by M. C. Cerny
A clicking pen brought me back to reality.
“Rumson, do I need to explain protocol to you on domestic calls?”
I groaned remembering my move that was suited to a rookie fresh out of the academy, not even Hernandez would make that mistake.
“No, sir.”
“Well then don’t you have a DV report to finish?”
Damn Lieutenant.
“Yes, sir,” I muttered, wanting to throw shit since I couldn’t kiss my angst out on Colbie… yet.
2
Colbie
“Ma’am, I need you to stay calm. I have an officer on route. I need you to stay on the line with me.” Sweat beaded between my breasts, and I hated these kinds of calls. I was helpless on my end with the exception of connecting her to an officer to respond. Too bad, this was par for the course, and you never got used to it.
The last two weeks had been an exercise in patience. After my surprise meeting with Theo Rumson in the break room, we talked nearly every day in-between breaks, before and after shifts, whenever possible. He sometimes left me little notes on my headset or a tied up box from the local bakery called, Sweet Salt before my shift. I knew more about him than I did my last two long-term boyfriends, and I wasn’t sure what that said about me, but I liked this guy.
* * *
Today’s message: I’m looking forward to later. I’ll be off earlier since I have the range today. I’ll do my best to not shoot my eye out.
* * *
I laughed hard because we joked about our favorite holiday movies, and we both agreed A Christmas Story was right up there. His dad had a sexy leg lamp his mother deemed only suitable for residing in the garage. On the flip side, my grandmother sent us matching pajamas until the year she passed, and now my mom kept up the tradition. He asked to see last year’s pair, and I told him they’d already been donated because they were so bad with dancing elves. It felt nice to have something sweet in common.
He disclosed that his wife left him a few months ago, but he didn’t trash talk his ex. They’d been together since college and, in retrospect, had grown apart over the last few years. I took that as a sign of respect, although I sensed some bitterness about her taking the dog was just the tip of the iceberg. His reason for coming to this precinct in a transfer was so that he could put some distance between him and his ex. I liked that he didn’t seem hung up on her even after she’d burned him. Last thing I wanted was her crazy ass showing up or him pinning for her as we started this relationship.
We were both partial to Italian food, and Theo did a mean Godfather impersonation that left me laughing well after our conversation ended. He went to SUNY College and considered becoming a high school history teacher. I attended a small four year school with training in communication systems. In between his freshman and sophomore year, his mother had been mugged in the grocery store parking lot, and he switched his major to Criminal Justice attending the police academy right after college. His parents still lived in Cortland, NY and wished their son would move closer to home. Mine weren’t too far away in Brooklyn. I was partial to him staying, but I carried a bit of bias.
“Miss, I hear a knocking at the door.” I snapped back from my fantasy of Mr. Tall-Blond-Blue-Eyed-Six-Pack-Gun-Toting-Hotness, whom I had a date with in about two hours when my shift finally ended.
“Okay, please stay on the line until you can verify the officer’s identity.” I waited for Mrs. Simms to get back on the phone, letting me know that Officer Hernandez was indeed there to help her. Hernandez verified, and my call ended, letting him go from there. I heaved a deep sigh and sat back in my chair. The day had been slammed with calls, and I was looking forward to the weekend off. A weekend Theo Rumson had thoughtfully coordinated a trio of dates within the 60-hour window of our time off schedule. I happened to know he switched out a shift with Hudson on Sunday because the schedule was posted in our call center, but I liked that he was willing to devote the time to me. We agreed that at any point if one of us wasn’t feeling it, we’d end the date and part on friendly terms. I felt anything but friendly with Sergeant Rumson. Our talks had left me pining for more and eager to see where this could go.
Another knocking on the door in my call center had me looking up into a grinning Theo’s blue eyes. “Ready to go?”
I glanced over at the clock and realized it was time my shift officially ended on the dot. “I thought I would meet you after,” I said, picking up my things. I planned to change out of these clothes and freshen up, but it looked like he was as eager as I was.
“I thought I would pick you up. Save us some time.” He winked, and my heart jumped.
“You couldn’t wait, could you?” I joked, and he nodded sheepishly, guiding me toward the exit.
“Let’s go then before someone calls out and we’re ordered to work overtime.” I hurried as he put his arm around me squeezing and pulling me in for an unexpected side hug.
“No worries on that; I checked with the Lieutenant, and we’re clear. We are so far down the totem pole that nobody is going to call us until Monday.”
“Oh my god, this is already the best date ever.” We made our way to his truck in the parking lot, and he opened the door to my side, waiting until I secured my buckle. I can’t believe his ex-wife left him when he was the perfect gentleman. It almost felt too good to be true.
“I figured we could try out the Mange Meatball.” He drove through the familiar neighborhood we worked in toward the main thoroughfare, parking in a reserved spot. This place was known for its meatballs, obviously, but also cost a decent penny. If he was trying to impress me, it was working.
Dinner left my hunger satiated, but not my desire for this man who was funny, thoughtful, and sexy. I couldn’t believe that this was only date number one, and I didn’t want it to end. He ordered dessert and moved himself closer to me in our secluded booth.
“Tiramisu?” I asked, and he chuckled, ordering us a plate.
“It sounded right up our alley.” The server brought us a single dish and two forks though we only used one. Theo fed me bite after bite interspersed with bites of his own.
“Theo, this has been a really nice first date.” Our plate was now empty, and the evening coming to a close.
“I don’t really want to drive you back to get your car or leave you tonight. I realize that sounds crazy, and we have the whole weekend, but I don’t want to relinquish you.” He reached for my hand, and our palms met, our fingers lacing together. I scooted closer, and our bodies lined up from thigh to shoulders. The heat between us warded off the chill of air-conditioning in the restaurant, and my shiver was more about the craving I felt for the sexy man next to me.
“Come home with me, Theo.” I rested my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped a muscular arm around me. I sank into his chest and leaned in, letting go and becoming boneless in his embrace.
“Only if you’re sure, Colbie. I’m content to wait. You’re not a rebound girl for me or a notch from the department pool. I don’t ever want you to think that.”
“I believe you.” I did believe him. If I knew one thing, it was that Theo Rumson was a by the book guy in all aspects of his life. He felt guilt over his divorce not being final, and he mourned his dog. Nothing he said or did in the last two weeks of us flirting on the phone or talking at work made me suspect anything else, and I was willing to give him a chance.
“I know you say that, but I need you to know it’s true.” His earnest confession got to me. If Theo was a jerk, it would have gotten around the station the same way the Lieutenant was a dick, red-penning every report his fingers touched, or that Hernandez was the best rookie they’d hired in a decade. We functioned as a family, and even if he was a new transfer to the department, he couldn’t escape the wagging tongues.
“So then, why are we still here? Let’s go.” I got up and pulled him to his feet. Theo followed me out of the restaurant and drove to my apartment building, parking on the street.
Theo took my keys and open
ed my door, checking inside before letting me enter. It was cute watching him scope out the space, maybe a tad paranoid, but after the last call we had together, I trusted his instincts and let him do his thing.
“All clear, not even a cat in sight.” He handed me my keys and observed me locking up the door.
I giggled, “Yeah I don’t have any yet.”
His eyes narrowed and he smiled taking a step closer to me. “Darling, I’m an equal opportunity animal lover.”
I bet he was.
“It’s in you, isn’t it?” I dropped my keys and purse on the table, running my hands over his broad shoulders in the dim light of my studio living room. He seemed to stand taller, making me giggle with my dirty thoughts. He wasn’t cocky like some of the other guys in the department. This was just who he was fundamentally–a protector.
“What?”
“This need to protect.” I balanced on my tiptoes and grazed his jawline with a kiss.
He dipped his chin down so I could reach him half way while he pulled me flush against him. The buttons of his dress shirt bit my skin, making me shiver.
“I think it’s drilled into us at the academy, but yeah, I’ve always felt this way about the women in my life.” I thought about his mom getting mugged and understood.
“I can live with that.” I kissed him again, making the initial move. He might have asked me out, but I was getting a solid kiss out of tonight. He quickly took over, sucking on my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth for more. Our tongues dueled for a moment before he stepped back as breathless as I felt. My chest heaved wanting this and more. I really wanted his shirt off and made awkward pulls to dislodge it from his pants.
“Good, because I don’t think I could tamp that down with you.” He left a pecking kiss on the tip of my nose and pulled my hands up against his chest.
My fingers played with the middle button on his shirt, and he closed his hand over mine. “I don’t want you to tamp down anything,” I said coyly despite my need to have more.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to take me to bed and have your way with me.”
He chuckled. “Rushing things?”
“Nope, just staking my claim.” I giggled when he picked me up.
“Don’t say I didn’t try, Colbie.” His strong arms maneuvered us taking the three steps toward the bed behind the lacy privacy screen in my studio. Matching curtains covered my windows along with a set of blackout curtains from my shift work.
“I’m a terrible waiter,” I confessed.
“Let’s get naked then since neither of us is very good at waiting.”
“10-4, Rumson. Cease the chit chat and get to business,” I mock demanded, and his laughter was deep and throaty. Smiling, he dropped me on the bed, and I bounced. Theo stood up and tugged at his shirt and buttons. I got up on my knees to help him with his buckle and to unzip his pants, tugging them down his lean hips.
“I got this Miss Bossy-pants.” Theo pushed me to my back and dropped his wallet on the bed next to the pillow.
“I love the sound of your voice,” I purred, wiggling out of my clothes and tossing them to the floor.
“Really? Just so you know, every time you get on the radio, I want to say the filthiest things to you, but I know we’re being recorded.”
“Is the good cop itching to get caught?”
“I’m always a good cop,” he growled. “Sometimes we like to exercise our bad selves within reason.” He crawled up over me, parting my thighs.
“What kinds of things would you say to me?”
“I’d start of by asking you what you’re wearing because I am an extremely visual person.”
“Uh huh,” I said, licking my lips.
“I’m a trained observer; I can’t help it.” He shrugged, taking his time to look me up and down.
“Do I get to participate in this as well?” If his eyes could roam, then mine would too, appreciating all of him.
“Of course. I’m naked unless you need the uniform to get you going.”
“It’s nice, but not needed. I’d start by running my hands over your back and flanks so I can get a feel for all those muscles you hide under the starched blue collar and black stripes. The uniform is a tease for what I can’t see, and your vest makes you seem bigger.”
“What about my Batman belt?”
“Ditch it unless you’re tying me up,” I replied demurely. He could do as he pleased as long as he made me feel this good under his gaze.
“Good to know, darling.” He cleared his throat, getting back into our verbal play. “I’d tell you how much I adore your soft skin and imagine tasting it.”
“What would I taste like?” My senses went to the tiramisu we just ate, and he must have been reading my mind.
“You’d taste like sweet cream and your nipples like chocolate chips dipped in liquor.”
I sighed. “I love chocolate.”
“I have a sweet tooth.” His mouth lowered, and the heat of his breath left tingles over my skin.
“Would you bite them or suck them? I feel like your personal cookie.” I watched Theo make a trail of lingering kisses down my sternum to circle back to my breasts. He gave each one equal attention, pinching one nipple gently while nibbling on the other. My breasts felt heavy, and the tips distended into hard points like Hershey kisses in the dark.
“Colbie,” Theo groaned and continued a trail over my body, leaving no part unchartered. His hands pushed mine up, and he used his height to continue downward, his nose rubbing against my hip and then centering over my mound.
Squirming in the bed, it was hard to hold back. “Theo, I want you.”
“I got you, darling.” He kissed me, parting my lips with his tongue and licking my clit from top to bottom before sucking the nub into his mouth. He used his whole face to get into it, leaving me dizzy, wet, and writhing.
“Wrap it up, Rumson.” I fumbled for his wallet and pulled out a condom, handing it to him.
He leaned up, pouting. “Can’t a guy savor his second dessert?”
“Not tonight and not if he wants breakfast in the morning,” I sassed.
He nodded and opened the condom, rolling it down his shaft smoothly. I parted my legs wider and invited him to shift upward, covering me. I liked the feel of his weight on top of me and angled my hips to take his first thrust.
“I love breakfast,” he said, pushing inside me slow enough to make my moan heard across the building. My hand slipped between us and circled my clit, making my center contract.
“Full spread?” I joked, and he chuckled, resting his head in my shoulder while attempting to hold back the laughs. Well, I was having none of that, delicious innuendos aside.
“Bacon.” He thrust, and I canted my hips upward to take him deeper, riding the wave of pleasure.
“Extra crispy,” I said as our skin slapped together like strips of meat cooking in its own popping juices. We would be well-done and beyond crispy after this.
“Colbie, baby, I’m gonna need carbs to keep this up.” His lower body pounded deeper. His hips pinched mine, and the brief smarts of pain felt so good.
Breathless, I suggested, “Pancakes or waffles?” I rolled and lifted my feet on the bed. He shifted and rested on his elbows, controlling the speed of our joined bodies.
His next sentence was punctuated with thrusts I met clawing at his shoulders. “Fucking. French. Toast.” He sucked my neck, leaving me with a trail of raspberry love bites that would be hard to cover up with my dispatching uniform, not that I wanted to. Let Monday come and our co-workers question our weekend romp. I dared them.
“Maple syrup?” I kissed below his ear, giving him a bite and licking the spot as he slowed for a brief moment, letting us both collect our next breath.
Theo shifted and said, “You bet your ass I want my toast slick and buttery.” He pumped faster, and I felt the gush of my arousal coating his thick dick inside me. We weren’t talking about food any longer, and my body tensed in ri
ppling quivers to let him know it.
“Uh.” I panted grunts as he finished exploding inside me before gently pulling out. My legs smacked together when I rolled to my side watching him dispose of the condom.
“Move over, I like coffee after my breakfast.” Theo nudged me until I made room for him. His version of coffee sounded more like snuggles. My eyes closed, and I fell deeply asleep, warmly cocooned in his massive arms, my hunger appeased.
3
Theo
I woke up in a bed not my own and a warm woman wrapped up in my arms. This weekend date had not proceeded according to plan, and I considered scrapping the rest of the plans in favor of winging it. Especially if winging it meant that we spent more time between the sheets. I liked not having a plan with Colbie. Unlike my ex who had been so regimented we scheduled sex. Rita had no place in my head this morning, and I pushed her out. Last night was spontaneous and fun, sexy and mind-blowing, and we definitely woke up hungry enough to demolish a full spread of food at the Gemini Diner.
And they said romance was dead, pfft.
Tempest, a beautiful red-headed dancer for The Rockettes who dated Hernandez and worked the breakfast shifts at the diner, stopped by to refill our mugs with hot coffee. She’d moved in with him right after a mugging in the neighborhood. They’d been together a few months now, and Hernandez planned to propose after his promotion this summer. I was glad the rookie wasn’t letting my divorce or the Lieutenant’s bitterness affect his future like so many of my other colleagues. Life was short, and love was precious. Tempest might not realize it yet, but she was a lucky girl with Hernandez, and I wished them the best.
Colbie cupped her hands around the hot ceramic mug, and we finished debating the pros and cons of standard operating procedures that had recently come under fire in the department. We agreed on one, the Lieutenant needed to retire sooner rather than later. We traded silly impersonations of him giving orders and being a general pain in the ass at the precinct. I decided to change the subject because the last thing I wanted to do was harp on work related topics when I had less than 48 hours of Colbie time all to myself.
