Chapter 1

Somewhere at sea

CHRIS BOTTOMS WAS in heaven, or at least in his version of what he hoped heaven would be like. He was lying on his back on a stack of boxes in an out-of-the-way storeroom. He was naked, his legs were in the air, and his ass was being plowed by an equally naked seaman, who just happened to be quite splendidly equipped for the task at hand. The seaman was horny as hell—it had been a couple of weeks since they’d last gotten together—so it didn’t take him very long to climax.

The seaman rested for a minute, then said, “I think I’ve got one more orgasm in me.”

“Go for it,” Chris said.

The seaman mounted Chris again and started pumping away. It took him a bit longer that time, but he completed his task. Afterward, they dressed quickly without exchanging a single word—they were in a hurry, and they were both there for one reason only, so conversation wasn’t really necessary. The seaman slipped quietly out of the main door to the storeroom, and Chris locked the door behind him, then exited by the rear door, locking it as well.

What a way to begin my shift,he thought. All it takes is a sex-starved sailor and a bit of privacy. He headed to the sick bay, where he would spend his watch caring for patients in the inpatient ward, and dealing with personnel requiring medical services. And with some five thousand personnel on board the carrier, the sick bay was kept busy and the inpatient ward was almost never empty. There was a great deal of dangerous machinery on board, and the takeoffs and landings of jets on the sometimes rolling decks of carriers were inherently risky, so accidents happened frequently. Then there were the usual problems of five thousand people living in extremely close proximity to one another—if anyone came down with a bug, it tended to spread like wildfire. He loved his job and he was good at it. What he loved even more was access to several of the men on board, who were more than willing to service him when an opportunity presented itself. During his three tours of duty at sea, he’d never been caught in flagrante, although he’d had a couple of close calls. In fact, truth be told, Chris loved the danger almost as much as he enjoyed the sex.

In the ward, he found five patients waiting for him—three accident victims, one guy recovering from an emergency appendectomy that had been performed earlier that day, and another suffering from debilitating migraines. Chris privately suspected the last patient was faking it, but he wasn’t certain enough about that to question the doctor’s diagnosis. He finished his shift and was about to leave when Lieutenant Masterson stuck his head in the door.

“Chris, can I see you for a minute before you check out?”

“Certainly, Lieutenant,” Chris said.

Two minutes later, he knocked on the lieutenant’s open door, saluted, and said, “Corpsman Bottoms reporting as ordered, Sir.”

The lieutenant returned the salute quite casually and said, “At ease, Chris. Have a seat.”

“Yes, Sir,” Chris said, and took a seat.

The lieutenant sat for a moment, obviously lost in thought. Then he opened a file and glanced at the top document.

“Chris, I don’t have to tell you that you’ve done one hell of a job since you came on board, do I?”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“The problem is—and it has been from day one—that you’re hugely overqualified for what you’re doing. You have a Master’s degree and you’re an RN First Assistant. You should be in an operating room somewhere helping save lives.”

“I go where the Navy sends me, Sir.”

“Yes, I know, and the Navy did its usual thing with you and placed a square peg in a round hole.”

“Yes, Sir.” What the fuck is he leading up to?Chris thought.

“Sometimes it takes the powers that be a long time to realize they’ve made a mistake, and to be perfectly frank, more often than not they never figure it out.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“But in your case, they’ve finally discovered that you’re being underutilized. The hospital at NAS Jacksonville as an urgent need for an RN First Assistant with your credentials, and the people at the Bureau of Personnel have decided that you’re the best man for the job.”

“NAS Jacksonville? As in Jacksonville, Florida?” Chris said.

“Just so,” the lieutenant said. “I was stationed there a few years ago; it’s not a bad city. A little on the redneck side, of course, but all in all, a pleasant place to live and work. Greater Jacksonville has a population of almost one and a half million these days, so you might find a little more social life there than you do aboard ship—especially given that you qualify to live off base.”

“But I like it just fine where I am, Sir.”

“Nevertheless, the Navy has, for once, decided to put a square peg in a square hole.”

“Yes, Sir. Effective when, Sir?”

“As soon as we make port. You’ll take a flight from there to Jacksonville. By the way, you’re authorized thirty days leave before your new duties begin.”

“What the hell will I do with thirty days?”

“You could go home and pay your family a visit.”

“Lieutenant, my only family lives in West Bumfuck, Arkansas, and I don’t have any reason to see them. In fact, I can honestly say that I don’t ever want to visit that particular hellhole again.”

“What about your parents?”

“My father has been dead for years. My mother is a drunk, and I don’t care to meet the deadbeat bum she’s shacked up with at the moment.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Because ever since my father died, there’s been a steady stream of deadbeat bums. That’s why.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been dealing with it since I was twelve.”

“What about your grandparents?”

“I wouldn’t mind visiting my paternal grandparents, but they’ve been dead for a couple of years. If they’re still alive, my maternal grandparents are like my mother—trash, through and through.”

“I’ve wondered why you never talked about family,” the lieutenant said.