Not the Man She Thought Read online

  Not the Man She Thought

  By Paige Tyler

  ©2010 by Paige Tyler and Blushing Books

  Copyright © 2010 by Blushing Books® and Paige Tyler

  All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  Tyler, Paige

  Not The Man She Thought

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-60968-412-9

  print ISBN: 978-1-60968-419-8

  Cover Design: Rae Monet

  Blushing Publications thanks you for your purchase with us!

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  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

  Chapter One

  Laken Andara sat back in her seat, fingering the stem of her glass as she gazed out the window. The sky was clear today, and she watched as ships of every size and shape came and went from the spaceport located near the eatery where she was having lunch. As the headquarters of the Merchant Federation, her home planet of Tellune was a busy place, and she always came down here to watch the ships when she had a lot on her mind.

  Seeing them often made her want to get on one and leave her problems behind. As bad as things had gotten lately, she would have done it today for sure if she had the money. Her father kept a tight rein on her spending accounts, though, so there were never enough credits in any of them to ever book a flight anywhere. All she could do was daydream. And shop of course. Her father always allowed her enough money for that since it kept her busy and out of his hair. She enjoyed shopping as much as the next girl, but it bothered her to know it was about all he thought her capable of doing.

  Ironically, it was exactly what she’d come down here to do today. She needed something to take her mind off her problems, and the exotic stores the Marketplace offered had been just the distraction she’d needed. After spending a good chunk of her father’s money, she had almost forgotten her troubles. Until she’d stopped for lunch and seen all the space travelers. Listening to them talk and laugh about their latest missions only reminded her how stuck she really was, which promptly put her right back in her depressed mood again.

  Beside Laken, her personal communicator rang, interrupting her thoughts. She reached for it eagerly, praying it was finally her fiancé Mallin calling to say he was on his way back to her. But her hopes were quickly dashed when she saw her father’s ident-number on the screen. Not wanting to talk to him, she put the com down on the table and let it continue to ring. In another moment, it would be diverted to her messages anyway. Besides, she already knew what he wanted. He was calling to remind her of the date she had that evening with yet another one of the suitors he was determined to marry her off to. Over the past several weeks, she had managed to chase off every guy he’d tried to foist her off on, but she wouldn’t be able to do that forever, no matter how rude she acted, or how much of a brat she was. Sooner or later, one of them would look past her faults and agree to marry her. Especially since her father was offering a very lucrative incentive to any man willing to put up with her. And when one did agree, her father would waste no time announcing the engagement.

  She could refuse to marry the guy, of course, but if she did, her father would cut her off without a credit. Which would mean she’d have to find some way to support herself until Mallin came back, or until she could make enough money to go to him. But finding a job would be more difficult than it sounded. Not because she didn’t have any skills, but because her father would use his position and influence to make sure no one hired her. He had that kind of power on Tellune. It wasn’t that her father was a mean man, really; he was just overly controlling. That, and he valued his place in society more than he did his daughter’s happiness. Her lips curled bitterly at that.

  Tellune had a very rigid society when it came to family honor and reputation. Her family had been among the leading merchants on the planet going back a dozen generations. Her father guarded the family reputation as if it were the most valuable thing he owned, much more valuable than a simple daughter. If he cared for her even half as much as he cared for his precious reputation, then he would have understood why she wanted to wait for Mallin’s return. But unfortunately, Mallin was an off-worlder, which was a big strike against him in her father’s book. To make matters worse, he had left without officially asking for her hand in marriage. While Laken was confident he would officially propose when he came back, her father wasn’t as convinced. He didn’t believe Mallin was coming back at all, but had just been amusing himself with her while on Tellune, which was why her father was determined to marry her off well and quickly before people began to whisper behind his back. Daughters of a Federation Merchant didn’t have dalliances and they didn’t have lovers. Her father was wrong, though. Mallin was coming back, she knew it in her heart.

  Laken had met Mallin Pemberton at a party several months ago. Though they were supposed to be social functions, the parties were just excuses for the merchants of the Federation to get together so they could continue wheeling and dealing after normal work hours, which meant that most of the women were usually ignored. Laken had only gone to the party because her father had insisted, and she’d resigned herself to spending a boring evening when Mallin had followed her out to the gardens and asked her to dance. Attracted to his good looks and charm immediately, she had accepted his offer without hesitation.

  Laken had never been with a man like him. Not only did he give her his undivided attention during the party, but he didn’t have an ulterior motive for being with her. Because she was the daughter of a prominent merchant, men were more interested in what a relationship with her could do for their career and reputation than because they had any real interest in her. Mallin was different in that regard, though, and she was captivated by him. It wasn’t a surprise she had already fallen half in love with him after that first dance.

  Since he was on Tellune for business, Mallin had originally only planned to stay for a few days, but he’d extended his stay after meeting her. Over the following weeks, he was just as wonderful as he had been that first night. When they weren’t spending a quiet evening together, he took her out to the theater or the museum or wherever else she wanted to go. Although he was an off-worlder and a newcomer to merchant society, he fit in amazingly well with even the most powerful members of the Federation, and before long they were getting invited to functions some merchants on Tellune could only dream of.

  She wasn’t the only one intrigued by Mallin, either, and other women were constantly trying to get him to notice them. Although it made her jealous as hell, Mallin only had eyes for her, which made her feel special for the first time in her life. She knew right then that Mallin was the man she wanted to spend forever with.

  Then, one afternoon while they were lying in bed together, Mallin announced he had to leave to take care of urgent business on his home world. Laken had wanted to go with him, but Mallin refused, telling her he’d be back in a few days. That had been almost two months ago. She
hadn’t heard from him since. For all she knew, something terrible might have happened to him.

  Laken swallowed hard. She wouldn’t think that way. Ignoring the tears clogging her throat, she picked up her glass and took a swallow of water. Hoping to distract herself, she eavesdropped on the conversation between the two men sitting at the table beside her. Like a lot of people who came to Tellune, they were there to pick up a shipment of goods, and most of what they said was boring.

  “So, did the captain say if we’re picking up anything on Marlon Prime or not?” one of the men asked.

  Laken sat up straighter in her chair at the name. Marlon Prime was one of the planets in the Tobagee System, which was where Mallin was from.

  The other man shrugged. “Didn’t say. I hope we’re not just dropping off cargo, though. We barely make any profit on those kind of jobs.”

  “I hear ya. But if were going out that far, you can be damn sure the captain has something for us on the way back.”

  The man sighed. “I hope so. Marlon Prime isn’t exactly the best place to be right now, not with—” He broke off as the com on his belt beeped. He reached for device and held it up to his mouth, then thumbed one of the buttons. “Go ahead, Dev.”

  “Change of plans, Finn,” a woman’s said. “We’re leaving ASAP. Captain wants you and Kamran back on board.”

  “Roger that, Dev.”

  Laken gave the men a sidelong glance, an impulsive and almost certainly crazy idea suddenly coming to her as she watched them get to their feet. She had put off going after Mallin long enough. If the ship the men were on was bound for Marlon Prime, then she was going to find some way to be on it. She might not have enough credits to book passage on a regular transport ship, but she just might have enough to convince the captain of a merchant vessel to take with them. The ship was heading there anyway, so it would just be more profit for him. She wasn’t sure how she’d get to New Ashanti, the planet where Mallin lived, but she’d figure it out later.

  She intended to stop the men outside the restaurant, but they disappeared into the crowd of people almost immediately. She swore under her breath and hurried after them. Fortunately, both men were tall, making it easy to keep them in sight. It helped that she knew the spaceport well. All of the merchant transports tended to dock in the same area, so all she had to do was keep going in that direction and she would be able to see which ship they got on.

  Their ship was docked about halfway down the quay and Laken automatically quickened her steps, hoping to catch them before they went on board. They were faster than she was, though, and by the time she got to the sleek looking spaceship, all she saw was an older man slowly making his way up the gangway.

  “Sir,” she called breathlessly, coming to a stop at the bottom of the walkway. “Excuse me, but I wonder if I could have a word with you.”

  At her words, the old man stopped and turned to look at her. Though his skin was weathered looking, it was also remarkably unlined for someone his age.

  He retraced his steps down the gangway. “What can I do for you, Ma’am?”

  “Are you the captain of this ship?”

  He shook his head. “No, Ma’am, I sure ain’t. The captain’s inside, though. What is it you need him for?”

  Damn. She’d hoped he was the captain. “I overhead some of the crew talking in the Marketplace about going to Marlon Prime and I was wondering if the captain would be willing to take on a passenger.”

  The old man’s brow furrowed. “We’re a cargo ship. We don’t take on passengers, Ma’am.”

  She took a step closer and gave him her best beseeching look. “But you’re already heading that way, and I promise I won’t be any trouble. Please?”

  The man eyed her thoughtfully. “Why is it that you’re looking for passage on a cargo ship when there are plenty of good transport ships?”

  Okay, obviously her beseeching look wasn’t having the desired effect. She swallowed hard, letting tears form in her eyes. It wasn’t hard. She was desperate enough to cry. “I…I’m a little short on money at the moment.”

  His mouth only tightened more at her words. She hurried on before he could dismiss her entirely.

  She let a tear roll down her cheek. “Please. My fiancé is on one of the neighboring planets in the Tobagee System and I need to go to him. If you could just explain my situation to your captain, I’m sure he would make an exception to his policy and allow me to...”

  The old man shook his head. “His answer’s gonna be the same, Ma’am. We don’t take on passengers.”

  Laken put her hand on his arm, stopping him before he could head back up the gangway. “Wait. If it’s a question of money, my fiancé will pay...”

  “It ain’t the money, Ma’am.”

  “But...”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. Captain Karsten has a firm rule when it comes to passengers. You’ll have to find some other way. Besides, you don’t want to go to the Tobagee System right now, anyway. It’s not a good place for a woman like you.”

  The old man didn’t wait for a reply, but instead turned and walked up the gangway to disappear inside the ship, taking with him her one chance to get off Tellune and be reunited with Mallin. Couldn’t the old man see how desperately she needed to be with the man she loved? Maybe he was like her father, and had seen, but simply didn’t care.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes with an angry hand, another impulsive and even crazier idea than before coming to mind. She was going to get away from her father and his plans for an arranged marriage, and she was going to get back to Mallin, even if it meant stowing away on board that damn cargo ship.

  Laken looked around. While the dock was crawling with people, fortunately none of them seemed interested in her or what she was doing. She cautiously made her way up the gangway and was relieved when she didn’t see anyone in the cargo hold. So far, so good. Heart hammering in her chest, she took a deep breath and hurried the rest of the way inside. No sooner had she stepped foot in the ship than the door closed. She jumped at the noise. There was no going back now.

  The hold was filled nearly floor to ceiling with big wooden crates and machinery, but none of the crew were around. She wasted no time picking a hiding place just in case someone came down to that part of the ship, though, and quickly crouched behind one of the crates. Ten minutes later, the ship took off and sped away from Tellune. Without a comfortable seat, the take-off wasn’t much fun, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, she supposed so far.

  She sat down on the floor and leaned back against the crate behind her, hugging her knees to her chest. While getting on the ship had been easy, she wasn’t as confident about staying hidden for the entire journey. If the crew found her, they probably wouldn’t be pleased. She could only hope she’d be able to sweet talk the captain into letting her stay on board instead of dumping her off on the first planet they came to. She could smile and flutter her eyelashes with the best of them, but not all men fell for that kind of thing. It would be smarter to make sure she stayed hidden.

  That might be harder than it sounded, though, especially when her stomach growled a few hours later. The sound seemed to echo in the cargo hold and she groaned inwardly. When she’d decided to hitch a ride on the cargo ship, she hadn’t thought about what she would do for food or water during the voyage. It might take days to get to Marlon Prime. She could go without food, but not water, which meant she was go to have to go in search of the galley at some point. Not yet, though. Not unless she absolutely had to. With any luck, the ship would get to the Tobagee System before that became an issue.

  Ignoring her stomach, she rested her head on her knees and thought of Mallin. The rhythmic hum of the ship’s engines were hypnotic, however, and though she fought against it, she felt herself drift off to sleep.

  * * * * *

  That was how they found her two hours later.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  Laken jerked awake at the man’s voice. Heart in her throat, she
lifted her head to find a tall, lanky red-haired guy standing over her. Even half-asleep, she recognized him as one of the men she had followed from the restaurant back on Tellune. Finn, she thought his name was. Damn, he looked a lot less friendly now than he had back on her home world.

  She quickly scrambled to her feet. “I...”

  The words were barely out of her mouth before the man grabbed her arm and dragged her across the cargo hold.

  “Wait a minute! I—”

  “Save it!” he snapped.

  She tried to dig in her heels, but it did no good. “Take your hands off me!”

  He paid no attention to her, but just gave her arm a sharp tug that had her stumbling after him as he dragged her up a set of metal steps and into the main part of the ship.

  Laken opened her mouth to plead her case again, but then closed it. Why bother? He was only going to bring her to the captain anyway, and she’d have to explain herself all over again. Despite the knack she had for charming any man when she had to, her stomach was in a knot by the time they came to a stop outside a door halfway down one of the passageways. Maybe stowing away on board a ship hadn’t been such a good idea after all.