Return to Valjiir Stories
Pavel Chekov sat listening to Sulu’s blunt, detailed descriptions of his life at the Clave, trying not to stick his fingers in his ears and sing Russian sailing songs to himself. Every time he interrupted with some version of “why are you telling me this?”, Daffy would glare at him and reply “because you need to know what to watch for!” The last time they’d had the exchange, Sulu had started laughing, and it wasn’t the helmsman’s usual pleasant mirth.
“She wants you to be able to tell the difference between us,” he’d explained.
“Us?” the Russian had replied warily.
“Us. Me. Mr. Pathetic and the Divine Wind.” He’d laughed again, and Daffy had shuddered, from her body language, trying desperately not to move closer to Chekov.
“You are hardly pathetic, Sulu,” Pavel had stated, which had only resulted in more deep and frightening laughter.
“You’re so good, Pavel,” Sulu said. “You’re so nice.”
“No, I’m not,” the navigator objected stiffly.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot about the black on black on black,” the First Officer returned. “But that just absorbs evil, it doesn’t…” He stopped talking, staring at Chekov, and the Russian again felt like there was something crawling in his head. “On second thought, maybe I’m wrong about that,” Sulu chuckled. “Maybe we should team up, huh?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Daffy declared. “You understand what we’re up against, bubee?” she said to Pavel.
“I do,” Chekov replied grimly.
“Go away, now, Kam,” the chemist suggested.
“When you’ve gone to all the trouble to let me out of my shoji boxes?” Sulu began, then his body shivered, and he snarled – then the expression changed to one of horror, then grief. Finally he swallowed and without looking at either of the other officers, muttered, “Don’t do that again, Daf. I mean it.”
“I’m sorry, bubee, but he had to know. And Kam had to know he knows. Hell, he had to know he knows.” She turned again to the navigator. “You’re not going to put this away in one of your ‘things I do not believe´ packing crates, either. This is serious, this is dangerous. The damned Loonie juice didn’t create him, and when Miss Bitch Goddess starts her mojo, it’s him we’re gonna have to stop. Capiche?”
Chekov shivered, but nodded. “Sulu… I – I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you don’t hate me,” the First Officer replied grimly.
“I don’t,” Pavel affirmed. “Whatever you have done in the past – whatever lives within you, I know you to be a good and decent man..”
“With the occasional lapses,” Daffy put in pointedly.
“All good men have occasional lapses,” Chekov retorted with a frown.
“And you should know,” Gollub snapped back.
“Yes, I should. Which is why I will not judge Sulu – and why Captain Spock chose me to help him in this situation.”
“Look, I really don’t need you two bickering over every goddamned little thing here,” Sulu said.
Daffy scowled. “Okay, point taken.” She smiled, more a baring of her teeth, at Chekov. “Kiss me and forget it.”
It took a moment, but Pavel finally leaned over and gave Gollub a peck on the cheek. Sulu rolled his eyes. “She said kiss her, not pretend she’s a visiting relative from Leningrad.”
“Will you let me?” Pavel asked Daffy.
The chemist shrugged, and with a deep breath, Chekov took her in his arms, giving her a most thorough oral embrace. When they parted, Daffy was slightly flushed. “Almost as good as make-up sex,” she admitted.
“I’ll be in the shower,” Sulu said, and a half-smile claimed his features. “For a long time.”
“Spasiba,” the Russian replied with a grin.
Uhura didn’t want to return to Lorelei, despite Tomor’s insistence that they were in no danger, and his detailed reminder of the huge bed, warm bath and extensive room service they were forgoing. With a promise to make it up to him – met with his doubtful snort – she led him to her quarters where she dimmed the lights, lit candles and put on a recording of her native Swahili music. Then she snuggled in the small bed with him, letting his warm body and strength chase away the lingering fear.
After several minutes of silence, with the smoke from his cigar wafting around her, Uhura asked, “So why does it take a priest to talk about Haven religion?”
“That’s what I like about you, Beauty,” Tomor said, then grinned as his hand cupped one of her breasts. “Well, one of the things. You’re tenacious.” But he didn’t say anything more.
She let herself get lost in the sensual movement of his fingers for a while, then leaned up, whispering in his ear, as breathily as she could, “So, sugar, why does it take a priest to talk about Haven religion?”
“Terms of the market,” he growled in answer, pulling her on top of him.
“Terms of the market my ass,” she returned writhing against him. She felt his grin, and one hand lifting, and added, “and don’t you dare.”
“But it’s such a tempting ass, Beauty,” Tomor chuckled.
“And if you want it to be more than a temptation, you’ll give me a straight answer.”
“Aw, Beauty, give an enforcer a break,” he sighed. “I’m not allowed, by the terms of my employment contract.”
“Gage won’t let you…?” Uhura began,
“No, the Emperor won’t let me,” the Haven interrupted.
Uhura pulled away to stare, wide-eyed, at him. “The Emperor?”
“All Security is under Imperial jurisdiction,” Tomor admitted. “It’s the only way we can stay neutral and do our jobs. Saford’s Hell, you think I’d get away with half the shit I do if I was actually paid by Lane Gage?”
Uhura grinned. “I guess I never thought of it that way.” She paused, then asked, “What about the Monolems?”
“Honey, in Haven business, you either work for the Monolems or you don’t work – at least not for long.”
“But you just said…”
“The Emperor’s a figurehead – but don’t spread that around, huh?”
“So you’re actually paid by…”
“The Emperor,” Tomor said decisively, then grinned. “It’s just that he gets his profit mostly from the Monolems.”
“Then how can you be neutral?”
Tomor sighed. “Beauty, you’re not listening. The Monolems run everything, so if I inconvenience one aspect of their holdings, I’m profiting another.”
“And that’s the Haven definition of neutral,” Uhura mused, shaking her head. “You people are crazy.”
“This particular Haven is crazy about you,” Tomor offered with a credible leer.
Uhura had to smile at that.
“Now, you said something about reimbursement, Beauty?” he murmured.
And she had to smile at that, too.
Not yet in need of a cold shower, and not wanting to be reminded of cold anything, Sulu instead set the water temperature as hot as he could stand it. Hoping to burn me away? whispered in his head, and he shut the voice out, and tried to re-erect the boxes around it as he had in the aftermath of the mission to infiltrate the Edenites. He found, to his dismay, that without the xenoneurophene filling his system, that was a much more daunting task. So he let the heat and steam surround him, breathing it in, forcing his thoughts to calm and silence.
Think you’re Vulcan now? What, did you get that by insertion? It was a reversal of Ruth’s somewhat crude but witty remark that she was Vulcan by injection.
Sulu shook his head, refusing to be drawn into a debate.
Well, good luck with the meditation. I don’t mind telling you that you can certainly use the rest. You’re not likely to get much – but then you already know that, don’t you? That’s why you were so generous in letting the Russian loser and poor, scared Daffy use the bed. What does she see in him?
Shut up, go away, leave me alone! Sulu groaned.
Shut up – no, I don’t think I will. You’ve kept me silent too long, and you know how talkative we can be. Go away – There was a deep snort.Tell me how and I’ll be glad to. Leave you alone – trust me, you don’t really want me to. You don’t want to know everything I know, to feel everything I’ve felt, to endure – damn, there’s that word again. Sulu shivered and the Divine Wind chuckled. It’s just below the surface, all the terrible secrets I keep for you. Should I show you? Just a peek, a small, delicious taste of… Before Sulu could even get the “NO!” out, Kam was laughing. Jesus, what a sensitive little slut you are – but then, that’s gotta be by insertion, too, doesn’t it?
Sulu fought the ripples of anger.
Ah, that’s the stuff, Kam crooned. I knew you weren’t a coward, even as pathetic as you are. And I do appreciate your strength – you don’t know how much – but let’s face facts. You’re gonna be here for a long, long time. Resha Lorelei is just biding her time, since that’s all she’s got. She’s got a whole feast of depravity ready for you, and there’s a sweet little appetizer just waiting in the other room. Daffodil is crazy-scared of me, but if I’m presented in the right circumstances – say, after you’ve charmed the panties off her… Doesn’t it gall you that she’s never succumbed? Doesn’t it tear at your gentle heart that I kept her from you when it could’ve been so good between you? She’s a beauty, and so delightfully sarcastic – a perfect match, really. Remember her at the Clave? So sharp and witty, making you fall all over yourself with laughter? And so skilled, so abundantly lascivious… You can feel that from her even without touching her, can’t you? Even without the memories in Cajun’s body, or Cobra’s – or even that half-witted Slavic puppy out there. She certainly deserves more than him. And if you play it just right…
SHUT UP! Sulu shouted.
Okay, Kam agreed easily. Whatever you want.
The sense of another mind faded, and Sulu took a shuddering breath. He let the water beat down on him, but couldn’t banish the desire that had begun to burn within him, or the truths. He had wanted Daffy all those years ago, and it did bother him that he’d never quite been able to break down her guard. And it really was due to her fear of Kam – she was far more fragile and vulnerable than she pretended to be. It was part of why she was so attracted to Chekov. The Russian at least seemed safe and tamable. And she wasn’t there on Dreamland when the black on black on black took him, he reminded himself. If she had been, would she have run from him, too? Or was their relationship strong enough to have survived it? Was she stronger now that she was older, and the sorrow and pain of the way Barak treated her had faded under Pavel’s solid if uninspired care?
It takes a strong woman to understand me, he murmured to himself. Maybe that’s why Daffy was so scared. Maybe it wasn’t really Kam, but her own weakness she feared. Maybe if I could show her that, she wouldn’t have to play the bitch with Chekov. Maybe she could find her real inner core and not have to try and break his. It might be good for her, it might be just what they both really need.
He turned off the water and got a towel. The idea of helping Daffy and Pavel’s tumultuous relationship was feeding his growing hunger, giving it a righteous and tender flavor, one he knew Daffy would respond to far better than simple charm and seduction. He moved to the door of the bathroom, not realizing either the arrogance or the flawed logic in his thoughts, or the difference between ‘want’ and ‘will’, and waited for Daffy to turn.
It took several minutes for her to notice him. At some point, she’d gotten out of bed long enough to reload her pipe and put on a silky negligee.
Mmmm… purred a voice in his head. Wrapping that candy up nicely for us.
Chekov was sound asleep on the bed beside her. Daffy was tracing lazy circles on the bare skin of the navigator’s back. She stopped abruptly when she became aware of Sulu’s eyes on her, as if embarrassed to be caught in the midst of an affectionate act.
Oh, Daf, he sighed silently. Within him, the sound had a distinctly more predatory sound.
Bolstered by this affirmation that things were not all they could be between his friends, Sulu tilted his head back so that the light from the bathroom would catch him and gave the chemist his most devastating smile. “All quiet on the Western Front?”
He was gratified to see it drew a blush to her cheeks. “For the moment,” she replied wryly, quickly regaining her composure with another puff on her pipe. “You feeling better?”
Sulu shrugged as he stopped by the mini-bar to pour two drinks. “I’m not feeling worse.”
“Small favors.” She traded her pipe for his glass as the helmsman lay down beside her on his stomach.
He let his leg accidentally rub against hers as he propped himself up on his elbows and inhaled deeply of the sweet Rigellian smoke.
“This is good,” the chemist pronounced after sipping the gold colored wine he’d offered.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.” Sulu gave her another smile. “I remember at the Clave you used to like mixed drinks. The crazier the combination, the more likely you were to be drinking it.”
“What a memory he has,” she said. Although her tone was cool, her cheeks were still slightly pink. “What can I say? Chemistry is a hobby as well as a profession.”
He let a warm silence fall between the two of them as he puffed on the pipe. “Speaking of hobbies,” he said softly, then paused. “I can’t quit thinking about the Clave.” It was said as a guilty admission, and got the reaction he wanted as she nodded sympathetically.
“I can see why it would be hard here…” She gestured vaguely around the room.
When he handed the pipe back to her, he made sure their fingers happened to slide past each other. “Back then, you and I never…”
“Screwed?” the chemist bluntly finished for him.
He heard the voice inside his head growl a little as he sipped on his wine. There was a vague, disturbing sense that this wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought, but he brushed it away. “I was going to say ‘connected,’ but that’s not really true, is it?” he said, looking into her eyes. “I know I always thought of you as a friend…”
She snorted. “And the only source in town for coral.”
“C’mon,” he chided, putting his wineglass down on the little side table beside the bed. “Be serious.”
Gollub took a long thoughtful drag on her pipe. “Why?”
Sulu closed his eyes. He was beginning to see why it took someone with Chekov’s thick skinned patience to get through to her. “Because,” he began and reached out as if he wanted to take the pipe from her, but left his hand clasped over hers. “I really want to know why you and I never…”
“Screwed?” she finished for him again, pushing the pipe into his hand.
“…Never took the time to get to really know each other,” he corrected patiently, although the growling in his head was getting louder. “Were you that scared of me?”
She shrugged. “That depends on how we’re defining ‘you,’ doesn’t it?”
“It’s all me, Daf,” he replied. It came out harsher than he’d intended, with perhaps a little too much emphasis on the word ‘all’. He took another drag on the pipe and waited for his emotions to mellow down a little. “And I’m going to have to face that.” He put down the pipe. “You can’t let being scared keep you from doing things. You can’t keep on running and hiding behind cynicism and sarcasm.”
She nodded and gave him a crooked half-smile. “Wanna bet?”
The thing inside Sulu wanted to cut the pretense and just rip that flimsy nightgown off her, but was well aware that wouldn’t accomplish what he wanted – for Daffy to come to him of her own accord. He kept his impatient hunger in check and let the seduction continue.
“You’re a strong, smart, beautiful woman, Daphne,” Sulu said, letting his hand rest on her leg. “You were wasted on Barak.”
“No argument there,” she replied with flip ease. However he noticed that the color in her cheeks got warmer and she made no move to remove his hand.
In a very deliberate gesture, he took it away himself. “Why wasn’t I good enough for you, Daf?”
His sincerity seemed to finally cut through her cynical façade. She glanced at him for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough for him to see the sudden vulnerability. She had the idea that she’d hurt him now, and was genuinely sorry for it. She shrugged in a way that didn’t quite conceal her self-conscious regret, and refilled her wine glass from his. “LeRoi had his court of devoted admirers,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes. “You didn’t need me.”
He let two fingers stroke her cheek before he gently turned her face back towards him. “Maybe I did,” he said, letting all his emptiness fill those words. “Maybe I do.”
“Sulu…” she began, her voice filled with sorrow.
“Not that I really blame you,” he whispered, lowering his gaze. “But whether it showed or not, I really felt alone sometimes. A crowd of devoted admirers isn’t the same thing as someone who really cares about you.” He looked into her mesmerized green eyes. “And I might have made how Barak treated you a little easier to bear. I know I wanted to, but you never let me, never wanted me to get close enough to even try.” He leaned in closer, his lips almost touching hers. “You were lonely, too, Daf,” he said ever so softly, “and sometimes I hurt so much for you…”
She didn’t resist when he kissed her. Her hand stayed gripped around the stem of the wine glass as he gently but insistently opened her lips. She still didn’t pull away when he brushed the strap of her negligee off her shoulder to expose her breast to his caresses. A little moan was all that passed her lips as he pushed the skirt up to spread her thighs.
That movement, however, was enough to disturb the other occupant of the bed, for as the helmsman sat up enough to loosen the towel at his waist, he found himself face to face with a very surprisingly awake and unsurprisingly angry Pavel Chekov.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Chekov demanded.
Daffy sat up abruptly, pulling her negligee back into place. Her head felt far fuzzier than it should have given the small amount she’d had to drink and smoke, and she stared accusingly at Sulu. “Yeah, what do you think you’re doing?” she reiterated.
The helmsman sighed. “Just trying to help…” he began.
“Yourself?” Daffy snapped.
“You,” Sulu returned.
Chekov folded his arms. “Oh really?”
“Pav, we were just…”
“I’m neither blind nor stupid, Sulu,” Chekov replied evenly.
Sulu moved to the side of the bed, away from both the Russian and the chemist. “It was affection, that’s all, and sympathy. We were talking about the Clave, and…”
“A rather dangerous choice of subjects considering the circumstances, yes?” Chekov rejoined. His brown eyes flashed to Daffy. “And your excuse, Dafshka?”
“I…I…” Gollub flushed angrily. “Look, bubee, you don’t own…”
“But someone does own him,” Pavel interrupted. “At the moment, two someones, one of whom would surely kill you for touching him.”
“I didn’t….!” Daffy began heatedly.
“I’ll never see her again,” Sulu put in sullenly.
“And that makes it all right to disregard her?” the Russian flared.
“Look, I’m sorry, all right?” Sulu snapped. “I’ve known Daffy a lot longer than you have, I know how fragile she is, how much Barak hurt her, and she’s always been too afraid to let anyone help her, particularly me, and I just didn’t want her to be afraid of me anymore!”
“So you attempt to seduce her…”
“I wasn’t…” Sulu stopped, then shuddered, his eyes closing. “Oh, god, I was. Daf, I’m sorry…”
“And he wonders why I steer clear of him,” Daffy muttered.
“But you weren’t,” Chekov pointed out grimly.
“Yeah, okay, so for a moment I fell under Kam’s spell,” the chemist retorted. “I won’t let my guard down again. Happy?”
“Not even a little,” the navigator assured her.
“That’s what I was trying to do,” Sulu said. “I was trying to get her to let her guard down, but it was for the two of you, for your relationship.”
“Yeah, right,” Daffy said.
Sulu glared at her, then rubbed his hands over his face and up through his still-damp hair. “That was part of it, whether you believe me or not,” he said. “And I am sorry for the other part.” I’m not, whispered in his head, and he shuddered again. “Can you just forgive me and chalk it up to Kam and let’s just move on?”
“Sulu, I am here to prevent these kind of occurrences,” Chekov stated firmly, “and if I’m to do that, I have to understand the trains of thought that lead you to act out. So tell me, how exactly did you think that seducing Daphne would help our relationship?”
Sulu groaned softly, tried to clear his head of the feel of Daffy’s lips and thigh and breast, and started talking.
“…and so I thought that if it wasn’t really me she was afraid of, if I could make her see how strong she really is, she wouldn’t have to fight against it with you. I thought if she could find her real inner core, she wouldn’t have to keep trying to push you away, she could accept your strength without having to challenge it all the time.”
Daffy was flushing furiously, Chekov singularly unmoved as Sulu finished his explanation.
“And how exactly would seducing her accomplish this?” the Russian asked.
“It would prove to her that she wasn’t afraid of me,” the helmsman responded tightly.
Chekov’s frown deepened and Daffy’s arm began moving in her usual reaction. Sulu caught her wrist before it could rise to the level of the back of his head.
“Don’t do that,” he snarled.
“And that doesn’t seem the tiniest bit illogical to you?” Chekov was continuing.
“No,” was the succinct answer.
“Hey, ouch,” Daffy put in as Sulu’s grip on her wrist tightened.
“Then perhaps you would be so good as to go over it in detail?” Pavel requested.
“It’s simple,” Sulu said, and his voice was pleasant, but very dark. “The fragile flower tries to hide herself in a casing of neutronium because inside she’s sweet, soft, luscious marshmallow and she knows it. You, my uninspired friend, let her get away with it because A) you’re too lazy to break through and B) you’re just as weak inside as she is.” He grinned, all teeth. “But hey, soft and gooey can work together really well. And I’m strong enough to crack that pretty shell for you, so I figured, why the hell not?” He turned to gaze mildly at Daffy. "Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
Gollub met his stare defiantly. “Ouch here,” she said, glancing pointedly at her arm.
Sulu’s smile widened. “I know,” he said, and Daffy gasped.
“Let her go,” Chekov snapped immediately.
“Make me,” Sulu challenged.
Pavel growled, and quickly raised his arm for a solid punch. His intended blow was countered just as swiftly, Sulu catching his fist and twisting it, forcing a grunt of pain from the Russian. Then Sulu stood, pulling Daffy off the bed and into a harsh kiss before releasing her.
“First rule of hand to hand, Chekov,” he said amiably. “Don’t telegraph your intention. That ridiculous macho growl was a dead giveaway.”
He strode across the room, dropping the towel casually, just as casually donning clothing as Chekov moved to stand in front of Daffy.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the navigator demanded.
Sulu turned, smiling again. “To see if Lady Luck still has the hots for me,” he said, and before the navigator could say another word, he was out of the suite.
With a disgruntled sigh, Pavel turned. “Get dressed, Daphne,” he muttered. “We have to stop him.”
The sights and sounds of the casino gave a thrill of excitement as Kam sauntered through the slot machines and gaming tables. His swagger added more sensuality to his clothing; a tight-fitting red-toned, open-collared shirt with short sleeves over brown, gold and black lace, and equally tight dark brown pants that had open lacing up the outside of both legs. There was a chill all around him, but it wasn’t making him at all cold. Rather, it had the opposite effect, and he got himself a glass of champagne and headed for the nearest Haven dealer, a lovely woman named Yim Korosan. He flirted outrageously, got an outrageous deal on several hits of amber and emerald and let one of each melt in the back of his mouth, making no promises to her suggestion that they meet later in her suite.
When he sat down at one of the poker tables, the dealer sighed, but nodded. Word of his lucky streak was all over the casino, and all employees had been briefed on who to look out for. Several of the available professionals on retainer at the hotel, both male and female, moved to stand around him and he gave each of them a devastating smile and welcoming kiss before turning his attention to his cards. The golden glow soon encased him, and before long, one of the women was perched on his knee, one of the men bending to place his arms around his neck and shoulders, both caressing his chest. The other players began betting more aggressively, obviously certain that the attention would distract him, but he kept winning nonetheless. He flipped lavish tips to those around him, handing out the poker chips as if they were worthless, receiving more attention and attracting an ever-larger crowd. At one point, he placed a chip between his lips, and beckoned to the woman on his lap. She smiled and took it from him, their lips meeting around it. Then he did the same with the young man standing behind him, but when he released the chip, the other quickly removed it from his lips, then swiftly reclaimed Sulu’s mouth in a deep, heady kiss. When it broke, Kam chuckled and flipped a chip of a larger denomination through his fingers up to the man.
“Down payment?” the pro asked silkily.
Kam only smiled, then pinched the luscious curves of the woman on his lap.
The cold sighed welcomingly through him.
Several more hands were played, with several more wins, and a tall Haven came over to the table and bent down. “The management wishes to see you, sir,” he said.
Kam lifted the woman from his legs and rose languidly, giving her a quick caress. “I’ll be back,” he promised, then said to the dealer, “Hold my cards,” and turned, again kissing the young man behind him before following the Haven through the casino.
Kelron Langortol watched the progress of LeRoi on his monitors, making doubly and triply sure that the handsome Terran wasn’t cheating. With the report from the CEO of the statistical anomalies in all the takes from the Lorelei casinos, he was understandably nervous. The racer’s winnings were screwing his curve all to hell, and with the Monolems watching so closely, he was well aware that he’d better come up with an explanation, and a good one. True, the winning streak was good for business – serious players would want to test themselves against hot shit, and casual ones would take it as a sign of this particular house’s largess and would be more eager to lose some to win big – but if the Human actually broke the bank… He’d already closed down one poker table the night before, and was well on his way to doing so again. Kelron actually found himself hoping that LeRoi was an unreported telepath, or had found some ingenious new way of fleecing the games. Either way, the man could be banned from wreaking further monetary devastation, and if the latter, the casino would gain valuable information which would surely ease the CEO’s nerves.
When the enforcer arrived, escorting LeRoi, Kelton stood, holding out his hand amiably. The Terran didn’t shake it. He only smirked and threw himself down into a chair in front of Kelron’s desk.
“I’m Kelron Langortol,” the Haven said as he retook his seat. “And you are…?”
“You know who I am,” the Human replied.
So much for pleasantries, Kelron thought. “LeRoi Kamikaze,” he began again, “perhaps you’d care to explain just how your luck has been so extraordinary.”
“Are you making an official accusation?” Kamikaze drawled.
Kelron swore silently. The man knew Haven culture. “No – not yet,” he answered with a smile. “This is just an inquiry.”
The Terran smiled lazily. “Resha ransha,” he said: the Resha are open to me.
Kelron pursed his lips. “Are they now?”
Kamikaze gestured around him. “Ask her.”
A sudden chill swept over the room and Kelron blanched. He’d had little experience with the resha, but when Kenesha’s priestess had come more than a year before to inform all the Haven operators on Lorelei that one of them was now guide and guardian of their profit, there had been the same cold sensation. That, coupled with the fact that Loki Monolem had also told them not to mention the resha in their quarterly reports, made his blood freeze.
It took a while for him to get his voice back, and when he did, he only prayed that it was as urbane as it should be. “Well, then, sir, continued runs on your personal markets.” He tried for a warm smile. “I’d offer you a stake on the house, but you’ve already won more than would be standard.”
The Human rose, his smile as cold as the room. “Understood, Mr. Langortol. I would appreciate a couple of magnums of champagne sent to my suite, along with a few bottles of Junmai Daiginjo sake with a warmer and three cups. And three or four bottles of Pravda. And a pound or two of your best Rigellian.”
“Of course, LeRoi,” Kelron replied. “Anything else?”
“I think I can take care of the rest myself,” Kamikaze grinned.
“Done, sir.”
“Thanks for the chat,” the Terran said, and turned, moving with sensual grace out of the office.
When he had gone, Kelron sat back at his desk, and had to take several deep breaths to dispel the lingering chill.
Daffy Gollub gritted her teeth. “If you dare say one fucking word to me…” she threatened, not looking at her lover as she stormed to the wardrobe.
Chekov frowned at back of her head. “What will happen? Perhaps you will be angry with me? Perhaps as angry as I am with you?”
“I can’t fucking believe you’re fucking trying to fucking blame this on me,” she growled, tearing into her closet for something appropriate to wear Kam-chasing.
“Oh, why would I do that?” The navigator asked heatedly as he dug into the bureau where his clothes were stowed. “When your behavior was so far from being reprehensible…”
Gollub threw a couple dresses that didn’t suit her at the far wall. “So I was just asking for it, huh? Is that what you’re fucking saying?”
The Russian pulled on a pair of pants so roughly that he tore the top fastener loose. “You were drinking, smoking an hallucinogen, and dressed only in a nightgown…” he began, casting the fastener down impatiently as he searched for a second pair of pants.
“So I’m a reprehensible, drunken, wasted slut who was just asking for it!” she shot back. “Is that it?”
The navigator dodged a pair of shoes that whizzed past his head. “No, of course not,” he said, unfazed, “but given the circumstances, your behavior was dangerously incautious and irresponsible.”
“What about you?” she demanded hotly, jerking on the only garment left in the closet blindly. “You were just laying there naked.”
Chekov frowned at her as he shouldered into a shirt. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“Oh, you’ll see when he comes after you,” Gollub assured him with grim satisfaction as she pulled on a pair of hose.
“I… he…” the navigator stammered. “He.. he… he would not do that… Would he?”
The chemist paused and gave her lover a contemptuous once over. “No, you’re probably right. He wouldn’t come on to you. You’re not his type.”
“Oh?” Chekov managed to sound relieved and insulted all at once.
“Yeah, he doesn’t go for sanctimonious little self-involved pricks,” she replied, then corrected half to herself, “Well, not most of the time…”
“Be that as it may,” Chekov continued, reaching for his boots. “If we are to deal with this Kamikaze….persona… and whatever phenomena is causing all this… disorder… then we must continually be on guard…”
“Shut the fucking fuck up already,” Gollub growled, searching the nightstand for her earrings. “You fucking ass. I am so fucking broken up with you.”
“Oh, that goes without saying.” Chekov raked a comb through his hair grimly. “I assumed as much automatically as soon as I woke up and Sulu had his hands between your….”
“Fuck you!” Gollub threw her boots at the navigator.
He ducked and the two of them stood glaring at each other for a moment.
“Actually,” Daffy said tightly as she pointed to her violently discarded footwear. “I’m going to wear those, so could you..?”
The navigator sighed long-sufferingly and tossed the boots back to her.
“And you have your shirt on wrong-side out,” she informed him. “Dumbass.”
The Russian rolled his eyes and began to unfasten the garment.
“I am not, of course, “ he began drawing a deep calming breath, “trying to imply that you deserved any…unwelcome advances. That was unacceptable behavior on his part for which you are not to blame.”
“Well, thanks a fuckload for admitting that,” Gollub said, sitting down to pull on her boots.
“All I am saying is that you were careless to put yourself in such a vulnerable position with him when you know what this… person is capable of…”
“Oh, shut up,” the chemist said irritably. “You were asleep. You don’t know what happened.”
Chekov crossed his arms. “What did happen?” he asked and she could hear the plaintive note of wounded trust and fearful protectiveness in his voice.
“I… I can’t really explain it,” she admitted. “This place… That dead bitch… It’s affecting all of us.”
Gollub could also easily decipher the note of disbelief in her lover’s exhale. “It’s affecting you, too,” she confirmed, turning to face him. “It has since you got here.”
“I have noted no abnormal reactions,” he rebutted, fastening up his shirt.
“Except for the fact that you want to screw constantly,” she pointed out.
Pink spots began to burn in the navigator’s cheeks. “I am on leave,” he replied defensively.
“I’ve been on leave with you where all you wanted to do was to drink, sleep, and watch sports.”
“I… I… we…” The Russian sat down on the edge of the bed. “We usually…”
“Yeah, but we’ve been “usually-ing” every two hours or so since we got here,” she said. “That’s a bit much…even for us. Hell, you’re turned on right now.”
“No, I’m not,” he denied automatically.
“All this fighting has been nothing but foreplay for you,” she accused, letting her voice drop to a sensuous growl. “Hasn’t it?”
The navigator’s blush deepened. “Daphne, that is a preposterous and somewhat offensive suggestion. I would never….”
The chemist interrupted him by pushing him on to his back on the bed and fastening onto his lips with an aggressive kiss. Within seconds, his hands were clutching her hips eagerly as he pressed her close and responded with uncontrollable hunger.
Smiling nastily, she pulled her head back. “You were saying?” she asked with a smug grin.
“I need to make love to you now, doushka,” he said, kissing her throat.
“So I was completely right and you were completely wrong?” she asked as he opened the back of her dress.
“Yes, yes,” he agreed, caressing her naked flesh impatiently.
As he rolled her onto her back, Gollub remembered that there was something else they should be worried about. “What about Sulu?” she asked between hard kisses that left her breathless.
“Oh, he is probably just going to play cards,” the navigator mumbled against her breast.
“We should…” she began, but had stopped really caring before she got to the end of the sentence.
“I need to apologize first,” the Russian whispered into her ear as he stripped off his clothing. “I was thoughtless. You deserve a very, very, very proper apology.”
“Oh, fuck propriety,” she grinned, helping him out of his pants. “I’ll take any sort of apology you got… so just make it a long, hard one.”
Neither one of them noticed how cold the room had grown.