Dreaming Of Your Love (Hollywood Legends #3) (19 page)

Sable
made her way across the crowded room. It was her turn to buy a round and their
server was missing in action. The area around the bar was three bodies deep,
but she was good at slipping through tight spots. A push here, an elbow there
and she was at the bar, right in front of the bartender.

He
looked a little like Tom Cruise in
Cocktail
. Taller. Tattoos circled
both muscular arms. And his skin was a rich chocolate brown. But he sported the
leather vest and his moves were smooth. Bottles flew, spinning in the air and
caught nearly behind his back.
A gorgeous man putting on a show
. Very
nice.

“I
need four drafts and two shots of tequila.”

“And
I need four more hands. Wait your turn, honey.”

“No
hurry. I like the view.”

The
bartender sent her an impatient glance. He must have women hitting on him all
the time. But when he looked at her, his gold-flecked eyes warmed. It seemed
she wasn’t the only one who liked what she saw.

“Hello.”

His
voice was like warm, thick honey. And his smile. Wasn’t this ironic? She hadn’t
met a man who interested her in a long time. Her last relationship had left a
sour taste in her mouth and she didn’t do one-night stands. But, oh, brother.
She could feel temptation sitting on her shoulder.

“Hi.
Four beers and two shots of tequila.”

“Coming
right up.”

“Hey,”
a man called out. “I was here first.”

“But
you’re ugly.”

“So?”

The
bartender gave Sable a knowing smile.

“So,
I would rather look at this beautiful lady’s smile. Shut your mouth and I’ll
get to you when I get to you.”

“Here
you go.”

“You’re
fast.” Sable handed him some money.

“At
some things. I can be nice and slow when I want to be. Why don’t you meet me after
this place closes and I’ll prove it?”

“Sorry.”
Sable picked up the tray of drinks. She sighed and shook her head. “Not
tonight.”

“When?”

“Will
you be around in six or seven months?”

“Probably
not. I move around a lot.”

“Me
too.”

Their
eyes met. Sable felt a twinge of regret and saw it mirrored in his. She headed
back to her friends without asking his name. What was the point? But it had
been a nice moment. All the women jockeying for his attention and he noticed
her.

Sable
spent her days playing down her femininity. In the Army, she was a soldier—not
a woman. Having a sexy man notice her—hit on her—was a great ego booster.
Hopefully, it would last her until she returned from her next deployment. If he
were still around? She might take him up on his offer.

“We
wondered if you were coming back.” Doreen took her beer. “That crowd eats
people up. See?” She pointed out two empty seats. “They danced away with a
couple of townies and haven’t returned.”

“It
wasn’t the crowd that got them. It was lust,” Geri said. She licked the salt
off the back of her hand before downing her tequila. “Speaking of which. There’s
a tall hunk who’s been giving me a come-hither look all evening.”

“Come
hither?” Sable craned her neck to the left. A tall blonde who barely looked old
enough to shave walked toward them. “Cute.”

“Mmm.
I’ll settle for that.” Geri grabbed her purse. “Don’t wait up, girls.”

“Why
do I suddenly feel old?”

“Because
you have a good man waiting for your call. Last year that would have been you.”

“Unfortunately,
you’re right.” Doreen frowned at the thought. Then she smiled. Thank God for
Robbie. He’s saved me from sad one-night stands.”

“Not
to mention the next morning’s walk of shame.”

“Two
things you wisely avoid.”

Sable
sipped her beer. She was no sainted virgin. She avoided pickups but she had
made a few mistakes. Her one consolation was that she had never fallen in love.
For her, it didn’t go with the uniform. Or her ambitions.

“Would
you like to dance?”

The
man was handsome. Older than Sable went for but the gray in his short hair
would qualify him as a
silver fox
. He dressed casually. Jeans and a polo
shirt. His arms were muscled and there was no visible paunch when he bent over.
Not bad. But he wasn’t her type. Not tonight or any night.

“No,
thank you.” The smile Sable gave him was the opposite of the one she shared
with the bartender. “I’m here for a few drinks. Nothing more.”

The
man rubbed Sable’s arm. “I bet I can change your mind.”

Sable’s
smile quickly morphed from pleasant to feral. “Bet you can’t.”

“Listen,
fella.” Doreen recognized the look in Sable’s eyes. “My friend doesn’t like to
be touched by strangers. Take your hand away. Unless you want to lose the use
of it for a couple of weeks.”

Sable
didn’t think the man was going to heed Doreen’s warning. Briefly, his fingers
tightened, as did the line of his mouth. She could tell he wasn’t a man used to
hearing no. She tugged at her arm, hoping he would be smart enough to let go.
Again, he tightened his grip, but only for a second. He dropped his hand and
straightened, his lips curving slightly. But his eyes stayed cool.

“Perhaps
another time.”

Sable
didn’t watch as he disappeared into the crowd.
Not in this or any other
lifetime.

“Thank
God he came to his senses,” Doreen said with feeling. “The last thing we need
is to scuffle with a townie on the eve of our new C.O.’s arrival.”

“Amen.”
Sable drained her beer in two gulps.

“Time
for another?”

“Mmm.
But this time, make it the hard stuff.”

“A
tray of shots, coming up.”

“YOU DRANK AS much as I did. More. Why aren’t you writhing in
pain?”

“I
was blessed with a stellar metabolism.”

“I
hate you.”

Sable
took pity on Doreen and handed her a steaming cup of black coffee. It was seven
o’clock. A late start on most mornings. But the assembly introducing the new
commanding officer pushed everything back. Instead of their usual duties, they
were in the mess, grabbing a quick breakfast. Well, Sable ate. Doreen had her
elbows on the table and her head cupped in her hands.

“You
hate me this morning. And I don’t blame you. But you’ll love me this afternoon.”

“Why?”
The sound Doreen made was more of a groan than a growl.

“I
switched places with you on the duty roster.”

“You
mean…?” Doreen’s bloodshot eyes lit with hope.

“That’s
right. I will be teaching the self-defense class while you take care of housing
inventory.”

“If
I could move without making my head explode, I would kiss you.”

Sable
laughed. “I’ll take a raincheck. Drink up. We’re due at the compound in fifteen
minutes.”

SABLE STOOD AT ease, feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped
behind her back, along with most of the troops stationed at Camp Allenby. They
were dressed the same. Everyday gear, clean and neat as a pin. There were a few
murmured conversations as they awaited Colonel Montgomery.

“How
are you holding up?” Sable glanced at Doreen. Her color was better. Less green.

“I’ll
live. A handful of aspirin and a gallon of coffee made all the difference.”

“A
gallon?” Sable gave a low whistle. “How’s your bladder holding up?”

“Why
did you have to bring that up?”

“What
are friends for?”

“I
give you—”

“Attention!”

As
one, the unit dropped their casual stance. Head up. Shoulders back. Chest out.
No one spoke, their eyes pinned on the platform.

The
second in command, Captain Todd looked over the troops. Satisfied with what he
saw, he began.

“Soldiers.
It is my pleasure to introduce your new commanding officer. Colonel Baker
Montgomery.”

Sable’s
training and iron will were the only things that kept her from reacting. Holy
shit! What were the odds? The idiot who had hit on her the night before was the
new C.O.

IT TOOK TWO days, but Sable wasn’t surprised when the order
came calling her to Colonel Montgomery’s office.

“He
can’t know it was you,” Doreen reasoned.

“He
knows.”

“How?”

Sable
hadn’t told Doreen. At the end of the assembly, just before they were
dismissed, Colonel Montgomery looked at her. It was only for a second but it
sent a chill racing down her spine.

“It
was bound to happen.” Sable checked her uniform. “It’s better to get it out of
the way. Hopefully, he’ll turn out to be reasonable.”

“What
are the chances of that?”

“In
this
man’s
Army? Not great.”

Sable
waited in the outer office, her cap in her hand. She didn’t sit or pace. Her
face was calm, portraying not a flicker of emotion. But inside, her heart raced
and she had a vague desire to vomit.

“The
colonel will see you now.”

Sable
entered the office. It looked the same as when Colonel Maxwell occupied it. The
man behind the desk had his head down, reading. She stood at attention. The
energy felt different. Of course, this was the first time she visited feeling
nervous and uncertain. Her relationship with her former C.O. had been one of
mutual respect.

She
didn’t know this man, but because of the bar incident, she was afraid things
were going to be very different around here. At least for her.

Finally,
the colonel looked up. Sable didn’t meet his gaze. But as the seconds passed
without a word, she felt that chill again. It traveled from her spine to the
rest of her body.

“Corporal
Ford?”

“Sir.”

Sable
raised her hand to salute. Again, he made her wait. She knew what he was doing.
It was a power game. He wanted to remind her at every turn that her future was
his to manipulate. It gave her insight into the man and the kind of C.O. he
would be. Colonel Baker Montgomery was a petty dick. And she was stuck with him.

Intimidation
didn’t work with Sable. She kept her expression blank and her thoughts to
herself. Colonel Baker wanted to play games? Fine. Let him. She could stand
there all day if need be.

Finally,
he snapped off a return salute.

“At
ease.” He opened a file. “You have an impressive record. Top marks from basic
training to your first deployment and everything after.”

“I
do my duty, sir.”

“So
it would seem.” He closed the file, neatly setting it aside. His desk was
immaculate. Nothing the slightest out of place. “Tell me, Corporal. How long
until you’re on your knees?”

“Sir?”
Sable had no idea what he was talking about.

“According
to the notes Colonel Maxwell left behind, you’re up for promotion. In fact, his
last official act before handing over command was to sign the papers.”

Sable
blinked. She hadn’t known. But it was gratifying to know her hard work and
dedication had paid off. She had taken another step. And she planned to take
many more before her career ended.

“Sergeant
First Class. What did you do to earn it? Interesting. Why you?”

“I
hope Colonel Maxwell appreciated the job I did under his command.”

“Interesting
choice of words,” Montgomery sneered. “Job? Hand or blow?”

“No,
sir.” Outraged at the suggestion, Sable’s shoulders straightened. “My relationship
with the colonel was completely above board.”

“Don’t
give me that. I watched you last night. The way you came on to that guy. You
like your men with some color? Colonel Maxwell? The black stud behind the bar?
All I wanted was a dance. But I guess my skin was too white.”

Sable
took long, steady breaths trying to calm her racing heart. Jesus. It was
unbelievable. Montgomery was a sexist and a racist. It was like being in
combat. The next bombshell was going to fall. It was inevitable. You could only
brace yourself and hope for the best.

“I
can’t stop your promotion.”

Sable
kept her eyes glued to a spot over Montgomery’s shoulder. A small bug climbing
up the window. Valiantly, the creature gained a few inches only to lose its
grip and slide down, farther than where it began. It kept trying, but it wasn’t
intelligent enough to understand that forces were at work against it. Unless it
changed course, it would never reach its goal.

Sable
was smarter than the bug. But changing course wasn’t an option for her. Montgomery
had her career in his hands. He could lift her up, or squish her into oblivion.
He knew it and so did she.

“It’s
easy, Corporal. You treat me right, and you’ll have those lieutenant bars in no
time.”

“And
if I’d rather not?” Sable gritted out. “Sir?”

“Enjoy
life as a sergeant.”

THE ARMY WAITED for no man—or woman. Sable’s unit received their
orders three days later, effectively putting her problem with Colonel
Montgomery on the back burner.

“Maybe
he’ll drop dead. A man his age? His heart could go like that.” Doreen snapped
her fingers.

“He’s
only fifty-six and in good shape. But a heart attack
would
be a
convenient solution.”

Sable
had considered keeping the details of her meeting to herself. Involving her
friend meant endangering Doreen’s career as well as her own. But she had to
talk to someone or go crazy.

Doreen
looked around. No one was in earshot, but to be safe, she wisely lowered her
voice. “I’d like to castrate the bastard and hang his balls out for the
buzzards.”

“God,
I love you, Doreen.”

Doreen
hadn’t doubted Sable’s word. Not for a second. She listened, her face a mask of
increasing horror. As women in a man’s world, they had experienced minor
harassments. But this was so far over the line you wouldn’t be able to find it
with the Hubble Space Telescope.

“I
need to focus on the task at hand.” Sable zipped her duffle. “Montgomery isn’t
going anywhere, but we are.”