I knew that bastard Gray was jealous of me. Why else would a man who has everything want what's mine? Why would he try to steal from me? I didn't do anything to him! I even sent him some of her nudes!! If it was sex he wanted, we could have shared her!
Two Years Earlier
"Welcome! One second, and I'll be right with you, okay?"
"Take your time," I called back. "I'm not in any rush."
I studied the girl behind the counter. Her long, dirty-blonde hair was pulled into a neat high ponytail that swayed as she moved between customers, serving drinks with practiced efficiency. Finally, it was my turn.
"Alright. What will it be today?"
"Preferably a liquid lullaby, 'cause I've had one hell of a day," I sighed.
"My, my, being a soldier boy too much hard work, Specialist Sanchez?" Her voice took on a teasing tone as she leaned across the counter, feigning a pout.
The way she said my last name sent a shiver down my spine.
Interesting...
"You know the ranking system?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I've done my research. Had plenty of soldier boys and girls find their way into the bar during my shift. I feel like you guys appreciate me respecting your rank." She flashed a cocky smile.
I smiled back, already falling under her spell.
"Now about that lullaby, Mr...?" she trailed off.
I was too captivated by her voice and those stunning emerald-green eyes to notice she'd asked a question, but I snapped to attention when I realized.
"Fernando! F-Fernando Sanchez."
"Fernando, huh?" she smirked, the name rolling off her tongue like honey.
"You say it better." I was too busy melting to care how dorky I sounded.
"Well, Mr. Sanchez, are we looking for a smooth, slow intoxication type of lullaby or the fast-acting, put-you-on-your-ass with a side of fire type of lullaby?"
I raised my eyebrow. "The fast-acting option, if you don't mind."
She scoffed and glanced around the bar. "Do you have any battle buddies with you tonight? A designated driver?"
"You say that like your drink will get me sloppy drunk." She stood firm, waiting expectantly for my answer, but I was ready for whatever challenge she had in mind.
"They just might. Now about that driver... or are you getting an Uber home?"
"What is it? Straight absinthe?" I was starting to worry.
"No, I'm not that mean; it's a mixed drink." She chuckled. I just raised my eyebrow.
Oh, come on! A mixed drink? She can't be serious.
"How about this: I'll pay for five of your mixed drinks. If I finish all of them without getting absolutely smashed five minutes later, then I think I deserve your phone number."
"And if you lose?" she scoffed, shaking her head, her tone thick with challenge.
"If I lose, then I'll let you use my thumb to unlock my phone and call any of the people with emojis next to their names to come pick me up. Deal?"
"Aww, come on, that doesn't sound like any fun... you get drunk, and I have to play babysitter."
"Fine, what do you want, a bigger tip?"
"Nah, that's boring." She pulled out a marker from her pocket and placed it on the counter, a mischievous glint in her eye. "If you lose, I wanna draw on your face."
"Why?"
"Why not?" There was a fun charm about the way she talked to me; she made me feel comfortable, like we'd known each other for years.
"Fine." I sighed before slowly smiling, suddenly amused by our little challenge.
"Hell yeah! Then you've got yourself a deal." We shook on it, and she hooked the marker on her shirt, skipping off to make the drink.
Worst idea ever.
I woke up with a killer hangover, but hey, I'm a lucky man; I have my ways. Sure enough, I failed the bet but got her number anyway, probably out of pity. What made it even funnier was that she called Gray to come pick me up. I didn't hear the end of it during the entire struggle into the car and ride back to base, with his assistant carrying me out of the bar and driving us. Lucky for me, Gray was in the area and in a good mood—all thanks to the masterpiece Luanne had created on my face with her PERMANENT marker.
The weekend wasn't nearly long enough to scrub that shit off.
But hey, I got her number; that's the way fate works, I guess.
The next day, I woke up with my head still pounding. Checking my contacts out of pure curiosity, I found her number on my phone with laughing emojis beside the name:
Luanne Dion
So, naturally, I decided to bother her.
So how'd I do?
You failed miserably. Lol, I
see you made it back home safe;
that's good.
Really? Was I really that bad?
Yep, but I'll give you an A
for effort and an even bigger
F for doubting me and my
drinks.
Damn, an F?
Yep, but you're welcome to
come by and try to beat the
challenge as much as you like.
I got you next weekend.
But for now, I gtg. I have
PT. See ya next time.
We talked for about four months before I finally beat the challenge and asked her to be my girlfriend as the prize. Of course, I had to read her response when I woke up in the barracks the next day because I blacked out before hearing it personally. To my surprise, she said yes.
I laughed about it all day, mainly because this was exactly how I made all my close friends—including Gray. With him, I was just a fresh-faced private first class who'd recently returned home.
That night, I'd challenged two strangers to a drinking contest. After losing spectacularly, they competed to see who'd pay for my Uber home. The rules were simple: the last one standing pays everyone's ride. Gray lost and ended up taking me to his place since I was too wasted to remember my own address.
The next morning, he fed me breakfast and promptly kicked me out when my Uber arrived. We kept running into each other at the bar until we became good friends. I owe Gray countless favors from all the times he's covered my tab or helped me dodge calls from suspicious girlfriends questioning my whereabouts.
All those favors I owed him—and the only thing keeping me honest was the tiny burn of guilt for being the reason his girlfriend cheated on him... and died.
Ah, ah, ah. Let me explain.
This happened while Luanne and I were dating, so to be fair, she wasn't the only one in the wrong. I effectively ended Gray's four-year relationship when his girlfriend decided to end her life from the guilt.
All I'm saying is don't do the crime if you can't do the time. She wanted to know what being with someone in uniform was like; she got what she wanted and more.
Heh.
But that isn't even the worst part. What made it so much worse was that he knew she was cheating, and he was asking me for advice. Those hour-long calls of listening to him cry and feel worthless filled me with guilt, but that guilt wasn't enough to stop me. Instead, it fueled this immense sense of excitement, making me crave more relationships like this. The last night I saw his girlfriend was literally the last night she was alive.
It's fucked that I was the last person to see her, but what can I say? She was going down on me when I put my phone on speaker and muted my side; she heard Gray crying about knowing she was out with another man. She stopped mid-act to listen to him sob over the phone and stormed out of the hotel room in tears. The next morning, he called me crying, saying that she was dead. She had killed herself at some park where they first met or some mushy bullshit like that.
I consoled him, obviously, but I couldn't care less... My girlfriend was still alive. I felt kind of bad, I guess; she was cute, and dying seemed like such a waste.
But once things got serious with Luanne, the games started up again. She and any other willing woman I could find became fair game, and if one ever backed out because of guilt, I'd just replace them. Simple as that. Well, anyone but Ludo, that is. She was mine.
Ludo was always too wrapped up in work to notice what I had going on. Her naivety and cluelessness only fueled my addiction. I loved this feeling; I craved more of it; I needed this rush of going undetected for as long as possible, and with how forgiving she was, playing this game was always fun.
Present day
Gray now knows I'm a cheater and is trying to expose me without a second thought or remorse. It has me a little shaken up; my hands were trembling, but if I've learned anything from two years of doing this shit, it's to deny, deflect, and defuse. After that, all I need to do is stay cool and not fold under the pressure while I repeat the process. I'll admit, though... it's put both of my current relationships on thin ice.
I could end up alone... There's no way Ludo would take me back if I let her fall in love with him. I can't let that happen. No! I refuse to be the one who ends up alone! She needs me. Not the other way around. I'm everything to her! Hell, I better be!
To make matters worse, Ludo hasn't been too receptive to my cheating lately. It's becoming increasingly difficult to please her when she suspects something's going on. Last time, I had to drag her through a whole week of dates and let her have her way when we fucked! It was ridiculous! And now, to top it all off, Gray has direct access to Audrey.
Then again, I should have known he would be sensitive about cheating. The irony isn't lost on me—he still has no idea I'm the one his girlfriend chose to cheat with before she died.
Better to keep it that way; a rich friend is worth keeping around. He can be as sensitive about cheating as he wants, but he has no business threatening my love life. The nerve of Gray, threatening to expose me to both girls I'm dating. Choose one or the other? What kind of twisted ultimatum is that?
I wouldn't even be angry if he'd gotten Ludo or Audrey to cheat on me with him. Maybe then I'd finally understand how betrayal feels. But no, he had to play the saint.
That's just how fate works, I guess.
I'm done with Ludo, anyway; maybe I'll just dump her without explanation. She seems like the type to blame herself and spiral, so it should work perfectly. How complicated could a breakup be? Besides, Audrey is far more attractive. I was with her right before picking up Ludo from the airport. Had to force myself to stop thinking about her naked body and focus during the drive over.
I refuse to be alone! You're not about to dump me!
I brought protection... and I have, what, forty-five minutes? It'll be tight, but one last goodbye romp might keep her from completely hating me. Always good to leave a backup option, right? I walked past Gray as he reminded me of my remaining time; turns out I had three extra minutes... Lucky me.
Ludo followed close behind as we made our way to a secluded spot on the beach. I needed to get things moving quickly.
I debated whether to gag her right away... or save it for the end of our time.
Not that it matters much; her oral skills were mediocre at best. She tries too hard to make it intimate and meaningful; like, seriously, just get it done and move on.
So, I'd only be wasting time. I'll probably visit Audrey after this... She knows how to do it right. And before you ask—hell, no, I don't have any shame; that shit disappeared when I got a blowjob from Gray's girl while he showered with the bathroom door open.
The only thing between us getting caught and him never finding out was a thin, clouded shower curtain and his loud music while I face-fucked her. It's a shame she's dead, though; she was a sexy Latina with wide hips, big lips, huge boobs, and long, shiny black hair... one of the few girls who really knew how to milk me dry and still keep sucking.
Too bad she couldn't bear the weight of two dicks on her shoulders.
I guess that's just the way fate works. How does that saying go? You win some; you lose some?
I smirked to myself and looked back at Gray, whose glare felt poisonous. A shiver ran up my spine as his anger gripped my throat and squeezed. Swallowing hard, I looked away, praying for something—anything—to focus on other than the holes I could feel him burning into my back. I wiped my sweaty hands on my shorts and took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart as I led Ludo away.