Skyport Virgo 1 - Refuge (17 page)

By the time they'd finally gotten around to the official handover, Admiral Bolanle's access codes had already expired, making it impossible for him to relinquish command to Pike. What had followed was five mind numbing hours of untangling and hacking away at bureaucratic red tape. Every time they neared a solution, some random regulation popped up to derail their progress. Finally, they'd managed to obtain new codes but not before a literal act of Federation congress had been hastily applied.

Nightmare, what an absolute nightmare!

Pike spied the door to their quarters. A sense of calm immediately washed over him.

But the moment he stepped into their living area, Pike sensed something was wrong.

Laleh banged around in the kitchen. Knowing they had busy days ahead of them, they'd agreed to order in room service that morning.
What in the world is she doing knocking
around in there now? And what the hell is that smell?

"Laleh?"

She jumped and spun toward him. Irritation creased her forehead. "Don't do that!"

Pike recoiled in shock. She'd never snapped at him like that. He tentatively moved closer to the kitchen but kept a safe distance, just in case. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Her snippy retort didn't convince him. She angrily stirred a pan of obviously burned food. Rice maybe. Chicken too.

Some primitive part of his brain urged Pike to beat a hasty retreat. The idiot in him pushed him forward to seek an answer. "You don't seem fine. And that's burned."

Spoon raised, Laleh pivoted quickly. "Really, Pike? Is it?"

He stepped back as she switched off the heat and tossed the pan into the sink. It hissed and sizzled as a stream of water rushed into the steaming hot pan. Immediately, Laleh attacked the burned food with the spoon. She sloshed water and burned bits everywhere. Shiny tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Stop." Pike wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest.

He wrenched the spoon from her hand and dropped it into the sink. His cheek touched hers as he stroked her face, desperate to calm her. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I burned dinner."

"I don't care," he said over her wail. "Did something happen at work?"

"No, but they found my transmitter."

He kissed her temple as she sobbed. "Was it broken beyond repair?"

She shook her head, crying loudly now. "He's never going to stop. He's never going to leave me alone."

Concern pierced his stomach. He knew even before he asked. "Who?"

Laleh wormed free of his embrace and strode to the dining table. She picked up her transmitter, scrolled through the screen, and thrust it into his hands. Rage surged through his veins as Jai threatened Laleh. That sniveling little shit! Pike's fist curled as the need to pound Jai's face overwhelmed him. If he ever got his hands on Jai again, he wouldn't be able to let the bastard walk away.

The sound of Laleh's panicked sobs tore at his heart. Pike set aside the transmitter and gathered her in his arms. She trembled violently so he squeezed tighter, desperate to reassure her. He sensed she'd finally had enough. He knew only too well the shock of the unexpected. Receiving this kind of threat could throw one's carefully orchestrated plans off-kilter so quickly.

At night, when they clung to one another in the darkness, she'd often confessed she felt more safe and secure than she ever had at any other point in her life. Now Jai was threatening that security, the thing she'd craved most since childhood. Pike wouldn't allow it. He vowed silently to ensure Laleh never again experienced such fear.

When she jerked on the zipper of his jacket, each sharp tug knocking their bodies together, Pike's first instinct was to stop her but he sensed she needed intimacy to feel safe again. He understood that desperate desire for skin to skin contact, had craved it so keenly on too many nights to count. Her lips moved along his jaw. Her hand cupped his half-mast cock through his trousers. Resistance was futile.

Not that he cared to resist his wife's seduction.

Pike crouched and grasped the backs of her thighs, lifting her from the floor. She plundered his mouth, her tongue darting between his lips to swipe his tongue. He took a few cautious steps forward and deposited her on the dining table.

He wasted no time with the buttons lining the front of her blouse. Taking two handfuls of material, he ripped downward and out, scattering buttons everywhere. Laleh gasped with surprise. Lust darkened her gaze. She licked her lips and grabbed his tee, pulling it from his pants. She frantically unbuckled his belt and dealt with his fly. In an instant, her greedy little fingers were on his cock.

Groaning with hunger, Pike bent low and captured her mouth. His hands slid inside her ruined blouse and glided over red lace covered curves. He skimmed her ribs and waist before outlining her hips and legs. He roughly shoved the black and grey pinstripe fabric of her ass hugging skirt up her thighs.

Hands braced on the table, Laleh lifted her bottom long enough for Pike to push her skirt up around her waist and take hold of the waistband of her lacy red panties. In a few quick jerks, he divested her of the undergarments and left them dangling from her ankle.

He stepped between her thighs and crushed her lips in another passionate kiss.

Tonight there would be no finesse, no gentle caresses and patient discovery.

Laleh reached between their bodies and clasped his rigid cock. She pulled him close and rubbed the head between her silky folds, her slippery cream already coating the pink skin there. Her musky scent filled his nostrils. His belly clenched with need.

Pike grabbed her hips and drove into Laleh with one forceful thrust. Eyes widening, she sucked in a short breath. He slammed into her again, her slick walls welcoming his aching dick. Laleh collapsed back onto the table. Her legs wrapped around his body, her heels touching the backs of his thighs. Pike plunged into her soaking wet cunt again and again. Laleh grunted, arching her back, shoulders barely touching the table top. Arms over her head, she gripped the table's edge, her body sliding up and down, the tablecloth bunching under her bare buttocks. She seemed lost in the ecstasy of the moment.

"Touch your clit, Laleh."

She shuddered at his order and brought trembling fingertips to her mouth, wetting her own fingertips with her saliva. He watched her hand move to her mound, her fingers sliding between her cunt lips. She found the pink nub and rubbed in circles. Pike stared at his shiny cock plunging in and out of her pussy, at her fingers working her clit. Lust rocked his core.

"Harder, Pike," Laleh begged. Her thighs tightened around his waist as the pace of her fingers quickened. "Faster."

He did exactly as she asked. He took her hard and fast, shoving the table across the floor with every frantic thrust. The walls of her sex fluttered around him in a split-second of warning before she exploded in bliss.

"Pike!" She bucked wildly atop the table, her fingers still manipulating her clit.

"Pike!"

He loved the sound of his name on her lips when she came. It touched something primal in him. Gritting his teeth, Pike thrust one last time, his cum spurting inside her.

Thighs trembling, he leaned forward and slid his arms under shoulders. He lifted her quickly, their bodies still joined, and kicked out the nearest chair.

Slumping into the seat, Pike cradled Laleh close. Their fluids mingled as they came down from the high of orgasm. She buried her nose in the curve of his throat. Her fingers sifted through the short hair at the nape of his neck. Every now and then she pressed soft kisses to his jaw. Pike kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose as he raked his fingers through her long tresses.

With no other woman had Pike ever cared to cling and cuddle after sex. He'd always been the type to make a dash for the shower, all the while thinking of an excuse to boot his lover from his quarters or a reason to leave hers. But with Laleh he craved these moments of contact. He found himself questioning what exactly it was he felt for Laleh.

Honestly, he knew; however, the thought of saying it aloud terrified him. He couldn't risk the delicate balance of their relationship. He couldn't be the first.

Laleh sat back on his lap and brushed her fingers over his cheek. Tears shimmered in those beautiful blue eyes. She kissed him with such gentleness it took his breath away for a moment.

Pike cupped her cheeks and stared into her watery eyes. "What is it?"

She seemed to hesitate, as if afraid to even speak her fear. Finally, she whispered so softly he barely heard the words. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose you."

Chest constricting, Pike crushed her in a protective embrace. "Never," he swore.

"
Never
."

* * * *

The next morning, once his regular duties were squared away, Pike headed to Virgo's Office of Customs and Perimeter Guard. All night a nagging worry about Laleh's safety had gnawed at him. He'd gotten hardly any sleep as he tried to work out all the ways he could protect her and all the possible ways to circumvent them. Although it left him agitated, Pike had to accept there was no way to keep Laleh safe every minute of every day.

But he would do the best he could.

"Admiral Grayson!" The ensign assigned to the OCPG front desk snapped to attention.

Pike saluted and put the young woman at ease. "I'd like to speak to Chief Kinsella."

"This way, sir."

Pike followed the ensign down a hall lined with glass doors. He cast quick glances inside the offices, glad to see the various staff members hard at work. Idleness irked Pike.

The ensign knocked on a door and waited for a command to enter. She announced Pike and stepped aside, shutting the door behind him. Pike's gaze swept over Chief Kinsella's office. Impeccable. Neat.

"Chief Kinsella," Pike addressed her with a smile. "I was wondering if we could discuss some personal safety issues."

"Of course," she replied, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. Her forehead creased as she settled into her seat. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"Mrs. Grayson was a refugee seeker on Earth from a rather nasty little planet called Hezma-12."

Chief Kinsella cringed. "I've heard about it. All ships emanating from Hezma-12 are flagged on the restricted list."

"And that means what exactly?"

"Any ships bearing the Hezman flag are immediately stopped at Virgo's outermost perimeter. We then board the ship and do a search for any and all illegal weapons and contraband. They're rather notorious for transporting Federation prohibited products and, quite frankly, people. Women," she added with a hint of a snarl. "They've recently entered the skin trade, it seems."

Pike's stomach soured at the image of young girls being trafficked from one end of the universe to the other for sex and worse. "And after the ship is boarded?"

"Depending on their stated business, we may or may not allow them temporary docking privileges on Virgo. Generally, we boot them to the next skyport, but every once in a while, they have legitimate business and we give them a twenty-four hour, highly tracked pass."

"Good to know," Pike murmured as he reached for his transmitter. He touched the screen and brought up the profiles of Jai and his goon. "I'd like to have these two men, in particular, barred any and all access to Virgo." He handed over the device. "They've already done bodily harm to Mrs. Grayson in Houston. She's recently received more threats of violence. She's going to fill out the necessary complaints with security later today."

With a few quick taps of her keyboard, Chief Kinsella transferred the information to her system. "I've flagged them individually. I'll send out another memo about Hezman ships. If anything nears the vicinity, you'll be the first to know, sir."

"Thank you." Pike stood and shook Chief Kinsella's hand.

"You're more than welcome, sir."

Pike left Chief Kinsella's office feeling a bit more settled. But there was one more thing he needed to do.

Safely ensconced in the privacy of his office, Pike stuck his transmitter in its charging base. He sat back in his chair and contemplated how best to get his point across.

Pike detested alpha male, chest thumping, brutish behavior. Just the thought of sinking to that level now made him uneasy. Yet he suspected Jai wouldn't respond to anything else.

Pike sat forward and switched on his transmitter's message recorder. His face hardened as he remembered Jai's threats and Laleh's breakdown. No more. It ended now.

"Jai, let me make this perfectly clear. When you threaten my wife, you threaten me. I don't take kindly to threats. I will not allow you or anyone else to hurt Laleh ever again.

This stops here. I'll meet with you once and only once. Here. On my turf. Contact me, if you're interested."

Pike flicked off the recorder. He hesitated only a moment before sending the message. His work done, he turned his attention to his duties. There were inspections to be carried out and personnel members still to meet. At some point, he needed to sift through the financial reports of the last few quarters to familiarize himself with the normal expenditures of Virgo.

He snatched up his transmitter, grabbed a touch tablet, and left his office. Weelo, his
aide de camp
, rose and awaited instruction. "I'm heading down to the medical clinic."

"Yes, sir."

Pike had barely reached the corridor outside his office when his transmitter beeped with a message alert. He stopped and glanced around, making sure he was alone, before opening the message.

"Name the time and place, starman." Jai issued his statement and clicked off just as quickly.

Pike backtracked to his office and poked his head inside. "Mr. Weelo, do we have a travel agency here at Virgo?"

Weelo nodded. "Would you like me to contact them, sir?"

"I need a weekend trip to Skyport Leo. Transport, lodging, and some kind of fun recreational activity."

"For two?" Weelo asked, his fingers flying over his keyboard.

"For one. My wife."

Chapter Thirteen