by U
of here?"
Uh oh. Now she was in a spot. What did she do? She was having
fun dancing. She didn't expect anything sexual out of the evening.
The concern must have shown on her face when she glanced
hesitantly from him to Rosa.
"No strings. I just don't like this kind of music and it's too crowded
in here. There's another bar down the street." He turned away, pulling
her close behind him and led her to where Rosa stood. He leaned over
and said something in her ear.
Rosa nodded with another one of her big smiles and motioned
towards the door. The group she had met up with instantly made their
way towards the door with Rosa and Paige protectively in the middle
of them.
Paige couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. It felt good to be
noticed.
Their group was ten strong, not including her and Rosa. Everyone
moved out of their way when they walked down the middle of the
alleyway. The only traffic fighting through the pedestrians were taxis
dropping off more American's from the base.
Paige walked next to the guy she danced with. She noticed two
men following behind them at a distance. One was Mr. Dimples or
Casey she'd heard one of the other men call him, and another man she
hadn't met yet.
18
"Sorry, I don't normally go into that bar." He walked at a slower
pace behind the group so he could talk to her. "By the way, my name
is Tadd."
"Hi, Tadd, Paige." She smiled and they shook hands while they
walked.
"Nice to meet you Paige." Tadd glanced at the group. "So who is
your friend?"
Paige felt her shoulders drop a notch and got a sinking feeling in
the pit of her stomach. He had only danced with her so he could find
out about Rosa. That figured. With those five little words she felt a
little dejected, but responded. "Rosa, we work together."
"She's really pretty. How tall is she?" Tadd's eyes began at the four
inch heels and made their way slowly up Rosa's muscular legs,
pausing to stare at her ass while she walked in front of them.
Paige didn't understand how Rosa did it. She wasn't even trying
and she had guys falling all over her. With one guy on either arm, she
walked confidently through the cobblestone street without once
missing a step or slipping in those silly heels. Paige grew irritated
with herself for letting her thoughts get away with her.
They reached the next club and pushed their way through the door.
This one was not so crowded and had a place where their group could
sit on the low lounge seats or just stand around.
A couple of the guys disappeared and returned a few minutes later
with shots of something Paige couldn't even begin to pronounce. One
was placed in front of her and she looked at it doubtfully.
Rosa sat down beside her, pulling her mini skirt down so it didn't
ride up, her long legs curled to the side to keep from flashing
everyone in the bar. "Come on sweetie, loosen up a bit. You looked
like you were having fun with muscle guy over there. What
happened?" She nodded her head towards Tadd who had walked away
and was talking with a couple guys at another table.
"Who, Tadd?" Paige asked. She had given up on the thought of
anyone even remotely being interested in her. "He was asking about
you."
19
"Really?" Rosa's eyes went back to where Tadd stood, looking him
up and down as if measuring him up for size. "He's cute."
"Yeah, he is." Disappointment set in and Paige didn't know why.
She had no intention of taking him back to her room. But the thought
of having the attention of a man interested in her had made her feel
good. Now she felt bummed.
"He wasn't with the group that invited us. Casey said he had only
seen him a couple times on base." Rosa ran her finger around the rim
of her shot glass absent mindedly, staring at Tadd.
Oh, so he hadn't been invited with the group she was supposed to
meet. Had she picked up a guy in a bar? The thought was funny
since he was not interested in her, how could she have picked him up.
Apparently Rosa had been interested enough in him to find out who
he was.
Glancing down at the drink that had been placed into her hand,
Paige sniffed it. It smelled like nothing she had ever had before,
thought what the hell when the group raised their glasses in a toast,
she joined them and tossed hers back, grimacing and coughing when
the liquid heat slid down her throat.
She was there to have fun. There were enough people around that
she wouldn't get herself into trouble, like she ever would anyway. She
knew how to get back to base, even if she had to walk, so she forced
herself to lean back and relax, somewhat.
Paige was still surprised that being in Japan, other than most of the
bartenders, there were very few Japanese men around. Even out in the
streets there had only been a handful outside of a couple of the bars.
As they had walked by, she'd heard a couple of the men in the
group talking about how they weren't allowed in certain bars. A
couple weeks earlier there had been a big fight in town and apparently
the men involved had been American military against the local gang
members. The bar had gotten pretty torn up before the fight was
stopped. To keep American's from going in, they had been informed
if there was a group of Japanese men standing out in front they were
not allowed to enter.
20
Paige couldn't help but think how that would have gone over in
America! There would be rioting in the streets for discrimination.
She had to remind herself she was in a foreign country so things were
much different.
Listening to the music while Rosa went out on to the dance floor,
Paige leaned back and began relaxing. She actually hummed the song
playing loudly through the oversized speakers. Paige watched Rosa
dancing, sandwiched between two, hard muscular bodies. This time
Paige wasn't surprised at how Rosa moved with them. She didn't
know if it was the strange drink or if the thoughts of a threesome
Rosa's dancing invoked her excitement, but she was turned on.
They moved around the floor and her eyes followed.
When she felt someone's eyes on her, she looked around. Casey, or
Mr. Dimples as she still preferred to call him, eyed her. Again, heat
rose up her neck and to her face. She felt as if he had caught her
doing something naughty by watching Rosa with her two men on the
floor. A corner of his mouth lifted and he stood from the stool he had
been leaning against.
Stunned, Paige watched him walking towards her. He wasn't as
built as Tadd, but really, she preferred his physique, he definitely had
muscles. Not to the point to where he looked stiff like Tadd. Casey
looked like he could move a whole lot quicker and easier.
He strolled towards her, his steps were fluid, graceful even.
She couldn't help but wonder what questions he was going to ask
her about Rosa.
"Want a
nother drink?" Stopping within inches of her, his leg nearly
touching hers, Casey pointed to the empty glass she was cradling.
Hesitating, she'd already drunk more than normal. Her eyes met his
and she gave in. "Sure." Paige took the hand he held out to her where
she sat on the lounge. Pulling her effortlessly to her feet, she followed
him to the bar.
Around the other men she considered herself short and invisible.
Walking next to Casey she actually felt petite and womanly for the
first time in years. His height caused her to lean her head back to look
at him.
21
His eyes were a startling icy blue she had only seen on TV, she
liked the color. His military hair cut was growing out a bit and he was
just too damned good looking.
Paige wanted to run her hand through his hair to feel its softness.
Stopping at the bar just a little behind him, she shook her head lightly.
Okay, gotta stop thinking this way. She turned and stared out at the
dance floor rather than back at Mr. Gorgeous Dimples beside her.
She dug in her pocket to pull out some money to pay for her drink
but stopped when Casey frowned sternly at her and plopped his
money down heavily on the bar. She had offended him without
meaning too. But really, she hadn't expected him to buy her a drink.
Grabbing the two beers from the counter, he turned without saying
anything and walked towards the table in the corner rather than back
to where she had been sitting. Placing the beers on the table, he didn't
wait for Paige to sit down. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out
onto the dance floor.
Paige glanced down at her shoes and wondered if the hiking boots
would slide along the floor like they should. She would figure it out.
Casey pulled her into his arms and all thoughts went completely out of
her mind.
On the other side of the floor Rosa was still gyrating with her two
men. Tadd had somehow replaced one of them and was practically
licking his lips while his hands roamed all up and down her body.
Casey held Paige loosely in his arms, not forcing her any closer
than she wanted to be. His hand rested lightly on her back and they
glided effortlessly across the wooden floor with sawdust strewn about,
her shoe problem was totally forgotten.
The shots and beers she had downed made her feel more at ease
than she realized. Her head swam and she closed her eyes, glad she
had eaten a large dinner. Placing her hand on his chest, the other on
his waist, Paige moved a bit closer. His arms tightened a little more
and she felt secure in his embrace. At the back of her mind, she still
waited for the questions to begin, but they never did. They danced
silently, wrapped in one another's arms. Their beers on the table were
completely forgotten and by the time they returned, they had become
22
warm. Casey gave her a lopsided grin, tipped his back and swigged it
down anyway, so she did the same.
Looking around, Paige didn't see Rosa anywhere. "Did you see
Rosa leave?" Concern laced her voice and creased her brow.
"Yeah, she left two songs ago with Tadd and John." Casey
shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal.
But to Paige it was. Rosa had left her there! She wasn't afraid of
being alone, but being in another country, not knowing her
surroundings, she didn't like the fact that Rosa had just taken off
without at least saying something.
"Paige, you don't have to worry about Rosa, Tadd and John won't
hurt her, they will make sure she gets back on base." Casey looked
down at her, and for good measure added, "And you are safe with
me."
Paige put the beer to her lips and took another long deep swig and
didn't respond to his comment. She didn't feel threatened, not yet
anyway, but hoped he didn't expect anything from her, because if he
did he was going to be sorely disappointed.
"Come on, let's dance, you feel good in my arms." Casey moved
them towards the floor again.
Paige allowed the songs and the motions of their bodies swaying
with one another to take her thoughts away. He felt good in her arms
too. They remained on the dance floor through she didn't know how
many songs, breaking long enough to get a drink then go back out.
People came and went from the bar, the floor sometimes packed, at
other times just the two of them. Normally she would be self-
conscious, but somehow, tonight the thought never crossed her mind.
Then, at one point while taking a bathroom break, Paige glanced at
her phone and gasped when she saw that it was nearly one in the
morning. She never stayed out that late. Glancing in the mirror a
giggle escaped when she saw the silly smile pasted across her face.
She hadn't danced this much in years and realized she had missed that
one little thing that used to give her so much pleasure.
On her way out of the bathroom, she felt the vibration of her phone
just as Casey walked up to her, a smile on his face that matched her
23
own. Grabbing her phone, she saw that Rosa was calling. When she
answered, she heard Rosa's frantic voice on the other end.
"Hold on, I can't hear you in here. Let me step out." Turning to
Casey, a frown creased her brow. "It's Rosa, she sounds upset."
Casey immediately steered her towards the exit and out into the
muggy, warm night air.
"Rosa, what's wrong?" Paige was concerned. Rosa never called her
like this.
"I need for you to hurry and come to my room." Rosa sounded
desperate. "I can't get him to leave."
Paige was worried. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She glanced at
Casey who was already waiving down a taxi. She gave him a grateful
smile when one pulled over and he opened the back door for her to
slide into the back seat. She turned with a surprised look on her face
when he climbed in beside her. Rosa told her to hurry, and then hung
up the phone, which troubled Paige even more.
She was about to ask Casey why he was coming with her, but he
cut her off. "You may need my help." He spoke to the driver.
Since they were both drunk, she wasn't quite sure if either one of
them could help if Tadd or John, or both, refused to leave. From the
sounds of Rosa's voice, she was pretty drunk too. Paige was afraid
she had gotten herself in deeper than she'd anticipated.
The drive back to the gate was short. Unfortunately, the city cab
didn't have access to drive on base, so he dropped them off at the
security gate. She didn't even bother trying to pay when she saw
Casey already leaning forward. Hopping out of car and walking up to
the gate, Paige tried to keep a straight face. She pressed her lips
together and flashed her Common Access Card to the military police
officer on duty. He looked so serious and she couldn't help but giggle
slightly, but covered it up with a cough when Casey playfully nudged
her.
Base lodging was a mile walk from where they were, and they
hurried as quickly as they could without running. Paige felt another
giggle escape and thought how funny it had to look with an inebriated
woman wobbling down the street trying to go save her friend.
24
Casey smiled and grabbed her hand. All of a sudden, he didn't
seem to be drunk anymore and she wanted to kick him for it. She had
consumed way more alcohol than she normally did and felt really
tipsy by the time they rode the elevator up to the second floor where
Rosa and her rooms were located.
Paige pointed out which room was Rosa's. While Casey knocked
on the door, she stood slightly behind him and frowned when Rosa
opened the door with a big smile on her face. Now she stood there
with a smile on her face? Irritated she stared at the woman who had
made her leave the dance floor to come rescue her. "I thought you
were having trouble." Her voice was flat.
Rosa motioned for them to come on in.
Paige stepped around Casey and followed Rosa into the room.
Anticipating that her smile was because Tadd had left, she figured no
one was in the room and stopped short. There he was, a grin in his
face while he was, sprawled half on the couch. Pants unbuttoned and
shirt tossed carelessly on the floor. Paige stared, unsure of what Rosa
expected her to do.
"Oh, he just pissed me off, but we're fine now. Come in, we have
wine." Rosa's shirt was slid half way up her waist. Apparently her
heels had been kicked off when she'd walked into the room. Her
shoes lay haphazardly where they had bounced off the wall of the
entry way.
"Where's John?" Paige glanced around cautiously, half anticipating
him to come in the room half naked as well. Her eyes leapt to Tadd
when he spoke.
"Oh, he's a couple rooms down with Angie." Lifting his arm as if
pointing them in the direction of where John was down the hallway.
Tadd's skin was a golden tan. Even in his resting position, his
muscle bulged.
Casey followed Paige and stood with his hands on his hips with a
stern gaze at Tadd but asked Rosa, "You sure everything is ok?"
"Yeah, all's good." Rosa's speech was still slurred.
Even though Paige was drunk, Rosa had consumed way more
alcohol than she had and wondered how she was even standing. She