If he didn't get out of here in the next five minutes, AJ thought he would forget he was an officer and a gentleman and the Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy. How the hell had he let the SecNav talk him into attending this miserable function? He must have been insane to agree. 

Dressed in his mess dress uniform - the tux, waistcoat, and gold cummerbund - AJ was probably the most handsome and, by far, the sexiest looking man to grace this function in many years. It wasn't every day the volunteer ladies of the Unified Church Charities saw someone of his stature –either in rank or size - let along mingled with him at their annual 'Pat Yourself on the Back for Doing a Good Job' formal ball. They were practically swooning at the sight of him, and considering their average age was 72, a goodly number of them had probably carried smelling salts knowing he would be there. The other military personnel were also high in rank; the lowest were a Naval commander and a Marine major. Those two were female, however, so of no interest to the senior citizen volunteer ladies. AJ had spent the evening kissing a lot of blue veined hands and smiling at all their comments. He'd never seen so many lacy shawls, hearing aids, canes and walkers in one place. 

He thought he was going to lose it any second. 

"Excuse me for a moment, please," he said to the tiny, gray-haired octogenarian whose hand was entirely too close to his crotch. 

Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden slowly meandered his way through the tight web of little old ladies gawking at him, thinking God! Why do I have the feeling they'd break into applause if I stripped right here? I feel like some kind of specimen they're all examining under a microscope. 

Finally reaching the men's room, he locked the door so he could relieve himself with some privacy. He didn't put it past one of those wicked old ladies to *mistakenly* open the wrong door. Wrong door, my ass! I've got to get out of here.

 When he left the men's room, he purposely turned away from the ballroom. There's got to be another way out of this place.

"Looking for as escape hatch, sir?" 

"As a matter of fact, I am, Major." AJ smiled at the pretty blonde Marine major who seemed to pop out of the woodwork when he turned around. 

"This way, sir." AJ followed her down the hotel's first floor hallway and into... uh-oh, a guestroom. 

"Uh, Major, I believe there has been some mistake,” he said, preparing to beat a hasty retreat.

"No mistake, sir. I've had my eye on you for some time and a Marine is not one to pass on an opportunity when it presents itself. Don't worry Admiral. I'm a big girl." She had been advancing on him during this speech until she was scarcely inches away and looking up at him enticingly. Boldly placing her hand on his crotch, she murmured, "And I am sincerely hoping you're a *big* boy." 

Before AJ could back away from her hand, she was rubbing his quickly growing erection and squeezing his balls, licking her lips in anticipation. He breathed rather harshly and gave a fleeting thought to shouting a red light at her; but it had been a long time since he had been satisfied and even longer by a woman, and she wasn't under his command and not likely to ever be. 

In record time, she had him on his back on the bed and his manhood, in full sail free as a breeze. She removed her skirt and undergarments with the ease of long practice and kneeled between his legs. Leaning over and taking his penis fully into her mouth, she put a hand on her oozing slit and serviced them both. AJ couldn't remember the last time a woman had seduced him so quickly. He had been seduced before, yes. But this was a definite record for speed! She was good, too. Must have had a lot of practice with that tongue, he thought. She knew just the right places to suck him and it was good - so good. 

He knew he was going to reach nirvana any second and tried to move her head away from him, but she wasn’t having any of that. She wanted him to come in her mouth and he did. With a powerful thrust and grunt, he released his seed and she swallowed him hungrily. And then she milked him dry.

She sat up and watched him pant until he had regained his breath, a self-satisfied expression on her face. He barely had when she took his member in her mouth again. "Wait a minute, major," he gasped, "I think..."

She didn't care what he thought. She licked the tip of his penis and then just sucked him into her mouth hard. He had a horrible suspicion she was trying to swallow him whole. He knew this was the prelude to finding himself inside her and he should have been enjoying it but, for some reason, his desire to do so had waned. Lifting her head off him, she smiled and whispered, "Now you're ready to stick this wonderful specimen inside me. Lay back, Admiral, I'll do all the work." 

Why the hell not? He thought. 

But fate denied the Marine another opportunity. Her pager was beeping, and since she was on duty she reached for it. When she saw the message and knew her absence from the ballroom had become conspicuous, she let out a stream of expletives. AJ was impressed. He hadn't heard vulgar expressions like that since he was an active SeAL. Even his shipboard years hadn’t brought that kind of language to his ears. But that language coming from *her* mouth wasn't terribly attractive and his erection subsided in no time.

She patted his penis much like one pats a dog's head -- another unattractive character flaw, he thought. "Sorry, Admiral, duty calls. I'll try to catch you another time." Giving herself a quick wipe, she was dressed and out the door in no time at all.

Still mildly amazed, AJ lay where he was for a few more minutes, catching his breath physically and emotionally. He had no regrets for what had just transpired. She had wanted it; he had let her have it and both were satisfied. It wasn't fantastic; it wasn't even great. It was a blow job. It had been satisfactory - just slightly more satisfactory than doing it himself in the shower. 

He cleaned himself up, redressed, peered carefully into the hall, and finding it empty, headed for an exit to the parking lot. Driving home through the dark, chilly streets, he figured the SecNav owed him big time for showing up this evening and, face it, he had gotten laid. Then a thought struck his funny bone and he laughed. He never got her name. The pretty blond Marine major with the willing mouth had gone unnamed.

Two Weeks Later - 1730 Hours
Chegwidden Residence
McLean, Virginia

If the SecNav could have seen AJ's face while he was talking to him on the phone, he might have had second thoughts about the Admiral's ability to remain calm and cool under fire. AJ was practically hyperventilating. The SecNav wanted him to take care of one more charity ball. It wasn't a request; it was a direct order. "You were a big hit at the volunteer ladies charity ball, AJ. I just know you will make the Navy look good at our annual fundraising event in November. It's an important event and will be well attended by the military community. And your co-host is a most interesting woman. She's been quilting for years; I'm sure you'll enjoy getting acquainted with her."

The Admiral was not feeling terribly calm when he hung up. He was feeling like he could clobber a grizzly bear with one punch, kick ass - anyone's - from DC to the West Coast, and he certainly felt like damning the SecNav to hell and back. “Shit!” He shouted to the empty room. “Another boring, tedious charity ball! I've had it to here with little old ladies breathing all over my fly. If that isn't bad enough, now I have to spend time with *one* little old lady planning this event. If she's anything like those other ones, she'll probably be copping a feel in no time! Damn!”

0800 Hours 
JAG HeadquartersFalls Church, Virginia

“Attention on deck!”  As everyone in the bullpen automatically came to attention, there was a combined feeling of  “uh-oh” among them as their commanding officer, Admiral AJ Chegwidden marched swiftly and purposefully into his domain. It actually seemed as if the *entire* building was standing just a little straighter and stiffer as the obviously angry Admiral swept his way through the common area and into his private office. “As you were, Tiner,” he growled.
“Uh, sir, about the others?” a noticeably nervous Tiner asked as he nodded toward everyone else who remained at attention. Even Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. and USMC Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, both of whom had just stepped out of their offices, were standing stiffly, waiting for their absent-minded C.O. to release them to go on about their business. Of course, their current business was to head for the coffee room, but nevertheless…

“As you were!” the Admiral bellowed, clearly unhappy about this turn of events. “Good God! I’m losing it,” murmured AJ to himself. “If it wasn’t for Tiner, they’d probably stand there till hell freezes over…” Then he grinned to himself. “…Not necessarily a *bad* idea.”

“Yikes! Hang out the gale warnings! Looks like we’re going to be sailing in heavy seas today,” Lieutenant J.G. Harriet Sims whispered to her husband. “I’ll check the schedule to see if there’s a slim chance the Admiral’s appointments will be at the Pentagon or the Capitol, or, please, Lord, ANYwhere else today.” 

“Planning a mutiny, Harriet?” teased Harm as he and Mac made their way to the coffee room. 

“Oh no, sir. Of course not, sir,” protested Harriet. 

Quick to defend his wife, Lieutenant Bud Roberts intervened. “You know she was just kidding, sir. Honestly, sir, Harriet would never do such a thing. Why she’s always…” 

“Relax, Bud.” Mac laughingly interrupted. “The Commander was just teasing Harriet.” Rolling her eyes at her partner’s ‘Who me? – What–did-I-do?’ - look of innocence, Mac gave Harm a not-so-gentle shove as they continued on their way to the coffee room. 

The air in the bullpen quickly became breathable again as the Admiral disappeared into his private office and everyone settled back into the work routine. Not so in the Admiral’s office, however. The very irate Judge Advocate General sank into his big leather chair. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and took several long breaths. His shoulder was acting up again. You’d think, after all these years, the pain would have subsided. Moments later, as he felt the stress lines in his brow ease, he shook his head as if to rid himself of the cobwebs and reached for the first in a pile of many files in the center of his desk. 

Opening the file folder, he began to peruse the contents only to be jarred back to that damn phone call with the SecNav last night. He simply could not get it out of his head. Mumbling to himself, “Hell and damnation; that man is going to *kill* me. How could he *do* this to me? I’m a two-star Admiral. I’m the Judge Advocate General. I’m *the* JAG. For God’s sake, I’m a former SeAL! I am *not* a damn baby-sitter for an old lady!” The former SeAL, two-star Admiral, Judge Advocate General leaned forward and proceeded to bang his forehead gently and steadily on his desk’s polished mahogany surface.

1300 Hours 
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

The neat, little, no-nonsense house on Bryan Ranch Road wasn’t the kind of house anyone would look at twice. That was precisely why Isa liked it. No one was going to notice it. Solicitors, inquisitive neighbors and teenagers selling candy bars to raise money for the school band weren’t likely to come knocking at her door – at least not regularly. Interruptions were OK now and then, but her home was also her workplace and Isa needed as much quiet and stability as she could get in order to concentrate on her work. God only knew how she got anything done anyway; she took the award for being the world’s FINEST procrastinator. And, there was plenty to keep her distracted. 

Attached to the breakfast nook, the house’s previous owner had added a 30-foot by 50-foot sunroom. It was one of the main reasons Isa was enchanted by the house when she first saw it. Of course, a sunroom was not something she needed, but she knew it would make a perfect greenhouse. While a greenhouse was not something Isa coveted, she definitely considered it a wonderful luxury and luxuries had not only been scarce in her life, they had been downright non-existent. It wasn’t long before the 1500-square foot space was filled with flowering trees, hanging plants, seasonal flowers and vegetables. Isa, the city-born girl, loved growing vegetables. She started them from seeds, seedlings, tender shoots and anything she could find at local nurseries. And all modesty aside, Isa knew she grew the very sweetest tomatoes, peppers and onions for her homemade pasta sauce. And after finally having success with garlic, yum! What could be better than this? 

Also, Corny had a place to live. He loved the greenhouse; it was like being in the forest of his native jungle. A wild and noisy macaw needs space. Here, he did not have to be confined to a cage; he was free to fly around the greenhouse, and, he really seemed to like the bath he got when the automatic sprinklers came on to water everything. Corny was a smart bird. It didn’t take him long to figure out when the timers were activated. If he didn’t feel like a bath, he could always fly above the sprinkler heads and wait out the watering. His life would have been perfect if he could just have figured out how to keep the damn cat from using the “pet door” to his domain. 

Another reason Isa bought this house was her studio. Originally, it had been the master bedroom and sitting area. As a bedroom, it was just a little large for her needs; but as a sewing studio, it was spectacular. There was more than enough room for her cutting tables and drawing board. All three sewing machines had their own special place and fabrics and threads were stored neatly and visibly. One whole wall was devoted to “works-in-progress.” She had learned a lot when she had apprenticed herself all those years. It had really paid off. And, tucked away in one corner was Beety’s bed. Isa liked having him around when she was working; it was soothing to hear him purr while he sunned himself.

“I have to get a hold of myself.” Isa said to herself. “I’ll never have these quilts ready for the Navy’s annual fundraiser if I keep doing everything but what I *should* be doing. Why did I promise Maddy I would do this? She must have caught me in a weak moment. How could I have been so stupid? As if I don’t already have my hands full and project deadlines to meet. Now, I have even more on my plate. Isa, you dummy you. What were you thinking? Now, you have no choice. You made a promise and a promise is a promise. Not to mention, one does not make a promise to Madeleine Nelson, the wife of the Secretary of the Navy without intending to keep your word. 

“Now I have to make a decision on the special quilts to be auctioned,” she continued to mutter to herself. “I think a child’s bed quilt with F14s, a wall hanging with a destroyer and maybe an aircraft carrier, and another wall hanging of an F14. No, maybe I’ll make one with an aircraft carrier and an F14 on the deck. I’ll check the Navy’s website and get some specifics so I have some accuracy here. Can’t expect Navy officers to bid on something that’s not a realistic representation of the ships they served on or commanded. One more thing to put on my ‘to-do’ list.  I also need a list of the other quilts that have been donated for auction. Maddy probably has that information. No sense beating myself up any more, I agreed to this madness and I will see it through. Damn!”

2100 Hours 
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

Later that evening, Isa drew a bubble bath – a special weekly treat to herself. As she surveyed her naked body in the full-length mirror, she turned so she could glimpse her backside. Talking to her reflection, she sighed. “Sometimes I think you have a passable body; other times, I think you really have absolutely no reason to *ever* remove your clothing.” 

Sinking down into the warm bubbly water, her thoughts turned again to the Navy Foundation’s annual fundraiser. “Maybe I should just count my blessings. I do make my living by creating art quilts. This auction might bring some new clients who will commission an original quilt or piece of wearable art or who knows what? I was fortunate to have met Maddy Nelson a few years ago. Now, she never misses any of my gallery shows. She loves my quilts and, frankly, I’ve lost count of how many she and her friends have purchased.” 

“Mmmm, this water feels good. Look who’s here?” she exclaimed as Beety waddled into the bathroom. “Hello, sweet stuff. You’ve been awfully quiet today. Have you been pestering Corny? Isa leaned over the tub to coo at and pet her very well-fed, shorthaired, Garfield-type, yellow tabby. Beety took up residence beside the tub, content to be with his mistress – and knowing full well that supper would soon be served. 

Sinking back into the tub, Isa mentally planned the things that needed to be done for the auction. Tomorrow morning I’ll make a list. I simply cannot do everything myself. I’m just too busy. Maybe that Navy admiral could do some of the things on my list. Gordon said I could count on him to share the hosting duties with me. I’d better make arrangements to meet him. What else did he say? The admiral has two-stars and is a flag officer. Well, that means he’s used to getting things done. I don’t suppose you get to be an admiral by the time you’re 30, so he’s no baby. Probably won’t be too hard to work with and even if he is, hell, how bad could it be?  I’ll probably be bored to tears and it isn’t like we have to meet that often. Was there anything else I was supposed to remember? Oh right, this particular admiral is a lawyer. *A lawyer?* Good lord! He’s a lawyer and an admiral? Oh, he must be so full of himself! What in the world will we talk about?  Slow down, I won’t have to open my mouth; I’ll probably be able to just sit there and listen to him bray about his accomplishments.

How did I get suckered into this mess? At my age, I really should *not* be taking on this kind of project and I certainly should *not* have to play baby-sitter to a snooty, arrogant, full-of-himself, two-star admiral. Whoa, Isa baby. Wait just a minute. You’re jumping the gun here. Maybe he’s just a fat, old, boring sailor who’s simply full of war stories or in his case, courtroom stories. I can do boring. Probably won’t be bad at all. I’m getting all worked up for nothing. God, I really do hate baby-sitting. I can’t believe I’m doing this. If he turns out to be a giant disaster, Gordon is going to owe me BIG TIME!

1600 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

The Secretary of the Navy, Alexander Gordon Nelson, strode into the bullpen at a rapid clip. He was always in a hurry to get in and OUT of this particular realm of his responsibilities. It wasn’t that he disliked the people who worked here or that he was unhappy with the results of their work. In fact, their work was really exemplary. There was just something about the air in here, he thought. It seems to breed extraordinary behavior to get the job done – most of which he secretly admired but publicly, did not approve of. Not that everyone behaved shamelessly or inappropriately – just a few key officers. 

As usual, Tiner tried to announce his presence to the Admiral before he could get in AJ’s door. It was a matter of pride to the SecNav to open AJ’s door before Tiner was out of his chair. Ah, beat him again. I have definitely not lost my touch, he gloated to himself. 

“Admiral Chegwidden, sir, the Secretary of the Navy is here.” Tiner announced as the SecNav entered AJ’s office. 

“Thank you, Tiner.” AJ stood to greet the SecNav. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, sir?” 

“Cut the crap, AJ,” was the pugnacious reply. “It’s been too quiet on your end these last few weeks. That’s not normal for this office. What are your people up to?”

“Well, Mr. Secretary,” AJ said with a smile, “my people are busy doing their jobs – just as I expect them to – just as they should be. Was there a particular case or incident you were interested in reviewing – sir?”

“No, there isn’t. Are you sure you’re not keeping any secrets from me, AJ?” questioned the SecNav. “When this department isn’t on the front page of the Navy Times, or God forbid, the 6 o’clock evening news, I start to get suspicious. I’d hate to be the last to learn of some unspeakable breach of conduct I’d have to answer to the White House about.”

“I assure you, Mr. Secretary,” AJ concluded, “there is nothing currently going on that you need concern yourself over.” At least nothing I’m aware of, he thought. I hope to God I’m right!

“How are the plans coming along for the Navy auction? Have you and Isa Sterling got the ball rolling yet? My wife says Isa has already chosen some interesting items to sell. I don’t know much about these things, but Maddy assured me that the officers in attendance will bid heavily for them. I hope they do,” the SecNav continued. “We need to put additional monies into the Navy Foundation’s account. We have new projects to fund this year.”

“I doubt that’s really a problem, Mr. Secretary.” AJ sounded pretty sure of himself. “There seem to be charity events for the Foundation on a regular basis.”

“True,” the SecNav agreed, “but my immediate concern is the annual auction and in particular, this one. Now, let me know when you and Isa have things organized and also let me know if you need any clerical help from my office. I know this place is always over its head with paperwork.” 

“Mr. Secretary, I appreciate that, but the fact of the matter is, I’m also busy – *very* busy. I think you should consider selecting another flag officer to co-host this event. My schedule is so tight right now, I’m not sure I can squeeze one more thing into it. Surely, there must be someone else who could co-host the Navy Foundation’s auction? Perhaps, someone more suited to the job?” 

Expecting the normally explosive response when the SecNav didn’t immediately get his way, AJ waited for the bomb to drop. 

Well, well, Gordon Nelson thought, the Admiral sounds like he’s pleading a case in front of an unsympathetic jury. And, he is! Something’s going on here – I *knew* it. “Admiral Chegwidden,” the SecNav began in an intimidating tone, “you *will* be the co-host of this event or I will know the reason why! You *will* cooperate with Isa Sterling when she calls, if she hasn’t done so already! You *will* do all and everything in your power to keep her enthusiasm at an all-time high for this event – considering she is a civilian, after all, AND you *will* take much of the burden of the responsibilities for this event off of her shoulders. Good God! The woman isn’t exactly sitting around waiting for something to do. She’s also a busy person. What will excuse you from co-hosting this event will be your untimely death, your resignation from the United States Navy, or heaven forbid, if Isa finds you lacking in some way, you’re off the hook. *DO NOT* let her find you lacking. Is that perfectly clear?”

“Perfectly clear, Mr. Secretary.” Trying to keep his facial muscles from grimacing and his hands from curling into fists, AJ bit the bullet. “If you think I would really be the best person to take on a little old lady and her quilts,” he said with a hint of sarcasm, “and that this is the best possible solution to the Navy’s annual auction, I will do my best, sir.”

“See that you do, AJ.” Sounding stern, but trying not to snicker, the SecNav headed for the door. In mid-stride, he was caught up short wondering who the ‘little old lady’ was. He doesn’t think Isa is a little old lady, does he? My God, he does! Wait till Maddy hears about this! “And furthermore, AJ,” the SecNav paused and turned to the visibly unhappy Admiral, “I’ll have your word on this matter. You *will* see to this task?”

“You have my word, Mr. Secretary,” AJ promised. “I will participate in this event.”

“Good.” 

Watching as the SecNav crossed the bullpen and made his exit, AJ thundered. “Hell and damnation! Tiner, get in here!” There wasn’t one soul in JAG Headquarters who was unhappy to see the day finally come to an end.

Later that evening
Home of SecNav
Somewhere in Virginia

That evening, as Gordon and Maddy Nelson made preparations for bed, the subject of the Navy Foundation’s fundraising event came up. Maddy was trying to picture Admiral Chegwidden as co-host of the auction with their friend Isa Sterling. 

“What do you think of the two of them working together dear?” Maddy asked her husband.

“Working together? The SecNav smirked from the door of the closet where he had been neatly hanging up pants. “AJ and Isa? I think it will be an interesting blend of personalities, to say the least. Both of them are as stubborn as hell and fiercely independent and face it, it’s debatable which of them is the most stubborn.” His whole face lighting up with laughter, Gordon Nelson looked at his wife and asked, “Wouldn’t you just like to be a fly on the wall when they have their first disagreement?” 

“Their first?”

“Only the first of many disagreements, my love. Both of them are used to being the leader; both are quite used to getting their own way. Neither AJ nor Isa takes orders very well and both of them have fiery tempers. So, for sure, they most assuredly will disagree. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think those two could actually kill each other. Yes, I really think that’s a possibility. And, I for one, can’t wait to see the fireworks!” 

“Gordon, what a positively evil gleam you have in your eye. You’ve told me AJ has a quick temper. But, he’s always been the picture of chivalry towards me. He wouldn’t hit her, would he?” 

“No, but he probably will yell at her and at the top of his lungs - if he doesn’t get his way. I’ve seen some of his officers actually blanch when he explodes. It’s not a pretty picture, my dear. Of course, knowing Isa, she would simply hit him back.” Smiling broadly, he continued, “The more I think about those two together, the more I have my money on Isa. I am confident AJ will be taken down a peg or two.”

“Hmm, he sounds like he can be a formidable adversary. Ah, but, Gordon, Isa’s not the enemy. She’s just co-hosting this auction with him. And, besides, she’s been around the block a few times and then again, she’s not in the military, my love. More than likely, she’ll ignore his temper like just so much noise. I do wish I could see that. Perhaps, Isa has met her match?” 

“Humph! I think AJ just may have met his. Do you know he referred to her as that little old lady who quilts?” 

“Stop! You don’t mean it. “A little old lady who quilts?” laughed Maddy. “Has he met her yet? No, he couldn’t have met her yet or he never would describe her that way. Wherever did he get the idea that Isa was an old lady?”

“I met with AJ earlier today at JAG. When we concluded our business, I asked him about the status of the fundraiser. He immediately started complaining about his participation in the auction. I assured him that he *would* participate and that he would *not* fail me.”

Maddy looked at her husband disapprovingly. “And, I’m sure you used that particular tone of voice, too, didn’t you, Gordon?” 

“Of course,” her husband responded. “Why wouldn’t I? Anyway, I knew you’d love this part. When the subject came up about AJ’s participation, he mumbled about working with a little old lady who quilts. I thought, what the hell is he talking about? For some reason, he must think only old women make quilts. I saw no need to inform him that his co-host was *not* on her last legs.” 

“Let me remind you, dear heart,” Maddy admonished her husband, “you had a similar idea about quilts and who made them, yourself. People who are not familiar with them most likely think of the kind their grandmother made out of scraps of fabric. Like the ones your mother had on all her beds. Sweet, but there’s so much more variety today. It's obvious he hasn’t seen her artistry. Isa isn’t exactly what I’d call a quilter. She’s so much more than that. But, back to AJ. You don’t suppose he’ll find some way to wiggle out of this function, will he?”

“NO, HE WILL NOT!” the Secretary of the Navy firmly responded. “Or I will *damn* well have his stars.” 

“You know, Gordon, this just might be one of the best ideas you’ve ever had.”

“Of course it is, dear.” Gordon Nelson looked tenderly at the woman who had always stuck by him and who he continued to love after all these years of marriage. “And, as much as I respect AJ for his many talents and skills, I would like to see him apply his management skills to our annual fundraiser. He could make a fine co-host for this event. Not to mention, he has carefully maneuvered his way *out* of this little chore several years in a row, you know. Other flag officers have done their part. It’s about time AJ did his. I really do adore Isa but there are times I’m not sure we should stick her with a senior naval officer who can be difficult at times, to say the least.” 

“Oh, I don’t know, dear. Isa is such a wonderful quilt artist and she has no social life that I know of. She’s a workaholic. I think the Admiral will be good for her.” 

“Of course, she has a social life.” The SecNav asserted. “She’s at any number of functions we attend and she has the gallery shows several times a year, doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” Maddy agreed, “but there isn’t a man in her life as far as I know. She’s never mentioned any relationship, and I’m sure she doesn’t have one now. I doubt she’s ever even had one, at least not a satisfactory one. I mean, you’d think a woman her age should have had some experience with men by now. Of course, I don’t know that she hasn’t. Anyway, you know how closed-mouth she is about her past. The only thing we do know about her is that she has no family. Gordon, this is our chance to help Isa grow out of her shell.”

“Out of her shell!?! Isa is the most outspoken, brash woman I have ever met.”

“Except for me, dear. And, you only think she’s outspoken and brash because she has the nerve to stand up to you. Admit it, Gordon, you love it.” 

“Mmmm, yes, as a matter of fact I do. And I would dearly love to see her stand up to AJ. He will definitely have his hands full with her.” 

“I agree, dear,” Maddy concurred. “And, I sincerely hope he does,” she muttered under her breath. 

One week later - 1100 Hours
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Tiner received a call from Isa Sterling inviting Admiral Chegwidden to have lunch at her house. “Please check his calendar and get back to me, she requested in a business-like tone. “We have to discuss the procedure for auctioning the quilts at the Navy Foundation’s fund-raiser, among other things. And, I’m sure the Admiral wouldn’t mind a nice lunch in the middle of his workday.” 

When AJ heard what Tiner had to say, he curled his lips and growled about the little old lady who quilts and his promise to the SecNav that he would take part in this event. Even though he gave Tiner a hard time, Tiner chose a free date, entered it into the Admiral’s desk calendar and called Isa to confirm the date. 

AJ continued to grumble about his predicament. “A former SeAL turned baby-sitter. Aahhh! The Navy should not expect this from an Admiral. Isn’t there some other assignment where I can use my warrior skills or my courtroom skills? I’m damn sure overqualified for baby sitter!” 

1230 hours 
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

The caterer from Charlie’s Steak House arrived with Isa’s favorite foods: shrimp cocktail, spinach and mushroom salad, filet mignon – medium rare, baked potatoes with all the trimmings and for dessert, New York cheese cake. “Surely, the Admiral will love this special treat I have arranged for him,” thought Isa. “There’s a lot here to eat but I should have plenty left over for another meal. This took a little effort; I hope it was worth it. The table is set with my best china – my only china; Beety and Corny are in the greenhouse; I’m dressed; the food is here. I’ve done my part to make the Admiral welcome. Where’s the Admiral?”

Reaching to answer the ringing phone, Isa thought, I have a bad feeling about this. Sure enough, it was Tiner, the Admiral’s yeoman. 

“The Admiral regrets that he has to cancel his lunch appointment with you, ma’am,” Tiner nervously explained. “It seems the SecNav – uh, that’s the Secretary of the Navy, ma’am, uh, needs him. I’m sure you understand that the nation’s business comes first. I wish I could have called you earlier but, uh...”

Trying not to choke on her words, Isa assured Petty Officer Tiner that she understood the situation. “Thank you for calling, Mr. Tiner.” No sense blaming the messenger. Letting Beety back into the house, she fed him a few tidbits from the meal that would now feed her for several days, all the while ruminating. “Well Beety, I guess Admiral Chegwidden is just too busy saving the world to have lunch with me. No time for lunch today, Mr. Admiral, sir. Your country needs you. The United States Navy needs you. I sure hope someone remembers to bring you something to nibble on. Wouldn’t want you to starve while you’re saving the world. I wonder what admirals eat when they’re saving the world. Crow and humble pie, I hope. Damn him. He could have told Gordon he was meeting me. I’ll bet there wasn’t an emergency at all. He probably made the whole thing up. I’ve got a gut feeling the man is just downright rude! Probably uncouth as well. Needs a damn course in couth!”

One week later - 0900 Hours
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia 

Isa had spent the last week working faster than her normal pace. From early in the morning to quite late at night, she worked on the quilts she designed for the Navy’s auction. In addition, she worked on several other quilt items that needed to be completed for clients. She had been tossing around the idea of giving the Admiral a second chance to redeem his sorry self. I’ll see what Corny has to say about this, she thought as she entered the greenhouse. Spying his mistress enter his domain, Corny immediately flew to her shoulder and started his favorite activity -–nibbling on her earlobe. Absentmindedly scratching the top of Corny’s head, Isa told him about the Admiral – yet again. (Corny has already heard an earful since the Admiral cancelled his lunch date with her.) “Do you suppose he really did have a legitimate reason for canceling last time? I suppose it’s possible. Well, everyone deserves a second chance. I’ll call that Tiner fellow one more time. But I’ll be damned if I’ll order another expensive lunch for this man. I’ll cook the only thing I really do well – pasta and homemade sauce and the hell with him. Maybe he’ll get it all over his uniform. Men can be such pigs. I’ll even let Beety jump on him; with any luck, he’s allergic to fur. Oh God. Get a grip, Isa. You’re acting just like a child yourself. Grow up!” 

“On the other hand, if he didn’t have a good reason – or if I ever find out differently, I promise he will live to regret it. I didn’t survive this long by being walked all over. I damn sure am *not* going to let some Navy lawyer start now. He’d better not screw up a second time!” 

1100 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Tiner took another call from Isa inviting the Admiral for lunch a second time. He promised to check the Admiral’s calendar and get back to her. And now, to confer with the Admiral, he thought. Bite the bullet, sailor and get it over with. 

“What did she say, Tiner? Did the old lady bawl you out? Spill it. What were her exact words?” The Admiral was his usual no-nonsense self and his patience, as usual, was wearing v-e-r-y thin.

“Well, sir, I’m not sure what her exact words were. The voice on the phone really doesn’t sound like any old lady I ever met. I would guess I was talking to her secretary, or maybe her daughter. I’m not really sure.”

“Humph! Probably her secretary. OK, what does she want now? Another damn lunch?”

AJ tentatively agreed to a new date. “ May as well get it over with or the SecNav will chew my ass. Why me, God? Didn’t I serve my country well? Aren’t I still at the helm? Am I missing something here?”

One week later - 1200 Hours 
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

Isa checked the marinara sauce. I’ll drop the pasta in after the Admiral arrives; the garlic bread is in the oven staying warm. Beety is in the greenhouse with Corny. I’d better grab some napkin bibs in case he’s wearing a white uniform. I never could figure out when they change those uniforms. I know he won’t drink wine while he’s on duty; I’ll fix some iced tea and a fresh pot of coffee. I can only hope the man isn’t a boorish fellow; and please God, don’t let him wear me out. My coping skills are getting too much of a workout these days. 

1200 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Meanwhile, at JAG Headquarters, AJ was having second thoughts about wasting an afternoon with the SecNav’s old lady friend. His shoulder was acting up again. His mood was quickly turning darker. He’s positive it’s due to all this stress. The shoulder’s a good excuse, he thought. I’ll send my two best officers in my place. He called Harm and Mac into his office and told them to represent him regarding the Navy auction. “Have lunch with this old lady in my place. I’m really too busy to do this. Report back to me on the details; see what the minimum is I have to do to appease the SecNav; and try to get her to ask me *not* to participate. Try very hard. You know the drill. And, just think, I’ll owe you a favor – a little favor. Dismissed.”

1230 Hours 
On the way to Isa Sterling’s house

Harm and Mac talked about the scuttlebutt going around the office regarding this Isa Sterling and the Admiral’s refusal to have lunch with her. 

“I can’t understand why the Admiral didn’t just have lunch with this old woman and get it over with. How bad could it be? What does he know that we don’t? He’s too busy to have lunch with her but we’re not?” complained Mac. “I have cases stacked so high on my desk that if I breathe too heavy, they’ll fall over.”

“Hey Marine, watch that heavy breathing around me,” Her partner teased.

“Yellow light, Commander. Why didn’t he just have Tiner call her to cancel? Or, he could have had Harriet or Bud come over. How come two senior lawyers have to do this? I mean, I don’t mind having lunch, Harm, but my gut tells me there’s something rotten in Denmark. Tiner says this is the second time the Admiral has failed to show up for a luncheon appointment with this woman. Is there something about her he failed to mention? One more time: What’s wrong with her?”

“I’m impressed, Mac. I didn’t think your gut spent any time thinking about anything but food. My gut says the Admiral just doesn’t want to spend any more time than he has to with some old lady. Scuttlebutt is that the SecNav says he has to work with this person and the Admiral is just being his normal ‘take no prisoners’ kind of officer. You know he hates spending time doing Navy business that isn’t JAG related.” 

1300 Hours
Sterling Residence
McLean, Virginia

Harm and Mac knocked on Isa’s door and whispered to each other while they waited. “We’ll make the Admiral’s excuses and leave.” Harm explained. “We don’t really have to stay.”

“Why not? I’m hungry,” Mac argued. “Maybe she’s a good cook.”

“Marine! *You* are *always* hungry!”

When Isa answered the door, Harm immediately rethought the situation. Uh, huh. Who is this? This is a lovely lady; wonder if she works for the old lady? Nice brown hair and v-e-r-y nice brown eyes - nice figure – I’d guess about 5-foot 4-inches – maybe 115 pounds. Not drop-dead gorgeous - certainly not beautiful, but nice – *very* nice. Wonder how old she is? This might be interesting after all. Mmmm, I smell garlic bread.

Mac smiled to herself. She had seen that look on her partner’s face before. Yep, she thought, we’re staying for lunch.

When Isa opened her door and found two military officers standing there, she suspected the worst. She barely controlled her temper as Harm introduced himself and Mac and they passed on the Admiral’s regrets. Harm explained that the Admiral had a last-minute schedule conflict. 

Isa has just about had it with the Admiral. In a barely controlled voice, she interrupted Harm’s speech, “What he should have done, was check with Petty Officer Tiner. That was your dear Admiral’s excuse last time. It’s just lunch after all. I wasn’t planning to draw blood! Well, I might start thinking about it! You are not going to just stand there and offer excuse after excuse, are you?  You drove all the way out here. At least, come in and have something to drink. And, please have the courtesy to tell me the truth this time. I’d like an explanation as to why your Admiral took time to send the two of you but did not have the decency to pick up the phone and tell me he couldn’t make it. Does he always send you to do his dirty work? Did he think I was going to poison him? On second thought, lunch is already made. Come in. There’s plenty of food for all of us. I refuse to let one more meal be sacrificed because of Admiral Chegwidden. The man is not going to be nominated for sainthood!”

Listening to her outburst and fervently hoping that she really had not planned to poison the Admiral, Harm and Mac followed Isa into her house. “Excuse me, ma’am,” Harm cautiously began. “You’re Isa? We, uh, we were under the impression you were – um – someone a little older.” 

“Why is that?” Isa asked. 

Mac kicked Harm and noticing the beautiful art works hanging on Isa’s walls, she swiftly changed the subject. But before Mac could comment, Isa responded “Call me Isa. Ma’am sounds like someone’s grandmother.”

“Umm ma’am,” Harm interjected, “I mean Isa, about lunch, I’m a vegetarian. I probably …uh…”

“Well, it is only pasta – spinach pasta,” Isa pointed out. “You can have yours with sauce, salad and garlic bread. Colonel, are you a vegetarian too?”

“Oh no,” Mac exclaimed. “No ma’am, I’m not. I uh – no, Isa, I am definitely *not* a vegetarian.”

“Good! You can have meatballs with yours.”

“About those wall hangings,” Mac marveled at their beauty. “They are absolutely gorgeous. They’re … I’ve never seen anything like them before. They’re like – um - what am I trying to say? They’re like cloth art – sort of like the murals you see in Europe, but more modern!”

“Why thank you Colonel! They *are* cloth art or as people in my field call them, art quilts. In clothing, they’re called ‘wearable art.’ These are some of my current favorites. If there’s time, I’ll show you some more.  Or, you can just come to the Navy Foundation’s fundraiser and see the items we’re going to offer for auction. As Isa began pointing out a few salient points about the art quilts, loud squawking, cackling and whistling startled them. 

“Oh pipe down, Corny.” Isa called to her bird. “You have plenty to eat. And, you’ll meet our guests later. Don’t be alarmed. It’s just my bossy bird. I’ll introduce you after lunch. Let’s eat.”

Harm and Mac followed Isa into the dining room. Isa offered Harm a long quilted bib to cover his uniform. “Just in case you’re as messy eating pasta as I am, Commander. That sauce can make slobs out of anyone and I would wager a bet you don’t want to go back to your office with marinara stains on that white shirt of yours.”

Harm’s face turned slightly pink but he accepted the bib. Mac eagerly took one and admired the work that went into it. Isa put one on as well. When she went into the kitchen to get the food, Mac teased Harm. “So, what made you change your mind Harm? About staying for lunch, that is?”

Harm just gave Mac his world-class ‘I know you really love me’ smile and whispered “Can you picture the Admiral sitting here with a bib?” 

“Oh, I think he’d look cute in a bib.”

“Yeah, and you’d look cute in Slovenia.”

Isa returned with a platter of food. There was plenty of green salad, a tureen holding the most delicious smelling marinara sauce and a basket of fresh garlic bread. She went back for the pasta and the meatballs. When everyone was finally served, Isa questioned Mac and Harm about what they do and how it was that a marine and a naval officer were partners. 

Harm flashed that smile again. “Just the luck of the draw” he drawled.

Mac: “He couldn’t get any luckier.”

Isa chuckled at their repartee. “I see you two have been at this for awhile.” Changing the subject, she asked Harm, “That’s an aviator emblem, isn’t it?” 

Harm: “Yes, ma’am.” Isa raised her eyebrows at Harm’s automatic “ma’am” response but made no comment. This ‘ma’am’ thing must be a military thing, she mused.

“I was a Naval aviator before I joined JAG. It’s a long story. I think the curious story of the day though, is how *you* got involved with the Navy Foundation’s auction. I have a feeling you’re not ex-Navy. Perhaps, a family member?” he probed. 

“Good God, no.” Isa exclaimed. “It’s also a long story.”

“Well,” Mac interjected, “we’re used to eating *and* talking, ma’am – Isa. And since I’ve heard the Commander’s aviator story *more* than a few times, I really would rather hear yours.”

Isa laughed appreciatively: “Very good Colonel.”

Mac: “That’s Mac, Isa.”

“Ok, Mac.”

Isa proceeded to explain her relationship with Madeleine Nelson, the SecNav’s wife and how she got asked to host the fundraiser. “Maddy thought art quilts would be a unique way to raise money for the foundation. Normally, you only see this kind of art in specialized galleries. But now that it’s beginning to acquire a following among the public, it seemed an opportune time to try it. The quilts I’m making have a nautical theme and should be of particular interest to naval officers. The SecNav chose the Admiral to work with me on this project because the Navy’s biggest annual charity event is traditionally hosted or co-hosted by a senior naval officer. My connection to the Navy is only my friendship with Maddy and her husband, who, as far as I’m concerned, is only coincidentally the Secretary of the Navy.”

After lunch, Isa lead Mac and Harm into the greenhouse where they met Julius Cornelius a.k.a. Corny the macaw. Next she introduced Beet-oven, generally called Beety, her yellow tabby cat. 

Harm: “Ah, a true animal lover.”

Sort of, Commander.” Isa explained. “One evening, while I was taking out the trash, there he was, a skinny little thing rummaging for something to eat. No creature, animal or human, should ever have to eat out of a garbage can. Beety has been eating very well since that day. Corny is another story altogether. He belonged to a textile designer, who incidentally was a former marine. I knew he had terminal cancer and I promised I’d give Corny a good home when the time came, and the rest, as they say, is history. He’s got quite a salty vocabulary; you should hear some of the bawdy songs he sings. He generally embarrasses me when I have company. But he’s unusually good today. I hope he’s not ill.”

Mac laughed. “He’s probably behaving because we’re here, Isa. Smart birds know not to curse when there’s a sailor around. Right, Harm?”

“I assure you Mac, this bird’s vocabulary could make a sailor blush.”

Mac: “This I want to see.”

As Harm and Mac were leaving and thanking her for lunch, Isa told them she would be happy to have them over for lunch again another time; they’re good company. She commented that the Admiral has now turned her down twice; she will inform the SecNav that he seems to be much too busy to work with her on this project and maybe someone else should co-host this event. Maybe a marine this time?”

Realizing the explosive reaction they would personally get from Admiral Chegwidden if Isa told the SecNav that he had reneged on another meeting with her, Harm and Mac pleaded for leniency for their errant commanding officer. “Oh no, Isa, please don’t do that. I’m sure Admiral Chegwidden will come through. You have to give him another chance. I know he really wants to do this. He’s just been extra busy lately.”

“He has two strikes against him already, Commander,” Isa pointed out.

“Two strikes doesn’t constitute ‘out’, you know.” Harm pleads. “It’s three strikes, you’re out, ma’am.” 

“I’m quite familiar with the expression, Commander. But frankly, it’s not the Admiral who is about to strike out; it’s me. I’m the one who has been stood up twice in a row, not him. His behavior is not doing much for my self-esteem.”

“Please, Isa. One more chance, Mac begged.

“Oh, all right. I really don’t want to get you two in trouble. I’m aware that the messenger often gets the blame in cases like this. I wouldn’t want your Admiral to put you on bread and water or whatever the JAG equivalent is. Ok, no more lunches. Here’s Plan B. Please inform your Admiral I will be at the Woodland Park Hotel next Tuesday at 2p.m. - in the main ballroom where the auction will take place. I’ll bring a few of the quilts that will be offered for sale and a list of the other items and give him a general idea of what the schedule will be like. That should give him an overall picture of the event. There are still a gazillion things to do and I already have my hands full finishing the special quilts I am personally making for the Navy. Even though it seems like we have all the time in the world, time has a way of running out on you. I like to be super organized about these things. If he shows up, fine. If not, my next stop will be at the SecNav’s house and he can make other arrangements for a co-host. And, you can tell him that for me. I sincerely hope I will not be stood up a third time,” she said sternly.

1500 Hours 
Driving back to JAG Headquarters

Harm couldn’t stop laughing. “My God! Where did we get the idea Isa was a little old lady?

Mac is unsure. “That’s what the Admiral said.” Tiner said it too.”

“Well, it’s obvious neither one of them has met her. Wait till I tell the Admiral what he has missed! She’s really lovely, charming, obviously bright, and not the least bit shy. And, it would appear that they share the same temperament,” Harm laughed. 

“Oh no, you don’t.” Mac protested. “Admiral Chegwidden has to find this out on his own. He deserves this surprise and you are not going to spoil it. We are going to come up with a good reason why the Admiral has to meet Isa at the Woodland Park Hotel. Let’s get our story straight Harm. We’ll tell the Admiral about Isa’s close friendship with the SecNav and his wife and he’ll take it from there. He won’t let the SecNav down. The least he will feel he must do is meet with her at the hotel. That’s it. He’ll think that is the minimum he has to do to get out of doing this charity thing. Oh boy, what a surprise he’s in for when he finally meets Isa.”  Starting to chuckle now, Mac added, “Sure hope he addresses her as ma’am…” 

“And, counselor, what do you propose we tell him about our lunch with the OLD lady?”

“Well,” Mac elaborated, “lunch was great; Isa was hospitable and eager to get on with the fundraiser, blah, blah, blah. We can be evasive about her. You know, things like, well, the quilts are lovely, just as you would expect. That sort of thing.”

“OK, Marine, I’ll let you carry the ball.”

“Don’t I always flyboy?”

1600 Hours
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Harm and Mac reported to the Admiral. “You two were certainly gone long enough. I thought I’d have to send a marine unit out to locate you. Everything go, ok?” The Admiral was curious but tried to keep his voice neutral.

Harm and Mac tripped over each other telling the story. The Admiral was especially interested in Isa’s relationship with the SecNav and his wife and didn’t seem to be terribly interested in the details of the auction. 

“So what took so long? It was just lunch, after all.”

“Well, sir,” Harm started. “Ms. Sterling is a very interesting woman.” 

Quickly interrupting him before Harm said something he shouldn’t, Mac interjected “Yes, sir, she is very interesting and she has beautiful quilt art on her walls. But, um, I think you should know that she does expect you to meet with her. She sort of implied she had to let the SecNav know when you were meeting.” Noticing the Admiral’s impartial look turn into his stern and classic angry pose – arms folded across his chest – chin up – ready to do battle, Mac went on to explain. “She is expecting you to meet her at the Woodland Park Hotel next Tuesday at 2pm, sir.” Looking to Harm for confirmation, Mac chose her words carefully. “She, uh, wants to apprise you of some of the organizational details of the auction, sir. The meeting shouldn’t take long at all.”

“That’s all? All right. I can manage that.” AJ was not at all pleased about having to actually meet this Isa person but was under the misguided impression that was all he had to do to appease the SecNav. He checked his appointment book; he had made other plans for that afternoon but reluctantly agreed to be at the hotel at the appointed time. 

Harm and Mac barely contained themselves as they safely exited the Admiral’s office. 

1000 Hours
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Day of the meeting

AJ’s thoughts regarding the meeting: Was that an implied threat that she would go to the SecNav if he didn’t show up today? I wonder who that old lady thinks she is? I’ll see what she has to say about this auction and if she’s brief and to the point and doesn’t make me angry, I might do whatever it is I have to do and just get it over with. But, if she thinks I going to cower because she might tell the SecNav something, I’ll just treat her as I would any hostile. She’s a civilian! How dare she threaten me? She obviously doesn’t know just whom she is dealing with. 

1030 Hours 
Home of Isa Sterling 
McLean, Virginia

Isa’s thoughts about the meeting: A real live Admiral. Oh WOW and double WOW. So busy, it took three tries to get him to meet with me – *if* he shows up. Well, for sure, he doesn’t know exactly whom he is dealing with. I’ll bet he’ll come in bossy as hell and fat to boot! These admiral types can be pretty cocky and oh hell, I’ll just tell him what he needs to know and get it over with. With any luck, I won’t have to spend too much time with him. I’m too busy and I shouldn’t have to make myself ill over these things. 

1400 Hours – The Meeting
Woodland Park Hotel
Washington, D.C.

AJ arrived at the hotel a few minutes early. He had scouted out the place the night before so he would know exactly where the ballroom was and all the doors leading to it. He hated to be uninformed about possible escape routes when he was entering a war zone. No sense tempting fate in case I come up against a formidable enemy. Yeah, right. An old lady armed with lots of fabric. That’s formidable all right. Aren’t you glad you’re a first rate SeAL? What’s the worst that could happen – is she going to stick you with a damn pin? Chegwidden, you’re pathetic!

Isa had been at the hotel for a couple of hours. She had worked steadily on the sequence of things to be auctioned – and on the program that would be printed with the procedures for bidding, paying, and receiving goods. She had yet to make her final decisions on minimum bids. However, she had made the decision to extend the Admiral the courtesy of helping her select the best photos of the quilts to be included in the program. Focusing completely on her work, she did not hear him enter the room.

Without making a sound, AJ stepped just inside the ballroom door. Quickly surveying the area, his eyes lit on the woman sitting at a long conference table in a corner. That woman cannot possibly be Isa Sterling, he thought. She’s too young. Well, not that young, maybe late 30s. She must be the secretary. 

Just then, Isa looked up and spotted AJ. Recognizing the two stars on each shoulder, she rose and walked toward him with her hand outstretched. My God! He’s beautiful, she thought. And not at all fat. “Hello.” She smiled. “I didn’t hear you come in. You must be Admiral Chegwidden. I’m Isa Sterling, the woman who’s cooking you seem deathly afraid of trying.” 

AJ was speechless. The woman offering her hand in greeting was the woman he had avoided meeting these last many weeks? This is Isa Sterling? Where did I get the idea she was an old woman? And, why didn’t Harm and Mac tell me otherwise? I will personally strangle their necks for this breach of conduct. Not conduct, breach of … I’ll think of something. Realizing that the lady still had her hand out, AJ quickly recovered and took her hand in his. 

“Are you all right, Admiral? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Not a ghost, AJ thought, just a very lovely surprise. Still holding onto her hand, AJ admonished himself: Earth to AJ! Come in! “I’m glad to meet you Ms. Sterling. I apologize for not being able to meet you sooner.” 

“No excuses, Admiral?” Uh-huh, she thought. I was right. A little touch of the ‘ole Admiral arrogance popped right out of him. “Ok, I’ll let that go for now. If you will let go of my hand and promise to call me Isa, we can sit over here and talk about the Navy auction.” Operating on automatic, AJ sat next to her but was still a little bemused that this ‘old lady’ was one hell of an attractive woman. All business now, Isa outlined the events to take place in this ballroom in the not too distant future. As she filled him in on the details of what needed to be done, AJ was still trying to get over his shock that this lovely woman was Isa Sterling, the person he had avoided meeting for far too long.

“Admiral Chegwidden, have you heard a word I’ve said? You’re staring and starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I am not a particularly beautiful woman. But I’m not an ugly one either. And, what I’m saying is not the most fascinating thing you’ve ever heard. There is no reason whatsoever to stare.”

AJ smiled at her remark. “You *are* a very attractive woman and yes, I was staring and I apologize. I was led to believe – somehow – that I would be dealing with an – uh – octogenarian or at least, someone a lot older. I think I’m just still getting used to the idea that you are not – I mean to say, I am not used to working with – uh…”

“…A person the Secretary of the Navy has chosen for you to work with? Is that it? And, a woman? You are forgiven. I understand.” Good Lord! He has an unbelievably beautiful smile.

They discussed the auction and all its myriad details for the better part of an hour. AJ was impressed with Isa’s organizational skills and he was more than a little impressed with the art quilt samples she showed him. These are magnificent works of art, he thought. Even though they seemed to be getting along, AJ’s mind was beginning to wander. He could not stop reminding himself that he was in this hotel under duress. And, he was not terribly happy about being kept in the dark about Isa’s age and appearance. He couldn’t remember exactly where he got the idea she was a much older woman, but he felt sure the SecNav had purposefully duped him and his own officers had deceived him. True, it was a minor deception, but a deception nonetheless.  A breach of omission, that’s it. I’ll nail them on that. Damn! Now, I’ll riled! Then he remembered he had originally made other plans for this very afternoon. If he hadn’t had to make a ‘command appearance,’ he would have already been involved in far more interesting activities. And, to make it even worse, that shoulder of his was aching again. I swear it feels like there’s still a bullet in it. I could really use a hot steaming shower. I think it’s time to make a graceful exit. 

Having made up his mind, AJ was now anxious to leave. “Ms. Sterling… Isa, I think this is about as much as I can absorb in one afternoon. Is there any way you can just get me some kind of written report on what you want me to do? Or, if it is really necessary, I suppose we could meet again.” Damn, he said to himself. That didn’t come out right. 

Confused as to why the Admiral interrupted her in mid-sentence, Isa just nodded her head as he got up from his chair. In doing so, he knocked her notes on the floor and they scattered. Bending down to retrieve them, AJ came up hard against the immovable tabletop. He knocked his injured shoulder really hard and the pain was so severe he was seeing stars. It felt like his entire back was on fire. “God, that hurt!” he yelled.

“Admiral, sit down please. Let me rub it. I can fix that for you.”

“I don’t think so.” AJ snapped. His face lost all color and his eyes were not completely in focus. The pain in his voice was obvious and it was the pain that was talking. “Your skills seem to be with needles, thread and cloth. I don’t think that applies to me.”

Smarting from his unnecessarily harsh words and boorish manner and with an equally short fused temper, Isa snapped right back. “Don’t be such a stubborn old goat! You look like you’re going to pass out! Let me help you!” And in a much softer tone, “You are obviously in pain. If nothing’s broken, I can fix it for you. Let me, please.”

Although the pain was practically slicing him in half and there was the distinct chance he would actually pass out, AJ once again regained control of his body. Unfortunately, he neglected to get control of his mouth before engaging it. “I don’t know what the hell you think you can do woman! Now, if I can just get out of here before I do break something… like your neck. God! This hurts like hell!

Equally stubborn, Isa blocked his way. “I’m very skilled in massage therapy, Admiral. If you’ll just let me, I’ll have your shoulder feeling better in no time. Please! I hate to see you in such pain.”

AJ could not remember the last time he *was* in this much pain. Neither could he remember the last time he was defied. He drew himself up to his full 6-foot 3-inch height; the look on his face said ‘the Admiral is in charge and is ready and capable of chewing your ass’ and then he exploded. His tone of voice was the one that caused his officers to shake and senior officers everywhere to take cover. Menacing and threatening, he was the quintessential formidable enemy. He towered over Isa’s smaller frame. “Woman, you are *not* my mother – *not* my maker – *not* my commanding officer. Just who *do* you think you are? You’re *no* one! Not to me, anyway! Now, get *out* of my way!”

Isa was stunned! His words and the tone of his voice shocked her into momentary silence. She vividly remembered the last time someone spoke to her in this angry and threatening way. She was a young child then – an expendable child – a throwaway child. Then, the man had beaten her – badly. Memory of the pain quickly resurfaced. She wasn’t going to let it happen again. 

Backing swiftly away and hopefully, beyond his immediate reach, Isa struggled to keep her voice from trembling. “You are absolutely right, Admiral Chegwidden. I am no one – not to you – not to anyone. I never have been - never will be. I sincerely beg your pardon. It was very presumptuous of me to think you’d want my assistance.” Continuing to back away from the man whose entire demeanor was one huge overwhelming threat, Isa softly murmured “Please accept my apology.” She quickly positioned herself behind the good-sized table that AJ had knocked up against. Isa was not a stupid woman. There was no sense standing next to a man who was quite capable of doing her bodily harm! Trying to compose herself, she turned her back on him and waited to hear the door to the ballroom open and close as he went back to his own orderly world.

AJ stopped short when he heard her carefully worded, softly spoken apology. He stood very still and took several long breaths. He felt his blood pressure begin its return to normal. It seemed as if the pounding rhythm of his heart had reversed course and his chest wall would remain intact, after all. He felt like an absolute louse. He had said ugly words to her – words she did not deserve. He had let her feel his rage when in fact, if truth were told, he wasn’t angry with her at all. He was angry with himself – very angry, for being so stubborn and so damn wrong about this woman and for just being a total and complete idiot about this whole fundraising event. 

She had taken it well, too. There was no crying or railing at him for being a king-sized jerk. She hadn’t run from the room. She hadn’t tried to pound him into the ground. She offered no excuses. She just stood there – looked him straight in the eye, took his loud verbal rage with her head held high and then humbly offered an apology. I’m not sure any of my own officers could have withstood the anger I just rained on that woman, he thought. What in God’s name came over me? Chegwidden, you should be shot! You’re supposed to have better control! Why did I say she was no one? Why did I say that? That came out of nowhere. Damn! The pain in her eyes was awful - unbearable. AJ, that was cruel. Why did she agree? What did she mean she’s no one? Not to anyone – never have been? Realizing that the pain in his shoulder was only getting worse, he thought. Oh man, I *really* hurt.

AJ was unaccustomed to being wrong. He was extremely uncomfortable finding himself in a position where he had to apologize for his behavior. Regretting his unkind remarks and especially his unfounded anger, he turned toward Isa to make amends. Not expecting him to approach her, Isa turned around just as AJ reached her. She inadvertently took a cautious step back. He was flabbergasted when he saw tears in her eyes. Now, I really feel like a first-class louse, he thought. “Is there any chance we can start over?” he humbly asked. “I’m asking for a second chance. I’d like to prove to you that I am not really a monster; I am quite capable of keeping my rage in control. I wasn’t angry with you at all. I’m disgusted with myself for reasons I’d rather not get into. And the pain I’m feeling isn’t helping. Any chance at all?” he pleaded.

Isa considered herself a fair judge of character. The sincerity in the Admiral’s voice coupled with the obvious pain in his eyes made her waiver slightly. She couldn’t stand to see any creature, even a rude one, in pain. All right you sap, she said to herself, you scared yourself for no reason. He’s not going to hurt you. “The pain’s pretty bad, isn’t it Admiral?”

AJ nodded his head hoping she wouldn’t punch him in the shoulder. “Ready to trust my hands?” she asked. “I promise not to hurt you.”

AJ hesitated only a second. “Yes, please. The pain is pretty intense.” Looking for a chair that doesn’t look too uncomfortable, he asked, “Should I just sit anywhere?” 

“Here, sit here,” Isa said as she pulled a straight-back chair toward him. “You’ll have to take your shirt off.” Raising his eyebrows at her directive, Isa tried to laugh, but she was still a little unsure of the change in AJ’s temper. “Admiral Chegwidden, I’ll get your shirt all wrinkled and … you will just feel more comfortable without it. Honestly. Don’t worry. You can keep your T-shirt on.” 

AJ was in far too much pain to argue. He tried to remove his shirt but it was obvious he was having a difficult time. Isa reached up and unbuttoned it for him and slipped it off his shoulders. She looked at his waist where it was tucked in and up at him. He got the message and with his good arm, pulled it from his pants. “All right, Admiral. I want you to sit so you are facing the back of the chair. You know, straddle it like you would a horse. Here, use this to cushion your head.” She folded a quilt and layered it over the back of the chair. Then she pulled a similar chair over and positioned it behind his back. She sat down and scooted the chair forward until it was touching his chair.

“I’m going to put my hands on you now, Admiral. Just relax. I need to touch your neck, both of your shoulders and your back so I can determine what I need to do to ease the pain. Ready?”

“AJ just grunted. Then, he lifted his head for a moment and said, “Under the circumstances, don’t you think you should call me AJ?”

“AJ, it is.” Isa gently put her hands on AJ’s shoulders near his neck. She lightly ran her fingers across the top of his shoulders, down the outside of his upper arms and back up again. She did this several times, each time applying a little more pressure. Then she moved back to his neck and applied gentle pressure to each side. Her strokes were steady and she alternated between using her fingers and the base of her palm as she moved up and down and around his neck. She spent a considerable amount of time applying pressure to the back of his neck, moving straight up to the middle of his skull and back down to the top of his spinal cord. She could smell him and he smelled wonderful – a strong masculine after-shave smell. She couldn’t place it but was thankful it wasn’t Old Spice!

AJ was thoroughly enjoying what she was doing. He was already feeling relaxed and the intense pain was ebbing somewhat. Her touch was gentle and her hands were soft. Oh yes, this is heaven. I could do this every afternoon.

Isa was standing over AJ’s back now. She ran the base of her palms, one following the other, up and down his spine. He seemed to pull his spine straighter as she did this. Now, she was finger walking back and forth across his back as if she were playing hopscotch with his vertebrae. She splayed her hands over his upper back, on both sides. She made small and then larger circular motions and alternated between light and heavy pressure on these areas and put all her weight into her hands. AJ was feeling no pain. This is wonderful. He’s had massages before, usually from people heavier than he was. This massage was incredibly different, unlike any he’s had before. The others involved a lot of heavy pounding. Isa was not pounding the tension out of him; she was easing it out. Considering that she was in a position to inflict a little payback pain, her touch remained incredibly gentle and soothing.

“I’m going to pull your shoulder now Admiral… AJ. It might hurt a little. Let me know if it hurts and I’ll ease up.” Isa put one arm around AJ’s neck on his shoulder and her hand just below the front of his collarbone. With her other hand, she covered the edge of his shoulder and upper arm. She gently pulled his shoulder back while pushing his upper back in with her knee. Good thing I’m wearing a full skirt today or I could never do this, she thought.  She continued the motion, each time applying more and more pressure in her hands and in her knee.

AJ was floating. The sensation was absolutely wonderful. He felt completely boneless. How did she know to do this? Then, he felt nothing. 

Isa stopped massaging his shoulder. “Relax, AJ. I just need to rest my hands for a minute. This is an awkward position for my body. Don’t move. I’m going to do the same thing to the other shoulder. I think balance is very important.” After a moment, she repeated her gentle assault on his other side. Again, she moved her hands down his spine and coming up, she lightly rubbed the sides of his back. He twitched slightly and Isa smiled. “Ticklish Admiral?” she laughed. Before he could respond, her hands were back on his neck and the tops of his shoulders and then, she was leaning over him so she could start rubbing the back of his head and his temples. 

He can feel her breath on his neck and occasionally, her soft breasts pressed into his back – the feeling was v-e-r-y nice. She turned his head so his forehead was face down on the edge of the quilt and gently moved from his temples to his cheeks, his jawbone and up to his temples again. Then, she slipped her hands under his head and was gently rubbed his closed eyelids and then the bridge of his nose. Next, she let her fingers apply slight pressure down both sides of his nose to the area around his mouth. Oh God, he is so beautiful, she thought. This arrogant, bossy Admiral – *lawyer* (?) is so beautiful.

AJ had not said a word throughout the entire massage. It wasn’t that he was speechless. He was feeling no pain and wanted to keep it that way. I don’t care what she does for a living or who she knows, he thought. I’ll gladly apologize every day for my behavior. I’ll even do all the paperwork for this charity event. I’ll co-host *anything* with her until the end of time if she will just keep doing this – anything! 

“AJ?” Isa whispered in his ear. “Are you awake?” At his barely audible affirmative grunt, she patted his shoulder. “I need you to turn around now. See if you can turn around in the chair without getting up.” As AJ slowly complied, Isa moved behind the chair. “That’s good. Now lay your head back on the quilt. Good. Now close your eyes.” Isa remained standing behind him and started to rub his temples again. She moved her hands across his forehead and back to his temples and then slowly rubbed a finger between his brows and down the bridge of his nose. Placing her palms on either side of his jaw, she made little circular motions while slowly progressing toward the underside of his chin and throat and down his neck to the hollow in his collarbone. She rubbed this area over and over until his jaw was completely relaxed. From there, she made her way up to his ears and applied light pressure on the spot just behind his earlobes. Circling his ears she made her way back to his temples and finally his eyelids. She was enjoying touching this man and didn’t really want to stop touching him. Once again, she proceeded to his neck and to the top of his shoulders. The feel of his powerful muscles contracting and relaxing under her touch was making her just a little light-headed. 

AJ could smell her perfume. Something vanilla, he thought. It was not cloying or heavy, just a light scent that filled his senses. As she leaned over his face to touch his neck, he could almost feel her soft breasts on the back of his head – just barely. Then, there was a slight hint of some other scent – he couldn’t quite place it but, hmm, very nice. He’d like very much to lean his head back just a little further, but thought better of it. He doesn’t want to chance ending this wonderful feeling. 

Isa was getting tired now. I can’t do this much longer, she thought. I’ll just get him a little more energized so he’ll be able to stand and that will have to be it. Moving to sit in front of him, Isa stepped between AJ’s legs and sat on the edge of her own chair. She leaned forward and slipped one arm around his neck and the other behind his injured shoulder. Pulling him gently toward her, she softly whispered to him. “You have to sit up now AJ. That’s it. Good. I’m going to let go of your neck so you have to support yourself upright. Do you understand?” As AJ complied with her instructions, Isa continued to encourage the totally compliant Admiral to follow her directions. “Now, place your arm on my shoulder. That’s it. I’m going to push your shoulder back and pull your arm toward me. Don’t try to resist me. Just relax and let me do the work. That’s right. Does it feel ok?”

AJ nodded. Now that he was sitting up again and facing her, he was watching Isa’s every move and appraising what he saw. She *is* attractive. Nice face – good bone structure - straight nose - full lips. Those very dark brown eyes – they look right through me - and for such strong hands, they’re awfully small. They feel so good. His shoulder felt good too, but he didn’t want her to stop touching him. He gladly let her continue her ministrations. 

Isa then directed AJ to place his other arm on her shoulder and repeated the process. Finally, she gently placed each of AJ’s arms on his thighs. She leaned toward him and ran her fingers and palms over the tops of his shoulders one more time and then up the sides of his neck, finally coming to rest at his jaw. Cupping his face in both her hands, she looked him straight in the eye, “Feel better Admiral AJ?” Before he could answer, she asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re absolutely beautiful? Yes, I’ll bet a gazillion women already have.”

With that, she rose and held his shirt out for him. As he slowly stood and slipped it on, she carefully re-buttoned it for him and then turned her back so he could tuck it into his pants. While he was completing the process of re-dressing, Isa gathered her belongings and prepared to leave. Unsure about just what to say to her, considering all that has transpired this afternoon, AJ stumbled over his words. “My shoulder is… it feels as if there never was any pain at all. It’s the first time in so many years, I … I don’t know how to thank you.”

Isa smiled up at him. “You just did. Goodbye Admiral Chegwidden – AJ.” 

Before AJ could think of something brilliant to say like “Would you like to go for coffee?” Isa was out the door.

1700 Hours 
Driving to McLean, Virginia
Isa’s thoughts after the meeting: 

Isa had made her exit as gracefully as possible. She could not believe her incredible attraction to the Admiral. My God, he’s absolutely gorgeous, she thought. I’m torn between the desire to kill him and kiss him. Kissing him sounds good. Isa! Her inner voice scolded. “What are you thinking? The man is an arrogant, bossy, no-good scoundrel! He stood you up twice; he could barely keep his attention on what you were saying and then he had the unmitigated gall to threaten you with bodily harm. She continued the argument with the voice in her head: Well, he didn’t really do that, she admitted to herself, but he did lose his temper – for absolutely no reason at all. All right, he was in pain. And, the pain was pretty bad. Face it, you’ve been there – you know what that’s like.” His threatening manner caught me off-guard. I was a little girl again. The memory of that time hurt. At least I know the massage I gave him eased the pain in his shoulder. Just because he was such a bear didn’t mean I had to stoop to his level. I hope he has a little guilt over this. I wonder if he apologized because he thought I’d tell Gordon what happened. No, he’s much too arrogant for that. I really think he was sincere. And, I will admit – to myself only of course – that I was desperate to touch him. The man is too beautiful for words. I couldn’t help myself. Isa, you are an idiot. You have always shied away from relationships; you know that’s just not what life has in store for you. So why did you act like a silly schoolgirl? At your age, you really should know better. True, but oh what a nice memory I have. You know he is not at all interested in this auction. I’ll just write up something for him and mail him a list of the duties he’ll have that night. And, that’s the end of that. He’s so sexy and ... well, I’m sure my plain looks just don’t stand a chance when you consider all the women standing in line to adore him. Exit the stage Isa. This was not meant to be.

1715 Hours
Driving to McLean, Virginia
AJ’s thoughts after the meeting: 

Traffic on the beltway was its usual stop and go congestion; plenty of time to think, analyze and reflect on the events of the last 3 hours. I can’t believe it, AJ said to the voice in his head. Isa is not an old woman. How old do you suppose she is? Hmm, maybe late 30s, old enough - for me. She’s not classically beautiful and she’s not the ‘pretty little girl next door.’ But she has a look about her that’s damned attractive. And when she smiled! It lit up her whole face. Umm, and that massage! Oh man, her hands … soft, strong, gentle, and just sheer magic! I bet they’d feel good on the rest of me… uh oh, where is this going? When she left, she didn’t exactly give me the impression I was high on her to-do list. And why should I be? I scared the hell out of her. Shit, I scared the hell out of myself. That rage came out of nowhere and my control of the situation went right down the toilet. Damn! I want to see her again. I wonder if she’ll agree to meet with me if I call and apologize for my temporary insanity. Probably not. Then again, she did seem to conquer her fear of me. Of course, that could have been false bravado. Face it AJ, she probably won’t take another chance on your temper. How did you lose your control, Mr. Judge Advocate General? That, sir is one of those sixty-four thousand-dollar questions. Ok SeAL, what’s your strategy now? She must go by that ballroom periodically to plan where those quilts will be hanging and whatever else needs to be done. She’ll have to confer with the hotel staff about the food and wine. There must be quite a few reasons for her to be there. I wonder if she has to reserve that ballroom for her meetings? I’ll call and see if she has any reservations on the books. Even if she’s meeting with the SecNav’s wife, AJ? Well, I’ll have to skirt around that little situation, but yes, it will be worth it to see her again. I’ll just have to surprise her that’s all. And she did say I was beautiful. Beautiful? Navy SeALs are *not* beautiful! They’re brave, courageous and many other things, but not beautiful. Ye Gods! She may as well have said I was pretty. 

Fortunately, AJ’s car knew the way home so he wasn’t as alert as he might have been when traffic suddenly picked up at his exit. A little black Toyota cut him off without so much as a turn signal on. “Damn female drivers!” He mumbled to himself as he honked his horn. “Watch where you’re going. You hog the whole damn road and I’ll run you right over, you little pipsqueak.”  The driver never heard him of course because she was already several cars ahead of him on the exit ramp, As she made her turn off the ramp and onto the main thoroughfare through McLean, AJ could have sworn it was none other than Isa Sterling! No, he surmised. I just have her on the brain.

Two days later - 1600 Hours 
Woodland Park Hotel
Washington, DC

Balancing herself and three heavy quilted wall hangings on a 12-foot ladder, Isa was trying to hang them to get an idea of where they would be positioned when the auction was finally held. She was focusing on the position of the quilts and did not hear the Admiral as he quietly entered the room. AJ was apoplectic to see her on a ladder and such a tall ladder! She looked like she was barely balancing herself let alone all that heavy material in her arms. He rushed toward her and without thinking, shouted, “Just what the hell are you trying to do? Break your neck?”

Isa was immediately startled, lost her balance and fell. AJ barely caught her. The quilts came down with her and covered most of her. Her head and shoulders were nowhere in sight. She was slightly shaken but peeked an eye out from under the mass of cloth and spied two stars on two very broad shoulders. “Uh-oh, I think I might be in trouble here. I see two stars and two stars again and my eyes seem to be focused. Does that mean there’s a two-star Admiral in the room?”

“Yes, there is and you’re damn right you’re in trouble.” AJ growled.

“Maybe, if you put me down, we can straighten this out?”

AJ was practically shouting. “Maybe, I’ll put you down all right, right over my knee! How could you do such a foolish thing? You could have broken your neck!” 

It had been many years since anyone had yelled at her, so Isa barely conceded the point. “Well, it’s your fault, you know.” Sneaking another look from under all that cloth to peek at him, she continued to argue, “If you hadn’t yelled at me, I would have been perfectly fine.”

“Humph! You should not have been on that ladder in the first place. There are people in the hotel who can do that for you.” AJ tried to set Isa on her feet but she was still tangled up in the quilts and lost her balance again.

AJ caught her before she could fall and lifted her up in his arms. He looked around for a chair or a couch. Spying a love seat in a corner of the room, he walked over and placed her on it. Struggling to sit up and at the same time, remove all the material she was entangled in, Isa remarked, “If you’re going to yell at me, Admiral Chegwidden, I’d much rather be standing.” 

She tried to stand but the quilts were still caught in her legs. AJ reached an arm out to help her keep her balance. He could barely see her face.  Exasperated that she was on a ladder to begin with, and positive she’ll fall again or worse, trip him when she does fall, he scooped her up in his arms along with all the quilts and sat down with Isa on his lap. God, what a sweet little bundle this is, he thought.

A little unsure about finding herself on the Admiral’s lap, Isa began to squirm but the feel of the Admiral’s arms around her was really quite nice, slightly confining, but very nice. If she were in her right mind, she should be frightened of this man. But, strangely, she felt comforted and safe. She tried to remember the last time a man put his arms around her in such a firm but comforting way. Has a man ever done that? Yes, I think Cooky did - once or twice when I worked at the university cafeteria. But that was YEARS ago. And he was old enough to be my father. The Admiral is *not* old enough to be my father. He’s a gorgeous sexy man – bossy, arrogant, loud and stubborn as hell… but um, this is nice – *really* nice. 

AJ settled down on the love seat and lifted Isa so she was sitting squarely on his lap with the top of her head even with his shoulder. He started to untangle her from all that fabric when her head completely emerged from the cloth cocoon. Her hair was in her face and as she tried to blow it out of her eyes she gave him a tantalizing smile that made him momentarily forget that she almost broke her neck.  “I didn’t expect to see you until the night of the auction, Admiral. Pausing, she smiled up at him again and with a delightful twinkle in her eye, she teased him. “So, sailor, are you in the habit of rescuing damsels in distress? I mean, you are an Admiral, so that means you were a sailor at one time, weren’t you?” 

“I still am.” AJ couldn’t help but chuckle at the picture she presented. Then he remembered she put herself in that precarious position on the ladder in the first place and how alarmed he was that he wouldn’t catch her in time and she’d break her damn neck or worse. “Woman, have you no sense at all? I really should blister that bottom of yours, for being so damned reckless; that is, if I can find it in all of this cloth.”

“Admiral Chegwidden, you wouldn’t dare do such a thing!”

“I wouldn’t? So much for what you know.” he growled as he tried to get the quilts off of her and then attempted to turn her over so her backside was up and in his line of fire.

“Admiral, if you so much as lay a hand on me in such an improper way, I promise you will regret it.”

“I seem to remember you had your hands all over me” he teased her.

Blushing furiously now, Isa protested. “That was different. You were in pain and I, um, I… Admiral Chegwidden, you will not touch my bottom. I’m warning you. I promise you will regret it if you do and I always keep my promises!”

“Pretty bold declaration for someone wrapped up like a pretty package and caught up in my arms, wouldn’t you say?”

“Maybe, but I won’t always be caught up in your arms. That is, I mean, when I’m free, I’ll get even. Believe me, I do get even. Maybe not today, but eventually. You have my word on it.”

His eyebrows raised in his typical ‘Admiral’ look, AJ just stared at this brazen woman with utter amazement. “Are you challenging me? You are totally constrained by this cloth and my arms and you are really tempting fate, little lady. Don’t you know that Admirals are full of strategies and we *really* love challenges? What do you think you can possibly do to an Admiral who was a SeAL?”

“Oh, I don’t know, break a finger or two or three. Trust me; it won’t be the first time. And, I really *don’t* want to hurt you. I know you’re a former SeAL but I really don’t think that has anything to do with this particular situation. And, furthermore, I am not a ‘little’ lady. Is that understood Admiral Chegwidden?” 

The only person to use *that* tone of voice on the Judge Advocate General was the SecNav. AJ could barely believe his ears. As he raised his eyebrows at this unbelievable woman he was holding in his arms and her unbelievable statements, Isa continued. “But, frankly Admiral, I … I like your arms around me. It feels good. In fact, it feels more than good. I – I didn’t know it could – um - feel this good.”  She blushed deeply, “My God. In 2 minutes flat, I’ve turned into a damn hussy. What am I doing? Let go of me. Let me up,” she demanded, “Now!” 

Thoroughly enjoying her candor and her soft curves and the feel of her in his arms, AJ shook his head. “Not on your life. I have you right where I want you – constrained so you can’t fall off of anything.” AJ chuckled. “And, I’m enjoying this too much,” Way too much to let you go, he thought. “Now what did you mean, you didn’t know this could feel this good?” It does feel good. “I can’t believe I’m the first man to put his arms around you.”

“No, of course not.” Isa denied. 

“Well, explain yourself.” AJ said in his firm you’d-better-have-a-good-explanation-for-this tone of voice.

“It’s really none of your business and please don’t use your ‘senior officer to subordinate’ tone of voice on me. It will not work. It only makes me angry and trust me, you *do not* want to see me angry. I don’t work for you and frankly, *my* rank is higher than yours.”

“What the hell does that mean?

“It means Admiral, that you are *just* an Admiral. I am, after all, a civilian and as such, you actually work for me!

AJ felt his blood pressure rise and his face begin to feel red and warm as he digested one more of Isa’s audacious comments.  Then he just burst out laughing at the absurdity of what she said. Seeing his look of disbelief and hearing him laugh at her was just about all Isa’s temper could handle. It also didn’t help that she too, realized the absurdity of what she had said. She had gotten very brave since their first altercation when she had discovered that he was mostly very loud bark and no bite or so she thought. So she reached under the quilts, found his shirt, and pinched him as hard as she could. She got him in the soft area of his stomach just slightly below his navel and fortunately, nowhere near anything vital. 

AJ howled and caught her arms; “You are really pushing my buttons, ma’am.”

A furious Isa, “You ‘ma’am’ me one more time and I’ll do more than push your buttons, you, you, *thing* you.”

AJ couldn’t keep the wicked grin off his face. The worst she could call him was a THING? He was becoming more and more fascinated with this seemingly complex woman. He totally ignored her squirming attempt to leave his lap. When was the last time I had this much fun? he thought. She takes the worst I have to offer. In spite of her obvious fear, she gave me a terrific massage. My shoulder has never felt better. She brazenly stands up to me – talks back to me. Hell, she makes me laugh. Isa continued to squirm and even tried to pinch him again but AJ just hugged her a little tighter, held her even closer and then, as she seemed to calm somewhat, or maybe, just run out of steam, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Tell me more about you. Where are you from? Do you make a habit of climbing ladders? Why hasn’t some other man put his arms around you? Do you always make outrageous statements? Do you spend a lot of time pinching admirals? How did you get to be such an imp? I’m not letting you go until you start talking. So, you may as well start now.”

“You sure do ask a lot of nosy questions, Admiral. Why should I answer you? This isn’t a court of law you know.”

“True,” AJ agreed, “but at this particular moment, you are not in a position to argue. I have decided to take you prisoner. I’m holding you on my lap and locked in my arms. I’m the judge and jury. Now start talking woman.”

Eyes flashing, Isa glared at AJ. “Are you going to be a stubborn jackass about this Admiral?”

Grinning broadly, AJ corrected Isa. “Hmm, last time we met, you called me a stubborn goat. Now, I’m a stubborn jackass? For your information, madam, neither a goat nor a jackass is necessarily stubborn. It’s the mules that are stubborn. ”

“Welllll… if the shoe fits, Admiral Chegwidden!”

Trying to suppress his laughter at her audacity, AJ again sternly reminded her she was in no position to argue. He was in control. “Start talking woman!”

And if I don’t?” Isa continued to argue.

“Then you’ll be in contempt of court.” AJ warned. “And, you’ll be punished.”

“Punished? Sailor, you are one arrogant, egotistical…” AJ interrupted her tirade by moving a hand to the back of her neck and placing his lips on her mouth, he surprised both of them as he softly kissed her - and kissed her - and kissed her. 

Isa was dumbfounded. The feel of his arms around her – his mouth on her mouth – his lips moving against her own. Was that his tongue caressing my lips? she thought. I could die right now. This is pure heaven. 

AJ lifted his head to look at her face. This woman cannot possibly be an innocent and yet, kissing seemed slightly foreign to her. Maybe, she’s out of practice. Or, maybe not. Yes, that’s it. She just needs a little practice. 

Isa didn’t want AJ to stop kissing her. When he lifted his head to look at her, she looked him straight in the eye and demanded “More!” The Admiral happily complied.

The kissing continued very satisfactorily for both of them. AJ was a good teacher. Isa was a quick study. She alternated between putting her arms around his neck and stroking his face. She concentrated on his lips, only tentatively exploring his mouth. As she kissed him, her fingers gently caressed his neck, his temples, his cheeks, and his jawbone. At one point, she placed her palm on his chest but then quickly moved back to his face. 

As much as he wanted to touch her, AJ had a feeling his hands shouldn’t try any exploration. He kept one hand moving between her face and neck and the other lightly rubbing her back and shoulders. She felt incredibly soft against his chest and it dawned on him that he could not feel her bra strap on her back. There’s an interesting puzzle, he thought. Gently and slowly moving his hand up and down and across her back, he wondered if the rest of her underclothing was absent as well. The first time he met her, and again today, she was wearing a long sweater and long full skirt, and what looked like black tights. He couldn’t tell exactly what her figure was like but she was on the slender side and oh, so incredibly soft in his arms. And if I keep thinking about what she isn’t wearing, my hands and all my other parts won’t give a damn what my brain is thinking! 

Isa was in seventh heaven. This hugging and kissing business was very nice. True, she’d been in this position before – but not willingly. Then, she had been forced; and another time, it had been just a big nothing; but this! This was wonderful; now, she was a willing and eager participant. He must be wondering why I seem to lack a degree of sophistication in this sort of thing, she thought. He probably thinks a woman my age would have more experience with a man. The Admiral doesn’t act like he minds. He hasn’t stopped kissing me. Umm, I like this very much. I could get used to this. Wait a minute. Maybe, this is a little too fast. Weren’t we just arguing? What was it we were arguing about? I can’t remember.

Kissing AJ and being kissed by him was making Isa feel a little like she was walking on air. She was torn between stopping this delightful activity and keeping his arms around her until … she didn’t know when. Even though she knows ‘anything’ goes today, she has a little of the old-fashioned girl in her and worried that she was acting like …what? A tramp? What did Sister Kathryn call a lady of the evening? A tart? No. A person of low moral character. Is that what she would call me? Is that what he thinks? “Umm, AJ,” she broke off the kiss and looked at him. This is wonderful punishment for … I forget what for, but I’m starting to run out of breath and frankly,” she ducked her head slightly as she continued, “I’m not sure … umm … I mean, I’m not used to…”

“We’re moving a little too fast? AJ asked with a gentle smile. Relying on his instincts, he correctly surmised that Isa was not a thoroughly ‘modern’ lady. And surprisingly, he didn’t mind at all. He knows all about experienced women. Isa is a refreshing change. He’d like to take her to his bed this very minute and show her everything she’s missed – and more. For now, he was willing to wait – but not *too* long.

1800 Hours
Woodland Park Hotel
Restaurant 

Reluctantly deciding to move at a slower pace but determined to keep her company this evening, AJ invited Isa to an early dinner with him. As they were being seated in the hotel’s restaurant, he heard a voice behind him that he knew and disliked only too well. “Good evening, Admiral. I see you and Dr. Sterling are well acquainted. Here for a bite to eat?  The salmon’s particularly good.

Dr. Sterling? AJ digested that little bit of information and turned to confront Special Agent Clayton Webb, a fellow who was extraordinarily easy to hate but very difficult to ignore. Accompanied by Isa, the Admiral tried to keep a civil tongue. “Good evening, Webb. I gather you and Dr. Sterling are acquainted as well?”

Smiling at Isa and placing a chivalrous kiss on her hand, Webb looked at her and wryly noted they had met on two separate occasions at the SecNav’s social functions. “Of course, she didn’t give me the time of day on either occasion. I can’t imagine what she sees in you, AJ.”

Webb’s comments restored AJ’s good mood. “She simply has good taste, Webb.”

As Clayton Webb left Isa and AJ to their dinner, he wondered how they met. I wonder if this is the handiwork of Maddy Nelson, the born matchmaker? I can’t imagine any other way these two got together. Now, I’m even more interested in this sweet lady. Well, can’t let the curiosity kill me. I’ll simply have to find out more about this lovely woman. It’s times like these I am *so* glad to have such wonderful resources to call upon. Smiling broadly, he exited the hotel. 

The next day  - 0800 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

AJ called Lt. Roberts into his office to give him a very private assignment. “Shut the door Lieutenant. At ease. Tell the Commander and the Colonel that I need you today and probably, for a few days. I have a confidential assignment for you. Do you understand Lieutenant? No one, I mean no one - not Lieutenant Sims, not Commander Rabb, not Colonel MacKenzie - no one is to know what you are doing for me. No one is to see your computer screen. No one is to read or see any memos, faxes or other transmissions, documents, or photos. They are for my eyes-only.” 

“Understood, sir.” Agreed a very curious Lieutenant. 

“And, when the assignment is complete, you are to forget it entirely.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Good. Here’s what I want you to do. I am co-hosting the Navy Foundation’s annual fundraiser with a civilian woman who the SecNav chose to participate with me. Her name is Isa Sterling. Dr. Isa Sterling. That’s I – S – A. Pronounced like ‘Lisa’ but no ‘L.’ I want to know everything there is to know about her.” 

“Everything, sir?” Bud squeaked.

“Everything, Lieutenant. Is that a problem?

“Uh, no sir, of course not sir.”

“Good. Now, let me elaborate,” AJ explained. “Find out where she was born, when she was born, where she lived, every last detail. Where did she go to school? What kind of grades did she make? Was she ever in any trouble? Where has she worked? Has she always lived in this area? See if there any references to family, friends whatever.” If that mouth of hers is any indication, she was probably a king-sized troublemaker in school, he grinned and mumbled to himself. “When did she graduate from college? What has she been doing all of her life?” And, how come it took this long for me to meet her? AJ, you dolt. You could have met her weeks ago. “Check the Department of Motor Vehicles, social security, IRS records, realty information, and medical records, whatever you can find.” 

“Yes, sir, I’ll get right on it. Uh, do you want the information as I get it or should I make a file for you and give you what I have at the end of the day?”

“Mr. Roberts, you will give me anything significant as you unearth it and everything else at the end of the day. And, keep a ‘sealed file’ in your locked desk. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir. Right away sir.”

“All right, Mr. Roberts, you have your assignment. Dismissed.”

“Aye, aye sir.”

Meanwhile, unbeknown to the Admiral and to Bud, a very curious Clayton Webb was sitting at his desk at CIA headquarters trying to unearth the very same information. Of course, his resources proved to be considerably broader than Bud’s.

1500 Hours
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Admiral Chegwidden asked Tiner to bring him the file on Isa Sterling. “The file, sir?

“It’s an easy request, Tiner. Just get me the file or whatever you have on Dr. Sterling. You do have some information on her, don’t you? Like her address and phone number?”

“Oh, that information, of course sir,” Tiner stammered.

“What’s going on here Tiner? What other kind of information would you have on the woman?” AJ assumed his “admiral” look. Tiner was looking even more nervous.

“Uh, nothing sir, nothing at all. It’s just that all I have is an entry in the rolodex. No file or anything. I’ll … uh … check your appointment calendar for the last few weeks and see if there are any other notes of interest.”

“And?” AJ prompted him; convinced Tiner was hiding something.

“And, uh, I’ll check with the Colonel and Commander Rabb to see if they have anything.” Tiner couldn’t exit the admiral’s office fast enough. Man, oh man, he thought. I should never have made those notes. What the hell was I thinking?

Curious as to what Tiner could know that he hasn’t shared with him, AJ looked over his own appointment calendar. He saw Isa’s phone number next to the comment line on the date he sent Mac and Harm to her house in his place. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe, I’ll just look at Tiner’s copy of my appointment calendar. Perhaps, it will be more enlightening. Tiner wasn’t at his desk when AJ opened his door so he took the appointment calendar into his own office to compare notes. “What’s this? The admiral was not pleased. On Tiner’s copy, he saw Isa’s phone number and address and Tiner’s comments as well. He read ‘Admiral chickens out a 2nd time. Sends in the Marine(s) (and Rabb)’ Flipping back a few pages, he found Tiner’s commentary on the first cancelled date and then the SecNav’s visit. “Admiral/Old lady tet a tet. Admiral can’t cut the mustard.’ And ‘SecNav chews AJ’s ass.’ Checking the date of his meeting with Isa at the hotel, AJ read ‘2 stars takes on old lady’ and then, ‘2 stars returns with smile. There is a God!’ “Tiner! Get in here, now!” 

The very displeased admiral did not put Tiner on bread and water but whatever the punishment was, Tiner clearly understood that any and all information related to the Admiral – to Isa Sterling – to the Admiral *and* Isa Sterling - was clearly none of Tiner’s business. Had the Admiral roared at him at the top of his lungs, Tiner would have taken the wave of wrath and then breathed easier. Unfortunately, the Admiral spoke to Tiner in a calm and soothing voice – the sort of tone a warrior uses when he holds a knife across your jugular. The Admiral has never been this angry at Tiner before and the petrified yeoman is hoping he hasn’t disgraced himself by soiling his clothes.

Standing at his window after Tiner crawled out of his office, AJ stared into his past. His success with women has not won him any medals. Sure, he’s had any number of liaisons. He likes women. He enjoys their company and his sex drive is certainly the same as any other normal man. The past ‘permanent’ relationships he has had ended badly - one in divorce, the other in death. Don’t go there AJ, he chided himself. What’s done is done. Don’t look back. Think about now. When I do escort a woman somewhere, more often than not, I’m usually anxious to end the evening. It’s not that they’re not beautiful or intelligent. They generally had to have one or both of these qualities to initially attract his attention. But, unfailingly, they either talk too much or are too worldly and jaded or too silly or too damn pushy. Those who share a bed with me are pretty skilled which is very nice, but lately, something’s missing. Not that I’ve been sharing that many beds this past year or so. Face it, AJ, how many women have you sought out a second time?  I would like to see Isa Sterling again. That much I know. 

1900 Hours 
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

Isa was dressed and ready for the Admiral’s arrival. Even though they had dined together at the hotel several days ago, she hadn’t really expected to hear from him so soon. He wanted to have dinner with her the next night but was called out of town for a few days on a JAG case that needed his attention. He returned last night and asked her out to dinner for this evening. When she opened the door to AJ’s knock, she was taken aback at seeing him in civilian clothing. “Admiral, you’re out of uniform!” 

“I see your eyes are still in focus, ma’am. I mean Isa.” AJ corrected himself. “I hope you still want to have dinner with me when I’m not in admiral mode.”

Realizing that he was teasing her, Isa decided to circle him as if he were standing for inspection. “Hmm, let me see.” She looked him up and down and pronounced “Nice jacket, nice shirt and tie, and um, nice everything else.” Looking up at him and starting to blush, she lightly touched him on the chin. “I don’t see your stars, but I do recognize the rest of you – so to speak – so I guess it really is you. Hello, sailor.”

Deciding it is now his turn to inspect her, AJ put his hand on Isa’s shoulder and looking her up and down, turned her around and around. She was wearing a dark gray long-sleeved turtleneck dress that came to just above her ankles. It wasn’t form fitting, but definitely showed off her slender frame. And, he noticed it had an interesting slit that ended just above her knee. Nice legs, Chegwidden. Very nice.

“Do I pass muster, sir?” 

“Uh huh” was all the normally articulate admiral could manage. 

Laughing at his expression, Isa reached into the front hall closet for her jacket. Handing it to him to help her slip it on, AJ put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around again. “What is it AJ?” she asked.

“It’s you,” he admitted. “And your jacket. It is stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it. Did you make it? Of course you did. You are really very talented, aren’t you?”

The jacket in question was a kind of ‘crazy quilt pattern.’ Made up of various shades of purples and blues, cut and sewn into irregular shapes and stitched in iridescent silver and gray threads, it was a piece of ‘wearable art.’ “Why Admiral Chegwidden, thank you. That’s one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever had. The jacket is a favorite of mine but not my best work. You, on the other hand, hmm. I’m sure *you* are your momma’s best work!”

Chuckling as they left the house, AJ couldn’t help but think she’s doing it again. She’s making me laugh. 

1930 Hours 
Charlie’s Steak House
McLean, Virginia

Harry, the headwaiter at Charlie’s couldn’t have been more surprised when he saw AJ and Isa come through the front door. He knew both of them well but had never seen them together. It was a toss-up as to who was more surprised – Isa or AJ when he addressed each of them by name. Isa looked at AJ in surprise. “I see you’ve been to Charlie’s more than once.”

“Two or three times a month, for dinner. And you?”

“Two or three times a month, for lunch,” she laughed. “And this is where your lunch was catered the first time you stood me up.”

“If I had known I was going to have steak for lunch, I’m sure I would have shown up,” he teased her. 

“To quote a sailor I know, watch it mister; you’re starting to push my buttons.”

Oh yes, he mentally agreed. I would definitely like to push your buttons and touch all of them and kiss all of them and God! time enough later for wishful thinking, AJ. Try not to get her angry with you. Stop and think before engaging your mouth.

After they were seated, Harry approached their table and asked, “The usual, Ms. Sterling?” Isa nodded. “The usual, Admiral?” AJ nodded.

He soon returned with a glass of port for AJ and a glass of white Zinfandel for Isa. This was followed by a platter of cold shrimp and cocktail sauce  – a very large platter of shrimp. Eyes lighting up as one of her favorite foods was served, Isa looked at AJ and exclaimed, “Yum!” Lifting her glass, she offered a toast. “To good food, good company, and … ”

“A good night kiss – later?” AJ teased as he touched her glass.

“Time to eat, Admiral.”

They feasted – AJ on the largest steak Isa had ever seen, accompanied by warm hot rolls, a salad and a baked potato and Isa simply on filet mignon. AJ, observing that Isa has only eaten shrimp cocktail and was currently devouring a small steak, wryly commented on her diet. “I’m glad you’re eating a lot of protein, Isa. Is this your normal dinner menu?”

“I’m eating two of my favorite foods AJ. My mouth is filled with the most glorious taste sensations. I don’t want to be distracted from my objective.”

God help me, AJ groaned to himself. Does the woman have any idea how sensuous that sounds? Looking at her, he thought about what he’d like to fill his mouth with. Don’t go there AJ, Concentrate on the food. Attempting to keep his hands accurately aiming food toward his mouth AND his legs crossed, the Navy’s Judge Advocate General was making a commendable effort at keeping his mind focused on dinner conversation. “I still don’t know a lot about you Isa. But from what little I do know, I’ll bet you were quite a handful as a child. Enlighten me.”

Glancing up at his beautiful smile, Isa paused to look at him for a moment and just enjoy what she was seeing. With an impish grin, she turned the focus of their conversation on him.  “I already know all about me, AJ. That’s old hat. I want to hear about you.” 

“I asked you first.”

“Do you ever want another body massage from me Admiral Chegwidden?” At his immediate nod, she laughed. “Start talking mister.”

“Woman, I’ll have you know that is calculated and pre-meditated bribery!”

“Yes, and so effective too!’ They both stopped eating long enough to enjoy each other’s laughter. Isa seemed to be memorizing the Admiral’s killer smile. AJ seemed to be caught in the impish twinkle in Isa’s eyes. “Now,” she persisted. “Tell me about the young AJ – the little boy you were Admiral. Did you ‘punish’ all the girls in junior high the way you punished me?” Were you giving orders when you were barely out of short pants? Did you steal candy from the grocery store, run with a wild crowd, and drive your mother crazy? Or, were you an altar boy who ate all his vegetables, played ball, made his mother proud and went to summer camp?”

AJ smiled at Isa. She had barely taken a breath and had asked personal and private questions. She would make a good attorney – hammering away at a witness but not quite badgering, he thought. He looked thoughtfully at her while he carefully worded his answers. She was patient, waiting for his reply. “I admit my hormones were raging when I was in junior high but except for a little experimentation I didn’t *severely* punish any girls until high school. I did steal money once out of my father’s dresser drawer, but got whipped pretty hard so I didn’t do that a second time. I was never an altar boy and I eat most vegetables. I was probably a typical little boy.” Then, giving her a quick wink, “I do know I liked to tease little girls who asked a lot of questions… Now, what about you?”

He hadn’t answered all her questions but it was a good start Isa thought. “Well, to answer the questions I asked you,” she paused to think for a moment, “the answers are: no, no, yes, sort of, maybe, no, no, no, no, and no. Ok, my turn!”

Laughing, AJ put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed it warmly. “ I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone quite like you. I’m not sure what you’re going to say next. Are you always like this?”

“Like what? Honest? Actually, words seem to jump out of my mouth like little green frogs. I hear them about the same time everyone else does. It can be embarrassing. It’s that or I just keep my mouth shut. I spent a lot of years doing just that – keeping my mouth shut - and I guess now that I don’t have to, I’m just – I don’t know – I feel free to say what’s on my mind. I promise I won’t embarrass you at the Navy auction. I really can behave properly.”

“I like you just the way you are. Please don’t change.”

“But you wouldn’t want any of your officers to talk that way to you, would you?”

“They know better, but if they really felt they had to talk to me that way, they would soon find themselves cleaning latrines on any and all supply ships until the end of time.”

“It’s utterly amazing how the admiral in you pops up with absolutely no warning at all. Is that tone of voice one you have cultivated or did you have it as a child?” Sitting up straighter and folding both arms across her chest, Isa looked sternly at AJ and did a fair imitation. “Did it go something like this? Mother, I will not, I repeat, I will *not* eat Brussels sprouts and the garage is as clean as it gets. I won’t sweep it again! Is that understood?” And, in her normal voice, “Well? How’d I do?”

AJ almost failed in his attempt to suppress his laughter and he gave her the stern look he thought she deserved for this blatant act of disrespect. But he just couldn’t keep his facial expression stern. He was practically choking because he was laughing so hard. No one has ever had the nerve to tease him like this. No one has ever been so impudent. I could just shake her, he thinks. Or… kiss her. She’s absolutely adorable. “Woman, do you have any idea what kind of punishment that deserves?”

Isa raised her eyebrows at his comment and shyly smiling, suggested, “Shall we signal Harry we’re going to skip dessert?”

The next day - 0800 Hours
JAG Headquarters
McLean, Virginia

“Lieutenant Roberts to see you, sir,” Tiner announced as he buzzed the Admiral’s office. 

“Tell him to come in, Tiner. Enter!” he barked as Bud knocked before opening the door.

“Admiral Chegwidden, sir.” Bud began. “You went out of town before I could give you any information … uh, you know the assignment you gave me, sir? And, uh, then I took a sick day yesterday, and uh…” 

Patiently waiting for Bud to get all the words out, AJ again wondered why the young man always seemed so nervous around him. Whatever. “I know the assignment you are referring to, Mr. Roberts. Do you have anything for me? And, please take a breath before you pass out.”

“Yes, sir,” Bud took a deep breath as ordered. “Here you are sir; these are just preliminary findings; I am waiting for some information to come through from my various requests. There should be a lot more detail later – tomorrow or maybe in a few days. Do you want me to help the Colonel or the Commander on their cases while I’m waiting or um…”

“No, I want you to continue to research this project. That will be all.” Informing Tiner that he did not wish to be disturbed, AJ sat back in his big leather chair, lifted his coffee cup and started to peruse the file Bud has just handed him. Bud had worked chronologically backwards so the very current status of Isa Sterling’s life was presented first. Isa owns the house she lives in, coincidentally, just three miles from his own. She has lived there for four years. So close, yet so far away he mused. The mortgage, utilities and real estate taxes have always been paid on time. Thank you Mr. Roberts – now that’s definitely pertinent information, AJ sarcastically commented to himself. On that note, he sees that a credit report is included in the file and she’s always paid the rest of her bills on time as well. Well, she’s a good credit risk. I’ll keep that in mind if she ever asks me for a loan. What else?

She was well known in the D.C. area and in neighboring community galleries that specialize in art quilts and other unusual art items and she has shown her own work at several of them. She received several apparently prestigious awards for her artistic skills. I knew she was talented; now tell me what makes her tick. Turning a page, he saw some interesting facts. Ahh, here we go. Ph.D. from NYU, MA from Northwestern and BA from U. of Florida. Also, course work from University of North Carolina, Berea College in Kentucky, Western Michigan at Kalamazoo and Univ. of Washington in Seattle. Hmm, she sure made her way around the country. I have a feeling this is not in any order. Another mystery to solve. Ok, now I know she’s well educated in addition to being talented. Anything else?

What the hell is this? Isa’s birthday was listed as September 4, 1956 and 1958 and 1960 and 1962? Which would make her 38 or 40 or 42 or 44 years old. Or will be one of those ages this September. Perfect for me but it’s going to be hell to figure out when she tries to collect social security. “Tiner, I need Lt. Roberts ASAP!”

Bud was expecting the admiral to call him at any moment, which is why he had been hovering just outside the door. When he heard Tiner answer the admiral’s call, he knocked immediately. “Enter! Close the door. Now sit, Mr. Roberts and explain this little entry to me. Isa Sterling was born in four different years or there are four different Isa Sterling’s?"

“Well sir,” Bud began. “As you can see, the file is on the thin side.” At AJ’s encouraging nod, Bud continued. “Except for Dr. Sterling’s residence, and credit report and transcripts, I couldn’t find much of anything else in her name. The credit report was easy because she would have had to establish credit in her name. Since she has ‘the title of ‘Dr’ in front of her name, I checked the local universities to see if she was on staff. She’s an adjunct instructor at two of them and she would have had to submit her transcripts to be on staff.  There’s not much available before her college records. Not anything, actually. So, I searched her name though all of our various people databases, including the military. I couldn’t find any real birth information and thought that she might have changed her name at one time or another. Isa could be short for Isabel or Isabella, so I checked all of those possibilities. There were no Isabel or Isabella Sterling’s listed. And, I did check all the possible spellings of those names. Next, I checked just the ‘Isa’ entries and got thousands. I eliminated ‘Isabella’ and then narrowed it again to ‘Isabel’ and then just plain Isa.”

“Take a breath or two Mr. Roberts.”

“Yes sir,” Bud inhaled for several seconds before continuing his recitation. “Anyway, the list of ‘Isa’s was considerably smaller – only in the hundreds. I requested birth information and eliminated all of those from 1950 and earlier and all of those from 1970 and later. That left a manageable number. I was able to trace most of them through their birth records to their high school and college records and eliminated the majority of them. That left just a handful of ‘whereabouts unknown.’ The rest were Isa Sterling, Isa Silver, and two by the name of Isa Gold. Don’t you see sir?” Bud was getting excited at his deductive reasoning. “All the last names are precious metals – sterling, silver and gold. If Dr. Sterling wanted to change her name or someone changed it for her, well, um, I mean it seemed to make sense when I first noticed the similarity in the names. Anyway, I think it’s an interesting coincidence that the birth years are in sequence and all were in Chicago. Don’t you think there’s some common ground here, sir?”

“You may be onto something Mr. Roberts, but where does that leave you?”

“Uh, well sir, since Dr. Sterling went to school in a lot of places, I’m searching for information in those states first. I’m initially concentrating on Cook County, Chicago, for school records on all those names and also from the Illinois State Department of Education. She would have had to submit her high school records to enter college and most likely, she had to take the SAT to get into college. And, uh those high school records should have records from wherever she went to school before that and where she lived and who her family was. And, I’ve asked for copies of Cook County phone book pages for those years with Sterling, Silver and Gold names and will try that angle. Then, there’s the possibility Dr. Sterling was adopted or maybe her family was on welfare – though probably not, considering the extent of her education, and also if she received any scholarships. I’ve made any number of requests for information and that is a lot of information and I’m still waiting for it sir, and um, I’ll let you know when I have more.” Bud stopped his lengthy speech to breathe again. 

I wonder how long he can talk without breathing regularly, AJ thought. I’ll have to test it some time.

“Oh, and uh, I did request medical records. But without confirmation of her name, I still haven’t been able to secure that data. But I’m still working on it sir.”

“All right Mr. Roberts. You’re doing a good job of investigative work. Please keep me informed. That will be all for now. Dismissed.”

After Bud left his office, AJ thought back over his conversations with Isa, trying to come up with some clues. Reviewing the sparse file in front of him, he wondered if Bud really was onto something. All the Isa’s listed do have last names that are precious metals; all were born in Chicago from 1956 to 1962. AJ had a case of fraud once where the recipient of a large insurance claim had changed his birth date by two years in order to qualify for the cash award. He went by the name of Jon Gray. Then, he changed his birth date again and his name became Jon Black. At the time AJ prosecuted him, he was trying to receive benefits from the Navy in both names. Gray and Black – two colors. His birthplace was the same both times with birth dates two years apart. Hmm, it’s possible Bud was onto something. I wonder if the lady in question is willing to dine with me again?

The next morning - 0615 Hours
Near Bryan Ranch Road
McLean, Virginia

Knowing that Isa’s house was located about three miles from his own, AJ decided to detour from his usual jogging route and run by her place. He wasn’t going to knock on her door at this ungodly hour but it wouldn’t hurt to be aware of what her neighborhood looked like – maybe get a little familiar with it. Who are you kidding Chegwidden? You just want to know everything about her. Have you figured out why, yet? She makes me laugh he told the voice in his head. I like her company. There’s something about her…. Now, that’s an argument that should sway the jury, the voice replied sarcastically. She thinks I’m beautiful? How’s that for an argument? Better clean your mirrors oh beautiful one. You’re just one more old bald guy with a nastier than normal disposition. Maybe not, he argued back.

AJ slowed down a little as he approached Isa’s neighborhood. Then he spotted a shoelace that needed retying so he stooped down to take care of it. When he finished retying the lace, his eyes swept the street ahead of him and watched as two shapely legs, clad in spandex, swiftly approached him. Raising his eyes upwards as he stood, he was very pleased to see that the upper half of Isa Sterling’s anatomy, clad in a tank top, was also quite shapely. By God, did I conjure her up or is she really here?

Surprised to see AJ and so early in the morning, Isa just stared at that beautiful face for a moment. Then smiling, she reached up to place a hand on his shoulder. “Am I still in bed and dreaming Admiral or is it really you?”

Don’t say it AJ, Don’t even think about using the word ‘bed.’ Just say something. “Uh, good morning. What are you doing up so early?” Brilliant squid; just brilliant.

“I woke up a couple of hours ago – couldn’t sleep. I thought a brisk morning walk would do me some good. Have far did you jog this morning? Do you live near here?” Not getting a response from AJ, Isa looked at him closely. “Will you have enough energy to get home? I could drive you back if you’d like. Why are you staring at me, AJ? Does your shoulder hurt?” Then in an exasperated voice, “Cat got your tongue Admiral?”

A bemused AJ finally came back to earth. “I’m sorry sweetheart. I was just thinking of you and there you were. It caught me off-balance.”

“You were thinking of me? I’m flattered Admiral. Now, can I drive you home?”

Knowing full well he was quite capable of jogging the three short miles to his house, AJ grinned at her and thought, why not? “I’d like that. Sure it won’t be any trouble?”

“No trouble at all.” They walked back to her house and got into a small black Toyota that reminded AJ of another car he thought he knew, but couldn’t quite put his finger on the memory. The ride to his house was all too brief but long enough for AJ’s memory to return. He discovered that a seatbelt was a necessity if Isa was driving. And he discovered that you actually can hold your breath for the better part of three miles. He observed that Isa didn’t generally use turn signals and that she tended to substitute the horn for the brakes. Must have learned to drive in New York City. Also, she didn’t jog but she did a lot of aerobic walking. That could occasionally work for me, he thought. That is, provided I live long enough to have the good sense not to ever be a passenger if she’s driving. Before he said goodbye he invited her for dinner once again. 

Two days later - 1900 Hours 
Callisto’s Restaurant 
Washington, D.C.

Having discovered that three of Isa’s favorite foods were shrimp cocktail, filet mignon and New York cheesecake, AJ decided to test her taste buds on the fine fare served at his favorite northern Italian restaurant. “How do you feel about calamari?” he asked. “I like it deep-fried myself although eating it steamed has its merits.”

“Are you asking me if I like squid, AJ? Or, are you making a political statement?” Waiting for him to stop chuckling at her and lose that silly grin, Isa took it one step further. “I suppose it would be good with a nice heady pesto sauce or if you froze the rings you could always use them for horseshoes or maybe…” Laughing at the expression on his face, Isa lightly touched his sleeve. “Yes, I thoroughly enjoy teasing you. You are so very easily teased. I have never tried calamari so I really don’t know if I like it or not. Can I have a bite of yours?” 

Pleased that she’s willing to sample one of his favorite dishes, AJ was ready to see what else she liked. He’s having a heavy pasta dish and antipasto on the side. Isa chose antipasto for her main course and a side dish of risotto with veal. Good choice, AJ thought. The lady doesn’t eat a lot but she eats well. Enjoying the food and the company, AJ decided to delve a little further into the person that is known as Isa Sterling. “Where were you born, Isa? I can’t place your accent.”

A very private person and an absolute pro’ at keeping people on ‘a needs to know’ basis, Isa told him she was born in Chicago. “I’ve lived in several places AJ. I don’t really have an accent at all. You, on the other hand, spent a lot of your childhood in Texas, right?” 

“That’s true, but I didn’t think my accent was that remarkable. How did you guess? It was a guess, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm, not really. One doesn’t need a course in linguistics to recognize that drawl of yours.”  Then, murmuring to herself, “and your accent is a lot more definitive at certain times.”

“It is? At what times?” 

Isa’s eyes widened slightly. “Did I say that last part out loud?”

“You did and I’m waiting to hear when, exactly, my accent is more definitive. Well?”

Isa played with her food and then abruptly changed the subject. “Did you spend a lot of time overseas AJ?”

AJ put his fork down and looked sternly at her. “Isa, answer my question.” he demanded.

“You know you’re awfully cute when you get in ‘commanding officer’ mode. You’re so used to having your own way all the time. I can’t imagine why you put up with me.”

“First of all, Admirals are not cute. They have a commanding presence. Second, I don’t always get my own way, and… answer my question, woman. I want to know when my accent is heavier.”

“Is that a direct order or a request?” Because if it’s a direct order and I don’t comply, I guess my punishment will be what? Banned to cleaning latrines on supply ships in Outer Mongolia?”

AJ found himself laughing again. “There are no supply ships in Outer Mongolia.” 

“Whew! That’s a relief. “Hmm, then if it’s a request, I think I know what the punishment is, so eat your dinner, Admiral. I’ll think about the enjoyable consequences of my actions.”

“Since you obviously have no objection to the punishment you’ve suffered from me in the past, I may have to think of another one, just for you. That ought to get your mind thinking and worrying, young lady.”

Giggling, Isa tried not to choke on her own dinner. “Admiral, you amaze me. You have enjoyed my so-called punishments as much as I have. I can’t imagine you would dream up something that wouldn’t be… um…?” 

“Pleasurable?”

“Eat your dinner, AJ. I’ll answer your question later.”

Content that victory was in sight, AJ continued probing Isa about her life. He was skilled at getting information he wants but was finding Isa to be equally skilled at evading specific questions and so far, her answers have left him more and more curious. She constantly turned the tables on him, getting him to do most of the talking. He told her a story about a baseball game he played in when he was quite young and how thrilled he was that both his parents showed up to watch him play. It was one of his happiest childhood memories. “They were in the stands, cheering me on. By simply showing up, I knew they were proud of me and that they loved me. It was a wonderful feeling. Now, tell me. Who loved you when you were a child?”

Caught off-guard, Isa answered honestly. “No one.” 

“No one? Surely, your parents loved you.” AJ insisted.

“I never knew my parents, AJ.” Speaking very slowly, she looked at her plate as if the rest of the words she was going to say were written there. “I was raised in foster care… so to speak.”

So to speak? Desperate to know what she meant but respectful that her whole demeanor has dramatically changed, AJ apologized. “I beg your pardon Isa. It’s not any of my business.”

Hiding her memories behind a cheerful expression, Isa looked up at this man whose questions and curiosity have unwittingly opened old wounds. “It’s Ok, AJ. And, it’s pretty cut and dry. I was in an orphanage and in foster care – a number of placements – and back to the orphanage – and finally, to the streets. When I finished high school, I worked my way through college. End of story.”

AJ didn’t think that was the end of the story at all. It was probably just the beginning, but he let it go. There would be other times and other places and he wasn’t going anywhere. For now, he was content just to spend time with this bright complex woman and oh, so funny and witty - a woman he was becoming very fond of – considering he had only known her a short time. 

After AJ drove her home, Isa invited him in for coffee. Sitting on the couch and sipping his hot drink, the conversation turned to AJ’s ‘Texas accent.’ Putting his cup down, he gently gathered her into his arms. Placing light kisses on her face and neck, he asked, “Well, young lady, about my accent and when it gets heavier. Did you have something to say to me?”

Happy to be snuggled in his embrace, Isa blushed, “It’s heavier when we’re talking *and* kissing, Admiral. Much heavier.” And, she was right. As he kissed her and whispered in her ear, he realized his accent was heavier. Pleased to feel her more at ease in his arms, AJ attempted to move their relationship a little further along. The more he kissed her the more aroused he was becoming and now, breathing a little heavier, he started exploring her delightful curves. Seeing that Isa was not offering any resistance, AJ pressed forward toward his goal. Placing one hand on her back and the other on her breast, he realized once again that Isa was not wearing a bra. Wonderful! He thought. He continued to fondle her soft curves and moved his lips across her mouth and then started gently sucking her earlobe. Isa was pleasantly startled but enjoying these new sensations. “I’m not going to hurt you sweetheart… let me touch you. You’re so soft and sweet. I want to kiss all of you – every single inch.” His voice was getting huskier by the second and not surprisingly, his accent was getting even heavier…

Isa had not been with a man in many years. The details are hers alone and she doesn’t share this bit of information with AJ. He had sensed her lack of experience and was moving slowly so as not to alarm her in any way. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her or hurt her and he doesn’t want to jeopardize what has already transpired between them. Isa felt surprisingly safe with this man. He’s powerful and certainly, he’s stronger than she is. But he’s also extraordinarily gentle with her. She knows she’d like to share a little more intimacy with him. And the sensations AJ was causing in her body were indescribable. AJ was feeling some pretty indescribable sensations himself. Isa mimicked AJ’s moves. Whatever he did to her, she was doing to him. Moving his hands under her sweater, AJ started to pull it over her head so he could get closer to those magnificent breasts. Isa was trying to unbutton AJ’s shirt so she could get closer to *that* magnificent chest. But, somewhere in the background, a phone was ringing. “Don’t answer it, Isa. Let the damn thing ring.”

“It’s not mine, AJ. Do you have a cell phone in your jacket?”

“Hell and damnation,” AJ swore. He straightened up and reached for the cursed instrument. “Chegwidden!” He practically shouted and then paused to listen. “Yes, Mr. Secretary. I understand. I’m on my way.” 

“Isa, sweetheart. I don’t know what to say. The SecNav… I have to get to JAG headquarters.”

“AJ, don’t explain. I understand. There will be another time. Go. Drive carefully, be safe.” She reached up to kiss him good night but AJ was more frustrated than ever. He crushed her to him and kissed her as if there were no more tomorrows. 

Three days later - 1800 Hours 
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.

AJ settled down in an aisle seat on the last row. Except for an occasional speaking engagement at the Naval Academy, he hasn’t been in a college classroom in some time – certainly, not on the listening end. He had finally finished submitting the reports on the last ‘urgent’ assignment from the SecNav and this was his first opportunity to spend any time with Isa since their last aborted date. When he called her to ask her out for dinner, she told him she was already scheduled to speak to a class and would he like to join her. His choices were either to attend this lecture with her or wait one more night before he could see her again. He wasn’t willing to wait. 

Isa was at the front of the classroom loading slides into a projector for her lecture. Several of the students were mingling around her, all seeming to try to talk to her at once. She was obviously well known in this arena and from the look of her, was quite comfortable with it. Finally, she encouraged everyone to take a seat. Making her introductory remarks, her eyes swept the filled classroom very slowly. It seemed as if she looked each of them in the eye. Smiling at all the faces looking back at her, she began. AJ knew in his gut that she would be good and she was. She had everyone’s attention for the full 90-minute class, including his. She was articulate, funny, witty and a superb teacher. She encouraged their comments and led them from one level of curiosity to another. Her slides were representations of her own work and the work of other fine quilt artists. AJ couldn’t help but think what a fine courtroom lawyer she would have been. After the class, she had to excuse herself or the students would have lingered forever. 

Walking through the parking lot on their way to his car, AJ was telling Isa how much he enjoyed her talk. “Not only did I learn a little more about what you do, I learned a little more about you. I knew you were a successful quilt artist, I didn’t know you could mesmerize a crowd and have them eating out of your hand. In fact, had I known, I would have…” Just then, two men jumped AJ. One man grabbed him around the neck while the second one threatened him with an ugly looking knife. At the very same instant, two other men were all over Isa. One chose to stand by and watch while his partner also grabbed Isa around the neck. “Don’t move bitch or I’ll snap your neck in two.” Isa’s instincts took over. When the man had grabbed her, she went completely weak and let him support her weight. When he leaned down to lower her to the ground, Isa grabbed the arm that was around her neck and pulled – hard. He lost his balance and fell heavily on his right side. She immediately straightened and kicked him in the back, aiming for his kidney and then swiftly kicked him hard right in the back of the groin. 

Instantly, the other man charged, but he tripped over his partner who was momentarily prone on the ground. As he went down, Isa chopped the bridge of his nose with the side of her hand. As he rose cursing, she quickly punched him in the gut and with her fist, she punched him hard in the groin once and then again. He bent over holding his nose and his groin, and remembering to “hit ‘em while they’re down” she kicked him in the butt. He landed face down on top of his partner.  She jumped on his back and grabbing one of his hands, bent the fingers backward until she heard a satisfying snap. Pushing her luck, she kicked the first guy in the head trying to insure sustained damage. As she proceeded to kick him one more time, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. Isa landed hard on one knee which was instantly dislocated. As she struggled to stand, she received a severe punch right in the face. The whole left side of her head was on fire. Turning, she attempted to rise but fell over a concrete curb in the lot – the kind that keeps a car from being driven into a wall. She felt like she would never breathe again and mercifully, lost consciousness. 

While Isa had reacted on instinct, AJ had made his moves based on those reflexes that had been ingrained in him from the best training the Navy had to offer. From the moment of the attack, he was total and complete SEAL. It took him less than 40 seconds to dispatch his two assailants, one of whom was knocked out while the second one was moaning, and trying desperately to just breathe. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen Isa react and even inflict some substantive damage. He had seen her go down when the first of the other two men had grabbed her. His rage had immediately erupted and it was that rage that had pushed him over the edge. The two men assaulting him never had a chance to begin with and even less when AJ’s fear for Isa’s safety took over. With the first two out of the way, AJ took over where Isa had left off. He quickly dispatched the other two men to an even greater hell because they had *dared* to touch this woman! From start to finish, the whole episode took less than three minutes. AJ had sustained very minor injuries – a couple of bruises and a small cut above his eyebrow. His knuckles were a little sore but he didn’t notice any of this. His thoughts were solely for this woman who had so recently come into his life and who had swiftly and unwittingly drawn him to her. The commotion was starting to draw a small crowd and it was the crowd that kept the four assailants on the ground. Outwardly remaining calm and cool the way you would expect an admiral who had seen combat to act, AJ kneeled beside Isa, gently turned her over and lifted her into his arms. He didn’t know if anything was broken; he only knows she’s been hurt. “Oh Isa sweetheart – sweetheart…” he murmured softly to her. But inside his head, he was screaming. Isa! Isa! NO! Someone must have called 911 because AJ could hear the sirens getting closer.

2015 Hours 
Emergency Room
Bethesda Naval Hospital 
Bethesda, Maryland

There was a feeling of motion – swift motion – and nausea and pain. Old pain – very old pain. If I am very quiet, she thinks, he’ll never find me. I’ll stay real still and not breathe and he won’t hear me. And, I won’t cry because only babies cry and I’m not a baby. I’m a big girl. I’m 5 years old – almost 6. Big girls don’t cry. Big girls don’t cry. It hurts. I can’t breathe. “Please help me.” She whispered aloud. “Somebody please help me.”

“Dr. Sterling? Can you hear me? I’m going to help you. Easy now. We’re going to lift you – that’s it. I’m going to give you something for the pain. You’re in good hands.” The attending physician in the emergency room was used to seeing the results of man’s cruelty to man. But she hasn’t seen anything yet.

34 Years Earlier
House on the South Side
Chicago, Illinois

The feeling of motion had returned and so had the nausea. The pain was mostly in her back. It was on fire. She felt sticky and the world was spinning. Am I dead she thought? Is this what dead is? I’m wet. My panties are wet. He’ll hit me if he knows my panties are wet. I wet myself. No, please don’t hit me again. What’s that? It’s blood. I hurt myself.  I must have hurt myself.

“Devil’s spawn, that’ what you are. You’re Satan’s child. You killed your own mother. You’re evil! You’re so evil I have to keep on whipping you.”

There was a long tunnel. It was very dark and very cold and Isa was very scared. He won’t find me here. I’ll stay right here and nobody will find me ever again. I’ll be safe from him – from all of them – no one will hurt me again. I can die now. It won’t hurt any more. The pain will be gone.

2035 Hours 
Emergency Room
Bethesda Naval Hospital 
Bethesda, Maryland

“Dr. Rudolph, you better take a look at this.” A young nurse gasped when she examined Isa Sterling’s back. The scars she bore crossed each other at various angles. It was hard to tell where one began and the next one ended. There were too many to count.

“Oh Lord,” Dr. Althea Rudolph pursed her lips. “This is bad – very bad. Who in God’s name did this to her? Is she completely out? Make sure she’s completely sedated. This poor woman has had enough suffering in her life; let’s not make it any worse. I think she has a few cracked ribs. Let’s get her up to x-ray.”

28 Years Earlier
St. Joseph’s Hospital
Chicago, Illinois

“Don’t move her, you idiot!” shouted the orthopedic resident. “Sixty to seventy percent of her bones are already broken. Did you want to break the rest of them?” The resident had already seen too much in the short time he had been at St. Joseph’s. This, by far, was the worst he had ever seen. The child couldn’t be more than 10 or 11 years of age, he thought. She was on the small size with a lot of body bruises. Both of her arms were broken, as were both legs. Her collarbone was fractured and each and every rib was either fractured or broken. Even a thighbone was fractured. The resident was examining old x-rays. She had been here before. This was not the first time she had been in the emergency room and this was not the first time she had come in with broken bones. 

2230 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital 
Bethesda, Maryland

“Admiral Chegwidden. We’ve made Dr. Sterling comfortable. There’s nothing more we can do this evening. In the morning, we will finish our tests and I will have the results for you later in the day. I feel sure she will be all right. Now, let’s get that cut of yours stitched up.” Dr. Rudolph looked AJ over and pronounced him fit enough to drive home after his cut was attended to. As chief of emergency services, she had treated more than one flag officer; his rank didn’t matter. Her authority exceeded AJ’s in medical situations. 

“I’d like to see her again before I leave. Also, who do I see about paying for her care?” AJ wasn’t sure he was making any sense but he didn’t care. The hell with the doctor, he thought. I’m staying here tonight. I’ll call Rabb. He can bring me a change of clothes. I think I have some sweats in my office closet. 

2400 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

“Admiral! Are you all right?” Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. found his commanding officer sitting on a 4th floor waiting room couch with his head in his hands. He didn’t look too good. 

“I can see he’ll be just fine Commander,” said the Secretary of the Navy walking up behind him. “Thank you for apprising me of the situation.” Seeing AJ ready to bark at Rabb, he jumped on AJ’s case. “Just sit back down AJ, and don’t even think about dressing him down. There was no way he could have known what shape you were in. Now, where’s Isa? Is she going to be all right? I wouldn’t let Maddy come with me in case the news wasn’t good. Who’s in charge here?”

“That would be me, Mr. Secretary.” Smiled Dr. Rudolph. “Shall we talk?”

Following her lead, Gordon Nelson and Dr. Rudolph moved to a corner of the hallway to discuss the events of the evening. Afterwards, the SecNav approached AJ to find out the details that led to this point. “As far as I am concerned, Isa was on Navy business. The Navy will pay for her medical expenses. My office will issue the vouchers. I’ve informed the doctor that she is to spare no expense and she will pass all medical information on to you. You will keep me informed and you, Commander Rabb will see to it that those four bastards will remain in custody until the trial and we will discuss the rest of what we are going to do at a later time. Go home and get some rest, AJ. You look like something the cat dragged in.” The SecNav was visibly upset – more so because he considered this a personal matter. No one gave him any arguments.

0100 Hours
Bethesda Naval Hospital 
Bethesda, Maryland

Ordering Rabb to go home after the SecNav left, AJ remained where he was – on the couch not far from Isa’s room. Just in case there’s a change in the middle of the night, he thought, I have to be here. Eventually the evening’s activity and the late hour took its toll and caused him to drop his head back. He never felt the hefty orderly pick his legs up and gently re-position him into a more restful position. Nor, did he feel the floor nurse cover him with a light blanket. Both of them stared down at this man whom they knew, by reputation only – thank God! – to be one of the few officers the SecNav truly respected. “I’d hate to have him as an enemy. I heard there wasn’t much left to the guys who went after him and the lady. He must be hell on wheels,” the nurse whispered to the orderly. “Can you imagine? Gordon Nelson, the Secretary of the Navy showed up? This Admiral must be an important fellow to the Navy.” 

The orderly only nodded. He wasn’t sure who the patient was but he knew who Admiral AJ Chegwidden was. His older brother had served with the admiral in Vietnam. Of course, he wasn’t an admiral then – maybe a lieutenant. He wasn’t sure. Didn’t matter, though. This was one tough sailor and I’ll bet my bottom dollar he’s hell to reckon with as a commanding officer. I hope his lady friend is going to be all right.

0500 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

AJ was a little groggy when he woke up a few hours later. He had no memory as to how he ended up sleeping on the couch and was even more mystified that a blanket covered him. No matter, he thought, at least, I know where I am and why I’m here. I guess my brains aren’t too rattled. No one had interrupted his rest so Isa’s condition must not have gotten any worse. I’ll just check with the doctor if she’s in. AJ had no idea that he could be so alarmed by what had happened. If it was just me, alone, I could have handled it. It would be just an inconvenient and annoying brawl. But Isa was involved, damn it. She wasn’t trained like I was or Mac was or even Harriet. She’s – well, face it AJ. She acquitted herself well. I never would have thought she could put up such a good fight. She’s a trooper and there wasn’t one word out of her during the whole thing. What if she has internal injuries? What if they haven’t told me everything? What if … I’m not waiting any longer. Where is that doctor? 

Seeing AJ awaken, the floor nurse notified Dr. Rudolph and she came to the 4th floor to see him. “How is she Doctor? Is she going to be all right? When can I see her?” The usually calm and cool admiral was more upset than even he realized. There was a fine film of moisture on his forehead – an obvious sign that he was worried about what the doctor had to say. He paused as the doctor looked him up and down and asked how he felt. AJ had sustained minor injuries in the fight but maybe they missed something the doctor thought. Trying to modulate his voice and not sound like he’s just had a panic attack, he took a deep breath and continued in a calmer tone. “I beg your pardon, Dr. Rudolph. I’m fine, really. I’m just anxious to find out how Isa - Dr. Sterling is. Did you get a chance to do any of those tests yet? Did she have a good night?”

“She’s going to be fine Admiral Chegwidden. I was able to conduct some tests earlier than planned. I have some test results to show you and some other items. This is going to take a few minutes. Would you mind if we go to the hospital cafeteria? I’ve been working a double shift and I could use a cup of coffee.”

“Of course, Doctor. Lead the way.” AJ was more than ready for a cup of coffee.

Sitting at a corner table, Althea Rudolph gratefully sipped her coffee and gave AJ the preliminary results. “For starters, Admiral, Isa Sterling is one lucky lady. She has three cracked ribs, and a very sore knee. The knee was dislocated in the fight and while she was under sedation, we put it back in the joint. That was probably the most painful injury she had. It will be fine as soon as the ligaments heal. Surprisingly, the tearing around her knee was minor. And, she has some bruises and scrapes that will heal soon. The worst bruises were just below her left eye and just under her cheekbone. They look pretty bad but they will also heal. When you see her, she will look battered but believe me, she’ll be ok in about two weeks. Incidentally, the SecNav has asked us to keep her here for a few days just to be sure she’s on the mend.”

“AJ was relieved the news wasn’t worse. He was still marveling over how well Isa handled herself in the fight. No screaming, no cursing, and no wild punches - just clear and determined moves. There was no karate, no judo, no kickboxing, and no real art of self-defense. It was street fighting at its purest. She has definitely done this before. I have to talk to her about that. How did she know what to do to defend herself? She was also damn lucky. 

Dr. Rudolph was looking at her notes. “Admiral, I don’t know how well you know Dr. Sterling but the Secretary of the Navy also informed me that I am to pass on all medical information to you and I am obeying his request. You may already know some of this but I’ll just give you our results so you have a complete picture.” Taking a deep breath, Dr. Rudolph presented her findings. “We kept her under sedation for our tests. I’m sure you realize there was minimal discomfort for her this way. At the SecNav’s request, we x-rayed her entire body to be sure we didn’t miss anything and the x-rays are the actual reason for this conversation.” She clearly had AJ’s attention. He looked at her intently and nodded for her to continue.

“Admiral Chegwidden, there is no easy way to say this.” AJ went very still. “The x-rays show that there are very few bones in Dr. Sterling’s body that have *not* been broken, fractured or cracked at one time or another. At first, I thought she must have been in an accident and suffered massive injuries, but I’m afraid that is not the case. You can see where major bones have grown after injury and in some cases, where a bone has been re-set more than once. For example, both of her ankles have been broken at one time – one has been broken more than once – I don’t know how many times but the steel pins in both of them attest to severe damage. All of her ribs have been fractured or broken at least once and the three that are cracked now were probably injured because they are the weakest.” At the stunned look on AJ’s face, Dr. Rudolph decided to slow down her presentation. “Admiral, the damage was done *many* years ago. Your friend is going to continue to have a very normal life. And, for her sake, I hope you won’t begin treating her as if she’s an invalid, because she isn’t. From what I’ve heard about the fight that took place,” she paused to smile at AJ, “I’d say: Watch your back, Admiral Chegwidden! I don’t think it pays to get the lady mad at you.”

AJ tried to smile at the doctor, but he didn’t even come close. He was in shock at what she said but what he heard next rendered him completely speechless. “Now Admiral, I am not going to ask you what your relationship is to the patient. By that, I mean, I know you are not married to her but – that is to say – I don’t know how close the two of you are so I’ll just barge right in and assume you know nothing about her body – uh – I mean – the condition of her back.” 

Her back? What’s wrong with her back? AJ wondered.

“The scars on her back Admiral,” the doctor explained, “are so severe I cannot even describe them to you. I can only show you pictures.” With that, she took out several photographs. One was a shot of Isa’s bare back from just below her shoulders to just above her buttocks. The next few photos were close-ups of some of the more severe scars. “I believe these injuries were caused by severe beatings – multiple beatings, Admiral. You can see by the scar tissue and the smooth areas interspersed at random that these beatings took place before she was completely grown. I’d estimate she was as young as five or six years of age and probably as old as nine or ten years. I’m sure she was beaten with a leather strap - and I’d guess the buckle end more than once. The amazing thing is – although a few of her vertebrae show some degree of previous trauma – fortunately, they did not suffer any permanent injury and her spinal cord is intact and shows no injury whatsoever. For that, we can be thankful.”

AJ didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine anyone beating a helpless child. He couldn’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that Isa, the child, had endured. Right now, he doesn’t want to think about what she has gone through – he can’t think about it. If he does, he’ll fall apart. But he does have an overwhelming urge to gather her into his arms and hold her forever. If he can just hold her and soothe her and kiss every inch of her back, maybe he can kiss away the bad memories, all the pain and the suffering. He was so intent on his thoughts he didn’t realize the doctor was still talking to him. 

“Admiral Chegwidden, has Isa ever talked about her childhood? Has she ever given you any clue as to the circumstances surrounding her previous injuries?”

The powerful warrior was nowhere to be found. AJ was overcome by what he had seen. His emotions were simmering just below the surface of his normally cool posture and now, they were about to erupt. In a rush of breath, he answered Dr. Rudolph’s question. “No, she hasn’t. She is a bright and articulate and wonderful person. She’s fun to be with and very full of life. You would never know – I didn’t know – that her childhood was… was…” AJ gave into his emotions and was having difficulty continuing. He took a couple of even breaths. “If you spend any time with her, you would never know her childhood had been so difficult. I have spent enough time with her to know that she is well adjusted, independent, successful at what she does and…” AJ’s voice faltered again. “… and a survivor.” 

So that’s the way it lays, the doctor thought. The Admiral is either in love with her or falling in love with her. I wonder if he knows it yet. “Admiral Chegwidden, I want you to go home now and take a shower, take a nap, get some rest, whatever. You can come back after 2000 hours this evening. You can spend some time with her then. For now, I want her to rest and besides, she’s still under sedation. By the time you get back tonight, she should be somewhat alert. That’s an order Admiral.” The good doctor smiled at the admiral and gently touched his arm. “She’s going to be all right. You can leave your fears about her at the door.”

“I just want to look in on her before I leave. Is it all right if I spend a few minutes with her?

“Of course, just don’t be too long.” With that, AJ composed himself and quietly entered Isa’s room. There she was, lying in a bed with railings on the side like a baby’s crib. She was on her back with an IV in her arm. Probably something nutritious, he thought. Hope it tastes like shrimp cocktail or even calamari. God, she’s smaller than I remember. When did she get smaller? The left side of her face was swollen and almost purple in color and she had a couple of stitches on one temple. He couldn’t see the rest of her and could only let his imagination run wild. I have to touch her. Where is her other hand? Fishing for it under the blankets. AJ lifted her smaller hand in his and kissed the bruised knuckles – turned it over and kissed her palm. Her wrist was also bruised and she had a couple of severely torn fingernails. Holding onto her hand and eyeing the other one, he remembered the massage she gave him. These are the hands that worked their magic on my shoulder and touched my face while she pronounced it beautiful. Jesus! The ever present voice in his head sneered. When did you turn into such a maudlin wet noodle?  I don’t know. Maybe when I let this woman/child get close to me; maybe, that’s when. The voice in his head remained silent. There was nothing more to say.

Three Hours earlier 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

AJ wasn’t the only one concerned about Isa’s prognosis. Special Agent Clayton Webb had slipped into the 4th floor corridor shortly after AJ had dozed off. Webb spotted him on the couch and looked thoughtfully at the sleeping admiral for a few moments. So, she’s more important to him than he led me to believe. Good for you AJ, he thought. Nothing like keeping a secret to make me even more curious. Didn’t know you had it in you. She’s either dying or someone special if the good admiral is right outside her door. My money’s on ‘someone special.’

Webb had compiled a fairly thick file on Isa Sterling, a.k.a. Isa Silver a.k.a. Isa Gold. He had been gathering information about the lovely lady since the night he had seen her with AJ Chegwidden at the Woodland Park Hotel. He had wondered just how much the tight-lipped admiral knew about his current ladylove – assuming she was his ladylove. Webb hadn’t been exactly sure what the situation was with AJ and the mysterious Dr. Sterling. Now, he had a pretty good idea it was not a casual affair. AJ was a stickler for keeping his personal life private; not that Webb objected. His own personal life was hardly an open book. His curiosity about Dr. Sterling was just a passing one until he had discovered that there didn’t seem to be much information available before her college entrance exams. There were no high school records, which made him especially curious. How do you get admitted to college without high school records? And, all four birth certificates – another curiosity – had more questions than answers. There was no doubt in his head that all four Isa’s were one and the same. Life just doesn’t give you that kind of coincidence. The birth certificate issued in 1962 had smudge marks where her parents’ names should have been. In 1960, the names were absent with “Ward of the State of Illinois” in that place. And, the names listed for 1956 and 1958 were totally false. There was no record of any of those four names anywhere. Who is Isa Sterling?

Softly opening the door to her room, Clayton Webb looked at the sleeping woman for a long time. His spook in the DC police department had called him because of the admiral’s involvement in the campus assault. He had suspected the woman accompanying AJ was Isa Sterling and a later report confirmed this. He hadn’t expected her to be battered and knowing what he did about her, he felt the bile rise up inside him. Too much of her life had already been unpleasant. How much more can a body endure? How much more can a mind take? She’s a hell of a lot more than she appears on the surface that’s for damn sure. Perusing the medical chart clipped to the foot of her bed, he saw that her injuries were not life threatening. I’m going to have to make it my business to get to know this woman better – whether AJ likes it or not. 

The hospital
2000 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

When AJ entered Isa’s room, he saw what looked like a little girl curled on her side. She had a hand covering her eyes and her bottom lip was blue as if she were sucking the blood out of it. Her breathing was even but the tears staining her face attested to her pain and her emotional state. AJ’s heart hurt. He wanted to crush her to him and hold her until the pain and the memories disappeared. Reaching for her hands, he whispered to her. “Shhh, shhh, sweetheart, I’m here now and it’s going to be all right. Look at me baby. It’s going to be all right. I promise you.” 

Isa opened her eyes when she heard AJ’s voice. She wasn’t sure when she would see him again. No one had ever visited her in the hospital all the other times she had been admitted. Being in a hospital always reduced her self-esteem to a minus zero. But there he was and Isa was not capable of speech. She squeezed his hands and tried to sit up. AJ wasn’t sure that was the best idea but she looked about as desperate for his touch as he was desperate to hold her. He tucked the blanket around her and carefully lifted her in his arms. He could feel the tape covering her ribs and he tried to hold her in such a way as to inflict minimal pressure. He sat in the big chair near the window and gathered her into his embrace. Neither said a word. They remained very still – just touching. He was there and that was all that mattered. AJ stroked her back and murmured unintelligible but soothing sounds. He touched the top of her head, her temple where the stitches were, her uninjured cheek, her neck, the outer edge of her ear. Gently, he brushed the hair out of her face and then lightly touched her swollen cheek and then he leaned down and placed light kisses on the purple bruises. 

Isa wasn’t sure how to handle all this kindness. But she was drawn into the warm haven of his arms and it felt like a lifeline to her. Turning her face into his chest, she didn’t make a sound but the tears started to flow again. AJ felt them soaking his shirt and it felt good. She was letting it all out. She was going to be all right. He kept stroking her face and holding her. The heavy weight in his own chest was slowly getting lighter. 

They stayed that way a long time – each drawing comfort from the other – Isa from just being close to him and AJ from the realization that she would recover from the incident. This was the first time either of them had relaxed since the assault took place. Isa’s rest had been drug induced; AJ’s restless sleep came only from sheer exhaustion. Eventually, Isa fell asleep in AJ’s arms. He looked down at her sleeping form and wondered again what it was that had drawn him to her. Does it matter? the voice in his head asked? No, it doesn’t. After a while, he laid her back in the bed, covered her, and kissed her mouth as softly as he could before he left for the night. “I’ll be back tomorrow sweetheart,” he whispered.

The next day - 1200 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

Isa was having an argument with the nurse when AJ entered her room. “I don’t want it. Take it away. It does not look edible and I will not put it in my mouth.” Exasperated, the nurse looked to AJ for some support.

“We disconnected her IV yesterday at noon. She didn’t eat any lunch or dinner and she skipped breakfast today. She has to eat! Can you make her see reason, sir? If she doesn’t eat soon, the doctor will simply hook her to an IV again and keep her here until she does.” 

AJ motioned for the nurse to leave the tray and to leave them alone. He moved the tray over to the windowsill and then removed his cover and jacket. Turning back to Isa, he cupped her jaw in his hands and leaned down to kiss her lightly. Isa instantly reached up to put her arms around his neck. “Any objection to sitting on my lap, woman?”

“None at all, sailor.”

Picking her up was getting to be a habit, he thought. A very nice habit. Carrying her over to the chair they occupied the night before, AJ tenderly kissed her swollen cheek and then holding her attention by cupping her chin, admonished her a little. “If you don’t eat, you won’t have enough strength to defend me if we have another mishap. What will I do without my brave girl to protect my back?” 

Not used to being teased in a loving way, Isa was not too sure if his tone of voice was a condescending one or not. “Are you teasing me, sailor? Because if you are, I’ll forgive you but if you’re not, I’ll remind you that I may be somewhat clumsy with these bandages, but I am still capable of inflicting some serious damage.” 

Relieved to see that she was feeling more like her old self, AJ wanted to know why she hasn’t eaten anything. “Well, yesterday’s lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich on mushy white bread that had too much margarine and looked suspiciously like pink and yellow rubber.” With a perfectly straight face, she continued, “I dropped it on the floor to see if it would bounce and…”

“Did it?” AJ asked while coughing slightly to cover his laughter.

“No,” she replied in all seriousness. “It just lay there. And, there was a glass of whole milk; I like skim milk but I did eat the jello.”

“I see. And, what about dinner?”

“Umm, dinner appeared to be a piece of unidentifiable dead animal smothered by a white creamy sauce and surrounded by some weeds they must have dug up. Uh-Uh. And…” she rushed on. “…the iced tea was too sweet and dessert was chocolate pudding made from chalk.”

“Doesn’t say much for the chef, does it? I was sure this place had better fare,” AJ mused. “And your excuse for breakfast and lunch today?”

“Breakfast was some kind of sweet cereal and a piece of toast swimming in something greasy. Too much sugar, too much fat. Couldn’t handle it. And lunch is – uh – well you look at it. Would you eat it?”

AJ took a look. “It doesn’t appear to be a piece of dead animal. You know, when I was in Vietnam, my team and I ate whatever we could whenever it was available and we were glad to have it. I suppose I would eat that.”

“Ha! You don’t recognize it either!” Isa smirked. “And, I’ll remind you Mr. Brave Man, we’re not in a war at this moment, and we’re not worried about our next meal any more, and we are fortunate we don’t have to eat just anything to stay alive.”

Ahh, AJ thought. She no longer has to worry about where her next meal is coming from. One more insight into her past. “Well, what would interest you to eat? I could threaten to put you back in bed and force feed this… delicious lunch down your lovely throat and - make you very unhappy or maybe I could get you to eat on your own – what do you say to a pizza?  Peppers and sausage?”

“Mushrooms and pepperoni!”

“Mushrooms and pepperoni, it is. One of my officers is taking care of some JAG business not far from here. I’ll call him and tell to pick one up and bring it by. That ok with you?”

“Yes, please. And AJ, he should bring enough for all three of us too.”

“And, why is that?”

“Because he’s doing us a favor, that’s why.”

“He’ll just be following orders Isa. He doesn’t have to eat with us.” 

“You won’t be ordering him, AJ and you know it.” She protested. “You’ll be making a request.”

“So, you’re not just a tough lady, are you? You have sweetness in you too?

“And you don’t?”

“Woman!” he went nose to nose with her and the stern tones of a commanding officer crept into his voice. “I’ll have you know that admirals are not sweet. They’re…”

“AJ! Please don’t lecture me; just get the damn pizza!”

Chuckling, the ‘sweet’ admiral got on the phone and did just that. He was very pleased Isa seemed to know when to make a direct order and when to make a request. She would have made a fine officer as well. Am I repeating myself? he asked the voice in his head? Oh no, it responded with some sarcasm, not at all. 

Not wanting to make AJ appear uncomfortable in front of one of his officers, Isa insisted she must sit on one of the chairs in the room by herself. “If I’m sitting on your lap when he arrives, I’m sure the whole JAG building will be gossiping about us by the end of the day. And, it doesn’t look right. Besides I wouldn’t be able to eat.” Looking him in the eye, she added remorsefully, “Of course, I’d rather sit on your lap...”

“I’d rather you did too but then I might be inclined to see what your mouth tastes like when it’s sprinkled with pizza sauce and cheese, and then, we’d forget we weren’t alone and then…” Trying to catch her hands from pinching him, AJ opted to capture her mouth instead. Kissing her softly but thoroughly, he smiled at her as he lifted her in his arms and settled her on another chair. Wrapping the lap blanket securely around her, he told her to behave in front of his officer. “I’m sure we are already the subject of much speculation – at JAG – at the SecNav’s office – wherever sailors and marines gather. Let’s try not to make it worse. I don’t want anyone thinking anything about you that they shouldn’t.”

“And,” she continued for him, “you don’t want anyone to know that Admiral Chegwidden has a sweet side, do you?”

“Isa!” he warned.

“”Aye, aye, sir,” she laughed and gave him a poor imitation of a salute. “Understood, sir. Will there be anything else sir?

Trying not to acknowledge her humor and her sass, he wasn’t quite able to stop the chuckle that was erupting from the back of his throat. Hiding behind his typical admiral’s pose, AJ stepped back and folded his arms across his chest while he tried to form some words that would make sense – something he couldn’t always seem to do around this delightful but willful woman. They bandied words back and forth at each other – teasing and laughing and just enjoying each other’s company. Isa was having a great deal of success verbally pinning AJ down about some specific incident from his past. Admiring her consummate skill in wheedling information out of him and trying to choose his words carefully, he was literally saved from answering her last question by a firm knock at the door. “Enter.” He said out of habit. 

“Enter?” Isa whispered. How formal, she thought. Why not come on in? Must be a military thing - no doubt dreamed up by a man. 

The wonderful aroma of a warm pizza wafted into the room along with a good-looking naval officer. Commander Mic Brumby entered with a nod for Isa and a more formal stance for AJ. “We’re not at JAG, Commander. If you drop that pizza, you’ll have to answer to the lady and believe me, you do not want to do that. She’s much tougher than she looks and on occasion, even I fear for my life.”

The lady in question gave AJ an incredulous look. The admiral in question covered his smile with his hand. The Commander simply took it all in with absolute glee. Carefully placing the pizza on the bedside cabinet, Mic Brumby turned to Isa with a big smile. “I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances, ma’am, but I am pleased to meet you. I took the liberty of bringing along a few soft drinks as well.” Quickly looking from Isa to AJ, Brumby digested his commanding officer’s words and thought. Well, well. Wonder what this is all about?  Turning back to her, Mic asked about her injuries.

“Thank you for asking Commander,” Isa smiled back. “But actually, I didn’t sustain too many injuries. And if you think I’m in bad shape, you ought to see the other two guys. I’m sure they’re in a lot worse shape. Now, pull up a chair and let’s eat. I’m starving.” Both the admiral and Brumby were easily able to polish off four slices each of the large pizza. Isa practically inhaled one large piece and was nibbling on a second. Brumby had been filling his C.O. in on the details of a particular case when he noticed that the admiral was not as attentive to the conversation as he usually was. No, indeed, he thought. The admiral is focused on the lady. This is getting more bloody interesting by the minute.

AJ was focusing on Isa. He was glad she was finally eating something – although it didn’t look like she ate much. And, he also noticed that her hands had slipped to her lap and her eyelids were starting to close. “Commander, I think it’s time we let this lady get a little rest.” Standing, he looked pointedly at Brumby. “Thank you for bringing the pizza. I’ll get squared away with you when I get back to JAG this afternoon.”

Taking the hint, Brumby said his good-byes. AJ looked at Isa’s sleepy face. “Had enough sweetheart?” At her nod, he lifted her once again and tucked her into bed. “Try to get some rest; take a nap. I’ll bring you something to eat tonight.” He wasn’t sure if she heard him; she was sound asleep before her head touched the pillow. Gazing at her, AJ thought, My life was changed the moment I met her. The voice in his head was not to be ignored. And, the moment she touched you and the first time you held her and the first time you… Shaking his head at his thoughts, he scolded himself, Get a grip Chegwidden!

1500 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Brumby didn’t waste any time spreading the news about his lunch time companions. Harm and Mac were particularly interested because, unlike the others, they had already met Isa Sterling and had even eaten at her home. In addition, Mac was currently keeping an eye on Beety and Corny, feeding them and giving them a little attention while Isa was in the hospital. She felt it was the least she could do. The Admiral had given her Isa’s house key with his thanks for taking care of the situation. Harm was doing all the legal work to keep the assailants in jail and to prepare any assistance the D.C. district attorney might need in the prosecution when the bastards came to trial. Bud Roberts had perked up when he heard about Brumby’s lunch. No one knew of the assignment the admiral had given him and that he was still involved with. Anything to do with the lady was of great interest to him. Tiner steadfastly did not want to know any of the details because the chewing out he got from the admiral still weighed heavily on his mind. The bomb that dropped after Brumby’s little tale of the Admiral and the lady and the pizza came from a totally unexpected source. 

“So, what’s she like – this lady who the admiral is in love with?” Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez wanted to know.

There was dead silence and then everyone started talking at once. “Oh come on. The Admiral barely knows her and is just being – uh – in charge of the situation,” explained Harm.

“I’m sure there’s nothing more to it than that,” said Bud. “It would be out of character for him. Uh, wouldn’t it Commander? Colonel?”

“The old man couldn’t keep his eyes off of her,” insisted Brumby. “They looked pretty cozy to me.” 

“A door knocker looks cozy to you Mic,” said Mac. “Frankly, I don’t see that it’s any of our business and if I know the admiral, he would not be pleased to know we were talking about this.”

“You are absolutely correct Colonel,” said the Admiral as he walked up behind them with his arms folded and his face stern.  Every one of them jumped when they heard his voice because as usual, the Admiral had managed to approach them without any of them noticing he was there until it was too late.  “I’m sure you all have plenty of work to do and if that is not the case, I want to know why. And Tiner, it’s a little late for ‘attention on deck,’ wouldn’t you say? Get to work everyone before I start drafting transfer papers for the lot of you. My sources tell me they’re short-staffed in Outer Mongolia these days.” He didn’t have to repeat himself. They scattered in his wake. 

1800 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

AJ had shown up with six different containers of Chinese food. He didn’t know if Isa liked Chinese food but he couldn’t imagine anyone who didn’t so he brought a variety. There was bound to be something here that would whet her appetite. 

“Hey sailor, looks like this port is starting to be a habit with you, isn’t it?” She was standing at the side of the bed balancing herself and it looked to AJ like she was a little out of breath. 

“Do I hear an objection woman?”

“No,” she answered so softly he could barely hear her.

Putting down all the containers, AJ reached for her. “Are you all right? Have you been putting pressure on that knee?” Not waiting for an answer, he gathered her into his arms and let her lean on him. Knowing she would rally if he teased her, he jumped right in. “When did you shrink sweetheart? I don’t remember you being this short.”

Isa took the bait, but not in the way he intended. She looked up at him and slowly and sensuously, without taking her eyes off of him, unbuttoned his jacket. She put an arm around his waist and placed the other arm on his chest. AJ started breathing a little heavier. When she was sure she had his complete attention, she let that arm slide slowly down his chest until she reached the area just above his belt. With all her might, she pinched him as hard as she could. “I am not short!” she retorted. “I’ll have you know I’m 5-foot 5 and a half inches tall.”

“No you’re not,” he said with great confidence. “And that hurt. It’s a good thing the Navy requires shirts because I’ve got these huge bruises on my…” Isa pinched him again but couldn’t do too much damage because AJ scooped her up in his arms, sat down with her on his lap and started kissing her. Kissing was so much better than pinching, she thought. He couldn’t agree more.

The kissing didn’t last too long however, The rumbling noise made them both stop. Giggling, Isa said her stomach was protesting. And yes, she liked Chinese food and they devoured a good portion of it. They were so preoccupied with eating and occasional kissing that they didn’t hear the door open. 

Having heard the sounds of soft laughter as they stood outside Isa’s door, Gordon and Maddy Nelson stopped to listen for a moment. Opening the door slowly, Maddy peeked in to find AJ and Isa sitting with their heads v-e-r-y close to each other. It looked like AJ was trying to feed a morsel of something to Isa and it looked like she was trying to do the same to him. Mmmm, very nice. This is working out better than I thought.

Not known for his romantic streak, Gordon Nelson pushed his wife ahead of him as they practically barged in the door. “Good evening Isa – AJ. I see you two are getting along all right.”

Caught red-handed, AJ was non-plussed. The last time he was in this situation had to be when he was in high school and God knows, that was several life times ago. They weren’t engaged in any activities that were questionable but for some reason, AJ felt a twinge of guilt at seeing the SecNav just at that moment. Remaining outwardly cool, he rose to the occasion. “Good evening, Mr. Secretary – Mrs. Nelson.” That was pure brilliance, his head voice cooed. Keep that up and you’ll be Chief of Naval Operations in no time.

Maddy Nelson quickly surmised that it would be best to leave the two of them alone. “We just wanted to drop by – for a minute only - to assure ourselves that Isa is on the mend. You are, aren’t you dear?” At Isa’s nod, Maddy took Isa’s face in her hands and kissed her swollen cheek. “Oh my dear one, Gordon and I were so upset to hear what happened to you and the Admiral. Be assured we’re here for you. Is there anything we can do?”

“Hmm, looks like AJ has the situation in control, my dear.” Smiling at Isa, he held her hand and patted it softly. “How’s my favorite person in the world – after Maddy, that is? Is this JAG officer treating you ok? Because if he isn’t, I want to know about it.”

“He’s taking very good care of me Gordy.”

“Good, good.” Not quite as obtuse as his wife thinks he is, the SecNav was ready to move on. “And my office will pick up some of the details for the auction. So, don’t you worry about a thing. Maddy will fill you in another day. You concentrate on getting well. Come along dear, let’s not wear out our welcome.” They were in and out of the room in only a matter of seconds. Once they were out the door, Maddy turned to her husband and remarked on how well AJ and Isa seemed to be getting on. “Yes, don’t they?” the SecNav gleefully replied. “Didn’t take her long at all to tame that stubborn…” 

“Gordon!” Maddy Nelson admonished but smiled broadly at her husband.

In Isa’s room, AJ was trying to recover from seeing a side to the SecNav’s personality that he has not previously witnessed. Gordy? he thought. She called him Gordy and he actually smiled at her. Isa is his second favorite person in the world? My God! If Isa can manage the normally morose Secretary of the Navy, is there anything she can’t do? If I’m not careful, she’ll end up being the next CNO! 

Isa, blissfully ignorant of AJ’s thoughts, was poking around in the food containers to see if there was any shrimp left. Finding one and popping it into her mouth, she looked up at AJ with a radiant smile. “This was a good choice Admiral. I am utterly sated. Now, let’s talk about something near and dear to my heart.”

“Mac is taking care of your pets.”

“I know. She called to tell me. What I want to know is when I get to go home. I’m feeling more like my old self – the food here is awful and I’m bored. I need to get back to the old routine.” Rushing on before he can come up with a strong objection, Isa reminded AJ that she has a lot of work to do on the auction as well. “And, I’ll be much more comfortable at home with my own things around me and since you live in McLean, it will be a lot closer for you to come over. That is, if you still want to come over.”

Smiling at her breakneck speed in trying to convince him to agree with her about a hospital discharge, AJ took both of her hands in his and tried not to dampen her enthusiasm completely. “Isa sweetheart. It’s barely been two days. You’re not walking well enough to go home yet.” At her immediate objection, he quieted her with a kiss. “I know your ribs are healing and your bruises are healing but your knee is a little unsteady. You’re barely able to stand without help. I think you need to give it a little more time. And when the time comes, I’ll be at your house as often as you’ll let me.” 

Isa didn’t respond and that was enough to make AJ worried. “You won’t do anything foolish, will you? I’d hate to come by and find out that you beat up all the floor nurses or broke all their fingers or dressed down the Surgeon General or… what is going on in that crafty mind of yours? I’m starting to recognize that look. Spill it woman!” 

Isa had lived long enough to know when to keep her own counsel. Besides, she had some planning to do. No sense wasting energy on a wasted effort or an unsympathetic ear. And as far as she was concerned, AJ’s bark was worse than his bite so she just ignored his comments and evaded his questions with some of her own. “Was everything all right at the JAG office when you got back, AJ? Or were the troops discussing the pizza party we shared with that Commander fellow?”

Giving her his most practiced stern look, AJ shook a finger at her. “Give it up Isa. What is going on in your mind? Do I have to…”

“Punish me so I’ll talk?” Grabbing his finger and turning his hand completely over, she kissed his palm. And then she made small circles with her tongue on the sensitive surface. AJ was lost. He uttered a low growl – or was that a groan of frustration? Picking her up and situating her on his lap, he held her to his chest. Rubbing her back and stroking her neck and face, he mumbled something about how the military curriculum failed to prepare him for this kind of situation. 

The next day - 0700 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland

Isa was slowly making her way from the bathroom to the chair by the window when Colonel Sarah MacKenzie knocked and entered the room carrying several small paper bags that smelled like food. “Good morning ma’am. How are you feeling this fine day? I’ve brought you some breakfast.” Isa was beginning to think that Mac was at her happiest when she was eating.

“Colonel Mac. Hello. What brings you here so early? Did you say breakfast? What did you bring?”

Happy to see her up and about, and happier still that she was interested in food, Mac emptied the bags for her inspection. “There are two Egg McMuffins, 2 cinnamon buns, 4 coffees, 1 skim milk, two hamburgers – fully loaded - fries, and a milk shake.” 

“And, what did you bring me?” Isa wanted to know. Mac laughed. “I brought you all of this and what you don’t want, I’ll eat.” 

“It’s a deal,” Isa chuckled. “And, next time make it onion rings.”

Both of them regarded this eating as serious business – Isa because she has had very little to eat in the last two and a half days, and Mac, because she ran far too many miles this morning and also has the metabolism of a humming bird.  They concentrated solely on satisfying their initial hunger. Isa took an Egg McMuffin, removed the bread and nibbled on the eggs and cheese. She gratefully reached for the skim milk and drank it all. Next, she sampled the cinnamon bun and the coffee. Mac has tossed off a hamburger, fries, one cup of coffee and was working on half of the milkshake. Wiping her mouth, she had a satisfied look on her face. “That was wonderful. What’s left?”

Isa marveled at what Mac could consume. “You’re still hungry? Good thing I cooked for four when you and the commander had lunch with me a few weeks ago. I’m not sure the admiral would have eaten as much as you did.”

“Speaking of the admiral,” Mac began. “How are the two of you getting along? Is there more to your – uh – friendship than just working on the auction?” 

Recognizing that Mac is on a fishing expedition, Isa began slowly. “Actually Mac,” she drawled. Mac was all ears, waiting to hear the juicy news. “As you know the admiral was not at all enthused about co-hosting the auction but I was able to change his mind when we met and since then, he’s been very nice to me. End of story.”

“That’s it?” The look on Mac’s face was priceless and Isa laughed at her.

“That’s it, Colonel. It’s a little early in our relationship – yours and mine that is - to be spilling the beans on what is or isn’t going on between your commanding officer and myself. But I will tell you this. He has been very good to me. If there’s more to tell, he’ll have to be the one to let you know how things are between us. As your commanding officer, I guess the chances of that happening are slim and none, huh?” At Mac’s unhappy nod, she added. “Of course, it’s possible I could be bribed….”

Mac started giggling. “Spill it Isa Sterling. Have you and the admiral – uh – you know – uh – gotten close?”

“Objection Counselor! Leading the witness. Calls for speculation! – or something like that.”

“Objection overruled,” Mac laughed. “And is the witness going to be non-responsive?”

“Now you’ve really gone over my head. I don’t know the legal script.” Having fine-tuned the art of changing the subject, however, Isa asked Mac to help her get a little exercise. “I need to walk a little so this knee can start working properly again. Any chance you can stay for awhile?”

“I can stay as long as you’d like. The admiral asked me to bring breakfast and anything else you wanted. You want to try that knee in the corridor?” She’s sharp, Mac thought. Very sharp and good at avoiding questions. Private like the admiral and private like me. I knew I liked her the minute we met.

Mac helped Isa keep her balance as they traveled slowly up and down the hall. Isa was pretty worn out but Mac didn’t insist they stop. She knew what it was like when you had to achieve something for yourself. She let Isa set the pace and decide when she’d had enough. After the third trip, Isa had enough. “Time to sit and rest this sore knee. AJ would never let me walk this long. In fact, he never would have let me stand this long either. Thank you. Umm, you won’t tell him I overdid it or anything, will you? He’ll get all bossy and admiraly and I’ll just have to beat him up and … what? What? What did I say?”

“Admiraly? Do you tell Admiral Chegwidden that he’s admiraly?” Mac’s burst of laughter was so hard, she could barely catch her breath. Finally giving in to convulsive laughter accompanied by hiccups, she tried to imagine the look on the admiral’s face when Isa tells him to stop being admiraly. She is practically sputtering. “How does he take it?”

“Hmm, not very well.” Isa said with a straight face. Mac was howling again. This was too delicious for words. But I’ll have to keep it to myself, she thinks. No one could possibly enjoy this as much as I do. And, it would be nice to know something about the Admiral that he doesn’t know I know. I really have to cultivate a solid friendship with this funny lady.

They spent the rest of the morning just getting to know each other better. It didn’t take Mac long to learn what the admiral already knew. Isa was tight-lipped about her past and very good at worming information out of the person asking the questions. Mac thought she would have made a damn good lawyer.

Isa discovered she and Mac had a lot in common. Both were fiercely independent with a certain amount of emotional baggage. Mac freely admitted her childhood was less than stellar and without saying much, Isa conveyed the same message but spared Mac the details – those that she remembers. They walked the halls a few more times and were resting Isa’s knee once again when there was a knock at the door as it opened. 

“Hi! Am I interrupting?” Lieutenant J.G. Harriet Sims bustled in carrying a few paper bags that smelled suspiciously of food. “You guys hungry?”

“Oh boy! Is this a recurring dream or do I smell food? I’m not starved but I’m sure the Colonel is. And, you’re…?”

“Dr. Sterling. I’m Harriet Sims. Please call me Harriet. The admiral asked me to bring you guys some lunch and anything else you need. And, here I am.”

Smiling at the perky pretty blonde, Isa recognizes pure sweetness when she sees it. “Pleased to meet you Harriet. But you can only stay if you call me Isa and dig into the food with us.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Harriet agreed. “Colonel, I have your favorite – Beltway Burgers, fries and a drink. Ma’am – um – Isa, for you I have a burger, onion rings and a strawberry shake. That’s what the admiral said you’d probably eat and he also said I was to make sure you eat everything. The only problem is he didn’t say how I was supposed to accomplish that. So, if you don’t mind, we won’t lie to him if you don’t eat everything; we just won’t tell him every detail. That ok?”

“That’s a sin of omission, Harriet.” Mac pointed out.

“Colonel, did you really want this hamburger or should I eat it for you?”

“Point well taken Harriet. Give me the damn thing.”

Enjoying the onion rings and the milkshake, Isa slid her hamburger over to Mac’s ready hand. “Do you have a tape worm Mac? Except for the admiral who is considerably larger than you, I have never seen anyone eat so much in my whole life.”

“I don’t eat like this every day,” Mac smiled. “Most days I go pretty easy but once in a while, an overwhelming urge to bite somebody’s ass comes over me and I substitute burgers until the feeling passes.”

Isa and Harriet just stared at her. Then they both burst into gleeful laughter. “Whose ass is it this time, ma’am?” Harriet was dying to know.  She had a pretty good idea it was either Commander Rabb or Commander Brumby. Both were in love with her. Commander Brumby was head over heels in love with her and knew it. Mac was polite but rarely gave him the time of day. Commander Rabb, on the other hand, probably did not know he was in love with her but for some reason, was very heavy-handed when other men came sniffing around. Harriet wasn’t completely sure how the Colonel felt about him but if push came to shove, her money was on him.

The three of them enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the afternoon. Harriet and Mac were relishing a day away from normal duties and both were eager to spend time with the lady who had a great deal of the admiral’s attention. Isa was unfamiliar with this kind of company and was finding it delightful and just plain fun. Nurses came and went checking on Isa’s vital signs and carrying out their duties as far as she was concerned. Mac and Harriet helped Isa walk as much as she wanted until Harriet reminded her that the knee would be extra sore the next day. Isa took the hint and they sat in her room talking about JAG, about quilts, about the upcoming auction, about all the things three women can find to talk about. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of giggling and just good companionship. This was especially true for Isa because she lived and worked at home. Most of her days' conversations were with herself or with her cat and bird. This was unique and special. And, she knew AJ Chegwidden was the one to thank for letting his officers spend the day with her. One more nice thing he’s done for me, she thought. Curious about this, she pursued the subject with her visitors. “How is it that the Navy sanctions two of its officers to shirk their normal duties and baby-sit with me all day?”

“We are not baby-sitting, Isa. Don’t even think that. The admiral thought, since you’re a normally busy person, you might be getting restless. There’s not much for you to do here and he thought our company would be welcome. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much, can you Harriet?”

“No ma’am, and I hope I can come back tomorrow. You’ll probably speak to him later, won’t you? Ask him if we can come back tomorrow. This is so much more fun than trying to keep the JAG office organized.”

“Thank you both. You’ve made me feel very well taken care of and I’ve enjoyed your company immensely.  When are you off duty? I don’t want you to stay if you don’t have to – I mean, the admiral didn’t order you to come here today, did he? Because if he did, I’ll – uh - I’ll think of something to say to him about that.”

“Admiral Chegwidden did mention you can be stubborn.” Mac said. “And, we did not, I repeat, we did not come here because we were ordered to do so. We both wanted to come,” and arching her eyebrows and grinning, said, “besides, we also wanted to get to know the admiral’s lady a little better.” 

“The admiral’s lady?” Isa protested. “I’m not the admiral’s lady.”

“Really? What do you think Harriet? Do you remember a time when Admiral Chegwidden ever asked one of us to take care of a lady’s pets or bring food into Bethesda or visit with someone or….”

“No ma’am! Not in my lifetime,” Harriet assured her. “No doubt about it. Looks to me like you’re the admiral’s lady. So, what’s he like? I mean, as a person – out of uniform? Umm, that didn’t come out right. You know what I mean, don’t you ma’am? I’m dying to know.”

Isa was chuckling. “You are both thoroughly incorrigible. This isn’t a beauty parlor where the women gossip about their love lives or – um, whatever.” Seeing the disappointed look on Harriet’s face, she teased her the way she had teased Mac earlier. “Well, Harriet, about the admiral being out of uniform: It’s true, I have seen him out of uniform.” At this remark, Harriet’s eyebrows went as far to the top of her head as they could reach. “However,” Isa continued, “That doesn’t mean I have seen him out of his clothes. Is that what you want to know?” At her encouraging nod, Isa laughed, “I will admit the admiral is very handsome and very sexy. Honestly, you two need to get a life!” 

The rest of the afternoon flew by and before they knew it, the sun had set. “I can’t believe I’m ready to eat again,” Mac said. “By the way, what time does the admiral usually drop by?”

“I’m not sure, I think he’s been here as early as 6p.m. and maybe as late as 8:00. What time is it now? 

“It’s 1806 hours and 21 seconds. I’d better call the office and let them know I will be running a little late in the morning. Have to get in an extra long run to make up for all this food.”

“1806 Hours and 21 seconds? Is that the way you tell time too, Harriet?”

“No ma’am. It’s a gift only the Colonel seems to have.”

While Mac was on the phone, the subject of some of their more delicious discussions arrived. AJ could hear their giggling and chatter when he approached the door. With a quick knock to warn them, he entered Isa’s room with his arms full of – gasp! – more food. He had brought a large variety of sandwiches – subs, to be exact and some soft drinks. There was tuna, Italian, egg salad, meatball, vegetarian, turkey, roast beef-turkey-ham combo and veggie-tofu. Isa couldn’t get over the quantity of it. “Is food the only thing you JAG folks think about?”

“And, good evening to you too Dr. Sterling – Colonel – Lieutenant.” AJ chuckled as he gave Isa a surreptitious once over. “I guess that means you have eaten more than once today already?” At their nods and hurried greetings, he was curious to know how their day has been. 

“Splendid, sir.” Harriet began. “We had an all –girl gabfest. It was great fun.” 

Looking to Mac, who was still on the phone AJ’s look questions Mac next. Trying not to drool at the sight of all that wonderful food, Mac rethinks how many extra miles she has to run the next few days. Cupping the receiver she agreed “It was a very good day, sir. And productive, as well. We all ate well.” This said as she nodded toward Isa. 

AJ was pleased. And finally, looking at her, he asked, “And, are you ready to eat again?”

“Maybe next week, Admiral. I really have had enough to eat today.”

“That so?” AJ asked but looked to Mac for confirmation. Mac shook her head no. Isa ate but she hadn’t eaten that much. Fortunately, for Mac, Isa didn’t see that exchange.

AJ got an orderly to bring in a small table so he could spread the food out. The man obligingly brought in a few extra chairs as well. “We don’t need that many chairs, do we sir?” Harriet asked.

“You never can tell who might drop by. This happens to be a very special Bethesda patient we have here. Hope I brought enough food.”

Isa counted eight huge sandwiches. There were four of them in the room. Mac could probably eat two; AJ could easily eat two; Harriet was good for one; and that leaves… hmm, wonder who else is going to drop by? 

You never can tell indeed. The subsequent knock at the door had all of them looking at it when Clayton Webb walked in. All the JAG folks, as Isa would put it, were surprised to see him. Not privy to the hot and cold relationship between JAG and Special Agent Webb, Isa was only curious at seeing him here. How did he know I was here, she wondered? Maybe Gordon mentioned it.

“Well, I see you have a full house, Dr. Sterling. I knew you were a favorite person at the SecNav’s dinner table. I didn’t know you also ate with JAG. Good evening Admiral,” He nodded at AJ and then at Mac and Harriet. “Is this dinner? I’m surprised at you AJ. Couldn’t you bring in a meal that was a bit more substantial? I’m sure the ladies could have done it justice.”

Whomever AJ was expecting, it clearly was not Webb. The admiral was not pleased. “What are you doing here Webb?” 

“Why AJ, where’s your hospitality? I heard that you and Dr. Sterling had a run in with some bad guys and thought I’d drop by to see how you were doing. I can see you are your normal suspicious self and you,” he said as he smiled at Isa, “look like you took more than your share of the altercation.” Reaching for her hand and kissing the back of it – a habit he seemed to have with her – he spoke much more softly to her. “Are you ok Isa? I’m so sorry this happened. Is there anything I can do?”

Both Mac and Harriet found themselves intrigued with the way Webb talked to Isa. They both recognized when a man was being polite and when he was interested in extending more than simple courtesy. What an interesting development this is, they thought. AJ was not at all intrigued. His posture was quite familiar to his officers. His back was straight; his arms were folded across his chest; his lips were pursed; his gaze was stern. To Mac and Harriet, these were not good signs. Smiling at Webb but fascinated with the stance she sees in AJ, Isa realized this was the posture he takes with her when he tries to intimidate her into answering some question she’d rather avoid. She’s not military and so to her, it’s just so much peacock feathers and she generally ignores that posturing. But to see it used on someone else, well… this could be very interesting. When will I get a chance to witness this behavior again, the imp in her thought? I’ll just fan this fire for a while and see where it goes. “What you can do, Clay, is join us for a bite to eat. There are a variety of sandwiches to choose from. Please, won’t you join us?” 

Upon hearing this, both Harriet and Mac sneaked a look at the admiral. Uh-oh, they thought. Not a good move. “I’m sure Mr. Webb was only making a courtesy call, Isa. Surely, he has more fascinating dinner plans,” deadpans the good admiral. “But in case, he really wants to join us, he’ll have to leave his state department persona at the door, remove his jacket and dig in like the rest of us.”

“Is that a challenge AJ?” Webb countered. “Thank you for the invitation, Isa. My jacket is coming off right now. May I sit next to you?”

“Of course,” she patted the chair next to hers and with a wide-eyed look and an innocent smile, she dropped her own bomb. “And, don’t you suppose it’s time to let AJ and the others know you’re really with the CIA? It’s not nice to keep secrets from friends you know.” 

AJ and Webb both started talking at once.
AJ: “How did you know Webb was CIA?”
Webb: “Who told you I was CIA?”

“Well,” Isa drew her words out slowly. “When we were first introduced at one of Gordon and Maddy’s dinner parties, I asked you what you did for a living. You said you were with the State Department. Your response was too practiced, too bland and you did a less than admirable job of changing the subject. You even repeated yourself several times. Honestly, Clay, did you think I was such a nit-wit that I wouldn’t recognize bald-face lies when I heard them? I knew that was just polite dinner conversation so I didn’t make an issue of it. But you’re among friends here. You can be honest with them.”

“We know what he does for a living, Isa. That’s not what we object to.” AJ tersely commented. “It’s when he manipulates us and places our lives at risk that we object to.”

“AJ,” Isa called his name softly. “Can we set unpleasant matters aside and have a bite to eat, please?”

AJ paused to look at this woman. What is it about her, he wondered, that’s makes me want to make her happy? Hell and damnation, I haven’t known her that long and now, I’m even willing to eat with Webb. 

Mac and Harriet were both becoming keen observers of the AJ and Isa connection. Mac knew the wide-eyed innocent look Isa gave Webb was all an act. She’s one clever lady, Mac thought. I do believe the admiral has met his match. 

Harriet, on the other hand, was concentrating on the Admiral. I do believe he’s jealous, she thought. Trying not to giggle at that delicious picture, she stuffed her mouth with the meatball sub. It didn’t take long for everyone to settle into the food. 

Isa waited while they took what they wanted. They left the tofu sub, the egg salad sub and the tuna sub. “Who eats tofu in this crowd?”

“I do,” said Commander Harmon Rabb as he came through the door with what looked like more food. “Thanks for saving it for me. I’m glad to see you’re up. Good evening Admiral. What are you doing here Webb?” Looking at each of their faces, Harm had the distinct feeling he had missed something significant here but decided it was in his best interest not to know the details.

Isa was ecstatic to find out that the Commander had brought ice cream. “Yum! What flavors?” Not waiting for him to tell her, Isa read the labels on each of the containers. “Vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, coffee, praline crunch, and rocky road. Very nice, and what did you bring for everyone else? What?” She looked at all of them laughing at her comment. “You people do not know me very well at all. I hate to share.” That brought even more chuckles but Webb wasn’t sure if she was serious. He immediately reached for the pistachio.

AJ wasn’t so preoccupied with all the chatter that he failed to notice what Isa actually consumed. She made a great show of looking like she was eating a normal amount of food when in fact, she had eaten only a wedge of her tuna sub – about 2 inches wide. She might have had a few chips but he didn’t think so and in the bottom of a very large paper cup, she had only taken two small spoons full of ice cream.

Eventually, the food was consumed and a nurse came in to remind them they were in a hospital, after all, and that the patient should get some rest. When they filed out, Harm took all the food debris with him in a large plastic sack. The room smelled of a variety of foods but was clean once again. AJ had remained behind and was opening a window to let in a little fresh air. Smiling at Isa, he held his arms open and said “Come here. I know you can do it; Mac told me you walked a lot today. Now, come here and hug me. It’s the least you can do after making me share a meal with Webb.”

Isa didn’t see any reason to argue. She went to him with open arms. “Hello sailor.” AJ pulled her into his arms and held her as tightly as he could without hurting her taped ribs. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he told her how much he had missed her this afternoon. “Watch it, sailor. You’re going to give me the impression that you like me.”

“I do like you. I like being with you. I like you… a lot.” Whatever else he was going to say was lost when she looked up at him and he decided kissing her was better than talking. 

Isa had had a long day and she was tired. Yielding to the comfort of AJ’s arms, she leaned back to look at him. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Placing a hand on his cheek, she stared at his face for a few long moments. Whatever she was thinking, she did not share with AJ. 

He wasn’t sharing his thoughts either as he intently looked at her with the same degree of seriousness. Listening to the voice in his head, he silently agreed with all the comments he heard. “You like holding her; you like kissing her, you like talking to her – you like being with her. And, you especially like the thought that there are a number of things you have yet to do with her that you’re going to like even more.” 

“Shall we get you to bed sleepyhead?”

“Only if you kiss me one more time.” He did – several times – and once again when he left her sleeping soundly. 

The next day - 1000 Hours 
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Clayton Webb briskly made his way through the bullpen and headed toward AJ’s door. Spotting him, Tiner rushed to inform the admiral that Webb was about to enter his office – without an appointment. “Let him in, Tiner.” I guess if I lived through a meal with him, I’ll live through this. “What do you want now Webb?”

“And a hearty good morning to you too AJ.” Webb made himself at home. He took off his jacket, which made AJ look at him with great suspicion. Then he settled himself comfortably on the admiral’s leather couch. “Come over here AJ. I have something to show you. I have a feeling you will find this to be of great interest. Say, can we get some coffee? This may take a while and I know you’re going to have some questions.”

Not happy about seeing Webb and aware that his own survival instincts have kicked in, AJ approached Webb’s outstretched hand with great caution. “Relax AJ. This file isn’t going to bite you It might make you nauseous; it might make you want to kill a few people with your bare hands, but it won’t bite.”

AJ took the file, saw “Confidential – For My-Eyes Only” printed on the front and Webb’s signature at the bottom. He opened it and on the inside flap was a recent picture of Isa taken at a quilt show. She was standing posed in front of a wall-hanging, probably one of her own. “What’s this all about Webb?”

“Better get that coffee, AJ.”

While Webb sipped the coffee Tiner brought in, AJ sat on the other side of the couch and started to read the file on his lap. Some of the information coincided with the data Bud had discovered but Webb’s information was for more detailed. It also included four Isa’s: Sterling, Silver and two with the surname Gold. The information on the four birth dates and the accompanying facsimiles of the birth certificates left even more questions yet to be answered. Webb’s sources had found out more about Isa’s life before her college days. She got into college on her entrance exams and a certified copy of the G.E.D. – a certificate generally awarded to someone who dropped out of high school or never attended but has passed the high school equivalency exam. Isa’s G.E.D. was not totally readable. There was a large stain where her last name should be. What a surprise, AJ thought sarcastically. Another mystery. But her college transcripts were very readable and valid. They had been authenticated by each of the universities in question.

There are a few paragraphs on an Isa Gold – from Lawson grade school in Chicago. They are random notes and random dates:

 Isa came to school with a black eye today. She was dirty and hadn’t eaten breakfast. School nurse gave her a banana and an apple. She ate them very quickly. She’s very quiet for a six-year old.
 Isa’s arm is in a cast again. As usual, she is dirty. Today she is also barefoot. This eight-year old will have to have shoes before it gets much colder and a coat as well.
 County Social Worker has moved Isa into the Michigan Avenue orphanage. 
 Social worker reports that Isa is missing from the orphanage.
 The priest from St. Stephens informed us that Isa has been sleeping in one of their upstairs choir closets. They suspect she is the one stealing food from the kitchen every night. Have notified Chicago PD to pick her up.
 Isa was transferred to St. Stephens Home for Orphans and will be enrolled in their day program. 

AJ paused to think about the child he was just reading about. Hungry and dirty and sleeping in a church closet. She told me no one loved her as a child; she didn’t tell me she was hungry too.

Random notes from St. Stephens Home for Orphans

 Nine-year old female child spends an inordinate amount of time bathing. 
 Child has an unruly attitude and rude manner.
 Child talked back to Sister Kathleen today. Was severely punished with a ruler to her hands. She hit Sister Kathleen with her own ruler! She was sent to Father Patrick for punishment.
 Apparently in Father Patrick’s hand writing, the following: This ten-year old female threatened my life if I tried to paddle her. I did not believe her and raised the paddle to apply it to her backside. She grabbed the paddle out of my hand, broke two of my fingers, and severely bit Sister Mary Margaret who was trying to restrain her. She will be transferred back to the Michigan Avenue orphanage.

After this note, AJ paused . He didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.  On the one hand, he was having a hard time picturing any child in this predicament and on the other, he found himself cheering for her when he read that she bit the nun and broke the good father’s fingers. He was very able to picture that. For some reason, that made him feel better. Sounds like the Isa I know. She was a fighter then, too. 

Partial medical records of Isa Silver a.k.a. Isa Gold - St. Joseph’s Hospital

The following notes have been compiled in chronological order. They are the combined records of Isa Silver and Isa Gold because they are deemed to be one and the same female.

 3-year old female – broken arm – black eye 
 5-year old female – malnourished – admitted unconscious – severe beating in area of back – open wounds - right wrist broken – right elbow broken – left eardrum pierced – left shoulder dislocated - required blood transfusion 
 6.5-year old female – malnourished – admitted unconscious – severe beating in area of back – open wounds - both legs broken – both ankles broken – 4 broken ribs – left collarbone fractured – concussion
 9-year old female – dislocated knee – admitted overnight for observation – missing and unaccounted for after midnight – no formal discharge
 11-year old female – admitted unconscious - multiple bone fractures  in ribs, arms and legs – ‘old scars’ opened and bleeding, looks like repeat beating – both eyes blackened – required blood transfusion
 12.5-year old female – admitted unconscious – raped – multiple face and body bruises 

AJ held the single black and white photo enclosed in the file. It was hard to tell how old Isa was at the time. She was a skinny little scrap of a child sitting on a gurney and her little face was swollen.  It looked like she had a black eye. Her bare legs were hanging over the side of the gurney and even in this picture, she looked like she needed a bath. She was glaring at something or someone out of the camera’s range and AJ guessed it was the person taking her picture. One hand was curled into a fist and the other was in her lap. She was barefoot and had a heavy bandage on one knee. He closed the file for a few minutes. He was sick at what he had read and was having a great deal of trouble dealing with it. He took a sip of his now cold coffee but then put his cup down. He laid his head back on the couch and covered his eyes with his hands. He was becoming physically nauseous. Not only was he saddened and shocked by what he had read and the picture he had seen but was beginning to feel the rage erupting at who did these God-awful things to her. His fists clenched and unclenched. 

Webb, having read the file a number of times and knowing the photo well, recognized the signs and knew exactly what part of the file AJ had just read. “AJ, get a grip. You and I didn’t know her then; she’s a survivor. Don’t feel sorry for her. Feel terrible for the child who went through all that hell. Hate what happened to her but for God’s sake, admire what she has done with her life. Admire her survivor skills. Admire who she is now – a bright and charming and wonderful lady.”

Webb was right of course. But the picture of that broken and bruised and obviously hungry child was a hard picture to get out of his head. While I was fed and clothed and loved and had a normal childhood, which I took for granted, this child that was Isa was… was hungry, scared and abused – terribly abused. 

“Read the rest AJ. Get it over with. We have to talk and we can’t until you’ve finished reading.”

Webb’s resources had reached far and wide to discover more about Isa Sterling. His agents had canvassed door-to-door in neighborhoods surrounding the schools they thought she had attended. Eventually, bits and pieces were gathered from the few people still living and working in those places who remembered a dirty and sad and somewhat quiet child. The next few pages were interviews with some of those people.

Mr. Cooperman: Cooperman’s grocery store. 
She was a hungry child. When she didn’t think I was looking, she’d steal produce from the outside tables. Sometimes an apple or a banana; sometimes a tomato or a cucumber. She seemed to like tomatoes a lot. That was when she was four – maybe five. When she was about ten or so, she asked for a job. Didn’t want money – wanted to trade work for food. I figured why not? She swept out the store and the back room and some other chores. Came by two or three times a week. I gave her produce and some canned stuff and bread – oh and milk. She loved milk. Never saw her after that time with the lightening storm. Don’t know what happened to her.

Mrs. Harris: Lawson grade school. 
The child was always dirty and hungry and fairly quiet. But she loved school – absorbed everything like a sponge. She didn’t say much but when she did, it was usually something humorous. Had a witty mouth on her. Every one thought she was a funny child, which is surprising considering how abused she had been. We called Social Services constantly. Isa was good at evading them. Once a social worker and a police officer cornered her in the playground. She turned into a spitting wild cat. She kicked the policeman in his privates… well, I don’t suppose you want to know about that. Anyway, it seemed she always had a black eye or a cast on some part of her body. I remember thinking it was amazing she seemed so well adjusted in spite of her hard life. 

Sister Kathleen: St. Stephens School
The child was incorrigible – totally unmanageable and obsessed with keeping clean. She ate everything in sight and if somebody left something on a plate, she’d pocket it to eat later. Never seemed to get enough to eat. Had to remove her; she was a bad example to the others. Probably ended up in jail – God forgive her.

Mrs. Hanson: Neighbor
Oh that poor child. Of course, I remember her. She was always hungry and always being yelled at for something or other. They hated her in that house. She left them when she was about ten or so – I think she was on the streets but you never can tell, you know. Anyway, one night she was back. Maybe he found her, I don’t know but it was a night when we had a terrible thunderstorm. Isa was afraid of lightening, you know. When she was little, he used to tie her to that old tree over there and leave her all night. Did it a lot. Poor child was sure lightening would strike her dead. Of course she soiled herself and he’d whip her for that when he untied her in the morning. He’d whip her bad. Well that night, the storm was pretty bad and the lightening went on a long time. A bunch of boys ran through the yard and saw her. Tore her clothes off and went at her – you know what I mean. Left her naked and tied to that tree. My husband, God rest his soul, untied her, covered her with his jacket and we took her to the emergency room. Never saw her again.

Dr. Matheson: St. Joseph’s Hospital
I remember her well. She was the bravest and most courageous child I had ever seen in my 40 years of psychiatry. She had been abused, starved, beaten and I don’t know what else. And through it all, she fought like hell. Whatever they did to her, they didn’t break her spirit. I’ve never known such a survivor. The night I first saw her she had been brought in with multiple injuries. The paramedic said she was in a Dumpster. Looked like she had been beaten and just tossed away like so much garbage – absolutely broke my heart. She was kept sedated a long time and since she was in no position to take care of herself, we kept her in the hospital a long time. The teacher who worked with the hospital kids said she was one of the brightest children she had ever worked with. I used that to work with her myself. She was a funny kid too. You don’t expect ‘funny’ from an abused child. But Isa was funny. In the final analysis, I told her she could let the world stomp all over her or she could put it behind her and become anything she wanted to become. From what you’ve told me, she took my advice. I’m happy to hear she has become a success. 

AJ was thoroughly drained. He was shocked by what he had read and his emotions were numb. He made himself get up and stand by the window. Folding his arms over his chest, he appeared to be looking at something. Whatever he saw, it was not out that window. He was looking into Isa’s past and seeing some of what her life was like. How am I going to look her in the face and continue to interact with her as if I was ignorant of all she has been through? Turning to Webb, he asked, “Now what? How did she manage to make it to college and were those days ok for her? What about after college? Please tell me her life got progressively better.”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. You’d think her most recent past would be the easiest to dissect.” Webb looked as drained as AJ was even though he had read the file several times already. “But I’ll tell you AJ, once I got a handle on her early childhood, I couldn’t let it go. The rest will come later. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“What was it you wanted to talk about now that I’ve read the file?”

“Look AJ. I know you’re fond of her.” At AJ’s stern look, Webb continued. “Hear me out. Whatever she means to you is your business and I’ll respect that. Your private life remains private. What I’m trying to say is you can’t let this change your relationship with her. She doesn’t know you know this stuff and you have to act like you don’t. If you two stay an item, maybe she’ll tell you all this stuff. If she doesn’t it’s because it’s in her past and she wants it to stay that way.”

“Why did you look into her past in the first place?”

“Uh, well, when I saw her with you at the hotel restaurant that night, I recognized her from the SecNav’s house. Initially, I was just curious as to who she was. When the information came to a brick wall, my natural curiosity got the best of me. I swear, that’s all there is to it.”

“And, are you planning to keep this information to yourself, as well?” AJ wanted to know.

“Of course. In fact, you can have the file. I have no use for it.”

Having had plenty of experience with Webb, AJ was sure he had the same file in his own office. He would let that pass for now. “The information was devastating, Webb. The lady turns out to be even more special than I realized. Thank you for bringing it to me.”

Webb left AJ’s office a satisfied man. He had accomplished what he had set out to do. He learned more than a person needed to know when it came to Isa Sterling and AJ was grateful. That means he just might be in my debt, he thought. Not a bad thing at all. I can always use a JAG admiral in my line of work – now and then. But like a dog with a bone, Webb knew he would still probe into Isa Sterling’s life. He couldn’t let it go and he wasn’t sure why. 

1730 Hours 
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland
AJ entered Isa’s room with a catered meal from Charlie’s Steak House. There was plenty of shrimp and cocktail sauce, a filet for each of them and cheesecake for dessert. He had even included a cold thermos of pink Zinfandel. Isa was nowhere in sight. Maybe she’s in the bathroom, he thought. But when he looked, she wasn’t there. Probably walking the halls exercising that knee. When he went out to look for her, she wasn’t there either. Stopping at the nurses’ station, he asked if she was getting tested for something and in another part of the hospital. The nurse looked at AJ and it took him the blink of an eye to realize that the nurse – in fact, all the nurses at the station, were looking just a little nervous. “Is there something you need to tell me?” he asked in a calm and unnerving way. 

No one wanted to cross Admiral Chegwidden. His reputation had preceded him. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news either. The head nurse decided to jump in. After all, she thought, what’s the worst thing he would do? Fool.

Um, Admiral Chegwidden,” she began. “We were just getting ready to call you.” At his stern gaze, she lost a little of her courage. He remained silent but waiting. “We checked in on Dr. Sterling, as we do every hour and um, the last time we checked, “about 40 minutes ago, she was not in her room.”

“And where was she?” The admiral was losing what little patience he had to begin with.

“Um, we don’t know sir.”

“YOU DON”T KNOW?” The worst was about to happen to the brave head nurse. “YOU DON’T KNOW? WHY DON’T YOU KNOW?”

The good nurse, indeed all of the nurses, took several steps back from his rage. Orderlies and doctors and others walking through the hall disappeared from his line of fire so rapidly it was as if they had vanished into thin air. “Well, sir, we’ve looked everywhere for her. No one seems to know just where she is. She wasn’t scheduled for any tests. She’s not visiting in other rooms.” At this point, the good nurse totally faltered under the wrath that was steaming out of the admiral’s pores. “She just seems to have disappeared. And um, her clothes are gone too.”

AJ just stared at them. Then, he brought his fist down hard on the counter. “FIND HER! NOW!”

AJ knew better than to panic. Think it out, sailor. If you were in her shoes, where would you go? And why? Would she just leave the hospital without telling anyone? Of course she would. She wanted to go home a couple of days ago; she’s a lot stronger on her feet now; she’s probably bored, not to mention stubborn as hell. Ok, she wouldn’t take the elevator – somebody would have seen her. The closest staircase to her room is where? There! AJ can see the staircase through the glass window in the middle of the door. Always moving quietly in case a situation called for it, he entered the stairwell and quickly scanned the perimeter. Nothing here. We’re only four floors up, he thinks. I’ll just check out the whole thing. She could have entered another floor and taken the elevator from there. No, I’m sure she wouldn’t want to be caught in the elevator; too risky. Two floors to go. If she left the hospital grounds, how will I find her? She’s got a good head start. Yes, but she isn’t moving that quickly. And there she is. Thank you God, there she is. His relief was palpable.

Sitting on the 2nd floor landing, she was holding onto the handrail. Stay calm AJ. She looks ok from here. She looks like a little lost kid. She’s not going to want to hear how upset you are at her behavior. Think before opening your mouth. Don’t frighten her. Don’t get her mad at you. Well, mad is ok. 

“You know it’s a fire hazard to block a stairwell,” he said softly as he sat down beside her. “And, on federal property, it’s a misdemeanor. Of course if someone gets hurt, it could turn into a felony.”

Not turning to look at him, she whispered “Then sue me.” Rallying only a little at being goaded, she gave him a sad but cynical look. “And I wasn’t blocking the stairwell. It got blocked when you sat down. I’m way over here to the side.”

“We’ll have to fix that. Don’t want to be a fire hazard.” And with that, he reached for her and loosening her tight grip on the hand rail, lifted her onto his lap. “Want to tell me about it?” he asked gently.

“No, I don’t.” she sadly replied. “And I don’t want to hear how foolish I’ve been either.”

His very recent knowledge of her abusive childhood and his increased fear for her safe keeping caused AJ more stress than he wanted to admit – even to himself. Now that he could see her, he was able to keep his outward manner calm. Keeping his tone as soft as possible, he tried to tease her a little. “Trying to escape the famous Bethesda Hospital food? Or just trying to get the hell out of here?”

“You won’t be mad will you?” AJ shook his head no. “I’m mad enough at myself. I thought I could make it out of here but I didn’t count on my knee giving me such a hard time so soon. I didn’t realize going down the stairs would hurt so much. I had to stop too many times and that tired me out – getting up and sitting down again. So I just sat down and tried to scoot down on my butt but that was too hard too. I had to stretch my leg out and it started to feel heavy and… and I hate hospitals! I’ve been in one or two and they’re too depressing and I don’t like the smell of them and you can’t wash your hair and everyone talks to you like you’re an idiot and I want to go home!”

She had rushed to get all of that anger and frustration out without a tear and now she buried her face in his chest. AJ didn’t say a word. He gently held her and rubbed her arms and then finally, tipped her head up so he could look at her. “I’m sorry I was whining,” she said. “It’s not like me to behave like a baby. I apologize. I’ll go back to my room now. The nurses won’t get in any trouble, will they?”

“No, I’ll forgive them. But if I hadn’t found you as quickly as I did, I would have had to send them to those supply ships in Outer Mongolia.” He said this with a straight face and in a very serious tone of voice.

That got a smile out of Isa. He helped her to her feet and when she was standing, he hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Let’s get out of this stairwell. We’ll take the elevator back, eat some dinner and see about getting you out of here. How does that sound?”

When they got back to her room and Isa spotted the food from Charlie’s Steak House, she looked at AJ with a wry grin. “If I had known I was having a steak for dinner, I never would have tried to escape.”

“Hmm, “ the good admiral said. “The woman’s so brave, she’s already stealing my lines.”

They enjoyed the good meal from Charlie’s and Isa wrapped up the leftovers to take home. While she was doing this little chore, AJ was signing the necessary papers to get her discharged from the hospital in the normal fashion – rather than just walking away the way Isa had intended to do. Wouldn’t look right for a Navy admiral to have his lady friend break out of a naval hospital after all. He never said a word to the nurses and they lacked the courage to say anything to him. 

Predictably, Isa balked at riding in a wheelchair to the front door. A look from AJ silenced her protests. What is it about this man, she thought, that makes me willing to take unspoken orders? Plus, I let him hold me and kiss me and I… well that part’s nice. But this telling me what to do business is… he is an admiral, after all and probably can’t talk unless he’s giving orders – that’s no excuse – I’ll have to straighten him out. I’m not sure I like taking orders; this is getting confusing. I have a fairly full life and I don’t have to… Oh yeah? The voice in her head smirked. You have a life all right, but there hasn’t been a man in it ‘till now. Well, she argued, but there was no argument. It was true. AJ was the first man she had gotten close to in many years or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe she had allowed him to get close to her. Life can be very confusing, she thought. I was sure it had finally reached a degree of predictability, but now I’m not so sure.

2000 Hours 
Isa Sterling’s House
McLean, Virginia

AJ lifted her into his SUV when they left the hospital and out of it again when they reached her house. He wouldn’t let her walk. “AJ, I’m not a baby or an invalid. Put me down, please.”

“Not on your life, sweetheart. I am going to see you safely into your house. Besides you might be inclined to run away,” he teased. “And, it’s not like you weigh 200 pounds.”

“I don’t weigh anywhere near 200 pounds buster, but I do weigh about 125 pounds and that’s still a lot to be hoisting around each time you see me.

AJ just looked at her and sighed. “You no more weigh 125 pounds than I do. You can’t be more than…” At this point, he raised and lowered her in his arms several times. “Hmm, I’d say you’re somewhere around 110 pounds.”

 “Admiral Chegwidden,” she began, “arguing with you is like… I don’t know what it’s like but it’s exasperating as hell. How do your officers put up with you?”

AJ just looked at her. “Put up with me? Well, they don’t give me sass the way you do and they wouldn’t even think about arguing with me, I assure you.”

“Why not? You a sore loser?”

“No, I’m their commanding officer and as such, they know better.”

“I am grateful I’m not in the Navy and particularly, not under your command.”

Thank God for that, thought Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden.

Once they were in the house, AJ insisted that Isa sit on the couch while he fixed her a warm drink. “Oh no, you don’t,” she asserted. “I haven’t seen my babies in too many days and you’ve never met them so that’s first.”

“I’ve been here before; how come I didn’t meet them then?”

“I was afraid Beety would get fur on you so I kept him locked in the greenhouse with Corny. As for Corny, he was already in ‘bed time mode’ and I didn’t want to get him riled up so late in the evening. And, uh, Corny takes a little getting used to. Open the bedroom door and Beety will come out. Then we can go say hello to my favorite macaw.”

When AJ let the cat out, he was unprepared for the rush of yellow fur that launched itself between his legs and onto Isa’s lap. There was a great deal of purring as Beety greeted his mistress and a huge smile on Isa’s face as she murmured to her pet. The cat was busily rubbing his head all over her face and neck and Isa was softly laughing. Beety’s whiskers tickled. AJ sat next to them and watched the lovefest for a few minutes. Finally, he asked her if the cat would let him stroke his fur. “Why don’t you find out? Or is the sailor not as brave as he looks?”

This sailor would never back off from such an obvious challenge. Giving her a scornful look, AJ put his hand out and slowly ran it down Beety’s back, up the tail to the tip and onto his back once again. This got Beety’s attention. The normally unruffled admiral quickly found himself staring into the face of a very curious feline that had leaped to his chest to inspect the head of the new creature in the house. Beety had his front paws on AJ’s chest and was clearly sniffing at AJ’s mouth and nose. AJ didn’t move a muscle. Laughing, Isa watched Beety check the admiral out. “He’s particularly interested in you because your face smells a lot like me. How do you like having to pass inspection from a cat?”

“I think he likes me.”

“I’m sure he does. But I’m not positive how discriminating his taste is.” Rising from the couch as she said this, she missed AJ’s attempt to place a well-deserved firm pat on her backside. “Let’s go meet the emperor of the Sterling household.” As she led AJ into the greenhouse, the smug smile on her face gave the brave and courageous admiral pause to think.

No sooner had they entered the semi-tropical jungle Isa had created in this room than a swooping green mass of feathers landed on her shoulder. “Esee, my lovey, my lovey,” the bird intoned, “where’s a kiss for your lovey boy? A kiss for your lovey boy.” 

“Hello my precious.” Isa crooned as she scratched the top of his head. “I’ve missed you so much. But I know Mac took good care of you, didn’t she?”

“Mac – Mac.” Corny repeated.

“AJ, I’d like you to meet Julius Cornelius better known as Corny. Say hello and introduce yourself.”

“Hello Corny. Name’s AJ. AJ Chegwidden.”

“Hell-looo Corny. Names AJ – AJ – AJ – Cheg – Cheg.” Corny intoned.

“Not bad. I’m impressed.” AJ said.

Not as impressed as you’re going to be, Isa thought. But what the hell, let the bird surprise him. And he did. Corny was a curious sort and not at all shy. He made his way to AJ’s shoulder, paused to look at him from one angle and then from another. Finally, he started nibbling softly on his ear. This made AJ smile but not for long. Corny gave him a little bite on the earlobe and then startled the unsuspecting admiral with “Hi lovey boy. Squawk! What’s for dinner? Squawk!” at the top of his very large lungs. AJ jumped back and Corny flew to a higher perch. Glowering at the macaw didn’t have much of an effect on him, however. Corny just started making a particularly annoying giggling sound interspersed with loud squawks and an occasional “Gotcha’.” The admiral was not amused. Isa was bent over in convulsive laughter. 

Leaning on his arm as they left the greenhouse, Isa whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t tell him you’re an admiral.”

“And, why is that?”

“Trust me AJ. You don’t want to know.”

The normally ‘in-charge’ admiral decided to trust her greater judgement. “Now, can we relax and have a cup of tea or cocoa or something?”

“No AJ, Once I sit down I probably won’t get up. I need a bath; have to get that hospital smell off of me. I need to wash my hair and see about groceries. You don’t have to stay you know. You’ve done more than enough for me already.”

Looking at her like she’s lost her mind, AJ ignored her protests and picked her up and put her on the couch. “Sit. Stay put. Don’t move!” he commanded.

“Aye, aye sir.” Isa retorted and thought, Well, how lucky can I get? A direct order from the C.O. himself. Oh yeah, like that’s gonna work. AJ wandered into the kitchen to see if Mac restocked Isa’s refrigerator the way he had asked her to. While he was rummaging through the new groceries, Isa was off the couch and headed toward the master bathroom. She was just closing the bathroom door when an irate AJ stormed into the bedroom. “What the hell do you think you’re doing woman?”

Locking the bathroom door as fast as she can, Isa squeaked “Can I go to the bathroom by myself you, you Admiral thing!” 

AJ chuckled at her choice of words but he stopped laughing when he heard water running in the tub. “Isa open this door. You are not going to try to get in and out of a bathtub with that knee. Do you hear me woman?”

“The entire population of McLean, Virginia heard you AJ. But I shall succumb to your greater wisdom. I really shouldn’t chance this knee in the tub and I can’t remove the tape for a shower either. I guess I’ll just wash up at the sink.”

Satisfied that she really won’t do anything foolish, AJ settled down on a bedroom chair waiting for her to reappear. Beety jumped on his lap and waited with him. “Are you ok in there?” he asked. “Your body isn’t that big. How long can it take to get it clean?”

Men, she thought with some exasperation. There’s more to washing than washing. You have to tweeze your eyebrows, shave your legs, put some moisturizer on those fading bruises, that kind of stuff. Regretfully, she redressed in the same clothes she had on before. “Don’t be alarmed AJ. I’m going to run the tub again and stick my head under the faucet so I can wash my hair.”

“And kneel on the bum knee? The hell you are. Open the door. I’ll help you wash your hair.” Hearing no response, he put his hand on the doorknob. “Open the door Isa or I will break it down.”

Watching the knob finally turn in front of him, he opened the door carefully, in case she had a bathroom weapon in her hand. But she didn’t. What she does have is a very stern look on her face. And AJ realizes she is imitating one of his own poses, standing as tall as she can with her arms folded across her chest and just daring him. He is desperate not to laugh at what she must think is an intimidating posture but the corners of his mouth turned up in spite of him. “You are a bully and a miserable cuss and a spoiled thing! You have no couth! None whatsoever at all and when I’m stronger, I’m going to get you for this. Consider that a threat Admiral Chegwidden!”

“I will and I do, sweetheart.” He said as he reached for her. “But for now, let’s get your hair washed.” That said, he turned the faucet back on and sitting on the edge of the tub, he pulled her onto his lap. Placing both hands on her back he urged her to lean back until her hair was under the water. He placed a thigh over her legs so he could balance her weight in this awkward position. He could have held her over his knees on her stomach but he wasn’t sure he could take the temptation of her backside staring him in the face. He handed her the shampoo and closing her eyes, Isa proceeded to wash and condition her hair. AJ was watching her intently. It’s not a deeply personal act – shampooing one’s hair but for some reason, it struck AJ as one. She was wearing the clothes she wore home from the hospital and the cotton top was getting soaked. AJ’s gaze focused on the lovely round breasts that were very apparent through the wet material. His libido, never far below the surface, started to rise to the occasion. Then he saw the tape that was binding her ribs and it was as if he just got kicked in the gut. A little while longer, he thought, but God, not too much longer.

Isa’s hair was squeaky clean and she couldn’t be happier. Urging AJ to help her sit up, she wrapped her hair in the towel he handed her and proceeded to dry it. Sitting on his lap and towel drying her hair made her lose her balance but he easily caught her and pulled her toward him. His shirt was instantly soaked from her wet blouse. At her look of dismay, he assured her that it was just a shirt after all but Isa wanted to change her clothes. “Let me up AJ. I need clean clothes.”

“I’ll get them. What do you need? Sweats and a T-shirt?” At her nod, he helped her back into the bedroom and followed her directions as to where the items were stored. Handing her the clean clothes, he realized that she probably wanted to change her panties as well. “Uh, where do you keep your, uh, undergarments?”

Will wonders never cease, she thought? Smiling at the now shy, normally intimidating two-star admiral, Isa pointed to a drawer where she kept socks and panties. “Over there, AJ.” The Admiral opened the drawer, picked out a really pretty pair of panties and some socks and grinning brought them to her. What happened to that shyness? Boy oh boy, he can turn on a dime.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he sprinted from the room – out to his car – and back. Coming in the front door, he stripped off his wet shirt and T-shirt. “You decent?” he called to Isa as he made his way back to the bedroom. 

Isa hadn’t moved an inch. When AJ came in naked above the waist, she gazed at that magnificent chest and swallowed hard. Seeing that look and misinterpreting it for one of fear, he rushed to assure her. “Isa, my shirt was soaked. I generally keep spare clothes in the car. I’m just going to put on a dry T-shirt.” And he did. Tilting her head up, he teased her, “Do you need some assistance in changing sweetheart?”

“Get out, you – you…”

“Thing?” Ducking the towel she threw at him, he was grinning broadly as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

While Isa changed her clothes, AJ took the time to get out of the rest of his uniform. He changed into sweats as well. Knocking on the bedroom door, he asked, “Now can we relax and have something warm to drink, Madam Commanding Officer?”

“Yes, sailor, we can. Carry on. As you were. Do your thing. Whatever.”

“Aye, aye ma’am,” AJ chuckled.

At long last they found themselves on the couch sipping hot cocoa. Isa was much happier now that she was in her own home and AJ was happy that she was within his arm’s reach. Reaching over to gather her closer to him, he stroked her face and neck and examined her bruises. “They’re slowly fading sweetheart. They should be completely gone in just a couple of more days.” Deciding to push a little further, he rubbed her back and plunged right in asking her a question that’s been weighing heavily on his mind. “Tell me about your back. How did you get those scars?”

Isa was startled by the question and paused. “How did you know about the scars AJ?”

“When you were in Bethesda, the doctor relayed all medical information to me because the SecNav asked her to. In the course of examining your injuries, she naturally saw your back and asked me if I knew how you got those scars. I didn’t know so I’m asking you now.” He had asked the question softly and gently. He continued to rub her back and neck while he waited for her response. 

Isa decided not to avoid the question. He’ll just pester me until I tell him. She settled back into his arms, held his hand to her cheek and took a deep breath. “When I was about five or six years old, there was – um – I was in a really bad fire. I’m not sure if I was sleeping when the fire started or exactly what I was doing. I must have fallen asleep on my stomach or maybe I fell and landed that way, I’m not sure. Anyway, as far as I know, parts of the burning ceiling came down on my back – at different angles I guess and that’s how I got those scars. I guess the – uh – rest of me was protected by something. I’m not sure. And, uh – that’s pretty much all I remember. It was a long time ago.”

AJ had seen burn scars. From what the doctor had told him and the pictures he saw, he knew these were not burn scars. And then there was the God-awful information Webb had shown him. These scars came from beatings; there was no question about it in his mind. He wondered if she was making up a story she thought he could believe or just one her own mind could handle. It was possible she had suppressed the truth and in her current state, didn’t remember what actually happened. He had seen that kind of thing in Vietnam. Soldiers and sailors relaying a story that seemed believable rather than allow their minds to remember the horrors they endured. Gazing into her face, he kissed her lightly. “Sounds like you had a few rough times when you were growing up, sweetheart.”

Not wishing to prolong the unpleasant subject, Isa agreed. “We all had a few rough times growing up, AJ. Let’s not make an issue of it. We’re here, aren’t we? Besides, that was then; this is now and now is all that counts. It’s been a long day Admiral. I hate to kick you out but I’m pooped. I need to get to bed.”

“Then, let’s get you tucked in. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to sleep in your spare room.” At her surprised look, he continued. “I’m not going to spend a restless night at my house worried about your first night at home. If you fall out of bed, who is going to be there to pick you up? Who’s going to…”

Giving in to him is getting to be a habit, she thought. “I’m not going to fall out of bed but I’ve got the picture AJ and I’m too tired to argue. I’m pretty sure there’s clean linen on the bed but if there isn’t, there’s a linen closet next to the guest bathroom.”

“Good girl. You’re getting the hang of this commanding officer thing aren’t you?” Grinning as she rolled her eyes at him, he tucked her into her own bed. “I’m going to leave your door open so I can hear you if you need me. Goodnight sweetheart. I’m close by. Sleep well.”

As soon as AJ turned out the light and left, Isa removed her sweats and socks and the blanket. She always woke up warm so she generally slept with just a sheet covering her. AJ found the guest bed comfortable but a little short for his frame. He turned on his side and stretched his long legs over the edge of the mattress at the bottom of the bed. It wasn’t long after that when he felt something burrowing behind his knees. Reaching a hand down to inspect the object, he felt fur that seemed to be revving like an engine. Ahh, the cat, he thought. Stroking its fur, he softly inquired, “How’d you get a name like Beety? I would have thought you looked more like Garfield or Tiger or something like that.” Beety just continued to purr and snore. He liked the new creature and this was as good a place as any to sleep. 

Isa had fallen asleep right away. As usual she had kicked the sheet off of her and was stretched out on her stomach – one hand over the side of the bed and the other above her head. The dark dreams that came to her were not as frequent as they used to be. But they still came. “No, don’t hurt me. I’ll be good” she cried. “I’ll be good, I promise.” And in another voice she hissed at herself. “Devil’s spawn! Evil child!” “No,” her child’s voice cried, “I’m Isa. I’m good.”

AJ had leaped out of bed at the first sound Isa made. He had heard what she said and knew she was having a nightmare – reliving the past. He rushed into her room and gathered her into his arms. “Hush baby. No one is going to hurt you. I won’t let them. You’re safe with me.” At first she struggled in his arms, but the still sleeping Isa seemed to be comforted by his presence. She quieted and her breathing returned to normal. AJ laid her back down on the pillow and then stopped short at the sight of her lying there in nothing more than a T-shirt and panties. The night was a light one and all her curves were delightfully displayed for him to feast his gaze on. Oh God, how much longer? He was leaning on the bed and at the sight of her, he must have tensed his leg muscles because she started to stir and her breathing became harsher again. AJ clenched his teeth, prayed for strength and lay down beside her – holding her gently and soothing her with soft sounds. He pulled the light blanket toward him and bunched it up before positioning it over his lower abdomen. Just in case my body betrays me, he groaned, this ought to soften any wishful poking I can’t control. 

The next morning
0800 Hours
Home of Isa Sterling
McLean, Virginia

Isa woke up to something tickling her nose. Thinking it was Beety, she tried to move him out of her face. She pushed but he didn’t move. That’s strange, her still sleeping mind thought. I must be weaker than I realized. Pushing again, the immovable object simply got closer. Then it pulled her on top of it. Very nice, she thought. I’m sleeping on top of a warm furry teddy bear. Very nice. Her hands rubbed the bear’s chest and then her eyes suddenly opened wide. This was no teddy bear! 

AJ was sleeping soundly when he felt the tickle of her eyelashes on his bare chest as she opened her eyes. With no conscious thought, he had gathered her closer to him and then lifted her so she was lying on his chest. He lay very still not sure how to explain the situation. Isa lifted her head and looked him in the eye. She didn’t say a word. He had one arm around her back and the other was covering her scantily clad bottom. One of his bare thighs was between her legs and the other was pressed up against her leg. He felt very warm to her body and too wonderful for words and what the hell was she thinking? 

AJ was thinking his erection was probably boring a hole in her side. The hand on her butt was there by accident and now it was itching to fondle the sweet flesh beneath but he forced it to remain still. He felt his thigh muscles twitch of their own volition and one encouraging glance would be all it would take for his leg to start moving up and down between her thighs. “Did I do something unpardonable in the middle of the night?” She asked.

“No,” he croaked. “You, uh, had a nightmare and I came in to make sure you were all right.” His breathing was getting heavier.

Feeling his bare legs next to hers, she asked, with a perfectly straight face, “And did this alleged nightmare prompt you to take off your sweats before coming in to check on me?” Is he holding his breath, she wondered?  “AJ, are you all right? What is that look you have on your face?”

“Hunger.”

“Hunger?”

“Uh huh. Hunger – for you. In fact, starvation.”

Incredulous, she just stared at him. “You’re going to eat me? You’re going to take a bite out of me? An arm or a leg Admiral?” she laughed.

Turning her gently onto her back, he kissed her with a passion that surprised them both. “More like a thigh or a breast. And then, you have a few other parts I would like to sample – to taste.”

Isa was lost in the kissing and the touching. AJ was gently fondling her breasts and her stomach and his mouth was heading in that direction. While not totally naïve, Isa was slow to pick up on what he wanted to sample. And then she turned beet red. AJ immediately sensed a change in her and lifting his head was amazed to find that she was blushing – profusely too. He started grinning and he couldn’t stop. And then he started chuckling. And then he started laughing. Isa was totally unprepared for his reaction to her blush and trying to get control of the situation, she did what she does best. She pinched him and she pinched him again and then she tried to box his ears. He yelped but quickly grabbed her hands and held them over her head. Then he continued kissing her mouth and throat at his leisure. Transferring both of her hands to one of his, he reached down and lifted her T-shirt. Isa started to squirm but when his mouth teased one of her breasts while his hand caressed the other, she gave in to the glorious sensations. AJ felt her relax and he let go of her hands. She immediately started touching him – using those magic hands to move up and down and around his chest and back. They were very happily absorbed with discovering each other’s bodies and the wonderful feeling of touching and being touched. Consequently, it took a moment for the ringing doorbell to penetrate their minds.

“Whoever it is, I am going to throttle – to maim – to strangle with my bare hands,” AJ growled. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”  Looking at her face still flushed from his kisses and the sight of her delicious torso, he cupped her cheek for an instant and then bent further down and kissed one of her breasts once again. He closed her bedroom door before moving into the guestroom to gather his clothes. “Just a minute,” he yelled to the person waiting to die on the other side of the door. Quickly putting his sweats and T-shirt back on, he touched his crotch to make sure everything was as deflated as he felt. 

Opening the door a little more abruptly than normal, AJ was prepared to squash whoever it was that has foolishly disturbed the lovemaking that has barely begun. Standing there with a smile on her sweet face, Lieutenant Harriet Sims was holding what looked like a covered tray. “Good morning, sir.” The perky blonde greeted him. “I’ve brought breakfast.”

AJ paused for just a moment and then giving in to the inevitable, invited her in. He hoped he sounded halfway civil. “Lieutenant - Harriet, good morning. That was very thoughtful of you. Come in. I think I hear Isa stirring now. I’ll just knock on her door and see if she’s up yet.” Knocking softly, he let Isa know they have company and to come out when she’s dressed.

Harriet laid the food out on the dining room table and started to make coffee for all of them. She was surprised the admiral was barefoot and assumed that he had just come out of the shower and was getting dressed when she knocked or… maybe he was going for a run… or maybe she had interrupted something… This is just too delicious, she thought. 

Isa heard Harriet’s voice and laughed to herself. AJ must be fighting himself to exercise total restraint. Of all the people in the world to show up, Harriet was the last person he would throttle. She’s too sweet. After making herself presentable, she came out to greet her with a smile. “How’s the knee ma’am? Here, let me help you.” Both AJ and Harriet reached for Isa at the same time. 

“Hey, you two. I’m a big girl now. I can walk. See?” And she showed them that she could – although not as steadily as she thought. AJ watched her with a critical eye ready to catch her if she stumbled. Harriet watched the admiral who was watching Isa. 

Yes! She exclaimed to herself. The admiral is hooked. How perfectly delicious! “Good for you ma’am. You’re doing great. Now, you have to eat so you can get even stronger. I wasn’t sure what was in your fridge so I brought bagels, cream cheese, nova, jam, eggs, hash browns, and skim milk. Interested?”

Both AJ and Isa nodded their agreement. Everything’s already warm and ready to eat except the eggs and I’ll get those cooked in just a minute. Scrambled ok?” She chatted on and then seemed to remember something. “Oh and Bud will be by soon with little AJ. That ok? They weren’t ready to leave when I was so I told him to come along later. He should be bringing the Danish and coffeecake.”

Isa was examining the contents of the food tray, shaking her head at the sheer quantity of it. “I have discovered when there are JAG folks around, there seems to be an abundance of food. Is it always like this?” 

“Not always ma’am” Harriet explained. “But we use any excuse to scarf it down. Of course, we work out like crazy too because the Navy appreciates fit sailors. There has to be some reward for all that sweating, don’t you think?” This said she served the admiral his eggs first. “Four or five, sir?”

“Four to start Harriet, thank you. I’ll also toast a bagel. Isa, how about you?”

Working on her second glass of milk, Isa agreed to a bagel. She nibbled at it and managed the equivalent of half an egg. Reacting to AJ’s disapproving look, she protested. “Hey, I’m saving room for the coffeecake.”

It wasn’t long after that when Bud and baby AJ arrived. After introductions, Bud and the baby got their share of the breakfast offerings. Isa was curious about how the baby got his name. Filling her in on the story of baby AJ’s entrance into the world on the floor of the admiral’s office and by the admiral, Bud is looking long and hard at Isa. So this is the Isa the admiral has taken such an interest in. What a remarkable woman. Harriet is right. The admiral is smitten. She’ll be good for him. I hope it works out. Things at JAG can only run smoothly if the admiral’s happy. 

After they pretty much stuffed themselves, Harriet encouraged Bud and the admiral to get some fresh air. “Take a walk and walk off all those calories, Bud Roberts. And take the admiral and little AJ with you. Isa and I will just clean up in here and relax for a while.”

Not crazy about the idea of taking a casual walk with his C.O., but knowing when Harriet says something like that, it’s in his best interests to comply, he made the offer to the admiral. “Sir, how about we take the baby and get some fresh air?”

“Good idea Lieutenant. And I’ll take that little sailor with me.” Reaching for the baby, they left Harriet and Isa to clean-up detail.

“Harriet, did the admiral know you were bringing breakfast this morning?” Isa didn’t think so but AJ was fairly preoccupied with other matters this morning, she giggled to herself and could have forgotten. 

“Why no ma’am. I thought we’d surprise you.” At Isa’s questioning look, she went on to explain. “The Colonel told me she was sure the admiral would be spending the night with you. That is to say, she was sure he would want to be close by on your first night home from the hospital. She made up the spare room in case he stayed here and I thought, even if he didn’t stay here, he lives close by. I was sure he’d be here early this morning. And I knew breakfast would be hard for you to manage. I mean, you shouldn’t be standing on your knee too long. I wasn’t sure if the admiral would be cooking or…. I’m rambling aren’t I ma’am?” At Isa’s nod and subsequent smile, Harriet gave her a hopeful look. “He did spend the night, didn’t he?”

“If you look in the spare room, I’m sure you’ll find his things there, Harriet.” 

That made Harriet smile broadly. “Would there be anything else you’d like to share ma’am?” 

“No,” Isa said firmly. Harriet decided not to push her luck. This was the admiral’s lady after all, even if she didn’t know it.

Enjoying the fresh morning air and the little tyke in his arms, AJ asked Bud what he thought of Isa Sterling. “She’s so much more than I expected, sir.”

“What do you mean Mr. Roberts?”

“Well sir, when I showed you those medical records – I mean, she’s been through so much and yet, she has accomplished so much – a bunch of college degrees, a successful career, a life! And she’s charming and funny. I like her a lot sir. And, I admire her a lot too.”

“So do I, Mr. Roberts. So do I.” Bud didn’t know the half of it. AJ had not shared Webb’s findings with the Lieutenant. Even so, Bud had done an admirable job of uncovering some of the same information. “I want to remind you that this assignment remains confidential. More so, since I strongly believe there is a lot of pain and other unpleasantness from Isa’s past that she no longer remembers. The human mind will do that sometimes. That means what you know about her is to remain unshared with anyone, particularly her. Understood?”

“Understood, sir.” Bud responded. And with all sincerity, he assured the admiral that he would do nothing - ever - in any way at all - that would hurt this woman. He would go beyond the call of duty to protect her. He would…

“Thank you Mr. Roberts. I’m sure you will.” AJ said dryly.

1300 Hours
Isa Sterling’s Home
McLean, Virginia

After Bud and Harriet left, AJ made another pot of coffee and the two of them sat at her kitchen table enjoying the fresh brew. Isa was quietly pensive as if her mind was a million miles away. Over the rim of his coffee mug, AJ used the time to watch her and let his own mind wander. This is the grown-up version of the 3-year old admitted to the hospital with a broken arm and a black eye. Remembering her lovely limbs and sweet body in his arms this morning, he tried to picture the 5-year old child she was when she was brought into the emergency room half-starved and unconscious. Unconscious because of the severe beating she had received. AJ knew all about physical pain but he sustained the majority of his as an adult – not a helpless child no one seemed to care about. He can’t begin to imagine the pain she endured from that beating or the pain from sustaining all those broken bones. What kind of animal punches a 3-year old in the face and breaks the child’s arm?  What kind of sub-human tortures a child? This is the lovely woman who was in the hospital – how many times as a child? Ahh and this was the child who insisted on bathing when she could and smiling to himself, this was the child who bit the nun and broke the padre's fingers. I know that child. She’s taller and older now and sitting close enough for me to touch. Reaching over, he put a hand in front of Isa’s face. “Hey, I’m feeling neglected. How about a hug?” 

Coming back from wherever her mind had been, Isa gave AJ her radiant smile. “I’m glad there is you Admiral Chegwidden.” She said softly. “You’re feeling neglected? What was it the Admiral needed?”

Smiling at this exchange, AJ paused and pursed his lips. “Mmmm, the Admiral needs a hug – a body hug – a really big hug.” 

“Mmmm, yourself.” She teased. “How would the Admiral like a massage instead – a body massage – a really big massage?” Assuming consent, Isa tried to duck out of the reach of his arms. She failed miserably. He grabbed her so swiftly she was sure he must have moved before she had even stopped talking. Lifting her against his chest, he also proved that he was quite capable of holding her and kissing her and getting them to the bedroom in record time. Isa starting giggling and a sly smile was forming on her lips.

Laying her down on the bed and looking at her closely, AJ was starting to believe that he may not be the one in control here after all. “Is there an imp I see sitting on your shoulder, woman? Should I be alarmed?” 

Trying to suppress the laughter that was threatening to bubble over, she made a stern face. “Take off that T-shirt sailor. Now!” she commanded him. “And those sweats and your shoes and socks and lay down right here – on your back. On the double!” 

“Yes ma’am.” AJ started removing his outer clothes and then stopped to bait her just a little. “What will happen if I don’t? Should I be worried about the consequences?”

“Well, you’ll just have to swab the decks or walk the plank or… AJ, you really don’t want to disobey this direct order. I’m sure you’re going to like what I’m going to do.” She said this in all seriousness – like an adorable child he didn’t want to disappoint. When he was finally attired only in his shorts and on his back, she took off her outer clothes as well. Clad only in a T-shirt and panties, the state she was in earlier this morning, she got on the bed and straddled his lower abdomen. 

AJ looked at the body touching his own and was eternally grateful that he could not find any sign of that adorable child anywhere. Thank God, he breathed. 

Isa gave him her impish smile and finally put her hands on his chest. “Close your eyes sailor and just enjoy what I’m going to do to you.” Hearing no protests, her hands began their magic. She placed both of her hands on his rib cage with fingers spread out as far as they would go. Keeping her fingers still and pressing the base of her palms down, she slowly moved her thumbs in an arc back and forth. Inching her way up, she repeated the motion until she reached his shoulders. To do this, she also had to inch her butt up to the bottom of his rib cage. His torso was simply longer than her reach. Leaning forward she started to work on his shoulders when she felt his hands on her. One hand was slowly rubbing the back of her thigh and the other was stroking her butt like he was strumming a damn guitar! She became very still. When he opened his eyes to look at her, she gave him her sternest look and then she made a growling sound in her throat. AJ immediately took his hands off the forbidden fruit. The massage started again.

I couldn’t help it, he explained to his inner self. As soon as her sweet warm bottom started rubbing against me when she moved forward, my hands moved of their own accord. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I plead no knowledge of the action, your honor and furthermore, any second now, that fella’ quickly rising to the occasion behind that little butt of hers will soon let its presence be known and all will be lost. Lost my ass, he grinned to himself. The massage might be over but the game plan will still be intact. 

Slowly massaging his shoulders and neck, Isa wondered why AJ was grinning. He should be in a very calm state by now, she thought, just breathing and enjoying and …  She let out a squeal as AJ suddenly sat up, lifted her to straighten out her legs and swiftly turned her onto her back. 

“My turn,” he muttered against her mouth. “Couldn’t wait any longer.” Leaning over her, he kissed her and then reached down to hook his thumbs into the sides of her panties fully intending to rid her of that thin silk barrier. At the same time he tucked his head under her T-shirt with the intention of removing that unnecessary garment as well. Isa did not object. But they were not alone, after all. Not caring that their timing is as poor as it gets, Beety jumped on the bed almost at the same instant Corny started squawking for attention. Beety, a neutered cat if there ever was one, sat on the bed as close to Isa’s lower belly as he could get and proceeded to systematically wash his entire body. Eyeing the new creature who was also as close to Isa’s lower belly as he could get and who was apparently reaching for the cat’s throat, Beety started to purr. He totally disarmed AJ by moving slightly toward him and rubbed the top of his head against AJ’s face. AJ didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. Isa was shaking with silent laughter. A resigned and frustrated man, AJ knew when the battle was lost. “All right my sweet. Let’s get up and see what that damn bird wants.”

Pulling their sweats back on, the two of them accompanied by Beety went into the greenhouse to check on Isa’s macaw. As was his habit, Corny swooped down on his mistress’ shoulder to nibble at her ear and to sweet talk her. “How about a kiss lovey? How about a kiss for your lovey boy?  Squawk. How about a nibble? How about a nibble? Squawk. Who’s the dude? Lose the dude. Squawk. How about a kiss lovey?”

“Exactly what I was after, you pea-brained nuisance.” AJ remarked to the bird in an off-handed way. Do you realize you have jeopardized a very serious mission this United States Admiral had undertaken? Have you no respect for my rank?”

“Uh-oh,” Isa grimaced. “Told you not to tell him you’re an Admiral. Corny used to belong to a Marine. He’s not that fond of the Navy.”

Corny, having heard the dreaded ‘Admiral’ word cocked his head in one direction and then in the other. He stared at AJ for only a few seconds and then flew to a safer perch. He squawked a little and then filling his lungs fired his vocal missile right at the dreaded United States Admiral. “From the halls of Mon-ta-zu-u-ma - squawk - to the shores of Tri-po-li. Squawk. We will fi-i-i –ght our coun-tries ba-a-a-ttles – squawk – air – land – sea – squawk. Semper Fi! Jar head, Semper Fi! He followed this insulting song with the irritating giggle he had cultivated. 

The Navy’s top lawyer/Admiral was not amused. “That does it. We’re out of here.” AJ announced as he glared at the disrespectful bird. “We’re going where we will *not* be interrupted; where I am in control of things; where we can be alone and I can make love to you. Come on. Let’s get a few of your things to take with – toothbrush, change of clothes, whatever else you need.”

Isa stopped short. “Are you kidnapping me, Admiral? Is this an abduction?”

“Nope,” he gave her a wicked grin. “The Admiral is intent on rescue and uh, fulfilling his mission. Is the subject of the rescue protesting the mission? Speak now or carry on. What’s it going to be?”

Isa looked at him for the length of a breath. “Let’s carry on, sailor.” As AJ closed the greenhouse door behind him, he gave Corny one last glare. Corny was totally undeterred; he knew a swabbie when he saw one. “Semper Fi, “ he squawked. “Semper Fi.” 

Isa gathered together a few toiletries and a change of clothes while AJ secured her house. The pets had already previously been fed and the automatic food timers would refill their food and water dishes. Lifting her into his SUV, AJ noticed that her knee bandage was coming loose. “I’ll change that for you when we get to my place. I guess I’ll have to rewrap your ribs too. Are you Ok? Any pain I should know about?”

“We’re going to your place?”

“Yep! And I’m going to lock the doors and the windows. I’m going to take the phone off the hook and no one – absolutely no one is going to interrupt us!” He delivered this statement in his commanding voice.

Isa smiled at his intimidating manner. “And what if there’s a national emergency and our country needs you to defend us against the bad guys?”

“They’ll have to break the door down and if they do, it damn sure better be a national emergency or I’ll know the reason why!” he insisted as he got into the driver’s seat. 

Baiting him was such a joy, she thought. “And will heads roll, Mr. Judge Advocate General, Mr. Admiral, Two-Star, sailor-man, whatever?”

“Possibly,” he replied as he looked her up and down, but one thing I know for sure, a certain young lady’s rear end is going to soon feel the palm of my hand if she doesn’t stop pushing my buttons!”

Deciding to quit while she was ahead, Isa reached out to place a hand on the side of his face. “But I like your buttons, AJ and I really like pushing them.”

Chuckling, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and turned on the ignition. “Then, let’s go to my house and push some of them.” 

1730 Hours
Home of AJ Chegwidden
McLean, Virginia

AJ lifted Isa out of the car but allowed her to walk up the steps of his house. “Want to try those stairs by yourself?” Nodding her agreement and holding on to the retaining wall, Isa slowly made it up the stairs and was quite pleased that she would be her same old self in no time. AJ thought she maneuvered the stairs admirably and was content that she was strong enough for the activities he had in mind. And I’ll make sure she gets enough rest too, he grinned. He was so damn pleased with this move to his own territory he could barely contain his glee. First Harriet interrupted; then the cat and the damn bird. Third time has to be a charm. 

Ushering her into his home, AJ told her to make herself comfortable while he took care of some housekeeping details. Isa found the bedroom and put her things on a bedside chair. Curious about AJ’s domain, she wandered around the homey comfortable place and noticed that his book collection far exceeded her own. No quilts, though, she thought. Might have a chance to correct that with one or two of mine.

“Interested in naval history, sweetheart?” He asked as he saw her perusing his book titles.

“Only in the history of this piece of the navy,” she smiled as she reached out to hug him. 

“Good answer. Very good answer,” he kissed her in return and then, with a hint of sarcasm,  “Now, was there absolutely anything at all you feel a compelling desire to do before I lock us in my bedroom? Anything at all?” 

Giggling, Isa started to shake her head no but then remembered she’d like to brush her teeth. “Right this way, Madam Commanding Officer.” Grabbing her cloth toiletry bag from the chair where she had left it, AJ lead her into the master bathroom where Isa brushed her teeth and inspected the plumbing. 

“Very nice bathroom AJ. It’s a real luxury to have a bathtub as well as a separate shower stall. It’s one of the biggest shower stalls I’ve ever seen.”

And one you will get intimately acquainted with if I have my way, he thought. “I’ve locked the doors and windows; the phone is off the hook. I’ll take a chance and leave the bedroom door closed but unlocked. What do you think?”

“I think you’d better hold me,” she whispered. “All of a sudden, this is going a little fast.” 

One of the wonderful things about this man, she thought as AJ held her closely to his chest, is that he’s not only a powerful protector and warrior, he’s also a sensitive and caring individual. He reminds me of a tiger – fierce, brave, and aggressive when necessary and at the same time, he exudes a gentleness you’d never expect from such a magnificent creature. The gentle tiger in question lifted the lovely morsel in his arms, took her into his bedroom and lay down with her on his bed.

He kicked off his shoes and leaned down to remove hers. Knowing he was finally going to make her his own, he took his time to ensure her comfort to all this physical attention. He slipped off his sweats and lifted her slightly so she could remove hers as well. Then, he got her attention when he started rubbing her sore knee and placed kisses all around it. His mouth moved from that knee down to her shapely calf and then to her ankle. Running his lips over the top of her foot, she involuntarily pulled it away – a sensitive spot he discovered. “Easy sweetheart. This won’t hurt a bit.” Holding her still, he kissed the bottom of her foot and then slid his mouth around the front and then the back of her toes and then between each one. She took an involuntary breath and tried to sit up to touch him. But he gently pushed her back. “You’ll have your turn,” he assured her huskily. Lifting the other foot, he lavished the same amount of attention on her toes and discovered the top of that foot was equally sensitive. Isa was caught up in these new sensations and she was having a difficult time just lying there with AJ touching and kissing her. Working his way up toward her other knee, he placed both hands on her outer thighs and felt those muscles contract and relax and contract again as his hands performed their magic dance. Reaching up to kiss her belly, he laid his head on her for a moment while he tried to relax the now pulsating muscle between his own thighs. 

Isa was finally able to reach his head and she rubbed his temples and the back of his neck with her palms – all the time wondering how it came to be that this gloriously beautiful man was making love to her. AJ pulled himself up to hold her in his arms so he could kiss her as thoroughly as possible. Reaching under her T-shirt, his hands sought her breasts and he lifted it out of the way so he could fill his mouth once again with the sweet round flesh. He pulled it over her head and lowered his mouth to her but Isa immediately stiffened. “What is it sweetheart? Did I hurt you?”

“AJ, my back. I – I don’t want you to look at my back. Please. It’s – it’s ugly. I’m afraid you’ll – you’ll…’ 

“NO!” She screamed at him but he simply ignored her and turned her over. Holding her firmly so she couldn’t move away from his grasp, he looked at the scars she was so sure would disgust him. He looked at the results of multiple beatings this woman had taken as a small child. He looked at what must have been the most horrific pain anyone would have suffered, let alone a child. His heart hurt. He looked and he remembered that he had promised himself that he would do anything and everything he could to replace the memories of that pain with sweet ones. AJ lowered his head and holding her within his embrace, he murmured soothing sounds. Starting with her undamaged shoulders, he moved his mouth lower until he touched the first of those scars. Gently, he kissed them – each and every one from beginning to end – top to bottom and side to side. Isa was in a state of semi-shock. She was sure he would be disgusted with her disfigurement. But when it finally dawned on her that he was kissing her, she let out the shudder she had been holding tightly in her heart for so long and laid quietly under his touch.

When he turned her over again, he saw the tears in her eyes and kissed them away. Trying to lighten the mood, he placed her hand on one of his particularly thick scars. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. You haven’t taken a good look at my old war wounds yet. I fully expect you to give them some real quality attention – but at another time. Right now, you have some other parts I want to kiss. At her questioning look and subsequent pinking of her cheeks, he chuckled and continued to tease her. “Don’t worry my sweet. I’m not going to run out of kisses.”

She grabbed his neck and pulled him to her so she could kiss him. Holding his face in her hands, she repeated what she had told him earlier in the day. “I’m glad there is you AJ Chegwidden.” At that very moment, AJ wouldn’t have traded places with anyone else on the entire planet. 

Slowly moving his hands over her breasts and her abdomen, AJ was filled with the sight of her lovely body. He softly nibbled on her right breast, sucking gently all around the soft mound and lifting it with his mouth, licked the tender flesh where its curve met her chest wall. Isa’s breathing was getting heavier and she inhaled sharply when his tongue found that sensitive spot. His hands have not stopped moving over her ribs and her abdomen stroking, caressing, searching for her sensitive spots. Slowly, they started their descent toward her thighs. The sensations AJ’s hands and mouth were causing in her body were energizing her own hands. She moved them over his head and his neck and his shoulders and alternated between applying pressure and smoothing them over his skin. AJ moved to her other breast to give it the same loving attention. 

His mouth was now hovering around her navel and he was impatient to give her more pleasure and thereby, increase his own. Resting his chin on her, he made a decision. He reached for her panties and simply ripped the thin fabric. With a startled look on her face, Isa tried to sit up but he kissed her navel and gently pushed her back down again. “Couldn’t wait to pull these down over that bandaged knee. This was quicker, sweetheart.”

Holding her hips and gently spreading her thighs apart with his elbows, AJ lowered his head and softly blew little breaths up and down the soft rosy flesh. In an instant, Isa was upright and pushing his head away from her. “AJ, no, don’t do that. I don’t – I mean – I’ve never – you don’t want to – AJ…”

Ignoring her protests was getting to be another habit, he thought, as he moved his arms over her hips and held her hands in his own, by her sides. Lowering his head again, he began a sweet assault on her senses. Breathing in her woman’s scent, he rubbed the tip of his nose up the sides of her labia and then used his chin to rub back down. He did this several times searching for those spots that would bring her the most pleasure. Making his next move he gave her now moist flesh the same attention all over again but this time he was using his mouth – alternating between kissing and gently sucking the same sweet spots. The subject of all this attention was beginning to pant and would have been squirming away from his mouth if his arms weren’t holding her down. The immense pleasure she was feeling was like none other she had ever felt before. She was in a sensual spiral and totally unaware of anything but the feeling between her inner thighs. AJ released her hands but lifted her hips so that her legs were around his neck and then his tongue licked the inside of her labia and she was climbing and climbing, trying to reach some other plane. When the tip of his tongue flicked her now throbbing clitoris, Isa gasped and arched her back. Tingling pulses seemed to charge through her like tiny electric shocks. And when he gently sucked on the protruding nub, she thought she heard herself make a low purring sound that started at the back of her throat but she wasn’t sure. She was lost – somewhere in that sensual spiral and was only aware of AJ and what his mouth was doing to her. The orgasm had so completely taken over her body that it was a few moments before she could focus on anything. And she was wet, very wet. AJ's tongue slid in and out of her, tasting, kissing, and tasting again. It was the most delicious feeling and Isa did not want it to stop.

AJ was stroking her thighs, her belly, her breasts waiting for her breathing and heart rate to return to normal. Awakening her to these sensations and watching her climax had him enchanted with her natural sensuality. His mouth and nose were filled with the taste and scent of her and his arousal was so great, he was almost in pain. He rose above her to enter her. The tip of his engorged penis was quickly covered with her juices and he easily began to slip into her moist center. Isa glanced down at him and was sure he couldn’t possibly fit. “AJ, you’re too big.” 

“Easy, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you. Trust me, please. Put your legs around my waist. That’s it.” He lifted her bottom to ease his entry and pulled out and pushed back – gently, back and forth – until his shaft was buried deep within her. He held that position until she was calm again and then he filled her mouth with his tongue. His thrusts were slow and gentle. His tongue mirrored those movements and Isa was consumed by the sensations he was giving her and those sensations caused her hips to mimic his movements of their own accord. Her hands were moving over his shoulders and back and she reached down to caress his hips. Then, they moved up his sides to his chest and over his back and back down again. AJ was not expecting her to respond so quickly and he found himself thrusting harder and faster until he reached his own peak and emitting a low throaty growl, he plunged one more time and released his seed into her.

His release, immediately followed by the feel of his heart pounding against her chest and his breath heavy on her neck, was a new and wonderful feeling. Isa tried to pull all of his weight down on top of her so she could suck all of him into her body. 

AJ had no illusions about what would happen if his 200-pound frame landed on her cracked ribs. With one hand on her back and the other on her butt, he rolled her over on top of him; still managing to stay buried inside her. He stroked and caressed her backside while he regained his normal breathing pattern. Isa, he noticed, was totally limp on top of his chest. “You ok, sweetheart? Did I hurt you?”

A muffled “no” told him she was still conscious. A few more minutes of breathing normally and AJ was dumbfounded he was getting hard again so soon. Isa was contracting her vaginal muscles around him, whether by reflex or design, he didn’t know. She must have felt the expansion within her because she lifted her head and looked at him like she had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. “Are we going to do this again, Admiral?” 

“Yes,” he grinned and turned her over once again. This time, the kissing and the touching was slower and more leisurely. His tongue explored her mouth in great detail as well as her cheeks and jaw and the sensitive areas behind her ears. She found his throat delicious and the pulse in the hollow of his neck got kissed and sucked so hard AJ knew he would be wearing a tie until the mark faded. The inside of her elbow was another sensitive spot as well as the skin under her upper arms. She delighted him with the sound of her giggles when he ran the tip of his tongue under one armpit and then the other. She paid him back by remembering that his sides were especially ticklish and she tortured him as best she could – anything to see that beautiful face turn into a smile. When he moved to stroke her inner thighs, she reached for him as well. “Later, sweetheart. You’ll get your turn.”

“When? She wanted to know. “When do I get to touch you like that?” 

“Later,” was all he would say. When he finally made their bodies one, they fell into a physical chasm of giving pleasure and receiving pleasure and for feeling utter and complete joy. Thoroughly drained and exhausted, Isa gratefully collapsed on AJ’s chest once again. Barely lifting her head, she kissed his mouth and whispered, “Don’t worry, AJ. I’ll respect you in the morning.” He gave her bottom a light swat. Then she remembered something else she wanted to say. “Are we going to do this again tomorrow?”

“Do you want to?” he smiled. “Mmmm” was all he heard. He took that for a ‘yes’ and whispered to her almost sleeping face. “It’s a good thing you’re so agreeable because I’m never going to let you out of this bed. You’re here to stay sweetheart.”

The now sleeping Isa didn’t hear that declaration which was a very good thing because who knows what she might have said. 

2230 Hours
Home of AJ Chegwidden
McLean, Virginia

They had been in bed since late afternoon so when AJ woke up he was initially disoriented. When he looked at the clock, he realized that the night had barely begun. Isa was still sound asleep on his chest. Her breathing was even and it felt warm when she exhaled. It didn’t look like she had moved a muscle. He shifted her a little higher on his chest so that her head was on his shoulder. Her injured knee was just below his navel and her calf and foot were strategically placed in a position to do him irreparable harm. Not crazy about the idea of an involuntary kick in the groin, he moved her leg slightly up and to the side of his most vulnerable parts. Isa stirred a little when AJ moved her. She was murmuring something in her sleep but he couldn’t make it out. She wasn’t showing any signs of agitation, and he murmured soothing sounds back to her and cradled her in his arms. What a sweet bundle this is, he thought, and then he remembered he had a similar thought the first time he held her. Then, he had held her on his lap after she practically broke her neck falling off a ladder. Fortunately, he caught her without any damage to either of them. Then, she also had clothes on, he grinned. Appraising the warm body in his arms, he thought her soft gentle curves were too appetizing to be neglected all those years. But he wasn’t exactly disappointed to be the one to introduce her to sweet and satisfying lovemaking. Her inexperience and initial shyness were delightful and AJ knew he was going to enjoy all the new things he was going to introduce her to as much as she would.

He felt her breasts against his chest and enjoyed the feel of the soft round globes pressing against him. She was surprisingly very well endowed and he had no objection whatsoever. Her hips were a little small and he caressed them, feeling the smooth satiny skin. I can cup her entire backside with just one hand, he thought. The rest of her also held great appeal. Her arms and legs were firm and shapely; her midriff and stomach were flat. There was just a small indentation at her waist, and the soft skin below her delicious navel drew his other hand. He knew it would draw his mouth as well. Her back was scarred, yes, but amazingly firm and strong. He really didn’t see where her skin had tightened into a scar or the rough spots mixed with the smooth ones. He only saw the child who had been mercilessly beaten. Getting Isa past that barrier had been his hardest challenge in breaking down her natural defenses against intimacy. As soon as he saw her scars up close, his only thought was to kiss away the horror and the memory of the pain. And he would continue to do so for… How long? The voice in his head wanted to know. How long? I don’t know, AJ said. Maybe as long as she’ll let me. And he turned her slightly in his arms so he could rain light kisses on her face. Her brow was smooth in sleep and there was a hint of tiredness under her eyes. As much as he had looked at her and kissed her after their dinner dates and later, when she was in the hospital, he didn’t seem to tire of looking at her again. Her eyes had a slight slant – maybe some Russian or Slavic ancestry somewhere, high cheekbones, hollow cheeks, and luscious lips that were still a little swollen from his kisses. I will make a point to keep them in that condition, he promised himself. Her complexion was clear and smooth and AJ rubbed his cheek against hers and then moved to kiss her throat.

Isa’s hands came up to touch his face. “Mmmm, what are you doing?” she asked sleepily.

“Kissing away this spot you have on your neck. I don’t know how it got there and I’m having a devil of a time trying to remove it.” 

Her soft laughter gurgled forth. “AJ, you lecherous man. That’s a birthmark. You can’t remove it by kissing it.”

Giving her a lecherous look just to hear her laugh again, he insisted it was not a birthmark. She insisted it was. “No,” he said firmly, “I have decided it’s a beauty spot and as such, needs my immediate and constant attention.” They kept up their silly conversation – something neither of them would have thought either was capable of – just because neither wanted to end the sweet feelings they were having simply by sharing and touching and talking. Isa wisely decided he could call the small mark on her neck anything he wanted as long as he kept kissing her. AJ thought he would be very happy if he could just keep kissing her. 

When his stomach made a loud rumbling sound, he lifted his head and asked her if she was hungry. “No,” she giggled, “but apparently you are. Got anything to eat in that fridge of yours?”

“Don’t know. But I do know I have something to nibble on right here in bed.” At which point he zoomed down to her navel and tried to get his tongue inside. She was squirming and laughing and trying to pinch him but he never gave her a chance to grab any skin. Next he darted up towards her face again and surprising her, gathered her arms along the way. Then he tortured her by tickling her under her arms with his tongue and teeth. Not only was she ticklish, she got goose bumps along the way. Then, he retreated to his starting point and edged down to her inner thighs where he made loud snorting sounds. “Shall I devour you, my sweet?” The lecherous look on his face had returned.

Isa immediately turned pink and grabbed a pillow and began hitting him with it. AJ caught her in his arms and swinging her up in the air, kissed her soundly. “Let’s get a bite to eat.”

“I’m not going into the kitchen naked. Where did you throw my clothes you admiraly thing?” Pulling on his shorts, AJ looked her up and down. Isa was in full blush. Laughing, he grabbed her again. 

“I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you. Here, wear one of my T-shirts. It should cover all your blushing parts.” Ducking at the next pillow she hurled at him, he barely made it out the door before another missile came his way. Isa found his T-shirt sufficiently long enough to do the job.

Wandering into the kitchen to see what AJ was doing about his hunger, Isa stopped to watch him for a moment. What a beautiful body he has, she thought. Yes, there’s the height and the sexy bald pate, but will you look at the muscles on that guy. I don’t think I could throw him over my shoulder too easily – not even in a fake faint the way I did that bastard last week.  First of all, he’s too well trained – former SeAL and all that stuff – then there’s the sheer size of him. God, he’s beautiful. Stop drooling, Isa my girl, and get in there and help him fill that empty belly with something nutritious. “Can’t live on kisses, huh? Mr. Admiral Two-Star? Ok,” she said as if she was resigned to that sorry fact of life. “So, what have you got to eat and what can I do to help?”

Looking at her standing in the doorway to the kitchen, AJ gave her his best Admiral’s glare. “Mr. Admiral Two-Star? Better show a little more respect woman, or you’ll regret it.”

Very sure of herself now, she laughed. “Yeah, right,” and goaded him a little further. “AJ, you’re nothing more than a giant pussy cat. Even Beety could take you on.”

Raising his eyebrows at this ridiculous assessment, AJ decided to play this game out. He’ll put a little of the ‘fear of the Admiral’ in her just to see how far she’ll go. Slowly advancing on her, he agreed. “Maybe so, but I see in front of me, a certain someone I can take on very very easily.”

“Oh yeah?” she retorted as the decision to retreat suddenly seemed a better option and preferably behind the couch in the living room where she could put some physical barrier between them. “You and what Army?”

“Army!” he bellowed as he took off after her retreating figure. “Woman, I am Navy through and through. Since when do I need some damn Army? Since when do I need…” He was having a hell of a time controlling his mirth as he watched her move behind the couch. Maintaining his stern voice, he threatened her. “I am going to make you regret that statement... when I catch you. They played ring around the couch with AJ cutting her off every time she tried to get some distance between them. “And, I will catch you.” Suddenly, he stretched his long arms over the couch and grabbed her. Even though AJ had her feet way off the ground, Isa acted on reflex.  She tried to land a good kick in a strategic place but missed. Laughing and enjoying her attempts to get him to put her down, he tossed her over his shoulder very gently so as not to further injure her taped ribs. This position put her bare derriere right in his face. He couldn’t resist. What man could he thought? Not only did he rub his free hand over her delicious bottom, he slipped his fingers between her thighs and slowly stroked her. Isa was genuinely shocked. This touching and lovemaking stuff was still very new to her and being stroked in such an intimate way made her gasp. Then the position she was in jolted her back to reality and she made a low growling sound as she tried to squirm loose from his grasp. AJ was doing his best to swallow his laughter. He knew he had made her blush again and he was thoroughly enjoying it.  “Stop wiggling, You’re going to injure that knee. Stop wiggling woman or it will go worse for you.” The threatening tone he tried to put into his laughing voice was not terribly effective. 

That did it. At first, Isa was just playing but now she was getting mad. She tried to land punches on his bad shoulder. The only problem was that’s the shoulder he was holding her on. Failing that, she delivered the hardest punch she could to his back. AJ didn’t notice. Frustrated that she was not getting anywhere, she growled as loud as she could. “Put me down, you thing, you.” 

“That’s my plan sweetheart.” Holding her utterly delicious bottom and finally bursting into unconcealed laughter, he headed straight for the shower. AJ put Isa down but held her in place with an arm around her waist. Now that her arms were free she tried to inflict a few good pinches but he was too fast for her. He turned her so her back was to his chest and after reaching in to turn the water on, he removed the T-shirt she was wearing. “Hold still. I want to take this tape off. It has to be changed anyway so we’ll just get you clean first. Isa didn’t even have time to protest. AJ had the tape off and was removing the tape around her knee as well. That task finished he swiftly dropped his shorts and, picking her up, put her under the now steaming water. The spray caught her right in the face and she started sputtering and complaining about his treatment of her. The hair in her eyes was blinding her to his next move. AJ reached for the soap and with one hand, pulled her against the inside of his arm and leaned down to kiss her wet face. With the other hand he slowly lathered her breasts and then her belly and then her inner thighs. Instinctively, she reached up to kiss him back and enjoy these new sensations. 

“You really are something else, Admiral,” she murmured against his mouth, returning his kiss with kisses of her own.

“A nice something else?” he teased.

“Mmmm, a little fresh, but yes, a very nice something else,” she agreed. “This isn’t over you know. I always get even.”

“I can’t wait,” he smiled. But for now, the fresh, nice something else kind of Admiral had other plans. Reaching around her back, AJ continued to lather all of Isa’s parts. 

Two can play this game, she decided as she moved her hands from around his neck down to his chest. Looking to do a little lathering of her own, she reached for his now enlarged shaft. She wrapped her hand around him and applied intermittent pressure as she slowly moved her palm up and down. The fingers of her other hand were lightly playing a concerto across the very tip and then around the head and back up again. She was feeling very much in control of the situation when she heard him inhale harshly – again and again. 

Ahh yes, I’ve got you now, she smiled. “Feel good sweet cheeks?” At his grunt of agreement, Isa was feeling pretty smug. The feeling didn’t last too long, however. AJ could only take so much and having washed her thoroughly and feeling he was about to explode from her caresses, reached down to deliver the same medicine to her. Capturing her mouth with his, one hand slipped between her thighs and stroked her. Then he rubbed the little nub with his thumb and at the same time, inserted a finger into her damp warm opening. Isa was immediately swept off-balance by his move and had to grab his arm so she wouldn’t fall. She won’t fall. There was no way AJ was going to let that happen. When he was sure she was ready for him, he lifted her above him and suddenly impaled her. Her eyes opened wide at this new position and her legs automatically went around his waist. 

“That’s it sweetheart.” He whispered. “Hold on. Let me love you.” Bracing her against the shower wall, he thrust into her and filled her completely. The shower was beating on his back and her arms were around his neck. He was thrusting in and out of her with great care but she was kissing his throat and squeezing her vaginal muscles around him each time he pulled back. It was too much for him and with a final push, his low throaty growl signaled his shuddering climax.

Holding her closely and using the back of his arms to support their weight against the wall, AJ was thinking again what a sweet little bundle he was holding. It also occurred to him, as he took note of his heavy breathing that he did not need to jog for the next few days. His heart rate was sufficiently fast enough to pass the aerobic tests he put himself through on his running trail. Finally, he let Isa stand on her own two feet; he cupped her chin and asked if she was all right.

“AJ?” At his inquiring gaze, she reminded him that he was hungry before he chased her through the house. “Are you ever going to feed me? A girl could starve around this place.”

Chuckling, he helped her out of the shower and dried them both down. Then he insisted on wrapping her ribs again and checking her knee, wrapped it a little looser so she would be more comfortable. He put on a clean pair of shorts and handed Isa a clean T-shirt. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”

Isa didn’t want what AJ was eating. She toasted an English muffin and layered peanut butter and then blueberry jam on each half. Pouring a glass of skim milk, she stood at the kitchen table and started to eat. AJ had made an overstuffed sandwich of cold cuts and cheese. He reached for a beer but at the last minute, decided to have a glass of milk as well. He was sitting on a kitchen stool enjoying the snack but mostly he was watching Isa eat and enjoying that. Her wet hair had been brushed back and her face was squeaky clean. At this very moment, he could not find a lot of the woman he so recently made love to in his shower. Standing there, she looked like a little kid in his over-sized T-shirt. There was a dab of peanut butter on her chin and a drop of milk at the corner of her mouth. She seemed to be taking great pleasure in licking the jam off her muffin before biting into the peanut butter. And he noticed she kept a hand on her glass of milk at all times. Childhood habits, he thought. She hasn’t outgrown them. Or maybe, he paused, she never had a chance to acquire them. 

Isa was working on a second glass of milk and didn’t want the other half of her muffin. Reaching for the glass that was half way to her mouth, AJ gently pulled it away from her. “I’d rather you filled up on that,” he pointed to the muffin. “You can finish the milk later.” 

“No. Give me the milk please.”

“Come here,” he said opening his arms. Lifting her onto his lap, he pulled the muffin closer. “I’ll take a bite and you take a bite, ok? Then, you can have some milk.”

Isa was not sure about this and she momentarily held his gaze, but she was getting tired and AJ was holding her gently. “Ok, you take the first bite.”

He did and it was a very small one considering he was capable of stuffing the whole thing in his mouth in one shot. Then he held it for Isa to take her turn. She took a normal sized bite, swallowed and reached for the milk. He let her have it but removed it when it looked like she was going to drink the whole thing. She looked at him sharply but didn’t pursue it. Taking another bite, she purposefully aimed the muffin toward AJ’s mouth and tried to smash it in his teeth. He let her push about half of it in and there was really very little left. Not commenting, he chewed and swallowed and wiped his mouth with a paper towel and then he turned to her with the remainder. Reaching for her mouth, Isa grabbed it from him and put it in her mouth by herself. She eyed him very suspiciously. He let her finish the milk and then reached down for her bare bottom. But Isa was not happy with his bossiness and catching his arm, let him know it. “AJ, I am not a little girl. Please do not treat me like one. I’ll eat what I want and I’ll drink what I want. Is that clear?” Keeping an impartial face, AJ didn’t respond but looked at her pensively, as if he was thinking about an appropriate retort. “Is that understood Mister!” The humor of the situation did not escape his notice. Isa’s little speech had been delivered sternly but his bare thigh was starting to react to her bare bottom. The corner of AJ’s mouth was starting to turn up and did not escape Isa’s attention. “Was there something funny about what I said, Mr. Sailor Man?”

With one hand on her back and the other precariously close to his goal, AJ retained his neutral facial expression and tone of voice. Not an easy thing to do when his fingers were itching to caress her. “Yes ma’am – no ma’am. Perfectly clear ma’am. Understood ma’am.”

Isa was sure he was not taking her seriously. “AJ, put your hand on your own thigh… the other thigh. Now listen up. I want to tell you something.” The tone of her voice was not harsh but it was one that AJ recognized as similar to his own no-nonsense tone when he was about to deliver a lecture to whomever had just displeased him. She had surprised him yet again and he listened intently. “When I was a kid, about ten or eleven, there was a boy in school who liked to pick on me. He was your average cretin bully type. He would pull my hair or pinch my arm as I walked by. Sometimes, he’d grab my notebook and throw it in the air and I’d have to scramble for it. He’d trip me in the hall and I’d go flying across the floor. He’d poke me every time he got close enough. One time he caught me outside the restrooms and pushed me against the wall and touched me all over and it was awful.” She stopped talking for a moment as if remembering the details of that embarrassing moment. “He was bigger than me and stronger and he made sure I knew it. He constantly taunted me with ugly threats about what he was going to do to me. I got pretty good at avoiding him but as I’ve told you, I get even. It may take a while but I can be very patient when necessary.” And spacing her words very carefully, she announced, “I – got – even!”

“What did you do?” AJ was curious to know the details.

Isa looked him in the eye and held his gaze. She began to smile.

“Well?” he asked.

“I got even, AJ. It was very satisfying. I – got – even!”

“What did you do? Did you catch him with his pants down or something? Push him into traffic? Hit the S.O.B. with a baseball bat? What?”

Isa’s smile got broader and she started a low chuckle. AJ’s curiosity was now demanding answers. “Tell me this, is the guy still alive?”

“If he isn’t,” she remarked. “It wasn’t anything I did.” She smiled as she said this.

“Is the guy still walking around?”

“If he isn’t, it wasn’t anything I did. Her smile got a lot broader.

AJ did not like the way the conversation was going. When he asks questions, he expects immediate answers. He gave her a look that said he clearly expected an answer. “Isa, what exactly did you do?”

Clearly laughing now, she just looked right back at him with a very wicked smile. “I – got – even – AJ. Now, do not treat me like a little girl again. Remember that.”

“Isa, do you know the penalty for threatening a U.S. Naval officer?” Although his voice remained calm, his look was clearly intimidating. He is in ‘formidable Admiral’ mode. Under any other circumstance, Isa might have been more than a little frightened by the way he delivered this missive. For sure, not one of his officers would have done what she did next.

Slipping off his lap she put her hands on AJ’s chest and gazed right back at him. “Worried AJ?  You should be.” With that impudent remark she ran her fingers down and lightly over his crotch and then she kissed the hollow of his neck and whispered softly. “Be afraid, Admiral Chegwidden. Be very afraid.” Then she made a quick exit but not before adding just a little more fuel to the fire. “Gonna’ throw me in the brig, Mr. Admiral Two-Star? Put me on bread and water? Make me beg for mercy?” 

AJ gave her a head start. Then he silently came up behind her as she entered the bedroom. Slipping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close to his chest and whispered in her ear. “I’m not going to throw you in the brig little girl, but I might tie you to the bed. I won’t put you on bread and water but little girl or not, I will not allow you to get sick because you’re not eating enough. And for damn sure, I *am* going to make you beg for mercy.” Turning her in his arms, he looked at her sternly but the look gave way to a tender smile because he wasn’t really angry with her. “No one has ever given me the sass you dish out regularly… and lived” he teased. “No one has ever had the nerve. Have you no fear woman? You’ve threatened a former SeAL. Do you know what SeALs are like? Do you know what they are capable of doing?”

“Slapping their flippers together while balancing a ball on their nose and stinking of fish breath?” asked the sassy, and totally fearless woman in his arms.

“Oh yes,” he promised. “I am really going to make you beg for mercy.”

0100 Hours
Verbally sparring with Isa gave AJ a great deal of pleasure. Her personality was a fascinating combination of the confident and successful woman he had initially met coupled with the once abused child fearlessly trying her wings. He was physically and intellectually attracted to her so his need to see her safe and well was magnified. He was drawn to her quick intelligence and wonderfully sassy wit. He had fun with her and she constantly made him laugh. She wouldn’t tolerate what she labeled his stuffy military manner and let him know it in no uncertain terms. Then, there was her natural sensuality that he was enjoying as he awakened it in her. He admitted to himself that his feelings for her were more than protectiveness, more than good companionship. But it was an admission that would have to take more thought at another time. For now he had her back in bed and was delivering on his promise to make her beg for mercy. Holding her in place with one hand across her stomach and the other seemingly everywhere else, he started the sweet torture by placing feathery kisses on her neck and shoulders. After he thoroughly kissed a small section of her flesh, he ran his tongue across the same area and then stopped to lightly suckle each spot. He alternated between kissing, licking and suckling her flesh every few inches. He then moved to her arms and torso, occasionally nibbling at the soft delicate fullness of her breasts. 

Isa was so lost in the sensations she was having difficulty coming up with a comprehensible thought. At first she had resisted his touch on principle – they had been sparring with each other. After he pinned her to the bed, she resisted because… she wasn’t sure why she resisted, but she did. Maybe, because AJ was used to having his own way and she didn’t want to be one more… One more what? Maybe because he used his greater strength and size to his advantage… Not fair, she thought. Maybe because he was going to prove to her that he was in control… which he was… at the moment. Maybe because… my God! He has an incredible mouth. What is he doing to me? I’m having trouble remembering my own name!

If AJ noticed her efforts to resist him, he didn’t comment. He had her where he wanted her and his desire to make her beg for mercy and the way in which he was doing it was equally enjoyable for him. She was firm in all the right places and oh, so soft in just the right places. This delectable feast was going to take a while and he had just begun. His mouth was going to taste every inch of her and he was in no hurry to finish what he had only started. Concentrating now on her breasts, AJ kissed and licked her soft flesh. And then he nibbled only slightly around the very sensitive skin surrounding her nipples. He ran his teeth lightly over them and then returned to gently suckle. Isa’s hands were on the back of his head and his neck and then pulling and pushing at his shoulders. She was breathing heavier now, moving against his mouth and away again. He held her gently but he held her in place. He knew she was fast becoming lost in that sensuous place where all you can do is feel and breathe and feel and try to breathe again. Moving to her navel, he licked around it and in it and then tried to get as much of it as possible into his mouth. 

“AJ, stop.” She moaned. “Please stop. You’re going to leave purple spots all over my body.” That made him smile but it didn’t stop his mouth or his hands. He continued down her thighs, and calves – kissing, licking, suckling, and occasionally nipping with his teeth. He turned her over and worked his way back up, stopping to tease the backs of her knees and thighs. Only her soft moans and heavy breathing told him she was feeling every touch. 

When he got to her back, he paid special attention to her scars and kissed them gently over and over again. And now that she was pure mush in his arms and totally unsuspecting, he was ready for the final assault on her senses. Turning her over, he moved back to her inner thighs and parted them. His fingers found a small mole on the soft tissue between her inner thigh and the entrance to the core of her. He couldn’t wait to put his mouth on it. He separated her soft folds and kissed her fully. She would have leaped straight up in the air if he hadn’t held her down. Running his tongue up and down the inside of her labia stirred his own arousal. The smell and taste of her was playing havoc with his senses and he had to exercise greater control to finish what he had planned. He kept her folds apart with his thumbs while he concentrated on licking her clitoris that was now enlarged. Pulling it gently between his lips, he could feel its small vibrations against his tongue as she approached her climax. She suddenly arched her back and stretched her fingers straight out and then fisted them. The soft growl in the back of her throat became a purring sound as she floated back to where she had been. He moved so he could taste her and it seemed as if the taste of her was a delicacy that he simply had to sample again and again. Just when she was beginning to come back to earth, he began anew – kissing, sucking, and licking the whole of her woman’s place. 

“No, please don’t.” she moaned. “I’m too… it’s too soon…” But AJ needed to taste her again and so he brought her back to that peak and Isa found herself lost in space and time. She was in a kind of limbo where her body floated, then dipped beneath waves of pleasure and suddenly rose again to a peak that took her to a place where the only thing that existed was his mouth on her. And he didn’t stop. Waves of sheer pleasure swept over her again. When he finally entered her and achieved his own release, it seemed as if that too would go on forever. Seconds turned into heartbeats and heartbeats into minutes and when AJ finally wrapped his arms around her, they both were instantly asleep.

0630 Hours
He opened his eyes and knew that he had overslept. Not that he was planning to get out of bed, just that he normally woke earlier than this so he could complete his regular exercise routine. He mostly jogged; sometimes he went to the gym near JAG headquarters and worked out or used the pool to swim the interminable number of laps SeALs did to keep in shape. After the activities of the last 10-11 hours, he felt he had more than sufficient exercise under his belt – literally – to justify a reprieve from his normal routine. The cause of this decision was sleeping soundly in his arms. He saw that their lovemaking had caused a pink glow to her skin and there were a few intermittent spots of pale violet on her breasts where he had nibbled with a little more enthusiasm. He imagined her bottom was equally rosy with just the same hint of violet in a particularly sensitive spot. He smiled, relishing how it got that way and thinking of repeating his performance in the not-to-distant future, like any minute now. You’d think I’d be satiated and worn out and feeling my age, he said to the voice in his head. You’re only as old as you feel old man, it smirked. Yeah, but I’m not exactly a young pup anymore. What is it about this woman that is stroking my libido? The more I touch her, the more I want her. You’re weren’t exactly a monk before you met her, you know. Yeah, but I wasn’t the male version of a nymphomaniac either. A good romp in bed was satisfying and I moved on. Maybe the problem is you don’t want to move on. 

Isa had always been a poor sleeper. It wasn’t that she suffered from true insomnia, it was that she never felt really safe if she wasn’t awake and alert to danger. What she remembered about her childhood was that it had always been in her best interests to be on guard against any and all comers. Nighttime was an especially vulnerable time and she needed to be more alert to danger then. She had worked her way through college and that meant, work, school, study and more work. There wasn’t a lot of time to sleep so for years, she grabbed naps when she could. When she was finally able to enjoy the luxury of a full night’s sleep on a regular basis, dreams of her past haunted her. She spent many nights working at her drawing board or sewing machine just to keep the nightmares at bay. When she did sleep, it was either drug induced as it was when she was hospitalized or simply from sheer exhaustion. Sleeping in AJ’s arms was a unique experience. Her mind registered safe haven when his arms were around her and her body succumbed to the security of his embrace. She was extremely well rested when she woke. 

Seeing her eyes open, AJ cupped her cheek and landed soft kisses on the corners of her mouth. He ran his hand tenderly up and down her back and asked her how she had slept. “Did I beg for mercy Mr. SeAL?” she wanted to know. Giving her an enigmatic smile, he continued to kiss her mouth and then her eyelids, and was working his way toward her ears. Pushing him slightly away from her face, she asked again. “Did I beg for mercy?” He just kept smiling. What a wicked man he is, she thought. And then, she started a low throaty chuckle. He was just paying her back for not answering him when he wanted to know what had happened to the kid who had bullied her. I’ll give him one more chance. “Did I beg for mercy, AJ?”

“What do you think?” he said as he started to stroke her. 

“I think you’re bluffing Whoa! Wait a minute sailor. I would also think you’d be totally dehydrated by now. Didn’t you already do a thorough job of covering this ground?”

“As a matter of fact, I might have missed a spot or two. I think I need to go over you one more time – from stem to stern – just to be sure I didn’t miss anything.”

“If anyone is going to be covered from stem to stern, it’s you buster. And I believe I’ll start with the stem.” Reaching for him with two very determined hands, Isa was thwarted in her efforts when AJ pushed her shoulder back against the pillows and loomed over her. Reaching up to kiss his magnificent chest, she allowed her curiosity to outweigh her inhibitions. “What do I taste like AJ?”

Settling back down next to her he smiled at the question. But she was serious. “What do I taste like? I want to know.”

“Mmmm, a little nutty I guess.”

“Nutty?”

Laughing at her expression, he gazed at her mouth again but thought about what she tastes like. “Well, nutty like smoked almonds. Or maybe, smoked cashews – no salt – and uh…” He pursed his lips as if deep in thought. “…  Diet ginger ale.”

After failing to pound him into the ground and unable to comprehend how she is now lying on top of him, she demanded an answer. “You will tell me now or I’ll know the reason why.” 

“Is that so?” remarked the Admiral who remembered saying something similar to her. And, what will you do if I don’t tell you?”

“I’ll, um, I won’t let you taste me again.” And she blushed.

Eyebrows raised, he looked at her like she was totally out of her mind. Then he sat up and looked behind him. “Nope, nobody there. You were speaking to me, young lady? In that tone of voice? You are *very* brave.” Then hoisting her up the air and turning her on her back with her head at the foot of the bed and her legs on his shoulders, he put his head down and his mouth where he had wanted it to be for the last 20 minutes. He parted her folds and kissed her soundly and got the initial reaction he was looking for. Then, while he held her in place, he lifted his head and spoke to an imaginary person standing at the foot of the bed. “I plead guilty, your honor. She tasted so delicious I couldn’t help myself. I had to have more. You know how it is when you’re hungry for really good smoked almonds. They’re so hard to come by.” And he proceeded to satisfy that hunger. As far as he could tell, Isa was so lost in the feelings he was creating in her body she couldn’t care less what she tasted like.

After their lovemaking, a rejuvenated AJ was ready for a shower and some breakfast. “Come on sweetheart, let’s get you in the shower and cooled down so you’re not constantly jumping by bones.”

“What?” An enraged Isa yelled. “Jumping your bones? Jumping your bones? You lecherous lascivious debauched sailor thing you!” She tried to swat him but he was already out of bed.

AJ knew a few adjectives as well. “Come on, get up, you enticing alluring tempting piece of fluff. Let’s get you cleaned up and those ribs re-wrapped.”

“Fluff? Did you call me a piece of fluff? Oh, Admiral. You really are one brave man, not to mention a male chauvinist pig of the very worst kind. I will get you for that. I will really get you for that.”

Heading for the shower, he failed to see the T-shirt that she had quickly twisted and snapped at his butt. Turning at the snap that actually stung him, he glared at her. “Guess they don’t call you ‘rear’ Admiral for nothing, huh?” It took AJ about 2 seconds to wipe that smirk off her mouth. Kissing her hungrily, he lifted her and again headed for the shower.

“Oh no, you don’t. I’m not taking a shower with you, Admiral Chegwidden.”

“Did you think you had a choice, sweetheart?”

“AJ please,” she said softly. “Once we’re in the shower you’re going to forget about soap and water and… and, I need a little privacy, please. You shower in there and I’ll shower in the other bathroom. I’ll be all right. I won’t fall. I need to brush my teeth and shave my legs and stuff like that. Please?”

AJ relented. “All right, but if you fall and you hurt yourself, I’ll…”

“AJ, I won’t fall. I’ll be very careful and I’m not an invalid.”

“You use this one and I’ll use the guest bath. Let me take this tape off first.” 

Coming into the kitchen 30 minutes later, Isa was actually hungry. When AJ poured himself a bowl of shredded wheat, she took a bowl out too. Naturally, her eyes were bigger than her stomach and she put way too much into her bowl. AJ didn’t say anything until the milk was poured. “Have to eat whatever you take, you know. It’s a rule of the house.”

“I will.” But it was soon pretty obvious that there was no way Isa could eat that much cereal at one time. After consuming about half it, she started to play with it and was contemplating ‘accidentally’ spilling the rest onto the floor. AJ was hiding his smile and when he got up to pour the coffee, he saw her sneak some of her cereal into his almost empty bowl. Very enterprising he thought. He decided to let her get away with it. She had another two bites and spilled the rest into the sink. Before he could comment, she stood behind him and started rubbing his neck and shoulders. Who can be unhappy with a woman who gives you a massage?  “AJ, I need to check on Beety and Corny.”

“We’ll go later. Going to tell me how Corny learned Marine lingo? Did you teach him?”

“Oh no. He learned that from Dex.” She carried her coffee into the living room and AJ followed with his.

“Dex?”

They settled on the couch and Isa warmed to the subject of her macaw. “I went to graduate school in New York. I had money for tuition and books but I really needed a little extra so I could live in a safe place in the city. I got temporary jobs in various design houses and it worked to my advantage because I got to learn different aspects of the textile business.” 

As usual, she had AJ’s attention. It was like pulling teeth to get anything personal out of her and this was an opportunity for a little more insight into this woman who was already under his skin. “Is that where you learned to make quilts?”

Smiling because he knew as much about making quilts as she knew about Navy protocol, which is to say nothing, she shook her head no. “In order to make the kind of quilts I thought I wanted to make, I had to learn more about art and design. I knew how to cut the fabric and piece the fabric but the actual art design that is inside your head still has to be transferred to something that others can see as well.” Smiling at him, she explained that watching the design of fabric turn into actual cloth through weaving machines was one more way she hoped to cement the process in her head. So, I got a job assisting a textile manufacturer transfer designs into cloth. The master designer was a burly bear of a man – oh, about six-foot, 225 pounds, older than me, white hair, white mustache, and the sweetest guy. He was retired from the Marine Corps where he said he spent far too many years ‘yes sirring’ too many commanding officers younger than him.” She peeked a look at AJ to see how well he took it. But the Admiral, having heard similar stories, kept a neutral expression on his face. “Anyway, I lived with him for the better part of a year.”

Having dropped that bomb, she asked AJ if he would like a warm-up on his coffee. The expression on AJ’s face was too priceless for words and Isa thought she would just let him stew for a couple of minutes while she took his mug along with hers to the kitchen for a refill. Of course, he followed her and trying not to pry but feeling very much out of the loop, he said. “You lived with him? For a year?”

“Here’s your coffee AJ. Take a sip so you have something useful to do with your mouth.” Smiling broadly, she led him back to the couch. “One morning, about 6 months after I had been working with Dex, I was late getting to the plant. I had a large purple bruise on my cheek and when Dex saw it, he pulled me into his office, sat me down on his sofa and put his arm around me. He wanted to know who had done this to me. I had been mugged the night before. Some creep sneaked up from behind me as I entered my apartment. He knocked me down and stole my cash – about $35 – my grocery money – and I guess I was a little shaky. I was up all night. Didn’t sleep a wink. Anyway, Dex insisted I spend the night at his place until he had secured my apartment. He had a spare room and bath and he was 68 years old and I worked with him and I took a chance. That first night, he fixed dinner for me and 3 other former Marines from his unit. Sweet guys, all of them and all deciding to take me under their wings. AJ, I was a grown woman; I had lived in New York City for 3 years. I had been on my own for as long as I can remember and now I had 4 old men trying to take care of me. When they saw my place, they decided I couldn’t live there any more – not safe they said. They decided for me. Can you imagine?” AJ found that he could very easily imagine taking this woman under his wing. “I moved in with Dex the next day. He cooked; I cleaned and 3 gruff Marines tried to teach me how to play poker and drink beer.” This got a huge smile out of AJ. “I was never really good at either of those things. But they were good to me, bringing me bits of fabric, telling me war stories, keeping me safe. I was very fond of all of them.”

“And Corny?” AJ asked.

“Corny belonged to one of Dex’s Marine friends, Tommy, who had emphysema. When I met him, he had only a few months left.” She paused for a moment, looking into the past. AJ waited and didn’t say anything. “Corny always came with Tommy when he visited Dex. I was only home a couple of nights a week. All my classes were at night and then there was homework so I usually didn’t see them that often. But when Tommy died, Corny moved in with us and as time went by, he started paying more attention to me. Dex took Tommy’s death hard and I think he started to give up a little on life. He had cancer and it had been in remission. I think he wasn’t that far from the end then but he hung in there for the better part of a year. I had been sharing his apartment about 6 months or so when he had to leave the job. He was getting weaker by the day. He’d sit in his chair and Corny would sit on his shoulder and coo to him. ‘Don’t cry lovey boy.’ He’d say that over and over. I stayed with him and took care of him. Near the end, we had to have a nurse come in. When Dex died, I inherited Corny.” She stopped here to take a deep breath. “Birds live a long time you know and Corny is one of the smart ones with a great memory. He never forgot what all those Marines had taught him. ‘Admiral’ wasn’t a popular word because Tommy always talked about an Admiral he detested. They sang their Marine songs and told each other salty stories and Corny took it all in. They – uh – didn’t have too many nice things to say about sailors. They called you guys a bunch of squids.”

“That’s what we call ourselves.” AJ wasn’t insulted. He was a proud squid through and through.” Your Marine friends see any real combat?” AJ had a feeling they had.

“Yes, they saw combat. When I packed all of Dex’s things and donated them according to the instructions in his will I took his medals to the bank trustee, another ex-Marine. Dex wanted him to have them. The man told me a couple of the medals were for excelling in weapons – pistol or rifle – I don’t remember exactly. And then, he was in Korea either during or after the war. I don’t think he was in Vietnam. But once in a while Dex would have other Marines over for dinner. He seemed to bring home all kinds of strays.” Isa smiled at AJ when she said this. “These guys had been in Vietnam. They were a totally different kind of veteran.”

“How were they different?” AJ asked her softly.

Isa looked at him for a long moment while she chose her words. She knew AJ had been in Vietnam. She didn’t know about his experiences there and doubted she ever would. She didn’t want to bring him back to that awful time.  But he had asked her a question that deserved an honest answer. She spoke slowly and softly. “From what little I heard, these men saw raw and evil combat in that jungle. They saw terrible things. They did terrible things; things they probably would never have thought they were capable of doing. They had orders to follow; missions to accomplish. Some were better trained than others. They also had a natural instinct to survive. They did survive but that war changed them forever. Their buddies died – many of them in ways I cannot begin to comprehend. Then, they came home alive and they came home to a nation that was not terribly sympathetic to them… or to where they had been… or to what they had witnessed… or to what they had done to survive.  And I think… coming home alive from that place where so many died so horribly… embarrassed them.” 

AJ sat very still, just looking at her. He was stunned at her understanding. Without any fanfare or false emotion, she had summed up the situation very succinctly. Taking her hand, he stroked it softly. “When I was in Vietnam, Isa. I saw terrible things and I did terrible things. I count myself one of the lucky ones who was able to come home alive.”

“I’m glad you did AJ. I’m so very glad you did.” She reached over to cup his cheek and kiss him softly on the mouth. Then she pulled his head down to her chest and cradled it there. “AJ, let me hold you for a change.” He slid down on the couch and rested his head on her lap. It was a comforting feeling. He wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of this kind of attention unless it immediately followed sex and then it was rare. This felt good and he relaxed while she stroked his face and neck and thought about what she had just said. She continued to surprise him. He realized that there was much more to this wonderfully complex woman than he could ever imagine. It could take a lifetime to get to know her. A lifetime his inner voice asked? A lifetime, he confirmed. 

It wasn’t long before Isa was able to maneuver her body on top of his. Still massaging his face and neck, she let her mouth follow her fingers – placing soft kisses on his eyelids, his brow, and his temples. Next, she moved to the sides of his nose, where he was a little ticklish, and then to the space between his upper lip and the end of his nose, where he was very ticklish. The corners of his mouth, his chin, and his throat got special attention and she was inordinately pleased to see shades of pale violet show up in the indentations of his collarbone where her mouth had spent a considerable amount of time. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in a full body massage would you? I have this urgent desire to touch all of you. Are you game AJ?”

He was. Once they were back in bed, Isa took charge. She stripped down to what was fast becoming the uniform of the day for her – AJ’s T-shirt and nothing else. He had been wearing a T-shirt and shorts and she decided his birthday suit was far more attractive. Hearing no objections, she assisted in their removal, made him lie on his back and straddled his middle. Picking up where she had left off, she continued to massage his upper body and followed the strokes with kisses and occasional nips and soothing licks. 

AJ was beginning to get that floating feeling and he kept hearing his inner voice sing out. Yes! - More!  -Uh huh! -Do that again! - And, Don’t stop! When her hands and mouth moved lower, the floating feeling started to tingle. Small electric shocks were hovering just beyond his grasp and he knew his arousal, now in full sail, had to be poking her in the back. 

Isa raised herself up and over AJ’s shaft to straddle his knees. Lifting her head she looked him straight in the eye. “Do not pull me off of you Admiral or it will go worse for you. Understood?” Recognizing some of his own words and in no position to argue, the poor man could barely grunt his assent. Isa took AJ’s penis in both of her hands and contemplated it for a moment. If he had known what she was thinking he would have been hugely alarmed. This was a new experience for her but she was a very inventive person with an active imagination. Hmm, she thought, ice cream cone, Popsicle or corn on the cob? And then there were these two sacs below his shaft. Surely, they needed some attention as well. Holding them gently in one palm, Isa was reminded of extra large bubble bath capsules and rubbed them gently with her thumb. This got an immediate response from AJ. Having chosen her game plan, she removed her T-shirt and began her own assault between his thighs. Licking the tip of his penis, one hand stroked the middle of it while the other gently applied pressure to his sensitive pouch. Her tongue moved to lick the underside of the tip, much like one laps ice cream off the sides of a cone – with varying degrees of pressure and much enthusiasm. Moving to the base of his shaft, she licked up one side and down the other occasionally sucking the skin lightly and nipping him even more lightly. The satisfying sounds coming from the other end of the bed made her smile. And she found herself smiling broadly around his shaft as she took him completely in her mouth and sucked hard. His reaction to this motion was swift and for a moment Isa was startled. AJ almost knocked her completely off the bed when his head quickly bent back against the pillow at the same time he sharply arched his back. Ahh, she thought. I will definitely have to remember to do that again. 

Repositioning herself, she continued a light sucking motion and moved one hand up and down and around his entire length. The other hand was gently squeezing his pouch. AJ knew he was close to reaching his release and he didn’t want to come in her mouth but Isa had other plans. When he tried to pick her up and over him, she moved slightly out of his reach and then came down hard on him with her mouth and lips. She held onto him tightly and sucked hard. He was trying not to choke her with his full size and hard thrusts but he was no longer in control of his body. As his seed shot forth, she lifted her head and moved her upper body. He spilled into her mouth and then onto her neck and breasts and belly. Isa thought the sound he made was like a long satisfied primal growl and she found that to be extremely sexy. She was very happy with the results of her performance. 

As he tried to catch his breath, she lay prone on top of his belly and then inched up to his neck smearing his seed on as much of him as she could. His hands were around her back and he instinctively pulled her closer. Kissing her soundly, he wanted to know what he tasted like. “If you didn’t get enough of a taste off of my lips, you can kiss either of my breasts and you’ll find out.”

“I want to know what you think I taste like. Tell me.” He was still breathing hard but turned on his side now, his lips were almost touching hers and his breath was in her mouth. 

Rubbing her fingers across her breasts, and then applying the residue to her lips, Isa licked her fingers and then her lips. Her lips were slightly swollen and her face was a little pink from her exertions. Watching her, AJ thought the woman had no earthly idea how sensuous she looked. Then she lightly licked AJ’s lips. “Some kind of spice, I think. Sharp and powerful and pungent with just a suggestion of sweetness. Oh, and a defined taste of authority and bossiness and a hint of arrogance and…” Giggling now that he was tickling her, she added “I believe the spice is very admiraly. Let’s name it ‘essence of AJ’ or maybe ‘ode to the Admiral.’ What do you think?”

He stopped nibbling on her neck long enough to comment on her choices. “I think your mixing scents with tastes.”

“Oh right. Ok, let’s call it SeAL oil. That’s it, AJ’s SeAL Oil – private label.”

Smiling at their silliness, and loving every minute of it, he corrected her again. "Private label usually refers to a rare wine."

“Close enough,” she concurred. “Let’s cork it up for now and take a shower.”

Laughing at her sassiness and unable to take his hands off of her, he held her face in both of his hands. “What am I going to do with you? You are the sassiest, most impertinent, most impudent… imp.” Pausing for a moment, he looked up at the ceiling and continued. “Hang on a minute woman; I’ve run out of ‘i-m-p’ words.” 

“You forgot impatient. That’s what you are most of the time. Me too, sometimes. And I’m impatient right now.” To prove her point, she hurriedly kissed him. Isa was ready for that shower and then a sudden curiosity came over her. She decided a shower could wait. True, she was on the sticky side but AJ didn’t seem to mind. He was sticky too. “AJ, do all women taste alike?”

AJ was no fool. He didn’t have to wait for his inner voice to say don’t go there. If he said ‘yes’ she’d want to know details. If he said ‘no’ she’d still want to know more. It was a no-win situation. He copped out. “It’s definitely time for a shower. Up you go.”

Protesting that he hadn’t answered her, she persisted. “It’s a simple question sailor. Is your memory that bad?”

Carrying her into the shower, he knew just what he was going to do to her to make her forget she had any questions. 

To be Continued –