The Tau Ceti Transmutation (Amazon) (25 page)

“That was delicious,” said Valerie. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” I said.

I leaned back on the bench, as did Valerie, and together we watched the passersby: short, squatty Meertori, shiny Diraxi, humans of all shapes and sizes and colors, and a fair number of droids, from fully-equipped androids to the dumbest of service bots. We silently enjoyed one another’s company for a good long while—fifteen or twenty minutes—until at last Valerie spoke.

“Well…I should get going. Interstellar flights always take at least six hours to board, and I wouldn’t want anyone, man or machine, getting upset with me for being late.”

Before I could respond, Valerie leaned over and planted a soft, tender kiss on my cheek.

“Goodbye, Rich,” she said. “I’ll miss you.”

She stood to leave. I tried to think of what to say, but all that came out of my mouth was a simple, “Bye.”

Valerie gave me a smile and a small wave, then turned and walked away. I watched her go, my eyes reflexively dropping to watch the seductive wiggle of her rump.

Paige’s voice filled my head.
That was such a touching moment…until now.

“What,” I said. “I’m a man. I can’t help myself.”

Even when she’s an android?

“Believe me, for the first time in my life, I’m tempted,” I said. “But no. In this particular scenario, a kiss on the cheek was the perfect happy ending.”

I stood and tossed the empty polyethylene bag in a trash receptacle.

So,
said Paige.
Now what?

“Now?” I said. “Now I can finally go to sleep—which I’m going to do right after I give that chicken game at Keelok’s one last try. That pathetic high score of mine’s been bugging me ever since we left yesterday.”

Paige laughed, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile, too.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Hi. I’m Alex P. Berg, a mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer and the author of
The Tau Ceti Transmutation
. If you enjoyed Rich Weed’s bumbling escapades on the planet Cetie, be sure to look for his next adventure,
Deep Space Dragnet
, in which Rich takes his talents to outer space.

 

Want
more
exciting adventures, head-scratching mysteries, and snarky dialogue? Check out two of my other series:

 

*
Red Hot Steele
(Daggers & Steele #1): Join homicide detectives Jake Daggers and Shay Steele in this hard-boiled mystery chock full of magic, fantastic creatures, and more laughs than you can shake a stick at.
*
The Black Mast Murder
(Driftwood #1): Mystery and intrigue rule the high seas in this
Pirates of the Caribbean
-style adventure featuring constable John “Driftwood” Malarkey and his supernaturally-gifted wife, Gwen.

 

***

 

Want to make sure you don’t miss any of Rich Weed’s adventures?
Sign up here
for my new release mailing list. You will only be contacted when new books come out, when I have BIG news, or when I’m doing free promos and giveaways (you like those, right?). Your address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

 

***

 

Word of mouth is
critical
to my success. If you enjoyed this novel, please consider
leaving a positive review on Amazon
. Even if it’s only a line or two, it would be a
huge
help. Thanks!

 

***

 

Want to connect? Visit me at
www.alexpberg.com
. You can also follow me on
Twitter
, interact with me on
Facebook
, or e-mail me at
[email protected]
.

 

For a complete list of my books, please visit:
www.alexpberg.com/books/
.

Table of Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

About the Author

Other books

Make Me Howl by Shay, Susan
Death of an Old Goat by Robert Barnard
Sometimes "Is" Isn't by Jim Newell
Doña Luz by Juan Valera
The Midnight Choir by Gene Kerrigan
The House of Djinn by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle


readsbookonline.com Copyright 2016 - 2024