Page 87 of A World Enough

Brogan was both scanning the area and paying attention to Camber, enjoying her excitement and her smiles.

This was what I was born to do, Brogan thought.

The staff member pushed over Camber’s credit chips. “What do you think I should do, Wolfy? Play it all in or check it out?”

“Ziggy gave us these credits for free. Why not end the evening all in?” Brogan said.

“Yeah, you’re right. Put it all in.” Camber pushed all her chips in, and the others watching gave her a round of applause.

They’d won quite a pile since they’d started gambling. It was pure luck, as they had no idea of the rules. And Camber’s strategy seemed all about colour. Last time she went blue.

“All on yellow, please,” Camber said.

Camber did a mini hop on both feet and clapped her hands together rapidly. Brogan just loved her smiles. Things were totally different than when she was first chasing Camber. Camber had been so closed off, not willing to give an ounce away of what was going on inside her head.

Camber’s bet was quite a draw to onlookers, so Brogan moved right behind her back so whatever came at Camber, came at her first. Camber pulled Brogan’s other hand around her waist.

Brogan groaned inside. Camber’s neck was presented to her, and Brogan had the urge to lick, kiss, and bite it. Camber then pushed her buttocks into Brogan’s sex, and it only made Brogan want her all the more.

In her mind’s eye, Brogan saw herself slide her hands up her waist, ribs, and finally her breasts.

Stop thinking like that.

Brogan inhaled Camber’s scent, and it wasn’t just her perfume. Her wolf’s nose detected past that to the many layers beneath. In Camber she scented lush green grass and forest. It felt like the sun had just come out, and there was the hopefulness of summer to come.

It made Brogan so excited. She wanted to run with Camber, even though Camber couldn’t run. Still, she’d take Camber on her back and then run until Brogan’s energy had all gone.

Someone nudged her, and her lovely dream slipped away.

“The ball’s rolling, Brogan,” Camber said excitedly.

The ball rolled around the board. The board took up half the table, not like the ones on Earth that were much smaller. The ball bumped and bounced as it went right around the board again and went right into the yellow slot, then just at the last second bounced over into blue.

“Blue wins. Blue is the winner,” the caller announced.

Camber sighed as the caller started to pull in all of her credits. “Oh well. It’s fun when it’s not your credits you are losing.”

“You’re right. What would you like to do? Watch some other games, or have you had enough?”

“When we came out of the restaurant, we passed a little cocktail bar that people were dancing in. Why don’t we have one dance and then go upstairs,” Camber said. “After all, we’ve still got to move from here tomorrow, but I don’t want this night to end so quickly.”

“I can’t dance.”

“Neither can I, but let’s just watch the other couples. It can’t be that hard.”

“If you want.”

In her heart Brogan would never turn down a request from Camber. They walked hand in hand, out of the gambling room, past the restaurant, and to the cocktail bar.

The lighting was low, the glass chandeliers on the ceiling glinting under the light. People were sitting quietly, at least compared to the gambling room, having private conversations and many different colours of cocktails.

The security people waved them in, while others waiting had their bodies and bags scanned. Ziggy obviously had made it known to staff that they were to be treated like VIPs.

“Would you like to get a drink or—?” Brogan asked.

“No. I just want a dance with you, Wolfy.”

It was truly amazing for Brogan to walk into rooms full of what from her perspective were aliens. But here, Brogan was the alien.