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Matrix
powered and online.
Victor’s
vision swam into view, and he knew at once where he was. A thrill shot through
him as he identified the woman standing outside his capsule. Amadis Dubois had
elected to make use of his services.
She’s
gorgeous. Everything Tosha Cameron told me she’d be. Even if he’d
lacked a beauty appreciation program, he was certain he’d have found Amadis in
a league of her own among women.
Tall,
at least five-feet-ten. Her black curls swirled to her elbows, framing a
heart-shaped face. She could have been a model with those sculpted features,
including wide eyes almost as dark as his. Her lips were lush…what he’d once
heard a drunk male CEO refer to as “perfect cock-sucking lips.”
Victor
had seen Amadis before. They’d both been at a party that had exhibited
CyberServe’s cyborgs to the buying public, had even spoken to each other
briefly…the very party where he’d heard that quote about lips. And yes, the
drunken businessman had been looking at her when he’d said it.
She’d
been dressed to kill that night, in a formfitting red gown that had shown off a
figure as perfect as her face. It had displayed her assets better than the sensible
and well-cut suit she wore now, complete with oxford flats shined to a mirror
finish and a silk turquoise tie. Cool composure had taken her from femme fatale
to the appearance of an efficient executive…which Victor knew her to be, thanks
to the information Tosha Cameron had shared with him before sending him on the
mission to Nu.
His
capsule opened, and he stepped out. “Mr. Dubois,” he purred and offered her a
courtly bow. “It’s delightful to resume our acquaintance. How may I be of
service to you?”
To
a human, her poise would have appeared unflappable, unchanged. However, he
detected the surprised blink and her increased respiration. CyberServe had taken
a cue from his original programming and included the ability to identify the
slight physiological changes that helped him to discern a subject’s true
feelings at a given moment.
His
deep, cultured voice had struck a nerve. Nonetheless, her gaze remained level. “We’ve
met?”
“Briefly,
at a party.”
“Good,
then introductions aren’t necessary. I need you to help me move a body.”
It
was his turn to blink. It wasn’t an affected response spurred by his matrix; he
was honestly surprised. “As Captain LaFarge is the only human on board besides
yourself, I assume the body is hers?”
“You
assume correctly.”
Crisply,
efficiently, Amadis described the situation to him, from the moment she’d
awakened in her cryochamber to her decision to continue on to Station Nu.
“Of
course, if you have salient information as to why we shouldn’t maintain our
course, I’ll be glad to hear it.”
Victor’s
matrix had been tallying up the pros and cons as it learned the particulars of
the crisis. The state of affairs was less than ideal, but he judged it could
have been worse.
“When
Mr. Cameron tapped me to be your assistant on the humanitarian mission to
Station Nu, I availed myself of all the data I could regarding our trip,” he
said after his matrix reported its conclusions. “Acting in concert with the
ship’s systems, I have the capability of acting in Captain Lafarge’s stead.”
“With
the mission commander Amadis Dubois’ permission,” the ship’s system smoothly
interjected.
“Of
course.” He smiled at Amadis, noting the small indications of the relief she
felt at his readiness to act. “Mr. Dubois, you are in charge of the relief
effort to Nu. I bow to your orders, though I will offer advice based on what I
know.”
“What
about the potential for hostile encounters?”
“There
is the possibility. However, as long as we remain on the route established by
ITCS’s marker buoys, there is little concern about attacks. If by some chance
we do find ourselves confronted by pirates or rebels, the ITCS has patrols
standing by, ready to assist.”
“And
until they get to us? How well staffed are patrols?”
“Along
the route, a fighter vessel will be no more than twenty minutes distant.”
She
frowned. “A lot can happen in twenty minutes.”
“I
have numerous tactical programs to keep the ship and you from harm. I will
begin work immediately to learn all the skills a human captain is required to
possess to command this particular vessel.”
She
visibly relaxed. Familiar with cyborgs’ capabilities, Amadis was happy to rely
on his expertise. “Excellent. We’ll continue on to Nu then. Ship’s system,
regard cyborg Victor with the same authority you’d give to Captain Lafarge.”
“Order
received and accepted.”
“Let’s
grab a gurney for the former captain. The system can light the way.”
“No
need.” Victor turned up the charm, smiling with all the friendly confidence at
his disposal. “I’ve downloaded the ship’s schematics. I might know it better
than it knows itself.”
“Unlikely.”
For an unemotional program, the system managed to answer with a clipped tone.
Victor
was careful to avoid staring at Amadis as he directed their route to the
medical department and on to the bridge, but his peripheral sensors noted all
they could about her. Could this lovely woman be the one he’d wished for? Did
he dare hope the meaningless encounters with customers, empty and unfulfilling,
could be over now that he had a chance to actually get close to someone?
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Threatened and pursued, they have no
business falling in love. So that’s exactly what they do.
Victor was a cyborg spy during the corporate wars that
devastated Earth. Now he’s a refitted demo model for CyberServe, spotlighting
the services a repurposed cyborg can offer…in life and love. Suave, cultured,
and fully realized as a sentient being, Victor has it all, except the love he
wants for himself.
Amadis Dubois has played second fiddle to the powerful her
entire life. Now she has the chance to prove to everyone and herself she has
what it takes to lead. She accepts a humanitarian mission to bring desperately
needed medical supplies to a disease-stricken space station. If she can pull
off rescuing thousands of lives, she can finally move out of others’ shadows.
Fending off the attentions of a lovelorn cyborg becomes a
secondary concern when the captain of Amadis’ ship dies suddenly, leaving her
the only human on board. With her career-setting mission endangered, pirates
and rebels threatening at every turn, she has to turn to Victor for assistance
after trying to keep him at a distance. Between moments of fighting for her
life, she’s vulnerable to the numerous charms of the cyborg she has no business
falling for.
Life and love hang in the balance for Amadis and Victor,
with trouble at every turn. They can have it all, if they survive.
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She’s
marked for death. He’s her only hope. But can a de-commissioned cyborg
once programmed to kill humans be trusted with her life…or her heart?
They
called him the Wall, part of a cyborg army that terrorized humans
during a long war waged by those intent on wielding power. When Tosha
Cameron, owner of a multi-billion corporation, first sees the
deactivated cyborg, he’s a tattered remnant of a horrific past.
Most
would prefer to see cyborgs destroyed, but those with vision see a
valuable resource. When Tosha’s business rivals target her for
assassination, the Wall—whom she renames Brick—is her best bet for
protection.
Reprogrammed,
Brick proves he’s more than a mere machine. Programmed to guard Tosha,
he can supply her every need. He soon develops beyond his learning
matrix and software, becoming capable of humanity…and more.
Dark
secrets from a bloody past are waiting deep in his circuitry, however;
secrets that could kill the woman he loves and has sworn to protect.
Also on sale, the second book of the CyberServed series, Mine to Keep
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He was the most hated cyborg on Earth, and love is far from
his original design. But when old enemies hunt the woman he’s sworn to protect,
he discovers a passion for vengeance…and her.
On Earth, he was known as the Warden, and his punishment of
prisoners was legendary. Reprogrammed by the president of CyberServe as an
assistant in the office…and as her chief researcher of intimate
programs…PSM-426021, better known as Alek, is a flawless example of what buyers
want in their repurposed cyborgs.
CyberServe’s president Lillian Kwolek enjoys
Alek on her terms: no love, no strings attached. It’s easy to keep him at a
distance and guard her heart from hurt until an extremist group determined to
right old wrongs targets her. Alek is loaded with a security program to keep
Lillian safe, and it opens the cyborg to learning emotions.
Alek doesn’t like these feelings, which
include a confusing mix of devotion to and wariness of Lillian. She doesn’t
like his developing emotions either. The new Alek, who fulfills desires and her
need for safety from increasing threats, is too intoxicating a temptation for a
woman who can’t trust men, whether they’re flesh or machine.
They can’t resist each other, but past hurts
threaten to destroy what they could have…and open the door to killers bent on
annihilating cyborgs and Lillian.
