In the Black Read Online Free

group of women stood to one side, talking to each other as they avoided contact with the men.
    A single monitor over the far door listed the six rooms beyond, red bars indicating they were occupied and green for when they weren’t. Every hour a soft chime would go off and a name would be called. The hatch unlocked for the men or women to exit and enter. The appointments were staggered every half hour to keep the traffic to a minimum.
    Clean, safe and sanitized. No one knew what went on behind closed doors.
    Not even Belle. The computer AI was technically blind in the living areas, restricted to the landing bay and the cockpit for monitoring purposes. The Guild took their business seriously and not even the captain was allowed to know what went on.
    She was just an accessory.
    Jenny, her mechanic/cleaner/go-to girl was waiting, drifting just inside the main hatch with a change of clothing in her hands. Permanent oily splotches dotted her dark gray jumpsuit.
    She began talking as soon as she saw Sam. “Repairs are going well. Nothing major to replace, just the usual bangs and scratches from crap pinging off our hull and basic wear and tear. I put in an order for an extra set of T-span bolts—those will be loaded up later on today. Rather have them on hand in case we get caught shorthanded between landfalls. Didn’t think you would mind.”
    “Sure,” Sam replied. “Like I know what those are. Just keep the receipt.” She began a slow somersault, gasping as her aching feet left the ground.
    The blonde woman answered with a wink and a nod. “As long as the ship keeps running, right?”
    “Right. Anything else?”
    Jenny jerked a thumb toward the hatch at the far end of the landing bay. “Kendra laid out the morning snack a few minutes ago. Landfall fruit salad.” She beamed. “Already got my share. And the girls are already complaining about spending too much time between landings. Again.”
    “They’re always saying that. Like any of them could make the
Belle
fly faster. Besides, they need the recovery time to work up to the next bitch session. Two weeks on, two weeks off. It’s been the same for the six months I’ve been here and for years before that, so I don’t see the Guild changing it anytime soon. They’re just whining for the sake of hearing their own voices.” She stripped off the stilettos and let the torture shoes float in the air.
    Her feet weren’t bleeding but darned close. She couldn’t imagine what the pain would have been like under full gravity.
    Jenny winced upon seeing the scarlet stripes but said nothing.
    The leather bodysuit was next, a series of curses escaping Sam as she peeled it off, twisting and turning. It was an acquired skill to dress and undress in zero gravity, one she’d learnt on the job with camos and military boots, not fancy shoes and sexy black bodysuits.
    This was like wrestling with another skin. Thank goodness she’d taken Jenny’s advice and learned to lube her skin before putting it on.
    It helped, but not enough to make disrobing an easy victory.
    Finally she was free, panting and exhausted from the struggle. Sam shoved the outfit away, wishing it would “accidentally” slip down the garbage chute to the incinerator.
    Jenny didn’t look away as she handed Sam fresh clothing, pulling the leather jumpsuit toward her and folding it into a bundle. Sam didn’t care—modesty was in short supply on a Mercy ship, same as in the military.
    “Burn those shoes and shoot the ashes out the waste pipes. And clean the jumpsuit, please.” The thin olive-green T-shirt and matching shorts felt wonderful on her skin. If she could do her presentations dressed like this, life would be so much easier. Screw the sexy attire, give her a pair of comfortable fatigues any day.
    Of course it’d be a bit harder to sell the sex, although she figured some of these miners would be aroused by a woman’s burp, they’d been out here so long.
    Jenny hovered nearby, the two offending