"We'll have time," she said. "We have plenty of time. For everything. But what are we going to do about that?"
"About what?"
"You know very well what I mean," she said.
She moved her hand to his stirring erection and felt it
stiffen to her touch.
"I don't know," he said, and blushing again, which pleased her very much, he added: "I could get dressed and go look for a chemist's."
"We don't know if chemists even sell them," she said.
"That's right."
"There is one thing I could do," she said. "But I'm afraid you'd think I was terrible." "I would never think that."
"Oh, you're just saying that. You probably already think I'm really terrible." "No."
"Close your eyes, then," she ordered. He closed his eyes.
A moment later, she said, "Open them." He opened them. "Did you like that?" "Oh, yes."
"You want to watch me do it?" "Yes."
After a moment she stopped. "Some women like to do that," she said. "I love it." "I love it when you do it." "And some men like to do it to women." "Do they?"
"Do you want to do it to me?" "Do you want me to?" "Oh, yes, Baby." "Then, OK." "Close your eyes again." He felt her shifting around on the bed. What the hell, guys are always talking about it. It probably won't kill me.
(Two)
THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1605 HOURS 15 AUGUST 1942
Captain David Haughton, USN, signed the receipt for the TOP SECRET Eyes Only SecNav radio, smiled at the messenger, said "Thank you," and waited until the messenger had left before lifting the cover sheet and reading the document.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered, frowning and shaking his head.
Then he stood up, went to the door to the Secretary's office, opened it, and stood there until the Secretary of the Navy sensed his presence and raised his eyes to him.
"Something important, David?"
"Guadalcanal has been heard from, Mr. Secretary."
"Do you mean Pickering's received the 'come home, all is more or less forgiven' radio? Or something else?"
Haughton handed him the Eyes Only.
Knox's face tightened as he read it. He looked up at Haughton.
"What is this, David, do you think? A blatant defiance of the radio? Who the hell does he think he is? 'The undersigned has temporarily assumed duties of First Marine Division G-2.' By what authority?"
"Sir, I don't know. But I would be inclined to give Captain Pickering the benefit of the doubt. The second paragraph caught my eye."
Knox read the Eyes Only again.
"Good Christ, do think he's trying to tell us that Goettge or one of the other officers had a MAGIC clearance?"
"Mr. Secretary, he didn't say 'Killed in Action,' he said 'lost in combat.' That suggests the possibility that they may have been captured. If you go with that line of reasoning, paragraph two makes some sense."
"How quickly can you find out if any of these people had access to MAGIC?"
"They're not on the list I'm familiar with. Maybe Naval Intelligence has added some others-cryptographer-that sort of thing. And 1 think, Sir, that we may have to consider the possibility that Captain Pickering brought Colonel Goettge, officially or otherwise, in on it."
It was a moment before Knox replied.
"That's one of your 'worst possible scenarios,' David, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, I thank you for it. I appreciate why you had to bring that up. I am unable to believe that he would do that. He knows what's at stake."
"Yes, Sir."
"Find out from Naval Intelligence... you had better check with the Army, too, while you're at it. And in person. Stay off the phone. See if any of these names ring a bell."
"Yes, Sir."
"Let me know the minute you find out, one way or the other."
"Yes, Sir."
"I just thought of another worst possible case scenario, David," Knox said. "Pickering gets himself captured."
"I think we have to consider that possibility, Sir."
"Send an urgent radio to Admiral Nimitz. Tell him to get Pickering off Guadalcanal now. I don't care if he has to send a PT boat for him. I want him off of Guadalcanal as soon as possible."
"Yes, Sir."
"Sir," Captain David Haughton, USN, reported to the Secretary of the Navy not quite two hours later, "I think I've come up with something."
"Let's have it. I'm due at the White House in fifteen minutes."