“It’s okay.”Stan palmed her forearm.“They’re excited to be here, and they just finished a long flight.I’d expect a little rowdiness.”
“Still, I’m sorry.Theywillact better than that for you from this point forward.”
“It’s okay,” he said again, smiling at her.“Did I mention how glad I am that you’re accompanying them?I had expected it to be one of your usual trainers, but I understand the logic in keeping them on the island, continuing to work with the cadets who didn’t opt in to the FUCN’A program option.”
Is that the excuse they gave him?She realized it did make sense.“Well, the only downside is you’re going to have to fill me in on what you need from me.Obviously, you have all your staff in place to take them on as you would a regular new batch of cadets, so I’m not really sure what’s needed of me.”
“Don’t underestimate the importance of a friendly, familiar face,” Stan soothed.“They’re all in a new country with new food and customs, with all the adults having strange accents and mannerisms.You’re their connection to home, and based on how I observed them talking to you on the plane, you’ve already built a friendly rapport with them, which is exactly what they’ll need.They’ll need to feel comfortable going to their dorm mom for whatever they need.”
“Dorm mom?”Kalliopi’s eyes widened in horror.“That’s not what I had expected to be here.”
Stan sputtered.“Well, no, that’s not exactly the term.And they will have an actual RA, not a dorm mom or dad… person.I guess we just hadn’t sorted out exactly what your title would be…”
“She’s the head MILF!”someone shouted, and Kalliopi snapped her head back to try to identify who’d said it.She wasn’t familiar enough with the fledglings to know them by voice yet.
They all looked out the windows or at their laps, none of them looking more guilty than the others.“Put your headphones on,” Kalliopi snapped.“Don’t listen in on other conversations.”
But she couldn’t blame them.She would, too, in their position.
Stan kindly moved their conversation forward.“Today we’ll focus on dorm assignments and settling in.I’m sure they are all tired from the long flight.We’ll have orientation at 0800 hours tomorrow.”
“And I’m staying in the dorms with them?”Kalliopi asked, dreading the whole idea.It wasn’t just not being able to have some space apart from the cadets but also that she might not have the freedom to spend time with Stan without the fledglings chiming in about it.
“Oh no!”Stan chuckled.“Once we get them settled, and after your meeting this afternoon with Richard, I can take you to the place you’ll be staying.It used to be Harriet’s place when she was working under me.We’ve had it as a co-op ever since.It is half a block away from my place, as well.”
“Oh, I don’t want to put you, or the Academy, out.I can get a hotel.It’s not a big deal.”
“No one is using it right now, so I insist.”
“Well, if you insist, I guess I can’t say no.”
Stan smiled at her, and this time, his eyes brightened.
5
It wasn’t long before Kalliopi was escorting the female cadets to the female dorms.She should have been focused on the cadets, but all she could think about was having dinner with Stan and what she’d wear.After shopping with Treasure, now she was drawing a blank as to what she’d bought for a night out.And sadly, Treasure hadn’t allowed her to pack more than one comfy outfit, which was the one she was wearing right now.God, why had she allowed her best friend to force her hand on this?
Lost in thought, she bumped into someone.
“Oh!I’m sorry!”Kalliopi quickly apologized to the young woman.“I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s okay,” the young brunette woman assured.“You’re the woman in charge of all these MILFs, right?”
“Yes, I am.Command Sergeant Major Kalliopi Kouris, at your service.”She offered her hand, and the woman took it in a firm grip.
“I’m Jewel, the RA of this floor.Nice to meet you.”
“Good to meet you, Jewel!I was just helping the cadets settle in.”
“Well, I’m here now, so I can relieve you of duty.You can rest assured that they’ll be well cared for.Are you off to the guest suites on campus for the night?”
Guest suites?“No, I was told I’ll be residing off-campus for the duration of my stay.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d be here for a while.I figured they’d have you fly back tomorrow.”
“I’m here for several weeks, to settle the cadets.To help them adjust and give FUCN’A feedback on the program, to compare it to our regimen on Milos Island.”
“Well, that kind of sucks.”The woman’s mouth turned down.“You’ll be away from your family for the holidays.”
