We were released at noon, hoards of overly excited students crashing out of the room with probably nowhere to go. The mere fact that they could get away from school and instructors was probably more than enough of a reason to celebrate. Dalton and I played it off as if we were heading off somewhere together. Angelica didn’t ask any questions, but when she was around, I knew the wheels were turning in her head.

Alex had told me to just take a taxi over to his place whenever I was ready. He’d slipped some cash into my hand the night before during Field Day inspections, even though I was more than capable of paying for a paltry cab ride myself, but my argument fell on deaf ears. He wanted to hear none of it. Instead, he griped about how my pretty little mouth was always running, and how he couldn’t wait to shut it for me. I hated the way his words transformed me from a boisterous adult to an obedient child waiting to be spanked. And for as much as I hated it, I loved it.

“You ready to go?” Dalton asked, helping me gather my bags. I had no clue where Alex was taking me because he wouldn’t give anything away. I was only told to pack light and bring a sweater. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I believe so.” I looked around the room, finding nothing left out of place. I double checked my wall locker, made sure my bed was made, and took a picture of it all just in case Angelica decided to be a little bitch while I was away and pull something. Seemed very childish, but I wasn’t willing to put anything past her.

I sent a quick text to Alex, letting him know that I was on my way before lugging my bags down the stairs to the awaiting cab. Lane and Hutchins said goodbye as we drove off. I felt kind of bad leaving them behind, but they said they would occupy each other for the weekend, making me feel a little better. I gave the cabbie the address to Alex’s house and sat in silence as we drove off the base and into the vast stretch of desert.

“You nervous?” Dalton asked, breaking the silence and placing his hand on top of mine.

“A little bit.”

“Good!” He wiped his brow, even though near arctic air was blasting through the cab as we blazed down the sun scorched road.

“Why are you nervous? You already know Ben.”

He blew a small breath. “I know. It’s just that everything was done in secret at home. We never spent as much time together as we will this weekend. I think this will really cement things. See what we really want out of each other.”

His words could have come out of my own mouth. I had yet to look at it that way, but his anxiety slowly creeped into my own body. Alex and I had been interacting under a cloak of secrecy, stealing away bits and pieces of time here and there. This weekend was a chance for us to truly get to know one another and be a real couple out in the real world. The idea frightened me more than I wanted it to. I grew silent once again, the thoughts clouding my head with the fear that things would not go well.

“Hey. You are going to have a kick ass time. Stop thinking so much.” He rubbed the top of my hand, easing some of the tension that had embedded itself within me.

“I guess I should be telling you the same thing.”

 A few turns later and we were pulling onto Alex’s street. I looked out the window as we pulled up, Alex’s truck sitting in the driveway with him leaning up against it. His muscles rippled from his cut off shirt, his shorts hanging low while a pair of black sandals outfitted his feet. He was so casual, yet so delectable.

I paid the driver then hopped out, Dalton exited as well and helped me grab my bags from the trunk. Alex’s face was fixed in a stern mask, greeting Dalton with pure formality.

“Hello, Pfc. Dalton.”

“Hello, Sgt.” Dalton tried to smile, looking very nervous as he handed my bags over to Alex.

The thick, heated air was beginning to choke me. I didn’t like the way this was playing out, and I didn’t want it to fester.

“I hope you have a great time this weekend, Dalton. Remember, just enjoy it.” I hugged him tight and saw him off. Dalton got back into the car, and I watched it drive off before turning around to Alex. He stood to the side, holding my bags in his hands.

“So you told Dalton?” he asked, glaring at me.

“Yeah. You told Riley. I needed someone to lean on, too. And besides, he’s known for a bit. Like you say, he’s in my corner.”

He blew out a long breath, then walked past me, up the driveway. I quickly followed behind.

“He’s not going to say anything.” I tried reassuring him, seeing that the sight of Dalton had rubbed him wrong.

“I just don’t want too many people knowing. Speculating is one thing, but knowing is another.”

I stopped him, then kissed his lips, biting on the bottom a couple of times and licking the marks. “Simmer down. We are fine.”

He smiled and continued the walk, leading me into the house. When I walked in, the aroma of freshly baked pizza hit me, sending my stomach gurgling with the need to be fed. I had been so anxious about getting out and getting my weekend started that I had forgotten to eat. Alex walked in behind me, stopping to kiss my cheek.

“Make yourself at home. Pizza should be about ready. I’m going to put your bags in our room.”

“Our room?” I asked, looking over at him.

“Yes. Our room.”

I walked further into the house, hearing voices and a female giggle. My stomach churned, and not with hunger. When I stepped into the kitchen and looked over at the living room, Riley was sitting on the couch with a very petite blonde sitting on his lap. He was whispering things into her ear and had his hand down her shirt. I didn’t want to interrupt whatever they had going on. He looked up and saw me walking away.

“Hey, Bennett.”

I turned around, hoping to hide the embarrassment flooding my face.

“Hi, Riley,” I replied, awkwardly smiling at him and his female companion. She swatted his hand away and stood, briskly walking over to where I was standing.

“I’m Natasha, Nat for short.”

Her bubbly personality put me at ease. I had to remember that I wasn’t the student screwing my instructor this weekend. I reached out my hand and shook hers. She was short, maybe five feet tall, with large, ample breasts that clung to her V-neck tank top, and a pair of shorts that barely covered her ass. Her arms were elegantly decorated in quarter length sleeves of elaborate flowers and butterflies, with pink and orange shading. The nose ring topped off her ensemble, probably making her the prettiest girl I had ever seen.

“It’s nice to meet you, Natasha. I’m Cassie.”

“Are you a Marine?” she asked, her eyes taking in the length of me.

“Yes.”

“Oh, wow. That’s bad ass. You’re probably the hottest fucking female Marine I’ve ever seen. And I see quite a few where I work.”

“Where do you work?” I asked, wanting to know more about this girl that had me so intrigued.

“Custom Ink, just outside the back gate.”

Just then Alex walked into the room, coming up from behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, nuzzling his nose into my neck.

“Can I fuck you right now?” he asked, sending chills down my spine and blood to my clit.

“Don’t be rude, Alex. You can fuck her all night. I want to get to know her,” Natasha interrupted before I even had a chance to tell him no. I liked her; she had a lot of spunk.

“Riley, come get your cock blocking fucking chick,” Alex said, turning for the kitchen and grabbing two oven mitts to pull the pizza from the oven. He turned back around and smiled at Natasha. “You know I love ya, Nat.”

“Yeah, yeah! Hurry up and feed me, you asshole,” she replied. The banter between them calmed me. It seemed that they were quite comfortable with one another and that things would not turn awkward.

We ate pizza and had a few beers. Riley explained how he and Natasha had met when he went in for a tattoo, and she had been the only one with an open hour time slot. He said he’d been leery because he’d never had a chick do it before, but the second she stuck out her tits, lowered her eyes, shook his hand and sucked his fingers on release, he’d been a goner. The story couldn’t have been less romantic if they tried, but I found myself laughing and liking both of them even more.

“Let’s play Phase Ten,” Natasha called out, running into the hallway closet and coming back with a deck of cards, ones I had never seen before. “Chris, grab the Jose and four shot glasses.” Her mention of his first name caught me off guard. She wasn’t a Marine, so it was normal that she would refer to him that way, but the use of it seemed weird and a little out of place.

“What is this game?” I asked, once again showing that I knew nothing about anything that most people liked and participated in.

“It’s Phase Ten. It’s a frustratingly, fabulous game. Here is your phase card,” she said, tossing a card at me that held ten different phases. I looked it over, none of it meaning a damn thing to me. “You’ll get dealt a hand, and then with that hand you have to try and make each phase. One at a time. You lay a card or pick up from the deck, and then discard. The person with no cards left wins the hand. But I play with a twist. If you don’t get your phase, not only do you have to repeat it, but you also have to take a shot.”

“So anyone can get their phase?” I asked, still slightly confused.

“Yes. We could all get our phase, and then we move on to the next one.”

I sort of got it. Alex sat back in his chair, eyes glued on me, lowly hooded by his dark lashes, with a deep smirk on his face. He knew how out of my element all of this was for me and was probably hoping I would lose. I was hoping for beginners luck.