BDP 41
I had watched the women enter the building. Several of them looked around, touching some of the more specialized and expensive equipment. By the appreciative noises they made, I was pretty sure they knew what they were for. That, in and of itself, would have made me suspect they were not the prostitutes they were pretending to be. What would a hooker know about DNA, beyond the flavor?
Ok, that was an unworthy thought. It was still funny, but definitely catty. I was usually not so bitchy, but I couldn't seem to help it. The very idea of what they were trying to do rubbed me the wrong way.
I was bent over a microscope, pretending to ignore them when Casca came in. I felt his eyes on my back and it was all I could do not to tighten my shoulders defensively. I was glad for the snow that began to fall while I was getting ready for work. It had given me the perfect excuse to wear the dark blue turtleneck underneath my uniform. It covered all but the very edge of the bruising on my throat. A lot of make-up had dulled that down to the point that unless you were really looking, it was invisible.
Hopefully it would be enough to hide the mark from Casca. The last thing I needed was for him to find out about Ian and I. If he did, I suspected that I would find my job title changed to lab rat. Sometimes it was a real pain in the ass being so pale skinned.
His gaze lingered on my back, which was not promising, but all he said was, "Burke, what are you still doing here?"
I turned and smiled at him with malicious glee as I picked up the two boxes of prophylactics and shook them. Over the sound of rattling condoms, I replied, "Why, waiting for you of course. According to health code, prophylactics must be made available to all military personnel taking liberty. I wanted to make sure that the regulations were observed."
"How very.proper, of you." Casca gritted out.
I could see a vein beginning to pulse in his forehead, and fancied I could hear his teeth grinding. I couldn't resist adding, "We wouldn't want our boys to pick up anything, now would we?"
The women bristled at my tone as much as my words. I had been deliberately insulting. Perhaps they had been fooling themselves that it was in the name of science, or for the greater good, but having sex with someone in exchange for goods or currency is still whoring. I made sure my voice had conveyed my negative opinion of the prostitutes, since I could not scream at them for their willingness to sell their children into slavery and death.
As satisfying as it would be, it would also tip my hand. Casca would doubtless examine everything with a fine-toothed comb, discover my secondary measures, and circumvent them. That would bring us back to square one, and the very thing I was trying to prevent would occur. I held my silence, but let my eyes move over the women contemptuously. They were lower than dirt, unworthy and unclean.
"They have all been given a clean bill of health and are providing a necessary service." Casca replied, moving between the women and me as if he would shield them from my scorn. Wouldn't want the little darlings to have an attack of conscience now would we?
"As you say." I shrugged dismissively.
"I do say." Casca snarled, hands flexing at his sides.
I think he was imagining strangling me. That just made me smile all the bigger. I watched him, practically daring him to try it. After a minute of our little stare-down, the prostitutes began to stir restlessly. It broke his concentration, and he looked over his shoulder at them. They quieted immediately, so I can only assume it was one of his patented dirty looks.
Whatever it had been, the moment was broken. Casca moved to the doors that opened into the common area for the Dragons. He held the door open for them, a display of manners I had never seen him use. "After you, ladies."
I think he was trying to reassure the women, although I couldn't resist raising an ironic brow over Casca's word choice. It certainly helped them though; they went through the door with their heads up. I rolled my eyes as the 'ladies' strolled out of view.
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of walking in with them, so I waited until the last one had gone before moving from my desk. Casca pointedly let go of the door as he followed them in. It didn't bother me, I wanted there to be a break between us. I paused, letting the door completely close before transferring the boxes to one hand so I could turn the handle.
The tension in the room that I entered could be cut with a knife. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was seeing. The men were about to compete for the females. Shit shit shit. I looked around the room for help, and saw Ian paused by the door to the bunks. He, at least, was not caught up in the hormonal rush. We exchanged glances filled with concern and uncertainty. One wrong move could set them off like a match to powder.
I had watched the women enter the building. Several of them looked around, touching some of the more specialized and expensive equipment. By the appreciative noises they made, I was pretty sure they knew what they were for. That, in and of itself, would have made me suspect they were not the prostitutes they were pretending to be. What would a hooker know about DNA, beyond the flavor?
Ok, that was an unworthy thought. It was still funny, but definitely catty. I was usually not so bitchy, but I couldn't seem to help it. The very idea of what they were trying to do rubbed me the wrong way.
I was bent over a microscope, pretending to ignore them when Casca came in. I felt his eyes on my back and it was all I could do not to tighten my shoulders defensively. I was glad for the snow that began to fall while I was getting ready for work. It had given me the perfect excuse to wear the dark blue turtleneck underneath my uniform. It covered all but the very edge of the bruising on my throat. A lot of make-up had dulled that down to the point that unless you were really looking, it was invisible.
Hopefully it would be enough to hide the mark from Casca. The last thing I needed was for him to find out about Ian and I. If he did, I suspected that I would find my job title changed to lab rat. Sometimes it was a real pain in the ass being so pale skinned.
His gaze lingered on my back, which was not promising, but all he said was, "Burke, what are you still doing here?"
I turned and smiled at him with malicious glee as I picked up the two boxes of prophylactics and shook them. Over the sound of rattling condoms, I replied, "Why, waiting for you of course. According to health code, prophylactics must be made available to all military personnel taking liberty. I wanted to make sure that the regulations were observed."
"How very.proper, of you." Casca gritted out.
I could see a vein beginning to pulse in his forehead, and fancied I could hear his teeth grinding. I couldn't resist adding, "We wouldn't want our boys to pick up anything, now would we?"
The women bristled at my tone as much as my words. I had been deliberately insulting. Perhaps they had been fooling themselves that it was in the name of science, or for the greater good, but having sex with someone in exchange for goods or currency is still whoring. I made sure my voice had conveyed my negative opinion of the prostitutes, since I could not scream at them for their willingness to sell their children into slavery and death.
As satisfying as it would be, it would also tip my hand. Casca would doubtless examine everything with a fine-toothed comb, discover my secondary measures, and circumvent them. That would bring us back to square one, and the very thing I was trying to prevent would occur. I held my silence, but let my eyes move over the women contemptuously. They were lower than dirt, unworthy and unclean.
"They have all been given a clean bill of health and are providing a necessary service." Casca replied, moving between the women and me as if he would shield them from my scorn. Wouldn't want the little darlings to have an attack of conscience now would we?
"As you say." I shrugged dismissively.
"I do say." Casca snarled, hands flexing at his sides.
I think he was imagining strangling me. That just made me smile all the bigger. I watched him, practically daring him to try it. After a minute of our little stare-down, the prostitutes began to stir restlessly. It broke his concentration, and he looked over his shoulder at them. They quieted immediately, so I can only assume it was one of his patented dirty looks.
Whatever it had been, the moment was broken. Casca moved to the doors that opened into the common area for the Dragons. He held the door open for them, a display of manners I had never seen him use. "After you, ladies."
I think he was trying to reassure the women, although I couldn't resist raising an ironic brow over Casca's word choice. It certainly helped them though; they went through the door with their heads up. I rolled my eyes as the 'ladies' strolled out of view.
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of walking in with them, so I waited until the last one had gone before moving from my desk. Casca pointedly let go of the door as he followed them in. It didn't bother me, I wanted there to be a break between us. I paused, letting the door completely close before transferring the boxes to one hand so I could turn the handle.
The tension in the room that I entered could be cut with a knife. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was seeing. The men were about to compete for the females. Shit shit shit. I looked around the room for help, and saw Ian paused by the door to the bunks. He, at least, was not caught up in the hormonal rush. We exchanged glances filled with concern and uncertainty. One wrong move could set them off like a match to powder.