“Me?” she asked, her voice husky as I slipped a hand between us, fingering her clit. “Bad Talia.”
“You like me this way.” She strained toward me when I lifted my fingers to my mouth and sucked on them. “I’m glad, because I’ve always run hot.”
“Lucky me,” she said on a groan as I tucked two fingers inside her, and then three. “So good.”
I alternated grinding against her with fucking her until she was close, and then I moved my hand and lightly pinched her nipple, pressing so tightly against her that her fingers slipped inside me from behind. With my other hand, I squeezed the soft flesh of her thigh and she cried out, dragging me over the edge with her.
When we had the energy to move, we lay side by side on the bed together, chests heaving.
“Good lord.” Eve bit at the side of my jaw. “One of these days you might kill me, but it’ll totally be worth it.”
“It’s not like you don’t do the same to me.” I wrapped my fingers around her hip, dug them into her ass. “Your skirt is going to be a wreck.”
She laughed, low and throaty. “Oh, you think so, do you? I’ve got your number now. I made sure to wear the one I travel with—you can wad it into a ball and it still doesn’t wrinkle.”
“That sounds like a dare.”
She rolled off the bed and stood, shimmying it down around her hips, sans panties. “See?”
I smiled. “Sorry, babe. I think your skirt is broken.”
She stared down at the definite wrinkles. “Well, hell.”
“Come here.” I scrambled to the side of the bed on my knees. She came close, and I tugged the skirt off, nuzzling her belly as I did it. “We’ll throw it in the dryer for a few minutes.”
She stepped out of it and bent over to get it. When she did, I bit her ass.
She yelped. “Warn a girl, Tal.” She stood, looked at my face and laughed. “Nuh-uh. You are not convincing me to go for round two. No way.”
I flopped onto the bed and flung my hand over my forehead dramatically. “Fine. But don’t blame me if we don’t get any time alone together for the next week.”
After rounds two and round three, we didn’t get to her brother’s house until almost six. Derrick took one look at Eve’s face and then mine, and laughed ruefully. “Two hours?”
I felt the blush stain my cheeks, but Eve gave him the eye. “D, I love you, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to answer that. Not honestly, anyway.”
He coughed into his hand. “True that.” He nodded into the living room. “They’re dying to meet Talia, and if they give you anything like the grilling Gabri and I got, you might want to turn around now.”
Eve snorted. “They can try.” She kissed him, then grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dining room and introduced me to everyone.
Her brother, Byron, was tall and thin and scholarly looking. Eve had told me he was a history professor at the college where we’d gone to the concert. His wife, Annette, was shorter and heavily pregnant with what Eve had said was their fourth child. Their older kids were eleven and eight and five, all boys. Eve had said this baby was a girl. Annette’s family was here, her parents and siblings. Eve’s sister Renee and husband were here too. The house was filled with children’s happy laughter, a football game on in the other room, and the mouthwatering scent of Thanksgiving dinner.
Even though we’d eaten just a few hours ago, the smells were so divine that my stomach growled. I flushed, but Eve laughed softly, whispered in my ear. “Worked up an appetite, did you?”
“Maybe?”
In spite of Derrick’s warning, the questions weren’t intrusive or unwelcome. There were a few comments along the way when I turned down the ham and explained I was Jewish, but the only thing that made me truly uncomfortable was when Byron gave Eve grief about sleeping with the person who worked for her.
“Look, I know you mean well, but I can handle this,” Eve said quietly to him. She reached out under the table, squeezed my hand. “We can handle this. And this isn’t the time, okay? Not today. Please.”
He agreed to let it go, but the food I’d been nibbling turned to a rock in my stomach as conversations ebbed and flowed around me. Every so often, Eve glanced over at me and I squeezed her hand, but I wasn’t able to relax anymore.
I’d been trying so hard not to think about Monday, but now I couldn’t think about anything else.
Monday morning, I dressed with particular care, making sure to look professional. I hadn’t seen Eve since late Thursday night, though we’d talked or texted every day. She’d spent Friday with Derrick and the weekend doing errands, and I’d spent some one-on-one time with Rissa before she headed back to college. I’d dropped her off at the train station on my way to work, and now my heart was both full and empty.
Seated at my desk, I stared at the clock. It was nearly nine, when Eve and I were supposed to meet with the chief. I’d only met him twice and, while he seemed like a nice enough guy, he also didn’t seem like one to take any shit from those under his command.
My stomach knotted. Where the hell was Eve?
Another five minutes passed, and I decided I couldn’t wait for her. I took the stairs instead of the elevator, needing the exercise to bleed off the adrenaline swirling in my belly. I found my way to his office.
His assistant motioned me to a chair. “He’ll be with you in a moment.”
As I sat, I glanced around the small office and tried not to panic. One wall held pictures of Chief Robinson at community events. Another held photos of old-time police vehicles and officers. I resisted the urge to get up and examine them and instead twisted my hands in my lap.
The assistant’s computer beeped, and he looked down and then up, his face expressionless. “The chief will see you now.”
“Thank you,” I said to the young man, and I went in.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Eve was already there, seated in one of the chairs opposite the man’s desk. Tension vibrated off her body, and she wasn’t smiling. Oy, this can’t be good.
He stood, held out a hand to me. “Talia.”
I wiped my sweaty palm on my trousers and shook. “Chief Robinson.”
“Lieutenant Poe is going to wait outside for a few moments while we talk alone.” His voice was firm yet not hard but, at his statement, Eve stood and left the room as though she’d been shot out of a cannon.
She didn’t even look at me, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did neither and tried to control my rapidly accelerating heart rate.
When she’d closed the door behind her, he motioned to the other guest chair. I sat, my knees squeezed tight to keep them from knocking together. I expected him to sit at his desk, but instead he came around it and took the seat that Eve had vacated.
In any other circumstance, his warm gaze and steady voice would’ve calmed me, but this wasn’t a normal meeting. “I wanted to talk with you before we all talk together. I don’t like having to interfere in people’s personal lives, but I will if the work of this department might be undermined. I understand you and Lieutenant Poe are in a sexual relationship?”
I swallowed and fought the urge to look away. “Yes, we are.”
“And is this relationship consensual?”
I reared back as though he’d hit me. “Excuse me?”
A slight smile. “That’s nearly as good as an actual answer, but I need the words. Talia, you weren’t coerced into having sex with the lieutenant so you didn’t lose your job, were you?”
“What? No! Not even a tiny bit,” I said, aware my voice was tinged with anger I didn’t try to hide. “Eve isn’t that kind of person. Surely you know that.”
To my surprise—considering he’d voiced the question in the first place—he nodded. “I agree with you. But I had to ask.” He held up a hand when I opened my mouth to speak. “I’ve known Lieutenant Poe a long time, and I asked her here early so we could have a similar discussion in private. To be bluntly honest, there are some people in the ranks
both higher and lower than her who take issue with a woman, a gay Black woman at that, on the job. Especially one in a command position.” His face hardened. “Those people will talk. And I want to be prepared to shoot them down.”
Some of my ire eased. “Neither one of us expected this.”
He nodded. “That’s what Eve said. She also said you’re good at your job, and people who can handle the chaos of it are few and far between. She’s requested a transfer to a different department to keep you there.”
I blanched. “No! We talked about that. I won’t let her.”
He went to the door and opened it, motioning Eve back in. She stepped in and looked at me, her face pinched tightly.
I glared at her. “No. I’ll quit right now. This is your career, damn it. I told you that. You’ve spent too much time building it.”
“Tal . . .”
The door closed behind her and the chief spoke sharply. “Sit. Both of you.”
We sat, but I glared at Eve again.
“No one is quitting.” His voice drew both our gazes. “And no one needs to change jobs, as long as you two can keep it professional in the office.” When Eve started to speak, he talked over her, the authority in his voice unmistakable. “Lieutenant Poe, I didn’t ask your opinion.”
That shut her up.
“You are not the only couple in this department. You are not the only same-sex couple in this department. But you are the only two who are in a direct command and subordinate position, and that is the issue here. You report directly to me already, Lieutenant, so that will not change. But Talia will also report directly to me now rather than to you. Talia’s performance appraisals will come from me. Raises or not will come from me.”
I was the one who spoke. “But, sir, you don’t—”
He smiled almost gently. “I already know the kind of work you do. Eve is right. It’s a job that requires a certain type of person, and we’re lucky to have found you. Every cop who’s dealt with you since you got here has had nothing but nice things to say.” His smile to Eve was a bit sharper. “And you. If you think you’re that easily replaced, that just any cop can do your job, you’re out of your mind. I don’t give a rat’s ass that you prefer women over men in your bed. What matters is that you care about the community we serve, and that you do your job. You do both, exceptionally well. And, maybe even more importantly, the community we all serve respects you. I’ve seen that over and over again. You’re going nowhere, Poe.”
He leaned back, pinned both of us with a hard, commanding stare for a very long, uncomfortable moment. “All of that being said, if you screw around on department time, you’re both done. I’ve given this same warning to every couple in the department. Is that understood?”
Eve nodded stiffly. “Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t easy to get past the lump in my throat, but I did. “Yes.”
“Dismissed.”
We left his office in silence. So many emotions swirled through me. Relief that I wouldn’t have to leave this job that I loved. Anger at Eve’s high-handedness. More relief that this awkward, embarrassing just-let-me-fall-through-the-floor meeting was over.
We got back to our office and I grabbed my mug, heading for the break room without another word. Eve followed me, filled her own mug with hot water, then walked beside me back to the office.
I sat down, ignoring her. Hard to believe that meeting had taken less than half an hour. I felt like I’d been run through, and I was already drained.
She took a sip of her tea, watched me over the rim of her mug. “Are you going to sulk all day?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “I did what I thought was best.”
That got me. “Best for who, Eve? You knew how I felt about this. I’ve worked here for a few months. If I needed to, I could find another job. It wouldn’t be easy and money would be tight, but I’d do it. This job is your life. It’s not what you do. It’s who you are.” I blew out a breath. “Not doing this. Not now. Not here, while people are watching.”
She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she honored my wish and dove into her work. I was grateful but also perversely annoyed. Which pissed me off.
We had a series of events scheduled for the school year, so I focused on the things I needed to do for the next one, which would be held in three weeks at a nearby elementary school. Or tried to, anyway—no one I needed to speak with was available. I made typos on the flier, including the department’s name, for fuck’s sake. Then I dropped the box of giveaways on the floor. They went rolling everywhere, even through the open door and into the hallway.
Swearing under my breath, I got on the floor and started picking them up. Tears burned my eyes, but they weren’t because I was upset. I was angry. At myself, at Eve, and the whole damn situation.
I was nearly in the hall when someone held out one of the stress balls to me. I looked up to find Delia there, a grin on her face. It faded when she saw my eyes. “You okay?”
I blinked away the tears and gritted my teeth. “Yeah, just clumsy.” I stood, took the ball, and turned to go back inside when I felt her hand on my elbow.
“Take a walk with me?” Delia asked.
I glanced back over my shoulder. Eve’s face held that pinched look again, but God help me, I needed to be away from her before I said something I’d regret. “Sure.”
“I’ll have your assistant back in ten,” she told Eve, and then she led me to a part of the building I’d never seen before. She grinned faintly at my confusion. “I grew up haunting the hallways here—my dad was a cop too. I know where all the good hiding places are.”
We went into a small room. It was jam-packed with dusty filing cabinets, a microfilm reader, and a few other things straight out of the last century. I sneezed, and my already-watery eyes overflowed. “Where are we?”
“Records room for cases prior to 1970.” There were two metal chairs and an industrial table in the center of the room. She pulled out a chair and sat, gesturing to the other. “Looked like you needed an escape route before you blew up or melted down.”
I gave a somewhat choked laugh. “That obvious?”
She smiled wryly. “To someone who has a similar temperament? Yeah. You need to chill before you speak?”
“Ding ding ding.”
“I figured. It’s the thing about me that makes Colin the craziest, but at least he gets it now.” She rubbed her burgeoning belly. “Need an impartial ear to talk about whatever’s bothering you?”
I considered her offer, and dismissed it. “As tempting as that is, it’s probably better I don’t.”
“Fair enough,” she said, and the look on her face should’ve warned me what was coming next. “Rumor has it you and Eve were in the chief’s office this morning, and that you two are a couple.”
“Oh, hell. Everyone knows?”
“Yup. This place is lousy for gossip. Can I give you a piece of free advice?”
Like I could stop her? I lifted a shoulder. “Go for it.”
“Don’t let them get to you. I dealt with a lot of bullshit at the beginning of my career because I’m the chief’s niece. Ignore them, and they’ll go away.”
I blinked. “He’s your uncle?”
“He is. My point is, do your job and people will forget about the rest.” She rubbed her belly again, then checked her watch. “We have four more minutes before Eve comes after us.”
“I need to head back, anyway.” I wiped under my eyes. “And for the record, I wasn’t upset. I was mad.”
She grinned and patted her red hair. “Don’t I know how that goes. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Colin just yells. I implode, and it’s never pretty.”
That made me laugh. “I can relate. Does anyone ever come in here anymore?”
“Believe it or not, yes. Every once in a while, a new detective is assigned cold cases to work on. Or a name comes up that some old-timer remembers from way back when and they need a case file.” She looked around. “It’d be
great to get it computerized for ease of searches, but there’s something to be said for searching in old, dusty files. I like it as it is.” She checked her watch again. “Time’s up.”
On our way back, I took some deep breaths and tried to put myself into a better frame of mind for work. What I’d told Eve wasn’t wrong. Our personal shit had to wait.
We reached the end of the hallway and Delia turned left while I turned right, but not before she gave me a conspiratorial nudge. “You’ve got this.”
“Thanks.” I smiled weakly, then walked the short distance to mine and Eve’s office.
I half expected her to be pacing the room, but instead she was at her desk, the phone to her ear. Her replies were short . . . yes, uh-huh, sure. I sat down and watched her work, this woman I was pretty sure I was falling in love with, even though I wanted to strangle her.
She finished her call and looked at me, her expression that carefully blank cop face. “Better?”
My heart twisted at the distance in her eyes. “Some. But we need to talk when we get home.”
“It’s Monday. You have your class tonight,” she reminded me.
Shit, I’d forgotten all about it in the stress of this morning’s meeting. “I’ll cancel.”
Eve shook her head. “No. It’s important to you.”
Frustration ate at me. “You’re important to me, and we need to talk. I’ll cancel.”
“Funny how that works,” Eve muttered. “When I did what I thought was best, you didn’t like it.”
I opened my mouth to retort, then snapped it shut because she might be right but, damn it, she was still wrong in trying to make huge unilateral decisions that affected both of us. I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms over my chest. “Are we having our first fight?”
She leaned back in her own chair. “Seems like it.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
The rest of the morning dragged, and I was grateful when Eve got called away to a meeting. I felt miserable, but at least this silence wasn’t deafening. By the time I left for the day, she still wasn’t back.
I was torn between leaving her a note or not, but decided I didn’t want to, not in the office where anyone could see it, especially after today. And really, I didn’t know what to say. I was upset that she’d requested to change jobs after I’d specifically told her I hated that idea, and yeah, I was mad. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. Being at odds with my lover was every bit as awful as I’d remembered.
Twice in a Lifetime Page 14
