Gamble

By Viola Grace

Kora was born broken. Her body cracked at the slightest touch and the Alliance offered her a chance at an actual life, with some conditions. Rebuilt, redesigned and bonded to a very patient ship, Kora flies from world to world picking up and dropping off whatever the Guardians need.

Neuro has been working undercover in a brothel, gaining intel with pillow talk. Kora is sent in to recover him, and she does it with her own personal style. Once she has taken him to her ship, she has a problem. What does she do with him now? Odds are, he won’t like it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781771116176

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

A woman with a bad attitude, a ship with extreme patience and a Guardian who is rescued from a brothel by his client. Let the fun ensue.

Kora was born broken. Her body cracked at the slightest touch and the Alliance offered her a chance at an actual life, with some conditions. Rebuilt, redesigned and bonded to a very patient ship, Kora flies from world to world picking up and dropping off whatever the Guardians need.

Neuro has been working undercover in a brothel, gaining intel with pillow talk. Kora is sent in to recover him, and she does it with her own personal style. Once she has taken him to her ship, she has a problem. What does she do with him now? Odds are, he won’t like it.

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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.

Gamble

Copyright © 2013 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-77111-617-6

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.

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Smashwords Edition

Gamble

A Terran Times Tale

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

Kora Knox couldn’t believe the situation she was in. Two years ago, she had been a regular at her destination, but after a few months, she had relaxed her frenzy of activity and begun to accept that her new capabilities were not going to fade.

Now, she was headed back to the most exclusive brothel in Tormar City, and she had a very specific escort in mind though she had never met him.

She stepped off her transport and tipped her driver. The doorman took her hand and discreetly scanned her identification as he escorted her into the building. Welcome back, Lady Gamble.

Thank you, Nolin. It is good to be back. She winked at him as she passed the threshold and entered the comfortable and elegant surroundings of the Joshnilin Brothel.

A host smiled and came to greet her. Lady Gamble, how nice of you to visit us again.

She smiled, and a servant helped her remove her concealing cloak. Good evening, Ekkar. How have you been keeping?

Very well. Business is brisk. May I show you to a selection room?

Please. A glass of loaral juice if you don’t mind.

He smiled. We keep it in stock just for clients such as yourself.

Cyborgs. He meant cyborgs. Joshnilin Brothel was one of the few places that actually catered to those with enhanced strength and senses. The men did as asked and were very eager to please women who could snap them like twigs. It took a certain type of man to face off against those women and raise their game. Of course, most clients were not of a partially mechanical nature, so the escorts received premiums for the cyborgs they serviced.

Kora entered the very luxuriously appointed selection room and she rested on one of the couches, lounging comfortably on one hip while she scanned the three-dimensional offerings of the men available for the evening.

She flicked through the entire menu twice before Ekkar came in with her loaral juice. Thank you, Ekkar. I have narrowed it down to three.

Shall I have them brought in?

Please. An image can only go so far. She twisted her lips into a smile.

Of course. Enjoy your beverage. He smiled and inclined his head as he left.

She made her choices carefully and sent them to the summoner’s desk. The juice was perking her up and relaxing her at the same time. The floral flavour rolled over her tongue and down her throat as she swallowed. For cyborgs, who had an anti-rejection drug in their veins, this fruit juice was one of the strongest aphrodisiacs in the Nyal Imperium.

The walls were covered with muted tones and subtle reliefs. It was a pleasant place to spend an evening, very soothing.

She blinked and sat up. Perhaps skipping sleep while the Star Fairy burned through the skies had been a bit of an error.

A knock on one of the rear doors had her lifting her head. Come in.

Three men in snug trousers, silvery chains and very little else filed into the room.

She smiled and got to her feet. Gentlemen, thank you for attending me.

They all nodded and lined up a few feet apart. Two years ago, she would have taken all three and left them all grinning and wealthier. Now, she ran her hands across their shoulders one by one, finally settling on the Selna. She tapped him briskly on the shoulder,