Chapter 5

Back in my cabin, I showered and dried off. Music was playing in my bedroom and I hadn't put it on. Merritt was naked in my bed. She greeted me with a dazzling smile and black breasts swaying on the bed. Merritt was kneeling on the mattress and twisting her torso in a provocative fashion.

"See anything you like?" Merritt asked? "I do." She pointed at my loins.

With a few strides, I rushed the bed and jumped on it. She fell back, laughing at me, legs apart. The sight of her, vulnerable and trusting, filled me with a desire to kiss her. I crawled over her form and pressed my body against her, feeling the warmth of her body. We kissed a gentle, sweet kiss. She nipped at my lips, little bites showing a bit of aggression and want. Her half-lowered lashes flickered, while I pressed down on her waist with mine. Every cell of my body tingled in appreciation at our contact. She felt the same thing. We settled for fondling each other for a long time, enjoying the sensations of our touches. Not a word had passed our lips. We were content with the language spoken by our eyes and bodies.

Her exciting curves and softness created a need in me. I saw her eyes stirring with pleasure and that made me feel eager to feel her moistness. My wiggling hips caught her attention. Merritt captured my hard length with her hand and quickly positioned me to her entrance. One single stroke through Merritt's moist lips linked me to her depth. I landed deep inside her with a guttural roar. My push was easily swallowed by her slippery walls. We didn't move except to press our lips together in heated passion, our tongues united in playfulness.

Not able to hold off any longer, I slowly stroked her wet tightness. It felt wonderful to be inside her. I nipped her earlobe, which made her shiver. In return she nudged my neck and kissed it tenderly and wrapped her legs around me.

"Keep it slow," Merritt whispered. "I want to be loved."

She gave me a long confident kiss that devastated my senses. I rolled my hips in a circle.

"Yes," she sobbed with joy. "Oh my."

A pent-up yearning and ache focused my thoughts, when she cried out. I groaned inwardly, increasing the speed of my thrusts. We moved together as one, greedily reaching our conclusion. I felt Merritt still pulsing around my explosion, expending her bottled up passion in long spasms of satisfaction. Her velvet glove milked me, wanting everything I had. Her hands clawed my butt like talons that pinned me to her hips.

A shudder ran through me before I jerked, adding to the seed already in her depth. Merritt's nails pierced my skin in warning, adding crossed ankles to bar my desired retreat. She wanted my warm weight to press her down. For a woman who wanted me to dominate her sex, she remained firmly in control of my seed collection. That I was crushing her didn't give her pause as our sweaty bodies meshed.

When the evidence of her completed climax passed, Merritt released me. She seemed sure my pulsing and jerking were over too. I pushed up and rolled off Merritt. She didn't move, other than to lift herself with her elbows. My lover's smile couldn't be brighter, the wattage of her emotions radiated off her face.

"Oh, the pleasure you have shaped in my soul," Merritt cooed.

"I am well pleased, too," I whispered.

I watched goosebumps prickle on her arms. They immediately spread out across Merritt's naked form. Her dark nipples couldn't look harder. She didn't miss the attraction of my eyes.

"Look at them all you want," she said. "They are yours to enjoy."

She enjoyed my sudden smile. I kissed the back of her hand and flopped down again, feeling exhausted.

When I awoke, she was showered and dressed for the dance. Her choice of attire was incredible,. The black dress featured form fitting material and an elegantly plunging neckline. I gulped when Merritt posed for me. Her breasts were barely covered; the material accentuated them, barely hiding her dark nipples. The black fabric draped the outer sides of her breasts and fell in a way that flowed together at her waist. Merritt's arms were covered in off-shoulder, black-laced sleeves, adding to the sexy look.

"It's a cowl neck mini dress with open back and O-ring sleeves," Merritt explained, "the latest club fashion."

"Oh my." I thought. "This is what the captain was trying to warn me about. I could easily slip my hands on her bare breasts anytime I wanted."

"The refresher is all yours, Von. Now get moving!" Her half-grin was cute but her words were demanding.

A slap to my bottom got me moving. I wiggled my finger at her and made a run for the shower, worried she'd slap my butt again. Merritt just giggled and let me by, unmolested. I couldn't wait to see other women in similar outfits. "Never been in a club," I thought. "This is going to be great."

After my shower, I put on my white silk shirt and uniformed pants. My range of dance clothes choices was limited. Merritt fussed over my hair and misted me with a light body scent. I'd never really felt comfortable at dances. My mother once told me I didn't have the gracefulness for formal dances, but she thought I held my own in the free-spirit, popular dances of my generation. Of course, clan events were all formal dances. It was house parties that I learned to let go and ride the rhythm of pop music.

"It's not going to matter much what you wear," Merritt said with a sly look.

I said, "My wolf shirt is going to be fine right? Because the emblem..."

The cabin door chimed and Merritt answered it, not responding to my half-formed question. My lover let Julie inside. The yeoman's black dress was next to nothing, a strapless design that was a bodice with excessive cleavage. It was basically a classic, leather mini-dress with several loops and strap cords that kept the bodice together. I loved the way the low-cut neckline emphasized her round shoulders and her high firm breasts. On Haven the women would call Julie's clothes a serving wench's outfit. Her breasts were all but bursting from the top of the bodice. The cut invited viewers to focus on her busty portions, making them wonder how her mammary glands didn't pop out. I could see the top of Julie's nipples, which shifted blood to my groin, making me wonder if they noticed my growing lump.

"Someone likes Julie's sexy club clothes," Merritt cooed, causing Julie's smile to brighten.

Julie clutched at her purse and spun in place, giving me the complete look at her athletic body.

"I am glad you approve of your other date's dress," Merritt teased. "You do like mine too, right?"

I rolled my eyes at Julie, making sure Merritt couldn't see me. "You are both pin-up material that men could drool over."

"Julie, I do believe he just stripped us naked with his eyes and pinned our images to the wall," Merritt playfully declared.

My face pinked and I felt a warm rush all over my body.

"You did warn me, he was a naughty man full of wicked thoughts accomplished moves," Julie answered, fluttering her lashes like an innocent. "Von, will fit in perfectly tonight."

"Oh, he fits well..."

"Merritt!" I protested. "You're doing that on purpose."

They both laughed at me. Merritt scooped up her party purse and steered me to the door where Julie was standing. Determined not to be led by the nose, I stopped and looked eye-to-eye with my other date. Julie didn't hesitate to meet my eyes; she held me with a wondrous gaze. I reached down and gently squeezed her hand and raised it to my lips.

"I look forward to having you on my arm tonight," I purred, holding her gaze.

Julie cracked a smile. "I wasn't sure this was a good idea when Merritt invited me."

"Now?" I inquired.

"Now? I plan to see how long you can stay a gentleman," Julie responded, turning her head to grin at Merritt. "Tonight's dance is known for its assertive women. You'll find the female crew members compete on a different level in the night club. Normal rules of behavior are forgotten for this special evening. It's Ladies' Night, so we get free beer, too."

Not sure how to respond to her I opened the door and waved them both out into the hall, taking up her challenge. They laughed again, not taking the hint. Instead, they opened their purses and pulled out masquerade masks.

Merritt handed me my mask. "Put it on," she said.

Julie had her black mask on first; it obscured her face. I could see only her blue eyes and sparkling smile. Merritt's mask made her lips look thinner and her eyes larger. I sighed and put my black mask on, too.

"You don't think a proper woman could keep her chin held high tomorrow, after tonight, without a little emotional protection?" Merritt chided.

Unconsciously, I looked at Julie's silver prosthetic, knowing everyone would know her identity. She smiled at me, unconcerned.

The yeoman twisted her metal arm, and said, "This is my emotional protection. After paying this price, I don't give a shit what people think about me."

"She is one confident woman," I thought.

"Besides, if they give me trouble, I'll start wearing my dress uniform all the time. That is, until they get sick of having to stop and salute every ten minutes. They'll get the point."

"Of course," I said, seeing the steel in her eyes and hearing the strength of her tone.

I extended my elbows to each woman, and then they quickly looped an arm through it. We went to the elevator and Julie punched the lowest level button.

Belatedly, I said, "I am proud to have both of you on my arm tonight. I know we'll have fun together."

Each woman turned and kissed my cheek. "His wives really have him well trained," Julie quipped.

I looked at Merritt horrified she told someone about my life on Haven.

"She's my best friend, Von. You can trust her to be discreet and closed lipped," Merritt whispered.

I sighed. Closed my eyes and counted to five before I looked into Julie's eyes. She gathered her mouth to mine and kissed me lightly.

"I won't willingly hurt you," Julie said.

"She does have top secret clearance," Merritt added.

"My life on Haven is definitely top secret to me," I quipped.

"I guess you'll have to keep me happy," Julie answered, not bothered by my stone face. "That kiss was your first payment."

Merritt tilted her head at Julie and then rolled her black eyes as the elevator opened to the entrance of the nightclub. Music poured out from an open bulkhead door; above the door in bold letters was "Shore Leave." I wasn't surprised to see two security men standing outside the door, a silent testament to the need for order on the ship. The men greeted us with good humor.

The nightclub was appropriately lavish, real dark-wood panels were fitted on top of the normal ballistic panels that fit over the hull. The ship schematic for the room flashed in my implant momentarily before I suppressed it. This compartment was an important part of the ship's entertainment facilities, often having large crowds, so it had an extra layer of ballistic armor surrounding the entire room. "Nice touch," I thought.

A giant mural covered one side of the entrance wall, an image of a band playing. I realized it was a pre-empire setting from the unusual clothes. The nightclub was everything I had expected--low lighting with a number of dim or dark areas tucked away from the main dance floor and bar. It was pleasantly decorated with a trendy but warm feeling to it. Only those working tonight didn't have the simple masks that covered the cheekbones, forehead and the area around the wearer's eyes.

Looking left to right, surveying the dance floor, I felt surprised at the abundance of cleavage showing. The feline swaying motions left no doubt in my mind that these ladies wanted to be appreciated. Julie must have followed my eyes.

She half-stepped in front of me. "The crew are almost all single. A deep space mission lasts a long time. The crew women need to blow off their stress and tension, too."

I laughed. "It doesn't trouble me if the women here are big game hunters and the men are the prey."

Julie punched me in the shoulder, laughing with me. All the bouncing and swaying women looked desirable to me. My body confirmed my comments when Merritt's hand seemed to inadvertently brush my groin. She winked, clearly pleased to see the heat raising in my face, along with my erection.

"My dress didn't give enough warning about what you'd see here?" Merritt asked.

"It's a stimulating environment," I whispered in her ear. "When do the house lights dim?"

"We arrived early. The real fun starts at the top of the hour," Merritt whispered back in my ear.

Julie touched Merritt's elbow and said, "Let's go to the refresher. Von can get us drinks at the bar and find a table."

Merritt kissed me and darted away with Julie. I spied a good corner at the bar and made my way to it. It was kind of comical to feel normal again. Lots of men were near my height and build. Over the last year, while living on the planet, I was the slender, short guy among men and women with powerful biceps and tall statures. Back in this universe, I blended in with the crowd easily.

I waited my turn to order drinks at the bar, watching the dance floor lights sweep ribbons of color up to the ceiling. The rhythm of the dancers' feet seem to change the pulsing spectrum. I'd never seen lit floor tiles on a dance floor before. The combination of gyrating bodies and lights summoned primal feelings in me somehow. Laughter and cries from the dancers erupted when the melody ended and the lights went off. The music set had ended and people streamed off the dance floor towards the bar or their tables.

The bartender gave me two beers and a glass of ice water, and then I took possession of one of the last tables next to the bar. I crunched down on an ice cube for a while. It was my first ice cube since returning, a simple pleasure that I appreciated. My plan was to hold off on the alcohol until I experienced a bit of the evening. We had a small bowl with corn chips in it to munch on, so I alternated between sipping my water and entertaining my mouth with a little crunching on the snack.

Passing through the growing crowd, my dates slipped to the table unnoticed.

"Miss me?" Merritt chirped.

There could only be one answer to the question. "Of course."

Julie took a sip of the beer and then kissed my cheek. "Thank you."

I just smiled. I felt comfortable around Julie and her personality meshed well with mine. She didn't put on airs. She made me feel welcome in her friendship with Merritt.

As an ex-officio member of the crew, on board as a consultant to the Empire Space Corporation ship, Merritt's relationships with enlisted members wasn't a problem. Thankfully for all of us, unless a ship were called up for active duty by Fleet, the social mores were relaxed. Since the ESC came from roots in clan tradition rather than starting out with a Fleet auxiliary role, explorer ships like the Entous accepted relationships beyond rank distinctions more often than not. In the end, it was the captain's ability to manage his crew that formed a particular ship's culture.