Open All Night

by Sahara Kelly

  “Yep.” Sam nodded. “She’s a good cop. Works hard. Can’t help the hair and the…er…” He waved his hands in the air leaving Lou in no doubt of what Barbara couldn’t help.

  “Nice to know.” He reclaimed his ID and his badge. “I’ll see you later, I guess. Got to be here at eight a.m. Where do I go?”

  Sam gave him a brief layout of the station. “Good luck.” He chuckled once more. “I got me a real strong feeling you’re gonna need it.”

  Lou left the police department with a rueful smile on his face. He agreed with Sergeant Sam. He was definitely gonna need it.

  *~~*~~*

  Barbara threw her bag down on the couch and stripped off her sleazy clothes with a huge sigh of relief. Her apartment had never seemed so welcoming or comforting as it did at this moment. It might be on the large side for one person and pretty much empty of more than the basics in the way of furniture, but at this moment it seemed like heaven on earth.

  She’d been on difficult cases before, but this - this adrenaline rush that still shook her from head to foot - was different.

  Heading for the shower, she scrubbed herself raw, needing to cleanse the total clusterfuck of this past night off her body. Then she poured herself a glass of wine and snuggled into her favorite ratty robe, hair tied turban-style into a towel. She wouldn’t go to bed at all, it was too late and she had an early call. The recliner would work as well for a nap.

  She’d done it before and knew she’d do it again. She was a police officer. She did what she had to do to get the job done. And done right. Setting her clock radio for six-thirty, she leaned back and closed her eyes. The wine was spreading its soft relaxing warmth through her tired limbs and finally Barbara let it all go.

  She slept. And dreamed.

  Of him.

  Hard muscles slithered over her body, teasing her, tantalizing her and sending a flood of wetness to dampen her thighs.

  She knew she was dreaming, but couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, could only feel. He was hot to her touch, heavy against her breasts, solid and smooth between her legs. She ached, her pussy pulsing eagerly, lips parting, juices running freely in preparation for his entrance.

  She wanted him, wanted that cock she could still see so clearly. Wanted that flared and purple head to thrust into her sex, withdraw and thrust again and again. She wanted to come around it, squeeze it with every fiber of her body and make him come too.

  It was lust, desire and need all rolled into one subconscious bundle, a dream that reflected the passions she’d long suppressed. She knew who he was; his blue eyes blazed with a fire matching the one burning inside her.

  She groaned as he lowered himself between her thighs. “Lou…” Blatantly Barbara spread her legs wide, inviting him into her secret places.

  He made no sound - spoke no words, just caressed her, nipping at her breasts with teasing love bites, sending gasps of delight shimmering through her body. She felt swollen, needy - wanting everything he had, everything he could give her.

  She clawed at his shoulders in an effort to get him inside her, even going so far as to slide her own hands over her belly and part her pussy lips, revealing that pearly bud that screamed for his touch.

  He was hard, his cock nudging and demanding entrance, about to penetrate that which she so willingly offered.

  Somewhere a bell rang, startling her, and she looked around to find she was naked on her own desk in the station house. With Lou poised on top of her about to sink himself to his balls between her legs.

  Faces blurred, watching them, as Lou slowly but inexorably entered her, his cock stretching her, finding a home for itself as he slid inside.

  It was horrifying, erotic and arousing, and Barbara sobbed out her pleasure at the feel of him as he pulled out and then slammed back home into her, his powerful hips thrusting again and again and driving her to the inevitable precipice.

  She shrieked as he took her, mercilessly and with consummate skill.

  And woke up with her hands between her legs, shaking and sweating and trembling on the brink of a massive orgasm.

  She was too far gone down the road to her climax to turn back. Two brief caresses of her own fingertips and she was falling apart in the recliner, biting her lips against the mewling cries of her peak.

  Her sex throbbed and clenched - on emptiness. Her clit screamed and her breasts ached as she rode out the sensations rocking her body. It was completion - of a sort - the easing of her adrenaline and the sexual tensions that had riddled her since she first set eyes on that damned man.

  She refastened her robe and sighed.

  She couldn’t help wondering as she drifted off to sleep again whether Lou would be as good in person as he was in her dream.

  With her luck, probably not.

  That thought haunted Barbara the next morning. Tiredly, she’d readied for the day, slipping into her jeans, shirt and blazer and taking comfort from the feel of her sneakers and the service pistol lodged against her spine.

  No massive hairdo either, just a thick braid lying between her shoulder blades. Her badge was clipped snugly to her waistband and Barbara swiped a quick lick of gloss over her lips. That was it.

  Bambi is dead. Long live Detective Barbara Fremont.

  Comfortable as always in her work clothes, Barbara headed out for the station. She had a gut feeling that there might be repercussions from last night’s fiasco. She figured she could talk her way out of them.

  She’d been doing her job. He’d been doing his.

  Fortunately, they hadn’t gotten as far as doing each other.

  It had been frickin’ close, though.

  Barbara made herself a mental promise. Stay away from Lou Franconi. Do not look at or speak to Lou Franconi. Above all, do not lust after Lou Franconi.

  Her resolve was solid as she strode into the squad room. It softened a little as she noticed another man standing next to the chief and beside him - Lou.

  When he turned and stared right at her, the heat in his eyes melted what was left.

  Fuck. I’m in big trouble.

  *~~*~~*

  He knew when she walked into the room…some sort of sixth sense jarred his spine and he turned to see her stalk through the assembled officers.

  She looked every bit as good, if not better, than she had the night before.

  Oh fuck. I’m in big trouble.

  Her hair was smooth and tidy, pulled back off a face that bore no traces of last night’s war paint. Now it was clear and creamy, her eyes glowing hazel beneath softly curved brows and lips that simply shone with a color that was all their own.

  The jacket and T-shirt clung to her body and although it was an outfit clearly designed to minimize her femininity, it didn’t work. Not for Lou anyway.

  His mouth still watered at the sight of her and when their gazes collided, the heat returned full force to his groin. He stifled a groan and quickly looked away. This was no time to get a hard-on, he was here on business.

  Pleasure could wait.

  “‘Kay, folks. Listen up.” The chief of the Springfield PD stepped to a battered podium. “This is Investigator Lou Franconi. He’s here at the request of the State criminal investigative services, and - surprisingly enough - a few executives who deal with videos you won’t find at your local rental store.”

  There was a murmur and a chuckle or two at those words.

  The chief continued. “So the deal is about bootlegging porn DVDs. You all got the memo about the truckload our State colleagues busted. And the fictitious Springfield address on the registration.”

  There were nods from the squad. “Didn’t that rule us out, Chief?” One detective called out the question from the back of the room.

  “Nope. Turns out that there have been several trucks stopped, all with fake or stolen plates and registration, but all with a link to our fair city.” He turned to Lou and the man next to him. “Investigator Franconi will fill you in, and then we’ll let Mr. Chuck Matthews have a word. Chuck is here
on behalf of the adult video studios in town. And no, he’s not under arrest. This time the saints and the sinners are on the same side of the street.”

  A general laugh greeted this statement.

  Lou stepped forward. “Thanks, Chief.” He looked around, studiously ignoring Barbara although he knew she was staring anywhere in the room but at him. “Basically, we’ve got squat on these guys. There are too many links to Springfield for us to ignore them, but they’re all circumstantial.” He pulled out a small notebook. “In the last six months, illegal bootleg DVDs have increased by thirty percent in the state capital. Most of them are porn DVDs, although we’ve seen a few blockbusters come over the hill.” He smiled. “I’m guessing that porn is a more marketable commodity in a town with four colleges in it.”

  Lou noticed answering grins on the faces in the room.

  “The only concrete information we have is that the registration addresses seem to be within a six-block area of Main and Oak streets. Yeah, they’re fakes, but one of our sharp-eyed lads noticed they have that in common. The chief has kindly volunteered two of you to check out the locations, cross-reference them with any known illegal activity and see if you can pull any miracles out of your hats. I’m told you’re good at that.”

  This time there was outright laughter. “We have a couple other ideas we’re gonna explore, but for right now I think that’s it…” He stepped back as Chuck Matthews moved forward.

  “I’d just like to add a word or two here.” He looked awkwardly around. “I can’t say I’m used to speaking to so many…er…representatives of law enforcement. But on behalf of the studios here in town, I want to thank you for your help.” He swallowed. “Usually we’re on opposite sides, but we keep our noses clean and you guys have helped. This is a nasty business that’s hurting our bottom line. We offer a product to those who want it. That’s all. Moral issues aside, our business is being ripped off by these ass - er - jerks, and we’d like it stopped. Soon.”

  There were a few sympathetic nods.

  “So thanks for your help. And would the visitor who swiped Delicious Deirdre’s tassels please return ‘em. She can’t twirl diddly these days.”

  There were roars of laughter and paper clips flew through the air towards one hapless young lad who was blushing to the tips of his ears. Lou joined in. The poor bastard was gonna get the teasing of his life after this.

  The chief stepped forward. “Wesley?”

  “Sir.” The blushing kid sat up straight.

  “Locker and desk check. Fourteen hundred hours today.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “And if there’s one shred of forensic evidence indicating the presence of a tassel, you’ll be reading parking meters for the rest of the month. Kapische?”

  “Yes sir.” The kid gulped and blushed beet red.

  The chief grinned and nodded. “Fremont. My office. Everyone else - Sarge will run over the rest of today’s roster.”

  Risking a quick glance at Barbara, Lou saw her jaw twitch as she clamped her mouth shut. Other than that, her face was expressionless as she grabbed her bag, a few papers and straightened her jacket.

  She exchanged greetings with a few others in the room as she moved through the exit out into the hallway and her next meeting.

  Lou smirked inwardly. He knew who was going to join Barbara in the chief’s office.

  Chuck Matthews would be there, as would the chief. Along with a certain investigator.

  And he was soooo looking forward to it.

  *~~*~~*

  Barbara was gritting her teeth as she walked into the chief’s office. She knew she was probably in for some shit after last night and mentally prepared herself to take it like a…a police officer.

  She knew the chief and liked him. A lot. He’d been running the department with an iron hand and a warm heart for ten years since a stray bullet had cost him the use of one arm. But there was a wife and two kids who still had their husband and father thanks to that intervention. She doubted there was an officer in the station who wouldn’t have walked through fire for the guy, herself included. So whatever he doled out, she’d take.

  She wasn’t prepared for Chuck Matthews and that man to follow her into the small room. Which suddenly seemed a helluva lot smaller.

  “Sit down, Fremont. Gentlemen.” The chief pulled out his chair and plunked himself behind his desk. “So talk, Chuck. Tell us what you guys are gonna do to help our detectives here.” He grinned. “And when did you last call your mother?”

  “Uhh…” Chuck, incredibly, blushed.

  Barbara blinked. “You two know each other?”

  The chief smiled. “He’s my sister’s kid. Good boy, all things considered, even taking into account what he does for a living.”

  Barbara gulped, digesting the news.

  “Okay, here’s our plan.” Chuck leaned one hip on the desk. “We have a new movie coming out soon - a hot one with a couple of name stars in it. We’re gonna premiere it right here in Springfield.”

  “Where?” Barbara had her pen in her hand and was busily taking notes.

  “At the Venus.” Chuck glanced at her. “It’s not the fanciest place in town, but it’s in reasonably good condition and gets plenty of traffic.”

  “Okay.” Barbara nodded.

  “We’re hoping the chief here will send in a couple of pairs of eyes to scope out the crowd on opening night.”

  Barbara frowned. “Because…?”

  “Because…” Chuck waved his hands. “Because to get a copy of a movie to bootleg, first they have to have some kind of master tape. We’re damn sure there are no leaks of anything like duped reels of film from the studio. All those gaps have been closed - very thoroughly. Say what you want about Big John, but he’s good at this business. Well respected.”

  Barbara nodded thoughtfully. “So somebody’s at the opening of a film and doing what…filming the film?”

  “Yeah. Something like that. There’s various ways of doing it, but these days - given the state-of-the-art digital photography equipment you and I can buy at our local electronics store, it’s most likely some patsy with a camera concealed in a hat. Something small, something digital, that records directly onto one of those memory stick things.” He sighed. “It’s so damn convenient - so damn tiny - that you’d never know.”

  “Jeez.” Barbara widened her eyes. “Sounds like something out of a spy novel.”

  Lou weighed in. “You’re very close to being right on the nose, Detective. A lot of today’s micro-technology was born in some top-secret Pentagon research lab. Look at cell phones and their video technology. People are filming events with their goddamned phones as soon as it happens.”

  She frowned. “The quality sucks, though, doesn’t it?”

  Chuck nodded. “It’s getting better and better, that’s for sure. But even if they tried to pick up a whole movie, somebody pointing one at the screen would be pretty obvious. We’ve seen a few trailers that might well have been swiped that way, though.”

  Barbara looked back at the chief. “Okay. So we’ll have plants in the audience for opening night. Is that the plan?”

  “Pretty much, yeah.” The chief’s face was inscrutable. “Since you and Investigator Franconi have already met…”

  Barbara fought the blush. Here it comes…

  “It’s been decided that the two of you will work together on this part of the case. Hit the theater, take a look around and do your damnedest to find anybody who might be recording the film.”

  There was a distinct gleam of amusement in the chief’s gaze. “You’ll both be undercover, of course.”

  Barbara opened her mouth to respond, but Chuck spoke first. “I don’t even know what to tell you to look for, Detective. Somebody who keeps their hat on. A glowing red LED light if you’re lucky. It could be in a lapel, even in a box of popcorn…” He sighed.

  “We’re on it.” Lou spoke calmly. “If he’s there, we’ll get him.”

  “Good.” Chuck ease
d off the desk. “I gotta go. Thanks for your help. We’ll keep the department posted about the premiere - times and so on.” He shook hands with Lou and Barbara and grinned at the chief. “See you Sunday?”

  “Call your mother.” The words were not a request.

  “Yes, sir.” Chuck left with a smile.

  “He’s a good kid. Works hard.” The chief dismissed his nephew from the discussion. “Now, about this assignment…”

  “Chief, I…” Barbara’s words of protest died on her lips.

  “I owe Detective Fremont an apology, Chief.” Lou eased himself off the wall he’d been leaning against.

  “You do?” Barbara’s eyebrows flew up.

  The chief looked quizzical. “I heard.”

  “The events of last night shouldn’t have happened. I take sole responsibility. Detective Fremont was doing her job and I was doing mine. But I should’ve notified your office first that I would be doing a shift or two at All Night Videos, and for that I apologize.”

  Barbara’s mouth hung open. She had not been expecting this. “Uhh…”

  The chief glanced at them both. “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “No sir.” Lou was properly respectful.

  “But…” Barbara stuttered. “You want me to work undercover with him?”

  “Yes. He’s an unknown here in town. You’ve only worked a couple of vice cases, and you’ve already established an identity with your appearance in the video store last night.” His eyebrow rose. “I expect some people will remember you, Detective. That outfit was…er…”

  “Yeah. It was.” Lou grinned unrepentantly.

  Barbara’s temper soared. “Look, Mr. Franconi, I was working.”

  “Not a person in the joint would argue with that, honey.” Lou’s response was quick and amused.

  The chief stifled a laugh. “I think that will be all, Franconi. I need a word with Fremont here, then you can run over the case files together.”

  “Sir.” Lou shook hands with the chief and nodded at Barbara. “I’ll be at your desk, if you don’t mind. The files should be there already.”

  “Uhh…” Barbara swallowed down a hot retort, but it was too late - he’d gone. She stared after him, nearly blinded by the firm and tasty ass hugged by his jeans.