STORY EXCERPT

Damon shared a few drinks and a lot of laughs with his sergeant and corporals at The Imperial Café. At only thirty-one, Damon had gotten hooked on the music played at the nightclub. One of the few people on Boone who knew anything about the songs, he had a certain pride about the fact. There was no music less than four thousand years old, and most was far older. He recognized the song playing now as Light My Fire by The Doors.

Sergeant Williams asked Damon when they might have a chance to do more than baby-sit a few prisoners. "I don't know, Gabe. That's up to..." Damon's mouth remained open as his voice faded away. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen had walked into the Café and gone to the bar.

Between the advances in medical care and transplant technology, human life spans approached four hundred years, and people in their three hundreds looked like they were forty. The woman might be any age between twenty and three hundred. It didn't matter. She was tall and slender, her shape full of soft, feminine curves. Her waist-length hair was a soft honey blonde, looking like the smooth, creamy head on the glass of Irish cream ale in front of him. She wore a very tight and short white skirt and a matching top tied around her chest, her flat stomach exposed. Her eyes were nothing less than amazing. Even in the semidarkness of the club, he could see them, like emeralds, throwing green fire around the room as she sipped her drink and watched the crowd.

Damon didn't know her and didn't recall ever seeing her before. He would have remembered her.

Gabe nudged him. "Are you OK?"

Corporal Emily Harden laughed. "He's been struck blind, deaf, and dumb!"

"No, but I have to meet that woman." Damon tossed off the rest of his beer. "With any luck, I won't be back."

* * * *

Allie leaned casually on the bar sipping her vodka on the rocks. Most of the people in the Café were civilians and the few military there were Marines. She saw a man stand up from a table and walk her way. He wore the casual uniform of a Marine officer and was good looking. A big, well-built man, his head well above the others, he had the typical short hair of a Marine. In the darkness, Allie couldn't tell his eye or hair color clearly until he stood in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Damon."

She took the offered hand. She managed not to jump at the electrical tingle that raced up her arm and through her body. "I'm Allie." His eyes were a pale blue and the short hair was blond.

His warm hand gently squeezed hers. "Allie, good to meet you." He laughed easily. "This is about the oldest line in the book, but it's all I can come up with. May I buy you a drink?"

"On one condition. You tell me why that's the best line you can come up with."

He flagged the bartender for more drinks. "That's a deal, but the answer will sound like another line. Since you walked in the room, I haven't been able to think straight."

"You're right, it does sound like another line, but I'll take the drink anyway."

"Thanks, Allie." The drinks came, and Damon swiped his credit card. "Would you like to find a table and sit down?"

"Sure." She led the way to a table on the far side of the dance floor. Damon held her chair as she sat down. She didn't think he'd seen the guards as they kept a discreet distance but always in sight.

"So, Allie, tell me your life story."

She laughed. "We really don't have time for that, I'm afraid." She watched him and thought he looked like the guy who should be on the Marine recruiting posters all over the Empire. His face was all angles and sharp, with a look of firm authority and devotion to duty and honor about him. When he walked, he held his back straight, his shoulders square, and his steps measured and even. Allie laughed to herself. Despite the tired, old pickup lines, she found herself incredibly attracted to him.

"I don't know. I've got plenty of time."

"So, why don't you tell me your life story?"

"I can do that. I'm Damon Hyde. I guess you can see I'm a Second Lieutenant. I'm thirty-one. I've been on Boone for four years now. I was born on New Moscow and stationed there since I enlisted at seventeen. My mom is Betty, and my dad is Ralph, and I'm the middle of three kids. I've never been married, and I have no children. I like watching and playing baseball, working out, and my favorite color is green. My favorite food is Italian, and I like beer." He pulled a pen and piece of paper from his shirt pocket and wrote quickly. "Here's my service number, my intercom number, birthday, and shoe size if you need any of them."

Allie laughed. "Well, you have a short life story." She looked at the slip of paper he'd given her. "I'll hang on to this."

"Other than a few details that would bore us both to tears, that's it." He smiled at her. "See, it doesn't take long."

"I guess not."

"Don't take this wrong, but your eyes are fascinating."

She'd been watching him. Like her mother, Allie had large breasts, but she hadn't seen Damon look at them more than briefly. He spent most of the time focusing on her eyes. She found it remarkably sensitive and attractive. "Is there a wrong way to take that?"

"I don't know." His face went to a funny, soft expression. "I've never seen eyes that color before."

"Thank you." He had no idea who she was. She considered telling him, but she didn't want to scare him off.

"Don't thank me for being pretty, Allie. God made you pretty, not me."

She smiled at him. "You're smooth, I'll give you that."

He looked down for a moment. When he looked back into her eyes, Allie saw a slight blush touching his face. "I'm really not trying to be smooth. I'm just trying to talk and not babble like an idiot."

"That wasn't very fair of me. I'm sorry."

"That's all right. I guess you get a lot of lines from smooth talkers."

"I've had my share."

A song Allie didn't know came on, and she wondered what it was. Her question must have shown because Damon smiled. "This song is called Diary. A band called Bread is the artist."

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "I just like the music that they play here. I sometimes wonder what Mr. Dayton had on his mind when he set the Café up this way."

"You should ask him."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen!"

"You never know, Damon."

He smiled for a moment. "Would you like to dance?"

"Yes, I would." He held her chair and then her hand as they went to the dance floor.

After a moment's hesitation, he slipped his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck, and they moved to the slow music. "You're a much better dancer than I am."

Allie's breath was short, but she hoped she managed to hide the fact. "Maybe, but the last I heard, they didn't teach dancing in Marine training." The electric tingles faded to be replaced by major shocks as their bodies touched.

"No, they don't. What do you do to pay the rent, Allie? You don't act like you're military."

“No, I'm not. Technically, I'm a historian, but I do a little teaching at the high school, college, and even a little to the recruits and midshipmen." It was true, but she decided to leave out the princess part. She was afraid to look, but she knew the tingles had her nipples hard, and she hoped they weren't poking his hard chest.

The song ended, and they made their way back to the table. "A historian. That sounds interesting, but I'm just a grunt."

She laughed. "The history of the Marines goes back a long time and is pretty interesting. They were established in 1775 AD, almost five thousand years ago, and are the oldest continuously operating branch of the military."

"There must be a lot of things other than military history to talk about with the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

"Smooth."

"Maybe. You owe me your life history, Allie."

She thought for a moment. "Tell you what, let's go for a walk, and I'll tell you all about it."

"That's a deal."

* * * *

The bistro was busy today, and tables were scarce. She found a table and ordered. As she waited for her lunch, a young fleet officer approached her. "Excuse me, miss, but things seem to be a little crowded today. I was wondering if you'd mind a little company for lunch."

She looked at him for a moment. He was nothing if not forward. She liked that. "Sure, have a seat."

"Thanks." He extended his hand to her. "I'm Harry Douglas."

"Good to meet you, Harry. I'm Allie." His grip was firm in her hand.

He sat down and smiled slyly. "Should I call you Allie or Princess Allison?"

Allie watched him for a moment. He wore the uniform of a Fleet Lieutenant JG, but his black hair was way too long, and he had a beard. His brown eyes sparkled at her as if he had some secret he wasn't telling. A chill ran through her as she looked into his lively, sparkling eyes. "I guess I can't convince you I'm not the Princess."

"Not a chance." He gave his order to the server. "I am curious why the Princess is slumming it here with the commoners."

She had to laugh at his easy banter. "We do that, you know." Allie decided that if he could be brazen, so could she. "I'm curious how a fleet officer can have hair that long and a beard."

"Fair question. My CO thinks I'm crazy and a genius."

"Are you either or both?"

He waved his hand. "I suspect I'm smarter than some, and I know I'm crazier than some."

"So they just leave you alone then?"

"That's right." He smiled at her, his eyes flicking to her breasts and back to her eyes quickly. "I like them being just a little afraid of me."

Like the rest of the royal family, Allie had a neural implant that allowed her to communicate with the ship's computers directly, as well as with anyone else with an implant. She called up the personnel file on Harry and reviewed it in her head. "Well, long-haired Harry, what is it you do for my father?"

"That's an interesting way to describe my position. I solve puzzles, and I see you're trying to solve one right now." He grinned a little. "Your implant link will tell you that I work in Intelligence as a cryptography specialist. Your facial expression gave you away."

"Well, I guess a girl can't have any secrets around you." There was something about his easy conversation and his confidence that Allie found attractive. When he smiled, his whole face smiled, not just his lips. His eyes twinkled, and she still had the feeling that Harry had some secret he wasn't sharing. The air of mystery was intoxicating.

"Oh, a few." Their lunches came. He glanced at her salad. "Rabbit food."

He had some huge slab of fried meat with fried potatoes. "Maybe, but it won't kill me nearly as fast as that will." She pointed her fork at his plate.

"Oh, that doesn't matter, Allie. We'll probably all die in the war long before diet can kill us."

"You're just a bundle of joy, aren't you?" Her scan of his file said that he was a genius, but a little strange sometimes. Having grown up around Tanya and her sister, Claire, Allie understood that the two often went hand-in-hand.

"Maybe." He wolfed down his meal. "I'm nothing if not entertaining."

She laughed and almost choked on her salad. "I'll certainly grant you that." He was more than entertaining. He was fascinating. She pointed at his plate again. "What is that?"

"This, my Princess, is a hamburger steak, so rare that the chef only showed it a picture of a match." He cut off a small piece and held it out to her on his fork. "Here, try it."

Allie stared for a moment. She rarely ate red meat, but his open and forward manner made her take the morsel he offered. "Hey, that's pretty good."

"You bet it is." He finished the rest in two more bites. "You never told me what you're doing here, so I guess you're not going to. Want to go for a walk after lunch?"

She felt like she'd missed something. "What?"

"I'm going for a walk down around the lake. I thought you might like to come along." He frowned. "I guess I should have asked if you're engaged or something."

"Um, well, no. I'm not engaged or anything like that."

He glanced toward the door of the restaurant. "Your two sidekicks would be welcome. I'm just looking for someone to have a little intelligent conversation with."

"Harry, are you always this direct?"

"Direct? I don't know. I spend all day looking for hidden meanings, and I see no point in hiding the meaning of what I say."

Allie smiled slowly. "All right. You've got a date."

"Oh, no! I'm not looking for a date! Just a little company for a walk around the lake."

ADULT EXCERPT

Allie didn't hear Harry move, but she found herself sandwiched between him and Damon. Harry whispered in her ear. "Is this OK?"

"Yeah, but a little unexpected."

Damon touched his lips briefly to hers, and Allie jerked from the quivers it sent through her. "Sorry."

She smiled softly. "Don't be. You always have that effect on me."

"What about me?" When she turned her head to look at him, Harry kissed her. Her mind melted into a fog of desire.

"Oh, yeah." As the three danced together, Allie turned to face first one, and then the other. As she moved face to face with one of them, she would kiss him while the other man nuzzled her head and neck from behind.

The things Harry said made more sense with each passing minute. Allie knew it could just be her rising passions, but her mind understood the logic of it all. Without the solution the men laid out, at least one of them would be hurt, the way she hurt Harry not so long ago.

Allie's pulse raced. She had never been with two other people at the same time, and intense excitement built in her. The four firm hands running over her body, caressing her through her clothes, stirred her passions to levels she never knew existed.

Before leaving for the Café, Harry trimmed his beard. He always used some old aftershave with a spicy aroma, and she could taste it on her lips as she kissed and licked his face. Allie often teased Harry about the old brand, but it tasted so delicious, she wanted him to bathe in the stuff now.

She turned to face Damon, and his lips pressed to hers, his tongue moving deeply in her mouth, tickling her cheeks and gums. He had gotten a shave and a haircut. His hair was back to his normal crew cut. She ran her hands over his head, the stubble of his blonde hair feeling rough and soft at the same time. The barber used one of the more modern colognes on Damon. The taste wasn't as intense as Harry's, but the aroma held traces of pheromones that spoke directly to Allie's pleasure centers with promises of passion.

As Harry rubbed against her back, his cock pressed firmly against her ass. His hands slipped around her hips, and he unzipped her pants. He worked them, and soon the pants and her panties rested in a heap around her ankles.

As Harry manipulated Allie's pants, Damon's hands slowly unbuttoned her blouse. Harry slipped it back from her shoulders, tossing it to the armchair. She stood naked, sandwiched between the men she knew she loved.

Damon moved to lift her, but Harry put his hand on Damon's arm. "Let me. You're still weak." Harry lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He sat her softly on the bed.

Allie heard only the drumming of her heart in her ears. Sweat poured from her skin, and goose bumps raced across her flesh. She tried to slow her breathing, in through her nose and out through her mouth, as the men undressed by the bedside. They stood side by side, their shoulders almost touching.

Different men with different professions, Harry and Damon's bodies appeared equally different. Even having lost a fifth of his mass, Damon's shoulders were broad and strong. Hard and resilient, the muscles of his abdomen would make a good anvil. His chest rippled, pectorals flexing delightfully, as he removed his shirt.

Harry had few of the big, bulging muscles, but the strength still showed. When he stretched, Allie saw the lean sinews turn to steel bands as they flexed.

She had seen both men nude before, but this was very different. The two together made her stare. As they stood beside the bed, Allie saw that, while different, they both were delicious, and her mouth watered. As a pair, the sight nearly overwhelmed her. The familiar electric jolts went through her when with one of them became stronger than the pulses of energy Boone could throw at its targets. The energy hit her repeatedly, pushing her passions and senses ever higher.

They crawled onto the bed with her, Harry to her right and Damon to her left. The hot masculine flesh pressing against her body made her shiver with anticipation. Damon's smooth face moved to rub against her shoulder and neck, the touch driving her wild. Harry's soft beard tickled her cheek, then slipped down to stroke her neck, causing her to squirm in response.

Allie wanted to speak. Something in her mind told her she should say something to them. Speak, perhaps, of lust, desire, passion, and love. Her breath came too short to allow her to do more than softly moan. Her heart told her that she needed to say nothing to the men. They knew she loved and wanted them.

Her senses in high gear, Allie could smell the two men, far beyond the simple artificial fragrances they wore. Each man's unique and enchanting scent caused her head to reel. She could sense Harry's calm confidence, somehow, in the salty smell of his perspiration. Damon's musky aroma spoke to her of devotion and honor. Revved up by her senses and passions, Allie's mind couldn't put the pieces together, but it didn't matter.

The men kissed her. First one, and then the other pressed his lips to hers.

When Harry kissed her, his beard tickled her lips and face a little. His soft hair fell against her cheek, and it moved softly as his mouth ranged over her face. The delightful taste of his spicy cologne made her mouth water nearly as much the sweet flavor if his saliva as his tongue darted about in her move with urgent force.

As Damon replaced Harry's lips with his, she sensed the light pheromones he wore beating against the pleasure centers of her brain. The hint of pheromones only accentuated his scent. Even after his ordeal, the musky aroma of the big man flamed in her nose, driving her passions higher.

Harry's lips again met hers, and he moaned softly as she sucked his tongue. His lips smacked quietly as he kissed her.

When Harry pulled away, she lunged after him, but Damon's lips intercepted hers. His tongue moved slowly in her mouth, probing and touching her in every possible place. His saliva ran freely into her mouth, and the sweet passions of want followed his flavor.

Two strong hands moved over her breasts, gently squeezing and caressing them. The fingers would softly roll and pinch her nipples, causing her to moan and writhe. Harry's lips slipped around her hard right nipple, sucking gently as Damon's mouth moved to her left where he tenderly nibbled at the stiffness their touch created.

The hands moved across her stomach slowly to stroke her thighs. Allie parted her legs, and the hands moved again to rub teasingly over her mons, the fingers tugging gently at the small patch of blonde hair there. Her mind running wild, Allie wasn't sure whose hand moved first, but fingers slipped into her pussy, probing her gently, as the two sets of lips continued to tease her nipples.

Her hands moved over the heads of her lovers. The right hand slipped through long black hair, the strands wrapping around her fingers, and then sliding free again. The left hand ran over short blonde hair, the stubble flicking tantalizingly between her fingers.

She gasped when the lips pulled from her breasts, and the men kissed down her stomach and sides. Each man moved to straddle her legs, Harry still on the right, and they spread her legs wider. They kissed her thighs, licking slowly to where their fingers still plunged into her. Damon licked her clit, a flickering pass of his wet tongue, and Allie jumped with the shocking wave of pleasure. Harry repeated the move, and she jerked again.

The men took turns licking her clit, and then removed their probing fingers from her cunt. Their tongues darted deep into her soaked pussy, and Allie's orgasm closed on her. Her back arched on the bed, and she shook uncontrollably.

Harry and Damon moved slightly, and both of them licked her at the same time. Suddenly, a billion suns seemed to explode in her head, the blinding flash causing her to scream with the passion of her climax. Her body thrashed as they continued to tongue her pussy. Allie pulled their heads tighter to her, her fingers twisted in Harry's long hair and grappling for a grip in Damon's short hair.

She collapsed back onto the bed, her chest pounding as sweat poured from her body. She twitched and jerked as her men crawled back up the bed to lie next to her, cuddling her close on both sides. Allie again wanted to speak, but her panting allowed her only to smile at them.

Neither man spoke, but only held her tightly as her shaking faded to tremors, then subsided. She kissed Harry, and then turned to kiss Damon. Looking from one man to the other, Allie smiled at them. "I love you. Both of you."