Diplomacy

after their rushed climax.
    It was no surprise that they had time to spare before the car would come to pick them up.
    Jack and Lucas chuckled with high spirits as they brushed their teeth together in front of the large bathroom mirror. Lucas had taken a quick shower and put on some jeans and Jack had gotten up from the bed only after Lucas dressed, fearing that if they took a shower together they would never leave the room. Now he too was freshly showered and they would be out of the door in a few minutes.

    D i p l o m a c y | 201

    THE following morning Jack woke to the sound of someone banging loudly on the door. Lucas was sprawled all over him and he moved carefully so as not to wake the young man. When he checked the alarm clock by the side of the bed, it was 7:30.
    Who would be knocking on their door this early? The wedding didn’t start until ten o’clock, right?
    He quickly pulled one of the complimentary white bathrobes around his naked body and went to the door. As he glanced at the bed he saw Lucas’s deliciously naked body lying face down on the mattress.
    Quickly, he threw the covers over him before opening the door.
    What he saw made him chuckle.
    “Stacey? You okay, honey?”
    Stacey stood in the doorway wrapped in a pink bathrobe with curlers in her hair and no make up. She was in a panic, something Jack had not seen before.
    “One of my groomsmen stood me up!” she sulked pushing past Jack into the hotel room.
    She covered her mouth with her hand like a child that has uttered a bad word. “I didn’t interrupt anything, I hope?” Jack gave her a toothy smile. “No, Stacey, he’s sound asleep. And so was I, but what’s your problem?”
    “Well, Roy’s brother, who’s supposed to be his best man, got held up in Bahrain because of some diplomatic incident there. Now his best friend is here, so he can take over as best man, but that leaves me one groomsman short. You think Lucas could sub?” She barely took a breath while telling Jack about this crisis.
    “Sure, I don’t see why not,” Jack answered. “He doesn’t have the right suit though and I’m sure you want us all to look the same?”
    “Be right back,” she told him, holding up her index finger before she sped down the hallway to her suite.
    Moments later she was back, holding a hanger covered in see-through plastic. “Let him try this. If it doesn’t fit, call the number on the plastic wrap and tell them it’s an emergency.” 202 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    Jack chuckled as he accepted the suit and watched Stacey run back down the corridor. He hung the bag on the coat rack and went back to the bed where Lucas was still sleeping. As he sat carefully on the edge, he let his hand wander under the covers, where he found Lucas’s smooth soft skin. His lover moaned as Jack lightly stroked the back of Lucas’s thigh, moving up toward his buttocks and the part of his lower back that sloped down in between the dimples. Lucas’s skin felt warm from sleeping and he couldn’t get enough of the smooth silken feeling.
    “Lemme sleep some more,” Lucas mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. Jack lay down next to Lucas, who was now engulfed in sheets and blankets, and pulled the young man tightly in his arms.
    “I have a feeling I can persuade you to get up,” Jack teasingly tried to coax him.
    “Noooo,” Lucas sulked, keeping his eyes closed, “‘s too early.”
    “No, it’s not. We’ll miss breakfast.”
    “Don’t care.”
    Jack slowly tried to get his hand to find a way under the covers.
    “The wedding starts in two hours, we have to shower, get dressed into these nice grey suits and then walk over to the town hall. We’ll never make it at this rate.”
    “ You have to get dressed in a nice suit.” the Brit moaned as he snuggled up closer to Jack, who was now rubbing his lover’s stomach.
    “You too. Stacey just brought a suit for you,” Jack teased as he moved his hand from Lucas’s stomach to his hips, carefully avoiding his groin area.
    “She did?” Lucas asked, still keeping his eyes closed, but moving his body in the general direction of Jack’s hand. “One of those nice grey ones like you tried on yesterday?”
    “Yes,” Jack murmured, burying his face in Lucas’s neck, teasingly biting his shoulder.
    When Lucas snuggled in closer, clearly having no intention of getting up, Jack started tickling him, soon making him break out in hysterical laughter.
    Two hours later they would be rushing to