An Evil Woman Pt. 08

The junior officer was called over by the Lieutenant and given some instructions she nodded returned to the table, picked up the laptop and handed it over to him. She returned and sat at the table opposite me, looking at me deadpan, with no emotion at all.

I have seen such faces before, especially when some petty criminal is scared. This girl was scared.

The Lieutenant came back to the table as the other officers left and smiled at me so I returned his smile, but somehow I didn't feel particularly happy inside, don't ask me why.

"We are going to transfer you over to the Australian Navy in about four hours, you can make yourself comfortable here. I will send your luggage down here for you, is that OK?" He told me even though he framed it as a question. "The Chief here will keep you company and we'll have a marine stationed right outside the door. You are a valuable asset, Corrine Myers."

"Would it do me any good to ask why?" I said while looking into his adorable eyes, what I wouldn't give to have a pair to match his.

"Why what?" He asked.

"Why are we being transferred to the Australian Navy and not the cruise ship?"

He just smiled and replied, "I told you, you are valuable and having just found you, we aren't going to put you at risk. So the Chief here will keep you company and we'll have a marine stationed outside the door, where you go the chief goes, and we don't want you wandering around the ship ma'am. Anything you need you just need to ask for it,"

I nodded, as I understood that. Somehow, I had been dragged into some greater game and both Lisa and Evie were going to be some sort of distant memory. He stood up smiled down at me, offered his hand, took mine and shook it. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Corrine Myers," he then strode out, the marine closed the door and I heard a key lock it. The mechanism sounded more like a prison door being locked than anything else.

I looked at the Chief. "Why do I feel like a prisoner?"

She smiled back at me, "you are in no way being held against your will ma'am, in a few hours you'll be safely back on board an Aussie ship, on your way to wherever," she told me as she raised her hands out to the sides of her.

"I don't feel free," I explained. She just smiled, "it is all in your mind ma'am,"

I sat back down, "Let's eat, drink and try to be merry then,"

"That's the way, what do you feel like eating ma'am?"

If she could read my mind I'm sure she would have been pounding on the door to be let out.

"What about a steak and chips?" I asked.

"Chips ma'am, are you sure?" she returned. I looked at her quizzically, put my hand up and said, "Sorry, my bad, french fries, to you Americans,"

She smiled and nodded, "Just as well I asked, they would have sent you a packet of potato chips with a large steak."

I laughed, "can I get a medium well-done steak, mushroom sauce on the side, some fries and a small tossed salad." I asked "Complete with a beer,"

Now it was her turn to laugh, "I think we can manage that," she picked up a phone pushed a couple of numbers waited for a few moments then spoke, "Cookie, send me down a steak medium to well, mushroom sauce, fries and a salad, tossed, and a bud, no make it full strength, I am entertaining an Aussie, and a light beer might get stuffed up my you know what. Yeah, maybe I would in this instance. We are down in the officer's lounge, don't be long,"

She returned to the table and sat down looked at me and said, "it will be here in 15 minutes,"

I nodded and asked, "What do I call you?"

"You call me Chief Withers ma'am," she said being very professional.

"I can't do that, that is way too formal. What do you get called at home?"

"You mean apart from 'pest' or 'hey'." She smiled, she had a nice smile, "I get called many things, Catherine by my mum and dad, Cathy by my little brother and Cath by my partner,"

"Not mummy or anything like that?" I enquired innocently.

"No, no chance of that just yet, another 3 years of active service and then maybe we might think about a family,"

"What about you, what do you get called at home? She asked me.

"Nothing, no parents any longer, no siblings, plus I'm gay, so no babies accidentally for me," I told her and waited for her reaction. "And right now, no one I am cohabitating with, so there are many lonely old nights, but I am happy not answering to anyone, too many questions about where I've been and who I have been out with." There was no reaction. I thought to myself that with the US military policy, of don't ask don't tell, things could still be difficult for gay people in the military. "Besides, you already know my name, my friends call me Corry,"

I continued "Would I be right in saying when you get home it is like a honeymoon all over again," I said that with a twinkle in my eye.

"Well yes, I try and store up a week's worth of leave at a time, to catch up on missed opportunities for us both," she came back with her reply.

"I bet he would be pleased to see you then in that case, men being men I mean,"

She looked at me and said, "I never said it was a man,"

There was a knock on the door and a seaman came in with a tray, put it down on the table and left. Followed by two others carrying the suitcases and the gown bags. The door was closed again but I still heard the lock mechanism keeping me in place.

I took the top of the meal off and looked inside, and wow, the biggest steak I had ever seen, the mushroom sauce wasn't too much to write home about and the french fries, or chips, were passable, just, and the salad was eatable, seeing as I hadn't eaten food in a couple of days, it went down a treat. No complaints. Washed down with a half-decent Miller's beer. I had a feeling you would have to drink a fair few to get into a happy place.

I sat there eating in silence, thinking about my future. What had just happened to me, why was being around Lai and Grace and still being alive so important to these guys, they already had photos of them so it isn't like they don't know what they look like.

"Cath what can you tell me about these two characters Lai and Grace?" I asked on the odd chance that she would actually tell me.

"Nothing ma'am" as she went back into her Chief Withers mode.

"Sorry," I told her, "I shouldn't have put you in such an awkward position,"

"That's ok ma'am there is nothing I can tell you about them," I went back to my steak, which was magnificent, so I finished it in silence and then leaned back in my chair. Got up and walked to stretch my legs, looking back at her, I could see the loneliness of being at sea too long, what was it that Lisa told me so long ago, you can tell when a seaman had been at sea too long, they have a look in their eyes, a lecherous look, well I think I was seeing it right now on CPO Catherine Withers face.

She looked at me, so I thought I would put on a show for her. I turned away from her and bent forward knowing my backside was considered by many women as my best asset. I bent right over, I wasn't being subtle at all as I placed my hands on my cheeks and gave them a little squeeze for her.

"What are you doing ma'am," She asked me.

"Just stretching after a good meal," I told her.

"Well it's not going to work Corrine, I've been tempted before and resisted the temptation and they were a lot prettier than you," She explained.

"Oh, you think I am trying to tempt you do you, you poor silly girl, no I was just stretching, honestly," I said by way of explaining my actions.

"How long since you've been home Cath?" I said as I sat back down my eyes not leaving hers. I started to undress, then remembered I had a stash of cash in my undies and stopped. I wanted to put on one of those business suits that fitted me so well. I opened a case and took out some red silk French knickers, a white shirt and a navy-blue pantsuit, 3 pieces. I asked if there was a bathroom. She pointed to a door I opened it and went in with my change of clothes,

"Corrine, stop what you are trying to do, I have been at sea now for five weeks and I am not in the mood to fool around with a complete stranger who is trying to pump me for information. Is that pretty clear enough for you?"

"Well, that's put me in my place," I yelled back to her.

"Corrine, I have to be in there with you, please promise me no-nonsense, OK,"

I nodded at her, as she came in, I had gotten out of the dirty smelly remnants of what I had on for these past two days and hid the money bundled up in the old clothes. I had stripped down and taken out some perfume and splashed it around making sure none ended up in my private parts. Put on my crisp white shirt, my eyes never leaving hers. I then grabbed a pair of red silk French knickers, it was then that Cath saw the branding on my rump and her look changed. I pulled out the suit pants and they fitted me perfectly, they felt good. I took hold of the waistcoat and did up the 3 buttons, I then put on the jacket, leaving it unbuttoned. I made certain the top two buttons on the shirt were undone. I thought I did it well.

"Who branded you?" She asked.

"They did," I replied. "I was part of their property, or so they thought,"

"I'm sorry about that," she told me. She smiled at me, "Maybe another time we could have a drink and see where it goes," she said with a wicked smile on her face. "I'd like to see that branding scar up close and personal,"

When we had returned to the lounge, I grabbed a pad off of a bench wrote my name on it and told her if she is ever in Port Adelaide, she could find me at Emily's Wine Bar and wrote the address down. Then handed her the sheet. She took it and folded it neatly and put it in her pocket, "I don't think I will get to Port Adelaide any time soon, Corrine, but I will get there," she told me.