Chapter 7 Chapter Six

Carly couldn't sleep.Partly, she told herself, it was because she preferred her own bed, and partly because Jiro was snoring too loudly in her ear.She didn't wake Jiro up, though—she was used to it.That's how their lovemaking always ended, even though he was twenty years younger than her.He started out strong and full of heat, but he didn't know how to control the rhythm. "You'll learn someday," she whispered, patting his bare thigh. "All your future girlfriends will thank me." She got up lightly, not wanting to wake him up, rolled out from under the quilt, and stood naked by the bed.Now that they no longer radiated the heat from strenuous exercise, the air in the room was a little cold, and she shivered slightly.

She started looking for her own clothes, which was not easy.When Jiro took off her clothes excitedly, he tore them off and threw them all over the room.She found the shirt, pulled it over her head, and heard Jiro mumbling something.She glanced over and realized that he was still sleeping, that he was talking meaningless sleep.Carrie watched him for a long time—he looked so young, curled up on her own bed, and she felt a sudden sting of guilt and embarrassment. What they were doing was not illegal, they were both over the age, and while she was technically his boss, neither of their work contracts specifically forbade such a relationship.It's a moral gray area, as Jiro likes to say.

Carly sometimes has the feeling that Jiro is just using her for favors at work, although she is sometimes guilty of that, because she also enjoys a lot of pleasure from this relationship.If he really believed that sleeping with his boss would be good for his job, he was sadly mistaken.If anything, she was just tougher on Jiro than on the other researchers.But he did a good job; colleagues respected him, and students liked him.This was one of the reasons why he attracted her in the first place. And it made sex with him even better, she remembered with a mischievous smile. She's also had other sexual partners over the past few years - probably a little more than normal, to be honest.But like Jiro, they're just a passing fad.It's not like she wasn't looking for a serious relationship.While she was in the military, the needs of the Union always came first, and once she became a civilian, she focused mostly on career development rather than long-term relationships.

Fortunately, she still has plenty of time.Thanks to the rapid advancement of medical technology in the last century, it is no longer necessary for a woman to start a family life before the age of forty.If she really wanted to, she could wait another twenty years and have a perfectly healthy baby. But Carly still doesn't know what she wants.It wasn't that she didn't like children, one of the reasons she accepted the position offered by Project Ascension was to be able to work with biotic children.She just couldn't imagine herself indulging in family fun. Stop being so self-righteous, she thought, and find your clothes.

She no longer thinks about it.She saw her trousers hanging on the back of the chair and took them and put them on.She was still looking for another sock when Jiro woke up and yawned. "Are you leaving?" he asked, still bleary-eyed. "Just go back to your room. I can't sleep here, you're snoring like a sick hippopotamus." He smiled and sat up, leaning his body against the pillows below him, his back against the headboard. "Are you sure this has nothing to do with Grayson's visit?" She didn't rush to deny it, but said nothing, just continued to look for the stocking that she couldn't find.She finally found the socks, sat on the edge of the bed and put them on.Jiro looked at her quietly, waiting patiently for her answer.

"I'm more worried about Gillian," she finally admits, "as if nothing we do is going to help her. Maybe this project just isn't right for her." "Whoa, wait a minute!" Jiro yelled in sudden excitement as he quickly crawled across the mattress and put a hand on her shoulder. "Gillian's biological potential is stronger than anyone else! The Ascension Project is for people like her." "But she's not just a psychic," Carly objected, saying what was going on in her head. "She's a little girl with serious mental problems."

"You didn't think about asking the board to kick her out, did you?" he asked, feeling a pang of terror. She turned around, frowning at him. "It's up to his dad to make a decision." "Then how are you going to tell Grayson about this?" His tone was much less anxious. "I'll let him know what his options are. It might be better if Gillian isn't going to develop her biological powers at school. He can hire a private tutor for her, one who has done a special study of her situation. Man. God knows he can afford it." "What if he's not going to let her off the project?"

"Then I have to wonder if he really has his daughter's best interests at heart." She regretted saying this as soon as she opened her mouth. "Now you can even talk like Handel," he demanded her. This sentence hurt her heart, more than expected. Nick compared her with the security director yesterday, and she still remembered it. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm just tired. I can't sleep with you every night." Again she tried to seem nonchalant about it, "When you get to my age, you need your own sleep It's time." "You're kidding, aren't you?" he asked suspiciously. "I hardly ever see you. You're always at work...or with Handel."

"He likes to keep an eye on the students," she explained.Especially Gillian. "Now I feel like there's more than just friendship between the two of you," Jiro said darkly. Carly actually laughed out loud.Seeing Jiro's stiff expression, she turned her face away. "I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders reassuringly. "I don't want to laugh, but trust me, I'm not the type Handel needs. But I think you might be my type." For a moment he looked bewildered, a puzzled look on his baby face. "Oh," he said after a moment, understanding what she meant.

Neither of them said anything when the phone rang in the bedroom.Jiro looked at the caller ID, his eyes widening. "It's Handel!" "So what?" Carly shrugged. "Pick up the phone." He reached out and pressed the answer button. "Handel?" "Grayson's ship is calling us," said the voice on the other side of the line darkly. "He'll be here in an hour." "The son of a bitch must have come on his own time," Handel continued. Carly rolled her eyes.The average person who visits a space station or a planet arranges their time so that they can come at a time that is convenient for them locally.But Grayson travels a lot, and always adjusting to different time zones can take its toll.Gillian's father wasn't the only parent who visited in the middle of the night; he was the only one who caused Handel to complain.

"Um, ok, no problem," Jiro replied, "I'll be ready." "I called Carly's room, but she wasn't there," Handel continued. "I wonder if she's with you." Jiro turned to Carly and shrugged, as if to say, what should I say to him? "Here I am," she replied after a long moment of embarrassment, "and Jiro and I are going to meet him at the landing port." "Meet you two there in forty-five minutes." The phone clicked off. "How did he know about the two of us?" Carly asked suspiciously.She doesn't want anyone to know that she and Jiro have been careful. "If he doesn't know, don't be a security officer," Jiro laughed, climbing out of bed to take a shower in the suite's tiny bathroom. Handel was always grumpy, and he was always overprotective of what he was supposed to be doing, but no one could accuse him of not doing his job.However, Carly was still very dissatisfied. "Who do you think tipped him off?" Carly asked, taking off her shirt. Jiro stuck his head out of the bathroom. "It could be you. I bet he reads you like an open book. You're terrible at keeping secrets." "It could be you," she countered, unbuttoning her trousers. "You're not one to keep secrets either." "I may be stronger than you think," he said mysteriously.Then he burst out laughing, disappeared, and went back to the bathroom.Carly heard the tap turn on. Now Carly is naked and walks across the room to the bathroom.Jiro winked at her meaningfully as she opened the shower door and huddled next to him. "Come on," she said to him, "we're going to get there before Grayson's ship touches down. I'm worried about what might happen if we leave him with Handel." "Why does he hate Grayson so much?" Jiro asked, shampooing her hair from behind. He only visits his daughter twice a year because he thinks Grayson is prejudiced against biotics.Because Handel's own parents ignored him in their biological adaptation and training program when he was a child, they almost disassociated themselves.Because a part of him thinks that helping Gillian master her own biological powers can help him escape the memory of being abandoned and isolated in his childhood. "It's complicated," she simply said. "Maybe Handel has a crush on Grayson," Jiro quipped. With a long sigh, Carly disagreed, "I pray to God you're not stupid enough to joke in his face."