Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Be seated, please.” Dr. Brandt motioned to a chair across from his desk. But instead of going to sit on the other side of it once she was seated, he leaned against the front of the broad metal desk so that they were scarcely three feet apart. And that was when he said,
“Let me see your breasts.”
“Excuse me?” Lexi stared at him in disbelief. “Did you just ask to see my breasts?” she demanded.
“Yes, of course.” He frowned at her as though she was being unnecessarily difficult. “You have the necessary chemistry to perform in the way I need you to, but I must see if your equipment is adequately functional.”
“My equipment? You’re calling my breasts my ‘equipment?’” Lexi stared at him with her eyebrows raised. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious.” He frowned at her impatiently. “I’m very close to a break-through here—why wouldn’t I be serious?”
“But a break-through in what? And whatever it is, why would you need to see my breasts?” Lexi shook her head. “You know what? Forget it. I think you’re just some kind of creepy perv who’s luring women up here with the promise of a high-paying job so you can get them to take off their tops for you. I’m leaving.”
She got up, intending to leave the office at once, but Dr. Brandt was suddenly in front of her, blocking the door.
“No, wait—I said that the wrong way,” he said, frowning. “You human females are so temperamental! Please, just let me explain and I promise you’ll find my proposal worth your time.”
“I’ve heard all I want to,” Lexi said coolly. “Thanks, but no thanks. Now could you please step aside?”
“But you’re the first female I’ve found with the necessary chemistry!” he growled, sounding extremely frustrated. “Look, just listen for a moment!”
Lexi was already brushing past him. She might need money, but she didn’t need it badly enough to take off her top and let him perv on her! She had standards, damn it!
She was almost out the door when he called after her.
“As you said, this position does pay extremely well.”
That stopped Lexi in her tracks.
“How well?” she asked, turning her head to look back at him.
“I’ll pay you a thousand Earth dollar-credits just to stay and listen to my proposal.” His deep voice sounded desperate.
Lexi turned around.
“A thousand dollars just to listen?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes.” Dr. Brandt nodded.
“And I don’t have to take off my blouse to earn the money?” she probed, raising an eyebrow.
He blew out a breath in frustration but finally he nodded.
“Agreed. You don’t have to show me your equipment unless you agree to my proposal and we make a deal.”
“All right, then.” Lexi nodded. “I’ll stay and listen. But one thing—stop calling my breasts ‘equipment’. That’s creepy and weird—they’re breasts. Or boobs or tits or titties or ta-tas or whatever else you want to call them but not equipment. I’m not a robot—I’m a person!”
“Ta-tas?” Dr. Brandt looked confused. “Never mind,” he said, shaking his head when Lexi opened her mouth again. “Just come sit and listen. Please,” he added, when she hesitated.
Lexi nodded and went back into his office and sat on the chair.
“All right, I’m listening,” she said. Not that she expected anything the big Kindred said to make her willing to take her top off for him.
She had no idea how wrong she was.
2
LEXI
“I’m studying cancer—specifically breast cancer and how to treat it,” Dr. Brandt said, once Lexi was seated and he was leaning against his desk once more.
“Oh, well why didn’t you say so? My grandmother died of breast cancer,” Lexi remarked.
He nodded.
“That could be one reason your chemistry is compatible with the bacteria.”
“The what? What bacteria?” Lexi asked, frowning.
“Please—let me explain.” He cleared his throat. “I am studying a certain beneficial bacteria that lives and thrives on one planet only—Bio-Terius Centra. The Bio-Terians are cancer free because of this bacteria, which is called Bacillus Aurum—or ‘the golden bacteria.’ I wish to run some tests on this bacteria and hopefully to adapt it to live and thrive in other environments so that breast cancer can be completely eradicated.”
“Well, that sounds like a very noble cause,” Lexi admitted.
“It’s very close to my heart—if I could be said to have one,” he admitted and she noticed that his deep voice had grown hoarse. Had he lost someone to the awful disease? She still remembered losing her grandmother, even though she was just a little girl when it happened. It had been awful.
“So where do I come in?” she asked. “Are you wanting to test your experiments on me because I have a family history of breast cancer?”
“No—I wish I was that far advanced in my studies.” He looked regretful. “Right now, what I need is a way to keep the Bacillus Aurum alive so that I can study it more thoroughly. I have imported sample after sample here to the Mother Ship but no matter what I do, it dies within a few hours.”