The visibility was why she was there. She wasn’t sure what had happened that created the need for this job but she knew it wasn’t with Dommik’s approval. The living areas on the ship remained unused, undisturbed, uninhabited. There wasn’t even a scuff on any of the floors…and there are always scuffs.
Kat finished her reports and uploaded them to the secure server, all before Mia could come back at her with another message. Her fingers paused on the keypad, debating whether it would be appropriate to ask...she was typing her question before she answered herself.
‘What happened that made this job, my job, become available?” She didn’t know if Mia would respond, let alone answer her, but it wasn’t going to stop her from trying.
Kat flexed her fingers and attached her portable to her wrist. It could be hours, even days before she received a response and the time increased every light-year the ship moved further away. She absently rubbed her stomach as she went to the roach room.
The echo of her steps followed her. A shiver shot up her back. She shook it away and walked through the door and stopped, and waited; until the lights shot on before moving further in. It didn’t matter how many weeks she had been taking care of the bugs, and the thought brought on a wave of nausea to her already invisible stab wounds in her belly, she wouldnottake one step further in without the light.
When the roaches scattered behind the glass it meant they were not scattering outside the glass. Kat didn’t look at them as she cleaned the debris and stuck in the plants they feasted on, always leaving the Gliese ones for last. She shredded the stalk and jammed it past the filtration system.
Her breath caught and a gag welled up into her throat, the feeling of unease returned. She hugged her body and left the gross room behind.
She walked headfirst into a familiar chest. Kat jerked back. “Sorry,” she breathed as his hands cupped her shoulders, sending electrical fire straight into her, making her blush.
Dommik didn’t remove his hands. “How are you feeling?” he asked. Kat looked up at him, pushing her crimped hair out of her face and lost it with a sag.
She leaned into his body and burrowed herself in his heat. “Not good.”
His arms fell around her and the metal frame of him softened under her cheek until she felt cocooned, one she decided she never wanted to break out of. The cramps and aches of her body went away with each caress he gave her, over her back and shoulder blades, kneading the knots out of her neck to the base of her skull. She lulled into him and her mind went blank with pleasure.
Kat drifted off to that warm place that only an embrace can give.
“Feeling better?”
“Mmm, yes.”
Is he really comforting me?Her reverie went away as he picked her up and carried her back into the ship.
“Where are we going?” she asked, tangling her fingers in his loose hair.
“Someplace to talk.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead as the elevator closed. Kat couldn’t stop the shock her wide eyes portrayed. Dommik was hard, the kind of hard that it took more than an explosive to break through, and he was quiet, she had seen him as a shadow-dwelling loner.
But now he was holding her, touching her, cradling her in his lap as he brought them to the lounge that overlooked the stars. He didn’t let her go but instead settled in.
Kat stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is awkward.” She tried to remove herself from his lap and after a short struggle, she settled a short distance away.
“Apparently it’s only going to get more awkward,” he muttered, closing ranks. “How are you feeling? Really?”
Kat curled her legs under her. “I have some aches, nothing major.”
Dommik’s eyebrows furrowing as he stared at her.He’s reading me.“Do you have any cramps?”
“What?”
“Cramping,” he sighed, exasperated. “In your stomach.”
“Yes...there is some cramping.” They watched each other in stony silence which is what every conversation and every interaction between them always came to quiet brooding, racing thoughts, and distrust. At least that’s how it felt for her. “We had sex.”
“I’m glad you remember.”
“It was only sex.” She stated more for herself than for anything else. “I don’t expect anything from you and I know why you did it.”
He sat back. “You expect your job? So, it was only mechanical for us, makes sense.” He canted his head. “We are two adults alone out in space but I think you forget Katalina, I let you back on this ship, and regardless of what happens between us, I’m still your boss and your captain. I know you’re lying and I can live with that. I also know everything that happens on this ship. Everything. To what you eat for each meal, how much you eat, where you spend your time, when you step off my ship without permission, and when you send questions out to the EPED that should be directed to me. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a machine and more so than most other Cyborgs out there. My ship is a machine, a machine, Kat,” his voice rose, “and I’m perfectly integrated with it.” Dommik took a deep breath. “This isnothow I planned this conversation to go but I’m curious, why did I have sex with you?”
