For Disclaimer et al, please see Chapter 1

Turning down the lights, T'Pol checked the cabin one more time. There were a few candles lit, throwing ghostly, flickering shadows across the wall. The scent of jasmine floated from a dish of heated liquid.

Her uniform lay folded on a chair, neat, perfect. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she began meditating, preparing for what she assumed would be an awkward evening. Since she had engaged in sexual intercourse with Commander Tucker, her emotional balance had become disturbed in ways she did not understand or appreciate.

The previous morning, while running routine systems checks at her station on the bridge, she found her mind wandering - something that had never happened before. Ensign Sato had mentioned Commander Tucker's name in passing and suddenly she pictured his impish grin when he had accused her of being 'jealous' of the time he had been spending with MACO officer Amanda Cole.

That had led her to remember the sight of the Commander sitting astride a horse, cowboy hat sitting charmingly atop his head, reaching a hand out to help her mount the horse as well. Though he had encouraged her to embrace him tightly lest she lose her balance, she had been reluctant to, feeling that it was somehow inappropriate to do so.

During their neuro-pressure sessions she touched many aspects of his body; feet, back, hands, face. But for some reason, when she finally did press her body against his, the sensation of intimacy was not one she could shed. Admitting to herself that she had enjoyed the contact, though through layers of clothing and illogical in its relevance, was difficult for her.

But she had enjoyed it. And even more disturbing was her desire to seek more contact with Commander Tucker, finding logical but ultimately unnecessary reasons to assist him in engineering, joining him and other officers for meals in the mess hall, even sitting beside him during movie night and arguing the finer points of the film with him.

If she was completely honest with herself, she would say that she enjoyed his company, which is why she had selfishly but somehow rationally insisted that they continue his treatment. And if she was careful in her applications, the neuro-pressure would not be detrimental to his health, though it would not be helpful on any level other than to relieve his daily stress.

As she heard her visitor alert beep through her cabin she realized that, once again, she had allowed her mind to wander and focus on Commander Tucker. Silently reprimanding herself for her loss of focus, she gracefully rose from her place on the floor, took a deep breath, and opened her door.

All day Trip had worried over his impending meeting with T'Pol. His attention would wander from aligning the bulkheads to what he should say when he arrived at her door. 'Miss me, beautiful?' had crossed his mind, picturing himself leaning casually against the doorjamb, thumbs hitched in his waistband like some 19th century cowboy.

Or arriving a half-hour late, panting and perspiring from the frantic dash from engineering. 'I got tied up is all,' he would defend, and they'd engage in verbal sparring - their personal version of foreplay. Or it could go as per usual.

Arriving at her door a few minutes earlier than expected, a smile and a 'hello' as she courteously invited him in. Small talk about their days, stripping into his regulation blue undies, and then their hands on each other.

Yeah, that sounded about right to him.

"What are you smiling about?"

Trip whipped around to find his second in command, Lieutenant Hess, standing behind him. Her head was cocked in curious contemplation, her blonde hair tousled and her creamy skin soiled from working on the bulkheads all morning.

There had been a time when he thought Virginia Hess would be a great gal to fool around with, but now his attentions were elsewhere, on a brown-haired, brown-skinned Vulcan who was currently awaiting him in her quarters. In other words, to pull off his plan of ultimate seduction, he would have to get rid of the beautiful woman in front of him by any means possible.

"I'm smilin' cuz I've got a bit of homework for you. You're gonna take over for me here so that I won't be late for my meetin'." When she realized he wasn't going to let her in on the secret, she pouted, sticking her oh-so biteable bottom lip out just far enough to tantalize him momentarily before he remembered he was leaving Engineering for greener pastures.

"But this could take me all night to finish, Commander! You're not going to stay and help?"

He shrugged indifferently, already making his way from of his home away from home. "I know you can handle it, Ginny," he called over his shoulder before he disappeared from view.

Hess harrumphed in annoyance before turning her delectable pout away from the only man to ever resist it to a room full of men who had never tried to. "So, who wants to help me align the bulkheads?"

Now Trip stood outside T'Pol's quarters, palms sweating, hair mussed just so, wondering what in Sam Hell he was doing playing Russian roulette with his heart on the line. He sighed, shrugged, and pressed her buzzer.

If he was going to play the game, he was going to win.

Behind the door he heard movement, tantalizing him with the memory of her hungry mouth pressed against his own, the hard muscles beneath her pliant skin rippling with every sensual movement she made against him, every breath, every stroke, every moan…

And the door slid open. Wearing her pink drawstring pants and midriff top, her complexion aglow from the candlelight, and his daydream still fresh in his mind, he had to restrain himself from simply manhandling her to the bed.

This was gonna be a looong night.

She watched with interest as his eyes raked across her body - an action that left her feeling both naked and empowered. When his gaze finally met her own, his normally sky-blue eyes, now a deep azure, reflected a hunger and passion that was blossoming in her own senses.

Because she no longer trusted her own voice, she simply stepped aside in a motion of admittance, watching him carefully as he passed her and set about removing his outer clothes. The door slid shut behind them, and somehow they both knew that whatever happened now would change both their lives forever.