Deal

She looked different and he wondered what had brought on the change. Him? Corso? Someone else? It had almost been a year since the black hole and Nok Drayen's treasure. She had been very busy since then, dipped in trouble bigger than either of them had been in before. Not just Rogun the Butcher, but Imperial Command? And yet she had gotten out of it with a pirate fleet under her command. Admiral Alico someone had called her, and it made Skavak laugh. She would always be "Captain" to him regardless of what she thought of herself. And he was almost positive that she wouldn't take the new title. She liked being called captain too much. Besides, she had released the pirates after their launch campaign, so the only ship she lorded over was the Nostalgia for Infinity…

A ship he happened to be aboard. He had tracked her stops, waited until she had dropped the last of her crew off, and then snuck on. When they were out in deep space somewhere and the ship was utterly silent, he quietly made his way to the cockpit where he knew he would find her.

She was there, drinking two fingers of whiskey and staring at Cato Neimoidia, feet propped on the console in relaxation. Her hair was longer, just barely brushing her shoulders and flipping out at the ends. It had already started getting longer by the time they tried to kill each other, but this was a style. Sexier. Girly.

At the sound of his footsteps, she swiveled around in her chair and her jaw went slack, her eyes growing wide. Those green eyes he liked. He pointed his blaster at her and smiled.

"Heya, Captain," he said, just like old times. "Miss me?"

"How the blazes did you get here?" she exclaimed, still in shock.

"I missed you, too," he replied smugly. "Needless to say, you never did invest in those locks. As for being alive… use your imagination. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Alico carefully lifted her tumbler, took a measured sip, and then offered it to him. He took it and tipped the rest of it back in one gulp. She looked at him passively, a strange glint in her eyes. He couldn't tell if she was happy to see him, regretful, or nervous. She stood up and he almost thought her saw her sway. She began slowly and leisurely walking around the small space, pretending to find other things in the room more interesting than him to look at.

"Can't let a girl have a vacation, can you? I've been really busy since we stopped harassing each other, you know."

"I know. I've been keeping tabs on you, Captain." His eyes raked her appreciatively. He missed that body, had had her so many times in his head he couldn't believe he had only ever touched her once. "Thing is, I realized something that night at the black hole. I hate you, too." He waved the blaster at her, confidence and arrogance overflowing. "I hate everything about you. And that's probably why I can't get you out of my head. I'm going to need you to take responsibility for that, sweetheart."

She tried to hide her smirk but she couldn't. She tried to look at everything in the room but him yet her eyes kept coming back to his. There was something shy, something excited, and something hot burning in her cheeks. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he was pretty sure it was more than that.

"Make me an offer," she said casually, "and we'll see."

"The deal is simple. We split the winnings 50-50, and I share you with no one."

"Loot's 25," she told him. "We split earnings with crew."

He had expected that. "You're holding yourself back, sweetheart," he said, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. He holstered his blaster and conceded with a nod. "And the rest of it? We have a deal or have you been hookin' up power couplings with Corso?"

"Don't you know a bluff when you hear one?" she asked, and relief rocketed through him. He should have known it was a bluff, but with her he could never be certain. "Were you jealous, Skavak? Looks good on you."

"I just don't like thinking anyone else has seen you in that little nightgown."

"Just this one guy who turned out to be a real bastard of a thief that tried to kill me a few times." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Best sex I ever had, though."

"Is that so?" he asked, feeling all of that desire he was holding back come rushing forward. "You know, there's something I've been meaning to do since I got here."

Skavak hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, kissing her hard and deep. She immediately clutched his jacket, melting into his embrace like she had been waiting for it all this time. He backed her into the wall and pinned her against it, picking her up by her thighs and wrapping her legs around his hips. He half-groaned, half-growled as he kissed her, hands roaming the curves of her backside in anticipation.

"So, do we have a deal?" he murmured against her mouth as he roughly explored the feel of her thighs.

"That depends," she replied breathily. "Am I sharing you with anyone? You know I don't like sharing."

Skavak had known the moment he opened that door that he would have to answer this question. He had thought about lying, about playing one of the usual parts. But that would never work with Alico. Besides, he didn't want to have to play another role, so he had to settle on honesty… even if it was difficult to say.

"I'm only gonna say this once, Captain," he told her. "You ruined other women for me."

"Skavak," Alico grinned, "we have a deal."

When he kissed her again, they lost themselves in each other. They tore at their clothes, passion unleashed. They were each other's best, and they brought out the best and the worst. One day, the deal would change. It was inevitable. One day, he would rediscover his interest in other women. One day, he would betray her like he betrayed everyone. And one day, she would expect it. One day, she would move on. One day, she wouldn't leave him for dead, just dead. And one day, they would go back to being enemies.

But not that day. That day, they were partners. That day, he would fuck her in a little, yellow nightgown and call her name as she screamed his back to him.

The End