An Unexpected Debt

by S. J. Pajonas

  “I have been in touch with him. He seems to be a good young man but incredibly busy. I think his mother is in some kind of trouble.” He rubs his face. “I tried to speak with him about it, but he was skittish.”

  “Sorry,” I mumble.

  “No need to apologize. I’ve also seen this before. There must be trouble in his family, and he doesn’t want to get an outsider involved. He’s shielding you from whatever it is. We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  He pushes the biscuit across the table at me, so I pick it up and eat it in three more bites.

  “There we go. A little butter and sugar, and you’ll be right as rain.”

  “Captain Skylar,” Nanci says, her voice coming over Marcelo’s shuttle speakers, “our two Flyght guests have arrived along with our engineer. They are all at the port cargo bay airlock.”

  “Thank you, Nanci,” I say, sipping my coffee. Maybe I can get in a few more gulps before I make my way over there. I’m sure Carlos will fill in for me for a bit.

  “I detect a potential problem here,” she continues. “There are some mumbled words and grumbling from the two Flyght guests. They may be having an argument.”

  “Great.” I jump up from my chair and look down at my fuzzy socks. Oh well, it can’t be helped now.

  “I’ll come along,” Marcelo says, following me out of his shuttle.

  We walk across the cargo bay together, and I ask Nanci to open the airlock for me as we approach.

  “Well, maybe you could be a little more respectful instead of just accusing her of cheating,” says a voice I recognize. I immediately break into a sweat.

  “She’s a liar and a cheat, and she’s going to lose me the championship. You know there’s a reason why she’s labeled a princess throughout the Duo Systems,” the other voice bites back.

  All the blood in my head plummets to my feet, and I break into a cold sweat.

  Saif and Takemo appear through the airlock, and Nisrine is right behind them with two bags and a hoverlift, piled with three crates.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask both men.

  They both stop in their tracks.

  “Hey, Skylar,” Saif says with a dashing smile.

  I can only sigh in response.

  “For fuck’s sake,” Takemo says, dropping his bag on the floor. “I’m going to fire my assistant.”

  “Huh.” I spin around and find Carlos behind us, a puzzled expression on his face. “I thought their names looked familiar, but…” He shrugs. “Money is money, right, Captain?”

  I could fry an egg on the top of my head.

  “Just came to help Nisrine get settled,” Carlos says, sliding past us and heading straight for Nisrine. Her face is the picture of amusement, her lips twisted in a sly smile and eyes bright with mischief.

  “Looks like I came at the right time,” she says, handing a bag to Carlos. “Carlos, it’s nice to meet you in person. Thanks for the help.”

  “No problem,” he says, ushering Nisrine and her luggage past us. “Let me show you to your quarters and then to the engine room.”

  “Looks like I get the five-star treatment,” she says, coming to me and squeezing my arm. “Let me know if you need me, Captain, but thanks for allowing me this trial period.”

  “Of course,” I say, focusing my attention on her. “Happy to have you aboard.”

  As soon as she walks away, I lift my head and voice. “Lia!”

  She pokes her head out of the auxiliary cargo bay. “Yes, Captain?”

  “Please show our guests to their rooms and ask them what they want for dinner.” I turn my eyes to the men. “Gentlemen, welcome to the Amagi. Feel free to use the common areas of the ship, and I hope your quarters are comfortable. Please speak to Lia if you have any problems or issues.”

  I turn on my heel and walk past Marcelo.

  “I’m going to the bridge,” I tell him, and I leave everyone right where they are.

  20

  I’m finishing up the last pre-flight items on the checklist when I hear Carlos’s voice behind me.

  “Excuse me. You should either be in your quarters or strapped in for take-off and landing,” he says.

  I pull my leg off to the side and turn around in my pilot’s chair. Saif is leaning forward and trying to look at the bridge. Closing my eyes for a moment, I rest my head against the chair.

  “I just… I just really wanted to see Skylar in action. Can I?” he asks Carlos.

  Fine.

  I raise my voice. “It’s okay, Carlos. He can come in.”

  Saif’s smile is bigger than a kid’s in a candy store, and I chuckle, thinking that’s how I looked the first time my mother let me on the bridge. But the thought of my mom douses my thoughts in icy water. I reach over to the bridge control panel and shut the door behind Saif. I don’t want Takemo in here too.

  “Hey,” Saif says, his mouth open and gawking at everything. “Wow. You really are a pilot.”

  I burst into a laugh. “Yes, I really am a pilot. I just got my Class Three license a few weeks ago, but I’ve been flying the Amagi for years.”

  After staring at all the buttons, dials, and screens for a few moments, he comes up next to me. “I see you changed your footwear.”

  “Fuzzy socks are not the best idea when piloting a ship.” I knock my boot against the nearest panel. “Pretty sure I would stub my toe in an emergency.” I wave to Vivian’s old chair, now the vacant captain’s chair because I’m both captain and pilot. “Please have a seat and strap in. We’re only number two in the queue.”

  I watch him sit and draw the belts across his waist and shoulders. He’s done this before because his movements are practiced and easy. Once I’m sure he’s fine, I glance at the screen. Number one in the queue.

  “Nanci, please inform the crew and guests that we’re queued to leave the spaceport, and everyone should be safe and secure.”

  “Yes, Captain. We shall have no deaths on my watch.”

  I roll my eyes. “Please. And thank you.”

  “Do all AIs say that?” Saif asks, lifting his head to look at the ceiling.

  “Nope. Just mine. My other AI used to be a sexbot, and she’s not normal either.”

  Ai finds this is the right time to chime in. “Oh Captain, my Captain, you would miss me if I were gone.” She purrs, and Saif’s eyes widen.

  “Thank you, Ai, and yes, I already missed you once. Don’t make me miss you again.”

  “Understood, darling,” Ai says. “I will check with Carlos about anything that needs to be done.”

  I wait a moment, hoping she’s gone. When she says nothing more, I breathe a sigh of relief. The queue blinks down to zero, and a call comes into the ship.

  “Amagi cruiser, this is Concord City Spaceport Traffic Control. You are cleared for departure. Please follow route B3. You have four minutes to clear local airspace. Have a great day.”

  “Thank you,” I chime and flip off the call. “Nanci, you heard the man. We have four minutes.”

  I have my Class Three license, and technically, I could fly in and out of spaceport without Nanci, but I always use her if I can. There’s no reason to have a fancy AI and not use it. Nanci plots the course, and I handle the thrust, power, and acceleration. I pull back on the wheel while using my feet to adjust everything, so our ascent is smooth. Keeping my eyes on the instrument panels, I make sure all the instruments are green and working at nominal levels. My comm pings.

  “Everything looks great from here, Captain,” Nisrine says from the engine room. “This is a fantastic setup. I need to meet the engineer who put this together.”

  “You’ll meet him in a few days. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see someone competent in the engine room. I’m no good with engines. My last one was taped together.”

  “Then I’m definitely glad I’m here.” She laughs, and it brings a smile to my face. It’s nice to have someone experienced on board. “Engine room out.”

  “I’m glad you’re
no longer taping together your engines,” Saif says, his eyes fixed on the outside. “Otherwise, this would be a super short Flyght trip.”

  I ignore him and keep my eyes on the instruments in front of me. Nanci has guided us along route 3B like a champ, and with a last burst of speed, we clear the atmosphere. The moment the anti-grav kicks on is always the fun part, a little flip of the stomach. The Amagi’s are new, of course, like everything else on this ship now, so the transition is smooth.

  “Okay, Nanci. Lock us in to our trajectory to the jump ring. When is our jump slot?”

  “We will arrive at the queue in three hours and seventeen minutes on our present course. But our reservation isn’t until eight-oh-eight this evening.”

  I frown at this. I had wanted to be through the gate before dinner because it’s only another four hours to Ossun from there. I could be rid of my passengers before bedtime. But the lanes are busy, and what we get is what we get.

  Saif unlatches his belts. “I have a gift for you. I was going to give it to you when I saw you next on Ossun or Rio, but —”

  “Save it,” I say to him, and he cocks his head. “I’ve just spoken with Marcelo, and I’ve ended my contract with him. I’m no longer looking for a relationship network. He seems to think we can make this work, but I know it’s a losing proposition.”

  My chest tightens, and breathing becomes challenging as the anger reaches his face.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, lifting my hands in surrender. “I’m sorry I wasted your time. It wasn’t my intention, and this was not what I imagined happening. But, like I was always told as a kid, ‘You get what you get, and you don’t get upset.’”

  Saif’s eyes are wide before he huffs an angry breath. “Skylar, this is not some choice between a red popsicle and a green one. This is your life.”

  “No,” I say to him. “This is your life, and I will not fuck it up.”

  I double check everything is running okay and lock out my screens so no one else can change anything. I try to stand up and retreat, but Saif is out of his seat before I can reach the door.

  “Listen,” he says, stopping me. “Sejal told me I should live my life and go after what I want.”

  Sejal, his older sister, always had all the big dreams and even bigger plans to make those dreams a reality. She’s the wealthy corporation owner with her famous relationship network. And although she had high standards for the Bhaats, she was never cruel to Saif. She looked after him. It appears she still does.

  “I want you.”

  “No, you don’t,” I argue back. “You know nothing about me.”

  “Untrue,” he counters. “I know all about you. I know you’re a dreamer, a hard worker, a loving and caring person who was taken advantage of by adults who should have known better. I know you want your mother’s business back, but you might not get it back because Takemo Diaz doesn’t know you.”

  I take a half step back.

  His eyes widen as he sees his opening. “I know you fuck sexbots because men are unreliable. I know you’ve had nothing but bad luck in the last few years. And I know you’re guarding your heart so that someone doesn’t break it again and again and again.”

  I press my hand to my mouth and shake my head. No. He knows too many of my secrets already, doesn’t he? My lips were too loose. I should have never opened my mouth.

  He stands up straighter. “I know all these things, and I don’t care. It all makes me more enamored of you, not less.” He steps closer, and I let him. My traitorous body remains still. “I won’t lie. I saw you were flying this ship, and I chose it because I need to be with you again. I left you at the hotel last night, and I’ve felt empty ever since.”

  I’ve been pushing men away my whole life because they didn’t truly love me. They didn’t want to be near me, care for me, stay with me because of who I was. Saif sees the person I am and wants that. Is he crazy? I have serious doubts about him and his intentions and what I want and what I deserve. Doubts. Lots of doubts.

  But I don’t need more doubts.

  Maybe he’s the kind of crazy I need.

  Maybe I’m thinking too much with my head and not enough with my heart.

  I take his hand, turn, and open the bridge door. “Come with me, then.” Leading him down the short hall, we pass Carlos’s den of technology, and my quarters are the next door. I open the door, lead him in, and close it behind us.

  “Show me,” I say, looking up into his eyes. “Show me you care. I don’t want to just hear about it.”

  He leans in to kiss me, but I stop his kiss with my fingers on his lips.

  “I’m warning you now. You can’t back out. You can’t fuck me and leave me. I expect more from you, Saif Bhaat. I expect you to witness it all and never back down.”

  I present the challenge, and his eyes gleam with delight. This is the Saif I remember. Far-school was all about challenges, and he was always the first to volunteer.

  “I’m also sure I’ll try to push you away again, and I’m sorry for that in advance. Maybe you didn’t think this would happen when you contacted Marcelo, but it is. You found me broken. You and everyone else who comes along will have to pick up the pieces.”

  His hands rush in and scoop me up and towards him. Our lips come together in a rush, a kiss so deep it surges through my body and past my toes. It takes me a moment to get past my initial urge to push him away. I’ve pushed away so many times, it’s second nature to me. I’m not good at surrendering, not good at letting go. And if I’m honest, sex has always been a transaction. It’s never been intimate.

  This is intimate. His lips find all the vulnerable parts of my body and love them into submission. He kisses me along my jaw and under my ear. And when my body turns to mush, when he kisses my neck, he slows down and takes his time.

  Drawing a breath is difficult. They come in shallow gulps of air when his fingers reach the skin under my sweatshirt. He spreads out his hands across my back and brings me to him, molding my body to his.

  No. I struggle to pull back, and tears well up in my eyes. “No,” I squeak. The closeness is too close, and the world contracts around me, squeezing me, suffocating me. “Can’t breathe.”

  “Sky… Skylar.” Saif is trying to connect with me through my blackened vision. The clouds part, and his eyes make contact with mine. “It’s okay. Breathe in and out. In and out.”

  I breathe in and out, and my body shakes. I step in close to him, and rest my head on his chest. He stands still, not sure what to do with his hands.

  “I’m okay. It’s okay. It’s just… I don’t… Men don’t…”

  He pulls in a shuddering breath. “Men don’t hold you, do they?”

  I close my eyes and shake my head in tiny jerks. No. Never.

  So few people even touch me or hug me. I’m not used to this kind of closeness.

  His arms return to my body. “I do. I hold you now. And anyone else who finds you will hold you as well.”

  I don’t know about this. But I let him ease into it, his hands slow to hold me, first on my arms, then my back, and down to my waist.

  This is… This is nice. He feels strong and capable and loving. He’s tender and smells of cinnamon and clove. The weight of his arms around me is comforting, kind, desired. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced before. I hold Ana when she’s in distress or held Cameron and Nolan when they were sick or upset as little boys. But no one has ever done that for me, except a few hugs from Vivian. I don’t remember the last hug I got from my father. He always greets me with his eyes lowered and his head down, ashamed of his own behavior that led to my upbringing. My mom’s hugs are brief, transitory things, like they exist in another dimension where they’re warm and safe, but not in the world I live in.

  Saif holds me, and I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to him until my heart rate calms. He picks me up, and my legs lift to encircle his waist.

  “Let’s start again,” he says, setting me on the bed. He pulls away, untucks his shirt
, and draws it over his head. Damn. His skin is tight over muscles he’s built in the gym. He wasn’t a pudgy teen, so this shouldn’t come as a shock to me, but I’m thirsty for some normality in my life, and getting laid sounds like a great idea.

  I close my eyes for a moment and reconfigure my brain. It’s not ‘getting laid,’ Skylar. It’s something different now.

  He pulls his pants off, and though he’s left on his boxer briefs, they leave little to the imagination. He lifts his eyebrows at me, and that makes me smile. He smiles in return. I pull off my sweatshirt and drop the knit pants on the floor, leaving me to my underwear. I tip my head to the side to look at his long, lean legs and the dark hair that climbs up and out of sight into his underwear. My mouth dries out.

  “Come on,” he says, lifting the covers on my bed. I climb in, closer to the center, and he joins me there. The elation… The pure joy of his body pressing against mine is so sharp, it stabs me right in the heart. Our kisses are finally hot and heavy, and we are tuned into each other enough to let any old hangups wash away. He rolls me to the side, and my bra comes off. His fingers deftly pull the elastic from my hair and let it spill out over the pillow.

  I like how silent this is. He’s not full of sexy words or things said meant to shock me or show me what kind of daring lover he is. He shows his attentiveness with his lips, his legs, his arms wrapped around me, his hands in my hair. I reach down and slip my hands into his underwear, over his ass, and around to the front. He gasps and dives for my neck.

  Before I know it, we’re both naked, and the underwear is on the floor. He doesn’t let me go. Our bodies move together, and he holds me close all the way through my climax and then his.

  I should want to let go, get away, take the shame of his inevitable rejection with me. But for once, I lie there, and I let a man hold me… Not just a man. I let Saif hold me.

  There’s a first time for everything.

  21

  Saif leans over me, reaching for his wristlet. I clutch the sheets to my chest.

  This is always the most embarrassing moment for me. The moment they realize I was good for some sex, and that’s about it. I hold my breath and wait.