Starlight Gleaming Ch. 08

Melannee caught the look as she turned on a radio to play local music. "What amuses you so?"

I gestured. "Is this for real? I mean, seriously?"

"Yes, this place is a dump. No kidding. And I assure you, those two mean business. They aren't just part of the local criminal gang. They are Huginn."

Atlantean Intelligence? "How did you get mixed up with them?"

"How else but to infiltrate their ranks? Enough of this. If they get suspicious and get a Vedan speaker to lip read, we're both dead. Then they will probably rape us. And probably after they kill us. Both of them are twisted that way." She took a breath, then bending over, lifted her skirt and pushed down her panties.

"You're serious about fucking?"

She gave me a stern look as she stepped out of her underwear. "Bernim said you were pretty quick but I am starting to have my doubts. What part of what I told you didn't you understand? They record this. You waved money which made it appear to them you were paying me to whore for you. I'm the experienced field agent and you sidelined me. If you fuck me, they get their jollies, you walk out alive and I continue working for the Empire. I am also beginning to believe you don't think I'm very pretty, either, which hurts my feelings and is pissing me off. What's the matter, Kandikan? Am I too white for you?"

I set the briefcase down. "No," I replied quietly. "Actually, I think you are quite striking."

"I was going to lay down on the bed, but now I'm embarrassed and I just want it done and over with. And don't drag it out, either." She turned around, and bending over the table, flipped her skirt over her hips, baring her blonde muff to me.

Despite her words, I could see her nether lips were puffy and glistening. I approached her. She turned her head and watched me come up behind her, her face unreadable. I ran my palm over her bare butt, caressing her smooth skin. I leaned down and kissed her tight cheek.

She stood up and whipped around. "Hey, there! What are you--mmmph!"

I pulled her in and kissed her, wrapping my arms around her. She stiffened at first, then slowly she relaxed, kissing back.

I had no idea if I would see her again. I sort of hoped we would, but I had no real idea how the spy / undercover security agent thing worked. But if we were going to have to fuck, I wanted her to enjoy it and not remember she had to spread because I messed up. Penetration is personal, and I didn't want a bad experience to fester and sour her further. She really might shoot me. Selfishly, I suppose, I also get off when the woman has a good time. It's grand to feel my cock slide inside a woman's wet, slick center, that's for sure. Yet it's grander still to have them push back, trying their best to envelope my length, taking everything I have to give and wanting it all.

Melannee was nearly as tall as Zinja, and as tall as me. As my lips explored her mouth, my hands ran along her hips and back, touching and squeezing. Her hands did their own wandering. She smelled of lavender. Slowly I moved my hands until I cupped her face as I finally broke the kiss.

"I hope that helps soothe your hurt feelings," I told her quietly.

She looked at me intently for several seconds, breathing deep. Then she whispered, "Shit."

My hands drifted down, molding her breasts, pinching her nipples through her bra. A deeper breath before she arched her back, thrusting them out.

"You are persuasive," she muttered.

Squeezing, kneading, I tested their heft before I unbuttoned her blouse. As I exposed her skin, I gave light kisses along her collarbone, then into the valley between her white orbs. My fingers traced the edge of the lace-fringed bra to the center. "What the--?"

"In the back," she breathed.

"Why would they put it there?"

Impatient, she slipped the straps off her shoulders before reaching behind to unhook it. They weren't overly large, but they hung heavy like ripe fruit. "Atlantean fashion."

"That's silly. Why would women wear something that clips in the back where you can't see it? Ah, but what they hide is beautifully made." I kissed my way across the top of their swells as my thumbs flicked her nipples. The pink areolas puckered and hardened.

While I inhaled a breast, her hands undid her thin belt and unbuttoned the top part of her skirt. The garment fell off into a heap. Her hands caressed my shoulders and stroked through my hair. I switched to the other breast, using a free hand to squeeze and tweak the wet nipple.

Melannee began to breathe heavier. Then she sighed and gently pushed me away. "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's use the bed."

I watched her move, her muscles rippling subtly under her smooth skin. Took in the trim line of her shoulders to a small dimple above her ass. Then I spotted two thin scars below her left kidney area and what looked like three bullet wounds -- one below her right shoulder blade, one in the lower back, and one where her thigh met her butt cheek. Graceful like a big cat and, no doubt, just as dangerous. She climbed onto the mattress, and settling onto her back, she spread her legs, pulling her knees up until her heels were flat.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"Sorry. I was impressed by what I saw."

Melannee looked at me thoughtfully. Pulling off my shirt, I pushed down my shorts and underwear, socks and shoes. Reaching for one leg, I started to unbuckle her sandals, but she pulled her leg from my grasp. "Leave them. Call it my quirk. I only take off footwear when I feel safe. So you -- ooohh." I ran my tongue along her inner thigh and kissed the swelling lips between her legs. Settling into a comfortable position, I kissed and licked her outer folds, watching her sex engorge further, turning as pink and wet as her inner passage hinted at.

Gently rolling her hips, Melannee sighed. "Careful, Kandikan .. I might start .. oh, ohh! .. to think you liked me after all. Mmm."

I pulled apart her outer lips and began lathing her inner folds. As her hips moved more firmly, I caressed the length of her groove from the bottom of her opening all the way up to the underside of her thickening clit. Her breath caught each time I brushed her sensitive nubbin. I was tempted to put my fingers inside her oozing tunnel but decided against it. I thought she'd appreciate a slower pace. Melannee squeezed her own breasts while I explored her center, and sighs turned to whimpers. Slowly, she began lifting her butt off the mattress, arching her pussy against my mouth as I drank in her wetness. The gyrations of her hips became smaller and shorter, matching her short, intense breathing. Then her legs tried to close around me while she suddenly bucked, groaning. Her pussy gushed, the swollen lips opening and closing.

Lifting up, I moved over her and pressed my thick crown to her convulsing center. With a deep thrust, I parted her groove and my hard shaft slid inside her heat. Pushing deeper, I buried my cock into her depths.

Melannee grabbed my shoulders, her eyes wide, and Atlantean slipped out. "Sweet. Mother. Hera. Oh!"

I set to rapidly plunging into her wet sheath. Leaning over her, she writhed, humping back at me. I thrust harder.

"When you're ... when you're ready to .. ready to ... oh, Hades, never mind. Just fuck me!" She shivered, and I felt her pussy contracting on my length again. More slickness released within her throbbing walls. Her legs lifted up and wrapped tightly around my hips, grunting as her feet pulled against my butt to encourage even deeper thrusting. I felt her cervix opening and closing along the ridge under crown of my cock. Grinding against her, I pressed firmly, letting her womb caress my sensitive spot. In seconds, I felt my balls tighten and my shaft thicken. Just as her inner walls began to calm, I began spraying lines of hot sperm against her inner sanctum. Her belly tensed and I felt her cervix convulsing around my crown again. Yet more fluids filled her tunnel, coating my cock and balls with her release.

As my orgasm faded, I started to pull out, but she gripped me tighter. "Don't be in such a rush. Stay a while. Please?"

"Okay. I just hope you are no longer irritated with me."

"You are a strange man, Kandikan. You did ... good. Not many have shown the consideration you did. You went down on me without asking. It's not taboo in Atlantis or Aesir or here for that matter, but most can't be bothered." She caressed my cheek.

"Does that mean you aren't going to shoot me?"

"Only if you need it. And you really did tempt me." She bit her lower lip. "You are a heart breaker, you are. Need I ask how attached you are to your fighter pilot? No, I see it in your eyes. You said I was striking. Was that in a good way?"

"Yes. You are beautiful, Melannee."

"If we had the opportunity later and I asked, would you consider doing me again?"

"Sure. But not today, though. Janetta asked me to make love to her when I got home, and I want to do her right."

I felt myself slipping out of her sheath. Melannee sighed, pursing her lips as I rose from her body. I went to the bathroom, and finding a worn hand towel on the rack, rinsed it with warm water.

She started to rise off the bed, but seeing me, she paused. When I handed her the towel, there was a look of wonder. Melannee wiped herself, then handed the towel back to me. "Gods, you are a treasure! Handsome and kind. Some woman taught you right, too, and for that, I thank her truly. Yes, I'm very okay with how things worked out."

I rinsed out the towel and cleaned myself. We both dressed quickly. Opening the briefcase, I took out the stunner and slipped it into my pocket, then closed it back up.

Melannee watched, then nodded approvingly. "Find someplace to secure the other weapons so they are quickly accessible to you."

As we descended the stairs, I told her, "I need to find an apothecary before I return. Is there one nearby?"

"Sure. There's a Fix-All Drugstore a few blocks away. Everything okay?"

"I'm fine. But if it's not too much trouble, and as you noted I don't speak the local language, can I impose on you to come with me?"

She stopped and turned to look at me. "Already collecting on my goodwill, Kandikan?"

"I prefer Ranji. And yes. Will you do it?"

With a smug smile, she opened the door leading back into the diner. "I don't normally get so casual, especially with contacts I just met, but I'm still in a really good mood. All right, Ranji. I'll go with you."

As we exited, I noticed Dopachek and his friend were gone.

She saw my search and didn't say anything until we were outside. "They are probably trying to jack off to the video they made of us. They don't think much of pussy-licking. They are going to make a lot of jokes about you being pussy whipped."

"Did you enjoy it?"

There was a slight pinking of her cheeks to her ready smile. "Oh, yes."

"Then fuck them and the horse they rode in on."

Melannee laughed. "Liking you a lot more, Ranji."

She asked me about what I needed from the apothecary, so I explained my purpose. She nodded and asked about Chanotl and Zinochtli. I'm not sure when it happened, but as I saw the neon mortar and pestle sign, I discovered Melannee had slipped her hand into mine. I squeezed it and she returned the gesture.

We passed the gift section and headed to the back, got into the line, and waited. Standing there, I glanced at all the knickknacks and oddments that packed the shelves. One item caught my eye, a picture of an ovoid with a handle on top standing on four round balls. I picked one of the boxes up and looked on the sides. The writing on one side was Atlantean, which I could read. "Three vibrating speeds! Relax your shoulders! Soothe your back!" In smaller lettering, "Cleans with normal soap and water. Guaranteed to last five years, even with heavy use."

Melannee saw what I had and burst out laughing.

"What is this?"

"A small portable massager. A favorite of the ladies. I have one myself."

"Why is it a favorite of the ladies? There's a picture of a man leaning on this contraption while sitting in a chair."

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out. I forget that this is on the contraband list, which is a damn shame. It vibrates and women use it on their clit, Ranji. You can push one of the feet inside a bit for more oomph. It hums through your bones. It can give stellar orgasms. Not as nice as a real lover, but very helpful during dry spells, and not as obvious as a dildo." She cocked her head. "Might be a nice gift for your pilot."

"This is contraband?"

"Afraid so. The priest caste thinks it corrupts women. But those dickheads think everything corrupts women. The comedians in the rest of the world get a lot of mileage over the priests and warriors saying oral sex is taboo and polluting. And I am so happy you obviously don't agree with that idiocy. Going to get one?"

"Four."

"Four!" Her green eyes lit up. "For your harem." I winced at her term. "I should not be surprised. With this toy, you will be a real hit, I assure you. Do you have local currency? There's a sur-tax on Imperial charge cards, but not on Atlantean ones. After we're finished here, we'll go to a bank and open an account for you. You have at least a couple hundred credits on your military account?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll front the cash and trust you to make good. We'll get them on the way out."

Then we were at the counter. Melannee asked me to get out the prescription bottles and she spoke to the man in the lab coat. He opened the bottle and frowned. Speaking to Melannee, he shook his head, tapped a keyboard, then turned the flat panel screen around for us to see. I saw the blue pentagons with the crescent. The main script I couldn't read, but I could read the Atlantean and the Queschua.

Najayb'ak pills, literally to "fill with child." The Atlantean translated to "fecund," and noted a common side-effect of causing multiple births. Seven hells!

The man behind the counter turned back the monitor and tapped more keys. Then he turned the screen back for us to see again. I saw the pills Cholan had described for birth control. Rust-red squares with a skull on one side. Machab'ak, or Queschua for "no child." The Atlantean said "barren ground."

"I want enough for three months, for two women," I told Melannee.

She thought a bit, then nodded. "I'll tell him. Ranji, what if your two aren't the only ones targeted? There are still some families that think warrior women are an affront to the gods. They say women--"

"--are for fucking not for fighting? I've heard that nonsense before."

"Think about it. The enlisted who get pregnant will be dishonorably discharged and lose any pensions, returning to their former caste, unmarried with bastard children. Many will be ground into poverty. But any women officers caught by this will face the death penalty. The furor over doctored meds will fade in the scandal of dozens, maybe hundreds of women expelled from the military in disgrace. Legislation to ban women from the warrior caste will be brought to the Council of States, mark my words. I'll tell Bernim about this. You might see me sooner than we both expected."

While I digested her thoughts, she spoke to the apothecary. They came to some decision and he set aside the two bottles, going back to his line of shelves. When he came back, he set six new ones onto the counter.

"Check them," Melannee said, writing on the documents he presented. "You know what to look for." Then she unbuttoned the small pocket on her skirt and presented a bank card. Gold colored, and sporting the EasyCard logo for First Bank of Mu, capital city of Atlantis.

I checked the contents. They were the rust-red pills we needed. Melannee pointed to the shelf behind us and the man suddenly grinned as he entered the billing. "Grab four of the toys, Ranji. Pick the colors you want."

Not knowing who would want what, I picked red, blue, green, and purple. If they were different colors, there wouldn't be confusion about whose toy belonged to whom. He handed the bag to me and the card back to Melannee. They exchanged a few more words, then he laughed, nodding.

As we exited onto the street, we headed further away from the parking structure where my vehicle was stored.

"What were you two talking about at the end there?" I asked her.

"He said with four of the toys, I should have a really good time. I told them they were for your other girlfriends. He offered to sell you some herbs to increase your libido and potency. I told him you didn't need them. He said if I knew you had four other girlfriends and I didn't mind, you were one lucky man."

I stopped. "My other girlfriends?"

"Oh, come on, Ranji! Don't get your knickers in a bunch because I told him I'm your girlfriend. I signed for the drugs saying they were for me." She started walking again. "I tell people what I have to so that I get the job done. That means I lie. A lot. The bank is three blocks over and one north from here."

I nodded and hurried to catch up.

"Doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you doing me again, though," she added with a smirk.

* * * * *

At Melannee's suggestion, I did some other shopping for the women. Unsurprisingly, she knew how to find the shops. More, she knew the sizes for Janetta and her team. She did work for Imperial Security so she had access to all their records. I also wondered about her work for Atlantean Intelligence and how that all fit together. Atlantis was the enemy. And we weren't too friendly with Aesir-Veda either. The next time I saw Senior Sergeant Itznacoco, I was going to have more questions for him. And I hoped the tightrope that Melannee walked didn't get her killed. She was probably a stone-cold killer. The scars on her back said someone had tried to kill her. I doubted the same could be said for those who tried to end her and failed. Even so, I found I liked her.

At the final checkpoint leading back to High Guard War base, I looked up and saw the starlight gleaming far above us all. I wondered if other worlds would laugh at our trials and the things we held so dear. If they even understood them, they probably would think us crazy. With all the idiocy and posturing of men and nations, it wasn't all for nothing. My father once told me truth and protecting the feelings of others mattered. The older I grew, the more I admired him.

Once inside the gate, I called up Vehicle Maintenance and told them I wanted to paint my new ChoCac in Air Service blue. I read him the model off the dashboard like he asked and he wanted to know why I was bothering him. "Just have the AI change the color for you!" the sergeant told me in exasperation. "I've got six vehicles all coded urgent that actually need fixing," and hung up. Chagrined, I found the menu and had the AI select Air Service blue for the vehicle coloring. I wasn't sure how it worked, but knew it used a slow charge from the batteries to electrify the paint somehow to make it happen. It would take all night, but by morning, the vehicle would be cyan blue.

It was hours after dark when I pulled onto West Seashell Lane. I pulled into the driveway for number ninety-three, right next to the two-seat electric HueCac. Except for the tires moving through the gravel, the electric engine of my ChoCac was just as quiet. Even driving around all afternoon, I'd used less than five percent of the batteries.

The curtains in the windows moved and I saw someone looking out in the fading twilight at me. As I grabbed some of the packages, the women piled out and swarmed around me. Janetta threw herself into my arms and the packages scattered. Holding her tight, she kissed me deeply.

"What took you so long! I missed you, Ranji. I --" She sniffed, raising her eyebrows. "Lavender?"

Zinja and Ixma collected the packages on the ground.