Ace Ch. 02

Thank you incredimeters for all you have done to help me edit my stories.

Dedication: I would like to dedicate this series to all the members of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (Wasp) group. Thank you, ladies. Job well done.

Lockbourne Army Air Field, Columbus Ohio July 3, 1943.

"After-landing checklist complete?" asked Alison C. Elliot, better known as Ace.

"Complete," answered Ace's best friend and Co-pilot, Evelynn Bruster.

Ace looked over the controls and frowned. "Are you sure?"

Evelynn also looked them over and confirmed, "Check."

Ace sighed. "Tail wheel?"

"Sugar" Evelynn flinched. "Unlocked." Ace just looked out the windscreen. "Sorry, Ace. We haven't flown a Skytrain for a while."

Ace pulled her flight cap off. "I know we haven't E, but that's why we have the checklists. We have to do everything perfectly. They are still looking for any excuse to wash us out."

Ace patted Evelynn on the hand. "If you learn you'll Live," quoted Ace.

"If you don't. You won't," Evelynn answered. "I know, I know," said Evelynn a little pout in her voice. "I'll do better next time."

"I know you will," Ace put her hand on Evelynn's shoulder, "That's why I like flying with you best."

Ace stood up and headed back to the cargo area. She stretched; grateful the flight was over. The cargo area was empty save for two pallets of C-47 spare parts that had been loaded last minute at the manufacturer's request. Ace pulled on the cargo straps and made sure they were still tight. They were. She had made damn sure of that before takeoff. "Hey Ace," Evelynn called from the cockpit. "Fuel truck's here."

"Good. Who is it?" she asked knowing full well who it probably was and hoping she was right.

Evelynn giggled like a schoolgirl, "Who do you think?"

Ace looked out one of the side windows to see Lt. William "Bill" Henry and Lt. George Evans get out of the fuel truck. Ace's heart began to beat a little faster. She was very interested in George. She hoped he liked her but it was so hard to tell, as he was so nervous around her. He usually just smiled at her. Evelynn's heart was also beating faster. Bill talked with her every time she flew into Lockbourne. Bill and Evelynn had never officially gone on a date, but they seemed to be hitting it off.

Ace turned around and sat down on a bench. She shook out her hair and finger-combed it. She grabbed her overnight bag and started to fix her face. Evelynn did the same in the co-pilot's seat and then joined Ace in the back. This was not vanity on their part. They had been instructed to do this by no less than Jacqueline Cochran herself. Cochran had told them, you may be living in a man's world and flying a man's plane but once you leave that plane you are to look and act like a lady. Ace had never forgotten her order and tried to carry it out the best she could.

Evelynn got down on one knee in front of Ace and took Ace's hand as if she was going to propose. "Ace, I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything, for you E," she answered with a smile. "You got it."

"Bill told me in his last letter that the base is having an informal dance tonight. I think Bill is going to ask me to go." Evelynn took a breath, "If he does, could you please ask George to go too?"

Ace rolled her eyes. "Bill wants us to all go together," Evelynn explained. "George likes you but he is a little intimidated by you."

"Intimidated by me?" Ace asked, getting a little upset.

Evelynn scooted back a little, "Yes, Sweetie, intimidated. You're my best friend, for crying out loud, and you intimidate me."

"I don't mean to," apologized Ace. "I just don't know how to act properly in public. God knows my mother tried for years before she got sick...but my dad didn't have a clue on how to tame a girl like me, so he just didn't try. You and the other girls in Houston have helped me more..."

Evelynn cut Ace off by sitting next to her and giving her a big hug. "Oh, Sweetie."

"Can you help me, E?" A tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't want George to be intimidated by me. I want him to like me."

"Well, punching out Bill didn't help your cause," Evelynn remarked.

Evelynn had been waiting to throw that back in Ace's face for a few weeks now, ever since she and Bill had started talking and having lunch together. Her pleasure was short-lived, though, as she saw the angry look on Ace's face.

"That was his fault," Ace said without thinking.

"How?" Evelynn asked.

"I don't know." Ace didn't like feeling, guilty like this. "I apologized, at least."

"When?" Evelynn asked.

Ace tried to remember. Didn't I, Ace thought, maybe I didn't. Damnit, this social stuff is hard. Flying is so much easier. "You're right," Ace acknowledged with a sigh, "I didn't. I should have."

"It will help you with George," said Evelynn, patting her on the shoulder. Then out of the side of her mouth, she mumbled, "and everyone else for that matter."

"But how do I know that Bill is not just saying that George likes me so he can go out with you?" Ace asked, narrowing her eyes.

"George likes you." Evelynn said, taking both of Ace's hands and staring her in the face, "It's obvious to pretty much everyone." Ace's heart leapt at her friend's reassurance. "Is the ground crew anywhere else as attentive as they are here?" Evelynn asked but didn't wait for Ace's reply. "Bill says George has been working extra hours with the ground crew every day for the last month just in case we fly in." Evelynn smiled, "George told Bill, he was just doing it because he wants to help out and that it gets him out of that stuffy old office, but Bill knows the truth. He wants to see you."

Ace was a little confused but rallied quickly. Her brain for some reason kept seeing a trap, where there wasn't one. Ace stood and took a position of strength. "First of all, he's taking care of the plane, not us. Second of all, it's his job."

Evelynn smiled ruefully at Ace. When it came to love, her friend was clueless. Evelynn stood but since she was still shorter than Ace, she stood on her tip-toe and got right in the other woman's face. "First of all, taking care of your plane is his way of taking care of you." Evelynn held up one finger, "Second of all, haven't you been listening? George and Bill are not ground crew." Evelynn stretched out each word of her last sentence. "They have been helping the ground crew on their own time because then they get to talk to us."

Ace was speechless. She had always wondered why George, a lieutenant, was driving a fuel truck. Ace was about to argue what Evelynn was proposing was completely against regulations when she was interrupted by a clang, clang sound. The side door opened and Bill stuck his head in. "Afternoon ladies. We're getting you all filled up right now. I'll check the oil, clean the windows, and be right back with your green stamps."

Evelynn beamed at Bill. Ace just rolled her eyes. He thinks he is soooo funny, she thought, what could she possibly see in him? Ace took a deep breath. "Time to eat humble pie," Ace muttered. "Hey Bill, wait a minute," she called after him.

Ace had to run, to catch up with him. She was not paying attention and so she slipped on the first rung of the boarding ladder and thus slid down it instead of climbing down it. Ace cried out as she hit the ground hard. Her legs buckled under her, and she fell on her ass.

"Bill," yelled George having seen Ace fall.

Bill was there in seconds, helping Ace up as Evelynn looked down at her from the plane's cargo door. Evelynn looked very concerned.

"You, OK?" Bill asked, "That looked like it hurt."

"I'm fine," Ace reported, not completely sure of her own assessment. Her hip hurt like she had been kicked by a horse and she tasted blood. She must have bit her lip. Ace took a step, then leaned back against the ladder.

"George! Get down here," ordered Bill to Goerge and then turned to Ace and asked in almost a whisper, "I think we should get you checked out. You look a little woozy."

That's when Ace saw it. Ace could not believe she had missed it before. Bill was scruffy and unrefined, but for all his faults he had a certain something behind his eyes. Her mother had called it an inner light, and she had told Ace to look for it as it was a sure sign of a good heart. Maybe that fall had knocked some sense into her at last. "Maybe I'll just stand here for a minute."

George had turned off the fuel hose and slid down the wing to join them. He had done this a hundred times over the last month and so performed the slide with the grace of an acrobat. He landed on the run and was by Ace's side in moments.

"She looks fine but maybe we should take her to the infirmary to have her checked out," Bill suggested again.

"I c-c-can take her," George volunteered.

Evelynn shoved her index finger in Ace's face, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One," responded Ace.

Bill, George, and Evelynn all started to discuss how they were going to get Ace to the base infirmary. She decided it would be best to just let them talk. Truth was her head was still a little fuzzy. However, when Evelynn asked if maybe they should load Ace back up in the plane and she could fly her to Columbus and the hospital, that is when Ace stepped.

"Slow down, everyone," Ace said, holding up her hands. "I appreciate the concern but I hurt my pride more than anything." Ace turned to Bill, "Which reminds me. Bill, I never apologized for hitting you before, and I really should have. I AM so sorry." And with that, she offered Bill her hand.

Bill looked at the hand. Then he looked at Ace. He looked at Evelynn, then back at Ace. Deciding it was worth the risk he smiled, took her hand and the two shook. "I accept your apology," Bill said seriously and then he joked, "Does that mean I get a rematch?"

"Not today," Ace said and then stood up a little straighter.

"How about you, E?" asked Bill.

Ace was a little mad that he was using her term of endearment for her friend, but then she reminded herself, she likes him. "I don't know anything about boxing."

Bill burst out laughing. "Heavens to Betsy. I'm so confused, I put the cart before the horse," Bill explained.

"M-m-more like you, f-f-forgot the h-horse all together, Bill," George chided his friend.

"The base is having a dance tonight," Bill said, and took Evelynn's hand, looked deep into her eyes, "Would you be interested in going? With me?"

"That would be nice," Evelynn said dreamily and then looked to Ace and motioned with her chin towards George. Ace had no idea what Evelynn was doing. Her head still hurt. Wanting to buy time for Ace to remember she was supposed to ask George out, Evelynn went on, "But all I have with me are a couple of zoot... I mean flight suits. So, I don't know."

Ace could not figure out why Evelynn was being so coy. She knew Evelynn wanted to go to the dance with Bill, they had just been talking about it. Then it hit Ace. She was supposed to do but Bill cut Ace off before she could say anything. "Perfect. I'll borrow some coveralls from the ground crews," said Bill who then turned and looked at George. He started to motion toward Ace with his chin. When George didn't say anything, Bill sighed, turned back to Evelynn, and then went on, "I'm sure they can help us out, after all the help we've been giving them."

Evelynn and Bill exchanged a, they're hopeless glance. "I hear you guys have been helping the ground crew a lot lately" Ace could not help saying. "That is so great of you guys."

Bill didn't hear Ace as he was currently lost in Evelynn's eyes. "That sounds nice," Evelynn responded.

"Great," responded Bill, looking relieved.

Ace waited for a second to make sure Bill was not going to say anything else and then she turned toward George. Before she could say anything though, George took Ace's hand. George had always had a stutter. He had worked with several speech therapists before the war and his speech had gotten better. The problem was it got worse when he was anxious. Right now, he was very anxious. "W-w-would y-you like to go t-too?" George asked.

Bill grinned at George. He was so proud of his friend for finally having the courage to ask Ace out. Ace looked into George's eyes. He is just about the most adorable thing in the world, Ace thought. Like Bill, George's eyes blazed with that inner light too. The difference was that his light seemed to burn twice as bright as Bill's.

"I'd love to," Ace answered.

George's face yelled yahoo. He said, "If y-you're up for it, of course."

Bill and Evelynn both let out the breaths they had been holding. Bill pressed his luck and was about to move in and kiss Evelynn when he was interrupted by the screech of breaks.

"What the hell is going on here?" shouted a very angry-looking man.

The new arrival was bigger than anyone else in the group by far, six feet tall at least with black hair and eyebrows. He was dressed in a crisp green uniform, complete with a helmet that read MP. There were three stripes on his sleeves and a mean streak on his face. He got out of the Jeep and walked over for a better look at the scene. He looked far too long at Ace, in George's opinion.

The driver, Corporal Shultz, was a weaselly-looking man with greasy, thinning black hair and a pencil-thin mustache. One of his cheeks was full of chewing tobacco. He looked at the group as well but chose to stay in the Jeep. He did, however, lean over and spit a black stream of tobacco onto the tarmac.

George and Bill turned to face the newcomer. "Everything is fine here, Sergeant Burns," Bill began. "The lady slipped coming down the ladder is all. Lt. Evers and I," Bill stressed the lieutenant part, causing Burns to stand straighter and Shultz to get out of the Jeep, and stand at attention. Bill and George returned Shultz's salute. Burns offered a belated and half-hearted salute to George and Bill and then Bill went on, "We are lending the ground guys a hand this week..."

"Most weeks, I hear," Burns cut Bill off. A major breach of protocol. Then to add insult to injury, he stared at Evelynn and began to undress her with his eyes.

"Just trying to be helpful," Bill went on hoping to focus Burn's attention away from Evelynn. "Anyway, we saw this happen and so we came to assess her condition. She seems to be unharmed but she's a little shaken."

"Woman pilots." Sgt. Burns said as he shook his head. "What is this world coming to?"

Shultz said, "I heard they're letting coloreds fly planes too."

Ace gritted her teeth. The two men had not been given permission to speak freely and they were disrespecting both Bill and George. "Why shouldn't negros get to fly?" Ace said only loud enough for George to hear. Evelynn knew what her friend was thinking of doing, so she put her hand on Ace's shoulder and mouthed, "Act like a lady." Ace wanted to punch them both, but her friend was right.

"Everything is fine here, S-sergeant," said George, speaking for the first time.

"Thank you for your concern," Bill added by way of a dismissal.

Burn's gaze locked on Ace's chest. George stepped closer to Ace, but Burns kept staring. Shultz coughed trying to bring Burns out of his fantasy. "Glad she's OK, Sir," said Burns moving back towards the Jeep. "Sure, you don't want us to drive her over to the infirmary?"

Ace would have rather gotten into a Jeep with Hitler. Sensing Ace's feelings on the matter Bill waved them off, "She's in good hands with us, Sergent."

"Very well, sir," said Shultz. "We got to get back on patrol anyway."

Shultz, unlike Burns, was beginning to realize his friend had pushed the paper pushers, as they called them, further than he should. The four men saluted each other again. Burns got back in the Jeep and so did Shultz. With some relief, Shultz started the engine. Burns turned to Shultz and could be heard by everyone saying, "Maybe that will teach her to get back in the kitchen where she belongs," as the two men drove off.

Ashland VA. August 2, 1985

Jared woke to the unmistakable smell of Ace's perfume. It wasn't a dream, he thought. He simply lay there watching her sleep until disaster struck. Ace was still asleep so he very carefully extricated his arm from under her neck. He didn't want to wake her but even desire had to give way to biology. He needed to pee.

Jared left Ace's bedroom and used the bathroom down the hall. He also brushed his hair as he looked like that guy from the band A Flock of Seagulls. He rinsed his mouth and washed his face quickly too. Then he returned to Ace's room and found her still fast asleep. As carefully as he could he slid back into bed next to her. She was still asleep and so he was now free to simply lay there and watch her chest rise and fall.

Jared did this for almost half an hour before Ace rolled onto her side and the blanket fell away revealing her naked back and upper torso. This was no different than waving a T-bone steak in front of a very hungry dog. Jared instantly wanted to stop watching Ace sleep and start rubbing every inch of her back.

What Jared didn't know, was that Ace was not asleep at all. Jared continued to watch her pretend to sleep for another five minutes but his resolve was waning fast. Ace could see him in the full-length mirror on her side of the bed. Ace knew exactly what she was doing. The trap was set and Jared was going to fall right into it. The thought of the pleasure to come caused her pussy to moisten and her face to flush.

Ace's original plan was to wait and let Jared come to her but the sight of his chest was making her as horny as a teenager. She decided she needed to move things along. She stretched her left arm over her right shoulder and started to itch her own back. "Sweetie, I have an itch just above my scapula can you scratch it for me?" Ace asked.

Jared started to scratch just below where Ace's hand was just moments ago. "Lower baby," she instructs him. "That's it. Right there." She flexed her back muscles, "I just love it when those big strong hands of yours touch me."

Jared couldn't respond. His mind was only receiving the pleasure messages from his hands and horny messages from his penis. He was quickly becoming addicted to physical contact with Ace. He had now touched and held her more in twelve hours than he had touched and held Karen in two years. This was amazing.

"Oh, that feels so good, George," Ace said pushing the game to the next level.

Jared paused not sure how to proceed. Ace wondered if she might have pushed it too far and was preparing what she would say in a minute if he got upset. Then he started rubbing her back again. YES! Her brain screamed. "You would not believe the dream I had last night," she said with a yawn.

Jared couldn't help it. He began to rub her back more quickly. "R-really," Jared responded his voice cracking.

Ace was not sure if Jared was caught by surprise or mocking the endearing stammer of her late husband. She told herself it was former because if Jared was making fun of George this relationship was over right here, right now. Ace told herself Jared would never do that and refocused on how good his rub felt. "One of them was pretty erotic."

Jared moved to her lower back.

"You know E's grandson, Jared?"

Jared just coughed by way of an answer. She went on, "Well, he spent the night, and wow the things we did. Lower please sweetie."

Jared let out a cough/grunt. "Are you OK, George?" Ace moved to turn over but Jared pushed her back so she couldn't. He didn't want her to see him and break the spell. He and his cock desperately wanted her to go on. "Fine, Fine."

Glad he had not dropped the pretense Ace went on. This was fun. "We danced. We kissed and then I brought him up here. Lower George."