That left Logan.
And Tarla.
At dinner, the ten men were asked to join the women for a meeting in the barn. Tarla repeated everything previously told to Geoffrey and Logan before announcing how everyone was to be paired off. Throughout her speech and the subsequent questions and answers, Logan's gaze stayed fixed on her. Without looking at him, she had no doubt that he had already guessed who he would be living with for the next year.
"How did you know?" Tarla asked after the pairs were named and she caught the smirk on his face.
"Simple deduction. Being such a nice girl, you would have let everyone else pick first, and none of them would want to live with me. You don't either, but you had no choice."
"It isn't that—"
"Don't bother," he murmured, cutting off her attempt to deny the truth of his words. "I'm like the fat kid in the neighborhood. Always the last one to get picked in a game, but at least I still get to play. Don't worry. You're perfectly safe with me. I only assault and murder men... not women. And as long as no one's pumping me full of drugs, I can promise to keep my hands off you. I assume you can make the same guarantee to me."
Tarla had a smart retort in mind but she didn't get the chance to deliver it.
"Now comes the hard part," Geoffrey declared after each pair had shared a few words. "We have to tell everyone else what's going on and convince them to be patient while we fulfill our part of the bargain. I'm placing Gianni in charge of keeping the peace. He can choose whoever he wants to help him."
"What about Nadia?" Tarla asked. "Willy said she tried to escape while we were gone."
"That's right," Geoffrey replied. "But she's no longer our hostage. She's a prisoner on this farm. It's up to her people to keep her here now, not us. However, I'll take the control box with me just to make sure no one, including her, can leave too easily."
As predicted, there were a lot of unhappy men after they heard the details of the agreement. Naturally, Wilkes and his pals were the loudest and nastiest. But even they didn't match the fury that erupted from Nadia when she read the formal decree from Parisia that sentenced her to five years in the commune. It was decided to keep her restrained until she calmed down, or at least until the group of twenty left the farm.
Gianni understood he had quite a job ahead of him but he believed he and a few others could manage, especially since the major was leaving Nadia's paralyzer in his possession. Nevertheless, he considered telling everyone it was safe to go back to drinking the water again.
Parisia and Iris had set the rendezvous for midnight and had given Tarla a brooch with a timepiece in it. They thought it would be best to get the Earth people settled in when the least number of residents would take notice.
By the last hour of the day, most of the hostilities and envy died down and farewells were said. The couples took nothing into the tack room with them other than the clothes they were wearing, since they had been told everything would be provided. Moments after they all filed into the tack room and bolted the door, the back wall opened.
"Welcome back," Parisia said to Tarla with a pleasant smile. On her right stood Iris with her fixed expression of worry, on her left was a younger, slightly taller version of herself. Behind them was a long, empty hallway. "Let's go to a more spacious area for our introductions." The Heart women turned and led the group down the hallway to a vacant room that appeared to be the one they had awakened in before.
The first thing Tarla noticed after they entered the room was that Parisia and Iris kept their gazes away from the men, but the other young woman kept sneaking peeks at them. She appeared to be both curious and fearful.
Parisia introduced herself and Iris first. "And this is my First Aide, Brianne, who also happens to be my daughter. She has volunteered to act as liaison and advisor for your group so that your integration will be as smooth as possible. Tarla, if you'd be so kind as to provide each person's field of expertise with your introductions, it would be appreciated."
Tarla ran through the roster, embellishing the men's capabilities to justify their questionable presence. From the relieved looks on the Heart women's faces, her additional effort had been sorely needed.
"Thank you, Tarla," Parisia said. "We're pleased you have agreed to help us. The first order of business is to get you settled in your new accommodations. You'll be in a temporary-stay facility close to the Imperial Palace and Parliament. Normally it is filled with visiting dignitaries, but an entire delegation returned to their home province yesterday after the special meeting of Parliament. Among the units they vacated were six one-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments, which Brianne immediately leased for your group. Conveniently, there is a large meeting room on the top floor that has also been leased for your work area."
Logan leaned down and murmured into Tarla's ear, "Six plus four equals ten bedrooms. Where are the servants' quarters?"
Iris's nostrils flared as she inhaled sharply. Looking only at Tarla, she said, "Your houseman will be forgiven this time but be certain he and the others are aware of our laws in the future." Though she kept her gaze on Tarla, she summarized the most important rules for the men to obey without question. "A man never speaks unless spoken to first by a woman, nor does he look directly at any part of her form. A man never makes physical contact with a woman, no matter how slight. There should always be a minimum of one arm's length between a man and a woman, unless he is in the process of performing a requested service."
"Do we have to walk two steps behind them too?" T.J. asked sarcastically.
Lee swiftly pinched a muscle at the base of his neck, making him wince in pain. "Not so funny anymore, is it, wise-ass? Get this through your thick macho heads, boys. This is no joke. You ever want to see blue sky again, you play along the way we've been told. If that means you bite your tongue and walk two steps behind us, you do it. Got it?" She waited for a jerky nod from T.J. before she released him. To Parisia and Iris, she said, "I sincerely apologize for the impertinence of my stupid houseman. He'll improve quickly, I promise you."
Tarla thought Brianne's eyes were going to pop out of her head for a moment, but she got her shock under control when her mother started to speak again.
"With regard to the apartments, even though you may be somewhat crowded, we felt it was better to have you all in one confined area rather than scattered throughout the city. As it is, people will be watching you every chance they get for a while. It would be in everyone's best interest not to give them too many opportunities to find fault.
"There's a shuttle waiting to take you to the facility. Brianne will escort you and fill you in on the essentials along the way. We wish you good luck and good night." Parisia and Iris left the room and headed in one direction, as Brianne led the group in another.
Tarla sensed the woman's anxiety. Moving up beside Brianne, she murmured, "There's nothing to worry about. We train easily and hardly ever bite our caretakers."
Brianne's eyes opened wide again before realizing Tarla was teasing her. "This is not the sort of thing I'm usually required to do," she said in a confidential tone. "I'm a little nervous."
"Then you must be able to imagine how we feel."
Those were apparently the right words to say, for Brianne cleared her throat and found the confidence to begin her task a moment later. "As Parisia said, I will be your liaison for the duration. We must insist that you limit your contact with other residents of the city as much as possible."
She stopped the group at the foot of a wide escalator that spiraled upward. "Please watch your balance. These stairs are moving rather swiftly." Brianne stepped on and turned to face the others. When the last man had boarded, she continued, "Your apartments have been stocked with some food and other supplies. Accounts will be established for each woman to purchase goods as needed, including clothing. The entertainment center in each apartment comes equipped with a manager, which can be used to purchase items you require and have them delivered.
"It is our custom to
have our housemen go to the market every few days to personally select fresh food, but I was told Earth men are not always skilled in the culinary arts. If that is the case, prepared meals can be ordered for delivery as well. I have been told that your civilization has developed considerably beyond what we provide for those in the commune, but if you have any questions at all, I will be readily available to assist."
By the time they reached the top of the escalator, Tarla estimated they'd gone up at least forty floors. From the last stair they stepped onto a moving walkway. This carried them outside onto a rooftop, which appeared to be a parking lot, though none of the vehicles sitting between the parallel lines were familiar.
Each object looked somewhat like a child's bubble pipe with the stem and bowl sitting on the pavement and a big bubble emerging from the bowl. There were a range of sizes and colors and the bubbles seemed to have been blown in a variety of formations, including an enormous oblong one that turned out to be the shuttle Parisia had mentioned.
Glowing lights lured Tarla to the half-wall at the edge of the roof. Between the artificial illumination and the clear, star-filled sky, she got her first glimpse of the imperial city. A network of narrow silver ribbons wound between and over skyscrapers, which were formed like cylinders, spheres, corkscrews and pyramids. Most of them appeared to be constructed of reflective metal, colored in a rainbow of pastel shades.
A closer look revealed that a few of the bubble pipe objects were zipping along the ribbons. "How do they move?" Tarla asked Brianne with open fascination.
"A system of magnets. It's quiet and completely energy-efficient." Brianne pointed to her right. "You see the building over there, with the golden dome and towers at each corner? That's the Imperial Palace."
"Wow! It looks like the Taj Mahal," Robin said with open admiration.
Brianne directed their gazes to the aqua cylinder next to the palace, which was nearly as high as the structure they were on. "That's Parliament. Your residences are in the section of smaller buildings behind that."
Tarla scanned the faces around her and knew the others were stricken with the same awe she was. Even Logan was unable to maintain his bored expression as he took in the amazing panorama.
"Shall we go?" Brianne asked, clearly pleased that they were impressed by her home.
As they boarded the shuttle, Brianne advised the men that they were required to sit in the rear of the vehicle with at least one row of vacant seats between them and the women in the front.
For the trip down the side of the building, the forward portion of the shuttle raised so the passengers ' seats remained level. Brianne had the conductor take them on a tour of the vicinity so they would have an idea of how to get around. She pointed out the marketplace, shuttle stops, grooming and fitness salons and so on. The swift, silent ride didn't last nearly long enough for Tarla, who undoubtedly felt more at home than any of the others, but she reasoned she'd have plenty of time in the coming months to explore every inch of the beautiful city.
The building they were taken to was a salmon-hued, five-story pentagon with a garden courtyard in the center. For expedience, Brianne took the entire group into one apartment to demonstrate anything they might not be familiar with. She was clearly ill at ease as she pointed out how the various pieces in the living room could be rearranged to create beds for the men, repeatedly apologizing about there not being enough private rooms for everyone.
Rather than assign specific pairs to the various apartments, she pointed out where the available units were located and left it to the women to choose.
Kara and Darcy, and Trish and Mandy, resolved part of the decision-making by offering to share the two two-bedroom apartments on the ground floor. Tarla and Robin selected the two units on the top floor by the conference room and the others took the ones in between.
Brianne handed each woman her personal access key, saying, "I believe it would be wisest for everyone to get some rest and use this first day to get acquainted with your new environment. Tomorrow I will come by and show you the workroom we've prepared for you. As mentioned, I am the official liaison for the group and will be continuously available to provide assistance or guidance. But I will request one favor."
She handed Tarla a small red box with one black button on top. "I would prefer you be my primary contact. If everyone else would go through you, it would be much more efficient. And if I'm not present when you need me, just press this button and we'll be able to speak to each other."
As soon as Tarla agreed, they all bid each other good night and went their separate ways.
Tarla had avoided thinking too deeply about the new arrangements, but once the door to her apartment closed and she and Logan were alone in a relatively small space, she could no longer avoid it.
While she stood in the middle of the main room trying to decide how to begin, Logan went about rearranging the furnishings to create a bed for himself.
"We should probably talk about this," she said as he moved around her.
"Are you giving me permission to speak?" he asked without looking at her.
"Don't you dare pull an attitude with me! I didn't make the rules here."
"No, you didn't make them, but you have to abide by them, same as me. The way I figure it, our best bet is to follow their laws to the letter, even when we're in here alone. That way it becomes habit and we're less apt to make a mistake in public. I intend to give that order to all the men."
"You intend to give the order?" she asked with a challenging air. "The first habit you'd better adopt is that you don't give orders to anyone anymore."
He glared at her for several seconds then turned away. "You're absolutely right. From here on, you're the chief of this operation."
She clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. As he walked past her to get another cube, she touched his arm to stop him. "Logan, please—"
"No touching," he said sharply, jerking away. "It's against the law."
Despite the fact that the excuse for his attitude sounded logical, Tarla knew he was purposely being more of an ass than necessary. She was positive he resented the role reversal and planned to take his bad mood out on her, even though he knew it wasn't her fault. Well, two could play that game.
"Fine," she said, sticking her nose up in the air. "As of right now, we are no longer Captain Tarla Yan and Sergeant Logan McKay of Earth. I am Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Heart, and you are my lowly houseman." She snapped her fingers at him. "Run me a bath, turn down my bed and make me a cup of herbal tea to help me sleep."
Logan gnashed his teeth but he nodded and headed for the bathroom. Insisting they obey Heart's laws when they were alone had been the only thing he could think of to keep a rein on his sanity. The mere thought of her taking a bath and going to bed a few feet away from him made his skin itch.
As long as she abided by the arm's-length rule and remained annoyed with him, he figured he could hold the ache in his chest to a dull throbbing. If she insisted on touching him and being nice, there was no telling how long it would be before he was making a fool of himself again.
Tarla frowned as she followed him into the bedroom. The fact that the only access to the bathroom was through there would present problems between any two people who weren't naturally close. She and Logan were going to have to sit down and work things out very soon, but she was probably going to have to tweak his nose a few more times before he'd start being reasonable.
The bathroom was only one obstacle. They were facing as much as a year of cohabitation and it would go a lot easier if they didn't try to do it as enemies. They both needed to ignore their previous incidents of intimacy and behave like roommates who happen to be sharing living space through necessity. They didn't need to become best friends, but they did need to be able to get along with each other.
While he was in the bathroom, she inspected the contents of the clothes closet and bureau drawers. Brianne had said the apartments would be stocked with a few items. The key word had b
een few. There were four plain caftans hanging on the rack—two aqua and two pink. The pink were considerably wider and longer. She took out a smaller one and laid it on the bed. Most of the drawers were empty, but one had two pairs of large pink boxer shorts in it, and another had two sets of aqua chemises and tap-style underpants. Obviously, the first order of business upon awakening was going to be a shopping spree with the manager.
The scowl on Logan's face when he came out of the bathroom and she showed him the clothing selection was more explicit than a thousand curse words, but he still managed to hold his tongue.
"I'll have my tea while I bathe," she said in a regal tone, then went to keep an eye on the water level in the tub while he marched off to the kitchen. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had added perfumed bubbles to the water, set out a fluffy towel and washcloth, and formed a head rest with another towel rolled like a log. Perhaps having him as a personal servant wasn't going to be all that hard.
When he brought in her tea and set it on the ledge of the tub, she was firmly set in her queenly mode. "That will be all for now. But I'm sure I'll be famished when I wake up, so plan on preparing a full meal."
On his way out, he mumbled, "You sure you don't want me to scrub the scales off your back, madam?"
Tarla smiled. He couldn't possibly keep up the subservient act for long. She estimated that he'd either explode or be ready to negotiate a truce within twenty-four hours.
Chapter 15
A quarter of the time Tarla had set for Logan to detonate flew by while she slept more soundly than she had in a very long time. The unmistakable smell of sautéing onions and garlic seduced her out of a pleasant dream that dissolved without a trace of recollection.
LOGAN (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 5) Page 19
