The morning cross-country flight to Mather Air Force Base was busy with holding, course intercepts, and more instrument approaches. Casey was getting the hang of quick flight planning and was doing better at mentally keeping up with the plane. She was pleased with her flying and was looking forward to going out on the town in Las Vegas with her classmates and IPs. She was especially looking forward to spending time again with Kathryn in a more casual setting. After landing at Nellis, they walked into base operations and Casey saw a young blond woman officer wearing fatigues who was obviously waiting for them.
“Welcome to Nellis. I’m Captain Jill Eller, and I’m the deputy airfield officer. You can leave your flight gear in my office, and I have room keys for you at the Circus Circus hotel since the quarters on base are full.”
She handed out their room keys, and she gave Captain Hardesty a big smile when she reached her. Casey disliked her instantly.
“There’s a bus outside waiting to take you to the hotel. The bus will be back to pick you up at 0900 hours tomorrow morning. Have fun tonight in Las Vegas, and don’t get arrested.”
The guys were very excited as they filed out to the bus, and Casey noticed Captain Hardesty wasn’t with them.
“Hey, Hard-Ass, you coming? We’ve got some slot machines waiting for us!” Captain Stavros said.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later at the hotel. Captain Eller and I are going to get caught up over dinner. Have fun.”
As the bus started to leave, Casey saw Captain Eller wrap her arms around Captain Hardesty’s neck in a very big hug.
*****
The guys were in high spirits. They were conspicuous in their fight suits, and the smoke and noise from the bustling casino practically assaulted them.
“All right, troops, change into your street clothes and meet back up in the main bar in fifteen minutes,” Captain Stavros said.
Casey entered her room and threw her bag across the room. “Crap. Who is that blond bitch and what’s she doing with Captain Hardesty?” Casey wanted to go out with Kathryn and the guys and have a good time, but now she was the only woman in the group—once again. “The hell with her and that blonde. I’m going to have a good time anyway.” She quickly changed into her jeans and polo shirt and went down to the hotel bar.
Keller and Montgomery were flirting with two buxom blondes who looked like hookers, and Captain Stavros was ordering drinks. They decided to eat at the hotel buffet, then they were going to a “great show bar” that Captain Stavros knew about.
“Captain Stavros, shouldn’t we wait for Captain Hardesty? She said she would meet up with us at the hotel,” Casey asked.
“She called me a few minutes ago. She’s having dinner with Captain Eller and her husband. I guess they were stationed together at Fairchild. She said she’d meet us in the morning.” Casey tried to hide her disappointment, but she was very glad to hear that the blonde was married.
After stuffing themselves at the buffet, they went by cab to Captain Stavros’s favorite place, which turned out to be a strip bar. Casey really didn’t care to go in, but she couldn’t back out without looking like a wimp. She was trying to fit in with the guys, so she decided to keep her mouth shut, put her feminist self temporarily in the closet, and go along with them. The strip bar was reasonably nice inside. This was supposed to be an upscale gentlemen’s club. She would need several drinks to get through this experience.
They sat at a table, thankfully, not too close to the stage. Casey chugged her first two drinks to relax and decided to view the whole evening as an anthropology experiment.
She observed the men who came in and the women who worked here. Most of the men looked like college guys or businessmen, not slobbering old perverts. The women serving drinks were young, cute, and trim, and they all had big breasts. They were smiling at the men and collecting big tips. Once the show started, Casey was surprised at how beautiful the performers were. These women appeared to be having a great time putting on a show for the cheering men. One woman came onstage, and Casey couldn’t take her eyes off her. She was a talented dancer who’d obviously received professional training. She didn’t have huge breasts but had the body of a swimmer or a gymnast. Maybe it was the numerous drinks she’d had, but Casey was sure the dancer was looking at her as she moved on the stage. Her eyes sparked with intelligence and seduction. She was playing with these men, using them instead of letting them use her. Her smile was dazzling and her eyes were green—almost the color of Kathryn’s. Casey felt a tingling in her stomach at the sight of the dancer and realized she’d had way too much to drink. She was aroused, self-conscious, and tipsy. She needed to leave. As she rose to go, Captain Stavros touched her arm. “Where are you going, Casey?”
“I’m really tired, sir. I’m going back to the hotel.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, thanks, I’ll be fine. You guys stay and have a good time. See you tomorrow.”
Outside, the night air was warm, and she was glad to get out of that smoky, noisy strip club. Why do those gorgeous women do this? Is it just the money or is it something else?
Pondering the whole experience, Casey was glad Kathryn wasn’t here. Watching naked women dance and sitting next to her would have been way too much to handle. Maybe she was still up and Casey could talk to her about this. That’s exactly what she wanted to do—discuss this with Captain Hardesty and try to figure out how to fit in with these men, her fellow pilots. She needed to see her.
Back at the hotel, Casey found her way to her room. She’d seen Kathryn’s room key and knew her room was right next to Casey’s. She felt an urgency to talk to her, to see her, and she checked the time. It was eleven fifteen. That’s not too late. I’ll just go listen outside her door, and if she’s still up, I’ll knock on her door.
She staggered a little as she quietly walked over to Kathryn’s door and checked the hall to make sure no one was watching. She leaned her ear against the door and was surprised to hear two different voices and the sound of laughter. What the hell? Is someone with her? In Casey’s drunken state she was both confused and irritated. Is she still with the blonde from base ops? I thought she was married? Casey was just about to raise her fist to knock on the door when the sound seemed to change. She heard murmuring and something else. This was driving her crazy. She had to know what was going on in there. Her thinking was fuzzy, but she came up with a plan that seemed reasonable.
She went back to her room and stepped out on the small balcony. Maybe she could hear more clearly what they were talking about. She couldn’t hear any better because Kathryn’s sliding glass door was closed, but she could see dim light inside and some kind of motion in the room through the gauzy drapes. I could just climb over my balcony railing to her balcony and steal a little peek into her room. It seemed perfectly logical.
After looking down the twelve floors to the glittering lights of the Vegas strip below, Casey pretended she was a stealthy cat and carefully climbed up on top of her balcony railing. She quietly stretched her foot the four feet over to Kathryn’s railing. Delicately balancing on the railing, she slowly lowered herself to Kathryn’s balcony, being careful to stay in the shadows. She bent down low and crept over to an opening in the drapes. Her heart was pounding with fear, but she had to see—she had to know.
She peeked through a small slit in the drapes into the dimly lit room and squinted to make out the dark images. She threw her hand over her mouth to cover her gasp and almost fell over backward at the sight. Kathryn’s compact form was unmistakable, and the movement was as clear as a slap in the face. The blonde was on all fours kneeling on the bed, and Kathryn was behind her. Casey wanted to run, but she was frozen by the sight in front of her. She was mesmerized as she watched Kathryn’s arm move like a powerful piston as she pounded the blonde from behind. The blonde had her head thrown back in ecstasy with her legs wide apart as her moaning got louder and louder. Kathryn reached forward with her left hand to grip the blonde’s shoulder as she increased her pace and slammed her own hips into the woman’s behind. Oh my God, I have to get out of here now.