Page 39 of All for the Beast

But being with Vharlk and now Melyn, she understood what it was to not just be known but to be liked for the position she was in. It did not matter that these people had never been on any of her cruises, that they did not know what high school she went to, and that she did not pay their salary. They still stepped aside.

“What’ll it be, cher?”

Katy looked at the holographic menu floating on the counter. “Um…” The drinks were things along the line of ember eggs, zugrudine milk, and humluck juice. “I’ll have a double-shot espresso with whipped cream.”

“Unfortunately, they don’t have that here. The beans aren’t native to the planet.”

Katy pulled a face that hopefully expressed her misery.

Melyn laughed good naturedly. “I gotcha. Don’t worry.” She pressed the screen for their order. “Two drops of grungie with a dollop of strix for you and a pumpa milk for me.”

Katy shook her head. This place got weirder and weirder the longer she stayed here. She thought she would be used to it by now.

“Oh, come on now, cher.” Melyn tapped what was the equivalent of a credit card against the screen and pulled Katy aside.

“No, I know. This place is amazing. I mean, the beaches!” Katy let Melyn lead her to a spare booth situated next to a window that overlooked the water. “It's just this job. It’s a lot more than I signed up for.”

“You mean the prince?”

Katy nodded. A waiter came over with their drinks, which smelled delicious and looked pretty much the same as an Earth drink. Katy dipped her finger in the strix and tasted it … yep, whipped cream. “Among other things. I feel like this job isn’t reallymeanymore if that makes sense.”

Melyn pulled her glasses off and chewed on the end of them. “After all my years of working in tourism and casinos … I plan space cruises, by the way, that’s how I heard of you … the most important piece of advice I have for you is this: it’s never too late to do something new.”

Katy dwelled on that for a moment. She took a sip of the grungie, which tasted as delicious as it smelled, rich and flavorful, like an espresso dialed up. It kicked her brain into gear in an instant.

Thinking of the way Vharlk left things with her, she said, “Okay. How about this, you be my new assistant cruise director. That’ll give me the help I need and the space to figure out if this is really for me.”

Melyn looked at her for a long moment. Katy was just about to start regretting being so desperate when Melyn held out her hand. “You got it, boss.”

“Oh my goodness.” Katy shook Melyn’s hand. It was firm and warm, the kind of handshake she would expect from a trusted employee. “Let’s tell Vharlk. Like, right now. He’s a great guy. You’ll love him.” She didn’t consciously think about the wordlovein relation to what she was feeling … more like it bubbled under the surface for too long not to.

They finished their drinks in one gulp and hurried out of the coffee shop … or whatever it was. Grungie shop? Who knows?

When they arrived at Vharlk’s home, he was coming out as they went in. Katy was in such a rush that she almost ran into him, coming face to face with the wall of muscle that was his chest. It wasn’t a bad sight, and Katy had to refrain from touching him. That would be too dangerous, considering what they did last night.

Vharlk’s hands came up to steady her as she took a step back. They were warm, too warm. Strong, too, but they held her gently before she toppled over in her heels. The smell of his cologne made Katy lightheaded, and her reserve faltered when she gazed up at him.

“Hi,” she said, barely more than a breath.

“Hi,” he said back.

As soon as she heard the word, she remembered why she was angry. There was nothing real between them. She knew it. She did, right? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. They had nothing in common except a shared goal, and once that was done, she was outta there.

“Meet my new assistant,” she said, waving a hand to encompass everything that Melyn was. “Melyn Nolterjee. She’ll be taking over my role when I’m done.”

Vharlk’s eyebrows furrowed, and he crossed his arms. “What are you talking about? New assistant?”

“Precisely.”

“Why didn’t you consult me about this?” His voice grew deeper, angrier. He was attractive even when he was angry. His lips pouted, juicy and full. The need to kiss them overwhelmed her.

Katy took a step back from him as her anger returned full force. “Actually, I don’t have to. Remember the rules? I have full control over this thing, up to and including hiring whoever I want.”

“Why would you do this?” His gaze turned hurt and confused, and Katy almost felt sorry for him. Almost. For a second. Then she remembered the way he had spoken to her the last time they saw each other.

“I told you, I’m not staying on this planet. I’m probably not even staying in this job. I came here for a break, and then everything got so complicated.” She became caught up in what she was feeling before she pushed it aside. He was so warm and close. It would take nothing to fall into his arms. “The cruise must go on. Melyn has done this kind of thing before.”

“I know who she is,” Vharlk says, not being nice about it. “But you can’t just bail on this. You signed a contract.”

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