Flashing Her Gators

by Romy Lockhart

  “Uh huh?” I ask, glancing back.

  “Don’t even try to pull one over on me with this, whatever it really is. Diane’s our anchor. You do the fluff pieces. That’s it. Screw this up and you’re fired.”

  Oh, he has my number all right. I nod and smile sweetly. It won’t matter once I break the story. I’ll get my dream job someplace else, if he even goes through with his threat. I doubt he will. Fired for catching a killer? I don’t think so.

  “Okay. Go.” He waves me off.

  I leave as fast as my feet will carry me. Screw waiting for morning to get on the road.

  Justin’s in the staff room when I find him, sipping coffee and checking his phone.

  “Hey, Just,” I call out.

  He jumps a little, sloshing black coffee onto the floor. He’s so cute when he’s startled. The guy’s got eyelashes most women would kill for, and he blushes so easily.

  “Shoot,” he murmurs, his gaze meeting mine. “What’s up? Did Tom say yes?”

  I nod. “We’re heading to Florida. How fast can you pack?”

  His eyebrows jump up. “Uh...”

  “Assume we’ll be there the whole week, maybe more. And I want to get there tonight so grab what you need from Pete and pick me up at my place in an hour.”

  “Sure,” he says, after a second more of shell-shocked hesitation.

  Maybe I’m being mean, expecting him to just drop everything and come on this crazy mission with me. “If you have plans...”

  He shakes his head quickly. “Nope. No plans.”

  Good. I like being the only one with plans around here. “Then I’ll see you in an hour.”

  Four

  Justin

  Holy heck. I’m going on vacation with Misty Gordon. Rushing around in a daze, I pick up the extra equipment we need and check my watch as I head out to my van. Misty’s car is already gone. She went straight home after I agreed to pick her up. Fifty minutes.

  I drive to the apartment I share with my brother James. He’s not home. It’s early. I can’t find a suitcase and I’m not sure either of us actually have one. It’s probably too late to try and grab one from my parent’s house. It would take twenty minutes to drive there and back, and that’s not counting the time I’d have to spend talking to my mom before I’d be able to go.

  Just five minutes to her is an hour, minimum. I go through my closet and dresser and pull out ten days worth of clothes. I find my biggest duffle, the one that I used to use to go camping, and stuff it full within a few minutes, only stopping to make sure I pack some nicer date-like clothes once I have my usual day to day stuff in there. What else? I guess toiletries.

  I round those up and try to figure out what else I’m missing. There must be something. I pulled this together way to fast to have everything.

  I open my bedside drawer and see the box of condoms. Feels presumptuous to even think about bringing them, but if I don’t and something starts to happen... I close the drawer. We’re not going to go from friends to lovers in a week. That kind of thing doesn’t just happen.

  I send James a message to let him know I’ll be gone for the week. Then I bring my stuff into the van and check the time. Twenty minutes until I pick up Misty.

  I go back inside and take those condoms out of the drawer. It’s probably the most unlikely thing ever, but I’d hate to be unprepared if something did start to happen. Guys don’t tend to get second chances with Misty. Blow it once and they’re out the door. I’ve seen it happen.

  Some guy gets flirty with her on a shoot, she flirts back. He drops the ball when she asks him a tough question, or he hesitates when she suggests an unusual place to meet and he loses his chance before he gets it. She shuts them down fast at the drop of a hat.

  Quick thinking is the only way to stick around long enough to get a shot at her heart. I’m going to have to be on my toes this week. I’m heading back to the van when I realize I still have fifteen minutes to kill. I don’t want to hang around outside her apartment like I have nothing better to do.

  I’ll go fill my tank and get travel snacks while I’m there. I know where to go to grab a box of the donuts she likes. We’re in for a long drive. Might as well be prepared for it.

  Five

  Misty

  I pack quickly, throwing outfits that meet Tom’s seal of approval into my case alongside some that don’t and some non-work related clothes. A few pairs of shoes, my hairdryer and straighteners, and a big bag of make-up including stage make-up, fill the case to bursting point. My ridiculous ass comes in handy sometimes and helping to get suitcases to close is one of those times.

  My notebooks and netbook go into my purse, which is just about big enough to carry the kitchen sink if I really needed it, but what I have now is just enough not to be too heavy to carry around all day if I want to.

  I find out I have less than a half hour until Justin picks me up and I’m practically bouncing off the walls already. I sit down on my bed and try to calm my racing heart down. This could be the biggest story of my life. It could also be a total bust. I seriously need to take a chill pill right now. I have a looooong car trip ahead of me.

  We should get there by midnight. Probably have to check in to a motel. Probably have to anyhow. My mom would only tease Justin mercilessly if I brought him home.

  Oh hell, I’m checking into a motel with Justin? That’s going to end badly.

  One of us will make a move, and whatever that leads to can only spell trouble.

  We’ll get two rooms. That’ll solve it. Then I won’t have to watch him blush furiously at seeing me in my nightdress. He’s so easily flustered and it’s so damn cute. I don’t trust myself trapped in a room with that level of sweetness. Not for a whole damn week. Not even for a weekend.

  It’s been so damn long since I got laid, my virginity might have grown back. I really shouldn’t be left alone with any attractive man for more than ten minutes right now. Not with this level of horniness pumping through my veins.

  I get up, deciding to stuff my vibrator, Buzz, named after the insanely loud noise he makes while pleasuring me, and some spare batteries to keep him juiced, into my case. Maybe I won’t screw up my relationship with the nicest guy on the planet if I make sure I’m satisfied when I’m alone. I stuff him on top of my underwear and zip the case closed again.

  I hear a ringing in the other room as I’m turning my crammed suitcase onto the right side to be able to wheel it along the floor. I steady it so it doesn’t tip over, and rush out to grab the phone, fully expecting to hear Tyler’s sexy, gravelly voice on the other line.

  “Hello?”

  “Misty?” Marina’s soft voice takes me by surprise.

  “Marina! How are you, girl? It’s been so damn long.”

  “I heard you’re coming back home,” she says.

  “You heard right, but it’s temporary. A week or so, probably.”

  “When do you get here?”

  “Late tonight.”

  “How late?”

  “Um, midnight probably.”

  “Okay, well, can I meet you tomorrow?”

  “Cath’s Diner?”

  “Sounds good. Breakfast or lunch?”

  “Make it brunch.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  She hangs up. While it was good to hear from her, it wasn’t a typical call from my home town friend. Something is wrong. I wonder what she needs to speak to me about so urgently. What she can’t tell me over the phone. Is it the same thing Ty needs to tell me?

  Seems unlikely, but who knows. Someone had to tell her I was coming back to town and he’s the only one I’ve told so far. I wonder what that means. Maybe she’s dating Tyler. Something about that doesn’t sit right with me, but it could just be that I don’t like the thought of the one that got away becoming intimate with one of my closest friends. Stranger things have happened, but I doubt that’s what this is. She must have run into him. I’m still wondering why I care when I hear Justin’s van pull up outside.
It’s been six years since I even kissed the guy, and that’s all it was. Even so, the sound of his voice re-awoke a deep ache inside of me.

  I sigh as I make my way out of the apartment. The last thing I need right now is to keep my brain in my pants. I kind of need it in full working order to catch a killer and break the biggest story of my life. Good thing I packed Buzz. I think I’m going to need him.

  Six

  Justin

  Misty hasn’t changed out of her dress. I don’t know why, but I kind of expected her to be in sweats or something. Not that I’ve ever seen her in anything so casual. Considering how long this drive’s going to be, I guess I just assumed she’d go for comfort. I sit there stunned for a second just staring at her, before I jump out of the driver’s seat.

  “Let me get that,” I tell her, grabbing her suitcase by the handle, and almost dropping it.

  “Watch out, that’s heavy,” she warns me.

  She isn’t kidding. Feels like she packed enough bricks to build a house.

  “Luckily I’m used to hauling around heavy equipment,” I tell her as I heft it into the back of the van.

  “I’ll bet,” she teases as she slips into the passenger seat.

  The blood rushes to my neck as I take in her sultry stare. Then she’s in the van, and I’m standing like an idiot staring at the space she just occupied. Wait. She’s flirting with me? No. No way. I must be imagining things. I close the doors and get back into the driver’s seat.

  “Aw, you brought donuts,” she says, opening the box that sits between us. “That was so thoughtful.”

  I clear my throat. “Uh, yeah. There are sodas in the drink holders too.”

  “You’re awesome,” she tells me, picking out a plain glazed donut and making a happy sound. “I love these things.”

  A smile works onto my face as I start the car. “You can enter the address into the Sat Nav when you’re done. I’ve never driven to Florida before.”

  She moans a little and I feel a faint stirring in my pants. Holy heck. The donuts were a bad idea.

  “I know people say food is better than sex all the time,” she says, “but I really think these are.”

  Oh my God. Please don’t let her be about to start talking about sex. My pants feel tight enough right now. I don’t need a conspicuous wet patch appearing.

  “Don’t you think, Just?”

  I swallow. “Uh, what?”

  “Don’t you think these donuts are better than sex?”

  Nothing is better than sex, especially not the thought of sex with her. She’s a goddess. Even thinking about sex with her is better than anything. But that’s kind of pervy and it’s definitely not the answer she’s looking for. “Sure.”

  “You don’t sound sure.”

  I clear my throat. “I guess I like chips better than donuts.”

  “Huh,” she says. “Never would have guessed that. I mean, you only eat like four packets of those hot Cheetos every day.”

  I snort. “My chip addiction is pretty well known.”

  “So, I guess that means all of these donuts are mine.” She smiles at me. There’s a little bit of glaze on her full lower lip. She licks it off and my grip tightens on the wheel. Just that brief sight of her pink tip is enough to un-hinge me. Okay, I seriously have to calm down before I cream my jeans.

  “All yours,” I confirm, hoping to hell I can keep it together while she eats a whole box.

  I didn’t realize this ride was going to be a special kind of torture. I’m going to wind up having to pull over to jerk off in a men’s room. Ugh. That’s disgusting. Rest stop bathrooms are not exactly sexy. On the upside, going into one should kill my boner dead.

  Thankfully, she closes the box. “Better save some for later. It’s going to be a long ride.”

  Seven

  Misty

  Justin seems pretty jumpy, but I guess I’m not that surprised. We don’t usually spend this much time together. As my co-workers seem so fond of saying, a little Misty goes a long way.

  “So, I should probably tell you why we’re headed out to Florida, right?”

  He hasn’t asked. He’s just gone along with what I asked every step of the way. A perfect partner in crime, in my book at least.

  “That would make sense,” he murmurs, glancing my way.

  Oh man, those eyelashes of his are so freaking gorgeous. I could just imagine them fluttering against my chest or my thighs while he’s putting his lips on me. My skin prickles and I feel my nipples awaken inside my bra. If we wind up with a room together there’s no way the night isn’t going to end with us in bed together.

  “Well,” I start, clearing my throat. Got to at least try to keep it professional, I guess. “A friend of mine is working a case that might be pointing to a serial killer.”

  “Oh. Wow. Your friend is a cop?”

  “A private dick, actually,” I tell him.

  “So what does he know?”

  “He saw something. He wouldn’t tell me what it was over the phone.”

  “Hmm.” He’s frowning now.

  “What?”

  “Isn’t that a little, I don’t know, sketchy?”

  “I trust this guy, Just. He isn’t screwing with me.”

  “So we meet him when we get there?”

  “Yeah,” I say, deciding not to say anything more about my arrangement with Ty. Justin isn’t going to trust him just because I tell him he should. It’ll be easy to sneak out once we get to a motel. He doesn’t even need to know about it.

  “You’re going to report this on your segment?” he asks, sounding more interested than surprised.

  “If I break the story, yes. It depends how that turns out.” Please let it be something. I need this. I can’t do those damn cutesy segments for much longer. They were never what I signed up for.

  He nods. “Tom’s going to lose it, but you know that.”

  “I know.” I open the donut box. Gotta keep the extra junk in my trunk somehow. Hah. As if my ridiculous ass needs help staying that way.

  “As long as you know,” he says, smiling at me.

  Oh, Justin, you bought me donuts and you have no idea how much I’d love to be devouring those sweet lips of yours instead. Man, am I glad I thought to bring Buzz. I’m really going to need him when I’m lying in bed later thinking of this moment.

  “What are you thinking?” he asks, almost as if he’s daring me to admit the dirty thoughts I’m having about him out loud.

  One look at his adorable face and I know I can’t. He’d probably crash the van.

  I close the box. “We should find a rest stop in a little while and get some actual dinner.”

  Or maybe just hop into the back of the van and do stuff on top of the recording equipment...

  He nods. “Good idea. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to stop, is all.”

  “Well, an hour isn’t going to make that much of a difference.” I pretend like I’m cool with the idea of that, but honestly, it makes me anxious. I want to see Tyler tonight. I need to know why he called me out of the blue, and I’m not going to know until I hear him admit it. Justin’s going to need a break from driving so I tell myself an hour isn’t really so long, but inside I’m screaming that it is.

  The waiting won’t kill me. It just feels like it could.

  Eight

  Justin

  Even with a gorgeous woman by my side, and a break for dinner halfway through, it’s a long drive. I’m pretty worn out by the time the Sat Nav directs us to the nicest motel in town, as Misty put it. I park up and we get out.

  Stretching, I make my way to the back of the van. I yawn loudly as I open the doors.

  “I’ll grab the bags. You can go to reception and I’ll meet you there,” I call out.

  “On my way,” Misty calls back.

  I pick up my light weight duffle and dump it on the ground until I haul her insanely heavy case out of the back. I notice the wheels as I close the doors. I feel a little dumb when I see them. So that�
��s how Misty got it out of her apartment.

  I pull on the handle and wheel it along, slinging my duffle over my shoulder.

  The motel seems clean and modern. Misty’s waiting at the desk when I walk in behind her.

  She groans at the girl popping her gum behind the counter.

  “Are you serious? You seriously only have one room left?”

  The girl shrugs, her gaze blank. “That geek festival thing is on. You’re lucky we have one left.”

  Misty’s agitated that we have to share a room? I don’t know whether to be insulted or just grateful that we’re being pushed together. Maybe spending time in close quarters will get her to notice me.

  “We’ll take it, I guess. Is it at least a twin?”

  The girl checks her computer and nods. “It’s a twin room.”

  Misty blows out a breath. “We need it for a week, maybe longer.”

  I raise my eyebrows at her, but she isn’t looking my way. We might be here longer than a week?

  The bored girl hands her the key once she passes over her credit card for the room. She passes the card back and Misty turns to me, a tight smile on her face.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  I let her lead the way to the room. She walks fast in spite of her heels, leading us to a ground floor room. She goes inside and hits the lights. The room is bright and everything looks reasonably new. Best motel room I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure.

  “No wonder this place was booked solid.” I put the bags down close to the door and lock it.

  “Yeah,” she says, sighing. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  I see her slip her hand into her purse before she disappears into that room. She took her phone. No big deal. Some people do that. But Misty’s not some people. She never does anything without a good reason.