Welcome to San Diego

Friday, December 15

On Friday morning the entire team was in the warehouse when LCpl Wilson walked in.

"Hey guys!" Wilson said as she walked in.

"Hey Sandy" Rosario responded. Everyone else just looked up and said "hey" as they continued with their tasks.

"Just in case you guys have forgotten," Wilson began, "we're having the party for Sgt. Caldwell today. Gunny wanted me to tell you that after lunch you guys can come back in civvies. He wants everyone in the office by 1600. Nicole said they have a surprise for her. Afterwards, we're going to Seaport Village for dinner and drinks. We need a headcount of who's going to join us for dinner, so please let me know by 1200 if you'll be there."

"Thanks, Wilson" Sgt. Collins replied. "We'll get a headcount and let you know as soon as possible."

Rosario walked out the warehouse with Wilson heading towards the office.

"You know, you could have called us and told us that." Rosario said.

"I know," Wilson responded, "but I wanted to see Storm. He's so fucking hot! How do you stand it working with him?"

"I have to keep reminding myself not to stare!" Rosario replied with a big smile on her face. "I keep fantasizing of him grabbing me and just fucking the shit out of me. It's awful. I end up assaulting my clit as soon as I get back to the barracks."

"So that's why your showers are so fucking long!" Wilson said as she laughed a little.

"Yup! It's bad, Sandy!" Rosario continued, "Did you see him last night in his tight t-shirt? His body is insane! And those eyes!"

"Those eyes!" Wilson added, "Oh my gosh, Jen... I swear my pussy gets soaked every time he looks at me."

Both girls laughed as they continued walking towards the office.

At 1550 the team locked up the warehouse and headed to the office for Sgt. Caldwell's party. As they entered the office they could see a table with a small cake, drinks and snacks. Nothing fancy. At around 1630, Caldwell walked in with a couple of ladies. Everyone greeted her and she acted surprised as if she didn't expect a party. She walked around and thanked everyone for coming. Some people had gotten her gifts and she was very grateful for that.

Everyone was standing around mingling, when all of a sudden there was a knock on the office door. Everyone turned to see a police officer standing at the doorway.

"I heard someone had been a bad girl and needed to get arrested," the cop said with a smile on his face. The worst, most pathetic, unoriginal intro for a stripper dressed like a cop.

Immediately, the women in the room started screaming and the guys just looked at each other knowing that they were not going to be pleased with what was next.

The cop pressed the play button on his cell phone and the music started pouring out of the Bluetooth speaker he was carrying. He began dancing, then grabbed Caldwell by the hand and had her sit at a chair. Her face was flustered. Clearly, she was not expecting this. He began grinding his hips and slowly started taking off his clothing. The women continued screaming every time an item came off his body. The men standing at the back of the room just shook their heads in disbelief. Eventually, the stripper cop had taken everything off except for a pair of gold speedo thongs. The women were thoroughly enjoying the show, while the men were not impressed with what they saw. Especially Storm. Yes, the stripper guy worked out, he was in great shape, but his package didn't match up with the rest of his body. It was as if steroids had shrunk his junk.

After the performance everyone laughed and continued mingling some more. Storm noticed Caldwell talking with the stripper. She kept touching his chest and giggling. Clearly, she had enjoyed the show and was attracted to the male stripper. After about an hour some people headed home, while others started gathering to leave for Seaport Village.

"Hey Cpl. Storm... can we get a ride with you?" two female voices said at the same time.

Storm turned around to see Wilson and Rosario looking at him.

"Sure thing," he replied.

As they drove to downtown San Diego, the girls kept looking at each other and laughing. Storm couldn't help but wonder what was so funny and eventually had to ask.

"Alright... what's so funny? What's going on?"

"Oh... nothing!" the girls laughed. "Did you enjoy the show?" Wilson asked.

"Oh... that. Not my type of entertainment," he replied.

"He had a nice body," Rosario said, "but he was too bulky."

"And he had no dick!" Wilson added as they all broke out in laughter.

"You girls seemed to enjoy the show despite of that fact," Storm mentioned.

"Well, I was already horny before he got there," Wilson replied, "so it didn't take much to get me more excited."

"And I had already masturbated at lunch time," Rosario added, "so my body was already in excitement mode."

Storm could not believe what he had just heard.

"Yeah... you were in the shower for a really long time," Wilson said to Rosario.

"My vibrator broke so I had to use my fingers and it takes longer that way."

"Well, next time just tell me and I'll help you," Wilson said with a smile and then both girls started laughing.

Storm just smiled and began to wonder if what they were saying was true or just bullshit.

They arrived at Seaport Village and went into the restaurant. Not everyone had arrived yet. They saw Gunny Ramos and Sgt. Collins sitting at a long table and went to join them. Shortly afterwards Caldwell and three of the civilians arrived. It was a great dinner. It was a lot of great food, drinks and conversation. As some people began to leave, the ones remaining decided to just enjoy the evening with drinks and the views of Coronado from the deck.

As Storm stood out on the deck talking with Collins, Caldwell came out to join them.

"Hey guys, thanks for the party!" she said. They all laughed.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Collins replied with a blank look on his face. "Excuse me. Have to hit the head."

"I don't think he appreciated the stripper," Storm added as Collins walked away. Caldwell laughed at the comment.

"I don't care what he thinks," she replied, "He's a nice guy, but can be so annoying. He keeps hitting on me and it's just not gonna happen."

"Sounds like there's a bigger story there. Plus, I've heard Lt. Swanson doesn't tolerate fraternization."

"The Marine Corps doesn't tolerate fraternization, but there is no way that it's not happening. I mean, come on, everyone is required to stay in great shape. Most are single. And you can't help whom you're attracted to. So, it's bound to happen that people are gonna hook up."

"You're absolutely right. There were a lot of different hook ups in Okinawa."

"Okinawa! You need to tell me what to expect in Okinawa. I need to be prepared."

"Ummm... YOU have nothing to worry about," Storm said with a smirk. "Well, actually let me rephrase that. Because of what you just told me about Collins you probably should be worried."

"What does that mean?"

"The ratio of men to women at our bases in Okinawa is 10 to 1. Ten to one. There are ten men for every one woman. This means that you are going to get hit on, A LOT!"

"Come on... it can't be that much."

"I'm not lying. It throws the hotness scale completely out of whack."

"What!? The hotness scale?"

"Yeah... the hotness scale. You know... how hot someone is on a scale of 1 to 10? If a woman is considered a 5 on the hotness scale here, in Okinawa she's considered a 9. She's going to have guys all over her."

"What!? Bullshit! Are you kidding me?" she asked while laughing.

"Nope, I'm not kidding. I look at pictures from when I was there and see a lot of girls that I don't find that attractive, but while I was there I was more than willing to..." he stopped himself from finishing the statement.

"To what?" she asked.

He just looked at her, tilted his head and eventually she got it.

"Oh!" she added, "and did you?"

"The Marine Corps doesn't tolerate fraternization," he replied with a smile on his face as he looked away from Caldwell and towards Coronado Island. She laughed knowing what he meant.

"You're bad," she said as Wilson and Rosario walked towards them.

"Cpl Storm, are we getting a ride back with you?" Rosario asked.

"You came with me, so of course I'll give you a ride back," he replied. "Let me hit the head and we'll get going."

"I haven't come with him yet," Wilson whispered, causing Rosario to laugh out loud, "and I'll gladly take a ride, thank you."

Caldwell looked at both of the girls and just shook her head and smiled.

"You girls need to behave yourself, the Marine Corps does not tolerate fraternization," Caldwell said with sly smile on her face.

"BUT HE'S SO HOT!" Wilson replied loudly. They all laughed.

"I'm not going to argue that," Caldwell responded as she smiled, finished her drink and walked inside.

She went to the bar to pay off the tab when Gunny Ramos stopped her and told her that her tab had been taken care of. She thanked him and gave him a hug before heading towards her friend, Nicole and asking her if she was ready to leave. Nicole told her she needed to use the ladies room and she'd be ready. As Caldwell stood there waiting she saw Storm come out of the men's room. He shook hands with the Gunny and Collins and then walked towards Caldwell.

"Hey... Happy Birthday, again. Have a great weekend. I'll see you on Monday," he said as he extended his hand towards her.

"You too!" she replied as she shook his hand. "Maybe we can continue talking about Okinawa next week."

"Maybe," he replied as he smiled at her and walked outside.

Wilson and Rosario were laughing and being silly when he finally saw them standing by his Jeep. He walked towards them and they tried to control their silliness as he got to them.

"I don't lock the doors, you girls could have gotten in," he said to them as he got to the Jeep.

"We're more respectful than that," Wilson said.

"Well, she is, but not me." Rosario added, "I'm more open to do bad things." Both girls started laughing again.

"Clearly you're both drunk," Storm commented.

"Maybe... Are you gonna take advantage of us?" Wilson asked.

"I'm more respectful than that," he replied.

"That's too bad, because it would be so much fun," Rosario added as the girls laughed.

"Maybe someday when neither of you are drunk," Storm responded with a big smile on his face. "I just wonder if both of you would be able to handle it."

They all laughed as they drove towards the base.

Friday, December 22

The following Friday morning Storm went to the admin office to help set up for the Christmas party. As he walked in he said hello to Wilson, Diaz, and White and then walked up to Caldwell's desk.

"Hey! I thought we were setting up for the Christmas party? It doesn't look like much is happening," Storm said to Caldwell as he looked around the office.

"Not here! Across the street... we use the uniform store warehouse. Let's go, I'm heading over there now," she replied.

They walked out of the office and began walking towards the uniform store warehouse.

"So... did you go out with the stripper guy?" Storm asked.

"What!? What are you talking about?" she asked in return.

"Come on. I saw you talking to him after his little performance. I assumed you exchanged numbers."

"Well, you shouldn't assume, and yes, we did exchange numbers, but I didn't call him. He did call me though," she said with a smile.

"So you did go out with him."

"Hell no, I didn't go out with him. He was cute but come on, I'm not gonna go out with a stripper."

"Ouch... judgmental much?"

She laughed at the question.

"No, but I do have some standards. Besides... if I was going to go out with someone I would need to know that they could keep their mouth shut about it," she replied with a smile right before they walked into the warehouse, not leaving time for Storm to reply.

The Christmas party went well, as expected. There was Christmas music and decorations, food and soft drinks, games for the kids to play and an appearance by Santa with presents for all the kids. Everyone had a great time and after a few hours people began making their ways home.

As the clean-up crew began taking down decorations and putting stuff away, Storm caught Caldwell staring at him. She was embarrassed by being caught and just turned away. Storm went up to her curious as to what was going on.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"What? No!" she replied.

"Oh, okay. I was just curious since... never mind," he commented. "Any plans for the weekend?" he continued.

"No. Well nothing for tonight. Leaving for Arizona tomorrow afternoon to avoid traffic. My family has a big get-together every year for Christmas Eve. What about you?"

"No plans. It's going to be a quiet, long 3-day weekend. It's weird being away from family for Christmas."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing my parents," she replied.

"I'm sure that'll be nice," he commented as they walked outside towards their vehicles.

"So... do you want to go do something tonight?" she asked. The question taking Storm by surprise.

"Ummm... sure. Is it okay? With you being a Sergeant and all?" he inquired.

"Yeah... Well... just don't say anything to anyone. I don't want people getting the wrong impression. I won't be back until the 12^th and I don't want to just sit around in an empty apartment tonight," she replied.

"I'm sure I can handle that," he added.

"Okay. I'll text you my address and maybe you can pick me up," she replied right before she got in her car.

***

Storm had just stepped out of the shower when he got the text from Caldwell.

"4186 Mississippi St. Wanna meet for 8? Text me when u get here and I'll come out."

"Sounds good" he replied to the text.

Unsure of what to wear, he got dressed in dark blue jeans, a black button-down long sleeve shirt, and black boots. He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

Storm pulled up to the complex and texted Caldwell. Shortly afterwards, Caldwell walked out through the gates of the complex.

"Wow. You look beautiful." He said as he looked at her in her skin-tight jeans, white shirt and heels. "Where do you want to go?" he asked as she got into the Jeep.

"First... Thank you! Second... nowhere where we might run into anyone from our unit."

"Soo... San Francisco?" he asked and they both laughed.

"No... okay... How about we go to the Gaslamp and get a bite?" she suggested.

"That sounds good."

They drove to the Gaslamp Quarter, picked a restaurant and sat down to eat. There was an energy that both of them could feel was there. All through dinner they had great conversation. Getting to know each other better talking about their decisions to join the Marines, where they grew up, their families, their childhood experiences, etc. They enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and were both feeling very comfortable with the other.

After dinner they decided to go into a night club that was located right next door to the restaurant. It was a perfect opportunity to enjoy a few more drinks, do some dancing, and get to know each other some more. The dancing required their bodies to get much closer than they had at any point before. The combination of the alcohol and the dancing had Caldwell feeling hotter than she had been in a while. She honestly had just wanted to have an innocent night of fun, with just eating, drinking and good conversation, but now her mind was racing and was beginning to have bad thoughts.

As the night progressed they both began to get more comfortable with each other and flirting more and more. The dancing on the very crowded dance floor had left both of them glistening from a little bit of sweat and a need for some fresh air. They walked out of the night club and made their way to the parking spot. The cool December air felt nice and both took a deep breath and laughed a little as they sensed the relief on their slightly sweaty skins.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight," Caldwell said.

"My pleasure. I had a lot of fun," Storm replied.

"Hey... you want to get some coffee?" she asked, not knowing that coffee was Storm's biggest vice.

"Absolutely! I was going to suggest the same thing," he replied with a smile. Thank God for late night coffee shops.

They got their coffees, got in the Jeep and made their way to Caldwell's apartment. As they cruised on 163, Caldwell sipped on her coffee and kept taking glances back and forth between Storm and the road, and thinking about being on the dance floor; sweaty, so close to him, his eyes, smelling his cologne, a combination of leather, patchouli and musk. Why was her head spinning so much?

While Storm seemed calm behind the wheel, his head was also back on the dance floor, thinking about her tight jeans, the glow of her skin, the citrusy smell of her hair, the scent of her perfume, the way she moved her hips. He thanked God that he was driving and had to focus on the road, because all he wanted was to stare at her. He would take quick glances every time he reached for his cup of coffee and as luck would have it they caught themselves looking at each other as they were taking the exit onto Washington St. Caldwell blushed and looked away. Storm just smiled and concentrated on not crashing the Jeep.

As they were about to make the turn from El Cajon Blvd onto Mississippi Street, Caldwell turned on her seat and stared at Storm.

"You know, throughout all the talking we did tonight, you never talked about Okinawa."

"It never crossed my mind. Why didn't you ask me?"

"Well... I'm not going to be able to sleep after this coffee. Do you want to come up and we can talk about what Okinawa is going to be like for me?"

"Sure. I don't think I'll be falling asleep any time soon anyway."

Storm parked the Jeep and they made their way to her apartment. They walked across the courtyard and up the stairs to the second floor. As they walked into her apartment Storm couldn't help but notice that it was completely empty. No furniture except for a small kitchen table and chairs.

"Did you get robbed?" he asked.

Caldwell started laughing hysterically as she walked into what Storm assumed was her bedroom.

"It was all shipped last weekend. I'm leaving for Okinawa, remember?" she shouted from the other room.

"Oh yeah... that's why you wanted me to come up... to talk about Okinawa."

"Well, actually..." she began to say from the room, and continued as she walked back into the living area, "...that's not the only reason I asked you to come up."

Storm's eyes went wide and his heart started racing as he saw Caldwell come into the living room wearing only white lacy thongs and a spaghetti strap camisole to match. As he took in the contrast between the white material and her tan skin, he felt a lump in his throat and was at a loss for words. She was just as nervous and slowly walked towards him.

"You have to promise me that you will never say anything to anyone about this," she began, "This has to be something that we take to our graves."

Storm nodded in agreement as she reached up, put her hands on the back of his head and pulled his face to hers. Her lips were soft and her tongue felt like velvet against his. The passion in their kiss only escalated their feelings of desire for each other. Caldwell grabbed his hand and turned around to lead him to the bedroom. As she did Storm was able to see just exactly how gorgeous her body is. Her thongs fit her perfectly... the roundness of her butt cheeks, the way the material fell perfectly in-between them, the curve from the bottom of the cheeks to her thighs... she was perfect, and he was completely mesmerized.

Once inside the room, Caldwell turned to face him again.