between them that worked to make them fit well together. Whereas Kristen was quiet and reserved, Patricia was outgoing and talked constantly. Her call sign, Kristen soon learned, was quite appropriate.
“Aren’t you gonna introduce us, Gabby?” one of Patricia’s squadron mates asked using Patricia’s call sign and offering Kristen an appreciative smile.
“Forget it, Snapper,” Patricia replied. “I’d sooner introduce her to Jack the Ripper,” she added like a big sister protecting Kristen from a pack of college frat boys. Patricia then leaned close to Kristen and—always more than willing to give unwanted dating advice—explained, “You can forget pilots honey, they’re all the same. Big clocks but little cocks.”
“Trish!” Kristen nearly choked on a mouthful of water. Then, when Patricia motioned toward the assembled pilots around the table, Kristen saw that they were all wearing huge wristwatches, and she started laughing again.
“I told you,” Trish giggled as she drank her wine, never one to worry about drinking too much.
Kristen was thankful more than she could have expressed for the fortuitous interruption. Patricia was able to take her attention completely away from her recent revelation about Brodie. They caught up throughout the meal, with Patricia hoarding Kristen all to herself despite several attempts by other pilots to get Kristen’s attention.
Following the dessert course, a small quartet started to play music in one corner of a large dance floor. The pilots at her table, realizing there would be no action with Kristen as long as Trish was around, moved off, leaving the two old friends to catch up. And once alone, Trish did her best to pry out of Kristen everything she’d gone through since arriving on the Seawolf. Kristen had to be necessarily vague, but the information Patricia was truly interested in had nothing to do with military secrets. “So, tell me the truth, sweetie,” Patricia asked conspiratorially. “What’s it like being the only woman on a submarine with a bunch of horny-ass men?”
“It’s not like that,” Kristen replied with a shake of her head as she sipped her water. “They’re all very professional.”
“Sure,” Patricia rolled her eyes skeptically. “You just keep telling yourself that dear while they’re all thinking about humping your brains out.”
“Trish!” Kristen chided her friend, giggling at the same time. “Keep it down.” Kristen glanced back to her original table where most of her fellow Seawolf officers were still seated and hoped none could overhear her conversation.
Patricia leaned forward and studied the men at the table, giving each an appraising eye. “Is that them?”
“Most of them,” she admitted happily, liking pretty much everyone on the boat, even Ski whose obnoxious attitude had defrosted some since Korea.
Patricia screwed up her nose distastefully. “They look like a bunch of stiffs,” she said bluntly and leaned back in her seat, striking a dismissive pose. “Probably great with a slide rule but they’d have no idea where to stick it.”
“Trish!” She elbowed her friend easily. “They’re my friends.” Kristen was trying not to laugh out loud and hurting her side in the effort to stop.
“Well, the guy on the far right isn’t too bad,” Patricia said referring to Terry.
Kristen leaned closer and confided to her, “You would like him. You two have a lot in common.”
“You mean he’s a slut?” Patricia asked, her eyes now sparkling.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way,” Kristen chuckled and saw Jason Graves standing with two other commanders and motioned toward him. “Over there is our XO.”
Patricia looked at the three men about thirty feet away. “Which one?” she asked. “The fat one or the one with the sausage for a nose?”
Kristen felt like she might split her side open as she continued giggling with her friend. “No,” she corrected, “the tall one in the
“Aren’t you gonna introduce us, Gabby?” one of Patricia’s squadron mates asked using Patricia’s call sign and offering Kristen an appreciative smile.
“Forget it, Snapper,” Patricia replied. “I’d sooner introduce her to Jack the Ripper,” she added like a big sister protecting Kristen from a pack of college frat boys. Patricia then leaned close to Kristen and—always more than willing to give unwanted dating advice—explained, “You can forget pilots honey, they’re all the same. Big clocks but little cocks.”
“Trish!” Kristen nearly choked on a mouthful of water. Then, when Patricia motioned toward the assembled pilots around the table, Kristen saw that they were all wearing huge wristwatches, and she started laughing again.
“I told you,” Trish giggled as she drank her wine, never one to worry about drinking too much.
Kristen was thankful more than she could have expressed for the fortuitous interruption. Patricia was able to take her attention completely away from her recent revelation about Brodie. They caught up throughout the meal, with Patricia hoarding Kristen all to herself despite several attempts by other pilots to get Kristen’s attention.
Following the dessert course, a small quartet started to play music in one corner of a large dance floor. The pilots at her table, realizing there would be no action with Kristen as long as Trish was around, moved off, leaving the two old friends to catch up. And once alone, Trish did her best to pry out of Kristen everything she’d gone through since arriving on the Seawolf. Kristen had to be necessarily vague, but the information Patricia was truly interested in had nothing to do with military secrets. “So, tell me the truth, sweetie,” Patricia asked conspiratorially. “What’s it like being the only woman on a submarine with a bunch of horny-ass men?”
“It’s not like that,” Kristen replied with a shake of her head as she sipped her water. “They’re all very professional.”
“Sure,” Patricia rolled her eyes skeptically. “You just keep telling yourself that dear while they’re all thinking about humping your brains out.”
“Trish!” Kristen chided her friend, giggling at the same time. “Keep it down.” Kristen glanced back to her original table where most of her fellow Seawolf officers were still seated and hoped none could overhear her conversation.
Patricia leaned forward and studied the men at the table, giving each an appraising eye. “Is that them?”
“Most of them,” she admitted happily, liking pretty much everyone on the boat, even Ski whose obnoxious attitude had defrosted some since Korea.
Patricia screwed up her nose distastefully. “They look like a bunch of stiffs,” she said bluntly and leaned back in her seat, striking a dismissive pose. “Probably great with a slide rule but they’d have no idea where to stick it.”
“Trish!” She elbowed her friend easily. “They’re my friends.” Kristen was trying not to laugh out loud and hurting her side in the effort to stop.
“Well, the guy on the far right isn’t too bad,” Patricia said referring to Terry.
Kristen leaned closer and confided to her, “You would like him. You two have a lot in common.”
“You mean he’s a slut?” Patricia asked, her eyes now sparkling.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way,” Kristen chuckled and saw Jason Graves standing with two other commanders and motioned toward him. “Over there is our XO.”
Patricia looked at the three men about thirty feet away. “Which one?” she asked. “The fat one or the one with the sausage for a nose?”
Kristen felt like she might split her side open as she continued giggling with her friend. “No,” she corrected, “the tall one in the
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