"Robert Reed - The Caldera of Good Fortune" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

not spoiled by the stuff. He appreciated that old-fashioned face and build,
and maybe there was an old-fashioned address in her past. Could she have
come from the Old Earth? That was a fascinating prospect, and watching
the amorous couple stroll off into the darkness, he promised himself that he
would find them tomorrow. For a modest fee, heтАЩd offer his services as an
Honored Guide ... just to spend a few hours with them, testing his guesses
against whatever they revealed about their lives....

Besides Crockett, the only Guides remaining were a pair of
rubber-faced AIs and a fiery little vesper. But the little sun had just set, and,
as often happened when night began, tourists grew more interested in
dinner than a walk in the cold. The vesper soon rose and danced his way
home. The AIs plugged into each other, vanishing in their own unimaginable
ways. Crockett was alone, and the two objects of interestтАФthose delightful
security officersтАФhad yet to pass through the station. Were they delayed?
Did some criminal business ruin their timetable? Crockett turned in his
chair, watching the banks of steam illuminated by moonlight; and then he
heard a sound and looked forward again, exactly at the moment when the
two lovelies strode into the almost empty room.

He offered a smile and soft sigh.

Effervescent as always, the officers responded with as much of a
glance as he could have hoped for. They were delightful young ladies, each
lovely in her way. The shorter one was muscular, with meaty breasts and a
buoyant ass. By contrast, her companion was tall and elegant, blessed with
a lip-rich mouth and eyes that couldnтАЩt have been brighter.

тАЬHello,тАЭ Crockett managed.

Giggling, their hands met for a moment.

Not for the first time, he wondered if they were lovers. That was the
rumor most often heard during these last weeks. But his favorite gossip
was that yes, they were passionate toward one another, but with room and
the grace to invite a third party into their passion.

тАЬEverybody else is home or on the rim,тАЭ he mentioned.

Really, couldnтАЩt he find something more memorable to say?

тАЬWe should visit the rim sometime,тАЭ said the taller girl. With a flip of
that pretty head, she declared, тАЬYou know, we could make it up there and
back again before our dinner break is done.тАЭ

They must have a very long break, Crockett thought.

Since the officers werenтАЩt permanent residents, the LuckiesтАФthe
unseen aliens who owned this realmтАФwouldnтАЩt allow them close without a
Guide. Crockett saw his opportunity. In an instant, he came up with an