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

  This was a mistake. She was too attracted to him. How was she supposed to remain professional, when all she wanted to do was jump his bones? She shook her head and went into her bedroom. She lay down on her bed, wondering if she should see Drako again or cancel.

  She’d had a few clients before who’d developed feelings towards her, and she would either give them over to another liaison to work with, or she ended their contract. This was different; she’d never experienced feelings for one of her clients before, and she’d almost let him kiss her. Carolina wondered if she should call and cancel, but decided against it; she wanted to see him again. She wanted to know what all these feelings that she got around him were. She found herself wanting to do things that she’d never done before.

  Feeling restless, Carolina stepped into a hot shower to relax. She couldn’t help but picture Drako standing there with her, running his hands all over her wet body. His thick fingers would pinch and pull her nipples into tight peaks.

  Without thinking, Carolina’s hand began to wander down her mound, and she slowly pushed two fingers into her tight channel. She’d never had sex with a man before, but she knew how to please herself. She pumped in and out at a gentle pace, dragging her fingertips along her inner walls and imagining that it was Drako’s cock. She felt a tingling travel down her spine and she gradually worked herself to her peak. Her thumb teased her clit and she yelled out, “Drako!” as she clenched down hard on her own fingers, throwing her head back with her release.

  *****

  Drako pulled out his phone and called Turk.

  “What?”

  “Are you awake?”

  “It’s after midnight, of course I’m not awake,” Turk spat back.

  “You’re cranky. Can I come to your place for a minute?”

  “Fine,” Turk said, hanging up the phone.

  Drako put his phone back in his pocket. He was anxious to see Carolina again, and he’d never felt that way about any female before. He couldn’t allow himself to fall for someone he was supposed to be investigating. He’d seen too much abuse in the past, and had promised to do whatever he could to end it. He could’ve left when his term of service was up with the GPP, but he felt a sense of obligation. He walked swiftly to Turk’s suite and knocked.

  Turk opened the door looking like he’d just woken up. His hair was sticking up in all different directions, and he only had on pajama bottoms. “This better be damn important.”

  “What happened on your date?” Drako asked abruptly.

  “You woke me up to question me about your little crush? Why didn’t you come by earlier?”

  Drako ignored his comment. “I would’ve been here sooner, but we were out till midnight.”

  “She only gave me one hour. Didn’t you meet her at seven?”

  “Yes.” Drako answered, trying to sound as professional as possible about it. “What happened on your date?”

  “Nothing, we just sat there and talked. She encouraged me to ask questions about Terran females. I did, and she gave me some really good pointers. We just chatted. She’s really easy to get along with. I enjoyed myself.” Turk answered sleepily as he walked to his fridge and grabbed a bottle out of it, pouring a glass for him and one for Drako.

  “Did you kiss her?”

  “I told you already, she doesn’t do that kind of stuff.” Turk handed Drako a glass.

  “Did you pay her?” Drako asked.

  “No, she said that she didn’t charge new clients for the first liaison date.”

  “She said the same thing to me.”

  “She also said that the normal dinner liaisons only last for one hour. She must really enjoy your company, especially if she could stand to be around you for five hours.” Turk intentionally tried to sound like an ass.

  Drako shook his head as he took a gulp from the glass of what he thought was Aquadratic whiskey. He should have known better. Turk never drank alcohol, not in a long time. It was some piss poor lemonade. Drako finished the rest of the glass cautiously.

  “Is that all you wanted?” Turk asked.

  “Yeah, I suppose I’ll let you get some rest.” Drako said heading towards the door.

  Drako smiled as he shut the door behind him. She’d spent more time with him than any of her other clients on the first liaison date. Did that mean she enjoyed his company? Did she think he was attractive?

  He walked to his room, ignoring the urge to call Carolina and see if they could get an earlier date. He didn’t want to have to wait to see her any longer than necessary. He lay on his bed, realizing how long it had been since he’d been with a woman. He had the strong impulse to seek her out, remove her clothing, pull her thighs wide and suckle her clit until she came. Once he determined whether she was innocent of prostitution, he hoped to do just that. Hopefully, he would be able to fuck her enough to get her out of his system. They could have some fun before he headed off to the next investigation.

  The investigation! When Drako was done, he would have to leave. The thought of leaving the ship and never seeing Carolina again bothered him. He usually kept an emotional distance with his cases, but something about Carolina really got to him.

  Drako tossed and turned in his bed for hours, but he couldn’t seem to stop his mind from picturing Carolina naked in his bed with him. What the hell was going on with him? She was a suspect in his investigation; he couldn’t allow himself to have feelings for her. He was starting to realize how complicated it all had become. The damned woman had invaded his mind like no other ever had before.

  He grabbed his cock firmly and started pumping hard, hoping to relieve the mounting tension. He closed his eyes and pictured Carolina naked on his bed, in vivid detail. Her thighs were spread for him to view how wet she was for him, how she craved him as much as he craved her. He would taste every beautiful inch of her then rise up and drive his cock deep inside her, taking her so that she couldn’t think of any other male ever again, expect for him.

  *****

  Carolina had gotten almost no sleep that night. Even after she’d made herself come, she still tossed and turned. Her body ached for Drako.

  Friday came, and she was hoping that one of her clients would call and cancel so that she could see Drako earlier. She sat through all of her lunch liaison dates, forcing herself to listen to what they were saying. She was grateful after her last one to be going home for the evening. She didn’t have a liaison date that night; she was going to cook dinner for Mary and Melanie, since Mary had the night off.

  On the way back from her lunch date, she picked up a nice bottle of chardonnay. As soon as she got home, Carolina started cooking. She even found herself baking cookies. She loved the appliances on the starship. There was a refrigerator and freezer, and the microwave, oven, and range were all in one appliance. What once took fifteen or twenty minutes to cook on Terra only took half that time. Some kind of super-convection heated the food to the proper temperature.

  Carolina had no clue why she was making such a big meal for just the three of them, but whatever was left over could be eaten another day, so she wasn’t really worried about it. It made her feel good to cook for her friends, her little family. They thanked her and told her it was delicious. Mary tucked Melanie into bed, and the two women talked for a few hours. Carolina called it an early night after just a couple of glasses of wine.

  Chapter Five

  Drako spent all day Friday meeting with different crewmembers and passengers. They had all told him the same thing; that Captain Turk ran a tight ship, but he was fair and kind to everyone. The passengers had nothing but praise regarding their treatment and service aboard the Brave Star. The only thing that none of the passengers or crew could agree upon was Carolina.

  When he asked some of the Terran passengers if they had met her, they would whisper to him, “She dates aliens, a lot of aliens.” They didn’t realize right away that Drako was an alien himself. That was part of the reason that Drako had been chosen to head up this assignment; he had
the uncanny ability to blend in with all types of people, and to get into areas most would be blocked from.

  The crewmembers, especially the males, were all panting over the pretty, curvy blonde liaison. Just about all of them except the mated ones had filled out applications. Was she dating every available male on board? What the hell?

  His mood went downhill from there. Technically, his investigation for maltreatment was done. He just needed to know once and for all whether Carolina was prostituting, and if there was someone like a pimp behind it all.

  *****

  “Mary, I really appreciate this. I don’t know how I overbooked myself like this.” Carolina told the other woman, helping her put on a silver dress from her own closet. She brushed Mary’s long brown hair, and applied a touch of lipstick to her friend’s lips.

  “I’m afraid Thesos will be disappointed because it’s me instead of you. He wanted you.”

  “I’ve already called and explained to him that I messed up somehow, and that you graciously offered to do this first liaison dinner date. He was completely fine with it.”

  “But still, he wanted you for a date. I’m a poor substitute.”

  Carolina turned her so that Mary could see herself in the mirror. Her long brown hair hung down in curly tendrils that fell against her pale, bare arms. The silver dress hugged every inch of her, making the gentle swells of breasts appear a little larger. Her make-up wasn’t heavy; it was just enough to enhance her eyes and facial features. She looked beautiful.

  “This is a woman any man or alien would be happy to date.”

  “I’m just so nervous. I haven’t dated anyone since Melanie’s father. We only got married because I got pregnant. It was a very rough marriage, but I got Melanie out of it all so … that made it all worth it.”

  Carolina patted her back reassuringly. “Thesos isn’t like your husband. Have you thought about filing for a divorce? You shouldn’t have to still be married to that creep if he abandoned you and Melanie.”

  “I just haven’t found a lawyer to see what needs to be done yet. It may take a while if he has to be served papers.”

  “I’ll call Captain Turk. He might know if there’s a lawyer on board.”

  “Thank you, Carolina.”

  “You’re more than welcome.”

  A knock on the suite door made both women jump. “He’s here,” Mary whispered with nervously.

  “It’s going to be fine.” Carolina started pushing the reluctant woman into the living room.

  “Maybe I should stay here for Melanie.”

  “She’s spending the night with her friends. There’s nothing to worry about, it’s just Thesos. You know him.”

  “Right. Just Thesos.” Mary gulped.

  Carolina opened the door and allowed Thesos to enter the suite. She watched the sweet alien look with longing at Mary in her beautiful silver dress. She hoped it worked out for them.

  “Good evening Carolina, Mary.” Thesos handed some flowers to Mary. Carolina had told him that human females liked to receive flowers.

  Mary took the flowers with a look of mild shock. “Thank you, Thesos.”

  Thesos blushed. “No, thank you for agreeing to this date … I mean, liaison.”

  The two of them stood there staring into each other’s eyes. It was like witnessing lightning strike; their connection and attraction to each other was so visible. Carolina smiled. She was glad for her friends, but she felt a bit of envy, too.

  “Well, you guys need to leave if you plan to make your reservations.”

  “Right.” Thesos offered Mary one of his main arms just as Carolina had taught him. “Shall we?”

  Mary nodded, putting her arm in the one that he offered, and looking up at him hopefully. “Yes.”

  Carolina waved goodbye. She hoped it all worked out for them. She closed the door and went to get ready for her own liaison date, with Drako. She was looking forward to it — maybe a little too much. She was quickly developing feelings for him, and she’d only been on one date with the man. This was getting way too complicated.

  *****

  Drako had been staring at the clothes he’d laid out for his next date with Carolina for about thirty minutes. He debated whether he should even go or not. He was feeling things for her that he’d never felt for anyone. He didn’t like it, and didn’t know how to make it stop.

  “Shit.”

  Drako finally made himself get dressed. He made the decision to go tonight, and find out the truth behind this liaising business. Then could can settle his feelings with Carolina and move on. The thought of leaving the ship and never seeing the beautiful blonde again made him feel … strange. Like he wanted to beat something up.

  Drako walked to her suite to pick her up. He needed to keep himself focused; he had a job to finish here, and he would be moving on. He had no time to be worrying over a woman, especially one who’d dated most of the men on board the ship. He pushed down the annoying twinge feeling of jealousy he felt thinking about that. As he knocked on her door, he resolved to keep his distance from the female. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw when the door opened.

  Carolina stood there before him, looking completely different. Her golden-blonde hair hung straight, all the way to her hips. She had on a light green strapless dress, which seemed to have been molded to her body. Every glorious curve was enhanced. Keeping his mind on what he had to do was going to be nearly impossible, when all he wanted to do was rip the small scrap of material off of her and fuck her on every available surface in her suite. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

  “Good evening, Drako.” Carolina tilted her head to the side and gave him a warm smile.

  “Ready to go?” he asked in a neutral tone, hoping she wouldn’t notice that his cock was harder than the steel holding the ship together.

  “Yes.” She walked out and closed the door behind her.

  Chapter Six

  The waitress showed them to their table at the same restaurant that Carolina took all her liaison dates to. Drako looked around the restaurant, and his eyes caught on a couple in the corner.

  “Is that Mary?”

  Carolina looked over at the couple Drako was motioning to. “Yes.” Mary was laughing at something that Thesos had said. They looked like they were having a great time.

  “That’s one of your clients. Is Mary doing the liaison dates as well?”

  If this was a prostitution ring, then it was starting to expand. He needed to get answers quickly.

  “Yes and no,” Carolina said as she sat down, smiling.

  He seated himself across from her and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand that answer.”

  “Well, Thesos has a major crush on Mary, but he’s been shy about showing his feelings. So I met with him and formed a plan: I told Mary that I had double-booked myself tonight, and asked for her to cover one of my liaison dates. She agreed after I pleaded with her.”

  “You forced your friend to do this?”

  “I gently maneuvered her into doing something she’d wanted to do in the first place. She has feelings for Thesos as well—look at them.” Carolina gestured discreetly in their direction.

  Drako looked over at the laughing, happy couple. Mary reached over and patted the Squid’s hand. The Squid didn’t release her hand right away, but instead brought it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. Mary turned her head slightly and blushed, but she didn’t try to remove her hand from the Squid’s grasp. Okay, Drako had to admit that these two were definitely attracted to one another; they were practically steaming the place up.

  “You see? They just needed a little nudge in the right direction,” Carolina said proudly.

  “So, you’re all about helping everyone else, are you?” he asked with a little bit of bite to his voice.

  Carolina looked into his dark eyes with surprise. “What?”

  “How many males do you … help each day?”

  “I usually have one or two liaison dates per day. I leave Sunday free
as my day off. Why?” Her face began to fall, as she seemed to sense the direction the conversation was heading in.

  “How many do you share sex with, Carolina?” Drako asked firmly, determined to get a straight answer from her.

  She turned pale, and her hands began to shake. Carolina clasped them together in her lap. “I’ve never slept with a client … and I never will.” She gave him a pointed look, letting him know that she was including him in the category of men she would never sleep with.

  He tried a different approach. “I can help you. Tell me the truth about this business you’re involved in. What’s really going on, who’s really in charge of it all? I promise that I’ll find you a new passage.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded, her face turning red.

  “I’m Galactic Patrol Officer Drako. I was sent here by the GPP to investigate any mistreatment of human passengers by the alien ships carrying them out of Triad. Your liaison service has come under my investigation for suspicion of prostitution.”

  “You lied to me? You’ve been following me around, and you think I’m … a … prostitute?” She looked devastated. It took a few minutes for her emotions to turn from hurt, devastation, and finally to anger. “You son of a bitch!” Carolina threw her wine in his face, stood up abruptly, and stormed out of the restaurant.

  Fuck! The expression on her face was answer enough for him. She couldn’t fake that kind of hurt. “Carolina!" He called after her, but she moved fast for a Terran.

  “What the hell did you do?” Mary demanded, coming up behind Drako, the Squid with her.

  “I explained why I’m really here and … it didn’t go over well.”

  “Why are you here?” The Squid asked, putting his arm around Mary and holding her protectively.

  Drako looked around the restaurant. Most everyone quickly averted their eyes and turned back to their dinners. Only a few kept staring. “I’m a GPO, and the GPP has sent me to investigate all evacuation ships carrying Terran passengers to make sure no one is being mistreated.”