Chapter 104
He waits.
Time seems to slow to a crawl. The pencil icon flashes, then disappears, then flashes again. Lee doesn’t know what to expect, but he holds his breath, anxious.
When the response appears, he’s more than a little surprised.
JoTho: b right over
Maullory: now?? dude, it’s lights out.
The same response flashes again, coming through faster this time: b right over.
“Okay.” Lee takes a steadying breath and lets it out with a laugh. If Officer Joe isn’t afraid of getting caught, then Lee isn’t about to turn him away.
JoTho: that cool?
With trembling fingers, Lee types, sure c u soon
* * * *
Turning off his tablet, Lee hurries to straighten up his quarters. He can’t believe this is happening. He feels as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve. His stomach churns anxiously, his hands turn clammy, his dick throbs in time with his heart. He doesn’t even know this guy!
But who am I kidding? I want him. I needhim. Let’s do this.
Thankfully his bed was made first thing this morning, but the uniform he wore while on duty is pooled unceremoniously on the floor, where he left it when he stripped it off. A damp towel hangs over the back of the chair in front of his desk, which he now notices is cluttered with flash drives, toiletries, and a hastily folded stack of clean underwear he hasn’t yet put away.
Too bad there wasn’t an inspection today,Lee thinks as he scoops everything into the top desk drawer. He has to throw his entire weight against it to get it shut. If his CO ever saw this mess, he’d easily get a thousand pushups, at least.
Moving quickly, Lee kicks his dirty uniform under the bed, then snags the towel on his way to the bathroom. In there, two other towels hang over the shower rod, both only partially dry. Lee grabs those, too, and tosses all three into the stall, then pulls the tempered glass shower door to hide them.
When he turns around, he sees another mess sprawled across the bathroom counter. Disposable razors, his toothbrush, a box of dental floss, little bottles of shampoo and hair gel and cologne. A used bar of soap melting in the sink, decorated with globs of toothpaste. Grabbing a bottle of Axe body spray, Lee spritzes it onto his chest and shivers. It’s cool and tingly, and leaves a manly scent in its wake.
Then he looks over the counter, debating. How bad will it look if he locks the door to keep Joe out? But what if things end up going well between them? What if Joe wants to stay the night? He’ll need to use the toilet at some point, and then he’ll see the poor state the bathroom is in. Lee can’t make him go back to his own room just to take a piss.
So he sweeps everything into an empty drawer, sticky soap and all. Then he turns on the spigot as he runs his hand over the dried toothpaste, trying to wipe it away. “What the hell am I doing this for?” he mutters. “This isn’t exactly a date.”
But he scrubs the sink out anyway, then washes his hands with the soap before tucking it into the as-yet unused soap dish. Sure, there’s a pump to one side of the sink, ready to dispense some foaming liquid mess, but Lee likes the feel of a bar, in his hands or rubbed against his body. Some things can’t be replaced so easily.
He gives the bathroom one last look over and thinks it’ll do. Hell, it isn’t like his CO is going to show up for a surprise inspection tonight or anything. And this Joe guy knows what it’s like; he’s another spacer, same as Lee. They aren’t moving in together, jeez. Why go to all this trouble just to get laid?
Before he can think of an answer, there’s a knock on his hatch.
“Okay,” Lee says, drawing in a breath as he checks himself in the mirror. The front of his sweats tents with eagerness. “Cool, cool. Act cool.”
Whoever’s outside knocks again, a little louder this time.
As Lee breathes out, he feels his whole body relax. He’s got this. So it’s been awhile since he’s hooked up with someone. So what? It isn’t like he forgot how to have sex or anything. And he gets the impression Joe isn’t one for much talk, so he shouldn’t have to impress the guytoomuch. Hell, once he gets a look up close at what Lee’s packing, he won’t want to waste time chatting.
Lee’s balls throb with anticipation.
There’s a third knock, impatient this time. Lee calls out, “Coming!”
And soon, I hope. He hurries to answer.