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D'ARC, GALE, KENT, MARCH

Fortune's Fool

an anthology of erotic romance by

Bianca D'Arc

Eva Gale

Cassidy Kent

Selah March

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FORTUNE'S FOOL

Phaze

6470A Glenway Avenue, #109

Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are

either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations,

events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Fortune's Fool © 2007 by Bianca D'Arc, Eva Gale, Selah March, Cassidy

Kent

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright

Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval

system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Edited by Kathryn Lively

Cover art © 2007 by Paul Johns

Phaze is an imprint of Mundania Press, LLC.

www.Phaze.com

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D'ARC, GALE, KENT, MARCH

Arcana: King of Swords

Bianca D'Arc

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FORTUNE'S FOOL

Also by Bianca D'Arc

Sons of Amber: Ezekiel

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D'ARC, GALE, KENT, MARCH

To those who've taught me to think beyond. Most especially my Dad,

who started me watching
Star Trek
when I was just a little kid and shares my love of science fiction to this day.

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FORTUNE'S FOOL

The Rabbit Hole was well known on the civilian space station for its

private booths and intimate atmosphere. The new owner of the small

tavern was still, to some extent, an unknown quantity, but seemed a solid enough man according to local gossip. Ex-soldier, went the rumor. David

knew Alex would be amused by what the grapevine had to say about

him, though they didn't know the half of it.

Scoping the area out of habit, Dave noted the wide hall in front of

the tavern was very near the mechanical parts of the station, which were off-limits to everyone but specialized workers. Alex must get a lot of

traffic when the shifts changed, being on the edges of the civ area and

right near the mech section. Good placement for a business like his.

Dave entered The Rabbit Hole and was immediately assailed by dim

light and the not-unpleasant scent of premium alcohol. It was the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing drink with friends. The bar was cozy and

welcoming.

As his eyes quickly adjusted—a gift of his genetic Enhancement—

Dave saw the man behind the bar. Alex had spotted him and waved him

over using the hand signals all soldiers knew. Several heads turned and

Dave recognized the look of the men sitting around the bar, if not their individual faces. Soldiers. Like him.

For the first time in weeks, Dave felt at home.

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D'ARC, GALE, KENT, MARCH

Adele Senna re-read the address on the comm from her Aunt Della.

The message had come from a small tavern near the mech section of the

station, called The Rabbit Hole. Adele was new to Madhatter Station and

had reserved living space on the other side of one of the giant rings. She hadn't ventured too close to the core yet, but was learning her way

around as she sought out her beloved aunt.

The Rabbit Hole looked nice from the outside. Not upscale, but not

a dive either, which was a relief. Aunt Della wasn't known for her

judgment. Aunt Della was only a decade or so older than Adele, being

her mother’s youngest sister. With normal human lifespans now reaching

well past the century mark, Aunt Della was still considered a bit flighty by the rest of her large family, but Adele loved her Bohemian ways.

A brilliant woman, gifted with a strong ability to see the future, her

aunt sometimes didn't display much common sense. Or, at least, it

seemed that way. Ultimately, her odd actions always had some purpose,

but only in retrospect.

Adele wondered what Aunt Della was up to, setting up shop as a

dealer and reader of cards for patrons of this middle-class tavern. She

must have some reason, but Adele was hard-pressed to understand it,

even though she had—at times—seen glimpses of the future, just like her

aunt.

The psychic gift ran in the family. As far back as they could trace,

the women of her family had been blessed—or perhaps cursed,

depending on your outlook—with varying degrees of foresight. Aunt

Della was truly gifted, but she insisted Adele hadn't yet grown fully into her power. Adele wasn't sure she wanted to. The few flashes of the future she'd received to date had scared the bejeezus out of her. She didn't know how her aunt dealt with it day to day.

Adele pushed through the portal and waited a moment for her eyes

to get used to the gloom inside. What she could see of the place was

clean and well kept. The atmosphere was dark, quiet, and relaxing rather 8

FORTUNE'S FOOL

than sinister, as she'd half expected. She saw a couple of big men at the bar as her eyes adjusted slowly, scanning the room for her aunt. The

place was set up with small private booths and one long bar area where

the men were clustered. Soldiers, they had to be, though they were all in civ clothing. On leave or perhaps retirees, she guessed, and the bartender was built on the same grand scale. Soldiers were just bigger than regular human males. It had something to do with their diet and training, she

knew, but other than that, she hadn't paid much attention.

Unlike many civilians, Adele had no real opinion about soldiers.

Oh, she appreciated the sacrifices they made trying to keep the Milky

Way Galaxy safe from the jit'suku threat, but she'd never really had any dealings with them on a personal basis. She knew many civ men

discriminated against them—probably because they felt small by

comparison.

She'd seen soldiers here and there throughout her travels, and they

were all huge and rather intimidating. She supposed a civilian male

would feel a little threatened by their towering height and imposing

brawn, but she felt somehow comforted by their large, protective

presence. Surely, if men such as these were fighting the jit'suku out on the rim, the rest of humanity would always be safe. They inspired that

kind of confidence with their silent, somewhat menacing ways.

Adele swept the room once again but didn't see her aunt, so she

decided to brave the quiet crowd at the bar to ask. She walked to an open space, feeling enclosed by the heat of the big men sitting on either side of her, but she refused to acknowledge the sort of tingly reaction that

skittered through her body. It wasn't fear exactly, but it was definitely something that surprised her.

"Pardon me," she said in a voice that carried to the bartender. All eyes turned to her and she found herself the unexpected center of

attention. "Can you tell me if Della Senna is here? I understand she's dealing here now."

The bartender slung a towel over his shoulder and walked toward

her with a rolling gait that oozed sex appeal. She'd never been this close to a soldier, much less half a dozen of them, and each and every one was solidly built, and handsome as sin. This bartender was perhaps the

prettiest of the bunch, with perfectly chiseled features and a confident, friendly expression.

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D'ARC, GALE, KENT, MARCH

When he smiled, she felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. He was

definitely what her old friend Mary would label DDG—Drop Dead

Gorgeous.

"Della's on break, but she'll be back in about five minutes if you

want to wait."

His deep voice sent little shivers down her spine. The man was sexy

as hell and dangerous to boot. She could feel it crackling in the air

around him as he stopped right in front of her on the other side of the bar.

She was glad of the hard metal surface between them. His attention

shifted to the man seated on her right. A slight nod and narrowing of his eyes was all that was needed to make the other man jump into action. A

moment later, he'd drawn a barstool up behind her and politely assisted

her to sit.

"Thank you." She nodded to the man on her right, surprised by his youth. This soldier was definitely younger than her and his clothes

looked brand new. Perhaps he was on leave. She smiled at him, and his

face seemed to heat with a flush of embarrassment. She liked the young

man immediately. He was polite and a little shy, which surprised her

even more. Built like a freighter, she wouldn't have imagined anything as simple as a smile could fluster him, but apparently it did.

"What'll you have, ma'am?" The bartender polished a small glass and set it before her, probably assuming she'd have a typical girly drink suited to the petite glass. Feeling daring, she looked at him with an air of challenge.

"Do you have any Pearson's Star Ale on tap?"

The bartender straightened and smiled, taking the little glass away.

"Indeed I do. Coming right up."

When he turned to fetch her ale, she was treated to a lovely view of

his sculpted ass. The man was pure muscle, and his form fitting pants

showed his assets off to best advantage. She'd bet he made great tips

from the ladies based just on his butt alone. Sighing, she and sat back on the surprisingly comfortable stool. She didn't feel as out of place here as she'd feared. The atmosphere was quiet, but welcoming.

A moment later the handsome bartender was back, placing a frothy,

frosted pint before her. Adele licked her lips, staring at the perfectly poured portion. She had a taste for this particular brew and didn't partake of it often due to its hefty price, but this occasion seemed to call for it.

With relish, she took a sip of the thick, dark ale and the taste exploded on her tongue.

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FORTUNE'S FOOL

"Mmm, delicious."

She moved to get her credit chit, but a big hand swooped in from the

side, pressing a credit chit into the bartender's hand.

"Allow me, ma'am."

Startled, she looked over to acknowledge the huge man sitting to her

left. Blond and blue eyed, this guy was a little older than her. Probably a retiree, and a recent one, if the newness of his military style flight suit was anything to go by. She'd hear ex-military men favored utilitarian

garb similar to what they were issued in the service, and this handsome

stranger seemed to fit the description to a T.

She also knew soldiers didn't usually have a lot of money to spare

when they left the service and this ale was a luxury. She couldn't let him pay for it in good conscience, though it was a lovely gesture.

"That's very kind of you but—"

"It would be my pleasure. My name is David." His smile totally disarmed her. It was even more devastating than the bartender's.

"I'm Adele," she found herself answering, though she hadn't

intended to give out any personal information to people she didn't know

on this little sojourn to the far side of the station.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady."

The bartender groaned. "You need to brush up your lines, Dave.

That one's as old as the core." The other men around them laughed and David smiled good-naturedly. He seemed used to the ribbing from his

comrades and paid it no mind.

"Doesn't make it any less true." His gaze held hers, and for a moment it felt like only the two of them existed in the whole universe.

"Thank you."