The traffic was bad, but not too bad and she made it to the park right before 8. Driving through she saw the large truck parked near a field and playground and a large black lab running full speed across the field. Bruno was scraping the car door with his paws and clearly wanting out so Ariel rushed over before he ruined the leather interior. Bruno pulled her across the parking lot towards the other lab with all of the unbridled intensity and strength that a twenty five pound puppy usually comes along with. She found herself struggling to keep up with him. Just when she almost took a tumble over the curb and into the grass John stepped towards her reaching for the leash. Gratefully, she handed over all control of her undisciplined dog who acted as if heel was exactly what he thought she was.
“Morning, how are you?”
“OK, even though my dog almost caused me to take a header into the dirt over here.”
John smiled at her and that smile did something, it made her feel like she was special. It shouldn’t really, he probably smiled like that at everyone, the bank teller, cashier, dry cleaning person, and even the people he arrested at work, but it made her feel really good.
“You ready to get these two started? I think we should start with some things that can be done on leash for today, just until he gets used to things. We don’t want him running all over the park.”
Nodding in agreement Ariel stood watching as John called his dog Mallard over to him. Mallard came loping and stopped right in front of Mike sitting instantly with his tail wagging and tongue lolling outside of his mouth.
“Good boy.”
John stooped down and rubbed the dog behind his ears. The tail seemed to wag even harder and the other dog didn’t even pay attention to the fact that Bruno was two feet away and hopping around in excitement. John clipped a sturdy leather leash to Mallard’s collar and led Ariel and Bruno towards the center of the park.
As John put the dogs through their paces and Ariel watched Bruno respond to his teachings she was focused more on the man than his lesson. He was firm with the dogs but they wanted to please him, they almost seemed to be smiling at him for approval of a job well done and seemed overjoyed when they got a rubdown after the hour was up.
“Thank you John, I can see how much he’s responding already, I appreciate you showing me how to work with him.”
“No problem.”
They were making their way back to the cars and Ariel wasn’t sure what to say or do next. If he wanted to see her again he would let her know, wouldn’t he? Guys were supposed to be the obvious ones. Opening the door to his truck, John patted the seat and Mallard jumped in with another pat Bruno jumped in right after him.
“I thought maybe you and I could take a ride over to the water and let these guys play for a few minutes, you may want to keep Bruno on his leash for today, but I brought another towel if you want to let him play.
“Sure, thanks for thinking of us.”
Ariel turned to walk back to her car.
“You can ride with me and on the way out I’ll drop you back by your car if you want.”
“Sure.”
Ariel was turning back around and going to open the passenger door, when John motioned for her to not do that.
“Sorry, but I’m afraid one of them might try to get out while you’re getting in, you can climb in my side and sit in the middle if you don’t mind.”
Ariel dutifully walked over to John and climbed up on the running board to hoist herself into the truck. She had to admit that being this close to him felt good. He had hovered behind her while she got in, she suspected he was worried she would somehow fall on her face. She could smell his soap and light cologne. The morning was already warm and humid and he had a light sheen of sweat on his arms that looked particularly male to her. His arms were strong, muscled and tan. She was thinking about what it would feel like to run her hand over the strong muscles and feel the pronounced vein that was running through the arm he was using to shift gears with. Snap out of it, he only invited you here to help your dog, but no matter what she told herself she just couldn’t help but think about him.
“So, are you from around here?”
John started up the conversation as he drove slowly through the park and into a paved parking area where they were the only vehicle in site.
“No, I grew up south of Tampa, in a smaller town.”
As they unloaded themselves and the dogs from the truck John had her continue talking about the town she was from, her family, parents and brother. He asked if her parents were still together, did she have a big family, did they go camping while she grew up. All sorts of questions that made her feel like he was genuinely interested in getting to know her. It felt good to have someone be interested in her for a change.
Then it was her turn. She was a little timid at first but John seemed to like her curiosity and encouraged the conversation along. John had grown up in Tampa, his father and grandfather were both Tampa city police officers, just like him. He had wanted to be a cop ever since he could remember and was pretty much living his dream. He had one older sister and his mom and dad were still happily married. He had always wanted a larger family though, like the ones you see in the movies with kids running all over the place and huge meals where you had to rent extra tables just to accommodate everyone. That prompted Ariel to tell him about her extended family which was quite large and the camping and summer trips they all tried to take together each year.
“Ariel, we have to get going it’s almost noon.”
“I can’t believe that it’s so late already, but at least today is my day off so I don’t have to rush home and get ready for work.”
“Oh you’re off today?”
“I work ten hours shifts so I’m off on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, it’s a pretty good schedule and keeps the long shifts broken up pretty well.”
“I work ten hours shifts as well, but my days rotate, I’m actually off Thursday this week too. Maybe we can get together and work with the dogs some more tomorrow, if you want?”
Ariel readily agreed and they decided to meet up the next day, working out the details in the morning.
“Oh and John . . . .”
“Yes.”
“I had a really nice time this morning; it’s been awhile since I’ve gotten out and done, well, really anything. My roommate was starting to worry that I would never give him and his girlfriend some time alone in the house.”
John had a strange look on his face and she realized that maybe she had said something wrong, or shared too much, or made herself sound like a loser, but then it was gone just as quickly as she had seen it.
After dropping her off at her car and making sure she and Bruno were safely deposited inside John gave a wave and drove off, stirring up a low cloud of white dirt in his wake.
The whole way home Ariel couldn’t help but think that maybe she had met John for a reason, he was a really nice guy and seemed to be everything that Tyler hadn’t been. Mature, confident and kind. But still, she felt like a little nervous about the whole thing, she didn’t want to get her hopes up and find out that he was just being nice to her as a courtesy because he was such a nice guy. But he had asked to spend time with her the next day, and that didn’t feel like a courtesy.
After a busy afternoon of grocery shopping, going to the library and bathing Bruno Ariel sat down to watch some TV and opened her laptop to check on her email. There was a message from John.
Hi Ariel-
Do you want to come over to my house to work with the dogs in the morning instead of the park? I have a large sized fenced back yard so Bruno could work off leash. I was thinking that we could grab lunch somewhere after we finish. Bruno could stay at my place, I have a kennel that Mallard rarely uses except when I have guests. Let me know. If you want we can still do the park instead.
-John
This should be interesting; she could see his house, instantly she wondered if he lived alone. But he had to be a few years older than her so it was a possib
ility, or he could live with his parents. Why was she even thinking about this? She had just met the man and was already hoping he lived alone. She knew that being alone with him wasn’t a good idea so these thoughts just needed to leave her mind. She realized that she really didn’t know how old he was either. That was something she would have to ask soon, just to satisfy her own curiosity. Inviting her out to lunch did seem to be a sign that he was doing this out of something more than just obligation, he had to have real interest to suggest a meal, right?
Hey John-
Going to your house sounds like a good idea. Bruno really needs to work on his off leash skills, maybe you can teach him to not run away from me and listen to me when I call him back? Lunch sounds good too. See you in the morning, 10am still good for you?
-Ariel
She knew 10am was almost certainly still fine with him, or he would’ve mentioned a different time, but, she really wanted him to write her back. She was so pathetic Not even five minutes later a message came back from him.
10 is still good for me, but you can come over a little earlier if you want, we can hang out a little and let the dogs get acclimated to being on the turf together since its less neutral than the park. Here’s my address, just give me a call before you head over, I’m usually up and out of bed by 7.
1107 Coalfire Rd
Tampa, Fl 33617
Wow, they were going to get to spend a whole half a day together, much of it being hopefully alone, at his house. In the past that would have made Ariel a little nervous, she didn’t know him all that well, but he was a cop, a dog lover and the attraction between them seemed to be mutual. This seemed like it could have some potential. It still made her a little leery that he had probably dated much more than her, and he might be like Tyler and want a physical relationship that she wanted to move more slowly on, but with the thoughts that she was having about him, she might just toss that whole moving slowly thing right out the window. Maybe.
The next morning a well rested and much more thoughtfully put together Ariel got into her car at 8:30 to head over to John’s house. He lived a good twenty minutes away from her so she called him while she backed out of the driveway. After confirming that he was awake and ready for her to come she began the drive. Bruno had his head out the window with his tongue flapping in the dewy morning air. It felt so clean and fresh outside, but maybe that had a lot to do with the fact that Ariel felt light and clear as well.
John’s neighborhood was filled with neatly painted and well maintained cottage style houses, each with a fenced back yard and small front porch. She saw John’s truck and patrol car in his driveway and pulled in behind him. Bruno was climbing over her lap while she was still seated at the wheel to try and get to John who had come up to open the door for her. Jumping out Bruno began jumping and panting to get John’s attention. John held out his hand for Ariel and she handed him the leash and he grasped that firmly before reaching for her hand again with his other hand and helping her out of the car. She really didn’t need help getting out her own car, the common courtesy and male helpfulness felt nice though.
“So what do you think of the house?”
“It’s nice, is it your parents place?”
John laughed that rumbly laugh of his and her heart skipped a beat. Gesturing for her to follow him he walked inside and shut the front door behind her indicating that she should sit as he headed into the kitchen. Coming back with two glasses of orange juice he unclipped the leash from Bruno and allowed Mallard in from the garage. Instantly the two dogs were jumping, growling and play fighting in the living room.
“No, it’s not my parents’ house; they live about ten minutes north of here. I bought this a few years back and remodeled it myself. Would you like a tour?”
Nodding Ariel stood and followed him towards the kitchen and dining room. The house looked clean, tidy, not overly luxurious or masculine, but comfortable. Explaining the changes he had made Mike showed her the guest bath and two guest bedrooms along with a glance into the master explaining that he had a master bathroom as well.
Ariel was impressed; he was good with his hands also. It just made her think of how sexy he was and how capable. She liked a man who could fix things and make things and was capable of being a strong caretaker. Walking back into the living room Ariel sat on the couch and John settled on the other end as they watched the dogs get re acquainted. John seemed to be nervously toying with the remote to the TV; maybe he was a little nervous as well? Finally turning the TV on low to a home improvement show he looked over to Ariel.
“So, how was your morning?”
“It was good, I got up earlier than usual but I think I could get used to this morning thing, I get so much more done.”
John was smiling, was it because she had just let it slip that she had gotten up early to spend more time with him. She had a feeling that it was.
“What about yours?”
“My what?”
He seemed a bit flustered and Ariel liked thinking that she had some effect on him. Now she was smiling too.
“Your morning silly, how was it.”
“Hmmm, well I got up a bit early as well, but, I thought I might have a visitor coming by so I had to make sure I had time to take a shower and smell nice.”
Ariel felt herself blush. He had taken a shower for her, had he thought about her while he took his shower. She let herself imagine just for a second the hot water running over his tanned, lean and muscled body. She snapped back into reality when she realized that he had been talking to her.
“What was that? I’m sorry I sort of zoned out for a second.” She murmured.
“I said if all I had to say was that I took a shower to make you blush, then I can only imagine how you react to what some of your less polite patients have to say to you.”
Ariel smiled at him even though she could feel the zing of electricity in the room. She couldn’t remember ever feeling a sexual tension like this before. She knew that John was just playfully bantering with her, but this just felt so overt, so real. She had read about this sort of thing before in sappy romance novels, but right now she was living the moment and it felt really good.
“So, John, how old are you?”
John laughed. A full out rumbly laugh that made her blush again. He really needed to stop doing that.
“Aren’t you direct, or are you just changing the subject? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by bringing up my shower; I know it’s your first visit to my house. I’m sorry. I’m 29; I can show you my driver’s license for confirmation if you like.”
“No, I believe you.”
So he was a little bit older than her 22, but not an amount that was out of the question.
“I know guys aren’t supposed to ask, so I’ll just come out and tell you that I’m 22.”
“I know.”
“How did you know that?”
“I ran your name through a little database that us cops happen to have access to, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t associating with a wanted felon or anything.”
“So you checked up on me. I didn’t get access to any special computer program to look into your background.”
“Well, you have a point there, what would you like to know about me?”
Just the way he said it made Ariel want to know more and ask just how much he may have been thinking of her that day in the shower.
“Do you live alone?”
“Nope, I live with Mallard.”
“You know what I mean, do you have a roommate, brother, friend anyone who lives with you or stays here?”
“No. And on the subject of the whole roommate thing, I have to ask, yours is a guy, right? Is there anything between you two, or has there been anything in the past?”
“No. We are wonderful friends, and I am also pretty close with his long term girlfriend. “
“So nothing has ever been between you? And you live together?”
“No, I am not nor have I ever had any sort of
romantic or intimate relationship with Sean. Is that what you were trying to ask?”
“Yes, I guess it was, just not so bluntly. I just can’t imagine living with a beautiful woman and being around her all the time and not sleeping with her.”
“So do you sleep with every beautiful woman that you meet?”
“Not all of them, but I’m not an angel, Ariel. If I’m in a relationship I believe in commitment and being monogamous, but when I’m not I still like to spend time with a beautiful woman every now and then.”
So this was it. Not even a real date yet and they were discussing sex, not outwardly or graphically, but it was the core of this conversation for sure. It had come up quickly so it was apparently on his mind just as much as hers, but she wasn’t sure yet where she wanted this to go. If she slept with him, would she regret it later? She didn’t think so, but she didn’t want to think that she was just a pretty face for him to add to his list of conquests.
“I made you uncomfortable again. You are bright red and awfully quiet all of a sudden. When was your last relationship, and why did it end?”
So this was it, now or never. She wanted to be straight up with John and make sure that neither one of them was wasting their time. She was going to have to put it out there that she was the rarest of rare things at the age of 22, a virgin.
Taking a deep breath and knowing that she had to get this out there and see his reaction she began.
“His name was Tyler and we met in high school. He said he loved me and things were great. I wanted to take things slow, physically, and he seemed to be ok with that. It wasn’t like we never did anything physical but we hadn’t had actual sex yet. I came home one day on a break from college and walked into his room to find former a classmate of mine in his bed with him, naked. I haven’t been in a relationship since. What about you?”
Brothers in Blue: The First Love Match Page 2
