by Treva Harte
* * * * *
They had walked quietly out on the sand, watching the waves slap the beach and then smooth into the sand once again. Jenni wondered if she should say something. It felt right, just walking together without speaking. Almost too comfortable. Too right.
He broke the silence first.
“I’m not always smart. Or cautious. I told you that before, but plenty of other people will agree. That’s why I went ahead and did the photos. Using my real name. But then, I was just barely legal. I didn’t want to depend on my family, and I had zilch in the way of money or job skills. Or common sense.”
“Why didn’t you depend on your family? I can’t depend on mine, but that’s only because of the poverty and booze and the occasional drugs. Oh, and the envy that I’m where I am.” Jenni stopped. “But enough about me. What’s with your family? They’re solid. Respectable. Lots of money. Or so I’ve always been told.”
“They are. But I wanted different. They wanted me different. I don’t talk to them much any more.”
“I ‑‑” Jenni stopped. “I guess that’s all I get for a first date, huh? Your body language says closed for discussion. I’m not asking as a reporter, just so you know.”
Luis shrugged. “I thought so. I wouldn’t say anything if I thought you were going to splash it in the news. But that’s all you get about me and my family, yeah. There’s nothing more to tell. They’re your typical conservative apeshit Cuban-American family. I’m not typical. But I can be apeshit. We clashed. We’ve moved on.”
“From nude model to narcotics squad. You moved on quite a bit.”
“Yup. But the informal interview is over. I want to know things about you now. Like why men make you nervous. Excuse me. Why straight men make you nervous.”
“Not all straight men make me nervous. Only straight men that make me hot.” Jenni looked directly at him. “And especially straight men that have e-mailed me off and on for weeks.”
Luis smiled again, with all those shark teeth.
“Luis ‑‑”
“Yes?”
“You are straight, right?” Just in case the boys weren’t joking, she wanted the disappointment up front.
He stopped and stared at her. She stared back.
All right, maybe that wasn’t the best question to ask someone under these circumstances. She tried to think of some way to take it back and couldn’t come up with a thing.
He tugged her by the hand. “It’s getting dark. Let’s get out of here before we get arrested for loitering.”
“Luis ‑‑”
They almost ran to her car, his strong arm half-propelling her along. Within five minutes, she didn’t have the ability to say anything, much less apologize. Within ten minutes, she was so out of breath she didn’t even protest when he slid her back against the outside of the car door. But when he pressed her up against him, she yelped. “Luis, what ‑‑”
“I’m answering you. I just needed a little bit more privacy.” His voice was impossibly deep as he leaned over.
Oh my God.
His teeth pulled at her lower lip before he gently nipped it. Her mouth dropped open with the sudden painful pleasure, and he took over. Teeth, tongue, touch. She grabbed back, her fingernails biting into his back, and let her tongue touch his. She whimpered.
Oh God. She wasn’t a whimperer. It wasn’t like she wanted to advertise it, but she always had to handle things herself, as it were, to get a climax.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a problem this time.
“Like that, mi corazon. Love that.” His voice was a little husky as he pulled away.
Luis moved his head to skim her shoulder with his lips, and she shivered. Next he used his lips to trace the base of her throat.
She wanted his lips to go lower, she wanted ‑‑
He came back up to her mouth, and they were kissing hard, full out. That was good, too. She could feel a real moan rising.
“Stop.” She gasped the command out.
“Jenni?” The sexy voice suddenly switched to the cop voice, alert for problems. “Are you all right?”
“I only thought I was going to pass out when we made the dash from the beach. Instead, I probably did for a second right now, that was so intense. I ‑‑ I think I was holding my breath.” She gulped for more air.
Even in the dark she could see his grin. Well, he should be proud of himself. She’d never almost passed out from pleasure with a first make out session. In fact, she’d never almost passed out from pleasure from anything a guy had ever done.
And how totally uncool to admit it!
“Let’s get you home.” Without asking, he reached into her pocket, patted her down, not exactly regulation cop style, and came out with the keys.
She didn’t even protest when, after gallantly opening the passenger door for her, he slid into the driver’s seat. He turned on the car, fiddled with the dials.
Cuban music filled the air. Luis hummed under his breath, sang a word or two.
“You know, I can’t speak more than a word or two of gutter Spanish,” Jenni said, “and I’ve forgotten everything else I learned in high school.”
“No eres Latina?”
“No. I know that much Spanish. And honestly ‑‑ last name of Harrison? How non-Hispanic can you get?”
“That’s okay. I’ll cope even though Mama will be devastated to hear it. And I’ll teach you all the gutter Spanish you want, baby. C’mere.”
“I’d have to unsnap my seat belt to do that. Isn’t that entrapment, Officer?”
He chuckled and didn’t look at her. “Better stay where you are. I’d hate for someone on my team to catch us in public.”
They pulled into her apartment parking lot. He stopped the car and put a hand on her cheek.
“Mi alma, I want to go to your apartment. I want to stay. No more delays.”
She swallowed. Nodded. Her pussy was still clenched, reminding her how deprived it was.
“Still scared?”
Jenni fumbled for the car door, wondering if her legs would shake when she stood up. Maybe she should pretend. Maybe not. He was standing right next to her, and cops knew how to sniff out a lie.
“Absolutely. But I think you’ll be worth it.”
“I’ll do my best.” He grabbed her suddenly, throwing her over his shoulder, her legs tight against his chest. She dangled, half-outraged, half-laughing, and eyed that really tight butt.
Just for kicks, she leaned over and bit through the chinos he wore.
“You’ll pay for that one, Harrison,” he said. “House keys?”
“With the car keys.” And then they were inside.
They were also in the dark. Suddenly everything was quiet. He drew her back up, over his shoulder, and slid her slowly down his body. She linked her arms around his shoulders, steadying herself. Holding him.
“All right, Jenni?” His breath was hot against her skin as he bent down to ask.
She got on her toes to draw out his lower lip and suck it into her mouth. And bite again. There wasn’t any place on him that wasn’t edible.
“Damn it, I don’t know if I should go fast or slow with you,” he muttered. “Maybe I should do both.”
He pulled her shorts off without any more preliminaries and squeezed her bare ass cheeks.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you in them. So sexy.” He skimmed his hands up and under her shirt and smiled down at her. “Sexy up here, too. Don’t ever wear underwear again, baby.”
Her nipples perked up under his thumbs. Jenni breathed hard through her nose. She was not going to pant again.
“I’m actually feeling turned on by being naked in front of you while you’re dressed, Luis, but I’d really like to see you without clothes, too. Really.”
Was that Jenni Harrison talking? The one who always said or did the wrong thing with a guy she wanted? And this was a guy that she wanted with a need she hadn’t ever felt in her life.
She’d said the right thi
ng for once. His clothes were off almost before she had finished her sentence. He’d been worth a fantasy or two a few years ago in the centerfold photo. But here, in front of her, close to her touch, reality was actually better than fantasy. His shoulders had broadened since those long-ago photos. God, he’d bulked up in all the right masculine ways. There were more muscles, all put together deliciously. So many…muscles.
“Whoooo.” She whistled. “That’s so big it’s almost scary. Almost.”
“He’s really not scary at all once you get to know him.” Even in the dark, she could imagine the smile in his eyes. “Come closer.”
She did. She heard him ripping open the condom package. All right, this was it. Honest to God showtime. Jenni waited for terror to hit, but before it could, Luis held out his arms, and she used them to climb up his torso so that they’d fit just…
Right.
He laid his forehead against hers, and they both panted.
“I love how you feel just this way, all tight and close against me. I swear. But all this patience may kill me,” he announced. “If I don’t move soon, I may die. Like. Now.”
How had he managed to go on in and take charge? She should be saying something. Being locked together with Luis wasn’t uncomfortable, unless you counted needing a climax soon or going out of your mind. But he was big, and it had been a while, although she was wetter than she’d ever been in her life… still ‑‑
To hell with it.
“I’d hate to kill you. Please. Be my guest.”
“Baby.”
Bam! She registered that her back was now jammed against the wall; he was nuzzling against her face gently and pumping his cock inside her not so gently.
Jenni next realized her heels were locked tight against the indentation at the small of his back, and she was moving in rhythm to his thrusts.
When had it ever been this easy to be part of someone? And when had her blood pressure risen to where she could almost hear it coming out through her ears?
God, the sweat trickling down his back was making her heels slip down. She squirmed even tighter against him, using her hips, to prevent slipping further. Not to have Luis filling her just the way he was? What a tragedy that would be.
“Sweet. And bad.” He panted the words in her ear.
Yeah.
That.
He smelled like sweat and excitement and man. And sex. She rubbed her face against his chest and moved with him. Faster, harder, closer, closer, closer.
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…” Her chant matched the speed of her racing heart.
“Killing me ‑‑”
His finger touched her clit and whooomp. She wondered if her brain exploded in the next second because everything really did go white around her.
She thought she heard Luis shout in her ear. Or maybe she was shouting loud enough to hear over her heartbeat.
And then she was shaking, coming, shaking even more. Coming harder and longer.
Thank you, God.
Thank you, Luis.
Eventually, Jenni cleared her throat and assessed the situation. She was on the floor, with Luis’s head pillowed on her thigh. And her back hurt, along with a few other spots.
She had no idea what to say.
Luis kissed her thigh and put his head back where it had been, resting against her hip.
Apparently she didn’t have to say anything.
So she shut her eyes and concentrated on letting her mind creep back inside her body.
“Luis?”
“Jenni?”
“I think I’ll get some more orange juice. Want some?”
“Sure.”
“As soon as I can stand up.”
“No hurry, mi alma.”
“You feel like staying tonight?” There. That question pretty much broke the last of all her dating rules.
She was pretty sure Luis was worth it.
“Counting on it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to move before morning anyhow.”
Yeah. Not moving until then. Not thinking until then. That would be all right. She let her hand tangle in Luis’s hair and then stroked his head.
“You’re so fucking sexy, Jenni. Why have you been hiding?” He sounded drowsy.
He was already learning things about her, things she didn’t like her boyfriends to know. Like she was hiding. Hiding so far away that she didn’t even want to know why she was doing it. On the other hand, he thought she was sexy. That counted. It counted big-time.
“Have I? You’re the cop. Why don’t you find out?”
“Maybe I will. Later. Right now I’m just grateful. Grateful you hid ’til I found you.” He kissed her stomach.
Jenni smiled. He’d found her. It might be different later. Of course it would be. There was always later, and later never worked out. But this was now. And she was grateful, too.
She’d always worried about what happened next. This time, she would deal with now. She’d lucked into catching an incredibly good-looking, skilled lover. How he’d gotten those skills and how long he’d stay with relatively unskilled, unattractive her just wasn’t her problem. Not now. This was a new, strangely irresistible Jenni, one who got climaxes when her lover found the right buttons…a Jenni who actually had the right buttons for a lover to find. The whole not thinking thing seemed to really work when it came to having great sex.
She couldn’t pat Luis on the back for managing it without hideous embarrassment on her part, but she could secretly congratulate herself. She’d become a different self. She’d live this fantasy out, expecting it to end sooner rather than later, and not worrying about it. Knowing it was short-term and that what she did wouldn’t matter a month or so from now. That was how she could handle this relationship without fear. She could go back to the old Jenni later.
She held her face down to be kissed and cried ‑‑ just one small little tear ‑‑ when their lips met. Now was so perfect. Right now.
Chapter Nine
Friday Night: Jake’s Apartment
This sucked. Jake stared over at the table. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be setting it for a party of four. Damn flu. Everything ached like a bitch, and he was clammy with sweat.
He eyed his cell phone. He should call, even though the rule was you never canceled unless you were dying. He might not be dead, but he felt pretty close.
He speed-dialed while he still could.
“Jenni ‑‑?” His voice dragged.
“Jake? What’s wrong?”
“Flu. Feel like garbage. Gotta call off dinner tonight.” Another twinge hit, and he grunted.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll tell everyone ‑‑ Jake? Wait. What are your symptoms?”
Jake dragged another breath in, ready to drop the cell phone down and forget everything. He forced himself to answer.
“Shaky. Hurts. Chest. Head…”
“Really sharp pains, Jake?”
“Sometimes. Fuck. Might throw up. Gotta go.”
“Jake, are those pains in your chest?”
“Yeah. Jenni, I gotta go.”
“You have to go to the hospital, Jake! I’m not kidding you.”
“Naw ‑‑” He couldn’t hold the phone any longer.
* * * * *
“They aren’t going to let us see him.” Adam tapped his fingers on the plastic seat beside him. “Stupid fucking hospital rules.”
“Does he have emergency contacts set up?” Chris had long since stopped pretending to do the newspaper jigsaw puzzle.
“I don’t know. If not, I guess they’d call his parents. They live in Tampa, I think. He never told me.” She refused to tap, the way Adam did. She couldn’t just sit quietly like Chris. So Jenni laced and unlaced her fingers.
“Yeah, well, they’d be the last people he’d want to call.” Adam switched to drumming on his knee. “They stopped talking to him in college, back when he finally came out to them.”
“I know. We all know. That was awful.” Jenni eyed her cell phone as if she could call s
omeone who would help. “He knew this could happen. He knew his parents would be no help. Maybe he thought ahead of time and set things up.”
“Oh yeah, our Mr. Jock think ahead about being sick? The odds are really good on that one.” Adam winced at a particularly hard thunk against his thigh and paused.
“Shut up, will you, Adam?” Jenni snapped. “I don’t need your snide joking. I’m already terrified that the whole fight with Cole at the restaurant or the thing with me and Luis Morales in the men’s room somehow started Jake’s heart attack.”
“Honey, you didn’t start his ‑‑ he fought with Cole?” Chris stared at her.
“You and Luis Morales were in the restroom? The men’s room? You couldn’t have been doing what first springs to mind since he’s a cop,” Adam said, a half-second later. “Maybe you need to explain. I’m sort of sorry we left early that night and missed the fun.”
“God, that was a stupid way to blurt it out. I waited to tell you guys because I wasn’t sure what Jake wanted to say but ‑‑ well, he and Cole fought and then I found Luis lurking in the men’s room doing a drug sting ‑‑ no. That was even worse. Let me try explaining this yet again.”
“There were police in the men’s room at the restaurant?” Chris’s voice sounded very odd.
“Ms. Harrison?” A thin woman with a tired smile stepped into the ER visiting room.
“Yes?” Jenni looked up.
“Janet Ellison, the head nurse on this shift. Mr. Powell wants to see you.”
“He’s all right?” Jenni gulped.
“He’s much better. We can give you a few minutes.” The woman looked at the two men next to Jenni. “He said to stop worrying so much, all of you. Dinner will still be on when he gets out again.”
“That’s Jake.” Jenni’s shoulders relaxed from their tense hunch. “Take me to him.”
* * * * *
The other two silently watched her disappear behind the automatic door. Adam leaped up to pace.
“Could you stop jumping all over the damn place?” Chris snapped.
“Could you go fuck yourself?” Adam stopped. “Oh, hell. I didn’t mean that, Chris. These kinds of places make me incredibly antsy. And now I’m dying to find out what the hell went on. All I know for sure is that we didn’t get arrested so maybe it’s not as bad as I think.”
