A Pearl of Great Price

Chapter Nine - Flowers and Butterflies

San Francisco, Earth

5 August 2263

Durra

In the morning, after breakfast, she headed for the sidewalk again. There was a store that she had passed more than once that beckoned her. Some of the things in the windows had been almost embarrassing, but some of them - oh, she wanted those! She headed straight to it and there it was - Victoria's Secret. She went right through the door and up to the counter at the front. "I am looking for matching sets of underwear. Where will I find those?"

"What type of set did you want?"

Durra was confused. There was more than one type of set of underwear? "Panties and a bra. Preferably with lace."

"Oh, we have lots and lots of those. See that sign hanging from the ceiling with the big S1 on it? That's where you want to go."

"Thank you so much." She headed that way quickly. And there were stacks and stacks in every size and color imaginable. She laughed and clasped her hands together in astonishment, and then started looking for her size. She was certainly glad that she was not normally a spendthrift. She had a large amount of credit in her account and she couldn't think of a better way to spend it.

When she approached the front counter again, her arms were laden down. She had selected ten more sets, all in different colors than the five she had purchased before. She felt slightly naughty about it, but on the other hand, she felt liberated. She had never in her life had underwear like this.

She practically danced out of the store, her purchases in a large bag. She headed down the sidewalk, back to the hotel, grinning widely at absolutely nothing. Once back in her room, she put all the new underwear away in the dresser and settled down with another plate of chocolate chip cookies and the new book. Her stomach was beginning to remind her that it must be time to eat lunch when the comlink chimed. That had to be Selek! She jumped up and grabbed the controller, pressing the accept button before she was even in front of the screen.

Selek

The hotel image cleared the screen, and there was her room, but where was Durra? Ah, here she came, bounding into the pickup area. "Selek." Her face was covered with a wide smile.

"Yes, it is I. If you have not eaten yet, my meetings are finished for the day, and we can lunch together."

"Very good, because my tummy just informed me that it is lunch time! I will order something, it should be here by the time you get here." She was practically dancing in place.

He heavily suppressed the urge to smile back at her. It would not do to be seen smiling at his viewscreen in the Embassy during working hours. But oh, the urge was strong. "I shall change my clothing and be there shortly. Is there someplace in particular that you would like to see this afternoon?"

"We haven't been to the Conservatory of Flowers at the Golden Gate State Park yet."

"Indeed we have not. That is an excellent destination. We shall go there after we have eaten. I will be there shortly."

She smiled and wiggled and it was all he could do to keep his face straight. It was extremely gratifying to see how much she was looking forward to seeing him again. "Hurry up then. I will order the food now." And she waved her hand at him and ended the call.

He sat there for a moment, composing himself, and then he was striding down the hall to the turbolift, headed for his room to change.

Durra

Quickly she scanned the room service menu and found something else that she was sure he would like. She placed the order and then ran into the bathroom to check her appearance. She wanted to look her very best. She was glad she had worn her jeans this morning, they would be fine for this afternoon's outing. And with them she had put on a dark red turtleneck sweater that she had brought from home, remembering Nyota's constant complaints about how cold San Francisco was. She twisted and turned, checking herself. And then the door chimed. She ran to the door and there he was. She stepped back and he came in, never taking his eyes from her. And the waiter with the food cart was right behind him.

In a few minutes they were seated at the table and she lifted the domes to show him what she had ordered. "Samosas and curry and raita." He grinned at her across the table. "Another excellent choice." He took one of the plates and began to fill it, handing it to her and filling the second for himself. As usual, the first few minutes were silent as they tasted everything, and then they began to talk.

By the time the food was gone, she felt stuffed, but oh, it had been good. She stood and fetched her denim jacket from the closet and he was there, holding it for her, touching her shoulders as he helped her put it on. She could feel the heat of his body against her back and it made her want to shiver. She turned around and found that he had not moved. They stood so close. She raised her eyes to his face and found his eyes so very dark. His hand brushed the side of her face, so lightly. Her lips parted, and she trembled. What did he intend?

But he straightened up and drew back and turned toward the door. She gave a little sigh, disappointed, then tucked her hand around his arm and grabbed the door wand off the table as they headed out.

Selek

It was not a long trip in the flitter to Golden Gate State Park. He landed in the lot closest to the Conservatory and they walked up the steps to the front of the long white building. He presented his id and requested two admissions and the attendant smiled at him and said "one adult and one senior". He supposed he must certainly qualify as a senior. He returned his id to his pocket and they entered the building. He bent his head to her. "What would you like to see first?"

"Oh, let's just start here and go all the way around, all right?"

"That will be fine." She tucked her hands back around his arm and walked so very close to him that he could smell her lovely scent with no problem. They wandered down one aisle and up the next, going into all the little nooks and crannies. She stopped to read all the signs and exclaimed over many of the lovely plants.

And then they came to a room that she did not expect. There was a double layer of heavy plastic strips across the doorway that they must go through carefully. And then they were inside the Butterfly Room. She gasped and pointed at several lovely specimens, flitting about the room. And there, in the middle, the glass encased board, covered with hanging chrysalises. There were two on this side where the butterfly was struggling to emerge. She watched in awe, almost holding her breath. He watched her. On top of the board was another butterfly, still wet, spreading out its wings to dry them. She watched in amazement. And then she spoke, so quietly. "I am like that butterfly. Emerging from the long dark into the bright light of life, spreading my wings and finding that I can fly instead of crawl."

He swallowed, hard, and reached across his body to touch her face with his free hand. She turned her face up to him, glowing, smiling, and he felt such an overwhelming rush of emotion that he could barely control himself. He brushed the side of her face with his fingertips, yearning. And she moved closer to him, almost touching. They stood that way for only a moment before they heard more people pushing through the plastic. She straightened up, moving slightly away from him. His body ached from losing that closeness. He straightened, dropping his hand from her face, and led her around to the other side of the case, to see whether there were more butterflies. But on this side there were moths, large, silver, mottled moths. He looked at them. There he saw himself, not in the brightly colored butterflies, but here in the silver moths. He pointed to them and she looked and turned and grinned at him. "Are you saying you are a moth to my butterfly?" All he could do was nod.

They continued on around the room, watching the butterflies and moths flitting about, settling on the plants, tasting the flowers' nectar. And then they exited the room, and headed for the entrance, ready to leave. Back across the wide lawn to the lot, into the flitter, and back into the air. He still found it difficult to speak. He was too full of too many things, too many feelings, thoughts. She reached over and wrapped her hand around his arm and spoke softly. "I do not think I want to go out to a restaurant."

He was lost. She did not want to spend the rest of the evening with him? What had he done? He opened his mouth to ask, but she was speaking again. "Please can we just go back to my room and be alone? I feel so, so, I can't explain it, but I just don't want to be around a lot of other people. All I want is you."

He swallowed heavily. This was so much more than he had hoped for. So very much more. He cleared his throat and tried to speak. All that came out was a croak. He tried again. "I would, that is, it would be acceptable. Very acceptable. But we will still need an evening meal and you have provided too many already."

"Then order something to be delivered from somewhere and pay for it yourself."

He turned his face to look at her. He would not have thought of that. He nodded at her. "Yes. That I can do."

He landed the flitter at the hotel and escorted her inside, still full of so much. Inside her room, she pulled out the chair on the side of the table that faced the viewscreen and handed him the controller. "Just find whatever you like." She brushed her hand across the back of his neck, causing him to shiver with delight. Did she even know what she did? And then she turned and crossed the room, entering the bathroom and shutting the door.

He accessed the search function and checked the list of food preparers that serviced this hotel. And found immediately what he wanted. A few clicks and the order was recorded, with a promised delivery of thirty minutes. He shut off the comlink and stood up, removing his jacket, which he hung over the unused chair at the back of the table. After a moment's thought, he also toed off his shoes and left them sitting beside that chair.

The bathroom door opened and she came back out, her jacket in her hand. That red sweater was magnificent. Her body filled it out perfectly. But he could think of no way to tell her so without sounding lascivious.

"Did you find something you liked?"

"Yes, indeed. It will be here shortly."

She smiled at him and went to hang her jacket in the closet. She toed off her shoes and left them there as well. And then she came over to him and asked a totally unexpected question. "Do you like old movies? Very old movies?"

He remembered movie night on the Enterprise. Sitting next to Nyota in the dark while she fed him popcorn. Many of those movies had been two hundred years old or more. "Comedies? Musicals?"

She grinned widely. "Oh, good. After we eat, let us watch one. The hotel has a very long list."

"Then let us decide on what we want to watch before the food comes."

She sat in the chair that his jacket was hanging on and lifted the controller, finding the category she wanted quickly. And it took very little time for them to agree on a movie that they both liked. She paused the display, so that they would not have to search for it again, just before the door chimed. He rose and went to open the door and the cart came in swiftly. The food was lifted out and set on the table in disposable boxes and bags. He handed his id to the delivery man, who scanned it quickly and handed it back, leaving almost before he was finished.

He turned back to the table to see her opening things and smelling, a wide smile on her face. So, he had guessed as well as she had. Very good, then. He sat down in the chair he usually sat in and she sat across from him and passed him a plate and tableware and started putting the serving pieces in the containers. A salad of vegetables chopped very fine, with a light dressing of rice vinegar. Tiny little pastries filled with soft cheese, or spiced vegetables. Rice cooked with onions and raisins and cinnamon -- he had not been too sure about that one, but he would not eat much of it. And he did not really see how he could be much more aroused than he already was, anyway. Rounds of bread, puffy in the middle, with butter and honey to drizzle inside. A puree of chickpeas, seasoned with sesame oil, to be dipped up with corners of the bread. Another of eggplant, with garlic and lemon. And a small plate of baklava to finish it off. She was putting some of everything on her plate, sampling as she went, moaning with delight. Perhaps he was wrong about how aroused he could be.

He followed along behind her, filling his plate. And then they ate and talked and ate, until they were stuffed. She laughed and said the baklava must wait until after the movie and he found he must agree with her. And then she lifted the controller and clicked the right things to make the movie start. She rose from her chair and came and tugged on his hand and he followed her to see where she was going. She went straight to the side of the bed and pulled up all the pillows, piling them against the wall at the head of the bed. "Sit right there."

He looked at her, confused.

"Go on, sit down. It will be the most comfortable place to watch from, without craning our necks."

Cautiously, he sat on the bed, but she pushed against him until he was seated against the pillows. He leaned back, resting his head on the top pillow, and her hands were there, adjusting the pillows, poking at them until he raised his hand to stop her. And then she was climbing up and settling down between his legs and leaning back against him, wiggling down until she was comfortable. She reached to the sides and caught his hands and pulled his arms around her and gave a great sigh, relaxing her body into him. He realized that he was holding his breath, and let it out slowly. He totally forgot what the movie was and focused solely on the many things he could feel - her body, cool against his, her hair, just below his nose, her hands, laying over his, her bottom, snug against the part of his body he was struggling very hard to control. He had not expected this at all. Perhaps he was dreaming.

She laughed, she giggled, her body wiggled against him. He was practically delirious with the sensations. And then she turned over his hands and began to play with them, touching and stroking, and teasing. He strained with all his might to control the sensations she was generating, after all, he could control the actions of his lok, surely he could control this! It did not take very long at all for him to discover that he could not control his response in any way. His lok swelled against her bottom, hot and hard, and she gasped. He fought for control, throwing his head back against the pillow, clenching his teeth. A low moan escaped his lips, in spite of everything he tried.

"Selek? Are you in pain?"

He gasped, trying to answer. "No. I am not in pain."

In her concern, she pressed harder against his fingertips, exciting him even more. He groaned this time, even louder than before. She tried to twist about, to see his face, but he held his arms tight about her, trying to keep her still. "Durra, please. Do not move."

"Why? What's wrong?" She was upset, he could hear it. She was still stroking his hands, running her fingers over his, making little soothing motions. He was on fire, everywhere. The cinnamon in the rice was not helping things at all.

"Durra, please. Please cease."

"Cease what? I don't understand."

"Your hands. Please, please stop."

She lifted up her hands, still holding his, looking at them. "You don't want me to hold your hands?"

"Please do not move your fingers. Just be very, very quiet. Let me regain control and I will explain." He was panting now.

She became very still, no part of her body moving. She still had his hands in hers, but she was not touching his fingertips now. He concentrated on controlling his breathing, making it smooth and even, and then he concentrated on his lok, gradually reducing the swelling away. She made some small sound when that happened, but did not move. At last he felt that he could talk.

He raised his head from the pillow and leaned forward to rest the side of his face on top of her head. She relaxed a bit then, leaning back against him. He sighed deeply. "There are things about Vulcan physiology which you must learn. You already know that I am much stronger than a human male of my size."

"Yes, I know that. I watched you assist in putting up the awning and carrying the tables at the wedding."

"Because of my strength, I must be cautious with you, not to injure you. It is necessary for me to retain my control at all times in order to do this."

"At all times?"

He caught his breath. "In time, I will become accustomed to the necessary amount of strength to use. It will become easier." She nodded her head against his shoulder. The next thing you must learn is about Vulcan hands."

She tried to turn her head to look at him, but he held her tightly where she was. "You do know that Vulcans are touch-telepaths?"

"Yes, Spock explained this. It's why he doesn't shake hands with everyone." She stopped and then she gasped. "Have I been sending my thoughts to you?"

"That is not the main problem at this time. Let me continue. Vulcan hands are very sensitive. They contain many nerves and many telepathic receptors." He bent his head further toward her, speaking almost in her ear now. "They are a primary erogenous zone."

She gasped and jerked within his grasp, dropping his hands. "I...I...I've been masturbating your hands!"

"A fairly apt description, actually. And it was quite pleasant and arousing, but I was sure that you had no idea what you were doing. And the rice contained more cinnamon that I expected."

"Cinnamon?"

"There are two substances found on Earth which are not found on Vulcan that have a profound effect on Vulcans. The first is chocolate and the second is cinnamon. Chocolate acts much like alcohol would on a human. Cinnamon is an aphrodisiac."

She began to giggle. She clapped her hands to her face and laughed harder, her body shaking against him. "Oh, Selek, it is just too much. Oh, I'm sorry, but what a mess!"

He pulled her back against him again, wrapping his arms around her. "It is not a mess. It could have been avoided if I had told you these things earlier."

"Well, I am sorry that you had to experience that."

"Why? I am not. I did enjoy it very much. It was the thought that you did not understand what was happening that made it difficult."

"Oh. Well, then. I..that is...hmm."

He inhaled the lovely scent of her and settled back against the pillows. "Now let us watch the movie and eat our baklava." And so they did. And when he stood at the door, ready to leave, she leaned into him, offering her forehead to him, clasping his shirt in her hands and sighing softly. He remembered the sound of that sigh all the way home. In his bed, however, he remembered the feel of her fingertips against his, and the way that had made him feel.