He continued looking down the hallway as he responded. “I have finished hooking up the surveillance cameras, in all the places you requested.” He finished his sentence before he looked at her.
His mouth dropped when he saw her. She was wearing a beautiful deep blue evening gown that went all the way to the floor. It was low-cut in the front and had a cut all the way up to her hip. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant bun, with a few small strands of hair hanging down to frame her face. His head started spinning. “Wow, Rena, what’s the occasion?” he asked.
“I have a date,” she answered, bluntly.
“I don’t think anyone on this spaceship is good enough for you, let alone when you look like that,” he returned. “You’re prettier than the stars themselves.”
Her cheeks started to go red. Turk knew she was enjoying his compliments when that happened. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t think anything can compare to your beauty.”
“Turk, I have a date.” She didn’t sound angry, but she sounded a little hurt when she said it.
“With who?” he asked, ignoring the urge he had to kiss her.
She turned her head, as if she was ashamed. “With Jesse Collins,” she answered.
“The male escort?” Turk was appalled.
“He’s a liaison,” Rena answered.
He felt jealousy like he had never felt before. “Why don’t you call and cancel. You don’t need to pay for someone to date you. I’ll take you out and give you the best night of your life,” he added.
“I can’t, and you know why, Turk,” Rena answered. “What exactly do you suspect Jaken and Nade of doing? I know they can be assholes, but that’s not that big of a deal.”
“Complaints were filed by crew and passengers.”
“What kind of complaints?”
“That you overwork your employees, endangering them. Passengers complain that they are charged too much and their accommodations are not appropriate.”
“How do they think they will get away with charging passengers more money unless their skimming and messing with the financial logs.”
“Do they have access to the financial logs?”
“Unfortunately they do. I had to give them access when there was a death in the family and I needed to leave for home for a few weeks. They totally took advantage. Those bottom feeders! I’m going to tie their dicks around their balls.”
Turk cringed, almost feeling sorry for the idiot brothers. “Don’t let on that you know anything. I’m collecting evidence against them. When we have enough, we’ll get them removed and taken in for prosecution.”
“I have never been good at waiting.”
“I remember.”
“I guess I owe you thanks for your help with this.”
He could tell that it took a lot for her to say that. “Well, that’s what I am here for Rena.”
Turk barely noticed when Jesse had walked up. “Are you ready to go?” He asked Rena.
The fact that the humanoid didn’t comment on Rena’s beauty right away made him furious. The damned human had no manners and didn’t deserve to go out with Rena. Turk knew she would get mad at him for it, but Turk took her hand, raised it to his lips, and tenderly kissed it. “I’ll see you in the morning,” Turk said before he turned to walk away.
Instead of going back to his suite, Turk just walked around the corner and intently listened.
“What was that about?” Jesse asked Rena.
“I don’t know,” she responded hesitantly. He could tell, even from a distance, that Rena was confused about how she should feel at that moment.
Turk waited until he heard the humanoid male say they were going to be late. He peeked around the corner and started following them. He stayed far enough away to keep out of sight, but close enough to monitor their activity.
As he watched them, he could tell that the human male was flirting now. His heart started to hurt when he realized that Rena was actually having a good time. He began to think that maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t shown her the truth about that night with Tena, especially if this humanoid could make her happier than he ever could. He loved Rena with all his heart, but, during their relationship, he was never able to make her truly happy.
He continued to watch, catching glimpses of Rena smiling, laughing, and even blushing. Maybe it was too late for him to get her back. He watched them as they sipped glasses of wine, ate their food, talked, and laughed. Every second hurt Turk more and more. He watched the humanoid male reach for Rena’s hand. Then he saw him kiss her. He felt furious, but was smart enough to leave before he did something he would regret.
Turk stormed back to his suite and furiously punched the wall, imagining the humanoid’s face as he did. Seeing the hole in the wall, he plopped down on the bed. He tried to push the thoughts out of the two of them out of his head. He knew that if he wouldn’t have been such a jealous asshole, he would have never seen them together. Then he started to wish he was in the humanoid’s shoes.
He wondered if he should have stayed at the restaurant longer, just to see how Rena reacted to that kiss badly. He wondered if she kissed him back, or if she had pulled away. He wondered if they would go out again. He even thought about putting more surveillance cameras throughout the ship, just to monitor what they were doing.
Turk tried to tell himself that it was none of his business. He knew he was doing this to himself, and he knew that it was not going to help him at all. Just seeing her with another man killed him. He wasn’t sure he could get over that. He was furious, envious, and even jealous. But he also knew that she definitely deserved better than a male escort.
Then he realized the truth. She deserved better than him, and she definitely deserved something better than having him stalk her through the ship.
He shook his head, disappointed in himself for being so selfish. No wonder she had decided to move on with her life. Even now, everything he did was for himself. He would tell her the truth, but not before checking into this guy Jesse and making sure he wouldn’t hurt Rena. He needed to make up everything he had done to Rena, even if it meant letting her go.
Chapter 8
Rena answered the door, expecting to see Jesse there. When Turk stood in the doorway, however, she wasn’t completely disappointed. His compliments and flirting brought her back to their old times, when he had always made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. She missed those times. All of the lines he had used were things he used to say on a daily basis when they were together. Somehow, after so long, the compliments still gave her butterflies in her stomach.
She talked only about business, trying not to get drawn back in to his charms. She was lonely, but she couldn’t tell if it was because she missed being with him, or if she just missed having an intimate relationship. Rena didn’t have much time for dates as captain of her spaceship. That’s why she had set up a date with the liaison, Jesse. She had been a little embarrassed when Turk asked her who she was going out with, but he had responded by giving her compliments instead of making her feel worse, and for that she was glad.
Rena began to feel herself wishing Turk wasn’t there just on business. The flirting just made it hard to remember why she was so angry at him, and her feelings for him didn’t help. She was relieved when Jesse walked up and she had an excuse to leave. As she walked with Jesse down to the restaurant she tried to dispel the butterflies that Turk’s words had left in her stomach. She was determined to try to have a good time with Jesse.
She was surprised when Jesse pulled out the chair for her.
“You look stunning, Rena,” he said.
“Thank you.” She looked him over. He was dressed in a tux and his hair was combed back from his face. He was very attractive. “So how does this work?”
“It’s just like a regular date,” Jesse answered.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a date at all.”.
“That’s a shocker. I figured a beautiful woman like
you would have no problems getting dates.” Jesse looked genuinely surprised.
“Thanks. I just rarely have the time. Technically, I still don’t have much time. Well, not for a serious relationship, anyway. I’m always in the control room.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense. You’re probably called on every time there is any sort of issue. That can’t be too much fun.”
“It’s what I’ve always dreamed of,” she answered.
“Still, what’s it like? Being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want?” Jesse asked.
“Honestly, I don’t get to do that. Most the time, I’m just shipping supplies back and forth. I don’t have the money to just do whatever I want. Running a spaceship and paying a crew gets pretty expensive. And I didn’t want to this job because I wanted to go wherever I wanted. I did it because I wanted to go to new places. So far, I get to do that more than I ever thought possible.”
“You’re so passionate about it.” A charming smile covered Jesse’s face.
“I’m sorry. I guess I can be a little nerdy when it comes to that subject.” She felt her cheeks blushing.
“I think it’s kind of sexy. I don’t usually see people get passionate about anything. But when you talk about this spaceship, or what you do on it, you get this gleam in your eyes. It’s easy to tell that it makes you very happy. “I honestly wish I could find something that makes me feel the way you do.”
“I thought you were that way about modelling?”
Jesse was shocked that she even remembered that. “No. Don’t get me wrong — I absolutely loved it, but I wasn’t ready to throw my entire life into it. It seems you have done that as a captain.”
Rena’s cheeks flared red. “I did.” She stated. “So tell me, what do you do in your free time, Jesse?” she asked as the waitress arrived with their food.
“You’ll just laugh at me if I tell you,” he answered.
“No, I won’t! Just tell me,” she returned, smiling.
“I like to sit back and read a bunch of the old timey books from our planet,” he stated.
Rena did laugh. Then she got sad for a second as she thought about all the old books from Terra that she had lost when she walked out on Turk.
“I told you that you would laugh at me,” Jesse returned, laughing a little at himself.
“I use to have a huge collection of books, myself, but I lost them.” She tried to push Turk to the back of her mind.
“How did that happen?” he asked.
“I really don’t want to get into that,” she answered.
“Okay then, what do you like to do in your free time?” he asked, not pushing for an answer. “You know, if you ever get any.”
Rena smiled at that statement. “I wouldn’t know. This is the first time I’ve had any free time in quite a while. Honestly, I usually just get enough time to sleep, but when I get extra few free moments, I do like to just watch the stars as we pass by them, or read a good romance novel It’s been months since I started the last book and I’m not even close to done with it. I sometimes try to read a couple of pages before I go to bed.”
“So, you’re an intellectual, huh?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes.” She laughed. “There’s no shame in that. Out of curiosity, do you get to pick what ships you board or is that all in your employer’s control?”
“Carolina, my boss, gives us a list of ships we can go to and we get to decide which ones we are interested in.”
“Does that seem safe?”
“Carolina tries to keep us all well protected. She even has a tracking chip in all of our cell phones. If we don’t check in after our dates, she sends someone looking for us.”
“That’s probably for the best. You never know if there is going to be a setup or something,” Rena returned. “I honestly didn’t expect this liaison date to be so business like.”
“Not many people do. Most are surprised that they have to call Carolina back for a second date,” Jesse answered. “I know it’s a pain in the ass, but it’s for everyone’s protection.”
“Wow, it must make you feel safer knowing that there are such restrictions in place,” Rena stated.
“It does. Now you know all about my job. I want to know more about yours. You pretty much control everything on this ship. That’s a big responsibility. How do you deal with it without going crazy?”
She laughed. “I’ll tell you, there are times I feel like pulling out my hair when one of my crew does or says something that is against procedure or is just plain stupid. There are details that not everyone gets. A captain has to know a wide range of things, from navigation to engineering to basic mechanics. Then there is the hospitality part of the job that I wasn’t fully prepared to deal with in training to be captain. Not every passenger is easy to please. Sometimes their rooms aren’t big enough, the restaurants don’t serve the food they like to eat or they think it’s taking too long to get to their destination.”
“Why do you put up with it?”
“Because, even through all the issues and complaints, I love what I do. I love commanding my own ship. I love traveling to different star systems. I love the challenges that come up that test my abilities and help me grow.” She signaled the waitress for their check.
After they paid for their meal, he offered to walk her to her place. They continued talking until they reached her suite. She paused in the hallway, before opening her door.
“This wasn’t so bad. I might schedule another date soon.”
“Rena, I can’t go out with you again, I apologize but I just can’t be your liaison.” Jesse looked conflicted.
“Why not? I thought we were having a good time.”
“We are. That’s the problem.” His expression did not give away his emotions.
“How is that the problem? I don’t understand.”
Jesse took her hand in his. “It’s against protocol at this point. I am very sorry.”
“Protocol?” She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going.
Without any further explanation, Jesse leaned down and kissed her. She understood then. Jesse had feelings for her. As he kissed her, Rena realized she didn’t feel the same way. All she could think about was Turk. She hoped he hadn’t seen them; she was never quite certain when he was watching her. She pulled away and said goodnight before she went inside.
Perhaps she wasn’t simply lonely. Perhaps Turk still meant more to her than she had let herself acknowledge. She had no clue what she was going to do. She felt badly for leaving Jesse so abruptly, but she couldn’t bear to give him false hope.
Rena tried to talk herself out of going to Turk’s suite. If she showed up there, she would see something she didn’t want to, and that might ruin everything for her. She still felt unsure that she could ever truly forgive him for what he had done to her. If they did end up together again, would she always hold that against him? Would she ever trust him again? Even though she realized that she still cared for Turk, she wasn’t sure if she would be strong enough to handle a relationship with him.
She hopped into a shower, hoping to get her head clear before she did something that she would forget, hoping that it was just the wine influencing her thoughts. She got into bed, hoping that her feelings would dissipate before she woke up. She tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. When she finally drifted off, her dreams didn’t help her much. Turk appeared in her dreams over and over again. Was that a sign that things weren’t really over?
Chapter 9
“Turk, what have you found so far?” Drako asked as soon as he answered the video call.
“How are the background checks coming?”
“I should know something today or tomorrow.”
“Could you run another one on a male named Jesse Collins from Terra.”
“This Jesse — is he a crew member or passenger?”
“He’s the liaison that Carolina sent here.”
“Do not mess with Carolina’s people. She is very protect
ive of them and will make both our lives miserable.”
“You are so whipped by your female,” Turk chuckled, thinking about his tough best friend bowing to the wishes of his mate.
“There was a time that you were just as whipped.”
Turk’s laughter died down. “That was a long time ago. I joke with you, but it’s because I envy you. You get to wake up every morning next to the female that you love. Don’t take it for granted, Drako. Not one second of it.”
“I won’t. How are things going between you and Rena?”
“She hasn’t thrown me off the ship yet. So that’s a plus. Her sister and nephew are on board which puts a bit of a dent in the plans I had.”
“Oh shit! I’m surprised Rena hasn’t gone crazy.”
“I want to show her that I’m a better man, and make amends for the hurt that I caused her. I just need her to give me a chance.”
“I wish you the best, my friend. You have changed for the better. She’ll see that.”
Turk wanted to change the subject. “When will you do the background checks?”
“I won’t have to on Jesse. Carolina asked me to run one for the new employees she recently hired. I’ll pull the information that I got for her.”
“Don’t tell her—”
“I won’t tell her why I need it. Just make sure you don’t attack the male for no reason.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll send it to you tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks, Drako.”
“Remember, you are only there to gather intel. You are not to engage anyone. That’s my job. Just get the proof, contact me when you have it, and keep your female safe.”
“I won’t let Rena get hurt. She means too much to me. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. That’s why I insisted I come here.”
“I let you go undercover because I knew that if you found out Rena was in danger you’d barge your way on that ship in the middle of my investigation. Just keep to the plan and stay safe.”
“I’ll talk to you later.” Turk hung up and went to take a shower.
Fighting the Stars Page 5
