7. Chapter 7 (1/2)

— chapter 07 —

though none who crossed t'pol's path would have suspected it, for the vulcan looked as cool and poised as ever as she walked the ship's halls on the way to lt. reed's quarters, the warmth between her legs was noticeable now, and it would be fair to say that she was anticipating the coupling soon to come… more than anticipating in fact, for her needs were becoming more and more insistent, and t'pol hoped that lt. reed would be able to quench that heat, at least temporarily.

in hasha's name, thought t'pol, let this coupling

ing me peace for at least the remainder of this night: i haven't had a solid night's sleep since all this began.

even now, even the act of walking weakened her knees as the warm wave of unfulfilled desire grew in intensity, for although phlox had prematurely aborted her first pon'farr, the good doctor had been unable to stifle these powerful after currents, these impulses and desires of the old blood that cared nothing for logic, or restraint. logic and discipline could only accomplish so much when all was said and done, and as things stood now, only the barest thread of control remained within t'pol.

within moments, t'pol reached her intended destination, and after a

ief, discreet look about as she drew closer to the man's door, t'pol pressed the thumbprint scanner that doubled as a security device/or notification device, and since the lieutenant had disabled the door's security settings, in essence leaving it unlocked, that touch gave t'pol access to lt. reed's quarters.

stepping swiftly inside the man's cabin as soon as the door had slid aside, t'pol activated the door's security protocol from within, lest someone should barge in on her and the lieutenant, after which she looked curiously about the cabin. lt. reed was agreeably private about his personal life, but nothing in particular stood out about the man's cabin, save for a floor to ceiling case which served to display three antique swords, a steel mace, a steel axe and a half dozen daggers of various design, all of indian or persian manufacture, guessed t'pol, for the vulcan was not well enough versed in such matters to speak with a certainty.

just then, t'pol's attention was drawn to the bathroom when she heard the noise of the shower unit being activated and the rush of water, and t'pol took that as an invitation and began stripping, her hands trembling as she removed her clothing. moments later, a now nude t'pol made her way into the bathroom.

the man was clearly aware she'd entered his bathroom almost instantly, as t'pol noticed lt. reed freeze

iefly in his motions, after which the man reached out for the shower stall's door and pressed it open with a click. t'pol took that act as the invitation it was intended to be. all things considered, lt. reed had reacted much more agreeably to her presence than archer, for he seemed to feel no need to waste time with foreplay or small talk, something which suited t'pol perfectly at the moment.

as soon as she stepped into the shower stall, t'pol scented the hormonal musk of the man's arousal, and she found it sharp and clean, in contrast to the captain's cloying scent. his physique was more pleasing still, as was the sharp eyed look in the man's eyes, for it seemed that lt. reed was not a sentimentalist: no, lt. reed was a man of action.

he approached t'pol directly and pinned the vulcan back against the tiles while locking lips with her, and moments later she pressed the man back in her turn, for t'pol was painfully aroused, her nipples hard even as other parts of her throbbed, and the vulcan wasn't looking for foreplay, and she wasn't looking for romance. malcolm spun t'pol back against the tiles while hot water ran over them both, his hands cupping her

easts, his mouth working her

easts, and t'pol actually growled… her hand reached down and felt the lieutenant's excitement revealed in flesh, and she was pleased, for there was no reluctance in the man, nor hesitation, and none in her.

t'pol altered her stance somewhat, wrapped her hands round the lieutenant's back and shoulders and lifted herself a bit, and understanding her maneuver, malcolm helped her by placing practiced hands on the vulcan to lift her in position, legs astride his torso, and a moment later, t'pol impaled herself. malcolm groaned at that, while t'pol cried out, the sensation immediate and overpowering for them both as the man cleaved her in twain, and then the lieutenant began moving inside t'pol roughly, driving himself at a feverish pace while pressing t'pol against the wall. the man was rough with her, which pleased t'pol to no end, and after less than three minutes of the man's deep thrusts, t'pol bit down and into the man's shoulder, lest she howl in ecstasy, like a vulcan of old, and that bite pushed the man over the top. a dozen more thrusts, each a hammer blow, and then the lieutenant climaxed in his turn, after which he set t'pol back to her feet.

a bit of time then, to savor the spray of hot water and reclaim their strength, and then t'pol took the man once more, though he might have believed it to be the other way round, not that such things mattered to t'pol: only her needs mattered in this cursed state, a state which would have been bliss with a bonded mate by her side, yet to be fair, the lieutenant had done a capable job of satisfying her physical needs this night, and that was as much as she could hope for from the man, for she'd never once felt the whispers of anything more within the man, no hint of a possible bond with the lieutenant.

reflecting back on the encounter later that evening, t'pol thought lt. reed to be a more satisfactory sexual partner than captain archer, and about par for the course with a vulcan.

not bad at all, thought t'pol, as she waited for sleep to claim her. not bad at all.

"urunshu kor," said trip in vulcan, looking at v'tesk, his assigned vulcan assistant.

"close," said v'tesk. "say it like this: urunnnshu kor, commander tucker. more emphasis on the n sound"

"urunshu t'kor," said trip, stressing the word properly now. "got it. thanks."

the two walked in amiable silence through a series of hallways, finally reaching the shuttle bay. the vulcan construction crew had sealed up the suurok class battlecruiser once the major components had been delivered to the interior of the cruiser, and then pressurized the ship. now, the less dramatic but still important task began, of finishing the decks and departments, and then moving on to the smaller rooms and such. the finishing process would stretch out another six months or so, but the ship would be serviceable in two weeks, if still very roughly finished, just as trip's assigned time was scheduled to come to an end.

"would you like to join liat, kovrin and i for lunch, commander tucker?" said v'tesk, finally

eaking the silence. "you can practice your vulcan with us all, and you can tell us about about your rescue of the first monarch kaitaama."