Ch 9: Surf and Sun

The next few days passed as to be expected. The crew enjoyed their time in Ninolgog City thoroughly. There were plenty of things to keep them occupied in the way of entertainment just as the ad Kirk had perused indicated. He had been able to enjoy his time alone with Spock in abundance. They found attractions that kept them both mutually interested and were easily able to enjoy those they preferred with their friends.

On the fifth day, they decided they would make a visit to the hotel's plot of beach along with a sizable group of crew members. Kirk stood in a pair of burnt orange swim shorts with broad white stripes on the side and matching flip flops, a towel draped over his shoulder. He sighed as he waited for Spock to come out of the bathroom so they could go down to the beach. For a Vulcan male, he certainly took his time getting ready much like a human female.

Impatient, Kirk yelled, "Hey Spock! Are you ever gonna come out of there?"

From behind the bathroom door, Spock yelled back, "Jim, I fail to see why I have to put on swimming attire when I have absolutely no desire to enter the ocean."

"Because you don't wanna be the only guy wearing a shirt and pants at the beach, that's why! Now hurry up and come out!"

The door slide open to reveal Spock wearing a solid black pair of swim shorts and matching flip flops. In his hands he carried on of the towels from the bathroom and a book to read. On his face was a light frown. "I feel utterly ridiculous in this attire. It may be more appropriate to wear this to the pool, but I would prefer to wear my Vulcan suit to the pool and look a fool than to allow myself to be so scantily clad."

Kirk was too busy eyeing the small crop of chest hair that spanned his pectorals and trail of hair on his stomach that led down to a delightful place below the fabric of his shorts. Only after he heard Spock cry, "Jim!" did his eyes return to Spock's face, which now had a deeper frown of annoyance on it.

"Sorry," Kirk said unconvincingly. "I can't help but marvel at your sexy physique."

Spock sighed, not impressed with Kirk's comment about his body. He walked over to him and said, "You are most fortunate that I am willing to try new things in an effort to please you. If this were two years ago, I severely doubt I would be willing to sacrifice my own comfort for your sake."

"Spock, two years ago you wouldn't have been sharing the same bed with me, let alone going with me to the beach." Kirk laughed and kissed Spock on his cheek while Spock rolled his eyes. He shook his head at the slightly shorter man and said, "It has become quite obvious that your 'cute' comments do not have nearly as much of an effect on me as they once did, yet you still make them. If I do not make the expected reaction to your quips, why do you continue to make them?"

Patting his fiancé on the shoulder, he smirked and said, "Because it makes it all the more amusing when you react the way I want you to. Now come on, let's head to the beach."

Two identical red-haired beauties clad in extremely small, tight black string bikinis flanked a pudgy man with a waxed mustache. He was slightly balding and had round rosy cheeks that stood out as he smiled. The beach was always the best place for him to find single men looking for a lovely lady, and he had two that were inseparable. Perhaps if he found two lonely buddies, he could convince them both to rent the ladies and add some beauty to their stay on Kalthoria.

Harcourt Fenton Mudd, or Harry as he preferred to be called when he used his actual name, spotted two handsome men lying on lounge chairs side by side and grinned. 'Ask and you shall receive...' he thought to himself.

He sauntered cockily over to the two figures and delivered his usual sales-pitch. "Ah, gentlemen! I assume you two are enjoying your time here in Ninolgog City! Such a beautiful city requires the escort of two beautiful women, and you're in luck! I just so happen to have two beautiful women right here who are anxious to spend time with two handsome men like yourself! Molly and Meg here are excellent company, both outside and inside the bedroom if you catch my drift!" Molly and Meg winked for emphasis.

Kirk sat up in his beach chair and looked at the gorgeous red-heads before him. They both had beauty marks on the side of their twinkling pale gray eyes in mirrored positions. Their skin looked soft and smooth and…slightly purple tinted? That was different. His eyes trailed down from their faces and lingered at the barely covered chests, which defied gravity considering their massive size.

Normally Kirk would feel a familiar stirring below his waist at the sight of such beauties, but he found that his appreciation for their appearance didn't translate into a physical reaction. He couldn't help but chuckle at himself. It seems like he was really and truly a monogamous man with eyes only for his one true love.

"Uh, sorry to make you waste your sales pitch, but uh, me and him," Kirk motioned between him and Spock with his thumb, "are a pair if you catch my drift. While your women are in fact very lovely, I'm afraid they'd find their…talents…wasted."

"Ah, say no more," Mudd said. "I understand completely. But! Do not think that I don't have something that you two can still enjoy!" He reached into the shoulder bag he carried with him in case he was unsuccessful with his women and pulled out a white bottle. "Here in my possession is the single most effective sunscreen in the universe! You need only put it on once every three days and you will have total protection from the sun's harmful rays! Now, don't let the Kalthoria sun fool you, it may seem like a week star what with the fact that it only stays high in the sky for a few hours before setting, but its seemingly gentle rays are really quite potent! You both could enjoy this bottle for long after your stay here on Kalthoria is over, and I'm selling it for a very reasonable price!"

"Oh, we won't be needing something like that very much," Kirk said. "You see, we're in Starfleet and we're only here for a brief shore leave."

Mudd's face turned pale. "Did…did you say Starfleet?"

Smirking, Kirk said, "Yes, Starfleet. Surely you're not concerned that we'd report your illegal selling of women, are you?"

It wasn't quite hot enough to merit sweating without exerting oneself, but Mudd was sweating so badly you would think he had ran the entirety of the coast. He put on a smile and held the bottle out to Kirk. "You know, since you two are such fine young men, I'd like to give you this sunscreen completely free of charge! Consider it a present from me to you in honor of your shore leave!"

Kirk took the bottle and shot a look at Mudd. "Thanks."

Rubbing his sweaty hands together, Mudd turned to his twin beauties and said, "Well! Ladies, I think we should continue on, don't you? There's lots of beach left to survey and many lonely men in search of a companion! Come along!"

Kirk and Spock watched the odd man and his two women walk away, receiving a final baiting look from the twins. Leaning over toward Spock, Kirk said "Well, I can't imagine we'd really need to use this, so what should we do with it?"

Shrugging with his eyebrows, Spock said, "If the sunscreen is really that protective, perhaps we should apply some, as we will be out here for quite some time."

Kirk shook his head. "Nah, I don't really trust that guy. Anyone who sells women can't be a very reliable source when it comes to stuff like this. I also took the liberty of looking at the sun's intensity and that bullshit he fed us was completely bogus. Obviously he normally uses that line on people he thinks he can fool easily, but since he couldn't get us to buy his women, he wanted to make as much money out of us as he could. I'm willing to bet he's got a ton of crap in that shoulder bag of his that he tries to pawn off on people."

Dropping the bottle onto the sand, he rose from his seat and looked down at Spock. "I'm gonna take a dip in the water. You sure you don't wanna come with me?"

"I am certain," Spock said with a nod. "I will stay here while you have fun in the water."

Kirk gave a wave as he ran off toward the crash waves. Spock reached down beside him to grab his book but felt the bottle of sunscreen they had received from Mudd. He looked at Kirk once more to make sure he was far away enough to not stop him from putting the sunscreen on. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kirk's research on Kalthoria's sun, he just felt better putting it to use. Also, he was rather fond of his pale skin and didn't really like the idea of getting a tan, even if only a faint one, while exposing so much of his body to the sun.

He opened the bottle and poured a generous amount of the strange bluish white cream into his hand. It had an unusual aroma to it that Spock couldn't identify. Nonetheless, he applied the cream all over his body, making sure not to miss an inch. He regretted that he couldn't get any on his back, but there was little he could do about it at the moment.

Sulu and Chekov ran past him toward the hotel, Eliza walking slowly behind them. The half-Orion girl waved at Spock as she walked and headed towards him. When she was close enough, she leaned over him and smiled. "Hello there Mr. Spock. Enjoying the sun?"

Spock allowed himself a small smile for his subordinate. Eliza was a bright, if perhaps over zealous girl that he had found himself talking with more and more of late. It seemed she too was plagued by her mixed heritage and took comfort in speaking to Spock about her problems. Spock was used to those around him seeking his guidance on anything from scientific theories to relationship advice, and Eliza was no exception. He had come to think fondly of her; he was an only child and thus never got to experience sibling love, but he considered Eliza almost like a younger sister.

"Yes," he said. "I just finished putting some sunscreen on myself, but regretfully I am unable to put any on my back. I hate to request this, but…"

Eliza smiled brightly and took the sunscreen from Spock's hand. "I get ya. Go ahead and flip over, and I'll put some sunscreen on your back."

Following directions, Spock lifted himself off the seat and flipped over so that his back faced up. Eliza put a blob of the oddly colored cream into her hand and looked at it closely. "Uh, Spock," she said, "I'm not entirely sure this stuff should be put on you…"

"I do not recall requesting an analysis of the sunscreen Eliza. If you are not going to put it on me…"

"No, no, no," Eliza said, cutting Spock off. Sighing, she leaned down and smoothed the cream over his back. Using both hands, she massaged the cream into his skin so it would absorb and not sit on top of him. After several minutes of massaging Spock's back, the cream had been completely absorbed into his skin. However, she didn't stop massaging his skin; in fact, her hands began massaging lower and lower on his back until they had reached a dangerous place on his body.

"Eliza," Spock said, a disapproving tone in his voice. Eliza sighed and removed her hands from the very top of Spock's butt cheeks. Standing and putting her hands on her hips, she grinned and said, "You can't blame a girl for trying."

Spock flipped his body again so that his back pressed against the beach chair. "I appreciate your assistance with applying the sunscreen to my back," he said. "As for blaming you for your attempts at 'feeling me up' as you humans put it, I doubt that Sulu would approve." His head tilted to the side and his trademark eyebrow rose on his face. "Or should I say Chekov?"

Eliza gave a chuckle. "You had it right the first time…technically." She flopped in the beach chair next to him and sighed again, putting her hands behind her head and looking up at the cloudless blue sky above her. "This whole half-Orion, half-human thing is messing with me when it comes to those two, Spock. The human part of me is in love with Sulu, but the Orion part of me wants to have them both, and not in a romantic way. Sulu knows he's the one I really want, but I can't bring myself to ignore Chekov. He's just so damned cute and when I'm alone with him, I can't control myself."

"I can understand what you mean," Spock said, "but sooner or later you will need to figure out which is more important to you: your love for Sulu or sexual encounters with both that could strain the relationship you have with both, as well as the one they share. Naturally, the logical choice would be to dedicate yourself to the man you love, but considering your Orion nature, logic would also say to continue on as you are and to not allow yourself to become attached to either. That of course is impossible because of your human half."

"I understand what my choices are Spock, but how do I know which I should make?"

Smiling, he said, "The only way to know is to listen to what your heart says. Your mind will only continue to swing like a pendulum between the two, so let your heart tell you what it is you truly want."

Eliza rose from the beach chair and planted a kiss on Spock's forehead before he could prevent it. "Thanks Spock," she said. "I know that your advice is technically the same thing I could have heard from any of my friends, but hearing it come from you means a lot." She took a moment just to look at him. Kirk was a truly lucky man to have Spock's love. "Say, the crew's talking about going to a night club tonight. Why don't you and Captain Kirk come with us? If you come, I promise I'll reserve a dance just for you!"

Spock gave a light chuckle and smiled at Eliza. "I appreciate the invitation, but night clubs are not my main choice of entertainment. I will present the idea to Jim, but I make no promises."

"That's better than a straight no at least," she said. Turning away to return to the hotel, she yelled over her shoulder, "Think about it Spock! I'll be looking for you tonight, so I better see you there!"

Shaking his head, Spock waved as the fleeting Eliza and grabbed his book from the side of his chair. He removed the bookmark that held his place and resumed reading his book. Just as he began to feel himself get lost in the story, he heard the sound of Kirk's laughter coming closer to him. Raising only his eyes, he saw Kirk jogging toward him with a huge smile on his face. Water clung to his golden brown body and darkened his hair from its sandy blond color to a deep brown. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he sat down on his chair and began drying himself with the towel that hung on the back of it.

"Hey Spock," he said after using the towel to wipe the water from his face. "We're not doing anything tonight, are we?"

Spock blinked and replied, "No, I do not believe we have made any particular plans. Why do you ask?"

"The crew's talking about heading to some night club downtown. I think it'd be a fun experience."

The look on Spock's face didn't indicate that he felt the same way. Actually, Spock looked as if Kirk had suggested they spend their night rolling around in sand leeches. Kirk knew he would have to turn his charm up to max in order to convince Spock that going to the night club would be worthwhile, otherwise he'd be spending his night doing his best caged bird impression while everyone else went out and enjoyed themselves.

"Come on," Kirk begged. "I really wanna go and I don't wanna go alone."

"Then simply ask one of the crew to be your date for the night," Spock said, his attention returning back to his book. "I am sure you would have a much easier time convincing one of the female crew members to accompany you than asking me to. It would also give me time to catch up on my reading and enjoy a quiet night alone."

Kirk groaned and leaned forward. "I don't want to go with one of the female crew members Spock, I wanna go with you! Please? I promise, if you don't enjoy yourself, not even a little bit, I'll get up extra early and cook breakfast for us, even if we're out really late tonight. Pleeeeeeease?" He clasped his hands together and got on his knees.

Despite his dislike of their proposed evening plans, Spock couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kirk on his knees pleading to him. He made a mental note to incorporate begging into one of their sexual escapades at a later date. For now, he simply closed his book and crossed his arms irritably in front of him. Grumbling, he said, "You had better be certain that the breakfast you prepare for me more than makes up for the abysmal evening I have in store for me tonight."

Flinging his arms around his fiancé, Kirk nuzzled Spock's cheek and said, "Trust me Spock, you won't regret it!"