Lieutenant Lee Mallory spends his time off duty playing video games. There isn't much else to do while stationed on the USS Nova out in deep space. Unfortunately, a run in with his commanding officer, Jonan Thomas, strips him -- and everyone else onboard -- of their gaming privileges. Thomas has had it in for Lee from day one, when they got off on the wrong foot. Now, banned from using the game server in the rec room, Lee sneaks online in his quarters after hours, looking to play. That's where he meets a fellow gamer onboard who's interested in a different kind of game. As much as Lee wants to hook up, though, he can't afford to get into any more trouble. Can Lee take command -- in the game and in the bedroom -- without further aggravating his CO?

Commanding Officer Thomas

Thomas arches an eyebrow. “Just what, Lieutenant?”


Lee decides to answer truthfully. Or, rather, to give some version of the truth, at any rate. “Grindr, sir. It’s Grindr.”


Now both of Thomas’s eyebrows go up. “The gay dating app?”


“Don’t ask, don’t tell, right?” Lee jokes.


Thomas studies him a moment longer. Lee can’t meet his gaze, looking everywhere but at his CO. The hard-on raging in his sweats pulses almost painfully. When he finally gets off, he knows he’ll come in an explosive rush, but he’s beginning to think he’ll have to take care of it on his own. If Joe hasn’tshown up by now, he probably isn’t coming. Maybe he got lost. Or, more likely, he saw Thomas at Lee’s door and bailed.


He wipes a hand across his face to hide a nervous smile. What would Thomas say if Lee just walked out of his own quarters?


The warning in Thomas’s voice comes through loud and clear. “No, sir,” Lee says softly.


Chapter 11