One Last Hurrah

Rating: M

Characters: Kirk/Uhura

Summary: Nyota Uhura is thrilled to learn she's been accepted as the communications officer aboard the newly commissioned starship, Enterprise. Before leaving for her assignment she goes out to treat herself to a drink with friends and is mercilessly pursued by a handsome young man. She gives in to his advances, thinking she won't be seeing him again anytime soon, only to find herself face to face with him in the most unexpected place...

Warnings: Graphic sex

A/N: This fic was written before the movie came out so it doesn't line up with movie canon. 

1.

Nyota Uhura sat in her apartment near Starfleet Academy. She’d just returned from her first commission in the field aboard the Intrepid, and had been delighted when her linguistics professor from the Academy, Professor Chang, had contacted her to inform her that a position aboard the newly commissioned Enterprise was available. They needed a chief communications officer, and all that was required was one year in the field, which she had.

She’d debated whether or not to even apply for the position. The Enterprise was the flagship of the Federation, and she wasn’t sure she was equal to the job. Apparently Professor Chang had more confidence in her than she did. The ship was going to have a young crew, eager for exploration, and she would fit in perfectly.

She checked her messages for the fourth time that minute. Still no word. She was supposed to be contacted sometime today. What was taking so long?

Nyota jumped to her feet, involuntarily, at the loud chime of her door. Straightening her dress and checking her hair, she went to the door and pressed the release. It slid open to reveal the wizened face of her linguistics professor.

“Professor Chang!”

He smiled, cause deep wrinkles around his eyes to appear. “Nyota Uhura! So good to see you!”

She hugged him tightly and then stood back to allow him entrance, but he shook his head. “No need, Miss Uhura. I don’t have time for a proper visit, but I’ve come to deliver a message. You are now the new junior communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.”

“Oh! That’s wonderful!”

“You’re not a little disappointed not to be the chief?”

“Not at all!” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “I’m just glad to have a position on board.”

“You always were positive, Nyota. You’ll do well onboard Enterprise.” He gave her one last quick kiss on the cheek and stood back, and handed her a data disc. “You’ll be chief in a few years, I’m certain of it. All the information on your assignment is on the disc. Now, don’t forget to go out and celebrate with your friends. You report for duty day after tomorrow.”

Nyota bit her lip. She wasn’t the party type by any sense of the word. She liked a good time as much as the next person, but her idea of a good time didn’t usually involve binge drinking, loud music, and flirting like the girls she’d roomed with at the Academy, or the men and women she’d served with aboard the Intrepid. Her idea of a good time usually consisted of a nice bottle of wine and a good book at home.

But she was going to be junior communications officer on the Federation flagship. Maybe it was time to live a little.

She popped the disc Professor Chang had given her into the reader on her desk and began perusing the assignment details.

2.

Berane Niktcho and Susan Howard had each taken their turns nearly crushing Nyota with enthusiastic hugs when she stepped from the trolley and found them in the queue to a club called the Warp Reactor. Berane had come very close indeed to bruising a rib, though Nyota was used to her heavy-handedness. She was Nicarian, and their planet’s gravity was twice that of Earth’s. She didn’t always realize her own strength.

“I’ve heard about this place,” Nyota said, having taken the opportunity to give them the rundown on her assignment aboard Enterprise before getting into the club. The music could be heard thudding rhythmically inside. Nyota loved music, but at sane volumes, which was not what awaited her in the club.

They reached the front of the line, and Berane leaned in to the Vulcan bouncer who stood in front. “My friend just won a post aboard Enterprise! Isn’t that wonderful?”

She cocked a slanted eyebrow and remained still.

“Why is a Vulcan working as a bouncer at a nightclub?” Berane asked, leaning toward them.

“Extra money, like any other student, I'd guess,” Nyota said.

“You may enter,” the Vulcan woman said. They passed her, Nyota nodding her thanks before preparing her ears for the earsplitting music.

It wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. She was certain the volume was regulated to avoid damage to the human ear, but it was still unpleasantly loud. The atmosphere was boisterous, full of young people from many different worlds pressed against one another. The room was also hot, and clothing was scant.

She’d just reached the bar with Berane when a powerful hand clamped around her left arm, just above the elbow. She was pulled forcefully away from her friends, who had their backs to her, looking at the bar. She literally slammed into a wall of muscled chest that smelled faintly of soap, aftershave, and male sweat. She looked up into a pair of steel blue eyes.

“Excuse you, mister!” she said.

He answered with a cocky grin and an annoying chuckle before releasing her and then smoothly melting into the crowd of undulating, youthful bodies. Turning back to her friends she saw a Morgrarian coalescing where she’d been standing a moment before. If the cocky man hadn’t grabbed her she’d probably have been fused with the ghostly-looking albino who was now solid before her.

“You’re not supposed to coalesce in a crowd!” she said irritably. The Morgrarian merely laughed at her and then pushed his way on, his silky white hair seeming to float behind him.

“Nyota! Stop trying to police the party and come on!” Susan shouted, and then burst into laughs at the offended expression on Nyota’s face. Susan handed her a cosmopolitan, while Berane turned to them with a glass that held some goat spleen in vinegar. Nyota was glad she’d been around Berane long enough to adjust to her friends’ alien tastes.

They found a table on the opposite side of the room, and Nyota searched for the man who’d saved her, doubtful she'd find him in such a dense crowd. She couldn’t quite get the memory of his scent out of her mind. It had been nice. Very nice. Masculine and clean…

“You can’t be drunk already,” Susan said, squinching her nose as Berane took a big bite from her raw goat spleen and began chewing.

Susan and Berane moved easily to the music, but Nyota was uncomfortable. It had been a mistake to come to a place like the Warp Reactor. It wasn’t her scene. She preferred a place much more relaxed…much quieter, and civilized. She watched the people dancing around her, her eyes vigilantly seeking out the blond who’d pulled her against him. His hands were big and she imagined they may be very soft and warm.

That smell. She caught a whiff of it on the warm air of the club and turned around, hoping to see him behind her, but he wasn’t. She heard Susan chuckle, and when she looked at her friend she saw that her cosmopolitan was magically refilled. She spun around, looking for the man who’d brought it, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Gods, he's watching me! Nyota thought excitedly. He's somewhere now, with his eyes on me. She felt a flutter of excitement at the idea of a gorgeous man standing in the crowd, watching her, waiting to make his next move.

“What?”

“You have an admirer,” Susan said. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Blond? In a silky black shirt?”

Susan nodded. “How did you know?”

“He saved me from that fool Morgrarian who almost killed me.”

“Oh, I’m sure you wouldn’t have died.”

“Have you ever seen an accidental fusion? There’s a reason Coalescing is illegal—”

Susan was no longer paying attention to her. A man had approached, a handsome fellow with black hair.

“May I have this dance, m’dear?”

Susan offered him her hand and he helped her up. Berane crossed her long legs and looked around the crowd, resigned to not being invited to dance by any human males. Not many humans found her species very appealing, which was understandable considering the double row of razor sharp, shark-like teeth in her mouth.

Nyota finished her drink and then waited for the scent of her admirer. He didn’t disappoint, only this time he approached directly rather than by stealth. He emerged from the crowd, like he’d been part of it but had melted and dripped from it. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, prepared to offer her hand for an invitation to dance. But he approached Berane instead.

“May I have this dance, madam?”

“Really?” Berane asked, looking almost child-like with her surprise and delight, despite the deadly sharp teeth she flashed at him. The man smiled back, revealing his own perfect white teeth. He was so charming, but he was beginning to frustrate Nyota. She wanted him to approach her directly, damn it.

“But of course,” he said smoothly. Her blue skin flushing darkly, Berane took his hand and he pulled her into the crowd.

What’s his game? Nyota wondered, as she waited for him to bring her friend back.

3.

Two songs played before the handsome man returned with Berane. She sat down, positively glowing. Nyota had put the time she’d spent waiting for them to return to good use and worked on a strategy. As soon as Berane returned, she got up and excused herself to go to the bathroom, completely ignoring the young man and pretending as though he weren’t there. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done before.

Susan was in the bathroom buying a contraceptive hypo from the machine on the wall. She caught Nyota’s reflection in the mirror and beamed.

“Guess what?”

“I’d guess you got lucky?”

Susan nodded. “He’s the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Enterprise! His name is Leonard McCoy.”

“So, you’re going to spend the night with one of my superior officers?”

Susan gave her a saucy grin. “Trust me, when I’m done with him, you’ll have at least one senior officer on your side. He’s coming back to my place, but I hate to duck out on you and Berane.”

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll have fun.”

“Good luck with your mystery man.”

When Nyota finished, she washed her hands and then went back into the hot crowd. She was unpleasantly surprised to find that her table was now occupied by five strangers, and Berane was nowhere in sight.

Strong hands spun Nyota around, and she found herself once again looking into the strangers piercing blue eyes. The scent of his body was inviting and heady.

“Oh, my, you seem to have misplaced your friends,” he cooed. That cocky grin of his was back in place. She really wished it was more annoying than enticing.

He exuded confidence by the way he held her against his body, and led her in time to the music. He wasn’t a lot taller than her, but Nyota didn’t mind. She placed her arms around his neck and laced her fingers together behind his head.

“I really should check on my friend,” Nyota said. Her partner suddenly dipped her, and she saw Berane in the arms of the Morgrarian. They danced close, and slowly with the familiarity of old lovers.

Nyota was intensely aware of her dance partner’s body pressed to hers. He felt thin and strong, the way he easily held her up, and their proximity, his scent, made Nyota want to do more than talk. She longed to feel his lips pressed to hers, and many other places, as well. He stood her up, his body sliding against hers as they returned to a normal standing position.

“My name is Nyota,” she said.

“Jim,” he replied. “Do you live in the area?”

“I have an apartment a few miles from here.”

She realized how much that sounded like an invitation. She’d decided she was taking him home, or going home with him, but she didn’t want to rush things. She enjoyed their little game.

“Are you from San Francisco?”

Despite the volume of the music, Nyota had no difficulty hearing him at this range. He was very good at projecting his voice.

“I’m from the United States of Africa. Kenya. You?”

“Iowa.”

He pulled her very close, and they swayed to the music so slowly that they were practically standing still.

“I need to confess something,” said Jim, speaking his words into her ear so that she felt shivers move over her body.

“Yes?”

“I’ve had designs on you since I saw you step off the trolley. I paid the doorwoman to let you in. They Morgrarian is a fiend of mine. We had a deal. He would help me look good by coalescing close to you, if I got your friend Berane to agree to dance with him. He has a thing for Nircarians.”

Nyota wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or frightened. She felt as though he’d been manipulating her all night, but his amorous reasons for doing so inclined her to forgive. She was leaving on a deep space assignment soon, so it wasn’t likely she’d attracted an unstable stalker, even as rare as they were.

“You could have just asked me to dance.”

He looked a little surprised at her suggestion. “Would you have said yes?”

Nyota nodded. “Yes.”

Jim grinned. “I never think to do things the easy way.”

“Your hard work is going to pay off.”

“How so?”

“Asking me to dance would only have gotten you to dance, but now that I know all the effort you put into pursuing me this evening, you’ll get a lot more.”

He was grinning that grin again, and it was making her feel flutter at the core of her body.

“What about Susan? What hoops did you jump through to get her occupied?”

“That was just luck,” he said, and they both laughed. “I expected you to slap me on the face, call me a pig, and storm out.”

“I’m not violent, and you’re far from being a pig, Jim.”

She pulled away from him, and he looked on with confused disappointment as she started to walk away. She stopped a few feet from him and cocked an eyebrow.

“Well? You coming or not?”

He sauntered up to her, looped her arm through his, and led her into the welcoming cool of the night. A cool breeze blew in off San Francisco bay, and it wasn’t until they were away from the distracting press of bodies in the club that Nyota realized her clothes were sticking to her.

As they walked for a transporter station, she wondered what his last name was, what he did for a career, but decided against asking him. Tonight was about fun, tomorrow about recovery from that fun, and she planned to just enjoy it all without over thinking everything, which she was wont to do on occasion.

4.

“Normally by now my dates are pumping me for information,” said Jim, following her toward the transporter station.

“What kind of information?”

“Like my full name, am I married, what’s my career…do I want to settle down…”

“I could ask those questions, but I’m not looking to settle down myself. Besides, you don’t strike me as a homebody, and I very much doubt you’re married.”

“Why is that?”

“You’re not a one-woman man, Jim. I can sense it.”

“Then you have really good senses,” he said.

Too bad you’re not, Nyota thought, but she wasn’t about to voice such a thought. It would put him off, she was sure of it.

“Tonight’s just about fun? No strings, no pressure?” he asked.

“Nope. No pressure, and definitely no strings.”

She waved her I.D. card over the reader and input her password. She normally liked to travel by trolley, but she wanted to get Jim home. She had a feeling he was going to turn out to be a skilled, experienced lover, despite his youth.

The transporter beam faded, leaving the two of them outside Nyota’s apartment. She let them in, and had barely closed the door when he swept her off her feet and pressed her against the door, leaving her no choice but to wrap her legs about him.

“Forgive me for my haste, but I’d rather not waste anymore time. I want you. Now.”

His lips grazed her neck, and he took in a deep breath. She felt his tongue flick out to taste her skin.

“I love the way you smell…and taste…”

Nyota shivered and squeezed her thighs, pulling him as close as she could get him. She could feel the beginnings of his erection as he pressed against her moist center. She lowered her face to Jim’s. There was a moment of hesitation before his tongue slid deep into her mouth. She was right. Jim Whoever knew what he was doing. She’d never been kissed with quite so much expertise before. She hoped he found her skills at least adequate.

All self-doubt was forgotten when he pulled her smoothly from the door, his strong hands cupped under her bottom. He led her toward the bedroom with as much confidence as one who lived there and knew the place intimately. Once inside, his hands moved over her, quickly, confidently, stripping away every scrap of material from the both of them until they were naked, and she lay before him, knees closed. He rested a hand on each knee and looked at her.

“You’re lovely,” he whispered, and gently pulled her knees apart. His eyes burned with lust as they drank in the sight of every swell and curve of her athletic body.

She put one foot around his waist and urged him forward. She didn’t want to wait any longer. They’d played their game enough for the evening. “Come here,” she said. He obliged.

Jim was gone by the time Nyota awoke. No note, no empty promises to call or keep in touch. They’d had a good time, and now it was over. Part of her was relieved, and part of her was undeniably disappointed. The sex they’d had the night before, twice, had been the best of her life thus far. She wondered if she’d ever see him again.

Because she hadn’t drank much the night before, Nyota didn’t need to spend the day recovering. Instead she went for a jog, hoping that she’d run into him at some point, or at least spot him at one of the many cafés along the bay, but she didn’t. She returned home, showered, finished transporting her belongings aboard the ship, and then sat down to the crew manifests.

Chang had left Nyota a very basic, text-only manifest, though there were schematics of the ship that she’d long since memorized. She imagined she could navigate her way around Enterprise in the dark if she had to. She read over the names of the senior staff. Captain Christopher Pike, whom she’d already met twice over the past year, would lead the mission. Their first officer, James T. Kirk, she’d never seen before.

James…Jim was short for James, wasn’t it?

Don’t be ridiculous. If he were really going to be the first officer of the flagship of the Federation he would have bragged about it, Nyota assured herself, but she wished the manifest had crew profile pictures to really settle her anxieties. Why hadn’t she at least found out his last name? If they served together on the same ship and he was her superior officer, that would be very awkward for the both of them.

She forced the issue from her mind, and continued to study the senior officers, since she only recognized a handful of the rest of the crew from her days at the Academy, none of whom had been close to her.

Spock. He’d be the chief science officer, and he was half Vulcan, half human.

Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer. She remembered him from the night before. He was a handsome man. Susan had been lucky, but she was sure her friend hadn’t been as lucky as she had. 

Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer. Pavel Chekov would be the navigator, Hikaru Sulu would be their helmsman, and Meoxuna Enoi would be Chief communications officer. All of their official Starfleet record was laid out before her, and she familiarized herself with it. Especially Enoi, whom she knew nothing about except he’d once taught linguistics at the Academy, and had a knack for learning languages within hours of hearing them spoken for the first time. He was Betazoid, so that may have something to do with his ability.

“Enterprise to Ensign Uhura.”

“Uhura here,” she said. She’d been expecting the summons.

“Everything squared away, Ensign?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, powering down her terminal. Everything in the apartment was packed away, and would remain so until her return, or unless she gave it up if she decided to remain in deep space for an extended period of time. “I’m ready to transport.”

“You’ll be brought to transporter room three. From there you will need to go directly to Briefing Room Alpha on deck two where you’ll meet with your department head.”

“Yes, sir, thank you.”

“Stand by for transport.”

She stood at the ready, and gave her bed one last glance. Her lips curved up in a smile at several memories from last night, but soon it shimmered and was almost immediately replaced by the cold gray steel of the transporter room. This was it. Uhura had arrived to the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Briefing Room Alpha was a standard briefing room, with a long table to seat six on each side, and one on each end for a total of fourteen. There was a wall screen to one side of the room shimmering with images of natural beauty from earth, Vulcan, and many other worlds. About ten of the seats were occupied when she arrived. A middle-aged man with solid black eyes and wavy black hair stood at the head of the room, his hands behind his back.

“Welcome to the U.S.S. Enterprise, flagship of the United Federation of Planets. I trust you all are aware of what a privilege it is to be here, included in this important and honorable mission?” 

Everyone nodded politely. Indeed they all looked as excited as she felt. She listened to Lt. Enoi’s speech, which was a little longwinded, but fairly interesting, and then he handed out crew assignments. She was named second in command of the communications department, and the others in the room turned to look at her.

“There’s a dinner being held in honor of our launch in the rec lounge on deck four. I trust all junior officers and crewmen will attend. My second in command, Ensign Nyota Uhura, will join me in the Captain’s Lounge with the other senior officers who will be meeting with Captain Pike. Uhura, I am told your standard uniform is required. You will need to arrive promptly at 1900 hours.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Any questions about your duty shifts and responsibilities? No? Very good. Dismissed.”

Everyone filed out of the room, Nyota leaving last with Enoi, who said nothing to her as he turned and headed for the lift that would take him to his quarters.

Her own quarters were much larger than she’d expected. Aboard the Intrepid, Nyota had shared half the space with three other people. It had been like living in a closet. This room, however, was spacious and brightly lit, with plenty of shelf room for plants and flowers that she would enjoy cultivating.

She made quick work of unpacking her belongings before showering, fixing her hair, and her makeup. By the time she was ready to go 1900 was quickly approaching. Her stomach felt occupied more by panicked bats than butterflies as she approached the Captain’s Lounge. Enoi waited outside, and looked at an old fashioned watch that he had strapped to his wrist.

“Perfect timing. Not a minute early or late. I like that, Ensign. Shall we?”

“Yes, sir.”

She followed him into a large dining room that could conceivably act as a ballroom to entertain visiting dignitaries. It was relatively empty, with only the senior staff and their seconds in command with them. Nyota’s eye caught Captain Pike standing by the viewport with a young Vulcan. She scanned the room and caught sight of Dr. McCoy speaking with a man who spoke with a thick Scottish brogue. His eyes fell on her, and widened slightly.

Nyota’s panicked bats began clawing at her stomach even harder. Why that look? Was he embarrassed for having a junior officer witness his antics at the Warp Reactor the night before? He tapped someone behind him, who turned around, and the world slowed down to a crawl.

Jim.

Jim’s eyes fell on her and his brows shot up in surprise.

“Is something wrong, Ensign?” Enoi asked. She’d forgotten he was standing beside her.

“Uh…I don’t…I…”

Jim was walking toward her. Well…swaggering was more an appropriate description. It was cute at the Warp Reactor, it was anything but now.

“Nyota,” he said. “Excuse me, Mr. Enoi, may I steal your fellow officer away for a moment.”

“Yes, sir, of course.”

Feeling weak and a little sick, Nyota didn’t protest when Jim led her toward the emptiest side of the room, his hand on the small of her back. She moved away from him, and he smiled.

“I wish you could have seen the look on your face when you saw me.”

“Did you know I’d be onboard with you last night?”

“I didn’t know until you walked in, I swear,” he said. “Is this going to be a problem for you, Nyota?”

“No, sir. It won’t.”

“You can call me Jim off duty.”

“I really couldn’t, sir,” she said stiffly. She was practically standing at attention. He bit the inside of his lip.

“Very well then, Ensign. Enjoy the party.”

“Sir? You haven’t told anyone about us, have you?”

“I told Bones, since I thought we’d never see one another again.”

“Who?”

“Dr. McCoy, but he’s very discreet. No one else will ever know, I promise. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll threaten to toss him out an airlock if he utters a word about us.”

She relaxed by a tiny fraction. “Thank you, sir.”

“Right,” he said, looking mildly annoyed. “Just relax. I’m sure we’ll get along fine. We already know how friendly we can—”

She cleared her throat and looked away, and he backed off. “Okay then, Ensign. I’ll see you on the bridge tomorrow, second shift, 1500 sharp. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t be, sir.”

He went back to the crowd, and Nyota made herself as scarce as possible.

5.

Nyota Uhura berated herself the entire evening, to the point that she couldn’t concentrate on anyone or anything else. She realized she must have looked like a fool to everyone who spoke to her, but she couldn’t care. All she could think was Why didn’t I get his last name? Why didn’t I take the time to look him up on Starfleet database?

 

It was too late now. She could request a transfer, but she wanted her position on Enterprise more than she wanted anything else. She couldn’t imagine packing up and disembarking now. She’d never be able to face Professor Chang again, not after he’d pulled strings to get her a high-ranking assignment.

“May I have this dance, Ensign?”

It was Dr. McCoy, and she felt her face flush. Behind him, Lt. Enoi was giving her a ‘you better say yes, missy,’ glare, so she took his hand and followed him to the dance floor.

“You’re distracted,” he said, once they were moving to the music. It was a waltz, something she was very good at. McCoy was good too, and they danced as though they’d been twirling around the dance floor together for years.

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s why I wanted to dance, so we’d have the chance to talk. It’s perfectly understandable. You thought you were having a careless fling, one last hurrah, before setting sail on a long-term voyage. You didn’t think you’d ever see him again. And then you arrive on board, and find that your intimate stranger was going to be your C.O. I’d be distracted too.”

He spoke quietly so that only she could hear him above the music. Lt. Enoi was dancing with a very pretty blond in science blues, like Dr. McCoy, though her eyes traveled to Mr. Spock every chance they got.

“Nurse Chapel. She’s got the hots for Mr. Spock.”

“You’re very observant, sir,” Nyota said noncommittally.

“And you’re very good at dodging the issue. My point, Ensign Uhura, is to relax. Jim is a good man. A womanizer, selfish, immature, and brash, but he’s got his heart in the right place. He won’t do anything to make you feel as though you have to continue doing him…favors, to stay in his good graces. He’s a man of integrity and conviction, if nothing else. Give yourself some time to get to know him, and you’ll realize that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You can call me Leonard off duty, or Doc.”

“What about Bones?”

“That’s what he calls me, because he knows it annoys me.”

The song ended, and Dr. McCoy bowed to her, before sweeping Nurse Chapel off to the dance floor for a dance. Feeling somewhat better, she managed not to flee the room when Jim offered his hand for a dance.

“It’s late, Commander Kirk,” Nyota said. Jim stopped at her door and then looked around.

“Quick, inside before someone sees me coming in.”

The door swished open at her approach and Jim ducked inside. He put his hands behind his back and surveyed the room. He turned to her, looking genuinely confused. “It’s almost as big as my quarters. How’d you manage that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, sir.”

“If you call me sir one more time, I’m going to assign you to deionize the plasma injectors with a micro scraper.”

At the look of astonishment on her face, he burst into a full belly laugh. She relaxed when she realized that maybe she was being a little ridiculous.

“Fine, Jim. It’s late, and I’m tired.”

“No you’re not. You’re as excited as I am. We leave space dock tomorrow. Will you come to the bridge and watch our departure? My presence is required on the bridge, and I’d love to have you there.”

Nyota pulled her hair from its ponytail and caught the look of sexual interest in his eyes. “S—Jim, I really think we should talk.”

“It’s about time. You’ve avoided me all evening.” He plopped down on her bed, and sprawled out, hands behind his head. “Fire all phaser banks.”

“We should keep our relationship professional. I don’t want to see you outside of what’s necessary to fulfill our duties.”

“Why?”

“You’re not a one-woman man, but I’m a one-man woman. I don’t want to fall for you and have to watch you chase women. I don’t want my heart to break every time I see you with someone else. We had a good time, Jim, now let’s leave it at that.”

He came off the bed in one smooth, swift move and approached her. She felt her heart flutter at his proximity, especially when his hands came to rest on her waist. She knew those hands were capable of working her body into a writhing mass of raw nerves and screaming ecstasy. Those lips were capable of quieting any and all objections.

“You’re sure that’s what you want? Just a professional relationship?”

The last thing she wanted to do was say yes, because she wanted more of him. His familiar scent filled her senses. He was so very intoxicating.

“Yes,” she lied.

He tilted her chin up, and invaded her mouth, smothering her lips in a hot kiss. She clung to him, needing more, unable to resist the temptation to get as much of him as she could while she had the chance. He was in her mouth, and it was heaven.

Jim pulled back, his blue eyes smoldering, and whispered, “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

He stopped at the door and gave her one last look. “See you on duty tomorrow at 1500, Ensign Uhura.”

“Yes, sir, Commander Kirk.”

James T. Kirk left the room, and Nyota Uhura sank to the bed and cried.

The End