“Do you like it rough, Tiny?”he rasped in her ear, sending a shiver of disgust into the pit of her stomach.
Bile rose, but she could do nothing but squirm and kick.Her face flushed hot.A sure sign she was losing consciousness.If only his hand would ease long enough for her to draw in a breath.
A tear slipped free.This was how she would die.So fitting for the disappointment she’d turned out to be.He shifted, taking away one hand.
Blessed air, despite his smell and fetid breath, was still sweet.But the ‘zip’ of her uniform parting had her screaming as sheer panic fueled her limp muscles.When his hot touch squeezed a breast, she slapped at it, at him, anywhere she could reach.
The door opened.
Mr.Emerson was yanked off her and slammed against something.
She didn’t care, choosing to sit up and suck in air as she clutched her uniform shut.A sob escaped her.When a heavy tread approached, she scrambled backward with her free hand extended in front of her.
“Are you okay?”a man asked, his tone gentle.And he smelled of soap, grease, metal…and hay?Not a bad combination.
“I am,” she said, stroking her neck in search of bruises then wincing when she prodded them.
“Ah,” the man said.Before she could react, he hoisted her to her feet, resting a hand on her hip to steady her.“He saw someone helpless,” he growled.
“I am,” she gritted out, dipping her unseeing gaze.“Thank you, though.”
He caught her chin and tilted her head up.“I’d suggest you have your employer install cams in here to make sure you’re never vulnerable.”
She scoffed.“I’ll do that.I’m saving to buy my own AI, y’know.”
“Good.”His voice softened as if he smiled.
“Oh, Tiny, I’m so sorry,” Maddy said, coming in with a flurry of her skirts.“He’s been permanently removed from our clientele.And I’ve reported him to station security.”
“This gentleman saved me.”Tiny gestured to where her rescuer’s darker form consumed the white of the consultation room.
“Well, I’m impressed, sir.Please, your session is on the house.”Maddy crowded Tiny, her vanilla fragrance drawing nearer.She nudged Tiny’s hands aside and zipped her uniform shut.“Leave early.Take a nice, long sol-bath.I’ll cover the extra power rations.”
As grateful as Tiny was, she wanted to chat to her hero more.Under the task of removing her gloves, she sniffed.She didn’t smell him, nor had she caught fading footsteps.
“You ready?”Maddy asked but didn’t wait for Tiny to respond.
She gripped Tiny’s elbow and ushered her down the passage to the staff elevator pod.After selecting the floor, she waited for Tiny to step inside, then walked off, her dainty tread marking her progress.
Tiny slumped against the back wall of the pod while it shot up, heading to the staff cabins.Alone at last, she wrapped her arms around her body for a self-hug.Her hero’s suggestion held merit even though being attacked wasn’t a common occurrence.When the pod dinged and the doors opened, she tapped the floor in front of her, just to make sure there wasn’t a gap or ledge to trip her.The last time that had happened, she’d nursed a bruised shin for a week.Twenty-two paces brought her to her home, the door on the left.Her thumb on the handle unlocked it.
Two meters by seven was the extent of her privacy in the dismal lower levels of Lunar Base.She’d wanted to escape and had hoped space was the answer or the chance for other opportunities.She hadn’t made it farther than the moon and wouldn’t with the little she earned.
Dismissing her depressed thoughts, she splayed her fingers on the kitchen’s one-meter-long counter housing a reheater with a wall-mounted boiler above it.Prepping chicken-flavored noodles wouldn’t take her long.Next to the counter was the sol-bath and a slide-out toilet.On the opposite wall was a flip-down table and chair, a dry-cleaning drawer referred to as a wash-box, and hidden closets.At the very end was her bed, spanning the width of the cabin.By the flickering lights, she had to assume she had a view—wasted on a blind woman.
She slumped.That smacked of bitterness.Which she’d been working on since her parents checked Jamie into some fancy rehabilitation clinic.
She stared at the view, trying to imagine what she’d see if she could…see.All while scooping noodles into her mouth.As meals went, she’d had better dorm food.But beggars couldn’t be choosy.
Who was her rescuer?She wished he’d given her his name.He was right to suggest installing sec cams.Though, she couldn’t see Celestial willingly spending that much.She couldn’t expect them to either.
After disposing of the container, she activated the sol-bath, rubbing her stuffed stomach.A nap maybe, then she’d dress and head downstairs to the club.She stripped out of her uniform and tossed it into the wash-box.By tomorrow morning, it would be clean and ready for her.
She swallowed, stroked her neck, then grimaced.As a blind person in a new environment, the sting of bruises was far too familiar.Other than that, she was lucky to be alive.While she sat on the sol-bath plate, she let it spin her.The scent of heat lingered but not that of sunbaked rock, nor the hint of lavender for those wealthy enough to purchase the better-quality sol-baths.She pondered the state of her life.This was it.She raised her arms so the ray could reach her pits.Her hair tickled her chin, somehow disturbed when the air flow was minimal.Gone were the days when a dye job faded.Hers was purple to match her stage persona.She didn’t care what color it was when she wouldn’t see it anyway.Whether it suited her face or not didn’t matter either.
After her near-death experience, sleep would be elusive, so perhaps, arriving at the club earlier meant she could leave when her six hours were up.Besides, if she stayed, the last hour would settle in her mind and deepen her depression.There was no one she could talk to about it.Dad would use it as the reason she should come home—that she couldn’t survive on her own, especially in space.
So, to work she’d go.Wiggling into her skintight jumpsuit took more energy than she possessed.Minutes later, with her hair gelled flat and slippers on her feet, she took the pod to the basement.The thump of a deep, resonating beat reached her.In went her ear plugs to lessen the impact of high decibels on her hearing.The bass traveled up through her feet, forcing her heartbeat to align.
