“How long have you and Jerred been…ah…partners?” Josiah asked, taking a drink of his own wine. She turned her attention to him, noticing for the first time how attractive he was. Of course, the disturbing tattoo faced away from her. She examined the feeling carefully, turning it around in her mind. Was she attracted to him? No, not really. She could appreciate him aesthetically, but the longing she felt for Jerred seemed to leave no room for other kinds of longing. It was a good realization. At least now she knew that whatever special properties the wine had, it wasn’t solely responsible for the way she reacted around him.
“We’ve only been together for a few weeks,” Jerred replied, surprising her. She turned her gaze back to him, catching a hint of a warning in his expression. For some reason he didn’t want Josiah to know they’d met on Transit Three. Fair enough.
“That’s right, it hasn’t been that long,” she said. “We met in a bar,” she added awkwardly. Great. Now she sounded like a cheap floozy.
Josiah burst out laughing, and Jerred’s face turned grim.
“In a bar?” he repeated, “How very unusual. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you pick a woman up in a bar, Jerred. Well, at least not a woman that you kept for more than a few hours. This one must be special.”
He reached over and grasped her chin firmly, turning it so he could examine her face. She froze, disgusted by his rudeness. Her eyes flew to Jerred, but once again he shook his head very slowly.
“You see, Jerred knows better than to make me mad,” Josiah said. “Well, at least better than to make me mad in my own stronghold. I would imagine under the right circumstances he’d kill me for touching his woman.”
He dropped her chin and turned to smile blandly at Jerred.
“She’s not my woman,” Jerred said, his tone light. “I find it convenient from time to time to acquire a bed mate. Just because you’ve never seen me do it before, hardly makes it a novelty. I’m actually growing tired of her, though. Care to take her off my hands?”
He smiled back at Josiah, his expression every bit as bland as the other man’s had been.
“That’s a possibility,” Josiah said, taking another drink of his wine. “But we can discuss that later. For now, shall we eat?”
Jerred nodded. The women came forward again, this time filling small plates with delicacies from the different platters. One placed a dish covered in candied fruits and nuts before Giselle, and she took a bite resentfully. Damn, it was really good. If only it had been inedible—she would have enjoyed snubbing Josiah’s hospitality. Jerred also seemed to be enjoying his food. She noticed that one of the women has lowered herself to the floor beside Jerred’s couch. She was tall, svelte, and dark, with raven-colored hair that hung well belong her waist. Everything that Giselle wasn’t.
The woman touched Jerred’s shoulders, and holding up small, particularly choice bits of food for him. He took them from her without sparing a glance for Giselle, and she felt her anger rising. She took another deep drink of the wine, and then set the goblet back down in disgust. The last thing she wanted was to feel more lust for the man. If he wanted to get laid, he could do it with the slut sitting next to him. The woman hardly wore any clothing at all, just a few strategically spaced scarves.
She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she turned to find Josiah watching her closely. He smiled, and for the first time she thought there might be a spark of human emotion in those cold, icy blue eyes.
“I’m sorry Jerred isn’t paying closer attention to you,” he said softly. He ran his fingers across her shoulder lightly, and she felt a frisson of sensation uncurl from where he’d touched her. She pushed it back, unwilling to acknowledge it.
“You really don’t know him very well, do you?” Josiah continued softly. “He says you’ve been together for several weeks, but I would imagine it’s been less than that. Do you know what he is, for example?”
She ignored him, carefully taking another bite of fruit. The woman had come around Jerred to kneel in front of him, blocking her view of his face. What was he doing? Did he want her? How could any man not want her, Giselle thought, repulsed.
The woman was perfect. Not short and round and spotted, for love of the Goddess. She wasn’t the kind of woman men met in bars. This was the kind of woman who could serve the Emperor without anyone thinking twice about it. She was definitely out of her league here.
Josiah leaned toward her, whispering in her ear.
“He’s a spy, you know,” he said softly. His breath brushed against her cheek and she shivered. The tip of his tongue flicked out, tracing her earlobe so softly that she hardly realized he touched her at first. She quivered even as she willed herself not to respond.
“He pretends to be a smuggler, but he’s really in service to the Saurellian government. If he knew you knew that, he’d have to kill you.”
She tried to pull away from him, but somehow his arm had wound its way around her, holding her securely so she couldn’t move. His insidious whispers continued.
“He’s also a friend of the Emperor’s,” he said softly. “He’s a double agent, and a darling of the Imperial court. He’s bedded hundreds of women there. He fucks them until they give him their husbands’ secrets. How much room do you think has in his life for someone like you?”
With that, he pulled away from her. Any hint of emotion or warmth was gone from his gaze.
She looked across the table to see the woman sitting next to Jerred, rubbing his back languidly. Her eyes, so deep and rich and brown, gazed back at Giselle. There were secrets in that gaze. Her touch on Jerred seemed possessive, as if she knew she owned him.
Or perhaps as if she’d touched him before.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying Celia,” Josiah said smoothly. He turned back to Giselle.
“She’s always been his favorite. He likes those tall, dark types.”
Giselle gritted her teeth and nodded her head. What had she done to deserve this?
All she wanted to was a decent, regular job so she could get back on her feet. This simply wasn’t fair.
“Celia has been asking after you as well, Jerred,” Josiah continued. “I promised her she could have you. Of course, that was before I searched your ship. I’m not sure you’ll be capable of accommodating her once I’m done with you now. I really wasn’t very pleased with what I found there.”
Giselle looked to Jerred quickly, suddenly afraid.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied lightly. “There’s nothing on my ship that should concern you.”
“Oh, really?” Josiah said, his tone growing harsh. “I find that interesting, because in one of your encrypted databanks there was a detailed schematic of this station and the five largest ships in my fleet. Why would you want information like that, Jerred?”
She looked to him, waiting to hear his explanation. She had no idea why he might have such a thing, but she hoped to hell he had a good reason. Josiah didn’t seem very pleased about the situation at all.
Jerred didn’t reply, though. Instead he sat up and pulled Celia against him, whipping out a knife and holding it to her throat.
Everyone froze, and Celia gave out a low moan. The music stopped.
Then Josiah burst out laughing, and the music started again.
“Oh, Jerred,” he said. “I’m impressed by your play acting, but I really don’t care whether you kill Celia or not.”
The woman moaned piteously, and her eyes caught Giselle’s. All trace of seduction, superiority was gone now. They were just two women afraid of the men around them.