Page 84 of The Outcast
“Interesting. And the people in these clubs, are they able to limit their kinks to the people in that environment or do they attack normal people and hurt them?”
“From what I know they are law-abiding citizens who retain their fetish to when they play with someone like-minded.”
“If you decide to send Bjorn to France, you’ll need to give him the name of those clubs. He will thrive with people who enjoy his raw sexuality.”
“You’re letting me go to France?” Bjorn asked in disbelief.
Linea watched him for a second. “There’s no need to be ashamed of who you are. My job isn’t to judge you but to assess if you can respect boundaries. Can you?”
“A hundred percent.”
Linea let go of his hands. “I believe you, but the final decision isn’t up to me. If you get the chance to go, don’t disappoint us.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
I looked up to see Thor approach us. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes.” I stood up just as Bjorn left the table.
“Did you talk to everyone then?” Thor asked Linea.
“Everyone but Aristotle.”
“And?”
“So far the only candidate that raised concerns to me was Bjorn, but Banni and I figured it out.”
“How? Tell me.”
The first time I saw Linea and Thor together when she had first arrived, she came across cold and clipped with him. Now, her sensuality from all the interviews seemed to linger a bit and she tapped her lips with an amused smile. “Are you sure you want me to tell you about another man’s sexuality? You seem a little repressed yourself.”
Her assessment of him provoked Thor. Planting his palms on the table, he bent down and answered her in a low voice. “Just because I’m not French and don’t fuck everyone who wants to be with me, doesn’t mean I’m repressed.”
Linea didn’t flinch but kept watching him with a small, knowing smile. “No, I can imagine that you’re waiting for your virgin bride to fit your picture of the perfect fairytale.”
“Just tell me your concerns about Bjorn,” Thor ordered low.
“If you insist. Bjorn enjoys sadism and if he explores this part of his sexuality with an ordinary French woman, it could cause problems. We wouldn’t want rumors of sexually violent men to be spread about the Northlander Explorers. Banni, however, has assured both Bjorn and me that there are groups of people in Old Europe who enjoy that sort of thing.”
“If he enjoys hurting women, he shouldn’t be in the program,” Thor said with a sharp glance in my direction.
Before I had a chance to answer, Linea interjected.
“I disagree. There’s nothing wrong with sex out of the ordinary as long as it’s consensual and happening between adults who can set their boundaries.”
Thor stared at Linea. “Are you out of your fucking mind? What if he gets a taste for it and takes it home with him? What kind of woman would let a man hurt her on purpose?”
Linea raised her chin. “Are you so naïve as to think there are no women in the Northlands who are into kink? Who are you to judge what women like or don’t like? Just because you wouldn’t take the time of day to figure out what turns your future wife on doesn’t mean other men can’t have a healthy sex life out of the ordinary.”
Thor’s hands folded into fists. “What are you talking about? I’ll bet you haven’t even had sex yet, so stop acting like you’re a fucking expert.”
Linea’s chair scraped across the floor when she rose to stand. With him leaning down, they came eye to eye. “You people called me here because Iaman expert. How far or deep my expertise goes is for me to know, but one thing is for sure, you knownothingabout me!”
“And you knownothingabout me!” he hissed back.
“Thenshowme.” With a firm grip, Linea cupped Thor’s face and looked deep into his eyes. He pulled away as if she had burned him.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, you two.” Aubri, who had been sending the candidates home, came running. “What the hell is wrong with you, Thor? How in the world did you manage to get in a fight with a peaceful Motlander?”
