A/N: I thought it was about time I posted one of my favorite stories among the ones I wrote. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Gunny's Whore

By

Gunnery Sergeant

Thank you so much to Finlaure, my terrific beta reader.

Part One

I

Somewhere near Oceanside, California, mid-June 1991

Marine Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs stumbled along the sand covered road, trying to reach his car. The few people he met looked at him with reprobation believing him drunk, but he wasn't. He was stone cold sober—and yet completely not himself.

How could he be 'all right' after he had spent the past five hours sitting on a deserted beach, staring at his gun and trying to decide if it was best to put it in his mouth or press it against his temple before he pulled the trigger?

In the end, Gibbs had done neither of the actions. Killing himself would have been too easy a way out, and he was everything but a coward. Also, he didn't regret killing the bastard that had murdered his wife and daughter. It had been the right thing to do since justice had failed, and if Lieutenant Macy decided to charge him with murder, well, so be it. He would face the martial court and pay the price for his actions… but all he wanted now was peace.

The MP Officer had interrogated him for four straight hours that morning, bringing him almost to his breaking point. He had almost admitted everything just to make her shut up and let him mourn his family in peace—but then she had let him go.

Still on medical leave because of his damaged knee, Gibbs had escaped from Camp Pendleton and driven along the coast, until he had found the secluded beach where he, Shannon and Kelly had spent his last leave before he had been deployed in the Middle East.

He had sat there near the remains of the bonfire he had built eight months before, surrounded by the crash of the waves and the echoes of his girls' voices and laughter, feeling the almost irresistible pull to put an end to his suffering and desperation with a well placed bullet to his head.

But sanity and pride had prevailed. Well, more pride than sanity. Just the previous day the base doctor had said Gibbs would soon be able to return to active duty, and the Marine knew there were a lot of ongoing black ops in South and Central America. Ops requiring skilled snipers and he was one of the best in Camp Pendleton. He hoped to be sent to carry on one of the ops, the more dangerous the better. He didn't feel like killing himself, but getting killed on a mission, that wouldn't be too bad- as long as he first carried out his task. It would be a good way to go and be with his girls again.

Gibbs stumbled again, badly, and fell face first on the road.

"God," he muttered to himself when he used his arms to push him up and saw how badly they were shaking. He wasn't in any shape to drive back to the base. He would need to sleep in the car…or maybe not, because he could see a hotel neon sign just a few yards in front of him. With a bit of luck there would be a free room and maybe something to eat too.

He left the gun in his car, hidden beneath the driver's seat, and then walked toward the hotel, which looked like a small family-managed establishment with a big hall serving as restaurant/bar/tavern on the ground floor and rooms at the first floor. Beside the building, there was a large courtyard filled with tables and chairs. Another place opened on the same courtyard, but it was located a few yards away from the road and the neon sign said 'Sensual Delights Night Club'.

Gibbs smirked as he imagined the kind of delights the place offered. As he walked towards the entrance of the hotel, he heard a sound that stopped him dead in his tracks.

Somewhere nearby, a woman was laughing.

It was a young and vibrant sound, fresh and full of innocence and merriment. So much like Shannon's he had to almost forcefully prevent himself from following it.

Idiot, he growled to himself. It's not her. It can never be her. Now go in that damned hotel, Marine, and get some sleep. You've got a medical exam tomorrow afternoon and you want to pass it.

Once inside the hotel, Gibbs found it deserted, which didn't bode well for the quality of the service offered, since usually all the hotels on the coast were booked full during the summer. But he had slept on bare ground while in Kuwait, so even a shitty hotel would do for tonight.

"Can I help you, sir?" a balding man with crooked grin called from behind the counter he was tending to.

"I need a room for the night," Gibbs answered.

The man scanned him to head to foot, and frowned. Gibbs thought he might be concerned by his lack of luggage and answered to that by pulling out his wallet and showing him his credit card.

The guy smiled again and commented, "You came to the right place, buddy." He left the counter and limped to the reception desk and picked a set of keys. He put them in front of Gibbs and took the offered credit card, ready to charge it. "How long will you be staying?"

"Just tonight."

The young, female laugh of before floated into the hall from the opened doors.

Before he could stop himself, Gibbs turned towards the sound. The laugh drifted away and he needed every single ounce of his self-control not to dart after it. Somewhere in the hotel's kitchen a metal tray fell to the floor with a crashing sound followed by a stream of curses.

Blinking, Gibbs turned again towards the hotel owner to find the man looking at him thoughtfully.

He became tense.

"Can I offer you anything else?" asked the guy.

"Something to eat," growled Gibbs, eyeing the bald man with the same glare he used with the men under his command during drills.

"It's included in the room's price," answered the hotel owner. "There's a menu in the room. You can phone me with what you want after you've decided."

Gibbs was about to grunt in assent and pick the card when the female laughter floated again into the tavern as if it had been a wave of cool, soothing water. Before he could stop himself, he abruptly turned towards the open door and walked there.

The Marine tensed and whirled around when he sensed someone step near him and saw the hotel owner hand him his credit card. He put it back in his wallet, conscious of the way the other man was looking at him.

"What?" he growled, but the guy didn't seemed put out by it.

"Would you like something else besides the room and the meal?" the man asked in a bland tone.

Gibbs tensed even more. "What do you mean?"

The guy offered him his crooked but friendly smile. "You know what I mean, buddy. Some company and entertainment for the night…"

"I just want a room and a meal," Gibbs growled again, taking a step forward and trying to intimidate the other man with his superior height.

But the hotel owner didn't seem deterred by his menacing tone and stance. "I see the look in your eyes every time you hear that laugh. I bet you've been without a woman for a long time. There's nothing wrong in looking for some company… after all that's the reason most people stay in my place." And then the guy tilted his head toward the nearby night club.

Gibbs realized in a flash why the hotel was empty. It wasn't a place where families went while on vacation. It was a place where the people attending the club went…after the public entertainment had ended and they wanted to continue it in private.

He had ended up in a brothel or something very close to it.

He cursed under his breath. How could have he committed such a mistake? He was about to turn on his heels and leave, but then he stopped. If this was a brothel, it certainly had beds in its rooms and a bed was what he needed now.

"You look tired, buddy," the hotel owner said again. "You look like you need a good night of sleep, but you're so tense I doubt you'll be able to rest. But I bet one of Cassie's girls would make you relax in no time. They are all gorgeous, clean and skilled."

"I don't go to clubs," Gibbs growled as he inwardly cursed again. What was he doing, offering explanations to a nosey stranger? Why didn't he just go to his room, away from people he did not want to talk to? He was indeed not himself…any other time he would have already decked this man for his suggestions. Now instead he stood there unable to grab the keys and just walk toward the stairs.

Why wasn't he doing that? Why had his body reacted with interest to the man's offer?

Gibbs closed his eyes. Sleep. A good night of sleep. How long had it been since he had been able to sleep a whole night without nightmares? How long since he had been able to relax, to really relax and rest? Longer than he care to admit, longer than he dared to remember.

Sleep.

A woman.

Relief.

Peace.

Sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he saw his own defeat in the other man's knowing eyes.

"You don't have to go at the club…" the man said then limped towards the doors. He put his head out and shouted in a voice that would make a Drill Instructor proud, "Cassie!"

Gibbs bit his lower lip. What was he doing? It was wrong yet somehow he felt unable to stop what had already been set into motion.

"Cassie!" the guy bellowed again.

"I'm on my way! I'm on my way, you ass! Do you think I have nothing to do but come running just because you demand it?" a breathy voice answered.

The hotel owner turned towards Gibbs and offered him a grin just before a woman entered the hall. She was about forty, blond, very attractive, and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"What do you want, Rick?" she growled as she smacked the guy on the arm with a folded Chinese fan she carried in her hand but it was obvious she wasn't serious. Her voice carried a hint of affection and her smile was genuine.

"What do men usually want from you, Cas?" asked Rick cheekily.

Cassie arched her eyebrows, "Well, when they aren't after my money, they are after my girls…" she said then caught sight of Gibbs.

The club owner…brothel mistress…whatever… squinted her eyes to get a better look at him, standing as he was in the shadows of the early evening. Her knowing gaze ran down his body with the appreciative glint of a cattle merchant and Gibbs felt his cheeks redden.

Cassie fanned herself. "With those looks I doubt you need to pay a woman to get in her bed so you must be after my money," she concluded. "What's your business?"

"Cas!" snapped Rick. "My friend here wants some discreet entertainment. Can you send one of your girls? The usual rate-"

Cassie didn't look sorry for her mistake. Instead, she smacked Rick with the fan again.

"There is no one today. I'm closed, you know? The air conditioning system needed to be repaired. I gave a day of vacation to everyone."

Rick shook his head, "No, no, no, my dear. My friend and I distinctly heard a woman laugh near the courtyard a few moments ago—and it wasn't you, so one of your girls is here."

Cassie looked at Rick as if she wanted to incinerate him, but he just narrowed his eyes. "You still own me five hundreds dollar for the lobsters I procured for your last party," he reminded her with a falsely gentle tone, and despite of everything Gibbs couldn't help but smile at his determination.

With a sigh, Cassie admitted, "Well, Dixie is there…"

"Then send her here, room 17. The usual rate." Then he turned to Gibbs and flashed him a crooked grin, "You're lucky, buddy. Dixie is petite, with gorgeous, long, red hair…a real spitfire."

Upon hearing a description with could have fit Shannon like a glove, Gibbs felt himself pale as a look of pure horror appeared on his face.

"No!" he barked. "Not a red head! Anyone, but not a red head!"

Cassie and Rick looked at him surprised and taken aback by his reaction, and then the man raised his hands, palms up, in a placating gesture. "Okay," he said in a gentle tone. "No Dixie for you." He turned to look at the club owner, "Are you sure there is no one else?"

Cassie fanned herself as she answered slowly, "Well, there could be Tony, if with 'anyone' your friend here meant he swings both ways…"

Two set of eyes turned to fix on Gibbs and for some reason he couldn't explain he nodded.

"Good!" Rick smiled. "Then it's settled. Go to fetch the kid," he said to Cassie.

"Okay. He'll be here in half an hour!" she shouted as she disappeared into the courtyard.

Rick turned towards Gibbs with a satisfied grin. "Come on, let me show you the way to your room." He moved inside of the hotel, toward the stairs at pointed with his finger, "First floor, and fourth door on the right."

Gibbs looked at him dumbly. He could not believe what was happening to him. He had entered that anonymous hotel searching for a bed and some food and somehow found himself purchasing a whore… No, worse than that, he found himself having an unknown man buying a whore for him—a male one on top of that.

It was madness. The Marine told himself he should simply turn on his heels and go away- but his body had a mind of its own.

He moved towards the stairs before he even noticed he was walking. On the threshold, he stopped and turned to Rick as he dug his fingers in his pocket, "How much…" he started but Rick stopped him with a hand over his.

"It's on the house," he said. "The room, the meal and the boy…"

Gibbs raised his eyebrows quizzically and Rick smiled his crooked grin. "You're a Marine. I've always wanted to be one, but I was born with one leg shorter than the other, so I couldn't join the Corps. You're also a veteran and I can see you've just passed through hell. So, as someone who has the upmost respect for the people who serve the US, please give me the honor to help to make you feel a little better, if only for tonight, eh?"

Gibbs was speechless. During his years in the Corps he had met people who had mocked his uniform or looked at him with disapproval. He had also met people who had showed admiration for his job, but no one with the same sincerity and feeling as Rick's.

He swallowed with difficulty as he nodded.

"Keep the cash for Tony. Give him a fat tip," the other man said, smiling and patting his arm. "Rest assured he deserves it."

Rick walked away and almost without noticing it, Gibbs stepped up the stairs and walked toward his room, which turned out to be large, airy, clean and comfortable.

The Marine perused it, then sat down on the bed, only to stand again and go to the bathroom, where he splashed his face with cold water trying to clear his mind. God, how had he gotten involved in the current situation? He just wanted to be left by himself. He just wanted be left in peace. To drop on the bed and sleep…

Instead, he had been saddled with a whore. A male whore.

Why he hadn't told the truth? That he wasn't interested in guys? His only experience with other men had been a session of mutual masturbation during his time at Parris Island, out of curiosity and a dare. Back then, he had known a couple of the men living in his same barrack that had been involved with each other, and one of them had tried to gauge his possible interest in joining them. Gibbs hadn't decked the guy as some of his other recruits had done when approached with the same the proposal, but had made absolutely clear he wasn't interested because he only liked women.

Yet, for reasons he couldn't understand, he had said yes when he asked his was interested in a boy.

Oh hell, I'll just tell him I changed my mind when he arrives, Gibbs told himself as he dried his face and returned from the bedroom.

He had just finished removing his boots when he heard a knock at the door. Without waiting for permission, whoever it was opened the door and entered the room.

The first thing that Gibbs noticed was how young the boy looked. He was tall, almost as tall as him, but slender… coltish, with a body that still had to fill up with muscles. He was tanned, his brown hair shining in the late afternoon Californian sun that entered from the open window. He was dressed in a pair of dark brown linen pants and a loose, green button down shirt that matched his eyes and sported a bright, broad, all-American smile. He looked like a college student and the Marine could not help but wonder what he was doing in a place like this working as a whore.

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OK, this the start. Let me know what you think…remember reviews: 1) make me happy and I badly need some cheering up due to a current family situation ; 2) make me update faster. :)