Total pages in book: 175
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
“She’s a human. If he’s her only means of safety, of course she’s going to take what she can from him, even if it’s scraps. She’s just doing the best with the hand that’s been given to her.” Dora shrugs. “I feel sorry for her.”
“Don’t say that out loud or she’ll use it against you,” Bethiah says. She slurps her noodles down and kicks her feet up on the control panel. “So should we contact the family? Let them know the head honcho has a bounty on his head and we’re being paid to hunt someone that might or might not be missing?”
“That has the potential of getting messy,” I point out.
“So many things involving Rhonda do,” Bethiah agrees. “But yeah, if they don’t know there’s a human mistress, I don’t want to be the one to tell them. If they don’t know he’s missing, I certainly don’t want to be the one to tell them.”
“So then we look for him?” Dora asks. “Take her money even though he might not be missing?”
I glance over at Bethiah, but she has a slightly sour look on her face, as if she doesn’t really care for the idea. I decide to settle the debate. “We were hired to find him. If he’s easy to find, it’s not unethical of us to charge for our services. And if we find him quickly, it costs her that much less.”
“That, and we won’t betray her,” Dora adds, her expression thoughtful. “Maybe that’s another thing to consider. Maybe she knows he’s not really hiding but she just doesn’t have the resources to get him herself. Like you said, a human alone is vulnerable.”
Bethiah takes another noisy slurp of noodles. “Which reminds me,” she continues. “We need to work on your shooting, fluffit. And your reading lessons. You’ve been falling behind on them.”
Dora sputters. “Falling behind? There hasn’t been any time to work on either!”
“You make time,” Bethiah says confidently.
“How? Everyone’s been busy!”
“You come up to us and demand our attention,” Bethiah replies. “I mean, if you came up to me and told me you wanted your pussy licked, I wouldn’t ignore that. Getting your lessons in is just as important as getting your cunt eaten out, and we’ve certainly had time for that.”
I eye Bethiah as she licks the broth off her eating sticks.
“Don’t look so sour, Jamef. It’s the truth.” Bethiah gives me a wicked grin. “We always make time for pussy eating.”
I just shake my head at her, watching Dora out of the corner of my eye. She doesn’t seem annoyed, and they’re both talking, so I suppose the worst of the storm has passed.
“You’ll help me with my lessons in shooting, then?” Dora asks Bethiah.
“Tsk, fluffit, there you go again. You’re asking. What’s rule number one?”
“We take what we want,” Dora recites. She gets to her feet and moves to Bethiah’s side, gazing down at her. Bethiah tilts her head back and gives Dora a lazy look, but I can tell by the flicking of her tail that she’s tense. I want to move to her side and twine my tail with hers, but they need to figure this out. Dora studies Bethiah for a moment and then takes the bowl from her hands. “I’m taking your noodles.”
“Take ’em,” Bethiah says cheerfully.
“Now kiss me,” Dora demands, leaning in. “And tell me you’re fucking sorry. And that you’re not going to even think of replacing me with that other human.”
Bethiah blinks, her expression suddenly solemn. “Never. Never, fluffit.”
“Good.” She kisses Bethiah and then turns to me. “You kiss me, too.”
I have to admit, I do like Dora’s demanding side.
Ninety
JAMEF
Everyone seems to be on speaking terms for the moment, so it feels safe to abandon the bridge for a few hours and run a diagnostic on my leg in med-bay. I don’t want to say anything to the others, but it’s starting to respond slowly, making my steps hitch every now and then. Once is a glitch, but when it happens regularly, there’s a problem. It could be the wiring or a bad circuit…or it could be wearing out entirely.
I don’t have the credits for a new limb, nor do I have the time to get one replaced. Hopefully a diagnostic will allow me to pinpoint the problem and fix it without alerting either one of my mates. They’ve got enough to think about at the moment.
No sooner do I head down the hall towards med-bay than I see Rhonda, of course. It’s like she can scent vulnerability. Her hair is pulled up in a tousled pile atop her head, showing off her neck, and she’s changed into a deep blue gown that seems cut all the way to the navel, with only jeweled straps over each shoulder to keep it from being indecent. “Oh, Captain. I’m so glad to see you.”