Deep (13 page)

“Captain, you’re nearly over your eight hours. How much oxygen do you have left?”

That was a good question, but not one Joel could do anything about now. If he ran out of air that would be that. It sure beat being grabbed by a giant fish and pounded until his suit failed him.

“Captain?”
Sean said, sounding panicked.

“It’s all right, I’m here.”

“In a few minutes the fish should head to the other side of the ship,”
Sean told him.
“When I say so, I need you to try to get to the hatch.”

“You know as soon as I move they’re gonna be on me.”

“They’re not. I promise. I’ll take care of you.”

“Okay,” Joel said. “I trust you.”

Joel waited, watching the large shadows circle him. The green tips were gone, either dead or hiding. He’d seen men get taken by viper sharks before. Their heavy jaws clamped down on a man’s suit, and as a group they would tear until seams were broken and joints were pulled apart. It was a bad way to go.

“Joel,”
Sean said.

There was a change in the water. The bodies of the sharks straightened with purpose. And then they were speeding through the ocean, away from Joel.

“Now!”

He hauled himself up and started running. The water dragged each step, holding him back. He saw the hatch open, a ray of light offering him salvation. He pushed harder, diving forward until he grabbed his ship. Victorious, he turned to close the hatch, and his face fell. A shark was coming straight for him. He pounded on the hatch control.

“Come on, come on,” he said, dropping to his knees and trying to make himself small.

Strong, sharp teeth gleamed at him. Cold black eyes focused with intent. The doors started to close, narrowing on Joel. But they were too late. The shark’s nose breached the gap. The doors ground, then stopped, blocking the shark’s large body from coming any further. It wiggled, trying to squeeze into the space and snap at Joel. Joel clenched his fist and smacked hard, slamming his gloved hand into the shark’s face. He thumped again and again, landing each blow on the sensitive spot on the shark’s nose.

The shark finally twisted away and the doors sealed. Joel collapsed on the floor and started laughing—that was a story he was going to drink off for many years to come. The water around him started draining and eventually the second hatch opened. He waited, exhausted, as the pressure stabilized and his suit was decontaminated. After six more minutes, he stepped out into the hold and threw off his helmet.

The whole crew was there to meet him. Selena threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“I thought you were dead,” she said.

“Well, I might be if you squeeze me any tighter, woman.” He wasn’t sure, but he suspected he’d cracked a few ribs in his fall.

“We still need to bring in the equipment,” he said. Getting back to business was the best way to settle his heart.

“I’ll go put out a small acid cloud and scare them off,” Selena said. “Now that you’re back inside and I can do it without melting your face.” She grinned.

“All right, come on, we’ve still got a job to do. If I can fist-fight a shark, you can all pull your weight, too.”

He watched with satisfaction as they sprang to life. Mia took her post in the cockpit. Selena went to concoct her shark repellent. And the others started clearing space in the hold to make way for the drill. He went to help, but Sean stopped him.

“Cracked ribs?” he said.

Joel conceded with a nod.

“No heavy lifting until I’ve checked there’s nothing broken. I’ll help bring everything in. You go rest.” Sean turned away from him, apparently unwilling to compromise.

Joel removed the rest of his suit and decided to bother Mia instead. Nobody could object to him helping if he was sitting down. At least no one he was going to listen to.

Mia watched the sharks on the sensors and gave Selena the go-ahead to release a little chemical cloud to push them away from the ship. The pollutants were strong enough to scare off most of the native wildlife, and a man-made cloud dissipated quickly enough to leave the water clean in less than an hour.

“They’re difficult to track,” Mia said. “You can barely see them on the scanners. How many did you count?”

“Five,” Joel said. “Look for the one with the swollen face. That was me.”

Mia ignored him. “Okay, they’re moving away. Once the cloud clears we’re good to go.”

“Hey, how did you get them to move like that earlier?”

“Sean’s idea. He filled the suit Harvey broke with blood-stained clothing and we fired it out of the hatch. We were hoping it would get a bit farther away, but they’re damn quick and the blood sent them crazy.”

“Who cares, it worked. Where’d you get the blood from?”

She showed him the knife cut on her hand. “We all donated what we could. Sean was pretty insistent. I get the feeling he’d have taken it from us regardless of whether we agreed or not. You hurt badly?”

“I’ll survive.”

“You had the doc all worked up, you know. He was pretty close to going out after you before I slapped some sense into him.”

Joel smiled. “I’ll make it up to him.”

“This is going to get weird, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t figure you for a prejudiced woman.”

Mia scowled. “I meant you being all lovey-dovey and making googly eyes all the time.”

“You’re just jealous.”

She shook her head in mock despair, but he could tell she was pleased with him. He was pretty pleased with himself, too.

THE ASCENT MARKED the final stage of the dig. After that it was back to sailing the reefs and heading for dry land. The work was over, the risk gone. After several solid weeks’ mining, the crew were together again at the table, celebrating with their last keg of beer. It was going to be a good trip home. A good break for them all. And after that, a new beginning for the ship.

Joel told his story about the shark, and then Kyle retold it with additional sharks and an interesting imagining of his role in the escapade. Joel listened, the beer warming his stomach. He sat beside Sean, as relaxed as he had ever been. Without thinking, he reached out his arm and put it over Sean’s shoulders. The doctor fell back into him, suddenly comfortable with the open display of affection. He smiled sweetly at the captain and went back to concentrating on Kyle’s story.

One by one, the crew started to disperse as usual, only this time Selena carried Harvey, her hands starting to wander over the large man as they disappeared down the corridor. Eventually only Sean and Joel remained.

Joel pushed his beer aside and kissed Sean gently. “I think I’ve got one big soft spot for you, Doctor.”

Sean bit his lower lip. “Well, we’ll have to see what we can do about that.” He leaned forward to kiss Joel back, but the captain moved away.

“Are you sure?” Joel whispered.

Sean nodded, and he had that look in his eyes—the look he’d had when he first boarded the ship. God, Joel loved that look. His heart was pounding so loud he thought Sean might hear it.

MUSTERING ALL HIS bravado, Sean took Joel’s hand and led him to Joel’s quarters. Once he closed the door, Sean expected the captain to take charge, but he didn’t. Instead, he stared at Sean, his eyes clouded with lust and apprehension.

“Are you okay?” Sean asked. For a split second he thought Joel was having a change of heart.

Joel nodded. “I, um, I have no idea how this works. I mean, do you want me to... you know, bend over something?”

“Do you want to?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. How bad does it hurt? I mean, I don’t mind the pain, it’s just my ribs are still sore, and....”

The nervousness in Joel’s expression ignited Sean’s confidence. He stepped closer and ran his hands over the captain’s broad shoulders.

“It hurts a bit the first time, or if it’s not done right. It’s okay, I’ll bottom.”

“I told you I don’t want you to submit to me.”

Sean smiled. “I won’t be submitting at all.”

He pulled Joel’s overalls down, peeling back his underwear like he was unwrapping a present. Joel was already aroused. His erection poked out, proud and expectant.

Sean stepped back, admiring the captain’s athletic physique. He slowly unfastened his own overalls, taking his time. He smiled once he knew he had Joel’s full, unwavering attention. Stepping out of his clothes was a liberating experience. Sean knew he was attractive, but he’d never fully felt the extent of his appeal until he saw the adoration in the captain’s face.

He reached out his hand and led Joel to the bed, lowering the larger man back down and resting over him. He kissed the captain, slowly at first and then with greater hunger. Joel ran his hands up the small of Sean’s naked back, pulling him closer. The friction between them was burning, but neither was willing to rush.

Sean reached for Joel’s cock, pumping it lightly. Joel ran his hands up Sean’s thighs, intent on reciprocating. Sean turned his hips, keeping out of Joel’s reach.

“Not yet,” he whispered, and gave Joel a kiss instead. “I need some lubricant.”

“Under the bed,” Joel replied. Sean raised an eyebrow. “Come on, it gets lonely down here. Condoms are down there, too.”

Sean found the bottle and, after some more blind rummaging, the condoms. He tore the condom packet with his teeth and slipped it onto Joel. He squirted the cool liquid into his palm and ran his hand over Joel’s cock again, making the captain groan. Sean knelt up, knowing the sudden shift in movement would attract Joel’s attention. He reached behind his back and pressed his finger into his anus, stretching himself in readiness.

Joel sat up. “Can I try?”

Sean guided Joel’s fingers inside. He rode Joel’s hand, allowing his muscles to relax around Joel’s fingers as they widened him. Joel brushed Sean’s prostate, and Sean moaned. The captain did it again, a sly smile on his face. He went to do it a third time, but Sean stopped him.

Without saying a word, Sean pressed the captain back into the bed. He took Joel’s erection and eased himself onto it. It was Joel’s turn to groan. Sean pinned him down, riding him gently. He’d never had sex like this. He’d never been in control before. The power was intoxicating, and all he wanted was to see Joel come undone beneath him.

Sean increased his pace, grabbing his own cock. But Joel batted his hands away and began jacking him himself. Sean could feel himself getting closer. He kissed Joel again. The captain was lost to the pleasure, teetering on the edge of his own climax. Sean came, moaning and spilling over Joel’s chest. The captain followed moments later, holding on to Sean and biting his groan into Sean’s shoulder.

Joel leaned back, staring up at Sean like he was some kind of divine presence. He dabbed at Sean’s seed on his chest and then sucked his fingers clean. He smiled, his eyelids heavy.

“You okay?” he asked Sean.

“Yes, I think so,” Sean said. He hopped off Joel and went to get a wet cloth to clean the captain up. He wiped Joel’s chest with tenderness. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For letting me do it my way. Will you stay with me tonight?”

“If you want me to.”

Sean nodded. Joel beckoned him back to bed and wrapped himself around Sean, pulling the blanket over them both. “Sean, please don’t leave when we get back to the surface,” Joel said, the vulnerability in his voice making him sound like a stranger.

“I don’t think I can,” Sean said, rolling to face his captain. “I’ve completed my third season. I’m here for life now. Isn’t that what they say?”

Joel smirked, kissing Sean on the top of his head. “I guess it is.”

A.L. BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid writer,
DEEP
is the first published novella by A.L. Bates.

A.L. BATES
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