Elena hated the whole club scene, instead preferring to curl up in her bed with a good book and a glass of wine, but she knew she would never meet anyone that way. She knew tonight Steven would be going out and even though she was tired after a long day at work going back and forth with Captain Grant, she would muster up enough energy to get prettied up.
Elena arrived at the club at eleven o’clock with her suite-mate Amanda by her side for moral support.
“Looks like the regular crowd is here,” Amanda said as she scavenged the room for her next kill. “Let’s go grab a table over there.” She pointed toward a small table close to the bar.
Elena spotted Steven and his friends at the bar, so the location was perfect.
They walked their way through the crowd; Amanda, of course, was getting stared down by most of the men in the club. She was blonde, thin and had generous breasts that threatened to burst from her stretch-denim dress.
Elena, on the other hand, was wearing a sleeveless golden top that tied at her throat, a black skirt and black high heels—courtesy of her friend Kat who sent her monthly care packages from the States. Her hair was curled as usual, and she was wearing her must-have hoop earrings—a Puerto Rican trademark. The only stares she received were from other Hispanics or African American men; Caucasian men rarely looked her way when a hot blonde was by her side.
Elena’s greatest assets were her ass and her legs, but she liked a man who would notice her eyes first. They were light golden brown, and they were her favorite part of her. Her eyes told the story of who she was.
Elena turned to Amanda. “Promise me you won’t leave me stranded here,” she said with a bit of panic in her voice.
“Hey, my promise was to come with you; my plan is to leave with him.”
Elena looked at whom Amanda was pointing at. He was the new engine mechanic and was a hit with the girls. He was, as they said, the new meat in town.
“Well, can you at least warn me when you leave so I can leave too.” Elena had a fear of being alone at a club. She felt so out of place and didn’t want to invite unwanted attention. She only wanted attention from Steven.
“Fine, but don’t be such a prude,” Amanda teased. “I thought you wanted to hook up with Steven anyway?”
“I don’t want to just hook up with him; I want to get to know him better.”
Amanda turned and looked at Elena like she was from Mars. “I’m going to go get some drinks.”
Elena pushed herself through the crowd and made her way toward the table. She sat down and scanned the scene. The usual was going on with guys drinking and staring at girls at different tables or areas of the club and girls acting like they didn’t see the guys staring at them. Girls on the dance floor were grinding up against guys they barely knew. It all seemed so impersonal like it was all about sex.
Elena had never had a one-night stand. In fact, Elena had barely had any stands—she had only been with one guy when she first joined the military at eighteen, and she had regretted her choice. She had done it out of pure morbid curiosity and because she was sick and tired of always being the virgin among her group of friends. She wished she had waited for someone who would make her first time special for her. Maybe Steven would be the special one; she had been attracted to him since the moment she first laid eyes on him but flirting was something she hadn’t yet mastered.
Elena continued to look around to avoid staring at Steven.
“So, I didn’t know you were into the club scene?”
That voice made the hairs on her arms stand up, like when a cat sees a dog and prepares for a fight. She looked up to find Captain Grant standing by her table.
Chapter 4
“I didn’t know you were into fraternization?” Elena hoped to scare him off by dangling the threat of the forbidden personal relationships between officers and enlisted. He had already ruined her day, and now he would ruin her evening. What the hell was he doing in a club frequented by enlisted personnel only?
His mouth curved into a smile. “Do you ever let your defenses down?”
“Not where you’re concerned.”
Her reaction seemed to amuse him. “Ouch,” he said, placing a hand over his heart. Without warning, he invited himself to sit at the table and made himself comfortable in the seat across from her. A probing query came into his eyes. “I always pictured you more of a ‘go to the movies, read a book’ type of gal—not this environment.”
She looked at him with curiosity. She thought the only thing Captain Grant would categorize her as was a stubborn witch for not doing his work. She didn’t expect his keen ability to describe her so well. “Well, to be honest, this isn’t my thing,” she admitted.
“I knew it.” He took a sip of his bottled water. “So, what are you doing here?” His question seemed more of a reproach than an actual question.
She had to lie; she could never admit she was trying to hook up with his crew chief. “I’m here with my suite-mate—she didn’t want to come alone.”
He looked around noticing she indeed was alone. “And where is she?”
“She’s at the bar getting some drinks.” It felt awkward to have a normal conversation with him.
He looked over at the bar. “Amanda Edwards is your suite-mate?”
“Yes, why?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure Amanda doesn’t have a problem coming to the club alone; she knows most of the people here and knows the rules of engagement. You on the other hand, shouldn’t be alone.”
Elena sensed a protective note to his tone. “Why Captain Grant, what makes you think I can’t take care of myself? You sound as if you are looking out for me.”
His gaze traveled over her seductively. “I look out for all of those subordinate to me.”
Her first instinct was to escape. She could feel his eyes on her, waiting for her response. “What are you doing here anyway? I never thought you were one to mingle with those subordinate to you.”
He grinned at her rebuttal. “I’m here looking out for my maintenance crew—make sure they don’t get into trouble.”
“Isn’t that what the flight chief or first sergeant is for? And for your information, we don’t need babysitting.” She knew his intentions were noble, but the notion that he felt he was more mature and responsible than the enlisted personnel rubbed her the wrong way.
“Maybe you don’t.” He pointed toward his maintenance crew. One of the airman was doing a handstand while trying to drink a beer. “But they do.”
Amanda arrived just in time with a couple of small bottles of wine. It was a popular drink at the club—it was sweet and cheap, which promised a terrible hangover for the next day. “Why hello, Captain Grant. Nice seeing you here.” Amanda was already in action; she didn’t believe there was a line between enlisted and officer. All she saw was a good-looking guy, and it was Saturday night.
Daniel stood up from his seat. “Hello, Airman Edwards.” He addressed her with a note of authority. “Well, I’ll leave you both to your evening.”
“Oh, you don’t have to leave so soon,” Amanda purred. “Why don’t you sit with us and chat for a while?” She tapped the empty seat next to hers, inviting him to sit back down and get comfortable. “It’s just the two of us girls; join us for some wine.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Daniel looked back at Elena. “By the way, you look very nice this evening.”
Elena was caught off guard by his compliment and could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. “Thank you,” she mumbled back.
He smiled as if finding her embarrassment amusing. “Ladies, if you will excuse me, I see my crew getting a little rowdy over there.” He turned and started walking toward the bar.
Elena looked over, and Steven had started doing Jell-O shots on what seemed like a dare.
“Sitting there like a statue is not going to get you anywhere. If you’re interested in him, you have to go over there and talk to him.” Amanda took a sip of the wine.
“We just
got here; I need some time to warm up.” Elena grabbed the bottle of wine and poured some into her glass.
Amanda rolled her eyes. “Honey, this isn’t a workout. Men are easy; you just go up there and start complimenting them on what they are doing.”
“Complimenting them? Shouldn’t they be coming over here and complimenting us?” At least that was the way it worked in the romance novels she read.
“Well, if you aren’t going to do anything, then I will.” Amanda got up.
Elena almost choked on her drink. “Wait—no.”
“Relax, I’ll be right back.” Amanda started walking over to Steven.
This had definitely been a bad idea. Elena didn’t want to seem desperate.
Amanda approached the group of guys where Steven was, and now Captain Grant was there too. Elena didn’t want Captain Grant to know she was interested in his crew chief; it would be something he would hold over her, and she didn’t want to give him leverage. It would be a bad move in the game of chess they had been playing the last couple of months.
Elena’s palms started sweating. She could see Amanda talking to Steven and pointing her way. Elena panicked and bent down pretending to tie her shoelace but forgot she was wearing high heels. What was she going to do now? Why the hell was she almost on the floor? In a swift movement, she took off one of her earrings and threw it under the table and acted like she was reaching for it.
“So, what are you looking for down there?” Steven’s husky voice boomed over the table.
Elena looked up, almost hitting her head against the table in the process. She was literally on her knees before him. “Oh hi, Steven,” she said in her vain attempt to sound surprised to see him there. She managed to get up with some dignity, part of her expecting Steven to offer a hand to help her up, but it never came. Once she had reached a decent posture, she wanted to focus on Steven and admire how handsome he was with his blonde hair, muscular arms and bronze tan, but all she could notice was Captain Grant who was at the bar staring daggers at her. She ignored him and tried to regain some sense of self-respect.
She brushed off her skirt, seeming uninterested in Steven. “I didn’t know you were here until Amanda saw you guys,” she lied. Elena was horrible at this, and if her flirting were assigned a grade, she would without a doubt receive an F. “So, are you having a good time with your friends?”
“Sure. Hey, would you join us?” he said. “Amanda told me you were a little shy about coming over.”
Elena’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh no, I’m not shy, we just got here.” She was going to wring Amanda’s neck.
Steven looked back toward his friends. “So, do you want to come over? I promise we don’t bite.”
Elena hesitated. His invitation didn’t seem very sincere; he seemed more interested in going back to his friends than staying there talking to her. This violated the scene she had imagined where he would smile with joy at the sight of her and come and court her. Maybe she was a little unrealistic in her expectations, but dammit—she wanted to be wooed. Part of her wanted to excuse herself and go home and read a book but she didn’t want to seem lame. “Sure, I’ll join you.” She grabbed her drink and against her better judgment, followed him toward the group he had left.
Elena stood there, bored to tears and feeling out of place, listening to the stupid things they were talking about. Captain Grant, for the most part, was a silent observer. A couple of times their eyes met and Elena looked away embarrassed. His stare was disconcerting; it’s like he could see a part of her no one else could. She felt like such an outsider right now and all she wanted to do was be able to fit in with everyone else for once. But it seemed tonight would not be her night. Amanda commanded the attention of their small group, except for the unmovable Captain Grant who saw through her antics and seemed quite annoyed by them. Elena found a little joy in Amanda’s small failure.
Steven grabbed the bar stool and pushed it close to Elena’s. “You’re being quiet.”
Elena was surprised Steven pulled himself away from Amanda’s siren call. “I’m just listening to all your interesting stories.” God, she couldn’t even believe the lie herself.
“Here, have a drink.” He handed her a Jell-O shot.
Elena held the little cup like a shot of nasty medicine and examined its contents.
Steven laughed at her. “You’ve never had a Jell-O shot before?”
Elena had never had a lot of things before. As a matter of fact, she didn’t even know what a Pop-Tart was until she was eighteen. Growing up in Venezuela would do that to you, making the simplest things seem so foreign. When she moved back to the United States, she felt like Robin Williams in Moscow on the Hudson—she was amazed by the bulk variety of things the States had to offer. It had been almost five years since she had joined the military, and she felt like she was still learning and experiencing different things. “No, I’ve never had one before, but it looks cute,” she said holding the small little cup.
He laughed. “You just chuck it down.” He grabbed one for himself. “Here, let me show you.” He raised the small plastic cup to his lips and shook the contents out and swallowed it in one gulp.
Elena could feel the rest of the crew’s eyes starting to focus on her (the new virgin drinker). “Oh, okay.” She lifted the small thing to her lips and had to give it a little tap for the slimy little bastard to come out. When it hit the back of her throat, she almost choked on it.
Steven hit her on the back to clear it out of her chest. “There you go.”
Everyone broke into a cheer except for Captain Grant, who was holding his bottle of water so tight he had dented the sides of it.
“Wow—” Elena coughed, “that was different and strong.” She could see Captain Grant’s disapproving look from the other side of the group.
Steven held out another one. “Here, try this one; it will loosen you up.” Steven handed Elena a purple one this time.
“Okay.” Elena was a little hesitant but desperate to fit in and to irritate Captain Grant, which was always the highlight of her day.
Steven proceeded to hand Elena Jell-O shot after Jell-O shot. At about the seventh one, she could feel the room spinning. “A couple more of these, and I’ll be a pro at swallowing,” she blurted in a slur.
The group broke out in laughter—except for Daniel.
Steven grabbed another shot from a replenished tray the bartender had deposited on the counter.
“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Daniel interrupted.
Steven looked irritated at Daniel’s interjection. “I’m looking out for her, sir. She’s okay,” he said, brushing off the captain’s concern.
Daniel snatched the Jell-O shot from Steven’s hand. “I said that’s enough.” His voice was cold and exact and not to be defied.
Steven looked ticked off but saw no choice but to obey his commanding officer. “Yes, sir.”
“It’s time for Sergeant Garcia to go home,” Daniel ordered.
As much as Elena hated to admit it, she knew Captain Grant was right. She didn’t feel in control of herself, and the effects of the Jell-O shots were threatening to come spilling back out.
Steven grabbed her hand. “I can take her home.”
Daniel stared at him. It seemed like they were communicating but no words were being exchanged. It was like two roosters puffing their chest getting ready to battle.
“You will stay here and watch out for the younger airmen and make sure they remain out of trouble,” Daniel ordered, leaving no room for argument. Steven dropped Elena’s hand like it was cursed.
Elena was relieved Steven would not be taking her home. She knew he thought he would be getting lucky with her tonight after plying her with liquor, and she wanted to avoid his huge disappointment. She looked at Captain Grant, and she realized she wanted Steven to understand her the way Captain Grant seemed to.
She looked around the club. Where the hell had Amanda disappeared to? She had lost track of her in the midst of
the Jell-O shots.
Captain Grant looked at Elena. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” Elena looked at Steven. He stared back at her, and Elena was disappointed to find she felt nothing. She had been trying so hard to get Steven to like her that she had forgotten who she was. What the hell was wrong with her? She felt ashamed of herself and decided there and then she would never belittle herself or chase after any man ever again. She knew her self-worth, and she deserved better than someone who would rather entertain himself by getting her drunk than invest the time in getting to know who she truly was.
Once outside the club, the fresh air felt good on her face, but a sudden wave of nausea hit her. “Oh my God, I think I’m going to be sick.” She turned around and started throwing up on the side of the street. She felt Captain Grant grab her hair to get it out of her face. Her embarrassment deepened as she emptied out her guts in public. Elena felt so pathetic right now she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
“Are you okay?” He rubbed her back, trying to ease her sickness.
The intimate touch against her back made her even more self-aware of her humiliation. “I am now, except for my dignity of course.” How could this night get any worse?
“Don’t worry about it. At least it wasn’t in front of the gate guard with the wing commander standing next to him—not one of my proudest moments, I admit.” He smiled and reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief for her. “Here you go.”
The Man of My Dreams Page 3