by Zoë Archer
“What? Do I look like I have anything to put identification in?” she exclaimed, her arms held out, palms forward.
He brought his head back up and perused her form again. “Well, no. Y-you see…” he stuttered, “that’s part of the problem.”
“Part of what problem?” Lisa glanced at her watch. Good grief. If she didn’t get home soon to change clothes, she’d miss her first appointment. She had a lot to do this morning. First, get to the dog-training facility by eight for her regular Saturday morning slot to help train puppies being groomed as guide dogs or other special assistance companion-type canines. When she finished her ride, it left her just enough time to get home, change clothes and grab a quick bite to eat. She spent an hour at the dog center, then had to rush home again, crunch in a shower, dress and meet her first candidate at eleven.
The uniformed man’s voice broke into her schedule review…
“You’re riding your bike in skimpy clothing. Aren’t you aware it’s against the law?” the young officer responded.
“You’re kidding, right?” What a lame reason to pull me over. Then it dawned on her—he was using it as a ruse to hit on her. Taking a more serious look at him, she didn’t think he appeared the type—more like a computer geek than a sheriff’s deputy. At least his badge indicated he was a deputy. She pegged him at four or five years younger than herself—okay, nerds usually looked younger than they were—maybe twenty-seven tops. Two years younger than she. Nonetheless, in her opinion, he definitely didn’t look the type of guy to use such a bum excuse for a pickup line.
“No, I’m not kidding, ma’am. It’s a $25 fine for a woman to be out on the street in clingy or body hugging clothing. I think your outfit definitely fits…uh…qualifies category wise.”
Lisa burst out laughing. She couldn’t help but notice he blushed profusely—a brilliant red.
“So, what’re you gonna do, arrest me?” Still straddling her bike, with it leaning up against her leg, she stuck her hands out, forearms together. “Go ahead, officer. Cuff me.”
He appeared surprised, mirroring her own shock, when he pulled the cuffs out of the holder looped on his belt at a speed that would have impressed a hummingbird and slapped them around her wrists.
Lisa was still staring at her new bracelets in astonishment, trying to think of the name of a lawyer, when a red SUV crested the hilltop, moved in behind her bike and parked. The driver jumped out.
“Hey, officer. What’s going on here? Why’ve you arrested this lovely lady?” The man walked toward them, shafts of sunlight beaming down through the trees casting him in shadows.
The deputy—who Lisa now thought appeared rather nervous after realizing he’d overstepped his bounds, probably wondering how to back out of it—looked at the intruder.
Isn’t this the same SUV that was parked on the other side of the hill, the one the officer had pulled over when I came around the turn? When she took a closer look at the stranger, she couldn’t prevent her eyes from wandering. He wore jeans and a tight, chest-hugging tee shirt—revealing by his muscular pecs and biceps that he obviously knew what a heavy weight bar looked like. His impressive upper body tapered to a narrow waist. Whoa! He looks more like a cop than the guy who slapped the cuffs on me.
“Oh, Brian,” the deputy said, decidedly trying to sound official. “She’s broken the law and I need to take her in ‘cause she doesn’t have any ID on her and—”
“Wait a minute,” Lisa broke in. “Look, sir, I mean Officer—”
He cleared his throat. “It’s Deputy Sheriff Parsons,” he interrupted.
“Okay, Deputy Sheriff Parsons. I thought you had a problem with my clothing or, as you put it, my lack of it. Now it’s ID? Since when is it illegal not to have identification? Did we turn into some sort of police state while I wasn’t looking?” She glanced at her watch once again, the metal cuffs rattling on her wrist, like some heavy goth jewelry.
“That’s the second time you’ve looked at your watch,” the deputy said. “Do you have some place you have to be?” he added in a churlish manner, slim shoulders squared.
Lisa peered at him and decided maybe it was time to butter this guy up. It wasn’t beyond her to be obsequious when necessity demanded.
“Yes, thanks for noticing. I do.” She flashed a smile hoping it was brilliant enough to dazzle the young officer. “I help train seeing-eye dogs, and if I don’t get there in time, they’re not going to get worked out this morning. And what I do is an essential part of their overall program.”
“Oh, you do?” The deputy’s tone and demeanor completely changed. “Sweet! How cool is that?” He looked over at the other guy, then back at her. She’d watched the interaction between the two and could swear she’d seen the uniformed one give a slight shrug and the minutest of lifts to a brow. Then, as if some synapse had fired in his brain, he pulled a key from his pocket and slipped it into the lock on the cuffs, releasing her hands. “Then, I guess you’d better be on your way.”
Lisa rubbed her wrists and looked from one man to the next, wondering what the whole thing had been about. Without any further hesitation she looked left…right…checked traffic, then sped away, but not without glancing at the guy Deputy Parsons had called Brian. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her ever since he’d strolled over and joined the…whatever it had been. She’d felt their penetrating gaze. Then it occurred to her she knew this how? Because she’d been keeping an eye on him.
~~~
“Nice goin’, Skip.” Brian West shook his head, watching the woman of his dreams pull away on her bike. “Thanks for the intro.”
“Hey, I tried,” Skip said, defensively. “She clearly didn’t buy the clingy, skimpy outfit thing. I mean, who would? It’s a stupid law. Maybe it had a usefulness at some point, but if it held true today, either all the women around would stay inside their homes, or they’d all be in jail.” He laughed as he walked back toward his cruiser. “I guess if you want to meet the lady, who by-the-way is, as you said, quite the looker, you’re going to have to come up with something better. I don’t imagine the sheriff will be too happy if he ever learns I let you talk me into pulling her over all because you wanted to meet her. And I don’t know what I was thinking when I slapped the cuffs on her. That was sure stupid. Anyway, sorry your ‘saving the damsel in distress’ scheme didn’t work out.” Skip’s laughter continued as he climbed in his vehicle and peeled around the curve, leaving Brian standing by the roadside.
Brian went back to his car and slid in behind the steering wheel, which he pounded with the heel of his hand. He rubbed the smooth leathery surface. “Sorry, wheel. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
He turned the ignition, glanced back and eased forward onto the blacktop. “Well, that’s not the end of it,” he muttered. “I’ll figure out a way to meet her. Properly.”
~~~
Thirty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot at the Hauppauge Canine Training Center. It was the closest one in the area and hopefully where he’d find her. He hurried into the building and had to sidestep a woman flying out the door.
“Sorry,” she yelled as she passed him.
He finished holding the door for her, then stepped inside. His nostrils were assailed with the smell of dog. Lots of dogs. No one manned the welcome desk, but a sign-in sheet attached to a clipboard sat off to one side. An itinerary with helpers’ names adjoined the list.
A guy entered through some swinging doors. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, please. How do you sign up to help out with training the dogs? Guess I should ask first if you need any volunteers at this time? I mean now,” he added, hoping he hadn’t sounded desperate.
“At this time, like right now? Your timing couldn’t be better,” the guy replied. “Just had one of my volunteers run off with an emergency at home. We’ll handle your paperwork later.”
“Uh—sure. So long as you show me what to do. This is my first time here.”
“No problem. I’m Gary, by
the way.”
Brian took the guy’s outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you, Gary. Brian. Brian West.”
“So, what’s your day job, Brian?”
“Oh—” he pulled out his identification—“FDNY.”
“Cool… Well, follow me. Like I said, we’ll get you signed in officially, later. You’ll love the lady you’ll be working with this morning.” Gary looked at the wall clock. “She should be here any minute.”
“I’m sure I will,” Brian said, a broad smile bending his lips.
~~~
Lisa pushed the bike up the driveway to her little house. When she first moved to Long Island she had rented an apartment, not knowing if she would like living here long enough to settle and buy a house. After a couple years, and numerous job promotions, she decided the money was too good to move away in the foreseeable future. She had searched available housing for months; finding something in her price range had been difficult. Real estate prices were out of sight and she’d finally settled on this little—almost 600 square foot—cottage. The several-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag had overwhelmed her at first, but it was far better than throwing rent money down the sewer.
The basement could only be accessed from the back of the house; two slanted doors covered the stairwell. After guiding the bike down the steps, and relocking the basement doors, she hurried into the house. She changed into a long-sleeved sweatshirt and pants. Most of the year old puppies weighed about seventy-five pounds, and they literally bounced off her body while playing with them, leaving smatterings of slobber all over her. Showering before she worked the pooches was an exercise in futility.
On her drive to the center, she got to thinking about the crazy encounter this morning. Why had the deputy really pulled her over? Was there truly a law about wearing skimpy clothing? She was going to check into it later—though, she didn’t know when she’d find the time. Every moment of her days, Sunday through Saturday, was scheduled. Well, somehow she’d work it in.
As an executive job recruiter, more typically known as a headhunter, she didn’t have a nine-to-five, five-day a week job. Her work demanded her time whenever it was needed. Prospective candidates for positions had to be prepped for interviews with potential employers. Since most currently held jobs while they sought new ones, that required spending time with them in the evenings or on weekends, either on the telephone or in person. Weekdays were spent pouring over candidate resumes, catching up on paperwork, and conversing with clients—the employing companies.
She swung her car into the center’s parking lot and hurried into the building. After signing in, she charged through the swinging doors to the kennels. Anyone who ever thought the entrance area was noisy from the barking should never come back here. She really needed to buy some ear plugs. She looked around for Cindy, but didn’t see her. Gary came through the doors.
“Hi, Gary. Where’s Cindy?”
“She had an emergency at home, but not to worry. We were blessed with a new guy showing up. I didn’t have time to get his documentation done, but he looks like a good enough sort. Fireman from the City. He’s waiting in Area Three. Told him you’d teach him the ropes.”
~~~
Lisa manhandled the four pups through the corridor heading for their workout. Pushing the door open with her hip, the animals—two German shepherd’s, one poodle, and a black lab—strained on their leashes to get through, nearly toppling her. She loved these animals and they sure loved their playtime.
The puppies spotted the balls and toss toys immediately, their paws spinning on the concrete to get at them. Ten or so different toys lay scattered about and one would think they’d spot and head for different ones—but ‘no.’ When she let go of their leads, they headed in tandem for the same toy, falling all over each other as the lone ball bounced about every which way each time one of them tried to grab it. She laughed out loud at their antics.
She ran about the room undoing their leashes and placing them on a hanger. That’s when she spotted the new helper.
“Hi,” he called over the din, walking toward her.
Just about the time he reached her one of the animals ran into the back of his legs full force and propelled him right into her arms. She opened them to catch what looked and felt like about six feet four inches of muscled, hard man. Regaining her posture, she pushed him off her. That’s when she got a good look at his face.
“Hey, you’re that guy from this morning. Brian?”
“Yeah. Thought I’d try to explain—”
“Well, this is no place to talk,” she shouted over the constant barking and playful snarling of the animals.
“Oh, right. Um…”
He clearly had no clue when it came to puppies. “Look, just pick up a toy and throw it. Don’t choose any particular animal to get it and don’t tell them to bring it back to you or offer any orders. We’re not command trainers, just workout artists.”
What’s he doing here? And what was that charge of electricity that sparked all the way to my solar plexus when I touched his hard body?
~~~
Brian watched as she ran about the room, her brown hair with those tantalizing blonde streaks caught up in a ponytail. Even with no makeup, she had what he considered a perfect face.
“Hey, you gonna help, or what?” she yelled at him.
“Oh, yeah, sorry…” Catching on to what she was doing with the animals, he followed suit.
The lady was total muscle, and moved with lithesome grace. When he’d been knocked into her by the overactive pup, he’d expected her to be thrown to the ground, him landing atop her—not an altogether bad position now that he thought about it. But no…her quick reaction had kept them both on their feet. And the feel of her body with his arms tightly holding onto her had given him pause. Even at his size, she’d had no problem keeping them both upright. Course he knew she had those long, lean, taut athlete’s legs he’d noticed early mornings as she rode her bike. But her back and arms were solidly muscled. Hard as teak.
And, yet, totally feminine. Softness had flowed from her electric blue eyes when she’d pushed him away, and then wariness when she’d recognized him. Well, hopefully, he could change that into acceptance.
The hour flew by.
“Listen, thanks for helping out,” she said between huffs, grabbing the leashes from the hook, tossing two of them to him. “It’s really difficult if I’m by myself.”
She quickly reined in two of the pups and attached the leashes, he gathered up the other two.
“My pleasure. Want me to help you take them back?”
“No, you can’t go beyond here until Gary’s got all your paperwork done.”
He stood back as she took the two leads from him and rounded all the pups up. “You think we could grab some lunch? I’d really like to explain about this morning—”
“Look,” she interrupted, “I really don’t have time for this…” he heard her saying, but her eyes were saying something different. At least, he hoped that was what he was reading, so he pushed—
“Well, at least a coke or coffee before we head our separate ways?”
“I’m sorry, I really don’t have time. Okay…I’ll give you my number and you can call this evening, about nine. I should be free by then. I’ll meet you in the lobby in a sec.”
He held the door for her as she maneuvered the lolling-tongued, panting dogs back to their cages. Well, not much of a start…but he wasn’t going to scoff at small beginnings.
~~~
On her way home, her two business appointments for the day called on her cell and canceled. The first, a woman who’d awakened sick and wanted to reschedule. The second, a man whose wife was called out of town because a relative had died and he couldn’t find a babysitter. She’d set up new appointments with each of them for Monday.
“Ah…just as well,” she muttered to herself, clicking the phone shut. While disappointed, it gave her time to head to her favorite coffee shop after a leisurely shower.
The hot water beat down and cascaded over her. She slowly turned, lifting her face toward the water and letting every inch of her body be the beneficiary of its soothing, relaxing effects.
Again she thought about the morning’s events. She was definitely going to look up the bizarre law Sheriff’s Deputy Parsons had tried to haul her into jail for. Would he really have taken her and put her in a cell? And she hadn’t seen any law enforcement types cuff a person from the front. That’s one reason she’d stuck her wrists out in front of her, not expecting it to happen. Didn’t they usually spin you around and cuff you from the back? She’d even seen police throw people to the ground. Even though the water was warm, she shivered at that mental picture.
After shampooing her hair, she towel dried and stepped out of the shower. She finished dressing, then scooped up the wet towels and all her workout clothes from the morning, tossing them into a basket. She hummed as she went outside, back around to the basement doors. Every time she used her washing machine and dryer, she had to go this route. One day she was going to contact an architect and contractor and do some remodeling. The first thing on her list was to have an inside stairway to the basement. For now, she had to make do.
Upstairs once again, she checked her landline answering machine for messages, then grabbed her computer and purse, and headed out.
~~~
At the coffee shop, Lisa ordered a low-fat latte and a turkey wrap. While waiting, she grabbed a small table, opened her laptop, and booted up. A Google search revealed the stupid law. Sure enough, there was this silly law in New York—written Lord only knew when—stating it was against the law for a woman to wear ‘clingy or body hugging clothing’ on the streets of New York. It carried a fine of $25.
She heard her number called and retrieved her meal. As she ate she pondered.
What was up with those two this morning? And then that Brian guy showing up at the center. Something’s definitely not meeting the eye. Yeah, but I have to admit, Brian is sure easy on my eyes.