by Marie James
Instead of gripping her hips and stopping her, which was my absolute intention before my hands touched her soft skin, I slid them up higher. Once my fingers grazed over the lace of her panties, I was gone; my mind turned off, and my body took over. The feeling of her hot center over my throbbing cock was more than I could handle; the glorious look on her face when she went over the edge was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Now? Now I regret every second of it. She closed herself off, and I may never get her to open back up again. The look on her face when she walked back into the living room from making the bed seemed almost hostile.
“Fuck,” I mutter as I kick off my shoes.
I throw my wallet and cell phone on the bedside table and remove the glock from the holster on my pants, placing it on the bedside table as well. I lie back on top of the flowered duvet cover and place my entwined hands behind my head. Closing my eyes, I run through the evening's events a dozen times. Every scenario short of me never kissing her while she’s upset ends the same way: her pissed off and me an asshole.
I close my eyes and go to sleep longing for the touch of the magnificent woman down the hall.
***
I rub the sleep from my eyes as I sit up in the bed. I slept more soundly than I ever should’ve in a strange bed. Having Josie right down the hall in combination with not having gotten much sleep the night before due to fantasies that sprung from our first kiss aided in the much-needed sleep. I’m thankful for the abundance of rest because working in my field tired could be deadly.
I load my pockets back up with keys and wallet and holster my gun. Standing, I stretch and smile at the glorious feeling of my back popping in several different places. I didn’t close the bedroom door last night in case Josie came looking for me. I was hoping she would but not in the least expectant, and I didn’t want a closed door to deter her from joining me if she wanted to.
The apartment has an eerie calm about it; no sound whatsoever can be heard. I peek in Josie’s room as I walk down the hall and notice the bathroom door is open as well, lights off and empty. By the time I make it to the kitchen I know she’s not here. Peering down at my watch I see that it is six forty-five. I know she’s a school teacher, but it’s still too early to be needed at work. I frown, realizing she left early and had obviously been super quiet this morning to avoid having to face me.
The smell of strong coffee hits my nose when I round the counter into the kitchen. The note on the counter spouted some lame excuse about bus duty, whatever that is. Beside the coffee pot, I find a disposable, insulated cup and lid and have to smile at her manners. I fill the cup, effectively draining the pot, and turn the coffee maker off.
Before I leave, I make my way back down the hallway to her empty room. I stop at the threshold and inhale deeply allowing her soft scent to fill my lungs, the smell instantly calming. I walk to the window and make sure it is secure before making a hasty retreat out of the apartment, once again making sure the front door is locked up tight.
I feel like the biggest asshole in the world when I let the idea that maybe she’ll be frightened enough to call me over again this evening slip across my mind.
***
Another long day at the courthouse almost in the books I think as I look down at my phone, checking department emails while waiting for the decision to come back on my last case of the day. The door opens to the jury room with a squeak, and the ADA prosecutor angles himself out of the door and gives me a thumb up. I walk by and give him a quick fist bump before heading to my car.
I didn’t hear from Josie all day yesterday. She never called to say she was scared or needed anything. My texts went unanswered. Unfamiliar with this situation I was honestly out of my element and had no clue on how to proceed.
How long do I give her before calling or stopping by her apartment? I resign myself that if I don’t hear from her by noon tomorrow, I’ll call her. If the call goes unanswered, I’ll show up on her doorstep at six.
Today I’m in desperate need of a few beers, so I head straight to Eddie’s after I leave the courthouse. Sliding up to the end of the bar I raise a hand over my head and get Eddie’s attention; he acknowledges me and holds a finger up. The bar is busy, but that’s expected for a Friday night.
I slump on the stool and sigh, thankful for a weekend off; thankful I’m not on-call. On-call weekends tended to get busier than days during the week with people partying and using drugs; patrol getting called out to domestics and end up finding loads of dope in the house.
Two beers are my limit; nothing worse than a cop getting picked up for a DWI; Chief tends to frown on that. I swallow the last little bit, throw a twenty on the bar, and wave a hand in the air at Eddie. How that old man does it day in and day out, I’ll never know.
My phone rings as I make it towards my car. Hoping it’s finally Josie reaching out to me, my face falls when I realize it’s an unknown caller.
“Perez,” I answer.
“Detective, it’s Chad Mills,” this is one of the patrolmen that responded to Josie’s house night before last.
My heart begins to pound in my chest, and my palms go slick with sweat. “Whatcha got, Mills.”
He clears his throat. “There’s been another incident at Joselyne Bennett’s apartment.”
The blood drains from my face. “What kind of incident, Mills?” I’m thrown into action as I jump into my car and head towards her place.
“Break-in,” he replies.
“I’m on my way,” I huff into the phone. “Is she ok?”
“She’s fine. A little shaken up, but she wasn’t home. She showed up, and the front door was kicked in and…” He pauses.
“And what?!?” I yell into the speaker in the car.
“They left a note and a dead rat on her kitchen table. The apartment has been trashed.” He explains as he describes the scene.
“Fuck!” I exclaim and hit the steering wheel with the palms of both hands. “I’m on my way.”
Several squad cars are parked outside of the apartment complex. Onlookers are starting to gather in small groups speculating about what’s going on. With as much calm as my body will allow, I climb the stairs to Josie’s floor.
I stop at the landing just below the last rise of stairs. She’s sitting on the top step looking down, a blanket wrapped around her, the shaking of her body visible even under the protective layer. Her ghost white face in sharp contrast to the red puffiness of her eyes.
“Kaleb,” she mutters softly as I climb the last few steps towards her.
Not knowing what else to do, I scoop her up in my arms and take her place on the top step holding her close to my chest, rocking her and whispering consoling words in her ear.
“Shhh, Mariposa. I’m here now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” The trembling of her body has begun to calm, and she's nuzzling herself deeper in my arms, and I can’t help but think how she’s a perfect fit against my body.
“My apartment is ruined.” She sobs.
“It’s ok. We’ll take care of it. We’ll make it as good as new.” She continues to sob.
“I can’t stay here. I don’t want to be alone.” I hold her tighter. No way I’d let her stay here another night.
“You’ll come home with me then,” I advise.
She stills in my arms, suddenly rigid at the idea. Well if that’s not a swift kick in the nuts. She’s terrified to be home, but she shrinks away at the idea of staying with me?
“What about Mia?” She whispers softly. How does she know about Mia?
“What about her?” I’ve shifted her body away from mine, so I can look into her eyes.
“I don’t think she’d like it if you brought another woman home.” Who in the hell does she think Mia is? Another woman? I smile at her, the misunderstanding evident now.
“She won’t mind much. She’s not selfish.” She glares at me, and I can’t help but chuckle. “I may have a hard time keeping her off of you though.”
Her ey
es go wide, and she shakes her head vehemently. “I’m not into that sort of thing,” she whispers.
I wink at her. “You never know until you try. I think you’ll like her too.”
Her mouth is gaped open, but at least some of the color is returning to her face.
“Will you be okay here while I go talk to the other officers?”
She nods her head and wraps the blanket around her tighter. I stand and make my way back into the apartment. Everything has been ripped off the walls; the furniture has been slashed to bits, and there are small splashes of blood on the walls.
“Fuck,” I say as I make my way into the kitchen. No surprise she’s traumatized after walking into this mess.
Photos are being taken of the damage and the dead rat and letter that are displayed on the kitchen table. I step in beside Mills and shake my head. “Any leads?” His mouth is set in a grim line as he inclines his head towards the note that’s being held in place by the biggest rat I’ve ever seen. I know this has to do with the Blake Evans case; there’s nothing else these women are involved in that would pull this kind of vengeful retaliation and demands for recantment.
“We’ll contact the local pet shops and see if they have any info on recent rat sales. That big boy right there was well-taken care. It’s probably been domesticated, doesn’t look like a wild one…too clean.” I can see what he’s talking about.
The letter, much like the one from yesterday. “Take it back or choose to die.”
Written in what we can now assume is rat blood. “The rest of the apartment?” I ask.
“Just as bad,” He states.
I make my way to Josie’s room. Her bed is ripped apart, blankets and pillows were strewn all over, dresser drawers pulled out and emptied, and everything has been swept off the top of the dresser onto the floor.
Her closet remained untouched though. In the bottom of her closet, I find an empty duffle bag. I make a quick inventory of her clothes and realize this woman hangs practically everything up. I grab t-shirts, skirts, and even a few sweaters since she seems to be cold often. I fill the bag, zip it up and head to the restroom to grab what I assume are her things. I noticed the other night while checking windows that Alexa has her own bathroom, so I figure what’s in the hall bathroom must be hers. I don’t even make it to the threshold when I know there is no way anything in there is salvageable.
I make my way back out to the common areas of the apartment. “Can you get the super to make sure her door is boarded up? I don’t want even more vandals in here before it can be sorted through.”
“Sure thing, Detective.” He responds.
“I’m going to get her out of here,” I tell him as I shift the duffle bag from one shoulder to the other before heading to the front door.
“You ready to get out of here?” I ask as I make my way to Josie. She nods her head and begins to stand. She sways on her feet, unsteady.
I scoop her in my arms and hold her against my chest like a bride.
“I’ve got you, Mariposa,” I coo in her ear. She’s light as a feather and getting her down the stairs and into my car takes only a matter of minutes.
Chapter 9
Josie
I don’t know which one of the officers called Kaleb, but I was happy to see him on the stairs. I wanted to call him myself, but my phone was destroyed the day before yesterday, and then my apartment was destroyed today. I sigh and snuggle down into the front seat as Kaleb makes his way around and into the car.
“I was able to grab you some clothes.” He says as he slides into the car and puts on his seatbelt. “The bathroom was pretty bad, but once I get you settled in the house, I’ll run out and get you anything you may need.”
I nod at him and look back out the window. My simple mundane life has turned into a horror movie, and everything I own has been destroyed. My head is overrun with things that need to be taken care of. No way am I going back to that apartment. Lorali is with Ian, and I have no clue if Alexa will come back after her extended stay with Garrett. The apartment has been on a month to month rental since the lease was up in February, so there are no worries there.
There are several apartment complexes closer to work that are affordable on my salary. I make a mental note to start calling for availability tomorrow; the sooner I can get out of that apartment the better.
“My car,” I say, suddenly realizing I won’t have any way to get around.
“I’ll make sure they bring it to my house.” He assures me.
“Oh shit!” I cover my mouth immediately, the curse words foreign coming from my mouth.
“What’s wrong?” He begins to pull over to the side of the road.
I wave my hand to tell him to keep going. They are going to kill me! “I never called Lorali or Alexa about the other night!”
“You didn’t call them?” He looks confused and surprised.
“My phone was smashed, and I never use the landline, so I didn’t even think about it. Besides,” I whisper, “I’ve been distracted.”
He grins big but doesn’t look over at me. How can he be happy knowing I’m about to step into his house with his girlfriend/wife there? This day just keeps getting worse.
How am I supposed to act? Do I tell her? I feel obligated to let her know her man is a slimebag, but how do you just come out and say, ‘I made out with your man and rubbed myself on him until I orgasmed?’
I squeeze my eyes closed tightly and wish I were in a different situation. How could this be my life?
Kaleb told me he lived in a house rather than an apartment, but when we pulled up to the white stone home, my jaw hit the ground. His house was magnificent, the welcoming archway leading to the front door and the flowers on either side of the house running towards the back.
“Your home is beautiful, Kaleb,” I tell him as we pull up. “It’s um…”
“More than you’d think a cop would have?” Am I that transparent? I nod my head because honestly, it is.
“I used the money my mom gave me from my dad’s life insurance for the down payment and a little extra to make it affordable for my income.” He explains, and I’m once again sad that he lost his father. I don’t know what I’d do without my parents.
I climb out of the car before he can make it out and around to get my door, sure that Mia is watching and do not want her to get any ideas. Only her ideas would be the truth, Josie.
Kaleb carries my duffle bag towards the house, and I follow him slowly, my stomach heavy and doing flips. I should’ve insisted that he take me to Lorali’s house. I’m sure they’d have no problem letting me stay with them. I’ll call her in a few minutes and have her send Ian to get me. The more I think about it, the more I know I won’t be able to stay here. The guilt of our indiscretion is going to cause me to have ulcers.
Kaleb opens the front door and turns off the security alarm on the panel to the right. The foyer is magnificent with vaulted ceilings and a beautiful chandelier. I’m looking up and taking in the beauty of his home when I hear a loud thudding coming towards us.
Kaleb steps in front of me as a very large dog comes bounding towards us. “Halt.” He says in a stern voice. The dog skids to a stop as fast as she can, still sliding a foot or so because of the slick marble floor.
Kaleb takes a few steps forward and scratches the beautiful creature behind the ears, but the dog never takes her eyes off of me. She whimpers and wags her tail rapidly.
“Settle down, girl. We have company.” Kaleb grins in my direction. “Josie this is Mia.” He says introducing the dog.
“This? This is Mia?” I feel like a complete idiot.
“Not who you were expecting?” He continues to smile as I shake my head. “She’s my roommate. She’s been quite cranky since she’s not been able to go to work this week. She has to stay home when I present to the Grand Jury.”
“She’s a police dog?” He nods. “A German shepherd?”
“Close, she’s a Belgian Malinois; they look a lot alike.” S
he whimpers again, and her entire backend is now moving with her tail.
“May I pet her?” I want to show this dog so much gratitude for just being a dog and not a woman scorned.
“Meet Josie.” He tells the dog, and Mia walks slowly towards me, showing more restraint than I thought she’d have with all of the wiggling she’s been doing.
I hold my hands out, palms up for her to sniff. Mia circles around me twice, smelling and sizing me up before she sits down in front of me and rubs her head along my hands. I go in with everything and rub her ears, scratch her back, and itch under her chin.
I talk to her and tell her what a perfect little thing she is, and she drinks the attention up. “Does she need to potty?” I know he’s been at work all day.
“Come,” he commands, and Mia turns suddenly and follows Kaleb to the kitchen. I do the same, unsure of what to do next.
I watch as he scoops a large bowl of food from a bag in the pantry and sets it down in front of her. She begins eating, and I take a look around the kitchen. It’s a dream with ash cabinets and gorgeous marble countertops.
“Thirsty?” Kaleb asks as he heads towards the fridge.
“Sure,” I respond.
He leans into the fridge, taking inventory. “Beer, soda, water?” He lifts his head back up and peers over the door in my direction.
“Wine?” I smile hopefully.
His smile falls. “Sorry, no wine. I can go buy some, though.” I shake my head. “I do have vodka!” He says a little too quickly.
I narrow my eyes at him, contemplating the idea. “Do you have any juice to mix with it?” I grab a stool at the breakfast bar, pull it out, and sit down.
He bends his head back into the fridge, and I can hear as he shifts things around inside. “Orange juice!” He exclaims enthusiastically.
“Perfect.” He pulls glasses down from a cabinet and grabs ice and the vodka from the freezer. “Don’t make mine too strong.” I request as he begins to pour the vodka into the glasses.
