“All right—let’s see if I was successful in interpreting your request,” he remarked.
He pulled a golden plate out of the Matter Synthesizer and brought it over to where I was standing by the circular bench. Placing it on the table he said,
“Is that what it’s supposed to look like?”
“Um…sortof,” I said.
What it looked like was a child’s drawing of a cheeseburger. The patty in the middle looked kind of like a cardboard hockey puck and the buns were nondescript blobs. The cheese was like Elmer’s glue.
Well, maybe it tasted better than it looked.
Hesitantly, I picked the thing up—it weighed hardly anything—and took a nibble.
It was almost as bland as the nutritional cubes.
“Not good?” Sir asked. He had been watching my face as I bit into the weird burger-thing and clearly I hadn’t been able to hide my reaction.
“Well…it’s notexactlywhat a burger is supposed to taste like,” I said, trying to be diplomatic. “Or look like, either. I think the problem is, you’re used to eating something that tastes like nothing all the time, so that’s how it came out.”
“I’m sorry, little one.” He shook his head. “It’s just that we eat only for nutrition on my planet—not for entertainment.”
“Yeah, if I didn’t know that already, the nutritional gel would be a big clue,” I said glumly. Then I brightened. “Hey—can we try the mind-reading thing? Like you look into my mind and I’ll try to show you what a cheeseburger ought to taste and smell and look like and thenyoutry to make the Matter Synthesizer make one?”
I didn’t mind trying this now, since I no longer had plans to run away and I didn’t think he could see anything that would get me into trouble or embarrass me. Boy, was I wrong—but I didn’t know it at the moment.
Sir frowned.
“I still don’t think our bond has progressed enough for me to be completely accurate, but I can try.” He sat down on the curving bench, facing away from the table, and motioned for me. “Come stand between my legs and look into my eyes,” he told me.
Feeling slightly nervous, I did as he said. He was so tall that even sitting on the bench he was still a little taller than me, but at least I didn’t have to crane my neck to see him.
Sir cupped my face gently in his big hands and for a moment I could feel his immense strength. He could break me in two as easily as I would snap a toothpick, I realized, but he was holding back—being careful of me the same way I would be careful if someone had given me a small animal to hold.
“Now look at me, little one,” he murmured. “Look deep into my eyes and feel me touching you, mind-to-mind and soul-to-soul…look at me and think of…cheeseburgers.”
I started giggling—I couldn’t help it!
Sir gave me a stern look.
“What?” he asked. “Did I say something amusing?”
“It’s just…that started out so sexy and mysterious—almost romantic. And then you added the ‘cheeseburgers’ part,” I said, still trying not to laugh.
“I am doing this foryourbenefit,” Sir pointed out, his frown deepening. “Would you like to just eat nutritional gel? Or do I need to discipline you to make you behave?”
One big hand came to rest on my bare bottom and he gave me a sharp little spank that made me gasp.
“Oh! That hurt!” I rubbed my stinging ass cheek.
“It wassupposedto,” Sir told me. “Now, are you ready to concentrate?”
“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry—I’ll be serious, I promise,” I said penitently, hanging my head. “Now how do we do this again?”
“Look into my eyes,” he directed, cupping my face again. “And then let me in—let me know what youreallywant.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a very good choice of words—although it was probably better than when he told me to look into his eyes and think of cheeseburgers.
See, my ass was still stinging from that slap and my body was still humming from feeling his big hands all over me while he was washing me and teasing me earlier, so when I looked deep into Sir’s full-black eyes, I wasn’t exactly thinking about cheeseburgers.