VALENTINES
By: Kris "Scarlett" Soltis
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I do not own the song "Shameless". I do own the name of the bar, but that was ripped off of another country song, so I guess I don't really own that either! Le sigh. I know it's been a long time since I've written anything, but I have been working on this really long piece and I just can't seem to get it finished! This piece was inspired of course by Valentine's Day. Thanks to Robert, Kerri, Diana and everyone else that helped inspire me to produce something! So instead of working on my grad school midterm, I wrote this. It is unbelievable when I started writing I was a sophomore in college. Now here I am in graduate school. Time flies…that's for sure! Comments are always welcome at misskris721@yahoo.com. Flames will be used to light my candles. Hope you like…
"So the boys are going out to get drunk tonight?" Duke asked Flint after the meeting adjourned.
"Yeah, but I have more important matters to attend to." Flint grinned.
"Got the flowers and candy for Jaye?" Duke asked.
"And reservations at Le Chateau de La Mer." Flint added.
"Nice." Duke smiled.
"You going out with the guys?" Flint asked.
"Yeah, I hear they are going to that new country bar Drive South. I want to check it out." Duke sighed.
"Gonna let Scarlett drink you under the table again?" Flint roared with laughter.
"You didn't think it was funny when she threw up on your shoes." Duke reminded him.
"I'm sure you'll have loads of fun with Scarlett and the boys tonight. Just tell me everything in the morning." Flint put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Speaking of which, we are meeting in the control room now." Duke announced after looking at his watch.
"Have a great Valentine's Day, buddy." Flint called as Duke walked away.
"You too!" he called back.
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Duke entered the control room to see the usual crowd of men he socialized with.
"Hey, Duke, glad you came." Gung Ho greeted him. A few others gave similar greetings to him.
"Are we ready?" Duke asked after two other men joined them.
"I'm insulted, Duke, that you would even think about leaving without me!" a woman's voice called from behind him. Duke turned around to face Scarlett. Her hands were on her hips, but she was smiling. Her red hair that was usually pulled up into a ponytail was curled and hung loosely around her face. "I know. You're just afraid I'll drink you under the table again." Scarlett laughed.
"Yeah, Duke. Let's not forget about New Year's." Wild Bill riled him up.
"Well, boys, I hate to spoil your fun but tonight I am a designated driver." Duke smiled brightly.
"Yeah, right." Ace laughed.
"I am. And for that, so are you." Duke smirked at Ace. Everyone laughed at Ace. The group split up and walked to the two jeeps they would be taking.
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"I can't believe they have a mechanical bull. Cross Country will be riding that all night long." Scarlett giggled to Duke as they walked through the new bar. The stopped at the dance floor and watched couples two-step around the floor.
"Come on, I need a drink." Scarlett grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bar. She ordered a shot for herself and a beer for Duke. "You can have one." Scarlett smiled. She took the shot and then asked for another one.
"So you're going to drown your Valentine's Day sorrows in alcohol?" Duke asked.
"Nah, just soak them up for a little bit." Scarlett smiled and downed her second shot.
"I had such a bad hangover after New Year's. I want to be sober for this one." Duke laughed.
"New Year's was a trip." Scarlett smiled as the bartender gave her another shot. The other teammates started calling them from a booth nearby.
"Come on, they are paging us." Scarlett giggled and pulled Duke over to the table.
"Scarlett, we want to do some shots with you!" whined Gung Ho. He already had the table set up with shots for everyone.
"Alright, but only this one…I've already had several and I'd like to remember what happens." Scarlett laughed. Everyone lifted up the shot and toasted the team. Wild Bill ordered another round of shots and Scarlett felt bad refusing it. Soon many shots had been downed by all the joes except for Duke and Ace. Scarlett went to stand up and collapsed right back down in her seat.
"I think you've had enough." Duke decided worriedly.
"No, I'm fine." She signaled for the waitress to bring another.
"You can't stand up." Duke pointed out.
"I don't need to stand up." Scarlett argued back. The waitress put a shot down in front of her, but Duke snatched it away. "Hey!" she whined and reached for it. She made one last attempt and was able to get it back. Unfortunately it spilled on her shirt.
"Shit, I love this shirt." Scarlett cursed. Without care she began to undress at the table. Duke grabbed her and escorted her to the ladies room.
"Now I know you are plastered." Duke sighed as he opened the door and led her inside. He wet a paper towel for Scarlett to use on her shirt. He looked up to see her grinning devilishly at him. Before he had time to react, Scarlett had thrown herself against him pressing her lips against his. She backed Duke all the way against the wall while deepening her kiss. Duke pried her away from him and held her at arm's length. "What the hell are you doing?" Duke cried out of breath. He let go of her. She giggled and ran her hands over his chest and then ran them down to his butt. She leaned in and tried to kiss him again, but Duke pushed her back again.
"Shana, stop. You are out of control." Duke ordered sternly.
"Conrad…how I've wanted you." Scarlett whispered seductively and removed her shirt to reveal a tight tank top she wore underneath. She pressed against him slowly making sure to rub against the front of his jeans in the right place. She leaned towards him and devoured him in a slow deep passionate kiss. Duke pulled away again and yanked her towards the sinks. He proceeded to splash cold water in her face.
"I'm sorry to be so rough, but you leave me no choice." Duke growled.
"I like it rough." Scarlett answered back in a sultry voice and gave him a teasing look with her glazed over eyes.
"Scarlett…"Duke trailed off not knowing what to say. He didn't have to think long because Scarlett turned into a stall and vomited into the toilet. Duke rushed to her side and pulled her hair away from her face. Scarlett vomited again. Duke took a deep breath to keep himself from getting sick as he held her hair back.
"Duke…" Scarlett sobbed into the toilet.
"I'm here." He answered. She responded by vomiting again.
"I'm sorry." She apologized softly. Duke hushed her. Scarlett kept her head in the toilet, but did not vomit again. Duke began to stroke her hair. She sat up a few minutes later having sobered up a little. She smiled tiredly at Duke. He stood up and filled a Dixie cup with water and knelt back down to Scarlett's level and handed it to her.
"This is one drink I'll let you have." He smiled.
"Thanks" she slowly sipped the water. They both sat in silence as Scarlett drank. She finished and gave the cup back to Duke who refilled it. "I don't deserve you." She sighed and rested her head on the stall.
"That's a ridiculous statement." Duke answered and handed her back the cup.
"No one else volunteers to help me when I get like this." Scarlett sighed.
"That's because everyone is too busy getting wasted." Duke replied.
"You always help me. You always take care of me." Scarlett smiled thoughtfully.
"We're friends, Scarlett, and that's what friends do for each other." Duke replied.
"But do friends have feelings for each other?" Scarlett asked concerned.
"What?" Duke asked confused.
"Because ever since New Year's…" Scarlett began but was cut off by the sound of the door opening.
"Excuse me, but this is the ladies room." A woman rudely commented to Duke.
"You stay right here. I'll be right outside." Duke told Shana. He then went to wait outside until the woman exited after taking care of her business.
"I'm taking you home." Duke announced and pulled Scarlett to her feet.
"No, Duke, I'll be alright." Scarlett smiled.
"It would be best." Duke decided and began to usher her to the door.
"Really, Duke. I'm ok." Scarlett tried to convince him. She wiggled her arm out of his grasp and walked around the bathroom to prove her point.
"If you're sure." Duke studied her eyes to see if she was really all right.
"Positive. Let's go back out with the guys. I'm sure they are wondering what's going on." Scarlett laughed and led the way out of the bathroom.
The two came back to the table to hear some immature comments from the crew, just as Scarlett and Duke had both predicted.
"Hey you two, we were about to call in the National Guard into that bathroom. What took you so long?" Wild Bill ribbed.
"We thought maybe you both got sucked down the toilet!" Ripcord howled.
"Or were sucking on each other!" Ace roared.
"You two were MIA for sometime." Cross Country commented.
"Speaking of missing things, where the heck is your shirt?" Gung Ho asked Scarlett.
"Oh, I left it in the bathroom. I'll get it." Scarlett remembered. She returned to the bathroom and left Duke to contend with the pack of wolves.
"Man! You are so lucky! She took her shirt off!" Ace cried and patted Duke on the shoulder.
"Ace, nothing happened. She took off her shirt to try to wash out the stain." Duke lied.
"You mean to tell me you were in there for that long and nothing happened? And you expect me to believe it?" Ripcord laughed.
"Believe what you want. I took her into the bathroom, she went to clean her shirt, and then she got sick." Duke replayed what happened. Duke turned to see Scarlett coming back to the table with her shirt in her hands. "I don't want to hear anymore about this. You got me?" Duke spoke softly but ferociously. The men nodded.
"You know, Gung Ho, on the way to the bathroom that woman over there stopped me and asked me if I knew you. She seemed pretty interested." Scarlett smiled and pointed out the woman to Gung Ho without making it obvious to the woman.
"Really?" Gung Ho smiled. He waved at the woman and the woman waved back.
"You should go over and show her your tattoos. I'm sure she'll be all over you." Ripcord laughed. Gung Ho smacked the back of his head and then went over to the girl.
"At least someone is getting some action." Ace sighed leaning back.
"Hey where's Shipwreck?" Duke asked.
"Make that two people that are getting some action." Cross Country corrected Ace's statement.
"Too much information." Scarlett shook her head.
"I'm going to ride the mechanical bull again. No one has beaten my record yet. Yeehaw!" Cross Country cried and left the table. Ace went with him.
"Wild Bill, how about we play some pool?" Ripcord asked.
"Prepare to be beaten, partner." Wild Bill accepted the challenge and the two left the table, leaving Scarlett and Duke alone.
"You need more water?" Duke asked.
"No, but I'd like a Coke." Scarlett decided. Duke signaled the waitress to come over and he ordered two cokes.
"So what was it that you were going to tell me in the bathroom? Something about New Year's?" Duke asked.
"Oh, um…it's nothing." Scarlett lowered her gaze to the table. Duke decided to drop it, even though he knew something was up. The waitress brought the two cokes to the table plus a beer.
"I didn't order a beer." Duke said as the waitress put it down in front of him.
"The woman at the table over there bought it for you." The waitress indicated which woman it was. The woman waved and giggled to the other woman sitting next to her. Duke held up the beer and toasted to her and sat it back down again. He waited for Scarlett to make her comments.
"You should go over and talk to her." Scarlett advised.
"What? No teasing and taunting from you?" Duke asked with astonishment. "Alright, where is the Scarlett I know?" He started gently punching Scarlett in the arm.
"Duke, I'm serious." Scarlett laughed.
"You think I should go over and talk to her." Duke repeated.
"Yes." Scarlett answered. Duke sat back and thought for a moment.
"Is this a trick? Did you set this up?" Duke asked putting nothing past her.
"No, I just…want you to be happy." Scarlett stated with a small smile.
"Alright…" Duke relented. He went over to the woman and struck up a conversation with her.
"What's the matter, Red? Ol' Duke leave ya high and dry?" Wild Bill asked coming back to the table.
"You're game over already?" Scarlett asked.
"Nah, just going to get a beer from the bar. Ripcord takes forever to shoot." Wild Bill chuckled.
"That woman bought Duke a drink." Scarlett informed Wild Bill.
"Ain't that a purrty sight?" Wild Bill sighed looking over at Duke and the woman.
"He deserves to be happy. He does so much for everyone." Scarlett commented.
"He certainly takes care of you, Red." Wild Bill winked and continued onto the bar. Duke returned moments later.
"Did you get her phone number?" Scarlett asked.
"We had a nice conversation, but I'm not interested." Duke shook his head.
"Oh?" Scarlett asked raising her eyebrow.
"Just too many things going on right now." Duke sighed spinning the beer bottle around. "Work is taking up so much of my time right now. I was lucky to be able to come out tonight." He heard Scarlett suck in her breath and she lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Duke, I'm sorry for what happened in the bathroom." Scarlett apologized.
"You were drunk you didn't know what you were doing." Duke dismissed her apology.
"On the contrary, I knew exactly what I was doing." Scarlett bravely spoke and bolted from the table. Stunned, Duke got up after her. He found her in the corner away from any of the joes. Her arms were folded across her chest and she had a wounded look in her eyes.
"Scarlett, why did you run like that?" Duke asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Scarlett narrowed her eyes.
"Well I do. What's gotten into you?" Duke asked concerned.
"Do you remember anything at all about New Year's?" Scarlett asked.
"Bits and pieces. It's all a bit hazy." Duke answered.
"Do you remember what happened at midnight? You kissed me." Scarlett answered for him.
"I remember." Duke answered looking in her eyes.
"It wasn't just a friendly kiss…" Scarlett trailed off.
"No, it wasn't" Duke agreed softly. He made a motion offering Scarlett the chance to go back to the table where they had been sitting. At first she refused, but Duke took her arm and they both slowly made their way back to their table. They both sat with their eyes glued to table that was still filled with dirty glasses. Neither one of them knew what to say.
"It was a mistake, wasn't it? The kiss at New Years I, mean." Scarlett softly penetrated the silence.
"No, I mean, I don't think it was. I guess it was only a mistake if you think it was a mistake. Does that make any sense?" Duke asked in return.
"Duke, I'm buzzed and you're expecting me to make sense? If was sober I probably wouldn't be saying any of this to you!" Scarlett remarked.
"Well, I would have liked to have talked about this, but I didn't think you wanted to. We were both out of it that night…" Duke sighed.
"Yes, we were, but why would you think I didn't want to talk about it?" Scarlett asked leaning into the table.
"I figured you'd either be embarrassed or…." Duke trailed off.
"Or?" Scarlett asked.
"Or upset with me for acting the way I did." Duke sighed heavily.
"For you acting like that? What are you talking about?" Scarlett asked fearing Duke was starting to talk crazy.
"I took advantage of you when you weren't yourself. I could have kicked myself for weeks afterwards." Duke replied his eyes fixated on a point in the distance. Scarlett could tell he was lost in his thoughts.
"Duke, you didn't take advantage of me. At least not anymore than I took advantage of you tonight." Scarlett answered quietly. Duke lifted his eyes to meet hers. They sat quietly, both deep in thought.
"Listen, why don't we change the subject and go play some pool. I think this conversation is getting too heavy for both of us." Duke suggested.
"I'm game." Scarlett nodded and the two made their way to an empty pool table. Duke racked them up while Scarlett got two cue sticks.
"Ready to lose?" Duke grinned.
"Not as much as you are." Scarlett threw back and crouched over to aim. She made a good shot and sank a ball into the pocket. She made another good shot before missing.
"Damn shame you missed that one." Duke teased as he aimed.
"Fuck you." Scarlett retorted.
"Sure thing." Duke shot back to her as he sunk his first ball.
"What's a matter Duke, your stick not cooperating?" Scarlett smugly teased as Duke missed his fourth shot in a row. She gave a haughty laugh and sank two balls at once. She blew on the top of her cue stick like it was smoking.
A few rounds later only the black eight ball remained on the table and it was Scarlett's turn to shoot. She studied the ball and the pockets and prepared to aim.
"Before you shoot, what would you say about making a little wager on it?" Duke suggested. Scarlett came back to a standing position to think about Duke's proposal.
"Like what?" Scarlett asked intrigued.
"Like…" Duke trailed off thinking. He ran his fingers down the length of the pool table. "If you miss, you have to go dance over there." Duke indicated the wooden dance floor.
"No way. Forget it." Scarlett balked and walked around to the other side of the table for a better shot.
"Are you saying you're chicken?" Duke asked emphasizing the last word.
"Did you call me chicken?" Scarlett asked furiously. Everyone on base knew she hated being called that. Duke made some clucking sounds.
"All right! But if I make it you need to tell me just what that New Year's kiss was all about!" Scarlett furiously accepted the bet. Duke stopped clucking after hearing her terms.
"Maybe we shouldn't bet on this after all." Duke nervously proposed.
"Oh, who's the chicken now?" Scarlett asked getting in his face. Duke also wouldn't stand for being called a chicken.
"You're on." Duke stuck out his hand and Scarlett shook it. She crouched down and aimed carefully.
"Eight ball, corner pocket." Scarlett called out in a serious voice. She pulled the cue stick back and then took her shot. The eight ball hit the corner hard and missed the pocket. Scarlett cursed loudly and threw her stick on the table.
"Time to dance." Duke gleefully announced and pulled her to the dance floor.
"Duke, don't make me, please. I'll do anything." Scarlett pleaded.
"Nope, a deal's a deal." Duke replied. They passed the table where all their friends were sitting and Scarlett pleaded for help. Duke explained the situation and all of the boys just laughed.
"A bunch of friends you are!" Scarlett exclaimed as Duke kept pulling her on the dance floor.
When they reached the center of the dance floor they stopped.
"Alright, I'm here." Scarlett sighed. Duke pulled her by the waist closer to him.
"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked shocked.
"I never said you had to dance alone." Duke smiled.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Scarlett laughed still somewhat shocked by his actions.
"Crazy about you." Duke responded looking straight into her eyes. From the way he was staring at her, she knew he was serious.
"Duke?" Scarlett whispered unsure of what he was saying.
"You wanted to know why I never said anything after we kissed. It was because I was afraid…afraid you didn't feel the same way." Duke answered softly as they swayed to the music.
"I've never known you to be afraid." Scarlett blushed.
"Yeah, well…here I am…afraid." Duke laughed softly.
"I don't want you to be afraid, Duke." Scarlett whispered and pressed her lips to his. They pulled apart slowly.
"I'm not afraid anymore." Duke softly spoke and the two sank into each other for another kiss, this one longer than the one before. Their teammates who had been watching from a distance all took a double take at the scene that was forming in front of their eyes.
"Alright, you called it Wild Bill." Gung Ho grumbled and handed a fistful of bills to Wild Bill. Ace and Cross Country also gave Wild Bill money.
"I should have known Duke was lying about what happened in the bathroom." Ripcord cursed himself after he handed his money over.
"Yep, it pays to know what's goin on…even if the two people don't know it themselves." Wild Bill tipped his hat.
Of course, Scarlett and Duke were oblivious to them. They continued to dance, every so often stopping for a tender kiss. A new song came on and all it took was the intro before they both realized what it was.
"I love this song." Scarlett sighed happily and pressed closer to his chest.
"Me too." Duke replied and held her closer than before.
"Well I'm shameless when it comes to loving you
I'll do anything you want me to
I'll do anything at all
And I'm standin' here for all the world to see
Oh baby, that's what's left of me
Don't have very far to fall
You know now I'm not a man who's ever been
Insecure about the world I've been living in
I don't break easy, I have my pride
But if you need to be satisfied
I'm shameless, oh honey, I don't have a prayer
Every time I see you standin' there
I go down upon my knees
And I'm changing, swore I'd never compromise
Oh, but you convinced me otherwise
I'll do anything you please
You see in all my life I've never found
What I couldn't resist, what I couldn't turn down
I could walk away from anyone I ever knew
But I can't walk away from you
I have never let anything have this much control over me
I work too hard to call my life my own
And I've made myself a world and it's worked so perfectly
But it's your world now, I can't refuse
I've never had so much to lose
Oh, I'm shameless
(music interlude)
You know it should be easy for a man who's strong
To say he's sorry or admit when he's wrong
I've never lost anything I've ever missed
But I've never been in love like this
It's out of my hands
I'm shameless, I don't have the power now
I don't want it anyhow
So I got to let it go
Oh, I'm shameless, shameless as a man can be
You make a total fool of me
I just wanted to you to know
Oh, I'm shameless, I just wanted you to know
Oh, I'm shameless, Oh, I'm down on my knees...shameless"
The song floated to an end and the two smiled up at each other.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Scarlett." Duke whispered.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Duke." Scarlett replied and
They tenderly kissed sealing their new found love.
By: Kris "Scarlett" Soltis
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I do not own the song "Shameless". I do own the name of the bar, but that was ripped off of another country song, so I guess I don't really own that either! Le sigh. I know it's been a long time since I've written anything, but I have been working on this really long piece and I just can't seem to get it finished! This piece was inspired of course by Valentine's Day. Thanks to Robert, Kerri, Diana and everyone else that helped inspire me to produce something! So instead of working on my grad school midterm, I wrote this. It is unbelievable when I started writing I was a sophomore in college. Now here I am in graduate school. Time flies…that's for sure! Comments are always welcome at misskris721@yahoo.com. Flames will be used to light my candles. Hope you like…
"So the boys are going out to get drunk tonight?" Duke asked Flint after the meeting adjourned.
"Yeah, but I have more important matters to attend to." Flint grinned.
"Got the flowers and candy for Jaye?" Duke asked.
"And reservations at Le Chateau de La Mer." Flint added.
"Nice." Duke smiled.
"You going out with the guys?" Flint asked.
"Yeah, I hear they are going to that new country bar Drive South. I want to check it out." Duke sighed.
"Gonna let Scarlett drink you under the table again?" Flint roared with laughter.
"You didn't think it was funny when she threw up on your shoes." Duke reminded him.
"I'm sure you'll have loads of fun with Scarlett and the boys tonight. Just tell me everything in the morning." Flint put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Speaking of which, we are meeting in the control room now." Duke announced after looking at his watch.
"Have a great Valentine's Day, buddy." Flint called as Duke walked away.
"You too!" he called back.
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Duke entered the control room to see the usual crowd of men he socialized with.
"Hey, Duke, glad you came." Gung Ho greeted him. A few others gave similar greetings to him.
"Are we ready?" Duke asked after two other men joined them.
"I'm insulted, Duke, that you would even think about leaving without me!" a woman's voice called from behind him. Duke turned around to face Scarlett. Her hands were on her hips, but she was smiling. Her red hair that was usually pulled up into a ponytail was curled and hung loosely around her face. "I know. You're just afraid I'll drink you under the table again." Scarlett laughed.
"Yeah, Duke. Let's not forget about New Year's." Wild Bill riled him up.
"Well, boys, I hate to spoil your fun but tonight I am a designated driver." Duke smiled brightly.
"Yeah, right." Ace laughed.
"I am. And for that, so are you." Duke smirked at Ace. Everyone laughed at Ace. The group split up and walked to the two jeeps they would be taking.
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"I can't believe they have a mechanical bull. Cross Country will be riding that all night long." Scarlett giggled to Duke as they walked through the new bar. The stopped at the dance floor and watched couples two-step around the floor.
"Come on, I need a drink." Scarlett grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bar. She ordered a shot for herself and a beer for Duke. "You can have one." Scarlett smiled. She took the shot and then asked for another one.
"So you're going to drown your Valentine's Day sorrows in alcohol?" Duke asked.
"Nah, just soak them up for a little bit." Scarlett smiled and downed her second shot.
"I had such a bad hangover after New Year's. I want to be sober for this one." Duke laughed.
"New Year's was a trip." Scarlett smiled as the bartender gave her another shot. The other teammates started calling them from a booth nearby.
"Come on, they are paging us." Scarlett giggled and pulled Duke over to the table.
"Scarlett, we want to do some shots with you!" whined Gung Ho. He already had the table set up with shots for everyone.
"Alright, but only this one…I've already had several and I'd like to remember what happens." Scarlett laughed. Everyone lifted up the shot and toasted the team. Wild Bill ordered another round of shots and Scarlett felt bad refusing it. Soon many shots had been downed by all the joes except for Duke and Ace. Scarlett went to stand up and collapsed right back down in her seat.
"I think you've had enough." Duke decided worriedly.
"No, I'm fine." She signaled for the waitress to bring another.
"You can't stand up." Duke pointed out.
"I don't need to stand up." Scarlett argued back. The waitress put a shot down in front of her, but Duke snatched it away. "Hey!" she whined and reached for it. She made one last attempt and was able to get it back. Unfortunately it spilled on her shirt.
"Shit, I love this shirt." Scarlett cursed. Without care she began to undress at the table. Duke grabbed her and escorted her to the ladies room.
"Now I know you are plastered." Duke sighed as he opened the door and led her inside. He wet a paper towel for Scarlett to use on her shirt. He looked up to see her grinning devilishly at him. Before he had time to react, Scarlett had thrown herself against him pressing her lips against his. She backed Duke all the way against the wall while deepening her kiss. Duke pried her away from him and held her at arm's length. "What the hell are you doing?" Duke cried out of breath. He let go of her. She giggled and ran her hands over his chest and then ran them down to his butt. She leaned in and tried to kiss him again, but Duke pushed her back again.
"Shana, stop. You are out of control." Duke ordered sternly.
"Conrad…how I've wanted you." Scarlett whispered seductively and removed her shirt to reveal a tight tank top she wore underneath. She pressed against him slowly making sure to rub against the front of his jeans in the right place. She leaned towards him and devoured him in a slow deep passionate kiss. Duke pulled away again and yanked her towards the sinks. He proceeded to splash cold water in her face.
"I'm sorry to be so rough, but you leave me no choice." Duke growled.
"I like it rough." Scarlett answered back in a sultry voice and gave him a teasing look with her glazed over eyes.
"Scarlett…"Duke trailed off not knowing what to say. He didn't have to think long because Scarlett turned into a stall and vomited into the toilet. Duke rushed to her side and pulled her hair away from her face. Scarlett vomited again. Duke took a deep breath to keep himself from getting sick as he held her hair back.
"Duke…" Scarlett sobbed into the toilet.
"I'm here." He answered. She responded by vomiting again.
"I'm sorry." She apologized softly. Duke hushed her. Scarlett kept her head in the toilet, but did not vomit again. Duke began to stroke her hair. She sat up a few minutes later having sobered up a little. She smiled tiredly at Duke. He stood up and filled a Dixie cup with water and knelt back down to Scarlett's level and handed it to her.
"This is one drink I'll let you have." He smiled.
"Thanks" she slowly sipped the water. They both sat in silence as Scarlett drank. She finished and gave the cup back to Duke who refilled it. "I don't deserve you." She sighed and rested her head on the stall.
"That's a ridiculous statement." Duke answered and handed her back the cup.
"No one else volunteers to help me when I get like this." Scarlett sighed.
"That's because everyone is too busy getting wasted." Duke replied.
"You always help me. You always take care of me." Scarlett smiled thoughtfully.
"We're friends, Scarlett, and that's what friends do for each other." Duke replied.
"But do friends have feelings for each other?" Scarlett asked concerned.
"What?" Duke asked confused.
"Because ever since New Year's…" Scarlett began but was cut off by the sound of the door opening.
"Excuse me, but this is the ladies room." A woman rudely commented to Duke.
"You stay right here. I'll be right outside." Duke told Shana. He then went to wait outside until the woman exited after taking care of her business.
"I'm taking you home." Duke announced and pulled Scarlett to her feet.
"No, Duke, I'll be alright." Scarlett smiled.
"It would be best." Duke decided and began to usher her to the door.
"Really, Duke. I'm ok." Scarlett tried to convince him. She wiggled her arm out of his grasp and walked around the bathroom to prove her point.
"If you're sure." Duke studied her eyes to see if she was really all right.
"Positive. Let's go back out with the guys. I'm sure they are wondering what's going on." Scarlett laughed and led the way out of the bathroom.
The two came back to the table to hear some immature comments from the crew, just as Scarlett and Duke had both predicted.
"Hey you two, we were about to call in the National Guard into that bathroom. What took you so long?" Wild Bill ribbed.
"We thought maybe you both got sucked down the toilet!" Ripcord howled.
"Or were sucking on each other!" Ace roared.
"You two were MIA for sometime." Cross Country commented.
"Speaking of missing things, where the heck is your shirt?" Gung Ho asked Scarlett.
"Oh, I left it in the bathroom. I'll get it." Scarlett remembered. She returned to the bathroom and left Duke to contend with the pack of wolves.
"Man! You are so lucky! She took her shirt off!" Ace cried and patted Duke on the shoulder.
"Ace, nothing happened. She took off her shirt to try to wash out the stain." Duke lied.
"You mean to tell me you were in there for that long and nothing happened? And you expect me to believe it?" Ripcord laughed.
"Believe what you want. I took her into the bathroom, she went to clean her shirt, and then she got sick." Duke replayed what happened. Duke turned to see Scarlett coming back to the table with her shirt in her hands. "I don't want to hear anymore about this. You got me?" Duke spoke softly but ferociously. The men nodded.
"You know, Gung Ho, on the way to the bathroom that woman over there stopped me and asked me if I knew you. She seemed pretty interested." Scarlett smiled and pointed out the woman to Gung Ho without making it obvious to the woman.
"Really?" Gung Ho smiled. He waved at the woman and the woman waved back.
"You should go over and show her your tattoos. I'm sure she'll be all over you." Ripcord laughed. Gung Ho smacked the back of his head and then went over to the girl.
"At least someone is getting some action." Ace sighed leaning back.
"Hey where's Shipwreck?" Duke asked.
"Make that two people that are getting some action." Cross Country corrected Ace's statement.
"Too much information." Scarlett shook her head.
"I'm going to ride the mechanical bull again. No one has beaten my record yet. Yeehaw!" Cross Country cried and left the table. Ace went with him.
"Wild Bill, how about we play some pool?" Ripcord asked.
"Prepare to be beaten, partner." Wild Bill accepted the challenge and the two left the table, leaving Scarlett and Duke alone.
"You need more water?" Duke asked.
"No, but I'd like a Coke." Scarlett decided. Duke signaled the waitress to come over and he ordered two cokes.
"So what was it that you were going to tell me in the bathroom? Something about New Year's?" Duke asked.
"Oh, um…it's nothing." Scarlett lowered her gaze to the table. Duke decided to drop it, even though he knew something was up. The waitress brought the two cokes to the table plus a beer.
"I didn't order a beer." Duke said as the waitress put it down in front of him.
"The woman at the table over there bought it for you." The waitress indicated which woman it was. The woman waved and giggled to the other woman sitting next to her. Duke held up the beer and toasted to her and sat it back down again. He waited for Scarlett to make her comments.
"You should go over and talk to her." Scarlett advised.
"What? No teasing and taunting from you?" Duke asked with astonishment. "Alright, where is the Scarlett I know?" He started gently punching Scarlett in the arm.
"Duke, I'm serious." Scarlett laughed.
"You think I should go over and talk to her." Duke repeated.
"Yes." Scarlett answered. Duke sat back and thought for a moment.
"Is this a trick? Did you set this up?" Duke asked putting nothing past her.
"No, I just…want you to be happy." Scarlett stated with a small smile.
"Alright…" Duke relented. He went over to the woman and struck up a conversation with her.
"What's the matter, Red? Ol' Duke leave ya high and dry?" Wild Bill asked coming back to the table.
"You're game over already?" Scarlett asked.
"Nah, just going to get a beer from the bar. Ripcord takes forever to shoot." Wild Bill chuckled.
"That woman bought Duke a drink." Scarlett informed Wild Bill.
"Ain't that a purrty sight?" Wild Bill sighed looking over at Duke and the woman.
"He deserves to be happy. He does so much for everyone." Scarlett commented.
"He certainly takes care of you, Red." Wild Bill winked and continued onto the bar. Duke returned moments later.
"Did you get her phone number?" Scarlett asked.
"We had a nice conversation, but I'm not interested." Duke shook his head.
"Oh?" Scarlett asked raising her eyebrow.
"Just too many things going on right now." Duke sighed spinning the beer bottle around. "Work is taking up so much of my time right now. I was lucky to be able to come out tonight." He heard Scarlett suck in her breath and she lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Duke, I'm sorry for what happened in the bathroom." Scarlett apologized.
"You were drunk you didn't know what you were doing." Duke dismissed her apology.
"On the contrary, I knew exactly what I was doing." Scarlett bravely spoke and bolted from the table. Stunned, Duke got up after her. He found her in the corner away from any of the joes. Her arms were folded across her chest and she had a wounded look in her eyes.
"Scarlett, why did you run like that?" Duke asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Scarlett narrowed her eyes.
"Well I do. What's gotten into you?" Duke asked concerned.
"Do you remember anything at all about New Year's?" Scarlett asked.
"Bits and pieces. It's all a bit hazy." Duke answered.
"Do you remember what happened at midnight? You kissed me." Scarlett answered for him.
"I remember." Duke answered looking in her eyes.
"It wasn't just a friendly kiss…" Scarlett trailed off.
"No, it wasn't" Duke agreed softly. He made a motion offering Scarlett the chance to go back to the table where they had been sitting. At first she refused, but Duke took her arm and they both slowly made their way back to their table. They both sat with their eyes glued to table that was still filled with dirty glasses. Neither one of them knew what to say.
"It was a mistake, wasn't it? The kiss at New Years I, mean." Scarlett softly penetrated the silence.
"No, I mean, I don't think it was. I guess it was only a mistake if you think it was a mistake. Does that make any sense?" Duke asked in return.
"Duke, I'm buzzed and you're expecting me to make sense? If was sober I probably wouldn't be saying any of this to you!" Scarlett remarked.
"Well, I would have liked to have talked about this, but I didn't think you wanted to. We were both out of it that night…" Duke sighed.
"Yes, we were, but why would you think I didn't want to talk about it?" Scarlett asked leaning into the table.
"I figured you'd either be embarrassed or…." Duke trailed off.
"Or?" Scarlett asked.
"Or upset with me for acting the way I did." Duke sighed heavily.
"For you acting like that? What are you talking about?" Scarlett asked fearing Duke was starting to talk crazy.
"I took advantage of you when you weren't yourself. I could have kicked myself for weeks afterwards." Duke replied his eyes fixated on a point in the distance. Scarlett could tell he was lost in his thoughts.
"Duke, you didn't take advantage of me. At least not anymore than I took advantage of you tonight." Scarlett answered quietly. Duke lifted his eyes to meet hers. They sat quietly, both deep in thought.
"Listen, why don't we change the subject and go play some pool. I think this conversation is getting too heavy for both of us." Duke suggested.
"I'm game." Scarlett nodded and the two made their way to an empty pool table. Duke racked them up while Scarlett got two cue sticks.
"Ready to lose?" Duke grinned.
"Not as much as you are." Scarlett threw back and crouched over to aim. She made a good shot and sank a ball into the pocket. She made another good shot before missing.
"Damn shame you missed that one." Duke teased as he aimed.
"Fuck you." Scarlett retorted.
"Sure thing." Duke shot back to her as he sunk his first ball.
"What's a matter Duke, your stick not cooperating?" Scarlett smugly teased as Duke missed his fourth shot in a row. She gave a haughty laugh and sank two balls at once. She blew on the top of her cue stick like it was smoking.
A few rounds later only the black eight ball remained on the table and it was Scarlett's turn to shoot. She studied the ball and the pockets and prepared to aim.
"Before you shoot, what would you say about making a little wager on it?" Duke suggested. Scarlett came back to a standing position to think about Duke's proposal.
"Like what?" Scarlett asked intrigued.
"Like…" Duke trailed off thinking. He ran his fingers down the length of the pool table. "If you miss, you have to go dance over there." Duke indicated the wooden dance floor.
"No way. Forget it." Scarlett balked and walked around to the other side of the table for a better shot.
"Are you saying you're chicken?" Duke asked emphasizing the last word.
"Did you call me chicken?" Scarlett asked furiously. Everyone on base knew she hated being called that. Duke made some clucking sounds.
"All right! But if I make it you need to tell me just what that New Year's kiss was all about!" Scarlett furiously accepted the bet. Duke stopped clucking after hearing her terms.
"Maybe we shouldn't bet on this after all." Duke nervously proposed.
"Oh, who's the chicken now?" Scarlett asked getting in his face. Duke also wouldn't stand for being called a chicken.
"You're on." Duke stuck out his hand and Scarlett shook it. She crouched down and aimed carefully.
"Eight ball, corner pocket." Scarlett called out in a serious voice. She pulled the cue stick back and then took her shot. The eight ball hit the corner hard and missed the pocket. Scarlett cursed loudly and threw her stick on the table.
"Time to dance." Duke gleefully announced and pulled her to the dance floor.
"Duke, don't make me, please. I'll do anything." Scarlett pleaded.
"Nope, a deal's a deal." Duke replied. They passed the table where all their friends were sitting and Scarlett pleaded for help. Duke explained the situation and all of the boys just laughed.
"A bunch of friends you are!" Scarlett exclaimed as Duke kept pulling her on the dance floor.
When they reached the center of the dance floor they stopped.
"Alright, I'm here." Scarlett sighed. Duke pulled her by the waist closer to him.
"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked shocked.
"I never said you had to dance alone." Duke smiled.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Scarlett laughed still somewhat shocked by his actions.
"Crazy about you." Duke responded looking straight into her eyes. From the way he was staring at her, she knew he was serious.
"Duke?" Scarlett whispered unsure of what he was saying.
"You wanted to know why I never said anything after we kissed. It was because I was afraid…afraid you didn't feel the same way." Duke answered softly as they swayed to the music.
"I've never known you to be afraid." Scarlett blushed.
"Yeah, well…here I am…afraid." Duke laughed softly.
"I don't want you to be afraid, Duke." Scarlett whispered and pressed her lips to his. They pulled apart slowly.
"I'm not afraid anymore." Duke softly spoke and the two sank into each other for another kiss, this one longer than the one before. Their teammates who had been watching from a distance all took a double take at the scene that was forming in front of their eyes.
"Alright, you called it Wild Bill." Gung Ho grumbled and handed a fistful of bills to Wild Bill. Ace and Cross Country also gave Wild Bill money.
"I should have known Duke was lying about what happened in the bathroom." Ripcord cursed himself after he handed his money over.
"Yep, it pays to know what's goin on…even if the two people don't know it themselves." Wild Bill tipped his hat.
Of course, Scarlett and Duke were oblivious to them. They continued to dance, every so often stopping for a tender kiss. A new song came on and all it took was the intro before they both realized what it was.
"I love this song." Scarlett sighed happily and pressed closer to his chest.
"Me too." Duke replied and held her closer than before.
"Well I'm shameless when it comes to loving you
I'll do anything you want me to
I'll do anything at all
And I'm standin' here for all the world to see
Oh baby, that's what's left of me
Don't have very far to fall
You know now I'm not a man who's ever been
Insecure about the world I've been living in
I don't break easy, I have my pride
But if you need to be satisfied
I'm shameless, oh honey, I don't have a prayer
Every time I see you standin' there
I go down upon my knees
And I'm changing, swore I'd never compromise
Oh, but you convinced me otherwise
I'll do anything you please
You see in all my life I've never found
What I couldn't resist, what I couldn't turn down
I could walk away from anyone I ever knew
But I can't walk away from you
I have never let anything have this much control over me
I work too hard to call my life my own
And I've made myself a world and it's worked so perfectly
But it's your world now, I can't refuse
I've never had so much to lose
Oh, I'm shameless
(music interlude)
You know it should be easy for a man who's strong
To say he's sorry or admit when he's wrong
I've never lost anything I've ever missed
But I've never been in love like this
It's out of my hands
I'm shameless, I don't have the power now
I don't want it anyhow
So I got to let it go
Oh, I'm shameless, shameless as a man can be
You make a total fool of me
I just wanted to you to know
Oh, I'm shameless, I just wanted you to know
Oh, I'm shameless, Oh, I'm down on my knees...shameless"
The song floated to an end and the two smiled up at each other.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Scarlett." Duke whispered.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Duke." Scarlett replied and
They tenderly kissed sealing their new found love.