Saving Mar

04 SHAMELESS

Phlox was unwavering: they all had to go through decontamination. Both groups took a different approach to it, though. The Starfleet members stripped to their underwear and then gaped in shock at the ex-slaves, as they lounged around the little room stark naked. It was like they'd never heard of decency.

Hoshi giggled and kept her head down. Malcolm, on the other hand, did not even bother masking his stare. Only T'Pol remained unphased and just had to comment on the situation without keeping her voice down.

"Even the most private people usually don't find this kind of impersonal nudity erotic. We're here for safety purposes. Their absence of shame is logical."

Jon shot her a glare. His hope that their discomfort would evade notice had just shriveled and died.

"You mind, Captain?" Mar raised her eyebrows.

Jon's gaze automatically turned to her, which he instantly regretted. His eyes were drawn from her face towards her exposed body and he was too curious to be able to stop them.

The shape of her breasts was perfect – round and full, with cheeky little nipples right in the centers, like cherries on top of cupcakes. She looked very human, her alien biology wasn't apparent when she was dressed; but now, as Jon's sight was inevitably falling down the smooth slope of her abdomen, he observed a pattern on the sides of her torso.

There was no way in hell he could look straight at a beautiful naked woman and successfully ignore the inconspicuous line where her folds met, disappearing between her thighs. She wasn't showing herself off, but she wasn't exactly hiding either. As he reached the beauty mark just below her belly button, his eyes closed in self-defense and he could hear her chuckle quietly.

"Are you shy around nudity? I thought that only happened to adolescent children."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, which exposed his sight to the velvet of her belly yet again. Of course she would think that; she was probably forced to show her body off the moment she was deemed old enough. Which would sicken Jon in any other situation, but right now he was too busy trying to retain some dignity.

"It's the upbringing," he uttered through his clenched teeth. "This is not how we do things around here, as you might've noticed," he beckoned to the three decent officers beside him.

"Oh," Mar smiled amusedly. "I was beginning to think it was something else. I'm sure you must've seen a naked woman more than once." Her smile widened as she gave him an evaluating once-over. Jon felt heat rise up to his face and instinctively pressed his thighs tighter together.

"That's my personal business," he deflected, which, for some reason, made all of her women giggle. Even Hoshi by his side quivered, covering her mouth with her palm. Traitor, he signaled her with his glare. She carefully avoided his gaze as she fought off the snicker.

"Perhaps our guests would be impressed if you bragged a little about how popular you are with the gentler sex, sir," Malcolm leaned closer, wagging his eyebrows encouragingly. He was obviously having fun; probably picturing how envious Trip would be when he told him what they saw.

"Perhaps it's time the two of us had a long private conversation when this is over," Jon growled his way. Malcolm's face fell and he returned to his quiet enjoyment of the view.

Jon risked a quick glance at Mar and his insides nearly skipped out of his stomach. She was still looking at him curiously and the slight smile curling the corners of her mouth urged him to suck his gut in and puff his chest out.

He couldn't wait to get out of here, to regain his composure and feel dignified again. He could deal with her in a flimsy, seductive dress; he had met many gorgeous alien females and had always been able to maintain his distance. This felt like a trial by fire, a test he might've failed if they had been in here alone, ending up saying or doing something that would betray this uncomfortable level of attraction.

She seemed to have relaxed since coming aboard, her sharp edges softened. What made her feel safer was beyond him – perhaps she was just confident in her ability to overpower four half-naked humans in close quarters filled with her allies. Or maybe this was just the women's way of making sure the crew would keep their hands to themselves as long as they were guests on board the Enterprise.

In any case, Jon needed to put a few layers of clothing between him and Mar to think straight again.