Vice

by Nicole Marsh

  Chapter 7

  Alex

  Jenna runs off to use the bathroom and I excuse myself from Steele and Smith to trail after her. I’m supposed to be watching over her, and I also could use a restroom break after chugging coffee all morning.

  I see her as she slips into one of the restrooms off the far side of the waiting room and slip into the one next to hers. I take care of business and wash my hands. I exit my single person restroom and knock on her door to check if she’s still inside her own. I faintly hear her voice call out, “Occupied.”

  Placing my back against the wall next to the door, I settle in to wait for her. Her door opens and she jumps about a foot in the air when she sees me standing to the side. She places her hand to her chest and takes a deep breath. “Sorry Alex, you startled me. I’m still freaked out with everything that happened to Cooper.” She explains on an exhale.

  I step forward, I can’t stop from touching her. All week, I’ve been showing her more and more affection and she hasn’t pushed me away. I place my hands on the tops of her shoulders and massage them gently. “It’s okay. A lot has happened to you in a short period of time.” She nods her head, leaning into the comfort that I offer her. She lets out a low groan as my fingers dig into a tight set of muscles on her left shoulder.

  Once the knot has loosened, I step further forward and wrap my arms around her again. Placing my cheek on the top of her hair and inhaling her light floral scent. Ever since the hug earlier, I haven’t been able to get the feel of her in my arms, or her scent, out of my mind. I feel like I’m becoming an addict, except my addiction is another person. She relaxes into my touch and rubs her tiny hands up and down my lower back.

  Jenna is not who I assumed she would be, when Cooper and I were first assigned as her security detail. She’s intelligent and business savvy, but she also has a huge heart. I’ve seen how she treats the girls at her club and they’re like a family. Jenna’s kind heart and thoughtful manners are a huge part of the reason that the people who work in her club are so close. Even preparing to come to the hospital, Jenna tried to think of things that could make Cooper more comfortable. From the moment I saw Jenna, I thought she was attractive, but the more time I spend with her, the more my attraction grows. Her personality and actions appeal to me as much as her looks.

  After a moment, I know we need to move, before someone else sees us like this and makes incorrect assumptions. As much as I’m attracted to Jenna and find myself addicted to her touch, she’s still part of my current work assignment and being a police officer of integrity is important to me. I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to take advantage of Jenna while she’s vulnerable.

  I step back, out of Jenna’s arms and suggest, “Let’s go check in and see if there are any updates for Cooper.” Jenna nods her head and we head back to the Nurse’s station once again. We’re finally directed to Cooper’s room, where he’s been placed to recover from his surgeries. Before we head in, I ask one of the nurses if I can speak to Cooper’s doctor to get an update to send to Chief.

  I only have to wait a few minutes for the doctor. We talk quietly in the hall, while Jenna stands a few steps to the side. Still in sight, but offering privacy. The doctor informs me the knife fortunately didn’t hit any arteries, but it did tear through Cooper’s lateral collateral ligament. The ligament was successfully repaired during the surgery, but Cooper is looking at a recovery time of at least ten weeks. He will likely be knocked out for the rest of the day, just from all of the drugs that have been pumped into his system during the surgery. The Doctor says we’re welcome to stay for visitors hours or to drop back by tomorrow.

  I thank the doctor for his time and relay the information from the doctor to Jenna. She throws her arms around me and lets out a sob. I startle at the sudden show of affection but quickly recover, this is the first time that Jenna has initiated contact with me. I lean down to whisper comforting words into her ear. I give Jenna few minutes to calm down, then gently separate us. I lightly grab onto her elbow and guide her into Cooper’s room. I pull one of the chairs in the room bedside and help her to settle in. I then excuse myself for a moment.

  I step back into the hallway to call Chief, “Cooper is doing well, but the doctor said two months or more for recovery time,” I explain. I hold the phone away from my ear for a few seconds as Chief utters a few choice words.

  “I don’t know who I can pull to help you,” He eventually replies, “But I need you to stay with Miss Stone. Don’t let her out of your sight.” He lets out a deep sigh, “We’re still waiting on a few more tests from forensics. We don’t have any leads yet, however, it’s clear now that whatever is happening involves Jenna. The attack in her apartment, after everything else that’s happened, is too much to be a coincidence.”

  “I agree with you completely,” I respond. “I’ll stay with Jenna as long as necessary. I don’t think she would be safe alone right now.”

  I hang up the phone with Chief and step back into the room to check on Jenna and Cooper. As soon as I step foot into the room, I hear Jenna quietly whispering to an unconscious Cooper, “I feel so guilty. If it weren’t for me, this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

  I step behind Jenna’s chair and place my hands on her shoulders, quietly stating, “It’s in our job description. ‘Protect and Serve’. I’m sure when Cooper wakes up he’ll tell you he’s happy it was him and not you.”

  Jenna looks up and gives me a small, watery smile.

  “Let’s get out of here.” I tug on her arm to get her to stand up, watching as she gives Cooper’s hand a quick squeeze. “We can come back and check on Cooper tomorrow, when he’s awake. It’s your day off, let’s grab some groceries and hole up in the apartment to relax for a bit.”

  Grocery shopping with Jenna is like grocery shopping with a child. I don’t know how she stays so tiny when all she wants to eat is Captain Crunch and PopTarts. Every aisle of the store we debate the merits of our choices, each of us defending our selections as we add them to the cart.

  By the end of the trip some of the promotions for our respective grocery choices are becoming incredibly outlandish. Such as monkeys eat bananas, we evolved from monkeys so we should have evolved past bananas. Instead we should get fruit flavored ice cream. Obviously this argument was from Jenna, who apparently only eats processed foods.

  Although I don’t agree with all of Jenna’s grocery choices, I think today was the most fun that I’ve had grocery shopping as an adult. I picked out a few ingredients on the sly, including a nice bottle of wine, while Jenna perused ahead a few aisles. I intend to whip up some eggplant parmesan tonight for Jenna and treat her to a nice dinner at her apartment.

  We get back from the grocery store and I instruct Jenna to go relax, take a bath or read a book. Anything to get her mind off of the events that have been happening and turning her life upside down.

  She thanks me and walks out of the kitchen into her bedroom. Once I hear the water running for a bath, I pull out the tools I need to cook up my eggplant parm and some garlic bread.

  The timing is almost perfect. Half an hour later, as I’m wrapping up things in the kitchen, Jenna wanders out of her room, looking as edible as my eggplant parmesan. She’s in a strappy tank top, tiny shorts, and sporting her still wet hair in a curtain down her back. She’s sniffing, her nose raised in the air dramatically, following the scent to the kitchen where the smells are originating.

  She groans and jokes, “That smells amazing. Can you just move in permanently, Chef Alex?”

  I can tell by her tone that it’s a joke, but the comment starts a fantasy in my head about what it would be like to live with Jenna. We both work the night shift, I typically Patrol with Cooper, responding to various calls around the city during our twelve hour shifts that start at five o’clock in the evening, four days a week. Both Jenna and I deal with the public and understand the need for privacy in our lines of work. Jenna has a great sense of humor, is hard working, easy to talk to...
and I can imagine what it would be like to come home every day, with her at the apartment, happy to see me like she is right now. I can also imagine what things would be like if we got intimate. I replay the throaty groan that she made when I was massaging her shoulders earlier. It’s tempting to pursue my current thoughts and build an imaginary relationship with her.

  A timer beeps and I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Shooting Jenna a smile, I grab the food out of the oven. “Chef Alex is here to stay and here to serve.” Jenna let’s out a small laugh as I start plating up food for the two of us. I ask her, “Can you snag us a couple of wine glasses?”

  Jenna wastes no time setting up the table with glasses, and utensils that I forgot to grab. We both settle into our seats with full plates, ready to enjoy dinner. We laugh and exchange stories. I tell her about growing up in the suburbs of Illinois, and the mischief I would get into with my friends when I was much younger. Jenna tells her own stories about the antics of the girls behind the scene at the club.

  We stay seated at her small table long after we finish eating. We keep topping off each other’s wine glasses until the bottle is emptied. We’ve opened a second bottle, which is now almost finished as well.

  Jenna excuses herself to use the bathroom. I glance up and see the clock on the stove says it’s past midnight. I double check the time with my phone, not believing it’s already so late. Things are easy with Jenna, the time passes by quickly when we talk and hang out. I’m having a great time, but we’ve both had a long day and I know we need to get some rest soon.

  Jenna returns to the kitchen. Together, we wash the dishes we can, leaving the pans that are caked in food in the sink to soak overnight. We head into the bedroom together and get ready for sleep.

  I head into the bathroom and grab my toothbrush. I’m standing at the sink brushing my teeth, when Jenna comes in and joins me. Who knew brushing your teeth next to someone would be so intimate? I glance at her reflection a few times, trying to watch her inconspicuously in the mirror before I finish up and head back into her bedroom to get the couch ready.

  Jenna returns to the bedroom and walks up to me. Slipping her arms around my waist, she presses her cheek against my chest, she says quietly “Thank you for dinner, and for being there for me today. I know that you and Cooper weren’t given a choice of being here, but I still appreciate you both.” She leans up on her tiptoes and goes to kiss my cheek, but I turn my head, not realizing what she’s doing. Her lips lightly graze mine instead. She pulls away slightly and looks up at me.

  Seeing the look on her face is more curiosity than upset, I lean in and press my lips to hers again. My kiss is not light like hers had been. I graze her lips with my teeth, nipping along her bottom lip. Running my tongue along the seam of her lips until she opens up for me, then I use my lips, tongue and teeth to devour her mouth. By the time I pull away, we’re both panting.

  I need to stop this now. My brain says stop, but my body says throw Jenna on the bed and ravish her. I know after the traumatic day and two bottles of wine, I shouldn’t be mauling Jenna. Taking a step back is more difficult than it should be, unwrapping my arms from her body is pure torture. After we’re untangled, I lean down and press a soft kiss against her forehead. I whisper, “Goodnight Jenna.”

  I don’t look at her as I lay down. I’m worried if I see desire on her face, I would certainly change my mind and initiate another kiss. My willpower is only so strong. I lay down on my couch bed instead, pulling the covers over my body and face the wall.

  I hear Jenna padding over to climb into her bed, the covers rustling as she pulls them over her body. “Goodnight Alex” she calls out, before clicking off the light.

  Jenna has the next few days off. We don’t talk about the kiss, but we do spend a lot of time cozied up on the couch, sharing a blanket and watching cheesy movies. I continue cooking dinner each night for an appreciative Jenna.

  We’ve stopped by the hospital to see Cooper for a couple hours the past two days. Each time Jenna has prepped for our trip, packing up a couple of board games, snacks and a thermos of coffee. We spend our time with Cooper in competitive games of Clue, Sorry, and Gin Rummy.

  The more time I spend with Jenna, the more I feel like I’m falling for her. She’s smart, funny, and kind, but also determined, competitive and feisty. She makes Cooper and I bust up laughing with her quips and stories of the club. I forget, for a while, the reason why I’m part of Jenna’s life in the first place.

  We’re at Jenna’s apartment, finishing up a movie before she has to get ready for work tonight. My phone lights up, ringing on the coffee table in front of the couch. I scoop it up and see that Chief is calling. Getting off the couch, I head to Jenna’s guest room to answer the call, not missing the questioning glance that she shoots me.

  “Hello Chief,” I answer the phone.

  “Roth.” He states, “Forensics found a partial print on Miss Stone’s apartment window from the break in.” He pauses, “It belongs to Ian Orlov.”

  I feel a pang of disappointment. It’s good news that the forensics team has a lead, but it also means that my time with Jenna will likely come to an end soon. Once they have a suspect in custody, I won’t be needed at Jenna’s apartment anymore. “Okay, where do we go from here? When are you bringing him in?”

  Chief pauses again, “It’s not that simple. He has priors connected to Bratva crimes, He’s associated with Pavel Zaystev.”

  I let silence fill the phone for a few minutes. If someone connected to the mafia is after Jenna, it’s a delicate situation to arrest this person and get them off the street. Zaystev isn’t a minor player, he’s the leader of the Bratva in New York. If this is connected deep into the mafia, we need to find out who Jenna knows, what could have made her a target. And why the New York Bratva is in Chicago. I finally respond with, “I’ll bring her in tomorrow so we can both talk to her.”

  Chief agrees to my plan and we end our call. I head back into the living room as Jenna is shutting off the TV and getting up. She looks concerned as she studies my face. “Is everything okay?”

  I give a small, reassuring smile before I lie to her face. “Everything is okay. Chief wants us to come by the station tomorrow for an update.” The concerned look starts to fade away and she nods. “Time to get ready for work?” I ask.

  She smirks, and replies simply, “Yes.” She turns and heads to her bedroom, “Just to warn you, its lingerie night at the club tonight.” She throws the comment over her shoulder as she shuts the door behind her, presumably to get ready.

  I putter around the kitchen for a bit before I decide to turn the TV back on and watch the news while I wait for Jenna.

  Jenna emerges from her bedroom sometime later. Her hair and makeup is done and she’s wearing a silk robe tied closed around her waist and a sky-high pair of heels. My brain still hasn’t fully grasped onto the idea of “Lingerie Night” so I just assume the robe is her outfit for the night. It’s a little risqué, but honestly it covers more than some of her dresses do.

  We head down to the club together and she lets a bunch of other staff into the building with us. After locking up the door, she brings me to her office to complete some of her paperwork before opening. I sit, watching her filing and adding in some data on her computer, Jenna has a ton of paperwork all the time. When the gong rings out across the Club, signaling it’s almost opening time, I’m thankful to be done with the boring task of watching Jenna type and file. Jenna cleans up and walks to the dressing room while I trail behind her.

  Honestly, I really enjoy being around Jenna and seeing her work in the club. Cooper and I have both spent a week shadowing Jenna while she’s here. It’s easy to see that she’s great at balancing the needs of her girls and is always filling in to help out, wherever it’s necessary. Her staff clearly loves her. She may be the owner, but she is incredibly down to earth, working right alongside everyone else, not afraid to get her hands dirty.

  After a couple of nights at the club, it wa
s also clear why Jenna was so insistent upon the NDA’s before we were allowed into her Club. Cooper and I both noticed a few occurrences of questionable legality. To keep my integrity as a police officer intact, I try not to examine things too closely while I’m down here. My role at this point is to protect Jenna, not to try to find a reason to break my signed agreement and have her arrested.

  Even after working here for the past week and the quick warning Jenna threw over her shoulder before she went to get dressed, nothing could have prepared me for lingerie night at Vice. I assumed the robe was her outfit tonight, but the old adage about assumptions was quickly proven right. Jenna went into the dressing room after her office, making me wait outside. I realized I may be out of my depth as I stood by the wall, watching as her staff started to trickle out into the club, scantily clad in lingerie.

  A few minutes after she ordered me to wait for her in the hallway, Jenna and Katia emerged from the dressing room together, deep in conversation. Katia is a gorgeous woman with her pale skin and long blonde hair falling around her in waves. She’s wearing a gold lingerie set, and looks like she’s about to walk in a Victoria’s Secret show. Standing around 5’9”, she’s all long limbs and curves. Cooper would probably be salivating at the sight of her, if he was here instead of the hospital tonight.

  Katia is beautiful, but I only have eyes for Jenna. She ditched her robe in the dressing room and now she is wearing a top that is slightly longer than a regular bra, and a g-string. The top is half see through lace, with dark black fabric barely covering the important parts. I have two compelling urges fighting against each other in my psyche: to rip off my shirt and cover up her body or to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to the office to see how her outfit looks on the floor. I disregard both urges and force myself to stand there and ignore my semi-hard dick as I continue staring at Jenna. I wait for instructions, to see where she needs to head next.