I saw Grace coming towards me and I unhooked the straps and stood up to wait for her. She came down the hallway and stepped into the passenger compartment.
“I'm glad the captain wasn't too angry that you looked so sexy.” I said and her face flushed red.
“He spent the night with his wife in the capital, so he didn't stomp on me too hard verbally.” Grace said. “Can I have my uniform back? I need to get changed before we drop you off.”
I took out her uniform and gave it to her, and she thought about asking where I had hidden it all night. After a second, she asked for a barrier instead. I created one around her and she was surprised that I wasn't inside of it with her.
“Do you want me in there, too?” I asked.
“I... I don't know.”
I chuckled. “I'll let you change in peace this time, since you don't actually need my help this time.”
“Okay.” Grace said and quickly slipped off the little black dress and put on her shirt, pulled up her pants and tucked the shirt in, then she put on her uniform coat and buttoned it up. “I'm done.”
I absorbed the Presence barrier and she held out the small bundle of black cloth to me. “Why don't you keep it?” I asked, then pulled out the long flowing gown. “In fact, why don't you keep this as well.”
“Wh-what?” Grace looked at both dresses. “No, I... I can't accept...”
“It wouldn't be right for me to try and give them to anyone else after you wore them.” I said. “They would be comparing themselves to you every time they wore it.” I smiled. “Actually, so would I.”
Grace blushed and reached out for the gown.
“I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of one of them, at least.” I chuckled. “Which one will be up to you.”
Grace had to laugh at that as she imagined going out with her friends wearing the fancy gown. She motioned for me to walk down the hallway, so I walked with her and we went to a small compartment and she stored both dresses, then we went to the spot on the ship with the shuttle hatch. I looked up to watch the ships dock together and I used the Presence to use the controls to extend the small umbilical and ensured that it gave a good seal. Grace reached for the control panel and turned off the gravity in the compartment.
“Thanks a lot for coming with me last night.” I said as I kicked off slightly and floated up towards the ceiling.
“I had fun.” Grace said as she kicked off and floated up beside me.
I stopped myself and her with Presence and before I opened the hatch, I reached out and pulled Grace towards me. “I'm glad you did.”
Grace had wide eyes for a moment and then she closed them as our lips met. She forgot all about being professional and her arms went around me automatically as she kissed me back. She knew that nothing was going to happen between us, and yet, she also thought that after a night like that, there had to be at least something. It had been too special of a night for no feelings at all to be between us.
I broke the kiss after a few moments and she had a look of both longing and disappointment. I gave her a crooked smile and pushed down on the top of her head to float her down to the floor. When she reached it I used Presence to turn the local gravity back on and she stood there and looked at me with wide eyes as I kept floating there. I used Presence to open the hatches of both ships.
“By the way, I just took your first weightless kiss.” I said and used levitation to fly up through the hatches.
“By the goddess.” Grace whispered as I moved as if there was still no gravity. I waved to her stunned face and closed both hatches without touching them, checked their seals, then disengaged the umbilical.
“Transfer complete.” I said over the intercom. “Thank the captain of the fast patrol ship for the ride.”
“Already done.” Rhubin said and I watched the fast patrol ship float away to a safe distance. Grace was still staring up at the docking hatch as the ship sent power to its engines and flew away.
I walked through the ship and entered the cockpit with Rhubin.
“You better not have had fun.” Rhubin warned me and I laughed. “Luxea is going to be so pissed.”
“No doubt.” I said. “Where's Simone?”
“Still in bed, as far as I know.” Rhubin said. “You should head there yourself, actually.”
“I need a shower first.” I said. “My clothes might not gather stains or anything; but, my body still sweats.” I chuckled. “Hours of dancing have finally caught up to me.”
Rhubin shook his head. “You're just asking for trouble, Hunter.”
“Yeah, I know.” I said and put a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for watching out for me.”
“I had to try and return the favor.” Rhubin said. “I messed up with her, too.”
I nodded and left the cockpit, then went into my room. I took off my clothes and tossed them on the chair there, hung up my belt with the bags of holding and my Light sword that were still invisible, then went to the bathroom to take a nice long shower.
*
Simone opened her eyes and rolled over on the bunk. She was a little regretful that the beds weren't as big as her old one that was still in storage in the secondary cargo hold; but, she had to admit the damn thing was comfortable and she slept really well, much better than she had on the station. She wasn't sure why that was, though. She got up and looked down at her loose top and panties, shrugged and ignored her usual practice of covering up, then stepped out into the hallway.
Simone was still partially asleep as she walked down the hallway towards Hunter's room. She remembered that she had left her shower things in Hunter's bathroom and went to get them. She had promised herself that she wouldn't abuse the shower's wonderful pulse feature... too much. The thought made her giggle a little. She entered Hunter's room and saw that the bed had been undisturbed. She shook her head at Hunter's audacity to not come back all night, after having a fight with his girlfriend.
“Luxea is going to be so pissed.” Simone said in an echo of Rhubin's words, quickly stripped off her top and panties, dropped then to the floor carelessly, and stepped into the bathroom and opened the shower door. She woke up fully as she saw the most beautiful sight that she had ever seen. She stared at the long golden hair, the sculpted muscles that covered every inch of skin that she could see, which was all of it, then the vision of loveliness turned to look at her.
*
“Good morning.” I said and gave Simone a huge smile. “I keep forgetting that I need to stop blocking my perception so much.” I laughed as I listened to her muddled thoughts. “You managed to sneak up on me and you're not even fully awake yet!”
Simone looked down at me and saw that I liked being in the shower just as much as she did, especially after a long night of exertion and alcohol consumption, then she looked up at my face.
“I'm awake now.” Simone gave me a sexy smile and put her hand on her hip to pose a little.
I laughed again. “I don't mind sharing, as long as you can keep your hands above the waist.”
“No promises.” Simone laughed and stepped into the shower and shut the door.
*
“What do you mean he's busy?” Luxea asked Rhubin half an hour later. “We're supposed to head over to one of the wrecks in an hour.”
“Well... ah...” Rhubin wasn't sure he wanted to tell her what had happened.
“Rhubin, just say it.” Luxea said, slightly angry. “He slept with Simone last night, didn't he?”
“What? Ha ha!” Rhubin felt relieved at her absurd claim. “No, of course not. He only just got back to the ship half an hour ago.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Excuse me?” Luxea said as her tone slid from angry to deadly in an instant.
“No, it's not what you think.” Rhubin said when he realized what she was thinking. “He didn't sleep with anyone at all last night.” He said and then thought about it. At least, I don't think he did. “He's sleeping right now and said he would be good to go in about six hours or so, depending on how long it takes to get all of the alcohol out of his system.”
“It was only supposed to be a political gathering.” Luxea said, slightly confused. “I didn't go because I wanted him to handle it and to see how well he did on his own. What was he doing drinking all night?”
Actually, you didn't go because you were angry at him. Rhubin thought. “How would you find out how well he did if you weren't there?” He asked and Luxea gave him a 'don't be stupid' look. “Never mind.”
Luxea sighed. “All right. I'll push the schedule back to this afternoon.” She said and she typed up a few things on her datapad. “When he wakes up, have him message me right away. We need to get a move on with this scavenging operation.”
“Have you completed the collapsible metal cages for the new ship?” Rhubin asked.
“Yes, and they are sitting in the cargo bay waiting to be deployed.” Luxea said. “We need to attach them to the top of the ship to get them out of the way, before we can put anything else into the hold.”
Rhubin nodded. “I'll tell him that.”
“Thanks, Rhubin.” Luxea said and ended the call. She looked at the communication display and sighed. I guess it's time to call a few people and see what really happened last night.
*
I woke up and felt refreshed and invigorated. I remembered the shared shower that morning, which was something I had done with other women before and kept it platonic, and Simone's hands had grazed a certain part of my anatomy while she washed me. She didn't do more than that, and that had surprised me at the time. On the other hand, my hands had washed her all over, without being lewd, and I had spent an inordinate amount of time on the very slight protrusions that had been where her extra arms used to be.
As if it had been an erogenous zone for her, Simone's breathing had sped up and her body reacted as if I had rubbed her between the legs. Of course, being slightly intoxicated by alcohol that I didn't know the properties of, I took full advantage of her reactions. I kissed, licked, and sucked on those little protrusions until she gasped and finished. Her eyes were wild and she stared down at me. I was on my knees in front of her and her mind raced at what I had just done to her so easily, without using Presence, then her thoughts went to her dripping womanhood that was so close to my mouth.
Simone concentrated on me and I didn't block her at all, because I could feel that she wanted to know something. Something she thought was very important. After a few minutes of staring at me, she let out a little sob as if she was crying and I also felt how happy she was. She knew I wasn't completely drunk, even after drinking so much, and whatever she had found in my mind had given her some kind of reassurance. I didn't know what it was and she wouldn't tell me when I asked.
We finished showering after that and we went to bed, side by side and didn't touch. She had mentioned not wanting to be alone in the cell, and I immediately relented and let her stay, mainly because I also felt the same way. Without Luxea there all week, the bed was large and felt very empty. I had barely reinforced my meditation techniques when I had fallen asleep.
Now that I was awake, I felt my hand being held tightly and turned my head to see where it was. Simone was laying under the blanket with me and she was on her front with her face towards me on the pillow. My hand was held in a death grip right beside her peaceful face and our fingers were intertwined. I wasn't sure how she had managed to do that and not alert my meditative state that there was movement within my self-imposed limited detection range. Her breathing was long and slow and her mind was calm and relaxed. I could pick through it as much as I wanted and I could experience specific memories if I chose. I didn't, though. She trusted me not to do that.
All I could think about was Simone not taking advantage of me that morning when she very easily could have. I was in such a good mood and had quite a bit of alcohol in my system, that my mind had been very pliable and easily could have been filled with suggestions and ideas. She didn't do that or even spoke much, either verbally or mentally, and it puzzled me a little as to why she didn't. I laid beside her in bed, the both of us completely naked, and she hadn't snuggled up to me, not even a little bit. Almost as if she heard my thoughts, she opened her eyes and looked at me with amusement.
“I can hear your thoughts, dumb ass.” Simone said. “I'm a telepath, remember?”
I snorted a laugh. “I didn't forget, I just thought you were asleep.”
“I copied your mental technique for sleeping and staying alert at the same time.” Simone said. “I never realized until today how important and useful it was.”
“It definitely comes in handy.” I said.
“Unless you drink a little too much and forget about it.” Simone said and smiled.
I opened my mouth to respond and thought about it. “I can't remember forgetting about it.”
Simone laughed and let my hand go. “That's the problem with consuming a bunch of unknown alcoholic beverages all night.” She rolled over and then sat up. “Ugh, my back.” She groaned a little and stretched to try and work the kinks out, then tried to rub the muscles. “I should have skipped the pillow. It made my spine bend a little too much.”
I reached over and rubbed her lower back and used a bit of Presence to ease her tense muscles.
“Ooo, that's the spot.” Simone almost moaned as the tingling eased her slight pain.
“Uh oh.” I said when I felt someone very angry come towards my room. “Luxea's pissed.”
“Luxea?” Simone looked down at her nakedness and pulled the sheet up to cover herself just in time. My room door opened and Luxea stormed in.
“HUNTER!” Luxea yelled. “What the hell did you do last...” She stopped dead as she finally noticed Simone with the sheet clutched to her chest.
“I did it for you.” I said and sat up myself.
“EXCUSE ME?!?” Luxea yelled and glared at both me and Simone.
“Not this.” I said and waved at Simone. “Don't overreact. We didn't have sex.”
“Did you use Presence?” Luxea said and her voice could strip paint from the bulkhead.
“No, of course not.” I said. “Simone, tell her.”
“He was a complete gentleman.” Simone said. “He only sucked on my extra shoulder stubs and not on anything else.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “That sounds so bad when you say it like that.”
“It's not bad. It's the truth.” Simone said and looked at Luxea. “He could have licked and sucked on me anywhere, anywhere at all, and I would have let him.”
“Simone...” I started to say and she put a hand on my shoulder.
“He was a little drunk and he kept his urges to himself. He had dozens, no hundreds of women around him last night, and not once did he think that he could take advantage of them. Not once.” Simone said. “Can you imagine it, Luxea?” She asked. “A hundred beautiful and fairly drunk women threw themselves at him... over and over all night... and not once did he consider doing anything except hugging a few and kissing their cheeks at the end of the night to give them a good memory.”
Luxea stood there and couldn't say anything, stunned at Simone's words.
“He wasn't lying when he said he did it for you.” Simone said. “You know why, don't you?” She asked. “He took all of the media attention from you. All of it. He made such a public spectacle of himself that absolutely no one is thinking about you at all.”
Luxea looked at me and still didn't say anything. Simone got up from the bed and held the sheet around herself, then grabbed my shirt on the chair and slipped it on, then tossed me the sheet and hit the intercom button.
“Rhubin, can you get the local news broadcasts this far out?” Simone asked him.
“Sure. Their satellites are all over the system.” Rhubin said.
Simone went to the console display at the side of the room and turned it on, then chose a news channel. “You see? It's all about Hunter.”
“This was the scene last night when the Hero of Chofaris made a surprisingly public appearance at a local bar in the capital.” The newswoman said as the screen showed an overhead view of the warehouse and it had hundreds of people around it. “We all witnessed his no-nonsense attitude and his actions while rescuing people with his phenomenal skills.” She smiled. “Now we can witness he can party just as hard as he works.”
The scene changed to internal security footage to show me dancing, then it changed to what looked like a personal recording device and showed me up close, then a couple of people away.
“That is all exclusive footage we obtained from various sources. We will compile it all and have a special prepared by this evening for your enjoyment, mainly because it shows our hero without his eyes covered! What a scoop! His blast shield wasn't permanently attached or covered an injury!” She said excitedly as the screen gave a close up shot of my bared face, then she gave the camera a smile. “However, the best footage we received was this.”
The next shot showed me as I sat at the tables with my hair all undone and a dozen women as they brushed and played with it.
“Hunter literally let his hair down!” She said with delight. “Personal accounts of the event are still coming in and we will bring those to you when we can.” She chuckled. “I really wish I had been there!”
“So do I, Dakini.” The woman next to her said. “Who would have believed that a man like that even existed?”
Dakini laughed. “He's absolutely gorgeous, isn't he?”
“Besides his immense strength that we all saw in the propaganda videos the government provided, and the strategies the military have attributed to him, he also has a body to kill for and can charm the wits out of anyone.”
Dakini laughed again. “We actually have one of those people here with us today.”
The camera view changed to the woman that was the hair expert I had met last night.
“You can turn it off now.” I said and Simone looked over at me. “Please.”
Simone nodded and turned it off and she walked over to the bed and sat down. “I'm a little surprised you didn't tear off your shirt and parade around to let them all paw at you.”
I pulled on the collar of the shirt she now wore. “You mean this shirt?”
“Yes.” Simone said and lifted the collar up to smell it. “I can't believe it still smells clean after everything you did last night.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
“H-Hunter...” Luxea said, her voice subdued.
“I know you're angry, and you have every right to be.” I said, glanced at Simone and then back at her. “If Simone wasn't such a virtuous woman, I would have slept with her after our shower this morning.”
“You were the one that held yourself back from going any further.” Simone said.
“You keep telling yourself that.” I said and pat her hand. “You knew how vulnerable I was.”
“I...” Simone took a breath and let it out. “I wanted to do for you what you did for me.”
“You see?” I looked back at Luxea. “Totally virtuous.”
Simone burst out laughing. “No way. We're even now.” She said. “The next time you're waving yourself around while completely naked in front of me, I'm not holding back.” She grinned. “I'll be on you faster than a skreetle on a greddar tree during sap season!”
“I don't know what those words mean!” I said with a laugh.
Simone gave me the image of a fist sized beetle-like creature that flew at almost the speed of sound at a tree that bled green sap from everywhere. I laughed and laughed when the beetle-like creature slammed into the tree with a loud splat, which completely covered it in sap and dazed it for a minute, then it wallowed in the rich and thick liquid as it ate its fill.