 
### Programmed For Pleasure

### Jenna Ives

eBooks are _not_ transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Programmed to Please

Copyright © 2013 by Jenna Ives

First E-Book Edition

Published at Smashwords

Cover by Donna Casey

Formatting by Bella Media Management

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

# Chapter One

"Turner, I'm sending you undercover as a Beautiful Dolls sex toy."

Jai Turner stared at her boss, Commander Talis Rainey, convinced she couldn't possibly

have heard him right. She and her partner, Leith Wyatt, had been called into his office at the end of their duty shift. It had been a long day, as they all were on Tau Cetus in this post-apocalyptic era, and she was in no mood for a joke.

She shifted tiredly on her feet in front of his desk. "Sir?" She noticed that even Leith, who was standing beside her, had raised his eyebrow in question.

For an answer, Rainey leaned forward in his chair and pushed a button on the console on his desk. "Send in Mr. Carron."

A minute later, a short man stood in the doorway. His eyes darted nervously as he checked out the spartan office before taking an apparently reluctant step into the room. He was such a stereotype that Jai felt herself stiffen. Thick glasses... hair askew... frankly, all he needed was a lab coat with a pocket protector to complete the picture. _Savant. Adept. Carbon-copier._

Fuck. Maybe her boss _hadn't_ been making a joke.

Rainey cleared his throat. "This is Anson Carron. The creator of Beautiful Dolls."

If the abrupt and impersonal introduction annoyed their guest, he didn't show it. His eyes had locked on Jai, and were scanning her up and down in a way that felt decidedly intimate despite the generic, navy blue one-piece uniform that she and everyone else on the Tau Cetus force wore.

"Yes," he murmured. "I suppose I can work with this."

" _This,"_ Rainey said hotly, "is Jai Turner, one of my best agents. She's _human."_

The little man seemed lost in his own train of thought. "She meets his prime criteria. Of course, it would be better if I could see her without her clothes on before I make a final assessment."

_What the hell?_ Jai stiffened even more. "Commander!"

Rainey let out a loud sigh, then glanced at Jai and the two men. "Sit. All of you."

Instead, Carron took a step closer. "Can I touch her, at least?"

"Lay one finger on me, asshole," Jai growled, "and it'll be the last thing your hand ever does." Wyatt stepped closer to her to drive the point home.

Behind his desk, Rainey blew out a breath. "I said _sit!"_

The three of them held their adversarial positions for a moment, then took the hard chairs arrayed around Rainey's desk. Jai crossed her arms and legs defensively, and even Wyatt turned his chair around to straddle it. It was obvious neither one of them anticipated liking whatever the Commander might be about to say.

Rainey ran a hand through his grey-black hair and looked at the partners. "Before I start, I have just one thing to say to you two. _Marque Callex_."

Jai gasped. _"What?"_

That changed everything. The infamous name had both her and Wyatt leaning forward in their chairs, now eagerly waiting for Rainey's next words.

"You know how long we've been trying to get close to this guy. We may now have a chance, albeit by a very unconventional route." Rainey nodded toward their guest. "A month ago, Mr. Carron here ran afoul of the law. No need to get into the specifics, but in an effort to save his neck – and his very lucrative business – he suggested a unique proposal in return for us not pursuing charges against him."

"What kind of proposal?" Wyatt asked.

"A clever one, as it turns out." Rainey smirked. "Mr. Carron agreed to send out an... _invitation_ ... to Marque Callex, in the guise of offering 'a select number of high-powered businessmen' the chance to sample the latest model of Beautiful Doll for free, in exchange for their feedback on the product. In reality, Callex was the only person to get this invitation."

Jai's mouth set in a disgusted line. "And he accepted."

"He did," Rainey confirmed. "It was a gamble, but it paid off. In this supposed 'latest model,' clients are able to customize their girl. Callex filled out the form specifying the criteria of his ideal Beautiful Doll, and now all we have to do is fulfill his requirements." The Commander gave Jai a pointed stare. " _With you."_

Jai's eyes went wide. "You want me to impersonate a sexbot?"

Next to her, Wyatt snorted. "Good one. I've heard of a sexpot, but a sex _bot_?"

Jai sent him a withering glance, then turned her attention back to Rainey. "That's the politically correct name for these sex robots, isn't it, Commander?"

Rainey grunted.

"He's requested certain specifics," Anson Carron spoke up. "Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Lean, athletic build."

Jai let out a relieved breath. "Well, that rules me out then. I'm brown-haired and brown-eyed."

"Easily fixed," her boss pointed out. "You fit the most important characteristic: athletic build. We can't fake that, but we can correct the other things with hair dye and contact lenses."

Uneasy, Jai leaned forward in her chair. "Sir, do you really believe a man who can have any model of girl he wants, would pick a B-cup and not a triple-D? For a _sexbot?_ Come on, Commander. Are you sure Callex is even serious about this?"

Rainey stroked his chin thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "Well, we'll have our answer on Monday, if he shows up at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir. Until then, prepping you for the assignment is the way we're going to proceed. That is, if you're agreeable."

Jai scowled. There was absolutely no way she was going to volunteer for this. Have sex on command? Not a chance. Not even to bring down a man they'd long been after for suspected weapons smuggling. Besides, she could never pass for a sexbot. She had a _heartbeat_ , for Christ's sake! "Why don't you send in a real Doll for the job?"

"Because the whole point is to get information out of him," Rainey answered. "A robot can't be programmed to be clever. We need someone to coax him into spilling his secrets."

"With all due respect, Commander," Wyatt interjected. "Callex is locked up tighter than a penitentiary. Security is everything in his line of work. It's not realistic to think he's going to give away top secret information while in the throes of passion."

"You haven't met my Dolls," Carron mumbled.

Rainey ignored the remark. "Maybe not during sex, no. But haven't you heard of pillow talk? Read your history books. Greater men have been brought down by baring their souls during that post-coital sense of euphoria. I want Jai to build a relationship with him, gain his trust."

In response, Jai re-crossed her arms and legs. There was no way – absolutely none – that she was going to be anyone's personal sex toy.

Rainey sighed into the stubborn silence. "Do I really need to play the Joran Breaux card with either of you?"

A spark of anger shot through Jai, even as she heard Wyatt shift uncomfortably on his chair. Joran was the second – and definitely much more _personal_ – reason they were after Marque Callex. Joran had been sent in to infiltrate Callex Industries from the inside, to discover how one of the government's top weapons contractors was secretly diverting arms to militant countries. Joran's cover as an employee had seemed secure until two months ago, when the police force had lost contact with him on the very day he'd scheduled a meeting with Marque Callex. Three weeks later, Joran's body had turned up – in pieces – in a recycling center a hundred clicks away.

Joran had been Wyatt's partner before Jai.

Jai would relish the chance to avenge the death of a fellow Tau Cetus agent, but was becoming a sex slave really the best way to do it?

"How do we know Jai won't end up the same way Joran did? _Dead?"_ Wyatt rasped. Raw emotion was clear in his voice.

"Because we're embedding you as the Beautiful Dolls concierge," Rainey answered. "You'll be there secretly taping the sessions, close by to protect her if things get out of control."

"Good God," Jai balked. "You plan to _record_ the sex encounters with Callex?"

Rainey scowled. "You know how long we've been trying to get to Marque Callex. This may be our best chance. But if you're not up to it, Turner, I'll find another female agent with athletic build who's more committed to her job."

"I'm committed to my job, Commander," she protested hotly.

Rainey waved a hand. "I probably shouldn't have even offered it to you two. Wyatt is too close to this case. I just thought he'd want a crack at the guy who murdered his partner. But you're right, Turner. Wyatt could very well be a liability."

"I didn't say –" _Fuck._ Now the Commander was accusing her of letting down the force _and_ her new partner. The guy was a master manipulator.

Silence stretched in the room while Jai considered her options. Her very _limited_ options. As in, none. _Shit._ "I'll do it."

"What?"

Jai's mouth set into a mulish line. What real choice did she have? Marque Callex needed to be stopped. "I said I'll do it. If this is our best – and possibly _only_ – chance to get to him, well, then, I'm in."

Rainey blew out a breath, as if he hadn't really believed his attempt to convince her would work. Wyatt, on the other hand, didn't look half so relieved.

"Are you sure, Jai? I want to nail this bastard as much as everyone else. Maybe more so, since Joran was my partner. But even I think this sex scheme is asking too much of you." He turned to Rainey, swallowed hard, and threw a quick glance at Carron. "How about sending _me?_ "

Their guest shook his head. "He didn't choose that option. He doesn't want a _masc_ bot, he wants a _fem_ bot."

"Besides," Rainey added, with a meaningful look at Wyatt, "I was serious when I said you're too close to this situation. We don't want you killing Callex before we can find out how he's siphoning arms to rebel countries."

Jai sighed, and gave Wyatt an attempt at a smile. "It's all right. Really. You'll have my back, right partner?"

The worried frown on Wyatt's brow didn't ease.

"All right then," Rainey said, moving on now that the decision had been made. "Wyatt, I think it's best if you leave us for a few minutes. Mr. Carron has some questions for Turner that are rather, um, _personal_. Pull the door closed behind you."

Wyatt stood reluctantly, gave Rainey and Carron an equally troubled glare, and then left. The oily Mr. Carron took the seat Wyatt had vacated, and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from a pocket of his rumpled brown corduroy jacket. In Jai's opinion, he looked much too excited about this scenario.

Pervert.

"Remember, Turner, this is your job," Rainey cautioned. "Marque Callex is playing a dangerous game with his double dealings. The fate of our world could literally be in your hands. Keep that in mind, and forget about your modesty."

Jai scowled. It was hard to believe she could save the planet by having sex with a stranger.

Carron was nodding his agreement with something else Rainey had said. "Yes. No need for modesty here. I see naked women in my job all the time."

"Those are _robots_ ," Jai growled. _Asshole._

Carron cleared his throat. "Yes. True. Well, then. Shall we begin?" He threw a glance at Rainey. "Are you staying, Commander? As you mentioned, my questions are rather personal."

Rainey's jaw tightened. "I'm staying to make sure you keep everything aboveboard, Carron. This is a police case, not one of your usual prostitution arrangements."

Carron shrugged indifferently, then flipped open his yellow pad and turned to Jai. "I need to get some preliminary information." He squinted at his notes. "Now then, when was the last time you had sex?"

Jai's eyes narrowed. "What the hell has that got to do with this assignment?"

"You're supposed to be a virgin model, our latest version, fresh off the assembly line," Carron explained. "So this is important. How long has it been since you've had sex?"

_Shit._ Jai supposed that explanation made sense, given the situation. Still, her mouth pulled down into a scowl. "A year."

Carron seemed surprised by her answer, but he fought to keep his face impassive.

Bastard pervert. My sex life is my own affair. How the hell was she going to work with this guy?

"All right, then," Carron replied. "You should be tight enough to fool him. No need for a little nip and tuck down there."

A nip and tuck? Down there? No fucking way...

Carron's pen scribbled something on the pad. "Next. Pubic hair."

Jai's eyebrow arched. "What?"

"Mr. Callex didn't specify a preference, even though we gave him a choice of natural, bikini wax, landing strip or sphinx. Our trademark at Beautiful Dolls is an inverted triangular shape just above the genital area, which we like to say 'points the way to pleasure!' So that's what you'll get. We'll wax you into the perfect design and dye you blonde to match your new hair color." Carron paused, eyeing her groin curiously. "Unless, of course, you're currently hairless?"

Jai slouched in her chair. "The triangle will be fine."

Carron made a note on his pad. "Next. Anal sex?"

"What?"

"Are you an anal virgin?"

She threw a desperate glance at Rainey. "Commander..."

He sighed. "Just answer the question, Turner."

Jai slouched further down into her chair, her scowl deepening. "Yes."

"Well, we offer our clients anything they want. So you can't balk if he prefers a little anal play."

"Fucking hell," she mumbled under her breath.

"And how are you at fellatio? All our models are experts."

"Oh, for the love of—"

"Not to worry," Carron assured her quickly. "We can teach you everything you'll need to know."

An uncomfortable thought occurred to Jai. "Wait a minute. What if he prefers serious... _kink_? As in...hurting me? He'll be under the impression I'm a machine."

Carron shook his head. "Not allowed. He can't damage the merchandise. That will be made clear to him. But we do provide a wide range of sex toys, so things could get a little... interesting."

Jai swallowed hard.

Commander Rainey shoved a hand through his hair. "Turner, let's be clear. This is what you're agreeing to. You know what Marque Callex is. What he's capable of. What he did to a fellow agent."

"But commander—"

"How many times in the past three months since Joran Breaux's death have you asked me to be part of the team to take Callex down? Well, now you _are_ the team."

Jai froze, the enormity of this assignment finally sinking in. Marque Callex was a powerful man. Guarded. Protected. Tau Cetus's finest hadn't been able to get near him. But now _she was the team?_ For a moment, she couldn't move.

"You're creeping me out, Turner," Rainey said. "Move. Blink. Do something. I hate when you freeze up like that. It's unnatural."

Frankly, it's no wonder she froze. This whole scenario was enough to send _anyone_ into shock. "Bad habit," she mumbled. "Wyatt hates it, too."

"No," said Carron, looking at her thoughtfully. "Actually, it's good. We can use that. It makes you seem almost...robotic." He scribbled another note on his pad. "One last thing. Any surgeries, incisions, birth marks, visible scars?"

Jai shook her head. She'd been lucky; five years on the force and not an injury yet.

Carron flipped his notebook closed. "It doesn't really matter. We'll be coating you in a thin layer of polymer before each session, to cover your skin. We want you to look human, but not _too_ human. You're supposed to be a robot, after all."

"Yeah, about that," Jai said wryly. "How the hell do you seriously expect me to pull this off?"

Carron smiled complacently. "Just give me this weekend, and you'll be ready for your assignment on Monday."

As it turned out, he wasn't kidding.

Jai barely had time to come to terms with this plan to bring down Marque Callex before her life spiraled into the Twilight Zone. She spent all Friday morning at a hair salon with Carron, getting her no-nonsense shoulder-length brown hair dyed blonde, then cut and styled under his guidance into a straight, razor-cut bob that looked chic and sophisticated. Friday afternoon, her other hair was dyed to match.

Saturday was endured with an aesthetician who diligently worked under Carron's direction to wax her into the Beautiful Dolls trademark inverted 'triangle' shape, while expertly – if painfully – removing all other hair from her body, including her arms and leg hair. Carron also insisted injections of Botox were necessary in her armpits to prevent her from sweating, since sweating and body odor were two very human attributes his sexbots would never exhibit. While he was at it, he ordered additional Botox to take care of what he called her 'too expressive' forehead.

And as if all that weren't difficult enough, on Sunday the sex lessons began.

Despite her distaste at this assignment, Jai couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw when she arrived at the Beautiful Dolls factory.

Carron led her through the production room floor, where robot models of every height and body shape stood in various stages of readiness. Male. Female. Blondes, brunettes, redheads. Thin, voluptuous, athletic. Females with a range of breast shapes, and males with every size penis imaginable. _Erect_ penises, of course. And the eeriest part was that the Dolls were more lifelike – even in their immobility – than Jai would have thought possible.

Stopping to touch one as they passed by, Jai would have been hard pressed to say the thin membrane covering the machinery wasn't actually _skin._ Except, maybe, for the slightly luminous sheen of it.

"Every sexual fantasy can be fulfilled by a Beautiful Doll," Carron informed her as they walked, obviously mistaking her interest in the Dolls. "For a price."

Next it was on to the programming lab, where a man in a blue polo shirt and khaki pants typed feverishly at a keyboard. Next to him stood a naked Doll, connected by a single cable leading from the side of her head to his computer.

Jai stopped in her tracks and stared at the Doll. Now _this_ was what Marque Callex should have ordered. The Doll had gorgeous, flowing red hair. Easily double-D breasts. Curvy hips that would cradle a man while he sank himself deep inside her. Hell, even the Doll's lips were full and pouty, an unspoken invitation if ever Jai saw one. The robot screamed _sex;_ it was the embodiment of sin. Jai could imagine a man wanting to fuck a woman like this in every way possible.

She's not a woman. She's a freaking robot!

Still, she – _it_ – was absolutely gorgeous.

Carron made the introduction. "This is Titus Veraine, my chief programmer."

The man at the keyboard absently nodded in her direction, then went back to his typing.

"And _this_ ," Carron continued, with a wave of his hand, "is Ginger, our most popular model."

Jai turned her attention back to the Doll. Gorgeous Ginger was Beautiful Dolls' most popular sexbot? Jai could certainly believe it.

"Ginger is here to... _help out_ ... today." Carron smiled a salacious smile that twisted Jai's stomach into a small knot. He glanced at the programmer. "Titus, are you ready with the instructions?"

Veraine leaned back from his console and nodded. He reached over to a nearby printer and grabbed a handful of papers. Swiveling in his chair toward Jai, he took his first real look at her, his eyes blatantly assessing her body like Carron's had done in Commander Rainey's office. "Not bad," he said to Carron. "We can work with this."

"Watch it, asshole," Jai warned. "I'm human. And I'm standing right here. Don't talk about me like I'm one of your Dolls."

Veraine shrugged. "Whatever. But I'd recommend you check the attitude, lady. No one's going to want sex with a sharp-tongued bitch."

Jai swallowed uncomfortably. Veraine was right. She'd have to change her behavior from sour to sweet if she was going to successfully seduce Marque Callex. Dear God. This case was going to be the toughest assignment of her career.

Veraine waved the sheaf of papers toward her. "I've printed out everything we'll be doing today, so you can review them later. Right now, we'll start at the beginning. With fellatio."

Fellatio? _Damn._ Jai was far from a virgin, but she had a feeling that what she was about to learn under the tutelage of Carron's sex expert today would be eye-opening.

"I'll explain things first, and then we'll do a demonstration." Veraine leaned toward the Doll and carefully unhooked the cable from her head. "Ginger? Say hello to Jai."

The Doll slowly opened her eyes.

Jai blinked in surprise. The sexbot's eyes were a deep, emerald green, and had an almost starburst quality to them. Ginger's eyes were downright beautiful, so beautiful that Jai imagined a man could easily drown in them.

"Hello, Jai," Ginger purred.

Jai's eyes opened even wider. The sexbot's voice was a verbal caress, smooth as silk. Those two simple words were an erotic come-on in themselves. _Good lord._ Did men regularly fall in love with these Dolls?

No knowing whether she was supposed to answer the sexbot, Jai threw a questioning glance at Veraine, who nodded. Jai cleared her throat. "Hello, Ginger."

The Doll actually smiled.

Too freaky.

"She's programmed to respond to verbal commands," Veraine explained. "And to pick up on verbal or physical cues." He spoke as if having an artificial naked women standing next to him was nothing out of the ordinary.

It's not. It's his job. And she's a machine. Get a grip, Jai.

"Now," Veraine said. "First lesson. Fellatio. The secret to amazing fellatio is for the woman to suck the man's penis like a baby would suck its thumb – hard, fast and strong. None of this slow licking up one side and down the other, or sliding it in and out of your mouth." He gestured to Jai's hand. "Try it. Stick your thumb in your mouth and suck."

Jai raised a dubious eyebrow, but she was here to lose the attitude and learn the lessons – as Veraine had pointed out – so she did as he suggested. But she nearly choked when Veraine reached between his legs and started stroking himself while watching her.

Veraine shook his head. "Ignore me. It's just part of the job."

Ignore his penis, which was visibly stiffening? _If he thinks I'm going to practice on him, he's got another thing coming. Job or no job._ Luckily, Jai's training in Zavian street fighting combat – among other martial arts – guaranteed Veraine wouldn't stand a chance if he tried anything with her.

"Suck," he ordered. "Suck as hard and as fast as you can. Think of a vacuum cleaner."

Veraine's voice was detached, matter-of-fact, not sexually excited in the least. Jai tried to frown, but yesterday's Botox injection had successfully frozen her forehead.

How the hell was she was supposed to suck her thumb with the strength of a vacuum cleaner? Still, she practiced as best she could, settling into a rhythm while Veraine continued to stroke himself

"Good. Keep going." He turned to the Doll. "Ginger? Come here. Demonstrate fellatio."

Veraine quickly unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them down to his knees. Jai's thumb stilled in her mouth as she watched, wide-eyed, while the high-end Doll complacently knelt in front of Veraine and demonstrated her perfect technique on his now-erect penis. Despite herself, Jai watched in fascination as the Doll's checks sucked in and puffed out at a remarkable pace, over and over. Jai would never be able to perform at the speed Ginger did, but then, Veraine only lasted about fifteen seconds before he groaned loudly and exploded in the Doll's mouth. Hopefully, Marque Callex would still be satisfied if Jai took thirty seconds to achieve the same effect.

Veraine zipped himself up as he struggled to catch his breath. " _Mmm_. One of the perks of the job," he admitted with a too-satisfied grin.

Jai's eyes narrowed.

Veraine ignored the look of disapproval. "Now. Obviously you won't be able to perform at the 19-mile-per-hour rate Ginger does, but that's fine. Callex thinks he's getting the most lifelike, realistic Doll to roll off our assembly line. Real women don't perform at inhuman speeds. This fellatio technique is failsafe, trust me, but if you happen to need an extra push to send him over the edge..."

Jai waited.

"There's a spot at the base of a man's cock where if you apply pressure with one or two fingers – especially when he's almost at the edge of his control – it'll result in an orgasm that'll blow his mind." Veraine looked down at the Doll, who was still on her knees in front of him. "Ginger? Demonstrate fellatio 2 on Mr. Carron."

Jai glanced next to her. She'd completely forgotten about the oily Anson Carron, who'd apparently enjoyed the recent Veraine/Ginger blow show immensely, and was now standing with his pants around his ankles, stroking his own erect penis.

Ugh. _Men._ They could be so disgusting.

Ginger took two short steps on her knees over to the Beautiful Dolls owner, and took him into her mouth. Ten seconds of high-powered sucking, accompanied by her two-fingered pressure at the base of Carron's cock, and the show was over.

Watching it, Jai felt sick. Prostitution was the world's oldest profession, true, but could it really be passed off – and _accepted_ – as everyday commerce just because the prostitutes these days were robots?

Obviously, Anson Carron thought so. According to Commander Rainey, it was a highly profitable business.

"Next lesson. Anal sex."

You need to treat this assignment like a job, Jai. It's the only way you'll get through it unscathed.

Right. It was just another case. One that would save the world and avenge the death of a fellow Tau Cetus agent, as long as she could sexually satisfy the world's most powerful arms dealer and get him to spill top secret information. No pressure there.

"Ginger?" Veraine called to the Doll. "Get ready for anal sex."

Still on her knees, Ginger dutifully dropped onto her hands, giving both men and Jai a view of her perfect backside.

Jai silently groaned. Was she really going to have to watch as Veraine screwed Ginger doggie-style now?

"Another perk of the job?" She threw the sarcastic comment in Veraine's general direction.

"Tempting," he answered, "but I can't recover that quickly." He was obviously referring to the amazing blow job the Doll had just given him. "And if _you_ do fellatio right, Callex might not need anything else from you that first day either."

Jai raised an eyebrow. Hmm. Callex might use her just _once?_ Was the fellatio technique really that good? She'd definitely have to go home and practice sucking her thumb.

Veraine reached into a drawer of his desk and slowly drew out a life-sized silicone penis.

"Oh, come on," Jai protested. "Can't you just _tell_ me what to do during anal sex, without having to demonstrate it?" She didn't know why she felt so uncomfortable for the Doll and what it was about to endure – it was just a _machine_ , for God's sake!

That's the problem with them looking so life-like.

Veraine shrugged. "Whatever you want." He put down the dildo. "The trick to great anal sex for a guy is...once he's inside you and moving... clench your muscles for a tighter fit. Guaranteed to drive him over the edge."

Jai nodded. "I can do that."

Veraine glanced at the doll. "Ginger? Cow position."

Already on all fours, the Doll immediately let her belly sink toward the floor, while wiggling her backside in the air. Good God. Except for the wiggle, Jai recognized this pose. It was yoga. The 'dog tilt' position.

"This angle will help a man sink deeper inside you, while looking like you're offering yourself up to him," Veraine explained. "Guys can't resist it. And again, like the two-finger pressure in fellatio, it's only meant as an extra push toward pleasure." He nodded. "And there's another position that will take his cock even deeper. Ginger? Congress of a cow."

The Doll stood and then bent over at the waist with her hands touching the floor, her backside once again high in the air. Her glorious waves of red hair cascaded over the floor as she turned her head to throw an inviting smile their way.

Veraine waved a hand. "This works for both vaginal and anal sex. Men love it. It's right out of the Kama Sutra."

"Oh, great," Jai complained. "In addition to all these lessons, now I have to go home and bone up on the world's oldest sex manual?"

Carron snorted from the corner. " _Bone up._ Ha ha. Good one. _"_

Jai felt her teeth clench.

Veraine lifted a shoulder. "These are just a few tricks to keep in reserve, in case you need something to blow his mind. But there is one last demonstration, and this one is important." He glanced at the Doll. "Ginger? On the couch. I want the elephant posture."

The Doll complied by standing upright and then heading for a long sofa positioned against one wall of the computer lab. She lay down on the seat cushion on her stomach, with her legs slightly parted. Veraine didn't take off his trousers this time, but he went over and mounted her, lying on top of her with his legs between hers, and pretended to penetrate her. Jai frowned as he built a rhythm of simulated thrusting. What was this supposed to show?

And then she heard it. Quietly at first, but then louder. The Doll was actually gasping, moaning. As if she was... _enjoying sex_! The little noises sounded completely natural, and grew louder as she squirmed, sighed, whimpered, begged, swore, and finally screamed in pleasure before going completely still on the couch.

Jai felt the color drain from her face.

Veraine stood. "She's programmed to 'come' only once the client has, but you will have to respond to Callex as if you're enjoying what he's doing. It's a real turn-on for a man to think he can make even a machine _feel._ It's one of the best-kept secrets of our Dolls. _"_

_Fucking hell._ Jai felt numb, heavy, almost rooted to the floor where she stood.

"You're looking a little... overwhelmed," Anson Carron said. He crossed the room to pick up the pile of papers from next to the printer, and handed them to her. "This is probably a lot to process. Go home and study. And then have a good night's sleep. I'll see you tomorrow at noon at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir downtown."

Jai didn't answer. She couldn't. She was so close to losing it that she was barely able to control her shaking as she followed Titus Veraine to the building exit.

How the hell was she going to go through with this? It was one thing to agree to sexually service Marque Callex in order to get information out of him, but how in God's name was she supposed to _feign pleasure_ while being fucked by her enemy?

Impossible. She'd been counting on the fact that she was supposed to be a machine not to have to react to him at all. In fact, it was the only way she could see to mentally protect herself from the degradation of this assignment. Yes. She'd planned to divorce herself entirely from what he was doing to her.

But to have to pretend to enjoy it? Heaven help her.

A cold shiver of dread ran down her spine.

# Chapter Two

In the back seat of his missile-proof town car, Marque Callex absently turned the 4x6 ecru-colored, gold-embossed invitation card over and over between his fingers.

He'd heard of Beautiful Dolls – was there anyone on Tau Cetus who hadn't? – but he'd never availed himself of its services. Never had the need to, in the past. And never had the time to, these days. Work was his mistress now. And a demanding mistress she was.

He tossed the invitation onto the seat beside him and reached up to loosen the blue silk tie gracing his tailor-made and perfectly pressed white cotton shirt. He'd ditched the jacket of his bespoke navy suit as soon as he'd climbed into the car.

Taking a deep breath, he counted to five, and then slowly let the air out. Unfortunately, it didn't help to ease the tension in his body.

God, what he wouldn't give for a scotch on the rocks.

He reached up with one hand to massage the nape of his neck. Glancing at his antique Rolex as he brought his hand back down, he noted the time. 12:20. His appointment was for 12:30.

What the hell had made him accept the Beautiful Dolls invitation? He was insane to even consider it with the mountain of work waiting for him back at his office. Production deadlines. Shipment scheduling. Security arrangements.

_Especially_ the security arrangements.

Hell, he could work day and night. But it was that very fact which had precipitated this decision.

He needed to relax. A clear mind was a sharp mind. And there was a lot on his mind these days.

So. What better way to unwind than with a week of free, no-commitment, no-holds-barred sex, in return for giving that lewd purveyor of prostitution Anson Carron feedback on how his newest model of sex robot performed?

Marque's mouth twisted into a wry line.

He'd admit, when the invitation had first arrived, he'd been instantly suspicious. No good businessman gave away his merchandise for free. So what was really behind the offer? Marque knew Beautiful Dolls was legit; it had been around for almost two decades. Was it in trouble financially? That seemed unlikely. Sex sells. Always had, from time immemorial. In fact, next to Marque's line of work, Carron's was probably the most profitable. And undoubtedly far safer. He'd lay odds that Anson Carron didn't have to travel around in a missile-proof car.

But if Beautiful Dolls _was_ in financial jeopardy, then Carron's strategy became clear. This free week with a sexbot was a loss leader of sorts, intended to lure in high-end businessmen like Marque, maybe even addict them to Beautiful Dolls' sexual services. If that happened, Carron might be able to raise the profile of his company as a result of having such an elite clientele. As a fellow capitalist, Marque could understand that strategy.

But no one was going to addict Marque Callex to artificial sex. He'd carefully seen to that when filling out his answers to the Beautiful Dolls questionnaire. He planned to simply use the sex machine for his own pleasure, and be done with it in a week. All he needed was a little stress relief.

And he'd purposely scheduled these five sessions at Beautiful Dolls during lunch time. It might not be his usual routine to leave his office, but no one would question if he went out for lunch, right? He just wouldn't mention where he happened to be going, or that he wouldn't technically be eating.

Or who might be eating me...

In the back seat of his car, Marque smiled. Yes, he was looking forward meeting this Beautiful Doll sexbot.

"We're pulling up, sir."

Marque nodded toward his driver/bodyguard Bursus, and then glanced out the tinted car window. As per standard operating procedure, Bursus made a slow circuit past the private parking area behind the Beautiful Dolls building, in order to survey the location. Bursus was checking for ambush areas. Kidnapping potential. Sniper vantage points.

Marque Callex had enemies.

Another reason he rarely went out to lunch.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe the Beautiful Dolls invitation had arrived at exactly the right time.

#

"He's here."

Leith Wyatt delivered the news to Jai in her private room at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir. If Jai hadn't been a nervous wreck before, the announcement that her target had just arrived set her already jumpy pulse racing.

Wyatt gave her an attempt at a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and then jerked his hand away. "Shit. That stuff they coated you with makes your skin feel... rubbery, almost. And you're glowing."

Jai looked down at her oddly luminous arm. "It's a thin compound that's supposed to mimic synthetic skin. Or at least mimic it enough to convince Callex that my skin isn't real. It's a diversionary tactic, actually. To distract him."

"It's weird."

Jai couldn't agree more. She'd spent the entire morning having every inch of her body coated and prepped and primped for this meeting with Callex. The things Carron's staff had done to her – some of them very, very intimate things – Jai never wanted repeated after this week was up.

"Carron is out in the concierge area welcoming Callex," Wyatt continued. "He sent me to supposedly give you a final once-over before the two of them come in here. Are you okay?"

Jai arched an eyebrow. How on earth could she possibly be okay? The fate of the world might literally rest on how good a fuck she could be. On how carefully she could build trust and cleverly wrangle information out of one of the most notoriously secretive arms dealer on the planet. She was most definitely _not_ okay.

Wyatt saw the look on her face. "I probably should have said, are you _ready?_ "

Jai grimaced. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Wyatt nodded. "Carron recommends that you sit in a chair with your eyes closed. That way, you can stay very still until he calls your name. At that point, open your eyes slowly, and follow his lead."

Jai swallowed hard. She distinctly remembered how Ginger had opened her eyes when Titus Veraine had activated her yesterday by calling her name. Jai also wryly remembered how Ginger had blindly obeyed all of Veraine's instructions, and Jai dearly hoped that Carron wasn't planning on giving Marque Callex a preliminary demonstration of every sexual skill she was capable of before today's session even began. Performing for one man was going to be difficult enough, but performing for two?

Wyatt threw an uneasy glance toward the door. "I should probably be getting back out there. Callex brought his guerilla of a bodyguard with him. Just remember, I'll be secretly recording everything that goes on in this room. I'll always be close by. There's no chance Callex will hurt you. Just get the information out of him as soon as you can, and this will all be over with. His admission will be the evidence we need."

Jai had a feeling it wouldn't be quite as easy as that.

Wyatt gave her a last once-over. "You know, if I didn't know you were human, I'd doubt it myself. Carron did a good job. You're beautiful with that blonde hair, but you look... _other-worldly_. Besides your weird skin, your eyes are like blue starbursts. I never knew contact lenses could do that."

"Let's just hope I fool Callex."

Wyatt shrugged. "Carron thinks Marque Callex will believe you're a robot simply because we've told him you are one. He has no reason to doubt it. Plus, he's never been to Beautiful Dolls before, so he has nothing to compare you to. But if you get the feeling he's starting to suspect something, try that trick of yours where you freeze up completely. The one that drives me crazy. If _that_ doesn't convince him you're a robot, nothing will. Good luck."

Wyatt gave her hand a squeeze, then turned and left the room. Jai watched uneasily as the door swung shut. _Don't think of that closing door as sealing your fate!_ As she felt panic start to rise, she forced her gaze to wander around the room. The minimalist Zen-like setting – with its tranquil fountain bubbling softly in the corner, its calming blonde wood furniture, and its dim mood lighting – did nothing to settle her nerves. After all, there was a wall of sex toys hidden behind the delicate rice-paper Shoji screen just behind her.

And then there was the king-sized platform bed that dominated the room...

Breathe. Just breathe.

She took a seat in a hard-backed armchair near the bed and closed her eyes. The firm chair helped her maintain an immobile position while she tried to remember her yoga mantra. _I am_ on the in breath; _relaxed_ on the out breath. _I am...relaxed_.

By the fifth breath, it had helped a little.

Wyatt hadn't said anything about her outfit, but the translucent scrap of silk she was wearing was designed to be yet another tactic to distract Marque Callex from investigating too closely whether she was an actual robot. She'd wrapped the thin, diaphanous rectangular piece of material around her naked body like a sarong, and tied the two ends behind her neck. One tug on the knot, and the garment would come undone, but if Callex wanted a tease, he would also be able to slip his hands easily beneath the wrapped material. Especially since it was short enough to barely reach the tops of her thighs.

Or, if voyeurism was his thing, he could just admire the view through the nearly see-through silk.

Dear God. She was a Beautiful Doll. A sex toy. Every inch of her was designed to excite and entice a man.

Don't panic!

I am relaxed. I am...relaxed.

I... am...relaxed.

Her breath moderated, her heart slowed, and then the door to the room opened, ruining her attempt at calm.

Keeping her eyes closed, she heard footsteps cross the floor.

"This room and this Doll will be yours for the five sessions that you're with us," Carron was explaining to Marque Callex. "And here," the slide of wood on wood told Jai that Carron had apparently rolled back the Shoji screen, "here you'll find everything you might need to make the experience even more enjoyable. Handcuffs, ropes, blindfolds, whips, paddles, gag balls, nipple clamps, bondage collars, vibrators, dildos. If there's something you fancy and it's not here, just let me know. You're free to fulfill any fantasy, as long as you don't damage the Doll."

Jai tried not to panic at the thought of the wicked sex games Marque Callex might dream up for her. _Just breathe, Jai. You've got to do this!_ She heard their footsteps come near, and then stop next to her.

"This is our J-class model Beautiful Doll. Jai? Say hello to Marque Callex."

Show time.

I can do this.

Remembering her instructions, Jai very slowly opened her eyes and looked up. "Hello, Marque Callex," she purred, in her best imitation of Ginger's sexy voice.

She was gratified to see Callex's eyes go wide.

"Stand up," Carron ordered.

Jai stood slowly.

"Now give us a nice turn, all the way around." As Jai gave Marque Callex a chance to look at her from every angle, Carron continued. "You can call her J. She's our newest model, fresh out of the factory. Designed to be our most lifelike Doll yet, and physically tailored as per your instructions. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Athletic build. She's so advanced we've programmed her to feign breathing, hell, we've even given her a pseudo-heartbeat! She responds to verbal commands and some visual cues. And, of course, she's programmed for pleasure. Your feedback on how she performs will be appreciated. Now. Any questions before I leave you two alone?"

Jai had finished her slow pirouette, and was once again staring at Marque Callex. She'd seen shadowy surveillance pictures of him, of course – the recluse never had a picture taken voluntarily – but they hadn't done him justice. He was actually a very attractive man. Mid-thirties. Black hair, grey eyes, and a square don't-fuck-with-me jaw. There was a deep frown that seemed permanently etched between his brows, but aside from that, he looked to be in fine physical shape. Jai relaxed slightly. Until this moment, she hadn't realized that subconsciously she'd feared Marque Callex might be physically repulsive on top of everything else.

"I have no questions," Callex said smoothly. "In fact, I find myself eager to get started."

Carron nodded. "Very well. We'll let you know when your hour's up. Oh, and by the way, this room is _soundproofed._ Anything you do here is private. Enjoy yourself."

With that ominous statement, the oily owner of Beautiful Dolls left Jai in the hands of Tau Cetus' most notorious arms dealer.

Jai's nerves rushed back in. _I am relaxed. I am...relaxed. I...am...relaxed. I am –_ _shit!_

Marque Callex was staring at her intently. "Hello, J."

Jai swallowed. _Play your part, Jai!_ "Hello, Marque Callex." Her voice was not quite as sultry this time, but at least she'd kept her delivery slow and deliberate. As if she _were_ relaxed.

"Call me Marque."

"Hello, Marque."

He paused, still staring at her closely. "I didn't believe Anson Carron's boast, but he was right. You're astonishingly lifelike." He reached out to take her right hand in his, examining it, turning it over, palm up, then tracing the line of a vein on the inside of her wrist with his left index finger. "Amazing. Such detail." His fingertip stroked back and forth across the delicate blue line of her vein. "If I cut you here, would you bleed, I wonder?"

_Dear God._ Was Wyatt listening to this? He was supposed to protect her if things got out of hand.

Jai thought fast. "If you cut me, I would... _leak._ Synthetic XP201b lubricant. But you're not allowed to damage the merchandise, Marque."

His reaction was priceless. His eyes widened as if he was surprised that she'd responded at all, and downright stunned at the cheekiness of her response. Then he actually laughed. Well, to be honest, it sounded more like a rusty bark. As if he didn't have much opportunity to laugh. But it did momentarily ease that deep frown etched between his eyebrows.

"Right," he acknowledged. "No damaging the Doll. Got it."

Jai kept her expression neutral, but she was silently relieved. She'd obviously succeeded in disarming him. Relaxing him. Maybe even establishing a teasing rapport with him.

All good.

Maybe it would only take one day to get information out of him, and this unpleasant case could be over with.

He dropped her hand, and turned to strip off his suit jacket, throwing it negligently on the bed. He pulled at his tie, letting it join the jacket on the mattress. Opening the top button of his white shirt, he turned back to her.

Jai kept her eyes trained on his face, but she was peripherally aware of black chest hairs peeking out of his new neckline.

"That's better," he said lightly. "More comfortable. Now... let me get a closer look at you." He ran his eyes up and down her. "That thing you're wearing is a helluva tease. I can almost see your body through it. Almost. But not quite."

_Let's try again for a flirty rapport._ She gave him what she hoped was a saucy smile. "This garment is _designed_ to tease you, Marque."

One of his eyebrows arched, and he watched her closely. "Well, it's working." He paused again.

After a moment of prolonged silence, Jai fought the urge to bite her lip nervously. "Is there something wrong, Marque?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly. I just didn't expect you to be a... conversationalist. Far less a witty one. It's almost like you have a... _personality_. Are you programmed that way?"

Damn, should she just be standing here silently? What hadn't she asked Carron? She had no previous experience impersonating a robot, but if she was expected to keep her mouth shut entirely, how the hell was she going to get Marque to open up and confide his secrets to her?

Too soon. It's just too soon. He needs to like you first, and then trust you second. Baby steps, Jai.

"I'm programmed to be anything you want, Marque."

He considered her standard-issue, very robot-like answer. "Hmm. Well, for right now at least, I want to sample the merchandise you're teasing me with. Take a step towards me."

She did, and then mentally braced herself. He reached out with one hand, and his fingers skimmed along the thin silk of her sarong, tracing the outline of one of her breasts, then shifting over to the other. Slowly, his fingers slid down her stomach, past her belly, and toward her groin. She knew where he was headed, but before he reached his goal between her legs, his fingers diverted to glide around her hip to her butt, squeezing one rear cheek experimentally.

His touch was...surprising. He was being tentative with her, almost gentle. Certainly not manhandling the merchandise, or eager to get right down to business, as she'd expected. It had been one year since Jai had been with a man, and Marque Callex's slow, teasing touch was having an effect on her.

Impossible. He's the enemy.

Right. It must be the result of the little white pill Carron's staff had given her to guarantee she'd be wet and ready for sex. Still, Jai didn't want Callex to know he was affecting her. _Yet._ Luckily, Marque was busy watching where his hand was roving.

Which gave her a chance to steal a glance at his groin. Oh, yes, this sarong thing she was wearing was _definitely_ working. On _him_.

"Very impressive," he murmured, straightening and gazing into her eyes. "I can almost feel the musculature beneath your synthetic skin. Now I want to touch you _without_ the wrapping."

He reached around to tug the knot at the back of her neck, divesting her of her sarong. The silk slid slowly down her body to puddle at her feet, startling her with its odd caress against her alien skin. The cool air of the room was replaced by Marque's hot gaze as he raked her now-naked body up and down, his eyes clearly judging, assessing. She struggled not to flinch in embarrassment as he walked slowly around for a back view, then came around to face her again.

He let out a low whistle. "Amazing. Carron fulfilled my body requirements exactly. If I put a bag over your head, you'd be perfect."

What? What the hell did _that_ mean?

Good thing the Botox injection Saturday had frozen Jai's forehead and prevented her attempt at a frown. Marque had specifically ordered a blue-eyed blonde, hadn't he? What was wrong with her?

Jai barely had time to consider the odd remark before Marque reached out a hand and cupped her naked breast, slowly stroking a calloused thumb back and forth across her nipple.

Jai sucked in a quiet breath.

_Such a weird feeling of skin on synthetic skin. Not unpleasant, just dulled a little._ She struggled to keep all reaction off her face as her body responded to his touch, her nipple rising and tightening in response to the rough stimulation.

She had two thoughts. First, why did a reclusive businessman have such a rough hand, and two, how come it felt so good on her nipple? Despite the pill Carron's staff had given her, this ordeal wasn't supposed to be _pleasurable_ , was it?

Marque Callex laughed again, staring at her nipple. "Incredible. Look at this. You're so responsive. Almost... _naturally_ responsive. And your breast fits perfectly into my hand."

So. He liked her body. She could capitalize on that, at least. "I am for you, Marque. I am what you ordered."

An enigmatic smile ghosted his lips as he eyed her groin. "What is this unique triangle... _design_ ...down here? I didn't order that."

"That's the Beautiful Dolls trademark, Marque," she informed him soberly, quoting Anson Carron. "It points the way to pleasure!"

She saw humor and desire warring on his face at her comment, but desire won. His grey eyes slowly darkened as his gaze drifted lazily across her body.

"Well then, maybe I should sample that pleasure."

He walked to stand behind her, and Jai heard the rustle of clothes as he obviously pulled his shirt from the waistband of his pants and roughly jerked the buttons open. Jai didn't dare turn around, but she sensed the impatient tug as his zipper slid open, and felt the waft of air as he quickly shoved his pants down his legs. The sound of two soft thumps were probably his shoes hitting the floor. Socks undoubtedly followed.

She barely had time to mentally fortify herself before he was pressing his naked body up against hers, his hard cock outlining itself against her backside, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. He reached around to cup one breast in each of his big hands, teasing her nipples, tugging them, squeezing, twisting until they were two tender, aching little peaks. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from moaning in pleasure.

It was too early to moan yet. That was her trump card.

So, instead, she let her head fall back onto his shoulder, hopefully signaling her surrender. She was rewarded by his sharp intake of breath.

" _Spread your legs."_

Obediently, she widened her stance. His fingers delved between her legs, gliding over her slick, recently-waxed skin to push deep into her sex. She was wet and hot, just as she'd expected.

" _Fuck."_ He ground his cock into her backside.

"I'm ready for you, Marque," she said calmly.

His hands left her body, but instead of fucking her from behind as she'd expected, he growled low in his throat. "On the bed. On your back."

She covered her surprise by keeping her back to him as she obediently climbed up onto the mattress on all fours, and then turned over to lie down on her back.

Dear God. He was standing at the foot of the bed, gloriously naked. His cool grey eyes blazed now with a hot passion, his muscular chest was covered with an interesting mat of fine black hair, and his cock...

Jai's mouth went dry.

"You have an amazing body, Marque," she said. And meant it.

He growled low in his throat again. "Spread your legs."

This is it. He's going to fuck you. Lie back and think of your job, Jai!

Jai swallowed, then did as he instructed. He mounted her quickly and entered her just as fast, and for the first time today she was grateful for Carron's little pill. Her wetness and Marque's driving determination took all the worry out of any potential problem with penetration after her year of abstinence.

Once inside her, however, he stilled.

Jai was smart enough to try to work this opportunity for all it was worth. "What do I feel like, Marque?"

He rocked his hips slowly, pushing her deeper into the mattress. "You feel... fucking amazing. Just like the real thing. You're so damned tight around me, almost like a real virgin. It makes me want to fuck you until I lose all control and shoot myself inside you."

His blunt words sent a tingle of excitement through her. She lifted her head from the mattress to look into his eyes. "Do it," she urged. "Fuck me, Marque."

His passion-fueled gaze cleared for the briefest instant. "Close your eyes. Don't talk."

So. He was treating her like the robot he thought she was. So much for establishing a relationship. Disappointed, Jai let her head fall back onto the mattress and she obediently shut her eyes. She struggled to keep still as Marque began to move inside her fast and hard, but when he slid his hands beneath her butt to tilt her up for a better angle of penetration, she couldn't stop her gasp of pleasure. Luckily, Marque's own cry was louder.

He buried his head in her shoulder and plunged deeper, faster, harder. Jai's hands clutched the bed cover and she clamped her mouth closed against any stray sounds. Dear God, his cock was perfect, and the hot friction he was building inside her was driving her crazy. He'd better come soon, or _she_ would, and ruin the whole robotic illusion. Hadn't Carron's staff considered this before they gave her that damned pill?

In desperation, she wrapped her legs around Marque's waist to pull him deeper inside her. With a rough shout, his body tensed, and then jerked convulsively. His hot seed flooded her, and then his full body weight collapsed on top of her.

His hot breath tickled her shoulder for a long minute before he managed to speak. _"That... was... fucking... amazing."_

Good for him, maybe, but she could barely breathe with all 180 pounds of him crushing her. "Mustn't...damage...the merchandise."

Marque's head lifted from her shoulder, and he stared curiously into her eyes. She pointed desperately to his body atop hers, and he seemed to get the message, because he let out another one of those rough laughs, then pulled out of her and rolled onto his back on the mattress. Throwing an arm over his eyes, he struggled to catch his breath while Jai inconspicuously tried to do the same.

What happened now? Was Jai expected to speak, or just lie here silently waiting for Marque to say something?

Close your eyes. Don't talk.

Jai considered what to do.

Frankly, she was still amazed that he'd fucked her missionary-style. Plain vanilla. Why did he need to come to Beautiful Dolls just to get laid in some non-kinky way? There must be a million women who'd jump into his bed at the drop of a hat. Women were drawn to powerful men, even if those men had questionable business practices.

But if Marque simply wanted to get laid in a generic way, this assignment might be bearable after all.

"Is it possible to turn you off?"

Jai turned her head on the mattress to look at Marque. The expression in his eyes was unreadable. "Turn me off?"

"Yes. Can I shut you down?"

"Why? Our hour is not yet up, Marque."

"Doesn't matter. I'm done with you."

Jai struggled to keep her face neutral. Hadn't she done her job? Hadn't he just said the sex was _fucking amazing_?

Was this assignment in jeopardy?

"Didn't I please you, Marque?"

"Just answer the question." His voice was rough now, and that frown was back between his brows. "Can I turn you off?"

Jai thought fast. No one on her team had considered this possibility. "I...can put myself into hibernation mode, but only Mr. Carron can turn me off."

"Fine." Marque sat up on the bed. "Put yourself in hibernation mode, then. I don't want to look at you."

Jai sat up, too. She reminded herself that she was a Beautiful Doll, programmed to follow instructions. She gave Marque a confused look, then scooted down the bed, picked her sarong up off the floor, stood, and wrapped the garment around herself. Without a backward look, she went to sit in the hard-backed chair next to the bed, and then slowly closed her eyes.

It was the closest thing to _hibernation_ she could think of.

She heard Marque climb out of the bed and slowly dress himself. The click of his shoes on the wood floor as he crossed the room echoed loudly in her ears. The sound of the door being flung open and hitting the wall behind it made her flinch.

Jai held her breath, waiting, straining to hear what he might say to Carron, but Marque Callex apparently left Beautiful Dolls without a single word.

# Chapter Three

Imbecile. Idiot.

Marque paced in his concrete-reinforced office, cursing himself for a fool. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since his session at Beautiful Dolls. He'd barely slept last night, and he couldn't seem to concentrate on work this morning. In fact, yesterday's encounter was all he could think about.

What a clever trap they'd laid for him!

_How do I feel?_ the Doll, J, had asked after he'd buried himself deep inside her. Not how does _it_ feel or how does _that_ feel, but how do _I_ feel.

She'd made things...personal.

Beautiful Dolls owner Anson Carron didn't want to addict him to sex. No. This was far more dangerous than that. This was addiction of another kind. A deeper kind. If Marque didn't look too closely at the Doll, he could almost believe she was real. A real woman, with a perfect body. His _ideal_ woman, in fact. Made to his exact specifications. Hell, only two minutes after he'd met her, he'd convinced himself the machine had a personality!

If you cut me, I would leak. Synthetic XP201b.

Marque had been stunned at her wryly humorous comment. But moments later, she'd followed it up with another zinger when he'd observed that her outfit was a tease.

_This garment is meant to tease you, Marque_ , she'd responded flirtatiously.

What the hell was wrong with him? Her answers had been nothing more than simple statements of fact. _He_ was the one who was interpreting them as _wit_.

But the topper had been the incredible sex. No human being could feel that good. That snug around him, gripping him, squeezing him. Hell, his cock was as hard as a rock right now just from the memory of how amazing it had felt. And when her strong robot thighs had urged him even deeper inside her, dear God, he'd lost his control.

Oh yes, this was dangerous indeed.

Could it be that he'd responded to her so forcefully because he'd recently been celibate? How long had it been, anyway, since he'd had sex?

He turned in his pacing, considering the question.

Six months? No, that wasn't possible. Could it really be half a year since he'd put aside Syretha and her unreasonable demands on his time?

He'd survived just fine since then, thank you very much. But God Almighty, J was infinitely better than any masturbation he'd indulged in.

And her post-coital joke yesterday about his body weight on top of her 'damaging the merchandise' was just another example of –

Stop it, Marque! It was not a joke. What the hell is wrong with you?

He shoved a hand through his hair.

Right. Exactly. What the hell was wrong with him that the one image he couldn't seem to shake was the vulnerable confusion on J's face when he'd ordered her into hibernation mode?

I'm done with you... I don't want to look at you.

He'd almost describe the look in her eyes as... _hurt._

Fuck.

He could see how Anson Carron made his money from addicting people to his extraordinary, astonishing machines.

But Marque Callex was no ordinary man. He would not fall into Carron's trap. He was _not_ going back to Beautiful Dolls.

Unless...

He slowed in his pacing, considering.

Unless it was to prove a point.

A firm knock on his door stopped his pacing in its tracks. He looked around, as if momentarily surprised at his surroundings.

_Damn. She's done it again._ He was thinking about the Doll, not about the pile of paperwork needing his urgent attention. The pile which even now leaned dangerously to one side, ready to spill over onto his polished, hand-crafted mahogany desk.

Knock.

Marque glanced at his door and scowled fiercely.

No one was allowed to bother him when his door was closed. _No one._ Not even his long-time, trusted assistant, Talesin. It was Marque's most sacred, unbreakable rule. A rule known to every one of his employees.

It was the only time Marque could have some peace.

And not even now, with that damned Doll invading my every thought.

The knock sounded again, louder this time, and to Marque's utter astonishment, the door eased slowly open.

Who in the hell would have the balls to—

"Marque? You okay?"

Chavis Smith's face peeked around the wooden door. He obviously saw the outraged expression on Marque's face, but nonetheless took a step into the room.

Employees had been fired for far less.

One of Chavis's blond eyebrows rose in question. "Bad mood?"

The remark was idiotic, but the man was not. He was searching for information. In the decade since he'd founded Callex Industries, Marque had a routine that he'd stuck to like clockwork. Personal gym at 5 a.m. Breakfast at 7 a.m. Office at 8 a.m. Then work until the work was done, however long it took.

"Where were you yesterday?" Smith asked, not so casually.

Marque scowled. If not for Chavis's position here and his personal claim on Marque... "I

went out to lunch."

"You never go out to lunch."

"I'm making an exception this week."

The information seemed to take Chavis aback. " _Every day_ this week? Where exactly are

you going?"

"None of your damned business."

Chavis eyed him suspiciously, and Marque couldn't blame him. Security was everything

in their line of work. And for Marque not to give Chavis a straight answer was a definite red flag.

Why did he feel loath to tell Chavis about Beautiful Dolls? Was he embarrassed? Did he think Chavis might want to join him? Did he irrationally want to keep J all for himself? Or was there something else...

This dance of distrust between them went both ways, after all.

Marque's mouth set into a hard line. "Just for the record, don't believe for one minute that being married to my sister gives you the right to come into this office without an invitation. Is that clear?"

Chavis held up his hands defensively. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You missed the daily production meeting this morning."

Fuck. Marque glanced at his antique watch. 11:30 a.m. He'd _never_ missed a production meeting. Ever.

The Doll had done it again.

He felt his face flush with anger. "Leave me."

This time, Chavis took the hint. With one last, assessing look, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Marque strode to the open doorway. Sitting at the desk in Marque's outer office, his assistant Talesin looked scared shitless, and rightfully so. He deserved Marque's wrath for having let Chavis pass.

But disciplining Talesin was at the bottom of Marque's list of priorities right now. He had a situation he had to take care of. He scowled at his assistant. "Have Bursus bring the car around. _Immediately."_

#

Would Marque Callex be back today?

After Callex had left yesterday, Carron's staff had stripped Jai of her silicone skin and contact lenses. What a relief it had been to shower away the telltale signs of her robot persona after that intense session!

Less easy to get rid of, however, were her troubling reactions to the man.

She'd found Marque Callex attractive. Gentle in his handling of her. Exciting as a lover, almost making her come. He'd even laughed at the things she'd said – laughter that had erased the deep frown etched between his eyebrows and transformed his entire face.

He was definitely not the hardened sociopath she'd expected.

Stop it, Jai! He's not just any man, he's the enemy!

Right. Exactly. He was a potential threat to the world. The killer of Joran Breaux.

She'd toweled herself dry with more force than was necessary.

Once dressed, she and Wyatt and Carron had gone back to Commander Rainey's office to report on Marque Callex's first session. They tried to analyze and theorize and strategize, but none of them could come up with a reasonable explanation for why Callex had left early, or predict what the arms dealer would do today. Carron informed them that in the two-decade existence of Beautiful Dolls, no one had ever left a session early. No one. It was unheard of.

Rainey had demanded to see the digital disc of the session, but Wyatt calmly informed him that he'd destroyed it, since Callex hadn't mentioned anything about his arms dealings.

Rainey had exploded at the news, but Wyatt had sent Jai a look that said _I've got your back, partner_. Wyatt was a good man.

Carron had even called Marque's office, but there'd been no response to the message he'd left about a possible return visit.

So, to be safe, Carron's staff had primped and prepped Jai again today in case Callex _did_ decide to return. And like yesterday, the worst part of the ordeal was the enema lubricant they'd given her on the chance Callex demanded anal sex. Like yesterday, Marque was highly unlikely to indulge in foreplay with a machine, so Jai had to be ready for anything.

But after hours at the hands of Carron's minions this morning, the question still remained: would Marque Callex come?

So now Jai sat in the hard wooden chair in her Beautiful Dolls boudoir room, dressed in her sheer sarong and starbust contact lenses, and stared at the readout on the wall.

12:27. Three minutes until the appointed time.

If Marque Callex failed to show, she would be rid of this onerous assignment. The fate of the world would no longer rest on her shoulders. That would be a relief, right? She should be praying he _wouldn't_ come.

After all, there was only the merest chance this plan could succeed. Why on earth would one of the planet's most powerful men confide his secrets to a machine, anyway?

_This may be our best chance of getting to Callex,_ Rainey had insisted. _Build a relationship with him, gain his trust._

Damn. Jai had purposely held back during sex with Marque yesterday, wanting to keep her moans of pleasure to use as a trump card once they'd gotten to know each other a bit. To convince Callex he was so skilled a lover he could make even a _machine_ feel pleasure. Now _that_ would certainly create a powerful bond between them!

But maybe it had been a mistake to remain silent. Maybe she'd blown her only opportunity to ensure his continuing interest in her. Maybe this mission would fail because of her gamble.

She bit her lip, and her eyes strayed again to the wall. 12:35.

Marque Callex obviously wasn't coming.

Jai blew out a breath, but she wasn't sure if it was relief or regret. She would never see Marque Callex again. An image of him, naked, appeared unbidden before her eyes. His cool grey eyes blazing with hot passion as he looked at her. The dramatic contrast of black hair against his white skin. The long, lithe body that spoke of hours spent working out in a gym.

The amazing sex they'd shared.

It _had_ been amazing, hadn't it? He'd said so himself. So then why had he run out without a word?

Jai swallowed. How long should she remain in this chair? Probably until Wyatt came to tell her they were sure Marque Callex wouldn't show. Maybe the arms dealer had finally called?

She drummed her fingers on the armrest. Odd. She was more nervous today than even yesterday. Where was Wyatt? What the hell was the holdup? Hadn't all their research shown that Callex ran his life by the clock?

It was over now. He definitely wasn't coming. The time read 12:40.

_Screw this._ She was halfway out of her chair when she heard the noise. Or, rather, a commotion in the outer reception area.

She sat back down with a thump, her knees suddenly weak. Was she wrong? Had Callex come after all? Her heart rate sped up; her breath came in short pants. She mentally grasped for her yoga mantra. _I am relaxed. I am...relaxed. I...am...relaxed._

Positioning herself as motionless as possible on the chair, she closed her eyes. And waited.

Not for long. The door opened and shut. Rushed footsteps crossed the floor.

"Hello, J."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up, then wished she hadn't. Marque Callex stood before her, but he was obviously in a foul mood. His mouth was set in a hard line, and his grey eyes were stormy. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his shoulders seemed even broader than yesterday. Menacing, somehow.

"Hello, Marque," she answered, with as much calm as she could muster.

"Stand up."

She stood slowly.

"Now strip."

Her brain scrambled for something to deflate his obvious temper. "Would you like to talk for a minute first?"

"I want you to take off that thing you're wearing. _Strip."_

Completely gone was the gentle, curious tone of yesterday. Dread settled in Jai's stomach, but she obediently reached up to undo the knot at the back of her neck. She let the garment slip to the floor, and stood naked before him. Marque quickly divested himself of his jacket, tie and shirt.

Naked to the waist, he took the briefest moment to look her over, and Jai was relieved to see his eyes lose some of their hard edge. He reached out with his right hand and began to explore her body, like a blind man feeling his way.

His fingers caressed her cheek, ran slowly down the side of her neck, drifted across her collarbone and shoulder, and then trailed across her chest. His palm paused to cup her left breast. She fit him perfectly, as if she'd been made for his hand.

Don't be an idiot, Jai. Marque Callex ordered exactly what he wanted from Anson Carron, and you were simply the closest one to fit the bill.

True, but that knowledge didn't negate any of the surprising pleasure of his touch, the interesting drag of his fingertips against her alien skin.

Marque pulled his hand away, lingering to let his thumb stroke back and forth across her nipple, encouraging it to a tight little peak. He let out a pleased sound at her body's immediate response, and his left hand came up to give her other breast equal attention.

Jai had to restrain herself from leaning forward to press herself into his hands for more contact.

"So perfect," Marque whispered, the ghost of a smile on his lips. Then his mood abruptly seemed to shift back to foul. He straightened, frowned, and twisted her nipples roughly.

Jai clamped her mouth closed against a sudden gasp of pain.

Marque's hands moved to run down the sides of her body, coming to rest on her hips. His fingers dug into her flesh there, pushing firmly downward.

"On your knees."

Jai blinked as she realized his intent. _Oh, God, he wants fellatio._ She sent up a quick prayer. _Please let me remember Titus Veraine's tricks!_

Jai silently knelt in front of him, watching as Marque's hands moved to his waistband. Even through the material of his pants, Jai could tell he was already erect. Had just touching her body aroused him so quickly, or had he been fantasizing about this?

Marque jerked his belt from its loops. His button and zipper opened beneath his sure hands. His pants and underwear were pushed down his legs. Jai was faced with the full force of his masculine power, mere inches from her face.

Dear God. He had a magnificent cock. More magnificent close up.

"Open your mouth."

Jai did as he ordered, and Marque guided himself between her lips. Jai took as much of him into her mouth as she could, reaching up to grasp his lower shaft with her right hand.

" _Ahhh..."_ Marque buried his hands into her hair to hold her head close, and Jai silently acknowledged the wisdom of Rainey's insistence that she dye her hair: If Marque had discovered she was wearing a wig, her cover would have been blown immediately.

"Fuck that feels good..."

Jai let him slide in and out of her mouth for maybe fifteen seconds, and then she tightened her grip on his shaft to hold him still.

" _What the—"_

That was the last coherent sound he made. Remembering her lesson, Jai's mouth latched onto his cock, and she began to suck. Hard. _Like a baby sucks its thumb._ Strong and fast and insistent.

Marque gasped and twitched and swore, but Jai kept him in her mouth's vice-like grip, sucking as hard as she could. She even reached behind to his butt cheek with her left hand, to urge him closer. When his moans grew to a fevered pitch and she felt he was near his climax, she pressed her right forefinger to the base of his cock, behind his balls which were high and tight with his arousal. As Veraine had predicted, the move worked like a charm. The added pressure sent Marque right over the edge, and he shouted hoarsely as he came in her mouth with hot, strong spurts. Jai swallowed as best she could, massaging his cock with her lips, sucking him dry, and humming to create a little vibration to increase his pleasure.

Endless moments later, Marque's body slowed its jerking, and his hands leaned hard on her shoulders, as if trying to support himself.

" _Fuck..."_

Jai let his cock slip from her mouth, dropping a little kiss on its head. Then she looked up at him, licking her lips as if she'd just enjoyed the finest dessert. "Did you like that, Marque?"

" _Fuuuck."_ That one word seemed all he could manage. His breathing was rough and ragged, so Jai stood and helped him fully out of his pants, then led him to the bed. He collapsed on it, rolled onto his back, and threw an arm across his eyes, as he'd done yesterday.

Jai climbed onto the bed and stretched out on her side next to him. Propping her head in one hand, she gazed down at him. "Was that good, Marque?"

He let out one of those little barks of laughter, and peeked at her from beneath his arm. "Only the best fucking blow job of my entire _life_. What the hell kind of mechanical suction device do they put in that pretty mouth of yours?" He moved his arm away from his face and gave her a wide smile. "Come on. Open your mouth. Let me see."

Jai knew he'd see human lips and teeth and a tongue. Would they be robot-like enough to fool him? Could she chance it?

She gave him a return smile but shook her head gently. "That's proprietary information, Marque. Owned by Beautiful Dolls."

"Well whatever it is, that device could earn a fucking fortune sold on its own – _wait a minute_." He stared up at her. "Are you _smiling?"_

Jai blinked. Was a smile outside the reach of a sexbot's programming? She thought fast for a logical explanation. "I'm designed to respond to verbal instructions and some visual cues, as Mr. Carron explained to you yesterday. You smiled, so I smiled in return."

He continued to stare at her, as if assessing her answer. Then his eyes narrowed. "Then how would you respond to _this_ , I wonder?"

Before Jai could guess his intent, Marque's right hand shot up to grasp her tightly at the back of her neck, pulling her down for a kiss.

It was the last thing Jai expected.

He pressed his lips against hers experimentally, as if trying to gauge the firmness of her synthetic mouth. When he found her lips to be pliable rather than rigid, his tongue demanded entrance between them. She briefly considered fighting him, then thought the better of it. She opened her mouth, but held still to see what he would do.

As she'd suspected, Marque used his tongue to explore her. This was not a romantic kiss, it was an... _investigative_ ... one. He was obviously trying to uncover the inner workings of her robot mouth, to feel for or figure out her suction device.

His tongue ran along her gums, traced the outline of her teeth, and tickled the roof of her mouth. But when he found her tongue, he froze.

And in that moment, the kiss changed completely.

He eased his hard grasp on the back of her neck, stroking there instead with his fingers. His tongue lost its determined insistence, and changed to one of curious discovery. His tongue caressed hers, stroked hers, played with hers. And when Jai responded by tangling her tongue with his, Marque growled low in his throat and pulled her body on top of his.

" _Mmm..."_ He deepened the kiss.

It seemed like, all of a sudden, he could not get enough contact. Tongue to tongue, her breasts crushed to his chest, his groin grinding up against hers. Body to body. His left hand stroked down her spine to her butt and back up again, settling into a slow, sensuous rhythm. Meanwhile, his right hand applied a gentle pressure to tilt her head so he could have better access to her mouth.

Every nerve ending in Jai's skin responded where it made contact with Marque. It felt so good that she could have stayed here forever.

Beneath her hips, she felt him hardening again. Amazing. Marque Callex was obviously a highly sexual creature.

_Build a relationship with him_. With Rainey's words in the back of her mind, Jai decided to try to take control of the kiss, to show Marque that she could be his equal, not just his plaything. She pulled her mouth away from his, enjoying the glazed look in his eye, the way his black pupils were dilated with pleasure. Before he had time to question her move, she smiled at him and leaned back down to kiss him, this time dictating their play, imitating his demands on her mouth, dominating his tongue with her own.

Beneath her hips, he grew even harder.

Jai felt a satisfied tingling from her head to her toes _. Hmm..._ Maybe Marque would like it if she took control of their sex, too.

She was still enjoying the power of her tongue in his mouth and debating which sexual position Marque might enjoy when she felt him suddenly bury his hands into her hair and firmly yank her head away from their kiss. His grip was so hard that she had to stifle a yelp of pain. Jesus, it felt like he was pulling out her hair by the roots!

She looked down at him in confusion.

His eyes were still slightly glazed. Or was that a spark of something else she saw there?

"You learn quickly," he said.

A knot settled in Jai's stomach. Why did she get the feeling he wasn't complimenting her kissing? She grasped for an explanation that would satisfy him. "I pick up on _physical_ cues, as well, Marque."

"Very dangerous," he answered darkly.

It wasn't a stretch to feign ignorance. "Why is it dangerous?"

Instead of answering, Marque pushed her roughly off him, and rolled to the side of the mattress. Standing up, he walked around to the foot of the bed. "Come here. I want you on your hands and knees."

Did he want more fellatio? Jai eyed Marque's groin as she dutifully crawled down the mattress toward him. He was still hard, and she felt a mild disappointment. She'd hoped they might be able to share a mutually satisfying sexual encounter after their intimate kiss. So much for planting the seed of a relationship today...

"Not this way. Turn around."

Jai halted. She was nearly at the foot of the bed. "What?"

"Turn and face the headboard."

The knot in Jai's stomach grew. There were only two ways Marque could fuck her if she turned around, and she had a good idea which one he had in mind. What had she done this time to make him not want to look at her again?

Jai gazed up into his eyes. "Marque..."

" _Be quiet,"_ he growled. "Turn around."

Jai hung her head, but obediently moved to offer him her backside.

"Is there any lubricant around here?"

Remembering her preparation, Jai shook her head. "You don't need any lubrication."

His sharp inhalation told her how interesting he found that particular bit of information. His hands locked onto her hips, and he pulled her an inch or two closer to him. "Spread your legs."

She did.

He guided himself to the entrance of her ass, positioned himself at her opening, and pushed.

Jai gritted her teeth. Even with the help of the lubricant, Marque's first thrust was incredibly tight. Maybe it was a good thing she was facing away from him so he couldn't see the uncomfortable look on her face.

" _Fucking hell,"_ Marque breathed. "You're even tighter here than yesterday's position. You're perfect." He pulled out of her, and then pushed back in. Deeper this time, seating himself to the hilt. " _Ahh.... So good_."

Back out, then in again.

" _Shit..._ I won't last, J. It's too good."

Jai clutched at the bed sheet. Through her fog of discomfort, her brain registered two things. One: he thought sex with her was _perfect_. Two – and much more important – he'd just called her J. Whether he realized it or not, Marque Callex had crossed a line.

This was personal now.

Jai struggled to catch her breath as Marque thrust again. "I'm a virgin model, Marque," she tried to purr. "Made just for you."

Marque's movement abruptly halted. Despite the temporary physical relief, Jai frowned. What was wrong? She'd been trying to play to his ego.

But instead of being flattered, Marque let out what sounded like an angry growl. He started moving again, faster this time. Harder. As if he wanted to punish her for some reason. Jai locked her jaw against a cry of pain as Marque's fingers dug into her hips to hold her in place for his thrusts.

She wasn't going to be able to take this much longer. Between his ruthless fingers and his brutal thrusts, Jai was nearing her threshold level of pain, despite the lubrication. She could already feel tears forming in her eyes.

Veraine...what had Titus Veraine told her about anal sex? _Think, Jai!_

Once he's inside you and moving, clench your muscles for a tighter fit. It's guaranteed to drive him over the edge.

Despite the added discomfort, Jai squeezed desperately.

" _Ahh...ahh...ahh. Fuck!"_ Marque let out a rough shout as he came, grinding against her as he emptied himself inside her.

Jai sent up a prayer of thanks that this was over. There was a long moment of silence while Marque gasped desperately for breath, then finally pulled out of her. The pain of his exit was worse than the discomfort of his entry, and Jai collapsed onto the mattress, burying her mouth in the sheet to muffle a low moan. She couldn't help it. She felt used, abused, and now discarded. And she probably wasn't going to be able to sit for a week.

Marque hesitated, and then sat at the edge of the bed next to her, resting a hand on her back. "What's the matter?"

Jai didn't trust herself to speak. Besides, there were still unshed tears in her eyes. Thank goodness her face was turned away from him.

"Look, I'm sorry I was brutal. I'm not mad at you. I'm actually mad at _me."_ He made a strangled sound, followed by a disgusted one. " _Unbelievable!_ I'm doing it again."

Jai turned her head. "Doing what?"

Marque took one look at her face, and inhaled sharply. " _Damn it._ I said I was sorry."

He stood up, thrust a hand through his hair, and turned away quickly. "Listen to me – I'm apologizing to a robot," he murmured furiously, obviously to himself. "You're a _machine._ You can't feel a damn thing. _I'm a fucking idiot for thinking I might have hurt you."_

He bent to pick his clothes up off the floor and yanked them on roughly.

Jai couldn't let him leave like this. He was mad. Very mad. In his current mood, he might never return. "Marque?"

He paused in his dressing. "What?"

"Come back tomorrow, Marque. _Please."_

He scowled at her, finished dressing, and left without a word.

# Chapter Four

She was driving him crazy.

Marque had made damn sure to attend the production meeting today, but sitting at the polished mahogany conference room table with the heads of his various departments, he couldn't concentrate on a single word they were saying. He couldn't seem to focus on anything except J.

Yes. She was definitely driving him crazy.

He'd gone back to Beautiful Dolls yesterday with the express intention of proving to himself that J was no more than a machine. Merely a vessel to satisfy his sexual needs. In fact, his two choices of sexual positions had been designed specifically so that he didn't have to look her in the face.

But no sooner had he told her to strip, than the sight of her naked body had captivated him once again, intriguing him with her oh-so-human reactions to his touch.

He'd recovered from that little detour in his plan quickly enough to force her to her knees to service him, but she'd done it with such amazing skill that he'd been dying to find out exactly what kind of suction device could drive a man so out of his mind.

Because she had. Driven him completely and utterly out of his mind.

He'd felt trapped in her mouth while she'd sucked him hard, writhing with a pleasure so intense that his body had literally shook with it. And when she'd fingered him behind his balls... holy hell, he'd come quicker than any teenager.

He'd never felt anything that incredible in his life. The technique should be patented. Shit, even now the memory of it sent a violent shiver of pleasure through his body.

"Marque? Are you all right?"

"What?" With a frown, his focus came back to the conference room. Ten seated men stared at him, each with varying degrees of curiosity on his face. Marque was positioned at the head of the table, but Chavis Smith was standing to his right, obviously addressing the group. Marque glanced up at him. "What did you say?"

"Not me. _You_. You sort of... _moaned._ Are you feeling okay?"

Fuck. She's done it again.

Marque felt his face flush. "I'm fine," he snapped. "Where were we?"

"The production schedule."

"Continue."

Marque heard Chavis start speaking again, but for the life of him, Marque couldn't follow a word the man was saying. Were these meetings really so incredibly boring? Why did he hold them _daily_ , for God's sake? His brain was much more interested in the intriguing topic of J's suction device.

Okay, so kissing her had probably not been the best way to probe for the apparatus in her mouth. His tongue hadn't been able to discern anything other than her mechanical teeth and tongue. But damn, when he'd tasted her tongue...

It could so easily have been a human tongue. She'd played with him, teased him, responded to him, and dear God, when she'd taken control it had become an almost _human_ kiss. He'd lost himself in it, willingly surrendering to her soft wet heat and her clever velvet tongue. That is, until he'd realized once again that he'd lost command of the situation, and then shoved her away from him.

Shit.

Marque ran a hand through his hair.

Even fucking her from behind hadn't helped to reestablish his control. She was so damned tight. Perfect in every position. He'd been at her mercy just as much as she'd been at his.

Okay, so maybe he'd been a little rough with her during anal sex. But it's not like he could hurt her. She was a machine, for Christ's sake! She'd been deliciously tight but also damn easy to slide into. Pre-lubricated; she'd said so herself. And wasn't it the very mechanical tightening of her beautiful ass that had made him come with the force of a roaring cannon?

_Fuck. I'm hard again just thinking about it._ He shifted uncomfortably on his conference room chair.

So then, why had she acted like he'd hurt her? And why could he have sworn there were _tears_ in her eyes when she'd turned her head on the mattress to look at him?

He'd apologized, and then cursed himself for a fool. The illusion of tears was surely just a trick of the light reflecting off those very mechanical starburst eyes of hers. She was a robot. Once again, _he_ was the one giving her human characteristics.

Idiot.

He'd resolved right then and there to be done with her. He would not let anyone, much less a Beautiful Doll, get under his skin like this. No matter how much of an expert she was at sex.

Still... her parting words had brought him up short, and haunted him even today.

Come back tomorrow, Marque. Please.

Why had she outright begged him like that? Would things go badly for her if he didn't return? Would she be given to another man, since Marque had bailed before his week was up?

Why would she care if that happened? Why should _he_ care?

He frowned, considering.

If he didn't go back to Beautiful Dolls, J would most likely become the plaything of another high-powered businessman. J...Beautiful Dolls' most life-like model...with another man's hands on her perfect body. Another man fucking her in any position he chose. Another man's cock inside her amazing mouth.

"Not acceptable. Don't you agree, Marque?"

Marque's jaw tightened.

J with another man? Damn right it wasn't acceptable.

Wait a minute...

"What?" Marque's vision came back into focus. Shit, was this production meeting still going on? "What _now?"_

Chavis momentarily looked taken aback at Marque's brusque tone, and then he straightened. "We're short again this month."

Marque went cold. "Short? That's impossible. We were running exactly on schedule last week."

Last week. Before J. Before his life had been thrown into upheaval. A lifetime ago.

Marque cast a glance around the table. The ten men's faces had gone from their earlier curious looks to outright nervous expressions now. One possibly more nervous than the rest. Marque's laser focus zeroed in on him. "Rekos?"

The older man cleared his throat. "I don't know what happened, Marque. I've checked and double checked, but we're short."

"What's missing?"

"Two stingers."

Stingers. The smallest weapon Callex Industries manufactured. Easily hidden and smuggled.

This was the last thing he needed. Marque glanced at his watch. It was almost time to leave for Beautiful Dolls. He had to go back.

"Don't worry about it," Chavis said quickly. "I'll handle it."

Marque paused for only the barest minute, frowning, calculating, and then agreed.

#

Guilt was a powerful motivator.

At least, that's what Jai was hoping. Then again, what did she know? She was no psychologist.

Marque Callex had been in a foul mood yesterday. There'd been no chance of talking to him or reasoning with him during their session, in order to establish the rapport Jai was so desperately after. And she had certainly tried. She'd attempted to diffuse his temper when he'd first arrived and then again after oral sex, but he'd had none of it. She'd gotten her hopes up once more during the amazing kiss they'd shared, but his temper had quickly reasserted itself when he'd demanded anal sex.

Had his bad mood come from the work-related stresses of his job? Or was Commander Rainey's plan working, and was Marque Callex falling under the spell of Beautiful Dolls – and taking his anger over his unwilling infatuation out on Jai?

She hoped it was the latter.

Because that's where the guilt came in.

There was no doubt Marque Callex was a strong man. Personally, Jai couldn't imagine him becoming addicted to sex. Especially sex with what he thought was a machine. Marque's willpower would be too great. And yet, that was exactly what Rainey wanted.

Build a relationship with him. Gain his trust...

Since she hadn't been able to do that yesterday, Jai had resorted to the only other tactic she could think of that might bring him back for another session today. She'd thrown herself on his mercy.

Come back tomorrow, Marque. Please.

Had he seen the very real tears in her eyes? He would never guess they were from the rough sex he'd forced on her, but maybe he'd wonder about them. He'd apologized for the sex, true, but then called himself an idiot, because he was convinced she couldn't feel a thing.

So the tears probably hadn't affected him. Would her heartfelt plea? He'd left without promising anything.

Jai glanced toward the wall. The time read 12:27. She bit her lip.

If Callex didn't feel anything at all for her, then guilt at his rough treatment of her wouldn't make him return, but Jai was hoping that at least Marque would be curious about why she'd begged him to come back. He was an intelligent man. Intelligent men were challenged by a mystery, right?

On the other hand, if he didn't return, at least she knew she'd tried everything she could have.

Except moaning during sex to make him think he could make a machine feel pleasure. You missed another opportunity!

I did not. There was nothing pleasurable about what he did to me yesterday!

She sighed and shifted on the hard wooden chair in her room at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir. Yes, she was uncomfortable sitting here after yesterday's anal sex, but she wasn't nearly as sore as she thought she would be. She wondered if Carron's lubrication was to thank for that.

The thought of it made Jai shake her head in wonder.

What a difference a few days made! She'd been openly reluctant about participating in Rainey's scheme to use sex to get to Marque Callex, but she was a lot less disturbed by the idea now. To tell the truth, she was actually beginning to enjoy the erotic caress of her silk sarong as it slid against her sensitive skin. Hell, sometimes she was even able to compartmentalize the embarrassment of being naked in front of her partner, Wyatt, who was watching everything that happened in this room via his hidden camera mounted in the ceiling.

Of course, the fact that Wyatt had now destroyed _both_ of the discs from Callex's first two sessions probably had a lot to do with it. _I've got your back, partner. There was no incriminating evidence we could have used against Callex on those tapes._

Still...the real reason for her change in attitude was Marque Callex himself. She'd never expected to find him so attractive, or his body such a work of art. He'd been gentle with her that first day during sex, and even the job of fellatio yesterday had been no real chore. His impressive cock was long and thick and the most interesting thing she'd seen after a year of celibacy.

And don't even get me started on the incredible sense of power I felt giving such intense pleasure to a man like Marque Callex...

And then there was that luscious kiss they'd shared afterwards...

Jai ran her fingers along her lips.

The kiss had obviously started out as reconnaissance on Marque's part, but ended up as a mutual give-and-take, a wild tangling of tongues. He'd dominated her mouth at first, then willingly submitted and let her take control. It had turned into a real kiss. A full-on, intimate, and very... _human..._ kiss.

She hadn't been kissed that passionately in a long time.

Her gaze drifted back to the clock on the wall. 12:30. He should be here any minute.

A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine.

Jai sat up straight. _Anticipation?_ What the hell was she thinking? If Callex _did_ return today, the clock was ticking on their time together. This was already Day Three; after today, there were just two more sessions in his free week at Beautiful Dolls. If Rainey's plan had any chance at all of succeeding, Jai had to get to work on making Marque Callex comfortable enough today to spill his secrets.

It was the anticipated pressure of _work_ she was feeling, certainly not the anticipation of _want._ She had a job to do.

But who says I can't enjoy my job? Sex is one of the 'perks,' as Titus Veraine so aptly pointed out. I want sex with Marque.

Stop it, Jai!

Okay, even if her shiver was really one of anticipation at seeing Marque again, surely it was just a function of her year of celibacy. Twelve months without sex would make _anyone_ react like a kid in a candy store when let loose with a gorgeous guy like Marque and a decadent place like Beautiful Dolls. Or maybe her body's heightened awareness and sensitivity was really just a product of Carron's damned sex pill.

Or maybe it's the allure of Marque Callex himself.

Don't say that, don't even think that! He's responsible for Joran Breaux's death.

An odd sensation settled in Jai's stomach. Did she want Marque Callex to come back today because her job demanded it, or because she personally desired it?

No, no, no. She was _not_ falling for Marque Callex. It was only the extraordinary circumstances of this particular case that was upsetting her equilibrium and making her doubt her allegiance.

The familiar commotion in the reception area interrupted her thoughts. _He was here. He'd come back!_ Jai sat up straighter on the hard wooden chair and closed her eyes.

The door to her room opened, and then shut. But whereas yesterday Marque had quickly crossed the room to her, today she heard his footsteps on the wooden floor as they slowly and deliberately made their way toward her. When his footsteps stopped, it took even longer before he spoke.

The suspense was killing her. What was he waiting for?

"Hello, J."

Finally taking her cue, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. His expression was wary. Uncertain. Tentative. That permanent frown was etched deeply between his brows today.

Oh, dear. Not a promising sign.

"Hello, Marque."

He stared at her for a long moment, and then tilted his head. "Are you all right?"

Jai relaxed a little. _He was concerned about her_. But not knowing whether he was asking because he felt guilty at having abused her yesterday or because of her desperate plea for him to return, she gave him her best smile and answered with a simple, "Yes."

The smile seemed to surprise him. He took a small step back, then turned abruptly and began to pace the room. He walked from her chair to the bed and then back to her chair again. Then back to the bed. He paused there with his back to her, and shoved a hand through his perfectly-coiffed black hair.

Jai waited, until she started to worry that she might lose the advantage of his return. With only three days left, she couldn't afford to blow this opportunity. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, Marque. Would you like to talk about it?"

He let out a strangled, choked sort of sound, and then glanced at the ceiling, as if sending up a silent prayer or looking for guidance. Obviously not getting an answer there, he sighed loudly, and turned. His grey eyes were piercing, but unreadable.

Jai's brain registered the fact that even in this disheveled and agitated state, Marque Callex was one gorgeous man. _Heaven help me, I_ am _falling for him!_

He crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at her intently. "I thought you were here to fulfill my sexual needs."

"I'm here to fulfill _all_ your needs, Marque. Even if you just need to talk."

He seemed to consider, then shook his head. "No talking."

_Damn._ Jai tried to keep her face impassive.

Marque crossed back to her chair and held out his right hand, palm up. Jai stared at his long, calloused fingers for a moment, and then slipped her hand into his. With a gentle tug, he pulled her to her feet and guided her to the bed.

Without a word, he reached behind her neck with both his hands, and worked the knot of her sarong free.

The silk garment slid to the floor, leaving her exposed.

He paused, and then the back of his index finger came up to slowly trace the outside curve of her naked breast. "Beautiful," he breathed, then jerked his head. "On the bed."

Jai hesitated. Marque didn't want to talk, but sex itself was a form of communication, right? The most basic kind. This could also work to start building their relationship. That is, unless he planned to take out his anger on her again today.

But he obviously didn't intend that. She climbed onto the mattress and lay on her back without a word of protest from Marque. In fact, as he stripped off his own clothes, he never broke eye contact with her. To Jai, his intense gaze seemed even more intimate than if he'd been exploring every inch her naked body. Selfishly, she wanted to look at _his_ body, but didn't feel she could break their tenuous visual bond, especially if it meant that this signaled a change in Marque's attitude.

He'd never looked at her quite this way before.

_Wait a minute... was_ _that what Marque had been silently struggling with a minute ago?_

Jai's breath caught in her throat. If Marque had decided to stop fighting his attraction for her Beautiful Doll persona, things would be so much easier.

Please let that be it. I haven't much time...

When Marque was finally naked, he crawled onto the mattress and spread himself out alongside her. He reached out a hand, and his fingertips slid across the thin coating of her synthetic skin, sketching a lazy pattern on her chest.

As usual, the sensation was dulled a little by the layer of silicone, but it felt good enough to make Jai imagine the feel of his touch on her own skin.

"You're so perfect," he said, letting his fingers leisurely glide over to the base of one breast. "This artificial membrane of yours is almost like real skin. Hell, if I ignore the slight glow this stuff produces, you could almost be human."

Jai tried to ignore the sensual tease of Marque's heavy fingers as they rhythmically circled her breast, around and around. She forced her mind to the job at hand. "I'm glad I please you, Marque. I'm Beautiful Dolls' most life-like model."

His low chuckle this time was an easy sound. Relaxed. No longer choked. "You certainly are that, J," he agreed. His rough thumb moved to stroke back and forth across her nipple, teasing it to a hard little peak. He smiled at her. "See? Perfect."

The expression on his face was amazing to Jai. Gone completely was his earlier agitation, replaced by a look of simple pleasure. Marque Callex – by reputation one of the world's most powerful, ruthless, and invulnerable men – seemed happy just stroking her breast. _A sexbot's breast, Jai, not_ yours _specifically._ Still, the dichotomy was profound. How could Marque possibly have killed Joran Breaux? How could his illicit arms dealings threaten the world?

He didn't seem like a megalomaniac. He seemed like just a man.

His smiled widened, and he bent his head to lick across her hard bud with his tongue, then settled his mouth on her nipple and gently began to suck.

Dear God. Jai squeezed her eyes shut against the pleasure. Was it too soon to start reacting?

" _Bleah,"_ Marque said, raising his head quickly, with a sour look on his face. "You're _almost_ perfect. I don't like the taste of you at all. What the hell is this stuff?"

Jai's brain scrambled for an answer. "It's—"

"I know, I know," Marque interrupted. "Synthetic something-or-other. Never mind. I like _this_ much better."

His thumb moved over to her other nipple, where his back-and-forth stroking quickly produced the same erect result.

With a satisfied sigh, he cupped his warm palm over her breast. "You're so incredibly responsive, J. And you're the perfect size for my hand."

It was true. Her breast fit perfectly into the cup formed by his palm and fingers. She arched her back for more contact, and to prove his point. It felt amazing. It felt... complete.

One of Marque's black eyebrows rose in apparent surprise. "Do you like that, J? Do you like my hand on you?"

"Oh yes, Marque," she answered truthfully.

His other eyebrow rose, and he pulled his hand away. "How is that possible? How can you 'like' it? You're a machine."

And you're an idiot, Jai. Your feelings are getting in the way of your focus here!

Her brain raced for an explanation. What sort of robotic mumbo-jumbo would Marque believe? She had to give him an answer this time. _Think, Jai!_

"My... neural pathways... have grown used to your actions these last two days, Marque. I... _recognize_ ... your hand on my breast. It's familiar to me now."

He looked down at her dubiously, but Jai couldn't give him time to question her explanation. She reached out to grab his hand and replace it gently on her breast. "Please, Marque... Don't stop. I _like_ it."

He looked down at his hand, and then glanced across the room toward her chair. "That must be why you smiled at me when I arrived," he mused out loud. "You said yesterday that you respond to visual cues, but I didn't smile when I first saw you today. So it must have been—"

"Yes," she interrupted, immensely relieved he was taking her explanation seriously. "I recognize you now."

"Hmm. So would you... _recognize_ ...this, too, then?" He bent his head and kissed her, his lips pressing tentatively against hers, but his tongue pushing for entrance to her mouth. She opened for him eagerly.

The tip of his tongue sought out hers, but as soon as it made contact, the sensual battle of yesterday began anew. His tongue stroked deep inside her mouth, once, twice, asserting its dominance and then pulling back, waiting for her to dictate the next step in their play.

Jai didn't hesitate.

She loved this luscious give-and-take. She loved the fact that a powerful man like Marque Callex had no qualms about giving equal power to her, whether it was ceding control of their kiss, or, like yesterday, giving his cock over to the power of her mouth. In fact, she loved his kiss so much that she buried her hand in his thick black hair to pull him closer, her tongue probing, exploring every inch of his mouth, tangling deliciously with the rough velvet of his tongue.

He liked it, too. She knew because his cock hardened against the side of her thigh and he moaned low in his throat in obvious masculine approval. The hand covering her breast shifted so that he could squeeze her nipple tightly between his thumb and forefinger.

Jai inhaled sharply, never breaking their kiss. Pleasure shot straight from her breast down to her groin. A rush of wetness settled between her thighs.

She wanted him. She needed him. _Now_.

Sensing her readiness, Marque broke off the kiss, and rolled on top of her. He parted her thighs with his knees and guided himself to the entrance of her body. Staring into her eyes, he watched her intently as he slowly penetrated her with his cock, inch by powerful inch. Slowly. Deliberately. He was determined, calculated, and much, much too controlled.

" _Ahh... Marque..."_

The pleasure was a thousand times more intense than if he'd just blindly thrust himself inside her and started moving like he had on Monday. Jai's head ground back into the mattress, breaking their visual bond, her fingers desperately clutching the bed sheet. She couldn't help it. The exquisite torture of being slowly impaled by Marque's amazing cock made her writhe and jerk beneath him, desperate for him to finally bury himself deep inside her.

"Look at me," he ordered.

She forced her gaze back to his. His grey eyes glittered like diamonds and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his brow. His tight control was obviously costing him.

He pushed inside her another inch.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. _"Ahh... Marque...please..."_

" _Look at me."_ He gave her one more deliberate inch.

" _Marque..."_ She tilted her hips to take him deeper, in desperate invitation.

He finally took pity on her. Or maybe his own control finally broke. With a throaty groan and a determined push, he buried himself to the hilt, grinding his groin against hers to make sure every bit of him was inside her.

She gasped out loud. She could feel him all the way to her stomach.

" _Bloody hell,"_ he swore. The wild, glittering look was still in his eyes. He was as affected by this as she was.

And they hadn't even truly started yet.

"Fuck me, Marque," she begged.

Without hesitation, he began to move.

_Thank God._ Jai thought she'd come when he eased his long cock out of her and again when he pushed back in, but just when he'd set a rhythm she was sure would finally send her into a shattering climax, he abruptly anchored his hands on her hips and rolled her over so that she was on top of him.

With their rhythm broken, it took both of them a few seconds to catch their breath. Sprawled as she was atop him, Jai pushed herself up on to her hands to give Marque a questioning look.

"I want to see you," he growled. "I want to see your reactions, see your body during sex. I can't do that with you buried underneath me."

The comment thrilled Jai. Marque had deliberately _not_ looked at her the three times they'd previously had sex, and Jai was sure it was because Marque didn't want to become emotionally attached. All part of his refusal to get addicted to a Beautiful Doll.

Marque's demand to watch her now was a very good sign for Commander Rainey's plan.

She shifted her legs so that she was straddling him, still impaled on his cock. He wanted to see her reactions? Well, that wouldn't be hard. She'd gone a year without sex and these last two days without coming! _And let's not even mention that Marque has the most amazing cock I've ever seen..._ All she had to do was act naturally. Be herself.

Giving him a small smile, she began to move.

Dear God.

Marque's cock was so big it filled her completely. She braced her hands on his lean hips and slowly lifted and lowered herself on it.

"Do you like that, Marque?"

" _Mmm..._ I certainly like seeing my cock disappear inside you like that. It's damned erotic. _"_

This was good for both of them, then. Her nether lips slid along the contours of his hard shaft, gripping him, licking him. Up. Down. She controlled their pleasure. She could easily come like this, but it didn't seem as if Marque would, despite what he'd just said.

He'd sounded too controlled.

After a few moments, she changed position and started to rock her hips gently, enjoying the brush of his cock inside her, stroking her.

" _Fuck..."_ Marque obviously liked this position better. His fingers moved to her hips, pulling her forward and pushing her back, making her rocking motion more pronounced, jerkier, a little rougher. "Good. Keep going. Just like that. _Yes."_ When she caught the rhythm he preferred, he shifted his hands to her breasts, squeezing, kneading, teasing her nipples. "I love your breasts. They're so damned perfect."

" _Mmm..."_ Marque's hands felt so good on her that Jai arched her back in pleasure, then realized that leaning backwards forced Marque's long cock against her G-spot. She gasped at the sudden, intense sensation. _"Oooh..."_

Marque stilled, and then bucked his hips. Jai gasped again.

"Is that good, J? Do you like that?"

"Y-yes, Marque. It's very good."

"Then I order you to lean back and enjoy it."

"But –"

"Lean back. I promise _I'll_ enjoy it, too."

She stared at him for a moment, but his eyes still had that glittery, intense, sex-focused look. She swallowed hard, and then nodded her agreement.

She leaned back and braced her palms on his thighs, enjoying the feel of his soft, warm flesh under her fingers. Taking a deep breath, she shifted her hips forward experimentally. " _Oooh..."_

Dear God, this was going to be a massive orgasm, she just knew it. Did she want Marque to see her that vulnerable? At his mercy?

"Do you need me to move, J?"

Odd, but he didn't sound smug that he had her at his mercy. He sounded anxious that she enjoy herself.

"Yes, Marque. Please move with me."

"Okay."

Screwing her eyes shut, Jai rolled her hips. Marque thrust up at the same time. The angle allowed his cock to hit her G-spot perfectly.

" _Ahh....Marque..."_ Instinct took over then, and Jai gave herself to it. Her hips moved of their own accord, fast, frantic, and each corresponding thrust of Marque's cock stroked that sensitive bundle of nerves in her vaginal wall. Over and over, building a pleasure so intense Jai wanted to scream with it. But she wanted to come more.

She was so close! So damned close. What was the problem?

" _Please... Marque...please...touch me."_

She didn't know where that desperate, panting plea came from, much less if he would even understand it. She was supposed to be a robot, for God's sake, not an actual human being with physical needs. But understand it he did. Without hesitation, his thumb came up to rub hard against her clit. That extra stimulation was exactly what it took to drive her right over the edge.

She screamed, shook, and swore. Her body contracted violently with a pleasure so intense she actually felt faint. Her blood pounded in her veins and she thought her heart might burst right out of her chest.

Marque came, too. His shout of pleasure and continued thrusting as he emptied himself inside her prolonged the amazing orgasm, and by the time Jai's spasms subsided, her throat was literally sore from yelling.

Exhausted, she fell forward and collapsed onto his chest. Marque's arms curled around her, cradling her, holding her close. Jai reveled in the wild beating of his heart and the feel of his sweat-slicked skin beneath her cheek. An endless minute later, Marque let out a small murmur of contentment. It seemed the most he could muster.

_Take advantage of this opportunity, Jai._ "I've never felt anything like that, Marque."

Actually, it was true. Jai was no virgin, but no man had ever made her feel such incredible, toe-curling pleasure.

"It was fucking amazing for me, too, J."

She smiled, even though he couldn't see it with her head resting on his chest. What a thrill to be able to satisfy a man like Marque Callex! "I'm glad."

"That's it, then," Marque breathed, holding her tighter. "At the end of this week, I'm going to buy you."

# Chapter Five

I'm going to buy you...

Dear God.

Jai stilled on Marque's chest. _Don't panic, Jai! Think this through._

First off, it was never going to happen. As Tau Cetus' partner in this scheme, Anson Carron would never agree to a sale, no matter how much money Marque might offer. Carron would give Marque some excuse about proprietary software, patent protections, company secrets, or some other explanation in order to protect Jai's cover.

From one businessman to another, Marque should be able to understand Carron's position.

But it would never even get to that point. If Marque intended to wait until the end of the week to buy her, it meant Jai still had a couple more days to try and finish her job. And, if she needed more time, maybe Carron could extend Marque's 'free' week as compensation for not selling her.

However, if Marque truly wanted her badly enough to _own_ her – which theoretically meant having her around forever, or at least until he tired of her – then he should have no fear about talking to her. About himself. About his job.

About his double dealings...

This shift in his feelings was exactly what Jai and Commander Rainey had been hoping for. So she wouldn't disabuse him of his shocking idea to purchase her. At least not yet.

Thank God he wasn't planning to ask Carron to buy me today! Carron's decline might have pissed Marque off enough to make him leave Beautiful Dolls.

"That tickles, you know."

Jai reined in her thoughts and shifted her head on Marque's chest. "What?"

"Anson Carron is a damned clever man. The way he designed you to 'breathe' in order to make you more lifelike. Except for your eyes and your skin, you're almost _too_ lifelike. Your breath on my chest... _tickles_." He shifted her in his arms. "Come here and lay by my side."

Wow. Anson Carron had been right. Marque honestly believed Jai was a machine because that's what he expected to find at Beautiful Dolls.

Actually, the timing of Marque's request was perfect. Jai was damned uncomfortable now. Her legs were starting to cramp in this position. A robot's, of course, would not.

She lifted herself off his chest and disengaged herself from his cock, which had softened, but not nearly as much as she would have thought. She moved to snuggle against his side, her head on his shoulder, her palm on his chest. Almost as an afterthought, she threw her right leg across his thighs.

Why did the position feel so natural?

"You don't have anything to say?" he mused. "No reaction at all?"

"To what, Marque?"

"To the fact I'm going to buy you."

Oh, dear. He _was_ going to make an issue of this today.

Wait a minute.... What if she acted like she _wanted_ to be bought by him? It would give her the perfect opening to push to get to know him better. It might be even easier to get information out of him because of it. He'd spill his secrets, and the compromising information would be taped by Wyatt. Marque Callex would be brought down, and the world would be made safe again.

Case closed. Mission accomplished.

Possibly as soon as today.

And yet...

Stop it, Jai! There's no room here for your feelings. Marque Callex is a dangerous man. You have a job to do.

With a small sigh, she tilted her head on his shoulder to look up at him. _Don't even hint that Carron will never sell you..._ She forced a smile to her lips. "If I'm going home with you, Marque, I'd really like to know more about you."

His whole body immediately stiffened.

"For instance," she plowed on resolutely, settling back onto his shoulder and reaching out to stroke his hand. "Why are your palms so rough?"

The tension eased slightly from his body, and let out a little chuckle. "You're very observant, J." He lifted up his left hand and rotated it, looking at the calluses on his palm. "I'm a sculler."

"A what?"

"A sculler. A rower. It's my obsession, my only form of relaxation." Marque moved his hand, and his index finger settled underneath her chin, tilting her head back up to look at him. "Besides _you_ , that is." He dropped a chaste kiss on her lips. "You may very well become my new obsession, J, my new way of relaxing." He smiled at her, then dropped his head back down onto the mattress and blew out a breath. "I love to row. When I'm out on a river or lake, I'm blissfully alone. Free from work and worries. It's just me and the water. Of course, it drives Bursus crazy..."

"Who's Bursus?"

"My bodyguard. It makes Bursus insane to think he couldn't protect me if something should happen out there."

"What could happen while you row, Marque?"

"Anything. A thousand things. But it doesn't stop me. When I make up my mind about something..."

He didn't seem inclined to elaborate on that statement.

"Then I don't like rowing, either," Jai pronounced blithely. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Marque. I think I like this Bursus."

He chuckled again. "I predict Bursus will like you, too, J, especially if you keep me, um, _inside,_ enjoying a...different kind...of relaxation. It'd make his job a helluva lot easier."

"Then I'll try, Marque." The words came out so solemnly that Marque gave her a quick, affectionate squeeze. Jai's hand moved to stroke across his chest. "Is rowing how you got this amazing body?

"You think my body is amazing?"

"Oh, yes, Marque." _The most amazing body I've ever seen._

"You know, you constantly surprise me with your comments. What other men have you had to compare me to? None. Carron said you were fresh out of the factory."

Uh, oh...

"I am, Marque. But your body is very... _appealing_ ...to me. And since my main function is sexual, you _must_ be a prime example of maleness if you excite me so much."

That got a slightly bigger laugh out of him. Jai could feel the rumble of his chest shaking beneath her.

"I love your logic, J."

Jai wished she could be looking into Marque's face right now. That deep crease between his brows would be gone... his mouth pulled up into a smile... his grey eyes warm... She was missing it all just because her head was snuggled here on his shoulder.

Not that there was any less pleasure in this...

"Rowing is a full-body workout," he continued. "But I'm also in a gym every morning at five. Without fail."

"At least Bursus can protect you there."

"Yes."

"Where is he now?" It was the expected question; Jai already knew the answer, but Marque didn't know that she knew.

"He's just outside our door, in the reception area."

_Our door._ Marque was already thinking of them as a couple. It was incredible. Once Marque committed to her it seemed he had _really_ committed.

Pressing her luck – and his good mood – she continued to stroke his chest. "Why do you need a bodyguard, Marque?"

He was silent for a long moment, and Jai worried that she'd pushed him too hard. Too far, too fast.

Eventually, he blew out a breath. "I lead a very dangerous life, J. Recently it's gotten even more treacherous. Bursus protects me. I can't say more than that."

_Play the dumb sexbot, Jai_. You're not supposed to know anything about him. "Why can't you say more than that?"

"Because I never know where... _or who_ ... my enemies are."

"But surely you feel safe here."

"I feel _physically_ safe here. Bursus did a thorough inspection of this room before I accepted Anson Carron's invitation."

One of Jai's eyebrows rose in surprise. She hadn't known that interesting tidbit of information. Bursus must have searched this room before Wyatt installed his spy cam in the ceiling right before Marque's first visit.

"Surely you feel safe with _me_ , Marque."

He hesitated briefly. "I do now. But believe me, Bursus almost demanded I pull the plug on our week together when Carron flatly refused to allow him to send you through a scanner to check for potential dangers." Marque's fingers flexed. "I overruled him."

What? Bursus had wanted to scan her but Carron had refused? Tau Cetus had more to thank the owner of Beautiful Dolls for than they'd thought. Still, Jai didn't like the fact all this information was new to her. If Carron hadn't been forthcoming about these important details, what else might he be hiding?

But now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to take advantage of Marque's talkative mood. "You overruled Bursus, Marque? Why?"

It was a safe question to ask, especially now that Marque was already on his third visit to the Beautiful Dolls boudoir.

"Remember what I just said about making up my mind about something?" He sighed. "A big part of the decision to come here was that I was stressed enough to take the chance that you wouldn't try to kill me. Although – and I'll admit this only now – when I was deep in the throes of pleasure, you probably could have stuck a knife between my ribs and I would have been helpless to defend myself. You're that good, J. I would have died happy."

Despite the outrageous sexual compliment, Jai heard what he was really saying. _What a terrible, lonely life he must lead._ Jai tilted her head back to look Marque in the eye. "You don't trust anyone, do you?"

He shrugged. "I trust, but in degrees. I rarely trust completely, but Bursus and my assistant, Talesin, are on that list."

Assure him he can trust you, Jai. Tell him you're not his enemy.

But she most definitely was. She may not want to see him dead, like possibly some of his other enemies, but her plan was to coldly pump him for information and then pointedly betray him.

She absolutely was his enemy. And for some absurd reason, she was loath to lie to him about it while here in his arms. So she tried another tack. "You can talk to me about whatever makes you stressed, Marque. I'll listen."

"Thank you, J. But work can wait. I'm interested in talking about something else right now."

"What?"

Marque eased his arm out from underneath her, and propped himself on his side. Jai mourned the loss of his shoulder, but he was looking down at her so intently that she wondered what was on his mind.

"I have a theory..." he began. The tip of his index finger settled on her skin at the base of her neck, and then slowly slid its way down her chest, between her breasts, straight over her stomach and belly, and all the way down to her groin. "My theory is this," he continued. "I believe the interesting little triangle of hair which you've said 'points the way to pleasure,' actually points to the spot that gives _you_ pleasure. Or at least makes a robot react _as if_ it's pleasurable. It's not for _me,_ it's for you, J."

Jai's eyes widened at that idea. Marque believed the Beautiful Dolls trademark pointed to her clit and not to the pleasure a man would get by fucking her? He was so totally wrong!

"Well, I suppose in a sense, it _is_ for me," Marque amended absently. "An inside joke, perhaps. Another interesting detail of Anson Carron's sexbots. You... react... just like a real woman would, so that I'll feel more comfortable with you."

_Oh, dear. He wasn't considering that he was so virile he could make even a machine feel?_ So much for Jai's trump card. But Marque was obviously all right with that. The bond between them had developed anyway.

"You think that— _ahh, Marque!"_

His finger had slipped between her thighs and started stroking.

"See?" He smiled down at her, a glitter of triumph in his eyes. "I'm right."

Damn straight he was right. He was teasing the most sensitive spot on _any_ woman's body. But a robot wouldn't feel a thing there. Not even a top-of-the-line Beautiful Doll. No matter how anatomically correct she was.

"You couldn't be expected to know about this," Marque excused her. "You're just off the assembly line. Brand new to sex." The tempo of his finger increased. "Let me show you how it works."

"M-Marque," she panted, breathless, her head arching back into the mattress. "If you make me feel any better than a moment ago, my circuits might overload!"

He threw his head back and laughed, but his finger never stopped moving. "I love your sense of humor, J. How the hell does Anson Carron do that with a machine? Your programming really is amazing. I can't remember the last time I've smiled or laughed like this."

"Please... _please_ stop." Jai was desperate now. His finger was too good. Wickedly good. Her hips bucked helplessly beneath his touch. "If you want to give me pleasure, I'd prefer to have you inside me, on top of me."

His hand stilled. "Really?"

" _Yes."_ The point of this week was to addict Marque Callex to sex, to sex with _her_ , not to fall under the spell of his talented hands herself. She needed to stay in control.

He was on top of her in two seconds.

Jai was amazed that he was hard again so soon after the last orgasm, but he was. Hard and impatient. He watched her face intently as he eased himself slowly but determinedly inside her. Incredibly, she seemed ready for sex again, too. Her body welcomed his.

Why the hell was sex with Marque Callex unlike anything in her past experience? Her near-constant arousal must be due to Carron's sex pill. Or maybe it was from Marque's manual stimulation of her clit a moment ago. Or because she was simply still wet from coming a few minutes ago. _Please, please don't let it be due to Marque himself..._

He shifted his hips.

" _Ahhh..."_

Which one of them said that?

It didn't matter. Marque propped himself on his elbows, laying his forearms alongside her upper arms, his fingertips cupping her shoulders lightly, as if he wanted to hold her – or hug her – while fucking her. It was sweet, actually.

"Damn, J, you're so perfect."

He moaned low in his throat, and began to move. In. Out. Slowly, letting himself feel the pleasure of it. After a moment, he levered himself up onto his hands for a better angle. Almost of their own accord, Jai's fingers slid around his waist and ran lightly up and down his back, feeling his hot skin, encouraging him.

He moaned again. _"Look at me."_

Marque's voice was raspy as he captured her gaze with his. Either he wanted to watch how a robot climaxed in this position or he wanted to share his own with her. Whatever his intention, it was an incredibly intimate moment.

Her eyes locked onto his, rising to his challenge, willingly sharing everything she was feeling. _Her._ Jai Turner. Hell. In that moment, pretending to be a robot didn't matter. Tau Cetus didn't matter. Her case didn't matter. Only Marque mattered. He drove into her, over and over, and she watched the pleasure build on his face. She tilted her hips to take him as deeply as she could, while her fingers sank into his buttocks to pull him even closer. She could sense the buildup of sensations in her body and hoped he could see them as plainly as she could see his. And when she gasped and tensed, her body ready to explode, he gave her one last, determined thrust and then let go of his own control. They climaxed together, watching each other in awed astonishment as it happened.

As the waves of pleasure rolled over her, Jai realized she had never felt anything so intimate in all her life.

This wasn't sex. This was making love.

God help them both.

The soft tinkling of bells echoing from a corner of the room startled Jai. Still buried deep inside her, Marque turned his head toward the sound.

"What the hell is that?"

Jai blinked, trying to shake herself out of the languorous afterglow of post-coital bliss. "Your hour's up, Marque. It's time to go."

#

She'd dismissed him. Just like that.

Time's up. Gotta go. See you tomorrow.

In the back seat of his car, Marque was still fuming over J's abrupt dismissal after the best sex of his entire life. How much of an idiot did he feel like? J was a sexbot, created for pleasure, a machine. She was able to stop, to turn herself off – so to speak – as soon as the bell rang. Whereas he was very definitely still turned _on_ , basking in the amazing intimacy they'd shared as they'd watched each other climax. He felt as if they'd made love today, not simply had sex.

He growled and shoved a hand through his hair. Get a grip, man... Stop projecting human emotions onto her!

J was a robot. But oh, how he wished she was not! She was perfect in every other way. Ideal body, expert at sex, and a witty conversationalist to boot.

It just wasn't fair.

Life's not fair, you idiot. Just look at your own life.

He blew out a rough breath and shifted on the plush leather seat.

If he looked at things analytically, it was actually _good_ that J was a machine. Best case scenario, in fact. After he owned her, he could turn her off, stow her in a corner, and use her just when he needed sex or conversation. There'd be no messy relationship issues, like the kind he'd had with Syretha. And he wouldn't have to constantly worry for J's safety – the threat of his enemies getting to him by harming her. As he had to worry about constantly with his sister, Leora. The sister who hated him.

Yes. He and J were perfect for each other.

He simply had to learn to divorce his emotions from this equation. As he'd said at the beginning of this little venture, no one was going to addict Marque Callex to artificial sex.

He just hadn't thought divorcing his emotions would be this difficult.

Marque looked up as Bursus turned the car into the underground parking structure beneath his office, and parked. The bodyguard hadn't said a word during the entire ride back, even though this was the first time Marque had stayed at Beautiful Dolls for the full allotted hour.

Bursus knew why Marque went to Beautiful Dolls, knew what the place was for, but he was the consummate professional, never even asking Marque what it was like to fuck a sexbot. But Bursus was a man. Had he heard J's amazing screams of pleasure when she'd been on top of Marque? Or his own shout of victory when he'd ridden them both to climax a few minutes later? Anson Carron had assured Marque that the boudoir rooms were soundproofed, but still, J's screams had been piercing. He'd given her a powerful pleasure.

Well, at least a pleasure as powerful as a robot could experience.

Which had seemed pretty damned pleasurable, frankly.

The thought of it brought a smile to Marque's face. And as Bursus opened the car door for him, Marque couldn't hide that smile. Bursus's face remained perfectly, professionally blank, but the sight of the bodyguard's bland expression elicited a laugh from Marque – probably the first laugh from him that Bursus had ever heard in his ten years of service.

Marque couldn't help it. He was happy.

In silence, the two men rode Marque's personal hydraulic lift to his office. Stepping out of the doors, Marque was still smiling when he glanced toward his assistant Talesin's desk, and noticed the expression on the man's face. "What is it?"

Talesin threw a pointed look at Marque and jerked his head nervously toward Marque's closed office door. _"Theus."_

Marque's stomach tightened, his satisfied, post-sex mood instantly evaporating.

Theus? The premier of the High Council? Here? Theus _never_ came here. The true connection between Callex Industries and the High Council was a tightly-guarded secret.

This was not good.

Wiping the smile off his face, Marque strode toward his door, and entered his office without knocking.

Theus leaned deceptively casually against the far wall behind Marque's desk, arms crossed over his chest, dressed in a black suit, his midnight hair combed straight back off his face. Not for the first time did Marque's mind conjure an image of the devil.

So different from the vision he'd recently left, of J's blond-haired, blue-eyed goodness.

Stop thinking about her! You have a bigger problem here.

Marque registered Theus's position against the far wall. _Never keep your back to a door. It makes you vulnerable to whatever comes through that door._ Theus, of all people, knew that well. How many assassination attempts had he survived now? Three?

"You've kept me waiting for more than an hour, Marque," the man in black said ominously. "I don't like to wait."

Ah, yes. _Immediately put your opponent on the defensive._ Not that Marque was Theus's adversary. And it wasn't even like they'd had an appointment. "Apologies. I had to leave the office."

"You never leave the office."

True. Marque was usually at Theus's beck and call, but he was certainly not going to volunteer where he'd been today, so he kept his mouth shut. Theus pushed himself off the wall and began to slowly pace. Given the premier's mood, Marque felt marginally safer with his desk between the two of them.

"We're concerned, Marque," Theus began, his voice unnervingly smooth. "The two wasp missiles you lost three months ago have turned up in Terra Radix, in the hands of Regulator Clemens Egidia, who has just used them to kill Regulator Florens Hericus. Edigia now controls all of Terra Domus. And you know how volatile that part of Tau Cetus is."

The knot in Marque's stomach tightened. "Sir— "

Theus held up a hand, cutting Marque off. "There are some in our organization who believe you've gone rogue, selling weapons with your own agenda." There was a dangerous tone to the premier's words.

"You know that's not true. I reported the missing wasps as soon as the production schedule turned up short."

"But now the Council hears that two stingers may have gone missing. _What are we to make of that?"_

Marque went cold. There were only ten men besides himself who knew that particular bit of information. The ten men who were at the production meeting yesterday. Which one of them was leaking information to the High Council?

The one who was stealing the weapons himself?

Theus halted in his pacing and turned his dark gaze on Marque. "Do I need to remind you of your responsibilities? The fate of the world literally rests in your hands. The _Council_ directs where the weapons go. You take your orders from _us_. During the Great War, Tau Cetus was nearly destroyed. That risk cannot be allowed again." Theus waved an agitated hand. "Men will always strive for power over each other. We know that. So the Council put its trust in you. We made you the government's means of checks and balances. If you cannot manage your part of this arrangement, we will... _take you out_ ...of the arrangement."

The knot in Marque's stomach turned to something else. His jaw tightened as he returned Theus's hard stare _. Go ahead. Take me out, you bastard. I'd like nothing better than to give up this shadowy half-life I lead, constantly on guard, always looking over my shoulder and trying to protect everyone. It would be heaven to be free of this responsibility._

But a moment later, that antagonism evaporated. He was first and foremost Theus' man. Marque had committed to this Herculean task because he knew how important it was, and he'd do it for as long as he was effective. He blinked, blew out a resigned breath, and watched as Theus resumed his pacing.

"I'll track those stingers down myself," Marque assured him. "And deal with the person responsible for stealing them."

"You're only alive right now because I believe that. Others on the Council, however, are not as convinced. You'll have to do a lot more than find those weapons to regain the Council's trust in you."

Marque froze. _Shit._ This situation was even worse than he'd imagined. He now had to fear for his safety from inside the Council, as well as the constant threats from his enemies outside. How much more of this could one human being take?

Thank God he at least had the safety of J to turn to in his dangerous world.

#

"Sir. I respectfully request to be removed from this case."

Back at headquarters for the daily debriefing, Jai stood at attention in front of Commander Talis Rainey's desk. Her uniform and her formal stance added gravity to her words. Or at least that's what she hoped.

"What are you talking about, Turner?"

"I'm a liability, sir. This has become too personal for me. I can no longer separate my job from my emotions."

Like a good partner, Leith Wyatt stood silently supportive beside her.

Seated behind his desk in the spartan office, Rainey sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "Request denied."

"But sir— "

"Sit."

"I really think—"

"I said _sit_."

Jai hesitated, and then grudgingly took a seat, her back still ramrod straight. She would not relax until she had this awful situation resolved. Wyatt eased himself into the chair next to her.

Jai leaned forward, her body posture all but pleading. "Sir. I can't continue. I've become... _emotionally involved."_

It killed her to admit the words, but they were true _. Damn_. Jai took pride in her job. In five years on the force, she'd never been in danger of letting down a partner or her commanding officer. Until now.

Rainey rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, steepled his fingers, and stared at her over the top of them. "Turner, becoming 'emotionally involved' is exactly what we wanted to happen. I asked you to build a relationship with Callex, to earn his trust. And it sounds like you've done exactly that."

"Sir. You wanted me to soften Callex up so that he'd spill his secrets. You certainly never wanted me to..."

"To what, Turner?"

Jai's mouth twisted. "To start to have feelings for him, sir."

Rainey scowled, but he didn't seem nearly as upset as Jai had expected. "I admit it's not the best case scenario," he said. "But it lends legitimacy to the role you're playing. Just don't let it interfere with your job."

"But sir—"

"There's no shame here, Turner. If you could have sex multiple times with a man and _not_ feel anything, I'd think you actually _were_ a robot."

It wasn't shame at having sex that concerned Jai. The truth was, her feelings _were_ threatening to interfere with her job. "Sir, I can't—"

"You _can_ , and you _will_ ," Rainey insisted. "We've never been this close to Callex before."

"Sir—"

"That's an _order_ , Turner. You have a job to do. Suck it up and do it."

Defeated, Jai sat back in her chair. Tear threatened to sting her eyes. She was going to have to go through with this awful assignment, to gain and betray Marque's trust.

Rainey threw a cynical glance at Wyatt. "I assume you destroyed today's disc as well."

"Yes, sir," her partner answered briskly.

"Too bad," Rainey commented wryly. "It sounds like today's session was particularly... _productive."_

Jai winced, once again grateful to Wyatt for protecting her modesty.

"When Callex says something incriminating, you'll get that disc, sir," Wyatt assured the commander.

Rainey slapped a hand on his desk. "Damn it, Wyatt. This is police work we're talking about here. You shouldn't be destroying evidence!"

"There's been no 'evidence' yet. Sir."

"That's not for _you_ to decide." Rainey made a frustrated sound, and then leaned back in his chair.

From beside Jai, Wyatt subtly cleared his throat. She knew what he was hinting at, but she was still wallowing in the fact she was going to have to go through with this assignment.

"There _was_ one new bit of information today, sir..." Wyatt began, giving Jai no choice but to speak up.

She blew out a resigned breath. "Marque Callex wants to buy me."

" _What?"_ Rainey's eyebrows shot up.

"He wants to own his Beautiful Doll, to take me home at the end of this week."

The huge grin that split the commander's face was not exactly the reaction Jai was expecting. In fact, Jai couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Rainey smile. _Ever._

"That's perfect!" Rainey bellowed. "But why do you look so upset, Turner? It sounds like you have Callex right where you want him. _Work it._ You have two more days on this assignment. Get the job done quickly, and then get out. I want information that will convict Marque Callex, and _you will get it for me."_

# Chapter Six

"I've discovered our thief, Marque, but you're not going to like it."

Marque came to an abrupt halt at his assistant Talesin's desk, his bodyguard Bursus nearly running into him from behind. Marque had just come from the daily morning production meeting, where no mention had been made of the missing stinger missiles.

Frankly, after Theus's visit yesterday, it had taken all of Marque's control this morning to look at each man seated around the conference table without giving them an accusatory glare. He'd been glad when the meeting had finally adjourned.

Talesin blew out a breath, and Marque glanced down at his assistant's haggard face. Besides Bursus, Talesin was the only man in this world Marque trusted completely. He'd given his assistant a job that had undoubtedly taken most of the night, but which had obviously been successful. "I'm _sure_ I'm not going to like it. No matter _who_ the thief is. Someone from our inner circle – someone I thought I could trust – has betrayed us."

Talesin swallowed, obviously reacting to the dangerous scowl on Marque's face. "His actions were recorded. He can't deny it."

"Who is it?"

The name Talesin spoke was not a surprise to Marque. He'd had his suspicions, after all, even given the betrayer an assignment designed to prove his innocence. Still, it felt like a punch to the gut. He closed his eyes briefly while trying to compose himself. "You have the proof with you?"

Talesin handed Marque a disc.

"Get him up here."

Talesin hesitated, and then glanced at Marque's bodyguard. "Should we send Bursus for him?"

Marque shook his head. "No. That might tip our hand. Just tell him I need to see him in my office. Bursus and I will wait in there."

Talesin reached for a button on his desk, but Marque stopped him.

"On second thought, give me five minutes. I want to see this evidence for myself first."

Talesin nodded. "What you're looking for is at 28-minutes in."

With a resigned sigh, Marque turned and headed to his office, followed closely by Bursus. Popping the disc into a player on the console next to his desk, Marque settled into his chair, grabbed a remote, and forwarded to time code 28:00.

There he was, the traitor on the monitor, plain as day – or rather, _night_ , since just the auxiliary lights were on in the manufacturing plant. Still, it was easy to make out the image of Chavis Smith slipping two stinger missiles from the loading dock into a long duffel bag. With a weight of just twelve pounds each, the missiles would have been easy for him to conceal and to carry away.

Marque stopped the disc.

"You knew about him?" Bursus asked.

Marque shrugged. "I had my suspicions. That's why when Chavis offered to get to the bottom of the missing missiles during Wednesday's production meeting, I agreed. It was a test, of sorts."

"Bastard," Bursus mumbled. "How do you want to deal with this?"

"Well, we'll have to turn him over to the Council, obviously. Let's just hope he doesn't put up too much of a fight."

"Why? I'd love an excuse to pound him to a pulp."

Marque grimaced. "He's still my brother-in-law."

Two minutes later, Chavis poked his head around Marque's office door, a broad smile on his face. "You called, Marque?"

Marque rose from behind his desk, the remote still in his hand. "Yes. Come in."

As Chavis stepped into the room, Bursus moved to stand in the doorway, blocking any exit.

Chavis didn't seem to notice. Or, if he did, he knew it was common enough for Bursus to be on guard duty. He obviously didn't think anything was out of the ordinary.

Marque crossed his arms over his chest and got right to the point. "I know it was you who stole the wasp missiles, Chavis."

His brother-in-law's eyebrows reached his hairline. The look of surprised innocence on his face was almost believable. "What are you talking about?"

"You stole the wasps, and now you've stolen the stingers."

Chavis took a small step back. " _What?_ You're out of your mind, Marque."

Marque simply stared at him.

The innocent expression on Chavis's face faltered. "Come on, Marque, this isn't funny."

"I'm not joking. I know you stole those missiles."

" _I did not._ And you can't prove otherwise."

"Wrong," Marque contradicted. "I have the evidence on disc."

Chavis's eyes narrowed. "Impossible! I've been through all of the security discs with Rekos, trying to track down the real fucker myself. I told you I'd take care of this, Marque. Unfortunately, there's no sign of the thief on the recordings."

Marque smiled dangerously. "Of course not. That's because you jerry-rigged them, looping a static overnight shot of the production room floor and the loading docks." How else would the regular security cameras not have picked up Chavis's actions? "Do you think I didn't install extra cameras after the wasps went missing? Cameras that no one knew about but me?"

Chavis hesitated, then set his mouth in a mulish line. "I don't believe you."

With a sigh, Marque hit a button on the remote in his hand, and pointed it toward the monitor. Chavis's betrayal was replayed again.

The color drained from his brother-in-law's face. Chavis quickly changed tactics, trying a self-deprecating smile and a placating tone. "Come on, Marque. Listen, buddy. What are two small missiles in the grand scheme of things? They won't even affect your bottom line."

Marque said nothing. No one employed by Callex Industries – except Bursus and Tallesin – knew the company was actually a front for the government, and that Marque was not a capitalistic arms dealer. The missing missiles had nothing to do with lost profit.

Getting no response and starting to sweat, Chavis tried another tack. "You don't know what I've done for you, Marque!" he whined.

Marque raised a dubious eyebrow. "Really? And just what have you done for me?"

"I recently uncovered a spy in our midst, sent to infiltrate us from Tau Cetus's police force. I... _took care..._ of him for you."

"What?" Marque froze. "The police sent— Who was this... _spy?"_

"His name was Joran Breaux."

Shit. Marque had had his own suspicions about Breaux, and had been scheduled to meet with the man one day last month. But he'd never shown up.

Fucking hell...

So Chavis was guilty of murder as well as theft. The High Council would show him no mercy. And the poor bastard didn't even know yet whom he'd really betrayed. "You're in deep shit, Chavis. What was worth this risk? Why did you do it?"

Obviously realizing that neither his cajoling nor his wheedling was working, Chavis sneered. "You want to know _why?_ Are you really that dense, Marque? It's Leora."

Marque took a sharp breath. He hadn't honestly expected Chavis to give him a reason for his treachery, but this? " _My sister?_ My sister is the reason you're selling weapons? _"_

"Do you have any idea what she costs, Marque? Christ, the security alone—"

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about?" Marque shouted, losing his notorious calm. " _I_ pay for her security detail. Leora has more security than _I_ do!"

"And do you know how much she hates you for that?" Chavis shouted back. "For making her life a prison? A gilded cage? It's all she talks about. She lashes out at you by spending a bloody fortune." Chavis grimaced. " _Shit_. I married her for the power and prestige I thought being related to you would bring me, but Leora is more than I can handle. You've made her life a misery, and she's made mine one. I can only seem to keep her happy with cash. _Lots of it._ So I had to get creative."

For a moment, Marque was speechless.

When his parents had been killed two decades ago in the Great War, Marque had been a boy of twelve, left alone to care for his eight-year-old sister. He'd been overprotective of Leora then, and he definitely was now, albeit for different reasons. Back then she'd been a vulnerable young girl, but now Marque was the High Council's personal weapons conduit – and a potential target of every power-hungry egomaniac on Tau Cetus – so these days Marque was still doing his best to keep his sister safe. But despite his good intentions, it seemed that what he considered _caring_ she considered _controlling_.

"What do you say, Marque?" Chavis cooed. "No harm done, right? Your net worth won't be affected by the loss of two tiny missiles. How about if I promise to come directly to you next time Leora needs money? We'll keep this just between us guys. It's important that your sister is happy, right?"

Marque's jaw tightened. Chavis was responsible for the deaths of Joran Breaux, Regulator Florens Hericus, and who knew how many others as a result of the two stingers he'd just sold. Plus, he'd upset the balance of power in Terra Domus, a dangerous move that might threaten all of Tau Cetus. No harm done?

Hardly.

But Chavis wouldn't look at it that way. He – and almost everyone else on Tau Cetus – believed Marque randomly sold weapons for profit, just as Chavis had done.

"Who did you sell the missiles to?"

"What?"

"I said _who did you sell those missiles to?"_

Chavis frowned. He seemed to be silently debating whether he'd be in more trouble with Marque or with his buyer if he revealed that particular bit of information. "It doesn't matter now, does it, Marque?" he rationalized. "I promised to come to you next time I need money."

Marque blew out a breath. Frankly, he didn't care anymore who had bought the stingers. The High Council would undoubtedly get that information out of Chavis, through force if necessary. Marque didn't need any more blood on his hands than was there already. "You'll have to pay for this, Chavis. Bursus?"

The bodyguard immediately came over to wrap an iron hand around Chavis's upper arm. "Come with me."

"What? No!" There was a confused look on Chavis's face as Bursus steered him firmly toward the door of Marque's office. "Marque. Come on, man, let's talk about this. What will Leora say? She loves me! She'll hate you for this even more than she already does. Marque!"

" _Wait."_ Marque's hard command stopped Bursus in his tracks.

_She loves me._ Those were the only possible words Chavis could have spoken that would make Marque reconsider his decision to turn him immediately over to the High Council.

She loves me.

Was that true? Could his sister really be in love with this deceitful, lying thief? If so, could Marque do something that would make Leora's life even more miserable than he'd obviously already made it? Marque had asked for this life, but she hadn't.

Marque had a duty to the High Council, true, but he also had a duty to family.

Shit...

"Boss?" An obviously surprised Bursus was waiting for Marque's next command.

Marque strode over to where his bodyguard still held Chavis in an iron grip. He stuck the remote under his brother-in-law's chin, forcing his gaze up.

"Do you _swear_ that you'll come to me next time you need money?"

The relief on Chavis's face was palpable. "I swear it, Marque."

"And that you'll treat my sister with the respect she deserves?"

"Yes, yes. I promise. I'll treat her like the precious gem she is."

" _If you run,"_ Marque threatened, "Bursus will hunt you down like a bloodhound. There will be no second chances."

Obviously knowing Marque's deadly reputation, Chavis swallowed hard. "I won't run. I'm committed to Callex Industries. I swear it."

Marque paused, considering. Then he glanced at Bursus. "Let him go."

Bursus hesitated, and then released his grip on Chavis's arm.

"Thank you, Marque. Thank you," Chavis groveled. "You won't regret this." Then he sprinted out of Marque's office so quickly he was a mere blur heading down the hallway.

"Boss?" The look of confusion on Bursus's face matched the one on Talesin's, who came to stand in Marque's office doorway, one eyebrow raised.

Marque sighed. "I have to talk to my sister before I make a final decision on what to do about Chavis. In the meantime, I'm certain he won't skip town. He's conceited enough to think he just convinced me to overlook what he considers a... minor indiscretion." He glanced at his antique watch. "I need to get to Beautiful Dolls."

Yes. With his world in upheaval, what Marque needed right now was the comfort of the only woman in his life he could trust.

#

"I suggest you try the sex toys on her today, Callex."

Marque looked at Anson Carron, who was standing in his usual place behind the concierge desk at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir, with the ever-present assistant Leigh Wyatt hovering at his side. Marque was still mentally grappling over how to handle this situation with Chavis, and wasn't sure he'd heard Carron correctly. "What?"

"The sex toys," Carron repeated. "The Doll is programmed to respond well to them. This might be your last chance to try them. Tomorrow your week here is up."

Fuck. The last thing Marque needed was Anson Carron telling him how to make use of his own sexbot. Marque was very satisfied with his relationship with J as it was.

So satisfied, in fact...

"That reminds me," he said. "You and I need to discuss something tomorrow."

Carron bowed his head slightly. "As you wish."

Marque glanced around. "But there is one question you can answer for me now..."

"Yes?"

"Why do I always seem to be the only one here?"

"You're not," Carron answered smoothly. "I simply stagger the arrival time of our clients in order to insure maximum privacy. The rooms are soundproofed, as you know. So that might be why you feel like you're alone. But I assure you all the rooms are full."

Marque frowned. He supposed Carron's answer made sense, both from a privacy as well as a business sense. But something still bothered him. He turned to Bursus.

"Have you ever seen anyone leave here while you've been waiting for me?"

His bodyguard shook his head.

Carron's facial expression never faltered. "That's for two reasons. The first is that you've never spent your full allotted hour here until yesterday. The other is that some of our... _guests_ ...like to book for a longer session." Carron winked suggestively, and then waved a hand toward the half-dozen doors leading off this main reception area. "Would you like to open a door and see for yourself?"

Marque's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Open one of the doors? No way. He knew how _he'd_ feel if someone unexpectedly walked in on his session with J. Not that Bursus would ever allow that to happen. What he and J did in her room together was... _private._ As everyone's session should be. "No. That's fine."

Carron bowed his head obsequiously.

_The oily bastard_. Anson Carron really rubbed Marque the wrong way.

Carron waved a hand toward J's door. "Enjoy today's session."

Marque frowned at him, and then turned to head for J's room. Bursus took his usual seat in a chair by the doorway.

Turning the door handle, Marque silently let himself into the room. J was in her usual position, in a wooden chair near the bed, eyes closed, obviously in hibernation mode. He paused for a moment to admire what he saw. Her clever mouth, her perfect body. He wondered if he could do something about that blonde hair before he took her home, though. Blonde-haired women had never been his type.

Christ, she was always so still while in hibernation mode! It really was quite unnerving. But why the chair? When he got her home, would he have to provide a chair for her to hibernate? It would certainly be no problem, but why didn't she just stand? She was a machine. It wasn't like she'd get tired. Or maybe it was just more lifelike if she sat? Hmm. He'd have to ask Carron about that when he bought her tomorrow.

In fact, he'd have to ask Carron _a lot_ of questions tomorrow about the upkeep of a Beautiful Doll.

He closed the door and took four steps across the room to stand in front of her. "Hello, J."

On cue, her eyes slowly opened. She looked up at him and smiled broadly. "Hello, Marque."

God, he loved that smile, the way her face lit up at seeing him, the way she always drew out the word _hello_ in a slow purr, as if it were a blatant sexual invitation.

He also loved the sense of power that his own voice had over her. Because when he said _Hello, J,_ it meant _wake up, my Beautiful Doll._

He sighed contentedly. Damn, he really needed to be here right now. What would they do together today?

Marque glanced briefly over her shoulder at the delicate rice paper shoji screen a few feet behind her, Anson Carron's words coming back to him.

... _try the sex toys on her..._

Hmm. He remembered a brief glimpse of the toys on his first day here, but frankly, his focus then had been more on the technological miracle of J herself.

He took a quick step around her, moving over to the screen, sliding it silently on its track to reveal the sex aids on the wall behind. His gaze took in the offerings.

All the usual. Blindfold, handcuffs, gag ball, whip, paddle, slave collar, rope, and a bunch of other things. His gaze strayed back to the paddle. Would J's beautiful rear cheeks pinken nicely like a human's if he used a paddle on her? Would he be able to soothe away the pain with his hand, like he would with a human woman?

Idiot. There would be no pain. J was a machine.

There I go again, endowing her with human feelings.

But more to the point, why did the idea of sexual punishment not even tempt him?

He knew exactly why.

"Are we going to... _play_ ...today, Marque?"

Marque turned to face her. J had twisted around in her chair to see where he'd gone. He frowned. Had he just heard a hint of nervousness in her voice, of trepidation? No. He must have imagined it. After all, Carron had said she was programmed to respond well to the toys.

He blew out a rough breath, and massaged the back of his neck with one hand. Edgy, kinky, or painful sex was not the reason he was here. "No, J. No sex toys. My life is dangerous enough. I want to be safe. I _feel_ safe with you. I deal in weapons of war, but I just want some peace."

Christ. He'd never bared so much of his soul – and in a single breath! – to another human being, much less to a machine. But he meant what he'd said. Every single word.

So much for divorcing his emotions from this relationship.

I deal in weapons of war, but I just want some peace....

Jai could see that Marque was in distress. It was in his words, but much more in the haggard look on his face. Had something happened this morning?

She inhaled sharply as a sudden realization hit her. _This was her perfect chance._ He seemed... vulnerable... today. Yesterday, he had taken the first step in opening up to her. Today was her opportunity to try and push harder to get more information out of him, hopefully the information on his arms dealings she needed to do her job and be done with this case.

So why did her heart ache at the thought of it?

Because I care for Marque Callex.

Yes. But there was no future in those feelings. He was a dangerous arms dealer and she'd been sent here to take him down. It was her job. She had to suck it up, as Commander Rainey had ordered, and be done with this assignment.

And ironically, her feelings for him just might help her to do that.

She was out of her chair and by his side in seconds. "Come with me." She led him to the foot of the bed, which was really the only place they could sit side by side. "Tell me what's wrong."

The question got an ironic, sharp bark of laughter out of him. _"What's wrong?_ What's right, you mean. Nothing's right. Nothing's right in my life."

"Talk to me, Marque."

"I can't. I wish I could, but I can't."

"I told you once that I'm here to please you. To make you happy. In whatever form that takes. Talking. Listening. _I'm here."_

He shook his head. There was such a conflicted expression on his face that Jai's heart ached again.

She stood up and stripped off her thin sarong, did a slow pirouette, then stood before him naked. "Look at me. I'm not programmed to record, Marque, if that's what you're afraid of. I'm programmed to _please_. Check me over for yourself."

Technically, it was true. She wasn't wired. But Wyatt's camera was very definitely whirring away overhead.

Her stunt got a small smile from him. "Beautiful J, you're the _one_ good thing in my life right now. I didn't realize how miserable I actually was until I met you."

_Oh dear._ Jai swallowed. He cared for her, too, and she was going to coldly betray him. She hated this.

"Come here." Marque opened his arms and spread his legs, inviting her into his embrace.

She went willingly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, nestling his head on her chest, between her breasts. "Christ, I can hear your heartbeat."

"My _pseudo_ -heartbeat. I'm Beautiful Dolls most lifelike model," she said quickly.

"So you keep telling me. But sometimes I can almost forget you're not real."

I am real, Marque...I just wish I could tell you.

Stop it, Jai! Do your job.

"Talk to me, Marque," she urged. "You look like you need someone to talk to."

That got a small chuckle out of him. "And how would you know what the hell someone who needs to talk looks like? I'm the only man you've ever been with."

"That's true. But you look so..."

He pulled back and gazed up into her face. "What?"

" _Sad_. I want to make you happy, Marque. I'm _programmed_ to make you happy. Let me fulfill my function. Please. Talk to me."

Jai held her breath as she stared down into Marque's troubled face. She cursed the fact that her blue starburst contact lenses hid the plea she knew was in her eyes, but hopefully he'd believe her words. What more could she do? How much more pressure could she possibly apply?

A long moment passed before Marque finally sighed.

"You're right. I _do_ need someone to talk to."

Jai could hardly believe her ears. He'd taken the bait! Her knees felt weak with relief as Marque gently guided her to sit on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her waist again. "My name is Marque Callex."

Jai frowned. "I know that, Marque." Then she felt compelled to add, "Mr. Carron introduced you when you first arrived."

"My company is called Callex Industries," Marque continued. "It sells weapons to... ambitious men."

Jai knew that too, but it was not something Anson Carron would likely have told a Beautiful Doll sexbot, so she kept silent.

Marque blew out a breath. "Callex Industries operates entirely under the direction of Tau Cetus's High Council. The government is not my client, it's my employer. I sell weapons only where it tells me to. Including to rogue nations."

" _What?"_ The stunned response came out of Jai's mouth before she could stop herself. No, no, Marque was lying. He had to be. Callex Industries sold weapons to dangerous countries _at the direction_ _of the High Council?_ Impossible.

Marque looked at her abruptly. "Why the surprise?"

Jai searched quickly for a logical _robot_ answer. "I-I don't know anything about the ways of the world, Marque, but why would a government sell weapons that could be used to start a war against it? It doesn't make sense."

"Ah, good question. There's a strategy to it, you see. I sell weapons only to the territories or dictators or politicians that the High Council instructs me to, in order to maintain the delicate balance of power on our planet. To the world, I may seem to be a rogue arms dealer, but in reality, I help to keep the peace. I answer directly to the premier, Theus."

Jai's brain was racing. If Marque was the High Council's man, _why on earth would Theus himself have ordered Tau Cetus's police force to bring Marque down?_

Oblivious to Jai's frantic train of thought, Marque continued with his story.

"Unfortunately, I have a problem. A few months ago, three wasp missiles were smuggled out of my factory. They were subsequently used to assassinate the Regulator of Terra Domus. This month, two stingers have gone missing. I discovered the identity of the thief this morning. It's my own brother-in-law, who works for me at Callex Industries. I have the evidence on disc, and he confessed to it when I confronted him." Marque blew out a breath. "Not only that, but he also admitted to killing an agent that Tau Cetus's police force had sent to infiltrate my company."

Jai froze on Marque's lap. _Dear God_. Marque hadn't killed Joran Breaux either?

"Christ, J, when you freeze up like this, there's no denying you're a robot. Are you malfunctioning? Say something."

Jai forced herself to blink. To breathe. "What is your brother-in-law's name?"

Marque frowned. "Chavis Smith. Why?"

_He's identified the killer by name for Wyatt's recording._ Again Jai searched for a logical robot answer. "I'm just trying to keep this story straight, Marque. All these names are unfamiliar to me."

"Right. Sorry." Marque sighed, and continued. "My duty, of course, is to turn Chavis immediately over to the High Council. But my sister... well, I'm afraid my sister Leora would never forgive me if I did. I've already ruined her life by being what I am. To take away her husband, too...I don't know if I can do that to her. She's suffered so much at my hands already."

Jai sat on Marque's lap, speechless. _Marque Callex was an innocent man._ He was not the evil arms dealer the world believed, in fact, he was exactly the opposite.

As the numbing, unbelievable truth started to settle in, Jai's heart began to beat with a strange new rhythm, even as her brain began to process the new facts of her situation. "You say you've ruined your sister's life by being what you are. But it sounds to me that 'what you are,' Marque, is an important government agent, a hero even."

Marque made a small, scoffing sound. "A hero? Hardly. I became the High Council's weapons dealer to help ensure that a war can never happen again. I gave up all chance at a normal life when I committed to this, but unfortunately, I forfeited all chance at a normal life for my sister as well."

Jai wrapped one arm around Marque's shoulder. "Why did you do it?"

Marque shrugged. "I know you'll have no concept of this, being a machine and brand new off the assembly line, but... I lost my parents in the Great War."

The statement came out as simple fact, but it hit Jai hard in the gut. She knew what Marque was really saying with his unemotional words. Jai had lost her parents in the war, too, as well as two brothers. Nearly half the planet had died in that terrible conflict. It had taken Jai – and all of Tau Cetus – a long time to recover, to heal. Some people said the world was not the same even today. Jai's life path had led her from a foster group home to Tau Cetus's police force; Marque's life had led him to a higher goal. But they were a lot alike. Children of war often became the fiercest defenders of peace.

Good God. What a revelation Marque Callex was!

"What will you do about Chavis Smith?"

Marque's grip around her waist tightened. "I don't know yet. I have to speak with my sister first."

Oh, dear. Not good. Chavis had to pay for what he'd done. He needed to be apprehended and turned over to the authorities. Jai shifted on Marque's lap as she had a sudden insight. "Does your sister know what you really are?"

"No. It's dangerous enough for her as it is. Why complicate things further?"

"How long has it been since you've seen her?"

"Nine years, two months and six days. Since Callex Industries has been a front for the High Council."

" _Marque!_ Why?"

He shrugged. "To protect her. I felt if I stayed far enough away from her, she'd be safe."

"But if her safety is in jeopardy by the mere fact she's related to you, wouldn't it give her some measure of comfort to know that her danger is at least in the service of a good cause? A _noble_ cause?"

Marque frowned.

"Go talk to her. As a brother. As the _loving_ brother you obviously are. Given the fact that weapons killed your parents, she can't possibly want her own husband to be selling death."

Marque was quiet as he considered her words, and then blew out a breath. "Jesus, J, who the hell made you so wise? What kind of A.I. program does that?"

Jai didn't have a logical robot answer for that one. "I don't know, Marque. It's just the way I feel. It's just...inside me."

He reached up to slip one hand behind her head, pulling her down for a kiss. It was wonderful, his kiss. Slow. Warm. Emotional. Possibly the best kiss of Jai's life, now that she knew who Marque Callex really was.

An honorable man.

"I know what _I'd_ like inside you," Marque murmured quietly as he pulled away. _"Me."_

Her heart tripped again to its new rhythm, and her hand eased a path up his chest, to tug urgently at his tie.

Marque needed no further encouragement. Seated as Jai was on his lap, Marque simply slipped one arm under her legs and the other around her back, and swept her up into his arms, turning to carry her the short distance to the top of the bed.

He shed his clothes in seconds flat. They made love gently, tenderly. Marque on top. Then Jai on top. It wasn't the cataclysmic orgasms of days past, or even the poignant heart-stopping lovemaking of yesterday. In a way, this was better. This was contented sex, committed lovemaking, caring about each other's pleasure. A mutual give and take. Comfortable. Easy. Secure.

And so very powerful.

When the sex was over and Marque was getting dressed to leave, he looked down at her with something like a rueful expression on his face.

"You know," he said, shaking his head, "I specifically requested a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Doll. I hate blondes – my type has always been brown-haired, brown-eyed girls – so I thought there was no way I'd get emotionally attached. But I am. Emotionally attached. I'm in love with you, J. With a robot!"

He shoved a hand through his hair, but it wasn't a frustrated gesture, more like an ironic one.

"I'm in love with you," he repeated, giving her a warm smile. "And I think you're going to make me very happy. I'll see you tomorrow."

As Jai watched him leave, her heart found yet another new rhythm. _Happiness._ Marque loved her and she loved him. When he returned tomorrow, she was going to convince him to turn in his brother-in-law, if his sister didn't convince him today.

And then Jai was going to tell him she was real. Human. And a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, to boot.

Then they could start a _real_ relationship.

# Chapter Seven

"Holy shit."

Aside from that one, vivid comment, Commander Talis Rainey had sat mostly speechless behind his desk during the daily afternoon debriefing, as Wyatt played the section of the video disc where Marque Callex revealed the true affiliation of Callex Industries, and the killer of Joran Breaux.

And despite the fact that her nudity featured prominently on the digital recording, Jai held her head high.

"You have to let me convince him to turn in Chavis Smith, sir," she insisted, her blue uniform a stark contrast to her still sex-tousled hair. She and Wyatt had rushed back to Rainey's office almost immediately after Marque had left Beautiful Dolls, pausing only long enough to give Anson Carron's staff a chance to strip off Jai's artificial skin and pop out her contact lenses. She hadn't even showered. "The brother-in-law is the one who's illegally selling arms, sir, not Callex."

"Turner—"

"Our orders were to get to the person peddling weapons on the open market, sir. That's Chavis Smith, not Marque Callex."

"You know..." Rainey mused, tapping a finger against his lips. "When Theus gave us his orders regarding Callex, he explicitly said to 'bring him down.' Not 'take him out.' That's why you weren't sent in as an assassin, Turner. I guess Theus had his own doubts about Callex's guilt."

"He's not guilty, sir. He's a hero."

Rainey frowned. "I suspect Regulator Florens Hericus would disagree with you. He's _dead_ because of Callex Industries' wasp missiles."

Jai shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She couldn't deny that salient point.

"And unless we can find out who Chavis Smith sold those two stingers to, more people could die." Rainey leaned forward in his chair and pointed to Wyatt's digital disc player. "Callex may have Chavis Smith's confession, but we have _his_. Right now, Callex is guilty of protecting a criminal, so you have one last day tomorrow to convince him to turn in his brother-in-law—"

"Unless his sister does this afternoon," Jai interjected.

"Right. Either way, he needs to turn over Chavis Smith to the High Council, or else we'll consider Callex an accessory, and take him down along with Smith."

Jai was determined that would never happen. She had other plans for Marque's future. One that included her.

She saluted the commander. "I understand, sir."

"Good job today, Turner. I know this assignment has been a rough one – on both of you – but you've handled it with a professionalism I'm proud of."

"Thank you, sir." Jai threw a concerned glance at her partner. "You okay, Leith?"

Wyatt shrugged. "At least I have closure. I know now who killed my partner, and I know we're going to punish the bastard."

"Damn straight," Rainey agreed.

"There's one more thing..." Wyatt started.

"Yes?"

"We have Anson Carron to thank for something else. Today Callex was suspicious because he'd never seen any other clients at Beautiful Dolls. Carron was pretty quick on his feet with a response. He told Callex all the boudoir rooms were full, but that he staggers the clients' arrival times for the sake of their privacy. He even offered to let Callex peek into any one of the empty rooms. Of course, Callex refused. It would have been too embarrassing, which is what Carron was counting on."

"Brilliant," Rainey observed. "Ballsy, and brilliant. First he makes sure Callex's bodyguard searches Turner's boudoir room _before_ you install your camera, then he refuses to let Callex run Turner through a scanner on grounds of exposing 'proprietary company secrets,' and now this. Whoever thought we'd be so indebted to that slimy pimp?"

"He clearly had his own agenda," Jai said sarcastically. "He agreed to all this to get his ass out of trouble. I wouldn't trust the man as far as I could throw him."

"Well, we won't need him after tomorrow. That is, _if you finish your job_. Callex needs to turn over Chavis Smith either to us or directly to Theus. Or else he goes down, too."

"I'll see to it," Jai vowed.

#

Instead of going back to his office after his session with J, Marque gave Bursus an address, and asked him to make a quick call to another set of bodyguards.

And now, pulling up outside an ornate apartment building on the wealthy side of town, Marque found himself a little short of breath. What would he say to Leora after all this time? He'd purposely had Bursus call her security detail to make sure she was at home, instead of Marque simply phoning Leora directly to tell her he was coming. _Hell._ He'd been afraid she might flat out refuse to see him.

Ironic that he could face a powerful and dangerous man like Theus without breaking a sweat, but he was a nervous wreck about meeting his own sister.

Bursus pulled their transport into an underground garage and parked. After a quick check of the immediate surroundings, Bursus opened the car door for Marque, and the two men headed for the private penthouse elevator. The dedicated lift worked only with a personal key, so Bursus put in another call to the bodyguards upstairs.

"We're here."

Then the two men stepped inside the elevator, and were whisked thirty stories to the top floor. As the doors opened, Marque was glad to see one burly man blocking the elevator's exit, and another two men guarding the door to Leora's apartment.

His sister was obviously well protected.

After a quick once-over, the first man stepped back to let Marque and Bursus off the lift. Marque stepped into a small hallway lined with a lush green carpet and rich, gold-toned walls. He looked around. Two wrought iron scrollwork sconces flanked the penthouse apartment's front door. A matching knocker decorated the door. Everything he saw spoke of style and sophistication.

Leora had moved here three years ago. Marque had known about the move, of course, and even approved of it – an apartment with one entrance was easier for bodyguards to defend than a house – but he'd never been here himself.

Marque cleared his throat. "She in?"

It was an idiotic question. Of course she was in. The bodyguards wouldn't be here otherwise.

The man in black who'd blocked the elevator exit nodded politely. He obviously knew Marque was the man paying his salary. "Yes, sir."

He put his hand on the apartment's door knob, twisted it, and pushed. The door swung inward, which surprised Marque. The front door was left unlocked? What kind of security was that? But then he figured that anyone who could get past three burly armed bodyguards would have no trouble with one insignificant locked door. He sighed in resignation and frustration. What a life the Callexes lived!

The head bodyguard waved a hand for Marque to enter. "She has an appointment with an interior decorator at three."

Marque nodded. Was that good or bad? He glanced at his watch. It was almost two o'clock now. If things weren't going well, the appointment would be a handy excuse for Leora to cut short this visit. And Marque desperately needed to talk to her.

He took a determined step inside the apartment, his eyes widening at what he saw.

Gleaming white marble floors stretched across a huge reception room. Twelve-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows – draped with maroon-colored brocade curtains pulled back with thick gold tassels – revealed a spectacular panoramic view of the city below. Three crystal chandeliers of various designs hung from the ceiling over grouped seating areas of green velvet couches and chaise lounges. Artwork on the walls might very well be originals, painted by old masters. The place looked like the inside of some historical castle or chateau, but for all its rich opulence, the space seemed cold. Barren. Lifeless.

"Leora?"

The heels of Marque's shoes echoed as he took three more steps into the empty, cavernous room, trying to decide in which direction he should head to try and find his sister. There were six closed doors to choose from. Hell, given the enormity of this one room, it could take an hour just to locate her in the massive apartment.

" _Leora!"_

He paused, waiting.

Nothing.

Christ. He should just pick a door. Any door. _No._ _Be systematic about it._ He turned and headed to the right.

The small squeak of a hinge stopped him in his tracks and drew his gaze toward the far left door.

"Chavis? What are you doing home?"

As he watched his sister enter the room, Marque couldn't say which one of them was the more shocked. Leora, who had no idea he was coming today, or Marque himself, who stood staring at a woman who looked at least a decade older than her twenty-eight years.

Leora's face was hard, pinched. She was thin as a rail, and even her designer clothes couldn't flatter a figure so emaciated. On her left hand was the biggest diamond Marque had ever seen, and he immediately wondered if the sale of three wasp missiles had helped to pay for it.

The expression on Leora's face went from utter surprise to a fleeting longing to outright hatred. Each emotion hit Marque like a sledgehammer of guilt.

" _Leora."_ Even to his own ears, her name sounded like a quiet plea.

She blinked rapidly. Odd, Marque didn't remember that as being one of her habits. Playing with her long black hair, yes, but not this rapid blinking.

She turned her back on him for a brief moment, but an instant later she swung back around, her chin in the air. "Is that you, Marque?"

He frowned. "Of course it's me."

She didn't even pause. "What are you doing here?"

No _how are you, or nice to see you, not even a why the fuck has it been so long since you've visited me._ No, none of those. Just a peremptory what are you doing here.

Have patience, Marque...

He looked around the room. "Is there a place we can sit?"

There were any _number_ of places they could sit, but he waited patiently as an obviously grudging Leora led the way toward a sofa in the farthest corner of the room.

No. That wouldn't do. Marque didn't want so much space between them during the intimate discussion he was planning. Half-way across the room, he motioned to a small round table with two filigree chairs. "How about here? You remember my bad back, right? It's better for me if I sit in a firm chair."

Frankly, he hadn't been troubled by his back in at least five years, but he hoped his words would bring up old memories. Memories of a time after the Great War, when it was just the two of them, Marque and Leora, against the world.

But his words seemed lost on her. She shrugged indifferently. "If you want. It doesn't matter to me."

She pulled out one of the lattice-backed chairs and plopped into it, leaving him to settle himself in the other one. But at least they were facing each other across the short distance of the table.

Now that the moment of truth was here, Marque had another attack of nerves. He threw a quick glance around the large room. "Very elegant."

The pinched frown between Leora's brows deepened, and she waved a careless hand. "I'm redoing the whole room. The decorator will be here in an hour. So let's get right to the point of your little visit, shall we?"

Okay. So no small talk, either. No chance of catching up on their lives over the last nine plus years. Marque took a breath and looked her in the eye. "How are you, Leora?"

She made a small sound, almost a snort. "As if you care."

"What are you talking about? Of course I care."

She shrugged again, indifferent to his answer. Marque could see that if he was going to get anywhere with her, provoking her was probably the only way to do it.

"Tell me. Are you happy, Leora?"

Her jaw fell open slightly at the question, and her face colored to a very unhealthy shade of red. Marque thought he was prepared for anything that might come out of her mouth, but suddenly, he wasn't so sure.

" _Happy?_ " she shouted. "Are you seriously asking me if I'm happy? _You fuck!_ I lost my parents in a catastrophic world war, and then a dozen years later, I lost my only brother – the same brother who _swore_ to me that I could always depend on him – to the very violence that took my mother and father."

"Leora—"

"No, wait a minute, I'm wrong," she sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're not even in the same category. They were _victims_ of violence, while you're a fucking _promoter_ of violence."

"I'm— "

" _You're Tau Cetus's most notorious arms dealer_." Her voice was getting shriller by the second. "And because of that, I have no life. I can't do anything without bodyguards shadowing my every move, and all because I'm related to _you._ I have no friends. I have no family. I _hate_ you. I hate you _so much_ for what you've done to me. I hate you for what you've _become_. But even more than that..." She paused as she finally ran out of breath, but Marque could clearly see her eyes tearing up at that point. "I hate you for being a liar. For betraying me. For abandoning me."

_Christ._ What a mountain of sins he was guilty of by her calculation! If there had been a sword nearby, Marque would have gladly fallen on it. J was right. He'd been a horrible brother.

"Leora—"

"Don't you talk to me, you _shit!_ " She leaned forward and promptly slapped him hard across the face.

Marque blinked in surprise, but welcomed the stinging in his cheek. At least it meant she still felt something for him. Even if it was hatred.

"Leora." He grabbed the hand that had just struck him and held it tightly between his own two, even though she tried to pull it away. "You're absolutely right. I'm a shit. The world's worst brother. But you have to believe me when I say that I _never_ abandoned you. I honestly felt that by staying away, your life would be safer. I love you too much to see you put at risk. That's the reason for the bodyguards. _Because I love you."_

"You're a lying bastard. The bodyguards are here only because of who you are."

"Yes. That's right. They're here because of who I am. But about that..." He squeezed her hand. "I have confession to make. Something I should have told you almost ten years ago."

"I don't want to know anything about you _or_ your despicable life!"

"That's just the thing," he said insistently. "It's _not_ despicable. In fact, it's the opposite."

Leora stopped trying to tug her hand out of Marque's firm grip. Her eyes were still glittery with unshed tears, but at least he had her attention. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Marque paused. His sister had become a bitter woman. In the space of three minutes, she'd call him a fuck, a shit and a bastard. Would she ever again lovingly call him _brother?_

"Lee Lee."

Leora gasped. The childhood nickname caught her off guard and made her flinch, but Marque had purposely used it so that she'd know that what he was about to tell her was the truth.

"Lee Lee, listen to me. My company, Callex Industries, is a front for the government. I actually work for the High Council."

Leora stared at him. "What?"

"It's true. I do sell weapons, but only where the High Council instructs me to, in order to maintain the delicate balance of power on Tau Cetus. The world thinks I'm a rogue arms dealer, but in reality, I'm helping to keep the peace. I answer directly to the premier, Theus."

Leora's eyes widened as she tried to take all this in.

Marque squeezed her hand. " _Nobody_ knows this, Lee Lee. Nobody except a handful of trusted people. And now you're one of them. I'm entrusting you with this because I can't bear for you to hate me. I'm not the shit you think I am. I'm actually trying to prevent a war from ever happening again."

Leora blinked rapidly, as she'd done when Marque had first seen her come into the room. Only now did he realize that she'd been fighting tears even then. Damn, he really was a shitty brother. How had things gotten so strained between them?

Leora let her tears fall freely now. In fact, she wept so hard that Marque stood up from the table, pulled out her chair, and took her in his arms. He hugged her so tightly that he could feel his shirt getting wet, but he didn't care. All he cared about was showing her how much he'd missed her. How much he loved her. How sorry he was for everything.

After a minute, he guided her to a nearby couch. Christ, with his arm around her shoulders he could actually feel her bones right through her clothes. What did she weigh? A hundred pounds, max?

He'd have to speak to her about that. Among other things. Including one very important thing.

They sat side by side, and Marque kept his arm around her until she finally quieted. When she eventually looked up at him, there were black circles of mascara under her eyes.

"Can I get you a tissue?" Marque offered.

"Over there," she sniffed, pointing to a side table. "Grab the box. I have a feeling I'm going to need more than one."

That simple, _civil_ sentence did more to assure Marque that things would be all right between them than almost anything she could have said. The constriction around his heart eased a bit.

He grabbed the box and sat back down. "You're kinda looking like a Tyhrennian monkey right now," he teased quietly.

She punched him in the arm, then took a tissue from the box and dabbed under her eyes. A moment later she let out a big sigh. "Is it true? What you just told me... is it really true?"

"Yes, it's true. I swear it."

She crumpled the tissue in her hand. "You know, I used to dream about this."

Marque raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About you telling me it had all been a mistake." She waved a hand to encompass the room. "I would wake up some mornings thinking this was just a bad dream, that I would see you and everything would be all right." She frowned. "And then I'd see the guards instead. I hated you _so much_."

"I'm sorry, Lee Lee. You're still a prisoner because of me, but I should have told you the truth from the start."

"Yes, you should have. But seriously, Marque, what is the High Council thinking? Selling weapons in order to _prevent_ war? What kind of logic is that?"

Marque shrugged. "The Council believes that force is a deterrent. If you know your enemy can destroy you, you're less likely to attack that enemy."

"But one slip, and the world could be annihilated. Again."

"I know. That's why I do what I do. I keep track of the weapons so that there _are_ no slips. War will never happen again. Not if I can prevent it."

Leora let out a quick huff. "Believe it or not, I can understand your commitment, when you explain it like that. Must be because I'm a Callex."

Marque hesitated, and then took her hand. "Not a Smith?"

Her mouth set into a mulish line. "Chavis was one of the few people willing to come near me. Willing to take the chance he wouldn't be killed for it."

"Do you love him, Lee Lee? I haven't spoken to you since you married him."

Leora was quiet for so long that Marque found himself holding his breath. So much depended on how she answered his question.

"No," she said finally, "I don't love him. He's a pompous ass. So much of an ass that I expected you to come tearing over here and stop the wedding. In fact, I picked the worst possible person to marry, _praying_ that you would come, just so I could see you. But you didn't come. No. You hired Chavis to work for you instead. And so my life became even more miserable."

Marque wrapped his arm around her shoulder again. Christ, if ever there was a poster boy for horrible brothers, he definitely was it. And he still hadn't completed his fall from grace yet.

"Actually, I hired Chavis in order to keep an eye on him," Marque admitted, letting out a breath. "But I obviously didn't watch him closely enough."

Leora pulled back. "What do you mean?"

Marque squeezed her shoulders. "I have something else to tell you. Something about Chavis."

"What is it?"

"After I tell you, I want you to promise to answer a question for me honestly. Do you promise?"

"Marque—"

" _Promise me."_

"Okay, all right. I promise."

Marque took a breath. "A few months ago, three wasp missiles were smuggled out of my factory. They were subsequently used to assassinate a Regulator in Terra Domus. My security is iron-clad, so I had a strong feeling it was an inside job. I installed extra security cameras, and this week, another two stinger missiles went missing." He paused. "We caught the thief on camera."

Leora gasped. _"Not Chavis!"_

"Yes. Chavis. He even admitted it when I confronted him."

"But-but _why?"_

There were two different ways Marque could have chosen to answer Leora's inevitable question, but now that she'd admitted she didn't love Chavis, why burden her with the allegation that Chavis needed the money in order to keep her happy? Hell, Marque wasn't even sure it was the truth.

"There's more. He also admitted he murdered – or ordered the murder of – an agent of Tau Cetus' police force, who he says was sent to infiltrate Callex Industries."

" _What?"_

"Lee Lee, I... _we_ ... have to make a decision about Chavis. By rights, he should pay for what he's done, but if you say the word, I will try to get him to tell me who he sold the missiles to, and get them back. For your sake, I would consider not turning him over to the High Council." Marque shoved his free hand through his hair. "I've thought about this a lot. My first loyalty is to you. _My family_. You're all I have. If you care for Chavis, I can't in good conscience make your life even more miserable than it already is, not after all I've already put you through. What do you want me to do?"

Leora was quiet for a long moment, shredding the tissue between her fingers. Even though she'd said she didn't _love_ Chavis, sending him away to certain death for murder and treason was something else entirely.

Still, he was counting on her to do the right thing. It was a Callex family trait.

"He's admitted to murder." Leora swallowed. "And he's put the entire planet in jeopardy by selling missiles."

"Yes, he has. Especially if we can't get those missiles back."

"Then he has to pay."

Marque let out a breath. "I agree. But I want you to be sure about this decision. He'll be turned over to the Council this afternoon. You won't see him ever again. Not even to say goodbye."

She made a small scoffing sound. "You think I see him now anyway? He works all day, and spends most of his nights at the gambling dens downtown. He's told me more than once he can't stand more than a few minutes in my company. He thinks I'm a shrew. Hell, I _am_ a shrew."

"Oh, Lee Lee..."

She waved a hand. "At least now I know where he was getting all his gambling money. You can't imagine how much he goes through! I couldn't believe you were paying him _that_ well."

Marque raised an eyebrow, grateful now that he hadn't said anything regarding Chavis's allegations about needing money to support Leora. He squeezed her shoulder. "It's the right decision, Lee Lee. Thank you. I'll handle things from here."

He kissed the side of her bony forehead, and smiled down at her.

"You know what? I'm starving. I had an... _appointment_ ...at lunchtime, and didn't get anything to eat. Do you have any food in this place?" Now that he and Leora were back on friendly terms, he was determined to fatten her up a little. The need to take care of his sister was ingrained in him.

"I'm sure I can find something in the industrial refrigerator here."

"Good."

A soft knock at the front door drew their attention to the apartment entrance. The lead bodyguard had his hand on the door knob, and was poking his head around the door. "Excuse me. The decorator's here, Mrs. Smith."

"Send her away," Leora ordered. "I'm visiting with my _brother."_

# Chapter Eight

"I want to buy my Beautiful Doll."

Marque stood at Anson Carron's reception desk at the Beautiful Dolls boudoir. He'd been looking forward to this moment all morning, even more than the gratifying sight of Bursus hauling off Chavis Smith yesterday afternoon to answer to the High Council for his illegal arms dealings.

Hmm. Good things came in threes, right? First Leora had forgiven him, then Marque had turned in Chavis, and now he was going to take home J. It was a good couple of days in a life that didn't see many good days.

Marque nodded contentedly. "I want to take her with me after my final session today."

Behind the reception desk, Anson Carron smiled, but shook his head. "I'm sorry, the sexbots aren't for sale."

"Everything's for sale, Carron." Marque was not put off in the least by Carron's response. He knew how this game was played. "I'm a businessman, too. And as a businessman, I understand your strategy behind offering a free week in the arms of a Beautiful Doll. Well, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the tactic worked. I'm hooked on mine. But I'm not coming back here every time I want to see her. In my line of work, it's too dangerous."

Marque purposely kept his voice cool. There was no way he'd let Carron know he was in love with J. No. That would make her price go up markedly. So he'd fallen back on his 'my-life-is-dangerous' line. Which was nothing but the truth. For a man constantly in fear of his life, it was unheard of for him to be out of the office for an entire week, even just for one short hour at lunchtime.

Carron again shook his head. "Proprietary issues forbid—"

"Cut the crap, Carron. I don't care what the hell makes her tick; I just want to use her. I'm taking her home with me today. So name your price."

"You didn't try the sex toys on her, did you?" Carron said, in an apparent attempt to deflect the discussion.

Marque frowned. Christ, he hated this slimy bastard Anson Carron. This was the second time in two days he'd mentioned those damned toys. And the ever-hovering assistant Leith Wyatt was getting on Marque's nerves, too. He'd be damned glad to see the last of this place. "What the hell business is it of yours how I use the Doll?"

Carron bowed his head. "Not my business at all. Apologies. We'll discuss your purchase request after your session."

It annoyed Marque even further that Carron's answer was patently non-committal. Not _we'll discuss your purchase_ but instead _we'll discuss your purchase request._ So to drive home his determination, Marque said, "Good. Because I'm also going to need some instruction in her upkeep. And if you play your cards right, you might even talk me into an extended warranty."

There. That should give Carron something to think about for the next hour. Profit was a powerful motivator.

Marque threw a scowl at the assistant, Wyatt, and then turned toward J's room. Bursus took up his usual position by the doorway.

#

Sitting on the hard-backed chair in her Beautiful Dolls boudoir room, Jai struggled to tamp down her nerves. Ever since yesterday afternoon's debriefing in Commander Rainey's office, she'd been trying to figure out the best – and least traumatic – way to tell Marque she was human.

Oh, she expected him to be upset about it, absolutely. But she was counting on his feelings for her – and a sense of relief that he wasn't actually in love with a _machine_ – to override his anger.

Please, let it be so...

First, she had a job to do. She needed to wrap up this case. And to accomplish that, she had to make sure Chavis Smith would pay for his crimes. The fact that Commander Rainey hadn't called off this sting operation meant Smith was not yet in custody. So for now, at least, she must continue to pretend she was a sexbot.

Once the Smith situation was settled, though...

Jai's eyes drifted closed. If today was like every other day this week, she and Marque would make love. In fact, she was counting on it. The only thing she wasn't sure of was whether she should she tell him she was human _before_ they had sex, or _after_.

There were potent arguments in favor of either strategy.

If she told him beforehand, they could make love as two human beings, as two people who were emotionally involved and committed to each other. Sex would be all the sweeter because they'd be equal human partners in it.

On the other hand, if she told him after sex, their sweet lovemaking might lessen the blow of her news. Marque would be relaxed, satiated, hopefully in a more receptive frame of mind.

So which one would be best?

Jai froze as the door to her room abruptly opened. Goodness, was it 12:30 already? Good thing she'd already been sitting in her chair with her eyes closed!

Close call. You're slipping, Jai...

I am not. I know my duty, and I'll do it. But then I intend to have my reward...

The door slammed closed. Jai wanted to frown, but didn't dare. Marque had never slammed her door on arrival before. If he was in another foul mood, it could make her confession today all the more tricky.

She concentrated on holding perfectly still while she heard him cross the floor. "Hello, J." His voice sounded rough, edgy.

Carefully, she opened her eyes. That crease between his brows was deeper today. Shame. Over their last few sessions together, it had eased dramatically. And she flattered herself that she'd had something to do with it.

Had things not gone well with his sister yesterday? If that was the case, Jai was going to have to convince him to turn over Chavis Smith _and_ tell Marque she wasn't a robot. Oh, dear. She'd be earning her pay grade today.

"Hello, Marque."

He frowned, and loosened his tie. Pulling at the knot, he threw the tie on her bed.

"You look unhappy, Marque."

"Fuck. Up until a minute ago, I was extremely happy." He blew out a breath and then gave her a small smile. "No, I'm not unhappy, I'm just annoyed. I need a minute to calm down, that's all."

"Certainly."

Hmm. If he'd been fine until a minute ago, it boded well for the discussion with his sister yesterday. Something must have transpired just now between him and Anson Carron.

Probably the subject of buying her.

Which Anson Carron would have undoubtedly refused, in order to protect Jai's cover.

Don't worry Marque. If things go as planned, I could still be going home with you today. It just won't be the way you're expecting.

The thought made her smile.

Marque massaged the back of his neck with a hand, rotated his shoulders, and then blew out a breath. "There. Better now."

He held out his hand to her. Jai placed her fingers in his, and he tugged her to her feet, leading her the few steps across the room to sit at the foot of the bed.

Then he stood before her, his hands moving to his clothes.

Dear God, was there anything sexier than watching a man undress? Jai's eyes riveted on the sight of Marque casually shrugging out of his suit jacket, tugging his shirttail out of the waistband of his pants, slowly unbuttoning the buttons at the bottom of his long sleeves, and then starting to undo the long row of buttons down the front of his crisp white shirt. The skin he revealed as the material parted made her want to lick her lips. Or run them down his chest. _Now._

Right now.

"Christ, J, when you look at me like that, I just want to be inside you."

Jai glanced at his cock. He wasn't kidding. Marque was obviously _ready_ to be inside her.

_No. Not yet._ She had the subject of Chavis Smith to resolve first. And she'd never do it if she couldn't get Marque's suddenly eager hand off the zipper of his pants.

" _Stop."_

Zipper down, Marque's fingers paused on the button of his waistband, and he arched one eyebrow in surprise. "Did you actually just tell me to stop?"

Jai swallowed hard. She was a Beautiful Doll. Programmed for pleasure. Her entire function was sex. What possible reason could she give for delaying him?

"I just wanted to ask... how things went with your sister."

Instead of a look of annoyance, a huge smile split Marque's lips and transformed his entire face. He took a step forward and cradled her cheeks in his two hands, leaning down to kiss her. It was a slow, drugging, thorough – and thoroughly perfect – kiss. Jai's toes curled from the sheer pleasure of it.

"You were right, beautiful J. _So right_. She's still a prisoner of her life because of me, but now she knows it's all for her safety. She knows how important she is to me. She knows what a vital job I really do. I'm back on loving terms with my sister, and I owe it all to you."

Jai's heart swelled at the look of happiness that radiated from Marque's eyes. She hadn't realized that he was just as miserable as his sister obviously had been at their estrangement. Jai almost hated to open her mouth and break Marque's contented spell, but the words had to be spoken. "And... Chavis Smith?"

If possible, Marque's smiled widened. "That's the best part. _She doesn't love him_. She was appalled at what he'd done, and agreed with me that he needed to pay for his actions. Chavis was turned over to the authorities late yesterday afternoon."

Jai's eyes widened as she vacillated between elation and confusion at Marque's news. Chavis Smith was already in the High Council's custody? So then why hadn't word of it gotten to Commander Rainey? Why hadn't this operation been called off?

_Be grateful, Jai. If Rainey had closed the case yesterday, you wouldn't have had this last meeting with Marque to tell him how you feel about him, to tell him you're_ human. _The path is clear now for you and Marque to be together._

Right. She had to make good use of this opportunity.

Jai smiled. "I'm very happy for you, Marque."

He let go of her face and straightened. "It's such a relief. For almost a decade, my life has been nothing but shadows. Subterfuge. Lies and deceit. I'm so damned glad there is truth and honesty between my sister and me now. And I have you to thank for that honesty."

Oh, dear.

Tell him. Tell him the truth now. Chavis Smith is in custody. The case is all but closed. Tell him you're human. The longer you wait, the more he'll hate you when you deliver the news of your dishonesty...

"Marque—"

"No more talk." His hands went back to work on the button of his pants.

"But—"

"I can't wait another second to be inside you, J." He shoved his pants and underwear down his legs and kicked them off to the side. Socks followed. His shirt, which still hung open from his shoulders, joined the pile of clothes on the floor. He stood before her, gloriously naked, and Jai suddenly forgot about words. Her mind only had room for Marque.

She let her eyes roam slowly over his body. Marque Callex was a living, breathing work of art. Yes, it was true that she'd admired the physical perfection of his broad shoulders, muscular arms, lightly-furred chest and lean hips – and even his impressive cock – on his first day here. But now she was looking at him with something much more than just physical appreciation. _She loved him._ After learning the truth about his job, she'd discovered he was a noble man. After seeing how he'd dealt with his sister, she knew he had a good heart. And he'd said he loved her, too. Even though he thought she was a machine!

There was a warm tingling in her stomach now, a new possessiveness, a quiet joy.

Damn these robotic starburst contact lenses for hiding all that emotion from him!

Marque again held out his hand. "Come with me."

Jai swallowed, and then nodded. _I guess it'll be Plan B._ She'd tell him she was human _after_ sex.

She stood, and he led her the short distance around to the top of the bed. It was only then that she realized she was still wearing her sarong, while he was completely naked. She reached up to untie the knot at the back of her neck, but he stopped her.

"Just a minute."

She raised an eyebrow, waiting curiously.

"Christ, J, when you do things like that, you seem so damn... _human."_

_Good._ If he already thought of her mannerisms as human, it might not be so hard for him to accept her confession later.

Marque blew out a breath. "Listen..."

When he didn't immediately continue, Jai raised her other eyebrow. "Yes?"

He shoved a hand through his hair. "I-I want to ask you to do something for me today. My job...my life...well, I'm always in control. I have to be. But the weight of it...the responsibility of what I do and who I am...is exhausting. I'm tired of being in control. Damn sick of it sometimes. Just once – _just for this hour_ – I'd like someone else to be in control. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jai froze. Talk about confessions! She could tell from the naked look in Marque's eyes that he was revealing a side of himself he'd possibly never shown to anyone else. He was confiding in her, trusting her with his vulnerability.

And while one part of her rejoiced in his trust, another part of her worried how exposing such intimate information about himself would sit with him once he knew she wasn't a machine.

Marque cleared his throat. "I want you to take control of sex today. Would you do that for me, J?"

She answered after only the briefest hesitation, speaking from her heart. "I would do anything for you, Marque. "Did you have something in particular in mind?"

For an answer, he lay down on his back on the bed and reached up to thread his fingers through the scrollwork headboard, as if he were tied to it. "Take control. Blindfold me. Hell, that scrap of material you're wearing is hardly bigger than a scarf, anyway. Then have your way with me."

Again those little alarm bells of worry went off in Jai's head. How would the powerful Marque Callex feel about sharing his fantasy of giving up that power, of wanting instead to be submissive, to be _used_ , to surrender himself to sex at the hands of a robot, when he found out she was human? _And that he was being videotaped doing it!_ On the other hand, if Jai could make this an amazing experience for him, maybe it would help soothe any embarrassment later.

And she would definitely destroy Wyatt's digital disc, if he hadn't already stopped recording after hearing Marque's confirmation that he'd turned in Chavis Smith.

Hmm. Jai looked around the room. She briefly considered employing the erotic sex toys hidden behind the Japanese shoji screen, then dismissed them. Marque had said yesterday he didn't want kink, so Jai would just have to make this an experience to remember, using only her imagination.

Her fingers moved to untie the knot of her sarong and she drew the thin silk away from her body with one hand.

"Damn, you're beautiful, J," Marque said quietly from the bed. She loved the way his cool grey eyes seemed to warm, to light up when he looked at her. "I may not like blue-eyed blondes, but I ordered my perfect female body type from Anson Carron. And you're definitely it."

She smiled a secret smile, smoothed the silk into one long length, and then took a step closer to the bed. Marque obviously expected her to blindfold him, but instead, she put one end of the strip of silk against the side of his neck, and then started a slow, teasing, torturous exploration of his body with it.

Marque inhaled sharply as she glided the silk down his neck, gently tickled the hollow of his collarbone with it, slid it deliberately across his shoulder, and then started on a path down his chest. She paused to brush the sensuous material back and forth across one male nipple, blatantly teasing it, seeing if he would enjoy that, and noting with satisfaction the jerky movement of Marque's chest as he struggled for breath.

Risking a glance up at his face, Jai was pleased to see Marque's eyes were screwed shut, his head thrown back, and his grip on the headboard almost white-knuckled.

Good. He was _definitely_ enjoying the sensuous teasing.

She dragged the silk over to his other nipple, giving it the same exquisite torture, and then, when his nipple was a perfect tight brown knot from her stimulation, she trailed the gauzy material down his stomach.

Marque's low growl as Jai glided the silk over his belly toward his groin thrilled her to her core. If she thought pleasing Marque with oral sex three days ago had been exciting, it was nothing compared to the power over his pleasure she felt now.

His beautiful cock was rock hard. And all because of her.

Her heart tripped with an erratic, excited beat.

Jai held the silk material still, waiting patiently, knowing it would increase Marque's anticipation and desire. After a moment, Marque's hips began to twitch, as if searching for the silk. She chose that moment to finally drag the material down his cock, and was rewarded with his rough gasp of pleasure. Continuing the path downward, she circled his balls with the material, gliding around and around, and then back up along the length of his cock. Then back down again, repeating the teasing routine.

Marque was moaning loudly now, his hips jerking outright. Jai knew he wouldn't come with just the stimulation of the silk, no, there wasn't enough pressure. In fact, what she'd done was meant to purposely excite but frustrate him, knowing it would make his eventual climax all the bigger.

" _Fuck_ , J." His voice was a harsh rasp.

Her strategy was obviously working.

Jai pulled the silk away from Marque's body altogether, and quickly stepped back up to the head of the bed. "Look at me," she ordered.

Marque dragged his eyes open. His dilated pupils and glazed look told Jai her plan was progressing nicely.

She smiled at him. "Now I'm going to do that all again – with my _mouth_." Not giving him a chance to respond or react, she quickly blindfolded him.

Climbing up onto the bed on her knees, she took a moment to gaze at his perfect body, spread out like a feast for her to enjoy. A perfect male banquet to savor. _Mmm..._ He looked delicious.

She started with the appetizer. His neck.

He hissed in a breath as her lips made contact there, licking, sucking, nipping her way slowly – very slowly – down the side. He moaned softly and actually tilted his head in order to give her better access.

Instead, she trailed a hot path to the sensitive indentation at his collarbone, pausing to make deliberate wet little circles there with her tongue. Round and round, over and over. Marque shivered at the rhythmic circular motion, sensitized now to her touch.

With a smile, she moved her lips languidly across the impressive width of his shoulder, and then started kissing a path down his chest toward his nipple. _Mmm_. Based on his response to the silk, she was looking forward to his reaction to her lips.

Her mouth latched onto one tight little peak, and she began to suck. Marque moaned again, arching his back to her, apparently enjoying this as much as she'd hoped. Jai tried the trick she'd used on his cock the other day and began to suck hard, fast, and strong. And when Marque's moans grew louder and started to match the rhythm of her strong sucking, Jai's mouth abruptly switched to a rough side-to-side motion.

" _Ah...ahh... fuck!"_

Marque's body shook and his chest heaved as he desperately dragged in air. Jai didn't rest on the laurels of that success, but instead kissed her way determinedly down his stomach, over his belly, to pause at his groin.

At his cock.

Which, if she wasn't mistaken, was even harder than two minutes ago.

She rested her cheek on his hip, giving Marque a chance to recover from the pleasure of her mouth on his nipple, while she admired the view of his impressive cock. It was long, thick and straight. And for the next few minutes, all hers. When Marque's breathing finally seemed to regulate, Jai reached out her index finger, and made contact with the tiny opening at the head of his shaft.

Marque's body jerked.

Jai held her finger still, and when Marque's hips settled, she traced a light path from his head, down the long length of his shaft, and around his balls, which were high and tight with arousal. She was amazed at the feel of hard muscle under his soft, warm skin. At the musky scent of aroused man which filled her nose.

Marque was obviously fighting to keep from squirming. " _Christ._ You're killing me, J. Being blindfolded makes everything so much more... _intense."_

Jai smiled. Intense? Well, if he was enjoying intense...

She retraced her route over his cock and balls, this time with two fingernails. Not enough to hurt him, just enough to put an edge of danger on his desire.

" _Fuck."_ The hissed response was her reward.

Next, Jai placed her hand around the underside of his cock, holding him captive as her tongue explored the path of her two previous forays. Marque moaned loudly this time as she lapped and sucked luxuriously at his pink head, dragged her moist tongue down his thick shaft, and snaked around his balls. He bucked up into her hand desperately when she blew deliciously on the wet trail she'd created.

" _No more,"_ he gasped. "Need you. _Now."_

Satisfied that he was aroused enough that all he could manage were one- or two-word sentences, Jai moved to straddle his hips, holding his cock in position while she slowly lowered herself onto him, inch by torturous inch.

" _Ah...ahh...ahhh..."_

Each moan seemed ripped from his throat as she took more and more of him inside her, until he was seated to the hilt. It was a testament to his determination to adhere to his submission fantasy that he didn't even try to buck up into her to end the sensual torture.

Looking at his sweat-slicked body, his silk-wrapped eyes, and his death grip on the headboard, Jai reveled in the pleasure she was giving him. She desperately wanted to keep Marque here, with her, inside her. She wished she could capture this precious moment forever.

Instead, she decided to give him a memory he would never forget. She began to move.

She rolled her hips, a fluid motion designed to stimulate his cock by hitting inside her body in several places with each rotation. She rode him like a horse, slow, fast, and then faster, until his self-control finally broke and he let go of the headboard to lock her hips desperately in his iron grip, dictating her position, deepening his thrusts, until they both reached their breaking point and came with wild shouts of pleasure.

After her body stopped trembling, Jai collapsed onto Marque's chest, thrilled at the wild beating of his heart. She reached up to ease off his silk blindfold, and looked into his sated, astonished eyes.

"Did you enjoy that, Marque?"

" _Fucking hell,"_ he breathed.

She took that as a compliment.

"I've never met anyone like you, J. I'm definitely taking you home with me today."

She smiled at him. "I _want_ to go home with you, Marque. I love you."

I love you.

Marque looked up into the artificial blue starburst eyes of his Beautiful Doll, and smiled. He'd said almost the same words to her yesterday. It was insane to be in love with a machine, but what was normal about his life anyway? Nothing. "I know you don't know what the hell _love_ means, J, but I appreciate you saying that."

Her hands came up to cup the sides of his face, like he'd done to her a few minutes ago. "I _do_ know what it means, Marque. I have a confession to make."

He frowned. After their incredible sex, he was in too good a mood for a serious discussion. He wanted to savor his post-coital buzz for a minute. The pleasant heaviness of his exhausted body. The drugging endorphins zinging through him. The illicit thrill of having his very own Beautiful Doll sexbot.

What could she possibly have to confess, anyway? That she'd faked her orgasm? Of course she had; she was a machine.

"Come lie on my shoulder. I want to enjoy—"

"No. I need to talk to you."

His frown deepened, and she reached up to rub between his eyebrows with her index finger. _Hmm._ Was it the same index finger she'd used to drag down his coc—

"You're much more attractive without this frown," she said quietly, stroking his brow.

He grunted. "We call it the Callex crease. My sister has one, too. Comes with worry. That's what happens when you're orphaned as kids. You worry _a lot._ About where you'll sleep that night. Where your next meal will come from."

Odd. If Marque had just heard right, J had given him a sympathetic sigh. "I lost my parents in the Great War, too. And two brothers. At age ten, I was placed in a group home with two dozen other orphaned survivors. I counted the days until age sixteen, when I could get out of there."

Marque's mouth fell open. " _Wha--?_ They give you sexbots... _histories?_ Why on earth would Anson Carron do that? To make clients more comfortable? So you appear more human? You seem pretty damn human to me already."

"I _am_ human, Marque."

He stared at her. Was his Beautiful Doll defective? There certainly was something wrong with her. A computer virus maybe. She was obviously malfunctioning. An odd knot settled in the pit of his stomach. _No, no._ He didn't _want_ J to malfunction. He'd found the perfect woman, and he didn't want to lose her to some technological glitch. Or was it something he had done?

"Is this my fault?" he asked quietly. "Did I treat you too much like a human? Should I have just used you for sex and then left—"

" _I'm not a machine, Marque."_

Okay, she was scaring him now. Her firm insistence was frightening, especially since he was lying here naked and vulnerable. She was still straddling him, so he pushed her off him, to the side of the bed.

"You _are_ a machine," he insisted.

"No, I'm not. I'm human."

He made a dismissive sound. "I've got news for you, J. No human has eyes like yours."

In response, she raised a thumb and forefinger to one of her eyes. _Dear God!_ As Marque watched in horror, it looked like she popped out one eye, and then held out her hand to him.

Marque recoiled on the bed. In her palm was... _what?_ A blue...

... _contact lens?_

His gaze shot back to her face. One blue starburst eye and one... brown eye. A light brown doe's eye, with tiny flecks of gold. _Beautiful._

She blinked calmly. "I'm a brown-eyed, brown-haired human, Marque."

_Assassin!_ Marque was out of bed almost before she'd finished her sentence.

"Bursus!" Instinct had him taking cover behind the headboard, looking around for a weapon to defend himself, even as his brain registered the fact that J could have killed him countless times during this past week if she'd wanted to. _"Bursus!"_

Idiot. This room was soundproofed. His bodyguard couldn't possibly hear him. Or help him.

J held up her hands. "Marque, listen to me, I'm not here to hurt you. Let me explain."

"Give me my pants." His clothes were on the floor near the foot of the bed.

"Marque—"

" _Hand me my pants, damn it!"_

She stood as if she was going to comply, then shook her head. "Not unless you agree to let me explain."

Why did she look so fully capable – regal, even – while naked, when he felt so goddamn vulnerable?

Because she's human. And you thought all this time she was a soulless machine.

The knot in his stomach tightened.

Christ. The things he'd done with her. The things he'd told her...

"I'm an agent with the Tau Cetus police force, Marque."

Marque's eyes widened as his brain struggled to process that astonishing statement. Of all the things she could have said, that was the last thing he expected to hear. _"What?"_

"The High Council gave us orders to find evidence of your rogue arms dealings. After gathering that evidence, we were supposed to take you down. But there's no need for that now. We know you're innocent. You've turned in Chavis Smith."

Marque's brain was really spinning now. "The High Council... is behind this?"

"Yes. Theus gave my boss, Commander Talis Rainey, the order directly. Rainey—" J looked away briefly, as if embarrassed, "Rainey sent me undercover as a Beautiful Doll sexbot in order to coax you into admitting your illicit activities."

Marque went from shock to outrage in the space of ten seconds. His eyes narrowed. So _that's_ why Theus hadn't asked Marque where he'd been on Wednesday when Marque was late getting back to his office. Theus knew _exactly_ where he'd been! Theus was behind this whole fucking setup.

"I'm telling you all this, Marque, because the assignment is over with today. We can both go back to our jobs. Our lives. But..." She paused, giving him a look. "This turned into more than a case for me. _I fell in love with you."_ Marque saw her chin come up as she took a deep breath. "You don't have to buy me. I'd gladly come home with you."

His jaw set into a hard line. _"Hand me my pants."_

This time, J walked around to the bottom of the bed, and picked up his trousers. With a sigh of resignation, she held out her arm. Marque reached over the headboard and snatched the pants from her hand. He shoved one leg in and then the other. Pulling the pants up, he hurriedly yanked on the zipper.

Barely decent, he headed for the pile of his clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed and pulled on his shirt, not bothering to tuck it in. Socks and underwear were shoved into his pockets. His suit jacket was thrown over his arm.

He had to get out of this room. _Now._

As he headed for the door, he suddenly stopped. Whipping around, he noted she was dressed once again in her sarong, that scrap of silk which had given him such pleasure just minutes ago.

Stop thinking about the pleasure she's given you! She's a deceitful bitch...

He straightened his back, and his tone was furious. "You tricked me. Lied to me. Used sex to manipulate me. And you would have coldly betrayed me if you'd gotten the information you'd expected. But worse than all that, I let it happen. I'm a fucking idiot. You say you want to come home with me? After all this? You must be insane. _I can't even stand to look at you."_

Why was he breathing so heavily? He was _not_ emotionally devastated by this. _He was not!_

Still, he couldn't help seeing the tear that formed in the corner of her eye at his harsh words. The corner of her warm, _brown_ eye.

"My name is Jai Turner. J-a-i. I really _am_ J, Marque. _Your_ J. I want you to know that."

Giving her his fiercest scowl, he turned and stalked out the door.

# Chapter Nine

" _Bursus."_ Marque slammed J's door shut behind him. He was desperate to get out of this den of deceit. "Come on. Let's go."

Marque didn't even try to straighten his appearance, not giving a damn about what Anson Carron, standing behind his reception desk, might think of Marque's disheveled state. Hell, Anson Carron was in on this whole fucking setup, too! Why the hell would Marque care what Carron thought of his appearance? Besides, Marque didn't want to see or acknowledge the no-doubt smug look on Carron's face now that Marque knew J – or Jai – was human.

Good God. I tried to buy a human being. Thinking she was a machine!

"Bursus. Let's go."

Why was his ever-vigilant bodyguard still sitting in the chair just outside Jai's room? And worse, why did it look like he was _sleeping_ on the job? It's true that Marque hadn't stayed the full hour with his sexbot today, but still, Bursus' duty was to be on guard. _Alert._ Marque's anger was already off the charts, but this was just too much.

He'd always felt he could trust Bursus with his life.

"Bursus!" Marque gave the bodyguard a rough shove to wake him up. It was only when Bursus' body tilted to the side and fell off the chair – revealing a large splattering of blood on the wall behind – that Marque realized he was dead.

In shock, Marque's gaze whipped around to Anson Carron, and his body tensed. Carron had a gun in his hand, and that damned smug smile Marque had feared on his face.

"Don't move, Callex."

Marque's mind raced. What the hell was going on? Jai had just told him the authorities knew he was innocent. She'd told him he was free to go. So why did Carron have a weapon with a huge silencer trained on him?

There was something else going on here.

Marque's suit jacket was still slung over his forearm, so he carefully tossed it aside, but kept his feet firmly planted where he was. Considering the gun pointed directly at him, he wanted to have his hands free for any opportunity.

_Make_ your opportunity...

Right.

"So you're in league with the Tau Cetus police," Marque began cautiously.

In response, Carron laughed. "Only for as much as it benefitted me!"

Okay. Keep the man talking while you figure out what's really going on here, and what you're going to do...

Marque frowned deliberately. "What's your game, then? How exactly does all this benefit you?"

"Tsk, tsk." Carron shook his head. "How many people want you dead, Callex?"

One of Marque's eyebrows rose in surprise. Was that it? Carron wanted him dead? Why? Had Marque ever crossed this oily purveyor of pleasure? "Plenty of people would like to see me dead."

"Right. But they can't get to you." Carron pointed his gun casually toward Bursus' body on the floor. "You're too heavily guarded."

Marque's eyebrow rose higher. "You agreed to work with Tau Cetus agents in order to have the chance to kill me?"

Carron's laughing countenance faded, replaced by a look of determination. "I'm not only going to kill you, I'm going to _become_ you."

Ah. Now they were getting somewhere. There were plenty of egomaniacs who'd love to usurp Marque's place as Tau Cetus' most notorious arms dealer. But how much did Carron know about Marque's true position? "So you want to _be_ me," he repeated carefully, attempting to lead Carron into supplying more information.

The oily man's smile was back. "Yes. And I'm going to succeed. You see, I have an informant in your organization. You'll never guess who it is!"

Marque had a very good idea, but he wasn't about to give anything away. "And who would that be?"

Carron cackled. "Your own brother-in-law! He supplies me with weapons and information both."

Marque forced a shocked look to his face. He noted that Carron had used the present tense: Chavis _supplies_ , not Chavis _supplied_. Hopefully, that meant Carron didn't know Chavis Smith was _no longer_ part of his organization.

Carron's smile faded, replaced by a look of annoyance. "I was hoping those missing wasp missiles three months ago would discredit you in the High Council's eyes, but..."

Marque went suddenly cold. Dear God. Carron _did_ know of his true connection to the High Council! But Chavis Smith didn't know Callex Industries was a front for the government, so Carron could not have gotten his information that way. And even if Carron had somehow found out about Marque's relationship with the Council through this sting operation by Tau Cetus' police force, it wouldn't account for him knowing about the relationship three months ago. He needed more information from Carron.

"The High Council?" Marque blustered, feigning nervousness. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The oily man's eyes narrowed. "Everything's for sale, Callex..." he murmured, in an echo of Marque's own words earlier, when he'd demanded to buy his Beautiful Doll, "...even _that_ information."

Good lord. There was another traitor in their midst.

"I couldn't believe it when you weren't dismissed back then," Carron continued with a scowl. "You have a powerful ally in Theus."

_Fucking hell._ This was bad. Theus had told Marque he'd be dead right now if not for Theus' influence with the Council. So Carron's informant must be on the High Council itself!

Five men. Four possibilities. Which one was it?

Carron shrugged negligently. "This time my plan _will_ work. I intend to funnel those two stingers your brother-in-law just sold me to a rogue country which will use them to cause a lot more damage than just the death of one insignificant Regulator." Carron waved his gun again. "Besides, I'm a much better ally for the Council than you could ever be. _I can make robot soldiers._ Now _that's_ a weapon Theus can hardly refuse."

Robot soldiers? Shit, with Marque gone, Theus just might go for an ally who could provide a weapon like that. Still, the thought of his beautiful J in battle instead of in bed made him sick to his stomach.

Stop it! She's not your J, she's Jai Turner. Not a sexbot. A human woman.

The woman he loved but had just left.

"Why didn't you try the sex toys, Callex?"

Marque reined in his wayward thoughts. "What?"

"The sex toys. Why didn't you try them? I had them specially coated in liquid mercury."

Marque's eyes went wide. Liquid mercury? Holy shit. As a manufacturer of weapons, Marque knew the poison well. One drop of dimethylmercury would have been enough to kill him. Not instantly, but definitely painfully. It was one of the most lethal of neurotoxins. Colorless. Sweet-smelling. Able to penetrate the skin through almost any barrier.

The symptoms of infection were grim. Loss of vision, loss of hearing, loss of speech. Coma, and then death. Three weeks, max.

And worst of all, if Marque _had_ used the toys on Jai, it would have meant a death sentence for her, too.

A red veil of anger clouded Marque's vision. "How do you know I _didn't_ play with the toys, you bastard?"

An evil smile settled on Carron's face. "Because all your sessions here at Beautiful Dolls have been recorded. The police insisted on it. I haven't seen the discs personally, but I made damn sure to ask if you'd used the toys. Everything that took place in your boudoir room is on digital discs in the hands of the authorities."

In shock, Marque took a small step back. What Carron had just told him should be impossible. Bursus had combed every inch of that room before Marque had agreed to the sessions with a Beautiful Doll. And yet... Carron seemed very smug on this point.

Good God. All of his sexual predilections had been recorded?

Carron shrugged. "It would have been a lot less messy for me if you _had_ used the toys, but I guess I'll just have to shoot you. After all, no one will mourn the loss of the world's most notorious arms dealer. Hell, even Tau Cetus' police want to put you away! I'll actually be doing everyone a favor."

Despite still reeling over the shocking information of the sex discs, Marque had the presence of mind to know that Anson Carron had just given him an opening. " _You're wrong, Carron._ I turned Chavis Smith over to the authorities yesterday. The High Council knows that _he_ was the one selling weapons illicitly, not me. Theus and the police both know I'm innocent."

Carron frowned. "I don't believe you!"

"If you're not lying about the discs, it should all be on today's recording. Killing me will gain you nothing in the High Council's eyes."

Carron momentarily digested that information, before letting out a dangerous growl. "Then the Council will never know that I was the one who killed you. I'll shoot you here, but dump your body where no one can trace it back to me."

Fuck. The man was diabolical. Marque had to figure a way out of this.

His eyes scanned the distance between him and Carron, calculating quickly. There was no way for Marque to get to Carron behind the protection of his reception desk, at least no way to do it before Carron got off a shot or two from that dangerous-looking gun. And considering the ever-efficient Bursus was dead, Carron must be a fairly good marksman. Marque briefly considered running, but the large open reception area provided no cover, and the entry door was undoubtedly locked. He supposed there was a chance that Jai might come out of her room and offer a distraction, but he prayed she wouldn't. He didn't want her to become collateral damage in this, no matter how much she'd hurt him.

And if he tried to take cover in her room, he'd basically be a sitting duck while Carron quickly hunted him down. There might not even be enough time to barricade her door.

What about a client coming out of another boudoir room? _Idiot_. _There are no other clients here._ Right. This had been a sting operation. That's why neither he nor Bursus had ever seen another client during their week here.

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Marque's stomach. He'd always known the risks of his job; hell, that's why Bursus was with him 24/7. So a violent end to his life would be no surprise. Thank goodness he'd at least been able to make peace with his sister yesterday.

Still, if there was any chance... he wasn't going down without a fight.

Narrowing his eyes, Marque raised his hands. "Go ahead and shoot."

Jai's tears fell in earnest the moment Marque left her room and slammed the door on any possible future between them.

What an idiot she'd been to think that Marque – given the highly secretive and dangerous nature of his business – would consider a relationship with her. Hell, that's the reason he'd taken Anson Carron up on his invitation for a free week at Beautiful Dolls in the first place! Marque Callex didn't do relationships. He didn't have room for them.

Besides, she didn't _deserve_ a relationship with him. He'd made it clear that he'd felt betrayed by her. His pained words still rang in her ears.

You tricked me. Lied to me. Used sex to manipulate me. And you would have coldly betrayed me if you'd gotten the information you'd expected.

It was nothing but the truth.

Still, it hurt.

She and Marque were so much alike. Both dedicated to their jobs, both orphans who'd had to make their way in a post-apocalyptic world, both determined to prevent another generation of kids from losing parents in war and having to face a similar future – alone.

Plus – and the one that hurt the most – she'd thought they loved each other.

" _Shit."_ Jai swiped at the tears in her right eye, then popped the blue contact lens out of her left. Damn, she was glad to finally be rid of these awkward starburst things!

Unfortunately, her clear vision brought into focus her Beautiful Doll boudoir room. The chair where Marque had 'awakened' her every day. The bed where they'd made love. The headboard where Marque had hung on for dear life while she'd rode him to orgasm.

She would remember every inch of this room – and everything they'd done here – for the rest of her life.

The tears threatened again, but she determinedly blinked them away.

She took a deep breath, then two, trying to calm herself. The case was over. She'd done her job. It was time now to get on with her life.

Jai glanced at the clock on the wall. Where was Wyatt? Her partner usually came to let her know it was safe to come out of her room after a session with Marque. Wait a minute. Wyatt had said he'd be breaking down the surveillance equipment today, since their assignment was now officially over.

And considering that Jai had confessed she was human to Marque during today's final meeting and he'd stormed out in a rage, she supposed it really didn't matter _when_ she left her boudoir.

She needed to get out of this room, with all its memories. Plus, Carron's staff needed to strip off Jai's synthetic skin before she and Wyatt headed back to brief Commander Rainey in his office. She should get a start on that.

With a sigh and a final look around the boudoir, Jai crossed the room and threw open her door.

Then froze.

She took in the scene in front of her in an instant. Marque with his hands up. Carron with a gun trained on him. _Shit._ Why hadn't she heard anything? Oh, right. Her boudoir room was soundproofed. As Anson Carron's aim steadied, Jai threw herself in front of Marque without thought or hesitation. The last thing she heard was the gun go off.

No, no, no!

Marque had been poised to rush Carron, to count on the element of surprise to avoid a fatal hit. Instead, he was relegated to trying to shove Jai out of the way as she threw herself in front of him.

He was too late. He felt the impact of the bullet as it hit her body, and the force of it sent them both crashing into the wall behind him.

Instinctively, he reached out to wrap his arms around her, cushioning her blow against the wall, and the slow slide they both made down to the floor. His frantic gaze flew back to Carron, who was now juggling his gun, trying to get a bead on Marque behind Jai's limp body, in order to get off a second shot.

Behind Carron, a door opened silently and the assistant, Leith Wyatt, appeared in the doorway. _Fuck._ There was no way Marque could defend against two men. If not Carron, his assistant would surely finish Jai and him off.

Marque cradled Jai's body in his arms, her back to his chest, her warm blood flowing freely over his left hand. "I love you," he whispered fiercely, kissing the side of her head. "I'm so sorry about this, Jai. _I love you."_

If he was going to die, he was glad Jai was cradled in his arms at his last moment.

A final glance at Carron and Wyatt had Marque thinking the shock of all this was affecting his mind. He watched in disbelief as Leith Wyatt smashed a heavy object down on Anson Carron's head. Carron dropped like a stone.

Marque blinked, his vision suddenly blurry.

Wyatt shouted feverishly into some device he snatched out of the pocket of his white lab coat, then came rushing around Carron's desk toward them. "Jai!"

Marque's arms tightened protectively around her, even as he struggled to make sense of what Wyatt was shouting at him.

"I'm with Tau Cetus. I'm her _partner_. Let her go, man! We have to stop the bleeding."

Help? Wyatt was going to _help_ them? He was Jai's partner?

Thank God.

Marque relinquished Jai's body into Wyatt's frantic hands. The police agent gently pulled her away from Marque so he could lay her flat on the floor.

"Shit."

Wyatt didn't have to explain. If Marque's guess was right, the bullet had hit Jai's heart. Her blood was still flowing freely from the wound.

As he watched Wyatt try to stanch the flow of Jai's blood using both his hands, Marque became aware of a searing pain in the right side of his chest. He looked down at his white shirt, now red with blood. And one odd hole.

Marque squinted to get a better look. _Fucking hell._ The bullet had gone right through Jai and into his own body. The blood on his shirt was his.

His mouth eased into a small smile.

Good. It was better that they both die. He couldn't have lived with Jai's death on his conscience anyway. He blew out a breath, feeling his body getting weaker.

He took one last look at Jai, before slumping onto the floor himself.

# Chapter Ten

Marque had survived.

He shifted his right arm in its hospital-issued sling, and stuck his left index finger under the fastening at the back of his neck, in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure from the traction device.

He should feel lucky to be alive. When Jai had thrown herself in front of him yesterday, she'd knocked him slightly out of Carron's line of fire. The bullet had gone straight through Jai and lodged in the right side of Marque's shoulder, but, thankfully, it had missed any of his vital organs. He'd lost a lot of blood and was sore as hell, but he'd live.

However, his survival had come at too high a price. Jai Turner, his Beautiful Doll, had been critically injured. Bursus, his loyal bodyguard, had been killed.

For the first time in his life, Marque questioned whether his life's work was worth it.

The thought was a sobering one. He'd never had doubts before. He shoved a rough hand through his hair, and began to pace in his office.

As soon as he'd been released from the hospital yesterday, he'd sent word to Theus about the traitor on the High Council. Knowing Theus, that traitor wouldn't be alive for long. Theus was not a man who reacted well to having his authority undermined.

Odd how the investigation which Theus himself had instigated to entrap Marque had wound up exonerating Marque but exposing so many others.

The police had Anson Carron in custody, but Marque knew they were debating a charge. Attempted murder seemed the obvious one, but Marque's carefully-crafted reputation as a deadly arms dealer would garner no sympathy from the general public, and Theus' wish to keep Marque's true relationship with the High Council secret could very well mean Carron would walk away a free man.

Or end up a dead one.

Theus was capricious that way. And in his capacity as the head of the High Council, his word was pretty much law. Which is why Marque knew his brother-in-law Chavis Smith would never be seen again. And that there'd soon be one less counselor on the High Council.

Marque sighed. The run-in with Anson Carron had been the closest Marque had come to death in his ten years in this job, and he was still shaken by it. He'd turned over the day-to-day operations of Callex Industries to his production supervisor, Alyn Rekos, figuring his best strategy was to lay low for a while.

A loud bustle in his outer office made Marque freeze in a PTSD-type panic, until he heard a familiar female voice. _Leora._

Damn. He'd requested the services of her lead bodyguard to replace Bursus, but Marque hadn't counted on Leora coming with him.

Marque's office door flew open, and his sister – distress written all over her face – rushed in and threw herself into his arms. Well, one arm. His good left arm.

"Oh, Marque!"

Marque grimaced at the stab of pain her embrace triggered in his shoulder. "It's okay, Leora. Really. It's all right."

"It's _not_ all right. You were almost killed. _I hate this life!"_

He held her tightly against his chest. It was odd how he was the one who'd been hurt, but she was the one needing comfort.

What a fucked-up life he led.

"I want to know every detail of what happened," she demanded, her cheek pressed hard against his good shoulder.

Mark debated silently. Well, why the hell not? It was over now, and he'd survived.

With a sigh, he told her. _All of it._ The Beautiful Dolls sting. J the sexbot. Jai confessing to being human. The bullet she'd taken to save his life.

It felt better than he'd expected to get it all off his chest.

Hell. Maybe _he_ was the one in need of comfort after all.

By the end of the story, Leora was dry-eyed and staring at him. _"You love her."_ It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.

"Yes, I love her, but it doesn't matter _._ Everyone who has contact with me is

automatically put in jeopardy. You. Bursus. Jai. Being involved with me is just too dangerous."

"But— "

" _No."_ Marque cut her off _._ "There's no chance for Jai and me. Hell, I'd love to be at the hospital right now, to see how she's doing, to thank her for the unbelievable sacrifice she made for me, but it's better, _safer_ , for her if I stay away."

Leora stared at him, her eyes wide. "But that means you may never see the woman you love ever again..."

Marque felt an odd twinge in his chest. Trust Leora to get right to the heart of the matter with just one simple statement. Was she only now realizing that his life was just as miserable as hers?

Those doubts about his career choice assailed him once again. _Shit._ Why did life have to be so damned difficult?

The look of profound sadness on his sister's face was almost too much for Marque to bear. He was about to suggest they go sit on his couch when a quiet knock on his office door drew his attention. The door opened, and his assistant, Talesin, gave Marque an apologetic look, and then stepped aside.

Theus swept into the office.

Fuck.

Leora sucked in a frightened breath, and Marque didn't blame her. The dangerous-looking man in black would send a chill of fear down anyone's back.

Theus took one look at Leora, and raised a questioning eyebrow in Marque's direction. Marque ignored it. As notoriously reclusive as Marque had to be in this job, he didn't owe Theus any explanation for the presence of a woman in his office. Especially when that woman was his beloved sister. Damn it, he was fucking sick of this life.

Wait a minute...

An idea sprang into his brain. _There just may be a way out of this life._

He sent Theus a sharp glance. "Carron?"

Theus shrugged casually. "Alive. But not for long. Just until he gives up the name of the traitor on the High Council. I'm... _working_ ...on that now."

Marque could just imagine how Theus was 'working' on Carron. There would be pain involved, probably a lot of pain. Marque never, ever wanted to be on Theus' bad side. "The traitor on the High Council is your real problem, not Anson Carron," he said. "I may have a better suggestion for what to do with Carron after he talks."

Theus' eyebrow rose higher.

#

Jai had no idea how long she'd been drifting in and out of consciousness. Hours? Days? Weeks? The first thing she'd become aware of when she'd opened her eyes was that she was still alive. And she was certain she was alive because every single cell in her body hurt. Hell, it even hurt to breathe. In fact, it hurt _most_ to breathe.

How on earth had she survived Anson Carron's bullet? He'd been close enough to use her for target practice.

Her first few moments of lucidity didn't last long, and unconsciousness brought her blessed relief from the pain.

The next time she'd surfaced, she'd become more aware of her surroundings. She was in a large hospital room. And by the look of it, the ICU. So. Her wound was as bad as she'd expected. Aside from the occasional ghostly visitation by a nurse or doctor dressed in white who came in to silently check on her, the whooshing of machinery and steady beeping of monitors were her only companions.

The pain in her chest was a little less excruciating now, but frankly, not having the searing pain to occupy her thoughts meant she had time to think. And thinking was bad. She definitely preferred the oblivion of sleep. After all, being unconscious was easier than remembering what had happened that last day at Beautiful Dolls.

Marque had rejected her. And still, she'd risked her life to save his.

Because I love him!

A love destined to be unrequited.

She'd cried herself back to sleep.

The next time Jai had opened her eyes, it was because her hospital bed was being wheeled down a long green hallway. There was no way to mark the passage of time in this sterile, lonely place, but she supposed being moved to a private room was a positive sign. At least now during the times she managed to force open her eyelids, her bleary gaze sometimes saw Wyatt at her bedside. At other times, it was Commander Rainey. But no Marque. Never Marque.

Not that she honestly expected him.

I love you, Jai...

She must have been completely delirious after she'd been shot, because she could have sworn she'd heard Marque say those precious words in her ear.

Impossible. If he'd said them, he would be here, wouldn't he? And she was fairly sure that Wyatt had told her on one of his visits that Marque had also survived the attack by Carron. Funny how her ears still seemed to work even when her eyelids refused to open. And she couldn't speak at all, because of the breathing tube stuck down her throat.

I love you, Jai.

No. She definitely must have been fantasizing those words after taking Carron's bullet. Marque's last statement to her at Beautiful Dolls had been, _I can't even stand to look at you._ That, she remembered clearly.

Oh, well. It was good Marque had survived. It would be a damned shame for Jai to have thrown herself into the path of a bullet if Marque had been killed.

"Miss Turner? Can you hear me?"

Jai forced her eyes to open. Lately, her hours of consciousness outweighed her hours of sleep, much to her regret.

She stared into the kind face of a white-coated doctor. At least, she figured he must be a doctor. He looked very official. Gray hair. Wire-rimmed glasses. At least sixty.

He smiled. "I'm Maren Jonat. How are you feeling today?"

Actually, she was feeling a little stronger. The pain in her chest was easing by degrees – it was now more of a dull, steady ache, destined to remind her of what had happened. Several times she'd stolen a peak under her hospital gown, only to be faced with the sight of a long, bandaged incision running down her breastbone. Hell. Her heart must have needed some major repair work.

She grunted.

The doctor's smile widened. "I know you can't speak with that tube down your throat, but you're doing so well that we'll be taking it out later today."

So she was doing well, was she? How the hell long had she been here?

As if reading her mind – or at least the questioning look in her eyes – the doctor pulled a small pad of paper and a pen out of his lab coat pocket. He offered them to her.

Jai felt one of her eyebrows rise in surprise. She reached out to take what the doctor offered, mindful of the IV needles stuck into the back of both of her hands, and aware of the dangerous swaying of the plastic bags attached to metal stands by her bedside that her motion created.

The doctor pulled up a chair next to her bed, and sat.

Jai squeezed the pen in her right hand. Christ, how weak she was! Very carefully, she wrote on the pad.

How long here?

The doctor nodded. "Five days. You've made a remarkable recovery, considering."

Jai frowned, and scratched again on the pad. _Considering what? Bullet?_

The doctor cleared his throat. "Miss Turner, the bullet pierced your lung and heart. We've re-inflated the collapsed lung – that's the reason for your breathing tube – but you were clinically dead when you arrived here. The only way to save your life was to implant an artificial organ in your chest."

Despite the tube in her throat, Jai sucked in a loud breath, and was rewarded with the now-familiar aching in her chest. _She had an artificial heart?_ Dropping the pad and pen, she pulled at the neck of her hospital gown, trying to wrench the garment down far enough to have another look at the long incision in her chest, even as the heart monitor beside her bed began to beep crazily.

The doctor leaned over, and pried her hands away. "Please, Miss Turner, calm down. You'll be fine. I promise. In fact, you'll be better than fine."

The doctor forced her hands back down onto her mattress, and Jai mentally grasped for her yoga mantra. _I am relaxed. I am...relaxed. I...am...relaxed._ Once she'd taken a few deep, steadying breaths through her nose, the doctor released her hands.

"That's better," he approved with a kind smile. "Now. The average hospital stay for recovery after a heart transplant is seven to ten days. With our current technology, there's no chance of rejection with an _artificial_ heart, so if you continue to improve, we can release you in just another two days."

_Two days?_ She'd be strong enough to go home in two days?

Well, maybe physically. But how long would it take her to mentally come to grips with the fact she had an artificial heart _?_

"Now, now. Don't cry," the doctor soothed, and Jai was shocked to discover tears were streaming down her cheeks. "With regular checkups, your heart will last longer than most human ones."

The words were cold comfort. They might medically be true, but...

But it's not my heart!

What do you need a heart for? The man you love doesn't love you!

Her tears came harder.

The doctor began to fidget in his chair. "Please, Miss Turner. It will be all right." He stood. "Maybe I'll just send in a nurse..."

Jai shook her head violently and grabbed for the pen and paper. She wrote furiously, and then turned the pad to Jonat.

Need time to process.

The doctor nodded. "Of course. I understand completely. I'll leave you alone, then." He made a hasty and obviously relieved exit.

The next few hours passed in a blur as Jai tried to stay calm and rationalize her situation. What was the important thing, here? She was alive. Living was better than dying, right? And if it took an artificial heart to keep her alive, then so be it. Besides, it's not like she could give the device back at this point. And she _could_ still feel with this heart. Hell, the loss of Marque continued to set off a deep ache in her chest.

Jai looked warily at a nurse who stopped in to see her, but the woman hadn't come to comfort or to psychoanalyze her, but to blessedly take out Jai's damned breathing tube. One of her IVs was also removed, and Jai noticed an ugly bruise on the back of her left hand where the puncture had been. She rubbed at it idly.

The nurse had just finished pouring Jai a glass of water, raising Jai's bed to a sitting position, and fluffing a pillow behind her back when Commander Rainey and Leith Wyatt entered her room. Wyatt was carrying a small duffel bag, and Jai stared at the men with mixed feelings.

Visitors are not what I need right now. I'm still trying to process this artificial heart thing...

Both men looked highly uncomfortable to be here, and Jai's too-efficient new heart registered her reaction on the monitor next to her bed.

Damn it. What now? I can't deal with anything more today!

The nurse took one look at the beeping machine, and made a small tsk-ing sound at the men. "Don't upset her." Then she breezed out the hospital room door.

Wyatt watched her go, and then turned back to Jai. "Hey," he said, giving her a small smile.

"Hey," she responded warily, surprised at how scratchy her voice sounded. _Well, that's what a tube down your throat for five days will do to you_. She gratefully took a sip of water from the glass next to her bed.

"You're looking a helluva lot better than the last time I saw you, Turner," Rainey said gruffly. This was Talis Rainey's version of a compliment.

Despite his words, Jai was sure she looked a wreck. It had been five days since she'd showered, after all. She hadn't even been able to leave her bed to go to the bathroom because of the breathing tube. Still, she appreciated Rainey's concern. "Thank you, sir."

Rainey cleared his throat. He looked around the room. He put both hands on the back of the chair that Dr. Jonat had recently vacated. Then, with a sigh, he turned the chair around, straddled it, and sat. "Aw, hell, Turner..."

Jai closed her eyes, but the damned heart monitor gave her away again. She was pretty sure she did _not_ want to hear whatever Rainey apparently dreaded telling her.

"Take it easy, Jai," Wyatt soothed.

Rainey blew out a loud breath. "Listen. I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Marque Callex."

Jai's eyes flew open and her eyebrows rose in surprise. _What?_ _This_ was what was making Rainey so uncomfortable? "I don't understand, sir." Damn, her throat hurt.

Rainey ran a hand over his thinning grey-black hair. "I know you were in love with Callex." He couldn't seem to look Jai in the eye. "In your five years in this job, I've never seen you _care_ about anyone, much less a notorious arms dealer. Hell, I thought you were crazy, but through your investigation, we discovered Callex was clean. Working with the High Council. That's why when Theus contacted me on Thursday afternoon to say Chavis Smith was in custody, I kept the information to myself. Instead of immediately calling off our operation, I wanted to let you have the opportunity on Friday to tell Callex you were human. To give you a chance with him. "

Jai's eyebrows reached her hairline. Holy shit. Down deep, her gruff boss was actually a hopeless romantic? Who would have ever guessed? Her artificial heart started aching again.

"Bad decision. One of the worst of my career, Turner. This is all my fault." Rainey hung his head. "It's my fault you were at Beautiful Dolls on Friday. You wouldn't have taken a bullet if I'd shut down the operation on Thursday."

How odd that Jai was the one injured, yet Rainey was the one in need of comfort.

"It's _not_ your fault, sir," she rasped. " _I_ was the one who jumped in front of that bullet. It hadn't been meant for me. That was _my_ choice, _my_ decision. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"Yes, I do," he sighed. "Because, see...well...because of the heart thing, you can't come back to the force. You're being retired. Classified R.I.O.D."

Retired, injured on duty.

Fuck. They already knew about the heart.

_Of course they did_. Rainey and Wyatt would certainly have kept track of her condition.

So. No Marque, and now no job to go back to. What the hell was she going to do? Helping to keep peace on Tau Cetus as a police agent had been Jai's sole purpose in life.

The ache in her chest was suddenly more pronounced.

"It'll be all right, Jai," Wyatt soothed, reaching out to brush an unnoticed tear from Jai's cheek.

Christ, what is it with the tears today? This is all too much for me. I really am an emotional wreck.

It took all of Jai's control to keep her voice steady. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you both to leave now."

"Jai— "

" _Please,_ Wyatt. No argument. Do this for me."

"Aw, hell, Turner..."

Rainey's sad, hangdog face was almost Jai's undoing. Her lower lip quivered as Rainey stood, gave her an awkward pat on her shoulder, and turned to leave the room without another word. Wyatt lingered, but Jai wanted none of his sympathy. She needed time to think. Alone.

"Please, Wyatt. Just leave."

He took a deep breath. "I want you to know that I feel just as guilty as Commander Rainey. If I had come right out to the Beautiful Dolls reception desk instead of taking time to break down the camera equipment, I might have prevented this whole thing. _I let down my partner."_

Jai sighed. "Wyatt, it's not your fault either."

"I'm just so damned sorry, Jai." In a rush, Wyatt leaned down to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. "Here." He dropped the duffel bag he was holding onto the chair Rainey had just vacated. "I brought you the clothes that were in your locker at work. For when you're...released. Because that thing you were wearing when we brought you in here..."

_Dear God_. She'd been brought to the hospital in her sexbot sarong. Would she ever be able to forget the scandalous assignment at Beautiful Dolls?

"I'll always be around if you need anything, Jai. We're _friends._ Call me when you get out of here." Wyatt gave her a meaningful look, then turned and left the room.

Watching him go, Jai could feel the heaviness in her heart, and she absently wondered if it was just the weight of her emotions, or if the device in her chest really was heavy. How much did it weigh, anyway? God, what a strange thing to have to get used to!

But for the next two days, she tried valiantly to do just that. What other choice did she have? This was her life now. Morning and afternoon, she got out of bed and walked the hospital corridors to build up her strength. Morning and afternoon, a nurse would come to check her vital signs, more often than not removing yet another IV or monitoring device. The ache in her chest was always with her, but now it seemed more like background music or white noise – it was there, but easily ignored.

After five days without a shower, the best part of those two days was her sponge baths.

By the seventh day, Jai was feeling strong enough to start thinking about LAM, or 'life after Marque.' Maybe she could go into the private protection business. Helping people stay safe was ingrained into her system; it's who she was. Would she need to disclose her disability if she applied for a job like that?

For one insane moment, she considered applying to replace Marque's bodyguard Bursus. Marque was the one person who couldn't possibly hold her injury against her, and this way, she could at least stay close to him physically, if not emotionally.

You are a first-class idiot, Jai. Or else a masochist.

Definitely the masochist. She shoved a hand through her hair.

A small knock drew her attention to the door. Dr. Jonat came in, a smile on his face. "Miss Turner! Good to see you awake and alert."

Dr. Jonat came to check on Jai's wound daily, always giving her a positive progress report, and today was no different. He pulled down the neck of her hospital gown and raised her bandage in order to examine the incision. "Excellent." He picked up the chart attached to the foot of her hospital bed and scanned it briefly. "All your vitals look good." He glanced up at her and smiled. "I promised if you continued to make progress that you'd only be here for seven days, so if you feel ready, we can discharge you this afternoon, as soon as all your paperwork has been filled out, signed and filed."

"Really? I can go home today?"

"Yes."

Jai swallowed. This _was_ good news. Although... the thought of beginning her new life was a little, well, daunting. And going back to her empty apartment was not exactly appealing.

Relax, Jai, no one says you have to do anything right away. Take the time you need to get used to your new reality.

Right.

"Doc? What do I have to do about the heart? Maintenance-wise, I mean."

Jonat pulled a prescription pad out of his lab coat pocket and scribbled down some information. "This is the name of our best cardiologist. If you have any trouble with the heart, call him. Otherwise, just come in for a check-up every six months or so. Really. It's as easy as that. Any cardiologist would do, but Dr. Zaria is the best."

Jai took the piece of paper from Jonat's outstretched hand. "The incision?"

"Your stitches are subcutaneous, and self-dissolving. Don't even worry about them."

Jai nodded uncertainly.

"You'll be fine, Miss Turner. In fact, better than fine. In my twelve years of heart surgery, you've had one of the better outcomes. You may feel physically weak for a few days, but that's only because you've been in bed for a week. It has nothing to do with your heart. You're technically well enough to jump on a plane tomorrow if you wanted to. And by now, I'm sure you've noticed that the heart works just like a real one would. It races when you're agitated, and it slows when you're relaxed. If you don't tell anyone you have an artificial heart, no one will even know. You're in perfect health." He nodded, and then frowned. "So there's no need to bite your lip like that."

Jai sighed, released her lip from between her teeth, and gave the doctor a small smile.

"That's better," he said brightly. "A nurse will stop by in a while with some forms for you to sign. I'll see you again briefly right before you leave." With that, the doctor breezed out the door, and on to his next patient.

Christ, how could Dr. Jonat be so... upbeat? Hell, maybe Jai _was_ lucky. She was still alive, she had a working heart, and she was going home.

Be grateful for small mercies.

With that mental resolution, she decided to get dressed. Digging into the duffel bag Wyatt had brought a couple of days ago, she was grateful to discover her purse, plus her most comfortable pair of jeans and a loose peach-colored sweater. Who would have thought arriving for work last Friday that she'd be wearing these clothes next in a hospital? With a sigh, she laid them on her bed and rooted deeper into the duffel. Wyatt had literally packed everything that had been in her locker at work, including a hairbrush along with a hand mirror that Jai kept taped to the inside of her locker door. In trepidation, Jai held up the mirror.

Oh, dear. She looked like she'd been through the Great War. Her skin was sallow, her eyes were haunted, and she could see the beginnings of her own brown roots growing out from her chic blonde Beautiful Dolls bob.

She was a mess.

With a sigh, she took her clothes into the small bathroom attached to her room, and put them on. There had been no bra or underwear in the duffel, but that's because she'd been wearing them along with her Tau Cetus police uniform when she'd arrived at Beautiful Dolls last week, and had changed into the silk sarong there.

Actually, it didn't matter about the underwear. She probably wouldn't be able to wear a bra until her stitches healed anyway. And going commando was fine – at least for a few hours until she got home.

Where the first thing on her to-do list would be to dye her hair back to its natural light brown color. She wanted to wash out all physical reminders of Beautiful Dolls.

As long as she was in the bathroom, she quickly rinsed her face and brushed her hair. There, that was a little better. Amazing what being clean and in street clothes could do for a person's psyche. She felt better, somehow. Stronger. Certainly less vulnerable than being in that flimsy hospital gown!

Returning to her room, Jai sat down on the edge of her bed. Odd. She'd only put on her clothes, but she felt exhausted. Dr. Jonat had said she might feel weak for a few days, and he was right. Being in bed for so long had thrown her for a loop. She needed to get her strength back. She might start with a yoga class tomorrow.

A knock on her doorframe made Jai look up, expecting the nurse Dr. Jonat had promised with the discharge forms to fill out. Instead, she could have sworn that her new heart momentarily stopped beating at the sight that met her eyes.

Marque Callex stood in her hospital room doorway.

And there was a woman with him.

Time froze as Jai stared at him, her brain alternating between hope and despair. _He was here!_ Had he come because he truly did love her? But then – _who was that woman?_ Had Jai been replaced in Marque's affections already?

Fuck...shit... Did he never really care about me at all? God, this heart hurts!

Jai's heart was beating wildly, but luckily, she was no longer hooked up to a monitor that would give her reaction away.

Marque's face was guarded, cautious. "May we come in?"

With those words, nascent Jai's hopes sank. Marque wasn't exactly rushing over to her with open arms, which meant that this visit was not likely to have the happy ending she desperately wanted. So. This might be the last time she'd ever see him. She blinked back the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Forget about Carron's bullet, this visit might just be the thing that kills me...

She took a deep breath for courage. "Yes. Of course. Come in."

Marque and the woman took two steps into the room. Clearing his throat, Marque gently took the woman's hand in his, obviously preparing to speak. Unfortunately, that simple gesture of affection was more than Jai could take. A shooting pain pierced her chest.

He does care for this woman! He's replaced me already!

Idiot. You never were a couple. He told you he never wanted to see you again.

Jai hung her head, not wanting Marque to witness her distress.

"Jai... I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Leora."

Jai's head snapped up. She could hardly see through the film of her tears, but her ears were working perfectly. "Leora? You're... _Leora?"_

The thin, black-haired woman stared hard at Jai. Not unkindly, but definitely intensely. Then she turned to her brother. "She still loves you."

Jai's gaze swung to Marque. " _Of course_ I love you!"

Marque's face was still dark, guarded. "I don't know how you can, after what I did to you. And after what...Anson Carron... did to you."

A kernel of hope blossomed in Jai's new heart. "I explained this to Commander Rainey and to my partner, Wyatt. It was _my_ choice to jump in front of that bullet." She paused, looking at Marque. "And I'd do it again. I love you."

The mask of Marque's face broke at her heartfelt words. He crossed the room and scooped Jai off her bed and into his arms so quickly she couldn't have stopped him if she'd tried. Not that she wanted to stop him. The pleasure of his hard embrace far outweighed the pain he was causing her wound. Damn, it felt so good to be in his arms again! She closed her eyes and inhaled his familiar scent, reveling in the miracle that he could love her despite what _she_ had done to _him_ by betraying his trust.

When Marque finally released her, she was gasping. Hopefully, he would think it was because of his enthusiastic display of affection, and not because of the pain in her chest.

Marque's face still showed a touch of caution.

"I love you too, Jai. It was idiotic of me to storm out of Beautiful Dolls, but I felt hurt, betrayed. I didn't stop to look at the big picture; I reacted like an animal who'd been wounded. And I _was_ wounded. You'd broken my heart."

Jai was painfully aware of what she'd done. "I'm so sorry for that, Marque."

He sighed. "When I had a moment to think clearly – _objectively_ – I realized that you are just as dedicated to your job as I am to mine, even to the point of sleeping with someone you thought was the enemy. You were doing your job, as repulsive as playing a sexbot must have been for you. I respect your dedication."

She appreciated his admission. "Thank you. But it turns out my assignment wasn't repulsive in the least." She gave him a meaningful smile, and took a deep breath. She was scared to ask the next question, but based on his vow of love and her equal feelings for him, she needed to know the answer. "So what happens now?"

Marque took a step back, and shoved a hand through his hair. "I've been... _compromised_. Theus believes I'm no longer effective in the job. So Marque Callex disappears. Callex Industries disbands. The High Council finds someone else to be its front man."

" _What?"_ Jai looked at him in shock. She'd been asking about what happens to _them_ now, but she knew how much Marque's position as the head of Callex Industries meant to him, despite the dangers. Hell, Marque felt he was single-handedly keeping Tau Cetus safe from another war. This must be a terrible blow for him!

He obviously saw her reaction written on her face. "It's fine, actually. I'm tired of the responsibility, and I'm damned sick of putting the people I love in danger." He gave his sister an apologetic smile, and then straightened. "The High Council has promised to relocate me. A new name. A new identity. A new life."

Relocation.

A new life.

The news felt like someone had reached into Jai's chest and torn out her new artificial heart. Marque said he loved her, but he was leaving her. She would never see him again. "Oh."

Marque tilted his head to look at her uncertainly. "That's why... I'm wondering if... well..." Marque cleared his throat, and then turned to his sister. "Leora, could you give us a minute...alone?"

Marque's sister gave him an encouraging look, and then threw Jai a smile and a wink. Even though they'd just met, Jai already felt that she and Leora could be friends. Despite all Leora had been through at the hands of her brother, it was obvious she still loved him. As much as Jai loved him.

"Take your time," Leora said. "I'll be down the hall." She casually strolled out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Jai swallowed, and glanced at Marque. That guarded look was back on his face, even as he ran the back of his index finger tenderly down her cheek. "God, you have the most beautiful eyes. I'm a sucker for a brown-eyed girl. Especially _this_ brown-eyed girl."

She gave him a small smile. "My eyes match my hair."

His eyebrow arched in curiosity as he glanced at her chic blonde bob.

"Dyed. You ordered a blue-eyed blonde Beautiful Doll, remember."

Marque's other eyebrow joined the first, and he shook his head in wonder. "So you really are my perfect woman. Ideal in face and form." His finger continued its gentle stroking down her cheek. "But how are you feeling?"

Did he know about her heart? She bit her lip. "I'm being discharged today."

Marque's gaze dropped immediately to her lips, her mouth. "Hell, I want to kiss you so badly."

Jai wanted much more than that. Visions of all the amazing ways they'd made love raced through her head, most particularly their last time, and the thrill of having Marque seemingly tied to the headboard, blindfolded and at her sexual mercy. _Damn_. She could feel an ache of need settle between her legs.

Jai sighed. "Yes. _Please._ Kiss me, Marque."

She was in his arms even before his name was out of her mouth. His kiss was hungry, desperate, branding. Marque put everything he was feeling into the kiss, and Jai did the same. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting this moment to end.

She loved this man and he loved her.

But he was being relocated.

When the kiss finally slowed, Marque lingered over her lips, giving the bottom one a possessive bite of his own, as if marking her as his.

She _was_ his, would always be his, no matter how this day might end. "Are you really okay with giving up Callex Industries?"

Marque blinked away his dazed look of pleasure before answering her. "Actually, it was my idea. I suggested to Theus that he use Anson Carron as his new front man."

" _What?_ Carron tried to _kill_ you!"

"Yes, but only because he wants to _be_ me. He said so himself, right before he pulled the trigger." Marque shrugged. "Hell, I'm happy to let him try. Maybe the job requires a tougher man than me. And he can bring Theus a unique weapon to keep the peace on Tau Cetus: robot soldiers."

" _Robot soldiers?"_ Jai inhaled sharply. "That sounds a little...dicey."

"Don't worry. Theus will keep a tight rein on him. And if Carron gets out of control, well... Theus has no qualms about eliminating problem people."

Jai swallowed, contemplating the power the head of the High Council had over them all.

Marque slipped a finger under Jai's chin, tilting her head up gently to look at him. "I love you, Jai. You'll never know how sorry I am that you were injured because of me. But I was hoping... well... that you'd forgive me. That you'd _come_ with me when Leora and I relocate. I know how dedicated you are to your job, but... would you consider starting a new life with me?"

Start a new life with me...

Jai could see Marque holding his breath waiting for her answer. She would love nothing more than to run away with him, to be with him forever, especially now, when her life had changed so radically as well. There was no job for her to go back to, after all, but there was one important issue that did have to be discussed. He might not want her after he knew.

"I'm damaged, Marque."

Marque's tilted his head. "I thought you just said you were being discharged today."

"I am. But I'm damaged _._ The bullet, it went... well... I now have an artificial heart. I'm...part _robot._ "

Instead of the look of horror or disgust Jai had feared, Marque gave her a dazzling smile. "Then you're literally my very own Beautiful Doll. Can I see?"

Dear lord. He wanted to _see_ her injury? Jai bit her lip again. Marque threw a quick glance at her hospital room door to make sure it was still closed, and then turned back to her. He gently eased up her loose, peach-colored sweater, and Jai belatedly remembered she wasn't wearing a bra.

" _Mmm._ Beautiful," Marque murmured, bending his head to lay a kiss on the nipples of each of her breasts. "I love your body, Jai. You're perfect." Avoiding her bandaged incision altogether, he eased the sweater back down.

Jai was momentarily stunned. By purposely ignoring her wound, Marque was silently telling her that her artificial heart didn't matter the least bit to him. The action spoke louder than any words. What a sweet, gallant thing to do! Still, Jai gave him a look. "You're really all right with me being... part robot?"

His smiled widened and his grey eyes darkened to a smoldering charcoal. "Oh, yes, I absolutely am. Especially remembering all the things I did with my Doll."

What could Jai say to that? Marque was offering to make her dreams come true. To start a new life, in a new place, together with him.

You're technically well enough to jump on a plane tomorrow if you wanted to, Dr. Jonat had said.

But was she well enough to have sex? What else had Jonat said?

... _this heart works just like a real one would... you're in perfect health..._

She longed to put the doctor's promise to the test, to make love with Marque right here, right now, but to be safe, maybe she should start out slow. A sultry smile spread across her face. "You're remembering the things you did with your Doll, like... _this_ ... maybe?"

She reached out and slid the zipper of his pants down. The look of shock he gave her quickly transformed to one of dark heat. God, she loved the way his grey eyes expressed his emotions like that! Especially when he was directing this look of sexual longing toward her.

She eased her hand inside the opening of his pants, and freed his cock. It didn't take much to get him hard, and when she sank to her knees, his groan of anticipation was like music to her ears.

Jai didn't even spare a thought as she took Marque into her mouth. With the hospital door closed they were safe from interruption, unless maybe Leora decided to return to Jai's room to inquire about Jai's decision regarding Marque's proposal. Or possibly the arrival of that nurse Jai was expecting with her discharge papers.

Hmm. Better make this fast, then...

Her mouth went to work, remembering Titus Veraine's instructions. Think of a vacuum... suck like a baby sucks its thumb. _Hard, fast and strong._

Within moments, Jai had Marque moaning, gasping, and jerking, trapped in the wet heat of her mouth. What a sense of power this position gave her! Power over his pleasure. Marque buried his hands into her hair to hold her head close, and she sucked more insistently.

" _Fuck... Jai..."_

He was close. She loved the desperation she heard in his voice, that deep ache of need, the pleading longing.

His hands fisted tightly in her hair and Jai poised for his climax, but instead, Marque pulled her head away.

" _Fuck... Jai..."_ he gasped again, his breath now nothing more than short pants. "Want... to fuck you.. _Need_ ...to fuck you."

With a wild look in his eye, he pulled her to her feet, reached for the button of her jeans, and quickly popped it from its hole. Her zipper was next, and then he shoved her jeans down her legs. Hooking his foot around the leg of the wooden chair by her the side of her bed, he yanked it close and sat down on it hard, pulling her toward him.

Jai went willingly, only sparing a quick glance at the hospital room door. There probably was no lock on it, so she leaned forward and tugged at the hospital bed curtain, sliding it around so that they were hidden behind it. The curtain would do nothing to muffle the sounds of their lovemaking or their moans of pleasure if Leora, a nurse or Dr. Jonat should return, but frankly, Jai didn't care about anything at this point other than Marque. Marque's magnificent cock. Marque's amazing passion. Marque, the man she loved.

"Mount me," he ordered roughly. "Make love with me. _Please._ I need you."

Jai paused for only the briefest moment, and gazed into the molten heat of Mark's grey eyes. She'd initiated fellatio because she wanted to please him without fear of overloading her new heart, but hell, she'd trust in Dr. Jonat's handiwork.

... _this heart works as well as a real one would..._

And if something _were_ to happen, what better way to go than at the height of a blissful orgasm produced by the man she loved? There were worse fates in life.

"Ride us both to heaven. _Please, Jai_. I'm desperate for you."

Giving him a smile, Jai straddled the chair, facing him. Marque's right hand gripped his cock firmly, holding himself steady for her. _Offering_ himself to her. The look on his face said he was giving her his body as well as pledging his soul. The mix of desire and devotion in his eyes was an image that branded itself into Jai's heart. _God, she loved this man!_ The poignancy of the moment nearly stole her breath. Watching Marque closely, she lowered herself onto his cock, taking him inside her inch by inch. Accepting exactly what he was offering – all of him, body and soul. Willingly. Eagerly. Happily. As she sank into his lap, she reveled at the feel of him – his thickness, his length. She fit him like a glove, as if they were made only for each other.

"So perfect," Marque groaned.

It was. It was perfect.

"Take me," Marque encouraged in a whisper. "I'm yours. All yours."

Thrilled at that emotional, heartfelt pledge, Jai began to move. She knew Marque was close; he obviously knew it, too. So as she began to rock, she felt his thumb come around to play with her clit, circling, flicking, pressing it, driving her crazy with the intense sensations, causing her to jerk and twitch uncontrollably on his lap. Her frantic movements elicited loud moans of pleasure from him, which caused him to increase the movement of his desperate thumb. Fast. Faster.

_Dear God._ It was too much. Too good. Jai leaned back in a half-hearted attempt to get away from his insistent thumb, but the new angle allowed Marque's cock to brush against her G spot. At her sharp gasp, Marque abandoned her clit, sank his hands into her hips, and drove himself into her while pulling her against him, over and over, making her ride his hard cock until they both gave in to the exquisite pleasure and shouted their release.

It was the most profound moment of Jai's life.

As they struggled to catch their breath in the aftermath of their incredible orgasm, Marque pulled her upright and into his embrace, hugging her tightly, as if he'd never let her go.

Jai smiled contentedly. Her new heart had held up just fine. And if she wasn't mistaken, it had grown larger, now filled with all the love she felt for Marque.

"You didn't answer my question," he murmured huskily into her ear. "Will you come away with me, my beautiful Jai?"

She reveled in the security of his strong embrace, and hugged him back, just as tightly. "Yes, Marque. I'd love to be your very own Beautiful Doll."

THE END

# About the Author

Jenna Ives has the typical problem that affects a lot of modern-day romance authors — multiple personality disorder. She writes for several different publishers under a variety of names, but mostly the reason is to keep her poor sainted mother (who used to read sweet romances by Barbara Cartland) from having a heart attack over how sexy modern romances have become!

And Jenna certainly DOES write sexy...

To learn more about Jenna, please visit her website at www.jennaives.com or e-mail her at jenna@jennaives.com.

# Don't miss the next installment of The Tau Cetus Chronicles...

## Programmed To Protect:

Tau Cetus police agent Leith Wyatt is charged by the ruling High Council with overseeing the production of Anson Carron's new robot army for the planet's defense. Wyatt doesn't trust the oily Carron, and when Carron gives Wyatt the Beautiful Doll sex robot Ginger, Wyatt knows it's for a sinister reason. The Dolls are legendary for their addictive sexual prowess. Wyatt tries to resist Ginger, but she's sweet, kind, sexy, and every intimate encounter they share puts him deeper under her spell. And when Wyatt discovers Carron's plan to overthrow the High Council in order to grab control of the planet for himself, Wyatt must decide whether his loyalty lies with the planet he's sworn to protect, or the megalomaniac creator of the android he now loves.

Excerpt from "Programmed To Protect: Book Two of the Tau Cetus Chronicles" by Jenna Ives...

### Chapter One

"The premier of the High Council will see you now."

Leith Wyatt swallowed. Those simple – yet ominous – words kick-started the adrenaline already running through his veins. He rose from his seat in the thick-walled, missile-proof reception area of Tau Cetus' High Council headquarters, and shoved a hand through his neatly-trimmed brown hair.

He'd been ordered to report to the most powerful man on the planet.

Theus.

And Wyatt had no idea why.

Not good. A police agent should always know what he's walking into.

Unfortunately, he had no intel about this meeting beyond Theus' cryptic summons.

Wyatt frowned. He'd be the first to admit that his last assignment from the High Council – involving the notorious arms dealer, Marque Callex – had not gone exactly according to plan. Nevertheless, the Council had been satisfied with the end result. So Wyatt didn't think this summons could have anything to do with that case.

Still, there'd never been any question about Wyatt reporting as ordered. As the premier of the High Council, Theus had near-absolute authority in this area of Tau Cetus. Hell, every person in Wyatt's police agency technically answered to him.

When Theus calls, we come.

And today Theus apparently wanted Leith Wyatt.

Wyatt shifted on his feet, his one-piece navy blue uniform straining over his tense muscles. He stared down at the tiny, androgynous-looking government aide, and nodded.

"This way, please."

Taking a deep breath, Wyatt followed the silvery-blonde haired aide down an equally missile-proof hallway. The twisting corridor brought them to three different hand-and-eye recognition stations, each of which opened massive metal doors. If Wyatt thought his police headquarters was well protected in its military bunker, it was nothing compared to this subterranean stronghold.

Then again, the High Council needed to be protected. It was tasked with the responsibility of ruling this area of Tau Cetus, and preventing another Great War like the one which had wiped out nearly half the population twenty years ago.

Tau Cetus couldn't survive another conflict like that one.

The High Council consisted of five men, drawn from some of the most powerful regions of the world. Shadowy men, who guarded their position and their power. If pressed, Wyatt couldn't even describe what they looked like, but he – along with everyone else on Tau Cetus – certainly knew their names: Zelonis, Troian, Alon, Reigh, but above all, Theus.

Five men, who held the fate of Tau Cetus in their hands. Five men with ambitious rivals who would stop at nothing to usurp their power and become Council members themselves, in order to have a hand in dictating the future of the planet.

The tiny blonde aide in front of him stopped suddenly, and turned to Wyatt.

"In here, please."

Wyatt raised an eyebrow as he stared at the solid stone wall in front of them. The aide waved a small hand over a small side panel, and a hidden door in the wall slid open. Wyatt's eyebrow shot higher in surprise.

Fuck. Not so solid after all. But brilliantly concealed.

At a nod from the aide, he stepped inside a darkened room.

It took a moment for Wyatt's eyes to adjust to the dim interior, but his police instincts told him that the dark lighting was intentional. In fact, it was a good defensive maneuver, because if – by some highly unlikely possibility – an intruder managed to get this far into the High Council's headquarters, security would still have a final shot at the man while he was silhouetted in the "kill zone" of the doorway, illuminated by the light from the corridor.

"Very clever." He'd have to remember this set-up for possible future use.

"I'm glad you approve."

Wyatt jumped despite himself, spinning toward the sound of that deep, rich voice. A man stood in the corner of the room, nearly blending into the dark background. Wyatt had never seen Theus in person, not even during the Callex case, but Wyatt had no doubt that the tall man with the black suit and matching black hair was the premier. He had a dangerous air that exuded tightly leashed power.

Despite Theus' intimidating presence and superior rank, however, Wyatt felt the need to stand his ground. He'd been called here for a reason, and showing fear or anxiety was not a smart move. "Theus?" he asked, injecting a note of doubt into his voice.

The man let out a low laugh, although Wyatt could hear no real humor in it.

"Yes," he acknowledged, taking a step toward a switch on the wall, and bringing up the level of lighting in the room.

Unfortunately, the brighter light didn't make Theus look any less dangerous.

"And you're Leith Wyatt." It was a statement, not a question.

Wyatt's chin came up, and he dutifully saluted. "Yes, sir."

"Welcome." Theus motioned to a chair in front of a massive, ornately-carved desk nearby. "Won't you sit?"

The dark wood and the hard oak chair placed in front of it perfectly matched the deep brown color of the starkly paneled walls and the massive furniture placed around the room. But when dealing with an imposing figure like Theus, Wyatt's gut instinct was not to sit, it was to stay on guard. "I prefer to stand, sir."

The man in black regarded him carefully. "Very well." He took three easy steps toward his desk, but never turned his back on Wyatt.

The action told Wyatt much. How many assassination attempts had Theus survived already? Three?

At least three that Wyatt _knew_ of.

Despite that inherent stress of the job, Theus wore his power confidently. He straightened to his full height. "You may be wondering why I called you here."

Actually, Wyatt was wondering why Theus remained standing himself. No, cancel that. He knew exactly why. Theus had always intended to stand. If Wyatt had accepted Theus' offer of a chair, it would have put the premier in a subtle position of power, towering over Wyatt while he sat.

Clever. The man obviously knew how to wield his power. As it was, the two of them were on an equal level at the moment, at least psychologically.

"I have a special assignment for you," Theus continued.

"With all due respect, sir, the last time you gave my agency an assignment I lost not one but _two_ partners."

It was a bold thing to say. No one questioned Theus' orders. _No one._ But Wyatt wanted Theus to know exactly what doing one's duty as a Tau Cetus police agent often cost.

One's life.

Theus waved a hand. "Past history, agent Wyatt. What concerns me is our future."

Wyatt set his jaw but held his tongue. Danger was part of this job. He'd known the risks when he'd signed on to be a police agent.

"I called you here today because I'm appointing you as my personal representative. A liaison between the High Council and Anson Carron."

Wyatt inhaled sharply, as if he'd been punched in the gut.

_Anson Carron_? No, no, no...

Theus crossed his arms over his chest, but Wyatt ignored the subtle warning gesture. Holding his tongue was not an option this time.

"Sir, Anson Carron may have saved his own neck during the Callex case by proposing to supply robot soldiers to the High Council for use in keeping the peace on Tau Cetus, but _that man shot my partner."_

"Which is exactly why you are the perfect person to be the High Council's liaison between us and Mr. Carron," Theus continued calmly, beginning to pace the short distance behind the length of his desk. "You know how devious and dangerous Carron can be. I'm confident you will keep a close eye on him."

Wyatt's mind was reeling. He wanted to ask Theus why the hell he'd even agreed to work with such a despicable character like the owner of the former Beautiful Dolls sex robots, but he'd already come very close to insubordination with his comments, so he kept his mouth shut.

Theus threw Wyatt a pointed glance. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

Wyatt blinked. _What the—_ Did the premier read minds?

"There are many elements in play here, agent Wyatt. Anson Carron cannot be trusted. We know that. And then there's the traitor on the High Council to consider—"

" _What?_ " The word was out before Wyatt could stop it.

There was a traitor on the _Council?_ What the hell did that mean for the safety of the planet?

Theus ignored Wyatt's interruption and continued with his narrative.

"Before Marque Callex was...relocated, he informed me that Anson Carron had access to information only those of us on the Council are privy to. Unfortunately, I have not been able to determine which man is the traitor, and Carron has not exactly been forthcoming with the information. Not even during my, er ... _questioning..._ of him."

Wyatt found himself swallowing at the ominous tone of that one word. The way Theus had emphasized it – in three long, drawn-out syllables – convinced Wyatt that _questioning_ equaled torture.

"Shame, that. And since my fellow Counselors have power of their own and vast followers from their respective regions, I have to tread carefully. But that is my problem, not yours. I merely wish you to realize that we have enemies on all sides. Within and without."

_Fucking hell_. Wyatt would never want to walk in Theus' shoes. Who the hell would want a life like his, hiding in the shadows, always on high alert? How did the man sleep at night?

Was power worth giving up all chance at a normal life? Apparently, Theus believed so. He'd been premier for ten years.

"As for Anson Carron," Theus continued, "His robot soldiers are a formidable weapon for us, but it gives a dangerous man too much power. So as a check on that power, I have decided to keep Callex Industries running. Alyn Rekos is in charge there now. I trust Rekos as much as I can trust any man, and having Callex Industries weapons at the Council's disposal will keep Carron in line." Theus paused to let his words sink in.

Wyatt tilted his head in comprehension. "It means you don't... _need_ ...Carron," he said. "That the Council is not entirely dependent on him. He's smart enough to realize this is a tacit threat."

"Exactly."

For the first time, Wyatt wished he had taken Theus up on his offer to sit. The weight of the information Theus was imparting sat heavily on Wyatt's shoulders. Theus was playing a dangerous game of chess with the fate of Tau Cetus. Moves and counter-moves. And it seemed the premier wasn't done yet.

"The High Council has decided to send five thousand of Carron's robot soldiers to Terra Acer, at the request of the regulator there. As you may know, that part of our planet is not under the Council's control, and it's particularly volatile since Regulator Egidia of Terra Radix killed Regulator Hericus and took over the area of Terra Domus. Egidia is now threatening his neighbor to the north, Terra Acer. The High Council cannot allow one man to have control of such a large portion of our planet. Hopefully, five thousand robot soldiers along the border between the two regions will insure the peace there. You will go with Carron on the deployment."

Good God. Theus was sharing some incredibly sensitive information with him. The traitor on the Council... the pre-emptive move to avoid a potentially bigger confrontation with this aggressive Regulator Egidia...

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

Theus narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Of course."

"This is a test."

"Yes. For Anson Carron _and_ for you."

Wyatt was not surprised at the answer. "And assuming I pass?"

One corner of Theus' mouth twitched. "I'm glad you're confident you will be successful in this. _Assuming you pass_ , you will continue as the High Council's liaison. Tau Cetus needs good men. We need peace. We cannot risk another Great War." He paused. "Will you accept the assignment?"

Wyatt blinked. "I have a choice?"

"Of course. But I hope you'll agree. You're an... interesting man, agent Wyatt. Few people have the courage to stand up to me or question my actions. Whether you realize it or not, you've shown me your character in just the few short minutes we've been together."

Wyatt shifted on his feet. "I don't know about that...."

Theus unfolded his arms. "The fate of our world is literally in our hands. I need people who realize that. I need people who can help me keep Tau Cetus safe."

The hairs on the back of Wyatt's neck stood at attention. The fate of the world was in his hands?

Great. No pressure there, right?

Then again, this was why he'd become a police agent in the first place. To ensure the peace, and the continued existence of his people. Having seen and survived the devastation of the Great War himself, it was now his job to protect. He just hadn't expected his part in saving the planet to be on such a grand scale.

"I'm sorry about the death of your former partner, Joran Breaux," Theus said quietly. "But you may be glad to know that Jai Turner is safe and happy, living with Marque Callex,"

Wyatt's eyebrow rose. Coupled with Theus' plea to help him keep Tau Cetus safe, the mention of Wyatt's former partner Jai forced Wyatt to reassess his opinion of the premier. Perhaps the man was not as cold and imperious as the world believed. Wyatt had no idea where Jai and Callex were, but Theus obviously knew. And, to Wyatt's surprise, it even sounded like he _cared._

That aside, did he trust Theus' risky strategy to safeguard the planet? Did Wyatt have a choice in the matter? What was the alternative?

Dangerous men with access to dangerous weapons needed to be kept under control. Which meant Anson Carron, as well as this regulator Egidia of Terra Radix. That was the bottom line here.

In the end, Wyatt didn't really have a choice at all.

Wyatt gave Theus a formal salute, signaling his agreement.

