Senescence (Jezebel's Ladder Book 5) (23 page)

After
he gave a winded, “Uncle,” the lights came back up.

Seeing
Laura sitting on Stu’s chest to pin him to the ground, the girls applauded. She
was breathing harder now than she had in weeks. Her body wanted to slide
against his.

“Point
made,” Stu said softly. “You can get off now.”

“Oh,
no. We’re going to have a talk first—alone.”

Stu
said, “This is awkward, talking to your …”

“Mons?
I thought we had this lesson already. Do you need a refresher?”

She
didn’t realize how much emotion she was broadcasting until Stu said, “No. It’s
just your perfume is overwhelming me.”

“Thanks.
I’m not wearing perfume.”

Laura
could feel his excitement, mixed with shame and fear. Once again, she knew she
could have him with the smallest nudge, but she wanted
him
to do the
asking. She stroked his hair to calm him. “It’s okay. I’ll let you up if you
watch my interview with Grant. I let him ask me anything, no matter how
painful, so your team could trust me.”

When
she stood, Stu didn’t move at first. Dazed, he said, “Zeiss says that everyone
gets a second chance under the charter.”

She
helped him up. “Listen to the interview. Let Oleander tell you what we’ve been
through since you left. The information is vital to your national security.”

While
she dressed, Stu turned his head away. “How did you fight me blind? I even
snuck around the circle to disguise my aura.”

Laura
snorted. “I can tell anyone’s talent at thirty paces.”

This
caused him to inhale sharply. When she turned, he was staring at her as if she
were a princess. He whispered, “You should know how rare and special you are.”

She
put a hand on his face. “Honey, I think I rang your bell one too many times.
Let’s watch the interview in the infirmary. You’re going to need some ice for
those bruises and a heaping dose of pain killers.”

****

Because Stu had to hold
an icepack, he asked Laura to carry the large gift bag into the private
infirmary room. She almost dropped the bag when she saw the girl’s peeling,
purpled face. It was all Laura could do not to stare as she placed the get-well
offering in front of the girl.

Holding
her daughter’s hand, Oleander watched Laura closely.
I’m on probation.

Joan
opened the bag with excitement. “My helmet! How did you find it?”

“Nemesis
tracked down the seller, and Mo talked the girl into giving it up voluntarily.”
Stu rustled in the tissue paper at the bottom of the bag. “The rest of the crew
wanted to give you something, too. Themis got you a locking diary and a copy of
Jane Eyre. The huntresses bought you a school uniform. Hans—” He pulled out
three bars of Swiss chocolate.

“Is
a god,” Joan said, snatching the candy. “You don’t know what it was like
watching people eat treats like this and not being able to have anything but
ration bars. Thank everyone for me.” She smiled at Laura, including her in the
group.

Stu just shared credit instead of finking me out for the beating.
Laura described the candy’s almond and berry
fillings to the girl, who couldn’t read German.

While
her daughter indulged, Oleander described her version of the last few days to
Stu. “We’ve narrowed Eowyn’s identity to two possibilities. Laura did in a
couple days what none of us or corporate security could.”

“Good,”
Stu said. “So you won’t mind my making her head of recruiting?”

“After
we finish Grant’s report,” Oleander replied.

Laura
watched the rough-cut interrogation with all three people from
Sanctuary
,
which made her weep all over again. Joan turned to Stu a few minutes in. “She
broadcasts. Hold her hand like you do for me, or we’ll all be crying.”

Miraculously,
it worked. Laura made it through the viewing without wanting to die more than
twice.
I probably smashed half the bones in his hand, though.
The show
closed with the purse attack and a montage of the accident scene. Barely able
to speak, Laura filled in the highlights of the Koku investigation, the murder
attempts, and the threats afterward.

When
Laura was finished, Oleander recovered first. “Right. You covered our back, so
we’ll cover yours.”

“That’s
it?” Laura asked.

“Stu,
take this girl to bed. She needs rest.”

Laura
shook her head. “He still owes me another thirty minutes.”

“Not
here, he doesn’t. I have a dozen calls to make, and you’re not cleared to hear
them,” Oleander complained.

“You’ve
been incredibly brave. Given what you’ve been through, we owe you a great deal
more than a few minutes.” Stu examined the scheduling application on his
sleeve. “I have back-to-back appointments till seven. Maybe we could go for a
walk then? Talk about anything you like?”

“I’d
like that,” Laura responded.

Freya showed up without
an appointment in Kieran’s waiting room, claiming to have an urgent message.
Kieran didn’t remember the blonde until his image-recognition software pulled
up her file—the body double. He used to pretend she was the billionaire, and do
all the things to her that Mira had rules against.
Oh, and she was an
uninhibited athlete—four stars.
He buzzed her in.

“Can
I help you?” Kieran asked.

Freya
locked the door behind her. “I hope to God you still can, because I don’t think
once is going to be enough.” She was already shedding her uniform.

“Pardon?”

“We’ll
start on the sofa. You’ll be on bottom.”

****

Once Kieran had
satisfied her, the huntress explained, “That Salome tramp came back from Rome.
She threw down on your nephew in the dojo. God, from the lust she was
radiating, I thought she was going to fuck him to death. Her mother amplified
the feeling because she hasn’t been laid in twenty years. That horny Samoan
empath just made matters worse. This place is T&A central, and he hasn’t
seen his girlfriend in weeks. Damn.” She flushed, remembering the sensation. “I
forgot how good you were.” Freya kissed him several times, growing hotter with
each contact. “This time, you drive. No speed limits.”

When
he finished, he had a new admiration for the net star.
Uninhibited was an
understatement.
“I missed you,” Kieran said. In truth, he missed any woman
who knew about reciprocating hip action. “With your team staying here, this could
be a regular reunion.”

Freya
chuckled as she stroked his chest hair. “Push me over again, and I’ll tell you
a few things about your naughty nephew.”

Kieran
obliged, generous because of the information and because he appreciated her
surprise visit.

When
she lay panting in his well-toned arms, he asked, “What’s the boy done?”

“Oh,
it’s what he
tried
to do … before Salome distracted the team. Now that
you’ve been so helpful, Hans doesn’t dare. Stu wanted to do an episode painting
you as some sort of pervert.”

He
stroked Freya’s chest, drawing sighs from her. “I’m a very important man. Who
would believe him?”

“My
old boss, Mira Hollis, assigned our whole cast to babysit him. She’s paying all
his bills.”

His
hand drifted lower, and she arched to his touch. “But
you
stood up for
me.”

“Yes!”

Use her real name and alternate praise with questions
. “I’d like to take you to visit my beach house,
Francesca. The view is almost as spectacular as the one I’m seeing now.”

She
looked at him with a sigh, and he knew she was hooked. He traced circles over
her body to keep her from thinking too much. “After Salome tried to sell his
fluids for a hundred million, why would he ever trust her?”

“The
bounty went up to two hundred and companies are still bidding. You are such a
tease.”

Interesting.
“I asked
about the girl.”

“I
quit the bodyguard business to get away from spoiled rich bitches like her. Stu
follows her like a puppy. I know she’s just in it to steal his sample. Stop.”
Freya glanced at her wrist comm. “Damn. The lovesick fool sent the team a
message. He wants to know where he can take Salome for a romantic walk.”

The
mood was officially ruined.

Perhaps I’ll cultivate a different mood.
“If Stu wants her that badly, he might be willing
to deal with his dear, corrupt uncle to save her. How would you feel if I
arranged a little time in a filthy jail cell for Salome?”

Freya
chuckled. “I’d pay to see that. Her grandfather, Tetsuo Mori, probably would,
too, but I don’t want him involved. Too violent. You could arrange it so no one
gets hurt?”

“The
local constabulary doesn’t check international bulletins too closely for the
rich, but outside my protection, Salome is vulnerable. His fiancée has
outstanding warrants for questioning in a murder investigation. If I dropped a
word in the right ear, several civic-minded public servants would assist. No
money would need to change hands because publicity alone leads to promotions. I
would insist on a velvet glove.”

“Don’t
be too gentle. I still want the cavity search. She’s punched me, hurt Grant,
and beat the ambassador up. Thinks she’s such hot stuff. She only managed to
fight Stu because he’d donated a pint of blood minutes before.” When Kieran
looked at her strangely, she explained, “In case his little friend needed it or
he got shot. That’s standard procedure for bodyguard duty. If someone does
shoot your client, make sure he survives. People from
Sanctuary
have
disease-free blood. A case of the flu from normal blood could wipe your nephew
out.”

Kieran
said, “Recommend that Stu take Salome for a walk to the botanical gardens about
eight blocks from here. In the evening, the trees glow with their own light,
genetically engineered just like she was. Their eyes will be so full of stars
that they won’t see the police vans outside our gate.”

“I
like that,” she said, snuggling against him. “Did you mean what you said about
missing me?”

“God,
yes. When you get to be my age, you start to wonder if you might have missed
the real thing in all the noise,” Kieran replied, kissing her forehead. “More than
your obvious glamour, you appreciate the value of loyalty and trust. I could
imagine introducing you on my arm at fundraisers.”

Her
eyes sparkled with the possibilities.

“Make
the call, love,” he said. “But we can’t be seen together until afterward. I
wouldn’t want to sully your reputation … again.”
At least not until I’ve
recovered for a day.

****

Laura wore the flapper
dress and a Taser-proof wrap to cover her remaining bruises from the taxi. Stu
showed up in front of the embassy building in a stupid Hawaiian shirt, tan
shorts, and sandals. “Incognito,” he explained. “Do you have to wear that
skirt? When I see it, all I can think of is you taking … it … off.”

The
scent of her not-perfume filled the air. “That’s the point.”

“Oh.”

She
smiled wickedly.
How many times a day can I give him an erection? That
sounds like a fun game.

Stu
held out his hand to take hers, and his silly clothing didn’t matter. She
practically floated down the street. He said nothing in front of the reporters
and news drones. However, he never took his eyes off her, despite the many
bikini-clad coeds returning from the beach.

The
leaves of the trees lining the walkway glowed green, blue, and purple as the
sun sank behind the mountains. The flowers in the garden below shone in yellow,
orange, and red.
It’s like we’re crossing into fairy lands.

Once
they reached a private alcove, two corporate guards, one of each gender,
blocked them from the view of other tourists.

Stu
invited her to sit beside him on a wooden bench. He said, “So I hear I’m
engaged.”

Laura
had the grace to color a little. “That was my mother. Sometimes wishing makes
it so for her. Are you mad?”

“Angry?
A little at first, but last night I went out dancing with the swim team. They
kept me out till two in the morning. I couldn’t stand all the noise, crowds,
and …” He couldn’t meet her eyes. “I had more fun at the lunch where you almost
killed me.”

She
felt ridiculously giddy, Julie Andrews spinning on a mountain top happy.

Stu
explained, “I hired Fiona because she saved Joan. Mail has been pouring in from
all over the world. Someone has to read it. Everyone and their brother is
asking for Magi technology to save their children or feed their country. You
Earth people have a lot of problems.”

He
told her about his day, his team’s goals, and the upcoming UN vote. “A third of
the nations have already taken sides publicly, but they’re evenly split on our
nation status.”

“After
your speech, you’ll get the votes you need,” Laura predicted. “You’re a natural
leader.”

“I’m
no Conrad Zeiss.”

“You’re
starting your career ten years before he did. With the right backing, you’ll
eclipse him in no time.”

“I’d
rather be a sculptor or a poet than a politician.”

“The
best ones would,” she said, more convinced than ever that Earth needed voices
like his. “What’s this scar?” she asked, tracing a finger along his strong
right forearm and imagining it wrapped around her.

“The
adventures of Gravity Boy. I have another one here and here.” He touched his
middle finger and under his left arm. He told her about jumping off barns,
catching lizard predators, and playing combat hide-and-seek with Joan.

“Where’s
Mo?” Laura asked.

“I
asked him to pick up Lena Maurier and her team at the airport so the good
doctor can reach Joan as soon as possible. Thank you for introducing us. I
think that family will be an invaluable asset. We just need to give them the
Ethics page.”

“Why?”
she asked.

“To
learn their reaction to entering subspace while we have a controlled
environment. Not everyone can handle it. That’s why recruiting natural-born
talents for the next interplanetary mission is so crucial. As nats, we don’t
experience side effects.” Then Stu told her about life in
Sanctuary
.
Best of all, he wanted to introduce her to all its marvels in person.

When
the moment seemed right, she leaned closer, tilting her head for that
long-awaited first kiss.

He
blocked her. “We can’t. You work for me.”

Laura
held up her badge. “I work for Oleander, your superior officer in the command
chain.”

“Oh.”
His face first betrayed relief and then unease.

“Don’t
worry,” she assured him. “We won’t have sex until you ask for it, but there’s a
lot of fun exploration between the two extremes.”

“Too
much. That’s a slippery slope.”

“Back
to the mons again?” she taunted. “Why are you afraid of a little fun between
consenting adults? Clearly, I can show you what your body is for. Why resist?”

His
mouth opened and closed a couple times before saying, “I need to be married
first.”

“Why?”

“Because
I want what my parents have.”

Laura
smiled. “
They
fooled around beforehand.”

“I’m
also afraid that a child with ten talents could tax any doctor, especially
outside
Sanctuary
. I would never do that to you.”

“As
a biology student, I may know a way or two around that problem.”

He
covered his face with his hands. “Once we’re back in the ship I’ll ask your
dad’s permission.”

This
struck a chord in her. Laura stood up as she shouted, “My father doesn’t own my
vagina. Haven’t you learned anything from your time with the show? Who I give
myself to is
my
choice.”

He
followed as she stormed from the gardens.