Seeing how deeply and peacefully she was slumbering, Varian was almost reluctant to disturb her. A lengthy distance and time, possibly death, would separate them at noon. “Sorry, moonbeam, but you will have ample time to catch up on your sleep and rest at Karnak after I’m gone. Tonight, I need you far too much to be chivalrous or kindhearted.” He shook her gently at first and called her name, then shook her firmly. Still, no response.
Varian eyed her warily. Her respiration was slow and even. Her body was limp. Her skin temperature and color were normal. He tried harder to arouse her. When he could not succeed, alarm flooded him. She was sleeping too deeply! Surely Jana wouldn’t try anything foolish. He went to the picture over the sofa and pressed the release switch. He contacted Tristan in his quarters. “Tris!” he shouted. “Tris, I need you!”
A groggy Tristan answered, “What is it, Varian?” When Varian described Jana’s condition and the reason for his concern, the baffled doctor replied, “No problem. I gave Jana the sedative at ten. She’ll sleep until—”
Varian sliced off the remainder of his sentence. “You did what!”
Tristan was fully alert by then. “She was nearly hysterical. You can’t blame her, not after what she went through today.”
“How long does this sedative last?” Varian inquired.
“Until eight or nine tomorrow. Why don’t you wait until she explains?” Guilt chewed at Tristan. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Varian there was a drug which could counteract the sedative. Varian would surely order its use.
“I have no choice then but to let her sleep it off. ‘Nite, Tris.” Varian returned to Jana’s bedside and gazed down at her for a long time. He had an irrational desire to punish her for this vengeful deed. He clenched his fists and teeth over and over.
“Damn you, Jana Greyson! Don’t you know I would never sell you? Don’t you see this is only a trick to protect you until I return?”
He paced the room as he stormed at her and himself. She had cleverly and tormentingly outwitted him, and herself. The only reason he had been able to restrain himself this morning was in knowing he would have her tonight, all night and all morning! His mind was a maelstrom of desire and spite. Within his heart and mind, fury battled with understanding, and love battled with retribution.
Varian sat down beside her once more. He stroked her tawny hair and golden flesh. “Have I hurt you so deeply I can never reach you again? What if I don’t survive this mission?” A great sense of remorse crushed his heart. He returned to his quarters and hurriedly downed many strong drinks. At last, he fell into exhausted slumber, to have his dreams mock his loss.
Despite his restless night, Varian arose early the next morning. As if a dark force had been set loose against him, the momentous day started off badly and got worse. He left for Rigel to handle a last-minute flight problem. His foul temper was evident to anyone who came into contact with him. When questioned, he shrugged and blamed a hefty bout of partying. Clearly his troubled mind was not on his task of resupplying his ship or on his coming voyage.
Tristan had miscalculated the effect of the sedative on Jana’s alien system. Jana awoke early and spent hours restlessly pacing her room, awaiting Varian’s appearance. How had her deceit struck him? What would he say to her? The hours had crawled by since her eyes opened on this sad day. When Varian didn’t appear she began to think that perhaps her ex-lover hadn’t intended to spend the night with her after all. Perhaps Draco had spoken truthfully about the reason for keeping her after the auction. Perhaps Varian hadn’t returned to his ship last night to discover her missing from his quarters, or perhaps he was on board, but didn’t want to see her alone again. Uncertainty created panic within Jana.
Perhaps Varian did have scruples and couldn’t touch her now that she belonged to his friend Draco. She had denied and punished herself, not Varian. Even if she hadn’t been drugged beyond arousal, he was too proud to force himself on her. To send for her today would only show feelings he might not want exposed, such as his enormous desire for her. Soon, she would be delivered to Draco. It was too late to reclaim what she had so spitefully forfeited forever. She wept bitterly at her careless mistake.
The door to her suite swished open. Jana shrieked, for she was wrapped only in a bath towel. Kyle sent her an embarrassed look, then said, “Commander Saar said for you to report to his quarters immediately, Jana.” He smiled and lowered his gaze.
“Right now? But I’m not dressed…” she said, her face flushed with embarrassment. Evidently it was time for her departure.
Kyle was bewildered by Jana’s return to her old quarters and Varian’s dark mood all morning. “He said to come instantly, without delay.”
“I see,” she murmured, grabbing up a robe. “Don’t worry, Kyle, orders are orders.”
Kyle escorted her the few feet. He pressed the call button and Varian’s door opened. “Here she is, sir. Shall I wait outside to escort her back?”
“That won’t be necessary, Lieutenant Dykstra. You may return to duty.”
Kyle nodded and left, sending Jana a brief smile. Varian continued reading and making notes. He did not look up or acknowledge Jana’s presence. She waited patiently as the minutes crept past. Finally she asked, “Do you want to see me or not, Commander Saar?”
Varian’s sable head lifted, as did one brow. “Commander Saar, is it?” he mocked her. “Aren’t we behaving too formally with such an intimate friend? We have no audience to impress or delude, love. Permission granted to call me Varian, and to relax.” He returned to his work.
Piqued by his behavior, she pressed, “You did send for me, sir. Time is very short. I should be getting dressed to leave.”
“In a moment,” came his nonchalant reply, spoken without a glance up at her.
Jana aimlessly walked around the confines of his office, a room which reeked loudly of his masculine presence. More time passed and her apprehensions mounted. “Commander Saar, couldn’t you spare a few minutes to complete our business so I can leave? I’m to be on Karnak before noon.”
At last Varian looked up and scanned her lovely features. “Our business will require more than a few minutes, moonbeam. Have a glass of wine and relax. I’m almost finished here. Once we begin, I don’t want to be disturbed or distracted.”
Jana stalked to the bar and did as he suggested to calm her frayed nerves. She refused to offer him one. She sat on the divan slowly sipping the sherry. It was a constant battle to keep her eyes off Varian. She finished the drink and poured herself another one. To avoid facing him, she turned sideways on the divan and struggled to force her thoughts away from the magnetic creature near her. She rested her arm along the back of the sofa and placed her chin on it. She sent her mind on a dreamy journey to a beautiful waterfall.
The silence was broken only by the rustling of papers and the faint scratches of his writing instrument. Jana sighed heavily and lifted her head, glancing his way. She found him watching her, curiously and intently. Their gazes locked. “Why did you send for me? Why are you keeping me waiting like this?”
His gaze warned her of mischief. “Unfinished business, moonbeam.”
“We have none. The deal has been settled, and I belong to Draco now.”
He chuckled playfully, huskily. “The deal I was referring to was your wager. As I recall, it was to include two weeks in my quarters and bed. You still owe me one night, but I’ll be forced to settle for a few hours.”
Jana’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. Had she heard him correctly? He would make love to her all the way to Karnak! “Surely you don’t expect…intend for us to…sleep together again! You can’t, Varian!”
Varian stated calmly, “Sleep is the last thing on my mind.”
“You lecherous beast! I belong to another man! You sold me! At this very minute, you’re delivering me to him! You actually think I’ll—No!”
“You don’t belong to him yet, Jana, not until payment is made and papers are signed. Besides, the auction doesn’t cha
nge the deal we made. I warned you it was two weeks or nothing, and you agreed.”
“I am his property! How can you do this to your friend? To me? Isn’t revenge and brutal force beneath the all-powerful Commander Varian Saar?” Jana scowled at the still grinning rogue. “I accept the responsibility for my wager. I merely assumed that you would consider it terminated by my auction to another man, as I assumed it was. I had no idea I would be returning to your ship after being sold to someone else! Do you realize what your friend Draco must be thinking? What if he asks me if we—if you—Oh, hellfire! This isn’t right, Varian! Don’t you have any morals or conscience?”
Instantly he replied, “Sorry, moonbeam, but I don’t have time for either. I want you.” Sapphire eyes probed bluish-green ones. He looked determined.
“Then you shouldn’t have sold me!” she shouted at him.
“I had no choice!” he yelled back at her. “I told you I couldn’t keep you. I warned you from the beginning this affair could go no place. And don’t ask me to explain because I can’t. Please don’t fight me on this,” he urged.
Jana inhaled, then sighed loudly. “All right, Varian.” Maybe he didn’t have a choice! “Come and take me for the last time ever. Show us an hour we shall both long remember.”
The fiery sparkle in her eyes encouraged him to respond feverishly. Fires ignited and burned within him. He was before her in a split second, pulling her into his arms and covering her mouth with his. Gone were his anger and tension. His only thought was of possessing Jana to the fullest. His lips were insistent, as were his hands.
Jana acknowledged his frantic urgency. She clung to him and forgot her own bitterness. She was in his warm arms and all else ceased to be important. For now, Varian Saar belonged only to her. For now, she was the only woman he craved. She grasped his head between her hands and gazed deeply into his sapphire eyes, eyes so full of hunger and…Sadness? Jana pulled his head downward until their lips met. Her arms went around his neck tightly and she clung to him as if she would never release her grip. She was mystified by his mood. If she didn’t know better…
Varian’s lips left hers to sear over her face and ears. He murmured her name over and over between kisses. “You don’t know how much I need you, moonbeam, how much I want you. If only…” Varian embraced her so tightly and kissed her so savagely that pain shot through her lips and body.
But Jana did not cry out or pull away from him. Varian carried her to his bed. He laid her down and sent his gaze on an exploratory trek over her body. When he joined her on the bed, their mouths joined and their hands caressed. Varian kept leaning back to gaze into her face, as if to question her response, fearful it would stop abruptly.
Where was so much he wanted to confess, and there was one promise he wanted to extract from her: to love him, trust him, and wait for him. He couldn’t. Instead, he allowed his behavior to speak for him, to speak a language which baffled Jana more than her sale to another man.
It was a time which inspired a total union of bodies and spirits, a sweetness of promised love, a forgetfulness of reality and fate’s demands. It was a time to fill with tender memories and join forces to obtain rapture’s peak. It was a time to savor each kiss, each touch, each word, each gaze. It was a time to pray this moment would never end, yet to realize it would, all too soon.
They talked about the days they had shared, the places they had visited together, and the friends she had made. Varian asked numerous questions about her childhood, home, and parents. They chatted about everything—but today.
As they rested together, relishing the tranquil aftermath of urgent lovemaking, Communications Officer Vaiden Chaz shattered their private world. “Commander Saar, we’ll be orbiting Karnak in twenty minutes. Any instructions?”
Varian’s eyes briefly darted to Jana’s. He reached for the intercom button. “Nigel has the bridge. I’ll remain in my quarters. Signal me when we’re locked into orbit.” After Vaiden acknowledged those directives, Varian stared at the intercom. He asked himself once again if the treacherous spy could be Vaiden Chaz, Baruch Tirana, or Daxley Prada. He hated to suspect any of his three officers, but it had to be one of them. Soon, his trap would spring on the traitor.
“Varian?” she called to him. “Is there enough time to”—she saw him stiffen in dread—“make love to me once more?” His relief at hearing the end of her question was evident in his appreciative gaze and smile.
“We’ll make time,” he replied tenderly, happily.
Canissia Garthon raced into Zan’s arms when her beguiled captain returned from his grim task. She snuggled against her lover and pretended to quiver in fear. She hugged him possessively as she nestled her face to his hard chest. She inquired, “Did you get rid of Baruch’s body, my love?”
“Don’t worry, Cassie my sweet. It’s done,” Zan replied, holding her tightly.
“Are you certain his body can’t be located and examined? Those rare drugs can be traced to Ryker Triloni and then to me. All I wanted was some information from him. How could I know his silly heart wasn’t able to handle Ryker’s new truth serum?” she lied. She dared not tell the possessive Zan what and how much of those rare drugs she had given to Lieutenant Baruch Tirana. After all, it had been an accident. She had wanted more clues about Varian, Jana, and the impending auction. It was too bad Baruch’s heart couldn’t take any more. At the very least she no longer had to fear Baruch might unmask her to the authorities, to Varian Saar, or to Ryker Triloni. She smiled wickedly. She would let Ryker wonder what had happened to his little double agent. No one knew she had slain Baruch except Zan, and she could take care of him.
Zan unsuspectingly comforted his beloved mistress. “No one will ever find him or know what happened.”
“Oh, Zan,” she cooed seductively, “you’re so clever and strong. Whatever would I do without you to protect me and take care of me? You deserve a special treat. Name anything you desire, and I shall buy it for you.”
“All I desire is you, Cassie my sweet,” he murmured against her forehead.
She gazed into his eyes and deceitfully promised, “Then you can have me, my love, any way you desire and until your passions are sated.”
Nigel, Tristan, Kara, Kyle, and several others had come to say good-bye. Jana was moved by their affection. She hugged each one, then questioned Tristan about Martella’s absence. She learned that Martella Karsh was already assigned by the Alliance Force to another mission. After a few moments of genial talk, Jana hugged each one again, then hurried into the shuttle before she lost control of her tears.
Just a short while ago she had bathed, then searched through her clothing for a simple jumpsuit which held the least painful memory. Everything else must be left behind. Varian could give them to his next mistress or captive or discard them! When she noticed he had included the expensive jewels in her personal case, she stared in amazement. Then fury assailed her. She wasn’t some high-priced whore! How dare he insult her with extravagant gems! Nor did she want the bracelet, necklace, ring, or painting which he had slipped into one case.
Jana had dressed and brushed her hair with care. She let it tumble down her back, full and free. She refused to wear any jewelry, except her own birthstone ring, a ruby which was surrounded by diamonds, the last gift from her father before his death. She resolved that as soon as Draco furnished her with another wardrobe, she would dispose of everything she was wearing!
On the way down to Karnak, Jana didn’t look at Varian or speak to him. Taking her cue, Varian behaved in the same reserved manner. Draco met them at the landing area where Jana chatted genially to cover her anguish. “Your private world is beautiful, Draco. How many people live on your planetoid? Do you have esprees?” She inquired about their breed of horses. One question tumbled over another as she faked exuberance and curiosity.
Draco laughed merrily. “There’ll be plenty of time to answer your questions and to look around later today. First, Varian and I must conclude our business so he can be o
n his way. We’ll go into my office. I have everything ready.”
Draco headed down a long corridor to his left. Varian called out before following him, “Jana, we’ll need you to come along with us.”
Jana was staring at the breathtaking opulence of her new surroundings. Never had she seen a more exquisitely decorated and constructed mansion. She was astonished by the splendor which flourished around her. In all of her travels on Earth and in this galaxy, she had not seen anything to compare with Draco’s private world. She was utterly entranced.
“Jana! Come along,” Varian called. Her gaiety rankled him!
Jana slowly followed Varian as she continued to gaze all around her. She could hardly believe her new home. This represented the wealth, status, and tastes of Draco Procyon? “It’s overpowering, isn’t it? So grand and flawless. So serene. I’ll like it here,” she remarked innocently. “You never warned me Draco was so rich. Now I see how he could afford to bid so much. Do you think he’ll be pleased with me?”
Varian grabbed her hand and pulled her along at a fast pace. He caught himself before scoffing, Just wait until you see our home on Altair! Nor did he snap, Draco isn’t half as wealthy as I am! Instead he snarled, “You can admire your new home later! I have a ship and crew on standby, remember?”
Jana glared at him and tartly replied, “By all means hurry back to them!” She entered the study into which Draco had vanished, then stopped inside the door.
When Varian walked over to the desk, Draco handed him a paper and said, “Here’s my bank voucher. You have the purchase agreements ready to sign?”
Varian leaned over and signed two documents of ownership, then placed his official seal on them as a Star Fleet commander. Before folding it and stuffing it into his pocket, Varian didn’t even glance at the bank voucher which ordered the transfer of 8,888,888 katoogas into the Maffei Alliance account from Draco Procyon’s private account, money which had come from Varian Saar’s personal account days ago. After Draco signed both pages, Varian left the copy on the desk and took the original, to be placed in the Charl agency files. As far as anyone could tell, Draco Procyon legally owned Jana Greyson, an Earthling who had been captured and auctioned by Varian Saar, an officer of the Elite Squad who had been acting under the authority of the Supreme Council.
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