To Torri, it felt magical, walking arm-in-arm with the big Kindred, eating something sweet, and being close to each other as the alien merchants cried their wares.
I’ll never forget this, she thought. Not if I live to be a hundred.
They found several more things she liked as they moved along the row of stalls. One was an intricately embroidered shawl that looked thick and warm. It was woven out of some puffy kind of alien wool that was incredibly soft to touch but very warming, the seller assured them.
Supposedly, it was a natural insulator and would hold every bit of body heat in—which would be useful on such a cold planet, Torri thought. Plus, the shawl displayed beautiful workmanship with elaborate patterns of pink and red and orange and yellow embroidered on a deep blue background that reminded her of the color of Vic’s eyes.
“Would you like it?” the seller asked them, reaching for her energy meter, which looked much the same as the one the pastry seller had used, except it was much taller.
“Yes, please.” Torri nodded eagerly.
“Will you take payment in sex or violence?” Vic enquired, frowning.
“Either one you like,” the seller said. “But if you’re going to pay with romance, you’ll have to do a good job. I’ll want at least twenty-five yorns for the shawl—I won’t insult you by asking less.”
“Twenty-five yorns?” Torri asked, frowning. “Can you show us how much that is, please?”
“Of course. Look here…” The seller indicated her meter, where the red line was just below the half-way point. “Here’s a single yorn,” she said, indicating a section about two centimeters wide. “I’ll need twenty-five of those for the shawl.” And she indicated a spot much higher on the meter.
Torri frowned as she measured the space with her eyes. It was considerably more than they had paid for the pastry. But that only made sense, she supposed, since the shawl must have taken hours to hand-embroider. She looked up at Vic.
“Do you think we can do it?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“With just a kiss? Probably not. But if you’ll allow me to touch you as well, we might be able to manage it.”
“Touch me where?” Torri bit her lip. She loved the feel of the big Kindred’s hands on her but they were still in public here.
His blue eyes went half-lidded.
“Your breasts,” he murmured. “I think we can generate enough energy without doing anything, er, below the belt.”
Torri bit her lip. She really wanted the shawl—it would make a wonderful souvenir to remember her one and only trip to an alien world. But she was still embarrassed to let Vic fondle her in public.
The big Kindred seemed to sense her hesitation.
“If you would rather hit or slap me to pay for the shawl, you can do that instead,” he offered. “The seller did say she will accept payment in either sex or violence.”
“Hit you or slap you? No!” Torri exclaimed, horrified at the idea. “Absolutely not—I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I recover very quickly,” Vic told her. “I will not be offended.”
“I don’t care about that—I don’t want anything badly enough to hurt you to get it!”
“Then you must either forget about the shawl, or let me touch you while we kiss.” Vic raised an eyebrow at her. “Which do you prefer?”
Torri nibbled her bottom lip. She really wanted the shawl—not just because it would make a fabulous souvenir but because it was really cold out here! She hadn’t thought that the red giant sun gave off much heat or light, but the air was noticeably colder now that it had set.
“All right,” she told Vic at last. “Just don’t…make it obvious, okay?”
“I’ll shield you with my body as we kiss,” he promised, his voice a soft growl. “That way no one can see me pleasuring you.”
Torri felt a jolt of desire go through her as he reached for her and she flowed willingly into his arms.
This time his mouth tasted sweet—like the pastry they had finished off together—and he kissed her with even more passion. Torri moaned as his tongue pressed between her lips, tasting her as she tasted him as well. One big hand cupped her right breast and she panted softly as he thumbed her nipple.
But it was difficult to feel his hand through the two sweaters and the bra she was wearing. Impatiently, she took his hand in her own and moved it down, slipping it under the hem of her bottom sweater.
Vic seemed to understand what she wanted because he eagerly slipped his hand up to cup her breast again, this time without the bulky sweaters in the way.
“More!” Torri murmured urgently against his lips. She had forgotten they were in public, in the middle of the alien marketplace, and that people might be watching them. All she could think about was how much she wanted his hands on her—how much she wanted him.
Vic seemed to understand what she needed. He reached under the lacy cup of her bra and cupped her bare breast. As he continued to kiss her, he rolled her tight nipple between his fingers, making Torri moan into his mouth and writhe against him. Oh God, that felt good! She loved the feel of his big hands on her. Despite the fact that it was so cold outside, they were still warm and so gentle.
Chuck had never known quite how to touch her—he was always slightly too rough. In contrast, the big Kindred seemed to know just how to touch her to make her body react. Torri was completely lost in the pleasure of him stroking and kissing her when the shawl saleswoman informed them that they had paid for the shawl.
“Hmm?” Torri murmured and the saleswoman repeated that the shawl was paid for. She handed it over with a smile and patted her meter, which was much fuller than it had been.
“Quality romance,” she remarked, just as the pastry seller had said. “True love, that is! A pleasure doing business with the both of you.”
“Er, thank you,” Torri said, wrapping the soft, warm shawl around her shoulders. It was so big she could have easily used it as a blanket and she couldn’t believe she’d just paid for a souvenir by letting Vic kiss her and fondle her breasts in public. But that was just the odd way the Gemmites operated and when in Rome…
“This looks lovely on you,” Vic remarked, stroking the shawl as he settled one long arm around her shoulders. “And I enjoyed helping you pay for it,” he murmured in Torri’s ear.
Torri felt her cheeks getting red with a blush.
“I, er, enjoyed it too,” she admitted.
He sighed.
“Well, I wish we could spend more time at the marketplace but I think most of the stalls and booths are shutting down. Besides, it’s time to get back to La’Gross’s garage so we can see what his price for fixing the ship is.”
“Is it going to be a lot?” Torri asked anxiously. “Can I help you pay for it?”
Vic frowned.
“No, it’s not your responsibility. Don’t worry—I can manage. I have before.”
Torri wanted to protest, but he had a very determined look on his face.
But if goods and services cost different amounts of emotion-energy or yorns, how much would it cost to get a spaceship repaired? She knew that car repairs—no matter how minor—cost a lot more on Earth than say, a box of Krispy Kreme donuts or a nice new blouse. So how was Vic planning to pay for getting his ship’s communications system fixed?