by Cheri Chaise
“These tarts are lovely,” I said, taking more than a nibble of the delectable pastry as the fruit burst across my tongue like an orgasm. I hadn’t tasted such exquisite delights since my last stay at the royal palace on Kardis. Maybe there was a connection there that might help uncover the plot. “I wonder at the freshness of the fruit, considering the fare offered in other venues.”
His haughty smirk showed no want of understanding in reference to the ambassador’s gathering. “You have to be willing to go outside normal channels to get what you want out here on the Rim…and be willing to pay for it.”
“So I’ve surmised.” Apparently Trina spent her allowances on cultural refinement for the many over hording fine goods for herself and her associates.
“Which is another reason I’ve asked you here.”
“Oh?” Was he still attempting to seek information from me, thinking I was too ignorant to comprehend his underhanded tactics? “And what sort of outside channels would a mere courtesan have?”
“I’d like to contact your tea supplier.”
I fought to keep my expression neutral as I took another bite and chewed slowly. Surely he didn’t suspect what I’d done to the tea I’d served him. And there was no way to trace it back to any particular leaves either. I’d made certain to dump the remainder into the ship’s incinerator so no evidence remained.
“Most of my supplies come through standard means. The merchants on Port Flint, for example,” I explained. “Anything else I special order for delivery through the port post.”
Though I didn’t tell him I hadn’t been in a financial position to special order anything – not even my supplement chews. At the rate they’d disappeared into Rylan’s mouth, I’d still run out months before a new batch could arrive, even if I had the credits to order replacements today.
Sir Kranst uncrossed his legs and leaned in closer, his knee touching mine. “Tomorrow I’d like you to focus on demonstrations of the courtesan ceremonies. Especially the tea stuff. I’ll pay extra for any supplies you bring.”
Inwardly I cringed but left my knee against his slimy warmth. “I fear I’ve not enough for everyone to have a sample and still have some for my clients.”
“Then bring enough for a handful of the girls. Just what you need to do some demonstrations so they can get a taste of that concoction you served me last night. And do some of that oil stuff too.”
“I’ll need a volunteer for the cleansing ceremony,” I urged. “Preferably someone who is comfortable with their body on display to observers.”
“That won’t be a problem,” he replied.
I chuckled. “After the earlier display of your ladies, I have no doubt.”
“Now,” he said drawing even closer. “Let’s discuss your payment.”
My hand rested firmly against his chest, though I avoided pushing back forcefully. “I believe our arrangement was for credits.” And I quoted the agreed upon amount.
His forward progress halted. “Yes. I believe you’re right.”
“After all, I am already engaged with another for this evening.” I smoothed my hand along his chest. And dipped lower. “But perhaps after our business arrangement is completed, we can again partake together of more pleasurable pursuits before I move on.”
My hand resting nearer his cock seemed to mollify him. “Your payment scanner then, before I see you on your way.”
I made a show of digging around the small bag I’d brought. “Oh dear. It appears I left my payment scanner on the ship.”
“No matter. We can use mine.”
Everything was going according to my plan. But now I took the greatest chance. One I swore I’d never again do after having my accounts wiped clean, leaving me destitute and driven to things no courtesan would ever do. Where I exposed my finances once again to potential devastation – willingly this time.
However, I reminded myself that even through the deprivations of the last cycle, there were so many things I’d discovered. Not only about myself, but if it hadn’t been for utter desperation, I never would’ve met Jace.
Or his wonderful cock.
But this time it wasn’t about me. Or Jace. If I was going to free Sir Kranst’s wards from further exposure to the life he’d forced on them, I had to be willing to place everything on the line.
We finished up the brief repast before the guards and I followed him further along the same front hallway until we turned the corner and were presented with a large, double door. A locked double door.
“Your guards will have to stay here,” he instructed, pocketing the digital key reader after he unlocked the doors. “I can’t allow just anyone into my personal quarters.” He continued with an encouraging grin at my hesitation. “My study is just off of this interior foyer. They’ll be able to hear you if we come to any harm.”
The longer I’d stayed and with each new room he led me to, the farther apart he separated me from all others in the building. The risks mounted the deeper into his home I strayed. But I met them head-on and followed Sir Kranst through the doorway anyway.
Alone.
The locks clicked into place behind us with a snap of finality, but I barely heard them as I took in the sweeping view when the lights came on at our entrance.
Three floors of gilded wonder soared above our heads to an ice-crusted dome lit with a flowing rainbow of colors in a digitized fall. But instead of the thunder and boom of a torrent of water, the mirage offered only the sound of a tranquil trickle. It rivaled anything I’d ever seen – even on Kardis, where the falls were real.
“What do you think?” His question drew me from the splendor.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured in awe.
“This way.”
He grasped my arm instead of offering his elbow and waiting for me to thread mine through it. The promised study was truly off of the grand foyer, but clear on the other side of the open expanse.
However, I entertained no doubt that under the right circumstances, my screams would carry to the guards like an echo through a cavern. The only problem might be getting through the secured doors.
But Sir Kranst was true to his word and produced the payment scanner when we entered the study arrayed in deep, dusky blues. Instead of the native stone so prevalent in the Lyandra Towers, dark wood cabinets and shelves took up the space on either side of the matching desk at the back of the room.
However, it was what lined the blank walls behind it that drew my notice.
The lower third of the wall appeared like standard wainscoting on the surface. But as Sir Kranst rounded the desk corner, a flicker in the façade revealed a momentary glimpse of low metal credenzas fitted into custom-built recessed cabinets. Hidden cabinets could only mean one thing.
Sir Kranst had more than a few secrets of his own – and the answers were all in that room.
After a few taps, he turned the scanner toward me. “I’ve reversed the payment stream, so all you need to do is code in your access profile to accept my fee.”
I palmed the scanner, weighted with the enormity of what I was about to do. My code in the hands of a man like this could mean more than a wipe of my accounts. But I steeled myself, typed in the combination, then pressed my thumb flat against the center of the bottom quadrant.
I barely felt the slight digital imprinting before the deposit to my accounts reflected in the readout, and I handed the scanner back to Sir Kranst. “That should do it.”
He glanced at the glowing screen. “Oh, you forgot to clear the cache.”
“Beg pardon?”
“Here.” Our shoulders rubbed as he drew alongside and pointed to a tiny box in the upper right-hand corner. “You should always make sure and depress this so you can clear your payment profile. Otherwise some unscrupulous vendor or merchant might gain access to your accounts and clean you out.”
I stared at the display in shock and awe. All that trouble over the last cycle. So easily preventable.
And it took a devious brothel owner
to point it out.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“But how do you know Rika is really somewhere in there?”
Rylan’s question hung in the air of the ship’s bridge where we’d all congregated while Jace reviewed the footage taken by the tiny camera hidden in my jeweled hairpiece.
His fingertips trailed across the large console display to hone in on various parts of the brothel exterior, piecing together the images to create a full schematic we could use to further our plans.
The sensuous yet purposeful movements of his hands reminded me of how I used each stage of the tea ceremony to entice my clients. It was as if he’d actually been paying attention and learning from me during all those weeks before our arrival on Lyandra.
With each swipe, I could almost feel his hand as if it caressed my skin instead of an inanimate, cold screen. I shivered when he clicked on an area and widened it with thumb and forefinger like opening and stroking the walls of my core. Such a contrast to the heated fervor and recent rough play that usually accompanied our joining.
It almost reminded me of him.
I could see now why BIP enjoyed Programmer Jace’s puttering around her mainframe and stroking her parts.
My gaze raised to Trina’s, watching me with a furrowed brow before glancing away and at the beautifully adorned crates in the royal display of creams and golds.
To keep her above suspicion, just in in case someone watched my ship, we’d determined it was best to make it appear as if she brought gifts with her on this visit instead of the supplies Jace had requested. Perhaps that was why Irik was so heavily on my mind tonight.
And why my mech tech appealed to my every sense.
“I can’t say for certain where she is,” I admitted, surprised by the ambassador’s timidity and lack of eye contact.
I certainly hadn’t made any noise to indicate my internalizations to anyone. Not a gasp, groan, or sigh. I didn’t even feel flushed with desire – mostly.
“You didn’t see her?” Rylan challenged.
“No. Sir Kranst merely said his ward lived with him.” I leaned over Jace’s shoulder, inhaling the manly scent of his clean locks. Seems he’d used the sandalwood oil mist in his most recent steam shower. Damn him. “Scroll toward the end of the recording to get a view of the inside of his personal quarters in this area.”
“He lives at the brothel?” Trina asked. “Maybe that’s why I couldn’t find the paperwork on his wards. Perhaps he files them under his business.”
“According to him, it is his residence as well as place of business. There.” At my command, Jace slowed the images as the double door entrance came into the frame. “He called this the south wing. The tower visible from the outside is the grand foyer of his residence…and grand describes it perfectly.”
As the feed moved forward, Trina gasped when the rainbow waterfall came into view. “It’s amazing what they come up with for these masking overlays.” She sighed. “What I wouldn’t give to have something like that in my residence.”
“It’s even more impressive in person,” I admitted. “And you should see the balustrades overlooking the foyer.”
Trina squinted as she moved in closer, brushing my hip with her own before steadying her hand along my lower spine. “Is that real gold gilding?”
I nodded and inwardly chuckled at the rather obvious maneuver to touch me more intimately. “Mm-hmm. I’d have to get a closer look to know for certain, but it had no telltale signs that it was a digitized overlay.”
Her hand grazed lower. “Exquisite.”
I wasn’t sure if she was still talking about the fall on the display or my ass as she laid claim to it, smoothing her hand along my curves in possession. Rylan’s sharp retort snapped Trina’s hand quickly away as the girl pressed forward.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pretty fucking shit.” Rylan slid her hand roughly over the console to move the image. “And look, more pretty shit. But none of it gets us any closer to rescuing my sister from this bastard.”
“Patience,” I calmed. “We’re getting there.”
“I just want to find Rika,” she grumbled. “Before something worse happens to her.”
“I assure you, that’s my goal as well.” I cupped her cheek in my hand. Amazingly enough, she allowed me to see the pain in her blue eyes for a few briefs seconds before we returned attention to the task at hand. “As you can see, all the doors of this first floor extend off of the foyer.”
“Individual rooms or are these just more closed-off hallways?” Jace asked.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to explore.” The feed darkened a bit as my view followed Sir Kranst into the study. “Now watch along the back wall…there behind the desk. See what looks like wainscoting?”
“What’s wainscoting?”
“Decorative wood paneling,” Trina answered for me. “On the lower third of the wall.”
“Wait just a minute.” We all crammed our heads closer together to watch. The middle panel flickered. “See?” My finger almost shot through the display screen. “See that there?”
“I missed it.” Rylan pressed against my back and shoved her way underneath my outstretched arm.
“I missed it too.” Jace reversed the feed.
“Slower,” I instructed as he reduced the rate forward. “Slowerrrr.”
He stopped the feed and captured a stilled image the moment it flickered, then tapped the screen and honed in. “I’ll be damned.”
Trina’s eyes widened. “I’ll bet that’s where he keeps his secret files about his wards and…things.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Without warning, Trina grabbed my hand and drew us out together into the passageway before sealing the bridge door shut.
“Can you initiate a hardlock on this door?”
The ambassador’s eyes were wild with fear. Pain. And something else so completely foreign – and yet familiar now. I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed it before now.
“BIP?” I called out without question. I had no reason to fear my friend. I only hoped she wouldn’t draw out the explanation.
“Yes, Dahlia,” my AI immediately responded.
“Initiate a hard lockdown on the bridge access doorway.”
A clatter proceeded the clank as the reinforced bolts, meant to protect those on the bridge, slid into place.
“And mute your AI’s voice capture,” Trina whispered.
“Mute vocal logs also, BIP.”
“Vocal logs offline.”
Trina paced a short distance down the passageway then returned toward me, wringing her hands in silent agony. Lines of anxiety creased her face as she threatened to wear through a patch of metalloid flooring before she stopped and looked up at me again with tears glimmering in her eyes. Her grip firmed as she took my hands.
“Promise me you will not breathe a word of this to a single soul. That my words will not leave this ship.”
Worry filled me at witnessing such unusual behavior for the normally unflappable politician. “Of course.”
“Not even to your lover in there.”
Was my hunger for Jace’s cock that obvious? I squeezed her hands in reply. “A courtesan never breaches a confidence…and a friend would never even think of it. I promise to keep your confidences between the two of us until the day I die.”
Full lips thinned before Trina nodded sharply once and released my hands only to go back to wringing her own.
“Those are surely important files behind the wainscoting overlay in Sir Kranst’s study.”
“That is obvious,” I replied. “Otherwise, why would he feel the need to hide them?”
“He has a file.” She stopped and stared at me with an expression of utter despair. “On me.”
The admission was no longer a surprise at this point. I only wondered why she’d kept it a secret for so long. “What kind of a file does he have?”
“A recording.” The tears pooled in her eyes quickly spilled down her cheeks. “Full vidfeed of m
e with one of his workers…a voluptuous redhead I just couldn’t resist.”
Avn. “So…he is blackmailing you.”
She silently nodded then swiped at the tears.
“Oh my dear friend.” I folded her into my embrace and let her sob as long as she needed. “How?”
“He has cameras hidden everywhere in that horrible brothel, recording everyone who walks through that door.” She hesitated. “And everything they do.”
“Trina…” I stared into crystal-blue eyes then wiped a tear with my thumb from beneath her eye. “Love comes in many forms, whether it’s with a man or another woman. You have nothing to be ashamed about.”
“But I’m an ambassador for the Galactic Council. I’m supposed to marry. Produce children to carry on the noble lines.”
Such outmoded thinking. There were many ways to ensure lines and titles were never again cut off, and it didn’t need to always involve a marriage to a man. She knew that. “But there is a woman on said Council who is happily partnered with another woman. They are quite open about it, I’m told.”
“It isn’t that simple.” She shook her head, dropping her gaze as a fresh wave of tears engulfed her. “There’s more.”
A cold realization hit me. “Then what? When?”
“I don’t know when.” She shook her head as if to relieve herself of the horrible memory. “I don’t even remember how it happened.” Her feet slid slowly out from beneath her as she sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. “But he has an image of me…with…with one of his wards. A pale blond child who looks an awful lot like…”
Trina couldn’t finish her sentence. But there was no reason to. My stomach lurched the moment she mentioned a pale blond child.
Rika.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I was more determined than ever. It wasn’t only about rescuing the children now. From the brief glance I’d had of those cabinets, there had to be many more Sir Kranst was blackmailing besides the ambassador.
I had no doubt that whatever images Trina had seen were as fake as the ones used as evidence against my mech tech. Then after realizing how Sir Kranst had probably accomplished the subterfuge, I was even more convinced of how he’d accumulated his power and wealth – and it wasn’t through legitimate business practices.
