“To a deal well done,” B’Rugh burbled and raised his goblet, his fingers oozing over its metal stem.
“A deal well done,” Trin echoed and took a sip. The liquid made her lips and tongue tingle in a strange way but other than that she felt no ill effects.
“Excellent,” B’Rugh said, holding out the sack to her.
Trin reached for it, while holding out the correct number of chip-coins in her other hand towards him. In another moment the deal would be done…
But B’Rugh held back, not quite taking her money or giving her the sack of crystals.
“As you have the correct currency, and I have the crystals, all we need is for your mate to effect the exchange,” he said.
“My mate?” Trin said blankly. “What do you mean?”
“Your mate—the male you are mated to.” B’Rugh raised one oozing eyebrow at her. “Do you say to me that you have no male to help effect the exchange?”
“Why would I need one?” Trin asked, honestly mystified.
B’Rugh frowned, an expression that made it look as if his entire face was melting.
“My culture does not allow me to have hand-to-hand dealings directly with a female.”
“What do you mean? You just handed me a crystal,” Trin pointed out.
“Ahh, but that was a gift, my dear. I am talking about business transactions. There must be a male here to effect the exchange. To take the crystals from my hand and place them in yours and to take the coins from your hand and place them in mine.”
“How about if we just leave both on the table and switch seats?” Trin suggested. “Then I can pick up the crystals and you can pick up the coins without any contact involved at all?” That would suit her just fine. She didn’t particularly want to handle anything else that had B’Rugh’s slime on it. But the Lud’om was shaking his head ponderously.
“Impossible,” he burbled, looking positively offended. “I cannot even think of such a thing.”
“Well, what are we supposed to do, then?” Trin demanded. Her lips and tongue were still tingling and now the tingle was spreading to the rest of her mouth. She wished it would stop—the sensation was very distracting.
“Seeing that you have no mate with you to effect the transaction, I might be willing to provide one,” B’Rugh suggested.
“Provide me a mate? As in, marry me off to someone?” Trin frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“It would only be a temporary arrangement, of course. Just to get the transaction done.” He smiled which made his face look like it was melting upwards.
“A temporary mate,” Trin mused. “And who exactly were you thinking of for this venture?”
“Why, myself of course.” B’Rugh widened his small, yellow eyes. “Whom else?”
Trin sighed. “Look, B’Rugh—if you’re trying to get more credit out of me by tacking on some kind of matchmaker’s fee, you’re out of luck. This is everything I’ve got.” She nodded at the pile of gold credit-chip coins on the soft black fungus in front of her. “You and I both know it’s a fair price and you’re not likely to find another buyer who’s willing to come all the way out here to you in person. So why don’t we just—”
“Oh—no, no my dear.” B’Rugh held up one oozing hand to stop her. “There is no need of a monetary compensation.”
“So…what? I marry you for fifteen minutes so that you can give me the crystals and I can give you the coins and then we go our separate ways?” Trin raised an eyebrow at him. All her instincts were on high alert. The Lud’om was definitely up to something.
“Well, for a bit longer than fifteen minutes,” B’Rugh said. “In point of fact, you would have to spend one night in my bed in order to make the joining legal and binding. Then, the next day, the deal could be effected and you would be able to leave.”
Trin swallowed hard, trying to keep her gorge from rising.
“A night in your bed? Are you asking me to prostitute myself to you in order to do this deal?”
“Certainly not!” B”rugh protested hastily. “My culture does not allow such things. I am speaking of a temporary joining or marriage—whatever you wish to call it. But of course, I would have certain privileges as your mate.”
Trin was beginning to feel genuinely ill—it didn’t help that the tingling in her mouth had turned to a kind of numbness.
“And what…” She could hardly make herself go on. “What kind of privileges would those be?” she finally managed to get out.
B’Rugh’s yellow eyes gleamed in his sagging, doughy face.
“Why the privilege of penetration, of course. I will hold you in my arms and envelope you with my slime.” He indicated the dripping greenish-brown ooze that covered his body. “Once you are completely enfolded, I will slide my member within you and—”
“Stop!” Trin held up a hand, unable to hear any more. “What…what would make you even think of such a thing?” she demanded, glaring at him. “You and I…we’re not even the same species. Not even close.”
“The color of your skin—that rich, creamy brown. I have never seen another female of your kind with such coloring. I find it…most erotic.” B’Rugh’s gurgling voice had gone thick with lust. “I makes me wish to fill you with my member and see if you are as soft and lush as you look.”
“I’m from Zetta Prime and we don’t…don’t do that. With any male,” Trin told him.
“Maybe you could make an exception…just for one night.” Those yellow eyes gleamed in his melting face.
His words made Trin think of the conversation about penetration she’d had with Thrace the night before. But imagining such a thing with the huge Havoc had made her feel hot and cold and strange all over. She’d had a clear feeling it was wrong—but of course, she’d always known that because of the way she’d been raised on Zetta Prime. However, the idea of letting Thrace fill her with his shaft hadn’t disgusted or repelled her. The idea had simply made her feel…strange and guilty.
The idea of letting B’Rugh fill her with his slimy cock and wrap her in his oozing arms filled her with a different feeling entirely. Nausea. Looking at the Lud’om and imagining going to bed with him made sour bile rise at the back of her throat. She wanted some water to wash the horrible taste away from her mouth but there was nothing but the strange, blood-red wine. Blindly she reached for it…
Only to have it knocked out of her hand.
“Sorry, but you can’t drink any more of that,” a familiar voice said. “That bastard with the steel teeth laced it with passion berries. Another sip and you’ll be in serious trouble.”
Trin looked up in surprise to see Thrace standing over her. The big Havoc was still wearing only the tight black leather pants and leather boots he’d had on when she bought him but now he was also carrying a blaster. She’d gotten so used to seeing him lying down, chained to the cot, she had forgotten how huge he really was. He was like a mountain of muscle towering over her and she had no idea why he was there.
Apparently B’Rugh didn’t either.
“Who are you and how dare you interrupt our negotiations?” The Lud’om sounded most displeased.
“Don’t remember me, do you?” Thrace gave him a fierce grin. “We met a few cycles back when your people tried to take over the mud flats on my home planet.”
The yellow eyes narrowed. “I do remember you, now. It was your leadership that kept us from completely conquering the Havoc home world. Thrace, isn’t it?”
Thrace nodded. “In the flesh.”
“But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here or how you’re involved with the lovely Trin.” B’Rugh nodded at her.
“That’s Captain Trin to you,” Thrace growled. “She’s the owner and captain of a star ship—not some cheap prosti-whore you can buy for a night of what passes for pleasure with you, B’Rugh—you fucking slimy bastard.”
B’Rugh stiffened—as much as a being that appeared to be made of oozing mud could be said to stiffen.
“I would never presume to ‘buy’ her as you put it. But she must have a mate to effect our transaction. I was actually doing her a favor, offering to act in this capacity myself so that the sale can go through.”