Either way, we would have to purchase the goods here and sell them at our destination. Only the larger reputable ships could make the run without having to put up any funds.
The man behind the desk was much older than us, but he was friendly enough. He offered us three-hundred-and-seventeen-thousand credits for the builds, and over four-hundred-thousand for the tech cargo. Strawberry had provided him with a disc that contained the data and the computer embedded in his desktop simply spit out the numbers that he offered. Glancing at the clock he told us that those prices were good until the end of the business day, which was in just over two hours.
Seven-hundred-thousand credits wouldn't fill our cargo holds with outgoing cargo according to some of the listed prices. Since the profit wasn't going to a parent company, we didn't really need to make full runs. That also allowed some much-needed space of our dragons.
I was shocked when Strawberry turned down the offer and asked for eight-hundred-thousand total. The man smiled at her almost condescendingly. He obviously wasn't under her spell. He declined the counteroffer and stuck with his prices.
Always ask for a better price, my momma used to tell me. It was embarrassing to do so sometimes, but my mother had no shame in doing shrewd business. I expected my redheaded first officer to go ahead and sell at the offered prices. She did not.
Instead we went to the next office in the row. Their offer was nearly identical, but a smidge lower. This time, however, Strawberry was able to get them to budge with some sweet talking. Still, it was just a ten-thousand credit improvement over the first quote. She didn't accept it.
This negotiation shit was taking way too much time for my patience. At the next station I'd have to let her do her thing without me. I was hoping to start unloading our cargo the next morning. At this rate we’d be still be working on a buyer the next day.
By the time we stepped out of the Jafferties office there was only twenty minutes until the close of daily business. I was happy that she managed to sell both the Savrad and the Tigritari for two-hundred-thousand credits. The deal wasn't final, though, as they insisted that they be able to examine the creatures to confirm the health data that Vanilla had provided on the animals.
The offer that we received on what was left of the weapons was pathetic. In fact, Jafferties preferred not to deal in weapons at all. We were strongly encouraged to take them elsewhere.
Once back in the hall I was prepared to insist that Strawberry go back and accept one of the offers from earlier on the builds and techs. I didn't want to have to go through this again the next day. Before I could say anything, a young man with Clark's One logo on his shirt approached. The old man had decided to increase his offer by thirty-three-thousand and sent this guy to track us down before his office closed.
Strawberry flashed me a smile before telling the guy that we accept the new deal. And just like that, our cargo was sold. We would have nearly a million credits added to our account sometime the next day. Then we could select an outgoing contract that suited our needs. I was determined to get something going to one of the planets.
"We'll line up our next run tomorrow," Strawberry said as she clung to my arm like a new girlfriend. "Tonight, we relax. Let's get some drinks."
I glanced at Cinnamon on my other side to see her reaction to the redhead's words and behavior. Surprisingly, my sweet spice scented babe was smiling as she gave her nod of approval. She then put her body around my other arm and said, "I can't wait to get a good meal, girl. Let's not stop with just drinks."
"Honeysuckle will be pissed!" Strawberry told her with a wicked grin.
"Hold up," I said bringing our party to an abrupt halt. "I'd love to grab some drinks with you two lovely ladies, but we have some other things to consider."
"Tomorrow," Strawberry said with a stubborn shrug.
"She's right, Kash," Cinnamon said. "We did enough work today, I think. Let's grab a drink then we'll go shopping. When we get back to the ship we'll have enough good news to keep them from getting upset.. Everything will be fine and there is plenty of time for all of us to enjoy the station over the next few days."
I couldn't resist after my prime girl supported the idea. So, hand in hand with both of them, I let them lead me into Snooker's eatery. My apprehension faded immediately once I was inside the door. The place resembled a fancy Irish bar right out of Manhattan.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
It wasn't real wood. I stared at it, rubbed at it, and still had trouble believing it. The rich grain of the faux material was very convincing, and it was everywhere. The bar, the booths, even the ceiling. The glasses weren't real either. I mean, they were made from a crystal-clear plastic, and etched with a design that matched the decor. But I had gotten used to drinking from plastic already.
Our bartender was a cute girl in a black vest with no shirt underneath. Large breasted, too. She seemed a little flirty by nature, but I was able to control myself. When Strawberry took an interest in the young woman, she also sat her ten-grand chit on the bar. From that point on our seductive freckled hottie had the buxom blonde's undivided attention.
I finished my black liquor concoction which tasted a
