1 A New Beginning
Providence
Providence sat at the bar wondering how in the hell she'd become one of the guys. Not that she minded... much. She enjoyed the close friendships she'd built with her crew. However, occasionally it would have been nice for her squad to pretend she was a girl, like now.
"Come on Angel, it's Flop's last night as a free man." Geronimo Jake tugged her off the barstool she was clinging to like a lifeline.
Providence smiled recalling how their close-knit group came together and how each of them earned their various nicknames. Flop, short for Belly Flop, was thus named since his landings were always rough, and Jake always hollered Geronimo before jumping out of the plane. Then there was Tangle who talked shit about his jumping prowess then tangled his parachute lines on their first jump as a squad.
Providence earned her nickname, fair and square. At first the guys had mocked her after hearing her father call her Angel. Their mocking tone changed when Providence launched herself out of the Lockheed Martin and latched onto Tangle, cutting his primary lines so his secondary chute didn't fail. It had been two years and the guys still gave her shit, but at least they accepted her as one of the crew.
Being a female among this group of mostly men was a mixed bag of tricks. To earn a spot as one of the first female pararescueman, Providence had to train just as hard as the men. But she also had to go the extra mile and constantly prove herself as women often have to do in positions dominated by men.
Providence got lucky and found a good group of guys. They respected her, which meant the world to her, but still she fought against the double standard. It seemed you couldn't have it both ways. You couldn't be a girl and one of the guys at the same time. Her crew seemed to have trouble and vacillated back and forth with how they treated her.
It was times like this that reminded Providence of the weird line she straddled. She appreciated being included in Flop's bachelor party festivities but she could've done without the invite to the strip club.
"Just because Flop is getting hitched doesn't mean I need a front-row seat to the ta ta show." Providence groused as she snagged her drink from the bar before Jake pulled her ringside to join the other guys.
"You know it wouldn't be a proper send off without the whole crew."
"I'm sure this particular entertainment could've been enjoyed without me." Providence rolled her eyes as she plopped down in a seat behind Jose near the catwalk.
"What's a bachelor party without strippers?"
"Angel needs a lap dance." Tangle waved a twenty at a scantily clad woman on six-inch heels that passed.
The woman sauntered up to Tangle who then pointed at Providence with an ornery grin. Before Providence could say 'wait' the glitter covered dancer straddled her lap and had her double D's pressed into Providence's face.
The men whooped and hollered as Providence sat cursing the perverts. This whole adventure might be a turn on if she had a hot stud sitting nearby watching the woman gyrate on her lap. Unfortunately that was not the case.
The gathered rabble treated her more like a kid sister than a woman which they took to extremes. Just last night as Providence sat talking to a guy at a bar near base, Jake had wandered in and run the guy off.
Providence had at first found several members of her squad hot. They were the kind of men that turned her on, brave, built and smart. But the fact that she worked side by side with them, made dating any of the guys a bad idea. Plus she wasn't a girly girl like Flop's fiancé. Providence didn't get manicures or squeal at spiders. She was a tom boy who could give any one of the airmen a run for their money.
It didn't help that Providence's dad was the Lieutenant Colonel at Patrick Air Force Base where she was stationed. Half the men she met wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole for that very reason. Providence didn't blame him though. Her dad was the greatest man she knew. He was the one responsible for teaching Providence to fly and her career on the pararescue squad, not that he got her the position. Out of all her sisters Providence took after her father the most. They were both bona fide adrenalin junkies and bolder than was likely wise.
"Ah shit. Hey babe stop that." Tangle nudged the stripper.
Providence snapped out of her musings as the dancer backed away.
"He's gonna kill us." Jose mumbled.
Providence looked up to see her dad coming straight for them.
"How did he find us?" Tony whispered.
Providence rolled her eyes. It wasn't like there were a ton of titty bars near base.
"Gentleman, Angel." Her father greeted them with a critical raise of his brow.
"Sir." Everyone replied with a salute.
"I hate to break up the party but we have a fishing boat that's gone missing. There's a search crew lined up, but the pilot has the flu."