Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:42:01 -0400
From: Aidan Wilde <aidanwilde@gmail.com>
Subject: "Love Runs Deep" - Chapter 3: Boy's Night Out (Gay/Military)

Disclaimer: The following quasi-fictional tale is based on a true story.
Some of the names, dates, and places of the story have been changed to
protect the not quite so innocent.  This is not a 60 second tale of lust
and release.  If you like a good story with believably real characters and
a good deal of dramatic elements, then please continue.

This story concerns love, romance, and of course a bit of consenting sex
bits between Gay males.  Ages range from eighteen to twenty-eight in this
story.  If this type of writing is somehow illegal in your area, I first
recommend that you move, and second stipulate that the consequences of your
actions with regards to this story are yours to bear and yours alone.

If you would like to comment on the story, or would like to offer
constructive criticism, please feel free to do so by contacting me using
the following Email address: aidanwilde@gmail.com.  If you would like to be
notified by Email about further postings or submissions by me on Nifty
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Please understand that while your opinions, feelings, and even criticisms
towards this story and it's author will all be very much appreciated and
considered, any ignorant flaming will most emphatically not, and will be
dismissed with little regard or care. I reserve and hold all rights of use
and copyright to this story.  With all that legal mumbo-jumbo out of the
way, enjoy the story.


"Love Runs Deep" -- Chapter 3: Boy's Night Out


I couldn't believe how reckless and stupid I had been.  I should have known
that I would get caught, and now I would pay for that recklessness.  Paul
would no doubt either confront me upon his exit from the bathroom, or more
likely simply get another room, and let his Chief know what had occurred.
Pretty soon, the whole boat would know, and then my life, career, and
service in the Navy would all go straight down the torpedo tubes.  I broke
into a sweat, and my pulse rate skyrocketed.  I could barely keep myself
from bolting out of the room.

"Get a hold of yourself!" My mind suddenly screamed at me.  So what if he
had seen me looking at him in the mirror?  At most, it would be his word
against mine, and there could be numerous explanations for this event other
than: "Aidan Wilde must be Gay!"  I slowly started to calm down.  When I
was right, I was right.  Panicking now would be a sure-fire way to invite
trouble.  I needed to handle this coolly, and most importantly, calmly.

I decided to just forget about the incident.  I would stop thinking about
it, and nothing would ever be said about it.  If Paul mentioned anything
relating to this moment, I would simply blow it off, and appear
unconcerned.  Paul still hadn't exited the bathroom, allowing my mind to
continue its roller coaster ride.

I would tell him and everyone else that I was just curious if he was still
in the bathroom because I had to take a piss.  It sounded simple and
innocent.  No one had to know exactly how long I lingered at the doorway
watching Paul except me.  Eventually, as I waited, my nerves calmed and my
heartbeat slowed.

Paul came out of the bathroom and I tried not to notice or appear unduly
interested, but it was extremely hard.  Now that I had seen Paul in the
biblical sense I was absolutely hooked on the mere sight of him, and could
only want more.  Paul said nothing to me as he came out, but instead simply
smiled his patented smile and began putting on his socks and shoes, which
were the only items of clothing he hadn't carried into the bathroom with
him.

"So are you ready to head out?" He asked, momentarily interrupting my
reverie.

"Um, sure.  I'm ready if you are," I answered as I got up from my bed and
collected my keys from the top of my dresser.

We both exited the room, and I locked the door behind us.

"Did you want to ride with me, or do you want to drive?" I asked.

"You can drive.  I kind of like your Truck.  It's cooler than my Jetta,"
Paul stated.

"I like your Jetta though.  It's cozy."  I offered, trying to refrain from
seeming snobbish.

"Just don't turn the music up too, too loud.  I'm still adjusting to the
lack of boat noise," Paul informed me.

I promised him that I wouldn't, and as we entered the parking lot, I hit
the keyless entry to unlock the automatic door locks and disable the alarm
system.  We both hopped in, and headed off base.  A short drive off the
base and up Kings Bay road, and we arrived in Kingsland.  Nothing much had
changed.  Kingsland was a relatively small town, and the naval base was
still its biggest attraction and employer.  The Ruby Tuesday had just
opened up a few days before we had headed out for our last patrol as a
matter of fact.  If one wanted a metropolitan atmosphere, one had only to
take a short twenty to thirty minute drive down to Jacksonville Florida, or
Jax, as the locals call it.

As we arrived at the restaurant, I was relieved to notice that the parking
lot wasn't completely packed with the lunch crowd.  It was still not quite
eleven in the morning yet, and their doors wouldn't officially be open for
a few more minutes.

"Good thing we got here early.  This place is crazy during lunch time," I
informed Paul.

"True, but it's probably better than McDonald's," Paul shrugged as his eyes
lingered on me, wholly unaware of the effect that kind of look always had
on me.

We carried on a casual conversation while we waited inside my truck for
them to open.  Paul started telling me about the things he wanted to buy,
and the places he wanted to go to during this off-crew.  I told Paul that a
lot of the places he had mentioned were destinations I also wouldn't mind
visiting, and how we could probably travel together to save time and gas.
Paul seemed to favor this idea, as he mentioned a few places in particular.

"I really want to go to the `Dave & Busters' Arcade in Jax," Paul smiled.

"That would be pretty cool, though I'll have to warn you, there isn't a
two-player fighting game that I wouldn't kick your ass in," I warned him.

"U-huh, we'll see about that," Paul retorted confidently.

"You might beat me, but only if I buy lots of beer while I'm there," I
assured him.

"They serve alcohol at an arcade?" Paul asked, seemingly shocked at the
news.

"Of course they serve alcohol silly, it's an adult arcade," I said with a
chuckle.

"Oh, I thought it was just a regular arcade."

"Well it is, aside from the fact that they serve food and drinks there," I
assured him.  "Hey, I think I see the hostess unlocking the door," I added
interrupting the current train of conversation.

We both got out of the truck, and I secured the alarm and the automatic
door locks.  I wasn't too worried about Alex here, but I was still wary
about parking him wherever alcohol was being served.  One bad habit with
Navy sailors, and squids in particular, was that they all loved to drink,
and a few of them apparently thought that mixing that activity with driving
was acceptable.

Now, I freely admit to having had a beer just previous to driving, but that
was no where near enough beer to even remotely impair my ability to drive
safely, despite the fact that my tolerance levels were low because I hadn't
had any alcohol in over three months.  The last thing anyone needed was for
some jackass to hit Alex in a parking lot because they were too shit-faced
to drive, and too macho to call a cab, or a friend, to pick them up.

As we walked into the restaurant, the hostess greeted us.  She was quite
pleasant and attractive of course, and it might have been my imagination,
but her eyes seemed to linger a bit longer than necessary on the both of
us.  Poor girl, I thought.  That would be as far as she'd ever get with me,
but Paul was still a big question mark in my mind.  Even if Paul was
completely straight, the bitch clearly didn't deserve him.

That thought caused me to take pause for a moment.  Was it just me, or was
I starting to get a slight hint of possessive feelings towards Paul?  How
interesting, I mused.  I silently chastised myself for counting my eggs
before they had hatched.

We took our seats as the hostess took our drink orders and informed us that
a waitress would be with us momentarily.  I ordered a sweet tea, and Paul
ordered a Coke for himself.  We made more small talk about the menu items
and what we would be ordering until our server finally arrived.

"Hey guys, my name's Josh, and I'll be your server today!" A cheerful and
boyish voice called out as our drinks were placed on our table.

I tilted my head upwards, seeking out the source of the bubbly voice, and a
very cute face returned my inquisitive look.  Well, this day was getting
even more interesting all the time, I thought to myself.  I let my eyes
wander down his body and back up again, taking in the total picture before
me.  Finally meeting his eyes, I grinned slightly.

"Hello Josh," I said as I turned my body in the booth slightly to face him.

"Would this be on separate checks or together?" Josh asked, glancing
between Paul and myself.

"It will be on one check today," I replied.  Josh was definitely a cute
guy, but with Paul right in front of me, it was hard to even see any other
guys.  Regardless, Josh was doing a good job of fighting for my attention.

"Excellent!  Well, do you guys know what you'd like to order or do you need
some more time to look over the menu?"  Josh queried, as I noticed his eyes
furtively darting over me.  Well I'll be.  Josh the server was checking me
out, I thought to myself.

"Well I know what I want, how about you Paul?" I answered as I turned to
look at him.

Paul was watching both of us, and without looking at his menu he closed it
and replied, "I'll have what you were planning on ordering Aidan."

"And what will Aidan be having today?" Josh asked as he brought his pen up
to his ticket book.

"Well, for starters we'll be having a double order of mozzarella sticks as
an appetizer.  Then I would like two of your twenty ounce "saloon cut"
Prime Ribs, (1)Au Jus of course, with baked potato and a little butter - no
sour cream, and two Caesar salads.  And you can bring those salads out as
soon as possible please," I rattled off, closing my menu and grabbing
Paul's menu from him.

"Great choices, and how would you like the Prime rib's prepared?" Josh
queried.

"Is there any other way to roast a Prime Rib than medium rare?" I asked
with a knowing look on my face.

"Not if you like Prime Rib there isn't," Josh smiled as he closed his
ticket book and took our menus.  "I'll put these in and be back with your
appetizer and salads as soon as they're ready."

"Thank you Josh," I said while giving him a nice big smile.

Josh turned to leave and I refocused my attentions on Paul.  He was sitting
across from me sipping on his soda with a straw and just watching me.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked him.

"Hmm, I was just wondering about something to myself," He replied.

"Like?"

"Nothing important," Paul stated dismissively.

Deciding not to pressure him about it, I steered the conversation back
towards our previous topics.  We discussed simple things, like what we
wanted to do during off-crew, places we could visit, and how living
together as roommates would affect that.  It wasn't until I broached the
subject of the upcoming five day stand-down that Paul seemed to lose
himself in personal debate.

He expressed his indecision towards going home to visit his mother and
sister, or waiting to do that until we could take leave, and thereby afford
more time with them.  When he asked me about my plans, I told him that I
intended to stay around the area, and wouldn't be visiting family or really
going anywhere in particular.  I would probably spend the time relaxing and
enjoying being back from sea in the quiet of my room, or going for a drive
in my truck.

After a few minutes our appetizer and Caesar salads arrived, and Josh set
them down on the table for us.  I couldn't help but notice that Josh seemed
to be giving me the third-degree with his eyes.  I simply returned his gaze
with a smile and met his looks with a friendly, and inviting, expression.

"So are you guys like in the military?" Josh asked as he finished setting
the plates on our table.

"Yes, we're both in the Navy," I replied to which Josh reacted as if
suddenly resigned, if not somewhat crestfallen.

"Ah, that's cool.  I have an older brother in the Marines.  I kind of
guessed you were since you military guys kind of all have the same look,"
Josh replied.

"Yeah, what gave us away?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well, like the haircuts for one, and other little things," Josh informed
us.

Yeah, I guess you must see a lot of military guys come in and out of this
place huh?"

"Well I get a few that are, but I only work here part time so I don't see
that many myself.  I actually live in Jacksonville," Josh added.

"Yeah?  I like Jacksonville a lot, though I'm not that familiar with it," I
admitted.

"It's nice there, I actually live in Riverside," He stated.  "Well, let me
get back to the kitchen.  You boys enjoy your food, and I'll be back with
the main course in a few minutes."

Riverside.  Home of the Metropolitan; one of Jacksonville's few Gay
nightclubs.  If I didn't know better, I would say ol' Josh was fishing.  Of
course, I had never been to the Metro, but I knew it was there.  I wasn't
into the Gay scene, and really couldn't be, because of being in the
military.  When I had arrived at Kings Bay in late 2000, I of course spent
some time getting to know the area as well as doing some research online,
which was how I found out about the Gay communities in Jacksonville, such
as Riverside, and about the Metropolitan.  Honestly, I didn't really have
any friends here whom I knew to be Gay - either military or civilian.

Paul seemed unconcerned with my conversation with Josh.  I decided to
ignore the developing uneasy feeling in the back of my head for the moment
in favor of indulging my hungry appetite as Paul and I began to chow down
on the mozzarella sticks and salad.  We made more small talk until the rest
of the food arrived.  After our meal had been set out before us, Josh again
made his eagerness to serve us apparent.

"If there's anything at all I can get you two, just let me know.  I don't
have any other tables at the moment so I can give you guys all of my
attention," He stated as he smiled at me and Paul.

I told Josh that we would if we needed anything, and eventually turned my
attention back to my plate.  Josh lingered for a moment and then busily
whisked away somewhere.  The food was excellent.  Paul and I quickly wolfed
down the huge Prime Ribs like they were quarter pound hamburger patties.
For a smaller guy, Paul could definitely put away a serious amount of food.
Admittedly the prime Rib far exceeded anything I had eaten in the past
three months, but it had disappeared so quickly I almost couldn't remember
tasting it.

Paul and I eventually finished our meals, and both of us admitted to
absolutely stuffing ourselves.  Paul was unable to finish his baked potato,
but he did manage to eat all of his Prime Rib and salad.  Neither of us
even touched the bread that was brought out with the meal.  All in all, it
was definitely worth the money, and of course, any time spent with Paul in
any capacity was time well spent in my mind.

Josh checked back with us during the meal periodically to refill our drinks
and meet our every need, which of course I found admirable.  I wondered if
all his guests would get the same service as Paul and I had received.  Part
of me figured that they most likely would.  Josh seemed to be a very
genuinely cheerful and friendly guy.  You would have to be with a job like
this, I imagined.

I decided that Josh's tip would reflect his excellent service and decided
that I wanted him to know that we had both appreciated his attention to our
needs during the visit. The amount I had chosen to tip him would probably
make poor Josh think that I was hitting on him, instead of vice versa,
which suited me just fine.

He finally brought us our check after we had wrapped up the meal.

"Here's the check gentlemen.  I hope everything was to your satisfaction
today?" Josh asked as he handed me the bill for the meal.  I opened the
little black check folder and placed my credit card inside.  I closed the
check folder and handed it back to him.

"The meal was absolutely perfect Josh, and so was the service.  We really
appreciate all the attention you paid us." I stated while offering a
genuine smile.

Paul remained silent, but didn't appear unhappy with anything.  It seemed
to me that Paul was simply watching Josh and me with a look of detached
interest, content to simply let me handle the conversation.

"Awesome, that's great to hear.  I'll be right back with the signature
receipt," Josh said as he turned and walked towards the register area.

"He's a pretty good waiter, don't you think?" I asked Paul after Josh had
left.

"Yeah, he's not bad I guess," Paul stated flatly.

Paul's response was unexpected and slightly worrisome.  I could tell that
something was bothering him, but couldn't put my finger on it.  Something
wasn't right.

Josh soon returned with the receipt for the meal and my credit card.  I put
my card back into my wallet and signed the receipt.  The bill had been
Forty-eight dollars, to which I added a fifty-two dollar gratuity for an
even one-hundred dollar total.  I placed the receipt back in the folder,
and handed it back to Josh.  As he grabbed the folder and tried to take it
from me, I held onto it a moment longer than necessary.

"So you mentioned before that you live in Riverside huh?" I asked.

"Yep," Josh answered.  I let go of my grip on the check book.

"If I remember correctly, that's where the Metro is right?" I quickly
followed up.

"Um...sure.  You've been to the metro?" Josh asked, as his interest level
clearly rose along with his eyebrows.

"Not exactly, but I'm familiar with the place.  I have a few friends that
have been before," I stated matter-of-factly, which of course wasn't
completely true.

"Cool, you should check it out some time.  I go there from time to time.
You might like it," Josh subtlety suggested.

"I probably would," I replied barely loud enough for Josh to hear, as I
made the motions of getting up and out of the booth.  Josh headed off
towards the back of the restaurant.  Paul got up, and we both headed
towards the door.  I turned around searching for a toothpick.  Finding a
glass with some individually wrapped ones inside next to the Hostesses
booth, I almost bumped into Josh as he was bringing the receipt book back
to the register.  We both looked up at each other and smiled.  Paul was
almost halfway out the door, but stopped and waited for me.  Josh made his
move.

"I just wanted to stop you and say thank you so much for the tip.  You have
no idea how much that helps me out," Josh said.  "You know, if you ever
find yourself down in Jacksonville, or at the Metro, we should hook up.
Maybe I can help you get acquainted with the place a little better, since
you're not from there," He stated, as he palmed me a slip of paper.

I took the slip of paper from him without looking at it, and put it into my
pocket.  I had a good idea what it was, and if my guess was correct, it
would be a 10 digit number.

"Sure, I might just do that...Josh," I stated while mustering my best sly
grin as I winked at him.  His face visibly brightened.  I turned around and
walked towards the door.  Paul waited until I got closer to the door and
walked outside ahead of me.

We got back into the Truck and headed towards the theater.  We were about
halfway there when Paul finally spoke up.

"So what did that guy give you?" Paul asked.

"Huh?"

"Josh...the waiter.  I saw him hand you something at the register," Paul
clarified.

"Oh, that.  I don't know.  He said that I should look him up if I was ever
in the Riverside area, something about showing me around," I said without
emotion and trying to feign an unconcerned attitude.

"Did he give you his phone number?" Paul pressed.

"Don't know.  Didn't even look at it yet," I admitted truthfully. "But I
suppose that's what it is," I added.

"Hmm," Paul mumbled.

A few tense moments passed.

"Do you think he's Gay?" Paul blurted out.

"Wh...what?" I spluttered, turning to look at Paul, who was simply gazing
out the passenger window.

"Do you think he was Gay?" Paul asked again.

I couldn't say anything for a few moments.

"Kinda looked like he was trying to hit on you," Paul added after I said
nothing immediately.

I was at a loss for words.  Of course, I didn't just think Josh had been
hitting on me, I had all but confirmed it, short of simply asking him.  The
Metro was a gay club, and I had told Josh that I had "Friends" that went
there, basically confirming for him that I was receiving his not so subtle
method of (2)pinging my hull.

More importantly, did Paul pick up on that?  Could it be that Paul was
doing some fishing of his own?  It would certainly explain his earlier mood
and lack of conversation or interaction with Josh.  Perhaps I was treading
on more dangerous waters than I had imagined.  Caution alarms went off in
my head.

Did Paul have any idea that the Riverside area of Jacksonville was known to
be a gay community, or that the Metropolitan was a Gay nightclub?  Did Paul
realize that Josh and I had basically hinted to each other that we might be
interested in hooking up, or could it be something else entirely?  Could it
be that Paul was playing the same game that I was?  Who was pinging who
here?

These were all questions that needed to be answered, but unfortunately I
didn't have the luxury of that kind of time.  Paul's question demanded an
immediate response.

"I don't know, maybe he could have been," I admitted.

"Hmm," Paul muttered.  "That doesn't bother you?"

Oh boy, there it was.  The worst possible question Paul could ask me other
than just blatantly asking me if I was Gay or not.  How could I answer him
and remain truthful without tipping my hand in a way that made me
vulnerable?

"Nope.  Like I said before, anyone can have a free look, but him being Gay
or not has nothing to do with me at all.  Elton John could hit on me and I
wouldn't care, I know who I am," I stated truthfully, without adding that
"who I was" also happened to be Gay.

Paul turned to look at me and smiled.  He appeared relieved.  I just wish I
knew what that meant.

"So what movie are we going to be watching?" He said.

"No clue," I chuckled in reply, amazed at his ability to shift the
conversation so easily.

Paul seemed suddenly unconcerned about everything we had just been
discussing.  I was relieved at the abrupt change in the topic of
conversation, and glad that he wasn't attempting to push the issue any
further, but at the same time I was worried about what that could
potentially mean.

We finally arrived at the theater and decided that we were just in time to
catch the twelve forty-five showing for Equilibrium.  It looked kind of
neat from the poster, and it had Christian Bale in it.  Besides being a
really great actor, he had always been an infatuation of mine.

I was one of the few people that I knew of that actually remembered him in
his first role in the epic, and Oscar-winning, `Empire of the Sun',
directed by Steven Spielberg.  Christian was only about twelve years old in
that movie, but even when I saw it as a young boy of twelve myself a few
years after its release, I instantly developed what could only be described
as a serious case of "Puppy-love".  At that tender age, the hormones of
puberty had just started to boil to the surface.  He was so cute to me
then, and still is in a way.  It's possible that I still have a crush him.
Then again, can you blame me?

Ok, maybe it was his British accent that did it for me, but in either case,
I had always loved his movies.  As he got older and started acting
seriously in more and more roles, I very much considered myself a loyal
fan.  He is only two years older than me.

I purchased both of our tickets and we entered the theater and made our way
to our seats.  I sat down first and Paul sat right next to me, not
bothering to skip a seat.

I was instantly impressed with the movie's visual effects, cinematography,
and musical score.  The movie had a profound and instantaneous effect on
me.  When Preston wept at hearing Beethoven's ninth symphony for the first
time, I felt moved to tears as well.  Such perfect and timeless music would
never lose its power to move the human spirit to the absolute depths and
peaks of human emotion.  Christian's acting was perfect.  I empathized with
his character and connected with him.

Paul and I cheered as Preston fought with the resistance against the
uncaring and emotionless forces arrayed against him, and we both smiled and
gave our approval as he eventually defeated his nemesis.  The movie ended
and both of us instantly began talking about what we had liked about it.
Both of us really appreciated the imagery of the movie and the overall
message it was trying to convey.

The power of the human spirit is embodied within our ability to empathize
and feel with those around us.  How we share those feelings and interact
with others is what defines us as human beings.  Emotion is the ultimate
expression of our humanity, and though it could be just as destructive as
it could be constructive, it was clearly better to have it, than not.  To
remove someone's ability to have emotion, was removing their very humanity
itself.

I thought the movie was excellent.  It was far from being a rip-off of the
Matrix, which I would later read from every movie critic that reviewed the
film, who also thought their opinions were worth a damn.  It just goes to
show you that being a critic is its own art form, and being a bad critic
should be its own crime; Oscar Wilde was definitely right about that.

Paul and I got back into the truck and I took a moment to reflect.  We just
kind of knowingly looked at each other.  Both of us had taken something
away from the movie, and that was a rare thing in this day and age of
Hollywood fare.  Nothing was said between us with words, but much was
conveyed in our eyes.  It almost felt like a deeper connection was made,
but unable to give voice to it, it passed in silence.  I cranked the truck
and drove off.

I decided to stop by the Base Exchange on my way back to the barracks in
order to pick up some more beer.  I had a feeling that it was going to be
one of those nights.  With any luck, the alcohol would ease the tension
that I sensed had been building up through the day.  I just hoped that the
tension wasn't created by Paul catching me in the act of spying on him
earlier, or him catching on to the fact that Josh and I had been hitting on
each other.  It would certainly explain his uncharacteristic silence today
and his questions in the Truck on the ride to the theater.

I entered the Base's exchange and purchased a few items.  With another two
six-packs of Stella, two bottles of Grey Goose Vodka, two bags of Tostitos,
Salsa and Con Queso for dipping, and two gallons of Tropicana Orange Juice
underneath my arm, I climbed back into the truck where Paul was patiently
waiting while listening to the radio.

"Geeze, did you buy all of their beer?" Paul joked as he took stock of the
amount of bags I was loading into the back seat.

"Nah, but I did pick up some Goose," I winked.

"Oh no...I don't think I can handle the Goose on my first night back
Aidan," Paul moaned.

Well, we'll try to keep it to a minimum, but I know you prefer liquor to
beer so I wanted to get you some in case we did decide to have a drink or
two, you know to kind of celebrate you moving in and all," I replied with a
smile.

During the few weeks we had spent together last off-crew I had learned that
Paul hadn't particularly developed his taste for beer yet, but he
especially liked Screwdrivers.  Of course, being the perverted and innuendo
prone male that I was, I instantly thought that I would definitely love to
give Paul all the `Screwdrivers' he could handle.  Granted, with no
tolerance from three months out to sea, that would be very few indeed.  Of
course, this also worked to my benefit since Grey Goose was not cheap Vodka
by any stretch of the imagination.

Despite what you might be thinking, I did not plan on getting Paul drunk
and having my way with him.  I had too much respect for him, and that
wasn't my style.  As I said before, I wanted Paul as more than just a
sexual object.  It's quite possible, but when I look back on that time,
what I was experiencing were the very first stages of me falling in love
with him, though at the time, I hadn't really even considered it.  In any
case, I would never ever have violated Paul or taken advantage of him.  My
sense of honor wouldn't have permitted it.

"Thanks for thinking about me," Paul said.  "You really don't mind that I
had to move in do you?"

"Of course not.  I would rather you moved in than anyone else," I added
truthfully.

We finally arrived back at the barracks around four in the afternoon.  Alex
was parked and armed, and with that, Paul and I set off for our room with
our packages from the exchange.  We eventually made it back to the room and
I busied myself with putting the salsa, chips, and beer in the
refrigerator, and the two bottles of Grey Goose in the freezer.

I was a firm believer that Vodka should be served as cold as possible, and
any good Vodka, when properly chilled, would be extremely hard to even
taste or smell and extremely easy to drink.  Grey Goose had both of those
qualities and I considered it one of the best Vodkas money could buy.  Paul
was worth that and more, I had thought when purchasing it.  Plus, good
vodka meant less of a hangover in the morning; always a plus.

Paul went into the bathroom to relieve himself, and this time he left the
door cracked, yet again.  This time I decided to stay put.  I respected him
as a person much more than I realized, and was even feeling guilty about
spying on him somewhat.  I realized that I wanted more than just Paul's
body.  I wanted everything he had to give, and though the thought of having
sex with him would instantly get my blood boiling every time, I would
rather that came as a byproduct of actual emotional feelings for him, and
not just simple lust.

As the night wore on we talked many times and had meaningful conversations
about everything from family, to the movie we had seen, to where we wanted
to go tomorrow after we were cut out for our five day stand-down.  The
whole time I drank a few beers, and Paul even drank two of the Screwdrivers
I had fixed for him.  At about eight o'clock that night, I started to
notice along with Paul that he was feeling the effects of the alcohol.  He
had just finished his second drink, and apparently the buzz he had from the
first was now reinforced by finishing this one.  I had been feeling the
effects since after the third beer at around Five o'clock.

The conversation started to get much more personal.  We talked about
family, and our likes and dislikes.  I found out that Paul's sister was two
years older than him, and that he didn't have a father.  He had been raised
since the age of two by his mother and sister.  I was just the opposite.  I
had lacked a mother growing up, and after the string of ex-wives and
step-mothers my father had seen fit to run through, my conception of women
was pretty low because of it.  Perhaps undeservingly and unfairly, but I
had managed to see quite a few bad ones, and more than enough to spoil the
whole bunch in my mind.

Paul asked me about other things, like if I had any brothers and sisters.
I told him that I was an only child.  He told me about the relationship he
had with his sister, and about how they felt protective of each other, and
how at the same time, she was on constant lookout for his welfare and
happiness.  He talked about how he used to go shopping with his sister and
hang out with her and her friends.  It was hardly the picture of most
teenage girls with a younger and at times obnoxious little brother one
might see on the television.

"Wow, you and your sister seem really close.  I wish I had someone I was
that close to, but no one in my family ever connected like that.  We're
kind of hands off.  I can't think of the last time I even hugged my dad." I
admitted.

Paul's look was somewhat sad as I told him about my home life.

"I can't begin to imagine what that must be like Aidan.  I'd have been so
miserable without my sister to talk to back in High-school," Paul confided.

"Yeah, what I wouldn't have given for a younger brother," I responded.

"You always wanted a younger brother?" Paul asked, apparently interested by
this admission. "I figured you would enjoy being an only child and pretty
much getting away with whatever you wanted."

"Ha!" I laughed.  "My life was definitely not that version.  If I wanted
anything I usually had to buy it for myself.  My dad was a firm believer in
tough love." I added. I was far from being the spoiled, `have everything my
way', only child that most people imagined.

During the night, both of us had progressed to various areas of the room.
We had both gone outside with our drinks whenever I had wanted a smoke,
which was often.  We were currently both sitting on my bed facing each
other.  Some music was on in the background coming from my sound system.  I
used my computer to power it all.  Currently my play-lists consisted of
various rock, heavy metal, industrial, alternative, classical, jazz, and
techno songs.  I had wide musical tastes back then and still do.


"So why did you want a little brother?" Paul queried again as he listened
intently.

"I don't really know.  I just wish I had a little brother around.  Some one
I could look after and protect, ya know.  Someone who could look up to me.
Some one I could love and always be a part of their life no matter where
they went or what they did.  Someone in my family that had a lot in common
with me and wasn't a parent or something like that," I explained.

"That's really cool," Paul said.  "I think you would have made a good big
brother."

"Yeah well, that's not going to ever happen, it's just another childhood
wish unfulfilled," I said dejectedly.

Our conversation continued to Paul's sister and how she basically performed
the role of a big brother to Paul.  Apparently it had been her that had
answered all his teenage questions that he couldn't or was too embarrassed
about to ask his mother.  He told me about how she had explained sex to
him, and making babies, and all the other stuff a teenager normally would
find out from friends or in this day and age, online.

"Wow, your sister sounds really cool.  I can't believe you guys actually
talked about that sort of stuff with each other," I noted.

"Yeah, my sister and me share everything, and I do mean everything.  There
isn't any part of us or thing about us that we don't share with each other.
She's always there for me, and I'm always there for her," Paul told me.

I couldn't help but look saddened as the reality that I had an extremely
dysfunctional family was again brought to my attention.  Hell, I talked to
my family so little.  Part of me recognized that this was because of my own
reluctance to communicate with them.

I was Gay.  I was also pretty sure that my family either wouldn't handle
that information well, or at the very least, it wouldn't endear me to them
anymore than was already the case.  Not much good would come from either of
those situations.  I had decided that unless things drastically changed in
my life, I would not be leading my life as a Gay person openly, especially
where family was concerned.

Eventually the topic of conversation got even more personal.  Talking about
his sister and the fact that they confided everything to each other raised
the issue of sexual discovery and masturbation.

"So when you say you and your sister talk about everything, does that mean
you talked to her about jerkin off and stuff?" I asked, honestly curious,
but also to steer the conversation to an area that I could use to try and
gain any advantage in my quest to find out if Paul possessed even a single
gay bone in his body.

"Ha, ha!" Paul laughed.  "No that was the one thing she couldn't and
wouldn't really help me with, but I did ask her if doing it was ok and
normal, and of course she told me that it was.  She also started telling me
about how I should start washing my clothes and sheets so mom wouldn't have
to confront me about it," He added.

"What, you mean like when you had a wet dream or something?" I asked poking
him in the ribs.

"Yeah, that, and why I needed tissue in my bedroom, and why I had lotion,
and all the other stuff you probably did too," He counterattacked.  "It's
not like you didn't whack off when you were that age."

"Of course I did silly, every chance I got I had my hand wrapped around my
dick rubbing one out," I boasted, as both of us giggled at our
admissions. "Hell, I still do, as you well know."

Paul put up his hands and shook his head. "As long as you don't like wake
me up moaning and panting or anything I'll be ok with it," Paul joked.

"Like I said before, you can watch all you want, but you'll have to pay for
anything more," I joked.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember Mr. Chippendale," Paul laughed.

"You know you like it," I retorted as I drained the beer I was holding.

Paul took another drink of his screwdriver.  We were both getting pretty
buzzed from all the alcohol we had been drinking. It was now about
ten-thirty.  I got up and made my way for the door grabbing my pack of
smokes.  Paul got up off the bed and fixed himself another screwdriver. I
noticed almost a third of one of the bottles of vodka was gone.  Paul was
probably getting close to his limit too.  I'd have to cut us both off after
this drink most likely.  We still had to wake up at seven tomorrow to
muster on the pier for the official transfer of command for the boat.

Paul and I stepped out onto the balcony and I lit up my smoke.

"Why do you smoke those things," Paul asked with a frown.  "You know they
give you cancer and stuff."

"Meh," I grunted while shrugging my shoulders.  "It's just something I do,
especially when I drink.  It's not like I smoke a pack a day.  I can run
the (3)PRT in well below my max time, and I don't have any trouble
breathing.  It's not like I can't quit or am addicted to them or anything,"
I said.

"Maybe if I had something else to put in my mouth, I wouldn't need to
smoke." I thought to myself while imagining a particular part of Paul's
anatomy.

"It's still bad for you.  You shouldn't smoke," Paul chastised.

"I'd quit if I had a good enough reason," I offered.

"Your health isn't a good enough reason?" Paul asked determinedly.

"Of course it is, but I don't smoke enough for it to be bad for me.  I
don't buy all that Truth commercial bull-crap.  Anything done in moderation
is OK. Drinking, smoking, whatever.  Look at the Native Americans.  They
smoked tobacco and did peyote, and you didn't see them all dying at twenty
from lung cancer.  It's because they didn't run it into the ground like
everyone does shit now days.  I smoke in moderation, and that's why I'm not
worried about it," I explained further.

"If I found a better reason for you, would you quit?" He asked.

"What do you mean better reason?" I countered.

"I'm just saying if I could think of a better reason for you not to smoke,
other than it was bad for your health, would you stop?" He elaborated
again.

I thought to myself about what I would consider a better reason.  Honestly
though, if Paul wanted me to quit, I probably would, but that wasn't
something I could tell him without indicating to him how important his
opinion was to me, which in turn would beg further questions as to why his
opinion mattered that much to me.  In either case I'd be willing to listen.

"Sure.  If you can give me a better reason to quit smoking than its bad for
me, I will," I responded.

"Cool," Paul quipped, apparently enthusiastic about being given a chance to
one up me in the logic department.

I finished my smoke and put it out in my butt can.  We both looked at each
other in silence.  Paul's eyes caught my own.  We gazed into each others
eyes obviously searching for something.  A flicker of understanding passed
between us.  I broke the moment by looking away first.  God, I was falling
for Paul, and I'd never even be able to tell him.  I'd never be able to
discover anything about him without taking this situation far beyond the
casual friendship of two shipmates that it was now.  I was well and truly
fucked, to coin the phrase.

I turned around and headed for the room with Paul on my heels.  I sat back
down on the bed, suddenly feeling very dizzy.  The alcohol had caught up
with me finally.  Paul sat down heavily next to me and kept falling
backwards until he was laying down on my bed with his feet dangling over
the edge.

"I think those screwdrivers are catching up with me," Paul commented as if
reading my own thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm feeling quite bubbly as well," I giggled.

Paul turned his head to look at me.  Again, I had to look away.  Something
in Paul's eyes all of the sudden was having an effect on me that felt like
electricity.  It was almost as if he were looking into my very soul every
time he locked those baby blues onto me.  I felt flushed and hot.

"Aidan, let's watch the movie," Paul said.

"What, now?" I asked, wondering why he'd want to watch a kung fu flick at
this moment. "You want to watch `THE' movie, and not `A' movie?" I asked.

"Yeah, `THE' movie.  Sure, why not?" He responded as he shrugged his
shoulders.

"OK, sure, why not indeed," I agreed, as I got up and headed over to the
computer.  Suddenly feeling my bladder painfully remind me of its presence,
I turned towards the door to the bathroom.

"Oh fuck, I gotta piss soooo bad right now, you handle the movie, it's on
my PC's hard drive. Just look for it in the movies folder," I called out as
I rushed for the bathroom and shut the door behind me.  The beer was
running through me, and the world was spinning.  "Fuck me," I cursed at
myself in the bathroom.

I had drunk too much.  As I finished pissing, I leaned against the wall
with my left hand and rested my head on my arm briefly closing my eyes.
The world was spinning.  Fuck I was horny.  One of the side effects of
drinking with me was a perpetual state of horniness that always arrived
with a solid buzz.  Getting too drunk of course would ruin that state, but
right now I was at the precipice of that state, and being with Paul was
having a measured effect on my ability to not sprout a continual and
obvious erection.

Eventually, I made my way back into the room.  Without turning to look at
Paul who was seated in front of my computer staring at the screen, I
plopped down on the bed and lay down, scooting a few pillows under my head.

"Yeah, I found the movie.  I was waiting to start it till you got back,"
Paul quipped as he bounded back to the bed and lay down beside me.

He found the few remaining pillows on my bed and propped up his head as
well so he could see the movie.  `The movie', as we both called it, was
recently one of my favorite martial arts movies: The Storm Riders.

This movie was a tale of two warriors, raised as brothers, who loved the
same woman, who coincidentally also happened to be the daughter of their
sworn lord.  The two heroes of the movie were named Wind, and Cloud, each
with their own special fighting techniques and so forth.  It was a fun
movie to watch and had some pretty neat special effects for its time.

The movie had been running for about half an hour when Paul spoke up.

"If you could be Cloud or Wind, who would you be and why?" He as asked.

"What is this, twenty questions?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Just play along silly," Paul taunted.

I thought for a moment and decided that I would want to be Wind.  Wind was
played by the actor Ekin Cheng, and man-o-man was he hot.  Hey I can't help
it!  Here I am buzzing like hell, horny as shit, watching two very cute
Asian pop star actors on TV, flying around while kicking the shit out of
people.  Of course I wanted to be the cute one!

"What?"  Paul said sounding shocked.  "Cloud is so much more powerful than
Wind.  He'd kick Wind's ass any day."

"Are you crazy? Wind would so put the "Wind kicks" to Cloud's face." I
retorted eager to rush to the aid of my hero who was currently having his
skill and honor besmirched.

"Hell, I'd kick Wind's pansy ass!" Paul exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?  Well see about that!" I yelled as I jumped up from the bed and
launched myself onto Paul.

Paul squealed in surprise at my vicious surprise attack, but quickly jumped
up to defend himself.  Paul was no slouch himself, and was a lot stronger
than he looked.  We each grabbed at each other and fought for dominance.

And just like that, Paul and I were wrestling on my bed.  I imagined both
of us were taken back to our childhoods, and to sleepovers at friend's
houses, rough-housing with each other in the middle of the night, giggling,
waking up parents, but having the time of our lives.  We both reveled in
our boyish pursuit as we struggled and fought with each other.

Eventually, the conflict spiraled out of control and spilled out into the
rest of the room.  Chairs were knocked over.  Piles of clothes were mashed
beneath us as we fought to grab at each others arms, legs, or whatever else
we could get our hands on.  Both of us were grunting from our exertion, but
neither of us was anywhere near tired.  We wrestled against each other each
giggling, and shouting our allegiances.

"Cloud!" Paul grunted.

"Wind!" I countered, as I suddenly grabbed beneath his left leg and brought
it over my left shoulder as I used the leverage this position provided me
to lift him from the ground with a mighty heave.  Paul only weighed about
one-hundred and fifty pounds, despite the fact that most of it was pure
muscle.  However, I had just spent the past three months on the boat with
nothing better to do than work out and lift weights.  I wasn't conscious of
my own strength, and subsequently I was a lot stronger than I realized.

Paul was almost thrown into the air like he was a rag doll, as I slammed
him onto the bed which emitted a loud and ominous cracking noise as it
absorbed the force of Paul's body slamming into it.  Paul let out a loud
"oof" as he hit the bed and most of the air in his lungs was forced out.
As I looked at his face, I noticed he wasn't smiling any more.

I was instantly devastated.  I had hurt Paul.  "Oh, God, I didn't mean to
hurt him!" I thought.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry Paul.  I didn't mean to. Are you ok? I didn't mean to
hurt you.  Are you alright?" I almost cried as I bent over him.  The
alcohol had dulled my senses and now I had hurt the one person on Earth I
truly cared for and loved.  My heart grew cold and froze in my chest.  His
eyes were closed and he had a pained expression on his face.

"Paul, can you hear me?"

Seconds passed, but this moment seemed like eternity.

Suddenly, and without warning, Paul's eyes shot open and he shouted:

"Cloud!"

Paul's motions were too quick for me to follow.  He grabbed the collar of
my shirt with his right hand and did something with his legs.  The next
thing I was aware of was Paul sitting astride me with both my arms pinned
above my head.  I was on my back on the bed and had no idea how I had
gotten there.  The fucker had been playing with me!

"You bastard! I thought I had killed you or something," I cried,
momentarily angry at his deception.

"Silly, I told you, Wind can't beat Cloud!" He said, as he tightened his
grip on my arms and used his position on top of me to keep me from getting
up.  I struggled underneath him; fighting to regain control.  Fuck, he
weighed a lot all of the sudden, I thought to myself.

"Say it, and I'll let you go," Paul taunted me.

"Never!" I refused, and threw all my efforts into trying to push him off of
me.  No luck.  I crashed back down on the bed just shy of heaving him off
of me.  I was completely spent.  I couldn't do anything.  Paul had won, and
I was completely at his mercy.  I relaxed my muscles completely signaling
my surrender.

He brought his face inches away from mine.

"Say it." He whispered.

I shook my head no.  Paul was in complete control, but I remained stubborn.
Suddenly, as Paul straddled me, I noticed him looking at me with those eyes
of his.  I never wanted to look away again.  I wanted to lose myself in his
eyes forever.  He face was only inches away from mine.

"Just say it dummy." Paul whispered in a voice I had never ever heard from
him before.  It was a deep voice; husky, and full of power and control. I
realized I had a painful erection and Paul was sitting right on top of me.
There was no way he could miss it.

"I..." I stammered almost silently, nervous and feeling awkward at
realizing I was no longer in control.

He came closer still.  I could feel his breath on my lips.  It was hot,
moist, and smelling of orange juice.  Oh god, how I wanted Paul at that
moment.

"Tell me what I want to hear Aidan," Paul whispered, looking right through
me. His breath hot on my face, my eyes closed, as I surrendered the last of
my resolve.

"Clou...mmm."

I never finished the word.  Suddenly I couldn't speak.  All that I could
hear was the blood rushing in my head.  I felt an unbearable heat coming
from my mouth.  My eyes were closed, but my body responded.

Paul was kissing me.

Fireworks exploded all over my body. A low moan escaped from me somewhere
deep down.  But much too suddenly, the heat and fire was gone.

Paul was still over me.  We were breathing heavily; both of us feeling out
this moment that had caused the rest of the world to stop in its tracks.
Our eyes were searching through the others, asking silently if this was
what we both wanted.

Paul let go of my arms and sat up.  He was still fully on top of me, yet he
still looked down at me without expression on his face, panting heavily,
chest rising in time with his heavy breathing, still searching my face for
any clues that welcomed what he had just done to me.  He was so beautiful,
and powerful.

With my right hand I reached upwards and grabbed him from behind his neck.
I put the palm of my left hand against his cheek as I pulled him down to me
and devoured him.  I let my mouth communicate my desire to him.

"You are what I want!" I shouted at him without words as my lips sealed
against his; my body sending him the unmistakable confirmation of my
desire.

We kissed so loudly the Angels themselves took notice.  We only heard this
moment.  We kissed each other like it was the last day we would both ever
live for, and in a way, we were right.  I cupped his angelic face and again
closed my eyes as our lips fought at each other like powerful warrior-gods.
Emboldened by his responsiveness, I sent my tongue into his mouth, questing
for his own, searching, licking, finding it finally and entwining together.

We merged.  Body, soul, mind, and moment, we were one person, with one
purpose, and we lived only in this one moment, together.

I desired him so much that I sucked the air out of his lungs, and he
surrendered it to me.  I sucked at his mouth, drawing the last ounce of
breath, till I felt his lungs strain beneath the emptiness.  I crushed him
to me, and rolled on top of him, and he simply let me, going completely
limp and pliable.  Finally, having starved his body and brain, I released
the suction on his mouth, and I pulled away, looking down on him with a
passion I had never experienced.

His eyes and mouth shot open and immediately he gasped for air, his eyes
wandering back and fourth, unable to focus.  His tongue darted out to lick
his lips, perhaps seeking out traces of my own that had so recently been
there.

"Oh god, that was incredible..." Paul gasped.

I bent over him and kissed him again, just brushing my lips across his.
The slightest of pecks to tantalize him and leave him wanting more.

Paul clawed at my back.  He was desperate for more, but I denied him for
the moment.  I again pecked at his lips ever so slightly.  A few more
times, and I moved to his nose, where I kissed the very tip, letting my
lips feel him, explore him, and connect me to him.  Then I planted light
kisses on his cheeks, first the right, and then the left.  His eyelids came
next, which he closed as he visibly shuddered from the emotional and
physical energies coursing through us, and between us.  His forehead was
next, and then finally, I went back to his mouth, where I again touched his
lips with my own.  With that one kiss, I spoke everything.

Something inside Paul broke and rose to the surface.  His own passion and
power, now peaking with his desire, gave him strength.  He put both of his
hands on my chest and pushed, forcing me off of him, and just as quickly he
was back on top of me.

Paul had me trapped beneath him yet again, asserting his dominance and
control.  Paul locked his legs against my waist.  His crotch, tight against
me, betrayed the unmistakable bulge of his own erection as it pressed
firmly and distinctly against my own.  He placed both his hands, palms
spread, on top of my chest as he straightened his arms and locked his
elbows.  He grinned in triumph.

"I told you Cloud would win," He spoke softly, as he cracked his patented
smile.

"Fuck, I...how did you...oh fuck me," I muttered finally realizing for the
moment all that had transpired, as my mind became burdened by too many
questions to deal with at once.

"How did I what? Figure out this was what you wanted?" Paul asked quietly
as he started to rub his hands all over my chest and shoulders.

I simply shook my head up and down.

"That was easy, though your hard dick rubbing against my ass when we were
wrestling really convinced me," Paul stated as he bent his arms and lowered
his face towards me, zeroing in for another kiss, smiling the entire time.

We kissed again, and each time was more magical than the last.  Slowly and
sensually, we caressed each other, learned more about each other, and took
in more of what each of us wanted to give the other.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves apart.  We both sensed our need to give
voice to the moment, if for no other reason than to confirm with words what
was happening between us and to assure us both that what we were doing was
welcome.  Despite the fact that our bodies were doing more than mere
welcoming - they were in rapture together - our minds were reeling from the
suddenness of our passions, and those passions would not be ignored or
denied for much longer.

"God, you're so hard," Paul said as clamped down on me with his legs to
emphasize the point, and the effect that he had caused on me.  I bit my
lower lip to contain the moan that fought to escape me.

"So are you," I pointed out with my eyes, as they focused on the tight blue
jeans that he was wearing.  The obvious and likely painful bulge in his
crotch area could not be overlooked.  My eyes briefly feasted on his body,
and he obscenely ground his crotch into mine, smiling down at me the entire
time, taking obvious pleasure from increasing our mutual arousal.

"Fuck, yeah I am. It's so hard right now it hurts," Paul said, and again
for emphasis of that point, he ground his crotch into me, further
stimulating us both.

"How did you know?" I asked, finally able to barely articulate the question
that had been bouncing around in my mind for the past few minutes.

"It wasn't hard to figure out Aidan."

"Did I..." I questioned, worrying that I might have done things that were
obvious to more people than just Paul. "Did I give myself away that bad?" I
finally managed.

"No.  But from about the first day when we met in off-crew, you looked at
me Aidan, and you looked at me in a way that said you wanted to just rip my
clothes off.  I picked up that vibe from you, and my gay-dar doesn't lie,"
Paul told me as reached for my waist and grabbed at the bottom hem of my
shirt.

"Fuck, I've been waiting all day for you to make a move on me," He
continued, as he pulled the shirt up to my neck.  I stretched my arms out
over my head to help him pull it off.  He got the shirt half way off and
just held it there, above my head, but trapping my hands and arms inside
it.

"When you didn't really do anything during the patrol, I realized you were
waiting till we got back, and that you didn't want to risk it.  I can't say
I blame you, but I can imagine how tough it was.  Fuck, it was tough on me
too.  Today though is when I realized that you were going to need me to
make the first move.  I'm not blaming you or criticizing, just observing."
He said as he brought his head down to my chest and nipped at my left
nipple.

I groaned at the sudden prick of pain and stimulation.


"I've waited, and waited, and when you started to get a bit buzzed I
decided to go for broke, since you didn't look like you'd be able to work
up the nerve." He mumbled as he kissed from my left nipple to the right,
which he began to suck on loudly.

"Oh fuck," I gasped.

Paul raised his face from my chest and peered into my eyes.  "But it really
wasn't until you gave me that Christmas card underway that I knew you had
real feelings for me.  That was when I knew for sure that it was just a
matter of time."

"You have no idea how much I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on
you," I admitted, as Paul took his mouth off of me, and stuck just the tip
of his tongue out, and swirled just the tip of it around the hard little
nub.  He flicked his tongue at it over and over gain, causing it to
stiffen, and eliciting tiny grunts from me all the while.

"Yes I do, stupid," he smiled at me as he raised his head to meet my eyes.
"I know exactly what effect I have on you.  Why else do you think I would
leave the door open for you two times today?"

"You...you did that on purpose?" I asked, completely stunned that I was so
worried over something he had intentionally staged, and not because he
wanted catch me or turn me in, but to tease me instead.

"Oh you fucking little tramp..." I muttered under my breath.

He smiled a wicked smile as he ground his crotch into me again.  Another
gasp of pleasure escaped from my lips.  Paul licked his lips fully with his
tongue, obviously enjoying the power and control he had over me.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you didn't have it coming, Mr. Flirts with every
cute guy he sees," He teased, as he rapidly leaned down and bit at the hair
and skin under my left arm pit.

"Ow!" I yelped.

"You mean you knew Josh and I were hitting on each other today?" I asked,
shocked again by his admission, but instantly slapping myself that I hadn't
listened to my gut instinct.

"Actually I was starting to get a little jealous.  I wasn't about to let
him just waltz in and try to steal you away from me, especially not when I
was this close.  I guess I was kinda worried that you might go after Josh
since you still hadn't figured me out yet..." He explained as he crossed
his arms on top of my chest, and put his chin in his hands as he stared
into my eyes.

"Fuck.  You're a little devil, you know that?"

"U-huh," he said as he winked at me.

"And this whole time I was thinking you didn't have a gay bone in your
body!  I thought you were completely straight and that I was wasting my
time falling for you." I said, as I shook my head in disbelief at hearing
Paul confirm my wildest dreams were actually coming true.

He leaned forward and licked my chin.  God, what a little minx Paul was
turning out to be.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Paul whispered.

"Oh, I've definitely got a gay bone in my body Aidan." He remarked as he
rose up off my chest again.  "In fact, I've got a very big, hard Gay bone
in me right now that needs some attention.  And from what I can tell...it
feels like you do too," he added sexily.  Paul then closed his eyes and wet
his lips with his tongue, and yet again ground our crotches together to
illustrate his point.

"So what are you proposing we do about our little problem?" I asked,
grinning up at his adorable face.

"Well, I'm not sure.  Have any ideas?" He inquired as he reached with his
right hand and ran his index finger over my lips.

"One or two things had crossed my mind," I whispered under his finger.  I
wanted to grab him but couldn't because my hands were still tangled in my
shirt above my head.

Being at Paul's mercy wasn't something I had envisioned happening, but now
that it had, I was totally open to the idea of it going further.  Perhaps
with someone I really loved, I could experiment with my own submissive
side.  The idea of letting this little tiger have his way with me suddenly
flashed in my mind, and further aroused me.  Paul felt it as well.

Paul reached up and finished tugging the shirt from around my arms as he
scooted his bottom further up to my chest.  He tossed my shirt off into the
room somewhere.  My hands went to him and darted underneath his shirt.  He
got the message and brought his own hands down and placed them over mine.
In one fluid motion we brought his shirt over his head and sent it to join
mine on the floor.

My hands explored his body.  Finally.  Finally, my hands were where they
belonged: caressing Paul's beautiful, smooth, pale, and firm body.  My
hands trailed over his firm pectoral muscles and traced the lines of his
chest.  My thumbs and forefingers grabbed at the two tiny nubs of his
nipples and squeezed them gently.  Paul's mouth parted slightly and he drew
a small, shallow, breath quickly into his mouth while his eyes scrunched up
and his fingers kneaded the flesh of my bare stomach.  His hands were
suddenly grabbing at my arms, gently stroking the fine hair on them, and
urging them forward in their explorations.

My hands rubbed their way down to his flat stomach, tracing out the
definition of his muscles as I enjoyed the sights and contours of Paul's
glorious body.  The very ends of the V shaped wedge at the top of his hips
barely peeked out of his jeans and defined the ridge of his pelvic bone and
abdominal muscles.  My hands went to his pants as I started unbuttoning
them.  Paul's eyes opened as he smiled.

"Ready for more huh?" He asked, apparently pleased that I was willing to
make a move finally.

"Well, I might be a slow start, but I'm a quick learner," I said as I
tugged down his zipper.

"Let's get out of these clothes," I suggested.

Paul nodded his head and got off of me.  He stood on the floor in front of
me offering his hand to assist me.  I grabbed his hand in mine and he
helped pull me up till we were standing in front of each other.  I couldn't
resist.  I bent down slowly and brought my hands to his face and kissed him
tenderly on his luscious and full lips.  He returned the kiss as his hands
busily and forcefully ripped the track pants down and away from my body.

Obediently, I broke our kiss, and stepped out of my pants as he stepped out
of his jeans.  We stood in front of each other in nothing but our underwear
and socks.  I reached down behind him, trailing my fingers over his lower
back, darting underneath the elastic of his underwear.  My hands greedily
sought the twin mounds of his perfect and boyish butt.  Finding them, I
grabbed at each of his cheeks with both hands and lifted him up, gripping
him tightly.

His legs spread around me, and as I lifted him up he wrapped them around my
waist and locked his arms around my neck.  We kissed again.  "God," I
thought, "let me die in this boy's arms if I die tonight."  My whole body
was on fire.  My hands roughly gripped the firm yet pliable globes of
Paul's ass.  His body was so hot and hard against me.  I fought the urge to
fling him on the bed, rip his underwear off, and roughly fuck him right
then and there.

Despite what my body urged, I knew what I wanted, and sensed that we wanted
the same thing.  Both of us wanted to take this slow, and take the time to
discover one another.  I wanted to soak up every bit of Paul; to devour him
slowly and completely, and without missing a single spot on his perfect
body while doing so.

I released my grip on him, and let his body slowly slide down my own, not
missing the thrilling sensation of our nearly exposed crotches slipping
past and grinding against each other.  I reached my left hand out for his.
Paul grabbed my hand and I led him towards the bed.

"Christ you're so perfect Paul.  You're so fucking beautiful it hurts." I
whispered huskily in his ear as I backed him between me and the bed.  I
pressed my body against his, pinning his legs against the bed frame.

"Aidan...you have no idea," Paul panted as I pawed at his body.  "Your body
does things to me...Jeez, you make me so fucking wet," Paul whispered back
while a shudder passed through his body as my tongue licked at his earlobe.

I pushed him back onto the bed, and he flopped on top of it with his arms
outstretched, eyes darting over me with a hungry look that caused me to
flush with heat and feeling.  I moved between his legs and spread my own,
forcing his legs to splay out further, exposing his inner thighs and crotch
to my eyes.  I reached out my right hand and hovered over his crotch,
questioningly, palm down, fingers spread, my intention clear.  I looked
into his eyes, giving him one last chance to back out before we fully
committed to the inevitable. His silent nod was all the encouragement I
needed as my hand fully closed around his hard, underwear encased cock.

His mouth became a silent "O" and his hips lifted cleanly off the bed as
his hands gripped at the rumpled bed-sheets.  His entire body strained and
his muscles rippled and bunched, tensing his whole body, raising his crotch
upwards to push his rigid penis more fully into my hand.  A look of
desperation came over him, the taut muscles of his body intently striving
to heighten and increase the limited but powerful stimulation I was giving
him.

Every nerve in his body was keenly focused on the feelings of my hand while
it closed tightly around his swollen member as I gripped him as hard as I
could.  His eyelids closed tightly.  I continued to rub and squeeze
him. Harder I gripped him, and harder still.  Fuck he was big, I thought;
much larger than me.  My hand didn't even begin to cover him.  His penis
extended out from his crotch and to the right side of his pelvis, and lay
trapped underneath his clean, white, and tightly stretched underwear.  The
cotton was stretched obscenely over the length of his organ, and the
elastic was straining to contain this raging, engorged, and powerful
erection.  My mouth watered in anticipation.

The muscles in his legs began to shudder, as he fought the strain.
Finally, I released my grip on his dick, and Paul collapsed back onto the
bed.  His muscles released their stored tension, and the deep breath he had
been holding was expelled violently from his lungs.  His face had turned
beet red from the exertion he had put on his body.  He panted heavily and
noisily, trying to regain his breath and his composure.  Paul's blue eyes
fluttered open and pleaded with me, begged me, to give him some form of
release.

Paul's sex needed to be freed, and so did mine.  I had to see and feel his
enormous penis for myself, to marvel at the power contained within, and
pulsing beneath its surface.  I needed to feel its bare flesh against mine,
but all in good time.

I lowered my face to his crotch and breathed in his scent.  My nostrils
smelled Heaven.  I basked in Paul's scent as I buried my face in his
crotch, rubbing my nose and cheeks against the hard length of his penis and
gnawing at the underwear with my mouth.  I breathed in the powerfully
intoxicating aroma from Paul's crotch.  My brain turned to jelly as the
pheromones contained within those smells worked their way into the deepest
and most primal regions of my nervous system.  Whoever said that being Gay
wasn't natural, didn't know what the fuck they were talking about.

Paul's smell triggered instincts in me that were so deep-seated in my
unconscious psyche, that I barely registered them.  My heart-rate soared as
it methodically pumped blood to the surface of my skin, especially around
my crotch area.  Nature knew what was happening, and it was propelling me,
and preparing me, to fulfill those basic instincts, heedless if I was aware
of them or not.  My physiological reactions to Paul's scent were both
natural and instinctive.  Life-style choice my ass...

Paul groaned and writhed beneath me.

"Oh fuck...Aidan...please," He cried out weakly as his eyes continued to
plead with me.

I bit at his hard dick through the white cotton fabric of his underwear,
simultaneously teasing us both, and hinting at the future.  I licked along
his length, feeling the blood pumping hard through the rigid flesh beneath
my tongue, as my saliva soaked into the fabric.  Constantly breathing in
the smells from his most intimate and secret of places, I realized how
powerful my attraction to Paul was.  It was on the cellular level.  Paul
could be my food, my water, my air, and my life.  This was more than just
lust, and it was more than just love.  It was all of those things and more.
We were Yin and Yang.

My hands rubbed over his legs as I continued to bask in the smells, tastes,
and touch of his body.  My arms coaxed his legs up and over my shoulders,
my hands guiding him, until his legs were pointed to the ceiling.  I licked
at the area of his inner thighs near his scrotum and the backs of his legs
just above the hem of his underwear.  Paul had almost no body hair.  What
little hair there was, appeared golden and was as fine as silk.  I licked
his flesh, savoring the sweet taste of his beautiful and flawless skin.

I had to have more, and so did Paul.  He was constantly grunting,
stretching, and writhing underneath me, being driven to the height of
arousal, as we both stirred at our boiling passions for each other.  I
stood up quickly while letting go of his legs.  I had reached the limit.  I
could be aroused no more, I thought.  I was wrong.

I grabbed the waistband of his underwear and slid them slowly down past his
hard erection, pausing slightly to ensure that I didn't twist at it or pull
it painfully.  Paul was hard beyond belief, and I knew that any pain he
might feel right now would probably not even register, but I still had the
deep desire to be gentle with Paul.  That feeling was constantly warring
with my baser urges that would have loved nothing more than to simply
savage Paul's body with little regard to his own pleasure.  I could not be
that mean or cruel to my friend and new-found lover.

Paul reached inside his briefs and grabbed his painfully hard dick, pulling
it between the gap of his underwear and waist, so that it pointed up
towards his face.  Once he had freed himself, I swiftly pulled the garment
off his body and brought it to my nostrils.  Again, amazed at the reactions
I had to his smell, my mouth salivated in response.  It was like Pavlov
wringing his bell.

I never considered before that my sexual orientation was anything more than
a conscious choice.  Now I understood the shortsightedness of that
thinking.  I was physically aroused by Paul's smell, and it wasn't
something I learned to want, or decided to want, it was something my body
simply reacted to.  Chemical reactions turned into electrical impulses,
which in turn urged my body even further towards the edge of losing
complete control, and a total surrender to the primordial urges I didn't
even realize I possessed.

I tossed the garment aside and simply enjoyed the sight of Paul's naked
body.  A huge smile lit up my face.  The boy-man of my dreams was right in
front of me, not as an abstract object of my desire, but as a willing
participant in our desire to experience mutually shared pleasure.  Paul was
watching every motion I made, and he aided me in exploring his body.  I
lifted each of his legs and removed his socks.  Even his feet looked
beautiful to me, and I smelled and licked at them to.  They smelled and
tasted like the rest of Paul's body: delicious and sexy.

Letting his legs go, I reached for my own underwear, and Paul swiftly rose
up into a sitting position on the bed.

"Let me do that," Paul demanded as he grabbed my hands and stopped me from
continuing.  "Spread your legs some," He added, to which I immediately
complied.

As I spread my legs, Paul began to run his hands over the fabric of my
briefs.  As his fingers touched me, fireworks exploded behind my eyelids,
and they shut tightly to contain the lightshow of feelings, flashing in my
brain.  Paul had me seeing stars with his hands.  He pulled the clingy
briefs all the way down to my ankles, and happy to be free of their
confining restriction, I kicked them to the side.  Paul lightly pushed me
away from the bed as he stood back up.  He moved towards me and looked into
my eyes as his left hand found my painfully hard erection.

Looking deeply into my eyes, his fingers closed around me.  He studied my
reactions and facial expressions as he gently squeezed me there, returning
the favor from earlier.  I couldn't help but whimper at the pleasure he was
giving me.

"I can't wait to taste you," He whispered up to me.

"I wouldn't want to keep you waiting," I admitted.

"I'm sure we can both find a way to accommodate each other," he assured me,
as he led me by my cock, back to the bed.

"Lay down," he commanded.  Who was I to argue with that kind of authority?
I did as I was told.

Paul never let go of me, but as I lay down on the bed fully and slightly
spread my legs, Paul climbed on top of me.  From there, he placed his right
leg on the other side of my head on the bed, quickly followed with his
left, and was soon lying on his side facing me.

"Roll towards me," he instructed.

I did, and my eyes came to rest on his beautiful dick.  I wanted him in my
mouth so badly by now I was about to go out of my mind. He raised his left
leg and put his foot next to his other knee, spreading his crotch and
giving me better access to that area.  I raised my left leg and did the
same.  No sooner had my foot settled on the bed than I felt a warm,
indescribably intense sensation wash over me.  I gasped in pleasure.

I looked down my body and towards my crotch in time to see Paul's tongue
lick the area just underneath the crown of my dick.  His pink tongue
trailed upwards over the head as he lapped up the pre-cum that was visibly
oozing, thickly, and heavily from my slit.  I watched his face as he drew
his tongue back into his mouth and shut his eyes.  He smiled widely and he
emitted a low sigh, and I could see the muscles of his jaw flex as he
rolled my juices around in his mouth, apparently pleased at its taste.  His
eyes opened, and he looked towards me, just now noticing that I was
watching him intently.

"Fuck, that was good," he said with a devilish grin.

I smiled back at him and decided to treat him to the same.  I turned back
to gaze at Paul's cock.  I could only, truthfully, call it a cock.  I put
both of my hands around it and still at least two inches remained, proudly
poking out my topmost hand.  Proportionately speaking, Paul was fucking
huge.  He had to be at least eight inches long, perhaps even nine, I
thought, and on his smallish frame, it looked obscenely large and almost
out of place on his body.  I tried to brush aside whispered feelings of
inadequacy.

As I squeezed his erection and pumped it a few times, a single, but large
drop of clear fluid bubbled up out of the tip.  The bubbling fluid made
just the slightest of noises as it rose up out of his cock, which even I
barely heard with my keen hearing.  It sounded sexy as hell.

I stroked him again, and this elicited more moans of pleasure from Paul as
he enjoyed the attention I was giving his hardness.  Paul's penis looked
amazing and I inspected it closely with all my senses, except one.  My
tongue darted out towards the head of his penis in a parody of Paul's
earlier actions with my own.  My tongue darted up and the tip of it wedged
in the divot between the bottom of his head and shaft.  From there it
traveled upward, as I continued to gently squeeze him, coaxing even more
fluid up to the surface where I would soon experience him in the most
intimate of ways: his taste.

The tip of my tongue found its way to the very tip of Paul's penis, where I
dipped it into the large dollop of clear and sticky fluid that was oozing
steadily from it.  I took the clear fluid into my mouth, and instantly my
taste buds exploded.  Chemical fire engulfed my brain as Paul's taste
coated my tongue in a honey-like sweetness.

I sighed loudly, and appreciatively.

My eyes fluttered open and I smiled widely.  I went in for another taste,
sucking at the slit of Paul's cock head.  I was rewarded with more of his
sticky pre-cum, which I eagerly licked up, while stabbing at the slit with
my tongue, hungry for more.

"I take it you like that stuff too?" Paul questioned in between sharp
intakes of breath.

"Fuck yes, you taste awesome!" I almost yelled.  "You taste so fucking
sweet..." I growled as I leaned in towards him even further, snuggling our
bodies closer.  "I want more," I admitted as I dove onto him and took him
into my mouth fully.

"Fuck!" Paul groaned out, as I swallowed his cock.

I took as much of him in my mouth as possible.  A feeling of warm wetness
engulfed my dick, as I realized Paul had taken me into his mouth as well.
We began sucking each other in earnest determination.  The sounds of our
passion meshed with the music that was still playing on the stereo, yet we
didn't notice it or care.  Our world revolved around each other, and the
hard, pulsing members in our mouths.

I ran my tongue up and down the length of Paul's hard sex, stabbing my
tongue at his slit as I let him slide from my mouth, just before plunging
as far back down it as I could.  The back of my throat felt the tip of his
head brush against it, and the alcohol in my system diluted my gag reflex,
allowing him to push beyond my mouth and into my throat.  Never before had
I ever been with a guy as big as Paul.  Without the beer, I would have been
hard pressed to deal with his monster.

I held him down my throat as my brain dimly registered the event. I was
still too buzzed from the alcohol to really care about such a trivial thing
as a lack of air.  Paul was my air.  My face no doubt turned a deep shade
of red, but I didn't care.  All I wanted at that moment was Paul's dick
stuffed as deeply down my throat as humanly possible.  Eventually, and much
too soon for my liking, I capitulated to the need for oxygen.

The heat and feelings radiating from my own crotch as Paul was stuffing his
cute face with my dick were excruciatingly intense.  I knew I wouldn't last
long with his sweet mouth on me.

I gradually became wholly fixated on Paul's penis as I moved my head and
mouth up and down his shaft.  My lips were tightly sealed around him, and
my tongue continually caressed and stimulated the spongy flesh.  Paul and I
were both humping our crotches at each others faces in our exuberance, both
wanting to bury ourselves down the other's throat.

I doubled my efforts on Paul, determined to have him cum in my mouth - a
long time fantasy of mine finally coming true.  I swallowed him as far as I
could, tongue constantly swirling around him, lips locked tight against his
warm flesh, hands cupping, rubbing, and squeezing his full and plump balls.

We were both lost in the moment of a heated and noisy sixty-nine, both of
us sucking the other to the height of pleasure with lips, tongue, mouth,
and throat.  I felt an all too familiar tingling in my body.  No words were
exchanged in warning.  None were needed.

Paul and I were so tuned into each other at this moment that we knew we
were both very close.  We felt each other out emotionally as we neared the
height of our climax.  We both knew what was coming, and we knew that we
each wanted to taste the other.  The pressure in my balls was near bursting
as I strained the muscles in my stomach and crotch to hold myself at the
edge for as long as possible.

We tensed simultaneously, and sucked each other as hard as we could manage,
determined to release ourselves together.  Licking, sucking, and squeezing,
we both arrived at our orgasm virtually in unison.

I could hear the sound of Paul's cum erupt from his balls and flood the
tube that ran underneath his cock.  The hand I had been using to cradle his
balls squeezed tightly, and released, squeezed and released, in time with
the contractions of his hip and groin muscles, determined to help milk him
dry of the sweet nectar that they produced.

White, hot, creamy cum pumped out of us as we both climaxed.

Paul's first powerful blast erupted in my mouth so forcibly I almost choked
in reflex.  The sensations in my own dick as I reached orgasm along with
him were almost indescribable.  It felt as if my entire body was pouring
out of my penis into Paul's mouth as his tongue bathed the head of my
convulsing dick.

His warm cum splashed out over my tongue, and coated the inside of my mouth
with hot, sticky, sweet sperm.  I started swallowing, taking Paul's life
giving fluid down into my throat and stomach, where it would dissolve in me
and we would become physically, spiritually, and emotionally as one.

I never knew that DNA could taste so delicious.

I savored Paul's taste while both of us whimpered and moaned as our bodies
reached climax.  Paul's testicles pumped out copious amounts of thick,
white sperm.  His swollen prostate discharged its syrupy and clear seminal
fluids.  And somewhere deep inside Paul's beautiful body, it all mixed
together and made its way up the length of his cock and into my eager
mouth.

It's such a simple process really, but it's also so infinitely amazing and
wonderful.  To have Paul's spurting cock, gush its hot and sweet load in my
mouth is simply one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences I have
ever had in my life.  I imagine that any male who has ever desired to put
another guy's penis in their mouths in order to give them a blowjob has
experienced the thrill of that act.  It's magical in a way that almost
defies description.  To know that I had caused him this pleasure, and to
know that his body was rewarding me for it was simply gratifying on a level
that I imagine is incomprehensible to someone who has not experienced it.

I can say that if you've never experienced it, you're missing one of life's
greatest thrills.  It must be a higher connection when two guys share this
event, probably because two guys can empathize with each other and share in
the feelings and emotions inherent in the male process of ejaculation.
Perhaps you know what I'm talking about, and if you don't, what's the hold
up?  Try it.

Paul and I kept spurting for what seemed like forever, and finally I
released my grip on his balls.  That same hand quickly traveled to the base
of Paul's penis and I pressed my thumb against the thick pulsing tube
running underneath it and gradually moved up his length.  I was determined
to wring every last drop of his fluids from his body that I could.

I probably came like a fountain.  All I remember was the overwhelming
stimulation in my own body, as it felt like it was pouring itself into
Paul's mouth.  He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, and was making a
loud show of smacking his lips while continuing to suck and lick at the
head of my dick.

Finally, I could feel Paul's penis getting limp in my hand, as I watched it
growing shorter and slimmer by the moment.  I had never paid such close
attention to such a simple thing before, but Paul's body seemed to have a
way of completely mesmerizing me.  His penis was still leaking a very small
amount, and getting the last bit of him on my tongue, I reached for him.

We both sat up and embraced each other in a very wet, sticky, and
absolutely sexy kiss.  Our tongues mingled in each others mouths, feeding
our swallowing mouths and hungry throats with the shared fluids that
mingled and mixed there.  Paul's tongue darted into my mouth and licked at
my teeth and gums, physically communicating his eagerness and desire to me.
There was no reservation or uneasiness between us.  There were to be no
taboos.  The message was clear.

I let myself fall backwards, and carried Paul with me.  For some reason, we
both began to giggle like twelve year old boys as we crashed back down on
the bed.  We broke our kiss and we looked into each others eyes, smiling
and giggling happily in our shared joy.

Paul leaned forward and licked at my mouth.  Apparently some traces of him
were still there, which he eagerly scooped up with his tongue and proceeded
to show me, as if chastising me for my carelessness.  Not content to let
him have it all, I latched onto his tongue with my mouth and sucked on his
cute little pink tongue just like I had previously sucked on his glorious
cock.

We pulled our sucking faces apart finally, laughing at our total lack of
inhibition or embarrassment.  We smiled and kissed each other tenderly,
looking deeply into each others eyes.  We were ashamed of nothing;
everything we had done, and nothing we could do in the future, would ever
be wrong.  We were completely open to each other and to anything.

Paul brought his right leg up and over until it rested between my slightly
spread legs.  He lazily covered me with his naked body, draping the right
side of his body on top of me as he laid his head on top of my chest.  With
his ear above my heart, he listened to the powerful beating rhythm that was
just beginning to subside there.  A few moments passed.  Paul stoked at my
stomach absently with the tips of his fingers.  We were both aware that
this moment was simply the start of something altogether more between us.

"Aidan..." Paul whispered softly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That was so beautiful, I...I think..." He choked out, suddenly overcome
with emotion.

I put my hand on his head and ran my fingertips through his spiky hair
which was damp and matted with sweat from our love making.  Paul sniffled.

"Shhhhh," I cooed softly to him, shushing him, and letting him know that I
understood.  I tightened my grip on his suddenly trembling body, and my
face grew flushed as I was moved to tears.

"Shhhhh...I know baby, I know," I whispered into his hair as I kissed the
top of his head.  Paul trembled in my arms as I held him tightly.

I whispered gently, as the wetness spread out from my eyes and fell over my
cheeks:

"I love you too."




To be continued in: "Love Runs Deep", Chapter 4: Catching the Tiger
------------------------------------------------------------------- (Check
below for the Post Script and a Special Announcement)


Author's Notes: A new feature in my writing whereby much like published
authors have footnotes explaining certain terms, so will Love Runs Deep.
Instead of explaining terms in the paragraph as I go along, I will make a
notation next to a word, phrase, or acronym that will be designated by a
number in parenthesis.  You can then cross reference the number at the
bottom of the page that it appears with the corresponding definition.  This
is being done to make the story flow better without having to stop a
particular train of thought or story element to clutter up a page with a
paragraph of explanation about a term you might only see once or twice.  I
hope this improves your reading experience.

Authors Note (1): Au Jus, a French word meaning "In Juice", which refers to
the traditional method of roasting a Prime Rib and serving it with its
natural juices instead of a sauce or gravy.  The juice is flavorful and
keeps the meat tender as it is being cooked.


Authors Note (2): Pinging the hull, is a term submariners, especially sonar
techs, used to describe when someone is trying to find out information from
someone without asking direct questions.  It refers to the process in the
sonar world, of a submarine or surface ship sending out a pulse of sound,
or a ping, that will echo off the hull of a target and tell you their
location, and distance, and confirms the position of the target relative to
you.

Authors Note (3): PRT, is an acronym for Physical Readiness Test.  In the
Navy, everyone must pass a physical test which involves completing a
standard number of push-ups, sit-ups, and a mile and a half run within a
required time limit.  The amount of push-ups and sit-ups required, and the
amount of time one has to run the mile and a half in is based on the
person's age group.  This test is required once every six months.  Failing
a PRT can lead to disciplinary actions and even discharge from the military
after successive failures.  Physical fitness in the Navy is considered a
part of military bearing and conduct.

Post Script: Thank you to all the readers who have E-mailed me and
expressed their growing interest in this story.  Your responses continue to
amaze me, and I now look forward to checking my Email, where as before it
was simply a chore.

I have received several applications for the position of volunteer editor
and am in the process of making my final decision as to who will be
selected.  I thank everyone who has expressed an interest in helping me in
this manner.  As such, I will not be reviewing any more applications.

Special Announcement: For those of you who have corresponded with me, I
have mentioned a `special announcement' that would be made at the end of
the third and fourth chapters of the story.  I am giving everyone a final
"Last Call" chance that wants to be placed on it.  Here it is:

If you make it onto the mailing list prior to when the fourth Chapter of
"Love Runs Deep" is posted on Nifty, you will be qualified to receive a
special bonus.  That bonus is an extra `Seventh' chapter of "Love Runs
Deep".  This chapter will be special in that it will be told from the
perspective of Paul, and in fact, though I will be writing it, he will be
dictating the story to me.

This chapter will also NOT be posted on Nifty.  Its release will be
exclusive to my mailing list subscribers.  I think you will all be
pleasantly surprised to read about the events in this story from his
perspective, and that you will thoroughly enjoy it.  Again, for those who
make it onto the mailing list prior to the date of release for chapter 4,
you will be receiving a special bonus chapter that will only be available
to those on the mailing list.  How's that for perks?