"You said my private meeting with Lisa might hold the clues to her disappearance," Kiba looked at Emily, "So I don’t understand why you are suddenly shouting?"
Emily didn’t know how to answer. Indeed, when she thought back, it was her who was fully adamant to know the details even after he declined by saying it was a private matter.
"My apologies," Emily regained her composure, "Did you two only had sex and didn’t discuss anything else?"
"Yes," Kiba nodded.
Emily was not embarrassed to use the word sex. She wouldn’t even have reacted in a strange manner before if she wasn’t caught off guard.
Murder, sex, and violence were an everyday matter for an investigator like her.
"So you two only had sex without any conversation?" Emily’s eyes were on the tablet.
"Obviously we had a conversation during sex," Kiba answered in an obvious tone, "How can you have sex without any conversation at all?"
"...I mean conversation not related to sex?" Emily’s forehead was covered with dark lines.
She would have thought he was playing around but the readings on the tablet made her realize he was being serious.
"We did at the end," Kiba said as he tried to remember details, "She asked me if I can participate in an experiment for her."
"Oh?" Emily was intrigued. She has read Lisa’s history and knew she was interested in getting powerful specimens for her experiment.
"Obviously I refused," Kiba continued, "I’m not interested in being a lab rat."
"I see," Emily agreed with him. No sane man would agree to be used as a specimen.
She recalled Lisa has hypnosis ability but it seems either she didn’t use her ability or it proved useless on him.
"Maybe he has a strong mental will," Emily contemplated in her heart, "Or he is using some drug or chip to prevent psychic intrusions."
The greatest fear for any person would be to be manipulated by someone else especially in the current era of mutants. Therefore, scientists have created drugs and other enhancements to overcome psychic intrusions.
These drugs and enhancements were very costly and also, they could offer protection to a certain degree only. If the attacker was of Akshobhya level then they would prove useless.
"Perhaps she had sex with him to make him volunteer for an experiment," Emily further thought.
From eons, seduction has been a very powerful tool used by women to control the men. After all, the greatest weakness of men was their thirst for sex.
Seduction was not just sex but offering a man something greater: the chance of owning an extraordinary work of God.
This was even a greater weakness than sex. It involved the vanity and ego.
Which man wouldn’t like to own a beauty for himself? A beauty desired by everyone but only reserved for him?
A woman who can manipulate this desire could make a man do anything no matter how bizarre. It was the peak of seduction and even the concept of love failed in front of its power.
"Obviously Lisa wasn’t an expert in seduction," Emily concluded in her heart.
"Are there any more questions?" Kiba asked.
"No," Emily shook off her head, "But I want you to check your memories of that meeting."
"You wish to barge in my brain?" Kiba’s gaze turned cold.
"Of course not," Emily quickly clarified.
It was illegal to barge in someone’s consciousness to check their memories. Only in the worst crimes could this be allowed and even that there needs to be sufficient evidence.
"You have to imprint memories of that event in a memory crystal," Emily added.
"Do you have court permission?" Kiba enquired. Even imprinting memories couldn’t be done forcefully.
"Yes," Emily clicked a panel on the virtual screen to display the necessary documents.
"Fine," Kiba agreed after verifying the documents, "I’m ready."
"Thank you for the understanding," Emily took out a memory crystal from a drawer, "Please inscribe the memories."
Kiba took an orange crystal from her hand. The crystal was in the form of a bead the size of a pigeon’s eye.
Kiba closed his eyes as a connection with the memory crystal was established.
"It is possible to deceive the sensors but not the memory crystal," Emily thought, "Unless one can manipulate own memories. That would require the help of a very powerful psychic mutant."
A few minutes later, Kiba returned her the crystal.
"Please wipe out the memories after you are done," Kiba said in a sincere tone, "It involves the honor of a woman."
"You can rest assured," Emily was impressed by his conduct.
The readings on the tablet further ensured her that he wasn’t pretending to be a gentleman.
"Thank you for understanding," Kiba expressed his gratitude in a polite tone.
Emily placed the crystal inside an orb on the desk. The memories then were displayed on the virtual screen from Kiba’s POV.
-----
*
"I have wanted to fuck you from the moment I saw you," Kiba said as his hands moved on the back of her dress.
"Same here," Lisa said as she unhooked his pant, "We are going to have a long meeting."
Kiba was seated on the sofa after they were both undressed. Lisa opened her mouth to take him inside her...
*
-----
Emily’s face turned red as she saw the memories. She then understood why Kiba has called Lisa as an ’M’ seeing how she was asking to be spanked.
Emily swiped forward the memories and saw the last part. After verifying it matched his previous statement, she switched off the screen.
She was now sure he wasn’t responsible for the disappearance of Lisa Rey and her team. Since the things were already confirmed she deleted the memories from the crystal.
But then things turned awkward with both of them looking at each other blankly. There was absolute silence in the room.
It was her first time to be this embarrassed in her entire career as an investigator. She has viewed sex memories before but never like this.
"I’m sorry for making this awkward," Kiba apologized, "Thinking back it was my mistake to not be clear with you."
"N-no, it isn’t your fault," Emily quickly said.
She has seen the readings from sensors so she knew his actions were natural instead of being manipulated.
"I’m glad you don’t blame me," Kiba sighed in relief, "But still I have to make up for this."
"There is no need," Emily said.
"No, there is," Kiba looked at her in the eyes, "How about a dinner tonight?"
"Dinner?" Emily was startled.
She didn’t expect the conversation to take such a turn.
"Good food and wine would make us forget this awkward situation," Kiba explained, "We could even laugh off this moment as a joke while having dinner."
"That’s..." Emily felt his words made sense but she couldn’t agree, "I’m sorry but we can’t have a dinner together."
"Why?" Kiba has a startled expression, "Am I still under investigation?"
"Of course not," Emily clarified, "I have never gone out for dinner with someone I met during work."
"You said I am not a criminal so why the hesitation?" Kiba continued, "Or are you thinking about the impression others would have of you?"
Emily was surprised he could understand her dilemma so quickly. She was a single from last few months so she didn’t refuse due to a relationship issue.
Instead, she felt hesitant to be seen with a womanizer.
"I wanted to have a dinner so that we wouldn’t remember this embarrassing encounter as the final memory of each other," Kiba stood up from the chair, "But it is your right to refuse."
"...." Emily kept silent.
She did felt it was wrong to refuse to his polite intentions but her decision was well thought out.
"There is this saying I once heard," Kiba turned towards the door, "A saying which has helped me in my life so far."
"Which saying?" Emily wondered which saying would be so important for him to mention it now.
"If you know how quickly people forget the dead...you will stop living to impress people," Kiba left the room without looking back.
Emily was struck on the spot as the words set in her mind. As she thought about her life so far, she realized that she has indeed lived to impress others.
She has taken her happiness in impressing others instead of living for herself. The career she chose, the clothes she wore, the types of men she dated, etc.
Everything was for impressing others instead of herself. She has never thought as such until now.
"Stop living to impress others," Emily muttered as she dashed out of the room...