Page 35 of The Explorer
“Mm-hmm.” I stood for a moment looking into apartments across from us. It felt like an intrusion of privacy to see people reading, working out, sleeping, or playing the piano.
I did a double take when I saw an intimate act between two men in one of the apartments. “Are they…?”
Indiana followed the direction of my gaze and made a sound in his throat to confirm that he saw what I saw. “Hmm.”
I should look away, but my damn curiosity drew me in.
Indiana turned his back to the window and looked at me. “Look, Aubri, about last night.”
“They’re doing it like a man and a woman would.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just always assumed that men would have to do it doggy style, but they’re doing it missionary style.”
“Yeah, ehm…, but can we talk about what happened last night?”
Feeling nervous about where this was going, I moved away from the window and to the kitchen to get some water.
“How do you feel about what happened?”
My hands shook a little when I answered without looking at him. “I feel fine. It was a good experience. How do you feel?”
“Good. It was just an awkward ending. I would have liked to see where things could have gone.”
“Would you have fucked her?”
My question seemed to stun him a little.
“Ehhm… Did you want me to?”
“Isn’t that the idea of a threesome?” God, I was being a bitch for putting him on the spot like this, especially because the answer that pushed from inside me was: No! I didn’t want him to fuck Lucille.
Before he could answer me, there was a knock on the door.
Indiana went to open it and let Victor in.
“Bonjour,” I said, showing off that I’d learned a little French.
He greeted me back and took a seat at the small round dining table without being asked.
“I’m here to discuss a few things. First of all, since you’re here, would you be willing to do a bit of teaching?”
“Do you want us to teach fighting techniques?”
“No; we were thinking more along the lines of cultural education. Simon works for the Minister of Education and he thought it would be an excellent idea if you visited a few schools and gave our children a chance to meet some real Northlanders.”
“Sure. That’ll be fun.”
“The press had been pressuring us for permission to do an interview with one or both of you.”
“You control the press?”
“Not me personally, but the Prime Minister has influence.”
Indiana and I looked at each other before agreeing to the interview. “We’ll do it together,” he said.
“Good. Next on my agenda is your need to communicate within this country. I’ve brought you a few different options. No matter what solution you choose, you won’t be able to call anyone back home, but you’ve been granted permission to write them, which is a privilege in itself.”
