SYDNEY FINISHED SPEAKING to the last person and walked toward Alex at the side of the room. As she watched, the look on Alex’s face completely changed and Alex’s entire body stiffened. Sydney followed her gaze and it come to rest on an individual she recognized as the police lieutenant who Alex had argued with on the day the flowers had been delivered to her office.
“Hey,” Sydney said, reaching out to touch Alex’s elbow as soon as she was in reach. She pulled Alex away and into a deserted pay phone alcove. “Are you all right?” Alex took a deep breath and smiled at Sydney then briefly ran her fingers over Sydney’s.
“I’m fine, now that you’re here.”
Sydney let her concern go for now, passionate fire reignited by Alex’s touch. The rigid and angry posture left Alex and was replaced by a look of unmistakable desire.
Alex pulled Sydney to her, taking her in a passionate kiss. “How about we get out of here?” she said in a husky voice when their lips parted. “I want to see you in my favorite outfit.”
Sydney shuddered at the thought of having Alex’s naked body on hers once again. She leaned up and their lips met once more, tongues battling for supremacy as they each communicated their deep need to be with the other.
“God, yes. Leave. Now.” Sydney said between gasps as Alex’s lips worked their way down her jaw and neckline.
“Where are you parked?” Alex asked between caresses.
“I used the valet. You?”
“I’ve got a black and white. I’m parked on the street—” They were interrupted by Alex’s cell ringing. Her head dropped to Sydney’s shoulder in exasperation before she pulled the phone from her pocket, glancing at the screen.
“Yeah, Sal.”
Sydney listened as Alex’s eyes widened and grew serious. Her own concern grew as she listened to Alex’s half of the conversation and felt Alex’s body tense in her arms.
“How bad are they?” Alex asked. She paused, then, “Which hospital?”
Alex’s eyes met Sydney’s and Sydney saw the apology written in them. She squeezed Alex’s hand reassuringly as the conversation continued.
“Okay, I’m en route. I should only be about fifteen minutes.” Alex looked at Sydney as she put the phone back in her pocket. “I’m sorry, Syd. That was Sal. He was covering my guys tonight while I’m here. I gotta go.”
“I understand. It sounded serious. Come on.” Sydney saw the internal struggle in Alex’s eyes and pulled her out of the alcove, leading her through the lobby toward the front doors. “Someone got hurt?” she asked.
“I guess a couple of my officers ended up in a pretty good fight with a parolee. They fought him down to the floor and were handcuffing him when his girlfriend, who had called the police when he beat her, came at them from behind with a knife. They both got cut pretty good. They’ll be okay, but...”
By that time they had reached the valet line. Sydney, aware they were now once again in the public view, simply squeezed Alex’s hand.
“Go. Take care of your officers,” she said, trying to communicate her support and understanding through her eyes and the chaste touch. “Until tomorrow?” she asked quietly. Alex squeezed her hand in return and gave her a sexy knowing smile.
“Absolutely. Drive home safe,” she said, then turned and jogged to the police car at the curb in front.
Sydney watched her all the way to the car, her mind still fantasizing about the evening that was no longer going to be. Well, she’d made it through the week so far, she’d somehow manage to make it one more night without her sergeant’s touch.
SYDNEY WAS RETURNING from picking up a cup of coffee and a snack the next afternoon when she saw a familiar form approaching the court building drinking from a large can of carbonated energy drink.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Rutledge,” Alex said as she met Sydney at the door, opening it and giving her a smile that made Sydney almost melt on the spot. From the gleam in Alex’s eyes as Sydney passed her through the doorway, the effect did not go unnoticed.
“So, what are you doing here?” Sydney asked, trying to sound casual and ignore her own increase in heart rate. How did Alex do this to her every time they were near one another?
“I got a call from,” Alex paused to pull a paper from her pocket and look at it as they came to a stop in front of the elevators. “Assistant District Attorney Niles.” She leaned past to push the elevator call button lightly brushing the front of Sydney’s breast with her forearm as she did so. “He wants a meeting with some of us about an attempted murder case that’s going to jury next week. I came over a little early. Just because you never know what issue might pop up.” Alex looked up and into Sydney’s eyes. “Or who you may run into.”
Sydney had to look away as her knees started to shake. “I’m sure Dan Niles will appreciate the personal attention and dedication,” she said with a smile then turned toward the opening elevator doors.
“There are others here I would much prefer to give my personal attention and dedication to,” Alex said in a sultry whisper from behind Sydney just before they joined the other people crowding their way into the elevator. Sydney pressed the button for the eighteenth floor with slightly shaky fingers. Alex casually sipped from her drink and leaned against the wall in the back corner of the elevator car, extending one arm outward to the side along the waist level hand rail.
With the other passengers taking up most of the remaining space, Sydney was forced to stand close beside Alex, leaning on the handrail upon which Alex’s arm rested. The doors closed and the car began moving up, jerking slightly as it started, driving Sydney to momentarily lean more heavily on the rail and wall. Alex’s arm rested against her back behind her as she leaned on the wall to keep her balance. She glanced at Alex, noting the look of feigned innocence on her face as Alex looked upward and watched the lighted numbers above the door go from one to two.
The elevator stopped on the third floor and half of the passengers exited. As the doors closed Sydney sensed a soft touch through her suit jacket and blouse. Alex’s hand caressed her lower back, unseen by the other occupants. Sydney took a deep breath at the contact and closed her eyes momentarily. The sexual frustration she’d been dealing with since the previous evening, the urges she had fought throughout the entire night and morning, returned in a rush.
The car stopped again on the fourth floor as several more exited and additional people entered, chatting noisily. Sydney shifted to make room for the additional people, moving slightly closer to Alex. As she leaned back, and the elevator began to move again, Alex’s hand resumed its soft contact, this time her fingers inched lower, moving in a circular pattern. The car stopped two more times, disgorging all but one of the other passengers as it moved on to the less popular eighteenth floor. When the doors opened to the floor containing the offices of the various assistant district attorneys the last occupant exited. By that time Alex’s hand had continued its stealthy downward movement and came to rest squarely on the left cheek of Sydney’s derrière. Alex gave a final gentle squeeze just as Sydney forced herself to move away from the wall and out of the elevator. She turned and looked over her shoulder at Alex, her eyes afire with frustrated passion.
“Not nice, Sergeant,” she said in a tense whisper. “So not nice.”
Alex followed Sydney out of the elevator and through the waiting area, raising her hand in acknowledgment to the clerk sitting behind the window. The clerk smiled back and buzzed the security lock allowing them through the door leading from the lobby back to the various cubicles and offices.
“So, Ms. Rutledge, would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of Mr. Niles’s office?” Alex asked with a slight smile on her lips.
Sydney came to a stop when she reached the intersection in the hallway, a turn to the right leading to the doorway to her office. She pointed in the opposite direction.
“That way,” she said. “Second door from the corner I believe.” She stood there, looking at Alex, the coffee she had originally left the b
uilding for all but forgotten in her hand. Her eyes still burning with frustrated passion.
“All righty then,” Alex said, the slight smile remaining. “Shall I stop by your office on the way out?”
Sydney took a deep breath to control her response. She looked around and saw no one in the immediate vicinity. She took a sharp step toward Alex and grasped Alex’s uniform shirt in a fist, pulling her forward, their bodies almost touching and their lips within inches of one another.
“After last night, and then...that,” Sydney said in a low voice. “You owe me a hell of a lot more than just a drive by office visit, Sergeant.” She let her hand slide down the uniform front, sending tingles through Alex despite the insulation of the bullet resistant vest. Sydney took some satisfaction in the effect she read through Alex’s eyes. Then she turned and headed toward her office.
Sydney entered her office and carefully put the coffee down with a slightly trembling hand. She fell backwards into her comfortable leather executive chair and let out a sigh, heavy with sexual frustration.
“This is craziness,” she muttered quietly to herself. “How does she do that to me?”
Sydney spent several minutes shuffling papers around on her desk, finding it difficult to concentrate. She finally gave up, simply turning the high backed chair toward the window behind her and leaning her head back, gazing at the afternoon sky and trying to relax her mind to the point of being able to do some kind of work.
She lost track of time and wasn’t sure how long she engaged in this pointless exercise before she heard a knock on the frame of her open door. She turned to find Dan Niles standing in the doorway. Sydney knew him as a bright up and coming lawyer in the office and she had a part in mentoring him from the time he’d arrived.
“Hey, Syd,” he said with a shy smile. “I’m heading for a quick pretrial meeting with the officers on that drive by shooting I’m handling next week. I was just wondering, if you’re free for the next thirty minutes or so, would you mind sitting in with me? I’d appreciate your oversight, just to make sure I don’t miss anything.”
Sydney knew this was Dan’s first complex case, with multiple suspects each facing multiple charges and gang enhancements. His willingness to have a second set of eyes on his case, to not let ego interfere with his judgment, was simply more evidence of his talent and dedication.
“Absolutely.” Sydney stood and gathered a legal pad and a pen, a satisfied smile on her face. She knew a certain individual was waiting in the conference room for this specific meeting. That unsuspecting and cocky sergeant was about to be the target of well-deserved payback. Sydney was carrying her cup of coffee and glanced at the conference room occupants as she came through the door. Her eyes came to rest last on Alex and she quickly moved her cup to cover her lips and hide the resulting smile. She quickly looked away, fearing she might be unable to maintain her professional demeanor if she allowed her gaze to linger too long.
“Afternoon everyone,” D.A. Niles said as he sat down. “Thanks for coming in. I know its Friday and I’ll get everyone out of here as quickly as possible. I appreciate you all coming in on such short notice.” He took a seat after putting the stack of files on the large conference table. “Jury selection went more smoothly than I expected and finished this morning so we’ll begin testimony Monday.”
Sydney took the seat directly opposite Alex, at the end of the table. The remainder of the meeting participants extended around the rest of the table in a horseshoe shape. This, coupled with Sydney’s position pulled slightly away from the table, put D.A. Niles in a position blocking the rest of the officers view of her. Except Alex, who had a clear and unobstructed view.
Sydney crossed her legs, placing the legal portfolio on her lap and then casually placed her cell phone on top, concealed from the other occupants of the room.
“I’ve asked Ms. Rutledge to sit in as another set of ears and eyes, just to make sure we don’t overlook anything,” Niles said as he looked towards Sydney.
At that Sydney nodded in greeting to each of the officers, her eyes meeting Alex’s last and pausing slightly longer. She let her tongue peak briefly from between her lips and slightly moistened her lips. Alex’s gaze immediately dropped to her mouth. Sydney was satisfied her devious plot was already in motion and working. She sent her first text then watched as Alex glanced down to read it. When Alex looked back up, Sydney raised an eyebrow and then very slowly uncrossed her legs, shifting in her seat and re-crossing them the other way. Her hand dropped to the hemline of her skirt as if she was going to pull the skirt to her knees. Instead her fingers ran upwards toward her hip, bringing the edge of the skirt higher, revealing more of her thigh. The move effectively invisible to everyone except Alex. Sydney knew how Alex loved to run her hands up her thighs and under her skirt when they engaged in foreplay. She smiled when Alex sat up straight and swallowed nervously.
AS ALEX TRIED to concentrate on what was being discussed, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. With additional officers within her squad still operating in the field, there was always the possibility of a time sensitive issue or emergency popping up. She removed the phone from her pocket and placed it on her thigh beneath the level of the table, then as discreetly as possible glanced down to read the message.
Am I distracting you yet, lover?
Alex read the message then slowly brought her eyes back up, trying without success to keep them off of Sydney. Moments later the phone vibrated against her thigh once again.
I’m thinking about how much I want to touch you.
Alex immediately imagined the feel of Sydney’s hands on her flesh. The thought was so strong she couldn’t stop herself from sitting straight up and taking a deep controlling breath. She was startled when she realized the room was silent and A.D.A. Niles was looking at her.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Alex said, realizing she must have missed the question.
“You directed the search for the weapon after the termination of the vehicle chase and the foot pursuit of the shooter?”
It vibrated at her thigh once again.
And how much I want you to touch me
Alex coughed before replying. “Yes, that’s correct. We knew he had the handgun when he ran from the car into the alley, and that he no longer had it when he was taken into custody running out the other end of the alley. So we held the alley and conducted a thorough search. I found it tossed behind a dumpster and had it held for fingerprints.”
“Okay, good,” Niles said. He glanced down at his notes. “I spoke to the fingerprint analyst today. He’s ready to testify on the print match, and the firearms analyst will testify to the ballistics match to the rounds collected at the scene, and removed from the victims. Now, about the driver of the suspect’s vehicle...”
His voice faded into the background again as the phone on her leg vibrated once again. She tried to fight the urge to look. That effort was successful for about two seconds before her eyes drifted once again to the illuminated screen below the edge of the table.
Do you want to touch me?
After reading the text Alex barely kept the groan from being audible. Her uniform pants were getting tighter and more constrictive, especially around her crotch. She sat up straight and actually grasped her inseam near her knee, pulling the pants downward as she tried to minimize the contact to the increasingly sensitive area. The next text was almost more than Alex could handle.
I want you inside of me.
Alex leaned her head forward and stared at the table surface in front of her, concentrating on keeping her breathing slow and even. Fortunately, the meeting wound down several minutes later when Niles thanked the officers for coming and stood, signaling the close of the meeting.
Sal turned to Alex and asked as he stood up, “Wanna grab a cup?” Alex still felt a little dazed when she looked up at him. She noticed a slight smile on his lips and wondered if he had noticed what had been going on.
“Sergeant Chambers,” Sydney said from
across the table as she stood. Both Sal and Alex looked over at her. Alex saw her run one hand down her thigh, as if straightening an invisible wrinkle in the material of her skirt. Alex’s eyes followed the motion of her hand.
“I have a couple of questions about another case you’re involved in,” Sydney said. “Do you have a few minutes to chat in my office?”
Alex nodded. “Uh-huh,” she said. Then cleared her throat and spoke with more clarity. “Yeah, sure.” She turned to Sal as Sydney headed out of the room. “Give me a few minutes, Sal.”
“Sure,” he replied. “Take your time. I’ll meet you at Central City Café. I’m working through tonight and I haven’t eaten yet.”
SYDNEY WAS LOOKING out her office window when she heard the click of the door latch closing quietly behind her. She turned in her chair to see Alex leaning on the now closed door, looking at her with what appeared to be barely controlled lust.
“Do you have any idea how much you drive me crazy?” Alex asked quietly.
“Really?” Sydney said, trying to control her own urges. “I’m not the one who started this.”
“That’s what I mean.” Alex’s head fell back against the door, her eyes remained locked on Sydney’s. “Sometimes I just can’t keep my hands off you. You do that to me.” Alex took a step away from the door and moved toward Sydney. “God, you make me want to—”
“Stop.” Sydney stood and held her hand up to emphasize the point. “You know you deserved every bit of that.” She smiled as she continued. “Don’t come near me, Alex Chambers. You stay on that side of this desk or so help me...”
White Roses Calling Page 20
