fifty minutes, as Justin teased and stroked and petted her into a sweaty, desperate pillar of trembling flesh, as she clung to the latticework headboard. His naked body drove into hers with controlled fury, coaxing her climax from her inch by inch, and all the while he gazed into her eyes, watching her, taking her measure, learning more about her in the few minutes he studied her than she would ever learn about him even if she had the hundreds of years he had already walked the earth.
Deonne did cry out as she came, but there was a taint to her pleasure she couldn’t put a complete shape to. It sat uneasily in the back of her mind, bothering her.
Chapter Eight
Stockholm, Sweden, 2264 A.D.: It took a while for Deonne to come around and even when she was awake it took her a moment to recognize the quiet electronic signal coming from the phone on the nightstand next to her borrowed bed. She turned on the light and examined the phone’s controls, then hit the button that looked like it might be the answer button. It was glowing green, a universal “go” signal.
The signal stopped and was replaced by the soft background noise of sound being carried by air signals. “Hello?” she tried.
“Ms. Rinaldi, it’s Kieren. I have a visitor in the foyer, who wants to speak to you.”
“Me?” She sat up straighter and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She saw that the other side of the bed was empty and mentally shrugged. Once she was asleep Justin rarely stayed with her, although he often returned to the bed before she woke. “Everyone who knows I’m in Stockholm just spoke to me at the agency this afternoon.”
“You were seen on a global netcast,” Kieren reminded her. “Your father left for Sweden as soon as he saw you, he says.”
Your father. Deonne clutched the edges of the bed, her gut churning hot and her breath shortening in a way that made her feel sick. She fought to control the reaction. “My father is here? That’s who you have in the lobby?”
“He says he is your father,” Kieren replied cautiously. “He has genetic markers…he looks like you. If you would turn on your screen you could identify him.”
No, thank you. She held back her first instinctive response. He’d come out from Switzerland on the first available semi-ballistic? There would be another in an hour or so. He could go right back.
Instead, she picked out the icon for the viewscreen on the pad and pressed it. A two inch by three inch color image of Kieren appeared on the pad. He gave her a small smile and the image shifted. A man moved into view. Silver hair that was once quite blond like hers, blue eyes that were also fading like his hair, but still sharp with intelligence. The face had fine lines, but the jaw was still defined. Christopher Wren Rinaldi may have failed to raise the necessary funds for DNA rejuvenation, but he saw no need to stint himself on every orthodox therapy available that would help him keep his youth and vitality.
Deonne sighed. “Hello, Father. You’d better come up.”
* * * * *
Deonne got dressed and put her hair up in a simple knot in the few minutes it took for Kieren to escort her father to the door of the apartment.
In those few minutes she also figured out that Justin wasn’t in the apartment. It was empty and silent. He had left while she was sleeping. Kieren would know where he was because that was his job. She made a mental note to ask him in a moment when her father would not overhear.
The door chimed as she was staring at her reflection, considering whether she should bother with makeup or not. The door alarm decided her. It was nearly four in the morning. She had honored her father enough by getting dressed. At this hour he was expecting far too much if he really thought she should have a full application of beauty products as well.
She applied instant lip color, sealed it and called it done. Then she went to answer the door.
Kieren had sent the door’s security code to
Deonne did cry out as she came, but there was a taint to her pleasure she couldn’t put a complete shape to. It sat uneasily in the back of her mind, bothering her.
Chapter Eight
Stockholm, Sweden, 2264 A.D.: It took a while for Deonne to come around and even when she was awake it took her a moment to recognize the quiet electronic signal coming from the phone on the nightstand next to her borrowed bed. She turned on the light and examined the phone’s controls, then hit the button that looked like it might be the answer button. It was glowing green, a universal “go” signal.
The signal stopped and was replaced by the soft background noise of sound being carried by air signals. “Hello?” she tried.
“Ms. Rinaldi, it’s Kieren. I have a visitor in the foyer, who wants to speak to you.”
“Me?” She sat up straighter and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She saw that the other side of the bed was empty and mentally shrugged. Once she was asleep Justin rarely stayed with her, although he often returned to the bed before she woke. “Everyone who knows I’m in Stockholm just spoke to me at the agency this afternoon.”
“You were seen on a global netcast,” Kieren reminded her. “Your father left for Sweden as soon as he saw you, he says.”
Your father. Deonne clutched the edges of the bed, her gut churning hot and her breath shortening in a way that made her feel sick. She fought to control the reaction. “My father is here? That’s who you have in the lobby?”
“He says he is your father,” Kieren replied cautiously. “He has genetic markers…he looks like you. If you would turn on your screen you could identify him.”
No, thank you. She held back her first instinctive response. He’d come out from Switzerland on the first available semi-ballistic? There would be another in an hour or so. He could go right back.
Instead, she picked out the icon for the viewscreen on the pad and pressed it. A two inch by three inch color image of Kieren appeared on the pad. He gave her a small smile and the image shifted. A man moved into view. Silver hair that was once quite blond like hers, blue eyes that were also fading like his hair, but still sharp with intelligence. The face had fine lines, but the jaw was still defined. Christopher Wren Rinaldi may have failed to raise the necessary funds for DNA rejuvenation, but he saw no need to stint himself on every orthodox therapy available that would help him keep his youth and vitality.
Deonne sighed. “Hello, Father. You’d better come up.”
* * * * *
Deonne got dressed and put her hair up in a simple knot in the few minutes it took for Kieren to escort her father to the door of the apartment.
In those few minutes she also figured out that Justin wasn’t in the apartment. It was empty and silent. He had left while she was sleeping. Kieren would know where he was because that was his job. She made a mental note to ask him in a moment when her father would not overhear.
The door chimed as she was staring at her reflection, considering whether she should bother with makeup or not. The door alarm decided her. It was nearly four in the morning. She had honored her father enough by getting dressed. At this hour he was expecting far too much if he really thought she should have a full application of beauty products as well.
She applied instant lip color, sealed it and called it done. Then she went to answer the door.
Kieren had sent the door’s security code to
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