dorky Doris as I ever was. My mouth slides open, and I stare at him for far too long. My grandmother would have told me I’d catch flies with my mouth open like that. I finally catch myself and close it with an audible clack.
“Are you disappointed?” he asks.
“Disappointed?” I say the word like I don’t know what it means. “No. I guess I’m just confused. This is all so sudden.”
“I understand.” He stands to his feet, towering over me. I get an even better view of his manhood. My eyes widen, and I have to look away. The wet heat between my legs pulses. My mouth waters. I have an image of taking his thick shaft into my mouth. I’m so embarrassed by this thought that I can’t even look him in the eye.
“I wanted to give you the news myself. But I can see you need time alone to process the information. I will take my leave.” His words are clipped and abrupt as he heads for the door.
He instructs the AI to open the door. I scurry to my feet, following him out. He turns back to me. We’re standing only a few feet apart. The smell of him is making me lightheaded. My nipples are hard knots, and my pussy is dripping into my panties. He sniffs the air when he looks at me. I feel mortified, positive he can smell the scent of my juices.
I can’t help my response. It feels so irrational to me. But I don’t want it to stop. I just hope I can manage not to embarrass myself. Or turn him off. I wonder if that’s why he’s leaving so quickly—he’s mortified to be matched with such an awkward nerd.
“I will visit you again soon. We can continue our courtship then.”
Everything he says is so matter-of-fact, like it’s a business arrangement. I want to throw myself at him and rip off his skintight uniform to see what’s underneath. My cheeks burn. I’m totally embarrassing myself.
Maybe he does think of this as a business arrangement. Maybe his match doesn’t matter to him at all. And why would it? I’m just some weirdo librarian from Earth. He only needs me for my womb. Not my personality.
“Great. Sounds peachy.”
What am I even saying?
“Tomorrow at noon, I will escort you to one of the area’s finest dining establishments. The food is fresh, and the chefs are excellent.”
“Okeydokey.”
He nods, steps into the common room, then disappears into the hallway. Bethany rushes over to me, wide-eyed and smirking.
“What was that about?” she asks, grabbing my hand. She’s changed into a Martian gown too. Except hers is pink with a blue floral design. “Is he your match?”
“Yes…”
I’m dumbstruck. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. My elitist ex cheated on me. I’d given him everything. I paid half the bills. I cooked and cleaned. I tried to please him in bed. But in the end, I wasn’t enough for him.
The pain of the breakup is still with me, even after the harrowing events of the last few days. Or however long it’s been. My sense of time is completely off.
“Oh my god, Doris! How do you feel? Do you like him? He was the captain of the ship that rescued us, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Captain Jaxxo Noru. I think he’s a good one.”
“A good one. Captain Jack puts Ashton to shame. Ashton is like a soggy tissue stuck to Captain Jack’s shoe.”
“It’s Jaxxo.”
“I know. I just think it’s hot to call him Captain Jack.”
“He’s nothing like that character. He’s… so serious.”
“Well, this is probably a shock to him too. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah. A shock.”
I don’t want to tell her I’m pretty sure he’s totally disappointed that he is stuck with me. But I can’t listen to Bethany gushing over what a great catch I am right now. The negative voices in my head are screaming, and I think I need to lie down.
“Listen, Bethany, can we talk about this later? I’m feeling kind of exhausted.”
“Sure thing. Will you let me help you get ready for your date tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
I slip back into my room to be alone. I’m breathing heavily, and I feel damp with sweat. I lean against the door, my chest heaving. My body quivers with excitement. It’s like I can still smell him in the room. I try to cool myself off by waving air into the neck of my dress, but I’m far too hot and damp to cool off this way.
I begin to