4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nala

I storm off, feeling like an idiot.

A slaver. Of course the rich, hot mercenary is a slaver. And to think I actually liked him! Bah! I shudder in disgust.

I need money, but I’m not so desperate I’d fuck a slaver. Besides, it’s too dangerous. Farpoint Gateway has decent security and people rarely ever get kidnapped, but humans are valuable. Faelin might look all sweet and nice, but if I went with him, I might wake up in a cage on his ship, on my way to yet another auction.

Memories of what happened last time try to surface, but I stamp them down. It’s bad enough they plague my sleep, waking me every single night. I won’t let them poison my waking hours, too.

I’d survive the ordeal again. I know I would. But I can’t leave this place. Not without Ellen.

I head for the restroom, hoping Faelin will take the hint and leave. Unsurprisingly, he does not. He’s waiting for me at the back of the bar, leaning against the wall in all his red, muscular glory. Why do the hottest guys have to be evil? It’s so unfair.

When I notice him, I look around for a bouncer. One word from me and they’ll kick Faelin out of here, roughing him up on the way out.

“Wait, please,” he says before I can call for the brawny Lakhartan bouncer nearby. “I don’t mean any harm, Nala. If you want me to leave, I will, but I would like to know what I did to offend you.”

He sounds so earnest and dejected that I hesitate. I don’t want to get into an argument, but he deserves an answer. “It’s not personal. I just don’t work with your kind.”

“Oh. Hybrids.”

“What?! No!” Where did he get such a ridiculous notion? Looks like I’ll have to spell it out for him. “Slavers. I don’t do slavers, so please find someone else for tonight.”

Faelin’s jaw drops and he gives me an indignant look. “Excuse me? I’m not a slaver.”

I shift my weight, hugging my bare arms. He’s either an excellent actor or I’ve just falsely accused him of being the worst kind of criminal. “Oh?” What should I say? I don’t think he’s lying but I’ve been fooled by plenty of men before.

“Why would you think that?” He doesn’t sound angry. If anything, he’s hurt.

I raise my chin defiantly, unwilling to buy what he’s selling. “You said you have humans aboard your ship. The only people who have humans are slave traders or owners,” I defend myself.

Faelin considers my words before inclining his head. “You have a point. I understand why you drew that conclusion. You’re wrong, though. The humans we have on board are, in fact, rescued slaves who decided to stay with us. One of them is my friend’s mate and they’re both respected members of our crew.”

“Oh.” That sounds almost feasible, actually. Now I feel like an idiot. I’m supposed to be bright and charming to attract wealthy customers. I’m seriously killing it tonight… Not. “I’m sorry, Faelin. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just…” I take a moment to consider my next words. “I have to protect myself, and slavers are dangerous.”

His bright, earnest smile would melt my panties, if I was wearing any. “I understand, Nala.”

Oh, god! The way he says my name makes me want to moan out loud. What’s this guy doing to me?

“Do you still want me to leave?” he asks and I’m surprised to realize he’s being sincere.

If I said yes, he’d disappear and never bother me again. I’m not used to such courtesy from my potential customers. They usually pull out the ironclad argument of “I bought you, so you’ll do as I say” or “the customer is always right”.

I don’t want Faelin to leave. Not just because he’s still holding the credit box, which I assume contains a fortune, but also because I like him. In my line of work, it rarely ever happens, and I’m ready to jump on the opportunity. Having sex with someone I actually like? Yes, please!

“I don’t want you to leave,” I say. “It was a misunderstanding and I apologize for overreacting. I should probably buy you a drink as an apology.”

He shakes his head, his sexy grin almost knocking me off my feet. “No need. In fact, I’ll buy you one if we can talk some more. Deal?”

“Deal.” I’d be stupid to refuse such an offer.

We find an empty table at the back of the bar. I sit across from Faelin, doing my best to showcase my goods as I gracefully lower myself into the plush seat. He looks captivated by my body, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started drooling from the corner of his mouth like a St Bernard. I’m back on the right track with him.

“So, what brings you to this remote corner of the galaxy?” I ask, picking a safe conversation topic.

Faelin drinks, grunting in appreciation. “Wow, this is strong. What brings me here? We’re offloading captured slavers and their now freed slaves to the UGC. Making repairs on the ship. Things like that. And this is hardly a remote corner of the galaxy,” he adds, giving me another joyful smile. Fuck, I love his smiles!

“It’s not?” I prompt, pretending to sip from my drink even though I merely wet my lips. I need to stay sober. “I thought Farpoint Gateway was considered quite remote.”

“By the UGC, yes. It’s on the very edge of our,” he grimaces ever so slightly before changing the pronoun, “ their area of influence. But the galaxy is much larger. I think the most remote place I’ve ever been to is the Cygnus Erisi system. It’s considered to be the furthest point from the center of the galaxy.”

This is far from the usual conversations I have with my customers, but I’m intrigued. “What is it like?”

“Dark,” he replies, shrugging. To my satisfaction, he finishes his glass in one large gulp and I immediately wave to the server to bring him another.

“Dark?” I prompt, both because I’m curious and I need to keep him talking.

“Dark,” he confirms. “It’s a little…disconcerting. If you looked out the window right now, you’d see stars. Billions of them. When you are at the edge of the galaxy, you just see a stripe of stars over the night sky and then…”

“Dark,” I finish, fascinated by the thought. “Sounds scary. Did you like it there?”

Faelin chuckles. “Hell, no. There’s nothing there besides a small space station that caters to tourists. I was there to deliver supplies during my training. It took weeks to get there and back. Those were the most boring weeks of my life. When we got back, we immediately headed to a bar to get drunk and have some fun.”

That’s a cue if I ever heard one. “And now? Are you here to have some fun?” I ask, dropping my voice down to a sultry whisper, batting my eyelashes.

Faelin stutters, gripping his drink tighter. “Oh. Well. I…I came here to find you. To…to look at you. To see…um…”

“A human?” I suggest, smiling at him to show that I don’t mind being an exotic spectacle. “Don’t worry, you’re not the first.” And certainly won’t be the last. “Well, you’ve seen me. What do you think?” I straighten up in my seat and pull my shoulders back to make my boobs stand out more. I don’t have huge boobs, but I know how to present them to get the desired effect.

A groan escapes him. “You’re beautiful. The most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.”

They all say the same thing when they want to fuck me, but Faelin makes it sound earnest. “More beautiful than your friend’s mate?” I might be pushing it now, but who doesn’t love hearing compliments about their appearance?

“Much more beautiful,” Faelin agrees immediately. “You’re taller and stronger. And your skin is the same shade as the most precious gems of Lope 1. You’re perfect.”

I allow myself a moment to bask in his praise. It’s not every day I get so many compliments that don’t involve my ass or tits. “Thank you.” I slide my hand over the table to touch him. “You’re so sweet. Would you like me to keep you company tonight?”

“I’d love that,” he croaks, tossing back the rest of his drink. “I don’t suppose you want to join me on my ship?”

I wince, shaking my head. The guards at the docks wouldn’t let me through. Drayth likes to pretend I’m free, but my freedom only stretches so far and the docks are definitely off limits.

Besides, I’d be stupid to follow anyone onto their ship. On the station’s premises, I’m relatively safe, but who knows where I’d end up if I followed Faelin to his vessel? Far, far away from here? The thought would be enticing if it didn’t mean leaving Ellen behind.

“Didn’t think so,” Faelin responds, chuckling. “Where can we go, then?”

I lead him to a nearby hotel. He picks one of the best rooms and pays for it without a word of complaint. As we step into the elevator, he gives me such a boyish smile that I hesitate. “Faelin… You do know I’m a working girl, right?” It goes against all of my rules to say it out loud, but I don’t want to lead him on. Despite being a brawny, confident male, there’s something innocent about him.

“I know,” Faelin replies. “I can pay you right now, if you want the money up front.”

“And you don’t mind?” The words are out before I can stop myself. What the fuck am I doing?! “I mean…”

He interrupts me by gently cupping my cheek and sliding his thumb over my lips. “No, Nala. I don’t mind. I would never judge you for what you do. I just…” He gazes deep into my eyes as if trying to read my mind. “I want to make sure you’re doing this because you want to. That no one is forcing you. If they are, just say the word. I promise I can protect you.”

I’ve heard that one a hundred times before. Some males get off on imagining themselves as knights in shining armor, rescuing a princess from the dragon. Or, in this case, a working girl from her terrible fate. It’s an act I stopped believing a long time ago. “I’m fine,” I lie without hesitation. “I love this job. It’s exciting, pays well, and I get to meet handsome males like yourself.”

“Alright.” He doesn’t sound convinced, but doesn’t push me. “I’ll give you my comm details. If you ever need anything, just let me know.”

The elevator doors opening saves me from having to answer. His offer sounds sincere, but I can’t help but wonder what his angle is. Does he want a pretty human slave all for himself so that he could parade me around in front of his friends? Does he want to lure me to his ship to sell me for profit? Or…does he really just want to help me?

I shake my head, abandoning that thought. Nothing in life is free. Everyone has ulterior motives. I learned that even before leaving Earth and the five years I’ve spent on this station have only cemented that belief. Nobody’s going to help me. Ever. I need to fight for myself because no one else is going to.

I do my best not to eye the stash box Faelin puts down on a nearby dresser. Later, I promise myself. First, I’ll give my handsome alien the best ride of his life. It won’t make up for the money I’ll steal from him, but it might ease my conscience a little.

I saunter over to the bed, bestowing my signatory sultry smile over my shoulder. It’s a move meant to make a male solely focused on my body and forget about everything else.

It works. Faelin’s eyes are fixated on me, his breaths speeding up to an almost pant.

“Should I take my clothes off, or would you like to do it for me?” I offer with a playful wink.

Faelin swallows roughly as he adjusts himself. He seems to be packing some serious heat down there and for once, I’m excited about being in this room with a customer. “I…um…” He clears his throat. “Can I kiss you?”

I hesitate for a split second before nodding my assent. I don’t normally kiss my customers and they rarely ask for it. There’s something intimate about kissing, something that brings people closer than just the simple penis-in-vagina business. But Faelin is sweet and cute and I really want to taste him everywhere. “You can do anything you want,” I whisper as he closes the distance between us.