Free Eros Ascending: Book 1 of Tales of the Velvet Comet by Mike Resnick Page B

following your instructions.”
    “ My instructions?” she repeated.
    He nodded, amused. “You're the one who said I should just activate the intercom and put in my request for a companion, aren't you?”
    “Yes, but —”
    “I don't think this particular companion has been reserved for the night—or could I be mistaken?” he asked with a smile.
    “This particular companion isn't in the companion business any longer.”
    “Nonsense,” said Redwine. “You're in charge of the damned business. Besides, didn't you tell me that you still ... ah ... met with an occasional customer?”
    "Patron," she corrected him. “And you aren't a patron; you're an employee. Now stop playing games and request a suitable companion.”
    “You're the one I want,” said Redwine, pleasantly but stubbornly.
    “You're serious, aren't you?”
    “Absolutely.”
    She smiled a bit awkwardly. “I'm flattered, Harry, truly I am. Especially since you've already seen Suma and some of the others. But it's out of the question.”
    “Look,” said Redwine, suddenly serious. “You don't have to sleep with me if you don't want to. Just stop by and visit for a while. You're damned near the only woman on the Comet who won't make me feel like a child molester.”
    “I'll assume that's a compliment,” she said dryly.
    “It is.” He paused. “I like you.”
    “I like you too, Harry, but if you can't come up with a reasonable alternative, I just may send the Demolition Team down to your suite.” She smiled. “They'll tire you out so much you won't be able to work for a week.”
    “Just half an hour,” he urged her. “I promise I'll sit on the opposite side of the room the whole time.”
    “This is ridiculous. You've got the whole ship to choose from, and I've got work to do.”
    “I don't want the whole ship,” he persisted. “And when you come, bring your book.”
    “Book? What book?”
    “The poems from Canphor VI.
    “You're really interested in reading it?” asked the Leather Madonna, her expression softening just a bit.
    “You recommended it, didn't you?”
    “If my recommendation is all it takes to pique your curiosity, why won't you let me recommend a girl for you?”
    “Because I'd prefer a woman,” replied Redwine.
    She laughed. “You've got a pretty good line for a guy who's supposed to be out of practice.”
    “It's not a line. I mean it.”
    “I know. That's what makes it so unusual in a place like this.”
    “Will you come?”
    “I'll come. Give me a few minutes to take care of some loose ends here and hunt up the book.”
    True to her word, the Leather Madonna entered Redwine's room some twenty minutes later.
    “Here you are,” she said, handing him a book. “As promised.”
    “Thanks,” he said, setting it down on a table. “Can I get you something to drink?”
    “Yes, but maybe you'd better let me make it,” she answered, walking to his wet bar. “What'll you have, Harry?”
    “Whatever you're having,” he replied.
    “You might not like it.”
    “If you can come to my room, I can try one of your drinks.” He smiled. “We'll both live dangerously.”
    She pulled out a pair of long-stemmed glasses, and went to work.
    “You look very lovely tonight,” said Redwine.
    “Harry, I'm a madam. You don't have to try to flatter me.”
    “It's true.”
    “This is the same outfit I was wearing this morning,” she pointed out.
    “You looked lovely then, too.”
    “I thought we were just going to talk,” she remarked with a smile.
    “That's what I'm doing.”
    “Harry, I wish you wouldn't sound so damned sincere. I'm not used to it.”
    “Or with people wanting to talk to you?”
    “Or with people wanting to talk with me.”
    “What a waste.”
    “I've always thought so, too,” she agreed.
    She finished making the drinks and handed one to Redwine. He stared at it, sniffed it, then took a sip.
    “What is it?” he asked at last.
    “It's called a Blue Polaris, and I'll thank you to stop looking