Chapter 3 – Chapter 3

"Oh, no, not again," I whined when I struggled back to the Pleasure Quarters scheduling desk. "My name is on the board again? It can't be."

"Oh, but it is," the PS said. He was trying hard not to laugh. But he was frazzled as well, and disconcerted—so it was a hysterical laugh he was trying to choke off. The door to one of the side rooms was open and a doctor was inside trying to resuscitate the limp body of one of the lower-ranked Pleasure Givers.

"Who am I scheduled with?" I asked. "There shouldn't be that many off duty."

"It's Julian," the PS said. "He's always off duty. At least until we reach Ekton."

"Oh, well, then," I said, suddenly not so angry. Julian was the second ranker on the mission's diplomatic team. He was as old as the sun and was on the team because of his great historical knowledge and experience in diplomatic negotiations. He had also taken me under his wing on this journey. He had been kind to me.

When I touched the access screen of Julian's chambers with my palm, the doors slid open and I was surprised to find only his chambers facing me. He was still in Channel One mode here.

I found him sitting on a chaise lounge under a portal to the heavens. His high rank qualified him to be one of the few who had visual access to the stars in his chambers.

"You called for me, Julian?" I asked. "And yet there is no fantasy channel established."

"I did not sign for you, Jeremy, to satisfy my sexual needs. I signed to give you some relief. And I signed for the night. I know, as you probably are beginning to know, how taxing this part of the journey is on our Pleasure Givers. I've often said there should be some sort of rationing while we are in the empty zone—or they should stock up with extra Pleasure Givers—maybe shuttle them out for just this period. This is when our allotted stock of Pleasure Givers is depleted the most. Statistically, it just isn't cost effective to run a universe explorer this way."

I walked over and sat down beside him. "You do not wish to have me?" I asked. "At the beginning of the journey, you asked for me on occasion. I no longer arouse you?"

"At the beginning of the journey I was younger—and feeling much more well," he said. And then he laughed.

"You are not well?" I asked. I was genuinely concerned. Sometimes Julian was the only one who made this existence bearable for me.

"It will pass," he answered. "It always has before."

"But you don't want me?"

"I'm not sure I could have you. But of course I want you. You are the most beautiful young man on this vessel. Everyone wants you. In fact, I've heard the captain is going to reserve you as his bedmate soon."

"So, I've heard," I murmured. "But I will believe it when and if it happens."

"And when it does—no, even now—I counsel you to be very careful of Lucius."

"So I have already been warned," I answered. "But thank you for telling me as well. May I try? May I try to give you the pleasure?"

"Yes, of course," he said. "But it must be your choice to give. I would not take advantage of you—what has been made of you. I sometimes think that we have expended too much effort on developing our ability to manipulate the human race to gain more sexual pleasure. There could have been more effort put into medical advances that enhanced other aspects of life. And it seems we go to great lengths to make our humans more mechanical and our hominoids more human—all in pursuit of the ultimate ejaculation."

"I think you perhaps fly in the face of human instinct, Julian," I said with a laugh. "What could be more important to a man than the sex act—and that ultimate release?"

"All so true, but perhaps truer for a young man of your age than an old man of mine. Still, it seems we are on a self-perpetuating cycle with the sex enhancements. No sooner had we perfected the enlargement of the male sex organ than we had to develop means to enlarge the receptacle for the sex organ and augment its ability to arouse."

"I think you think on these things too much, Julian," I whispered. "I am more interested in you in the here and now. Right now, here and now, I would like to see how large I can make your sex organ for our mutual pleasure."

Julian didn't object. He laid back into his cushions and nodded his head in slight assent.

I parted the folds of his robe and brought out his phallus. He had been a powerful, strongly built man at one point—with a phallus to match. Now he was limp. But I could feel some life coming into him as I stroked his cock with my hand, and opening his robe completely, I kissed him from his lips down to his belly and then took his cock in my warm mouth.

"I think . . . I think I want you now," he said at long last in a trembling, low voice. And indeed, I thought I had made him hard enough for the attempt. "But I don't know . . . I don't know. My bones ache and seem so brittle. I don't know if . . ."

"Here, we will use these cushions," I said. "They will raise you high enough." He stood until I could gather the cushions and pile them on the chaise lounge against the portal. Then I helped Julian to climb them and sit on his improvised high throne. Standing in front of him I lowered my mouth on his cock and regained the hardness that had been lost in the short time we were making arrangements. Then I climbed up on the chaise with my feet planted on either side of his thighs as he sat on his makeshift throne, positioned his cock head inside my hole, and placed the heel of my palms on the portal, above and at either side of his head. And I slowly fucked myself on his cock until he came with a weak seeding and a satisfied sigh.

He laughed a low, warm laugh.

"This was funny?" I asked.

"No, nothing you did for me was funny," he answered, stroking my chest with long, elegant fingers. "I thank you for the attention you've given an old man. I laugh because with all of the technology of the foreplay and sex delivery, sometimes the old methods are still the best and most effective."

"Thank you," he then said as I climbed down from the chaise. "I have you for the night. You can sleep here on the chaise alone, if you like—or in my bed with me."

"I would like to sleep with you," I answered.

"If you can indulge an old man then," he said. "And if you can be gentle, I would like you to . . ."

"I can be gentle," I said. "And you don't have to ask. You can command. These are your scheduled hours with me. I will do anything you command. But I will do it with more pleasure because you asked."

I fucked him gently in his bed, both of us on our side and his buttocks cuddled into my pelvis. I did everything I could not to put weight on his frail body, and his channel proved quite resilient enough to take all of my cock in and to enjoy the languid fucking I gave him.

He came in droplets again, with me timing my flow inside him to match his, and then he sighed and closed his eyes.

He never opened his eyes again. The next morning, he was cold and stiff. And I was greatly saddened at having lost my best friend on the Universe Explorer 132, even though I was also happy that I had been able to bring him pleasure in his last hours.

That was my duty. I was on this ship to provide men pleasure and a release for their tensions. But Julian had always honored me by letting whatever I gave him be my choice.