Rough Pt. 01

He sat and unfolded the monster. "You'll have to pump, I'm exhausted."

In a flash, she was naked in the dying light. "You see this, the body you covet? There will be none of it for you until that is filled and covered. I will do the coffee you don't deserve." Her voice had the famous Angela edge in it. The aggressive rasp that had attracted him in the first place.

He dodged in her direction and she picked up the frying pan. Damn, he thought to himself, how do I deserve that woman?

Grabbing a canopy pole, his foot got busy, and the mattress slowly inflated. The camp stove hissed and boiled their coffee water. The sun fled behind the Sierra crest to the west, gone for today.

Angie dug out their fleeces and tossed his across. He watched her breasts disappear behind the cloth, just like the sun moments before. The supplies in the Jeep made them self-sufficient. At least for two desert rats who liked this country. They relaxed in the camp chairs, holding hands, sipping decaf, and enjoying the approach of total darkness. Constellations would shine in an hour. Another reason to find isolated places like this, with minimal night sky from the populated cities on the far side of the mountains.

"Before Smiley called, I was thinking it was time I fessed up about what I do. It looks as though his bosses have decided to use me for something based on my years in the military, so that is another reason not to keep you in the dark any longer."

She squeezed his hand. "We've been ten years together without hanging everything out. You don't have to do this, you know."

He gestured to his lap but she shook her head. "That chair is not made for both of us. I will get the big pillows."

He rinsed his cup and filled it with water for brushing his teeth. Then wandered into the sand for a pee. When he returned, she had gone herself for a place to squat.

They had lightweight bags that zipped and had flannel inner liners so they didn't have to wear anything to bed.

Arranged for the night, he wondered about critters and the food. Nothing large out here, it was too hot and dry. Angie poked him and said she had put things in the big aluminum chest, which was his job but she understood he had things on his mind. Her fingers found an ear to pull and he realized more loving was needed.

"What if we have that talk in the morning?"

Her whisper was soft. "You have good instincts around women. And a big cock to go with them."

She pulled him over her and they quietly screwed themselves to sleep.

In the predawn darkness, they were both awake. Liked that about each other. Alert when others were not. Able to get a fast start on whatever the day held.

"You made a mess in me. Do the coffee while I clean up." She padded to the big water container in her flip flops and filled a pan. He started the stove using a flashlight and put coffee in two filter paper holders. He was standing there, waiting to pour, when her naked body embraced him from behind. Her laughing voice said, "Would Maggie go for this? Pretty basic for an Easterner."

"We could tease about being naked in public. Hand her the shovel and say you dig your own potty hole out here."

"You could bend her over the hood and apologize for the limited accommodations!"

He pushed Angie against the side of the Jeep as the coffee dripped. She reached between them and squeezed. "I want more, but not until you have said whatever is on your mind."

In the early chill, they crawled back into the bed with coffee and he began.

"I told you I joined the Marines because I couldn't get along with my dad. Didn't mind the military discipline because my dad acted like a DI all the time anyway. Did well on the tests and was sent to communications school. After six months in a platoon, got sent to advanced class in Division level communications. Lot of training about handling classified traffic, safeguarding the encryption machines and all that. Got sent to Korea, where everything is always tense. After a year, the Major I was working for said he would recommend me for officer training.

"Then he said, 'Arnie, you are too smart for the Marines. I'll send you to another school, and by the end of that your hitch will be almost up. Get your act together and go to engineering school. You have the talent to be a star.' "

She asked, "You did that?"

He leaned for a kiss and liked the coffee taste on her inquiring tongue.

"Yes. Got into Georgia Tech on a lot of fancy recommendations from my Marine superiors. Worked my ass off. Used GI benefits. Found a company doing defense work that would let me intern during the school year. Did my degree in communications theory and engineering. Guy at the company told me he was getting more out of me than some of his full time engineers. Made me a fancy offer but said I had to have a top secret clearance."

"There were problems with your family?"

"Yes, they go around and ask everyone about you. FBI man came to see me one day and said, 'You are clean as a whistle since you left home, but your father is a drunk and your mom has been in trouble for drugs and child neglect.' I sat there and thought it was all over, but he said, 'I had trouble at home when I was young too. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Stay clean.' "

The sun was peeking over the horizon behind them, lighting up the Sierra crest to the west. She threw a leg over him and said, "We'll be here until noon at this rate. Is there a shorter version? You know I love you and trust you."

"I worked hard and was lucky. Every time we finished on time and on budget, I got assigned to something bigger and more important. One day, a client supervisor took me to lunch with a guy I didn't know. Turned out he was an NSA recruiter. Asked if I would like to do something really important for the country. I said my employer would be really pissed. He answered that they had ways of easing the pain."

She poked him, "Money?"

"Yes. I found out later my ransom was a five million dollar contract. They might have won it anyway, but we parted friends."

You did things you can't talk about for them?"

"Yes, and at first I really liked it. The latest technology, important assignments, smart people to work with. But I didn't like the feeling of losing my identity, of being just a cog in this giant organization with a General at the top."

"Did you leave before or after you met me?"

"I ran into you on my first weekend free of the NSA. Felt like taking risks. You looked risky. Too goddamned smart. Confident in your skin, as they say. Didn't think you would give me the time of day. Especially since I knew I couldn't answer any of your questions about who I was."

"What did you think when I took you to that party and then home to my bed?"

"In the morning, I was sure you were going to throw my ass out on the street. That very steep street."

"Arnie, somehow, we are made for each other. I looked into those dark eyes and got all hot and bothered. Maybe you were lucky that the two guys before you were duds."

"I can remember lying there when we woke up, hoping that we had something going, but scared we didn't. It was the best sex I'd ever had."

"When I said there was a place in the desert we should visit, I could see you smile and relax. I wondered if the big strong side of you was going to take me apart when we got to the shack."

"I have to finish. We are supposed to be on the road."

"It took a while to find a job. I was picky. Didn't want an office job. An NSA friend gave me a name and it turned out they needed someone with my skills for field ops. Told me we couldn't talk until there was an updated background investigation. That was what was going on the second time we went to the shack."

"If you are trying to tell me that you do special ops work all over the world, and you will never be able to talk about it, is it ok if I tell you not to worry?"

"But, aren't you upset?"

"You think I haven't suspected this for a long time? You live with a very smart guy who knows a lot about computers and networks and disappears for weeks at a time? Who comes home and has crazy sex and tells you he loves you to death? Who keeps putting tens of thousands of dollars into a joint account?"

They were standing now, starting to break camp while she kept talking. "Nine long years ago, I knew we would never have a regular relationship. That you probably couldn't marry me. That we couldn't have kids. I had a big heart to heart with myself one time when you were away, and decided I wanted you anyway."

"What about my not coming home one of these times?"

She walked into his arms and pressed her head on his chest. "Arnie, I will cry my eyes out, and think of all the women whose men have not come back from missions. Then I will try to get on with what's left of my life. We've had ten precious, wonderful years. I have that to hang on to."

"Smiley is going to play the god and country card and send me into a very nasty assignment."

She hugged him tighter and whispered, "You are going to bitch and moan and say yes, aren't you?"

"Damn, woman, you've got my number."

They finished packing and retraced tracks to the turn for Tonopah. After a while, she touched his hand, "One of these days, we will talk about ending it? Whatever you people call it when you stop?"

He picked up her hand and touched it to his lips. "Yes. Sooner rather than later."

(cont'd in Part 2 - Tonopah Rendezvous)