He absolutely knows what I'm up to.
And why shouldn't he? I'm being obvious as fuck. After losing my homeworld and being taken as a slave, though, I don't care if I'm obvious or not. If there's a scintilla of happiness waiting for me out there, I'm going to leap for it.
It's just that…poor Rektar is woefully oblivious. I return to my seat and toy with my neckline again, giving the object of my affections an encouraging smile as he holds the muffin plate in front of him.
Rektar takes a bite as I watch, and his face creases in surprise. "This is quite good."
"Why thank you." I wiggle with pleasure in my seat, loving the compliment. Baking is something I definitely enjoy, as evidenced by my figure, but I rarely had anyone to bake for prior to the two mesakkah officers' arrival. Our book club meets once a month, and I bake up a storm for that, but the rest of the time, my friendships are remote. Add in the fact that most of my farm is pretty self-sufficient and it makes for a long, boring day. Rektar polishes off the muffin in two big bites, and I reach for another with the tongs. "Please, have more."
"You shouldn't go to all the trouble," he tells me with a stern look, even as he reaches for another muffin.
"Nonsense." I set it on his plate with a flourish and lean in, hoping he notices that my neckline dips low. "I'm happy to put all kinds of things in front of your mouth for you to taste."
Behind us, Khex chokes on his muffin, wheezing.
Was that too obvious? It might have been. I fight back a sigh of frustration as Rektar jumps to his feet and moves to Khex's side, whacking the other male on the back.
"Fine," Khex coughs. "I'm fine. Don't let me interrupt."
"You are not interrupting," Rektar says, straightening his uniform and moving back to his desk. His face is flushed and he won't look over at me as he ignores his new muffin and straightens paperwork on his desk. "And it is time I returned to my duties. Thank you again for coming by, colonist."
I'm being dismissed and I didn't even get a real conversation with him. Frustrated, I chew on my lip as he does his best to look busy. I've got a Hail Mary I've been holding off on using, because it's deceitful, and I'm not good at lying. But I don't know what else to do to get Rektar's attention. I guess it's time to play the big guns, and if this doesn't work, I give up on my big, sweet, innocent alien and start looking at putting out ads. Ugh. I don't want to do that, but I also know my bubble of safety won't last forever. I've been mostly ignored by the more dangerous types who are killing women or forcing them to marry, because my farm is right outside of Port. I'm the one closest to town, and there's a lot of traffic right in front of my land. It's not private, and that lack of privacy has served me well so far. But I also know that the more women that get married or their farms get established as they have children, I'm in danger.
Lie time, then.
I get to my feet, slowly picking up my tongs. "I'll leave this container with you and pick it up tomorrow when I come into town." I smile at the two alien men and give them a nod, and then pause dramatically in front of Rektar's desk. "Oh, while I think about it, can I ask you something? I'm not super familiar with alien etiquette, but maybe you can help me."
His gaze is on my tits, and when I turn to look at him, he straightens, his face flushing that deep shade of blue as he sits stiffly in his chair. "Ask away."
"I've noticed that men have been walking the perimeter of my property recently. No one's said anything, but I keep finding footprints. I'm just curious…do you suppose that whoever is hanging around is shy? Should I invite them in for tea and muffins?" I bat my eyes innocently, toying with a lock of hair. I feel like the most obvious woman on Risda III, but subtle isn't getting me anywhere with Rektar.
A look of concern crosses Rektar's face. He gets to his feet, a scowl on his lips. "Someone is staking out your property?"
"Oh, I don't know if they're staking it out," I continue in a bright, cheery voice. "Maybe they're just waiting for the right opportunity to say hello."
The men exchange a look. "Perhaps you should check out the colonist's farm after all," Khex says, and I could just kiss him. "It might not hurt to ensure her safety."