FICTION | PROMPT: BAD EXPERIENCE

More Than Just Butterflies Stirred That Night

Men and women mingled together, but a disturbance colored the evening

“You don’t have to sweet-talk me,” Ebony laughed, “we already have a date!”

She looked at the muscular man next to her. His stark blue eyes bore into her dark ones, and a slight smile played around his lips, lighting up his strict face.

Ebony can imagine him having the firm upper hand in the submarine he commands.

I wonder how firm he is in the bedroom.

She blushed at the thought, not knowing where it came from, and then realized Burke waited for an answer, but she had no idea what he had said.

“Sorry, what…?”

“I said: you mean, this isn’t a date?”

Speaking, his head swayed to include them and their surroundings.

“No,” Ebony smiled, butterflies stirring in her tummy, “technically, I’m working. And so are you!”

She almost stuck her tongue out at him, but instead turned around to look behind her.

Tonight Burke was not alone.

Nine of his men — she had screened and interviewed eleven in the past weeks — sat in the lounge area, or stood at the main bar, drinks in their hands. Only two men didn’t make it through the screening. It surprised Ebony, as it seemed their procedure was stricter than that of the Navy.

Mingling between the men were the same number of women — all of them employed by The Ivory Tower. Only one of them joined after Ebony took over. The others still had contracts from when Ebony knew nothing about her aunt Ivory’s secret.

“Yes,” Burke said, having also turned around to scan the room, “yes, we are working.”

The teasing tone in his voice made Ebony glance at him, and involuntarily she blushed as she saw the twinkle in his eye, and how hard he tried to keep his face straight.

Here and there, casual couples formed when men showed their obvious interest in the elegantly clad women.

Those couples disappeared from the communal area to private rooms upstairs. Four of the men stayed downstairs, enjoying the light entertainment of the women.

Ebony wondered whether those were married men or if they were just not in the mood for a more intimate setting. She shrugged and turned back to the bar. At the same moment, Burke did the same.

Electricity shot through her body when his knee touched her thigh. She almost squirmed under the intense gaze in his eyes. He didn’t move his knee, and Ebony didn’t want him to. This was only the second time she had seen this man, and already she dreamed of his lips on hers; his hands on her body.

Maybe this can be a date after all. If he…

A racket in the hallway leading to the front door rudely interrupted her thoughts.

Ebony heard Caleb’s voice, and that of another male. From his loud, slurred speech, he appeared drunk.

Before Ebony could react, Burke was halfway to the hallway, swearing under his breath.

By the time she reached the door, Caleb and Burke had restrained a man who spurted foul language and accusations.

“Fucking bitch,” he yelled when he noticed Ebony. “Not good enough for you, ‘ey? I’m a fucking navy officer… should be in there squeezing tits and licking pussy like my mates. But no, I’m not good enough for the boss-bitch, right bi…”

A fist slamming into his upper arm abruptly stopped him talking and made him turn his head to Burke.

It was as if the man saw Burke for the first time.

“Commander,” he said. “Commander, I want in on the fun. Please let me get some pu…”

“Quiet, lieutenant!” Burke ordered, and the man obediently shut his mouth.

Ebony had already recognized the lieutenant as one of the two men who hadn’t made it through the screening. Obviously, he knew about the party tonight, and having been at The Ivory Tower for the interview, he knew where to find them.

“May we use your office, Miss Ebony?” the commander asked.

Ebony nodded, squeezed past them and led the way to her office. She opened the door to let them in.

With an unpleasant taste in her mouth, she stood next to Caleb, watching the scene play out in front of her.

“Attention, sailor!” Burke barked.

“I’m not a fucking sai…”

Burke interrupted the man before he could complete his retort.

“For all intents and purposes, after your despicable behavior, you now are a sailor. And I said: attention!”

This time, the man straightened his back, clicked his heels together, and stood as still as he could in his inebriated state.

Even Ebony stood at attention when Burke spoke.

“For the next month, you will not wear your rank and will work alongside the sailors. Anytime we are at port, you will stay aboard performing whatever cleaning duties I can come up with. For the next year, sailor,” he lay emphasis on the last word, “you will not drink a drop of alcohol. If you do, I will officially strip you of your rank. This is your last warning. Is that understood, sailor?”

“I don’t… you can’t… you have no ri…”

“Is. That. Understood. Sailor?” Burke interrupted the stuttering man.

“Commander! Yes, commander!”

The lieutenant fixed his eyes on the wall somewhere above Burke’s head.

The commander turned his head to look at Ebony and Caleb. A slight nod, and Caleb moved forward to take the lieutenant by his arm and escort him towards the front door. Where only moments before the man swore in a drunken rage, his entire posture now spoke of subordination.

Ebony watched his back as he walked away, her heart thumping in her chest. She instantly turned her head when she sensed Burke right in front of her.

“Not a date after all,” he laughed

“I told you we’re working tonight,” she smiled.

He opened his arms and said: “May I?”

Surprising herself as much as him, Ebony flew into his arms. Every fiber in her body attuned to him as he enveloped her in a bear hug.

“You intrigue me, Miss Ebony,” he mused into her hair.

Tightening her arms around him, she answered in her head: Not as much as you intrigue me.

The not-so-pleasant experience of the lieutenant crashing their closeness had both of them not wanting to return to the communal area. They would much rather explore the flutter of feelings between them. But, after a deep, silent gaze into each other’s eyes and another hug, they continued ‘working’.

The rest of the evening was all business, but their shared hugs held a promise of more.

Much more.

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