Glasses collided with dull, atonal clicks, while the waitresses of different alien species served the drinks. For Shayla, the rest of the people there were mere shadows sitting at distant tables, conversing through muffled murmurs.

She took a sip of Tomengaria whiskey, emptying her glass. The drink burned her throat, falling into her belly like a burning ember. After Tejeda left, things had become boring for Shayla. The worst was the constant flirts she had to endure. Why had she agreed to attend the meeting in that red dress?

A Globonian approached her table, nodding at her empty glass. "Do you want another one?"

The massive man had a T-shirt that barely managed to hide his filth. He didn't seem to be a waiter, more like another man trying his luck with the little woman dressed in red. "No, thanks!"

"What a pity," he said from across the table, his fetid breath reaching her even so. "I like a woman who can hold her liquor."

“And I like a man who can hold his breath,” Shayla retorted, her green eyes showing her disgust.

The one-eyed Globonian growled and left. Shayla could only sigh with dismay. When the image of E00 appeared on the colossal screen announcing the next piece put out for auction, she started bidding. She raised the price so high that no one bid anymore. That was one way to keep the robot from being sold. They were the seller and the buyer, no harm there.

Outside, the acid rain had stopped, but there was still no sign of Tejeda. When the door opened, Shayla winced and changed the position of the device that created the hologram. She managed to fix it before anyone noticed that Kalden Deltak's image was distorted. Then she looked hurriedly at the door again, only to be partially disappointed.

It wasn't Tejeda, but she couldn't be upset with the man who had appeared. Although the Zondarian women disgusted her, the men were a delicacy. At over two meters tall and with exceptionally broad shoulders, the creature barely squeezed through the entrance. He bent his head forward, trying not to hit the door frame with the two huge, pointed horns jutting from his long, silky black hair.

The Zondarian looked around the room. His nostrils fluttered, resembling an angry bull, but that didn't make him any less attractive. The massive Globonian who had tried before talking to Shayla stumbled upon the newcomer. The Zondarian turned, took the one-eyed man's arm in his hand, and in one fell swoop threw him around the room. The Globonian remained motionless on the cold floor.

Shayla gaped in awe. What a male! It was strange that people around weren't too amazed by the newcomer's display of power. When two waitresses passed Shayla's table, she caught part of their conversation. “That is nothing new coming from Admiral Vologorn. Being the leader of the Alpha Pirates and their entire armada seems to allow him to do everything he likes. And he loves violence, just as his entire faction does.”

Shayla had heard of Admiral Vologorn but had never seen him. She couldn't take her eyes off that hunk of a man, but she gaped when his mane fluttered as he turned his gaze upon her. "Oh, no!" Shayla swallowed hard, blushing.

His glare changed, seemingly finding his resolve. The Zondarian was coming straight to her. The open shirt gave him an extremely casual look. That was the time to avoid looking at him, but she couldn't. She was completely mesmerized by the power and determination she now saw in those gray eyes.

There was no sign of madness or anger on Admiral Vologorn's face as he reached for her. "Will you give me this dance?"

Shayla was stuck and didn't know what to say. Before she could come up with an answer, she heard "Yes!" coming from E00. Damn it! She had forgotten to mute the robot.

"Will we dance without music?" Shayla managed to ask with an amused smile forced on her face. The music had stopped since his display of force.

The Zondarian put two fingers in his mouth and whistled wildly. The music instantly started. His firm hand pulled her, leading Shayla where he wanted her to be. She marched across the dance floor, her heavy footsteps a testament to the rage running through her veins.

Shayla could feel his hand on her back, drawing her closer. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, still looking into his profound, grey, and fascinating eyes. Her hips and his swayed in unison, grinding to the beat of the drums and bass. A hardness scraped against her, and a breath stayed stuck in her throat.

A fleeting instinct had her hands placed on his chest, pushing him away. Vologorn drew her even closer, whispering, "Shhhh."

Shayla shivered in anticipation, feeling every fiber of her body entangled with his. This was wrong. She needed to end this one way or another. “What wrong that Globonian did for you to throw him like that?”

She thought she won, ruining the mood. But his glare didn't change at all. Her body ached for his touch and reacted of its own accord, still mimicking the swaying of his hips. Shayla felt his hand on her thigh, caressing, gliding through the slit.

When he kissed her with his assailing tongue and lifted her with one arm, her cheeks blushed as brightly as her dress. Her legs were no longer touching the ground, and she felt as light as a flake. Shayla closed her eyes and relished her passion, etching it in her mind. When his lips pulled away from hers, she breathed and took a minute to settle the tremors of dismal desire.

His mouth drew closer to her ear and his hot breath crept in as he whispered. "The Globonian did nothing wrong. He was about to fall, and I just helped him do it better. Now answer a question in return. Is it true that you prefer me more as Admiral Vologorn than as Kalden Deltak?"