Now that We're Alone... (Part 1 of 2) [18+]

Posted on 01 Dec 2012 @ 12:03pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

4,074 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 2 - Dr. Panne's Quarters
Timeline: MD08, 2245 hours

Previously, on Levels 2.5...

He stood up without a word, took his coat, and left. Maenad looked to Lirha, who was sitting there beside her looking like... she did not know what. "I am sorry you had to see that," she said. A slow smile spread across her lips. "I would like you to stay," her voice had softened and the brightness in her eyes had returned. She was still as genuine as she had been with Don, but now it was affection instead of concentrated anger.

Lirha looked up at the tall woman and gave her a tiny forced smile in return, after which she slowly sat back down. "I suppose it is my fault...I came by unannounced and did not realize that you had company." she said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Maenad let out a long and audible sigh, looking like she were about to break down into tears. She didn't though, and instead began to laugh. "No, that was all me," she shook her head, then looked down at her plate, having lost her appetite. "You actually did me a favour by coming," she thought aloud, staring across the room at her new piano. "I realised I didn't like him about a half hour ago." She drank her entire glass of wine like it were juice. "But I do like your dress," she looked at Lirha. Not having her chest, a part of her wished that she could pull off a look like that if she ever wanted to.

Fluttering her eyes at the compliment as Maenad looked her over, Lirha blushed slightly and her cheeks turned a darker green color. "Thank you. I wasn't sure if you would like it, but it's my favorite." she replied, flashing the science chief a slightly bigger smile as she began to feel a bit more at ease. "Was he your...date?" she tentatively asked.

"Well," she collected her plate and Lirha's on one arm, then stood up and got Don's. She left Lirha's wine and Don's still untouched glass. "I think so, maybe..." she said as she put the dishes in the replicator to be recycled. Maenad returned to the table, but didn't sit down. Instead she nodded to the living area. "It's more comfortable over here," she indicated to the couch and living room chairs. Maenad sunk into one of the chairs and crossed her legs as she stretched an arm to turn on a lamp.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

"Computer, lights," the lights went out except for the lamp and Maenad stared at her coffee table. She felt like she were with a best friend confiding stories about romantic encounters. "Okay," she began once Lirha had sat down, "I wanted a piano, so I went to the city to see what I could find. He met me at some coffee shop, complimented my fingers, of all things," she held them up. "These things," she bit her tongue. "He said I had the fingers of a pianist and I made the mistake of telling him that I was. I told him I was shopping for one, he took me to a music store, and I said I would give him dinner as a thank you," she looked at Lirha in the dim warm light of the lamp. She looked good in lamplight; it seemed to be part of her. She was cast in shadows in dim lighting, she knew. It was not as complimentary for her as it was for Lirha, but she didn't care. "I like to think I'm more evolved, beyond carnal instincts, but sometimes, well... that just proves I'm still just a primate with clothes," Maenad was now looking outside at the stars that were now shining.

Sitting next to Maenad with only the lamp on, Lirha crossed her green legs as she listened to the story. It sounded innocent enough, but something seemed a bit strange, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her early years as a trader and subsequent Starfleet career as an intelligence officer had taught her one of the golden rules of the universe: if it seemed too good to be true, it probably was. But without knowing more about this Don person, Lirha withheld any further judgement. "He was attractive, you have good taste in men." she said with a grin. Her eyes darted over towards the new musical instrument. "And I think your new piano is lovely. I remember you telling me how much you wished you had one...so it seems that he was at least able to keep one end of his bargain."

Maenad lit up when Lirha mentioned that. She had forgotten that she was looking forward to finally playing something tonight, and couldn't believe that she was going to play for him. "Want to hear me play something?" Maenad sounded like she were about to let her in on a secret. She didn't wait for a reply, and like an excited little girl she headed straight for the new piano and sat down on the bench.

"I'd love to..." Lirha replied with a warm smile. She eyed her glass of wine still sitting on the dining room table and got up to retrieve it, then promptly sat down on the edge of the stool next to Maenad and took a long sip from the glass.

"I don't know what to play," Maenad said, though still smiling just as brightly. It was much darker this far from the lamp, but she preferred it that way. Her hands were tucked tightly between her thighs, as she thought. There were so many pieces entering her mind, but she wanted to play something less gloomy than she usually played. Finally, she had it. Maenad turned to face Lirha, who was intimately close with her on the bench. She rested her hand on Lirha's closer knee, realising how much colder she was than her captain. "I have one, but I need you to sit on the floor," she said quietly. "Trust me, it will be fine," she smiled with her teeth, which meant it was real.

"Oh. Sorry." the captain replied with a rather sheepish grin, not realizing that she was probably in the way. She looked down at the hand which was now on her knee; it felt strangely cool to the touch, but also reassuring. Lirha put her hand over it and gently squeezed Maenad's long fingers, then moved off the bench and to the floor while taking another drink of wine from her glass.

"This is called Clair de lune by French composer Claude Debussy," Maenad said quietly. She cracked her fingers and wrists, quietly inhaled, and began to play. For about five minutes, she sat with her eyes closed as she moved her hands gracefully over the keys. She seemed to move with the music as though she had become part of it. Because it was her first time ever playing that particular piano, she made a few technical mistakes by missing a few keys, and at some parts her tempo was off, but to the untrained listener it might have sounded almost perfect. As the final note rang out, she remained still until it faded away, then replaced her hands in her lap. After not having played for many weeks, she was pleased again. She looked down at the captain to see if approved.

Lirha continued to sip her wine as Maenad began to play. The melody was very nice and the new piano sounded wonderful, she thought. Even more surprising was the skill and grace with which the science chief played the piece. She seemed to meld with the large instrument, almost becoming a seamless extension of it. As the minutes passed by, Lirha found herself softly humming along and intently watching Maenad's form, particularly her long and delicate legs as she manipulated the pedals with ease.

When the final note sounded, Lirha almost beamed with appreciation. "That was lovely." she said with a big smile. "You're very gifted."

Maenad shrugged. "Thanks," was all she could say. "I don't know about gifted," she laughed.

"Well, let me be the judge of that." Lirha replied with a wink, then uncrossed her legs and returned to her seat on the bench next to Maenad. Extending her green fingers, she ran them lightly over the keys, first the white ones and then the black ones. "You know, I've been meaning to talk to you." she began, changing the subject, "I enjoyed our night together when you first came on board...and I admit I've had a few thoughts about it over the past days...well, thoughts about you, more specifically." she said, her eyes still locked on the piano keys.

Maenad moved over a bit so Lirha could sit more comfortably. It was a wide enough bench for the two of them, but she moved over nonetheless. When the captain started talking to her, though, she was concerned. Had she done something wrong? Was her time on the Galileo coming to an end? The day after she had stayed in Lirha's quarters she was concerned that Lirha thought she might not be cut out for the job, with all the whining she had done. Perhaps that was what Maenad wanted to think, so she wouldn't have to face what her gut what was telling her Lirha really meant. She had enjoyed her visit too, and she hadn't slept as soundly as that in weeks. Maenad was staring at the keys too, watching Lirha trace them with her fingertips. She felt a pleasant tickle at the back of her neck, the kind that closeness to someone brings. She didn't know what to say or do. "About me?" was all she could choke.

"Yes." the captain replied, then turned slightly towards Maenad on the bench so that her knees brushed against the taller woman's thigh. Slowly, her gaze lifted up to meet her green eyes. "I'm rather attracted to you," she confessed with a sheepish smile, "But you're one of my newest senior officers and I wanted to wait a few days before I approached you. I wasn't--" she paused to correct herself, "I'm not sure how you feel about that, with me being the commanding officer...and with my pheromones..." she added, unable to resist a small grin.

Maenad looked away, back at the piano keys. She blinked several times as her mind raced and her heartbeat quickened. She hadn't thought of Lirha that way, and she felt guilty for it. She did think that Lirha was certainly beautiful, but never did she consider her in the way that Lirha had considered her. The night she spent in her quarters, she could not help but wonder whether she would have done anything more if she hadn't fallen asleep so quickly. If it weren't so dark, her face would have been red. "I..." she eventually stammered. She returned her eyes to the captain's and smiled again, then made a silent laugh. "I'm flattered," she admitted. She felt herself become lighter as butterflies took off in her stomach. It had been so long, something said inside her. Too long. She looked at the captain's shoulders, then at her legs, as she returned her eyes to the piano keys. And what could she want with her? She was tall, lanky, and awkward. Her skin was pale, she was always cold. As she had shown earlier, she was short-fused, irritable, and very temperamental - and her record showed that too. She pressed her lips together as she continued staring at the piano keys, her back straight with perfect posture. Just let it happen said her unreasonable side, the side that dealt with consequences later, the suppressed part of her primal psyche. Let her have you. And so Maenad sat there, eyes front and hands in her lap. She became neutral, neither rejecting Lirha nor wholly accepting, either, but offering herself to the possibility and, somehow, her motionless body communicated that if the Orion wanted her she would not push her away.

A strange silence developed as Lirha waited for Maenad to say something else...something more than the brief acknowledgement she had just given. The captain was an Orion and therefore a very socialized woman by nature, but she was having a difficult time reading the Human's emotions, in the dim lighting nonetheless. Her eyes drifted over her shadowy lean figure, noting how she remained still, yet her intuition told her that it wasn't a sign of rejection. Lirha felt another twinge form in her stomach and her mouth involuntarily became wet, a sign she knew all too well from similar situations in the past. Without thinking too much, she reached up and stroked the side of Maenad's face with her hand, then gently pulled her chin down with her thumb as she leaned up and pressed her gold lips against hers.

Maenad accepted the kiss and responded to Lirha's movements. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be moved as Lirha wanted. The warmth of Lirha's touch sent pleasant chills through her shoulders and down her sides. She kept her hands in her lap, having made the decision that she would only move as directed. All her doubts and underpinning thoughts vanished, finding pleasure in knowing that she was wanted.

As she felt Maenad respond to the kiss, Lirha exhaled a deep breath of relief through her nose before finally pulling back after a few long moments. Her head flooded with intimate thoughts and excitement, and she smiled warmly at her soon-to-be lover. Pushing her own hair back behind her ears, the Orion wrapped her arms around Maenad's neck then delicately swung one of her legs around the woman's waist and straddled her, sitting in her lap and facing her. She reached down between her legs and took Maenad's hands then put them around her waist. "Mmm...does this feel better?" she whispered in a sultry voice as she planted another wet kiss on her lips.

Keeping her eyes closed, Maenad felt the captain's warm body against her own. She tingled with anticipation, and was suddenly torn between stopping it all then and there or seeing where she wound up. This was too fast, she knew, and it was hardly appropriate, yet she couldn't bring herself to say or do anything to stop it. "Yes," she barely whispered, only the hiss of the ess making any sound as Lirha kissed her again.

Several long minutes passed during which the captain indulged herself and began to deeply kiss Maenad. Their noses rubbed against each other as Lirha tilted her head across a variety of angles while her tongue lapped slowly and happily against the science officer's. When she finally pulled back for a second time, she glanced around the dimly lit room. They weren't exactly in the best position to continue playing, and Lirha didn't want to potentially damage Maenad's new piano in the heat of the moment. Carefully, she climbed off of her lap yet kept an arm on the woman's shoulder. "Take me to your bed." she said softly, more of an order than a request.

She hesitated for a moment as Lirha withdrew. She looked past her somewhat, a funny smile on her face. Her bed? Maenad chewed her bottom lip for a moment, uncertain whether this was a good idea. Still, she stood anyway and did as she was told. She led the way to her bedroom, half of her in shadow from the lamp in the living room. Her bedroom door was open and, for once, her bed was made. The only light came from the warm glow of the lamp in the other room and the milky starlight through the window. She turned around to face the captain, a nervous smile on her lips. She wasn't very good at this.

Lirha reached out and took Maenad's hand, pulling her gently to the foot of the bed before turning to face her. She reached behind her back and fumbled with the zipper on her dress for a brief moment, after which she successfully unzipped it. She slid the straps off of her green shoulders and peeled the fabric down past her chest and waist until it fell freely to the floor. Under the twinkling hue of the night stars, she presented her naked form for Maenad to see, smiling up at her and batting her lashes. Her mind raced with even more excitement and an exhilarating feeling tingled through her. "Do you like me?" she wondered out loud.

Maenad watched in total disbelief that any of this was actually happening. She was fully dressed in her button-up blouse, knee-length skirt, leggings, even her shoes were still on from her trip to the city, and her captain was standing in her bedroom completely naked. She had allowed this, though, and she knew it. Any going back now would be painful for the both of them. She imagined herself in Lirha's place, and thought what it would be like to suddenly be told to wait. Despite her nervousness and hesitation, with everything rational inside her telling her to stop, Maenad could not discern why she stepped closer to Lirha. She closed her eyes and put one hand on Lirha's hip and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

With both of them standing on their feet, Maenad was easily a full head taller than Lirha, so much so that the Orion had to stand on her toes to return the affection. But she didn't mind, and in fact was aroused by the Human's taller statue. Wrapping her arms back around Maenad's neck, Lirha stroked the soft skin at the top of her spine. After a few short moments, she lowered her hands to Maenad's chest and began to unbutton her blouse, anxious to see her nude body and also hoping for a bit of assistance.

As Lirha started undoing her shirt, Maenad began to slowly help from the top. Once she was free, she slid the blouse off onto the floor so she was standing with only her bra. Her shoulders suddenly felt very cold. She took Lirha's hands very gently in hers. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" whispered Maenad, her voice almost sad as she rested against Lirha's crown. She found whatever perfumes she could smell intoxicating, and it was a struggle for Maenad to collect herself enough to ask the question.

Lirha almost let out an incredulous laugh but was able to quickly compose herself. She thought back to her previous mission where she had been strapped to an interrogation table while holes were drilled into her body...and the strange tentacle-like device which had torn apart the muscles in her stomach. And the blows to her face which had broken her jaw and knocked out one of her teeth. Then finally, to the ridiculous orders from Starfleet for her tiny Nova Class to perform a mission that should have been delegated to an entire task group. Putting things in perspective, having sex with a woman who she was very attracted to ranked somewhere in the bottom one percent of what she should and shouldn't be doing.

The captain shook her head to push the bad memories out, and attempted to refocus on Maenad, on the here-and-now. "Yes, I'm very sure," she answered as she nuzzled her head against Maenad's, "but I want you to feel comfortable, to be happy...I want you to be sure as well..." she finished as her voice trailed off.

Lirha's reassurance helped her to feel a little more comfortable, but she wasn't sure if it did her any good. So many things were happening in her head that she couldn't keep up with her own thoughts. She wanted it, but at the same time she wanted to run away. Lirha was her superior, one who'd had an unimaginable hardship. In many ways, Maenad realised herself to be part of her healing process, and to reject her might only worsen things. Believing this to be true, however, only excited her even more; of all the people Lirha could have chosen, she wanted her. That had to count for something.

Uncertain what kind of person Lirha wanted, Maenad remained malleable. She would not seek anything, she decided; she would only do what she was told to do. In her own way, that was what she found most arousing. In her duties she liked being in control, showing no sign of uncertainty - she appeared, in her own mind, to always know best and to be sure of herself. But in this world she was the complete opposite, preferring instead to be the one who needed instructions and guidance. Maenad stroked the back of Lirha's neck with two fingers and decided that her silence would be her consent. Lirha could do whatever she wanted.

Lirha waited for a reply, for some sort of acknowledgement, but got nothing...only silence. Her mind raced again as she tried to analyze the situation. Maybe Maenad did not want her? Or perhaps she felt obligated to comply because she was the ship's captain? Lirha struggled with those thoughts for a long moment, but soon felt a pair of fingers rubbing the back of her neck which signaled at least some sign of acceptance. Murmuring softly in her native language, Lirha pressed her head against Maenad's chest and listened to her heartbeat for a long moment. It was fast and steady, which told her that she was most likely excited. From her intelligence training, she knew that nervousness and fear often resulted in irregular rhythms. And most importantly, Maenad had not said no, not once during their entire encounter.

Turning her head into the taller woman's chest, she kissed the skin at the base of her neck and moved her lips down until they were at the top of her undergarment. Her hands reached around Maenad's back and she expertly unclipped her bra, then slid it from her shoulders and tossed it on the floor. Her hands wrapped firmly around her waist and she leaned back, pulling them both onto the bed with a soft flop and then rolled on top of Maenad.

Many long minutes passed as Lirha teased and tasted the woman's chest, letting her mouth travel and play across the small buds of flesh atop her breasts, then down to her smooth belly. Under the starlight, she noticed she had left a wet trail down Maenad's pale skin, and she playfully bit the top of her belly button as she tucked her fingers inside of her legging's waistline and began to pull the fabric down.

As Lirha caressed and kissed her, Maenad's breath quickened and her cheeks became flush and warm. Anticipation was starting to take hold of her, and when she was taken onto her back and Lirha got on top, she found the shadowed Orion to be quite seductive, more so now than ever. The last time she had been with a woman was during her master's degree, many years before. Somehow, this seemed more erotic than before. The captain's tattoos, which normally she found unappealing, only added to her excitement. The jewellery on the captain's arms and ears, too, she found them complimentary; typically Maenad saw jewellery as bourgeois excess. But not right now. As Lirha moved down her body with her lips, Maenad played with the captain's hair, though she laid flat on her back with her legs over the end, staring at the stars through the angled window above the bed. Eventually, she felt Lirha remove her leggings. Despite the pleasure, and the enticing mystery of what was to come, she still believed that what they were doing was wrong. It was her own deprival and the idea that this was inappropriate that prevented her from saying no; that she shouldn't have been doing this made her want to do it even more. She made a lengthy sigh through her nose and gnawed the insides of her lips.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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