Untitled (11 page)

pulled back.

―I'll help you break in.‖

―No. She needs time to cry it out. To accept—‖

   ―That her life's dream is dead? We're monsters.‖

   ―Aye. But we're
her
monsters. We belong to her as much as she belongs to us.‖

   ―Because we bought her!‖

   ―Because she chose us. There were two other groups who bid for her. When we bargained with Tante, she didn't hesitate to give us Eden. It seemed she knew Eden wanted us.‖

   ―Maybe Tante should have chosen one of the others. After all, they pooled their funds and bought Azura.‖
Ruined—
destroyed—
Eden's
dreams.

   ―Are you saying it's
their
fault she's upset?‖

   ―Well…no.‖ Kaliq collapsed in a chair. ―How long should we give her to cry it out?‖

   Pacing the living room, Kamal shrugged. ―Not too long. She'll find a way to get around us.‖

   ―Like how?‖

   ―Like have Tante refund our credits.‖

   Kaliq snorted. ―Eden could beg her to do that, but would Tante actually do it? I don't think so.‖

   ―I don't either, but…‖ Stopping at the bathroom door, he rattled the knob. Silence. Not even a teary
go away.

   Kaliq huffed. ―Too bad we told her about Azura.‖

   ―She'd have heard about it sooner or later.‖

―We could have been…‖

   ―Kinder? Sugarcoated the news? The outcome wouldn't change.‖

   ―Still…if we'd explained our intentions, curbed our tempers.‖

   Kamal laughed. ―At least we all lost control at the same time.‖

   ―Aye. And now look even more foolish.‖

   They lapsed into silence, neither aware of Eden's droid until D'dan cleared its throat.

   ―If you care,
messieurs
, Ms. Eden has fallen asleep in her bathtub.‖

   ―And you know this how?‖

   D'dan sniffed, clearly insulted. ―I took her blankets and pillows. I also put something in her tea to help her sleep.‖

   Kaliq surged to his feet. Kamal reached the droid in two long strides and looked as if he would shake information from its metal frame.

   ―Are you saying…‖

   ―There's another way into that—‖

   ―Blasted bathroom?‖

   ―But yes. And if you hurry, you can get her to your spaceship before she awakens.‖

   ―Thank you, D'dan.‖ Kamal pumped the droid's hand.

   ―I'll contact our crew. You pack Eden's clothes,‖ Kaliq told D'dan.

   ―I have sent all Ms. Eden's belongings ahead. Your crew expects you within the hour.‖

   ―Eden won't thank you for this interference,

D'dan.‖

   The droid seemed to grin. ―It may take some time—and all your manly skills,
messieurs—
but I think Ms. Eden will be most gratified. Most gratified indeed.‖

   In the end they decided against abducting her and fell to sleep on her wide bed. The click of the bathroom lock awakened them. Rubbing sleep from their eyes, they sat up and watched Eden stride into her bedroom
, t
hen halt midstride.

   ―Why are you still here?‖ she demanded.

   
Pissed, K
amal linked.

   
Totally, K
aliq linked back.

   ―You should have chosen Azura. I'm sure she would gladly go with you to…wherever you're from.‖

   ―We don't—‖ Kaliq began.

   ―Want Azura,‖ Kamal finished.

   ―Kaliq wanted her,‖ Eden reminded them.

   ―He did, before—‖

   ―I discovered what a lying bitch she is.‖

   
That got Eden's attention.

   
Completely.

   They watched as Eden donned a robe and then sat at her dressing table. Picking up a silverbacked brush, she stroked it through her hair. She seemed to ignore them, but they could feel the curiosity flowing through her.

   ―Why do you think Azura's a lying bitch?‖ she asked several minutes later.

   ―Because she insinuated you weren't a virgin,‖ Kaliq said, his face heating as he recalled Azura's whispered innuendo.

   ―She told you?‖

   ―She's not only a liar, she's stupid,‖ Kamal observed, leaving the bed to kneel at Eden's side.

   ―Meaning?‖

   Kaliq joined his brother on Eden's other side. ―She thought I'd keep what she said to myself.‖

   ―That Kaliq wouldn't tell me,‖ Kamal clarified.

   ―So you told Tante,‖ Eden said, looking at Kaliq.

   ―I did,‖ Kamal said. ―If Azura spread more lies, we wanted to hear them. Since I was obviously more interested in you, we suspected she wouldn't risk lying to me.‖

   ―I would have told
you
, Kamal.‖ She smiled at his reflection. ―If I wanted to drive a suitor away, he's the one I would lie to.‖

   ―Which supports our thinking her stupid.‖

* * * *

Eden swallowed the achy lump of gratitude in her throat. ―Thank you.‖

   They grasped her hands and pulled her to her feet.

   ―There's something else you should see,‖ Kamal said, leading her into her living room. The table from last night's dinner remained. So did their chairs. In the table's center, a parchment envelope rested, addressed to her in Tante's unmistakable script.

   ―Did you read it?‖ Eden asked, looking from one to the other.

   ―No,‖ they said together.

   ―But you know what it says.‖

   ―We—‖ Kaliq began.

   ―Suspect,‖ Kamal finished, pulling out her chair.

   Kaliq pressed her shoulders, literally forcing her to sit. They turned as one, stopping when Eden called their names.

   ―Please stay.‖

   They studied her face for a long moment
,
then sat.

   As she reached for Tante's letter, Eden saw that her hands were shaking. Adding to her mixed emotions of dread and anticipation, her stomach churned and she felt as though a fever had struck her.

   ―Would you read it
,
then tell me?‖ she asked the men.

   ―No,‖ they said as one.

   ―Do you know what it's about?‖

   ―We have an idea,‖ Kamal admitted.

   ―But there's only one way to know,‖ Kaliq added.

   The men plucked the letter off the table and put it in her hands. ―Read.‖

   She did. She gasped in surprise as tears welled in her eyes. Joy flooded through her followed by an odd sense of deflation. She'd won her heart's desire, but… What was left for her now?

   ―May we?‖ Kamal asked, taking the letter from her hand. She could only nod.

   Kaliq read it aloud.

   ―M
y Dear Eden,

   
It
seems
Azura's
proclaiming
herself
The Consummate Courtesan
was a bit premature. The
bids were so close I had them retabulated and you won,
child. Congratulations! It also seems you now have two
choices—at least two—for how you will spend your
days. The obvious one is to remain at Rising Moons. I
am tempted to add
And rub Azura's nose in your success.
But you are kinder than I am. The second
choice is to listen to your lovers. They have something
that may suit you even better. Whatever you decide,
child, know you will always be in my heart.

   
Tante

   
P.S. I told you I would vindicate us!

   Eden laughed as she covered her mouth with both hands. The men stared at her as if she'd grown a second head—neither of which had a brain.

   ―You…you did this, didn't you?‖ she said when she finally stopped laughing.

   ―We might have—‖

   ―Had something to do with the retabulation,‖ Kamal finished.

   ―But Azura's conglomerate played a part as well,‖ Kaliq continued. ―They agreed her overweening ego needed pricking. They agreed to

letting her believe she'd won.‖

―And to having the title taken away.‖

―B-but did I truly win or is it all deceit?‖

―You won, Eden,‖ Kamal assured her.

―Fair and square. The question now is—‖

―Will you listen to our proposal?‖

Eyeing them suspiciously, she nodded.

―I suppose—‖ Kaliq began.

   ―We should begin with a question. What now, Eden?‖

   ―What do you want for yourself?‖

   Her shrug felt stiff. ―In truth, I never thought beyond my goal. For the last five—almost six years—all I've thought about, dreamed about, trained for was…this.‖ Spreading her fingers as if her future lay between them, she added, ―How very shortsighted of me.‖

   ―Where we come from such dedication is admired,‖ Kamal said, taking her hand.

   That now familiar, dampened jolt coursed through her with something more than lust under it. When Kaliq took her other hand, she felt as if they were all connected somehow. Not just physically, but emotionally as well.

   ―I'll miss you,‖ she confessed, a catch in her voice.

   ―You could—‖

   ―Come with us.‖

   Jerking free, she stood and strode away. ―I can't.‖

   ―Why not?‖ they said as one.

   ―I told you—when I sang about growing up at Rising Moons.‖

   ―You sang that your parents died,‖ Kaliq said.

   ―Not how,‖ Kamal added, seeming to make an intuitive leap that the
how w
as important to Eden and to their cause.

   ―Oh.‖ Turning away, she stared out the window. The gray skies heralded a rainy day— something else the original immigrants had missed about Earth and recreated on Venus. She didn't want to tell them. She knew she'd cry, the memory of that loss still tore at her.

   ―If we don't know what troubles you—‖

   ―We can't help.‖

   ―Why do you want to help? I'm nothing to you.‖ As soon as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. They were part of her now, whether she admitted it or not. Tante had warned all her students against caring too deeply for any client— especially the one—or ones—who initiated them in sensuality. Despite those warnings, Eden had grown…fond of Kaliq and Kamal.

   Their silence added to her growing list of traits she admired about them. Kindness, courteousness, senses of humor. And now patience.

   ―They died in a hovercraft explosion,‖ she whispered, hoping they wouldn't hear. Praying they would.

   ―You are afraid,‖ Kaliq began.

   ―Of flying,‖ Kamal ended.

   ―I have family on Earth. Second cousins, I think.

They were willing to take me in, but…the very idea of flying petrified me. Tante thought I would outgrow my fear, given time. So she let me stay at Rising Moons. For several years my relatives asked me to come to them and then…they stopped asking.‖

   ―We can—‖

   Eden saw Kamal's reflection make a cutting gesture across his throat. Kaliq fell silent.

   At last Kamal said, ―We want to take you home with us, Eden. But obviously the decision is yours. All we ask is that you think about what y
ou w
ant.‖

   With that they left.

   For a long while she watched rain seep down her windowpanes, each drop an unshed tear of hers. Her heart felt empty—emptier than when she'd learned of her parents' deaths. A child's grief felt very different from what she felt now. The thought of never seeing her lovers again threatened to choke her.

   Tante counseled making lists of pros and cons when facing difficult choices. Fetching paper and pen, Eden returned to the table and sat. Writing
Stay
and
Go
at the top of two columns, she stared at the otherwise blank page. Under S
tay s
he wrote
Replace Tante when she retires.

   But there was no guarantee Tante would ever retire. By the Goddess, Eden had no idea how old Tante was! Nor was Eden certain she wanted the responsibility of keeping hormonal teenagers from exploring their newfound skills with each other. The younger generation seemed less inclined to value their virginity. And why should they learn the art of setting a lovely table when a droid could do it faster? Better and even lovelier? And if their partner was unskilled in massage, where would they find relaxation for themselves? She enjoyed creating succulent meals, but suspected most students would think it a waste of time. Once they ate, what remained except the mess?

   In her imagination she saw Rising Moons declining into nothingness, she powerless to stop it. Telling herself that could happen regardless of what she decided did little to ease her conscience. Stay or go she would feel responsible if Rising Moons failed.