Dark Matters_ Cloak and Dagger (Book 1) - Christie Golden [81]
He looked every inch the nobleman. Gone was the sneer on the handsome face, replaced now by an intense glow that was far more false than the honest contempt he had displayed hitherto. Jekri liked the old Lhiau better. She trusted the sneer more than the set jaw.
"I do not think your kind requires sleep," said the Empress archly, "but I accept your commitment. Re-
member, our ability to help you, Ambassador, hinges on how well you help us first. Thus far, all we have achieved is the loss of twelve cloaked warbirds and hundreds of our noble warriors. We must-we shall-do better next time."
As abruptly as that, the transmission ended. Jekri thought she'd gotten off very easily.
After speaking with her people, the scientists and military personnel assigned to mis operation, Jekri headed for the privacy of Telek R'Mor's room. Lhiau was nowhere on the Talvath, but Jekri wasn't about to let her guard down, not now, when it was so important
So she stepped into the sonic shower, letting her hands caress her body, and deliberately filled her head with thoughts of Verrak: of his keen mind, his unexpected humor, his quick reactions. His hands, his face, his strong, toned, warrior's body. Jekri stepped out of the shower and dressed in the softest, most revealing clothes she had. It was a dress comprised of several layers, worn on those rare state occasions when the chairman of the Tal Shiar needed to be seen as just another Romulan citizen enjoying a meal, or art, or some other such nonsensical time-waster. Jekri donned only a few of the layers. The effect was that the clothing was almost transparent, precisely what she wanted.
Verrak. She imagined his hands touching her, of being locked in the most intimate of embraces. She sat down at the small screen in the bedroom and sent a message to Verrak, who was in his quarters on another vessel.
"Subcommander Verrak. Chairman Kaleh," he
said, surprise creeping into his voice. He couldn't see all of her, but she had let the first draping slip off one creamy shoulder. Jekri smiled at him, her silver eyes peeking through lowered lashes.
"Verrak," she said, her voice husky. '1 need to see you. In private. Will you transport over to the Talvath?"
She saw him swallow hard. "At once, Chairman."
And indeed, it was but a moment later that he materialized in her room, in full uniform still, looking very ill at ease and peculiarly, absurdly shy.
Jekri rose, went to him, draped her arms about his neck and kissed him deeply. He was tense in her embrace at first, then all at once yielded and took control at the same moment, his arms like iron bands around her body.
Jekri broke the kiss. In the faintest of whispers, she said, "Lhiau knows how to read thoughts. He is not on board, but we don't know what kind of being he truly is. I needed to fill our thoughts with distracting images before we spoke of our true mission."
Verrak's green-flushed face went still. "Of course, Chairman. An excellent ruse."
They both knew that he had thought it no ruse, and for the briefest of moments, Jekri felt sorry for the deception. For an even briefer instant, she wished that this scenario were as simple as a woman seducing a man. Especially this man.
She pulled on his uniform, taking him to the bed. She kissed him again, but his lips were still against hers. "I do not think there is anything wrong inside
the wormhole, Verrak," she said softly. "I begin to believe you. Perhaps this Telek R'Mor is no traitor after all."
"You do me honor, Chairman." Verrak seemed to need to lace every reference to her with her title. He wanted the distance, Jekri realized.
"Lhiau is not showing us his true face," she continued. "We need to begin our own investigation, you and I,