Following her gaze, Bonnie watched as Cat left their booth, thinking that he had to be the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life. Tall and lean with black curls down to his waist, just the way he moved was enough to make most women fall at his feet, but his smile would have melted a stone. Even the way he dressed was sexy—a loose white tunic, black breeches, and tall black boots— and reminded Bonnie of a pirate. Bonnie turned to look at Lynx, standing there behind her, and noted that while the two men had the same kind of eyes, ears, and fangs, the resemblance ended there. Cat was outgoing and confident and positively exuded sexuality, whereas Lynx was so sullen and withdrawn, it was hard to believe they were even from the same planet.
Bonnie was glad she was looking at Lynx when he saw Cat, because there was plenty of emotion there, all right: his mouth dropped open and, for a second or two, she thought his knees were going to give way beneath him.
“Cark?” he said in an unsteady voice.
“Lynxsander?” Cat said more after that, but it was in a language that Bonnie could only assume was Zetithian. Lynx ran to him then, and they hugged each other tightly; Cat laughing joyously, and Lynx sobbing as though his heart would break. So, he does have emotions after all…
A moment later, Leccarian “Leo” Banadänsk crossed the plaza, and Bonnie hoped Salan wasn’t around to see him, or she probably would have swooned where she stood. As tall as Cat, but golden rather than dark, he reminded Bonnie of the lions that his wife, Tisana, had nicknamed him for. Exuding leonine grace and power, he also had a smile that would warm a much colder heart than Salan's—a smile that right now was positively beaming with delight.
Lynx's eyes were glowing with a fire Bonnie had never seen there before as Leo raced forward to hug him even harder than Cat had done.
“Where have you been, Lynxsander?” Leo said laughing. “We feared you were dead!”
Lynx couldn’t even utter a reply, but it didn’t seem to matter, because Leo obviously didn’t expect one. The explanations could come later.
“Honest to God, they turn up everywhere we go!” Jack declared, still completely astonished. “It must be fate or something. First we picked up Leo on Utopia and then we ran into two brothers on Darconia! Cat always said there were others in his unit who were sold as slaves, but I never dreamed we’d ever find any of them! Where the hell did he come from?”
“He just showed up one day,” Bonnie replied with a shrug. “He was looking for work, and since the mines weren’t hiring, Drummond sent him to me.”
“Oh, wow!” Jack said with a heartfelt sigh. Then, seeming to come to her senses, she looked at Bonnie and grinned. “So, are you happy with him?”
“Happy?” she said blankly.
“Oh, of course you are!” Jack exclaimed. “How could you possibly have been with one of them and not be happy?”
“Been with one of them?” Bonnie echoed. “As in…?”
Jack stared at Bonnie as though she’d gone barking mad. “You mean you aren’t lovers?”
“No,” Bonnie said hastily. “He just works for me… and he doesn’t like women.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Jack scoffed. “Why the hell doesn’t he like women?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Bonnie replied. “He barely even talks to me.”
Jack shrugged. “Well, Cat was a bit standoffish when I first found him, but he warmed up real quick.” Her eyes narrowed. “How long's he been working for you?”
“Several weeks,” Bonnie replied. “He does a great job, but he doesn’t like me at all.”
“Been too tough on him?” suggested Jack.
“Nope, not really—haven’t needed to be,” Bonnie admitted. “I hardly ever have to tell him what to do. That part is pretty nice, but he's not! Not nice, not friendly, and not interested in me at all—or any other woman, for that matter.”
“Well, that's pretty fuckin’ strange!” declared Jack. “Huh! Guess they aren’t all alike, then. Shoots the shit out of my theory.”
“Your theory?”
“About why their planet got blown to bits,” Jack replied. “You see, I think it was because the guys were so irresistible that someone decided to get rid of them.”
“Irresistible?” Bonnie glanced at Lynx, thinking that while the word did fit Cat, Lynx had nowhere near as engaging a personality. Still, she’d been strongly attracted to him—even without trying, he’d gotten to her in ways she wouldn’t have thought possible. Maybe it was true.
“Oh, yeah! Completely irresistible!” Jack went on. Moving closer to Bonnie, she whispered, “They secrete a fluid that triggers orgasms—effortless, continuous, multiple orgasms.” She gazed at Lynx in amazement. “A Zetithian man who doesn’t like women,” she mused, shaking her head. “Unbelievable.”
It wasn’t really—at least not to Bonnie. It was simply the story of her life. It was ironic—but only fitting— that of the few remaining members of a species who were apparently the best lovers in the galaxy, Bonnie had somehow managed to wind up with the dud.
Chapter 8
THEY HADN’T ALL BEEN DUDS, OF COURSE, OR EVEN dishonest—sometimes it was simply a matter of bad timing—but when it came to men, Bonnie hadn’t had much luck.
When Bonnie was sixteen, her best friend's boyfriend tried to get her to spend the night with him. When she told him she wouldn’t, he told her friend that she had. It's easy to imagine what happened after that.
At seventeen, she became good friends with a boy in her geometry class, but before love had the opportunity to blossom, his family moved to Cleveland.
At eighteen, Bonnie fell in love for the first time. It was no secret that Ray was in trouble most of the time, but Bonnie was sure that her love could reform him. When she finally got him talked into going to a graduation party with her, the night of the party he was arrested for shoplifting. She never saw him again.
At twenty-one, Marv came into her life. He was handsome, courteous, and thoughtful, and treated Bonnie more like a lady than anyone else ever had. She was certain that they would be together forever—until he got sent back to prison.
Bonnie swore off men after that, but then she had one love affair that began with a great deal of promise, but it didn’t quite pan out. Though they parted amicably, Bonnie had always felt it could have been so much more.
At twenty-four, another charmer stole her heart, but before it could even begin, the affair ended when he wound up falling in love with Bonnie's sister. They’d always gotten along well and became good friends, but Bonnie wasn’t the one he married in the end.
Not long after that, Bonnie found love at long last with someone who wouldn’t marry her, but who swore he’d never leave—and he didn’t, until Bonnie was pregnant with his child.
Now she had a Zetithian who might have been as honest and dependable as the day is long, but who, aside from being a confirmed misogynist, couldn’t even stand to be downwind of her.
Deep down, Bonnie knew there were plenty of decent men in the universe, but unfortunately, they didn’t seem to be meant for her. Even knowing that it was probably her own fault for always choosing the wrong sort didn’t help because, as often as not, the wrong sort seemed to choose her.
Bonnie was recalled to her surroundings when she heard Cat asking Lynx what had ever possessed him to cut his hair. Lynx muttered something that Bonnie didn’t catch, but she could see that he was embarrassed by the question. Cat seemed almost as appalled as he would have been if Lynx had cut off his balls. It seemed sort of silly to Bonnie—after all, it was just hair—but then, perhaps it was symbolic, much like the way she’d cut her own. She chuckled to herself, thinking that if Lynx ever let his hair grow out, she might have had hope—though there would be no guarantee that he’d been letting it grow because of her.
Jack wandered back to her own booth muttering something about having Tisana brew up a potion of some kind, and Cat, Leo, and Lynx went off to catch up on the past twenty years. Bonnie was still amazed that they all kn
ew each other.
She went back to selling her produce, and Drummond dropped by for some eggs. He scrutinized the crates closely, still searching in vain for his avocados. Bonnie sold him some Janlian pears, which looked like avocados but would have made really lousy guacamole.
Vladen, the regional physician, came by later in the morning and bought a lot of vegetables—said he was headed back to Wasaba, and the produce there wasn’t nearly as good as Bonnie's. While she considered this to be a nice sentiment and a testament to her ability as a farmer, a woman late in her third trimester does not want to hear that her doctor is leaving the vicinity!
“Guess you could get Mobray to help out,” Vladen suggested when Bonnie reminded him that Sylor was no longer an option. Mobray was Salan's father, a Terran neighbor of Bonnie's who ran the dairy. He’d delivered plenty of cows, and though the basic principles were undoubtedly the same, it didn’t leave Bonnie feeling very encouraged.
“We need to get a midwife in the area!” Vladen declared, running a hand through his bristly blond hair. “I can’t deliver every baby in the sector—it just isn’t feasible!”
This was one aspect of colonial life that hadn’t occurred to Bonnie when she’d listened to Sylor's plans for their future. It had probably occurred to Bonnie's mother, though. She had delivered all of her children in an ultramodern birthing facility, and they had drugs there that could make you positively enjoy being in labor! Where Bonnie lived it was hard to find an aspirin, let alone an obstetrician.
Lynx had returned from his reunion with Cat and Leo and was busy stacking the empty crates into the cart. Bonnie watched him carefully, searching for some sign of his earlier excitement, but he seemed once again to be his quiet, stoic self.
“What about him?” Vladen asked with a gesture toward Lynx.
Bonnie's reply to that was something of a snort. “Lynx? I doubt if he’d care much for that.”
Actually, she had an idea that when she went into labor, Lynx would probably hide out somewhere until it was all over. If he didn’t like the scent of her desire, catching a whiff of newly-delivered placenta would probably make him throw up.
“What about it, Lynx?” Vladen asked him. “Think you could deliver a baby?”
Despite having just found two long-lost friends, Lynx was apparently unchanged—at least, on the outside. “Yes,” he replied tonelessly.
“Ever done it before?”
“Yes.”
“Well, there you go then!” Vladen said brightly. “He’ll be all the help you’ll need—and I really don’t think there’ll be any trouble.” Reaching into one of the many pockets on his jacket, he retrieved his scanner and leaned down from his two and a half meter height to peer at Bonnie's rounded belly. As a result of being constantly on the move and having no real office of any kind, Vladen carried most of his medical equipment on his rather large person and tended to rattle when he walked. She wasn’t sure how he managed to keep it all straight, but Bonnie had yet to need anything he hadn’t been carrying in his pockets. “Yes, in perfect position and should be dropping any time now,” he said heartily. “Then it’ll be a walk in the park.”
“A walk in the park?” Bonnie echoed. She’d heard plenty of descriptions of labor and delivery, but never had anyone referred to it in that manner. Bonnie felt a strong urge to slap him but knew that it would have hurt her hand like the devil. Being a Levitian, Vladen had bony ridges along the edge of his jaw that looked sharp enough to cut your hand if you were to hit him. Bonnie had often suspected that this trait had developed out of self-defense, because Levitians had a tendency to say things that made you want to slug them, and the bony spikes on the top of their feet would have deterred anyone from stomping on them.
“Yes, yes,” Vladen said soothingly. “No trouble at all. A novice could do it, and if he's had some experience, why, that's even better!”
Even though Lynx claimed to have delivered a baby before, Bonnie wasn’t sure she wanted his help. However, if Lynx wasn’t lying—and knowing how blatantly honest he could be, she had no reason not to believe him—she knew that he could probably do it again, though it was possible that this might have been what had turned him against women.
“Sure you don’t want to know what it is?” Vladen prompted, still eyeing his scanner. “I can see quite clearly.”
“No,” Bonnie said firmly. “I want it to be a surprise.”
Vladen shook his head. “Too many surprises in this life,” he said. “I’d want to know myself.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Bonnie. “I’ll dress it the same way whether it's male or female—at first, that is—which is all that matters. Zuannis gave me some baby clothes,” she added, “and they look like they could go either way. Who knows, they might even fit.”
Vladen nodded, but couldn’t help feeling thankful that Bonnie wasn’t having a boy. “Got any names picked out?” he asked, stowing his scanner in a different pocket, which made Bonnie wonder how he kept track of it all.
“No,” she replied. “I want to get to know the baby first. Then I’ll decide.”
Vladen smiled knowingly, his pale blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Every new mother has her own pet notions,” he said with an airy wave of his hand. “I’ve heard them all.” He glanced down at Bonnie's feet. “Now, my pet notion is that women in your condition shouldn’t be on their feet all day. It's bad for the veins.” Taking her hand, he examined it carefully. “Hmm, no swelling there. Been taking your vitamins?”
“Yes, I have,” Bonnie assured him. She wasn’t completely sure they’d been developed for Terran women, but she’d been taking them anyway.
“Well, you be sure to rest with your feet up several times a day,” he told her. Turning to Lynx, he added, “And call me if you need any instructions during the delivery. My comlink is always on.”
With that parting shot, Vladen shuffled off, and Bonnie was left staring at Lynx, who appeared to be acutely uncomfortable—especially since the look she was giving him should have at least made him break out in hives.
“So,” she began. “You’ve delivered babies before?”
“Yes.” Having made his reply, Lynx closed his lips firmly, refusing to elaborate.
“How many?” she asked.
“I do not know.”
“That many, huh? Well, if you ever decide you don’t want to work on a farm or in the mines, I’m sure you could get a job as a midwife.” Noting his expression of revulsion, she added, “And yes, I know just how much you would dislike it—but it would probably pay very well.”
“I have enough pay,” he said. Which wasn’t entirely true, because if Lynx were ever to be able to buy his own land, he would have to earn a great deal more than Bonnie was paying him. But taking a job as a midwife? He simply couldn’t do it. It would have brought back too many painful memories.
“Then I must be paying you too much,” Bonnie declared. “Of course, if you never actually spend any of it, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
“I will spend it,” Lynx said defensively. Unfortunately, since Bonnie was currently providing for all of his needs and he’d never had enough extra money to buy anything beyond the bare necessities, he had no idea just what he would spend it on.
Bonnie didn’t either. “On what?” she demanded, giving free rein to her skepticism. “Couldn’t be loose women, and I know you don’t like new clothes, so that leaves booze, drugs, gambling—or a speeder of your own, perhaps? No, wait! I’ve got it! You want your own private dining room where you can eat all alone.” Then she remembered that she hadn’t asked Jack about Cat's eating habits. “By the way, is that a Zetithian custom or just one of your own little peculiarities?”
Bonnie knew she was skating on thin ice; another crack like that and he’d probably deck her, but she didn’t care, because if he decided to quit his job, he’d have to find another one pretty quick, or Drummond would deport him. Then Mobray could deliver the baby, and Bonnie would feed rats to the enocks and
live long and well without Lynx. She didn’t need to spend the rest of her life trying to love someone who despised her entire gender. Life was too darn short for that.
“You do not understand,” Lynx said bitterly.
“You’re absolutely right, Lynx,” Bonnie said equably. “I don’t understand. And do you know why that is?”
“Because I have not told you,” he said, knowing full well that he never had and never would.
“No kidding! You haven’t told me a thing; you just sit out there in the shed and sulk because you had to work for me instead of going off to dig in the mines. Being kind to you obviously hasn’t helped matters any, so from now on, no more Mr. Nice Guy.”
“But you are a woman,” he reminded her.
“So what?” she said, making a vague attempt at a snarl. “I can be as mean as anyone. You just watch me.”
Bonnie almost missed it, but could have sworn she caught a faint glimmer of a smile. Not quite what it should have been, but a smile, nonetheless.
“Ah, so, you can smile,” she said. “I was beginning to think it wasn’t possible.”
Lynx was spared from having to reply to that, because just then Cat came over, followed by his three sons—who actually looked more like his clones than his children. Carrying a large box and flashing a grin that made Lynx's pitiful smile look like a grimace, he said, “We will trade?”
“I dunno,” Bonnie said doubtfully. “What’ve you got there?”
Cat's grin became a full smirk. “I believe you will trade anything for this.”
Bonnie peered into the box and nearly fainted. It was full of bags of dark chocolate chips. “You drive a hard bargain, Cat,” she sighed. “How many eggs do you want for that?”
“How many do you have?” he asked with a suggestive smile.
“Well, I saved a full crate for you,” she said, “but I might have to throw in something else for a treasure like that.”
Cat shook his head, and his dark eyes flashed. Bonnie noticed for the first time that Cat's pupils seemed to have a faint blue glow to them. Lynx didn’t even have that much color, she thought ruefully. His pupils seemed to be the same color as his yellow eyes. “It is an even trade,” Cat said. “We have many children to feed.”
OUTCAST Page 10
