This story has been edited and proofed by my friend Sean and while you may not see the evidence of his work, I do.  Many thanks for your assistance Sean, the story is better because of you.

THE LEGAL COPYRIGHT © AND ASSIGNMENT AS EXPLAINED IN CHAPTER #1 REMAINS IN FORCE - ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY THE AUTHOR.

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Chapter #20

It started raining just as I pulled on the base and I cursed to myself thinking about the re-arranging I was going to have to do on work schedules I had already planned before leaving on Friday.  

I tried showing my ID through the window but the marine guard made me roll the window down and hand it to him.  That did not help my disposition one bit.  When he handed it back he growled from under the hood of his rain parka. "Don't make me ask you for it next time."  

I didn't say anything since those guys can be real bastards especially if they are in a bad mood and the weather was not helping his or mine.  

The rain did not look like it was going to let up anytime soon and when I stopped at the next corner I glanced at the wooden base bus stop lean-to.  It was crammed with guys trying to keep dry but without much success.  Just as I started to take my foot off of the brake pedal I heard my name being called. I spied  Lawton, one of my seaman, inside the lean-to frantically waving his arms and hollering.

I lowered the window switch on the passenger side and lowered about six inches.
Lawton looked as drowned as the rest.

"Lawton." I hollered over the sound of the rain. "Get your ass in here."

When he started to run in the rain a couple of other guys started hollering where they were going. I hit the switch and raising the window, ignored them. I didn't need a gang of wet sailors dripping all over the car.   I heard a couple of "fuck you" and even more when Lawton opened the door and jumped inside. They were still hollering when I pulled through the intersection.  

I did a quick check of the time, we still had 15 minutes before morning muster. I glanced over at Lawton, he was soaking wet and I was silently thankful for leather seats.  He was still wearing his civvies, white skivvie shirt and jeans that  were plastered to his skin.  The wet shirt revealed a muscular chest and his tits looked like spikes jutting through the cloth.  

"Damn Lawton, what in the hell are you doing out in the rain at a bus stop? We've got muster in half an hour."

"Yeah I know Mike. I stayed over in town with a buddy of mine but he didn't have a base sticker so he had to drop me outside the gate. The fucking marine wouldn't give him a pass, he told him he had to get one at the main gate pass office."

"You should have known that and gone there instead of Gate #3."

"I know, I know. I didn't think the marines would be assholes in weather like this."  He said while hand wiping water from his muscular arms on the floor of the car.

"The key word there kid is you didn't think."

"Jesus Mike, you gonna chew me out all the way to the barracks?  I fucked up, gimme a break will you, I'm freezing."

"You'll be lucky if you don't catch pneumonia knuckle head. When we get to the barracks you take a hot shower. I'll cover for you at muster."  I said grinning at his discomfort.

"Gee Mike, thanks. I really appreciate it." He said looking at me with his pale blue eyes.

His thick strawberry blond hair was plastered down on his head and the light covering of hair on his forearms was darker from the rain.  He leaned back against the seat where Troy had been sitting just a few hours earlier.  He run his hands over his hair and his gut flattened as he breathed in deeply expanding his chest, clearly exposing its sculpted definition.  He was tall and his wet clothes revealed a smooth, slim and well-muscled body. It was easy to see that he had the shoulders and arms of a swimmer, not the bulk of a bodybuilder.  

"Damn the military." I thought, bitterly.  "A nice looking kid but touch him and it could be over for both of us."  I grumbled to myself.

Driving behind the barracks, I was relieved to see that for a change my parking space was empty. The rain hadn't let up a bit and before either one of us reached the door we both would be soaked. Lawton started to open the door but I held him back, we still had a few minutes before muster.

The rain had slackened a little but not much. The parking lot was deserted as far as I could see but we still had about 50' of soggy puddle filled asphalt to cross.

"It's 5 minutes too muster Gil. Get that shower then meet me in the paint locker."

He skipped across the puddles of water with the athletic grace of Baryshnikov. When he reached the barrack's door he glanced back at me before ducking inside.  I waited another minute before following him. I was almost as soaked as he was before I made it inside.

                                                          * * * * * * * * *

  Running to the new office I had been given, I grabbed a towel and dried my hair before changing into the fresh uniform I kept available for just such occasions as this. The cold breeze from the window air-conditioner hit me when I undressed and I turned it off shivering. My skivvies were only damp so I left them on and hung the wet uniform up to dry.  As I finished changing the final bell for muster sounded. Grabbing my white hat and a couple of APC's from the bottle I kept in my locker I headed for the assembly room, stopping at a water fountain to down them.

The sound of feet was still pounding on the stairways from men running and when I entered the room, I did a quick check for Lawton, he wasn't there.   Senior Chief Knickleman was off to the side with  the muster clipboard under his arm instead of Division Commander Weidemeyer. Usually it was Weidemeyer, Knickleman and I and it surprised me not seeing the commander, he rarely missed muster.  Muster was the time when all of the men were together where we suffered  though his long sermons on naval history and the pride we should all feel in being a part of that long standing tradition.  It didn't help in getting the day started.

"Good morning  Senior Chief, no sermon this morning?"

Knickleman was in his mid-forties, short and squat but not fat.  He was rock solid muscle and his ice blue eyes could bore a hole through you if he was angry.  This morning he had a twinkle in his eye.

"At least no sermon this morning Mike." He said with the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He was a squared away Chief and after he said what had to be said he would turn the men over to me for assignments.  I didn't ask about Weidemeyer, knowing he would have told me if I needed to know.

I noticed the empty spot where Lawton would have been when I called the men too attention for muster.  When Knickleman called Lawton's name and heard no answer he looked at me.

"I excused Lawton from muster Senior Chief.  He was soaking wet from the rain and I told him to get out of his wet clothes and take a hot shower."

Knickleman nodded and checked Lawton's name off.  When he finished the muster he looked at the windows and said "Foul weather routine today men. Petty officer Homan will handle your assignments. One other thing, since it is raining no P/T at 1000. From the way some of you look after the weekend I don't think you could handle it anyway.  Take over Mike."

I pulled my memo book from my shirt pocket and barked out the day's assignments, designating three men to meet me in the paint locker.  

When I dismissed them there was the usual good-natured grumbling and groaning like there always was. I waited for a few seconds in case there should be any questions before they filed out of the assembly room. When I heard the Chief call my name and I turned around.

"Mike, I know its raining but the old man has been after me about when Boathouse #3 is going to be finished. He is impatient to move the admiral's barge and the skipper's boat under cover." He said.

"I know Chief.  He's been down there at least once a day since we started that job.  I hate painting in the rain but since it's almost done I've assigned 4-men to finish it today.  The exterior is finished and there really isn't that much left to be done on the inside."

"I don't know why I even asked Mike, I should have known you had it covered.  I'm going to check on some supplies we ordered.  I'll be back at 1500 (3:00PM) but you know where to reach me."  He said with a twinkle in his Dutchman's eyes.

"Yep, a First class can cover for a Chief as well as seaman." I thought to myself, thinking of Lawton.  Knicklemen would be at the CPO Club for the rest of the day since Weidemeyer was not in his office.

                                                         * * * * * * * * *

 Lawton must have realized I was going to assign him to a paint job, he was wearing a clean but paint spattered work uniform when I reached the paint locker. Since it was still raining and five of us would not fit in the front seat of a pickup I drove them, in my car, to the boathouse.  I had halfway expected he would sit in the front with me but got in back with two of the three I had assigned with him for the job.  

We had put a canvas down in the trunk of my car in case any of the paint cans overturned and I was relieved they hadn't.  I was almost tempted to put Gil in charge but common sense told me not to for fear the others might think I was playing a favorite.  I told them all in specific terms what I wanted done and  if they needed me to call on the boathouse intercom phone that connected to my office.  One of them asked about noon chow and I told them "if it's still raining I'll pick you up with my car. If it isn't I'll send someone with the pickup."

The rest of the morning and day went by pretty quickly. It stopped raining before noon but the skies remained threateningly overcast.  I had lunch at the Acey-Ducey Club and Knicklemen came in my office at 1500 (3:00PM), rosy red cheeks and all.  We drove the pickup and sitting beside him, I could smell the cloves he was sucking on. Gil and the other men had finished the painting and Knicklemen was happy he could tell Weidemeyer the boats could be moved from the old seaplane hanger.  

The paint crew jumped in the back of the truck with their equipment and lucky for us the threatened downpour held off until after we were inside the barracks.

"We might as well knock the men off Mike, not much else we can do today. It's almost 1600 (4:00PM) anyway."

After I made the announcement over the barracks loudspeakers we could hear doors slamming and fifty pairs of feet hitting the stairways.

"It never takes them as long to knock off as getting started does, Mike."

"It never does Chief never will. Remember when we were seaman."  I said grinning.

"Yeah, I guess it's what the old man means when he preaches tradition. Sailors will be sailors, you better check and make sure everything is secure before you leave, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Aye, aye." I answered.

                                                        * * * * * * * * *

It was raining too damned hard to worry about the outbuildings. Most of the men were pretty good about closing them up so I just checked the barracks. Young hot bodies were racing around naked between the showers and their lockers, dicks flopping or bouncing depending on size. Many of them were solid, slim or well muscled and a couple reminded me of Troy. A few needed more P/T and workouts but I doubt that would have helped amy of those.  The usual ribald off hand joking remarks were made between them and a few even called out "hi Boats."  Horny kids having the time of their young lives and I felt a little nostalgic remembering when I had done the same thing. There was always plenty of "look but don't touch" eye candy but I had my suspicions about one or two of the really hunky good-looking ones.  

The same mayhem was on the second floor as on the first. Looking through the door windows, I could see the men running around naked the same way the kids on the first floor were. When I walked through the doors into the dorm a tall slender black boy came out of the shower room with his towel over his shoulder. He was brushing his hair and his dick looked like a black hose hanging down from his tight black pubic hair.  He had a beautifully muscled body and his Nubian ancestry was obvious.  I'd never been to bed with a black man and I couldn't help but think what it would be like in bed with him.  I had heard they were fantastic lovers but a comment my grandmother once said flashed in my head, "mix black pigs with white pigs and you get polka dots." She was from the old southern tradition when black and white did not mix on any level.  That was once true but the racial barrier was being slowly broken down.

The boy didn't see me when he came out of the shower and walked past vigorously brushing his hair, his dick swinging like a black truncheon, oblivious to me standing there musing about him.

I glanced around the dorm while walking down the passageway between the double bunks. Lawton, unfortunately, was not in the dormitory.

                                                              * * * * * * * * *

The rain had increased again by the time I was ready to leave and I was soaked before I reached my car.  Not wanting another encounter with the marine guards at the gate I had my ID card ready when I pulled  up to the guard shack.  Marines are a strange bunch, the one on duty just stood inside the minimal protection afforded by the shack and waved me through.  

Its strange how we think and I was thinking about Lawton, Troy and the black kid while I drove. The black kid was a beauty but he and the other kids were just that, beautiful eye candy.  Instead of the black kid coming out of the shower room I was hoping Lawton would and I could see him at least half naked.  I had the feeling in my gut that he had displayed himself for me earlier in the morning and I remembered comments he had made when he saw me changing clothes in the head.  My instincts were usually pretty good and the internal "gaydar" most gays have kicks in when we hear or see the little things.  Twice now my instincts had told me Lawton was gay and regardless of the danger, it was exciting to think of being in bed with him.  He reminded me of an older Troy and the more I thought about him, the hornier I got.  

"Jesus." I said out loud to myself, my cock as hard as steel.  "Why am I getting horny over kids half my age?"

It didn't stop me from driving by the house in the pouring rain even though I was almost certain no work could have been done, I was hoping Troy would be around even in the rain.  I was wrong about Taylor and his crew, the gator dumpster was gone and I could see a trail of plaster dust on the porch and a path in the grass to where the dumpster had been sitting. The windows in  Troy's house were dark and I felt a sudden pang of loneliness mixed with jealousy hit me in the solar plexus.  Sherman and Troy together flashed though my mind.  

                                                               * * * * * * * * *

Instead of going too my apartment I stopped at Mickey's thinking maybe a few beers would get both Troy and Lawton out of my mind.  

Mickey's was not one of the bars I usually patronized but Pat, a nice looking red-headed hunk greeted me when I sat at the bar.  

"Hey Mike, long time no see. You been doing all right?"

"Yeah Pat, set up a Killians Red will you?"

"Sure thing." He said, his blue eyes twinkling.  For some reason Pat's eyes always twinkled when he looked at anyone.

Pat was an Irishman through and through and always had something cheerful to say as most Irishman do.  In bed though, he was all serious.  We had made it once right after I moved to town. He knew how to fuck and liked being fucked.  I learned later that once he had made it with someone he wanted that usually was it but not always. He seldom went with the same guy twice. He wasn't a slut, it was just that he did not want to become involved with anyone.  

Returning with my beer he slid a Budweiser coaster under it with a frosted glass and filled it halfway.

"You like a frosty if I remember right." He said wiping the bar in front of me after he sat the bottle down.

"Good memory Pat. Is that all you remember?" I asked as I lifted the glass to my lips half assed hoping I might get a tumble out of him.

"Oh no." He said grinning, his eyes twinkling. "

"I just wondered." I said.  

Pat leaned forward over the bar and said softly. "I remember everything about you Mike and if I didn't have a date after work..............I'd like to see if you have forgotten anything."

"I haven't Pat.  Can't blame a guy for hoping can you?"

"Nope, you should come in more often."  He said before turning to take care of another guy at the bar.

After a couple of beers, I  promised Pat I'd be back. I left hornier then before and still thinking about Troy and Lawton.  The beers and seeing Pat did nothing to improve the way I was feeling.

I stood in the tiny alcove outside the door of the bar cursing the rain and the empty feeling in my gut.  "It looks like Jude with have to be satisfied with being jerked off tonight." I mused to myself.

                                                            * * * * * * * * *

I don't remember when I was so wet and so miserable.  Lawton in the morning just inches away showing as much as he could, my dick getting hard and I didn't dare do anything about it. I had the feeling he wanted me to make a pass at him or at least show an interest but I didn't.  Naked hot muscular bodies running around the barracks with soft and half hard dicks flopping around only stirred the fire building in my nuts.  Thinking Troy might be home and then not finding him was really an arrogant hope.  I still could not really understand why I should feel jealous about Sherman and him especially now after all he had told me.  It might be for the better if he did find someone else he could experiment with instead of me but I knew deep inside I didn't want that.  

On top of everything that had happened, some idiot was parked in my apartment parking space and I had to park on the street.  When I finally was inside the apartment I stripped and threw my wet clothes in the small apartment size stacked washer-dryer in the kitchen. After I toweled off and put my robe on I put washing powders in the machine and set it. I started to grab another beer from the fridge but changed my mind and fixed a pot of coffee instead.  While it was perking, I fixed a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich for my supper. There was plenty of other food in the fridge but I didn't feel like messing with it.

The coffee wasn't ready so I took the sandwich into the bedroom and after setting it on the night stand, flicked on the television.   Law and Order, one of my favorites, was just coming on.

I didn't want to be going back and forth between the kitchen and the bedroom so I filled a coffee decanter and took it and a mug into the bedroom.   It was only a little after eight so I hadn't missed that much of the program. My other favorite The Practice would follow it and then another hour of Law and Order.  

I took my robe off and stretched out on the bed thinking that my evening was pretty well set. The shows would be over at eleven and then a shower and bed.  I was half way through my sandwich and Briscoe and his hunky black-haired partner Curtis had just busted through an apartment door with guns drawn when the damn phone rang and I cursed. "Who in hell can that be on a night like this."

"Hello." I said brusquely.

"My, my. Aren't we testy tonight? Didn't Robby take care of you before he left?"

"Oh fuck Spunky. What in the hell do you want?" I said, sitting up on the side of the bed.

"Nothing if you're going to talk like that. We hadn't heard from you and when Rob called and said he was leaving we wondered if something had happened between you and him."

"Nothing happened Spunky since there was nothing to happen.  Rob is a nice guy and I like him that's all. He had to leave and he left."

"Then why do you sound so angry Mike?"

I didn't want to tell him why I was feeling so damned lousy and I didn't want any long speeches even though I knew he was concerned.

"Jesus Christ Spunky.  It has been raining off and on all day like a cow pissing on a flat rock, Taylor didn't get that much done on the house, I had a hell of a day at work and I am bushed." I said with a sigh.  Most of what I told him was true but I didn't need to mention Troy or Lawton. H Ralph and he would jump on that like flies on shit. They were good friends and I guess out of love they had appointed themselves my gay-mother but they could be pains in the ass.

"Mike, you can't expect Taylor to do but so much when it's like it is outside.  Haven't you been watching the news?"

"No I haven't. What's the news got to do with anything?"  I said still irritated.

"Oh, not much.  Only hurricane Flossie coming up the coast, that's all.  I thought sailors kept up with the weather? Turn on the weather channel and check it out.  We are going to take a beating if it stays off shore but if it turns..................we all had better head for high ground."

Spunky was right. When I changed to the weather channel the forecaster was issuing warnings that if the hurricane Flossie stayed on its present northeast course we would get a lot of rain, high tides and wind.  It wasn't forecast to change its heading but stay tuned, blah, blah, blah.

"Spunky." I said. "I'll call you guys later.  There was nothing mentioned about a hurricane when I left this afternoon but I better check in."

Still naked and my dick swinging like a wet noodle, I dialed the base information center.  A dull monotone voice came on the line.

"Hurricane Condition One had been set."  There were the usual warnings about essential and non-essential personnel reporting for duty.  All shipboard personnel were instructed to report back on board their ships for possible getting underway in the event the hurricane changed its course. There were the usual instructions about Alpha, Bravo and Zebra personnel with instructions for when they should report.  I knew what all of that meant. A nervous night of watching for instructions on local weather stations or standing by the telephone.  My division was classified Alpha since we had small boats that would need securing.  The duty personnel would handle that and we wouldn't be called until it was necessary. I had the option of going on in but I had been through enough foul weather and hurricane scares that I decided to stay put until called or a re-call was flashed on the screen.  All television and radio stations would issue those instructions as they were received from the base information office.

Flipping the selector back to Law and Order, I finished my coffee.  Still naked, I went back to the kitchen for a refill of the decanter.  At first I thought something had hit the front door but it was someone knocking.  I grabbed my robe from the bedroom and cursed when I stubbed my toe on the door sill as I was trying to put it on and answer the door at the same time.  Still cursing under my breath I flung the door open.  A dripping wet figure outlined against the parking lot lights stood in the doorway looking at me.

"Lawton!!"

                                                          * * * * * * * * *

TBC