Chapter 3
Jamie finally reached the base. He went to his small room and decided he was too tired to look over his presentation materials. He opened the box the next day and was shocked to see materials on empowering women. He rifled through the box to see if his materials could be mixed in. They weren’t there. That stupid attendant must have mixed up his order. This must be Antonia’s order. Oh my god, what was he going to do? The print shop closed early on Friday. Maybe he could catch them before they left for the day. He called, and a recording came on. He left a message on the recording, and it wasn’t pretty. After he hung up the phone, he remembered Antonia. Stix, as she called herself, had given him her card. He called her immediately.
Stix heard her phone ring, and she checked the caller ID. It was from the US Marines. Could this be her handsome marine calling? She answered, and she could hear in his voice that he was frantic. Stix said calmly, “I’m already on it. I will bring your presentation materials to you. Where do you want to meet?”
Jamie gave her the directions to the base. “I’ll meet you at the entrance,” he said.
Stix had gotten her staff to edit and reproduce his materials. She also had copies of the new version of the manual for him. Now all she had to do was to get ready. Yesterday, Jamie had seen her in her jeans. Today she planned to show him what she really looked like. She wore a white sheath dress with a plunging neckline. That dress always got a positive reaction from men. It hugged her every curve.
Stix had a tiny nineteen-inch waist, but her bust and her hips were a thirty-six. She decided to wear blue contacts. Stix had large gray eyes. She had taken her eyes after her mother. Stix looked a lot like her mother. Her mother was petite also. Her mother was darker, and her hair was short and wavy. Stix had a beautiful complexion. It was a dark caramel color and flawless.
When Stix put the blue contacts in, it gave her an exotic look. She wore her wavy black hair long.
It hung to her waist. She had taken her hair from her Italian father. Stix was a beautiful woman.
She decided to wear her stilettos. That would make her appear taller. She looked in the mirror. Perfect! She was ready.
Chapter 4
When Stix stepped out of the car, Jamie’s eyes got bigger. Wow, he thought she certainly did clean up well. That dress accentuated all her curves. She had a very nice chest on her. Jamie was a “tits” man. He loved a woman with a good set of tits on her. Jamie thought he might have to think about this a little more. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know her. She still wasn’t his type, but for a moment, he certainly considered trying it out.
“Hello!” Stix said. “Is there somewhere we could talk?”
Jamie was a little stunned. He really just wanted to get his packets and leave. But since she came all the way down to the base to bring his materials to him, he said, “There is a little coffee shop about a block over. We can go there.”
All eyes were on them when they entered the coffee shop. Jamie came to the coffee shop quite often. The employees there had never seen him with a black girl before. And what a girl! She was beautiful. They made a cute couple—the tall handsome officer and the pretty petite woman. They sat at a table and ordered their coffees. Stix began by saying that all his packets were in the box but that she was interested in his topic and had reviewed one. “You know, I speak for a living, and I would like to make a few suggestions, if you don’t mind.” Jamie said he was okay with that. So Stix proceeded carefully. Stix knew that even though this was a big strong marine, his ego was probably fragile.
“I noticed that you had a few grammatical errors, so I had my staff correct them for you. I hope that was okay,” Stix said.
“Sure,” replied Jamie. Jamie was really thankful that Stix had done that for him. His superiors were very critical of everything that he did, and he was glad Stix had caught the mistakes instead of them.
“There is something else,” said Stix. “Did you know that there was a new version of the weapon’s manual? The one that you are using is outdated.” Stix pulled out the new one to show to Jamie.
“I’ve never seen this before,” he said. And then he wondered if his superior officers knew this and if they were setting him up for failure. Stix pointed out the major changes in the new version. Jamie was amazed at her knowledge of the manual. He was also horrified. What was he to do now?
Stix read Jamie’s thoughts and saw her chance to get closer to him. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ve got your back.” She pulled out the packet that she had revised to go with the new version of the manual. “I’ve redone the packet for you. I will go over it with you. If you need me, I will assist you during your presentation. I can cover the new parts of it.”
Before Jamie could even think about it, he said, “Why would you do that for me? We just met.”
Stix had always been a quick thinker. “You are putting your life on the line for our country. That’s the least I can do for you.”
With that reply, Jamie flashed a smile that lit up the room. That remark made him feel so good. He didn’t get many comments from people showing their appreciation for what he was doing.
And Stix gave him a big smile and said, “And besides, we presenters have to stick together!” That comment made Jamie laugh. Jamie really liked this girl.
Chapter 5
Stix showed up at the base the next day prepared to assist Jamie with his presentation. She had worn her most conservative suit and looked very professional. Her hair was in a bun, and she had on very sensible shoes. Jamie greeted her at the entrance of the base. He appeared to be very nervous. He had a lot riding on this presentation. He wasn’t sure about what they would say about his having a civilian assistant—and a woman at that.
Jamie really wasn’t a good speaker. He had been preparing for this presentation for weeks. This new version of the manual had really thrown him off. He really suspected that his superior officers knew about the new version and just wanted to derail his presentation. The bottom line was his men needed to be prepared properly, and he was glad that Stix was there to assist him.
Jamie began his presentation, and although he seemed very nervous, Stix was the ultimate presenter and gave him the support he needed to settle his nerves. She had even prepared extra handouts, which fit into the presentation effectively. The handouts looked like they had been printed by a publishing house. Jamie was impressed, and he knew that his men were too.
When it was over, his superior officers had no choice but to praise his presentation. It was excellent. The only one that had some criticism was his immediate superior officer, Captain Tommy Rivers. He had been the most critical of Jamie since he had been there. He was a prejudiced son of a bitch. Jamie braced himself. “I don’t see why it was necessary to bring in a civilian to help with a military presentation,” Captain Rivers snarled.
Before Jamie could say anything, Stix stepped in. “If you will turn to the front of the manual on page 1-B, you will see under acknowledgments, F. A. Grimaldi.”
“That is me, Francessca Antonia Grimaldi. I was part of the team that put the manual together. I was asked personally to assist by General Jack Robertson. I probably know more about this manual than you do,” Stix said. With that, the men broke out into laughter. Captain Rivers still wasn’t convinced. He shot off a few questions. Stix was so skilled at answering his questions that Captain Rivers gave up and shut his mouth. The men, including the officers, gave Stix a standing