Lester didn't have time to email for nine months. He got deployed on his third tour and mentioned he qualified for Rangers training. His training would begin the minute he returned from his deployment. I was beyond proud of my husband for passing the rigorous tests. My father was in the Rangers, too, but he only ran missions in a supervisory role.
After Les made it through the rigorous program, he would get deployed more frequently. It didn't bother me if he was gone for extended periods as long as he came home to me. We had agreed to leave my last name as Plum until he completed his military service. I was willing to wait for my husband to come home. He promised to visit between tours, which should be within the next few days. I couldn't wait to see him.
My job at EE Martin was not what I expected. I haggled over discount cotton grannie panties instead of working in the business administration department as promised. I debated returning to school to complete my MBA. Lester would support my decision, but I didn't want to touch his money. I know it was technically our money. However, spending cash that I had never earned felt wrong. I didn't want anyone to accuse me of being a gold digger. From every paycheque I received, I stashed a significant amount to cover tuition if I returned to college. It seemed like the logical next step.
Lester and I emailed as often as possible. It was imperative to keep him informed of changes in my life. He said it was for my safety and keeping him in the loop. We learned to encrypt our communications.
Hector taught me how to secure my emails. In turn, I taught my husband between his deployments. When Lester met Hector, he noticed the teardrop tattoo below his right eye. Lester wanted me to stay away from Hector until I patiently explained that Hector earned the teardrop by protecting me.
When I explained how Hector earned the tattoo, Lester understood. Hector lived in gang territory. It was funny when Hector only communicated with Lester in Spanish. Hector spoke English, but I learned Spanish to help protect his secret. He shared that he went to school to learn how to program and break through the elaborate firewalls to access secured data. Lester was happy to know I had someone watching my back in his absence. Hector reassured Lester that he was gay. I knew Hector was dating my old school friend, Bartholomew Carrera. Nobody in the Burg knew Barty was gay. He guarded that secret well.
A few weeks later, I felt the bed dip and warm arms snake around me. "Hey, my beautiful wife. Did you miss me?" Lester whispered as I turned towards him. He was home a week earlier than I expected.
"Yes. More than words can say. It feels like you've been gone for two years," I sleepily replied. I couldn't stop touching my husband. His face was tanned, making his green eyes more pronounced. God knows how much I missed him.
"Baby, I'm sorry for being away for so long," Lester said before kissing me.
"It's okay, sexy, and it really hasn't been that long. We saw each other for a few days between your Rangers deployments. But your latest mission was longer than usual." I stroked his face from temple to chin. Lester closed his eyes and relished the touch. He turned to kiss my palm, a motion that sent desire straight to my core. I moaned from the sensation.
Lester reciprocated the attention. I loved when he touched me. The electrical charge between us was as strong as the day we met. Our devotion was stronger than ever. I loved my husband, and he was never stingy in expressing his affection. "Have you decided about graduate school?" Lester asked.
I shrugged because I wasn't sure if that was the route I wanted to take. "I'm still undecided," I confessed.
"How's work?" Lester asked. He kissed the spot by my ear, making my panties damp as goosebumps erupted across my skin. I felt Lester smile against my neck. He continued nipping and sucking my neck while waiting for me to answer the question.
"Mmm. Dreadful. The CEO paid a premium to the mob to protect the business," I replied. Lester stopped kissing my neck to look into my eyes.
"Are you fucking serious?" Lester asked.
"I honestly wish I were joking," I replied. Lester raised the t-shirt to expose my breasts. I lazily lifted my arms for him to pull it off my body. His hot tongue licked my chest and flicked my nipples. I wanted him to get to the task of making me orgasm. Lester smiled as he kissed his way down my body. He paused when he reached my panties. I groaned in disappointment.
"Baby, we need to talk," Lester said. His eyes caught mine. I could see the fear and worry behind his gaze. My skin crawled in fear, wondering if Lester didn't honour his vows. I felt my heart rate increase as I prepared for the worst.
Lester laid on his side and pulled me against his chest. I loved the feeling of his bare skin touching mine. We cuddled as we caught up with each other. When he told me about the sexual conquest stories, I looked into his eyes and asked, "Are those from before our marriage?"
"Yes, baby. I told you the truth about having less than five partners. I made it sound as though I had a different woman every week. It was easy enough to change the names. Those stories are from before we met at the church. I'm not going to cheat on you. Besides, the guys don't know I'm married. It's important to protect you by keeping the pretence of being available. I hope you're not mad," Lester explained.
"Nope, not mad. Thank you for informing me. It would make it less awkward when I meet your friends again. Though it may be more awkward when they learn we're married."
"I have a gift for you," he replied. I sat up and excitedly clapped my hands. Lester removed his boxers to show me the tattoo on his hip, close to his pelvic bone. LMSSMS 050224 sat between wings. I leaned over to kiss the ink.
"Does that mean you're not going to wear your ring?" I asked. He nodded his head and passed me his old dog tags with his wedding band attached. His new Army tags had his rank as a specialist in the Rangers. I slipped my wedding ring on the chain. It slid into place beside his. Lester dropped the chain over my head, letting the tags rest between my breasts.
"It's safer for you if I don't wear the ring." Lester didn't need to say it was in case he got captured. "I wanted to have a permanent way to commemorate our day."
"We were on the same wavelength," I stated as I pushed my panties off my body.
"Baby," he whispered when he saw I got the identical tattoo in the same place on my body. A tear dripped from his eye as he kissed the ink.
"My friend Barty made the tattoo. I don't wear my ring either. It's too much of a pain to explain that you're in the military. Some of the guys view seducing a soldier's wife as a challenge. How long are you in town?" I wondered.
"A few weeks," Lester answered. "I told the guys I was visiting my family. We'll need to visit my aunt and uncle sometime soon." Technically, Lester wasn't lying. I was his family.
"Okay. Daddy wants to meet you." Lester suggested waiting for a few days because it had been too long since we had sex. Thank goodness I was on vacation from work. We spent the next three days making up for the lost time. Other than eating and bathroom breaks, we didn't leave our bed.
"Ric and Rachel got divorced. They had their hearing yesterday," Lester announced as we prepared dinner on the fourth day.
"I know. Rachel already told me. She's getting married to Ron Martine in a few months. Ric signed over his paternal rights to Julie," I added. Rachel met Ron through her dad's accounting firm. I was Julie's godmother, so I was guaranteed to be a part of her life.
"Are you fucking serious?" Lester asked. "Why would he do that?"
"I am serious, and it's because his life doesn't lend itself to relationships," I replied. "Apparently, that applied to his daughter too."
"Ric's an idiot. He went through Rangers training with me a year ago," Lester informed me. I was surprised Ric wanted to go into special ops while raising a child. Rachel had only mentioned Ric planned to further his military career. I knew Rachel loved her husband. He issued divorce papers a few months after Julie's birth. It took a year before their case got seen in the courts. Ric never attended the baptism.
"Ah. That explains why Ric gave that bullshit line to Rachel. Where did he place?" I asked. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that connection. Rachel was devastated by the divorce, but she found another man willing to help her raise Julie.
"Top of his group. He set a new record high in all categories," Lester answered. He laughed and added, "My stupid cousin always has to be the best." I knew Lester placed second, but he admitted the training was challenging. It tested your reactions to fatigue, starvation, physical and emotional endurance.
I played back his words, then asked, "You're related to Ric?" I was surprised. Lester never mentioned their relationship before. Since Rachel never said anything to me, I assumed she didn't know. I was happy Rachel kept my marriage to Lester a secret. I would have to call her later to confirm. Hopefully, Rachel didn't hold that against me.
"Unfortunately. Which makes you related to Ric, too," Lester said before laughing. My husband was a funny guy. I was pleased his missions haven't affected his sense of humour.
"Meh," I said, shrugging. "It only solidifies my relationship with Julie. I don't care if Ric relinquished his rights. I'm still Julie's cousin-in-law and godmother."
Lester set the table after mixing the salsa, chicken and rice. He returned to the kitchen to grab the bottle of wine. I placed the serving dish in the centre of the table. Lester poured the wine as I dished food onto our plates.
Whenever he came home, Lester taught me a new recipe to cook. He wrote detailed instructions for me to follow. "So good," I said between bites. "What did you call this again?"
"Salsa Verde Chicken," Lester replied. "It's my favourite."
"Good to know," I said, smiling. I added a mental note indicating it was Lester's favourite meal. Hopefully, I could make it the next time he came home. I learned to cook meals with Lester's guidance. Unlike Mom, he was patient. I didn't get flustered or make mistakes. It didn't take long to pick up the skill.
"When do we meet your dad?" Lester asked.
"Tomorrow for lunch. Mom and Dad have company for dinner and Dad suggested we go for lunch instead of you meeting him with an audience," I replied. Mom had invited Angie and Joseph Morelli for dinner. I got the impression she was trying to set me up with Joe, but I was already married. She knew I was married. Cheating on my husband was not an option. It wouldn't surprise me if my mom wanted me to divorce Lester to marry a Burg man.
I found Mom's tactics to be exhausting. She didn't care that I was already married and insisted on inviting me for dinners with random men. Grandma often warned me before I wasted time arriving for dinner. According to Mom, my marriage to Lester didn't count because he wasn't from the Burg. I had shown her pictures of my husband, but that didn't seem to be good enough proof for her. Lester wasn't from the Burg.