Future Prospect by Lynn Rae Page A

closely. Colan again wondered if perhaps this man’s relationship toward the woman in question might edge to the personal, sharing-a-bed sort of interaction. In which case, the security chief wouldn’t want Colan sniffing around close to said bed time.
    “Sure.” The security officer’s easy agreement surprised Colan, but he followed along without a word as Zashi led him through a bare lobby area and down a wide, pale yellow hallway lined with closed doors.
    “Your friends are in there, but they’re probably asleep. Busy day. ” Zashi gestured at one of the pale orange doors as they walked. It was quiet in the corridor, either everyone was asleep, or there was excellent sound buffering.
    “Here she is.” Zashi pressed a small display mounted next to the last door in the hallway. “I’m across the hall.”
    Colan nodded. Maybe the security officer was warning him he’d be on alert for any signs of trouble. But Zashi seemed perfectly unconcerned as he waited for Lia to respond to his call.
    “Nice planet.”
    “It is.”
    “Soggy, but the jungle is interesting.”
    “It is.”
    Before he had to continue with this conversation, Lia’s voice broke in, amplified through the display. “Zash, I told you I didn’t want to play baccio tonight. I’m too tired to be much competition.”
    “I believed you the third time you turned me down, Lia. You have a visitor.”
    The display morphed into an image of Lia peering out at them. Her brow furrowed when she spotted him behind Zashi’s shoulder, and he had the impression she was displeased. She should be. She could easily decline the opportunity to see him and leave Colan in the hallway to have two-word conversations with the grim security officer. Then again, Zashi might invite him to play baccio.
    The display winked back to pink as her door opened, and Lia stood there wrapped up in a silky blue robe, her hair startlingly loose on her shoulders, a shiny curtain of rich, brown silk. Colan sucked in a shocked breath, unprepared for how lovely she appeared when out of one of her neat congressional uniforms.
    “Colan.” She gave him a slight frown, and he felt trapped. If she gave some sort of signal, Zashi would probably haul him right out of the building and toss him into the closest mud pit. “Come on in.”
    Zashi stepped aside as Colan made his way through the door and passed close to Lia to enter her suite. Too close. He smelled something delicious and almost stumbled. Colan heard the security officer ask her something too quietly to make out, and he tried not to hear Lia’s response. She’d let him in and hadn’t slapped him yet, so everything was going better than he’d anticipated. He did hear the door close, and Lia walked past him and took a seat on her sofa, looking up at him with her eyebrows raised.
    Colan glanced around the room rather than focus on her. It was much larger and more luxurious than he’d imagined. A large seating area furnished with plush furniture in shades of tan and cream, a shiny, white kitchen with dining area adjacent, and lots of warm lighting everywhere. No wonder Rue and Tun were pleased. Colan hadn’t been in such a pleasant space since he’d arrived on Gamaliel two years before.
    “Would you like a tour?”
    “No.” Colan stopped staring at her dining room table and forced himself to look at her instead. Lia had tucked her feet under her robe as she curled up on the sofa and watched him. It seemed she had been ready to watch a vid or entertainment before he interrupted her. A glass of wine sat on the table in front of her and a plate with some crackers and odd bits of food.
    “Some wine then.” Lia rose without waiting for his response and walked to her kitchen to pour him something to drink. She returned and stood too close for comfort as she handed it to him. Her brown eyes held his gaze, and Colan’s stomach tightened with nerves. Just get it over with.
    “I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you this morning. It