Up on the ridge, the rain continued to fall as we huddled in our house, our fire crackling. Outside, the long white lines of surf continued to surge onto the sands. Billie and I were in trouble. I’d lugged back the driftwood table, three kelp mattresses, and a ton of the soft furs that were so much better than our hard leather blankets.

  Holly sat quietly while Khanna ranted and raved.

  “Khanna worried sick. Sid Marshall and blonde bitch maybe never come back. Then what would Khanna do? This is not fair, Sid Marshall. This is not fair at all!”

  Holly gave me a weak smile. “I don’t know what she’s saying, but I agree with her.”

  Billie sat on a bus seat with her arms crossed. “This is so unfair. We weren’t even gone that long. And this is probably not about us going for a little walk—”

  The professor raised her hand. “I must protest. It was not a little walk. It was hours and hours away. Yes, I am pleased that your brought mattresses and blankets, but we simply can’t spend that much time away from each other.”

  Khanna nodded at me. “Khanna not know what old bitch say, but Khanna agree.”

  I dared to smile, but I wasn’t going to laugh, not with now upset the two women were.

  “It’s going to happen,” I said. “I’m not going to be on a leash. Yes, we should’ve come back and checked in with you. We got a little distracted—”

  “I knew it!” Holly said, jumping to her feet.

  I’d given us a high ceiling, so she didn’t bump her head.

  “Knew what?” Billie asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

  The Professor cleared her throat. “Yes. Well. That might’ve been inappropriate of me. We don’t need to discuss it further. Khanna and I have made our thoughts clear.”

  They had—in two different languages and in two completely different ways. Holly had controlled her anger for the most part. Khanna had unleashed her rage, but mostly, it was fear. They’d been scared. I could understand why. If they’d been gone for that long, I would’ve torn K’Shaul apart to find them.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I should’ve come back and let you guys know we were safe.”

  “Thank you,” Holly said with a tip of her head.

  Khanna gave me a dirty look. “That sound like apology to Khanna. Sid Marshall say sorry but Khanna need more. Khanna need oath you never leave her again.”

  Time to switch languages and work on the other girl. “Khanna, you have my word. I will do a better job of setting expectations. If I’m going to be gone for hours on end, I’ll tell you.”

  The huntress lifted her chin. “Won’t just tell me. Khanna be there with Sid Marshall. Together, they spend hours on end.”

  “Well, Khanna, we already have a problem. Tomorrow, I’m going to take the boat to retrieve that big power crystal out in the ocean. I’m also going to explore the skyscrapers. I don’t think you should go with me.”

  The huntress’s eyes widened. “Of course Khanna go with Sid Marshall. Khanna can swim. She is very proud of swimming ability. Why Sid Marshall leave when he might need Khanna most?”

  Billie chuckled. “Well, that’s not good. Khanna is completely freaked out. I bet Sid is telling her about him going off on his own to get that gigantic power crystal.”

  “What’s this now?” the professor asked. “I don’t think any of us should go anywhere alone.”

  I was then forced to explain my plans in two languages to three irate women.

  Basically, my argument was this: going out into the ocean was dangerous, but between Opal and I, we had things covered. She would scan for anything that wanted to eat me. And I had the optimized body to get away. Bringing anyone with me was a bad idea.

  “Khanna going!” the huntress declared.

  “Khanna should go,” Holly said two seconds later.

  “What?!” Billie basically yelled. “I should go.”

  “No,” the Professor said. “I won’t allow it.”

  “What do you mean you won’t allow it? You are not the boss of me. Sure, you were my teacher for like ten minutes, but I’m an adult. I can do what I want. So back the fuck off, Holly.”

  The professor realized she had overstepped her boundaries. “I apologize. You are right. I have no say…in anything I guess.”

  She stood up and hurried out of our house and into the rain.

  Billie pointed to the open door. “Sid. Go after her. She’s really upset, and I bet it’s not really about your stupid idea of going out alone. I think it’s because you and I got so…uh…distracted today.”

  “Okay.” I stood up. “Billie, we can’t all go in the canoe. If you don’t want me to go alone, Khanna is the logical choice.”

  The huntress heard her name. “Sid Marshall better be saying Khanna going.”

  “Yeah,” Billie said. “But it’s going to suck, Sid, not knowing what’s going on with you out there. But go to Holly. Make things better.”

  “I’ll try.”

  I knew where Holly would be. There were only two places out of the rain—our house and the bus.

  Scooping up a couple of furs, I hurried across the walkway, passed by the ladder leading up to the guard tower, and then found a warm place in the bus.

  Professor Kroft was sitting on the floor in the back.

  She raised her head to look at me. “Ugh, good gravy, here we are again, Holly Kroft, having difficulty reigning in her emotions. And co-starring Sid Marshall as her very handsome therapist.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought Khanna was the one who referred to herself in the third person. It’s not that surprising, Holly.”

  Sitting next to her, I covered our legs with one of the furs. The rain created a rhythmic music, tapping on the roof of the old bus that had done so much for us.

  She blew out a breath. “So you and Billie hooked up. That’s what the kids are saying nowadays, right?”

  I thought about how wild and free Billie had been. It had been intense, surprising, and so hot. Billie was far more sexual than I ever would’ve thought. In that way, she wasn’t like the girls I’d known at all back in Colorado.

  Holly finally laughed, and it sounded sad. “Wow. That good, huh?”

  “It was something,” I said. “But yes. Billie isn’t too worried about her boyfriend back on Earth. She’s moved on, and I can see why. What she had with Scott wasn’t going anywhere.”

  “Or is it Mike?” Holly asked.

  “My point exactly.”

  We sat in the stillness for a bit, listening to the rain tapping.

  “How is Khanna going to react to this news?” Holly asked.

  “We talked about it this morning. She said she was okay sharing me.”

  Holly nodded. “I see. And what does Billie think about your morning ritual with Khanna at Privacy Rock?”

  I shrugged. “Billie said she is going to try things out. She understands the situation.”

  “I’m not sure I do,” Holly said in a low voice. “Khanna might’ve come from a culture that embraces polyamory, but Billie was raised in mainstream American culture. The idea of monogamy runs deep. It’s one of the reasons why I never got married. Part of me could see the appeal of a single partner. Another part thought it might kill me because I need to feel free. It’s important to me…with how I grew up.”

  “From what you’ve said, you and your mother had a difficult relationship…”

  Holly’s smile was sad. “That’s putting it mildly. Both of my parents were very religious, and they expected me to walk lockstep with them through this life and into the gates of paradise. They had me locked down, so tightly, that rebellion was unthinkable. My mother wanted a large family, but there were complications during my birth. They were left with only me to mold and shape. My only escape was reading, and in the library, I found a book about other cultures. I realized that there are many ways to live life, and not just the path Mother and Father were walking. When I graduated from high school, I never went back. I wanted to learn all the ways people live life and that’s what drew me to both anthropology and sexual psychology. There are any number of ways to view sexuality.”

  “I didn’t know about the sex part,” I said. “You don’t talk about it much.”

  “You’re right. Because I’m your anthropology professor. But you see, the indoctrination runs deep. I have a strong moral code, whether I like it or not.”

  I thought of my uncle, who also had a strong moral code. He’d stayed faithful to my aunt, even when the women at the bar threw themselves at him. It created a stability that allowed him to do a lot with his life, including being a father to me.

  “There’s a lot to be said for a strong moral code,” I said after a bit. “My uncle stayed faithful to my aunt, even when the women at the bar basically threw themselves at him. It gave him a stable life, which let him do all sorts of things, including being a father to me. My real father was problematic.”

  “Ah, families,” Holly said with a sigh. “You do know what Tolstoy wrote about families?”

  “What”

  “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Holly took my hand. “Thank you for listening. You have this way of making me feel so safe. More than that, you listen, really listen. That is rare.”

  “Rare for men?” I asked.

  “Rare for people.” Holly paused. “I can’t throw myself into your bed, Sid. I’m sorry. I want to. You know I want to, don’t you?”

  “I do,” I said. “There’s no pressure on my end.”

  Holly smiled. “Of course there isn’t. You have two beautiful women to satisfy you. I’m jealous. But I’ve explored human sexuality enough to know how powerful and dangerous it can be. I know how deep my own desires run. I have to be careful. My chastity is me being careful.”

  “I’m here whenever you need to talk.”

  Holly sighed. “But you weren’t here today, for those hours and hours.”

  We’d circled back to where we first began. “Which is why I’m going to try and not be gone for so long, but I can’t really swear that what happened today won’t happen again. I’ll do my best, but there’s a lot of world to explore, and we have no idea how far away Sector X might be.”

  Holly sighed. “I just got so worried. You know why.”

  “Because you rely on me,” I said.

  She nodded. “And I don’t like that feeling.”

  “I wouldn’t either,” I admitted.

  “Sex would make me even more reliant on you.” She let her head fall back against the bus, closing her eyes.

  I took a moment to study her face. Yes, she had a few wrinkles, but she was still so beautiful. It kind of made my heart ache. But I already had two gorgeous women to satisfy. Could I add a third?

  With how I felt right then, yeah, I could. Opal had confirmed that with my optimized body, I would be able to answer the call.

  Holly turned to me. “I’m glad Billie is getting some relief. I won’t lie…I’m tempted. I know if I asked, you would let me watch. Maybe not with Billie but with Khanna. Definitely.”

  I felt the pull to kiss her, and I might’ve risked it, if a second later she hadn’t turned away.

  Another sigh. “But no, Sid. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from joining in. We’ll just keep going the way we have been. I’ll be fine.”

  I had to chuckle. “Well, if I can help in any way, just let me know.”

  “I’ll be sure to do that.” Her smile was slow and sly. “How good was it with Billie?”

  “Surprisingly good. There is more to her than I would’ve thought.”

  The Professor laughed a little and snuggled in close to me. “And I would’ve thought she was the slightly vapid cheerleader who was obsessed with her own vanity and had little room for anything else.”

  “I thought that too.”

  Holly looked up at me. “Would you mind putting your arm around me? I’d like to be held. It’s been a hard day. I thought for sure the Ravana Storm would come slicing through our home.”

  I put my arm around her, and soon, she was resting her head on my chest. I felt the softness of breasts push against me. She smelled strong—her own sweet scent. I felt myself getting excited. I had to stop that, though. She’d made it clear what she wanted.

  She nuzzled my chest before she said, “So tomorrow, you’re taking the canoe. I want to go…more out of curiosity than anything. And to know where you are at any given moment. It’s going to be rough waiting with Billie for you and Khanna to come back.”

  “Khanna shouldn’t come with me.”

  Holly lifted her head off my chest. Our faces were so close, and again, I wanted to kiss her. But no. I had to stop myself.

  The professor smiled. “Listen, Sid Marshall, Holly Kroft knows that Khanna will not stay behind. Khanna would strangle demon whales with her bare hands and swim across the world to be with her Sid Marshall. Holly Kroft know this.”

  “Stop,” I said laughing. “It’s not her fault she’s speaking this archaic version of Arkadian. Yeah. I think you’re right. I feel better that she can swim, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I’ve never felt like…”

  I couldn’t say I had never loved anyone like I loved Khanna, not to my lonely professor who was currently cuddled up in my lap. I didn’t want to make her feel worse.

  But it was too late.

  Holly’s laughter was sad as she rested her head back on my chest. “Enjoy your love, Sid. It’s one of my life’s great blessings. Maybe someday I’ll have the courage to join your harem.”

  “It’s not a harem,” I said in protest.

  “Then what is it?” she asked.

  I had no answer for her.

  Holly and I eventually returned to the house, where we had dinner, and Khanna continued with her English lessons. At the same time, Holly and Billie practiced their ancient Arkadian.

  All in all, it was peaceful night, and Holly loved her new mattress as well as the furs. I’d though to get real American mattresses from the skyscrapers, but now we didn’t need them.

  When it was time to go to bed, Billie rose on her toes and kissed my cheek. “You sleep with Khanna. I’ll wake you for your watch, but let’s just say, the bus is going to see more action.”

  “Love the bus,” I said with a smile.

  “Love the bus,” she agreed.

  The next morning, Khanna and I dragged the canoe down to the waters.

  Holly and Billie were there on the beach with us, watching with wide eyes and pale faces.

  Both of those women relied on me. There was no way I was going to disappoint them by dying. But that ocean wasn’t just one sector, it was many, and what we found was rather surprising.

  Another Fodoron Obelisk lay out beyond the skyscrapers. And wonder of wonders, we found a way inside.

  Land of the Lust: Guns of K'Shaul), so if you can't wait, you can run on over there to keep on reading. And if you have some extra cash and like the story, I have a PayPal.