[USS Tempest] A New Lease on Life
- From: TKilyle@xxxxxxx
- To: ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, usstempest@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:33:44 EST
A New Lease on Life
by Pas Kaartaren, Jesse Orosco, Mei Quon, Tawa Pax, & Rini Midorikawa
It was something of a novelty for Pas. Someone had actually asked to see
him. Granted it wasn't a member of his own crew but, considering who it was
anyway, he wasn't going to turn the man down. Tempest's counselor had left a
message asking to speak to him privately. That in itself wasn't necessarily
unusual but at least two things stood out to Pas. One was the fact that the
young man had a rather noticeable bruise on one cheek bone. The other was the
sense of defeat, humiliation, and loneliness that emanated from him. That
was why he found himself searching Deep Space Nine's Promenade for one Jesse
Orosco. He finally noticed the younger counselor sitting on the upper deck,
his feet hanging over the edge as his chin rested on the rail.
Jesse barely looked up when he heard footsteps but he did offer Pas a wan
smile. "Glad you could make it, Doc."
"My pleasure," Pas said with an easy warmth. "Mind if I join you?" At the
younger man's nod, he sat next to him, enjoying the view below even as he
took stock of Jesse's mental state. "Nice view," he said after a while. At
Jesse's non-committal grunt, he added, "Nice shiner."
"Yeah, well, that's why I asked to see you." His eyes never left the
scenery below. "I screwed up. Bad."
"That much I can tell without asking. First, before anything else, let me
ask if you're physically hurt. Beyond the obvious that is," Pas said, the
part of him that was a physician knowing that some injuries weren't always
visible.
"It's alright. It's been a while so I guess I'll live," Jesse shrugged. "I
really screwed up, Doc. Getting arrested was bad enough but they wouldn't
release me until somebody from the ship got me in person."
"It happened here on the station then?" Pas asked curiously.
"Quark's."
Pas cringed slightly. He hadn't been there himself but he'd heard enough.
"Ouch. Alright, Jesse, tell me what happened: the whole thing," the older
counselor said firmly.
Jesse did as he was asked and told him everything. Well, not everything
really. His holodeck visitor and that entirely surreal conversation just
didn't
seem to need to be described. What happened afterwards, though, did. "I'd
swear on my original Louisville Slugger that I had no idea that the beer in
that program was real," he said earnestly, practically begging Pas to believe
him. "A man can drink quite a few of them at a game if it's hot enough. So,
I did just that and then had what I thought was my first real one at Quark's
afterwards."
"All of which effected your judgement rather severely and one thing led to
another..."
"Exactly." Jesse sunk his head into his hands with a groan. "Captain Craig
is so ticked that she not only put me off the ship, she's also sending me on
an away mission, to some god forsaken hell hole in the Delta Quadrant. Then
maybe I'll be allowed back on."
"No choice in the matter?"
"Sure if you consider packing up and going home a choice. This is my first
shipboard assignment," Jesse explained. "I just got aboard before the start
of the children's rescue. I deserve the job even if it doesn't seem that
way. And, you know, I told Captain Craig she could doubt my fitness as an
officer but that I am good at my job."
"You actually said that?"
"Yes but I wasn't in the position to argue further, not behind a brig force
field. I'll take the assignment but..."
"But?" Pas prodded gently.
"But..oh, I don't even know why I asked you here. I'm sorry for wasting
your time, Doc."
"Jesse, you aren't wasting my time," Pas finally said, laying a hand on the
younger man's shoulder. "This is what I'm here for, what you'd be there for,
too. You're doing the mature and proper thing. You admit that you messed
up and you're taking your punishment."
Jesse nodded slowly. "I just feel..." He shrugged helplessly. "Except
for the one person I saw earlier, I feel like I've been exiled to Bogeyland.
I'm the ship's counselor and I can't even talk to the crew. What good am I
right now?"
There it was, Pas thought. This was an outgoing, friendly, and sociable
young man who thrived on both his odd obsession with games and on sentient
contact. The kid was, he told himself, lonely. He sat with his index fingers
tapping his mouth in thought until an idea struck him.
"Jesse, I know for a fact that the Marines from both our ships are having a
ball. One of ours is also going on the same mission you are," Pas began.
"It might mean wearing your dress uniform but I could have a word with Field
Marshal Quon if you'd like to go. It might help you get a feel for the sort
of
people you'll be working with. It might also just give you something to
do."
Jesse straightened up a bit, a look of intense curiosity replacing the gloom
that had been hanging over him. "Hmm...that's different, especially since I
have nothing against Marines, unlike some people. And you're right, it might
be a nice change of scenery."
"Good man, Jess," Pas said, with a clap on Jesse's shoulder. "Come with me.
If you aren't partial to the accommodations here on station, I might even
be able to get you temp quarters on Georgetown."
"Thanks, Doc, I appreciate the help," Jesse said, a smile starting to
appear.
"I told you, Jess, it's a pleasure. Now, just bear with me a moment." Pas
tapped his comm badge. "Kaartaren to Quon."
"Quon here."
"Ma'am, I know your Marines are having a ball this evening. I have a
colleague with me who will be joining Sergeant Major Aigremont on that away
mission
and I thought if the young man could attend the ball, it might give him an
insight as to what sort of people he would be working with," Pas replied.
"That is a fair idea," Mei conceded. "Who is the visitor?"
"The lieutenant commander's name is Jesse Orosco, ma'am," Pas replied,
offering Jesse a smile that said 'so far, so good'. "He's Tempest's
counselor."
She recognised that name so she consulted her security report for that day
and her sigh was audible over the comm. "He may come aboard but he must have
a security escort at all times. There is a general warning out against him
from his captain."
Pas could see the color rushing to his young colleague's face and the look
he shot Jesse was one that usually worked on his daughter. It said 'quiet
for a minute or else'. "I'd ask if that was a joke but I know better," he
said
dryly. "I think it's a bit of an extreme measure."
"As do I, Counsellor," Mei said with a slight sigh. "But I must follow
procedure. I believe the lady was quite irate and implicit. I can offer
Marines or Security."
Pas ignored Jesse's ceilingward glance of exasperation and mouthed 'which
one' to which the equally silent reply of 'Security' came. "The Marines ought
to all be busy getting ready for this function so Security will do, ma'am.
The good captain's reasoning aside, I don't think the counselor will be too
much trouble at all."
"Neither do I, especially not in a hanger full of Marines," Mei said with a
sniff. "I will send the Security detail to the airlock. Quon out."
"My god," Jesse finally groaned. "I half expect my parents to call and tell
me that my picture's hanging up in the post office."
"Now that would be entirely too extreme even in this case. Come on, Jesse,
it'll be fine. Our Security bunch isn't bad at all," Pas told him. "Neither
are our Marines so let's go."
It took a few minutes but Rini was bouncing up to the airlock soon enough.
"Hi Tawa," she chimed. "I'm here as an escort for a Lieutenant Commander
Orosco?"
"Isn't that the counselor from Tempest?" Tawa asked. "What's he need an
escort for?"
"No idea," Rini shrugged. "Though I heard from my friend over in Station
Security that he ended up in their Brig. She said she could've cringed at the
dressing down Captain Craig gave him. Maybe this is part of his punishment."
"Ouch. I've been in similar situations," Tawa agreed with a sympathetic
cringe. He nodded at the door. "Two walking up and one's Dr. Kaartaren. He
must be the other." After verifying the official comm badge IDs as well as
retinal scans stored on the central computer, the opened the airlock door.
Rini smiled brightly at the two officers. "Hi!" she chimed as she offered
out her hand to Jesse. "I'm your tour guide for today. My name's Rini but
if you prefer the more formal approach, I'm Ensign Midorikawa." She gave him
a cheeky grin, "and considering the mouthful that can be, I'd recommend the
informal approach."
"Hi, I'm the criminal in question," Jesse said with a smirk. "Rini will do
if you don't mind but the name's Jesse, JD or even Jess. Sorry you got stuck
with this."
"Not stuck," Rini grinned, "I like meeting new people. Though, please don't
ask me for directions, I have a useless sense of them, we'd be lost within
minutes."
Pas had to smile. Walking by her was like a breath of fresh air and he
couldn't help but notice that Jesse was at least momentarily distracted by
that
as well. "Rini, I leave the counselor here in your capable hands. Just make
sure he doesn't get lost getting to that ball later."
"Oh..." She blinked and couldn't help the feeling of disappointment in her s
tomach. "You're going to the ball?" she asked carefully. That meant she'd
be on duty during it and she'd have to wear her uniform and wouldn't have the
chance to enjoy it. Oh well, she thought as she brightened up a little, I'm
sure it'll happen again.
Jesse nodded toward Pas. who was heading up the corridor. "His suggestion
since I'm getting banished with a team going back to that POW camp in the GQ.
The mission's being run by a Marine and one of yours is going to be on the
team," he explained. The same look of a shame faced ten year old came over
him again. "I'm sorry about al this. It's not your fault and you're getting
stuck with a misbehaving overgrown kid."
"It's okay," she shrugged. "It's just..." She sighed heavily, a wistful
look in her eyes. "I'd been invited and I had this dress all picked out. I
was going down to the station later to pick it up. I hope I can get my
deposit
back. Now I'm on duty, I'll be in uniform." Then something occurred to her
and she grinned brightly. "I wonder if I'd get away with wearing Whites."
"Compromise," Jesse said with just a hint of a smile. "Far be it from me to
guess how you do your job but I have seen other female Security officers
work in evening clothes. I don't see why you can't unless there's a specific
ban."
"Well only if you come with me to pick them up," she giggled. "I can't
leave my post, now can I?"
"Sure, why not? So long as we give Tempest a wide berth, I'll go just about
anywhere so long as we're back on time," he said with a shrug. "I'm not a
ticking time bomb, Rini. I'll behave."
"I am," Tawa said mildly. "I'll misbehave for you, Counselor."
"You won't," Rini chimed as she batted her lashes at Tawa. "You're far too
pretty to be a problem for me, right?"
Tawa snorted at that. "I've been a demerit or two short of getting tossed
for the last year."
Jesse actually almost laughed. The ensign certainly knew his own strengths
and weaknesses. "Do me a favor then, Ensign, and don't get into trouble when
I'm around. I would hate to have the black cloud hanging over me get any
thicker."
"Hey, gloomy people," Rini laughed as she nudged both of them. "Mind not
raining all over me? You're getting me wet and I don't have my umbrella."
Jesse almost yelped, surprised as he was at the nudge. "Alright, alright.
What can I say? Rain's bad for playing outside any way."
"Say you're leaving then," Tawa hmmphed with a smirk for Rini.
"We're leaving," Rini declared. "I need to go down to the station and as
I'm now on duty all night, we may as well do it now. Coming?" she asked Jesse
though she knew he had little option.
"Lead the way. Might as well pick up my dress whites while we're out. I
hope they're still there. Captain said she sent all my things down there
after
all."
"I'm sure she's not that vindictive," Rini chimed. She really couldn't
think badly of anyone.
"She kicked me off the ship and she's sending me off for a while. I'd say
that was pretty vindictive. Reminds me of when we were kids and my brother
and I would get shipped to Grandma's," he said wryly.
"Don't you think it'll be fun then?" Rini asked. "I think every new
experience is fun, even if it's meant to be punishment. It's all in the way
you
look at it. You'll be meeting new people, seeing new things, doing something
different and giving yourself the opportunity to show her how good you are."
She shrugged. "It's all about perspective."
"You know, that's the one thing I said in my defence. I'm good at my job
even if I apparently lack as an officer. I have no doubt but this'll be a
learning experience, though I doubt it will fit into my pet theories." Then
he
actually just about smiled. "Not as much fun as Grandma's house that's for
sure."
"Why not make it fun?" Rini asked as they both sauntered onto the station
and she moved them to the dress shop.
"Make it fun? Now, how..." He trailed off as he really began to mull over
the idea. He realized his own idea of enjoyment was not the same as everyone
else's but there were always things that could be learned to be common. "I
suppose it depends on what the daily activity log looks like but I bet not
too many of them will have thought to do anything communal after the day's
end.
I'd say baseball but it depends on the climate."
"There you are then!" Rini grinned, her dark eyes dancing as she steered him
toward the shop. She smiled sweetly at the owner. "I ordered a dress for
Midorikawa."
He looked around from where he stood. "It ought to be fun just to see the
looks I get. You know not so much the how the hell did you get stuck here
looks so much as the games and fun. No disrespect to my colleagues but most
Fleet counselors are not a very amusing bunch."
"Amen to that," Rini giggled. "Though Dr Kaartaren is nice."
The assistant came out with a long red dress done in a Japanese style.
"Would you like to try it on?"
She glanced at Jesse. "Mind?"
"Go right ahead," he said with a smile. "I promise to stay right here and
behave myself. I won't even look around because this just isn't my style of
attire after all."
She grinned brightly and grabbed the dress. "Thanks! I'll be right back."
Disappearing into a booth, she changed quickly, slithering into the silk of
the dress. She did a small spin in the changing room and smiled then bounced
out. "What d'you think?" she asked as she did a small turn for him in her
figure hugging, elegant dress.
Jesse did a double take. The woman was attractive enough to begin with but
Fleet uniforms did little for her figure. "Wow!" he said with a low whistle.
"Now that's just stunning. You have to wear that tonight."
"So I won't embarrass my escort for this evening?" she teased as she bounced
over to the show rack and tried on a pair of pumps that increased her height
slightly. Giving an experimental bounce on them, she kicked them off and
tried on a flat pair of strappy sandals. "Better," she mused, doing a little
spin. "Least I know I can kick your ass in these," she laughed brightly.
Then he really did laugh. "I'm not sure if it's proper to say so to one's
guard but you look absolutely spiffy and I have no doubt that you could do in
flats or heels," Jesse said brightly.
"Now that's definitely a sound I want to hear more often," she declared as
she sauntered off to get changed. Poking her head out of her booth, she
grinned. "You have a nice laugh, it makes your eyes dance."
"Thanks," he said with a grin. "Believe me, I'm not usually the doom and
gloom sort but this whole thing shook me hard." As he waited, he rocked back
and forth on the balls of his feet. "More the laid back and casual sort you
know."
When she was finished, she draped her dress over her arm and bopped out.
"Thanks," she said to the shop assistant. "Can you put this on my account and
I'll settle it tomorrow?" When the man nodded, she beamed and bounced up to
Jesse. "All done, sorry about that. Do we need to find your Whites?"
"Hopefully they're with the things that got beamed down," he said with a
nod. "I was assigned a standard visiting officer's quarters and I still
haven't
looked to make sure everything was safe and sound." He held out an arm.
"You want me to carry that?"
"Oh, a gentleman too!" she chimed. She gave him the box with her dress in
it but kept the sandals. "Share then?"
"My parents would be mortified if I wasn't," he said as he took the box from
her. Waking with her toward the exit, and quite literally with her because
he didn't want anyone to think he was trying to elude his escort, Jesse
hmmphed softly. "I might be a grown man but I have the feeling they'd take
issue
with me not behaving properly."
"That include getting drunk and having to be thrown in the Brig?" she teased
as she put her hand on his arm and giggled. "Because, you know, then I
wouldn't be getting such a charming escort for the ball."
He gave a self deprecating little laugh. "My dad would probably shake his
head and ask what the hell I was thinking. As for my mom, well, I'm sure the
other side of my head would still be sore from her smacking me right upside
it and calling me an idiot." He patted her hand gently. "Then she'd want to
know who got her boy in trouble."
Rini decided she liked this strange man. He was a little sad but she could
understand that and it just made her want to cheer him up. "Just so long as
you tell her it wasn't me," she giggled. "I don't think my head would
survive being rung like a bell."
"Nah," Jesse said with an easy smile. "She's really a great lady. I mean,
she puts up with me, my brother, and my dad and she's still sane. Go figure."
"Just think what my parents had to contend with," Rini giggled. "I'm a
triplet, so a set of twins and me."
"Really? Now that's different," he remarked. He looked over at her
curiously. "All three girls?"
"Nope, two brothers and me," she chimed. "We are pretty unique too."
"You mean aside from being triplets? I don't think I've ever met a set of
those before," he mused as he turned down a corridor that had, when he left
looked cold and dark.
"Oh yeah, we're definitely different," she giggled though she didn't tell
him why. Her eyes danced as she looked around. "You know, I don't think I've
ever been on the habitat ring of this station. When I signed onto the
Georgetown, I moved straight in."
"I had no intention of seeing it either," he said ruefully. "Judging from
the architecture, it looks like this is a part of the Cardassian design. The
angles and arcs are all wrong to the psyche of the Bajorans. I have to hand
it to them, though. They've adapted so well and made it their own."
"Though it's still kind of attractive in a stark way," Rini said with a
shrug. "I've only met one Cardassian and she said she wasn't really one. She
said she was sort of a fusion."
"A fusion? See now I'm glad I met you even if it's because I got in
trouble. You know really interesting people," Jesse pronounced. "I've never
met a
Cardassian never mind a fusion one."
"There's some interesting people on Georgetown," she agreed. "It's a shame
I'm leaving soon though. We're doing a personnel swap and because I was the
new girl, I got stuck with it. Last in, first out. I move over to Tempest
at some point though I have no idea of the time-scale."
"Are you really?" Jesse asked brightly. He stopped in front of what he
hoped was his door and leaned on the wall. "That's great. It'll be nice to
see
a pretty--I mean friendly face."
She blushed profusely and couldn't help but giggle. "You slipped,
Counsellor," she teased. "Is it a pretty or a friendly face you're interested
in?"
"Would it be terribly unprofessional and un-counselor-like if I said both?"
he asked as he keyed open the security code on the door.
Butterflies chose that moment to start doing cartwheels in her stomach.
She'd never been called pretty by someone who wasn't family before, especially
not someone who had a cute smile and was quite handsome, now she came to think
about it. "Terribly unprofessional," she chimed, "but I won't tell if you
don't tell that I think my charge is cute too."
He grinned at that, totally ignoring the bland sterility of the temporary
rooms. "Ah, see, I like compromises like that," he said brightly. Setting
the
box down on the very bland table, he stood with his hands at his waist,
looking around at the boxes. "Well, some one was very neat. Everything's
labeled."
"And alphabetised," Rini observed as she put her shoe box on the floor.
"Want me to make us tea or something while you work out which one's got your
dress uniform in it? I make a killer green tea with mango."
"Sounds great, like something I used to get at home," he said with a smile.
Stepping around one of the boxes, he said, "I would bet that it was the
captain's aide who did this. That man's probably organized on general
principal.
Well, here's a box labeled 'clothing' and 'uniforms'. What? Uniforms
aren't clothes?"
"Maybe uniforms are more uniformy than clothy?" Rini offered as she found
the small replicator and ordered a small pot with two cups and a packet of
green tea. Then she ordered dried mango and hot water. "Kind of like hot
dogs
at a baseball match are more junk food than food, you know?"
He'd already opened the box marked 'uniforms' but Jesse straightened up at
that, a wide grin on his face. "Now that is an analogy that I really like,"
he said brightly. "Ah ha, here it is. I know it fits but I can't remember
the last time I wore it."
"And here's the tea," she said sweetly as she offered him a cup.
Dropping the uniform bag on top of the box, he accepted the cup and inhaled
the aroma. "Smells good," he said with a smile. "Do you always make tea
from scratch that way?"
"Yeah, it tastes better," she shrugged. "Personally, if we were in my
cabin, I'd be using real leaves and the only thing I'd replicate would be the
water."
Jesse sat down on the utilitarian sofa and shook his head, the tea still in
his hands. He took a sip then a deeper one. "Oh, now that's very good. I
like it!" he said with a smile. He nodded with some disgust at the rest of
the room. "I have an honest to God coffee maker in the boxes somewhere along
with real coffee and real tea. I know what you mean about the real stuff."
She perched next to him, her legs drawn up under her. "You can come back
with me after the party, if you like," she offered innocently. "I have real
coffee too, though I don't drink it. My brothers do so I always keep it with
a
coffee maker. You're welcome to sleep on my couch."
He considered that very carefully. It might only be a couch but it was a
couch some place that had personality and warmth. Without even seeing her
place, he knew that was the case. He couldn't imagine any place she lived as
being boring or sterile. "I might like that," he mused. "You have no idea
how
many times I'd fall asleep on my own couch, my one nod to laziness when I
just didn't want to get up and go to bed."
"I'm still decorating, sort of," she warned. "I'm not really bothering with
my full redec because I'm not on board long, but I've put up my brother's
paintings and my prints from home. Plus I've got my silk throw so you'll be
very cozy."
Jesse put on his best well behaved Boy Scout smile. "Careful, Rini, you
might just end up with a permanent guest til I get sent off to Bogeyland."
"I don't mind!" she chimed. "You're cute and funny. You can stay as long
as you like."
"Your room-mates won't mind? I know one of our Marine quads has something
along the line of six staying over rather than four because our CMO, at the
least, lives there," he explained. "I've pissed off enough people. I don't
want more being mad simply for tripping over me."
"I don't have a roomie," she shrugged. "I had one when I first moved in but
she got promoted and no one's told me someone else is moving in. I guess
that means you can use the other room, come to think of it."
"If that happens, it's only unofficially. I have the feeling Captain Craig
would have a fit," he said ruefully before taking another sip. "This really
is good. But, yeah, I'd just be some unofficial couch sleeper, which would
probably suit her really well. Anything else might cause trouble between her
and your captain."
"Why can't you be my guest?" she asked softly, her eyes dancing as she
poured herself more tea. "If you were a real date and stayed in my room,
wouldn't
that be different?" Then she blinked at what she'd said and blushed
profusely. "Not that I'm offering... I'm really not that forward... Oh my, I
must
sound terrible."
To his own surprise, Jesse felt his own cheeks warm. "No," he said gently.
"Not terrible at all. I, ah, might not mind so why not see where this goes?"
It hadn't been what she'd meant at all. All she'd meant was as an example:
if they'd been partners, it would be okay for him to stay. But now she came
to think about it, now she came to actually out thought into the whole thing,
she found she quite liked the idea.
"Sure... But I really didn't mean to sound so forward," she said with a
bright smile. "But you are quite cute so I guess there's no harm done."
"You know what? There isn't any harm done at all since I'm the
unprofessional counselor who called you both friendly and pretty," he said
brightly.
"And you are. But let's get out of here. I'll take my shaving kit and stick
it
in with the uniform."
"Okay!" she chimed, bouncing to her feet and taking the cups and other stuff
to the reclamator. "You can dump it all at mine and we can get ready for
the party! Hey, I'm really loving this duty now. I was only going to get
half
an hour to prepare, now I get all afternoon!"
He stood up and gave a stretch that did something for him both mentally and
physically before rummaging through another box to find the shaving kit he'd
mentioned. "Well if the dress shop was any sort of preview, then tonight
will be absolutely successful," Jesse said as he picked up his uniform bag and
her dress bag. "Just do me a favor. If we run into my captain on our way
over, make sure I look miserable."
"I will do my very best to be the proper jailer," she giggled as she grabbed
her shoe box. "Can I take anything? You look overloaded there."
"Nah, I'm fine. I remember what you said about directions, though," he said
with an innocent grin. "Now you have a free hand for a map."
"Map? Are you kidding me?" She let out a bright laugh. "I can't read a
map. I am completely useless at reading a map. I was following you before so
I have no idea where we are. You're going to have to find our way back or
we're going to be stuck here forever."
He snorted with absolute amusement. "Yeah I think I can find my way," Jesse
said as he headed for the exit. "But how come you're so directionally
challenged? That must have been awfully hard on you in the Fleet survival
training. Even I had to do that."
"I partnered with someone who knew where they were going," she admitted with
a chuckle. "The only place I know is Tokyo, which is kinda ironic since
most people get lost there even when they grew up there. Dad thinks it's
because I'm so used to a place being so complicated that I can't cope when
somewhere is easy to get out of."
"Now I've been to Tokyo, to the old baseball stadium, but I have to admit I
went right to the transporter station there." He looked at her curiously as
they walked. "What's so complicated, if I might ask? You seem very well
adjusted."
"You'd understand if you'd ever tried to follow a road map of Tokyo," she
snickered. "Nothing is straight forward in Tokyo, all the roads are just all
over the place and none of the numbering is sequential. It's kind of a
metaphor for the Japanese mind set: logically illogical."
He tilted his head like a curious cat at that. "You know," he mused, "I
like that expression. It sounds just about right."
Rini giggled at his expression. "You're cute when you look like that," she
laughed.
"My brother calls it my meerkat look," he said with a chuckle. "He's a
zoologist after all."
"Curious dragon," she teased. "That's what I'll call that look."
"Dragon, eh? Alright, that sounds better than meerkat. Those things are
cute but dragons sound much more fierce," he chuckled. "Almost makes me wish
they were real. Meerkats are pettable that way after all."
"You're not pettable?" she asked sweetly. "Shame, since I was kinda
intending..."
Now he wished his hands weren't full of uniform bags. Still, he managed to
walk just a little closer to her as they approached the docking area where
her ship was. "I think," he said in a soft voice, "that Counselor and
Lieutenant Commander Orosco aren't pettable since they're in deep trouble.
Jesse, on
the other had, is pettable. He's definitely pettable."
She put her hand on his shoulder to slow him down and she leaned up to put a
soft kiss on his cheek. "I promise not to pet either the Lieutenant
Commander or the Counsellor."
If she'd made him smile before, the one that he gave her just then outshone
all the previous ones. "Thanks," he said almost shyly. "Now I may have to
work really hard to look like I'm not having fun later."
"I could put my new sandals on and practice kicking your ass," she offered
with an innocent smile but a definitely slipping halo.
"You would, too, I bet," he said delightedly. "You know, don't believe what
you read in that security report when you read it. I'm not a violent man.
Stupid and not grown up but definitely not violent."
"I'll be sure to read it now," she laughed. "I'm sure it makes interesting
reading. Trust me on this, though, it really doesn't matter if you do get
out of hand tonight. The Marines aren't the ones to worry about. I am. I'm
a master black belt in kendo and ju jitsu."
"No, no," he said, shaking his head as they approached the station side of
the airlock. "What I meant was I'm not the idiot I acted like. Trust me.
You're smart enough to judge on what you see rather than simply on what you
read but I thought it'd only be fair to warn."
"And warned I am!" she chimed. She gave the Bajoran still on duty a bright
and breezy grin. "Can we get back, please?"
"Aren't you supposed to be in trouble, Commander?" the man asked, eyeing
Jesse's full arms.
"My friend, I'm carrying my dress uniform. If you think having to wear
Fleet whites is fun and if you think standing around while a woman shops is
fun,
then our species are much further apart than I thought," Jesse said
completely dead pan.
"Right," the Bajoran said with a snort as he keyed in the code to let them
pass.
"Oh please," Rini snorted. "You act like men hate it when we shop. All you
lot ever do is complain."
He waited until the airlock was completely closed and then Jesse leaned
against the wall, snickering. "Actually, I don't mind the shopping bit. Had
to
put on the front like I was a repentant criminal after all."
"I know," she bounced. "I just had to be huffy, like I'd dragged you all
over the station or something."
"You know, you're a lot of fun, Rini," he said brightly as he stood up
straight again. "I think I'm going to miss you already."
Her head tilted to the side and she actually frowned, a sadness appearing in
her eyes. "I'm going to miss you too."
He stopped just before they would have been in sight of Georgetown's end of
the tunnel. Shifting one of the garnet bags to his other arms, he reached to
touch her cheek with one finger. "I'll be back. Captain Craig may hate my
guts but I'll be back."
Reaching up on her toes, she kissed his lips very softly. "You tell me if
you're not coming back? Please?"
"I will be coming back, Rini. I promise," he said simply. "In fact, if
we're allowed to send vids or even texts, you'll get them from me."
She grinned at that. her worry dissipating almost instantaneously in the
wake of an idea. "I can send them back! And care packages too! Assuming you
can get those. Oh! I can make one up for you before you leave."
His one arm was still free so he reached out to give her a hug. "Thank you,
Rini, I'd like that," he said brightly. Then he took a step or two back and
winked at her. "Time for a proper show for your big green colleague. I
don't want you in trouble along with me."
"Tawa's cool," Rini told him. "But we'll play the parts. Gives him
something to snicker about."
Jesse bit back his own snicker as he walked forward. Just as he suspected,
shift change was at the same time as it was on Tempest so the rather unique
looking young fusion was still there. "Unfortunately for you, Ensign, I did
no misbehaving. You'll have to get into your own trouble."
"Spoilsport," Tawa grumbled.
"Aww, poor Tawa," Rini giggled. "Tell ya what, I'll be sure to get the
Lieutenant Commander into lots of trouble tonight. How does that sound?"
"You would, too, wouldn't you?" Tawa asked with a grin. He pointed a finger
at Jesse and said, "Don't let that sunny attitude fool you, man. She'll
kick your ass."
Jesse held up both ladened arms. "So I've been told. I want back where I'm
supposed to be so I'll behave."
"I'm still waiting to see if I can kick yours, Tawa," Rini teased, her eyes
dancing. "Bet you I could."
"Maybe, maybe not," Tawa said with just a trace of smugness. "I can't say
no outright because I'm not that stupid. You going back down at all today?"
"Nope, we're heading off to start getting ready. I'm a girl, I need hours
and hours just to make myself look beautiful," Rini giggled.
"Oh yeah, the Marines're having a big to do. How come you're going then?"
he asked.
"She's not," Jesse said wryly. "I am. My punishment starts earlier than I
thought. If I'm going to be working with them I ought to get a feel for them
so to speak. The lady's just stuck with making sure I behave."
"Besides," Rini said as haughtily as she could manage, "JT asked me."
"Great," Jesse said theatrically. "She's on a first name basis with our
Marine commander. I should have taken up chess like my grandfather
suggested."
"Just watch out for the big boss. Nice enough but..." Tawa gave a mock
shudder.
"I'm sure she's lovely, don't be mean," Rini said with a giggle. "Now,
we're going to get ready. Have a good watch."
"Mean? I like the woman, Rini," Tawa protested but then he shook his head.
"I also know better'n to tick her off." Then he made shooing motions and
gestured to the empty space at the door "Go on with you, you're causing a
crowd back up."
"Oh yeah, huge queue," she laughed. She gave Tawa a bright wave and then
led Jesse away. The second they were around the corner, she touched his arm
and winked. "You played it well."
"You know what? I get the feeling he wouldn't have cared one way or the
other but I didn't want to have to give him anything to lie about or cover
up,"
Jesse said with an easy shrug.
"Oh he wouldn't have cared but he's a good guy so I don't like causing
trouble." She tugged on his arm and pulled him after her. "I'm stuck down in
the
bowels of the ship somewhere. I have to keep asking the computer where my
room is. I'll get used to it in time to move over to Tempest."
"You could just ask the ship for directions," he teased gently. "Or do you
like the exploration part of getting lost?"
"Oh, I like exploring, but I think today we'll ask the computer," she
giggled. She tapped one of the wall consoles and asked, "Computer, provide me
with
arrows directing us to Rini Midorikawa's cabin." Flashing arrows appeared
and she grinned, tugging on his sleeve.
"I'm your prisoner, Rini," he said brightly. "Lead me where you
will...except if it's into trouble."
"My prisoner, huh?" she let out an evil cackle then laughed brightly. "You
shouldn't say that to a girl, it just gives her ideas."
"Oh really now?" he asked with a smirk. "That, ah, might be interesting."
She grinned as she tugged him into the turbolift that the computer
indicated. She knew which deck her cabin was on so she called it out. Then
she
lifted onto her toes and kissed his cheek again. "Not that I'd ever take
advantage."
It was probably safe enough to do in a turbolift. Jesse put an arm around
her, garment bag and all. "I really don't think you would. Now, on purpose is
a whole other story."
"Oh yeah?" she giggled. He felt warm and comfortable next to her and she
decided she definitely liked this feeling.
"Oh yeah," he said as the doors to the lift opened. He necessarily had to
keep his voice for her ears only as he said, "You never know. You might
decide that offer of staying til I get shipped off is a bad idea. I don't
think
it will be and, if it's not, I definitely won't mind being taken advantage of."
She flushed slightly but she was still giggling when she led him to her
small room, not even realising she'd done so without the need of the arrows
still
flashing on the wall. "Here we are!" she chimed as she opened the door to
reveal a very oriental room. Screens hid the interior as they stepped into a
small alcove and she slipped her shoes off and put on slippers. "Hope you
don't mind, it's kind of ingrained," she said as she pointed to his own shoes.
"Sorry."
"Not a problem at all," he said as he managed to slide off his uniform boots
without falling. "And don't be sorry. If it's what you're used to and it's
your home then it's fair enough. Simply put, it's good manners for the
guest."
"You're sweet. you know that?" she grinned as she lead him inside to a room
that had many oriental pictures hanging up but other than that, looked a lot
like any other 'fleet issue room. "I haven't had time to decorate properly
yet. So... dump your stuff anywhere."
Rather than actually dump the garment bags, Jesse folded them over a chair.
"Actually, you've gotten a lot further in decor than I did. My office is
done. Ah, was done," he said with a sigh, "but the cabin was pretty much Fleet
boring except for the family pictures."
"Did they strip your office too?" she asked, her eyebrows risen. If they
had then that was extra mean. She knew how hard it was to put an office
together and get it just right. She wasn't so sure she wanted to move ship
now.
"Don't ask me how but they certainly did," he said ruefully. "I give credit
to whoever did it, though. The alphabetical labeler was also very careful.
All the paintings and pictures were perfectly intact."
"Oh Jesse!" she gasped sadly. "That's really mean then. I'm so sorry."
He shrugged slightly. "And I was really stupid," he told her.
"Psychologically, it was the best move to make. Doesn't give me any excuse to
set foot
on the ship until I'm done."
"It's still mean of them," she huffed. That was really spoiling her mood.
Spitefulness of any kind was the only thing that could. It just wasn't nice
to pick on someone for one mistake, even if it was a stupendously large one.
But he hadn't hurt anyone and he was clearly sorry for it. She folded her
arms tightly over her stomach and stomped to her couch, curling up on one end.
"I hate meanness, it makes me feel sick."
He was more than a little touched that she was so upset on his behalf but,
in turn, that made him feel bad. No one ought to feel bad because of him.
"You know, Rini, it's only meanness if it's done out of personal malice or out
of spite for enjoyment," he said as he sat next to her. "I somehow doubt the
captain knows me well enough for either of those."
"I still don't like it," she told him simply as she looked at him sitting so
close. "There isn't much I don't like but picking on someone or being
excessive with someone's punishment is one of those things."
"I'm not too fond of it either but I could look at the one bright spot," he
said quietly. "I don't think I'd've been sitting here otherwise."
"You know, that's very true," she said ruefully, a smile returning to her
lips as she shuffled a little closer to him. "And you do realise you just
cheered up the girl who never needs cheering up. You've gotta be something
special now."
His hands were rather broad and strong, more than people usually expected
from someone in his field, yet the one that picked up one of hers was very
gentle. "You deserve it, Rini. You're the one who perked me up after all."
"Your hands are warm," she observed softly, looking into his eyes. "Warm
and soft, like you."
"Glad I don't have too soft a head, though," he said with a chuckle as he
edged closer. "I can tell you I have a soft heart, Rini. I'm really not a
tough guy."
"I can tell that already," she told him as she too shuffled closer to him,
her knee bumping his. "I'm not all that tough either. You should see my
bedroom, it's full of soft toys even now..."
"You know, that's a good sign to me. A person who's forgotten how to play
or have fun just because they've become an adult has, in my opinion, lost a
good deal. You," he said with a warm smile, "haven't lost touch with the
sweet
and innocent despite the job you have. Me, I'm twenty-nine going on twelve
in some instances. Heck, my dad's sixty and he's like that, too."
"You're six years older than me," she told him with a small smile.
"Too old?" he asked casually. "I can act completely immature like that
twelve year old I mentioned."
"No! Not old at all, I was just saying," she grinned, touching his leg very
lightly.
"Good," he said mildly as he slipped an arm around her. "I'm the older of
me and my brother, no triplets to be seen."
"Mmm... this is nice," she sighed happily as she leaned her head against his
shoulder and closed her eyes. "I don't make a very good prison warden, do
I?"
"I think you do," he said with a comfortable sigh of his own. "I'm
behaving, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are," she mused. "We'll have to move eventually, you
realise. I'm not giving up my afternoon off now I get the time to make myself
beautiful. Breath-taking takes time, you know. I fully intend making all of
the
Marines completely jealous."
"And considering the preview, I have no doubt that'll be true. Especially
if any of the ladies don't care for the dress uniforms," he said with a
chuckle. "And take all the time you need. I'm very wash and wear except for
my
cheek bone."
She leaned up and kissed it lightly, flushing when she realised how close
she was to him. "Why don't you let me use a dermal regen on it?" she
whispered.
Self consciously, his fingers reached to touch the bruise. It hardly hurt
now though he knew it looked bad enough that his mother would have been
horrified. "Do you have one?" he asked, his lips curling into a smile. Now
it
definitely didn't hurt. "I would hate to clash with that beautiful gown
you've
got."
"I have one in my med kit," she said softly. It felt like she was in a daze
as she slipped off the couch and wandered away to her washroom to find the
kit. He was cute and sweet and funny and she was completely smitten. Boy did
she feel silly, acting like a school girl with a crush.
He knew he was supposed to be under some punishment and feeling penitent but
simply sitting on Rini's sofa, waiting for her to find her med kit, Jesse
felt completely at ease. No doubt, he'd miss this little bit of sweetness
once
he shipped off. But if the choice was enjoying it for a little while then
having to miss it versus going off to exile with a cloud over him, he knew
he'd take the missing it bit. Definitely.
"Here we go!" she declared as she bounced back to plop back beside him.
"Hold still, this might tickle," she told him as she lifted the wand to run it
over the bruise.
"I won't move an inch," he promised. "Those things make you sneeze
otherwise and I could do without having much more of a baby face."
When she was done, she sat back to consider her handy work then she kissed
his cheek again. "All done," she said softly. "Now you look even more
handsome."
"Has any one ever told you that you smell really nice?" Jesse asked as he
looked into her eyes.
"No..." She bit her lip as she gently put her hand on his cheek. "Not that
I know of..."
"Well, you do." He leaned forward just slightly and pressed his lips to
hers very gently. "You smell nice, you're sweet and pretty, you're funny..."
"I've never been kissed before," she breathed over his lips. "That was very
nice, all soft."
"Never?" He sat back just a little, looking at her curiously. "Whyever not?
You're all those things I said..."
"Because I could easily kick any man's ass from here to Cardassia and back
again. Because my brothers tend to freak people out. Mostly because I've
never wanted to be kissed before," she shrugged as she drew her knees up under
her chin and hugged them. "But it was nice, thank you."
"So...you don't want me to again? That'd be a shame," he said carefully.
"I've never met your brothers but I've met plenty of different people in my
life. Only one that ever freaked me out was the guy who tried to bite my head
off. Literally."
"I want you to," she said quickly. "I'd love you to and more, I just don't
want you thinking I'm some kind of ice queen just because I've never had a
boy friend before."
"That thought never even entered my head, Rini," he said as he reached to
trace her jaw line with his thumb. "I can slander my gender all I want,
though, and say that I figured most men were just too damned blind to see you.
And
the fact that you can kick my ass tells me you're good at your job. No
slacker chick here."
"No chick either," she grinned as she leaned into his hand and brought her
lips close to his again. "All Human, no fowl at all."
That play on words struck him as very funny and Jesse just about giggled.
"You," he said after a quick kiss, "are very funny. Excuse the Californian in
me because you are definitely quite Human."
She giggled, she couldn't help it. He was so sweet that she made his heart
flutter and the kisses were amazing! "Human and very smitten, in case you
hadn't noticed."
"Maybe a little but Jesse and Laurene's eldest has good manners and no
swelled ego. I'm glad though. Really. I'd love to meet the fearsome
brothers,
too. Family's important."
"The brothers are back on Earth," she told him. "Ryu's working at Starfleet
HQ as a science advisor and Toshi's an artist."
"And what will they think of the badly behaved twit of a counselor who has
his eye on their sister?" he asked as his hand simply stroked her hair.
"Well... Ryu'll be fine, he's really easy going, but Toshi might just kick
you on principle," she giggled, a blush spreading over her nose. "He's very
protective. And you can tell which one's which because Toshi's the one
glaring."
"Hey, no kicking if I can't throw things back," he chuckled. "Nothing
heavy, mind you."
"I won't kick you!" she protested. "Unless you don't behave yourself
tonight, because it would just tick me off to have to throw my date into the
Brig
and spend the rest of the night alone."
"Ah those Marines are going to have to eat their hearts out, Rini. I'll be
there with the loveliest lady between both ships," he said with a wink.
She giggled brightly at that and leaned in to kiss him more firmly than she
had before. He was so warm and soft that she lost herself in it, moving as
instinct told her, opening her mouth just a fraction to touch his lips with
her tongue.
Naturally, his arms went around her, holding him to her just close enough to
want the warmth but not enough to be possessive. He deepened the kiss
slightly, letting his tongue dance a little with hers. "Never kissed anyone
before?" he asked softly. "I'm a lucky man."
"Wow..." she breathed, her cheeks totally flushed as she stared into his
lovely eyes. "That was... wow... really... wow..."
His smile was a bit self conscious but it stayed in place. "Stop, you'll
swell my non-existent ego," he said softly.
"I never even thought about it before but that was the nicest feeling I've
ever had," she admitted shyly. "Makes me want to do it again. Makes me want
more..."
"Come here," he said simply, holding out his arm. "Come closer."
She shuffled even closer, pressing herself against his body and putting her
arm around his waist. "What now?" she asked as she tried to stop herself
from doing what instinct told her, which she was sure he wouldn't appreciate
her
kissing him all over.
"In most cases, I'd say it's better to think before acting. In this case,
too much thinking's no good, Rini. Don't think, just feel," he told her. He
ran his hand down her arm.
Her hands rested on his cheeks and she rubbed her thumbs over his cheek
bones. "I feel like I want something from you but I don't understand what,"
she
told him honestly. "I know I want to kiss you again like before."
"I certainly won't object, Rini, but promise me something. If you feel
uncomfortable--say so. The last thing I want is to scare away the best thing
that's happened to me in a long time." Jesse kissed the tip of her nose. "I
would never hurt you."
"I promise," she told him. "Promise me this won't be just a one night
thing, Jesse? Promise me you'll be here in the morning and stay here until
you
leave for wherever you're going?"
He nodded very slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. "Rini, when I wake up
in the morning, I hope it's to look into your face and smile. That's up to
you. If you want me here then I'll be a very happy man."
"I want you here," she whispered. "I don't know what to do but I know I
want you."
"Kiss me then," he said soberly though his eyes danced. "Kiss me and quit
thinking."
She leaned up and placed her lips on his, grinning as she kissed him,
parting his lips with her tongue. Oh but he tasted so good, spicy and sweet.
She
pressed close to him, having to climb onto his lap to press as tightly as she
wanted to.
His arms went around her, holding as close as he could without actually
squeezing too tightly. God but she felt perfect there in his arms. But he
couldn't not think as he'd told her to simply because she'd said she was so
inexperienced. He didn't want to frighten her away. Slowly, he allowed his
hand to
reached to caress her breast.
This was what she wanted, this lovely feeling inside as he kissed her back.
When he touched her breast, she jumped, not expecting it. She leaned back a
little and stared into his eyes. With more than a little nervousness, she
pushed her fingers under the belt of his pants, brushing the soft skin there.
"Mmm...you have soft hands, Rini," he said with a loopy smile. "Soft all
over."
"How do you know?" she teased softly, "Maybe I have scales under this
uniform."
"Somebody already told me," he said as he nuzzled her ear and neck, "that
she was all Human. Pretty and soft and strong."
"You get Humans with scales," she murmured, her eyes almost closed. "Some
mutants have them."
"I don't have any," he teased. "You can look for yourself. Maybe a couple
of old sports injuries..."
"Can I?" she breathed, her pulse skipping several beats.
"Yes, you can, Rini. Take your time," he said with a smile. Then he winked
at her. "Remember that bit about taking advantage and me not minding?"
Her blood was pounding in her ears as she tugged his uniform top over his
head. "I remember," she whispered nervously, "I just don't know what you're
going to expect." He was a beautiful man and as she ran her fingers up his
chest, he took her breath away.
"I expect to spend time with a beautiful woman. How that's spent is
completely up to her, not because I'm her responsibility but because I want
her to be
happy and comfortable." He rested his hands at her waist, just at the hem
of her shirt. "May I?"
"Yes," she whispered. "Please, do."
Strong but infinitely gentle fingers reached under the hem to brush soft
skin. "See?" he murmured. "Soft all over like I said." They slid further
up,
slowly pushing the fabric up, lingering over her breasts a while before he
pulled the uniform top off. "Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous."
She giggled as he pulled the top off, flushing a little with shyness. "I'm
ticklish," she warned as she hugged her arms over her abdomen. Then she
shivered lightly. "And it's colder in here than I realised. Mind if we..."
she
glanced at her bedroom, "um, mind if we go somewhere warmer? Like my bed?"
He held her to his chest then, in one fluid motion, stood up. Setting her
on her feet, he gave a slight bow with a grin. "After you," he said though he
held out his hand.
She took it and pulled him slowly to her room, pausing in the doorway to
kiss him softly. "This is really scary," she admitted with a shy smile, "but
exciting too. Come in?"
The kiss he gave her was very soft as he paused in the door way. "Anything
new is scary," he told her. "Thank you for inviting me in."
"You're not a vampire so I know I'm safe," she teased nervously, tugging on
his hand. Her room was perfectly neat with an image of a dragon and phoenix
entwined above the bed. The only other thing in the room was a small chest
that was engraved with Japanese symbols.
"This is beautiful, Rini. You have an eye for making a room you," he said
as he stood in place, simply looking around. "It's almost as beautiful as you
are."
"My brother painted the picture. It represents the three of us. My
brothers are the phoenix and the dragon and I'm the centre of the circle, the
binding force that keeps us one."
"They must miss you something fierce then," he mused as he sat on the bed,
looking up at the picture. "That picture's too powerful to not realize that."
"I miss them too," she whispered sadly. "My last assignment, the captain
wouldn't let them come aboard even to say goodbye. We were too much a risk."
"How are triplets a risk?" he asked curiously.
She sighed. She supposed he'd find out eventually so it was better now than
later, right? Grabbing her covers, she pulled them around herself. "We're
telepaths. That is, me and brothers are between each other, and when we're
in the same room, we can be a very powerful telepath. Most of the time we
register as nulls, completely resistant to any form of telepathic
communication, but together we form a kind of other being whose power is about
the same as
a high end Betazoid." She shrugged, not quite able to meet his eyes. "My
last captain saw that as a security risk so my brothers weren't allowed on the
ship."
"How's that a risk?" he asked with a dismissive snort. He edged closer to
comfort her, simply settling a hand on her leg. "Have you seen some of the
crew complement on Tempest? We're talking Vorta and JemHadar. That's a
risk."
He looked up at the painting again, this time seeing it from a completely
different perspective. "I can't say as I've ever heard of Human siblings
having that sort of bond before but who am I to question acts of nature?"
She glanced up when he touched her again and actually smiled. "It doesn't
bother you," she whispered in awe.
"You know why I'm a counselor and not a little league baseball coach?" he
asked with a crooked smile. "As much as I love the game, it doesn't afford
the
same opportunity to meet different people. The fact that such differences
can be found even within a single species is a beautiful, fascinating work of
nature, Rini. Like I said, I've never heard of that sort of bond before but
it's there. I might be more dangerous than you are, you know. Twenty-nine
going on twelve, right?"
"Right," she whispered, feeling even more self-conscious that she was only
in her bra and pants. "But since I can kick your ass, I can keep you inline,
remember?"
"So it all works out in the end," he grinned. He didn't move from where he
sat. Instead, he simply settled warm, dark eyes on her. "If I promise to
stay in line, can I come put my arms around you?"
"You can even come under the covers and we can see where it leads, if you
like, if my whole weirdness hasn't scared you away..."
"You're not weird, Rini," Jesse said as he lifted up the covers and sank
down next to her. Putting his arms around her, he smiled then kissed her
nose.
"Bynars and Horta are weird. You are simply a cautious woman who's been
bitten before and therefore an example of once bitten, twice shy."
Snuggling down with him, she let out a contented sigh. "If we relax too
much, we won't have time to get ready," she giggled, her hand sneaked out to
brush at his nipples.
"Mmm...maybe but it'd be worth it," he said with a comfortable groan. "Fair
warning, though. I'm not ticklish so far as I know."
"You're not?" she asked, playing at disappointment. "So you won't even
blink if I run my fingers down..." she tickled down to his waist, stroking
just
below the belt of his trousers again.
He felt the muscles at his waist jump in reaction but there was no outright
laughing. Instead, he leaned into her touch. "No, not yet," he said with a
theatrical sigh. "Feels nice though, very, very nice."
Pushing her fingers further under, she let them explore, reaching down to
brush at soft hair and even softer, silky skin of his hardness. "What do you
want?" she whispered deeply. "Tell me what to do."
"You," he said huskily. "I want you but at your pace and choosing. Touch
me as much as you want, Rini. I don't break."
"Can I see you?" she asked softly. "All of you? I've never... seen a
man... like this..."
He nodded slowly. Rather than leave the warmth of her side, he shrugged out
of the rest of his clothing while under the covers with her. Dropping it
all to the floor, he offered an apologetic shrug. "I promise I'm not the sort
that leaves things lying around. I'll pick it all up later," he said as he
settled back next to her. "And I learned that trick at my grandmother's.
Used to keep a change of clothes under the pillow so me and Brandon could go
out
after night."
"Rebel," she teased even as she felt a twitch in her stomach. Gently, she
reached down to caress his length. "So soft... smooth..." She rubbed her
thumb over the very tip. "Feels nice."
"Oh god, yes, it does," he groaned happily. He shifted just slightly so
that he could reach across her. His fingers played along the soft material of
her bra strap. "May I?"
"Um... sure..." She felt really self-conscious now but she kept her hand
where it was, tickling him gently. "Um... would I be a terrible person if I
asked to... to wait to actually... you know... to wait to do it... Can we
just be like this and explore?"
Jesse propped himself up on one elbow then kissed her softly. "No, it
wouldn't make you terrible, Rini," he said as he simply slid one strap down.
"This is very nice. It's warm and comfortable. No need to rush a thing."
"Thanks," she said warmly. She let her hands roam over his body, exploring
everything she could reach. "You're so gorgeous."
"Now that's funny," he chuckled softly as he stroked her bare shoulder then
kissed her neck. "Nobody's ever used that word for me before. Baby faced
was the most."
"Mmm... not even the others you've been with?" she asked, pushing herself
closer to him, actually enjoying the feel of his hard flesh pressed up against
her leg.
"Which isn't all that many," he admitted. "But, no, nobody's used gorgeous
on me before."
"At least I'm your first for something then," she chuckled. Reaching up,
she took his earlobe into her mouth and sucked down on it.
That little gesture sent goose bumps down his arm then he couldn't help it.
It made him laugh. Then he laughed again just for the sheer joy of it.
"Now see what you did?" he asked, dark eyes shining. "I had no idea that
anybody could possibly have ticklish ears."
She stopped, her own eyes dancing as she reached up one finger to tickle his
earlobe again. "I thought you weren't ticklish," she giggled.
He hunched his shoulders in a half hearted effort to escape the tickling but
it was only half hearted. She felt too good pressed up against him that
way. "Well, nobody's ever tickled my ears before, you silly tickling woman,"
he
told her.
"Silly am I?" she giggled harder, "Too silly to be in bed with a sexy man?"
"Not a chance. Silly," he said as he held her and stroked her back, "is
very attractive in you. Completes a perfect package."
"So now I've found your tickle spot, I know I have something to hold over
you," she teased, pushing even closer to him, cupping his buttocks. "If
you're
not here when I wake up tomorrow, I'm hunting you down and tickling you
mercilessly."
"I have," he said as he slipped down the other bra strap, "every intention
of being here in the morning. I can't think of any place I'd rather be."
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