By Rachel Torrent

“Oh, yeah, sweetie. I found this old picture today while I was messing around in the basement.” Earl Ray handed Sahndra a rather worn-looking photo.

It was the Saturday evening after their return from D.C. They were sitting together in the living room watching television. Julie and Roger were still in the mountains at the “safehouse.” Earl Ray had been rummaging around in his own basement over at his house.

Sahndra looked at the photo. “This is you here, with this thing on your head?”

“Yeah………And that’s Leroy with the stick in his mouth,” Earl Ray said. Sahndra didn’t hear as much grief in his voice as before the trip, and this was good news.

She looked at Leroy and could think of nothing at all to say.

“He had soul,” Earl Ray added. “Loved his music……….In fact, I’d planned to help him out with a recording studio……….if he’d made it back.”

“He must have really looked up to you, honey. You were probably his hero,” Sahndra said.

Earl Ray laughed a small laugh. “Hero……….I wasn’t mucha anybody’s hero……..I scared folks.”

“Earl Ray, you look so young and gorgeous. What IS that on your head?” Sahndra couldn’t help herself anymore. The black bandana-like thing he had tied all around his head in the picture struck her as outrageously sexy.

“That damn thing? Just some piece o’ shit head scarf……..I wore it to keep sweat outta my eyes……..It was a pain in the ass most of the time.”

“God, it looks so good on you…….with the fatigues and all. The whole deal.” Sahndra knew her voice had too much breath in it. She was moved by this photo. An image of Earl Ray she wasn’t accustomed to. The down-and dirty combat Earl Ray. She squeezed her legs together in excitement.

“Oh, c’mon, Sahndra. I’d been out in the jungle for days when that picture was taken…….wading through swamps and shit………..standing watch in the rain…….I had blood on me too……..I was a filthy mess,” he said and put his hand on her thigh beside him.

The touch sent a current through her body. A current she recognized as desire. Earl Ray was responsible for lots of currents like that in her. “Ah, but it turns me on like you won’t believe, honey……..You still got this scarf thing around somewhere?” God, please let him say he does, her mind screamed.

“I think it’s still in the basement over at the house………I dunno.” He slid his warm palm down the inside of her thigh, and she jumped.

“Oh, and those fatigues too…….You look stunning in that little ensemble, sweetheart.” Sahndra was almost panting.

He laughed again. “I got that shit at the store, ya know.”

“But I want the ones that still have your scent on them.” If his hand moved up to her crotch, she’d surely explode.

“You’re crazy………But if it gets me laid…….”

“Earl Ray, this photo alone is about to get you laid.”

“Is that right?”

* * *

“Get your ass over here right now if ya want a big fantasy to come true!” Julie had rushed into the loft’s den on Monday just before lunch to quickly call Sahndra before it was too late. Before this delicious opportunity was gone.

“What in the hell’s going on over there?” Sahndra was a little jolted. The mysterious phone call she’d received from Earl Ray an hour ago had been strange enough. Now this.

Julie whispered. “Roger’s going through all his old marines stuff. And I think I can persuade him to try the uniform on!”

“The fancy blue one?” Sahndra was excited too now. The two of them used to watch him from a distance and discuss in lewd detail what they’d do to him if they caught him all fancied up in his USMC uniform.

“Of course, the fancy blue one. What are you? New around here?”

“The white hat too?” Sahndra sounded incredulous. First Earl Ray in his combat gear. And now Roger in his dress uniform. She couldn’t believe it yet. This was too good to be true.

“Yes, the white hat too. He’s got it all out on the guest bed downstairs right now, and I’m about to ask him to try it on.” Julie was hurting to see this side of Roger. Ooo lah lah.

“Why’s he doing this?” Sahndra asked.

“I dunno……..All this recent Vietnam talk and shit, I guess. I told him I wanted to see his medals.” What Julie really wanted to see was her hands on that uniform, taking it off him.

“I’m on my way,” Sahndra said.

“You’re sure you don’t wanna ask a few more questions first?”

“You bitch.”

“Oh, and I got something else to show ya too.” Julie kissed her new diamond ring.

“Screw anything else. I just wanna see the Black Knight wearing his marines dress uniform.”

When Julie got off the phone, she went back downstairs to the guest room. Roger was standing next to several big boxes, reading something. He wore light-colored old jeans and a burnt orange button- down shirt. The shirttail was completely out, and the sleeves were rolled up over his wrists. He had on socks but no shoes. This image of him was enough for Julie.

She approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Will ya do something for me?” He was warm and clean-smelling. Julie held onto him and swooned.

He put down the papers he was reading. “Maybe……….What is it?” He was soft-spoken, as usual.

“See if the uniform still fits………Please, Roger?”

Julie was rubbing his chest now, and he turned around to look at her. “Why?”

“Because I wanna see you in it, honey. How sexy you must have looked in it all those years ago.”

Roger rolled his eyes. “And what do I get out of it if I do this thing?”

Julie figured she had him. “Whatever you want……..as many times as you want it.”

He smiled. “You’re on.”

And, oh, it was worth it, Julie thought. Anything she might have to do would be worth it to her as long as she could see Roger dressed up USMC style and looking as sharp and handsome as he did right then. He was simply stunning. Magnificent in his full glory. The uniform still fit him perfectly, and he wore it all too well. As if it were twenty years ago.

Sahndra buzzed from the parking lot, and Julie hurriedly let her in. “It’s better than we ever imagined,” she told Sahndra breathlessly as they raced downstairs like two giddy school girls.

Roger was at the mirror adjusting his stiff white hat. When Sahndra saw him, she gasped out loud. He turned around, and she caught that second gasp in her throat.

“C’mon, Julie. You called HER ass over here to gawk at me?” He pretended to be disgusted and wrinkled up his face.

“She was in the neighborhood, honey,” Julie said.

“Right.”

Sahndra hadn’t said a word. Speechless admiration.

“Whadaya think, biker girl? Or am I interrupting a little orgasm for ya there?”

“Roger…….you’re…….unbelievably gorgeous,” Sahndra told him, stunned. She couldn’t even manage a cute quip for him today.

“Yeah. Yeah…………Julie, get those medals on the bed and pin ‘em right here,” he commanded.

Julie’s hands shook as she took out his Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart and pinned them where he pointed on his chest. “Oh, honey, you look sensational.”

“Ya really do, Roger. Very nice,” Sahndra said.

“Whatever………Sahndra, if you’re gonna come all over the floor, could ya at least get a towel and wipe it up? I gotta live here, ya know.” Even in full dress, he was as much of a wiseass as ever.

“I don’t’ give a damn what ya say today, you prick. This is pretty. And for the record, I don’t need YOU to supply me with my orgasms,” Sahndra said.

“Don’t start talking to me about your orgasms, Harley woman…………I’m not interested………..Ya know Julie has to pay for this, don’tcha?” Roger winked at Julie.

“Ah, yeah, and I know she’ll hate every minute of that.”

As Julie walked Sahndra out later, she showed her the ring and told her the story of getting it. Sahndra hugged her with genuine happiness.

“I didn’t think the asshole had it in him.”

“He was perfect, Sahndra. Perfect.”

“So when’s the big day?” Sahndra asked.

“Not for a while. No rush. It scares me to even think about being his wife.”

“So are ya over the Earl Ray baby thing?”

Julie looked down. “Not completely. And Roger senses it. He asked me about it last night when we got home.”

“Go over and talk to Earl Ray, why don’tcha? Get it all out on the table.”

“That’s what Roger said.”

“Jules, if ya havta marry a prick, you’ve picked out a pretty damn smart one,” Sahndra said with a laugh.

“And a pretty one.” Julie looked up and laughed too.

“You got that right.”

* * *

Sahndra replayed Earl Ray’s telephone conversation in her head as she drove over to the shooting range. He’d called around ten o’clock and asked her to meet him there for lunch. He was being mysterious and wouldn’t answer any of her questions about where they’d be going or why they couldn’t meet at the store, etc. One of the oddest things he’d said had been, “And wear a dress, sweetie. I wanna see those pretty legs.”

So she wore a simple cotton dress and sandals when she walked into the range just after noon. Memories of fighting with Scottie here and then later being comforted by Earl Ray flashed through her head momentarily. But not for long. Then Bart told her that “The Bossman” was waiting for her down in the last booth on the right.

“In one of the booths?” she verified, a little more confused than before.

“Yes, ma’am. He’s shooting one of his rifles down there,” Bart said.

Sahndra had always found guns to have a sexual appeal for her. Listening to their noises now was loud but also stimulating. The range, she noticed, seemed less crowded today than usual. At least down on this end.

When she opened the door to the last booth, she saw two amazing things. Amazing to her, at least. Earl Ray, oblivious to her still because he hadn’t heard her yet, was expertly shooting his rifle in a stance she found wildly fascinating; and he was dressed from head to toe in army fatigues. Black boots, solid green pants, and an open lightweight camouflage jacket with the sleeves rolled up. As she stared at him lovingly, he turned around, and she saw, with astonishment, the long black head scarf draped around his neck.

He smiled at her. At her frozen in surprise. “Is this what ya wanted, baby? I did my best.”

Sahndra thought she had gawked at Roger. Now she was really gawking. The sexy combat soldier in that photograph she’d seen Saturday night had come to life and now stood before her. The dirty, haggard-looking, tough man of war was in this booth with her. Complete with his own clothes. And holding a rifle to boot.

She winced over the gunfire all around them. “Earl Ray, you……….You’re the guy in the picture………..the one I was drooling over……….You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Like you always say, honey, DUH.” He laughed, and Sahndra felt her proverbial insides melt and run down her proverbial legs. “I went over to the damn basement this morning and hunted for this shit ‘til I found it………Just for you.”

She licked her lips. The noise in the shooting range was enhancing her ever-increasing desire. “Complete with that adorable head scarf……..” She couldn’t remember what she had planned to say next.

“Oh, yeah. You liked THIS damn thing.” He looked down at it around his neck now and proceeded to grab it and tie it around his head. Just like the old days. Sahndra felt her knees weakening.

As soon as he had the scarf tied up in two knots and the remainder of it was hanging around his neck, he rushed over to Sahndra and pinned her up against the wall, startling her. He stared into her eyes.

“You had your fun……….Now I’m gonna have mine.” He was whispering in an almost stern voice. Forceful, but not menacing. She didn’t have the strength to fight him off even if she’d wanted to.

And she didn’t want to. He had laid the gun down on the counter and now stood in front of her with both his hands on the wall beside her, trapping her. His feet were spread apart. “I think…….I’ll do to you what I saw so many other soldiers do to helpless gook bitches………screw the hell outta ya.”

Sahndra stared back into his wide eyes and gasped again. Her body was trembling, not from fear. From anticipation. She could smell the faint musky scent from his clothes. She could not, however, answer him back. Her throat had closed up with lust. The sight of him wearing that black scarf was too much. Too sexy.

He moved his right hand from the wall to her breasts and roughly caressed them. Her nipples perked up instantly. “Ah, yes……….These feel nice…………getting me hard already.”

Sahndra worked up the nerve to reach over and rub his crotch. He was very much into the little charade too, already rigid. Sahndra couldn’t wait to get him out of the fatigues.

He pressed his body against hers now and whispered in her ear. “We’ll have to hurry………People will be along soon.”

After his rough massaging of her breasts, Earl Ray moved his hand down and lifted up her cotton dress. He immediately slid his fingers up her thigh and into her panties. Her knees actually buckled when he touched her. “Oh, baby……..You’re all swollen and juicy……..I think I ‘d like to ram something up in there……….Get over there and turn your ass around to me.”

He pushed her over to the counter with a rough jerk. She bent over, still aware of the constant gunfire. Earl pulled her panties down enough to get clear aim. Then she heard the sound of him unzipping his pants, those army pants. She took a deep breath and was letting it out when he grabbed her hips and shoved himself into her.

“Goddamn, I wanted that!” she heard him say. And then he did ram her from behind, thrusting in and out of her several minutes. She groaned and exploded with her own orgasm quickly. Just the mental image of Earl Ray dressed in his fatigues with the head band, the sounds of shooting guns all around her, and the scent of his clothes did it for her. Plus he was drilling her hard from behind.

“Can I see you, Earl Ray?” Sahndra asked him, realizing that he was close to his own explosion. The demolition specialist.

He pulled himself out of her and grabbed her arm to turn her around to face him. “Sit your ass up here………Hurry.” He patted the counter. As she did so, he got between her legs, pulled off her panties, and drove himself into her from the front. He gripped the counter on each side of her and thrust into her more. Feverishly and hurriedly. At this angle, he rubbed up against her “little button,” and she felt herself climaxing violently again.

“Oh, lord, baby………I’m gonna fill ya up……” He threw his head back and released his own lust inside her, saying, “Goddamnit!”

Then they slumped against each other, satiated. Sweating. Panting. “Damn, that was good,” he whispered.

“I love you, Earl Ray. That was incredible. You really surprised me this time.”

He backed up off her and looked into her face. “See? I can play games too. I ain’t gonna tie you up unless you know about it, and you’d better not do that to me again without warning me………..But this kinda thing is fun.”

Sahndra felt guilty again about the tying incident up. “I’m sorry about that, honey. Really.”

“I said not to worry about it. Now get dressed. I think this booth is reserved out at one.”

As they were quickly rearranging themselves, someone knocked on the door. Sahndra jumped as if caught. Dressed but still flushed, they opened the door and emerged to Lt. Ben Farlow. The perceptive and sometimes cynical Ben Farlow.

He took in the scene and sized it up with one glance. “So………getting in a little target practice, guys?” He directed his piercing eyes to Sahndra. “Hi, Sahndra. So nice to see you again. You look wonderful.” He walked over and hugged her fondly.

Sahndra felt Earl Ray tense up without even touching his body. “Aren’t you early, man?” A tiny trace of something dark in his voice. Jealousy? Hostility?

Ben just looked at him solemnly. “I guess I am……..Sorry ‘bout that. I forgot these booths get rented out by the hour……….for whatever purpose.” He smiled quickly.

Before Earl Ray could respond, Sahndra tucked her arm in his and started walking towards the front. “We’ll see ya, Ben. Happy shooting,” she said over her shoulder.

Back at the counter, Earl Ray turned his pursed-lips look to Sahndra. “Just how well do ya know that Farlow guy?”

Sahndra recognized jealousy. “I’ve just seen him around, Earl Ray. No big deal.”

He went behind the counter. Bart was elsewhere. “Seems like a smartass to me.”

Sahndra tried to change the subject. “C’mon, Earl Ray. Let’s go somewhere and eat lunch. After that little adventure back there, I’m starving………And besides, I have something to tell you………before you hear it from somebody else.”

“I wonder how good he shoots,” he said, still on Ben Farlow.

“Honey, please. My stomach’s growling.”

They drove to a restaurant outside town even though Earl Ray didn’t understand why they couldn’t eat at Renaissance. “Roger never comes out during the day,” he said. And Sahndra kept thinking about how bright and shining Roger had looked in his USMC dress clothes. But she said nothing.

When their food arrived, he looked across the booth and said, “So tell me. Why’d ya bring me way out here?”

“I have some news, Earl Ray…………About Julie……….I didn’t feel right giving it to you at her place.” Sahndra didn’t really want to do this. Earl Ray’s psyche had been so healthy since the trip. She didn’t want to damage anything.

“About Julie? She’s okay, ain’t she?” He was picking up his fork.

“She’s fine…….Better than usual.”

Earl Ray looked up from his plate. “What then? Why’re ya keeping me in suspense?”

“They got engaged over the weekend.” Sahndra braced herself for his reaction. She had no idea what it would be like.

Earl Ray looked at her blankly for a moment, blinking slowly, letting this news sink in. Then he put his fork beside his plate and looked down. He ran his hand through his blonde hair. “He gave her a ring?”

“Over two carats. He’s serious about it,” Sahndra said, in almost a whisper.

Earl Ray looked back up then and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly and said, “Well………I figured it was headed towards this………..I shouldn’t be shocked………….As long as it’s what Julie wants.”

“She’s thrilled………I hope you can be happy for her.”

He picked his fork back up, and Sahndra took that as a good sign. He could eat. He said, “For her, maybe……….Not for that bastard.”

“Earl Ray, I told her about what happened in Washington……….that you might want to be a father now.” She watched him for his reaction to this.

He swallowed his food too soon. “Really now?……..And how did THAT go? You’re full of news today.” He sounded sarcastic.

“I think you two should talk about it………and get everything out in the open……..It still bothers her.”

He continued to eat. He’d worked up an appetite. “Yeah………I need to explain things to her…….and see that fucking ring.” He looked up with his mouth full and smiled.

Sahndra smiled back at him. His rehabilitating psyche would survive this. He would be okay. And so now she felt like she could eat her lunch too.

* * *

The next day, Julie knew she’d never be able to do this, have this stressful, airing-out conversation with her ex-husband, without Roger’s support. And since he’d not only supported her but had actually suggested it, she felt stronger and more in control. More capable of going through with it. Roger gave her confidence. And he’d be waiting for her when it was over.

Sahndra was walking out the front door as Julie walked up to it. “He’s waiting for you,” she told Julie. “And where is that prick of yours?”

Julie laughed to let some tension out. “He’s down at his bar. Knock yourself out.”

“He knows you’re here, right?”

“He practically insisted. He said I needed peace of mind on this thing, that I’d feel much better afterwards,” Julie said.

“I hate to admit this, but he’s right.” Sahndra smiled at her.

“He’s right most of the time. It’s just that no one notices………….Don’t be too hard on him at the Snake Pit, Sahndra.”

Sahndra rolled her eyes, just like Roger. Or Scottie. “Oh, puhlease…..That bad ass can take care of himself.”

Earl Ray was standing just inside the front door waiting for Julie to enter the house. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey, Earl Ray. Howya doing?”

“Great. C’mon in and sit down.” He ushered her into the living room.

Julie couldn’t help but remember the many times he and she had been guests of the LaMonts in this very living room. And then they’d returned home to their own house together. Gone are those days, she heard in her mind. Things were vastly different now.

She sat down in one of the chairs by the big window, and he sat in the other one, near her. The air was heavy with anxiety.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked her.

She saw that he had a beer. “Maybe one of those would be nice.”

He brought it from the kitchen, and Julie watched him. He wore a dark red v-neck sweater over a button-up white T-shirt and torn jeans. No socks or shoes. His hair was a little disheveled, but he looked fantastic. Healthy. Happy. He handed her the beer and smiled.

“Thanks,” she said as he sat back down. “You look super, Earl Ray. Sahndra’s doing something right.”

He dropped his eyes and blushed. “I don’t guess I could do without her now.”

“Well……..I’m glad you two got all that stuff from your past straightened out in Washington. I know it must have been hard on you.” Why not just dive right in? she thought. She drank a huge swallow of the cold beer.

He looked back up instantly. He hadn’t expected her to dive right in. “Me too and all……….but I’m sorry for you, Julie………..sorry we never had that kinda………..breakthrough.” He looked very sad now.

Julie certainly didn’t want to cry. “I’m sorry too, Earl Ray……..I guess we just programmed ourselves that we would never……….have a baby………Right?”

He swallowed some air. “I hated that kid from Vietnam all these years, Julie……….and I shoulda told ya………I shoulda given you some kinda explanation………..I wasn’t fair to you.”

Tears sprang up in her eyes unwillingly. “Let’s not get into fair and not fair. It’s over. I just wanted to get it out in front of us………so we can both move on………..We always talked things out, you and me.”

“I’m sorry, Julie. I really am…………..I was a monster to ya that one time…….”

“Don’t, Earl Ray……….I don’t wanna rehash the past………….I’ve gone over it a million times in my mind, and I don’t need to do it again……….But I woulda loved to have a baby for you if you’d wanted one………I mean……”

Earl Ray had bent his head into his hands. “God, Julie…….Life’s such a bitch.”

“No, it’s not, honey. It just didn’t work out for us. That’s all………It’s working out for you now…….with Sahndra.”

He looked at her with red eyes. They matched his sweater. “You can forgive me? For never going into it all with you? For denying you a child?”

“Of course, Earl Ray. You’ve forgiven me for what I did to you……..Right? And you didn’t deny me……..We agreed mutually to not have children.”

“What if I have one now………with Sahndra?”

Julie laughed, at nothing funny. “I’ll be so happy for you. Both of you. Honestly.” She meant what she was saying, but she still felt saddened by it.

He sat back in the chair now and folded his hands across his stomach. “I hear you got a fat rock over the weekend.” They had gotten the bad part out. They had moved on.

“Yeah…….Check it out.” She held out her hand for him to see.

He held her hand and stared at the beautiful diamond for a second or two. “Very nice indeed. I won’t deny the man’s got taste………..I mean…….Look at what he’s marrying……….” Then he kissed the back of her hand. “I’m glad things are going well for you too, sweetheart,” he said as he looked up from the kiss.

“Thanks, Earl Ray. I’m glad we had this little chat.”

“Me too.”

They sat there by the window and had another beer together before she said she had to go. “I gotta rescue Roger from Sahndra………Or vice versa. You should hear those two go at it.”

Earl Ray hugged her then. During the embrace, he said, “I still mean it………I’ll kill him if he hurts you………No matter where I am or what I’m doing……..Remember that.”

“I know………and I appreciate it………..But he’s really good to me…….I wouldn’t marry him if he was really like most people think he is.”

“Take care of yourself, Julie.”

“I’d tell you to do the same, Earl Ray, but I know Sahndra takes very good care of you.”

He blushed again as they walked to the front door.

* * *

“So what’d you say, Roger? I know ya had to beg her. She’s not a sucker. Didya get down on your knees or what?”

Sahndra was unmerciful to Roger. And she was enjoying every minute of it. They sat at the bar in the Snake Pit. He had his arms folded on the bar and was looking down at his drink with a slight smile on his face at what she was saying to him.

“Don’t give it a lotta thought, biker bitch. It’s none of your damn business,” he said softly.

“Oh, it’s ‘biker BITCH’ now, huh? Well, we’ll just see ‘bout that! Hey, Jake! Did you know Mr. Tough Guy here is gonna get hitched? That’s right! He’s been whipped! Can’tcha just hear the cracking sound of that whip now?”

Jake, the bartender, walked over. “Is that right, man? Didya finally ask her?”

“Ask her? He had to BEG her for hours!” Sahndra was having fun.

Roger looked over at her now. He still had the slight smile on his face. “Shut the hell up. They don’t know yet. I was gonna tell them later, if ya don’t mind.”

“Too late,” Sahndra said. “You shouldn’t be such a prick all the time.”

“Ya know, Sahndra, I’m guessing your problem is that you need a good fucking to shut that bitchy mouth of yours up. What’s Earl Ray’s problem? Can’t get it up for ya?”

Sahndra laughed. “All right, asshole. I’ll call a truce and cut you some slack.” She’d been at him for an hour. This was too much fun.

She’d been enjoying every minute of looking at him too. He wore an all-black dressy outfit with his shirt buttoned up to his kissable neck. He’d just had his mostly blonde locks cut very short, and he smelled incredibly edible. He was waiting for Julie to join him for dinner. Julie, who now wore his ring.

“And besides, Roger, don’t do me any favors by concerning yourself with my orgasms. I’m sure they don’t interest you.”

“Actually……..the whole idea makes me sick,” Roger said.

“Shut the fuck up, you dickhead.”

“And there’s the lovely bride-to-be in person! Congratulations, Jules! Oh, and to you too, Boss.” Jake had been looking past them.

Julie walked up to them, and Sahndra was happy to see that she hadn’t been crying. Her discussion with Earl Ray hadn’t gone down that road. Julie was smiling. She hugged and kissed Roger.

“Thanks, Jake. I hate to be away from him for very long now,” Julie said. She was in good spirits for sure. And she was still all over Roger.

“Gross. I hate this lovey-dovey bullshit. I’m going home to a real man,” Sahndra said. She winked at Julie.

“Good damn riddance,” Roger said.

“Go to hell, Roger,” Sahndra said with the parting shot.

She did go home to her real man who was waiting for her in his red sweater and bare feet. And he was the best thing she’d seen all damn day.