C. Brown - Fraternizing

"That was made from scratch, with love. My tia taught me how to make those carne enchiladas. There's more where that came from."

"Thanks, Leti," I heard Cruz answer. "I haven't had a home cooked meal in a long ass time." I inched a bit closer and saw that Leti was, in fact, Sgt. Castillo. She was dressed casually, her hair down and make-up on her face. She was already an attractive chick, but seeing her out of uniform, looking more done up that usual, struck me with a pang of jealousy, making me falter on my goal of forgetting all about him.

"There's more where that came from." The smile on her face was anything but innocent and Sgt. Cruz smiled back, making my stomach turn.

She was leaning over to him as she sat in the seat next to him, both of them laughing while their bodies rubbed up against one another. My hands were beginning to ache, so I cracked my knuckles, and Dalton made his way over to me, concern etched on his face.

"You need to talk to Sgt. Cruz?" Dalton asked, breaking me from my bitter thoughts.

"No," I quickly answered. "I just smelled that delicious food, and it lured me in." I spoke up at that part, stepping further into their view, making sure that my voice could be heard.

Castillo, or, Leti, as Sgt. Cruz so casually called her, looked up and saw me. Her menacing eyes seared into me, but I stood my ground. My inner fighter wasn't about to take her shit lightly, even though she was my superior. Cruz looked up and saw me standing there, looking like I was ready to pounce.

"Can I help you, Bennett?" Cruz asked, his voice harsh but his eyes inviting.

"No. I just smelled that food, and it pulled me in. Smells good, Sergeant. We don't have anything like that around here." My gaze was stuck on him, but I managed to sneak a peek over to Castillo who looked like she would charge at any second.

Dalton moved further into the door frame beside me, much to Cruz's dismay. I couldn't find a reason to stand there any longer, enticing and infuriating my body at the same time, so I turned to Dalton, nodding my head and signaling for us to make our way out.

"Have a good night, Sergeant. Enjoy that meal." There was an undercurrent of sarcasm in my voice that was well intended. As I looked back to Sgts. Castillo and Cruz, they both seemed to have caught on to it. Cruz looked as though I had just given him the green light to come and fuck me while Castillo looked ready to rip my eyeballs out.

I walked up the stairs with Dalton, internally smiling as we walked.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"That bitch fest."

I laughed at the accuracy of his terminology.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Keep saying that. You know exactly what I'm talking about. If Castillo could have, she would've bitch slapped you, and I think you would have done the same."

"Well, I don't know. You know how male Marines treat you guys like shit? Well, she's kind of doing the same with me."

Dalton rolled his eyes but didn't comment any further. When we reached my room, he stopped just before the door, standing aside so I could take out my key and unlock it. He waved his hand for me to lead the way, following in behind me.

I walked into the room and threw my bag of junk food down onto my bed, signaling for Dalton to take a seat. It was late, and Angelica still wasn't home which made me happy. I tried to spend the least amount of time with her as possible.

We sat down, laughing about my lack of knowledge on almost everything that was popular in our childhood. Although Dalton was only nineteen years old, making him two years younger than me, he was the one person who I found it very easy to relate to.

From what he told me, he came from a very well to do family in Kenosha, Wisconsin and had a brother who was currently serving in the U.S. Army. His dad was retired Air Force, so it was a no brainer that he would serve his country in some branch of the armed forces. He chose the Marines because it was a branch that no one else in his family had served in and he wanted the challenge.

We spent the next half hour just getting to know one another a little better, spilling a few personal tidbits here and there. At one point, Dalton got emotional, wiping tears that fell from his strikingly pure azure eyes at the mention of some things in his past. I swallowed hard, unsure how we had gotten to this point and wanting to quickly remove myself from it. I had learned a long time ago to build a fortress around my emotions, not showing any signs of weakness because they could be preyed on. Apparently, Dalton didn't have that same mindset, and it somewhat shocked me that a guy of his stature would cry, but I didn't judge. Instead, I reached over and hugged him.

As we pulled away, Dalton's face flushed red, a sure fire sign of embarrassment, and he wiped his last stray tear, smiling at me and warming my heart.

"It's twenty-two hundred, Marines. Time to get back to your own rooms," a young Private on fire watch called out as he stood out in the hallway looking into my room. I looked up, the face unrecognizable to me.

"I'll come by tomorrow. Run first thing in the morning," Dalton said, standing up and then hugging me.

The Private stood in his spot until Dalton was out of the room and walking down the hallway. I shut my door, then turned to make my way to my dresser, grabbing a t-shirt and shorts to change into for bed. I still wasn't sure where Angelica was, and honestly, I didn't really care. It was nice to not have to deal with her bullshit for a night.

Just as I was washing my face, my cell phone went off on my desk, prompting me to hurry over to it. When I looked down at it, I was a bit shocked by what was on the screen.

Unknown: 2200 is the rule for weekends, but much too late for YOU to have unworthy dicks in your room.  Good night!

My mind was racing to try and come up with a witty comeback but failed to do so. I couldn't think of anything that would show him that he wasn't affecting me, so I typed the first thing that came to mind.

Me: It's too late for any dicks, so I guess I will also bid YOU good night.

A quick response chimed on my phone.

Unknown: Don't make me show you how BIG of a DICK I can be. It's never too late for me. You'd be wise to pay attention to that.

A tight squeeze of my thighs was needed as a charge of sensation burst in between my legs, sending an ache accompanied by the thrill of an intense need pummeling down and into me. A light smiled caressed my lips as I found myself being sucked in by his dirty banter, which I wanted, and didn't want, all at the same time. I didn't need to go any further, even though I wanted to. Instead, I denied what my mind and body craved, and sent a text to quiet him down.

Sent: Good night, Sgt. Cruz.

After sending the text, I shut my phone off. I knew how weak I could be when he was around, and since I had earlier reconciled with myself that I would no longer be playing into his hands or giving in to his advances, I cut it off, then fell asleep watching pointless TV. 

Alex

Dammit. I was losing my touch. Castillo bringing me dinner, while satisfying, was definitely not what I needed tonight. Fuck if Bennett didn't see me, sitting there, enjoying what could be perceived as a date-- only it wasn't a date. It wasn't anywhere close to a date. I was simply stuck on duty, and Castillo showed up with food; home cooked food at that.

Who could pass that shit up?

What I didn't plan on was her sticking around, especially not long enough for Bennett to walk by and see us, and with that fucking Dalton kid at that. That look on his face made me see red, like a bull ready to take out a matador, but I’d composed myself. I wasn't about to show my ass in front of the private that I was stuck on duty with.

Bennett's little comments, coming from that sweet, yet smart ass mouth of hers, were nothing but a stimulant to my already hardened dick. The way she went toe to toe with Castillo, even though she's a junior Marine, made her even more appealing to me. The intensity in her eyes as she glared back at her, that quick wit coming off those innocent lips, excited every inch of me. How a girl with the delicacy of a flower could have the demeanor of a pit bull was a total mind fuck to me, one that was welcomed every day of the week. She stood there, looking like she wanted to know about the food, when deep inside I knew she wanted to know about me and the female sitting next to me. And Castillo knew it too. Laughter would have come pouring out of me if I hadn't found the poise to keep it locked down. The situation was comical, even if I was the only one to find the humor in it.

What I didn't find comical was finding out that Dalton was in Bennett's room up until 10pm-- alone. Ruiz had already been granted clearance to be out for the night, and even though I didn’t want to give it to her, I needed to. It was my way of getting to Bennett without the constant distraction. Good thing the firewatch for the night asked no questions and just did as told. I’d had a feeling Dalton might be there, but deep inside I’d wanted to be wrong. Fire ignited in my gut when I was radioed and told that the fucker was, in fact, in there and had to be told to leave. If I could have punched through walls, I would have.

2:24am, and the private on duty with me was asleep. It was time for him to wake the fuck up while I made my rounds.

"Hey, Private Rinaldi, wake up. I'm going on my rounds," I told him, standing over him with my radio in hand. He awoke in a hurry, blinking furiously as he tried to focus on my face with the bright lights of the barracks room shining down on him. "If you need me--radio. Under no circumstances are you to go to sleep or abandon your post while I'm out, you understand that?"

"Yes, Sergeant," he answered in a hurry.

I walked briskly out the door, turning to my right and circling the building before making my way up the stairs. Strolling the outside, I was thankful to find no late night/early morning barracks shenanigans taking place. Even if everyone wasn't asleep, the barracks were quiet which was always a welcomed sound.

As I turned the last corner of the walkway, I found myself only inches away from Bennett's room. My steps slowed, my hands began to sweat, and my stomach formed into a contortion of thick, tightly twisted knots, waiting for someone to come and end my fucking misery. Stretching my arms didn't help a damn thing, it actually made it worse. As I outstretched my arms, the tight material of my shirt clung to my biceps, the nervous perspiration helping to lock it down. I looked around, swallowed hard, then looked around again. My mind kept telling me to retreat, but the powerful feeling coming from the headstrong muscle in between my legs kept telling me to stop being a pussy and walk in there. It was time to finally get what it was that I had been denied for far too long. I wanted to listen to my cock and my cock only, but my mind was a powerful piece of shit, killing the thoughts of walking into that room and having my way with Bennett.

What if she didn't want it? There would be a sexual harassment charge waiting for me, ending my fucking career as I knew it and the end of me as a free man. It would mean the end of my life because without the Corps, I was nothing. As my mind began to power through the strangle hold that my cock had on me, I walked away from her room, rubbing my face at the disappointment that I had with myself for allowing my dick to lead the way. Nothing good comes when your cock does all of the thinking. Nothing.

I walked away, feeling defeated and triumphant, and sure as shit confused. Just as I was about to turn the corner, another thought popped into my head, forcing me to stop and turn around. If she didn't want me, then why would she put herself out there for me? The mixed signals were driving me bat-shit crazy, and I was going to burst out of my pants if I didn't figure this shit out soon.

I stood before her room, sweat coating my hands and now my face as I pulled out my key ring with the keys to all of the barracks rooms in the building. I fumbled with them, finding it hard to keep my grip as I moved key after key, trying desperately to find the one to her room and get inside before anyone could see me.