"Ok, I have to admit, he is a horn dog, I can't control him sometimes." Like right then, with Shauna continuing to encourage him.

"Oh, you have no control over him? Like you're not involved?"

"You have no idea," I shook my head ruefully. "Sometimes, I wake up at 4AM because he's forgotten a key to the front door, and I'm like, 'where have you been', and he's like 'nowhere, just out for a walk', and he smells like vodka and perfume, and I just know he's been roaming around getting into trouble."

"A key? Where would he put it? He goes out by himself?" She laughed.

"Well, he brings the boys along, the three of them are a posse. But, clearly, it's not my fault, the trouble they get into. My heart is pure."

"Your heart is pure bullshit, Joe, but you're funny." She laughed again. "I'm going to, uh, talk to your friend, see what he says about this. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, no, please, go ahead, you can, talk, to him all you want."

A couple hours later, Shauna said we needed to leave, because there was a security patrol coming through. The security people usually only turned on the big lights for a minute, to make sure nothing major was wrong. I could see their point, who would steal on truck on this planet? What would you do with it?

"I'll, uh, call you? Tomorrow?" Damn. Should have said that before I pulled my shirt and pants back on. In my defense, it was getting chilly in the truck, now that I was out of the bed.

"Call me? You'll call me?"

"Or, text you?" I said slowly, wary that I'd done something wrong.

"You'll call me? Huh." She was unhappy about something. "I'd like to be mad at you, but you're so darned goofy cute."

"True, it's a curse. You know, I don't want you to think I'm, uh, you know?"

"What? That you're using me for sex? Joe, I'm not some silly high school girl. I'm using you for sex."

"Oh."

"Is that a problem?"

"No! No, not a problem at all," I lied. It was, maybe, a tiny bit of a problem, for my ego. Yeah, I know, this would be a dream situation for most guys, unless they were completely honest with themselves about it. A guys likes to know that he meant something to a girl, even if she was a one night stand.

Yeah, it's a male ego thing. Sue me.

"Listen, Joe, we're on an alien planet," she said, her voice muffled by the blanket over her head, as she wriggled into her pants while still nice and warm under the blanket. I wish I'd thought of that. "We don't know where we'll be going next, you and I could be posted to different planets next friggin' week. I'm busting my ass to qualify for combat duty, I want to make a difference in this war, that's what I'm focusing on now. I don't have time for a boyfriend. You don't have time for a girlfriend. I like you, you like me, girls get horny and you're pretty good in the sack. No commitments. Can we keep it uncomplicated?"