Experiment

by Simcoe, Marina

The question was at the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back. Asking it felt too much like inviting someone else to bed with us. With no true commitment between us, I didn’t think I could handle that right now.

  Instead, I silently wrapped my arms around his shoulders when he leaned into me, rolling me on my back. I spread my legs wide for him when he pressed his pelvis into mine, and lifted my hips to take him when he entered me.

  I buried my face in the side of his neck, his braids draped over my head as he moved inside me, as if in a slow dance. And when the orgasm rocked through him, I held him, until every last shudder subsided and he slackened in my arms.

  Chapter 9

  “CAN YOU STAY HERE TOMORROW?” I asked when Tairan came back from the bathroom.

  He’d left me with my knees up to my chest again, but I released my legs the moment the entrance had closed behind him.

  Now, he glared at me, noticing that I had disobeyed the instructions. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood by the bed silently, waiting for me to comply again.

  “Fine.” I rolled my eyes, lifting my legs up and hugging my knees. “You know this doesn't mean much anyway? If it’s meant to happen it will, no matter what position you’re in. My sister got pregnant with her twins after a quickie against the back wall of a bar.”

  “Really?” His eyes grew wide with genuine surprise. “That was all it took?”

  “Yep.” I scratched my ear. “She was pretty tipsy, too. So I wish the research team would lift their stupid ban on caffeine and sugar in my food.”

  “Was it completely unplanned then?” He seemed to be still in shock.

  “As unplanned as could be. She’s never met the guy before and couldn’t even demand any child support because all she knew about him was that his name was Raze and he was a biker passing through our town. I’d bet a dozen donuts that Raze wasn’t even his real name.”

  “Donuts?” Tairan sat on the bed, looking somewhat overwhelmed by my babbling.

  I knew I tended to talk a bit too much, both when I felt nervous around someone or comfortable with the person. The past two days I had been feeling like a fish out of water—subdued by stress and worry. Now it seemed that all the words that had been bottling up inside me wanted to come out. Having no one to talk to but a robot all day didn’t help either.

  “Donut.” I nodded. “It’s a kind of pastry. Sweet. Tell me . . .” I shifted his way a little, and he placed his hand on my ankles to steady me. “Do you have desserts on Keala?”

  “Yes. Quite a few. Not pastry, though. We don't bake.”

  “Why not?”

  “We avoid using excessive heat, including for food preparation, out of fear of causing fire in the tunnels.”

  “How do you cook then?”

  “We don’t. To preserve food, we marinate or ferment it, freeze it sometimes or dehydrate it. Many things we just eat fresh.”

  “How about salt? Do you season food in any way?”

  “Yes, we collect underground salt deposits and use some plant and animal-based spices.”

  “I knew they didn’t serve me bland food out of ignorance.” I bit my lip in annoyance. “They did it on purpose.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Whatever you said about Ricread’s zeal must be true. He is so overdoing it here. He must have read somewhere that too much salt was not healthy for humans and cut out any salt from my diet completely, along with sugar and coffee.”

  “Would you like me to smuggle you some salt tomorrow?” With a glance at his armlet, he released my ankles, letting me straighten my legs.

  “Could you?” I perked up.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled at my enthusiasm.

  “Does it mean you won’t be staying here through the day again, then?” My mood dropped at the prospect of spending another day alone.

  “No, I will not.”

  “Could you, maybe, come over a little early tomorrow night then?” I sat on the bed, hugging my knees. “I mean if you do manage to get some salt for me, it would be nice to have it before dinner, right? We could eat together then. Do you need anyone’s permission for that?”

  “I would never get it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Ricread derives a special kind of pleasure from denying things to me. But if you ask, he may let it happen.”

  “Why does he do that?” I asked, confused. “Does he dislike you that much?”

  Tairan’s eyes narrowed, his expression hardened, and the way his jaw muscles flexed told me that whatever animosity the professor might hold for him was probably mutual.

  “Would you like to have dinner with me?” I asked, since he didn’t reply to my previous question.

  “Yes,” he said simply.

  “Then, I’ll ask.”

  THE SUDDEN LIGHT BRUTALLY yanked me out of sleep again.

  I cursed under my breath and threw my arm over my eyes.

  “And you keep complaining about how bright our sun is?” I mumbled through the remnants of sleep and confusion from the abrupt awakening.

  “It’s the spectrum of sunlight, including the UV rays, that is harmful to us, not the brightness on its own,” Zavis explained patiently, taking the blanket off me. “The light in the facility is different.” She pointed at the lit strings along the perimeter of the ceiling.

  She might have been right, but right from sleep the room still seemed uncomfortably bright. My discomfort only increased as I opened my eyes to face the crowd of Kealans once again. The four in black were already moving my way, with the obvious intention of restraining me again.

  “Stop.” I lifted my hand, halting them in their tracks. I found Ricread standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. “If these are exactly the same tests as yesterday, I’ll lie still. No need to hold me down.”

  The procedures weren’t painful, just uncomfortable, and the hands of strange males on my naked body only made it worse.

  He nodded and gestured to the others to move aside.

  “Could they, maybe, turn around, too?” It was a little too late to worry about modesty, since everyone in the room had gotten an eyeful of my naked flesh already. Still, I hoped there was a way to reduce the number of people idly standing by and staring at my private parts while I was being examined. “Or maybe they could leave, since I promise to co-operate?”

  Ricread took a moment to consider my request then nodded again, sending the four out of the room.

  “The security personnel will remain in the corridor, in case you change your mind,” he warned me.

  There were still close to a dozen research team members bustling about the room, setting up the divider between Tairan and me and arranging the equipment around the bed. Still, I felt better somehow at my little gain.

  Stretching on the bed, I closed my eyes, letting Zavis and the others manipulate my body position for their convenience, under the cool supervision of Ricread. I held still, hoping that my co-operation would help me gain another favour in return—his permission for me to have dinner with Tairan.

  The soft, barely audible groan reached me from behind the partition once again, making me tense. Worry and compassion spiked through me. There was nothing I could do to stop it, no matter what Tairan had said about the benefits of not caring.

  Blindly, I stretched my hand his way along the bed. My fingers touched the rubbery material of the divider, and I slid them under by compressing the mattress down. I felt the tips brush by Tairan’s skin a moment before he grabbed my hand, holding it tight, as if I had offered him a lifeline.

  Peeking from under half-open eyelids, I noted the team were absorbed with probing between my legs. Ricread’s attention seemed to be divided between watching them and the numerous monitors around us.

  With a jolt of the mattress, Tairan’s hand slipped from mine as they must have moved him to the gurney, and I missed the contact more acutely than I thought I would.

  “Can you leave Tairan here today?” I asked quickly.

&n
bsp; “Why?” Ricread’s gaze snapped to my face.

  Remembering Tairan’s warning, I decided against telling the full truth. “I’m bored here alone, and he is more fun to talk to than the robot.”

  I also feel that he’d be safer here with me than wherever it is you’re taking him.

  “Humans are not happy if held in isolation, as I’m sure you know,” I said, instead. “We are social creatures and need company.”

  “This is not about keeping you happy,” he replied coolly while the technicians started wrapping up with their tests.

  “Isn’t it?” I asked innocently. “Have you done any research on the role of the overall wellbeing of a woman in successful conception and potential pregnancy?” Personally, I hadn’t done any myself, but I was sure that there would be something on it somewhere if he looked. “You’ve done nothing but stress the hell out of me from day one, which is extremely harmful for a human body.”

  “You have been kept in comfort and fed a diet optimal for your species,” he argued, confidently. But I noted a sign of hesitation or at least some doubt in the way his white eyebrows lifted.

  Did he honestly believe he’d done nothing wrong to me?

  “Intercourse has also proved to be not physically damaging to you in any way,” he remarked.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath to calm my rising anger.

  The only reason I was not raped on my wedding night was because Tairan happened to have more honour and respect than Ricread and his team.

  Instead of arguing, though, I shoved the bitter feeling aside and focused on the task at hand—negotiation—keeping my voice as even as I could.

  “I’m talking more about emotional than physical wellbeing here. Surely you understand human emotions? Since we share the common ancestor and a big chunk of DNA?”

  He seemed to be mulling this over, his jaw muscles moving slightly.

  “Just leave him here,” I urged. “Please.”

  “No.” The divider having been removed, Ricread gestured to his assistants to take the gurney out. “We’re not done with this subject yet.”

  Sitting up in bed quickly, I caught sight of Tairan’s face, violet-rimmed eyes watching me from under the few glossy white braids that had fallen across his face as he was taken out.

  “Dinner, then?” I asked hurriedly, as Ricread was on his way out, too. “Can Tairan have dinner with me? People prefer to eat in company. It’ll be easier for me to force down the full daily ration if I have company for dinner.”

  He didn’t seem to pay me any attention.

  “I won’t eat anything at all then!” I yelled at his back, in desperation. “Nothing! Unless I have Tairan to share the meal with me.”

  Ricread jerked to a stop, as if physically hit by my words, then pivoted on his heel slowly, his expression grave when he faced me.

  “You cannot threaten me,” he said slowly, staring straight at me. “I will not let you hold the success of this experiment hostage or use it as a bargaining chip to further your personal agenda. I am the Head of Research here. And you are its subject.”

  I swallowed hard under his icy glare.

  “Wouldn’t that mean that we should be able to find common ground then?” I said, trying to keep my voice light and soothing. “Really, there is no reason for an argument. You want this to succeed, and I’m willing to co-operate.”

  “By demanding concessions from me,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “No.” I instilled as much sweetness into my tone as I was able, risking cavities. “By asking for some leniencies that wouldn’t cost you anything and have the potential to improve the results you’re striving for.”

  Again, he seemed to consider it, so I nudged a little further. “When you think about it, our goals are very much the same here. Ultimately, it is better for you to keep me happy rather than bored and miserable.”

  The last group of technicians filed out of the room, taking the equipment with them.

  Without replying, Ricread left, too, giving me one last penetrating stare.

  All I could do now was wait.

  Chapter 10

  I NERVOUSLY PACED THE room all afternoon. After a while, I decided even the living area didn’t have enough space to walk out my anxiety and kept the door between the bedroom and living room open, pacing through both of them.

  I kept an eye on the wall to the corridor in the bedroom for any sign of Tairan. It was way after lunch, and I still desperately hoped Ricread would allow us to have dinner together. The concern about what they might be doing to Tairan all this time also wouldn’t leave me.

  “What time is it?” I asked Gran for what seemed like the millionth time already.

  From his place by the living room window, the robot pivoted on his base to face me.

  “Four minutes and thirteen seconds later than what it was when you asked me last.”

  “Did you just make a joke?” I stared him down. By now, it was impossible to think of Gran as ‘it’. “Was that sarcasm I heard there?”

  “I do not know what you mean.” The blue smile twinkled brightly.

  “Why do I not believe you?”

  I thought I heard movement in the bedroom and dashed to the sound.

  The entrance to the corridor opened and closed, letting in a tall, cloaked figure. He had no goggles on, and I recognized Tairan’s eyes in the shadows of his hood.

  “You came!” I exhaled in relief, rushing to him. “Did you go outside?” I pointed at the cloak.

  “No.” He swung his arm to the side, opening it. “I wore it to hide this.” He held a large, light-purple egg and a big, clear crystal in his hands.

  “They are pretty, whatever they are.” I smiled, taking them both from him. “Thank you.”

  Tairan shrugged the cloak off and tossed it on the bed, stalking to me.

  “Salt.” He grabbed the crystal back from me and tossed it onto the bed. “And dessert.” He took the egg next and carefully set it on top of the cloak. “It’s sweet, I hope you’ll like it.”

  “Thank you,” I said again, backing to the wall, as he kept advancing on me. “Are you hungry? Should we have dinner?” The last question came out a little breathy, as my back hit the wall and Tairan came flush with me.

  Keeping his fascinating eyes on mine, he cupped the side of my face with his hand.

  “I love your light,” he said unexpectedly, brushing my hair aside, then lowered his head to kiss my temple. “The room feels brighter when you’re in it.” He slid his hands down, under my backside, then lifted me up. “The air around you is easier to breathe somehow.”

  My face heated with pleasure at the affection in his voice, even if it felt a bit sudden.

  “I love your compliments.” I wrapped my arms and legs around him. “No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Not even close.”

  “Every word is true. You make me feel things I shouldn’t be feeling. I’m sure I’ll be made to pay for that later, but right now I don’t care.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He leaned in and claimed my mouth in a kiss, stopping my questions.

  The glide of his lips was more confident this time. Pinning me to the wall with his hips, his hands under my butt to support me, he kissed me as if he owned me, deep and strong.

  Melting into his body, I wrapped my arms tighter around him, meeting every glide of his mouth against mine. Lost in the moment, I was only half-aware when I slipped my tongue past his lips.

  He stiffened briefly when our tongues touched, then resumed kissing me with renewed passion. One hand under my skirt, he tugged my underwear down and I dropped my feet to the floor, helping him remove it. Cupping my bare ass, he rocked his growing erection against me.

  Anticipation rolled through me in a swell of heat, pulling low in my belly. Desire for him spiked, hot and strong.

  One arm hooked around his shoulders to hold on, I eased the other between us, forgetting there was no zipper
or buttons for me to get to him.

  “This . . .” I kept tugging at the fabric of his suit that concealed what I wanted. “Get rid of this, please.”

  Quickly, he clicked his belt off, letting it drop to the ground, then swept his hand along his hips. Frantically, I shoved the fabric down as soon as it opened, wrapping my hand around his hard, ridged length.

  He hissed through his teeth as I squeezed, pumping my hand up and down.

  “I really have to see this up close,” I whispered, running my fingers along the circular ridges.

  “Not right now, please,” he begged.

  Badly needing him inside me, too, I slipped him in without a delay. Each hard ridge along his length tugged at my opening on its way in, sending ripples of intense pleasure through me. A long, contented moan ripped from my chest.

  With a groan, Tairan thrust forward, hard enough to slide me up the wall. The sudden pressure against my core felt invigorating. Flexing both arms around his shoulders, I clung to him as he pounded hard into me, taking me with abandon. His wild passion spurring me on, an orgasm building up in me, fast and furious.

  The muscles in my thighs tensed, my legs squeezing him tighter. My lips parted with another throaty moan of intense pleasure. The sweet pressure pulsated through me, exploding hot between my legs, as I came hard around him.

  After a few powerful thrusts, he stilled for a fraction of a second, then I felt a violent climax rock through him, too.

  Suddenly boneless, I unwrapped my legs from around his waist, but Tairan wouldn’t let go of me. Leaning in, he kept me pinned between the wall and his body.

  “That was . . .” I panted, struggling to catch my breath, small post-orgasmic shudders still shooting through me like tiny arrows. “What was it?” I shook my head with a smile, unable to find the answer on my own.

  Tairan’s cool composure was completely gone during this encounter. There were no attempts to follow any instructions this time, either. What had just happened felt like wild, chaotic passion, with him no longer holding back at all.

  “It felt different,” I murmured, nuzzling the side of his neck. His smell was the strongest here—exotic, earthy, with a hint of sweetness. “Not that I’m complaining.”