Dialene

by John Van Stry

  The ship docked about halfway through the week. I gathered that loading started immediately and continued for two days pretty much non-stop. When they were done their crew got liberty, though there really wasn't much to see on this rock. The Club got very crowded and there were a few more incidents then normal as folks quarreled over their imagined turf. Nothing major though, there was more socializing then fighting, and a lot of the fems from the ship enjoyed a much higher level of attention then they'd normally see.

  Which meant that I didn't see many of my regulars for the next few days, after all why pay when you can get it for free right? Even a lot of the females who actually worked in the mine charged, though it was more favors and the like. They couldn't charge as much as us in the club because after working all day in the mine they weren't usually in the shape to entertain. That and everyone who worked in the mine was pretty big and pretty tough. The accident rate was pretty high, the hospital here did a thriving business. People died here too, at least one a week, and not always from accidents either.

  So I was really hoping that when Jack's next break cycle came around, they were once per week, he'd stop by. Business was slow and some of the clients I was having to deal with I usually tried to avoid. Some were a little rougher then I cared for, and some just had a few too many screws loose.

  It was a week to the day when the tiger showed up again, the last day the ship was docked.

  "Hiya Foxy!" He smiled cheerfully.

  I looked at the time, it was pretty early, I had only had one customer so far. I looked at him and took a sniff, "What? Not drinking tonight?" I smiled.

  "Nope, found something better!" He grinned back.

  "Oh? And what would that be?" I asked interested.

  "You!" He laughed.

  "I had a feeling you'd say that," I grinned back.

  "Good! Shall we?" And he offered me his arm, which I accepted.

  "Of course!" And I led him back to my room.

  It was a thoroughly enjoyable time, even better than last time. This time he stayed the rest of my shift, all ten hours!

  "You sure you want to do this?" I asked carefully. "This'll cost more than you make in a week!"

  "Sure, money isn't a problem. Besides, I have a whole week of the mines to work out of my system."

  "I'd say you already worked out the entire month!" I laughed.

  "Well, then let's start on next then!" He grinned.

  And we did too.

  2

  The next day I walked around in the best frame of mind that I had seen since I got here.

  "You're looking fairly happy today," noted Charda as I worked in the kitchen.

  "She spent the night with that tiger again," supplied Gena.

  "So? What's so great about that?"

  "The whole night Charda. He bought the whole sheebang."

  "Ahhhh, I see. So, think she's in love?"

  "Come on guys, really now." I interjected. "He's just another customer."

  "But one who's spending more money on you than he makes!" Grinned Charda.

  "And he's a real looker too!" Added Gena.

  "Well, yes there is that," I giggled back. "But it's so nice to have somebody who's interested in some of the finer aspects."

  "You mean not just wham-bam and thank you mamm?" Laughed Charda.

  "You got it. Sometimes just being held is more enjoyable than all the screwing in the world."

  "You got that right," she sighed. "Must be nice. Think it'll last?"

  "Oh I doubt it." I sighed myself, "He'd be a fool to continue to spend all his cash on me. I'm pretty much stuck on this rock for a long time to come. And it's obvious that he's not."

  "What makes you say that?" Asked Gena surprised.

  "His attitude, its totally short time. This entire thing is just a vacation to him. He's totally unaffected."

  "Maybe he's just the type that accepts his fate."

  "No, I don't think so. He's not the type to accept anything that goes against what he wants."

  "And he wants you, huh?" Charda grinned cockily at me.

  "For now, and I for one am not complaining. It's nice to be wanted, I thought I would never be again. So I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts!" I said the last bit determinedly.

  "That's right, live for today sisters!" Gena sighed, "Cause yesterday got us in way too much trouble and tomorrow is far, far away."

  "That's truth all right," Charda replied. "Well back to work, breaks over I guess."

  By the week's end I was looking forward to Jack's visit, hoping he'd show up again. He did alright, he was one of the first ones in through the door and made a beeline for me.

  I was surprised by how much he obviously was interested in me. I thought about teasing him a bit for a moment, but the way he was focused on me I just couldn't do it. It would have been cruel, and besides I wanted him myself.

  "Hi Foxy, miss me?" He grinned confidently.

  I smiled and looked up at him, "As much as you missed me," I whispered quietly. "And you did didn't you?"

  He looked abashed for a moment, "Does it really show?" He replied just as quietly looking around to see who was near. He needn't have worried, hardly anybody was inside yet, and those that were weren't inclined to get near him.

  "Only to someone who cares. Buy me a drink?"

  "Sure, what are you having?"

  We sat and had a drink while making small talk. Once another cat walked over and started to ask if I was free. I knew him, he was an occasional customer. But when he noticed the look Jack was giving him, he apologized quickly and moved on.

  "Really got them snowed huh?" I snickered.

  "Not really," He grinned back evilly. "I can be very determined when somebody stands in the way of what I want."

  "Oh? I don't see you rushing to drag me back to my room?" I asked all wide-eyed an innocent.

  "But I've got you," He purred, "So what's the rush? Unless of course you're in a hurry?" And he gave me a friendly leer.

  "Hurry? Noooo. But this is where I work, and I would rather go back to my rooms and be comfortable. Of course if you're short on money this week, I'll understand.

  "I do want to spend my time with you Jack, but you must remember I am a working girl." I sighed.

  "Oh, I haven't forgotten." He smiled gently and stood up taking my hand in his massive one. "And I don't want you to get in trouble with your bosses.

  "May I stay the night Dialene? And don't worry about the money, I can afford it."

  I was shocked, "You actually used my name!" I gasped in mock surprise.

  "Yeah well, I though you'd like it Foxy," He grinned again.

  "Of course you can stay, you're paying." Then I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck and got his chest in a scissors lock, he didn't even move. "And," I whispered in his ear so nobody else could hear, "I'd have you stay even if I had to pay!"

  He put his arms around me and gave me a quick buss, then just carried me all the way back to my room. I got quite a few winks from the other girls as we passed.

  I awoke several hours later, comfortably wrapped in Jack's arms. I sighed to myself, "If only this could last!"

  "Ah, awake I see," He rumbled quietly, nuzzling my ear tips.

  "Ummm," I stretched and rubbed back against him. For his part he just rubbed his face against the crown of my head.

  "So just how long you been here now anyway Foxy?"

  "Not that long really, about nine months."

  "Why in the world did you pick this place and this business?"

  "Who said I picked here? I was only given a choice what to do, not where." I grumbled a little, he was definitely taking the fun out of it.

  "Ahh, that hit a sore spot. So what did you do to get sent here with the rest of us?"

  "I survived, I got captured. Okay?"

  "Oh," He was silent for a moment. "Your company didn't ransom you huh?"

  "I don't see how they could have," I retorted bitterly, "I worked for a 'so-called' franchise.
A franchise that was vaporized lock, stock, and starship. If one of your company's fighters hadn't decided to check for survivors..."

  "So they made you a whore," he said sadly.

  "Now listen!" I said angrily, taking a rather firm hold of a sensitive piece of his anatomy. I saw him stiffen, my claws may not be as sharp as his, but they were sharp enough! "I was sitting out there in a broken shuttle, my navigator was dead. I had watched him die. My ship, my friends, everyone I knew was dead. I had watched as they were vaporized. I myself was wounded, and I only had enough air for ten hours.

  "I sat there, with no radio, no beacon, no power at all! And waited to die. Why the pilot of that other shuttle decided to check for survivors, I'll never know. After all, we had attacked them, my Captain had decided to play pirate that day. But he did, and I decided right then and there that I was going to be grateful. As grateful as I could be! And that I was going to do my damndest to enjoy whatever I ended up with. I knew then that captured contracts are never given a good job.

  "So I made a choice. I like people, after that incident I like them close, real close. And I like sex, who doesn't? So rather than work in the mines where I would have died, I chose this. And why not? I make a lot of sad people happy. I give them pleasure, and they it turn give it back to me. Sure I'd rather be doing something else, but I can't. Neither can you or you wouldn't be here either. So don't pity me, in forty years my contract is up and I'm free. Will you live to see the end of your contract?"

  I stopped and took a deep breath, then looked up at the shocked and slightly pained expression on his face.

  "If you don't let go, you won't survive the night!" he growled.

  "Oh!" I gasped and released him, "Sorry!" I grinned, a little scared.

  "Ohhh, better." He sighed and relaxed back on the bed. "Sorry about touching what's obviously a very sore wound." Then he laughed, "I would never have expected such a small thing as yourself to stand up to me like that! You've got gut's Foxy, lots of them!"

  He put his arms back around me and gave me another buss. "And I apologize for calling you a whore. It was insensitive."

  I smiled at him, "Why? I am one. I don't mind that, I just don't want peoples' pity. All things considered, life is pretty good. My old corporation wasn't the greatest place to work, and the death rate was high. So I'll never make buyout here... they gave me a fixed length contract when they could have shafted me with an open ended one.

  "And every once in a while I find someone who makes me happy," I smiled and put my hand back where it was before, "And it's time you went back to work!"

  "Actually I have six hours yet," he said looking at the clock.

  "Not that kind of work!" I grinned and started to massage away the pain I had caused.

  The next day dawned clear and bright. Okay, it didn't really, after all I did live in a subterranean mine complex on an airless rock in deep space. But I sure felt like it was clear and bright. Jack was grumbling about being tired and his tail was definitely low to the ground when I finally sent him off to get some rest.

  "Why can't I get it here?"

  "Cause I'll play sick and stay here and keep you busy!" I leered. "And I'll get fined for not being at the kitchen."

  "And it'll all be my fault, right?" He yawned opening his mouth wide, showing off that impressive array of ivory again.

  "Hey if I'm only gonna get you once a week, can you blame me if I want it all to be quality?" I replied looking at him. Damn, his teeth were huge! But then so was the rest of him, I watched as he snapped his mouth shut chopping off the yawn. It made a loud 'Snap'.

  "Well, I guess I really should get some sleep then. See you next week Foxy?"

  "I'll be counting the days," I grinned. More like the hours! I gave him a hug, then we went our separate ways. Too bad I couldn't see him more often, but the mines were definitely off limits to me. Besides, the anticipation was half the fun, having something to look forwards to was always nice, you have to take happiness where you find it after all.

  The next few months went by fast, the time between Jack's visits just flew by. It was nice having somebody again, someone who cared. It would have been even nicer if we could get away to spend some time together in a place other than the bar or my room. But I didn't have any time off coming for at least another six months, and he was an inmate here. So he was even more limited in what he could do or where he could go.

  But neither of us really cared, like they say; we had each other. And for now it was enough.

  The other girls teased me about it some, but then they all had their favorites as well so we all were equal targets on that score. For the most part, other then having Jack to look forward to once a week, life continued on as normal. My customers didn't change any, though some of the other tiger's started to check me out. None were as large as Jack however. I asked one about it and he told me that Jack was a Siberian derivative, which wasn't as common as the Bengal that most came from.

  He also told me that Siberians were one of the few types popular on earth among the Humans there.

  "Why's that?" I asked curiously as we snuggled in the afterglow for a few moments before he left.

  "Supposedly they almost never lose their tempers, no matter how much of an ass the human they're dealing with is."

  "Well that can be said of a lot of species."

  And then he said something I found interesting.

  "Yeah, but would you trust your life to any of those?"

  A week or so later while working in the kitchen Tess came skipping into the room positively radiant.

  "What's with you?" Asked Gena. "Find a new boyfriend?"

  "Better! I just got official confirmation, my time is up and I get to leave on the next ship!" she bubbled, tail wagging happily. Tess was a collie morph, and quite a looker as well. Her crime was a rather minor one, but she had kept going back to it every time she got punished. So they upped the ante hoping to get through to her the idea that rolling ship's captains was frowned on. Even if they did work for the competition.

  Personally I didn't think she was going to learn myself. But I think that maybe she'll be a bit more careful in the future. Then again maybe that was the point they really wanted her to learn. After all they had only sent her here for six months.

  "Congratulations!" Gena said smiling. "I'm out of here too."

  I blinked and looked over at Gena shocked. Gena was the closest friend I had here, and would share my bed whenever the nightmares got too bad. "What?! You're leaving?"

  "Don't look so upset Dialene," she smiled, "I was going to tell you."

  "I'm sorry," I said with a sigh, "I am happy for you, I really am."

  "I've had a long talk with Adrian, she promised me she'd make sure you weren't left alone."

  I smiled and nodded and gave her a hug. Adrian was another long timer like myself.

  "Still it is a bit of a surprise. I didn't know your sentence was almost up."

  "Yeah, well it didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought it was. Turning out allergic to the dust on this rock was probably a good thing, if I had been working hard labor like I was originally assigned, I'd probably be cheering to get out of here too. But working up here didn't turn out to be so bad. All things considered.

  I laughed at her. "And being the center of attention to a large population of horny males didn't hurt either, did it?"

  "No, that didn’t hurt at all," she grinned. Then she turned a bit more sober, "I'll miss you hon. You don't really belong in a place like this. You're not a trouble maker like the rest of us."

  "I heard that!" Trell called out from the other end of the table.

  "Oh look who's talking, Miss I can supplement my income by robbing warehouses when no one is looking!" Gena grinned.

  "IS that what you're in for?" I asked surprised. I hadn't heard Trell's story yet, for all that I'd been here nearly a year now.

  "Yeah, they figured I had stolen about ten million worth when they caught me. Just glad it was the company
and not the local's. That would have been bad!"

  "What could be worse then here?" I blinked.

  "I still have all my company contacts," she grinned. "And give me a few more years and I'll be running this place!"

  "Better not let the Warden hear you say that!" Put in one of the others.

  "Hell, the Warden is on her side," Laughed Gena, "Or hadn't you noticed?"

  Trell just looked smug. "Well, I am a good business woman."

  "And a born leader of men," Gena giggled, "I've seen how you lead them around too!"

  "Well they do have that convenient handle after all ..." Trell snickered.

  "Remind me to stay on your good side," I smiled, "cause I'm gonna be here at least as long."

  "Oh I wouldn't worry about that Dialene" Trell smiled.

  "You know something I don't?"

  "Maybe."

  She wouldn't say any more then that, no matter how much I tried, or Gena teased her.

  3

  When word that the next ship had entered the system and was headed for the dock came, we planned a little party for Gena and Tess. It wasn't anything too big, but we all enjoyed it none the less.

  I helped Gena pack and gave her a hug the day before the ship was due to leave. She wasn't working anymore and had to be aboard ship in a few hours.

  "Good luck Gena, try not to get in trouble again," I grinned, "But if you do, ask to come here again, so I can harrass you for it!"

  She laughed, "I think my trouble days are over with, sorry Dialene. You take care of yourself, okay?"

  I nodded, and helped her with the last of her stuff. We said the last of our good-byes to each other and then I went off to work. I was a bit sad over Gena's leaving, but at least tonight was Jack's night, so I was sure I'd get through it.

  Nearly half-way through my shift, I had taken care of a number of customers and Jack still hadn't shown up. I grabbed Trell after a bit and asked her if she had heard anything.

  "No, not a world. So he couldn't have gotten into any trouble." She told me. "Want me to look into it?"

  I nodded, worried. "Could you? Please?"