unavailable, taking a meeting with a couple of the other junior ambassadors over some trivial matter of protocol.
The thought of Merrick’s hazel eyes heating as he gazed upon her exposed skin brought a light flush of heat to her face. She wanted a lot more than his eyes. She wanted his big hands and warm, soft tongue, and most of all, his long, thick, hard…
“Olivia!”
She jolted back to the here and now to see Kase staring at her, one hand propping up her chin in a slightly belligerent manner.
“How was your nap?”
Olivia winked. “You should have been there.”
“Uh-huh,” Kase huffed. “Look at you, getting all starry-eyed like a teenage girl.”
She debated whether to make it worse by telling Kase just how good her imaginings had been, before deciding not to. After all, Kase, like half the women in the city, got warm at the thought of Merrick’s form. Aside from possibly angering her by dangling the fact of Merrick’s attachment to Olivia in her face or embarrassing herself by describing intimate details that were certainly not fit conversation for a public corridor, there was nothing to be gained by it.
“What can I say?” She shrugged. “Merrick’s the only man I want looking at me like that.”
Kase gave her a long once-over. “Which is why you dress with such modesty and delicacy.” She put on a horrific mockery of an accent from the southern zone of Terra’s northwestern continent, undoubtedly something she’d seen in an old bi-vee from Terra. “Whah, ah do decleh you look jes’ lahk a virgin on her weddin’ not!”
As if the conversation needed any assistance getting any more awkward, the kid chose that moment to return with her drink. He froze, roughly two paces from the counter, his face blazing redder than the sign above his head.
“Um… your order will be right out, ma’am,” he stuttered, quickly setting the beverage down. With a grimace, he turned on his heel and fled.
From the back, she heard him say, “I’m taking a break, Ivan. Can you get the lady’s order out?”
The lower growl from the owner escaped her, but the kid protested angrily, “I am not ! I’m just… look, I need a break , okay?” His voice cracked and wandered over three different pitches.
Olivia raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kase, whose face had gone from pale silk to violent magenta. She tried, with limited success, to choke off a snicker.
“What? What did he say?”
Kase just shook her head and clamped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes bulged as if she was in the throes of a seizure, and her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia demanded.
A male voice with a thick Russian accent spoke from the kitchen. “I tell him if he want to go jerk off, he do that on his time, not mine.”
Olivia flinched. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore.
“I hef your food for you in a minute, da ?”
“ Da ,” she agreed weakly.
Kase grinned at her impishly. “Sorry you asked?”
For answer, Olivia shook her head with a groan and shifted her chair a few inches to one side. The ventilator return mounted in the ceiling blew a steady stream of cooled air downward, and aside from mussing her hair, it also chilled her skin unpleasantly. Finding a happy medium between too cool and too warm, she settled in.
“Here is your blini, miss.”
The potbellied, dark-haired and dark-eyed man of Russian stock set a plate in front of her with two of the paper-thin pastries. He said nothing more, but waited expectantly. She took the hint and picked up one of the blini. Biting into it, she chewed thoughtfully and then nodded. The spiced “salmon” was prepared perfectly. She swallowed.
“This is very good,” she reported.
The man nodded, the hint of a smile gracing his dour features. “I am glad you approve, miss. If you need anything more, just call.”
She assured him she would, and was rewarded with another smile as he turned away.
Much of the ethnic cuisine available
The thought of Merrick’s hazel eyes heating as he gazed upon her exposed skin brought a light flush of heat to her face. She wanted a lot more than his eyes. She wanted his big hands and warm, soft tongue, and most of all, his long, thick, hard…
“Olivia!”
She jolted back to the here and now to see Kase staring at her, one hand propping up her chin in a slightly belligerent manner.
“How was your nap?”
Olivia winked. “You should have been there.”
“Uh-huh,” Kase huffed. “Look at you, getting all starry-eyed like a teenage girl.”
She debated whether to make it worse by telling Kase just how good her imaginings had been, before deciding not to. After all, Kase, like half the women in the city, got warm at the thought of Merrick’s form. Aside from possibly angering her by dangling the fact of Merrick’s attachment to Olivia in her face or embarrassing herself by describing intimate details that were certainly not fit conversation for a public corridor, there was nothing to be gained by it.
“What can I say?” She shrugged. “Merrick’s the only man I want looking at me like that.”
Kase gave her a long once-over. “Which is why you dress with such modesty and delicacy.” She put on a horrific mockery of an accent from the southern zone of Terra’s northwestern continent, undoubtedly something she’d seen in an old bi-vee from Terra. “Whah, ah do decleh you look jes’ lahk a virgin on her weddin’ not!”
As if the conversation needed any assistance getting any more awkward, the kid chose that moment to return with her drink. He froze, roughly two paces from the counter, his face blazing redder than the sign above his head.
“Um… your order will be right out, ma’am,” he stuttered, quickly setting the beverage down. With a grimace, he turned on his heel and fled.
From the back, she heard him say, “I’m taking a break, Ivan. Can you get the lady’s order out?”
The lower growl from the owner escaped her, but the kid protested angrily, “I am not ! I’m just… look, I need a break , okay?” His voice cracked and wandered over three different pitches.
Olivia raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kase, whose face had gone from pale silk to violent magenta. She tried, with limited success, to choke off a snicker.
“What? What did he say?”
Kase just shook her head and clamped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes bulged as if she was in the throes of a seizure, and her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia demanded.
A male voice with a thick Russian accent spoke from the kitchen. “I tell him if he want to go jerk off, he do that on his time, not mine.”
Olivia flinched. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore.
“I hef your food for you in a minute, da ?”
“ Da ,” she agreed weakly.
Kase grinned at her impishly. “Sorry you asked?”
For answer, Olivia shook her head with a groan and shifted her chair a few inches to one side. The ventilator return mounted in the ceiling blew a steady stream of cooled air downward, and aside from mussing her hair, it also chilled her skin unpleasantly. Finding a happy medium between too cool and too warm, she settled in.
“Here is your blini, miss.”
The potbellied, dark-haired and dark-eyed man of Russian stock set a plate in front of her with two of the paper-thin pastries. He said nothing more, but waited expectantly. She took the hint and picked up one of the blini. Biting into it, she chewed thoughtfully and then nodded. The spiced “salmon” was prepared perfectly. She swallowed.
“This is very good,” she reported.
The man nodded, the hint of a smile gracing his dour features. “I am glad you approve, miss. If you need anything more, just call.”
She assured him she would, and was rewarded with another smile as he turned away.
Much of the ethnic cuisine available
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