by Elin Wyn
“I don’t know the game,” I murmured.
“I do.”
Before long, a round ended and a player threw his cards down in disgust.
“There’s only one seat open.” I looked back and forth at Xander, considering which of us would play the game better.
“I hate to ask you to be so obviously decorative, but...” Xander slipped into the seat, tugging me down to sit on his lap.
Once we got started, game play was simple enough. Not so many cards that I couldn’t get the rhythm of it, figure what hands would come next, what we should throw, match, challenge.
And if people assumed I was whispering sweet nothings into Xander’s ears, well that was their own lookout.
We were careful.
He lost almost as much as we won. Almost.
The tally on our tracking card grew just a bit, round by round. Randomly the air echoed with the faint trill of chimes, as the strange trees shed their leaves, slow, surreal music against the intense energy of the room.
It would take a while, we might have to make some bolder bets. But this was going to work, I could feel it.
Until a hand at my shoulder tried to pull me from Xander’s easy embrace.
“You’re wanted,” someone barked from behind us.
I stiffened.
SysSec didn’t have any power here, wouldn’t find us, couldn’t...
Xander placed the cards down carefully, then used that hand to brace me while he gripped the other man’s wrist.
“I told you once before to apologize to the lady.” I could hear the bones press and creak as his fingers became a vice. “Remove your hand.”
With a curse, the man backed away but only a step. “You’re wanted,” he repeated, angrily. “In the back, now.”
Void take it. The man with the lovely silver marking on the ugly, ill-tempered face, had returned, but this time it looked like he’d brought friends.
Xander rose, keeping an arm around me. After a breath, I had the sense to pull our token from the table, force it into the handbag with the commtab and clutch it to my side.
“Whatever you think you want, we don’t want any of you,” Xander drawled.
“You’re cheating,” the man snapped. Ugly rumbles from the men who flanked him, all big, all broad with matching metallic tracery over their skins.
“How exactly, are we managing that?” Xander shrugged. “Everyone knows comms are restricted here, shut off. The casino is a blind zone. I haven’t moved from my seat. And since you’ve been eyeing my lady, you know perfectly well she hasn’t either.”
“You’ve been cheating,” the man argued. “No one’s that lucky.”
He didn’t have proof, I realized, he just wanted to make trouble.
“Let me guess,” I pitched my voice as softly as I could. “The gangs take turns running the casino, too? This one is in power today?”
Xander nodded, just enough to let me know my assessment was likely correct.
Dammit. Best case, we get kicked out, our winnings confiscated, and then be back to zero again.
Worst case we got kicked out, plus Xander got into a fight that told far too many people where we were, and SysSec and Stanton would be on our trail.
“Everyone here believes in luck,” Xander declared. “Really, “his grin included everyone at the tables, everyone in this section of the casino. “Otherwise why would we be here?”
A soft ripple of laughter ran through the crowd.
The idiot with the silver tracing scowled harder.
“You don’t think someone can be that lucky?” Xander continued, his voice light, coaxing the crowd along with him. But I heard the edge of steel under the words.
“Did you all not see the loveliness with me?” With a snap of his wrist he twirled me, spun me out and then brought me back to his side. I clutched at his jacket, only half playing along, the rest of me scared as hell and a bit dizzy.
“With her at my side, how could anyone doubt my luck tonight?” With an expansive wave he bowed to the room, shifted his weight, ready for their response.
The tension bled out of the mob, light laughter joining his.
Everyone seemed willing to give the joker a pass, at least a little credit for being so amusing.
Everyone except the person facing us, jaw set, mouth screwed up angrily. “It’s just luck, nothing can go wrong for you tonight?”
Xander’s smile showed the barest hint of pointed teeth. “Nothing in the Void.”
“Fine. Tell us which tree will sound next,” the man snapped. “Double or nothing.” His sneer twisted his face. “And if you’re wrong, not only do you lose your luck, you lose her for the night.”
The tightening of the loose arm around my waist kept me from throwing my drink at the idiot. For now.
“I’ll bet anything you want, metalhead, but my lady makes her own arrangements.”
It didn’t take skill with numbers to know that doubling our winnings would be enough for a ship. Not a great one, but enough. And a bit extra for fuel and food.
With Xander’s talents...
“Can you do it?”
He nodded. “Probably, but that bastard isn’t-”
“We accept.” I cut him off, the roar of approval masking his growl.
“I trust you. Go look at trees.”
All play stopped as Xander walked through the columns, fingers laced through mine as he examined each tree.
They all looked the same to me, slender trunks twisted, vaulted branches high above with scattered leaves quivering in an unfelt breeze.
Then he spun.
“That one.”
Never had the time between chimes taken so long.
Xander wrapped his arms around me, my back against his hard chest, while the entire casino watched the trees, waiting, wondering if he could possibly be right.
“No matter what, he’s not touching you,” he murmured. “I don’t need intuition for that.”
Xander tensed, and I rubbed circles on the back of his hands with my thumbs.
“There,” he breathed, and I heard it, the softest sigh of release as the leaves above rippled, then fell around the waiting mass with a peel like laughter.
Over the cheers came a crash of broken glass. “Cheated!” the creep insisted, but this time even his friends didn’t look convinced.
The bubble of relief in my chest burst. We weren’t going to get away so easily.
“My friends, perhaps this isn’t a good night for any of us to partake of the games.” The voice came from the side of the room. The crowd rippled, opened to make way for a pair of burly guards. They emerged, flanking Mr. Helo.
“I’m not sure if our hosts know how to ensure fair play.” He nodded slightly to us in acknowledgement, then turned back to the creep and his friends. “An excellent way to keep your guests playing would be to honor all standing bets now.”
Such a mild sounding man. Such quiet words. But the gang shrunk before him, and with a surly nod, one of the members stepped forward with a tablet. In a few strokes, Xander transferred our winnings, doubled now, safely away.
Helo raised his voice, just a touch, enough to be heard. “I’m the owner of the Kameha Hotel. Stay with us tonight, on me.” He winked broadly. “Maybe your luck will rub off on the rest of our guests.”
The press of bodies faded away, the excitement over.
“What do you get out of it,” I asked.
His smile only widened. “Great publicity.” He patted his coat pocket. “And a chance to thank you.”
“Venko.” One of the guards stepped forward. “Show the way to our guests. Make sure it’s clear to everyone, these are my personal friends.”
On the way to the front of the casino, Xander stopped cold, then swept me into his arms. “Babe, are you hurt?”
“What are you doing,” I whispered hotly. “I didn’t even trip!”
Venko waited, expressionless as Xander caught up.
“Sorry, it’s been a long d
ay. She’s not used to the shoes.” It sounded like a joke, but a thread of tension ran through the words.
His heart hammered beneath my hand and he bent to press a kiss against my hair. “Just let me do this, Loree. Please.”
“What if you need to fight?”
“I’ll deal with it then.”
After the day we’d had, it was nice to curl up in his arms, let the whirl of the station pass around us as Venko led us wherever.
And the shoes really were a bitch.
By the time we’d reached our room, the safe embrace of his arms combined with the warm scent of his skin wrapped me in a hazy cocoon.
The door sealed behind our guide with a dull clang. “The leaves sounded much prettier,” I giggled, half awake. “Before we head out, do you think we can buy some? My friend back on Orem makes lovely jewelry, and-”
As if I were made of the most fragile crystal, Xander lowered me to a settee, the dark gold fabric plush under my hands.
“Do you need a drink? I need a drink.” He stabbed at the replicator set into a sleek panel, movements odd, jerky. “Wognian brandy. Best they’ve got on the menu.”
His hand shook as he passed me the glass, a splash of ruby liquid spilling across the top of my breasts.
Xander froze, eyes dark.
I took the glass from his hands, placed them both on a side table and pulled him down to sit beside me.
“What’s wrong?” Boldly I explored his new face, ran my fingers under this new jawline, relearning his contours.
With a shuddering breath he tugged me into his lap, my knees straddling him as he buried his face in my neck. “Never offer yourself like that again. You can’t get hurt. I couldn’t stand it.”
“I was safe,” I kept stroking his neck, his shoulders. “You’d never let anything happen to me.”
His hands roamed my back, gliding down the fabric, kneading my hips, skimming up my ribs to brush the underside of my breasts, relentless with his touch until I squirmed above him. “What if I happen to you?”
Leaning towards him, I ran my fingers through his hair, entranced by the low groan that escaped his lips. “Let’s find out.”
With a slow caress of his tongue he traced where the wine had spilled, and I arched into his touch, breasts aching, every nerve aflame.
Soft kisses and nips worked across my shoulder, up my throat as his hand cupped the back of my head, drawing me closer with every pounding heartbeat until his mouth was on mine, sucking and nibbling on my lower lip. One by one he pulled out the hairpins, tossing them across the room until my hair tumbled down.
Senses ignited, I opened to him, tangling with his hot tongue as he swept through me, the taste of wine on his lips crashing against me like gravity, pulling me under.
“Loree, tell me to stop,” he growled. “Please, babe.”
“No,” I gripped his shoulders. “Never.”
“Good.” The slit of the dress tore like paper in his hands as he pulled me harder into his lap, grinding my core against his hard length.
My head fell back, staring blindly at the ceiling as he rocked against me, the fabric of his pants, the thin scrap of silk that separated us fading into nothingness. Pressure coiled through my belly as I clutched his shoulders, shaking in his grip.
“Let go, babe. I’ll catch you,” he murmured.
The tension spiraled, ever higher, until with a flick of his thumb at my clit I shattered, sobbing against him.
Still gasping, I clung to him as he stood and with swift steps brought us to the bedroom.
Forehead pressed to mine he lay over me, eyes closed, muscles taut. “I should be gentle with you, worship you.”
“I’m not asking you to,” I whispered. Sliding my hands under his jacket, I ran my nails in long grooves down his muscled back.
With a growl he sprang from the bed, making short work of the elegant suit. “Later,” he insisted, as he tore what was left of the dress away from me. “Later I’ll give you everything. Now I need you.”
“Less talking. More you,” I managed.
On top of me once more, he paused, thick cock twitching at my entrance until with nerve-shredding restraint he slowly worked, back and forth, deeper until he was fully sheathed in me.
Wild eyes, dark with heat, pinned me as surely as his body, but he refused to move.
I locked my legs around his waist and rocked once, twice, until his control splintered and every maddened thrust dragged us both over the edge.
Xander
A soft trill pulled me from drowsing.
I lay in the dimmed lights, Loree’s legs tangled with mine, her soft body sprawled over my chest, the raven dark hair spilling everywhere.
Somewhere in the room the maintenance bots would find the pins I’d pulled out with my teeth.
The trill came again, and I snapped fully awake. A call to the comm unit in the outer room of the suite.
Slowly I slipped out from under her, but not smoothly enough.
“What is it?” Her face turned to mine, eyes half-closed, lush lips calling me back for more kisses.
“Nothing, babe. Go back to sleep.”
She burrowed into the pillows, her answer too muffled to make out, even for my hearing.
A third trill, insistent. Pissing me off.
Pants. Find pants before answering call, even if annoyed.
I slid the bedroom door shut while hopping into what was left of them, hoping the room had a fabricator. Something stabbed my foot, and I bit off a curse. A jeweled hairpin. The sight of it enough to mellow my mood.
“Answer.”
Not surprisingly, Helo’s face filled the screen.
“Apologies for the early call.”
I checked the wall unit and remembered the manners Doc had drilled into us. “Not that early. We appreciate the place to stay.”
“Fantastic advertising.” He waved, dismissing the matter. “Thought you’d want to know my boys are hearing that people are asking questions. Who you are, who do you work for. The usual.”
Dammit. I’d hoped Loree could sleep longer. “I appreciate the heads up. We’ll get out of your hair, save you some trouble.”
“No hurry. I’ve spread the word that you’re working for me, here on a long contract.”
“That was very… obliging of you.” His face stayed a pleasant mask, giving me no clues. “What do you get out of it?”
“Nothing. Later, if we cross paths, I might be tempted to ask for a favor. I’ve made it a point to stay on the good side of people like you.”
My fists curled, hopefully out of sight of the screen. “What you mean people like me?”
“Lucky people, what else? I suspect I won’t regret offering favors to a couple as fortunate and quick of mind.” He settled back in his chair. “Now, we both know you’re not staying. You’d be welcome, but I’d be surprised if that was the plan.”
“No, moving on. Just need to buy a ship.”
“I’d be happy to send you some recommendations, but I suspect you’d be happier doing your own research.”
“A bit,” I lounged back, the smell of last night’s stale liqueur curling through the room.
“I do want to make one more offer,” he continued.
“You’ve already been more than generous.”
“Not really. But this is above board. If you’d like to leave your companion here, I can assure you she’d be safe until your return.”
“Really. Safe. On Outlander Terminal,” I growled, red anger simmering.
“When a man such as yourself wants to go somewhere discreetly, it’s fair to say the trip isn’t going to be safe. I promise, she’d be an honored guest.”
Loree. Safe.
Helo might be a gangster, or worse... but oddly I was sure he’d keep his word on this. If only because he suspected what I’d do if he failed.
“I appreciate the offer. Hell, enough to mark it as another favor to your credit.” I shook my head. “But she’s made her choice. She stays
with me.”
“As you wish. Safe travels.”
The screen snapped off and I leaned back into the couch, rubbing my eyes. When we got back to Orem, I’d sleep for a week. Make that two. Until then...
“Good call, buster.”
Loree leaned in the doorway to the bedroom, wearing nothing but my slightly torn jacket from last night.
“How much of that did you hear?”
“Enough to wonder what he’s getting out of it.” She stretched, and the hem of the garment pulled up, drawing my eyes with it.
“Breakfast.” I blurted out, leaping to the fabricator.
“I don’t eat much in the morning, really.”
I flipped through options, carefully not looking her way. “It’s a good idea to eat when you can. Go get showered, dial-up some nondescript clothes. I’ll have food ready when you get out.”
Her small hand ran up my spine. Dammit.
“Don’t you need to shower too?”
“Yes,” I ground out, jaw tight. “But if we’re going to get out of here with any sort of speed, I’d better not join you.”
Her low throaty laugh would have to be reward enough.
Listening to the sprayer from the other room I programmed the fab for a new set of clothes. Last night we needed to blend in with the high rollers. Today was just about blending in. Grays and browns, loose. Practical.
And when Loree came in wearing a shapeless tunic and pants, she was still the most beautiful thing that I’d ever seen.
I handed her a small bowl.
She wrinkled her nose at the gray porridge within. “If I can’t keep this down I’m going to blame you.”
“I put extra sweetener in it,” I coaxed. “Just like Doc used to make for us.”
“You’re kidding.” She took a bite, eyes narrowed with disbelief. “Somehow I don’t imagine Doc fixing breakfast for a ship full of boys.”
“Not often,” I conceded, happily eating my own double serving. “But during testing, or if we got in ourselves into some sort of scrape, she’d make an exception.”
Quickly we finished breakfast and put the bowls in the recycler while Loree gathered the remnants of our clothes from last night.
She handed me her dress. “Save me a piece of that before you throw it in?”
