****
Banek held Jessica upright as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the address she had given him. He wanted—wished—he could take her back to his lab, where he could be certain of her safety and where he could open the discussion of her submitting to experiments. But going back to her apartment seemed to be the best option for keeping his potential subject happy and content. He would never consider taking advantage of her inebriated state; but Banek thought to himself that he would make sure to sleep on her floor or on her couch, so that he knew that she was okay.
“You know,” Jessica said, pulling herself up and walking a few unsteady steps unassisted, “you have got to be the strangest guy I’ve ever met.” She shook her head, giving him a little smile.
“How am I strange?” Banek asked, one hand half-extended, ready to steady her if she tottered again. He’d been happy to buy her three drinks in addition to the one James had covered for her; as they sat in the bar together, Jessica had begun to open up more about her life. She had told him about Thomas, the ex-boyfriend who had dumped her to see other people, about the landlord, about the car—a very old car, she said, almost more expensive to fix than it was worth. She had told him also about her friends, about her family, and about her work; Jessica worked at a clothing store as an assistant manager, earning what sounded to Banek’s ears like a rather small salary.
“How are you not strange?” Jessica asked, smiling again. “You look like you walked off the cover of a romance novel, you sound like you come from some kind of weird former Soviet country, and you offered to beat up two people you don’t even know within five minutes of meeting me.” She laughed, shaking her head. Banek’s gaze followed the sinuous lines of her slim body, the shimmer that lit her dark hair, the yellow-orange light of the street lamps glinting off of it.
“You’re a beautiful woman,” Banek pointed out. “And I only want you to be happy.”
“Where are you from, Banek?” Jessica asked. “Oh—oh, we have to turn right, here.” She pointed towards a street corner ahead. Banek nodded.
“I’m from a place called Khatanar,” he said.
“Where the hell is that?”
Banek smiled. “Very far from here.”
Jessica paused. She blinked slowly, turning to face him completely. “How far?” she looked up at him with suspicion in her green eyes. Banek had been feeling guilty—at least slightly—about the necessary subterfuge of assuming a human character; he wasn’t sure why it bothered him, but the opening that Jessica had provided was just what he wanted.
“Very far,” he said quietly. “Another planet.”
Jessica’s eyes widened in an expression that wasn’t quite surprise. “What planet?”
Banek chuckled. “The planet’s name is Khatanar,” he told her, reaching out instinctively to brush a lock of hair away from her face. “You humans call it Tau Ceti e.”
Jessica blinked again. “So—you’re an alien, then,” she said. Banek nodded. Her lips pressed together, her eyes narrowed. “You’re fucking with me because I’m drunk, aren’t you?”
Banek chuckled, shaking his head. “I will prove it to you when we get to your place,” he said.
Jessica raised an eyebrow and started off once more. “I swear to God, if you try and rape me, I will—”
Banek snorted. “My people do not believe in rape,” he said. “If I ever tried to rape a woman, I would be put to death, whether or not I succeeded. It’s one of the worst things a man in my culture can do.”
“That’s good to hear,” Jessica said. Banek quickened his steps; she was moving more quickly than her inebriation suggested was possible, and he felt a flash of worry that she would fall and hurt herself. “Does that extend to earthlings?” She glanced over her shoulder at him, and Banek felt a rush of heat through his body at the glow of her green eyes in the dim light, the challenging, humorous expression on her face.
“Absolutely,” Banek said. “I would never—ever—do anything to hurt you, Jessica. Whether you liked me or hated me, I wouldn’t.”
“That’s a good system. Here—here’s the building. Let me get my keys.” Banek watched with a mixture of amusement and faint alarm as Jessica rummaged in her purse, various items clinking and clattering in the bag. She retrieved her keys and held them up victoriously, grinning at him.
After briefly fumbling with the keys, Jessica managed to get the door to the building unlocked, and led Banek up three flights of stairs, finally turning onto a landing that led to a hallway. Once more she struggled—for just a moment—with the pieces of metal before finding one that fit the lock on her door, and Banek followed her into the small apartment. He breathed in; the space smelled richly of the woman James had called his “lady love” in the best possible way—her perfume, the scent that clung to her skin, hung in the air faintly, along with a warm undercurrent that stirred something deep inside of Banek.
Jessica kicked off her shoes and gestured for Banek to do the same before turning in a quick circle, arms outstretched, indicating the entire space. “This is it,” she said, giving him a sleepy, slightly drunken smile. “The place my landlord thinks is worth fourteen hundred a month.” She took a few steps and fell into an oddly graceful sprawl on the couch. “Were you really serious about paying for that?” she asked him.
Banek nodded. “It’s not very much money for me,” he pointed out. In truth—though he did not say so—he could requisition as much human money as he needed from his superiors.
“You’re supposed to prove you’re an alien now,” Jessica said, looking up at him intently.
Banek chuckled. He withdrew a kerchief out of his pocket and began wiping away the cosmetic that blurred his skin, making it look more human. He reached up and removed the lenses that covered his eyes, as well. This was the moment of truth; would Jessica be able to accept what she saw? Banek stood silently and for a long moment Jessica stared at him in the light, as if trying to decide what to think.
“Shit,” she said quietly. “You really are a freakin’ alien, aren’t you?” Banek nodded. Jessica opened her mouth as if to say something more, and then closed it. Her gaze traveled up and down over his body, taking him in more thoroughly. “I like you better like this,” she said finally. “Your eyes are incredible.”
Banek smiled. “But very non-human,” he pointed out.
“Oh, totally. Hey—I’m too tired to stay awake, but don’t probe me, okay?”
Banek chuckled, sinking down onto the floor next to the couch. “I swear I won’t,” he told her. “Sleep.”