Chromium

10.3

First draft

Differently from the Umbra's hi-tech shuttle, Freddie's car was an old Cadillac limousine, the eccentric relic of a past long gone. Still, the old lady looked pretty good for something built five hundred years ago.

Unwittingly Dia thought about the day she graduated from the academy, the only occasion she had seen something like that. She remembered all the expectations she had to surpass her mother, Luna Zephyr, ace of the Imperial Navy. It was just a pipe dream, of course. After all, in a world ruled by men, female captains were a bit like unicorns; very few people believe they exist, but no one thinks they will ever meet one. 

However, even that unattainable fantasy was nothing compared to the situation she had to face now.

"Please get in, lady Katrina" Freddie said with that nasty smile of his as he opened the car's door. "It's cold outside, and you're..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over her body."...exposed"

Dia clacked her tongue piercing against her teeth. The planet was a hell of ice, but the Undercity was unexpectedly warm, and though she didn't know what kind of method the Umbra was using to heat the city, it was over twenty degrees Celsius outside. Which meant Freddie was playing with her.

Dia didn't take the bait, but graciously smiled---or at least she tried to---and got in the car. Freddie followed right after and sat opposite to her. She narrowed her eyes when he pushed a conspicuous red button, and the car's windows darkened.

"Sorry, it's a necessary precaution." He said, but he didn't sound apologetic.

"Of course." She nodded understandingly, but her fingernails were digging into her tighs.

Freddie cocked his head, a smile dancing on his lips as he looked at her, "So, tell me about yourself, Lady Katrina."

Dia froze. Maybe she was naive, but she hadn't expected that question.

"Me? There is nothing to tell." She answered, but as soon as their eyes locked, she looked away.

Freddie raised an eyebrow, "Really? Strange, I heard you had quite a life."

It took some time to remember she was Katrina Karchienko, former hooker, and not Dia Zephyr, an imperial soldier the Umbra turned into...something.

Dia looked at him askance, "Don't tell me you're one of those." She suddenly asked deciding that the best defense was a good offense.

Freddie titled his head to the side, his brow drawing together, "Those?" He repeated.

"Those self-righteous pricks who like to judge me because of my past." She leaned forward, her upper lips curling up. "You aren't one of them, right Freddie?"

However, apparently it would take a lot more than that to throw him off guard.

"On the contrary, Lady Katrina. I'm quite fond of a woman that knows her way around the bed." He stated plainly, his smile never slipping. "But I'm still curious about how you became Karniek's woman. That has to be quite a story."

"Not really. It's just long and boring for the most part." She deflected, fiddling with her earring.

"But how did you do it? How did you make him fall for you?" He insisted. "Karniek is famous for being...difficult, especially with women."

Dia started cursing Reyes.

"Can't you tell?" She batted her eyelashes and bent over a bit, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage.

"I sure can." He answered, his eyes burning with lust...for a second or two. Then he diverted his gaze. "

It couldn't have been easy to live on a planet like Capsuli V for a woman like you."