Chapter Two

Scent of a

When the two young women had left, Travis Mayweather stayed at the helm of the closed shuttle, totally humiliated and angry with himself. Despite his intentions, he had embarrassed himself with Liz Cutler; felt like a complete fool; and to add to his aggravation the sensations he was feeling, which had led to this major embarrassment, were not alleviated in the slightest.

He didn't make a move to leave the ship, knowing the pair could perform their duties just fine without him, and the longer he could prevent himself from looking at either of them, the better chance he had of regaining his control. So he sat there, going over instrument displays, noticing again and again that seductive, that distracting scent of roses that had made him think so strongly of Jennifer and had gotten him so busted!

But the longer he sat, with the door firmly shut so he could not see them, the more uncomfortable he became. Despite himself, he could not stop thinking about her, and how she looked when she... But then, to get his mind off her, he tried to think of something else – anything else, and in the next moment all he could think of again was Liz Cutler, and the way her breasts pressed against her uniform top. He wondered what those breasts...

And then his mind drifted to Hoshi, as he had always seen her just out of the corner of his eye as they served together on the bridge and how he secretly stared at her and sometimes ached to...

When he wrenched his mind off Hoshi and it went to T'Pol and that how that damned painted-on Vulcan uniform clung to ...

Hitting the door control, he wrenched himself up from his seat with a blistering oath, turned and stalked out of the shuttle into the fresh air.

Liz Cutler, about two meters away, her back to him, was bent low over a sample container, legs slightly spread, her blue uniform pants stretched very tightly over her –. Travis clenched his fists and choked back a strangled scream!

Tia Anlor, a few meters away, had seen Travis come out of the ship, saw his reaction to Liz Cutler, and felt ashamed.

She wanted to go to him, or to Liz, and get this corrected somehow, but could not dare. In fact, the further away she stayed; the better. That is, unless he went back into the ship.

When he turned sharply from the vision before him and reentered the small shuttle, closing the door, she knew it was too late. "Elizabeth?" Liz looked up, straightening. "Kisnan ... um, speak to you may I?"

"Oh, Hell! You're kidding me!"

"I 'kidding' am not. Know you the Dasreer do."

She remembered that chaotic Auran distress all too well. "We thought it was going to kill you."

"No, only wish it sometimes do I. The end of my glisnic ... 'biological' cycle is it. This, today, the peak of my cycle is. I fertile am, today alone. If lialu with a ... if ... if in me he logler place, refnali would I become."

"All right, all right, you don't have to spell it out! I get it."

"So now Travis Mayweather does."

Something in those words sent a chill through Liz Cutler's body. "What do you mean?"

"The scent you called 'roses'? She nodded. "Pheromone it is. Should on humans work not, but ... On Enterprise happen it did not; once only in eighteen of your weeks. Forgot I the dates did; lost track. Your hours are twenty four in a day; mine on Aura twenty seven and one fifth of yours. Last time, I on Aura was. In my rooms I locked myself. This time ... this time by surprise it caught me. Should on humans work not, Auran you are not, he is not."

"But the shuttle..."

"Concentrate the effect it does. Should be noticed not, but he avoid it can nyasi. Too powerful to ignore." Liz looked back at the closed shuttle.

"He's got to get out of there."

"And I go in can not."

Liz nodded. "Stay here. In fact," she pointed to a spot at the far end of the clearing, "stay there! Downwind!"

Travis Mayweather paced the length of the shuttle over and over in black abstraction, feeling tenser by the moment. Activity would not help, concentrating on work would not help; nothing would help! He thought if his hair were a bit longer he would be able to rip it out of his scalp, but neither did that offer any solution. He didn't know what was happening, didn't know how to deal with it, but he knew that he was very rapidly going out of his mind!

He felt like an adolescent; like he couldn't trust himself not to embarrass himself. He was so ... He couldn't even get his blasted mind off thinking about Jennifer – or Hoshi – or Lisa – or Ann – or T'Pol and that damned spray-painted uniform – or

It was at that moment that the shuttle door opened and Elizabeth Cutler climbed in.

Travis froze, staring at her. All he could see was her, Liz, a stunningly alluring woman; the way her body looked in the formfitting uniform; the way he could imagine, in fact could not stop from thinking about, the way she looked within it! The more he thought about her, the more he ached – literally – for her. It hurt to stand there, to look at her, to want her so badly!

But if he took a step toward her he was lost! He was terrified about what would happen; that he would not be able to stop himself! Something he couldn't control was driving him out of his mind! He knew that, but couldn't help it! He wanted to rip the clothes from her body, shredding everything to reach her! It didn't matter that she was a fellow crewmember, didn't matter that if she didn't want to and fought him he was going to ... didn't matter that his career could be ...

All he could think of was her, the sight of her, the feel of her body! He could reach out and just rip that damned uniform off her and ...

He tried desperately to think of a reason – any reason – not to grab her and ravage her whether she participated or screamed!

Liz looked at her friend, and was afraid.

There was a subdued, carefully restrained and barely contained wildness in his eyes that sent a chill of terror through her, and at the same time that thrill made her realize she was also feeling a budding moistness that ...The knowledge of what he was feeling was making her – or was she also succumbing to the...

"Travis..." She said carefully, realizing her own voice was trembling. She tried to keep her voice steady, but her own breath was starting to come hard. She felt a familiar, a very powerful; sensation in her breasts, and realized that she was not immune to the concentrated effects of the pheromones either. Or was it the knowledge of what was raging inside the man that was making her start to ...

"We have to get out of here, Travis! We – we both have to get out of here! Y – you have to come outside! Now!"

He took a step toward her and she backed away, unable to endure the look deep in his eyes. She knew what was in those eyes, and knew all too well what it was doing to her! She didn't know if it was that pervasive scent or the knowledge of what was in the man's eyes, but her body was starting to ... And if it were any other time ...

"Travis Mayweather, I love you very much as a friend, but if you even try to touch me I'll kick your treasures through that bulkhead!"

Tia watched from about fifteen meters away as her friends came out of the shuttle, how they conversed quietly for a long time as she stood tensely. They stood well and carefully apart from each other, trying to enforce a distance, hands carefully kept from

"WHAT?" Birds seemed to explode from every tree in sight!

Epilogue

"Captain, I have the shuttle." Hoshi Sato reported from her station.

"On screen." The monitor changed from an image of the planet below to the interior of the shuttle.

"Shuttle One to Enterprise, ready to dock."

Whatever greeting Archer was about to give died on his lips at the unexpected sight that greeted them. Mayweather, Cutler and Anlor were all wearing EV spacesuits. None had reported any difficulties at all during the approach! "Is anything wrong, Travis?" The dark man smiled.

"No sir, not anymore. Permission to come aboard?"

Archer looked about at his assembled officers; none of them wanted to hazard a guess. "Permission granted."

Captain Archer was a patient man, but sometimes something happened that was just odd enough. "You have the conn, Trip. I'll be in the shuttle bay."

When he arrived, he was even more surprised to find the shuttle in place, but only one person awaiting him, busy stowing two used EV suits. The officer in question removed the visored helmet and turned, and he was again surprised to find it to be Ensign Cutler. "Where are Ensign Mayweather and Crewwoman Anlor?"

"Sir, each of them has gone to their respective quarters. If I may, sir, I request that both of them be relieved for the rest of the day. I'll tell you all the details, but please, let the ... reason ... remain confidential?"

Archer had had just about all the surprises he could stand.

Travis Mayweather walked briskly down the corridor, not heading for his quarters, even though he had named it as his destination. He stopped before another door and pressed the buzzer beside it. Again. And a third time, leaning into the button.

Jennifer Farber, wearing an off-duty blouse and skirt, opened the door, her irritation turning instantly to a bright smile as she saw who was so forcibly demanding entrance. "Hi, Trav! I mm-MMMmmm! Mmm- mm-mmm!" She was surprised to be so forcibly silenced by his lips on hers, and to be pressed backward into the room as the door slid shut. "Mmm – mm – MMMmmmm!" She staggered backward in his arms as he pressed his body to hers, forcing her to back up, and she felt him starting to pull hard at the material at her chest as her legs collided with her bunk. "Mm – mmm – mmMMMMM – MMM!" They both toppled over as she felt the material shred in his hand!

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Jennifer let out a long, contented sigh over an hour and a half later, feeling completely and thoroughly relaxed. Travis lay partially atop her, his hands and lips on her chocolate skin. "Ohhhhh, myyyyy God!"

"Jen, would you do something for me?" He asked, his warm breath tickling her nipple.

"Honey, after all that I would give you the galaxy!"

"Just please, never, ever use rose perfume!"

Jennifer looked down at her lover in monumental puzzlement.