“I can’t believe you left like this.”
“I know it was nae ideal, but it was the best way. Yer know there were things I wanted tae do afore I left if I was going tae go. But after I spoke tae them earlier today, they offered me a much better deal if I could leave reet away. They needed me urgently.”
“I need you, too, and we didn’t even agree you were going to do this.”
“I know Katie, I’m sorry, but if I do this job, it could give us enough money tae buy the house yer want and set us up fer life. It’s just six months, we’ll be in touch every day and I’ll be able tae come haem fer visits.”
She swallowed hard and felt herself getting upset at the realization of what he said. They had been looking at houses the prior weekend. She made it clear that she would love to live in a nice lake-front property. That kind of house was very expensive and if they were going to have a place like that, he needed to get some extra money. Due to his Special Forces military background and an old friend, he was offered a job as a personal security guard in Baghdad. The company was Professional Corporate Protection Services (PCPS). They supplied personal bodyguards for executives whose companies were intent on expanding their businesses. Making money in dangerous parts of the world by getting a foot in the door when that particular country’s economy was at a low point gave them a great possibility of growth. PCPS only hired British or American ex-Special Forces military personnel and charged the companies an extraordinary amount of money for specialized protection of their employees. It was supposed to be a type of intelligence/surveillance job, which would include getting the client safely to and from work every day and providing round-the-clock protection while they were there. Years before he and his unit had performed many missions in the area during and after Baghdad’s fall to coalition troops during Operation- Enduring Freedom. He knew his way around the city. According to all reports and the recruiters at PCPS, Baghdad was becoming a safer place. It seemed like easy money, and he wanted it to give the girl of his dreams the house of her dreams.
“Just trust me, it will be worth it, I have tae go tae catch my flight tae London, I will call yer when I get there and I’ll be in touch with yer every time I can.”
He was to meet with one of the bosses of PCPS in London to collect some paperwork, then fly on to Kuwait and eventually into Baghdad.
“Okay, I love you,” she said, reluctantly, feeling guilty that he was doing this so he could afford the type of house that she wanted.
“I love yer more,” he replied, before quickly hanging up the phone so she could not object.
She did have a tear in her eye, but a smile came to her face when he did this. She could not help it. It was a private joke, arguing about who loved the other more.
She sat back down on the couch thinking about the next time she would hear from him. Where would he be? Would he be safe at his final destination in Baghdad? How was she going to get through six months without seeing him? She still could hear the sound of his voice in her head. His accent always made her melt. From the first time they met, it was one of the things that attracted her to him. She loved the way he rolled his r’s and the way he pronounced things in general. Sometimes people couldn’t understand what he was saying. Sometimes just the way he spoke made women want him. Over the last few months he was hit on quite often by American women who were fascinated by his accent. He didn’t understand it and was always polite when meeting people, but as far as he knew he didn’t do anything to encourage these advances. Katie knew that was the truth. He was a complete gentleman and she never once questioned his faithfulness or devotion to her.
Thinking about his accent reminded her of two nights ago, their last intimate night together. His big, strong arms held her close. Gripping her hair at the base of her neck, running his fingers along her face and neck. Whispering, ‘I love yer.’ Biting her ear lobe, she melted from his touch. He lifted her, sitting her up, removing her black, silk teddy, exposing and caressing her breasts, before moving over her. Kissing her neck, her shoulders, moving slowly downwards nibbling and licking her nipples, making them erect. His lips made their way down the length of her curvy body, between her legs, his hands caressing her breasts arousing them, his tongue moved to and around her core.
“Mom, what’s for dinner?” she looked up and saw her youngest daughter Sophia looking hungry. Katie got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen, it was time to be a mom. She would have plenty of time to think about Scott later.
Chapter 2
The next morning, Katie awoke early and checked her phone to see if Scott left a message, but there were none. She thought to herself, he would be in touch when he could. She hoped to hear from him before leaving for work, but realized there were things he needed to do in London. It was Friday, a beautiful May morning and the sun was shining brightly. She did not really want to go to work, but at least it was the end of the week and she had the weekend to make sense of things. Katie made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the breakfast table. The sounds of birds singing and the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen as she contemplated her mixed feelings of all that transpired the previous day. On the one hand, she was still angry with him for going, but felt special that he would do this for her and her girls. She was fearful of what could happen to him there. She read his ‘goodbye’ email several times the previous evening and he assured her that he had been told Baghdad was becoming a safer place. However, it was still Baghdad, the place she had seen on the news a few times. It did not look safe to her. She really did not know what to think, but kept trying to relax and trust his judgment. After all, if he was right, then she was going to have the big house she’d always wanted and they’d all live there together, Scott, the girls and herself. After the marriage she was in, she had given up on the prospect of her ‘happily ever after’ and now it looked like it was really going to happen. She had found a great man who loved her and would do anything for her. The bonus was that he also loved her girls. How could she stay angry with him?
Just as she finished her coffee, two sleepy looking girls appeared in the kitchen still wearing their pajamas. Sophia was nine and a petite girl who loved fashion. Every day she would pick out her own outfits with accessories. It didn’t matter where she was going, whether it was to school or the grocery store, what she was wearing had to match and look good. Madison was eleven and into horses. She went riding at least once a week at a local stable. She recently started taking her sister along with her and Sophia really enjoyed it too. They were both pretty, with long blond hair just like their mother. They got along pretty well with each other most of the time, although like all siblings there was the occasional skirmish. Katie had slowly introduced them to Scott and it had paid off. They both got along with him very well and he enjoyed being around them too. At first, he was nervous about meeting them and how to act, having had no real experience with children. He need not have worried; he seemed to be a natural. Maybe it was because he was still such a big kid himself. Most weekends he found himself playing computer games, riding their four-wheelers or just general horsing around. The three could usually be found doing something fun together.
It was a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. The girls left to catch the school bus and Katie was finishing getting herself ready to leave for work. She had about a ten minute drive to the small school where she taught kindergarten. As she was about to walk out of the house, her phone rang. It was Scott.
“Hi baby, how are yer?” he asked.
“Hey babe, I’m good. How are you? Where are you? What’s happening?”
He interrupted her as he could tell the questions were going to be coming rapidly.
“Calm doon, I can only answer one question at a time. I’m fine. I’m in London and I have a meeting here in aboot half an hoor. I will know more later, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be flying into Kuwait later today,” he paused, then continued.
“I know yer probably on yer way tae work now, but I will try a
nd call yer again when yer on yer lunch break.”
“Yeah, I’m just on my way out of the door. Call me later and let me know what’s going on. If I can’t answer just leave me a message.”
“Will do babe. I miss yer already.”
“I miss you too. Talk to you later. Love you.”
“I love yer more,” he said, then hung up the phone quickly again.
“That fu…r,” Katie said aloud. It was a good thing she was not at school. She could not help smiling to herself again as she got into her car. She put on her sunglasses, turned up the radio and headed to work.
Katie recently returned to teaching full-time after her break up with Michael. Before then, she had been a substitute teacher and worked occasionally, since her main job was being a mom. She enjoyed teaching, but Michael wouldn’t let her work full time, not even when they struggled for money. It was another way of controlling her. She needed the money now to pay the bills. He hardly paid any child support and there seemed very little she could do about it, even though it was court ordered in their separation and pre-divorce documents. The way Michael perceived it, Scott was Katie’s boyfriend now, so why should he be forced to pay if someone else was reaping all the benefits. He was selfish and angry and would do anything to hurt her, even if it meant doing things that would ultimately hurt his own children. Katie lived in their marital home. Michael took a second mortgage on the house without her knowledge and then refused to pay any mortgage payments since before they split up and the house was now in foreclosure. She discovered it after she kicked him out. Michael was an auto mechanic and yet no bills were paid. Katie suspected it was a drug problem or he was supporting a mistress. Either could have been true, or both. The fact was her house, where her children were growing up was going to be foreclosed on and they would have to find another place to live.
At lunchtime, Katie checked her phone and there were no messages yet from Scott. She sat down, took out her sandwich, a bottle of water and placed her phone on the arm of the chair, not wanting to miss the call. This would probably be the last time she would speak to him before he left for the Middle East. She trusted him and his expertise, but could not help but worry that something might happen to him. She promised herself that she would never let any man get this close to her, but within a few weeks of meeting Scott she knew she was starting to fall for him. She had known him for a little less than a year, but could not imagine her life without him. He was just supposed to be a transition guy to help get over her break up, but things had not quite gone to plan. She knew without a doubt that he was the one she was to spend the rest of her life with. Raise her girls with as well as have more children with. She was in love, the kind of love she never experienced and it was fantastic. The only problem was that he just left for Baghdad for six months. Katie continued to stare at her phone as the minutes went by, willing it to ring, hoping it would, but nothing. Time was up. She put the phone in her purse and headed back to class.
Later that afternoon when she finished work, Katie reached for her purse to check her phone. She wanted to check it all afternoon and tried really hard to focus on her class. There was one missed call. He called about ten minutes after her lunch break. She excitedly dialed her voicemail and waited to hear his message.
“Hey baby, I’m sorry I missed yer, I really wanted tae talk tae yer afore I left tae explain a few things tae yer aboot what’s going tae happen, but I was on a tight schedule and have tae catch a flight in tae Kuwait at 7:00 p.m.”
There was a pause. She was not sure if that was the end of the message, but then she heard him continue.
“I’m at Heathrow now and at the gate fer my flight, so I have a couple of minutes tae explain things. Reet… I’m flying in tae Kuwait tonight and will meet a contact there tae give me papers tae get into Iraq. He will also arrange fer a private plane tae take me in tae Baghdad tomorrow. Apparently there are nae many major airlines that use Baghdad International anymore so it’s best tae use small private planes tae get in and oot of there. The guy who runs the operation over there will meet me at the airport and take me tae their office tae give me a rundoon on the city and everything I need tae do. They told me I would be guarding someone who works fer a Japanese business. I think they said it was a large electronics company. Anyway, he will be arriving on Monday and I will have tae collect him from the airport and take him tae the hotel. Then, I stay at the hotel with him tae make sure he’s safe. I’ll tell yer more when I get there. They told me I will get a laptop computer and be supplied with a cell phone that will definitely be able tae call the U.S. so I should be able tae call yer every day. Have tae go now baby, will talk tae yer as soon as I can. Dinnae worry aboot me I promise I will come haem tae yer safely. I love yer and I miss yer. Say hi tae the girls fer me. Bye babe.”
“I love you too,” she said. It finally began to sink in that she was not going to see him for a while. She knew it was a just a voice message, but she needed to say what she did. She thought to herself that London was five hours ahead. He had mentioned that to her before. That meant it was just after 8:30 p.m. there and he said his flight was leaving at seven, so his flight had departed, he was in the air and on his way to the Middle East. She played his message again, partly to check the time that he was supposed to be leaving and to hear his voice again. She got into her car to head home. The girls’ bus dropped them off at 4:00 p.m. so she wanted to make sure she was back in time.
As she drove home, she realized she needed to tell them that Scott would not be around for a while. She knew they would be disappointed and would not really understand the reasons behind his leaving. She did not say anything the previous day, just in case he decided not to go, although she knew it was highly unlikely he would change his mind. Maybe she would take them out to eat at their favorite restaurant or maybe to her parent’s house and tell everyone together. She arrived home before the girls’ bus and sat down on the couch with a cup of coffee waiting for them to get home. She decided to turn on her laptop and try to find some information about what Baghdad was like now. However, after just a couple of minutes, she wished differently. She could not find much in the way of positive information so she quickly abandoned her search and checked her email just in case he managed an email before he left. No message, but she knew it was a busy day and he was probably jet lagged too. On a positive note, he left a message on her phone just as promised. In addition, he said he would have a cell phone that was capable of making calls to her when he got there so she knew he would call when he could.
The evening went well. Katie took the girls out to eat at a local Japanese restaurant. She and Sophia loved Sushi. Madison was not as keen, but there were plenty of other choices. After the meal, they stopped at her parent’s house so she could talk to them all together. Her parent’s lived about ten minutes away, in the house where she grew up and she enjoyed visiting them. They met Scott a number of times and they all got along very well. Her father was a little cold towards him at first, but she thought that was from being concerned that he may be like Michael. He soon learned that Scott was a true gentleman and welcomed him anytime he came with her to visit. Everyone was surprised at the news and was sad that Scott was not going to be around for a while, but overall she thought they took it well. If she was honest, probably better than she did.
Later that night as she lay alone in bed thinking of Scott, she was wishing his strong arms were wrapped around her. She longed to feel his hands on her body, his breath on her neck, and his kiss. Damn! This was going to be a long six months. She pictured him standing in front of her wearing just his kilt. He was proud of his heritage and wore it quite often. This would mortify the girls as people would stare and point. They may have been embarrassed, but Scott found it funny to see people’s reactions. His family’s tartan was mainly blue and green with an occasional red and yellow stripe. She loved to see him in his kilt. It was even better when he took his shirt off and just wore it and nothing else. She envisioned his strong arms and
shoulders, toned chest and amazing abs. She imagined digging her long nails into his flesh, enough to leave a mark down the front of him. She knew he loved this and so did she. She pictured herself grabbing his butt with both hands as she licked his stomach. Thinking of his muscular body aroused her. She slowly slid her hand down in between her legs, started to pleasure herself and thought to herself that she wouldn’t be getting the real thing for a while, although he said there was a chance he may be able to come home for short visits occasionally. She hoped so. She knew there was no way she could last six months without feeling him deep inside her. It sent a warm flush through her, just thinking of him.
The next morning Sophia woke her mom by deciding to cuddle in bed with her. It was after 10:00 a.m. and it was unusual for any of them to sleep this late. She reached for her phone. She’d slept with it on her pillow and surprisingly, there was a missed call from an unavailable number and a message. It rang at 9:06 a.m., but she did not wake up. She was mad she missed talking to Scott, but eagerly dialed voicemail anticipating his voice.
“Hey baby, if I got the time reet it should be after 9:00 a.m. over there so I’m nae sure why yer nae answering, I cannae believe yer still asleep. Anyway, it’s just after 5 p.m. here. We’re eight hoors ahead of yer. If yer have nae already guessed, I got here safely, I’m at the Baghdad office and will stay here fer the night. They have a wee apartment here so I’m guid. I have tae go over some more details with the boss tomorrow and then I pick up the client on Monday. There is something I have tae tell yer though, and trust me, it came as a huge shock tae me and I really am nae happy aboot it. The client is a woman, an American woman who works fer the company’s office in San Diego. She’s been put in charge of getting the business started over here. I have nae idea really why anyone would want tae come here, especially a woman, and it will make things difficult. If any of these crazy insurgent groups find oot there’s an American woman here, she’s going tae be a prime target tae be kidnapped. They’ll think they will be able tae get a bigger ransom fer her so I’m going tae have tae take extra precautions tae make sure she stays as much a secret as possible. I do have tae stay at the hotel with her, but I have been assured that her company has supplied a two-room suite at a top hotel. So like I said, I’m nae happy aboot it, but I guess there’s nae much I can do now. I will try and call yer again later if yer going tae wake up anytime today, but I am a wee bit tired so will be having an early night. Love yer baby. Hope yer and the girls are well. Bye.”
KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal Page 2