From: elf@halcyon.com (Elf Sternberg)
Newsgroups: alt.sex,alt.sex.stories,alt.sex.furry
Subject: Journal Entry 180 / 0916  [ Asking Denni ]
Date: 20 Apr 1996 17:43:44 GMT
Organization: Pendor, UnLtd.
Lines: 363
Message-ID: <4lb7og$bei@news.halcyon.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: chinook.halcyon.com

Noren, Urim 9, 0916

    David turned over slowly in bed and looked down on the 
beautiful fem who slept beside him.  He had awakened up moments ago 
in a strange bedroom and wondered how he had gotten here.  Then, 
his mind had reoriented itself and he had remembered.  

    It occurred to him suddenly, did Patricia know?  This was her 
room as well as Dennielle's.  He wondered if she had come in here, 
found them sleeping together, and backed out quietly.  Looking at 
his watch, he realized that it was her turn to pull a stint on the 
bridge, and she was  probably still up there.  He eased himself out 
of bed; Denni began to stir, but didn't wake.  He smiled, replaced 
the covers as he had found them, and made his way out.  The 
corridors were dark, indicating a late shift, but as he passed by 
the motion sensors lights came on quickly, giving him a good view 
of the squarish, boxy halls inside the Asking.

    "Captain on the Bridge," he said jokingly as the door to the 
bridge opened and allowed him on.  Pat turned from her chair, the 
one on the right, and waved.  "You're up early."

    "Yeah," he sighed, grabbing a mug of coffee from the 
wall-mounted dispensing station and then easing himself into the 
pilot's chair.  "Pat, how long have we known each other?"

    "Almost two years, David.  You picked me up as a junior 
engineer, remember?"

    "Think you're qualified to be senior engineer soon?"  He smiled 
as he said it, giving her a glance out of the corner of her eye.  
Her expression was understandably surprised and pleased.  

    "Of course!" she said.  "Well, I mean, that is, if you think I 
am.  I mean, if you have an opening for senior engineer and need 
one.  I'm never going to go anywhere big without your 
qualifications, David, you know that."

    He nodded, sipping coffee thoughtfully.  "I think there are 
three possible futures.  You're not to not mention this to the rest 
of the crew, understood?  Future one is that Dennielle leaves, and 
you move into the senior engineering post for the Asking.  I think 
you're ready, despite my misgivings a month ago when we first hired 
her.  Between you and me we should be able to keep this old girl 
running."  He tapped the arm of the pilot's chair with his fist.  
He had first been tempted to stroke the command console, but he 
remembered that Tasha never locked it  out for reasons that had 
finally become clear to David when the pirates had attacked them 
three weeks ago.   "Future two is Denni stays for a while as chief 
engineer and you go on being my second of engineering and  chief of 
accounting, two jobs you seem to be handling very well."  Pat 
nodded.  "Future three is Dennielle stays, becomes chief of 
accounting and second in command.  She's got all the 
qualifications, Pat, and... I think I'm going to ask her to marry 
me."

    Pat's eyes looked as if they were about to get pushed out from 
behind with surprise.  "David?"

    "No, listen.  I don't know what she'll say.  But I really do 
believe in love at first sight, Pat.  I fell in love with the 
Asking that fast," he said, emphasizing his opinion by snapping his 
fingers.  "And I think I've fallen for Denni the same way.  I want 
her, Pat, I really do."  He sighed.  "I wish I understood it."

    "What about her?  What will she say?"

    "Like I said, I don't know.  All I know is that I plan on 
asking her and seeing what her reply is going to be."

    "It's a little early, David, to be making these kinds of 
decisions."

    "Oh, who cares, Pat?" he asked, annoyed.  "Remember that I'm 
the sort of person who knows exactly what he wants and how to get 
it?"

    "While being nice about it," Pat added, smiling.  "David, you 
do what you feel is necessary."

    David nodded, sipping his coffee.  Outside the window port, the 
star of llerkin loomed large and inviting.

              -               -              -

    Late into second shift, David found himself picking up his 
bedroom; her realized what he was attempting to accomplish, debated 
the hopelessness of the situation, and continued anyway.  About 
halfway through folding his "clean" laundry, he realized that he 
didn't even know where the vacuum cleaner was onboard.  He toggled 
the intercom.  "Pat, Marder, do you know where the vacuum is?"

    "Uh, outside?" Marder offered, his voice sounding tinny through 
the little speaker.

    "Men," Patricia breathed.  "It's in the maintenance closet 
between mine and Chico's cabins, David.  It might need a new filter 
bag."

    "Thanks, Pat."  He toggled the intercom off again and wandered 
down the hallway, finding the space Pat had indicated and pulling 
the small unit out of the closet.  A thousand years hadn't altered 
the face of housecleaning all that much, and David soon found 
himself listening to the soft hiss of air as he vacuumed the 
carpeting clean.

    His room dusted and organized, he soon fell to the even more 
complicated task of preparing dinner for two.  Within ten minutes, 
he was soon lost on the incredible complexities in the difference 
between roasting and broiling, flipping back and forth between the 
glossary and the recipe.  Finally he gave up.  "Pat, are you free?"

    "I can be, David.  There's not much to do down here."

    "Good.  Could you join me in my cabin?  I need help with 
something."

    "Can I ask what?"

    "It's... difficult to explain.  Just come up here."

    "What is it, David?" Patricia asked as she walked through the 
door.  She looked into the kitchen, saw him frantically flipping 
through a screen, and said "Oh."

    "I need help.  What's the difference between roasting and 
broiling?"

    She laughed.  "Okay, let me show you..."

              -               -              -

    "I thought you had said your room was a mess."

    "It was," David replied, taking a sip of wine he really didn't 
feel like drinking.  "At least, it was until a few hours ago."  
David glanced across the table at the femMephit he had invited in 
here.  They had had one night in bed together, and already he was 
sure he wanted to have her for the rest of his life.  These were 
not the feelings of a sane person, but then David had never heard 
of anyone who referred to love as the epitome of sanity.

    Denni nodded, sipping from her glass as well.  "So what's all 
this about?"

    David leaned back in his chair, took another deep breath.  
"Denni, I'm a rat who's always known what he wants and how to get 
it.  And what I always wanted was to be a commercial starship 
owner-operator."  He chuckled slightly.  "Of course, when I was 
little I didn't know it was called that.  I just wanted to be in 
space.  I'm not enjoying this wine.  I don't drink wine."

    Denni giggled.  "Me neither."

    "There's milk in the cooler."  Denni rose and retrieved the 
glass pitcher of what appeared to be milk (although it was probably 
as artificial as everything else onboard) and poured two glasses, 
one for each of them.  "So."

    David drank for a second.  "Better.  So... Denni, I don't know 
how to say this, really, but I think I need a change in my life.  
I've been doing this shipping thing for forty years now, I think 
I've got the score figured out."  He paused.  "I want you."

    Denni stopped, her glass still to her muzzle.  She put it down, 
said "What do you mean?"

    "Denni, I don't know what you know of Terran customs, but... 
would you marry me?"

    "David?"

    "I mean it."

    "You hardly know me!"

    "So?  Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

    "Yes, but not for..."  She looked at him.  "You felt it, too, 
huh?"

    "What?"

    She shook her head.  "I don't know... When we were in your 
office and I was giving you that rub, right before the fire, I felt 
something pass between us, like a ghost or something.  I guess..."

    It was her turn to take that deep breath.  "David, I accept."

    "What?"

    "I accept."

    "Just like that?"

    "Just like that," she said, snapping her fingers.  David 
recognized the gesture as exactly like the one he had given 
Patricia that morning, and laughed gently.  "What?"

    "I said that about my ship the morning.  I knew I wanted the 
Asking, just like that."  He snapped his fingers.

    She smiled.  "But yes, just like that.  You didn't think I 
would accept, did you?"

    "Honestly?" David asked.  "No, I didn't."

    "So why did you ask?"

    "I don't know," he said.  "I told Patricia that I was going to, 
I guess I had to go through with it once I'd announced it.  So why 
did you accept?"

    "Because I'm selfish."  She grinned across the table at him.  
"I want the stars; now that I know that I want the stars, I need a 
way of getting there.  You're the best way I can think of."

    "That's it?"

    She rose from her chair and walked around the table, kneeling 
down on the floor beside his.  "No, that's not 'it.'  Because I do 
believe in love at first sight.  And I think it happened to us.  
But we don't have marriage ceremonies on Pendor."

    "So?" David asked.  "We have them on Earth.  My parents would 
probably insist on it."

    "But... "  She let her voice trail off.  "This is one of those 
'for life' things, isn't it?"

    David nodded.  "That's what marriage is supposed to be.  So few 
people get married nowadays.  Contracts are for children and lovers 
are just to be discarded when you get bored with them."

    "I won't ever get bored with you," Denni said.

    "I don't think I could ever get bored of you, either," David 
said.  "I love you, Dennielle."

    "I love you, too, David."  She stood up slowly.  "Finished with 
dinner?"

    "Yes, I think so."

    "Good," Denni giggled.  "Come with me, then."  David stood, and 
she led him into his bedroom, closing the door behind them.  She 
pulled him close, and David was again stunned by how tall she was, 
especially compared to him.  "I figured that after such a big meal 
we should work some of the excess calories off.  What do you 
think?"

    David looked up at her and smiled.  Without a word, he reached 
up and slowly pulled down the zipper on her jumpsuit, letting her 
large, fur-covered breasts tumble out into his hands.  She giggled.  
"You like those, don't you?"

    "I admit, I do," he said, kissing one right above the nipple.  
"It's not what makes me love you, though."  His muzzle traced down 
the curve, kissing the underside; at least there he didn't have to 
stand on the tips of his toes.  He slowly pushed her backwards, 
until the bed struck her in the knees and she fell to the bed with 
a "Whoops!"

    He pulled the zipper the rest of the way down, exposing the 
deep black skunk's fur that covered her tummy.  She helped, and 
together they pulled the top half of the jumpsuit down until it was 
lying on the bed behind her.

    Dennielle smiled.  "Your turn."  She reached up and tugged at 
his zipper, and in seconds she had his down about his ankles.  His 
cock, already erect, popped up.  "I thought you didn't insist on 
salutes on this ship," she giggled.

    He laughed and pushed her back to lie on the bed, crawling over 
her body as he did so.  "I don't."  His muzzle pressed against 
hers, their tongues touching and pressing.  David's heart pounded 
in his chest; he felt so... so lucky!  So lucky to be here, to have 
her.  His cock pressed against her belly, and he felt her hands 
reach down to encircle it.  His kisses roamed wider, kissing her 
cheeks and the underside of her muzzle as he left a trail down her 
body towards her full breasts.  "You're so beautiful-- Don't 
argue!" he said, cutting off the "I'm not beautiful, I'm fat," line 
he had heard from her twice already.

    She giggled.  "Yes, SIR!"  David laughed as he slid off the 
bed, grabbing the bottoms of her jumpsuit and tugging.  She pushed 
her hips up off the bed and he slid her pants off, tossing them 
aside.  The sight of her made him take a deep breath and then let 
it out with a strong, satisfied sigh.  "You are beautiful."

    She reached up with one hand for his wrist.  He took her hand 
in one of his and tumbled onto the bed with her.  They rolled over 
until she was on top of him, and he felt her bend her knees and 
pull them under herself until she was kneeling above him.  "I think 
you're the one who's beautiful."  She reached back and positioned 
his erection, settling down on top of his cock until her buttocks 
met his hips.

    He sighed and reached up to stroke her breasts.  "I don't 
understand this."

    "I don't either," she said, slowly stroking up and down on his 
erection.  He closed his eyes and felt her lips grabbing his cock, 
holding him deep inside her body.  "But I know what I want.  You 
said you know what you want, well I do too.  You want me.  I want 
you."

    David nodded, pushing his hips up with every stroke.  Their 
bodies met in synch.  He wanted her to go faster, but she only 
moved slowly, to her own beat, in her own time.  She never sped up, 
never slowed down.  He felt the walls of her cunt sliding past the 
head of his cock; his body began trembling as his immanent climax 
never came any closer, never seemed to come under control.  He had 
always felt that he had some control even over his orgasm, but 
instead he was left only to look into Denni's eyes as she stared 
down at him, her muzzle hanging open, her tongue hanging out as she 
caressed his cock with her insides, gripping his manhood.  She held 
his arms down at his sides as her body stroked slowly, agonizingly 
slowly, over his erection.

    "Denni..."

    "I know," she smiled.  "I can see it in your face."  She sped 
up just a little, and he felt his climax suddenly rise; his balls 
felt like they were swelling, his cock became even harder, and 
suddenly he exploded inside her, thrashing his legs and his head in 
bed, coming deep inside her cunt.  "Oh, Denni!" he moaned.

    She smiled down at him.  "There, was that worth it?"

    "Oh, yes, that was worth it," he sighed.  "Very much so.  So, 
will you marry me?"

    She giggled.  "Set course for Earth, hon, and I'll marry you 
tomorrow."

    "First we have to go to Pendor.  I have to get Aaden's 
permiss...  Oh, crap.  I have to ask your father, don't I?  Aaden 
Satpulov.  That means I have to get into Shardik Castle."

    "It can be done," she smiled.  "I'm family, remember?"

    "I remember," he said.  "Just took me a while."  He reached up 
and toppled her over onto the bed again, snuggling her close.  
"I'll talk to Tasha tomorrow about plotting a course.  We're over a 
month from Pendor right now, and another week to Terra."

    She nodded; he felt her muzzle move in the crook of his 
shoulder, her breath blowing over his neckfur.  He stroked her head 
slowly with his hand.  "I love you."

--
"Journal Entry 180 / 0916  [ Asking Denni ]"
The Journal Entries of Kennet R'yal Shardik, et. al., and Related Tales
are copyright (C) 1989-1995 Elf Mathieu Sternberg.  Redistribution of
this work for profit is reserved to the author.  Redistribution by
portable media (CD-ROM, floppy, paper, etc.) is expressly forbidden.
Any redistribution must include this copyright notice intact.
--
Elf Sternberg            FUCK THE CDA!       (Cohen vs. California, 1971)
elf@halcyon.com          Nos numerus sumus et fruges consumere nati.
Public key available     http://www.halcyon.com/elf/index.html