What is the explanation of the events hinted at while Dr. Tachyon probes the ship?

Question

In Wild Cards:Aces High - Relative Difficulties Dr. Tachyon probes the ship looking for the human prisoners, and finds Asta having sex with someone, presumably Tom, who should be the only one in the room with her.

Later Asta offers her "services" to the Cosmic Traveler, assuming he can save her, and Tom seems shocked that Asta would so easily concede herself to a stranger.

Isn't Tom's thought inconsistent with what we are suggested? Why would he be surprised by Asta's willingness soon after taking advantage of the same willingness?

Answer 1

The passage is:

He decided to determine precisely which humans were being held on the ship. He touched a familiar female mind. Asta Lenser, the prima ballerina with the American Ballet Theater. She was thinking about a man. A man who was having a great deal of difficulty performing. As his stocky, sweat slick body pounded down on hers, struggling for release, she was thinking how ironic it was that a man with his power couldn’t get it up. The most feared man in—

Asta isn't having sex with anyone at the time of Tachyon's probe. She is thinking about having sex with someone, namely

Kien Phuc, head of the Shadow Fists. This is a clue that she is one of his people, as we see later in the same story when she pockets the Network teleportation device.