Free Jailed by Viola Grace Page B

disturbingly female. There were no gender blocks, no etiquette, you just stroked anyone who was appealing and the locals felt her very appealing.
    “You were doing well out there.” Norod sat next to her with his own cup in his hand.
    “Thank you. It took some getting used to, but I adapted.”
    “I would like to thank you for being a friend to my sister in Janial. She does not keep friends long, even if she makes friends easily.”
    “She was a better friend to me than I was to her.” Kori blushed.
    “If you think so. She would move the world to make you happy.” Norod grinned. “I think she is in love with you.”
    She chuckled. “Only as a friend. She and I already had this talk. As much as I admire her enthusiasm, she isn’t my type.”
    “She said she had tried to change your mind.”
    Kori winced, “Yes, but I am not attracted to my own gender, so the fight we had drew a crowd. As seducers go, she is very heavy handed.”
    He drew his finger up her arm. “As your host, it is my duty to offer you release and comfort as you are far from home.”
    She blinked. “I thought Nikada was my host?”
    “My home at her invitation. Since you have declined her offer, I am putting mine forward.”
    Kori licked her lips and didn’t make eye contact. “So, I am not obligated to accept?”
    “Do you have an objection to pleasure?”
    He had her there.
    “No. I don’t object to it. In fact, I enjoy it.”
    “Then, shall we return home for the evening and leave Nikada to find her own companion?”
    Kori’s eyes were wide as he gave a signal to his sister and took her by the hand out of the club and into the street.
    She was relieved that he was wearing one of the short skirts that the men here favoured if they wore anything at all. The Wyencar didn’t have tails, but there wasn’t much known about them. To Kori, he looked like an Azon crossed with a Wyoran, crossed with a leopard.
    His stride was relaxed enough that she could keep up with him, but the streets were crowded, so she plastered herself to his side. The heat off his body vied with the warmth radiating from the atmosphere.
    “How did you end up in Nyal space?”
    She winced. “I am unremarkable in every way, so when the imperium filed a request for a few of the new species, I was diverted here. I have been a court recorder, a scribe and an archivist on six different worlds. Now, I might be stuck in a dead-end position at the far side of the universe.”
    “You could always seek occupation here.”
    Kori shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. I don’t choose where I go. The department assigns me and I have to ship out.”
    “So, you could get a message today?”
    “And have to leave tomorrow, yes.”
    He tucked her hand around his forearm. “Then, we had better make this evening count.”
    She was still unsure, but it was not a tradition that he had invented. The Wyencar host obligations were taken very seriously. Kori thought that she had escaped dealing with the sex when she had the conversation with Nikada. She had neglected Norod’s part in the matter as homeowner.
    The streets of the city were hopping with the population in search of stimulation and entertainment. They were a very sensory-based people.
    It was a little overwhelming to feel people brush against her curiously as if her suit was hiding a secret that they were determined to uncover.
    “You would attract a lot less attention if you wore less.” Norod’s voice was matter-of-fact.
    “I know, but I am coming from a prison environment where I was dressed from neck to toes every day, as well as growing up on a conservative world by these standards. It is difficult for me to adapt to the different societies. That is why I ended up on Janial in the first place.”
    He paused. “Is my offer of pleasure offensive to you?”
    She blinked. “No. It is just an experience I haven’t had before.”
    He looked shocked. “You have not had pleasure?”
    She blushed. “No, it is