“So, have you found that excitement that you’ve been looking for?”
“More than I bargained for, actually.” He paused a moment, opened his mouth and pointed at one of his front teeth.
I hadn’t noticed before, but a small portion of it was sheared off, at an angle.
“See this? I chipped that one separating two women in a bar brawl a few weeks ago. And I’ve lost count of the scrapes and bruises along the way.”
“Sounds like I have a lot to look forward to,” I groaned, in mock horror.
“Of course, there are rewards to being a cop.”
“Like what?”
“Well for instance, no woman can resist a man in uniform.”
I knew what that felt like.
Neal was irresistible, in or out of uniform.
“Not even a woman in uniform? Maybe the two uniforms cancel out the effect.”
“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” There was mischief in his smile, in his clear blue eyes. “You saw me in uniform and all.”
I felt the heat creeping into my cheeks.
Here I was, blushing yet again, like some schoolgirl swooning over her high school crush.
“You’re the one who asked me out, let me remind you.”
“Yes I did and let me be the one to remind you that you could have declined the offer,” he replied, his smile very sexy, even with the chipped tooth—perhaps made even sexier by it. “Yet, you didn’t and so, here we are. On a date.”
“Oh…so this is a date?” I asked, coy of tone.
“Of course, it’s a date.” He stared at me for a long moment, keeping me captive in the warmth of his blue-eyed gaze. I didn’t have the heart to disagree with him. For all intents and purposes, it felt like a date. “So why did you do it?”
“Do what? Agree to go on a date with you?”
“No. Why did you decide to become a cop?”
“For some of the same reasons that you did. I want to see criminals behind the prison bars that they deserve.” I sipped some of my tea. Green tea. My favorite. I then prepared to tell him the lie that I had told countless others, when they asked me why I wanted to be a cop. “Add to that, once upon a time, when I was fifteen, I was attacked by a man, not far from my home. I got away okay, but as far as I know, he’s still out there. It’s my hope to catch him one day and bring him to justice.”
“I see.” Neal looked past me and I heard the waitress approaching. “Looks like our sushi’s arrived.”
“That was quick.”
“Here you are.” The dainty girl set the large platter of sushi before us and the bowl of agedashi tofu in front of me. She pointed out which items were which. “Red dragon roll, green dragon roll, tekka maki, killer bakudan roll and the dynamite rolls.”
“Thank you.” Neal brandished his chopsticks.
“Yes, thank you,” I said, feeling absolutely famished, my hunger burning a hole in my stomach.
“Well, let’s dig in. Don’t be shy. Try that red dragon roll.” Neal lifted a piece of sushi to his mouth and devoured it without a moment’s hesitation.
Following his lead, I took the chopsticks from the platter. Salivating, I lifted a piece of the red dragon roll to my mouth. It was a large piece and I had to stuff it into my mouth using the chopsticks. I chewed the roll and, in discovering its pleasant barbeque flavor, made sounds of pleasure.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” He asked, reaching for a piece of the red dragon roll himself.
I nodded and swallowed. “A bit chewy, but good. Thank you.”
“It’s one of my favorites.” He admitted, sharing yet another part of his world with me.
We ate the rest of our meal in near silence, enjoying each other’s company, bantering occasionally, until finally, the platter was finished, with nothing but a small pile of pickled ginger and traces of wasabi and scattered soya sauce stained rice left to tell the tale.
“Well that was an amazing meal,” I said finally, sitting back in my chair for comfort. “I’m stuffed.”
“You and me, both.” He agreed, toying with his teacup. “You want some more tea?”
“No, thank you. I’m seriously full.”
And I was.
The sushi had been the best meal I’d had in a long time.
The first bit of sushi I’d had in a long time, as well.
It was much better than the meat and potatoes food at the academy.
The waitress took our platter away and left behind the bill. Neal reached for it immediately, before I could even react.
“I’ll take care of this,” he said, seeing my alarm.
“But—“
“I asked you out on a date, remember?” His blue eyes twinkled at me.
“I don’t remember agreeing to a date.”
“Sure you did.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “You did.”
“I agreed to get some sushi with you. I think your exact words were would you like to accompany me for some late night sushi? To me, that doesn’t imply a date.”
“Well to me, it does,” he argued his point, grinning all the while. “However, if you don’t think it was a date, then why don’t you let me ask you out on one?”
“I was told that the department frowns on that sort of thing.”
“They frown on it, but it’s pretty much a don’t ask don’t tell sort of thing. So it’s simple. If they don’t ask, there’s no reason for us to tell. And don’t even pretend that you don’t like me, because a guy can tell.”
“What, you’re psychic too?”
“No, I just know.”
“Well, maybe I don’t like you.” I bluffed.
“You’re still here. That constitutes liking me in my books. I told you, you could dine and dash on outta here if you wanted, but you’re still here and would you like to know why?”
“Why?” I asked, playing along with his game, whatever it was.
“Because you can’t resist me.” His smile was daring. “Admit it. You’re smitten with me.”
I knew from his tone that he was teasing, yet his words did strike a certain chord with me.
I was very attracted to him…and had I ever been this attracted to anyone, ever?
I didn’t think so, but I did not think that I was letting it show.
“You’re not full of yourself at all, are you?” I laughed and decided to let down my long dark hair. The tight braid at the back of my head was beginning to make my scalp ache.
“Nope. I’m just a simple country boy, ma’am,” he replied, seeming to enjoy our camaraderie and playful banter. “I’m too simple to be full o’myself. I’m just stating the obvious. You’re into me, and how.”
I loosened the elastic at the bottom of my braid and then started the process of unweaving it.
“Oh, I’d say it’s the other way around.”
“Oh?”
“You’re the one who couldn’t resist asking me out on a sushi date.”
“So now you’re agreeing that it was a date.”
I threw my hands up, exasperated. “Fine. I give up. Thank you for the date. I’ve had an awesome time, so far. I’ve really enjoyed your company.”
“And I’ve really enjoyed yours.” He leaned toward me, closing in the distance between us. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Maybe.” I teased, knowing that he was going to tell me anyway.
He tried to keep his tone serious. “You have to promise not to laugh at me.”
“Okay,” I finished the business with my braid and threaded my fingers through the long locks to loosen my hair, letting it fall in a dark wavy curtain about my shoulders.
“I haven’t been on a date since my second year of university.” He sighed under the burden of his secret. “Besides my mom and my chiropractor, you’re the first woman I’ve spent any length of time with in close company in nearly two years.”
“Are you serious?” I was shocked that someone with his good looks and suave count
ry-boy charm had a dating record even worse than mine.
“Dead serious.” He confessed. “After my last girlfriend dumped me for an art student, I pretty much just stayed away from women and focused on my studies until I graduated. Two months after my university graduation, I was starting up at the Police Academy and you know how rigorous the pace is there. You don’t have time to think, not to mention pursue a love life.”
I thought of the nights at the academy where I had vanished into the dark, to answer the call of the Dark Thing, to answer its hunger for justice.
There were ways to get around the rigors of training, to pursue matters if one was dedicated enough to their cause…
“I know what you mean.” I lied.
“Your turn,” Neal decided. “When’s the last time you went out on a date...and be honest?”
I had to actually think for a long moment, to answer that question.
“Does it count if I walked out on the sleaze ball before the appetizer even arrived?”
“Sure does.”
“Then it’s been about six months for me,” I toyed with my thick hair elastic. “Before I went to the academy, my friend Charlie Friday set me up with this guy who turned out to be a total loser, who couldn’t keep his eyes off of my tits.”
“Pardon my opinion, but you can hardly blame the sleaze ball. You have a beautiful body.” Neal spoke with respectful admiration. “Plus, with those lovely green eyes and that dark wavy black hair of yours…those luscious scarlet lips…you have no idea how gorgeous you look right now.”
My breath froze in my chest.
Was he hitting on me?
Making a move?
“Thank you,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
There was a long silence between us and we just looked at each other in no rush to say or do anything that might break the spell.
It was pleasant, just sitting there with him, admiring him while he admired me.
It was as if we were making a connection, without even having to touch.
Finally, he broke the silence. “Charlie Friday…as in the bar you used to work at?”
“And live above, don’t forget. Yeah, he’s the owner-operator of the place.”
“What do your folks think about you becoming a cop?” He asked me, fidgeting again with his teacup. “Are they supportive, or…?”
I told him my story. “My mother, Lillian, is terrified that I’ll die in the street from a gunshot wound on a robbery call. My adoptive father, Paul, he’s a bit more…supportive. At first, like her, he wanted me to go through law school, but now he wants me to do what makes me happy. As for my little brother Darren, well to be frank, he’s jealous. He wanted to be a cop too but now he has decided he wants to be a fire fighter. He’s eleven and changes his mind as often as he does his underwear.”
“That’s a kid for ya.”
I wondered about Neal’s own situation. “How about you? Were your parents disappointed when you told them you wanted to leave the farm?”
“They weren’t that disappointed, because Matty– my brother –always told them he wanted to take over the family farm.” He rolled the teacup between his hands. “My mother’s just as worried for me as your mother seems to be for you, but my dad, he’s real proud o’me. He says that it don’t bother him in the least, that he’s glad that I made use of all that target-shooting out on the farm.”
“He probably still worries, though.”
“Of course he worries. I try not to give them anything to worry about. I don’t tell them about the stuff we see on the job. It would only serve to upset them.”
“I think I know what you mean.” I had only been on patrol for one day, but had already gotten a good taste of what was in store for me. “I think it’s best if what happens at work stays at work.”
“Exactly right. You gotta leave it there, because if you let it come home with you, it’ll begin to eat you up inside. If you take it home with you, you either become a cop with an alcohol problem, or a cop with his own gun in his mouth, about to swallow a round for the sake o’ his sanity.”
Another silence hung between us, until Neal spoke. “But hey, let’s not talk about work right now. Let’s talk about our next date.”
“Our next date?” I asked him, with a small laugh.
We weren’t even done with this one.
“Yeah,” he said, deadpan. “When is it?”
-3-
“So, can I give you a ride home?” Neal asked, opening the door of Yamato for me.
“No, thanks, I’ll just catch the bus down the street.”
He looked at me as if I was a crazy person wearing a doomsday sign.
“But it’s freezing out here.” He tried to sell me his offer.
It really was.
The temperature had dropped even more since we had been in the building.
“The bus stop is heated,” I said, defending my mode of transportation.
“Well, so is my truck.” His mischievous blue eyes were trying to persuade me.
“Thanks, but I’ll just take the bus,” I told him. “I don’t want you to have to go out of your way. We live at opposite ends of the City.”
“From your description, I know it’s not that far from my place,” he insisted, jingling his keys at me. “It’s no trouble, really. I’d be honored to give you a lift. Being a chivalrous country boy and all.”
“Geeze, you don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
“I shoulda been a used car salesman.” He laughed and hooked his arm in mine. “C’mon, let’s get back to the station before I freeze my nuts off.”
I laughed and followed where he led, delighted by the contact he had made in putting his arm through mine. The way we were walking, with our arms interlinked, our hips kept brushing against each other with every single footfall. I admired the strength of his arm, under the layers of his coat and the way he was so gentle in holding mine.
Too soon, he let go of me as we gained access to the precinct building and stepped inside, grateful for its warmth.
“This way,” Neal said, steering me toward the one-way windows at the rear of the bullpen. “I have to start my truck.” He flashed me the command-start remote control in his hand. “I just have to get to one of these windows…”
He aimed the remote at the window nearest us and started his vehicle. I saw which one it was, from the way the headlights turned on in the parking lot. His was the little red pickup truck, looking shiny and new and almost out of place amongst the other vehicles in subdued colors.
“So do you always go with public transportation?” Neal asked me, while we waited for his truck to warm up.
“Not always.”
“Are you a hippie or something? Got a grudge against gas powered vehicles?”
“No, I just couldn’t justify the cost of a car when I was a bartender.”
“And now?”
“My father is going to help me find a car on my next day off,” I told him.
“So how do you get around?”
“In the summer, I used my motorcycle for the most part. But since that’s not an option in the winter—I’ve been taking the bus when I can, or I catch a cab, when I must.”
He seemed amused with something I had said. “Ooh…so you’re a motorcycle babe in the summer months, huh?”
“…and will be in spring and most of the fall.”
“So, what kind of vehicle are you thinking of getting?”
“Nothing too fancy. Just a small economy car. Maybe a Toyota Echo, or a Honda Accord, Chevy Cobalt, Ford Focus – something like that.”
“Something that will be easy on gas, easy to park.” He suggested.
I thought of my outings with the Dark Thing.
Something small to hide behind buildings.
Something dark to park in the shadows.
“Something that suits my needs,” I decided aloud.
“So… have you read any good books lately?�
� He asked, out of the blue.
“Where did that question come from? How did we go from car shopping to book reading?”
Neal grinned at me. “Just trying to get to know you better, that’s all.”
“Well, if that’s the case, you should know that I watch movies more frequently that I read books.”
“Have you watched any good movies, then?”
“Actually, I’ve been watching a bit of the Hellraiser series. My Uncle Stanley bought me the first six movies on DVD for my birthday. I’m about half-way though them.”
His lips curved into a frown. “Aren’t those the gory movies with the puzzle boxes and that Pinhead guy, with the hooks and chains that come out of the walls to tear people to shreds and whatnot?”
“That’s Hellraiser, all right.”
“Gross.”
I laughed at his displeasure. “It’s an acquired taste.”
“I’ll say.” He shook his blond head in disbelief. “What’s a nice girl like you doing watching movies like that? In the dark of your apartment, no less.”
“Maybe I’m not the nice girl you think I am,” I challenged him, in the most sensual tone that I could manage, hoping that I looked as sexy as I felt.
He was giving me a ride home, after all.
I decided that I was going to invite him up to my place, for a cup of tea.
If my lucky streak continued, I imagined that he would be staying well after that first cup of jasmine…
“Oh, I think I know a nice girl when I see one.” His glance fixed on my lips.
I licked my lips slowly and smiled at him.
I watched his sexy mouth open slightly, as though he was going to say something, but then it closed and he swallowed.
Clearing his throat, he seemed to decide upon something. “I think I’ve given my truck enough of a fighting chance – it can warm up on the way. Let’s get you home.”
The drive back to my place seemed quicker than usual, even though I had to give him directions and was so distracted at one point that we missed one of the turns.
Reaper III: Rookies Page 6