Chapter One: Can't Touch This

Viki hummed softly to herself, turning her head now and then to ogle Sarkel who didn't seem to notice her stare. "These buildings are so weird. Are there any malls here?"

Sarkel had trouble concentrating on steering when the small human next to him kept looking at him like that. "There are places to buy clothing. We will go to one of those places tomorrow to buy you new clothes; I do not think your attire would be considered appropriate."

Viki sighed, looking down at her clothes. She thought they were cute. "You don't like my outfit?"

"That is not what I said; your outfit is inappropriate."

"So you like it?" She asked, hoping he did.

Sarkel did not want to give her the impression that he approved of her garb and he found the colors offensive. The worst thing about her outfit was how distractingly immodest it was; it made him imagine various scenarios that were not logical at all. "It does not matter whether I like it or not, you cannot wear it in public."

Viki grinned, he hadn't said no. "Can I wear it at your place?"

"You may wear it when you are alone."

Viki leaned seductively towards his side of the transport; giving him a clear view down her front. "Can I wear it when I'm alone with you?"

Sarkel felt himself becoming extremely irritated. He hated unnecessary questions although; he supposed that she would need to learn proper etiquette. He had tried to avoid it but, he could not resist a brief glance at the elements of her anatomy that she was so obviously thrusting in his direction. He looked away, gripping the helm firmly; she was well endowed…No! He must return to a logical mode of thinking. "If you must. Now please return to your side of the vehicle, your current position is precarious." More precarious for him really…

Viki leaned back in her seat, satisfied. She curled a pink and brown lock of hair around a finger, eyeing his ears. "You look like an elf, why?" She was very curious about his ears; she really wanted to touch them.

Sarkel couldn't help but regret not looking into the grades and professions of the candidates rather than just how aesthetically pleasing they looked in their pictures. "I do not look like an elf, I just look different from a human and it confuses you. Have you not seen any type of humanoid other than a human before?"

"Nope, I think you're kind of cute though. Can I touch your ears?"

Before he could stop himself, he blurted out "Not while I'm flying the vehicle." What was he saying? "I mean no, you may not touch my ears." His control was terrible and he couldn't understand it, his pon farr wasn't even for another 3 years. Viki giggled her high pitched diminutive giggle and he couldn't decide whether it was aggravating or alluring.

"You're funny. Don't worry; I just want to feel them. You blush green."

Sarkel brought the vehicle to a stop in the garage and his aides immediately came out to greet them. He hesitated before releasing them from the vehicle. "Why do you want to feel them?"

"I want to know how they feel, or maybe I just want an excuse to touch you, silly."

"Please refrain from touching me." Sarkel was not sure what would happen if she touched him and he did not want to find out. He opened the doors and summoned his aides to carry Vikanela's possessions to her room. His aides left with her things but he noticed that she was still sitting in the transport, her arms crossed over her ample bosom and her lower lip pushed out slightly. He walked over to her door; why was she just sitting there? "Vikanela why do you not exit the transport, do you require assistance?"

"Not from you. You're mean and I told you to call me Viki. I hate being called Vikanela."

Sarkel was starting to feel hungry and had to focus to maintain his patience. "I apologize, being mean was not my intention. It is unwise for you to continue to sit there; you must be tired and the bed in you chambers is much more comfortable than that seat."

Viki was still mad at him; she had only wanted to touch his ears. Her stomach growled and she knew it was foolish to just sit there but he had to be properly punished; he had hurt her feelings. She felt tears coming on. "Why won't you let me touch your ears or hug you? Don't you like me?" She began crying. She was hungry and tired and these Vulcans were jerks.

Sarkel had only had dealings with male Terrans before and always in a very professional manner, this situation was completely unexpected. He had only heard about 'crying', he had never witnessed it. He only knew that it was a biological function that usually occurred when a humanoid was particularly upset. Of course Terrans were often touching each other and did not understand what it was like to be a touch-telepath. "I did not mean to upset you."

Viki only sobbed harder, she felt so alone. She missed her friends and people smiling at her.

Sarkel was feeling the temptation to give her a nerve pinch and have it done with. He would have to explain Vulcan telepathy; otherwise she would take all of his actions as a personal attack on her. "Vulcans are not like Terrans, when we touch the skin of another being we can see their thoughts, feel what they feel. If I were to touch you I might unintentionally see your thoughts and emotions, invading your privacy. Do you understand?"

Viki calmed down slightly and wiped some tears away from her face, causing her mascara to streak. It was the strangest thing she had ever heard and a little frightening but she still felt offended; why didn't he want to know what she was thinking? "I don't mind if you know what I'm thinking, I always tell people what I think anyway."

Sarkel would have to be careful how he phrased his next statement. "Contact telepathy is considered something very intimate, only appropriate between close family members and bond mates. I do not…dislike you."

Viki had to think about that for a moment. She tried to put on a happy face, worrying that her makeup must look terrible. She carefully climbed out of the transport, making sure she didn't touch Sarkel on her way down the ladder.

"Come Viki, I will show you to your room and have M'ril bring you something to eat." He knew what he had said to Viki was only partly true but in his mental state he did not know how he would react to her caressing his ears, even if he wasn't telepathic. He would eat dinner apart from her and meditate until he felt he could explain the actual circumstances with a clear and logical mind.

Viki looked around her huge bedroom with wide eyes, she saw Sarkel turn to leave. "Wait!"

Sarkel obliged, turning slowly towards her but trying not to look directly at her, as the already low cut top she was wearing had slid even lower than before. Sarkel gripped the door handle tighter than was necessary.

"I'm sorry I hugged you…and poked you. I didn't realize it was such a big deal."

Sarkel nodded brusquely and promptly closed the door behind him.

Viki lay down on her bed, fiddling with her belly-button ring and thinking about only being able to touch family members and…bond mates? Was that like life-partners? That's what she assumed. How did anyone have any fun on a date? Did Vulcans even have sex? It was all too much to process and soon she fell into fitful slumber.