by C. C. Brown
I straightened my uniform then stepped out of the office. The lunch hour was coming to an end, and the students were beginning to file back into the schoolhouse courtyard. Cassie had found Dalton and those other two students she seemed to hang out with. I walked by, and eye fucked her, knowing that the others were probably curious, but I didn’t care. When it came to Cassie, I already knew the consequences could be severe, but the possibilities were also endless. The risk with her would always be worth the reward.
A sense of accomplishment washed over me as I walked into the schoolhouse building. All of that joy was carried away when I passed by Ruiz who blatantly tried to avoid my gaze. I didn’t care that she wanted to avoid looking at me. Hell, I didn’t want to look at her either. But something stood out when I looked at her. There were scratches along her cheek. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened. She was the culprit who had marked Cassie.
Newsome came marching out of the building, and I took it as my opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
“Hey, Pfc. Ruiz. Are you okay?”
Her guilt riddled eyes cautiously coasted over to me, apprehensively landing on a wrathful stare. She knew exactly what I knew, and her expression told on her long before she ever opened her mouth. Newsome now stood next to me, looking like the concerned instructor that I couldn’t be.
“I’m okay, Sergeant.” Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red.
“What’s going on?” Newsome asked, trying to gauge the situation.
“Our student has some scratches on her face, so I was just making sure she was alright.”
Newsome’s eyes swung from me to Ruiz. Her breathing began to pick up as I smirked at her, but I could tell she was working diligently, trying to keep it under control.
“I took a sparring class at the gym. Got a little rough, that’s all.” Her eyes told a different story as she fixated on Newsome, wholly avoiding me altogether.
Newsome nodded his head, then continued on his way. I stood there a moment longer, wanting to see her sweat. She was a feisty little bitch, I would give her that. But where Cassie was concerned, none of it was going to be tolerated.
“You’re walking on thin ice, Ruiz. Don’t make me help you fall,” I gruffly whispered into her ear. Not only did I now confirm what I had known all along, but I’d hopefully, for the last time, put this girl on notice. She looked away, averting the intense heat from my searing gaze. I turned, looking back to find Cassie laughing with her friends, and Ruiz looking like she was about to vomit. Flashes of what may have happened between the two them hit me again, bringing a double dose of wrath with it. I was infuriated by what I’d discovered, and I could have chewed through concrete with that bit of news.
Chapter 20
Cassie
Class had a very strange vibe to it after the lunch hour. Alex, with his brazen acts of sexual goodness, had all but convinced me that I needed to take him up on his offer and run off with him for the weekend. His very capable tongue proved once again that I had a weakness for all things physical when it came to him. But when we came back into the classroom, the looks he gave off were nothing but menacing, even in my direction. Something had happened between his meal and class, and it worried me, leaving me anxious to find out.
Dalton waited for me outside in the courtyard as the day came to a close. Alex was inside, speaking to a few more instructors, so he wasn’t easily accessible for me to pull away and figure out what had crawled up his ass. Angelica rushed by us, not stopping to say a word. Caring about her mood swings was the last thing on my mind. She had become a bothersome fly to me, and I couldn’t wait for the next time that I’d get a chance to swat her.
We began our trek to the barracks, Dalton going on and on about Data and all of the wonderful things the he was learning. Unfortunately, my mind was occupied with thoughts of Alex. I had become a horrible friend to Dalton, always thinking or speaking of Alex, but I couldn’t help it. The man had embedded himself inside of me, and was making it damn near impossible to get rid of him.
“So, you gonna go with Cruz this weekend?” Dalton asked, abruptly switching topics, fully aware that this would finally make me pay attention.
“I don’t know. What are you doing? I don’t want to just leave you here.”
“Don’t worry about me. This guy from back home, Ben, is flying out to see me, so it’s you I’m worried about.”
I ribbed him a bit. “Ohhh, a boyfriend, huh?” Do tell.”
Dalton laughed, the kind of laugh that soothed the soul. “He isn’t my boyfriend. Although, I’d like him to be. We’ll see. We had just started to get know one another when I left for bootcamp. We’ve been keeping in touch.”
“That’s sweet. I hope you have fun.”
“Me too, but I’m worried about you. I won’t be here, and I don’t want you staying behind with Ruiz and Allen for a long weekend. I can only imagine how nerve wracking that will be. Please go with Cruz. For me?”
He batted his long lashes, his face softening and his eyes exuding puppy dog innocence. I laughed at him, but the reality of spending the weekend with Ruiz and quite possibly running into Allen did set my radar off, knowing that some fireworks would surely explode if that were to happen. As much as I wanted to go with Alex, I didn’t want him to think that with one lick of his tongue he had me. But the alternative was much more cringe-worthy than stroking Alex’s ego.
“You’re right. I’ll go with him.”
“Thank you. Good times for the both of us.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, seeing Alex’s name light up on the screen. It was odd that he called instead of texted.
“Hello…”
“Ditch Dalton and go somewhere where you can be alone,” he said. His voice had irritation swirling through it, making me anxious.
I looked around and found him sitting inside his truck with the phone up to his ear. Dalton looked at me wide eyed and full of curiosity.
“I’ll catch you later,” I said, tapping his arm and walking off in the opposite direction. When I found myself away from any other living soul, I brought the phone back up to my ear. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You’re coming with me this weekend. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”
“Whoa. Slow down.”
“No. You listen to me. Your fucking roommate is a psychotic bitch, and I know she put the scratches on your forehead. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I’m a big girl and I handled it, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. She is a different kind of crazy. She’s got a record, and I don’t want you staying anywhere near her while I’m away. I don’t give a shit if you don’t want to spend the weekend with me. You’re at least going to let me get you away from her.”
“That’s what crawled up your ass this afternoon?”
“Don’t get condescending, Blondie.”
“I was going to tell you that I would go away with you, but you are making me want to change my mind.”
“Then it’s settled. Be ready to go Friday afternoon. And trust me, I knew you were coming with me all along.” I could hear his smile through the phone. He was a cocky son of a bitch and didn’t make any qualms about it. “Lay low, please. I don’t need any more blemishes on your beautiful face.”
He hung up.
I was a bit peeved by his assertions. He had just demanded that, one way or another, I leave with him for the weekend. Of course, he was coming from a good place, but still. I didn’t want to be ordered around—not unless it was work related or in the bedroom. Then thoughts of Alex and me, alone for a whole weekend, his commands on every sexual position his kinky mind could think of, came fluttering in. I quickly lost the up-in-arms demeanor and plastered a giddy grin on my face at all of the wondrous thoughts of a naked Alex floating around in my head.
Friday morning came without any more occurrences. Angelica had distanced herself from me, which was a welcomed move, and Al
len didn’t say anything else. Surprisingly, Castillo hadn’t been lurking around either. The week finished on a definite upswing.
We were released at noon, hoards of overly excited students crashing out of the room with probably nowhere to go. The mere fact that they could get away from school and instructors was probably more than enough of a reason to celebrate. Dalton and I played it off as if we were heading off somewhere together. Angelica didn’t ask any questions, but when she was around, I knew the wheels were turning in her head.
Alex had told me to just take a taxi over to his place whenever I was ready. He’d slipped some cash into my hand the night before during Field Day inspections, even though I was more than capable of paying for a paltry cab ride myself, but my argument fell on deaf ears. He wanted to hear none of it. Instead, he griped about how my pretty little mouth was always running, and how he couldn’t wait to shut it for me. I hated the way his words transformed me from a boisterous adult to an obedient child waiting to be spanked. And for as much as I hated it, I loved it.
“You ready to go?” Dalton asked, helping me gather my bags. I had no clue where Alex was taking me because he wouldn’t give anything away. I was only told to pack light and bring a sweater. Nothing more, nothing less.
“I believe so.” I looked around the room, finding nothing left out of place. I double checked my wall locker, made sure my bed was made, and took a picture of it all just in case Angelica decided to be a little bitch while I was away and pull something. Seemed very childish, but I wasn’t willing to put anything past her.
I sent a quick text to Alex, letting him know that I was on my way before lugging my bags down the stairs to the awaiting cab. Lane and Hutchins said goodbye as we drove off. I felt kind of bad leaving them behind, but they said they would occupy each other for the weekend, making me feel a little better. I gave the cabbie the address to Alex’s house and sat in silence as we drove off the base and into the vast stretch of desert.
“You nervous?” Dalton asked, breaking the silence and placing his hand on top of mine.
“A little bit.”
“Good!” He wiped his brow, even though near arctic air was blasting through the cab as we blazed down the sun scorched road.
“Why are you nervous? You already know Ben.”
He blew a small breath. “I know. It’s just that everything was done in secret at home. We never spent as much time together as we will this weekend. I think this will really cement things. See what we really want out of each other.”
His words could have come out of my own mouth. I had yet to look at it that way, but his anxiety slowly creeped into my own body. Alex and I had been interacting under a cloak of secrecy, stealing away bits and pieces of time here and there. This weekend was a chance for us to truly get to know one another and be a real couple out in the real world. The idea frightened me more than I wanted it to. I grew silent once again, the thoughts clouding my head with the fear that things would not go well.
“Hey. You are going to have a kick ass time. Stop thinking so much.” He rubbed the top of my hand, easing some of the tension that had embedded itself within me.
“I guess I should be telling you the same thing.”
A few turns later and we were pulling onto Alex’s street. I looked out the window as we pulled up, Alex’s truck sitting in the driveway with him leaning up against it. His muscles rippled from his cut off shirt, his shorts hanging low while a pair of black sandals outfitted his feet. He was so casual, yet so delectable.
I paid the driver then hopped out, Dalton exited as well and helped me grab my bags from the trunk. Alex’s face was fixed in a stern mask, greeting Dalton with pure formality.
“Hello, Pfc. Dalton.”
“Hello, Sgt.” Dalton tried to smile, looking very nervous as he handed my bags over to Alex.
The thick, heated air was beginning to choke me. I didn’t like the way this was playing out, and I didn’t want it to fester.
“I hope you have a great time this weekend, Dalton. Remember, just enjoy it.” I hugged him tight and saw him off. Dalton got back into the car, and I watched it drive off before turning around to Alex. He stood to the side, holding my bags in his hands.
“So you told Dalton?” he asked, glaring at me.
“Yeah. You told Riley. I needed someone to lean on, too. And besides, he’s known for a bit. Like you say, he’s in my corner.”
He blew out a long breath, then walked past me, up the driveway. I quickly followed behind.
“He’s not going to say anything.” I tried reassuring him, seeing that the sight of Dalton had rubbed him wrong.
“I just don’t want too many people knowing. Speculating is one thing, but knowing is another.”
I stopped him, then kissed his lips, biting on the bottom a couple of times and licking the marks. “Simmer down. We are fine.”
He smiled and continued the walk, leading me into the house. When I walked in, the aroma of freshly baked pizza hit me, sending my stomach gurgling with the need to be fed. I had been so anxious about getting out and getting my weekend started that I had forgotten to eat. Alex walked in behind me, stopping to kiss my cheek.
“Make yourself at home. Pizza should be about ready. I’m going to put your bags in our room.”
“Our room?” I asked, looking over at him.
“Yes. Our room.”
I walked further into the house, hearing voices and a female giggle. My stomach churned, and not with hunger. When I stepped into the kitchen and looked over at the living room, Riley was sitting on the couch with a very petite blonde sitting on his lap. He was whispering things into her ear and had his hand down her shirt. I didn’t want to interrupt whatever they had going on. He looked up and saw me walking away.
“Hey, Bennett.”
I turned around, hoping to hide the embarrassment flooding my face.
“Hi, Riley,” I replied, awkwardly smiling at him and his female companion. She swatted his hand away and stood, briskly walking over to where I was standing.
“I’m Natasha, Nat for short.”
Her bubbly personality put me at ease. I had to remember that I wasn’t the student screwing my instructor this weekend. I reached out my hand and shook hers. She was short, maybe five feet tall, with large, ample breasts that clung to her V-neck tank top, and a pair of shorts that barely covered her ass. Her arms were elegantly decorated in quarter length sleeves of elaborate flowers and butterflies, with pink and orange shading. The nose ring topped off her ensemble, probably making her the prettiest girl I had ever seen.
“It’s nice to meet you, Natasha. I’m Cassie.”
“Are you a Marine?” she asked, her eyes taking in the length of me.
“Yes.”
“Oh, wow. That’s bad ass. You’re probably the hottest fucking female Marine I’ve ever seen. And I see quite a few where I work.”
“Where do you work?” I asked, wanting to know more about this girl that had me so intrigued.
“Custom Ink, just outside the back gate.”
Just then Alex walked into the room, coming up from behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, nuzzling his nose into my neck.
“Can I fuck you right now?” he asked, sending chills down my spine and blood to my clit.
“Don’t be rude, Alex. You can fuck her all night. I want to get to know her,” Natasha interrupted before I even had a chance to tell him no. I liked her; she had a lot of spunk.
“Riley, come get your cock blocking fucking chick,” Alex said, turning for the kitchen and grabbing two oven mitts to pull the pizza from the oven. He turned back around and smiled at Natasha. “You know I love ya, Nat.”
“Yeah, yeah! Hurry up and feed me, you asshole,” she replied. The banter between them calmed me. It seemed that they were quite comfortable with one another and that things would not turn awkward.
We ate pizza and had a few beers. Riley explained how he and Natasha had met when he went in for a tattoo, and she h
ad been the only one with an open hour time slot. He said he’d been leery because he’d never had a chick do it before, but the second she stuck out her tits, lowered her eyes, shook his hand and sucked his fingers on release, he’d been a goner. The story couldn’t have been less romantic if they tried, but I found myself laughing and liking both of them even more.
“Let’s play Phase Ten,” Natasha called out, running into the hallway closet and coming back with a deck of cards, ones I had never seen before. “Chris, grab the Jose and four shot glasses.” Her mention of his first name caught me off guard. She wasn’t a Marine, so it was normal that she would refer to him that way, but the use of it seemed weird and a little out of place.
“What is this game?” I asked, once again showing that I knew nothing about anything that most people liked and participated in.