After the End Ch. 14

Author's note:

This is the second chapter of After the End - Part 3, the final novel in my dystopian erotic romance trilogy. If you enjoy intensely provocative sex with a power play twist, handsome male heroes in emotionally satisfying relationships, and unconventional happily ever afters -- you are in the right place! These books are full-length, publication-quality, and currently being offered free of charge. :)

Descriptions of each book can be found in my bio by clicking my user name. Feel free to drop in on specific chapters or sections based on your mood or interest, but the dramatic tension is strongest if you start from the beginning of Part 1. As always, I appreciate hearing your reactions and feedback. It truly does help me create the best stories that I can for readers to enjoy.

Content warning: None for this chapter.

Tags for this chapter include: #bisexual male, #dystopia, #novel, #romantic, #married, #threesome, #teasing, #submission, #male submissive, #friends

_______________

Julian:

By the time the two military units had been our allies at Fort Laurel for a month and half, we'd settled into a constructive routine of cross-training, patrols, and joint missions. As captain of Bravo Company, Graham Lansing was considered the senior officer, but his counterpart Rachel Larsen, captain of Echo Company, had readily agreed that basing with us would provide the most stability to their deployment area, which encompassed much of the territory inside Louisiana's traditional borders.

She was young for her rank, nearer Avery's age than mine. She seemed to have two modes: intensely-committed commander and reckless party animal. Thankfully, the latter streak was usually confined to off-duty hours.

"I look forward to working with you, Major," she'd told me when her soldiers arrived after conducting a sweep in the eastern part of the state. "And please call me Rae. Rachel is my grandmother." She finished with an unwarranted saucy smirk, which I would soon recognize as one of her trademarks. That and the sound of her impatiently dressing down service members for minor infractions.

She and Graham were close friends, having gotten to know each other well during their training at the military's advanced weapons school for fighter pilots. They had been that class's biggest rivals for honors, and I'd already heard several stories about practice battles they'd won with daring maneuvers, and the unsanctioned celebrations afterward. According to Graham, Rae had barely graduated -- not because of her flying skills, which he rated as extraordinary, but because she'd nearly been expelled on several occasions for pulling wild pranks and getting into fights.

Rae's personality was a bit strong for my taste; she reminded me of a louder, pushier version of Rowan, one who did the shooting rather than the stitching up afterward. But I spent a fair amount of time with Graham, both on and off duty. He shared his friend's propensity for out-of-the-box brainstorming and adventurous risk-taking, but he was wiser about pulling back before things spiraled out of control. He had a quieter, more serious side too -- we had similar political persuasions, and our conversations delved at length into history, ethics, and humanity's future. Unlike most people, Graham didn't gloss over a subject and then flit to the next shiny thing. He could go deep, explore the nuances, and have a meaningful debate about potential interpretations.

Avery would have found those conversations just as absorbing, but he was still too self-conscious about his attraction to Graham to hang around us much. It was a source of great amusement for me, actually. Every time Graham spoke to him, I could see Avery remembering that blazing-hot fantasy I'd woven: the captain pinning him down, thrusting into his ass, and teasing his erection until he begged for an orgasm. I enjoyed the vision quite a bit myself, and I was still getting mileage out of it when I brought it up in bed. My husband grew unbearably hard imagining Graham's strong hands on him, or Graham's assertive voice ordering him to hold back his climax.

Given the particular flavor of psychological domination Avery responded to, I could understand why the captain had that effect on him. Graham did exude a kind of magnetic vigor that one might easily imagine translated well to sex. I thought the chemical attraction had less to do with Graham's rank than with his personality. My partner had shown not a hint of interest in Rae, despite her considerable physical assets and similar self-assured style.

"There's a supply convoy coming down from Barksdale next week," Graham mentioned to me one mid-July afternoon while we stood in the shade of a large bluejack oak near Fort Laurel's command center. It wasn't quite as stifling out here as it was inside the wooden building, so we'd been trading reports al fresco. The sleeves of his camo combat jacket were rolled above his elbows, and sweat dampened the pale coral skin of his neck and forearms, barely tanned even by our brutal summer sun.

"To Coushatta?" I asked. An outpost had been established at the river-crossing town directly west of here, some forty miles southeast of the old Air Force base that had been re-opened by Third Battalion after standing vacant for decades. As part of the military's campaign to reestablish stability in the South, they'd undertaken the laborious task of clearing the ancient interstate route from Dallas to Atlanta, allowing all-terrain trucks to make the slow journey over decaying concrete and asphalt.

"Right," Graham confirmed. "We'll go with your team on the next trip to the farming collective and bring the supplies back at the same time."

"Sounds good." With the soldiers bolstering our own force, we hadn't run into as much trouble with bandits and kidnappers, but it never hurt to have a few more guns in the woods. "Were they able to get the jeep running?"

Graham made an exasperated sound. "It runs, but it's not going to take a lot more off-roading before I'll have to replace that motor. And god only knows how long it will take to get hold of a motor way out here. Fort Worth is on back-supply, and if they do get any in, we'll be last on the distribution list."

"You'll get used to the mules," I said, amusement tugging the corners of my mouth. The military maintained privileged access to the severely curtailed industrial manufacturing sector, so they typically had electric vehicles at their disposal. In the wilderness, of course, we had to rely on biological power to move heavier loads. All officer candidates at the elite academy Graham and I attended had learned to ride, but wrangling pack animals and driving teams had not been taught.

"As long as I don't have to try to remember their names," he joked. "You gonna come to the variety show tonight? Our band is actually pretty decent. Probably a lot of music you'd know. And some of the sergeants are doing this hilarious sketch with a parody of Rae's tantrum after that map mishap...they're gonna get extra duty for weeks." He laughed in that gleeful, unrestrained way he had.

"Well I couldn't miss that," I replied dryly. Rae's incompetencies weren't as entertaining to me as they were to him. "Yeah, I'd like to check out your band at least."

Graham switched suddenly to a tone somewhere between curious and concerned, casting a sidelong glance at me. "Hey, do you know if I've done something to bother Avery? I invited him as well, but he brushed me off and left in a hurry. Seems like he's been avoiding me, but I wasn't aware we'd had any kind of conflict. I hope he knows he could tell me if I've offended him."

I kept careful discipline over my features to avoid betraying Avery's secret. Of course I knew exactly what the captain had done to bother my partner, but for whatever reason, Avery was determined that Graham not know about his interest. I'd participated in the sexual fantasies too, but it didn't make me less comfortable around my friend and colleague. I doubted any of it would have phased Graham either; he didn't strike me as the type of person who was insecure about his sexuality. Although, Avery wouldn't have struck me that way either, when we first met.

"I don't think you've done anything to offend him," I answered, trying to walk the line between truth and respect for Avery's privacy. "Sometimes he's just shy. And I think the cultural differences can be challenging for him."

"Avery is shy?" Graham repeated, sounding incredulous. "Not that I've ever seen."

"It takes a while to get to know him," was all I could really offer. And certainly was true. "I would advise giving it some time. He does also have a lot of other social commitments." Hopefully that reply was benign enough to keep Graham from pursuing it further.

"Alright," the captain conceded. He pushed away from the tree trunk. "I'm gonna check in with Rae, then head back to base. Got some reports to study before we'll have to tune up for the performance."

I nodded in acknowledgement, and we braved the sunlight again.

Avery did end up going to the show with me -- plus most of his friends -- and the soldiers had put together a pretty lively evening. Graham was both lead guitarist and vocalist for one of the bands, his musical talent no doubt setting Avery's heart aflutter. There were a couple other vocal or instrumental ensembles, plus some skits, stand-up comedy, and a lame motif about alligators, which the West Coasters seemed to find disproportionately hazardous. A fair number of jokes went over the heads of non-military audience members, but nonetheless it was the most entertainment our community had seen in a while.

I waited until my husband and I were in bed to bring up the conversation from earlier. Our LED lamp was still on, dimmed to one of the lowest settings. Natural lighting better accentuated the toned, fluid lines of Avery's body, but no one wanted to burn a candle when it was this hot. I'd already stripped his trunks, and he stretched out on his back, looking up at me with muted eagerness in his rich brown irises. Propped on an elbow beside him, I ran a hand over his taut torso, sometimes flicking a nipple, watching his shapely lips part.

I leaned down to kiss him for a minute, reaching for one areola again, and he arched into the gentle pleasure provided by my fingers. His nipples were tantalizingly sensitive, and they grew more so in proportion to his arousal.

When my hand was closed around his erection, I finally spoke. "Captain Lansing asked about you today," I said suggestively, taking wicked delight in the immediate response: a spasm against my palm, and blood rising to the surface of Avery's cheeks.

"What? Why?" he asked, completely failing to achieve the casual manner he was probably trying to fake.

"He's noticed you've been avoiding him. He wanted to know if he's done something to bother you." I added playful emphasis to the operative word to make the double entendre clear.

"What did you say?" My husband's pitch had climbed to a level that indicated both embarrassment and alarm.

I drew it out, lightly working his helplessly reactive cock and infusing my tone with mischief. "Well, it was tricky. I didn't want to let him onto your secret. But I couldn't very well tell him honestly that he hadn't done anything to bother you, could I?"

"Julian..." he groaned, seemingly as much in response to my hand as to my words. His eyes rolled toward the ceiling, and his hips thrust slightly in that direction too.

"I told him that as far as I knew, he hadn't offended you," I continued, still tantalizing with my voice and with the fingers stroking his solid shaft. "I wouldn't be surprised if he asks you next, though. So you better think about what you're going to say. Because if you blush like that, he's definitely going to know what's going on."

"Fuck," Avery swore. He threw one arm over his face, and his other hand stilled mine on his cock. I'd just been trying to fuel his fire, but he seemed genuinely upset.

I let him have control and switched to a reassuring tone. "Avery, I know I tease you about it, but seriously, what are you so worried about? What would happen, if he knew you were into him?"

He took a few shallow breaths, but he didn't move or answer.

Carefully I removed my hand and pulled the pillow over so I could lie on my side next to him, then I rested my palm on his lean midsection. "Talk to me, babe," I encouraged.

He turned to his side also, facing away, but he didn't break contact. After several more inhales, he spoke haltingly.

"I just -- He --" Another huffed breath. "I would feel like an idiot. He would think I was pathetic."

"What's pathetic about being attracted to someone who's attractive, or liking someone who's likeable?" I reasoned. "You've seen how popular he is. I'm sure you're not the only one in this boat."

"It's pathetic to want someone who doesn't think twice about you," Avery countered.

"But you can't help that you want him. It's just chemistry."

"So? Exactly. If I weren't so pathetic, I wouldn't be...susceptible to this."

I let out a sigh and considered how to defuse this bomb. I hated to see him in distress, even over something as minor as this.

"I think in your head you've built this into something much bigger than it really is," I said. "Which is partly my fault, for egging you on. But can we consider for a moment whether the best course of action might be to address it directly? We have practice including a third person for sex, and we know how to do it safely, without jeopardizing our relationship. If you're this interested in him, why don't we just ask him if he'd like to join us sometime? If it works out, you'll have a chance to indulge some of your fantasies. And if it doesn't, at least it will be in the open. He's not going to think any less of you, and you'll see it's not such a catastrophe."

"Julian, he's the company commander," my partner protested. "He's not going to...sleep with us. It would be...unprofessional. Fraternization, or whatever."

"Fraternization rules only apply to military members of different ranks. We're not military members, and we're not in his chain of command. If we were, I'd already be in violation because of my personal friendship with him, which I don't have with Rae, for example."

Avery was quiet for a few seconds, and when he spoke again, he sounded less triggered. "Do you really think he might want to?"

I shrugged behind him. "He's adventurous, open to new experiences, and we get along well. He's also mature enough to keep personal matters separate from tactical decisions when called for. I'd say there's decent chance."

"Would you...want to? With him?"

I'd been conditioned to subordinate my wants and needs from as early as I could remember. There was no place for feelings in my father's home. He'd wanted me prepared to be as detached and calculating as he was, immune to empathy, when I took power. I'd been trying to rehabilitate my human side for years, but my first instinct was still to suppress anything I felt and let my intellect take the lead. When I considered getting naked with Graham, though... Yes. That was a definite yes.

I checked myself before saying so to Avery, however. On his side, he'd had some serious abandonment trauma to work through. I'd been completely caught off guard by his instant terror when we'd had this discussion about Vik.

"If I answer that question, you understand that it has no impact whatsoever on my attraction to or commitment to you, right?"

He clearly remembered what I was referring to. "I won't freak out, I promise."

"Ok. Then yeah, I would want to."

"You don't think it would be weird? Working with someone you'd slept with? Or who turned you down?"

"Is it weird with Vik?" I countered. "We don't work as closely with him, but we do see him regularly, and we're all good friends. He's not uncomfortable around us, even after all the things we did together. I'm confident we could manage it with Graham."

Avery didn't reply, which I took as a concession of the point.

"Look, babe, there's no pressure. We can handle this however you want. There's no reason you have to spend time with him, if you prefer not to. I just think if you're this excited about someone, why not go for it? You know I'll be here, whatever happens. Think of all the things you got to enjoy with Vik, that you wouldn't have otherwise. It could end up being a lot of fun."

He still didn't say anything, but he took my hand and guided it back to his cock, which was mostly hard again. I masturbated him until he was fully filled out and leaking, letting him stew in whatever fantasies or memories played in his mind. My own were playing too.

When he seemed close, I turned him onto his back and crawled over him. First I kissed his mouth, tender yet enticing. Then I moved downward, stopping to bathe his nipples with my tongue, while he sighed in rapture and arched his back. Finally I settled between his legs. I licked the clear fluid from his slit, lingering there until he was moaning. When I sealed my lips around him and started sucking, I could feel the blood pulsing. It wasn't long before he was shooting down my throat.

He changed our places, reclining over my legs so his mouth could reach my erection. His arousal had gotten me pretty worked up, especially with visions of a potential threesome dancing in my head, but he didn't take me in. He grasped my shaft and lapped my frenulum a couple of times, devastatingly gentle, a tease I often subjected him to. I forced the tension from my body and let him do it. He gave me so much that usually I didn't contest any pleasure he wanted to take.

"I want to know what you think about," Avery intoned, low and intimate. "When you think about him." His tongue swiped the nerve cluster at my tip -- once, twice, then another frustrating pause. "You always talk about him doing things to me. But you'd be there too."

"I'd be watching you," I told him while his tongue swirled at that single hypersensitive point. Need tingled up my rod, even more when he stopped again.

"Haven't you ever thought about what would happen after I came?"

"Not really," I lied, and felt guilty for lying. My partner let me pry all his embarrassing secrets out of his head, yet I didn't want to let him into mine. I still hadn't fully mapped all the landmines hidden around his heart, and neither had he. Plenty of them had been disabled, or exploded, over the years, but it was impossible to predict what might set one off. Sometimes I didn't want to take the risk. And sometimes...it was just easier. To keep my thoughts to myself.

His tongue was applying itself to my weak spot again, and I had to fight the urge to thrust. If I wanted to maintain the upper hand, I couldn't let him see he was getting to me.

"I think Captain Lansing would want to make you come too," Avery said. "Maybe with his mouth." He licked my tip again, the sensation soft and slippery against my vulnerable flesh. "Maybe he'd do this to you, to see if you would beg like me."

The inappropriate portrait painted itself in my head before I could stop it: Graham where my partner was, staring up at me with an impish glint in his fern-green eyes, one hand holding my throbbing cock. Sliding his tongue with merciless precision over that miniscule patch of flesh -- making me feel way too much and not nearly enough at the same time. Daring me to stop him, to admit how badly I wanted his mouth to finish me.

Breathe, I told myself. Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out. This wasn't Graham; this was Avery. He'd give up if I didn't respond.

"I think he'd be much more interested in spurting up your ass," I deflected aloud, forcing myself to ignore the small wet strokes against my most sensitive place. "Then I'd finish in your ass too, so you could have cream from two men inside you at once."