John picked up his mail in the lobby, and made his way up the stairs slowly, using the cane to stabilize his weaker leg. He felt even more tired than normal today, but that might be partly due to the weather. It was winter, and in London, that meant frequent cold rain, and barely any sunlight.
It was such a difference from a year ago, where even in December, Afghanistan had sunny days. It was rarely more than a few degrees above freezing, but at least it was bright out.
John shrugged, sighing to himself as he pushed thoughts of the past away. He opened the door to his bedsit and placed his mail on the desk, hanging up his damp coat.
A few minutes later, he was sitting down at the desk with a big mug of tea. He opened the bills and added them to the ever-growing pile, and grinned when he saw a letter from an old army friend, Tom. Someone who still liked writing a letter on paper instead of using email.
John chuckled as he read the long letter, full of gossip and stories about his old circle of friends and coworkers. People bonded so much, being together in a stressful situation, so far from home. He felt closer to that group of people than anyone in England currently. He missed them all terribly.
The last section had John sitting up a little in his chair, and he re-read it twice, just shaking his head. It couldn't be real, right? It must just be a joke, his old mates having him on.
John, I've mentioned you to some other friends here in the last few weeks, and we share the same concern about you. You just don't seem yourself, even though it sounds like you are physically in good shape now. Where is 'Three Continents Watson' that we all know and love?
We understand that you were shaken by the injury and having to leave the army. To leave us and the life you built here, so abruptly. But it's been almost a year now, and seeing a therapist and blogging about your life (seriously, it's sad, dude), doesn't seem to be doing the trick.
The New Year is coming up soon, and we want it to be a better one for you. So, we pooled together some money to get you a Christmas present. A one-year subscription, so you will get something each month. Here's the link and the log in information for you.
The letter ended with Christmas wishes and nagging him to write soon.
John set the letter down and sipped his tea. He was doing OK, wasn't he? He had a good job at a clinic, earned enough to cover the bills despite being in expensive London, and his shoulder hardly bugged him anymore. He still used the cane, but about half the time didn't really need it. That was progress, for sure.
Did they expect him to be out drinking with mates and chatting up women all the time? He may have been like that a decade ago, but he was older now. He felt it more the next day when he had a pint too many at the pub. And when a woman caught his eye, she wasn't as likely to return his interested gaze. He had faced up to reality. He had a fair amount of wrinkles, and grey in his hair.
Setting down the empty mug, he opened his laptop and checked his blog out of habit. Still no more hits for his last posting. He had a few loyal followers, but his content was pretty mundane. Hardly the type to draw more people in.
Picking up the letter, he entered the website address. Right away, the screen that asked him if he was an adult put him off. With trepidation, he clicked that he was. The website home screen came on, and he groaned. Surely his mates were taking the piss with all of this. With a bold deep red background, the website name was spelled out with a large font. 'Erotic Adventures... Unleash Your Wild Side'.
Escorts! This was an escort website! John checked the address against the one in the letter, and he was in the right place. Chuckling at the nerve of his friends, he logged in with the password Tom provided, wanting to see how far they had taken this joke.
Welcome, John.
Aren't you lucky...or about to get lucky?
Your gift is our Premium One Year Subscription, a whole year of Erotic Adventures cumming your way!
Rolling his eyes, John clicked for more details. His package involved one pre-paid session a month. The thing that they claimed really set the website apart from the rest, beyond the beauty of their escorts and top notch screening program, was that the escorts knew their client's schedule, and would track them down. Seduce them with no advance notice, a sexy stranger who would pop up in their normal lives.
Despite scoffing at the website, John couldn't help but imagine what it would be like. Going through his daily regular routines, never knowing who might approach him. Or when. Or what might happen. Ten different sexy scenarios popped into his head, and he felt a surge of arousal, much stronger than he had had in ages.
Deciding snail mail was a little too slow for this, John sent a text to Tom.
Thanks for the letter, but WTF about the gift?! Did you seriously buy me a dozen fucks with a pro? -JW
Tom must have been online, because the reply came surprisingly quickly.
Merry Christmas, Watson. May you have a happy, HAPPY, New Year. :) -TF
I can't believe this is real. -JW
Look, John, I know it's a bit weird, but why not just go with it? Have fun with it. You are a guy who likes adventures, trying new things. Nobody will know either way. -TF
Scoffing, John couldn't believe what Tom was saying. If it was a total joke, he would be teasing John way more. But he was actually encouraging him to fuck prostitutes, like it was the key to getting out of his funk. If he actually was in one.
John, I even set up the preferences to be someone you'd find attractive. I've heard you mention that doctor, Sarah, a few times. Are you saying if a stranger who looked like her came on to you, you wouldn't go for it? -TF
That wasn't playing fair. John sighed, unable to deny that he was attracted to Sarah, but hadn't gotten up the nerve to ask her out, and he was afraid of being permanently stuck in the friend zone if he didn't act soon. The fact he had been working there for months and not asked her out yet proved his friends were right. His confidence had been shaken by everything this last year.
Ha! You don't even know what she looks like. -JW
They have Google over here too, idiot. It wasn't too hard to find a picture of her. Slim, dark hair, on the tall side. I can see why you fancy her. -TF
Tom, this has gone far enough. I get it. I need to go out more, date more. -JW
Enjoy the gift! Report back after the first 'encounter'. It will be some time in January. Merry Christmas! -TF
John messaged back, but got no more responses from Tom. He was either at work, or ignoring the texts.
...
-A/N: Another crazy story!
-PLEASE... Don't read this if any of the following isn't your thing: Prostitution, sex in public/semi-public places where you could get caught
-This story is complete, but in draft form, with 13 chapters total. I will edit them and post at least one a week, but likely more frequently since most of the chapters aren't that long.