As they traveled around the Center the women chatted about their plans for the weekend and for an upcoming TDY they would be taking together. An hour later, they pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the operations training complex.
Officially called “Operations and Tactics Training Facilities,” the raid houses were just that – houses. The Center had once been a Navy base, and the former family housing had been converted to offices and training space. A small section of the single-family homes had been furnished and equipped with surveillance cameras and recording equipment, for use in teaching BATs how to execute search and arrest warrants, handle hostage situations, process crime scenes, and conduct SWAT-team maneuvers.
Each house had one “ready room” set up for instructors and students to review operations plans, stage their training, and review the video and audio recordings of the exercises. The houses were configured like residences, business offices, stores, drug labs, and various other types of buildings. One was even remodeled to resemble a hospital emergency room.
Walking through this area of the Center was much like visiting a bustling movie set. At one house, a group of students dressed in khakis and polos practiced interviewing witnesses. Across the street, a group dressed in agency windbreakers and caps ducked under crime scene tape barriers and collected evidence. At another building down the block, a group of BATs cuffed and searched role players portraying members of a methamphetamine manufacturing ring. There was always action on this part of the Center, day or night.
Cate and Mandy walked over to the assigned house and stood at the edge of the yard. Bobby’s class was already inside the ready room, presenting their operations plan and preparing for the exercise.
Jon was training with a different group of students than he had visited during DTs on Wednesday. Bobby’s class had been in training for nine weeks, and were due to graduate the following Friday. Thus, they were for the most part capable and confident.
Cate figured Jon was having a great time working with this class; they were a pretty sharp bunch of BATs. But she was sure they were just as surprised and delighted to find a legendary rock star on their team as the younger group had been. She grinned at the thought. What a story they will have to tell….
“Hello there, ladies.” Cate recognized the voice and turned to smile at the greeting.
“Hi, Mo. How ya been?” she asked. Maureen, or “Mo” as everyone called her, was one of the Center’s official photographers. She was a retired photojournalist and grandmother of six, who was beloved by everyone who had ever set foot on the Center.
Mo was a gracefully aging hippie, with long gray hair that she wore in braided pigtails, and a kind face lined by laughter and countless years of unprotected exposure to the elements. Under the floppy brown hat she always wore were sparkling green eyes and a crooked smile. She was fond of kaftans, tie-dye, and Birkenstocks, which definitely made her stand out among the uniformed staff, faculty, and students.
Mo walked over to the women and gave Cate and Mandy a warm smile. “Wonderful, wonderful. How about you gals?”
“Great!” Mandy replied, and Cate nodded her agreement. “Busy, but really good,” she added.
“I hear you got a plum assignment, Missy,” Mo’s eyes crinkled again as she gave Cate a big grin. “How has it been spending the week with Bon Jovi?” As she spoke she fiddled with the camera that hung from a wide strap around her neck.
Cate had to laugh. Mo knew everything that happened on the Center, official or unofficial. Her underground source network was amazing. “It’s been… interesting,” she responded, her own eyes twinkling back at Mo.
She and Mo chatted for a few minutes about the training she had been putting Jon through. Cate kept the conversation focused on the professional relationship she and Jon had developed, but decades of observing life through a lens had given Mo the ability to pick up on the tiniest, most subtle details. She could tell there was more to the story than Cate was telling her, and she knew she’d see it if she captured Jon and Cate together on film.
Suddenly Cate felt Mandy’s elbow hard against her side. “Ho-ly SHIT!” she heard Mandy breathe.
Cate looked up, toward the direction Mandy’s face was turned. She felt her jaw drop at the sight before them.
Bobby was leading his class out of the training room to prepare for the first raid house exercise. The group was moving directly toward Mandy and Cate, carrying their gear and weapons. Walking beside Bobby, fully decked out in raid gear and smiling at some remark Bobby had made, was Jon.
He was magnificent, clad head to toe in black, his shaggy honey-and-caramel hair shining in bright contrast. Cate’s brain struggled with the sensory overload on her body at the glorious sight. It was as if she was watching the scene in slow motion, Jon’s every movement lithe and fluid as he moved toward her.
Cate’s eyes slid over Jon’s body as she felt herself dampen. His snug black cargo pants were tucked inside the tops of combat boots. Black Kevlar kneepads were strapped around his lower legs, resting on the sides of his calves. At his waist sat his nylon web belt, fully loaded with his cuffs, magazines, baton, and other gear. His holstered Glock was on his right hip. A black Motorola radio was clipped to the belt behind the magazine pouches on his left hip, it’s short antenna protruding upward.
Jon’s body armor encased his chest over top of a black microfiber tee that clung to his form. Jon had rolled the hems of the shirt’s sleeves up so that the bands of fabric hugged his arms above his sculpted biceps. The bottom half of his skull tattoo peeked out from under his right sleeve, making Cate salivate. Jon’s face was shielded by amber-tinted shooter’s safety glasses, and she could see his bright blue eyes sparkling behind them as he laughed at Bobby’s comment.
In his left ear was nestled a small flesh-colored earpiece, the connecting wire trailing down behind his ear, camouflaged by his hair, then disappearing under the collar of his t-shirt. Jon’s hands were sheathed in black neoprene gloves, drawing Cate’s stare again to his powerful forearms and the soft brown hair that covered them.
He looked lethal, and there was a little strut to his step like he knew just how dangerously sexy he was. A black visored helmet dangled from his left hand, swinging slightly as he strode forward.
“Mo…” she croaked, her throat dry.
“Way ahead of ya, Honey,” Mo answered, her camera already up to her face and clicking away, capturing Jon as he moved toward them.
“Loooord…Have….MERCY….” Mandy groaned. She and Cate looked sideways at each other, then broke into matching grins.
“Hallelujah…” Cate sang softly, mimicking the chorus of “Bang a Drum.”
“A-yay-men.” Mandy finished. Grinning like fools at each other, Cate and Mandy quickly crossed themselves, then pressed their palms together. And we offer up our prayer to Jonny’s Church of Rock and Roll…. Cate thought with a throaty chuckle.
“Oh, Good GRIEF….” Cate heard the familiar voice groan behind her.
Still holding their hands steepled in prayer, Cate and Mandy turned to look over their shoulders at Danny and Troy, who had moved up behind them as they stared at Jon. Danny gave Cate a playful shove in the shoulder, a twinkle in his eye as he gave her a knowing grin. Mandy and Cate blinked innocently at the boys, then looked back to Jon.
Jon saw Cate and Mandy when he came out of the building. They looked almost like twins, dressed alike, the same height, holding the same confident stance. Mandy’s blonde hair was swept back into a ponytail that was almost as long as Cate’s auburn one. Both of the women were strong and athletic, but Cate had more feminine curves than Mandy. Jon felt the familiar little surge between his legs at the sight of her.
As he walked toward them Jon saw their reaction and watched from behind his tinted glasses as they ogled him. The look on Mandy’s face was priceless – sheer astonishment. And the look on Cate’s face? Pure lust. He saw the girls exchange some sort of comment then move their hands like they were making the sign of the cross. What the hell?
Jon walked over to the women and stopped. He gave them a puzzled look as they dropped their hands to their sides in tandem. “So…do I look like I know what I’m doing?” he joked, holding out his hands and turning in a slow circle, showing off his attire.
“YES. I surrender. Handcuff me. Right now.” Mandy answered immediately, only partly kidding. She held out her hands, wrists together.
Jon let out a hearty laugh, tossing his head back. A breeze ruffled his golden hair as it shook back with the movement. Cate and Mandy sighed in unison at the sight. Behind them, Danny and Troy groaned in fake disgust at their swooning.
“Christ, Jon. You’re gonna have to put a lid on it around these two.” Danny grumbled. “They’re obnoxious enough together when you’re not around.”
“Sorry, Man.” Jon chuckled. “I’m trying. I just wanna be a normal guy while I’m here.”
“Noooo chance….” Mandy breathed.
“Aww, c’mon, Mandy,” Jon whined, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her gently into a little hug. “I am just a regular guy. Please, Mandy, just give me a chance…” he begged melodramatically. “Oh, Mandy, well you came and you gave without takin’… and I sent you away, Oh Ma-yandy…” Jon broke into Barry Manilow’s famous song.
“GAH!” Mandy gave out a strangled little gasp as Jon serenaded her. Cate, Danny, and Troy burst into laughter as Mandy stared up at Jon, speechless.
“Damn, Jon! Nobody EVER gets Mandy to shut up!” Troy laughed. Mandy shot Cate a helpless look, and Cate shrugged back at her as if to say Sorry! You’re on your own!
Jon gave Mandy’s shoulders one more little squeeze, then released her. His eyes met Cate’s and he gave her a gentle smile, running a hand through his hair. Then he noticed the woman with the camera standing several steps away, watching the group with an amused look on her face. He stepped forward and offered his hand. “Sorry to be so rude. Hi. I’m Jon.”
Mo smiled and took Jon’s hand. “I know who you are. And don’t worry, you’re not rude. I don’t know of any man who could possibly ignore these two beautiful ladies.” Mo gave Jon a wink. “And you’re pretty hard to ignore, yourself.”
Jon laughed and stepped closer, shaking Mo’s hand gently. “You’re too kind.” he smiled.
They talked for a few minutes, then Mo motioned Jon back to the group. “Let me get a couple shots of all of you together,” she directed. Jon stepped back between Cate and Mandy, slipping an arm around each of their waists. Danny stood by Cate and Troy by Mandy, and they all smiled for the camera as Mo snapped a series of shots.
“Alright, boys – just the rock star and the girls!” she called, shooing Danny and Troy out of the shot. She took several more frames of Jon, Mandy, and Cate, then lowered the camera and grinned at Cate. “Okay, now just the two of you. Teacher and Student.”
Cate felt her cheeks flush a bit at Mo’s conspiratorial tone. Damn, that woman picks up on everything, she thought. Mandy stepped away from Jon, and he turned slightly toward Cate, pulling her closer to him.
Cate’s arm slid around Jon’s waist, her hand curling around his side under the grip of his holstered Glock. She glanced up at Jon’s face and saw him smiling sweetly down at her. Cate heard the clicking of the camera as she looked into Jon’s clear blue eyes. She returned his smile, then they both faced Mo as she took another series of photos.
When Mo finished, Cate moved to pull away from Jon, but his arm tightened momentarily around her waist, giving her a little hug. Then he relaxed and slid his hand across her back, reluctantly disengaging from the embrace. Jon chatted for a few more minutes with Mo, then excused himself to return to his team and prepare for their exercise.
As he turned to walk back to the house, Jon gave Cate another meaningful smile, brushing his shoulder against hers as he passed. Her heart pounding, Cate watched Jon stride across the yard. She didn’t notice that Mandy had sidled up to her.
“If you don’t do him, I SWEAR, I’ll kick your ass!” she whispered.
Officially called “Operations and Tactics Training Facilities,” the raid houses were just that – houses. The Center had once been a Navy base, and the former family housing had been converted to offices and training space. A small section of the single-family homes had been furnished and equipped with surveillance cameras and recording equipment, for use in teaching BATs how to execute search and arrest warrants, handle hostage situations, process crime scenes, and conduct SWAT-team maneuvers.
Each house had one “ready room” set up for instructors and students to review operations plans, stage their training, and review the video and audio recordings of the exercises. The houses were configured like residences, business offices, stores, drug labs, and various other types of buildings. One was even remodeled to resemble a hospital emergency room.
Walking through this area of the Center was much like visiting a bustling movie set. At one house, a group of students dressed in khakis and polos practiced interviewing witnesses. Across the street, a group dressed in agency windbreakers and caps ducked under crime scene tape barriers and collected evidence. At another building down the block, a group of BATs cuffed and searched role players portraying members of a methamphetamine manufacturing ring. There was always action on this part of the Center, day or night.
Cate and Mandy walked over to the assigned house and stood at the edge of the yard. Bobby’s class was already inside the ready room, presenting their operations plan and preparing for the exercise.
Jon was training with a different group of students than he had visited during DTs on Wednesday. Bobby’s class had been in training for nine weeks, and were due to graduate the following Friday. Thus, they were for the most part capable and confident.
Cate figured Jon was having a great time working with this class; they were a pretty sharp bunch of BATs. But she was sure they were just as surprised and delighted to find a legendary rock star on their team as the younger group had been. She grinned at the thought. What a story they will have to tell….
“Hello there, ladies.” Cate recognized the voice and turned to smile at the greeting.
“Hi, Mo. How ya been?” she asked. Maureen, or “Mo” as everyone called her, was one of the Center’s official photographers. She was a retired photojournalist and grandmother of six, who was beloved by everyone who had ever set foot on the Center.
Mo was a gracefully aging hippie, with long gray hair that she wore in braided pigtails, and a kind face lined by laughter and countless years of unprotected exposure to the elements. Under the floppy brown hat she always wore were sparkling green eyes and a crooked smile. She was fond of kaftans, tie-dye, and Birkenstocks, which definitely made her stand out among the uniformed staff, faculty, and students.
Mo walked over to the women and gave Cate and Mandy a warm smile. “Wonderful, wonderful. How about you gals?”
“Great!” Mandy replied, and Cate nodded her agreement. “Busy, but really good,” she added.
“I hear you got a plum assignment, Missy,” Mo’s eyes crinkled again as she gave Cate a big grin. “How has it been spending the week with Bon Jovi?” As she spoke she fiddled with the camera that hung from a wide strap around her neck.
Cate had to laugh. Mo knew everything that happened on the Center, official or unofficial. Her underground source network was amazing. “It’s been… interesting,” she responded, her own eyes twinkling back at Mo.
She and Mo chatted for a few minutes about the training she had been putting Jon through. Cate kept the conversation focused on the professional relationship she and Jon had developed, but decades of observing life through a lens had given Mo the ability to pick up on the tiniest, most subtle details. She could tell there was more to the story than Cate was telling her, and she knew she’d see it if she captured Jon and Cate together on film.
Suddenly Cate felt Mandy’s elbow hard against her side. “Ho-ly SHIT!” she heard Mandy breathe.
Cate looked up, toward the direction Mandy’s face was turned. She felt her jaw drop at the sight before them.
Bobby was leading his class out of the training room to prepare for the first raid house exercise. The group was moving directly toward Mandy and Cate, carrying their gear and weapons. Walking beside Bobby, fully decked out in raid gear and smiling at some remark Bobby had made, was Jon.
He was magnificent, clad head to toe in black, his shaggy honey-and-caramel hair shining in bright contrast. Cate’s brain struggled with the sensory overload on her body at the glorious sight. It was as if she was watching the scene in slow motion, Jon’s every movement lithe and fluid as he moved toward her.
Cate’s eyes slid over Jon’s body as she felt herself dampen. His snug black cargo pants were tucked inside the tops of combat boots. Black Kevlar kneepads were strapped around his lower legs, resting on the sides of his calves. At his waist sat his nylon web belt, fully loaded with his cuffs, magazines, baton, and other gear. His holstered Glock was on his right hip. A black Motorola radio was clipped to the belt behind the magazine pouches on his left hip, it’s short antenna protruding upward.
Jon’s body armor encased his chest over top of a black microfiber tee that clung to his form. Jon had rolled the hems of the shirt’s sleeves up so that the bands of fabric hugged his arms above his sculpted biceps. The bottom half of his skull tattoo peeked out from under his right sleeve, making Cate salivate. Jon’s face was shielded by amber-tinted shooter’s safety glasses, and she could see his bright blue eyes sparkling behind them as he laughed at Bobby’s comment.
In his left ear was nestled a small flesh-colored earpiece, the connecting wire trailing down behind his ear, camouflaged by his hair, then disappearing under the collar of his t-shirt. Jon’s hands were sheathed in black neoprene gloves, drawing Cate’s stare again to his powerful forearms and the soft brown hair that covered them.
He looked lethal, and there was a little strut to his step like he knew just how dangerously sexy he was. A black visored helmet dangled from his left hand, swinging slightly as he strode forward.
“Mo…” she croaked, her throat dry.
“Way ahead of ya, Honey,” Mo answered, her camera already up to her face and clicking away, capturing Jon as he moved toward them.
“Loooord…Have….MERCY….” Mandy groaned. She and Cate looked sideways at each other, then broke into matching grins.
“Hallelujah…” Cate sang softly, mimicking the chorus of “Bang a Drum.”
“A-yay-men.” Mandy finished. Grinning like fools at each other, Cate and Mandy quickly crossed themselves, then pressed their palms together. And we offer up our prayer to Jonny’s Church of Rock and Roll…. Cate thought with a throaty chuckle.
“Oh, Good GRIEF….” Cate heard the familiar voice groan behind her.
Still holding their hands steepled in prayer, Cate and Mandy turned to look over their shoulders at Danny and Troy, who had moved up behind them as they stared at Jon. Danny gave Cate a playful shove in the shoulder, a twinkle in his eye as he gave her a knowing grin. Mandy and Cate blinked innocently at the boys, then looked back to Jon.
Jon saw Cate and Mandy when he came out of the building. They looked almost like twins, dressed alike, the same height, holding the same confident stance. Mandy’s blonde hair was swept back into a ponytail that was almost as long as Cate’s auburn one. Both of the women were strong and athletic, but Cate had more feminine curves than Mandy. Jon felt the familiar little surge between his legs at the sight of her.
As he walked toward them Jon saw their reaction and watched from behind his tinted glasses as they ogled him. The look on Mandy’s face was priceless – sheer astonishment. And the look on Cate’s face? Pure lust. He saw the girls exchange some sort of comment then move their hands like they were making the sign of the cross. What the hell?
Jon walked over to the women and stopped. He gave them a puzzled look as they dropped their hands to their sides in tandem. “So…do I look like I know what I’m doing?” he joked, holding out his hands and turning in a slow circle, showing off his attire.
“YES. I surrender. Handcuff me. Right now.” Mandy answered immediately, only partly kidding. She held out her hands, wrists together.
Jon let out a hearty laugh, tossing his head back. A breeze ruffled his golden hair as it shook back with the movement. Cate and Mandy sighed in unison at the sight. Behind them, Danny and Troy groaned in fake disgust at their swooning.
“Christ, Jon. You’re gonna have to put a lid on it around these two.” Danny grumbled. “They’re obnoxious enough together when you’re not around.”
“Sorry, Man.” Jon chuckled. “I’m trying. I just wanna be a normal guy while I’m here.”
“Noooo chance….” Mandy breathed.
“Aww, c’mon, Mandy,” Jon whined, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her gently into a little hug. “I am just a regular guy. Please, Mandy, just give me a chance…” he begged melodramatically. “Oh, Mandy, well you came and you gave without takin’… and I sent you away, Oh Ma-yandy…” Jon broke into Barry Manilow’s famous song.
“GAH!” Mandy gave out a strangled little gasp as Jon serenaded her. Cate, Danny, and Troy burst into laughter as Mandy stared up at Jon, speechless.
“Damn, Jon! Nobody EVER gets Mandy to shut up!” Troy laughed. Mandy shot Cate a helpless look, and Cate shrugged back at her as if to say Sorry! You’re on your own!
Jon gave Mandy’s shoulders one more little squeeze, then released her. His eyes met Cate’s and he gave her a gentle smile, running a hand through his hair. Then he noticed the woman with the camera standing several steps away, watching the group with an amused look on her face. He stepped forward and offered his hand. “Sorry to be so rude. Hi. I’m Jon.”
Mo smiled and took Jon’s hand. “I know who you are. And don’t worry, you’re not rude. I don’t know of any man who could possibly ignore these two beautiful ladies.” Mo gave Jon a wink. “And you’re pretty hard to ignore, yourself.”
Jon laughed and stepped closer, shaking Mo’s hand gently. “You’re too kind.” he smiled.
They talked for a few minutes, then Mo motioned Jon back to the group. “Let me get a couple shots of all of you together,” she directed. Jon stepped back between Cate and Mandy, slipping an arm around each of their waists. Danny stood by Cate and Troy by Mandy, and they all smiled for the camera as Mo snapped a series of shots.
“Alright, boys – just the rock star and the girls!” she called, shooing Danny and Troy out of the shot. She took several more frames of Jon, Mandy, and Cate, then lowered the camera and grinned at Cate. “Okay, now just the two of you. Teacher and Student.”
Cate felt her cheeks flush a bit at Mo’s conspiratorial tone. Damn, that woman picks up on everything, she thought. Mandy stepped away from Jon, and he turned slightly toward Cate, pulling her closer to him.
Cate’s arm slid around Jon’s waist, her hand curling around his side under the grip of his holstered Glock. She glanced up at Jon’s face and saw him smiling sweetly down at her. Cate heard the clicking of the camera as she looked into Jon’s clear blue eyes. She returned his smile, then they both faced Mo as she took another series of photos.
When Mo finished, Cate moved to pull away from Jon, but his arm tightened momentarily around her waist, giving her a little hug. Then he relaxed and slid his hand across her back, reluctantly disengaging from the embrace. Jon chatted for a few more minutes with Mo, then excused himself to return to his team and prepare for their exercise.
As he turned to walk back to the house, Jon gave Cate another meaningful smile, brushing his shoulder against hers as he passed. Her heart pounding, Cate watched Jon stride across the yard. She didn’t notice that Mandy had sidled up to her.
“If you don’t do him, I SWEAR, I’ll kick your ass!” she whispered.
Ohhh, hoping for more very soon! This is good stuff...
ReplyDeleteJust like we always imagined.... :P Lovin' it! So proud of you, Gal! - M
ReplyDeleteThis is without doubt the BEST fan fic ever. The tension is too much, please! I can't wait for the Saturday date.
ReplyDeleteI am so anxious for this 'surprise' you'd think it was for me. The descriptions were so vivid!
ReplyDeleteThe girls are great! I love them! lol
ReplyDeleteLord have mercy!
ReplyDelete"Jon’s body armor encased his chest over top of a black microfiber tee that clung to his form. Jon had rolled the hems of the shirt’s sleeves up so that the bands of fabric hugged his arms above his sculpted biceps. The bottom half of his skull tattoo peeked out from under his right sleeve"
THUD!!!!
This much temptation should be illegal! This man is pure sex....
Loved Cate and Mandy together.... and the boys' reaction...PRICELESS!!!!
Bummer I just found this story today and I have been so captivated that I have caught up please don't keep us waiting to long for more.
ReplyDeleteY
Great...I'm not going to be able to get that song out of my head! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHe really does look good in black. ;)
LMAO at the girls 'praying', and Mandy's last comment.
And we offer up our prayer to Jonny’s Church of Rock and Roll... HALLELUJAH!!! I could almost SEE him walking around like that
ReplyDeleteLove it love it!!!