Hero Wanted - 10. Chapter Ten

Leaving the shower room with a towel wrapped around his waist, Ryan walked to where his locker was, passing other half-naked men getting dressed or preparing to enter the showers. At his locker, he first took out his boxer briefs and put them with his towel still around his waist. It felt weird for him to be completely exposed even if it was just for a couple seconds since he still remembered his days in the locker room during high school when all the jocks would have full conversations, shirtless, while Ryan tried to put his clothes back on as quickly as possible to avoid people from seeing his frail body in full display. Thank goodness, he was able to skip senior year without it affecting his future enrollment to that Ivy League university, his father made sure of that.

However, things were different now and Ryan needed to realize that. He had a body that was on par with the rest of the men in the locker room, if not better. Some of the men did not have abdominal muscles as defined as Ryan’s and the fact that he could maintain the muscle definition made him very proud of himself. So, walking out of the shower with his full torso exposed should be easier than during his high school days, especially when several of the guys would casually look at him with impressed looks on their faces. At least he could take a shower in his own bathroom back in the dormitories after his evening training session, only taking showers at the locker room for the morning training sessions.

“Hey, Johnson! Are you up for some shore leave tonight?”

Ryan turned his head to see two cadets walking towards him, the shorter one waving at him with the taller one right behind him. “Oh, hey, Kipp and Knox. Did you say shore leave?”

“I definitely did! After a full week of training, we deserve to have some fun outside of the academy,” Kipp cheered. “Right, Knox?”

The taller cadet who was standing a few feet away shrugged. “I guess.”

“We’re also bringing Josie with us. So, are you up for it, Johnson?” Kipp said with pent-up excitement.

“Uh, sure. Why not?” Ryan said as he applied a stick of deodorant under his arms.

“Great! I’ll text you an hour after the evening training session is over. It’s going to be a blast. Right, Knox?”

Knox just shrugged again before walking away to his locker. Kipp patted Ryan on the shoulder before following Knox to their lockers. It was hard to believe they were twins, considering Kipp was shorter than Knox who also had blond hair while Kipp had brown hair. In addition, Kipp was a shaken soda can ready to explode, he was that energetic ever since Josephine introduced Ryan to him, while Knox mostly communicated with subtle body language and only spoke when needed.

Well, Ryan guessed that was why they were fraternal rather than identical twins, twins who were the heirs of an American automobile company, making them one of the wealthiest cadets in the entire academy. They were also at the top ranks, Knox being ranked fourth while his brother was just one rank behind as fifth-ranked in the academy.

Though their differences were obvious, they seemed to get along with each other finely and they were both friendly to Ryan who appreciated any friend that he managed to make. Ryan wanted to ask exactly where the twins were going to take him and Josephine, but decided to just text Kipp later as he finished dressing back into his service uniform.

After he finished dressing, Ryan placed everything back into his locker before closing it and began walking to the door. And just then he saw a familiar person turn at the corner of the lockers and stop right in front of Ryan.

Christopher only had a towel that hung loosely around his waist as he looked at Ryan with a raised eyebrow and a frown on his face. Ryan wanted to say something, anything to the man, but what did someone say to the person who knew they had a basic, high school crush on him. The person who was the infamous first-ranked cadet and playboy named Christopher Shepherd.

So, all Ryan did was stare at Christopher like a stupid, horny teenager, his eyes going down to his exposed torso that was sculpted with thick, defined muscles and the V-shape that had a trail of dark hair that went down to under his towel…God.

Ryan’s eyes then returned to Christopher’s eyes that were staring right back him, narrow and cold, a great contrast to the steaming heat of the locker room. Ryan really wanted to say something, like an apology for eavesdropping on his conversation with Delilah, or at least say a greeting, but he could not.

Ryan just stood there, not able to say a word before Christopher huffed and walked past him, their shoulders brushing as he walked by. Ryan was getting mixed messages from that man who just caressed his face just last night, and now he looked at Ryan like he was nothing more than an annoyance, a person not worth the effort of saying a single word to.

Mentally sighing, Ryan attempted to block his mind of any thoughts about Christopher as he walked to the door. But out of curiosity, he turned his head to see Christopher walking towards the shower room…without his towel on and his bare ass in full display.

Well, forgetting Christopher was out of the question now.

***

“What will you have, cutie?”

“Just…a soda, please,” Ryan said to the female bartender. “Without ice.”

Giggling, the bartender said, “Sure thing, honey.”

The bartender got a can of soda from under the counter, popped it open and poured into a tall glass before handing it to Ryan.

Ryan handed the bartender a dollar, but she stopped him with a show of her hand and said, “All Champions get free drinks at his club.”

“How do you know I’m a Champion?” Ryan asked with curiosity.

“I can tell,” the bartender said, her eyes roaming from Ryan’s face to his body that was wearing a formfitting collared shirt.

“Oh, okay. Thank you then,” Ryan said, blushing a little as he took his glass of soda with him.

After that flirtatious encounter, just one of many, Ryan walked past many people gyrating and pumping their bodies to the repetitive dance music that vibrated throughout the club. It was starting to give him a headache since he never experienced music this loud before, and thank goodness, he was not susceptible to seizures since the flashing lights would have caused him to foam in the mouth and spasm on the equally flashing dance floor.

Ryan was wary when Kipp told him that they were going to a nightclub since dancing, drinking and dicking someone afterward was not his thing. And that alliteration was from Kipp, not Ryan. There was a reason why he did not go to the homecoming dance of his high school. Then again, he did not have friends to go with, never having the time to do something enjoyable outside of his apartment or the convenience store where he used to work. Though, now he does and he may as well make the most of it.

Ryan eventually reached the table where Josephine and the twins were at. Sitting down, Ryan saw that Josephine was giggling from something that Kipp had whispered to her while Knox was just drinking his beer, looking distracted as he kept looking at the dance floor. Probably seeing someone of interest, if only Ryan could do the same.

Other than the bartender, there was a man clearly checking him out at the bar and Ryan might have pursued him. However, the thoughts of Christopher, the encounter Ryan had with him in the locker room and that ass were still in his head and it kind of ruined his plan to find someone at the club. And since he was not going to dance or drink, the whole trip to the club was a complete waste of time and all he wanted to do right then was go back to his room at the academy and reread his favorite comic series in private. He even cut the conversation he was going to have with his father short just to be here and now he was regretting it.

Sighing, Ryan took a sip of his nonalcoholic beverage even though he was not thirsty and looked above to see the second floor of the club where the VIP section was at. He then noticed a group of women near the bottom of the stairs where two bouncers were at, allowing only a couple of them to enter at a time. He wondered what celebrity was there when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Are you having fun, Ryan?” Josephine asked Ryan.

Ryan turned his sight to Josephine who was wearing a shoulder-less, pink top and had her hair in a ponytail that was styled with a spiral at the tip.

“I’m fine,” Ryan lied, taking another sip of soda that was already losing its fizz.

“Um, Kipp? Can you get me another drink, please?”

“No problem!” Kipp said enthusiastically before leaving the table to go to the bar.

“I’m…I’m going to use the restroom,” Knox said, leaving the table as well.

“Now that we’re alone. Are you okay, Ryan?” Josephine asked sincerely with a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

Looking at Josephine’s empathic eyes, Ryan told the truth by saying, “No. Not really.”

“Well, it’s going to take Kipp awhile to get my drink since the bar is crowded and his height isn’t going to help. And I think Knox just went to dance with a redhead, so you have plenty of time to tell me what’s wrong,” Josephine said with kindness.

Ryan could not help, but smile at Josephine with the feeling of caring and concern from a friend making him feel at ease for the first time today. “It’s just…there’s a person I’ve been constantly thinking about and…I don’t know how to stop.”

“Is it Chris?”

“How did you know?” Ryan said, wondering if he was that obvious.

“Because you just told me,” Josephine said, giggling before sipping her beer.

“Oh,” Ryan said before smacking his forehead with his hand. “How cliché is that? Me falling for Christopher Shepherd like so many others. Uh, I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, Ryan, if I had any advice to give you, I would say that you need to have some fun. There were plenty of people who just walked past our table to check you out and I don’t think you even noticed because of your thoughts about Chris. You shouldn’t be so focus on one person when there’s a whole ocean for you to explore. And I know that sounded cheesy, but it’s true.”

Ryan looked at the same man who was eyeing him at the bar and saw that he was still eyeing him from not too far away at a closer location. “So, what you’re basically saying is that I shouldn’t be falling for someone who won’t return the favor.”

“Maybe that someone will, but that same someone has had a history of breaking so many hearts and I don’t think that someone deserves your heart, Ryan. Go ahead and just have some fun, and eventually you find that person who deserves to have your heart.”

Thinking about it, Ryan knew that Josephine was right. Why should he be obsessing over one man when there were plenty of others interested him, especially the one who was now approaching his table with a smoldering smile on his face and his hands in his back pockets that made him appear so confident and sexy.

“So, Ryan…are you going to have some fun?” Josephine asked with a smirk.

Ryan smiled and took a gulp of his drink before walking to the man.

“H-Hey,” Ryan said, already blushing from his stutter.

Smirking, the man said, “Hey back. What’s your name?”

“R-Ryan. Y-You?”

Chuckling, the man said, “It’s Kevin, and don’t be nervous. Is this your first time at this club?”

“Yeah. Just here with some friends,” Ryan said as he rubbed the back his neck.

“Well, do your friends mind if I take you to the dance floor?” Kevin asked, his hand trailing down Ryan’s arm that caused him to shiver with excitement.

“They definitely won’t mind. But…”

“But what?” Kevin asked, taking step forward which allowed Ryan to smell his cologne that had a seductive forest scent.

“I…I can’t dance,” Ryan confessed, feeling embarrassed considering that he was at a club where people danced for goodness sake.

Kevin chuckled and moving his mouth to Ryan’s ear, he said, “You don’t have to dance to grind on someone.”

A euphoric rush was felt inside Ryan as Kevin grabbed his hand and took him to the flashing dance floor. Taking him to the center, the temperature was raised by at least ten degrees by all the crowding bodies dancing with one another.

“Just follow my movements,” Kevin said as he began to move his body close to Ryan’s.

Ryan did as he was told and at first his movements were stiff and robotic, but when Kevin moved even closer to him, his movements soon became more fluid. Ryan then was dancing to the beat of the music with Kevin right in front of him, looking at him like he was the sexiest man he ever laid his eyes on.

“So…where are you from?” Kevin asked as he placed his hands on Ryan’s waist.

“Oh, um...New York City,” Ryan said, his mind feeling fuzzy as they continued to dance.

“Ah, from the Big Apple, I see. And what do you do for a living?” Kevin asked, his hand moving to the back of Ryan’s head as their groins pressed together in a grinding motion.

“I’m…I’m actually in the academy,” Ryan said, getting turned on by the movement of Kevin’s body against his own.

“Whoa, you’re a Champion!”

“In training, yeah,” Ryan added.

“Damn. I don’t know why, but that’s fucking hot as hell,” Kevin said, pressing his chest against Ryan’s. “So…are you Champions as good off the battlefield as well?”

Everything that Kevin said so far was making Ryan so hot for him and the closeness of their bodies was making him even more turned on. He could also sense this from Kevin who was biting his lower lip and looking down at Ryan’s mouth. Their faces soon became closer and Ryan closed his eyes, ready for a kiss from a man who knew how to pull all his strings.

“Get away from him!”

Ryan opened his eyes just as Kevin was pulled away from him. He turned to see Christopher who looked angry…no, he looked fucking pissed as he stared down at Kevin who was on the floor with those same narrow and unwelcoming eyes.

“What the fuck, man?” Kevin exclaimed as he stood back up.

“Don’t you touch him,” Christopher warned, pushing Kevin at the shoulder.

“What’s your problem? We were just dancing,” Kevin stated, looking at Ryan for some type of explanation.

Unfortunately, Ryan had no idea what was going on. He did not even know that Christopher was at the same place. However, that would explain all the girls clamoring to go to the VIP section of the club since wanting to see Christopher Shepherd was supposedly a once in a lifetime experience. Unfortunately, now everyone on the dance floor was backing away from the three of them, causing an empty space to form around them.

“I don’t care. No one touches him,” Christopher said with a serious tone.

“Or what? He’s looks just as confused as I am,” Kevin remarked as he attempted to walk back to Ryan.

Ryan saw Christopher’s hands forming into fists and knew that this was going to end badly when two people stepped in front of Christopher. Ryan backed away to see Kipp and Knox with their weapons deployed, preventing Christopher from advancing towards Kevin.

Kipp was standing at Christopher’s right side with a sword being held by his neck. The sword was separated in half, thickness-wise, and allowed another blade of the same length to protract outward. And Knox was in a crouching position at Christopher’s left side with his weapon held against his chest. It was a double-ended mace that was comprised of different-sized, flat-edged discs that formed into two spherical shapes, one at either end of the long handle.

“Don’t think about it, Shepherd,” Kipp warned, his blade still against Christopher’s neck.

Growling, Christopher swiped away the weapons of both twins like they were mere toys and said, “Put your goddamn weapons away. I know my own strength.”

“Shit! You’re Christopher Shepherd, aren’t you?” Kevin said, looking both enthused and stunned at the same time.

“Yes, and unless you want a black eye—”

The twins immediately positioned their weapons against Christopher again, which caused him to huff in annoyance.

“You know what? Just forget it. I’m gone. Go ahead and have fun with your boy toy,” Kevin said, walking away into the crowd.

“Why you fucking—”

“Don’t, Shepherd,” Knox said.

Christopher just huffed again and backed away from the twins’ weapons. Only the sound of the music was heard as everyone else remained silence. Ryan was silent too as Christopher walked past the twins and approached him with the same serious expression on his face.

Ryan was about to ask what was going on when Christopher grabbed him by the face and landed a hard kiss on his lips. Ryan immediately stumbled backwards, completely taken aback by the kiss, but Christopher still held onto him as he continued to kiss Ryan with an urgency.

Ryan wanted to break it off, but then the euphoria that came surging inside him from Christopher’s lips on his own made him close his eyes in surrender. The kiss then deepened as Christopher’s mouth moved in unison with Ryan’s, everything seemingly disappearing around them with lips locked and loaded with intensity.

Unfortunately, the kiss ended when Christopher moved his face back and Ryan took a deep breath from the kiss that was literally taking his breath away. He looked at Christopher who was staring back at him with those cool gray-blue eyes that were suddenly blazing from the kiss they just had. He then moved his mouth to Ryan’s ear, his warm breath causing Ryan to shiver.

“You’re nothing like him…so why am I so fucking attracted to you?”

Ryan did not say anything. All he could do was take in the natural musk that was emanating from Christopher, a smell so much more arousing and seducing than Kevin’s artificial one with the warmth of his breath making Ryan want to melt there on the dance floor.

Someone then cleared their throat loudly and both Ryan and Christopher turned their heads to see Delilah with her hands on her hips and Josephine and the twins by her side. Ryan did not know that she was at the club as well, but this whole night was already full of surprises.

“Uh, I don’t mean to interrupt, but can you two take that somewhere else?”

Ryan looked back at Christopher who had a frown on his face. “Christopher?”

Looking into Ryan’s brown eyes, Christopher said, “I’m sorry, Ryan.”

Brushing his thumb on Ryan’s lips, Christopher turned around and walked away. Ryan stood there, bewildered by what just happened. Then some force motivated him to follow Christopher through the crowd that parted as he went after the man who just kissed him for the second time, a kiss that was followed by a freaking apology. There was no way that Ryan was going to let him get away this time without some goddamn answers.

Ryan Lockhart-Johnson was not going to let this end without a fight. And how things could become so literal.