Three Square Meals Ch. 083

Rachel looked equally eager as she said, "The dance scene on Terra is supposed to be amazing! I always wanted to go but I was too young before. I know of several epic nightclubs we could go to!"

"How about you, gorgeous?" John asked Calara, squeezing her gently around the waist.

She smiled at him and replied, "That night on Gravitus was incredible..." Her smile faded for a second as she remembered the frightening encounter with the gang at the end of the night, but she set her jaw, determined not to be put off by one unfortunate experience. "Count me in!"

John smiled at them and said, "Alright, that sounds like five very enthusiastic thumbs up." He glanced at the Maliri twins and added, "Irillith, Tashana, would you like to go dancing?"

The armoured women glanced down at their Paragon Armour and John could just imagine Irillith's raised eyebrow as she replied, "I'm not sure we're dressed appropriately for dancing..."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, I've done some boogieing in Paragon armour," Alyssa said, as she sashayed over to the group.

Suddenly this spontaneous reunion didn't seem quite so surprising to John after all; the blonde Matriarch had obviously asked everyone to regroup to discuss their plans. Putting his arm around her, he said, "I missed you this evening. What've you been up to?"

"I've been busy making friends," Alyssa replied, as she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. Her full lips turned up into a sultry smile as she glanced across the reception area, clearly intending for him to follow her smouldering gaze. "Just look who I bumped into..."

John looked in the same direction and spotted a very familiar dusky-hued beauty watching them anxiously from across the room. He blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly at Jehanna Elani, the perky reporter from TFNN. She gave him a dazzling smile in return but made no move to join them.

"Jehanna and I have been having a lovely chat," Alyssa continued, adding a mischievous tilt to her smile. She turned to look at the girls and added, "I think going dancing is a wonderful idea and I'd love to come too, but I've made alternate plans for tonight. Jehanna is after an exclusive with John and she invited me to join them for a... feminine perspective."

The girls all gave him a knowing look, with Dana smirking in amusement. She stepped close to avoid any eavesdroppers and whispered, "Would you do me a favour? Before you load her up with spunk, ask her if she knew someone was blowing you during your last interview! Just thinking about that turns me on, but it's even hotter if she actually realised you had your cock down my throat!"

"Hold on! She probably just wants to talk," John replied with a chuckle. "I did promise her an exclusive interview a month ago, she's probably still eager to speak to me about stopping Nexus from destroying Terra."

Alyssa smiled at him affectionately. "You're so adorable sometimes. You live with the eight of us, but you still don't know anything about women."

John quickly glanced back across the room, making eye contact with the beautiful raven-haired reporter, who returned his questioning gaze with a flirtatious smile.

"You two have fun," Calara said, leaning into John to give him a brief kiss. Her lovely brown eyes sparkled as she continued, "I assume this 'interview' will take quite some time -- I'm guessing at least fourteen hours? We'll go dancing, then meet you back on the Invictus."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" John asked, giving the girls a worried glance.

Alyssa smiled at him and said reassuringly, "They'll be fine. Tashana and Irillith are fully geared up, and they've got Sakura and Jade with them too. You know what they can do; there's nothing to worry about."

Calara nodded, sounding confident as she said, "I actually feel sorry for anyone daft enough to try anything. Have a fun evening and you can tell us the juicy details tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, I'll keep all of you informed," Alyssa said, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

John nodded reluctantly, then removed his watch communicator and handed it to Sakura. "Calara's in charge, but you're my Security Chief. If you get into any kind of trouble, let Alyssa know and call in support from Faye. She can get us to you within a matter of minutes, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep everyone safe," Sakura replied earnestly as she strapped the watch to her arm.

The girls smiled at him as Alyssa hooked an arm around his and guided John through the thinning crowd towards the lissom reporter waiting for them near the entrance to the reception.

"I'll arrange for a hover-limo," Calara said with a smile, starting to turn away.

Irillith waved a hand to stop her. "I've already contacted Faye to send the Raptor. Alyssa asked me to as soon as Jade suggested taking us dancing. Faye's bringing all of you a change of clothes."

Sakura grinned with excitement. "It feels like years since I last went clubbing!"

"It's been at least seven decades. The music scene will have changed a fair bit," Rachel said sympathetically, slipping her arm around the Asian girl.

Sakura shrugged and exclaimed, "That just means it'll be even more exciting! What's the best nightclub in the city?"

"I think we should go to Enigma," Rachel replied without a moment's pause. "The place is legendary and it's got private booths so we can just relax together without being hit on by legions of guys. It's very expensive though -- Enigma is where the rich and famous go to unwind."

Jade nodded thoughtfully and said, "We're rich and famous, so it sounds ideal."

Calara laughed as she hugged the Nymph. "Let's go then!"

***

Raijin watched as John left the reception area in the company of two women, then he switched focus to the rest of the group, who spoke together briefly and departed too. His enhanced audio amplification had picked out their conversation across the crowded room, the sophisticated sound suite in his cybernetic ear filtering out the background noise to let him hear every word.

"They're splitting up," Raijin whispered into his comlink. "We'll stay on the primary target. I will supply tracking data."

Leaving his post, the well-built Asian man strode purposefully along the veranda, before following the winding steps down to ground level. Deftly avoiding making eye contact with any of the military personnel in attendance, he slipped through the crowd with a skill borne of decades of practice. It was quite an art to look like you belonged in a place, while also remaining innocuous enough that no one would bother to stop you for a conversation. Raijin had found that the best results could be achieved by appearing calm and relaxed, but moving as though tasked with an important errand.

Striding along the columned walkway that led out of the huge reception area, he darted down the steps to the enormous underground parking facility. His team had begun their surveillance of this locale yesterday, so they'd been able to find conveniently close places for their two black hover-vans. Raijin made his way over to the vehicles while resisting the urge to dart nervous glances around the parking area to check if he was being followed. He was reasonably certain that he was not, but the act of checking might appear suspicious to an onlooker.

As he approached the rear of the van, the door opened slightly and he slipped inside without saying a word. The two vans lifted off the ground a few seconds later as the anti-grav cyclics kicked into action and they pulled away, following the broad tunnel that would lead them to the skylanes outside Victory Square.

***

"Please state your destination, Miss Elani," the pleasant automated voice said, once John and Alyssa had climbed into the back of the green hover car.

Pressing a button on her armrest, Jehanna's chair spun around so that she was facing John and Alyssa. She shared an intimate look with the blonde, various emotions playing out across her beautiful face. Shifting her focus to John, she said, "Alyssa and I discussed returning to my apartment earlier. Is that alright with you?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea, doesn't it, John?" Alyssa remarked with a playful lilt to her voice. "It's the perfect place for us to get to know each other better. After all, we want to make sure Jehanna gets the best 'exclusive interview' possible."

John smiled at the sultry dark-haired girl sitting opposite him. "Wherever you feel the most comfortable, Jehanna."

She threw a glance loaded with all sorts of intriguing possibilities at him, then replied to the hover-car's computer, "Take me home, please."

"We shall arrive at your destination in seven minutes. Please relax and enjoy the ride," the synthetic driving system said in a calm, confident manner.

The atmosphere inside the car was electric as they glided through the night sky, following the glowing lights of the skylane. There was a feverish sexual tension in the air that no one wished to sully with awkward conversation, so they rode together in comfortable silence, studying each other with a thrilling sense of anticipation.

Jehanna had clearly been overjoyed to see John at the reception, but she'd managed to maintain an air of professionalism when they'd first met, kissing him lightly on the cheek in greeting. After the way she'd been so grateful to him for saving Terra when they'd spoken a month earlier, he'd been somewhat surprised by her reserved behaviour. However, it was understandable considering they were in a reception for the most senior officers of the Terran Federation and TFNN was the only network officially approved by the military. After exchanging hushed words with Alyssa, Jehanna had turned on her heel and glided out of the reception, leading them to this luxurious hover-car.

Alyssa had stayed remarkably quiet during this whole encounter, having not said a word to John telepathically. He managed to tear his eyes away from the exotic vision sitting opposite him to throw a quizzical glance at his blonde companion. She gave him a teasing smile in return, but the tell-tale sparkle in her bright blue eyes revealed just how excited she was by whatever she had planned for this evening. John was forced to admit that his current sense of uncertainty was as exciting as it was maddening, so he didn't push the blonde for answers and just decided to see how things played out.

"We have arrived at your destination, Miss Elani," the computer announced, the door to the hover-car unlocking with a soft click and a quiet hiss, as the air-conditioned interior was exposed to the balmy evening.

John stepped out of the vehicle, then turned and offered a hand to Alyssa.

The blonde smiled at him as she got out and murmured, "Such a gentleman. Thank you."

Jehanna was next and she gave him a coy smile and gently squeezed his hand as she climbed out. They had landed on the roof of a block of luxury apartments, with the green hover-car parked in a reserved parking spot. There were only four other parking places here, a testimony to the exclusivity of the reporter's residence. She pressed a button on the remote, closing and locking the car behind them as she walked over to a brightly lit foyer containing a pair of elevators, one already open and waiting.

Once they entered, she pressed the button for the fourth floor and the door slid closed behind them. John glanced at her as the lift descended and found the dusky girl watching him intently. She didn't avert her gaze when their eyes met, and he found her boldness quite refreshing. The elevator chimed and the doors opened, revealing a short lobby area in front of a single door.

Jehanna walked over to it and inserted a mag-lock keycard into the slot beside the door. It opened a few seconds later and she swept into the apartment, murmuring, "Lights, intimate."

The lighting increased in luminosity until the modern, spotlessly-clean apartment was swathed in a soft glow, long shadows cast by the comfortable-looking furniture.

"You have a beautiful home," Alyssa complimented their hostess, while glancing around the open-plan lounge and kitchen with a discerning eye.

Jehanna smiled at her gratefully. "I decided to treat myself after I was promoted to Lead Anchor."

John took off his peaked hat, placing it on a table as he walked over to the long windows and gazed out at the beautiful view over the city's skyline. He turned to smile at her and said, "Congratulations on that promotion. It's been fantastic seeing more of you on the holo-net!"

The dark-haired girl returned his smile, twisting a finger through a curl of her long black hair as she watched him with hungry eyes.

Alyssa walked over to Jehanna and slipped her hand into hers, then led her over to John. She smiled at each of them in turn, and said softly, "It's just the three of us now, so both of you can relax." Glancing at the dark-skinned girl, she added, "I believe you wanted to tell John something, Jehanna?"

The dusky girl stepped even closer to him and reached up to gently place her hands on his chest. As her fingers gently followed the shape of the lion on his uniform, she stared into his eyes and murmured, "I was here on Terra when Nexus attacked. I've watched the footage of that battle over and over again; seen the way it activated that huge cannon on the moon... I was seconds away from death, but you were there to save me."

John placed his hands on her hips, savouring the thrill of touching this girl for the first time. "You're quite welcome, Jehanna. It's wonderful to know that we kept you safe too."

"Thank you for saving my life," she said breathlessly, standing on tip-toe and leaning in to brush his lips with hers.

Jehanna was slightly shorter and more petite than Alyssa, and John enjoyed the different feel of her in his arms as he returned her kiss. She moaned into his mouth and her tongue flickered out to brush against his, before pulling back in a clear invitation to follow. He French-kissed her in return as their tongues duelled, enjoying hearing her breathy moans as she grew more aroused. Feeling a light touch against his hands, he glanced up to see Alyssa had wrapped her arms around the raven-haired beauty and was gently kissing her neck.

Alyssa's sparkling eyes reflected her arousal as she whispered, "Jehanna was very curious about how you recruit your Lionesses. We had a long talk about it earlier, didn't we, beautiful?"

Jehanna licked her dark-red lips so that they glistened wetly in the light. Her smoky eyes were filled with lust as she replied, "Alyssa told me that you could use someone like me to help you with public relations. That if I was a good girl and was successful in the interview process, there might be all sorts of fringe benefits to working for a man like you."

John looked at Alyssa with a shocked expression on his face. *How much did you tell her?!*

*Most of the fun stuff,* Alyssa explained, while tenderly kissing Jehanna's light-brown skin. *There's no need to use telepathy, I asked Irillith to sweep her apartment. There's no surveillance devices.*

*How do you know you can trust her?!* John exclaimed, fighting down a rising surge of alarm. *She's a reporter!*

Alyssa continued to kiss the dusky beauty as she murmured to Jehanna, "You're very grateful to John for everything he's done for you, aren't you beautiful? Why don't you tell him why I'm so confident we can trust you?"

Jehanna tilted her head to one side, exposing more of her neck to Alyssa's kisses. She shivered in John's arms before making eye contact with him again. "I told her I'd do anything for this chance. When Alyssa explained that she could check to see if I had any ulterior motives, I gave her permission to read my mind."

"We can discuss long-term plans later, but tonight is about giving Jehanna a chance to thank you properly for saving her," Alyssa purred, gently stroking the other girl's slender tummy. "I explained how well-endowed you are and that she'll need your help before she can take you - she found that very exciting."

Jehanna gazed at him with wide eyes as she breathed, "Are you really as big as Alyssa said you are?"

John shared a glance with Alyssa, then smiled at the raven-haired girl in his arms. "Why don't we go somewhere a little more comfortable and you can find out?"

She gave him a seductive smile, then took each of their hands and led them across her apartment to her bedroom.

***

Retro-thrusters flared brightly in the night's sky, as the Raptor touched down on one of the rooftop landing pads atop the gleaming silver skyscraper. Bright orange letters over ten-feet high announced the name "Enigma" down the side of the gleaming building. Long queues wrapped around the block at ground level, surrounding its base with all the clubbers hoping to get into this exclusive establishment.

The gunship's loading ramp descended and the girls glided down to the landing pad, chattering excitedly. While they all wore different coloured dresses, they were all short and backless, making for an absolutely mouth-watering display of female perfection. Calara walked over to the balcony surrounding the roof and looked out at the spectacular views over the city, quickly joined by the others who were equally appreciative of the spectacular view. Alyssa informed them they were staring out towards John, just as he was admiring the city's skyline and the girls grinned at each other, feeling like he was watching over them.

Two huge bouncers were waiting patiently by the broad double doors, the exclusive rooftop entrance that permitted entry into the club for the super-rich. Being dropped off by the sparkling white gunship would have revealed the identity of the seven girls, but the men had already recognised their famous guests. They smiled at the group as Rachel led the girls along the red carpet, although they studied the Maliri girls in their powered armour with visible trepidation.

Rachel saw the bouncers indecision and to head off any problems, she said with a smile, "They're just shy. We're only here to have fun, I promise."

"Have a great time tonight, ladies," the lead bouncer said with a respectful nod, stepping aside and opening the doors for them.

Rachel smiled at them in gratitude as a pounding beat filled the air. The other girls followed her inside, letting their eyes readjust to the moody atmospheric lighting of the lobby. A handsome, immaculately dressed and groomed man was waiting, speaking quietly to a stunningly beautiful brunette wearing an elegant gown. They both looked up when they saw the doors open and after a sudden gasp of recognition, the man strode over to greet them.

"Welcome to Enigma, ladies!" he said cheerfully, a broad smile on his face. "That the Lionesses should choose to grace us with their presence is a rare honour!"

"We'd like one of the terrace booths overlooking the main dance floor, please," Rachel requested politely.

The man nodded, giving her a radiant smile as he replied, "Of course! If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to the best in the house -- it's reserved for the A-listers!"

He turned and led them down the plushly decorated corridor, the music growing louder with every step deeper into the club. There weren't many people about, just a handful of waiters bringing trays of drinks to the other private booths on this upper level. They smiled when they saw the Lionesses, nodding respectfully as they hurried past.

A couple of giggling young blondes lurched out of the bathroom, discussing in loud, tipsy voices which of the men they were accompanying they were going to sleep with. Apparently the choice was between Kurt Moorhouse, who they suspected had the larger equipment, or Dirk Larriman who was supposedly much richer. The friendly discussion grew more heated as they began to squabble over who would get to be with Dirk.