Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

There was silence on the other end for a long moment and he thought she had disconnected before he heard crying.

God, he was such a shit. He shouldn’t have raised his voice. Her agonized sob sent a dagger straight to his soul.

“Please don’t cry. It can’t be good for your lungs. I’ll dispatch a refund to your account immediately and—”

“No! Ohmigod. Don’t send a refund!” Her shout startled his heart into almost skipping a beat.

“Why not?”

She sniffed a couple of times before whispering, “Please. You don’t understand I need to get my cure, Captain Wyckoff. I’m absolutely desperate. Please tell me how much money you need. What will it take for you to get me off this planet tonight?” Her impassioned request was very intriguing if only to get a look at the woman who went with the sexy voice.

Unfortunately, his mutinous curiosity wasn’t making the decision. It was his turn to sigh. “It isn’t about the money, Dr. Drake. Getting you off this planet within the next week would take a miracle.”

Again she was silent for so long he checked his device to see if they were still connected. Her quiet tone made him lean forward as if hunkering over his desk would help him hear better.

“My brother, Philip, is the political manager to Governor Brawley. It would upset him greatly to discover you didn’t make every effort on my behalf, Captain Wyckoff.”

Shit.
The PM to the governor of this entire sector had the kind of powerful and influential clout he couldn’t even hope to buy. The slim opportunity for a face-to-face contact made him giddy with untold success. He most assuredly didn’t want to piss off anyone connected to the Governor.

Thinking through all the amazing stunts he’d have to pull off to make this impromptu trip to the Parsec Colony work, he said calmly, “I’ll tell you what. If you’d be willing to get me an audience with your brother in the form of an official appointment for potential service runs to the governor’s planet, I’ll lift you off this planet before midnight.”

“Midnight is in just under four hours.”

“That is correct. Send me a carbon copy of the request to your brother and we’ll be on our way tonight.”

“Then we’re in accord. I’ll send the message to my brother before we leave and schedule a trade pitch meeting for you upon our return to Bravura in a month.”

“Perfect.”

“I’ll see you before midnight then. Thank you, Captain Wyckoff. I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome. The
Dalton
is located at dock seventeen. And I’ll have your self-contained room ready upon your arrival.”

She disconnected without saying anything else, and Gray hoped he could pull this feat of madness off. He also desperately wished that the best first officer he’d ever had, Nathan, wasn’t already gone from the planet or he would have stolen him from the
Mirage
and enlisted his help for this journey.

* * * *

Penelope had to sit after her conversation with Captain Wyckoff. The close call had caused unprecedented tears. She never cried. And certainly never in front of anyone. Alice’s mention that the SOS virus made her cry more flitted across Penelope’s memory. The indignities of this disease were seemingly endless.

The silver box from her brother caught her eye again. Staring at it earlier had given her the idea of leverage to dangle over the captain’s probable greed. Most thought twice about crossing the trade governor in a negative way, and everyone else wanted an audience to promote themselves or their business.

Captain Wyckoff was no different, obviously. His attitude had certainly changed when she’d mentioned the Governor. The only foreseeable problem was she didn’t really have any leverage. Worse, she’d fibbed about the relationship her brother had with the governor’s manager. Her brother wasn’t actually the manager, just one of many who worked for the PM.

She hated the lie, but given her predicament the lie couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, her brother’s communication address listed him with the governor’s office. She could send a coded message tagging the captain’s address and at least fool him enough to get off the planet tonight.

She’d spend the rest of her life paying off what she owed to Captain Wyckoff if needed, but for tonight, she needed a ride to get her cure. She also hated that she’d cried. She so rarely wept, it had been a surprise when the hot, fat tears spilled across her cheeks in utter despair that he wouldn’t help her with this monumental personal problem.

She gathered a change of clothes. She didn’t dare try to make it to her apartment without coming across a man she’d want to have her wicked way with…like Nathan.

The look on Nathan’s face when he finally understood what she wanted in that alley was pressed into her memory. But she ignored it in favor of getting to dock seventeen and into the self-contained room before her oxygen packs ran out.

Checking her gauge, she grimaced. The tank held a lot, but it would be close. She composed a carefully worded message to her brother requesting what she knew he likely couldn’t provide, and hedging her reasons for what she wanted and why she needed the appointment with the Governor so desperately.

Her second correspondence involved an emergency request for leave. She hinted it had something to do with a message from her brother. She hated using his lofty position so much, but her predicament left her little choice.

The final problem to resolve was payment for the return to Bravura. It would be due before their return. Captain Gray Wyckoff could strand her on the Parsec Colony, which would be game over for her career, but at least she’d be cured of this horrid disease.

If her brother had the money to deposit to her personal account, he would do so, if not, she was screwed. Perhaps she could arrange monthly payments to the captain once they’d arrived at the Parsec Colony. If she got back to the science lab with the cure in time to save her job, it would be a miracle, but at this juncture she didn’t have any other choice.

Her communicator’s buzz wrenched her from the despondent mood she’d sunk into. How would she ever pull this madness off?

“Yes.” Penelope set her communication device to receive video signal, but left hers to voice only. Damon’s face filled the small screen.

“It’s Damon. Everything is set for the test.” He switched the feed and connected her to the camera in the observation room.

Penelope zoomed the frame slightly. “Tell Karl to go in.”

“He isn’t here yet. Why can’t I go in?” His whine angered her, but she didn’t have time for that tonight.

“Fine, but take in a tranquilizer when you go. I don’t want her forced into suffering another sexual encounter today.”

Damon’s deep sigh of disagreement rankled her nerves. “I’ll be happy to quench her thirst for sex.”

“No. Find a prostitute if you want sex so bad, Damon. Do not, I repeat, do not have sex with Alice.”

Penelope flipped the camera to the observation room and watched as Damon pouted, but he grabbed a tranquillizer shot on his way to Alice’s room.

She pushed the intercom button on her device. “Alice, can you hear me? I’m watching from my office.”

Alice stirred when she heard her name. Her gaze shifted to the camera. “I hear you, Dr. Drake.”

“We’re going to run the test. Mr. Kaslan is coming in.”

Alice’s lip curled. Penelope added, “He’s bringing a shot in with him in case the cure didn’t work. But I’m hopeful, Alice. I really am.” The door opened, and Damon came through.

A resigned expression came over Alice’s face. Penelope hoped she could pull this off successfully. If Alice were still affected then the tranquilizer would put her out of her misery, but only until she woke up again. The riskier proposition was putting her into an induced coma for several weeks until Penelope could return.

Damon entered Alice’s room and Penelope prayed for Alice to be cured. Securing the door, he advanced into the room. Alice stood and wrapped her robe around her tighter.

“How do you feel, Alice?” Penelope asked.

“Fine.” She crossed her arms and a tentative smile tugged at her mouth. “Actually, it’s great. I don’t have the urge to fuck him at all.”

“Good. That’s good. Damon? Go ahead and call Karl. Have him wait in observation until Alice is ready.” Penelope didn’t have enough time left to get through another test, but she would have Damon sedate Alice and keep her that way until she could return from the Parsec Colony and research further options. She’d tell Damon to keep Karl away from Alice and then technically she wasn’t breaking her word. Alice wouldn’t be awake until Penelope got back.

Damon, lips pursed in obvious annoyance at Alice not being attracted to him, turned and opened the door.

Karl stood outside the entry poised to knock. “You called me?” He strode through the door. Penelope sucked in a breath and held it. Nothing happened for the space of five seconds until Alice’s inhuman screech of reaction echoed in the room.

“I’m not cured. Oh God. It burns. Where is my shot, Dr. Drake? You promised.”

“Damon! Give her the shot.”

Damon reached into his pocket and pulled out the syringe. He popped off the cover and pushed her down to the bed.

“This is poison, right?” Alice asked.

“No.” Damon’s brows furrowed. “It’s just a tranquilizer to keep you from getting fucked again.”

“I want poison. I want this to end.” Tears glistened on her face. “You promised, Dr. Drake. I want to die. You promised to kill me if the cure didn’t work.”

Damon paused before giving her the shot. “Dr. Penny promised to kill you?” He turned to the camera. “Did you?”

“Please, Alice. I need to take a trip. It’s why I’m not there. I’m headed to fetch more cure.”
And to save myself from the same fate
. “Once I get back, if it still doesn’t work, I won’t stop working until I find your cure. I know I’m asking a lot, but you’ll be safe in the room alone. I’ll direct no more testing and…”

While Penelope tried to convince Alice to live, Damon’s gilt-handled knife flashed beneath his medical coat. Alice had it unsheathed and headed for her heart before Penelope could scream the word no.

Damon smacked her hand and the knife clattered to the floor. He shot the tranquillizer into the meaty part of Alice’s upper arm. After several seconds, she stopped struggling and slumped onto the bed.

“Make sure to keep her unconscious and in isolation until I return—”

“Dr. Drake, your patient is tranquillized for now, but you still don’t have authorization to go anywhere off planet. I’m calling Dr. Lead-ass.”

“No, Damon. Please I’m on my way to get more cure to replace what was used. If it doesn’t work, I’ll research and study a way to cure Alice a different way.”

Hands on his waist, Damon turned with a doubtful look. “Where did you get the money for the trip to the Parsec Colony?”

Penelope took a deep breath and exhaled before answering, “I borrowed it.”

“From where?” He stepped closer to the camera, his disapproving face broadened in the screen of her handheld.

“I don’t answer to you. It’s the other way around, in case you forgot. Besides, it doesn’t matter. Just cover for me and keep Alice under sedation while I’m gone. You may have to induce a temporary coma. I put a leave request on Dr. Ledreder’s desk. I’m due for time off anyway.”

“You’re still going to be fired for using the remaining dose on Alice.”

“I don’t care. I had to try—”

“Where are you? Let me come and talk some sense into you. Meet me, we’ll talk about this and then I’ll go get more of the cure for you from the Parsec Colony.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I was the one who gave the last dose to Alice, and I’ll be the one to get more.”

A tracking call came through her communication device in an effort to locate her in the building. Her handheld buzzed with the waiting message. Crap. Time to go. “I’ll contact you later, Damon. Thanks for taking care of Alice.” She disconnected before he could respond and spent the next several minutes gathering what she needed for her unexpected trip.

The bag with essentials was slung over her shoulder. Glancing at the wall clock, Penelope released a soft curse and ran for the office door. She had plenty of time to get to the dock, but leaving without being seen would eat up much of it.

The I-link vibrated again. Penelope turned it off, a huge defiance in her line of work. Being unavailable, even during time off, was a punishable violation for this job.

One more defiance in a seemingly endless line of problems she shoved to the back burner of her tower of difficulties. Penelope didn’t want anyone to know she had the disease, and she didn’t want to end up having sex with anyone she worked with.

She ran like Hades himself nipped at her heels ready to pull her into the blazing heat of the underworld forever.

Zipping down the hall to the elevator, she noticed Damon coming out of the office of regents. What was he doing
there
?

His eyes narrowed as he scanned her from head to foot. “Dr. Penny!” He started moving in her direction. “Wait up.”

Penelope pushed the button and the doors closed as he sprinted towards them. She knew for a fact she didn’t want to have sex with Damon. Ever.