by Lea
~Chapter 2~
Rebel pulled up in front of a large sprawling building just outside the back
gate of Nellis AFB. Jax popped out of the mini van and stood staring at the
sign that hung above the door. It was a painting of the front end of a fighter
plane. Right over the bubble was the name of the bar, The Cockpit. Jax always
got a good chuckle out of that name because it was so appropriate on so many
levels. Jax left his hat and glasses in the van and ventured into the bar.
The jukebox was playing in the background. There were so few people in the
bar that he could actually hear the music. The new class of pilots was not
due to report for another five days so the bar would be on the slow side
for the next couple of days. That was not a problem for Jax. It would give
him a place to relax without being preyed upon for a short time anyway. Local
single women knew the school's schedule better than the students.
Rebel went to lay claim to a small table in the corner farthest from the
jukebox while Jax went to the bar to get a couple of beers.
"Hi there, handsome! How can I help you?" The bartender's faint southern
accent made him smile.
"Well hi there yourself, gorgeous! Any relation to my buddy, Rebel, over
there in the corner?"
"Just because we have the same accent, doesn't mean we're related." The bartender
waited for the typical jokes about Southern inbreeding to begin but none
came. The bartender relaxed a bit. "So you're with Rebel, huh?"
"He's my sponsor. I'll be teaching here for a while. My name is Phoenix.
Or you can call me Jax." He extended a hand.
It was graciously accepted. "Well, well, well. So you're the infamous Phoenix!
It is a pleasure indeed." I finally get to put a face, and what a face it
is, with the stories!
"So my reputations proceeds me, huh?" Jax flashed a smile that could turn
the darkest night into the brightest day. Between that and his mesmerizing
blue eyes, the bartender had to remind herself to breathe.
"Well, Jax." She made a point of using his name and not his call sign. How
could such a gorgeous man be guilty of all she had heard since her arrival
in Las Vegas? The man was a legend at NAFB, and a god in the flesh. "My name
is Linda."
"Linda. How appropriate. Did you know that your name means "beautiful" in
Spanish?"
"Oh, now there's an original line. Tell me something I don't know." Great,
Linda thought, here come the typical pick up lines, not that I should have
expected different from Phoenix Jacks.
"You doubt my sincerity?" His eyes reflected genuine distress.
Linda suddenly regretted her rudeness. "I'm sorry, Jax. It's just that I
get hit on all the time and-"
Jax cut her off mid-sentence. "Think nothing of it." Jax motioned for two
drafts.
Linda had just set the beers down in front of him when Rebel approached.
"Sorry, Phoenix. The missus just beeped me. I have to get going. Are you
ready?"
Can you believe it? Jax thought. He's high tailing it home at the first signal
from his wife. The man must be whipped!
Jax was in no hurry to leave. "That's OK. I'll walk back to the dorm. You
go on ahead."
"That's a heck of a walk, Phoenix!"
"I'll be fine. It won't be the first time I've walked back from here!" Jax
assured Rebel he could handle himself without any problems. Rebel finally
headed home to his family.
"I guess I have two beers to drink now." Jax looked at the full glasses with
little interest. He wasn't in a mood to drink tonight. He had been alone
enough lately; he was in the mood to socialize but Rebel put an end to that.
He moved to the end of the bar with his drinks and settled himself in to
people watch tonight. The person he was most interested in watching was the
luscious Linda. She intrigued him.
The bar continued to be quiet for most of the evening. The largest the crowd
swelled to was five women and two young pilots obviously at their first advanced
training. Linda made her way down to make small talk with Jax when she wasn't
filling drink orders and fulfilling other duties.
Jax watched Linda with great interest. She wasn't the type of woman to which
he was normally attracted. She was of medium height with shoulder length
blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't heavy
either. She was rather well endowed, which Jax couldn't help but notice every
time she leaned over to pick up something. Her personality was as intriguing
as her figure. She was nice to everyone, friendly to the regulars, and just
generally pleasant. He could tell, however, that there was a wall around
her. She tried to make it a glass wall, she didn't want people to know it
was there, but it was there none the less. Jax was thoroughly taken with
the entire package.
Linda was every bit impressed with Jax. She had watched him as he sauntered
to the men's room. He walked with such confidence. If he knew that the women
in the bar were drooling over him, he didn't act like he knew or even cared.
That alone made him different from 99% of the other fighter pilots that came
in the place. He was as perfectly put together as Adonis. Tall, very tall,
Linda tried to picture him squeezing himself into the cockpit of an F-16!
Wavy, golden blond hair, short, but not buzzed in the traditional fighter
pilot mode. Yet, he was as approachable as the boy next door. Maybe that
was thanks to the cleft in his chin or the dimple when he smiled. Damn, Linda
thought, if he had lived next to me, I never would have left home! And on
top of everything else, he had the most wonderful personality. On the surface,
at least, he had everything going for him. Linda found herself down at his
end of the bar frequently.
By midnight, the bar was empty except for Jax. He seemed in no hurry to leave
either. Not that Linda minded. She had to stay until the official closing
time of two o'clock even if the bar was empty. And she liked this man's
company.
Jax and Linda found themselves together at a table near the door shortly
after midnight.
"I know why I'm still here, but why are you here, Jax?"
"I'm enjoying the company. Is that OK with you?" Jax smiled at Linda. She
felt herself melt into that smile, it was so powerful.
"It's just fine." She managed to stutter.
"If I may ask, you seem to be a very intelligent woman. What are you doing
bartending here?" Jax was curious to know more about this woman. She seemed
so different from the others hanging around. "In other words, what's a classy
broad like you doing in a pick up joint like this?" Jax laughed at the tired
pick up line.
For some strange reason, Linda felt compelled to tell Jax her entire life
story, at least as far as it related to NAFB. Something about his eyes let
Linda know that Jax was honestly interested in what she had to say. Linda
had married a young Academy graduate shortly after graduating from Texas
Tech. She had been in AFROTC herself, but opted out when she married. They
had been married five years when he got orders to report to NAFB for advanced
training and RED FLAG. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the pressures of the
other pilots and the women in the bars and began to have affairs within a
couple of weeks. He finally left her for the last conquest but not before
Linda threw him out. He moved on to his next assignment and she stayed in
Las Vegas. She got the job at the Cockpit in an effort to help other wives
be spared the pain she felt at losing her husband to a hussy. She watched
the married men like a hawk and made sure they knew it. She planned to stay
in the area for another training session or two. After that, well, it was
up in the air. She'd go where life took her.
Jax listened to her story attentively. He asked questions when he was supposed
to, offered advice when asked, and most importantly, he sympathized. He had
seen the actions of the pilots from the other side before. He was usually
one of the "bad eggs" encouraging the married men to veer off track. He had
never really given much thought to the wives left behind until he heard Linda's
story. He knew he would not be so heartless ever again.
Linda was amazed that Jax did not laugh at her story. He was the consummate
bachelor, the partying type. He actually seemed to care about her feelings
and her hurt caused in part by the actions of men just like himself.
By the time closing time rolled around, Jax and Linda knew that they were
destined for friendship. A special bond had formed between them. Linda drove
Jax back to the dorm after she locked up the bar. Jax gave her a kiss on
the cheek before getting out of the car. Both knew that this was the first
of many nights spent together.