by JAX
A picture of Evie popped into Jace’s head. Why couldn’t he forget about her? She’d treated him like every client he’d serviced over the last nine years. He’d woken in her bed, surrounded by the scent of sex and the memory of her soft body under his. By the time he realized she’d gone to shower, cold foreboding had filled him.
But he’d still hoped. Hoped she’d want him to stay the day, stay the weekend so they could know each other better. Everything about her fascinated him, drew him in like a moth to a flame. Her brassy attitude and stubborn streak, the way she wielded a pistol. Her dedication to the inn, he’d seen her love for it in every detail. And her laugh, he could have spent a week just holding her soft body in his arms listening to that husky chuckle.
Yes, Jace had wanted more time, but Evie couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. The “connecting” they’d done the night before had been all in his head. And now he needed to get the stupid idea out and move on with his life.
He’d just reclined, ready to start another set, but his comm unit trilled. Reg’s went off a second later. Reaching into his pocket, Jace withdrew the small device and keyed in his code.
“I have a job for you,” Miranda Bane said. “Meet me in the conference room in ten.”
“Will do.” Tucking his comm away, Jace stood and looked to Reg, who had the same conversation.
“Must be some job if they need both of us,” Reg said. “Wealthy Widows Gone Wild?”
Jace shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
After a quick sonic shower, he sat at the conference table with Reg and two other pleasure companions. Miranda breezed into the room, her gaze flitting across them impassively.
“Gentlemen, thank you for coming. I don’t have to tell you that time is money, so I’ll get right to the point.” Placing a small 3-D imager on the table, she depressed the button and a hologram of a sleek blond woman sprung to life. She strode to the end of the table, paused, smoldered, then strode back to the projection box, braless tits wiggling beneath a flimsy top. “I trust you know who this is?”
Reg let out a low whistle. “Whoa, don’t tell me we’ll be servicing Constance.”
“Constance?” Jace frowned. He’d never heard her name before, but he’d seen her all over holographic billboards in Times Square.
“She’s marrying David Abernathy Junior next Saturday, so, no, you won’t be servicing her. She and her intended have signed a one-on-one pact. However, Maude Abernathy has arranged a special trip, a weeklong solar system cruise leading up to the main event. You’ve been hired, gentlemen, to entertain the single ladies in the bridal party on board the Trist.”
Jace blinked, utterly stunned. The Abernathys owned a line of freight cruisers that dealt with interstellar trade, as well as a fleet of luxury cruise space ships. A trip for two aboard one was a costly venture, one most people would save their entire lives to afford. Buying out the ship for a wedding party and adding four pleasure companions to the mix was unfathomable. No one else would have been able to afford such decadence.
“A bachelorette party in outer space?”
Miranda’s eyes were bright with avarice. “Yes, the four of you have been selected because you have the highest satisfaction ratings. In essence, you’re the best of the best. And for the kind of exposure this event will bring, I want to ensure that the pre-wedding cruise goes off without a hitch.”
She rattled on for a few minutes about specifics before she said, “Due to the importance of this event, I’m granting you the rest of this week off to prepare for the trip. Your standing appointments have been reassigned to other pleasure companions. Rest, workout, take care of whatever personal business you have to, but be at the space port by eleven hundred hours Friday morning for wheels up.”
His mind still reeling, Jace was about to follow Reg from the conference room when Miranda called out, “Jace, a moment, please.”
Jace returned to his seat and looked up at her. Miranda had once been a pleasure companion too; actually, one of his trainers. A few years ago she’d been promoted out of the field into special projects management.
“Jace, it’s essential that we pull this off flawlessly. Rumors are flying about the missing board members bailing on the company and lots of bad press to contend with. We need positive PR. You’re going to be my eyes and ears up there. Make sure everyone is safe and happy. You manage this and we’re both looking at big, fat promotions.” Her green cat eyes glimmered.
Jace’s heart leapt. To be given the chance was impressive enough, but the promise of a promotion at the end of it? “Could I be a full-time trainer?” Though it wasn’t the most glamorous aspect, trainers were vital to Illustra’s corporate structure, and the nature of the job would give him freedom at nights, to date, the way Reg did. To find the right woman.
He refused to think about Evie.
“Honey, you make this happen, you can run the whole training department.” Miranda crossed her long legs and smiled to assure him.
Jace nodded and grinned. “If you need me, I’ll be down at R&D. There’s a special project, and I want to see if it’s ready for the field yet.”
Miranda nodded and winked. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
“So, what’s the big surprise?” Evie asked as a hovercab whisked them away from the airport.
Constance squeezed her hand. “You’ll see soon enough.”
She studied her daughter from head to toe. “You look beautiful, baby girl,” Evie murmured.
Constance was always a vision, but her excitement made her effervescent. Evie loved that her daughter kept an air of innocence instead of adopting the unaffected air so common among city dwellers.
Like the one Jace had when she’d first picked him up.
Stop thinking about him! she told herself firmly. But she couldn’t help herself. At first she’d believed it was the inn that was superimposing him into her thoughts. The scent of him on her sheets the night after he’d left, or the damp towel he’d left on the back of the door. She couldn’t even look at her favorite chaise or the kitchen counter without recalling the feel of his hands and mouth on her body, building her arousal, stoking her fire until she burned hot.
She’d refunded his credits. He hadn’t taken up a room because he’d slept in hers, and after the things they’d done she didn’t feel right taking his money. She’d used the excuse to get his address from the Credit Service Bureau, an address that was only three blocks from her daughter’s apartment. As soon as Constance was otherwise occupied, Evie had every intention of going to his house.
From there, her plan grew hazy. What if he was married or in a committed relationship? But as the week progressed and she thought about Jace, that idea seemed more like her own irrational fears than actual possibilities. She didn’t know him well, but she doubted Jace could have made love to her so openly if he was cheating on someone else.
More likely, he’d slam the door in her face. She’d been a coward and had no right to expect anything of him. But the chance that he might still want to be with her, that they could share more of the magic they had found made her a little reckless.
First things first, she needed to spend time with her daughter, to see if there was anything she could say or do to make Constance reconsider. She had to tread carefully, though, because the last thing she wanted was to alienate her baby girl.
“Here we are,” Constance sang out, practically vibrating with energy.
Evie looked around but didn’t see a part of town she recognized. Instead, it looked similar to the airport, only these planes were vastly bigger in both length and girth. “Constance, what the heck’s going on?”
“We’re going on a space cruise!” Constance squealed, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Momma, I know how much you’ve wanted to see the stars up close. Isn’t this just fabulous?”
“Fantastic,” Evie muttered faintly. There would be no trip to see Jace, no second chance.
Constance’s face fell. “What’s wrong? I tho
ught you’d love it.”
Evie cleared her throat and plastered a bright smile on her face. “I do love it. I’m just surprised is all. And how can you do this, take time off right before the wedding?” Hope bloomed that maybe Constance had decided to call it off.
“That’s the best part, the entire wedding party is coming with us! We’re going to be married on board tomorrow night!”
Crap. Crap, crap, crappy crap, crap. So, no Jace and the wedding was still on. Would none of the cards fall her way?
Evie followed Constance through the terminal. Their bags were pushed on an anti-grav pallet up the ramp leading to the docking tunnel. Walking through the endless snaking gateway, Evie had the unsettling sense of déjà vu, like she was being born. Or dying. Whatever waited on the other side would surely change her forever.
The tunnel finally spat them out onto a crowded deck. Unlike a regular plane, there were no rows of seats waiting for them. Instead, people milled about with glasses of champagne, talking and laughing.
Constance grinned down on her from her lofty five foot ten height. “Well, what do you think?”
“It looks like a party in full swing, not a ship about to be launched into space.”
“Oh, that’s my soon-to-be father-in-law’s stabilizer design. The ship will be in orbit before we even know it took off. Very expensive to make, so they only use them on luxury voyages.”
“Baby, there you are.” David Abernathy strode forward and kissed Constance on the cheek. Evie watched him closely, this wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was a handsome devil with jet-black hair slicked back like a casino pit boss out of an old Vegas-era movie and dark chocolate eyes. His angular jaw was freshly shaven, and his white teeth gleamed as his smile flashed out at her. She didn’t like the proprietary glint in David’s eye or the way he placed a hand around her daughter’s waist, but Constance grinned at him adoringly.
“David, you remember my mother.”
“Mrs. Ripley, so good of you to come.” Abernathy’s grin seemed genuine enough, but it didn’t make Evie like him anymore.
“My daughter is about to get married. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Evie bared her teeth in what she hoped passed for a smile.
David inclined his head. “Can I fetch you lovely ladies a drink?”
Evie didn’t drink often, because she’d spent too many years dealing with the consequences of Yon’s intoxication to truly enjoy herself, but Constance answered for her. “Yes, please, a glass of champagne each.”
“Coming right up.” David slithered off toward the bar.
“He moves like a snake,” Evie muttered.
“Momma, behave,” Constance implored. “This is supposed to be fun.”
Crowded rooms aboard ships about to be launched into space had never been Evie’s idea of a good time, but she’d be damned if she let her introverted ignorance ruin Constance’s fun. “Sorry, love, I guess I’m just a little done in.”
Her daughter’s face softened and she tucked a strand of hair behind Evie’s ear. “You work too hard.”
“Someone’s gotta do it,” she muttered as David returned with two champagne flutes.
“Well said.” An elegantly dressed woman with ash-blond hair moved up behind David and handed him a glass.
“Mother, this is Constance’s mother, Evelyn Ripley. Evelyn, may I introduce Maude Abernathy?”
Maude extended a jewel-covered hand that Evie shook automatically. The woman’s hand reminded her of holding a dead trout, if someone had taken the time to bedazzle it in precious stones.
“Constance has told me so much about you. Come, let’s leave the lovebirds so we can become better acquainted. I’m sure we’ll be great friends.”
Yeah, they were just two peas in a pod.
Evie drained her glass as Maude whisked her off on a tour of the main room. Maude seemed perfectly happy to natter on and on, and Evie swapped her empty champagne flute for a full one from a passing server.
Maude knew everyone, of course, and a sea of beautiful faces blurred together. Evie desperately wanted to escape before she made a fool out of herself and embarrassed Constance. She smiled until her face hurt and listened, laughed at the right moments, and scanned the crowd desperately for any sign of her daughter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I’m happy to report we have achieved orbit around the earth. We will be turning the reflectors on momentarily.”
“That’s it?” Evie asked Maude, who seemed to be wavering a little.
Maude nodded. “I’ll bet you didn’t even feel us break gravity, did you?”
The only thing Evie was feeling were the aftereffects of too much champagne on an empty stomach. She looked around for a buffet of some sort. Nothing, no food to be seen, not even nutri gel. No wonder all these people were so thin.
Maude was still going on about the stabilizers. “… worth their weight in platinum, I tell you. Oh, speaking of which”—she waved someone over before turning to Evie—“I hope you don’t mind, but I arranged for a little company for you. You know David and Constance barely have any time together, what with her traveling, and this trip is supposed to be a sort of pre-honeymoon for them.”
“So thoughtful,” Evie hiccupped.
“Yes, well, in any event, I want to introduce you to one of Illustra’s finest pleasure companions. He’ll see to your every desire, isn’t that right?”
“It’ll be my pleasure,” a man murmured from behind Evie.
Whirling around, she stared in absolute shock up into Jace’s gray-green eyes. The champagne flute shattered where it hit the deck.
* * *
6
Jace recovered from his amazement and grabbed Evie’s arm to steady her. It was clear from the high color in her cheeks and her unfocused gaze that the broken champagne flute at her feet wasn’t her first of the evening.
He couldn’t have her making a scene and knowing Evie, she was gearing up to give him what for. But keeping up appearances and a lid on commotion was his number one priority. Every career goal he’d set for himself was riding on this voyage, their attainment dependent on its success.
But those goals seemed very far away with his hand on Evie’s warm arm, staring into her big blue eyes again. Because Maude Abernathy was standing right there, watching his every move, he brought Evie’s knuckles to his lips. “Jace Donovan, Illustra pleasure companion at your service.”
“Is that right?” Evie pulled her hand back. Her lips compressed in a tight line and her eyes promised fifth circle of hell type of consequences.
Just then, the lights dimmed as the captain turned on the reflectors. The once-opaque ceiling now showed a clear view of the earth from space with stars twinkling in the distance. A hush fell over the crowd at the heavenly sight so close one could almost reach up and touch it. Every head in the room tilted upward to take it all in.
Every head but his. Jace watched Evie blink in wonder at the glory of the cosmos spread out before her. Her lush lips parted as she stared for an endless moment.
His heart rate kicked up and a grin spread across his face. He’d never thought he’d see her again and now she was his assignment, the prickly mother of the bride Maude Abernathy had told him to keep busy for the week.
Jace smiled. The possibilities of how to do that were as endless as the vista above them.
“Allow me to show you to your room,” he muttered low in Evie’s ear. She shivered but didn’t argue. Placing his hand at the small of her back, he guided her out of the room and down the hall to her private suite.
The reflectors lined the entire hull of the ship and Evie had been assigned a suite on the top level. Her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling as he ushered her through the door and sat her down on the chaise.
“Lie back and look your fill,” he commanded, and she did. He sat on the floor next to her, watching her face as she stared up at the cosmos. If she’d been another woman, he might have started undressing her, massaging her unti
l she was ready for a deeper touch, but he wanted to make sure Evie wasn’t armed.
“I wasn’t going to make a scene, you know,” she said, her eyes still fixed on the view. “It’s my daughter’s pre-wedding event. I may have dust on my boots and hay in my hair, but I’m not as tactless as that.”
“So you’re not here to break up the wedding?” Maude Abernathy had told him otherwise.
Evie finally looked at him. “I think she’s making a mistake.”
“You daughter is a grown woman, it’s hers to make.”
“Like the ones I’ve made?” Evie looked at him pointedly.
Jace’s stomach dropped. “You think sleeping with me was a mistake?”
“I think sleeping with a man I barely knew was a mistake. Pleasure companion, Jace? Why didn’t you tell me?” Her lip trembled.
He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, Evie. I would have told you, but you made it clear you didn’t want to see me again.”
“And for that I deserved to be kept in the dark?”
How could he make her understand? “It’s just that I wanted you to see me for me, and not as some sex toy. I wanted more from you, and I’ve learned that most woman who know what I do for a living don’t see me as relationship material.”
“That’s no excuse to lie to me. In fact, it’s a good thing I didn’t know because when I did find out, it would have been a deal breaker.”
“Because of my job,” he seethed.
“Because you intentionally deceived me. Because I can’t trust you.” Evie shook her head and withdrew her hand. “What a mess.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” His cock was already hard, just from feeling her soft skin, inhaling her sweet scent. Moving closer, he hovered over her, letting his enhanced pheromones work their magic, helping to relax her. “We’re here now, we have a second chance.”
“You’re on the clock,” she shot back, but refused to meet his eyes. Despite her venom, he sensed the hurt lurking in the shadows.
“How can I fix this?” he asked, tucking a strand of silky dark hair behind her ear. “How do I make it right between us?”