Six weeks. Six weeks of hell or heaven, I wasn't sure. There was no way of getting out of it though. The experiment was a crucial part of my higher degree course and I would have to go, I would have to stay at the research facility and I would have to see Hugh Davis every single day.
On the Saturday our group flew out from Heathrow to Washington D.C. Thankfully, although we all met up at the airport, buzzed with excitement about the upcoming flight, we had all bought our tickets separately and wouldn't be sitting next to each other. The last thing I needed was to have my thigh pressed up against my wet dream of a research partner for 7 hours.
There were five in the group, all of us postgraduate students from Northfield University heading to the world-renowned laser facility to conduct a state-of-the-art experiment into renewable energy. I was the newest, having only started my course a month before. I appreciated I was just lucky, getting to go on an experiment of this magnitude so soon into my studies, so on a professional level I was grateful.
Next in seniority were Cassie and Oscar, second year students, then Lorna and Hugh, both in their third year. Hugh was leading the group. He had helped design the work and had been to the facility before. The rest of the team would be relying on him to show them the ropes.
The in-flight entertainment, consisting of 'Happy Feet 2' on a loop, did nothing to distract me from my current predicament. I had fallen head over heels in lust with Hugh as soon as I walked into the open-plan office on my first day at the University. He moved to shake hands as my tutor introduced him. The heat that rose to my cheeks could have powered the building.
I may have not had much experience in dating or, well, anything like that, but I knew what I found attractive and Hugh was it. Taller than me, by about a foot. Clean-shaven with not a hair out of place. Strong, but not showy. A gentleman. Old fashioned, I know, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
We chatted a little that first day. I met Cassie and Oscar and the four of us went for a tour around the campus. I had only moved to the town that weekend, but they made sure I knew how to get to the shops and where the best pubs were. We talked about all the obvious topics of conversation, where we came from, where we did our first degrees. Hugh joined in, laughing and joking, I stared at him often and nearly tripped over a tree stump.
The group was friendly, but I knew how hard we had all worked to get there, so I could tell there'd be a serious side to things too. I was proven right that first week, after my tutor dropped a ton of reading on my desk, before relegating me to the library for the next few weeks.
Getting off the plane, we met up at baggage claim. Seeing me struggle, Hugh helped drag my over-stuffed suitcase off the conveyor, simultaneously making me blush with embarrassment and desire as his muscles bulged with the strain. I was a weed in comparison. Pretty skinny, pretty short and all together an average guy. My shoulder length brown hair did nothing to help me stand out from the crowd and no matter how hard I tried I would always be a little scruffy around the edges. My sister's friends used to call me cute, but I never knew if they were taking the piss or not.
We lumbered to the bus stop outside Dulles Airport and figured out the route to our hotel. We may have been five highly intellectual individuals, but it took Cassie asking an elderly lady for us to not end up heading in the wrong direction.
Worn down from the flight, yet eager to explore the city, we checked into the hotel and headed immediately out. All expenses covered meant no need to share rooms. Having only met the others a month ago, I was glad not to be thrown in together so soon. I liked my space and, in particular, if I had to share a room with Hugh he could have got awfully molested rather quickly.
The night of my first day at the University I went to bed thinking of him. I remember he was wearing a blue shirt, tucking into pressed chinos. Italian leather shoes and belt. I pictured unbuttoning that shirt slowly. If he had chest hair it would have been sparse, I could have licked his nipples as my hands went to unbuckle his belt. Slipping it out of the trouser loops and letting it drop to the ground, I would kneel, rubbing my face and mouth against his crotch. I bet it smelled good. Clean and masculine. And then ... That was all I needed for my well-used hand and overactive imagination to spew cum all over my bed.
It was obvious, for now at least, the mood amongst the group was positive. Lorna and Cassie were planning a trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for our first free weekend; Oscar was a secret history nerd, so insisted on including the Natural History Museum and the monuments.
A short walk found us in Chinatown, with stomachs rumbling and an overwhelming desire for Chinese food. Some of the tension I was feeling from earlier passed, as we tucked into steaming bowls of noodles and a mountain of Kung Po chicken.
Lorna was questioning Hugh about his recent breakup from his girlfriend. I had found out about her at the end of my second week. There was a department pub-crawl and Hugh had bought along this stick insect of a woman. Tall, blonde, and highly polished, I developed an instant dislike. She spent the evening trying to turn the conversation onto her English degree, not getting any of the, admittedly nerdy, jokes, and whining whenever Hugh's attention drifted from her for more than a millisecond.
I hadn't known they'd broken up though, so the conversation immediately made my ears prick up. It was the experiment, he explained. She had wanted them to go to Paris for a holiday and when he told her no, his work came first; she'd had a massive fit and ended the relationship. Apparently they'd met through friends of his parents and they'd been more upset than he was.
Learning Hugh was straight and had a girlfriend, although confirming my fantasies as just that, did nothing to quell my lust for him. Hearing that he was now single sent my daydreams into overdrive. The rest of the meal, although, delicious, was now merely a distraction from the dirty thoughts in my head.
The next morning was an early start. The facility was a short walk from the hotel, but we had to have safety briefs, inductions and get site passes before we were allowed anywhere near the equipment. The staff were all accommodating and down-to-earth. I was feeling nervous about being the new kid, but our liaison, Harriet, was keen to reassure me. She explained that they worked long hours here and it could be a really intense environment, but as long as I asked for help when I needed I should be just fine.
The morning was spent laying out the plans for the next six weeks. We were all assigned roles in the experimental areas, laser diagnostics to look after. Having just spent a month reading up on these things, I finally felt I could contribute.
The experimental area was huge, a cavern full of mirrors and metal structures that dwarfed my 5' 8'' frame.
The second day into the experiment, we were busy attaching diagnostics to the target chamber, an 8' metal sphere covered in holes to bolt various bits of equipment to. I was struggling to reach a screw above me, when I felt someone pressing into my back. The scent was enough to let me know it was Hugh.
He wore aftershave, a hint of vanilla. It was subtle but mouthwatering. One hand rested on my shoulder as the other reached up to take the spanner from me, turning the screw as I held it. His muscles worked back and forward, inches from my face. The heat was building between us. Thank goodness the coveralls were baggy enough to hide the erection I instantly developed.
As he tensed to tighten off the screw, his crotch ground into my lower back. I all but moaned at the contact. He pulled away and I muttered a sheepish 'thanks'. I hadn't looked at him throughout the exchange, for fear of revealing my secret crush.
Spirits were high after the first few days, preparations were going well and none of us had succumbed to jet lag. I found Cassie and Lorna really easy to talk to. Oscar was a bit of a mystery, full of contradictions. One minute he would be talking about some techy computer package and the next emoting over the art exhibitions we explored that first weekend.
Somehow we weren't sick of each other after a week spent in the facility, and time past pleasantly exploring the highlights of Washington D.C. Hugh, having been there before, acted as tour guide, his charismatic nature dodging any possible tensions in the group. When he was looking away I'd just stare at his perfect features.
Sunday evening, lying in bed, I realized how I was fawning over him, hanging on every word. Lust was turning to obsession, as I couldn't get him out of my mind. Mere feet away on the other side of the wall, stretched out on the bed, no doubt in only his boxer shorts, his hand wondering over taut abdominals and down, past the elastic waistband, into a thick bush of pubic hair.
Grasping hold of his penis as it filled, slowing building a repetitive motion up and down, stroking himself to climax, one finger dipping into the slit, coated in precum, and passing to his mouth where he seductively licks it off.
Ahhh, my fantasies were getting shorter and it was taking less and less for me to work myself to orgasm. I took a handful of tissues and wiped off the cum, before falling into a satisfied sleep.
Monday morning and an early start at the laboratory. We all got our assignments for the morning. Most of the setup was complete and we were nearly ready to start firing the laser and collecting data. Once things really got going I would be consigned to the darkroom, developing the film that captured our data images.
I crept into the darkroom atrium and turned the switch on the wall, cutting the fluorescent bulb above me and plunging the inner room into red light. It took a few minutes to adjust to the semi-darkness. It was peaceful and I was glad to be alone. I had watched Hugh flirt his way through the more attractive female technicians that morning. Greasing the wheels, he told me. I felt sick to my stomach.
Everything was set up ready to start processing the film. A knock on the door announced Cassie's arrival. The first laser shot had been fired successfully and she had a stack of film plates in a lightproof box ready for me to develop. She skulked out of the room again, careful not to let any natural light into my tomb as I got to work.
