by Robin Hicks
"No, it doesn't sound crazy at all. Are you attracted to her?" Koty cautiously asked.
"Shit Koty, what the hell, I feel like a fucking teenager or something. I don't know how I feel. Surely I'm not attracted to her. I can't be can I? Christ."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Laney blinked, and so softly that Koty almost didn't hear her, "yes, but not tonight ok?"
"Absolutely. Tell you what, I'm going to ask my lovely wife to dance, and you decide what you are going to say to Randi, because here she comes." Koty stood and walk towards Kasey on the deck.
Randi sat down in the seat that Koty had just vacated and smiled at Laney. "Hi, you wanna dance?"
"Um…thanks for asking, but I am getting really tired and I think I'm just going to call it a night." Laney stood, and Randi quickly stood as well. "Hey Laney, are we still on for tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we're still on for tomorrow, I'll see you then ok?"
"Sure, I'm looking forward to it."
Randi watched as Laney said her goodbyes and walked through the back door. 'God, that woman is so way out of my league I know, but I can't seem to help myself. She makes me smile.'
Randi tried to think back to the last time someone made her pulse quicken like Laney did. She really couldn't come up with anything. Maybe the closest she could come was Candice back in her second year at Old Dominion University.
They had dated for nearly a year, and right as Randi was getting ready to confess her feelings, Candice told her that she had met somebody else, and hoped that they could still be friends. That friendship lasted just long enough for Randi to see them together, and she hasn't spoken to her since.
She has had several relationships since then, but nothing solid. Nothing that made her heart rate pick up like the mere sight of the tall detective. A straight detective. A beautiful straight detective. ?'Damn'
Chapter Fourteen
Randi showed up at the Olive Garden twenty minutes early. She tried to delay enough to where she would show up on time or at least the same time as Laney. She was too excited, nervous, and couldn't help herself from nearly running out the door, and breaking the speed limit to get there.
Boyd would have really like Laney, Randi had thought. She was still so saddened by the fact that her brother would never be able to meet her, or anyone for that fact. He had always gone for the bad boy types, but she was sure that he never bargained for the one he was with when the shooting happened.
She will never forget the day that she got the news. She had never felt so alone, so vulnerable, and so afraid at the same time. So much pain. So much hatred for the cop that shot him, and so much hatred for the man who had put her only sibling, and the last of her family in the position to lose his life.
Her mother had died much too young. She had worked never less than two jobs at a time to keep Randi and her younger brother clothed, schooled, and properly taken care of. They never had a lot, but they did ok.
Her mother had just gotten a promotion at her new job, and things were finally starting to look up for the small family. Then one day she collapsed at work. Taken to the hospital, she was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma. Kidney cancer. Hypemephroma. Adenocarcinoma. Shit, words that Randi could hardly pronounce. Bottom line, fucking cancer. Fucking bad cancer.
Her mother had complained for nearly a year about her back hurting, but her regular PC kept telling her she was having kidney infections and kept prescribing antibiotics. Doesn't that just bite the big one? Would they have found it in time if the doctor would have just went a little further with his prognosis? Well, we would never know now, would we?
Renal Cell Carcinoma affects roughly about 3 in 10,000 people a year, killing around 12,000 people in the United States. That many people, and it happened to pick her mother.
By the time that they had diagnosed her mother, the cancer had already attack both kidneys, her lungs, and most of the other organs in her body including her brain. Three short months later, her mother passed at the young age of 38. Much younger than the common ages for the cancer of between 50 and 70 years old.
Funny, a good friend of hers, mother was also diagnosed with the same cancer, but they had found hers in the early stages, accidentally while testing her for other problems, and once they removed her right kidney she was ridded of the ugly disease and is healthy to this day.
Her mothers passing had left 18 year old Randi, to raise her 16 year old brother by herself. Their Father had been out of the picture since three months before Boyd was born, and nobody had seen or heard from him since. Nothing was known about any of his family.
Randi had to drop out of collage where she had gotten a full scholarship to take a fulltime job at a tiny antique shop in Norfolk during the day, and a part time job bussing tables at a popular club by ODU.
Boyd had wanted to drop out of school to get a fulltime job to help his sister pay bills but Randi refused telling him that their mother would roll in her grave if she allowed that to happen.
Boyd had settled on a part time job after school at an ice cream shop working with a friend of his from school. His friend Marty had a car, so he would take him to and from work.
Randi had always tried to give Marty gas money for driving Boyd to work but Marty always refused to take it. Marty had secretly harbored a crush on Randi.
Marty had been the first person to show at her door when the news of Boyd's death was released. He had always been Boyd's best friend. Even when Boyd had told him he was gay, Marty never batted an eye and told him he didn't care. He would always be his best friend.
Still to this day, Marty shows up now and then at the antique shop to check on Randi to see how she is holding up. He had shown up on her door step when he had heard the news of the robbery at Randi's Shop.
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Randi was brought out of her thoughts as she felt more than seen, someone behind her. She stood quickly, "Hi Laney." 'Wow, she looks wonderful, and she's punctual too. 12:00 o'clock on the dot.'
"Hi yourself, are you ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah, just thinking about things. Please, have a seat, I've only been here a few moments myself," Randi lied…
Laney sat in awe at the amount of food the younger woman consumed. "Would you like to order more? I don't want you to leave hungry." She joked.
Randi laughed out loud. "No, but when I'm done I will order desert." She eyed the remaining shrimp on Laney's plate. "You gonna eat that?"
Laney just smiled. "Um, help yourself."
'She has the most beautiful smile. 'Randi thought as she stabbed her fork into the two helpless shrimp left on Laney's plate.
"You know, if I ate that much I would have to do a whole lot more exercising than I already do. Is this the normal for you?"
"Well…no, I normally have more. I don't want to make a pig of myself on our first date." Randi realized what she had just said. "I'm sorry; I didn't really mean it like that. I mean…I know it's not a date, I…"
"No worries, I know what you meant." Laney smiled to herself at the slight blush on the blondes face.
"It's just that I have a very fast metabolism, and if I don't keep the animal fed, I tend to get really lightheaded. Besides, eating is one of my favorite hobbies."
Laney took the opportunity to look at Randi's body. "You must really work out a lot then because you can't tell by your trim waist."
"Well thank you for the compliment but no, I really don't work out that much. I do a little kick boxing now and then, and even though I own a Stairmaster, I hardly use it…"
Lunch was going exceptionally well, surprising Laney at how relaxed she felt in the younger woman's company. They had spoken of their jobs, their friends, and briefly about the case. As much as Laney could disclose anyway.
"Wow, it's already 2:00 o'clock," Laney said as she looked at her watch.
"Oh, I'm sorry that I keep you so long, we can leave if you want."
Laney blinked. "What? Oh, no. That's not what I meant. I am really having
a good time. I was just surprised at how long we had been talking is all. I'm sorry though, I do need to be leaving, I'm meeting a man from the moving company in an hour."
"Moving company? Are you moving somewhere?" Randi asked almost panic-stricken." 'Christ, don't sound so panicky.'
Laney laughed. "Just from the apartment that I am living in at the time. I haven't been here long so I was just staying in an apartment. I just recently bought a house in Thoroughgood."
"Oh yeah? That's about ten minutes from where I live, do you need any help? Jodi and I may look small, but we are compact and strong."
Laney took that moment to once again, look the younger woman over. "Yes you are aren't you?" A powerful blush rose from her neck to above her eyebrows. 'Shit, did I just say that out loud?'
Randi laughed, causing the blush to deepen. "Yes well…seriously, here is my card, and it has my cell phone number on it. "I am offering my services, no strings attached. Well, except maybe having dinner with me sometime in the near future."
Laney smiled as she reached across the table for Randi's card. "Ok Randi, but don't back out when I call you." Laney stood, winked, and then she was gone.
"Oh, no chance of that Detective Jacobs," Randi said to Laney's retreating, wonderful backside. She knew Laney couldn't hear her, and smiled as she blew out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. She called the waiter over and asked for the check.
'Oh yeah, I could really be in trouble here. That woman just doesn't know what she does to me. I don't think she knows just how beautiful she is. Yep, she is so way out of my league…'
Laney had just left Sears after going over the details for them to deliver her new appliances. She rubbed her thumb across the card in her hand as she drove home. 'God, I can't believe how much that woman makes me smile.'
Laney knew enough about attraction to know that she was attracted to Randi. What was not attractive about her? Warm personality, beautiful smile, and those eyes…a person could drown in those sea green eyes.
Laney didn't think she had ever seen that color of green before, in a persons eyes. Crayon colors, paint maybe…but never an eye color. 'God, what am I thinking? She is soo way out of my league…'
Laney pulled into her parking spot and slowly got out of her SUV. Shutting and locking her apartment door, she started to strip right there and walked into her bathroom for a long hot shower.
With just a towel around her hair, and one around her body, she stretched her long muscled body across the king size bed. Closing her eyes with a smile, the last thing she saw was sea green eyes looking deep into her soul.
Chapter Fifteen
A soft hand slid up her thigh and rested just below the edge of her underwear, causing goose bumps to appear. A soft moan. The smaller woman pulled herself up and over onto her, then slipped a knee between her thighs.
Sea green eyes appeared just inches above her face as soft lips came to claim hers in a heated need. She reached her arms around the smaller woman and pulled her into her body as close as she could get her. The knee between her thighs pressed harder causing her to buck and gasp…
Laney's body bolted straight up, and almost off of the bed. "Jesus Christ!" Laney looked around, she was alone. A dream. A fucking incredible dream. The second dream that she had of those amazing green eyes.
Laney rose from the bed and went to put a pot of coffee on. Her alarm would be going off in thirty minutes anyway. Flipping the switch to turn on the machine, she turned to go take another shower. Another cold shower. She seemed to be taking a lot of them latelt.
Why was she all of a sudden having erotic dreams of a woman? Well, not just any woman, but Randi Daniels. "Maybe I need to watch a comedy or something before going to bed instead off thinking about her eyes," Laney grumbled out loud.
She turned off the shower, and pulled the towel from the holder for her thick tresses. Wrapping the other towel around her body, she placed her hands on the sinks edge then peered into the mirror.
At 36 years old she was still the picture of beauty. Yeah, she had some crows feet, and a few more lines had been added on her face but she still had it. The beauty of her youth, only more mature.
She had never paid much mind to her looks, thinking that she was pretty average. Many people had told her that she was beautiful before but, people will say just about anything when you are rich hoping to one day cash in…
Laney reached for her keys hanging on the wall by the door then headed out to work. Today was the day for her and Koty to go through the mounds of paper work that was piling on their desks…
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
"Morning Jimmy," she said to the older man as she passed the front desk.
"Good morning to you too young lady, ready for a new day?"
"Ha, no way. Today is paperwork day."
Jimmy smiled. "My condolences then to you Miss Randi. Try to have a nice day anyway." He watched as the detective walked to the end of the hall and turned left. He always had a smile for her and Koty because they always had a smile for him…
Koty looked up as a Vente size coffee from Starbucks was placed on the desk by her phone. "You're here early Jacobs and thanks, I was just thinking about getting a cup from the break room, but I'm not feeling very suicidal right now. So just think, you could have just possibly saved my life."
"I hear you. I think they let it sit until the next day. Looks so damn thick, like you could stand a spoon up in your cup. Anyway, I guess it's time to climb under the paperwork, if you don't hear me for awhile, send in rescue…"
About an hour into her work, the hair on the back of Laney's neck stood up as she heard a familiar voice.
"Damn it, I said back away fellow, she will talk to me just tell her I'm here!"
Laney looked over at Koty. "Shit, its Richard."
"You don't have to talk to him Laney; the guys will get rid of him if you like."
"No, maybe I better talk…"
"Laney!" A very handsome and well built man leaned over her desk and into her face. "I want to talk to you. Come outside with me now."
Laney never batted an eye, and just leaned back and sighed. "What do you want Richard? I'm at work and you should be too, I don't have time for this."
Richard grabbed for Laney's arm but froze when a steel like grip on his shoulder stopped him.
"Back off buddy and get out of the lady's face. You have something to say to her you can do it here." Koty said, never letting up on her grip.
Richard looked around him and saw that nearly every cop in the room was surrounding him just waiting word from Laney or Koty. He eased back and lowered his voice. "Look Laney, please come out and talk with me. If you can't do it here then have lunch with me."
"Richard, we have said all that we needed to, there's nothing left to say. If you have any questions then talk to my lawyer, I'm sure he can help you. Now please just get out of here."
Koty released the grip on his shoulder then turned him to face two detectives. "Could you guys please escort this gentleman out of here?"
"Lets go mister, you heard the lady."
Richard turned one last time to Laney, "This isn't over. If I have to I'll come to your house and…"
Koty was in his face in an instant. "Are you threatening her asshole? I don't take kindly to someone threatening my friends!"
The two detectives pushed Richard towards the door before Koty lost her temper. That was a sight that they all had witnessed, and didn't want to ever see it again.
Koty turned to Laney, "are you ok?"
Laney just laughed at Koty. "Yeah, thanks tiger, did you see the look on his face? I thought he was going to shit himself! Oh man was that priceless."
"Sorry."
"Shit Koty, don't be. I thought it was funny. Looks like I got myself a real live hero."
"Shut up Jacobs."
"Wait until I tell Kasey, she's going to love it."
"Shut up Jacobs…"
"I'm still going to tell Kasey how sweet you are
." Laney said with a grin.
"Laney," Koty said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Kasey learned a while back just how sweet I am."
"T.M.I. Silvers, you are such a pervert."
"Yeah? Well come have lunch with me and you can tell me about your date with Randi Daniels."
"It wasn't a date Silvers, it was just lunch."
"Un huh, come on and I will even let you buy."
"No way, if I have to endure you torturing me, you are buying lunch. Where are we going? No, let me rephrase that, you are taking me to Red Lobster."
"Red Lobster? But that's where the touchy feely waitress works! No way, pick any where but there."
"Aw Koty, but she's harmless."
"Oh yeah? Then I will let her know that you are available and interested how about that?"
"Did I say Red Lobster? I meant to say Max and Erma's."
"I thought you'd change your mind. Come on…"
Chapter Sixteen
Two weeks had passed and Randi hadn't heard anything from Laney. She wondered if the detective was really going to call for help with moving. It was crazy but she couldn't stop thinking about her.
Since Boyd's death, she had stopped liking, and trusting cops. She had seen the one responsible for his death a few times, and he just sneered at her like she was a plague. As he had walked by her, he made sure that his hand brushed against her. Bastard.
Pulling herself out of her funk, Randi made a decision. "I will just have to go find her at the station and tell her that she needs to give me her phone number. Yeah. Yeah right you wimp. Well I will still go and find her..."
"I'm sorry Ma'me but she isn't here at the moment. They are due back anytime though, this is the usual time that they show up. You are welcome to wait over there where the chairs are."
"Thank you sir, I'll do that."
"Call me Jimmy, everyone does."
"Ok, thanks Jimmy. I'll just wait for awhile."
Randi didn't have long to wait as she soon watched Laney and her partner walk towards her from the doorway. Butterflies were dancing in her stomach and she wondered for a frantic moment if she was going to be sick. 'Shit.'
