Power Play - Anne McCaffrey [26]
Gal Three
When Yana entered with Marmion, she gasped at the splendor of their host’s incredible lounge, with its vaulting roof of clear plasglas opening onto the stars and all “outdoors,” as she thought of it. Behind her, she heard Bunny’s reaction, more trenchant disgust than amazement. She smiled to herself, thinking that Bunny would not be easily corrupted by the beauties of her new environment even if she was being more subtly wooed by its gadgetry and mechanicals.
Their hostess, so suavely elegant that Yana was more than relieved to be as well attired, undulated over to them, both hands held out to Marmion. They exchanged pecks to the air over their cheeks, and then Yana was introduced to Pleasaunce Ferrari-Emool.
“You might have heard of Ples’s company, Yana, Nova Bene Drugs . . .”
“Only you, Marmie, could have stolen the march on that one,” cooed Pleasaunce, eyeing Yana, her cold glance taking in every fold of the gown and the single crystal pendant that Marmie had insisted Yana wear. A delicately arched eyebrow twitched, and Yana wondered just how much the bauble was worth. Plenty, to judge by the cold glint in the woman’s eyes. “And how deeevine to welcome you in person, Colonel Maddock-Shongili.”
“How gracious of you to include us in your little party, Lady Ferrari-Emool,” Yana replied, doing the peck-in-the-air bit as if she had never done anything else to greet friends.
She caught Marmion’s delighted but surprised expression out of the corner of her eye. Yana had felt damned foolish practicing both the salute and the names in front of her mirror ever since Marmion had announced that they were attending this party. But it paid off, as any good briefing did.
The hostess had paid attention to her social secretary, too, for she got out Diego’s suddenly doubled name of Etheridge-Metaxos and Bunny’s Rourke without a quaver. She did not, of course, greet Sally or Millard as effusively, but did gracefully wave them in the direction of the vast spread of refreshments.
“Now you must meet the guest of honor,” Pleasaunce said, linking an arm with Marmion and leading the way into the cluster of gorgeously attired men and women. She pushed her way through the crowd so smoothly that few could have taken offense; there were one or two querulous glances at being displaced—until the displacer was recognized.
“Macci, darling, you simply must meet Marmion de Revers Algemeine and her guests, Colonel Yanaba Maddock-Shongili, Buneka Rourke, and Diego Etheridge-Metaxos, all from that incredible new world which, it transpires, is sentient. All by itself.”
Macci, who hadn’t exactly welcomed his hostess’s interruption—he’d been talking to two adoring young women—now let the full force of a Charm 9 smile break across his sculpted features. When the two girls moved slightly away, Yana could see that he wore one of the very fashionable SecondSkins, a shimmering tight-fitting garment that only the very athletically trim could wear to advantage. And he did—though he wore a discreet—if decorative—loincloth where some of the other guests let everything hang out. He had a body almost as magnificent as Sean’s, a centimeter or two taller and broader through the shoulders: not bad, actually, she had to admit.
“I know Marmie,” he said, giving her a paternal kiss on her forehead while his eyes locked on to the other three.
When he took Yana’s hand, she experienced a sort of electric shock in the contact that surprised her, hand-fasted as she was to Sean Shongili and with every intention of staying that way. But the man was unfairly laden with such charisma that Yana reached for the locket under her dress and pressed it hard. Macci—she heard Pleasaunce listing his pedigree—Machiavelli (no less) Sendal-Archer-Klausewitch. And the woman rolled it off her tongue trippingly.
“What did your parents ever have in mind when they saddled you with that mess?” Yana heard herself saying. She knew she was being terribly gauche, but she resented the effect his magnetism had on her.
“Trying to win relative favor,” Macci said. He squeezed her hand