Blind Space by Marie Sexton

Author:Marie Sexton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay science fiction erotic romance
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Published: 2012-05-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Valero was silent as he led me back to his room. He didn't touch me except to guide me into the lift and down the halls that smelled of rubber on metal. He didn't speak. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when we reached his quarters. His room and its faint smell of incense was familiar enough to feel like a refuge.

"I didn't realize you were his lover," he said bitterly as soon as we were inside.

"I'm not."

"'Trissy'?"

I sighed. I'd taken his silence on the walk back to mean he had nothing to say. Really, he'd been brewing in his jealousy. "If by 'lover' you mean, do I have some sort of romantic feelings for him, then no. But if by 'lover' you mean, did I do whatever he ordered me to do? Then yes." I hated saying it out loud, but it was true. "I fucked him. Many times."

He was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said at last, and the anger was gone from his voice. "That was unfair of me." I heard liquid pouring. "Here." He pressed a glass into my hands, and for once, I drank. It was wine—undoubtedly the wine he had tried to serve me with dinner. I did it no justice by downing it in one swallow as if it were nothing more than cheap ale.

Valero took the glass from me, and I heard his strides as he crossed to the other side of the room to set it down. "Are you all right?"

Was I? I had my answer regarding Rikard's loyalty, or more specifically, his lack of it, but a great many other questions had risen to the surface. "He's been living like that ever since we came on board?"

"Of course. He was in a smaller room at first, but he complained and poor Jak had to volunteer his instead. He dines each night at the captain's right hand. Not the dried meat and hard cheese you and your men have been given, either. I'm talking about a feast—roasted meat, fresh vegetables, chocolate and cognac for dessert. He's had the best of everything from our holds, including our wine. The greedy bastard's already drained our entire stash of Cerubian red. He's moved on to a lesser vintage. Hasn't stopped complaining about it, either." He snorted in disgust. "This isn't his damn Regency. We're pirates, for fuck's sake. The only things we have are what we steal or trade. Doesn't occur to him we have a limited supply of things. And of course he doesn't seem to care that everything he uses cuts into our share of the profit. He'd use less, if we took it out of his share."

"He's in for a cut?"

"Of course. The entire kidnapping was his idea."

"How much?"

"Half."

"Of everything?"

"Well, that's become a point of contention," he said, sounding partly bitter, but partly amused. "He still thinks he should get half of all the ransoms. Captain Yima feels he should only get half of what the Regency pays, which will reduce his profit on this venture significantly.

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