Embrace the Romance

by S. E. Smith

  “The sound is enhanced as well,” Maeve said.

  He’d seen much of the concert in bits and pieces over the last few days but watching how the entire thing came together was something else. Karissa took his breath away when she came onstage for the first song, an actual pain in his chest at seeing her. The first half hour went by in a whirl of her older songs, loud, with a driving beat and much action from the dancers. Karissa’s costumes were her usual mix of bright colors and quirky accessories, matched by her technicolor swirled hair and elaborately painted nails, each a work of art. And the shoes, with their incredibly high heels. Eventually she disappeared offstage at the end of a long set, ‘disappearing’ in a cloud of glittery pink smoke while the dancers and band member took center stage to fill in the time as she changed costumes. Holographic cartoon characters also danced and flew above the stage and cavorted at intervals around the arena to entertain the crowd.

  Then she was back, asking the audience if they’d missed her and getting the expected roar in response. She was wearing one of the dresses Twilka had been working so hard on, metallic and shiny, sexy. She sang newer songs, engaged in banter with her crew, invited a little girl onstage…Grant was impressed at what a consummate show woman she was. He didn’t care for the way the spotlight made her a perfect target if there was anyone in the arena who wished her ill. He hoped Ted had done something about banning the dangerously infatuated Mr. Leclaire.

  Karissa soared into the air for the song where aerial acrobatics were required and when she finished he realized his hands were fisted and he was on the edge of the couch, as if he’d been prepared to launch himself into the air to catch her again.

  She flies well. Valkyr was approving.

  “You never said that to me,” Grant said, half humorously.

  You fly as a warrior, to do battle. She flies as a queen, all grace and elegance. She mastered her fear from the other day well.

  Surprising him no end, Lully warbled along with Karissa on one slower song, a beautiful descant accenting the singer’s voice. He was happy to see the bird standing tall, wings tucked and tail flared, singing her heart out. He wished Karissa could have seen how happy the rescued bird was now.

  The concert ended and the crowd pleaded for an encore. When Karissa re-emerged onstage, she had Patric by the hand and the stadium went wild. Karissa invited them to give her special guest a warm welcome, Patric kissed her hand and then hauled her close for a more intimate caress. The couple launched into one of the king’s classic hits, singing to each other.

  “I’ve seen enough,” Grant said.

  The trideo winked out.

  Six

  It required all his hardwon discipline as a soldier to fall asleep later that evening and he tossed and turned for a long time first.

  Somewhere around two AM ship time, he thought he heard a voice telling him to wake up and realized it was Maeve. Sitting up, rubbing his face, he said, “What is it? Do we have an emergency?”

  The AI was silent but there was a ping from his cabin portal com.

  Hoping against hope he was right about who might be visiting him in the middle of the night, he hurried to the door and opened it. “You came,” he said, his heart pounding in his chest.

  “You—you aren’t mad at me?”

  He drew Karissa into his cabin, closing the portal and taking her in his arms. “How could I be?” Lowering his head, he captured her lips in a kiss he made deep and involved, the singer responding to him with passion. Her body molded to his as he held her close. When the kiss ended, he buried his face in her shiny black hair, breathing in the perfume that was hers alone. “Are you all right?” he said.

  “Not how did I get here, or why did I sign the fucking order or—” Eyes wide, she stared at him, a tremulous smile on her well kissed lips.

  “I missed you,” he said simply, sweeping her into his arms again. “How long do we have?”

  “A couple of hours. Ted thinks I’m visiting Twilka and Khevan on their space yacht but I have to be back on Calillia by noon. He’s afraid to tangle with them—she’s rich and influential, and he’s an ex D’nvannae Brother—so when they invited me, he couldn’t say no. Then Twilka had her shuttle pilot bring me over. Maeve let me aboard and gave me access to the crew decks.”

  “And here you are,” he said, scarcely able to believe his own eyes.

  She took his hand and led him toward the bedroom, stopping for a moment at the birds’ perches and petting a drowsy Lully gently. “She looks so much better—her feathers are glowing.”

  “Valkyr is a devoted mate.” Grant tugged her to continue walking. “Eagles and songbirds do fit together sometimes.” Next moment he was horrified to see tears tracking down her cheeks. “Sweetheart, what is it? Am I assuming too much here?”

  Karissa shook her head, wiping away the tears with her fingers. “I thought you’d be so angry and hurt. I was afraid you’d never speak to me again.”

  “Ted’s probably fucking terrified of me and he should be,” Grant said. “I hoped it was something to do with the damn contract he holds over you. I was going to be on your doorstep the moment that thing expired after the last concert and find out if you were coerced into signing the restraining order. But if you told me to my face there was nothing between us, I would walk away, you know that, don’t you? If me out of your life was what you wanted.”

  She cried harder. “Never. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

  “Shh, you won’t.” He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, placing her softly on the narrow bed. He went into the bathroom and got her a handful of tissues. Sitting on the end of the bed while she leaned on the pillows, he said, “So what did happen?”

  “Years ago, after the second time I went into rehab, Ted had his lawyer insert a new clause in the contract, giving him control over who I had in my personal life. To keep out the undesirables, he said, to help me stay clean and sober.” She shrugged. “I agreed then because I didn’t care. I never expected to meet someone like you, not in my world.” She put her hand on his cheek. “You’re pretty special, Officer Barton.”

  “The name is Grant.” He laughed, happy to be sitting here with her, teasing each other. “I watched a trideo of the concert. Undoubtedly a terrific evening you gave your fans. Valkyr said you flew well.”

  Eyes widening, she mimicked shock. “I know a high compliment when I hear one. Tell him I’m honored.” She went to throw the tissues away. “I wanted you to be there for the concert so badly. I’m glad you got to see it at least.”

  “What’s the deal with Patric?”

  Her face clouded over. “Ted wants me to do a tour with him. Of course I’d have to renew the contract.”

  “Do you want to do a tour with him?” He studied her face.

  “It’s every artist’s dream to work with the king of the celestial notes. It could elevate a career in all kinds of ways. But no.” She shook her head. “What I really want to do with my life going forward is to be able to write my own songs again, and sing them. Different songs. Songs that feed the soul. I’ve moved on from my ‘Inner Sectors Girls’ phase, fun though that was. I’m sure I’ll sing the oldies again but not as much. No more huge concert tours, no more giving away pieces of myself to fans and the media.”

  He pulled her onto his lap. “This is the conversation we were going to have at the dinner we missed.”

  “Yes. I’m never going to let anyone run my life again. I’ll be in control of my music and my creative choices. But I-I want a partner. Someone to be there for me. Until I met you I didn’t even think such a thing was possible for me. I envied Twilka and her husband so much for what they have together.”

  “I don’t know them, but I’ll tell you what I was going to say at dinner. I know nothing about the music business but I know how to manage and organize and get things done efficiently. I wasn’t always a solo operator in the service. I led teams and missions, some quite complex.”

  “So dinner was g
oing to be a job interview?” Her smile was warm. “I kind of expected something else.”

  “Not exactly.” Grant kissed her hard. “I was trying to figure out what place I could have in your world, beyond keeping you safe and making sure you were properly respected and cherished.” He took a deep breath. “Beyond loving you with all my heart. A man like me has to have a purpose in life. Lack of goals, lack of personal challenge was why I’ve been drifting since I retired. With Qaazamir a dead planet essentially, what could I do?”

  “You love me?”

  “With all my heart,” he repeated.

  “But?”

  He shook his head. “No buts. I want to stand by your side for the rest of our lives. No qualification or hesitation. But I’m not cut out to be the glorified bodyguard, not even for you. I’d have figured something out, but after I watched your two rehearsals, I knew what need I could fill.”

  “I want to do so many things,” she said. “It’ll be fun to plan together. I don’t need Ted for show business management any more—he’s been coasting on my success and contacts for the past five years or so, once I hit big. No one refuses my calls nowadays. And Twilka’s lawyer will handle any contracts I do sign. None of which are going to touch my personal life. That’s for me and you.” She ran her hand up under his T-shirt. “I do have other needs, you know.” Shifting on his lap, she deliberately rolled over his aching erection with her well-toned dancer’s derriere.

  “Oh now we’re having a different conversation, are we?” He unfastened her buttons and she shrugged out of her top.

  “I kinda hoped we were done with conversation all together,” she said as he laid her back on the bed.

  “I am if you are.” Grant worked to get her pants off, throwing the garment on the floor. He took a moment to admire her lacy underwear, stroking one hand over the pink satin cups of her bra, holding her full breasts barely restrained. Running one hand down her taut abdomen and under the filmy lace of her panties, he inserted his finger into her warm channel, penetrating her folds, and massaged the sensitive bud. Leaning over to kiss her, he murmured, “So ready for me—that makes me hot.”

  “I’ve been ready for you practically since we met.” Her tongue traced the seam of his lips and he parted to give her entry, even as he continued to work his fingers in and out, making her squirm under him and moan in pleasure. Karissa broke off the kiss, throwing her head back to gasp as she climaxed, going rigid under him for a moment. “Oh so that’s what it’s like to be a mission objective,” she said with a satisfied smile.

  “That was the first reconnaissance only,” he said, unfastening the bra to give himself access to her breasts. Watching her face to see what pleased her, he rolled the budded nipples in his fingers and lowered his head to kiss and tease with his tongue.

  “You have too many clothes on,” she said after he’d played for a few moments, tugging at his shirt. “I demand equal access.”

  Obligingly he sat up so she could remove his shirt and then Karissa unfastened the string holding his sweatpants and slid them down his legs and off. Free of the fabric restraint, his cock jutted, ready for her attention. She licked the head as if it were a delicacy and then took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue over and along the shaft, and exerting suction so skillfully she had him bucking his hips, unable to resist the sensuous torture. He laid back, fisted his hands in the scrollwork of the headboard and let her take her pleasure as she wished. She stroked the hard length of him and then paid attention to his aching balls, rolling them in one hand for a moment, before moving on to massage the incredibly sensitive area behind them.

  Eventually, she sat up, keeping one hand on his cock and running the other over his abdomen, up to his flat nipples, circling them lazily while he forced himself to keep his hands off her.

  “I like having you at my mercy,” she said, “But I think the game’s gone on long enough.” She maneuvered herself to where she could straddle him, lowering herself slowly onto his rigid shaft, inch by inch. Karissa could do things to him internally with her incredible muscles, honed by her dancing, he’d never felt before and she used those skills to drive him crazy with need as she took him into her soft warmth.

  His aching cock firmly seated inside his lover, Grant’s control snapped and he let go of the bed, taking her in his arms and rolling them over, still connected, so he could thrust with all his strength. Karissa laughed and put her arms around him, her lips seeking his for another penetrating kiss as their bodies moved in unison, joined in pleasure and emotion.

  His climax was long and hard, and he felt her go into her own orgasm with him. He thought if he died right this instant, he’d die happy.

  Karissa was a woman in a billion and she was his.

  Eventually they came up for air, after a more leisurely lovemaking session and took a shower together in his tiny bathroom, to the accompaniment of much laughter from them both. Swathed in towels, Grant and Karissa sat jammed together on the couch and Maeve replayed the trideo of the concert for them, while they munched on special treats she’d delivered via robo server.

  “Where did the food come from?” Grant asked. “We don’t get service on crew decks.”

  “I diverted it from First Class. If anyone notices, I’ll state the controller malfunctioned.” Maeve was calm and cool.

  “I promised to write a song just for her,” Karissa said as the robo server departed. “It’s going to be entitled ‘Lady of the Stars’, a love song.” She hummed a fragment of a tune. “I’ve already got the melody.”

  Lully woke up and warbled along with the portion of the concert she’d like before, and a delighted Karissa chimed in, so Grant had her dueting in his cabin not only with the bird, but with herself.

  The encore segment began.

  “I didn’t watch this,” Grant said.

  “I’d just as soon not,” Karissa agreed. “Turn it off, Maeve? Patric has a beautiful voice but he’s full of himself and sure he’s the Lords of Space’s gift to women.”

  “I couldn’t handle seeing you in another man’s arms,” he admitted.

  She kissed him. “Pure acting on my part. We got offstage and I gave him hell for grabbing me and groping me. He’s not to do pull the same stunt again at the next concert or I’ll slap him and walk off the stage.” She stretched. “I’m afraid I have to be getting back.”

  “Will you be able to rest before the show? I shouldn’t have kept you here so long but I hated to lose a single moment,” he said. “You won’t be able to come back.”

  “No,” she agreed. “Twilka delayed her departure as long as she could, to let me come to you once. But she has a deadline to meet. It’s going to be a long two days before I’m in your arms again.”

  “But then we won’t have to be apart for any reason—no one and nothing is coming between us,” he said. “Better for you not to take risks before then.” He followed her into the bedroom to admire the view as she got dressed and put on his own clothes. “I’ll escort you to the hangar bay.”

  “I did tell you I have my personal lawyer working on getting the restraining order lifted at midnight two days from now? Right after the contract ends? I can’t do it any sooner or I would.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Have there been any incidents while I was out of the picture? Mr. Leclaire show up again?”

  “No,” she said as they walked down the crew corridor. “The monks have been ever present pests though. Ted and the high priest have been very cozy.”

  “What do they want?”

  She shrugged. “Well the high priest wanted me to sing a special, private concert for their leadership and high ranking patrons and I said no. Maybe Ted thinks he can still change my mind. Or maybe he likes them. I have no idea and I don’t care. Let him send his new little protégée to enhance their evening.”

  Grant let the subject drop but he made a private resolve to do what research he could on the sect. He escorted her to the private shuttle on the hangar dock and waite
d until she was securely inside before he left the area. No more sleep for him. He had a lot to do, beginning with a long chat with his boss, but he was happier than he’d been in years, he realized, and at peace.

  Grant lay hidden in his chosen position, taken up much earlier in the day and he’d not moved since. He was as close to the artists’ exit of the arena as he could get. He’d wanted to infiltrate the arena itself but Karissa had begged him not to risk anything that might give Ted an edge to extend the contract. Reluctantly he agreed, although as a former Special Forces operator, penetrating a music venue was like a simple training exercise for him. He also thought she was worrying needlessly about how much power a contract clause could possibly give the man but wasn’t going to heighten her anxiety. As soon as midnight struck, the plan was she’d come out to him, or send Desdusan if the restraining order had been lifted. Then they’d be off to make their own new start, free of Ted.

  He had Valkyr flying surveillance over the arena grounds, just in case, and he was listening to a vidcom of the concert in his ear piece. All had gone smoothly, no hitches in the show, no incidents, but he had that insidious little tingle in the back of his head warning him not to let his guard down.

  Large group of monks leaving the building, carrying someone. Cargo entrance.They have a woman prisoner.

  Valkyr’s urgent thought came as the announcer’s voice in his ear registered shock Karissa hadn’t come out for the encore with Patric. Ted’s new singer, Valma, was singing her part in the duet.

  “Seven hells!” He was up and running for the cargo dock in a heartbeat, his personal blaster in hand. Track them.

  They’ve loaded her into the back of a small cargo hauler.

  He redoubled his speed, making a mad sprint in the open. If the monks got Karissa away from the arena he’d have a hard time finding her, although she’d agreed to wear a tracker for him, hidden in her hair ornaments. Grant threw himself into a parked maintenance vehicle, hotwiring the initiator and tearing off at breakneck speed, heading for the only exit close to the cargo bay. Status?