Diplomacy

Claessens, I’m sure in the confines of this office you can tell me what you think? I promise I won’t hold it against you.” He smiled at her and took a sip from his coffee.
    She stared at him suspiciously. “You may not agree with me, but I think this is a very sensible law. I don’t know what took them so long.” Jack dropped the papers down on his desk and took another sip, still looking quite amused, so she continued. “I’m sure you as an American don’t see it that way, but I mean… these people live together, share everything, house, kids, car, you name it. But if the wrong one dies, the one left behind may end up on the street or see his child taken away simply because his bond with his partner isn’t recognized by law. It’s barbaric. And you can tell that to your President.” Jack laughed as he saw her tug at the front of her jacket to stress her point.
    “I totally agree with you,” he answered.
    “You do?” She seemed to blossom all of a sudden.
    “Yes, I do. Don’t tell my president that, because of course it’s not U.S. policy, but here in the confines of my office I can tell you that I agree. It would just take a little explaining to our own citizens living here that if they are of the same sex and want to get married, their marriage would not be valid in the States.”
    Mrs. Claessens sighed. “And I suppose that won’t change anytime soon?”
    Jack gave her a pained smile.
    “Mmmh, I didn’t think so. Can I take these papers back now?” She was indicating the stack he had already sifted through.
    “Sure, thanks,” Jack answered as she walked over to the door.
    Just at the last moment, she turned around. “Mr. Christensen, I almost forgot. Mr. Carlton has been trying to get in touch with you. I’ve had about three phone calls, but he would never leave a message and he didn’t want me to patch him through to your cell phone. Of course I 36 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    wouldn’t give him your number… and he’s been to the office twice. I have his cell phone number, shall I call him for you and patch him through?” Jack’s heart leapt as he heard Lucas’s name. They had not talked yet about what happened between them on Saturday. In fact they hadn’t seen each other for almost a week now.
    He probably thinks I’m trying to avoid him.
    “Mr. Christensen? It may be important. He didn’t say it was urgent, but, I mean, five times…?”
    This woke Jack from his thoughts. He looked up at her as she was standing at the door with a compassionate look on her face. It seemed the young Brit had gotten to her as well.
    “Why don’t you just give me his cell phone number and I’ll call him myself.”
    Just moments later she returned with a small Post-it note containing Lucas’s number.
    Once he was alone in his office again, he held the note and looked at the number. Should he call? If Lucas had tried to reach him on official business, he would have left a message. So this was personal.
    It was not like he hadn’t thought about Lucas this past week; he had just been too busy during the day. Nights were another matter, though.
    He had woken up more than once in the middle of the night realizing he had dreamt about running his hands down the gorgeous Brit’s back again, but the dreams didn’t end there. He woke up with a persistent hard-on, demanding some form of release. The third time it had happened, he had gotten up and walked downstairs, not wanting to wake up Maria . In front of the TV, watching the twentieth rerun of some eighties TV series, he had settled himself on the couch and closed his eyes. The images of Lucas were easy to conjure up as he let his hand slip into his baggy pajama bottoms. He just had to think of the young man’s radiant smile, of the tight black shirt he always wore, outlining his nicely shaped form, of the feeling of Lucas’s hand on his….
    It was easy to imagine kissing Lucas’s shapely lips and pressing their bodies together. Jack stroked his rock hard cock and could almost feel Lucas’s hands all over his body, stroking his belly, his mouth on his hips, thighs, licking his nipples. He could almost see Lucas’s mouth take in his straining member until, until…

    D i p l o m a c y | 37

    Jack fisted himself hard and came with Lucas’s name on his lips.
    In the aftermath, shivers still rippling through his body, he went limp on the couch. He realized he had said the young man’s name aloud in the otherwise silent house and strained