Secret Liaison
Who: Elihu Rami and Jilleen Simmons Where: Off-post apartment, Ft. Iwo, Sagittaron When: Afternoon local time, Y03 Jan 06
The military establishment never actually takes the weekend off from work completely but on occasion the Admiral does. After the meeting in the morning with the Prime Minister and the walk with the Admiral, Jilleen was dismissed for the rest of the day, at least until her flight late in the evening.
On the sidewalk she walked under the shade of the trees which lined the path between the apartments in this housing complex on the base. It was an entirely different area just outside the base from where her own apartment which was nearest the headquarters building on post. Unless the personnel worked closely with the Admiral’s staff, none here would easily recognize her as his aide-de-camp. Especially when she was out of uniform as she was now in casual clothes, a pair of jeans and a white blouse. On other occasions this complex was on her jogging route which lead her to this corner apartment, the one she was walking to now.
At the door she stopped to check if anyone noticed her, and when she saw it was clear, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a key card. Inserted the card into a slot, heard a tone, and then turned the handle to open the door. “Eli…It’s me” she said as she slowly opened the door before entering. She was not sure if he made it here yet from his quarters near the air field.
"Hey." He glanced up at her from over his shoulder as he pulled his shirt on over taut muscles. He'd spent the past hour walking, not certain still of how to interact with Jill after he'd spoken to her husband. Eli's eyes lightened, however, at the sight of her face, unaware that he followed her with his eyes even as his mind considered other things.
Never a talkative man, it was a few moments before he added, "Wasn't sure you were coming." She could take that as she would.
She slowly shut the door behind her by leaning back against it while she watched him put on his shirt. His tattoos and muscular form made him a living piece of art in her eyes. It was the first thing that drawn her to him, but she had never imagined it would lead to an extramarital affair. “You know how to tease a girl,” she commented. “Don’t be so insecure Eli. You asked me to come here." He had been acting very strange since they returned to Sagittaron. She could only imagine why.
"Can't stay away from you, I guess," he mumbled. "Even though I know I should."
Jilleen blush slightly with a thin smile. “Eli,” she took a few steps toward him. “I must confess I tried to avoid you but I think of you too often. I’d missed you.” She reached to touch his face.
"I know." He sighed but he didn't pull away. Her touch lingered against his skin even after he'd managed to turn. "At least... he knows now."
There was a certain honor in that, he supposed, then frowned as he realized that he was simply looking for justification. Elihu liked James, strange though it was, but he liked Jill more. His fingers clenched and unclenched, wondering why it was that he couldn't drive the situation out of his head.
“Yes he does,” she noticed the tension and then grabbed his nervous hands. “It’s not a bad thing you know. I should have been honest with him a long time ago and ended our marriage. Even back when our marriage was open, things between us was not going so well. James will get over it.”
"What do you mean, things weren't going so well?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Something must have convinced you not to keep the marriage open--what was it?"
It wasn't like him to be so direct but he couldn't help himself. It was like picking at an open wound.
“He almost died, okay” she blurted. Jilleen did not like to re-live the moment she got the message of her husband being medevac from Sagittaron years ago and those moments of uncertainty. “It was during the ‘Troubles’ here. He was caught in an IED explosion.” She then looked away from Eli.
The last few weeks had not been easy on her since they returned from Tauron with the end of her marriage heavy on her mind at times. She had to face herself in the mirror and accept the decisions she made in her life. Right or wrong they were her decisions.
After the moment of silence between them, Jilleen turned to face him again and raised her hand between them. “You know what? I didn’t come here to be judged.” She glared at him. “And if that is what you want to do, then screw yourself. I don’t need this right now.”
"I'm not..." Then he paused. That wasn't true. Like it or not, he was judging her.
"He needs you," Eli said quietly. "And I can't help feeling for him." It could have been him standing there, if she had chosen him first.
“What?” Did she hear right, she wondered. “All of a sudden you’re concern about his feelings?”
"I didn't know him before. It's easy not to care when you don't see a man as a person. When you can't actually feel what he's going through." Elihu snapped. "That could be me."
Her facial expression softened, “I’m not really that cruel. You’re not him,” she said looking up to him. “My marriage with James was going to end long before this, but when he got hurt I could not simply walk away. I really tried to make things work, I really did. I gave up flying Vipers for him, resigned from the air wing so I could be by his side while he recovered, and literally got back on his feet.
“Yes it did bring us closer together and things seemed on the right track for us again, but it was only temporary. And I’m not saying he is not a great guy, because he is, extraordinary in fact. But I don’t think I love him as I should.” She paused for the moment to let the impact of her last statement sink into her mind. It was the clarity she needed.
“You don’t need to feel threaten,” her heart began to beat a tad faster. “I care for you.”
"Care for me? How?" Eli asked. "We agreed that this wasn't going to last."
The frustration in his voice was not for her but for him. For the fact that he himself cared, that he was angry at her for having caused him to love her. It wasn't right, what he'd done, and he felt that but he wondered if she understood. There had been that sudden spark in the air when he'd met James, an understanding that he could stand in the other man's shoes. It only irritated him more that he liked the man.
It would be easier, he thought, if she simply didn't choose.
“Ah yeah,” she replied with hesitation at the end. It did start out as a simple fling with an understanding that none would make demands on the other beyond sex. Jilleen was not sure when it happened but her feeling grew for him.
She then placed her hand on the center of his chest. “Let’s not give it a label, Eli. What we have is the present. It’s all I want right now.”
"It might be all we have." He said, resting his hand on hers. Eli didn't bother to clarify. She could take from it what she would.
She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Kiss me or lose me forever, you handsome devil,” she quoted some cheesy line from some popular Caprican movie. Jilleen raised her chin and then closed her eyes waiting for that kiss.
"No time like the present," he quipped right back, taking her in his arms and kissing her hard. His arms wrapped around her, holding her more tightly than he meant for a moment. As if he'd never let her go.
She was lost in his embrace and kiss, nothing else matter right now. Jilleen had waited far too long to feel his lips on hers. After the long moment of kissing, she grabbed his hand again and motioned to the bed room. She only had a couple of hours to spare, and she wanted to make the most of it before they had to go back to pretending they only had the professional relationship.
He laughed at that, amused at her eagerness, letting her lead him into the other room. Jill was practically Tauron in that.
"You'd better hope we don't get caught," Elihu warned her, still laughing as he pulled his shirt off over his head.
“You would like that would you?” She said as she unbuttoned her blouse and laughed with him for a second. “You know what the traditionalists are like on this planet. They would have us flogged. Unless you are into that sort of thing,” she said with a quizzical look before pulling off her blouse.
Eli laughed. "Not especially. Are you?"
He couldn't see it but then again, he'd never asked. He backed them both towards the bed, pinning her in with his legs as he leaned in for a kiss. "Even if the traditionalists caught us... I suppose that'd just make this all a little more interesting."
Jilleen placed her arms around his shoulders and reached up to his level. Leaning her forehead to his, she looked directly into his eyes. “You would be surprised if I was,” her smile met his lips to steal a kiss. She then wrapped one of her legs around his and turned him round to cause him to fall back into the bed.
On top of him with her pink colored lace bra and denim jeans still on, she placed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You have me, now what?” Eyes then grazed down to one of his tattoos on his chest, in which she playfully traced with her finger. He had told her what some of them meant, but not all. She only had the one Tauron tattoo on her wrist, a small one which she received after graduation.
"What do you think?" His eyes rested on her finger, watching it trace the lines in his skin. "I can hardly just leave you." His mouth quirked as he placed a kiss on her shoulder, lips brushing her soft skin. He let his breath linger for a moment, warm against the hollow of her neck, before he kissed again, moving his body against hers slowly.
“Because I won’t let you leave,” she let him have his way and moaned softly to encourage him continue. The heart beating in her chest was now a reaction to each touch, each kiss, and each gaze into his eyes. The world outside was forgotten for the next couple of hours.