to our mothers giving us extra to enjoy ourselves with.”
“They were generous, but playing this would still put a serious dent in our vacation fund. We’d be on a strict budget from here on out.”
“I guess we shouldn’t bother.” Vax tried to look as if he didn’t care, but he wasn’t successful.
“What the heck. We should do at least one irresponsible, outrageous thing while we’re here. Let’s go for it.” Bacoj grinned as Vax threw his arms around him in delight.
They joined the queue to play, whispering strategy and noting which prizes made the most sense to try for. Vax was practically dancing with excitement, hugging and kissing Bacoj with abandon in anticipation of playing.
Bacoj decided not to worry about the money they were about to spend. Maybe he wouldn’t have a credit to his name by the time the vacation ended, but looking into his companion’s excited face, Bacoj had no doubt it would be worth it.
* * * *
Bacoj had never seen Vax giddy. He’d been such a serious guy on Kalquor, what with concentrating on his career and being stalked by Karil. Now he was almost childlike in his joy. Bacoj was delighted by this side of his lover and the fact he’d been able to help it come out.
It had started with the zero-g game that afternoon. Among the prizes the players could vie for were surprise bags—small, nondescript bags that gave no hint as to what was inside. The best held money prizes, with varying amounts from one credit to tens of thousands. Some held passes to shows, dinner tokens for restaurants, or granted services in brothels. The majority contained cheap junk that would be left on the game floor rather than taken home.
Most players zoomed past these unglamorous bags in the pursuit of the big prizes. And while Bacoj and Vax had set their sights on winning a top-of-the-line shuttle, they’d paused to grab every bag they happened upon in their path, securing them on their belts without checking the contents. They’d ended up with a couple dozen of the surprise bags when their allotted five minutes ended in the zero-g chamber.
They hadn’t won the shuttle or any of the major prizes, but three of the bags yielded decent results. The free dinner token for two at a mid-priced restaurant and a nice handheld from a reputable manufacturer hadn’t recouped the expense of playing, but the credit prize had…and then some.
“We might not have to touch another cent of our vacation fund,” Vax laughed with delight. “I bet this will pay for our lodgings too.”
“It will.” Bacoj couldn’t believe their luck. The gamble had actually paid off beyond making Vax happy.
They enjoyed the dinner they’d won that night, along with a bottle of the second-best bohut available. A concert and mid-tier seats at a shuttle race followed. They finished their first day in Ler still in possession of most of their winnings.
They reached the inn Bacoj had reserved a room in on the outskirts of Ler, their travel bins having been delivered from the spaceport when they’d landed. He unlocked the door to their quarters, and Vax stepped into the room behind him.
Bacoj turned up the lights and winced. It was a low-budget room. Not an awful room, not less than he’d expected, but it was certainly nothing special. A large sleeping mat with beige linens and a couple of small pillows. Cheap prints for art. A table showing signs of wear and seating cushions. The carpet was rough beneath his feet when he kicked his shoes off. Their travel bins were tucked in a corner beneath a crack in the wall’s plaster. The sole highlight of the room was a sunken tub, big and deep enough for them to enjoy together.
If Vax was disappointed, he showed no sign of it. His gaze rested on the purple gift bag in the middle of the sleeping mat. “What’s that?”
“A surprise.” Bacoj had arranged for it to be delivered before they’d left Kalquor.
With an anticipatory smile, Vax went to the mat. He opened the bag and peeked in. His beaming grin turned wicked as he began to pull the sex toys out. “You bad, bad Dramok. No wonder you kept putting me off when I wanted to browse the naughty shops.”
“Couldn’t have you buying things I’d already picked out.” Bacoj smirked. “Now that you’ve seen what we have to work with, we can look for other goodies tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Vax’s attention went to the tub. “I’d like