Virgin (21 page)

“What’s so damn funny?” Dax demanded.

“For the love of Leon!” Waroun exclaimed. “The Great Virgin has not only been deflowered, he’s had his cock sucked!”

Dax glowered at his navigator. If looks could have killed, Waroun would have at least been rendered comatose. “How the hell would you know?”

Waroun reached out and lightly touched Ava’s upturned cheek. “Still got a little
snard
on your face, don’t you, Ava? Tell me, was it tasty?”

There was no point in denying the obvious. “Oh, yes.
Very
tasty.”

“I’m getting a little kick of your essencenth, too,” Waroun reported. “Ith’s makin’ mah tongue hart.”

Dax was growling like a tiger about to pounce, but they were all distracted by the approach of Jerden with two women. One was a sultry Terran brunette who had already disrobed. The other had the luminous blue eyes of a Davordian, but her nose and ears were sharply pointed and her skin had a bluish tinge. Her bushy red hair was also unusual for a Davordian. Ava had never seen anything like her. “You do two at a time?”

Jerden’s lips curled into a wicked smile as he took the brunette’s hand and kissed it. “This is Audrey. She’s our fluffer. If we have a client who doesn’t smell right, she comes along for the ride.”

“So
that’s
how you do it,” Dax remarked. “I wondered.”

“Sounds like one helluva great job,” Ava snickered. “Bet you have all kinds of applicants.”

Jerden laughed. “We were having some difficulties, but after one scheduled visit, Audrey came up with the idea and volunteered for the position. We just have to feed her and let her sleep here—and fuck her at least twice a day. She doesn’t need clothes.”

Teke was clearly appalled. “You mean you don’t even pay her? Why, that’s little better than slave labor!”

Ava laughed out loud and patted the Kitnock’s arm. “I wouldn’t worry about her, Teke. I’m sure she’s perfectly happy with the arrangement.”

“I certainly am,” Audrey said. Jerden pulled her close, inhaling deeply as she wound her arms around his waist. His cock responded instantly, becoming fully erect in a matter of seconds. She flicked her tongue over his nipple and grinned. “With me around, he can even fuck a Darconian.”

“Tarq just needs a little of her pussy juice on his upper lip, and he can do pretty much anyone,” Jerden said. “Me, I like the visual as well as the chemical stimulation. Onca can go either way.”

“Doesn’t that bother some of your clients?” Ava asked but immediately answered her own question. “No, it wouldn’t—at least, not once you got started.”

“Are there any females that are
not
affected by you?” Teke asked. “I cannot imagine that a Darconian would want—”

“You’d be surprised,” Jerden said. “Most of them at least
say
they’re affected. I think it’s just a fad, myself.”

Ava chuckled. “The ‘I’ve been laid by a Zetithian’ club?”

“Something like that,” Jerden agreed. “The novelty may wear off eventually, but in the meantime, we’re raking in the credits like you wouldn’t believe.”

Waroun’s eyes were round with awe. “And you get all the sex you want. Can I get a job here too?”

Jerden shook his head. “No, but the Norludian brothel is just down the street. They’re always hiring.”

“And why is that?”

Jerden shrugged. “The Darconian women keep taking them to keep as sex toys—or so I’ve heard. Not sure how true that is.”

“It doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Waroun said smugly. “We’re really very sexy, you know.”

Ava shuddered at the thought of a Norludian and a Darconian together. “Somehow I wouldn’t think dinosaurs would be your type.”

“I’ve always found Darconian women very attractive,” said Waroun. “I love the way their scales differ in color, and the iridescence is quite lovely.”

“You kill me, Waroun,” Dax muttered. “You absolutely kill me.”

Ava glanced around, mentally counting heads. “Where’s Threldigan?”

“Onca’s client decided she wanted more than one man,” Audrey said. “Threldigan volunteered.”

Waroun’s eyes lit up. “Do you guys ever double-team anyone?”

“Yes, but it’s double the fee,” Jerden replied. “One lady paid for all three of us at once, but she couldn’t take it.” Shaking his head, he added, “Left here babbling on about Felix the Cat, whatever that means.”

Ava giggled. “I bet a lot of your clients leave here babbling, but if she was expecting Felix the Cat, it’s no wonder she couldn’t take it.” Dax seemed puzzled.

“Old Earth cartoon character,” Ava explained. “
Very
old—about a thousand years, in fact—and nothing like Zetithians at all!”

“You know about cartoon characters from a thousand years ago?”

Ava shrugged. “Hey, everyone needs a hobby.”

“I had no idea.” Judging from the look on Dax’s face, he still didn’t get it.

“I know about all of them. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Felix the Cat, among others. My favorite is called Tigger, which is interesting when you consider…” Glancing up at Dax’s feline features, she cleared her throat. “Well, maybe it makes more sense than I thought. What about you, Dax? Got any hobbies I should know about?”

“Hobbies?” His expression was completely blank.

“You know—stuff you do or learn about just because you like it and are interested in it, and not because you have to.”

“I know what it means,” said Dax. “And I’ve learned about a lot of stuff, I just can’t think of any particular thing…”

Waroun rolled his eyes. “He’s
so
boring. Whereas I, on the other hand, have an interest in many fascinating subjects—”

“Yes, and they all have something to do with sex, don’t they?”

“But of course!”

“Speaking of sex, you must excuse us now,” Jerden said. “My client is waiting.” The lady in question stepped forward, taking Jerden’s outstretched hand, her deep blue eyes aglow with anticipation. Though she was still clothed, her dress was so sheer it left very little to the imagination. Ava knew that Zetithians were aroused primarily by scent, but
still
…

“I’m surprised you’d need a fluffer for her,” Ava remarked. “She looks like she’d be compatible with you guys.”

“She
is
primarily Davordian,” Jerden explained, “and we normally have no difficulties with them—”

“Yeah, all of you except for the Great Virgin,” Waroun snickered. “No, wait. Can’t call him that anymore.” Tapping his chin he muttered, “Must think of something else…”

“—but she’s also got a little Arconian and Edraitian in her bloodline,” Jerden continued. “It throws off the scent.”

“Though not the response.” The woman’s voice was deep and throaty. “I have been with Onca before. He’s a delightful man, but I’ve heard that Jerden is better.”

She raked Jerden’s body with an assessing glance. He was smiling, but his smoldering eyes promised he would do everything in his power to substantiate that claim.

“Well, I guess we’ll let you get back at it, then,” Teke said. “Maybe we should be on our way… But should we leave without Threldigan? He
was
acting as our guide.”

Waroun snorted. “If we wait for him, then Super Kitten will be ready to nail the Fish Lady again and we’ll be hanging around here all night!”

“Super Kitten?” Dax echoed.

Waroun grinned. “Yeah! Just came up with that one. What do you think of it?”

“I think I liked being called the Great Virgin better.”

Ava clapped her hand over her mouth, but the attempt was futile. Dax’s chagrined expression sent her over the edge into near hysteria.

The others stared at her as if she’d suddenly grown horns.

Ava wiped her streaming eyes. “What? Didn’t you think it was funny?”

“Well, yeah, but not enough to make our hair stand up in spikes,” Diokut said. “Does it always do that when you laugh?”

“Never did before.” Ava reached up and patted her hair. Diokut hadn’t been kidding. “Must be that Aquerei water Kots has been giving me. Guess I’d better lay off that stuff, huh?”

“I dunno,” said Dax. “I kinda like it that way.”

Ava smoothed both palms over her head, but her hair refused to cooperate. “Well, that’s good, because it doesn’t seem to want to lay back down now.”

“I don’t think it’s the water this time,” Waroun said. “My money is on the joy juice.”

Teke looked at him questioningly.

“Oh, you know… The Zetithian Secret Sauce?” Waroun snickered. “It’s going to be fun seeing what else it does to her.”

“You should have seen her when—” Dax stopped short. “Guess I shouldn’t talk about that.”

“Oh, do tell!” Waroun encouraged. “We want to hear all the intimate details.”

Teke glanced at the others. “We do?”

Diokut nodded vigorously. “Yeah, we do. All of them.”

Ava thought it best to change the subject. “Hey, um, I’m getting really hungry. What do you say we go have dinner somewhere?”

“Great idea,” said Teke. “Perhaps Roncas can suggest a nice restaurant—one that serves a wide variety of cuisines. Do you think we should call Quinn?”

“He was pretty well stuffed back at the spaceport, so I doubt if he’d want dinner,” Dax said. “But who knows what he’s gotten into by now. Maybe we ought to check in with him.” Activating his combadge with a sharp tap, he called out Quinn’s name.

***

Junosk might have known that he was looking for a Drell named Quinn, but that was about all. He’d been all over the city and into almost every casino, but as Wane had pointed out, one Drell looked very much like another, and none were particularly talkative—not to mention being nasty, rude little shits. They were hard to spot over the slot machines too. He had help, of course, and he’d paid out a number of bribes, but it wasn’t happening fast enough.

Rapidly losing his patience and nearly exhausted, Junosk was about to resort to shooting any of the furry little beasts on sight when he stalked into the Yulanda. One of the classier casinos, every niche was filled with a lush, tropical garden or a spectacular work of art. Glittering dome lights cast a golden glow over players and dealers alike, and the slot machines were surprisingly quiet. For a brief rest, it was as good a place as any. His eyes still searching the room, he backed into a chair.

The high-pitched squeal that accompanied his descent told him that another of his quarry was there ahead of him. The Drell shoved him aside, his furry fingers flying over the control panel. “You idiot! Can’t you see I’m about to win the jackpot?”

“Hadn’t noticed. Sorry.”

“Stupid quidnit,” the Drell spat. “Look at my score. Ever seen one that high?”

Not being a gambler or a gamer, Junosk had no idea what constituted a winning score but attempted to display a mild degree of astonished enthusiasm.

“So, Quinn,” Junosk ventured. “Been in town long?”

“Just landed this evening,” the Drell snapped. “Now shut up and leave me alone.”

Junosk ignored the Drell’s directives. “I’ve got the name right, haven’t I? Quinn? And you’re here with Dax Vandilorsk?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Quinn kept his eyes on the game. The machine was going crazy, with enough blinking lights and crazy color patterns to trigger a seizure—which was probably the intention of the designer.

“I don’t suppose you’d have any knowledge of a blond half-breed Aquerei girl, would you?”

Quinn gave him a quick glance. “You mean Ava? Nice girl. Very kind to me, but I think the captain has plans for her. I wouldn’t bother with her if I were you.”

Junosk kept his tone carefully neutral. “What kind of plans?”

“You’re even stupider than you look,” Quinn snarled. “Go away.”

“This Ava,” Junosk went on. “Does she have a crystal pendant?”

“So what if she does? I told you to go away.”

In the next second, three things happened at once. Another voice called out Quinn’s name, Quinn hit the jackpot, and Junosk pulled his pistol.

Chapter 14

“Can’t talk now,” Quinn’s voice came breathlessly through the comlink. “I just—” His sentence was cut off abruptly by a blood-curdling screech. Then the link went dead.

Waroun broke the stunned silence. “Well, he’s either getting laid, or he’s just been murdered.”

“Knowing Quinn, I’d say it was the latter,” Teke commented. “Drells can be so rude.”

“But he’s been doing a lot better since he’s had Dax keeping him in line,” Ava pointed out. “Almost polite.”

“Maybe,” said Dax. “But I’m sure he reverted to his old ways as soon as we were out of sight—aside from all the other strange things this planet does to people.” Dax tapped his badge. He called for Quinn several times but received no reply.