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“We eat in the Ie smile on his face She felt Jerred stiffen beside her

Josiah walked slowly to one of the couches and lowered hiracefully There was a menace in his movements, as if he were a predator who had just found a particularly tasty piece of prey

“Jerred and I have dined together like thiscoestured for her to lay next to him She would have preferred to sit on one of the couches across from him, but Jerred shook his head in a barely perceptible manner

Great

She walked over to where Josiah had indicated and sat on the edge of the couch, wondering just as the proper way to lie down and eat She’d seen people eating like this on vids about the Imperial nobility, but never tried it herself Seeet herself seated

Jerred took the couch across froain about the stock of Imperial wine on his ship Surely he didn’t actually move in Imperial circles? There were hundreds of billions of people on the settled worlds Only four or five thousand had that kind of rank

What were the odds?

“I’ a small bell conveniently placed on the table Instantly, a nu platters of sumptuous food

It was all she could to keep heropen This really was like a vid Softmelody that seemed soh she was prepared for its effect, the strangely erotic tingles it sent through her were startling in their intensity

Once again, it sees She shifted, feeling liquid pool there Jerred caught her gaze fro swept over her Her muscles actually clenched, she wanted hiainst the wall earlierthat it took her ahave you and Jerred been…ah…partners?” Josiah asked, taking a drink of his oine

She turned her attention to hi for the first ti tattoo faced away fro it around in her mind Was she attracted to him? No, not really She could appreciate hi she felt for Jerred seeood realization At least now she knew that whatever special properties the wine had, it wasn’t solely responsible for the way she reacted around hiether for a feeeks,” Jerred replied, surprising her She turned her gaze back to hi in his expression For some reason he didn’t want Josiah to know they’d ht, it hasn’t been that long,” she said “We met in a bar,” she added aardly Great Now she sounded like a cheap floozy