GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) by Marilyn Campbell Page A
Authors: Marilyn Campbell
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He must be using his—"
Suddenly Mar shifted toward Cherry. "Would you please get us a wake-up beverage? We are unusually fatigued this morning."
Cherry started to go when she realized Mar had rudely interrupted Dot. "You never have refreshments at your station. Turn back around. I want to speak to Dot." The he-she hesitated a moment, then complied. "He cut you off on purpose, didn't he?"
"It was nothing of importance," Dot answered quietly.
Cherry frowned at her. "You promised not to lie to me. What were you about to say about Gallant's luck?" When Dot couldn't seem to find the words to answer, Cherry made a guess. "Is he cheating somehow?" Dot's eyes rolled upward. "Has he got loaded dice? You know, cubes that he can make do what he wants?"
Again Dot's eyes rotated and Cherry understood that she was abiding by her agreement to be honest or say nothing at all. Since it was clear Mar didn't want Dot revealing whatever this was about, Dot was giving her answers the only way she could. Cherry opened the drawer beneath the table and removed the cubes. "Are these crooked or does he just switch them for another set when he's losing?"
Very slowly, Dot mimicked the way Gallant would rub his chin then run his hands down the front of his open vest.
How many times in the past few days had she seen him go through those motions? A lot. She had thought it was some sort of nervous habit. That son-of-a-bitch! He'd been switching cubes with a set he had hidden in his vest.
"What's going on?" Mar demanded, but Dot wouldn't let him turn them around.
Cherry returned the cubes to the drawer, saluted Dot and marched down the hall to Gallant's room. Without bothering to knock, she pressed the door opener but Gallant wasn't inside. With her temper building by the second, she headed for the facility chamber.
The moment she stepped inside, she heard the sound of the blower in the sanitation stall. She was tempted to barge right in on him but the sight of his clothing laid out over a chair gave her a more vengeful idea.
As stealthily as possible, she tiptoed across the carpet and lifted his vest. Within seconds she discovered the concealed cubes and quickly removed them. She suspected if she played with the trick ones for a while, she would surely figure out how they worked. Then she would turn the tables on the rotten cheat. And, of course, she would make sure the wager was something outrageous.
Just as she replaced the vest, Gallant came out of the stall.
Gloriously naked.
Chapter 6
Cherry was caught, and knew she should have been stuttering apologies and excuses for invading his privacy but the only word that came to mind was big, and in a matter of seconds, he was even bigger... and bigger. Not staring was out of the question. "Holy stars," she whispered.
Suddenly she was in the midst of a shower of falling stars, but a split second later they disappeared. Another space sickness hallucination?
Except for covering his left eye with his hand, Gallant didn't move or make an attempt to shield any more of himself. To get his clothes he would have to come closer to her. "What are you doing in here?"
Cherry swallowed hard and dragged her wide-eyed gaze up to his face. "I... I... thought you were still sleeping and I came in to use—"
"You're lying," he said in a hard, deep voice. "You would have heard the blower when you walked in. I recall your once giving me ten seconds to explain. I'll give you five. If you're not out of here by then, I'll draw my own conclusions. Five."
The temptation to stay was strong enough to make her forget every crummy thing he'd done.
"Four."
Good God, but he was gorgeous.
"Three."
She simply had to stand still and all that man would be hers.
"Two."
But then he'd discover what was in her hand. The reminder of why she'd gone in there and how angry she had been kick-started her brain. She wanted revenge.
"One."
She turned on her heel and walked swiftly to the door.
It took several
Suddenly Mar shifted toward Cherry. "Would you please get us a wake-up beverage? We are unusually fatigued this morning."
Cherry started to go when she realized Mar had rudely interrupted Dot. "You never have refreshments at your station. Turn back around. I want to speak to Dot." The he-she hesitated a moment, then complied. "He cut you off on purpose, didn't he?"
"It was nothing of importance," Dot answered quietly.
Cherry frowned at her. "You promised not to lie to me. What were you about to say about Gallant's luck?" When Dot couldn't seem to find the words to answer, Cherry made a guess. "Is he cheating somehow?" Dot's eyes rolled upward. "Has he got loaded dice? You know, cubes that he can make do what he wants?"
Again Dot's eyes rotated and Cherry understood that she was abiding by her agreement to be honest or say nothing at all. Since it was clear Mar didn't want Dot revealing whatever this was about, Dot was giving her answers the only way she could. Cherry opened the drawer beneath the table and removed the cubes. "Are these crooked or does he just switch them for another set when he's losing?"
Very slowly, Dot mimicked the way Gallant would rub his chin then run his hands down the front of his open vest.
How many times in the past few days had she seen him go through those motions? A lot. She had thought it was some sort of nervous habit. That son-of-a-bitch! He'd been switching cubes with a set he had hidden in his vest.
"What's going on?" Mar demanded, but Dot wouldn't let him turn them around.
Cherry returned the cubes to the drawer, saluted Dot and marched down the hall to Gallant's room. Without bothering to knock, she pressed the door opener but Gallant wasn't inside. With her temper building by the second, she headed for the facility chamber.
The moment she stepped inside, she heard the sound of the blower in the sanitation stall. She was tempted to barge right in on him but the sight of his clothing laid out over a chair gave her a more vengeful idea.
As stealthily as possible, she tiptoed across the carpet and lifted his vest. Within seconds she discovered the concealed cubes and quickly removed them. She suspected if she played with the trick ones for a while, she would surely figure out how they worked. Then she would turn the tables on the rotten cheat. And, of course, she would make sure the wager was something outrageous.
Just as she replaced the vest, Gallant came out of the stall.
Gloriously naked.
Chapter 6
Cherry was caught, and knew she should have been stuttering apologies and excuses for invading his privacy but the only word that came to mind was big, and in a matter of seconds, he was even bigger... and bigger. Not staring was out of the question. "Holy stars," she whispered.
Suddenly she was in the midst of a shower of falling stars, but a split second later they disappeared. Another space sickness hallucination?
Except for covering his left eye with his hand, Gallant didn't move or make an attempt to shield any more of himself. To get his clothes he would have to come closer to her. "What are you doing in here?"
Cherry swallowed hard and dragged her wide-eyed gaze up to his face. "I... I... thought you were still sleeping and I came in to use—"
"You're lying," he said in a hard, deep voice. "You would have heard the blower when you walked in. I recall your once giving me ten seconds to explain. I'll give you five. If you're not out of here by then, I'll draw my own conclusions. Five."
The temptation to stay was strong enough to make her forget every crummy thing he'd done.
"Four."
Good God, but he was gorgeous.
"Three."
She simply had to stand still and all that man would be hers.
"Two."
But then he'd discover what was in her hand. The reminder of why she'd gone in there and how angry she had been kick-started her brain. She wanted revenge.
"One."
She turned on her heel and walked swiftly to the door.
It took several
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