Coraline carried a tray of water glasses hoping no one noticed the beads of sweat running down the side of her face. She was a hard worker, but she was not yet used to the temperature inside of the resort, kept hot to combat the cold of Rubrum.

Men catcalled for her. She put on her best smile, as sincere as she could make it. She learned the hard way during her first week that if she ignored the men it only made them try harder to get her attention, and usually ended in unwanted advances of men's hands violating her personal space. It was nothing compared to the fists of her ex-husband. So even when they did cross the line, she reminded herself, it could be much much worse.

She should be flattered, she insisted. "I still got it," she whispered. And she should be grateful. In just a few weeks on Mars, she'd scored a job as a server at the Taj Diwan, the most exclusive club casino resort on all of Rubrum.

It was all for Ashton. The thought of his large eyes and sweet smile, so innocent, brought her joy, yet made her heart heavy at the same time. She was not used to being separate from him for any length of time. Her ex-husband wanted her to stay at home. They never could afford daycare, what with minimum wages for bots raised so high. And if she was honest, she enjoyed staying home with Ashton, experiencing him crawl, take his first steps, and say his first words.

"He's fine," she whispered to herself. "He's happy."

She passed out the waters to the men at the Faro table, dodging puff clouds of e-cigar and hookah smoke. Before any of the men could grab her behind, she spun on her heel and strode back to the kitchen to retrieve the appetizers they ordered. Her high heels clicked a fast tempo on the laminate chestnut floor, matching her heartbeat. If she did not rush the food would grow cold. And cold food meant less tips, and tips were all she had.

A table of Arab sheikhs garbed in white flowing robes and red checkered kaffiyeh got the last of their gambling done before making the voyage back to Earth. Apparently it had been determined that Islamic practice did not apply in space, or other planets, so gambling on Mars was not haram , at least if you were wealthy enough to even afford the two-way trip. With extensions of their oil companies stationed on Rubrum, many of them were.

Behind them, a handsome man reclined in a leather chaise, one leg crossed in a figure-four over the other leg. His saffron suit was tailored to perfection, highlighting his athletic figure, framing his body in sharp angles, complimenting his square jaw. He swirled a glass of spirits and sipped it on occasion. He was the most handsome man Coraline ever laid eyes on.

Their eyes locked.

He fixed a charming smile and winked at her. Coraline's heart skipped a beat. Her hand brushed curled bangs away from her face. She nodded, trying to be polite, and strode to the kitchen to pick up the next order. It wasn't until the heat of a steaming plate of food on her palm jarred her that she realized what was happening.

No. Don't do it. You promised yourself you were done with men. At least until Ashton is older.

But he was so handsome. She'd never seen a man with a jaw so strong, yet eyes so soft.

She bit her lower lip and peeked around the corner of the kitchen doorway. The man stared in her direction. She recoiled.

"He's a looker, ain't he," said Beth.

Coraline felt red rising in her cheeks. It was one thing to be caught staring by a fellow employee. It was another thing to be caught by your boss.

"He's my pastor you know," said Beth. "Or reverend, I guess is the correct term. And he's single."

"I'm not looking for a relationship," said Coraline.

"Well, you're looking at something. And he's it."

Before Coraline could object, Beth handed her three more plates of food to balance and deliver. The tables she had to go to put her directly in the path to encounter the man again. Coraline underbit, blew hair away from her eyes, and strode out locking her gaze dead ahead.

"Howdy, ma'am."

She pretended not to hear.

She delivered the plates and made for the kitchen again, though she knew she would have no plates ready for several more minutes.

"Excuse me, miss."

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She quickened her pace.

Strong fingers locked around her wrist. Coraline stopped on a dime cred.

She was about to rip her hand free but when she looked into his face, his smile melted her. "Sorry to grab you, miss. You did not seem to hear me. My name is Roy. I believe you are new here. I just wanted to introduce myself, as I'm a frequent customer."

He still held her wrist. His hand was smooth, yet strong.

"Oh. How do you do, sir? I've only worked here for a few weeks."

She pulled her wrist away.

He held on for just a moment, then released, letting his fingers trail down her wrist and over the back of her hand. Warmth filled her chest while chills tingled her spine. She felt short of breath.

She spun on her heel to go.

"Ma'am? I didn't get your name."

She straightened her back, trying to put some of her inner wall up, but it was crumbling fast. She attempted to take a level, even breath. "Miss Coraline."

"What a pretty name. Fitting for a woman as stunning as yourself."

Tight lipped, she thanked the man, then retreated back to the kitchen. By the time she reached it, a smile threatened to break loose. A dapper man had said she was stunning. Why had she imposed a rule banning herself from relationships with men again? Oh yes. Ashton.

At the end of her shift, while leaving, she encountered the man Roy again.

He leaned against the entrance wall of the resort, chewing on a toothpick, eyes hidden behind perfectly round glasses. "Pleasure to meet you today, Miss Coraline. Would you like a ride home?"

As if on cue, valet pulled his speeder around, parking right next to the high-end club. The valet boy tossed the ignition fob to Roy, who snatched it from the air without looking.

He patted the speeder. She wanted to reject his offer. But her sore feet screamed for relief. Wearing high heels for an entire shift was still taxing on her feet and legs. And what could one innocent ride hurt?

She accepted his offer.

Roy chatted, small talk mostly, but she found that his open-ended questions forced her to reveal more about herself than she liked, even if this man was such eye candy.

"I'm sorry Mr. Roy. I'm exhausted and not able to carry a conversation at the moment."

They rode in silence for the rest of the short trip.

He insisted on holding her hand to guide her out of the hovercraft.

She did not object.

"I'll be seeing you again I hope."

"You know where to find me." The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. They sounded like an invitation, which was not what she intended. Why did she say that?

Roy chuckled and saw her to the door, before speeding off.

She watched the speeder until it was out of sight. And she hated herself for it.

After checking with the babysitting bot and dismissing it, Coraline found Ashton already fast asleep.

Rubrum already changed Ashton. While in reality he had so much to be afraid of, he was cheerfully ignorant. Ignorant to the fact that his livelihood depended solely on the tips his mother earned. Ignorant to the fact that Rubrum was only semi-terraformed experiencing a regression. They'd both been short of breath when they arrived, but had adjusted in a mere matter of days. But without his father to worry about, Ashton was carefree as could be.

She stroked his tender face, reminding herself that her son came first. No more men. It was just a ride home.