It was a redhead that answered some of my questions and I only knew that from a quick glance before looking at Molly. I knew that the other girl was the outgoing one and probably more of a candidate for what I wanted, but I couldn’t be bothered. I paid Molly and watched as she turned to fix my coffee, noticing the soft curves of her ass in the black slacks that she was wearing. She wasn’t skinny like so many women and I liked that.
I dropped something into the tip jar as I took my items and surveyed the room carefully. There was a small table by the fireplace that was bright with a fire and I wandered over to it to take a seat. The warmth felt good after the crisp air outside and I sipped the hot coffee as I looked over the other customers seated around me. This was a mountain town and the faces represented that though I found it comforting in an odd way after being in much more populated places in the past. These people were happy with a small table, their breakfast, and a paper or one of the books that graced the shelves. Life was slow here even though I knew there was always some excitement to be found. I let my eyes drift to Molly again, watching her shake the hand of the young man that the other woman was clearly enamored with.
I watched as Molly smiled and talked but could tell that I was still affecting her. She glanced my way and her cheeks flushed pink at our eye contact before she looked away to help some new customers.
I’d slept with women of all ages, all legal. It wasn’t the thrill of their age as much as it was their willingness to please me. I kept that part of my life separate from my job and excelled at both. I also didn’t do long term commitment since I moved a lot and wasn’t craving a family now. My own parents were from the military and I moved all the time, so I didn’t want to do that to my own family. I followed in Dad’s footsteps who followed Granpa and I loved my life. He met my mom when he was new to the Air Force and they married quickly before starting their journey that led to my brother James and me.
I was never struck so hard by a woman. I enjoyed them and took time to get to know them out of bed, taking them out and showing them a good time. I was a man, not a boy. I could fuck them without all of that but I liked to treat the person that I was with well. I liked building them up and watching them get confidence, depending on where they were in life. I ended things respectfully once I was done, moving on quietly. I’d like to think that they remembered me a few months later fondly as well as with a shudder as they remembered what I did to their bodies.
I looked back at Molly as she walked back and forth between the counter and some back room. I could smell food over the other scents that lingered in the air and wondered what else they served here. This cafe would be a nice place to catch up on reports or even read some of the books that were piling up around my house. I worked several hours a week and was forced to take today with all the rearranging I’d been doing on base this week.
A scandal affected so many people in the time that it was happening. This one was with a married major and a young female which was even worse. They were both off base now and considering their next steps in life, but I blamed him more. He took advantage of a woman mentally and physically and while she played a role, she was more vulnerable. I knew this because I’d done the same, just not on the job. I remembered how badly I felt when I realized the damage done to the pretty young women before we parted way and as I glanced at Molly, I realized that she resembled Brittany. Was this why I couldn’t stop staring at her?
The tryst with Brittany happened quickly when I was new to the air force and we were in bed the night that we met. I took from her that night and every one that followed, dominant and demanding in my lust for her. She wasn’t a virgin physically but damn close and I didn’t realize that I was breaking her down until a month or so in. I didn’t realize that she was traumatized from it even as she was falling for me, not until she was weeping in bed one night.
It was then that I talked to her about her life, finding out that she’d been in a sexually abusive relationship a year before she met me. She admitted that she liked my dominance in some ways, craving it even but that it was bringing back some pain for her. She told me that she loved me. She’d been crying the entire time and I knew that I’d rushed this. I needed to talk to women more and make sure that they were into what we were doing because some complied for the wrong reasons.
I respected the fact that Brittany ended things to get herself some help, apologizing to her for the role that I’d played. I knew that I needed some ground rules after that.
I still allowed myself to imagine Molly on my bed, naked and on her knees. I let my fantasy move forward to see the red marks on her ass from my hands for a moment as my cock stirred in my jeans. I could imagine it without doing it, though seeing her walk back out to the front of the cafe made me want it.
I stayed for about an hour before I piled my dishes in a bin near the garbage to finish wandering the town. I glanced back to see Molly watching me as the door closed behind me, vowing to come back for her and the place itself. I found some stores that I’d shop at regularly and admired the views frequently. My house was at the edge of a forest and I had so much peace there but this location was breathtaking. I wondered if this might be the lifestyle I’d settle in, enjoying the slow pace. I could work on this base through retirement and settle here since my parents weren’t far at only a few states away.
That was an interesting thought. I made my way back down the street and stopped in a used book store to get some of the novels that were new to the shop and add them to my collection before walking past the cafe and glancing inside again.
Molly was helping a small line of people as the redhead moved behind her to fix orders. She was a pretty girl, the redhead. I sensed that she was confident and vibrant with a little sass and smiled at the image of the young man that was with her. She was going to be a handful. Molly looked over to see me through the glass and our gazes locked for a few seconds. I’d be back soon to pursue her, because I needed her deep inside. I craved her.
I walked back to the house that I was renting and fixed some eggs for breakfast. That muffin was delicious, but I needed food now and I sat at the table and took in the view as I ate. It was lush and green, gorgeous to look at as well as explore. I’d done a small amount of that in my free time here and tossed around the idea of a hike today. I took pride in my body and worked out a lot; running outside or just doing some basics inside. Most women didn’t take me for being forty-two years old and I wondered for a moment how old Molly was. Her face was youthful but her eyes showed experience a
nd I guessed her to be in her twenties, perhaps around twenty-four or so. The redhead was slightly younger with the curiosity of a girl.
I knew that I didn’t want her, but I did want the dark-haired beauty that was haunting me now as I started out into the forest. I had to take my time with her, not wanting a repeat of Brittany. I needed to keep my cool and do this right since I had a lot of pressure at work to think about as well.
Chapter 4
Molly
Nate picked Noel up from the cafe when we closed, so I took the Jeep and ran to some stores the next town over. I loved Target and would drive any hour to go even if I was tired. I loaded my bags into the passenger seat and headed home, thinking of the man in the cafe. It reminded me of meeting Lance at the party in college. They both had that air of confidence in them However, the man today was gorgeous and I could daydream about him for a little while. His body was muscular while he was a few feet taller than me, and his eyes screamed intensity. I thought back to what Marta had told me about the base and wondered if he was from there with his cropped hair. Besides that, he just conveyed that he led a disciplined life and did things by the book. He looked a little lost walking into the cafe for a moment but once he looked at me, I saw the control setting in. I remembered not being able to speak as I blushed and shook my head, not wanting anyone to do that to me now. I was older and should be able to act it. I was thankful that Noel got so distracted by Nate’s arrival and forgot all about it.
I drove through town and turned to get to the house, needing to relax. I parked in the driveway and greeted Marta as I walked through the front door. I was sure that she knew about Noel’s last minute date and that I usually took that time to do whatever I needed with the car. “Hello, Molly. Did you have a good day?”
“Yes, it was busy! I feel a little tired so I think that I am going to relax for a while.” I smiled as I walked into the kitchen with my bags to see her stirring something on the stove. I loved coming home to dinner like this and just the smile on her face brightened my day.
“Target, huh?” She asked with a chuckle as I breathed in the scent of her pasta sauce.
“You know me too well,” I joked with a smile. “That smells so good. Do you need help with anything?”
“This is easy. The sauce has been simmering all day while I worked and the rest I’ll throw together before Keith comes home. Take a little nap if you’d like.” She smiled at me and I nodded and turned to head up the stairs to put away my purchases. I looked outside as I stretched, smiling at the view as the blue eyes of my mystery man flashed through my mind.
Changing into some leggings and a t-shirt, I crawled under my covers to sleep for a while just to get through the evening. Working with customers all day drained me to begin with, but people like that man took all my energy with just one look. I needed to recover and I closed my eyes as I turned to my side with a soft sigh. Why couldn’t I just grab onto life the way that Noel did instead of fearing every choice that I made?
I woke up later to a soft knock on the door, turning and blinking as I noticed my dark room. “Dinner’s ready, Molly.” I called back to Marta before I heard her walking back down the stairs as I frowned. Lance was in my dreams; the good version that I first met and the bad one. I hated when he came back but seeing that man was the reason. They were alike yet different since the customer had been older and not lacking the control that Lance did. How I knew that after seeing him for an hour tops was beyond me, but I did. I wondered if he would be worth the risk as I stepped into my bathroom to fix my hair.
I walked down both sets of stairs and smiled at the family sitting at the table. Noel had come home and she smiled at me. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I joked as I took the seat across from her and smiled back. “How was your afternoon?”
“Good. We went for ice cream,” she replied as her eyes sparkled. “Mom said you went shopping.”
“I needed things,” I defended myself as Keith chuckled. “You never want to go.”