"Ray Vukcevich - Fired" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vukcevich Ray)

reaction. Maybe he hadnтАЩt heard her right. Maybe she had an accent. SheтАЩd be from some exotic locale
on Earth or Mars, somewhere no one ever went who didnтАЩt have a lot of money or wasnтАЩt sweeping up
or serving little sandwiches and tea and now she was up here slumming and looking for a spaceman but
she couldnтАЩt know much about spacesuits if she thought they could both get into one much less do
anything once inside.

He was tempted to look at the fire woman with his тАЬother eye,тАЭ but that would mean he was done here.
Looking at the sad underbelly of the bar and the people in it unaided by augmentation would end any
fantasy he might get going. HeтАЩd made that mistake more that a few times-the worst was probably the
Amazon Queen who turned out to be a little old guy who might have gotten small inside suddenly, since
his exterior draped around his frame like a cloth double-bass bag around a cello. Looking had spoiled
the mood.

So John didnтАЩt look at her with his other eye. Instead, he rolled out his own practiced line like a jet fighter
ready to zoom off into the sky and shoot down many objections she might have against coming back to
his humble spaceman quarters with him. Of course, if she wanted to go off and do it in a spacesuit, she
might not have any objections anyway, but he had been working on this line for a long time, so he said,
тАЬSo tell me, whatтАЩs your favorite moon of Jupiter?тАЭ

тАЬYou ever do it in a spacesuit, booby?тАЭ

Well, she was nothing if not single-minded.

тАЬI donтАЩt think thatтАЩs possible,тАЭ he said. тАЬMy name is John.тАЭ

She just sat there burning in silence for a moment. Then she said, тАЬYou ever do it in a spacesuit, baby?тАЭ

He thumped his chest. тАЬMe John. You . . . ?тАЭ

тАЬOh,тАЭ she said. тАЬPam.тАЭ

Oh, sure, Pam the fire woman from some place where people spoke the universal language with an
accent.

тАЬWell, Pam, there are lots of things we can do without spacesuits.тАЭ

тАЬYes,тАЭ she said. тАЬShow me your spacesuit.тАЭ

тАЬYou want a tour? You looking to see some of the places the tourists donтАЩt usually get to go? I think that
could be arranged.тАЭ

Why not? Escort her around a little, see some safe sights, and end up back at his place.

тАЬYes, letтАЩs go!тАЭ she said, and somehow she was standing without ever stopping sitting. It was like
someone threw a couple of sticks on her fire.

John tossed down the rest of his drink and got up. He made a crook of his arm so she might take it, but
she said, тАЬNot yet.тАЭ

тАЬThis way,тАЭ he said and walked for the door.