Rusty Logic

by Robin Alexander

  Rusty smiled. “I was about to say go into my bathroom, dry off, and put on my robe. I’ll toss your clothes in the wash.”

  “Sure you were.” Kirsten kicked off her sneakers at the door and went down the hall.

  Rusty pursed her lips when she heard the bathroom door close. She did some quick stretches, popped the kinks out of her neck. She jogged into the kitchen and rinsed her mouth with some mint syrup Neil had given her to flavor tea. Rusty envisioned how it would all go down. She’d take Kirsten into her arms, kiss her for a minute or so, then work her way into the robe while kissing Kirsten’s neck. She was debating on pushups to jumpstart the muscles in her arms when she heard Kirsten’s footfalls.

  “This is not gonna work,” Kirsten said as she strolled into the kitchen wearing a lavender terrycloth robe. “I can’t feel sexy in this. You have sweatpants, a T-shirt?”

  “You sure you want to bother putting clothes on because I’m about to take them right back off.”

  “Okay, let’s get something straight. I’m the aggressor. I’m not saying I’m some sort of top that always has to be in control, but I’m the one who gets this ball rolling.”

  “Oh,” Rusty said with a laugh. “That’s a problem because I’m the same way. Right now, you’re on my court, and I’ve got the ball.” Rusty took a step toward Kirsten. “Matter of fact, I’ve already planned out how we’ll start this game.”

  Kirsten stood up straight and folded her arms, but the droplet of water dangling from the tip of her nose took away from the tough appearance she was trying to get across. “This is starting to sound even more interesting by the second.”

  Rusty moved in closer and wiped Kirsten’s face with her hands. “You didn’t dry your hair.”

  “I would’ve, but my brain short-circuited when I put on this prissy robe.”

  Rusty traced Kirsten’s wet jaw with her fingertip. “You make it look good.” She walked around Kirsten, wrapped her arms around her waist, and buried her face in her neck. “You smell good.” Rusty flicked the skin against her lips with her tongue. “Taste even better.”

  Kirsten’s eyelids fluttered for a second, then she whirled around, clasped Rusty’s face in her hands, and kissed her until they were both breathing heavy. She grazed Rusty’s neck with her teeth, happy with the shudder it caused.

  “This is good but not exactly going according to my seduction plan,” Rusty breathed out.

  “I make to-do lists but never follow them,” Kirsten whispered against Rusty’s ear as she unbuttoned her shirt. “If turning me on was on the top of yours, you can check it off.”

  Rusty found the robe belt and gave it a yank when Kirsten kissed her again, but Kirsten moved her hands away before she could get inside. She felt her jeans being undone and Kirsten’s hands slide inside them. She took a step back, breathing heavily. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  Kirsten’s gaze fixated on Rusty’s teal bra, then slid lower. “I like that look.” She tore the robe off and tossed it aside. “We’ll get to the bedroom on the second round. Why’re you running?”

  Rusty laughed. “I’m not going anywhere. I just don’t want to do this on the kitchen floor. I like you much better without the robe.” She backed into the living room. “Much better.”

  Kirsten shoved Rusty onto the couch and yanked her jeans and underwear off roughly, but Rusty wasn’t ready to be submissive just yet. She got right back up, and Kirsten looked surprised for a second when Rusty pushed her down and straddled her lap. They laughed their way into a kiss. Kirsten’s hands roamed Rusty’s body as Rusty alternated between kissing her deeply and nibbling her bottom lip.

  Rusty gasped against Kirsten’s mouth as she felt her fingers slip into her wetness. She reached behind her back, unclipped her bra, and moved it out of the way. With her hand in Kirsten’s hair, she led Kirsten’s mouth to her breast and groaned when Kirsten sucked her nipple hard.

  “Make this first one quick, Kirsten. I need it,” Rusty said breathlessly.

  The request and the way Rusty sounded when she made it caused Kirsten to feel as though she was on the verge of an orgasm. She became relentless in her pursuit, and the way Rusty breathed and the sounds she made conveyed to Kirsten she was doing everything right. Confirmation came a moment or two later when Rusty grabbed the back of the couch with both hands and shuddered.

  “Don’t move yet,” Kirsten protested, but Rusty did anyway and sank down on her knees in front of the sofa. “I’m worried about your furniture.”

  “You weren’t a few minutes ago,” Rusty said as she spread Kirsten’s thighs apart. “I don’t have any concerns. Come to me.”

  Kirsten swallowed hard and scooted to the edge of the couch. She sucked in a breath through her teeth when Rusty’s mouth met the skin of her thigh.

  “Fast or slow?” Rusty asked as she kissed her way closer to where Kirsten wanted her.

  “Fast.”

  Rusty hadn’t embellished when she’d said she had skills. She was gentle, but what she did caused Kirsten intense pleasure and brought her to the edge very quickly. “Oh, Rusty—fuck,” Kirsten ground out as she teetered on the edge just for a second before the orgasm completely enveloped her.

  Kirsten was still feeling the aftershocks when Rusty guided her to lie on the couch, then settled on top of her. Rusty’s kisses made Kirsten’s arousal spike right back up. Rusty kissed her way down the side of Kirsten’s face and whispered against her ear, “Arch your back, let me really feel you.” Kirsten wrapped her legs around Rusty’s waist, and her moan matched Rusty’s when she felt hot wetness against hers.

  Rusty rose and watched her as they thrust against each other. Her pupils were dilated, her hair a mess. Kirsten felt she’d never seen anyone sexier. She traced Rusty’s lips with her fingertips, wanting to kiss her again, but Rusty wasn’t seeing her then. Her face tensed, eyes closed, her thrusts became erratic, and that was just enough to send Kirsten over the edge before Rusty took the fall seconds later.

  *******

  “Is this how you want the bell pepper sliced?”

  Rusty glanced over at the cutting board and smiled. “Mm-hmm. You follow instructions really well.”

  “I just want to do a great job,” Kirsten said with a grin.

  “Oh, you do, you definitely do.”

  “Feed me, and I’ll work all night,” Kirsten said with a wink.

  “That means you’re staying?” Rusty asked seriously.

  “I mean, I can unless you don’t want me to. You just have to let me know what you want.”

  Rusty waved the wooden spoon she was cooking with. “See, this is why I thought the contract would be a good idea.”

  “You also thought these spandex shorts you loaned me were a good idea, but they’re not.”

  Rusty leaned back and looked at Kirsten’s butt. “I beg to differ.”

  “Beg all you want, they’re creeping up my ass.”

  “It’s very shapely. Be proud, women pay a lot of money for a booty like that. It’s all muscle.” Rusty pretended to shudder. “I could feel it when I dug my fingers into those buns.”

  “You’re gonna make me cut myself,” Kirsten said with a laugh. “You’re messing up my focus.”

  “Yeah, I want you to stay. I just don’t want you to lose sight of the fact that I have to—”

  “You don’t have to remind me of that. I know what I’m getting into,” Kirsten said as she continued to slice the pepper.

  “Does it make me sound like a bitch?”

  Kirsten set the knife down and gazed at Rusty. “No, you’re being honest and sensible. I respect that.”

  “You can toss the peppers and onions into the skillet now.” Rusty frowned when her phone rang. “That’s probably Neil. Would you keep an eye on this for a second?”

  “Yep, I can cook.”

  Rusty walked over to the kitchen table and picked up her phone and pressed it to her ear. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I’m just calling to check on you.
How’s it going?”

  “Great, Kirsten and I are making dinner.”

  “Kirsten?” Neil asked, sounding amused.

  Rusty walked over to the stove and put the phone on speaker. “Neil, this is Kirsten.”

  “Hi, Neil,” Kirsten said with a laugh.

  “Well, hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “Rusty, would you take me off speaker? It’s causing an echo.”

  Rusty didn’t do anything but hold the phone closer to her mouth. “How’s that?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get romantically involved while you’re still in recovery,” Neil said with concern.

  “I’m not in a twelve-step program. Unless she comes equipped with Wi-Fi and access to our server, I don’t see it as a problem.”

  “Don’t be flip, you know what I mean,” Neil said firmly. “You’re in a fragile state.”

  “There’s nothing on her that’s fragile, trust me,” Kirsten interjected, and Rusty howled with laughter.

  “Rusty, you shit. You said you took me off speaker!”

  “No, I didn’t. Kirsten knows my story. You’re not going to say anything she can’t hear.”

  “That was still disrespectful,” Neil said.

  “You’re right, and I apologize.”

  Neil was quiet for a moment, then said, “Well, Kirsten, I hope to meet you in person soon, and I’ll let you get back to your dinner.”

  “Bye, Neil, nice chatting with you,” Kirsten said.

  “You too, and, Rusty, I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “He hung up,” Rusty said as she gazed at her phone.

  “He doesn’t sound happy about our arrangement.”

  “Neil is very protective, but he has my best interest…at heart.” Rusty was suddenly reminded of the dream and Stella saying something similar about Kirsten.

  Kirsten cut a piece of chicken, blew on it, and held it to Rusty’s lips. “I’m glad you have him, he sounds like a true friend.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “What is that noise? Make it stop,” Rusty said against Kirsten’s ear.

  Kirsten had been sleeping so deep, she never heard her phone ring and grabbed it off the bedside table. “Hello?” she said sleepily.

  “Chief, I’ve got the guys rolling on a peeper call at the Dennisons’ place.”

  “Okay, I’ll be on my way.” Kirsten unwrapped herself from Rusty’s arms and legs and climbed out of bed.

  The room was suddenly flooded with light when Rusty switched the lamp on. She squinted up at Kirsten and asked, “What’s going on?”

  “A peeper call. Where are my clothes?”

  Rusty’s eyes flashed open wide. “I never put them in the wash. They’re still in the bathtub soaking wet. Let me get you something to wear.”

  *******

  Rusty’s waist and hips were smaller than Kirsten’s, and even a pair of her sweatpants fit Kirsten like a Fruit Rollup. Kirsten climbed out of her cruiser wearing the only thing that fit—red spandex shorts, sneakers, and a T-shirt with a gun belt cinched tight on her hips. The weekend officers were still on shift, and Clint Dupre gawked as Kirsten walked up the driveway.

  “I was jogging. What’ve we got?” Kirsten snapped.

  “Terry’s inside with Pam, she’s pretty hysterical. She said she saw a scary woman staring at her from outside the kitchen window over there. I’ve been all over the yard, but whoever it was is long gone. Antoine heard us being dispatched and came in early. He’s riding around this area on the lookout, but I haven’t heard anything from him.”

  “Okay,” Kirsten said with a sigh and headed inside. Pam was sitting at her kitchen table shaking from head to toe when Kirsten walked in. She and Terry stared at Kirsten for a moment, then Terry snorted.

  “I was jogging. I didn’t have time to change.” Kirsten hoisted her gun belt. “Pam, I know you’ve probably already told Terry what happened, but I’d like you to tell it to me with as much detail as you can.”

  Pam inhaled deeply. “Okay…okay…I get up every morning with Ryan, and I make his breakfast and lunch. He left at four thirty just like he always does, and I was cleaning up. Then all of the sudden, it sounded like he was coming back in the door, so I said, ‘What did you forget?’ He didn’t answer, and the handle stopped jiggling. So I walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back, and I was almost face to face with a woman. She was very ugly. Her hair was black and long, she had on what looked like green eye shadow and pink lipstick. We stared at each other in shock for a moment, and I was trying to figure out who she was when my brain screamed this is wrong. She ran away, and I really screamed then. I called 911, then I called Ryan.”

  “You said you were almost face to face with her. Tell me what you mean by that,” Kirsten said.

  “She was taller than me, but just by a little, and her face was almost pressed to the glass,” Pam replied shakily.

  “Do you mind if we open your curtains and perform an experiment?” Kirsten asked.

  “Uh, no, I don’t…I don’t mind.”

  Kirsten opened the curtains and looked carefully at the window. “Was she standing in the middle or to one side?”

  “The far right.” Pam got up and tapped the glass. “Right here.”

  “Terry, do me a favor and go stand on the left side of the window unless you see prints there,” Kirsten said and gazed at Pam. “How tall are you?”

  “Five-two.”

  Clint joined Terry outside, and they shined their flashlights on the ground. Then Terry carefully stepped in front of the window. “How tall are you, Terry?” Kirsten asked through the glass.

  “Five-eight, Chief.”

  “Pam, step up to the window, please,” Kirsten said and watched as Pam stood facing Terry outside. Pam was still taller. “Thanks, Terry. Clint, take the spot, please.”

  “I’m six-foot even, Chief,” he said with a smile as he stepped in front of the glass.

  “Pam, was the woman taller than Clint?”

  “A little bit shorter, I think.”

  Ryan Dennison rushed into the house, and Pam launched herself into his arms. “What the hell is going on?” he asked excitedly. “I thought y’all had the peeper.”

  “So did we,” Kirsten said dryly.

  “What took you so long?” Pam asked as she clung to Ryan.

  “I was already on the interstate when you called. I can’t go to work now,” Ryan said angrily. “I’m not leaving her alone with some freak out there.”

  “It was an ugly woman,” Pam sobbed.

  Ryan hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “If this is someone playing a joke, it ain’t funny. You better catch ’em quick because if they come back here, they’ll get their heads blown off.”

  “We’ll be keeping an eye on your place,” Kirsten said. “We’re gonna continue to look around outside till after sun up. Pam, you were a big help. You’ve finally given us something we can work with, thank you.”

  When Kirsten walked outside, Terry doubled over with laughter. “Chief, I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s the gun belt that’s cracking me up.”

  “Do you have an extra uniform in your car?” Kirsten asked.

  “No, ma’am, and if I did, it’d hang off you like a sack.” Terry slapped her rather sizeable hips. “You don’t have these yet. Wait until you hit your late forties and just looking at food makes you fat,” she said and cleared her throat. “So we’re looking for a man in drag. Did I assume that correctly?”

  Kirsten sighed. “That’s what I’m thinking. Our guy is in disguise.” She moved closer to the window and shined her light on the ground. “We have prints here.”

  “Yeah, Clint and I were careful to avoid them,” Terry said. “Big boot. Clint took quite a few shots of them, and he’s about to check the door handle for prints. We both think the guy ran across the yard next door because the Dennisons have a high fence out back.” Terry walked to the edge of the driveway and shined her light on the neighboring
house. “Chief, I think I see a camera.”

  *******

  Wade and Marjorie Cole had slept through the commotion and looked very stunned to find the police on their porch before six that morning. They appeared even more perplexed by Kirsten’s apparel. “What’s going on?” Wade asked as he smoothed back what gray hair he had left on his head.

  “Someone tried to break in next door, and we think your camera may’ve caught them,” Terry explained. “Do you mind letting us look at the video?”

  “This is the exact reason we bought our security system. Come right on in.” Marjorie waved Kirsten and Terry inside. “It gives us extra security when we take to the road in the camper. Is Pam okay?”

  “Shaken up, but Ryan came back home, and he’s with her now,” Kirsten said as she and Terry kicked off their shoes.

  Wade had already gone into the living room and switched on his computer. “Marjorie, honey, would you put on some coffee, please?”

  “Yes, I will. I can make breakfast too, if y’all like.” She looked at Terry and Kirsten expectantly.

  Terry was steadily nodding, and Kirsten said, “No, thank you. We don’t want to be any more trouble than we already are.”

  “This thing is kinda slow, it’s old.” Wade patted the top of his monitor. He waved a hand at the couch. “Y’all are welcome to take a seat.”

  “Chief’s been jogging, you don’t want her sweaty shorts on your fabric, and I’d rather stand because I tend to get sleepy this time of morning,” Terry said with a wink at Kirsten. “Thank you kindly, though.”

  “I’m gonna run to the restroom,” Wade said. “The computer will probably be up and going by the time I get back.”

  “What was the wink for?” Kirsten asked softly.

  “I saw your car parked on Chestnut Street all night,” Terry said with a big grin. “And you smell like sex.”

  Kirsten groaned and rubbed the back of her neck.

  “Hey, Chief, even you are entitled to a private life, but if you don’t mind me saying, you need to keep that shirt pulled down because those shorts show off all your personal business.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” Kirsten walked over to the computer and stared at the home screen. “Marjorie?” she called out. “Is it okay if we open your security program while Wade is in the bathroom?”