Irons (Norfolk #1) (2 page)

“No. I’m heading to Pensacola in the morning. I’m needed there for a while.”

“How long?” I looked up and saw Francesca’s angry face.

“They say a year.”

“You’re leaving us for a year?” Her voice cracked and tears started falling.

“I go where they tell me to go Frankie.”

“They can go to hell!” She stomped out of the room and I heard the back door slam.

I watched William struggling with what to do or say.

“Sorry sir. I didn’t mean too…”

“Someday you’ll stop calling me sir.” He smiled, “And someday my daughter will grow into a sweet young lady and not be so difficult to deal with.”

“She graduates next year, right?”

“She graduates next month. She had planned on attending Old Dominion to be closer to Will and to you. That’s part of her problem. Rosa and I want her to stay here and attend community for a couple years and then transfer. She’s just too hard, too temperamental, I’m afraid she’ll…” he stopped and looked at me.

“I understand, sir.”

“Maybe if you were still here, hell, I don’t know anymore. I wish she would just stay a senior in high school and live here forever.” He looked out the window and let out a groan.

“When I come back, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

After saying my goodbyes to Will’s parents, I walked out back and saw Francesca swinging in the old tire swing. When she heard me approach, she wiped her face and looked up.

“You come to say goodbye?”

I stood behind her and gave the swing a shove. “I did.”

“Well, don’t bother. I’ve said enough goodbyes today.”

She jumped out of the swing and stomped back into the woods. I followed.

“Frankie, get back here and say goodbye.”

She turned around and her little lip stuck out as she tried to look tough.

“I told your Dad when I get back maybe I could check in on you once in a while at Old Dominion.”

“You did?” She sounded surprised.

“Yeah, I did.”

“They’re being so…”

“They’re grieving just like you, Frankie.”

She scrunched her eyes shut and tears fell harder.

“I don’t know what we will do without him.”

I walked up and hugged her. “You’ll do whatever Will would want you to.”

She looked up at me, “He’d say, ‘Be good Frankie don’t give them…”

“Any more than they can handle.” I repeated the words Will, used every time he left to go back to base when Frankie got upset.

“They’re getting older every day.” She continued where I left off.

“Love ‘em now, cause someday they won’t be here anymore.” We finished together and she grabbed a hold of me and cried even harder.

I held her like he did until she was done crying and she stepped back.

I bent to give her a peck on the cheek and she grabbed my face and held it and her lips touched mine.

I didn’t move, didn’t reciprocate. I did nothing.

She pushed against me harder and I stepped back. She looked up and smiled.

“Frankie, that’s not…”

“Will isn’t the only one here who loves you, Jax.”

“Okay, look…”

“No, you look. I’m eighteen now and graduating. I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was twelve years old. You were my first crush, Jax.”

“You’re making me extremely uncomfortable here, Francesca.”

“You’re leaving and I don’t know when I will see you again. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“Okay, kid, but…”

“I love you, Jax, nothing uncomfortable about it. If I never see you again, at least I said it.” She smiled and shook her head. “Okay, you have places to go, right?”

“I do.”

We walked silently towards the driveway and she was still smiling.

I sat on my bike and started to put on my helmet.

“Hey, Jax?”

“Frankie?”

“I’m a really good kisser. Someday you’ll regret that you didn’t experience the full effect.”

“You better keep your lips to yourself girl. Boys like Joel don’t deserve them.”

“Jealous?” She poked me in the chest.

“No, just want you to have everything you deserve. Boys are bad news, Frankie.”

“Drive safe, Jax. Please keep in touch.”

She turned around and walked away.

I started up my bike and took off down the driveway.

I pulled up to the bar Will and I would frequent when we visited. Mandy was the bartender here. No strings Mandy. Girl was a freak in bed. I walked in, ordered a shot and tossed it back. I laid a twenty and my spare room key on the bar and walked out.

*     *     *

When Mandy walked
in my room, I had polished off half a bottle of Jack. I was ready to fuck the pain away.

“On your knees first, girl.”

“I know what you like, Irons.”

She unbuttoned my pants and I leaned back against the desk. Her mouth was surrounding my cock and I was determined to finish this bottle before I filled her mouth with cum.

Jax

I
had been
here a week and not stepped foot on base yet. I secured a place off base. I didn’t want the students I would be teaching to know my every damn move. I didn’t want my commanding officer breathing down my neck, either. I knew myself and I damn well knew that one wrong push of a button and I could snap. The wounds were still too damn fresh and I should’ve taken more time off after a loss like that, but that’s not what a man does. Not a man like me.

I was hanging up the clothes the movers had delivered three days ago when I heard a knock on the door.

“It’s open,” I yelled over my shoulder.

They knocked louder.

“What the fuck, this place isn’t that damn big,” I cursed as I walked to the door and opened it. “I said it’s…”

“What the fuck do we have here?”

“You lost, boy? You’re a long way from Nor fuck.” Layes gave me a quick hug while Deuce stood behind him.

I laughed and step back allowing them entry. “Pussy Cola was calling my name. Heard the scuttlebutt that you two bitches couldn’t keep up anymore. Thought I’d come lend a hand. Come on in.”

“You got two minutes to throw on some clothes. It’s Friday night and the bars are hopping with huntresses.” Deuce walked over to the fridge and grabbed three cold ones.

“One still not enough, Deuce?” I asked as I took the beer from his hand.

“Hell, no. I was born with this name for a reason. Too much hot ass out there hunting, wouldn’t want them to starve when I got all this to offer.” He grabbed his crotch.

Layes held up his beer. “To us who live and us who breathe, to brothers who we lost at sea. To booze and boats and bikes and babes. Come on Jax, tell me this toast made you cave.”

“I really have a lot of shit to do, guys.”

“To clouds that float up in the sky, to our brother who has past his time. To the beer that waits to add sparkle to my glass, let’s go, dear friends, or I’ll kick your ass.”

I looked between them. Both had acknowledged Will in their own way. I sat down. “I’d love to go, but I have a lot of shit to do.”

“We’ve left you alone for a week. No more bullshit, let’s roll.”

I slammed down my beer and looked at the empty bottle. “Here’s to the beer, here’s to a glass. May I find a girl with the prettiest ass.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Layes clapped, “Let’s roll.”

*     *     *

The place was
packed with women on the hunt. Nothing had changed in the two years I had been gone. I walked up to the bar and laughed to myself when I saw Carmen the bartender. She turned around and walked towards me.

“Jaxson Irons, what brings you back to our little piece of heaven?” She set a shot of Jack in front of me and a draft.

“I was missing your sweet ass.” She leaned forward and I put a twenty between her tits. “Missed those two as well.”

She purred and winked. “You are about a year late, my friend. I’m married now.” She held out her hand and I saw her rings.

“Damn, Carmen, congratulations. I have to say I never saw that coming.” I tossed back my shot and took a drink of my beer. “Gonna need three more of each of these.” I pointed to the empty shot glass and the now half empty beer.

“Anything you want Jax, just ask.”

“I wanted my dick between your tits again but apparently that’s not gonna happen,” I joked as she poured the shots.

She laughed and leaned forward, “If he ever fucks up, I will call you first. I remember that masterpiece between your legs very well.”

I threw another twenty on the bar, and grabbed the tray she had set the drinks on and headed to the high-top table.

I sat the tray down, and looked around and laughed. “Everything has changed, yet absolutely nothing has changed.”

Deuces held his fingers up to his lips, signaling me to be quiet and then nodded back to the table behind him with three girls. He tapped his ear, signaling me to listen.

“Okay here’s the deal, flight instructors are the ones you want if you’re into the relationship scene.”

“What do you mean and how to you know the difference?”

“You ask them, Kipper, duh. The instructors are here for a few years so if you’re looking to have a relationship, those are the ones to look for…”

“They have more money than the students do, some live off base, have cars and homes.”

“You learn well,” the redhead laughed. “Okay, so as Casey said, you ask what they do. The students or fly guys, as I like to call them.” All three started to laugh, “Okay, now let’s be serious here for a couple minutes, I don’t want to waste any of my time. The fly guys are the ones you grab onto if you just need to get laid.”

“That’s crude, Tally,” the girl who was apparently new gasped.

“It is what it is.” Tally laughed and did a girly pink shot.

I leaned back and grabbed the barstool of the girl behind me, the red head, and dragged it to our table.

Her face turned red and I leaned over. “You girls want a drink?”

She looked at me in shock for a moment and then smiled, “Hell yeah.”

I signaled to the cocktail waitress as the other girls pulled their chairs over to the table.

“Do you three live around here?” Tally asked.

“We do.” I answered.

“Cool, what do you do?”

All three of us answered at the same time, “Students.”

She smiled. “Pretty cool.”

“And the three of you? What do you do around here?”

“We’re seniors at UFW.” Tally looked me up and down as her friends giggled.

“You a student?” I asked.

She raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Perfect.”

“How about you two ladies?” Deuce asked.

“Yes. I’m Casey.” She stuck out her hand and he kissed it.

“Nice to meet you.” He didn’t let go of her hand and he looked at the other girl and held out his hand to her to take. “And you are?”

“Kipper?”

“You sure about that?” he asked as he stared at her arm and turned it so that her wrist was facing up. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it. She blushed.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Perfect.”

I looked at Layes and then back at Deuce, wondering what the hell he was thinking.

“Why don’t you ladies go dance to this song? It’s my favorite.” Deuce kissed each of their hands again and let go.

The three girls looked at each other and then slowly got up.

When they were out of ear shot I leaned over to Deuce, “You can share, man, Layes is here too, you know.”

I laughed and patted Layes on the back.

“He’s no longer…”

“Shut the fuck up, man,” Layes snapped at Deuce.

“What? You embarrassed? It’s not like he won’t find out sooner or later.”

“It’s our first night out man, let the guy have some fun.”

Layes was blushing.

“Spill it.” I did a shot and looked back at them.

“Our boy Layes here got married.” Deuce laughed and patted him on the back.

“Congratulations.”

“Fuck you, Deuce, and I don’t wanna hear shit from you either, Irons.” Layes got up and stormed to the bathroom.

“What the hell is up with him?” I asked Deuce.

Deuce laughed a full out belly laugh. “I would much rather he tells you about it.”

“Deuce, cut the guy some slack, some guys like that shit. The home life, the same pussy, the…”

“The two point five kids?” Deuce laughed again.

“Yeah, shit like that.”

“Well he got it.” Deuce was dying.

“Alright out with it.”

“Dude married Sally.”

“Sally?” I was confused.

“Mustang Sally? Name ring a bell?”

“Holy fuck, no way. Sally, the blonde who fucked half of our squadron, Sally?”

“The same fucking one.”

“What the fuck was he thinking?”

“Seven days Layes.” Deuce roared.

I looked towards the bathroom to make sure Layes wasn’t coming out.

“He married her!”

“He was on leave for seven days and came back married with two kids. I’m not even fucking with you. When he heard that half of our guys banged her, he was gonna get an annulment, pissed that she didn’t tell him. A month goes by Sally hadn’t been out hunting,” he tipped his glass towards the three girls dancing, “She shows up with a hot stick in her hand that says baby point five is on its way. Fucker almost died.”

I laughed. “So he’s gonna be a Dad?”

“Gonna be, he already is, Jax. Has her two kids plus his now one year old daughter. First thing he said to me when we found out you were coming back was, ‘I thought I’d heard the end of the Sally and seven days Layes,’” he said. “You and Sally?”

“Maybe, who the hell knows…?”

“I know. She told me everyone she’d been with.” Layes sat down. “You were the first she mentioned.”

“I don’t know what to say, Layes.”

“Well get it all out now, ‘cause I don’t wanna hear another word about my wife.”

“You happy?”

He nodded and smiled, “Yeah. She’s no different than I was. Just so happens chicks get the scarlet letter A, we get an Atta boy.”

I nodded. “I get it, man. No ball busting from me, congratulations.”

“Ask him how he knew she was the one?” Deuce laughed.