Slowly, ever so slowly, she floated back to reality. As if awakening from a dream, Jade gradually sensed the bed firmly beneath her, the darkness of the room eased only by the luminous digits of the clock on the night table, the animal heat of the man sleeping next to her naked body.
Jade could make out the form of Raki’s body, coiled like a panther, his face half buried in his pillow.
She took a long shuddering breath. Now you’ve done it, she told herself. It’s over and done with. It was exciting, but it’s finished now. Tomorrow he’ll be leaving. Tomorrow he’ll go back to Earth and you’ll be alone again.
“What’s the matter?” Raki’s voice was whisper-soft.
Startled that he was awake, she said, “What?”
“You were muttering. I thought you might be talking in your sleep.”
Jade almost laughed. “Just talking to myself. Sorry if I woke you.”
“It’s all right,” he said, turning over onto his back.
“You’ll be going home tomorrow.”
“The day after—oh, yes, it’s Tuesday morning now, isn’t it? Yes, tomorrow.”
“Do you live in Orlando?” Jade asked, her voice as flat and unemotional as she could make it.
He laughed softly. “You want to know if I’m married, don’t you?”
“I already know that. I looked up your personnel file.”
“You have access to the files?” He sounded surprised.
“No,” she said. “But I’m a reporter.” “Ah.”
Silence. Jade had watched enough old videos to know that this was the moment the lovers usually lit cigarettes. She wondered what it would taste like, whether she would feel the carcinogens attacking her lungs.
“You know that I am married and have two children,” Raki said. “Statistically, it should be one point seven, but we found it difficult to produce only seven-tenths of a child.”
Jade did not laugh. “Is it a happy marriage?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it is.”
“I’m glad,” she lied.
“As a practicing Moslem,” Raki said lightly, “I can take four wives, you know. The state of Florida would object, I’m sure, but I doubt that the government of Selene would mind.”
“A wife in every port,” Jade muttered. “That might get expensive.”
“My wife is a practicing psychologist. She makes an excellent living. And you, of course, are employed as a reporter….”
“Don’t joke about it!” Jade burst. “It isn’t a joking matter.”
“No, of course not. I’m sorry.”
Silence again.
At length, Raki asked, “What is it you want?”
Jade tried to swallow down the lump in her throat.
Raki turned toward her. “I know I am devilishly handsome and utterly suave and urbane, practically irresistible. But you accepted my invitation to dinner knowing that it would lead here, and you accepted that because you want something from me. What is it?”
Jade blinked back tears.
“It’s happened before, you know,” Raki said. His voice was still gentle, almost sad. “Women seem so willing to offer their bodies in trade.”
“You make it sound dirty.” “Oh no! Not dirty. There’s nothing dirty about making love. It’s just… disappointing.”
“Disappointing?”
He sighed like a heartbroken lover. “I had hoped that you liked me for myself, not for what I could do for you. But I knew better, all along. You want something: a raise in salary, a promotion … something.”
Jade felt her spirits sinking out of sight.
“Well,” Raki said, “you might as well tell me what it is.”
Confused, Jade stammered, “There … there was something… I thought…” She did not know what to say.
Raki whispered, “You can tell me. I’m accustomed to being used.”
“It isn’t like that!” Jade burst. “Yes, all right, I admit that I wanted something from you—at first. But now, now that I know you …”
Raki smiled in the darkness and reached for her young trembling body. Jade flung herself into his arms and they made love until they both fell asleep exhausted.
“And then what happened?” Monica asked as they walked down the busy corridor from the cafeteria toward her office. It was nearly 0800 hours, the start of the business day. The women were dressed in their business clothes: Monica in comfortably loose black slacks and sweatshirt, Jade in a stylish auburn jumpsuit and glossy thigh-length boots.
“It was morning when we woke up,” Jade answered with a small shrug. “I had to dash back to my place to change for work.”
With an unhappy shake of her head Monica replied, “And Raki’s in Jim’s office bragging about how he screwed you all night long.”
“No! He wouldn’t….”
“Want to bet?”
Jade could not look Monica square in the face. “I’ve got to get to work,” she said. “I’m interviewing that architect at ten sharp.”
“Want to bet?” Monica repeated sternly.
“Yes!” Jade snapped, feeling anger surging within her. “I’ll bet he’s conducting ordinary business with Jim.”
They had reached the door to Solar News’s suite of cubbyhole offices. With a sweeping gesture, Monica ushered Jade through, then led the way past the trio of unoccupied desks to her own office. Gradowsky’s office door was closed, Jade saw.
Monica plopped into her chair and picked the keyboard off the floor.
Jade remained standing, her back to the window that looked into the editing room. No one was in there yet.
“Don’t you ever tell Jumbo that I’ve bugged his office,” Monica said, frowning slightly as she worked the keyboard.
“Bugged it! Why?”
“I might marry the bum one of these days, but that doesn’t mean I altogether trust him.” She pulled a pair of wire-thin headsets from the cabinet in the corner of the room and handed one of them to Jade.
Reluctantly Jade slipped the set over her hair. Monica plugged them both in, then held one earphone to her ear, her head cocked like a fat robin looking for a juicy worm.
“… if I say so myself, I’m a very good teacher.” Raki’s voice. Unmistakable.
“Well, uh, you know she’s just a kid. Got some good ideas, though.” Gradowsky sounded uncomfortable, embarrassed.
“Really? I’ll bet she’s got better ones now.” Raki laughed. Jade heard nothing from Jumbo Jim.
After a brief silence Raki asked, “You said she wants to do a biography?”
“Yeah. Of Sam Gunn. I think …”
“Sam Gunn! No, that would never wash.”
“I dunno, Raki. She’s already gotten a lot of really good stuff. Sam’s good material. Sex, adventure, excitement.”
Raki made a humming noise. Then, “You think so?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“No, the executive board would never buy it. Half of them hate Sam’s guts, even now, and the other half wouldn’t give a damn.”
“But if you recommended it,” Gradowsky suggested.
“Listen, my friend, I didn’t get this far in the network by sticking my neck out.”
Jade sensed Jumbo Jim shaking his head. “Then what’re you gonna tell her?”
“Me? Nothing?”
“You’re not gonna see her again tonight?”
“Of course not. Why should I?”
Monica’s face looked like a stone carving of vengeance. Jade felt her own cheeks flaming.
“I thought, well, after you had such a good time last night.”
Raki laughed again. It sounded cruel. “The thrill is in the chase, James. Now that I’ve bagged her, what is there to getting her again? No, tonight I’ll go to Hell Crater and enjoy myself with the professionals. I’ve had enough of little girls who must be taught everything.”
Jade ripped the headset off so hard she thought her ears were coming off with it.