Patrolling the Stars (Leaving Triad Series Book 2) Read online

Their engagement hadn’t lasted long. He wanted too much from her—like everything. He pressed her to be intimate, but she hadn’t been ready for that. Now she was glad that she hadn’t wasted her innocence on him. Phil wasn’t worth it. He’d proved that when she’d come home from one of her liaising jobs to find him fucking her best friend. She kicked his ass out that very night.

  The last time she’d seen him was a few weeks ago, when the ships started arriving on Terra to take passengers off-planet. He had left the friend that he’d cheated on her with and was hoping they could combine their finances to get a more luxurious suite. She told him to fuck himself. She didn’t need his money, just like she didn’t need him. She’d been fine without him before and she would be fine without him again.

  She no longer had a family; she’d had to learn to be independent and find her own way. Her parents had cut her off when she ended her engagement with Phil; they’d taken his side. At least they didn’t approach her about using her money to leave the planet. They’d sold their home and all her grandmother’s jewelry to finance their trip. They left a week before her on another ship. They hadn’t even said goodbye to her, they just left her there. In a way, Carolina understood how Mary and Melanie felt.

  It hurt to know that her family, the only one she had, had just left her on a dying planet. Carolina shook off her melancholy thoughts. She needed to find some way to keep herself occupied. The only thing she really knew how to do was to run a liaison service, but there wasn’t a need for that among the Terrans on the ship. Then Carolina remembered the Soto who’d had problems in the restaurant. Maybe…

  *****

  Two Weeks Later

  “It’s about damn time you showed up.” Captain Turk, a tall Quadruped with long black hair and brown eyes, greeted Drako as he came out of the docking bay.

  “I had to make a stop over at the Galactic Star. I witnessed the first ever Aquadratic and Terran joining ceremony,” Drako explained. He reached out and shook hands with his friend.

  They were about the same height—six feet eight inches—and they were built similarly, with big, broad muscles. Drako had green eyes and auburn hair that came down to his shoulders. Both males attracted the attention of the females that passed by.

  “I can’t believe that Zor has tied himself down to a female,” Turk commented as they walked down the corridor heading to the elevators. They stepped inside and Turk directed the elevator to the top level, where his captain’s quarters were located.

  “After meeting the female in question, though, I can’t blame him,” Drako commented.

  “Hot, huh?”

  “Damn hot.”

  “Lucky bastard.”

  “Yeah, but you won’t catch me settling down anytime soon,” Drako told him.

  Turk snorted. “You say that now…”

  They entered Turk’s quarters. Drako sat on one of the large chairs in the living room, while Turk went over to the bar to pour them both drinks. He didn’t understand why Turk had a bar in his quarters when he’d given up drinking alcohol years ago. Apparently, something had happened while he was drinking that ended a serious relationship he’d been in. Turk sobered up and never drank again. He handed Drako a whiskey, while he drank water.

  “I’m serious. I like variety,” Drako insisted, taking the whiskey and downing it.

  “Did you find that on the other ship?”

  Drako tapped his glass for a refill. “Had some fun with a few. They knew the deal, and we enjoyed the time we spent.”

  “There was no one there that you’d make a return trip for?” Turk propped his feet up on the small table in front of him.

  “It gets complicated when you spend time with a female outside of the sheets.” Drako finished his third glass.

  “So, what have I done to piss off the GPP to bring you on my ship?”

  “Nothing yet. I’ll be conducting interviews with the crew and passengers.”

  “Do you want them to know you’re a GPO?” Turk asked, refilling their glasses.

  “No. People will be too intimidated to talk freely. I’ve already experienced a bit of that on the Galactic Star. Tell them that I’m here doing a survey on the performance and services offered on board the Brave Star.”

  “Alright, but I want to know the reason behind this investigation.”

  “As a GPO, I can’t tell you that. As your friend, basically a Terran captain reported to the GPP that human passengers were being abused and sold into slavery.”

  “What did he base these allegations on?”

  “A Terran male the captain found on one of the spaceports had been sold to a slaver by one of the ex-pirate captains.” Drako refilled his own whiskey glass.

  “Who?”

  “I can’t disclose that.”

  “Was there a reason behind it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What was it?”

  “I can’t disclose that either.”

  “Well, shit. What can you tell me?”

  “The Terran male got what he deserved.”

  “Is the Terran captain pushing the GPP hard on this?”

  “The captain who reported it is now dead.”

  “Crap!”

  “So the GPP issued orders that all ships carrying Terran passengers be inspected to ensure no one is being mistreated.”

  “That’s a lot of ships to inspect.”

  “Yeah, it’s kept me pretty busy.”

  “Well, let’s go down to the restaurant and get something to eat. You can start your investigation tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good. I’m starving.”

  *****

  “What would you like to drink?” the Soto asked Carolina. She looked at the wine list. “The chardonnay, please.”

  The Soto looked up into the waitress’s eyes. “Two chardonnays…please.” The waitress nodded and walked away.

  “You’re getting better, Dirk.” Carolina smiled at him encouragingly. She’d started her new liaison service about a week ago, and it was doing pretty good.

  The hard part was explaining to the aliens what a liaison service did. She’d encountered the same situation on Earth, where customers referred to it as an escort service and expected fringe benefits. She’d had to explain that it wasn’t an escort service, that she and her employees did not actually date the clients for real, and they most definitely did not have sex with the clients.

  Carolina blushed, remembering the first couple of potential clients who’d come to her wanting to find out how much she charged for the ‘full experience.’ When she explained that she didn’t sleep with the clients, but that she accompanied them to dinners and events, and helped them with learning cultural differences, it wasn’t received well. She was called a ‘Terran tease’ and some other names she would rather not repeat.

  Quickly, she instituted a system that required potential clients fill out an application. Then Carolina explained that the liaison service did that only. No sexual contact between the liaison and the client would occur, or the contract would become null and void. Once the applicant was approved, they could request liaison services within forty-eight hours. The client paid for the liaison’s company for events and dinners. Since there weren’t a lot of events to attend on board the ship, the liaison service mostly involved dinners. So far her clients had been really shy and awkward; they were lonely and wanted to learn more about Terrans. She was happy to teach them, all while learning details from them about the different types of aliens. She enjoyed getting to know them. They must have liked her too, because her bookings were filling up fast.

  Her current customer was one of the shy and awkward ones when it came to women. She’d brought him to one of the smaller restaurants on board the ship. The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere was calmer and more serene.

  “I looked her in the eyes, like you told me,” Dirk said, fiddling with his silverware.

  “That’s exactly right. To get a woman’s attention you need to catch her eyes and hold them.”
r />   “Are you sure my eyes aren’t frightening?”

  She reached out a hand to pat his. His skin was pale and cool. Dirk’s baldhead was a little bigger than a Terran’s, as were his black eyes. It was a little strange, but still attractive. He was kind and funny, and longed for a serious relationship. His best features were his eyes. When Dirk smiled, his dark eyes warmed and took on a shine.

  “They are entrancing. If you hold the look and smile to soften the whole thing, a woman will smile back. It’s almost a guarantee." He nodded and smiled at her.

  *****

  Drako spotted the pretty blonde Terran female as soon as she walked into the restaurant. He tried not to act like he was watching her, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Curvy in all the right places, she wore a green dress and her pale hair was up in a bun, showing off her neck and a good deal of cleavage. Damn, she had a nice pair of tits. He grew hard, imagining her naked. His eyes moved away reluctantly and took in her dinner partner. It was strange to see a Terran eating dinner with a Soto.

  “What are you staring at?” Turk asked with amusement.

  Drako looked back at his friend and frowned. “I didn't know there was interspecies dating going on here.”

  Turk looked at the table and smiled. “Well, they’re not exactly dating. She’s acting as a liaison for the Soto.”

  “Like an escort service?” Drako had only heard the term used negatively, when he was on Terra.

  “Yes, he pays for her to have dinner with him. I’ve been meaning to fill out an application myself.”

  “To fuck her?” Drako didn’t like it; aliens paying to have sex with a female Terran. Who was behind this scheme? Was the female being forced into it?

  “No! She doesn’t have sex with her clients, from what I’ve been told.”

  He felt some relief at hearing that, but what if she was, and just kept it a secret? He had to find out. “Introduce us,” he demanded of his friend.

  Chapter Three

  Against his better judgment, Turk led Drako over to the woman his friend couldn’t keep his eyes off of. He’d argued with Drako, not believing for one moment that the female was causing trouble. But Drako pulled the ‘I could arrest you for interfering with an investigation’ card, so Turk’s hands were tied.

  “Miss Andiva…” Turk said gently, knowing that she didn’t like to be bothered when she was accompanying someone. Carolina Andiva turned to look at him and flashed him an extremely attractive smile. “This is my friend Drako. He would like to speak with you about your liaison services,” he explained, gesturing to his friend.

  Drako stepped forward and puffed up his chest as the female looked him up and down. He knew what she was seeing; he wasn’t ashamed to admit he was a damn good-looking man. His skin was tanned, and other females had told him that his dark eyes were mesmerizing. She looked him over then did something unexpected—she dismissed him. What the hell?

  “I’m sorry, but I’m busy at the moment. If he wants to put in an application for my services, you can bring him by my room to drop it off in an hour or so,” she said. She retrieved a form from her bag and handed it to Drako, then turned back to her client and took a sip of her drink.

  Drako was hesitant about walking away, at least without further investigation, but he knew he had to follow Turk, or his cover would be compromised. He turned to his friend after they’d exited the restaurant.

  “Have you ever seen her go home with any of these men?” Drako asked as soon as the doors slid shut behind them.

  “Well, I see her walk them back to their rooms all the time, but I’ve never seen her go in,” Turk answered.

  “Are you sure? You’re not trying to cover for her, are you?” Drako pried.

  “Yes, I’m sure!” Turk answered, frustrated at having his word questioned.

  Drako and Turk waited around for Carolina to go back to her room. It took twice as long as it should have for just a dinner, which made Drako even more suspicious. Finally, she walked up, the same intriguing smile on her face that she’d at the diner.

  “Captain Turk, Mr. Drako.” She nodded in greeting.

  “Miss Andiva, thank you for meeting us.” Turk smiled at her warmly.

  “Captain Turk, please call me Carolina.”

  “Then stop calling me ‘Captain,’” he said flirtatiously, and winked at her.

  Drako grunted and handed her his application. “What exactly are the ‘special services’ you provide?”

  “If you have to ask that question, I can tell you that you’re not going to get what you want from me,” she replied.

  “The application does state that there are special services, doesn’t it?” Drako persisted, looking her over from head to toe.

  Carolina blushed. “Absolutely not!”

  Turk gave him an irritated look. “Drako, don’t be rude.”

  “When can I schedule the first…liaison?” Drako asked.

  “I have to review the application. If it’s approved, I’ll contact you and we can set something up.”

  “Very well,” Drako huffed.

  “Is there anything else you two need? I’m exhausted, and I’d like to get out of these heels.”

  “No…” Turk wanted to say something else, but the captain was interrupted when the door to her suite opened.

  “Look, Carolina! Look what I did today!”

  Carolina knelt down on one knee, facing a little girl with light brown hair and green eyes. The girl ran straight into her arms and Carolina picked her up, looking over the picture the little girl had drawn.

  “It’s beautiful, Melanie,” she said with a huge smile, setting the girl back down. “Go wash your hands for dinner.” She ushered Melanie back inside the suite.

  Carolina turned back to Drako and Turk. “I’ll call you when I get a chance to look over your application,” she told Drako, then followed the little girl and shut the door behind her.

  “Is that her child?” Drako asked, horrified that a child might be affected by his investigation.

  “No, Melanie is the daughter of Carolina’s roommate, Mary. It’s a very interesting story,” Turk answered. “Actually, once you hear what happened, you’ll have a very different opinion of Carolina.”

  “Tell me, then.”

  Turk walked with him down the corridor, telling him what Carolina had done for Mary and Melanie. He felt that it was a very noble gesture.

  “What are you going to do now, just sit around and wait?” Turk asked.

  “I have no intention of waiting to get a call from her; I’ve got a job to do. I’ll start my investigation immediately.” Drako said goodnight as he lifted his communications device and began to issue a request for a background check on one Carolina Andiva from Terra.

  *****

  Carolina entered the suite, stopping in the living room to admire the space. The walls were no longer plain white; she and Mary had painted the living room a light yellow, the kitchen beige, and they each had a different color in their bedrooms. Melanie’s artwork and other pictures were hung up all over the suite. This had truly become home to her. She entered the dining room, where Melanie was sitting at the table drawing.

  “Who was that?” Mary asked as she came out of the kitchen carrying plates of food.

  “Captain Turk and his friend Mr. Drako. Evidently, Mr. Drako wants to hire me as a liaison.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “Mama, the tall man is so handsome,” Melanie exclaimed. “I wish I was Carolina so I could date him.”

  Mary raised her eyebrow and glanced over at Carolina. “Is he handsome?”

  Carolina looked away, blushing. “I suppose so. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

  Mary snorted. “Yes, you were. Go get something to eat, and you can tell me all about what you didn’t notice about this Mr. Drako. I cooked extra because I know how little you eat when you’re working.” Mary pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

  Carolina grinned at her. “You’re so good
to me.” She got up and went in search of food.

  “Yeah, yeah. Someone has to feed you, or you’d starve,” Mary called out.

  “You so rock!” Carolina enjoyed her meal, trying to keep off the topic of her new potential client. He seemed to plague her every thought, though.

  *****

  Two Days Later

  Drako had put a camera across the hall from Carolina’s doorway, and he watched for her to leave. Whenever she did, he followed her, making sure to keep a safe distance away. The first time he tailed her, she was with a Squid, on a date. She wore a beautiful red dress, floor-length and showing off her cleavage, with a slit up to her thigh. Carolina looked just as stunning as the first time he saw her. She wore bright red lipstick, which made her lips irresistibly kissable; he had a hard time not watching them move whenever she spoke.

  Carolina walked the Squid back to his suite at the end of the night, while Drako continued to follow them. He was grateful that most of the suites had recessed entryways, which made for good hiding places. Just as Turk had said, she didn’t go inside; she said goodnight to the Squid at the door and turned to leave. Unfortunately, he had been so entranced by her that he didn’t hide from her sight in time, and she caught sight of him at the other end of the hallway, watching her.

  “Are you following me?” Carolina asked, walking up to him with a frown.

  He tried to think quickly. “Do you want me to follow you?”

  She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he tried again.

  “Captain Turk lives around here, I think?” Drako said, feigning confusion. “I haven’t been here that long, and I’m still getting used to the ship’s layout.”

  “I do believe you’re on the right floor. His door is the one at the very end of the hallway,” she answered. Her face lightened in a smile.

  “You have a good night, Carolina,” he said, setting off in the direction she’d indicated.

  “You too, Mr. Drako.” She turned towards the elevators.

  His name sounded so good coming from her. Drako waited until Carolina was far out of sight, and then went back to his room, where he could monitor all the cameras.

  He made it back to his room just in time to see Carolina walk into view of the camera in front of her door. There was a Squid there with her, but he didn’t look like the same one from the restaurant. They talked for a while, and then Carolina invited him in.