Officers and Men Ch. 01

"Ooohkay," I said, trying hard not to return his grin. "Anyway, I'll put it all in writing, if you want to make an official complaint and do whatever is..."

"Hey whoa Boss! Easy!" he said with a beaming grin, and perhaps the most shocking thing, gently resting a hand on my trembling one. "It's OK," he said quietly, "I'm a soldier; before I was Int Corps I was a grunt," he stood and took my now cold coffee cup from my shaking fingers and with a deftness akin to a high street barista proceeded to make me a latte with his Mum's wonderful retirement gift. "A Latte Mam, sorry we've no vanilla Syrup, the way you like it!" He grinned, it was my order from Starbucks when he stood behind me. He took a sip of his regular coffee, "and all that shit with the Guardroom? I was a Guardsman, I had worse beastings than those Rifles pussies could dish out on a monthly basis; amateurs Mam," he smiled showing perfect white teeth and handing across my now refilled mug, "total fucking amateurs." He gave me the most wonderful warm smile that I could only respond to in kind. I took my mug from him and our fingers touched, I felt a warm tingle when they did, "Buy me a pint and we'll call it quits." I blushed; it was as my new friend Pam had predicted and I thought about being in a social situation... no a date, with this man I was becoming more and more impressed with on so many levels.

"Thanks Andy," I said taking a deep breath, and extending a hand.

"You're welcome," he said, "Green slime?" He took my hand and we shook - it felt electric.

"Green slime," I said with a slight tremble to my voice.

Green slime was the nickname the rest of the army used for us based on the bright green berets that we wore and was easier to use than our motto "Manui Dat Cognitio Vires" (Knowledge gives Strength to the Arm).

Pam must have been watching for within seconds of our handshake she was coming back through the door with a big smile on her face and who I guessed must have been Andy's sister. She was as happy to see me as her Mum. For me, the most amazing thing was when I stood to shake hands, Corporal Sargeant's sister was as tall as me!

"You must be Andy's boss!" she beamed, her head slightly to one side, "I'm Katy." We shook hands.

"Lin," I said.

"Lin with an I or Lyn with a Y?" she grinned. I was stunned, here I was, the woman that had seen her lovely twin brother in jail and beaten up, and she was chatting to me like a friend.

"It's with an I but people tell me it should be a Y, my name is Linette."

"It's a lovely name anyway Lin," she let go of my hand and folded her arms and looked at me then across at Andy. "Lin, it's my fifth wedding anniversary today and we're all going out for dinner and we're one short, won't you join us?"

"Oh how lovely," said Pam, "please do Lin."

"Well I..." I looked down at my black polar neck shirt and my baggy black Levi's that I threw on that morning, and saw my escape, "I don't have anything..."

"No problem," said Katy taking my hand again, "I've just bought a couple of blouses and they'll fit you perfectly," she pulled my by the hand out of the kitchen and stopping just to grab a fashion store bag by the front door, dragged me upstairs.

This was my first girly moment in many years, I did revert back to that kid that went home at weekends from Sandhurst and went out with my few remaining mates not bothered by my now being in the army. I found myself in an upstairs bedroom.

"You're a size eighteen and a 40-C aren't you?"

"Yes," I said, "Ever since college."

"Me too, try this," she handed me a pale green blouse she had taken from the hanger. I made to slip it over my polar neck, "Oh no," she said, "That'll never do, take that off, I won't look."

I grasped the bottom of my shirt and with some difficulty pulled it over my head.

"Wow," said Katy, "being in the army means you stay in shape, you are hot Lin." I blushed, I'd not had compliment like that in years, "Shit, you're wearing a black bra, it'll show through, wait there. Mum!" She stepped out of the room I was in to shout down the stairs, "Need to pinch a black blouse!"

"No problem," came the response, "the nice M&S one... NO!" she shouted back, "the stretchy little black dress you gave me!"

"Oooh yeah," purred Katy.

Little black dress?

What?

I hadn't shaved my legs in a couple of weeks, I still had March pale pastey looking skin in dire need of some sun, it was half past five on a Wednesday evening and all of a sudden what would have been popping out to the local pub for a steak and a couple of beers was now becoming a dressing up occasion.

"Err... Katy, I don't have anything with me, I don't think I have more than a lipstick in the car," I said as my new friend came back in with a most fantastic creation that I could see from the hanger was going to look good. The label told me it was from a Tall Ladies clothes shop.

"Aww don't worry, I've got stuff I can lend you, we're the same size; tell you what, you come back to my place and you can have a shower and get ready, and I'll do your hair for you, trust me, I'm a professional stylist and I specialise in tall women. I have to take Laura home anyway."

"But..."

"Please..." she said.

So somehow I found myself driving back to the house of this lovely young lady, well four months older than me in fact, the twin sister of one of the soldiers from my regiment. Somehow I just went with it.

Back at Katy's house, I had my first cup of tea of that day, I had rather over done the coffee bean. Katy was a hairdresser and a beautician as well as a stylist and while I sat at her kitchen table now, she would walk past and occasionally run fingers through my hair and say things to herself.

While Katy made the tea, I again chatted with and bounced her baby daughter on my knee, and it was lovely. Katy came and sat by me and we went through the pains of being a foot taller than the rest of the world and she talked to me about clothes and got me to stand and asked me about what I liked, dresses, trousers, jeans, form-fitting, loose, all in depth stuff.

"I'll help you out with your wardrobe," she said, "All I can do for you seeing as I'm bullying you into coming out with us."

I was also introduced to her husband Lee, another police officer that was running in to get ready for their anniversary celebration, and I noticed like the rest of the Sargeant clan, another giant at least 6 feet 6 like his brother in law.

"Lee, this is Andy's Boss," she called to him as he hung his jacket.

"Hi," said Lee, "Is my lovely wife dragging you out with us tonight?"

"Yes," I said.

"I'm so sorry Lin," he said, "she's beyond my control."

"Yeah!" said Katy.

Tea finished, I found myself in the bathroom of Katy's lovely home, and being given a towel, a disposable razor that I added to the pair of black panties and the toothbrush and paste I tended to keep in my car for emergencies.

"Spray's, deodorants and perfumes all here," she said pulling a cupboard door open, "Help yourself."

She saw the panties I'd got from my car. "Oh no way Lin," he giggled picking them up and stretching them out as if they were the main sail from the Black Pearl.

She opened a cupboard door. Inside was a new pack of knickers and she took a pair from the top, "Brand new," she whispered, "Much better with Mum's dress." She held those out, a tiny triangle of almost transparent black lace with some black string hanging from it and I blushed never having owned or worn a pair!

"Aww Lin!" giggled Katy, "you're so sweet!"

I headed into the bathroom with my tiny bundle and shaved my legs, and for a reason best left to my subconscious my pubic hair. I'd seen many pictures over the years - when you work on army bases you see plenty of porn, trust me - and I'd always fancied trying the thin strip, and I had a go.

My nerves, lack of practice and general incompetence with a razor down there had me just shaving off the whole fucking thing for the first time since that bloody holiday with the Ranger.

I must confess I still love the look of it first time around and I was lucky that there was some good quality moisturiser in Katy's cupboard and for once no nicks or cuts. I dried myself, leaving my hair wet as ordered by Katy, and pulled on the tiny panties she'd given me. I looked in the bathroom mirror at my body, twisting and turning and feeling not good but actually sexy for once. Sexy for me, and no one else, sexy because I wanted to be sexy and I had some help from an expert.

"I still can't believe you're all being so nice to me," I said, checking out the most fantastic 'Rachel' cut Katy had shaped my wet hair into with nothing but some short scissors, a comb, hair drier and tongs before a dressing table in her bedroom. Next she was brushing some powder onto my cheeks.

"Oh, don't worry about it Linnie," said Katy, "he's a big boy!"

"But what about his fiancée?" I said.

"They weren't engaged!" roared Katy, "She told the world that they were, because she asked him if they could get married and he didn't say no straight away."

"Did he say yes?"

"Not according to him," gigged Katy, "She bought her own ring, and along with her appalling mother and appalling sister she's been trying to bully him down the aisle for months. Luckily for him the army keep sending him to places like Iraq and Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. He's well shot of that bitch I think."

"So it's all over?" I realised that I might have seemed a bit too interested!

"Fuck yeah," said Katy, "Andy tells me she complained that the army was doing it on purpose and demanded compensation. Andy said that it was hardly good for his career, so she demanded he left the army. He said no, she threw the ring at him. There," she said looking at me in the mirror, "how's that?"

"Perfect," I said. And it was, Katy had shaped my eyebrows, and then made up my whole face, eyes, cheeks, lips. Coloured and shaded, I looked at the fashion model looking back out at me in the mirror, a view I had never seen before.

"With another half hour, I'd have given you highlights; well low-lights actually, with gorgeous dark hair like this." She drew her fingers through my hair, I guessed working out where the dye would have gone.

My hair had ceased to be the dark brown mass that I threw into a pony tail and was now shaped into something that went with the shape of my face and the eyebrows, and the foundation, powder and everything else that my new friend had done for me took my breath away.

Katy giggled again as she slipped off her dressing gown leaving her in bra and high cut shorts showing off her cute bottom to pull on her sheer tights, she was beautiful,

"Anyways," she went back to Andy's so-called fiancé, "she realised that he'd had nothing to do with buying the thing, and pushed him away from it and picked it up herself."

"And Andy is OK with it I suppose."

"Well he's not that upset about it that's all I can say." She pulled her tights on and picked up a little black dress much like the one I was to put on.

Having watched my hostess get dressed I guessed that I should do so as well, and slipped off my borrowed robe and stood in my black panties and bra, and pulled on the special long leg tights that Katy had given me and slipped on the really high, for me at least, two inch heels she'd found, not to make me taller she'd said, more to shape my calves and show off my lovely long legs. Then I took the stretchy black dress that I been loaned by Pam and pulled it on.

The dress as quite low cut at the front, for me at least, and Katy looked at my chest critically.

"Take it off Linnie," she said with a furrowed brow.

"Is it OK?" I was a bit worried, I thought it looked rather good.

"Good, but could be much better." She said and turned back to her chest of drawers routing around for something, "ahh yes!" she said triumphantly, "put this on."

I twisted out of the stretchy dress and Katy handed me a black bra, the label announced it was a Wonderbra. Not even thinking about bare tits, I unclipped my ordinary bra, I put on the new garment I'd never had the nerve or, on reflection, the need to buy.

I clipped it into place and without word or preamble Katy took hold of it and started to arrange my now cleavaged boobs getting the shape as she wanted it. She grinned,

"Don't worry Linnie, I'm a professional and I do this shit all the time," she picked up the stretchy dress and handed it to me. I pulled it on, turning so Katy could arrange it, and me, to her satisfaction. She stepped to one side and pushed me towards the mirror.

"Lin," beamed Katy looking over my shoulder into the mirror, "that's perfect." She rested her arms on my shoulders and she kissed my cheek.

Using Katy's mirror I twisted and turned, looking at the fantastic female form, mine, that she'd unwrapped.

"I'm so good at this..." she hissed with a huge grin on her face, and quite rightly.

Fuck, but I looked good. My ten plus years army officer brain was jumping out at me and screaming that this was wrong but as I turned from side to side and looked at my still hot curves, I decided to ignore me.

"Linnie," said Katy, "you look HOT!" I had a waist, my hips flared down to the black dress that stopped halfway down my thighs, and there was my cleavage.

I'd never had one, not never ever, and it made me feel like a million dollars.

I beamed a smile back to her,

"Yeah," I said with some element of surprise, "I do don't I!"

I sat in the back of Katy's car and was actually buzzing. This was a first for me.

I'd dressed up before of course, but it was always to look smart, business like, feminine. I was so intent on my education, I couldn't remember getting this glammed up that often. At University I had been a bit of a jeans and T-shirts kind of girl, as I was quite rough and tough even then. Because I had hardly changed since leaving school, I wore my prom dress with some minor adjustments to my graduation ball. Once I passed out from Sandhurst I had some long dresses and a couple of cocktail frocks and a long mess dress uniform for more formal events.

Tonight I was doing sexy for the first time and it was exciting.

We arrived at a very nice restaurant and parked.

"Come on Linnie," said Katy, as excited as I was evidently, and she scrunched my hair again, given it a bit of a tousled but still sexy look before she tucked an arm under mine. It wasn't something I could do with anyone else because of my height and I realised how nice it was just to stand there with someone that was as tall as me. We entered the foyer and there was Pam and her husband Dave, looking as posh as we did. Dave was another six footer and for the first time in my life I was surrounded by people I didn't have to look down at. To add to that I was dressed like a fashion model! Pam looked at me and my smiling face appreciatively, and my apparent need to look at myself in every reflective surface and nodded, giving me a thumbs up and a wink.

"Andy's at the bar Lee," said Dave.

"I'll go get the drinks," said Lee.

I felt I should start to repay some kindnesses and said I would join him.

"Let me Lee," I said, "I have to buy Andy one anyway," I winked back to Pam.

"Go get him Lin..." she hissed to me.

I stopped and stepped back to her.

"Pam, he's lovely but..."

"No buts about it Darling," she sighed with a smile, "Look, you have to be the gorgeous girl in Starbucks that smiled back at him he told me about not two days ago yeah?"

I smiled back,

"I guess I must be," I said.

"Well, think about that gorgeous bloke in Starbucks," I took a breath, "not the Corporal, the good looking guy that undressed you with his eyes and altogether failed by not asking you for your phone number." She took a breath, "If that tall attractive man had asked you for your number, would you have given it to him?"

I stood stunned, still not sure how to answer this woman and opened my mouth, but he shushed me.

"The only person you have to answer that question to is you Darling." She took my hand and squeezed it.

I smiled and slipping my borrowed clutch bag under my arm I stepped towards the bar that was filled with other party goers, looking around for Andy... Corporal Sargeant; I couldn't see him.

Noticing a gap I stepped up to the bar, and asked for a Diet Coke, my heart pounding.

"Like this one?" he said, "Just a lucky gue..."

I turned hearing a voice I knew, but looking at an amazing smart and attractive man in a tailored suit and looking a million dollars. The faint colour in his right eye made me remember just who it was.

"Wow..." he said checking me out and smiling, "I mean Wow Mam!"

I felt my face flush not just at how good he looked but at his obvious scrutiny of me in my stretchy dress showing my cleavage and curves to their full effect with my legs lengthened by my borrowed heels. In my nervousness I held my hands out and did a quick twirl. I thought about him undressing me with his eyes again.

To ease the tension he gave me my glass then did a twirl himself; shit but he looked good.

"You're looking err... yes," I said making a point of looking him up and down, "Looking extremely good yourself... Andy."

Loaded with drinks - Andy of course knew what his parents, brother in law and sister drank - we walked back to the table and the party of really tall people were settling along a long table, four a side and we were the focus of attention for the whole place.

"Boy, girl, boy, girl I think," said Katy getting things arranged for their anniversary party.

We were sat as decreed and I found myself between Lee's Dad and Dave, opposite Andy. The lighting was subdued and the candles were just enough to add some enchantment to the proceedings and my hosts were all charming, including me in all of the conversations. There was some police talk of course as four of the eight around the table were or had been coppers.

As the food arrived, I was finally able to chat to Andy.

He tucked into a plate of steaming whitebait while I had my favourite prawn cocktail and we started the 'getting to know you' chat. He confirmed what I read about his service in the Welsh Guards, being born just across the Bristol Channel from the principality, and it was his Dad's old regiment. He had served in lots of places with them and then told me about his mate from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps that had been killed.

"I'm sorry Andy," I said, "were you close?"

"Only in the way most squaddies are," he said sipping his beer, he was about to speak but was holding back a bit; he finally spoke, "that's not quite true," he said and looked at his Mum next to him, "we were special buddies," he whispered with a grin and I nodded with pursed lips, "nothing serious, but might have headed in that direction given more time. Tragic the way she was killed, I mean... it would have been tragic if she had been killed in action, but being killed by some stupid bitch chatting with her friend at sixty miles an hour with two kids in the back, that's just... that's pointless." He sipped more beer. I felt that a change of subject was needed but not too obvious, so I asked why the jump from the perfection and precision and tough fighting soldiering of the Household Brigade to a comfy seat in the Intelligence Corps.

"Because it was comfy mam, don't get me wrong I did really enjoy standing outside the Queen's house for long periods and trooping the colour and all that. I just fancied a slightly easier but more cerebral pastime." He sipped his beer and dropped his voice, "I did a tour with 14 Int and that was it."

14 Intelligence and Security Company was an all arms unit based in Northern Ireland that did lots of covert intelligence work and drew men and women from across all walks of service life for a two year tour.