Soldiers in Heat: Training Session

By Joanna A. Haze

Staff Sergeant Kimberly Woodson’s decision to attend Officer Candidate School has caused a rift in her home life. Charles, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, is determined to work things out despite his infidelities and will do anything to have his way.

Drill Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Jonathan Carlson leaves the skeletons of his past and starts a new life. He finds himself in another world in Officer Training School. He’s no longer the man in charge and has to adhere to new rules.

Passions fly when Jonathan lays eyes on Kimberly. Neither has dated outside their race, but they find themselves drawn to one another. Will there love make it or will it be ripped away by the rules of OCS?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AboutFace Media
• Release date: Jan 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301368501

Book preview

Soldiers in Heat: Training Session

by

Joanna A. Haze

Smashwords Ebook Edition

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Passionate Writer Publishing

www.passionatewriterpublishing.com

Soldiers in Heat: Training Session

Copyright © 2012 by Joanna A. Haze.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

License Notes

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*****

Books by This Author

The Missing Piece

Coming Soon

Soldiers in Heat: Desert Love

Soldiers in Heat: Bootcamp Bliss

Naughty by Nature: Mr. Right.com

Vegas

*****

Dedication

To my fellow Vets past and present, we share a bond like no other. I thank you for the memories.

Chapter One

Kimberly Woodson’s hands stung as she strained to pull herself up on the pull-up bar. What had she gotten herself into this time?

The last conversation she had with her husband flashed through her mind.

Officer Training is a tough school. There’s no way someone like you can make it through, he said.

What’s that supposed to mean?

You’re weak. You sit in an office all day and now you think you can lead troops? He crossed his arms and leaned against their bedroom wall.

His words stung. If she didn’t have to return to the house for some of her belongings she wouldn’t have. Kimberly finished packing her bag and headed out the door.

She dropped down from the pull-up bar and took her position in parade rest on the steps leading into the dining facility. Most still called it a chow hall, but as an Officer Candidate, she dared not utter the word.

Next three, her Student Platoon Sergeant said, poking his head out the door of the dining facility.

One, the male in front of her said.

Two, she called out.

Three, the male behind her said.

They went in, grabbed their trays and silverware, and stood in line for food. The chow hall resembled a foot buffet but with slim pickings. Given the choice between meatloaf and baked chicken, she opted for the chicken. Moving along, she grabbed two cups off the premade drink table.

Hands stinging from her fresh blisters and body sore from the morning physical fitness test, she made her way to an empty spot at a table. The room could fit a capacity of one hundred fifty soldiers at a time. Kimberly noticed the unit banners hanging on the walls along with the painted infantry murals. The Cadre sat at one long table overlooking the student seating. She avoided looking in their direction and moved forward.

The square, four seated tables were stacked back to back leaving just enough room for her to slide by.

Good job, Woodson, the male at the end said. He looked slightly on the heavy side, but if he was still there, it meant he passed height and weight.

She read his name tag. Thanks, Peterson.

I saw you on the run. You were the first female to finish, and you beat a lot of males, including me. You passed me up on the backstretch.

Aye, there, Candidate, you gone get out the pom pom’s and cheer for her? There’s no talking. Eat your food and get out, Staff Sergeant Isome said.

It was only her second day of training, and she learned quickly who the hard asses were. Staff Sergeant Isome, the First Platoon Cadrewas number one on the list. Thankfully, Kimberely resided in Second Platoon and didn’t have to endure him all day long. Sergeant First Class Lopez and Captain Brown were her trainers. They were hard but paled in comparison to Staff Sergeant Isome.

Kimberly chewed the rest of her food and downed her drinks. She picked up her tray, stacked it on the rack, placed the silver way in the return tray, and made her way to the door. On the other side was another bar. This time she had to do chin ups. She completed three and jumped down.

Now she had two options: run the six hundred yards back to Delta Company barracks or wait for two others to come out and march back. She looked at her watch. Running would give her an extra minute of shower time. She took off in a jog and ran back to the building. Her body cried out in pain from the physical exertion. Kimberly was no slacker when it came to fitness but OCS was a different monster—she may has well just finished a triathlon.

Once inside the building, she made her way to the room she shared with two other females. A bunk bed, a single bed, three wall lockers and three hutches were squeezed inside the dorm sized room. She grabbed her shower gear, Army Combat Uniform (ACU) pants, tan t-shirt, and underwear and made her way down the hall to the female latrine. One side had six stalls and the other three showers to be shared by thirty girls. After the physical fitness test, she was sure the number would be lower.

The showers were already taken. Kimberly stripped down and took her place in line behind another black female. She gave her the nod for making it past the physical fitness test. A shower freed up, and the girl went in. Kimberly ran her hands through the micro braids she wore. She was thankful she was smart and had them put in. If not, her hair would have been all over her head like the other girl.

Unlike the white candidate who stepped out the shower, she didn’t have wash and go hair. It took hours to get hers back right after sweating or any water got on it. Her grade was naturally, curly and though it was past her shoulders, it would have drawn up into an afro if not for the braids—and afros were not part of the Army Regulation for female hairstyles. In fact, most of the hairstyles black women wore weren’t.

Another female stepped out, and Kimberly took the available shower. In less than three minutes, she’d lathered up and rinsed off. When she opened the door she noticed the room was full. She found a spot to dry off and put on her clothes. Being able to walk from her shower straight into her room were one of the comforts of home she missed.

Glad to see you made it, a brunette female said to her.

The female stood in the mirror, combing out her hair, loose strands falling. Kimberly refrained from frowning though she knew in less than ten minutes, it would be a high probability she’d be the one cleaning them up. She and her roommates had latrine duty.

Thanks. What’s your name?

Andrews. I just finished bootcamp, she said.

Rank didn’t matter but most of the prior enlisted soldiers had issues with the ROTC officer candidates due to their lack of knowledge. Kimberly decided to give the girl a chance before passing judgment. She too had been new to the Army at one point in time.

Glad to see you’re still here as well, Andrews.

Barely. I passed the run by four seconds, she said.

Kimberly looked at her, confused as to how someone who just finished basic training barely passed the physical fitness test. Had it changed that much since she’d been?

She made it back to her room and noticed several missed calls from her husband, Charles. The thought of speaking to him made her stomach turn. She was doubtful he was calling to congratulate her on making it through the first round. It was more likely to give her more insults. She shook the thought out her head and finished getting dressed in preparation for what the rest of the day was to bring. It was only 0715 hours.