by Morgan Hawke
Mixed among the shops were a number of crowded kafés, but according to her talent, none of them were where she was supposed to be. With a heavy sigh, Luxi kept walking.
As she reached the far end of the concourse, the station lights dimmed into station sunset, and then station night. Tall, archaic lamp posts of black iron winked on to provide lighting. Overhead, thousands of tiny lights flickered to life, acting as stars in the completely contained world.
The Pouting Mermaid Kafé sat on the very edge of the upper gallery overlooking the formal gardens two stories below. The shop itself was little more than a fancifully nautical roofed counter framed by a pair of potted dwarf-oaks.
A dozen or so small round tables were scattered by the balcony for relaxing patrons, of which there was only one. A young man in a steel-gray, floor-length informal coat lounged casually at one of the tables under the golden glow of a lamppost. He held a cup in one gloved hand and a small fiction-reader in the other.
Within her, chance entwined with opportunity. She had arrived at the right place.
Luxi approached the counter and pulled out her data card. She was simply dying for a cup of kaffa.
The young man behind the counter was busily cleaning one of the antique kaffa brewers that lined the back wall. Artistic cups and mugs perched in nooks on the side walls. He glanced up and smiled. “Hi, I’m Brett. What can I get you?” He was perfectly ordinary. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a slightly rumpled green apron covered his black shirt and trousers.
“Hi, Brett, I’m Luxi.” She grinned and gave him her order.
Brett grabbed a huge green mug from the wall and started his machines. “So, Luxi, what brings you to Port Destiny?”
Luxi shook her head. “Just passing through. But I was wondering, would you mind if I borrowed one of your tables to do some fortune-telling?”
Brett glanced over at her, his eyes wide. “Fortune-telling? Here?”
Luxi’s brows lifted. “Is there a rule against it?”
Brett curled his lip sourly. “No, it’s just that most of the other fortune-tellers hit the kafés closer to the middle of the concourse.” He poured a liberal amount of cream into the green mug, then filled it with freshly brewed black kaffa. “You any good?”
Luxi grinned. “Better than most.”
Brett handed her the steaming mug and lifted his brow. “Sure about that, are you?”
Luxi took the cup in both hands. The hot brew smelled heavenly. “Let’s put it this way -- my talent got me fired from my last job as an information leak, and I was only the receptionist.”
“Whoa ...” Brett blinked. “You must be a major talent.”
Luxi shrugged. “I have no idea. Unlike normal psi-talents, this one doesn’t show up under testing.” She smiled. “Want to test it yourself?”
Brett’s mouth fell open. “Me? Oh, hell yeah!”
“Pardon me.”
“Huh?” Luxi turned and nearly dropped her cup. The young man in the long gray coat stood by her left elbow with his hands tucked behind him. His eyes were as green as the leaves on the trees and seemed brilliant against the deep auburn of his tightly bound hair. The long tail falling over his breast and nearly to his waist was bound in steel-gray ribbon nearly to the end, as though to hide the deep, fiery color. His face was strongly but arrestingly carved, though he seemed young. And his mouth ... He had the fullest, most kissable lips Luxi had ever seen.
He quirked up a dark red brow and smiled at Luxi. “May I observe your work?”
Luxi nearly staggered from the effect. Whoa, that smile should have a warning label. She swallowed to get her voice back. “That’s up to Brett; it’s his fortune.”
Brett grinned. “Sure, I don’t mind. Want a refill while you’re here?”
The young man turned to Brett. “That would be wonderful. And, if I may, please put the young lady’s order on my tab.”
Luxi felt the tiniest shiver. The young man’s voice was surprisingly deep and flavored with a rich, exotic accent. He had one of those voices that could recite a grocery list and sound compelling.
He turned to Luxi. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Yes, please! I mean no; I mean thank you.” Luxi felt her cheeks heat. It was hard to think past that lethal smile.
“You are quite welcome.” He gave her a small bow. “I am Amun Verity.”
She set her cup on the counter and summoned her best manners. With her hands open and correctly placed on her thighs, she gave him a slightly deeper bow in reply, acknowledging his obviously superior rank. She bit back a smile. Everyone was superior to a receptionist. “I’m honored by your acquaintance, gentle sir. I’m Luxi Emory.”
Amun grinned unexpectedly. “Was I that formal?”
Luxi shrugged. “It seemed the right thing to do.”
Amun shook his head and his smile shifted to something more relaxed.
“Okay ...” Brett glanced from Luxi to Amun. “Can I have my fortune now?”
Luxi turned to Brett with a grin and picked up her mug. “Absolutely. What would you like to know about: a person, a place, or a situation?”
Brett frowned. “Do you need a name?”
“Nope, just a teeny clue; like, my girlfriend, my friend, my boss, work ... Stuff like that.”
“Oh, that’s it?”
“Yep.” Luxi was well aware that her smile was smug. “I told you, I’m good.”
Brett leaned both elbows on the counter. “My girlfriend; we’re having problems.”
Luxi turned her head to stare at nothing in particular and reached for her talent. Her inner sight bloomed, allowing her to view the tangled threads of Brett’s previous choices and future possibilities. Luxi nodded absently as his story formed, then turned to face him. “Okay, this is what’s going on ...” She began to recite what the threads told her about his situation with his girlfriend.
Luxi finally stopped to sip her kaffa.
“Oh, wow ...” Brett stared at Luxi. “Dead on the money!”
“Very impressive.”
Luxi started. Amun had been so still, she had forgotten that was standing right there. She darted a glance his way, and froze.
Amun’s gaze was intensely focused, and his smile tight. There was a subtle edge to his expression, as though he had found something truly interesting -- and edible. “That is quite a talent.”
Luxi swallowed her kaffa and hoped that the heat of her embarrassment didn’t show. “Thanks.” She cleared her throat and tore her gaze from Amun. If she kept looking at him, she’d fall into his green gaze and forget what she needed to say. She gathered her thoughts and focused on the lines of possibility around Brett. “Okay, now that you know what happened, this is how you fix it ...”
Brett refilled Luxi’s kaffa and set down a plate with one of their signature desserts. “It’s on me.” He shook his head. “Wow.”
“Thank you!” Luxi took her refilled cup and raised her brow. “I told you I was good.”
Brett rolled his eyes. “‘Good’ does not even begin to describe what you just did.”
Luxi sipped her fresh kaffa to cover her smile. It was nice to actually deliver good news, for a change. “So I can borrow a table?”
Brett gave her a wry smile. “Sure, I’ll just move a few patrons out of your way.” He waved his hand at the empty tables. “I honestly don’t know how much money you’re going to make here. Tresday nights are usually quiet, but I’ll keep you in kaffa for as long as you’re here.”
“Thank you.” Luxi smiled. “It’ll be okay. I only need to make enough for dinner.”
“In that case ...” Amun bowed slightly to Luxi. “For the price of dinner, I would be honored if you would be so kind as to use your talent to view a situation I find myself in a dilemma over.”
Luxi grinned up at Brett. “There, you see?” She turned to Amun and returned his less formal bow. “I’d be honored to be of service.” She suddenly shivered as the last thread of synchronicity suddenly fell into place. L
uxi blinked up at Amun. She was only a breath away to escaping her doom. She had one more decision to make to achieve it.
And Amun was the key.
Amun’s gaze sharpened. “What is it?”
Luxi felt a stillness wash through her as she gazed into his green eyes. “I felt the lines of my own fate changing.” It was the absolute truth -- and she wanted to swallow the words as soon as she said them.
Amun turned and gestured toward his table by the balcony with one gloved hand. “With your level of talent?” He smiled. “I don’t see why not.”
Luxi picked up the plate and the cup. Why the hell had she told him that? She shook her head as she walked toward his table. Too late now.
Amun held out a chair for her, then carefully stepped back.
Luxi caught his cue and deposited her plate and cup on the table. She turned to give him a bow in thanks. and sat.
Amun smiled and his brow quirked up. “You have very nice protocol for a receptionist.” He gathered the long skirts of his gray coat and sat in the chair on her immediate left.
“Oh, that?” Luxi lifted her shoulder in a small shrug and turned away. He was making her blush again. “The company had a number of off-world customers, so I brushed up on their etiquette.”
Amun smiled. “Were they surprised?”
Luxi raised a brow. “I thought they would be, but it was more like they expected it.”
Amun nodded. “Then you did it right.” He raised a finger. “The only time manners are truly noted is when they are missing.”
“Oh ...”
Amun leaned back in his chair and lifted his cup. “Now then, I have two parties in contention trying to come to an accord. I would dearly like to know the results of their interaction.”
Luxi set down her cup and gazed over his shoulder to clear her mind and view his synchronicities. She felt her sense of perspective shift hard as his choices and decisions flooded her mind with snarl after snarl of complicated threads that raced from the past to the future. She grabbed hold of the table and sucked in a breath as she tried to find the center, the “now” that he occupied.
“Is something wrong?” His voice was soft.
Luxi squinted as she fought through tangle after tangle to find him. “Not wrong, just really complicated.” She found his center and began her search for the parties he was inquiring about within the two enormous snarls connected closely to his line. Suddenly, she realized that both parties were, in fact, the snarls. “Oh, wow ... big.”
Slowly, and carefully, Amun took off his gloves. “Is that so?” He reached out a finger and brushed the side of her hand. “Tell me.”
Luxi swallowed. “There’s lot there. Do you want their immediate decisions or the possible outcomes?”
“There is only one immediate decision I’m interested in, the one connected directly to me. Find that one decision and follow it to its outcome.”
Luxi found the specific thread, followed it, and spoke.
Luxi was shaking as she finished. She let the inner-vision go and reached for her kaffa. Then she noticed that Amun was holding her left hand. Her brow rose. Okay ...
A strong shiver rocked her, and everything she had told him slipped right out of her head. She didn’t think anything of it. Memory loss of her readings was normal. The information she revealed was not hers to know, so it simply slipped away. Though never quite that quickly.
Amun’s gaze narrowed. “Do you remember any of what you just told me?”
Luxi stopped with her cup halfway to her lips. “Not a thing. All I remember is a really big and tangled mess. Do you need me to go back and look?”
Amun smiled gently as he released her hand. “No; no, that won’t be necessary. I have everything I need.”
“Good.” Luxi let out a breath. “You are a tough read.” She sipped her kaffa. It had cooled quite a bit, but it was still heavenly.
Amun leaned back quirked up a brow. “You found me difficult?”
Luxi shook her head. “Not difficult; you just had a lot more than I was used to seeing.”
“I dare say ...” Amun smiled and rose from his chair. “I believe I owe you dinner?”
“Thank you.” Luxi rose with a smile. “But I’m afraid I don’t know any of the restaurants.”
Amun tilted his head and the golden lamplight gilded his handsome face with gold and shadows. “Actually, I was thinking perhaps of someplace a bit more private.”
Private? Luxi felt the slightest touch of alarm slide down her spine. “What exactly do you mean by ‘private’?”
Amun smiled warmly. “I find myself loathe to share your company.” His gaze focused on her. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Luxi was caught by the arresting green of his eyes and the luscious curve of his utterly kissable mouth. Did she mind? Really?
Chapter Seven
Amun reached out to take both of Luxi’s hands and gently tugged her closer. “There is a quality about you that is not found in many people. Some would find it irresistible.”
Irresistible ... All rational thought was suddenly consumed by a violent rush of erotic heat. Her pulse suddenly throbbed in her throat and her nipples tightened to burning points. The firestorm of searing physical need stole her breath.
“Luxi ...” Amun lowered his head.
Luxi lifted her mouth toward his, consumed by the absolute hunger to taste him. Softness brushed against her lips, then pressure. She opened to his mouth, and her eyes closed. The moist touch of his tongue brushed hers, and took possession. He tasted of expensive kaffa and rich cream with a hint of spice. His hands were so warm.
“Yes,” he whispered against her mouth. “Oh, yes ...” He freed one of her hands and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her up against him. He angled his head and his tongue swept hers boldly, urgently, encouraging her to taste him more fully.
She moaned softly and answered his unspoken command with strong parries of her tongue against his. Her free arm went around his hips. His coat was soft under her fingers. His body was warm, lean, and hard against hers. His scent was clean and richly flavored with masculine arousal. And unbearably exciting.
He curled her captured hand between them at her heart, then lifted his hand from her waist. The clip in her hair was tugged free and her mane tumbled to her waist in a riot of unbound curls. His finger slid under the heavy mass and he groaned. He grasped a handful at the base of her neck.
An illicit bolt of brutal excitement stabbed straight down and moisture dampened her panties. Luxi gasped. Her fingers clenched in his coat and she pressed eagerly against the firm ridge of his erection that rubbed enticingly against her hip.
His fingers tightened in her hair, holding her still as he lifted his lips from hers. He smiled. “You like this,” he whispered. “You like, being captured, being ... taken.”
She trembled in his firm hold. She couldn’t think past the fire that throbbed in her core, not even to agree. She shifted and the erection under his loose trousers nudged between her thighs. Want and need raked though her. She could not stop herself from rubbing against him.
Amun smiled and brushed his lips lightly, teasingly against hers. “Oh, you are going to be so much fun.”
“Amun, what are you doing out of your suite? It’s not safe.”
Amun abruptly pushed away from Luxi.
Luxi gasped as her mind suddenly returned to her in a tangle of heat and confusion. What had just happened?
Amun blushed and frowned past her shoulder in annoyance. “Your timing is utterly inconvenient.”
“So I see.” A tall man in a dark suit strode past Luxi, toward Amun. A long tail of distinctive silver hair fell to the center of his back. He came to a sudden stop and turned around. His silver eyes widened, then narrowed. His face was cast in deep shadows under the lamplights, but there was no mistaking who he was. “Well, hello Luxi. Cheating on me already?”
Leto? Luxi winced and turned away in painful embarrassment. Fate and glory, it figured
... The only two men she’d kissed in several cycles would know each other.
Amun frowned at Leto. “You know Luxi?”
“Quite well, actually.” Leto’s smile was thin and sharp. “We shared a tramway car.”
Oh, you bastard ... Her cheeks heated with a sudden rush of hot memory.
Amun peered at Luxi and his brows rose. “I ... see.”
Luxi scowled at the deck. There was simply no way to explain her actions. Fine, then, she wouldn’t bother. She lifted her chin and held out her hand to Amun. “My hair clip, please?”
“Of course.” Amun reached into his pocket and placed the clip in her palm. His fingers brushed hers and heat shimmered from his touch.
Luxi shivered just slightly and pulled her hand away. She took a wary step back from both men and began the task of coiling her hair back up.
“So, Amun, were we having fun?” Leto’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Amun lifted his chin and folded his arms across his chest. “You realize that you are embarrassing Luxi?”
“I’m trying to embarrass you!” Leto took a step closer to Amun and his mouth thinned to a hard line. “You think I don’t know what you were doing?”
Amun looked away.
Leto’s hands tightened to fists. “That better be guilt I’m seeing.”
Luxi frowned. What was going on? From the way Leto was glaring and the way Amun refused to look at him, you would think they were lovers. “So, just how well do you two know each other?”
“Not nearly well enough.” Amun shot a narrow glare at Leto.
“Amun, if you want me to play villain, you know better than most that I am very qualified for the part.” Leto lowered his brows and folded his arms. “Are you ready to go back?”
Amun stared fixedly at Luxi. “I will do so when I have what I seek.”
