UNDER THE TABLE

"Oh, one more thing, Captain. On formal occasions the Harami will partake in oral pleasure during the meal."

I watched the Captain's balding head nod briefly as if he expected this.

"Well we always appreciate people who enjoy the Federation's finest cuisine, Counsellor."

He missed it, time to try again.

"Yes, Captain, but that's not what I meant. The Harami like to pleasure others orally during the meal." He stopped dead in his tracks.

The Captain is considered a very handsome man by many - if you go for that bald look. I'm sure he's just as red blooded as the rest of us, not that he would ever admit it, but when it came to matters of a sexual nature, saying he's repressed is akin to calling the Universe bigger than a bread box.

Deanna moved to stand in front of the stunned man and confirmed his unspoken question with a nod.

"Do they..." He cleared his throat. "Do they...expect others to,

ahem...participate..?" Aside from the throat clearing his voice was remarkably composed; let's hear it for Command Training. I think I saw the slightest hint of a smirk dancing in the Counsellor's eyes as she replied.

"No. Not that they would be offended if our party did, and actually, Captain, it might improve-"

He held up hand cutting her off.

"Yes, thank you Counsellor, I think I get the picture. I don't think we will delve into that particular area of interspecies relations."

Nice pun. Lucky for Deanna she didn't catch it, but I did. I wondered what the Doctor's treatment would be for a severely bruised tongue. I made a mental note to ask her later.

"The rest of the crew knows about this...matter?"

"Yes, sir."

Oh, and did we get a briefing to remember! When the Commander had finished smirking his way through the briefing - including the part about joining in - my body was fairly thrumming with anticipation of this evening. Picard, however, looked as though he were about to face down a Cardassian firing squad.

"Good," he said through gritted teeth.

We reached Ten-Forward and he tugged on his uniform in the classic Picard Manoeuvre. I don't think the designers at Headquarters will ever figure out how to make a comfortable uniform tunic. At least the dress whites we have to wear these days are better than those long shirt/dress things that used to pass for dress uniforms.

The Captain walked through the door followed closely behind by Deanna, who still looked amused at the Captain's expense. She had a wicked sense of humour hidden under all that placid analysing and I resolved to get to know that side of her better, much better. She glanced in my direction and gave me an unreadable look. Belatedly I realised I had probably been broadcasting my feelings about the matter with entirely too much volume. Hope she enjoyed the show...

I entered into the large room and casually made my way over to the bar. I was curious to see who would brave the evening and who would find an excuse to avoid it. All the senior staff had made it of course. They were mingling and talking politely with the members of the Harami delegation. The sound of laughter caught my attention and I turned to find Beverly trying not to spill her drink while an attractive Harami told her a joke.

These people had a wonderful sense of humour. It was wicked and just slightly raunchy at times; and therefore perfect by my standards. I had spent the last three days bouncing between their ship and mine, installing much-needed medical equipment as well as overseeing a thousand other little details left to me by the Doctor. Sometimes being her right hand was a right old pain in my ass.

Lucky for our CMO, her tight little ass was well worth it.

Today I had run a series of tricorder scans of the Harami's new isolinear matrix. An easy enough task, however, in order to scan the inactive matrix before it went online, I had the crawl around their ship through their equivalent of a Jefferies Tube. It wouldn't have been so bad had someone actually run a cleaner drone down there in the last decade and the passages hadn't been half the size of ours. Being the smallest who could do the job, the glorious task had been assigned to me. Why the engineers hadn't scanned the matrix before sealing the walls once more, I'll never know.

It had only taken me three hours, surprising considering the sheer amount of matrix our engineers had installed. By the time I had crawled my way out of the tube - backwards I might add - I was ready to strangle my illustrious boss. Although I had sealed my collar and cuffs with repellant gel, I was covered in black-grey sticky dust that coated every inch of me and had even made its way into my uniform (believe me I checked). I had managed to rub my knees and elbows raw with all the crawling, and it made me really glad I was medical staff and not an engineer, although if I was, I would have designed those bloody tubes to actually fit a person comfortably. I had a headache that would have felled Mr. Worf from banging my head repeatedly on the conduits that passed across the top of the tube. I think my hair would have even scared Medusa herself. I had caught it so many times on the various bits and pieces sticking out in the conduit that my regulation bun no longer existed. Instead it looked like I had the worst case of Argaellian head mites in the history of the Federation. By the time I got enough of the black gunk out of my eyes to see I found my shipmates all staring at me. My mood had deteriorated in direct proportion to my appearance, and by the time I was finished my scans and emerged from the access hatch, I was seething. I could sense the impending laughter of my crewmates and decided it had best stop before my temper exploded in a Galaxy-class breach.

"One word and you'll all find yourselves in the brig....in pieces." They actually looked scared as they fled my presence, almost tripping over each other in their hurry to busy themselves with whatever they could find. I'm not sure if it was my growled threat, or perhaps the laser scalpel I wielded that made my point - not that it mattered.

Lucky for both of us, Dr. Crusher had already beamed back to the ship an hour before. It saved me from a court-martial, although the words 'justifiable homicide' kept echoing through my mind. I tucked as much of my hair behind my ears as I could and called for a beam out. I could hardly wait to climb into my shower and scrub all the grime off my body. It was water, soap and a loofah for me today, the sonic setting just wasn't going to cut it. The Chief was wise enough to keep his eyes and his comments to himself as I stormed out of the

transporter room. I must have presented quite a sight as I strode down the corridors, as no one came anywhere near me. I briefly thought that I should pay a visit to my dear boss to show her what her little task had done, but thought better of it. She would only laugh hysterically and I didn't want to end up doing anything I might regret later. I'd call her when I was clean and my temper had calmed down. At the very least she owed me a house call for giving me that assignment.

I made it to my quarters, pealed off my uniform and climbed into the shower. It took me over an hour to get all the stuff out of my hair and off my skin. Fortunately, I still had quite a few hours before the dinner tonight and could stop by Mr. Mott's after I had Beverly fix up my aching joints.

************

Five hours later and here I was, relaxed and hungry - in more ways than one I realised as I looked at the fair Doctor. Maybe today could still be salvaged after all, I thought with a wicked grin. I resisted licking my lips as I grabbed a drink and headed in Beverly's direction. She looked positively ravishing in her dress uniform, and if I had it my way, she would find herself thoroughly ravished out of it.

I took a leisurely route to my target, stopping here and there to talk with the various people I knew. It never hurt to maintain your connections, but I also enjoyed the company of many of those attending the dinner and it had been far too long since I had spoken to them. At one point I joined Deanna and Will who were talking with a pair of Harami I had assisted earlier in the today. Will looked decidedly mirthful as I approached. I suspect he was anticipating the dinner entertainment, the voyeur that he was. He smiled teasingly, nudging

Deanna in the ribs.

"I'm glad to see you looking presentable."

I could see he was very pleased with himself for getting a hold of the gossip this fast. I would have to take the smug bastard down a notch or five.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Commander."

I rolled my eyes and joined in the laughter; I could laugh at myself as well as the next person, just not when my temper was in full swing. I suspected that most of the crew knew this by now, especially after I had illustrated it nicely earlier. Although perhaps in retrospect the bit with the scalpel might have been a tad over the top.

I caught Beverly's eye across the room. She winked and raised her glass to me. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist spreading the story at my expense. That was fine, I had plans for her that involved putting those lovely vocal cords to a far better use. For now, I decided it was best that I stay away from the Divine Doctor lest she sniff out my plan and up the ante. She had an uncanny way of detecting subterfuge, especially when it involved me. Too many of

Picard's Dixon Hill holodeck programs, perhaps.

I turned back to the conversation and found the discussion involving the leather and skin collection belonging to one of the Harami engineers, an elegant male named Elan. For the dinner, he had chosen a buttery soft suede tunic and leggings. It was belted for shape and decorated subtly with gems and metals in chevrons that ran the length of the sleeves. As I ran my hand over his shoulder, I realised the beading traced his musculature on his body quite precisely.

"These are intriguing designs, Elan," I commented. The tall Harami smiled knowingly.

"Yes, this tunic has been passed down through the males in my family for generations. It was made by one of my ancestors over a hundred cycles ago." Roughly calculated, that translated to almost 250 Earth years. I was utterly astonished at its quality and preservation. I touched the sleeve again to assure myself I hadn't missed anything. Elan chuckled.

"The skin of the Kildara beast is particularly resistant to decay, and the tanning process involves several agents that are also strong anti-oxidants, made even more effective when they are combined. Although many families possess them, it is only the best made samples that have survived for so long." He gestured around the gathering and pointed out a few Harami similarly attired. The patterns and colours were wide ranging, but they were all equally stunning. I had to force my hand away from his arm; the feel of the suede was exquisite and I quivered to think of how it would feel to be completely encased by it.

"It is a Khal-ya," he continued, "a mating outfit." Will's eyebrows just about shot off his head, and Deanna looked as though she didn't know whether to be intimidated or turned on. The implication of him wearing it tonight was not lost on anyone. An electric current that was both thrilling and highly arousing skittered down my spine and settled in my groin. Truly the Harami were masters of effective sensual stimulation if their ritual clothing was any indicator.

"Oh my," I murmured, now even more intrigued to see how this night would evolve.

I saw Elan frown.

"Do you not also wear your best clothing for this gathering?" Elan indicated our dress uniforms. As Will and Deanna seemed incapable of coherent thought, I jumped in.

"Yes, although ours aren't nearly as personal. Nor as beautiful," I added, my fingers tingling in memory of the feel of his tunic. Elan gestured to the pips on my collar and the blue piping along my sleeves. "These are symbols of your place within this society, yes?" He gestured to include the ship at large.

"True, although they do not identify me, specifically. The pips show my military rank and the colour on my cuffs shows that I'm in the science/medical department, but your Khal-ya," I stumbled a bit over the unfamiliar word, but Elan was too polite to mention it, "is uniquely yours. From what I can see, no one else possesses one that resembles it in form, colour and decoration."

"That is true," Elan replied thoughtfully.

"According to the rules of Starfleet," I continued, "I am not permitted to alter my uniform in anyway other than size. The idea is to visually demonstrate order and discipline through our clothing. The rank insignia," I gestured to my collar, then my sleeves, "and colour coding serve as symbolic agents. They are a visual shorthand, if you will, so that when one officer meets another, they know instantly where the other fits within the greater organisation." Elan

nodded.

"Highly ordered cultural identification."

"Precisely," I complimented. The Harami fleet was much smaller than Starfleet and they seemed to possess an almost instant ability to recognise the relative positions within the hierarchy. I hadn't had a chance to read the cultural database thoroughly, but I seemed to recall that their sense of smell and the colour changing ability of their scales served a defining role in their socio-cultural organisation. Certainly, such abilities made uniform attire a

moot point, allowing the Harami the freedom to display their individual personalities on their clothing. It was fascinating to me that although they were not required to be similarly attired, most Harami in attendance had chosen to wear their Khal-ya, almost giving the appearance of being a uniform.

"Please forgive me, Elan if I am asking an inappropriate question," I saw Deanna frown out of the corner of my eye, but ignored her. "But I am curious as to why your mating outfit is considered your 'best clothing.' " Elan's laugh was somewhat disconcerting and several heads turned in our direction, including a certain redheaded Doctor that quirked a cinnamon brow at me before returning to her conversation.

"We would not dishonour your ship and crew by wearing anything less! Do you not also wear your dress uniforms during the ceremony where you claim a mate?" I hadn't thought about it that way, but Elan was quite right.

"I suppose we do," I acknowledged, somehow feeling somewhat abashed that I hadn't made the connection. Elan clapped me on the shoulder.

"You see, my friend? We are not so different after all!" I suspected that while that was true on one level; on another, he was quite in error, and I was certain that dinner would prove me correct on that score. I said nothing, however, merely making a mental note to look through the literature on the Harami when I returned to my cabin.

At the sound of metal against glass, I turned to see the Captain calling for everyone's attention. "Excuse me everyone, but dinner is served. If you'll follow me into the dining hall."

We proceeded into the next room where a long table had been set, complete with a long tablecloth that almost reached the floor. I suspect the Captain had made this little modification after Deanna had told him the news. We took our seats; the Captain at one end, and the head of the Harami delegation at the other. The rest of us all filled in the places in between according to personal preference. Deanna and Will flanked the Captain, while part way down the table Beverly faced

the fetching Harami medical tech she had been talking with earlier. The tech smiled at me as I sat down.

"Hello, I am Taral."

I returned her greeting warmly, taking her cool, smooth hand in mine for a lingering physical introduction. Their reptilian physiology was a veritable tactile feast of textures and temperatures. I noticed that Taral seemed to enjoy touching my hand as much as I, hers.

Another older Harami, whom I had vaguely remembered was one of their security personnel, sat to the other side of me nodding in greeting. Commander Data was absent from the gathering, having returned to the bridge for his duty shift as he didn't need to eat. It was just as well, I supposed. While I found his particular approach to life enchanting and refreshing, there were certain times when it really put a damper on things. If I didn't miss my guess, tonight was going to be one of those nights. By the tension radiating off the Captain, I

knew this was going to be a very interesting night. Deanna was attempting to distract him, much to my amusement. The Harami were relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere around the table and most of the crew had seemingly decided to let the evening run its course, curious to see where it would lead.

The Harami leader stood to propose a toast.

"I wish to thank Captain Picard on behalf of my crew for his assistance. Your crew does you great honour. I only hope that this will be the first of many meals between our two peoples."

He raised his glass to the Captain who returned the gesture.

"Thank you Ilagna. May the future hold good things for our two peoples." Ilagna acknowledged Picard's words before turning slightly to his left. "I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jarla on reaching the Age of Rejala on this mission. I'm sure you will do us all proud." He raised his glass to the youth, radiating pride as Jarla's scales flickered from ash grey to olive green as he tried not to fidget.

"Now, let us enjoy this wonderful meal our Starfleet friends have offered us!"

Glasses clinked all around in a crystal murmur of appreciation.

The table was being cleared in preparation for the main course and the Captain appeared to have relaxed significantly. The Captain had seen to it that this gathering had real alcohol for some mysterious reason, although I had a pretty good feeling what it was. He had broken out a few cases of wine from his family vineyard. It was a superb vintage, complementing the meal perfectly. I suspected that in his pleasantly intoxicated state he had convinced himself that his wish would come true and all would remain in their seats so that he wouldn't have to deal with this particular Harami custom.

I was feeling pleasantly relaxed myself and not a little turned on. For the last hour I had watched Beverly enjoy each course and decided that at that moment it was one of the most erotic things I had ever seen. Of course it was probably the alcohol, but I wasn't drunk - at least not completely - but certainly enough to appreciate every glorious sight and sound around me to its full capacity. From the looks in their eyes, I could see that most of the crew was in the same shape, including our stuffy Captain. Deanna was giggling as one of the Harami spoke to her and the look of jealousy that flashed across Will's face spoke volumes.

I returned to my meal, but by the next time I looked down the table, there were a few heads missing. And so it begins. I turned to see if the Captain had noticed, but he was still immersed in a conversation with a Harami delegate about new tools for analysing archaeological artefacts. I couldn't resist the smirk of anticipation that crossed my lips.

A flickering in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I watched

surreptitiously as the neck bands and horns of one of the Harami luminesced with a blue-silver light for a few seconds before fading back to their original ash-grey colour. Moments later one of the missing Harami appeared above the table again. Not screamers I guess. Yes, I was going to enjoy this evening even more than I had expected.

I idly wondered what would happen if one of the Harami decided to honour one of our crew with their attentions. I felt something brush my leg and briefly thought that one of them had read my mind until I saw Taral shift slightly without pausing in her meal. My eyes shifted to Beverly, but I was torn. I was close enough to Taral to feel the heat from her body and the idea of watching her be brought to orgasm was almost too appealing to resist. Almost. The look on the dear Doctor's face made the decision for me.

Beverly's breathing hitched and I imagined I could see her nipples through the thick uniform tunic. It was impossible of course, but I did see a flash of tongue as it moistened her lips. Her eyes widened as Taral's skin glowed and I felt my lips twitch themselves into a smirk, which I chose to cover with my glass this time. She looked down to spear another piece of pasta and when she looked up we locked eyes. Her pupils had dilated and the skin around her collar was taking on a decided rosy hue. Well, well, well, what do we have here? It seemed our fair CMO was quite the little voyeur. Wickedly, I wondered what would happen if she was on the receiving end of things. I deposited my glass, when I looked up, she was staring at me, a ghost of a smirk tugging at her lips. On impulse I winked at her and returned to my dinner.

I felt the Harami returning to the other end of the table, bumping my legs on the way past and causing my napkin to slide off my lap onto the floor. I pushed my chair back to retrieve it from under the table, lifting the tablecloth out of my way so I could find it. I was about to move back into my seat when I found my eyes drawn to a particularly shapely pair of lack-clad legs. I slipped under the cloth and let it drop behind me. When in Rome...

My knees were still a little tender, an instant reminder that I still had a debt to settle. I looked around at the sea of legs to find Jarla crawling toward me and smiling knowingly. I smiled back, inclining my head as I watched the youth making his way among the legs.

"So you're to be the brave first one, your people have more courage than I thought."

I chuckled; I was, after all, the only one of my people down here. I wondered idly if the Captain would notice my absence from what I was beginning to think of as 'up there'. I doubted it, seating myself between two Harami did give me a slight advantage.

"Perhaps we do."

I smiled ruefully, noting that Jarla looked a little nervous.

"This is my first time too."

I must have looked somewhat surprised.

"One of the Age of Rejala rites is to perform this task. In your language, rejala roughly translates to 'service'."

I had known that, but until that moment I hadn't fully realised what it would mean in this context. I grinned with my new understanding. "Well then, I suppose I should let you carry on."

Jarla looked down at his hands. He seemed somewhat embarrassed and a little unsure. "Well, I could actually use your help." I could feel my eyes widening at what I thought was the implication.

"Oh, no, not like that. Although you are a very attractive member of your species," I tried not to preen too much, Jarla was obviously trying very hard not to offend, not flatter. "I mean I don't know about your species and what pleases them. The rejala is ideally performed for at least one who has never experienced it. All those in our party have so..."

"Ah, I understand. Well, the amount of alcohol imbibed tonight should help you out, but I don't know how I can explain all you need to know in the time available."

Jarla smiled conspiratorially. "Don't worry about that, just answer me this: Do you know what I need to know?"

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud. I didn't want Jarla to take it the wrong way and alerting everyone to my whereabouts wasn't on the top of my list either. My hobby was hard enough to keep a secret, I didn't need any of those rumours to destroy my reputation.

"Yes, I believe I do," I said with confidence.

"Good. Now, I'm going to put my hands on either side of your head. Don't worry it won't hurt, but I need the contact to read your thoughts."

Gentle hands touched my face as Jarla probed me for the knowledge. It was a pleasant sensation but the images it brought up only served to arouse me more. I was a little breathless when I opened my eyes as his cool hands left my face. Jarla was clearly impressed.

"Well, you certainly do have the knowledge. I will respect your wishes though, I will not relate this to anyone, you have my word. Just know that on my world, you would be Haranasi, Most Honoured One. This is sacred knowledge to us and you honour it greatly in your life."

I think I blushed to the roots of my hair. Never had anyone made me feel that my hobby was so...divine.

"I have one more question, whom should I serve?"

Now that was an interesting question. I heard Deanna giggle again and smiled wickedly. I turned slightly and pointed over my shoulder.

"I think Counsellor Troi would be a good choice." Jarla nodded in agreement and thanked me. I thought about remaining where I was, curious to see how this would go, but I still had my own fish to fry.

I shifted myself until I was sitting right in front of Beverly and brushed my hand lightly down the outside of her leg. She moved them, crossing one over the other. I repeated my action on her other leg, leaving my hand on her ankle. I watched as her hand dropped into her lap in an attempt to identify who was making first contact with her under the table. I took it in mine and brought it to my face. Her long fingers traced my jaw line and cupped my chin as I watched her take a quivering breath. She seemed to settle herself and then started caressing my face.

I leaned into her touch and kissed her palm, darting my tongue out to taste her sweet salt. Her fingers touched my lips and I sucked one of them inside my mouth, teasing it with my tongue. She uncrossed her legs, moving her feet toward me until her ankles were on either side of my thighs. She ran her foot along the outside of my thigh as I nipped the inside of her wrist.

I let her hand go and it returned topside where it was needed to pass the wine down the table. I turned my attentions to the inside of her knees, letting my fingernails scratch lightly over the rough fabric of her pants. A shiver shot through her and I pinched her inner thigh with my fingers. I could smell her arousal and it was far more intoxicating than any vintage off the Picard Vineyards. I wanted to taste her, to make her scream, but that wasn't the game tonight. Tonight was going to be the absolute test of her resolve and I shivered at the thought. The power I held from beneath this table was thrilling me beyond all reason and I had a brief thought that I should make sure to create a holodeck program of the evening.

I switched to her other thigh, keeping the pressure light and my patterns teasingly erratic. She moved her foot, opening her thighs further to my ministrations; apparently the good Doctor wasn't going to resist as I hard as I thought. Two could play at that game.

I shifted, straddling her leather clad foot and began to rock against the curve of her ankle. I heard her voice falter and she covered by clearing her throat. I proceeded to massage her calf, grinding myself into the top of her foot. Her other leg caressed me, wrapping it around my waist in the nearest approximation of an embrace she could manage under the circumstances.

I continued to undulate against her ankle as my hands travelled up to her thighs. Taut muscles quivered under my fingers and I heard her voice crack. Will commented upon her apparent inability to hold her liquor, and even the Captain chuckled at her expense. If only he'd bothered to find out what she could handle, he mightn't be in his perpetually single state. Lucky for me he hadn't ventured down that road as he didn't strike me as the sharing sort.

Deanna was suspiciously quiet and I glanced in her directions to see Jarla's head buried between her thighs. If Will thought he was jealous before, I could only imagine how he was going to react when he found out what happened under his nose, literally. I'd be willing to bet a month's pay that she was going to have difficulty walking in the morning. I snickered; sometimes life was truly delicious.

Thoughts of things delicious returned my attention back to my darling Doctor. I nipped at the inside of her knee, my hands continuing to slide up the inside of her thighs. When she didn't react any further, I pinched the skin through her pants lightly. Beverly responded by pinning me and my hands between her thighs; those dancer's muscles toned by long hours of practice and fuelled by her intense desire to maintain her professional demeanour in front of the Captain and Crew. I knew I was pushing my limits with her, and I was bound to pay for

my insolence later. In fact, I was counting on it.

She loosened her hold slightly and I resumed rocking against her foot. Her free leg caressed my back while one of her hands found its way under the table. She stroked my face and ran her fingers through my hair, pulling it out of its regulation bun. Knowing how much she liked to run her hands through it, I shook my head and leaned forward to put my chin in her lap. I nuzzled her thigh, the sweet scent of roses and Beverly filling my head. She began to massage my scalp. I muffled my groan on her thigh; apparently she thought she could turn the tables on me by going for one of the most erogenous zones on my

body. Ordinarily I would have resisted more, but I suddenly found myself wanting to give into her.

Electric shocks shot through my body as my climax hit me unexpectedly, instantly trashing my plans for seducing her unseen. I almost hit my head against the bottom of the tabletop; had it not been for Beverly's steadying hand I would have. I rested against her leg, trying to catch my breath and steady myself to emerge from under the table. I heard the conversation winding down just in time, and used the shifting of the guests to hide my reappearance. No one seemed to notice other than Beverly, who made her way to my side of the table

with a practised casual ease.

"Going somewhere?"

"Of course," I replied. As I turned to leave Beverly caught my sleeve. "You're in a hurry," she was practically purring in my ear.

"I just don't want to miss anything." Her lusty laugh caught a few guests' attention, including the Captain's and Deanna's, and I wondered if the alcohol and endorphins filling her body hampered Deanna's empathic abilities at all. The way she was leaning toward Will made me suspect she had other things on her mind. Just as well, I wasn't in the mood to fend off her questions and I doubted the desirable Doctor was either.

We made our way through the corridors exchanging our goodnights as we went. Fortunately our quarters were in the same area of the ship and the sight of us walking together had become a common occurrence. We continued making small talk, the Doctor making a show of asking me in for coffee to finish our discussion in case any prying ears were listening.

The instant the door shut, however, she had me out of uniform and was shedding hers rapidly as we crossed the living room. I'm not sure how I managed not to trip in our haste to get to the bed, but we navigated the furnishings successfully and stopped at the bed, only to tumble onto its surface in a glorious tangle.

Beverly pressed her body against mine and I felt myself quake as her soft skin contacted my own. Her hands roamed over my skin, exploring my body and taking control as she pressed me into the yielding surface of the bed. She slid her burning hands down the sides of my body, cupping the outside of my breasts, tracing the dip of my waist and the swell of my hips. One hand paused in its journey to pull my leg up around her waist. The heat of her skin was intense, and everywhere she touched I was on fire. I shuddered to think of the state I'd be in without my earlier orgasm. She twisted her hips slightly, increasing the pressure on my pulsing clit.

I gasped into her mouth, arching my back and pressing myself into her. Beverly took the opportunity to ravage my neck, nipping at the soft flesh and suckling it none too gently. I would have to make liberal use of the dermal regenerator come morning, luckily for me Beverly had one in her quarters.

I could hear myself moaning again, yet still managed to form a coherent thought against the odds. "Beverly, I had no idea you wanted my blood this badly," I gasped. Her chuckle came from a place so low I felt her rumbling purr through my pelvis.

"Oh, I want more than your blood..."

She bit down on my collarbone, punctuating her statement, and I found myself thinking that I never wanted those teeth marks to fade. I wanted to be hers, marked and claimed, I wanted her to possess me and drive me to the edge of sanity, begging her all the while for more. I could only growl out my desires, but she seemed to understand. She proceeded to attack my breasts with the same gusto, alternating between them and using her free hand to tend to the opposite breast. My head thrashed back and forth, my hips grinding against her as she

stoked my desire.

"Patience, my Little One, I will have my fill of you in due time."

The purr in her voice was exquisite and sent tingly chills racing down my spine. She slid up my body and ravished my mouth once again. For a brief moment I became aware of the black satin sheets under me and I make a mental note to ask her how she came by these little treasures. Her fingers twisted my nipples and all logical thoughts disappeared in a haze of desire.

For the first time since we hit her bed, she pulled back, her eyes burning with such passion and intensity that I didn't dare move. If she left me now, I think I'd self-destruct instantly. The human body simply wasn't designed to tolerate such tensions for long. My heart hammered against my chest as I watched her watching me. If there were a more erotic sight in the known universe, it would surely have a casualty rate. As it was, I wasn't sure I was going to survive our encounter. Surely, she wouldn't kill me, her number one medical tech, would she? The look in her eyes should have triggered some sort of self-preserving reaction, however my body seemed only to coil ever-tighter, its course set and locked in as it mirrored the desire and passion I saw in her eyes.

She straddled my thighs and I could feel the silky smoothness of her skin against my own. Her eyes slid possessively over my body: neck, shoulders, breasts, stomach, hips, the damp patch of dark hair between my legs. She lingered there, a smile of pure confidence and desire caressing her swollen lips. I watched as she ran her tongue along those ruby lips and I felt as though I would explode right there; no one had ever looked at me with such raw hunger the way she did. Jolts of electricity danced across my skin with such crackling energy I was sure they were visible in the dim light of her cabin.

Finally she bent down once again, kissing the dip between my breasts as her hands worked their magic on my nipples. I pressed myself into her skilled hands as she trailed wet kisses down to my navel, dipping into it slowly and deliberately with her tongue. I lifted my head to watch her. Her eyes were closed in absolute enjoyment, but they opened in response to the shifting of my stomach muscles under her adept tongue. I was pinned by sapphire eyes as she continued to impale my navel with erotic purpose. She was so intensely beautiful: wild, passionate and completely in control.

Her hands caressed my hips, reaching underneath to raise them up. Her tongue touched the top of my cleft and I couldn't suppress the shudder that travelled the length of my body. Her smile was positively feral as her eyes held mine. They had darkened with her desire and seemed lit from within: blue lightening barely contained.

Dipping into my folds once more, she watched me; her eyes never leaving mine. I slid my leg up her side, holding her to me. I needed to feel her solid warmth more than I needed air. She responded by planting a kiss on the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, letting her tongue dart out momentarily to taste my skin. Her red hair brushed my other thigh, its auburn and gold strands trailing across my flesh becoming the most exquisite torture I could imagine. An inarticulate

gasp escaped my lips before I remembered the inadequate soundproofing and bit my lip until I tasted blood.

Beverly moved down a little further, removing her hands out from under my hips to spread my folds. I felt her breath on my wetness and gooseflesh erupted all over my body. I shivered and she quirked a cinnamon brow at me, her eyes dancing with a self-assured cockiness that was entirely appropriate if quite maddening.

"Cold?"

I opened my mouth to speak but realised the futility of my effort when all that came out was a strangled cry. I settled for a vigorous shake of my head instead. There's no way I could be cold with her between my thighs and still be alive; I doubt anyone could. Besides, getting to this point and not living through it would have caused a tear in the space-time continuum I'm sure; the energy would have to go somewhere.

She peppered my thigh with feather light kisses as she moved towards my pulsing, needful cleft with excruciating slowness. I bit down on my lip again and whimpered. When she was bare millimetres away, she jumped across to attend to the other thigh, nipping and sucking as she made her way toward my knee. My frustrated growl ended in a whimper as she took the sensitive skin between her teeth, marking me there as well. At least those marks wouldn't show when I was in uniform.

She continued up my inner thigh, massaging the twitching muscles in my backside with such strength that I wondered briefly if I'd have marks there too. My hands held the sheets in a death-grip as she hovered above my clit, her hot breath skimming over my damp flesh. I opened my eyes to find her watching me once again. Our eyes locked and she extended her tongue to the bundle of nerves that had become the centre of my world. Jolts of pleasure rocketed up my spine and arced across my synapses in chaotic pleasure as she teased the sensitised flesh. It was only enough to nudge me a little higher and not send me over the edge. If she had chosen to drive me mad through torture, I'm quite certain she would have succeeded. Fortunately for me she relented, sliding her adept tongue lower to enter me as far as she could before she drawing it out once more.

"Mmmm....so sweet."

She was practically purring while she fucked me with her tongue and I knew I had found heaven and hell all at the same time as she twisted her tongue inside me. When she withdrew it I whimpered at the loss before I could stop myself. I felt her shift and settle her hands underneath my hips as my stomach muscles started to quiver from the strain. She blew across my belly, cooling the sheen of moisture beading on my skin and I gasped. The sensations filled me instantly

and increased the flood between my raised thighs onto the sheets.

She dipped her head once more, her tongue sliding up the length of my cleft. Until my breath exploded out of me in a strangled cry I hadn't even known I had been holding it. My hands convulsively clutched at the sheets as she settled on my clit, licking and sucking on it with the passion and determination she brought to everything in her life.

My hands travelled to my nipples as her fingers slipped inside me easily. She filled me with a skill only a woman and a doctor would know. Beverly began pumping her fingers in and out while she continuing to ravage my clit with her tongue. I felt my body gather itself up in preparation to throw itself off the cliff and into ecstasy. She lifted her head for only a moment.

"Look at me."

I did and exploded instantly. My open eyes saw only colours and abstract shapes of the Universe as the waves of pleasure washed over my brain again and again. As I felt myself starting to come down, a calming sound soothed my way and guided me back. The sensation of her warm feminine body lying beside mine, as she stroked my hair gently, filled me with love and gratitude. She sang to me softly, the comfort of her presence and intensity of the moment causing tears to leak from my eyes.

She said nothing, but continued to whisper words of love and comfort as she wrapped her body around mine. She kissed my temple, eyes, cheeks and hair, her strong arms holding me gently. I opened my eyes slowly and found myself looking into a pair of azure eyes that seemed to hold all the promise of the Universe as she looked into my soul. There was hunger there also, but it was held in check for the moment by the love I felt all around me. I intended to satisfy that hunger, even if it took that rest of my life.

Fin