Jewel

by Veronica Tower

  She ran a fingertip over her left temple, tracing the perfectly camouflaged patch of artificial skin she’d worn there for the past nine months. She wore a similar scrap on the right side of her head to make certain her face maintained a balanced appearance and no one guessed what she was concealing beneath it. Yet another legacy of her parents that made life just a little bit more difficult now that she was living without them. Of course, from their perspective, anything they could do to make her life more difficult these days would prove to be money well spent. They must be apoplectic that she had escaped from them.

  Jewel sighed, more from decades-old heartache than from exhaustion and turned to the shower stall. Resources were tight aboard the Euripides, especially with their large contingent of passengers, so everything, even recyclable commodities like water, was being tightly rationed. She punched her three-minute shower allotment into the control panel and set the temperature at ninety-four degrees. She slipped inside to take advantage of every single second of the spray.

  A fine, warm mist enveloped her for a few moments, a soothing prelude to the cleansing to come. Then the real force of the water struck her and she filled her hands with cleanser and began to scrub the detritus off her face and body.

  As she worked, she thought she heard the door to the lavatory open and wondered if she could really be so tired that she’d forgotten to punch the privacy lock. “Stars, Vega, can’t you hear the shower running?”

  Vega didn’t answer, and the blurry shape approaching the privacy screen was much taller than her roommate would ever be.

  Fear flushed through Jewel’s body, wiping away the initial signs of her fatigue in an invigorating surge of adrenaline. “Hey,” she snapped. “I’m naked in here!”

  She cracked open the privacy screen, sticking her head out while continuing to shield her naked body from view.

  Erik Gunnarson stood three feet away from her, grinning from ear to ear. “I should hope so, Ms. Aurora. This wouldn’t be as much fun if you were still clothed.”

  Jewel stepped back in shock. “How did you get in here? The cabin door was locked and Vega’s right outside.”

  “I’m the ship’s exec,” Erik reminded her. “I have a master key. And as for Vega, let’s hope she continues to sleep.”

  He stepped closer, removing the belt of the gi he’d been wearing since the whole crisis started back in the exercise room.

  Jewel pulled back deeper into the shower stall. “But what are you doing here?” she asked.

  Erik slipped the gi off his broad shoulders exposing a chest that was every bit as impressive as Jewel had hoped it would be. His hands moved to the top of his pants and hesitated. “I’m hoping to take a shower with you. Do you really want me to leave?”

  Jewel focused on Erik’s crotch. She didn’t want to look there. She knew it was rude, or crude, or something like that. But she’d never seen a man’s penis in the flesh and suddenly she could as Erik lowered his pants and exposed himself. It wasn’t hard yet, but hung down in front of him, dangling next to balls big enough to fill her hand. Even as she watched, the phallus swelled and stirred and started growing larger.

  “I’ll take that as an invitation,” Erik told her.

  He touched the water controls, punching in a new set of commands, and then slid past the privacy screen to join her.

  Jewel couldn’t help herself. Her right hand snapped down to cover her pussy while her left hand and forearm covered her tits. Warm water sprayed off her back and forearms, her body protecting Erik from the direct spray. “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered, but she couldn’t put any force into the words.

  Erik backed her into the corner of the small stall so that the direct stream of water began to miss her and hit him. He didn’t seem to notice. Instead he took hold of her left arm and gently pried it away from her excited breasts. “Why not?” he whispered back.

  Her nipples grew larger as he looked at them. She was unable to put her real fears into words so she settled for saying, “Vega is out there.”

  With his right thumb Erik gently rubbed the very tip of Jewel’s swollen left tit.

  She closed her eyes and focused on remaining standing as her whole body quivered with pleasure. “So we’ll be quiet,” Erik told her.

  He rubbed her nipple again and Jewel slipped on the wet floor, collapsing into his arms.

  He caught her easily enough, his arms encircling her waist so he could hold her body against his. Her breasts flattened against his chest and his thick penis touched her stomach. Then he lifted her higher so his face could touch hers.

  “Your choice,” he whispered. “I can stay here and we’ll make love, or I can walk back to my cabin and shower there.”

  Jewel started to speak without being certain what she was going to say. “Please…don’t leave.”

  Erik kissed her, gently separating her lips so his tongue could probe her mouth. He’d brushed his teeth, fortunately, so all she tasted was minty clean wonderfulness—none of the foul stuff they had both vomited up. She’d found some mouthwash shortly after she left the bridge because she just couldn’t stand the foul taste in her mouth any longer.

  Erik kept kissing, stoking heat between her legs, which strangely added to her uneasiness. She just couldn’t get comfortable with what was happening. She wanted to, but couldn’t stop thinking of Vega in the next room, or of the hundred-thousand warnings her mother had given her about how the consequences of losing her virginity would affect the family fortunes. Again, the image of Kole in his latest holo pic, popped up in her head—young, strong, handsome. If she did this—

  Erik’s free hand cupped Jewel’s other breast, interrupting her thoughts and focusing all of her attention on the feel of his fingers taking hold of her. It took several seconds for her to remember to breathe, and several seconds more for her to remember what she’d been thinking. If she did this…

  But that was the point, wasn’t it? After staying true all her life to the fiancé she had never met, the Armenites had insulted her by putting off the wedding without any real explanation. But did her parents care about that? Had Mama turned her infamous temper on the Armenite legation to defend her daughter’s honor? No. All her parents cared about were their bank accounts. How much money were the Armenites willing to pay to compensate her parents for this indignity? How much more raw armenium were they willing to supply to Khaba Cartel refineries to make up for the humiliation of telling their daughter that the Armenite House of Delling wasn’t quite as anxious as they should be for her to marry their son.

  It was all too disgusting and Mama and Papa were even worse than the—

  Jewel suddenly realized she was thinking about her mother while the man she’d been fantasizing about since boarding the Euripides was trying to make love to her. That simply wouldn’t do. Part of the reason she’d run away from home was to stop her parents from continuing to control her. She couldn’t let them spoil this moment. Pressing her mouth more firmly against Erik’s, she thrust her tongue inside him. She had to stand on the tips of her toes to do it and the movement straightened out her body so that she could feel his hardening dick against her belly.

  His fingers tightened momentarily on her breasts before slipping down her back to cup her ass. He squeezed deliciously, coaxing her to grind herself against his length. Hot beads of water struck her back again, heightening her excitement even as a small part of her brain continued to worry that they would wake her annoying roommate.

  “Mmmmm,” Erik whispered. “This is even better than I expected it to be. You’re so beautiful and you’re all mine.” He squeezed her ass possessively as if to reinforce his point.

  Jewel laid her wet cheek against his hard chest. “This is nice,” she agreed. “Please tell me you added your three minutes to mine and the water isn’t about to shut off.” The whole idea of time limits on something as essential as a shower was still difficult for Jewel to come to grips with but the idea of the flow of liquid cutting off right now was
too terrible to contemplate.

  “I did better than that,” Erik assured her. “I overrode the time restrictions altogether. I figure you earned that when you stepped up and took over bridge functions today. But we can talk about that later…”

  He lifted her face to his again and kissed her thoroughly while he cupped her cheek. His penis continued to lengthen, pressing harder against Jewel’s body while it tried to straighten out. She would have liked to take a closer look, but wasn’t certain what the rules were when kissing a man in the shower. Could she touch him? Should she touch him? That was ultimately what this was all about, wasn’t it? But in the back of her mind she remembered her mother’s warnings. Trillions of solars in trade depended on her virginity. Could she really go through with this?

  Erik must have sensed her hesitation. He stopped kissing her, lifting one hand to cup her face. “What’s wrong, Jewel? Do you think we’re moving too quickly?”

  Relief flooded into her that he understood her concerns. “It does seem a little fast,” she admitted, understating the reality. “I mean, we only kissed for the first time a few hours ago.”

  Erik immediately stepped back away from her, his half hard dick flopping over to point in her direction. “I am so sorry. You’re right. I’m rushing things.”

  He slid the screen back and stepped out of the shower, departing so quickly that Jewel felt abandoned and bereft.

  Outside the stall, Erik continued to apologize. “It’s been a difficult day and I…I really like you, Jewel. That’s not an excuse, of course, it’s just…”

  Jewel followed him to the shower door, forgetting her nakedness for the moment. “It’s just what, Erik?” She enjoyed the feel of his name on her tongue.

  He hesitated, then scooped up a bundle of clean clothes Jewel hadn’t noticed he had brought with him. He shook his head. “It’s not your problem. I’m the ship’s executive officer. I ought to have more control over my emotions.”

  Intrigued, Jewel stepped out of the shower so she could place her hand lightly on his back. “No, it’s okay. You can tell me.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment as if deciding whether it was appropriate to share. “It’s just…I’m a Ymirian. I was in the navy when the Armenites invaded. Stumbling across an old Ymirian colony like this—even if it turns out to be deserted now—it, it brings back a lot of memories.”

  “And you turned to me…” Jewel whispered as much to herself as to him.

  She felt a warmth in her heart stronger than anything she’d ever experienced before. She stepped closer to Erik.

  He turned away from her, hanging his head in sorrow. “I’ve got to leave.”

  Jewel caught his arm with her hand. “No, you don’t.”

  He turned to face her and she took the bundle of clothing—his ship’s uniform and underwear—out of his hands and placed them on the sink. “Come back in the shower with me.”

  She gave him one more suggestive pull as she returned to the stall but Erik surprised her by moving faster than she. He caught Jewel from behind and stepped up against her so that his cock pressed against the small of her back. His hands caught her breasts, cupping them beneath the hot spray, squeezing the soft flesh so that her eyes rolled up in her head with pleasure. His lips sought hers but his arms held her so she couldn’t turn to face him so she twisted at the neck and stretched up to meet his mouth.

  All Erik’s patience evaporated, replaced in an instant by raw need, as if Jewel’s simple invitation to stay had released all the inhibitions within him.

  Unfortunately, that invitation hadn’t released all of hers. So it was with two minds that she twisted her head back to return his kisses and covered his strong hands with her smaller ones as he pinched and squeezed her breasts as he held her under the hot spray of water.

  His penis grew harder against her back, sticking straight up so she could feel him against her spine. “Oh, Jewel,” he gasped. “I’ve wanted you from the very first time I set eyes on you.”

  She’d thought he was handsome then too, in his crisp, well maintained uniform. He’d looked much sharper, so much more capable than the typical sailor of the Fringe, she’d wondered what it would be like to kiss him and be held in his arms. Still, she’d never dreamed in that initial interview that they’d actually end up taking a shower together—that she’d actually end up naked in his arms.

  Erik’s right hand slipped off Jewel’s breast and reached under the cleanser dispenser, returning with a palm full of lather. The soap helped his fingers slide over her breasts even more smoothly, adding silky texture to the runnels of water flowing down her body.

  He filled his palm again, but this time found a lower portion of her anatomy to interest him. His fingers cupped her between her legs, squeezing lightly to trap her heat within her. Then he began to rub up and down on her lips, allowing his soapy middle finger to open Jewel up and let the hot warmth of the shower flow within her.

  She couldn’t help it. Her knees buckled, but fortunately Erik didn’t let her fall. His finger was all the way inside of her now, moving in and out where no man had ever gone, encouraging her lungs to pump faster in a futile effort to keep enough air flowing through her body so that she didn’t pass out from excitement.

  Erik found her ear and bit the lobe, making Jewel arch her back in a paroxysm of mingled pain and pleasure. His finger was deep within her now, stirring about, increasing her joy. His dick felt rock hard against her ass and back where he ground it against her.

  She moaned, then clamped her teeth down on her lip for fear the sound would wake Vega.

  “You like that, do you?” Erik teased. “Then I think you’re going to absolutely love this.”

  His finger slipped out of her pussy and went straight for her swollen clitoris. The hot spray of the shower continued to pound against her breasts, keeping her large, dark nipples standing proudly at attention. But it was the swirling streams of runoff that worked most perfectly with Erik’s hand, washing around her clit to channel back against the dark lips of her labia.

  “There’s nothing sexier,” Erik whispered. His lips brushed her lobe and his hot breath tickled her ear, “than watching a strong, sexy woman like you take control during a crisis. You were superb today, Jewel. And you surprised everyone. If we weren’t in the middle of an emergency, I would have yanked your gi down and taken you from behind against the navigator controls.”

  Part of Jewel’s mind insisted on pointing out to her that being fucked hard in a pool of vomit—even by a man as hot as Erik—was in no way a sexy image. Except there wasn’t any vomit in her memories. Instead, she pictured them together on a deserted bridge, Erik’s fingers inside her pants, touching her just like he was doing now. His huge, hard cock pressing against her back—just like now. The shower spray—no idea where that came from on the bridge—helping to push her to—

  “Oh, Stars, Erik!” the words escaped her, forcing their way up her chest and out of her mouth. Her whole body shook on the sudden precipice of climax. “Erik!”

  He pressed the fingers of his right hand harder on her clitoris, even while he used his left to pinch and twist her swollen nipple. A spasm erupted between her legs and her pussy exploded in pleasure. Her knees completely gave out, but Erik didn’t let her fall. He held her pressed against him and kept rubbing her into an increasingly powerful orgasm.

  The spray was in her face now as she suddenly found her knees pressing into the shower stall floor. Her cheek pressed against the wall and her breasts smashed up against it. Erik reached around her, exploring her pussy, tracing the contours of her lips as she struggled to catch her breath. He spread her thighs wide and pressed the thick head of his penis against her lower lips for the very first time.

  Her eyes opened wide as she realized what he was about to do. “No,” she muttered. Then forced herself to say it louder as he stretched her nether lips open. “No!”

  There was no room to pull away from him, so she spun herself over on her side so that she h
it the stall floor hard on her hip.

  “What? No.” Erik grabbed hold of her again, trying to pull her pussy back into position for his cock.

  Jewel finished twisting herself around so that her ass was on the floor. “Wait!” she told him. “Not that way. Not the first time.”

  Erik looked confused, but he stopped fighting against her and let her lift one sleek leg up and over him so that he knelt between her thighs. His dick was far bigger than she’d expected it to be, eight or nine inches in length and a deep, almost purple color instead of the pale hue she’d been expecting.

  “I want to see you,” she explained. “It’s our first time together.” My first time with anyone, she added silently.

  Erik nodded gruffly, his attention held mostly by his cock and her pussy. He rubbed himself against her sleek black lips, opening her enough that the piping hot spray of the shower could beat within her flesh. For one agonizing second, she worried about the consequences of giving up her virginity to him. Then the decision was taken away from her as Erik’s rock-hard penis thrust deep inside her.

  “Oh Stars, you’re tight,” Erik murmured.

  Jewel had to bite back a cry of pain. There was no way she was ready for this. It wasn’t just Erik’s size, it was the speed with which everything was happening and the urgent power of his thrusts. He was so big and her body simply wasn’t ready for him—maybe it couldn’t be the first time. His powerful organ filled her, stretched her, maybe even tore her a little, but Erik didn’t seem to notice. The frenzy she’d felt when he touched her clitoris now reached out to consume him. His fingers dug into her ass and he began to pump away with increasing abandon.

  “Stars, Jewel, oh Stars,” he muttered. “You’re so tight, so beautiful. So…”

  His eyes rolled back in his head and she thought he must be about to come, but he didn’t stop thrusting his cock.