Of Starshit and Inconvenience

Chapter Three: What The Starshit. . .

Zehra groaned as light seeped in through the curtains of her hotel room. Pounding pain hammered at her head mercilessly. What had happened last night? The last thing she remembered was seeing Thea again. Thea. Zehra sat up quickly. What did that woman do to her?

Getting to her feet, she rushed to the bathroom, vomiting into the toilet. It had been forever since anything caused her to be this hungover. Zehra groaned, dizziness wrapped her head in a haze of static. After this, she was never drinking again. Starshit.

A gentle knock sounded on the door. "Room service!"

Zehra's eyes grew wide. Seriously? Again! Starshit, this had to be some kind of sick joke. Thea couldn't see her like this, throwing up over of the toilet in a nightgown.

"D-don't," she hurled again, cutting herself off.

"Are you okay in there, Cap?" Thea asked, her voice slightly morphed from being behind the door.

"Go. . ." Zehra inhaled deeply. ". . .Away!"

Stars, shouting like that hurt so bad. She whimpered, holding her head in her hand. No more bars for the whole vacation. That was the new rule as of right now.

"Cap, do excuse my pestering but, was that the first time you've had LizzTail?" Thea asked, her voice lower and gentle.

Closing her eyes, Zehra sighed. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I have a tonic for first time drinkers," Thea stated. "But if you want I can just go—"

"Get your ass in here. Now."

The door clicked open with a turn of the lock. Heeled footsteps clicked like rocks against the back of Zehra's head. "Please. . .Take off your fucken shoes."

Thea stopped her approach. "Right. Sorry. I didn't realize this would be a long stay, how scandalous."

"It's not. Give me the starshitted tonic," Zehra commanded, holding out her hand.

Plates clinked behind her. "It's not good to take it on an empty stomach, might burn your insides. I brought you breakfast."

Zehra choked her eyes wide as she peeked outside the door into the bedroom. "You what!"

Thea's face turned so red that the pink was no longer visible. She waved her hands about and shook her head. "No, no, no! It's not like that. This is complimentary, it's my job, I swear! I —starshit I swear!"

"Stop yelling!" Zehra cried with a groan, burying her face in her hands. Starshit, this morning could not have gotten any worse. She sighed, staggering back into her bedroom with the almost sheer, white, lace nightgown that only reached her mid knees. This was the last time she allowed anyone to pack her bags, General or not, this was as disgraceful as it was comfortable.

"If you want I can ahhhhh—" Thea blinked, becoming redder as if that were possible. "Hot damn."

"Don't stare," Zehra said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Please."

Covering her face, Thea nodded and turned herself to face the opposite direction. The black and white maid's outfit she wore barely reached low enough to cover her ass.

"C-could," Zehra swallowed, having trouble not looking where she should not. "Could you turn back to face me."

Thea did a sort of bouncing walk in her long, black stockings to face her again. The front was worse, with a low swooping neckline on the bodice.

"I've changed my mind, tur-turn back around," Zehra stuttered, moving toward the small table at her bedside which was set with toast, fruit, a drink and a small vial. "Please tell me that's not your work uniform. It makes you look like—something I don't want to see you as." Lifting the water cup to her lips, Zehra tipped it back, relishing in the cool liquid on her burning throat.

"Sexy?"

The water flew down the wrong pipe. Zehra coughed and sputtered, slamming her hand on the table. "No!" More coughs wracked her body. "That is not what I was going to say."

"Well—" Thea said, twiddling her fingers. "If you must know, I haven't gotten my official maid uniform yet, a-and this was all I had so—" She weaved her fingers together, cocking her head to the side. "Do I at least look cute?"

What the starshit. . .

"If you didn't have your work outfit, why wouldn't you have worn a tee shirt and jeans instead of lingerie?" Zehra asked, raising a brow and taking a bite of her toast.

Thea shrugged. "That wouldn't look professional. At least with this, people know I'm the maid."

Or they will mistake you for a companion.

The thought of anyone making a move on Thea like she was a piece of meat made Zehra feel oddly protective of the woman. No one deserved to be treated in such a manner and she knew from experience that many didn't extend the level of respect they should, regardless of the level of power a woman had achieved. The toast clenched in her hand, crumbling between her fingers.

"Are you okay? Did I make you mad? I can leave," Thea stated quietly.

"Oh, no, I just—" Zehra paused, how could she say this without sounding remotely interested? Even if she was—no, no she wasn't. "Dressed like that, some may get the wrong idea."

That sounded adequate. She internally patted herself on the back.

"Oh, Captain. . ." Thea laughed, putting her elbows on the table and looking straight into Zehra's eyes. " So you do think I look sexy, after all?"

Zehra growled. "That's your take from this? Trying to impress me and not taking to account your own personal safety in a resort with thousands of people you don't know whose rooms you'll go into dressed like that?"

Thea smirked mischievously. "Yes."

Facepalming Zehra sighed. "Well, if you must know, I prefer my women to have a little more pride in themselves and not flaunt their bodies at me like this."

"Excuse you, I feel cute in the dress. You're the one making it something else," Thea spat with a huff as she crossed her arms self-consciously. "Sorry I'm not your type, maybe next time I should wear a turtle neck with a top so high it covers my face."

"Better yet, just throw a blanket over yourself so I can't see you at all," Zehra hissed.

"You'd like that, me wrapped up in a blanket?" Thea asked with a wink.

"Starshit! Get out!" Zehra cried, downing the tonic. "Thank you for the food and tonic, now go."

"I'm going! I'm going, don't worry. I have more to my life than entertaining a single guest. . . " Thea looked around the room, confusion crossing her face. "Do you know where I left my shoes?"

Zehra let out an exasperated sigh. She had to be joking, but by the pleading look on the woman's face, she wasn't. "Fine, I'll help you look for your shoes."

How many more times would Thea walk into her life, making Zehra's ability to keep her composure slip away piece by piece?

'I like my women to have a little more pride in themselves'. Starshit, as if she had time to think about any of that. Zehra had no interest whatsoever in dating right now. . . Right?