by Isabella
“I can make a few calls and see what I can find out. The fact that Capt. Monroe wasn’t Catholic doesn’t mean he wasn’t given some type of service over there before being shipped back. Let me see what I can do. How is Mrs. Monroe holding up?” he asked as he sat in the seat opposite Nic.
“To be honest, Father, I haven’t seen her in a couple of days. I have been pretty busy with a few more informs and I didn’t want to call her until I had something more promising to tell her. I just hadn’t anticipated it would take this long,” she said looking down at her paperwork, hoping to avoid the knowing eyes of the priest.
“Tell you what. Why don’t I make a few calls and give you a call this afternoon if I find something out? We just need to give Mrs. Monroe some closure so that she can move on with her life.” He stood and extended his hand. “I’ll see what I can do, Major.”
“Thank you, Father. I would really appreciate that and I am sure Mrs. Monroe would, also.”
“Nic?”
“Yes, Father?”
“If you need someone to talk to, I am always around, you know?” He looked into Nic’s eyes. “I wanted you to know that, just in case.”
Embarrassed, she let her hand drop to her side and nodded. “Thanks, Father. I’ll remember that.”
“Well, I know you knew the Captain and his wife. Please give her my best when you see her,” he said as he turned to the door to leave. “You know, Nic, God loves all his flock regardless of how they live their lives. We should not judge someone just because they might be different. Not that I think you judge anyone, but just in case you heard something that might make you avoid Mrs. Monroe. What she needs right now is our support and our prayers.”
Puzzled, but unwilling to admit her ignorance on the matter, she simply nodded. “I understand Father. I will make sure I stop and see her this weekend.”
The priest left and his words echoed over and over in her head. Just because they might be different. Different how? How could Claire possibly be different? Did she cheat on Mike? Was she married before Mike? Was the priest talking about some cardinal sin Claire had committed? What could possibly make Claire different?
Nic looked down at her watch. It was only a few more hours before she could call it a week and head downtown to catch some nightlife. She looked at the phone and debated on whether to call Claire to see how she was doing, but all Nic could think of was that brown hair, her warm scent and those eyes. She closed her eyes and remembered the kiss in the bathroom, completely inappropriate but so intoxicating. A warm shiver went down Nic’s body at the thought and she could feel her BDU’s pressing against her hardened nipples. Trying to take a deep breath in hopes of clearing her mind only made her nipples harder as they rubbed against the stiff cloth, prolonging her agony.
That’s it. I’m going out tonight and getting laid, she thought as she readjusted her uniform in hopes of finding some relief from the torture she was putting herself through. Grabbing her cap she made a decision. Tonight she was going to find a buxom, leggy brunette and get lost in her. She made her way toward the door and gave the sergeant some last minute instructions about how she should be contacted if they located Capt. Monroe, and a flip remark about not being contacted about anything else.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Claire, what do you think about going out tonight?” Jordan asked. “Just you and me, sushi and sake, no baby, and no Major Gorgeous.”
“I don’t know, Jordan. I should be here if they find Mike. It wouldn’t look right. I mean, me going out when I have yet to deal with Mike’s death.” Claire wished they would find Mike so she could deal with the loss and the final steps of closing out her life with the military. She didn’t want to sound crass, but she felt like her life was in limbo until he was found.
“Look, I talked to your neighbor and she agrees. It would do you good to get out and away from all of this. Trust me, you aren’t getting away from your problems, you’re just escaping a little and everyone understands a friend wanting to help her best friend get a bit of space from all of it.” Jordan took Claire’s hands in her own. “She said she would come over whenever we were ready to leave and take Grace over to her house. When was the last time Grace got to go out and play? It has to be hard on her, too.”
Claire nodded in agreement. Grace didn’t understand what was going on because she was used to Mike not being around. Their lives had to be separate from Mikes because he was constantly gone somewhere, with some unit that needed aviation support. She knew that when she married him and that was what made the decision to marry him easy. He would rarely be home and she would truly have her own life without the headache of having a husband. Now, she regretted those thoughts. Mike had deserved better.
“Come on.” Jordan’s pleading expression made Claire laugh. “We can spend some girl time and remember the good times we had in college. I can’t guarantee it will be fun but it will definitely give you a break from all of this.”
Claire let out a long, audible sigh. It had been a rough last couple of days and she couldn’t think straight right now.
“Okay, tell you what. We can go have dinner but we need to get back early. Okay? I don’t want to leave Grace for too long.”
“Okay. Why don’t we just play it by ear and see what happens. Deal?”
“Come on, Jordan. I agreed to go to dinner. Isn’t that enough?”
“I know, sweetie, but someone has to look out for you because you won’t. So just let me work out tonight and see where it leads. Compromise?”
“Fine.” Claire sighed. “You win.”
“A shallow victory, I assure you.”
“Somehow I doubt it. You like to win and I hate to give up control and you know it. So enjoy it while you have it because it won’t last.” Giving Jordan a faint smile, Claire turned and walked to her room to change.
###
Nic rushed home, peeled off her uniform, removed the gauze and tape from her back, and jumped into a hot shower. Trying to cleanse both her mind and her body, she let the hot water cascade down her body. She was ready for a relaxing dinner, a few drinks and a night of cruising at one of the gay bars downtown. It had been a long time since she had been out and she was suddenly looking forward to the local action. She felt her body start to key up at the mere thought of the chase, or, god forbid, being touched again. Nic hadn’t had time to think about women, let alone try and seduce one. The incident with the female driver the previous week had reminded her she was healing rather nicely. Tonight was different though. Tonight she was on the prowl, and she was looking for a nice diversion. Something long and lanky to make her forget what she couldn’t have.
An hour later Nic was downtown sitting at a sports bar waiting for the gay bar to open, sipping ale while watching the local college team get their butts handed to them by a top ranked division one team. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and took a deep breath as she felt herself relax with each sip of her beer. Deciding to stay where she was she waved down the bartender and ordered a burger.
###
Claire felt the warm sake slide effortlessly down her throat and warm her body. Exhaling, she let a small smile escape her lips as she looked across the table at her friend.
“I guess you were right Jor. I needed this. I just didn’t know how much until now.”
“I know. That’s why your friends are more like family than your family is. Who knows you better than me?” asked Jordan, winking at Claire. “Besides, having dinner with a hot chick always takes my mind off my troubles.”
“Well, let me know when she gets here and I’ll invite her to have dinner with us.”
“You better be nice. It’s a long walk back to base.”
“Aw, you know I think you’re hot, just not my type.”
“Well you’re not my type either, just for the record,” Jordan said. “Besides, I don’t date women with ready-made families. Too much baggage, but I might make an exception for that little cutie at home. She loves her Auntie Jor.
”
“We all love Auntie Jor, just not like that,” said Claire enjoying the light banter with her best friend.
“Yea, yea, you girls are all alike. ‘wine me, dine me, just don’t date me’.” Jordan laughed as she took another sip of her sake.
“Somehow I don’t think you have a problem getting dates or finding attractive women to date. Right?”
“Well the pool is evaporating. A lot of women are settling down and nesting. I guess I am just not the nesting type right now. Maybe in a year or two when I’m 40, but right now why not be like Jesus and love ’em all.”
Claire knew Jordan didn’t believe the rhetoric she was spouting but she was friend enough to indulge Jordan’s fantasy. Jordan wanted nothing more than to settle down and be monogamous, but she was putting on a good face for Claire. Sometimes friendship was about what they didn’t say than what they did.
“Gosh, I haven’t had sushi in so long,” Claire said, changing the subject before it landed on something she didn’t want to talk about yet.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Pussy Cat bar was a gay bar most of the month and every third Friday it was transformed into a lesbian bar. It lacked the finesse of the lesbian bars back East, replaced by black walls, non-existent lighting, and music with the bass so loud you could feel it through the floor. It seethed raw energy, the kind given off by baby dykes who had missed the whole 80’s scene with its drug induced frenzy and free loving women.
Nic entered the bar. She couldn’t help but notice the crowd. It was either a very young crowd or she was getting too old to be hanging out at the bars. Probably a little bit of both. No matter. She was in the mood for cruising and she didn’t mind a baby dyke to take her mind off a certain brunette. The energy in the bar was almost palpable. It wrapped around Nic enveloping her, stroking her like a hand roughly caressing her, and she felt her body tighten as she thought about the chase that was about to begin. Ordering a beer, she scoped out the women standing around the perimeter of the dance floor. Some were in baggy jeans and the latest T-shirt from the men’s store at the mall. That wasn’t what Nic was looking for. She liked feminine women so she focused on them.
She looked around, but since no one caught her eye, she wandered into the back room. The change in music and atmosphere was immediate. The techno music was gone, replaced with top 40’s and danceable eighties songs. Nic could never figure out what the younger generation saw in techno, but then she was sure her parents couldn’t figure out what she saw in rock when they were die-hard country fans.
Nic spotted an empty booth in a dark corner and slid in. She watched as an older crowd started to fill the tables on the outside of the dance floor. From her vantage point, she could see everything in the club. Not only was the crowd a bit older, but they were teaming with femmes of all shapes and sizes. Since she was here for one thing and one thing only she made it a point to notice where all the cute women were seated. She made a mental note of who came with someone and who came with a group of people. She didn’t want to tangle with a pissed off girlfriend.
She hadn’t been a player before the accident but she had always made time for a beautiful woman on the weekends. She was careful to explain the situation before she ever got started for the night and if the girl wasn’t willing to play by the rules, Nic moved on. She wasn’t in a position to make promises her job wouldn’t allow her to keep and that was her out with women who wanted more. Nic watched as a couple of blondes stood at the bar, cruising the crowd. They reminded Nic of Claire as they shyly met her glance.
Nice bodies, great legs, and lips that beg to be kissed.
Nic wasn’t much into blondes. She loved brunettes though, the kind of mousy brown hair that Claire had. Nic closed her eyes as she thought about what it would be like to run her hands through Claire’s hair as she made love to her. She thought about how soft those lips would feel as she ran her tongue over them before she parted them for a kiss. Nic felt her body tighten at the thought of running her tongue along Claire’s throat as she kissed her neck. She wondered how Claire’s nipples would feel when her thumb brushed over them, hardening at her touch. Nic imagined how she would stand behind Claire and run her hands over the front of her body, caressing her breasts as she brushed her hardened clit into her ass. Nic was a top and she loved a woman like a top, dominating a woman with her size and prowess. She thought about how Claire would moan as she reached down Claire’s body, parting her legs and stopping at the wet folds Nic wanted to enter. Nic felt herself tremble at the thought of Claire begging her to make love to her.
Christ, what was she doing? She came here to get away from thinking of Claire and here she was fantasizing about her. Would every woman tonight make her think of Claire? Did she have it that bad for Claire that she couldn’t escape her even for a few hours? Nic stopped the waitress and ordered two more beers. She needed to get her mind off Claire, and right now, she needed a diversion.
###
Claire and Jordan entered the Pussy Cat bar just as a line started to form outside.
“Look, Jor, I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” yelled Claire over the techno beat.
“Oh, come on. Just for an hour. You promised. Besides, how long has it been since you have been around some family?” Jordan peered down the bar, smiling at a butch leaning against a column.
“Today.”
“Huh?”
“You asked me when the last time was I was around some family and I said today,” Claire said as she followed Jordan’s gaze down the bar.
“Oh, you know what I meant, Claire. Our kinda family.” Jordan met the eyes of the tall butch as a cute femme came over and slipped her arms around the woman. The butch winked in Jordan’s direction and hugged the girl close to her body. Jordan raised her beer in the direction of the woman and smiled, then turned to face Claire.
“Gee, shot down already, Jor?”
“She wasn’t that cute anyway. Besides, I like ‘em a little more girly if you know what I mean,” she said as she raised her eyebrows at Claire.
“Don’t get any ideas, Jordan. We don’t have that kinda friendship. No benefits here sister.”
“I know, I know, but hey a girl can always hope, can’t she?”
“No, a girl can’t always hope. We decided a long time ago we were better friends than we would ever be lovers. Remember that conversation, Aunty Jor?” Claire liked to remind Jordan of the promise she made to Claire when they were back in college. She would never cross the line from best friend to girlfriend regardless of the circumstances. Even though Jordan had been drunk when she made the promise, Claire still held her to it.
“Fine. There are lots of cute women in here and if I can’t find at least one, then I am giving up on women, forever,” Jordan said as she scanned the room looking for Ms. Right Now.
“That’s a little dramatic, even for you, Jordan. I’m sure that you’ll have women dripping off of you in about 10 minutes. You always do.” Claire looked around the room, hoping that this would be a quick hour, and she could just go home and be with Grace. Claire regretted promising Jordan she would spend at least an hour at the bar. She wasn’t ready, and the thumping music was already giving her a headache.
“Hey, will you watch my drink while I go to the ladies room? I think that sake is going right through me.” Jordan was already asking the bartender for directions by the time Claire agreed. Claire sat and watched the mating dance of the baby dykes as they strutted back and forth in front of the women hugging the walls. She noticed that they all pretty much looked like they shopped at the same men’s store, opting for baggy jeans, oversized logoed T-shirts and short spiky hair. God, was she glad that she wasn’t coming out into this crowd. She didn’t find anything sexy about the new look the dykes were sporting. She preferred someone a little more polished. Someone who exuded self-confidence, even a bit of cockiness. Someone like Nic Caldwell.
Claire rolled her eyes as she realized she was thinking about Nic again. What was it
about this woman that she couldn’t get her out of her mind? Mike’s body wasn’t even home yet, and here she was thinking about Nic as if she was an option. I need to get out of here. All of this estrogen must be having an effect on me. All I can think about is a sexy, hot woman who may or may not be gay. Claire looked around hoping that she would see Jordan so they could get the hell out of there.
###
Jordan was walking towards the bathroom when she noticed the good looking woman sitting in a booth by herself. Jordan slowed down as she got closer and threw the woman a smile that sent most women to their knees. Jordan waited until she got a return glance and smile from the woman and then nonchalantly sauntered past.
Nic was finishing her second beer when she spotted the cute brunette looking at her as she walked in her direction. She was familiar, but Nic couldn’t quite put her finger on why. Maybe she had seen her around before, or maybe she worked at the base. It didn’t matter. It was clear that the woman was trying to send her signals, but she wasn’t sure she was interested. Nic’s two beers from dinner and the two she had just consumed were catching up to her so she decided she better relieve herself before the club got any busier and she lost her great vantage point of the dance floor. She had motioned the waitress over and asked her to keep an eye on her last beer, dropping a $5 on her tray to keep her interested.
Nic made her way to the line for the bathroom. She couldn’t help but notice the cute brunette from earlier standing a few feet in front of her, looking right at her. She smiled at the brunette as she took her place in the long line. Why did bars always have the worst bathrooms for women? Geez the men never have to wait in line. Nic wasn’t against going into the men’s bathroom if she was desperate, but the view was great from where she was standing. Nic watched as the cute brunette made conversation with someone else in line, although her gaze never left Nic’s face. Smiling back at the woman, Nic watched as she ended her conversation and walked towards her.
