Cupid by Demelza Carlton

Author:Demelza Carlton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lost Plot Press
Published: 2021-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

"And that's how I know plants are the dominant form of life in the galaxy. We simply haven't explored enough planets to prove it, but, in time, we will. You'll see." Orel's current date, Willow, a girl so thin he suspected she was some sort of fae, nodded her head in satisfaction before sipping from her venom-laced drink.

After discovering he was a botanist, she'd been so intent on telling him about her near-religious fervour for worshipping plants that she hadn't even noticed him doctoring her drink.

"Can I get you anything to eat? Our kitchen has a number of delicacies available nowhere else in the Altan system, prepared by a superb chef whose sole purpose in life is to make you believe you've died and been admitted to the feasting halls in Valhalla."

Orel burst out laughing. The bartender couldn't be serious, surely? No, he caught the twinkle in her eye, before it vanished. "And what's on today's menu in Valhalla?" he asked.

The bartender's smile turned predatory. "Kushiyaki."

Ah. He didn't have a quick reply for whatever that was.

"What's that?" Willow asked.

Could a smile pounce? For Orel was sure the bartender's did just that. "It's the best barbeque you've ever tasted. Were you at the Thanksgiving Festival? Then you may have already tasted one of the main ingredients, but not like this. Tender morsels marinated for days, then grilled to perfection. Seared and crisp on the outside, yet still moist and tender on the inside, enrobed in our chef's secret sauce, served on skewers reclining in a bed of couscous."

Orel was ready to order two servings, maybe even three, depending on how big they were.

"Morsels of what, exactly?" Willow asked.

The bartender frowned. "Why, fresh, home-grown, Colony vat beef, of course, just like the Thanksgiving steaks. Only between you and me, ours is far more tender. It's all in how it's sliced and marinated, you see. Seared on a hot grill, so when you bite into that juicy flesh, it melts like butter on your tongue."

He was sold. "I'll take three, please. What about you, Willow?"

She clapped a hand to her mouth and leaped to her feet. "I think I'm going to be sick," she mumbled through her fingers as she fled.

Orel stared after her. "Am I drooling or something?" he asked the bartender.

She laughed. "No, not that I can see. But with the smell of the kushiyaki coming out of the kitchen tonight, I might have drooled a little. Siofra's cooking truly is the best in the Colony. If I could afford it, I'd eat here every night she's working." She nodded in the direction of the bathrooms. "Your date's been removed from the premises here twice for protesting about our use of meat. A militant vegan, she calls herself. Never mind that it's vat-grown, cruelty-free beef...the cow it came from, Bessie, is still alive and well on a farm right here in the Colony."

"Bessie? Oh, I know Bessie. I helped raise her until she was released from Eden to go to Byron's ranch.

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