Valeria (6 page)

“You kissed me and I wanted to return the favor,” she sputtered, “That’s all!” Shifting foot to foot, she gulped, looked at her hands. “So, um, don’t get any ideas.”

Mache coughed. “Right, no ideas,” he said. “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.” Damn, he could be a bad liar.

She didn’t seem to notice, looking to one side of the staircase to the other, and finally offering, “I’ll make dinner tonight. You can set up your room again.” She stepped around him and practically bolted up the stairs. He turned to look after her but could only watch her boot soles as they clattered against the grating.

Mache leaned back, sighing as his feet came back to life with an unpleasant tingle. It didn’t do anything to banish a smile. She liked him. That was nice because he liked her too. Now the question was how to make her see it without bolting in confusion.

Ah well, it looked as if he had time.

* * * *

She was cooking when Mache emerged from his room and she didn’t seem interested in discussing the fact that half an hour ago they’d been rather heavily kissing. Mache sensed there would be no rushing this, though. He engaged her in other conversation, asking what the CEO thought of her prototype, whether she said anything of note about the spies in the factory, noting her impressive stature.

“She’s nice to me,” Valeria said as she kept her eyes on the plate in front of her. “When I was younger she used to stay longer and tell me stories, and taught me how to cook and keep my own house, but I outgrew that ages ago.”

“I see. She’s practically your mother.” Mache said.

Valeria smiled up at him, her expression relieved and concerned at once, as if she were afraid he’d attack her across the table. “Yes, exactly.”

“Did she tell you about men too?” he asked as gently as he was able.

Her natural hand twitched around her fork and her gaze hit the table again, flushing. “Some,” she said, trembling.

Mache restrained himself from reaching over, reminding himself that for all he knew, the CEO could have taught her men were corset-ripping, sex-crazed maniacs. “What’d she say?”

“That I was better off without one,” Valeria said, looking off to the side. “That she’d survived these years because she kept men at arm’s length and I should consider doing the same.”

“You don’t think she’s ever lain with a man?” Mache asked. He severely doubted it. A woman so beautiful and intimidating would have attracted at least a few admirers.

Valeria blushed brighter. “Of course she has,” she said. “She’s got two children.” She shifted in her chair. “And both their fathers wound up trying to steal the company from her, ‘for her own good’.” Valeria swallowed. “She says men can’t accept you might be smarter than they are. They marginalize you, tie you down, fear your success.”

Mache tilted his head. “When did she tell you this?” he asked.

“Last night.”

Mache was silent, taking the time to take a bite of salad, chew and swallow and think. The CEO was a smart lady and he could see why she’d come into success, though he felt sorry for the two husbands. Still, he could understand. Intelligence was intimidating. He could get the gist of what Valeria was saying most of the time, though she still outstripped him. She always would. It was a valid question. Could he handle being the un-smart one? Could he handle being the lesser of the two of them?

“Mache?” she asked, sounding almost frightened.

He started in his thoughts, looked at her and smiled. “Maybe she’s right.”

“Really?” Valeria asked, sounding on the edge of being heartbroken.

Mache shrugged. “Maybe you’d technically be better off. Certainly I’m a distraction and I could be an even bigger distraction. And I can’t promise to always be content with not being the one who takes care of you, but I think she missed an important point.”

Valeria swallowed. “What’s that?”

Mache patted her hand. “She’s the CEO. You’re Valeria. She’s tried love and it didn’t work for her. Have you ever tried love?”

Valeria blushed, looked down again and shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Never.”

He fought a triumphant smile. “And does a scientist ever draw a conclusion without experimentation?”

“If the conclusion is obvious enough, yes. I mean, clearly if an unknown element floats in water I can conclude that its mass-to-volume ratio is sufficient to at least be less than that of water.”

Mache snorted water through his nose and immediately spit it back out in a laugh. “Right,” he said, still laughing. “Do you have enough information to draw a conclusion yet?”

Valeria was quiet. “No, I guess not,” she said. She looked up. “Will you help me?”

Grinning, Mache held up his cup. “Here to serve, m’lady.”

Valeria’s smile broke free as he beamed and she handed him a napkin. “You’ve got water on your face,” she said.

“How rude of me,” he said, wiping himself off. “At least I showered before coming to the table. Not a total oaf.”

“Not at all an oaf,” she corrected, relaxing. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” Mache said, and handed the napkin back.

* * * *

Mache took his time. More than wanting to prove to her men were not out to drag her down, he hated to disappoint or spook Valeria because though she didn’t often get frightened, when she did it was deep and pervading. He wasn’t sure whom she was more afraid of, though, him or herself.

Going slow was difficult. Though most times their interactions were much the same, discussions of flying, lessons, her inventions, who would cook what, it was two weeks before he could kiss her for longer than fifteen seconds. Often he wondered if she’d been mentally counting. When he asked, she laughed and asked why he would think that, nearly proving it. He kept cool and pointed out it was acceptable to kiss for longer in private, which they most certainly were.

It helped that she was a fascinating person to kiss. Sometimes she opened deep, sometimes only barely. Sometimes she reacted without reservation. Sometimes he could barely get a hint of warmth off of her, as if she’d clamped her hand and a hundred blankets over the light of her emotions. He remained patient, reminding himself of her seclusion, her age, her upbringing, and it was easier. When she reached out and pulled him closer by the hair one day he knew that, despite her occasional coolness, she felt him keenly.

He’d never entered her room, allowing her the privacy he felt was necessary to stay with him and still have a place to run to if she spooked. It surprised him when she pulled him in of her own accord as he wished her goodnight and closed the door.

“Valeria?” he asked, unable to see in the darkened room.

He heard her swallow. “I wanted you to see…promise not to tease?”

“Cross my heart,” he said, perplexed as to why she would be worried.

She turned up a lamp to illuminate the room. Mache stared.

The rest of the ship was immaculately neat and organized. Everything in its place, everything kept to its cubby. Her lab was full, yes, but with an inherent organization.

Valeria’s room was smaller than the one he’d been staying in. It was still roomy enough. However, it was filled, hilly nilly, with thousands of trinkets, statues, balls of various types of wire and small glass figurines in odd shapes. It was completely in disarray. Mache smelled no hint it was
dirty
, only chaotic.

“A reflection of the genius mind?” he asked.

She hit his shoulder, pouting. “I told you not to make fun!”

“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “Sorry, okay, that’s all. Actually I think it’s lovely. Proves you’re human like the rest of us.”

“You were worried?” She asked in true affront.

Mache took her hands, kissing both before pressing his lips to the tip of her nose. “Of course not. I’m just saying how nice it is to see a space of your own.”

“I can clean up if you want to stay,” she stuttered.

“Don’t be silly,” he said, and took her in his arms. He tried not to shiver in anticipation, instead asking. “Do you really want me to stay?”

She gulped and cautiously nuzzled his shoulder. “I…yes. I…” She took a deep breath, “I think of you all night when you go to bed and it drives me crazy, Mache! I feel hot and restless and it’s impossible to sleep. I want you here so I can feel you rather than wishing I could.”

It took an awful lot of control not to stiffen at the description. He managed it with a meditative thought on a circus show he’d once seen of the bearded lady, supplementing it with an image of his boss’s wife who once tried to lure him into bed. He let out a breath and hugged her close. “Sure I’ll stay,” he said and glanced at the bed, pleased to find it was big enough for the two of them and more.

She sighed. “Good,” she said. “Even if I have to sleep in my clothes it’ll be nice to have you close.”

Mache chuckled. “You don’t have to keep
all
your clothes on, you know. Your shirt and pants should be fine. I’ve never worn one but I’m sure corsets can’t be comfortable to sleep in.”

“I’ve done it,” she protested. “I’ll be fine.”

Mache backed off, vowing to try again tomorrow. “If it makes you feel better,” he said. “Let me know if you want it off, though. I promise not to do anything untoward.”

She smiled, turning to kiss him. “I love you,” she said. “Thank you.”

He started, mind stumbling. When was the last time someone had said that? When was the last time he had agreed? “You’re welcome,” he said. It didn’t matter about the last time. He was here now. “I love you too.”

As they settled in, shoes off, Mache realized this was the longest he’d gone without properly bedding a woman. And it was the first time the words were said before the actions taken. Maybe he was doing it the right way this time? It wasn’t that he was a ladies’ man. He’d just never put the effort in. He supposed anyone who could be worth going slowly for was worth doing things the right way to boot.

Valeria turned to lay on his shoulder. “It’s nice.” She murmured. “You here, I mean.”

“Sure is,” he replied, stroked her hair, and drifted off to sleep.

They slept. They woke and spent several hours paying attention to little else but each other. Mache taught her the meaning of a morning in bed, breakfast brought and responsibilities forgone. She worried and also delighted in it.

The CEO came and went again a month later and Mache spent the entire time in solitude thinking of Valeria–the scent of her hair, the softness of her skin, the way he had, only once, gotten a soft moan out of her when he kissed her neck. Each time she came into the room he watched her hungrily, pleading
Valeria, Valeria…let down your hair.

And eventually, she did. She stepped into the ballroom, looked out the window for a long moment, raised her hand, and pulled the pin down. Mache wasted no time in getting to her, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her.

“Did the CEO say anything?” he asked, stroking her hair.

She shook her head, smiling up at him, her eye patch flipped down, glasses pushed up on her head. “Only that I seemed happier than the last time she was here.”

He laughed, catching her lips, lifting her close. “Are you?”

“Yes,” she said, and touched his face. “I love you and I am happy with you.”

“And I with you,” he murmured, taking both of her hands and holding them to his chest. She looked up and he kissed her again, murmuring. “It’s nice that you say how you feel, Valeria.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked.

He smiled. “Exactly. I love you.”

That night she allowed him to unlace her corset, and Mache was certain to take all the care he possibly could in doing so.

* * * *

The CEO came and went two more times. Mache made certain Valeria never neglected her work for long so the CEO would not realize her ward was being distracted.

Occasionally he watched Valeria work, marveling at the way her split hand moved with no less than four tiny screw drivers, the way her hair draped as she leaned over a tiny operation with her golden eye, patch flipped up. His favorite, though, were the days when she worked mostly on paper, and put on the glasses with many magnifications. When she looked up at him on those days, her golden eye and blue eye were thrown into relief against each other and she seemed particularly beautiful.

She chanced to look up, and saw him watching. She smiled. “I see you.” she said.

“Caught me,” he replied, smiling and coming into the lab. She stood up, holding out her arms and he caught her up into a kiss. As he held her, she nuzzled into his shoulder, humming. “You okay?” he asked as she yawned.

“Fine.” she said, nodding. “My stomach was upset this morning.”

“Hmm, I’m fine,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “My fault. I must not have washed the lettuce enough.”

“Maybe,” she said. “I’ve still got to fix this prototype so the CEO can take it back to the ground the next time she comes.”

“When is that supposed to be?” he asked.

“Next week sometime,” she said, not letting go of Mache.

He made a mental note to supplement his supplies and pack everything away. At least now that he slept with Valeria nightly they didn’t have to worry about changing the guest room sheets. Kissing her cheek, he rubbed her back. “All right. I’ll let you get back to work.”