Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Somehow, she was sure that if the huge Trollox paid for the Supreme Treatment package, he would use it to the fullest. But there was nothing she could do about it, Sonya told herself. Nothing but keep singing and finish her set. Besides, she had to concentrate on one client at a time and right now, the big Kindred was the one who, for all intents and purposes, owned her, body and soul. Also, he was much more pleasant to be with than the horrible Grox, who reminded her of her childhood nightmare.
So Sonya just kept singing and after her set, Davrik had swept her off the stage and carried her away in his arms, which left her quite breathless.
“Oh!” she had gasped, as he lifted her as easily as if she weighed nothing at all—which was definitely not the case. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to Last Meal—what you humans call ‘dinner’ or ‘supper’,” he’d rumbled, smiling at her. “I made reservations at La Travola—the most high-end restaurant in this place.”
“La Travola? But that’s so expensive!” Sonya had exclaimed. She’d expected that he would put her down once they were out of the lounge, but the big Kindred kept on striding along, holding her in his arms bridal style.
“Well, I thought such a beautiful performance deserved a celebration,” Davrik told her. “And I think they have something you might like to eat there.”
And then he had surprised her by somehow getting the chefs to make her a cheeseburger. He’d listened to her story of how she lost her family and expressed real grief for her—not only that, he’d told her that he wanted all of her—the pleasure and the pain. And he seemed to actually mean it. Sonya felt like she’d died and gone to heaven…that is until Oozle slimed his way up to their table.
“Hello there,” he burbled, his antennae directed at Davrik. “I thought I’d check and see how your Supreme Treatment experience is going so far?”
“It’s excellent—I have no complaints where Sonya is concerned,” the big Kindred said. “But I do object to that damn bracelet you’re making her wear.” He nodded at the proximity bracelet still around Sonya’s wrist. “It burns her if I don’t touch her every fifteen minutes or so! It’s completely inhumane and I want it removed at once!”
“Ahh, I am afraid that the proximity bracelet is part of the VIP package you paid for, Mr. Davrik,” Oozle protested. “However, I will be taking it off of her—at least for several hours tonight.”
“You will? Good!” Sonya felt a burst of relief. Not that she minded being close to Davrik—she was actually coming to really like the big Kindred, though she was a little wary about the intensity of the emotion he expressed for her. But it would be nice not to worry whenever she was away from him for any length of time because she was afraid of getting burned again.
But Oozle’s next words erased her relief and filled her with dread.
“I’ll be taking it off only because you have another client.”
“What?” Davrik exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”
“Now, Mr. Davrik—we spoke about this when you paid for your week with our lovely Sonya,” Oozle burbled. “I told you that some of her time was already spoken for and you agreed to release her to the client who had already paid for her time.”
“I didn’t realize you were going to come interrupt our meal!” Davrik growled. “This is outrageous! I refuse to release Sonya until she’s finished eating!”
“Actually, I’m finished now,” Sonya said in a small voice. There were still a few bites of her rich dessert left, but she found that she’d completely lost her appetite. “It’s all right,” she told Davrik, trying to make herself believe her own words. “It’s probably just a client who wants me to sing to him.”
“Your client is a Xeba-shla gentleman—they have three large ears which they enjoy having aurally stimulated through song,” Oozle agreed. He looked at Davrik. “I’ll just take her along with me, shall I? You can return to her room in two solar hours and have the rest of your week with our lovely flower uninterrupted.”
Davrik was clearly still fuming—his eyes were narrowed and his lips were a thin line. Sonya remembered the way he had claimed her, telling her that she was his. Clearly he wasn’t a man who liked sharing. Not that she wanted to be shared—she would much rather spend all of her time with the big Kindred who seemed to care for her so deeply, though she couldn’t understand why. But it wouldn’t kill her to give a private solo concert for a three-eared alien for a couple of hours.
“It’ll be all right,” she told Davrik. “I’ll see you soon, I promise.”
“You shouldn’t have to do this,” he growled, his pale eyes flashing.