Take Two Read online

  Holt broke the embrace with Sadie and pointed sternly at the couch. “Sit down,” he commanded.

  “My pleasure, Master,” Sadie replied in a low, husky tone and sat primly on the edge of the antique sofa to their right.

  “Well?” Holt and Blakely looked at Van Heusen expectantly. Personally, Blakely thought they had made an excellent pitch; he almost believed it himself.

  Van Heusen puffed on his pipe thoughtfully for a moment. Finally he said, “You make a convincing argument, gentlemen, I must say. But, speaking purely hypothetically, how could I be sure your processes would work with my equipment? Assuming I have equipment, of course.”

  “Nothing could be easier,” Holt said, and Blakely felt his partner’s cautious elation through the T-link. It was the opportunity for which they had been waiting. “It would only take me a minute to ascertain the suitability of any equipment you might happen to have. I would, of course, have to see it to make the assessment.”

  “We’d have to ask for a tour anyway,” Blakely pointed out when Van Heusen seemed to be wavering. “Mr. Day and I don’t do business with anyone until we’re sure they have the means to back up their end of the agreement. No offense intended to you, Mr. Van Heusen.”

  “None taken,” Van Heusen said, setting down the pipe. “So, you want a tour of the tanks, eh?” He smiled the thin-lipped smile again. “I think it can be arranged. On one condition, of course.”

  “Name it,” Holt said confidently and Blakely knew his tall blond partner was thinking that they had this bust in the bag. Van Heusen had just admitted to having illegal flesh tanks; now all they had to do was see them and they were home free.

  “Well, your prototype there,” Van Heusen gestured with a long, thin finger at Sadie who was still sitting quietly on the couch. “The hair, the wonderfully touchable skin—she seems perfect in every respect, but forgive me if I’m cautious. I’m just wondering how your conditioning process affects the life span and durability of the prostie. It wouldn’t do to sell a million credit toy and have it break on the first, ah, usage…Not if you expected to do your advertising through word of mouth.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Van Heusen…” Holt began but Van Heusen cut him off.

  “Forgive me, Mr. Day but I don’t want reassurances. I haven’t gotten to where I am today by listening to reassurances. No—what I want is a demonstration.” The firelight glinted in his gray eyes, which had suddenly gone steely in the webbing of fine wrinkles surrounding them.

  “You mean you want to…” Blakely felt a surge of jealous protectiveness climb up his spine and prickle the hair on the back of his neck. How dare this old bastard even think of Sadie that way? She belonged to him and Holt! It was a stupid, possessive thought and Blakely knew it wasn’t true, but he couldn’t shake it all the same.

  “Me? Oh no, my dear boy.” Van Heusen was laughing pleasantly as though Blakely had made a very fine joke. “No, I’m quite beyond that, I’m afraid. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, as they say. Sadly, the infirmity of old age has turned me into something of a voyeur. I’d much prefer to watch you and Mr. Day demonstrate your very fine product.”

  “Is that right,” Holt said blandly. Blakely struggled to make his face as blank as his partner’s. Van Heusen didn’t look that frail and sickly to him. Old pervert has probably always gotten off on watching, he thought.

  “We came here to discuss business, not put on a show for you, Van Heusen,” he said darkly.

  The old man’s hand twitched to the inside pocket of his satin jacket and suddenly they were staring down the bore of a lethal-looking, snub-nosed needler.

  “Indulge me,” Van Heusen said mildly. “Speaking of new and better drugs as we were, have I mentioned that the needles in my weapon are tipped with the very latest nerve-destruction agent? One little scratch will induce a lengthy, painful, and completely fatal demylinization process for which there is no cure.” He shook the needler warningly. “Consider it a test of good faith between us. You show me your product in action and I will personally give you a guided tour of my tanks.” He gestured to Sadie with the evil-looking silver snout of the needler. “There’s a lovely bearskin rug in front of the fireplace; it cost me a fortune. You can enact your little demonstration there.”

  Blakely looked at Sadie who sat frozen, a blank look on her face. He exchanged a meaningful glance with Holt, a look that said, what can we do? The blond man seemed to be on the edge of violence, but they were unarmed. Even if he’d had a blaster in his pocket, Van Heusen had the drop on them plain and simple. They couldn’t even call in the back-up. Van Heusen would shoot them where they stood before the crawler filled with federal agents could get anywhere near the atmosphere dome where his home was located. Even if he didn’t shoot them the bust would be, well, a bust. Blakely knew enough about Van Heusen to know that they would never find the hidden flesh tanks without him. They would have to play along.

  The set of Holt’s shoulders was rigid with tension as he stalked to the plush bearskin rug the old man had indicated. Jerking his head at Sadie he said, “Come,” in a strangled voice. Blakely held his breath—would she?

  16

  Sadie sat rigidly on the couch, unable to believe her ears. It was something she had never considered when she came up with the prototype prostie story and the idea of passing herself off as the prototype—that Van Heusen might want to see the merchandise in action before he committed himself to the deal. She supposed she should have expected this eventuality, but she had been so excited about being right in the middle of the bust, of getting the story first hand that she just hadn’t thought. Stupid, Sadie, really stupid, she told herself. Yet another mess you had gotten yourself into by not looking before you leapt.

  The snub-nosed bore of Van Heusen’s needler looked as big around as a tube-station tunnel when he gestured at her and Sadie felt like her heart was right up in her mouth, beating against her clenched teeth. Her nipples were hard with fear. She struggled to keep her face utterly calm and emotionless—to look like the perfect prostie in every way. Now more than ever it was vitally important not to give the game away.

  From the looks on Holt and Blakely’s faces she could tell she was going to have to go through with it. Despite their promise not to touch her there was no way around this situation, but would Holt be able to do this without his partner? Sadie realized she didn’t know the exact limitations of their T-link, but she remembered Holt saying that sharing women was a “necessity.” Maybe he could perform but not come to orgasm if Blakely wasn’t involved? She was about to find out.

  “Come here,” Holt said to her again and she realized that all their lives might depend on the performance she was about to give. Van Heusen had the air of a man who killed casually and without remorse.

  “Yes, Master,” she murmured. Stiffly, she rose to her feet and walked to the brown bearskin rug to stand before Holt. Looking up into his eyes gone ice-blue with anger and remorse, Sadie wished she could tell him that the situation wasn’t his fault, that she wasn’t going to hold it against him, but all she could do was stare vacantly, a vacuous smile pasted on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Van Heusen was getting impatient, but it was obvious that Holt was having a hard time forcing himself to do what he had promised he wouldn’t.

  “What would Master have me do?” she asked softly, trying to give him a cue that it was all right, that she would play along. She didn’t want to strengthen the bond between them, but she had an idea that as long as only one of the partners was involved it would be all right. Blakely was still standing safely to one side, a scowl on his dark face.

  Holt gave her one last, apologetic look. “On your knees.” His deep voice sounded husky and strangled. Sadie shivered as she knelt before him, feeling the coarse scratch of the rug against her bare knees. The heavy bulge of his cock was very evident in the tight, synthi-silk trousers he wore. Unbidden, the memory of sucking that long, hard shaft flashed through Sadie’s mind.