Zen (6 page)

“Do you have plans for tonight, Zen?” Roxy asked, moving closer to him.

Zen gave her a wink. “Are you trying to ask me out?”

“Depends…are you saying yes?” She winked back.

Zen laughed. Roxy was a felon halfsie like him. She had the natural sexual charm that all felons demonstrated. He was just thinking about getting a date for himself and here one practically drops in his lap. She was funny, sexy, and easy to be around. Just what the healer ordered. However, it went against his number one rule of not dating the people he worked with.

“Maybe another time,” Zen told her, noting that she had a disappointed look. He would find a private moment to have a talk with her and explain things. He and Torch got off on the same floor. Most of the females had been moved to the floor above them.

Torch didn’t say anything to him but headed in the opposite direction to his own suite. Zen shrugged and went toward his own. He wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize there was an object at the door until his foot hit it.

“What the…” He bent down and picked up the box automatically. The box wasn't addressed and it gave off a suspicious vibe. Then he realized that it could be a bomb or something. He gently sat it back down and took a few steps away. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed security’s number.

“GCFA security,” a male answered. He sounded familiar.

“Guy?” Zen asked.

“Yeah, this is Guy.”

“This is Zen. I have a situation.”

Sixty minutes later, Zen was watching with the crowd that began slowly growing in the hallway outside of his suite. Security had arrived but they were not equipped to handle explosives. They had to send out for the Galactic Bomb Squad to come in.

Clear explosive barriers were put up between the suspicious package and the crowd. A small robot proceeded toward the package. It lowered its small metal arm and scanned the item. Then its metallic voice rang out, “No explosive contents contained. Package cleared.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The bomb squad packed up their equipment and gave Zen a hard glare. Guess they didn’t like false alarms.

“Everyone go on back to your rooms!” Rachel, head of GCFA security, called out. She and her second-in-command, Trig, walked over to the package and picked it up. She gave Zen a smile. “That was fun.”

Zen laughed releasing his tension. “Sorry about all this.” He unlocked the door and let Trig and Rachel inside his suite.

“Well, you did the right thing. A suspicious package shows up unannounced, you should take precautions,” Trig reassured him. “I want to know how someone could leave a package without it being seen on a floor that is mostly for the GCFA fighters.”

“That’s what I want to know. But first, let’s see what’s inside the box.” She sat the box on the table and pushed it toward Zen.

“You want me to open it?” Zen looked at the box like it was going to bite him.

“It was left for you.” Rachel rolled her eyes at him. “Is the big kitty cat all scared?”

Trig snorted. Zen glared at both of them. “I am Felon, not a damn kitty cat!”

“I don’t know…you’re doing a great impression of a pussy right now,” Trig told him with a smirk.

“Fuck you!” Zen yelled back.

“Enough! Fine, I’ll open the damn box.” Rachel reached for it but Zen grabbed it from her at the last minute.

“No, Rage would kill me if you opened it and there was something harmful inside.” He ripped the paper off easily and used his bare hands to pull open and rip the tape. He took a deep breath and opened the lid to the box.

“It a video disc and a note.” He pulled the contents out. He gave the disc to Trig to put inside his disc player as he read the note out loud.

“
My dearest, Zen,

I have been watching you for a while now. I am not pleased with your most recent activities. I will let this one last indiscretion slide. I love you dearly and know we are meant to be. Our love transcends all time and space. Once we are finally together, you will know that as well. Do not break my trust or there will be repercussions.

Your Lover”

“Who the hell is this fruitcake?” Zen demanded, handing the note over to Rachel.

“I don’t know but she has great taste in porn,” Trig called out from the sofa.

Rachel and Zen walked closer so they could see what was playing on the TV. Zen had to grab on to the back of the sofa to help hold himself up.

“Wow, you have skills,” Rachel said with awe.

The video was of a bedroom. Zen was naked laying on a bed. He wasn’t alone. There were two well-endowed women with him. They were also completely naked.

Zen ran a hand through his hair as he watched video. One female straddled his face and he was using his tongue to bring her pleasure. The other female straddled his waist and she was riding him hard. His cock plunging in and out of her dripping pussy at the same rhythm that his tongue was plunging in and out of the other female. The three of them were moaning in pleasure.

For a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity to Zen, he watched the video with Rachel and Trig. When it ended and the screen when black, there was an awkward moment when no one said anything. Rachel finally cleared her throat.

“I’ll take the letter to be scanned for prints. Then I need to…get home to Rage.” She turned to go and stopped her face completely red. She almost forgot to ask. “Where and when did…that happen?”

“The last region we were at. After the final event. I had gone to a nearby hotel with those two females.”

Trig stood adjusting himself. “We need their names and contact information. One of them maybe behind this.”

“I'm not sure I remember their names,” Zen admitted, still staring at the blackened screen. He was floored someone would tape him like that. Not since he was at the breeding facility did this happen. He felt violated.

“Call or text us when you remember something,” Rachel told him.

“Wait, don’t you want to take the video?” he asked.

“No!” Both Rachel and Trig answered vehemently. Rachel added, “You might remember their names if you watch them or you may have called out their names. I think you should keep that. Watch it until you are sure there is nothing else you can find. Then destroy it. If it goes into evidence, someone could find out it exists and…”

She didn’t have to say anything else. Zen knew what would happen. It would be plastered all over the galaxy in every region. “Thanks.” Rachel nodded and left with Trig trailing behind.

That wasn’t exactly how he planned to spend his evening. He didn’t want to do this. But he hit the play button and settled on the sofa. He had to try to figure out those females’ names. So much for finding a dinner date for tonight.

Shawna dressed in a pretty floral dress with cap sleeves. She put her long hair in a French braid and applied darker lipstick. She kept her glasses on even though she only needed them for reading. She wanted to keep it a professional dinner. Though, the thought that Nigel would make a wonderful boyfriend did cross her mind once or twice.

He was attractive with dark brown hair slightly shading with grey. He had laugh lines around the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t as tall as some of the other halfsie fighters but he did have a muscular build. He might have been a fighter years ago. When he showed up to pick her up for dinner, she smiled at his casual dinner wear. It was a dark sweater and dress pants. He wasn’t the jeans type of guy.

“You look lovely, Miss Baker.” He bent to kiss her hand.

“You look very handsome too. Call me Shawna.”

“Shall we go?” Nigel asked.

Shawna nodded and took the arm that he offered her. How many men nowadays still offered their arm to escort a woman? No one that she had ever met. Nigel was a rare breed of man. Polished, sophisticated, with charm and manners. It was a shame some woman hadn’t snatched him up yet.

“What do you think of our ship so far?” Nigel asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“It is beautiful and enormous. I think it will take a good two weeks to see everything.”

He laughed. “Not that long. However, to appreciate it all, it will take a few days for sure. Please let me know if there is anything you require that isn’t available to you.”

Shawna gave him a grateful look. “Thank you so much. Everyone has been very helpful.” The elevator doors opened and Nigel escorted her out and down the hallway to the restaurant.

The maître d' recognized Nigel immediately. “Right this way, sir.” It was good to be an assistant director, no wait time.

Wow, handsome, smart, rich, and powerful. What a combination. She gave him another look up and down. When she realized he caught her checking him out, she blushed with embarrassment.

“You must think I am rude,” she told him.

He chuckled. “Not at all. I don’t usually get looked at the way you looked at me just now. It is quite flattering. What is your assessment of me so far?”

Okay, she was caught so she might as fess up. “I don’t understand how someone like you could be single. Wait, you are single right?”

“I am definitely single.” He smiled at her. “But maybe that status will change soon.”

She took a sip of her wine the waitress poured and decided not to address his last statement. “Do you always travel with the GCFA ship while on circuit?”

“I do. Since I
am
single, I have the freedom to do the day to day business while traveling. I enjoy it but there are times that I long for…”

“For what?” She tilted her head to the side studying him again.

“A home.”

“Like a specific house or planet to call home?”

“Maybe that or just a person that is home to me.”

She frowned. “You are lonely?” She was shocked when he nodded silently. “You are handsome and successful. You could have any woman that you wanted.”

He shook his head with a smile. “Thank you, but that isn’t true. The female would have to want me in return.”

It sounded as if he had found a woman he wanted already but was turned down. Who would refuse someone like Nigel? She wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate to dig into his personal life. She needed to steer this dinner back to business.

“You mentioned an itinerary for Zen,” she prompted.

“Yes, I am finalizing it and will have it sent to you by tomorrow morning. Your first interview is early?”

“It is right after breakfast. We wanted to do the first in a comfortable place for him and get shots of him at his bachelor pad.”

“Well you won’t be disappointed. The camera loves Zen. Never one bad picture with him and he is an excellent spokesman for commercials.”

“I have to be honest with you, I haven’t seen any of his commercials beforehand.” She noticed the shocked look on Nigel’s face.

“Make sure you tell him that. It might keep him humble,” Nigel said with a smirk.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly. Shawna made sure to keep the topics light. Nigel walked her back to her suite and said goodnight at the door. She knew he wanted to kiss her on the lips but he settled for her hand again. She waved goodbye and entered her suite.