Danya

I’m not stupid, you know.

You don’t get any tourists on this side of town - or on any side of our town, in fact. So whenever I see a guy wandering around here with a few thousand US dollars worth of cameras slung around his neck, I know he’s not come for the scenery.

When a guy like that comes here it’s because he’s heard about the place, probably in a boy bar in Berlin or Prague.

OK, it means a long drive and a border or two to cross. But they seem to think it’s worth it when they get here.

What they come for is the naval barracks. Five hundred cadets, most of us straight out of school, stuck in a dull town in the middle of nowhere, horny as hell and - just as important - desperate to earn a bit of extra money. And how we get it just doesn’t matter. Know what I mean?

This guy stood out a mile. There he was, tramping around on the old parade ground just outside the gates to the camp. I’d spotted him earlier in the morning, so now I made sure I looked my best. I put my cute navy parade uniform on even though we don’t really have to wear them when we’ve got an afternoon off.

I walked slowly past him, giving the occasional glance back as I walked towards the woods alongside the camp. I didn’t walk too fast. He wasn’t a young guy and I wanted to make sure he kept up.

After a while I stopped and leaned against the tree, trying to look hot and tired.

Just like they all do, within a few minutes he came up to me. He said he was a tourist who was taking pictures to remind him of his vacation when he got home. I was a smart looking boy, he said. Could he take a couple of pictures? Of course, he’d make it worth my while.

Sure, I said, taking the handful of dollars he offered me.

Always make sure you get the money first - and get it in US dollars. The older cadets had told us that. We learned fast.

He took a few ordinary pictures of me from a few different angles - stuff with clothes on so you could even show to the folks back home.

I didn’t even wait for him to make the next move. Usually they say something like “It’s getting hot out here - maybe you want to take off your shirt?” But I had things to do that day, and wanted to get it over quickly. So, without waiting to be asked, I undid my trousers and pushed them down over my thighs.

His camera went straight into super drive. He was clicking away like there was no tomorrow and I could see that he was getting red in the face and breathing heavily at the same time - not just because of the afternoon heat, either.