You Never Know

As I walked into the Green Parrot, I heard the sound of glass breaking and I heard a woman, which sounded a lot like Jennifer, scream and yell, "NOOO!!!" I took off at a dead run into the bar. Once inside I saw Sherry being held up against the wall by two big, but trashy looking women. They were each licking her on her face, and one had her hand up the front of Sherry's blouse while the other had her hand down the front of Sherry's pants. To my immediate left, I saw two biker trash assholes in the floor with Jennifer. One was holding her down and the other was trying to take off her pants. I put my foot square in face of the one trying to take her pants off, knocking him out with one kick. The man that had been holding Jennifer down tried to stand, but not before I broke his knee with a side kick. I heard one the other two women scream behind and then I felt something hit me in the back of the head, stunning me for about two seconds. My vision cleared just in time to see one the other two women preparing to attack me. But, before I had to defend myself; the owner of the bar, and a personal friend of mine, appeared from out of nowhere and fired his .357 magnum into the air.

The room became dead silent when he shouted, "NOBODY MOVE, GOD DAMMIT!" Then he looked at me and said, "Doug, I know you didn't start this so, you're free to go. I've called the police and they'll be here in a second."

The owner of the Green Parrot, Tom Wright, was a good guy, and almost everyone in Key West knew and respected him. As I helped Jennifer up off the floor, I noticed her bra and shirt had been cut open in the front so, I took off my own tee-shirt and gave it to her to put on. Even though she was trembling something awful; she still bravely walked with Sherry to the ladies room to freshen up.

No sooner had the two ladies entered the restroom than the police arrived. The minute they walked in and saw the two men in the floor and the two women against the wall, the two policemen began to laugh and said, "We had trouble with this group yesterday. They were told to leave Key West and no charges would be filed, but it looks like they were too stupid for that. Now in addition to the felony assault charges, I'll bet that there will be destruction to private property, drunk and disorderly...."

"Add attempted rape to those charges officer," interrupted Jennifer, as she and Sherry emerged from the ladies room. Holding up her shirt and bra, she showed where they had clearly been cut off of her body and said, "Here's the evidence." The officers called on their radio for a paddy wagon, which took less time to arrive than most ambulances I've seen.

After the four idiots had been arrested, cuffed and loaded into the van, one of the arresting officers approached Jennifer, who was by this time a little calmer than she'd been earlier and said, "Ma'am, if you want to press charges, you're going to have to come down and stand before the judge."

I looked at her and she just nodded her head so, I told the officer, "We'll be down there in about an hour. Will that be alright?"

The officer smiled and replied, "It's gonna take us that long to get this trashed booked and printed so, that will be just fine," then as an afterthought; he looked at Jennifer and said, "Are you alright Miss?"

She simply snuggled under my left arm and I said, "She'll be alright. We'll see you in an hour."

~~~~~~

On the ride back to my place, Jennifer was quiet and still. After I pulled in the driveway and turned off the Jeep. I hopped out and went around to her side and helped her out. She took my hand and got out, and then immediately walked to the front door and waited for me to come unlock it. I walked as quickly as possible and opened the door. She walked in and waited in the foyer for me to come in and close the door behind us. The moment it clicked shut, Jennifer threw her arms around my neck while pressing her body to mine and began to cry and tremble almost violently. I simply held on to her while she cried, just being there for her.

Five minutes had passed and she was still crying so, I picked her up and carried her to the couch where I slowly sat down, keeping her in my lap, and then just simply held her while she wept. It wasn't long before the sobs turned to sniffles and I softly asked, "Are you alright?" She leaned back and looked at me. I saw her at her most vulnerable, and I knew then, that she must've either really cared for me, or at the very least, really trusted me to allow me to see this side of her. Her beautiful blue eyes were blood shot, and her porcelain cheeks were wet. From a box of tissues I kept on the end table, I reached over and pulled out a small handful and began to wipe the tears from her eyes and off her face.

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Doug."

"For what?" I asked.

I felt her gentle fingers softly pushed the hair from my forehead as she replied, "Saving my life for starters, but also for being a man that I've come to respect very greatly, and I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning about the U-Boat."

I smiled and gently brushed her hair out of her face and replied, "I was wrong too, so, it seems each of our bad behaviors this morning cancelled the other's out, okay?"

She smiled, and then softly, but quickly, kissed me on the lips. "What was that for?" I asked.

"You're a smart guy Doug," she replied giggling, "You figure it out." Then she hopped off my lap and said, "I'm gonna go change clothes so we can go to the police station and file charges on those assholes." If I live to a hundred, I'll never forget what she did next. After giving me a devilish wink, she did something that caught me completely off guard. She turned with her back to me and took off the tee shirt I'd given her earlier. With a head on view of her naked back, she turned around with her left arm across her breasts. All she was hiding were basically her nipples, but she smiled at me, and while throwing me my shirt with her right hand, said, "Here's your shirt back, tough guy," then she giggled and disappeared down the hall to her room.

I just shook my head then laughed and said "Women!"

"I HEARD THAT!" came echoing up the hall, followed by more girlish giggles.

"GOOD!" I shouted back, laughing.

~~~~~~

As we stood before the judge, the bailiffs escorted the idiots to the defendant's cubicle. The one whose knee I thought that I broke was standing, albeit barely, in the cubicle with them. "Damn, I guess I need to start working out more," I silently laughed to myself. Mike had told me that Jennifer was a sharp woman and I got to see her intelligence first hand. She showed the judge not only her Congressional I.D. but she also showed him her Military Liaison I.D. Card as well. When the judge saw this, he denied bail and bound them over to face the grand jury on felony charges. That meant that they'd be in jail for a very long time. Their bikes were confiscated and would later be auctioned off.

~~~~~~

That night I grilled two nice sized pieces of New York Strip on the back deck. Jennifer attempted to help, but I grinned at her and said, "If I were you, young lady, I'd be studying for the test I'm supposed to take tomorrow afternoon,"

She looked at me and laughed, then arrogantly replied, "I'm ready."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, with a sinister grin.

She stood almost defiantly, and then haughtily said, "Ask me anything you want!"

"You're that sure, huh?"

She walked over to me, and looking me right in the eye, replied, "I've been studying this ever since Mike told me I would be coming down here."

I looked at her strangely, and with a questioning tone of voice, asked, "What do you mean by, 'ever since Mike told you that you were coming down here'?"

Looking like a kid that got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Jennifer sheepishly said, "Oopps!"

"Oopps is right" I suspiciously replied. All of a sudden a feeling of dread overcame me so, I walked around behind the outside bar and pulled a bottle of Jim Beam out of the locker beneath it and set it upon the bar. Then I took the glass I'd been drinking iced tea from and poured over the side of the deck into the sea. Pouring a shot of the bourbon into the glass; I took it in one gulp and said, "You wanna tell me what's going on here Jennifer?"

She smiled and meekly said, "Well it's kind of a long story!"

I took the bottle and poured about two shots worth of bourbon into my glass. Then reaching into the ice bucket I'd brought outside earlier, I grabbed a handful of ice, threw into the glass of bourbon, and after taking a sip, replied, "Well, I just put the steaks on the grill so, I'm all ears for the next thirty minutes!"

With a look on her face that was similar to that of a child who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, Jennifer took a deep breath and began, "I saw you make your presentation to Congress and I thought you were so brilliant, that I found myself in awe of you. It turned out, with my help of course, that I was put in charge of researching you and your background. When I found out that you were one of the most highly decorated SEALs to ever come out the Naval Special Warfare community; I knew I had to meet you. Through further research of your military records, I discovered that Admiral Mike Nelson was your old Commanding Officer. I've known Mike for a while, and I contacted him immediately. When I told him of my plans; he readily agreed to help me, and...."

"And, what were your plans?" I asked, suspiciously.

She hung her head and replied, "If I tell you, you've got to promise me that you won't think I'm some silly girl."

"I won't make any promises until I hear the truth," I said adamantly.

"Fair enough!" she replied, "I wanted to come down here so I could be with you, Doug. You're the most intelligent, brilliant, and handsome man I've ever met and I can't think of anyone more perfect for me than you." I sat there silent and completely stunned. After a few minutes, she looked at me and said, "Well aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, still jarred by her revelation.

"I don't know," she said, hanging her head, tears beginning to pour down her face, "I guess what I want you to tell me is that you find me as attractive as I find you"

I knew it took a lot of guts for her to be able to admit her true feelings to me and I began to see her in a new light. God she was beautiful. I slowly approached her, and lifting her chin up so I could look her in the eyes, I said, "Look Jennifer, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on. But you've got to understand that my work is very important to me, and I just don't want to make any mistakes."

She smiled that earth shattering smile again, and after walking away from me, she turned and replied, "So, you think I'm attractive huh?"

I laughed and said, "Yes, you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen but...."

"Well that's enough to keep you interested enough till I can figure out a way to make you fall in love with me," interrupted Jennifer, with a sly grin. Then she walked back towards me seductively, then put her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss that nearly curled my toes.

It started softly, gradually building until our bodies were pressed tightly together and our tongues were gently, but feverishly, exploring one another's mouths. I was sure that she could feel me growing between us, and right before I reached full mast, she pulled away, both of us breathing heavily, and said "Well....that should hold you until after dinner!"

Then she walked down the hall toward the bathroom while I sat down and regained control of myself. If she could do to me what she just did with a single kiss, then God help me if she decides to make love to me. Regardless, now I wanted this woman in the worst way and there was no denying it. I didn't even hear that voice that used to pop into my head and make me aware of my fear of commitment. Somehow I just knew Jennifer was different, she had to be. She flat out told me that she was going to make me fall in love with her. "Oh well, what the hell?" I thought to myself. At the same time, I didn't want her to think I would be an easy conquest either. Yeah, Right!

Dinner was a series of subtle smiles, soft touches and gestures. We spoke very few words to each other. We mostly just watched one another and smiled while we ate, feeding one another occasionally. After desert and coffee, we layed together on my double Chais lounge and held each other, softly cuddling beneath the stars.

I woke up about four o'clock in the morning and realized we'd fallen asleep and were still lying outside. So, quietly and ever so slowly so as not to wake her, I picked Jennifer up and cradled her in my arms. Instinct must've taken over, because her arms stayed tight around my neck. I carried her to her room and gently laid her down on the bed. Then I took a blanket from the closet and covered her with it. Just as I was turning to leave the room I heard, "Aren't you going to kiss me good night?"

"I suppose I could," I lightly teased, "Just this once anyway."

I turned around and leaned down to where she lay. In the half darkness of the moonlit night, I felt her arms gently wrap around my upper body and torso. As her soft lips touched mine, I felt her tongue gently slip into my mouth, slowly then more passionately as time progressed. As I lay down next to her on the bed, our kiss intensified and she pressed her soft body firmly against me. Feelings that I'd not had in many years began to course through my body, stirring my very soul, but it ended as softly as it began. The last thing I felt before I left the room was Jennifer's hand squeezing my thigh. Then I turned and left, closing the door behind me and walked slowly down the hall to my room.

~~~~~~

The next day proved to be a turning point in my life as well as Jennifer's. Because of the earlier events of the night before, I woke earlier than normal. And not being able to go back to sleep; I decided to have an early morning swim. The back deck of my house had a stairwell that descended to a dock below. Because of the fact that it was still dark outside; I decided to go au natural. I walked down the stairs, peeling my clothes as I went. Once I reached the lower landing of the dock; I jumped, nude, into the gentle arms of the ocean.

The water is our mother and I've always believed and taken part in the belief of the water having healing powers. However in this case, I wasn't sure that healing was exactly what I needed. I knew that I was definitely attracted to Jennifer, that much was certain, but I also knew that I wasn't really sure how I felt about her, regardless of the fact that I could easily fall in love with her.

As I swam further out; I began to realize that maybe she was the one that would make the difference in my life and perhaps be the woman that I'd dreamed of in the deepest, most secret reaches of my heart. I swam for a bit longer before deciding to turn back and head for home. As I swam back in the semi darkness, I made out a figure standing on the landing of my dock. As I got nearer; there was no mistaking who was waiting for me. It was Jennifer and she was wearing a long white flowing gown. Even in the light of the waning moon I could tell that she wore nothing beneath her clothes.

When I reached the dock and just before I got out of the water; I saw at her perched before me, holding a towel in her right hand. I figured that there was no hiding my body so; I climbed out of the water onto the deck. I stood on the dock, and before I had a chance to bend over and pick up my clothes; she wrapped the towel around my wet nakedness. And in doing so, she wrapped her arms around my body, pressing hers against mine, and it was all I could do to contain myself. My defenses were weakened even further as she softly pressed her lips to mine, giving me a tender and sensual kiss.

"Good Morning, Handsome," she purred.

"Hi yourself, pretty lady," I replied smiling.

I followed her back up the stairs to the house and was brought out of the haze of our passion by the sight of breakfast sitting on the table awaiting me. It was difficult to eat while watching her move gracefully around me and being able to define her nude body beneath the almost sheer tresses of her gown. Her breasts stood proudly on her chest while her areola, about the size of a silver dollar, encased nipples the size of quarter inch long pencil erasers. Her stomach was flat and led gently below to the wispy soft treasure between her legs that revealed Jennifer to be a true blonde.

At this point, she sat me down at the table, and while I was wearing only the towel wrapped around my waist, sat in my lap and began to feed me. I smiled and shook my head. "What's wrong?" she asked pointedly.

I laughed and said, "I wish you knew what you were doing to me"

Wiggling her hips, she ground her ass into the hardness that was rising from my groin, and with a sultry tone of voice, replied, "Baby, I know exactly what I'm doing."

Suddenly a great fear rose from within me and I abruptly grabbed her hips. I gently removed her from my lap and made sure that her butt landed softly in the chair I'd been sitting in as I stood up. I walked out the back door and stood on the deck looking out at the sea. As I breathed in the salt air; the hardness faded from me as did the apprehension. Of course it was replaced by guilt for treating Jennifer the way I just had.

Over the years I had built up sort of an automatic defense mechanism deep inside me, and whenever I'd start to let my guard down; the dark uneasiness from my past always came over me. I can't explain it, but it picked one hell of a time to rear its head. Up until now I thought I'd always been cool and collected around Jennifer, but somehow, it felt like she was insinuating herself inside of me, hence the reason for the defense mechanism, and I found myself becoming afraid of her.

"Are you alright?" rang in my ears, snapping me out of my reverie. I turned around to see Jennifer standing before me wearing my terrycloth bathrobe. I saw tears running down her face, and before I had the chance to speak, she wrapped her arms around me, almost throwing her body against me and then began to weep bitterly. "I'm so sorry Doug, you must think I'm some kind of slut now," she said, as cried into my chest. My thinking bad of her was most definitely not the case. I would prefer that it be the other way around with me offering her the apology.

So, I pulled her away from me and looked into her beautiful blue eyes and said, "It's not your fault and you have nothing to be sorry for."

With tears still dripping down her face, she sniffed and replied, "But I thought that I was..."

"No," I replied sternly, then I smiled, "And if I ever hear the word slut come out of your mouth in reference to yourself; I'll bend you across my knee." Before she could reply I leaned down and tenderly kissed her lips.

As soon as our lips parted, she gave me a mischievous look and said, "That's not a bad thing ya know?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, caught off guard.

"You know," she giggled, "The part about where you said you'd take me across your knee."

"What am I going to do with you?" I asked, laughing while hugging her closely to me.

This time she pulled away, and seriously looking at me, said, "I want you to tell me what you were talking about when you said 'your fault'!" I took my arms from around her, then took her hand and led her into the house.

After walking into the kitchen, I sat her down at the kitchen table and took the seat directly across from her. Then I took a deep breath and replied, "When I was in the Navy, I saw a lot of terrible things. I saw my two best friends in the whole world get cut down and there was nothing, I repeat, nothing I could do about it. I was cross trained as a Hospital Corpsman and I heard my buddies calling to me. I tried with everything I had to get to them before they died. But once I managed to get the guys that were shooting at us to begin with, my friends were already dead. By the grace of God, I came out of it with my sanity still in tact, but it came at too great a price as far as I'm concerned. Now, I guess whenever I feel like I'm starting to get close to someone, I have a self defense mechanism inside me that makes me want to run away." By this time, tears were raining down my face at the memories of my past. And before I had the chance to say anything further; Jennifer had already risen from the table and was at my side with her arms gently, but firmly, around me. She said nothing while I broke down and wept for the first time in a very long while.