“Agreed.” Jarek chuckled, again nodding.
Finding The Conqueror on the docking strip where they’d left it, the brothers looked around. They heard a shout of laughter from the other end of the docks. Jarek groaned, motioning as he said, “This way. I’m betting they didn’t even get all of our supplies loaded.”
They found the crew lounging before a holographic viewer watching a play. A woman bent over, her tiny skirt lifting to show ruffled underwear as she picked something up off the ground. The men laughed harder. Reid and Jarek exchanged a confused look.
“Oh, man!” Rick nearly jumped up in his chair as he clapped his hands in exaggerated merriment. Reid liked Rick a lot. He had a love for the women and an easy-going nature that went well with the mischievous glint that was constantly in his brown eyes.
Sitting next to Rick was Evan Cormier. Evan was a good man to have on a ship, a hard worker, and a hell of a smart guy. The man was part telepath, a fact he didn’t share with too many. He had short black hair, with glints of silver along his temples, and according to the Galaxy Playmates, he had a sex appeal because he was able to ‘read’ what a woman wanted and give it to her. It had been more information than any of them had wanted to hear at the time.
Lucien and his brother Viktor sat on Rick’s other side. The two constantly bickered but were really quite close. They were half human, half Dere, and had a milky white complexion that contrasted the strangest red-brown and red-green of their eyes. Lucien was a communications genius, and Viktor was one hell of a mechanic. The man could rig anything, as he’d proved his first few days aboard their ship when he rigged all the private view screens to play human porn around the clock. Now, with the press of a button, deep space didn’t seem so lonely. None of the all-male crew had complained.
All four men were originally part of Sam’s crew. But, when Sam married Prince Falke, they’d gladly come along with Reid and Jarek. Dev was missing, but Reid guessed he was still aboard the ship. Dev was half Belvon, a demonic looking race with red skin. Aside from the intense coloring, he appeared humanoid, only larger. He was the ship’s muscles and a bit of a loner.
Dev was all about maintaining order. Rick was all about breaking it. It often led to humorous fights. Sometimes when the crew was bored, they’d provoke them into an argument for the sake of entertainment.
The only men who had flown with Jarek before he took over Sam’s crew were Jackson, a dark blond security officer who kept to himself, and Lochlann. Reid guessed, if anything, Jackson was training with Dev in the virtual reality room. The two fighters spent a lot of time in the VR.
Lochlann sat next to Evan. Reid couldn’t help being a little uneasy around the man. Lochlann was born on Qurilixen, like the Var princes, except he was a Draig, a dragon-shifter. It had been strange for Reid to find out that Jarek had been out flying in deep space with a Draig, even while their people had been fighting. Technically, the Var and Draig were no longer at war, but it didn’t ease the natural distrust between the two races.
“We ready to take off?” Jarek asked. The men moaned.
“Already?” Rick whined. “We just landed. We still haven’t checked out the merchandise.”
The men laughed.
“Didn’t you get enough?” Lochlann teased, his voice soft and low.
“I swear you tried to conquer the whole mansion,” Lucien added.
“Almost,” Rick mumbled. “I had to get my money’s worth. But I’ve never been with a…what kind of creatures are here again?”
“You’re not missing a thing,” Reid answered. “All snobby old women.”
“Ah, but they’re rich,” Viktor said, raising a finger.
“Yuck.” Lucien shook his head. “Not worth it. I can take the age, but not the snob.”
“I don’t know,” Rick answered, his voice laughing. “We are broke.”
“Excuse me.” Reid heard the soft, feminine sound in the corner of his mind, but it didn’t register. All the men ignored it.
“Whose fault is that?” Evan said, leaning over to punch his arm. “You’re the one who spent all our scavenger hunt prize money.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining when Ruby was giving you a lap dance,” Rick said, affecting a pout. “Or when Garnet was doing her famous naked massage.”
“Oh, yeah,” Viktor said. “That was nice. Not very relaxing, but nice.”
“Did you see the giant…?” Rick began, getting excited and motioning his hands as if to make breasts.
“Excuse me,” the feminine voice said louder. She sounded irritated. All eyes turned around. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt your—you.”
Reid’s breath caught in his throat. The woman who spoke was no old lady though she definitely looked like a rich doctor’s wife. She was beautiful, not genetically enhanced stripper beautiful, but natural woman beautiful. Looking at her, he much preferred the natural.
She wore a light cream colored gown of silk. The V neck dipped from her slender throat to show a modest amount of cleavage. A gem necklace hung in the V. The silk clung seductively to her body, not tightly, just hugging enough so that it showed teasing brushes of her curves when she moved. Over the cream dress, she wore a long jacket overdress of light blue. The two sides clasped just beneath her breasts with a sapphire jewel. Both parts of the gown went all the way to the floor.
Reid was disappointed. He wanted to see her legs. He’d bet she had great legs, really long. Licking his lips, he could already imagine pushing them apart, not that it took much to get his active imagination going.
Dark brown hair swept up from her face, crowning her head in a thick braid before trailing freely down over her shoulder. Even partially up, the thick waves hit just below her perfect breasts. Her solid, dark brown eyes looked like Lithorian chocolate, and he’d bet her lush lips would taste just as sweet. To his carnal pleasure, her tongue brushed over them nervously.
Her eyes roamed over the crew. That’s when he noticed he wasn’t the only one staring at her. He glanced at the men. Evan looked polite, but he always looked polite. However, his brow was slightly furrowed in thought. Lucien, Viktor, and Rick all had inviting smiles on their faces. Reid had the insane urge to slap them off.
He frowned. That wasn’t like him. The woman was beautiful, why wouldn’t they stare at her? Sacred cats, he wanted to stare at her. Why the hell was he looking at the crew? As he turned back, he caught Jarek’s eyes. His brother smiled slightly, and Reid knew by the look that he was amused. Jarek was laughing at him.
“I,” the woman began. She licked her mouth again, and Reid felt his body lurch. “My name is, ah, Mrs. Doctor St. Claire. If I could, I’d like to speak with Ambassador Reid.”
Reid let a smile curl on his lips as she finally turned her eyes to look at him. Her hands gripped tightly in front of her waist, her knuckles white. He smiled. How sweet. She was nervous meeting him. It was no wonder, either. He’d seen the men to whom she was exposed. She probably wasn’t used to getting attention from a real man.
“I am Ambassador Reid,” Reid said, throwing his voice with sexual confidence. The tone had melted women easily in the past. To his amazement, she stayed upright, not giggling or swooning. In fact, she wasn’t even smiling.
“I know, I saw your speech,” she answered.
She glanced over his body. Reid grinned. Oh, yeah, Mrs. Doctor St. Claire was definitely checking him out.
“Ah, honey,” Rick said. “What do you want with Reid? I’m sure I can help you. I’m the brains of this operation.”
“Don’t listen to Rick,” Lucien immediately put forth. “He’s just a pilot. I’m the one with communication skills. Talk to me.”
“Oh, don’t—” Viktor began.
“Enough,” Jarek ordered, holding up his hand. He shook his head, grinning. “Why don’t you guys go and make sure all of our supplies are on board the ship so we can take off? Reid, why don’t you help the lady out?”
Reid grinned and nodded at his brother. O
h, he’d help her out all right. He’d help her out of that dress and then he’d help her to straddle his waist as he…
“Thank you,” Mrs. Doctor St. Claire said to Jarek, bowing her head slightly. Jarek smiled. She didn’t return the look. Her face stayed blank.
Jarek placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, patting it lightly as he began to follow the grumbling crew. When they were alone, Reid motioned toward a chair. “It’s not fancy, but would you like a seat?”
“No, no thank you, ambassador,” she said.
“Call me Reid.”
“Ah, all right, Reid,” the woman said. “Reid.”
Reid grinned. He shrugged out of his jacket, knowing he’d give her a better specimen to look at if he took the stuffy thing off. “Do you mind? It’s hot in here.”
“Oh, no, no,” she said. “Actually, ambassador—”
“Reid.” Reid threw his jacket over the chair, amused by how she kept her eyes turned to the side.
“Reid,” she said as if the word caused her pain.
“And you are?” he prompted.
“Mrs. Doctor St. Claire,” she said, her brow furrowing slightly.
“That’s a mouthful, fea,’ Reid answered, again dipping his voice to see if she’d shiver. She didn’t. “You got something smaller?”
“Oh, Jasmine. You may call me Jasmine.”
“Jasmine,” Reid rolled the name slowly on his tongue. “It’s almost as lovely as you are.”
The woman actually frowned. It wasn’t the response Reid usually got as a result of his charm. He stiffened, watching her closely. What exactly was going on here? For a woman who’d come to invite him to bed, she didn’t seem all that inviting.
Jasmine eyed the strange ambassador before her. He was even more handsome up close. Dark stubble shadowed the man’s chiseled jaw, matching the long black hair that spilled down over his broad shoulders to his waist. He was perfectly built. When he moved, it was with a liquid, streamlined grace. There was something slow and seductive in the way he carried himself—like a hunter crouched, ready to attack, stalking his prey. Too bad she was immune to such things, to him. Her appreciation of his form was like what she’d feel for a beautiful painting, or a sculpture. He was lovely to look at. That was all.
Black leather bands with silver studs gripped tightly to his biceps, tautly secured on both of his arms. His shirt appeared to be one piece of material, with two narrow straps over the shoulders. The shirt material was held together by black cross lacing beneath his arms, leaving his sides and waist exposed. She could see muscles hidden there. It was as she suspected. This man was strong. He’d be perfect. Now, she only had to convince him to help her.
“I have need of your services, ambassador,” Jasmine bit her lip and hurriedly corrected, “Reid.”
He smiled. It was a roguish look. She wondered if he could help himself. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she had a feeling it wasn’t good for her to be this worked up. First, she felt the flutter in the conference hall, and now her heart was racing. Maybe it was time to ask Chad about upping her dosage. She’d been on the same level of medication for four years, ever since he’d diagnosed her heart problem.
His voice low, silky, he inquired, “Do you?”
“Yes,” Jasmine said. “I’ve actually won the door prize, which is fantastic in itself since I’ve never won anything and have instructed the servants to load it onto your vessel. I don’t know if you’re aware, but it’s a brand new medical booth. Top of the line. They just came out with it.”
“You’re just giving us a medical booth?” Reid asked. His brow rose skeptically on his handsome face.
Jasmine swallowed, nervously. It was odd standing alone with a man who wasn’t Chad. She began to sweat, doing her best to meet his magnetic eyes.
“Why don’t you take your jacket off and sit down?” he asked, motioning to a chair. “You look flushed.”
“Thank you.” Jasmine nodded. She didn’t feel well at all. Being anxious didn’t help. Without thinking, she undid the clasp and slid her overdress off. The cooler air helped somewhat.
“Sacred cats,” Reid whispered. “What happened to your arm? Were you combat sparring?”
Jasmine glanced down to the fading bruise. It covered a good portion of her shoulder. She’d forgotten all about it. Sliding her jacket back on to hide it, she latched the overdress.
“Why don’t you try out the medical booth and get it fixed,” Reid asked. “Come on. We have an older model on board and it should take care of that. We get banged up sparring all the time and the settings are pre-programmed for healing such things.”
“No, thank you,” she said. “It’s nothing.”
“It looks old. It shouldn’t take long.” Reid eyed her arm as if he could see it through her dress. She shivered at his obvious concern. It made her uncomfortable.
“No, really, I’m fine. I’ll take care of it later.” Jasmine took a step back, trying to calm her shaky voice.
“You should take more care when practicing hand to hand combat.” Reid said, studying her. His voice dipped with sexual innuendos, as he added, “Though, if you like, I’ll show you a few moves. I should like to see what you can do.”
“What?” Jasmine asked. Was this man crazy? Was he truly offering to fight her? She glanced over his broad, muscular frame. There was no way a small thing like her could take him down.
“Although, I think there is a reason most women do not fight.” He stepped closer. “You’re softer and not built for it. Women were meant to be protected.” His eyes flickered over her body. “Taken care of.” His gaze again met hers and he whispered with meaning, “Pleasured.”
Jasmine took a deep breath, choosing to ignore his ungentlemanly comments. “I had the lights off and hit a wall. The reason I came was… It’s not important.” She made a weak noise and tried to get the conversation back on topic. “Ambassador, I’m giving you the new booth because I wish to commission your services.”
A smile again lit his handsome face, making his dark eyes sparkle. When she looked at him, she sometimes swore his eyes were dark brown and at other times they appeared almost black. Whatever the color, they were gorgeous.
“Ambassador again is it? You like men in power?”
“Ah,” she shook her head. This man was impossible.
Reid tilted his head to the side and leaned toward her. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was trying to kiss her.
“I need a ride,” Jasmine stated, pulling back. “On your ship. Off this planet.”
She suppressed a moan of self-disgust. That wasn’t the most elegant phrasing, but she’d already spent too long in the docks. Chad would be wondering where she’d gone. And when Chad began to wonder, things got bad, really bad.
“Sorry, fae, but we aren’t a shuttle service. Why don’t you ask one of these rich doctors? I’m sure they’ll have accommodations more to your liking. Besides, wouldn’t you be more comfortable with other women on board the ship?”
Jasmine felt as if her heart dropped, which really wasn’t a good thing in her case. She swallowed nervously, trying not to shake. She couldn’t ask anyone else. There was no one else. Anyone else would tell Chad. She was desperate. Who knew how many more years would pass before an opportunity like this came up? Dabbing her sleeve on her forehead, she said, “I can’t ask anyone else. I want to commission you. Please, if the medical booth isn’t payment enough, I do have—”
“Listen, Jasmine.” Reid lifted his hand, moving as if to touch her arm. She artfully shifted her weight, staying out of his reach. His hand fell to the side. “Can we be blunt here?”
Jasmine nodded, feeling a sense of relief. She preferred blunt. It was so much easier, not always possible, but easier.
“I know you’re getting around to asking me to bed you.” Reid winked audaciously.
Jasmine’s relief left her until all she felt was the raw sting of apprehension, which in turn became utter and complete dismay. Could th
is primitive be that arrogant?
“I’m fine with that. In fact, if you like, I’ll arrange for some privacy on the ship for us. I can be very discreet. But that’s all I can offer, fea. I’m not taking you with me. I’m flattered that you like me so much you’d want to come away with me for an exotic flight of pure, rapturous pleasure, but I’m not the commitment type. So, what do you say? Want to go and have sex real quick and…?”
Jasmine felt the blood drain from her face at his words. He was serious. From between her clenched teeth, she hotly declared, “I do not want to have sex with you!”
“Really, fea, it’s fine. Don’t be embarrassed.” Reid reached toward her. She took a step back. “I’m not rejecting you.”
Lifting her chin proudly, she asked, “Will you give me the ride or not, ambassador? I can pay you well and won’t be a burden. You won’t even know I’m on board.”
“No,” Reid said. “We don’t have time to take care of a woman in space. We have many important things to do. We’re very busy men.”
“Have it your way,” Jasmine said, turning on her heel. She left without another word. She’d already wasted a lot of time on the docks. Chad would be sure to notice her prolonged absence. She could only hope he wouldn’t be mad or jealous.
Reid watched the lovely Jasmine stomp off and shook his head. Sacred cats! She was beautiful, even with the bruise. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why a woman as beautiful as Jasmine would want to fight. With her looks, she could easily find a man to defend her honor for her. Though, Queen Ulyssa often sparred with Falke. She was skilled with a sword and also pretty to look at.
Reid shook his head in regret. Too bad this Jasmine was so painfully shy. It was obvious she’d come to him because she wanted to sleep with him. Why else ask for him and not Jarek? Jarek was the captain and would be the one to grant passage. However, after seeing how the men looked at her and knowing firsthand how lonely deep space nights could be, how endless, he knew it was for her own good to find a different crew. Perhaps one equipped for female passengers. Jarek would no doubt have given her the same answer.
The Rogue Prince Page 3
