Page 6 of The Seducer
I gave him my promise and half an hour later, I crossed the border to the Motherlands together with four other men that Pearl had selected for this mission. We had met as a group when we were briefed about the project, and they all seemed to be great guys between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four.
Since I had already been to the Motherlands as part of an experiment to integrate children in a school class, I wasn’t as nervous as the rest of the men.
“I feel so stupid without my beard,” Bruce Lee muttered as we walked toward a welcoming committee. His hands rubbed his cheeks.
“Then why did you shave?” I asked but looked straight ahead.
“Because Christina and Pearl told me that I would fit in better if I shaved.”
“You idiot. We’re not supposed to fit in; the whole idea is that we’re taking a stand for our right to be different. I know you want to get laid but believe me, my beard didn’t scare the women away when I was here the last time.”
He shot me a sideways glance, and played nervously with a leather band around his wrist. “I wish we were going together as a group,” he muttered. “Christina was the first woman I ever met, and you should’ve seen how awkward I was around her in the beginning when I worked at the digging site. I’m afraid I’m going to mess this up for everyone.” With his ink-black hair and a bit of slanted eyes, Bruce Lee showed traces of Asian ancestry.
“It can’t have been that bad or Christina wouldn’t have recommended you to Pearl,” I pointed out in a whisper before we stood across from a delegation from the Motherlands consisting of four women and two men. One of them was Isobel, Pearl’s mother, whom I had met when Pearl and Khan married. I gave her a smile of recognition that she returned.
“Welcome.” Spreading out her arms in a grand gesture, she had our full attention right away. “May peace surround you all. My name is Isobel and I am the chairwoman of the Council here in the Motherlands. I know every one of you has been selected by my daughter with great care, and I trust that you are aware of the heavy responsibility on your shoulders.
“Pearl has guaranteed us that you are trustworthy, kind, and nonviolent men.” Her last words hung in the air as if she challenged us to contradict her.
“Each of you will be traveling to different areas of our country in the company of a skilled mediator. They are trained to handle conflicts, should they occur, and they are eager to teach you about our society and way of life.”
With the efficiency of someone used to delegating, Isobel matched us with our personal guides.
Bruce Lee smiled when he was paired up with a cute brunette called Antoinette.
I on the other hand scowled when Hans was assigned to me. It wasn’t that I had a problem with males, but the three female mediators that were walking over to officially greet each one’s appointed Nman were a lot prettier than the two I had come to know during my last visit to the Motherlands.
“May peace surround you,” Hans said and reached his hands out to me with a warm smile.
I had done this silly greeting before, but I wasn’t in the mood to stare into another man’s eyes for ten seconds, so I chose the Northland way and shook his right hand up and down.
He took it well, so I figured someone had warned him that we did things in a different way. “Would you like to say goodbye to your friends before we leave? Our drone is just over there.” He pointed behind his back.
Since I had only met the other Nmen today, I wouldn’t exactly call them my friends, but I called out a “Good luck” to Bruce Lee. He was too busy holding hands with the cute brunette and staring into her eyes to even hear me.
“How about I meet you at the drone? I just need to talk to Isobel about an urgent matter.”
Hans walked off to the drone while I approached the chairwoman of the Motherland’s Council.
“Good to see you again, Isobel.”
“Same to you, Finn.” She smiled and reached out her hands to me. This time I took them.
“I thought we were friends, Isobel – remember how I protected you when you went to Pearl’s wedding?”
Her smile didn’t waver. “Of course I remember.”
Casting a quick glance toward the drone where Hans now stood waiting for me, I leaned in a little. “Then how come I get a male mediator?”
Her lips pursed. “Because you already slept with the two female mediators that were assigned to your group when you were last here.”
“They told you that?”
“Not in detail,” she admitted. “But yes, we know full well about all your escapades, and since that is not the purpose of your visit, we decided to try a new approach.”
“Wait a minute, are you saying I’m not allowed to have sex with any women while I’m here?”
“I don’t see how we could stop you. And as long as it’s consensual, it’s really none of our business. But when it comes to the mediators we prefer that they keep their focus on the task instead of the person.”
