I looked at Nick and started laughing, “Oh I’m sure they’re breaking down the doors of the old retired cop homes looking for dinosaurs to be James Bond. I bet they are looking for the ones with shady backgrounds with bad arthritis.” I got up and moved towards the stove where the tea kettle was. Susie jumped off the counter intercepting me and grabbed the pot of tea. Susie grabbed my hand that was holding my teacup and poured some fresh tea in it. Our bodies were close to each other’s and my heart started to race. I made my way back to my seat and Susie went back to her perch on the counter. Nick went on telling me that I would be good candidate because of my military experience with intelligence. He also explained that being a former police officer in a big city would be advantageous to them.
Nick leaned in towards me and said, “Sean, you could use their resources to help find your boys.”
I leaned back in my seat and took along sip of my tea thinking, now you’ve got my attention, Nick. This could be the break I’ve been looking for.
I put my cup of tea down on the table and leaned back saying, “I’m guessing you talked to somebody about me joining your little club before you came over here.”
Nick formed a slight grin on the side of his face and said, “See, you’re a natural for this intelligence stuff. You already knew what I was going to say, before I said it.”
Nick went on to explain that he did mention me to his superiors. “They are interested in meeting you and explaining what this would all entail.” Nick reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card and handed it to me. I reluctantly grabbed it and started to read it.
I was expecting a nice business card with some kind of official seal embossed on it. This card was about as plain as it gets: all it said was “Alpha Intelligence Agency,” and had a phone number.
I started to laugh and asked, “Is this the best they can do? AIA? You would think they’d be a little more creative than that.”
Nick looked over and rolled his eyes at me and laughed. We went on talking about the good old days and what a cluster fuck things had become. The line between military and police was getting blurred. We both agreed that things were starting to get more stable in the world and police needed to go back to being cops.
Nick put on a serious look on his face and said, “You know I will do everything in my power to help you find your boys. Don’t you?” I nodded my head in agreement and told him I would think about his job offer.
I looked at Nick and asked him, “Would this have to be full time? Is there a retirement package for old spies? Would my job require travel?”
Nick started laughing at me saying, “You will have to call that number and find out, now won’t you?”
We both got up at the same time and Susie hopped off her perch. Nick looked at me and Susie who had moved next to me grabbing my hand, “Its time for this old guy to move on. You guys need anything? Ammo, food, supplies? I have lots of sources for this stuff now.” He looked me in the eye and said, “One of the perks of being in the AIA.”
Susie looked excited and blurted out, “How about some 9 mm rounds? These are dangerous times and a girl has to take care of herself. And if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, some tea would be wonderful.”
Nick looked at Susie half-surprised, “Okay, I’ll bring some the next time I get this way.”
He then shook my hand and said, “You don’t need anything? I’ll bring you some .380 and .40 cal and if you’re a good boy some 5.56 mm. Think about my offer old man. I will be in touch.”
He gave me a handshake and a hug and Susie gave him a hug, and with that Nick was out the door and I was alone with Susie.
Susie’s apartment had gone dim and I didn’t notice the candles that she had lit while I was talking to Nick. She was like a romance ninja. She was standing next to an end table where a couple of candles were lit and she almost was glowing. God she was so beautiful, I thought to myself as I admired her in the flickering light. She was wearing a tight fitting grey “Bucky Badger” T-shirt and low-rise jeans and was barefoot. Only Susie could make that combination so hot.
What’s next? I thought to myself as she slowly made her way over to me.
13 It’s Official
Susie stood in front of me and asked if I wanted something a little stronger than tea to drink. I responded with, “I’m Irish, of course I would.” Susie giggled and came back with some whiskey in two juice glasses.
“I wish I had some ice or something to mix it with, but I guess this will have to do,” she said as she sat down next to me on the couch and looked me in the eyes. I was captivated by her beautiful blue eyes that made me melt.
She handed me the glass and we clanged our juice glasses together toasting in the air. We both took small sips and savored the moment and this treat. Susie inched closer to me and said in a soft voice, “I hope I’m not coming on too strong, but I’m attracted to you.”
I felt a wave of euphoria coming over me and I tried my hardest not to blush, even though I’m sure my face was beet red by now.
I put down my glass and turned towards her and put my hand in hers firmly. “I don’t know what I have to offer you, Susie. I have to concentrate on finding my kids and now with Nick’s offer, I’m not sure if I will have anything left.”
Susie broke my grasp and put her hand on my cheek saying, “There are no guarantees in this life anymore. I’ve been living day by day for some time now. I just know I want you in my life.”
I couldn’t take it anymore and put my arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. It started as a simple peck, but escalated to a deep passionate kiss that made my whole body tremble. I lost all track of time and we were kissing like it was the last kiss we would ever experience.
My hands started to explore her tight athletic body and my heart was beating out of my chest. Susie reciprocated kissing my neck making the tiny hairs stand on end. She started to untuck my t-shirt. I surrendered to her and took off my shirt with her help. Taking my shirt off exposed my Smith and Wesson M&P. I took it out of its holster and put it on the couch beside me. She put her hands in the air wanting me to take off her t-shirt also. I obliged and carefully removed her ‘Bucky Badger’ t-shirt.
Susie had the hint of a six-pack and good muscle definition, which I found attractive. I also noticed a scar on her lower stomach and a nasty looking scar that looked like an old bullet hole on her right clavicle. This girl has felt some real pain.
I started kissing her again and laid this beauty down on her back and started to kiss her neck. I let my hands explore what was under her simple pink bra and enjoyed the heat that we both were generating from skin-on-skin contact. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.
We rolled off the couch and wound up on the ground next to the table with our whiskey’s undisturbed. Susie was now on top of me smiling playfully, as she unfastened her bra from the front and threw her female slingshot across the room.
Oh my God! They are perfect! I hadn’t been this close to a half-naked woman in a long time. I hope everything still works. Susie got up and took my hand walking me to her bedroom after I retrieved my pistol.
There was a couple of candles lit on her dresser and a Beretta 92-F on her nightstand. This is a girl after my own heart. She started to kiss me hard and unbuckled my belt and pushed down my jeans and underwear. Taking my pants off exposed my ankle holster with my Walther safely nestled inside of it. I put my Walther and M&P on the nightstand next to the Beretta.
It’s official, I’m naked in front of a woman that is much younger than me and is incredibly beautiful. I thought as I slowly pushed her jeans down to the floor. Okay, this is it, you better work. I thought to myself looking down at my naked self. We started to kiss each other with great vigor and we wound up on her double bed in a lover’s grasp…
We were both naked basking in the afterglow. Susie had her chin on my chest looking up at me with a flirtatious grin on her face.
I hope she isn’t expe
cting me to go again. We just got done a couple of minutes ago. I’m not 18 years old anymore.
I continued to stroke the back of Susie’s neck and upper back and she purred in delight. “I guess this means I’m spending the night,” I said as an almost half-question.
Susie inched up my chest and gave me a kiss, “Of course you are, silly. Do you think I’m going to let you go now? I’m not done with you yet.”
Oh my God! I hope I don’t disappoint her. I tried to hide my trepidation with a big grin on my face.
We laid on the bed naked as we traded life stories. Susie was born in Israel and proudly served in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). That would explain the scars and the Beretta on her nightstand. She served her four-year mandatory stint in the infantry. It had changed to four years’ mandatory service after the world started to heat up. It seemed like there were lots of countries with Israel in their sights. Her father was a soldier and was killed in action when she was young. She had almost no recollection of him except for a few times when she remembered him in his uniform.
Susie’s mother was a Nurse in the IDF and that is how she met her father. They married when they were young and had her after she fulfilled her mandatory stint in the service. Susie’s mother never re-married after her father was killed. She was young but remembered how sad her mother looked at his funeral. I didn’t ask what happened to her mother, I didn’t have to judging by the sad look on Susie’s face. I assumed she was killed in the many rocket attacks on Israel from their Arab neighbors.
I went on and told her my story of being a first generation American. Both of my folks were born in Ireland and wound up in Chicago. My Dad worked in a factory his whole life and my Mom worked in offices as a secretary. I told Susie that I was brought up a hard core Catholic. Which meant I went to church every Sunday performing “Catholic Aerobics.” This meant lots of standing, sitting, kneeling and a good dose of genuflecting.
There was a lot of drinking, smoking and fighting. It’s what we Irish do. But there was also a heaping of love from my family and fierce loyalty to the family. We stuck together through thick and thin.
Susie laughed at me when I told her stories of my messed up childhood and then she looked at me seriously asking, “Tell me about your ex. How did you guys meet?”
I felt weird talking about my ex-wife laying naked next to Susie, but I wanted to let her know everything about me. I shifted around fluffing the pillow behind me sitting up. “Sam and I met in college. I started out in school as a music major. I wanted to teach band.”
Susie blurted out a short gasp in surprise, “A bad-ass like you teaching kids music? No way!” I nodded yes and she then looked embarrassed.
“Oh ya that was me. The music guy,” I said laughing. When Susie saw me making fun of myself, she looked relieved.
I went on to explain that I was more interested in police stuff and also wanted to be in the military. All of that didn’t mix so well with being an artist. I went on and told Susie the story of how Sam and I met at a college party. We hit it off and became engaged after dating for only six months. We were both young and weren’t even out of school when we got engaged.
We got married a couple of months after I graduated. Sam quit school and worked in restaurants as a cook. I looked for police jobs and eventually joined the army. It was tough on Sam. I would be gone for long periods of time and couldn’t tell her what I was doing or where I was. I couldn’t tell her what my special talent really was. The military discovered that I had a certain talent for killing. I was a good shot, had an extensive martial arts background and had the correct “psych profile.” She is extremely competitive and it drove her crazy that I had a job that I couldn’t discuss with her. Of course she figured out I was doing more than sweeping warehouses and it killed her inside that my job was mysterious and had a high level of danger. She never wanted to be upstaged.
I was home on leave and got Sam pregnant. Nine months later and I wasn’t even in the country, when Sean was born. It killed me inside that I missed that moment. I had to leave the army or head straight to divorce court. I was getting promoted quickly and enjoyed the military. But my family was more important. So I left the army and wound up getting a job with the police department. I was home a lot more, but worked nights for over 17 years before Sam divorced me.
I looked at Susie who was hanging on my every word, “My divorce was miserable. My kids hated me, I was broke, and Sam was accusing me of child abuse in an effort to get full custody of the kids. It was the lowest point of my life. I guess you could say I’m broken merchandise.”
Susie looked up smiling and said, “I don’t mind shopping in the scratch and dent isle, sometimes you find some diamonds in the rough.” She inched up slowly rubbing her hard nipples on my stomach and chest eventually kissing me softly on my lips. There was no doubt that she liked this damaged merchandise.
She wanted more of me and I was happy and relieved that I could oblige. Susie eventually fell asleep on top of me after we finished our love making and I stayed awake most of the night. My mind was racing with thoughts of what just happened. Are we a couple now? Is she going to want to move in with me? Who is going to say the “L” word first? Oh my god! What are my kids going to say? Are they going to call me a “dirty old man” or high five me?
I looked at my watch and it was a little after 5:00 a.m. I gently moved Susie over on her side and I wrapped my arm around her and drifted off for a nap…
14 Everything Is Changing
It was 0800 and I was awoken by the smell of fresh brewed tea and the soft touch of Susie. She was wearing my t-shirt and nothing else. Her hair was down to her shoulders and she couldn’t have looked any more beautiful. Susie had a bright smile with a hint of flirtation in her eyes that made my heart beat out of my chest. She was the quintessential “girl next door.” Susie was one of those beauties that didn’t need makeup and that was a huge turn-on for me.
Susie sat next to me on the bed handing me my morning pick-me-up, “Come on sleepyhead, time to face a new day.”
I sat up with the covers falling just below my waistline covering my naked body. I took the tea and took a big gulp. I was dehydrated from the whiskey we continue to sip on through the night and other bodily fluids I was eager to get rid of.
She took the cup from my hand and she slipped under the covers and put my arm around her so we both faced each other. “Oh great, I haven’t had a chance to brush my teeth yet. This girl is brave!” I thought to myself as she put her arm around me pulling me in close.
She looked me in the eyes and suddenly had a serious look on her face, “I guess you have some questions about Roxy.”
I wasn’t expecting this conversation right now, but no better time than the present. “Yes, I was wondering about that,” I said nervously.
Susie pushed herself up to a sitting position and I followed her lead. She leaned slightly against me and put her hand on my thigh. She went on to tell me that she met Roxie here in Madison when she came here from home. Roxy was in the IDF and was a certified badass. Roxy was one of the first female commandoes to see real action. She was an expert marksman and a hand-to-hand combat instructor. She was highly decorated and a good soldier. The IDF didn’t like her drinking though. She was asked to leave or face formal charges regarding a night when she was drunk and got into a fight with her superior.
Susie got a serious look on her face and said, “When Roxy gets drunk, she gets violent.”
She got violent with the wrong person and that was the end of her military career. She had more than one incident with alcohol before that and had many warnings regarding her problem with booze. She had an opportunity here in Madison and left Israel. We met at a coffee shop on State St. We had a lot in common and hit it off right away. We were friends first and went out for drinks or dinner about one or two times a week. She texted me often and wanted to know everything about my day. I thought she was just being nice asking me about my day
and the folks I worked with and hung out with. I later learned she was possessive and jealous. I felt bad for her though, she had a terrible childhood. Roxy’s father was an alcoholic who beat her and sexually molested her when he was drunk. Her mother would try to intervene, but would usually get a black eye for trying. When Roxy was 16 her mother had enough and left her husband. Roxy was an only child and wound up growing up much faster than a 16-year-old girl should. Roxy had a painful childhood in many ways.
Susie hesitated a bit and said, “Roxy was the first girl I was with intimately. I think I was drawn to her strength and it was all so exciting to me. I was in love with her and thought we had a future. I’m not ashamed of my relationship with her, but she turned out to be something I didn’t want.”
Susie went on to explain that Roxy turned into a different person when she got drunk. The fun loving, adventurous, loving person turned into a violent, possessive bitch. When Roxy was drinking she would start grilling Susie about who she was texting and checked her social media and phone. She was invading Susie’s privacy and she quickly became physically abusive when she went into a jealous rage.
“It broke my heart when she drank. I just wanted the Roxy that I fell in love with back,” Susie said with a distant look on her face. “I told her I wanted her out after the last fight when she broke my index finger. She was always apologetic when she sobered up, but she blacked-out often and didn’t remember most of our fights or what she did to me.”
I didn’t know what to say to Susie. I’ve had girls tell me about their ex-boyfriend before, but this was certainly new territory for me. I guess we are a couple now and Roxy is a part of the package deal.
I gently held Susie’s hand and looked her in the eyes, “Roxy is never going to hurt you again. Not as long as I’m in your life.”
Mad City: Book One of the Sean Walsh Post Apocalyptic Series Page 7