“I’m so glad you’re coming with me,” he murmured, leaning down to give her a soft, lingering kiss on the mouth, just as he had in the Last Call bar. “So glad we get to spend more time together.”
“I…I’m glad too,” Vicky confessed a bit breathlessly.
Chain stroked her flushed cheek.
“Why don’t you go get the details of the assignment from the Alien Culture Coordinator while I speak to Commander Sylvan about the small matter of remuneration.”
“Remuneration? You mean pay?” Vicky asked.
“Well of course!” A frown creased his face briefly. “You don’t think I’d ask you to come along on an official mission without getting paid for it, do you?” He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Always get the money up front. Don’t worry—I’ll be sure you get a fifty percent cut for coming with me.”
“Oh, well…thank you.” Vicky smiled at him, wishing her voice didn’t sound so breathless when he got really close like that. It was his warm, spicy scent affecting her brain again she told herself. He was so handsome and charming already but adding that delicious smelling pheromone scent on top of all that made him damn near irresistible.
Chain gave her a long hug and another kiss before letting her go.
“Have fun with your new friends, beautiful Victoria,” he murmured. “I’ll meet you back here at the ship later.”
Vicky watched him walk over to Commander Sylvan and then she turned back to Kat and the other girls as well.
“Done saying goodbye?” Kat smirked at her, one auburn eyebrow arched.
“Oh, um…” Vicky could feel herself blushing.
“Don’t tease her, Kat—you know how it is when you first bond with a Kindred,” Liv said, elbowing her friend in the ribs and glaring at her.
“Oh, we’re not, uh, bonded,” Vicky protested. “We’re just together for now—for this mission, I mean,” she added.
“Just for now, hmm?” Lauren shook her head skeptically. “Girl, we all saw that kiss. I think your ‘for now’ might be in danger of becoming ‘for always’ if you’re not careful.”
“As well as being the Alien Culture Coordinator or ACC, as I like to abbreviate it—” Kat began.
“Which sounds like Akk! Like a cat coughing up a hairball,” Liv interrupted, grinning at her friend.
“Or maybe Ass,” Sophie said thoughtfully. “Which is hardly any better.”
“Whatever.” Kat gave her friends a look of mock indignation. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that as well as being the ACC, I’m also the Mother Ship’s premier wedding slash joining planner. So if you need help planning your nuptials—”
“Oh, I’m sorry to disappoint you but that’s never going to happen,” Vicky said quickly. “I mean, have you seen Chain?” She cast a glance at him as he walked away, down the long row of ships, with Commander Sylvan. He wasn’t wearing his scatterlight cloak for once and his ass looked especially good in the tight black leather trousers he had on.
“Yeah, we see him. So?” Sophie put a hand on her hip. “Is there some reason the two of you could never get Joined?”
“Well, I mean, can’t you tell the age difference?” Vicky asked. “He’s at least fifteen years younger than me.”
“So?” Liv shrugged. “You wouldn’t be the first girl to get bonded to a much younger man around here.”
“But I’m too old for him!” Vicky protested.
“Listen, doll—the heart wants what the heart wants and that’s especially true when it comes to Kindred,” Kat lectured, as she led Vicky down another long row of ships. “Kindred warriors don’t have the same values—or lack of values—that Earth guys do. When they fall for you, they fall hard. And they don’t change their minds.”
“Well…that’s very nice.” Vicky smiled uncertainly. “But I don’t think it’s the case here. Chain and I are just doing this one mission together—that’s all. “Anyway,” she went on, wanting to change the subject. “What can you tell me about Priima Belle—other than the fact that it sounds like an upscale Italian bistro?” she added, which made them all laugh.
“Come with us,” Kat told her. “We’ll tell you everything we know…”
Chapter Twelve
“So I call these ‘goddess gowns,’ because look, aren’t they pretty? They remind me of something you’d see on a statue of a Greek Goddess like Athena,” Kat said, holding up a dress made of flowing, gauzy material for Vicky’s inspection.
It was, indeed, a bit toga-like—an off-the shoulder gown on one side with many floaty layers. The material was light and airy and the gowns all seemed to have graduated colors. For instance, the one Kat was showing started out very pale blush pink at the top and then deepened gradually to a lovely mauve near the waist and then turned into a gorgeous deep maroon at the bottom half of the flowing skirt which fell to Vicky’s ankles.
Kat had already made similar dresses in shades of blue, green, and purple using Vicky’s measurements and an ingenious device which seemed to be some kind of 3-D printer for clothes.
“Oh—those are beautiful!” Vicky exclaimed.
“And they drape just right to accentuate your curves instead of making you look like a puffy wedding cake,” Kat promised. “You want to try one on?”
“I’d love to!” Vicky stepped behind the folding screen Kat had set up in one corner of her office—which was just a room in her suite that she shared with her two husbands and three sons. Outside the door, Vicky could hear the kids running around like crazy but they left “Mommy’s office” strictly alone, “On pain of death or of getting in trouble with my Dark Twin husband, Deep” as Kat had said, smiling.
Vicky decided to try on the green dress first, since it would accentuate her eyes. It slipped easily over
