by Kara Hart
When I'm doing the dishes, she comes up behind me and slaps my ass. I fully jump forward, when she squeezes. “Never get tired of that ass,” she says.
“That’s funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you,” I smile. She kisses the curve of my neck and then my shoulder. She kisses down to my ass and then she’s on her knees, kissing the tip of my cock. Of course, I’m hard again.
“Shit,” I moan. “I think I like having you over so often.” She laughs to herself and runs into my bedroom.
The whole day is spent in a heat of passion, twisting together, animalistic rhythms, thrusting and falling into one another. When we’re done, we fall into each other’s arms, ready to go again. Soon enough, we’re in the shower, totally exhausted by our hot little dance. I’m watching her as she soaps her body. The foam drips down around her stomach, falling into every curvature below. She’s like a fucking painting, beautiful, fragile, and strong all at once.
“What will you do with Elijah?” She suddenly asks me, as she grabs a towel to dry off. I turn off the hot water and grab her butt.
“I haven’t given it too much thought,” I say. “But I guess I’ll just have to kill him.”
She groans and falls onto the bed, legs spread open. “Shut up. I’m serious, Colt. What exactly happened over there? What did you do that could warrant such a response from him?”
I shrug and grab a pair of basketball shorts. “I fucked you. He’s jealous. You know how guys can get all territorial and shit? Well, clearly I’ve angered him by taking his ‘property’,” I say.
By the way she’s looking at me, I can tell she’s not buying a word of this. “If you want me to trust you, you’re going to tell me what happened. This isn’t a stupid interview. This is between us. Tell me what happened in Kabul.”
I sigh and secure my prosthetic leg. Every damn time I have to mess with the thing, I feel so fucking inferior. The way she’s looking at me with sympathetic eyes makes me go out of my mind. I don’t need sympathy. I just want everyone to ignore what happened over there. It was a mistake, the biggest mistake of my life.
Though, I know deep down that she’s right. If we’re something now, and I have no idea if we are, I’m going to have to establish some trust. I’m going to have to tell her what really happened. How it all went down. God, Bowen was going to murder me if he ever found out.
“Alright. Fine. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise me that none of this gets out. None of it, you hear me?” I’m completely serious. These are dangerous words.
“What’s the big deal?” she asks.
“I could get killed. I could go to prison for treason. There’s a lot of scenarios that could occur and none of them are particularly good,” I say.
“Fine,” she whispers. “I understand.” Her hand falls on my upper thigh, right where my prosthetic connects to my flesh. I shiver with guilt as the images of what happened flood into my brain.
I took a deep breath and began to remember. “We were told a high profile terror suspect, Abdul Hameed Mohammed, was just outside of the city. He was supposed to be training at nearby opium farm. It’s not a huge secret that the drug gangs out there are all connected to terrorist networks. In fact, as we had already begun to find out, these terrorist groups were completely scattered,” I said, taking another giant breath to calm myself down.
“Meaning what?” she asked me, placing her hand on my back.
“Meaning we were sent into a city full of enemy combatants. Only, there was no way of knowing who was on the wrong side versus right. It was us with our guns and limited supply of ammo, and them. They were natives. They knew the ins and outs of the city. And by God, we were surrounded.”
“Jesus…” she whispers. But that’s not even half of the story. That’s just the beginning.
I continue. “I thought I was sent over to be a sniper. Sure, I carried the title. But I envisioned my tour being in the mountainous regions, or aiming down on enemies from tall rooftops. Instead, we were in the city center. Windows, roofs, and mosques stared down at us. So, of course, we were pretty paranoid. It was four of us, including Bowen and me when we got the call. The President of the United States himself issued the strike. Abdul Hameed was to be gunned down in the middle of the night. This was to be our last mission and then we’d go home, back to our families, back to the good old US of A.”
Lena rubs my back, but I can tell she’s tense. Her hands are practically shaking with fear as I continue my story. She tells me to go on, so I do.
“It was zero four hundred hours and the night claimed the city. Still, there were enemies everywhere. We just couldn’t see them at the time. We waited for the command and quickly raided the compound to the farm. Abdul Hameed and his men attempted to escape and we opened fire. Everything became a blur at this point. When you’re seeing through night-vision lenses, it’s a little hard to look back on. I remember us missing him. I remember a good twenty men or so come out with AKs. None of them knew how to use a weapon. They were practically children, maybe 18 or 19 years old. All gunned down in seconds. I fell against the wall as grenades blasted through the hallways. They would do anything to take us out, even if that meant taking their own lives. Abdul Hameed, however, had a hiding spot. His life was too sacred to give up.”
My breathing quickened as I told the story. I kept all this pent up in the back of my mind for so long. It was as if it never even happened. But it did. It was real. And now I had to face the truth.
“You don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to,” she tells me. Maybe it’s because she knows how much it tears me up inside. Or maybe it’s because she’s sickened by what she’s hearing. “I’m sorry, Colt,” she says as she runs those fingers down my back. Sorry doesn’t bring back those men. Sorry doesn’t take it all away. It’s just a word people use when they don’t have anything else to say.
It doesn’t matter. It’s all the truth. And she needs to hear it from my mouth. “We continued the chase until we found a small door in the center of the building. It was hidden under a Persian rug, and led deep into a smoky basement, presumably his hideout. We called for his surrender. No one responded. One of our men Gehlen threw a flash grenade inside. Still, nothing. Then I heard the laughter. When I turned around, a bullet sunk into Gehlen’s back and he fell to the dusty floor. He was dying, bleeding out in front of all of us. There he was, Abdul Hameed Mohammed, holding a gun to his wife and child’s head, using them as shields.”
I clear my throat and grab a glass of water. From the kitchen, I talk loudly. “But it’s not like we didn’t have him in our sights. There was Bowen, Akron, and me. You haven’t met Akron, but he didn’t give two shits about the man’s wife and child. He was ready to open fire and would have too, if that second round of gun shots didn’t start right then. There were enemy snipers all around us and they were clear marksmen. Two bullets sunk into my leg. Then a third. And a fourth. I got hit into the arm. Bowen got hit. I knew if I didn’t get us out of there, we would all die. So I grabbed Bowen and dragged him to a corner of the compound. Akron shoved me off. He wanted to end it more than anything. Being a SEAL was his whole life’s work. And that’s when it all fucking happened.”
“What happened?” she asks me. I hand her the glass of water, but she can’t even drink yet. She needs to know every last detail.
“Three Black Hawks came from nowhere to our rescue. It was our men. Our government had come to our rescue. You couldn’t imagine the joy we felt right then and there. Abdul Hameed had nowhere to run. Only, the men in those choppers were firing back at us. We scrambled into hiding and we watched Abdul Hameed grab onto a safety rope and escape into the helicopter above. Of course, Akron grabbed his leg and got carried away right with him. We never saw him again. To my right was Gehlen, my dying brother, and I realized my government had betrayed us.”
She tenses up and practically screams. “But that can’t be true! I saw what happened on the news. Everyone did!”
I shook my
head. “Well, it is. It’s all true. Every last word. When I saw it, I could barely believe my eyes. Why would our government send us in to his compound if they didn’t want us to shoot him dead? Of course, it wasn’t long before I got to digging. Abdul Hameed was from a very wealthy family and had ties to the Saudi government. You know that compound we raided? Well, it wasn’t an opium farm. There was enough oil buried underneath the ground to keep a country running for decades. I was lucky to have Bowen with me. We found a vet in the city who agreed to operate. I lost my fucking leg in that damp room. And the next day the Navy briefed us, told us never to discuss the mission with anyone, and sent us home.”
She looks at me, eyes shining with disbelief. “So they protected him to get more oil? I’m so confused, Colt. How is any of this real?”
“I don’t have any proof, besides my leg and Bowen’s scars. I don’t expect you to believe me either. But I thought I’d tell you the truth, regardless of whether or not you do. Our government does this to countless soldiers. You think they care about right and wrong? They’re sending us over so we can secure the world’s oil and rule the world for just a little longer. Abdul Hameed wasn’t killed. He was given a settlement and sent to a fucking safe haven. Most likely some island in the South Pacific.”
“Colt, I—” I grab her hand and kiss each finger.
“It’s okay. It’s part of my life and I’m the one who has to deal with it. I’ve made my amends and so has Bowen. But I’m thinking, maybe you need to break the story before Elijah does. Maybe it’s time the world finds out what really happened.”
“They won’t believe you,” she says, pressing her forehead against mine. “They’ll think we’re crazy.”
I laugh, more to myself than anything. She’s right, but that doesn’t deter me from telling the truth. “Sure,” I say. “They’ll laugh and point fingers for a while. But it won’t take long for them to come around. In ten years’ time, they’ll know what a fucking scam war really is. War is hell, but it’s also a marketplace. It’s a chance to run the world, one essential substance at a time. Shit, look what they’re doing all over. The leader of the market is the leader of the free world.”
Her face looks like it’s about to explode with anger. She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs loudly. “Fuck it all. It’s never any good is it?”
I shrug. “It is sometimes. That’s enough to fight for, right?”
“Yes,” she says. “But what will you do? How will you get Elijah to stop?”
I fall into my bed and collapse under the weight of the day ahead of me. “I’ll do what I have to do. I’ll find his source. I’ll find Akron.”
108
Lena
“How do you know Akron’s his source?” I ask him. It’s a fair question. From what it sounds like, it’s been since the war since he’s even seen him last. “For all you know, he’s up in Detroit or somewhere far away.”
He shakes his head, “No, I have a feeling he’s nearby. Bowen will know. He always finds this shit out.”
“If Bowen knew, don’t you think he would have told you by now?” I ask him.
“Hell no. He knows what that war did to me. Once we got back, I told him I wanted nothing to do with the Navy anymore. I said I’d celebrate the damn holidays with him, but that was it. No more digging into what happened,” he sighs and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in close. “Obviously all that has changed now.”
“I have his key,” I suddenly blurt out. “I mean, Elijah. I have the key to his desk,” I say.
“Are you serious?” He claps his hands loudly and smiles. “Well, there ya go! We have all we need. I’ll call Bowen right now.”
“Wait, Colt. Let’s have one more day.” I flip my body on top of him and kiss his sweet lips. “I just want one more day of this.”
“You’re right. We still haven’t had a proper date,” he laughs, “That’s it. I’m going to make you a huge dinner tonight. Lobster and steak, served with a beautiful salad.”
“Sounds fancy,” I say.
“Oh, it is,” he laughs and rolls me over so that I’m on my back. I can feel his flesh growing against me, so I reach out and grab it. I tug gently, spitting downward onto it. “Fuck, I wasn’t expecting this…” he moans, pulling off his shirt.
“Expect more of it. This is our day,” I whisper and kiss his lips. He bites down and smiles.
“I want you to ride me until you explode, baby,” he moans and falls back onto the mattress. I sit on top of him, pushing my clit against his pelvis, moving back and forth. He reaches down and plays with my clit, while spreading my lips apart.
“You’re still wet,” he says. The looks on his face is total lust. “Come here.”
He picks me up and places me over his head, pulling my panties to the side. “Oh, God. Colt…” I moan. He’s pressing his palm hard against my wet mound, rubbing from side to side, teasing every bit of me. Soon enough, he’s licking my upper thighs, up to the flesh of my ass, right down to my lips.
He slides his warm tongue across my labia, pulling back as he sucks and licks upward against my clit. I’m feeling young again, like this is the first time I’ve ever fucked a man and he’s teaching me how to have the orgasm of a lifetime. I close my eyes and focus on his rhythm.
When my whole pussy is in his mouth, he sucks me like a juicy peach. The pressure from his mouth pushes and pulls and his tongue extends, sliding against my clit over and over again. When he slides three fingers inside of me, I realize I can’t hold on any longer.
The electricity shoots around my skin. All the hairs on my body stand up and my skin prickles with goose bumps. My nipples grow erect like daggers, and my body writhes like a snake. He eats me. “Yes!” He eats me like a chocolate covered strawberry, savoring every last drop. I move back and forth, up and down, until my eyes dilate and I’m pushed forward into my own pleasure centers. “I’m cumming,” I scream. “I’m fucking cumming!”
He immediately flips me over into doggy position and I’m still shaking. I’m dripping all over the bed sheets and, soon enough, his cock presses against me. He grabs my hair and threads each strand of hair through his fingers, pulling back into a ponytail, taking every bit of control for his own. I’ve had my fun and now it’s his turn.
With each thrust, I can feel him give over to me. I fall back as he pushes forward and together we’re in a hot pulse of our own sex. With his free hand, he cups my tits and circles around the darker skin on my nipples. He’s sent into a frenzy, about to give it to me again. Without warning, I feel him grow inside of me. He’s about to burst. I can feel it.
When he lets go of my ponytail, I let him slide out of me and spin around. “I want to taste you,” I say. “Cum in my mouth.” I want to eat him, to taste every bit of him. I stick out my tongue for him, salivating as I watch him shine his massive cock.
As it grows, he slides it into my mouth. Once, twice. On the third time, he pushes in deep and I can feel every last ridge inside my mouth. I can taste the precum in the back of my throat. Finally, he pulses up and down, still on my tongue, and shoots everything he has left in my mouth. I swallow down and feel even more spill out.
My lips, wrapped around his shaft, pull back as I swallow every last drop. He shakes with pleasure and pulls his cock out quickly. The pleasure is too much for him to handle. “Oh, shit!” he yells, muscles tensing up. “Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that. You are… you’re incredible. The best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I laugh and fall back against the bed. “Well I know how to please you now.” I wink and kiss his shaft, which is somehow still hard and throbbing. “I want to please you all the time. When this Elijah thing is over, I want to spend more time with you. Real time. I don’t want to worry anymore about my life falling apart.”
He’s holding me close and with one kiss on my collarbone, I know everything will be alright as long as he’s with me. At least, I hope so. He whispers “You don’t ever have to worry. I’ll make sure of t
hat.”
But I can feel it in the distance. My fear. It’s my fear of losing everything, my fear of being consumed by disaster. It’s been eating me up inside, ever since that fateful night with Elijah, the night I caught him fooling around with my sister. People in your life tend to let you down, but I feel safe here in Colt’s cabin. I just hope he can come through on everything he’s promised.
“Come here.” He jumps out of bed, his body looking perfect as hell. “I want to show you something.”
I take his hand and tip toe out of bed. He leads me out the back door. First I protest “I’m naked. I don’t want anyone to see me.”
But he quickly dispels my fears. “There’s no one out here. Not for miles. We can do anything we want.” I realize just how much freedom he’s created by building a cabin out here. I still can’t believe he built it on his own.
Outside, there’s a secondary house. It’s about as big as one room. “This is my sanctuary,” he says.
“A sanctuary in a sanctuary,” I whisper to myself.
He laughs. “Yeah, something like that. If I’m not shooting targets with Bowen, I’m here by myself. Sometimes, I get completely lost out here.”
He takes a key and unlocks the shack and instantly I can smell metal and fire, and the musky wood smell of the walls. He turns on the light and leads me inside. There’s art everywhere. “Wow,” I whisper. “Colt, is this for real?”
“This is it,” he says the words with pride. I can tell if he had a different life, this is what he’d dedicate it to. There are welded sculptures of men and women, a giant snake with four heads, and at least a hundred more small sculptures. He’s actually brilliant and I’m completely surprised he hasn’t brought these to galleries.
“What the…” I whisper walking down the line, examining each of the welded pieces of art. “These are really good, Colt. Like, insanely good. Has Bowen seen these?” I ask him.
