Page 3 of House Divided
It was left to Marc to break the silence. “I believe it is often the case that people’s appearances do not live up to their reputations. I must confess that is not the case here…I believe your traditional title is Lord Peregrinus, my lord?”
Enoch seemed to snap out of a trance and turned to examine Marc. “You are correct, sir,” he said formally. “Although that title is rarely used outside the Onin systems. And you are?”
“My name is Marc Duchesne, an employee of the House. May I present to you Madeline Marx, chief executive officer of the Pleasure House of Tarma.” He gestured to Madeline, who looked as if she was surfacing from deep water.
“Lord Enoch,” she greeted him, extending her hand. The taller man stared at it.
“In the Onin systems, one bows to nobility,” he observed brusquely.
“That may well be true, but we are not in the Onin systems now,” she responded sweetly.
The man’s eyes flashed briefly, and for a moment, Madeline thought she saw something that looked like amusement pass across his face.
“As you say.” He took her outstretched hand, shaking it. “Now, if we have finished with the pleasantries, take me to my daughter.”
“I would suggest that your men stay here,” suggested Madeline. “Otherwise, the halls could get rather crowded, and there could be misunderstandings.”
Enoch turned to the squadron of his troops who had marched down the platform after him and who now stood at attention on the pad. “You have your instructions,” he ordered. “Wait for me here.” He then turned back to Madeline. “I expect your squad to do the same.”
“Of course,” replied Madeline, cursing inwardly. That meant that she and Marc would be alone with Enoch. If he intended violence, they would have little chance.Time to get over yourself and start thinking ahead!she scolded herself.We have what he wants. The moment we don’t, all bets are off.
Making a gesture of invitation, Madeline walked toward the elevators. “Follow me,” she said aloud, “and welcome to the Pleasure House of Tarma.”
The man joined her, smiling thinly. “Do you think you honor me, by welcoming me to the galaxy’s largest brothel? A brothel that is holding my daughter?”
Madeline could see Marc frown from the corner of her eye, but the CEO had regained her composure and simply smiled. “What we do here, and what we represent, is often misunderstood by the less…cosmopolitan areas of the galaxy. We are not a brothel, Lord Enoch. We simply avoid hypocritical attitudes about sex and intimacy and have decided to take pleasure very seriously. Our licensed Pleasure Consorts enjoy the highest of reputations throughout the galaxy.”
“Is that what you are doing with my daughter?” Enoch demanded as they stepped into the elevator. “Training her to be one of your Pleasure Consorts?”
The doors closed. Madeline felt very grateful that Marc was with them. She did not want to be in a confined space alone with this man.
Why?pressed the thoughts in her head.You’ve never been intimidated by a man in your life. What the hell is it about this one?
Overriding her thoughts, Madeline responded, “Far from it, Lord Enoch. Aria was brought here in order to receive medical assistance. Our facilities are top of the line.”
“What’s wrong with her?” snapped Enoch.
The elevator doors opened, and they walked into the medical wing.
“Your daughter is safe and well,” answered Madeline. “She had a device of unknown origin implanted in her leg. We were able to remove it.”
“Hmm,” was all that Enoch enunciated in response. He lengthened his stride, forcing Madeline to jog to keep pace.
“My lord!” protested Marc, who was also jogging. “She will still be there when we arrive. There is no need to rush.”
Enoch halted abruptly. “Understand this,” he observed, gazing down at the pair of them. “I have seen my daughter twice, briefly, in twenty-two years. I will not look kindly upon any attempts to delay me now.”
“Well, you’re not going to like me, then,” said Jack Marx, turning the corner to confront them.
Enoch stiffened at the sudden appearance of the pirate, looking Jack up and down. Enoch was slightly taller, but Jack was broader in the shoulders. Despite the raw power that Enoch Immanuel radiated, Jack Marx did not look in the slightest bit intimidated.
Madeline briefly closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see what was going to happen next, but she also knew that this was inevitable.
“Get out of my way,” said Enoch softly.
“We need to talk first,” replied Jack.
“I cannot imagine anything you might have to say that I would be interesting in hearing,” replied Enoch frostily.
