“Just because… uhm, I mean… I like Terra, but…” you’re glad for how dark it is because you’re blushing so hard you’d probably look like a tomato in daylight. “I like you too.”

“You like me, huh,” Grisham says with a slow smile.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well, I like you too, Cadet,” she purrs in a way which sends bolts of excitement shooting up and down your spine. She’s so relaxed, so confident and calm. The more nervous and tongue tied you feel, the more she’s in control.

“We’re not allowed to like each other too much because of Terra’s orders,” you remind Grisham.

“Well,” Grisham says as she leans back and extends her arm along the back of the bench on which she’s sitting. “How about I like you just enough?” The question is accompanied by one of those sexy smirks, the curl of her lip making you quiver deep in your belly.

“How about the two of you have some concept of following orders?”

Terra’s voice comes icy through the window behind Grisham’s head. You freeze in response. Grisham raises her brows at you, but doesn’t react otherwise. You can hear Terra coming. For a second you think about running, but there’s no real point.

A minute or so later, she’s out on the deck with you. She’s wearing a black robe which falls almost all the way to her ankles and her hair is down around her shoulders. Even in casual bedtime attire, she manages to look imperious.

“It’s past midnight,” she says. “We have a mission to undertake and my second in command is seducing…”

“I’m not seducing anybody,” Grisham interrupts, pressing the extinguisher on her smoke. “I was just winding down for the day and Cadet couldn’t sleep.”

“That’s true ma’am,” you add. “I just came out for some fresh air. I didn’t know Grisham was out here.”

You find yourself wondering how much of your conversation Terra heard – and how much trouble you’re in for being out of bed after lights out.

“Since when has it been protocol to wander around in the dark because you don’t feel like going to sleep, Cadet?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” you say, trying to soothe the situation.

“And from what I heard, you have no intention of following my orders, either of you,” Terra continues, her narrowed gaze going from you to Grisham and back again.

“Just share her,” Sarah sighs, sticking her head out the window on the other side of the porch. “There’s enough of Cadet to go around, isn’t there?”

“Sarah!” Terra snaps her name. Sarah laughs unrepentantly.

“I’m being practical. Everybody is sexually frustrated. That’s not good for morale, and Cadet has a willing little cu…”

“Sarah!”

This time it’s Grisham who growls her name. Sarah makes a squeaking sound and her head disappears from view.

“I have never had this much trouble with unit discipline before,” Terra sighs.

“Smaller units are harder to run,” Grisham commiserates. “They start to feel more like friends, or family. And given this is actually about a family of sorts – maybe you should stop trying to run it the way you’d run a troop of eighty.”

“You mean maybe I should just let you use Cadet as you feel inclined…”

“Or as she feels inclined to be used,” Grisham says without any hint of shame.

You find yourself blushing intensely all over again. The image of being a tender little rabbit between two alpha female wolves flashes through your mind. Grisham and Terra are very different people, but they both have a certain internal strength which comes with maturity and self-knowledge. They know what they want. And right now, what they want seems to be you.

“Cadet, go to bed,” Terra says.

“So you can talk about me? Work out a schedule?”

“Go to bed, Cadet,” Grisham reiterates.

It’s two against one, so even though you really, really want to hear what they have to say to one another, you have no choice but to follow orders.

You go back to the bedroom you share with Sarah and get into bed. Sarah is awake, of course. She doesn’t say anything and you think that maybe you might be able to get some sleep. You close your eyes and let the tiredness overtake you. The lateness of the hour is starting to take effect and you think you might just be able to…

“What’s it like to have a magic pussy, Cadet?” Sarah pipes up just as you begin to drift off.

“Shut up, Sarah,” you groan.

“You’ve got two women fighting over you. Can’t see why myself,” Sarah says. “I mean, you’re pretty and all, but so are they. They could have anyone they wanted. Why are they so obsessed with you?”

“They’re not the only ones obsessed,” you say. “You talk about me more than they do.”

“Don’t get ideas, Cadet,” Sarah says with a derisive snort. “I’m immune to your little innocent country girl charms.”

“Quiet down in there, or you’ll both feel the back of my hairbrush!” Terra calls through the door. They must have come back inside. That didn’t take long.

“I can’t sleep!” Sarah shouts back. “Cadet’s screaming hormones are keeping me up!”

The door opens a crack and Grisham leans in. “Sarah, do you need me to come in there and spank you again?”

“No ma’am,” Sarah says quickly.

You can’t help but giggle audibly. The way Grisham can shut Sarah up is just brilliant.

“Same goes for you, Cadet,” Grisham threatens. “Don’t think you don’t have to behave too.”

“But I like it when you spank me,” you reply with another giggle.

“That’s it!” Terra snaps from behind Grisham. “I’m changing the room assignments. Grisham, you come in here and sleep with Sarah. Keep her quiet. Cadet, you can take the other bed in my room.”

As you play musical beds, you can’t help but grin to yourself. This is kind of funny. As annoying as Sarah is, she has a talent for chaos you admire. And now you get to sleep in the same room as Terra while Sarah has to sleep a few feet away from Grisham, the one person she actually seems to be afraid of. She’s gone and shot herself in the foot with her mouth, that’s for sure.