by Cheri Chaise
“I’m afraid I’m not much of a politician.”
Yes, the intrigues of the court required both a deft hand and lips, both of which Sir Kranst demonstrated poorly in the spare minutes in my presence.
The music strains closed with a lovely, drawn out chord. “Thank you for the dance, sir. I will touch base via reachout in the morning.” Our time ended with a bow and a curtsy. “Now if you will excuse me, Sir Kranst, I must return to my client.”
A hand clamped down on my arm. “A word of warning.”
I was not about to cause a scene, but I had no doubt one would erupt if the hand remained in place much longer. “If you please, Sir Kranst…”
“Your client this evening,” he growled close to my ear. “I fear he is not a man to be trusted.”
I scoffed before wriggling my arm from his claw. “That could be said for many men.”
“I have it on good authority that he was seen participating in…” He paused dramatically. “…unsavory activities.”
“And you would know this how?”
“Let’s just say that I pay well to stay informed of what happens on my planet.”
As if he owned Lyandra. “Then you must be aware that he was the reason I was at the enforcement precinct.”
A speckled brow hiked up. “You would do well to avoid any further associations with him in the future…if you wish to do business with respectable clientele.”
Was that a threat? I had to stem the rising anger before it cut off all manner of logical thought. If this man had any sort of influence in this community, I had to tread very carefully so as not to shatter any hope of doing business with anyone other than Trina in the future.
“Thank you for your word of warning, Sir Kranst.”
I tilted my head in deference before gliding away much faster than was typical. Trina intercepted me before I reached Jace.
“Making arrangements with the local whoremonger, I see.”
The storm brewing within my breast ached to be unleashed, but I wasn’t about to drag Trina into the turmoil any more than she already was. “He couldn’t have been any less obvious in his desire to conduct business. So crude for a member of the nobility to act in such a way.”
Trina’s blue eyes trailed across the room toward where Jace was still engulfed in a swirl of silks and satins. “And your escort’s display too…,” she tutted before her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Your presence tonight will provide enough fodder for these old biddies to keep them atwitter for the rest of the cycle.”
I sighed. “We are creating quite the stir, I’m afraid. Perhaps we should return to the ship, and I’ll await you there.”
The twinkle in her eyes preceded the soft chuckle. “My dear Dahlia, having you here and seeing you light up a room has been the most fun I’ve had in ages.” The warmth of her hand seeped through the sleeve of my dress. “And about tonight, would it be too much trouble to share my rooms instead of yours? There’s apparently been an incident a few floors below that has tightened my security.”
I clasped her hand in mine. “I would be happy to attend you there, if you don’t think it will be too much trouble.”
“I welcome it.” Our cheeks touched in a chaste show of friendship. “There is much I’d like to discuss with you…as a friend.”
“Until then.”
Trina swept away to mingle in the crowd as Jace tore himself away from the clingers and returned with my drink. The wine had been so diluted as to be nearly unpalatable.
Jace sipped his. “Pretty awful, isn’t it?”
I tried to hide the grimace. “I can’t understand how Trina can serve this. And at an official function, no less.”
“Hmm.” He finished the rest of his, tossing it back with one gulp. “So what’s up with your new friend over there?”
I cast a glance to where Sir Kranst gathered with other nobles and businessmen. “Does he appear familiar to you in any way?”
Jace squinted entirely too obviously. “No…should he?”
“He seems to know a bit about you,” I muttered. “About what transpired the other night.”
Jace stiffened then handed his glass to me. “Then maybe I should ask him about it.”
I shoved the glass back at his chest and stood in front of him. “You’ll do no such thing.” I pressed into his side and quickly escorted him to a quiet corner. “I can’t afford to bail you out of a cell again, Jace.”
“Are you gonna do your thing with him?”
“Well someone has to do something to keep the ship flying.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I meant me,” I huffed. “How else do you expect me to pay for fuel, food, and supplies?”
“I told you I’d figure out a way to pay you back.”
“Sooner rather than later would be a plus,” I muttered, sipping at the tepid wine. “Tonight you can’t be running around half-cocked and picking fights with a nobleman. I’ll be spending the night in here in Trina’s quarters, so I’ll need you to secure the ship whenever we’re finished here…and stay onboard.”
“The ambassador again, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, all thought of confronting Sir Kranst immediately forgotten.
“Keep your voice down, Jace.”
Thankfully he stayed by my side as we strolled around the room, greeting a few familiar faces, though most at this gathering were unfamiliar to me. Strange that those I’d contracted with before on Lyandra were absent. Yet another mystery perhaps Trina could solve.
Jace grabbed another glass of the horrid wine as a servant passed by with a tray. “How much do you get for a f…night with these people?”
Since my mech tech had intimate knowledge of my financial situation, I figured it didn’t matter if he knew a few considerations. “Out here it varies…as you well know.”
I’m pretty sure his chest broadened a few inches as he considered our payment arrangement back on Port Flint. A desperate courtesan couldn’t be a picky courtesan, especially when I needed repairs and parts for my ship that only Jace could provide at the time. The tradeoff of sex for his labors hadn’t been a total loss, particularly after I’d gotten more than a glimpse of his driving shaft.
“Give me a general idea,” he said, taking in the crowd. “An average.”
“Oh, I’d say anywhere from fifteen hundred to two thousand.” Though I’d never have taken less than three thousand on Andurea. The jewels and gifts were just an added bonus of generosity from well-pleased clients.
Green eyes bulged. “Credits? For one night?”
“Usually,” I offered up with a raised brow and a smirk.
“Well shit,” he muttered. “I’m in the wrong business.”
“No, you’re right where you belong. Keeping my ship in good flying order.”
And my body humming with pleasure. No need to tell him that though, or he’d burst the seams of the already strained uniform if pride puffed out his chest any further.
Not to mention other lower areas, as if the crowd needed anymore fodder for gossip. But as we passed the same gaggle of ladies near the refreshment table, I didn’t have to guess as to what had them waving their fans and twiddling their fingers at my mech tech.
When all eyes dove to the bulge in Jace’s crotch, I was more than ready for this night to end – and not just because of Sir Kranst’s following stare.
Chapter Twelve
The ambient lighting from the fireplace in Trina’s chambers cast a soft glow over our entwined and glistening bodies. Flickers of firelight added a reddish hue to her golden hair where she rested her head on my belly, stroking my exposed flesh as we came down from the lofty high of joining.
Warmth cast lazily over us from the real fire crackling against the wall, enhancing the heat running through me from shared pleasure. “You’re such a generous lover, Trina,” I said, threading my fingers through her tangled tresses.
My nipple pebbled as she feathered the dark ring. “I get as much joy o
ut of tasting you as when you pleasure me,” she purred. “Watching the moment when your orgasm crashed upon you sent me over the edge yet again.”
“Hmm…” I allowed myself to get lost in the afterglow as the flames in the fireplace danced and fluttered in a fevered frolic. Lost in the sensation of slickened skin against skin. “It isn’t often a courtesan receives as well as gives. I thank you for that.”
She raised her cascade of curls from the concave of my stomach. “I would give you pleasure every time, Dahlia…if you would but stay here with me.”
She rose over me and her lips caressed mine before I opened my mouth to welcome the press of her tongue. She tasted of salty sweat and heated musk. Too soon she drew away to stare into my face.
I traced a fingertip along her jaw. “I am happy to be here with you right now.”
Tears glittered in her eyes in understanding of my meaning before she turned aside to lay her head again upon my breast. She absently plucked and teased my nipples. “Is it your pilot friend?”
I trailed my hand along her bare back, still slick with a thin sheen of perspiration. “No, my sweet.” Though I remained silent over the pleasure I derived from Jace’s cock filling me. Over and over again. “He and I have an…arrangement.”
The chill drop of a tear against my skin seemed to go right through me. I sighed as I stroked her silken strands.
“The simple fact is that I am a courtesan, Trina. I have a sworn duty to the Court.”
A sniff. Emotion trailed a liquid path beneath my breast and spilled over my side. Her shoulders shook with release – except this time it was in sadness. This was so unlike my friend, and for a moment I was uncertain what to say.
She broke the silence first. “May I ask a favor then?”
I lovingly caressed her hair. “Certainly.”
“While you’re on Lyandra, will you be exclusive to me? Come to me every night?”
“I…” I was taken off guard by the simple request. In the past, I’d never known Trina to be so desirous. So needy. Though I imagined her loneliness and despair had to do with being so far from a more civilized society. “After tomorrow night, I am yours for the duration.”
At least if Sir Kranst still considered me worthy of the appointed time we’d set. His warning still rang in my ears. If I had any other choice, I’d gladly deny him my services. But there was the fact he knew about Jace’s supposed infraction – and I wouldn’t put it past a man like him to use that knowledge to destroy whoever got in his way. I’d known of far too many men like him in the past – but I’d had Lily back then too. The House Matron had never bowed to threats and intimidation from unscrupulous former clientele. How I needed to talk to her now.
The room grew heavy with quiet pause. The only sound was the pop, hiss, and crackle of the fire. As the silence extended, it lulled me into a relaxed state between sleep and awake, disturbed only by my client’s warning.
“A word of caution concerning Sir Kranst.”
Trina hadn’t joined the ranks of the political class for nothing. Her ability to see through carefully worded phrases was only one of the reasons for her rapid advancement to an ambassadorship. I again questioned the reasoning for sending such a talented politician all the way out to the Rim. If I ever spoke to Irik again, it would be the first question I asked.
But I had to be cautious about revealing too much of one client to another – even if I was already rather leery about the new nobleman in my life. “From a friend, I welcome it.”
She sat up, lovely and beautifully naked among the silk sheets. “When I told you Sir Kranst was a whoremonger, I meant literally that.”
“Oh?” I sat up to join her, still careful to keep my own intentions closely guarded.
“He runs the city’s brothel…the only licensed brothel out here along the Rim.”
As I’d come to learn over these last few cycles, brothels on the outer planets popped up here and there from time to time. Poorly run and filled with disease and the slow decay of death, they were teeming with desperate girls and young men who were barely kept one step above a common passagewalker.
However, a brothel run with proper licensing was usually a good indication of an establishment free of disease, as the workers had to maintain health standards guaranteed by regular physician clearances.
Which begged the question as to why Sir Kranst would waste credits hiring a courtesan for an evening instead of taking his pleasure with one of his girls at no cost. Or at least no cost to him.
Questions continued, but my courtesan training wouldn’t allow me to discuss a potential client with another. Though perhaps I could approach this in a different manner.
“Does he mistreat his staff?” I queried.
“Not that I’ve…seen. Generally he’s known to take quite good care of them. Even throwing out and banning patrons who mistreat the workers.”
“Have they had a health hazard posted recently?”
“No…and I’d take swift action if something like that ever came up in the daily feeds. Believe me, I watch quite carefully for any such mention.”
She didn’t have to say anything further. I understood quite well that she’d probably availed herself of services, if only out of desperation. In so many instances I’d known over the cycles, so many people were merely looking for the touch of another. A hug. Uncomplicated conversation. The sexual joining was a mere byproduct of the yearning for connection with another human being.
But I suspected that was far from what Sir Kranst was selling at his brothel. I gripped Trina’s hand in mine. “Is he blackmailing you?”
Surprise reflected in those blue orbs, quickly followed with acceptance. “Not…yet. However, he has brought pressure to bear on certain issues affecting his business interests.” She stared off into the fire. “But I must confess that he did more than ask for an invitation to the gathering tonight.”
There was so much more underlying what she wasn’t saying. But forcing the issue wasn’t the answer to prying information from a politician. “Well, he is a titled gentleman, so an invitation would appear appropriate.” She found something utterly fascinating in the sheets between us.
“And such licensed business interests are completely legitimate,” I continued, prodding a bit further as she stared off into the fire. “Probably very appreciated out here, you know.”
When I touched her hand, she turned her head sharply to lock eyes with me. “He specifically wanted to meet you.”
That gave me pause. Though some considered meeting a courtesan a rare treat out here, I doubted the brothel owner harbored such a view. I also wondered anew about the young girl – his ward – that he’d picked up at the enforcement precinct. Was her mischief somehow connected to my mech tech? Her presence there at the same time as Jace? His wanting an invitation to the gathering in order to meet me? Too many coincidences to be mere chance.
I fought to set the questions aside for now. Turn my focus back to the client in my – her bed. At least now I better understood Trina’s concern, and why she’d wanted this visit. Her desire to keep me all to herself while I was here.
I brought her hand to my lips and turned it over to kiss her palm. “I will reconsider my plans for tomorrow night.”
With that declaration, I pulled Trina into my embrace and lavished her with plenty of love and affection. And lots and lots of tongue in those delicate, hard to reach places that sent us soaring over the edge once again.
Chapter Thirteen
In the darkness of dawn – or what passed for dawn on this ice cube of a planet – I bundled into the new fur wrap Trina graced me with in the wee hours, then leaned in for a final kiss.
“I will send a reachout concerning this evening just as soon as the arrangements are finalized,” I assured.
“I await it with baited breath.” Trina smiled as she took my hand and tucked something quickly inside. “For you.”
I opened my palm to reveal the lovely jeweled earrings I’d so admired
from last night’s gathering. The matching necklace she’d mentioned puddled alongside them. Moisture gathered at the edges of my vision.
“I say again, you are so generous with your affections, my dear Trina. I shall treasure these as much as I treasure your friendship.”
Her smile tempered just a bit at my use of friendship to describe our relationship. No matter how fond I grew of any client, I couldn’t in good conscience lead them on in a false hope for something more. It reminded me too much of my previous failure. My failure with him.
The cold blasted against me as I hurried from the building into the brisk, morning chill. The warmth provided by the extra layer of fur kept the wind from seeping through everything but my feet. Jace was right. As soon as I had a little extra padding in my accounts, I needed to obtain a more proper pair of footwear for these environs.
I just hoped Jace had kept himself out of trouble this time by staying on the ship so I didn’t have to go traipsing about before I had a chance to purchase them.
I quickly discovered I needn’t have worried. Jace had definitely stayed on the ship last night. But not out of trouble. At least not with me.
I heard them the moment I opened the heavy exterior door and stepped into the main passageway. Even heard them over the howling wind before the door closed with a thump. If I couldn’t have heard them, I still would’ve known simply from the heavy scent of musk in the air. Feeling hadn’t returned to my feet, but it rushed through my mind in a blaze of anger the moment I crossed the threshold of my sanctuary.
And witnessed my mech tech standing at the edge of my sacred bed, pistoning into the heavyset matron from behind as if they were mere animals. No comfort. No finesse. Just sheer, adulterating sex.
No, this was Jace doing what he did best. Mindless fucking. Shock and anger simmered into a low boil as I turned my back on the display.
“When you are finished…,” I called loudly.
“Shit!”
Mumbles and fumbles followed as they stumbled from the bed with squeaks and squawks of springs and searched in the low light for clothes. Knowing Jace, they were scattered in hard-to-reach places. It took everything in me to keep my back to them while they dug through my sanctuary. My sacred place.
