“Well, Marty is an artillery officer now and after Karen finishes her signal corps training … well … it’s not unusual for signal corps officers to get assigned to artillery units.” Tracy giggled. “It’s especially not unusual when your sister meddles.”
“Geeezzz, it was bad enough when the two of you were helping all your classmates find their soulmates,” said John with a laugh. “Now you guys are getting the U.S. Army to assign them so they can stay together?” He shook his head from side to side in mock disbelief.
Just then Donald stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. It was time for the best man to toast the groom. After a short, but humorous speech, everyone drank some champagne and he sat back down. Nell’s sister then gave her speech which was even more humorous with some stories of what Nell had been like back in high school. Then, everyone began clinking glasses signaling for Ron and Nell to kiss.
The event continued with dancing, drinking, lots more kissing by Ron and Nell, cake cutting with the bride and groom feeding one another, Nell tossing her garter out to where Marty could grab it and finally Nell throwing her flower bouquet. Karen was the one who managed to catch that, of course.
As the evening approached, Ron and Nell bid farewell to everyone and made their exit with great fanfare from all theguests. The party continued for another two hours before John and Tracy finally left and returned to their room at the Marriot.
“Wow, that wedding was so nice,” exclaimed Tracy once they were alone. “I kept thinking of things I wished I’d thought of for our wedding …”
“Stop right there,” said John. “What you and Missy have planned is absolutely perfect. Don’t even start with those thoughts or you’ll go crazy. Let’s go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll fly back to New York tomorrow, enjoy our rehearsal dinner Tuesday night and finally have our wedding on Wednesday. Our time has come at last and we are going to enjoy every bit of it forourselves, rather than for anyone else.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I love you so much I can hardly stand it. I’m not nervous. I’m just too excited. Plus, of course, the solstice is only two days away now.”
John was half undressed and now he came over to give Tracy some assistance getting out of her gown. “Forget what I said about our getting a good night’s sleep. We both know your supernatural energy is accumulating exponentially right now and the best way to expend that so you don’t explode in a giant fireball is for us to make love all night long. I’m sure this will be necessary tomorrow night as well since we won’t be together the night before our wedding.”
Tracy giggled as she stepped out of her gown and she said, “You’re right, you’re right. Notice how I seem to keep repeating those same words.” With an impish smile she quickly finished undressing and, now completely naked, she said, “It’s time for fun and frolic as we fulfill our fantasies and finally fully flourish!”
John rolled his eyes as he too got naked and chased her over to the bed.
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Monday, June 20, 2022
Missy was pleased with the nice send-off party her Team Twenty-Two was giving her before she left to get married. Most of them had met Mike before and knew all about the unique bond between the two of them. Mel and Ruby had managed to paste photos of the two lovebirds onto various backgrounds in ways both compromising and hilarious. The one showing Missy and Mike peeking out from behind a shower curtain was especially cute.
Everyone was gathered in the Operations Center which had been rearranged and decorated for this. Permission had been given for pizza and beer to be served. Beer was normally not allowed in there since alcohol was never permitted in that room except for special occasions like this one. Pizza, of course, was known to be one of Missy’s favorite food choices.
“Tell us more about what you’ll now be doing when you return to spy on those Russians,” demanded Sergeant First Class Murphy. He was the team’s medic and had recently been promoted. “With Yury gone, do you plan to blackmail someone else to be your boyfriend?”
“I’ve explained this to a few of you already,” said Missy. “I won’t need to do that anymore since I’m now being put on the board of directors for this big medical company which Yury had owned. His wife is paying me a salary for doing that and wants me to keep living in my Moscow apartment at the company’sexpense. I’m supposed to attend meetings and also continue to influence suppliers like I did before.”
Master Sergeant Town explained, “Missy helped Yury win some very lucrative contracts and the new owners believe she can keep doing that. Plus, Yury’s wife actually knew about her blackmailing Yury and she was grateful. Hence, her wanting to reward Missy now.” Missy had explained things to him, Major Grimes and Sergeant Major Hernandez after her return from Cyprus but she hadn’t done that to the others yet.
“Why was the wife grateful?” asked Sergeant First Class Harold. “And, how did she even know?”
“Yury told her about the blackmail and how I wouldn’t sleep with him,” explained Missy. “And the reason she was grateful was Yury had abused her just as he had done to all his mistresses. They allow that sort of thing in Russia, especially for their billionaires who are helping the current regime.”
“Was that why you became so famous?” asked Sergeant First Class Heimbold. “We’ve seen those magazine articles which the media over there have published with lots of photos of you. We love the way you look in those photos, of course.” Everyone laughed since, indeed, the revealing pictures showing Missy’s voluptuous Moscow body were very attention getting.
Major Grimes answered, “Her status as a celebrity mistress for one of their big oligarchs was very popular. They consider it very okay for billionaires to go around with beautiful mistresses while the wives stay home out of sight. Missy, of course, as those photos all show, can look really amazing.”
“Where will you be going on your honeymoon, Missy?” asked Staff Sergeant Morgan. He was Ruby’s boyfriend and perhaps interested in this for when he and Ruby got hitched.
Missy said, “Mike is taking me to New Zealand but that’s really all I know. He’ll be surprising me with whatever plans he has for us once we’re there.”
“Wait, can’t you read his mind?” asked Ruby. “Oh, wait … I forgot … you only sense hisemotions. It’s he who can get mental messages from you.”
“That’s correct but he can’t read my mind. He only gets whatever messages I choose to send him,” explained Missy. “We think that’s because I’m a Shifter rather than because I’m a witch. When I’m with my werewolves, I can communicate like that. When they are in their wolf forms, they can send me their mental messages as well.”
“How many werewolves are in your pack now?” asked Mel. “I think you told me there were at least eighty when you first took over as their Alpha, right.”
“That’s true. My pack has grown since then and we now have over a hundred who can actually Shift into wolf form. When we go on our monthly runs to celebrate the full moon, we are really something. Fortunately, the State Forest behind my place has over twenty-six square miles for us to run around in.”
Sergeant First Class Heimbold said, “Thinking of you leading a pack of wolves as a cougar always boggles my mind. I mean, I’ve seen you in your cat form often enough. Even so, that you can Shift like that somehow seems even more incredible than when you’re doing your witchy woo-woo stuff. At least then, even when you’re floating in the air, you still seemhuman.Mostly.” He laughed and so did those who were gathered around him.
After a pleasant couple of hours of relaxed conversations like those, Missy finally said, “It’s time for me to disappear and go get married. My plan is to return here on Wednesday, July sixth but only for a couple of days. I’ll return to Moscow that weekend, flying back there from Cyprus on Friday night.”
