Beached.

Beachin' Good Time

Jake and Rooster gulped their shots, howled into the night sky, and then bolted into the darkness, shedding clothing as they ran.

Everyone cheered when we heard them hit the water. They swam for a few minutes and waded back. Phoenix and I sat in the sand and clinked our beer bottles in victory. "I knew you'd run the table with me."

"Bagman, didn't know what hit him," she responded.

"Stunned to silence," I added.

She scoffed. "That was a first." We laughed.

The dutiful sidekick he was, Coyote took Jake and Rooster their clothes. Surprisingly, both opted to cover their genitals with their hands as they walked back. I was mostly impressed with Jake as a dick swinging contest seemed right up his alley.

Jake plopped down beside me in the sand. He used his shirt to dry his chest and hair. Once he was done, he eyed me. "You think you're cute pool-sharking me."

I handed him a beer. "Cute? I think I'm calculated, and I think you enjoy the challenge." I clinked my beer to his and took a swig. He watched me with a grin and finally drank.

Eight of us—me, Jake, Phoenix, Rooster, Coyote, Payback, Fanboy and Bob—sat on the beach for a couple more rounds. One by one, they each called it a night. Phoenix and Rooster were the last two, aside from Jake and me. They decided to leave at the same time.

Phoenix and Rooster were awful at hiding whatever they had going on. Luckily, I don't think anyone beside me and Bob picked up on their friends-with-benefits situation. Although, I had a suspicion they had feelings for one another that their current occupation kept them from revealing. I'm sure I could persuade Phoenix to delve into detail the next time we hang out.

"Should we have one more round?" Jake snapped me back to reality.

"Let's do it," I responded. Jake put his shirt on, hopped up and offered me his hand. I accepted. Again, he used enough force to send me stumbling into his chest. We locked eyes. "Is this how you charm all the ladies?"

His smile lit up. "You think I'm a one-trick pony?"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "One-trick pony with many riders."

He contorted his face into a fake pained expression and held a hand over his heart. "You know right where to hit a man."

I straightened his shirt collar and rested my palms on his pectorals. Then, I wrapped a hand around his neck and put my lips near his ear. "I think you like it," I whispered, making sure my lips grazed his lobe. I pulled away and headed for the bar. I knew he hadn't moved. I got to the doorway and looked back. "Are you coming? If not, I'll have to find another lucky guy to buy me a beer." Jake quickened his pace to reach my side.

We locked eyes again. He slipped his hand around my waist and guided me to a spot at the bar with two open seats.

"Jake Seresin, as I live and breathe." A brunette woman came over with a pair of Budweisers.

"Bud heavy ok for you?" she asked me.

"Perfect!" I accepted the bottle.

"Who is this? She's a breath of fresh air." She was talking about me but directed the question to Jake.

Jake took a drink of his beer. "Penny, this is Kyle. I ran into her on the beach this morning, and she has shown me up ever since."

"And you're still talking to her?!" Penny put on a shocked expression. "You must be special. I saw you run on the pool table." She winked at me. "Although, I'm more impressed that Jake upheld his end of the bet."

Jake gave a surprised look. "Say what you will, but I always keep my word." He was playful but there was also a sense of pride and seriousness to his response.

"Very true. You're cocky but honorable," Penny added. They exchanged smiles.

"Kyle, this is Penny, by the way. She's my favorite bartender and owner."

Penny gave him an 'oh, shucks' wave. "I'm the only bartender who can handle his enormous ego," she added. Jake smiled and leaned back in his chair.

She looked at me. "Good luck!"

"I'm open to any and all tips." I sipped my beer. She leaned across the bar and loudly whispered. "His bark is worse than his bite." She winked and walked away.

I looked over at Jake. He was staring at me. More specifically, my lips. I smiled and pressed the beer bottle to them. He looked back up to my eyes.

"Thanks for the beer." I took a sip. "And today. I had a lot of fun."

He took a drink of his beer and set it back on the counter. "Me too, MVP. Me too."

I turned so my body was facing him. "How'd you get your callsign?" He grinned and leaned back again.

"I am the best pilot to graduate TOPGUN in a few years," he began.

"I had no idea!" I teased, acting surprised.

"Many of my fellow fighter pilots don't think I can play well with others. In fact, many feel as though I've hung a lot of other pilots out to dry."

I nodded. "It's too bad callsigns stick with you for your entire career. From what I saw today, I'd say you should get a rebrand."

He looked at me with a raised brow. "You know more than you let on." He was referring to my nugget of knowledge.

I shrugged. "I just spent an entire day with a hoard of naval fighter pilots. I hope I would pick up a few things." I laughed.

He thought about it. "Touché."

"Your honorary callsign is fun because you earned it for excelling. The only other person I know with such an honor is Maverick."

"The man from earlier today?" I asked.

"Yes, he's our instructor, but also, arguably, the best pilot to ever graduate TOPGUN."

"Sounds like you should take notes."

He shrugged. "He's been stuck at Captain for decades. He's here to train us instead of flying the mission, but I'm sure I could learn a thing or two."

"Hmmm, sounds like someone else's callsign also haunts them." I acknowledged the definition of that term "maverick." "However, someone will always be better than you. Learn everything you can from everyone you can," I said.

We got so lost in conversation, we didn't notice we were the last two in the bar. Finally, Penny came to shut us down. "You can continue to drink, but you can't do it here." She smiled and took our empty bottles. We bid her farewell and headed to the parking lot.

Jake walked me to my vehicle. I leaned my back against the door and looked at him. He was inches away from me. "Thanks for today. It was great meeting everyone."

"I think they feel the same," he replied, leaning closer.

I ran my hand down the buttons on the front of his shirt. "How do you feel?"

He leaned even closer. "I'll see you again." I tilted my head up while he tilted his to the side and continued his descent.

"Because you're taking me on a date?" I asked. Our lips were centimeters apart.

"Because this can't be our only kiss." Our lips met. It started soft but quickly escalated. He gently pinned me against the car door with his body and slid one hand into the hair at the nape of my neck.

I knew if we kept going, he'd end up in my bed, so I broke the kiss. He smirked as he slowly backed away. Once there was enough room, I unlocked my car and got in. He put his arm on the door to hold it open and leaned in. "See you tomorrow at 7:30." He closed the door.

I rolled down the window. "Sounds like a date, Lieutenant."