A Promise to Keep

by Kara Kross

  She was so easy to talk to I ended up telling her everything. We talked about my time in the service and my family issues. April listened to it all with a patient smile.

  “So your grandmother was the one to raise you?”

  “Yeah, the day I got marching orders to go halfway around the world I thought her heart was going to break in two. I promised when I was done, I’d live near her again. So, here I am.”

  April placed her hand over mine, “You’re a good grandson.”

  I gathered my courage and cupped her hand with both of mine. Our eyes met.

  “Ashton, I…” April leaned forward.

  “Officer Boyd, please conclude your appointment. We need to use the interrogation room for a witness here to report a stolen car.”

  The voice over the intercom was unmistakable. It belonged to Theresa.

  “I’m sorry, you’re at work. I’d better go.”

  Before I could gather my words, April left.

  I could hear Krieger whistle as he approached the room, “Hotter than I thought.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, I usually see her at that restaurant she manages. When she’s working, she, ya know, wears those frumpy lady boss clothes. Chubby chicks look the worst—”

  I slammed my hand on the table as I stood, “Krieger, shut the fuck up.”

  Krieger stood there for a minute, powdered sugar on his uniform, and stared at me.

  “Geeze, I didn’t think you’d care so much about a piece of tail.”

  “Her name is April, and if you talk about her like that again, you and I are going to have a problem. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  The rest of the day I had to block April from my mind. Just the thought of her sitting in my lap or spreading her legs on my desk kept me hard. When it was time to clock out, I went straight to the gym. I thought lifting weights would help me burn off all that pent-up energy... but it didn’t.

  Her curves in that outfit were damning. Even when I closed my eyes, I could still see her. I knew the only way to tame the other me was to jerk off. I managed to make it home but by the time I got in the shower, I was ready to go. As the shower gel in my hand slid down the length of my cock, I imagined it was her wetness. The more I stroked, the more I wanted her. Naked. Soapy. Wearing that beautiful smile. I came then turned the water up higher to wash everything away, everything but the thought of her.

  I had to speed up my plan to make her mine.

  Chapter 5

  April

  I’d hit the snooze on my alarm clock twice that morning. The more light that poured through my bedroom window, the more I covered my head with my blankets.

  “T-Trooper, enough! I’m up,” I pushed the little guy off my pillow.

  Even for a dog, his morning breath was bad.

  “I won’t be late I promise…just let me lie here another minute.”

  Trooper whined but settled in next to me anyway. The stillness in my room made it easy for my mind to wander. It went right back to what I’d said to Greg yesterday. Trooper was the only man in my life, the one lying next to me in bed, and it used to be enough.

  Meeting Ashton changed all that. Seeing him yesterday renewed my attraction toward him. A part of me wished he would cross a line and break that professional facade. We did get closer, but it was more like friend-zone chatting than flirting. I was right to distance myself. Imagining someone like that would want me was foolish.

  “It’s best just to forget about it. Right?” I turned to Trooper, hoping he would agree.

  Instead, he yawned and closed his eyes.

  “Oh no, if I have to get up, so do you. Come on bud.”

  I managed to make it into work on time despite my lazy pace that morning.

  “April, you look like hell. Are you alright?” Kelsi was behind the bar polishing glasses.

  “Good morning to you too, Kelsi.” I was heading straight to the back, eager to get started and distract myself with all the work waiting for me.

  “Are you sure you want to be here today? Maybe you’re more shaken up than you thought.”

  “I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep so well last night.”

  There was a long pause before Kelsi offered me a mimosa. I didn’t accept it, but it did make me laugh.

  I spent all of lunch service in the back dealing with reports. My to-do list was getting smaller and smaller when Greg came in unannounced.

  “April, can you come out to the floor for a minute?”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “A customer just asked to speak with the manager.” Greg disappeared before I could ask him anything else.

  I took out the mirror in my desk drawer and fixed my makeup before going out to meet the mystery patron.

  “April.”

  My heart fluttered at the sound of that voice. I turned to see Ashton sitting at the bar. It was my first time seeing him in anything other than a uniform. His thin sleeveless shirt exposed two quarter-sleeve tattoos. He was wearing gym shorts and running shoes. Even dressed down he oozed sex.

  “W-what are you doing here?” I tried to hide the nervousness in my voice.

  “I was reviewing your statement and I think I transcribed something incorrectly. I came to ask you about it.”

  “Oh…” my heart sank, “I’ll be right back. I just need to check on a customer first.”

  “No you don’t,” Kelsi grinned, “he’s the one who asked for you.” She placed a beer on the counter in front of Ashton, winked at me, and left to serve a customer.

  “She seems…nice.” Ashton laughed.

  “Kelsi’s great. She just…has her own sense of humor.” I sat down in an empty seat next to him.

  “I apologize for bothering you at work about this. I’m sure you’re ready to put it behind you.”

  “It’s fine.” I tried smiling but my heart wasn’t in it.

  Ashton pulled a copy of my statement out of his pocket.

  “You know, I don’t really want to discuss this in front of your other customers. Is there someplace more…private…we could talk?”

  I led him to the back office.

  “Sorry, this place is a mess.” I shuffled a few stacks of paper out of the way so there would be room to write. “You can sit here if you like.”

  “That’s your chair, I’ll sit over here.”

  That room never felt so cramped. Ashton was sitting across from me, but our knees were almost touching. I could smell his sweat and a hint of deodorant.

  “You must’ve come from the gym.”

  “Is it that bad?” Ashton tugged at his shirt, wafting his scent right up my nose.

  I pressed my thighs together. I was getting wet.

  “You’re fine…it’s fine. Um, now what was it you wanted to talk about?”

  “Oh right, the statement. Since I’m sure you’ll be pressing charges, I just want to make sure we got it right. This one part here, when I read over it, it didn’t make sense,” Ashton leaned forward, showing me the copy. “Maybe I wrote it down wrong?”

  I leaned in, trying to see where he was pointing when he crumpled the paper.

  Ashton sighed and sank back in his chair, “I’m usually way more direct than this when it comes to getting something I want.”

  “Something you want?” My face flushed and I looked down at my hands.

  “April,” he said, “you’re what I want.” His voice was clear and commanding.

  I squirmed in my chair. I could feel my panties getting wetter. I wanted to lock the door and let him rip off all my clothes, but I was still technically at work.

  “Since I met you, you’re all I think about,” Ashton took my hand, “you’re beautiful.”

  His voice had gotten softer but his blue eyes were intense. They looked right through me. His raw desire made me feel exposed. I liked it and wanted more.

  “I…” Ashton covered my mouth with his, swallowing my words. He tasted like salt and beer
. I could feel his tongue hungrily sliding over mine. It was making me weak. His hand cupped my cheek as the kiss deepened.

  “April…” he said quietly.

  He stood up and took my hand, pulling me into an embrace, holding me against his body as our lips met again. I could feel his massive cock throbbing in his thin gym shorts. Its heat made me remember how long I had been waiting to be satisfied. I wanted Ashton to take me so badly, my panties were soaked.

  As if he could read my mind, Ashton backed me into my desk. I sat down instinctively, and he dropped to his knees. His big hands pushed my skirt up around my hips, rough fingers pulled my panties to the side. I closed my eyes as his tongue touched my slit. He lapped up my juices, teasing my sweet spots before plunging inside me.

  I put my hands in his hair and rolled my hips forward. Forcing his face harder into me as I leaned back and let the sweet pleasure run through my body.

  He pawed at the small of my back, clamping himself in place. That special mix of rough and gentle bringing me closer and closer to climax with each pump of the fingers and lick of the tongue. I was swearing under my breath as he pushed himself deeper—

  “April? Sorry to interrupt,” it was Greg knocking on the door, “we have another customer asking for the manager.”

  “I—I’ll be right there.” I moaned. Trying to make my voice sound as normal as possible while letting go of Ashton and standing up.

  “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away,” he said, not looking like he was sorry at all. His hand still on my arse and his erection pressing up against my stomach again. “I know it’s out of order, but let me take you to dinner tomorrow night.”

  I was out of sorts and couldn’t respond right away. Mostly, I was upset that we had been interrupted.

  “It’s alright to say no,” he said, “I mean, it would be nice to pick up where we left off, but we can just have a nice meal together.”

  Ashton’s smile melted me all over again.

  “Sure. Dinner sounds perfect.”

  Chapter 6

  Ashton

  If we hadn’t been interrupted, I would have pulled April onto my lap and fucked her silly. I wanted to feel her so badly it was painful. I’d never experienced such overwhelming chemistry before. I could tell she was just as hungry as I was, maybe more so.

  Needless to say, as soon as I got home from the restaurant, I had to jack off again. I’d finally gotten close enough to touch more than her hand. Reliving that briefly intimate moment kept me up all night. I played it over and over again in my head. I could hear her breath, her shy moans and could still feel her fingers in my hair.

  Our dinner date couldn’t come fast enough, but a day shift stood between me and seeing her again.

  “Come on, newbie. It’s time for patrol.” Gonzales handed me a cup of store-bought coffee.

  “Where did this come from?”

  “When you came in this morning you looked like hell. I need you awake.”

  I reached out for the cup, but Gonzales pulled it back towards himself.

  “If you don’t want it, that’s fine. Krieger made the coffee today, so you can take your chances.” Gonzales smirked at me.

  I snatched the paper cup from his hand, “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  Next to paperwork, patrol was one of the more uneventful parts of my day. Gonzales always had his routes mapped out in his head, so I never drove. We’d pass the parks, the high schools and a few neighborhoods that needed a little extra attention.

  That day, his route took us by The Waterfront.

  “I’m starting to get hungry. Wanna stop for lunch?” Gonzales asked, pulling in to park before I even had a chance to answer.

  “Nah, I think I’d rather have a pizza.”

  It was a lie. I would have loved the chance to see April again. Mostly because I wanted to lock her in her office and make her come until she begged me to stop.

  “You sure? I thought the girl you liked worked here.”

  “She does, but I don’t want to interrupt her.”

  “Women love surprises. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

  “I’ll see her tonight.”

  “Oh ho! You work fast!” Gonzales laughed and slapped me on the shoulder.

  He looped through the parking lot, taking his usual route to our usual pizza place, Vito’s.

  “Hey, slow down there, Champ. You’ll ruin your appetite. Gotta save room for dinner tonight.”

  “Come on, Gonzales. That’s hours away and I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”

  I folded two slices together and took a bite.

  “Probably because your head was still in the clouds. Daydreaming about your little cupcake I bet.”

  It was like being at a cafeteria lunch table with a middle schooler. I fully expected Gonzales to start singing “Ashton and April sitting in a tree.”

  “Alright, alright. Can we just finish up and go?”

  “You know, rushing through our patrol won’t get you to your date any faster.”

  I managed to make it through the rest of my shift only writing a few traffic tickets and talking to some teenagers about the definition of loitering. Changing out of my uniform that day put a smile on my face. I was going to see April.

  I wanted the night to be special, so I made reservations at Slate, an expensive steakhouse in the next town over. Then we’d go for a nightcap at the wine bar in town. When I thought about it later, I realized it was lofty of me to plan the night so meticulously. April looked more amazing every time I saw her. If she was dazzling when I picked her up tonight, there would be no guarantee that I could keep my hands off her long enough to even make it to our first stop.

  My clothes for the evening were already pressed and I was headed to the shower when my phone rang. It was Gonzales.

  “I know you’re probably getting ready for your date but—”

  “Did you call just to tease me again?”

  “No, I’m not joking around. We need your help down at the station.”

  “My shift is over. Isn’t there someone else on call for tonight?”

  “You’re the fifth person I called. Two of the others are coming in but I still need more help.”

  I sat down on the edge of my bed.

  “What happened?”

  “A house party got really out of hand. It went from a noise complaint, to a fight to a stabbing when one of the girls caught her boyfriend upstairs with her best friend. It’s crazy over here. The station is full of people we have to question. The sooner we get them processed the sooner we can all go back to our lives.”

  There was a long pause before I agreed.

  I hung up on Gonzales and stared at my phone, knowing I would need to call April next.

  “Hey! Ashton, I was just thinking about you,” her voice sparkled even over the phone, “What should I wear tonight?”

  “About that…”

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “Yeah…I hate to do this but there’s been a change of plans. I have to go in tonight. April, I’m sorry—”

  “No need to apologize. Work is work... I understand.”

  “I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

  “Well, you kept your promise to your grandma, so I believe you…”

  “It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

  “But, if you let me down again, I won’t be so nice.”

  “Ma’am, yes, Ma’am” I responded in my best military drill voice.

  April laughed and wished me a good night.

  I got up and looked at the clothes I’d picked for the night, then over at my uniform bag. I tossed my uniform on, hopped in my car and just sat there.

  “Goddamnit!” I struck the steering wheel a few times and screamed.

  I was so close to having April in my arms again. So close.

  Chapter 7

  April

  I was numb as I stared at the three dresses I’d laid out. One was on the elegant side. One was def
initely cute. The last, and the one I wanted to wear the most, was the sexy one. Perfect earrings. Perfect shoes. I was going to be irresistible. I’d get in the car and he’d be dumbfounded. Rather than dinner, he’d take me back to his place and toss me in bed.

  “But it looks like it’s not gonna happen…” I placed my hand on one of the dresses, intending to put it back in the closet.

  “Screw it, I’ll sleep on the sofa.” I tossed on a bathrobe and went downstairs.

  Trooper was chewing on a squeaky toy in the middle of the living room floor. He looked up at me, cocking his head to one side.

  “I know, I know, I’m supposed to be dressed for a date. Surprise! It got canceled.” I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips and the left-over ice cream in the freezer.

  I took my usual seat on the sofa and Trooper hopped up next to me.

  “Just the two of us again tonight,” I said, “like always.”

  Dates. This is exactly why I hated them. No matter what happened, they always end in disappointment. It was silly to start planning a happily ever after with a man I barely knew, but when he kissed me, I felt like it was okay to dream a little. He wanted me and I was dying to give into him. Even if it was just for a little while, I wanted to feel desirable and treasured in his arms.

  “Alright, I think a three-hour marathon of crime-dramas is enough. What’s say we go to bed, Trooper?”

  I turned off the television and stretched out my legs.

  “Maybe he’ll keep his promise…soon.”

  I was drifting off to sleep when Trooper started to bark. He jumped off the sofa and ran to the door. The doorbell rang before I could catch up to him.

  “Good job, Trooper,” I said, patting his head, “who is it?”

  “Officer Boyd, ma’am.”

  My heart leaped into my throat. I couldn’t answer. Instead, I yanked open the door.

  “Sorry I’m late.”

  Ashton was standing there holding a pizza from Vito’s. He had a bottle of wine and a small bouquet of flowers tucked under his arm.

  “This isn’t exactly what I had planned, but I couldn’t wait to keep my promise to make it up to you. Pizza?”