“Yes, well”—she toyed with the hair pins in her hand—“I didn’t think that all the way through yesterday.”
“No, you didn’t,” he growled.
She leapt to her feet. “Well, I couldn’t very well let you get shot, now could I?”
He stood toe to toe with her and glowered at her. “Yes, actually, you could.”
“No. I. Couldn’t.” She poked one finger into his chest emphasizing each word.
“And what were you going to do if he had gotten to you?” he shouted.
“I don’t know!”
A knock at the door interrupted their yelling match.
Vordol stomped to the door and practically ripped it open. “What?” he roared.
Daloya and Trenna reared back in surprise.
“Everything okay in here?” Daloya asked.
“Yes, it’s fine.” Pitannah waved them inside. “Daloya, Trenna, this overbearing oaf is Vordol.” Pitannah gestured to her friends. “Vordol, this is Daloya and Trenna.”
Trenna put one fist on her hip and scowled at him. “What’s all the yelling about?”
He looked at Pitannah. “You want to explain your tendency to engage terrorists and criminals?”
“You did what?” Now even Daloya’s voice was raised.
“You mean the thing in the dining room yesterday?” Trenna asked.
“Yes, then again on stage,” he told them.
“What is he talking about?” Trenna jerked her thumb in his direction.
Pitannah tried to poo-poo the accusation. “Just some guy they think stole some stuff from backstage.”
Both girls looked at her, waiting for more information.
“The man in the audience that she involved in her act.” Vordol explained. “The same one security chased after when he bolted out of the cabaret toward the end of her act.”
“What?” Trenna nearly yelled her question.
“I thought I saw something happening along the side but I didn’t pay much attention because I was busy watching you,” Daloya said. “What happened?” The girls closed in on Pitannah.
“You explain it to them. I’ve got to get back to Ruby.” He headed to the door again. “But I expect you to meet me later and explain all of this.” He gestured to the dressing room as a whole.
She lifted her chin. “What if I’m busy?”
“Make time because I expect an explanation and you don’t want me coming to your cabin to get it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the Tavern Lounge.”
“Good. I’ll let you know when I have Ruby secured for the night.”
“Fine,” she reluctantly agreed. Before he could close the door she shouted, “Just so you know, this macho crap is both annoying and hot and I’m not really sure what to think about it.”
“Think whatever you want as long as you show up later. I strongly suspect we will both need a drink by then.” He slammed the door shut behind him before letting himself grin.
His macho crap was hot?
Eleven
Daloya and Trenna watched the exchange in stunned silence. As soon as the door slammed shut they peppered her with questions.
“Hang on.” Pitannah held up one hand. “First things first. I need to get out of this costume.”
“All right, fine,” Trenna groused then went to work gathering up Pitannah’s things.
Daloya handed Pitannah a change of clothes.
She slipped the much more practical items on then gathered her costume pieces up. When she went to add them to her bag she paused. “Did one of you get something from my bag?”
“No,” they both answered. “Why?” Daloya asked.
“It looks like someone went through my stuff.”
“Really?” Both girls peeked over her shoulder.
“Do you think the thief went through your stuff?” Daloya asked.
Pitannah shrugged. “Maybe. There’s nothing valuable though.”
“I took my makeup kit with me,” Trenna told them. “The only thing left out on the counter were the hot sticks and your hair stuff.”
“It looks as if everything is still here,” Daloya confirmed. “Hair pins are a dime a dozen backstage. Besides, if someone wanted to steal stuff, I would think hair bots would be far more valuable than hot sticks.”
“I would, too,” Pitannah said.
“Any jewelry?” Trenna asked.
Pitannah shook her head. “Nope. Just the necklace I wore on stage. Other than my comm unit, I didn’t bring anything else.”
“And I have your comm unit.” Daloya handed it over.
“Thanks,” Pitannah mumbled.
“Can’t imagine anyone would want a dirty uniform,” Trenna said.
“Me either.” Pitannah dug into the bag. “It’s still here, anyway.”
“Maybe they looked and gave up when they didn’t find anything.”
“Maybe.” Pitannah grimaced. “It’s still kind of creepy.”
“It’s a lot creepy,” Trenna said. “Hopefully security caught the guy.”
“Hopefully,” Pitannah mumbled.
“So your friend Vordol is rather…” Daloya paused for a word.
“Bossy?” Pitannah supplied.
“Manly,” Daloya finally said.
“Fuckable,” Trenna corrected.
“That too,” Daloya agreed.
Pitannah’s mouth fell open.
Daloya and Trenna burst into a fit of giggles.
“You guys are not helping.” She stuffed her shoes into the bag and zipped it closed with more force than needed.
“We’re sorry,” Daloya said.
“He is and you know it,” Trenna insisted.
“That’s beside the point,” Pitannah protested.
“What is the point?” Daloya asked.
Pitannah stopped. “I have no idea.” She shook her head. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Don’t you want to see the results?” Daloya asked incredulously.
“They should be ready soon. Let’s go wait at the back of the cabaret,” Trenna suggested.
“Please?” They both clasped their hands together and pleaded.
Pitannah rolled her eyes. “All right, fine. Let’s go.” She shooed them out the door.
“Yay!” They chorused then grabbed her things.
They had to go up a couple of levels before they could find three empty seats together. Finally, they settled in and watched the last act. One of the contest coordinators came on stage afterward and announced the results would be posted shortly.
Some guests left along with the judges.
“Do you think the delay in announcing finalists is to allow the judges to clear the room?” Trenna whispered.
“Maybe,” Daloya whispered back.
“This was a bad idea,” Pitannah confessed as she drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair.
“Why?” Daloya asked.
“Because I’m nervous and I need to be doing something instead of just sitting here waiting.”
“It’ll be fine.” Daloya grasped her hand. “You’ll make it in. You’ll see.”
“Yep.” Trenna grabbed Pitannah’s other hand. “Okay, check out the hat the lady down front is wearing. The one that looks like a tentacled pultara.”
“Woah.” Daloya gasped. “That’s even worse than the purple and gold draped thing the lady up in the second balcony is wearing.”
“Oh, but that is a delightful number,” Trenna cooed.
Pitannah shook her head. She loved her friends for trying to distract her but it just wasn’t working. Her palms were sweaty and the butterflies in her belly were working overtime. The urge to climb out of her skin was quickly becoming unbearable.
What was she going to tell Vordol? She had no reason to lie to him. He’d already figured out which contestant she was. She frowned. How did he figure it out? It’s not as if she had any distinguishing birthmarks to give her away.
Over the cabaret speake
rs came an announcement. “And the results are in!”
The large screen dropped from the ceiling and displayed the scrolling names, from lowest score to highest. Pitannah clasped the girls’ hands in anticipation. The longer it took to see her name, the tighter she gripped.
Finally her name appeared toward the top of the list. She had tied with two other contestants for the second spot.
Daloya and Trenna let out whoops of joy. They dragged her out of her seat and hugged her tight while bouncing in celebration.
“We told you that you could do it,” Trenna shouted.
“I made it to finals.” She mumbled, “I actually made it.”
The girls’ bouncing morphed into a celebratory dance when the venue filled with music. A few nearby guests congratulated her as they got up to leave.
Somewhere during the blur of congratulations and exiting the cabaret she received a comm from Vordol saying he would meet her in the Tavern Lounge in twenty minutes.
“Vordol wants to meet me in a few minutes. Do you think I should change clothes first?” Pitannah asked the girls.
Trenna said, “Well, that depends on how you think this evening is going to go. If you plan on jumping him, then yeah, you might want to wear something a little sexier.”
“Sexier than the costume I just stripped out of?” Pitannah asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Good point,” Trenna relented.
Daloya, the voice of reason, pointed out, “He’s already seen you in your work uniform and post-stage attire. I wouldn’t get too worried about it.”
“True. I didn’t really want to walk all the way to my cabin then to the bar anyway.” She started to type a response, then paused. “Well, crap. I need to ditch my stuff in my room first, anyway.”
“We can just take it with us,” Daloya offered. “We’ll be helping you get ready tomorrow night anyway.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Positive.” Daloya took the garment bag from Pitannah.
“But, do let us know if drinks turns into an all-nighter.” Trenna winked at her. “We want to live vicariously through you.”
Pitannah rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever.” She messaged Vordol to say she would be there shortly then gave the girls a quick hug and headed to the Tavern Lounge.
She waved at the bartender as she passed and took a seat at the table she and the girls frequented. Between the news that she finaled in the contest, the excitement with the backstage thief, and just being with Vordol, she needed something familiar around her. She ordered her favorite drink and a light snack while she waited.
“I hope you haven’t been here long,” Vordol said when he arrived.
“Just long enough to get comfortable. I did order something to munch on.” She gave him a half grin. “I’m starving since I didn’t get to eat dinner. Only had a nutrition bar before the show.”
He frowned. “You can’t live on those things.”
“I know but I was running late.” Before he could say anything more she added, “Even if I hadn’t been, I would have been too nervous to eat much.”
He grunted.
The waitress gave Vordol an appreciative once-over when she delivered Pitannah’s drink. “What can I get you, handsome?”
Pitannah scowled at the waitress, but she didn’t notice.
“House ale. Dark, if you have it,” he told her. If the waitress was disappointed he didn’t flirt back, she didn’t show it. After she left he said, “So, I understand you’re in the final round?”
Pitannah beamed. “I can hardly believe it, but yes.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“What made you enter in the first place?”
“I’ve always loved to dance. I’ve been taking lessons since I was a little girl. While I was at University I worked at a local club to earn extra money. One of the owners took me under her wing and trained me in the art of burlesque.” She shrugged. “The girls thought I had a chance at winning the contest so I entered.”
The waitress returned with Vordol’s drink. She set it on the table in front of him and, if Pitannah wasn’t mistaken, deliberately brushed her breast against his arm. Pitannah had to give Vordol credit for not even blinking an eye. He simply murmured his thanks and continued with this questions.
“What does your mother think of your dancing?”
“In truth, I’m not sure.” She took a sip. “She encouraged me to take ballet and a few other styles of dance while I was growing up. Then later, it was one of her friends who introduced me to the history of burlesque. Mother knew I was fascinated by Old Earth dance styles. And she knew I danced for a club while I was at University but I’m not sure if she really understood.”
“What about your dad?”
Pitannah shook her head. “Papa definitely didn’t know. He would have flipped.”
“That’s an understatement,” Vordol mutter over his ale. “Does your sister dance too?”
“God, no. She’s far too academic for that.”
“Are you saying you can’t do both?”
“No. But, Lexiani would rather read than anything else so she never learned to dance.”
A new server brought the food Pitannah had ordered. They dug in then Vordol asked, “Where did you get your stage name?”
She smiled. “That came after a long night of drinking with the girls.”
“You and your friends seem pretty close.”
“We are. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
“You went to University together too?”
She nodded as she took a few more bites.
“Did I ever meet them?”
“Not that I recall. But we didn’t hang out at my house much. Trenna’s older brother had moved out by then, so we tended to gather at her mom’s place.”
“I see.”
They ate in silence until people began to gather near the bar’s stage.
“What’s going on over there?” Vordol asked.
“I bet they have a band coming in tonight. With the cabaret being used full time for the contest, some of the smaller venues will be competing for revenue.”
“Makes sense. Do you want to stay?”
She shrugged. “We can wait and see if they’re any good.”
“All right.” Vordol signaled for the waitress to bring another round of drinks.
They chatted about his security business and some of the places he’d been since she’d last seen him. By the time the band came on most of her worries had been pushed to the back of her mind. It was hard to say whether it was due to the drinks she’d had or the company. Perhaps both.
The band warmed up with a couple familiar songs. By the time they rolled into their main song list, Pitannah was swaying in her seat and singing along.
Vordol got up and offered her his hand. “Dance with me. You obviously didn’t wear yourself out on stage earlier.”
“We’re not supposed to fraternize with the customers,” she told him even though she wanted to leap into his arms.
“I’m not really a customer. I’m working. Just like you. Besides, we’re old family friends.” His lip twitched. “Sorta.”
“That’s a technicality if I ever heard one.” She gave in and placed her hand in his.
They moved together rather well. Which only made her wonder how well they would do in bed together. After all, dancing was another way of making love. After the sixth dance, a rock ballad, her weariness caught up to her.
“Come on.” He led her back to their table. “You look tired.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. It’s finally hitting me.”
He nodded. “I’ll walk you back to your cabin.”
“You can’t. It’s a secured area.”
“Then I’ll walk you as far as I am allowed.”
“All right.” His gentlemanly manners were refreshing.
Vordol gave the bar keeper his card to pay for their food and drinks then took Pitannah�
��s arm and escorted her out of the bar. It felt far too much like a real date.
When they reached the doors to the employee-only entrance she stopped and faced him. “Thanks for walking me to my kind-of-home.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And thanks for the drinks,” she said, drawing out the moment as long as she could. “I’m glad we had a chance to catch up.”
“Me too.”
She automatically lifted her arm to scan her IdentiBand bracelet at the door but realized she wasn’t wearing it. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her pants then patted the other pockets. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong?” Vordol asked.
“I don’t have my IdentiBandd. It’s what lets me into the employee-only places.” Confusion warred with exhaustion. “Maybe it’s in my bag.”
“Where’s your bag?”
She groaned. “Daloya took it with her.”
“Do you want to call her?” He pulled out his communicator.
“Yeah.” She reached to take it just as the doors to the employee entrance opened.
Three security officers stepped through. One of the officers did a double take. “Miss Lorento? Pitannah Lorento?”
“Yes?”
“We were looking for you,” the officer told her. “We need you to come with us.”
“You do?” She blinked in confusion. “Why?”
Vordol stepped closer. “What’s this about?”
“Sir, this has nothing to do with you. You may return to your guest cabin.”
If the officer meant to intimidate Vordol, it had the opposite effect. He stepped between Pitannah and the men. “She’s not going anywhere in the middle of the night with a group of men that neither of us knows, so, you might as well explain what this is all about.” He glared at the officer who pointed to his shirt. “And I don’t give a damn what your uniform says.”
One of the men spoke into the mic attached to his uniform.
“This is official Quantum business, sir, and it doesn’t pertain to you,” the first officer said.
Vordol flashed his Quantum badge to the officer. “Anything pertaining to her pertains to me. Now, I’m only asking you one more time. What is this about?”
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