An Imperfect Couple Ch. 02

"So, you went into these countries and freed Americans so they wouldn't get tortured or killed by the bad guys, as you call them." I nodded in agreement. "And you received some special training to carry out your missions." Again, I nodded. "And your training included breaking fingers." I paused at that one.

"Well, sort of. We were trained in hand to hand combat. Often, that involved how to break out of someone's grip when they grabbed us or when they would try to stick a knife in us. Things like that. And a great technique to use when someone is trying to choke the life out of you is to grab a couple of fingers and break them. No one can continue to choke you with broken fingers. And, as you saw an hour ago, there are other uses for that technique." I chuckled when I said that, hoping to diminish the emotional shock of telling my story. She didn't laugh.

"So, did you ever kill anyone?" She lowered her voice when she asked this question.

"Interesting you should ask that question. Does it matter? I mean, in books and movies it is always a woman who asks that question; never a man. She meets a cop or a soldier, and she asks if he has ever killed anyone. Why is that important? Seriously, this all happened a long time ago." My concern over how she would see me rose to new heights. "This is one of the reasons why I never told anyone. To me, it is far more important to ask how many wives and kids we saved from being tortured and killed than it is to ask how many bad guys I killed." I paused to shake my head in wonder. And her face immediately changed, showing concern and not disgust.

"I am so sorry. I asked you to tell me your story, and apparently I communicated a negative reaction. Please relax. As far as I am concerned, you could have killed every one of those people involved in kidnapping agents or their families and I would have thanked you for your service. Please understand that." She reached across the table and took both of my hands in hers. Her concern for offending me was obvious, and I was so relieved. "No, I asked only because I was interested to know how far you were able to take the fight tonight. Specifically, what would have happened if the other three had jumped in? Or what would have happened if one of them pulled a knife? Or, God forbid, what would have happened if one of them had pulled a gun and threatened you or me with it?" Again, the concern in her voice was real, almost as if the thought hit her for the first time how much danger we were really in.

"Excellent questions. We had to ask those questions and plan for the right response every time we engaged a bad guy. So, by the time he grabbed me, I was already prepared for each of those scenarios."

"Wow! You must think fast." She seemed impressed.

"Actually, that is what training is for. We drill for each of those scenarios hundreds of times, so we can adjust and use the defense tactic best suited for the threat. When I first grabbed his fingers and bent them a little, I was watching his friends to see what they would do. One of them looked like he was about to get involved, so I broke the man's fingers in such a way that the second man saw it and, especially, heard it. I was hoping that would intimidate him from getting involved." My words were almost academic as I verbally reviewed what I had unconsciously considered in less than a second of real time. I paused, and then asked the question that had been plaguing me.

"So, does this mean that you aren't scared or disgusted by tonight?" I waited anxiously for her response, which was quick in coming, but a little unexpected. She stood up and walked to my side of the table. Then she slowly bent over and kissed me on the lips, lingering for several seconds.

"Rick, you are my hero. And I am so thankful I was with you tonight instead of any other man, especially my husband." She looked directly in my eyes and smiled a very sincere smile. And she stayed in that bent position until I looked down from her eyes and directly into the cleavage she was flashing me. And as I looked and enjoyed the view for those several seconds, my body began to respond in the usual and predictable manner. I got hard.

She casually looked down and noticed the movement in my trousers. Then she straightened up and walked back to her seat. As she sat down, she smiled and quietly stated, "That was for being my strong and brave hero."

"Which one?" I asked just as quietly, thinking of the kiss and the wonderful view of her boobs she had given me.

"Both," she replied with a smile that contained both mischief and tease.

"Well, then, I would say that you didn't have to, but I am glad you did." And I tried to match her smile, but it probably didn't look as good on me as it clearly did on her. But her smile got larger as she replied.

"Good answer." I smiled more widely and we both took a sip of the Honig wine.

I was saved from inventing any further conversation by the arrival of our server with our meals in hand. She placed the dishes in front of us and then poured fresh glasses of the Merlot, leaving the glasses with the white wine alone.

"Will there be anything else?" the server asked, looking at me with a suggestive smile.

"No, I think that is plenty." Rachael dismissed her with no expression in her voice. Then the server left and Rae started to simmer. She looked at me with a little irritation.

"Do you always get looks like that when you go out for the evening?"

"Like what?" I tried to act like I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Rick, she was hitting on you." Now her irritation was obvious.

"No, she probably heard about what happened downstairs, or maybe that the owner was paying for dinner, and she was probably trying to figure out who I was. I am sure it was nothing." Suddenly, it was important for me to downplay the server's obvious reactions.

"No, Rick, it was something," she proclaimed with finality.

"Okay, Rae. I don't know what she was intending, and I don't care. I am with you tonight and it would not matter if she crawled into my lap and tried to seduce me. I am with you. Okay?" I looked into her eyes and tried to show her that I was speaking the truth. It was a matter of honor with me. I always give the lady I am with my full attention, and I always leave with the woman I brought. There was simply no way that I would be interested in the attention of another woman, and I tried to portray that as honestly as possible. "Okay?" I repeated. And after looking into my eyes for several seconds, Rae seemed to accept that. She nodded and visibly relaxed.

"Now that we have that settled..." I looked at her until she smiled that saucy, teasing smile that I was beginning to love, and then I returned it. "Now that we have that settled, it is your turn. You have mentioned your husband several times tonight, and you were wearing a wedding band earlier. Yet you are here with me. So what is your story? And if you are uncomfortable sharing, please feel free to talk about the weather or something." I chuckled and was glad to see things had relaxed between us again.

"Now that is a long story that you probably aren't interested in." I could tell she was trying to avoid talking about this.

"Right. You said that earlier, and it was just as untrue then as it is now."