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I sat opposite the Captain, Kathryn as she had asked me to call her, at one of the small wooden tables in Chez Sandrine. In the guise of socialising with her crew from the lower decks, she had asked me to join her. She wanted to get to know me better. I guess you could call it a date......
We spoke somewhat formally at first, then as time progressed our conversation became more relaxed. The alcohol helped. Buoyed by the alcohol, I was more confident, more inclined to speak freely. And I was less self conscious in her presence. But, her attention and appearance had unsettled me in other, most pleasant ways.
We were talking about my wedding to my ex-wife who was (is) from Betazed.
“Have you ever been to a wedding on Betazed?” I asked, failing miserably at holding back the embarrassed smile.
“No.” She replied, her voice low and playful.
I was sure she knew what a wedding there entailed, but I was going to tell her anyway.
“Everyone is naked,” I said with a little giggle.
I am normally not a giggler nor someone embarrassed at talking about nakedness, but it was my Captain, my crush, I was speaking to.
“Oh.” She replied, her eyes brightening. Was that a slight smile on her lips?
“It was an interesting experience. It’s one thing being naked in front of a partner, but in front of their family and officials is another thing altogether.” I said.
“I bet it is.” She paused for a moment, the smile growing at the corner of her dark pink lips. “ And I’m sure you would have looked perfectly agreeable....... no...... beautiful.”
“Are you flirting with me?” I asked with a whisper.
“Yes, I do believe I am.” She replied, her smile growing wider. “Perhaps you can show me a holoimage of the wedding sometime.”
Oh my! My heart was in my throat.
“Or I could show you the real thing.” I replied.
Yes, I said it! Was it too much? Probably. I would never had had the courage to say it if it wasn’t for the liberating beauty of alcohol.
“Let’s work out a time.” She replied, winking at me.