She didn't resist.She didn't resist. "I think you're frightened." "And you must think that's silly. You live with a man who's done it all; he's lived in Rhysh Castle, for god's sake. You said it yourself, Nyss- you've had fem lovers. I've had only two lovers my entire life, and one of them, once." "Three lovers," I corrected her, smiling. "Who else are we counting?" "Yourself." She didn't understand me for a minute; then her face cleared and she stared at me. "You don't count that," she said. She turned back to the fire again. "I do. Aren't people usually their own first lover? Don't you like yourself, love yourself?" "I wasn't my own first lover," Susan admitted. "Dick taught me how. Back in the seventies. Isn't that silly? 'The seventies.' As if that phrase means anything in 2196." "It's 2197 on Earth," I said, gently, correcting her. "Pendor falls a few seconds behind every year; it's to the point now where it's almost an hour different. Terra celebrates their new year almost at the same time we do, but not quite anymore. Ken tried, but perfection is an elusive quality sometimes. And that phrase means something to me. I understand what it means, Susan." "2197, okay," she said with a smile. "Nyss... I want you. I want you more than anything I've ever wanted in the past, but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I should. What if I like you more than I like Dick?" "Could you love me as much as you love Dick?" She shook her head. "But I don't want my lovemaking to suffer because I find someone more satisfying than my husband." The creak of a door came from somewhere behind her; I looked up but there was nothing but the ascending staircase. "Susan- We'll talk about this later. I hear Dick coming down the stairs. I'll tell you this- I don't think your sex life will suffer; in fact, it should be expanded, explored. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy me, enjoy Dick, enjoy Ken if you want. I won't pressure you; if you never bring it up again, that will be fine with me. But I want you to know that Ken obviously cares for you, and there is nothing I would do to hurt a friend of his. |