besides, this gives us time to destroy the Pain Plants and scoop up the snuff film. Then you can go hide in the ship and once I lure him out there, we slap the cuffs on him and take off.”

Stone frowned.

“It sounds like a perfect plan. Except the part where you are alone with the Beast.”

“Stone…”

“All right, all right.” He sighed. “I know we agreed this would be your part of the mission. But I don’t like the way he looks at you, Cassandra—as though you were something delicious to eat.”

“Believe me, I don’t like it either—he’s repulsive.” Cassie shivered. “But we have to do our job, partner. And there’s no way he’s coming out to the ship with me if you’re anywhere he can see you.”

“Is that all this is? Just a job to you?” Stone suddenly gathered her into his arms and looked at her intently.

“Oh, well…” Cassie was flustered. “I mean, that’s what we agreed, right? That we would get the job done and then go back to normal once we got back to Earth?”

“Yes.” He sighed deeply. “We did agree that. We will go back to being partners and friends only for the rest of our lives.”

It was on the tip of Cassie’s tongue to ask if her partner wanted to change his mind. To say that if he wanted to be more than friends, she would certainly agree.

But what if she was wrong? What if Stone looked at her like she was crazy for suggesting such a thing? What if he had no interest in being more than just friends?