He nuzzled her ear. "Why do you fight it then?"

"I'm not. I'm just..."

Suddenly, he began to fade. She tried to squeeze him, prevent him from going anywhere.

"Kamran!"

"Ms. Bond?"

Haylie jumped awake at the noise. She looked around to find Taber standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. She was still in her office. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Are you well?"

Depends on your definition of well. She sat back in her chair trying to get control of her body. Her emotions. It had been so real, every touch.

"I'm sorry, Taber. I'm sorry, I must have drifted off to sleep. Guess I'm not awake yet."

"I can see that," the giant bowed his head slightly.

As much as she liked Taber, she needed to be alone. She wanted some time to figure out what the h.e.l.l was going on. "Is there something I can help you with? I'm afraid I haven't set foot outside my office at all today."

75.

"I've come with a message from the amba.s.sador. He wanted to know if you have had any luck with your research."

Haylie felt the muscles in her back relax slightly as she shook off the erotic aftereffects of her dream. "He couldn't get in touch with me on the viewer?"

"Until this matter is resolved, he doesn't want to trust the view screens. They could be tampered with."

"Point taken." She stood on shaky legs. Her skin was sensitive, her c.l.i.t hard and wet. "I'll present him with a report in person in the morning."

"He requested that you update him this evening. He has a meeting with the elders in the morning and needs all available information." Taber frowned. "I'm sorry."

Haylie closed her eyes. No, not tonight. At least not until she could do something about her arousal. Two minutes alone. While it might not be overly satisfying it would get her through the conversation with Kamran. Right now she didn't think she could keep her distance.

"He wanted me to escort you."

"Of course he did." Haylie sighed. She had no logical reason to refuse. "Let me get a few files together and I'll be right along."

Taber nodded, laced his fingers together behind his back and waited.

Great. Haylie wanted to scream, she was so frustrated. She didn't want to get within five feet of that man in her present condition. Forcing her body to relax, she took a step and immediately stubbed her toe.

"Are you well, Ms. Bond?" Taber was at her side, lending an arm for support.

"I'm fine. Just forgot to stand up today."

Haylie smiled, winced and collected her things. Absentmindedly, she touched her braid, the hair starting to escape its confines. It took a second, but she managed to untangle the braid and quickly comb her fingers through the ma.s.s of hair. A quick glance at her dulled reflection in the computer monitor told her she didn't look too messed up.

Well, that wasn't entirely true either. She hoped Kamran didn't care.

"Let's not keep the amba.s.sador waiting," she sighed.

It took a full five minutes before she felt she had control over her arousal.

Thankfully, they walked in silence. This whole situation was killing her. One minute she wanted to string Kamran up by his toes and the next she was fantasizing about sucking his c.o.c.k. Either their bond was growing stronger, or she was losing her mind.

She'd get through this meeting, head back to her place and stand under the steam shower for a while. That would help. s.h.i.t, she may even pay for a bath. It had been years since she'd sprung for that luxury. To feel the warm water slide over her body as she washed every inch, ma.s.saged every muscle. Now that would be heaven.

Haylie was lost in her thoughts of a long soak in a steaming tub and almost missed the fact that Taber had turned toward the Briel living quarters.

76.

"Ummm, isn't the amba.s.sador's office that way?" She pointed to the left hallway.

Taber stopped moving and looked at her. "Yes. However, the amba.s.sador is in his quarters."

A wave of arousal coursed through her and Haylie stopped in her tracks.

"His quarters?"

"Yes. Is there a problem, Ms. Bond?"

She could think of a few.

"Isn't it a bit unusual for the amba.s.sador to be receiving reports from the human security chief in his bedroom?"

"Not entirely. The amba.s.sador keeps a private office where he does a large portion of his daily work. He receives many reports from a variety of different people from this station."

She hadn't considered that.

"While his bedchamber is close by, I don't believe there have been any meetings conducted there."

Haylie swore she heard an unspoken yet. She looked Taber over carefully, but he betrayed nothing.

"Ah. Lead on, then," Haylie said.

They walked for a moment in silence before he spoke again.

"How did you know the amba.s.sador's office was down that hallway? Had you been there before?"

The question caught her off guard. No one had ever questioned her unerring sense of direction. "I studied the station schematics before arriving at the colony."

"You must have a good memory." He spoke but didn't look at her, so Haylie couldn't read his expression.

She stopped again. "Do you find that odd?"

Taber nodded and smiled slightly. "Yes. In my experience, humans have difficulty remembering what they ate the meal before. You must have a unique ability to be able to remember detailed schematics of a facility you are completely unfamiliar with."

Haylie blinked. That was the most he'd said to her at any one time. And it sounded suspiciously like an accusation.

"I have a photographic memory."

It was his turn to look confused. "Pardon?"

"Very few humans are able to do this. Somehow my brain is able to remember in great detail the things that I read. I don't know how it works for others, but I see the things like a picture in my head. Images, words, mathematical equations, all stuck there." She tapped her temple.

"A useful skill as a security officer."

77.

"It gives me a headache sometimes."

Taber frowned. "Not many people know of your ability to do this?"

"No. It makes people paranoid. They think I'm going to study everything about them and store it away for a future interrogation," she said.

"But you do. Don't you?"

She shrugged. "Wouldn't you?"

Memories of her last boyfriend surfaced. He wasn't happy when he found out a communication from Earth he'd let her see briefly had been his undoing. She'd spent days deciphering the message in her head. The second she'd cracked the code, Haylie arrested his sorry a.s.s. Smuggling Boost, a hallucinogen manufactured on Luna, to Earth was a very lucrative business. Too bad he was stupid.

Taber gestured for them to move again. "Does the amba.s.sador know?"

"It's not something I bring up in normal conversation. If you think he should know, then I'll make sure to tell him."

"Not necessarily. But he may find it interesting."

Haylie filed that away under the suggestions section of her brain.

They walked the rest of the way to the Briel section in silence. This was the second time she'd made a late-night journey through the station. Everything was cast in shadows from the artificial lights, giving the station a haunted look. There was little life to the place. The people they pa.s.sed looked drained, barely having the energy to nod a h.e.l.lo to them as they pa.s.ssed. Tomorrow she'd make a point of coming out during the daytime. Maybe things would be different then.

Haylie noticed the subtle differences in layout became more p.r.o.nounced as they moved farther within the Briel residential section of the station. The halls weren't as harshly lit as they were on the human side. There were plants of some kind placed along the corridor. The long vines traveled along the walls, giving them an organic feel.

The air seemed fresher even without the background hum of the air reclamation system buzzing in her ear. Even the paint on the walls was a different color. Gone was the black and gray, replaced with a moss green that added to the feeling of life.

The alien residence felt more like home.

"I'm surprised at the differences between the human and Briel living areas."

"Yes. The amba.s.sador insisted on certain...necessities for our people." Taber ushered Haylie down a long corridor that was flanked by two Briel guards. She noticed an increase in security measures as they moved deeper into the Briel section of the station. Taber had taken great pains to hide their security sensors and cameras. No one was getting into this section without him knowing.

"I take it Donaldson was responsible for the decor on the human side."

"Not surprising, is it?"

Haylie smiled. "No, not at all."

78.

"Some say the amba.s.sador is an idealist. That he sees good in those where there's no good to be found. Unlike some, he truly believes if people are given what they need in this life, they can't help but do good."

"And the administrator. What does he believe in?"

"Order. The chain of command. Rules are the only thing holding a chaotic society together. And he must be the one in charge."

No wonder she got the creeps around Donaldson.

"Not that he's always been like that. But he's changed over the past year," Taber said, and Haylie was sure she detected a note a regret in his voice.

"I got the impression that Donaldson and the amba.s.sador had been friends at one time."

Taber nodded as he slowed his steady march and came to a stop in front of a door.

"The amba.s.sador would never admit it, but he misses the friendship they once shared."

"The amba.s.sador's room?" Haylie asked and ran her tongue over her lips.

"Yes. I'd offer to escort you back to your quarters, but I doubt you'll need my a.s.sistance."

She smiled at him again. "That's not necessary. I'll be fine."

"I thought not. Have a good evening, Chief."