by Julie Tizard
Casey was exhausted, sweating, and brain-dead as she climbed out of the jet. When they went inside, Captain Hardesty said, “Would you like a Coke, Casey?”
“Yes, ma’am, I think I would.”
They walked over to the bank of vending machines on the wall. “This is the official food of cross-country flying, Casey.” Captain Hardesty got two Cokes, bags of Cheetos, and two Snickers bars. They sat in companionable silence eating their junk food.
“Let’s debrief a little. Your overall instrument flying was pretty good and you did an okay job on the approaches.” Casey was surprised. She thought she’d done a terrible job flying. “You need to work on your situation orientation. That’s the hardest thing about instrument flying, but that will come.” Casey smiled inside at Captain Hardesty’s confidence in her. “The low-level leg to Miramar should be easier now. We have to be very heads-up going in there because we’ll be mixing it up with a bunch of Navy F-14s and F-18s going really fast. Sorry I had to take a last landing in here, but I knew we had to get in front of that B-52. We were starting to get low on gas.”
“How did you know you could get in front of them?”
“Oh, just a few thousand landings in the Tweet. By the way, that’s how you fly a tight overhead pattern if you ever have to. Just make sure you’re stabilized on final. Ready for the next leg?”
“Yes, ma’am, I guess so.” She was a little less brain-dead after the sugar and caffeine.
The low-level leg to Miramar was a lot less stressful than the previous one. She found all her turn points and even enjoyed the view. The Navy controller gave her a precision radar approach that turned out to be a piece of cake. Casey was glad to see two other Tweets parked in front of base operations. Her classmates Keller and Montgomery were waiting for her inside operations with room keys to the visiting officer quarters.
“Just drop off your flight gear in your rooms and come over to the O Club. Don’t change out of your flight suits. Captain Stavros and Captain McClain are already there, and they have a head start on us.”
“Thanks, guys, see you in a few,” Captain Hardesty said. “Good job on the low-level, Casey, and the approach. See, that radar approach isn’t so tough.”
“No, ma’am, it was easier than I thought it would be.”
“Well, they have to keep things real simple for these Navy pilots.”
Laughing, they both went into their respective rooms.
Casey noticed how stark the quarters were compared to Air Force quarters. Air Force rooms were not plush, by any means, but this was positively Spartan and tiny. “I guess it’s better than being on a boat.” As she washed her hands and face, she heard the sound of the shower next door, in Captain Hardesty’s room. An image of her all soaped up with her sandy brown hair wet against her face came into Casey’s mind. What does she look like under that flight suit? Does she like to play in the shower? Casey enjoyed the fantasy a few moments until she heard the water shut off. “Oh my God. Where did that come from?” She splashed more cold water on her face, then hurried out the door to the Officers’ Club.
Casey found the IPs and her classmates standing at the bar sharing a pitcher of beer.
“Tompkins! Come and join us. You look like you need several beers. Bartender, we need another glass.”
Casey relished the cold, sharp taste of the beer as she took a big swig. She definitely felt like relaxing after two challenging flights today, and she needed to get her mind off the shower fantasy of Kathryn Hardesty. This bar was as noisy as the bar at Willie but filled with Navy and Marine Corps pilots. There were several young women here, but she was the only woman in a flight suit. She felt very conspicuous. She heard a scream over her shoulder and turned to see a bunch of Marine pilots laughing as they “played a harmless game” with some of the local girls. They would sneak up behind a girl, bend down, then bite her on her butt cheek. The girls didn’t seem to be enjoying it nearly as much as the Marines did. Casey sensed Kathryn standing right behind her. She turned, looked at Kathryn’s damp hair, and tried not to choke on her beer as she reached for a glass for her.
“Fucking jarheads.”
“Don’t say that too loud, Hard-Ass, or they’ll eighty-six us right out of here. Have some beer and chill,” Captain Stavros said.
“I’ll have ginger ale instead.”
“Uh-oh, she’s going right for the hard stuff. Watch out.”
“Shut up, you assholes, and give me my ginger ale.”
Casey enjoyed their good-natured ribbing. Other than Captain Arnau, she’d never seen Kathryn joke around with any other IPs. It was nice to see her cut up with the guys. She rarely ever smiled at work. Away from Willie, relaxed in this Navy bar, she laughed with abandon and showed her killer dimples when she smiled.
Casey caught movement reflected in the mirror behind the bar. Two Marines were trying to sneak up behind Captain Hardesty. Before she even thought about it, Casey quickly turned with her knee bent and caught the first one hard in the chest. He fell back with an “oof” and hit his head on the floor. Everyone at the bar turned to see what the commotion was, and they were surprised to see a big, tough Marine splayed out on the floor with a woman Air Force pilot standing over him. Then they started laughing at him. “Smooth move, Ex-Lax!” “Wochowski just got shot down by the Air Force!”
“Do you need some assistance, Lieutenant?” Captain Hardesty said, looking down at the man on the floor.
“Uh, no, ma’am,” he muttered.
“Then I suggest you leave now before my student really kicks your ass.”
The Marine pilots shuffled off in disgrace as the rest of the pilots in the bar howled at them.
“Maybe we should go get some food before Tompkins takes out any more jarheads,” Captain Stavros suggested.
They left the bar laughing and joking and spent the rest of the evening having a pleasant meal together. For the first time in the five months since starting pilot training, Casey felt herself start to relax around her classmates and IPs. This is kind of nice.
When they returned to the visiting officer quarters, Captain Hardesty hung back from the group with Casey.
“You did well on your flights today, Casey, and thank you for defending my honor from those drunken Marine pilots.”
“Any time, ma’am.”
“Try to get some sleep. You’ve got a very busy day tomorrow. Good night.”
“Yes, ma’am, see you tomorrow.” Casey watched Captain Hardesty retreat into her quarters, wondering what she slept in.
Chapter Seventeen
The morning cross-country flight to Mather Air Force Base was busy with holding, course intercepts, and more instrument approaches. Casey was getting the hang of quick flight planning and was doing better at mentally keeping up with the plane. She was pleased with her flying and was looking forward to going out on the town in Las Vegas with her classmates and IPs. She was especially looking forward to spending time again with Kathryn in a more casual setting. After landing at Nellis, they walked into base operations and Casey saw a young blond woman officer wearing fatigues who was obviously waiting for them.
“Welcome to Nellis. I’m Captain Jill Eller, and I’m the deputy airfield officer. You can leave your flight gear in my office, and I have room keys for you at the Circus Circus hotel since the quarters on base are full.”
She handed out their room keys, and she gave Captain Hardesty a big smile when she reached her. Casey disliked her instantly.
“There’s a bus outside waiting to take you to the hotel. The bus will be back to pick you up at 0900 hours tomorrow morning. Have fun tonight in Las Vegas, and don’t get arrested.”
The guys were very excited as they filed out to the bus, and Casey noticed Captain Hardesty wasn’t with them.
“Hey, Hard-Ass, you coming? We’ve got some slot machines waiting for us!” Captain Stavros said.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later at the hotel. Captain Eller and I are going to get caught up over dinner.
Have fun.”
As the bus started to leave, Casey saw Captain Eller wrap her arms around Captain Hardesty’s neck in a very big hug.
*****
The guys were in high spirits. They were conspicuous in their fight suits, and the smoke and noise from the bustling casino practically assaulted them.
“All right, troops, change into your street clothes and meet back up in the main bar in fifteen minutes,” Captain Stavros said.
Casey entered her room and threw her bag across the room. “Crap. Who is that blond bitch and what’s she doing with Captain Hardesty?” Casey wanted to go out with Kathryn and the guys and have a good time, but now she was the only woman in the group—once again. “The hell with her and that blonde. I’m going to have a good time anyway.” She quickly changed into her jeans and polo shirt and went down to the hotel bar.
Keller and Montgomery were flirting with two buxom blondes who looked like hookers, and Captain Stavros was ordering drinks. They decided to eat at the hotel buffet, then they were going to a “great show bar” that Captain Stavros knew about.
“Captain Stavros, shouldn’t we wait for Captain Hardesty? She said she would meet up with us at the hotel,” Casey asked.
“She called me a few minutes ago. She’s having dinner with Captain Eller and her husband. I guess they were stationed together at Fairchild. She said she’d meet us in the morning.” Casey tried to hide her disappointment, but she was very glad to hear that the blonde was married.
After stuffing themselves at the buffet, they went by cab to Captain Stavros’s favorite place, which turned out to be a strip bar. Casey really didn’t care to go in, but she couldn’t back out without looking like a wimp. She was trying to fit in with the guys, so she decided to keep her mouth shut, put her feminist self temporarily in the closet, and go along with them. The strip bar was reasonably nice inside. This was supposed to be an upscale gentlemen’s club. She would need several drinks to get through this experience.
They sat at a table, thankfully, not too close to the stage. Casey chugged her first two drinks to relax and decided to view the whole evening as an anthropology experiment.
She observed the men who came in and the women who worked here. Most of the men looked like college guys or businessmen, not slobbering old perverts. The women serving drinks were young, cute, and trim, and they all had big breasts. They were smiling at the men and collecting big tips. Once the show started, Casey was surprised at how beautiful the performers were. These women appeared to be having a great time putting on a show for the cheering men. One woman came onstage, and Casey couldn’t take her eyes off her. She was a talented dancer who’d obviously received professional training. She didn’t have huge breasts but had the body of a swimmer or a gymnast. Maybe it was the numerous drinks she’d had, but Casey was sure the dancer was looking at her as she moved on the stage. Her eyes sparked with intelligence and seduction. She was playing with these men, using them instead of letting them use her. Her smile was dazzling and her eyes were green—almost the color of Kathryn’s. Casey felt a tingling in her stomach at the sight of the dancer and realized she’d had way too much to drink. She was aroused, self-conscious, and tipsy. She needed to leave. As she rose to go, Captain Stavros touched her arm. “Where are you going, Casey?”
“I’m really tired, sir. I’m going back to the hotel.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, thanks, I’ll be fine. You guys stay and have a good time. See you tomorrow.”
Outside, the night air was warm, and she was glad to get out of that smoky, noisy strip club. Why do those gorgeous women do this? Is it just the money or is it something else?
Pondering the whole experience, Casey was glad Kathryn wasn’t here. Watching naked women dance and sitting next to her would have been way too much to handle. Maybe she was still up and Casey could talk to her about this. That’s exactly what she wanted to do—discuss this with Captain Hardesty and try to figure out how to fit in with these men, her fellow pilots. She needed to see her.
Back at the hotel, Casey found her way to her room. She’d seen Kathryn’s room key and knew her room was right next to Casey’s. She felt an urgency to talk to her, to see her, and she checked the time. It was eleven fifteen. That’s not too late. I’ll just go listen outside her door, and if she’s still up, I’ll knock on her door.
She staggered a little as she quietly walked over to Kathryn’s door and checked the hall to make sure no one was watching. She leaned her ear against the door and was surprised to hear two different voices and the sound of laughter. What the hell? Is someone with her? In Casey’s drunken state she was both confused and irritated. Is she still with the blonde from base ops? I thought she was married? Casey was just about to raise her fist to knock on the door when the sound seemed to change. She heard murmuring and something else. This was driving her crazy. She had to know what was going on in there. Her thinking was fuzzy, but she came up with a plan that seemed reasonable.
She went back to her room and stepped out on the small balcony. Maybe she could hear more clearly what they were talking about. She couldn’t hear any better because Kathryn’s sliding glass door was closed, but she could see dim light inside and some kind of motion in the room through the gauzy drapes. I could just climb over my balcony railing to her balcony and steal a little peek into her room. It seemed perfectly logical.
After looking down the twelve floors to the glittering lights of the Vegas strip below, Casey pretended she was a stealthy cat and carefully climbed up on top of her balcony railing. She quietly stretched her foot the four feet over to Kathryn’s railing. Delicately balancing on the railing, she slowly lowered herself to Kathryn’s balcony, being careful to stay in the shadows. She bent down low and crept over to an opening in the drapes. Her heart was pounding with fear, but she had to see—she had to know.
She peeked through a small slit in the drapes into the dimly lit room and squinted to make out the dark images. She threw her hand over her mouth to cover her gasp and almost fell over backward at the sight. Kathryn’s compact form was unmistakable, and the movement was as clear as a slap in the face. The blonde was on all fours kneeling on the bed, and Kathryn was behind her. Casey wanted to run, but she was frozen by the sight in front of her. She was mesmerized as she watched Kathryn’s arm move like a powerful piston as she pounded the blonde from behind. The blonde had her head thrown back in ecstasy with her legs wide apart as her moaning got louder and louder. Kathryn reached forward with her left hand to grip the blonde’s shoulder as she increased her pace and slammed her own hips into the woman’s behind. Oh my God, I have to get out of here now.
Chapter Eighteen
Casey swore as she threw on her flight suit. She was late for the bus, her head was pounding from all the alcohol she’d drunk the night before, and she was dreading seeing Captain Hardesty this morning. She expected to be chewed out for being late, but when she got to the bus, the flight commander was missing and so was Montgomery. Captain Hardesty was sitting by herself in the bus, and Casey preferred to stay outside waiting for the rest of the crew. Captain Stavros and Montgomery showed up a few minutes later looking rather green, and they were both wearing sunglasses. The bus ride out to the base was unusually quiet. Casey sat way in the back, away from Captain Hardesty, next to a snoring Montgomery.
This was the epitome of awkward. Casey would have to sit next to Captain Hardesty in a compact airplane all day, concentrate on flying complicated instrument maneuvers, and try not to think about what she’d seen and heard last night. After spying on Kathryn having sex with the Blond Bitch, Casey’s desperate need to flee caused her to slip and almost fall off the twelfth-story balcony as she leapt to her own balcony. Maybe that would have been better.
Last night was a terrible mistake filled with regret. She wished she could purge the images from her mind. After she’d made it back to her own room, Casey couldn’t stand the thought of hearing them through the hotel wall,
so she’d gone down to the bar and had two more stiff drinks. Some guy kept hitting on her and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She finally escaped his clutches by pretending to be sick in the ladies’ room and went back to her room via the service elevator. When she walked down the hall to her room, she couldn’t prevent herself from stopping at Kathryn’s door to listen for more sounds of sex. Silence this time. Maybe the Blond Bitch had gone home to her husband or maybe Hard-Ass had fucked her to death. Screw both of them.
Casey had begged for sleep as her emotions fought a pitched battle. She knew Kathryn was gay, but she hadn’t imagined that she might have a girlfriend. She never would have pictured Kathryn with a married, bleached blonde with big, fake tits who wasn’t even cute. The whole scene made her angry and disappointed, but worst of all, jealous. How could she possibly be jealous? Kathryn was her instructor, not her lover. She couldn’t allow herself to think about this anymore, as they were almost back to the base. She would have to focus on flight planning her mission back to Willie, fly the jet as best she could, and process the whole incident after she got home.
Inside base operations, Casey efficiently plotted her course on the chart, wrote out her flight plan, and did the fuel and time calculations with her whiz wheel. Captain Hardesty looked it over and made no corrections.
“What departure are you expecting out of here?”
“The sign says to expect to fly runway heading, then get a vector to the Boulder VOR, ma’am.”
“Brief me on the weather.” Captain Hardesty’s questions were clipped and short, like she was irritated with Casey.
“The weather briefer said to expect moderate turbulence until we climb above fifteen thousand feet, then clear skies the rest of the way to Willie.”