fragrance was both sweet and foreign in an intriguing way.
“A ladle? You mean, like a spoon for dishing out soup?” I stared at her blankly, knowing my face was a mask of disbelief.
She sighed, looking down at her knees which were drawn up to her chest. The position of her legs crushed her breasts and made them temptingly bulge up out of her bra.
One of the drawbacks of tall, skinny women is that they have small breasts. All of my former women had been deficient in their chest. I couldn’t stop staring at her breasts, which rose and fell as she breathed. My mind wondered what it would feel like to hold her plump mounds in my hands and take one red bud into my mouth. What color were her nipples?
Did I want her nipples in my mouth? Wasn’t this woman crazy? If I was honest with myself, I had to admit that I wanted her breasts and much more. But I couldn’t let myself get carried away with Emmy. I was sure she was more trouble than she was worth. I just needed her to stay with me for a year as I had planned with Montana.
After we had finished our time together, it wouldn’t matter if she needed to go somewhere for work or personal business. We had to live in the same residence. It was a big house, and we wouldn’t get in each other’s way.
I reluctantly drew my attention away from her breasts. How could all this nonsense be because of a magical spoon?
She gave me a rueful smile. “If it weren’t for the Silver Mestolo of Zelia, or informally, Zelia’s ladle, I wouldn’t be here right now. I would probably be working in a museum on Earth, cleaning dirt off arrowheads.”
“Emmy.” I tried to restrain my temper. The woman was irritating but simultaneously so attractive that I didn’t know what to think. “Try to say something that makes sense soon, or...” I broke off, not sure what I would do, but imagined it would involve our bodies pressing together.
“Or what?” She glared at me with a challenge in her eye.
I knew Montana would never have looked at me like that. She would have agreed with me. I always selected a particular type. Genial, agreeable, wanting to please...that sort of woman. Not the kind to openly challenge me and push my buttons.
I decided to start over. “Please allow me to rephrase myself. I don’t know how long we have. I’m not that smart, and I would like a clear explanation.”
“The Silver Mestolo. It’s a word in an ancient Earth language that means ladle. The first woman who discovered its existence was a famous archeologist from Earth named Zelia. It’s made from filaden, one of the strongest elements in the galaxy. Even if you dropped a spaceship on it, the Mestolo wouldn’t be crushed.” She trailed off when she saw the look on my face.
“It’s a serving instrument. I get it. But why does everyone want it?”
“Morley believed it could cure any disease. It contains a large concentration of Higgs boson particles. On Earth, we think Higgs boson particles are the source of matter and life.”
It took everything within me not to smile. This human was talking about Higgs boson particles like they were the first ones to discover them. The commonly accepted name for them was Trovveqs.
Emmy mentioning Trovveqs meant she was highly educated...for an Earth woman. I wondered how intelligent she was. She was much different than I had imagined Montana. I had anticipated conversations about riding and making small talk with my wife, not speaking about physics.
“The Zelia's ladle has a higher concentration of these particles, and the theory is that it can enhance the life of anyone who drinks from it,” she finished. “It may be able to heal patients previously thought to be incurable.”
My mind was only partially listening to her words. The other half contemplated Emmy’s education. Even though she came from a primitive planet like Earth, apparently she was one of its most highly educated inhabitants.
I had old feelings of inadequacy from when my aunt repeatedly