CHAPTER 1
Ishouldn’t have let Phantom forward my Earth phone to the version of a cell phone they gave me.
I don’t understand how they did it, and I already regret it, but leaving without any way for her to contact me felt wrong.
Not that the voice mails my mother has been leaving me feel right.
“Why are you making that face?” Coral asks as she flops into the seat beside me, half laying across me. “Did the move not go well?”
“No, the move went great. My place is still trashed or I would invite you over.”
“Zero worries. I have to jet back to Earth as soon as I’m done with this special assignment.” She taps her finger to her lips like it’s a secret.
“Next time you’re here, let me know and I’ll have you over for a sleepover.”
Her smile is incandescent. “I am so going to take you up on that.”
Someone has programmed their booth notification with a phone icon and ringer and I flinch when it trills to let her know it’s her turn.
“Wow, that bad?” Coral asks under her breath. “Is your phone buzzing non stop in you locker room right now?”
“No, she’s dropped back to calling once an hour.”
“Oof.” That smile is officially gone.
“I’m deciding how to make my mother understand the… gravity of what she did without making her lose her home.” I have fifteen days left to pay the new mortgage to save her from the hit to her credit.
“Ouch.” She winces as she sits up and it’s the loudest expression I’ve ever seen. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
I told her all about the debacle, so she doesn’t even need the cliff notes version. She can commiserate with me in real time.
“I wish you could buy the house out from under them, evict them, let them feel it and then give it back.”
“If I hadn’t already bought the house once, I might.” I don’t want to keep paying for her mistakes.
Her smile is apologetic as she hooks her elbow in mine and drops her head to my shoulder.
“Worse comes to worst, you can move them into one of the bunkhouses once I get this Ranch squared away.”
“You and me, bay-bee. The mortgage mamas.” I should laugh, but I can’t manage it.
“But not mamas,” she lifts her head and gives me a stern glare.
I would toast her if I had any sort of drinking vessel, but my symbol flashes, my turn is up. She pushes me toward the door. “Have fun. Suck cock. Stress later.”
“Yes ma’am.” I throw her a mock—and very non-regulation—salute as I go, giving the day’s house mom a quick smile before I step into the booth and let its door close behind me.
One deep breath, and I do push the thoughts of my mother away. She has no place here.
“Welcome back, Jade,” the booth says in its familiar modulation. “You have two requests. Correction. You have one request for two.”
That’s not standard, but I have a feeling I know whose cocks are going to pop out of the wall, even before they do.
Ferrok and Mooralan have come to see me a handful of times since we went to that concert. It was always separately, individually. But since they’re both marked in my top tier favorites now, they have guaranteed spots any time I’m working and they want them. Skipping the line.
And I am never going to complain when they are on offer.
But they’ve never come to me together before.
“Query… are they in the same booth, or separate ones?”
“They are in the same booth today.”
How interesting. I wonder if they compared notes. Chuckling to myself, I accept them without any questions, and stroke Ferrok once to ease his clitball out and pop it straight in my mouth.
I’d ask if they wanted a face-to-face encounter, but Mooralan knows they can ask for that if they want it.
And I’m here to give them what they want, even if I could give them more.