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REDEMPTION

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 26
Zero Gravity Waltz
 

To most of the Furs onboard the OSP-42‘General Chuck Yeager’, it seemed that they were leaping upwards before the deafening roar of the powerful rockets filled the passenger module, and instead of the gentle seeming lift-off of rocket launches that most had seen in movies and news clips thought that their craft had been shot from a giant gun. All of them felt as if they had been kicked in the back while enormous weights were dropped on their chests, and only one or two didn’t grunt as they were blasted upwards against the pull of gravity. A few realized that the ride could have been more turbulent had it not been for the inertial dampeners the module was equipped with.

A few were struggling to draw in breath and no sooner filled their lungs than the air was forced out in whines and yips of surprise or fear. One such was Conchita Elizabeta Minaz, one of the Furs that had been part of the Buenos Aires Institute contingent. Like most of the others in her group, she’d chosen a South American grey fox, and as the Orbital Space Plane blasted upwards she struggled with the terror that filled her. Between the pressure on her chest, the unbelievably violent vibration the shook the entire module and the roar in her ears, the vixen just knew that this was going to be the end of her life and began praying, words of devotion and supplication tumbling from her mouth in a frenzied torrent.

In her fear of a violent, fiery death, she didn’t realize that it wasn’t the armrest of her seat that she gripped so tightly, but the arm of the American Fur, Richard Tavington. Despite her labored breathing, Conchita prayed to every single Saint that she could remember from her childhood and became so engrossed in her hasty devotionals that she didn’t realize that the roar had subsided and the feeling of being pressed into her flight seat diminished slightly. She didn’t open her eyes until the third tap on her paw-like hand.

“Conchita, you’re drawing blood,” a calm voice said from next to her, bringing her out of her terror filled praying. “I don’t mind you squeezing my hand, but your claws are completely sunk into my arm.”

The vixen turned her head, the words finally sinking in and looking at the Fur next to her in shame, she let go, alternately swearing in English and her native Spanish. “I am so sorry, Richard!”

The silver fox chuckled and made a show of taking her hand. “It’s not over, yet. We still-”

Before the American could finish his sentence there were a series of muffled pops and vibrations that shook the module, though not nearly as intense as the lift-off had been as the SRB’s detached and fell away. A few seconds later the Furs again felt a kick behind them as the T-1 engine came to life, slamming all of the colonists back into the thick padding of their seats. Conchita let out a yelp, reverting to eyes being tightly closed with more prayers tumbling from her vulpine mouth.

The T-1 engine burn seemed shorter and the separation of the OSP from the main body of the launch vehicle threw all of the Vulps and the single human traveling with them against their straps before inertia reversed itself as the Space Plane’s own motors were activated, firing just long enough to put them in the proper orbit to make their satellite delivery prior to rendezvous with Sebra.

There was no way for Richard to see if anyone else had activated their view screens, and he reached forward and brought the one in the seat back in front of him to life. It cycled through the view of the cockpit to a black field with a few stars that the camera in that direction could detect. He paused at the next angle that showed the direction they had come from, the trail of condensation and exhaust gases a visible line all the way back to Vandenberg Air Force Base. Other details were visible for a moment; a highway that snaked like a grey thread through the southern desert before vanishing, splotches of color in the sun bleached white and tan of agricultural centers. The sprawl of Los Angeles was easy to make out in the distance along with the discolored smudge that should have been San Diego. And past all of that was the deep, serene blue of the Pacific.

Richard was so enraptured by the view that he was unaware when Conchita released his fingers with a pat to the back of his paw-like hand in gratitude.

Unlike some of his fellow Marines he never trained for space based operations, and apart from videos or photographs he’d never seen the world like this. He’d viewed it from Sebra when he and his Class had shuttled up via the Branson, but most of that particular trip up and back had been spent asleep. It truly was something else to see his home planet falling away like it did at that moment.

The silver fox couldn’t help but smile as he, like so many others, realized that there were no dividing lines, no borders, no forms of demarcation between States, or countries, or even continents. Earth just simply was.

As the 'General Chuck Yeager’ continued along its flight path, the blasted deserts of the Southwest gave way to the beginning greens and golds of the Midwest. Mountains looked like ripples frozen in brown water, and it was interesting to see slopes and peaks that would have proven formidable climbs resembling nothing more than minor wrinkles in fabric.

The thought crossed his mind if more people could see the planet this way, see just how beautiful it was, if world leaders could make a journey to space and realize what he did, if that would it bring an end to war? Could they see that it was one world? That all of the ideals that so many fought and bled for were moot? Maybe if they could, then they would realize that God, or Allah, or any of a dozen names for whatever…whoever had created man, didn’t see lines on a map or the differences that so many liked to point out?

When the screen blanked out, the silver fox Fur felt a moment of irritation until he recalled that the video feed was going to be blacked out for twenty minutes, not counting the time it actually took to place the satellite that was part of the OSP’s payload. He sighed and let the feel of Zero G lull him, not really feeling the stomach churning effects of freefall.

“You look deep in thought,” Conchita said softly. “And I am sorry about your arm. I suppose I would never make a very good astronaut.” She chuckled about her own fear; much like a child would after experiencing their first thrill ride at an amusement park.

“It’s no big,” Richard replied. “It’s already stopped bleeding. I’ll get one of the docs to take a look at it when we’re on Sebra.”

The vixen smiled. “You are a good man, Richard.” It seemed as if she wanted to say more, but the feeling of the OSP changing attitude caused her to gulp then let out a low whine when the ship shuddered a little accompanied by the vibrations of the cargo bay doors opening to release the satellite in their payload. “I am afraid I have never dealt well with flight. I was absolutely terrified when we flew from Buenos Aires to the Adirondack Institute.”

“I’m sorry for being so blunt, but it looks like you might need this,” the silver fox said as he lifted a sickness bag for the panting Fur.

“I’m hoping not,” Conchita said with a weak smile. “Though it would be best to have one available. Just in case. To be very truthful I am truly looking forward to being on Bastien and never having to fly ever again.”

“Would you like for me to keep talking? It might help distract you,” Richard offered.

The grey fox Fur nodded emphatically. “Yes. Talking would be appreciated.”

“So, what did you do before joining the AHCP?” he asked. “I don’t think you’ve ever told anyone.”

Conchita chuckled, though there was little humor in the sound. “I am most likely the least useful out of our group. Even the youngest of the Furs have some skills that will help, but not me. Before joining, I was a model for Sao Paulo Cruise Lines. Whenever they needed a girl in a bikini on one of their ships or on a beach, it was me.”

The silver fox’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me!” Richard grinned a little. “I’ve seen some of their commercials. You were stunning!”

The vixen smiled even as her eyes closed as more noises came from behind the passenger module and she tightened her grip on the armrests. “You are kind to say so. I did that for eight years. I was only seventeen when I started after winning a beauty contest. At the time it was a dream come true. My family was not…well to do, so the money was very enticing. No one warned me about how dangerous it would be.”

“Dangerous? How?” Richard asked in genuine interest.

Conchita snorted. “The money…the lifestyle. Parties every night, being wined and dined by the rich and powerful. No one ever tells you that at some point you cease to be a person, and instead you become an object. Something pretty to be admired, lusted after, coveted… No one ever tells you about needing to be up to do a photo shoot with the sunrise after you have been up all night…or the simple little pills that will make you feel good for a little while. Just a little while.”

The vixen sighed and leaned her head back.

“I think the little pills are the worse. After a while, one is not enough. Then two are not enough. Before long you need more and more. Finally, it reaches the point that you will do anything to get them. By then it is too late, and you discover that you have traded your soul simply not to feel sick.”

Richard saw the glitter of a tear in the corner of her eye and dabbed it away before it could start floating in the cabin module. “What did they hook you on?”

“Poquito Diablo Blanco, ‘Little White Devil’. In the United States, you call it ‘Slag’.”

Richard hissed, his brows furrowing slightly. “That’s some bad stuff,” he said softly.

Conchita nodded. “You truly don’t know how bad. As I said, you wake up one day and find that you have traded your soul. When Sao Paulo Cruise Lines found out that I was an addict, they terminated my employment, even though it was their people that helped me become a junkie. At that point I would do anything to get enough to fight the cravings, take the edge off, if you will. I came far too close to selling myself by accepting parts in…certain kinds of movies, if you understand what I mean.

“Fortunately I have a cousin that cares about me very much. He was able to put me in a hospital before I made a grave mistake. It took almost a year, but once I was released, I was no longer addicted, but no one wanted to hire me. My exploits were very well known by then and I was considered a bad investment. Then my cousin suggested that I look into the AHCP. Even though I had no real skills, I discovered that I would learn what was needed. My family will get the prize money if I reach five years, and I will be on a world where my past cannot harm me and I can show that I am not just a has-been model or another pretty face.” She touched the fur of her cheek. “Or was.”

Richard nodded, understanding some of her reasons for volunteering. “Conchita, please believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful.” He accepted the look of gratitude and nodded. “You really are. And from what you’ve just told me, your cousin sounds like an extraordinary person.”

Conchita gave an actual laugh, her mood lifting somewhat. “I should say he is. He is also our colony’s first officer!” she whispered with a wink.

Suddenly it all became clear to the silver fox why Hector hadn’t formed a relationship with the South American grey fox female and he shook his head at not piecing together rather blatant bits of information earlier. The silver fox couldn’t help but grin. “That certainly explains why you and he aren’t an item.”

“That would be more than a little awkward,” the grey fox agreed, the conversation distracting her from her earlier fear and nervousness. “I don’t know if any of the others would be able to accept a former drug user, though. I…I haven’t been a very good person.”

“You can stop that right now,” Richard told her with a slight hardening of his tone, though he kept the volume of his voice down. “None of us can be judged by any standard except how hard we try to work together to survive and succeed when we get to Bastien. That’s what counts. Everything before doesn’t matter. It’s what we do in the here-and-now that’s important. And I’ve seen you working just as hard as everyone else. I’ve also seen Toshiro noticing you as well,” the silver fox said with a grin. “In fact, he’s been noticing you since we were all at the Adirondack Institute.”

“H-he…he has?” the vixen asked hopefully.

“Oh, yeah. You know, when we’re on Sebra, we’re going to be put in the E-G section for a bit, and there’s a great little restaurant near the spinward side of the shopping zone. It’s a rather romantic little place that I plan on taking my vixens to.”

Before he could stop her, Conchita placed a soft kiss on the side of his muzzle. “You are a good person, Richard. And you are fortunate to have the love of your three ladies. I know a number of us have been noticing you, myself included. But I think as it stands you have your family, and I’ll have to make time to speak to Toshiro.”

The thump and vibration that shook the passenger module didn’t cause the South American Fur as much distress as it had earlier, her thoughts distracted as she tried to see where the Japanese fox sat. The vixen did tense a little when the OSP’s engines fired to begin the final leg of their approach to Sebra. Precisely ten minutes later the video feed from the external cameras was restored, and most of the passengers watched their approach to the space station with interest.

***

It seemed as if the space plane’s pilot, Colonel Michado, had a sense of humor as he looped a music recording to play throughout the passenger module and those Furs that were fans of classic cinema were treated to the strains of Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ during the maneuvering and docking phase. When it came time to transit into the reception area of the Z-G section, the Abeona Furs were greeted by a man they’d never met before. His green jumpsuit was fairly dull in comparison to his shock of red hair that was cut short, though it was fairly easy to tell that were it any longer it would have been tightly curled. His dark blue eyes had the look of a person that smiled a great deal, and when he spoke, it was with a very thick Irish accent that had Siobhan Hanlon grinning at encountering a fellow denizen of the Emerald Isle.

“Welcome to Sebra!” the man said once all of the Furs were in the large section after the airlock. “I’m Clancy O’Donnell and I’m the section coordinator while Miss Holden is on leave Earthside. As this isn’t the first time that any of you have visited the station, our briefing today will be just that; Brief!”

There were a few chuckles at the man’s light demeanor, though everyone listened raptly.

“Because of a slight delay on the departure of the slipship that all of you were supposed to leave on, you’ll be spending the next nine days onboard. As such, quarters have been provided for you in the E-G section of the station for the next six days. At that time, all of you will transition back to the Z-G section in preparation for departure to Bastien.

“At the present time there is a contingent of Furs that are undergoing their period of greatest change from the Toyohashi Institute. As you’ll be in the opposite portion of the Z-G module when you come back to this end of Sebra, you shouldn’t be disturbed too much, though I have had a request by Director Ashigi Hiritoshi if some of you would be available to visit with his Furs as something akin to mentors it would be greatly appreciated.

“In point of fact, when this contingent of Toyohashi Furs heard that you would also be here, they were quite excited. I’m not sure if any of you were aware of this, but you’re all something of celebrities and it would mean a great deal to them to meet with you.”

“I am sure that this will not present a problem,” Sofiya said with a smile where she floated near Richard, Amanda and Elena. “We would be happy to be meeting with them.”

Clancy grinned. “Excellent! Now, before we head to the lift to take you to the E-G section, does anyone feel that they need a refresher on zero gravity maneuvering, facilities or dining?” The Irishman looked around and saw that no one felt they needed to go through orientation, and a few were actually grinning at being back on the station, a few tails that wagged enthusiastically causing their owners to drift a little awkwardly. When Joel Eckard of the Adirondack Class 18 raised his paw, Clancy nodded at him. “You have a question, sir?”

“Could you tell us what that framework was we passed? Is another station being constructed?” the red fox asked.

“Ah! You saw that, did you?” Clancy replied. “That is actually the keel work for a joint venture by several countries. What you were looking at was the beginnings of the Terran Colony Coalition’s newest colony transport vessel. They’re calling her Leif Erikson for the Norse explorer who not only found the New World well before Columbus, but also established colonies and settlements. You can see the construction from the Z-G observation section. It’s been designed to carry almost seven hundred colonists and materials.

“The colonists will land by shuttles that are being built by British Aerospatiale while the cargo pods are being constructed by General Dynamics following the same design layout as the early Apollo Command Modules used in the Late Twentieth Century NASA missions, just much larger. The difference there is they can be controlled to a degree instead of dropping through atmosphere all willy-nilly. When it’s completed, the Leif Erikson will be the largest slipship in existence! We’re all rather excited about this and taking part in something so monumental.”

“It’s great living in the future!” one of the Furs quipped eliciting no small number of chuckles and laughs.

“Yes it is!” Clancy agreed with an answering grin. “Now, let’s go ahead and make our way to the lifts, shall we?”

***

Sofiya lay on the bed in the quarters she’d been assigned and followed Richard with her eyes narrowed playfully as he moved around their shared cubicle, knowing that he was also watching her as she stretched languidly. The first order of business once they received their quarters in the E-G section had been a solid dinner, though because Space Station Sebra was on Greenwich Mean Time, it was actually breakfast for the people that were stationed onboard and those that were visiting. Now, though, was a moment of peace and quiet with just the two of them after what had been a very hectic twenty-four hours.

The anthrovixen couldn’t help the way her heart beat faster to see the silver fox still unclothed after their shower, his luxurious fur completely dry and the way certain things moved as he stretched an arm out from where he stood with his back to Sofiya to turn down the lights. “Long day, huh?” he asked casually.

“Very!” the vixen agreed, slipping her arms under the pillow her head rested on, letting her eyes flutter closed. “I am glad it is done. I feel like I could be sleeping until it is time to board our slipship.”

She barely stirred as she felt Richard sit on the mattress, though when he didn’t lie down and moved closer next to her, Sofiya couldn’t help but grin thinking that the other fox was interested in a little love play. While not opposed to the idea of a little physical activity before bed, she was pleasantly surprised when she felt the first pull of a long brush stroke down the fur of her back.

“Ulyublenyy, you are as tired as I am being,” the vixen murmured, already relaxing deeply with the attention. “You are not needing to do this.”

“I know I don’t need to,” the tone in his rich voice indicating that he was smiling. “But I want to. I like to spoil you a little.”

“You spoil your three vixens too much, I am thinking.”

“Maybe. Or possibly it’s my way of trying to show the three of you that you are appreciated.” Richard found a small snarl and gently worked it loose. “I’ve known too many guys that took their ladies for granted. I don’t want to be like them.”

“I do not think that is something you are capable of,” the vixen sighed as the other fox began working on her tail. As Richard moved on to her legs, she simply enjoyed the moment, though once he was finished she flipped over a little more energetically than she really felt and pulled the silver fox down next to her and snuggled close to his side, her arms wrapping around his body as Sofiya rested her head on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. “Enough now. You are too good to me and it is time for us to rest. Right now all I am wanting is to sleep with you here next to me.”

An almost tradition that had begun when the two Furs had admitted their feelings towards one another seemed to have followed the pair into space as well, and no sooner did they settle in the other’s embrace than the summons alert at the door to their quarters beeped.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Richard grumbled while Sofiya vented a torrent of Ukrainian words that while the silver fox didn’t understand them, the acidic tone was clear. “Enter,” Richard said as the locking mechanism on the door was also keyed to verbal commands.

Wood was far too heavy for use onboard Sebra, though most people that stayed on station, even for a short amount of time, had found the plastic panels used in the doors and walls to be depressing, and in an effort to make the surroundings for visitors more enjoyable, a layer of adhesive plastic that gave them a wooden appearance had been applied. The door opened on pneumatic actuators to reveal a small figure backlit by the lights in the corridor, though neither Fur recognized Amanda until she started to climb up on the bed.

“I woke up wondering where you were,” she told the two anthrofoxes as she settled. “I…I was a little scared because I forgot where we were…”

Giving each other an amused look, Sofiya and Richard shifted a little so the fennec could join them and all three held on to each other, a happy sigh coming from Amanda as she snuggled behind the silver fox. Before long the desert fox’s breathing deepened and evened out as she drifted into a content sleep, the other two soon following. Sofiya had to admit that there was a sense of completion with the fennec added to their little pile, and it would feel even more so if Elena joined them, though she wondered as sleep claimed her if the bed was actually large enough for all of them.

***

Sofiya sipped at the Italian soda a waiter had brought her as she sat at a small nook near the quarters the Furs had been assigned to, looking over the latest news articles on her PBJ, oblivious to almost everything else. Richard was with the other two vixens that she had started to think of as her skulk, the three others making use of the exercise facilities. She looked up from the dual screen device when motion caught her eyes and smiled as Dimitri Kavalos took the seat opposite her, some kind of fruit juice in his hand.

“Where is your little family, Sofiya?” the Greek inquired with a warm smile.

“Richard is making sure they are getting proper exercise. Elena was complaining of stiffness from all of the traveling that was being done and wished to be stretching and working of the muscles,” the red fox informed the man. “And how is ‘Poppa Dimitri’ today?” she asked with a grin.

“Couldn’t be better. I just returned from a lecture on the documented sea life discovered on Khepri. Fascinating stuff. Most of what has been discovered is quite compatible with some of the life on Earth. They even have a type of shellfish that is almost an exact match for shrimp, but they are almost as long as my arm! Apparently the richer waters have taken life forms that have exhibited nearly parallel evolution, but given them incredible size. If something like that could be grown rapidly, it might help ease world hunger here. Very exciting, indeed!” The human’s brown eyes almost blazed with his enthusiasm and enjoyment of such topics.

“That is why we are being sent to different worlds, no?” Sofiya replied, closing her clamshell device. “Resources and worlds to send people to be helping the Earth.”

“Yes,” the Doctor said, though his excitement dampened a bit. He sipped his drink before continuing. “You know, there has not been one person that I have watched make the transition from human to furman that I didn’t miss when they left. It’s difficult to explain. You, the others of your Class, those before and those after…I miss and worry about all of you. I know we try and do everything possible to prepare you for the trials ahead, but there are times I am very afraid for all of you.”

Sofiya took the man’s hand in her paw like one, squeezing gently and smiled. “This is why many of us call you ‘Poppa Dimitri’!” the vixen replied with a smile. “We are ready, Dimitri. We have trained and we are being a good team. We can do this. And all children must eventually leave home, no matter how much parents may wish otherwise.”

The man smiled at the Fur comforting him when it was normally the other way around while she and her housemates were undergoing their transformations. Before he could respond Amanda appeared, her eyes bright and smelling of the same vanilla soap that Sofiya preferred and threw her arms around the red fox vixen, nuzzling the side of the slightly older vixen’s head affectionately.

“You are done with you exercise time?” Sofiya asked as she leaned into the contact happily.

“And feeling great!” the fennec laughed, her high, bright voice drawing attention from some of the other visitors to Sebra, some glances casual, others smiling at the young Fur’s exuberance, a few scowling before moving off, finding the members of Furmankind detestable.

“And where are Richard and Elena?” Dimitri asked curiously.

“Oh. That,” Amanda said. “Well, he tries to take a little time to spend time with each of us during the day when we aren’t all together.”

“So this…arrangement is working well?” Dimitri asked with interest.

The red fox vixen nodded with a happy expression and wag of her tail. “It is. I have a good family and all of us are caring for each other.” Sofiya looked at the fennec. “Are you knowing what they are doing?”

The other Fur giggled and nodded, a look of extreme amusement on her vulpine face. “Elena said it was time for Richard to learn to dance!”

“I don’t see what’s so amusing about that,” Dimitri said with some confusion. “Dancing is a good activity and imparts coordination.”

“But Elena took him up in the Z-G section to do it in!” Amanda chortled.

The red fox’s eyes grew a little large. “I think I would be paying good money to see this!”

***

“Are you sure about this?” Richard asked, more than a little nervous, especially with the number of Furs from the Toyohashi Institute that were on Sebra deciding to observe.

The portion of the station they were in was essentially a large cylinder with padded sections all around that were covered in the fuzzy, Velcro-like material that worked in conjunction with the traction slippers some of the human crew used in this portion of the orbital facility. While the padding was thick, it wouldn’t do much to protect either of the Abeona Vulps if they impacted with too much force.

“Richard,” Elena said in a playful tone, “you are not being timid, are you?”

“No. It’s just…”

The platinum fox gave him a warm smile from where she sat on the opposite side of the chamber. “Just remember to being gentle. Let the music flow through you. You will try to be matching what I do, and I will be doing the same.” Elena slipped a memory stick into the small, battery powered player, her claw tip hovering over the Play button. “Ready?”

The silver fox nodded. No sooner did he give the other Fur his ascent than the cylinder was filled with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Richard watched as she gave the padded surface a nudge with her left foot, the little tap more than enough to send her unerringly towards him, but not at a breakneck speed. He followed suit, perhaps using a little less force than the vixen had, though he had greater mass. As they neared it was easy to see the trust and affection in her golden brown eyes. At the last possible moment, their arms stretched towards each other, Elena rolled over so that if they hadn’t caught each other they would have passed belly-to-belly.

As it was, their fingers intertwined, paw-like hands holding tightly, bringing both of them into a sort of orbit. As they spun slowly, their legs tucked up and tails following, the observing Furs thought they resembled a black and gold Yin-Yang. Letting Richard know that she was going to let go with one hand, Elena parted far enough to halt the spin and flew away, only to use the grip she still had to come right back, the silver fox’s arms automatically wrapping around her. The impact was enough to send them towards the inner surface of the cylinder, though it was far less of a collision than the vixen had experienced dancing a Tango in gravity, and once close enough kicked them back into the open space.

Listening to her quite instructions, Richard let her drift away while maintaining his hold on her to twirl her in a pirouette, reversing it after two revolutions and bringing her back. It took a few tries, but both got to the point that whichever one was closest to the wall would send them back into a slow trajectory towards the other side. The more time they spent, the better they became, adding acrobatic twists and turns around each other. After thirty minutes, Richard even had to admit that he was having fun.

Losing track of time, the two Vulps became one with the music and themselves, their antics becoming a display of agility, and for those that watched completely enthralled, a story of fluid sensuality in motion. When the pair finished, they were both face to face, arms about one another and looking into each other’s eyes and drifting lazily. Richard cocked his head in curiosity when Elena mumbled something in Ukrainian, her words too fast and too soft for the silver fox to keep up with, though there was no mistaking the meaning of the kiss that she gave him. “I am being very happy that Sofiya is willing to be sharing,” she husked softly, her fingers brushing the fur along Richard’s cheek. “Are…are you loving us, Richard? Amanda and myself?” She lowered her head a little. “I…mean truly loving us? Not just having us be bed partners?”

“At first I wasn’t sure what I felt because I was in love with Sofiya,” Richard admitted in a whisper. “But you know that I’m not lying when I say that I love Amanda, and I love you, kokhanny. We aren’t just bed partners. We’re a family.”

When Elena kissed him again, it was deep and long and left the silver fox more than a little lightheaded. “Now I am wishing that I had sealed the doors to this part,” the platinum fox whispered archly. “I have never been making love in Z-G before.”

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.