Hero Worship
by John O'Connor

Disclaimer: "Star Trek", its characters, locations,
etc are copyright Paramount Pictures. No infringement
for profit is intended. This is strictly for fun.

Rating: NC-17

Notes:

Takes place several years after the series
"Enterprise" in the post-Earth/Romulan War era.


The club, tucked away behind some old 21st-century era
warehouses, looked fairly non-descript. The
antiquated neon beer signs in the window and the
neighborhood could almost make one believe they were
in some pre-WWIII city. In reality, the cost of the
antique beer neon alone could keep most families in
comfort for more than a year.

The club, Scarlett's Cove, was itself a bit of an
anachronism. It's origins dated to the late 20th
century when homosexuality was not accepted, to say
the least. The club was about to close in the
mid-21st century when gays and lesbians were finally
openly accepted by society. In the war and post-war
years, it was one of the few drinking establishments
to survive, even flourish in that anarchic period.

As the world recovered and began to prosper under the
tutelage of the Vulcans, Scarlett's Cove again went
'underground' as a refuge for humans from the apparent
arrogance of the visiting Vulcans.

Now that the Earth/Romulan War was over, the Vulcans
had to admit that Earth and it's people could hold
their own in the galaxy.

The result was a lack of need for a refuge from all
things Vulcan. In light of that, the current owner,
Ann, had to figure out how to keep the Alameda tavern
open and viable. After all, she had inherited nearly
two centuries of tradition and felt it was her duty to
keep the club operating.

With the whole Retro fad after the War, she decided to
reopen Scarlett's Cove as the type of bar it had been
in the beginning. It was again a haven for lesbians
and bisexual women to get together for drinks and
dancing.

In the warm, light fog drifting in from the Bay, Hoshi
Sato stood in front of this near-landmark. She had
never been here and didn't know what to expect. In
truth, she was nervous. She had been practically
celibate since the war ended several years before.
She finally squared her shoulders, took a deep breath
and entered.

The interior was dimly lit but Hoshi could see the
entire place was decorated as an old buccaneer's
saloon. Just inside the door, there was a statue of
two women arm in arm dressed like pirates. Hoshi
later heard them called Anne and Mary. To the left
was the bar which ran the length of the room and
across part of the back wall with wooden stools.
Inside the L-shape, tables were scattered under old
wooden ship wheels with faux flame lamps. To the
right was a large dance floor, the walls behind lined
with booths under dimmer lighting. There were two old
oil paintings prominently lit on the far wall, each of
a beautiful woman; one with dark hair and one whose
hair was fiery red. In the rear was a small stage for
live acts. Tonight, Andi and the Androgynous
Andorians were performing.

Scanning the small crowd, Hoshi saw no one she knew.
Why that was a relief, she couldn't say. It's not
like she made a secret of her life. As one of the
'heroes' of the War, that was practically impossible.

At the bar, she ordered a bottle of Budweiser. Even
with the profusion of micro-brews and 'new' ales, she
preferred the old standard lagers. The beer was cool
and went down smoothly. She had drained half the
bottle before she knew it.

As the place filled, the stools to either side of
Hoshi were occupied. She nodded at each of her new
neighbors nonchalantly.

A young girl was on her right and seemed slightly
nervous. The girl had also ordered a Bud and was
picking at the embossed label. She shifted in her
seat several times.

Hoshi, despite herself, turned to see if the girl was
okay. She froze when she really saw the girl for the
first time. She was young, probably 20 or 21, with
dark red hair that hung down past her shoulders. Her
skin was light with a sprinkling of freckles across
the bridge of her nose. The body seemed quite
shapely, as far as Hoshi could see. Hoshi had to
blink and clear her throat before she could say
anything.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess."

"I guess so," Hoshi responded with a chuckle.

The girl looked up at her and smiled showing perfect
white teeth and bright green eyes. Hoshi almost felt
herself falling into those emerald depths. Collecting
herself yet again, Hoshi finally asked, "Why?"

"It's... Well, I..." The girl stopped and held out
her hand, "I'm sorry, my name is Chloe O'Shannon."

Taking the slender hand in hers, Hoshi said, "I'm
Hoshi Sato. It's a pleasure."

"I, uh, I know who you are."

"Yeah, seems I can't get away from that," Hoshi said
with a sigh.

"But you practically saved the Earth!"

"Please, I was part of a team. It was a group effort
to negotiate the cease-fire," Hoshi said, staring at
the mirror behind the bar.

"But...but you were the one to figure out the Romulans
were as worried as we were about losing..."

Staring at her reflection, Hoshi began to wish that
Jon Archer hadn't called on her when he embarked on
the maiden voyage of the Enterprise. That's where it
all started.

But then, she remembered, she'd never have met T'Pol.
T'Pol was the single best thing that had ever happened
to her in her life. Beneath that cold Vulcan exterior
was one of the most passionate lovers anyone could
desire.

Damn the Vulcan High Council for calling her home when
the War started! Hoshi put her all into the war
effort at that point. And she was the one to pick up
the slight change in intonation on the subspace
transmission from the Romulans - the one that led to a
wholesale cease-fire and the establishment of a
demilitarized zone, collectively called the Neutral
Zone.

Looking at her now short dark hair lightly streaked
with grey, she wondered what T'Pol was doing. Did she
miss Hoshi as much as Hoshi did her?

But that was the past. And she was here to start to
try to get on with her life.

Turning back to the girl, Chloe, Hoshi apologized,
"I'm sorry. The War is still..."

"I understand. My uncle fought the Romulans too. He
was in and out of a decon ward for a couple of years.
Even now, he hates closets or elevators," Chloe said
in understanding.

Feeling Chloe's knowing eyes on her, Hoshi asked, "Do
I know you?"

"You probably don't remember me. Twelve years ago,
we, my class, sent you a message. Sent the Enterprise
a message." Hoshi looked at Chloe questioningly. "I
was in Ms. Malvin's fourth grade class at Worley
Elementary School. In Kenmare? That's in County
Kerry."

Hoshi shook her head for two reasons. First, she
didn't remember the event the girl was relating.
Second, she was appalled at herself for not catching
the Gaelic lilt to the girl's voice, given her career
choice and her natural affinity for languages.

"We were selected by Star Fleet to send you a series
of questions via subspace which you answered," Chloe
said.

"We did a few of those with schools from all over
Earth, especially in the first couple of years," Hoshi
replied. "To be honest, I don't recall yours
specifically."

Chloe smiled, "I would be surprised if you had. But I
remember you. You answered my question. I asked you
how we talk to aliens. You gave us an explanation of
the universal translator and the need for linguists.
It was inspiring to me. You were inspiring..."

Chloe rested her hand on Hoshi's gently. She gave the
older woman's fingers a gentle squeeze.

"I've wanted to meet you ever since."

Hoshi stared at the hand holding her own. She felt a
nearly forgotten thrill at the simple contact.
Looking up, she saw Chloe leaning towards her. As if
drawn by some gravitic effect, Hoshi closed the
distance and their lips met.

The simple chaste kiss slowly deepened. Chloe's
tongue traced the outline of Hoshi's lips which opened
to admit the supple explorer.

Both women tasted the beer the other had consumed.
But they also tasted more, they tasted each other.
And they felt the need for more.

The kiss lengthened and the two were oblivious to the
stares, from interested to jealous, directed at them.
They were lost in each other.

The band, a group of girls with blue-dyed skin and
obviously fake antennae started to tune their
instruments. The feedback wail caused the crowd to
wince in pain. But it didn't seem to affect Hoshi or
Chloe.

Finally, pulling apart when the need for oxygen became
a demand, they sat looking at each other. Each saw
the other's eyes darkened with lust and need.
Suddenly, as if they could read each other's thoughts,
they rose and walked hand-in-hand out the door.

Outside the club, they embraced and kissed again,
hands roaming freely. Chloe pulled away first, her
face stricken.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Hoshi asked worriedly. The muted
throb of the band's bass units seemed to punctuate her
words.

"I... I have to be honest with you. I'm in your
seminar class."

"What?"

"I'm in my senior year at the Academy. I...I've been
studying communications and related systems. I was
inspired by you. That's why I signed up for the
seminar."

"Me?" Hoshi asked.

"Yes, ever since you took the time to respond to my
question, I wanted to work in the same field. I
wanted to work with you... I guess I..."

"But...the kiss?"

Chloe swallowed hard and looked up, her eyes wet with
tears. "I've been in love with you since before I
even knew what love was."

"You know we can't..."

"I know," Chloe cried, her tears flowing freely now.
"I know we can't be together. I have wanted you so
much for so long..."

"Chloe, I haven't been... Believe me, I would love to
be with you but..."

Chloe nodded and turned away. "I know. But even a
one-night stand..." She took a deep, shuddering
breath and stood straighter. Turning, she said, "Good
night, Commander."

"Good night, Cadet," Hoshi said sadly.

* * * * * *

For the most part, the term passed quickly for Chloe.
She had so much to do before graduation. But once a
week, everything seemed to slow to a crawl.

Every Tuesday night, she attended an elective seminar
"First Communications Contact With Alien Species."
The course was taught by Commander Hoshi Sato, one of
Earth's heroes. It was standing-room-only for the
first few weeks. Many attendees dropped the course
after finding it to be fairly intense - they had
fulfilled their hero adulation needs.

Chloe stuck with it. She even had a small recorder to
catch the entire course every Tuesday and then had it
auto-transcribed by her computer. She started this
after the first week when her attention was solely on
the lecturer, not the lecture.

Hoshi saw her young admirer and was always aware of
where she sat during the seminars. She noticed Chloe
usually sat towards the back of the room. And she
never missed a class.

She also found herself checking up on the girl and how
she was doing in her other courses. Chloe was an
exceptional student and was poised to graduation in
the upper 10% of the class.

While proud she had somehow inspired such an
exceptional person to enter Star Fleet, Hoshi was
still alone. It seemed even worse since that night at
Scarlett's Cove.

Since most of her time was free, Hoshi often took a
hoverferry across the Bay to Alameda and Scarlett's
Cove. She became good friends with Ann and a lot of
her staff. She learned the original Scarlett's Cove
was an old Caribbean resort. Ann told her the
paintings were as valuable as the neon beer signs, if
not moreso. They depicted Scarlett McMurphy, the
resort's owner as well as the club's namesake, and her
long-time lover, Alice Caldwell.

She also learned about the two figures in the statues
at the entrance, Anne Bonny and Mary Reed.

There was something romantic about Anne and Mary. The
18th century pirate duo were almost certainly lovers
even, or more accurately, especially after Anne Bonny
discovered her new pirate partner Mark Reed was in
reality Mary Reed.

But, invariably, Hoshi had to leave the sanctuary of
Scarlett's Cove and return to her empty apartment.
And the weekly seminar.

Eventually, the term's end was near. Hoshi took a
perverse pleasure in the fact that the slow torture of
seeing the striking redhead would end. At least then
her loneliness would not be emphasized week after
week.

Two months after the graduating class had reported to
their various assignments, Hoshi had orders from Star
Fleet. She went one last time to Scarlett's Cove to
say her goodbyes. Her friends gave her a teary
goodbye, and Ann hosted an impromptu drunken bon
voyage party. They made her promise to come back soon.

As her transport left the San Francisco Spaceport, her
renewed sense of loneliness was so acute, she felt it
as a crushing weight on her chest.

Fortunately, she was able to throw herself into her
work. The spirits of what-had-been and
what-might-have-been were be banished, at least
temporarily.

* * * * * *

After the term was completed, Chloe O'Shannon, who
graduated with honors, was assigned to the
communications team on the exploratory ship USS James
Cook.

She enjoyed her work and quickly made a name for
herself. She had a natural affinity for alien
dialects and was indispensable in first contact
situations.

Three years after being assigned to the Cook, she was
promoted to lieutenant and reassigned to the Marconi
Communications Development Center on Farside.

She had been to the Moon twice when she was younger
before entering the Academy but never to Farside.
Even her Academy trips were limited to the Mare
Tranquillitatus Training Area near Armstrong Dome.

Earthside in no way had prepared her for the empty
devastation of Farside. It was a land of sharp peaks,
jagged craters and jumbled rock. The familiar mare of
Earthside were in no way evident here. But it was a
wonderful natural platform for interplanetary and
subspace communications experiments with no
interference from Earth or it's artificial satellite
network.

The Marconi Center was a bustling anthill on Farside.
There were civilians as well as Star Fleet present.
The R&D was phenomenal. Everything about the center
was awe-inspiring to a young officer just back from
the frontiers of the newly-formed Federation.

And, while Farside had limited recreational
facilities, they were only a few hours from Armstrong
Dome or Verne City by sub-orbital shuttle pod. Both
colonies had state-of-the-art entertainment.

But even more thrilling to the Irish lass was the fact
that she was on the development team working on
upgrading the Universal Translator and the team
leader.

"Lieutenant O'Shannon reporting, Ma'am!" Chloe set
her personel data pad on the desk and stood at
attention while she waited for her new SO to
acknowledge her.

That took almost no time at all. At the sound of that
light Irish lilt, Hoshi Sato looked up into those
green eyes that had filled her dreams for the past
three years. It was Chloe!

Forcing herself to act as a professional, Hoshi picked
up the pad and simply said, "At ease, Lieutenant.
Have a seat."

Chloe, inwardly crushed by the brusque greeting, sat
in the chair indicated.

"I see some glowing recommendations here from your
former captain. How is Tripp, by the way?" Hoshi
asked. "Has he accepted his promotion from
engineering to command yet?"

"Yes Ma'am. Although I don?t think he considers it a
promotion. And he's fine, Ma'am. When he learned
where I was being sent, he asked me to send his
regards."

"This all looks very good but are you as good as this
says?"

"Oh, yes Ma'am! I am!"

"Good. I like your confidence. This is a great
project but it can be daunting. Confidence is
essential."

"Understood, Ma'am."

Hoshi set the data pad down and leaned forward on the
desk. She visibly relaxed and Chloe took a moment to
really observe the woman who inspired and enflamed
her. A few more grey hairs, and the hair was longer.
She had the bare beginnings of crows-feet at the edges
of her almond-shaped eyes. One of the most beautiful
women she had ever laid eyes on, Chloe concluded.

"Lieutenant, we're fairly easy going here. Not a lot
of protocol is required. It's a concession to the
civilians working here. In fact, the overall head of
the Center is Doctor Willem Hoffman, a civilian
communications engineer. He's brilliant, by the way.

"I am the Fleet officer here. By that, I mean I'm in
charge of all Star Fleet personnel. We work together,
civilian and Star Fleet, but we are answerable to our
respective areas." Hoshi paused to see that Chloe
understood.

"Chloe, we are pretty much on a first name basis here
as well. You can call me Hoshi and even the good
doctor is most often called Will. Uniforms are not
required except when Fleet officers or Federation
commissioners come in on an inspection tour. Those
are always known in advance.

"So, still wanna work here?"

"Yes Ma'am! I mean, I do Hoshi," Chloe said with a
smile.

"Good. Let me show you around." Hoshi led Chloe back
into the corridor, saying, "I was more than a little
surprised to see you."

"Didn't you get the transfer orders?" Chloe asked.

"I did but I only gave them a cursory glance. I was
pretty involved in one of the subroutines and forgot
about it. If Will hadn't reminded me you were due
today, I'd probably be in one of the labs."

'That's why she seemed surprised to see me,' Chloe
thought. Hoshi was still talking.

"...a choice between here and one of the deep space
arrays. Well, it was no choice. I still hate being
stuck in little tubes of air out in space," Hoshi said
with a chuckle. "One of my little phobias, I guess."

"But we're surrounded by vacuum here too," Chloe
replied.

"Not the same. We're stationary, more or less. Less
likely to run into something or someone. Here's the
microcircuitry fabrication lab..."

Chloe was overjoyed to find out that she worked
practically side by side with Hoshi on the project to
update the Universal Translator. Often, Hoshi was
called away to some bureaucratic mess that needed to
be straightened out. The times they were together
seemed to fly by. Chloe couldn't help but wonder
whether her feelings, that she kept under control,
were possibly reciprocated by her beautiful superior.

As the weeks went by, they created or altered various
processes and subroutines in the programming
components. They knew it was a job that was
essentially open-ended. There would never be a
perfect translator to cover all the different
languages and other forms of communication.

The two women also forged a solid friendship. No word
of their evening in Alameda years before came up. But
neither one had forgotten it. It was as if they both
realized the time wasn't right. Not just yet.

Nearly three months after Chloe joined the project,
Hoshi and she were in the commissary sharing a large
salad for lunch.

"Chloe, how long since you've been on leave?"

Chloe looked up, her fork halfway to her mouth.
"Huh?"

Hoshi repeated her question, "How long since you've
been on leave? You reported directly here from the
Cook, I believe."

"Well, I guess it was at Starbase 3... Why?"

"That was at least, what, four months ago?"

"Closer to five. Why? Are you getting rid of me?"

"Oh no. It's been nearly six months since I saw
anything outside of this complex. I was thinking we
could take a suborbital over to Armstrong. Or even
Clavius."

"Clavius is where they have the spa? With the lunar
mudbaths?" Hoshi nodded. "I hear they are
wonderful."

"Oh, it is. Believe me. So...wanna go?" Hoshi
looked up, her brows arched slightly while she waited
for Chloe's answer.

"I'd love to. When?"

"How about this weekend? We'll take three, no four
days and spend some of them there and maybe some in
Armstrong. Just relaxing and unwinding."

For the next few days, work, which had been
fascinating and even fun, was suddenly tedious. Both
women often found momentary images of the other nude
intruding on their thoughts. And each caught subtle
glances and grins from the other. Though not stated,
both knew that their relationship was going to undergo
a significant change over the coming weekend.

The supply suborbital left late Friday afternoon, at
4:30 LMT, for Armstrong Dome. It was still early in
the lunar afternoon for that area on Farside. Lunar
morning was still days away.

Crossing the terminator, they suddenly saw the Earth
glowing in the dark lunar night. The large disk of
swirled white overlaying large areas of blue, brown,
and green was awe-inspiring. Chloe whispered to
Hoshi, "It's so beautiful! Imagine what it was like
for those first astronauts to orbit the Moon back in
the twentieth century..."

"Stunning," Hoshi said, not just remarking on
Earthrise.

Once in the transparent plasteel dome over Armstrong,
the women took a single room for the night and
arranged passage on a pleasure suborbital to Clavius
the next morning. They smiled at each other when they
discovered that the room had only one king-sized bed.

That evening, they dressed in finery that neither
would consider wearing on Farside. Chloe had a bright
green dress with a plunging neckline and a slit up the
outside of the skirt. It was obvious she didn't
bother with underthings. Her dark red locks were
piled up on the crown of her head with some dangling
tresses framing her face. The effect was stunning in
Hoshi's admittedly biased opinion.

Hoshi donned a short black dress. It had a high
neckline in the front but plunged to her waist in the
back. Her hair was lightly curled and gleamed in the
artificial light. Chloe felt her heart skip a beat
when Hoshi stepped out of the suite's bathroom.

"Shall we go?" Hoshi asked.

"Yes, let's," Chloe replied, taking Hoshi's arm
lightly.

Wherever they strolled, eyes followed. The pair were
easily one of the most attractive sights on the Moon
that evening.

They dined at the Eagle. The dinner was of course
reconstituted but delicious, better than anything
either had eaten on board a starship or on Farside.
The wine was the real thing from a Napa vineyard and
complimented the faux beef perfectly.

Little was said during the meal verbally but neither
woman took her eyes from her companion for longer than
a few seconds. Often their gazes locked. The desire
they felt for one another was becoming evident to even
the most jaded person in the restaurant.

After they had finished, they sat quietly for a few
minutes enjoying the evening. The Earth and stars
were shining down through the plasteel dome. That
with the muted lighting created a very romantic
setting.

"Let's take a walk," Hoshi suggested.

"I'd love to," Chloe replied.

They strolled through a large park in the center of
Armstrong. Chloe reached out and took Hoshi's hand,
smiling at the lovely woman. Hoshi smiled back, her
eyes gleaming in the Earthlight.

"This has been a wonderful evening," Chloe said.

"Oh yes, it has," Hoshi agreed. "And I hope it's not
over."

Chloe blushed but tightened her grip on Hoshi's hand,
entwining her fingers with the older woman's. In a
whisper, Chloe said, "Hoshi, I never forgot that night
in the bar. Have you?"

Hoshi stopped and pulled Chloe down onto a bench.
"No." She reached out and brushed one of the loose
locks of scarlet back over Chloe's ear. "I have never
forgotten. Nor do I want to." She lightly caressed
Chloe's cheek with the backs of her fingers. "It was
wonderful and heartbreaking and..." Hoshi cupped
Chloe's face and brought their lips into soft contact.
Hoshi's hand dropped to grasp Chloe's once again.

Chloe returned the kiss. They sat there once again
oblivious to everything around them as the kiss
deepened. Hoshi's tongue slipped into Chloe's mouth
to caress the redhead's tongue. Sliding along
Hoshi's, Chloe slipped into Hoshi's mouth. Their
breathing became slightly ragged as they traded
tongues and passion.

They were a marvelous sight to other strollers in the
park. The women sat next to each other, the only
contact between their mouths and their entwined hands.
It was all that they needed at this moment.

"Hoshi, please, make love to me," Chloe pleaded.

"Yes, my lovely Irish lass. I have been dreaming of
this for years."

Chloe smiled as they walked back to their room. Hoshi
may have dreamed of this for years but not nearly as
long as Chloe had.

Back in the room, Chloe pulled Hoshi to her and kissed
the older woman hard. Chloe's hands caressed the bare
skin of the Asian woman's back while her tongue
caressed Hoshi's mouth. One hand slid down under the
material and cupped the bare cheek of Hoshi's ass.

Hoshi's hands did not remain idle long. She trailed
the fingers of one hand along the plunging cleavage of
Chloe's dress. This hand slipped under the material
and getting cupped the bare breast it found, the hard
nipple pushing into the palm.

They each kicked off their shoes and let their bare
feet wiggle in the soft plush carpet. Then Chloe ran
her left foot up the inside of Hoshi's leg from the
ankle to her knee.

Using her hand to pull Hoshi, Chloe walked backwards
towards the bed. "I want you. I've always wanted
you. And..." Chloe began to nibble on Hoshi's ear
lobe, "Now I can have you."

As Chloe's tongue traced her ear, Hoshi shivered in
erotic anticipation. One hand loosened the clips
holding Chloe's hair up, letting it tumble down her
shoulders. Her other fingers closed on the hard
nipple in her grasp and pinched it once, then again.

"Ooh! Hoshi!"

Unsnapping the neck of Hoshi's dress, Chloe moved to
allow enough room for it to drop. Hoshi meanwhile
pushed the top of Chloe's dress aside to bare her
breasts. Their nipples rubbed against each other as
they resumed their clasping, passionate kiss.

With the top loose around her waist, Hoshi knew her
dress would be on the floor soon. That wasn't soon
enough for Chloe who pushed the dark material all the
way off her new lover.

Now, completely naked before Chloe, Hoshi suddenly
felt shy. What if she...? Before Hoshi could even
finish her thoughts of self-doubt, Chloe whispered,
"So beautiful..."

Chloe pushed Hoshi down on the bed then crawled up
next to her. Hoshi reached out to remove the dress
but Chloe stopped her. "No, first I want to please
you. I've been waiting and dreaming of this for too
long." Hoshi happily acquiesced.

Kissing her new lover deeply, Chloe trailed kisses
along Hoshi's collarbone before moving down to suckle
at the pert breasts before her. Using her teeth, she
returned Hoshi's earlier pinching by biting gently on
one of the rock-hard nipples.

She moved further down the woman's prone body until
she was above the source of the heady musk she was
savoring. The neatly trimmed pubic hair showed a few
more traces of grey than Hoshi had on her head. Chloe
thought it was very sexy. She ran her tongue through
the short curls, collecting any essence that had
migrated there from Hoshi's wet, swollen core.

Just that light contact had Hoshi's hips shifting on
the bed. She ran her fingers through the long red
hair, loving the silky feel of it while she tried to
urge Chloe on to her needy pussy.

Chloe wanted to tease the woman a little but not too
much. She wanted to lick and taste Hoshi more than
Hoshi wanted her to. But she prolonged the 'agony' by
moving down and licking up the inside of first one
thigh then the other. When she neared the juncture of
Hoshi's thighs, she was tasting the moisture from the
woman's sex. It was tangy and sweet, a wonderful
combination as far as she was concerned.

Finally, Chloe pulled apart the outer lips. She
gently delved into the red heat, loving the flavorful
wetness. Her tongue danced around the swollen outer
lips and thrust in between the inner labia. Chloe
began to French-kiss Hoshi's vagina with short,
powerful thrusts.

She nuzzled the hardening clitoris and helped peal
back the fleshy hood with her finger tips, baring more
of it. She used her fingers to gently knead the flesh
around the hard nub while continuing to thoroughly
probe the tight tunnel with deep kisses.

"Ooo! Chloooeee! Please! It's been so long! Make me
cum! PLEEEEAAAZZZEEE!"

Chloe wrapped her lips around Hoshi's clit and suckled
while flicking the tip lightly with her tongue. Just
as she eased her finger into Hoshi's pussy, the lovely
woman beneath came. Hard.

Hoshi arched her back off the bed, holding herself
rigid while moaning, "Chloooooeeee!!!!"

Fluid gushed over her finger and chin, and Chloe moved
back down to take as much of Hoshi in her mouth as
possible. Licking up the droplets off the succulent
flesh, she purposely avoided the ultra-sensitive clit.
For the moment.

"C-come up here," Hoshi whispered raggedly, her hands
reaching once again for Chloe. Chloe crawled up atop
of her friend and lover, with one last hard swipe at
Hoshi's clit

"Chloe!" Hoshi protested before kissing the younger
woman. Another long kiss.

Finally, Hoshi pushed her off. "Get naked," she
demanded.

Chloe jumped to her feet, turned to face away from
Hoshi and, swinging her hips, pulled the dress down
off her body. She looked back over her shoulder at
the vision on the bed.

Hoshi lay there in awe of the beauty standing before
her. "Turn around. I want to see you..."

Chloe turned. Hoshi was speechless. Chloe was
perfection. Large breasts riding high on her torso, a
slender waist flaring slightly at the hips, a perfect
triangle of red curls between her long shapely legs.

"Come here." Chloe knelt on the bed next to Hoshi.
Hoshi reached out with one hand and toyed with the sex
beneath the russet curls. "Straddle me." Chloe
straddled Hoshi's face. Hoshi stared up at the lovely
sight, spread like a flower, above her. "Lower
yourself." Chloe shifted and lowered her body onto
Hoshi. She felt the woman's tongue slide into her as
if it belonged there.

"Ooo..." Chloe crooned. Hoshi seemed to zero in on
her hot spots quickly. Chloe thrilled to feel her
long-time idol's tongue sliding around and into her.
That they had become good friends as well as lovers
only heightened the thrill.

Chloe leaned back, her soft, red hair brushing Hoshi's
stomach. She leaned on one hand and reached for Hoshi
with the other. She could smell the older woman's
renewed arousal and had to feel it. Her fingers
stroked the soft curls before sliding into the wet
heat. Chloe lightly touched and teased Hoshi, toying
with her swollen sex. She felt Hoshi moan into her.

Hoshi began to gyrate her hips on the bed, trying to
force more contact with Chloe's dancing fingers.
Meanwhile, she thoroughly explored Chloe's depths with
her tongue. The tangy taste was ambrosia to her. She
smiled when her tongue touched deep within Chloe
causing the redhead to squeal her name.

"HooosheeeEEEE!!!"

That was the sign the Asian woman was waiting for.
She left the hot, wet tunnel and flicked her tongue
hard against Chloe's hard nubbin. This caused Chloe
to scream incoherently.

At the same time, Chloe thrust her fingers into Hoshi.
This triggered a small spasm for the woman and both
of them climaxed practically simultaneously.

Chloe fell back, her head resting on Hoshi's thigh, as
she struggled to regain her senses. She could feel
the dark curls and their wetness against her back, as
well as Hoshi's slightly ragged breathing on the
inside of her thigh.

"My God!" Chloe said.

Only half-joking, Hoshi asked, "Was I as good as your
fantasies?" Deep inside she worried that she didn't
measure up to Chloe's dream lover.

Chloe finally managed to crawl up alongside Hoshi.
Taking Hoshi's face in her hands, Chloe looked deeply
into her eyes and whispered words that thrilled Hoshi
to her soul, "You were better than... I think I love
you." She leaned down and kissed her hero.

* * * * * *

Hours later, after they had temporarily sated
themselves several times, Chloe said, "This isn't
going to be a problem when we get back."

Hoshi cradled the redhead to her breasts, "No,
sweetheart. It most definitely won't be a problem."
Hoshi chuckled and added, "Most of the people on
Farside think we're lovers already. So it's
practically expected."

"When we get leave Earthside, want to meet my mother?"

"You think she'll like me?"

"Ah, Hoshi, m'love, what's not to like?" Chloe said,
overdoing her normally soft accent.

Hoshi kissed her softly.

"Mmm...that's good," Chloe murmured. "Will you help
wash the mud off me tomorrow after we get out of the
baths?"

Hoshi tilted Chloe's face up and whispered, "Do you
really have to ask?" Then two pair of soft lips met
again in a new dance that would continue through the
years.