EXFIL by Anthony Patton (best book reader txt) 📕

oblivious to the speed limit signs or the world around them. I struggled to control my road rage and distill why I was feeling so angry: the drivers were idiots; I was running late; or, most likely, Donna knew more than she was letting on.

I accepted that I would have to work through the uncertainty.

“Can I help you, officer?” the bouncer asked when I arrived, feeling the thumping techno music from the street.

“I’m here to meet a friend,” I said.

He inspected my uniform, shrugged, and raised the brass latch for the velvet rope.

Up to this point, I could make sense of my relationship with Anna. She was younger, but we blended in well enough at restaurants. This place, however, I couldn’t make heads or tails of, with the blasting music, neon lights, and kids who looked as if they should be doing their homework. Hot women wearing next to nothing were one provocative move away from getting hired as pole dancers, while many of the men looked as though they didn’t have serious careers in their futures.

As I elbowed my way through the crowd, Anna was a sight for sore eyes at the bar.

I stood and admired her at a distance for some time; clearly, she didn’t know I was there. A young man touched her arm and whispered in her ear. She tolerated his futile advances, but I couldn’t ignore the primal urge to hurry my pace. The best approach was to arrive with a confident kiss on the cheek and block out the anonymous young man.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said.

The young man, confident and drunk, stayed in the picture with a curious look my way. “I think it’s too soon to introduce me to your father.”

I turned to reveal my uniform. “Get lost, punk.”

He looked dazed and confused as he turned to Anna. She smiled and waved, suggesting she was waiting for me.

“What the fuck?” he mumbled as he walked away.

“Yeah, what the fuck?” Anna asked as she stroked my arm and pulled me in closer for a kiss.

I gestured to my uniform. “I got caught up in work and couldn’t change. Should we go to my hotel? I forgot my ecstasy pills and glow sticks.”

“Okay, boomer,” she said and led me to the dance floor.

I was never a techno fan, but the thumping pulse of the electronic music tapped into something distal and universal, slowly emancipating me from my side step with arms at ninety degrees. Anna, though, danced as if the music was radiating from her body. She moved close enough for me to taste the tequila shot on her breath, and she nestled her leg against my crotch as she whispered in my ear. “Are you ready to meet my friend?”

I nodded, acting as if I had forgotten.

She kissed me. “We can leave anytime.”

The fantasy of having sex with two women was exhilarating, making me wonder why I had never proposed it with Jewel. I assumed this was a regular request of clients, and she would have agreed, even if just to make me happy. For Anna, though, I was surprised and chalked it up to the younger generation’s openness to new things.

Lucky for me, she was possibly exploring her sexuality, whatever that meant, but it certainly added a new layer of complexity to this most intriguing woman.

At the hotel, I poured two Scotches on the rocks and excused myself to the bedroom to change into jeans and a short-sleeved white linen shirt. I took a leak, gargled some mouthwash, and splashed cold water on my face to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

I joined her on the couch with a kiss. “So, how does this work?”

“The way it works is we both act natural and not let things get weird, OK?”

I neutralized my grin—all good.

Her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and walked to the window.

“Hey, you made it. We’re in 702,” she said.

I stood and hugged her. “So, this Judy is a friend?”

“Not at all,” she said. “She’s a prostitute I found on Craigslist.”

This was a gentle hint that it was getting weird again, so I took a deep breath to expel the creepiness. From this point forward, I was a mature and desirable man getting ready to satisfy my sexual desires with two women. Her pupils dilated and a smile filled her face as we kissed and caressed each other, until the gentle knock on the door.

Anna gave me a final hug and kissed me with a sincere smile. “I never told you this before, but I really admire your service to our country.”

That seemed like an odd thing to say at a moment like this, but my pounding heart overwhelmed me as Anna opened the door to reveal a beautiful Asian woman wearing a white silk blouse, black pencil skirt, and red high heels. I could tell she had Thai blood, but the mix was exotic and arousing.

They closed the door and approached me holding hands, with Anna offering a heartfelt smile to put me at ease.

“Nice to meet you,” Judy said with a submissive arch of the eyebrows. She was taller than the average Asian woman, with A-cup breasts, minimal curves, and a flat ass. The most arousing thing was that women aroused her.

“Nice to meet you, Judy,” I said and zipped my lip.

Anna handed Judy our two empty glasses. “Why don’t you pour us a drink and join us in the bedroom?”

Anna held my hand and led the way.

She helped me get comfortable on the bed and sat on the chair in the corner.

What are you doing?” I asked.

“I want to watch first,” she said with a suggestive arch of the eyebrows.

Judy entered the room with three Scotches on the rocks, handed one to Anna, and slithered onto the bed with me. To my surprise, she downed her drink in one gulp and set the glass on the nightstand. I did the same and looked at Anna.

She gestured playfully for me to focus my attention on Judy.

It all started