by J. S. Wayne
“What has happened here? This man is a member of my diplomatic entourage. I am lodging a formal complaint against the government of Dusk and the DDC for allowing harm to come to him!” Al-Aziz raged on like that for some minutes, all sound and fury, making damn sure everyone in the city heard the diatribe. No one paid him more than the minimum attention his rank demanded.
Pete, who was feeling much better now that the matrix had taken full effect, raised an eyebrow. “Ambassador, if it wasn’t for their actions, I wouldn’t be alive to bitch about getting shot right now. You want to blame someone, blame the renegade who decided it was a good idea to pop off with a plasma rifle.”
Al-Aziz looked down his nose at Pete. “I assume you were too careless, or preoccupied --” He trailed off and gave Olivia a long, lascivious once-over, obviously noting her state of dishabille. Pete gritted his teeth. With a sneer, Al-Aziz continued. “-- To pay attention to your surroundings. Rest assured, I will also be reporting back to General Neville about your foolishness. The last thing I need to explain right now is a deceased member of my retinue, Colonel. Do you understand?”
Olivia raised her voice, her tone icily furious. “Ambassador, that will be quite enough.”
Al-Aziz froze, his eyes bulging as if he’d swallowed a bug. “I beg your pardon, Madame Ambassador?”
“First, you are a guest here and will comport yourself as such, Ambassador. Please do not make the mistake of thinking I or my people will remain passive to threats. Second, Colonel Pedro Silva is a hero, as far as the government of Dusk is concerned. He was wounded in the line of duty while protecting a senior diplomatic representative of Dusk. Therefore, I hereby award Colonel Silva --” She paused and spread her hands wide, speaking loudly and clearly enough to invest the moment with the appropriate drama. “-- With the Dusk Diplomatic Corps Meritorious Service Medal!”
She turned away from Al-Aziz as if he had ceased to exist, which Pete would bet that to her he had, and faced Pete directly.
“Colonel Silva, will you do me the honor of wearing your dress blues this evening, so I can personally award you in public, as befits your sacrifice and your service?”
He looked into her eyes, giving her a crooked little boyish smile. “It will be my great pleasure, Ambassador.”
“Excellent. I would consider it a personal favor if you would join me and my bodyguard for a private meal in my quarters before the ceremony,” Olivia added, shading her tone and phrasing in a way calculated to blister Al-Aziz’s ego further with the clear implication that he was very definitely not invited. Pete fought the urge to cheer at her audacity. “It would be a great pleasure to entertain you, Colonel.”
Al-Aziz’s face darkened to an almost-apoplectic shade. Before he could say anything, Olivia laced her arm through Pete’s and stalked away, Merrick shadowing closely enough that Pete could feel his breath on the back of his neck.
“Do you want dinner first… or dessert?” Olivia murmured, giving Pete a wicked little smile and a wink.
Despite his aching shoulder, he returned her smile with compound interest.
“Life’s uncertain. Let’s have dessert first.”
Olivia’s low, sensual laugh set his cock stirring. “Good choice,” she replied.
“I second that,” Merrick volunteered from behind Pete.
Pete decided that for all his misgivings about this benighted mission, at least it offered some perks…
J.S. Wayne
Born in Amarillo, Texas, J.S. Wayne has lived, worked, and traveled in approximately three quarters of the North American continent, and has amassed a résumé that could kindly be described as “eclectic.” He currently resides in Southern Utah, where he attends Southern Utah University as an undergraduate English major with a creative writing emphasis. He is actively involved with the Kolob Canyon Review, SUU’s literary journal, is an Honors student and member of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honors society, and is the founder and CEO of Writing Out Child Abuse, a charitable initiative to raise funds and awareness for survivors of child abuse worldwide. He is active in the Southern Utah arts community and is a member in good standing of the Cedar City Arts Council.
J.S. Wayne describes himself as “a male romance writer, without apologies!” J.S. can be found on Twitter @Author_JSWayne, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/js.wayne.5 and can be contacted via email at [email protected]. He enjoys talking with and hearing from his readers, and he invites you to drop him a line!
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