Sean nodded. “Sit down here.” He patted the mattress. “I’ll be as gentle as I can, but feel free to speak up if it gets too much. I’m not here to hurt you, only help you heal.”
She balanced herself on the edge of the bed and pulled the towel free, just enough to show the burned areas.
“That’s good.” Sean pulled the tube from his medical bag and moved to her left side. “I’ll start on the leg. Remember to say something if it hurts too much or if you’d rather do it yourself again.”
The first touch was cold and soothing.
She sighed.
Sean stopped. “You okay?”
She nodded, unwilling to admit how good it felt.
“Good.” The gentle touch continued along her leg for a few minutes before drifting up to her arm. “Up please.”
She lifted her left arm, trying to fight the goose bumps rising from both the cool air and the sensations flaring along her injured skin. Her right hand cupped her breast through the towel, keeping it covered.
His hands moved to the back of her shoulder. “Not much here at all. Your clothing took the worst of it. One or two more applications and you should be fine.”
She felt his fingers run onto uninjured skin, brushing her shoulder blade.
“You’re damned tight here,” Sean murmured.
A shiver ran across her skin as the pressure increased.
“Knotted up right tight,” he said. “Not that I blame you, given the situation.” He rested his hand at the base of her neck. “Might I offer a massage? You’re going to have a hell of a time getting any rest all bound up like this.”
Catherine licked her lips, weighing her response.
“Or not,” Sean said.
It was only a shoulder massage after all. Considering she was sitting here naked, it was the least of her embarrassments.
“Okay. But just the shoulders.”
Sean chuckled as he climbed up on the bed behind her. “As you wish. Let’s see if we can work some of those knots out before you end up with a raging migraine.”
His fingers pressed into the muscles, seeking out the hurt spots.
Catherine couldn’t hold back a moan as he continued his slow exploration of her back, the dull pain of her burns muted and overwhelmed by his calming touch.
It was like he’d known her for years, like he knew exactly where to press and stroke. She couldn’t place the emotion surging through her, searched for the definition of what she was experiencing.
Comfort.
This strange man, this courtesan, made her feel comforted. Safe.
And wasn’t that an unnerving thought.
“There,” Sean announced as he removed his hands and moved off the bed to stand beside her. “I bet that feels a lot better.”
Catherine resisted the urge to ask for more. Instead she pulled the towel around her again. “It does. Thank you.”
“That’s a lovely locket.” Sean reached out and brushed his fingers over the slender gold chain encircling her neck. “Family heirloom?”
“Of sorts.” She rolled her shoulders, enjoying the sudden flexibility. “Do you do this for all your clients or just the ones you save from imminent death?”
He gave a soft laugh. “Haven’t saved too many from imminent death lately. Get dressed and come next door to my quarters. I’ll leave the hatch open so you know which one it is.”
Sean gave a short bow before putting the medicated cream back in his medical bag and leaving.
Catherine fumbled with the shirt and track pants, finding them quite a bit larger than what she needed. It felt wonderful to get out of her old burned clothing and the loose fit ensured as little direct contact on her injured skin as possible.
She headed for the outer room and the hallway, wondering what she’d find inside an active Mercy ship suite.
* * *
He’d left the door open, something he’d never done in years of working on a Mercy ship when there were strangers aboard. The hatches were locked before, during and after an appointment to guarantee, not only the client’s privacy, but also the courtesan’s safety. An upset customer or a curious one could be disruptive as well as dangerous. While people claimed to be open-minded, there was no way a customer could walk in on their boss being paddled by April or having sex with Harry and view him or her in the same way.
When he heard the squeal of the hinges signaling Catherine’s arrival he poked his head out from his private quarters. The T-shirt and track pants hung off her slender form. She fussed with the hair over one ear, looking at the floor.
She might be a tough hard-nosed executive but she was in uncharted waters and adrift without a power suit.
He motioned to the table. “Have a seat. The water just boiled, so I’ll be with you in a minute.”
He wondered what she’d make of the varnished dark wooden table and matching chairs in the arrival area, the framed pictures depicting a peaceful countryside bereft of any sexual imagery.
He wondered if she’d ever sat for a few minutes and done nothing.
A splash of hot water on his hand brought him around, cursing, and focused on the task at hand. The heated tube gave up the rest of the hot water easily, filling the Brown Betty teapot with two tea balls filled with English breakfast inside.
It was a long cry from the generic hot tea tubes he could order from the Belle. Whatever that was, it wasn’t tea. But it was the best he could do in zero gravity and he had few clients who wanted to pay for the full gravity to allow him to make a proper cuppa, let the water envelop and pull the tea out of the loose leaves while the ancient teapot offered a unique flavoring all its own.
It was a luxury and one he fully intended to take advantage of as long as someone else could foot the bill.
He stared at the brown ceramic teapot, the glossy surface covered with tiny, almost invisible cracks showing the age of the dark chocolate glaze. It was one of the few things he’d brought from Vegas Four, from his previous life. When you joined the Guild you were supposed to leave everything in your old life behind but he hadn’t seen a problem bringing an old weathered teapot. The recruiter had paused for a minute before nodding his approval and making a note on his clipboard. It was a harmless relic he could use in his duties of seducing clients.
It was the first thing he and Sara had bought together. He’d made tea in it for them the first morning after they’d been married, bringing it to her in bed with slightly burned scones and a red rose.
He’d also brewed tea in it while waiting to get the courage up to bury her.
A pang of guilt shot through his belly. He hadn’t thought about her for a long time. He hadn’t forgotten about her but he hadn’t caught himself wondering what she’d think, what she’d say.
Sean wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
Chapter Five
Catherine looked around the arrival area and felt at home almost instantly. She knew it was all arranged to be that way, set up to quiet jittery clients and put them at ease for the courtesan to negotiate what services were wanted. They’d done their market research and generated an almost perfect system to seduce their clients into paying more than the standard rate. Everything was measured, calculated, created with a specific goal in mind.
She knew the power a Mercy woman could have over a man.
There was a faint odor in the room, a musky scent seeping into her senses. She couldn’t place it and for a second she wondered if it was some sort of special formula created by the Guild to help their clients relax, get their hormones racing and ready.
She wouldn’t put it past the bastards.
Images rose up in her mind’s eye, reminding her why she disliked the Guild and everyone associated with it.
Except there was something different about the crew
of this ship. She didn’t know what exactly, but the Bonnie Belle wasn’t what she’d expected.
Kendra and Sean weren’t anything like what she’d imagined courtesans to be.
Especially not Sean.
Sean entered the room, carrying a tray stacked with shortbread cookies and a small tea set. The brown teapot stood out from the two matching china teacups, the delicate white vessels decorated with blue flowers twirling around both the cup and saucer. The light brown rectangular cookies were stacked in a tiny pyramid waiting to be excavated.
He frowned. “Are you okay?” He watched her as he set the tray down. “Do you need something else for the pain?”
“No. No,” she repeated.
He was good at his job. Too damned good to be able to sense her mood so quickly.
“I’m fine. The cream did a great job. Thank you for the help.”
“It’s my job but you’re welcome. Let me know if and when you need it again.” He picked up the teapot and began to pour. “Sugar and/or milk?”
“Just milk. I think.” She smiled at his puzzled expression. “It’s been years since I had tea. My mother used to make it when I was little but I fell out of the habit a few years ago. Takes too long and when you’re racing from meeting to meeting—”
“I understand. Easier to get a fast cup of coffee than sit and wait for a cuppa tea to steep properly.” He pushed the plate of cookies toward her. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Breakfast.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think. It’s all a bit fuzzy. How do you measure time here?”
“We go by standard time. So we’re on the same schedule. But don’t worry about trying to keep to it—when you’re in space as often as we are you find yourself craving breakfast for dinner and a steak for a snack. As long as you keep taking in the nutrients you’ll be fine.”
Her gaze landed on the shortbread cookies. “You didn’t bake those.”
She didn’t mean it to sound like an accusation.
Sean laughed. “No, no I didn’t. We have them in storage.” He slid one onto a cloth napkin and moved it in front of her before repeating the maneuver for himself. “Whatever time it is, you need something in your belly. Eat.” He took one and snapped off the edge. “This’ll be enough to hold you for now. Not too much to upset your belly but enough to keep it from getting annoyed at being empty.”
The shortbread was dry and crumbly, falling apart in her fingers. Her mouth was watering and it took a great deal of self-control to not shove the entire cookie in.
Sean poured his own cup of tea and added a dash of milk and two cubes of sugar before pushing the containers toward her. She forced herself to put the cookie down and prepare her cup.
The tea was strong and provided her with a badly needed rush of caffeine. Add in the extra boost of sugar from the shortbread and she felt good.
Not great, but good. It’d have to do.
“You said we needed to talk.” She brushed cookie crumbs off her front. “What about?”
“Sam wants to brief the crew, including you, when you’re ready.”
“The entire crew?” She shook her head. “No. She can’t tell them about the court case, about what I’m doing.”
Sean leaned forward. “Catherine, the people who killed your friends and crew know you’re still alive. Odds are they’ll try to get to you again, possibly while you’re on board this ship. If we’re going to be in danger, it’s only fair we all know why.” He took a sip of tea. “It’s only fair.”
He made a good argument. And good tea.
“This marshal—” She licked a crumb off her lower lip. “Can he be trusted? I’ve heard stories about the UNS—”
Sean laughed. “Daniel LeClair is a good man and an honest marshal. I’d place my life in his hands without hesitation.” A shadow fell across his face. “He’s proven his mettle and then some.”
Catherine opened her mouth to ask but hesitated. There were some things better not known, especially when it came to Mercy ships.
“So, yes. You can trust Marshal LeClair to do what’s right. That’s part of what Sam wants to discuss with you and the rest of the crew—what our options are.” He finished his cookie. “If you’re up to it now.”
The cookie sucked up all the moisture in her mouth, making her lunge for the dainty teacup. “A few more of these and you’ll have to roll me back to my bed.”
He gave her a saucy wink. “Some might consider that a challenge.”
She froze, unsure how to respond.
In a different time and place, she might have taken a chance with the flirting, played along to see where it’d go.
She wasn’t above one-night stands with the right man now that she was single again.
But this was a Mercy ship.
And Sean, sweet and helpful Sean, was a Mercy man.
She looked at him, enjoying his soft blue eyes. Her attention wandered down to his hands and the long slender fingers that had so recently given her so much pleasure.
But he was a Mercy man.
She was already paying for the gravity. She didn’t need another bill for services rendered.
Before she could compose an answer he got to his feet. “Let me give the captain a call and we’ll talk about it together.” He reached over and patted her hand. “All joking aside, I wanted to make sure you were well enough to discuss it first. You’ve got your color back in your face—the shower and the food were what you needed.”
“Thank you.” She drew a shallow breath as the tea burned in her stomach. “I’m still not sure I’m really here.”
“Alive or on a Mercy ship?” His eyes twinkled with laughter.
“Both.” The word came out stronger than she’d planned. She took another bite of shortbread, steeling herself against the oncoming storm. “All right let’s get this over with. Please call your captain.”
* * *
It took Sam only a few minutes to arrive at Sean’s door, rapping her knuckles against the metal.
Sean rose from his chair and went to the door. He turned and looked at Catherine. “You ready?”
She nodded without speaking. He saw the subtle shift in her body language, the perfect posture, hands placed on the table in a casual but strong pose.
Even in a T-shirt and track pants the woman could dominate a room.
He opened the door and smiled.
Sam stood there. She’d changed into an olive-green T-shirt and combat pants. Her gaze went over his shoulder to the domestic scene in the receiving area.
Her expression didn’t change but he knew she was mentally raising her eyebrows.
Sean motioned her in. “She’s up to talking. Would you like a cuppa?”
She licked her lips and stared at the remaining shortbread cookies on the plate. “Maybe a quick snack before we get down to business.”
Before he could speak she had moved into his vacated chair across from Catherine. Her hand shot out to grab a cookie and she shoved the entire square into her mouth.
Sean chortled. “If I’d known that was all it took to get you in a good mood I’d have invited you in long before this.”
Sam’s face went scarlet as she fumbled to chew.
“I can’t blame her,” Catherine said, covering for the captain’s temporary disability. “Those are delicious.”
Sam’s face contorted as she tried to eat without her mouth hanging open or losing any pieces.
Sean resisted the urge to laugh. It wouldn’t be seemly to take advantage of the captain’s problem right now.
Right now being the operative phrase.
She glared at him, seeing his wide grin behind his hand. She wagged her index finger then switched to her middle finger as she choked down the last of the cookie.
Catherine giggled,
caught up in the moment.
Sean looked at her, seeing the playful woman hidden behind the business persona.
It was intriguing. Not to mention darned sexy.
What would it take to push Catherine Rogers over the edge, to make her lose the calm demeanor?
It took a few more minutes for Sam to clear her mouth, during which she continued to make obscene gestures at him based on his facial expressions.
“Okay. Enough.” Sam covered her mouth and coughed. “Let’s get this show on the road before I kill myself.” She cleared her throat and turned to Catherine. “Sorry for the distraction. How are you feeling?”
Catherine nodded. “Much better. Sean’s been a great help getting me settled.” She couldn’t help looking around the arrival room. “This suite is set up like mine, yes?”
Sam answered before Sean could. “They’re all the same. The Guild demands everyone have the same layout. Each courtesan can personalize it with decorations and whatnot but the basics are the same.” She paused. “You’re lucky we had one open. I know it’s not what you’re used to but I hope it’s suitable for the time being.”
Catherine smiled. “After being in that cramped life pod anything would be better.” She picked up a small crumb and popped it into her mouth. “Although I must admit this isn’t what I expected.”
“I keep the leather in the back,” he deadpanned.
Catherine’s cheeks went scarlet but she didn’t reply.
Interesting...
Sam shot him a warning stare. “Okay. Business now, playtime later. Sean, if you don’t mind I’d like to activate Belle here for a few minutes.”
“Captain’s privilege.” Sean smiled.
He turned to Catherine, seeing her confused look. “Remember what I said about the private quarters being shut off from Belle’s surveillance? The entire time you’ve been here has been private—Belle hasn’t been active.”
She nodded as Sam tapped her earpiece and muttered something.
“Thanks.” Sam cleared her throat as a cheerful chime announced the computer AI’s arrival. “Belle, patch me into the other courtesans’ quarters.” She looked at Catherine. “Instead of bringing everyone in here or the galley I figure it’d be easier for us all to do a conference call.”
In the Void Page 6