Fraternizing

Just when I was pulling away, I watched her hug him, lingering on him a bit too long for my liking. She ran her hand down his arm that was now free thanks to the muscle shirt he wore, and smiled at him as she made her way back and around to her Jeep. I laughed a little to myself, seeing Castillo for the desperate bitch that she was. There was no secret that she knew something was up between Alex and me, and I had a feeling that since she hadn't said anything up to this point, she wouldn't be saying anything at all. She wanted to play hardball, and somehow I found myself wanting to play right along with her. I watched Alex as he looked up and saw me standing there, then turned and jumped into his truck, the thunderous roar of the engine raging to life as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The shower was a refreshing escape from the morning, Alex, and Castillo. Both of them were beginning to get on my nerves. As much as I wanted Alex, I wasn't going to put up with any bullshit games of his. Either he was going to define what this was before us, or we just weren't going to have anything anymore. The fact that I couldn't do anything about Castillo was killing me softly, and I knew she was enjoying the agony as it festered inside of me.

I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts underwear before strolling into the bathroom and blow drying my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror, not looking nearly as tired, but wondering how I'd gotten myself caught up in such a mess that I couldn't seem to work my way out of. If Castillo got fed up with Alex and his unwillingness to go any further with her, she could ruin me. I was setting myself up to have my life destroyed right in front of my eyes because I seemed to be in complete and utter lust with my instructor, who I would be leaving five weeks from now. I needed to talk myself into leaving him alone, but with every sight of him, every smell of his husky manliness, and every sound of his words, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into that hole with no way out and no ounce of panic at that realization within me.

A quick knock on the door had me scrambling for my shorts. Dalton was always punctual, leaving me in a frenzied mess to try and make myself presentable before opening the door and letting him in. I swung the door open, smiling my biggest, most charismatic smile. To my surprise, Dalton wasn't standing at my doorway.

It was Castillo, looking much too snide for such an early Saturday morning.

'May I come in, Pfc. Bennett?' She stepped into the room before I even had a chance to answer.

I turned to face her, closing the door slightly behind me.

'I'll make this quick because I see you're on your way out. I know there's something going on with you and Sgt. Cruz, or that you want something to go on. But let me remind you, the Corps has a strict order against fraternizing, and I like to see that all orders are followed. You catch my drift?'

My stomach ached at the sound of her words and the look of her soul-searing gaze. Her lips curved into an evil smile that sent chills down my spine with the tightening of my muscles.

'I don't think you know what you're talking about.'

'Oh, I know. I'm watching you. I've already told you that. And if Alex's reaction to finding out you were acting like a walking mattress earlier in the week is any indication, I'd say something is definitely going on.' The hairs on my arms were standing at attention, stiff enough to be cut clean off with one swipe of my finger.

'Now, Alex. He is a damn good Marine, one of the best I've known, and a very good friend of mine as well,' her emphasis on the word very made me want to hurl, 'so I would never get him caught up in this mess, but you--' she paused, looking me up and down, '--you, my dear, your baby career can be sent tumbling down the highest mountain if I open my mouth and let the higher ups know that you're trying to trap an instructor.' She moved closer to me, circling while smiling in my face.

'Whatever it is you think you know, you couldn't be more wrong. And I'm pretty sure that instructors shouldn't be hooking up in the workplace, so don't think I won't run my pretty little mouth on you either.'

My response surprised her, sending wrath and fury into her eyes, and replacing the earlier bitchiness that had been laid out before me.

'I'm giving you a fair fucking warning, Bennett. Watch your fucking step before I send your ass packing to whatever little piece of shit hometown you come from. I'm not one to be fucked with.'

'You'd be wise to heed your own warning, Sgt. Castillo. Now please leave my room before I let the duty know that you came in here threatening me.'

I held the door open for her and watched her walk out. My nerves were on high alert, frazzled and short circuiting, even though my demeanor didn't hint at it.

She was right.

If she decided to run her mouth, she could hurt me while protecting Alex, and what would he do? Would he fight for me, thus putting himself out on the line, or would he fall in line with her, saving his career while using me as cannon fodder? The thought was mind numbing, drilling home the reality that I was a nothing in the Corps and would be viewed as such should Castillo decide to run her mouth.

I stomped back into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and putting on a slight hint of mascara and chapstick. I grabbed my id card and forced it into my back pocket as I turned and swung the door open with all of my might to walk down to Dalton's room.

 'Whoa! Where are you going?' Alex asked, catching me in his arms just as I was beginning to storm out the door. He caught me in total surprise, looking like he was just about to knock on the door.

'I'm off to the chow hall. I'm hungry, and not all of us have the luxury of home cooked fucking meals every day,' I barked out, hanging on to his arm as he held me up under my chest while shutting the door behind him. It was an uncomfortable hold, and I wanted to get out of it, but he wouldn't let go, not until he had me near the bed and he was able to lie me down.

'Stop that shit, Blondie,' he grumbled, his hazel eyes piercing into me from where he stood. 'I didn't ask for this shit. In fact, I told her I didn't need her bringing me anything.'

'Okay. So why are you here?'

'I got called back in and on my way out, I saw Castillo making her way down the stairs, so I knew I needed to see you. And because the rest of my fucking morning has been hell since I was interrupted just before finishing you off.'

I sat up on the bed, still fuming mad at everything that seemed to be happening around us. And in that moment, I remembered that Dalton should have been there by now, but he wasn't. My mind drifted back to Alex and what he said about making shit happen. He could have done anything to keep him away from me this morning. Standing up, I paced the room, feeling the intensity of it closing in around us.

'Where is Dalton?'

'I'm not here to talk about him right now.'

'I don't care. Where is he? He was supposed to be meeting me for breakfast, and he's not here. Where is he?'

He ran his hand over his freshly shaven face, blowing out a deep sigh as he did so.

'I've got him busy. You'll need to make new plans for breakfast this morning,' he said, wryly twisting his lips into his characteristically smug grin, further angering me. He pulled me towards him, running his hands over my back and down to my ass before whispering in my ear.

'He's sniffing up the wrong tree. This one is already taken.' He cocked his head to the side, the honey hue of his eyes growing darker by the second. 'He'd be doing himself a favor by backing the fuck up.'

The moist flesh of his delectable lips skimmed the bottom of my ear lobe, sending a flash of warmth through me.

'I want you, Cassie Bennett. I've wanted you since the night you rubbed that beautiful little ass all over me on that dance floor at Coyotes, and I'll be damned if you're going to tease me with that fucking prick to try and prove a point.' Slow breaths left him, crashing down over me as he pulled away and burned his high intensity gaze into mine. 'You've got me right where you want me, and I damn sure know I've got you, so stop with the games and tell that little dude to blow his load elsewhere.'

Somehow those words made me excited.

And limp.

And angry!

He was so presumptuous, yet so right as well. I didn't need him seeing that he and his words, the feel of his lips, and the strong protectiveness of his arms had me hook, line, and sinker. No. As much as I wanted him, I wasn't going to fall at his feet as soon as he said something that enticed me.