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She shoved her hair behind her ears. "No, it's fine. I get why you did it. It was just a shock, you know?"
And, when he gave her his name, if he ever did, she wanted him to mean it.
"You're right. It was foolish of me to presume." He inclined his head. "My apologies."
Some of the fight went out of her and she dropped her arms to her sides. "Just...ask me first next time, okay?"
"You have my word." The corners of his mouth quirked up.
She didn't have time to dwell on it as the receptionist returned and handed them name badges with a conference logo printed on the front.
"Here are your passes. Please take your place in section D, your seats are numbered fifteen and sixteen. The talks will begin in a few minutes."
"Thank you," he said, guiding Sadie away from the desk with a hand at her back.
There was sibilant chatter behind them and when they turned, she saw a small group of aliens. She hadn't seen anything like them before. They had smooth hairless heads, big golden eyes, and long, prehensile trunks that curled down over their chests. Their short, round bodies were draped in flowing red robes.
"Eyes ahead," he murmured close to her ear. "It's impolite to stare."
She snapped her gaze forward. "Sorry. I've just never seen aliens like that before."
"They're Savhilians," he explained in a low voice. "A very insular species from the outer rim. Rarely seen this far from their home worlds. There must be something on the agenda they're interested in purchasing."
She nodded, filing away that information for later. There was still so much for her to learn about the different cultures that made up the galactic community that sometimes she didn't know where to start.
He guided her to their seats in the front section of the auditorium-style room. She settled in, smoothing her hands over her knees. She hoped she didn't embarrass him during the talks. This was her chance to prove she could handle herself in an alien environment.
"You'll do fine,” he said. “Just follow my lead."
She offered him a small smile, warmed by his confidence in her and scanned the diverse array of aliens filtering into the auditorium. She recognized a few species from her reading, like the tall, willowy Altirians with their flowing garments, and the stout, whiskered Vrox, but many were new to her.
A bell chimed to signal the start of the conference. She sat up straighter, focusing her attention on the stage as a mix of species began to file out and take their seats at a long table.
Vaarn gave her hand a brief, subtle squeeze. "Ready?" he asked.
She nodded, unable to keep from grinning. "Ready."
The meeting started, and her head spun with all the information being thrown at and over her. Everyone spoke a different language, and she was lost waiting for her translation matrix to catch up. One green-skinned alien in a different section kept waving at her and shouting in a language that sounded like a snake hissing. She shrugged, trying to signal that she had no idea what he was asking her.
Vaarn was no help. He was already talking to a white-haired woman with golden skin across the room, his deep voice booming above the others. She tried to make out what he was saying but again, her translation matrix couldn't catch it all, only random words here and there.
When he finished speaking, he sat back down, leaning in to murmur. "That's Laythia from Talex Corp. She's as tough as the hull plating on a warship. Talex has the materials we need, but she wants to extend the lead times on her shipments to us and get an exclusive long-term contract before agreeing to sell."
Sadie's lips quirked. "Not much then, really?"
He shook his head. "It's not a problem. I just want to bring the price down a little, so I'm leaving her on the hook. Watch what she does now. She'll either stand to open negotiations with someone else, or she'll excuse herself from the room for a while."
Sure enough, after making a few notes on the pad in front of her, the golden-skinned woman stood up and left the room. At least three people screamed demands at her but she ignored them all.
Sadie shook her head. “I don’t understand any of this.”
He smiled. “It’s okay. You’re doing fine.”
“Doing fine?” she hissed back. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing here! I thought I was going to be helping you. I thought I would at least understand people.”
He sat back in his chair, his gaze sharp and assessing as he looked at her. "Is your translation matrix not picking everything up?"
She shook her head. "I didn't understand even half of what you were talking about with Laythia."
