At Your Service: Tammer

by Lila Munro

  “Why don’t you want to?” she asked, putting her hands underneath her cheek, staring out across the room.

  “Trust me, it’s not because I’m not attracted to you,” Tammer assured her, running the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “But this isn’t about me, it’s about you.” Lie, lie, lie. How good he could be at it when the situation required it. “I’m here to take care of you, not me.”

  “But what if I what I want is for you to come?”

  Tammer had to grit his teeth and take a controlled breath. She sure wasn’t going to make it easy to toe that line. “We’ll worry about me coming next time,” he said, running his thumb over her lips. “I’m sure these will look very pretty wrapped around my dick.”

  “Are you hungry?” she asked over a yawn, turning and draping a leg over his. “If you won’t let me take care of that.” With sure fingers, she teased Tammer through the supple leather bulging around him. “How about I fix you something to eat? I know my hamburger wore off a long time ago and if I’m hungry, you’re probably starved. You did do all the work after all.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to order a pizza?”

  “Probably, but I’d rather cook for you. You like breakfast?” Nina rolled and swung her legs out, her feet hitting the floor. “I’m in the mood for breakfast. Don’t go anywhere. And Lord Weston,” she said, turning back from the door. “If you get naked and comfortable, I promise not to force you into coming or anything. This time.” She smiled and disappeared.

  A half hour later, they sat in the middle of the bed with a breakfast tray holding a plate of simple scrambled eggs, toast, and some fruit with the late show playing on the TV across the room.

  “Have you always been into playing dress up?” Tammer asked as he reached out and swiped Nina’s bottom lip with his finger then licked the strawberry jelly he retrieved off.

  “You know what?” Setting her fork on the edge of the plate, Nina crossed her legs under her, put her elbows on her knees, and clasped her hands between her thighs. “You’ve been asking me questions all day, not to mention all the things Joel told you about me. I trust you because Joel trusts you, but I don’t know much about you. Am I allowed to ask any questions? Or are all things Tammer J. Weston off limits?”

  “Ask away. What do you want to know?” he said, taking a drink of juice.

  “I’m assuming you’re not married. Have you ever been married?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I wouldn’t be good at it.”

  Nina huffed. “What the hell makes you think that? You just spent hours shopping with me and spending perfectly good money on a two hundred year old relic which is now good for nothing more than a dust rag. Not good at it? What’s your definition of good?”

  Tammer almost spewed out being a good husband meant being there for the person he loved more than a few days a year, but realized that sounded condescending and bit the words back. What the hell did he really know about the merits of husbandry anyway?

  “What’s your definition?” There, it was back in her court.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Nina said, picking up her toast and taking an enormous bite. “No fair. My turn to ask questions.”

  “Then ask another one.”

  “Fine. Do you have any kids?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Do you like clams?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you like to read? Go to the movies? Can you ski?”

  “What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?” Tammer asked, shaking his head. “Damn. Yes, I like to read. Mostly survival information you probably wouldn’t give two shits about and yes, I like to go to the movies. I was forced to ski in mountain warfare training and broke my ankle. I’ve never done it for fun.”

  “Speak any foreign languages?”

  “Si, ano, oui, ja, vai.”

  “Smart ass,” she said, swatting him on the arm. “Favorite color.”

  “On a woman or on me?” He stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles, popping a grape into his mouth.

  “Both.”

  “Depends on the woman and if it fits me, color really isn’t relevant.”

  “God you’re difficult. What about on me?”

  “Well, that funky blue really looked good on you. Have anything purple you can wear next time?” Tammer said, holding back from telling her what he really thought, that she looked damn fine naked and the only color she needed was more of the cherry red left behind from her cropping.

  “I’ll have to introduce you to my closet. How many missions did you go on with Joel before you decided to call the Corps quits?” she asked, shoveling a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

  “A half dozen or so,” Tammer said before he could stop the words from flying off his tongue. He sighed and threw his head back against the pillow. “Where did you learn your interrogation techniques, defiance? You weren’t supposed to know that.”

  “What else am I not supposed to know?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Do you really work for this At Your Service business?” Nina asked, unfurling her legs and laying back.

  “Yes, I really do,” Tammer admitted.

  “Okay.” She seemed satisfied and tucked her hands behind her head. “Want to watch a movie? I’m not really into this show.”

  That was it? That quickly she’d accepted his simple answers and moved on? What woman was this easy to get along with?

  “Don’t you want to know why Joel thought it was best if you didn’t know we knew each other?” Tammer asked, picking up the remote from the nightstand on his side of the bed and handing it to her.

  “No. If he thought it was best, he had a reason. I won’t tell him you told.”

  A few hours later, Tammer awoke to the feel of tongue and lips running the length of his dick. With the latest romantic comedy to go directly to DVD running in the background, he stretched his arms over his head and looked down to find Nina on her knees beside him, mischief dancing in her eyes as she went down fully on him again.

  “I said we’d worry about me next time,” he mumbled, sucking in a breath when she held him in her throat.

  Giggling, she pulled off him and kissed the head. “It’s three in the morning. New day,” she explained. “Technically, this is next time.” With one long, leisurely swipe up, she took him in her mouth again.

  Tammer decided arguing with her wasn’t worth it when she felt so damn good wrapped around him. Letting her win this one, he reached down and wound her hair around his fist. His body won its fight, too, when he tried to hold back as long as possible, but failed and his release flew up his dick and coated the back of Nina’s throat.

  After she pulled away from him, she crawled up the bed and wrapped her body around his, resting her head on his chest.

  “Don’t get too cozy there, I’m going to have to go,” he said, struggling against the urge to shut his eyes again.

  “Please stay,” she mumbled, scooting closer and tugging the blanket up around them. “Feels so good.”

  “You know the rules, defiance. I have to go before the sun comes up.”

  “That’s still hours away. Please don’t go yet.”

  Against his better judgment, Tammer turned and wound his arms around her, laid his head above hers, and closed his eyes. “If I oversleep, Joel will kill me.”

  “Won’t let him,” she sighed.

  Chapter Eight

  Nina didn’t see or hear from Tammer for three days after he crawled out of her bed just minutes before dark turned to day, dressed, kissed her on the forehead, and disappeared like a shadow. It left her wondering if she’d dreamed him a few hours later when she woke up cold and alone. By Wednesday evening, she finally got tired of trying to figure out if she’d done something wrong and dialed his number. By the fourth ring, she’d talked herself out of the whole notion of calling to begin with and started to hang up when he picked up.

  “Hello,” he said, clearly breathless
, leaving Nina to ponder what she’d interrupted.

  She was so stupid. He worked for an escort service. The most likely reason she’d not heard from him should have been obvious. No telling how many of her he had to take care of in a week.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you,” she said and pressed end before he had a chance to say anything else.

  She was pacing with her hand on her forehead feeling like an angst-ridden teenager when her phone rang back and Sir Ass flashed across the caller ID.

  “What the hell?” Tammer sounded like he was attempting to catch his breath. “It’s not easy answering this thing while I run,” he gasped. “The least you could do is tell me what you want before you slam the damn thing down in my ear and I have to stop to dial back.”

  “Running?” Nina asked, leaning over and laying her head on the kitchen counter. “That’s what you’re doing?”

  “Yeah. Running. What did you think I was doing?”

  “Don’t ask.”

  “Defiance?” he demanded.

  “I thought maybe I’d interrupted you…you know…with another client,” she admitted, tapping her forehead against the chilly surface a couple of times. “Did I do something to make you mad?”

  “For your information, I only take one client at a time. Until further notice, you’re her,” Tammer said, taking a deep breath. “And what would make you think you did anything to piss me off?”

  “Well, I haven’t heard from you since you just sort of vanished the other morning. And I wasn’t sure, well, we never discussed who’s supposed to call who first or any of that stuff. So did I do something wrong?”

  “No, Nina, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve just had a busy week, but I should have called to check on you before now. I’m sorry. Is that the only reason you called or is there more?”

  “Not exactly. I was thinking, maybe.” Nina stood back up and wondered if contacting Tammer was against the rules. Joel had spelled out three, but this almost seemed like she was asking him out on a date. And they weren’t dating. “Would you like to come over for dinner?” she blurted before she analyzed the situation further and backed out.

  “Sure. What time?”

  Nina was speechless for a minute. That was a lot easier than she’d built it up to be. “Sixish? I have to finish writing a speech and I’ve set my alarm to stop working at five.”

  “Wait, let me absorb that for a second,” Tammer teased. “You’re actually knocking off early? What gives, defiance?”

  “You told me I had to while we were shopping Saturday, remember? And Joel said you’re in charge. And now that we’ve had a bit of negotiating I recognize your authority. That means I do what you tell me to even if I’d rather blow you off and not admit I disobeyed. Like I have been.” Nina wanted to go the corner and put her nose in it like an unruly child. “With My Liege. No wonder he thinks I need a sitter.”

  “I’m not a sitter,” Tammer insisted. “What’s for dinner, anyway?”

  “Bologna sandwiches if I don’t go get busy,” she said, hurrying to the freezer and discovering she’d have to squeeze in a trip to the market if she intended to fix something higher brow that tater tot casserole. “What do you like?”

  “I like what you fix. I don’t get many invites so I refuse to be choosy.”

  “Okay then. Remember you said that.”

  “I have to go. See you this evening.”

  She contemplated his answer and almost took out the single pound of ground beef then changed her mind, eyed the tater tot bag with a layer of ice encrusting it, and decided it was time to go grocery shopping. Senator McCarthy’s speech would just have to wait.

  A few hours later, Nina sat on a barstool at the kitchen island sipping a glass of wine as her knees bounced with nervous energy. The roast was resting, the potatoes were mashed, the green beans were steamed, gravy done and not lumpy, and the salad was ready to dress. A pear and cranberry cobbler sat in the still warm oven ready to be topped with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. All that was missing was her dinner date.

  “He’s not a date, Nina,” she reminded herself and poured a little more wine in her glass, swirling it around before taking another hefty swallow.

  When the doorbell rang, she had to stop herself from running to the door. Remembering to peer out the peephole first, she smoothed her palms down the sides of her jeans upon confirming it was Tammer and swung the door back.

  “Hi.” He looked her over from heel to crown. “Do you have a pair of those things for every outfit?” he asked, pointing at her clogs with lilacs painted on the toes, a perfect complement to her purple pullover.

  “Quite possibly. I don’t really have an accurate count. You said you’d like me to be in something purple next time,” she said, stepping aside so he could come in. “I realize it’s not a corset and stockings, but do I pass?”

  “Yes, you look pretty. Something smells good.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Nina breathed. “Honestly, it’s been so long since I cooked anything that wasn’t mostly processed I was afraid I might have forgotten how.”

  An hour later, satisfied she’d not forgotten how to cook if Tammer’s reaction was any indication, Nina put the last dirty dish in the dishwasher. She wiped down the counters then plated two heaping servings of cobbler and ice cream and set them on a tray with a carafe of coffee and two mugs. Content for the first time in months, she joined Tammer in the den where he was lounged on the couch with one arm draped behind his head watching ESPN.

  “That’s the rest of what I smelled?” he asked, sitting up and eyeing the tray while rubbing a hand across his belly. “My God, woman. I come over here much and I’ll have to double my run route.”

  “If I promise to be a little healthier with the fare, will you come back?” Nina asked, handing him his bowl then taking hers and sinking to the floor beside his leg, looking up. “I enjoy eating with someone. Eating alone gets pretty old.”

  “You don’t have to change how you cook, sweetheart.” Tammer ran his free hand over the back of her head. “I’ll come back. I promise.” He smiled at her then took a bite of his dessert and mumbled over a full mouth. “Oh hell yeah, I’ll be back.”

  “This is one of my favorite desserts. I usually make it on holidays, but I figured when’s the last time I had a holiday with anyone so why not drag out the big guns for an ordinary week night supper.” Nina set her bowl down realizing she hadn’t eaten a full meal in so long it didn’t take much to fill her up. “If you ask me, if baseball can go on nearly all year long, football should be afforded a longer season, too,” she said, watching some pitcher for Pittsburgh warm up at spring camp.

  “You like football?”

  “Mostly college, but yeah.”

  “And who would I find you rooting for if I came by on a Saturday afternoon in the fall?” Tammer asked, licking his spoon then taking a sip of the coffee Nina handed him.

  “Roll tide,” Nina said with a smile.

  “Not an Alabama fan,” he groaned. “Don’t you know real football players are corn fed?”

  “Nebraska, huh?” Nina laughed. “I’m an Alabama alum. They have one of best public relations programs in the country.” Taking Tammer’s now empty dish, she took her coffee mug and readjusted to settle between his legs and pull her knees up. “It helped that I got a scholarship. USC is actually number one in that department, but they didn’t offer what Alabama did, so roll tide.” Nina gave a fist pump. “When in Rome.”

  “Where was home before you made the big move?”

  “You can’t tell by my accent? Get real.” Nina laughed. “Care a guess at which state in the Deep South I hail from?”

  “Mississippi?”

  “Not quite that deep. South Carolina. The greater Charleston area. Joel and I grew up together in a small town, population less than a thousand. We were high school sweethearts. He joined the Corps and I went to college.”

  “His accent’s not that thick.”

  “H
e adapts. Isn’t that what makes special ops men unique? They’re ability to adapt? His has slowly receded while mine just seems to linger. Some days it gets heavy.” Nina sighed and shook her head. “We actually separated for a while because the long distance thing was so damn hard.” Tammer started running his fingers through her hair and Nina leaned back into his touch, closing her eyes. “You’d have thought I’d have learned long before I said I do.”

  “Do you have regrets?”

  “No. Just a tired heart. Waiting wears a person out,” Nina admitted.

  “What about family?”

  “I’m the youngest of five. And by youngest I mean way younger.” Breathing deep, she relished the feel of Tammer kneading her nape. “Mama was forty-seven when she had me. All the others were grown and out before I came along. She was fifteen years younger than Daddy. Corporate law finally caught up to him and he had a heart attack and passed before I graduated high school. Mama wasn’t long behind. I’ll always believe she died of a broken heart. Needless to say, I’m not exactly close to my four older brothers and sisters. I love them, but I’m as good as a stranger to them and we don’t do the whole touchy feely thing. The best we do is a call a few times a year.”

  “What about Joel’s family?” Tammer continued to prod.

  “Well, funny thing about that. They found out about our lifestyle choices shortly after we married and they sort of disowned us as heathens and abominations against morality. His daddy is a bible-beating preacher. According to him, we’ll end up burning in the eternal pit of fire.”

  “So you really are basically all alone. Joel didn’t tell me any of that,” he asked, curling his hands around her shoulders and squeezing. “Have you heard from him this week?”

  “Not a word since last Thursday, but that’s not unusual. You know how it is.”