“Forgiven you for what?” she asked.
“She’s a former paramour. He broke her heart when he jilted her.” Soton had missed or ignored his signal to shut up. “Falkor is the love-’em-and-leave-’em prince.”
“That describes you rather than me.” He scowled. Soton had bedded more women than Falkor ever thought about. Plus, he couldn’t have broken Bynti’s heart because she didn’t have one.
“Ah. I get it now,” she said.
He wasn’t sure what shegot. “The situation isn’t like he presents it. Bynti and I were together only a very short time.”
“You slept with her,” Soton said.
“Do you mind?” he snapped. The brief interlude with Bynti had been the biggest mistake of his life—until today. He regretted bringing his wife to meet his business partner. What the hekkel was Soton doing?
“Whatthe reportsdidn’t say is how lovely your bride is.” Soton’s eyes gleamed with appreciation. The holovids don’t do you justice.”
No, they hadn’t. She was more beautiful in person.
“So, you’re from Earth?” Soton continued to chat her up.
“Yes.”
“What brought you to our humble planet? It couldn’t have been the prospect of meeting this guy? Thespare apparent.”He chuckled.
“I want to go over the sales report you sent me,” Falkor interjected. Soton was being Soton, but he had the oddest urge to punch his friend in the face. “In addition, I’ve got a new product in the design stage we need to talk about.”
“Let’s go into the office, then.”
KAT had space in a low-key office complex Falkor owned. Displays and product demos were in the front showroom; strategy and planning sessions occurred out of public view where they could roll up their sleeves.
“Join us,” Soton invited Karma, setting Falkor’s teeth on edge. He’d intended to ask her himself, and it bugged him that Soton beat him to it.
“I’ll wait for you out here,” she declined. “I’d only be in the way.”
“No, you won’t,” Falkor said.
“I’m not familiar with your technology. I wouldn’t be much help.” From a pouch she wore around her waist, she extracted a velvet bag. “I brought my tarot cards. I can amuse myself. Don’t worry about me,” she said, and he was a bit relieved, even though he’d been eager to show her more of what he did.
But only the Gods of Kaldor could guess what else Soton would say. Nor did he like the way his partner looked at Karma.
She moved to a schoolroom holodesk, designed for two students to face each other, separated by a desktop holobase. When the instruction program ran, a teacher would appear in miniature. “I’ll park myself here—unless I’ll get catapulted from the chair,” she joked.
“Only if you accidentally push the secret button,” Soton said.
She turned to find another place to sit.
“There’s no secret button.” He glowered at Soton. “You can sit there. It’s perfectly safe.”
She nodded and slipped into the seat.
Annoyed with Soton and feeling guilty for reasons he didn’t understand, he stalked into the office.
“Are you upset about something?” Soton said.
“What would I be upset about?”
“I don’t know. You seem…terse.”
“You’re flirting with my wife.” He gave voice to the feeling in his gut. It wasn’t so much what Soton had said or done, but more his animation and admiration.
