Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OC. It would help if you watched "Honor Among Thieves" before reading this.
It was early morning when she got a call from Raimus, asking her to meet him at the Dresio Hotel down near the mining control station. She shivered slightly at the thought of the long, dark, ugly walk she would have to take to get there. Unlike Raimus, she didn't have the luxury of her own personal transporter. She had to settle for the shuttles, and she nearly shuddered as the memory of her first ride came to the forefront of her mind.
She had been six years old, and she only remembered certain things: the smell of the cabin, the uncomfortable, lumpy seats she and her sister sat on, the grimy walls covered in graffiti. Her sister had an interview at a cafe down by the docks, and since her father was dead and her mother was ill, there was no one to take care of her. Her sister Lea took her along with the promise that she'd be quiet during the interview.
She had been bubbling with excitement at the prospect of her first shuttle ride. It was ironic that now that memory was tainted with horror.
One of the several homeless people who lived in the city had caught a ride on the shuttle with them. The majority of the homeless kept to themselves, but this one didn't. He chose the seat next to her sister, and kept touching her. She would slap his hand away every time, but he didn't get the message. He kept harassing her until their stop, and Lea grabbed her hand and ran off the shuttle with her. But the man followed them, and soon they came to a dark alley not a block from the cafe. The man grabbed her sister and Lea shouted for her to run.
She obeyed, calling out for anyone to help them, when a man came running to their aid.
Little did she know then how much the man's good deed would cost them. He was a member of the Orion Syndicate, and he recommended Lea to his boss as a "net girl". Lea didn't dare refuse.
Now she was in the same position Lea was in: tied to the Syndicate, too scared to try to get out. She would always be eternally grateful for what the man did, but she always knew...this was too high a price to pay.
But then, Farius was an ugly place, so high prices were to be expected, especially where the Syndicate was involved.
She hurried down the street and reached the Dresio Hotel without a hitch. Raimus was waiting in one of the rooms upstairs, and soon she was knocking on his door.
One of his men, Rtarik, answered and ushered her in. Raimus was lounging on a sofa, drinking tulleberry wine. He looked her up and down.
"You look cold, Rebecca."
"It's cold out there. It hasn't stopped raining all week."
"Then come here and let me warm you up."
She plastered a smile on her face and sauntered toward him, making sure to sway her hips the way he liked. She didn't get calls like this often, so she had to make it worth her while, considering Raimus always paid well.
She played with his hair as she let him run his hands down her body, and she kissed his forehead softly.
"How have you been?" she whispered.
"Wonderful, now that you're here..." he muttered back, trailing his lips along the hem of her low-cut dress. "I have a job for you."
"Tell me about it."
"The Syndicate is taking a big step soon," he whispered softly. "The Dominion has offered us a generous sum for our services. They're sending one of their Vorta here next week, and I want you to make him feel...comfortable."
She paused at his words, shivering inwardly at the thought of "comforting" a Vorta. From the little she had heard, they were all rather handsome, but they were also quite intimidating.
But still, she figured that if she could make Raimus happy, she could make this Vorta happy too.
"What's his name? Do you know?"
"They told me his name is Gelnon."
…
The Vorta looked her up and down and didn't look particularly impressed with what he saw. At least that's what Rebecca thought as she stood before him, dressed in one of the nicer outfits Raimus had bought for her. Her long, dark brown hair was unbound and waved down her bare back, and her hands rested on her hips as she waited for Raimus to conclude his business so she could start working.
As for the Vorta, at first she had been intimidated by him, and she still was, but he was slowly growing on her. He had an odd way of laughing, sort of a small chuckle mixed with a "hmm" sound, but when he did laugh his face lit up in an endearing sort of smile which she liked. He wasn't the handsomest of men, but he wasn't ugly or anything. Quite the contrary. She found his features to be pleasing in their own way.
She had spent the last week learning all she could about the Vorta to prepare for this meeting, but she hadn't found much. She only knew that they were manipulative, cunning servants of the Dominion. Any other information she wanted to know would have be gleaned from Gelnon.
Raimus concluded his short negotiation with Gelnon and prepared to leave, but he lightly touched her shoulder and gave her a meaningful look before he did. She was left alone with the Vorta, and he tilted his head as he considered her.
"So you're Rebecca."
She nodded. "And you're Gelnon." The name felt odd on her tongue, and she made a mental note to practice saying it when she was alone again.
"Correct. Raimus spoke to me about you...he implied that I should...get to know you."
She had to refrain from gulping. His gaze was unwavering, and it was starting to scare her. Although his voice was really quite pleasing, the sound of those last four words sent shivers down her spine.
But she beat down her fears and nodded, throwing him a small smile.
The smile he returned was just as small, and he slowly started to walk toward her. "I must admit...Raimus spoke very highly of you, but he didn't tell me anything I wanted to know. It was most disappointing. Nevertheless...I find you fascinating."
By the time he said the last word, he was standing inches from her, his pale purple eyes fixed on her blue ones.
"You fear me, Rebecca..." he whispered softly. "You won't admit it, but I can see it in your eyes."
She didn't respond, too absorbed in the look he was giving her.
"You shouldn't be afraid...after all, we're both on the same side."
This did nothing to placate her apprehensions, and they were further agitated when he started to circle her, examining every inch of her.
"What do you fear about me, Rebecca?" he whispered in her ear. "Is it the sound of my voice?"
She shook her head and shivered when he gently pulled back her hair from her other ear.
"Is is my touch?" he breathed, causing her to convulse.
One of his fingers lightly traced her neck before returning to his side.
"Or is it the fact that I can't seem to stop staring at you?"
His gaze burned into her once again, but this time he had come so close to her that their noses nearly touched.
"Raimus told me you are to do a...special job. Do you care to elaborate?"
She looked away, her cheeks flaming. She wasn't usually this shy around men, but something about this Vorta disturbed her...and attracted her. No man had ever made her shiver or convulse in pleasure before with such simple gestures. Her skin felt electrically charged, sensitive to every move he made. He tilted his head slightly and leaned in a little closer.
"Why don't you go to work?"
She looked at him finally, and he closed the gap between them. Their lips connected, and she could feel his soft breath on her skin. The kiss was soft and simple, but nevertheless, something about it was strange. Maybe it was because her partner had never kissed anyone before, or because his hands were still at his side, and she had to take a step back and hold onto him for support.
Slowly, he pulled away, and she let her arms fall back to her sides.
"Interesting..." he muttered, staring into her eyes. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"
Her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't know..." She looked away from his intense gaze.
He laughed in his odd way. "Hmm...I think I'm going to like my stay on Farius. I'll be back later."
He still stared at her over his shoulder as he turned to leave, then his gaze snapped away from hers. And then he was gone.