The Long Way Home

Chapter Forty Seven: For Better, For Worse

Ever danced with the devil baby? Oh no
Make my day
Do you feel lucky? Oh no

Stereophonics - Devil

The bar was too crowded for John's taste, he hadn't expected so many people to come into a dive like this around the lunch time shift but as it turned out liquid lunch was more than just a metaphor in Memphis. John had a few hours to kill before he had to be back at the airbase and after what had gone down in Corinne's house he needed a drink to tide him over.

Then another drink just for Ford and then a third to forget how much he was missing Cass. Of course, he then had a beer to chase down the bourbon. John realized that he was consuming more alcohol than the usual beer or two he drank when he was in a bar. He didn't like not being in control of himself and he knew that the current turbulence in his life was clearly having a worse effect on him than he had originally suspected.

John's suit jacket was resting on the barstool to his right, his baby blue sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he chugged from his bottle of beer. His world was about to be turned upside down and temptation was looming brighter than ever in the corner of his eye. The old John Sheppard would have been more than half way to drunk by now, he'd also have been hitting on the woman next to him, the one in the short skirt sucking the cherry off her cocktail stick.

"Hey there sugar," she drawled as he took a swig of his beer.

Her curious gaze strayed to his left hand, coming to rest on his empty ring finger.

"No ring?" she queried.

John set down his beer bottle, that charming smile spreading across his handsome features as he shook his head at her words. It was the same old pick up line he was used to hearing when he sat alone in a bar. It didn't matter to this woman whether he was wearing a wedding ring or not, it was just a starting point to a conversation that would eventually lead back to some low rent motel room.

"You know a year or two ago I probably would have gone for a girl like you." John said, giving her the once over as he catalogued her assets the way he would have back then.

Sleek bottle blond hair, tanned all over, most likely from a sunbed since there seemed to be no visible tan lines. Her breasts were pushed up and on display in that white, skin tight top she was wearing. Her face was made up as if she was spending Friday night on the town, plump, glossy red lips and thick black eyeliner that made her jade green eyes stand out. She was every man's wet dream in this tiny dive of a bar. She was also trying to be John's afternoon delight.

"What about now?" The blond purred as she gave his physique an appreciative glance. "I could certainly go for a guy like you."

There was such lust in her eyes, pure unadulterated desire was vibrating within her flesh and John found himself repulsed by the neediness in this woman. Before Cass, this woman would have been exactly what he would have wanted. a quick fuck in a motel room, an itch to scratch or a frustration to vent, now she was simply a distraction. A very unwelcome one.

"Sorry, you ain't my type." John informed her, draining the last of his beer and setting the bottle back on the bar.

"Playing hard to get sugar?" she asked him, fluttering those pretty long lashes. "I think I can do a little something for that stress you seem to be under."

Her hand was rubbing up and down his bare arm, sending the hairs on his arms prickling with apprehension as her manicured talons raked his skin enforcing the extent of her intentions.

Shit, John used to be exactly like this woman, prowling in bars for someone to spent the night with. Anything to quench the loneliness inside that had been eating him up. There had been many women before the crash in Afghanistan and then after that no one. Even sex had been something he couldn't console himself with, he had lost several good people that day and that had been all on him.