Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Interesting.” Larry jumped off the argument train and studied the guys who’d moved closer like we were back in his lab. “I am not familiar with everyone who is interested in you. However, I do recognize several potential suitors.”
Was that a good thing or not?
Suitors?
What had they been watching lately?
Wait. Did knowing them mean he’d worked with them?
I wasn’t sure I could handle any more scientists or professors in my life…they were all insane just in different ways.
Before I could decide how I was going to figure out any of those questions without actually asking any of them, Larry had us moving again…that time toward the guys who were getting closer.
My suitors.
They were mostly different shades of blues and greens, with one who had grays in his coloring as well, but that was all I could tell at first glance. No one looked happier than another and no one was giving off flirty Dom vibes, so it was hard to tell that they were interested in me.
Especially with how many other subs there seemed to be.
But as I tried to see how many humans were in the group, I realized there were more alien Doms than human subs. Did that make me look better? Usually when I’d gone out, there were always more subs than Doms.
This had to improve my odds, right?
The way Larry was weaving us through my suitors didn’t give me confidence in it.
“Human privacy customs vary, but would it be acceptable to explain that you are a submissive that could tolerate higher levels of caretaking than average?” Larry said that with such a straight face, I had to look around him and focus on his giggling partner.
“He realizes he just said that out loud, right? He’s fucking with me?” The question got giggles from several humans around us but a few of the tentacled cuties seemed to realize how funny it was too, so I knew they’d been around humans more than some of the others.
“Yep. He realized he said that but he’s exploring the different ways humans use language to get what they want without actually saying what they want.” Nicholas looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the situation. “It’s really cute as long as it’s not aimed at me.”
Great. He was proud of his mate for learning to fuck with people.
Sighing, I shook my head and reminded myself that I knew he’d overshare. It was just what he did. Sometimes it was accidental and sometimes it was because he was really curious. Now it seemed like it was because he was being pushy at the very least. “It would not be oversharing in this social situation.”
Just this once because it made sense.
He’d finally learned to stop asking me questions about his research when he saw me in the hallways, so I couldn’t complain about it now. This was at least a reasonable space to be talking about my submission and my submissive reactions.
“And good job on exploring new ways to use language.” Might as well praise the dork because he’d done it pretty well.
Yep, he got all puffed up and proud of himself as Nicholas just went back to snickering.
But something about the ridiculousness shifted the way some of the Doms saw me because the group changed. I lost a few that’d been hovering near the back and gained a few new onlookers who were watching me carefully.
What’d happened?
“Interesting.” Larry’s comment said he’d noticed it too but it didn’t give me any context.
I was going to ask…probably…but a broad-chested guy with tentacles that looked larger than average somehow shifted closer and gave Larry a polite nod. “I would request an introduction to the human you have called a friend.”
Larry spoke really good human English because he had fun talking with all the students on campus when he was taking a break from his experiments, but this guy spoke like he hadn’t interacted with quite as many humans.
“It would be an honor.” Larry inclined his head and gestured toward me. “Please be introduced to our human friend and colleague Theo. He is a member of the university staff that is involved in maintenance and caretaking.”
I wasn’t sure I’d have phrased my job description that way, but it wasn’t wrong.
“He is patient with others and dislikes confrontation. He also needs guidance in making daily decisions and is highly respected for his homemaking skills.” It was the strangest introduction I’d ever been a part of and Larry didn’t let it end there. “He appreciates mild pain in human-based sexual pleasures and finds tentacles highly erotic.”
Oh God.
He sounded like I had a fetish for them.
I didn’t.
They were just…
I was just…
They…
Shit.
As the world grayed out around me, my last thought was that I was going to kill Larry.
When reality tuned back in, my first thought was about killing Larry again, but my second thought was that I wasn’t on the floor.