Delta Story cmwende@compuserve.com FRUITFUL PERSUASION NC-17 Summary: What happens when Janeway and Chakotay run into each other in search of a midnight snack? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The halls of Voyager were quiet. It was gamma shift, after a very busy day of onloading food supplies from the welcome find of an M class planet brimming with lush, ripe crops. The planet's inhabitants had been most willing to trade some of some of their prolific natural resources for some of Voyager's surplus vanadium. B'Elanna had been almost grateful for being able to rid the ship of the vanadium, a thoroughly useless byproduct of the dilithium fusion process in the warp coils -- it was one less headache for her. A lone figure slipped through the darkened halls on Deck 2. Unable to sleep -- once again -- the ship's captain decided to go to the kitchen area and begin the inventory of their new foodstuffs that Neelix and Ens. May were going to perform on alpha shift. How she hated to see time wasted! And, this would be "busy work" that might... just might... lull her into a more relaxed state. The only light in the mess hall area came from the low luminance indicator light in the refrigerated area. She carefully wove her way around the bags and baskets loaded with produce that had not been put into the chilling compartment. Her cursory survey of the items revealed a medley of sizes and textures and colors of ripe fruits and vegetables, a truly welcome treat for the whole crew. Many of the items resembled counterparts she remembered from Earth... and unsummoned visions of late summertime harvests in Indiana emerged in her conscious thoughts. Like a child in a candy store, she reached for some of the tempting goodies. *Captain's prerogative,* she thought, as she decided to "liberate" a few pieces for her quarters. After all, wasn't this area once *her* private dining room? Besides, she would tell Neelix tomorrow; it really wasn't as if she were stealing! She looked around for a suitable container. There was a small basket, inconspicuously laying in the corner. *Perfect!* she thought, as she reached behind its more heavily laden companions. She randomly grabbed and picked from the overflowing containers around her, until, likewise, her basket had a plethora of produce. She wrapped her right arm securely around her trophy and held its contents in place with her outspread left hand. She decided that the inventory could wait; she would take her prizes back to her quarters and privately enjoy the succulence of a couple pieces. She heard a "whoosh"; the doors to the main area had opened. In horror, she realized that it was probably a security check...someone had noted personnel in the area during an off time. She turned, her eyes wide with panic... for having been caught with her hand in the cookie jar... or, fruit baskets, in this case. "Captain?" She heard a familiar voice call out. She sighed with relief. "Chakotay!" Her voice rang out in relief. "What are you doing here?" "I was just going to ask you the same thing. I was working late in my ready room, and noticed on the security monitor that there was someone in the mess hall. When I inquired as to who it was and was told that you were here, I wondered if there were a problem." She laughed nervously, realizing that she would have to confess as to her motive... although, all he had to do was look at her laden arms and correctly guess. *Truth... it's always best to tell the truth,* she thought. "I'm afraid that the temptation of fresh fruit got the best of me. It is a weakness of mine, you know"... *among other things,* she thought to herself. He joined her laughter. "Mine, too; so, I'll confess also, that I used the security check as an excuse to come down here to... um... sneak something... that no one would miss. But, it seems that I have been *outsneaked*", he mused, his eyes dancing with the merriment of having caught her with the purloined basket. "With all due respect, Captain, I'm afraid I must put you on report," he continued mischievously. She had regained her composure. "Oh, Commander, I'm sure we could work something out to prevent such a blemish on my record," her eyes and lopsided smile winked back at him. "What if I share my basket with you?" "Hmmmm... now *that* sounds like a bribe!" "It is --- purely and blatantly. Is it accepted?" "Well, let me see what you have in your basket, Little Red Riding Hood," he quipped, reaching for her cache. She willingly gave him her treasure hoard and whispered to him conspiratorially, "Why don't we enjoy some of it right now? Wouldn't that be wicked?" "Captain, I do believe that you are leading me astray," he laughed as she led them to a table. Shadows were all around, as they sat down in the diminished night light. The wide expanse of the windowed wall of the mess hall allowed the myriad of stars outside to add their glow to the room around frivolous pair. The good captain started searching through the contents of her basket. "Look... grapes!" she said gleefully. "Big ones, too!" She popped one into her mouth. "Ohhhh... these are *really* good; do try one, Chakotay." She picked one off, and tossed in into his opened mouth. He bit into the full round piece; his eyes widened as the succulent fruit burst inside his mouth. "Oh... they certainly are..." His eyes twinkled, as she could see that he was thinking something more. "All right... out with it," she said warily. "I have always wanted to have... someone... feed me... peeled grapes." She laughed, as she plucked another one off its stem. "All right, mister... but, just this once. I don't want this to become a habit." Her thumbnail was scoring the thin skin on the deep purple fruit. She pulled the outer covering off, and slowly raised it to his waiting mouth. As her fingers honed in on their target, they both started snickering. The sounds quickly escalated into rolling giggles, then became full, hearty laughter. The laughter continued until tears were running down their cheeks. After what seemed like several moments of unsuppressed near-hysterics, she pulled herself together. "Well, do you want this or not?" He reached for her hand that was holding the fruit, and raised it to his mouth. "Yes," he said, just before he guided her thumb and fingers gripping the grape to his open lips. He grasped the grape with his lips, momentarily immobilizing her fingers also. Almost imperceivably, his tongue barely touched their tips. She withdrew her hand quickly, looking at him quite surprised, as he took pleasure in the treat he was devouring. He swallowed the masticated pulp, and quickly licked his lips. "Mmmmm... it has been a long time since I tasted anything that sweet. How about you, Kathryn?" She was momentarily caught off guard; his action had shocked her. She did not know whether it was intentional or not... whichever it was, its effect had startled her... in a way that was both uncomfortable and satisfying at the same time. *I am letting the lateness of the hour and my imagination play games,* she thought. But, being the scientist she was, she decided to do the experiment again, and plucked yet another grape and started repeating the peeling routine. He looked at her intensely, and said playfully, "I thought you said just once." She replied with a tease in her voice, "Oh, you have been so good lately, I thought you deserved another." Once more, she raised her hand to him, and he repeated his previous action. Only this time, his tongue spent just a bit more time enjoying her... and in circling his lips at the completion of his reward. He reached towards the basket, and pulled out what appeared to be an orange, its skin thick and dimpled. He raised its stem end to his mouth, and with his front teeth, bit into the end, nipping off a sizable piece of the peel, exposing the juice-filled interior. He gently squeezed the orange, rotating its body slowly as he did so. He placed his mouth over the open end, and as he compressed the round fruit, he began to take in its juices, with long, lingering sucks. He continued squeezing and rotating the fruit, expressing deep satisfaction with the pleasure that the act produced. His fingers continued molding and remolding the pliable fleshy form, until it looked like an old fashioned balloon that had lost most of its air. He tilted his head back, with his open mouth gaping at the ceiling and he raised the spent sphere a few inches over his mouth. In one final effort, he urged the last few drops of juice out of the jagged opening. The golden droplets entered his unobstructed orifice, and he sighed contentedly. He laid the deflated fruit beside the basket, and looked at her with a diabolical grin. She met his look with a steady stare, accepting the challenge she read in his eyes. She dipped her hand into the basket which was sitting between them on the table, and pulled out a smaller, bite-sized round fruit... deep red, with a slender, eight centimeter long stem attached. She opened her mouth, and popped the entire structure inside. She closed her lips tightly, appearing not to be chewing the fruit, only holding it in her mouth. But he detected movement from inside. From the motions he observed on her outer facial structure, it was obvious that she was doing something with her teeth and tongue, for there were occasional bulges in her cheeks or behind her lips. Yet, for the duration of almost a minute, it did not seem that she was eating the delectable tidbit; neither did he notice the muscles of her throat constricting to indicate that she had swallowed any of the contents. Just as he was going to ask her what she was doing, her mouth opened, and from behind her clenched teeth appeared the fully intact cherry-like fruit. Without using either hand, she flicked the red ball into a tight grasp between her teeth. There was a slight gap between the upper and lower levels of her teeth. She was still maneuvering the fruit between her teeth, as if to settle it into a satisfactory position for some reason. Suddenly, the brownish stem popped out from between the two pearl white rows. She continued moving this part towards the front. As it became fully visible, a wide smile streaked across his face, creating the deep crevices of his dimples. For there, in front of him, was a flawlessly formed square knot in the stem of the fruit... tied to perfection... taunt and even. He leaned towards her, and quickly grabbed the fleshy part of the protruding fruit between his teeth. The sharp cutting edges of his incisors broke through its thin skin, and he withdrew just as quickly as he had bitten into it. The dark crimson juice burst forth, and flowed over her lips and down onto her chin, staining her pale skin with its intense color. She wiped away the juice with her fingers, removed the fruit and leisurely licked her sticky fingers of their harvest. She popped the fruit into her mouth, and proceeded to savor its tender flesh, cleaning all of it off the inner seed. At the conclusion of her feast, she delicately removed the solid pit, along with the knotted stem, and placed them along side the peel shell which he had put on the table earlier. Not to be outdone, he leaned over the basket, searching for another interesting... toy. His hand reached in, and he pulled out a full, rounded fruit, beige in color, but reminiscent of a peach. The dense form almost filled his hand. He held it towards her, so that she could observe its shape. The convex surfaces of the fruit were covered with a fine down, and met in a deep central fissure, which ran in a steep valley from its stem end to its terminal pip. The cleft was formed by a gentle sloping of the two hemispheres, and extended inwards towards the heart of the fruit for a good five millimeters. He was holding the object in the palm of his right hand, and he raised his left hand to more evenly distribute its weight. He spread his fingers, to better cradle the two definitive halves. He shifted the bulk to his left hand, and, with his right, he tenderly caressed the rounded surface of that side of the fruit. With his fingers, he tested the softness of the ripe piece, and found it to be pliant to his touch. He continued his sensitive probing of the supple pulp, careful not to bruise its tender flesh. He completed his exploratory journey of the alluring curves of the fruit. His eyes rose and looked at her, to measure her response. His smile became a satisfied grin as he noticed that her eyes were intently focused on his movements, wide with expectation. He brought his thumbs to the apex of the fissure, and inserted them into the cleft. Using a firm but delicate pressure, he allowed his thumbs to run the length of the deep indentation. He retraced his path, only to stop midway up the piece of fruit. His pressure increased, as his thumbs dug deeply into the fleshy object. Increasing this pressure, he pulled the two halves apart, exposing a large mottled pit inside. He brought the piece which contained the pit up to his ready mouth; he grasped the pit which clung to the sensitive flesh between his teeth, and ripped it out. He leaned down, and put it on the table; the two halves remained in his hands. His right hand, holding its succulent treat, slowly rose to his lips. He lovingly licked the exposed edges of the fruit, which were exuding but not dripping its liquid content. He then eagerly took a large bite from the fruit, exhibiting his pleasure in its taste and texture. He repeated the action with the other half, even more slowly... seductively. He took the remaining gravid pieces and put them on the growing pile on the table. A long form was sticking out of the basket on her side. She eased it out from under other selections which hid it. Not unlike a banana in shape and size, it had a thick, taupe-colored skin. She held the fruit upright in her left hand, while encircling it at the bottom with the thumb and fingers of her left hand. Slowly... deftly... provocatively... she drew the tightly circled fingers up the length of the fruit. She released her surrounding grasp, and licked her fingers, thoroughly wetting their surfaces. Again, she stroked the long smooth surface of the object which she held... its skin glistening with the trail of moisture left behind. Her fingers reached the apex of the fruit, which contained the hardened woody end of its stem. She took her thumb, index and middle fingers, and grasped the tip firmly. In one swift move, she twisted it, popping it off and freeing the top edge of the plump peel. Without breaking her rhythm, she leaned into the fruit, taking a piece of the outer skin between her teeth, and pulling down a portion of the protective covering. She continued the act several times, until the firm, pink interior of the fruit was completely exposed. The pulled-back petals of the peel hung over her left hand, which held it. Again, her red mouth went to the top. She opened it into an "O" that just encircled the pillar of pulp. Her lips closed around it, and she delicately started taking the elongated fruit into her mouth. Slowly... surely... silkenly... the shaft disappeared into her oral cavity. As she took more and more of it in, she gently tilted her head back. She continued her effort, managing to incorporate most of its length inside her mouth and throat. She then pulled it out slowly... seductively... prolonging its reappearance. At last, the entire fruit displayed itself, intact and glistening. She uttered a sigh of contentment, then quickly... decisively... bit off the top of the fruit. Her sighs increased as she savored the treat. She took another bite... and another... until she had consumed it entirely. Only then did she look up at him. Her expression was one of delight and conquest; his was of wonder... amazement... and admiration. An oval red fruit, with streaks of brown and gold in its skin, beckoned to him. It looked like a twin to the ancient pomegranate from the earliest Earth days along the River Euphrates. He picked up the inviting object, weighing its shape in his hand. He turned the fruit over several times, as if studying it for a hidden purpose. Raising his other hand, he enclosed the red wonder within his two hands. With his right thumbnail, he produced a bruising score in its thin skin, down the entire length of the fruit. He placed both thumbs in the center of the injured peel, and firmly inserting them into the underlying flesh. The entry holes thus created gave him a firm hold into the body of the fruit. Secure with his grip, he ripped the fruit apart, revealing an interior filled with a quivering jellied, semi-liquid substance. His eyes danced with delight, savoring the delectable matter. He placed one of the opened halves on the table; the other remained secure in the broad palm of his left hand. He curved two fingers of his now-free right hand, forming a scoop, and dipped into the inner nectar of the fruit. He raised his laden fingers to his hungry mouth, relishing the juicy treat and licking his lips so as not to loose any of its goodness. He filled his self-made spoon once more, this time allowing some of the thick liquid to drip through his fingers on its trip to his mouth. Again, he partook of the succulent substance. His sticky fingers glowed with the stain from the juice... his mouth glistened with the thick gelatinous coating it left behind. He persisted in his actions until nothing but a boat of peel remained, covered with clinging, residual flesh. However, he wanted to savor every bit of this delicacy, too. He raised the seemingly empty shell up to his mouth. With his tongue and teeth, he slowly but enthusiastically licked and nipped at every bit of its inner surface. Over and over again, he tirelessly licked and sucked at its contents, until the peel itself drooped with exhaustion, well-spent beyond its purpose. Only when it could give no more, did he place it in the area of repose for the remains of their repast. One type of fruit remained in the basket, somewhat concealed by other pieces. She slid her right hand into the inner area, and pulled out... a large, firm apple. She held it out, between them, and then raised it to her awaiting mouth. A loud "crunch" emitted as she took a substantial bite out of the piece of fruit. She chewed its crisp pulp, her face showing that it was, indeed, a worthy treat. She took the apple and reached across to him, giving him the piece of fruit. Her eyes urged him to likewise savor its sweet flavor. He followed her example, and also bit into it, removing a large chunk. He nodded in agreement with her silent assessment of its merit. He continued eating it, as she arose. She picked up the basket with its remaining contents and turned to go, looking over her shoulder at him. She smiled at him... a playful... sensual... promising... smile, and spoke as she exited the room. "Tempting, isn't it... Commander?" **************** Thats my story, and Im sticking to it! ********************