Chapter 9

"I have to ask this question, Riata. I don't want you to get mad at me, but I've got to know," Ferro said as they lay naked on her mat. He had taken Benni's comment as an order and executed it as soon as possible. It had taken a few hours. Other than a quick trip to the commissary, Benni and Riata had been on her mat for the entire shift.

"If you want to know whether I'll up-size my tits, don't bother to ask," she said.

"Nothing so simple and I like your tits just the way they are, really," Ferro said, trying to stay on task. "Did the family approach you to sleep with me the first time? Did they send you to the fun bunny lounge?"

Riata snorted. "I heard about Asmin and what she did. I hope the selfish bitch gets stretch marks up to her neck. That being said, for a guy who tries so hard to make someone happy, it amazes me how you just don't understand why you're doing it. Why work so hard to please a woman?"

"I've never been a big swinging dick, but I've never had to pay someone to have sex with me. Even geeks get laid. I feel like I have to prove myself every time I lay on a mat with a woman. Am I repulsive to that many members of the family?" Ferro asked.

"You are so smart and so stupid at the same time, Ferro. You can design ships but you cannot read what is happening around you. When you came onboard, you were untouchable. Kayetti spent a lot of time keeping you on a short leash and everyone else at bay. When the patriarch decided that it was time to give you a longer lead, the elders chose your first fuck bunny for you because they were certain you would be unable to navigate the family without help. They were right," Riata said.

"Was she the only one they sent or were all the others sent as well?" Ferro asked. He was lying supine on the mat staring at the ceiling. Inside he was still a mess although he tried to look calm and relaxed.

"You nailed those all on your own, Tyro the Conqueror, once Kayetti gave the okay," Riata said. "You sure confused a lot of women."

"So I'm told," Ferro said.

"Many more women gave you the 'go ahead' sign and you completely missed it."

"If someone had bothered to fill me in on these mysterious signals, it would have been my pleasure to bed a few more, but..."

A face with long black hair slid into his vision.

"But what?"

"I'm not built for these have-a-drink-and-fuck nights," Ferro said, admitting to himself for the first time his discomfort. "I got this ego charge from shoving my cock in yet another willing woman. I suppose every male does. But I felt empty afterward. I got my rocks off but that was all. I really am a one-woman sort of fellow."

He reached up to stroke Riata's face. "Then you came along and just wanted to tease me and flirt with me. The rules of the fun bunny lounge made talking to you so much easier for me. You didn't touch me but you still made me feel so damn horny."

"Are you trying to seduce me into another round of whoopee?" Riata asked with a devilish grin.

"How did you find me?" Ferro said. He was serious.

Riata fell back on her butt and snuggled next to Ferro's hip.

"My father mentioned you. When I ran into him, a circumstance I like to avoid generally, he was complaining that you were far too scattershot and a general pain-in-the-ass. Whatever you were doing at your design desk frustrated the hell out of him, too. My guess is that he couldn't keep up with you as you bounced all over the place. I decided that whoever could piss off my father was the kind of person I wanted to meet. I asked him where I could find you."

"He agreed?"

Ferro hadn't known how much he had pissed off Xerba. He was surprised that the taciturn man hadn't held it against him. As Ferro stared at this beautiful, naked woman, he wondered again how his luck had overcome his social deficiencies.

"He probably thinks we deserve each other. I'm sure he was secretly hoping we would thoroughly annoy each other. Double the people — double the aggravation we would cause each other," Riata said, flipping her hair out of her face. "He does love me and care for me, Ferro, even if he is withdrawn and repressed. My mother agreed to be his fuck bunny and they were together until she died."

"Oh," Ferro said, learning for the first time that Riata's mother was dead. Having no idea what to do with the information, he decided to ignore it. "Now that we're fuck bunnies, what does it mean?"

Before she could answer, a series of tones [or bell-like tones] sounded throughout the ship.

"What was that?" Ferro asked, sitting up.

"It means that we are about to skip into FTL for our next mission," Riata said. "I guess you didn't read your briefing message."

"Did I get a briefing?" Ferro said, ducking her swatting hand. He was known for not reading his messages in a timely fashion. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to go talk to Kay?"

"Kayetti is expecting you. You need more training before we reach our destination. I'm your fuck bunny, not your nursemaid. I'm not going to hold your hand when we hit our objective," Riata said. "Playtime is over. I've got to report to my station and you've got more training exercises. Kayetti has devised new and wondrous ways to teach you..."

She stood up and pulled fresh clothing from her storage box. She stepped into her clothes quickly and turned towards the door with barely a "bye," disappearing into the corridor. Ferro slipped into his worn clothes and decided to find Kay first instead of taking a shower because he was too curious to wait. What did Kay have to teach him instead of the ancient master, Doyan?

Kay looked up from her computer when he stepped into her small office. The room really qualified to be a closet.

"Don't you read your mail? You're late."

"Riata and I just became fuck bunnies," Ferro said but she cut him off before he could continue.

"I'm happy for you but you need to learn when to keep your cock in your pants. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done quickly," Kay said.

"Benni ordered me to do it last shift and I took care of it immediately. Give me a break," Ferro said, more confused than before.

"Ah, to be young and stupid. Get your butt over to the anti-grav room immediately. You will find your evac suit in the dressing room. Your suit has been modified and upgraded. It's amazing to me that you didn't die during one of your excursions in that primitive piece of crap. You need to suit up, get it certified by the tech and meet me in the anti-grav room afterward. You have fifteen minutes," she said, turning back to her computer.

Ferro wanted to argue that he wasn't that much younger than she was, but he intuited that one grew up younger and faster among the Volentin. He wondered if one grew older faster as well. In any case, the corridor was moving briskly with a new energy as Ferro made his way aft. Whatever the mission was, the family was excited about it.