Seeing How the Other Half Lives

Posted on Sun Feb 10th, 2013 @ 10:56am by Seyla & Lieutenant Commander William Harding M.D.

* * * Saturnalia - The Cherry Pit * * *

The doors opened and Dr.William Harding stepped into Saturnalia, stopping just inside. Following Chance’s heart transplant, then the long day of waiting while Sakkath performed the ceremony, Will was tired. Scratch that, he was exhausted. He needed to do something besides go home and sit in his empty quarters and while Saturnalia was far from his usual path, he wanted something a little off the beaten path. Besides, he knew that there was one person he was likely to find here. The thought brought a smile.

He was out of uniform now, dressed in black pants, white shirt, and a vest in a subtle black and burgundy - an odd note of class in such a seedy bar. He gathered a few looks as he passed through the crowd to find a table and finally sat, back to the wall as he surveyed the room.

Up at the bar, Marla caught sight of the doctor as he sat down alone and smiled to the blonde beside her. Marabeth was new to Seyla’s stable. In fact it was her first night in ‘the family’, but she came highly recommended. The night had been quiet so far but the little devil that lived within Marla saw this as an opportunity to watch the new girl at work.

“See him?”

Marabeth turned and seeing Will nodded. “Fifty if he’s a day. Not his usual place is it? He looks more the Nexus and brandy type than here.”

“Got it in one. He’s more into the finer things, pretty stuffy from what I hear. Never uses any of us. He’s also the CMO here. Dr. William Harding. Good with patients but demanding.” Marla smiled. “Why don't you see what you can do while we wait for Seyla?”

Marabeth continued to watch the man, noting that he had ordered a drink tonight that was nowhere near brandy. And since he was out of uniform, she’d bet her booty he was trawling for something different tonight.

“Sure thing.” She slipped off her stool and strolled through the tables, pausing here and there to turn down the offers. Finally she was passing by Will’s table. “Good evening, Dr. Harding. So nice to see you down here, even if it is a surprise.”

Will lowered his glass and looked at the woman who’d stopped to greet him. He didn’t recall seeing her before. Her voice was pleasant, however, with a slight lilt. Risan. Interesting. Given where he was, he suspected he knew her profession.

“Thank you, Miss....?”

“Marabeth.” She offered her hand. “My pleasure. Mind if I join you for a few minutes?”

“Marabeth.” Will stood and held a chair for her. “Of course. Care for a drink?” Once she was seated, he returned to his chair and signalled the waitress.

“Thank you, whatever you’re having is fine.”

The waitress nodded and a minute later, returned with two drinks before hurrying off. Up at the bar, Marla watched with interest, thinking that hiring this one had been a good idea. They needed a little class to make up for Bella and Lisann. Seyla was due in any second now, she’d at least get to see the new girl in action. Waving at the bartender she requested another drink even as she caught sight of a flash of green skin entering through the rear door.

Several of the patrons turned towards Seyla, hoping she’d come to their table. All they received, though, was a warm smile, maybe a wave of her fingers. She sailed into the bar, passing them by, heading for Marla. It was only when she was nearly to Marla’s table when she caught a nod from the woman and followed the direction of it...

...to Dr. Harding’s table. Her brow rose slightly but she continued to Marla’s table and sat with her. “You know the rules, Marla. He’s too high-level for a new girl.”

“And no one we have on this station has ever gotten more than a polite ‘good evening’ from the Doc, including the two of us. I thought it might be interesting to see how she handles herself when given a near-impossible task.” Marla sipped her drink and turned to watch once again, noting that the pair seemed to be having a cordial conversation but Harding was keeping his distance. “Interesting.”

“Bet you he doesn’t succumb to her charms,” Seyla wagered, smiling. She knew she was safe to make the bet, or thought she was - Harding was hers.

“You’re on, what’s the bet?” Marla gave a sly smile. “You sure? She’s pretty good. And he’s down here, far from his comfort zone. He’s either looking for something different, or figuring he’s safe.”

“Well, he is ‘safe’ in that there’s no way me or mine would let him get hurt,” Seyla quietly told Marla. Why was he down here? If he wanted her, normally he’d just send her a message. So... why was he here? She watched him, doing her best to not be obvious about it.

“Tell you what, loser buys the drinks for the next two weeks. How’s that?” Marla smiled as Marabeth leaned in closer and Harding’s eyes travelled to her low neckline.

“That’s a fine bet,” Seyla said, distracted by how Harding was watching Marabeth’s cleavage. Maybe she should go ‘rescue’ him. Though... that would sort of negate the bet. “Other than watching this sort of sport, how has your night been?”

“Easy. Now that that ship’s taken off to who knows where...though it was interesting to watch it just sort of disappear. You know if it works, things are going to get interesting when He returns.” The he reference in capital letters was, of course, Suresh.

“Oh, please, he’ll be on trial. He’s not going to be of much consequence.” Lately, Seyla was betting quite a bit.

“Good point. That leaves you free to do whatever you like and see whoever you like without him breathing down your neck. Speaking of seeing, you ever figure out who sent the flowers?” Marla glanced over to Will’s table and noted that he was no longer so close to Marabeth’s bosom.

“No, the florist was exceptionally discreet about the sender,” Seyla’s tone made it obvious she wasn’t very thrilled with the florist. “He doesn’t look so very interested now.”

“Sadly no.” Marla stopped as a waitress appeared with an ice bucket bearing champagne and two glasses. She placed it all on the table, then popped the cork and filled the glasses.

“A little present for you Sey,” she said. “The bartender didn’t say who sent it.”

“A present?” Her dark eyes watched the waitress then she grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. “The bartender will say who sent it, or I’ll have him...,” she searched for a punishment, “...ah... flayed. Yes, flayed. Go back and tell him.”

“Yeah I will.” The waitress smirked at Seyla then hurried off.

“Sey?” Marla looked incredulous. “First flowers, now this? Somebody’s got it bad. Who do you think it is?”

“I don’t know,” she said, hating to admit it. The lack of information didn’t keep her from sipping the bubbly liquid. “Do you have a guess?”

“Not one single clue.” Marla shook her head and took a sip of her champagne. As she lowered the glass, Marabeth appeared at the table.

“Dr. Harding wishes to speak with ‘whoever is in charge of me’. That’s a quote by the way.”

That got a bark of laughter out of Seyla. “That would be me.” Beaming happily, she toasted the two women and left them. Drawing close to Harding, she let her fingers trail along his shoulders, “Good evening, Doctor. I’m surprised you aren’t asleep already.”

“Good evening.” Here, in public, his tone was rather formal. “Who is she?”

“Marabeth, my newest acquisition. Was she unpleasant or did she say the wrong thing?”

“Just curious why I caught her attention is all. And asking so that when you return to your table, you have an excuse for being called over here.” He smiled for a moment. “Champagne, I see. Celebrating? If you don’t have a reason, I can give you one. Chance has made a full recovery.”

“Someone sent it to me. Ordinarily, champagne isn’t something I would normally drink, but I won’t argue with a gift,” she shrugged and smiled softly at him. “That’s absolutely wonderful, Will. I’m sure that Eli is ecstatic and Zeferino, too, of course. So those two will be back in classes now?”

“In a few days, he needs some time to adjust, hell they both do. Now you have reason number two for being called over here, because you know they will ask. Marabeth seems like a nice girl. She should do well here.” He lifted his glass and took a drink, then spoke once more. “One hour? That enough time to finish your champagne and make your excuses without raising suspicion?”

“More than enough time,” she said. Her facial expression didn’t match her words: she pouted and touched his hand. “Then I’ll leave you be,” she stood, nodded to him then returned to Marla and Marabeth.

“Doctor Harding complimented you, Marabeth,” she told the new girl. “And he also said that Chance is making a full recovery.”

“He did?” Marabeth looked surprised. “Who’s Chance?”

Marla on the other hand smiled ear to ear. “They got him back? That’s incredible. I suppose we won't be seeing Eli for a while.”

Seyla chuckled, “No, I suppose we won’t. But we won’t begrudge those two that.” She startled and checked her PADD. “Oh, I have another appointment this evening. Ladies, excuse me, I need to get ready for that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night Sey,” Marla smiled. “Don’t work too hard. And apparently I owe you.”

Marabeth waved. “Have fun Seyla. Sorry it didn’t work out with the doctor. He’s a tough nut to crack.”

“Yes he is. Don’t take his refusal personally, Marabeth,” Seyla smiled and headed out.

“She’s right you know,” Marla added. “He’s never indulged in any of us. And if Seyla can’t break a man down, there’s no breaking. In the meantime, here, have some champagne.”

Marabeth waited till the glass was filled and clinked it to Marla’s. “Cheers.”

* * * Harding’s Quarters * * *

Will had arrived in his quarters in record time after leaving Saturnalia. Since he wasn’t in uniform, he had no need to change. He turned on some jazz, soft and low, then poured two glasses of cognac. One he placed on the coffee table, the other he sipped as he settled into the sofa. A smile spread over his face as he pictured Seyla’s surprised expression upon receiving the champagne. It took a lot to get one over on that woman and anyone who could, more power to them.

He felt utterly relaxed and had arranged to take the day off tomorrow. After the last two days, he more than deserved it, and that meant he could sleep in....or find other reasons to stay in. The soft whoosh of the opening doors interrupted his thoughts.

In a swirl of diaphanous black material, Seyla swept into Harding’s apartment and into his arms. “Doctor Harding, So nice to see you again. And so soon. I think I might start appreciating you being under a ton of stress.” She smiled.

“Is that so?” Will smiled as he hugged her close, then led her over to the sofa. “So tell me, who’s the admirer?” He lifted her glass and held it out to her.

Smiling, she took the glass and challenged, “Does it make you jealous?”

“It might.” Typical Will. In their little verbal sparring matches, he always remained vague. “And this is where you tell me it’s none of my business.”

“It depends,” she gave him a sly look. “Are you the sender?”

“If I were, why not sign my name? Why keep such a thing secret from you, Sey?” Will shrugged and took a sip of his cognac, then gave a sigh of satisfaction. “Besides, I suspect the one to turn your head would be younger than I.”

Avoiding replying, she instead asked, “With everything you’ve done in the past few days, would you rather nap for a bit? I could wake you in an hour or two.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her and gave a rueful smile. “I’m not that old yet. I'm off duty tomorrow so I have all day to sleep. Not that I intend to, since I’d rather you stayed. On the contrary, managing to accomplish what we did? It’s exhilarating.”

“You played a deity, my dear. I would think that would be incredibly stimulating,” she sipped her cognac and moved close to him again. “Though, is it as stimulating as what I can do for you?”

“Apples and oranges, my dear. And all I did was restore his body. Sakkath restored his mind. That man is utterly amazing. He’s one I look at and think of an iceberg. What we see is so little of what and who he really is.” Will set his empty glass aside and lifted Seyla easily into his lap. “But to answer your question, no one does for me what you do.” He smiled once more, suddenly glad Sey wasn’t telepathic. Some things within him she had no need to know right now.

“Yes, and I’m a bit glad for that,” she whispered, nuzzling his neck. “I wouldn’t like it much if you went off with one of my girls.”

“Why? Does it make you jealous?” Will quoted her own words back to her. “That your way of saying to resist the many charms of Marabeth?”

“I’m more concerned about one of them being indiscreet, innocently so, but still. With me, you’re safe. Anything you want, Will, whenever, just call me,” she kissed him soundly, leaving no doubt that she spoke the truth.

“Be careful what you offer, Seyla. I may ask for something bigger than you expect.” His blue eyes held hers, his expression intent. “And then where would we be?”

Laughing lightly, she took his statement as a joke, “Then we’d be right here, right where we are now.” She finished off the liquid in her glass and set it aside. “If you have tomorrow free, do you want me at my potent best tonight?”

“Absolutely. How long can you stay tomorrow?”

“How long do you want me to stay? I can put off my other appointments.” As she spoke, her pheromones perfumed the air.

“A day, a week...who knows....” Will’s voice grew languid as her pheromones took hold of him and a slow smile spread over his face.

“Mmm, watch what you wish for, Will,” she kissed him, holding his face with both hands. “Shall we continue this in the bedroom?”

“It’s a good start.” He rose, lifting her in his arms, and carried her through the doorway.

* * *

Hours later, Seyla lay in Harding’s bed, slowly and lightly stroking his hair as he slept with his head on her breast. He was her highest ranking client; she supposed Admiral Wegener had his own ways of easing his stress and loneliness. How could she discover what his way was? Musing on the puzzle, she dozed off.

_____________
Seyla
Marla
Marabeth
Keepers of Secrets

Lt. Commander William Harding, MD
Keeping Some Secrets Of His Own