by James Cox
***
I was dressed in my best suit. Mainly because I could only bring one with me and I couldn’t afford to buy a second right now. It was black pants, a soft material blend of silk and cotton, it slid along my legs like a lover's touch. I had on a matching jacket with three buttons; all latched up like a proper professional. The shirt was white, simple, and plain. The tie was a swirl of colors that looked too bright and wild against the boring suit. It was my little statement.
I was out of my apartment at six in the morning. My eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly. The moon was not exactly like Earth. There were days and nights but for earth that was twenty-four hours. For the moon, day and night lasted two weeks. I frowned and stared around. There were shadows hidden in every corner. Light from the buildings lit the way, but it was dull. A few people roamed during the early hours as I hunched my back and started toward work.
My new job was on the outskirts of the city, at the edge of the dome. I passed stores starting to open but couldn’t see too much of them with my sight and the lack of light. A few strong coffee smells wafted into the air. It made me long for caffeine, but it was too expense up here. Do you know how much it is to ship coffee beans to the moon? Fucking astronomical. Which is why a small cup of java was over twenty bucks. I sighed and kept walking. I turned the corner and came up to a wide-open space. The building in the center was my destination. It was surrounded by trees and shrubs, all green, giving off much-needed oxygen. Sure, the government created air tanks for us to breathe but greenery helped. This was the United States dome. China’s dome had collapsed, but Russia was doing wonders with theirs. That is as long as you didn’t mind being a test subject. Ireland was one of the new super powers on Earth and I heard good things about their dome. Too bad you had to be an Irish citizen for over forty years to get there. But like all the new colonies on the moon, nothing was as safe as Earth.
I stared out at the thing that kept me breathing. The dome. It was sheer, but dust and debris collected on the outside. There were automatic machines to clean that. I could see craters out there, half hidden in shadows. Beyond that was dark space and an image that made me smile. I could see Earth from here. It was looking absolutely stunning. I could only image how the first astronauts felt, surviving inadequate technology to get up here. Then I glanced back at the moon outside the dome.
“Gorgeous isn’t it?” a deep voice rumbled.
“If you like the dirt and rock,” I said with a smile as I turned. My expression faltered. Well, lick my dick! This guy was fucking gorgeous. He was maybe six or seven inches over my height. I tilted my head slightly to stare at him. He had dark brown hair that brushed the top of his shoulders. It hung loose around his burly face. His nose was crooked, his eyes were creamy brown and slightly shiny. That was weird. He had plump lips made for sucking. I closed my mouth to keep from drooling. He had a day’s worth of stubble on his chin making him look dangerous even in a tidy suit. His shoulders were broad, chest wide under his navy jacket. I wanted to stare lower, but the light wasn’t the greatest and my eyesight was crap. Still, just half seeing him was enough. “Hi.” My voice was breathy.
He held out a large hand and we shock.
This guy was like a wild animal in a suit. I could feel the heat coming off his skin. “I’m Quinn.” Please tell me you are, first, gay and second, single.
“Mr. Lyon Harrison.”
I dropped my hand to my side. “Your name’s Lion?” I smiled, almost laughing.
“Yes...with a Y.”
Okay. I snorted at that.
“I’m also your new boss.”
Well fuck. My smile fell. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Harrison.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow and grunted something then started for the building.
I followed, cursing my big mouth. Well, not entirely. A big mouth was good for many things. It was a hell of a first impression though. I walked through the doors where the light boomed overhead. I shoved my glasses higher up my nose. Not that they helped much. I could read almost normal with them. Of course, I wasn’t reading anything right now. My gaze was glued to my boss’s ass. Yeah—tight, plump, and looking like those pants were having all the fun.
“You can follow me, Quinn.”
“Yes, Mr. Harrison.” I stepped onto the elevator. It used the same hover technology as the cars so the ride was smooth. We stood in relative silence, which made me want to squirm. “I’m sorry if I offended you...about your name.”
Lyon had his hands at his side, fists clenched and he moved so his gaze was on me. “I wasn’t offended.”
Well, good because I needed this job. Now that we were in better light, I could see him more clearly. He was older than me. Maybe about forty years old. He had a few lines at the corner of his eyes and a sprinkle of gray hair with his brown. He just got better looking with the light.
Lyon cleared his throat. “You come from Earth.”
“Nope, Mars.” I grinned. Apparently, he didn’t get my humor because he just stared at me. “Sorry, sir. Yes, Earth. Seattle to be precise, coffee capital of the world.”
“Coffee.” He gave a slight moan after he said the word.
Looks like I wasn’t the only one longing for a cup.
“There’s paperwork to sign then I want you in my office. You can ask Bernice, my secretary, for reading material to catch you up.”
I nodded.
“This is a fast-paced business of banking, Quinn. You either keep pace or jump on another ship.” The doors opened and he stepped off. “You’re on the next floor.”
“Yes, sir.” The doors started to close.
“Oh and Quinn...” He paused then grinned. “I liked the Mars joke.”
Then the doors shut. I leaned back against the wall like I’d been punched. Maybe the moon would work out after all.
