Page 11 of A Delicate Conquest

“Thank you for your patience, Miss Maina. We’ve arrived.”

The restraints slid away from her body. Before she could help it, Bea let out a soft sigh of relief.

“You may exit via the main ramp. A transport will arrive shortly to take you to the event location.”

“Thank you.” Bea rose to her feet, smoothing her dress around her hips, her skirt draping elegantly, falling to her ankles. She wore a strapless deep blue silk gown with a cinched, ruched waist and a skirt with a thigh-high slit, the cut of the dress accentuating her hourglass figure.

Her hair was done up in platinum micro braids—a nod to the Kordolians themselves—her natural dark brown interwoven with lustrous extensions. She’d had it fashioned into an updo, leaving her neck and shoulders bare and unadorned.

The only jewelry she wore was a pair of brilliantly colored deep violet tanzanite drop earrings, the gemstones teardrop-shaped and surrounded by tiny diamonds.

They were precious to her—they’d belonged to her grandmother.

Bea’s eyes widened as the wall of the ship unraveled before her very eyes, millions of dark fibers splitting apart to reveal an oval-shaped doorway.

Huh.Will you look at that?

She followed the nameless crew member as he led her through the door and down a gently sloping ramp.

Bea looked up in amazement. They were inside a vast space—an intergalactic aircraft hangar of sorts—filled with ships of varying sizes. There were big, menacing-looking ones with sleek lines. There were smaller ones that looked relatively benign—like the ship she’d just arrived on. There were at least a dozen Kordolian workers on the floor, assigned to various tasks.

“Welcome to the Fleet Station,” her guide said dryly, not even bothering to look over his shoulder.

That was fine with Bea.

She was totally overawed with the place.

She took a few steps and then…

Crack.

“Ow,” she gasped as her ankle rolled, and she promptly fell off the side of the ramp, landing on her ass on the hard floor.

Pain shot through her ankle.

She winced and gasped in dismay.

So much for her grand entrance.

So much for looking like a billion bucks.

Bea glanced at her foot. Her much-loved silver high heels had let her down.

The stupid heel had broken.

Now,of all times?

Just her bloody luck.

The crewman rushed to her side and put one arm under hers, helping her to her feet. Bea blinked tears from her eyes as the sharp pain in her ankle intensified.

She held up the offending heel. “I don’t suppose you have superglue and an ice pack, do you?”

The Kordolian gave her a blank look. “No. But we can heal that and synthesize a replacement for your damaged footwear. It won’t take long. Wait here with me while I summon a transporter.”

He allowed her to lean on him as he spoke into his comm in his lyrical mother tongue.

What a beautiful-sounding language it was.

---