by Fox, Nicky
I stop pouting in my room and put on my yoga pants that I never use for yoga, and a loose t-shirt. I figure I might as well go all the way and put my hair up in a ponytail if he’s going to try and make me work out. Taking a deep breath before exiting, I plaster on a smile for him. I haven’t seen him in two days . . . I’m just annoyed. I need to let it roll off my back.
“You look beautiful.” Mick leans in for a kiss on my lips and smacks my ass. It jiggles much to his delight. “Damn. I like these workout pants.” Hmm. There’s that word, workout. I cross my arms over my chest feeling a little insecure. “Let’s go.”
He gives another slap on my ass and I jolt forward. I grit my teeth and follow, grabbing my purse and a bottle of water, just in case.
Mick must get a hint of my foul mood because when we near his truck, he asks me what’s wrong. “Nothing,” I reply.
Mick’s face falls and then he looks confused. He finally huffs and concentrates on the road. What is with us today? Maybe we were in the honeymoon phase and now we’re on the settled stage where everything annoys us about the other. I don’t like this. This is why I don’t date. I see a guy a couple of times for some fun in the sheets and then we go on with our lives. It’s not messy and there aren’t any of these awkward encounters. No strings, not attachment, no mess, no pain.
“I think you’re going to really like this. It’s one of my favorite things to do.” Mick tries to make conversation. I nod and smile. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong? You haven’t spoken two words since we got into the truck.”
Mick reaches out and lays his hand on my thigh. It feels good but I’m still a little upset about this workout he may or may not be taking me to.
“I was just a little shocked that I had to change for our date is all. It’s unexpected.” I don’t know how to say it more delicately than that. I wish I could just grab my lady balls and ask him if he’s taking me to work out. Give him the benefit of the doubt, I repeat in my head over and over again. Maybe I’ll believe it if I say it enough times in my head.
“It’s just up here.”
Up here? This is nowhere. Where is here? He’s taken me out to the boonies. We’re out in the middle of nowhere. This is what my Grandma would call a hogback road. There is only one way in and one way out. Yup, there’s a cow and barbed wire fences.
Suddenly, he pulls over to the side of the road and stops. What the hell? Is this going to be on one of those episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, where the girl went on a date and never came back and they don’t suspect the guy she’s with because he’s a cop. God, I’m being ridiculous. Chill out, girl, and lay off the crazy imagination. Then, it occurs to me. Oh, my gosh. Mick is taking me stargazing. That has to be it. That is just the sweetest, most romantic, thing ever. Okay, I feel like a total ass. Gosh, I’m acting a bit nuts. This whole thing with Mick has me in knots.
Now, that I know we’re not working out and we’re doing something romantic, I’m bouncing in my seat. I look forward to lying in the truck bed with Mick and look at all the constellations and maybe make a few wishes while we make out. Sounds divine. Why did I ever doubt him? I’m being silly.
“You ready to go?” Mick reaches for my hand and I place it in his. He seems happy with my improved mood. I am too, now that I know what we’re doing. “It’s just a little further up.”
Huh. I thought we were going to lay in the truck bed. He has a backpack on. Maybe he made us a little picnic before we begin our stargazing. I smile and hold his hand, letting him lead me further into the landscape around us. Up ahead, I can see a pretty large rock face. It’s unusual for this area of Texas but not unheard of. I admire how high it goes up and the color of the rock. There really aren’t any trees surrounding us, just the Texas clay. Because of the barren area, there isn’t much wildlife out here either. I don’t really hear any birds chirping, just bugs buzzing around ,which are getting a little annoying already. I wish I had thought to bring insect repellent. I wish he would have informed me better of this date. Although, I know he likes to surprise me.
Mick gestures for me to rest on a large boulder near the rock face. I oblige. This must be the place where he wanted to take me. He begins unpacking his pack. I expect maybe some wine with sandwiches. He reaches out and hands me a harness. What the fuck is this?
“Once we get up there, we’ll have the most spectacular view.”
Mick seems giddy and I just want to cry. I’m not climbing up that incline. There’s no way. I’m just not one of those outdoorsy girls. I admire those that love hiking and spending time with the birds and the bees, but I’d rather stay inside and watch Sherlock Holmes on my TV.
“What?” He drops his hand and the harness with it. Does Mick not know me at all? What would make him think I’d be into this?
“I’m not a climber.” I mean . . . seriously. Could he really see me in that harness climbing right along with him on that massive rock? I’d rather climb his massive cock. What else can I say? Gosh, this is a mess. He huffs.
“That’s okay. I’ll teach you. Here, I’ll help you put this on.” He stands and begins holding out the harness, like it’s a diaper for me to step into.
“Ugh, no. You don’t understand. I’m not that kind of girl. Like, I don’t like being outside and I sure as hell don’t want to climb a bigass rock.” I can’t be more blunt than that. Mick looks taken back.
“You won’t even try?” Mick drops the harness on his pack and sets his hands on his hips in a defensive stance. I’m not trying to be mean here. I’m just trying to be honest with him. If he thinks I’m the type of girl that’s going to go on hikes or marathons and spend all of our time outside together, he’s sadly mistaken.
“It has nothing to do with trying.”
“Do or do not, there is no try,” Mick says in a weird, garbled voice.
Okay, that was pretty funny but he doesn’t sound anything like Yoda. I laugh, but we’re still at a standstill. I’m not going up that rock and he thinks I just need to try. Ugh. This is not how I thought this date was going to go tonight. Honestly, I thought we’d just stay at my place and he would rock my world again. This is disappointing.
“I don’t need to try, Mick. I’m not a rock climber and I never will be.”
Damn. He looks like I just shot his puppy or something. I feel like such a jerk for being straight with him. But if he wants any kind of relationship with me, he needs to know that there’s just some things I’m not interested in doing. Call it being stubborn or just personal preference, it’s the way I am.
“I see what you’re doing.” Mick crosses his arms with a scowl on his face. “You’re trying to stir shit so this date goes down the toilet. You’re building walls again, shutting things and people out.” I shake my head, my temper rising.
“It’s not like that at all. I’m telling you this isn’t my thing. End of story.”
He laughs but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah, sure, Maggie. Is this the part where you storm off and vow never to see me again?”
I glower at him. He thinks I’m doing this on purpose? Like this horrible date was my idea. Is he for real?
“You’re looking for a reason and it’s not going to be this.” Mick begins packing the bag. Good, we’re leaving. I turn to head back to the truck. “There ya go.”
Okay, that’s it.
I turn back to face him with venom in my voice. “It wasn’t my idea to fucking come out here in the middle of nowhere and climb a fucking rock. Don’t put this on me. You’re delusional. I’m trying really hard to be nice.”
Mick spreads his arms wide. “This is nice?” he asks with an accusing tone.
That’s it! I’ve really had it. I twist back and head toward the truck.
“Fuck you!” I yell over my shoulder.
14
Mick
Fuck me. I can’t believe how bad that went. Shit. I wasn’t thinking. I should’ve eased her into it. It’s not like I was going to make her climb if she didn’t want to, but sh
e’d been in a bad mood from the moment I picked her up. I didn’t know what was going on in her head. She seemed on a mission and I think she accomplished it when she told me to go fuck myself. Shit. I run my hands through my hair.
Sitting in my squad car, I watch her through her shop window. After our horrible date, she asked me to take her straight home. We didn’t talk the whole way there so, yeah, it was all the awkward silence. My truck rolled up to her apartment and she swiftly got out and didn’t look back. Not even glance my way. I bang my head against the steering wheel like I did that night. Damn. It was just an off night is all. We were both in a weird place, maybe from being away from each other.
I don’t know how to make it right. It’s not like either of us did anything wrong. She just stated her opinion and I wasn’t getting it. It was a communication problem, which she pounced on and used as a way out. I’ve been fighting to have a relationship with her this entire time. Maybe it shouldn’t be this hard. Although, the best things in life are worth fighting for. And, damn, if I’m not going to fight for her.
Wearing one of those dresses I like, Maggie looks beautiful tonight. She’s cutting a young college guy’s hair, which kind of pisses me off. I want to charge in there and claim my woman, right in front of that little punk in her chair. I see him checking her out when she’s not looking. I swear, if he stares at her ass one more time, I’m going to go in there and knock his ass on the floor. Thankfully, she’s done with his hair.
“What the fuck?” This little punk is trying to give her his number. I see the little white paper he slips in her hand with a wink. That’s it. I’m pulling over this motherfucker when he’s back on the road. I’m already looking up his plates when he leaves the salon. I take a long drag on my coffee before I put on my lights, and that’s when I see it.
As Maggie closes and locks the door, a dark figure appears in the back with a fucking gun, and all my breath leaves me. My adrenaline kicks in and I hear a rush of blood through my ears. Fuck! I immediately call it into the station.
“Dispatch, this is Styles. I got a ten-sixty-five in progress on Main Street. I have eyes on the perp at Shear-lock Combs.”
I slowly open the door to my patrol car and slip out. Maggie hasn’t even noticed the perp behind her yet. I steal a moment before I slink my way across the parking lot toward the store. I parked behind some bushes like a stalker. Maybe if the perp had seen my car parked out here, he wouldn’t have tried this. Damn.
“Ten-sixty-five on Main Street, copy,” Dispatch calls on my radio, and then static. “This is dispatch all officers respond to ten-sixty-five in progress Main street. Styles, wait for backup.”
Fuck that. My woman is in there. I crouch down by a car and see the perp grab Maggie’s arm. Luckily, he doesn’t aim the gun at her; he only shows Maggie that he has it. That asshole is going to pay for that grab. I hear her scream and my heart aches for her, but I need to keep a cool and level head. It’s go time.
“I’m coming, cupcake.” I don’t wait, I just act as I run straight for the door. My shoulder slams into the glass and the pain is excruciating as it spreads out through my whole arm. The glass shatters under my weight and I tumble into the shop. I’m able to raise my gun and shoot the perp in the leg, bringing him down. He lets go of Maggie and she quickly steps away. This is not how I was instructed to handle the situation in the academy. I’m acting purely on instinct.
“Drop your gun!” I yell. “Hands up.” The hood falls back on his head as he cries out in agony and that’s when I recognize his face. It’s my fucking partner. “Carl!?”
“Shit!” he yelps. Carl still has his gun in his hand, but I don’t care. I charge at him as he squeals like a pig on the floor. Kicking his gun out of his hand, I aim my gun at his face as I stare him down.
“What the fuck, Carl?” I can’t believe this. He came in here to rob my girlfriend? He knows her. Hell, he heard me talk about her all the time. This is the ultimate betrayal. I never liked Carl much, but I never thought he’d do anything like this—a fellow cop, at that.
“You didn’t call it in yet, did you?” He sounds scared. Good. He should. “I just needed a nest egg for retirement. I needed something to get me by. I—” Carl stops when he hears the sirens in the distance coming for him. He looks up at me, pleading to let him go. I shake my head. No way, pal. “Do you know what they do to cops in jail?” he asks.
I shake my head again. I’m not letting him go. He needs to pay for this. Is he the perp that’s responsible for all the burglaries in the area? This is fucking crazy.
“You’re under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law . . .” I read him his rights until our fellow officers come in and take over for me. They file in quickly and I lower my gun as they handcuff him and escort him to an ambulance outside. Maggie stays stiff against the back wall. Her chest heaves and then she’s running to me.
“Come here, cupcake.” I open my arms wide and hold her as she breaks down. My shoulder is killing me, but her tears nearly destroy me.
“I was so scared. I’m so glad you’re here. I didn’t know what he was going to do.”
Shushing her, I tell her everything is going to be okay. I hold her as the detective asks us questions. I’m going to have to write a full report on this, which I don’t look forward to at all. When the lights and sirens die down and all the police have left the scene, I help Maggie sweep up the glass I broke to get to her and then board up the front door for her with some scrap wood she had in the back of the salon.
“I thought you were going to get a security system,” I mention as I hit one last nail into the board.
She stands off to the side, watching me. “I was. I just haven’t had time.” Maggie sounds chastised. I didn’t mean to be hard on her, but her safety is important and she needs to make it a priority.
“I’ll call one for you tomorrow.”
She perks up from her slouch against the wall. “You’d do that?”
“Of course. You’re my girl.” I stand with the hammer in my hand and she rushes to me.
“I’m sorry,” she cries.
“Me too.” I hold her and kiss the top of my head. We both regret how we acted that day on the rock climbing date. I hope we can put it behind us and move forward. It looks like Maggie might be willing to try now.
“I don’t want any kids, Mick, and I’m sure you do. I don’t even think I would like to get married. That’s why I say I wouldn’t make a good girlfriend.” She looks defeated. Is this the reason she pushes me away because she thinks I want a family?
“I don’t want kids either. Being a police officer is dangerous and I don’t want to have to worry about kids not growing up with a father because I got shot in the line of duty,” I tell her honestly. Her mouth drops and I see a little gleam in her eye.
“Are you serious? You really don’t want a family?” I shake my head no. Maggie grins and hugs me tight. It feels like all is right in the world now. Maggie is in my arms and I’m not letting her go.
“I don’t like arguing with you. I’ll go rock climbing with you. I was being stubborn and—” I put a finger to her mouth to stop her from calling herself something.
“I have an idea about that, but first, I think we need to go to your place and have some amazing makeup sex.” She nods, so seriously that I almost laugh. I was only being slightly serious. Then, my pants get a little tighter when I think of makeup sex with Maggie. My Maggie.
After we drop off my squad car, we drive to her apartment in my truck. She talked about maybe making up in the back of the police cruiser, but she doesn’t know how dirty it is back there. Drunks throwing up and convicts spitting back there. Gross. Nope. My Maggie needs to be treated like the goddess she is. Although, I won’t write it off completely, it is an enticing image of her naked back there. I’ll just have to sanitize the shit out of it before that happens.
Maggie’s hands immediately go to my belt before we even shut the door. “I’ve b
een wanting to get my mouth all over this cock for so long. Oh, and I got a grapefruit for just the occasion.” Wait. What?
“Maggie, what are you talking about?” I stand there, bewildered.
“You’ll love it. I swear. God, I’m practically drooling over giving you a blow job. Mmm.” Shit. Can’t argue with that. Maybe she’s getting edible grapefruit lube? Nope. She’s opening a grocery bag on her counter and getting out a grapefruit. She quickly cuts both ends with a knife, which scares the hell out of me, and then makes a large hole in the middle. Holy hell, what does she have in store for me? I hope that grapefruit is not an entry hole for my dick. Hell to the no if so. She grabs a pillow from the chair in the living room and I notice a towel hung over her right shoulder. What’s going on here? I just stand in a stupor in her entry.
“Now, let me unbuckle those pants and let that big beast free.” She plops the pillow down below her and covers it with the towel. Maggie tugs on my pants, which causes me to step forward. Then she stares up at me like some sexy vixen as she undoes my belt and zipper. I can tell she’s disappointed when she sees my boxers.
“When I carry a gun, I gotta make sure everything is tucked in.” She nods solemnly, like this is the smartest move I’ve ever made.
“Gotta protect this anaconda.” Maggie pulls my dick out and nuzzles it like she did the other night. Damn. I’m in love with this woman. The grapefruit drips over her hands as she begins to fit my cock inside the hole of the grapefruit. Shit, my crazy guess was correct?!
“Umm, cupcake? What are you doing?” It doesn’t feel bad and I’m curious what she thinks she’s going to do with my cock like this. It basically looks like I fit a grapefruit donut around my dick and tried to fuck it. Pulp is getting everywhere and the juice is running down my leg.
“It’s going to be like a grapefruit lollipop. Don’t worry, I’ve seen this online and I’ve always wanted to try it.”
