Fraternizing (4 page)

"Be back
here at zero eight with your binders," Cruz roughly commanded. The
brashness of his tone brought feeling back to me, even though it should have
done nothing of the sort.

"Yes
Sergeant," we all yelled in unison, only I barely contributed since I was
feeling weak and feeble. I mouthed it to make it look believable.

"Dismissed,"
he barked, standing almost directly in front of me with both hands behind his
back. Our eyes locked again, only this time a sinister, seductive gleam went
off in his, almost like the gaze he gave off at the bar. He didn't look away,
and neither did I. His tall, muscular body was highlighted in his cammies,
causing dark, enticing thoughts to scour my brain.

Sgt. Jensen
walked up behind him and whispered something into his ear, finally breaking our
stare down. He slightly turned his head to listen to what was being said then
nodded, looking back at me with narrowed eyes before turning and walking off in
the opposite direction with Jensen.

"Well, damn.
If you haven't been fucked twice by Sgt. Cruz in only a matter of days,"
Angelica said, laughing wildly.

"What are
you talking about?"

"Don't play
stupid. You've been dry fucked and eye fucked by that man."

"That
doesn't even matter. We have jobs to do."

"Right. We
have jobs to do, and none of these lustrous feelings you two have are going to
get in the way." She laughed again. "Like I said, glad it was you and
not
me
. For once, I'm happy I didn't get the
guy."

"Right. Because
your attitude all weekend proves how badly you didn't want him," I
sarcastically retorted, annoyed by the fact that she seemed to be taking
pleasure in my torment.

She rolled her
eyes and walked off, leaving me standing there, pissed at myself and turned on
at the same time. I looked at my watch and realized it was 7:30AM, leaving me
only thirty minutes before I had to be back.

All feeling had
come back to my body, leaving my nipples standing so hard from our intense
stare down that they were beginning to throb. I kicked the cement pillar next
to me, my boot making a low thud, hoping to let out some of the sexual tension
and frustration that had crept into my body just a few minutes before. I ached
with need, hunger and want.

And none of the
three looked like they'd be quelled anytime soon.

Chapter 3

Alex

"Fuck!"
I yelled, anger touching on every nerve ending in me. How the fuck did I allow
myself to get into this situation? As soon as I was back in my shared office, I
yanked my now sweat slicked cover off of my head and heaved it onto the desk
before violently thrusting my body down into my chair. Leaning my head back and
shutting my eyes, I thought about that night and how I missed the fact that she
was a Marine because I was too fucking drunk for my own good. Nothing good
comes from being that plastered. Nothing.

"Shut this
shit down now!" Jensen snarled, removing his cover and slamming the door
behind him. His eyes were full of fury, and I couldn't blame him. I felt the
same way. "What the
fuck were
you thinking?"

"I wasn't
thinking," I bit back, finally sitting up in my chair. "It doesn't
fucking matter anyway. It didn't go very far, and that's where it ends."

"You're damn
right about that," he quickly responded, taking a seat in his own chair.

The realization
that I had just embarked on one of the biggest forbidden regulations in the
Marine Corps made me sick to my stomach. I felt sicker than I had at Coyotes on
Friday night. The walls felt as if they were closing in on me, and at any
second I was going to throw up in hopes of quelling the sudden nausea that had
overtaken me.

Fraternization
was a serious offense, one that could derail everything that I had worked so
hard for up to this point. Even though I had kissed her without knowledge of
who she was, it didn't matter. If anyone said anything, especially with her
being in my class, I could lose everything. I had to make sure that she--and
her fucking friend--didn’t say a word.

"I have to
get her out of my class," I lowly growled, standing to retrieve a bottle
of water, downing the contents in one large gulp. My throat felt as if someone
had shoved it full of glass shards.

"What?
Why?"

"Because, I
can't remain her instructor after what happened on Friday night. It's fuckin'
awkward, man."

Jensen stood and
walked over to me. "She remains in the class. If you go to First Sergeant
and request that she be removed, questions will be asked, and you'll rat
yourself out. Think, man!"

"I can't
fuckin' think when she's around me," I bellowed out, growing more and more
frustrated by the second. "My dick swelled up out there. How do you think
I'll make it through six weeks of having to look at her every fucking
day?"

"Because you
need to remember that a pussy isn't worth throwing everything down the drain. You're
about to pick up Staff Sergeant in six very short fuckin' years. That the oath
you took when you swore to protect your country and the promise to uphold the
morals and values of the Marine Corps means more than some chick who gets your
dick excited." Thick, angry and over worked veins bulged from his neck as
he spoke, his eyes filled with rage.

I knew he was
right, but it was my brain that was aware of everything I stood to lose. My cock
didn't seem to care because, from the second that our eyes locked on one
another in that formation, it jolted to attention and throbbed at the need to
get inside of someone.

And that someone
was none other than Pfc. Cassie Bennett.

"I know all
of that, man--"

"Then shut
this shit down," Jensen briskly interrupted. He moved back to his chair,
seemingly satisfied with the fact that I seemed to have everything back in
perspective. "You need to set some ground rules for these students. Limit
these chance encounters."

"I know. As
soon as we get back out there, I'm laying everything out. This shit isn't
happening again."

"Good,
man." He stood. "Your career means more than some chick who knows
nothing about the Corps and everything it's done for you."

I nodded,
signaling to Jensen that he could leave. He shut the door behind him, leaving
me to my contradictory thoughts. I knew that my career was worth everything,
but for some strange reason, that fucking Pfc. had gotten to me, and it didn't
look as if it would be easy to remove her from my mind.

I was fucked.

Standing before
the class, I let Jensen do the roll call while I stood in the back, stealing
glances at Bennett every now and then.

The sun was
barreling down on us as we stood outside the schoolhouse building, roasting us
where we stood, but that wasn't what had me sweating.

H
er
...
standing
there
...i
mages of her body up against mine
...
her hardened
nipples begging me to rip her shirt off and devour them
...

It had me
sweating like I’d just run three miles uphill on the mountainous terrain that
surrounded us.

I hated it.

I hated
everything about the feeling.

No chick had ever
gotten me to lose my bearings with just the sight of
them
.
I wasn't sure what it was about this one, but I was finding it hard to reign
myself in.

After roll call,
I walked the students into class, the
air conditioned
building, helping me feel a bit more composed. This building was my safe place;
where I was in control.

"First
things first," I said, walking through the rows of students. "Any
bars or clubs, on base or off, are off-limits to all students in Alpha Company.
Even if you are of age, bars are now restricted." I stole a quick glance
in her direction, and she swallowed, but unless you knew why the swallow came
at that moment, it wouldn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary.

"While you
are students, your number one priority is making sure that you pass this school
and get assigned to a unit. Bars and clubs are distractions, and as your
instructor, I am here to keep you focused." I made a quick left, avoiding
her seat and making my way back up to the front of the room. I noticed her
friend, Ruiz, smirking in her direction. This might be harder than I thought.

"Throughout
the week, barracks checks will take place at twenty hundred, meaning you don't
have free reign to be out and about at all hours of the night.
On weekends, twenty-two hundred.
Do we understand?" Jensen
quipped.

"Yes,
Sergeant," the class yelled in unison.

Eight in the
evening seemed reasonable for a school night while ten in the evening on
weekends was more than enough. It was the best way to keep these students tied
to their barracks where we wouldn't have to run into them.

"We are not
here to babysit you. We are here to teach you. If you can't follow orders, your
time here will be a living hell. And I will personally make sure of it,"
Jensen threw in for good measure.

Newsome stood in
his corner, surveying the room but not saying anything. He was never much of a
talker, so having him and his intimidating presence was all that was really
needed.

"Open your
binders and take out your duty station preference sheet," I commanded,
walking up and down the rows again. "You will select three preferences,
but keep in mind that your preference doesn't mean a thing to the Corps, so you
will be placed where you are needed. Some of you will get the duty station of
your dreams, and some of you will end up in your worst nightmare. I don't give
a shit where you end up because it isn't my job to care, so when those
assignments come out, do not come crying to me or any other instructor. It
won't be our doing where you end up, and we will have no power to change
it."

The class got to
work on their sheets, marking shit that more than likely wouldn't matter to
Headquarters, but they had to do it anyway. Jensen, Newsome, and I strolled up
and down the rows, checking on selections and answering any questions that the
students had.

"Why can't I
select Germany, Sergeant?" some twerp asked, instantly annoying me.

"Because
this is the Marine Corps, not the Army. We are amphibious by nature, so most of
your duty choices are going to be on the coasts," I lowly responded with
irritating malice.

Most of the
students were selecting places like Hawaii and overseas, with hopes of living a
carefree life.
 
Little did they know
that the Hawaii duty station was slim, but I wasn't about to fill them in on
reality.
They would quickly learn for themselves.

Strolling the
classroom, I found myself standing over Bennett and looking down at her paper. She
selected West Coast, Hawaii, and the East Coast as her preferences. Her pen
stopped moving as she noticed my presence, but she didn't look up to me. I
stood there, hoping that she would look up. When she finally did, a nervous
grin was spread across her face.

It was refreshing
to know that I wasn't the only one affected by our encounters. At the same
time, it was exhaustingly frustrating that I couldn't do anything about it, or
make the feeling go away.

"I need to
speak to you," I whispered to her, moving away from her desk before she
even had the time to realize what I’d said. Looking back, she seemed flustered,
and her cheeks were red as she looked around the room, probably hoping no one
was aware of what was going on. The only other person who did know was Ruiz,
and I also had to make sure that she kept her fucking mouth shut.

I made my way
back over to Jensen and let him know that I’d told Bennett I needed to speak to
her, and that I would need to speak with Ruiz as well. He offered to handle
Ruiz, stating that I probably didn't want to handle both of them and rouse
suspicion. I agreed, not really caring because all I wanted to do was speak to
Bennett and shut this shit down.