Calm

By Viola Grace

Meribeth has been the assistant to a few Alliance personnel, but Negotiator Kao is her latest boss. At his insistence, she had gills installed to enable her to accompany him on wet assignments, but his ulterior motive was not clear until he is out of the armour and his own body is finally exposed.

Vehn Kao has spent years encased in armour as a Negotiator, but the moment he comes out and sees Meribeth with his own eyes he knows that she is everything that he has ever wanted in a woman. She is intelligent, witty, attractive and has a tremendous passion just below the surface that he wants to bring out in an explosive release.

Meri wants to be good at her job and Vehn want to take her calm and shake her up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Dec 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781771113762

Viola Grace

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

Book preview

Keeping calm was Meri’s life, making others feel it was her job. Loving a Negotiator was her destiny.

Meribeth has been the assistant to a few Alliance personnel, but Negotiator Kao is her latest boss. At his insistence, she had gills installed to enable her to accompany him on wet assignments, but his ulterior motive was not clear until he is out of the armour and his own body is finally exposed.

Vehn Kao has spent years encased in armour as a Negotiator, but the moment he comes out and sees Meribeth with his own eyes he knows that she is everything that he has ever wanted in a woman. She is intelligent, witty, attractive and has a tremendous passion just below the surface that he wants to bring out in an explosive release.

Meri wants to be good at her job and Vehn want to take her calm and shake her up.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Calm

Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-77111-376-2

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

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Smashwords Edition

Calm

A Terran Times Tale

By

Viola Grace

To everyone who pursues calm and falls short. The pursuit of calm is the thing. Damn it! Where did my calm go?!

Chapter One

Please rise for Negotiator Kao. Meribeth Arkany stepped into the conference room ahead of her employer and moved aside once she had determined that no one other than the representatives of Zkin and Uast were present.

Thank you, Meri.

She nodded and took her place at the table, opposite her employer. She placed her hands on the table, palms down and sat alert while she listened to the proceedings.

Kao’s voice was low and calm as it emitted through the speakers on his armour. When Meri felt a change in the pitch of the two parties in for the negotiation, she did what she was paid to do, she spread calm.

Zkin and Uast were planets at war. Their worlds were side by side, which made attack easy and negotiation difficult. Neither side wanted to give in, but there was too much bad blood between them.

Negotiator Kao was a master at this sort of issue, and he worked tirelessly to get them to an agreement.

Meri used meditation and concentration to keep herself alert and ready to sooth the situation. If no one got too excited the talks would go faster.

When they agreed to break for dinner, Meri wanted to stretch, but she let them leave before she tried to stand.

The Negotiator sat and waited for her to move before he got to his feet. Do you need help?

She smiled and shook her head. Her body was reeling from the alterations she had undergone for their last assignment. Having gills in an oxygen-rich environment was awkward to say the least. I will be fine. I haven’t had a chance to reverse the changes for Monareth.

He came to her side and lifted her to her feet. You wish to eradicate the gills?

Well, I have no use for them now, and you are about to retire, so it is doubtful that my next assignment will attach me to a Negotiator. She swayed and breathed in through her mouth as spots swam in her vision.

You skipped breakfast again, did you not? He shook his head in dismay.

I was in a hurry and took a shower instead. I will eat now. She smiled brightly, but his hand was still on her arm.

I will come with you.

You do not need to eat, Kao. She tried to extricate herself, but he didn’t let go.

He turned and shifted her arm so that it appeared she was using him as her escort. He led her out of the council chamber, past the lining of Alliance guards and to the mess hall of the Alliance Warship Calluth.

Once she had gotten a tray and made her choices, she sat across from her boss and started to eat. She was halfway through and tired of staring at herself in the golden reflection of his armour. You know, this penchant you have for watching me eat borders on creepy.

He inclined his head. It is something I miss with the nutrients forced into my systems. Food was an important part of my family life until I was tapped as Negotiator.

Meri looked at him, captive in his gold armour and surrounded by long, black robes and a cloak. I am sorry. I can’t imagine you out of that armour. I know it is impolite to ask your original species, and so, I have to use my imagination. My imagination isn’t that good.

He made a sound she had grown to interpret as a laugh. "I will be able to show you what I am after our