Free Sedition by Alicia Cameron

With your help, from what you’ve told me, this could be live in just a few months. Without it… I was thinking four, five years, maybe. Five years of risk.”
    “How is it any less risky to do it more quickly?” I ask.
    “Less chance of being found out,” he replies, smiling a little. “Once the data is out, it can’t be erased. Not from public record, not from people’s minds. They stopped me before that happened last time; this time, it can’t happen again. You’re a part of that.”
    He pauses, looking a little nervous. “I mean, if you want to be.”
    I still haven’t answered. I still haven’t decided yet. Would I trade safety to satisfy my curiosity, like he has? I’ve done it before, but never on this scale.
    “Can I try, just to see, without committing?” I ask, bracing for him to say no.
    “Of course,” he replies. “I want you in on this. I need you. But I won’t force you.”
    I smile at him. It’s so much more than I expected. I’ve thought he was cruel on so many occasions, but what’s more accurate is that I wasn’t his top priority. From that perspective, I had a big part in earning the punishments he doled out; it’s not as though he beat me for no reason. He’s been rather lenient, given the scale of things. “I hope I didn’t mess anything up for you.”
    “Don’t worry about that. I’ll consider it settled if you’ll do the same.”
    As is typical, he doesn’t apologize, nor does he demand that I do so. Things are uncertain, but at least I know what’s going on. I lean against his side, missing his touch, and I’m surprised when he puts his arm around me. He’s never touched me like this while we worked, but then, we’ve never been in bed revealing our deepest secrets. I think of my own secrets, Abriel, but I can’t tell a man who would casually “euthanize” a batch of slaves that I helped my brother evade the Demoted system. I don’t trust that his generosity will extend past his own interests.
    He must notice my discomfort, because he gives me an uncertain look. “Is this all right?”
    I’m startled, but not offended or anything. As much as I thought my crush on him was gone after the party and the subsequent humiliation, I do like the way he feels against me. In between all of the stealth and goals and planning, I remain attracted to him.
    “You don’t have to say yes,” he informs me before I can even formulate an answer, his tone suddenly serious again. “You can say whatever you want.”
    I consider it. “You said you’d sell me if I didn’t want to research with you…”
    My master shakes his head. “This is different. This is personal. I don’t want you to feel like you have to. The other night, you agreed, you said you’d do it if I wanted you to… I never want that. I hope you have enough respect to tell me whether you want to have sex with me?”
    “I guess I do,” I answer, trying not to sound too decisive. Playing hard to get. I do want to, but I think I should be less willing. I want it to be harder for him.
    He glares at me. “Sascha, I’m pretty sure I’ve told you before that you can stop when you’d like, and you didn’t hesitate to turn me down the other night, even when we were on bad terms. I’d appreciate a clear answer.”
    “Yes,” I mumble, feeling ridiculous. “Happy?”
    He takes his tablet from my hands, leans over me, and places it on the nightstand. I lean out of his way, and once the tablet’s gone, he shifts, pinning me there. I try not to get turned on. I fail.
    “Are you angry at me for wanting to fuck you?” he asks. “Because, last I checked, you enjoyed it when I fucked you, and I know for a fact that I enjoy it, so I cannot think of a reason why we wouldn’t do it.”
    Because it’s too fast. Because I want to punish him. Because, an hour ago, I had swore never to have sex with him again. But I didn’t know then what I know now, and he hadn’t approached me with some offer to be partners on