Free Virgin by Cheryl Brooks Page A

sexuality—or lack thereof. He’d probably be too embarrassed to look her in the eye again.
    She wondered how true Waroun’s comments were. Ava couldn’t imagine a man of Dax’s age and physical attractiveness being as sexually naïve as Waroun suggested; somehow it didn’t fit with the bad-boy image he seemed to be cultivating—though looking tough might have been an advantage, considering some of the shadier worlds he seemed to frequent, and his brusque manner might have been adopted to keep the unscrupulous from taking advantage of him.
    Like she undoubtedly was. Twenty-five credits was a joke for passage to Rutara on a ship like the Valorcry. Hell, most ship owners would charge you that much for a tour of their vessel. She really needed to talk to him about that.
    Kots hovered in to refill her water glass—again with Aquerei water—before she even registered the fact that she was getting thirsty.
    “Maybe you should give me plain water from now on,” she said to the droid. Aside from the fact that it didn’t have the same effect on her, it was certain to be less expensive. “And you can give me back my own clothes. These are very nice, but—”
    Kots cut her off with a loud buzz.
    “That means no,” Dax said as he entered the room. “You wanted to talk to me?”
    Ava frowned. “Yes, I did, but how you could possibly know that is—”
    “I got a message from Kots.”
    “He sends you messages?”
    Dax nodded. “Through the ship’s computer. Kots has a direct link.”
    “Yes, but I didn’t tell him—or the computer—that I wanted to talk to you.”
    “Kots knows a lot of things he shouldn’t know,” Dax said. “Like what you want for breakfast. He’s attuned to things the passengers want and does his best to provide them. Sometimes his methods are questionable, but usually quite interesting.”
    “So I’ve noticed,” she said with a smile.
    Dax didn’t smile back. “You can tell him what you want to eat, but the dress code isn’t negotiable. He considers this to be my uniform, or I’m sure he’d try to make me wear something else.” He fixed a sharp gaze on her that wasn’t the least bit shy and was quite intimidating, coming from someone of his stature. “Now, what was it you wanted?”
    So much for being embarrassed. The breakfast table conversation might never have taken place—either that, or he was in no mood for personal questions and was making it clear by his tone.
    “I, um, think maybe I’m not paying you enough,” Ava began. Braving his scowl, she added, “Passage on a ship like this should cost a whole lot more than I’ve got. I can’t help but think there’s a catch—”
    “This is the third time you’ve asked me that.” His frown made his already slanted eyebrows appear almost vertical. “I’ve told you before there is no catch. I charge based on a passenger’s ability to pay. For you, twenty-five credits is the price.” His eyes narrowed. “I thought we were clear on that.”
    This wasn’t going the way Ava expected. Wanting to pay him more shouldn’t make him angry, but she half expected him to start snarling at her. “I know, but that was before I’d seen the ship and knew about all of the… amenities. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
    “Well, you’re not,” he snapped. “Is there anything else?”
    “N-no,” she replied. “Sorry I bothered you.”
    “It’s not your fault. Kots should learn to mind his own business.” With that parting shot, he turned on his heel and left.
    “Remind me not to ask him any more questions,” Ava said under her breath.
    Unfortunately, Kots heard her and beeped once.
    “Stay out of it, Kots. Just stay the hell out of it.”
    The droid replied with a low mumble and floated out of the dining room. Ava headed off to the movie theater, having a sudden urge to watch a good murder mystery—preferably one in which the victim was a man.
    ***
     
    So much for trying to entice her. Dax had been