Domestic Duet: Domestic Alliance & Asset (12 page)

“Is that all, Captain?” He hadn’t touched her since the shower.

She’d never become accustomed to his size. He leaned in, his mouth touching her ear. “Call Norese and read her a story. She likes to hear your voice.” He paused. “You’ve brought peace to my world. That wasn’t an easy task. Thank you.”

He’d spun hers into a position she wasn’t certain she wanted to unwind out of anytime soon.

“You’re a good father, and a fair captain of a unique race. I’m glad I got to know both you and Norese.”

Some friendships were too important to kill attempting to have a romantic relationship.

“You’ll call her,” he asked again.

“Um. I’d love to call and talk if it helps Norese to sleep. I’ll contact her once everything’s settled down.” She gripped the strap on her shoulder tighter, her hands itching to touch his face, bringing their mouths together.

Aroc moved back enough that she could see his eyes, see the level of sadness behind the stern gaze. Was he going to miss her in his home?

“She’ll like that, Ochi—Detective Alexander…Sadie, friend to the karuntee.”

“When I come back, will you help me set up a home? In case things don’t work out at the Edwards’s and I have to change my address permanently?”

When his face came within inches of hers, her pulse jumped. His mouth brushed the corner of hers as it made contact with her cheek, and he lingered. Moving back to her ear, his warm breath tickled along the tender lobe. “Up here, your home is with me and Norese. That’s a part of our deal.” She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it upon sensing the tips of his teeth on her skin. “There’s things I haven’t shared with you that require time and trust. Do you trust me, Detective?”

Sadie angled her chin enough that their mouths were a breath apart. “So far, Captain,” she replied, voice a shaky metaphor of the way this would completely unhinge her life down on earth.

The mixed signals rolling off him were baffling, adding fuel to her inner fire.

Aroc said, “Friday, 5:05 and you’re learning the mother language.”

She met his gaze. The eyes of an alien that could snap her in two peered at her with respect many humans never received from the captain. “It’s been an experience, Captain. I’ll see you and Norese Friday at 5:05 pm ready to learn.”

“Oh, and another thing, Detective.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Sing more. I like the sound.”

He’d heard her in the tub. “I will.”

As she stepped into the transport bay with other maids on their way to Earth, Sadie gave both captain’s a nod. Six days before she’d see Aroc’s handsome face again and feel Norese’s touch. An ache built in her chest as the doors closed on her alien. She blew out a breath and scrubbed the back of her neck relieving the tension knotting at the base.

The woman at her side leaned over.

“I’m Norma.”

Sadie took her offered hand. “Sadie.”

“I know, everybody does,” she told her, running a hand over her long braids. “I work three blocks from the Edwards. A bunch of us meet once a week at a coffee shop down by the grocery store on third and Devonshire, to compare notes and share information. Drop in when you get a second. The others would get a kick out of meeting the woman that took down Captain Farkus.”

“Thank you. I will.” Sadie angled back to look at her better. She’d glimpsed her before at the pharmacy.

“I thought you looked familiar. You ride Mr. Pete’s bus in the afternoon.” The woman gave a tight smile. “Hey, listen,” Sadie said. “How dangerous is this detective job?”

The woman grinned, conspiratorially placing a hand on Sadie’s elbow as they got into position.

“Honey, you have the attention of Captain Aroc Farkus of the Karuntee clan. Danger’s afraid of you now.”

I’m working for an alien.

*** THE END ***

Domestic Asset © 2015 Cora Blu

“Love is a rhythm, not a color. Ride out the romantic wave.”

Author Cora Blu

Cora Blu Books LLC

Cover background illustrations: Photorack.net

Cover Art: ©Cora Blu Books LLC

Male Cover Model. Former wrestler. Champion body builder:
John Quinlan

Editor: Deadra Krieger

Proofreader: Arianne Cruz

Beta Readers: Precious Ladies

Copyright 2015 Cora Blu

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

1961

The treaty between the karuntians on the dark side of the moon on a space station, and the human government down on Earth, had its flaws, but sometimes you made friends with the enemy if it benefited the environment.

Recycling fuel out in space, to use for ocean transportation, was a tightly held secret. But there are those that are tempted by greed, and they would sacrifice their families to have it all.

Chapter 1

1961, Georgia

A hot, steamy Friday evening.

In the semi-cool kitchen, compliments of the metal window fan whirring beside the open back door, Sadie turned off the broiler. The golden brown biscuits, finally done, needed to come out of the oven. The flat tin she normally made cookies on, clacked on the trivet when she removed them to place on the Formica counter to cool.

The tight, toothpaste-white stockings cut off the circulation around her calves, not to mention her thighs. Twentieth century inconveniences were beginning to wear on her nerves, along with the eighteen-hour bra that gave up the fight six hours ago. Sadie searched a hand beneath the maid uniform’s collar, and adjusted the thick straps digging into her shoulder blades.
Whew!

A muffled voice from the box radio on top of the Frigidaire filtered through the noise of the fan in the room.
What did he just say?
On tiptoe, she reached up past the toaster, dialing up the volume on the radio.

“Do you think they’re covering up something, the government?”

Sadie stiffened.

“All the time, Rick,” the shaky-voiced scientist replied. “It’s inevitable, that soon little green men will be running the senate, then the Oval office. How do you think they’re coming up with all these…space movies? Not on their own. Abductions! Nobody wants to go on camera, but for money they’ll talk to a Hollywood producer.”

Sweat trickled down her spine. After a quick study of the hallway—Mrs. Edwards had a way of sneaking up on her—Sadie bolted out to the front room, worriedly looking from the piano to the front door.

Empty. Her heart resumed its normal, too fast, suspicious rhythm.

In the kitchen, the radio personality chimed in. “Come on Georgia, what do you think? The phone lines are open. Are you a Martian living on planet Earth? 678-555-7623, I’m listening. But first we have a word from our sponsor, Bromo Seltzer.”

Sadie’s rubber-bottomed white uniform shoes squeaked on the linoleum floor when she rushed over and shut off the radio. Unclipping the metal butterfly under her collar, she removed the disguised transmitter and tucked it into her pocket. No one in this house needed to know it was true.

Martians weren’t green, and were far from little.

Karuntee were moon dwellers. Most anyway. Her particular one stood seven feet tall. He wore big black biker boots. His demeanor resembled a Hell’s Angel motorcycle gang member. He personified trouble walking. But when he stared at her with those black eyes shot through with burgundy streaks, and held her tight to his chest in his sleep, he was a giant teddy bear and had no idea she loved him. Sadie rested her hip along the counter as her mind drifted back to when he’d kidnapped her, keeping her captive for a month.

Two hours before the party started and the appetizers needed to be plated. After taking the stepladder from the corner, she steadied it open in front of the counter. Using it, she grabbed the platter from the top shelf. The china thudded on the Formica counter when she set it down.

Safe on the white linoleum floor, she tucked the ladder behind the kitchen door. Donning a pair of oven mitts, she transferred the last batch of her homemade biscuits from the oven to the cooling rack before adding them to the others already cooled under the tea towel.

On the space station, these would’ve come out of the replicator on a tray. Speaking of space station, she needed to check in soon. The captain would be expecting her report on the bankers.

The clank of shoes hitting metal snagged her attention. Her shoes squeaked on the linoleum when she pivoted to see Timothy at the kitchen table swinging his feet against the legs of the chair. She’d almost forgotten about Timothy sitting at the table. She’d miss him once they solved the case. She’d been there from the moment they brought him home from the hospital. Big inquisitive eyes followed her every move around the house. She’d carried him from room to room, cleaning. As he grew, so did his mischief—always filthy by bedtime. Between the snails, frogs, a few lizards, and one snake, Sadie thought he might build a zoo in his room. She knew behind that sweet face sat a rambunctious five-year-old dreaming up his next adventure.

Wrapping a biscuit in a napkin and handing it to the little boy, she stared at her charge. With a smile, she slipped into character, and in her sweetest southern drawl, "Timothy, sweetheart, that’s the last biscuit tonight. You get right upstairs and wash for bed."

"But—"

"Timothy James Edwards, I don't have time for you to try and sweet talk me tonight, young man. This house will be full of hungry guests and your momma is expecting food to be on the table on time… Now get. I’ll be up to check on you soon. You’re a big boy now. You know to wash behind your ears without me standing over you, and brush your teeth.”

"Yes, ma'am." Slow as a snail on crutches, he inched his way up the creaky back stairs, giving her doe eyes over his shoulder.

“Boy, if you don’t get up those stairs….”

The rascal burrowed into her soul as close as any child could. She cared for him with a gentle yet firm hand. Silently, she sent a prayer that she wouldn’t have to turn in the family that had been good to her over the past eight years.

"Sadie dear...how's it coming in here?" Savannah Edwards’ delightful voice sang clear as the ringing of a crystal bell.

Sadie loved Savannah’s elegance and easy style, but that little boy was a handful. "If I can keep that scamp Timothy out of my biscuits, things would move along a lot faster. That boy’s going to be as tall as this house eating the way he does. I think he has a tape worm."

Savannah scrunched her nose. Eyeing the room for her mischievous son, she smoothed a hand over her impeccably groomed hair. "Where is the little minx? He hasn’t tried to sneak another frog in the house, has he?”