Sextus Read online

  “You’re a quick learner, Lexa,” Thantose tells me as he eyes my stack.

  “On Earth, we call it beginner’s luck,” I tell him as I rake in another pot. I’m oh-so-humble on the outside while doing a happy dance on the inside. Even though these chips are worthless since they all belong to Thantose, there’s something about being in my element that thrills me.

  “Hmmm,” is all he says.

  For the next few hands he pushes me hard, going all-in with his chips four times in a row. I just throw my cards away, waiting to trap him. It’s one thing I do best—well, that and read my opponents as if their hands are face-up on the table instead of face down.

  On his fifth all-in in a row, I call his bet and win. Every chip on the table is now lying in front of me.

  “Ever seen anything like that before?” Sextus asks.

  “No,” Thantose says. He furrows his brow as he sizes me up with a new appreciation.

  “You’re the best player I’ve ever sat at a table with, Thantose,” Sextus says. “This Earther beat the drack out of you the first time she played the game.”

  “You say you’ve never played klempto before, Lexa?”

  “Never heard of it,” I reply innocently.

  “We’re going to play every night until we offload these dracking fish. Sextus, will you punch me if I ever suggest dealing in livestock again? Worst. Decision. Ever.” He laughs. “Lexa, if you continue to play this well for the next couple of days, our next stop will be planet Lusion. It’s a gaming planet known for its high stakes klempto action. I’ll stake you myself. We’ll reassess after we’ve left these dracking fish behind on Algaron.”

  Chapter Three

  Lexa

  It’s been close to a week since my first klempto game. I’ve been playing almost nonstop since that evening. If I’m not playing heads up with Captain Thantose, he’s ordered everyone to sit around the dining table and play as if we’re engaged in a big casino game. Fifteen cards in a suit seem like second nature to me now.

  Thantose tells me he’s used every strategy and every style he knows, holding nothing back to beat me, yet I always walk away with a win.

  I have no idea why he commed me ten minutes ago to meet him in the dining area—I assume it’s to play more klempto. He also asked Sextus to join us—why, is anybody’s guess.

  Thantose is there when I arrive. He, his cousin Devolose, and Seneca, the medic, are from the same planet—Primus. They’re all two colors with white tribal-type markings. The distinctive white markings on their faces make them look fierce. I’m on guard when I’m around them even though they’ve never been unkind.

  Sextus joins us and takes a seat. “What’s this about?” he asks as he grabs a thick hunk of bread from the middle of the table and stuffs it in his mouth.

  “We arrive on Lusion tomorrow. I want to go over logistics to ensure the safety of our Klempto Queen.

  “Lexa, as we discussed, I’m staking you. I get half of any winnings, plus my original investment. Should you lose I’ll have to absorb the loss. In a situation like this, ten percent goes back to the ship for transporting you here. We’ll split that. Fair?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your safety is of utmost concern. Although Lusion tries to keep its gaming clean, beings from all over the galaxy congregate there, and where there’s money there’s con men, grifters, and other lowlifes. For a moment I thought a group of us males might accompany you, but that would attract more attention than would be wise. It will just be you and your bodyguard, Sextus.”

  I don’t know who sits upright faster or protests more vehemently, the male in question or me.

  “I won’t give this a moment of discussion. Lexa, you agreed you wanted to do this. You’ve got an amazing skill. You can make a lot of credits and start a new life on any planet you choose if you win big at these games.

  “A large contingent of us will be cumbersome and might cause suspicion. So it’s just you and one of us. It makes little sense for you to go with anyone but the male onboard most qualified to protect you. Sextus was a Federation soldier for years. Done. End of discussion.”

  I’ve only known Thantose a few weeks. He’s calm, competent and usually amiable. But when it involves business or money, he’s hard as nails. I know he’ll brook no argument. I’ll slip back to my cabin and figure out a skill to deal with this latest shitty turn of fate. I rise to leave.

  “You gonna tell her the other bad news?” Sextus inquires with a pointed look at his boss.

  “What?” I settle back into my chair wondering what new level of hell I’m about to descend into. If the information that I have to go down there with Sextus is just the appetizer, what the fuck is the main course?

  “Right.” Thantose clears his throat. “Yes, you’d better have a seat. Computer, show vids of street scenes on Lusion.”

  Four screens, one on each wall, jump to life showing bustling activity in a crowded city. “Pan in,” Thantose commands, and now the visual is having what I assume is its desired effect. My stomach clenches and the blood drains from my face as I watch in growing horror as I see that every single female on the planet is wearing what appears to be the prostitute version of a burka.

  The women’s faces are covered by long extensions of hoods that flow over the top of their heads all the way to their necks. Their breasts, however, are luridly, thoroughly exposed.

  My breath leaks out of my mouth like a tire going flat. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Dress code,” Thantose announces, not even bothering to look sheepish. “I’ve noticed you Earth females don’t like to expose yourselves, but this is non-negotiable. They won’t let you off our ship if you’re not wearing a haftique. You’ll be punished if you don’t wear one in public.”

  My muscles tighten as I wait for the next piece of bad news.

  “They’ll tear off what you’re wearing and whip you in public wherever you’re standing. The procedure can be performed by any and all Lusion-born males over the age of ten who observe you not wearing the proper habit.”

  Breathe, Lex, I command myself. In and out. Using my Observe Just Notice Skill, I try to keep from spontaneously combusting. I notice my teeth clenching so hard I worry my jaw might lock. I notice that I keep swallowing non-existent spit. I notice hot embarrassment flare on my face as I just look at all those women on all those streets with all those breasts jiggling in the Lusion sunlight. Big breasts, small breasts, droopy breasts, perky breasts, wrinkled breasts, reptilian breasts, blue breasts, and bright orange breasts. A veritable cornucopia of breasts.

  “Fuck,” I say. Then, “Perhaps you should have warned me.”

  “Ta-da!” Thantose raises both hands, “That’s what this is.” He indicates the screens.

  Okay. Breathing. Noticing. Radically Accepting. This is me, Zen Lexa. Lexa who was willing to sleep with the blue devil himself to secure a future for herself. The sands of my life may be shifting, but I swear by all that’s holy I’ll come out of this on top.

  “Well, my goal was always to travel,” I say through clenched teeth. “I wanted to explore other cultures. How fortunate.” I take one long breath. “It’s like a dream come true. Anything else I should know?” I ask sweetly. If there is a God in heaven, please tell me there’s nothing else hurtling toward me.

  They’re both looking at me funny, expectantly. Evidently, there’s more great news—and they’re not going to tell me. My eyes dart back to one of the screens. “Computer, pan in,” my voice sounds dead and hopeless even to my own ears. And then I see it.

  “Fuck! No, no, no, no.” No matter how many times I repeat the word, it doesn’t make the bad news displayed on the screens disappear. “No,” I say again, hoping my declaration will work magic. There’s no magic—the screen in front of me displays the worst news ever.

  I turn my head to two other screens as if by some feat of prestidigitation they’ll show something different. But no, every single female on each and every screen is not only wearing t
he sexy faceless burka, but they all have a leash attached to their neck on one end and a male’s hand on the other.

  “Dear God, please explain what my eyes are seeing.” Although I was ready to rise from my chair a moment ago, I couldn’t stand on my own two feet now if my life depended on it. I’m in shock.

  “Leashes,” Sextus explains unnecessarily.

  I get it, I asked for that. My eyes dart to him to assess how much he’s enjoying my devastating mortification. Interesting, he’s not gloating. If I read him right, he’s not even happy to be the bearer of bad news.

  “Exposed breasts, hidden faces, and leashes are the law of the land? Really?”

  “Sorry, Lexa. But this is the best place in the galaxy for you to sit at a table, quadruple your money, and walk away. Look at the bright side. Your face will be covered. You’ll be incognito,” Thantose explains. “Unless you have a distinguishing mark or tattoo on your breast?”

  “No,” I respond hurriedly, not wanting Sextus to answer for me and blow any semblance of privacy I might still retain.

  “That covers it. We touch down tomorrow at 1300. I’ve arranged for a local shopkeeper to bring you several haftiques in size…” He looks me up and down, “Short. As you probably noticed, they come in a variety of colors as long as they’re black.”

  “Great. I hear black is the new black,” I say cheerily, a fake smile plastered on my face. When, I wonder, did my life turn to pure shit? Oh, yeah. I could cite the exact time down to the minute. It was when some motherfucker stole me from my bed on Earth and hijacked me to outer fucking space. But I say nothing. As pissed as I am, I know it’s neither of these males’ fault.

  “I’ll be here at 1300 tomorrow.” I stand to leave. “You secured rooms for Sextus and me?”

  “Room. Singular. Your orders, Sextus? Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “Better and better,” I mutter as I head to my room to have my well-deserved nervous breakdown.

  ~.~

  Breakfast the next morning is a simple affair. I’m not hungry; I don’t even know why I came. I’m playing with the ubiquitous noodle porridge sitting on the table in front of me when Tawny comes in.

  “Thantose, I have some seriously bad news,” she announces. She’s been on board a few weeks longer than Carrie and me. She had a hard time in some Emperor’s dungeon for three years. Then she and her mate, Devolose, were rescued.

  I have to admit, I get jealous watching them, they’re so obviously in love. Devolose looks at her as if she’s the most precious commodity on board. She gazes at him with loving impatience that screams she can’t wait to be in bed with him in their cabin.

  She had a background in art and is learning how to assess the worth of the booty stashed in the ship’s hold.

  “You know the Broog painting? The one from his red period? The one you said was the most valuable thing on the ship? You showed me not one but two certificates of authenticity from legit art appraisers.

  “I did a deep dive on the Intergalactic Database and studied everything there is to know about authenticating a Broog. Every piece from his red period had several microscopic dots in dark brown hidden in the black of the signature. I’ve used the spectron microscope. I asked Devolose to look, thinking maybe I missed it. No brown dots. Thantose, that’s evidently the best art forgery ever produced.”

  “That can’t be true,” Thantose protests. “I flew to Largo IV specifically to break and enter that home for the Broog. We went halfway across the galaxy to procure it. I spent a month’s wages getting it appraised by the best in the business. Show me.”

  They sweep out of the dining area toward the cargo bay.

  I throw my breakfast in the garbage, clean my bowl and head toward the exit ramp. It’s going to be a long, revealing day.

  Sextus

  I’m waiting at the exit for Lexa. I do a mental calculation making certain I have everything I need. I’ve secured her gambling stake to my waist—that gold bar is heavy. I have untraceable guns that were manufactured to escape the detectors, one at the small of my back, the other in a holster under my armpit. Four different knives of varying lengths are strapped down the inside of my thighs and calves under my black multi-pocketed pants. I honed them last night; they’re sharp as a brill’s talon.

  I take a moment to reflect on how well she handled the little vid show yesterday. I thought there would be screaming, yelling and name-calling. Maybe little Lexa’s growing up. Although if she doesn’t appear down this corridor soon, I’ll have to look for her. She might be in her room crying.

  But here she comes, chin held high.

  “I wondered if you would show up.”

  “What, and miss Lusion? I’ve always wanted a suntan on my nipples. This will be great.”

  The Lusion shopkeeper hustles up the ramp with his hands full of haftiques. He hands them to Lexa as if they’re the finest mirasian silk.

  “Thanks,” she tells the male. “Let me slip into something more comfortable,” she says as she waggles her eyebrows. Grabbing a haftique, she stalks to the tiny restroom off the boarding area.

  Lexa

  I threw myself into klempto all day and most of the night since Thantose’s big reveal yesterday. No one is coming to save you, is my mantra as I order myself not to cry. Your survival rests on your smarts, your guts, and your determination.

  My mom cut out on dad and me before I was old enough to walk. I became a wage earner before I hit kindergarten. Dad was a con man—most of the time not a very good one. He taught me little cons as well as how to cheat and connive before I was able to count the money I stole. He kept me up all night when he played poker and didn’t have money to get me a room. I learned to fend for myself from a young age.

  I was four or five and literally sitting on his lap while he played poker when he realized I could read the players better than he could. It started after a game when I asked him why he didn’t call Mr. Yancy’s raise when he knew the man was bluffing. Of course, he hadn’t known it was a bluff, but I had. It only took twenty or fifty or a hundred instances like that before he began to believe I had a knack for reading people.

  He came up with a system of code words and taps so I could communicate my observations whether I was on his lap or grabbing him a beer from the cooler. Who would suspect tiny, little Lexa of helping her dad cheat?

  I took care of dad financially and every other way far more than he took care of me. Then he drank himself to death when I was sixteen and I had to keep figuring things out for myself.

  How could a sixteen-year-old pay all her bills and not become a ward of the state? I secured early admission to the local college and used my student loans to support myself for the last seven years. What should I major in? How about the only avenue of study that would help me read people at the poker table even better? Psychology.

  I quit expecting anything good to happen to me a long time ago. I know with certainty no one is coming to save me—ever. I have to take care of myself. I was willing to suck Sextus’s cock to survive, and now I’m willing to prance down that ramp with my boobs hanging out for the entire planet to see. I’m willing to let the big, blue bastard snap a collar around my neck and pull me to the hotel.

  And by God, Lexa, you will make this happen. You will do what it takes to get to the casino. You will use your skill to win enough money to buy, or at least make a large down payment on a decent house on a safe planet. And no one wants to hear you whine. Let’s get moving.

  I make the mistake of glancing into the small mirror above the sink and catch my reflection. Well, no one would know it was me unless they knew my boobs on sight. The black plastic facial visor obscures every trace of my identity.

  Okay, here’s another skill I learned in school: think of a hundred positive things that could result from the bad thing that just happened to you.

  I can’t come up with a hundred, but I come up with a few off the top of my head. One: although there’s no visibility from the outside in, ther
e’s perfect visibility from the inside out. I’ve been told I have a great poker face, but this will ensure no one can read me. I, on the other hand, can read everyone at the table just fine. Two: Thantose said because of the repressive atmosphere on Lusion there will be few other women in the testosterone-fueled environs of the poker room. I’m all but guaranteed to have the only pair of breasts on display at the table. A nice distraction.

  Think of this delightful halftique as a lucky stroke, Lexa, I admonish myself. I stuff my clothes into the backpack Thantose gave me and practically run into Sextus’s ripped blue chest right outside the bathroom door.

  Sextus

  Drack, little Lexa’s beautiful. I’ve been attracted to her since she was rescued and brought aboard the Tranquility. Her long brown hair was frozen stiff, her lips were blue from sub-freezing temperatures, and her bare feet were bleeding, but she looked mighty good to me from that first moment.