Azure Phoenix, Chapter Two
#2 of The Azure Phoenix
After 10 long months of waiting(sorry!), I present to you the second chapter! The last we left our lovers, they had just begun to sleep after a wild night of passion. But what does the morning hold for them...?
The morning began as the previous night had ended-in darkness. The captain's cabin had no viewports, and even if it did, we were docked on a space station, there would be no gentle light of dawn to creep through the window to wake us. Instead, it was the darkness I've grown accustomed to, the soft blue light from the nearby control panel the only source of illumination in the room. I slowly blinked as I awoke, my eyes blearily searching for the source of the familiar glow, trying to adjust to my surroundings. One of the first things I noticed was a heavy weight draped over me, leaving me confused until last night's events came back to me. I reached over and flicked a switch on the nightstand, bathing the room in a soft sapphire hue before I rolled over to face my companion. I still couldn't believe what had actually happened the night before. I was half expecting to wake up and find it all to be a fleeting, but very enjoyable, dream. Instead, I looked over and saw the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen still sleeping in my bed, her arm draped over my chest, a soft smile on her face. I felt a smile of my own begin to spread across my face as I watched her sleep for a few more minutes. I didn't know then if this had been a one night stand or the start of something more, but I was certainly looking forward to seeing how far this went. I most definitely felt an attraction to her, and not just a physical one. She was smart, shrewd, playful, and very intriguing to me. Everything I had seen about her only drew me in further, and I could only hope she felt the same way about me.
My train of thought was interrupted by a soft intake of breath, Zuri's arms flexing around me as she began to wake up. Her eyelids fluttered open and she glanced around the room before her eyes settled on me. She smiled softly at me before she spoke.
"Mmmm...morning, loverboy. Like what you see?" She asked, her voice still heavy with sleep. I smiled back at her and nodded. "Very much so. I don't think I've had a more beautiful woman grace this bed with her presence." She laughed softly, her arms wrapping around me and pulling me close to her, her body pressed against mine. Her leg intertwined with my own as she kissed me softly, a kiss I was all too happy to return, my arms wrapping around her waist.
"Flatterer. I bet you say that to all the girls," she joked as we broke the kiss. We chuckled at that until she looked around before turning back to me. "Why is it so blue in here?"
"Low-level lighting," I explained, "Didn't want to turn on the main lights and blind myself and wake you up." She nodded, "Thank you. But isn't low-level lighting usually red?"
"Typically, it is, but the ship also also uses red lighting for the emergency lights. So to avoid me waking up in a state of near-panic, I use blue for low level lighting."
"Good point." I bowed my head at her as best I could, preferring to enjoy the silence for a moment. Our hands lightly explored one another's bodies, simply content to touch and feel. I was still surprised to feel how soft her fur was, how soft she felt in general before she shifted and her muscles flexed, becoming hard and unyielding beneath her luxuriant coat. Her own hands felt wonderful as she explored my own form, running her fingers through my fur to gently run her claws along my skin. I grinned and sighed softly as her clawtips sent shivers up my spine, earning a grin from my companion.
"I'll be honest with you, I'm surprised," She said, a bemused expression on her face. "Most guys I've been with can't keep their hands off of my naughty bits."
"I guess I'm not like most guys," I quipped, smirking at her, "Besides, your 'naughty bits' received plenty of attention last night, and I think the rest of you deserves the same level of atten-ah!" My train of thought was interrupted by Zuri's strong hand grasping my shaft, her firm yet gentle hands stroking and kneading me. I squirmed and moaned softly, glancing down at her hand which was currently coaxing me to my full length before I turned my eyes back to her face. That predatory grin was back, her eyes locked on me, studying every reaction as she began to slowly run her hand up and down in slow, sensual strokes. I shifted slightly, a hand of mine reaching out to return the favor when suddenly, her free hand reached out to grab my own, stopping me cold. My eyes flicked to her hand, then back to her, the question evident on my face.
"Ah ah ah!" she admonished me in a teasing tone of voice. "You didn't let me finish having my bit of 'hands on' fun last night, so you're going to let me have my fun now." Our eyes locked for a moment, and I could tell she saw the look in my eyes, the fact that I was hers to play with, and she grinned triumphantly, leaning in to kiss me hungrily, her tongue pushing past my lips. I returned the kiss with equal need, my lips parting, welcoming her tongue into my mouth, suckling gently on it as my own tongue slides and wrestles with her own. As we kissed, her hand steadily pumped my member, her soft fur sending wave after wave of pleasure through my cock and up my spine. Every so often as her hand reached the head, she would tease it with her fingertips, eliciting a whimper from me. I writhed slightly beneath her touch, moaning into the kiss as I wrap my arm around her, running my hand through her fur. When the kiss finally broke, she grinned at me, studying my face as I moaned and whimpered loudly from the pleasure she was giving me.
"Mmmmm...I do love it when they let me know just how much they enjoy what I'm doing. And you, loverboy, are doing such a good job letting me know..." she smirked, her voice low and sultry, whispering softly into my ear. I could only let out a long groan of pleasure in reply as she began to stroke me faster, squeezing me tenderly at random points. Zuri's efforts were rewarded by a bead of pre forming at the tip, the hyena's deft hand quickly gathering it up and spreading it across my shaft, slickening it up. Her smirk grew as she watched my reaction to her whispers. "Oh, do you like that? Knowing how much I love all of your moans and whimpers? How wet it makes me? Moan for me, loverboy. Moan my name."
My hips bucked, another jet of precum matting the fur on both my crotch and her hand, as I realized she was right. Hearing how much she enjoyed how vocal I was, how aroused it made her, it pushed me to new heights and I almost came then and there as I leaned my head back, moaning out her name aloud as she had asked. She grinned triumphantly, leaning over to kiss the side of my cheek, whispering words of encouragement to me. I squirmed beneath her, my hips thrusting against her hand. I could feel her breasts pressing against me, her leg that was intertwined with mine gently rubbing up and down. Her eyes, azure and piercing, were always watching me, traveling from my face and roaming across my body as she pleasured me, they never left me, drinking in the show she was coaxing out of me.
Suddenly, I felt her free hand moving between us, heading down our sides. I looked over at her, before glancing back down, a question on my lips that quickly turned into a gasp as she began to fondle my balls. She rolled the fuzzy orbs around in her hand, gingerly cupping and squeezing them, bringing me right to the edge of release. "Feels like someone's ready to cum soon. Don't hold back, loverboy, give Zuri what she wants..." she whispered.
That was all it took. My back arched, one hand clutched onto my early morning lover, the other the bedsheets as I felt myself climax, my cock pulsing and twitching in her hand, painting my belly with my seed. Zuri makes a satisfied noise, kissing my face and nuzzling my neck, her fingers still slowly playing over my cock, milking me for every drop. As I finally came down, I collapsed against the bed, utterly spent, panting hard as I looked over at my companion. Zuri smiled warmly at me, finally releasing my now-softening rod and bringing her hand up to her face, studying the mess on it in the soft blue light before licking it off. When she was done cleaning her hand she returned her gaze to me, running her other hand through the fur atop my head. As my breathing returned to its normal pace, I smiled over at her. "Oh, Goddess...that...that was amazing. I don't think I've ever come so hard from a handjob in my life." The hyena giggled softly, leaning down to kiss me tenderly, which I return, cupping her cheeks with my now-free hands.
"You certainly sounded like you were really enjoying it," she said, that confident smirk on her face as we broke the kiss, "And you can call me Zuri. Although, 'Goddess' does have a nice ring to it..." she laughed as she deflected the pillow I tossed at her.
"Heathen," I chuckled, grabbing another pillow and putting it underneath my head, "Besides, I figured you would be more of a 'Mistress' type."
She laughed again, running her fingers over my chest before trailing a single finger over my throat. "You just want to see me in skin tight leather...still...you'd look pretty good with a collar."
I snickered, looking around for a towel to clean off my chest and belly, "As much as I enjoy the notion of seeing you in skin tight leather, I think I'll pass on the collar. Is there a towel on your side of the bed? Want to get this out of my fur before it dries."
As soon as I asked the question, I felt the bed shift and I looked over to see Zuri getting out of bed, stretching as she gave me a great view of her glorious rear. She looked over her shoulder, smirking as she caught me staring.
"No towel. You're coming with me to the shower," she said matter-of-factly. I raised my.eyebrow at her, but got out of bed anyways, reaching over to turn on the normal lights. We both squinted from the sudden increase in brightness before continuing.
"Oh, I am, am I? Which one of us is Captain again?" I smirk at her as I begin padding over to the bathroom. The buxom hyena grins back as she moves to join me, reaching down to playfully swat my rear.
"You may be captain of this ship, but right now I'm captain of your ass and I said shower." I laughed at her response, smirking up at her, eyebrow raised.
"'Captain of my ass?' That's the best you could come up with?"
"Shut up and turn on the water, loverboy."
"Yes, Mistress."
She laughed, swatting my rear and prompting a playful yelp from me. I slide open the door to the shower and press a few commands into the console, the stream of water coming to life after a few seconds. After grabbing a pair of towels and setting them on the sink, I gesture to the waiting shower stall, now beginning to fill with steam.
"Ladies first," I said, smiling. She returns the smile, nodding as she walks by and grabs my hand. I managed to shut the door behind us before she pulls me in close for a kiss, this one soft and tender.
After several seconds of making out, we get to the business of getting each other clean, carefully scrubbing any stains or dried fluids off our bodies as well as exploring every inch of each other. As my fingers gently lathered her fur and massaged the muscles beneath, I quietly marveled at how amazingly lucky I was to be with this beautiful woman. I still couldn't believe she chose me, of all people to sleep with, I kept worrying what the catch was or when I would wake up. I quickly quelled such thoughts, smiling softly to myself as I ran my hands through her fur, helping rinse off the shampoo and conditioner. Now was not the time for second guessing, now was the time to savor the moment. My amazonian guest must have noticed the array of emotions crossing my face, as she tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. I looked up at her, my reverie broken, and she smiled back down. "Credit for your thoughts."
I chuckled and smiled back up at her, shrugging my shoulders. "Still can't believe I'm here. Or rather, that you're here. With me." She grinned and chuckled softly, reaching out to caress my damp cheek.
"My silly badger," she said softly, "I may be a tease, but not so much of a tease as to let you get this far and let this all be a dream." Her wicked grin returns, "Besides, had this been a dream, I would have woken you up before you even got to see me naked."
"Ooh, you dream-tease," I replied, grinning slightly, "But now that I have your personal assurance that you're no dream..." I reached up, giving her breasts a squeeze before I let them roam down her sides and coming to rest on her thighs. The rest of my body followed, my lips trailing kisses on the way down until I found myself kneeling on the floor, gazing at her beautiful fur-covered mound. I took in the sight for a moment before placing a kiss directly on her treasures, causing Zuri to gasp, her hands quickly moving to my head. Encouraged by her actions, I leaned in, my tongue lightly stroking her outer lips, savoring her sweet flavor, even with the water from the shower diluting its taste. She began to squirm from the teasing, her hips writhing back and forth as she whimpered slightly. My tongue continued to trace her folds before slipping between them, seeking out and finding her clit, already swollen with need. I let my tongue drag over it, drawing another loud moan from my sumptuous hyena, and rewarded with more and more of her sweet nectar. I lap it up eagerly, dipping my tongue deeper inside her, probing against the walls of her love tunnel. She cries out, a wordless noise of pleasure, the noise echoing off the metal walls of the shower. She rolls her hips, whimpering and moaning words of encouragement as I continue to eat her out. I can't see what she's doing as I have to keep my eyes shut from the falling droplets of water, but from the sounds I was hearing, there was little doubt that she was enjoying it immensely. And she wasn't the only one. I could feel my cock beginning to throb and swell, the sounds of her arousal getting my hard as steel. She was right about me being a very auditory person when it came to sex, I love to hear how much my partner was enjoying it. Them being turned on was more than enough to get me raring to go all by myself, and with how vocal Zuri was, it didn't take much.
My tongue pulls out of her, Zuri letting out a soft whine of disappointment before I slide two fingers into her, pressing and rubbing against her hot, wet tunnel. "Oh, FUCK!" she cried out, one hand pressing insistently against the back of my head. I grinned to myself before returning my tongue to her nether regions, seeking out and easily finding her clit. I flick it across her love bud rapidly, my lips sucking softly on it, nipping playfully. By this point she was grinding her crotch against my face, her walls clamping and squeezing my fingers, hungrily suckling at them as they massaged her sensitive flesh. I slowly begin to pump my digits in and out of her, earning more moans and cries of joy, urging me on in that accent I find so damn irresistable.
"Nnngh...fuck yes...that's it, right there, oh gods...oh goddess...please...please...I'm so damn close..." I begin to pump faster and faster into her, my lips and tongue playing over her love bud, alternating between sucking on it and flicking my tongue over it rapidly. My face and hand were sodden from a moisture that had nothing to do with the shower, her intoxicating smell driving me wild. After a few more seconds of keeping her on the brink, I finally decide to send her over the edge, my fingers plunging inside of her one last time, pressing down where her g-spot should be. I find it, and she climaxes hard, her hands gripping my head as she shudders and lets out a wail of ecstasy that echoes in the small space. Her walls clamp down against my fingers, her juices gushing as I attempt to lap it all up, trying to make her orgasm last as long as it can. After several long seconds, she shuddered one last time, pushing my head away from her crotch. I gently withdrew my fingers and stood on shaky legs, smiling at Zuri, who was leaning against the shower wall, still lightly groping a breast, her eyes half-lidded as she basked in the afterglow. I leaned down, taking her other nipple into my mouth and suckling on it lightly, letting it go when she gasps softly, half-heartedly batting me away. As I straighten back up, she places her hand on the back of my head and pulls me in for a long, slow kiss, our tongues languidly sliding and rubbing against each other. When we finally break, she sighs contentedly.
"Mmmm-mm-mm....I have to say, loverboy, you are amazing at that. I don't think I've come that hard in years...although you're a bit of a mess again. Might want to rinse off a bit..." she smirks. I look at her quizzically until I realize the fur on my face, hand, and arm are all matted from her nectar. I shrug and grin sheepishly. "What can I say? I love what I do. Also need to take care of this," I gesture down at my still hard cock. "I don't think we've got time for a round three, not if we want to grab breakfast and prepare for your crew to get here." Zuri merely grinned wickedly in reply, pushing off the shower wall and walking out, hitting something on the controls as she passed them.
"Don't worry, I'll see that's taken care of here shortly..." she said before she shut the door behind her. I stood there for a moment, perplexed by her choice of words until the water temperature suddenly dropped. A quick glance confirms what I already knew-she turned the water to ice cold! They say no one can hear you scream in the void of space, but I'm pretty damn sure half of Pendleton heard my incoherent shrieking, along with Zuri's cackling laugh.
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After I thawed out, dried out, and slipped into a new pair of coveralls, and Zuri had done the same, although she went with her t-shirt and bdu combination instead of coveralls(and I honestly wasn't sure they made coveralls that would comfortably fit her in the chest...), we headed down to the galley to grab a bite to eat.
"So, what do you want for breakfast?" I asked, gesturing to the fridge and pantry, "I've got eggs, bacon, sausage, stuff for biscuits and/or pancakes, some fresh fruit from Terra Nova, and cereal."
Zuri raised her eyebrows, a surprised and appreciative look on her face. "That's quite the spread. Now I see where you got this from," she reached down to poke me teasingly in the belly. I batted her hand away, shooting her a disapproving look. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly in shape. Just carry a little extra around the middle for emergencies is all, like most badgers," I said in a mildly defensive manner. She laughed softly and shook her head, "You are too cute when flustered, loverboy. But why do you have so much food in here?"
"Well, you." When she turned to look at me, eyebrow cocked, I explained a bit further. "Not you you, well, I mean, you, too, but for all of you. You and your team. Some people don't bring food on board, some do but don't necessarily enjoy ration meal bars day in and day out, so I keep things stocked for passengers. And for myself a bit. I do live here, after all."
"So does that mean you'll be making breakfast for all of us, then?" She asked, a playful tone in her voice. I chuckled and shook my head as I pulled out a few pans and lit the burners on the oven. "Just you, Zuri. I don't think I have the time, energy, or patience to be a short order cook for five people and keep this ship flying. The kitchen's always open, within reason of course, as long as everyone keeps everything clean. This place starts getting dirty, I have some of those delightful and sanitary ration bars I mentioned earlier." Zuri made a rather disgusted face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they clean up after themselves. I hate ration bars, no way am I going back to those again if I've got alternatives." I nod, "So, what'll it be for breakfast, beautiful?"
She grins at me, making a show of thinking it over before answering. "How about a couple of fried eggs, bacon, and some toast?" I smiled and put a couple of pans on the stove while I grabbed the ingredients out of the fridge. As I was grabbing everything, I looked over my shoulder, grinning at her.
"Okay, last night, we talked about my family, now it's your turn to talk about your family. Any immediate family?"
"Yes. I have my mother, and two sisters, Akachi and Deka, both older than me." Even though I couldn't see her, I was still able to clearly hear the smile in her voice. I begin to lay down the rashers of bacon into the large pan, sizzling immediately and filling the galley with a savory, salty aroma. "Sounds like you're quite fond of them," I called over my shoulder as I dropped a pad of butter into the other pan, letting it melt down as I grab the eggs. "Do they do this sort of work for a living?"
"No, they work in the corporate sector, in the starship building field." I nodded as I cracked an egg, dropping it into the pan. I broke the yolk with a portion of the shell before repeating the process with the second egg. As they began to sizzle and fry in the butter, I grabbed the salt and pepper before returning my attention to the bacon. "Ahhh, I see. You had a bit of a wistful look at the sensors and communications station last night. I was wondering what that was about. I take it you haven't seen them in a while?"
"About a year now, yeah. We've all been pretty busy with work and we just haven't had time to get together. Which is a shame, really, because I don't know when I'll be able to get back, what with this new batch of bounties." I could hear the sadness in her voice and I turn around to look at her. She was looking down at the countertop, a slight frown on her face and her eyes were focused on something far away. I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure you'll be together soon. And while I'm sure we're going to be busy, is there any time between bounties for you to take a day off and go pay them a visit?" She looked up at me, thinking about it for a minute before shrugging.
"Well, I suppose I could, but I'm not sure how I could get there..." she said, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought it out. I smiled and gestured around me. "Well, don't tell, anyone, but I do happen to own a spaceship..." She looked up at me, surprised. "You'd do that? For me? What if you're gone after one run?"
"I guess your confident nature has rubbed off on my somehow," I quipped as I turned back around to the stovetop, flipping the eggs and grabbing two more for my own breakfast. As I cracked the eggs into a bowl and began stirring them, I continued talking. "But if this is the only run we do together, you've got my number. Gimme a call, and I'll swing by, pick you up, take you home, and drop you back off when you're ready." As I added a dash of milk to my scrambled egg mixture, I heard her get up from the counter and walk around it. The next thing I know, I feel her strong arms wrap around me, her breasts pressing against the back of my head like the galaxy's most glorious pillows.
"Thank you, Denryk! You have no idea what it means to me to know I'll be able to see them again without clearing out this batch of scum first." I laughed, reaching back, to try and hug her as best I can with my arms pinned to my side. "Probably, true, but I'm getting an idea." She lets me go, kissing the top of my head, but she decided to stay by my side and watch me cook instead of sitting back down. Now that my arms were free, I grab the spatula and pull her eggs off of the pan, setting them on a nearby plate and turn off the burner for the pan of now-finished bacon. Another pad of butter went into the egg pan, followed quickly by my scrambled eggs, now with a dash of milk stirred in to make them extra fluffy and I grabbed a paper towel to help soak up the excess bacon grease as I pulled them off the pan to cool a bit. Four slices of pumpernickel go into the toaster and I get to work on folding the scrambled eggs.
"So does your family approve of your choice of profession?" I ask as I put the finishing touches on my eggs, sliding them off the pan and onto a plate. I grabbed the toast when it pops out, placing two slices on Zuri's plate. She grabbed the butter and knife, buttering her toast as she answered me. "They do a bit. I don't think anyone's ever going to be happy with a choice like this, but they support me. I think Mum's the one who likes it the least. She wanted me to go into the family business with Deka and Akachi, and I was going to. Went to college, business major, all that bollocks, but...it was just, well, boring. I wanted to do something while I was young, you know? Something other than just sit around and crunch numbers. I might go back, get my Masters and enter the business world when I'm older, but right now, I wouldn't want to do anything else."
"I know what you mean. I could have taken a number of safe, steady jobs after I resigned. Commercial flights, tours, flight instructor. But I didn't want to, I wanted to do what I always wanted-fly. No regulations, no restrictions, just me, my ship, and an open sky. Yeah, it's a little rough, but that's one of the things that makes this life so damn interesting. Coffee or tea?"
"Tea, please. Two sugars, light cream," I nodded and put the kettle on, grabbing two mugs off the rack. "How does your mom feel about you choosing this line of work?" Zuri asked, that smirk back in place. I shrugged, "About the same, she's not entirely happy, but she still supports me in my decision. Not like I was going into the family business anyway."
"And what is the family business, if you don't mind me asking?" As the kettle began to whistle, I pull it off the heat and pour the tea, adding the cream and sugar. I handed the Zuri her mug before grabbing my mug and plate, taking it over to the counter and sitting down, my hyena companion taking the seat across from me.
"Mom runs a bakery back on Terra Nova, just south of Jannesport. Used to run it with Dad, but after he passed, she couldn't run it by herself so we hired on an assistant to help. Sheep by the name of Cullen, good kid. They both taught me about cooking, and I enjoy it, but it's not what my passion is in life. It's not what I want to do." Zuri smiled at me, taking another bite of her eggs. "Well, you certainly picked up a few skills from them, it's almost a shame you didn't put them to good use."
"Serving you this fine meal isn't putting my talents to good use?" I smirked. She shook her head, chuckling. "Somehow I don't think making me fried eggs, bacon and toast is the full extent of your abilities. Guess one day I'll see if I can convince you to really put on a show for me..." She grinned. I laughed, "In the bedroom or in the kitchen?"
"Why not both? Although your singing in the shower wasn't quite what I expected of you," she replied. I tried to frown, but the corners of my mouth refused to cooperate, resulting in me making what was likely a very silly face that did little to help my argument. "Yeah, I'm usually not at my best when I'm being pelted with freezing cold water. And by the way, I'm going to have my revenge on you for that. I don't know when, or even how, but one day...revenge!" I shake my fist, my silly expression still across my face. She throws her head back and laughs. "Alright, alright, you're on, loverboy. Do your worst."
As the meal went on, we continued to talk about family, our past, and what got us into our careers. Before too long, the food was gone and it was time for me to meet the rest of her crew and for this little adventure to finally get underway....