Three Square Meals Ch. 107

Charles strode out of his office, walking along the relatively quiet corridors towards the senior officers' gym. He'd never had occasion to use it since he'd been posted to Olympus shipyard, having neglected his personal fitness with being so busy with work. There always seemed to be one emergency or the other than he had to resolve, so for years he'd been skipping lunches and burying himself in reports. Despite the long hours he usually put in, he actually felt like he was neglecting his duties taking an hour off for the gym, which added an illicit thrill to the whole excursion.

When Charles opened the frosted double-doors into the Spa, he walked into a reception area staffed by two personal trainers, the muscular young men in the middle of a heated argument.

"I'm telling you, she must be a holo-movie star!" the blond-haired one exclaimed, leaning across the reception desk to stare at the screen, a faint blue glow illuminating his face. "Anyone that hot has got to be an actress or a model!"

"Why would an actress or a model be on Olympus?" his dark-haired colleague replied with a frown, eyes fixed on the holo-screen behind the desk. "Besides, she must be military if she's using the senior officers' gym... What was her ID?"

"I thought you let her in?" the first trainer asked, glancing in confusion at his friend.

Shaking his head, the seated man replied, "Nope. Just the Fleet Admiral with that TFNN babe."

"Dude... there's no way I'd forget talking to a goddess like that!" the blonde trainer said with a broad grin plastered across his face. "Whatever... I'm going to go ask her if she wants a personal training session!"

The seated trainer leapt to his feet. "Hey, that's not cool! I saw her first!"

Charles coughed into his hand, drawing their attention. "Excuse me, gentlemen. I'd like to use the facilities..."

Both men flushed when they realised they had company, their embarrassed gaze flitting to the rank insignia on his jacket.

The blond trainer pushed away from the reception desk and gave him a friendly smile. "Welcome to the Health Spa, Admiral. I don't remember seeing you here before... my name's Zack."

"Charles," he replied, offering his hand.

"Would you like a tour of the Spa?" Zack asked as he shook it. "We've got a sauna, a pool, relaxation tanks, the gym..."

"Thanks, but I just want to use a rowing machine," Charles said, shaking his head. "Which way are the changing rooms?"

Zack turned and pointed behind him. "First door on the left, you can't miss them. The machines are easy to use, but just give me a call if you need any help."

Charles gave him a polite nod, then headed into the changing rooms. When he'd stripped off and put on his workout gear, he followed the signs to the gym, the door opening as he approached. There were a wide variety of exercise machines there and he spotted the bank of rowing machines set up against the far wall. As he entered the gym, he realised he wasn't alone, a couple of young women were chatting together on the running machines.

He glanced their way, realising they must be the girls the trainers had been drooling over, then stumbled a step when he got a good look at them. The closest he immediately recognised as the TFNN reporter, Jehanna Elani, but the statuesque brunette running at her side immediately drew his attention. She was a couple of inches taller, with the toned figure of a swimsuit model, her impressive bust contained by form-fitting workout gear that hugged her curves like a second skin. It was hard to make out her face with Jehanna between them, but from the glimpses he saw, she was clearly another very attractive young woman.

"Hey, Charles!" Jehanna called out, giving him a friendly wave.

"Hello, Jehanna," he replied, trying not to stare at her incredible figure.

The second girl leaned forward to glance his way around her dusky friend. "Hi."

Charles' mouth fell open in shock, his heart skipping a beat. The hazel-eyed temptress giving him a shy smile was by far the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He found himself lost in her inquisitive feline eyes, all rational thought scattered from his mind, leaving him helpless as he basked in her glorious presence.

The girls' giggling roused him out of his stupor and he blushed, then gave them an awkward wave goodbye as he walked over to the rowing machine. At the last moment, he changed his mind and decided to use a cross-trainer... it's position facing the two running women a pure coincidence, obviously having no bearing on his choice. He managed to tear his eyes away from the girls long enough to focus on the machine, following the instructions and starting a training program.

When he began his workout, Charles' eyes were drawn to the girls again, his breath catching when he saw the perfect hemispheres on display. Jehanna had an incredible body, but he couldn't help watching her brunette acquaintance, the shorts she was wearing clinging to the taut curves of her spectacular ass. He gazed at her gloriously toned body, those athletic legs pounding out a formidable pace without seeming to tire. She had her long hair up in a ponytail and it bounced alluringly as she ran, drawing his eyes to the muscles in her back, which rippled with every movement.

He lost track of time as he worked out, paying no attention to his own machine, his eyes busy roaming elsewhere. Each of the personal trainers came over to chat to the girls, but they were both politely rebuffed, the young women obviously uninterested in their advances. Charles couldn't help smiling as the two men were dismissed, taking surprising delight in seeing the brunette turning them down. He glanced at the mirrored wall to get another glimpse of her enchanting face, then realised to his horror that she was staring right back at him, fully aware of his scrutiny.

Charles hurried to avert his gaze, missing Lynette's shy smile turning to one of satisfaction. She glanced at Jehanna and the two girls giggled together, turning off the running machines before bounding towards the changing rooms. He sighed in disappointment that they were leaving and looked down at his cross trainer, then blinked in surprise to see that he'd been working out for 45 minutes. His muscles tingled after the exercise, the lactic acid build-up making them ache, but he was astounded that he wasn't even out of breath.

Not wanting to be late for his lunchtime meeting, he left the gym to return to the changing rooms, taking a quick shower before dressing in his uniform again. All he could think about was that mysterious girl, his mind recalling her spectacular figure and her gorgeous face. It was those bewitching hazel eyes that had really thrown him in a loop, they seemed to shift in colour from gold to brown to green, dazzling him with their intensity. He re-entered the reception area in a daze, nearly running into Jehanna who had changed into a skirt suit.

"Enjoy your workout?" Jehanna asked him with a knowing smile.

Charles was mortified to realise that she was all-to-aware he'd been blatantly staring at her friend for nearly an hour. He coughed into his hand and struggled to meet her eyes. "I did, thank you..." After a brief hesitation he continued, "Erm... who was that young lady you were running with?"

"Oh, that was... Marie. She's a relative of Lynette's," Jehanna replied, smiling at him innocently.

"Ahh..." he murmured, not sure how to ask for more details without sounding like a stalker. He decided to quickly change the subject. "I hope your new quarters are satisfactory?"

"They're perfect, thank you, Charles!" she gushed, her voice full of gratitude. "The rooms are huge!"

"Lynette requested that you be given quarters adjacent to hers, which meant giving you a senior officer's suite," he explained, relaxing now he could talk about something that wasn't horrendously embarrassing. "Your new office should be ready tomorrow; it's right next door to the Fleet Admiral's and includes a recording studio."

"You've been so helpful, thank you!" Jehanna rushed over to him and gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. "I'm actually heading back to Terra this afternoon for a meeting at the TFNN Tower, so the timing couldn't be any better. I'll look forward to settling in when I get back."

Before he could say anything more, Lynette appeared from the ladies changing rooms and walked over to join them. "Hello, Charles, Jehanna..."

The reporter gave her a friendly wave. "How was the sauna?"

"It was very nice," the brunette replied, studiously avoiding looking at Charles.

Jehanna's brown eyes sparkled with amusement. "I'll say goodbye for now, Lynette. I've got a shuttle to catch!"

"See you tomorrow," the Fleet Admiral said, sharing a smile with her. She watched Jehanna leave, then turned to look at Charles. "Are you ready to go for lunch? I can't wait to hear how the Olympus expansion is progressing."

Charles glanced behind her at the changing rooms she'd just vacated. "I, err... wanted to apologise... to Marie."

"Apologise?" Lynette asked, arching an eyebrow and trying to keep a straight face. "Whatever for?"

He blushed again, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "I was... accidentally... watching her run. I just wanted to apologise if I made her uncomfortable."

Lynette grinned at him and shook her head. "Don't worry, she was flattered. Come on, let's go to lunch." She headed for the door, beckoning him to follow.

***

Henry Voss read through the fourth of the new patent-acceptance notices, an acquisitive smile appearing on his face. Of course, the new super-lubricant was a unique innovation, but he'd had his team of patent lawyers search to make sure there were no theoretical patents that could possibly claim infringement. He knew that with the right marketing, this patent would be worth an obscene amount of money; the number of applications were almost endless.

Swiping across the holo-panel with a flick of his fingers, he forwarded the patent notices, then opened the next message, this one from the Director of Manufacturing at Interspace Aeronautics. His smile broadened as he read the Director's astonished reaction to the schematics he'd received, which detailed a radically advanced robotic assembly line. The message was almost cringeworthy in its effusive praise, with numbers like 200% increase in production casually bandied about. The Director had even gone so far as to announce that they'd already begun the upgrade of their primary fabrication plant.

He closed down the message and moved on to the next, which was from the Director of Research and Development at Orbital Galactica. Henry had sent him the formula for a new lightweight titanium alloy, as well as the schematics for advanced energy-efficiency modulators, so he was looking forward to reading his feedback. Just as Henry was about to open up the message, the door to his office opened and his assistant cautiously entered.

When she saw he wasn't on a call, Abigail gave him a warm smile and said, "I made you a coffee, Sir."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Abi," Henry replied, giving her a grateful smile in return.

Abigail glided over to his desk and was about to place the coffee mug on a plain wooden coaster when she paused, studying it for a moment. Her finger traced the crudely painted words:

To the best daddy in the galaxy. Love, Rachel.

Henry glanced at it, his smile turning wistful. "My daughter made it for me when she was six. It's the last birthday present she gave me."

The young woman picked up the coaster as if it were made of glass. "This is too precious to ruin with coffee stains. Would you let me get this preserved for you?"

Touched by her sincerity, he nodded. "That's a lovely idea, thank you. You can just leave the mug on the desk."

She frowned at the expensive wooden desk and seemed reluctant to risk marking the lustrous mahogany surface. Henry laughed and just took the mug from her, their fingers touching briefly. Abigail glanced at him and their eyes met for a moment, before she slowly withdrew her hand.

Reaching into her suit pocket she pulled out a data stick and slid it across the desk towards him. "Meredith was served this morning, Sir. Her reaction to your lawyers breaking the reward clause of the pre-nup was... explosive; she never expected you to call for an annulment on charges of fraud. Her subsequent eviction from your estate was also filmed; the recordings are on the data stick."

Henry glanced down at the device and stared at it for a long moment. He let out a heavy sigh and picked up the stick then gave his assistant a strained smile. "Thank you, Abigail. You've gone above and beyond as usual."

Taking it for the dismissal that it was, she turned towards the door, but hesitated before walking away. "Mr.Voss... may I speak freely?"

He looked up at her, startled by the odd catch in her voice. "Of course."

She nibbled at her bottom lip for a moment, then blurted out, "You really loved her, didn't you?"

Henry turned the data stick in his hand then slowly nodded. "I thought she was happy, but it was all a lie... She was a very good actress." His voice had a bitter edge to it as he added, "Meredith showed her true colours with her total disrespect for me and our marriage as soon as she thought she was getting her big payday. As they say, there's no fool like an old fool..."

Abigail reached out and gently placed her hand over his, then pulled the data stick from his unresisting fingers. "Don't watch this, Henry. Remember her as she was, before it turned ugly."

He watched her for a moment, then nodded and looked away. "Thank you, Abigail."

There was silence between them for a long moment as Henry lost himself in a flood of memories, until he felt the soft brush of her lips against his cheek. He turned around to look at his assistant in surprise, her beautiful face only inches from his.

"We're not all like Meredith," she breathed, her blue eyes gazing intently into his. "Please don't give up on love..."

"The lecherous boss seduces his beautiful Personal Assistant? I can't do that to you, Abi, it's such a sad cliché," he said quietly, shaking his head. "Besides, you're much too young to saddle yourself with an old fool like me."

She could see the doubt in his eyes, the unspoken accusation that she was simply another gold-digger attracted to him only for his wealth.

"You're no fool... and you've got the vitality and drive of men half your age," she said with an adoring smile. "You're a very powerful, dynamic man, Henry... assisting you for these last three years has been thrilling!"

He brushed his fingers across her cheek, feeling the softness of her supple skin. "I have nothing but the greatest respect for you, Abigail. You're an extremely bright, capable, and thoughtful young woman... but you're only six years older than my daughter. I can't drive Rachel away again; I love her too much to risk hurting her, no matter how much I might be attracted to you."

She turned and gently kissed his fingertips. "Rachel wants you to be happy... she knows how I feel about you and gave me her blessing. I swear I won't do anything to jeopardise your relationship with her, and I made that same promise to your daughter." With that she turned and sashayed towards the door, flicking her raven hair to one side and glancing at him flirtatiously over her shoulder. "Oh, and just for the record, it's not you doing the seducing..."

He rose from his chair. "Abi, wait..."

She raised a hand to stop him. "I paid Judge Bartleby from the discretionary fund and he accelerated the annulment; you'll be a single man in two days." Abigail made eye-contact with him. "I'm taking two days leave to give you some space to think about what you want from life... and if you see a place for me at your side."

"Two days! You know I can't manage without you, Abi!" he exclaimed, then faltered as he realised just how true that was.

"You'll be fine, Henry." She gave him a wry lopsided smile. "Don't forget to talk to Rachel, you'll be amazed at how insightful she is."

Before Henry could say another word, Abigail slipped through the door and closed it quietly behind her. He slumped back in his chair and stared into the distance for a few minutes, stunned by the sudden dramatic declaration by his lovely assistant. If he was being honest, he couldn't deny that he'd been strongly attracted to her from the day he hired her, but she'd become so much more over the years.

Up until an hour ago, if anyone had asked him if he trusted his PA, he would have said yes in an instant. But the thought of her being a romantic partner triggered dark memories of his disastrous history with women. As soon as Abigail expressed an interest in him, she became associated with a host of negative emotions: grief, guilt, and remorse for his part in Catherine's death and his feelings of loss and revulsion after Meredith's debauched destruction of their marriage.

Feeling overwhelmed, he glanced at the comms interface and made a snap decision, swiping across his daughter's name on his list of contacts. The call didn't take long to go through and a stylised Lion icon appeared for a second, before a purple-hued girl with big luminous eyes answered.

"Hi Mr. Voss! Did you want to speak to Rachel?" Faye asked, giving him a sunny smile.

"I would, thank you," he replied, startled by her effervescent nature.

"No problem!" she exclaimed. "Just hold on a moment..."

He only had to wait a few seconds, then Faye waved him goodbye, her image fading away.

Rachel appeared on the holo-screen an instant later, her voluminous brown hair looking ruffled. She glanced off-screen and put her finger to her lips. "Shh! Be good, It's my father!"

"Is this a bad time, Rachel?" he asked with concern.

Dana suddenly appeared on the screen as well, putting her arm around his daughter. "Hey, Henry! I just got the patent notices... you didn't have to put them in my name! That was really awesome, thanks!"

"I couldn't take credit for your genius," he said solemnly. "My lawyers will be in contact shortly to discuss terms for exclusive licensing."

The redhead blew a kiss at him. "You're totally my favourite father-in-law!"

She gave him a cheerful wave, then disappeared from view, letting Henry focus on his daughter again. He saw her grey eyes watching him intently, the ferocious intellect behind that gaze never more apparent.

"Abigail finally told you, didn't she?" Rachel asked with the hint of a smile. "Good for her."

***

"I don't remember seeing this place before," Lynette said, glancing around the rustic aesthetic of the Mexican restaurant, complete with stucco walls and weathered wood timbers.

"It only opened about three months ago," Charles replied, taking a seat opposite. "There's a nice selection of Terran restaurants in the trade plaza."

"Perhaps we could encourage some to open that specialise in alien cuisine?" she suggested, glancing out the window at the bustling food court. "I know most of the alien traders stick to the periphery, but with the Olympus expansion, we'll be seeing a lot more aliens in the Core Worlds."

He nodded approvingly. "That's a great idea. It would certainly make them feel more at home."

Lynette gave him a playful smile. "I like to think I'm adventurous with trying different foods, but I'd have to draw the line with Ashanath cuisine." She wrinkled her nose. "Fungus and lichen... yummy!"

Charles laughed, his moustache twitching. "At least it's edible. Ornalith rock cake... that's my limit!"

She giggled, then coughed self-consciously to cover it up. Fortunately, her dining companion seemed a little distracted and he didn't notice this time.

"We can start putting out feelers with the alien embassies, they might have some suggestions for how to encourage more exotic restaurateurs," he said, glancing at the waiter to get his attention. "I'll mention it to Lina, she's eager to get started on her new role."