Folie a Trois. (6/15)

Chemistry 

He was banging—there really was no better description for it—McCoy’s new head nurse; who was aptly titled.  She was a warm, receptive partner who asked no questions and made no demands, other than to please him and be pleased by him.  When he left her—he never spent the night—he was physically sated.  However, the feeling lasted as long as it took for him to lay eyes on her.

Kirk was losing his mind, or so it felt like it.  Uhura hadn’t yet responded, in spite of his smitten stares.  He paced the bridge like a caged panther at times, tense and terse. Whenever he felt his temper was getting short, he remained in his ready room.  His feelings for her had yet to affect his ability to be an efficient captain, but he honestly wasn’t sure how long he could maintain control.  All he wanted was an answer.  He was crazy about her.  He craved her with an obsession beyond anything he’d ever known.  It was always that which was denied him that drove him, and Uhura’s rebuff of his very existence as a man fueled his desire for her.  That she had actually laughed at him when he was at his most sincere bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

McCoy, perceptive as always, called him on it.  They were having lunch in the officers’ dining room.  Uhura had walked out while they were walking in.  She met his eyes with a brief and casual, “Sir,” and greeted McCoy.  Kirk wanted to go after her, but he knew better.  He was barely eating, sitting in his chair with a hand over his eyes.  McCoy was amused.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” he said.  He tried not to chuckle, but the sight was a rare one indeed.  James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise and a shoo-in for Starfleet’s Gigolo of the Year, pining over a woman.

“What the hell are you talking about, Bones?”

McCoy chuckled.  “Lt. Uhura.  She broke you down like a decommissioned starship.” 

Kirk groaned and put his other hand over his eyes.  “I don’t need to hear this from you, Bones.”

“Damn it, Jim!  Just tell her.”

“I did.”

“Well, tell her again!  You’re killing me here! You’re moping around like somebody just kicked your dog.”

“How should I phrase it without being drawn up on a sexual harassment charge?  Or worse, having her sucker punch me on the bridge?”

“You think she would do that?”

“I don’t know about the harassment, but I’m damn sure about the sucker punch.  If I had a clue about what she would do, I would have acted on my feelings a long time ago.  This isn’t infatuation, Bones.  I actually care about this woman.  I told her and she laughed at me.”

McCoy shook his head.  “With your previous actions, what the hell do you expect?  How do you expect Uhura to believe you’re serious about her when you do what you do?  Look, the Jim Kirk I know would have handled this weeks ago.  You’ve been taking it out on Brenda; I can tell by the way she moves when you’ve been with her.  You think Uhura doesn’t know you’re screwing Brenda?  Everybody knows you’re screwing Brenda.  So how do you expect her to take you seriously?”

“I haven’t slept with Brenda  in a while, Bones.  I haven’t touched her since I told Uhura how I felt.  I’m not entirely stupid.  Besides, I wasn’t the only one banging Brenda.”

“You need to do something about this before it begins to affect your ability to run this ship.  You’re already irritable.  If you don’t want a mutiny, then handle this thing.”

As always, Bones was right.

They were headed for Ferengi space.  Chekov acknowledged that it would take them a week to arrive if they traveled at warp 4.  Kirk was in no hurry to deal with the Ferengi, so he told Sulu to drop their speed to warp 1.  There was no need to rush.

She was on duty, working quietly with Spock.  Kirk rose and turned.  Spock stood very close to her chair, in his usual stance.  Normally, Spock required a minimum of eighteen inches of personal space; any closer and he would call you on it.  But he was nearer to Uhura than the requisite eighteen inches.  It might have been less than twelve.  Too close, for the commander.

She looked up to relay something to him and he actually leaned down to hear her.  Kirk cocked his head to the side.  Spock never did anything like that.  His senses were impeccable and he could hear everything.  Lt. Uhura was speaking in a normal voice; there was no need for him to be that close to her.

Her foot swung in a gentle rhythm.  It reminded him of last night.  He watched her dance with a hard-on and a deep longing.  Bones was spot on, as usual.  If he didn’t do something about his fixation for Uhura, it was going to affect his duty.

“Excuse me, Commander Spock.”

Spock stood up and looked over at him.  “Yes Captain?”

“I need to speak with Lt. Uhura for a moment.  Lieutenant, if you would join me in my ready room?  Commander, you have the conn.”

“Yes, Captain.”  Spock turned to glance at Uhura before taking the captain’s chair.  Kirk cocked his head.  Could it be possible that Spock was interested in her?  His glance had been brief, but the mere fact that he had looked at her was telling.

Uhura rose, smoothed her skirt, and walked towards Kirk.  He gestured that she lead and he followed.  Once in his ready room, he instructed the computer to seal the door and cease recording.  Uhura looked surprised at that instruction.

“Please sit.”

“I’m fine, sir.  I would rather stand.”

He stood in front of her.  “Have you had enough time?”

She looked away.  A few weeks had passed since the candy episode.  She had given his request a great deal of thought, and wondered if it would actually be possible to enter into a romance with Jim Kirk.  Could he romance her?  How would he do it without it affecting his duty?  Her duty?  She was intrigued by the possibilities—James Kirk was a very persistent man and he had not aggravated her since that day, but she could tell by the intensity in his blue eyes that he needed an answer today.

Uhura was not going to deny her attraction to him.  She was going to be honest with herself.  There was chemistry between them, a crackling band of energy drawing him to her and her to him.  He had been right about their ongoing biting banter; it was appealing on a very deep level, and if she continued to be honest, their bickering was akin to foreplay.

But then there was her equally potent pull to Commander Spock.  It was different from the chemistry she had with Kirk.  About the only things they had in common were intelligence, presence, and duty to Starfleet.  Kirk was funny; he made her laugh, and Spock was deep; he made her think.  She liked both.  Both men were arousing, and she liked that too.

How would she reconcile or resolve this?  And she had to wonder, what brought on all of this admittedly wonderful attention?  She needed to speak to Gaila and Irish about this.  Uhura had already sent a message to them about a possible conference call.

She met Kirk’s eager eyes.  “I have had time, Captain.  I have given your request much consideration.  But another variable has been introduced into the equation, which I must mull over.”

“You sound like Spock.”

“Do I?  I assure you, sir, that I don’t—I don’t intend to.”  Did he know about Spock?

He stared at her mouth for a long moment.  “How much more time do you need?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

“And you’ll have an answer for me then?”

“Yes.”  She owed him that.  “I must say, Captain, I have to get used to our new exchanges.  The tone is markedly different than before.”

“It’s because we’ve acknowledged our mutual attraction.  That changes a lot of things, wouldn’t you agree?”

She nodded.  The room was suddenly warm.  Uhura met Kirk’s eyes and they were like that for several moments until the computer summoned him.  The room went from warm to hot.

“Captain, you are needed on the bridge.”

They broke eye contact.  Kirk moved for the door, but allowed her to walk in front of him.  As she walked past him, he murmured, “I’ll be waiting.”

*          *          *

Gaila adjusted herself in front of the webcam.  “Irish, are you with us?  I got fifteen minutes on this thing.”

Irish nodded.  “I’m here.”

Uhura smiled.  “I need to speak with both of you.”

“What’s going on?”  Gaila asked.

“Please tell me you’ve gotten laid.”  Irish said.

Uhura shook her head.  “Not yet.”  It was going to get to that point.  She knew that as well as she knew her duty.

“Yet?  That means you’ve got your eye on somebody,” Gaila said.

“Finally,” Irish said.  “So who’s the privileged man?”

“No, you don’t understand.  I’m…How do I put this?”

“Just spit it out, Nyo.  Gaila’s got fifteen minutes.”

“Right,” Uhura said.  “Okay.  Two men are interested in me.”

“Really?”  Gaila brightened.  “Who?”

“Please tell me that it’s two of the hotties you work with.” Irish smiled.

“Yes.”  Uhura nodded.

“Who?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Why not?”  Gaila frowned.  “Think we’re going to tell?”

“No; I just want to see what happens before I give you names.”

“It might help if we knew who it was, Nyo.  Give us a perspective, at least.  You know we won’t say anything.”  Irish said.

She closed her eyes.  “The captain and the commander.”

Irish gasped.  “Captain Fine and Commander Hotness?  Shut the front door!”

Gaila breathed.  “Oh my g…!  Oh no, Nyota…oh no!”

“What’s the matter, Gaila? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just that…shit, that is serious!  They aren’t your run of the mill crew members; these are your superiors.”

“I thought you two said that you wish you could get with either of them.  They were my superiors when we had that conversation.”

“We were talking about sex, lachia,” Irish said.  “Ten to one they don’t want just sex with you.  You’re not like Gaila and me.”

“Right,” Gaila said.  “So, details?” 

“They are both very interested…to the point that they have been blunt about it.”  She decided to refer to her suitors by Irish’s nicknames to ensure some secrecy, though it wouldn’t help at all.  There was only one captain and one commander of the Enterprise.   “Captain Fine…well one day, he tells me that he wants to be my man. Seriously.  I was not ready for that.  It blew me out of the water.  I’m used to arguing with him.”

 “What the hell?” Irish was surprised. “Captain Fine just put it out there?”

“Yes.  He laid it right on the table.  I didn’t know how to respond.”

Irish laughed.  “Um, your response should have been, ‘Hell yes, Captain!  I’m yours!  When and where, baby?’”

Gaila looked impressed.  “I told you, Nyo.  Get ready to have your mind blown!  The man can f—”

“I haven’t slept with him, Gaila.  This is a man who lives to annoy the hell out of me.”

“Not yet.”  Irish and Gaila were in unison.  “You will.”  Both of them looked confident.   Then Irish said, “He annoys you because he wants you.  He doesn’t know any other way to get you to notice him.  It’s just like high school, Nyo.”

Uhura shook her head.  “I guess.”

Then Gaila asked, “And what about the Commander?”

“So I’m having lunch with Brenda and Didi from sickbay and I look up.  He’s looking at me, right in the eyes and I just got…hot.  You can feel it when he looks at you.  He didn’t try to hide it or play it off.  I found myself actually checking him out.  You were so right; he’s very sexy.”

“Didn’t I say he was?” Irish said.  “I told you and Gaila told you.  When will you start believing us, lachia?”

“I’ll believe everything you say from now on,” Uhura said.  “Anyway, on my way back to my quarters, he stops me to tell me—this is all your fault, Gaila—that he has been watching me dance.”

“WHAT?”  Gaila nearly fell out of her chair. 

Irish looked stunned.  “Seriously?  Details, please?”

“Since that night in the bar, I’ve gone back to dancing.  It feels good, you know.  Stress reliever and all that.  I do it in the middle of the night when no one’s on the observation deck, thinking I was alone.  I never was.  Spock has been watching me the whole time.”

“Shit,” Irish moaned.  “All that sexiness and he likes to watch?  Mmn, the freaky side manages to come out, no matter what.”

“I told you that dancing would be good for you!”  Gaila smiled in triumph.  “He probably lost his Vulcan mind watching you dance.  What were you wearing?”

“Um, shorts and a tank top.”

“Oh yeah,” Gaila said.  “Hell yes he’s interested.  You’re hot!  He probably short-circuited, forgot he was half-Vulcan and got horny.  And Vulcans do get horny too, meklat!”

“Well, he asked me if it was okay that he watches me.  I was shocked because I thought he was going to reprimand me for wearing such skimpy clothes and behavior unbecoming to a Starfleet officer.”

“That’s crap, Nyota,” Gaila said.  “He wasn’t thinking about that; only that you turned him on!  So, have you danced for him yet?”

“I think I have.  I don’t know.  I never see him.  He stands in the dark.”

Irish laughed.  “He’s probably standing over there watching you and choking the chicken.  You should give his fine ass a show and see what he does.  Bet he won’t stay in the dark!”  She beamed.  “Oh, this is priceless! Commander Hotness wants your cookies.  I bet he’s thought about it; you’ve got him all hot and bothered.  Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said anything to you.”

“Good point.” Uhura said.  She never considered what it took to get Spock to acknowledge his attraction to her.  That was a human phenomenon.

“Does Captain Fine watch you too?”  Gaila asked.

Uhura paused.  Did he?  He never said anything about it.  Would he?  She hadn’t known Spock was watching until he told her.  Could the same be said for the captain?  He would have told her that day in his office.  Wouldn’t he?  He’d certainly had many opportunities to inform her.

“I don’t know,” Uhura said.  “I have no idea.”

Gaila nodded.  “I bet he does.”

Irish agreed.  “Of course he does.  Captain Fine wants your cookies too.  And I know he’s thought about it.”

Uhura shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  He would have told me.”

Gaila smiled.  “If Commander Hotness is watching you, best believe that Captain Fine is too.  Men are simple, visual creatures.  Watching you dance has incited all of this lust and emotion.”

Uhura was surprised.  Now that she hadn’t thought about.  This whole thing was bizarre.

“Meklat, you owe Irish and me a thank you, you know.  These hot men want you.  They want you!  You are about to get hit with the shit.  Shit being a very good thing,” she finished.  “You won’t be able to resist them.  Wish it was me.”

“I heard that, lachia,” Irish said.

Uhura shrugged.  “So what do I do?”

Irish laughed.  “Both of them.  Is this a question?”

“Irish, you are a complete freak!  I didn’t call you up for you to tell me that!”  Uhura laughed.  “This isn’t about sex.”

Irish shook her head.  “Part of it is.  As your bestie, it is my duty to advise you to unleash your inner freak.  You’ve got two fine ass men wanting you, and you want to know what to do?  You DO them!  Fuck them!  Separately.  Together.  Whatever. Whenever.  Jump on the stallions and ride out!  Do it for Gaila and me, if not for yourself.  We’d do it for you.”

Gaila laughed.  “Don’t listen to Irish.  She’ll have you pregnant.  Seriously though, Nyo, are you feeling anything for them?  Is that why we’re talking?”

“Yes.  I’ve got the hots for both of them and I don’t know what to do.  Captain Fine wants an answer in twelve hours.  Commander Hotness…well, he’s a tactile telepath, you know.  He touched my chin and it nearly blew my mind.  He let me know that he was interested, believe you me.  What should I do, Gaila?  This isn’t the Academy and two silly boys, you know.  I don’t know if they know about each other.  My attraction to both men is major or else I wouldn’t have called you.  I don’t want it to turn into something ugly or where we can’t work together.  The last time they fought…well, you know.”

“I must admit, Nyo,” Irish said.  “This isn’t your ordinary crush.  But it’s so fun that you have this going on!  Wait and see if they actually try to court you.  I can’t wait to hear how they’re going to do it.”

Gaila shrugged.  “Receive.  Let them do whatever they’re going to do.  They’re going to do it anyway.  Don’t promise anything.  If the objective is you, then you need to let them compete.  Men like that.  For them, it’s a dick contest.   I know that sounds prehistoric, but it is that for them.  They want you, but they’re going to have to fight each other for you.  Call it a battle of wills.  You should loosen up a little.  Kiss them, touch them, see if the physical is just as potent as the mental, but DO NOT give up your cookies.  Go for broke.  Tease them.  Make them fight for you.  You’re worth it.  Make them go balls-out over you.  Make them crazy, Nyota.  Whoever wins, it doesn’t matter.  You will win regardless.  I can’t think of a better scenario.  Fine and Hotness?  Yum!  Let the games begin!”

Uhura nodded.  “Makes sense.  Though, I shouldn’t be a tease.  That’s not right.  This could get nasty.”

“Whatever,” Gaila said. “You need to know the extent of your power.  Men have been screwing with us for decades.”

 “Hell yes you should!” Irish said.  “Otherwise, how are you going to know who lights you up?  What good is it if he doesn’t turn you on?”

“That is not a problem on either end,” Uhura said, remembering the moment when Kirk touched her earlobe and the time when Spock caressed her cheek.  “Not a problem at all.  My head almost blew off the other day.”

Irish said, “That’s what I’m talking about.  If they can’t get you hot, then there’s no point.  Being fine only gets a man so far; after that, he’s got to back it up.  I know what I’m talking about, so trust me on that!  Tease them, baby!  And don’t worry about what that might do because men have been playing games for centuries.  In other words, lachia, use what you got to get what you want.  Do you know what that is, by the way?”

Uhura sighed.  “I deserve to have a real relationship, a meaningful connection to someone else.  I want to be loved.  I deserve that.  And I want to give my heart in return.  I want passion, respect, and all the wonderful things that loving a good man brings forth.  That’s what I want.”

“Then that’s what they want you for, lachia.  I don’t think Captain Fine or Commander Hotness would have approached you for anything less than that.”  Irish said.  “Me? Yes.  You?  No.”

“I can promise you, you’ll get the passion from Fine.  He’s got plenty of that going on behind those eyes.  Hotness too, if my understanding of Vulcan culture is correct.  I don’t think respect or love is an issue, or this would have never manifested itself.  You’re not any common woman, Nyota.  They’re in love with you.  Fine has never been known to put himself out there like that.  Hotness is Vulcan.  For him to even go there says a lot.”  Gaila nodded wisely.  “Ooh, have fun with this, meklat.  Enjoy it.”

Irish nodded.  “And if all else fails, just give both of them your cookies.”

“Totally agree,” Gaila said.  “I bet a threesome with them would be amazing.  But seriously, you need to know if they know about each other.  What you need is to be honest.  What you can’t be is deceptive.”

“All right,” Uhura said.  Her friends gave her a lot to think about.

Gaila nodded.  “Look, honey…I’ve got to go.  But we will check back with you soon.  We’re definitely going to need details.  I want to know if Commander Hotness tastes as good as he looks.  I already know Captain Fine does.  Can’t wait for you to find out!  Bye!”

“Bye, Nyo!  I hoped we helped,” Irish said.

“More than you realize,” she said.