His Wicked Pleasure (2 page)

He shook his head to clear the thoughts but they clung to him like spider webs as he shifted slightly to find a comfortable spot on the bench.

“Lieutenant,” babbled his squad member Paul Fisher in a tired but loud voice. “Permission to speak sir.”

Slowly opening his eyes, Declan let out a long hearted breath while a smirk replaced is scowl, “Yes Junior Officer Fisher, you have permission to speak.” Mumbling under his breath, he continued, “Permission to speak—what a laugh.”

Sitting across from his best friend, Paul smiled wickedly as he spoke in an acrimonious tone, “Just wanted to be the first to say that this was an awesome rescue mission,” then he lowered his voice an octave. “Rumor has it that there’s another promotion for you. Think I’ll get a promo too?”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Declan looked over at his long time friend and replied in a whisper, “You’re lucky I don’t turn you around, bend you over, and send you home with a swift kick in the ass.” The snickers from the unit made it clear they were listening in.

Lifting up slightly, Paul muttered, “Ouch, that would really hurt,” as he rubbed his behind and scrunched his face in agony.

“Good,” huffed Declan as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes again.

Obviously, feeling the need to continue his chatter, Paul proclaimed, “I don’t know about all of you, but I, truly, can’t wait to take a shower.”

“Thanks for sharing man,” mocked Declan in a raspy voice, “I was wondering what that dreadful stench was.”

“I, for one, can’t wait to see my wife,” said his other long time friend, Matt, with a little too much excitement etched in his voice. They’d been serving together for years and Declan thought of both men as closer to brothers than squad members, “I can’t wait to…”

Tossing a crumbled up piece of foil at Matt, Declan growled, “Shut up, no one wants hear your sexcapades.” Sitting up straight in his seat, he moved a little closer and growled, “Do you think Sheena would appreciate hearing this?”

Gulping loudly, Matt sat back in his seat and thought for a moment. Leaning forward with his hand over his mouth, he groaned, “I don’t think Sheena will be able to walk or talk for quite a while once I get home.”

“That’s nice,” laughed Paul. “Would she happen to have any friends?”

Chapter Two

              The Rossi household bustled with activity as Kristie, along with her three brothers, Benny, Jason, and Billy, prepared for their day. Like usual, they were all up early preparing for their busy day, while her two sisters, Lorie and Daniella, were probably still sleeping.

              Benny with his perfectly groomed, dark hair, each strand in place stood in front of the coffee pot basically willing the coffee to brew faster. “We really need to buy a Keurig and join the rest of the world because waiting for this thing to brew is like waiting for paint to dry,” he groaned with a hint of sleepiness in his tone.

              “I’ll get right on that,” snapped Billy shoving past both his brothers in a rush to get to the refrigerator. His thick blonde hair was about four shades darker than Kristie’s, but of all the siblings, those two were the closest in appearance. “I’m starving and there’s never anything to eat around here.”

              Kristie looked over at Billy and shook her head. His six foot, two inch frame blocked her view from peering into the refrigerator to make an honest assessment. The moment Benny shoved him out of the way; Kristie noticed a full refrigerator and corrected her brother. “The refrigerator isn’t the problem Billy. Check the freezer and you’ll find a bacon, egg, and cheese wrapped in plastic just for you.”

              Turning to face his sister with the same smile as her, as his bright green eyes sparkled with mischief, Billy whispered, “See, this is why you’re my best sister.”

              “Shh, don’t let Lorie or Daniella hear you say that,” joked Jason, the oldest of her brothers, as he poured himself a huge glass of orange juice. “Oh, that’s right. The princesses’ are still sleeping. You’re safe.”

              Kristie laughed at Jason’s sarcasm and knew he was right but didn’t feel like adding fuel to the fire. Stifling a yawn, she poured herself a cup of tea and sat down to drink it before her crazy day began.

              “Kristie,” called her brother Jason, his light blue eyes staring at her. “You’re going to Rossi Industries today, right? Can I drive in with you this morning? My car is being detailed.”

              Gathering up her belongings, Kristie nodded, “Of course. I’m ready whenever you are.”

              Walking into Rossi Industries, Jason paused for a moment. Similar to his brothers, Jason was on the tall side about a half-inch shorter than Billy, with light brown hair, which caused his pale blue eyes to stand out and make the ladies swoon. He turned to his sister with a frown, “I’ll probably catch a ride home with Benny tonight so don’t wait for me.”

              “Sure. No problem,” replied Kristie pushing the button for the elevator. “I have a few meetings this morning and I am still waiting, patiently, for the financial reports from Rossi Electronics. Do you think you can get Billy to get them over to me before the end of the day?”

              “I will do my best,” promised Jason before he walked away. He looked over his shoulder and added. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

              Kristie walked into her office and immediately went to work. The reports that had been handed in took up all of her attention and she didn’t notice the time drift by until her sister, Lorie, strolled in and grabbed a few of the reports.

              “Good morning sunshine,” acknowledged Kristie. A wave of relief washed over her as she looked up at her sister with a grin.

              “Don’t look at me like that,” Lorie complained as she slid into a chair opposite Kristie’s. “I accidentally went to Rossi Co. instead of coming here. Guess I wasn’t paying attention when you said we were meeting here today.”

~*~*~*~

As Declan stood on the tarmac, he noticed his commander stealthily making his way towards him and his unit. His brows furrowed, his neat, salt and pepper hair blowing in the wind as he neared.

His body language immediately shifted from relaxed to tense. He stood at attention, gave a crisp salute and in a deep, masculine voice greeted, “Commander Thompson, Sir.”

“At ease Lieutenant. I need you and two of your best men to pack up your belongings, you’ve been reassigned.”

“Sir?” asked Declan in surprise. He wasn’t sure if he understood correctly. “Belongings, Sir?”

“Yes. You and two of your best men are to be back here at 0500 hour.”

Without hesitation, Declan nodded, “What about the rest of the team Commander? What are their orders?”

“They will report to base at 0600 tomorrow for their next assignment.” He nodded at Declan and then walked far enough away for Declan to speak to his men. Commander Thompson waited while he chose two of his best men and gave the rest of his teams their orders for tomorrow.

Standing at attention, the three men patiently waited to hear what their next assignment would be.

“Gentlemen, at ease,” said the commander in a relaxed voice as he turned and made his way towards the waiting car.  Noticing the men didn’t follow him, he affirmed, “Well come on, how do you expect to get back to base without a ride?”

“The thought did cross my mind,” Paul replied with a smile and it earned him a low growl from Declan.

“Ease up lad,” pointed the commander, “I did use the words at ease.”

“Yes, you did, Sir,” remembered Declan with a forced smile. He always had a hard time being at ease and had learnt a long time ago that he needed to stay focused.

“Great job rescuing the hostages. Major McKinnley is extremely grateful for a job well done.”

“Thank you Sir,” answered Paul with an easy smile, “It appears the Lieutenant seems to have forgotten his manners.”

Finally relaxing, Declan smiled at his commander and replied, “My

apologies Sir. I’m happy we were able to return Major McKinnley’s men, just wish we got there sooner. A few of them are in pretty bad shape.”

“But they’re alive son,” he glanced towards Declan before he glanced at the other men, “Thanks to your entire team.”

“Yes Commander, they are alive,” assured Declan with a hint of sadness. Looking at his comrades then over to the Commander, he said with a smile, “Can’t say that about the enemy now, can we?”

“No, we can’t,” replied Matt with excitement, “That place was lit up like the Fourth of July.”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Pulling up to the base, they all went their separate ways, each lost in their own thoughts. Making his way into his small military like apartment, Declan showered before he packed his belongings so he was ready for his next assignment.

~*~*~*~

As Kristie and Lorie made their way back to the office, they noticed their sister, Daniella, waiting for them. “Hey Daniella, what a pleasant surprise!” Kristie exclaimed as she walked over and hugged her sister.

“Not to be a trouble maker,” said Lorie with a smirk. “But where have you been lately? It’s been rather difficult to keep our brothers off your scent. Just saying.”

Looking around nervously, Daniella whispered, “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh no, I don’t like the way that sounds,” said Kristie as she pulled her sisters into her office and closed the door.

Without wasting a second, the girls sat down. Daniella smiled nervously as she played with her hair. She took in a deep breath as though she was steeling herself for a fight, “In all honesty, I’ve been staying at Marissa’s.”

Folding her arms across her chest while she crossed her legs, Kristie growled, “We weren’t born yesterday Daniella, if this is the truth, why haven’t you called us?”

Taking another deep breath, Daniella let it out slowly before she said in a huff, “I’m sort of hiding out.”

“What?” Lorie and Kristie exclaimed in unison as they stared at their wayward sister. If that was the truth, their sister was in some crazy kind of trouble...maybe even pregnant.

“Stop jumping to the wrong conclusions,” barked Daniella, “As if I would be so stupid to do something to tarnish our family name.”

“Whew,” Kristie sighed as she pretended to wipe her brow. “I don’t know about you Lor, but I sure feel a lot better now, how about you?”

Lorie shook her head, not realizing the sarcasm in Kristie’s tone, “I’m not there yet, I need to hear a little more.”

“I’ve been doing some undercover work for my next magazine article,” Daniella said in a nonchalant tone.

“Go on,” said Lorie, “I can’t wait to hear this one.”

“I’m so tired of men and the games they play. I’ve decided to go undercover and watch them in action.”

“Where? How?” asked Kristie with a smile. “This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with someone in particular? Would it?”

Choosing to ignore her sister completely, Daniella responded, “Marissa and I have been to just about every bar in the neighborhood. Trust me, it’s a freaking jungle out there, tomorrow the three of us are going to a Single’s Mingle.”

“Are you serious?” asked Kristie looking at Daniella as if she’s lost her mind. “How on earth will we pull this off without the media hounds following us? That will surely blow your cover.”

“No, it won’t,” Lorie replied with a smile. “It’s pure genius.”

Kristie grimaced as she rubbed the headache her sister was causing. “It’s asinine,” she whispered, “I can just see the headlines now, ‘Rossi Sisters Desperate to Find Love. Details page three.’”