by Mike Smith
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Let’s not go there again,” he said. Having decided upon the most comfortable pillow Alex picked it up, walking around the bed. “I must confess to having an ulterior motive,” he said, coming to a stop in front of her, pillow still in hand.
“Oh?” Jessica raised her chin, to look him in the eye. “You’ve changed your mind, and decided to ignore the promise to my father and steal my virtue?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“You know, you actually sound disappointed,” Alex chuckled. Turning his back on her, he casually tossed the pillow into the doorway, before sprawling onto the ground. Using the pillow to prop himself up in the doorway, he said, “I was actually going to say that after your last disastrous escape attempt, I don’t trust you not to try again. Frankly I don’t feel up to having to hunt you down for the second night in a row, especially in a five mile long station, full of disreputable sorts. Sweet dreams.”
Sliding under the covers, Jessica slipped the fusion pistol under her pillow, as always comforted by its close presence. In the dark, she stared up at the ceiling, willing herself to sleep, with little success. She tossed and turned several times, trying to find a comfortable position, before stilling, remembering Alex’s warning that she was a bed hog. She felt ridiculous. Surely she couldn’t be missing his comfortable presence, after all it had only been one night. She had a brief, irrational, urge to suggest that they shared the bed, but feared his reaction. At best he would reply with a bitingly sarcastic remark, at worst he might actually accept, misconstruing her offer. Instead she could only stare into the darkness of the unfamiliar room, comforted at least by Alex’s shallow breathing and steady heartbeat. She wondered how he had survived, alone, like this for five years.
“Alex, are you still awake?”
“I am now,” he replied, amused.
“How did you do it? In the dark, all alone for five years, without going—”
“Insane?” Alex supplied helpfully.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t mind the isolation so much. I spent most of my life alone and never experienced loneliness. The dark and confined space also didn’t bother me, at first. I must have been there for several weeks when the darkness seemed to get darker and the walls, started getting closer. I think that was the worst time.”
“What did you do then?”
“I realised that while they could imprison my body, they couldn’t do the same with my mind. So I simply willed myself elsewhere. I spent years in that cell, imagining myself in my study; reading, writing. I must have re-read every book that I had ever seen.”
“And that sustained you?”
“Almost,” Alex said.
“What else did you do?”
“I plotted what I would do, when I finally got out. I imagined, in excruciating detail, exactly what I would do and say when I found the person that put me there. I nursed that need for revenge, for days, weeks and years. I think that when I despaired of ever being free, that was all that kept me sane.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be,” he replied in a disembodied voice. “Pity the person that put me there.”
*****
“You’re going out?” Jessica asked, eyeing Alex curiously over breakfast the following morning.
“Yes,” Alex said. “It’s been over ten years since I was here last and I’m planning on renewing some old acquaintances.” He slipped on his worn jacket.
“That’s nice, I don’t suppose any of them are related? After all, you said that you grew up here, so I assume you must have family?”
“Sort of,” he replied vaguely.
“That’s nice, dear. You have fun,” she replied dismissively, not even bothering to ask if she might accompany him. Having been in his company for over a month, she’d become overly familiar with the answer to that question.
Alex turned around, surprised, staring at her suspiciously, but he could hardly find fault with her reply. “Stay here until I return. Granville has agreed to post a guard outside, if you need anything at all, just ask him. Okay?”
“Got it.” Jessica nodded her head sincerely. “Anything that I need I’ll be sure to ask him.”
“I’ll be back soon,” he frowned.
Jessica watched from the corner of her eye, as Alex stepped through the door, having a brief word with the guard stationed outside, before turning left, heading down the corridor. She waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps, then paused for a further ten seconds, just in case he came back, and then she raced for the door.
“Excuse me,” she said apologetically to the guard outside, giving him her most winsome smile. “But Alex did state, categorically, that I should ask you if I need anything.”
“Of course, Lady Hadley. I’m your personal servant, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, thank you,” she gushed, clapping her hands delightedly. “Then a bowl of strawberries would be delightful. You see I always have strawberries for breakfast.”
“Strawberries?” the man said, his eyes going wide.
“Yes please, fresh ones, of course,” she added. “Oh, and also a bowl of cream. You can’t have strawberries without cream now, can you?” she cooed.
“I’ll see what I can do my Lady, however—”
“Perfect, I’ll just wait here for you then,” she stepped back into the room. Giving the guard time to move off, she gathered a cloak to help mask her features, and then swept from the room, heading in the same direction as Alex, hoping that she hadn’t already lost him.
Fresh strawberries and cream? She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She had absolutely no idea where the man was going to find either as they were on a space-station, in deep-space, light-years from the nearest vine or cow. Likely she would be back from her brief sojourn long before him.
*****
It didn’t take long for Alex to find his intended destination, even after an absence of almost a decade. The external fixtures hadn’t changed much in the intervening years, a couple more lights had extinguished from the twelve foot tall neon sign, Angela’s Emporium of Exotic Delights, and the outside could do with a fresh coat of paint.
He halted in front of the entrance, craning his head to look up at the several storied building. A couple of passers-by stopped, staring at him, before hurrying on their way. Located in the middle of brown sector, primarily used by the more transient population passing through Elysium Fields, it was mostly occupied by the homeless or dispossessed. A place where you didn’t ask questions and you most definitely did pass by on the other side of the corridor. He hadn’t been inside for more years than he could count, as within were answers to questions that he’d thought were best left unanswered. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that he was running out of time and he didn’t want to regret not using the little that he had left to find some answers to his past, no matter how painful they might be.
Stepping inside, he was immediately assaulted by the overpoweringly cloy smell of perfume, and the rich decor, with strong, bold colours, that immediately identified the premises for what it was—a brothel.
“Good morning, my Lord. How may I help you?”
Momentarily taken aback by the form of address, wondering who here would recognise him, relaxing when he noticed the pretty young redhead who bowed low before him. He guessed that all visitors were addressed as such, nothing better to give the male ego a boost, prior to parting him from his well-earned cash. As the girl bowed low again it was hard not to stare at her well-endowed assets that were clearly on display. For she wore a startling provocative, red, baby doll outfit with lace-up front detail, halter neck, garter belt with attached leg garters. He had to swallow to find his voice, as his throat had suddenly gone quite dry and he found his attention wandering to impolite places, when he hoarsely enquired, “I’m looking for Angela.”
“Normally Angela doesn’t accept walk-ins, but for you she might make a
n exception,” she winked suggestively at him. “Let me see if she’s available.” She turned round and sashayed off, putting a sway to her hips.
“My Lord?” a deep, husky voice asked.
Taken by surprise, as he had been deeply engrossed calculating just how many years he’d been celibate, he whirled round. It was safe to say that what faced him, was most definitely not what he’d been expecting. Not unless the anti-aging cream being advertised in the booth opposite, was truly out of this space-station. For standing before him, was a six-foot platinum blond, somewhere in her mid-twenties. Alex was relieved to see that she was showing distinctly less flesh, than the red-head. That was until he looked closer, and what he’d first mistaken as a cream, full length body slip, was actually mostly transparent. While blurring the specifics it encouraged the mind to fill in the gaps and Alex could imagine some truly spectacular gaps.
“Angela?” he croaked. “You’re looking extremely, fit.”
“Angelica,” she corrected him, with a smile that promised endless hours of ecstasy.
“I was actually looking for Angela. Do you know if she still resides here?”
“My mother’s name is Angela, she is the proprietor here, but she no longer entertains guests. I would be happy to fulfil your every desire instead.”
Alex wondered if it was just him, or if it was hot in here.
“I’m only here for Angela, to talk,” he emphasised. “I appreciate that she doesn’t see guests any more, but I’m hoping that she will make an exception for me. Would you please tell her that Alex Grey is here, and requests an audience?”
“My mother has spoken to me of Alex, a young boy, who lived here for a short while before I was born…”
“Then she’ll remember me,” he insisted.
Angelica stared at him thoughtfully for several seconds, before she nodded in agreement. “Please follow me, I’ll take you to her. But, I must inform you, that my mother is old and her memory isn’t what it used to be. Please do not upset her.”
“You have my word, my Lady,” Alex bowed deeply to her, offering the same respects that he’d once offered to high-born ladies of the greatest families.
Angelica showed him to a tastefully decorated bedroom, on the top-most floor and, repeating her earlier warnings about not to upset her mother, she closed the door quietly behind her, offering him some privacy. Taken aback by the strange reception room, he was just about to look for a more appropriate place to sit and wait than on the bed, when the covers moved and he realised that he was not alone.
“Help me to sit up, Alex, so that I can see you with my own two eyes.” The voice was old, worn and tired, but still with the same deep, husky timbre, that he remembered so well. Hurrying forward he gently helped the old woman sit up, placing a pillow behind her, ensuring that she was comfortable, before taking a step back.
He stared into her deep brown eyes, which hadn’t changed in the slightest. The rest of her had aged, as what he’d expected, but he could still see the beauty in her that had made her the finest courtesan in several sectors. Men had travelled from light-years away just for the opportunity to gaze upon her…
“Alex, I knew that you would return one day, but I feared that it would not be in my lifetime.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex shrugged. “I’ve been indisposed.”
At this Angela laughed, a deep rich sound which brought back pleasant memories from his childhood. “Don’t be disingenuous with me, young man. Granville still occasionally visits and keeps me abreast of all the latest gossip.”
“The randy old bastard,” Alex muttered.
“You’re looking well,” she commented. “Considering that you got into a round of fisticuffs with a High-Lord and, even more surprisingly, actually came out on top. Of course, you spent five years in solitary isolation as a reward, not to mention now being wanted on almost every planet in the Imperium, with a reward on your head that makes even me blush. So I’ve only got one question for you.”
“Yes?” asked Alex, not surprised in the slightest at how well informed she was.
“How did it feel, to give that bastard Stanton, a right good thrashing?”
Alex laughed, sitting down next to her on the bed, remembering many such similar conversations as a child. After the death of his own mother, Angela had been the closest that he’d had to a mother.
“But, I take it that you didn’t seek me out just to discuss recent events?”
Alex shook his head.
“You want to know about your mother?”
“I can barely remember her,” Alex admitted, “but then I’ll hear or smell something and all the memories will come flooding back.”
“I’m not surprised,” Angela murmured. “You were only a little boy when she died.”
“You mean when she was murdered,” Alex stated.
“Yes,” Angela sighed, “when she was murdered. I remember when she first came here, you were barely a small ball of flesh, but my, even then you could scream the house down. She came here seeking shelter, it’s an all too common occurrence, unfortunately. She was adamant at the time that people would come looking for her, dangerous people, but as months turned to years, and you grew up that seemed a more and more distant threat.”
“But they came in the end, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” Angela whispered. “At first I refused to tell them anything, but then they turned their guns on the other girls. They would have murdered every last one of them, you don’t survive long in this job, if you don’t develop some sharp instincts.”
“I remember,” Alex sighed, closing his eyes, but unfortunately that didn’t help vanquish the memories. “She hid me in the closet when she heard them coming, she told me to stay there, to be as quiet as a mouse. It was to be a game she said. I must close my eyes for as long as I could and not look. But I did.”
“We didn’t know where you were at first, we thought that they’d taken you along with her body. There was so much blood…”
“Why my mother?”
“That I don’t know, for she would never tell me about her past, and here we make it a point never to ask. What you were doesn’t matter, the past is that, the past. It’s done and finished with.”
“And my father?” Alex exclaimed. “I guess he could have been any one of her clients.”
“Clients?” Angela replied, confused.
“Well, what do you call your paying customers these days? Financial benefactors?” he asked angrily.
“Your mother was nothing like that. She stayed here for the shelter, nothing more. She paid, certainly, but she never had any visitors, as I know all the comings and goings in my own home. I have no idea who your mother was, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that she was no working girl, your mother was a real Lady. Which reminds me, when we were going through her things, we found something. I’ve no idea if it will be of any help, but we kept it for you. It’s in the box, on my dresser.”
Intrigued, Alex stood up and walked to the dresser, reaching out for the box Angela pointed at. Opening the jewel case, his mouth dropped open at the contents.
“They’re Al-Keishi pearls,” Angela explained helpfully.
“I know what they are,” Alex said in wonder. “But I’ve seen Al-Keishi pearls before, they’re off-white in colour. I’ve never seen blue-sapphire ones before, like these.”
“I made some discrete enquiries on your behalf. It seems that Al-Keishi pearls do come in blue, but they’re incredibly rare. The dealers I asked had only ever admitted to seeing one or two in their lifetime. I’m informed that a single pearl is worth several million credits.”
Alex could only stare in disbelief at the necklace of over a dozen pearls, already glowing slightly, emanating a deep blue light, from his touch alone. The necklace as a whole must be worth somewhere in excess of one-hundred million credits! “I cannot accept this,” he said firmly, snapping the lid shut, placing it back on the dresser.
“It belonged to your mother, s
o now it’s yours to do with as you see fit. I failed her, as I was the one to give her away to those men. Furthermore, I failed in my promise to her to look after you and returning the pearls is the least that I can do. If nothing else you’re now a rich man, you should consider settling down and starting your own family.”
“Who would want me?”
“As I said before, not everybody cares about the past. Many instead look to the future,” she said wearily. “I’ve spoken of you frequently to my own daughter. I think her interest goes beyond just the professional…” as if summoned by her words, the door re-opened and Angelica appeared.
“My mother is old and grows tired. I hope that you found the answers that you sought?”
“Perhaps,” Alex sighed.
“You also appear tired, my Lord. Why don’t you stay here awhile? Rest, relax and revitalise yourself.”
“I must be going,” Alex replied exhaustedly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d slept. “I promised somebody that I would return.”
“Only for a little while longer,” Angelica coaxed him. “We’ve got a bath already prepared for you,” she urged, sliding the jacket from his shoulders.
“A bath?” Alex sighed blissfully, thinking how long it had been since he had the luxury. A cold lake behind his house usually sufficed. The effort to go to heat the water for a bath just wasn’t worth it.
“A hot, relaxing bath, my Lord. With somebody to massage you, to help relieve you of your tensions,” she breathed, unfastening one button of his shirt, then the next. Stroking his heated skin in soothing gestures.
“I could probably spare an hour, perhaps two,” Alex groaned, letting his eyelids gradually close.
“I’m thinking that three would probably be a crowd, then?” a new voice interjected angrily.
Alex snapped his eyes open, staring into the usually serene, cerulean blue ones of Jessica. But not this time. Instead they sparked with blatant fury, as she stared daggers at him. He glanced from his open shirt to Angelica, in her transparent slip, to Angela, worn and withered, propped up on the bed, observing the scene with unbridled amusement.
“I can explain,” Alex exclaimed, before glancing around again. “Or, perhaps not.”