The BLTS Archive - Touche One by Cavalaxis (cavalaxis@hotmail.com) --- Disclaimer: All hail the might Paramount. Thou ownest all. I claim no profit, save in the currency of dreams. Drabble, dashed off in an hour. Hope you like it. --- He'd been staring at the fish. Beautiful, wavering, poisonous. Leaning back in his chair, his eyes lost their focus. A sultry drowsiness stole over his eyes. He succumbed to the heaviness and let them close. Almost immediately, it was there again. The thought of her. The thought of her close to him. The thoughts of... he pinched his eyes tight and massaged the bridge of his nose. ::No time for daydreaming. Reports to focus on.:: --- He'd only seen her face once. He knew that someone had been using the holodeck fencing program that he'd designed and had maxed out the difficulty. He knew that someone would need the benefit of a real opponent, so he'd monitored the program. When it came online, he viewed the bout remotely, and had been surprised to see a female figure, face hidden by the mask, exchanging a volley with his holographic replica. Wandering down to the holodeck, he'd entered and stood to one side to watch. "Computer, freeze program." "No, please don't let me interrupt. Proceed." He gestured at the frozen image of himself. Without hesitation, she whipped the foil through the air, the distinctive sound making him smile as she saluted him. He returned the salute with a nod. "Computer, continue program already in progress." After a heated exchange, she defeated the holo-image. And then again. And again. She was breathing hard, bouncing lightly on her calves, but solid in her stance as she advanced, retreated and lunged. He remembered that Guinan regularly suckered him with that move. Finally, "Computer end program." "Excellent!" He clapped a couple of times. "We must find the time to fence together!" His smile was genuine, as she doffed her face mask. A tumble of chestnut hair fell over her shoulders as she approached him. She brushed her sleeve across her brow, wiping away the sweat. Her eyes were that smoky color only a fine Scotch can share. With a wicked grin curling at the corner of her lips, she tugged her fencing gloves off, one finger at a time. Unzipping the front of her vest, he briefly caught a glimpse of flesh. The vest covered her, but enough was revealed to show that she wore nothing underneath. Her helmet under one arm, her foil held tip down between two fingers, she held one glove at arm's length, almost in front of his nose. His face put forth a puzzled, nervous smile. She dropped the glove at his feet. "The time and place are at your leisure, captain. The wager is at mine." He stooped to pick up the glove. Narrowed eyes belayed the intrigue he suddenly found himself in and was thoroughly enjoying. "Your challenge is accepted, madam." "Very good." She held out her hand to him. He accepted the stout handshake, and then twisted her wrist slightly and bent to place a kiss on her hand. A flush of color rose to her cheeks and she hastily made her exit. --- He caught himself drifting again. Wanting to touch that hair, to taste those lips, to feel those strong legs wrapped about him, to see that face lost in ecstasy. To be lost in the ecstasy of her. Suddenly his eyes flew open. His fist slammed against the desk in a gesture of frustration. "Her name! Damn it!" The entry request chime sounded. "Come!" he snapped. "Captain, is there something the matter?" Riker asked. "Ah, nothing, no. . .Just. Nevermind, Number One. Nothing that concerns you." The sound of her voice moaning his name, tasting the sweat between her breasts. "Nothing at all." "Yes, sir. Here is the duty schedule for your review." "Thank you." The scent of her, to be drunk on the scent of her. "Are you sure you're okay, sir?" "Yes. Thank you, Will. I'm fine." ::He couldn't believe he hadn't asked her name.:: "Well, that's all I have for you." Riker moved towards the door. "Very good." The door swished shut behind him. A long silence as his eyes refused to focus on the PADD in his hand. --- To be cont'd?