Sitting at the café down the street was a relief for Sam. She was glad to get out of the office. She didn’t leave it much except to grab a soda at the gas station down the street or to go to her apartment after work. The café was small but quaint. It had the look and feel of an old world Irish pub. Men and women of all shapes and sizes adorned the bar stools. Laughter and bouts of jubilant yells sprang from the crowd watching the flickering television screen as the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings clashed. Swarms of Bears fans flooded the small pub for Monday Night Football. The walls were adorned with various celebrities and sports figures, and the menu read much like that of any other small bar and grill.
***
Raleigh could feel his heart in his stomach as he walked closer to the pub. It would be the first time he would see Samantha in something other than a uniform. He couldn’t wait to see what that uniform hid. He knew she was shapely and definitely desirable to him, but didn’t know if his heart could take a beating again. His last relationship killed him emotionally, and he wasn’t all that sure he could handle another breakup, especially after losing part of his team in a mortar attack just months ago. He lost good men in that attack, and he thought when he came home that everything would be ok. He would be with Kristen and things would work themselves out. But that wasn’t the case. He came back to find Kristen in bed with not one, but two men—men he knew personally, men who had betrayed him by sleeping with his fiancée.
He couldn’t blame them entirely. Kristen was as much to blame. She accused Raleigh as much as she did anyone else. Telling him it was because he was always gone and she needed comfort. That he drove her to it and that by sleeping with his buddies she thought it would draw them closer together. At that instant Raleigh knew and threw her out of the apartment.
Raleigh opened the door to O’Shea’s Pub and walked in. He scanned the bar—no Sam. He scanned the tables—no Sam. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her as she emerged from the bathroom. Her long, blonde hair draped over her bare shoulders, and her legs were so long they could almost reach the sky. She was tanned from head to toe, and the dress she had on left nothing to the imagination. It melted into her skin like it was made for her. The heels she wore inched her almost as tall as him. WOW! She is amazing! He could lose himself in those eyes and that smile. He could forget about everything this world offered and just concentrate on making her every wish come true. Because right then, at that very moment, she was everything he had ever wished for and so much more. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and whisk her away to a remote island and make her his forever. He could feel himself shake as he walked towards her. He knew he had to get it together or he would look like a fool.
***
Sitting here with Raleigh was almost a dream come true. She could smell his musky scent from across the table; the smell enticed her senses. She could feel her skin get warm and beads of sweat made their way between her breasts. Thoughts crept into her mind of all the heavenly things she would do to him if she got him alone in a room. It had been too long since Sam had felt a man’s touch—a real man’s touch. She wanted to be taken—body, mind, heart, and soul. Her heart ached for the love and tenderness of a man; Raleigh reminded her of the emptiness she had been feeling for quite some time. Could a guy like Raleigh make all her hopes come true? Or for one night, make her forget all her troubles and be a woman again? She didn’t care either way. These were carnal, sexual needs that she wanted to follow.
As she sat so close to the man of her dreams, the man who could fulfill her deepest desires and the fantasies she had yet to share, she had a feeling she could share any one of them with him and he would be more than willing to make them all come true.
In his deep southern twang, he asked, “Have you ordered yet?”
“Just a drink. I thought I would wait to order food once you got here.” Sam’s voice trailed off as she felt the distinct touch of Raleigh’s leg against hers. The heat she felt skyrocketed to pure pleasure. Is that by accident? Or is he playing with my emotions? She moved her leg just inches, testing the hypothesis that his touch was an accidental one. But his leg moved between hers and pressed them apart. Her heart quickened and her breath hitched. Without control, she allowed his leg in deeper and could feel her wetness envelop her. She had deliberately gone without panties to avoid panty lines; now she worried he would inch ever so close, feeling the wetness soak his jeans. The tablecloth hid what was going on under the table, so Sam was happy to oblige Raleigh’s advances. For one night only, she would put away her emotions and her inhibitions and just let the chips fall where they may. She already had a few drinks in her before Raleigh arrived. She was now relaxed enough to let herself go and enjoy where this went. If she ended up in his bed, she would count it as a notch and let it go. She couldn’t fight her feelings anymore. She needed to be taken, and she needed it now.
Raleigh slid one hand on Sam’s leg and up the length of her thigh. The higher he moved up, the warmer it got. He hoped once he reached her spot she would be ready and willing to take his length and the pleasure he had secretly sworn to give her the moment he laid eyes on her. He could feel her legs tighten as he inched closer and felt her breath quicken the closer he got to her folds. I pray she isn’t wearing panties. As he reached within centimeters of her warmth and folds, the waitress arrived.
“May I take your order?”
“Um, yes, an order for take-out, please. Two BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, fries, and a bottle of champagne. Don’t care what kind. Just make sure it’s good. We will be right here.”
Sam’s face flushed pink with embarrassment, a shyness that Raleigh loved and relished. He enjoyed it. The flush of her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes as she sat and met his stare. As their eyes met, Raleigh’s hand reached her warmth and he slowly slid inside. She was slick and so wet; it was like nothing he had ever felt before. No woman had ever been so ready for him. He couldn’t wait to slide his thickness inside and make her his forever. Sam’s hips bucked toward the thrust of his fingers. She begged for release right there and Raleigh was more than willing to give it to her. As he slid his finger inside, his thumb brushed her little knob, sending waves of pleasure through her. Sam bit her bottom lip as Raleigh continued his slow, thrusting movements.
“Can’t attract attention, baby. Keep it together, and I will bring you a pleasure tonight like you have never experienced before,” he whispered to her.
Sam was more than ready. She wanted him more than anyone she had ever wanted before. Thank God the apartment is just two minutes away.
As his fingers slid inside then out, Sam could feel herself getting closer to orgasm. She wanted Raleigh more than ever and she kept herself from going over the edge as much as she possibly could. As Raleigh leaned in closer to Sam, his words shot right to her lower extremities. “Baby, just let yourself go, let the feeling take you. This isn’t the last time you’re going to cum tonight, I promise you.” With his words and the desire Sam felt as his fingers danced inside her, she felt a release of pleasure and juices that coated his fingers as she arched hard against his hand. She bit her bottom lip and Raleigh stroked her hair and lightly kissed her neck. His words echoed in her head. “Baby, let it go and I’ll give you all you want and so much more.” Raleigh smiled as he felt waves of satisfaction course through her, and the feeling against his finger brought more pleasure to him than he could ever imagine. He was so ready for her, and if he had anything to say about it, she would be his forever.
The time seemed to stand still for a moment until a voice in the distance shattered the moment. “Order up, Fitzgerald.” Raleigh rose, extending his hand to Sam as they made their way to the counter. Sam’s head was still spinning as Raleigh paid for the sandwiches. Sam motioned to the door and headed out ahead of him. Can’t be seen walking out together. That was not what she or Raleigh needed. Sam reached for the door handle of her truck and then everything went black.
Raleigh scanned the parking area for Sam, but nothing. Where had that woman gone? Raleigh could see her truck was still there, but no Sam. As he got closer to the vehicle, he could see her lying on the ground, blood pouring from her head. She was unconscious and unresponsive. Raleigh’s heart was in his toes and he could feel a twinge of fear creep into his thoughts. I can’t lose you. I just found you.
Raleigh leaned over Sam, pulling her close. He placed a towel on her head and called 911. The minutes passed like hours. And with each passing second, Raleigh became more fearful he would lose her. As he sat with Sam in his lap, cupping her head and caressing her cheek, Sam slowly opened her eyes.
“Oh my god, what happened? My head feels like it is split in half!”
“I don’t know, baby. Just hold on, the ambulance will be here any second.”
“NO!” Sam said. “We can’t be seen together. What if this gets reported and the report states that you were here? We could get into a lot of trouble.”
“Now, why would we get into trouble? I found you lying on the ground in a pool of your own blood. Let me handle this. No worries, baby. I got this.”
In the distance, the sounds of the sirens wailed in the background. But all Raleigh could concentrate on was holding Sam. He had only just met her. Could he possibly be falling in love with this woman? As the ambulance pulled up and the paramedics emerged, Raleigh backed off and let the men work. Samantha, on the other hand, was one woman to be reckoned with. Every time one medic tried to check her head, she would snap their hand back, at the same time telling them she was fine and all she needed was to find the person who knocked her in the head. Sam reluctantly relented and let the medics work, loading her into the back of the ambulance for the ride to VA Hospital.
Raleigh followed behind the ambulance. When they arrived, he could still hear Sam spouting off obscenities to the medics as they wheeled her into the emergency room. Raleigh couldn’t keep himself from chuckling at the sight of Sam cursing those poor medics, but reality set in and worry engulfed him as he sat in the waiting room for the doctor to emerge and give him Sam’s prognosis. Minutes seemed like hours as he waited for any word.
Stretching, Raleigh let out a big sigh and a whimper, closing his eyes and hoping that when he opened them, Sam would be in front of him with that big smile of hers and a cup of coffee in her hand, ordering him to get up and work. Instead he saw the faint shadow of a woman walking his way. As she got closer, he realized it was Sam’s best friend, Staff Sergeant Madison Carr. He met her earlier at the company headquarters. She was a spitfire like Sam, but different. She had a wounded animal air about her that Raleigh just couldn’t put his finger on.
“Is she ok, Chief?” Madison said in a crackling voice.
“I haven’t heard anything yet. Been sitting here forever, and not one person has come out and said a word.”
“Well, maybe they will soon. I’ll go check and see if I can get anything out of them.” Maddie moved towards the nurses’ desk and to the nurse behind the counter.
“I DON’T CARE! I WANT AN ANSWER NOW!” Maddie was yelling so loudly that a man from the back area snapped at her.
Raleigh started to get up from his chair. He definitely doesn’t look happy.
“WOULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN! WE ARE TRYING TO WORK BACK HERE!” Then he yanked the curtain closed. Maddie walked back to Raleigh, her tail tucked between her legs and said, “Well, Chief, I guess my tactic didn’t work. Maybe you can give it a try.”
Raleigh quickly changed the subject and was curious about how Maddie found out Sam was here. So, he figured he would just come right out with it. “How did you find out Sam was here?”
“Oh, I’m Sam’s emergency contact. So, when she arrived, the hospital called me.”
“Oh ok, that makes perfect sense.”
“How did you find out, Chief?”
Oh boy! That was the question he was hoping he wouldn’t have to answer. But there it was, right in front of his face. Raleigh paused, drew in a deep breath and lied. “Well, I was at O’Shea’s having a bite to eat and was heading out to my car when I saw a woman on the ground. I ran over to help and realized it was Sergeant O’Hara. So, I yelled for another bystander to call 911, and then I followed the ambulance to the hospital. I was just getting ready to call your commander when you came in.”
Whew, I hope she buys that.
“Thank God you were there, Chief. Who knows how long she would have laid there if you hadn’t of come along. I am surprised you didn’t run into Sam in the restaurant. But O’Shea’s gets busy, especially during Monday Night Football. I was thinking of going there myself after work, but I got sidetracked helping a soldier, so I ended up staying late. By the time I finished, I just wanted to go back to the house and get my boots off and relax. I am just getting too old for all this. Oh, look. Here comes the doctor, Chief.”
Raleigh and Maddie stood up as the man behind the curtain down the hallway emerged and started in their direction.
“Hello, sir, are you the one who came in with Ms. O’Hara? I am Chief Joshua Anderson. I am the Physician’s Assistant looking after Ms. O’Hara.”
Raleigh tensed, but not enough to be noticeable he hoped. “Yes, yes I am. How is Sergeant O’Hara?”
“She received a good blow to the back of her head. We put in fifteen stitches, and we will be keeping her here overnight for observation. She is sleeping right now, as we gave her a sedative to calm her down. She kept wanting to get up and find the guy that, in her words, ‘bashed her head in.’ So, we decided it would be best to keep her here to make sure she doesn’t get herself into trouble and get hurt again. I think once in a lifetime is plenty for her, but her prognosis is great. She needs to stay down for a few days. I will come check on her in the morning.”
Chief Anderson held out his hand to Raleigh. As they shook hands, Maddie asked, “Doctor, do you think anyone needs to stay here with her tonight?”
“Oh, I don't believe so. There will be plenty of personnel here on the floor and in her wing. So, there should be nothing to worry about. You can head on home.”
Before Maddie left, she turned to Raleigh. “I will let the commander know what happened. Will you let me know how Sam is in the morning?”
“No problem. Just jot down your number, and I will call you. I’ll stay here at the hospital and keep an eye on Sergeant O’Hara. No reason for me to go to the hotel other than to shower. I can wait until morning when we get an update.”