"Well now… you made it."
"I did." Brutus' eyes widened as Linda unzipped her jacket to reveal a crop top underneath that exposed about two inches of skin and a belly button that left his knees quivering. The jacket was clearly just for the windchill effect, and she'd dressed to show just how feminine she could be.
I knew she was gorgeous, he thought as she walked across the street, lighting up the day like a supernova. But she's a fucking goddess. It was like being back in high school with a crush.
"H... hi," Brutus stammered as she got to the car. "You look amazing."
"Thanks," she replied, blushing lightly. "Hey, just to let you know, I said to meet me here because of work. The battalion's doing some intense stuff, and we're working with some... other units. I can't say more than that, but the area around our barracks is currently a no-go zone."
"Thank you for that." Brutus chuckled. "I was worried it was because... well, you were my sergeant just last week. I don't know how that'd affect your Army life."
"Not at all, but you're sweet for thinking about that," Linda said. "If I wanted this to be secret Brutus, I wouldn't have had you even come to the front gate. Someone is going to talk, you have to remember that this is the Army after all!"
"Okay. So this thing you were just talking about, are there any problems that you might have?" Brutus said worriedly. "You know, are you like, on call or something?"
Linda shook her head, patting his forearm. "Don't worry, I'm completely off duty. Short of a national emergency, I'm all yours for the night. The unit that's working with us right now, they're... secretive."
"Oh."
"Look, can we not talk about Army stuff for our date?" Linda asked. "We spent a week with you calling me Sergeant all the time. I'd like to just talk about Linda and Brutus. And other things that have nothing to do with the military."
Brutus smiled, nodding. "I'd like that too."
He offered her an arm. He walked her around to the passenger side of his car, opening the door for her and offering her a hand in as she settled into the leather. Going around he met Jerry's eyes, giving him a nod. Jerry smiled and nodded back, and Brutus pulled out of the base.
"So where are we going anyway?" Linda asked. "You just said casual."
"I know a guy who knows a guy," Brutus joked. "Would anyone say anything if you didn't get back until really late?"
"Nope," Linda said. "I'm a big girl, and I can stay out all night if I want. As for them talking about why, that's their damn problem. And like you said, I'm a bit of a mama bear. You don't talk about mama bear unless you want to see the bear side of her."
"Good. Because we can ditch this idea and just go get some barbecue or something," Brutus said, "if you want."
"Nope, I'm more than ready for whatever you've got planned," Linda said. "So how was your week?"
"Restful," Brutus said with a laugh as he started driving back towards the highway. "I spent the whole week doing work on my ankle, getting back into regular lifting and getting with my personal trainer about my offseason plan. I also had a session with my therapist, and spent lots and lots of time in the hot tub."
"You've got a hot tub?" Linda asked.
Brutus nodded.
"I'm jealous. What else?"
"I've got a pool." He grinned as he saw her gawk. "Can't use it right now of course, but it's not a big one. You'd probably have more fun swimming in whatever's on base."
"What is it, some sort of above ground pool or something?"
"No, it's one of those current pools, do you know what I mean?" Brutus asked. "I have it installed on my deck, next to the whirlpool. The machinery creates a current that you can move against. Although I customized mine, it's got a motorless treadmill in it."
Linda laughed. "Perfect for you. High intensity, low impact cardio. Let me guess, you've got rowers and more in that home gym of yours?"
"And a big ol' heavy bag... for those days when you just want to let off some aggression," Brutus admitted with a chuckle. "But I didn't use that at all this week. But I did do something else that's new."
"What's that?"
"I signed up for an online education website," Brutus said, slightly shy about the revelation. "I just... look, I don't know if I said it before or if you looked it up, but I don't have my degree. Not that it means anything. You know what college was to me?"
"The minor leagues?" Linda asked him.
