“You look a little pale,” Boggs said as she set down the remaining boxes. “Are you okay?”
Toni sighed and plopped down on the couch next to Mr. Rupert. “I keep scaring myself,” she admitted. “And I feel so stupid. You were gone two minutes and I panicked. I want a gun.”
Boggs joined her on the couch. “Okay. We can get you a gun. In fact, because of your job, you can carry a concealed weapon if you want.”
“Do you think I’m being too paranoid?” Toni was feeling embarrassed and ashamed of her behavior.
“Not at all,” Boggs said tenderly. “Not at all. You’re just being careful. Now, if you’d never handled a gun before, I’d be a little leery. But I don’t see a problem. Metro’s already done a background check on you, so you’ll probably only have to pay for the permit. We can do it tomorrow, okay?”
She hugged Boggs. “Thank you, hon. It means so much to me that you understand.” She jumped off the couch and grabbed a box. “I feel better already. Let’s do some packing.”
They spent the rest of the evening packing books, knickknacks, CDs and some of Toni’s kitchen items. Boggs retrieved several more boxes and by eleven o’clock Toni was exhausted. All of the boxes except one were neatly labeled. The remaining box had items to donate, including several duplicate CDs. They were sitting on the floor in the living room.
“That wasn’t too bad,” Toni said as she sipped her lemon water and Boggs taped the last box shut.
“We got a lot done.” Boggs opened her own bottle of water and drank half. “I think we should celebrate.” She scooted closer to Toni and kissed her softly. “In fact, I think we should celebrate every night.” She caressed Toni’s face and kissed her again, this time more passionately. Her hands began to wander and she was able to unbutton Toni’s shorts without breaking stride. When her hand reached inside, Toni moaned softly.
“Don’t you want to go upstairs?” Toni whispered.
“No. I’m busy,” Boggs said, continuing to kiss her. Somehow she managed to pull up Toni’s T-shirt and unhook her bra without removing her other hand from inside Toni’s shorts.
Toni attempted to touch Boggs somewhere, anywhere, but her position made it impossible. “I want to touch you. Let me touch you.”
Boggs removed her mouth from Toni’s breast and smiled. “I’m busy” was all she said before returning to her nipple.
Toni breathed deeply and sighed, enjoying every sensation. “Okay, but if you get carpet burns, don’t blame me.” She thought she heard Boggs chuckle before she lost all awareness except for the feel of Boggs’s hands and mouth on her. All thoughts of crazy people and paranoia left her and the only thought in her mind when she climaxed was how much she loved Boggs.
Chapter 16
Toni awoke on Tuesday morning feeling a little disoriented. She opened her eyes and saw boxes. She shook her head and sat up. She couldn’t believe that she’d slept through the night on the living room floor. She was as naked as a jaybird and there was a blanket and pillows from the couch next to her. She blinked a few times and saw Boggs through the opening to the kitchen holding up a cup of coffee.
“Do you want a cup before you shower?” she asked. “And by the way, you look great in the morning.”
Toni got up off the floor, not bothering to cover herself, and went to the kitchen. “I’ll take a cup to go, thank you.” She kissed Boggs, noticing she was already dressed. “I’m assuming the shower is free?”
“Yes, unless Mr. Rupert is still up there.” She handed a cup of coffee to Toni and kissed her. “Last night was frickin’ unbelievable,” she said, grinning.
Toni took a sip of her coffee and headed upstairs. “If you think last night was good, just wait until tonight,” she called from the stairs. “I’m in charge.”
Boggs popped into Toni’s office at around one o’clock and glanced at the new license plates on her desk. “I see you got the new tags.”
“Yeah. I went next door to city hall. I didn’t know until today that there was a DMV office there.” She turned away from her computer and smiled at Boggs. “And I’ve got a list of Butch’s clients for the past two years. A lot of big names. I don’t know if it’ll help us at all, though.”
“You never know.” Boggs sat in the only available chair. “On a different subject, I’ve got the paperwork for your gun permit.” She held up the papers. “But you have to take a firearms safety course.”
Toni frowned, but then she remembered. “Hey, I took the course. I took it my last semester in law school for research for a class.” She quickly looked up the phone number for the shooting range where she took the course and requested a copy of her certificate to be faxed to her office. Five minutes later it was in her hands.
“If you’ve got some time we can walk over now and pay the fee. I talked to Captain Billings this morning and he said they’d give you a temporary permit immediately because of the circumstances.”
Toni checked her daily calendar. “I don’t have anything in court this afternoon, so let’s go ahead.” She grabbed her wallet and checkbook from her briefcase. As they headed down the hall she saw Anne Mulhoney.
“Hi, Toni. Boggs. Are you two going to lunch?”
“No,” Toni said, holding up the papers. “Gun permit.”
“Good idea,” Anne said. “Do you have a gun yet?”
“No,” Toni said. “I thought we’d go somewhere after work tomorrow.”
“Do you have anything on the docket this afternoon?”
“No, why?” Toni asked. “Do you need me to do something?”
“Not at all.” Anne smiled. “Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon and go over to Tom’s Gun Shoppe after you get your permit. I’ll call him and tell him you’re coming and he’ll give you a good deal.”
Toni raised an eyebrow. She had no idea that her boss was familiar with guns.
“My husband Bill and I like to shoot,” she explained. “And Tom’s a friend of ours. Go ahead. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you get one. Of course, you’ve got Boggs here.”
Boggs nodded and smiled at the recognition.
“Thank you, Anne,” Toni said. “I appreciate it.”
As Anne walked away, Toni was shaking her head. “I couldn’t ask for a better boss. Let me go ahead and get my things from my office and then we can leave after we get the permit.” She got her briefcase and blazer and picked up the list of clients she’d compiled.
By four o’clock that afternoon Toni was the owner of a Smith & Wesson M & P Compact nine-millimeter pistol. It had a three-and-a-half-inch barrel with both front and rear sights and weighed only a little over twenty-one ounces empty. The overall height was four-point-three inches. The magazine held twelve rounds, with one in the chamber. She also had a pancake holster with a thumb break for safety.
“They’ve got a range in the back if you want to give it a try,” Boggs suggested. “It’d probably be good if you got a feel for it, you know?” She bought an extra box of ammunition and paid for a booth.
Toni loaded the magazine with ease and slapped it into the butt of the pistol. She put on safety glasses and ear protection and looked downrange at the target. It had been many years since she’d practiced, but she felt comfortable and confident. She raised her weapon and looked down the sight. It was helpful having a rear sight. She took a deep breath, letting out half before squeezing the trigger. There was just a slight kick, less than she’d expected. Her shot was a little off-center. She frowned. She was a bit rusty. She tried again. Perfect. Ten more shots hit dead center. She took off her ear protection and turned to look at Boggs.
“It feels good,” she said. “Good balance, not as loud as I expected.” She picked up the spent cartridges and realized that having a gun in her hands made her feel much safer. Why, she didn’t know. She had no idea if someone was actually after her, and even if that was true, she had no clue who it was. Still, a gun made her feel less vulnerable.
Boggs was just staring at her, her
mouth wide open.
“What?” Toni was puzzled. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” She reached up and brushed her cheek.
Boggs burst out laughing. “No, you don’t have anything on your face, babe.” She was shaking her head. “I know you said a while ago that you were a good shot, but holy shit! You’re amazing.”
Toni felt her face flush. Even though she was proud of her marksmanship, compliments usually embarrassed her. “Um, thanks.” She looked at her new pistol. “Oh, I guess I should get a gun cleaning kit.”
Boggs helped her gather her things. “I’ve got one at home, babe. Let’s stop there so I can feed the fish and we’ll clean your gun.”
Toni glanced at her watch, then smiled at the woman she adored. “Okay. That’ll still give us enough time to pick up the subs and get back to my place by six.” She took Boggs by the hand and headed to the parking lot.
Chapter 17
The woman finished some work at her desk in the study and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly five o’clock, so she fixed herself a glass of Famous Grouse. After stirring the Scotch three times, she tapped her finger on the rim and licked the liquid. That first taste always soothed her. She took a generous swallow and centered the glass on her coaster.
She shook her head. Since her brief meeting with Toni on Saturday night, she couldn’t stop thinking about her. At times she was so filled with rage at how this one bitch completely screwed up her organization, she’d find herself fantasizing about torturing her. But as soon as that vision crystallized in her mind, she’d find herself wanting Toni for herself. Both emotions were intense and the competition between the two was driving her to drink more than usual. She hoped Jan could get Toni’s e-mail address soon.
She finished her drink in two quick gulps and fixed herself another. She was halfway through that one when Davey called. Her brother described the new designer drug he’d created as a cross between ecstasy and GHB. He’d tried it out on his girlfriend the night before and now went on and on about how well it worked. Created in both liquid and pill form, he seemed proud of the fact that he put a big D on the pills. He also informed her he needed more ingredients to do the next batch. She wrote down what he needed and congratulated him. She’d have Jan get him the ingredients he needed and also pick up what he had later on tonight.
After hanging up, she made a few entries into her computer to reflect her expected costs for the next batch of drugs. She replayed Davey’s description of the effects of D, as he now called it. Maybe she could use it on Toni. She thought about how wonderful it would be if Toni willingly went to bed with her. And if Davey was right, the sex would be absolutely mind blowing. She could have almost four hours of fun and Toni would have no idea the next day. The idea excited her and she was grinning as she fixed herself a third drink.
She returned to her tall, dark leather chair and leaned back, closing her eyes and once again fantasizing about Toni. But what if something goes wrong? She opened her eyes and sat up straight. She reached for the lead glass tumbler and took a long swallow before she realized her mistake. She set the glass back on its coaster and stared at it. Oh, my, God! I drank first. Her heart was beating wildly and her hands were shaking. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened. How could she have been so stupid? She tried to replay the last few minutes, desperately hoping that she had, in fact, stirred the drink three times and tapped her finger twice. This can’t be happening. She knew in her heart that she’d forgotten. This wasn’t good. Bad things would certainly happen now and it’d happened because she was thinking of Toni. She ran her fingers through her hair five times but felt no relief. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She was panicking and started to pace. This was a bad sign, she told herself. Once it started, everything else would follow and her life would be ruined. She had crossed the room four times and was about to sit back down when she realized that she must make it five. After the fifth time she felt a little better. She knew she must somehow make this right. Shaking, she picked up her glass and heard the ice cubes rattle as she carried it to the small sink at the bar. She emptied the glass and washed it. Then she washed it again, and again. She dried it thoroughly and set it down next to the three matching tumblers. She washed her hands while counting to thirty, dried them, then picked up her glass again, carefully putting in three ice cubes and filling it exactly right with Famous Grouse. Her hand was still shaking as she carried it back to her desk and sat down, putting the drink in the center of the coaster.
She stared at the glass for several minutes before finally stirring it three times with her left index finger. She tapped the rim lightly twice and licked the Scotch from her finger. She took a deep breath before lifting the glass to her lips. She felt the smooth burn of the Scotch going down her throat and her body finally began to relax. It would be okay now, she told herself. She just needed to be more careful.
By the time she finished the drink she had her plan. She wasn’t quite sure of the details yet, but she knew that she’d have Toni in her bed very soon. She fantasized about what all that would entail as she waited for Jan to arrive.
Chapter 18
Toni and Boggs arrived at her townhouse around five thirty. They were carrying two twelve-packs of beer, a twelve-pack of Diet Mountain Dew, six sub sandwiches, five empty packing boxes, a small duffle with Boggs’s clothes and Toni’s briefcase. Boggs had one of the empty boxes on her head and they were laughing as Toni unlocked the front door. They’d just maneuvered themselves inside when an alarm sounded and Toni dropped the soda and stared at Boggs. Boggs put down all her stuff and began looking for the keypad. She found it on the wall behind the door and quickly punched in some numbers and the room fell silent.
“Shit,” Toni said, relieved yet laughing. “That’ll get your adrenaline pumping. I completely forgot about Johnnie setting that up today.”
“Me, too.” Boggs closed the front door and picked up the beer and soda. “She called me this morning and asked what code we wanted. I think you were in court.” She told Toni the code sequence while she put the drinks in the fridge. She opened a beer for herself. “You want a beer?”
Toni was petting Mr. Rupert and reassuring him. “Yeah. A beer sounds good. I’m going to run up and change and check my e-mail real quick.”
Toni changed into jean shorts and a big T-shirt and slipped on a pair of red argyle tennis shoes. She looked at her feet and grinned.
“What do you think, Mr. Rupert? Pretty cool, huh?”
Mr. Rupert sniffed her shoes and looked up at her with his mouth open.
“You think they smell bad?”
She laughed at his response and clicked on her e-mail. She scrolled through them, deleting most of them without reading them. There was an online newsletter about mental illness that she decided she’d read later and a note from Aunt Doozie. She read that one, jotting down the flight information. Mr. Rupert meowed loudly, rubbing his huge head against her leg.
“Okay, buddy.” She scratched his head and followed him downstairs.
Boggs had stacked the empty boxes in the corner of the dining room and was now in the kitchen getting out chips and napkins. Toni noticed her briefcase near the door and remembered her new gun was inside. She pulled it out, along with its holster, and quickly slipped it on her waistband, pulling her shirt over the top. It felt a little strange but she immediately felt safer.
Back in the kitchen she and Boggs piled all the subs on a plate, keeping them in their wrappers because the type of sub was written on the paper. She carried them into the living room and set them on the coffee table. Boggs followed with the rest of the things and handed Toni an opened beer. Toni plopped down on the couch.
“Oh, shit.” Toni reached back and adjusted her gun.
Boggs grinned. “It takes a while to get used to wearing it,” she said as she lifted her own shirt and pointed. “I usually wear it here, just behind my right side.”
“I’m such a dork.�
�� Toni laughed. “It’s like I’m playing cop or something. But still, I feel a little better having it. And, of course, I have you.” She pulled Boggs down on the couch and kissed her. Unfortunately they were interrupted by the doorbell.
Toni looked out the peephole, saw all four guests and let them in. Each was carrying some type of food or drink.
“Did you all ride together?”
“No,” Vicky said. “Believe it or not, we met in the parking lot.” She went to the kitchen to put her beer in the refrigerator. “Hey, Toni. Did you get your tags today?”
“Crap,” Toni said, shaking her head. “I did, but I forgot to put them on.”
Johnny was still standing near the front door, petting Mr. Rupert. “I’ll put them on for you.”
Toni thanked her and retrieved them from her briefcase.
Johnnie pointed to the keypad. “Did it work okay?”
“Scared the shit out of me,” Toni replied. “Good thing Boggs was with me.”
Johnnie laughed. “Sorry about that. But I didn’t want to leave the code on a message for you.” She frowned at Boggs. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
“I forgot,” Boggs said. “Anyway, I was with her all afternoon.”
Johnnie rolled her eyes, lit a cigarette and went out to the parking lot with Toni’s new tags for her Bug.
“Ugh.” Boggs sighed and shook her head, while looking at Toni. “Agent Perfect strikes again.”
Toni kissed her on the cheek. “That’s just how she is, hon. Don’t worry about it.”
“But sometimes I feel like she thinks I can’t take care of you. Just pisses me off. You know she still has the hots for you.”
“Well, she can keep her hots to herself. I’m in love with you, so there.” She kissed her quickly on the mouth this time and went to the couch where Patty, Vicky and Cathy were already seated. Patty and Cathy were drinking soda and Vicky had just opened a beer.
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