"E. E. Doc Smith - The Galaxy Primes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

went to their rooms.
A few minutes later, Garlock tapped lightly at Lola's door.
'Come in.' She stiffened involuntarily, then relaxed and smiled. 'Oh, yes, Clee; of course. You're...'
'No, I'm not. I've been doing a lot of thinking about you since last night, and I may have come up with an answer or
two. Also, Belle knows we aren't pairing, and if we don't hide behind a screen at least once in a while, she'll know we
aren't going to.'
'Screen?'
'Screen. Didn't you know these four private rooms are solid. Haven't you read your house-tape yet?'
'No. But do you think Belle would actually peek?"
'Do you think she wouldn't?'
Well, I don't like her very much, but I wouldn't think she would do anything like that, Clee. It isn't urbane.'
'She isn't urbane, either, whenever she thinks it might be advantageous not to be.'
'What a terrible thing to say!'
'Take it from me, if Belle Bellamy doesn't know everything that goes on it isn't from lack of trying. You wouldn't
know about room service, either, then - better scan that tape before you go to sleep tonight. Whatll you have in the
line of a drink to while away enough time so she'll know we've been playing games?'
'Ginger ale, please. No, make it Chericol.'
We'll make it both, and some ice cubes. I'll have ginger beer. You do it like so.' He slid a panel aside, and his finger
played briefly on a typewriter-like keyboard. Drinks and ice appeared. 'Anything you want - details on the tape.'
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He lighted two cigarettes, handed her one, stirred his drink. 'Now, fair lady - or should I say beauteous dark lady? -
we will follow the precept of that immortal Chinese philosopher, Chin On.'
'You are a Prime Operator, aren't you?' She laughed, but sobered quickly. 'I'm worried. You said I flaunted virginity
like a banner, and now Belle... What am I doing wrong?'
'There's a lot wrong. Not so much what you're doing as what you aren't doing. You're too aloof - detached - egg-
headish. You know the score, words, and music, but you don't sing; all you do is listen. Belle thinks you're not only a
physical virgin, but a psychic-blocked prude. I know better. You're so full of conflict between what you want to do
and what you think you ought to do that you've got no more degrees of freedom than a piston-rod. You haven't been
yourself for a minute since you came aboard. Right?'
'You have been thinking, haven't you? You may be right; except that it's been longer than that ... ever since the first
preliminaries, I think. But what can I do about it, Clee?'
'Contact. Three-quarters full, say; enough for me to give you what I think is the truth.'
'But you said you never went screens-down with a woman.'
There's a first time for everything. Come in.'
She did so, held contact for almost a minute, then pulled herself loose.
'Ug-gh-gh.' She shivered. 'I'm glad I haven't got a mind like that.'
'And the same from me to you. Of course the real truth may lie somewhere in between. I may be as far off the beam
on one side as you are on the other.'
'I hope so. But it cleared things up no end - it untied a million knots. Even that other thing - brotherly love? It's a very
nice concept - you see, I never had any brothers.'
That's probably one thing that was the matter with you. There's nothing warmer than that, certainly, and there never
will be.'
'And I suppose you got the thought - it must have jumped up and smacked you' - Lola's hot blush was visible even
through her heavy tan - 'how many times I've felt like running my fingers up and down your ribs and grabbing a
handful of
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those muscles of yours, just to see if they're as hard as they look?'
'I'm glad you brought that up; I don't know whether I would have dared to or not. You've got to stop acting like a
Third instead of an Operator; and you've got to stop acting as though you had never been within ten feet of me.
Now's as good a time as any.' He took off his shirt. 'Come ahead.'