Penelope had a short to-do list before she could get off the planet and accomplish her next goal—immediate transport to the Parsec Colony for the acquisition of more cure for the SOS virus.
First, she needed forged financial authorization for transport and lab fees on Parsec Colony, then…to manufacture and retrieve more cure and return to science building. She said a silent prayer they had some stock and the antidote wouldn’t have to be produced from scratch.
Next, she’d need forged leave paperwork. The least of her problems since she was long over due for vacation, but time off was hard to get regardless of how much time she’d accumulated. The science community persisted in a very single-minded pursuit of scientific discovery.
The most difficult task she faced was getting off of the planet without encountering any men, otherwise she’d rack up more sexual encounters than what she’d accumulated for the whole of her life.
And finally, she desperately needed the results of Alice’s test without being present with poison as promised. Understanding Alice’s desire to end her life didn’t mean Penelope wanted to participate.
She considered her options and with a new plan in mind, Penelope called Damon’s personal I-link, setting hers for voice only so he couldn’t see her in the containment suit. She didn’t want him to discover her secret.
Damon answered after several rings with a strident, “Where are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I need you to do a favor for me.”
He paused for so long, Penelope wondered if he’d just disconnected. “I’m listening.”
“I need you to go into Alice’s room and see if the cure worked.”
His voice turned soft and sleazy. “Should I call the volunteer or do you want me to help her out this time?”
Damn Damon the slime ball pervert, always on the make wanting to score with women. “Call the volunteer. We don’t know if you meet the criteria for her attraction.”
“Right.” He paused again and several clicks and pops distorted the line as if he covered his mouth piece. Was that someone’s voice?
“Are you alone, Damon?” Penelope went into heart attack panic mode. She needed to calm down.
“What? Yes. I’m alone. I was getting out of the elevator. I’ll meet you in the lab.”
“No. Wait. I won’t be there, I’m not in the building,” she lied, “but I want to connect via live feed sound only from my hand-held computer. Will you please set it up?” She didn’t want Damon to know her whereabouts in the building. In fact, she’d like to avoid every male member of the species until she cured herself. Which was likely delusional. The better plan would be to have someone like a husband on hand for continual relief. Unfortunately, she was fresh out of male companions. Flashing back to Nathan and the scene in the alley, Penelope cursed silently.
“Sure. I guess. I’ll call your handheld once I’ve got everything ready.”
Penelope disconnected before he could ask more questions. She had her own preparation to attend to, starting with transport off planet so she could find a cure for herself.
Picking up the directory for supply ships, she perused the short list. Heat seeped across her cheeks when she noted Dalton Prime Corporation. Listed beneath the company heading were the formal names of the corporate approved ships. Her face really warmed up when she got to the ship named Mirage.
Nathan Tyndall was listed as captain of the medium range craft. Would she ever say either name, even in the privacy of her own mind, without blushing? Likely not.
The electronic log showed the Mirage departing the planet in under twenty minutes for a trip halfway across the galaxy. At least Penelope wouldn’t have to worry about running into him before she left. A minor relief with all things considered, but she’d latch onto any good news for the moment. She owed Nathan an explanation, and if the occasion ever presented itself, she might give him one.
At the top of the page was the Dalton Prime Corporation flagship, the long-range star ship Dalton was listed before the Mirage. Beneath each star craft were the names of the officers in charge. The Dalton, commanded by Captain Gray Wyckoff, was the only ship authorized to leave Bravura in the next month and head to Parsec Colony.
The Dalton was scheduled to dock within the hour. She had to be on that ship and moving in at least a day or less. The next scheduled trip was in two weeks, but a bribe would help Captain Wyckoff leave sooner. Tomorrow at the latest, but tonight, under the cover of darkness would be best.
Nathan Tyndall was listed as the Dalton’s first officer, but she knew he’d be captaining the Mirage. She almost wished she had time to message Nathan. He deserved an explanation for her actions. But then again, no one needed to know about her affliction. Penelope stifled her need to confess and focused on finding a way off this planet before anyone in her employ figured what was really happening.
Instead of collapsing in a sobbing heap like she wanted to do, she logged on to her lab’s proprietary account. She had a budget and a healthy balance since it was early in the quarter. She sent a special request to Captain Wyckoff’s personal account for transportation off planet tonight. Noting the cost of the round trip almost made her blanch, but then she remembered Nathan’s face as she pushed him against the brick wall. She set up the transportation as two separate invoices. Payment included for the trip to the Parsec Colony. Payment for the return to be handed over on Parsec Colony.
Authorizing funds be sent to purchase more of the cure, she made up a bogus request form and used Dr. Ledreder’s secret code to finalize the order. She’d accidentally seen him use it once and hated to abuse the knowledge, but desperation colored her actions.
With the outrageous cost to manufacture more of the SOS cure, she could barely afford a one-way ticket to Parsec Colony. Once there, she’d have to find a way to bring the cure back and replace what she’d used along with convincing the captain to wait for payment until they’d returned to Bravura.
Perhaps she’d mention her recent introduction and connection with Nathan and hope it was enough to get her back home. Ultimately, the Dalton would have to return to Bravura. She consoled herself with the knowledge that if she had become infected suddenly, others might be at risk.
How had she contracted the virus in the first place? And what if she couldn’t get the cure in time? Answers to these questions were not readily available and promptly shuttled to the back of her mind in favor of a more productive action.
Half an hour later she was almost set. Three doses of cure from Parsec Colony paid for and a one-way transportation request to collect it completely wiped out her lab funds account. If anyone checked her financial records before she returned, she’d likely be fired before a weak explanation could be rendered, but it couldn’t be helped.
Penelope wrote a desperate message to her brother, Philip, begging for the funds to replace what she’d taken, along with additional funds for a return trip, but declined to explain why. The Sex or Suffer virus wasn’t something she could comfortably explain to any family member. If he had the money, her brother would help her, but not necessarily with no questions asked. She’d deal with questions later. If Philip didn’t have the funds, she was screwed anyway.
Literally and figuratively in this case.
* * * *
Gray Wyckoff swiveled in his captain’s chair and directed his pilot to dock the ship. Fatigue colored his actions. His ship had been out an extraordinarily long time this trip. He’d hoped to stay awake until he reached his apartment in Spectra on Bravura, but decided sleeping in his captain’s quarters for a few hours would help him make it home later.
Once in his quarters he relaxed with a shower then checked his messages. Several waited for him, including one from Nathan a couple hours before he left Bravura. It was too bad they hadn’t had time to meet up. It had been a long time since he’d seen his best friend and Nathan always had great stories to share.
Following that message were several messages from family, and invitations from friends t
o get in touch while he was on Bravura. Lastly, one unexpected message waited on his business line. A transportation request from Dr. Drake at the Bravura Science labs. He read it, sorry he’d have to turn it down. He hated to give up a government funded trip, but the transportation location request was on the far side of the galaxy and a lengthy three to four week round trip. His crew needed a break.
If he accepted, he’d have to use temporary crew to subsidize his regular staff, which he hated to do. He could use a break himself. He was just too fatigued to accept a lengthy journey with a rookie crew. He constructed a reply to gracefully refuse, then realized a default automatic response had been sent to Dr. Drake accepting the job and the payment.
Damn it. Now he’d have to call and fix things. With a heavy conscience, he contacted Dr. Drake to explain his predicament and kindly back out.
“Hello.” The husky female voice reminded him that he hadn’t had sex in a really long time.
“Dr. Drake, please,” he queried.
“This is Dr. Drake.” Whoa. Dr. Drake was a female? He didn’t see that coming. His libido accelerated into action to the level where his cock wanted to join the party and offer services for consideration. Down boy, not now but soon.
“Yes. This is Captain Gray Wyckoff. I wanted to discuss the trip you’ve applied for with the Dalton—”
“Oh yes,” she cut in, “I’m glad you called back so quickly. I’ll need a few special conditions while on board. I have a delicate lung condition and I’ll need a room to myself with a self-contained environmental system not shared with the rest of your ship. Do you have a room like that on board?”
“Yes, but—”
“Great. Also, I’ll need to arrive on the Parsec Colony as soon as possible. I’m securing a treatment for my lung condition and the sooner I get it, the safer I’ll be. What’s the best time possible to get across the galaxy? Could it be accomplished in less than ten days? I’d like to depart as soon as possible.”
“Miss Drake—”
“Dr. Drake, if you please. I hate to be difficult, but it’s really hard for a woman in the science field to—”
“I can’t take you to the Parsec Colony.” Gray finally got a few words in when he raised his voice.
“I beg your pardon?”
He repeated, “I can’t take you to the Parsec Colony.”
“Why not? I have the auto-response confirming my request. The funds have been sent. You must. There isn’t any other transport service listed as authorized to go to that sector within the next month.”
“My crew is exhausted. I’ve only just returned to Bravura in the last hour. My auto-responder shouldn’t have activated. I’m sorry, Dr. Drake, but I can’t put my ship safely in space for another week at the earliest.”
There was silence on the other end for a long moment and he thought she had disconnected before he heard crying.
God, he was such a shit. He shouldn’t have raised his voice. Her agonized sob sent a dagger straight to his soul.
“Please don’t cry. It can’t be good for your lungs. I’ll dispatch a refund to your account immediately and—”
“No! Ohmigod. Don’t send a refund!” Her shout startled his heart into almost skipping a beat.
“Why not?”
She sniffed a couple of times before whispering, “Please. You don’t understand I need to get my cure, Captain Wyckoff. I’m absolutely desperate. Please tell me how much money you need. What will it take for you to get me off this planet tonight?” Her impassioned request was very intriguing if only to get a look at the woman who went with the sexy voice.
Unfortunately, his mutinous curiosity wasn’t making the decision. It was his turn to sigh. “It isn’t about the money, Dr. Drake. Getting you off this planet within the next week would take a miracle.”
Again she was silent for so long he checked his device to see if they were still connected. Her quiet tone made him lean forward as if hunkering over his desk would help him hear better.
“My brother, Philip, is the political manager to Governor Brawley. It would upset him greatly to discover you didn’t make every effort on my behalf, Captain Wyckoff.”
Shit. The PM to the governor of this entire sector had the kind of powerful and influential clout he couldn’t even hope to buy. The slim opportunity for a face-to-face contact made him giddy with untold success. He most assuredly didn’t want to piss off anyone connected to the Governor.
Thinking through all the amazing stunts he’d have to pull off to make this impromptu trip to the Parsec Colony work, he said calmly, “I’ll tell you what. If you’d be willing to get me an audience with your brother in the form of an official appointment for potential service runs to the governor’s planet, I’ll lift you off this planet before midnight.”
“Midnight is in just under four hours.”
“That is correct. Send me a carbon copy of the request to your brother and we’ll be on our way tonight.”
“Then we’re in accord. I’ll send the message to my brother before we leave and schedule a trade pitch meeting for you upon our return to Bravura in a month.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll see you before midnight then. Thank you, Captain Wyckoff. I appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome. The Dalton is located at dock seventeen. And I’ll have your self-contained room ready upon your arrival.”
She disconnected without saying anything else, and Gray hoped he could pull this feat of madness off. He also desperately wished that the best first officer he’d ever had, Nathan, wasn’t already gone from the planet or he would have stolen him from the Mirage and enlisted his help for this journey.
* * * *
Penelope had to sit after her conversation with Captain Wyckoff. The close call had caused unprecedented tears. She never cried. And certainly never in front of anyone. Alice’s mention that the SOS virus made her cry more flitted across Penelope’s memory. The indignities of this disease were seemingly endless.
The silver box from her brother caught her eye again. Staring at it earlier had given her the idea of leverage to dangle over the captain’s probable greed. Most thought twice about crossing the trade governor in a negative way, and everyone else wanted an audience to promote themselves or their business.
Captain Wyckoff was no different, obviously. His attitude had certainly changed when she’d mentioned the Governor. The only foreseeable problem was she didn’t really have any leverage. Worse, she’d fibbed about the relationship her brother had with the governor’s manager. Her brother wasn’t actually the manager, just one of many who worked for the PM.
She hated the lie, but given her predicament the lie couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, her brother’s communication address listed him with the governor’s office. She could send a coded message tagging the captain’s address and at least fool him enough to get off the planet tonight.
She’d spend the rest of her life paying off what she owed to Captain Wyckoff if needed, but for tonight, she needed a ride to get her cure. She also hated that she’d cried. She so rarely wept, it had been a surprise when the hot, fat tears spilled across her cheeks in utter despair that he wouldn’t help her with this monumental personal problem.
She gathered a change of clothes. She didn’t dare try to make it to her apartment without coming across a man she’d want to have her wicked way with…like Nathan.
The look on Nathan’s face when he finally understood what she wanted in that alley was pressed into her memory. But she ignored it in favor of getting to dock seventeen and into the self-contained room before her oxygen packs ran out.
Checking her gauge, she grimaced. The tank held a lot, but it would be close. She composed a carefully worded message to her brother requesting what she knew he likely couldn’t provide, and hedging her reasons for what she wanted and why she needed the appointment with the Governor so desperately.
Her second correspondence involved an emergency request for leave. She hinted it had someth
ing to do with a message from her brother. She hated using his lofty position so much, but her predicament left her little choice.
The final problem to resolve was payment for the return to Bravura. It would be due before their return. Captain Gray Wyckoff could strand her on the Parsec Colony, which would be game over for her career, but at least she’d be cured of this horrid disease.
If her brother had the money to deposit to her personal account, he would do so, if not, she was screwed. Perhaps she could arrange monthly payments to the captain once they’d arrived at the Parsec Colony. If she got back to the science lab with the cure in time to save her job, it would be a miracle, but at this juncture she didn’t have any other choice.
Her communicator’s buzz wrenched her from the despondent mood she’d sunk into. How would she ever pull this madness off?
“Yes.” Penelope set her communication device to receive video signal, but left hers to voice only. Damon’s face filled the small screen.
“It’s Damon. Everything is set for the test.” He switched the feed and connected her to the camera in the observation room.
Penelope zoomed the frame slightly. “Tell Karl to go in.”
“He isn’t here yet. Why can’t I go in?” His whine angered her, but she didn’t have time for that tonight.
“Fine, but take in a tranquilizer when you go. I don’t want her forced into suffering another sexual encounter today.”
Damon’s deep sigh of disagreement rankled her nerves. “I’ll be happy to quench her thirst for sex.”
“No. Find a prostitute if you want sex so bad, Damon. Do not, I repeat, do not have sex with Alice.”
Penelope flipped the camera to the observation room and watched as Damon pouted, but he grabbed a tranquillizer shot on his way to Alice’s room.
Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4