by M. C. Cerny
“What happens next?” Dana rolled to her stomach, her hands under her chin adorably while her bare legs scissored back and forth.
I pushed her wild hair back off her face. “We go to work tomorrow and afterward you come here and we do this again on repeat.”
“Not to sound like a broken record?” She teased.
“Hell no. I like you Dana Rossi. I more than like you and a little old lady with blue hair who loves burlesque expects me to ask you out.”
Her face crinkled in a smile remembering, “Ms. Geraldine?”
“Of course.” I was a man of my word and I was only too happy to fulfill this promise.
“How is that sweet lady?”
“She’s raising hell at the nursing home putting shows on several times a week. I hear the ticket sales pay for her casino trips in St. Charles.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want to disappoint our matchmaker now would we?”
“Definitely not. Seriously though, this isn’t a one night thing for me. I see a lot more for us and I hope you do too.” My analytical brain was already planning far ahead and I clamped my mouth shut so I didn’t scare her into running in the opposite direction. I didn’t get through medical school without patience and I sure as hell could practice it here with Dana.
“I do see more. Might be weird at the hospital, though?”
“I think if we can handle our first date with a little bit of CPR, we’ll do just fine, Ms. Rossi.”
“Well, I’ve certainly learned when to let you take the lead, Dr. Avari.” She winked shrugging her shoulders.
“Do you now?” I rolled her over and assumed the dominant position as she laughed attempting weakly to escape my arms.
“Yeah, I can tell you need it.” Oh, little did she know her joking was about to get her in big trouble.
I growled, “About time for that spanking.” I hooked my arm under her hips raising her up. A few less than gentle swats left her moaning and wiggling her body against me for more. I could hardly turn her down and obliged the pretty paramedic making her ass bloom in a rosy shade that left her panting and me throbbing.
Some say fools rush in, but there was little point in Dana going back to her place when my heart knew she was home. We juggled the dating back and forth between our shifts for another month before it seemed a pointless exercise when I wanted her living with me. Not even her roommate Elsa was much of an obstacle and was only too happy to take over the apartment with her boyfriend.
I didn’t mind the mess she made of our closet. It just gave me ample reason to swat her behind when the opportunity presented itself… and it seemed she was more than eager to be a tad forgetful that we had several laundry hampers and drawers for her silky panties.
Let’s face it, she didn’t even try and I loved her all the more for it, because I needed it as much as she did…
Rookie
A POLICE SHORT STORY
1
Joey
Screaming, crying, urine, and blood seemed to be par for the course working the Saturday night shift as I left the locker room adjusting my duty belt. Jake Blitken and his K-9 Amadeus hurried past on their way to a call. Amadeus, an all-black eight-year-old German Shepherd, strained against his leash, looking excited to be working. I felt less enthusiastic and filled with exhaustion from the past week. It was like going to the zoo during a public school trip with hoards of elementary kids. This was my forth night shift in a row because Hudson booked out sick, and the lieutenant on duty, who had a hard on for rookies, ordered me in to work his shift as the new guy on the totem pole. It didn’t matter that I was first in my class, or built like a tank.
“Move it along.” My partner, Mike Gianvittiorio, nudged the perp down the hall, rolling his eyes at me.
“You mind your manners, young man, hauling an elderly lady about roughly. I want to talk to your supervisor.” Assuming that Mrs. Jordan was back for shoplifting, Mike had her cuffed in the front, guiding her to the room we used for questioning. I hoped she wasn’t going to smack him with her purse. Granny Jordan packed a heavy bag with rolled quarters despite her stature.
“I’ll help you out with that in a minute, Mike.” I waved to him.
He nodded at me and muttered something about the bullshit of shift changes as he flipped a bird in air for my eyes only.
“Hey, Hernandez, you took the report for that flasher they reported in the park?” Aiden Genovesi and Wyatt Harrison brushed past in a hurry, obviously following up on a case.
“It’s in review with the lieutenant now.” That guy, the bane of my time here, was notorious for making reports bleed with his red pen. I was certain he lived merely to torture us all before his long awaited retirement.
The odds seemed stacked against me that I would ever be home long enough between shifts to unpack my new place. I moved after the academy to a one-bedroom apartment a few blocks from my neighborhood the second I had that crisp paycheck in my hand. My mami acted depressed, insisting I stayed at home until I met a nice girl to marry. What she really meant was that Diego’s daughter, Yunalisa, would make a great bride. Yeah, well, my old bedroom was covered in posters of my beloved Lita’s home in the Dominican Republic and that wasn’t going to get me laid anytime soon. I needed my own space, some fresh paint, and a new perspective.
“Hey. Hernandez, are you going to pick up that takeout from The Gemini tonight or what?” tonight’s tour commander bellowed clear across the command center. Lieutenant Francis Lawrence was determined to make my career resemble something from A Nightmare on Elm Street because it tickled his dick, especially since his wife left him.
The lieutenant flipped through paperwork ignoring me as usual, attacking a report with gusto and a bleeding pen. A guy cuffed to the bench was slumped over drunk, polluting the hallway. The holding cell was probably full and he was the least threatening of the bunch. Sucking in a breath, I passed by the drunk propped up against the wall snoring loudly and stinking worse than my uncle on a bender of cerveza.
“Sure thing,” I said. Now was as good as any time to put in my request off for next month. My brother’s best friend was getting married and somehow I got talked into being the designated driver for the bachelor party.
“Ah, Lieutenant?”
“Hernandez?” He had yet to glance up from his report, responding short.
“I wanted to request Saturday night off, four weeks from now.” The only indication Lieutenant Dick had heard me was the slight shift of his right bushy eyebrow. “I’ve been covering for Hudson.” I doubted he needed the reminder. That was for my benefit.
He smacked his tongue over his teeth, letting his eyes roll up to meet mine. “Don’t forget my gravy fries.”
“And about Saturday?” I needed to make sure so he didn’t try jerking me around later. The department would have to start paying me overtime at this rate.
“Make sure you get my change. I don’t think the waitress in there knows how to count.” He tossed me two twenties and continued to ignore me.
I folded the bills and tucked them into my pocket, leaving with no more of an answer about next month than when I had asked.
I didn’t mind heading to the diner around the corner because that meant I got to see Tempest. Sweet Tempest Woods with her bright red hair, singsongy voice, and floral perfume masked by coffee and sweet cream. She reminded me of a slender calendar pinup girl. You know the kind; the one dad would hang up in the garage out of Mami’s view. She was a classic–a dead ringer for Rita Hayworth–only prettier. Her image fueled my fantasies and I found myself making any excuse I could to visit the diner during work hours. She made time pass conversing with me and never failed to refill my coffee cup while giving me extra-large slices of pie. My duty belt was snugger visiting her the past few months and I adjusted it making my way to leave, pausing when the lieutenant grunted at me.
“Take it as a PTO day.” I must have looked shell-shocked because he yelled next, “Go on...get moving before I make you a TS for the res
t of your sad piddling career, rookie.” His nasal voice sounded annoyed, waving his hand holding a file, shooing me out of his way.
Yeah, I wasn’t looking to spend my days sitting pretty behind a desk answering phones as the current TS. Poor Jimmy was our telephone switchboard operator after he crashed one of the patrol cars doing a traffic stop. I would be grateful for the night off and leave it at that.
Zipping up my jacket and adjusting my gun holster, I braved the chilly October wind, walking around the block. Soon enough it would be Thanksgiving and snowing. The doorjamb jingled as I slipped inside, the warm forced-air of the diner making me hold my hat in hand. Scanning the old diner car, between cracked black and white tiles edged in mint green, I found Tempest behind the counter filling coffee for a few regulars. She looked up, her blue eyes meeting mine, and I swore she straightened her pale pink uniform just a little before giving me a shy smile. Watching her was an unexpected joy and the desire to get to know her outside of our little microcosm increased with each shift.
Zipping around like a bee, she finished up her rounds, and I sat at the counter, waiting in my usual spot. Breathless, hands shaking as she held the coffee pot. I nodded, letting her know I had time for a cup.
“Officer Hernandez.” Her voice jumped an octave and her bright red glossy lips grinned back. Kissable lips I dreamed of tasting.
“I’ve told you before, you can call me Joey.”
She tilted her head just so and turned over the cup, filling it to the brim like she’d done this thousands of times before, only this time the dark liquid sloshed over the rim and she blushed.
“I’m so sorry.” Her hand took a rag from the end of the white and gold flecked linoleum counter, wiping up the mess.
“Hey, it’s okay, mi hermosa muchaha.” Doubting she understood Spanish, I clutched her hand in mine, stopping her from walking away, and asked, “Busy night?”
She looked rattled and tucked a bright copper curl of her hair behind her ear that begged to be touched when it fell back curling around her cheek. She was my beautiful girl even if she was only pouring my coffee tonight.
I wanted to see if it was as soft as I imagined and reached across the counter to slip it back in place. Her cheeks flushed and she captured my hand in hers, letting me cup her cheek for a brief moment. Soft as sin. Pulling my hand back, burning from the touch. I knew a confession to Father Paulo the next time I made it to church would be necessary.
“A little busy,” a sweet and addicting voice that reminded me of smooth leche dulce de caramel responded.
“Tips any good?”
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. I would be sure to leave her my standard twenty-dollar tip along with the generously overpaid bill for the takeout food. After all, the lieutenant was paying for dinner. His pay grade was well above mine as the tour commander bonus tonight, and the tip was nothing I would miss.
“Your boss called in the usual order for you guys. Chuck is just finishing it up now.” She turned the corner and gave me a glimpse of her long legs encased in pantyhose and these thick low-heeled Mary Jane shoes that made her calf muscles plump and curve under the hem of the pastel pink uniform and white apron that nipped in her trim waist.
“No rush. I could use a slice of pie with my coffee.” His gravy fries could cool while I spent a few stolen moments with her. The cook eyed me up from the kitchen, stabbing paper tickets with vigor through the needle of the brass spindle ticket holder. It was worth getting the stink eye. Chuck was a good guy and protective over the ladies that worked here. I nodded, and he shook his head, smirking and resuming his burger flips.
Tempest licked her lips, glancing back at Chuck. “You bet.” She laughed.
“Gracias.”
She turned, almost tripping over her feet while her rear headed back to the case filled with pies and cakes, dishing me up my usual. One of these days, I was going to get up the balls to ask her out, but for now, flirting with her made my night pass easy.
She leaned over the counter, placing the pie in front of me, holding out a spoon. Excitement danced in her eyes. “I had another audition this week.”
My eyes followed her cherry red lips, barely hearing the words. My fingers touched hers taking the spoon and she cleared her throat, taking her hand back from me.
“Did you, now?” Leaning closer to her over the counter, I dished up a bite of pie, savoring the sweetness and savory pumpkin.
Tempest wanted to be a Radio City Rockette, but didn’t make the cut back at the May auditions. We lamented about her failed audition together over an open-faced turkey sandwich special one night. It was a damn shame because her legs would have looked mighty fine dancing across the stage doing high kicks in sparkly heels. I adjusted myself sitting on the cracked mint green vinyl counter stool thinking about it. She was something special, and I wanted to see her dreams come true. I wondered what my mami would say if I brought a girl like Tempest home to meet my crazy family.
Hell, I would have taken all my nieces and nephews to see the show if I knew she would be there, mostly because it might look creepy if I went by myself at a family show sporting a hard dick. My brother’s rambunctious kids would make sure that was impossible.
“Uh-huh. I keep in touch with Muriel, and she told me the Rockettes were looking for backup dancers. A few sprained ankles and she got me another chance to audition.” The smile that punctuated her cheeks lit up the interior of the diner and my heart swelled for her.
“Eso es maravilloso. Estoy muy orgulloso de ti!”
Giggling, she said, “I have no idea what you just said to me, so I hope it was nice.”
I should have said something naughty in that case, but you never know when a girl will turn to the Internet and translate shit. Her lips pursed and I wanted to kiss her badly.
Instead, I smiled back replying, “I said, that’s wonderful, I’m so proud of you, Tempest.”
“Thank you.” She ducked her head down shyly and refilled my coffee. I was going to leave here still hungry and hopped up on caffeine for the rest of my shift.
2
Tempest
The Gemini officially closed at 2 a.m., and after filling all my salt and pepper shakers and the ketchup bottles, I was able to leave by 2:30 a.m. Waitressing wasn’t overly hard, but the hours on my feet left my legs throbbing. Luckily I had a studio apartment several blocks over. Seeing Officer Hernandez, or Joey as I forced myself to think of him, made the night go by quicker. Every two weeks we worked a similar schedule of nights on the same rotation. I looked forward to seeing the way he filled out his uniform that gave me goosebumps and naughty thoughts to carry me through until the next time I saw him. And the way he spoke to me…holy moly, it was hot the way his tongue rolled off speaking Spanish. He made me hot and flustered like no one else listening to his slight accent. Big muscles bulged under his uniform shirt and hints of tattoos edged the rim of his collar and sleeves. The devilish side of me wondered what he had on underneath there and what it might take to find out.
I practically skipped home thinking about my audition. Soon I would have a chance to be an official Rockette dancing on a stage I dreamed about in my small twin bed across the river in Jersey growing up. I was so close to dancing in the legendary line I could taste it. I could hear the clicking of heels and feel the sweep of a high kick pirouetting to the contemporary choreography. The stuff that had fueled my little girl daydreams was conceivably going to be a reality. I danced in a circle, adding a hop to the end, and turned the corner gasping.
“Shit! Mr. Walker!” I panicked nearly loosing my footing.
Old hands grabbed me around the shoulders, keeping me from face planting after having the shit scared out of me.
“Sorry, Miss Tempest. I was just moving from the park to the doorway here.” Thomas Walker was homeless, nearing his sixties. He preferred the solitary life on the streets, bouncing from park to park instead of the shelter down the street, after battling years of mental illness. He was a war ve
teran who wore a worn olive green coat and a long facial beard grayed with time. Even his boots looked like they had battled.
“You frightened me. I didn’t expect anyone to be there.”
“No worries, Tempest. I saw your friend patrolling the park and figured I’d make his job easier.” Mr. Walker must have meant Officer Hernandez or someone from the precinct on tonight. There was a no sleeping in the park ordinance and many of the homeless in the city had been displaced over the past few years during the mayor’s neighborhood clean-up initiative.
“I should have taken some pie for you, Mr. Walker.”
“Another time, Tempest.” His gap toothed smile was warm and he squeezed my hands reassuringly. “Make sure you get home safe.” He brushed past me, carrying his duffle bag and settled into the nook of the shop doorway where he muttered to himself. He was harmless and friendly and he’d been around for years. I wondered if he’d had any family and made a note to grab a slice of pumpkin pie for him after my next shift. I figured everyone could use a kindness; the world was a tough enough place without anyone to call your family or friend. Thanksgiving was approaching and I hoped he found a safe place as the weather turned colder each night.
One block and I would be home for the night. My knee-length coat was zipped up to my chin and the air was crisp on my stocking clad legs. Seeing Joey had been a thrill and maybe I’d put on my dance shoes despite how tired my feet were and practice in my apartment. Chuck had given me the day off for my audition and everyone was rooting for me. I might even be able to quit working regular hours at the diner if I made the Rockette’s troupe of dancers. Finally I’d be on my way and all those part-time jobs, auditions, and holding out hope for a miracle would pay off.