"You'll what? Why, you tin-plated..."
Whatever else she intended to say was interrupted as Stephanie's field rather abruptly pulled her back into her seat and held her there. The profound shock on Linda's face was too much for me and I started laughing again.
Steph said, “I don't understand the humor of this situation, Ed."
Linda glared at me and said, “I'm afraid I don't, either. Make her let me go."
I laughed even harder at her expression and gaspingly managed, “Inaminnit."
Her command voice said, “Now, Ed."
I nodded and tried to talk to Stephie and failed. I tried again a moment later and managed, “It's okay, Stephie. Let her go."
Linda shook her arms slightly and stood up, then gingerly sat down again and said, “Stephie, you have my word that I won't hurt him."
She then looked at me and added, “While I'm aboard you, that is. When he's on the ground, he's fair game."
Chapter Twenty-Three
The downward view wasn't as spectacular as I'd expected due to cloud cover along the east coast of the U.S., but the upward view was becoming stunning. Unlike the blue sky seen from the surface of the Earth, the sky above the atmosphere was black as coal. While the binoculars helped slightly when viewing the Earth, they were of no help at all viewing the stars.
Like tiny diamonds on black velvet, the stars shone more brightly than I'd have believed possible and there seemed to be an ever-increasing cloud of them as we rose above the denser atmosphere.
Even Bear had taken note of the change above us. He was now lying on the seat in a position that allowed him to keep us, most of the flitter, and the sky within his range of vision, and his ears flicked back and forth between us and the sky as he tried to be attentive to everything at once.
As we rose beyond the bulk of the atmosphere there seemed to be no discernible change above us, but the view below became increasingly more interesting as the Earth rotated beneath us. By the time we reached five hundred miles of altitude, Texas was below us.
A barbell-shaped blot of light marked the Dallas/Ft.Worth region, and other larger and smaller blots of light advertised Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. Linda wanted to know why we weren't hanging over Florida anymore and I let Stephanie describe the forces at work.
I was looking up again, using the binoculars to examine at the moon, when it occurred to me that a field that could stop light or allow it through and be shaped might also be able to act as a lens.
"Stephie, can your field bend light or redirect it like a magnifying glass?"
"Yes, Ed."
"Uh, huh. Kewl, ma'am. Now, do you know how a telescope works? Could you build one if you had the parts?"
"Yes, Ed."
Linda's attention switched from the Earth below to me.
"Stephie, can you extend and adjust a bit of your fields to provide an opaque tube with telescope-like lenses inside it?"
It took her a whole half second to answer.
"Yes, Ed. It will require adjustments, but I can construct a field-generated telescope."
"It won't be too much to ask, will it? I don't want to stress you, Steph."
"My parameters well exceed your current requests, Ed. Would you like one or two telescopes?"
Linda was staring again, this time at the console.
"Two, please,” I said, “One on each side of the canopy. How can we adjust their aim and the magnification?"
"The fields will form a black tube leading into the canopy. Push and tilt the tube to the position you prefer and slide your finger along the side to indicate the level of magnification you desire. One moment while I create them."
Linda was staring at me. I almost said, “Take your time, Steph,” but the tubes were already extending toward us. I pointed at Linda's so she wouldn't bump her head on it, but she'd seen mine extending toward me and realized that one was probably extending toward her, too. She turned to find herself nearly nose-to-eyepiece with it and stepped back a pace in surprise.
I aimed my ‘scope at the moon and said, “Stephanie, you're a very special lady. See if you can requisition yourself another engine, just in case I outlive this one. I don't ever want to lose you, ma'am, and I don't want you to have to try to get by on one of those half-assed new engines they're going to be using."
"Yes, Ed."
Linda said, “Jesus. These flitters are wonderful, Ed. I had no idea..."
"That's ‘cause you used to laugh at me for reading science fiction, Linda. If you'd read some, you'd be getting ideas, too."
"All right, smart guy. Did your ideas happen to include some way of getting rid of used beer? Neither of us can just hang it over the side of the ship up here."
"Ask Stephie. She can probably make you a field potty."
Linda's mouth opened to speak, but Stephanie said, “I can. Please stand where you'd like me to construct it, Linda, and let me know when you're ready. Walls will form around you, so don't be nervous."
Linda walked to the other end of the flitter and said, “Here, Stephanie. And thank you. This suddenly became very important to me."
I said, “Hold the design, too, Steph. I'm next to use it."
An opaque cylinder formed around Linda. A few moments later I heard a splashing sound and a small, satisfied sigh. I tore a sheet off a roll of paper towels and soaked it in the melting ice, then held it and a dry one over the top of the cylinder.
"Linda, look up."
"Huh? Oh. Thanks, Ed. I didn't want to try that using a field."
She giggled as she took the towels from my hand. A few moments later the cylinder walls disappeared to reveal Linda and a much smaller cylinder near her. We traded places and I said, “Ready, Steph."
When I'd finished and walked out of the area, the small cylinder seemed to slide to Stephie's port side. As we watched, it seemed to shrink impossibly, then it apparently winked out of existence. Linda and I were staring at the spot where the cylinder had been.
"Steph, Linda and I just have to know what you just did with that cylinder."
"The contents of the small cylinder were ejected in a narrow stream toward Earth, Ed. The ice will disintegrate when it reaches the thicker atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean."
"You're a marvel of technology, Stephanie."
I always expected to hear a 'thank you' after complimenting Stephanie, but as usual, she made no reply. I turned to Linda.
"Linda, can we go back to Ellen for a minute? Something occurred to me."
Linda released her telescope, looked at me, and said, “Okay."
"Gary and Elkor are her primary physicians. I'd bet the other seven defective women have similar arrangements. It seems to me that those ladies really may not have the slightest idea that they're sterile, if indeed they are."
Linda squinted at me. “If they are? Weren't you the one who laid that theory on the table in the first place?"
I nodded. “Yup. But now I'm not sure they would be. We transplant hearts and livers and kidneys. What if their ovaries are transplants? Programming and function fulfilled. No distraught, childless women. No transmissible defect."
Linda's expression turned grim. “Wouldn't that mean that some other woman would be missing her ovaries?"
"Not necessarily. Elkor said they added tissue by regeneration in the brain, right? Elkor, can your medics grow a new liver from a few cells?"
Elkor said, “Yes, Ed. Most organs may be replicated from a few healthy cells."
"Are ovaries growable that way? Could you take a bit of ovary from one woman and create a working pair for another woman?"
"Yes, Ed."
"Then why the hell didn't you just say so, instead of letting us think that Ellen might be sterile?"
"Your previous questionings concerning Ellen and reproduction didn't make references to organ transplants and my programming would appear to be lacking somewhat in the area of intuitive responses."
"No shit. Any idea why it didn't occur to you to volunteer that
information?"
"Not at present, Ed. I'll look into this matter and try to develop better recombinant cross-referencing methods for future discussions."
"Yeah. Do that, please."
I turned to Linda and said, “All fixed. Ellen's history, now, and unless you feel a need to drop another Amaran woman on me I'm considering re-retirement."
Linda's jaw dropped and she stared at me. “Do what? After all this, you'd go back into retirement? There's still so much to do, Ed..."
I interrupted her.
"And there are plenty of people to do it, so I'm not essential personnel anymore, right? Wait a minute. Do you control Clark's offices, too?"
"Not directly. I can suggest, but not command. He's with another department and group."
I nodded. “Then I don't have to retire. You can transfer me to his outfit."
Linda stiffened and frostily said, “All right, Ed. You've made it clear that you want out from under me, so now tell me why. What have I done?"
"Nothing, Linda. You've done nothing. It's just that I can't ask you to share my sleeping bag or my bed if I'm working for you, so if I can't transfer, I'll retire. Hey, that answer works whether you say yes or no to my offer, doesn't it?"
Linda's face relaxed. A smile appeared and she said, “I'll have to check with Clark. You'll have to do something about your shyness problem."
"I'll work on it. I guess it's too late to call Clark tonight?"
"It is. Is that why you brought that sleeping bag, Ed?"
"No, not at the time. I was thinking that it would be nice to have something softer than this deck for stargazing."
She nodded and pulled on the ties that kept the bag rolled up. As it sprang open, she kicked it out flat and tossed the pillows on it.
"There's no way Clark won't take you aboard, Ed. He's asked to borrow you a couple of times. Let's call this a done deal."
Linda grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt in preparation to pull it off over her head and gazed evenly at me. I let her continue to gaze a moment on general principles, just so she'd know that neither of us would have an upper hand in the matter, then reached for my own shirt buttons.
"A done deal,” I said. “Prepare to be boarded, ma'am."
"You'd better be as good as the last time,” said Linda, pulling her shirt off.
We were naked in seconds, eyeballing each other with an odd mixture of strangeness and familiarity. I noticed Linda's hands trembling as we came together and began exploring each other.
I kissed her and said, “You seem a little nervous, ma'am."
Linda softly said, “I broke up with Mark almost six months before my accident. It's been that long for me, Ed."
"Wow. Welcome back. Glad we didn't settle for a ride in the Malibu tonight. It just wouldn't have been the same."
Linda chuckled and said, “Oh, definitely. It wouldn't have been the same at all. Do you remember how you used to be fascinated with my legs, Ed?"
"I told you I saved all the best memories of you."
Linda slapped my back softly and said, “They're probably all you remembered. Well, I have them back now and I've been working my butt off to make them what they used to be. Would you say that I've succeeded?"
I knelt before her and put an index finger firmly at the top of each of her thighs, then let them slide slowly over the firm curves to her knees.
"I think you've done a magnificent job of it, miLady, but only a much more detailed examination will tell me for certain..."
I looked up with a grin and received one in return. Linda pulled my face to her bush and said softly, “Well, then, be thorough, Ed. Be very thorough."
She didn't really mean for me to dive right in and attack her little button. A lot of guys seem to think the thing to do is to nail that little toy right off the bat and to keep at it with dogged determination.
Nope. That tactic may be just fine for movies, but most women I've known prefer a more subtle approach. Sneak up on it. Let your tongue tap it or brush it in passing now and then as you kiss and tickle your way up one leg and down the other. Play around it and tease it a bit.
Let your hands roam and caress and your fingers touch her skin like feathers and make the goosebumps appear on her thighs and arms. Don't work her nipples to death and do let her feel your tactile appreciation from her nose to her toes.
Taste her throat and smell her hair and brushingly kiss the back of her neck and shoulders. Let your series of small, fleeting kisses tickle her lips and make her stop you for a firm, warm, lingering kiss.
Women know what they like. The bold ones don't want simply to be taken and they'll guide your attentions for best effect if you can contain yourself well enough to let them do so.
At some point a lady who isn't too shy will redirect you firmly. She will have enjoyed, but will also have had enough, of your ancillary efforts and will have decided that the moment for more direct attentions has arrived.
I heard Linda gaspingly reach that point and make that decision. She returned my face to her bush. I had been kissing my way along her thigh when she seized my head and pulled me more or less gently to her immediate interest.
Linda arched as my tongue made contact and truly bedeviled her magic button for the first time in her many years of abstinence. Her body stiffened and her fingers gripped my shoulders as her breathing shallowed to gasps, then suddenly she released a sobbing groan and her hands released me to flutter helplessly.
I reached blindly upward around her thighs to take her hands and they gripped my own hands firmly as she came again hard. After spasming for some moments she endeavored to push my face gently away and whispered, “Ed..."
I kissed her damp thigh and lifted my head. “Yes'm?"
"Come up here. Hold me."
I did so, gently untangling myself from her legs and sliding up her body until my face was level with hers. She kissed me, then kissed me again, and her hand slid down between us to guide me into her.
It wasn't absolutely necessary, since I was nudging her portals anyway, but Linda's act of guiding me in was her way of taking for herself the next step in our pleasures.
I kissed her deeply as I entered her and began pushing my entirety into her. Linda seemed to stiffen a bit about halfway, but when I hesitated, she placed her hands on my bottom and pulled me to her. I sank the rest of the length of myself into her and shared her sigh when we reached bottom.
She giggled and said, “You feel so huge inside me, Ed."
"That's ‘cause I am huge, ma'am."
She giggled again and swatted my butt lightly.
"Hey, there. No pain stuff, lady. You know, it may just be that you haven't done this for a while. Anything would feel big."
Linda gave me a skeptical grin. “We measured you once in Germany, remember? Unless you've shrunk, you can still cover most of a ruler."
Why is it that almost every woman I've ever been with has hauled out a ruler at some point? Isn't it enough just to see it and mess with it? These are the same people who try to tell men that size doesn't really matter, after all.
"Well, ma'am, if you're still curious later, we can dig one up. You know, you'd look really good with a field of stars at your back instead of this deck."
"You're saying you want me on top, sir?"
I nodded solemnly. “Get up there and take control of the stick. Let's see if you can still use me the way you used to."
Linda hooked a leg over mine and rolled us over, then settled herself on me.
Leaning forward, she kissed me and said, “Oh, I think I'll manage, Ed. I really do think it's all coming back to me, now."
"Gee, that is good news. I was afraid we'd be starting from scratch."
Linda posted once to confirm matters and wound up catching her breath in surprise as the whole of me prodded deep inside her.
"Ho..! Well, maybe I should take it easy at first. As you said, it's been a while. I just hope I don't hurt myself on that thing."
I laughed. “Yeah,
right. Gee, thanks, lady. My ego wasn't big enough before."
Linda chuckled and said, “Oh, I think it was."
She wiggled a bit and lifted a few inches and let herself back down slowly, her lips pursed and her eyes closed. After a moment of motionlessness at the bottom, she lifted herself again and began a very slow posting that never let more than half of me escape her. She was searching for something and she found it.
There's a spot inside a woman that craves the rub. You may not feel it when the crown of your dick moves over it, but she will. Linda had found her spot and endeavored to remain suspended about halfway up my shaft as she used short strokes and leaned slightly backward to massage the area.
Her effort to suspend herself and move ever so slightly at the same time had the delicious effect of making her musculature stand out. I stroked her arms and legs as she worked toward her goal, massaging her silky skin and trailing my fingers over her belly.
Now and then she'd relax a little and allow herself to sink all the way to the bottom. She'd breathe deeply a few times, lean to kiss me, and then sit back to lift herself again for more.
Linda was a vision of sweaty loveliness as she began to show the strain of her efforts and her passion. At one point she spasmed slightly and then relaxed, letting herself down on me rather forcefully. We came together with a smacking sound and I had to hold her to me for a moment to let matters still within me.
I whispered, “Careful, ma'am. You'll jar something loose, and I don't want that to happen until you've had all you want."
Linda tried to reply and wound up giggling uncontrollably instead. When she sat back up it was with a devilish grin and an obvious determination. A few more short strokes later she went rigid for a moment, gasped and then groaned, and then began to drive herself on me like a pile-driver.
She got what she wanted. It only took a few of those hard strokes at that point to trigger me. Linda felt the slight extra swelling inside her and her eyes opened to stare into mine for a moment before she drove herself up and down again and made sure I couldn't be quelled.
As I bucked and squirted within her, Linda wore a wide, fatuous, 'gotcha' grin. She bounced lightly on me to encourage matters and giggled when I bucked and squirted uncontrollably a few more times.
Book 1: 3rd World Products, Inc. Page 26