Questionable Morality - Chapter 3
Questionable Morality
Chapter Three
If she didn't feel her eyelids flutter open, she never would
have guessed she was awake. She shifted uncomfortably, the stink of three days
with no grooming whatsoever demoralized her. Well, at least the bastard is
feeding me.
Hoshi heard footsteps. That's probably what woke me up.
She sat up and waited. Instead of the metal slot at the bottom of the cell
door opening as had been the custom for delivering food, the entire door slid
open. She shielded her eyes and caught his scent before she saw him.
"Get up." The British-accented growl caused her to
tremble.
"Your chief engineer has settled on the volunteers and
the mission is on. Get up and follow me."
She did as she was told, hopes of a shower springing to
life. Earl was a dead man when she got her hands on him. She didn't care if he
was hot-shit in warp field mechanics.
She entered the lift and shot her nemesis a look that was
sure to kill if it were lethal.
Reed sniffed the air when the door to the lift closed. His
hand shot out and halted the transport.
Sato froze like an animal trying to blend into its
surroundings, aware of the danger, and aware it was being stalked. His hardness
pressed against her and a hand danced over her ribcage, just under her breast.
She held her breath. Bitter excitement stirred in the pit of her stomach. She
closed her eyes and leaned back into him. The quick scrape of a zipper and the
awkward tug of her uniform sent her mind whirling. Suddenly she was shoved
viciously away. Hoshi turned and saw him run the cigar she had stolen under his
nose.
He grinned at her. "These are in short demand ever
since your tirade the other day, Princess. Earl was a hell of a lot more
agreeable than you were. In fact, once he was finished talking to the crew, I
had to narrow down the field of volunteers. I unloaded the cargo and sent the
majority of the crew back to the Celestial. I want her well out of range before
the rendezvous to match up with the back-story I'm going to feed Archer. Bishop,
Lindsey, and Mukai have agreed to be the bait for any potential prostitution
scenarios.�� Including you, that will make four. Spangler, Joseph, and Robinson
have volunteered for any hard labor details. Your girls are already
entertaining my crew with their � expertise."
The lift door opened and he walked past her and made his way
to the brig. "The Celestial will remain in the Banderi system until called
for since I can't have her running amok after I tell Archer she's been
destroyed." He stepped into the brig, which was empty.
She half hoped to see her crew still there. Now, she truly
felt abandoned. She saw him motion to take her place inside the cell. She
didn't know whether it was circumstances or just him that made her furious, but
she couldn't resist herself. "How's the arm?"
Reed leaned against the doorframe, carried out the ritual of
lighting his cigar and smiled. "It's healed quite nicely. Thank you for
asking."
She fumed.
"If you play nice, I might let you out of the brig to
join your friends. Rumor has it that you need the practice," he smirked.
Her face flamed with embarrassment. Damn Earl and his
big ass mouth to hell! "And when was the last time you got any
practice, Captain?" she retaliated.
He stood rooted to his spot and drew on his cigar. "Ms.
Lindsey and Ms. Mukai were gracious enough to 'practice' with me just last
night." Reed leaned closer; mere inches from her, letting her feel the
heat from his body. "But, if you need somebody to � practice with�"
He grasped her ass and pulled her into him. "Find somebody else."
She didn't know how she resisted the urge to slap the smirk
off of his face. Instead Hoshi turned her head and bit along his bearded jaw
and rotated her hips a little. "Are you sure? Somebody has to be my first,"
she laughed throatily, and bit her way from his jaw to his neck. She could feel
him still and she grinned at the thought she had finally ruffled him. This
encouraged her and she pushed his limits further, as she moved the collar of
his uniform to make room. Her hands roamed his uniform finally settling on his
hips and snaking around to grasp his ass. Turn about's fair play.
She licked his Adam's apple and trailed her lips down.
Grasping his zipper in her teeth, she tugged in down. Before she knew it, she
was gasping for air as his hand clutched around her throat. The world started
spinning from lack of air.
"I don't have the time or patience for virgins,"
he hissed and threw her away from him.
She crumbled to the floor and watched him leave.
--
He stepped out of the shower and dried himself. He would
have looked in the mirror to groom himself, but there weren't any in his
quarters except for one. And that one could be held in the palm of his hand.
Reed dressed quickly and methodically, as he was accustomed to doing ever since
the accident.
Five years ago, Reed was the armory officer on board the USS
Wasp, which was patrolling the Klingon border. There was an altercation with a
Raptor and the Wasp had to eject its warp core, but not before multiple system
failures. Most of the crew in the armory perished in the plasma fire. He saved
the ones he could and was lucky enough to escape with his own life. But, the
damage was done.
Dermal regeneration wasn't an option due to the degree of
tissue damage.
Months of painful rehabilitation and skin grafts made little
difference, but he was functional and alive. And for his valor, he was awarded
his own command.
First thing he did once he was released from Starfleet
medical was head down to the San Francisco red light district and pick up a
prostitute. After all, he was a healthy adult male. He'd never forget the look
on her face. It went from shock to pity in three seconds flat.
Reed hadn't been with a woman since. Mukai and Lindsey had
approached him with a very tempting offer, but he had turned them down.
Reed contemplated Sato. He had resented her ever since he
had met her. Her captaincy was a travesty and a farce. Starfleet required
pilots to be licensed but any fool with enough money could be a captain of a
cargo ship. There was something else about her though. He was expecting O'field
and instead, she showed up, challenging him every step of the way.
He had lost sleep after their first meeting; the taste and
feel of her soft skin making him rock hard. He wanted her. There was no
doubting it. When Earl told him the rumor that she was a virgin, his mind
whirled with the possibility of possessing her. How had she managed to do what
she had done and not gotten herself killed was a mystery to him? She was a
puzzle to him� a dangerous puzzle at that.
Sleep was elusive to him last night as well. He needed to
remain sharp and aloof toward her. Her assignment was two and a half weeks
away, and he didn't even want to consider what he was asking of her. God, I
hope she finds somebody to take care of her problem, before we rendezvous.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, a part of him railed at the thought of
somebody else touching her.
--
Breakfast a week later --
This was her first foray out of the brig, and she was
groomed and on time, another sleepless night behind her. Sato couldn't
comprehend why he had invited her to breakfast. She had been briefed and was up
to date on all current developments, including the breathless confessions of
her crews multiple sexual conquests. Reed had made his contempt of her
perfectly clear, and she could barely admit it to herself, but his admission
that he was one of those conquests rankled her. She studied the mission
parameters last night. After breakfast she would undergo daily injections of a
radioactive Andorian neuro-chemical for tracking and retrieval purposes. It was
undetectable unless looked for and was noted for its long-range potential.
Sato looked at the man in front of her as he gingerly spread
butter on his toast. "Have you even bothered to explain to my crew that
they might not survive this mission, that they are subject to the whims of
Captain Archer and whoever he sells them to?"
Reed chewed his food thoughtfully, swallowed, and took a sip
of his juice. "Yes."
Her appetite was more elusive than sleep as the
possibilities churned in her mind.
"I have enough volunteers. You don't have to ...
participate." He issued the challenge, assuring himself she would jump at
the opportunity to abandon her command.
She placed her napkin on the table slowly. "I'm their
captain. It was my decision to run guns. Although I won't be able to guarantee
their safety, I'll do my best. That would be a little difficult if I don't
accompany them."
He took another bite of his toast and didn't respond to her
comment, which infuriated her further.
"I have no delusions of grandeur toward my ability to
protect my crew, Captain."
Her eyes flashed and he could see her calm demeanor slowly
unraveling.
"I only hope you are able to retrieve at least one of
my crew alive to testify against the parties responsible for the disappearances
of the E.C.S. ships. But, let me make myself perfectly clear. I'm last. My crew
comes first. If the opportunity to rescue them presents itself, take it."
Reed continued to listen and an uneasy silence stretched
between them.
Hoshi stood quickly, walked to the door and opened it.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked
quietly.
She turned suddenly. "I'm going back to my cell. I've
been briefed. I've said what I've had to say. I know the score. So, does my
crew. I've had more meaningful conversations with walls."
Reed stood, crossed the room and closed the door. "I've
reconsidered your offer."
"What?" Her mind went blank.
"Your... problem. Lt. Gomez has informed me it has yet
to resolved," he stated plainly and punched in a code on the door panel.
The lights lowered too. They lowered so much; Hoshi could see only faint
shadows about the room. Panic and excitement warred within her.
"Cold-hearted bastard that I am, even I wouldn't throw
a novice to the wolves."
Sato scoffed. "I thought you didn't have the time or
the patience for virgins."
He advanced, his hands clutching her upper arms and pulling
her to him roughly. "All the girls I'm selling to Archer are experienced.
You would stick out. You could compromise the entire mission."
Her hands went up in defense as she tried to push away from
him.
"You wouldn't want to endanger your crew, would
you?" he whispered against the shell of her ear, as he held her to him.
Suddenly she went still and his want of her grew.
Thought escapedher as his tongue trailed intricate patterns
from her ear to her neck. His body was lean and hard against hers. The scrape
of his beard along her neck and jaw sparked the arousal within her and she
closed her eyes.
His rationale was solid and practical. He wanted to throw
her off balance and... He was lying to himself. He wanted her and was going to
have her, hard and fast. His lips sought hers and he moaned when she opened for
him, tongues parried and the dual began.
The sound of a zipper and the cool air on her skin
heightened her arousal as he pushed the jumpsuit from her shoulders. She wanted
to run her hands over him but the material behind her back trapped her arms. A
'snap' followed as he masterfully unhooked her bra, the material falling to the
sides and his hands covering her.
Her breasts were soft, hard and hot to his touch. He tore
his mouth from the whimpers of the kiss and guided her to the table. Only the
light from the stars streaming by reached them. He wouldn't have to look at
her, and more importantly she wouldn't be able to see him.
She freed herself from the final constraints of her
jumpsuit, the material settling at her waist. Strong arms lifted her as the
edge of the table pressed against her ass. She heard him shoving dishes out of
the way, some of them crashing to the floor. Her back arched to greet him as he
bent to suckle her, pants of encouragement spurring him on. Hoshi lifted her
hips when she felt the pull on the material and she gloried as his hands and
mouth flowed over her body. The ache inside her grew and she reached for him,
grasping his zipper.
His hands were punishing and brutal around her wrists.
"Don't touch me!" he growled, and pinned her to the table.
She lay open and exposed to him, confusion and bitterness
marring the haze of arousal. "If this is some sort of game you're playing,
stop," she hissed.
There was no verbal communication, only a savage thrust of his
hips and a low growl. Then he was off of her, receding into the shadows. Sato
remained on the table, brimming with anger and unspent desire. Oh, she was so
going to nail the next fucking crewman she came across after she got up. A
quick zip and a short rustle signaled his intent to carry through and cut her
thought short. She jumped when she felt his hands on her thighs, pushing her
open further than she thought possible. He kissed her, the kiss imitating his
ruthless possession of her, deep and sinuous as he impaled her with his cock.
"Mine, mine, mine!" repeated in his head, as her
slick heat melted around him. He hammered into her callously; lost in the
sensation he had denied himself for so long. His skin was on fire, as every
nerve ending in his body sought release.
He was plastered against her, pistoning inside with quick
succinct movements. The pain was minimal and the pleasure was building. She
tried to move, but he held her down. The pounding rhythm inside her matched him
thrust for thrust, her vaginal walls tightening around him. He shifted,
breaking the kiss and quickening the pace.
Finally freed from the crush of his entire weight, she
reached for him, dragging her fingertips along his scarred back down to his
buttocks, where she dug her fingernails into the sensitive flesh.
Reed threw his head back and made a guttural noise of
release, collapsing on top of her. He lay there sated, their bodies both slick
with sweat, the smell of sex in the air.� Her touch roused him and he quickly
pulled away and sank back into the darkness, seemingly oblivious to her.
Hoshi sat up, her body thrumming with spent passion.
"Don't move," Reed commanded softly.
She could hear the rustle of clothing in the darkness and a
whispered curse said under his breath. Disappointment, confusion and
embarrassment consumed her as she heard the zip of his uniform.
Light spilled into the room when he opened the door, and
without a backwards glance, he left.
Hoshi sat up and scooted off the table. A comforting degree
of numbness had settled in as she set about collecting her clothes and
dressing. She felt along the wall for the light and squinted when she activated
it. Her jumpsuit and other clothing had been kicked underneath the table.
"Lesson learned, Captain," she murmured to no one in particular.
-----
TBC