her down and convince her not to report him to
anyone. By that time, he had already become a proficient liar, out of necessity.
It was not long after that
first incident that physical need drove him to discover that he could
experience a sexual release without letting go of his control. However, he
always felt that it wasn't as good as it could be. The act was pleasurable, yet
far from satisfying. Having to use part of his attention to keep the wildness
reined in prevented him from thoroughly enjoying what was happening to his
body.
As the years went by, his
encounters with women became less frequent. A physical release without an
emotional one simply wasn't worth the effort.
His breathing had returned
to normal and his hands had stopped shaking, but his thoughts were still in a
panic. Had he really growled at Cherry? Yes, he was certain he had, just as he
knew he had bitten her lips and earlobe. Like an uncivilized barbarian, he had
mindlessly attacked her, and would have used her without a thought to propriety
had Mar-Dot not interrupted.
When Cherry had talked of
her sister, he had felt somewhat guilty for tricking her into the
revelation—guilty enough to try to comfort her, without considering how the
proximity of her body would affect him. It was exactly as he had feared. Her
vibrant energy struck a chord in his primitive soul, and the result was nothing
short of spontaneous combustion.
As his head began to clear,
he considered how to repair the damage he had just done. There was no question
about his having to be more careful about touching her in the future. The
problem was, he might have ruined any chance of getting Cherry to trust him
enough to cooperate with his plan to trap Frezlo.
At least she hadn't
screamed or cried… or used her robotic arm on him. She must have been too
stunned by his shocking behavior to fight him off. He knew he had better
apologize before the shock wore off.
He heard the door across
the hall open and shut and ordered himself to rectify his mistake immediately. Mentally
reconstructing his civilized veneer, he left the privacy of his room and
knocked on her door. The moment it slid open, he said, "I wish to
apologize."
Remaining in the doorway
with her arms crossed, Cherry cocked her head at him. "All right. Go
ahead."
She was so calm, he assumed
she was still in shock. "My behavior was unpardonable, but I hope you'll
forgive me anyway. I assure you nothing like that will happen again." She
didn't respond one way or the other, so he added, "I'm sorry if I
frightened you."
"Frightened
me? So far,
you've infuriated me, humiliated me, and left me frustrated as a bowlegged kid
at a greased pig chase, but it would take a hell of a lot more than one
aggravating man to frighten me!"
She might have made him
squirm a bit longer if he hadn't been apologizing so politely. "Look, I've
decided you were right. What happened up there was a mistake, and it was as much
my fault as yours. I'm afraid you opened an emotional floodgate and I took
advantage of the outlet you offered. I shouldn't have kissed you, even if I was
only trying to say thanks. Let's forget it and just be grateful Mar-Dot stopped
us before things went too far. This trip is difficult enough without that sort
of complication."
Although he nodded his
agreement, he hadn't heard anything beyond her pronouncement that he had left
her frustrated. He had been so caught up with the fact that he had let himself
go that he hadn't allowed himself to notice that
she
might have been
doing a fair amount of clawing at
him.
That thought didn't improve his
state of discomfort one bit.
Cherry continued to try to
ease the tension between them. "Maybe we could try for some middle ground,
like friendship. What do you say?"
"Friends. Yes. That's
a good idea," he said mechanically, reminding himself that friendship had
been his goal to begin with.
"Well then, I guess
I’ll say good night." She held out her hand.
He didn't want to make
physical
anyone. By that time, he had already become a proficient liar, out of necessity.
It was not long after that
first incident that physical need drove him to discover that he could
experience a sexual release without letting go of his control. However, he
always felt that it wasn't as good as it could be. The act was pleasurable, yet
far from satisfying. Having to use part of his attention to keep the wildness
reined in prevented him from thoroughly enjoying what was happening to his
body.
As the years went by, his
encounters with women became less frequent. A physical release without an
emotional one simply wasn't worth the effort.
His breathing had returned
to normal and his hands had stopped shaking, but his thoughts were still in a
panic. Had he really growled at Cherry? Yes, he was certain he had, just as he
knew he had bitten her lips and earlobe. Like an uncivilized barbarian, he had
mindlessly attacked her, and would have used her without a thought to propriety
had Mar-Dot not interrupted.
When Cherry had talked of
her sister, he had felt somewhat guilty for tricking her into the
revelation—guilty enough to try to comfort her, without considering how the
proximity of her body would affect him. It was exactly as he had feared. Her
vibrant energy struck a chord in his primitive soul, and the result was nothing
short of spontaneous combustion.
As his head began to clear,
he considered how to repair the damage he had just done. There was no question
about his having to be more careful about touching her in the future. The
problem was, he might have ruined any chance of getting Cherry to trust him
enough to cooperate with his plan to trap Frezlo.
At least she hadn't
screamed or cried… or used her robotic arm on him. She must have been too
stunned by his shocking behavior to fight him off. He knew he had better
apologize before the shock wore off.
He heard the door across
the hall open and shut and ordered himself to rectify his mistake immediately. Mentally
reconstructing his civilized veneer, he left the privacy of his room and
knocked on her door. The moment it slid open, he said, "I wish to
apologize."
Remaining in the doorway
with her arms crossed, Cherry cocked her head at him. "All right. Go
ahead."
She was so calm, he assumed
she was still in shock. "My behavior was unpardonable, but I hope you'll
forgive me anyway. I assure you nothing like that will happen again." She
didn't respond one way or the other, so he added, "I'm sorry if I
frightened you."
"Frightened
me? So far,
you've infuriated me, humiliated me, and left me frustrated as a bowlegged kid
at a greased pig chase, but it would take a hell of a lot more than one
aggravating man to frighten me!"
She might have made him
squirm a bit longer if he hadn't been apologizing so politely. "Look, I've
decided you were right. What happened up there was a mistake, and it was as much
my fault as yours. I'm afraid you opened an emotional floodgate and I took
advantage of the outlet you offered. I shouldn't have kissed you, even if I was
only trying to say thanks. Let's forget it and just be grateful Mar-Dot stopped
us before things went too far. This trip is difficult enough without that sort
of complication."
Although he nodded his
agreement, he hadn't heard anything beyond her pronouncement that he had left
her frustrated. He had been so caught up with the fact that he had let himself
go that he hadn't allowed himself to notice that
she
might have been
doing a fair amount of clawing at
him.
That thought didn't improve his
state of discomfort one bit.
Cherry continued to try to
ease the tension between them. "Maybe we could try for some middle ground,
like friendship. What do you say?"
"Friends. Yes. That's
a good idea," he said mechanically, reminding himself that friendship had
been his goal to begin with.
"Well then, I guess
I’ll say good night." She held out her hand.
He didn't want to make
physical
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