Page 8 of Seduction
“No, we don’t. It’s considered an invasion of our private space. A crime. If a citizen is convicted of first-degree personal space invasion, he or she is exiled to one of the mining colonies on an asteroid, just like with any other crime. The Federation has been cracking down hard recently, ever since trade routes through the portals opened. Some of our citizens were being corrupted by exposure to beings from other planets, where such behavior runs rampant.”
“But you’ve been touching me. Everywhere.” He caught a flash of guilt on her face. “Have you been breaking the law?”
“There are some exceptions,” she answered, her voice prim. “I have a medical degree. I’m allowed to provide care in case of emergencies. Generally major medical procedures are performed only when patients are in sleep mode, to avoid the trauma of personal space invasion.”
“Talia said something about it once, back on Gadolinium, but I didn’t believe her. I thought she was teasing. How long has this been going on?”
“You mean the ban on coitus?”
She must have seen confusion in his eyes. He watched her face turn red as she forced herself to use a word he’d understand. “You mean, how long has it been since we stopped…fucking each other on Earth? Around three hundred years.”
He laughed. Chuckling at first then howling. “By Odin’s beard, you are a naughty wench! You almost had me. No touching? No fucking? Come here.”
He shot out an arm, wrapped it around her waist, and pulled her close then captured her mouth in a kiss.
* * *
Selena froze. She couldn’t breathe. His lips fastened over hers, his arms crushed her against that massive body. She beat his chest with her fists, desperate to escape.
He stopped immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t! Please don’t!”
“Don’t kiss you?” He held her against him, arms circling her like a steel band.
“Don’t – touch me!” she cried, her voice shrill.
His face fell. He took his arms away. “You don’t kiss. You don’t… Wait. That can’t be. How does your species go on if there’s no fucking?”
Legs shaking, Selena backed away from the bed and sank down onto the chair. She pulled herself together, retreating to her clinical, scientific persona. The place where she felt safe.
She began speaking as though she were back in the lecture hall with first-year students. “If marriage partners choose to procreate, they design and conceive a child artificially, in a sterile lab. The resulting fetuses are brought to term in the lab. Then they’re raised in groups by trained nursemaids, closely monitored all the while by the latest equipment. Child caring is the other profession exempt from the law prohibiting physical contact. But, even then, we try to limit it as much as possible, to prepare our offspring for their place in society.”
She went on. “After two years, the parents are presented with a healthy toddler free of genetic defects, one trained to perform all the tasks necessary to care for itself. We find this is a far better system than leaving a child’s fate to the old-fashioned rolling of DNA-laden dice known as intercourse.” She met his eyes then. “Or fucking, as you call it.”
He stared at her, incredulous. “So all you Earthers remain virgins until you die?”
“No. Well, technically, perhaps, by your standards. On Earth we’ve learned to regulate and control our base, animalistic urges. We satisfy the body’s physical needs through regularly scheduled sessions of virtual intercourse with a holographic partner, one we design to fit our personal preferences. He or she is programmed to provide complete fulfillment every time, without the messy emotional entanglements that arise from intimate human encounters. I’ve had virtual intercourse since I came of age and started receiving hormone injections.”
For the first time, he perked up. “Virtual fucking? Exactly how is that done?”
Selena struggled to overcome her embarrassment. She’d never had to speak in graphic terms before. She tried to recall the dry language she’d read in the manual that accompanied her personal device.
“As I said, I have a holographic partner. One I designed myself. He came with a cylindrical-shaped probe that I use during my sessions.”
“So, you have to fuck yourself when you get randy?” He shook his head. “How sad.”
“Not at all,” she bristled. “Here on Earth, we don’t get ‘randy,’ as you put it. We find that dealing with our physical needs in that area on a regular basis, before they become bothersome, keeps those urges in check. I have a session with my holographic partner once every three weeks, as required by law. I find him very attractive, by the way. His probe brings me to gratification swiftly and efficiently. I’ve learned about your archaic practice of sex between humans. Frankly, it sounds like a messy and uncomfortable way to handle procreation.”
Haldor laughed. “It can be, at times. I’ll grant you that. But tell me more about this ‘partner.’ What does he do to bring you to – gratification, is it?”
She sighed. This primitive creature had no boundaries. And he was obsessed with the subject of sex.
“I think that discussion can wait. You need to rest.”
“I’ve had all the rest I can handle for now,” he grumbled. “What I need is a good run in the fresh, crisp air.” He swung his feet onto the floor.
“Please, believe me. You’re in no shape to handle something so strenuous.”