by Jake Bible
“Yeah, sure, I’ll give you a shout,” the driver said as the hover bus rose into the air and took off for the next stop.
Six
Mascholine rolled off Rage, her body beaded with sweat, her chest heaving, her skin so bright that Rage had to squint as he caught his own breath.
“There we go,” Mascholine said. “Been looking forward to that for hours. Idiot cops interrupting our good time.”
“Yeah,” Rage said as he stared up at the ceiling of his apartment.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy you get to do something other than be a bouncer?” Mascholine asked. “I’m not happy about it. Downright pissed off, but at the pigs, not at you. I know you’ll be back when you’re done.”
“Probably,” Rage said.
“Probably?” Mascholine rolled over, pressing her body against Rage’s side. She rubbed his chest and nuzzled her face against his muscles as she slowly ground herself against his hip. “Oh, I think you’ll be back.”
Rage smirked and cupped her ass with one hand then gave it a hard squeeze before sliding away from her. He got up and walked to the tiny kitchenette in the corner and poured himself a glass of water. Mascholine watched his tight ass and taut legs the entire time.
“What do you know about a Lisha Peem?” Rage asked as he turned around. He snapped his fingers to get Mascholine’s attention. “Eyes up here. I’ll be ready in a few minutes. We talk until then.”
“Talk? Boring,” Mascholine said, laughing. “Let’s do other mouth stuff instead.”
“Mascholine…”
“Jesus. Fine,” Mascholine said and stood up. Her body was tighter than women half her age, but then the specific human genetic makeup her ancestors came from had lifespans that were quadruple the normal human. A benefit of galactic humanoid races interbreeding for centuries. “Ms. Peem is what is known as a professional widow.”
“She kills her husbands and lives off their wealth?” Rage asked. He refilled the water and handed the glass to Mascholine as she walked over to him. “She’s not very good at it if she’s known for killing her husbands.”
“No one has proven a thing,” Mascholine said. She took the water and drained the glass then handed it back to Rage. “I couldn’t find a shred of evidence from any agency. Everyone in the galaxy knows what she’s up to, but it’s not like she’s alone. Some cultures see it as a status symbol to go through multiple husbands like disposable underwear.”
“Nice picture,” Rage said. Mascholine reached down, but Rage smacked her hand away. “Focus.”
“Not sure I like serious business Max Rage,” Mascholine said with a pout. She returned to the bed and flopped down on her stomach, making sure Rage got a good view of her ass. “Serious business Max Rage is kind of a downer.”
“Because I was all party balloons and confetti cannons before,” Rage said.
“At least I knew I was getting some at the end of the night,” Mascholine said.
“You just got some a couple minutes ago,” Rage said.
“There was never a cap on quantity before,” Mascholine protested.
“Okay, okay. Another round and then we talk?” Rage asked. Mascholine’s ass went up a little higher. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Three rounds and a change of sheets later, Mascholine rested against Rage’s side once more.
Rage’s eyes had begun to droop when she said, “She’s protected. I found that much out. Not sure by who or what, but there are signs in her records that show some serious influence to make sure she doesn’t go down for any of her husbands’ deaths. Keep that in mind if you find yourself on her bad side.”
“If she approaches me,” Rage said.
“She’ll approach you,” Mascholine said with a tired sigh. “Labous is a dick and a pig, but he’s a good detective. If the powers that have him by the short and curlies think she’ll approach you, then she’ll approach you.”
“How do you feel about that?” Rage asked.
Mascholine tweaked one of Rage’s nipples. Hard.
“Nothing?” Mascholine asked when Rage didn’t react.
“I can be shot a dozen times and barely flinch,” Rage said. “Was there a point to that?”
“Just making sure you know how I feel,” Mascholine said. “You can get involved with this Peem bitch, have some fun, do what you have to, but only as long as you come back here when you’re done.”
“Maybe I won’t survive.”
“You believe that?”
“Nah. I always survive.”
“Good. Do that. Survive and come back to me and the bar.”
“You only want me because I’m the best bouncer on the planet.”
“And the best lay.”
“There’s that.”
“There is that. Yes. Round…four?”
“Round four,” Rage said and swept Mascholine up in his arms.
They hit round seven before passing out. It was only the insistent pounding of the security bot on Rage’s door that woke them up.
“Whoa,” Mascholine said as she headed for the bathroom. “Gonna walk funny while working tonight.”
The bathroom door closed and Rage opened his apartment door.
“You could have commed,” Rage said to the bot.
It beeped something unintelligible and Rage waited. Then his comm translated, “There is a buxom human woman downstairs asking for you.”
“Already?” Rage rolled his eyes. “Let her know I’ll be right down. Gonna rinse off and get dressed.”
More beeps. “She is in a hurry and said for you to come down immediately. Body scans show she is in distress and fears for her life.”
“Great. She’s one of those.” Rage sighed and grabbed his clothes. As he started getting dressed and began to leave, he called out to the bathroom, “She’s here! I’ll be downstairs!”
He didn’t wait for an answer and followed the bot downstairs as he jumped on one leg then the other in order to get his jeans on. Once downstairs, he was caught short at the sight of Ms. Lisha Peem. Her images on the tablet hadn’t done her justice. Legs, hips, breasts, chartreuse skin, and that golden hair were breathtaking to behold. She wore a tight blouse that was barely buttoned and a tighter skirt that left zero to the imagination. Any male, no matter the race, would have married her in a heartbeat. Hell, any female would have been all over her too.
“Ms. Peem?” Rage asked as he approached her.
She sat at the bar, a glass of clear liquor in her hand. A very full glass.
“Oh, Mr. Rage, you are here. Call me Lisha,” she said. Then she downed the entire glass and offered her hand. “I see the police have already told you about me. I watched you leave the precinct this morning.”
“Which is why I’m not playing coy,” Rage said, shaking her hand. The feel of her skin was like electrified silk. “What can I do for you?”
“May I?” Lisha asked as she reached for a bottle of vodka.
“You already have and it ain’t my liquor, so knock yourself out,” Rage replied, taking a seat on the barstool next to her. He watched her pour, drink, pour, drink, then pour again and sigh. “What can I do for you, Ms. Peem?”
“Lisha. I insist,” Lisha said. “And what you can do for me is protect me as I go home. I need the best security and your name has been mentioned more than a few times.”
“I’m a bouncer, not a bodyguard,” Rage said. “And there are entire firms that specialize in personal security. You should contact one of them. They can get you safely wherever you need to go.”
“Yes, but I want you, Mr. Rage,” Lisha replied. “Or may I call you Max?”
“Most call me Rage, but I don’t give a shit what most people do,” Rage said. “Call me whatever you want. Why me over a firm?”
“Because firms are connected and right now I need to be around as few connections as possible, Max,” Lisha said. “You have a reputation of being unstoppable. Considering who is after me, I need unstoppable.”
“An
d who is after you?” Rage asked, his voice filled with boredom.
“Earth Corp,” Lisha stated.
Rage’s boredom left him instantly.
“Earth Corp? You want me to protect you from Earth Corp? My former employer and the company that canned my ass? That Earth Corp?”
“That Earth Corp.”
“You think I have the resources to protect you from them? If you do, you’re nuts. Because I don’t.”
“Oh, I have the resources, you have the know-how and drive,” Lisha said. “And what justice it would be for you to foil Earth Corp’s plans against me. Wouldn’t that just show them?”
“Yeah. It probably would,” Rage replied. “Unless their plans are for a good reason.”
Lisha faced Rage full-on and cocked her head. She crossed her long, supple legs and smiled. “What possible reason could they have? I’m a woman that just lost her husband. How can I be of any threat?”
“Not your first husband,” Rage said. “Not your first loss.”
“True, but what does that have to do with Earth Corp? How can my personal life effect an entire planetary organization? I’m only one woman, Max.”
“You’re talking me out of taking the job. If you’re no threat, then there is no threat against you.”
“Oh, but there is, Max. There is. A serious threat and I am willing to pay you handsomely for your trouble.” She trailed a fingernail down his chest. “Handsome pay for a handsome man.”
The front door burst open and Grup came rushing in, all stick arms and legs whipping about.
“Rage!” Grup yelled. “You dick! I was in the ER all night because of you!”
“You healed up fine, Grup. Go away,” Rage said.
“Not until I have my say!” Grup demanded.
Rage eyed him and waited. “Well? What’s your say?”
“Uh…” Grup struggled for an answer. “I said it. You’re a dick.”
“Max, I need an answer,” Lisha said. “My ship leaves within the hour and there is no time to dawdle.”
“Who’s this?” Grup asked, sidling up next to Lisha. “Howdy, ma’am. I’m Grup. Man of many appendages, if you get what I’m saying.”
“Max?” Lisha asked, ignoring Grup. “Now or never.”
“I’ll need to set some things straight first,” Rage said.
“No, you don’t,” Lisha countered. “You have nothing to set straight. Leave with me now or miss your chance at redemption.”
“Leave? Where ya going, Rage?” Grup asked.
“Where am I going?” Rage asked.
“Is that a yes?” Lisha responded.
“It’s a yes,” Rage said. “Why not.”
“Good. All will be revealed onboard my ship,” Lisha said. “Do you like Stabli calamari? I had a fresh crate delivered to my ship this morning. It is to die for.”
“I love Stabli calamari!” Grup exclaimed. “Can I come?”
“You’re staying here to tell Mascholine I’ll be back when I’m back,” Rage said, standing up from his stool. “Think you can handle that, Grup?”
“If you apologize for last night’s rough treatment,” Grup said and folded most of his arms.
“Sorry for flinging you across the highway,” Rage said as he escorted Lisha out of Crater Ray’s. “But I can’t promise it won’t happen again when I get back.”
“Oh… Yeah, that’ll do. I’ll let Mascholine know,” Grup said. “Have fun on your trip!”
Seven
Rage had been on a lot of ships. A lot of ships. But never one as luxurious as Lisha Peem’s.
“Welcome to the Hourglass, Max,” Lisha said.
“Hourglass? Nice name,” Rage responded. “It fits.”
“Yes. It does.”
Two gilded doors slid apart and Lisha walked through, beckoning Rage to join her.
“Sorry, refreshments aren’t ready,” she said as the entered the main lounge. “I caught Pilot and crew off guard with the sudden departure request. But I’m sure Cook is working on something absolutely scrumptious for lunch. Any food allergies, Max?”
“I’m only allergic to bullshit,” Rage said. “So don’t serve me any crap lines and we’ll be fine.”
“Oh, I love the gruff facade,” Lisha said. “Please. Sit. Get comfortable. We’ll be lifting off in five minutes.”
“We need to strap in?” Rage asked, looking at the recliners and couches that filled the lounge. “Not seeing any takeoff harnesses.”
“Take off harnesses…?” Lisha laughed. “This room is grav sealed. It would take the power of a black hole to disrupt our private little environment. You won’t feel a thing when we leave the planet.”
“That must be nice,” Rage said and plopped down in a recliner. Lisha frowned. “What? Am I not supposed to get comfortable? You’re sending mixed signals, lady.”
“Oh, no, my apologies,” Lisha said. “That was just…my husband’s favorite chair.”
Rage leaned forward. “You want me to get up?”
“No, of course not. Stay put,” Lisha said. “It’s that his death is still hard for me to come to terms with. The pain so fresh.” Somehow, without Rage noticing, another of the buttons on her blouse had come undone. “Seeing you there is both sad and comforting. Does that make sense?”
Another button was undone and Rage blinked. He could have sworn he never saw her fingers move. She took a couple of steps toward him and he held his hand up.
“Knock it off with the temptress crap,” Rage said. Lisha paused. “I’m here on business only. You hired me to accompany you home. That’s the job. I got a lady and she’s perfectly adequate for me.”
“Adequate? I am so much more than adequate, Max,” Lisha said.
“Don’t doubt it, but this shit between us is going to be strictly business,” Rage insisted. “So take a seat and start talking.”
Lisha eyed Rage for a couple of seconds then sat down in a loveseat across from him. The buttons of her blouse were done up once again.
“Where would you like me to start?” Lisha asked, her tone not quite cold, but certainly no longer as warm and inviting as before.
“First off, where the hell are we going? Where is home for a lady like you?” Rage asked.
“A lady like me? Are you calling me a whore, Max?” Lisha asked.
“Nope. I’m calling you disgustingly rich,” Rage said. “Where’s a rich chick like you live? You probably get your pick of gated planets.”
“I live on Sporkon Five,” Lisha said.
“Sporkon Five? Didn’t see that coming,” Rage said and relaxed back into the recliner once more. “Can’t wait to hear this story.”
“Well, Sporkon Five is not as rustic and primitive as most people think,” Lisha explained. “Yes, it is primarily savannas and vast lakes with no indigenous sentient race, but it has some of the greatest coastline in the entire galaxy. A select few forward-thinking individuals bought up the entire planet decades ago. I was one of those forward-thinking individuals. I believe your impressions of the planet will change when we arrive at my estate.”
“If we arrive,” Rage corrected. “I’m here to protect you because you think Earth Corp is going to take you out between here and there.”
“I say when because I have all the confidence in the galaxy that you will see me safely home.”
“Don’t get cocky, lady. You’re smart, very smart, would have to be to get away with killing as many husbands as you have, but smarts don’t stop plasma blasts to the face.”
“I have never had any of my husbands—”
“Stop. If this shit between us is going to work, then you have to knock off the disingenuous falsely accused widow crap. Got it? I do not care who you killed as long as you don’t turn on me and you do everything I tell you to do when I tell you to do it. We clear?”
Lisha’s chartreuse skin began to flush red around her throat and up her cheeks. She fanned herself a little before giving Rage a playful smile.
“That was quite
the speech. Got me going again. Are you sure you want to be exclusive with that woman of yours?” Lisha asked.
“Never said we were exclusive, just said you and I ain’t gonna happen,” Rage said and smirked at the split-second flash of anger that filled Lisha’s eyes. “Answer my question. We clear?”
“We’re clear,” Lisha said. “But if you think you can trap me like those cops want, then think again, muscle man. You want it to be business then it’s business. No more flirting, no more special treatment, no more crap. That clear enough?”
Lisha’s entire personality and demeanor changed on a dime. Rage found himself looking at a predator, a woman that knew what she wanted and got what she wanted when she wanted it got. He grinned.
“Do you find what I said funny?” Lisha snapped. Her body was still hot sin on two legs, but her eyes had gone cold and deadly. “I wouldn’t get too full of yourself, Max. You’re on my ship and what I say here is law.”
“I can always leave.”
“No, you can’t. We left Earth several minutes ago,” Lisha said with a wicked grin. “So, unless you want to take a walk in open space, you’re mine.”
Rage couldn’t help but be impressed. Sure, he’d been on tons of ships, but never had he been on one that could leave a planet’s atmosphere and orbit without even a hint of a shudder. He studied the lounge with a look that bordered respect on his face.
“Okay. Well played,” he said.
“I did warn you,” Lisha responded, a little of the playfulness back, but only a little.
“Alright, lady, let’s get down to—”
“Lisha. Stop calling me lady. My name is Lisha. Use it.”
Rage considered that then nodded. “Let’s get down to the root of all this, Lisha. Why does Earth Corp want your ass? It’s not because you’ve killed your husbands and inherited their fortunes. That shit happens too often and probably by quite a few Earth Corp execs. What makes you special enough to free me and put me here with you?”
“You aren’t even going to try to pretend you’re not working for them, are you?” Lisha grinned. “You certainly live up to your reputation.”
“Greenville PD and Earth Corp are using me. You’re using me. I’ve come to terms with being used. I just want to know why.”
