Candidate (Selected Book 4) (38 page)

"Yep."

She looked across the table to Tracey. "If you decide you prefer the species that like a challenge, then I will arrange it. Otherwise, you will accept an offer from one of the species that prefer a willing mate. Are we agreed?"

"Agreed."

* * * *

Twenty minutes later, Jasmine, the three senior event coordinators, Dark Skies, and I gathered in the conference room. Jasmine had her tentacles out and couldn't hold still. Cedar and Dark Skies had a good idea what was going on, but Clover and Bay were left confused.

"So, how did it go today?"

"I have three more to do," Bay said. They all had a few more. "I'd like to get back to it."

"I need to send Andromeda to the swimming pool," Jasmine said. "Andromeda, how did you feel it went?"

"Okay," I said. "A few cried, but I calmed them down. A few were really angry, but I got them to listen. I think they're going to be okay."

"How many are you sending into the arena?"

"I think just the one."

"Wait," said Clover. "How many did you interview?"

"Seven. Half as many as the rest of you, and I had Jasmine's help with all of them."

"Only after she closed the deal," Jasmine added.

"Wait," said Clover. "What?"

"Six offered to be willing mates," Jasmine said. "One more would have, but she won't be happy with the choices, so we're sending her to the arena. I'll have to rearrange things a little, but she'll offer her ribbon to one. She didn't want the challenges, but she'll do her best."

"What!" said Bay. "She went seven for seven. As humans say: bullshit. Bull followed by shit. Bullshit."

"You cherry picked for her," Clover said. "You picked easy ones."

"How many volunteered for you, Bay?"

"One."

"I got two," Clover said.

"One," said Cedar.

"None for me," Jasmine said. "Five or six is average for a batch, isn't it, and then a few more change their minds once we get them into the arena. She got seven on top of our four."

"Seven," said Clover.

"Clover, schedule a flight to see Peony. You need to get your more difficult cases through their three challenges, but you can feed the easier ones to me, and I'll give some to Andromeda. Feel free to prioritize a little. I'm sorry, I can't give you more than three nights, but I'm working on it."

Clover began snuffling loudly, and then rocking in her chair besides.

"Andromeda took two off my hands," Cedar said. "I could take one or two if it helps."

"I can run events," Dark Skies said. "If someone else handles the negotiations."

"Make it four nights, Clover," Jasmine said. "We can't be assured of this success every batch, but we'll send you as often as we can, and I'm still trying to find fresh help."

Clover nodded, still snuffling. Then she looked up at me. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything," I said. "But you're welcome. Was there more? I'm due, and how is Tracey getting to the pool?"

"Tracey who?" Bay asked.

"One of the women," I said. "She's going swimming with me."

"You bribed one of them with swimming?" Bay asked. "Is that how she convinced all of them? Gave them bribes?"

"I'll handle that," Jasmine said. "You'll need to collect her from her cell. I'll have two guards for you."

"Robes for both of us," I said. "During the walk."

"Of course. I'll be down after my last interviews."

* * * *

I changed out of my work clothes and into my mating candidate clothes. I walked to my cell, and a minute later four guards showed up. They had shackles, and I stared at them. "Are those for me?"

"No," said Piper.

"Oh, right. Let's go." I stepped through them, but Piper and Dilly grabbed my arms. I laughed but didn't fight.

Five minutes later we were outside Tracey's cell. The guys went in first, Tracey and Piper holding me back, and then they let me into Tracey's cell.

"Hey," I said. "Remember me?"

"You look different," said Tracey. "When do I get to see your boobs?"

I laughed. "In the pool. I wouldn't suppose you have a hug for me?"

"The voice said I had to stay here until I was told otherwise."

"Right. Guys, can she get up and hug me?"

"Ms. Peterson, will you cooperate with us?" Piper asked.

"Yes," she said. "Promise."

"You may stand," Piper said.

I stepped forward and pulled Tracey to her feet, and then we hugged. She whispered into my ear, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "It wasn't so hard, was it? I think you should tell the guards."

"Screw them," she said. "They're not offering to let me see
their
boobs."

I laughed. "I like your sense of humor," I replied.

Then I stepped away. She wasn't wearing the visor. I saw it sitting on the end table. "Didn't it work?"

"I didn't want to get it wet."

"Waterproof," I said. "And it's better than swim goggles. But it's up to you. If you don't wear it, they'll make you wear a hood instead, at least until we get to the pool."

"I can wear it swimming?"

"Yep, but you'll lose control of it in the hallways."

She grabbed the visor and slipped it on. "You're sure?"

"Yep. I swim with mine every day. They have to shackle you. Sorry."

"You're not shackled."

"I'm some sort of trustee," I said. "That's what happens when you let the Catseye hug you. Let 'em shackle you up, and we can go."

I stood back. They did the shackles and handcuffs, and then both our visors dimmed.

"Hey!" I complained.

Someone took my arm. "Come along, Trustee," said Piper.

* * * *

They kept us both blind until we were led into the changing room. I grumbled about it, though. "I wanted to see you in the handcuffs, Tracey."

"Kinky that way, huh?" she asked.

"I like the way they make your visor pop," I replied.

She and I engaged in banter the entire way to the pool, but finally the guards left.

"Finally," I said. "They are such pouty faces."

"Are you always this perky?"

"No. I'm whistling in the dark."

"Oh, why?" she asked.

"Because we're about to skinny dip with a bunch of space aliens, and they're going to be staring at us. Although they'll probably stare at you. You're far more stare-worthy. Young and perky. I'm old."

She smiled.

"Well."

"Right. Show me yours and I'll show you mine?"

We laughed and stripped. And yes, she stared at me.

"I've never touched someone else's," Tracey said.

"Nice try. I'm saving myself for marriage."

"Yeah, I bet."

"All right. We can do this. Right?"

"Right."

"They're just space aliens."

"Right."

"Naked space aliens."

"I hear that when you give a speech, you can relax if you think about the audience as naked."

"I tried that once. Oh, it didn't work for me."

"Why not?"

"Because my boss was there, and I didn't really want to think about my boss naked. And I really, really didn't want to think about her boss naked. He was like a hundred and four."

She laughed.

I grabbed her hand and turned her to the pool. We walked side-by-side, and her grip grew tighter. "What if they don't like me?"

"Then you can spend the entire time staring at my ass."

"No way. I'm not into ass."

"Then you better be a good swimmer, cause otherwise it's my ass that you're going to see."

"Oh, I might be able to keep up with you," she said. "You're an old lady."

"We'll see."

And then we stepped out into the pool room.

As I had this morning, I scanned. No males. No other humans. "Whew!" I said.

"What?"

"No males."

"Oh. Yeah." Then she scanned the room. "Oh shit, there are a lot of aliens though, and they're all staring at us."

"Screw that," I said. "They've seen mine. They're staring at yours."

"No, I don't think so." She nudged. "That one is definitely staring at yours."

"That one has had mine," I said. "Her name is Cherish. You're really going to like her."

"She doesn't have any boobs."

"No, but she's smart as all get out, really sweet, and I really like her."

"So, that's the one you want to pick you?"

"Maybe." Then I nudged. "That one. In the blue skin."

"Yeah."

"Octal. If she invites you to a battle of wills, just say yes, okay? Trust me."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"She's not after serious. Long story. But let's just say. Oh. Em. Gee."

"How many aliens have you slept with?"

"Just her. I had sex with the Tutor though. And took a bath with the Wookie, but she's not sure if she wants more."

"Which Wookie? I think there's two."

"Oh, so there are. I'll introduce you in a bit. So, shall we go make a splash?"

She laughed. "Sure."

I'd hoped that Jasmine would relent on the clothing. I should have known better. But she did offer a sort of compromise. Back in my cell, there was a silky, pure white kimono waiting. It was sleek and felt really good, and just the little bit extra helped with my confidence.

The visor wouldn't let me walk to the party myself. Instead, I had to wait for guards, and then they shackled me besides. My visor dimmed, and I was led through the facility. We arrived... somewhere... and I was pressed against the wall.

Do not panic.

The wall swallowed me, or enough of me I couldn't have escaped. The shackles were removed, and then I was stuck there.

And my visor wouldn't respond, either. But then some music began, and so I waited. I was even at least a little patient about it.

I don't know how long they kept me there, but it might have been a half hour. I had no control over the visor until much later, and so I couldn't tell the time, and I was left to guess.

But then the music faded, and the sound of the room came in. I heard people talking quietly, some of it English, some of it not. Then the visor brightened. But still the wall held me.

I was in a ballroom, and when I looked around, so were the rest of the women. And in front of us, walking back and forth to check us out, were the aliens.

More aliens than I expected.

Oh, it wasn't hundreds, but it might have been two dozen or a little more.

I looked, and there were nine of us women, including the ones I had invited. They were looking around, too, and I saw some expressions smooth when they turned to see me, bound the same as they were.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

I got some nods, a couple said, "Yes," and there were a couple who said, "I guess so."

The alien women seemed to be enjoying this. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I had three watching me, and I didn't recognize any of them, but then Cherish stepped up beside them. The four talked quietly.

"Seriously?" I asked. "Are you even going to say hello?"

She didn't, but she waved her fingers at me.

"Brat," I muttered. "Fine." I looked back and forth. I was at the end, with the rest of the human women towards my right. Immediately beside me was Alisha. She was looking a little miffed.

"Hey. Doctor Stanley."

She turned her head.

"They play games," I said.

She nodded. "Call me Alisha."

"I'm Andie," I said.

"What are they doing?"

"I can guess this is Administrator Brighteye's latest plan to put us off balance," I replied. "But there's a certain Loris who might have been consulted. I'd introduce him to... whatever it is that eats lorises. Lorai. Whatever the plural of loris is."

"Snakes," she said. "Snakes prey on lorises."

"Perfect. Where can I get a snake?"

"Bangladesh."

"Hmm. That's over by India, isn't it. I'm not sure Administrator Brighteyes will let me go that far. I wonder if I can order one on Amazon and have it shipped."

"I don't think Amazon ships dangerous snakes across international borders," she replied. "You could try."

"We're in Africa," I said. "I bet the reason there aren't any lorises in Africa is because the lions ate them all. I bet I can get a lion."

"Or a pack of hyenas," Alisha suggested. "Dirty animals."

"There you go."

"Why are we talking about lorises?"

"There's an alien race that looks quite a bit like a slow loris, only somewhat larger. They're called Lorises. And there's one here with a particularly nasty sense of humor."

"Oh, now I understand." She looked down. "They aren't going to leave us in here all night, are they?"

"I think that would defeat the purpose," I said. "This is supposed to give all of us a chance to meet people. But they're aliens, and Administrator Brighteyes is a voyeur besides. Who knows how they think?"

Alisha smiled. "All right." She pointed with her nose. "What's that one?"

"Which one?" I said. "There's twenty of them."

"Twenty seven," she said. "The one with six limbs."

"That's a Greenbear," I said. "I haven't met one before."

"Does she speak English?"

"I don't know. Let's find out." I raised my voice. "Hey! Greenbear! Hey!"

The Grenbear didn't respond, but she was talking to one of the Catseye while looking at Deb. The Catseye nodded though then gestured to me and said something. The Greenbear turned.

"Yeah, you," I said. "Doctor Stanley here wants to know if you speak English."

The Greenbear turned to the Catseye, and the Catseye spoke quietly.

"I don't think she speaks English."

So Alisha raised her voice, speaking German. The Greenbear snapped her head over, and then she lumbered towards us, coming to a stop in front of Alisha. Then the two of them began speaking in slow, careful German.

"Well, what do you know?" I muttered.

The two talked for a few minutes, and then the Greenbear stepped closer. She caressed Alisha's face, and then a moment later, the wall retracted, leaving Alisha -- but not the rest of us -- free.

"Hey!" I complained. "What did you tell her?"

Alisha turned. "She invited a conversation. Don't worry. I'm holding out for a Catseye, but she seems nice." And then she offered an arm, and the two of them walked off, me staring after them.

"Well," I said. "Hey. Catseye. How about letting me out?"

She ignored me.

One by one, I saw the other women released from the wall. And while a lot of the aliens checked me out, not a single one accepted an offer to come talk to me. Finally I was the only one still stuck in the wall, and I didn't think it was funny.

I fumed but finally shut up. No one wanted to talk to me? Fine. But I wasn't going swimming in the morning, either.

So I stood there, hugged by the wall. Fuming. I couldn't access the visor. I couldn't get loose, and no one wanted to talk to me. Look at me, yes. Talk to me? No.

I was sure Jasmine put all of them up to it. I wasn't happy with my friends.

But then slowly a group of aliens collected in front of me, none looking my way. Cherish was there, and Soft Rain with the other Wookie. Dark Skies showed up and pointedly ignored me. Clover arrived, and the Wookie wandered off. The four of them talked quietly, perhaps ten feet in front of me.

I gave them dirty looks and didn't say a word.

Then Jasmine joined them, and she ignored me, too.

They ignored me for five, maybe ten minutes. I eventually just closed my eyes and tried to tune everything out. But my blood was pounding in my ears.

And then I heard Jasmine's voice. "Hello, Mating Candidate Hayes."

"You're a funny woman, Administrator," I said. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Why?"

"A joke that carried too far," she said. "But you look like you're ready to do something stupid, so I'm hoping you'll calm down."

"Explain."

"I thought someone would rescue you. I told your friends to leave you for someone who hasn't met you. But everyone else thought I was punishing you, so they avoided you."

"So you're going to let me out."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because no one gets out unless she accepts an offer of a conversation."

"Fine. Offer a conversation."

"With someone she hasn't met."

"And no one seems to be willing to talk to me enough to let me loose. So you're going to leave me here all night?"

"No, but once you calm down, I'll spread the word you're available to be released. Someone will eventually free you."

"I'm not sure I believe anything you tell me," I said. "I think this is exactly what you said: a joke. I'm a joke."

She didn't say anything for a minute. "I like teasing you," she finally admitted.

"And looking at me?"

"Yes, I like looking at you."

"Like this?"

"Actually, a little, yes."

I huffed. "Fine. You can have your game. But if no one is going to rescue me, could you let me have my visor controls back?"

"Still mad?"

"This was a joke on me."

"Yes. This part was a joke on you. But I think putting all of you here was a good choice. It let everyone see you, and it set a mood I feel needed to be set."

"All right," I said. "Let me have my visor and keep everyone away for a short while. I'll be cheerful again in a few minutes. I just need to finish calming down."

"Thank you."

"But you owe me."

"You are stipulating a price?"

"Yes. I want a dance. Do Catseye dance?"

"We can try," she said. "Later."

"Later," I said. "All right."

She stepped away, and a moment later I tried my visor. The controls returned, although I only had limited choices. I couldn't send email or otherwise initiate contact with anyone. I put on some music and closed my eyes.

She left me there for a while, but then I heard a voice. "You are Andromeda Hayes."

I opened my eyes, and there was a Catseye watching me.

"I am," I said.

"I am Periwinkle Moon."

"I am pleased to meet you, Periwinkle Moon. Are we to be friends?"

"Perhaps we are," she said.

"Then maybe you'll call me Andie." I accessed the visor and told it to pause the music.

"You may call me Periwinkle, or if you like something shorter, some call me Wink."

"What is your Catseye name?"

She made a sound. It was several syllables, and I couldn't have reproduced any of them.

"I don't think I can say that," I admitted.

"Which is why we have names humans recognize," she said, her tentacles quivering lightly. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course."

"I heard you were swimming earlier."

"Yes."

"Without clothing."

"Yes. You should have had an invitation."

"It was
swimming
," she said. "I don't swim."

"Ah. The other Catseye sat at the edge and watched."

"I heard there were two human women."

"Yes. Tracey was with me." I scanned the room. "She's currently talking to the Octal." I gestured with my nose. The Catseye followed me gaze.

"She's pretty."

"Yes," I said.

"I think I'll introduce myself," she said. And then without another word, she walked away.

I was still stuck in the wall.

I looked around, and Jasmine was openly laughing at me. I stuck my tongue out at her then accessed the visor. I told it to shut down all exterior lights and sound and to put the music back on. It obeyed, and I let myself get lost in my own little world.

* * * *

The lights came on and sound returned. Jasmine was staring at me from a foot or two away. "Four women have tried to talk to you," she said. "Including three I very much wanted you to meet. They thought you were ignoring them, and they are now letting people know you are an unpleasant woman. It took me a half hour to figure out what you had done."

"Anyone who wanted to let me go had the last hour and a half to do it." I tried accessing the visor to turn everything off again, but I was locked out. "Give it back and go away."

"I am going to tell them you were working. I need you to meet these women, Andromeda, and I need you to be exceedingly pleasant and cheerful."

"Why do you ask things like that after intentionally pissing me off?"

"I did not intentionally piss you off."

"Oh please. You sent Periwinkle over here just to taunt me."

"I had nothing to do with that. She's an airhead. It didn't even occur to her to let you loose."

"And you know this, how?"

"Because I asked her why she didn't let you go, and she said, 'I was supposed to?'"

"Then why didn't you come over and do it?"

"Because I sent four different women to do it. Are you going to do what I'm asking or not?"

I sighed. "Fine. But give me the visor back."

"If you do that again-"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll give me to an Implac."

"I'll give you a challenge involving shock staffs at full power."

"You would not."

"Fine. I don't know what I'd do, but I might loan you to Bay to test his latest bag of mean tricks."

"Now that's something you'd do. I'll behave, Administrator."

"Call me Jasmine." But she walked away before I could say another word. I turned the music back, but I set a proximity alarm before closing my eyes and zoning to the music.

It was a few minutes later that the visor beeped at me. I opened my eyes, and an alien was walking towards me. She was small, about the size of the Loris, with a pale, furless face. Her eyes were big and glowed, somewhat like a Catseye, but with a sort of shifting, light purple light. She had no nose, which was a little off-putting, but a full mouth. She was either wearing lipstick or had bright purple lips. I couldn't be sure.