Flight 12

Flight 12 – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER THIRTY: NEW PARAMETERS

Previously, on the surface:

• Having escaped along with Ian, Augie, Stan, Al and Theo, Seth takes the group south, hoping to find the re-located Phallic Tower. A helicopter arrives. While Seth remains on the beach with the others, Ian races up to greet the pilot and is astonished to discover that it is Jude, a friend of his from Cleveland.

Underground:

• Miles is feeling abandoned by Sean, with whom he is in love.

• While underground, Augie is punished by being shat upon, given enemas, and fucked.

• Ed, reunited with Paul and Dai, learns that Leo is dead.

Elsewhere:

• Alarmed by the second death of a Twelve (Lucas, killed by Seth during the escape), Jesús has the parameters rerun and sends them to Sean, who is heading for the island, supposedly to convey them to Ian and/or Seth. Sean's concealed intent is to dismantle The Project.

In flashbacks:

• Five years ago, Seth's affair with Sean caused him to fail to pick up his sons who were then kidnapped (by Stimulever, unknown to Seth), which led to his wife's suicide.

• • • • • • • • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 * * * * * * * *

THE BEACH – SETH

I was still on the beach when from above me I heard Ian exclaim: "Jude?". Ian knew this guy! The name Jude seemed familiar; I tried to recall where I had heard it before.

FLASHBACK – SETH (CLEVELAND) – October, last year

• What are you saying, Ian?

• I'm saying it's time we stopped seeing each other.

• Why? I thought things were good.

• Seth, be honest. I'm just one more rebound from the great love of your life, and that's Sean. He's been the elephant in the room all these months.

• They've been great months.

• Have they? You're a good guy, Seth, but you don't love me. And then there's the sex: Before I met you I was 90% top. I miss that. You're not willing to give me your ass, are you?

• . . .

• The last time you bent over for a guy was with Sean. That's why you won't do it. It would take you back there, the guy you never got over.

• If I hadn't slept with him, my sons would be safe and Megan would be alive.

• Which is why asking you to bottom would be cruel; it would remind you of Sean every time we made love. Seth, I want us to be friends, but we can't be lovers anymore. We're just not sexually compatible.

• You could have fooled me. You DID fool me. Why now, Ian? We've been seeing each other since March, why didn't you say this earlier?

• I guess I was a coward.

• Is it – have you met someone else – is that it?

• . . .

• Ah. You have.

• Maybe. I don't know. It's early.

• Do I know him?

• I don't think so. His name's Jude.

BY THE BEACH – SETH

Jude. If Ian knew this man, it was probably good news. I climbed up the slope to check him out. And got the shock of my life – well, one of them. I've had a lot of shocks lately.

The man whom Ian had recognized as `Jude' was known to me by a different name: Sean O'Hara.

Sean O'Hara. SEAN FUCKING O'HARA? What the hell was HE doing here?

My mind was reeling. Harry had always championed the idea that we were chosen deliberately as part of some grand design. And underground, each of Hamish's lieutenants seemed to be someone from one of our pasts – Paul had his Anthony, Augie his Alfonso, etc. Mine, I had assumed, was Ian.

So what was a second person from my past doing on the island? And why SEAN? Sean, who caused me to oversleep that fateful day, allowing some madman to kidnap my three boys, driving Megan to suicide. The man who had haunted me for years. But he had also been a turning point – without him, would I have set upon the course of serial boyfriends that eventually led to Abe?

Just seeing him again made my heart go thump. There was still a chemistry there, I could feel it. Given the raging sexuality of this island, it did not take long for me to respond. I could smell Sean from ten feet away, and his scent brought memories to my nerve endings – and blood to my cock.

I was embarrassed by my burgeoning erection, but at least, so far as the others knew, "Jude" was known to Ian, but not to me. I aimed to keep it that way.

• (Sean) Seth!

So much for that plan.

BY THE BEACH – STAN

I was still down at the beach when I heard Ian recognize the pilot. Since Ian had helped us escape, I could only hope that this Jude guy was here to rescue us. I scrambled up to find Seth with his penis parallel to the ground, and the helicopter pilot calling his name.

What on earth was going on here?

• (Seth, rather sarcastically) Hello, Sean. Nice to see you after all this time.

• (Ian) Sean'? Jude, why did he call you Sean'?

• (Jude/Sean) Because that's my name. I told you my name was Jude because you knew Seth's history with me.

• (Ian) You're THAT Sean? The one who ruined his life?

• (Sean) Does he look ruined? With that stiff cock? But yes, I'm THAT Sean. Which was precisely why I had to tell you my name was something else.

• (Seth) What are you doing here, Sean? If you're planning to take us away in that helicopter, it's a little premature. You can take these guys, but I'm not leaving without Abe. Abe, by the way, is MINE, which he made very clear when we met yesterday.

Holy shit. Clearly Seth had some kind of history with this Sean guy – it sounded like a romantic triangle involving Abe. But Ian knew Sean/Jude, too – and Ian also knew Seth in the past. This was looking like a soap opera, one whose next episode I did not want to watch.

NEAR THE BEACH - SETH

• (Sean) I'm not here to take you off the island.

• Then why don't you leave? You've done more damage to my life than any other single person, and I never want to see you again.

• Damage, Seth? I brought you and Abe together.

• The hell you did. I found Abe all by myself, at Studs and Stripes.

• And why do you think Abe went to Studs and Stripes?

• Ian's friend Jason –

• Ian's friend `Jason' is my colleague Paolo. Sorry.

Something clicked into place. A guy named Sean had delivered Miles and Jordan to the island. At the time I had thought it a bitter coincidence. I should have known there are no coincidences on this island. Something else went `click'.

• You're part of Stimulever.

• Ah, so you know about Stimulever. Well of course, Jordan and Miles would have told you. Yes, Seth, I am. . . . Your boys are fine, by the way.

It is not often that good news is as devastating as that last sentence.

• MY BOYS? You . . . you were responsible for that?!

• My colleague Germán. Alias Uncle Herman. They have two fathers now and are growing up happily in Utrecht. I'm very sorry about Megan – I didn't foresee that. We needed a tragedy in your life, and I was assigned to engineer it. I thought the kidnapping would be enough.

I was filled with rage, slightly tempered by the activity in my brain that was starting to assemble the puzzle pieces. I had known that somehow I was central to this whole scheme – I still didn't understand why, but my role in this bizarre double-universe thing had apparently been carefully constructed. And my affair with Sean five years ago was part of it – talk about playing the long game.

My cock would not grow limp. I thought about my relationship with Sean – the only time in my life when I had bottomed, when I had been the masochist, when I had enjoyed being controlled by someone else. And, as outrageous as it was, a small part of me wanted to surrender to Sean, to allow him to continue to manipulate me. I hated myself for that – but I hated Sean more.

• I loved you, Sean. I really loved you. And you . . . were just using me?

• At first. But, Seth – that all changed. I fell in love with you. I didn't want to. But I did.

• Damn you to hell.

• I'm still in love with you, Seth. And your body is telling me that the attraction is still there.

• I have someone else now, as you well know. And you slept with him! You tried to steal him from me!

• No. It was necessary to have some stress in your relationship. I had a job to do, Seth, it was only that. You're the one I want, not Abe.

NEAR THE BEACH – STAN

Yep. Soap opera. Ménage a trois.

NEAR THE BEACH – AL

Whoa. Too much information. My brain is on overload. I knew Seth was crazy – but maybe there was some justification for the crazy. I just want my life to be simple: Get me out of here. I thought that was what the helicopter would do. Seems like I'm wrong.

NEAR THE BEACH – THEO

Sean loves Seth. Seth loves Abe. Abe cheats on Seth with Sean. Seth is still attracted to Sean but is committed to Abe. If Piers were here, he'd write a play based on this – it would be some version of a French farce, full of people popping in and out of each other's beds and hiding in closets.

NEAR THE BEACH – IAN

My head was spinning. Jude, whom I had briefly dated just over a year ago, was really a man named Sean. Not only that, but he was SETH's Sean.

I had been so glad to see Jude – a friend from the past. With a helicopter that could take us off the island. But it was all a ruse – he was Seth's Sean, and he worked for Stimulever? Why was he here? Hamish had sent me up top to make sure everything went on schedule. Was Sean here to supersede me? Did Hamish not trust me to do the job?

And Sean had hurt Seth so badly in the past. We hadn't worked out as a couple, but I was still fond of Seth. I didn't want him hurt again.

THE BEACH – SEAN

God, the sight of him. I want to sleep with him tonight, but it's too soon.

This is going to be difficult. I have to get him back in love with me. The lust is there, that's obvious. His body wants to sleep with me. But his mind hates me. I have to convince him that everything I've done – even sleeping with Abe – was because I love him. And I have to get Abe out of the picture without him blaming me for it. If Abe is no longer around, I can be a source of solace for him and maybe we can re-establish the love we once shared.

• • • • • • • • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 * * * * * * * *

THE DORMITORY – ED

I didn't sleep well. There was too much tension in the room. Paul and Dai were fussing about Augie and Seth, who might have escaped, or might be dead like Leo. And where, they wondered, was Lucas?

When I woke up this morning, the two of them were sharing the same bed. If they had buggered each other during the night, at least it had been quietly enough not to wake me.

Ryan – a.k.a. Mac – appeared to collect me, fully erect and imbued with a lusty grin.

• Come on, Eddie baby, time for some fun!

To my horror, I felt a stirring in my balls, but I quickly suppressed it, forcing images of the late queen's funeral into my brain. It's hard to feel horny when you're focused on the casket of a beloved monarch.

Mac escorted me to a Fuck Room – in case there was any doubt as to its purpose, the words `Fuck Room' were clearly emblazoned on the door. But, as I was to learn, more went on in these rooms than just sex. This one was well-equipped with instruments of perversion; all it needed to mimic a medieval dungeon was an Iron Maiden.

Three other `lieutenants' were waiting for us. One of whom looked strangely familiar.

• That's right, Eddie, it's Orson Threece. He's been looking forward to a reunion. He's actually down here as Leo's prior contact – I'm yours. Leo, unfortunately, is no longer available for fucking, so Orson will have to settle for his old man. Aged beef, but still prime.

Adrenalin welled up within me. I was not going to stand for this. And I wouldn't have him taunting me about Leo's fate.

I charged him. He wasn't expecting that and I managed to knock him down and get in a punch or two before I felt hands yanking me off him. I was pulled up legs first, tossed aside, and stomped on.

• You're going to regret that, Eddie.

His prophecy proved accurate. A pair of chains hung from the ceiling, ending in a pair of rings like in a gymnastics competition. Restraints were attached to my wrists, which were then attached to the still rings. I was hoisted into the air so that my feet dangled about a foot off the floor.

The pressure on my arms was unbearable. But that was soon to be the least of my problems.

• Considering that moment of indiscretion, I should fuck you ungreased, Eddie. But seeing as how you're not really used to this yet, I'll be kind and lube you up.

I felt hands spread my cheeks; a finger went up my bumhole, causing considerable discomfort as the four lieutenants laughed at my humiliation.

• Now, don't complain, Eddie, you've felt bigger things up your backside. And you're about to feel more of them. Four, to be exact.

Mac went first. He held on to my hips with his hands and drove his penis into me fiercely, with a single thrust. I called out in agony, but he showed no inclination to go slowly. The pain reverberated through my entire body – even though he had fucked me before in my life, this seemed especially vicious. Dangling as I was from the chain, he made me do all the work, pulling me down onto his cock without him thrusting his hips forward at all. Each time I sank down onto his cock, paroxysms of agony coursed through every square centimeter of my rectum – not to mention the stress on my arms and under my armpits.

Up and down I went, up and down, up and down as his cock penetrated my ass time and time again. It lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour before he finally shot his load.

I felt like I was lucky to have endured that, and grateful that it was over – but of course it wasn't. Orson replaced him. Orson's cock was nowhere as thick as Mac's, but with my arsehole already sore, it was a rough rogering. The other two lieutenants, named Alfonso and Penn, followed. Penn had a long, somewhat bent cock, which hurt because of the angle of penetration. Alfonso's fucking was the easiest of the four, but by then I was grunting like mad and crying out for mercy – to which Mac only laughed.

And that, I thought, was that. But it wasn't.

• You remember, Eddie, that I'm a dentist. Down here, rearranging bottoms' mouths is a specialty of mine. You're going to lose one tooth for every man that's fucked you.

It took three blows to knock out the first tooth. My head was restrained so that there was firm resistance to the fist that struck my mouth. And after ten bloody minutes – and two bouts of lost consciousness – I was presented with the four teeth that no longer resided in my mouth.

• Relax, Eddie. You have enough teeth left to eat with. And you haven't really lost your teeth.

• (No? Is this an optical illusion? Am I imagining the excruciating pain?)

• Down here, damage to you is repaired overnight. We can bruise you, burn you, break your bones – and the next day you'll be fine – with one exception. A severed body part cannot be restored. If we cut off your finger, you'd wake up tomorrow without it. Same with your balls. And, of course, some of our guests have another body part removed.

With that, he gripped the sides of my head.

• To get your teeth back, they need to be inside your body when you go to sleep tonight. You could swallow them – but teeth are hard and can get stuck in the esophagus. We wouldn't want you to choke to death. So these are going up your bum. Don't worry – we'll make sure they don't slip out. And tomorrow morning, you'll be good as new – until the next time I knock them out.

Mac gave me a small pouch containing my teeth. Tonight, he assured me, he would help me insert the pouch up my bum and secure it with a butt plug.

He seemed to expect me to be grateful for that.

THE THRONE ROOM – BARRY

I was astonished that when I got Abe back, I was disappointed. The boy had proven himself a born sub, truly responsive to my ministrations when I was given a chance to apply them. It seemed a perfect match.

But then they'd switched him with Jordan, whose body and soul turned me on like no one I had met in a while. I longed to get him alone in my studio in Santo Domingo and see what the boy was made of. I knew what his ass was made of – silk. I wanted them to keep Jordan around long enough for me to really put him through his paces and see just how amenable he was to the lifestyle I longed to have once again.

But after Herrick's `escape', Abe was once again Percy's pussycat. And he was full of anxiety.

• Barry, what do you know? Is Seth safe? I heard he made it up top – did he?

Being Hamish's dog gave me a lot of exposure to some private conversations. I guess they didn't mind if I overheard, or if Abe knew what I overheard.

• He's up top. They're happy that he's up top. They wanted him gone – he's supposed to come later, not now.

• He'll be back, then?

• He's supposed to come back. Some other things they aren't too happy about, though.

• Such as?

• Such as the fact that he killed one of your guards.

• Stefan? I thought he was just knocked out.

• No, Stefan's fine. Lucas. . . . Listen, Abe, if I got permission to tie you up, would you like that?

• Bondage? Yeah, I would. But . . . I'd prefer that you didn't use handcuffs.

• I don't think they'd let me use handcuffs. But there's lots of rope around that would look real good around your chest – and around your junk.

He smiled. Oh, yes, the boy was a born sub. I wonder if Jordan is, too.

JORDAN'S CELL – JORDAN

They transferred me back to my cell. On the way, I saw a lieutenant accompanying a short Black man – a short Black man I hadn't seen since we were both on the surface.

• Miles?

He turned and looked at me.

• Jordan! (to his guard) Can I talk to him for a couple of minutes?

His guard conferred with the two accompanying me, and decided it was okay. They led us both to Miles's cell and monitored our conversation from just outside it.

• Miles, how come I haven't seen you? I've been here for four days.

• They mostly keep me locked in my cell. I've only seen one other guy – a little white dude, who just got his nuts snipped off. So how did you get here, Jordan? Did you find a penis garden, too?

• No, a dodecagon. I was trying to save Augie and got captured with him.

• So the Tower guys are still coming down.

• Ed's here, now. And Seth was.

• SETH?

• He tried to break out his boyfriend, but couldn't. He's gone back up to the surface.

• You can do that?

• I don't know how, but he escaped with Augie and some others. They moved me in with Percy temporarily, so that Seth wouldn't find Abe. While I was there, Barry – do you know Barry?

• I've heard of him. Hamish's pet dog?

• Barry told me that Sean is coming back to the island.

That revelation had more impact on Miles than I was expecting.

UNDERGROUND – MILES

Sean is coming back! Maybe he wasn't just using me. Maybe he loved me as much as he said he did. Maybe he's coming back to take me home with him.

Sean, I love you. Please be coming here for me.

THE BEACH – SEAN

I led the group southwards along the beach until they reached a point where the relocated Phallic Tower was visible, evoking cheers from Seth and Augie and a muted response from the others, for whom the sight of a giant phallus was not necessarily comforting.

Stimulever had sent me the new parameters – most of them. They hadn't communicated those that Seth would have to do after he returned underground on the 31st, which was annoying. It was as if Jesús didn't trust me. A moment of paranoia, then reason sank in: Jesús had no reason to think I'd sabotage the Project. He didn't know I knew what I knew.

Bringing Miles and Jordan to the island had disrupted things, but not derailed them. I had to decide which parameter(s) I would abrogate to sabotage The Project. I would share with Seth his obligations – or most of them. I had to win his trust, and trust was based on (the perception of) honesty.

With the Tower in sight, the group could pretty much navigate the way without my having to lead them. I took this opportunity to pull Seth aside and talk to him, walking several meters behind the main group.

• You want to rescue Abe, correct?

• I want to rescue everyone, but Abe is the priority.

• I have new information from Stimulever. Like the instructions you got on those notes, except I'm delivering them in person.

• If you're telling me to remain naked, I think we've already accomplished that.

• You know you're going to have to return underground, Seth. But not until the 31st. They'll shut down the penis portals, make sure you don't use that route again. But before you return, there's stuff you have to do up here.

• What kind of things?

• You won't like it. But think of it as what you need to do to save Abe.

• Cut the preamble. Get on with it.

• Okay. Here's the deal. First, Augie. They're not happy you took Augie; you have to continue his punishment.

• Meaning?

• You have to shit and piss on him every day. He has to smear the shit over his privates and wait an hour before he's allowed to wash it off.

• Oh, jeez, poor Augie. What else?

• You have to fuck one of the Twelves every day.

• Excuse me?

• It doesn't matter who, it can even be the same person every day, but you can't let a day go by without fucking one of them.

• That's absurd.

• Agreed. Most of The Project's parameters are absurd. I've never understood them. But Seth, I do know this. If you don't do these things, the Project will fall apart.

Which I fervently want to happen, while pretending I don't.

• I have to fuck one of them every day. Not Augie – his punishment is bad enough. And Harry's so down on himself, I can't treat him like a piece of meat. The rest, I think, are all tops – at least Gary is when he's Ray.

• `When he's Ray'? . . . You'll explain that to me later.

• I don't want to do this, Sean.

• You'll do it if you want to save Abe.

For now, I withheld one other thing he had to do: I knew he'd balk at it, and it was better to let him adjust to these two first. Besides, it wasn't to be done until after Christmas. I'd tell him then.

Okay, so I wasn't completely honest with Seth. Or very honest at all. But maybe he looks at me as an ally now. His route to freeing Abe. And that's a positive first step toward winning back his heart.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – HARRY

Gary – who was Gary this afternoon – came rushing into the tower.

• Harry, there are men approaching. I'm not sure but I think one of them might be Seth. They're all naked except for one.

An answer to my prayers – if true. I wasn't the only one anxious to see.

• (Vic) Was Miles with them?

• (Gary) Maybe. One of them's Black, but they're too far away.

• (me) Careful. It might be Stimulever trying to trick us.

Vic ignored my caution and rushed out of the tower. Gary and I followed.

I watched anxiously as the group approached, then, when they caught sight of us, hands started waving wildly. Yes, Seth had returned – and Augie was with him! But I knew what Abe looked like – I'd seen him in the airport on Grand Turk – and neither he, nor anyone else I recognized, was among the group.

• (Gary) Hot damn! Augie's here!

Perhaps, but Gary was gone. The sight of his object of desire had brought out the lustful Ray.

• (Ray) Hiya, sweetcakes, come back for some lovin' from my ramrod?

Augie looked horrified, obviously hoping some other version of Gary would greet him at his arrival, and melted back into the center of the group.

• Seth! You're back.

• (Seth) Good to see you, Harry. Where are the others?

• Tim and Jasper are on a food run. I'm amazed that you found us – they moved the Tower.

• (Seth) So we discovered. This is Sean, he helped us get here.

• (Ray) Introduce your other friends, Sethy. Is one of them Abe?

• (Seth) No, that . . . didn't work out. This is my friend Ian. And this is Stan, Al, and Theo – they were all on the plane.

• (Ray, to Al) I know you. You were next to me before I had to switch seats – (to Stan) and you're the one I switched with!

• (Stan) Holy crap, I do remember you.

• (Seth) Ian works for Stimulever, but he helped us escape.

• (Ian) I wanted out of there, too.

• (Seth, to Ray) I see you still have a pair of pants. But I thought they were Jasper's.

• (Ray) He gave them to Gary. Though I'm happy to shed them now that Augie's back.

• It's the only item of clothing we have left. Even the shoes are gone.

I glanced over at Vic, who was getting over the fact that the ebony-skinned man among them was Theo and not Miles. He had realized that at some distance: Theo was too tall to be his diminutive partner. But Vic was crestfallen at the lack of a reunion.

Seth motioned to me and we retreated to the back of the tower while the others got to know each other.

• So what happened? I was so scared, Seth. I thought I'd never see you again. What's it like?

• It's not a different universe, there's just an underground society that's very . . . different. Very authoritarian, with this little mini-God named Hamish and bunches of his soldiers. Everyone is being used sexually.

• This whole island is based on sex, I suspected that.

• You were right. You were right about a lot of things.

• Abe?

• I couldn't get him out. But I found him, we talked. And I found Paul and Dai and Ed. I didn't see Miles or Jordan, but they're there. But here's the worst news: Leo and Lucas are dead.

• DEAD?

• Leo tried to escape. They executed him.

• And Lucas?

• . . . I killed Lucas.

• YOU killed –

• It's a long story. But how are you?

• Not great. I'm responsible for Ed's capture. He and Vic were squabbling; I let it slip that everyone thought Ed might be gay, and he stalked off in a huff – on his birthday – and never came back.

• Harry, don't blame yourself. This thing is bigger than we ever imagined. One way or the other, they were going to get him.

• Which doesn't bode well for me. My birthday's in two days.

• But now we have new allies. Ian and Sean – they're insiders. They can help, I'm sure they can.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – SEAN

As a token of goodwill, I offered some of my clothes to whoever wanted them, as long as I retained my shorts and socks. I had to maintain something of a power position; complete nudity would make me appear too vulnerable.

They suggested I give my pants to Augie, who had always been self-conscious about being nude in front of others. I would have thought all the nudity underground would have cured him of his shyness, but it didn't. He leaped at the chance to cover himself, and we were of a similar size. My shoes became community shoes, useful for whoever was traipsing off in the woods, which were hard on bare feet. Al took my shirt, which, given our difference in height, was long enough to mostly cover his penis and embarrassingly empty scrotum.

There were parameters beyond Seth's obligations. It was time to share them with Ian. This would demonstrate to Ian how much I trusted him, how important he was to Stimulever. Before I made him the fall guy.

I allowed some time for the newly formed group of eleven to commingle and try to find a common purpose. When the sun dipped below the treetops, indicating about an hour of daylight remaining, I pulled Ian aside.

• Ian, I've gotten a communication from headquarters.

• From Hamish or from Switzerland?

• Switzerland. You know that it was necessary for Seth to return to the surface in order for The Project to succeed? If it doesn't succeed, somebody is going to pay for it – and pay for it big. You've seen underground the price that some have paid.

• So? I did my job.

• So far, yes. But there are new parameters for the Project to be successful. If they aren't carried out, we're both in deep shit.

• What do we have to do?

• I don't like saying this. But all the left-siders have to die.

• . . .

• All of them. Those down below and those up here.

• Unacceptable.

• Stan, right? I heard you two got close.

• Yes – Stan. Why do you think he's here, Sean? Because I talked Seth into taking him. He's just coming out; this is the first relationship he's ever had with a man.

• It's not YOUR first.

• I daresay. I had my fling with Seth and I had my fling with Abe. And plenty of others. But I'm tired of flings and I'd like to settle down – and I want to settle down with Stan.

• You can. But he has to die first.

• . . . Say that again.

• When the Project is launched, you can be together. It's only his Betaworld existence that will end, you can be back together in a new Alphaworld. None of the left-siders will really be dead. Just their Beta-lives will end. They'll be perfectly fine in Alphaworld.

The truth was more complicated than that, but it would suffice for now. I wanted to advance The Project as far as I could for appearances' sake before pulling the rug out from under it. I needed Ian to carry out as much of the dirty work as possible, so that Jesús didn't blame me directly. I wanted as little blood on my hands as possible. I just had to orchestrate this properly.

• And Ian, you have to make sure Harry gets to his dodecagon on Tuesday.

• I do? Why me?

• Seth won't do it. And Harry won't trust me. He'll trust you - you rescued Seth. And surely you've noticed he has a crush on Seth.

• I hadn't, actually.

• It's obvious, Ian. Use your eyes. And use your brain. You can use that to manipulate him. The next domino that has to fall is Harry. You have two weeks to get those other three guys dead. You have two days to send Harry downstairs.

Meanwhile, I needed to advance another aspect of the plan. Not Stimulever's plan. MY plan.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – SETH

The eleven of us settled in for the night. I alerted Ian about Ray's previous attempts to rape Augie and my concern that he might try it again. Augie at least had the protection of Sean's pants, and I told him to call out the moment that he experienced anything untoward. There would be no sex in the Phallic Tower tonight.

A prophetic statement, less obvious than it sounded.

I slept uneasily, troubled by Stimulever's new mandates – shitting on Augie and fucking a Twelve. I wasn't sure I could trust Sean, but neither could I fathom why he would lie about these burdensome requirements. Augie I couldn't do anything about; as for the sex, I'd explain the situation and ask for volunteers.

I did not expect to have sex before then. But sometime in the night, a hand on my ass awakened me. And then a whisper: "Seth".

I stirred. I felt a hand course lightly over my bare back, teasing me and sending a tingle through my skin that went all the way to my cock. I knew who that whisper belonged to: Sean.

• Come with me outside.

• What? Why do we need to go outside?

• I don't want to disturb the others.

Our conversation had been at a soft whisper; all around me was the heavy breathing of bodies firmly at rest. I carefully picked myself up and followed him out the door, wondering what new bit of information he had to convey that needed delivery at this pre-dawn hour.

When I got outside, I saw that he was no longer wearing his socks – or his briefs.

• What gives, Sean? Do you sleep in the nude?

• That's not all I do in the nude.

He grabbed my hand and placed it on his erect organ. With his other hand, he gripped my cock, which had – you might have guessed – stiffened.

• I see you're in the mood as well, Seth.

• Sean, you're not saying –

• Seth, you know we fit. You and I have more sexual chemistry than any two people on this island.

• Sex, yes. More than that –

• I'm not asking for more than that.

• Because of you, my sons were kidnapped, Sean. Because of that, my wife drowned herself.

• And where were you when your sons were kidnapped? With me. Where you wanted to be.

• Where I overslept. Did you doctor my coffee?

• (Yes, I did.) . . . Don't be paranoid. You were tired. I let you sleep.

• You let me sleep so that your friend Herman –

• Germán –

• Germán – could kidnap my boys. My life was hell after that.

• Don't you think I suffered? It cost me you. I was forced to do that. It was my JOB, Seth. You've seen what Stimulever is capable of. If I had failed in that assignment, it would have been the end of me at Stimulever. Maybe the end of me, period. And you walked away – I knew you would. But all I ever wanted was you, Seth. It killed me. It broke my heart. I drove away the only man I ever truly loved in my life. And . . . I thought you loved me, too.

• I did. . . . I did. But you let me think that my boys . . . might be dead. And Megan . . .

• I had no choice! I couldn't tell you the truth, painful as it was for me to lose you. And – well, it worked out okay, didn't it? You made the change you needed in your life, you realized you needed men, not women – and you found Abe.

• Eventually. But you found Abe, too, didn't you? You must have been studying me all along, you and your Stimulever colleagues. You knew I was dating Abe, and you couldn't stand it, so you decided to break us up.

• That was never the intention. I could tell, even when I was sleeping with him, that he really loved you. And I knew you loved him. I have to respect that. I love you too much to destroy your relationship.

• Too late. We aren't together. And I don't know how to get him back.

• You'll get him back – if you follow the new parameters.

Could I believe him, or was I being manipulated again? He seemed sincere – in the moonlight I could see his expressions, and they were convincing. But I had believed him before, and that had only led to disaster.

• You woke me up to tell me this? It could have waited until morning, Sean.

• I woke you up because I wanted to be with you. And (grabbing my erection) because you want to be with me, whether you know it or not.

• You want to have sex.

• I want to have sex.

• God, Sean. Sex with you was so hot – even hotter than it is with Abe – but . . .

• But what? How long since you've had sex?

• With more than my hand? Two and a half weeks.

• And I'm willing to bet you haven't taken it up the ass in a long time.

• Not since you. I don't do that anymore. You taught me I'm really a top.

• Sometimes you have to be a good bottom in order to be a good top. I'm ready to give you another lesson.

• A lesson?

• In how to bottom. I want your ass, Seth.

• Sean.

• You know we make beautiful music together. Come on, it's the middle of the night, everyone is inside, no one will know.

• So I'd be cheating on Abe with you – like he cheated on me with you.

• Exclusivity is overrated, Seth. You're horny, I'm horny, it doesn't have to go beyond tonight.

I felt his arms around me and I melted. His lips brushed against mine, lightly at first, and then more forcefully. His tongue found its way inside my mouth and my hormones went wild. I squeezed him for all I was worth as our tongues probed each other and danced around each other's mouths for minutes.

And then I found myself falling to the ground, Sean's taut form – less muscular than mine, but with a definity of purpose – maneuvered me onto my stomach. I didn't protest.

His meaty hands separated the mounds of my buttocks, and I knew I was going to let him do anything to me that he wanted. I had a good twenty pounds on him, but I was putty in his hands.

His finger, moistened, probed my hole, and then I felt him spit into my butt cleft repeatedly, his saliva to be my lubricant. One finger, then two, massaged the saliva into my rectum, as I thrilled to his touch.

And then I felt his weight on top of me and his cock teased my exposed hole. I raised my hips to give him a better angle of penetration and then – with exquisite pain, I felt him push past my sphincter and invade me.

In various liaisons with various partners, my asshole had not been completely inviolate – fingers had indeed probed it several times. But no other cock had found its way past my sphincter. I'd expected the sensation to seem unfamiliar – but the moment he entered me, it was as if the years had been erased.

His hands gripped my hips firmly, and he drove himself into me, shoving his talented member in to the hilt, until I felt his balls jangling against my butt and his pubes tickling the skin. And then it was hang on for dear life as he pile-drove me, slamming my innards time and time again with skill and precision. And force. God, it felt good – almost good enough to make me question my decision to top only. But somehow I knew that this was the only man I would ever bottom for. Nothing else would compare to this sensation, this delicious discomfort, these wonderful rhythmic attacks on my rectum – these were unique to Sean's cock.

I didn't want to ever let Abe fuck me, for fear of him falling short of this delirious ecstasy. No, Sean's ability to fuck was surely unparalleled – and I reveled in every moment as he drilled me like a machine.

Abe, forgive me, but I enjoyed this. And worst of all, I wanted this to happen again. And again. And again.

[COMING UP NEXT: CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE – SOWING SEEDS]