Getting Kinky for the Holidays with Author Pelaam!

Happy Wednesday! One week before Christmas and I'm already giving you presents! Today we have the uber talented Pelaam in the house, answering a few questions, and giving us a peek at her new story Dressed for Dinner. Her piece is part of Evernight Publishing's Vanilla-Free Christmas: Man Love Anthology! Woot! We love our holiday man love around here, right guys? Getting down to the good stuff, I asked Pelaam a few crazy questions, and this is what she had to say...





1.  What is your favorite thing about writing gay fiction?

My favourite thing was being told that what I wrote changed attitudes towards gays.  In most of the worlds I create, it's natural for two people -- irrespective of gender -- to fall in love.  We all need to love and be loved.



2.  If your life was a movie, who would play you?

Ohh, that's hard LOL.  I'd be tempted to say you need sassy and sexy like Milla Jovovich or Kate Beckinsale, but perhaps Sandra Bullock as the girl next door with glasses is closer to the mark.



3.  As an author, how do you react to negative reviews of your work?

I'm disappointed, more because someone didn't enjoy it.  If I get constructive criticism, I can take something from it.  Generally speaking my reviews are good, thankfully.



4.  How did you come to love writing?

I'm an only child so books were my first and best friend, followed by the characters in them.  I loved, and still love, myth and magic, fantasy and sci-fi.  I was the kid who took out the maximum number of books allowed, and would have them read and back before the loan time expired.  I've added history mysteries to my favourites.  I found I enjoyed history when studying for my degree and my master's.

I began writing when still a child, and was always drawn toward creating a deep, loving bond between two male characters.  When I discovered slash fan-fiction, things moved very quickly.  I was firstly hooked on reading, then with writing.  I began to post to Literotica, where I won two awards.  I was later approached by Silver Publishing to have work published.  The rest, as they say, is history ^_^



5.  How do you come up with names for your characters?

Quite often I want the name to reflect a certain characteristic of my character.  In which case, I look up names and meanings, and I have a well-thumbed book of babies' names to trawl through.  If I'm doing something contemporary or period, or set in a particular part of the world, I'll also look up the most popular names for that time, or that place.  For me, the giving of the names is an important ritual.



6.  Do you have any quirky habits that are triggered when you write?

I can't stand silence.  Not even when I was studying.  So I always have a well-watched DVD playing.  It can be a cartoon, a sci-fi, or an old black and white, (I collect old sci-fi and horror movies) just so long as I'm not tempted to watch it instead of writing.  I also have copious amounts of tea.  Twinings New Zealand Breakfast is first of the day, and when I settle to write.  Thereafter comes, Earl Gery, or Green tea, or one of the many fruit teas I enjoy. 



7. Some writers hate them, but have to have them, and others love them.  Do you personally like writing sex scenes?

Yes I do.  I'm a romantic, so the sex scenes are the culmination of the love my characters share.  Finding different ways of creating the scenes can be difficult.  I don't want them to be repetitive, but I even enjoy that challenge.

~~~~~

YUMMY!!!

Buy Link:  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/vanilla-free-christmas-manlove-edition/

Vanilla-Free Christmas Blurb:

This Christmas, good will isn't all these sexy men are going to get...

Menage loving and chance encounters will make the holidays merry and bright and hot enough to keep out the cold.  From a romp in Santa's candy house to a dinner party where chains and collars are required attire, Christmas for these naughty men is going to be anything but vanilla.

Dressed For Dinner Excerpt:

"Richard thinks of everything," Stefan murmured.  "Let's get changed."

Kevin nodded and stripped, carefully folding his tux and laying it on top of the drawers.  He glanced appreciatively at Stefan.  Stefan worked out at the gym regularly to keep in shape.  Kevin's gaze devoured the sight of him naked, a smattering of blond fur graced solid pecs, Stefan was athletic and toned.  He turned and smiled at Kevin.  He extended a hand and drew Kevin into a tight embrace.

"I'm nervous," Kevin whispered.

"They are not going to judge you.  Relax, my love."

Stefan turned Kevin in his arms.  His half-hard cock slid naturally along Kevin's cleft.  Kevin reached back to hold on to Stefan's hard thighs, holding his lover securely and enjoying the sensation of the erect flesh snuggled against him.

In response, Stefan expertly stroked Kevin's rising dick to bring it to full hardness in seconds.  "Beautiful."  Stefan murmured the single word into Kevin's ear, and Kevin groaned back against the tantalising hardness sliding between his buttocks.

Stefan slowed, and then stopped stroking.  "Cock ring," he muttered.  He strapped a leather sheath in place and tightened the laces around Kevin's shaft and balls to leave the claret-hued head bare.  He attached black silk ribbon to rings embedded in the sheath and drew Kevin's erection against his stomach. He tied it in place and walked around Kevin to survey his handiwork.  "Nice, but still a little more to make it perfect."

Kevin stood and waited for Stefan to rummage in their case.  He drew out a double strand of small linked silver chain.  Stefan fastened it to Kevin's nipple rings.  The double strand was heavier than normal, but not overly so.  However, Kevin would be as equally aware of the drag to his nipples as he was of the throb of his imprisoned dick.

The last item of clothing for Kevin was a pair of azure-blue, silk harem pants.  They were opaque enough to hint at the treasure beneath, without allowing an onlooker to see right through.  Stefan kissed Kevin thoroughly, his hands carding through Kevin's hair.

As Stefan brought out his own clothing, Kevin glanced at himself in the mirror.  His hair was mussed, and his face as flushed as if he and Stefan had just spent the last few minutes tussling on the bed.  Part of him felt embarrassed, but a bigger part was aroused.

Stedan opted to wear a sleeveless leather waistcoat, leather shorts with a laced fly, and a pair of leather biker boots.  He pulled out a leather leash and fastened it to Kevin's collar.  A bolt of lust hit Kevin at the undisguised look of desire in Stefan's eyes.

"I can hardly wait to get you back up here."  Stefan's confession made Kevin's dick throb even harder, but there was no way he could come.  He would have to wait too.  "I promise to make it good."

Kevin whimpered softly.

About The Author:

Born in the UK, Pelaam now resides in New Zealand, a very beautiful country, with her partner.  Pelaam is a foodie, which is often expressed somewhere in her story.  Pelaam writes M/M romance and her favorite genres for writing are fantasy, sci-fi, and supernatural.  Pelaam grew up on Dr. Who, Star Trek, and the original Night Stalker series which, along with a love of mythology, provide inspiration for her writing.  She won the Literotica Best Gay Male Halloween story for 'A Call from the Heart' and the overall Best Gay Male story for 'Opposites Attract'.

Author Links:

Silver Publishing Books Link: https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/82/typefilter/book_authors?sort=20a&page=1&zenid=b0f54a4409b1ee43121bd7fdefcc77a9/&zenid=b0f54a4409b1ee43121bd7fdefcc77a9

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/pelaam/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4425974.Pelaam

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pamela.pelaamone

As another awesome extra, Pelaam has also joined forces with Silver Publishing for another Christmas story. You can check out Christmas Magic HERE. Thanks so much, Pelaam, for stopping by. Thanks again to all of my readers and I hope you're enjoying your holidays!!!! As always....

XOXO NIGHT TEMPEST



Heart for Trade: Week 8

 

 

HEART FOR TRADE WEEK 8

 

“This is,” Jarum heaped a forkful of pancake into his mouth, “amazing,” he groaned but it was more of a muffle with his mouth full.

In the chair next to Jarum, Ryan watched his best friend down his plate as quickly as he could. Hair a complete mess, long dark strands sticking sideways or plastered to his face, Ryan tried not to laugh. He turned to Benny who was too busy staring at Jarum with wide eyes.

“Breathe, man!” The redhead took a step forward. “You’ll make yourself sick.”

“Fuck off,” Jarum managed in between bites.

Ryan put a hand over his eyes, sinking into his seat. As much as he loved Jarum, the man was a savage sometimes. Benny must have got the picture because he backed down and sat in his seat. The three of them were waiting on Samuel in a small room with only a few chairs against the walls. The cameras, Samuel called them, were blinking red in each corner of the room. Ryan hadn’t seen this many in one place yet and wondered what the heck this small room was, to need four of them. It was just a room, wasn’t it?

When Jarum had finished his breakfast, licking syrup off his fingers, he leaned back against the wall and rubbed his stomach. “So good,” he groaned.

Benny got up from his chair and paced. “For you, maybe, we had to watch it go down from over here. Not so good if you ask me.”

“What is your problem?” Jarum put the tray on the floor.

“My problem?” Benny eyed Jarum. “You’re the one without any manners, who swears at me any chance he gets, and eats like a pig. You’re the one with the problem.”

“Benny, come on. He was hungry.” Ryan stood.

Jarum looked away embarrassed. Locking his hands over his stomach, he scowled at the wall.

“Of course you’re hungry, but you’re going to throw it all up if you shovel your face like that every time.” Benny shook his head. “You didn’t even use a fork for the first few minutes.”

“That’s because I had no idea what it was!” Jarum jumped to his feet. “Is this what it’s going to be like for us from now on? You and Sam making fun of us for every little thing? I haven’t eaten that well in years, Benny! Excuse me for being hungry. I didn’t know what the fucking fork was! I didn’t know what you called the syrup and I didn’t know it was going to stick everywhere. I’ve never had a napkin to wipe my face or a table to sit at with fancy fucking chairs. I’ve never had any of this before! So yeah, Benny, fuck off.”

Disheartened and ashamed, Benny stood there with his mouth open while Ryan planted himself between the two. “Don’t you ever make fun of him again. I may be thin. I may be gangly by your standards. But if you hurt my best friend, so help me, I will kick your ass. I’m done with you and Sam losing your patience. I’m done being some freak show to this place. If you intend to keep us here, you’re going to start treating us like human beings and not pets. If he doesn’t want to use a damn fork, then let him eat with his fingers! Who the hell are you to judge us? You’ve lived in this clean, well-fed world your entire life while we lived on the outside trying to survive. If anyone here is stronger, it’s us, and you know it.”

“What is going on here?” Samuel pushed the door open, having stood there, listening to the feud for only a minute.

“Nothing,” Ryan snarled. “Isn’t that right, Jarum?”

The young man scanned the room with his dark eyes, wiping his bed hair out of his face. “Whatever.”

“Jarum, I’m sorry,” Benny admitted softly. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Jarum turned away. “Just leave me alone.

Looking between the three, Sam noticed Ryan’s posture most of all. Located between Jarum and Benny, Ryan’s body was rigid, on the defense and ready to attack Benny should the need arise. Up until now, he’d been quiet, allowing Jarum to defend them both. But now that Jarum was truly upset, Ryan was right there to take care of things. Samuel found himself even more attracted to the man. He was admirable, proud—there was a man behind those scared eyes.

“Benny, wait outside.” Samuel held the door open.

Wide, hazel eyes cut to Sam. “Excuse me?”

“I think this will go easier if Jarum has some space from you, Benny. You two butt heads more than you and Avery. Frankly, it’s giving me a headache. So, yeah. You, outside, please.”

“Bullshit,” Benny muttered, checking Sam’s shoulder on his way out. He spun around, eyes on Jarum. “I said I was sorry. I meant it. You want special treatment, to be babied?” He slid his hands up the doorframe. Jarum’s eyes followed. “You know where to find me. Because that’s what I am, you know? A glorified babysitter.”

“Benny?” Sam raised a brow. “What the fuck?”

“I’m done here.” Benny slapped the doorframe. “Check you all later.”

As the redhead walked away, Jarum stared at Sam and Ryan in horror. He bit his lip. But to his surprise, Sam only gave him a strange look before heading for the far wall.

“I don’t know what he meant by that, Jarum, but you two need to work out your issues and quickly. This is a small, tight-knit community and one bad feud is contagious where everyone else is concerned. People will take sides. Things will get ugly and right now, we can’t afford that. Our priority is the two of you becoming acclimated to the base and getting comfortable.

Don’t let a few misunderstandings coupled with your obvious personality differences get in the way of that. Benny is a good guy. He’s my best friend. But sometimes, even I have a hard time understanding him. Give it some time. Give each other some space and maybe, just maybe, things will work out for the better. Alright?”

“Jarum?” Ryan prodded, completely satisfied with Samuel’s handling of the situation.

Jarum sighed, not alright, but willing to make nice on account of Ryan. “Okay.”

Clapping a hand to his shoulder, Samuel smiled. “You aren’t any less of a man for not understanding this place or us, Jarum. Don’t ever think that.” When Jarum said nothing, a little smile across his lips at having done something right for once, Samuel nodded. “Okay, onto business then. I’m sure you’re all curious as to what this place is, right?”

The boys nodded and he continued. “Rineway Military Base was founded in 2020 by the Head of Defense, the President of the United States at the time, his cabinet members or his team as you would call them, and the leaders and defense heads of twenty foreign countries before they were sanctioned into village territories after the war.”

“The military protected us back then, right?” Ryan crossed his arms.

“Very good.” Sam grinned. “Yes, before the collapse of our governing structure, men and women volunteered their lives for the good of our safety. It was a few years before the war that small groups of soldiers began training for a mission other than defense on account of information we received that led us to believe there would be use of nuclear weapons. The Rineway mission was named after the President’s closest advisor, who died before the project completed. He was the one who had scouted the locations for the United States bases and worked closely with the foreign dignitaries to ensure their bases were remote and safe underground.

The soldiers created a network of bases exactly like this one. From here to across the ocean, they were all in contact with each other. Should the war go nuclear topside, these men and women would continue to protect worldly needs below ground for many years to come. Food, water, materials, technology—our job was and is to sustain what we were entrusted with until the timer went off.”

Ryan put a hand up. “Hold up. There are other bases underground across the world?”

“Yes, 3 in the states and 15 others in different countries. We can only get a signal from seven now, since the update five years ago. But it’s better than none.” Samuel sighed.

“And all you’re doing is protecting what used to be, life before the war?” Jarum raised a brow.

“Yes and no. There’s more.” Samuel went to the wall. “It’s better if I show you.”

“A wall?” Jarum chuckled. “O-kay.”

Ignoring Jarum, Sam put his hand over a white square in the wall. A red line of light scanned his hand from top to bottom before the square blinked green. The wall slid away to reveal a dark set of stairs heading down. Sam turned, winked at the boys and gestured for them to follow.

“Watch your step. It’s kind of dark down here.” Sam descended the steel staircase, leaving the boys to decide for themselves.

Eager to see what was below, Ryan and Jarum stormed after Sam, the textured tread of each step bouncing with a loud echo under their boots. The stone surrounding them swooped down before turning back up to reveal a flurry of activity. Lights blinked in every color. A dozen men and women rushed about the room. Some sat in front of brightly lit screens. Some switched between watching the large screens above and the smaller screens at the desk. But in the middle of it all, was a young female with thick glasses perched high on her nose at the round command desk. A blonde ponytail sitting high on her head and bottom lip sucked into her mouth, she looked like child on a mission.

Fingers firing away on her keyboard, Avery didn’t even notice the Commander approach with Jarum and Ryan. Samuel cleared his throat and she jumped.

“Must be a busy morning if you didn’t even notice me key in.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me what we’ve got.”

“We had a faint signal from the Russians a little while ago. They were trying to send some sort of code to us, but we lost it and their connection. We’re trying to trace the feed now and see if it works from our end to theirs.” Avery glanced at an incoming message on her other screen.

“What is it?” Samuel leaned forward eagerly.

Scanning the message code, Avery grinned. “We’ve got confirmation from the Germans. They have a connection with the Russians. This is the new line code, Commander. We’ve got them again.”

“Shit.” Sam broke into a smile. “Send it out to everyone. See if we can get a bite from the other lost bases. This is…”

“Amazing,” she finished for him.

“What’s going on?” Ryan put a hand on Sam’s back to lean closer.

“Remember how I said that we have other bases out there, but we lost contact with some of them?”

“Yeah.” Ryan felt muscles move under his hand. He swallowed.

“We regained contact today with Russia. We haven’t talked to them in five years, Ryan.”

Jarum scratched his head. “I don’t understand what the big deal is, though. Why would it matter if you talked to them or the other countries? Can’t they get by on their own.”

Avery swiveled in her chair and adjusted her glasses. “Five years ago, a large update came across our systems. Simply put, it was going to fix any errors in our computers and make them faster. This one wasn’t scheduled, though, so we we’re confused when it took over everything. What we didn’t know when the update happened, was that it wasn’t really an update at all. It was a program activated by the timer.” She pointed to the large screen embedded into the rock above. Blue zeros blinked over and over.

“The timer was supposed to go off a long time ago boys. It was stuck at zero since I was born. But on the night of the update, it set off an hour countdown and the system asked each country’s Commander to log in their administrator password. But… Samuel didn’t know it. His father, the previous Commander, hadn’t given it to him before he passed away. When the timer zeroed out, we lost connections to every country we had. We’ve spent the better part of our lives trying to reestablish connections with them, decrypt the password, and get the timer working again.”

“What is the timer for, though!” Jarum huffed, frustrated that he didn’t understand half of what was being said.

“When every country puts the password into the system, after the timer gives an hour countdown, we save the world, Jarum.” She looked away dreamily.

“What she means,” Samuel explained, “is when the password is entered, other inactive bases will be opened to the public all over the world. People living in the cold, the hungry, the ill, they’ll have access to shelter. They will have access to state of the art medical attention. They will have fresh water and food. They will have everything they need to get by and start over again.

We will teach them how to grow, how to clean, how to… this.” He threw his arms up with a smile. “We’ll be restarting the world again, boys. One at a time, the bases, triple the size of this one, will open up and let the public in. That’s why we have a surplus in the fields, Ryan. We mean to give them each a little to start their own crops. So they can help others too.”

“This whole time, you really have been trying to save them. Haven’t you?” Ryan took a step forward.

“I told you,” Samuel murmured, eyes locked on Ryan—an immediate connection flowing between them.

Adrenaline of the good news running through his body, the Commander felt a little closer to happiness. Aware of the others around them, he settled for pulling Ryan into his chest for a hug. He couldn’t resist sharing his joy with someone. It had been so long, hell, he’d never even had someone he could touch like this, to share his happiness. Although he wanted more, he refrained—simply elated that Ryan allowed him this.

Fingers curled into his back and Sam nuzzled his face in Ryan’s hair. “I told you I was trying to save them all.”

Ryan looked up, lips inches from Sam’s. “I know you did.”

Feeling like he was an intruder amidst the chaos and obvious romance, Jarum turned away. On the desk space opposite Avery’s were three screens that seemed to work as one. Little notes on tiny pieces of paper were scattered across the desk. A handmade nameplate spelled Benny below the screens. Jarum took a step closer out of curiosity. His fingers brushed across the surface as numbers flowed across the brightly lit monitors. His hand connected with something that made his mouth open in shock.

A wooden figurine of a dog weighed down a stack of printed papers. A figurine that he recognized immediately as one Ryan had made for the trader’s market weeks ago. It was the same figurine that he’d lost at the pond that day in Surik. The memory of another man’s hips filling his hands jolted through his mind—warm skin against his and eyes hidden beneath a hooded coat. Such release and passion that he was scared to admit he loved. Jarum gasped. The figurine knocked to the floor and he ran down the steps of the command desk. It was Benny, his eyes filled with tears. The whole time, it was him.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

Heart for Trade: Week 7

HEART FOR TRADE WEEK 7

Not for lack of trying, Ryan hadn’t slept much. His body was exhausted, but even in the luxury under his back, the thick mattress with warm blankets, he couldn’t get comfortable in such an unfamiliar place. Jarum on the other hand, snored loudly across the way. His mouth open, his limbs splayed out—he looked like a child and sounded like he was trying to contact extraterrestrials. Ryan smiled a little, slipping out of his bed onto the thin rug covering the floor. He pawed at the pajamas each of them had been given.

He wanted to try out the bathtub this time. Last night they had been introduced to the shower. A strange booth with a water tank near the ceiling, warm water would filter from a nozzle with tiny holes and allow them to clean up for ten to fifteen minutes. Ryan had never felt so good in his entire life, so clean. He’d been embarrassed by the amount of dirt and grime that had pooled onto the tile floor and had spent the next hour cleaning it up with a towel so no one knew how dirty he was.

He slipped into the washroom and carefully folded his pajamas on the counter. After several minutes, frustrated with the hot and cold settings, Ryan succeeded in filling the tub like Benny had showed them. He sank into the water and shut his eyes. Another luxury the rest of the world would never know. The bathtub soothed his aching limbs, relaxed away his stress and made him feel better about his hygiene. When the water cooled and his fingertips were wrinkled, he got out of the tub and dried off.

Naked, he padded over to the cabinet that Benny had pointed out and excitedly opened it. The stick with bristles sat next to a tube of… toothpaste, he read. Deodorant, he squinted. Floss? These people spent way too much time on their appearance, he shook his head. But if he was going to live here, Ryan guessed he should at least try these things. He read the labels on the back of the items before squirting a glob of toothpaste on the bristled stick—also known as toothbrush, according to the directions.

Looking around, he sighed and started to brush his teeth. A foamy mint substance filled his mouth. He loved the tingling sensation, the clean feeling, the grime coating his teeth washed away. When his mouth got to full he spat into the sink and smacked his lips. It was a nice taste, but too intense to keep there. So he gargled some water in his mouth and spit in the sink.

A sigh left his lips. His tongue swept over his squeaky clean teeth. He didn’t know if this place could get any better than this, but boy was he wrong. After using the comb, the deodorant, and the plastic razor with several sharp blades, he stood before the mirror with several little cuts on his jaw line. He felt new, different—barely recognized himself. Leaning closer, Ryan ran a hand over his smooth skin in awe. Back home, his father had an old open blade that he’d taught the boys how to use. But it felt nothing like this.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to hug himself and slide down the wall. As wonderful as it all was, he couldn’t help but feel terrible that his village didn’t know this kind of luxury—that these things were wasteful beyond their former basic necessities. Shaking off the urge to cry, Ryan padded back into their room and went to the small dresser next to his bed.

Another stack of clothes awaited him. He fought the need to smell the clean fabric and put on each article ceremoniously. Feet sliding into brand new, lace up boots, he walked over to where Jarum still lay sleeping and sighed. Better to let him sleep, Ryan thought.

He wanted to explore for himself. Benny hadn’t said anything about when they would be brought to breakfast or if someone was coming to get them at all. Instead of waiting around, Ryan opened the door to their room and walked into the cool, empty hallway. He checked both sides before chancing a right. Off he went into the unknown, no one in sight.

Samuel roused from his drunken sleep when the intercom crackled next to him.

“Sir?” Avery whispered.

“Huh?” Samuel nearly fell out of his chair. The bottle in his lap clinked to the floor.

“Sir!” Avery’s hissed. “Wake up.”

Holding his head, Sam groaned at the speaker. “What is it, Avery?”

“Ryan just left his quarters. Alone.”

“What?” Samuel turned to the glass and found the bed across from Jarum’s empty. “Shit.”

“The monitors are tracking him towards the water filtration room. Should I buzz Mack?”

“Yeah.” Sam stood too quickly. His head swam. “Yes,” he repeated. “Mack should get the picture if he runs into Ryan, but fill him in so he doesn’t freak out.”

“Mack? Freak out?” Avery made a sound of disbelief. “Yeah right.”

“Just do it.” Sam blinked open an eye at the speaker. “Please.”

“Magic words will get you everywhere. I’m on it, Commander.” She paused for a moment. “You, ah, also missed the shift meeting.”

“Crap!” Sam swung open the door into the brightly lit hallway. He covered his eyes with his hand.

“Don’t worry, Sir.” Avery’s voice followed his down the hall. “Benny handled it pretty well, for a rat.”

“Avery!”

“Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. I’ll alert Mack and Benny. In case Jarum wakes up too.”

“Good. Thanks. Keep watching the monitors.”

“Seriously?” She laughed.

“Habit,” he commented dryly, knowing that watching the monitors was what Avery lived for. “Goodbye, Avery.”

“Sir,” she finished with a crackle of the speaker and then she was gone, a slight chuckle as she went.

“Fuck,” Samuel muttered under his breath. “Give me strength because this man is gonna be the death of me.”

~~~~~~~

 

Ryan wrapped his hands around the thick, metal banister and watched water pour into the large drums at a high-pressured speed. A network of catwalks broke up the different drums. Each circular vat looked a little different. The last one was obviously on its way into the main water system if his assumption was correct, rushing into a system of pipes and through the thick rock wall. The others before it were not so clean. Muck layered the first one. Ryan swiftly looked away from it. The smell reminded him of home a little—dirty like he had been.

Walking along the high metal platform, he noted the natural water being filtered through from a small opening near the end. Some type of lake or river must be nearby. Curious, he descended the steps until a large man blocked his path. Dressed in a light blue jumper and goggles, the man smiled up at him.

“You must be, Ryan.” He waved. “I’m Mack!” He called over the loud noise of the containers.

Ryan waved back, checking behind him to make sure no one else would ambush him. “Yeah.” Thrown off by the man knowing his name. “I’m sorry,” he called back. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to be here.”

“No worries.” Mack climbed the stairs. “You thirsty?” The large man gestured to the containers with a brawny laugh.

“Uh. No thanks.” Ryan took a step back when Mack reached the platform.

“I’m not mad kid. You got no reason to be scared.” Mack patted him on the back. “It was just a joke.”

“Sorry.” Ryan looked down.

“You look curious. Come on. Let me show you around a bit.” Mack shook his head, leading Ryan to the other side of the platform, another set of stairs. “This is where we treat the water on the base for consumption, the facilities, the faucets—everything. We recycle as much as we can. Water being one of the most important commodities we have. With disease and pollution high, we take this process very seriously.”

“Huh?” Ryan was still stuck back on faucets.

“All the water,” Mack summarized with a smile.

“Oh.”

“Yep. Every ounce of water used on the base comes here when it goes down the drain. You know, the little thing at the bottom of the tub or sink with holes in it?”

“Got it.” Ryan nodded, liking Mack already. The guy didn’t make him feel dumb in the least.

Mack squeezed his shoulder. “We start with the main container over there with the big one on it. That one is called the screen. It separates the sand, objects, and uh… other things from getting through to container number two.”

Ryan leaned on the banister. “What do you do with the stuff that doesn’t go through?”

“We put it through another larger screen at the end of every container cleaning. We cut off the water flow and clear the tank. The waste is used as compost or fertilizer outside. Not on the fields. Helps stuff grow, but due to the waste in the heap, we don’t use it on food for us. It’s got too much bacteria and toxins for porous food. Not even the chemical will clean it up.”

“You just don’t use it for food, right? The waste?”

“You’re a smart one.” Mack ruffled his hair. “Come on. Let me show you the clean stuff. I’m getting thirsty just talking about it.”

Ryan smiled. “Okay. Me too.”

As Mack continued the tour, Samuel watched from the top platform. From up above, he saw Ryan crouch next to Mack, pointing and nodding with interest. He could tell Ryan truly loved to learn. It was in the excited way he used his hands, his wide eyes and the way he touched things as if he could learn by their texture. Overwhelming as it all was, Ryan had immediately started exploring to immerse himself in this new world. Damn, Sam thought. He owed the man one hell of an apology.

Last night had been uncalled for. Ryan was right. They’d only been here a few hours. How could Samuel expect them to understand everything? He couldn’t. The thought in mind, Sam whistled with his fingers and offered a wave to the men below.

Mack waved back but Ryan looked away like he was in trouble. On a sigh, Sam nudged his head and Mack got the picture.

“You hungry, Ryan?” Samuel called out. Blue eyes shot straight up to him. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on up.”

After thanking Mack and tucking his bottle of water into the large pocket of his sweater, Ryan ascended the stairs.

“Good morning,” Sam said.

“Hi,” Ryan returned quietly.

Swallowing his own pride, Sam put an arm around Ryan and pushed open the facility doors. Ryan straightened his back, rigid under Sam’s arm until a hand massaged his shoulders. In the quiet hum of the hallway, the Commander cleared his throat.

“You should be mad at me.”

Ryan looked up. “What?”

“For what I said last night,” Sam continued. “It wasn’t right. I had no place trying to judge you when you didn’t understand. It’s going to take time and patience on my part. I pulled you from one world and thrust you into another. I’m sorry, Ryan. I really am.” He took a deep breath.

“Both of us are going to have to work together to make you a Jarum feel comfortable here. I want to give you everything you’ve ever needed. I want to show you great things you’ve never seen before. I want you to learn and thrive and I can’t do that by yelling at you.”

“It’s okay,” Ryan murmured.

Sam stopped, putting his hands on Ryan’s shoulders. “No. It’s not okay. I was an asshole and you didn’t deserve that. Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?”

Slowly, Ryan looked up at the Commander. He saw the stress in Samuel’s body, his eyes with the little lines at the corners. He saw a man who was tired, lonely just like he was. Everyone was human. Everyone made mistakes, even Samuel of Rineway.

“On one condition.” Ryan smiled.

“Anything.”

“Don’t lie to me to make me feel better. I want to know what this place is. I want to be a part of it like everyone else. If you’re trying to save the world like you say you are, I want to know how and why. I came from the outside, Samuel. Now that I’m on the inside, I want to help them and I can’t do that if I’m in the dark.”

Nervous, but knowing Ryan was absolutely right, Sam nodded. “After you’ve stuffed your face with some real food, I promise to tell you everything.”

“Shake on it.” Ryan held out his hand. “Where I come from this means something.”

“Where I come from this means everything.” Sam gripped Ryan’s hand and shook it. “We got a deal, Ryan?”

“Yeah.” Ryan slipped his hand from the warmth of Sam’s. He’d been too worried up until now to notice the Commander’s proximity, his touch, his eyes and scent. Now as they stared at each other, he couldn’t remember anything else.

Realizing he was leaning into Ryan, their lips way too close, Sam pulled back. “Good,” he whispered.

Ryan’s stomach growled, interrupting the moment. Last night’s tacos still sitting on a tray in the room. He was starving. “Sorry.”

“And that, stop apologizing for everything.” Sam laughed, tugging Ryan after him. “Saying sorry for being hungry is like saying sorry for breathing.”

Ryan blushed, letting Sam pull him along through the base. Very true, he thought. Very true.

 

~~~~~~~

 

The mess hall was full with the breakfast crowd. Ryan, apart from his initial shock of the large room filled with tables was more focused on the delicious smell filling the air. He was led to a long table at the head of the room where one of the men from last night was eating.

“Andrew,” Sam called.

The soldier got up from his chair and saluted Sam. “Good morning, Sir.”

“Will you cut that out and eat? I was just saying hi.” Sam shook his head. He leaned into Ryan. “He’s a little old school. Don’t mind him.”

Ryan bit his lip to keep from laughing as Andrew pulled out a chair for him. “Thank you.”

“It’s a pleasure to attend to the Commander’s spouse.” Andrew nodded, waiting until Sam sat until he seated himself again.

“Spouse?” Ryan cut his eyes to Sam. “What did he just say?”

Sam tapped his fork against his empty plate. “He, uh… well, the entire base was and is under the impression that I took up the trade for a, uh…”

“Oh.” Ryan looked around the room. He noticed the sidelong glances or full on stares as people filled their mouths with food. “They think we’re…”

“Yeah,” Sam answered quietly. “If it makes you uncomfortable I can make an announcement.” He began to push his chair back.

Snatching his hand, Ryan shook his head vigorously. “No. Please don’t do that.”

“Okay.”

They stared at each other for a moment before a short, squatty woman popped out of nowhere. “Good morning, Commander and company,” she boomed.

Ryan jumped in his seat. Barely a foot above the table in height, the woman’s voice surprised him—deep like a man’s. “Hello,” he squeaked.

“You must be, Ryan.” She grinned. “Sure is a looker, Commander.  It’s about time you got yourself a piece.”

Sam’s eyes went wide. “Yvonne!”

“Don’t mind him.” The cook scooped eggs onto their plates, looking at Ryan. “He’s so conservative. Can’t even say the word penis for the life of him.”

“Oh God,” Sam groaned. He put his face in his hands. “Yvonne, please. I’m begging you.”

“Has he begged you yet?” She winked at Ryan.

He turned crimson. A few chuckles, even from Andrew, made him shrink into his chair. “No.”

“All in good time I suppose.” A stack of circular, golden things was piled onto his plate, followed by some type of meat links. The cook leaned in, sweaty face and all. “You need any tips on how to heat up the bedroom you come and ask old Yvonne. I know a thing a two about these men.” She waggled her brows.

Andrew stabbed his pancakes and barked a laugh. “You kill me, Yvonne.”

“Sign me up because I want to die right now,” Samuel muttered into his hands.

“Offer stands.” The cook patted Ryan’s hand. She put a bottle of thick, brown liquid on the table. “Now eat up. If you’re anything like the Commander here then I know you’ll just love sausage.”

As the mess hall erupted into laughter at the obvious innuendo, Ryan looked around in shock. Samuel hid his profile with his hand, bringing a bite of eggs to his mouth.

“Don’t worry,” Andrew chuckled, “she does it to everyone.”

Looking down at his plate, Ryan stared at his food. But why me, he thought. Why me?

 

TO BE CONTINUED…