Venture's Gain

By J. J. Lore

Star tussle player Cai travels the galaxy with his team playing intense matches, but is too introverted to have much of a social game. At a mixer before the next day’s match, he meets a man who is capable of drawing him out of his shell, and he lets his guard down, hoping for a connection.

Stalking his target in a crowded bar seems like a good idea to Venture, at least until the conversation he’s sharing with the handsome athlete turns personal. But he has a job to do, and no matter how much he likes Cai, Venture still has to knock him out, tie him up, and hide him away until payment from gamblers hoping to influence the outcome of the contest comes through.

The dynamic between captor and captive shifts and evolves even in the short time Cai and Venture spend together. Despite the binds holding Cai, he longs to touch Venture, and it doesn’t take much encouragement for Venture to let down his guard with his attractive prisoner. Who is the jailor now?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Nov 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773394718

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2017 J.J. Lore

ISBN: 978-1-77339-471-8

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For introverts everywhere

VENTURE’S GAIN

Romance on the Go ®

J.J. Lore

Copyright © 2017

Chapter One

Venture had always relished the opportunity to ply his trade on Eame. Tall buildings provided excellent perches for observation, packed crowds were easy to blend in with, and there was a multitude of hidden places to lay low for as long as need be. And as he’d just left a mud-sucking planet on his last job, it was a pleasure to stroll along a dry pavement, albeit one lightly coated with dust, compliments of the vast deserts surrounding this civilized outpost.

At the moment he was safely ensconced on a perch overlooking a prestige hotel entrance, seated at a café table, and genuinely enjoying a small cup of vintage tha. Despite being here to gain a visual confirmation of his target, excitement sizzled along his veins, and he had to force himself to sip slowly, so as not to give away his inner turmoil. This was a normal job, like any other, he counseled himself. No need for emotions.

Despite the numerous awnings and fans deployed to mitigate some of the intense illumination, courtesy of this system’s immense sun, he had a clear view of the hotel’s crystalline doors and several meters of sidewalk. Individuals of various races walked, slithered, and hopped by, most covered in concealing robes providing shelter from the intense heat. If all his research was correct, and it always was, his target would be impossible to miss, even amongst such a jumble of bodies.

Resisting the urge to check his mobile device for location updates, he breathed out through his nose, insisting his mind calm and focus. It wasn’t like him to be so on fire this early in the chase. He needed to save his energy for tonight when he would perform the snatch, if indicators warranted it. Then a day of hiding, and he’d have another cool million in his account. Planned to the moment, like every other job, so why was he tapping his toes now?

Dark shadows played behind the clouded windows of the hotel, and he waited, his stomach tightening, as the doors slid apart and a crowd of large human men emerged, dressed in dark grey sporting clothing, conspicuously free of colorful identifications. Incognito. Their apparel and size indicated he’d spotted his quarry’s team. Despite their casual air and grins, it was clear this was a group of formidable fellows. That, and he already knew they were highly trained and valuable athletes, on planet for a lucrative tournament appearance.

He scanned the faces as they milled about, undoubtedly waiting for a vehicle to arrive, and his heart thudded when he spotted the cropped fair hair and square jaw of his target. No, there was no mistaking those well-formed shoulders or the way he propped his wide hands on his hips. Venture had seen this gesture, and other distinctive ones, many times while researching. This was Cai, a rising young star and the man he was contracted to capture. Though Venture had watched the man play several matches, and had studied many interviews, it still elicited a thrill in his belly to see the object of his quest in the flesh. He also had to