Chapter Six - part six

   He had to send a reply to the invitation that night. The next day he spent with the Blake's. They couldn't believe that he had slipped back in so early. They were even more stunned when he had asked them for help. Susan Blake was thrilled at a chance to take one of her 'boys' out shopping. Even Richard seemed very pleased with the idea of James going to the AOG party with Sarah. They had been invited, most of the teaching staff was invited, but they had declined as they normally did. By the end of the day James had a sharp new outfit. It wasn't a formal dress suit, but it was much nicer than any of the casual clothes he had. It was more of a western cut outfit. It went well with the black boots he favored wearing when not in uniform or running shoes. It was a flat black, but with the white shirt with red buttons and a red and black string tie, it made his almost black hair look even darker and his eyes seemed to be even brighter. That was according to Susan Blake, but the girls at the shop seemed to be very pleased with it too. James just hoped it would look good enough for Sarah. He hadn't thought to ask her what she planned to wear. She had told him to dress nice, but not too formal. She had made it clear that she expected him to dress better than he did when he left the Hill most of the time. This was one of the few big events that cadets could attend without at least being in their dress blue uniforms.

    Sarah told him they would take her car, but she wanted him to meet her up at her room. The party would start with a nice dinner at 6:00PM and run until well after midnight. There would be a bar available, as well as music, and live entertainment. Some of the guests wouldn't come for the meal, but Sarah said it was well worth the hassle. They would have almost anything you wanted to eat, salad, steak, seafood, and more appetizers than he would believe possible. This wasn't a free party, AOG members and others who wanted to attend were out several hundred dollars a head for the party and twice that if they came to the dinner. Any cadets who came as invited guests only had to pay for any drinks they might want from the bar. The rest was paid for them. Sarah had told him that there would be several separate parties going on all at once after the initial meal was finished. Some of those were to be avoided if at all possible.  Depending on the people some parties got rather wild, while others stayed very mild. All in all, it was a night filled with all kinds of food, fun, and entertainment. You could have a great time or you could find yourself in a great deal of trouble too. It all depended on how responsible you were and what you wanted to get out of the night. You could definitely meet anyone and everyone that mattered around the Academy and even beyond it.

   James was to pick Sarah up just after 5:00 PM, so they would have time to stroll down to her car and arrive in time to visit just a bit before the meal.  A few more cadets had returned to the hill, but the majority of them were still gone. Those who had returned all knew about the 'date' tonight. When James came out of his room he was greeted by all sorts of cat calls and such. One of the girls in his class whistled softly as he walked up the hall and commented about how nice he cleaned up. His hair was almost too long, but he had decided to wait and cut it after tonight. It was just long enough to hold a part and it looked very black thanks to his outfit. He had polished his cowboy boots until they were as shiny as the cadre made him keep his shoes. He had also bought a new cowboy hat that he carried until outside. It was black felt with a silver headband and a small red feather on one side. He walked down the hall and turned towards Sarah's room. Every cadet in Mach One that was back, gathered around the front desk to wait and watch. There were several cadets from other squadrons waiting with them too. James had a feeling he was going to be hearing about this for a long time.

    He knocked on the door and waited. He got a shock when the door cracked open to reveal another two degree. It was the friend who had been Sarah's roommate. She smiled and informed him he could wait for Sarah at the desk. She would be out in just a few minutes. James never got a chance to say anything. The door was quickly shut in his face, so he headed back to the front desk. Showing back up alone brought a few more comments and jokes. He was still trying to take it all in good fun when everyone suddenly went silent. James turned around to see Sarah coming down the hall. She was dressed in a pure white dress that clung to her every curve. It had short sleeves and exposed just a bit of cleavage. It ended just below her knees and had long a long slit up one side or she wouldn't have been able to walk in it. She had on emerald green high heel shoes and a matching necklace. She also wore a pair of emerald green teardrop ear rings too. Her hair seemed to be shining and the jet black color was made even blacker by the white dress and green jewelry. As she came closer he noticed that there seemed to be green sparkles in that jet black hair too. She had a light green lace cover thrown over her shoulders that matched her bright green eyes and jewelry. Even her fingernails were done in emerald green with white tips.

    James could only stare at her. She wasn't just beautiful, she was stunning. As she came closer he saw that if he hadn't been wearing boots himself, that her heels would have made her as tall as he was. The top of her head was still almost level with his eyes. Normally she was just over shoulder high to him. She stopped just in front of him. There was a slight smile on her face. Thanks to the extreme contrast of white and green along with her black hair her eyes almost seemed to be glowing. James just stood there staring at her unable to even think. After a brief moment her face became radiant as she truly smiled at him for the first time. She even laughed before she spoke. "Well, I was hoping for a comment about my dress, but I think that look will do. Yes, I think it will do just fine. Shall we go?" She stepped over and took his arm, as she moved the green clutch purse she carried to her other hand. James couldn't say anything. He just nodded his head and started down the hall. Nobody was saying anything. As they walked past the cadets gathered in the hallway, James became aware of the stunned looks on their faces for the first time. At least he wasn't the only one too stunned to speak.

   Only after they were near the building exit did he finally manage to speak at all. "Ma'am, I don't know what to say. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I feel like a total fool. I mean I have no business even being in the same room with you, much less on a date. You absolutely take my breath away." He had stopped and turned to face her as he spoke. Sarah blushed and dropped her eyes for a moment. When she looked back up there was a soft smile on her face and to James she looked even more beautiful. "Well 'Cowboy', you don't look so bad either. I thought I would be able to look you right in the eye tonight, but I think I like this better after all." Then she reached into her purse and pulled out her keys. "Why don't you go bring the car to pick me up? I don't want to attempt walking on snowy parking lots, not to mention I am not dressed to be out in the cold. James took her keys and made a quick run out to get her car. She had an old mustang of all things. It was even one of the limited edition Cobras. It was emerald green too, just like her eyes.

  When he pulled up and helped her into the car he felt his heart skip a few more beats. That slit in her dress showed way more leg than he had expected her to show. She really was gorgeous tonight, a drop dead knockout. As they started driving towards the AOG building Sarah began to talk again. "Look, I think maybe we need to get some stuff straight before we get there. First, tonight I am not Ma'am. My name is Sarah. Remember that. I am not a Senior Master Sergeant and I am not a Ma'am. Tonight I am just Sarah. Do you think you can remember that...James?" He grinned and nodded before he spoke. "Actually I think maybe that will be easier on me. I mean when I look at you I sure don't see you like a Senior Master Sergeant or even a Ma'am." He blushed again and laughed. "All I can see is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Sarah, I swear you get more beautiful every time I look at you. You are going to be the center of attention tonight. I don't think they will even notice me!"

    Sarah laughed and reached over to squeeze his shoulder as she spoke. "Oh you might be surprised by what they will notice, but thanks. I was trying to make an impression on you tonight. I think I can call that a success at least. But that was just a part of my plans for the evening." She tilted her head and looked him up and down for a moment before smiling as she continued. "I think maybe you have done more than you realize to help me with the rest of my plans. I swear I didn't think you could possibly look as good out of uniform as you do in it, but you look even better tonight. I thought I was going to faint when you turned around in front of the desk." Now she blushed. She hadn't meant to share that!

   After a brief moment she managed to go on. "Anyway you look perfect, tall and handsome, but a little shy and easily embarrassed. Dark headed with the most amazing eyes. You will turn every woman's head tonight. Just remember, this isn't an official function. Show respect to all of the superior officers and even the cadets, but never let another cadet treat you like a cadet. Not in the AOG building at least. Just follow my lead and trust your instincts. If they try to push you, back away if you can. If they try to pull you into something, just stand firm and don't fall into their games. I can't tell you everything or it will spoil my plan, but just trust me. Tonight we really are out on a date and we can actually have a lot of fun. The rest of my plan will all depend on who does what and when. Just relax and have a good time. James, I want us to enjoy tonight as friends no matter what else happens." James smiled a genuine smile for the first time since he had started getting dressed this evening. "Sarah, if I just drove you there and waited in the car for you I would be delighted. If you are on my arm all evening I can't imagine not enjoying every second of it!" Sarah just laughed as she watched him. If he kept smiling like that she could end up in a fight over him with half the women there tonight; including some of the married ones!

    They arrived and pulled up to the main entrance. They were greeted by valet parking attendants. As James escorted Sarah inside, he heard one of them whispering to another. "Man oh man, would I like to take her to a party!" The other valet commented back in a sharper tone. "Watch it, airman! I recognize her and she will be an officer soon. You let her hear what you said and you will never go to a party again!" Sarah stopped short and turned her head to look at the pair. She was smiling as she spoke to the stunned duo. "Actually I did hear him. Officers are required to have eyes and ears in the back of their heads." Tilting her head just a bit she studied the airman for a moment. "Airman, you couldn't handle me at a party, but thanks for wanting to try! Have a Happy New Year. Sergeant Davis, thanks for looking out for me, I recognized you too!" Laughing at the stunned looks from the duo as well as the other valets, she started walking with James again. James was laughing too. It looked like tonight really was going to be a blast.