She moaned, and he settled in between her thighs. She exhaled power as her senses wound tight. This was the moment when part of her activation came out to play. She loved powering up the teams; she just couldn’t tell them that it was what she was doing.
She rode the waves of pleasure until she screamed softly. He slid up her body and rocked into her hard and fast until he groaned and pressed his forehead to hers.
She stroked his cheek, shoulders, and feathered kisses across his lips. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “That is what I was missing. Seeing the slightly dazed expression is worth it.” He kissed her softly.
Zera blushed. “The jewellery I have on is going to blur some details, it is mostly for the cameras and security stations that I pass, but it will have an effect on you.”
“Will I get to remember your eyes?”
“Probably, but you have seen them before.”
He stroked her cheek. “Not like this. This is different.”
She looked at him and saw something shining in his eyes. “Ah, Hron, you have strange taste.”
He bent his head and licked her neck. “You taste amazing.”
She groaned. “Don’t start with the licking.” Her ten-minute warning chime made her sigh. “I have to get dressed.”
He smiled. “Take a breath.”
She inhaled, and when she exhaled, she was standing on her feet with her dress on and Hron holding her in his arms.
This was the part she loved. The coming down after the contact high. They stood together until her chime rang, and she pulled her hood up, stroked his cheek, and walked out of the private room, activating her guard bot for when she reached the lobby.
When she reached the home base, she checked her com. “Holy shit.” Her available schedule was filling up. Her regulars and some occasional clients were booking her three-week window. She swallowed. The news had run highlights from the meeting and the public speakers. Uh oh.
Chapter Seven
Zera changed and headed back to her office. Her security camera at home showed that there were interested parties waiting for her to come or go. Some were reporters, and others had eerie leers on their faces. She just didn’t want to deal with it.
Her body ached from her encounter with Hron, so she spent the remainder of the evening going through the applications for the corporation and actually came up with seven candidates out of the accumulated twenty-one.
She got a call and chuckled as she answered. “Hey, Torun.”
“Zera, are you safe?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Your house has been blown up.”
She sat up from her reclined position on her sofa. “What?” She checked her security cameras, and there was no signal. “Aw, fuck. All my stuff was there.”
“But, you are safe. Where are you?”
She yawned. “Trying to get some sleep. In my office.”
“You don’t sound upset.”
“I am not, really. I figured that this kind of thing would happen when you blew my cover, so to speak. There are a lot of folks that consider team members akin to gods. No one can sully them, and I have sullied the hell out of you.”
He chuckled and then said, “I want you safe.”
“I understand. I want to be safe, and I am. No one without section black clearance can get in here. Anyone trying to get in here will be recorded by seven different cameras every second.”
“Perhaps I should have been clearer. I want you with me.”
“That is unfortunate. I want me under a blanket on my couch right now. I will shop for a new house in the morning.”
“How can you be so calm about this?”
“Look, Torun, I am on very little food and sleep. I have work and a client tomorrow. I need to rest, and tomorrow, I need to shop.”
“What aren’t you saying?”
She sighed into the com. “All of my memorabilia is gone, as is Susa’s. The bots packed everything after the search teams left. It was a preprogrammed response. All we lost was the shell.”
He was silent. “So, you have gained some precognition.”
“Logical extrapolation. Why did you strip my protections from me?”
“It was time. You are powerful enough now to keep yourself protected, and Mentor was not going to step out of the shadows until you looked frightening and exotic. He can still book you. Has he?”
She laughed. “The teams have fully booked the next two weeks. I would have to start booking two on the same day too, and I do have a job.”
He chuckled. “Which pays better?”
“That isn’t the point. Money is not the problem. The device design is so much more satisfying mentally, if not physically.”
His voice came through the hall as well as the com. “Are you sure it is more satisfying?” Torun walked into her office.
“You know, I am going to look into your security clearance being revoked.”
He grinned. “Good luck with that. You look tired.”
“What did I just tell you?” She huffed and disconnected the com. “I am tired.”
He walked to the couch, lifted her, and settled her against him. “Stop working and sleep.”
She snorted and leaned against his shoulder. “You are not the boss of me.”
He chuckled. “You are the scrappiest female I have run across with your soft side running wild when it has to.” He sighed. “I miss you.”
“You were the one who said that my ravenous activation could be fed this way. You were right, but it takes a toll.”
He grumbled. “On me as well. I want nothing more than to come home to you and you alone, but I understand. Do you think you will need to do it much longer?”
Zera chuckled softly. “Until I can get more escorts to fill the emotional needs of the teams. You guys are messed up.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We are. You are helping, as are your other escorts.”
“I know. I watch your stats. You are pretty tough for someone who has the colouration of a flower.”
“And you are pretty
