A/N — no, this pace of posting will not continue. ;) I anticipate this story will be about 20 chapters and I currently have 10 written. Hope you enjoy! xoxo — kals
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Sasha and Wolf
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Sasha planted herself at the hightop, waiting for Wolf Taylor to appear. She took another sip of her Diet Coke, not willing to take the chance of over-indulging right now, given that was what got her into this ridiculous situation in the first place. Sasha felt confident in saying that, if she had not been totally drunk on Kara's extra-strong martinis at the time, she never would have agreed that having sex with Wolf Taylor was a good idea.
Not that there was anything wrong with Wolf. If she was being objective, Sasha was aware that Taylor was a damn fine man. Even more importantly, he was a good person, someone who Sasha both trusted and respected. Which, she supposed, was probably why this entire idea felt so distasteful. She had nothing against casual sex and had, prior to her marriage, engaged in it without any feelings of guilt. But the last thing she wanted was to fall into a friends-with-benefits arrangement that ended with neither benefits nor a friend.
That was why, after careful consideration, Sasha decided to be completely upfront with Wolf and find out whether he had any interest in the type of arrangement she was proposing. If Wolf expressed any hesitation, this could all be brushed away with a minimal amount of embarrassment and Sasha could at least tell the ladies that she tried.
"There you are, Coops," Wolf said, appearing across the table from Sasha. He waved a hand at her glass. "I'll get next round. What are you drinking?"
"Diet Coke," Sasha replied, then smiled. "But I'll upgrade to a glass of red if you're buying."
Wolf laughed, the deep sound sending a bit of a thrill through Sasha. As much as she wasn't sure that she wanted Wolf to say yes to her crazy proposal, she wasn't sure that she wanted him to say no. It had been a long time, even if she counted that one crazy night with Tom, before Peng's destruction of the Shackleton and the Hayward drove him to not just leave the Navy, but leave all of them as well. Even now, six months later, that night wasn't one of the things that she regretted. It had been a release — physical, yes, but also emotional — one that both of them needed after the events of the last year. It was a way for each of them to acknowledge all that had been lost, but also to recognize that there was a future. That moment had been a turning point for Sasha, and for that she would always love Tom, no matter what happened later.
Unaware of Sasha's thoughts, Wolf winked. "Let me see what I can do."
Five minutes later, Wolf was back, sliding the drink across the table. Sasha took a sip, enjoying the smooth cabernet as it slid down her throat. Wolf took a drink of his scotch. "Time to spill, Cooper. What has you so spun up that we had to meet in person?"
"I want to have sex," Sasha replied bluntly.
Wolf's hand remained steady as he lifted it to his lips. "Good for you. I find a good roll in the hay quite relaxing."
Laughing, Sasha queried. "Roll in the hay?"
Wolf chuckled again. "Burk. He's squirrelly talking about sex."
That didn't surprise Sasha in the least. She met Wolf's eyes. "As I said, I want to have sex, and I wanted to know if you were interested." When Wolf said nothing, Sasha continued. "It would be strictly physical, with either of us able to say yes or no without any fallout. And, most importantly, I want to make sure that we can keep working together without issue."
Her proposal done, Sasha felt calm as she sipped her drink, watching Wolf as he considered her proposal. Finally he set down his glass. "I'm flattered, Cooper, but it won't work."
Half expecting that response, Sasha gave a sharp nod. "Understood. I'll just finish my drink and..."
"I'm in love with Jesse." Sasha's eyes snapped to him, as Wolf continued. "I sleep with you, no matter what the terms are, Jesse won't ever agree to give me a chance."
He wasn't wrong. Sasha knew Jesse well enough to say with 100% certainty that Jesse would never date someone Sasha had been with first, no matter how casual it was. But she was no longer as interested in her proposal as she was in the fact she hadn't realized that Wolf had a thing for Jesse at all. Jesse certainly hadn't said anything, although Sasha could see how that might have happened, given how wrapped up Sasha was in Tom at the time.
"I didn't know that you and Jesse had gotten that close." She hesitated before asking. "Does Jesse know how you feel?"
"I told her before she left." Wolf smiled grimly. "She told me I was messed up over Val and didn't know what I felt."
There was some logic to that. "Well, were you messed up over Val?"
"Yup, but that doesn't mean I couldn't tell what I was feeling," Wolf replied, not a shred of doubt in his voice. "Your proposal? That's what I had with Val. Good friends, good sex, all fun. And then Peng murdered her and I wanted revenge for my friend. No different from how I'd feel if Peng killed any of the guys. What I felt for Jesse was different. She just didn't believe me."
Sasha could tell that Wolf meant every word, and her heart broke for him. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "I'm sorry."
Wolf lifted his glass. "You might be the only person who understands. Because of ..."
Tom.
The name hung between them, unsaid. Sasha considered Wolf. "You know," she began, "just because sex is off the table doesn't mean that we can't hang out. You've all been welcoming but, I'm still the new guy. I'm friends with Kara, but not like she's friends with Alisha or Andrea. And I'm still feeling my way with Mike and Danny, trying not to overstep. You seem to be the newest person other than me. Maybe you could give me a few hints and I can see if there's anything I can do to help with Jesse."
"I don't want you to reach out to Jesse for me," Wolf said, his face serious. His voice softening the tiniest bit, he added. "Just like you don't want Mike reaching out to Tom for you."
Touche.
Sasha nodded. She did understand, even if she thought the situation was different. Tom left because he needed time to work on himself, Jesse left because she didn't understand how Wolf felt. "Fair enough. With that caveat, do we have a deal?"
Wolf gave a slow smile that, under other circumstances, would definitely have gotten Sasha's blood moving. "Oh yes please."