He traced the fitted bodice of her dress. “This deep green is a nice color on you.”
Trying to ignore the clamoring need so deep within her, she said, “Ella says green makes my eyes pop.”
He tilted his head as if to consider her eye color. “She’s right. Did you make this?”
“Yes.” She had designed the simple fit-and-flare dress last fall. “It’s been my bestselling design this year.”
“If other women look this beautiful wearing it I’m not surprised they’re flying off the racks.”
She blushed at his compliment. “Thank you.”
Smiling, he bent down and kissed her forehead. “Risk will be here soon to complete your exam.”
“I’m almost finished.” She turned back to the small toiletry case. While she searched for a pair of earrings, Venom picked up her lipstick. She glanced at him and offered a teasing grin. “I don’t think that color would look very good on you.”
He laughed and dropped the lipstick into the case. “No? Well, I suppose you’ll have to take me to Naya’s shop and pick out a better color.”
“Naya?” She threaded the simple hoops through her earlobes.
“She’s the mate of Menace. He’s a close friend.”
“Oh.” The mention of a woman running a shop surprised her. She had assumed these sky warriors were like the men on her planet with their desire to keep women at home regardless of whether or not their wives wanted to be there. “What does she sell?”
“She’s only been open a few weeks but she focuses on importing goods from Calyx. She ran a pawnshop back on your planet, so she has a fairly extensive list of contacts willing to ship in clothing and housewares.”
Dizzy’s hand went still as his words finally registered. “Wait. You said her name was Naya?” Venom nodded. “And this pawnshop of hers was in Connor’s Run?”
Venom’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. Why?”
“I think we have a friend in common. Ella was a street kid and she ran with a crowd from Connor’s Run before making it to The City. She always talks about a girl named Naya whenever Danny stops by for a visit.”
Venom eyes widened. “Dankirk? The Red Feather fixer?”
Dizzy swallowed nervously. Had she said too much? He must have seen the worry on her face because he soothingly rubbed her shoulders. “It’s all right, Dizzy. We’ve worked with Dankirk on numerous occasions in the last couple of months. We have no issue with the Red Feather up here. In fact we support many of their humanitarian missions.”
She relaxed. “Oh. In that case, yes. Ella is very close with Danny. If this Naya is the same girl I’m thinking of I can’t wait to meet her. She’s the reason Ella survived her time on the streets to become a muse.”
“A muse? You mean a model?”
“We call them muses, but yes.” Dizzy turned back to the mirror to check her reflection one last time. “She’s incredibly successful. Right now she’s building a shelter for street girls.”
Venom threaded his fingers through her hair. “Are there a lot of girls living on the streets in The City?”
“Yes.” Dizzy packed away her things. “Ella was actually a second-generation street kid. Her mother was a teen prostitute so it’s amazing that Ella managed to fight her way off the streets and make something of herself.”
“Yes, it is.” Venom kissed her neck. “As soon as the next visitation list opens I’ll put Ella’s name on it. I can tell how much you already miss her.”
Touched by his offer, she stroked his arm. “Thank you, Venom. I really appreciate that.”
“I know how much I depend on Raze for support. I don’t want you to feel alone up here or cut off from your old life.”
“Raze is your best friend?”
“We’ve known each other since the academy.”
“He’s here on this ship with you?”
“We work together in SRU. He’s technically my boss.”
“That’s not awkward?” She couldn’t imagine having Ella as her boss. She figured they’d snipe at each other all day long.
“Not in the least,” he answered. “We’ve worked together so long we almost share a sixth sense.”
“I suppose that comes in handy with the kind of dangerous work you do.”
“Very,” Venom agreed. At the sound of the main door opening, he glanced toward the empty bed. “I think Risk is here.” He motioned toward her toiletry case. “Are you done with this?”
“Yes.”
He picked it up and gently pushed her toward the door. Risk tapped away at his tablet and greeted them with a smile. “How are you feeling this morning, Dizzy?”
“I feel great.” She took the toiletry case from Venom, slipped it inside her suitcase and zipped the large piece of luggage shut.
“No more lightheadedness or nausea?”
“No.”
“Did you have any headaches last night or pain anywhere in your body?”
“No.”
“Good.” He pointed to the bed. “Hop up there and let me get one last set of vital signs before I send you on your way.”
She did as directed. Risk extended one of the small silver stickers toward Venom. “Since you bit my head off yesterday, why don’t you put this one on her?”
Venom snatched the adhesive-backed square. “I didn’t bite your head off. I only asked that you respect my boundaries as her mate and master.”
Dizzy’s astonished gaze snapped to Venom’s face. “My master?”
His lips settled into a tight line as he peeled away the clear backing on the vital-signs detector and placed it on the underside of her wrist. “It’s just a term, Dizzy. I realize it has a negative connotation in your world but it’s not like that here. When we get home I’ll explain it to you.”
The firmness in his voice made her eyebrows arch. “Is this where I nod my head like a good girl and say Yes Master?”
Risk chortled noisily behind Venom. Her mate—master—eyed her carefully. Leaning down, he planted his hands against the mattress on either side of her hips and didn’t stop leaning in until their gazes were level. His masculine scent swirled around her and the insane amount of body heat he produced radiated right through her.
“Well, Dizzy,” he said finally, “I suppose that depends on how badly you want to be rewarded once we get home.”
The dangerously sexy glint in his eyes made her tummy flutter wildly. She had a feeling his idea of a reward included her naked and totally at his mercy. If last night’s glimpse into Venom’s skills as a lover were any indication of what she could expect, Dizzy wanted him to reward her long and hard.
Rather than overreacting without all the information, she decided to wait and let Venom explain this whole master thing to her. Hopefully it was a simple cultural difference. After all, he had said that he didn’t want a house slave, right? So far, he had stood by his word to her and broken none of his promises. She doubted he was going to start now.
Toying with one of the buttons lining the front of his uniform shirt, she whispered, “All right, Master.”
Venom’s lips twitched as he tried to fight a smile. There was no hiding his pleased response to her teasing reply. The tender kiss he pressed to her forehead reassured Dizzy. If he really was controlling or mean, he wouldn’t show her such patience and gentleness. He would have been a raging jerk right out of the gate.
Risk stepped closer to finish his exam and Venom reluctantly stepped aside. He checked the incisions behind her ears and palpated her neck for any swelling. After asking a few more questions, he peeled off the life-signs detector and tossed it in the trash. “You’re good to go, Dizzy. I’d like to see you in a week for another head scan to ensure that you’re healing properly internally. Externally your incisions are nicely knitted together but I'd recommend treating them gently when you’re washing your hair.” He exchanged a glance with Venom. “We’ll also chat about your test results from the intake exam.”
She frowned. “Should I be worried?”
Risk waved his hand to dismiss her worries. “No. I didn’t see anything in the preliminary results that should concern us. I’ll take another look when the final report is in just to be sure.”
“Oh. Okay.” Her panic subsided. Considering the state of The City and the lack of good medical care and even sanitation in some of the slums, she could only imagine the awful diseases and toxins she’d been exposed to during her short life.
“If you experience any pain, swelling or pressure in the area where we operated, I want you to come see me immediately. All right?”
“Sure.”
“I’m medically disqualifying you from space-to-surface travel until I’ve had a chance to do two follow-ups on your surgery. Obviously if we had to abandon ship, you would have to take the risk but for pleasure travel?” He shook his head. “I don’t think it’s worth the chance of rupturing the drains we installed.” Risk glanced at Venom. “Since we’re talking about pressure, no inversions or suspensions where she might shift upside down for at least two weeks, Captain.”