Captain's Choice

by V. K. Powell

  She’d allowed herself and Bennett only one kiss, a hard, possessive signal that she was in charge. She took Bennett like every other woman she’d had sex with, refusing intimacy as old habits and muscle memory kicked in. She should’ve picked up a stranger in a bar, called a service, anything except bed the one person who could destroy her career and derail her life.

  Flinging the covers off, she sat up in bed. The whole point of having sex with Bennett was to purge the desire from her system, but her plan backfired. She wanted her even more. And now she’d shown her cowardly side by sneaking away without even a thank-you or good-bye. Maybe an anonymous, controlled tryst was all she could handle with anyone. Maybe she wasn’t capable of true intimacy.

  When she saw Bennett at work today, she’d either continue her detached act or she wouldn’t. Revert to type or be honest about her feelings for once. She’d make her decision when the time came. No need to struggle unnecessarily.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bennett stretched, and the muscles below her waist and in her back ached in protest. She smiled, and excitement swirled when she remembered why. She breathed in Kerstin’s scent, still clinging to the sheets, and her body readied for another round. They had finally given in to their attraction, proving they had feelings for each other. So why the hint of melancholy? She reached across the bed, but the covers were cold. Her feelings of intimacy and closeness faded as she remembered the truth. She’d given Kerstin everything she wanted, exactly the way she wanted it. Didn’t she deserve at least the courtesy of a good-bye?

  She rolled onto her stomach, and the bed sheets grazed her tender pelvis, arousing desire again. She’d surrendered to Kerstin in every way possible—something she hadn’t done with another woman, but it wasn’t enough to keep Kerstin by her side. Bennett fisted the sheets and groaned into the mattress. Was it a mistake to have sex with Kerstin? If not, why did she feel like a trick or a one-night stand?

  Bennett slid out of bed and slowly moved to the shower. The steamy water cut through her sleep fog. What did she expect from a woman she hadn’t seen in seventeen years and never slept with before—an immediate declaration of love; a long recap of the night, a replay; maybe a cup of coffee and a friendly chat before work? Did she really want a chance to reconnect and start fresh? She didn’t have such hopes with other women.

  Realization hit like a fist to the gut, and Bennett grabbed the side of the shower. She had expected more with Kerstin—more tenderness, more intimacy, more time—and was upset with herself. Kerstin’s quick exit indicated she had no such sentimental hopes. Reality check. She’d had sex with a woman with no promise of a repeat. If they hooked up again, she’d be more emotionally prepared. Problem solved. But she didn’t feel any better after her resolution. Maybe seeing Kerstin soon would help. She’d probably behave as if nothing happened between them, which made Bennett feel strangely validated but simultaneously quite empty because last night had meant so little to her.

  Bennett pulled into the lot of the Parks and Recreation building and started toward the entrance, but activity from the substation across the street caught her eye—a lot of activity. Vehicles dotted the parking lot, men in construction hats filtered in and out of the side door, and Kerstin was talking to a man beside a big truck.

  Her gut clenched at the first glimpse of Kerstin. She wore jeans, a black sweatshirt with a red-and-white Cornell logo on the front, a yellow hard hat, and work boots, and she looked delicious. At this distance she appeared as young, adventurous, and available as she’d been in high school. As Bennett grew closer, the girl morphed into a woman, and the challenges of time and circumstances became more visible in the set of her shoulders and the tiny worry lines around her eyes and across her forehead.

  So many things ran through Bennett’s mind—images of their night together, words she should’ve said, and confusion about how to behave the morning after. She pulled the shell casing from her front shirt pocket and rolled it between her fingers as she crossed the street. Dad and Grandpa, if you can hear me, I need strength today.

  She stopped behind Kerstin, who was hunched over the building plans spread across the tailgate of a truck, pointing to something on the drawing. She listened while Kerstin explained to the man beside her the changes to the public entrance the two of them had discussed. Bennett smiled, proud of her contribution, and then Kerstin turned to her, and her smile widened.

  “Oh, good morning.” Her eyes scanned Bennett and came to rest on her lips before licking her own. Kerstin still wanted her. “I was filling Henry, our contractor, in on the changes we made. Do you have anything else to add?”

  Bennett shook her head, her voice temporarily abandoning her.

  “Okay then.” She spoke to Henry. “Make sure the guys know what we’re doing, and I’ll get more specs to you by end of play.”

  Henry walked away, and Kerstin faced her again. “Did you sleep well after I left?”

  Bennett shook her head again, unable to believe Kerstin was actually referring to last night so openly. She’d totally misjudged Kerstin’s reaction today, certain she’d just pretend it never happened.

  “I had a great time. Sorry about the pace. I needed a quickie, and to be honest, I’m not good with intimacy. And I’m sorry for skulking out like a burglar, but we both needed to rest and regroup before work started back today. Hope you won’t hold it against me.” She rolled the plans, cupped Bennett’s elbow, and gently guided her toward the picnic table at the rear of the building. “Maybe we can do it again sometime? I’ll try to be more compliant.”

  Unsure what to say, Bennett could only nod. Never before had a woman snuck out of her bed, been cordial the next day, thanked her for a good time, and alluded to a repeat like it meant no more than having coffee together.

  As they walked, Kerstin leaned in and whispered, “Did I fuck you mute?”

  Her grin was pure mischief, but damn, the words hurt just enough. If Kerstin wanted to play it cool, Bennett would oblige. If Kerstin thought they were on the same page, Bennett had a better chance of spending more time with her. She could do casual. Maybe. “Not mute…and yes, I’d like a repeat of last night…sometime.” Kerstin startled, her blue eyes wide. Bennett had surprised her. “So, what are we doing today?”

  After a few seconds, Kerstin recouped and spread the plans across the picnic table. “Let’s make some cost assessments and keep the guys working on the changes. Sound good?” Her brows knitted together as she studied Bennett’s face.

  “Sounds perfect. Let’s get to it.” Kerstin didn’t immediately shift into work mode, so Bennett asked, “Something wrong?”

  “What have you done with the real Bennett Carlyle?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Where’s the relentless woman who wants to talk about everything? We had sex, and you don’t want to talk?” Her tone held a hint of disbelief.

  Bennett considered her response, not wanting to downplay the significance of their night or overplay the casual angle. If Kerstin wanted a relationship, she’d have to open up, and Bennett was willing to allow her time to adapt. “You’re a woman of action. Now I understand. I can adapt. We had sex. It was good. We might do it again.”

  Kerstin nodded and smiled, but the smile didn’t brighten her eyes as usual. “Okay.” She pointed to the drawings. “Tell me what other changes we need.”

  Bennett slid onto the bench seat and pulled the folded list from her back pocket, marking off the items as she went. “Well, we already have the canteen slash cafeteria issue sorted, the glass windows on the front, and everything in the public area. I assume the workmen started there this morning?” She looked across at Kerstin, and she was staring at her mouth again instead of the plans. “Kerst?”

  “Yes…the public entrance. Sorry.”

  “Shall I start at the front of the building with the other items, go down my list, or give them to you in priority order?”

  “Read them to me, and I’ll mark each area on the drawing.”

/>   “Bullet-resistant glass on the lineup area, and before you object, I know it’s expensive, but based on the number of assaults on officers recently, I think we can justify it. Regular glass would be too much of a temptation, sort of like shooting fish in a barrel.”

  Kerstin placed an X on the plans and circled it. “This will be a cost discussion.”

  “Fair enough. There’s currently no regular door at the rear of the building. We need a locked entry off the loading dock for prisoners. Inside that area, we’ll have to separate the large space into smaller interrogation rooms and add a bank of gun lockers to secure weapons.”

  “So far it doesn’t sound too expensive.” Kerstin brushed Bennett’s arm as she reached for another pen, and they both stopped, silently acknowledging the heat rising between them. “Go—on.” Her voice cracked.

  Bennett swallowed hard against the desire to kiss Kerstin and redirected her attention to her list. “Right now, you have a huge area marked as a lineup room, but we can divide the space into lineup, reports, gun-cleaning, and evidence lockers. These won’t need separate security because they’re already in the police-only section of the building. A few walls here and there should do it, right?” This time she didn’t look up but waited for Kerstin to respond.

  “Probably. What about—”

  “Hey, Kerstin,” Henry called from the substation entrance. “There’s fresh coffee if you two want some, and it’s pretty good.”

  She waved to Henry and said, “I’ll get us a cup,” before sprinting toward the building.

  Bennett released a long breath and her shoulders relaxed. Being around Kerstin, wanting to touch her again and pretending casualness she didn’t really feel was hard work. She forced out a few more deep breaths, tensed her entire body, and relaxed again as Kerstin returned with their coffee.

  She placed the cups on the table. “And look what else I found.” She held a snack bag in each hand. “Cheetos or pork skins?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Bennett grabbed for the skins. “Southern girl through and through. Cholesterol wins over orange carcinogen any day. Thanks.”

  Kerstin purposely brushed Bennett’s hand as she passed her the snack and immediately wished she hadn’t. Bennett was a magnet pulling her closer, and she desperately wanted to follow. She’d hoped work would occupy her mind today and their sexual romp would fade like with other women, but Bennett proved the exception. Damn it. Her mind said she’d made the wrong decision about sleeping with Bennett, but her body disagreed.

  Bennett bumped her shoulder.

  “What?”

  “I said, are you ready to continue?”

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Okay, the administrative complex can be significantly reduced. Jazz and I don’t need all that real estate, and my sergeants can use more office space and access to the conference room.”

  Kerstin watched Bennett’s lips as she talked, wishing she’d kissed them more last night, taken time to explore them, and experienced the magic they could undoubtedly release on her body. If only she’d been more focused on lovemaking and less on the mechanics of fucking, control, and release.

  Bennett waved her bag of treats under Kerstin’s nose. “You really should try these.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Where’s your adventurous spirit? We used to eat all kinds of weird things.”

  “Used to being the operative words.” She offered Bennett her Cheetos, but she declined. “See?” She pulled a single Cheeto from the bag and tossed it across the table. It landed in an orange puff on Bennett’s black uniform shirt, leaving a path as it tumbled to her lap. “Oops.”

  “Seriously?” Bennett swept at the messy streaks, but they only spread. “What, are we seventeen again?” The light brown of her eyes darkened as her long fingers brushed places Kerstin wanted to explore again and again.

  Kerstin caught her gaze, held steady, and whispered, “I certainly hope not.”

  Bennett tossed a pork skin at her before taking her seat and pointing to her list again. “Let’s get back to work. I’m almost finished here.”

  “Finished? So soon?”

  “Thought you’d be pleased to finish the planning phase so you can get back to drawing and number-crunching.”

  “Of course.” But she wasn’t pleased at all.

  “I’d like a secure door into the detectives’ area. Most of them would like me to believe they carry their weapons at all times, but I’m willing to bet they don’t. I was a detective once, and sitting at a desk all day with a gun poking in my side got really uncomfortable. So in case of a breach, I’d like an extra layer of security to allow them a bit more time to retrieve their weapons from a drawer.” Bennett glanced at Kerstin as she refolded her list.

  Bennett hadn’t asked anything of Kerstin, but her eyes begged for answers buried so deeply Kerstin wasn’t even sure she could excavate them anymore. “Okay.”

  Bennett seemed to have lost her focus as well. “Okay what?”

  “It’s a reasonable request.”

  “Right.” They continued to stare at each other until Bennett finally rose. “Okay. I’ll leave you and get back to my real job. We won’t see as much of each other from this point, but I’ll drop by to check on things occasionally and will attend the group meetings.”

  Their time was ending? How had she not seen this coming?

  “If you need anything from me, don’t hesitate,” Bennett said as she walked away.

  Her emphasis on the word anything turned Kerstin’s insides to needy, pathetic mush. “O—kay.” Bennett played the cool card better than Kerstin, and now she was the infatuated teenager she’d been all those years ago instead of a professional.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Car 100, show me on the domestic call on Charter Place.” Bennett wanted a read on the two newest rookies in the district, and the best way was to watch them in action. En route her mind drifted again to Kerstin. She couldn’t stop thinking about her no matter how many hours she worked. They hadn’t seen each other or spoken in two days. Bennett busied herself in the field answering calls with the troops almost twenty-four seven, but she was constantly distracted.

  “Ten-four, 100.”

  She pulled up to the duplex, and the two rookies were already out of their vehicles. They used caution in their approach and posted on opposite sides of the door instead of the more dangerous position in front. She heard screaming from inside as soon as she exited her car but hung back, allowing the officers to handle the situation. She waited until they were inside before approaching to observe.

  Bennett stood on the porch and watched through the screen door as the rookies separated the two arguing individuals, one male and one female, according to protocol. The female officer urged the female suspect to the opposite side of the small efficiency space, and the male officer did the same with his suspect, who sipped from a bottle of beer. Bennett listened as they calmed the two irate individuals, the female officer making more progress. Just as she decided the rookies could handle the situation without her, she noticed subtle movement of the male suspect’s right hand, which rested by his side.

  He slowly worked his fingers along the body of the beer bottle until he gripped the neck like a club. The rookie focused on the man’s eyes, not the threat in his hands. She started to call out to alert him, but her warning would’ve been more distracting than helpful. As the suspect raised the bottle, the action seemed to shift into slow motion. Bennett opened the screen door.

  “Officer, weapon.”

  The suspect flicked his wrist, smashed the beer bottle against the sink, and with the jagged neck, lunged at the officer. The rookie froze.

  Bennett burst through the door, shoved the rookie aside with one arm, and grabbed the suspect with the other. She wrestled him to the floor, a mass of struggling arms and legs. Her vest shifted up, and she felt a sharp pain rip through her right side just above her belt. “You’re…under…arrest.”

  “Fuck you, bitc
h.”

  “Stop resisting.”

  “Go to hell.”

  They rolled over on the floor again, and Bennett temporarily straddled the suspect. She shouted at the still-stunned officer. “Grab his other arm and help me cuff him!”

  “You’re bleeding, Captain.” The rookie grabbed his radio and yelled, “Signal-0. Officer needs assistance! Send an ambulance!”

  As she scrambled around on the floor with the suspect, Bennett glanced to her left, where the female officer scuffled with the other suspect, keeping her from joining the fray. Bennett called to the rookie again. “Officer, snap out of it and cuff this man!” Outside sirens sounded in the distance and some fairly close, all responding to the frantic officer’s emergency call for assistance. She struggled to keep the broken beer bottle away from her neck and the suspect generally contained until they arrived.

  The male rookie finally snapped out of his daze and pointed his Glock at the suspect. “St—op or I’ll sho—ot.” His voice shook, and his wide eyes looked abnormally large against his ashen face.

  The suspect stopped as if suddenly realizing he couldn’t win. “Don’t shoot.” He released his hold on Bennett and tossed the bottleneck to the floor.

  “Turn over and put your hands behind you.” Bennett grabbed her handcuffs, jammed her knee in the suspect’s back to hold him still, and snapped the cuffs around his wrists. “Stay down.” She turned toward the officer, who was still pointing his gun at the suspect, his hands visibly shaking. “Holster your weapon, Officer.”

  “What?”

  “Holster your gun, now. Step outside and get some air.” She pulled her walkie-talkie from her belt. “Dispatch, cancel all emergency response to this location.”

  “Advise on ambulance proceeding, Car 100.”

  “Cancel the ambulance.” She turned to the female rookie. “What’s your name, Officer?”

  “Brooks, ma’am.”

  “Is your suspect under arrest, Brooks?”