Tab rolled through the spaceport fairly quickly, happy that the Arillia had docked somewhere decent for a change. It wasn't as great as some of the ports in the center of the system, but it was better than the dives farther out. This one had more than one place to buy parts, anyway, and he even knew some of the dealers.
That knowledge came in handy when it came time to make deals. He turned his nose up at the first couple of jokers trying to sell him couplings and ignored the third, knowing his reputation for selling refurbished goods as new. But the fourth stall was a direct hit and he grinned as he wandered closer.
"Tab!" the man behind the crates said, smiling. "Long time, man. Where the hell have you been?"
Tab's grin grew wider as he held out his hand to shake. "Been on the Arillia," he said to Kenva. "Shipped out with her a few months back. She's a nice bird." Had a damn fine captain, too, in Tab's opinion. "Got those engines singing."
Kenva gave him a long look. "Heard Bane had trouble."
Tab nodded. "Bane's dead. Pirates." That had been moderately awful, and a time Tab didn't want to revisit at all. "She's Will Pilot's now. We fly her faster now, better."
Kenva nodded, suddenly all business. "How fast?" he asked, stepping back.
Tab outlined some of the modifications he'd made and listed the parts he needed to make sure they stayed that fast; Kenva had a couple of ideas for more, but Tab wasn't too sure Will would give him that many credits to spend. "We'll have to see," he said finally, signing off on what he did need. "Deliver? We're in bay three until the day after tomorrow."
"Delivered," Kenva confirmed. "Watch yourself with these mods, though, Tab. You're going to up the flying class if you're not careful, and then there'll be a fucking ton of paperwork to do."
"Will's good with a pencil," Tab said with a wink as he moved off. Man was good with more than a pencil, too, and Tab had ideas about that.
He took his time as he walked through the port, wondering if he really should buy what he wanted. Might be hard to explain what he wanted old fashioned rope and leather strips for. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Will would go for it. And then he saw a stall near the pay showers offering ... tubes. That's all they were, he thought, until he walked closer.
Some slender and some thick, the tubes were clear and looked utterly bland, varying in length from four inches to almost a foot long. "What are they?" he asked the woman standing with them.
She smirked at him and picked one up, seemingly at random. "Give me your hand."
Tab looked at the tube and then at the woman, dressed in tight leather and what had to be paint. She looked more exotic than most he'd seen around the rest of the port. Finally, he held out his hand, palm up.
She put the tube flat on his hand and curled his fingers around it. "What do you feel?" she asked with a sly smile.
Heat. The tube warmed, the smooth surface getting almost hot. He raised an eyebrow.
"There are others that get cold. Ones that shock. Ones that burn, cut, tingle, vibrate ... whatever your tastes are."
Tab looked at the tube in his hand and started to smile. "How much?" he asked. "For ... something that will..." He shrugged.
She gave him a long look. "Depends. Do you want to hurt or does your partner?"
Tab shrugged again and she smiled. "I see." She gathered three tubes and held them out to him. "Thirty creds, and you'll have some surprises."
Tab looked at the tubes and nodded slowly. "All right," he said, reaching for his wallet. He still had ten creds for a shower, and a few more in case he saw something else he wanted. "I gotta go."
She laughed and took his creds, passing the tubes over with a wicked smile. "I'll bet you do."
Tab shoved the tubes into his pockets and adjusted his cock. He really did have to go. He had to find Will.
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