by Jolie Day
“Alexis, just give him the usual run of the mill tour.”
“Uh, duh. He will only talk with you. He even said so himself. He said that he likes your work, he was inspired. Come on, girl. He's so hot.”
“No.” She said the word without a second thought. It wasn't rudely spoken, but instead just quick.
Alexis looked at her friend sadly. “Come on. Why not?”
Catrina turned to look at her friend with a long lost look in her eyes. Knowing her friend would not give up, she began washing her hands and pulling her hair back tight into a messy bun. Alexis could be persistent and noisy at times, but she had been her best friend going on three years. She was the person who had helped her in her worst time. “You know why Alexis. If anyone does, it's you.”
She felt her friend's hand cap her shoulder lightly. Without turning around to face her, she knew that her friend was feeling melancholy from the situation. She heard it in her voice as she spoke. “That was a long time ago Catrina. You have to let it go. You need to move on. You deserve better, to be happy.”
Putting on a brave front Catrina painted on a smile and turned to face her friend. “I am happy. I have my work, my friends and I have you. What more could I want?” She walked towards the door and stopped at her friend’s next words.
“None of that will keep you warm at night Trina. You can be surrounded by people and still be lonely. You know that as well as anyone and so do I.”
“I need to go help our guests.”
“Yeah, you do that.” Her voice wasn't mean, but it was irritated as it floated through the door with Catrina.
Catrina had known who Alexis had been speaking of. He came in about twenty minutes ago and he had been flashing his pearly whites since then. He was one of the few regulars they had and the only one under the age of 60. Turning, she saw him standing at a spot at the bar. Whoever he was, he certainly was one hell of a man. He was at least 6'3” and was muscled and built in all the right places. His short dark hair had that messy, just stepped out of bed sex appeal to it. His eyes were dark and held mysteries that made her shudder. Or was that the intensity they held? She didn't know, she just knew that there was something magnetic about him, and dangerous.
Christopher had some opinions of his own regarding Catrina. He didn’t know who she was but her art was something that held his attention and he loved it. He waited patiently by the bar. The other woman said she would find her, Trina was her nickname apparently. He wanted to buy a couple of pieces before they were all gone. It was then he spotted a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of his eye. Her green eyes met his darker ones and he waited.
She did something to him, stirred something deep down within him, and he liked it. She wasn’t a traditional beauty, like most men did their best to catch and hold on to. She was special, different. Her curves were rounded and in just the right places. He now had another thing to focus on, the women who had walked by with too much going on at once. He decided to follow her while he waited.
She was answering a question about a piece of art and he smiled. How lucky was he to find the green minx was also the artist he was looking for. She was very animated about her work, and he was enthralled by her. He waited patiently until the others cleared out before he approached her. He spoke with quiet calm.
“I love this piece, I am hoping to buy a few of them.” He watched her jump and spin around to face him.
“Thank you, Mr.…?”
“Blakemore.”
“Well, I’d be happy to sell you something if you’d like. Are there any questions I can answer?”
“Actually, yes, are you married?” He was blunt and to the point. Both things she could appreciate when she wasn’t so nervous. He was getting under her skin now and it was too unnerving.
“I’m not sure how that is any of your business, but no.” She crossed her arms and he watched the red flow into her cheeks.
“Good, have dinner with me tomorrow.” He presented it more like a statement and less like a question.
“I can’t, I’m sorry… if you will excuse me.” She made her way back towards the bar where she could find Alexis, and be safe from his dark stare.
She was overwhelmed, too much heat. Whatever he did to her made no sense, but she refused to be sucked into it. She found Alexis.
“Alexis, the guy...please find him and see what he wants to buy. Thanks.” She didn’t wait for a response, but instead she made her way to the back room to take a few deep breaths.
The night went by quickly and she sold many pieces of her work. There was a nagging voice in the back of her head wondering what, “he” had bought. She shook her head, it didn’t matter. She had bigger issues to deal with.
The next morning came quickly and Trina hopped in her car to head to the city. Her father was being held, apparently for something new with his car. She made her way into the police station. After an hour she finally was able to see him.
“What happened, daddy?” she came right out with the main question as soon as he came out from the back. He was in good spirits and smiling, but she knew something was wrong.
“Trina I honestly don’t know. They keep telling me I hit someone but it just isn’t true, Trina. I’m telling you.”
“Ok daddy, we will get to the bottom of this.”
She made her way to the desk once more and asked to have their public defender sent over to them. There was obviously no way she could afford an attorney. She caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror. She was a mess. Her hair was drawn back in a tight bun and she was in jeans and a T-shirt. After a little too much wine last night and concern over this situation she had left early in hopes of rectifying the issue ASAP.
She looked over at him once more. He was a little absent-minded sometimes, but he was a good man. This was an obvious mistake. She made her way over and they sat together chatting about what had happened. He explained that the car was the issue.
“I don’t understand daddy, what do you mean?”
“Someone took my car, that’s what I am saying sweetheart. I don’t even drive much anymore now that Anna comes over so much,” he looked up at her.
“Anna…you mean from next door?” She smiled to herself a little as he nodded his head.
She was still thinking about it when the attorney arrived. He entered in a flash and she was so distraught she didn’t look up for a few moments. When she did, she was floored.
“You!” She swallowed hard and blinked at him.
“Well, now this is a surprise.” He flashed his dark eyes at her and she knew she was in trouble. The coincidence was too much. Had he been seeking her out to get more information or something?
“So seriously, this is a coincidence?” She frowned at him.
“Actually Trina, yes, quite. I wasn’t even getting this case until about an hour ago when my partner had to fly home for an emergency. It is very much a coincidence…and a nice one.” He gave her a half smile that sent shivers down her spine.
“My name is Catrina, and this is about my father. He obviously can’t be responsible for this. He rarely drives and his car was stolen. This is a huge mistake and I want something done about it!”
He leaned back in his chair, amused. She really was beautiful when she was angry. The green of her eyes almost spit out daggers at him. He was used to getting his own way and he wanted her. The problem was, she wasn’t just any woman. She had her own set of rules and he wanted to break down each and every one of them. He decided to let her cool off and turned his attention to her father.
“Mr. Landrum? It’s nice to meet you, sir. I will do my best to help us navigate through this easily. Now you say the car was stolen. Did you report it?” He was focused now.
She liked it, the way he focused on the client, the way he was engrossed in the situation. She liked it and she hated herself for it. She shook her head once more and settled down to business with her father. Before long they were able to pinpoint the issue. He hadn’t reported the car stolen, but he
had also not been home the night of the incident. If they could find proof it would fix everything. They set a day and time to meet again, with her father was released on bail. He gave her a wink as he left and she wanted to smack herself to rid her brain of thinking about him. They parted ways, but she could hear him humming as he rounded the building.
To say she was frustrated would be an understatement. They had been searching for something to help the case for a week now and she was getting nowhere. To make matters worse, “he” was going to be there in a few minutes to sit down and go through questioning with her father. Even now she couldn’t understand why anyone would frame him for something like this. Fortunately, the person who had been hit survived and was doing fine. They also couldn’t identify her father as the one that hit them. She stirred the sauce in the pot in front of her. The house smelled heavenly and she knew it was wrong for her to cook for him. There was some underlying reason she wanted to impress him somehow. Just thinking about it disgusted her and she wanted to dump the whole thing down the drain. She didn’t, this was her mother’s recipe and she could never just throw it out.
She had been beautiful and a great cook. Her father had always said that he had the best of two worlds in her mother. She had been gone almost ten years now, suffering from cancer had done her in, but she was loved and missed by them both. She heard heavy footsteps on the porch and subconsciously smoothed down her hair. She knew it would do no good, she could never tame the wild mess before, she was certain it wouldn’t start now. She opened the door and forced herself not to stare at him.
He had dressed down, she had the distinct impression he had done it for her. On more than one occasion over the phone, she had expressed distaste for suits and money. Here he was now in denim and a nice button down shirt. He was, as always, put together nicely. She was almost jealous of the fact that he always seemed to have it together when she… well rarely did.
“You made me dinner, how nice.” He walked towards her and just as they were about to touch he handed her a bottle of wine.
“Thank you.” She said it stiffly, she had to get some control.
Her father made an entrance just then and she smiled at him.
“Ahh, Trina made her mother’s sauce. She must really like you young man.” He moved carefully to the table.
“Daddy, really?” She rolled her eyes at him and left the two of them to discuss the issues at hand with the case.
The talks droned on and on until she was ready to serve dinner. She was surprised to hear a knock at the door and made her way to answer it. Hopefully, it would be something distracting. She opened it to an older woman with short hair. She smiled widely. This was Miss Anna.
“Miss Anna, how nice to see you. Come on in and join us for dinner.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose dear. Your father asked me to stop by for a bit tonight is all.” She was polite and sweet and gave Trina a huge smile.
“Nonsense, come on in and then you can talk after dinner, I insist.” The pair made their way into the kitchen where her father visibly lit up at seeing Anna. There was something definitely going on with them.
As the older couple chatted, she and Christopher set the table, both very much aware of the other. She wasn’t herself with him, but yet it had been a long time since anyone showed her any interest. Perhaps she needed to relax and let go some, like her friend Alexis had told her. She looked over at him again catching his eye and he smiled at her. It was almost overwhelming the desire she felt for him. The problem was he was a well-known playboy. If she decided to travel that route she would have to accept that she was just “another notch” on his belt. She had done her research shortly after they had met at the station. She wanted to know everything about him and was surprised at some of the findings. They both had lost a parent to cancer. He had been much younger, only 7. She felt a sort of kinship with him in that. His father had not been around most of his life and she knew what that could feel like.
They all ate and enjoyed good conversation. It was something of a lost art really with the advances in technology. She caught him looking at her more than once and felt the heat from his gaze across the table.
“One day you will all have to enjoy dinner with me at my place. My mother is actually Japanese, and she is an excellent cook. I’ve done my best to adopt some of her recipes, if not her skills.” They chuckled at that and then things turned to business.
After an hour or so of questions they finally made a breakthrough.
“So wait, Miss Anna, are you telling me you called the police…about the car?” He frowned.
“Yes, I sure did, Officer Mackenroy, nice young man. I remember him playing in the neighborhood. He said he would look into it.”
“Miss Anna, thank you so much, I think that’s the information we need.” He smiled up at Trina and she bubbled over with excitement.
Hopefully now they could get out of this mess. Soon it was time to go and her father left to walk Anna home. She watched them go and smiled to herself. It was sweet really, they had each other and she wanted that for him. She also found it a little sad, she was alone and she needed to make a real effort to try harder. She felt his arm under hers and she jumped.
“Christopher, you scared me.” He never moved his arm, but he looked down at her and then at the two figures crossing the street.
“So I guess this means we will see less of each other now. I wanted to tell you how thankful we both are that you have been there to help.” She turned and gave him a warm smile.
“Well, you know that’s my job, right” he said with a grin. “Besides, that’s not the only reason why and you know it.” He gave her a dark look. “I want you Trina, and I plan on having you.”
She inhaled at his words. What kind of jackass just says something like that? “Well, good luck with that.”
She felt him move towards her and felt his mouth crush down on her at once. She was flooded with heat and the intensity was almost overwhelming.
This was different, new somehow, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was perfect in his arms and he wanted her. The problem was he wanted more than just her body and it was starting to concern him. He was a rake and he was fine with that. He didn’t do emotional and yet here he was, working a case and having dinner with clients all to get an extra hour with a wild-eyed cat woman. He stood back and decided to change the subject.
“I made the call a second ago, the report was misplaced but it’s obvious that the case will get transferred to a different department with the precinct. Someone stole that car and hit someone. Hopefully, I can wrap things up and get your father’s name cleared formally in the next week or so. If I were that cop I’d certainly be worried about my job right now. Anyone could do a better job than this.”
She turned with wide eyes to look at him. “Do you mean you? No, you're not cop material. Just keep doing what you’re doing. I know a cop when I see one.”
Turning, she saw the arch in his eyebrow as he regarded her questioningly. “And how would you know if I am cop material or not?”
She smiled softly. “I told you. I know a cop when I see one.”
His smile split across his face and took her breath for a moment. “How is that, little one?”
Catrina knew she was not small. She was happy with her body, although a little thick. She was no Barbie doll or thin-figured like her friends who worried about such things. Instead, she was healthy and happy. Her mother had told her she would find a man who loved her for who she was when the time was right. Not that she didn't take care of herself. She watched what she ate mostly. Her downfall was chocolate though. Shaking herself from her musings, she smiled back at him. “My ex used to be an officer a long time ago. I have spent much of my life around police and the force. I know one when I see one.” Her eyebrow lifted in challenge and he couldn't help but laugh out loud at her.
“I see. I'll agree to that in part. No, I'm not a cop, but I am really good at people and I can sense thing
s.” He wanted to ask about the ex but refrained.
Her hip cocked out to the side innocently as she spoke. Although she didn't mean anything by it, Christopher felt his body start to warm all over. She was more than attractive. She looked like a ripe apple that he wanted to pluck from a forbidden tree. He knew that at the moment she was off limits. She was a client and he couldn't mix business with pleasure no matter how much his body wanted to. Even though his body burned with each passing minute to make her his, he decided to push it aside.
“It's hard work, it makes people crazy. Besides your good at what you do now.”
“I will keep that in mind.” Although his mouth was smiling, his eyes held a deep intensity as they looked at her.. He gave her a once over that made her blush.
The warmth spread from her cheeks to the top of her chest. Her mouth formed a silent “O” when his eyes dropped to her chest where the warmth spread. When he looked back up, his eyes met hers and again she read the intensity in them. It was like her body was suddenly on fire as she stood there. “I’ve got to go, I'll see you tomorrow. Meet me at the station in the morning, say 10 and we can sort this out.”
“Ok.” Her voice was little more than a squeak and she could have kicked herself for not being able to control herself around him. She had always been cool and collected around men, but there was something about Christopher that just set her off. “Have a good one.” Her voice came out sounding more of her own the second time around. What had gotten into her anyways? She should have never let it get to her, his dark eyes and that body…she was doing it again! She made her way to the back to focus on work, that would help her get it together and not a moment too soon.
Christopher walked from the house with a smile on his face. He hadn't enjoyed being with a woman and holding a conversation in a long time, if ever. There was something about Catrina that drew him to her. She was different from most women. She was beautiful to say the least and always seemed to surprise him. He found himself gripping his hands together many times when he was near her. What he wanted most was to reach out and touch her. He wanted to see if her skin was as smooth as it looked. He wanted to smother his face in her hair to smell the vanilla that he got a hint of every time she walked past. He felt himself tense when he remembered what she had looked like just a moment ago when her flush had spread across her chest.
