by Viola Grace
“The examiner should know. They probably went through it looking for incriminating messages.”
“Oh. What about the communication from here?”
“Extraordinarily encrypted. Nothing from us except your deposits.”
“Oh. That could look bad.”
“Well, you now have proof your patron likes to give you exorbitant gifts. You are getting along well with Salat?”
“Um, yes? He mentioned an exclusivity contract.”
“Yes, it is on record here, but you obviously haven’t had the means to sign it. I mean, if you wanted to sign it.”
She bit her lip. “I like Salat, don’t get me wrong, but he is a bit much.”
Zera looked at her as they moved toward Khytten’s wardrobe.
“No, not that. He definitely wants me for my body. But there is something else in his eyes. Like he never thought to find anyone either. That is kinda scary. I get the feeling that he isn’t going to let me out of his sight or, at least, out of his monitoring range.” She wasn’t sure, but she thought that her jacket chuckled.
She sat at a small table in a business suit tailored to fit her, and she smiled as the examiner sat across from her. “Good afternoon.”
He smiled and nodded. “Good afternoon. Miss Danforth?”
“Correct.”
“I am Examiner Tell. Pleased to meet you.”
She extended her hand to his, and his eyes went wide at the contact.
When his gaze fixed on her chest, she knew what kind of examiner he was. Contact exam.
“How much can you see?”
“Six hours.”
She nodded. “I was rescued by my patron.”
He released her hand and rubbed his fingers together. “You and he are close?”
“At intervals. My abduction was crafted by the Mentor, though. My patron doesn’t have to kidnap me; he just has to book me.”
“Maybe he was tired of paying.”
She stared at the examiner. “He is out of town now and is offering me funds so that I can get a new place.”
“You are content to be under his thumb?”
“He has a very talented thumb. But, none of the people or places around here offer help to the working poor. You are either successful or ground under a boot.”
He checked his notes. “You are a wetnurse?”
She snorted. “I am a data entry clerk. I donate milk to the neonatal unit of the hospital and a few other children’s charities.”
He frowned. “Your other employer did not notice you were missing.”
“I know I have probably been fired. Two days gone without calling in isn’t acceptable to them.”
“We can notify them that you were abducted.”
“It won’t do much good. I will wrap up my employment with them over a call.” She grimaced. “If I do stay there, I will have to answer questions, and I don’t want to relive the experience over and over again.”
“Well, I will record this, so hopefully, we only need to do it once.”
She nodded and explained waking shackled up and the guy molesting her. She also did not conceal her counterattack.
“My patron said I would get the bounty on the dead guy, so that is more start-over funding.”
He smiled and said, “It is doubtful that an attack like that would be worth... holy shit.”
Tell looked at her in surprise. “The bounty has been issued by the government offices and deposited in your accounts. The bounty was not only for the man that you described. One point five million has been deposited for your part in finding and expunging a criminal stronghold.”
She nearly fell off her chair. “What?”
“Hunting active criminals is a definitely lucrative occupation. Now, I need the name of your patron for confirmation.”
Zera walked in and handed him a slip of paper and then walked out.
The examiner looked at the paper and then looked at Khytten. “Salat? The Demon Cat of Aksalla? He is your patron?”
She nodded.
He exhaled and made notes. “At least the massacre in the desert now makes sense. So, he found you and rescued you?”
“More or less. The criminals had made free with me while I was unconscious, and some items had to be removed. Then we negotiated the price of my freedom, and he still hasn’t told me what that is.”
“Perhaps he was joking, Miss.”
“That is doubtful. He does not joke when it comes to doing jobs. I was a job.”
“I don’t think that was the case, Miss.”
She snorted. “He also doesn’t like other people playing with his toys. That was probably it. Frankly. I blame his mother.”
Zera’s snort came from inside her office.
The examiner just looked at her, asked a few more questions, and made a hasty retreat.
* * * *
Salat finished listening to the interview in his audio implant, and he grinned as he lunged out to take care of another terrorist cell with hostages. His little kitten meeting his mother would be something to see. Bitter steel versus angry fluff. It was something he was going to make happen.
Chapter Fifteen
Zera breathed a sigh of relief that Khytten was back and safe. When the examiner left, Khytten looked around and winced. “Do you need any help in here?”
“Uh, if you have time.” Khytten said, “I am going to have to go down to the peacekeeper depot to get my com.”
“Why?”
“It is broken. They need to issue me a writ to get a new one.”
Zera looked at her warily. “That’s weird.”
“Is it? I know you are probably swamped, but can you come with me? In like, ten minutes.”
Khytten looked nervous, her fingers were tangled together, and she looked oddly embarrassed.
“Sure. Why ten... oh.” Khytten needed to make a withdrawal. “Take twenty. Keep the business suit, though. Folks are less likely to mess with you. High heels though. That keeps them from dismissing you. You want them to look.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” She left.
Fifteen minutes she was back wearing four-inch heels with her hair up in a twist and a curl cascading down her shoulder against her neck with very obvious bright dots visible.
Zera laughed. “He bit you?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t drink blood, so this was just for fun.” She grumbled. “I thought it might cement the idea that I have been engaged in frisky behaviour after my apartment blew up.”
“The examiner won’t be there.”
“I know, but it is in my file already. Peacekeepers gossip like teenagers. I saw the news. My connection to the Blind Date Corporation was already divulged based on information in my shattered com. They went through it and found everything they could. If I have to be an expensive escort, I am going to look like one.” She sighed. “I am going to have to go shopping. I hate shopping.”
Zera laughed at the disgust in her face. She opened a file. “Dainty drew these up for you, but we never had a client that would need them. What do you think?”
Khytten inhaled sharply. “Those are so pretty... and so slutty.” The woman drew her head back sharply. “He’s listening and talking. What do you mean you had it put in during the healing? I can so be trusted on my own.”
Zera snorted as she caught on to what the one-sided conversation indicated. “You have an implant.”
Khytten looked at her. “Apparently, and it contains a chatty fucker. Wait. Are you killing people while you are talking to me? No, I am not going to describe the clothes. No, I am not. Shut up now. The guy you just hit is gargling a lot. You might want to get on that. Okay. That’s better. Keep the eavesdropping to a minimum. No, I am not going to do that. No, it doesn’t count as a date. Go back to work.”
Zera laughed. “He had a live com implanted in you?”
She grimaced. “Apparently. Thank god he doesn’t have visuals.”
“Let’s go to the depot and get you back in touch with the normal world instead of your patron.
”
Khytten held up a finger. “Yes, I know that the contract is waiting, and I am sure you were very generous. Yes, I will thank you properly when I see you.”
Zera snorted and got her jacket. “The transport is waiting.”
They left together and sat in the transport. When they arrived at the depot, Zera went first. Khytten walked with her, and Zera was happy when the woman introduced herself at the desk.
“Ah, Miss Danforth. Please, come this way.”
Zera moved to accompany Khytten, and when the desk officer stopped her, Zera said, “Pursuant to Code sixteen dash three, any citizen is entitled to a companion when dealing with the peacekeepers in a non-criminal capacity. You are not taking her anywhere alone.”
The officer blinked. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Zera walked with Khytten, and they went to the rear of the office where a captain’s private office waited for them. This was definitely unusual. They had just been walked past the entire shop. Khytten smiled politely. “Captain Minwell? I was told I needed to come here to get my shattered com and a writ that says it was broken while I was the victim of a criminal action.”
The captain leaned back and looked her over, and then, he looked to Zera. “Who are you?”
“Researcher Zera.”
He looked over her dismissively, and then, it struck him. “You are the one from the interview. The nympho who was on Torun.”
“Not a nympho; I just don’t have to play the monogamy game. It is rather refreshing. If you weren’t in a relationship, I would suggest that you try it yourself.” Zera smiled. “I am also the owner of Z-Tech, and I have made all the weapons in this building. I would watch your next words very carefully.”
The captain scowled. “This is a bit of paperwork. Please, have a seat.”
Zera noted that the chairs had been moved back eighteen inches. She glanced up and saw the security camera positioned to look down Khytten’s shirt. She grabbed the chairs and moved them close to the desk.
Khytten looked at her with a frown.
“Ah, the security camera from the hallway was at a particularly bad angle... for you,” Zera murmured.
“Ah. Right. That again.” She sat, and Zera sat next to her.
Zera looked around, and there was a casually moving line of guys who were trying to get a look at Khytten. So, the word was out as to what her active status was.
“Miss Danforth, was there any reason that you didn’t register as an active?”
* * *. *
Khytten sighed. “Yes. Being marked as an active makes folks look at you to determine what form it took. I was already tired of being looked at, and my situation didn’t warrant being added to the program. Folks—men especially—look at me and draw certain inferences because some glands grew abnormally large. I can’t control it, I am not fond of it, and being treated like a freak is not on my list of things to do today.”
She smiled pleasantly at the captain, whose gaze was buried in her cleavage. “It seems some idiots can’t look past the tits.”
He jerked his gaze up, and he grinned and then frowned. “Did you just insult me?”
“I don’t know. The insult would only land if you were staring at my chest. So, as you are a respectable peacekeeper, who is out for the benefit of those under their care, including me, can you please start the process so I can replace my com?”
He blinked and nodded. “Right. So, you were in your apartment, according to the report.”
“I was.”
“There was a gift box on the floor.”
“There was.”
“It was from an expensive boutique.”
She mourned the loss of the gown and robe. “I have no doubt.”
“Who was it from?”
“My patron.”
“Does he often send you gifts?”
“That was the first time. My first gift from him, and it was torn up and then torn up some more. I was upset.”
“So, this is a man who pays to have sex with you?”
Khytten smiled. “Eventually.”
“How much does that cost?”
Khytten paused. She knew how much showed up in her account but wasn’t sure how much Blind Date took off the top. “Zera?”
“Miss Danforth’s presence commands a price of fifteen thousand for a four-hour span. The corporation takes twenty percent for administration and wardrobe.”
The captain’s eyes bugged out. “For four hours?”
Zera chuckled. “Of course. All of my escorts, male or female, have to have active capabilities that make them suitable sexual partners for folks who are strong, fast, or have particular requirements. Some are declared and some are not. Khytten’s patron had been on the books for a while, and after she had a few trial dates with other patrons, they had a date, and it went well.”
“Very well.” His voice rumbled through her skull. She tried not to jump.
“So, he sent you a three-thousand-dollar negligee?”
She mourned the loss all over again. “Aw, man. It’s worse than I thought. It was so pretty.”
“I will get you another. A wardrobe full, though that would be more for me than for you.”
She smiled slightly. The captain was riveted, and it seemed to be her expression that did it.
She spoke. “Captain? Is there anything else?”
He shook his head to clear it. “Yes. Um, you were abducted after your apartment exploded. Where were you taken?”
“One of the deserts. It was hot when I woke up.”
“How did you get free?”
“Ah. My patron came to get me.”
Zera nodded. “I contacted him when the news caused an alert on my com. There was no way for me to get to her, but he has more resources available to him. He brought her back, relatively intact.”
The snort in her ear made her smile. “Given more time, I could have done so much more.”
She shivered and was glad that her jacket was covering her nipples. She didn’t want to draw any more attention than she was already.
“Relatively?”
Khytten smiled. “He got a little bitey, but I heal quickly.”
“Sorry, not sorry. Shall I put an end to this?”
She exhaled in her sexiest tone. “Please, Patron.”
The captain’s com went off, and Khytten looked to Zera.
Warily, the captain answered the call on a handset, and as the call went on, the captain’s expression grew slightly fearful.
Zera smiled. “I know that face. Salat’s on the line.”
The com went loud, and the captain was horrified. “Hello, kitten. Feeling well? I will be done with my out-of-town work tomorrow and look forward to seeing you.”
She fought the heat in her cheeks. “I would check to see the booking, but I don’t have my com yet.”
“Ah, the good captain will set you up with that. If he doesn’t, he and I will have a conversation when I return to the capitol, and I don’t think that he wants that to happen, isn’t that correct, Captain?”
The captain swallowed and nodded. “Correct, Agent Salat. She will have her com in a moment.”
“Oh, while I wait. Please proceed. I will end the call when she has her com and not before. Also, tell your men to stop staring at them. It is rude.” Salat’s low voice rolled out of the com.
Zera was chuckling.
Khytten grinned. “Suddenly, I want an I heart the Demon Cat of Aksalla t-shirt.”
He purred smoothly, “Whatever you want, kitten. Your wishes are my desires, and I have very poor impulse control around you.”
The captain realized that this was rapidly turning into a session between lovers, and he opened his drawer. “Here is the com. Here is the writ from us and the one from the teams.”
Her mouth fell open slightly, and she snapped it shut. “Right. Well. Thanks.”
“You need to sign for it, kitten.” His tone was gentle.
“Oh. Right.” She looked to the man behind the desk.
The captain fluttered around and showed a signature tablet to her. She got up and signed for it.
“Captain, please, don’t look down her blouse. The positioning of the cameras in the depot is particularly unfortunate. It is almost like you set a trap for a victim of abduction and assault, but you wouldn’t do that, now would you?”
The captain looked positively green. “You can see me?”
“I have intercepted your feed and directed all of the cameras to you. They are going to remain that way until you begin to understand a bit of what my kitten goes through. It is not fun to be watched at all times. The feeds will randomly display your office to folk in the depot. You can be in it or not, but the spotlight will still be there. It will end when I feel like it or when kitten asks me to stop, and she will have to ask me very nicely.”
“Stop being such an asshole.” She grumped. “Just turn the surveillance on randomly when he is at his desk. Or entering or leaving the men’s room.”
Laughter filled the room. “There are your claws.”
She nodded to Zera. “I have the com and the writs. We can go now.”
Zera’s shoulders were shaking as Salat singsonged out, “Have fun, kitten.”
“Jackass!” She called it out as they left the room.
“Miss you, too!”
“It has been six hours!”
“I am counting the minutes as well, kitten. Have fun with Zera.”
“I am leaving now!”
He was laughing uproariously as the office door closed behind them.
Zera was laughing so hard that Khytten had to support her as they headed out to their transport. The com registry office was across the street, and they went to get the replacement. It was fairly smooth with the writs to get the new com unit, and Khytten splurged for the best model available, recommended by Zera.
Once she had her small communicator and projector, she felt better. It was like she had been naked, but now the flat cuff was in place with all her data, accounts, and correspondence available.
“Now, kitten, sign that contract.”
She grumbled. “Fine. When is your birthday?”