My first meeting with George Vlissidis was not at all what I expected.
I spent four long days in the brig of George's cruiser, staring at the ceiling, worrying about my fate. Judging by his reputation, I had little doubt that this would not end well. I just hoped that Nora would do the smart thing and blame everything on me - it was enough if one of us was in trouble.
Despite my precarious situation, I had to admit that the conditions in jail were good. The food came regularly, I was unrestrained in my cell, and I got to keep my clothes. They had even sent a doctor to treat the various bruises that I had suffered on the transport, which was a first in all of my lockup experiences.
From what I could see through the small window in the door, the jail's population consisted mostly of drunks sleeping it off before being released in the morning. I figured that more serious offenders wouldn't end up here - they'd probably take a short walk out of the nearest airlock.
*
On the morning of the fifth day, right after a decent breakfast and a quick shower, a guard passed a flat cardboard box through the meal slot.
"Put that on, you're going out."
I opened the box and examined its contents. It was a red cocktail dress, shoulder-free and classy, with matching shoes and a black purse - all of it way out of my price range. The dress fit me perfectly, showing ample cleavage without looking tacky and the heels were exactly my size, too. When I opened the purse, I found some makeup and a small mirror, so for the first time in a while, I applied lipstick and eyeliner.
No doubt about it, the whole outfit was a big step up from the second-hand uniform I had worn the past week and maybe, just maybe, this meant a slow and painful death was not in my immediate future.
"Excuse me, a little help please," I said, when the guard opened the door.
I turned around and he closed the zipper, but even though I offered my hands, he didn't cuff me. Instead, he escorted me out of the cell block, through several security doors, out of the jail area.
"Report to the boss's office on deck one," he instructed me. "And if you're still alive afterwards, get back here. Understood?"
I gulped. "Understood."
The next transport capsule was just a few steps away, but even the short walk from my cell made me realize that this wouldn't work. Shackles I could deal with, but high heels - not so much. Carrying the expensive shoes, I entered the capsule barefoot and selected my destination.
*
I arrived at the office of Donald Rann who, according to the nameplate on his desk, was Big George's chief of staff. Rann was a bearded, older guy wearing a business suit.
When he saw me, he got up from his seat and shook my hand.
"You must be Cassidy," he said, smiling friendly. "We heard so much about you. Go on in, George is expecting you. But please, you should really wear the shoes, he picked them himself."
"Sorry," I said, putting my high heels back on.
"What do I ... err, do you have any advice for me?" I asked, while my knees were getting weaker and weaker.
But Rann didn't answer - he just smiled and opened the padded door to George's office.
*
My stomach churned when I entered the large, minimally furnished room.
Big George was sitting in an executive chair behind a huge wooden desk and didn't acknowledge my arrival. Looking out of the large observation window into space, he watched formations of fighters passing by, providing cover for the cruiser and its support vessels.
Even sitting down he was an imposing figure, muscular and tall and I was surprised by how young he looked. He had to be in his late seventies, but didn't look a day older than forty - no doubt the result of expensive rejuvenation treatments. His head was shaved bald and he was wearing a gray, three-piece business suit, which was probably more expensive than all the clothes I had ever owned combined.
After a thorough, but nervous look at him, I saw a woman next to his desk, kneeling on a cushion. I immediately recognized her.
It was Nora - and from the looks of it, she was in good health.
She was wearing a sparkly violet collar and a tight black bodysuit that left her large breasts and her crotch exposed. Her breasts were bulging around the wide, permanent steel bands and her nipples were still adorned by the familiar large-gauge rings.
The breast decoration I had seen before, but the chain between her legs was a recent addition. It seemed to be a leash of some kind that ended in a leather handle which George had wrapped around his left wrist.
I smiled at Nora and she winked back at me. I was so glad that she was okay and I could tell that she was happy to see me.
*
Unsure what to do, I kept standing there in front of his desk, focusing on my toes. There were no chairs other than George's in the entire office, but even if there had been one, I never would have dared to sit down.
Finally, after a few long, nerve-wrecking minutes, he turned his head and looked me over, showing his pearly white teeth. His version of a smile, probably, but I wasn't sure.
"Ahhh, there she is, my young troublemaker," he said in a conversational tone, in his deep, booming voice. "You look lovely, my dear."
"Th-thanks," I stuttered.
"How may I address you?" he asked. "Is it still Cassidy? Or Evangeline? Andara? Jelena maybe? All those names, must be hard to keep track."
"Cassidy will do, sir."
He nodded and looked at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought as another fighter squadron flew by outside the window.
"I get it, a woman needs her independence. Go on an adventure, have some fun with the girls, maybe even eat some pussy. That's fine, I accept that, but you two caused me quite a bit of a headache. Exploring the galaxy all on your own and disrupting my business, all while I sit here and worry. I'm a reasonable man, no matter what you may have heard, but I'm sure you understand that I can't let that slide."
I said nothing. I never expected that he would let anything slide.
"The wife already got her little ... souvenir for the trouble she put me through. See, last time she overstayed her vacation, we settled on a nose ring as the next souvenir and a couple of days ago, we even had the grommet installed. Show her, darling."
George extended his hand but Nora evaded it, shooting him an angry glare.
"I think she's a little cross. That's how things are in a marriage, I'm sure she'll come around. Anyway, I had to cut off the ring, her face looks so much better without it. But we found a suitable replacement, I should have thought about it earlier."
He tugged on the leash that was attached somewhere between Nora's legs, making her wince.
"Nothing inspires obedience in a girl quite like a clit leash. Right, honey?"
Nora rolled her eyes and didn't answer.
"I'm joking, of course. She's not the obedient type and that's exactly how I like my women. But enough about the wife. What about you, did my guys treat you okay?"
"Boys will be boys," I said. "Nothing I couldn't handle."
He raised his eyebrows. "What did they do?"
"It's fine, sir. I worked at enough space port brothels, I can deal with a bunch of horny mercs."
He bit his lower lip and touched his comlink, establishing a voice connection. "Donnie, it's George ... look, the Alderians went a little overboard with my wife's friend ... yes ... not following orders, exactly ... not the first time, no ... wait, don't bring them in ... yes ... thanks, Donnie."
Through the large window, I could see one of the cruiser's massive gun batteries take aim at a shuttle craft floating at the starboard side. There was a short blue flash when the shuttle's automated defense systems raised the shields, but of course they were no match for that kind of firepower. All it took was a short burst of energy from the guns and the shuttle evaporated.
It was a struggle to keep up my poker face. Fucking hell, I thought, while I watched the debris of the shuttle fizzle out. If this is how he treats his associates, what is he going to do to me?
While my hopes for survival were reaching a new low, George turned his attention back to me as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. By his standards maybe it hadn't.
"So. You stole one of my transports, sold a shipment that belonged to me and you had a hand in kidnapping my wife. Now, she swears that you had nothing to do with it, all evidence be damned, but I have my doubts. And then you evaded capture for months, which cost me significant time and money to track you down. All while my beautiful wife fell seriously behind on her professional and marital obligations. Did I miss anything?"
"I think that covers it, sir," I said, staring at my toes. "And I also blew up a couple of your transports at that mining outpost."
"Right. Those were independent contractors, technically, but we'll add that to your list of transgressions. You know, nobody has dared to disrespect me like that in a very long time."
"I meant no dis-" I started, but George put a finger on his lips.
"Let me finish, please. I have a certain reputation to uphold and I'm sure you'll understand that a clean and simple solution like a shot in the head or the airlock won't do. This calls for something ... drastic, something that makes people take notice."
I gulped, feeling weak in my knees.
"On the other hand," he continued, "I'm already in trouble with the wife, she'd give me a hard time if I killed you. So I was thinking of setting you up in the pits, punitive solitary for life. If I remember correctly, you already had a taste."
I shuddered at the thought. Two months sensory deprivation in the pits had been the most horrific jail experience I ever had. Spending the rest of my life there would be beyond cruel - all alone without any human contact, I would slowly lose my mind.
He scratched his head while nightmarish scenes played in my head. If I took these stupid heels off, I might make it to an airlock - anything was better than the pits.
"It's a real conundrum, I thought long and hard about it. You know, the problem is that despite our ... differences, I think I like you. I had you investigated and you remind me of myself when I was younger - smart and talented, but also way too reckless. There is a lot you have to learn, but the most important thing is that you respect yourself. Compromise when you have to, but never, never let anyone walk all over you. Remember that, it's important."
"Yes, sir."
George rocked back and forth in his chair.
"You know what? How about you come and work for me? I'm sure we'll find a spot where you can work off your debt."
My jaw dropped. Maybe I might survive this after all.
"Only if you let Nora go," I said quickly, realizing the stupidity of my request immediately.
George laughed.
