Whirl Read online

  “My usual thanks, Mariel.”

  I turn to stare at who the fuck has just queue jumped me, as he leans over the bar and drops a quick kiss on her cheek. I notice the scowl has disappeared and a pretty smile has replaced it. He straightens up again as Mariel places a bottle of beer on the bar in front of him.

  I'm ready to give him an icy glare, but I'm thrown by what I see.

  The man of my dreams has just arrived from paradise.

  I couldn't have put him together better if I'd visited a 'build a man' store and found all the perfect parts myself.

  Glossy dark hair, cut short and neat. A drop dead gorgeous face with a sprinkling of stubble around his chiselled jaw line. Oh those piercing, deep blue eyes! Broad shoulders and muscular arms, but not too big, I don't like overly muscular men particularly. He's the perfect height, a couple of inches taller than me wearing my heels. My eyes travel downwards taking in the dark grey Bench T-shirt, and the casual, but smart jeans hugging his slim hips. There's not an ounce of fat on his body. He's lean and oh so beautiful. I take a gulp swallowing the saliva that has gathered in my mouth. My heated gaze swims back up to his face. My mind is completely swamped by him.

  Jeez, he really is Mr Got It All...

  After a few seconds I realise I'm blatantly staring into his eyes. He seems to be staring pretty intensely at me too, checking me out, very thoroughly... He raises his eyebrow at me and grins a slightly lopsided grin.

  I'm so, so, so in lust.

  “Hi there,” He says in a lovely, deep husky voice. I must be melting before his very eyes, dissolving in a girly puddle at his sex god feet. I smile in as cute a fashion as I can manage considering I'm suffering from a severe case of 'beautiful man' shock.

  “Well hello Mr Ugly.” I don't know what possessed me to choose those opening words and joke like that with the man of my dreams. Temporary lust induced insanity perhaps? I can't see any sign of amusement etched across his face. Not even the surprise I might have expected, it's something else... irritation, anger, I don't know...

  “You're not Miss World either.” His expression is suddenly dark and hard.

  “It was supposed to be a joke, obviously.” I snap back, haughtily.

  “Don't dish it out if you can't take it, sweetheart.”

  “I don't mind people joking with me. But you weren't joking, were you?”

  “No, in this case it's pure fact. You're not Miss World, are you?”

  “Tell me, which charm school did you graduate from, hmmm?”

  “It's my own brand of charm.”

  “Well Mr Ugly, you so need to work on it, because as far as charm goes, it stinks.” And I totter off in a huff with my nose in the air. The drinks can wait. I'm not hanging around here another second longer. Oh fuck! That went well...

  I sit down at our booth explaining to everyone that Mariel was far too busy with her queue of male customers to notice me. Mr Tall Blond Hottie, Sam, goes off to sort her out and get our long delayed drink order. The next minute my stomach churns with embarrassment as Mr Ugly appears in front of me at our booth, giving me a cold but curious look.

  Toni nudges me and whispers in my ear. “Straight ahead, here's your stunner.” Well that's just bloody typical. My best looking chance blown in a minute of jokey misunderstanding and unpleasantness.

  Brendan, blissfully unawares, introduces us to each other with an amused tone to his voice.

  “Alex, I'd like you to meet Alex.” Everyone has a quick snigger over our same names. Except the two of us. We're stony faced. Well, on the surface we are. I'm not sure what's going on beneath.

  He offers me his hand and I take it, shaking it briefly. Shivers run all the way up my arm at his touch.

  “Alex is Toni's sister. She's over from the UK for a month's vacation.” Brendan carries on with his introduction.

  “I've just met Alex at the bar,” Alex explains. His gorgeous voice sweeps through me as his eyes lock themselves directly onto mine. I stare back levelly, even though my sex muscles are very distracting, contracting far too pleasurably under his gaze.

  “We had a few pleasant words, didn't we Alex?” I add a little sarcastically. Heat is rising inside of me uncontrollably. My pulse is quickening. My God, I'm drowning in his eyes, they're so gorgeous.

  “I was wondering if you'd mind taking Lex up for a flight one day this week, Captain Jackson, sir?” Brendan asks him to my surprise.

  Oh please! He's not a CO and a whirly pilot too? He's scoring way too high on the hot and sexy scale. I'll have to wring out my knickers soon.

  “Sure. I have some free time tomorrow morning. Does that suit?” He replies coolly to us both. He fixes his eyes on me again, his piercing unwavering gaze is almost fiery blue, and it sends me rocketing off into the stratosphere, everything inside me squeezes so tight it hurts. I bring myself back down to earth fast.

  “I'll have to check if I can fit it in my busy schedule,” I respond in my usual jokey style. I'm not so sure that's a good idea after the words are out. Maybe he can't take a joke. Any joke. He raises an eyebrow, pinning me down with a damn sexy look. Oh fuck! I squirm on my seat as a wave of pure desire rushes through me.

  “Sorry Alex, but you've got to fit in with my busy schedule. I can give you a half hour or so at 11am. Take it or leave it.” He is so cool and very much in command. If I want to go up in the air, I'd better grab this opportunity.

  “Why thank you so much for the kind offer Captain Jackson. It's much appreciated, sir.” I give him a mock salute and sit up straight backed to attention. I notice his nostrils flare with annoyance and his eyes glare into mine. I can't seem to stop myself antagonising him. I'll have to try and redeem the situation somehow. I'll charm him with my singing later. Blast his socks off with some sexy suggestive lyrics and have him panting at my feet, licking my ankles and banging me up the wall with a wild out of control passion... All in his mind of course. I'm not that easy. Toni kicks me under the table and I turn her way.

  “Hey, cool it,” She mouths at me with a questioning look. I think she's caught the strange heated vibes.

  Alex turns to talk to Brendan, Ross and a couple of other guys from the next booth. Hot Sam returns with a tray full of drinks and slides in next to me. A moment later the bar manager announces that if anyone wants to participate in the karaoke, now's the time to take a ticket from the bar. I push Sam up roughly and go for the bar with a mission. I'm not missing out on this. It's going to be the hottest performance I've ever given. I end up with number 5. Not bad. I'll be up in about twenty minutes, at a guess. I take a look at the song choices.

  Oh yes, I smile to myself. That'll do very nicely... Rihanna's 'Diamonds'. One of my favourite up tempo ballads and very aptly suited to his domain, the sky...

  I sit down next to Sam again sipping my drink, enjoying the show and enjoying the view of Alex's tight ass even more. I sneakily take some photos of him to study later. The singers queued up before me are not bad, not bad at all. I really am enjoying it. I clap away merrily after each performance. I don't get nervous about singing anymore. I'm immune after hundreds of sessions. But today my stomach does an unusual flutter when I stand up to take my turn. I manage a quick smile at Brendan and my sister and I'm off, up on the small stage, ready to writhe around and warble nasally like a Riri double. I press the button for my song of choice and I'm away, lost in my lyrical world.

  This is one song I know so well I could sing it in my sleep. Rihanna numbers are very popular in The Blue Lounge, back home. I've mastered some good moves, and very sexy they are too, if I say so myself! I keep my eyes fixed on Brendan and Toni during the starting lines, watching their astonished faces as I sing and move in a tuneful sultry rhythm. They've both seen me sing before, at the beginning of my 'singing career', and I know I'm far more refined and polished than I used to be two years ago.

  I sneak a couple of rampant hot looks at Alex, my eyes sweeping up to his and dropping back down again at the perfect points in the song.

/>   “...You’re a shooting star I see,

  A vision of ecstasy,

  When you hold me,

  I’m alive,

  We’re like diamonds in the sky...

  I knew that we’d become one right away,

  Oh right away,

  At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays,

  I saw the life inside your eyes...”

  His eyes are riveted to mine. His face dark and unreadable. My stomach tenses under his fixed hard stare. I almost lose my concentration and for a horrifying split second the next words I am singing disappear from my head.

  This man does wild, mind blowing things to me. I have to have him.

  In self preservation, I drop my gaze from his and return my attention to my sister again. I carry on with my stellar performance, my poise regained. At the end I get a loud round of applause and some 'more, more' calls. Maybe later or next time, if they run out of willing people. I don't want to show off. I do have the lovely Mariah's latest hot hit up my sleeve, a classic Whitney, and booty shaking Beyonce, all of which I noticed on the song list here tonight. I make my way back to our booth and take a bow in front of the enthusiastic clapping little gathering. Frankie gives me a tight squeeze.

  “Really cool Lex. Really! I'm definitely marrying you now honey. You can sing to me in bed or in the bath.”

  “Honestly you're terrible. Stop it.” I'm smiling inside and out. I love his flirty silliness.

  “Yeah, fuck me up and down... that was something else, have you been taking singing lessons?” Brendan has a lovely way with words when he gets excited.

  “No, no lessons, but I've been practising a lot.” I perform a little curtsey holding out my skirt. I pick up my drink and take a big gulp. Singing makes me thirsty.

  Suddenly I feel a tingle in my spine and I know he's behind me.

  My skin burns where his hand touches my shoulder, the other brushes my neck and sets me on fire as he lifts my hair aside and his deep voice whispers closely against my ear.

  “That was so out of tune. What an awful singer you are.” Why this turns me on so much I couldn't say. Mmmm, I can feel his warm breath on me. Oh please, please take me, anywhere...

  I try and pull my overheated, over excited self together. “Now let me guess... It must be the ugly pilot Captain Jackson flying in with his own brand of charm again.” I turn and stare at his far too handsome face, inches from mine, my whole body buzzing with sexual electricity... “So you hated my song, did you?” I know he loved it... This is all a game.

  “It was so bad... Except the small part you sang to me.” So he spotted my blatant come on, did he? Not that he could have missed it.

  “You're sadly mistaken. I never single anyone out for special attention, let alone you.” I nibble my lip sweetly and innocently, batting my eyelashes seductively.

  “Lex, you're a terrible tease, a dreadful liar and an even worse joker. You so need to work on all of that. I'm off home now, see you tomorrow... Oh, by the way, wear something more suitable than this won't you?” He pats my behind and moves off. He calls out goodbye to everyone, takes the three steps down to the bar area high fiving one guy and hugging another girl as he goes by. With a quick “see 'ya honey” to Mariel, he makes his way out. I watch him go with a deep sense of disappointment and finally sit back down again, next to Toni with a deep sigh.

  “I'd say you've struck oil there my girl.”

  “Not yet. Working on it though.”

  “Shouldn't take long, he was about to eat you alive when you were singing.”

  “Toni, he's the sexiest thing I've ever seen. He makes steam come out of my ears.”

  “Mmmm. He knows it.”

  “I told him he was ugly as a joke. He didn't like it. We're kind of sparking off each other at the moment.”

  “I noticed and good on 'ya. He needs to be given a reality check now and then.”

  “What's he like, d'you know him that well?”

  “Only on the surface, he's an officer and a private kind of guy, pleasant enough to talk to though. But I do happen to know he's cool in a whirly and hot in bed.”

  “How do you know that?” I ask in a seriously accusing tone.

  “The first part, Bren, the second, Mariel.” She motions towards the bar. “She's been in his bed a few times. I'd watch her by the way. She thinks he's her property, ultimately her guy. They're kind of on and off. Not really together, but she's hoping they will be, if she waits long enough.”

  “All I'm up for is a quick fling before I go home. She can have him back afterwards.”

  “Well I hope she knows that, before she puts something poisonous in your glass of wine one night. And be careful Lexy. It might not be that easy to have a quick fling. You can't let your heart run away with you and four weeks is a long time to keep things casual, especially with someone like him.”

  “I know, but I really like him Toni. Look, if I break my own heart I'll only have myself to blame won't I. And it's not as if I'm not used to it. I'm a dab hand at mending my broken heart. A bottle of wine and a bandage and it'll be all better again the next day.”

  “I've got a strange feeling about this. And before you ask, I don't know why. Alex is not your average guy. He's a Cobra pilot, a bloody good one, and going places in his career. I'm damn sure he knows exactly what he wants out of life and I don't want you to get badly hurt, that's all. This is supposed to be a fun vacation, to help you get over your bad run with your boyfriends. Just remember that if things start to get intense, because if you get a big dose of him, I'm pretty sure they will. I don't doubt he'll get over you fast enough, but will you ever get over him?”

  I half ignore my sister's worried warning because I'm in the process of imagining how wonderful it would be to become seriously intense with a man like Alex. My heart skips several beats and my temperature rises fast as I imagine us being locked together at the hip, intensely and passionately, our heated naked bodies wrapped around one another, sweating, writhing in ecstasy, rolling over and over in wild sexual oblivion, our breathing heavy, gasping for air in between our long intense kisses.

  Oh my God! I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. I'm going to wear my shortest shorts and skimpiest top so that I purposely turn him on like crazy on my whirly flight. I'd say that's a very suitable dress code. Suitable for me anyhow.

  I spend the rest of the evening flirting outrageously with Sam and Ross, while they both chat me up. I don't know what's come over me. It must be "holiday-itis." I feel a loose, carefree sense of moral abandonment which is freeing up my inhibitions. It's as if I've suddenly become another person. I'm usually quite controlled with my behaviour and flirting.

  In any case, I'm keeping them both guessing about nothing because I've already set my sights on Alex.

  As we make our way home some time later, one thing's for sure, Chris the rat didn't cross my mind at all tonight. I smile to myself with a deep sense of satisfaction.

  ***

  Brendan has his first day off in the last ten days. I feel guilty taking him back on base, but he seems happy enough. We drive along with some loud music assaulting our ears. As well as other genres, Brendan is into heavy metal. It's a little strong for me, too much sound going on.

  We check in at the base security gate and drive quite a way further, past a range of buildings and finally along the rear side of a row of aviation hangars. We eventually come to a stop at the side of Hangar 10, the furthest one, pulling into in a parking lot. I love the smell of aviation fuel hanging in the air and the aircraft engine noises I can hear nearby.

  “I'll take you in the hangar to say hello and then hang around with the guys while you're in flight,” he says. “Getting excited yet?”

  “I am. Really excited... and a little nervous actually. How many times have you been up?”

  “A few.”

  “What's it like?”

  “Exhilarating. Fast. Amazing. You'll love it. You might want to suit up though,” He says, his eyes skimmin
g over my skimpy outfit disapprovingly.

  We walk around to the open end of the hangar. There are a number of helicopters lined up in front of us, at least a dozen of them. I don't know what I expected, but I'm shocked as I examine the whirly sitting nearest to me. It's a lethal looking machine with guns on its underside, missiles too. I hope they're dummy ones. I don't like the thought of this. It's obviously a tactical assault unit, designed for mowing things down. I wonder, for a moment, if Alex has seen any live action. That part of his job doesn't appeal to me much.

  It's not a massive helicopter but big enough to make me feel small and insignificant as I stand there checking it out.

  Brendan takes me around the hangar pointing everything out. Sam is at work on a piece of equipment on a bench at the far side. He drops his tools quickly and comes over to give me a spontaneous hands free arm hug, taking care to avoid getting me oily and greasy.

  Wow, talk about hot stuff! He's gorgeous in fact, even all greased up. I breathe in his cologne mingling with the engine oil. It's almost a shame I'm stuck on the darker, hotter stuff coming up soon.

  “Hey, how's our star songbird today?” His eyes widen as he looks me up and down in my brief clothing and flip flops.

  “Fine thanks. How are you?”

  “I'm good. Even better now you've dropped by. Captain Jackson is taking you up for a spin, right?” Do I detect an odd change in his voice, a cool clipped tone?

  “He is, and to be honest I'm getting a little nervous about it now.”

  “Don't worry. You'll have a good time up there.”