A vacation would have to wait. Promisewas in good shape for an old ship, but time could be very cruel to spaceships. The older they got, the harder and more costly maintenance became.
Her father owned it for 20 years before she inherited it from him, and he kept it in great shape. She was determined to do the same.
“Alex Wales, I hope you’re daydreaming about me,” Sackor said, interrupting her reverie.
She had no choice but to turn away from the stupid teenage girl and focus on her latest customer. As far as her clientele went, this guy was one of the scummiest breeds. On the other hand, he always managed to come through with both cargo and credits. She suspected Sackor had some sort of sick fascination with her, but she did her best to ignore his advances.
Sackor was also a piece of crap and would screw anyone over to get a better deal.
Alex met his glossy eyes. Creepy.
His four long, spiky fingers were lined with cheap, silver jewelry. On top of his head sat a fake crown, with two thin antennas sticking up from the inside. He even wore a red cape to fuel his delusion of having royalty in his blood. The only thing in his blood was filth. Everyone knew that only humanoid races had any sort of established monarchy.
Given the chance, she would love to squash this giant insect, but not while he still provided a steady stream of cargo. She didn’t know what he moved from this space station to nearby planets, but it had to be some sort of liquid, because it was always inside barrels.
She must have already moved more than a hundred for him.
Besides, it wasn’t her business to ask questions. Just deliver the cargo, receive her credits, and move onto the next job. Or back here for a little physical action.
Ah, Ulric. Stop thinking about him! The bizarre offer still bugged her more than she wanted to admit. They’d been playing this game of pleasurable sex for several years, and he’d never shown any desire to have it turn into more. Most of the time, when she returned, Alex had to pry some other hussy’s hands off him so she could have her turn at some fun. Ulric had even suggested having company in their bed several times, but Alex didn’t swing that way.
She was only into men, humanoidmen.
So, what had changed, or was Ulric trying to manipulate her into something she wasn’t aware of yet?
“How about that drink, huh?” Sackor asked. His thin lips spread into a grin, making him look downright scary.
Alex plastered a tight smile on her face. “I don’t think so. I really have to get going. There’s someone else waiting for me after I get your cargo across.” Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and play the charm game with insect-man every now and then. Her female charm got her pretty far in this business. A low-cut top and tight pants mixed with a seductive smile had scored her more than one repeat customer. This guy, ugh. Just being this close to him made her skin crawl, even with a small table between them.
“Oh, come on. I’m a king, you know?”
“So you’ve mentioned a thousand times before.”
“That doesn’t impress you?” Those big, black eyes looked like oversized goggles on his dark and shiny face.
She shrugged. “Not into royalty.”
“No, you’re into scum like Ulric Cale.”
She lifted an eyebrow. Now, this was interesting-a lowlife like Sackor was calling Ulricscum? “What makes you call him that?”
A raspy sound, vaguely resembling a sigh filled the air between them. She caught a sniff of his rancid breath. It smelled like a corpse permanently resided inside his stomach. Maybe one did.
Alex shook her head and exhaled to clear his stench.
“Everyone knows the guy’s into some very bad things. It’s why he can afford to sit on his ass all day and still be one of the richest pricks in the galaxy!” Sackor said every word with obvious dislike. Hell, it sounded more like hate.
“He inherited this space station and everything else-”
“Spoken like someone who’s fucking him.”
“How dare you!”
“What? You don’t think your affair’s a secret, do you?” Sackor laughed, making her skin crawl, again. His tiny teeth were all spikes inside that big, rigid mouth of his.
She wasn’t stupid, knowing a lot of people were aware of her on-again-off-again thing with Ulric never bothered her. Yet, she suddenly didn’t like the idea of every scumbag in the galaxy judging her because of it. Did they laugh behind her back or just assume she was an easy lay who’d eventually weaken and let them in, too? It sounded disgusting to even think about it, but sex and love could make or break a person’s entire life. Reputations were made and ruined after one-night stands with the wrong people or if the performance didn’t live up to the expectations.
What the hell was she thinking? Sackor would say just about anything to try and snare her into his web. It’s never going to happen.
Alex took a deep breath. “It’s not meant to be a secret.”
“Of course not. Fucking the owner of a space station can only work for your rep. It doesn’t mean you have to stay exclusive to him, does it? I’m more than equipped to deal with satisfying a humanoid female.” Sackor licked his lips and slowly extended his spiked tongue to insinuate exactly what he was offering, if she chose to accept the challenge.
The gesture had the reverse effect on her. Alex cringed at the thought of his putrid tongue anywhere near her body. “I’m a one-guy-at-a-time kinda girl,” she lied.
She had to stop this exclusive arrangement she’d set up for herself with Ulric, especially now that she knew he was getting confused. If something came up on-or off-this space station, Alex would take advantage of the situation. She couldn’t continue to mull over his offer and risk eventually taking him up on it.
A distraction’s what I need.
“You’re lying. I know all about your other lovers.”
“I don’t have other lovers,” she snapped back.
“I’m growing tired of your resistance, Alex Wales.” Those black eyes peered into hers. “One of these days, you’re going to have no other choice but to accept at least one encounter with me.”
She doubted thatday would ever come but chose to keep her mouth shut by biting down on her tongue. Just because she didn’t want to have sex with Sackor didn’t mean she had to jeopardize their working arrangement. “Who knows? Stranger things have happened.” She offered him a wink.
A smile teased the edges of those very thin, hard lips as his eyes shone. “Yes, they have…but for now, I’m going to have to be happy with keeping this strictly business.” He patted her left hand with his.