Money For Souls. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had been awake for some time, but lay quietly, his eyes closed, savouring the tranquillity of post-coital bliss. His lover lay entwined in his arms, her head upon his shoulder, her hair splayed across his chest. He sighed softly and swallowed letting his mind furnish the images of their lovemaking. She’d been insatiable, riding him, cajoling him and finally begging him for more, which he gladly supplied. In truth he couldn’t get enough of her. After loving her from afar for over thirty years she had finally allowed her significant fears to take a back seat to her burgeoning love for him. Eight months…it had been eight glorious months and he was convinced he couldn’t have been happier. Which led his mind to their current position. They were in a beachside bungalow on the southern continent of the planet Arrgas. Situated in an out of the way constellation, Arrgas provided privacy, beauty and solitude. For the past two weeks it had been just the two of them. He found himself so relaxed he’d allowed Beverly to talk him into skinny-dipping that very afternoon. It had been glorious, watching her lithe body in the surf, letting the exceptional sexual tension build between them. They had shared a leisurely dinner and walked on the beach before returning to the bungalow to make the most extraordinary love. His hand travelled up and he slowly threaded his fingers through her hair. He was thinking about waking her with a kiss when he thought he heard something. Opening his eyes, he held his breath and listened and there it was again. A tiny noise…in the living room. Thinking that perhaps a native animal had ventured in, he debated whether or not to get up, not wanting to disturb his sleeping lover. Eventually however, his curiosity got the better of him and he gently eased out of her embrace and slid from the bed. He stopped only long enough to put on his sleep shorts and walked out of the bedroom, his hand reaching for the light. He saw, briefly, a figure move in the darkness but, before he could react, his hand was gripped and he was swung up against the wall, his arm twisted up his back, a rough hand across his mouth. Close to his ear, a low voice warned, “Not a sound Captain…your life and the life of the Doctor depend on it.” He twisted his head trying to get a look at his captor, but gasped when his arm was wrenched higher. The man hissed, “Keep still!” The hand momentarily disappeared from his mouth to be quickly replaced by a gag. It was tied tightly around his head and he felt his lip split. His hands were brought together at his back and tight manacles were applied. He was then pulled away from the wall and pushed roughly into the bedroom. There he saw three figures standing at the foot of the bed. One leaned forward and pulled off the covers, causing the naked Beverly to growl and grope for warmth. “Jean-Luc…what…?” One of the figures moved around the bed and roughly grabbed a handful of her hair. Lifting, he dragged her upright and groped at her breast.
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