Talson's Wait

by Marie Harte

  Talson’s Wait

  Marie Harte

  Book one in the Talson Temptations series.

  Domineering, dangerous and downright huge, Roarke Talson owns Jamie for the next three years. It’s 2109, and the government has found a way to deal with the national debt. Indentured service. She might have been duped into debt, but she’s not stupid. Jamie made sure to put a no-sex clause in her contract. There’s just one problem. She can’t stop thinking about her boss. Sexy and commanding, he’s the face of her ultimate fantasy, and a nightmare employer. She’s met every challenge he’s thrown at her and refuses to drop, no matter how hard he works her.

  When Jamie does the wrong thing for the right reason, she assumes Talson will throw her in jail and not think twice. In an effort to escape, she ambushes him and flees, but not before taking a kiss and a bit more from the man.

  She hadn’t counted on him getting free so quickly, that he might be half alien, or that he’d hunt her down with more than vengeance on his mind.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Talson’s Wait

  ISBN 9781419933615

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Talson’s Wait Copyright © 2011 Marie Harte

  Edited by Grace Bradley

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book publication March 2011

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Talson’s Wait

  Marie Harte

  Chapter One

  Port Watch, Earth 2109

  A swell of summer wind breathed life into Jamison Kendrik. She plucked at the thin cotton of her sweat-soaked shirt, aware she wasn’t the only one wishing for cooler weather. The men on the docks moving boxes and operating the heavy lift equipment around her fared the same. Like her, they looked exhausted, beyond hot, and annoyed with the black-haired dictator issuing orders left and right in the middle of the dock.

  Protected from the noon sun under the overhang of the warehouse roof, she continued to go through the manifest, making sure she hadn’t overlooked anything going offworld on today’s schedule.

  Talson Shipping had earned the reputation as being the best of the best. They stuck to Department of Transportation shipping regulations and always delivered on time. Employees worked their asses off for better-than-average wages, which was saying something in this economic crisis. And Talson Shipping rewarded hard work with benefits and bonuses other companies couldn’t touch. Despite the fact their owner wasn’t human.

  Here on the West Coast, prejudice against the alien Otra wasn’t as rife as it was in other parts of the country. Business ruled out here, where the population had dwindled in the last few centuries after the last great war before the Otra had arrived. It probably helped that Roarke Talson had never shown himself as anything other than a chauvinistic human asshole. And from what she’d learned about him since he’d bought her contract, he was worth too much alive to care about his background. She grudgingly admitted that he treated everyone fairly. Everyone but her.

  She often wondered if the rumors about him being part Otra were true. Something about him seemed so much…more. Not sure if it was his massive build, the sharp, unforgiving planes of his face, or the unswerving command he held over himself and all those who worked for him, he seemed larger than life. Those dark brown eyes of his could turn fathomless black in an instant, sucking the breath out of Jamie without even trying. Which was why she spent much of her time avoiding the big guy.

  “Kendrik, get your ass over here, now.”

  Dammit, when had he doubled back around the pallets? She thought she’d been safe working out of sight. A glance over her shoulder showed her boss glaring at her from just beyond the warehouse.

  Resisting the urge to snap back at him, she reluctantly joined him by the last shipping crate of the day. “Yes?”

  “That’s ‘Yes sir,’” he corrected, then straightened to his imposing six and a half foot frame, looming like a dark cloud.

  Her basic reaction to the man was equal parts rebellious and disturbing. One part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell, while the other begged for his approval, his attention, his touch… Used to ignoring the feeling, she shoved her unease behind intense dislike and did her best not to show the autocratic jackass how much she longed to put him in his place.

  “Pay attention, Kendrik,” he practically snarled. She wished she could call his voice grating, but the gravelly pitch always put her in mind of hot sex. He pointed to a laminated sheet attached to the outside of the metal box. “This manifest doesn’t match the box’s actual weight according to DOT’s scale.” He stabbed the paper he held in his hand with his finger. “What the hell else is in here besides the bundles of cotton and barrels of dye?”

  As if she didn’t have enough to worry about just finishing her indentured contract. She should have her head examined for pulling this stunt. Icy cold shivered down her spine, and Jamie fought the urge to confess and get it over with. Only the image of her sister’s tearstained face hardened her resolve. No, she’d made Susanna a promise, and she never reneged on a promise. Besides, she’d come too far to back down now. If she opened the crate, both hers and Gregory’s lives were forfeit. With any luck, he’d heard them through the metal and was keeping as quiet as inhumanly possible.

  She shrugged. “Sir, I’m not sure I understand. I went over these manifests as we packed, piece by piece. There’s nothing more in that crate than what our men loaded. Unless the box has been tampered with?”

  They both looked to the undisturbed locks on both ends of the cargo box.

  He swore and stared at the box, then her, weighing what to do. He could only be sure she lied if he was Otra. It had been said they could sense each other, their psychic mojo stronger when in groups. But Roarke had never admitted to being Otra, only human. He couldn’t know about Geoffrey, could he? She could only pray that leaving this particular box to be shipped last pressed them for time they didn’t have to fool around with it.

  “Shit. Fine. Load the thing. But don’t think we’re not going to discuss this later.” He checked his phone and muttered under his breath as he stormed off, missing her best impression of wounded innocence.

  Jamie finished overseeing the transfer and watched the doors of the starship close behind her flirtation with disaster. She stood there with a relieved sigh as the ship disappeared into the deep blue sky through a blanket of clouds. Within minutes it would be safely out of the Earth’s atmosphere and on its way to Werfal 7, one of the Otra’s many planets.

  She sighed, wishing she could have accompanied the cargo. Unfortunately, she had neither the funds nor the auth
ority to leave the planet, not when Talson still held her travel papers.

  Being an indentured servant sucked, but it could have been worse. At least here she had protection and the means to support her younger sisters. No one could screw with her without severe repercussions. Talson had made that clear to everyone from day one.

  “Hey, Kendrik. Can you help me out with this?” asked one of the new guys as he stared in confusion at the crane controls.

  Glad to be needed for something useful, she nodded and did her best to answer his questions.

  Hours later, after the sun had already set, she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. God, but the new guy was as dense as a brick wall. How hard was it to operate that crane? She’d mastered it in a few hours with some practice. The new guy had nearly bashed the foreman’s head in, then came a hairsbreadth from knocking Talson’s truck into the water. What a shit storm that would have been. She had no doubt she’d have taken the blame for it. She’d swear the man had a hard-on for her, and not the good kind.

  Since she’d started working for him, he’d given her tasks that looked difficult if downright impossible. Never one to ignore a challenge, she’d met him problem for problem, more than pleased when she succeeded. He’d relented after her third success and offered her a bigger apartment than the slum she’d been living in. It wasn’t huge by any means, but it satisfied her needs. And per her contract, she didn’t have to pay the rent. He did.

  Satisfied she’d put in a full day and had earned her rest, she decided to take a shortcut home. She didn’t live in the slums, nor did her apartment match those across the Divide, where Talson and his rich cronies lived, but her place felt like home. Middle-class, all the way. Talson could have shoved her with the other degenerates working the docks down on Swanson Alley, but he’d given her a pretty nice place, especially for an indentured servant. The guys never mentioned her low status, and they treated her with surprising respect. All things considered, life could have been much, much worse.

  “Well, well, look at you.” As if she’d conjured it, worse appeared.

  “What do you want, Darren?” She didn’t stop walking, but wished she’d been smarter about going home. Sure the shortcut was faster, but in the areas outside dock security, anything could happen. She’d stupidly assumed the local thugs feared Talson enough to leave her alone.

  The brute stepped in her way, forcing her to stop. “I just wanted to say hi. Thought you might need someone to walk you home.” Not as tall as Talson but still a head bigger than her, Darren Woreski had been after her since he’d joined the dockworkers three months ago. He had a mouth that would make a sailor blush and fists as large as dinner plates. He’d made a few rude comments before the guys at work had put a stop to it. Then he took to watching her all the time. She wondered if Talson knew about Darren’s sick obsession.

  He trailed a hand over her hair before she pulled back. “Now that’s not friendly, Jamie. I just want to keep you safe. How can I if you won’t let me touch you?” His thick brows drew together in a scowl. “You think you’re too good for me, is that it?”

  She needed to move. Fast. “Uh, it’s just that—”

  He yanked her to him and planted a slobbery kiss that made her want to vomit. He smelled like stale onions, and just the feel of him made her skin crawl. When his large hands palmed her ass and lifted her off her feet to grind her against his arousal, she freaked.

  “Oh yeah. You’re gonna be a hot one. I can tell.” He kissed her neck and started sucking hard.

  Bastard. Not willing to be a victim to this prick, she scratched his face with nails she purposefully kept longer than Talson liked, just to annoy him. When Darren howled, she reached down and pinched his belly, hard. He let her go and she added a kick to the side of his knee, gratified when he swore again and went down. If she’d had a better angle, she’d have gone for his balls.

  “You bitch. You’re gonna pay for that.” Bad enough he had murder in his eyes. He started to recuperate faster than she’d thought he might.

  Jamie ran as hard as she could back the way she’d come, yelling for help all the way. Just a few yards shy of Talson Shipping’s property line, she put on a burst of speed and ran into something that would have knocked her on her ass if strong arms hadn’t held her up.

  “Kendrik?”

  She’d take him over the asshole chasing her any day. “Tal…son?” she wheezed.

  Darren panted behind her. “You okay, Jamie? I was trying to walk her home when something spooked her. Isn’t that right, Kendrik?”

  She knew she’d pay for this later. Talson couldn’t be around to protect her forever. But no way in hell would she just roll over and take Darren’s abuse without fighting back. She glanced up at Talson, alarmed at the fury on his face. She blinked hard and started shivering.

  Then he did the oddest thing. He stroked her bruised lip before pulling her into a comforting, nonsexual hug. “Shh. It’s okay. Just tell me what happened. You’re safe now, Jamie. I promise.”

  She took a long breath and disengaged from his arms, uncomfortable at being so exposed. For some reason she liked annoying him. She didn’t want him—or anyone—to see her as vulnerable. “Thanks.” She turned to face Darren, pleased to see the pissant squirm. “I was taking a shortcut home. Stupid, I know, but I thought I’d be okay. Everyone knows not to mess with the Talsons around here. Everyone but Darren.”

  Darren scowled, and she continued through her fear. “He tried to kiss me, if you could call it that. Then he started touching me. I think he meant to, ah, he probably would have—”

  Talson stepped between her and Darren. “Go wait for me at my office, Kendrik. You can make me a new pot of coffee when I come back to catch up on work.”

  “Coffee?” She frowned. “But, sir, I said—”

  “Now.” His tone brooked no refusal. “Woreski, you and I need to talk.”

  Tired and more shaken than she wanted to admit, she did as ordered, knowing no one would accost her between this point and his office. Talson Shipping ran tight security. And on Talson’s turf, everyone obeyed. Apparently even her.

  She left him behind. But once in his office, she allowed herself a few tears. She didn’t make him coffee right away. Instead, she settled on his couch and let her eyes drift shut. Just for a little bit.

  * * * * *

  When a beam of sunlight hit her between the eyes, she blinked into confusion. A glance around her showed the cracked ceiling above her bed, the familiar scarred dresser across from it and a side table next to her with a precious book and the yjor plant sitting on it. The plant made the whole apartment smell like lilacs and lavender, and she still had no idea who’d left it for her a few weeks ago.

  A glance at herself told her she still wore the same clothing she’d gone to work in minus her shoes. She remembered falling asleep on Talson’s couch. A few odd noises and then that dream…

  Flushing, she tried to remember how she’d gotten home. But for the life of her she had no idea. Turning to her side table, she saw a note taped to her book. Take the day off. That’s an order. If you need anything, call. Roarke. And under that, what looked like a phone number.

  Stunned, Jamie didn’t know what to think. She stumbled into the bathroom, took off her clothes, and hopped in the shower. Letting the soap and water clean her from top to bottom, she watched as the droplets raced one another down the glass wall and pooled on the floor before circling the drain. Common sense told her she should be more upset about yesterday, but she felt a surprising numbness.

  And that wasn’t all. She had the oddest sensation of reassurance that Roarke Talson would take care of everything. That dream had been a doozy, filled with Talson in nothing but his jeans. He had little to no body hair that she’d ever seen, and his bronze flesh glowed under the sunlight, particularly when he worked with the other guys moving crap around the docks. In her dream, she’d been drowning in his gaze, hypnotized by the lust on his face. And then he’d touched her, tra
iling his mouth over her naked body. Sucking her nipples into hard peaks, licking down her belly to her pussy… He’d feasted, spurring two orgasms out of her before he came up behind her and took her with a ferocity akin to ownership.

  Just thinking about it turned her on, and she groaned as she once again sought fulfillment. Talson might have been an ass, but he was the stuff of every one of her sexual fantasies. In no time she came hard, whispering his name in a plea for more. After she finished her shower and dried off, she snuck back into bed, hoping to dream of nothing but freedom for herself and her family.

  Instead she dreamt of Roarke Talson. And her lust built all over again.

  Chapter Two

  Two days after her assault, Jamie headed into work on time. She’d covered up the few bruises on her neck and used a little gloss to smooth over the bruise on her lips. Other than that, she felt better than fine. Catching up on her sleep—and ignoring her dreams—had given her a renewed energy and sense of purpose.

  Just three more years and she’d repay all the family debt. It didn’t seem like so much anymore, not when she rationalized her time spent with Talson as necessary.

  “Kendrik, my office.” The star of her naughty fantasies brought her back to reality in a heartbeat.

  “Yes, master,” she snapped.

  “And don’t you forget it.” His growl seemed especially harsh this morning, but she didn’t let it bother her. She’d learned a long time ago that for all Talson sounded like an ogre, he’d never physically hurt her. Oh, he piled on the work, but she could handle that. For all his faults, and there were many, Talson had a core of honor. He protected what he considered his, and until her debt had been repaid, she belonged to Talson Shipping.

  “Today, while I’m young.” He exhaled a long breath and stood before the open door to his office.