Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (26 page)

“What if he contacts my boss?”

“Then I’ll shoot him in the hand and he’ll never make that mistake again.” Nathan grinned and a bark of laughter escaped her unheeded.

Nathan tilted his head signaling that they were about to be joined so she pasted a smile on her face and turned to meet the Director.

“Dr. Drake. So good to finally meet you.” Director Blevins came into the lobby area with them and approached with his hand outstretched.

“Director Blevins. Thank you for meeting us personally. You didn’t have to do that. I know you must be incredibly busy.” Penelope regarded his high-handedness in personally meeting them as a power play to throw her off guard rather than a gesture of goodwill between planetary science labs.

Besides which, although, Blevins was good friends with Dr. Ledreder in the highest of scientific circles, she didn’t completely trust him. She worried over whether or not he would tell her boss about her trip, and she worried about him contacting Dr. Ledreder now that she had finally arrived.

“It’s not a problem at all. Now what can we do for you?”

Oh God, he was going to make her explain. And her precious time ticked away. “I came to pick up a cure for a patient. I placed an order before I left Bravura. Hopefully it’s ready and I can be on my way.”

“Well, our labs are excellent. I’m sure it’s ready. However, since you’re here, I’d love to show you the amazing technology of our labs before you go. I’ll give you the personal tour.” He glanced at Nathan as if his presence was unexpected and he would no longer be needed as an escort.

Nathan spoke up and saved her from having to make up yet another story. “I’m sorry. But I’m the captain of the trans-galactic ship the
Dalton
and currently on my way someplace else for an emergency. I agreed to bring Dr. Drake here to collect her order, but unfortunately, we’ve got to get going as soon as possible. Perhaps next time we can take your ‘amazing’ science lab technology tour.”

Blevins pursed his lips. She wasn’t sure if it was because he thought she might be romantically involved with a starship captain or because they couldn’t waste time taking a tour of his “amazing” lab. Possibly both were transgressions. “How unfortunate. Well, I’ll show you to the pharmacy.”

“Thank you, Director Blevins. However,” Penelope paused for more drama. “I simply hate to take you away from your important work here. If you could just point us in the right direction, we’ll be on our way.”

“Decent of you. Tell Dr. Ledreder that I’d love to hear from him. It’s been a long time since we spoke.”

“I certainly will, Director. Thank you so much.”

He gave short instructions matching what they already had so they said quick farewells and moved on.

Penelope took one step forward and almost landed on her ass. The near escape from Director Blevins had more of an impact on her nerves than she expected. Nathan attached himself to her side and grabbed her arm to steady her as she staggered another step forward because her legs shook so badly.

“It’s okay, Penelope. We’re almost through this.”

“Right.” She nodded, got a grip on herself. They hurried on to the pharmacy and her final stop to end this virus.

* * * *

“Does that ship over there look familiar to you?” Cahill asked Angelica, two hours after Nathan and Penelope had departed from the
Dalton’s
docking platform.

Following the direction of his gaze, Angelica noted it was currently transfixed on a small beat-up and barely space-worthy vessel of dubious capabilities called the
Galaxy Retriever
. It sounded like a large canine lived inside and given its sorry state perhaps a dog actually did command it.

“I don’t recognize the name, but based on the tail identification number its registration shows it came from Bravura. Designation is a private federated corporation vessel.”

Cahill snapped his fingers as if he’d just remembered something important. “I need to check the command deck logs. Right now!” They’d exited the
Dalton
to wait in the very cavernous Parsec Colony docking station for their crew member and passenger to return.

Angelica asked, “Why? What’s wrong?” He didn’t respond but instead hurtled up the ramp and disappeared into the cargo hold of ship.

Given the choice, Angelica decided she’d rather spend the time with Cahill, so she followed him back inside, and affixed her gaze on his spectacular ass moving swiftly through the cargo deck toward the bridge.

* * * *

Guided by Nathan’s sure hand, Penelope walked with a purpose down a long well lit hallway toward the pharmacy and her cure.

“We go straight down this corridor and the place you want should be at the end on the right,” he whispered.

“Okay.” Trembling slightly in anticipation of her journey’s end, Penelope drifted to the right and the counter jutting out marking her final destination.

Above the counter perched a large glass window. Behind it stood a technician dressed in white. He was tall and thin with straight black hair. The name stitched on the upper right side of his coat said, “Marshall.”

Penelope glided to a stop in front of the window facing Marshall and smiled. She was eternally grateful that no one else was around in the immediate vicinity.

“Can I help you?” Marshall asked.

“I’m here to pick up a medical package for the Bravura Science Lab.” She slid her paperwork through the narrow slit waist high in the glass to show she’d pre-paid.

Marshall snagged the paper, nodded distractedly as he read the top and moved away, with a murmured, “Be right back.”

“It’s almost over, Penelope. Hang in there.” Nathan’s whispered assurance calmed her down a notch. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to keep her heartbeat under two hundred beats a minute.

After only a few moments, Marshall returned with a small brown paper wrapped package. “Are you Dr. Drake?” he asked with a slight frown.

“Yes.” Breathe in. Breathe out. “I ordered the medication myself.”

“I need to see your identification, please.”

Penelope reached into her pocket and pulled out her badge from the Bravura Lab and flattened it against he window for his perusal. Marshall looked it over and hesitated before handing over the precious package.

“So you
do
know what’s in here, right?”

What an odd question to ask. “I hope it’s what I ordered.” Penelope didn’t really want to say it out loud.

Marshall stared at her as if he tried to get information across that he also didn’t want to say aloud. “This is a very rare medication. I took the order and packaged it myself.”

“And?”

Looking over his shoulder, Marshall turned back and peeked out over her head as if ascertaining they were completely alone. He saw Nathan and drew back snapping his mouth shut.

“No problem. Never mind.”

Penelope caught his eye and said, “He’s with me. Is there something you wish to say?”

“Just that…” Again he paused and looked around his immediate area. His paranoia started to rub off on her. “…um…you know what this medication is supposed to cure, right?”

The technician’s unease was likely because “he” knew what the cure was for and about it being very rare. She mentally relaxed and accepted the package through the slit in the window.

“Don’t worry,” Penelope lied, “I’m just doing some experiments. Are there three doses inside as requested?”

“Yes. But I don’t understand—” The door to the pharmacy behind him opened and a rotund little man in a similar white lab coat entered carrying a lunch sack.

“You were saying?”

“Um…nothing.” Marshall pushed out a deep breath through rounded lips. “Okay, good. You have your package. Best of luck.” He pushed back from the counter and disappeared into the shelving holding thousands of different types of medication.

“That was odd.”

“Is it what you need?” Nathan studied the package. Penelope opened the paper bag at one end and pulled out a clear rectangular box. Through the top of the lid she could see three identical jet injector hypodermic guns filled with clear blue liquid ready to disperse her cure. The number etched along the fluid container already loaded in the disposable injector was identical to the one she’d used on Alice back on Bravura. Penelope thought these injectors were the most beautiful sight imaginable.

A shot in the arm or leg and an hour’s wait was all she needed to see the conclusion of this miserable disease.

“There’s a public restroom behind you,” Nathan murmured. “I’ll wait out here while you go inoculate yourself. Then we’ll head to the ship and break out a decanter of Gray’s expensive booze to celebrate your new virus-free existence.”

Checking her time, she noted they had over an hour before her most recent temporary cure ran out. She could easily wait and get back to the
Dalton,
but the enticement of the treatment was too great.

“Thanks, Nathan. I’ll be right back.” Penelope gave him a smile and carried the box inside. She gave herself a hypo shot in the leg because it was easier and less painful. In order to put an end to the sex or suffer virus, the stinging pain of the cure entering her thigh was very minimal. She was in and out of the restroom in less than two minutes.

With a whole new outlook on life, she grabbed Nathan’s extended arm and ambled down the long hallway leading out of the Science lab.

“Did the shot hurt?” he asked as they walked along.

“It wasn’t too bad.” Penelope grinned. “Mostly I’m relieved. Why?”

“I hate hypo shots. Just saying, better you than me, sweetheart. You’d have had to strap me down on the med lab table to inject me with one of those.”

Penelope laughed out loud at the visual, but her good humor soon faded. They hadn’t moved very many more steps when she realized something was terribly wrong. The sensation in the pit of her stomach made her wonder if she were about to become violently ill. The feeling passed, but something replaced it. She stopped moving, turned to Nathan and leaned closer.

“What’s wrong? Is the shot making you sick?”

“No. It’s just that...” Penelope paused and gazed into his worried eyes. She motioned him closer. He leaned forward. She said, “I need to fuck you right now. And I can’t wait, you big stud.” She giggled when his eyes widened in surprise.

“I thought we had an hour left,” he murmured quietly.

Penelope’s immediate response was to extended her tongue and lick his chin once. His eyes got even wider.

“Not any more.” Penelope laughed out loud as Nathan looked both ways and over his shoulder as if searching for a quiet room or perhaps to see who watched them canoodle and get ready for sex, sex and more sex.

She hoped so anyway. In order to get the party started, Penelope slid her hand beneath his belt to stroke his cock to life so she could ride him as soon as possible.

The euphoria she experienced now was an added bonus to this lovely virus, she thought and gripped Nathan’s cock in her anxious fingers.

Nathan almost swallowed his tongue when Penelope’s hand snaked down his pants and she gripped her bare hand around his semi-stiff cock. The cure hadn’t worked. Obviously. Or, the cure she’d taken just gave her some ridiculous high so she wouldn’t come across as such a driven nymphomaniac so much as a goofy drunken girl wanting to “go for it” right away. An interesting change, but he was sure it wasn’t the one Penelope envisioned during this long journey across the galaxy.

He spotted a hallway up ahead with a placard stating there were temporary sleeping quarters to purchase and an arrow pointing to the right. Likely they were used for friends and family of sick patients, but it would at least be concealed. Nathan gently peeled her hand off of his dick and directed her toward the hallway with rooms for some privacy. He dearly hoped a vacant one was close by with insulated walls.

“Don’t you want to fuck me, Nathan? Don’t you want to fuck me hard and fast until you come?” The trill of maniacal laughter that followed her crude statements made him wonder if sex would even relieve her symptoms her this time. She reached for his cock again as he rounded the corner, hoping not to run into anyone else as she felt him up.

A richly dressed man exiting the hallway gave them a shocked look first as his gaze went down to what she attempted to do, followed by a slightly annoyed look directly afterwards. They passed him very quickly, and Nathan ignored the stranger in favor of finding a room with the digital sign on the door listing it as “unoccupied” so he could get Penelope inside and under control.

Halfway down the hall, a door on the left stood blessedly opened and Nathan pushed her inside as her laughter reached an epic high in sound as they crossed the threshold of the room.

Once inside, Penelope threw her hands in the air, swayed her hips and danced to a tune only she could hear. He locked the door which immediately flipped the switch showing that this room was occupied. The box by the door asked for his credit rations to secure the room. Nathan swiped a travel card with enough credits to give them an hour then peeled his jacket off. He removed his gun still in its holster, placed the weapon carefully on top of his jacket resting on the table at the end of the simple bed and approached a still dancing Penelope as she started removing her clothes and draped them around the room haphazardly.