Ava
glanced at the empty seat beside her. Late,
as usual.
Michelle
raced toward her then slammed onto the cushion. “Jeez, why can’t
we have buckled seats in the rooms like other mother travelers?”
She
rolled her eyes, sighing. “Who was the guy this time?”
“Oh,
not one, but two. Remember the twins from Room 317 I told you about?”
Gasping,
she clasped her hands over her mouth. The twins were hot, but two at
the same time? She definitely had different morals than her friend.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“No,
they
are.
I’m meeting with them again on Elatia. Want to join us? I’m
willing to share.”
“No,
thank you.” She blushed, imagining having sex with someone her best
friend had done the deed with, and being in the same room while
Michelle got busy with another guy. She would never do such a thing.
Sex happened behind closed doors.
“C’mon.
We’re going to be on the pleasure planet. Time to have our sexual
fantasies come true.” Michelle squeezed her thigh. “You haven’t
had any fun on this voyage at all. Did you meet someone back home
before we left and not tell me?”
She
shook her head. How she wished. “I’m saving myself.”
Michelle
snorted. “For what?”
“Never
mind.” She sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Whatever.”
Michelle frowned, turning away, leaving her to wallow in her own
guilt.
“By
the way,” her friend continued. “You’re supposed to go to the
communications center after you’ve escorted your passengers off.
You have a message from someone named Madame Evangeline.”
Ava
groaned, her stomach twisting in knots. “I didn’t expect to hear
from her so soon,” she whispered, fingering the hem of her shirt.
Now she’d have the return trip to increase her anxiousness for the
date.
Michelle
twisted back toward her. “What? Who is Madame Evangeline, anyway?”
Ava
glanced around. The rest of the staff seemed to be engrossed in their
own conversations—reciting their plans during the layover on
Elatia—but she still didn’t want anyone to hear. She leaned
closer to her friend. “I applied to a dating service before we
left. Madame Eve is the woman who runs it. I’m saving myself for my
date.”
Michelle’s
eyes widened. “So you’re meeting your special someone on Elatia?
Could it be a passenger from the Star Spirit?”
“No.”
She dreaded the thought. Guests from the mother traveler would still
see her as a second-class being, and she didn’t know of any
employee on board looking for a serious relationship. She jumped at
the crunch of the ship docking, unprepared to meet her date already.
“It won’t happen until we return to Earth. It can’t.”
“Well,
do you mind if I come with you to find out? I have to wait for the
twins to complete their quarantine period, anyway.”
“Sure.”
She could use the support. Clasping her shoulder straps, she took a
deep breath, willing her body to stop shaking.
***
“What
does it say?” Michelle leaned over her shoulder, trying to read the
message on her tablet.
No
one had questioned her in the communications center. The technician
had simply glanced at her identification then transferred the message
to her device. Unable to wait until she arrived in her room, Ava
opened the email from 1Night Stand and began to read the letter while
in the elevator.
Dearest
Ava…
The
elevator slowed. She braced for the change in direction.
…I
trust the first leg of your journey went well. While you traveled
through space, I received an application from a man whom I believe
would be an ideal match for you. Since you already have the required
inoculations and do not need to go through the quarantine period
before entering Elatia, I have arranged for someone to meet you. His
name is Jacobus. While he is not your date, he will prepare you then
escort you to the man you will spend the evening with.
Affectueusement,
Madame
Eve
So
soon? The
woman had found her a match already? A rush of giddiness filled her
before nerves pushed it aside. She wasn’t an impossible match. Then
bile burned the back of her throat. What had Madame Eve meant by
prepare?
She spun to face her friend. “I can’t do this. I thought I could
but I don’t even know this guy.”
She
paced, the walls seeming to close in on her. “I wanted to find
someone to spend the rest of my life with. On Earth. But this is just
going to be another one-night stand. I fucked up. What am I supposed
to do?”
Her
friend shrugged, an amused grin on her face. “You can spend the
next couple of days hiding in your room, wondering who you were set
up with, and whether things might have worked out, or you can get
your ass moving, pack a bag to meet Jacobus and then your date. If in
your position, I’d be already gone.”
The
difference between her and Michelle…she couldn’t spend the night
with someone without feeling some sort of connection. Somehow, her
friend could walk away the next morning, ready to find another guy.
Maybe she’d feel different if she had guys falling at her feet due
to her big bust on her curvy frame. In comparison to her friend, Ava
looked plain, resembling a girl in the early stages of puberty. No
one wanted to spend a lifetime with her. Every guy she’d ever slept
with proved so.
The
elevator opened. She stepped out, heading down the hall toward their
room, still trying to decide how to spend her layover. Contacting
Madame Eve had been a mistake. One-night stands didn’t agree with
her heart. She pressed her thumb to the scanner, waiting for the door
to open. So
much money spent…
She
sauntered inside, but stopped when Michelle darted in front of her.
“Quit
doubting yourself.” Her friend grabbed her arms, staring her down.
“You’re beautiful and deserve to be happy. If you don’t hurry
up, I’ll knock you out then find a luggage cart to carry you down
to Jacobus myself.”
With
a deep breath, she nodded. She could do this. Might
as well get my money’s worth. “Okay,
I’ll do it.”
Michelle
reached in her closet then tossed her a duffle bag. “Good. I’ll
help you pack.”
