C. Brown - Fraternizing

Her eyes bulged as she took in the evidence in my hand that could do her in.

“It means you fucking lied about it, and you had a shitty recruiter who didn't check thoroughly. Or maybe he did, and you both lied about it. Either way, this constitutes a fraudulent enlistment and could land you in the fucking brig right alongside me."

I pulled the paper from her face to see a tear falling from her eye.

"You tell me who the fuck told you about Friday, right now. I'm so far gone that if you ran and ratted on me, I wouldn't even give a fuck, but I'm bringing all of you down with me. You understand that?”

She swallowed hard again as another tear fell.

"Castillo," she whispered.

"What was that?"

"Castillo. I overheard her talking to Cpl. Collins."

"Castillo said I fucked her Friday night?"

"Yes."

I should have known. The way she tried to play things off on the phone Saturday morning was too easy going.

"How did this come about?"

"I was in the gym kickboxing. She was working out with Cpl. Collins and they were talking kind of loud. I heard everything she said.”

"And you ran back and told Bennett?"

She nodded her head.

I couldn't have been more thrilled that Ruiz was singing like a canary. To know that Leti had probably orchestrated all of this was fucking infuriating, but didn't come as a shock. She was conniving when she wanted to be. I was only now realizing it.

"Your assault charge stays between me and you as long as you keep your fucking mouth shut, you understand that?"

She nodded her head furiously.

I walked over to the door and pulled it open, motioning for her to step outside. When she did, I quickly shut the door and pulled out my phone.

Me: I need to see you. This shit is getting cleared up today.

To my surprise Cassie responding immediately.

 Cassie: There is nothing to clear up, Alex. You've made your bed, now sleep in it.

Me: I'll make you see me if I have to. But I'd much rather you do it on your own accord.

A few minutes passed before my phone buzzed again.

Cassie: Where are you?

Me: Secondary room. Go the back way.

I took a long, soothing, sigh of relief that I was finally getting to see her again. I was fully prepared that she was probably going to come in hostile, but that didn't matter to me. I just wanted to see her, to smell her, to touch her.

A couple of minutes later, she was pushing the door open and sneaking in. Her cammie pants and her green t-shirt clung tightly to her body, accentuating what I had fallen for and, unfortunately, had been missing.

"Sit down," I softly ordered.

She looked reluctant to do so, but finally moved over to the table and pulled out the other chair, taking a seat while glaring at me. The whiff of her vanilla smell tickled my nose, causing me to inhale deeply. I had missed it, and I could have sat enthralled in the light, sweetness of it for hours.

"I know what's going on. Castillo spilled everything to Collins, Ruiz heard it all and came to you, rubbing it in your face."

"So you fucked her. Who cares how I found out? You did it."

"I didn't fucking sleep with her." My voice was growing low and harsh, not what I wanted when speaking to her. I quickly caught myself. "I did not sleep with her. I made a huge mistake, but I didn't fuck her. I'm being completely honest with you."

"Okay. So since we’re on honesty, and you say you didn't fuck her, what happened?"

I looked into her cold, lifeless eyes. I owed her everything she wanted and more. Taking a long hard swallow, I finally blurted out, "She sucked my dick. But I stopped her after a couple of minutes. I couldn't go through with it."

A hammer went straight to my stomach with the admission of what I had stupidly allowed to happen outside of The Tavern. Her eyes closed tightly, and she exhaled. I wanted her to say something, anything. Even if she was going to tell me how fucking filthy and disgusting I was, I needed to hear it come from her.

But she didn't say anything.

"I never meant for it to happen. I was stupid. I was told by Major Kinsley that I was getting NCO of the Quarter and everything I had done with you came flooding back in, contradicting everything that I had stood for. I handled it in the worst way possible, and I'm so fucking sorry."

She sat staring at me for a minute longer before responding.

"Anything or anyone else? You've already dug the knife in, go ahead and twist it."

Her words were punishment enough, and if I wanted any shot at getting her back to my side, I had to be completely honest.

"There was some random at the bar that night that kissed me. But that was it."

She nodded her head.

"I'm laying everything out, Cassie. I fucked up royally, and I'm trying to fix it. Please let me fix it."

She stared at me with what looked like disgust on her face.

"This weekend is a long weekend, it's Labor Day. Come with me and let me make all of this bullshit up to you."

"I’m not going anywhere with you."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear, so I stood and briskly walked around the desk and took her hand, pulling her up to me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her face in my free hand. The feel of her body in my arms once again sent pleasurable jolts through my body, even if she wasn't feeling the same way.

"You're. Coming. With. Me,” I muttered, using slow, deliberate words.

The look in her eyes finally shifted to what I needed to see—intense arousal.

 “I fucked up—badly, but I'm owning it. You’re mad, and you have every right to be. I can accept that, but I can't accept that you’re shutting me out. I won’t accept that. And yes, it's hypocritical, but I'm selfish. I need to be with you, Cassie Bennett. I need you to let me back in."

Her eyes were lightly shut, her body loosening in my arms. I let out a deep breath and pulled her closer, placing my lips on her soft and delicate earlobe, before whispering, "I don't deserve you, Blondie. I already know that. But just because I don’t deserve something doesn’t mean I don’t want it. And when I want something, I don’t stop until I get it.”

She pulled away from me, stepping back and gently narrowing her eyes.

“You don’t get to do that, Alex. What happens if I had been the one to suck someone else’s dick? How would you react to that?”

The question stung and sent my thoughts into a rage.

“You don’t even want to know my answer to that,” I answered, my voice frosty with a touch of bitterness.

“See? So how can you expect me to just forget that you put yours in her mouth? It just doesn’t work like that.”

She had me stumped, and I could give that to her. But while she was absolutely right, I couldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t accept it.

“We need to get away. We’re both too wound up and need to release our frustrations while you let me fix my mistake.”

"I don't know, Alex. We're so far up shit creek right now--"

"Exactly! So what else do we have to lose?" I watched as she went into deep thought, contemplating what I knew she already wanted, but was too stubborn to relent on. "You don't have to answer me right now. But think about it. I want you with me. I've pretty much signed my brig time with people finding out about us, and I'm willing to serve it. But I'm not willing to let you walk. If I have to be punished for being with you, then I at least want to have you… every last sweet tasting inch of you."

 She still didn't say anything, but her expression softened, making me suck in my bottom lip. That look, the innocence shown with it, always weakened me.

"Just think about it."

She nodded her head and then turned for the door, twisting the knob then walking out of the room. I wasn't sure what was running through her mind, but I knew what was running through mine. I was ready to throw away six years of strict, dedicated service, and the thought of it didn't even scare me. It actually made me smile. 

Cassie

As infuriating as Alex could be, I had to admit his words pulled me.

Did I have a right to be angry with him?

Absolutely.

Did he deserve to have me fall into his arms and forget about his selfish, erratic behavior?

Absolutely not.

Did I want to?

I was conflicted.

On one hand, I knew just how much his rejection hurt. It was a flash to my past and how I’d failed at protecting myself where my feelings were concerned. After Colton, I promised that I would never again place myself in a position to be walked over like a dirty doormat again. My fragile nerves couldn’t handle it, and it was time to put me first. Sadly, I’d allowed myself to get right back to that place.

How I’d fallen for Alex so quickly was a mystery even to me. Maybe it was his brash nature, the pit bull exterior with the teddy bear inside? Even as I sat there, completely agitated with him, his presence, the touch of his warm, smoldering body, his decadent smell and those strong, adept hands, I couldn’t help but break down a little on the inside. The man did things to me that I should have lambasted myself for. How I was hurt, angry, annoyed, and aroused was truly beyond me.

Now he wanted me to go away with him for the long weekend? The words pouring out of his mouth, rolling off of his dexterous tongue, sent shivers over my body. Running off with him for the weekend seemed like the perfect way to finally get some alone time together without the constant threat of someone finding us.