The Final Line by Kendall McKenna Page A

I’ll let you go.”
    “You’re not interrupting anything,” Sean said quickly. “Lie down, make sure you’re relaxed and comfortable, and let’s talk.”
    Corey gave a surprised laugh. “I didn’t call for phone sex, but if you insist.” He lay back in his rack and focused on slowing his breathing.
    Sean’s laugh was husky and heat spread through Corey’s chest, even as his lower belly tightened with desire. He vividly remembered successfully getting himself off to a fantasy of Sean.
    “Mutual orgasms weren’t on my agenda but I’m willing to consider it as a last resort. So, tell me about your day,” Sean said, the strumming of the guitar continuing in the background. Corey bit back a groan at Sean’s words.
    “How did you sleep? Any news on Sergeant Nygaard’s situation?”
    “No nightmare last night,” he sighed, letting his eyes drift closed. “I still didn’t sleep well, but it’s been worse. I had lunch with my corporal from my old platoon. They hadn’t been notified about Nygaard yet, so nothing new to report.”
    “So you don’t hate everyone from your old platoon, if you had lunch with a corporal.” There was a pregnant pause. “You called him your corporal; do the two of you have history?”
    Corey knew Sean’s casual tone was feigned. “No, I was a Team Leader in Afghanistan, and he was literally my corporal and Humvee driver. Strictly a military designation. He’s a good kid. A good Marine. He had my back during the FUBAR event that’s under investigation so I want to make sure to I have his now.”
    The music paused. “Good. Glad to hear it.” Sean sounded distracted. The music started up again.
    “What did you do today?” Corey asked, aching to feel Sean’s voice flow over him.
    “I put together some audition pieces and started practicing a few of them.” Sean played the same series of notes over and over, as if trying to master the sequence. Corey thought he detected a slight change toward the end. “Yes, that’s it,” Sean said, just above a whisper. The music stopped.
    “What are you auditioning for?” Corey was genuinely interested in the answer. He realized he was going to find out what of Sean’s previous work he’d be able to get his hands on to watch. He was certainly going to check out his future work, too.
    The music began again. Corey liked the melody he could hear, even though he didn’t recognize it.
    “Let’s see,” Sean said slowly. “I have an audition for a play at the Old Globe. I have a callback for a musical at the La Jolla Playhouse. I’ve got several readings for TV shows, but those will come down to whether or not I have the right look for them. And, an audition for a recurring part in an existing series.”
    “Wow.” Corey didn’t know what else to say. “Aimee told me you graduated from USC. You’re good at this, aren’t you?”
    “Pretty good, yep. Getting better with each job I do.” The song Sean was playing seemed to increase in intensity.
    “Good enough to audition for a part in your own TV show?” Corey asked.
    Sean laughed and the sound made Corey smile.
    “Not my own show, no. Just guest roles on other people’s shows. Most of the new starring roles get cast during the first part of the year and are filmed during pilot season in March.” Sean sounded distracted again. The music paused briefly before starting up again.
    “You sound busy,” Corey said. “Should I let you go?”
    “No, you should not,” Sean said firmly. “I have an audition with HBO in a few weeks. I might get lucky and get picked up for one of their new off season series. One of the good ones that only has a thirteen episode season and the writers worry about quality instead of advertising.”
    “That would be cool,” Corey said around a yawn. He tugged his blanket up around his chest. “I could tell everyone I knew you before you were rich and famous.”
    “Fuck that,” Sean said hotly. The music stopped all together. “You’ll visit