Chapter One
"If I had my way he`d have the hide whipped from his body. No respect for his
betters that one." Celia`s nose wrinkled in disgust as her gaze followed the
movements of the well built tousled hair man. He had tried for a short while to keep the
subtle subservient pose that was expected of a man in his position, but now he walked with
head high, shoulders back and a grim determination in his eyes. "It`s disgusting. Did
you see that? He didn`t even lower his gaze when he walked past us. He needs re-training,
or better still his contract terminated. I don`t know how you put up with that from him.
He`s useless."
"Then I`d have to hunt for another servant and you have no idea just how hard it is
to find suitable help these days. Especially ones who are willing to leave Jayden. There
used to be a time when we could order them with us no matter where we went, but all this
nonsense about them having rights has really caused more than a few problems. It`s
ridiculous, they`ll be allowed the right to vote next." Sylinia tried to smile as she
spoke but Celia`s complaints had been growing more verbal with each passing day. She
couldn`t truly blame her companion for her vocal protests at the situation, not when she
thought about it. Celia was used to having the very best on hand to wait on her, from day
one maids and other help that had been carefully selected and trained.
Not the dregs that Sylinia was forced to choose from. She glanced over at the male who
was the cause of the majority of her companion`s dissent. "He`s a half breed I
believe, so perhaps that explains his willingness to leave Jayden as well as his issues
with respect? He might not know any better."
The new information only seemed to encourage Celia`s disapproval. She loved her friend,
but there were times she just wanted to smack her, of give her a shake. Just something
that would get her to see that not everyone could afford the best.
What had she expected?
Silk liveries?
Training brands?
Control collars?
"Well if you had only let me know just how dire your situation had become, maybe I
could have brought along a few of my own servants, that way we could of at least been
tended in the manner we deserve, really Sylinia, you shouldn`t be so lax with him, a few
good strikes of the whip and he`d shape up before you knew it. Men like that shouldn`t be
allowed to get away with such pitiful behavior." Celia glared at the offending man
as he passed from sight out of the lounge with its large view port. One of the few
luxuries the small ship had was this room. It was small enough to be cozy, yet large
enough that three or four people could gather in comfort and still be waited upon with
ease.
It wasn`t much, but the haven it offered was something Sylinia had come to cherish. One
of the joys of space travel she was loathe to surrender despite the trying times. And a
joy Celia seemed to be determined to spoil.
"Perhaps you should have stayed at home, or taken your own transport instead of
forcing yourself to endure my limited hospitality." Her fingers curled about her
glass as it threatened to crack under the pressure. Ungrateful woman, she had a free ride
off world, free room, board, companionship, and yet all she could do was complain about
the lack of amenities or the way one servant stepped out of his place.
She was already short tempered and the added stress didn`t help. She scowled, shaking her
head as she looked around the room. Hell, Celia didn`t help, even that damn new servant
didn`t help the situation. She tried to focus, to calm down and simply enjoy the trip but
it wasn`t that easy, not when you were watching every credit you spent.
It wasn`t supposed to be like this if you were of the Elite. Money, power, station, you
were born into it. No one had warned her, or her family that it could all change at the
drop of a hat. That the money might start to run out, invitations might dribble to a slow
trickle or that your `friends` would turn their backs on you all for the lack of a few
extra credits.
The past year had opened her eyes up to just how fickle most of her so called friends
actually were.
"But what sort of friend would I be if I left you to brave this trip with only
servants for company?" The smile Celia offered never reached her eyes. "You know
how much I care for you Sylinia. Even with the horrors you have been through I have never
once left your side. I truly wish I could do more for you, but Papa is such a grouch, he
claimed that you`d be offended by the offer and even if you weren`t our business partners
would never permit such a thing."
Sylinia might have believed that once, but not now. A few days into space had removed any
blinds left she might have allowed in place where Celia was concerned. As much as she
might want to just open up and hit Celia with both barrels, she`d still have to suffer
through the remaining four days travel. As for the business partners comment, that part
she might have believed if her own father, before his death, hadn`t been one of those very
partners in question. Just what had happened to her families share of the money was
anyone`s guess, and it was the very reason she had spent what she could on this trip. She
had to get to the bottom of this before it was too late.
There simply wasn`t enough room on ship to hide from that woman`s constant trenchant
criticism of her choice of servants.
Trelan had been a mistake, she`d known that the moment she`d signed the contract hiring
him on for the trip. Not even his hair seemed capable of following orders. Any attempts to
slick it back into a smooth uniform style that all the other servants male and female
alike wore, met with a scowl and excuses that the gel caused problems something foolish
about him being allergic to it. Nonsense of course. No one had that type of reaction to
the gel. It was unheard of.
So why had she hired him?
Her gaze narrowed on the often sullen man, a frown creasing her brow as she watched him
move. She needed to be rid of him, except for one thing – his eyes, those wonderful dark,
dancing and oh so dangerous eyes. So unlike anything else he had seen, offering a chance
to explore beyond anything her station normally might permit. Packaged with tanned skin,
unruly black hair, well formed body that spoke of hard physical labor at some point in his
past.
Would he moan under her touch, surrender himself to her?
No, he was the sort that would take, conquer and demand her submission in return. The
type of man who tempted her with thoughts forbidden to those of her station. So why did
she keep him around? Knowing full well he would never fit in, even the excuse of his eyes,
and the way he moved didn`t make sense, not when she already ran the risk of being
stripped of her status thanks to the loss of her family income.
Because she wanted him, needed him in a way she had never known before. He was a man who
challenged her very existence. The minute she had seen him her hands had itched to run
across his body, strip the clothes from him, feel his lips work their way down her neck.
Damnit, that was a foolish idea.
He was a servant and she was one of the Elite. Even with her reduced status a liaison
with one of the servant class would never be tolerated fully. She`d be disgraced, or the
man would be killed and for what? A few nights of pleasure in his arms? Unless she could
prove that he had been submissive to her then they`d both be punished and one look at his
sullen, heated gaze would be enough to convince the most sympathetic of her people that he
was anything but submissive.
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