Page 24 of Malliko
“Then go to a club, Malliko. I'm sure you would be very popular there. Women and men would throw themselves atyou.” I wasn’t joking. Just walking from work and into this bar, I’d seen people watch him with interest.
“I'm not looking to have sex, Clara. My interest is more from a research point of view.”
Just then it suddenly clicked, and everything made sense to me. “Wait. Are you a-sexual? That would explain why you're not jealous. Sex really isn’t your thing, is it?”
He laughed and pulled back in his seat. “What is that. Does a stand for ass?”
“No. A-sexual means that you have no interest in sex.”
“Oh. No, I love sex. I’m just dedicated to my work for now, and the type of women I’m usually with are hard to find here.”
It was silly that I felt offended. I’d seen the picture of his fiancée, who looked like one of those picture-perfect influencers who made videos about make-up tips. “Well, in that case, Tania has nothing to worry about.” My tone was neutral as I picked up my purse. “Thank you for the drink. I hope you got some useful answers for your research. Will I see you at work tomorrow?”
Malliko nodded. “I’ve been allowed to get some questions into a questionnaire that will be sent to all Go2Match users.”
“Nice.” I gave him a quick smile before sliding out of the box and standing up. “Enjoy your evening. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Clara.”
I had walked two steps when I heard him behind me. “Think about my offer about going with you to the sex club.”
My body stiffened and I looked to a group of patrons by the bar to see if they heard him. One of them smiled at me and raised his beer bottle. Fixing my eyes on the floor, I headed for the exit at a fast pace.
CHAPTER 7
Dusty Chocolate
Malliko
Tania glared at me when I told her about my conversation with Clara.
“You can’t ask a woman you hardly know intimate questions like that. It’s considered both rude and highly inappropriate.”
“Is it?”
Tania walked to my kitchen and opened my fridge. “I filled this up two days ago and now it’s almost empty. How much do you eat?”
“I tasted all of it. Most of it was delicious, except for those round ones.”
“What round ones?” When she looked over, Tania crocked an eyebrow. “Are you talking about the chocolate balls that were on the counter?”
I showed the size of the balls with my fingers. “They were brown.”
“Yes. That’s chocolate. You didn’t like those?”
I shook my head. “They tasted… hmmm… dusty.”
“Dusty? You can’t be serious. Do you mean dry?”
“Yes. I didn’t like them.”
“Just so you know, chocolate is considered a treat here.” Looking around, she asked. “So where are they? Did you still eat them all?”
“Yes. I was hungry and I figured that they had to be nutritious. Why else would people endure the nasty taste?”
Tania rolled her eyes. “Clearly our taste buds are different, because chocolate is candy to us.”
“Can I get some more of the long green ones? And could you help me buy some more clothes?”
