This is a book-length work, so not every chapter will involve sex. If you're just looking for a quick wank, this probably isn't your story.
Thanks for reading!
=====
Fuck, I was bored. I had attended one of the most prestigious journalism schools on Earth, nurturing big dreams of covering stories that mattered, making a difference in our solar system and beyond. Instead, there I was, sitting at a table surrounded by other people famous for their pretty faces, in a room filled with more of the same. To my right was tonight's guest of honor. Her eyelashes sparkled in the light and I realized she had impossibly thin diamond chips embedded in the fine hairs. I thought of Rusty and the scars his body bore from being hired on to protect cargo ships heavy with similar products, luxury goods purpose made to flatter the vanity of the galaxy's richest few. I'd been doing a lot of that this time, comparing the life he, his friend Buchanan, and many others on my crew had led, with the way these people had been pampered from birth.
People are people and I had to admit I'd met many good ones in the cycles I'd been doing this work. However, no matter how nice they were or what types of philanthropy they performed, the fact that their entire lifestyle had been bought with the bodies of people like my engineer could not be erased. The young woman sitting next to me either didn't know or didn't care, and that made me hate her a little. That I had so recently worn similar blinders made me hate myself more than a little. The lights dimmed, signaling to those still mingling that it was time to take their seats. Perversely, the noise level in the ballroom increased as everyone had to get in that last comment before the show started.
The fine linen tablecloth brushed my hand as I shifted in my seat. It was pristine, the snowy white unmarked by food or wine. While I was sure the station boasted the best laundry facilities - after all, it claimed to be unparalleled in every aspect - it was more likely that the napkins and tablecloths were seeing their first use tonight. I wondered how many people had spent the last day or two pressing and draping and folding to make everything perfect for tonight in ways that would go unnoticed. Considering the attitude I had seen some of these people display at other events, having their work ignored was the best case scenario for event help. If someone from the upper decks paid attention, it meant something had gone wrong and there would be hell to pay.
Shuffling overtook conversation when the lights dimmed yet again, and the audience finally took their seats. Thankfully, my patron had been happy to be the center of attention at my table, so my reticence was less obvious than it otherwise might have been. The host made his way to the front of the room and was greeted with polite applause. Pasting a smile to my face, I joined in, knowing the spotlight would soon be focused my way.
Last time we talked, Li told me the crew was planning to watch together; I could picture them all lounging in the galley, talking and laughing. The scene conjured by my imagination was a strong contrast to the measured smiles and carefully calibrated chuckles here on the station. Even had they wanted to watch here, my crew would not have been welcome: Li was the only other person on the ship with the required pedigree to pass beyond the docks on
Shangri Las Vegas.
It was only since I'd been running my own ship that the more subtle types of discrimination had become apparent, but I couldn't fool myself into believing I hadn't known something was amiss long before. This neon hellhole may have been the worst offender, but the other pleasure palaces weren't much better. Unlike places such as the Ring station near Saturn or the Hermes cluster in the belt, these stations were basically giant status symbols devoted to the whims of the beautiful people. And by beautiful, they meant rich. Very rich.
The host, smiling with his million-credit teeth in a suit that likely cost more than my ship, called out my name and I stood, my expression a carefully calibrated blend of pride and humility as I waved, to all appearances happy to accept their accolades. Then it was my patron's turn and I offered her a hand up, bowing to brush my lips over her knuckles as she giggled and blushed prettily. Finally,
finally
, we were allowed to sit and the program was set to begin. My stomach twisted, the small amount of dinner I'd taken in threatening to make an unwelcome second appearance. What was I doing here? I had won the genetic lottery; that and a family with the resources to make sure I had the best education Earth could offer gave me a ticket to places like these. Sure, it was an economy ticket that came with additional fees, but that was still more than most were allowed. There had to be more to life than stroking the egos of the pampered class.
An excited squeal beside me brought me back to my current reality. Some version of these doubts had been plaguing me with increasing frequency over the last few cycles, but I could generally shake them off and do my part, socializing with the socialites and paying my dues in their bedrooms. This night, that seemed beyond me and I could not muster the will to pretend any longer. "Oh, look at us!" my patron cried, gripping my wrist tightly.
"I apologize," I said, extricating my arm as gently as possible. "I must excuse myself." I put a hand to my stomach and grimaced apologetically. She gave me a knowing look and a wink before turning her attention back to the wall screen, enamored with her larger-than-life image. Trying to minimize the disruption, I slipped quickly out of the room, working to put her expression out of my mind. Of course eating the most expensive food possible and then vomiting it up later was accepted practice on this station. Humans had spread beyond our home planet only to infect the rest of the system with our neuroses.
Thankfully, I had sent the few possessions that I'd brought with me back to the
Marzi
before heading to dinner, so there was no need to revisit my temporary quarters on the station. I turned my feet toward the docks, tossing the Aphroditis hypo I'd stashed in my pocket in anticipation of spending the night in the starlet's bed into the first recycling port I passed. If any of the staff thought it odd that I was moving away from the ballroom hosting the viewing, they were too well trained to say anything. I hoped that none wanted to risk interrupting the show and thus my disappearance would go unnoticed for some time yet. Though it took some effort, I kept myself to a brisk walk to avoid raising more suspicion.
I spent more time than I would have liked working my way through the multiple retail levels that lay between the ballroom and the nearest access to the docking stations. Both to maintain the idea that the upper classes had no need to hurry anywhere and to encourage spending of credits, the path from one lift to the next meandered through shops tucked amongst flawlessly maintained gardens. It was no wonder two-thirds of the station was needed to house the staff; the landscaping alone must have taken a small army. I had considered the more direct route through the less public zones, but the disruption that would cause was not worth the reduction in travel time. And a plan had started forming as I worked my way through the station. It scared the hell out of me, so I used the time to consider all the angles, weigh the pros and cons, and try to talk myself out of doing something I would regret.
After finally letting myself onto the ship, I stopped briefly in my office before sliding down the ladder and emerging on the crew deck. Voices bubbled through an open door ahead as I stepped from my quarters. Smiling in anticipation, I followed the noise and stopped outside the doorway to the galley. Their backs to me, my crew was crowded together around the table. Dressed in a skimpy bikini, the woman I had spent the last two days flattering was taking us on a virtual tour of a water plant she had "founded" - in other words, she had thrown a lot of money at the scientists involved - that promised to revolutionize enviro systems throughout human-settled space. The claim was bold, but it became less exciting the fifth or sixth time you heard it. By now I was in the double digits. At least.
My arrival coincided with the tail end of a bawdy joke and the room filled with laughter. Shifting against the wall, I was considering announcing my presence before anyone said anything they might regret later when my eye was caught by a figure standing apart from the rest. Rusty. Of course. Despite how often I'd thought of him over the last couple of days, I still wasn't sure how I felt about whatever it was we were doing. Two days spent in close company with those he had deemed "my people" had both increased my irritation that he thought the worst of me and given me a greater understanding of how he could believe that. I had no idea what I'd said that day to set him off, but I must have been doing something very wrong to give him the impression that I preferred the company of those I'd been dining with before I had fled back to the ship.
The engineer wasn't watching the screen; instead he stared over the heads of his crewmates, eyes unfocused. I winced as I appeared onscreen next to the bikini-clad beauty, seeming to hang on her every word. Did he think my interest was genuine? I couldn't imagine he didn't know better, especially now, but perhaps he truly did believe me to be "slumming" with him, as he put it. Doubts twisted inside me and I thought to return to my quarters. I tried to convince myself I just wanted to let my crew have their night, that I wanted to slip away unnoticed to avoid interrupting them. That I wasn't considering hiding from my engineer. Then it was too late.
Rusty's attention shifted and suddenly those dark eyes burned into me so I could barely breathe. A wave of heat swept over me, collecting in my groin. I managed to tilt my head slightly toward his door and step away from the galley before anyone else knew I was there. Waiting near the end of the passageway, my heart was in my throat, unsure if he would accept my suggestion. Moments later, the engineer was in front of me and
how had I forgotten just how big he was
? The door slid open and I stepped into his quarters, biting my lip when I heard him thumb the latch. I turned to find him standing just inside the door, watching me with narrowed eyes. His face told me nothing about how he was feeling. It was possible he expected an argument and wanted privacy. But he had locked the door. That fact gave me the courage to move.
Taking a step forward, I reached up and gripped the back of his neck. Our foreheads pressed together and the words flooded out of me without plan or thought: "I owe you an apology. I'm so sorry, and I know we need to talk, and I promise we will after, but right now I just need you inside me. Please." My cheeks burned as I heard what I was saying, but the words were out and, embarrassing or not, they were the truth. There was a breathless instant in which I was sure he was going to throw me out; then his lips were on mine, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, and I was all his.
Relief washed through me - I was back home where Rusty still wanted me - leaving giddiness in its wake. The jumpsuits we generally wore on board had their problems, but they were a hell of a lot easier to get out of than my formal wear, and my lack of focus did not help with the task at hand. We kissed and laughed and kissed more as our fingers fumbled with the knots in my tie and sash and the never-ending buttons on my coat and shirt. At least the pants were simple. When the last of my clothing hit the floor, Rusty swept me up and carried me to the bed. I was laughing so hard tears ran from my eyes by the time he dumped me on the bunk and stripped out of his own clothes.
