Chapter 7
Thirty Minutes Later
“Son of a bitch!”
“Sharon? Are you all right in there?” TanAR called out from the other side of the bedroom door.
“Yeah, sure, except that this can’t be all there is to this thing!”
“What’s wrong with it?”
She jerked open the door and stomped out into the living area. “This is almost too sheer to wear. I’m going to put my other clothes back on.” When TanAR didn’t say anything, she turned to catch him eyeing her body from top to bottom. His eyes focused on her breasts. She cleared her throat to get his attention.
His faced turned a little red at having been caught ogling her. “Sorry for staring. I think you look beautiful.”
Glancing down at the dress, which had one strap over her left shoulder leaving the other shoulder bare, she sighed. It was a typical Katieran style she had seen many times that draped down to her feet, but the problem was the lightness of the material. “You can almost see my nipples!”
“No, that's not true, and I’m looking carefully. It shows shadows but nothing real, the seams are in just the right places to keep it decent.”
She walked over to a wall that had a reflective surface. “Are you sure?” She stared at herself and was able to see how it wasn’t quite as revealing as she had thought, but itwasa dress she would never normally wear. It simply drew too much attention to her body. She was normally comfortable with herself but she didn’t wear things that put her on display like this dress did.
“Did it come with shoes?”
“It did but the sandals it came with are a little big. The dress is long enough to cover the boots I have on.”
“You’re right, I can’t see the boots.”
A knock at the door had them both turning just as Lieutenant Commander LazAR walked in. “Are you two ready?” He froze at the sight of Sharon. “What are you wearing?”
Sharon turned back to TanAR. “That’s it, I’m changing.”
TanAR grabbed her hand and pulled her gently toward the door. “There’s no time now and you look fine.”
LazAR waited for her to pass before commenting. “She looks like trouble.”
She turned to stick her tongue out at the lieutenant commander and she caught him off guard. He lost his serious expression and laughed. “I swear you are going to be the death of me, female.”
“I will be on my best behavior.”
“It’s not your behavior I’m worried about.”
Sharon’s unease grew as the warriors with them did a double take at her attire, then as they entered into the dining area, the rebel warriors looked like they had forgotten how to breathe. This was a mistake — one big mistake. Knowing it was too late to do anything about it now, she pulled back her shoulders and walked forward, projecting more confidence with each step than she was truly feeling. Maybe wearing this slinky thing would distract the rebels long enough for the Katierans and Kiljorns to get what they needed. Besides, how bad could it get?
*****
What the hell is the female wearing?MarIK was standing to the side, behind OrIN’s seat, when the Katierans walked in. They had formed a line in front and when it parted, Sharon was revealed…in more ways than one.
The lights set up in the room for the banquet shined on the thin material. At first he thought she was completely bare, but as she moved forward, he saw that the seams of the dress stretched and covered all the essentials. In any case, it was definitely a dress meant to be worn in low lighting. Glancing at the satisfied expression on OrIN’s face, MarIK realized the shocking effect had clearly been his intent in giving this dress to the female. He wanted to make her feel exposed and vulnerable. With all the male attention she was drawing, it was definitely a problem.
They approached the raised couch that OrIN sat upon like a throne. OrIN didn’t stand up, but he addressed them as they reached his seat and extended a welcome. “Have a seat at the tables.” He turned slightly to directly address Sharon. “You, my dear, come and sit next to me.”
Sharon kept her expression serene as she came up the few steps and sat down in the seat next to OrIN. MarIK couldn’t help but admire her courage and strength. He suspected she had some kind of warrior training. The way she looked around the room noting where every warrior was placed, where the exits were — that was a sign of an experienced warrior. His interest in her grew.
“Sit down, MarIK; you’re making the female nervous. What is your name?”
“I’m Sharon Task.”
“MarIK, sit on the other side of Miss Task.”
