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“I know. It’s
shocking, but it’s true.” Alex rolled her eyes. “Please,
I know it’s short notice. Do you have anything, well…
sexy?”

Elsy looked at her long
and hard, her gaze passing over Alex’s ample breasts, slim
waist, the soft swell of her hips. Alex fidgeted under her scrutiny.

“You are
beautiful, Alex, and you need a garment that displays your assets. I
have no idea why you insist on covering that magnificent body up.”
She moved closer, and opened the top two buttons of Alex’s
shirt, exposing her cleavage. “Mm. Such lovely curves need
fabric to hug them, not envelop them.”

Alex could smell her
perfume—spicy, with a hint of vanilla. She swallowed hard.

“I know just the
thing.” Elsy dashed off to the back of the shop.

She returned soon with
a satisfied smile and what looked like a wisp of dark blue silk in
her hands. Alex’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“That’s not
a dress! That’s a handkerchief.” Elsy held up the
confection of gauzy fabric, the blues shifting and changing with the
light.

“It most
certainly is a dress. One which you are going to try on right this
very minute, then love, then buy. Go!” She pushed Alex into the
dressing room.

A few minutes later,
Elsy called out, “Did you pass out in there, darling, or is the
dress just that good?”

A muffled whimper came
out of the dressing room. “You can’t be serious.”

“Get out here,
and let’s see!” Elsy whipped the curtain of the dressing
room back and her mouth dropped open. “I knew it. It’s
absolutely perfect.”

Alex cringed, covering
her cleavage with her hands.

“Honey, pull your
head up and look in the mirror,” Elsy said. “You have
nothing to hide. In fact, you have everything to show off. See for
yourself.”

Alex raised her head to
look in the full length mirror nestled between bolts of silks and
sucked in a breath. The blue fabric clung to every curve, cut
enticingly low; the sides revealing the curve of her breasts, the
back open to the waist. The silk changed hues as she moved this way
and that, slinking down her hips and fluttering out just above the
knee. Alex had never seen the woman standing before her. Instead of a
uniform, she saw lean muscle, toned from hours of training, curves
that screamed to be touched, and, to her surprise, a confident smile
on the face before her.

She felt beautiful.

***

“Don’t
panic, Lieutenant. You can do this.” Alex smoothed her hair,
which for once fell over her shoulders in soft waves. “Just
reach out your hand, and knock on the damn door, already.”

The walk to David’s
quarters had gone by in a flash, and now her stomach was in knots.
She took a deep breath and rapped on the door. It slid silently open
before she could pull her hand away.

“Alex.”
David stood before her, dressed in black slacks and a charcoal grey
button up shirt, open at the collar. “You look stunning.”
His eyes ran down her body. “Please, come in.”

She walked inside,
wishing she’d brought a jacket, feeling again like her old self
instead of that confident woman from the mirror.

“Your place is
amazing, David. When did you do all of this?” The last time
she’d seen his quarters was before he’d woken up: a plain
apartment with nothing but a bed, dresser, and empty living room.
Tonight, it was transformed. The walls were painted in earth tones;
clay and soft greens. A piece of art hung on the wall of the dining
room, and there was white linen on the table alongside…
“Peonies! Pink peonies are my favorite. I can’t believe
you have them.”

David moved toward her,
taking her hand in his. His touch sent a shiver up her arm and
through her body. “They’re for you. I had them
synthesized especially for our dinner tonight.” He rubbed his
thumb over her hand, drawing her toward the table. “I wanted to
know everything about you, Alex, so I researched you in our computer
files.”

He pulled out her chair
and she sat, suddenly chilled. “You went through my personal
logs?”

David sat across from
her and leaned back. The grey of his shirt made the green in his eyes
positively glow. She hated herself for noticing.

“Of course. You
told me to seduce you, so I needed to get to know your likes, your
tastes. Your wants…”

She swallowed hard,
thinking of the things she’d written in her private logs, her
computer journals.

“You fascinate
me. I initially only planned to read your official files, but I had
to know more.”

“David, you can’t
just do that. You shouldn’t
snoop
into people’s
personal lives.” She stopped short, realizing her own
hypocrisy.
This is exactly what he’s trained for. To find
out everything about the person he needs to seduce. To find as much
intel as possible before a mission.
She ran her hands over her
face.

David leaned forward,
his brow furrowed. “I’ve upset you. I’m so sorry. I
never meant to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, you did
exactly what you needed to do. I was just surprised, is all.”
And, if truth be told, a little creeped out.
He knows about every
dream I’ve written down, every longing.
She was so
embarrassed.
Don’t think about it, Alex.

David handed her a
glass of red wine, shaking her out of her thoughts. “Please,
relax. Dinner should be ready by now. Wait here, and I’ll bring
it out.”

She sipped her wine. A
heady cabernet sauvignon. Her favorite, of course. She sighed, and
leaned back, closing her eyes. This was really happening, whether she
was ready or not.

An amazing smell rose
up before her, and she opened her eyes. Rack of lamb delicately
placed on a bed of baby greens sat on a pristine white plate. It had
been years since she’d had it. Her eyes met David’s
across the table, and she smiled. He smiled back, winking at her.

“It’s
perfect.”

“Anything for
you,” he said. His gaze didn’t waver as he took a sip of
wine. Looking into those eyes, she could almost believe him.

***

Dinner was over, the
plates cleared away, and Alex was a little tipsy. She was laughing at
a story David was telling about an encounter in the mess hall.
Apparently, the android had learned the hard way not to critique cook
Delray’s menu, at least not in front of the burly old man.

“’If I ever
see your metal butt in here again, I’ll fry your circuits!’
he yelled at me. Spit was actually flying out of his mouth, he was so
furious. When he picked up the frying pan, I just got the hell out of
there.” He laughed: a deep, rich sound Alex found she quite
enjoyed. “Of course, my butt isn’t metal, but there you
have it.”

They were on David’s
couch, finishing the bottle of wine, and Alex felt warm and
comfortable. She rested her elbow on the cushion and stared at him.

“What?” He
grinned. “Do I have something on my face?”

She giggled and shook
her head. “You know, I think this is the best date I’ve
ever been on.”

“Good.”
David stood up. “It’s about to get better.” He
reached down and pulled her to her feet, leading her to the middle of
the living space. “Computer, personal file. Night with Alex.
Track 3.” She cocked an eyebrow at him as a slow, sultry blues
number started playing. “Dance with me.”

It wasn’t a
request. He pulled her close to him, firmly placing his hand on the
bare skin of her lower back and capturing her hand in his own. She
gripped his shoulder and looked deep into those mesmerizing eyes.
They began to sway together, and she couldn’t help but revel in
how good it felt to be in his arms, pressed against his hard chest,
inhaling his masculine smell: a whiff of cologne and then the smell
of
him
, musky and completely delicious.

She put her head on his
shoulder and moved with him. “You’re just doing this
because you have to.” She didn’t realize she’d
spoken her aloud until he answered her.

“I’m not.
But, I worry that you are.”

She pulled back and
stared at him.

“I told you I’ve
wanted you, Alex, and I meant it. You make me feel things that I’ve
never felt before. Not even in those other memories… those
other lives.” He ran a palm down the side of her face and
cupped her chin. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t
want to.”

She sighed and leaned
into his touch. “I have to admit, I want you, too.”
There. I said it. I want a machine.
“It feels wrong, and
I-“

“There’s
nothing to feel wrong about.” Before she could protest, he
pulled her into a kiss. It was excruciatingly soft, and all thoughts
of arguing fell aside. Her mouth opened, and she felt his tongue
slide tenderly across her lips, then delve in; tasting her, teasing
her. Then it was her pushing closer, wrapping her arms around him,
urging him to deepen the kiss. He took her mouth hungrily. His hands
were moving, caressing the bare skin of her back, running over her
neck, her arms, leaving trails of fire wherever they touched.

Alex couldn’t
take it anymore. She whimpered and found her hands already working
the buttons of his shirt. His eyes widened in surprise, then darkened
with their own intense need. He shrugged out of his shirt, then held
her at arm’s length.

“Do you want
this?” He was breathing heavily, staring at her like a predator
trying not to spring on its prey. “Are you sure, Alex?”

She was breathing
heavily, too, her mouth still bruised from his kisses. “Yes.”

That was all it took.

His lips were on her
neck, licking, sucking, and she was leaning into him as his hands
roamed freely over her body. He cupped her ass and squeezed, then
moved up under the flimsy material of her skirt to caress the outside
of her thighs. Her hands were on him, running over the hard planes of
his stomach, exalting in the feel of his strong pecs and shoulders.
They moved lower to graze the bulge in his slacks.

A growl escaped his
lips and he reflexively thrust into her hand. His hands moved to her
shoulders, and he carefully undid the tie of her halter, sliding the
fabric down until her breasts were bared before him. He stepped back
and feasted his eyes upon her, and to her surprise, she stood boldly,
letting him look his fill.

“You’re
beautiful, Alex. So beautiful…” He reached for her,
covering her curves with his hands, massaging her breasts until she
wanted to cry out. Her nipples hardened as he ran his fingers over
them. He moaned and dropped to his knees, pulling her to him. His
tongue circled her nipple, and she cried out. “Do you like
this? Tell me what you like.”

Right. I’m
supposed to be helping him. Teaching him.
She gasped.
This is
his first time.
She’d forgotten that important detail
somewhere between his lips on hers and him licking her breasts.

“Yes…
David, I love it. Keep going.” She ran her fingers through his
hair, pulling his mouth back to where it had been. He drew on one
nipple than the other, suckling her, his tongue running over her
flesh. “Mm, just like that. Yes.”

He reached up quickly
and stripped off the rest of her dress, leaving her in nothing but
her black thong. He stood and fumbled with his belt, but she put her
hands on his, stopping him. She kissed him as her hands found his
buckle and zipper and released them, then slid his pants down to the
floor. She looked down at his length tenting his boxers and ran a
hand lightly over his erection. He groaned and bit his lip.

“The bedroom,”
she whispered.

He nodded and scooped
her up into his arms. She laughed and shrieked as he ran toward the
back, ripped open his bedroom door, and dropped her onto soft, grey
sheets. She sat up from the edge of the bed and motioned for him to
come closer. Reaching up, she eased off his boxers until he was
standing naked and utterly breathtaking before her. Then, her hand
was on his length, stroking him. He bit back a groan and reached for
her, ripping her underwear down her legs. He inhaled sharply at the
sight of her fully exposed, perfectly displayed for him on the bed.

“What do you
want?” His eyes were uncertain, anxiety obvious behind the lust
burning there.

She bit her lip. She’d
never asked for what she wanted in bed before.

Her last boyfriend,
Anthony, had been oblivious enough, pumping away on top of her
without asking how it was going. She’d thought if she just
stuck with it, he’d figure it out, and she’d never have
to tell him exactly where to touch her and how fast. Oh, how wrong
she’d been.

The memory flooded her
with embarrassment. She’d ended up touching herself in secret
after each session in order to find any relief. Good girls didn’t
say “Lick my pussy,” or “Rub my clit until I come.”
Did they?

David was looking at
her with a furrowed brow, his eyes searching hers. He lowered his
head and flicked his tongue over her once, cautiously, and she
writhed beneath him. “Is that good? What would give you
pleasure, Alex?”

She pursed her lips and
closed her eyes.
Why is this so hard?

At that moment, her com
badge chirped from the other room. “David, I’m sorry.”
She jumped up and ran to her dress, digging the tiny shield out from
the silk. She pressed it twice. “Lieutenant Daniels, here.”

“Lieutenant!”
The Commander’s voice barked through the com. “I need a
briefing at 06:00 on how the ‘droid is coming along. We can’t
sit around playing grab-ass here. We need him ready to go sooner than
we thought.”

David watched her from
the doorway of the bedroom. He’d pulled on a robe, and she was
suddenly aware of her own nakedness. Was that disappointment on his
face? Or something else?

“Yes, Sir. No
problem Sir.”

“06:00 sharp,
Lieutenant. We’re counting on you!”

“Absolutely, Sir.
I won’t let you down.” She pressed the com again, and it
went silent.