by Robin Roseau
"I cannot reach your lips this way."
"No, but you can nuzzle whatever I have just exposed."
"Oh."
She was a good nuzzler. "I am beginning to recognize a pattern."
"Oh?"
"If you take a position that exposes a portion of your body, you are requesting attention to that portion."
"Ah. Yes, that is probably accurate." I pulled her arms more tightly around me.
"You are asking for far more affection than I expected so quickly."
"We're alone. You're sexy. You're brilliant. You're pretty much everything I ever wanted. And I'm asking for comfort. But I know all that is also why you're isolating me, so I don't have any other source for comfort. So be it. You still have to woo me."
"How am I doing so far?"
"I'll keep coaching you."
She growled, and I giggled then pushed away from her and stepped into the shower.
* * * *
In the morning she attempted to deprive me of my blouse and skirt. I reminded her the agreement was that I would pick which clothing I wouldn't wear. I then left off the bra and undies.
She pouted. It was cute.
We had breakfast, then she let me watch Earth for a few minutes, but only a few. We cuddled for a few minutes afterward, then she held class. She was even more prepared today, and the lesson was fascinating. I thought I did better on the exam, too, but I still declared I hadn't won a reward. She told me I hadn't lost a privilege either.
Then she declared it was time to visit the exercise room. We changed into workout clothes, and she looked great in hers. I spent most of the time watching her, but she frowned when she caught me.
"What? You look at me all the time."
"You are watching me and not exercising."
"I'm exercising? See. Pedaling."
"You're not even sweating."
"Neither are you."
"I don't sweat. Humans, however, sweat when they exercise."
"I've seen you sweat. You just lied to me!"
"Did I look like I was taking it easy?"
I looked down. "No."
"Were you taking it easy?"
"Yes," I said in a small voice.
"When we finish, we will discuss your punishment."
"That's not fair! You didn't tell me I'd get punished if I didn't sweat."
"If you argue about this, there will be two punishments. I expect you to spend the rest of our time panting too hard to talk. Now you will say, Yes, Bronze."
I stuck out my tongue. "Yes, Moirai."
"That works, too."
I didn't think she was bluffing, so I worked hard after that, and I was beat when she told me it was time for my cool down. She sent me off to shower and ordered me to find her in the main cabin when I was dressed.
She hadn't told me to hurry, but I wasn't sure how she would react if I dilly-dallied, so I was efficient. Still, she was already in the main cabin, waiting for me, when I arrived. She turned to me. "Come here."
I moved slowly to stand in front of her. "Are you really going to punish me if I argue with you?"
"Yes. Did the threat of punishment cause you to work out properly?"
"Yes, but-"
She set fingers on my lips.
"I will pardon you this time. It is the only time I will do so. In the future, I will devise punishments for poor exercise."
I said nothing. I wanted to argue with her. But then I couldn't hold it back. "This isn't fair."
"Perhaps not."
"Just because you hold the power doesn't give you the right to treat me this way."
"That may also be true. Are you going to work out properly?"
"I am now."
"And if I weren't prepared to punish you, would you work out properly?"
I didn't want to admit it.
"Answer me, Sapphire."
"Probably not."
"I'm going to confess something to you."
"Oh?" I looked up.
"Some of those good dreams..."
I guessed immediately. "You're still testing me!"
"One of the groups of scenarios had to do with helping you manage your body. In the tests, you asked for this kind of help. Maybe you aren't willing to admit it consciously, but you want me to treat you this way, on this issue and perhaps a few others. And so whether you consciously admit it or not, I'm going to."
"That's cheating!"
"Yesterday you talked about possible outcomes from our time together."
"Do not throw that in my face."
"You told me you want us to both win."
I sighed. "You don't have to say it."
"So you should be happy I continue to see what your subconscious wants."
"I actually don't mind. I'm upset I can't return the favor."
"Ah, but this isn't about you discovering what I want. I could do it the slow way, but I only have five months, Sapphire."
"Why did you admit all this?"
"Because in your testing, you respond very poorly when you figure it out yourself."
"So, how are you going to punish me, if I don't perform to your satisfaction."
"I will subject you to boredom."
"Damn it. That's what I thought."
"In testing..."
"I know."
"You respond very poorly to everything else I've presented in your testing. Boredom pisses you off, but you get over it."
"Testing is still cheating."
"And yet, I will continue as often as I feel necessary."
"Fine. I'm going to my room for a while."
"Don't sulk too long."
"I'm not going to sulk."
"If you sulk too long-"
"I'm not going to sulk."
"I'm going to demand some of my rights."
I put a hand on my hip. "What rights?"
"The right to undress and touch you."
"You will not."
"And I will enjoy it."
I turned my back on her and headed for the door.
"And I'll tickle."
"You will not!"
"Until you laugh."
I turned around, and she was offering what I learned was her smirk. I glared for a moment then turned to flee.
"Take your time, Sapphire!" she called after me.
Bitch.
* * * *
I wasn't sulking. I wasn't.
A half hour later, I still wasn't sulking. Using my visor, I pinged her. "What are you doing?"
"Wondering if you're still sulking. What are you doing?"
"Sulking."
"I will give you a set of choices. You can continue to sulk. You know what will happen."
"Or?"
"Or you may join me on the main deck for a game."
"Or?"
"Or you may go to our room, remove every stitch of clothing you are wearing, and be lying on your stomach by the time I arrive."
I thought about it but didn't say a word.
"In five minutes, if you are have not arrived on the main deck, I am coming to find you. If you are not on our bed as described, then I will treat it as choosing option one."
I didn't say a word. I simply clicked off.
I didn't want to sulk. I hated sulking. It was immature, and I hated it when I acted immaturely.
I didn't want to play a game.
I knew it would be petulant to wait here for her. I stood, stepped across the hall, and was folding my clothes when she stepped in.
I didn't turn to her, but I froze. I wasn't on the bed yet. "Was that five minutes?"
"Yes. Why aren't you on the bed?"
I moved to the bed and lay down. I listened as she moved to the side of the bed, looking down at me.
"Were you testing me?"
"No. It took me a couple of minutes to decide what to do."
"You expected to be on the bed by the time I arrived?"
"Yes. I wasn't watching the time."
"All right." She sat down next to me
. "I am going to touch you. I intend to spend at least an hour and probably longer. I will do absolutely anything you ask. If you don't ask, I will do whatever I want. But this is not a massage. This is touch."
And then she set a hand on my ass. I stiffened for a moment, but I didn't protest. Then I relaxed.
"Please don't seduce me."
"I won't. Yet."
First she blinded me. And then she began to caress me. I stiffened a few times, but then I began to relax and accept it.
It felt nice. Of course it did. And it was hard to continue sulking while she was doing that.
I lost all track of time. I'd never had anyone pay that sort of attention to me. She touched my back, everywhere she was allowed. She massaged my scalp, stroked my hair, teased the back of my neck, and worked her way all the way down my body.
At some point she leaned over and whispered, "Still sulking."
"No."
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No."
"You have now defined the duration I will allow you to remain angry with me."
"I wasn't angry."
"Nevertheless. 30 minutes. That's all. If you are still upset after 30 minutes, then either I will find you like this, waiting for me. Or if I have to find you, it will go the other way."
"You offered a game."
"I offered you an out if you couldn't stand this. If you show up asking for some other entertainment in less than 30 minutes, then of course, that's what we'll do."
"All right."
"Good." She kissed the back of my neck. "I intend to roll you over and continue this on your other side. Is it too soon?"
"No."
I didn't have to do a thing. She did it for me. And so I lay on my back, still unable to see, and she began stroking me, touching almost everywhere, everywhere she was allowed within our rather unexpected rules.
"If you ask for more, I will give you more."
"I-" I bit my lip. "This is soothing. More isn't soothing."
"If you want more, you may ask." But she lay down next to me and continued to stroke my body. I didn't ask for more, although a big part of me was ready to, and if she had begun without permission, I wouldn't have stopped her.
I wondered if she knew that.
Her touches grew more fleeting, slower, and then stilled. She rolled onto her back and then rolled me partway onto her, my head resting on her shoulder.
She smelled good, and I knew that was part of the reason I was so responsive to her. But it certainly wasn't the only reason.
Then, slowly, I could begin to see again.
"How do you feel?"
"Amazing. Thank you."
"So if I asked you to do to me what I just did for you?"
I sat up. She cooperated as I undressed her.
"You blinded me, so I presume you'll close your eyes?"
She closed her eyes. When I nudged her, she rolled over.
"I'm going to stroke," I said. "You will decide when you want to roll back."
After that, I lost myself in exploring her body, touching and stroking. It was, in a way, hypnotic. It wasn't sex. It was comfort. It was soothing to both of us, I thought. At times, I kneaded the muscles, which she also seemed to enjoy. I explored the muscles. I looked at the structure of her feet and hands.
And I paid no attention to the time.
She eventually rolled over, and I started it all over.
I let her decide how long it went on. She finally opened her eyes and gazed at me. "Lie with me."
I snuggled against her, my head on her shoulder again, one arm wrapped around me. She took my free hand and placed it on her breast.
I'd been avoiding them. They looked like a human breast.
"Do Temier have these?"
"We nurse, but the glands are smaller. This is the same tissue, but rearranged."
"I can't imagine the biology required to rework your body. Was it painful?"
"I wasn't awake for it. This is not our technology. A race you haven't met, as far on our other side as you are on this side, shared it with The Federation. They are not a member, but they are not at odds with us, either."
"Do they have a name?"
"Not in human sounds. They could probably have made you Temier. Some changes are easy, but some changes seem to require combinations we can't reliably do, and the computer models we run suggest we would kill the victim. We only do the are safe."
"I appreciate that. Did they teach you to increase my empathy?"
"No. I developed that."
"Ohhh." I thought about it. "I don't know how I feel about any of this. I already felt too empathic sometimes."
"It was not a big change. We enlarged a portion of your brain that allows for a psychic link, but only with someone with a similar receptor. You won't link with anyone else." She smiled. "Mine is similar. It is not quite a form that would exist naturally."
"I don't know how I feel about that, either."
"If you leave me, it is a change that will never affect you with anyone else, and it would take time for us to grow apart. We continue to change, and without encouragement, the link will lose focus and then unlink entirely."
"I'm not sure I believe all this."
"It is subtle. We are attuned to each other's moods. That is all."
"Except you gave me a dream."
"I believe we shared a dream. We are more open when unconscious."
I played with her breast a little. She'd put my hand there, after all. I was exceedingly tempted to play with the nipple, but I remembered she'd consider that permission. I closed my eyes and relaxed.
I dozed.
* * * *
Two days passed. We worked out, showered, and then she held class. I won a reward.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I smiled. "Are you picking my reward, or am I?"
"We may negotiate with you making the initial suggestion."
"Then I want to play a different game. Come with me."
"I believe I need to know the game first."
"You'll like it." I led her to our room and had her sit on the small sofa, then I crawled onto her lap, straddling her.
"So far I like your game a great deal."
"This is called The Tickle Game," I said. "The rules are very simple. I am going to try to tickle you. You will allow me to do so."
"Oh, I don't think so."
"Eventually, you will turn the tables, and then you may tickle me only for as long as I successfully tickled you."
She growl-laughed. "Oh, the game has definitely taken an interesting twist."
"It only counts if I am actually successful at tickling you. And you may not escalate this or tickle me longer than I tickled you. If I am unable to tickle you, then you don't even get to try. So if you want to tickle me, you will help me learn how to tickle you."
"I agree to your reward."
"When you turn the tides, I am not obligated to cooperate. I am fairly certain that won't matter."
"It won't."
"But as compensation for my struggles, I will not grow angry if you take steps to reduce my ability to do so."
"You want me to throw you in the chair?"
"Not necessarily. You can sit on me if you want. But you must not run over time, or it will be a penalty."
"A penalty?"
"Yes. For every five seconds, or portion thereof that you go over, you must lose one article of clothing for the rest of the day. And if you run out of clothing and are still tickling me, I will be upset that you cheated."
She smiled then lifted her hands and laced her fingers behind her neck.
"I am allowed to dislodge your clothing, and you may dislodge mine, but that's not the same as pulling them off."
Then I began untucking her clothing, loosening everything. She watched me carefully. "The time only includes the time I successfully tickle," I reminded her.
"And then your time also only includes the time I successfully tickle."
"No.
I am very ticklish, and you won't have any trouble. But I will give you a little time to turn the tides and make me available for tickles."
And then I began trying to tickle her. I started slowly, trying everything that worked on me. I got her to quiver a few times, but she didn't indicate I was being successful.
I climbed from her lap and moved to her feet. They weren't ticklish either.
"This game seems to be a bust," I said.
"On the contrary. You've earned about fifteen minutes so far."
"I don't think so."
"It all tickles, Sapphire. I just have self-control over my reaction."
"Damn it! Have I really earned fifteen minutes?"
"A few seconds short. Yes."
"Teach me," I said. "But fifteen minutes is a long time for me. I'll be begging you to stop long before that long. So you're capped at fifteen."
She spent a few minutes showing me what tickled the most. In the end, teasing the hairs of her back was the most effective. She also assured me there were other things I could do, some of which would definitely induce squirms, but they were more intimate than we'd been behaving.
I didn't resist as she lowered her arms from behind her back and clasped me. She stood up, and she picked me up by my arms when she did so. She carried me to the bed in that fashion, but set me on my feet.
"Do not move," she said. And then she loosened all my clothing. She smiled. "Run."
"Run?"
"Run!"
I fled. I got three steps before she caught me about the middle, and I was shrieking with laughter even before she tossed me onto the bed. She followed, rolled me onto my stomach, and pinned me in place.
She had me begging for her to stop long before my fifteen minutes were up. She didn't relent, and I was tickled thoroughly for the entire fifteen minutes. But then finally she released me, lying on the bed beside me, growl-laughing almost as hard as I was.
I rolled over to face her, once I had caught my breath. "I liked my reward. That is now the rule for all tickle fights. But it only counts if I know I'm tickling you. Inadvertent tickling doesn't count."
"I do not agree with your entire restriction. I reserve the right to tickle you at other times."
I thought about it. "I do not know how I feel about that."
"Tough."
"Bronze..."
"We'll work it out."
I thought about it. "All right. But you're playing with fire." And then I closed my eyes and lifted my face.
* * * *