James the Sergeant Read online

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 Anna Joung – All rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  James The Sergeant

  Mister Right Book 3

  Anna Joung

  Table Of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About The Author

  Also By Anna Joung

  Chapter 1

  James

  “I’m telling you, man, these girls? They are gorgeous,” Jeremy said as he plopped down on his seat and fastened his seatbelt. I was already seated and firmly secured to my seat by the window, an old habit I developed in the Air Force. You never know when the plane was going to have to fly your ass out or into the warzone with the hangar wide open and ready to send you flying 50,000 ft to the ground, so you better make sure you strapped yourself in.

  I looked at him dubiously, unwilling to take his words in face value. Jeremy and I have been very good friends since before we entered the Air Force together, but it’s exactly the reason why I didn’t take his word for it when it comes to women. He was a player, sure, but while other players have a certain taste when it came to women, Jeremy did not. He didn’t differentiate as long as he can bed them. So, when he says that all three of the women we were meeting up with in Bali were ‘gorgeous’? I’d have to see it to believe it.

  “Who are these women again? Have we met them before?” I asked him.

  “Uh, I’ve met Julia and Sarah before back in Dwayne’s baby shower, but the third girl I’ve only met in passing back in Emily’s office,” Jeremy answered.

  “So, you’re not exactly sure what she looks like,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Dude, I’ve seen enough of her to judge that she’s a real looker,” he replied. I shrugged and said nothing, still not taking his word for it.

  To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking about going on a trip. I was just going to stay in my apartment, watch some football, lay on the couch, and have a few beers. I had already gone a week of just doing this when Jeremy came to my place and told me he won a 2-week stay in Bali and he wanted to take me plus three girls with him. I asked him why he didn’t just take another girl with him, and he said he might need a wingman.

  He also brought up the fact that it’s been a while since I broke up with my ex-girlfriend or even had a woman to warm my bed, and thought that it was about time I got back on the horse. I appreciated the gesture and figured he had a point, so I packed my bags and now I was on a plane, wondering if a change of pace really will work out for me.

  My ex-girlfriend and I didn’t end our relationship in a good way. To her credit, Alice tried. 2 years was the longest relationship I had ever had with a woman. It was a miserable relationship, though. I tried to come home whenever I could so that she wouldn’t feel like I was neglecting her, and that was the last thing I would ever want to do to my girlfriend. I thought she understood or saw that I was making an effort. But the one time I decided to surprise her that I was coming home, I was the one who ended up getting surprised. I walked into our room with a smile on my face, which instantly got replaced into a rage when I saw another man’s naked ass wiggling in the air while he pounded himself in between Alice’s quivering open legs. She tried to turn the situation around, too, saying that she was mad I was always away, but I lost it. I mean, I was the one who wasn’t home all the time, but I managed to keep in my pants. Why can’t she keep her legs closed while I’m gone?

  There was literally nothing she could say to get me to forgive her for that, so I did what any person would’ve done; I told her to pack her bags and get out, no excuses.

  It wasn’t just her, really. Most of the women I’ve dated were just intrigued by the idea of dating a man working in the military. After the initial few weeks of bliss that I’m right by their side during breaks from tours, the crack in the relationship starts to appear as soon as I step on a plane to go back to the war zone. Basically, the whole thing falls apart because I couldn’t stay long enough for their liking, and more often than not, I couldn’t rely on them to wait. I’d be written out of the relationship before I could even see them again. It was because of these things that I decided not to pursue a relationship with anyone anymore. It was just an emotional hassle that I didn’t need to deal with and not much payoff for bothering with it. Not a lot of women would have the patience to date and wait for a military man, anyway.

  “I promise you, man. You are going to enjoy yourself on this trip. Trust me,” Jeremy insisted once more.

  “So, are the girls sitting in a different area or something?” I asked, pulling the safety packet from the seat pocket. Again, another habit I developed. He shook his head and sighed.

  “That would’ve been the plan, but they said they’ll fly out tonight instead,” he explained.

  “That’s weird. Did they say why?” I asked, befuddled.

  “Uh, something about one of the girls still needing to finish up on some work,” Jeremy answered.

  “Oh,” I see, a little surprised.

  That was…surprisingly responsible.

  Chapter 2

  Ashley

  I quickly typed out the last few words to end the paragraph before reaching blindly for my mug, taking a sip of my coffee and gagged. It was cold and it didn’t taste good anymore. I pushed my chair back and slipped into my flats so I could stand up and fetch myself another cup of coffee. This was going to be my sixth cup of the day, and my last one as soon as I finish these last couple of documents and sent them off to Emily’s email.

  I looked up at the clock hanging from the wall and bit my lip, mentally calculating how much time I had left. I still had to pack my things for the trip, one that I got strong-armed into going.

  Well, more like I got coerced by my boss to take.

  I recalled how that particular conversation went, shaking my head at how my boss told me off for working too much and that I had to go use my vacation privileges or she was going to lock me out of the office. I knew she was kidding, but she went to explain that I had to stop overworking myself and enjoy my life. She loved that I was dedicated to my work and she couldn’t count on someone better, but I needed to go out there and get some sunlight and some fresh air, not stay cooped up in the office all the time.

  She had a point. I’ve been so focused on making a living and making sure I could provide for my dad that I had forgotten how to live my life too. That’s why I finally gave in and agreed with her, which set the other two off in glee, talking about how we had to go shopping so that the guys coming with us would be impressed.

  I started regretting my decision the moment I heard that.

  Apparently, Julia and Sarah had a friend that won a 2-week trip to Bali and he invited them with, telling them they could also invite another per
son if they wanted. It was one of Emily’s husband’s military friends that won the trip, and since I wasn’t very good at remembering faces, I had no idea what he looks like. Then again, it didn’t matter because it’s not his look that was the problem.

  It was mine.

  This Jeremy and his friend were probably expecting a skinny, drop-dead gorgeous bombshell, and I was anything but. I was, to put it bluntly, fat. In my very limited experience, men only gave me their attention after they’d gotten shot down multiple times by the women they asked first and were just looking for an ego boost. Afterward, they’d walk out of the room the next morning with extra shame.

  It was no big deal, though. I was used to getting mere scraps of attention from men. My friends always told me I was exaggerating about this, but I knew what I was talking about. You didn’t grow up with this kind of a body without suffering through a lot of humiliation. I just needed to practice taking their revulsion for the next fourteen days.

  Besides, Bali seemed like an exciting place. They’d probably find something better to do than ogle at my body fat, or I could hide out in my room and see if I can do some extra work.

  The whistling of the kettle snapped me out of my thoughts and I quickly made my cup of coffee and walked swiftly back to my computer so I could finish up with work.

  I literally just finished sending the email when my phone rang, Julia’s name flashing on the screen. I took the call and put it on speaker while I fixed my desk and turned off my computer.

  “Girl, we are going to LAX in 3 hours. Please do not tell me you’re still at the office,” she grumbled.

  “Okay, I won’t tell you that,” I responded.

  “Ashley!” she shrieked.

  “Look, I’m already on my way out. I’ll be back home with plenty of time to spare,” I explained.

  “You better! I mean, the whole reason we delayed our flight, is because you said you didn’t want to leave any backlogs, so if you come late again, Sarah and I are going to lose it,” she said empathically.

  “I promise to go at the maximum speed limit the whole way home. I will be on time, I swear!”

  “Just get here!” I heard Sarah’s yelling from the other line.

  “Hurry, or we’re packing your stuff for you and you’re not going to like the clothes we picked!” Julia threatened before hanging up.

  I quickened my pace. I knew both of them long enough to know they weren’t lying at all. I looked down at my watch again and winced.

  …Maybe just this once, I can chance driving over the speed limit.

  Chapter 3

  James

  I kept my baseball cap low over my eyes, hoping the visor will shield them from the neon lights rising up from the ground, dancing frantically. On the other hand, Jeremy was over there, gyrating his hips against two women dancing next to each other. I took a swig of my beer as I watched for a while before signaling the bartender for another one.

  Jeremy thought that since the girls weren’t here yet, we could grab a few drinks and have some fun. The girls were arriving tomorrow morning, on account of their other friend making them late for their flight so they had to take the red eye. I had thought about turning in early, but here we are.

  “Phew! That was kind of a workout!” Jeremy exclaimed, squeezing through the crowd to get into the stool next to mine. I waved to the bartender once more for another drink and waited for him to settle down.

  “Are you taking a break already? What happened to the girls you were dancing with earlier?” I asked, nodding my head toward the empty space they were dancing with earlier.

  “Oh, that didn’t pan out the way I wanted it to. They went back to their boyfriends,” he replied, making me snicker at his antics.

  “You danced with them knowing they’re taken?”

  “I mean, they were too drunk to do it with their girls and I was only too happy to oblige,” he commented smoothly. I nodded sagely in agreement. “What about you? Not in the mood?”

  “I don’t dance,” I answered quickly. “And I don’t really understand where you can find the energy to party out tonight, still. That flight was really exhausting.”

  “Bullshit,” he commented, prompting me to raise an eyebrow at him. “We’re both from the Air Force, man. We eat jetlag for breakfast. What’s really up to your ass?”

  I sighed, scratching the back of my head.

  “Nothing. Just not used to this scene anymore, I guess,” I admitted.

  “Come on, pal,” Jeremy started, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “It’s been like, what? A year since Alice the Wonderwhore cheated on you? She’s not even worth it.”

  “I was with her for two years, man. That’s a lot of history I had to get over,” I pointed out.

  “Well, you know what they say about breakups, right?” he asked, and I shook my head. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and huddled in, whispering conspiratorially. “The best way to get over a woman…is to get under a new one!”

  He then proceeded to order two bottles of JD and poured me a glass, raising his own up for a toast.

  “To the next two weeks of getting over and under women,” he said crassly.

  I grimaced at him. He was crass and that was a horrible idea, but I clinked my glass with his anyway.

  I’m not going to partying in Jeremy’s way and start getting laid with different women left and right, but here’s to a night of hard drinking.

  Chapter 4

  Ashley

  I did my best to avoid locking eyes with the girls, the guilt I was feeling still eating me from the inside out.

  Despite my best efforts to get home on time, the world decided I had to suffer for putting my work first and rewarded me with heavy traffic. A 20-30-minute drive turned into an hour, and since the girls didn’t trust me not to back out of the trip if I was going to fly by myself, they opted to come with me. In the end, we had to take the last flight out to Bali, which was way later than planned.

  They weren’t kidding about packing me a bag, though. They threw the luggage at me when I finally got home and told me I could pack only another small one as payback. I bit back the protest and just bore with my punishment, apologizing to them profusely every chance I got.

  The plane we boarded was too small and Julia didn’t like to sit on the aisle, so both of them sat on the window seat and I ended up sitting in the row behind them. I wish they didn’t have to sit together, though. I wasn’t used to flying, so whenever I did, I would get incredibly nauseous and sick. I didn’t trust myself that it wouldn’t happen again, so I immediately warned the old lady next to me that it might become an uncomfortable ride for her since I’d more than likely end up barfing for the next few hours.

  Luckily for me, she was very nice about my situation and even offered some herbal tonics and menthol candies to make me feel better. Julia and Sarah didn’t bother looking checking up on me once even though my retching got particularly loud once or twice. They just continued yammering about how excited they were about going to the beach and flirting with the boys.

  I rolled my eyes, realizing what my role in this situation was. I’ve experienced plenty of these situations before. They were pretty much DUFF-ing me; using me, the fat girl, to make them, the skinny girls, shine and make them look better. I mean it’s not like they need any more bolstering up. Both of them were really beautiful already, what with their toned abs and trimmed necklines. Their bodies were just a dream for my plump ass, that’s for sure.

  I was looking mighty dreadful and exhausted by the time we landed in Bali and took a cab to the motel the guy—Jeremy, told us we’ll be staying. I hurried over to the reception desk and tried my best to smile at the receptionist.

  “Hi, uh, we’re here to check-in? We’re part of Mr. Jeremy Kincaid’s party. We were supposed to be here yesterday but we had to reschedule our flight,” I explained, half-apologetically. Julia and Sarah let me do my thing and just stood behind me expectantly.

  “Certainly, madam. Did Mr
. Kincaid say if he secured a reservation for you?” she asked, typing away at her computer.

  “There should be two rooms that he booked, so yes. I remember he told us that they came as a package?”

  “Oh, I see! Let me just check that for you,” she answered politely. She fiddled with her computer for a moment before looking at me apologetically. “I’m so sorry, ma’am, but the room hasn’t been prepared yet. May I ask that you wait until 1 pm so we can have housekeeping ready the room for you?”

  “Oh, is there no other room? We can just book another, if that’s a problem,” I told her.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have no vacancies available until later at 1 pm, as well, as that is our checkout time for our guests,” she replied. I looked over at the girls helplessly, and both of them just shrugged.

  “Well, it doesn’t look like we have any choice,” Julia said.

  “I have the guys’ room number, if it helps with anything,” Sarah chimed in.

  “I guess we can just wait in their room until then?” Julia suggested, and I nodded. I would’ve agreed to just about anything, at this point, as long as I could get off my feet.

  “Yeah. My head’s pounding so hard, I really need to get some sleep,” I supplied.

  I told the receptionist about the plan and gave her Julia’s number as soon as a room opened up and then we decided to wait in the guys’ room until then, hauling our bags into their room. I rolled my shoulder blades a bit, groaning at how my back was aching. Sarah oohed over the room, nodding in appreciation.

  “I wonder where the guys are,” Julia mused aloud, setting her bag on the side of the doorway. “Should we just put our stuff in one of the guy’s room?”

  “Julia, ssh!” Sarah whispered, putting a finger over her lips as she waved us over. “Keep quiet! The guys are still sleeping!” Julia and I went over to the door Sarah was peeking into and saw a man lying on his stomach, his sheets barely covering his muscular chest and I felt myself blush. I mean, was that a man lying on the bed or was that a Greek statue. But wait a minute…