Bad Cop

by Linda Verji

  His strokes became stronger, longer. Jasmine’s whimpers became louder and her body began to convulse. She was milking him, trembling around him. Even before she screamed, he knew what was coming.

  Jasmine’s release was as loud as it was long. Her body arched upwards and her fingers dug into her back. When her contractions around his cock became even more vicious, he couldn’t hold himself back. His strokes became faster as his blood began to boil. It felt like his whole body was racing towards something. And it was coming, coming, coming…

  “Ah!” Lucas groaned as his orgasm hit him with the force of an oncoming train. Fireworks burst behind his eyes. He buried his head into Jasmine’s shoulder, wrapped his arms around her body, and clung to her as the waves crashed into him. His world shattered and flew, remade itself into a different place. The only place where this kind of deep pleasure was possible.

  It took a while but eventually, he came down to earth. When he did, he realized that he was still over Jasmine. Afraid that he was crushing her with his weight, he shifted to the spot beside her and turned on to his back. Jasmine instinctively came into his arms, just like she used to do when they were younger.

  With a smile, Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hold her to himself. Though her breathing was slow and deep, he could tell that she was still awake. However, she didn’t say anything. He didn’t say anything either because he knew that anything he said now would ruin the mood. As good as the sex was, they still had too much baggage between them to act like long-lost lovers who had happily reunited.

  Jasmine fell asleep soon after. But Lucas couldn’t. Not when he still had so much he wanted to say to her but couldn’t. Careful not to wake her up, he shifted her so she was on the bed then slowly rose off the bed. She didn’t even stir as he tiptoed around the room looking for his clothes or even when he opened the door.

  Lucas ended up in the living room. The clock above the TV said that it was only one a.m.. Too early to leave. Still, Lucas knew he couldn’t stay here. Not while all these emotions were still roiling within him. Not while he was still tempted to crawl into her bed one more time so he could hold her again. He went to the dressing room, discarded his clothes before jumping into the shower. Once he was done with his shower, he dressed up then headed out the door.

  The danger to Jasmine’s life didn’t just disappear because he couldn’t handle being near her. With a sigh, Lucas settled in his car to watch her building. This is what he’d come to. Hanging out in his car so he could avoid Jasmine.

  Coward, his conscious taunted. No matter how hard he tried to shut it up, it kept on whispering. Coward.

  The moment dawn broke, he drove off.

  CHAPTER 17

  “No.” Geoff vehemently shook his head. “No way. Absolutely not.”

  Jasmine was just as insistent. “Go get it, Geoff.”

  “I said no.”

  “I’m allowed to order whatever I want,” she insisted. “And I want a level seven.”

  “You’re crazy.” Geoff stared at her in disbelief. “Why can’t you do what the rest of us do and go fight the person who’s pissed you off instead of trying to kill yourself?”

  “I can’t fight him,” Jasmine said. “So I’m fighting myself.”

  How could she fight the bastard when he’d disappeared out of her bed while she was sleeping? And even if he’d stayed, she still wouldn’t have been able to fight him because she’d willingly invited him into her bed knowing full well that any intimacy between them would only lead to a dead end.

  To Geoff, she said, “Go get me my level seven.”

  “No way.” Geoff shook his head. “I won’t be an accomplice to your suicide. You’re not doing that here.”

  “Why not? I’m a paying customer.” She banged her fist on the table. “I want my hot-wings.”

  “Just get the hot-wings,” a male customer called out from behind her. “It doesn’t seem like she’ll leave without eating it. And she’s ruining the ambience.”

  “What he said,” Jasmine agreed without turning to look at the customer. “I’m ruining the ambience.”

  Left with no choice, Geoff surrendered. “Fine!”

  “And don’t try to take me a level down,” Jasmine yelled at his back. “I’ll know.”

  When Geoff came back, he was carrying a full plate of hot-wings. They were so red, they almost matched her skirt. Jasmine dragged in a deep breath before digging in.

  Holy Christ! She’d thought the level five was bad, but this was a whole new level of death. After three wings, her lips were so numb she wasn’t sure she’d be able to feel them within the next decade. But it was okay. She deserved the pain. What kind of idiot sleeps with a man who broke her heart without even getting an explanation for why he did it?

  Meet Jasmine Mitchell. The idiot.

  To be fair, the sex had been the kind of sex most women would gladly be an idiot for. The way he’d kissed her, the way he’d touched her, and when he’d entered her…

  What the hell was she doing? Seriously! This was supposed to be a punishment session not an opportunity to reminisce about how much better Lucas had gotten at making love. She determinedly bit into another chicken wing.

  Jasmine was on her fifth wing when her phone rang. A glance at the screen showed that it was Kenny calling. Jasmine looked in the direction of the kitchen and saw Geoff watching her. That little tattle-tale. She flipped him the bird. He countered with a shrug as if to say, did you think I’d just let you be?

  “What?” Jasmine said curtly when she answered the phone.

  “Why are you terrorizing my man?” Kenny asked.

  “I’m not the bad guy here,” Jasmine retorted. “He’s the one who insists on giving me sermons before serving me.”

  “He’s just trying to keep you alive.” Kenny laughed. “What’s going on anyway? Did you decide to go crazy because I’m out of town? Did you miss me that much?”

  It was just Jasmine’s luck that her friend had left for San Diego to attend a seminar this morning, which meant she couldn’t rant about what an asshole Lucas was.

  “Yes, I’m burning my mouth with chicken because I miss you,” Jasmine snapped sarcastically.

  “Down, dog,” Kenny soothed. Jasmine could’ve sworn that she heard the smile in her friend’s voice as she coaxed, “Tell Momma what happened.”

  “You don’t want to know,” Jasmine retorted sulkily.

  “Oh, I do. I do,” Kenny said. However a moment later, she came back with, “But not now. One of the organizers is coming my way. Why don’t we catch up at nine when I’m done with all the activities for the day?”

  “I don’t think I can survive until nine.” Jasmine threatened, “I might even end up ordering a level ten at this rate.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Kenny countered, “I’ll take a flight back and smack your lips if you do.”

  “Okay. Okay. I’ll keep away from the wings.” Jasmine chuckled. “Call me when you’re done with your meetings.”

  “Will do.” Kenny ended the call.

  As it turned out Jasmine didn’t need to wait until nine. Kenny called at eight-thirty, prepped and ready to listen to Jasmine’s issues. A series of questions ensued; ‘what?’, ‘no’, ‘how could you’, ‘did he really sneak out’. By the time Jasmine was done telling her story, Kenny was ready to burn Lucas at the stake.

  “He’s taken asshole to a new level,” Kenny declared. “This is why you should never have gotten involved with him.”

  “In his defense, it’s not like he forced me to sleep with him,” Jasmine said. “I could have said no.”

  “You’ve been pining over the guy for more than thirteen years. You’re vulnerable so of course you had a hard time saying no to him,” Kenny defended. “He’s the one who should’ve known better. Besides, he’s a cop and was in the military. Aren’t they supposed to be role models of self-control?”

  “That’s true, that’s true,” Jasmine nodded along even though she knew the ar
gument didn’t make any sense. “He should’ve stopped me.”

  “Huh!” Kenny threatened, “Just wait until I get a hold of him. He should start saying goodbye to his family jewels because this is the last week he’ll be seeing them.”

  The venom in Kenny’s voice was enough to inject some sanity into Jasmine. She rushed to say, “There’s no need to go that far. I can handle him myself.”

  “Look where handling him yourself led,” Kenny scoffed. “Where is he anyway? Don’t tell me he’s come to sleep in your apartment again.”

  “No, he’s not here.” Jasmine pulled at a loose thread on her duvet as she added, “I haven’t seen him today. He just texted me when I was at work telling me to use a cab. But I assume that he’s outside the building.”

  “So he’s not even gonna come in?” Kenny sounded outraged even though just a moment ago she’d been pissed off by the thought of Lucas being in Jasmine’s apartment. “That guy is a real bastard.”

  The ladies spent the next hour trashing Lucas and strategizing over all the ways they’d castrate him if he even breathed in Jasmine’s direction. By the time the call ended, Jasmine was grinning. It was amazing what speaking to someone who was unconditionally on your side could do for your peace of mind. Now that she’d spilled the whole story to her friend, she felt a lot better. Shaking her head in amusement, she tossed her phone to the bedside table then stretched out in bed, ready to sleep.

  Only, she couldn’t sleep.

  First, it was because it was too cold, so she turned the heat up. Then it was too hot, so she turned it down again. She still couldn’t sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to count sheep, but that didn’t work out either. The problem was the sheep seemed to have the same face. Lucas’s face.

  One Lucas. Two Lucas. Three Lucas. Four…

  What was he doing out there anyway? She crept from her bed towards the double-doors that led out to the balcony. She tried to peek behind the curtain but the railing blocked her view of the parking lot beneath.

  Should I go out to the balcony and check? No, she quickly nixed that idea. If she stepped out, he’d be able to see her and figure out that she was looking for him. Nope. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. Still, wasn’t he bored out there, and cold? How could he sleep out there when her bed was so warm? No, she wasn’t interested in sleeping with him again. She just didn’t want him freezing just because he was too chicken to meet her face-to-face.

  Visions of what he might be doing in the car, and of what he might do if he was in her bed instead kept running through her mind. If he was in her bed, they’d just sleep. Okay, maybe she’d cuddle into him and he would hold her. But he was so warm that they’d have to get rid of a few clothes. Once the clothes were gone…

  Ring. Ring. Ring. Jasmine almost jumped out of her skin when the ringing of her phone startled her out of her wicked musings. When she saw who was calling her, her already racing heart broke into a gallop.

  It took everything in her to force herself to sound calm as she answered the phone. “What?”

  “Are you asleep?” Lucas’s deep honey-toned voice stroked her senses, reminding her of what she’d just been imagining.

  “Of course not.” She injected annoyance into her voice. “I answered your call, didn’t I?”

  Lucas didn’t answer. The silence on his end lasted for such a long time that Jasmine thought that he might have left. Then he murmured, “I’m outside your door.”

  They were just four little words but they sent her body into a tailspin. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart leapt in excitement, her pulse raced. He was outside her door. She should tell him to leave, right? Just this morning she was cursing herself for sleeping with him. She should tell him to leave.

  Her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. She whispered, “Okay.”

  Her legs followed her mouth’s cue, and she got off the bed.

  What the hell are you doing? Go back to sleep. Her common sense screamed as she paced down the hall and straight to the front door. Don’t open the door. Don’t open the door.

  She opened the door.

  Once she saw Lucas standing there, looking ridiculously handsome and staring at her like she was a delicious dessert that he wanted all to himself, the protests died. One second she was staring at him and the next, she was in his arms.

  Just one more time. One last time.

  * * *

  WHAT WAS LUCAS doing? Hell if he knew. He’d sworn that he wouldn’t end up in Jasmine’s bed again. Yet here he was holding her close to himself as she slept. What was wrong with him? He glanced down at her, taking in her beautiful features. As undeniable as the pleasure that came with making love with her was, it was fleeting. It couldn’t last. Even if they didn’t have a painful history, they couldn’t work because, honestly, Jasmine was way, way out of his league.

  His gaze swept away from her to take in her spacious bedroom. It was just a bedroom but it was twice the size of his living room. Every piece of furniture in it was high-quality and luxurious. No doubt it’d all cost a pretty penny as had everything else in her apartment. Then to top it off, she actually owned the place.

  As in, she was a home-owner.

  He was still a tenant. Heck! Just buying those destroyed collectibles had almost bankrupted him. If that wasn’t proof that he was punching way, way above his weight, then he didn’t know what was.

  Jasmine was gorgeous, successful and wealthy, while he was… just Lucas. A government worker with an average wage who risked death every day. They were riding on such different economical and social strata that he was surprised that they were even breathing the same air. He was sure that if they didn’t already know each other, she wouldn’t have looked at him twice.

  Right now she was still high on the lingering feelings from their past love. However, once she came to her senses and took a good look at him, she’s realize that she was too good for him. That she could do much better than him. This time he’d be the one getting hurt. So why was he still hanging around her?

  Because I love her. The answer was like a whisper in his head but it sent shock-waves through his whole body. Wide-eyed, he glanced down at Jasmine, took in the way he was holding her protectively to his naked body and realized that it was true. He still loved her.

  Good going, Gallo, the little voice in his head taunted. You’ve figured out the perfect way to waste your emotions.

  Thirteen years apart and he still loved her? It was as ridiculous as it was undeniable. No wonder he’d never been able to be in a real relationship. There was always someone blocking his view of other women. It was always Jasmine.

  Why did it have to be her though? Not to toot his own horn, but he’d always been quite popular with the members of the other gender. He could’ve picked anyone to fall in love with. Literally anyone. Yet, he had to go for the one girl who he could never match up to. His situation was like that of a fan falling in love with a celebrity then imagining that it could actually work. It couldn’t. Not in a million years.

  Yet, here he was. Falling for her again.

  Good going, Gallo. With a sigh, he gently turned her so she was on her back then slowly pulled his arm from underneath her neck. As gentle as his movements were, they still jarred her out of her sleep. Her eyelashes fluttered then her eyelids opened. For a moment she looked confused but when her gaze met his, the confusion cleared.

  Groggily, she asked, “Are you leaving already?”

  He wordlessly nodded.

  “Oh! Okay.” She turned away from him and went back to sleep.

  Isn’t it funny how a few words or one action can bother one endlessly? Those two words, ‘oh’ and ‘okay’, plus the turning of her back to him bothered Lucas more than he cared to admit. Even as he sat at his desk hours later, they still stung. Any other woman would’ve asked why he was going to work at three a.m.. But all Jasmine had shown was disinterest.

  Oh? Okay?

  It was like she didn’t care whether he stayed or
left. Frankly, it was disappointing and left him in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

  Yes, he knew that his disappointment was ridiculous and irrational. If he’d already accepted that their relationship wasn’t going anywhere, then it was only logical that he expect her to maintain an emotional distance. Yet, that wasn’t what was happening here. He wanted her to expect him to stay, to expect more from him.

  You’re not making any sense, that annoying little voice taunted.

  “Yo!” Shane’s voice cut into Lucas’s troubled thoughts seconds before a balled-up paper came flying in his direction.

  Lucas adeptly ducked the paper. “Why are you shooting shit at me?”

  “Because you’re not listening to me,” Shane complained. “I’ve been talking to you for the last fifteen minutes.”

  “Really? Fifteen minutes?” Lucas raised his eyebrows. “And you just noticed that I wasn’t listening?” When Shane shot him a baleful glare, he laughed. “Okay, fine. What were you saying?”

  “I was telling you that I just got a call that Michael Walcott was coming in to make his statement.”

  “What?” Lucas immediately sat up in his seat. “He’s back in town?”

  CHAPTER 18

  “Yup! Walcott’s back in town,” Shane confirmed. “August Wells called to say that he’ll be in at around two p.m. and that we should wait for him.”

  “Wait for him?” Lucas’s top lifted in a sneer. “Does he think he runs this place? Who is he to tell us when he’s coming in?”

  As it turned out, expecting people to work around his schedule was the least of Michael Walcott’s faults. The moment he got to the station, he kicked up a fuss saying that he, August and his bevy of lawyers (there were about six of them) were too important to be hosted in the bullpen or the break room. Also, the interrogation rooms were for criminals. Not for upstanding citizens like him who’d come in for questioning of their own volition.

  This punk! Lucas was ready to tell Michael that he’d take his statement in the toilets if he chose, but lucky for them, Captain Harrison intervened and offered them his office. Lucas and Shane settled on one couch in the captain’s office while Michael settled on the other. The couch Michael was sitting on was big enough to accommodate two or three more people but neither the lawyers nor August dared to sit next to the boss. They just huddled beside the couch, standing stiffly.