paperwork

The army operations building was empty, considering it was close to ten o’clock on a Thursday night. The only two people left were Marshal Steven Phelps, who was sitting in his office trying to avoid his abnormally large stacks of paperwork, and his subordinate.

“Sir, you should be working on your paperwork.” Steven lifted his head and looked directly down the long black barrel of a pistol. His subordinate, Sargent Anna Steel, was pointing a gun to his head.

“Steel, I really don’t feel too good. In fact I think I have a terrible disease that reacts to touching paperwork. I’ll break into a rash. I’ll start swelling! I might even end up in the hospital.” Steven looked up, a new talent of acting stepped into his mind as he put on a performance of trying to be allergic to paperwork. Unfortunate for him, Steel wasn’t a big fan of dramas nor plays.

“Either way you’ll land in the hospital – if you touch your paperwork or don’t do your paperwork. And if I may make a suggestion …Sir, I suggest touching your paperwork would hurt much less than a bullet in your head.” She answered simply. Steven gulped and nodded as he watched the gun slowly go back in its holster. ‘How lazy is he?’ Steel thought to herself as she clicked the safety on and sat behind her desk.

Steven looked up at Steel and then glanced at his paperwork. He began working for the fear of dying of a gunshot. About an hour later, Steel left to go grab a cup of coffee. Steven remained in his office, doing ‘paperwork’. When Steel returned, she looked over at Steven, hand on her gun holster. She smiled to herself, then proceeded to walk to her desk.

‘Strange. Very strange indeed.’ Steven thought as he lifted the magazine up to a slight 20 degree angle. Steel didn’t even notice the ‘Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Addition’ magazine on Steven’s desk. He studied each page with a sharp eye and drooled at the girls.

BANG!
BANG!
BANG!

Steven’s magazine fell to the desk in a smoking mess. It had 3 giant holes. Steven ducked and Steel, who was now standing in front of his desk, glared at him. “If you want hookers sir, go to a bar. If you want your life, please continue your paperwork.” Steel stated coldly and then added, “Sir”
“Steel, I don’t need hookers. I need mini-skirts, not to mention co-workers in mini skirts.” Steven smirked as he sat back up. Steel pondered a bit, and then began to answer.

“I am sure Havoc, Thomson, and Kain will wear mini-skirts if you want them to. I’ll go talk to them.” She smiled a deadly smile and waited for an answer.

“That’s okay Sargent. I’d rather see you in a mini skirt. What do you think?” Steven smiled.

BANG!

BANG!

“Don’t be so stingy.” Steven whimpered, dropping his head downward and pulling some paperwork off his large pile, trying to avoid more bullets. Steel walked back to her desk leaving the two fresh bullet holes smoking behind Steven’s desk. Steven smiled to himself, looking up at Steel from the corner of his eye. ‘Her answers are so original… and unique.’

Steven wanted Steel, bad. His late buddy Madanar Honk always told him you want what you can’t have. And Steel was the one girl in the ‘whole world’ that Steven couldn’t have. He couldn’t get close to her without risking a gunshot wound, or other. He remembered clearly two years ago when he tried to seduce her on Valentines day, actually it was another long night of paperwork, so Valentines ‘night’. He hit on her and she hit on him. She hit on him all right, with her gun’s hilt on the back of his head. Steven smiled, tonight he wouldn’t fear ‘The Gun’. He would flirt with her, instead.

“you know how ‘fine’ you look today?” Steven asked, putting his pen down and leaning on his hand looking across the room at Steel.

“Sir, do you know what typically happens to men who have a ‘playboy’ state of mind?” Steel asked, not once lifting her head, and continued to do her paperwork.

“They capture the heart of girls like you, Sargent?” Steven smiled, not taking his eyes of his golden haired subordinate. He stood up and walked over to Steel’s desk, unannounced to her.

“Wrong, sir. They die a painful death with hundreds of bullet wounds. Especially if they try this sort of thing at a time of 2400h.” Steel said, lifting her head slightly to look at her watch, then over at Steven’s desk. He wasn’t there and she arched an eyebrow. Steven slipped his arms around Steel’s waist and she blushed a whole new shade of red.
“You wouldn’t kill me, Sargent. You just talk the talk.” He smirked with tons of playfulness in his face and voice.

“Sir? Are you …flirting with me?” She stuttered, a little shaken by his actions.

“Why Sargent Steel. Who wouldn’t want to flirt with you?” Steven asked, still playfully. Steel didn’t move. She just stared straight ahead at the opposite wall.

‘I can reach my gun, I could easily shoot his testosterone factory right off, yet he still flirts?’ Steel thought to herself as she felt her face blush a new shade of red. ‘Why…why aren’t I shooting him?’

Steven removed one arm from around her waist and unclipped her hair, allowing the long golden waves to fall gracefully down her back. He ran his fingers through it gracefully and smoothly.

“Sir?” She stuttered as she dropped the pen she was holding. ‘Grab your gun idiot. Grab it and shoot him!’ Her brain was yelling orders at her. ‘Don’t shoot him. Turn around and embrace him. Kiss him.’ Her heart was contradicting her brain.

Steel was beginning to feel weak as her heart and brain fought over what she should do. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and her head was starting to ache. Steven then moved his hand from her hair and placed it on the arm rest of her chair and spun her around to face him.

“Sargent?” his face wasn’t the usual perverted playfulness. His expressions were the same, yet…different. Within a blink, Steven bent down and placed his lips firmly against that of Steel’s. Steel just stared wide-eyed as Steven kissed her. ‘Pull away!’ Her brain shouted. ‘No. Move in for the kill.’ Her hear ordered. ‘Shut up!’ Her conscience yelled at both as Steel felt her body turn into jelly. What she did next, shocked herself, her brain, her heart and her conscience all at once. She launched herself off her chair and fell right into Steven’s arms which wrapped around her body.

“Sargent! Didn’t know you had it in you.” Steven smiled as he backed into the wall, not refusing the offer, but only turning the situation into his control.

“Shut up. Less talk, more action.” Steel stated, then added “Sir.” As Steven pulled her to the floor and rolled atop of her, hitting the light switch with a snap of his fingers as he did so.

“Yes ma’am.” Steven replied as he proceeded to remove the bulky blue uniform jacket from his ‘fallen’ subordinate, not removing his lips from hers.

About six hours later…, Steven was standing behind his desk straightening his jacket. He patted down his hair and did his best to cover up his appearance of what just happened. Steel came walking into the office, her once ruffled hair now neatly clipped back behind her head and her black tank top neatly pressed.

“Your jacket, Sargent.” Steven smiled and handed her jacket from the coat rack. He looked at his watch and relised it was 6:30 am. Steel also looked at her watch and relised the time. She put her coat on and walked closer to him. She licked her finger and smoothed out a stray piece of hair that was sticking out in the back of his head. She grabbed her gun which was on the floor next to Steven’s chair and placed it back into it’s holster. (Steven’s idea of safe sex, no gun for Steel)

“Coffee, sir?” She smiled playfully and he agreed.

“When I return, sir, I expect to see you completing your paperwork. Wouldn’t want to stay late again would we?” Steel left the office and began to make coffee in the break room. Steven smiled. ‘Paperwork? Who wants to do paperwork when I get punished like that?’ He thought to himself as his subordinate Sargent Jean Havoc arrived for work and stopped in his office to say good morning.

When Havoc left, Steel returned with a cup of coffee for Steven and a cup of tea for herself. Steven smiled as he watched Steel button up her jacket and then smooth out all the rough edges in her uniform. ‘I think late nights are going to become a habit for me.’ He smiled as he sat down behind his desk. Steel sat behind hers and tried to concentrate on her work.

“Sir, you should be working on your paperwork” Steel said as Steven looked up and saw not a gun barrel but a playful look on her face.

“Lt. Steel, I really don’t feel too good. In fact I think I have a terrible disease that reacts to touching paperwork.” Steven smiled.