by Dee Brice
"By the Goddess," she whispered, "this is beautiful."
"It'll only last a while longer. I thought we could watch the sunrise while we eat breakfast."
"I…I thought…"
"I know what you thought, Keely. That I'd want to rush. That the sooner you regain your memory the sooner we can blow this burg." Her frown had him adding, "Get out of Dodge? We have time, honey." As if to prove the point, he guided her to the couch that looked out at the spectacular starscape.
Herma-Frodie appeared long enough for Frodie to pop the champagne cork and Herma to place an ice bucket and chilled flutes on the low table.
"Thank you, Herma-Frodie," Keely said. Frodie bowed as deeply as a butler would bow to a queen. Herma curtsied, the perfect lady-in-waiting.
"We'll ring if we need you." Geoff stared pointedly at the door.
The couple melded together. Grinning, they floated through the closed door.
"When we get back to Earth I'm going to find out how they do that," Geoff claimed.
"Think anybody there knows?"
His chuckle quieted the butterflies in Keely's stomach. "No," he admitted, toying with a curl near her ear. He ran his fingers along the tip of it, tugging gently on her lobe.
"Tickles."
"Hmmm. Where did your freckles go, Keely? I wanted to count them. Kiss you until I lost track. We lost track."
Keely rubbed her nose and cheeks. "Herma dusted me with some kind of powder puff. It made me sneeze. Are they back? My freckles I mean?"
"I'd forgotten how literal-minded you are." He sat her down on the couch, settled at her side. "One." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Two." Her right cheek. "Three." Her left cheek.
Laughing, she pulled his head down to touch her nose to his. "Four and to infinity," she whispered and kissed him.
* * * *
"How many buttons does this Jove-blasted gown have?" Geoff complained a few minutes later. Pulling Keely around so her back was to him, he studied the battalion of tiny buttons marching from her nape to her hips.
"I think there is an easier way to get it off."
"Show me."
Mischief in her smile, Keely said, "You said we needn't rush."
"Not rushing, honey. Just wanting to see more of you."
"Likewise."
She stared at him until he felt as if his robe and pants had melted into his skin. Her cool fingers slid the fabric until it fell from his shoulders and pooled around his hips.
"You could help."
Unfastening his belt, he tossed his robe aside. "Your turn."
"Nuh-uh. You have to figure out how to get me out of it."
Growling low in his throat, he curled his fingers into her low neckline. Her warmth, her indrawn breath, drew his attention to her breasts. Led to the discovery that he could ease her bodice off her shoulders. Bare her breasts for him to feast on.
Arching her back, she pressed her breasts against his face. Her soft moans of pleasure tore at his control. As if their minds had bonded, they stood. He eased her gown down her torso. She slid his pants down his hips. Freeing his cock from fabric. Curling her fingers around him. Pressing her body to his as if trying to fuse them.
"I want to look at you," he whispered and felt her shiver. When she eased away he knew she wanted to cover her breasts. Hide their rigid nipples, the signs of her arousal, beneath her arms. Her hands rose, then fell to her sides. Tilting her chin, she met his gaze.
"I want you," she murmured.
Picking her up, he carried her to his wide bed.
Supine, she trailed her fingers up his arm, over his shoulder and then pulled on his earlobe. "I like being naked with you." She pressed her hips against his leg and his cock twitched.
"I like it, too."
Grinning, she ran her hand down his torso to the juncture of his thighs. His cock swelled and practically jumped into her hand. "I can tell."
"Yeah, well, it's a little hard--"
"More than a little." She gently squeezed his balls, but soon went back to stroking his cock. Up. Down. A moist finger circled his tip.
"Keep doing that, Keely, and I…ah… Feels good. Too good." He stilled her hand.
"I read somewhere that being in danger can make people want to--" She licked her lips, ducking her head as if too embarrassed to say what she wanted.
"Have sex?"
"Uh-huh." As if she found resistance impossible, she sucked his nipple into her mouth.
Need jolted between his nipple and his cock. He wanted to come. Right now. More, he wanted to bury his cock in her until his balls felt her heat and her juices oozed over them.
He rolled her to her back, restraining her clever hands above her head. Her eyes were dark, like a cloud-covered sky above Earth, but she met his eyes without shame. Without fear.
"I'm warning you, Keely. If we start, there'll be no turning back. You can't change your mind or--"
"I know what I want, Geoff."
"Do you?" Her eyes lured him in. He could drown in their stormy sea foam green depths and die a happy man.
"You. I want you."
"Goddess," he swore, giving in to the need to kiss her.
* * * *
Keely, her hands now free, stroked his back and savored the power in his muscles, the way they flexed beneath her touch. She did this to him. Made him quiver like an arrow in a swirling wind.
Her sense of mastery fell away, willing victim to his lips and tongue as they ravaged her mouth. Her tongue met his, dueled, mated and parted. Her breasts swelled and her nipples ached for the touch of his hands, his lips and his tongue. As if she'd spoken, his lips covered one rigid peak while his fingers caressed and teased the other. He suckled, making heat pool between her thighs.
"Want you. In me." Her voice echoed the ache in her body.
Raising his head, he grinned down at her. His eyes looked black. His lips tightened as if pain tore at him, but his hands moved gently over her. A virtuoso playing an arpeggio along her flesh. He seemed content to linger at her nipples--nibbling, tasting with little licks--allegro agitano and presto con leggieregga. Forays quick and agitated combined with those even faster--light and delicate.
Con grave his hand slid slowly, almost solemnly, down her ribcage to her hips. A sigh, pianissimo, caressed her nipple. She felt as if it flowed over her entire body as he stroked her thighs. Andante, her legs parted. She waited, her pussy throbbing with anticipation. Poco piu mosso--only a little faster--his finger slipped inside her channel. Blissful, she sighed and thrust her hips against his hand, urging him to move. Poco a poco, he moved his finger, touching that magic spot inside her, striking several sforzando notes and striking them again. Rubato--lingering inside while randomly rubbing her clit. Unable to catch or match his tempo, she wanted to scream in frustration. His kisses destroyed that need as his fingers performed a magical accelerando, the speed increasing gradually until her climax struck in a huge crescendo.
She called his name. Looking into his eyes, seeing both reluctance and determination, she took his cock in one hand and guided its head to her opening.
"This'll hurt."
"Don't care. Want you. Need you."
Growling, he plunged, quieting and holding perfectly still. Sweat beaded down his forehead. She swiped it away and willed away the pain she felt in her pussy. Soon she realized that she no longer hurt, that the fullness of his cock made her welcome it. And him.
As if sensing her acceptance, his shaft pulsed. Her vaginal muscles squeezed back. Wiggling her butt from side-to-side, she grinned.
"Are you just gonna lie there?" she teased.
"Jove, no! I'm gonna take you on the ride of your life."
"Better than No-Name taking me through my first wormhole?"
"Remember your first climax? In the tub? Even better than that."
Laughing, she brought his face to hers and licked her lips. "Promises, promises."
He eased his hips upward until only his cock head remained inside her. Sheathed in h
er heat, in her juices, he slid down again. Her eyes widened and she grabbed his ass with both hands.
"Do that again. So I can feel your muscles when you drive into me."
He did as she asked. "Tell me. Tell me what you feel," he demanded.
"Exquisite. Like you're rubbing my clit at the same time you're gliding in and out. Like very muscle below your waist and above your knees belongs to me."
"Every single one."
"Especially…the one…you've buried inside me."
"That one especially," he agreed.
She hummed. A purr that went straight to his cock.
"Take me for that ride, Geoff."
He began to move.
Grave gave way to andante.
"Faster," she whispered. Watching, fascinated by the emotions sweeping through his eyes and over his lips, she could see as well as feel him struggle to control his climax. How careful he's being, she thought, wanting more than careful loving. She wanted all of him. She wanted stingendo as it built to vivace and she climaxed--presto.
She murmured the words one at a time. As if he understood, he pumped faster, harder. She felt the frenzy build in her. Build in him. They clung so tightly it felt as if they would squeeze each other to death. Or pound into each other's flesh until they became one body. One soul.
They breathed together. Moaned with one voice. Thrust and parried, two bodies searching for the same goal. Together they reached the precipice and tumbled over it.
Keely saw stars in a thousand colors. Like bubbles in a champagne flute, they popped one-by-one. She sighed and opened her eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"I saw stars," she said, sighing again. "You?"
He chuckled. "I heard a symphony."
Several Days Later
Herma sat in a corner of the flight deck, shamelessly eavesdropping on Frodie and Geoff. The poor human was so desperate for a male to talk to, he'd begun to treat her mate like a real person.
They'd exhausted speculation as to when they might return to Earth. Keely's memory had remained elusive, leaving them stuck. Geoff's agreement with Paris had marooned them in Mars' orbit until Keely remembered every detail of her life.
"How is Keely doing?" Frodie asked.
Herma blinked at the sly innuendo in that simple question. She saw the back of Geoff's neck redden and wondered if his face was equally flushed. Unwilling to betray her interest, she pretended to sleep.
Instead of answering, Geoff posed a question of his own. "How much do you know about Venusian women?"
"About as much as any man knows about any woman--no matter her race. Why?"
"Just wondering." Geoff sounded evasive--as if he wished he hadn't asked.
Frodie's silence had Herma grinding her teeth. Did men have some kind of secret pact not to prod? If they did, it didn't extend to women. When Herma tried to evade her husband's questions, Frodie kept after her until she wanted to scream.
Geoff cleared his throat.
Maybe silence did work! Herma held her breath.
"I've heard my cousins talking about virtual and true virginity."
Go on. Go on!
"You want to know the difference?"
I'll tell him. On second thought, it might prove more interesting to hear a man's explanation. Ask Frodie to tell you, Geoff.
Geoff sighed. "Yeah. I need to know the difference."
Need?
Frodie cleared his throat.
Oh, for Goddess' sake, get on with it!
"A Venusian woman can regenerate her hymen--her virtual virginity--until she gives her true virginity to the man she loves."
"Hmmm. Can all Venusian women…"
"Yep."
"Every time? I mean, does her hymen regenerate after she makes--er--has sex? Every time?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Do you know of any other women who can…you know?"
"No. Why?"
Herma could stay silent no longer. "In our galaxy, only Venusian women can regenerate their virginity. Regeneration occurs when the woman wills it. Usually she regenerates when her lover needs to use more gentleness when he makes love to her."
Geoff gaped up at her. Frodie quirked a brow, a silent scolding for eavesdropping.
"I can't imagine you being rough with Keely, Geoff." Herma gave Frodie a secretive smile Geoff couldn't see.
"I haven't--Jove-blasted woman! You tricked me." He chuckled, raking his fingers through his hair. The overlong strands flopped over his forehead, giving him a piratical look.
"Any other explanation for this spontaneous regeneration?" Frodie asked Herma.
"Only that Keely could be from someplace else."
Geoff ran tense hands over his face. "Clarify something for me," he demanded of Frodie. "What happens when a woman--a Venusian woman--gives her true virginity to a man?"
"Do you mean, can she generate another virtual virginity? Not that I know of. Herma?"
Herma shrugged. "No, she can't. In the first place, she'll only give her true virginity to the man she'll love all her life. Which means, she has no need of another hymen."
"And in the second place?"
Herma grinned. "When she has a hymen--no matter how gentle a man is or how well he prepares her--the first penetration hurts."
"Every time?" Geoff looked appalled.
"Every time," Herma replied as she left the flight deck.
"Jonathan Jacob Jones!" Geoff softly swore.
Frodie clamped a hand on Geoff's shoulder. "Seems you have two choices here. You can abstain from sex or…"
Geoff glared. "Or?"
"You can take Keely's true virginity."
Snorting, Geoff asked, "And how in blazes do I do that?"
"Simple. Tell her you love her." Frodie stood, sauntering out after his wife. At the door, he turned and added, "The trick is you have to mean it."
* * * *
Geoff had no idea how he got to his quarters. But here he was, staring at Keely's piquant face, watching her expression go from welcoming to concerned.
"Hi," she said tentatively. "I…I hope you don't mind. I'm using Honey's databanks to learn a little more about Saturnalia."
"Did you and The Honey go there before you hooked up with Paris?"
Frowning, Keely shook her head. "Not that I can remember. And we--you and I--didn't stay there long… I've learned from Honey that they make beautiful fabrics there. Honey's replicater can duplicate them perfectly." She stood, pirouetting slowly.
"Gone native, Keely?" On Saturnalia the phrase referred to indulging in any immoral vice known in any galaxy. In Keely's case, those vices amounted to bright fabrics and scanty clothing. He eyed her bare feet, the expanse of naked thigh her long, slitted skirt revealed, the short top she'd tied around her neck and under her breasts, leaving her torso bare to her waist. The bright swirls of lime green, pink and orange in the fabric made him feel a little dizzy.
"Gone…? I don't think so, but I'd like to go back there someday. Honey tells me the entire ring is lovely." She stretched her arms over her head and sort of swayed another little pirouette. "Maybe my husband will take me there on our honeymoon."
Geoff felt as if she'd gut-punched him. "You have a husband? You remember having a husband, but just now got around to mentioning him?"
"Of course not." Her frown conveyed vexation and concern. "Besides, you of all people should know I don't have a husband. Unless you lied about me being a virgin."
"I don't lie."
"Unless the circumstances call for them," she muttered. "What is wrong with you? If you don't want me to use Honey's systems, just say so."
Geoff raked his hair and huffed a sigh. "We need to talk."
Quirking an eyebrow, she slanted him a suspicious look. "About what?"
"How come you didn't tell me I hurt you every time we make…have sex?"
"You don't hurt me," she countered quickly, but her blush told a different story. She shook her head, adding, "Not much anyway."
"After the very first time, it shouldn't hurt at all." He took her hand, leading her to a chair. "Sit."
"I'm not sitting unless you sit too. Staring up at you gives me a crick in my neck."
They each sat. Her chair gave Keely a little boost so that she and Geoff faced each other eye-to-eye.
Geoff took both her hands in his, stroking her palms with his thumbs. She shivered, but didn't pull away. "Is it possible," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "that you're Venusian?"
He expected her to make light of the question, shrug it off with some dismissive comment. Instead, her eyes solemn, she murmured, "I suppose it's possible. I…I wish I could remember, Geoff. I really do."
She blinked and rubbed her eyes as if tears stung them. Geoff wanted to pull her into his lap and cuddle her worries away. But if he did that, they'd make love and never get back to talking.
"Do you think I'm Venusian?"
He nodded. "On Earth--and obviously on Venus--Venusian women can regenerate their hymen until--Well, until they fall in love with their soul mate."
She remained silent so long, Geoff thought she might never speak to him again. At last she said, "Regenerate implies by their will. Is that it? They can will their hymens back?"
"Yes."
"Why would they do that?"
Wanting to look away, Geoff forced himself to hold her gaze. "Many Venusian women work as sex surrogates." Her knitted brows told him Keely needed more information. "Men come to them to learn how to become better lovers. Many of these men are about to marry or enter a long-term relationship with virgins. They want to make the first time as pleasant for their wives or lovers as possible."
She grunted. "And you think--because I experience pain each time we have sex--that I may be Venusian." He nodded. "But I don't will my hymen back. It's just there. Time after time. Which makes me even more of a freak than I already am!" She sprang to her feet.
Geoff caught her arm before she could run away. "You are not a freak." He pulled her onto his lap and wreathed his arms around her, imprisoning her. "There are many reasons this is happening."
Her eyes filling with tears, she jutted her chin. "Name one."