“No, I asked you to dance because even from across the room I could tell you needed to get out there and shake those hips, and none of the guys you were with seemed to notice.”
“What made you think I’d go?”
“I didn’t. But I was pretty sure you weren’t going to ask me.”
She laughed at that. “Well, that’s probably true. Although, give me some credit. I did notice that you disposed of Murdock pretty quickly.”
“You’re a good person. You look out for your own.”
“And she is one of mine after all, eh? You didn’t like her?”
“I told you. I came to meet a fascinating woman. Murdock just wasn’t that interesting. There’s more to life than cleavage.”
“Most guys don’t share that particular view.” She scowled into her glass as she spoke.
“I’m not most guys.”
She looked up and considered me then with a speculative light in her eyes. “I can see that.”
We sat there quietly sipping and looking at each other for a while. “Are you always this quiet?” she asked.
“Are you?”
“No! Usually I chatter away a meter a minute.”
I shrugged. “I thought we were communicating pretty well, actually. Am I boring you?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Let me know when I am and I’ll go.”
“Just like that? I say, okay, you’re boring me. And you leave.”
I gave a little shrug. “Of course. What else?”
“What if I bore you? Will you tell me to leave?”
“I doubt that you could bore me. I don’t even know you yet.”
“Damn you are good. Classical training?”
“Mom was an ancient literature professor. I grew up on the classics.”
“You’re kidding!”
I shook my head. “Nope. Melville and Forester were her specialty areas, but I grew up with Shakespeare. What about you?”
“The only classics I ever got were at the academy, and there wasn’t much there.”
That last part sounded a bit bitter, so I did not push it. I steered the conversation a bit. “Where’d you get your philosophical outlook to enjoy the ride?”
She looked a little embarrassed. “Fortune cookie.”
It was so unexpected I laughed. “Okay, you got me with that one.”
“No, seriously. It was near the end of my last year at the academy and a bunch of us went out to dinner one night to an oriental restaurant down by the docks in Port Newmar. The whole evening we had this discussion about berths and ships. You know, where there were openings and who was going where—that kind of thing. We drank a lot of beer and no small amount of sake. I kept saying how much I wanted to be done with the academy and get onto a ship. Like getting onto a ship was going to be some kind of answer. Like by being there would mean I had have arrived, you know?”
“Oh, yeah. I know very well.” I just wanted her to keep talking. I did not care what she said.
“We got the fortune cookies and mine said, ‘Life is the only journey with a final destination.’”
“That must have made quite an impression.”
“Well, I’m still using it five years later, but at the time, I think the beer and sake were contributing factors.” She swirled the cubes in her glass for a few heartbeats before arching an eyebrow in my direction. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Where did you get that jacket? It’s spectacular.”
“I got it here on the orbital the other day. Chez Henri’s up on eleven.”
She snorted in disbelief. “You were not at Chez Henri.”
“What do you wanna bet.”
“If you were at Chez Henri, I’ll give you a night you’ll never forget,” she said with a smoldering look that I think she practiced in the mirror because it was very, very effective.
“No bet.”
“Ha, I knew it!”
“No, you misunderstand. You’ve already given me that. You’ll need to do better.”
She stopped and laughed. “Damn, you are good.”
“What’ll it take to convince you? And what are the stakes?”
“My gods. You were!”
I held open the jacket so she could see the label on the inside lining.
“That doesn’t prove anything,” she said, but I could tell she was not disputing my claim, just the evidence.
I finished my drink and put the empty glass on the table without speaking.
“You were!”
“Yeah. You know Brill? Brilliantine Smith?” I asked.
“Your boss? Of course.”
“She was there with me. She insisted on going.”
“No!”
“I took Beverly and Diane, too.”
“Beverly? Black leather, buzz cut Beverly?”
“Hey, that’s my shipmate you’re talking about.”
“And Diane Ardele? Works with you in environmental? Petite little mink?”
“Minx is more accurate, but yeah, that’s her.”
“You took three women to Chez Henri?”
“Well, Ms. Avril was busy and couldn’t go with us or there’d have been four.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I am not kidding. It wasn’t even my idea. When Brill heard I had an introduction to Henry Roubaille, she insisted. I thought we were going to have half the ship up there watching me change clothes.”
“You had an introduction?”
I gave a half shrug. “I think that’s about the only way you can see him. His receptionist is a real pro.”
“Where’d you get an invitation?”
“Bresheu on St. Cloud gave it to me.”
“You’re kidding!”
“You’ve got to stop saying that.” I stood and held out my hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She put her hand in mine, and I pulled her to her feet. I led her back to where Brill was still sitting, but she had moved to my old seat beside Al. Brill got a really funny grin on her face and Al gave me a big wink and raised her glass in my direction.
“You know these women, I think?” I said to Alvarez.
“Hi, Brill, Al,” she said.
“Hey, AA.” Al saluted with her glass.
“Hi. Alicia,” Brill said. “How’s it going?”
“Great! This one is something, huh?” She nodded in my direction.
Al spoke up before Brill could answer, “Hell, I’ve only known him for two stans and I know that!”
“You have no idea, Alicia.”
“Settle a bet for me, B?” she said.
“Sure, if I can.”
“Where’d he get this jacket?”
“Chez Henri up on eleven, why? He got the whole outfit there the other day. Bev and Diane and I went with him.”
“Jillian was too busy?”
“I think she’s slit her wrists by now, but yeah. She had the duty.”
“How did he get into Henri’s?”
“We were on St. Cloud and he got an introduction from Bresheu.”
“The Bresheu?” she asked.
Brill shrugged. “Is there more than one?”
“Why did Bresheu give him an introduction?”
Brill was grinning by this time. “Because the jacket he tried on there didn’t fit and we didn’t have time for it to be tailored before we shipped out.”
Alicia started laughing. “This is all true, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes. Did he tell you his rating?”
“Engineman, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s also rated as Ordinary Spacer, Cargo Handler, and Food Handler. In a few weeks he’ll be spec two environmental as well.” She said it with a certain amount of pride.
Alicia looked at me with a speculative look in her eye. “You looking for a new berth?”
Brill said, “Hey, no poaching. He’s mine!”
I found I quite liked the way she said, “He’s mine.”