Offshore (31 page)

“
Stay where you are. It’s black as pitch in here. You’ll be
better off out there. Over.”

“
Dinnae be daft, man. It’s as dark as the devil’s arse out
here too, not to mention blowing a hoolie. The sleet’s comin’ in
sideways and this place is leaking like a sieve. I’m coming
in.”

“
No. Hang tight there. That’s an order. Over and
out.”

The hiss
of static masked McDougal’s retort. “Get stuffed. Ower, under and
every other way ye can.”

Cameron’s torch picked out an internal telephone on the wall
a few feet away. He picked it up, listened, and replaced it in its
cradle. “Phones are off,” he said. “Do you think Miss Ellis will be
okay? If she’s on her own in sickbay in the dark, she might be
scared.”

What’s it to you
, Eddie thought, but did not say, once more
feeling a pinprick of jealousy.

“
She’s a grown up and should have the sense to realise
what’s happened and stay put,” he said, more harshly than he
intended. “Let’s get to the plant room and get the power back on.
It might be something simple like the fuel tanks haven’t swapped
over.”

“
Yeah,” said Cameron, sounding unconvinced. “Something like
that.”

Eddie
trailed behind Cameron and his forward beam, trusting him to lead
them in the right direction because, to be honest, Eddie didn’t
have a sodding clue where he was.

Neither
did Cameron, and it took them fifteen minutes to reach their
destination.

“
Sit tight, ma arse, McDougal grumbled
as the dog house shuddered violently, buffeted by a strong gust. A
large drop of ice cold water fell with a
splat
onto the desk.

“
Aye, time tae go.”

He
pulled up his hood and collar and trod his way across the deck to
the main door, heaved it open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut
behind him.

Capstan
wasn’t exaggerating. The darkness was oppressive and all
encompassing. He could not even make out the door he’d just come in
through, even though it was only inches behind him.

He had a
decision to make. Stand here in the dark and wait for the lights to
come back on, but there was no telling how long that would be, or
feel his way to the locker room where he could sit and have a
smoke, maybe even take a nap, to wait out the blackout.

He chose
the latter.

Arms
outstretched, he took shuffling steps until he touched the far
wall, and using the back of his hand, as taught during
fire-fighting instruction to avoid electrocution from live cables,
inched his way along it.

Behind
him a shadow peeled itself from the wall and slid along in his
wake.

The wall ended. He had reached the junction.
Left turn here, and
it should be just along –

He
stopped. So did the shadow.

Had
he just turned left…or was it right? He couldn’t recall. He
turned around to retrace his path. Four steps forward brought him
in collision with the wall, nose first, then forehead. Light flared
behind his eyes.

“
Ow! Sodding hell!”

He
waited for the flashing lights to fade away before continuing his
way forward, one hand protecting his bruised nose, the other
extended to feel for obstacles, shoulder against the
wall.

The
silent shadow continued to follow.

This
wall too ended at a junction.

Where to
now?

An
illuminated green and white sign with a running man and the word
‘Emergency exit’ flickered at the end of the passageway and gave
him an option. This way if you want to go back outside, it said.
The last place he wanted to be.

He
swore. The shadow stayed silent.

As his
eyes became more accustomed to the dark, he began to make out
features, including the dark rectangle of a door only five feet
away.

Which
room was it? He ran his hand over the face of the door, palm
seeking out the identifying nameplate. He found it, and like a
blind man reading Braille, traced out a capital letter L with his
fingertips; then an O, and a C … Locker Room. At last!

He felt
for the handle and opened the door. As he stepped inside, the
shadow brushed past him unnoticed.

McDougal
kicked the locker room door closed with his heel and leaned back
against it, relieved to be no longer lost in the dark.

“
Who’s that? Who’s there?”

The
unexpected voice in the dark twanged at McDougal’s already frayed
nerves and he literally leapt with fright.

“
Shit Christ Almighty! Who–?”

“
Mr McDougal? Is that you? Don’t be alarmed. It’s only me.
Lawrence Brewer.”

McDougal
hissed out a sigh of relief. “Ye scared me shitless, Doc. Fit ye
deein’ skulking in the dark?”

“
Same as you I suspect. Sitting in a safe place to wait out
the blackout.”

Liar!

Euterich/Brewer’s assigned duties for that day had involved
him collecting up and inventorying loose tools and equipment and
packing them up ready to be shipped off. Included in his search was
the workshop in which he had spent his enforced
hibernation.

On his
way back to his cabin to clean himself off, swamped in foul
memories and a fouler mood, the smell and the dirt and the grease
clinging to him like a second skin, the purely serendipitous
blackout handed him an opportunity too good to miss.

With his
perfect night vision he saw McDougal come in from outside, and
followed him as he stumbled his way to the changing room, managing
to slither inside the room first to take him by
surprise.

“
I was in here changing out of my dirty gear when the lights
went out,” he said. “Thought it best to stay put. I’m sure Mr
Cameron will soon sort it out.”

“
Aye, he’s a whizz wi yon mechanicals, I’ll give him that,”
said McDougal, more relaxed now he had identified the speaker.
“Almost as good as me.”

He took
a seat on the bench and shuffled and fumbled as he searched for
something in his pockets.

A flare
of light. A bright orange glow dulling to red, and the air filled
with the sour odour of burning tobacco.

“
So … what shall we do to pass the time,” said
Euterich.

“
Whatever ye like. Sae long as it’s nae I Spy.”

They
both chuckled.

“
I’m glad it’s you who found your way here and not one of
the others, Craig … you don’t mind if I call you Craig do you
…?”

“
Iss ma name, don’ wear it oot. Why are ye glad?”

“
Because I’ve been watching you for a while.”

“
Oh aye.”

“
And I noticed you’ve been watching me too. And I think we
both know why.” Silence. “If I’ve made a mistake, I apologise. No
offence intended.”

He knew
he hadn’t.

Over
time it had become as plain as a pikestaff to the real Brewer where
McDougal’s proclivities lay, and once Euterich accessed his
memories he found they intrigued him somewhat too.

More
virgin territory to be explored.

Another
glow. Another stream of smoke.

A hand
on his thigh. “None taken.”

In the
silence, in the dark, Euterich’s hand found McDougal’s and pressed
it against his thigh, easing it up towards his crotch.

The
cigarette end glowed again and fell to the ground, to be stubbed
out by the toe of McDougal’s boot. A gentle, hesitant tug, and the
zip of his overalls slid open.

McDougal
slipped his hand inside, rucked up his T shirt, and laid a cool
hand against his hot chest, moving slowly over his ribs to his
breast and its rock hard button of a nipple. He stroked over the
tight nub with his thumb.

Euterich
gasped in a shuddering breath.

This was
rather nice.

His
breathing became harsher as McDougal leaned into him, kissed the
skin of his chest, before taking the nipple into his mouth and
teasing it with his tongue.

Very
nice indeed.

He
placed his hand at McDougal’s crotch and squeezed gently, as if
testing a pear for ripeness.

McDougal
moaned his appreciation.

“
We can head back my cabin if you want,” he said. “It would
be more comfy.”

Euterich
could feel the bulge under his hand already swelling. “What’s wrong
with right here?”

“
Someone might come in.”

“
So what? Don’t you find the danger of getting caught more …
stimulating?”

Euterich
unzipped McDougal’s overalls to the crotch and put his hand inside,
moving it softly over a taut stomach and down to a pair of boxers,
easing its way under the waistband to enclose a pair of hot swollen
testicles in his large soft hand.

McDougal
groaned and sighed.

“
Top or bottom?” he said, no more than a breathy whisper,
the state of his arousal becoming more obvious by the
second.

Euterich
did not understand the question, but played along. “Whatever you
prefer.”

“
I prefer bottom.”

Boots
off, McDougal thrust his overalls and boxers down to his ankles and
stepped out of them, then hauled his T-shirt over his
head.

Euterich, determined to immerse himself fully in this new
role, did likewise.

The room
was freezing, but neither of them felt it as they stood naked apart
from their socks, belly to belly, skin to skin, exchanging body
heat.

Euterich
stroked his way over McDougal’s sinewy almost hairless body, with
its well sculpted musculature, and McDougal jerked as he caught his
breath.

A few
light kisses to the skin of his shoulders brought a light sigh, and
hands run over firm flanks, solid buttocks and strongly muscled
thighs, a full blooded moan.

When
they caressed his inner thigh, before grasping a hot swollen cock,
McDougal expressed his delight. “Oh, man. Yeah.”

Euterich
found himself actually enjoying the unusual yet not unpleasant
marvel of handling another man’s dick and bollocks, and judging by
McDougal’s reactions, whatever he was doing, he was doing it
right.

Was
arousal contagious? If it was, he’d caught it. The sighing, the
moaning, the sweat, the smell, all were working on him and he felt
the tingling surge of an erection well under way.

Soon
they were standing cock to rigid cock, head to head, like sword
fighters en guard, thrusting and parrying in flesh.

This was
all very interesting. What next?

McDougal
took his turn with the touching, his rough working hands caressing
Euterich’s softer skin. He got down on his knees, and with lips
surprisingly soft for a man, began to kiss Euterich’s swiftly
rising cock.

And then
he had it in his mouth, deep in, and Euterich could feel teeth
against the skin. One false move and he could bite it clean off.
Who cared? It felt wonderful. A hot wet tongue teased the tip,
encouraging the release of pre-cum.

This was
amazing! Why had he never done this before?

Sensing
Euterich to be at the brink of orgasm, McDougal turned his back and
bent over the wooden bench, one hand to steady himself, the other
gripping at his cock to masturbate himself to climax.

“
Do it,” he said, breathless with anticipation. “Do it
now!”

Euterich
didn’t need to be told twice. He laid his hands over the presented
buttocks, a firmly rounded fuzzy peach ripe for the picking, and
separated them with his thumbs.

When he
touched the tip of his penis to the puckered ring of McDougal’s
experienced anal sphincter, it opened like a flower, inviting him
to enter. Euterich accepted the invitation and took his first step
into a whole new world of ecstasy.

Chapter 35

Eddie
examined the gauges on the generators by the light of Cameron’s
torch. “There’s plenty of fuel in the tanks, but it’s not getting
through.”

“
Probably a blockage in the pipe,” said Cameron. “Could be
something as simple as an air bubble.”

“
You’ve dealt with this sort of thing before?”

“
Plenty of times. Hold the light steady for me and I’ll have
it sorted in a minute.”

Eddie
stood at Cameron’s shoulder, torch at arm's length, trying not to
inhale the sour diesel fumes that always turned his stomach. They
appeared to have no ill effect on Cameron at all. “I wonder why the
auxiliary lighting didn’t come on,” he mused. “They should have.
Paperwork says they were checked.”

“
No idea, boss. Faulty battery? Salt water ingress? Mice in
the wiring? Who knows? Hold the light steady will you?” A few
minutes of silent labour later, the generators hummed back into
life.