Chapter Three

His vehicle was suited to his body shape but still stylish. It was also super safe. She identified six safety devices in the front and rear compartments.

“So, how can your friend afford the academy? It is shockingly expensive.” Vikor’s tone was conversational.

“I pay for it. It was my choice. Vaka always spoke so highly of it that if there was a chance for my nephew, I was going to do it.”

He made a strange sound. “No wonder you are always broke.”

“I have saved up enough to get him all the way through school and then through college. Just in case something happens to me.”

His huge red hands flexed on the steering wheel. “Like what?”

“Like if the experiment works. If the implants can keep me under control. If I stop leaking energy into strange men just by rubbing against them.”

He chuckled. “You can give me your extra energy anytime you like.”

She snorted. “I have only ever done that to one person, and it was your brother. When he was gone, I had to find an outlet.”

“You and my brother were never lovers?” He was tense when he asked.

“Oh, god, no. We were friends. We used to joke that we were symbionts, but there wasn’t a class for us. I made him stronger; he kept me from overloading.”

He relaxed visibly and looped around to pull into the long winding drive to the front entry, where a long line of expensive vehicles was proceeding to pick up children.

“There aren’t any two-organism class designations. Certainly not in the agency.” She finished her thought.

He started to tap something into a console, and she heard a whirring behind them. The back seat was turning into a child seat.

“Oh, thanks. That is a very specific adaptation.”

“I always thought I might have kids one day, so all my vehicles include the option for seats.”

She looked out the window and saw Vaken. He was fretting. The other children were just running toward their parents’ cars as the child identified them to the administrators. She descended the window and stuck her head out enough to meet Vaken’s gaze. “Auntie!”

The administrator saw her, smiled, and nodded. When Vaken pulled to the pickup point, she got out and opened the back door for her nephew. She settled him in the seat, buckled him in, and was back in her own seat with the doors and windows closed in a few seconds.

She glanced behind her and saw that Vaken was staring at Vikor.

“My little dude, this is a friend of mine. His name is Vikor. You shall address him as Mr. Vikor.”

“Yes, Auntie. Thank you for picking me up, Mr. Vikor. Auntie’s car is really old. This car is nice.”

Vikor chuckled. “Pleased to meet you as well.”

He drove them back to the Z-Tech headquarters, and in the parkade, he waited for them when he crouched down. “Hello, little man. What is your name?”

Drin tensed but waited.

Vaken beamed. “My name is Vaken. I was named after my dad.”

Vikor went tense, but he just looked the child over. “It’s a very good name.”

Vaken clung to Drin’s hand as they went into the elevator. Vikor looked shocked. They took Vaken to Umther, and the behavioural researcher hugged him and led him away after she gave him his Best and Smartest Research Subject badge.

Vikor loomed over her. “I need to speak with you.”

She nodded. “I will take you to the textile department conference room. No one will bother us there. Come with me.”

He nodded and followed where she led.

They were silent in the elevator. She walked the hall past her desk and over to the conference room. She stood aside as he came in and closed the door behind him. A few keystrokes, and they had privacy.

“So, what would you like to know?”

“When was he born?”

“Thirty-two weeks after Vaka passed.”

“Why didn’t you tell our family?” He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

“Ah, as to that.” She brought up some of her personal files and showed him video of three times that she had met with his father. “Before the funeral, I met with Varun and told him that his rejection of the meeting with Shisha was a mistake. He told me that Vaka’s whores didn’t have standing with the family, and on the day of the funeral, I got a restraining order that meant I could not even talk to any member of the family. I am probably going to catch hell for talking to you.”

He waved that away. “I will deal with my father. So, he is really Vaka’s son.”

“Yes. She was six weeks pregnant when he died. It was a horrific time for everyone. Vaka swore he would take care of her, and when he died, I took over.”

He blinked. “You did that for her?”

“I did that for Vaka because he couldn’t. Because Shisha still wears his ring and cries for him on his birthday, the holidays, and his death day. They are my family now because he’s gone.” She smiled. “His son is going to be a true hero one day. He already is in my book. He is also showing signs of early activation. All without my help.”

He blinked. “He’s Vaka’s son. Was he an accident?”

“No, Vaka had his birth control nullified, and Vaken was conceived deliberately. Their future was bright, and he was twenty-two. It was a great time to start a family, and Shisha wanted a lot of kids. He was only too happy to oblige. So, they started their family, and he died. His journals would have confirmed it, but I wasn’t allowed to access them. And then the restraining order. So, he goes to a good school, his mother has a good job, and he has a large fund to propel him through the next twelve years and then college.” She chuckled. “If he gets any grants or bursaries, he might have enough to start a business or put a down payment on a house.”

Vikor frowned. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“Read the restraining order. It covers all family. Your mother called me family a few times. I guess it wore off.” Drin shrugged. “So that is how we got here.”

He frowned. “This place and the BDC have only been open for a year. What did you do before then?”

“Anything. Everything.” She shrugged. “Whatever it took. I had office experience, but the pay sucked, so I had to branch out.”

Vikor started looking angry. “Did you get into sex work?”

She laughed. “No. Not until Blind Date. I needed things highly regulated. I like the bodyguard bots, and I like someone keeping track of when I come and go, as well as vetting all the patrons.”

“How is it that you are an escort and have avoided having sex?”

She blushed. “I don’t avoid it. I just don’t attract it. Folks used to ask why Vaka and I were just friends. That’s a side effect of my activation. When I get nervous, I turn off my partner.” She wrinkled her nose. “My body pulls the switch with power for pleasure.”

She shrugged. “How did you feel when you were with me?”

Vikor leaned back and narrowed his eyes. “I think I was happy with you. I felt really good. Very relaxed and highly creative. Holy shit. That is how Vaka described piano lessons. That’s why Mom let him continue so long.”

“Yeah, you are an artist. Well, part of you is. The drawing healed part of your soul.” She gripped his hand, and when she saw him looking, she released him immediately. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”

He caught her fingers in his. “You are so tiny.”

She blushed. “That is another side effect of my activation. I lean heavily into the protective instincts of the males around me. It’s a reflex. Your perception of me is off. I am just under a foot shorter than you are. Tall for a female.”

“Can you drop the perception?”

“First, tell me what you see.”

“You have medium brown hair in a bun, a neat business suit, practical heels, and a white blouse. Your body is nicely curved, and you are in dire need of jewellery.”

She swallowed. “Right. Well, there are a few things missing.”

She focused. “I don’t normally lower the filter. There isn’t usually a need. Give me a minute.”

Drin closed her eyes and let the defensive part of her fade away, just for a moment. She looked at him, and he inhaled sharply.

“That is one ugly suit.”

She grinned, and his expression got soft. “So, you have to hide it.”

She shrugged. “It is easier than dealing with what comes next. What do you see now?”

“Dark chocolate hair, pointed ears, rainbow eyes. Your skin is golden silk, and your clothing is hideous. Why do you wear such things?”

“They are cheap. Anything else?”

He smiled, and his dark eyes warmed. “You are definitely taller than I perceived. Is this effect registered?”

“Yeah. But it just gets filed under metabolic activation. It is a glamour that is only a filter, so I can’t convince someone of anything other than I look human when I don’t.”

“How would you describe yourself?”

“A tall, occasionally fat elf.”

“How many calories do you consume in a day?”

“I shoot for six thousand, so I can store stuff in case of emergency.” She shrugged. “I wear this suit because it is cheap enough that I can have multiples here at the office in case I have to expend focus for anything. That way, I can have multiple sizes.”

Understanding hit.

She nodded, and the filter started to snap shut. “I can’t hold it open.”

“When can you open it?”

“When I put out the effort, or when I am relaxed and comfortable. I don’t like being stared at, so it stays on in public. One of the things that Kritz has been working on is a way to nullify my frequency so that it is just me when I want to be seen.” She smiled. “Vaken is used to his auntie having two faces.”

“Why did you develop it? That kind of instinct doesn’t show up organically. You had a need for it.”

Drin rubbed her face and then rested her hands on the table. “Vaka.”

Vikor paused. “What?”

“Vaka. He and I were friends for years before my activation hit, and my eyes went sparkly along with everything else. He wanted to date, talked about the future, and was excited to see me in a way I was unprepared for, so this happened, and he cooled off. We went back to being friends, and his obsession stopped.”

Vikor exhaled and said, “May I hold you?”

“Even looking like this in an ugly suit?”

He laughed. “Even that.”

She nodded, and he just pulled the chair toward him and lifted her up before settling her on his thighs. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. That was it. He was still but breathing her in.

Eventually, he murmured, “Why don’t you go sex crazy like other women?”

She knew what he meant. The heavy scent that came from his skin was intoxicating. She shrugged. “You smell good, but I am way too nervous to make a move. You are perfectly safe.”

He raised his head. “But it has an effect on you?”

“Yeah, and I get it out of my system when I go home.”

He stared at her at close range, and it made her nervous. She looked at him. “We should get back to your inspections.”

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. “I have all week to get them done.”

She leaned back. “I am on duty.”

“Don’t you take lunch?”

“Yeah, but I usually spend my whole time eating.”

“I will take you out for lunch later. I promise.” His fingers massaged the back of her neck, and when his lips sought hers again, he gripped the bun at the back of her head, and she arched her neck with a gasp.

His other hand pinned both wrists behind her back, and he growled low. She felt a surge of liquid heat between her thighs and began to struggle.

“Stay where I put you, Drinella. What do we say?”

She wanted to give him the answer he wanted. They had played this game before, but she hadn’t been aroused then.

He tugged her hair. “What do we say, Drin?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, how is it that I didn’t know you wanted me?”

“You were always wearing a woman, sir.”

He kissed her softly. “Did that make you mad?”

“No, sir. You were not for me. That was clear early on. Vaka used to mock me about it.” She moved her wrists slowly in his grip.

He kissed her, his warm lips coaxing her to respond. “My brother wouldn’t mock you. He loved you.”

“And I loved him, sir. But, not that way, and in the early days, it hurt him.”

He hummed. “If I slid my hand between your thighs, would you be wet right now?”

She turned her head away, and her face was on fire.

He squeezed her wrists. “What do you say?”

“Yes, sir.”

He chuckled. “Oh, you make me want things I have never dared to demand before.”

She shivered. “D-demand, sir?”

“Oh, yes. I will demand, and you will give me what I want, and we will both get what we need.” He kissed her again, which went beyond seductive and into a kiss that ate her soul.

She was panting when he raised his head, and he grinned with his fangs bright. His eyes had a glow, too. Her underwear was a lost cause.

He released her hair and slid his fingers up her inner thigh before letting her hands go. She tried to squirm away, but his fingertips caressed the soaked cotton before delving under to slide through her personal lubrication.

“Sir, please, stop.”

He teased her opening. “Stop? Really? You seem so ready for me to continue.”

She swallowed. “You won’t get far. We are not even supposed to be doing this kind of thing while I am under a BDC contract, even if I am suspended.”

He eased a finger into her and paused. “You are very tight.”

She moaned in misery. His finger was long and thick and took up all of her.

He tried to get another finger inside her, but she whimpered in protest.

He leaned in and nipped her neck. “That explains quite a bit. No one has gotten inside you yet?”

She shook her head and then felt the squeeze as well as the finger starting a slow swirl inside her. “No, sir.”

“How did you get past the BDC requirements? I thought you had to like sex.”

She bit her lip. “I like the theory, sir. I like the parts that I manage myself.”

“So, you don’t use anything inside you, so I am guessing your clit gets a workout.”

She trembled as his slick finger pulled out of her and slid upward to find the source of the only pleasure she allowed herself.

He pressed, she flinched, and soon, her hips rocked in rhythm with his touch. This was all familiar, but his rhythm wasn’t efficient. She squirmed, and she bucked against his hand.

He chuckled. “Not doing it right?”

She shook her head. “No, sir.”

He moved quickly, kissed her, and slid a finger into her while his thumb moved roughly on her clit. All the air she dragged in was scented with him, and she moaned loudly into his mouth as his fingers fucked her and his tongue acquainted her with his ferocity. The tip of his tongue was bifurcated, and her mind imagined that same touch between her thighs. She screamed into his mouth as her hips rolled against his hand. He kept up the pressure until the heavy throbs subsided. Vikor raised his head and pressed soft kisses to her eyelids, cheeks, and temples. “There’s my pretty pet.”

“Are you going to withdraw your fingers, sir?” Her voice was throaty.

“I like them where they are. When we have sex, I want to stay inside you as long as I can.” He hummed and rubbed his cheek against hers. “I want to sink into you and feel you flutter around me while your muscles squeeze tight. I want to find out how many times and how many ways you can cum around me, and I want to learn every way to get you hot and every way you like to be teased, and I am willing to devote years to it.”

She shivered. She had heard about sex talk before, but no one had ever treated her to it. She felt another embarrassing surge of moisture around his finger.

“Oh, you like that, do you, pet?”

“It sounded like an interesting time, sir.”

“What do you say to making it happen?”

“I can’t. I am under contract with the BDC. Even though suspended, I am not allowed to pursue relationships outside the patrons, and even then, there isn’t the possibility of personal stuff.”

“What about Kritz and Arcady?”

She waved that off. “They are married and have a long-term contract.”

He nuzzled her. “Long-term contract? What’s that?”

“Uh, it makes the escort exclusive to the patron. Both parties have to agree. If any third party is invited, it also has to be authorized by both parties, sir.”

“So, that is what those two are into.”

“No, sir. They are part of a quad. Arcady has a drinker bias. It makes her very popular. They are registered in the capitol, but in Aksalla, they don’t have to be.”

“Interesting. I will need to talk to Kritz about this.”

She blushed and muttered, “Please, withdraw your fingers, sir.”

“But you are so hot, slick, and soft.” He wiggled his finger, and to her astonishment, a second one had been added somewhere in the process. His thumb was still pressing lightly, and his fingers were wiggling.

“I am supposed to be working for the rest of the day. This is unauthorized playtime.”

He chuckled and pulled his fingers out with a distinctly wet slurp. She shuddered in mortification.

“Oh, you didn’t like that,” he crooned before he started licking his fingers. Drin stared. He grinned. “Would you like some? You taste amazing.”

She shivered. “No, thank you, sir. I have tried it before.”

There was a sparkle in Vikor’s eyes.

She shrugged. “It was required in training.”

“Ah. Thorough training.”

She shivered and nodded. “Very, sir.”

“Yet, they never detected that you were a virgin?”

She shrugged. “They weren’t looking for it, so I didn’t tell them. My patrons were happy and are only going to think back now and possibly get pissed off. I think I am going to need a lawyer.”

He grinned. “I am a lawyer.”

“I can’t afford you, sir.”

His hand went back to stroking her inner thigh. “We can work something out.”

“I don’t want to come to you out of desperation. I want it to be because I got authorization and worked up the nerve.”

“You really think your patrons might sue you because you didn’t have sex with them?”

She tightened her lips. “In my experience, some men who find out they have been manipulated, whether I did it knowingly or not, may get aggressive. That aggression may turn physical, or it may be financial. I am very sure that they will want to confront me.”

He tapped her lips.

“Sir.”

He shrugged. “I am going to represent you. Call me if you are in need of representation.”

He lifted her com and raised his brows.

She sighed and activated receiving. He sent her his number and reached over her shoulder to tap in his name in the file. She burst out laughing when it read, The Devil.

He released her wrists and kissed each of them. “And pretty cuffs, a pretty collar, and glittering chains all over you until you know you are mine to the bone and beyond.”

Drin’s eyes went wide, and she stared at him.

“Hello, my pretty pet.”

She was helped to her feet, and she was still shaking when he stood up and gave her a hug. “Don’t shake. You will eventually be Vaken’s aunt legally. I will make sure of it.”