Kira stretched, realizing that at some point Graydon had pulled the bed’s thin sheet over the two of them.
A glance at the digital clock on the nightstand had her springing upright.
“Why is it so late?”
Kira scrambled out from under the covers in search of the clothes she’d discarded earlier.
She was late.Very, very late.
“Where are you going?”Graydon asked, not moving.
Kira was brought up short by the sight of the empty floor.“Where are my clothes?”
She’d left them right here.
“Oh.Those.”Graydon rolled onto his back and folded his arms behind his head, showing off the well-defined lines of his chest.“They were an offense against all that is right.I had them discarded.”
“You did what?”
Graydon waved his hand at the dresser where a pile of clothes that Kira hadn’t noticed were neatly folded.“Don’t worry.I made sure to replace them with something better.”
Kira grabbed a garment off the top.“That’s not the point, Graydon.The whole reason for those clothes was so I would blend in.”
Tuann material was nicer and more luxurious looking than the synthetic fabrics worn by most on station.They were practically a signpost proclaiming her a target for all comers.
“I hate to say it,coli, but you’re not a woman who blends in.Even when that’s your intention.If that’s the case, you might as well stand out.”
Kira made a vexed sound in the back of her throat.
Pressed for time, she threw the clothes on as Graydon regarded her with bemusement.“You act like you’re planning to go somewhere.”
Dressed, this time in an all-black outfit that made her feel like an assassin, Kira sat down to shove her feet into her boots.
“Not me,” she said enigmatically.
Graydon sat up.“You can’t mean me.”
A knock came from behind the large wall display responsible for the room’s ambiance.It slowly shifted between a rotating set of images.Most of majestic planetside vistas.A few of galaxies and one of a supernova.
“Are you expecting someone?”Graydon asked.
Kira headed toward the wall and the secret entrance located there.“You might want to get dressed.”
Graydon’s synth armor sprouted from under his skin like a dragon’s scales, fully covering him within moments.Kira touched the wall lamp next to the display, unlocking the entrance.A second later someone pushed through from the other side.
The scantily clad woman from the bar stepped inside, wearing clothes that looked a lot more comfortable than what she’d had on earlier.Cargo pants paired with a long-sleeved shirt that loosely draped over her torso.
Seeing Graydon, she stopped short.
Her companion nearly bumped into her back as she sent a startled glance toward Kira, silently asking what was going on.
Kira shrugged.Graydon hadn’t factored into her plans when she’d arranged this meet, but she couldn’t bring herself to be entirely unhappy about his presence either.He already knew most of her secrets.It might be good for him to have faces to put to some of those secrets.
At Kira’s unconcern, the woman relaxed.“Are we interrupting something?”
Graydon’s emphatic “yes” overrode Kira’s automatic “no”.
The woman chuckled at Kira’s irritated expression, making a show of looking Graydon over as Cat Three’s bartender entered to slouch against one of the room’s end tables.
