advertising--the only political game he actually liked to play.
He'd done it before, always with Lex's advice. Now he'd have more than that. He'd have her at his side, his dangerous, beautiful queen, and together they could present a united front of strength that should keep anyone from stepping so much as a toe in Sector Four.
Lex juggled the bags in her hands as she opened the door to Dallas's suite. He usually asked for her help with his wardrobe when he had to visit another sector, and this time was no different. It was damn hard to walk the fine line between dangerous criminal and civilized businessman--especially when, by his very nature, he tended to veer toward the rough-and-tumble side of the equation. So he relied on her to put the finer touches on his image, little things that screamed money and class without also screaming, I give two shits what you think .
A noise drew Lex's gaze, and she stopped short just inside the room. The bags slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a thump.
He usually had her help him pack. What he didn't usually have was a naked woman in his bed.
Six rolled from between the sheets before the door clicked shut, the wide, wild look in her eyes betraying her panic. Her gaze darted from her clothes to Lex and back as she shifted self-consciously, like she was trying to figure out if she could reach the tangle of fabric before Lex reached her .
She looked tensed for a fight. A beatdown.
The spot right behind Lex's eyes had already started to ache, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Put your panties on, honey. We've got to have a little talk."
Six lunged for her clothes and held them against her chest as she straightened, her gaze locked on Lex. "Is that code for sticking a knife between my ribs?"
"I don't speak in code. If I wanted you to hurt, you'd know it."
After a moment, Six nodded and wiggled into her underwear and pants. She pulled the shirt over her head last, tugging it down to hide her scarred torso. "You've always been pretty upfront about what you'll do to me if I betray Dallas. Guess you wouldn't bother lying now."
"No reason to. Especially since this whole thing?" Lex gestured to the girl's rumpled clothes. "It's not a threat to me."
She stiffened, and the emotion that finally broke through her desperate attempt at a stoic mask wasn't offense or anger, but a dark amusement. "That was going to be my argument. I'm not much competition for someone like you."
The words irritated Lex, and she spun away and stalked to the bar. "It's not funny. O'Kane women don't sell out like that. Lesson number one."
Silence greeted the words, stretching long enough for Lex to pour a drink before Six whispered, "I don't have anything else to sell."
"You look able enough." Lex poured a second drink and held it out. "You saying you can't work?"
"I wasn't--" The girl grabbed the glass and drained a double of Dallas's oldest and best whiskey. "I wasn't expecting to stay in his bed. I just needed something to offer now. I needed a trade."
To a man she'd already assumed didn't really want her. "A trade for what?"
She rubbed her thumb over the inside of her wrist, over unmarked skin, as if she could feel the lack of ink there. "Bren said he's leaving tomorrow."
"He is. We're going to Sector Two."
"I wanna go."
It was Lex's turn to smile in dark amusement. "No, you don't. I grew up in Two. You want to stay your ass right here."
Six stared into her empty glass. "I'm not an O'Kane. I'm not saying that to be a smartass, like I don't have to try'n follow your rules. It's just the truth. You might be safer here, but I don't know if I am. Not without..."
"Without Dallas around." Lex plucked the glass from Six's hand and refilled it. "Or is it Bren?"
That put her on the defensive. She muttered a curse and glared at the floor. "He's the one vouching for me, isn't he?"
"Don't be so touchy. I have a right to ask, especially if you think Bren's the one protecting you."
"Isn't he?
He'd done it before, always with Lex's advice. Now he'd have more than that. He'd have her at his side, his dangerous, beautiful queen, and together they could present a united front of strength that should keep anyone from stepping so much as a toe in Sector Four.
Lex juggled the bags in her hands as she opened the door to Dallas's suite. He usually asked for her help with his wardrobe when he had to visit another sector, and this time was no different. It was damn hard to walk the fine line between dangerous criminal and civilized businessman--especially when, by his very nature, he tended to veer toward the rough-and-tumble side of the equation. So he relied on her to put the finer touches on his image, little things that screamed money and class without also screaming, I give two shits what you think .
A noise drew Lex's gaze, and she stopped short just inside the room. The bags slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a thump.
He usually had her help him pack. What he didn't usually have was a naked woman in his bed.
Six rolled from between the sheets before the door clicked shut, the wide, wild look in her eyes betraying her panic. Her gaze darted from her clothes to Lex and back as she shifted self-consciously, like she was trying to figure out if she could reach the tangle of fabric before Lex reached her .
She looked tensed for a fight. A beatdown.
The spot right behind Lex's eyes had already started to ache, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Put your panties on, honey. We've got to have a little talk."
Six lunged for her clothes and held them against her chest as she straightened, her gaze locked on Lex. "Is that code for sticking a knife between my ribs?"
"I don't speak in code. If I wanted you to hurt, you'd know it."
After a moment, Six nodded and wiggled into her underwear and pants. She pulled the shirt over her head last, tugging it down to hide her scarred torso. "You've always been pretty upfront about what you'll do to me if I betray Dallas. Guess you wouldn't bother lying now."
"No reason to. Especially since this whole thing?" Lex gestured to the girl's rumpled clothes. "It's not a threat to me."
She stiffened, and the emotion that finally broke through her desperate attempt at a stoic mask wasn't offense or anger, but a dark amusement. "That was going to be my argument. I'm not much competition for someone like you."
The words irritated Lex, and she spun away and stalked to the bar. "It's not funny. O'Kane women don't sell out like that. Lesson number one."
Silence greeted the words, stretching long enough for Lex to pour a drink before Six whispered, "I don't have anything else to sell."
"You look able enough." Lex poured a second drink and held it out. "You saying you can't work?"
"I wasn't--" The girl grabbed the glass and drained a double of Dallas's oldest and best whiskey. "I wasn't expecting to stay in his bed. I just needed something to offer now. I needed a trade."
To a man she'd already assumed didn't really want her. "A trade for what?"
She rubbed her thumb over the inside of her wrist, over unmarked skin, as if she could feel the lack of ink there. "Bren said he's leaving tomorrow."
"He is. We're going to Sector Two."
"I wanna go."
It was Lex's turn to smile in dark amusement. "No, you don't. I grew up in Two. You want to stay your ass right here."
Six stared into her empty glass. "I'm not an O'Kane. I'm not saying that to be a smartass, like I don't have to try'n follow your rules. It's just the truth. You might be safer here, but I don't know if I am. Not without..."
"Without Dallas around." Lex plucked the glass from Six's hand and refilled it. "Or is it Bren?"
That put her on the defensive. She muttered a curse and glared at the floor. "He's the one vouching for me, isn't he?"
"Don't be so touchy. I have a right to ask, especially if you think Bren's the one protecting you."
"Isn't he?
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