Page 14 of A Savage Bargain

The smell hit me first.“Is that barbecue?” Saliva pooled in my mouth at the smoky, tangy scent. “How are we having barbecue?” Before Krake could answer, my eyes took in the unexpected scene before me.

There were three long tables lined up parallel to each other, with a dozen chairs at each. Human women occupied many of the chairs. Aliens occupied the others. Whether they were male, female, or something else entirely, I had no idea. Despite their varying colors, extra appendages, and different shapes, they all wore reasonable facsimiles of human clothing. And nice facsimiles, if I was being honest. Like Krake in his pin-striped suit, I saw similar suits, and even what might have been a tuxedo.

The women, though. Well, at least I wouldn’t be the only one on display! Even viewed from the side, some of the human women clearly were wearing barely-there dresses like me. A few women milled around, chatting with standing aliens. Those women also showed much more skin than cloth.

“Walk,” Krake ordered, his hand pushing on my lower back. The minimal pressure made the gesture almost intimate, and I obeyed. We walked toward the table on the far right, where Icould see two empty seats. As we approached, Krake spoke to the aliens we passed.

“What language is that?” I asked.

“It was multiple languages,” he answered.

“You’re quite multilingual,” I said in response.

“That is typical for us,” he replied. Arriving at the table, he pointed to one of the empty high-backed metal chairs. “Sit.”

“Yes, sir.” I snapped off a salute and he frowned. Whatever. Upon taking a seat, I evaluated the women at the table. There were eight of them if my quick count was correct. They were a fascinating mixture of conventionally attractive and uniquely intriguing. The brunette across the table from me smiled. Her dark hair was curled and wrapped on top of her head. She wore very light makeup and a dress that made mine look like a robe. The woman also had a fuller figure, and the dress showcased her voluptuousness to perfection. Instead of straps holding everything in place, her dress consisted of rows of small glittering circles crisscrossing her upper body. Almost like a dress made of strung-together pasties. She’d left nothing above the table to the imagination. I wasn’t about to stick my head under the table to confirm, but I assumed her lady bits were similarly feeling the breeze.

“Hi, you’re new,” she said. “I don’t remember seeing you at orientation. I’m Olive.” She gave a little wave that I half-heartedly returned.

“I’m Bailey,” I responded. “My arrival on the ship was unexpected,” I acknowledged in a lowered voice. Her blue eyes widened almost theatrically.

“I didn’t know that was possible. There was such a process to be selected.” She considered my face and stared at my chest. “You’re beautiful, though, so I could see making an exception.”

I reddened at her frank assessment. “Selected? It’s not involuntary?” This was my opportunity to quiz someone otherthan Krake about this ridiculous consensual sex slave trade nonsense.

Olive wrinkled her nose, highlighting a smattering of freckles there. “Involuntary? Oh, heavens no. Why on earth would it be involuntary? It’s very competitive. Only a select few make the cut.” She lifted her chin with pride.

“How did you find out about the… competition?” I needed to tread lightly since it hadn’t been made clear whether or not the women were to know that I was a stowaway-turned-Obedient. And, technically, I hadn’t made the cut yet. Krake hadn’t said it, but this felt like a trial by fire. I’d burn to ashes if I failed.

“It was all hush hush,” she said with a delicate laugh. “My roommate was approached by this guy who told her about it.”

“She immediately believed him?” I asked, unable to hide my disbelief.

“Goodness, no, of course not.” She shook her head at the absurdity. “But once he showed her his actual alien species, her mind opened quite a bit.”

“I bet.”

“Then he showed her some—” She pursed her lips. “—I can’t remember the name, but they’re like videos on a floating screen. Anyway, he showed her information about the opportunity to become an Obedient. She told me about it, with his permission. Apparently, this collection trip was for human women only, and the aliens had more leeway than normal to find candidates. We both applied. She didn’t make it.” Olive’s eyes teared up. “She wasn’t able to convince them she could be happy on an alien world.”

“What did they do?”Don’t tell me they killed her. Don’t tell me they killed her.I chanted the words in my head.

“They wiped her memory of all the exchanges. And of me. That was the sad part.”

“They wiped her memory?” I stared at her, aghast.

“Of course.” She shook her head at me, probably beginning to think I wasn’t too bright. “That’s the only downside. You can never see your friends and family again. Their memories of you have to go since you can’t ever have existed.”

“You willingly chose that? Why?” I couldn’t fathom such a choice. Although, a tiny voice in my head whispered, who would miss me on Earth now that I was gone?

Now Olive appeared confused. “For the same reasons you did? Money, adventure, mind-blowing sex.” She giggled.

“Right.” I tried to backtrack. “The money, adventure, and mind-blowing sex. Absolutely.” I matched her smile and tried to piece together what I was hearing. Krake and the Collector weren’t running some illicit sex trade, kidnapping women for horrible aliens around the known galaxy. “So you aren’t looking to be rescued?” I asked the question in a light tone and even chuckled after, but my intent was deadly serious.

“Rescued? You’re funny,” she said, concluding incorrectly that I was joking. “Of course, I want to be rescued from being paid an insane amount of money to have amazing sex with a high-powered alien. Right.” She giggled again.

Olive seemed so confident in her expectations and wishes.

Unless.

---