As he ran, Don surveyed the city sprawl. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the rooftop gym he could see clear to the river, a thin ribbon sparkling in the early morning sun. It was beautiful out, not a cloud in the sky. Far below, tiny people scurried in the long shadow of the chrome and glass building like so many cockroaches. Small people going about with their small lives.
“Did I tell you I climbed the CN Tower four times on this baby yesterday?” Steve said, his breathing labored.
Don looked over at Steve on the stair climber and gave him a smile. “Tell me when you’ve done the Niesenlauf even once… then I’ll care.”
Steve laughed, a bead of sweat following the line of his jaw like a tear. He shook his head in reply. “Always so fucking hard to impress.”
Chuckling, Don nodded, glancing down at the display on the treadmill. He was already at six kilometres and hadn’t broken a sweat yet. His body was a well-oiled machine—hard, lean, and clean.
“Oh, hey,” Steve said. “That reminds me…. Ever skull-fuck a live person?”
Don quirked an eyebrow at his junior partner. There had to have been at least one who’d been alive, albeit briefly, but he couldn’t remember. Things got sort of murky when he was really immersed. He shrugged. “I don’t recall. Maybe?”
“I mean, without killing them.” Steve’s smile stretched wider in his tanned face. He was handsome, almost perfect, but the nose needed a little work, in Don’s opinion.
“Explain.” His interest was definitely piqued.
“Well, I found this lady with one eye who’ll let you stick your dick in her empty socket for a grand,” Steve said, huffing as he climbed stairs. “I mean… there are some size constraints and you can’t go in more than an inch or so,” He reached for his towel and wiped his face, “but, real orbital fucking, baby. Far out, right?”
Don frowned, skeptical.
Steve circled his own eye with a finger, explaining, “the bone was eaten away by something—cancer maybe—so the hole is big enough, you know?”
Intrigued, Don nodded. “All right, but can you cum in her socket or do you have to pull out?”
“I don’t know. I forgot to ask.”
“Hm.” Don checked his pulse and found it was still cruising along at a steady 96 bpm. “And where did you find this woman?”
“Through that guy we met at the club on Friday.”
Don nodded. “The one who only fucks amputees?”
“Yeah… him. The woman lives out in Mile-End.”
The treadmill beeped as Don racked up another kilometre. There was at least five grand in the office safe.
“Does she make house calls?” he asked.
“Yep.” Steve stopped climbing and stood panting, sweat pouring down his face. “You in?”
Pensive, Don turned off the treadmill and stepped down, pulling off his shorts as he walked. He dropped them at the pool’s edge and dived into the water naked, swimming to the far end before surfacing. As the small waterfall misted him with its spray, Don wiped water from his eyes and stared at Steve. A new experience would break up the monotony of the week. Wednesdays were so dull.
“Sure,” he finally replied. “We’ll go over the Fendix Merger first, but if she’s available this afternoon, let’s say… three?”
“I have the Dobson meeting at three,” Steve said, walking towards the pool.
“Can you move it?”
Steve paused, thinking. “I think so.”
“Good.” Don stared at Steve’s chest. It was broader than his own but less furry and it glistened with sweat. Steve’s ribs still heaved with his breathing. Pathetic.
“Don’t,” Don said sharply when Steve began lowering his own shorts to join him in the pool. “Go take a shower first. You’re disgusting.”
Steve looked down at himself. “Sorry. Fuck… yeah, sorry Don,” he said, his voice meek. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“And clean your ass while you’re at it,” Don added after a thought. “I’m feeling tense.” He liked the way Steve flinched at his words, turning pale beneath his flawless tan. The lines of Steve’s jaw tightened, and he gave Don a forced smile. Christ, he was such a pussy when it came to pain.
“Sure thing, Don,” Steve replied in an overly cheerful voice, turning towards the showers. “I’m on it.”
Don watched Steve leave, his eyes on that perfectly pert, muscular behind. He was impressed with Steve’s novel suggestion. He smiled, deciding that if it all went well today, he’d give Steve a small bonus—a token, really—but if that brought more of these novel suggestions… well, it was money well spent. Don chuckled to himself and dove beneath the surface, seeing how many laps he could swim before Steve’s return.
