by Alix Labelle
The rest of the men made their way by foot to the lone brick building. They could spot it from pretty far away, which left them at an advantage. They watched for a little while, but spotted very little movement outside of the building. Then they circled around, still leaving a safe distance between them and the building. They were checking for windows, doors, and other points of entry.
The good news was that they had an advantage over the Taliban- The element of surprise. The plan was for five men to break through each door and window at the same time. The only problem with that would be trying to locate and secure the hostages before they were injured or killed in the crossfire. This was not going to be an easy mission.
Just as they were getting ready to separate and carry out their plan of attack, the door to the building opened. Out walked three of the kidnappers, and two people who were obviously being held against their wills. The soldiers got completely quiet and stood as still as possible. The men looked to their lieutenant for any sort of guidance. He looked at them and mouthed, “On the count of three. One…..two….three.”
Quietly and efficiently the soldiers made their way to the building. The shadows hid them for most of the trek, and the constant yelling of the kidnappers drown out the crunching of boots on debris. The captors were truly surprised when they finally spotted the soldiers. But it was too late for them. With perfect aim, the lieutenant and two of his men took all three of them out before they could draw their guns. As Robinson started to make his way quickly to the hostages, more men started running out of the building.
When one of them noticed the hostages standing by themselves, he pointed him gun at Sheila and yelled. Everything happened so quickly after that. Sheila remembered hearing a blast, thinking she was going to die. And then there was Tim. As quickly as that man drew his weapon, Tim had jumped in front of Sheila taking the bullet meant for her.
With her mouth formed into a silent O, she looked down at Tim and saw he had been shot in the chest. She couldn’t stop watching the blood. She couldn’t move. Finally she felt someone grab her and usher her away from the scene. By then, guns were being fired everywhere. People were running around yelling. Some of the Taliban were also laying on the ground bleeding.
“I’m sorry about your friend. I’m going to take you somewhere safe for now. My name is Lieutenant Robinson. You’re safe,” he spoke to Sheila as gently as he could while pulling her away from the danger.
All she could do was nod her head, and say a quiet, “Thank you.”
The Lieutenant knew what shock looked like, and Sheila was very close. He knew he needed to take her mind off of everything that had just happened, so he started to ask her questions. “What is your name, ma’am?”
“Sheila,” she answered.
“It’s nice to meet you Sheila. Where are you from and what in the world are you doing here in Herat?” he asked. He knew she was a journalist, but he wanted to ask her questions that she had to answer with more than one word.
“I live in California. I came here to cover parts of the war. I work for CNN. I was really excited about coming here. It was supposed to be my big break. Now…….” She couldn’t continue, and Robinson could hear the pain in her voice.
He tried to change the subject so she didn’t have to think about the gruesome scene they had just left behind. “Do you have children, Sheila? How about pets? I bet you have a dog. Am I right?”
“No children. I don’t have time for a dog. I do have two goldfish, though. They are boring pets, but easy to take care of,” she answered, and she found it was much easier to talk to the Lieutenant than to think about what she had just witnessed.
And before he could ask her another questions, she started sobbing. She was sobbing so hard that she slowly sank down to the ground. He knelt down beside her and not knowing what else to do, he put his arm around her. It seemed to him a good sign that she was showing emotion again. He let her cry it out for about three minutes until he gently had to say, “I’m sorry, but we have to get up and keep moving. I need to get you to safety and get back to my men as fast as possible. Do you think you can get up?”
“Yes,” she replied quietly. “I’m sorry. Thank you for getting me away from those men. I was so scared.”
“You’re welcome. I wish we would have come sooner. Maybe we could have….,” he started to say and then cut himself off.
Sheila knew he was going to say that maybe they could have saved Tim. It wasn’t the lieutenant’s fault, though. It was her fault, because Tim had been trying to save her. At least that’s how she felt at the moment. She didn’t want the lieutenant to feel responsible for Tim’s murder, so she said, “I don’t think it would have changed anything. They were going to kill us both anyways. I think they were arguing about it earlier.”
Needing to change the subject, he told her, “We’re almost there. See where that stone building has fallen down? That’s where I’m taking you. You will have to stay in a tank with some of my men until we finished the takeover. They will keep you safe until the rest of us return.”
Once they reached the tanks, he and another soldier helped her inside of one. Before Sheila could even thank him again, he was running back the way they had come. She was shaking now, so one of the men put a jacket on her that was about three sizes too big. They gave her some water to drink, and before long she had actually fallen asleep. She had gone through so much in the last twelve hours.
As she came to a few hours earlier, it took her a moment to realize where she was. And then it all came back to her. She started to think about Tim when she heard some commotion outside. She instantly became terrified. “Have they come for us? What are we going to do now?” she asked with obvious panic in her voice.
One of the men answered her, “No ma’am. It’s our guys! No reason to be alarmed. They must have finished the mission.”
Relieved, Sheila let out a sigh before saying, “Oh, thank God!” She sat back in her seat. She thought she could hear the lieutenant talking to his soldiers, possibly giving them orders. She was secretly hoping that he would end up in this tank with her. She felt comfortable when he was around her. Besides, he was pretty easy on the eyes and she needed all the distractions she could get at the moment.
She felt herself starting to get disappointed when the first two soldiers on board were not Robinson. Just as she thought he must have been going to ride in another tank, he marched on board. He went straight to her and sat down asking her how she was doing.
“I’m ok. I think I am doing better than the last time you saw me. Did everything, um, go ok out there?” she asked.
“All of our men returned with us, so I would call that a win,” and when he thought about her friend, he all of the sudden felt guilty. He put his head down for a moment thinking how dumb he could be around women sometimes. It had been so long since he had had any sort of female companionship, so it was hard for him to transport himself out of his strict, emotionless Navy personality front. He was going to do his best to try right now, though.
If she noticed his mistake, she didn’t show it when she said, “I’m glad to hear that. Now, where are we going from here? What happens now? When will I be able to go home?”
Robinson let out a small chuckle as he said, “Whoa lady! Slow down. One question at a time.” And he finally noticed a little smile appear on her face. He hadn’t noticed how beautiful she was until he saw that smile. Trying to not be distracted by her beauty he started again, “First we are going to find a safe place to stay for the night, away from where we just were. It is not safe to travel too far in the dark around here. I think that answers the first two questions. I’m afraid I don’t have a definite answer as to when you will be able to go home. It may take a few days before we can make sure everything is clear from our base.”
“Ok,” she answered simply and then got quiet again.
They drove for a few miles and when they came to what looked like a heavily wooded area, they finally stopped. Everyone sta
rted to exit the vehicle. They needed to secure the area before settling in for the night.
“Just stay right here. I will be right back. I’m going to help the guys check out the area and then I can grab you something to eat. You must be starving,” Robinson said before he got up.
She nodded her head thinking that she wasn’t even hungry. She didn’t want to be left alone, but she knew they all had jobs to do. She tried not to let her mind wander to bad thoughts as she waited for him to return. Instead, she thought about her apartment that she was excited to get back to. She focused on her bedroom which she was in the middle of remodeling. Anything to keep her mind off of the horror she had just witnessed.
She was just about to figure out what color of curtains she should choose when she heard someone entering. Until she saw it was the Lieutenant, she had frozen in her seat. Relieved, she asked him, “Is everything ok out there? Are we staying here for the night?”
He answered, “Yes, and yes. All is clean and we will stay here until daylight. Then we can travel back to the base.” He handed her a freeze dried meal and a canteen filled with water. He apologized that it wasn’t the best food, but it was all they had at the moment.
She opened it up and started to eat slowly. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she took a bite. It tasted terrible, but she barely noticed. She finished up quickly and took a drink from the canteen. When she looked over to Robinson, he was staring at her. Like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar, he suddenly looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat and asked if she needed anything else.
This time she was the one who was slightly embarrassed when she asked, “Where can I go to the bathroom?”
“Oh, of course! Um…..well, I think it would be safe for you to go just outside of the wooded area. I can come with you and stand watch. Errrr….I mean just to make sure someone doesn’t coming along. I didn’t mean that I would watch you.”
And for the first time since this morning, Sheila actually laughed, and said to him, “I knew what you meant. And I would appreciate you standing guard for me.”
He laughed too, with relief. “Ok, let’s go then.” Almost automatically he took her hand and helped her out of the tank, then led her to a secluded spot near the woods. Like the gentleman that he was, he stayed far enough away to give her privacy, but close enough to watch for anyone who might approach.
When she was finished, they walked back to the tank. Once they were inside, he looked around for a few minutes and came back with another jacket. “I thought maybe you could use this as a pillow for the night and the other jacket as a make-shift blanket. I wish I could give you better accommodations, but this is the best we have for now.”
Sheila smiled at his kindness and thanked him. “I don’t know if I will be able to sleep,” she said. “But, I will try.”
“Well, I hope you can get some rest. I’m going to take a turn on watch, but I will make sure that there is always someone near in case you need anything. Are you ok?” he asked.
“Wait! You’re leaving? I’m going to be in here by myself?” she asked looking like a scared little girl.
“Well, I……ummmmm,” Robinson stumbled on his words, not sure what to say. Of course he wanted to stay with her. He wanted to look deep into her beautiful blue eyes and kiss those magnificent lips. He wanted to tear her clothes off and lick her from her neck down to her pussy. But, he couldn’t say those things to her.
She saved him from his thoughts when she spoke, “Maybe can you just stay with me until I fall asleep? I just don’t want to be alone.”
And how could he resist her request? “Let me just check on my men one more time and then I will come back and sit with you until you fall asleep. I’ll be right back.”
After he left, Sheila couldn’t help but think about his handsome face and those dark, sexy eyes. She wondered what he looked like without his shirt on. She imagined his flawless, chestnut colored skin rippling with muscles. She wondered what it would feel like to run her hands up and down his chest, feeling his warm skin under her fingertips. She was getting turned on just thinking about it.
Right before she got to the part in her fantasy where she took off his pants, he returned as promised. She wondered if he noticed her flushed cheeks. If he did, he didn’t say anything, thank goodness.
“Was everything ok out there?” she asked trying to take her mind off of the dirty thoughts she had been lost in.
“Yes, everything seems secure. You should lay down now and try to get some sleep,” he replied.
Sheila nodded and started to lay down on the uncomfortable, lightly padded bench. She made a big production of fluffing her jacket/pillow, only because she wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet. She was intrigued by this handsome stranger who had saved her life. She decided to use her womanly charm and at least get him a little closer to her. “I’m still a little scared. Can you sit here with me just so I know you’re close?”
The lieutenant was afraid of what might happen if he got too close to her, but how could he tell her no? She had just been through hell. So, he made his way over to the bench and sat down, turning his body so he could see her face.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Wait. I don’t even know your first name,” she said quietly.
“Alan. My first name is Alan,” he answered.
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Alan. How long have you been here? In Afghanistan?”
“I’ve been here for about a year now. Been a Marine for ten. I’ve been to a lot of different places and seen a lot of different things. It definitely isn’t a boring job for the most part. It does get lonely, though,” he answered honestly.
“I bet it does. I admire all of you that can do this. I take for granted the life I live, in my nice little apartment with air conditioning and plenty of food in my fridge. I can’t imagine doing what you do. I would get lonely, too.” And suddenly she took his hand and looked at him with serious eyes, “Thank you again for saving my life. If it weren’t for you and your crew, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. I don’t know how I can every repay you.”
Robinson was surprised by her gesture and humbled by her gratitude. “You don’t owe me anything. I was just doing what I was trained to do. Plus, your company right now is payment enough. I haven’t seen a woman as beautiful as you in a very long time.”
Sheila smiled and asked seductively, “Is it against some kind of rule for the lieutenant to have relations with the traumatized hostage? This is just a hypothetical question, of course.”
Robinson smiled back, showing off his sexy dimples and before he could answer, she was pulling his face down to hers. The kiss was explosive! Neither one of them knew how much they wanted each other until their lips finally met. From there it was as if a force had taken over both of their bodies. They were no longer in control, so they let the emotions of the stressful day take over.
Without saying a word, she helped him pull off his shirt. His body was better than she had even imagined. It was perfect, and for the night, it was hers. She ran her hands down his chest until she got to his zipper. She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and moved her hands toward his already hard cock. When she grabbed a hold of it and started to slide her hand up and down, she heard him moan.
She couldn’t help herself and she asked in a sultry voice, “You like that, Lieutenant?”
“Oh yes,” he mumbled. “It has been so long since I’ve felt a woman’s touch. It feels amazing!”
So she continued, and then lowered her head down to tease his head with her tongue. Her hair hung down covering her face, so he grabbed a hold of it so he could see exactly what she was doing. When she gave an unexpected moan at the light pull of her hair, he pulled a little harder. When she responded to that with a louder moan, he yanked her off of him and pulled her lips to his and kissed her hard. Then he told her to get on her knees.
Feeling the excitement of being told what to do, Sheila happily obliged. As she got on her knees, he
stood up letting his pants fall to the floor. He grabbed her hair again, gently at first and brought her mouth to his cock. Then he pulled her hair harder and thrust himself deeply inside of her throat. He held this position until she almost started to choke, then he backed out. Her eyes were watering, but she went back for more.
It was almost as if the roughness had woken something inside of her. She went crazy on him. She sucked the head of his cock and then went down as far as she could go and closed her lips around him. She moved up and down, getting faster with each motion.
When he couldn’t take it anymore, he pulled her up by her hair until she was standing. He slowly unbuttoned each of her shirt buttons, licking her body all the way down. He pulled off her bra with one motion and started massaging her nipples. Then he leaned over for a taste. Sheila squirmed as he sucked and nibbled. Once he bit her so hard, she made a noise that he couldn’t decipher. When he looked up at her, she gave him a sexy smile and pushed his head back down to her breasts. As he continued to nibble, he pulled her pants and panties off letting them fall to her ankles
She started to run her fingers through his hair when he suddenly lifted up his head, roughly picked her up and pushed her against the metal wall. Now it was his turn to get on his knees. Sheila shook with anticipation as he licked all around her pussy. When he finally stuck his wet tongue inside, she threw her head back and gave out a moan and sigh at the same time. He licked and sucked on her clit making sure she was wet enough for what was coming next.
He suddenly stood up and turned her around so she was facing the metal. He told her to brace her hands on the wall. So she did. She felt him come up behind her with his hard cock. He parted her ass cheeks and rubbed his manhood in between them. Then without warning he back up slightly and slapped her ass, immediately leaving a red mark. She put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from yelling out.
After he slapped her, he used that same hand to rub her pussy, making sure to hit her clit with each stroke. When she started moving in sync with him, he pulled his hand away. He reached around her and grabbed her breasts, pulling her towards him. He entered her roughly, and rammed himself in as deep as he could go. She took his advice and braced herself with her hands, enjoying the way he just took her.