A Heated Encounter
Garak and Ziyal NC-17

By kira-nerys

Garak stood silently outside his shop. Hesitating, he wondered if he would - if indeed he should - cop out on this. But he longed so much for what was in his grasp and he had never been the type who bolted when a situation became uncomfortable or threatening. .

[Calm down, Garak,] he told himself. [You are only meeting her to enjoy a Cardassian Sauna, that's all.]

Nonetheless he clutched the phaser in his pocket with fingers that were more than a little sweaty. She was - after all - Gul Dukat's daughter and only the deities knew what he might have put her up to. Granted the lady was young. But she was not stupid and he feared she wasn't Dukat's daughter for nothing. He would be stupid to trust her.

Garak wasn't prone to trust anyone very easily, least of all someone who was so closely tied to one of his greatest enemies. But nonetheless, the temptation to spend time in another Cardassian's
company was overwhelming. Even if she was *only* a half-caste.

Not that Garak minded in any way. Living on the station for so long had effectively killed all prejudices or misconceptions he might have had about other species - or half-castes.

[She is delightful, after all - so beautiful…] he thought. He wanted - *needed* - to spend time in her company. Rest his eyes on her Cardassian features. To feel like he was back home - if only for a brief moment.

*  *  *

The walk from his shop to Quark's holosuites wasn't a very long one and he suddenly found himself standing outside the suite that Ziyal had rented for their meeting. Garak found himself longing to go inside and yet - he felt somewhat awkward. Major Kira had after all threatened him. He'd better be careful if he were to go through with this 'date' - as everyone else insisted on calling it. But he had no intention of hurting Ziyal, and that was what the Major had been afraid of after all. He leaned his head against the cool metal of the doors to the holosuite for a few seconds, then he drew a deep breath.

[This *isn't* a date. I merely want to spend some time with someone of my own kind…] Garak thought to himself. He wasn't prone to feeling sorry for himself - but the prospect of spending some time with Ziyal was most - comforting. So he reluctantly entered the holosuite and found Ziyal inside.

"Why am I here?" he asked. "Am I to believe that you've invited the sworn enemy to your father simply to enjoy the heat?" His voice was only half teasing.

Ziyal, who was lying comfortably on one of the benches, close to the heat source, sat up and looked at him. Garak drew a deep breath, enjoying nostalgic feelings of home, savoring the heat surrounding him.

[I had forgotten how *good* it feels to be so warm. The conditions on the station haven't been the same since the Federation took over…]

"It has occurred to me that I should kill you… " she replied calmly and then she continued while Garak could feel an uncomfortable sensation mounting in his chest. "Kira and my father both told me that you used to be an agent of the Obsidian order… that you had my grandfather tortured and killed… and that you could easily kill me without a second thought."
"That is true…" he felt himself forced to admit.
"You know what else is true? -  I don't care!" she said. "Being half Bajoran, I am an outcast on Cardassia - just like you. So we can either share some time together or we can ignore one another. I don't need your conversation, your company - but I would welcome it. And I think you would welcome my company as well… Either way, it is up to you!"

Garak looked sternly at her for a few moments, then he reached down in his pocket and pulled out the hidden phaser.

"I guess I won't be needing this after all…" he said.
"So, what shall we talk about first?"

Then he slid down on the bench in front of Ziyal, drawing a deep breath of relief. He looked into her eyes and realized it had been a very long time since he had been able to spend any lengthy amount of time with another Cardassian without having to feel threatened or embarrassed. It was a good feeling. And he decided he would savor every single moment that Ziyal would offer him.

*  *  *

They lay there for a long while. Talking, enjoying the warmth from the heat source, getting to know each other better.

They talked about her torment on Dozaria and his exile. Garak, his usual secretive self told her nothing of his innermost thoughts. Only lighthearted encounters with people on the station and customers that entered his shop.

"You don't like to talk about your past, do you?" Ziyal asked after a while. During a time when Garak had actually begun to relax and really enjoy himself. Even let his guard down. Then she threw out a question like this to unsettle him.
"No" he said shortly, and looked at her. She was smiling widely at him as if she was teasing. Garak watched her intently as she kept talking.

"I know more about you than you would probably want me to… " Ziyal said. "I have thoroughly questioned my father and Major Kira. And they have both warned me about you many times… " A sparkle Garak couldn't really make out in Ziyal's eyes made him a bit confused. She couldn't be - flirting - with him, could she?
"My dear, as much as you think you know, there is probably an equal amount of things you should know about me before even attempting to flirt with me!" he said with a smile.
"Is that what I am doing?" she asked coyly.
"Isn't it?" Garak threw back the question at her.

When Ziyal looked down he stretched his arm out and pulled her chin up so she would look back into his eyes.

[Oh, sweet child!] he thought. [I *have* to remember that she still *is* a child inside that beautiful woman's body] Garak reminded himself. But he couldn't help but feel flattered by her attention.

"I am almost as old as your father, you know that, my dear. And aside from that obvious fact -there are so many reasons why you should not flirt with me… "

He was beginning to feel all too comfortable and relaxed in the warmth of the sauna and her lovely company. So he rose to his feet and prepared to leave. In the corner of his eye he could see her slide off the bench and her lean figure slowly made its way closer to him.

"Garak… are you leaving so soon?" Her voice was positively disappointed and Garak felt a warm sensation in his heart that he hadn't felt in a very long time. This day proved to be an emotional ordeal in many ways… The desire to bury himself in her warm, *cardassian* embrace was overwhelming.
"Yes, my dear" he said as he moved around to look at her. Her fascinatingly brown eyes looked at him with longing. She felt just as alone as he did, but that didn't mean he should let her - or himself - succumb to that longing by doing something they would both regret later.
"Will I see you again?"
"That much, my dear, you can be certain of!" Garak said with a smile.
"Did I say something to offend you, Garak?" she wondered.
"No, my dear. Nothing. Don't worry your pretty head with such thoughts!" he begged her. "But I have duties to attend to - and I will have to leave you now… "

He might have to leave her right now for his own peace of mind, but that didn't mean he would deny himself the pleasure of her company again - soon.

*  *  *

Several months - close to a whole year - passed by and Garak and Ziyal became friends. More than friends in their hearts maybe. But they never crossed the line. Garak held back.

He would have been stupid not to see the infatuation in her eyes. And although he felt flattered by it, he also felt somewhat disturbed. It became increasingly difficult for him to think about her as a child. And even more difficult for him to fight the attraction he felt to her.

It was insane.

[She is the daughter of *Gul Dukat*!]

But the words had been repeated in his mind, so many times that they had lost their meaning.

[Why shouldn't I be able to grasp the opportunity for some happiness when it presents itself?] he wondered as he stood in his shop watching Ziyal when she entered.

[She is such a delightful creature. So unlike her father… and yet, so much like Dukat…]

In Garak's eyes - Ziyal had inherited every good part of Dukat there was. And there were a few - he had to reluctantly admit. Not just the man's attractive physique, but also his well-cultured, keen mind and sparkling wit. Ziyal was a very clever young lady and her voice had the same calm, vibrant modulation as her father's. But still she had enough of Naprem in her to be cool-tempered, feminine and caring. All those qualities, wrapped into such a lovely package made her nearly impossible to resist.

[Especially for an old fool, like myself!] Garak thought angrily.

Ziyal had finally told him exactly how she felt about him. It was only a few weeks ago when Garak left the station to seek out Enabran Tain and rescue him.

Ziyal was all he had been able to think about during those horrid moments on the asteroid where he, the doctor, General Martok and Worf had been imprisoned by the Dominion. The prospect of seeing her again had been all that kept him sane in that horrible closed up place where he had been forced to work to contact their runabout. And now that he had come back, it had been increasingly difficult to keep Ziyal at arm's length.

[I want her too much…]

"Garak?" she said softly when she entered the shop.
"Ziyal, my dear. I have been waiting for you!" he said enthusiastically and moved forward to invite her to join him at the back of his shop.

[Everyday she gets more beautiful…] he sighed inwardly. And as much as he might have wanted to - he could no longer look upon Ziyal as a child. She was a woman, a woman he was extremely attracted to and she made no secret of her own attraction to him.

"I am here to buy a new dress Garak" she said softly.
"Oh, I thought you were here to see me?" he said a little disappointed.
"That too, my dear Garak. But I want to buy something beautiful to wear. You see, one of my friends have a birthday very soon and I wish to look my best!"

A heatwave of jealousy struck Garak for a brief moment. Who other than a male friend could appreciate Ziyal in a new, beautiful dress? She must have seen his jealousy because she laughed heartily and punched him lightly on the chest.

"It's your own birthday you fool! But I love to see that you are jealous. That means you must care about me a little."

Ziyal stopped smiling and looked into Garak's pale-blue eyes. She reached her hand up and rested it against the ridge, which nearly circled his eye. It was an extremely sensitive spot on a Cardassian's face. Garak gasped and closed his eyelids. He fought to keep the pheromones from releasing into the air. Softly he pulled her hand away from his face.

[Oh, my dear. You're playing with fire. And you don't even know it]

Garak's voice was husky when he replied.

"I care for you more than you know, my dear! But for now - let's look at the dresses, shall we? What did you have in mind? I just received a few new designs from Betazed, and I have a divine dress which… "
"Garak… " Ziyal said and looked deeply into his eyes. "I don't want any of those dresses. I want something beautiful, something feminine and something very - seductive… "

Garak clenched his teeth. He tried to restrain himself harder. But he could feel the arousal rising in his body. The mere thought of Ziyal dressed in something seductive and sexy was wreaking havoc with his starved body.

[She is not so innocent as she looks] he thought with a jolt of fear. He knew that if Ziyal made a real effort to seduce him he would not be able to withstand it. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, close to the sensitive ridges on his neck. He drew another deep breath and took her hand in his.

"Ziyal. I think I have just the thing for you…" he said and pulled her further into the depths of his store. "This just arrived from the Tholian homeworld…"
"Oh" Ziyal's astonished gasp made Garak close his eyes again. The unmasked look of want in her eyes made his mind go reeling. "This is Tholian silk. There is no way I could afford this."
"For you my dear, I think the owner of this establishment could arrange a - discount" he said with a strained smile.
"Oh, Garak! I have to try this on immediately!" she said and threw herself in his arms. Hugging him as if he was her father and she was just a child. Then she stiffened in his arms. Perhaps she suddenly realized that she was no longer a child. And maybe, just maybe she realized how much he really wanted her?

[Perhaps she finally realizes that she is playing with fire] Garak thought and felt a strange mixture of feelings. One feeling was relief at the prospect of her stopping her flirting with him, and then, an
incredible sense of loss at the same time. He would never feel what it would be like to love Ziyal. He would never know what it would be like to really *love* her - both mentally and physically.

That was when Ziyal moved over to kiss him and Garak knew he was lost.

He felt the arousal grip him like a hurricane. He hadn't loved anyone for so long. During his entire time on the station he hadn't been so close to anyone as Ziyal was to him right now. And her touch was almost electrifying. He didn't know what to do.

[This will never end well] was his last conscious thought before he kissed her back with a hunger that should have scared her, but it obviously didn't. She just wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, involuntarily rubbing her wrists against his sensitized neck-ridges.

[She is so innocent, she has never had any experience with such matters. And I want her so much I cannot be careful!]

"Ziyal… " he begged and tried to withdraw, but she followed him. Again he tried to pull away. "Ziyal, my dear. You have to listen to me!" The urgency in his voice finally caught her attention and she pulled away. She was disappointed - he could tell.
"So, now is where you pull away yet again and tell me that you don't want me?" Her eyes were shining with such a pain that Garak could only let out a growl of frustration.
"I think we're beyond that point now, my dear. I think you know without a shadow of a doubt that I *do* want you." Her eyes sparkled and she moved closer. But Garak held his hands up in a defensive gesture.
"No, Ziyal. Don't. There is something I have to tell you. I don't know how much you know about Cardassian sexuality."
"I know enough - at least theoretically. Major Kira has seen to that."
"Good, my dear. That is good. But what I am trying to say here Ziyal is that"

[Damn, this is difficult!]

"Listen… " he said. "Let's sit down and please don't touch me until I am finished." Garak pleaded.

Ziyal sat down beside him and her nearness felt as electrifying to him as if they had both been naked. But he *had* to restrain himself. At least for the moment.
"I do want you Ziyal. Never doubt that!" he said and looked into those amazing eyes. He lifted his hand to touch her cheek. He saw that he was trembling. Any contact with her was so intensified, it felt like his nerve-endings were on fire. "But what you don't realize is that I haven't had a lover for many years. I have been alone for a long time, Ziyal and your closeness is inevitably going to have a very strong effect on me… "
"How nice… " she teased.
"Don't tease me, Ziyal" he begged her. "You are so young. You have never been with a man before, have you?" he asked and looked deeply into her eyes. She looked down on her hands in a gesture that spoke louder than words.
"I see… " he said with a deep sigh.
"Is that it? You won't make love to me because I am inexperienced?"
she said angrily.
"No Ziyal. That is not it at all. I think you know by now that it is only a matter of time before we do. But I don't want to hurt you. Don't you understand? I want you so much that I am afraid I will hurt you!"

Garak got up and left her sitting there, trying to digest what he said.

"Oh Garak…" she said and sneaked up behind him. She wrapped her slender arms around him and leaned her head against his back. Garak closed his eyes and leaned toward her touch. It felt as though flames were rippling his back where her body pressed against his. The two mounds of her breasts felt like they were burning against his back. He could feel the tension in his groin, and he knew he would do something unforgivable if she didn't let go.

"Ziyal, please!" he said. "You don't know what you do to me."
The air was thick with his pheromones and he could no longer hide his arousal from her.

"I think I do know, Elim" she said and her voice was beginning to sound harsh as well. "So, how do we go about this? I am not afraid of you, I love you!"
"I know that Ziyal. But maybe, right now, you *should* be a little afraid…" he cautioned her.

Then he turned around, no longer able to restrain himself. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her lips were so warm against his and he pressed her soft body closer, and moaned into her open mouth. Strangely, she didn't pull away. Instead, just like before, she pulled him closer accidentally rubbing his neck-ridges, adding to his arousal.

"Oh, Elim" she moaned and pushed her hips against him. Her innocent need for him to come closer made him even more excited.

"I think we'd better take this to another room…" he said coarsely and, with a willpower he didn't know he possessed, he pulled away from her. She whimpered in protest, but he grabbed her hand and brought her with him to the door of the shop.

Fortunately it was almost time to close up shop for the day and he didn't think anyone would think much of it if he did so a little early. Quickly he locked up shop and pulled her with him to the back of the store. To go to his quarters was out of the question. He couldn't show himself in the state he was right now - hard, and flushed, from the excitement she provoked in him. And Ziyal, blushing and with gleaming eyes. If anyone saw them, they would *know* what was on their minds and Garak was sure he didn't want the rest of the station to know. At least not yet. Instead he pulled Ziyal with him to the dressing-room at the back. There was a couch, where he pushed Ziyal down and she drew him closer with an almost predatory look in her eyes.

[Oh yes, she is Cardassian all right!] Garak thought when he lowered his body on her. Feeling her soft body underneath his muscular almost drove him mad. [How am I ever going to be able to hold back? I don't want to harm her!]

There was so much in these circumstances that made him more aroused than normal. The fact that he hadn't had a lover for so long. The fact that she was Cardassian. The fact that he had wanted her so long and fought it for the entire time. He leaned down to kiss her again, letting his tongue explore the inner depths of Ziyal's soft, eager mouth. Her tongue willingly met his in an enticing dance and he moaned into her open mouth.

"Oh, yes Elim!" she whispered. "I want you too. I want you so much. Don't hold back!"
"Ziyal! You don't know what you're asking for…" he gasped and involuntarily ground his erection against her. He couldn't wait to dig himself deep into her soft, warm cavity. She met up with her hips and started pulling at his clothes.
"Show me!" she begged. "Elim. Please show me!"

He began helping her get their clothes off and with combined efforts they were both naked within a very short amount of time. She stared at him with hunger in her eyes and he felt a glimpse of pride when he saw the admiration there.

"Oh, gods, Ziyal. I want you so much!"
He slowly, gently - with huge restraint - pushed her back on the couch and started caressing her. Her neck, where he knew she had to be as sensitive as he was, her breasts, which filled his large hands so nicely. He softly caressed the tips of her breasts and leaned down to lick the hard nipples beneath his fingers. She leaned her head back and gasped and he grunted at the beautiful sight of her. Her pale-gray throat exposed to his eyes. The hair all tousled up, no longer restrained in that elaborate, typical Cardassian manner which he found so adorable. He reached up to her head to undo the rest of it so it spread on the sofa like long, black silk. She opened her eyes to look at him, longingly and he again leaned down to kiss her lips. She lifted her legs to wrap them around him and he groaned as he felt his sex push against hers. His head started to spin.

"Oh, Ziyal. Don't. Not so fast! I will hurt you!"
"No, Elim. Come inside me, it won't hurt. I am ready for you."

With his last conscious thought he reached down between them and started caressing her, and she was right. She was ready for him. That realization alone pushed him over the edge and he tried to penetrate her carefully but his need for her was too great and he pushed inside her with a long, hard thrust. She gasped and pulled his body closer with her arms and legs and then there was nothing that could stop him from seeking his release in her warm, beautiful and wonderful body. It didn't take long before he thrust inside her one last time and let his fluid pour into her. She moaned against his neck and caressed his back, but Garak almost didn't notice. Nothing had ever felt so good as this. Nothing…

When he came to, after a few seconds he opened his eyes and looked into Ziyal's beautiful face. A tremendous shame fell upon him. He hadn't meant to do this. He wanted to make this a pleasurable memory for her. He wanted it to become a memory for life…

[Oh, it will be a memory for life no doubt!] he thought.

He pulled himself out of her, and watched her intently. He was afraid to. He was frightened because of the pain and disgust he was sure to see there. But she looked at him with love and some kind of joy. As if she had enjoyed seeing him losing control so totally.

"Are you hurting?" he said coarsely.
"No, Elim, you didn't hurt me. Well - at first, it was a little painful, but after that… it was most - enjoyable." She smiled brightly at him. And a huge weight was lifted from Garak's shoulders when he realized she was actually telling him the truth.

He rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. Then he said:
"Let's get dressed."
She looked at him with disappointment. He had to smile.
"No my dear!" he whispered into her ear and then he kissed her thoroughly. "This is not it. But I believe we would be much more comfortable in my quarters - in my bed. Then I am going to show you just how - enjoyable - it can really be. So let's get dressed and go there, shall we?"
She nodded eagerly and he smiled again. They put their clothes on. He helped Ziyal put her hair back in order, and he thanked the deities for his nimble-fingered tailor's hands. When she looked presentable they left.

Garak felt like he was a teenager sneaking off with his loved one. Fearing that someone would see them and guess what they were going to do, guess what they had just been doing. But they reached his quarters without incident. When he put the privacy lock on he turned around and took a very eager Ziyal into his arms. He knew he hadn't done a very good job of satiating her desires a while back, and now he was planning to make good on that.

He started by undoing the hair he had just put back in order and sighed contentedly when the black masses of hair surrounded her beautiful features.
"You are so beautiful, Ziyal" he whispered and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her. She met his lips with anticipation and he started caressing her. Gently he peeled off her clothes and soon she stood there naked in front of him again. A slight shyness showed in here eyes and he smiled towards her.

"Maybe we should get these off too?" he whispered. "That would be more - fair - wouldn't it?" he said. Ziyal nodded and her small hands helped him get undressed. The light touch of her fingers against his skin made his blood run faster again.

[This time I *am* going to do it right!] he promised himself.

When he stood before her naked, her eyes feasted on him once again and the shyness was all but gone. All he could see in her brown eyes was a desire that matched his own. He pulled her gently toward him and felt her shiver as his erection pressed against her flat stomach. There wasn't many differences in her body's physique from that of a full-blooded Cardassian female and she was exquisite. He started by kissing her neck and nibbling her ear gently, following the ridges on
her chin and he smiled contentedly when he heard her surprised gasp.

His fingers trailed a light path over her shoulders, pressing a bit harder on the sensitized neck-ridges and he could feel her slender shape leaning in on him.
"Oh, Elim… " she said breathlessly.
"It feels good, doesn't it?" he whispered.
"Yes… "
"And this is only the beginning, my dear, sweet Ziyal… "

His fingers left her neck and slid down to her breasts and he cupped the soft round mounds in his hands. He gasped as their nipples hardened against his palm. They felt so wonderful to hold. He couldn't remember when he last held a woman's full breasts in his hands like this. And this woman was no other than Ziyal. The woman he had fallen in love with almost the very first moment he saw her. The woman he thought he would *never* have. Having her so close to him made him
feel almost humble. He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply while his fingers played with her hard nipples. He sensed she was really aroused already. She hadn't gotten any release and taking her to the point where she wanted him was no difficult task, but he gently pushed her down on the bed and started caressing her more intimately.

Garak let his fingers trail a path from her knees, up her inner thighs and was rewarded with a soft moan from Ziyal's half open mouth. He let his mouth follow his fingers and kissed her thighs gently and nibbled lightly on her soft skin. Ziyal's hands dug deep into his raven-black hair and she pulled him closer to her.

"Oh, Elim.. " she whimpered. "I want you."
"Not yet, my love" he whispered back and lowered his head between her legs and started licking slowly, gently. She gasped, from surprise and pleasure - all mixed into one.
"Elim?"
"Shhh… Just relax and enjoy it… " he whispered and continued his ministrations. Sooner than he had expected he felt her spasms and she yelped as she came.

That was when Garak knew he could enter her again and he pressed himself into her. Gently this time. But she swung her legs around him and drew him deeper inside and all he could do was comply.

Not long after he was thrusting as hard as he could inside her, watching her ecstatic face while she pushed her hips back at him with a frenzy that left nothing to be desired. She was enjoying this every bit as much as he was, there could be no doubt about it. He realized she must have wanted him as much as he wanted her for a very long time. The image of her dreaming about them together the same way he had for months finally pushed him over the edge.

"Oh Ziyal!" he cried.
"Elim, I love you!" she whimpered back.

He relaxed on top of her, but slid to the side not to lean to heavily on her. He was exhausted, but he pulled her into his arms. She snuggled into his neck and sighed contentedly.

"That was so wonderful" she whispered.
"Yes, my dear. It really was."

And by the deities - he loved her too. And when he said as much he felt her desperate hug and the wet tears running down her cheeks.

"Ziyal, what is it?"
"I never thought I'd hear you say it… " she whispered.

Speechless he pulled her even closer and kissed her.
"But I am too old for you and your father… "
"Shhh!" she said and put a finger on his lips. "That doesn't matter. You know it doesn't. I love you and you love me. That is all that matters"

He closed his eyes and sighed. May the gods help him, but he believed her…

- the end -