by Anthology
Then he was gone, along with three other people from other tables. I frowned and looked down at the card he gave me. Detective Tom Mein. I was embarrassed all over again. I thought he had worked for the Christmas tree lot, but he was a detective with the NYPD. Now I had the image of him in uniform in my head and almost moaned right there in the middle of the diner, with everyone looking at me. Instead, I left, still hungry, and went home to eat lunch, like I did every day.
Lucky
“Listen up,” Capitan Estella Miranda said from her office. “We have intel that some dealers are bragging they are dealing right under our noses; that we turn the other way when we are off duty and hang out at the Cask and Barrel. Since I’m covering for Kelso in vice, it means my problem gets added to your normal cases. I've already talked to people in vice, and they're looking out too, but I want my people on this also. From now on, keep your eyes and ears open. Especially you, Lucky, you’ve got a view of the whole room while you’re playing rock god up there on stage. Use it.”
"Yes, ma'am," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. Everyone thought you could see everything from up there, but the reality was between the sweat in your eyes and the lights, it was hard to see anything past ten feet. But I might be able to make some adjustments to the lights before tonight that could make it a bit easier.
"Here's what we have, that's it. Go." With a wave of her hand, we were dismissed.
Frosty followed me out of the office and sat down on the corner of my desk. I knew where this was going and I wanted to skip the whole thing.
“So… Little Suzee Q… she’s cute.”
“Yeah,” I wasn’t going to give him anything.
“Or should I call her Princess Suzee, like you do?”
I gave him a look I hoped he’d interpret as stop while you can. I should have known better. He didn’t.
“I have to say, that was a pretty epic name you came up with for her. What girl doesn’t want to be a princess?”
“I can think of a few.”
“But what I really want to know…”
“Is how to get off my desk and go find a woman of your own?” I said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm.
“Ha, you’re funny. No. What I really want to know is; why the hell didn’t you ask her out?”
I sighed. I didn’t want to get into this. Yeah, Frosty was my best friend and partner, but I wanted to keep some things separate. Like Suzee. She was different. There was a reason they called me Lucky, not only was I lucky at my job, I was also lucky with the ladies. But I didn’t want people thinking she was just another girlfriend that I’d throw away after a few months. I’m trusting my instincts with this one, and she is different.
“Shut up.” I took a couple of files and stood up, hoping he wouldn’t follow me.
Again, I should have known better.
“You’ve run into her twice now, and both times I could practically see the hearts and flowers circling the two of you. So, I’ll ask again, why didn’t you ask her out?”
“It’s none of your business. Now stand down while we focus on our backlog of cases, plus this new detail.”
There must have been something in my voice that warned him to back off because he held his hands up and backed away, going back to his desk.
I fixed the scowl on my face, making it so no one else would want to talk to me, and went down to the lab to check on some of the tests they were running for me.
My life was simple. Catch the bad guys and play some wicked licks on my guitar. Now it would seem there might be something else in my life: a small redhead who loved Disney. I’m thinking a man could be pretty lucky with those three things in his life.
Suzee
I’d picked up the phone a half a dozen times, even getting so far as putting his number in, but I couldn’t hit the connect button.
Looking around my apartment, I inventoried the changes I’d made over the past few days. I'd painted the walls a soft blue, took down all of Mother's artwork, and hung up framed prints of my favorite Disney scenes. I’d hit the thrift stores and had fun buying trinkets that caught my attention. I loved looking around at my things. Nothing was expensive, but to me it was everything.
I had to admit, I was loving my bedroom. I had gotten rid of her bed and found a queen-sized one that was perfect for me. I never knew what I was missing, sleeping in a regular bed, and now that I had the extra room, I never wanted to sleep on a couch again. Even for a nap.
When I looked at everything I had done, I couldn’t deny that I was starting to live my life. The one I should have been able to do when I was out of high school. But for whatever reason, life decided I needed to start late. Well, I had a lot to make up for. Without giving myself any more time to think, I hit the button and connected the call to Lucky.
As soon as it started ringing, my stomach clenched. I was calling a man. Maybe I should take baby steps. Go back to the diner and see if I ran into him. Yeah. That would better. I was about to hang up when he answered.
“Mein.”
I couldn’t get past how the sound of his smooth, deep voice sent shivers down my spine.
“Hello. Mein here.” His voice sharpened.
“Sorry, hi. This is Suzee.”
“Ahhhh… Princess Suzee. I was hoping I’d hear from you.”
I didn’t think his voice could get any sexier, but it did. I heard the creak of chair through the phone.
“Well, here I am.”
“There you are. Tell me, Princess Suzee, what can I do for you?”
Thousands of different ideas ran through my head on what I'd like for him to do.
“Ummm.” I slapped my forehead; here I go again.
His soft chuckle sounded heavenly to me.
“Why don’t we start here? What are you doing?”
“Well, I have Christmas music playing, a few candles lit, along with the tree. I’m debating on putting a movie in.”
“Which one?”
Even though he couldn’t see me, I still blushed. “You can’t go wrong with Disney.”
“No, you can’t. There’s a reason they’ve made movies for so long. Which one is your favorite?”
“Beauty and the Beast,” I said without hesitation. “The music, the story, the characters. Oh, and the library.” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice. “I dream of someday reading all of those books.”
“So, you also like to read?”
"Yes. Once e-readers came out it was much easier. There never was much room for all the books I read, here in the apartment. Now I can keep them all and take them with me wherever.”
“I feel the same way when MP3s came out. Now I don’t have to worry about running out of music when I’m out. I have everything with me.”
“You like music?”
“Princess Suzee, I don’t like music. I live music. I picked up a guitar at age eight and never looked back.”
“Wow. So, you play? Stupid question, of course, you do, you just told me." I was thankful he couldn’t see how red my face was.
He chuckled. "Yes, I still play. I'm in a band, Lucky Plus One. We play at the Cask and Barrel a few nights a week. You should come down and see me."
My mouth dropped open and I blinked hard a few times. “Yeah… yes, I’d love to hear you play.”
“Great. We’re on tomorrow night. Come see me.”
“I will.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say after that.
“Well, good-night, Princess Suzee. Put your movie in and get some popcorn. I hope you have a wonderful night.”
“Thanks, I will.”
“And really, thanks for calling. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I sat there with the phone in my hand, and a stupid smile on my face, for the rest of the evening. My movie was forgotten.
Suzee
Racing home from work Friday night, I flung open the closet door to see the new outfit I had bought earlier in the week, not realizing I would be using it for a date. Well, it
wasn’t a date per se, but maybe just hanging out together? But he’d be up on stage, so it wouldn’t be like we’d be hanging out together. I didn’t know what to call it.
I closed the closet door. Shaking my head, I wondered why I thought I could even do this.
Then I remembered everything I had done since my mother died. I thought of everything I wanted to do and everything I had already missed out on.
Everyone in New York City had been to a bar to see a live band play, except for me. That was going to change tonight. The women I worked with had stopped asking me years ago, since I always said no whenever they’d ask me to do something with them. Mother wouldn’t allow it.
Carefully I made sure the soft curls of my red hair were perfect then precisely applied my make-up. Once that was done, I put my outfit on. It wasn’t anything fancy or sophisticated, but it was what I considered a classic. You can’t go wrong with black tailored pants that hugged my curves and a black shirt that draped off one of my shoulders. I paired it with a sexy pair of boots and some silver jewelry.
I had found out the band started at ten. I wasn’t sure what time I should get there, so I decided on getting there a few minutes early to make sure I got a seat close to the stage.
The city was so different at night than during the day. There was always an excited pulse about the city, but at night? At night, New York truly came alive. I could feel its life force infusing me with strength and courage. I wanted to experience the night. I wanted to live.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and was immediately overwhelmed by the number of people and the amount of noise from their conversations. I looked at the stage, hoping Lucky would be there, but he wasn't. I moved to the side of the doorway, so I wouldn't get run over by the next person who came in, and scanned the bar for him.
There he was, in the back, by a door I assumed led back to the kitchen. I could only see his profile occasionally, but I knew for sure it was him.
Like in the diner, I took the time to appreciate the way his shoulders moved under his shirt, and how fluid he was in all his movements. I didn’t even pay attention to who he was talking to.
It must have been that cop sixth sense they talk about, because I saw him freeze and slowly start scanning the room. I couldn't look away. I wanted to know what would happen, if he'd recognize me.
Watching as his eyes moved closer to where I was standing, I couldn’t help myself; my heartbeat ramped up and my breathing became labored. When we finally locked eyes, neither one of us smiled, but the whole room disappeared. He started making his way toward me, people moving out of his path without him having to say a word. All his attention was focused on me.
As he stood before me, I tipped my head back, looking up at him. Slowly a smile spread across his face.
“You came.”
“I did.” I couldn’t help smiling back at him.
Casually he reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling me further into the bar and to a table next to the stage.
"Here. I saved a seat for you. This will let you see everything that is going on, but is out of the way, off path of the dance floor."
“Thank you.” I sat down in the chair he pulled out for me.
“Let me get you something to drink. What do you want?”
“Just a white wine will be fine.”
“Great, I’ll be right back.”
I sat there, in a bar, by myself and tried really hard not to look as nervous as I felt. I fiddled with my earrings; I fiddled with my necklace. Then for some reason, my leg decided it had a mind of its own and it started bouncing. Taking deep breaths, I tried to focus on the equipment on the stage. There was someone already up there, behind the drums, adjusting something. I had no idea what anything was, but it looked interesting.
Feeling someone come up next to me, I assumed it was Lucky until I turned. It wasn’t, it was some man I’d never seen before. His hair was dark brown and greased back, dull brown eyes and a black t-shirt underneath a leather jacket completed his look. There was something about him that gave me the creeps. I wanted Lucky here, but I didn’t dare take my eyes off of him to search out where he could be.
“Hey, need a fix?”
“What?”
“Whatever you need, I can hook you up. Looks to me like you’re coming down from something. I can give you what you need. Mary Jane? That your name? What about your good old Aunt Nora? You know how those golden girls are. Anything you need, angel; I can get it for you.”
“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The man completely confused me.
“I do. I know exactly what he’s talking about,” Lucky said from behind the stranger. “Ricky Smith, haven’t seen you around for a while.”
I watched as the guy’s face lost all its color. He stood up, knocking his chair into Lucky, and tried to bolt away, but Lucky was too fast and stopped him; Frosty right beside him. I hadn't even seen him at the bar.
“Take him out of here, I have a set to play.” Lucky talked to Frosty, but his eyes never left mine. Once they left, he came closer to me. “Are you okay? I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“What exactly happened?” I was so confused about everything and knew my naivete was showing. “What was he talking about?”
“Drugs, he was trying to sell you drugs.”
“But why? I don’t do drugs? Why did he think I needed drugs?” Obviously, because of my upbringing I had never done any drugs.
“Well. Princess Suzee, this is your first time in here. While I can see you're nervous, to someone like Ricky Smith, he sees it as someone who is looking to keep their high going. Since this is a local hangout for cops, and the dealers know that, they are trying to prove that they can sell everywhere, even here."
“What? Are they stupid? Do they want to get caught?” I couldn’t believe what had just happened to me.
Lucky laughed. “Some are, but the ones we think are doing this are smart. So smart, in fact, they think they can pull one over on us. This was the first step in taking them down. We were all put on alert to see if we saw anything suspicious. I not only saw, I heard. Frosty was here, so I turned Ricky over to him. He’ll take care of it, so I can still spend some time with my best girl.”
“Is that what I am? Your best girl?” I teased him.
“You’re my only girl.”
He pulled me up against him and captured my lips, taking what I’d been hoping he’d do since I first met him. I completely forgot where I was until I heard someone shouting Lucky’s name. I pulled away, my face, of course, red and looked around.
“Lucky, glad you could come up for air. Why don’t you get up on stage and sing something pretty for us?”
“Bite me, Gianvittiorio.” Lucky slowly raised his middle finger at the guy who had shouted at him.
When the bar erupted in laughter, I had to assume Lucky knew the guy, probably on the force with him.
Framing my face with his large, calloused hands, he made me look at him. “Don’t worry about these guys, they give everyone a hard time, but they’re always there for you. You’ll be safe while I’m up there playing. If you need anything, let me know, and I’ll make sure you have. I want this to be a night you’ll never forget.”
“Oh Lucky, you have no idea, this is a holiday season I’ll never forget. And you, you are the best present of them all.”
Red Letter Day
By Morgan Jane Mitchell
There’s something about a woman in red, something that makes people take notice. I’d noticed Jaks arrive before she shrugged off her heavy coat, but seeing her bold choice of a bright red blouse and lip stick reinforced my desires—I had to have her.
It was one of the many times we all went out for drinks together at The Cask and Barrel after work. I’d been with the six-nine for just over six months. We usually changed clothes before heading over, but this was the first time Jaks had joined us. Knowing her from the Academy, I’d been the one to ask her. Unlike me, Jackie Sanchez ea
rned gold braids, graduating in the top ten percent of our class. Just like me, she was a rookie with the nation’s largest police department, one of New York’s finest. I’d been so close to asking her out before we were assigned to the same precinct. Now, we acted like we hardly knew each other. The fact she’d probably make detective before the other rookies at the six-nine hadn’t escaped any of us, including the Captain. So, while Rex and I were on foot patrol freezing our nuts off in impact zones, basically crime ravaged neighborhoods, she was being mentored by a senior officer—eating out of styrofoam in a squad car.
Also unmistakable, Jaks, short, thin but curvy where it mattered with her bad ass attitude was hot as hell. Her—in her street clothes stole my breath away. Tonight, she’d let her hair down, out of the tight bun she’d worn every day since she started. It fell in sexy, dark waves just past her shoulders. But the best part, by far, was she’d finally lost the uniform. Skinny, dark blue jeans were like a second skin and a tight red blouse hugged her ample breasts perfectly—I couldn't look away.
"Ritchie?" I’d been ignoring my partner. He eventually followed my eyes to Jaks as she made her way over. Rex spoke out of the side of his mouth, “Can’t believe she showed.”
“Go easy on her tonight,” I quipped. “No more of this, they’re treating her with kid gloves, nonsense.”
“After a day like today, I wouldn’t dare,” Rex promised, holding up his hands.
On our routine patrol this morning, out of nowhere gun shots went off—our whole day changed. The perp ran right by Rex and I, firing two more shots into the crowd, clearly gunning for someone. We un-holstered and chased him, but there were too many people around to fire. It hadn’t mattered. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes. Jaks stepped out of the squad car—all one-hundred-and-twenty-five pounds of her—fearlessly tackling the guy and placing him in custody, but not before she’d shot him in the leg.
“Thanks for inviting me.” As soon as Jaks sat down, she chugged a beer. Her painted lips curved around the glass, leaving their mark behind. I stared at the red smear, wondering what those lips felt like.
