Free No Words Alone by Autumn Dawn

they gave her the world’s quickest pedicure. Xera wasn’t sure
what they’d been told about her, but the women exuded sympathy.
Maybe they thought she’d had a rough life.
    Whatever the case, Namae was full of helpful
tips about how to handle the governor. “Allow him to speak first,
of course. He appreciates feminine grace and beauty like any man,
so that will help you. You are handsome in an exotic way. Lord
Ryven also said you were to look to him if you were unsure. He
intends to guide you.” A current of excitement went through the
ladies as she said that.
    Xera wondered what was afoot. She decided to
play the sympathy card. “I know little about your culture, and I
admit to being nervous about Lord Ryven. He won’t...hurt me, will
he?”
    Namae looked horrified. “Of course not! Lord
Ryven is known as a champion of women. He is adored! You will be
safe with him.” She blushed. “Well, as safe as you wish to be.”
    “He’s a womanizer, then?” Xera made sure to
sound tentative, unsure. She didn’t want to offend these
ladies.
    “It is more often the women that pursue him,”
Namae offered. “He is very handsome, and rich, of course. He is
known for his bravery in war. Not only is he a lord, but a
commander of a starship as well. Who wouldn’t want him?”
    Xera added “spoiled” to the list of things
she knew about Ryven. Clever, ruthless, a killer, a womanizer. The
adjectives concerned her.
    “We have clothes waiting for you,” Namae said
as she completed applying Xera’s makeup. “The ship’s medics sent
your measurements here after they completed their scans. I have
never chosen colors for such fair skin and unusual eyes, but it was
an enjoyable exercise. Everything should be the right size and the
colors flattering, but we will know better when you try things on.
Let’s attempt this one first.”
    She moved to a rolling clothes rack filled
with garments in dark pumpkin, russet, emerald, white with sky
blue, indigo and pink. Xera seriously doubted she’d look good in
anything on that rack. She hadn’t worn pink since she an infant,
surely, and had unilaterally rejected it since adulthood.
    Namae held several garments up to Xera’s face
and murmured to herself. She finally chose a sapphire blue tunic
with slit sides and sleeves. It had a silky sky blue pajamas-type
garment that went underneath and gently swirled around Xera’s legs
and torso. After months of wearing a serviceable uniform, the
clothes felt indecently silky and light. There was a wide gold sash
for the waist and a wide collar made of brilliant blue, gold, green
and red beads, bracelets and rings. Even Xera’s slippers glittered
with beads.
    “Where did all this jewelry come from?” she
asked, bewildered. “This seems extravagant.”
    “We want the lord governor to see you as we
wish you to be,” Namae said as she fixed a headdress with long
trailing beads in Xera’s hair. “Never underestimate the power of
dazzling beauty.”
    Xera was allowed her first look in the
full-length mirror. She gasped, hardly recognizing the image. She
looked exotic, frighteningly feminine with her waist cinched with
the sash and her irritatingly large breasts tamed by the wrapped
top. Why hadn’t she tried harder to find clothes that made her look
this good before? Maybe she’d told herself that she was too busy,
or maybe she didn’t have Namae’s talent. “You’re good,” she said
frankly.
    Namae smiled. “Our hour is up. There will be
an escort to Lord Ryven now.”
    Xera wasn’t surprised to see Brirax outside
the door, but she didn’t recognize the other three men. Brirax
didn’t say anything, but his eyes made a quick scan of her as he
bowed slightly. “Come this way, Lieutenant Harrisdaughter.”
    She didn’t feel like a lieutenant as she
moved along in her slippers, trying to relax. The silky
underclothes were terribly distracting on her bare skin. She prayed
that didn’t show.
    The golden door opened. Xera walked