Just a Day's Ride From Here

[Tmoxin Temi]

With her back now straight against the wall, her hips and legs resting easily in the crook of his arms, Carten gave Tmoxin another heated kiss. The way they were sneaking around her own ranch, making out in the elevators and stripping off clothing items, made her feel as though they were back at an Imperial garrison, hiding an illicit affair, so neither of them would get a disciplinary warning. The warmth and passion of the pilot’s lips combined with the two glasses of wine she’d already had gave her a heady thrill. Tmoxin had surrendered to her passion, and he would see a very different side of his boss from here on out.

“My bedroom is that way,” she said with a toss of her red-hair towards one of the backrooms on the third-floor. When they reached the room, Carten would see a modern, well-furnished room with a huge bed and a pile of plush cushions and pillows. Her hands which had been clasped around his back, moved to the front and began to unbutton his shirt. At that point, she expected him to just toss her on the bed and take her, but Tmoxin was ready for anything unexpected as well.

[member="Carten Flaa"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Carten carried [member="Tmoxin Temi"] back to her room where he did toss her on the bed. His shirt was coming off, and he let go before crawling onto the bed, his boots being kicked off as he did. Tmoxin was gorgeous, and he couldn't believe he was about to be with someone as pretty as her. Carten had a couple of reasons for his thoughts. First he was still very attached to how beautiful his wife had been, and never thought he'd be able to find someone to match, or rival, it. The second was his jagged scar. Flaa saw it in the mirror every morning when he woke up, and it had always haunted him, as if he was not good looking of a man he was once been because of it.

His lips found hers again, as he lay beside her. Carten nibbled on her ear as he whispered into it how beautiful he found her to be. At this rate they would be late for the meal because Carten didn't see himself putting the breaks on at this point. They rushed to remove their clothes and embrace the passion which had been selling up between them. They had been dancing around this for sometime, but now they making it what it was. They drank deep of each other as only lovers could, and soon found themselves wrapped up in tossed sheets.

Carten held her warm body close to his as he caressed her back. His mind was replaying everything while his eyes were still closed. It was odd. He'd needed to move on from his past for some time, but now that he had, he did not feel as guilty as he thought he would. He smiled as he finally opened his eyes and looked to the Hapan.

"This is going to be quite the week..."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin barely noticed the scar on the pilot's forehead. Being in a military environment most of her life, she was used to the grizzled, sun-wrinkled faces of Generals. Or the pasty visages of Admirals who spent their entire life inside a lumbering stardestroyer. Carten was very handsome, and the scar did nothing to detract from this in her opinion.

With her lips, hands and her body, she opened herself up to the pilot, baring her soul in their lovemaking. While Tmoxin had shared quite a few bedrooms in her lifetime, this encounter felt different. She had no idea whether this assumption was true or not, but she figured that Carten had not been with many women since his wife and daughter were murdered. Perhaps she was the first; his attention to her was that immediate. As she lay with him, languorous in the after-glow, wrapped in expensive sheets and each other's bodies, he stroked her back, and she closed her eyes. She had used the Force during lovemaking before, but he would barely even know she was a Dark Jedi. Tmoxin didn't feel the need to subject him to that side of her unless he absolutely needed to see it.

After he spoke, she turned to face him and gave him another kiss, caressing his rugged cheek with her soft, manicured hand. "We don't even need to leave the ranch if you prefer. But I fear you'll get tired of my company, so I have a couple nights out for us planned. But you have a free pass out of both of them if you aren't in the mood."

The Hapan wasn't big on going out herself. When she worked for the Red Ravens she spent far too many late evenings in bars, clubs, casinos, and whether it was on the job or not, she had burned out on the nightlife scene. Tmoxin liked to dine out, catch a holomovie, or occasionally attend an art show or charity function, but that was the extent of her desire to be seen in public these days.

[member="Carten Flaa"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

As he lay there, Carten mused about how much he enjoyed being with Tmoxin. She had ensured the pairing was mutually enjoyable, but it was more than that. Tmoxin had opened herself to him, respecting how vulnerable he had been. Carten was no stranger to women, and there had been times he'd woken with a strange woman in his bed after a night of heavy drinking at a bar. He wished he could say Tmoxin had been his first since he had been widowed, but that was not the case. Still, this was the first time he'd let a woman close to him since then.

"Well I'm not sure I would get tired of being with you all week, but seeing the sights is good too? We can do whatever you want, stay, go, I'm pretty easy."

Carten's stomach growled. All the activity had made him hungry, and with his frame, he required more calories than Tmoxin. Maybe they could get dinner in bed, but what would her staff think about the situation. All Carten knew was now that they were together in bed, he didn't want to leave. Then again, leaving meant they could come back for more.

"So what's for dinner?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin enjoyed Carten's laid back attitude over the week-long vacation. He had no preconceived notions of what they should be doing during the week, which was good. Neither of them would relax if they were overscheduled into activities. Tmoxin reluctantly rose from the bed and dressed in a short, black silk robe.

“We’ll get a bite to eat downstairs. No one cares if we dress for dinner or not. I’m the lady of the house at all. At some point, the riding school conducts classes but that’s on the lower floor. We won’t even hear or see the students or teachers if we don’t want to.”

Basically the pilot would find that her servants, mostly Bothans, were trained to float around Tmoxin as though she wasn’t really there. She wasn’t a demanding mistress – her orders were easy and clear. But she was liberal in firing anyone who didn’t do exactly as she instructed.

She walked over to the bed and coaxed Carten out of the bed.

“The chef has prepared some of the freshest game and fish from Bothawui. We’ll eat and then talk a little.” She had questions for him, mostly out of curiosity, but given his history and the tragedy, she was prepared to go slow. Her hunger had finally won over as well. But once they ate, they could drink or dive back into the bed to their heart’s content.

[member="Carten Flaa"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

The temptation to pull Tmoxin right back into the bed was strong, but his empty stomach was stronger in its suggestion he fill it. There would be more time in the week, and the coming evening for the two to have more adventures of the intimate kind. They both had questions for each other. If this was going to go beyond a simple rendezvous then they had to talk about it all at somepoint. Dinner was likely the best opportunity for that. He had no robe, so Carten picked up his jeans and put them on. If her servants didn't care, then Carten didn't, plain and simple. Though the military mind in him made him grab his dog tags, which also had the wedding set he and his wife had purchased for each other, and a tshirt.

"Well you had me at game and fish. Though, if we eat it tomorrow, we fish for it ourselves. There is nothing like eating it caught fresh from the source."

Carten was still glowing from the past activity. The servants who saw them knew what had happened. Who walked around in nothing but a silk robe? It was fun, but he knew the eyes would be starring at them despite what everyone was instructed.

When they made it to the dining room, Carten pulled a chair out for Tmoxin. He smiled and he slid it in for her and kissed her on the cheek. The pilot was smitten, and while he'd had other encounters since his wife's passing, none had been like what just happened just then. None of the others had known Carten's secret. He'd been vulnerable with Tmoxin, and she had welcomed it. The story could have scared her off, but it didn't.

"So... I'm certain my story has questions rolling in that head of yours. Ask away."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

“I’ve never been fishing,” Tmoxin said, a little embarrassed to admit it. “Obviously I’ve trained a lot in the wilderness during my military career, but riding Keffis is about as outdoorsy as I get. Still I look forward to new experiences.”

The third floor of her home had its own kitchen (as did the second floor which was mostly for guests and the first floor which accommodated the riding school), so taking Carten’s hand, she led the way there. The Bothans didn’t blink an eye at the two, and as though they weren’t even there at all, the furry aliens maneuvered back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room table with dinner for the guest and the lady of the house. As the pilot pulled out her chair for her in perfect gentleman fashion, Tmoxin made no moves to really conceal herself much in the silk dressing gown. She was not modest around the servants, nor the pilot. She knew the Bothans wouldn’t stare, but if Lt. Flaa got a good look of her pale, freckled skin as the folds of the robe barely covered her… well, that was the idea, now wasn’t it? The Hapan executive enjoyed being alluring around her new companion. And vice versa, she was just as infatuated with him, even more so that he was just clad in jeans.

But once Tmoxin sat, she belted her gown a little tighter so they could both eat without distraction. “The meat is from a creature native to Bothawui called the Ganjuko. The fish is trout grilled with lemon. And my chef has whipped up some nice side dishes if you need more than that.”

The Hapan poured herself a large glass of wine. Although she noticed nothing amiss with Carten’s drinking habits, she was a big fan of alcohol herself. With a rather high tolerance, she indulged quite frequently. As she more or less pushed the food around on her plate, eating very little, the red-haired Dark Jedi said, “Tell me about your life after your family was murdered. What did you do with yourself? How did you cope?” The look on her face was apologetic, but he had opened the door and she was very curious.

[member="Carten Flaa"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

She wasn't an outdoorsey girl. That was going to have to change if she was going to keep Carten around. He liked the nice things in life, but he was also a man's man, or had become one in his time as a bounty hunter. He wanted the special someone in his life to be able to enjoy those things as well, and knowing Tmoxin's background as a commander, he was certain it would not be a hard task to get her into the camping adventures more. In fact, he might as well suggest they go camping.

"That's it then, we're going camping this week, just one overnight, and we eat what we catch or kill. I'm certain you have enough property to make that happen. I promise to make it worth your while..." he trailed off as he put a piece of the meat in his mouth.

The food was delicious, and like most men, once he started eating he was not much of a conversationalist. He picked his plate clean, and looked across at his partner who had only really shuffled things around. He needed to answer her question, so Carten put his utensils down and slid his plate to the side.

"Not much to tell really. I chased people as a bounty hunter. The more they ran the more fun I had. To stop the pain I drank, a lot. That led to all sorts of things. I woke up in strange places sometimes, and on occasion some woman whose name I could not remember. The story is not glamorous, Tmoxin. You wouldn't like that Carten."

He reached for his wine glass and took a sip of the earthy drink. His eyes shifted away. Carten didn't care for that version of himself.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin smiled at the thought of camping with the handsome pilot. She wasn't used to roughing it however, and her mind began a running list of what they would need out there in the Bothawui foothills. Bug spray, inflatable bed, portable refresher, oversized sleeping bag. But she also mused upon how romantic it would be. She would bring a bottle of wine, and they could curl up together by a fire and gaze upon the stars. Yes, perhaps it wouldn't be so rough after all.

She took advantage of Carten's healthy appetite to eat from her own plate. Just a little or that alcohol will go right to your head in the morning, she warned herself. But when he began speaking again, she was so focused on his words, she stopped chewing. Finally, Tmoxin placed her fork down gingerly on the table and folded her napkin down.

"Carten, I have been around men like you my entire military career. Men who work hard and play hard... drink hard," she said with clear empathy in her voice. "That version of you is just someone who is self medicating an enormous loss. But look at you now. You have a good post in the First Order. The man I see before me has a bright future." What more was there to say? The Hapan wasn't going to pile it on any thicker. His grief was his to own to work through in his own time. And that would take time - she was well aware.

"You will get no judgement from me," she said, signaling to the Bothan servant to remove her plate. She rose, walked behind Carten and slipped her arms around him, kissing him affectionately on the top of his head. The fact that she was bedding her pilot escort was, in a sense, freeing for Tmoxin. She had spent the last decade being courted by powerful men, and those men she would judge quite often. How large is their bank account? What type of holdings do they own? Are they descended from royalty? What type of political connections do they have? But with Lt. Flaa, she felt that what they had between them was the purest connection between two adults. Pleasure, love, warmth, companionship. That's all it was for now. If it moved further, that may change. But at the present time, in her cozy ranch, she felt that Carten was her equal. And for a man to be equal to a Hapan - that only exemplified how much he had captivated her and broken down her defenses.

[member="Carten Flaa"]