Chapter 3

Robert

I watched the girl behind the counter, sipping the strong coffee as I sized her up. She was young, probably more than ten years under me. She was also beautiful and I remembered her lavender name tag that was pinned to the light pink shirt that boasted the name of this place. Mountain Brew. It fit being in this town, one that I was new to as of a week ago. The base needed to add to their staff to tighten things up after a scandal with another major and a female assistant. I was not the kind of man to fuck up at work that way, not after my twenty-year career with the air force. I would not allow those under me to either and I’d been demonstrating my leadership in the week that I’d spent with them. I had the financial means to live off base in a charming home at the edge of town so I could have my peace and finally decided to take my morning off today to wander a bit.

I found this cafe right away and felt drawn to it somehow. It was a quaint little place and not that crowded, and I couldn’t resist the strong smell of coffee and baked goods once I was inside. Once I saw Molly, I knew that I was drawn to her as much as I was to the cafe that she worked at. She was around five foot six with intoxicating eyes that reminded me of a good whiskey and pale skin. Her dark brown hair was pulled high on her head but I wanted to release it so that her thick waves would tumble over her shoulders. She seemed to be stunned by my presence, unable to speak. That pleased me as my body responded but I also saw the intense fear in her beautiful eyes.

It was a redhead that answered some of my questions and I only knew that from a quick glance before looking at Molly. I knew that the other girl was the outgoing one and probably more of a candidate for what I wanted, but I couldn’t be bothered. I paid Molly and watched as she turned to fix my coffee, noticing the soft curves of her ass in the black slacks that she was wearing. She wasn’t skinny like so many women and I liked that.

I dropped something into the tip jar as I took my items and surveyed the room carefully. There was a small table by the fireplace that was bright with a fire and I wandered over to it to take a seat. The warmth felt good after the crisp air outside and I sipped the hot coffee as I looked over the other customers seated around me. This was a mountain town and the faces represented that though I found it comforting in an odd way after being in much more populated places in the past. These people were happy with a small table, their breakfast, and a paper or one of the books that graced the shelves. Life was slow here even though I knew there was always some excitement to be found. I let my eyes drift to Molly again, watching her shake the hand of the young man that the other woman was clearly enamored with.

I watched as Molly smiled and talked but could tell that I was still affecting her. She glanced my way and her cheeks flushed pink at our eye contact before she looked away to help some new customers.

I’d slept with women of all ages, all legal. It wasn’t the thrill of their age as much as it was their willingness to please me. I kept that part of my life separate from my job and excelled at both. I also didn’t do long term commitment since I moved a lot and wasn’t craving a family now. My own parents were from the military and I moved all the time, so I didn’t want to do that to my own family. I followed in Dad’s footsteps who followed Granpa and I loved my life. He met my mom when he was new to the Air Force and they married quickly before starting their journey that led to my brother James and me.

I was never struck so hard by a woman. I enjoyed them and took time to get to know them out of bed, taking them out and showing them a good time. I was a man, not a boy. I could fuck them without all of that but I liked to treat the person that I was with well. I liked building them up and watching them get confidence, depending on where they were in life. I ended things respectfully once I was done, moving on quietly. I’d like to think that they remembered me a few months later fondly as well as with a shudder as they remembered what I did to their bodies.

I looked back at Molly as she walked back and forth between the counter and some back room. I could smell food over the other scents that lingered in the air and wondered what else they served here. This cafe would be a nice place to catch up on reports or even read some of the books that were piling up around my house. I worked several hours a week and was forced to take today with all the rearranging I’d been doing on base this week.

A scandal affected so many people in the time that it was happening. This one was with a married major and a young female which was even worse. They were both off base now and considering their next steps in life, but I blamed him more. He took advantage of a woman mentally and physically and while she played a role, she was more vulnerable. I knew this because I’d done the same, just not on the job. I remembered how badly I felt when I realized the damage done to the pretty young women before we parted way and as I glanced at Molly, I realized that she resembled Brittany. Was this why I couldn’t stop staring at her?

The tryst with Brittany happened quickly when I was new to the air force and we were in bed the night that we met. I took from her that night and every one that followed, dominant and demanding in my lust for her. She wasn’t a virgin physically but damn close and I didn’t realize that I was breaking her down until a month or so in. I didn’t realize that she was traumatized from it even as she was falling for me, not until she was weeping in bed one night.

It was then that I talked to her about her life, finding out that she’d been in a sexually abusive relationship a year before she met me. She admitted that she liked my dominance in some ways, craving it even but that it was bringing back some pain for her. She told me that she loved me. She’d been crying the entire time and I knew that I’d rushed this. I needed to talk to women more and make sure that they were into what we were doing because some complied for the wrong reasons.

I respected the fact that Brittany ended things to get herself some help, apologizing to her for the role that I’d played. I knew that I needed some ground rules after that.

I still allowed myself to imagine Molly on my bed, naked and on her knees. I let my fantasy move forward to see the red marks on her ass from my hands for a moment as my cock stirred in my jeans. I could imagine it without doing it, though seeing her walk back out to the front of the cafe made me want it.

I stayed for about an hour before I piled my dishes in a bin near the garbage to finish wandering the town. I glanced back to see Molly watching me as the door closed behind me, vowing to come back for her and the place itself. I found some stores that I’d shop at regularly and admired the views frequently. My house was at the edge of a forest and I had so much peace there but this location was breathtaking. I wondered if this might be the lifestyle I’d settle in, enjoying the slow pace. I could work on this base through retirement and settle here since my parents weren’t far at only a few states away.

That was an interesting thought. I made my way back down the street and stopped in a used book store to get some of the novels that were new to the shop and add them to my collection before walking past the cafe and glancing inside again.

Molly was helping a small line of people as the redhead moved behind her to fix orders. She was a pretty girl, the redhead. I sensed that she was confident and vibrant with a little sass and smiled at the image of the young man that was with her. She was going to be a handful. Molly looked over to see me through the glass and our gazes locked for a few seconds. I’d be back soon to pursue her, because I needed her deep inside. I craved her.

I walked back to the house that I was renting and fixed some eggs for breakfast. That muffin was delicious, but I needed food now and I sat at the table and took in the view as I ate. It was lush and green, gorgeous to look at as well as explore. I’d done a small amount of that in my free time here and tossed around the idea of a hike today. I took pride in my body and worked out a lot; running outside or just doing some basics inside. Most women didn’t take me for being forty-two years old and I wondered for a moment how old Molly was. Her face was youthful but her eyes showed experience and I guessed her to be in her twenties, perhaps around twenty-four or so. The redhead was slightly younger with the curiosity of a girl.

I knew that I didn’t want her, but I did want the dark-haired beauty that was haunting me now as I started out into the forest. I had to take my time with her, not wanting a repeat of Brittany. I needed to keep my cool and do this right since I had a lot of pressure at work to think about as well.