Daggertail Read Online Free Page B

get you some breakfast.”
    Tavish knew what a holographic doctor was, and she knew Lola was just trying to help her relax. But the fact that Tavish felt like a lost child wasn't Lola's fault.
    It's Xave's fault. He's the one who picked me up out of one life and dumped me into another.
    The hologram shimmered, her slender hand gesturing to the doorway. “If you'll just step inside, I'm certain this will be quite painless.”
    Tavish followed Doc's odd voice through the sliding doors of the medical wing. She'd heard all manner of holographic images speak, but Doc's electronic voice sounded more human than the others. She could only imagine the credits spent on such a program.
    “If you'll just disrobe, I can begin the initial scanning process.”
    She glanced around. Doc had led her into a semiprivate cubicle. She could still see the larger laboratory area with its softly whirring machines bleeping in time with a myriad of flashing colors. Beyond that, the medical wing seemed to be an endless maze of rooms like any hospital.
    The expression on Doc's face, if you could imagine a holographic image to have an expression, was patient. With a soft sigh, Tavish dropped her bedraggled topaz dress to the floor.
    The cool air raised instant gooseflesh on her body. The hair on the back of her neck lifted, and she became aware of another presence in the room. Her nipples snapped into hard peaks, and she crossed her arms over her chest to keep them under wraps.
    Doc's eyes lifted to acknowledge a massive man who looked mean enough to melt granite with one scowl. His bleached hair was cropped close on the sides, darker at the roots and white-blonde at the ends, which stuck up as though he styled them by repeatedly stabbing his fingers through them. He stared at her from beneath dark brows with emotionless metallic eyes that swept her nude body from head to toe.
    Tavish attempted to cover both her breasts and the narrow strip of short pubic hair between her legs at the same time. The electronic scanner leads found purchase on her skin, one just over her heart to keep track of her pulse, and the other a prick on her left arm to take blood. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to lash out. One look at the man's bland expression showed his amusement at her bid for modesty.
    Why did people assume that just because she sold her body for credits, she was comfortable being ogled any time or place? And she thought Xave was a smug bastard.
    “And you are?” She notched her chin a bit higher.
    “Warrick Stone.”
    How nice. She was buck naked in front of the owner of Stone Cold Bondsmen. One of the most feared and respected men in the galaxy now knew the color of her pubic hair.
    The machine beside her squawked. A robotic arm descended from the ceiling and did a quick scan of her extremities. Doc's demeanor shifted slightly, her form taking on a reddish hue.
    “Results as expected, Doc?” Warrick asked in his smooth, emotionless voice.
    “Precisely.”
    “What the hell does that mean?” Tavish snapped. “Did you expect I'd be some intergalactic petri dish of STDs? I get scanned once a month for that shit. I'm clean!”
    Warrick shifted stance, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “To use an old cliché, I wasn't born yesterday. I'm aware of the regulations governing the care of prostitutes in Alliance-occupied sectors.”
    “Then what did you expect? What standards did I fail to meet?” She hated the insecurity in her voice, hated feeling less than human, as if she deserved nothing better than to be fucked and tossed aside like waste ready to be jettisoned into dead space.
    Warrick's expression changed, a subtle shift she would never have seen had she not been so used to reading body language. “Were the skin grafts monthly as well?”
    “What?”
    “The scans show uncounted skin regens on various portions of your anatomy.”
    She pulled her lower lip into her mouth and bit down, hard.
    “Damaged goods don't sell.”