Lukas Houston met her by the door to the banquet hall, hands in his pockets, looking smug. He placed his thumb on the electronic claim panel and the bodyguards at the door handed him his weapons. As he collected a variety of throwing knives, a short sword and a very lethal looking, gas propelled pellet gun, Storm smiled.

“I do like a man who can defend himself, Mr. Houston.”

“My friends call me Luke,” he flashed a winning smile.

“Well, Luke, what sets you apart from all those other, more established companies? Why should I put Shine Clan interests in your hands?”

“Because,” he touched the small of her back as the bodyguards opened the doors for them. “I have cojones the size of Texas. And because I have something those other fellas don’t.”

“Oh, really? You have more than ten thousand intergalactic ships at your disposal?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Only the one ship so far.”

“One ship? You’re talking to me about a multibillion dollar enterprise and offering one ship?”

“That’s right. Wait until you see her. If what I have to show you doesn’t convince you that I can deliver, I’ll leave Crystal Palace and never come back.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“Come see my ship. Once you see her, you’ll understand.”

Storm agreed to accompany him to his ship. Had she not had quite so much to drink, she might not have agreed as quickly. However, something about him appealed to her. If Lukas Houston was anything other than what he claimed, she’d soon find out.

The areas they walked through grew gradually more seedy, run down and disreputable. They reached the docking area commonly known as the harbor. A tall, gray haired woman greeted them.

“Luke, the harbor master’s looking for you. She said you owe her rent for two months. If it’s not paid within the next forty-eight hours, I’ve got no choice but to put a station lock on your ship.”

“Thanks, Penny. That’s not the least bit embarrassing for you to tell me right now.”

“Oh, sorry, Luke. Is this your newest girlfriend?” She gave Storm a sneering appraisal.

“No, she’s a business associate.”

“Right,” she said, smirking as they walked past. “Why’s your business associate in an evening gown?”

“That’s my business,” Storm answered, annoyed by the woman’s attitude. “I came to see Mr. Houston’s ship.”

“Oh, that’s what they’re calling it these days?” She replied nastily.

Storm smiled sweetly. “Yes, though later it will be called, ‘I rocked his world and then some.’ Can we go now, sweetie?” She hooked arms with Luke, kissing his cheek.

“Sure, baby.” He patted her ass, snuggling next to her as they passed the angry woman.

Once they were out of sight, she let go of his arm. “Thanks for warning me there was a bitch patrol.”

“I didn’t know she’d be on duty. She’s usually off at night. Feel free to rock my world, though. I liked the sound of that.”

Storm tried to stay angry but couldn’t. Rolling her eyes, she nudged him with her elbow.

“Ex-girlfriend?” She nodded toward the harbor entrance.

“No, she’s a wanna be. I try to make it a habit not to get involved with women who have power over my ship. If I pissed her off, she’d lock my vessel. Ship ain’t worth much if it’s not moving.”

Luke led Storm down the corridor nearly to the end. Eventually, they came to his ship’s berth. He ushered her through an open airlock onto the oddest looking ship Storm had ever seen. The nose and tail fin were parts of an old American space shuttle. The wings were from two different space vehicles and each of the rooms looked like it had been salvaged, welded in place and cobbled together like a chaotic jigsaw puzzle.

Luke led her to the bridge which was as mixed and motley as the rest of the ship. Here, he flopped in a padded seat that had been taken from an old fishing boat. Placing a thumb on the scanner, he waited.

“I know she don’t look like much,” he swiveled the chair, taking in all points of the bridge. “But there’s no ship that’s faster.”

“There’s more to life than speed.” Storm smirked, leaning against a console since there were no other seats. “Sometimes slow and steady’s better.”

“True, but if you’ve got freight to move, then you need to be on time.”

A spot of light grew, wobbled and cleared. Ralph’s homely face filled it, his four hundred pound body invisible below the level of the camera. A pleasant smile wreathed his coarse featured face.

“Where’s my girl?” He spotted Storm, still standing behind the head table. “There you are! Any problems?”

“None so far, Uncle Ralph.” She smiled. “Everything is ready for you to do the honors.”

“Thanks, baby.” He smiled again, glancing around the room. “I want to thank y’all for coming. It pleases me to see that so many of you have come to join in our celebration. Now, without further ado, the main event of tonight’s proceedings. I proudly present the next stage of human transportation. Live and in person from planet Earth!”

A blue-white glow filled the center of the room between the lower tables and the buffet. There was a platform, concealed by a heavy curtain. The curtain dropped as the machinery hummed and thrummed.

The form of a man appeared, silhouetted by the light, his body nearly transparent. A moment later, he stood, fully formed, in the center of the teleporter pad, grinning happily. He held a bottle of the Shine Clan’s famous beverage in his hand. Stepping off the pad, he smiled, waving at the assembled corporate heads and their wives.

“Howdy! Y’all wanna try it?” Taking a swig from the bottle, he invited them to hop on.

Everyone stared at him with mixed emotions. Those corporate officers who worked for transportation companies glowered at Storm, blaming her for the incident. One by one, they and their wives left in silent anger, furious that their most lucrative contract, space transportation, was about to be terminated.

“Hm, seems we upset some folks,” Sophie murmured.

“We knew it was bound to happen,” Storm answered just as quietly. “They don’t matter. The only ones who matter are the folks who intend to use the teleporter service.”

Sophie tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder, smiling at the assembled crowd. “And those that want Mama’s moonshine will come to me.” Waving at the younger businessmen, she walked over to meet them, flirting shamelessly.

Storm envied her cousin’s ability to make men swoon and grovel at her feet. Her own talents were of a different nature. She was the Shine Clan’s fixer. She negotiated deals and drew up contracts. It was an important job, one she’d trained and hoped for the last three years. Now that she had it, she felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Movement caught her eye. The man in the beige suit walked forward, standing in front of them. He bowed formally.

“Mr. Boone,” he said in a soft Southern accent, “it appears as if some of your guests had a mind to leave early.”

“Boone grinned. “More dessert for the rest of us, eh? And you are?”

“My name’s Lukas Houston of Texas. I have a proposition, sir.”

“What could you possibly offer, young man?”

“Well, that teleporter is a mighty fine piece of equipment. But I reckon that since you need a sending pad and a receiving pad, someone’s got to take those pads to the location to set ’em up. And since they need a mighty big power supply, that’s gonna need transport too. Those fellas that left, they ain’t lookin’ at the big picture.”

“And you are?”

“Yep. I figure you’re gonna be setting up those pads and could use a man like me to do it. I also figure that if something goes wrong with those pads after installation, you’re gonna need transportation for techs and parts. Am I right?”

“You’re certainly a man of more vision than your colleagues,” Boone grinned. “Is that what you needed to talk to me about?”

“Well sir, right now, I was figuring that you’re not the person to speak to about all this. With all due respect, I think I’d rather talk to her.” He pointed at Storm.

Feeling all eyes on her, Storm blushed. Sorry she was still standing, she felt lightheaded as if the gravity had just gone off again.

Boone laughed, tossing his napkin on the table. “Boy, you’ve got cojones the size of Texas! Storm, go talk to that man, see what he has to say.”

“Yes, sir,” she mumbled, trying not to trip over her skirt as she walked toward the exit.

Storm Westlake is beginning to wonder if she’s in over her head. She’s just been given the promotion of a lifetime and is THE fixer for the legendary Shine Clan. Late for her first major event, she takes her place at the head table.

Storm realized that one of the lesser businessmen was staring at her, sizing her up. He wore a simple beige suit. His brown hair was cut neatly over his ears, his green eyes penetrating.

A small shiver ran up and down her spine as her eyes met his. This was a man to contend with, a real player, despite his lesser status. Her professional eye examined him automatically, failing to categorize him as quickly as she could the others.

He worked hard for a living. She could see the lines of stress and worry on his face. He wasn’t rich, but he had ambition or he wouldn’t be here. He carried himself like a fighter, but had the manners of a corporate head. A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, though certainly well mannered.

Feeling her eyes on him, he regarded her calmly, a slight smile playing at the corners of his full lips. His eyes held a message she didn’t dare interpret. Danger lurked behind those green eyes and that smile. She’d have to be careful, he could read her as well as she read him, perhaps better.

“Storm, what’s up with you?” Sophie yanked at her arm. “It’s almost time. Pay attention! You have to introduce him!”

“Who?”

“Your boss! The man who pays you.”

“Sorry.” She stood awkwardly, smoothing her dress, her fingers gliding over the shiny surface.

A spotlight found her, holding her entranced for a moment as she collected her thoughts. She had a speech ready in order to introduce Ralph, the man who had financed this entire operation. His face, as yet unknown by most of the people in this room, was about to cross outer space between Earth and the Crystal Palace space station.

The orbiting space station was now home to his newest enterprise, fronted by Boone, run by the Shine Clan. And she, Storm Westlake, was to be Ralph’s voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce the man who made all this possible. Most of you know him only by reputation, a few by name. Fewer still have the honor of knowing him personally. Of those, only a handful have the privilege of calling him a friend. And only two of us here are able to call him family. I now present to you, my employer, clansman and friend, Ralph of the Shine Clan.”

She started the applause. Most clapped politely, but those at the head table clapped with loud, happy enthusiasm. The spotlight winked out, leaving her sun dazzled in the gathering darkness. While she spoke, curtains parted across from her, revealing an eight by ten foot screen.