To the room as a whole, he asked, "Anybody seen Mandi?"

Tony said that she'd gone to breakfast with John.

"Breakfast," said Cade, taking a donut from the tray by the coffee pot, "Yeah. My next stop." Turning to Beth, he asked, "You had breakfast yet? If you aren't on duty this morning, we can snag a free paper at the luggage check-in and read the funnies over pancakes."

Beth seemed to consider the offer, then said, "Sure. I haven't eaten yet, either. Give me a minute to check my messages," and headed for her desk.

Cade parked his rump on the corner of somebody's desk and sipped his coffee as he snarfed another donut and waited for her. Beth's hands were trembling a little, he noted. Well, he'd rea.s.sure her that he wouldn't tell anyone. That was about all he could do, really.

When she stood up again, Beth made a production of searching her purse and the top of her desk, then went to Cade and said, "I need to get something from my room on the way," before she led the way to the door.

Cade topped off his coffee and snagged another couple of donuts before following her. Both donuts and the coffee were gone before he caught up with her a few doors down the corridor. He used his jeans to dust the sugar off his hand and followed her into her room.

As soon as the door had closed, Beth spun to face him and asked in an angry tone, "What the h.e.l.l did you tell Mandi about last night? About us?"

Shrugging, Cade said, "Nothing. She was already in bed when I got back to the room. She was gone when I woke up this morning. We haven't talked at all since just before I gave you that 9mm ammo last night."

Obviously not convinced, Beth said, "When she came into the ops room a while ago, she had to wait for John. She chose to do her waiting by my desk, Ed."

With a chuckle, he said, "Well gee, ma'am, that does sound pretty ominous.

You were probably the only other woman in the room, Beth, and..."

"She just sat there and stared at me," Beth interrupted, "Just sat there and stared at me for about five full seconds before she gave me one of those fakey smiles and said 'Good morning, Beth. Did you sleep well?'"

Again shrugging, Cade said, "I didn't tell her a d.a.m.ned thing, Beth. I swear it."

As she again studied his face for signs of perjury, Cade asked, "Um... and did you? Sleep well, I mean?"

Beth's eyes narrowed to gunsight slits. She growlingly snapped, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

Grinning, Cade asked, "Was it because you were dead tired or because you had a great time?" As she opened her mouth to respond in what looked like a snappy manner, Cade raised a finger and prompted, "Honest answer only, please."

Smoldering a bit, Beth sighed and answered in a rather grudging tone, "Yes.

I had a good time, Ed. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Of course that's what I want to hear. Don't you think I was busting my a.s.s to please you last night? You sure seemed to think so at the time, ma'am, especially when I..."

"Never mind when," snapped Beth. "Yes, dammit, I had a good time. A great time, in fact. Now, what about Mandi?"

"What about her? She's got no right or reason to say anything about who I play with. Or who you play with. Are you sure you're not just having some morning-after regrets, Beth? Is that what this is all about? Or are you worried I'll brag around the office?"

"No! I mean... No. No regrets. And you said you wouldn't say anything, right?" She stepped forward until she was almost nose-to-nose with Cade and repeated insistently, "Right?"

Cade took Beth in his arms and said, "Beth, I promise. Not a word to anyone.

And I haven't said anything to Mandi or anyone else," and then he kissed her.

Beth stiffened for a moment, then gradually responded to his kiss. Cade used a finger to sweep a few wisps of her hair out of her face, then let the finger continue down behind her ear and along the line of her throat to her exposed shoulder.

Leaning slightly, he kissed her shoulder and trailed his lips up Beth's throat to her jaw, then kissed his way back to her lips as he again held her close.

When the kiss ended, he said softly, "You aren't on duty this morning. Let's go back to bed. Breakfast can wait. In fact, you can be my breakfast. Would you like that, ma'am?"

Beth's lips were slightly swollen, her face and shoulders were turning pinkish, and her pulse was pounding slightly. She looked almost ready to say 'yes', but still a bit hesitant.

"Beth," he said, "This job ends today. It could be a long time before we get a chance to play again. I really want another taste of you before you go. Do you know that feeling?"

She nodded slowly before she softly replied, "Yes. I know that feeling."

Kissing her again, Cade asked, "Well? Are you going to let me please you at least once more before you escape? Like last night? Can the pancakes maybe wait a little while?"

Snickering softly, Beth smilingly nodded and said, "Yeah. The pancakes can wait," and pulled him into a kiss.

After the third time Cade had helped Beth climb her personal mountain to its summit, she lay limp and winded on the bed for some moments, then she drowsily asked Cade to get her a gla.s.s of water. He kissed lips, then her breast, and then her thigh as he slid past her off the bed and stood up.

Saluting her, he said, "Yes, ma'am. One water coming up," and headed for the bathroom, where he quickly drank several gla.s.ses himself before taking hers to her.

Beth seemed barely awake enough to drink half the water, then she handed him the gla.s.s and let her arm fall to the bed as she sighed deeply.

"I'm gonna take a nap," she said, almost slurring the words. "You?"

Cade's stomach rumbled at him, prompting him to say, "Can't. I'm starving.

How about I come back in an hour or so? Think you'll be up to another round by then?"

Giggling softly, Beth nodded and said, "Sure. Maybe by then. Take my keycard. If I'm asleep when you get back, just get into bed and snuggle up."

Leaning to kiss her, Cade said, "A lady with a plan. I like that. Yes'm.

I'll climb in and snuggle."

Beth giggled again, pulled the covers up, and mumbled, "I feel so incredibly, absolutely used..."

"Excellent," said Cade, putting his pants on, "That's exactly what I was shooting for, milady."

Laughing softly, Beth adjusted her pillow and said, "It felt like you were shooting me. From the inside. We have these rooms all day, Ed. I have to catch a nine o'clock flight, so hurry back. We aren't through yet."

"I'll bring you something from the restaurant."

Nodding, she said, "Thanks. Doesn't matter what it is. G.o.d, I haven't felt like this in ages..."

He kissed her again and trailed his fingers down her blanketed form to her knees, picked up the keycard, and b.u.t.toned his shirt on the way to the door.

Cade stepped out of Beth's room feeling as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Instead of waiting for an elevator, he took the stairs down two flights and entered the con suite to see what was on the buffet.

The black guy who seemed to be in charge of the con suite every year saw him coming and waved from behind a serving table as he picked up a large aluminum tray that still held half a dozen sliced sandwiches.

"Hi, guy!" said Cade. "Still wearing red, huh? Don't you know that's an unlucky color in Starfleet?"

"No sweat. Ever notice how they never send the cooks on away teams? Crucial bridge personnel, medics, scientists, security types, and even family members and practically any-d.a.m.ned-body else who wants to go, but never the cooks."

Grinningly shaking his hand, Cade said, "Good point, indeed. Seems to me, though, that anybody that valuable oughta be wearing gold and have the keys to the ship."

The guy laughed, "d.a.m.ned right, but it'll never happen."

Cade reached for a sandwich, but the guy moved the tray away and said, "Nah, these have been out there all morning, man. They're stale as h.e.l.l. I'm supposed to pull them."

"Got any more behind the bar?"

"Not yet. In an hour or so it'll be time to set out the lunch snackies, though. Can you hold on that long?"

"No," Cade said firmly, reaching for the tray again and getting a grip on it. "Stale is fine; I'm starving. I'll bring you the tray in a few minutes. It won't leave this room."

Sounding a bit like Jim Carey, the guy raised his hands clear and said, "Well, all righty, then."

"Fanks," Cade said around some ham and cheese.

"No problem. I thought they fed you guys. Or paid you enough to afford food, anyway."

Swallowing the last of the first sandwich, Cade said, "Special circ.u.mstances," and started on the next sandwich.

Someone reaching for potato chips nudged his arm and the tray tilted sharply. Cade righted it quickly enough to keep the sandwiches aboard, but there was a loud 'wunk' sort of noise and the black guy's eyes got big as he looked at the tray.

Cade's gaze followed his and he thought, 'Oh, s.h.i.t,' as he saw that his thumb had heavily dented the edge the heavy aluminum tray, squashing the ridge around it flat and warping the metal for several inches.

"Um. Sorry," said Cade.

He stacked the remaining sandwiches on a napkin and turned the tray over to push the damaged area flat, then handed the tray across the table, gathered up the sandwiches, and said, "Sorry. Really," and turned to go.

"Hey," said the black guy, "Wait."

Turning to face him, Cade indicated the tray and asked, "Would ten bucks cover it?"

"I buy 'em used. Seven would do it, but that's not..." He waited until another table-grazer moved away and continued, "How'd you do that? I ran over one of these trays with my truck once and didn't much more than scratch it a little."

Setting the sandwiches down, Cade fished ten bucks out of his money clip, laid it on the tray, and said, "I've had a real workout this morning. That's why I'm so hungry. Thanks again," and headed for the door with the sandwiches, detouring to the drink dispenser for a cup of Dr Pepper.

One of the sandwiches disappeared on the way back to the stairwell. The rest vanished only in a few minutes as Cade sat on the third floor landing and considered what he'd just done to the heavy aluminum tray with his thumb.

d.a.m.n. Mandi hadn't been exaggerating at all. He considered his time with Beth and shuddered. One wrong move... one unrealizing squeeze while he'd been...

Oh, h.e.l.l.

He'd been wrong when he'd said to Mandi that he expected to be dangerous to women in a week or so. But she hadn't corrected his estimate. Because they'd been arguing, or because she'd figured about the same amount of time?

Was he ahead of schedule or something? Reaching for the bent-pipe safety railing of the stairs, he squeezed. At first nothing happened, so he squeezed a little harder. The tubing crumpled in his hand.

Staring at the damaged pipework, Cade knew he couldn't continue with Beth.

He'd been extremely lucky not to have hurt her this morning, no d.a.m.ned doubt about that.

Then it struck him that he hadn't mashed any of the sandwiches and he remembered Mandi having mentioned the same phenomenon the night before. She'd said, 'You didn't squash your burger, did you?' Or something like that.

Maybe he could continue with Beth. If he was very gentle, very careful...

Wait one. He was describing all but a very few moments of their time together the night before. And this morning had been one long, easygoing, session. No hard riding at all, except when she'd been on top.

"That's it," he softly said aloud to himself. "Slow and easy unless she's on top. That ought to work."

He'd been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed Mandi's presence descending between the stairwells until his last thought had essentially seemed to solve his dilemma.

As he sipped the last of his Dr Pepper, she floated to a stop directly behind him and cleared her throat with a grin, obviously expecting Cade to jump out of his skin.

Cade drained the cup and said, "Hi, Mandi," without so much as a flinch.

Annoyed as h.e.l.l that she hadn't startled him and determined not to let him see her failure, Mandi concealed her irritation as she flitted upward enough to clear the handrail, then settled to the steps just below the landing so they'd be more or less eye-to-eye.

Glancing around, she asked, "Is there some reason you're sitting in the stairwell?"

He pointed to the crumbs on the napkin and said, "I've just been having a private snack before I head down to breakfast. Care to join me?"

"I've already eaten, but I guess I could stand another coffee." Grinning, she asked, "What was that 'slow and easy unless she's on top' all about, Ed?"

Stuffing the napkin into the paper cup, Cade stood up and walked downstairs past her as he said, "Just a kind of safety lecture about dealing with unconverted women."

Turning to follow him, she asked, "'Dealing' with them, huh? Sounds to me as if you plan to be doing more than 'dealing' with them. Anyone in particular?"

"Could be. I know some unconverted women. Wouldn't know them very long if I let myself get clumsy with them."

Chuckling, Mandi said, "Likely so, but in a few days it will be better if you don't play with them at all."

Glancing back at her, Cade asked, "Why's that?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, Mandi grinningly said, "Think about it. A normal man can squirt about how far? Three feet? Once you're fully converted, you'd kill your unconverted lady."

Cade stopped on the stairs and looked at her. Mandi's face was -- 'dead'

serious, you could say -- and she made sense.

To confirm, Cade asked, "You're saying that a week from now, you'll be my only s.e.xual option?"

Mandi's face turned glowering. "Should I slap the h.e.l.l out of you now, or let you explain what you really meant?"