After Citadel: Asari Consort
The first time Melanie Shepard had met the asari, she'd been fascinated. As a people, they seemed beautiful, strong, and mysterious; when she met the right one, her attraction could be powerful. She'd been with a few, huntresses and dancers that she'd met while on shore leave, but it had never been quite what she'd hoped for. The hook-ups had been thrilling at the time, but afterwards... The mental bonding during sex with an asari created the illusion of a deeper intimacy than was really there; it was wonderful to feel so connected, but after it was over, she was left with a disconcerting sense of vulnerability.
As a way of dealing with the stresses and dangers she faced, she'd cultivated a mental reserve that let her distance herself from the situations she was in and make clear choices. This was especially true in combat, but even elsewhere, she could keep her emotions from being too close to the surface. The joining stripped that away, and though it was freeing in the moment, afterwards, the fact that she didn't have a deeper connection with her partners inevitably left her feeling off once the intensity of the moment passed.
Her encounter with Sha'ira had epitomized those experiences. As soon as Melanie met the Consort, she'd been drawn to her. Not only was she beautiful, but there was a grace to her and a sensual quality that was palpable during their brief conversations. Shepard had tried to tell herself she was helping Sha'ira because it would be useful to be owed a favor by such a well-connected person, but while that may have been true, if she was being honest with herself, it wasn't the only reason.
After she'd convinced General Oraka to withdraw his accusations and went back to tell Sha'ira the good news, she wasn't sure what would happen next. When she'd received the "gift of words," Melanie had been a bit confused; whatever she'd expected as a reward, that certainly wasn't it. When she'd awkwardly said as much, the asari had smiled, told her to close her eyes and relax, and pulled her close, the rich, intoxicating smell of her filling the commander's senses.
The sex had been phenomenal; she could see why the Consort was in such demand. The skill with which Sha'ira's tongue had worked between her legs, teasing it's way up between Shepard's thighs and then switched to her clit at just the moment she needed her to brought her off with incredible ease. They'd joined when Melanie had slid her hand between the asari's thighs, allowing her to feel the pleasure she was giving her partner. As Shepard had gasped at the sudden addition of sensation, the Consort had reciprocated, her own nimble fingers slipping inside the human, skillfully finding all the right spots. They had climaxed together, their mutual pleasure flowing back and forth across the mental link and leaving Shepard breathless and tingling all over.
There'd been little time to enjoy the afterglow though. Sha'ira was gentle about it, but she made it clear that Shepard had to go, that she had other clients waiting. It's not that Shepard had any illusions about what the Consort was or what their encounter meant, but the contrast between the intensity of the experience she'd just had and the abruptness of its ending left her feeling exposed and empty. It was similar to when she'd been with other asari, but the whiplash was worse this time. The sex had been better, the come-down faster, and it threw her. She couldn't afford these distractions; her mission to expose Saren was too important. Stepping back out onto the Presidium with her team, she put her mask back in place; she'd be more careful about removing it in the future.