"Lawson here," Miranda greeted tersely, acquiescing to the request for communication that appeared on the screen of her terminal, wondering if there was any possibility of her being able to get her work done before her shift came to an end. "What is it?"
"That's an awfully blunt way to greet someone," Dr Chakwas voice filtered through the speakers.
"Dr Chakwas, I didn't know it was you," Miranda responded apologetically, shoving her irritation to the side. "Sorry, It's been one of those days. Mordin won't stop pestering me about one of the new experiments he's been running. Something to do with boosting the intelligence of Varren, though for what reason still remains a mystery to me."
"I was curious as to why Mordin appeared so excitable today, more than usual that is. He's been in and out of the infirmary borrowing equipment and medical supplies, I have no clue what he needs an ECG monitor for," Dr Chakwas said with an amused flair in her voice. "In fact, I'm certain that he hasn't gotten a wink of sleep these past few days."
"He's like a dog to a bone when he has his mind set on something, it's impossible to break him away from it until he's had his fun," Miranda joked, hearing the older woman chuckle lightly in response. "What was it you wanted to talk about? Because if it's about Mordin sequestering your supplies then I'm afraid that there's little I can do. That wily Salarian can bypass even the most complex security systems without so much as a second thought, if I'd known that he was a master code cracker before I would have reconsidered bringing him aboard."
"Oh no, I don't mind it. In fact, I'm quite curious about his experiment, I'm already envisioning a talking Varren being added to the crew at some point in the near future. It wouldn't even be the strangest addition to our ever-growing rogues gallery," Dr Chakwas assured her light-heartedly. "No, I needed to talk to you about Grunt."
"Grunt?" Miranda sat up, already imagining a thousand and one things the Krogan could have done to necessitate the priority call. "What has he done now?"
"Nothing... " the doctor paused. "At least, not yet."
"Meaning?" Miranda raised a brow at the ominous statement.
"It's all this business with his sexual maturity. I thought he had gotten it out of his system weeks ago, though I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason for it," Dr Chakwas said, unaware that Miranda knew exactly what it was that became an outlet for the severely hormonal Krogan. "Grunt has appeared quite calm, or as calm as a Krogan can be. But he started flaring up again today, appearing ready to tear his room apart at any moment."
"And where is he now?" Miranda asked, concerned about the implications of having the lust-addled Krogan wandering freely around the ship.
"In the med bay with me. Well, he's currently locked in the rear supply room if we're being specific," Dr Chakwas answered. "I felt that it was safer to bring him down here and keep his vitals monitored, luckily for me Grunt seemed to share my concern."
"Could I ask what this has to do with me?" Miranda inquired, keeping her voice as steady as she could after becoming aware of just how close Grunt was to her personal quarters. "Matters of security on the Normandy are more of a concern for Jacob or Shepard, I'm usually the one who cleans up the mess after something goes wrong."
"Ordinarily, Shepard would have been my first point of call. But before Grunt agreed to let me seal him away, he had only one request. He wanted to see you."
"Me?" Miranda felt her blood run cold, worried that her most illicit secret had become known to the Normandy's sole physician. "Did he explain why?"
"I'm afraid not, he was oddly vague when I asked why," Dr Chakwas replied, unable to see the visible relief that passed through the Cerberus operative. "I concluded that it was best to not pry, I know better than to pry into the mind of a Krogan. Will you be able to come across?"
"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can," Miranda said, cutting the link.
Miranda sat back and stared blankly at the wall across from her, lost in a world of her own. It didn't come as much surprise to hear that Grunt's libido had spiralled out of control, fully aware that she played a significant part in the rapid deterioration of his boundless pool of arousal. Since initiating an intimate relationship with her, Grunt had become relentless in his demands of Miranda; overwhelmingly so. It was a rare mistake on the part of Miranda, to engage in a sexual partnership in what was essentially her place of work.
Miranda's sexual encounters were always kept separate from her true life, committed with lovers who didn't know her true identity and had no means of contacting her once the deed was done. She was a woman who enjoyed the pleasures of intercourse, but equally enjoyed keeping a wide distance between herself and the men she met up with via iPartner. It was an error of judgement on her part to so easily succumb to Grunt's advances, even more so when he decided to start visiting her quarters whenever he pleased in search of a relief only she could bring.
It was a dangerous game for a person who always ensured that work and personal affairs were kept as separate as possible. That's not to say that Miranda didn't get a kick out of the risk of being caught, it certainly added a level of excitement that broke the monotony of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape she was forced to endure on a daily basis. However, the thought of anyone uncovering the sordid affair didn't sit well, not when Miranda knew that any opportunist or individual with an axe to grind would give anything to hold the secret over her head, to extort her for everything they could.
As exhilarating as her spontaneous sessions with the energetic Krogan were, Miranda didn't believe it was worth the potential risk to her career and her character, aware that it would undermine the authority she held both on the Normandy and within the Cerberus hierarchy. Gradually, Miranda tried to keep Grunt at a distance from her, becoming more vigilant about locking the door to her quarters to prevent the Krogan from wandering in and dragging her over to the bed whenever the urge developed, making sure to avoid heading down to engineering unless it was absolutely necessary.
To discover that Grunt's arousal had returned to its chaotic state came as little surprise, but knowing that it had reached a degree that was concerning enough to warrant an intervention by Dr Chakwas was hardly something she could ignore. Though she tried to ignore it, the thought of finally ending the dry spell between her and Grunt ignited a fire within her that had been all but snuffed out in recent weeks. Instinctively, Miranda's hand fell beneath her desk and moved between her thighs, bumping against her mound.
