Convenient Distractions
Posted on Wed Dec 30th, 2015 @ 11:38pm by Suresh & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & IKS Ning'Tao
Mission:
Further Challenges
Location: Iapetus/Guest Quarters
* Iapetus *
“Isa.” Drekkar whispered her name, smiling as he watched her cross the dimly lit room to him. She was a vision: her dark hair was bound in a tight, upswept twist, just a few tendrils curled down and touched her bare shoulders. A gauzy material wrapped around her neck and draped over her breasts, flowing down her body and allowing just a bare hint of her curves to show through. On her wrist was a recent gift: a large silver cuff with his sigil on it. Any Cardassian who saw it would know she was his; he'd have to remove the bracelet before she left in the morning.
He shifted in his chair, well aware that he loved her in a way that was dangerous for them both. Beckoning to her, he wordlessly ordered her to come closer. As she came to stand in front of his chair, he slowly lifted the hem of her dress, sliding his hand along her thigh. She wasn’t wearing anything under the dress.
Drekkar shook himself out of the memory, frowning heavily. He wanted her to remember those days, remember how she'd loved him; how she'd been his. With a touch of irritation, he realized he was aroused - he couldn't blame himself: that night with her had been one of their more erotic nights. It hadn't ended well, though he chose not to recall how he'd nearly strangled Isaura and made her cry. She'd forgiven him, as she always did.
Two weeks later, she was gone and he was in Jarad's chair, screaming as the Butcher took a pound of flesh from him. He still had those scars; he could have had them removed, but they were a reminder of just what love could do to a man. Wrapped in his own thoughts and seeing the past more clearly than he did the present, Drekkar was surprised when a body sat next to him, a breast pressed against his bicep, a hand on his. Blinking, he glanced at the woman and, for just a split second, thought it was Isa. He smiled before realizing that the woman was a coarse approximation of Isa. Her smile was a touch too wide, too knowing; her eyes weren't the nearly iridescent green of Isa's. "Move on, woman, I have no interest," he told her.
“Are you sure?” she purred. She ran her fingers from his hand and up along his arm slowly. “You have the look of a man who needs a little distraction.”
"I...," he was about to say that he was, but... Was he? Isa was behind closed doors with Rafael, undoubtedly wearing nothing more than a smile; why should he deprive himself? Besides, this woman, while not Isa, was close. "Perhaps I do need distracting." He looked her over again. "What's it going to cost me?"
“Cost?” She laughed softly, a low and sultry one. “Has it ever occurred to you that a woman might find you attractive? And be interested without being on someone’s payroll?” She pouted and pulled back from Drekkar. “I should be insulted.”
"But you're not," he chuckled. "I'll hold you to that, then, Bajoran: no cost. Forgive me, Cardassians are used to paying for Bajoran attention." He was baiting her, seeing if she'd show the usual Bajoran heat.
“You know as well as I do that in times past, that was true. I was too young then to be much aware and have spent most of my life elsewhere. What, and who, I prefer are up to me. You have a problem with that? I don’t stand on where someone is from. Doesn’t matter to me.”
"Very progressive of you," he remarked, edging into sarcasm. "What shall I call you, other than Bajoran?" He turned towards her and started twisting a lock of her hair around his fingers.
“Cassie,” she answered and leaned back closer to him. She reached out to run her finger lightly over the ridge on the right side of his neck. “For what it’s worth, I think your kind gets a bad rap. I know how you are about family and loved ones. Most could take a lesson from that.”
The scales of thickened skin along his neck ridges flexed as she touched them and he resisted, not entirely successfully, closing his eyes in pleasure. "Yes, family is of utmost importance. It is a shame more people do not value theirs as they should," he said, his teeth clenched as he denied his initial reaction to her touch. "Cassie... Is that short for Cassandra or something else?" He nodded to a passing server and motioned for new drinks.
“Short for Cassiana, but that’s rather a mouthful, don’t you think?” She laughed softly, his reaction to her touch not lost on her. “What brings you out this far, hmmm?”
“Just business, and pleasure,” he smiled and brushed his fingers along her neck, unintentionally mimicking how she’d touched him.
“Would you like to get out of here? Go somewhere a little more comfortable?” she asked. “This place isn’t exactly the safest place on this station for someone like you.” She leaned closer, brushing her lips along his temple. “Or anyone for that matter.”
For just a moment, a line of worry threaded its way through Drekkar’s brain; he’d heard her comment as a threat, till she amended it to include ‘anyone’. Still, considering the conversation he’d just had with Kaeli, Jarad, and Isaura (Rafael had been there as well, but Drekkar discounted him as much as possible whenever possible), he needed to be somewhat cautious. “Just where do you have in mind? Your place or mine?”
“Either, wherever you wish,” Cassie answered. “I’m just looking out for you.”
His warning bells went off again but he smiled at her and decided his guest quarters would be just fine for a tryst. If he made her face the wall, he could get away with thinking she was Isaura. “Good, I’ll lead the way,” he said, standing and offering her his hand.
She took it and rose, letting him lead the way out. As they passed out of Iapetus, she casually pressed her hand against the neck of her dress, activating a tiny tracer. It was purely a precaution, but he was Cardassian after all.
“Lead the way,” she murmured as they entered the public square outside.
As he held her hand and they walked past Saturnalia’s entrance, Drekkar looked across the square, hoping there’d be a lift available. Because he wasn’t looking, he missed seeing two jaws drop.
Kaeli grabbed Isa’s wrist and pulled her back into the entrance of Saturnalia. Get a load of that. Who is she?
Isa looked first at Kaeli’s hand on her wrist and then at Kaeli’s face before finally looking around the square. She nearly missed Drekkar heading away from them, an arm around a brunette. “Um...,” she was surprised by a spike of jealousy. “Did you happen to see whether she’s a Bajoran?”
Kaeli nodded. “She is. Looks like you a little actually.”
“Oh!” Isa laughed. “She’s bought and paid for. He’ll be fine with her.” She meant ‘fine’ as in ‘safe’, but belatedly realized Kaeli could take it a different way. Oh well.
“Paid for?” She looked back at Isa. “You? Really?” She thought about it then nodded. “I suppose it is a good way to keep him out of sight.”
“And away from Raf, away from my door,” Isa nodded, smiling. “Plus, if he takes a liking to someone else...,” she shrugged, “that can’t be a bad thing, right?”
Kaeli licked her lips. “Umm, Isa? I don’t think that’s going to be a long term solution, but at least it solves one problem for now.”
“She’s too expensive for a long term thing and I have the feeling she wouldn’t pee on him if he were on fire since he’s a Cardassian.”
Kaeli laughed, then clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle it. “I tend to agree. Come on, I need to get you out of sight too.”
“Mmm... I look forward to being sequestered with Raf for a while,” she smiled and walked alongside Kaeli. “And you’ll be in with Jarad? ‘Course, how long can we keep that up? I hope Zikar leaves soon.”
“Me too. We’ll be in quarters for a while, then I need to go look up someone, one of Suresh’s men. The Bajoran. He seems interested in my situation since he saw Zikar here. I am obviously not telling him about Jarad.” Kaeli pressed the panel by the turbolift.
“Who is this Bajoran? Why is he interested? Did you tell me about this guy already?”
“Only in passing. I also didn’t tell Suresh I made friends with one of his. Method in my madness,” Kaeli quipped as the lift doors opened. “This guy is the one I couldn’t read. He’s also not the fragile type so he may be useful.”
“Speaking of fragile... what do you think of that Darwin?”
“So full of himself I’m surprised he could fit into his clothes.” Kaeli gave the deck number two decks up. “And a lot of talk. His mind is full of Orion. Suresh trusts him though.”
“Hmm. A pheromone junkie. Too bad; he’s cute. He could have his pick of women, or men, but ...not if what he wants is a hit off an Orion. He looks together enough to actually be acting chief of security, though.”
“Good connection too, if things get rough,” Kaeli concluded. The doors opened and they stepped out. “You two have fun and call if anything weird happens. Well, weird regarding Zikar. Other weirdness I don’t need to know about.”
Isa nodded. “Don’t worry about us; we’ll be fine. I’m worried about you two and Drekkar - you three are more likely to wander around as if no one is stalking you.”
“Drekkar is in for a while and I can handle Jarad. As for me? Zikar may wish he’d never laid eyes on me.” She left Isa at her door. “Later.”
“Bye.” Isa waited till Kaeli was gone down the hall before taking a deep breath and entering her own guest quarters. “Rafe, I’m back!”
“About time.” Rafael stepped out of the bedroom. “Everything alright?”
“I suppose. We met the chief of security; he’s on Suresh’s payroll apparently,” she’d told Raf about Suresh. “Oh, and Drekkar should leave us alone: Kaeli and I saw him walking towards the turbolift with his arm around a female.”
“Good. It seems everything is under control. Hey, where’s Ro?”
She turned a blank look on him. “Um... I don’t know. Have you heard from him today?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I doubt there’s cause for alarm, though. You know how Ro is.” He reached for Isa’s hand. “We’ll look him up later.”
She let him catch her hand and smiled. “Whew. For a moment, I thought you were going to make me do that right now and delay us getting back in bed.” She leaned in and kissed him, already trying to take his shirt off.
“First things first,” he murmured.
***************
Drekkar
Cassiana
Isaura Panossian
Kaeli
Rafael Hernandez
Laying Low
