by Hope Ford
I’m pushing through people and stop at the voice on the loudspeaker. Without even turning, I know it’s her. Her voice is smooth and sweet as honey. “People, please make way for the fireman. Move to the side. Move to the side, everyone.”
Everyone moves out of the way in front of me, forming an opening, but I barely notice. I’m too busy watching her. Her red hair is in a ponytail and even from here I can see her green eyes sparkling at me.
I don’t know how long I look at her, but her face twists in a smile. “Have at it, Mr. Fireman.”
I smile back at her and could keep looking if Zach doesn’t start busting my balls. “C’mon, Baker, let’s move. You can flirt later.”
Instead of a comeback, I take one last look at her, then move to the front yard. Somehow it’s pretty contained. Luckily, it’s a charcoal grill and from the looks of it, when it started blazing, they turned it into a bonfire. Yep, right in downtown Knoxville in the front yard.
I walk up to the man in the apron that says Kiss the Cook. “Hey, I don’t suppose you have a burn permit for this?”
He just laughs and takes a swig of his beer. “Nah, man. We’re grilling.”
I start laughing and wave for the boys at the pipe, signaling them to let it rip. I have it pointed right at the fire and as soon as the water hits it, the crowd groans and it only takes minutes to put it out. I give the man a few pointers on the safety of grilling, which I know goes in one ear and out the other.
I’m about to look for the policewoman when she shows up next to me. “You live here?”
She’s addressing the homeowner and I should leave her be, walk away, but I can’t. Physically, I can’t walk away. Even with Zach hollering for me.
I watch her as she deals with homeowner and if possible, she’s even more beautiful up close. Since she’s occupied, I take the opportunity to take her all in, look her up and down. She has on the typical uniform and blue cap. The tight fitting clothing shows off her curves, emphasizing her large breasts and shapely ass.
Before I know it, she starts to walk away. I catch up to her quickly. “Hey, so thanks for the help back there, you know making way for us.”
She smiles innocently at me, like she has no idea why I’m following her. Surely, she feels it. She has to feel this connection. I put my hand out to stop her and she stops suddenly, jerking from my hold. I throw my hands up. “Sorry, about that. Hey, I’m Baker, by the way, and I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”
Her eyes widen and shock shows on her face. She takes a step back from me and I can’t help it; I take a step toward her. She holds her hand up in front of me. “Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She turns to walk away but I stride right next to her. “Why not? I mean, are you seeing someone?” I try to hide the anger from my voice. I have a rule that I don’t date married women, but I don’t know what I’ll do if she tells me she’s married. “Are you married?” I blurt out.
She just shakes her head, laughing now. “Is this your thing? Pick up women out on calls?”
I shake my head instantly and tell her honestly, “No. Usually I’m all business when I’m on a call, but the minute you pulled in, I knew I wanted to talk to you, take you out.”
She rolls her eyes, unbelieving. “I’ll pass.”
When she turns away, I say to her, “Wait, what’s your name?”
She stops, hesitating, and I think, finally, maybe she’ll at least give me her name. But when she turns around, Zach is standing next to me. Instead of talking to me, she turns to him, sticking her thumb out at me. “So is this guy a player?”
Of all the people to ask, I wish it wasn’t Zach. He’s still pissed at me from a few weeks ago when I tried to date his now girlfriend. He wasn’t happy then and he sure as hell hasn’t calmed down about it.
Her partner takes that moment to interrupt and I think I’m off the hook. He yells for her, calling “Heather” and I can’t help but think, At least I have her name.
She holds up her finger at him, letting him know it will be a minute, and then turns back to Zach and me.
Zach looks at me, and I try to give him the look. You know, c’mon, bro code and all. But he didn’t get it or doesn’t care. “Yes, a big player!”
She thanks him, and I swear she gives me a dirty look that only turns me on even more and then walks away. I watch her sweet ass all the way to the car.
Heather
I no sooner get the car door open than my partner Luke is giving me a hard time, wanting to know who my “boyfriend” was. I look out at the yard, and besides all the beer cans, all the people have left, probably back to their homes. That usually happens when we come around.
I try to ignore Luke, but it’s not happening. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
He pulls out onto the road and drives slowly by the fire truck. The guy that introduced himself as Baker is watching us the whole time we drive by. He gives us a wave, but I ignore it. There’s no sense in encouraging him. I have to admit, it felt good, having him talk to me, show interest in me. But I knew he had to be a player. He’s definitely got the looks for it.
I fan myself just thinking about his dark hair and light blue eyes. I didn’t get to see much of his body since it was under his protective gear, but I know the man is hot. Capital H – o – t.
I jerk, coming out of my thoughts when the cold air comes at me high blast, hitting me in the face. I throw my hands up, closing the vents. “What the--?”
When I look over at Luke, he’s laughing. He starts waving his hand in his face. “You were fanning yourself, so I’m guessing the fireman got you hot.”
I give him a death glare, but I don’t deny it. I turn to look out the window to watch the passing trees, a part of me wishing that maybe he really did like me.
2
Baker
I’m stalking a police officer. I know it, but I’m not even a little bit ashamed about it. I’ve sat outside their precinct for two hours, just watching the door when finally they show up. I watch as her partner parks the car and they get out, laughing and talking as they walk in the door.
I thought maybe when I saw her again, I would find that I’d imagined my reaction to her. That maybe she’s not as pretty as I remember, or I wouldn’t feel this strong attraction to her. But it doesn’t turn out that way, because just watching her tight ass walk up the steps has me adjusting my hard length in my jeans.
I know I need to wait so it doesn’t look like I’m stalking her, but it’s already been over twenty-four hours since I’ve seen her last and I’m not willing to wait any longer. I grab the flowers out of the passenger seat and walk up the steps to the double doors.
As soon as I walk in, I’m greeted by a few officers that I know. Being in the fire department, we work a lot of calls together. I stride right to the front desk and ask for “Officer Heather.” And then I hope they don’t ask me for her last name.
The woman at the desk smiles at me, eyes me up and down, and says to take a seat.
I walk away from the desk, but I don’t sit down. I stand there, holding the flowers in my hand, trying not to get caught up in all the stares I’m getting.
“Yeah, Janice, what’s up?” My girl walks in from the back and goes straight to the desk. She’s changed from her uniform into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Her long red hair is in waves down her back. The woman gestures to me, and Heather looks at me, her mouth falling wide open.
She looks at the flowers in my hand and her face goes red. “What are you doing here?”
I clear my throat and walk over to her, not wanting to scream it across the room. “I thought maybe if you weren’t busy, we could get that meal tonight.”
She cocks her hip out. “And I thought I made it clear I don’t date players.”
“I’m not a play—” I start, but looking into her green eyes, I can’t lie to her. Because I have been a player, for some time now. I always made sure the women knew what they were getting from me, but n
ot now, not like this. I don’t want to be a player. Not with her.
“Look.” I take a step toward her and hold the flowers out. I know that everyone is looking at me, but I don’t care. I feel like I only have one shot at this, and I’m not going to fuck it up. “You’re right. I am a player. But there’s something about you. I can’t get you off my mind… and honestly I don’t want to. I just want to get to know you.”
She starts to talk, and I’m afraid she’s going to say no, so I plead with her. “If not dinner, then let’s just go out for coffee. That’s it. Just to talk.”
She’s already shaking her head when her partner walks up to us. He looks at me for a second and then turns to Heather, “Give him a break. Half the squad’s watching. It’s just coffee.”
It’s then that she looks around the room, and discovers that it’s silent. No one is talking, heck, they’re not even answering the incessant ringing of the phone. They’re all staring at us. Her face turns even redder. She grabs the flowers out of my hand. “Let’s go.”
I nod thanks to her partner and follow Heather out the door. When I step up to her, she turns on me. “We don’t have to do this.”
I grab on to her and pull her gently. “C’mon, you already said yes. Just coffee. My truck’s right here.”
I expect her to argue, but instead she follows me. When I stop by the passenger door and look at her, she’s looking at our combined hands. We stand there, and I can’t take my eyes off her. I don’t want to let her go. Just her touch makes me feel something, makes me feel like I’m somebody.
She pulls her eyes away and drops my hand. Not wanting to push her, I stand there while she pulls herself up into my truck.
It’s only a few blocks to the coffee shop and when we pull in, the parking lot is almost empty.
I order her spiced apple cider after she tells me she doesn’t drink coffee and a sweet tea for me. We’re at a two seater table in the corner and I watch as she blows on the steamy drink. I can’t look away from her puckered lips.
She takes a small sip before setting it down on the table between us. “I bet you haven’t been on a lot of coffee dates.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I haven’t been on a lot of dates recently at all.”
She smirks. “Yeah, right.”
I put my hand flat on the table between us. I want to reach for her, but I don’t think she would like that. But somehow, I need to make her understand, to believe me. “I haven’t. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
She blinks, and her green eyes darken. “Why not?”
I reach for her then, because I can’t not reach for her. “Because you have a gun for one. But also because I don’t want to lie to you. I want you to know all the truth about me so we don’t have anything to hide from each other.”
She doesn’t pull her hand away, which surprises me. “That’s pretty deep for a first coffee date.”
I don’t even blink. “It’s the truth.”
She tilts her head to the side, looking at me intensely, almost like she’s expecting me to holler out psych or something. When it seems that she may see it, may see how sincere I am, she nods her head. “Okay, Baker, so tell me all your truths.”
3
Heather
He starts to fidget, but he grips my hand even tighter, almost like he doesn’t want to let me go. “Okay, well, you’re right. I have been a player…”he begins. I start to pull my hand away, but he stops me.
“Please, let me finish.” His blue eyes plead with me.
I nod my head and he continues. “For as long as I can remember, really, I was a player. I never was dishonest about it or anything. I was always up front, making sure that the woman knew nothing would come of it. I just never wanted anything serious, never thought I would really.”
I shake my head at him. “Okay, well, that’s all well and good, Baker, but I’m not like that. I don’t do one-night –”
He stops me, pulling my hand across the table and cradling it in both of his. “I know that. You don’t think I know that? That’s why I’m telling you this. I want you to know up front. I’ve never felt this way before. From the first moment I saw you, it about brought me to my knees.”
I can’t help it. I laugh. I pull my hand from his and I laugh until I’m holding my sides. “Really?” I wipe the tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard. He’s staring back at me, and he looks so sincere, maybe even a little hurt that I’m laughing. I get myself together and shake my head at him. “C’mon, you expect me to believe that you saw me”–I run my hands down, pointing at my body—“and you want to settle down now. Want a relationship? I don’t even know you.”
He shakes his head and then runs his fingers through his hair. “Okay, obviously I didn’t go about this the right way. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so honest and upfront on a first coffee date. How about this? You give me a chance. Nothing serious, we have our coffee – well, tea and cider – and get to know each other. At the end, you decide if you want to go out again.”
He’s holding his breath. Being a cop, I notice all the things people do, weird ticks, body language, everything. And looking at him now, he seems almost like he’s holding his breath waiting for me to answer. Like this is important to him or something.
Finally, I nod my head, agreeing with him.
He lets out a fast breath. “Okay, so now that you know a little about me, tell me about you. Why’d you become a cop?”
“I come from a big family of police officers. My dad, my grandpa, my uncle and aunt. I just knew when I was little that I would want to grow up and be like them.”
He nods his head, urging me on. “So what about your partner?”
“Luke? We’ve been partners for a few years now,” I answer him, wondering where this questioning is going.
“So that’s it, just partners?”
Confused by his question, I don’t know how to answer. Partners aren’t just partners. I’m probably closer to him than anyone really. “Well, I wouldn’t say just, but yeah, partners. And friends.”
Before he asks me something else, I want to get to know him. “So what about you? Why a fireman? Why a player?” I smile at my last question. I know I should move on, but there has to be some reason that makes this guy who he is. And I mean, heck, what have I got to lose? I’m not going to go out with him again.
He smiles, stroking his hand across the stubble on his jaw. “That’s cute, the way you put that in there. Well, uh, I come from a family of firemen. My mom passed when I was younger–”
I open my mouth to tell him I’m sorry, but he stops me by holding up his hand. “It’s okay – I was young, I’m over it now. Uh, why have I been a player? Well, honestly, I’ve never thought about it, but I’d have to say it had a lot to do with how I was raised. After my mom passed, my dad never really settled down. He dated—a lot. And well, even in my family, it was always men, there weren’t a lot of women around and if they were, they weren’t around a long time.”
He sits back in his chair then. He seems like maybe he’s just had an epiphany. He’s shaking his head and I can’t help but think that I know he says he’s over it, his mother passing, but I don’t know if that’s truly the case. He starts to speak, and then clears his throat. “So, what else? Tell me everything about you. I want to know it all.”
I act like I don’t know he’s trying to change the subject, but what he just told me about his mom and his past tells me a lot about who he is. Finally, a little more at ease, I tell him about me.
Before I know it, two hours have gone by. When I hide a yawn behind my hand, I apologize to him. “Sorry, it was a long shift.”
He stands up, holding his hand out to me. “C’mon, I’ll take you back to your car.”
Baker
I tell her I’m going to take her back to her car, but I don’t want to. I don’t want this to end. When we get into the truck, I ask her, “Can I show you something?”
She looks at me oddly. “Uh—”
; I start to laugh. “I just want to show you something. My favorite place. It’s just three minutes from here.” I wait for her to answer. “Please?”
She finally nods her head. “Okay, yeah, sure.”
She leans back in the seat and I drive only a few minutes down the road. I take a side entrance to the park, down a dirt path. The truck bounces as we hit the potholes in the unpaved road.
Her hands land on the dashboard. “Baker, I don’t think --” And then she gasps.
We come to an opening and there’s a field that overlooks the river and all the lights of downtown. It’s breathtaking and it’s my favorite place to come to. I wanted to share this with her.
She turns to me, all smiles. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen downtown like this,” she exclaims. And I imagine she hasn’t. Being a cop, I’d say she’s probably seen the town at its worst probably.
We sit there, quietly, taking in the sight. I don’t want to disturb her. I remember when I saw this for the first time and I don’t want to take that away from her.
Minutes go by and she reaches across the seats and puts her hand over mine. It’s the first time we’ve touched that I didn’t initiate. I turn my hand over and lace our fingers together. When I look over at her, she’s staring at our hands. I squeeze hers, wanting her to look at me. She lifts her face and I don’t know which of us lean first, but we lean toward each other. She licks her lips and I hold in my groan. I’m afraid to talk, to move to fast, to do anything. I don’t want to scare her off. When our lips finally touch, it’s like a dam breaks. I’m flooded with feelings of euphoria and need. I try to restrain myself, hold back, but when she opens her mouth to me, deepening the kiss, I take it.
