Tap Dance (Dance Series)

by Judy Hornbuckle

  "Yes," Ram started. "And once I get the paperwork in order then we can put this behind us."

  "Sounds good, Ram."

  "Until tonight?" he asked, unable to resist another short kiss.

  "Tonight." She murmured when he raised his head.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Ram was back at the Police Station and just making his way to his office when he heard the first clap. Pretty soon the entire bull pen joined in, some of the boys yelling and doing air punches. Ram had no idea what was going on and Tim came up to his side saying just three little words which explained his team's reaction.

  "Taking out Grant."

  Oh, yeah. Ram had kind of forgotten how he had knocked out the federal agent, in light of everything that had gone on. He looked around and saw Grant's partner, Agent Freeman was clapping as well. When Freeman's eyes caught on the Chief he gave him a thumbs up and a smile. Guess he and his boys weren't the only ones that didn't care much for the supercilious Agent Grant.

  Ram waved his hand to acknowledge the clapping and moved towards his office. Tim, Jeff, Paul and Ted followed him and Ted closed the door after them.

  "We've got Steve in the interrogation room so Agent Freeman can work with him in private. The two guys we picked up were Gregor and Yuri Milosevic and their IDs show they're from New Mexico. We've got them in the holding cells."

  "Drago's boys?" Ram asked.

  Tim nodded. "And, the print from Mrs. Gibson's house came back and was identified as belonging to Yuri Milosevic."

  "The CDs have been turned over to Freeman, too. And he's got his next level coming in from Denver to help him work through this. Says he'll be here tomorrow morning," Ted added.

  "So we have enough to charge Yuri with first degree homicide. Anything on Gregor?"

  "Not yet, Chief. We checked all the databases but he appears to be squeaky clean," Paul said.

  "Okay, sounds like we've got everything in control. I just need to talk with Agent Freeman about what I did to Grant."

  "Uhm, Chief?" Jeff looked around at the other Detectives before continuing. "Grant was taken to the hospital. You know, for that header he took when he stepped off the Podunk sidewalk into the Podunk street?"

  Ram looked around the room and every single man had a slight grin.

  "Freeman seeing it the same way?" the Chief asked.

  Jeff nodded, trying not to laugh.

  "Did anyone see Jamison close up?" Ram asked changing the subject before he got caught up in the merriment. He was going to have to examine this later.

  "Yeah, Chief," Tim said smiling broadly. "He came out of the bank just behind Deniece. Funny thing, though. Jamison was sporting a huge, red hand-print on his right cheek. I asked Deniece about it and she just said that the asshole got a hand print for getting handsy."

  The whole room exploded with laughter.

  "We'll need the reports done as soon as possible. Anyone contacted the DA yet? I want to get Yuri formally charged as soon as possible. From what I know of the Milosevics, he'll lawyer up pretty damn fast."

  "I'll do it, Chief," Tim offered.

  "Anything else, boys?" Ram asked his eyes running around the room. These were his men, good men who had shown time and time again that they were trustworthy and loyal to both their Chief and to the people of Grantham. "I'm going home, but you know how to reach me."

  "Good work today, Chief."

  "Thanks, Ted. Thanks to all of you. You guys were great out there. Appreciate it." Ram said sincerely.

  The men filed out and Ram reached for his phone to call Marianne.

  From Ram's perspective, it looked like their real life together could finally start and he smiled when he heard her soft, "Hey, honey.".

  "Come to me, Pyari," he said softly in return.

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Ram met me at the door, his boots off and his shirt untucked looking deliciously disheveled. I got pulled into his arms before I could even get my shoes off and was soon a willing participant in one of Ram's slow, deep, wet kisses.

  "Hurry, Pyari," he whispered against my mouth. "First one naked gets to be on top."

  I quickly took my shoes off and ran down the hall giggling, glancing over my shoulder to see him moving just as fast. He only stopped to pull off his socks, balancing on one leg, his eyes on my ass.

  We got into the room and I was unbuttoning my blouse hurriedly and saw that he was doing the same. I threw my blouse on the reading chair and unzipped my jeans, hearing him unbuckle his belt.

  I was not going hell bent for leather this time. No, this time I would make sure we were both naked before I'd run to the bed. I shimmied my jeans down my hips and snuck a quick look to see he was pulling off his uniform pants. I reached behind me to unhook my bra and saw Ram's shirt and pants join mine on the reading chair.

  Seems we were both just down to our underwear, his boxers and my thong.

  We stopped and shared a look which morphed into a smile and soon were laughing outright.

  "You're too smart for me, Pyari," he said through his chuckles.

  "No, honey. I just learned my lesson from last time," I shot back moving towards the bed.

  "You don't want the top, then?" Ram asked moving with me.

  "Honey? Top or bottom, I still win," I answered and watched his eyes grow soft as he looked at me.

  "It's true. We still win," he murmured meeting me in the middle of his huge bed.

  "I want to taste you, Pyari, to feel you move against my tongue, feel you explode in my mouth."

  I have to admit, I got a whole body shiver at his words and I could feel my body react. He sat back and removed his boxers, exposing his hardness.

  "You said that you wanted to see the arousal you caused, right?" Ram said on a wicked grin as he grabbed himself by the base of his cock.

  "Ooh, boy." I breathed, feeling my nipples harden at his words and the sight of him. I pulled down my thong and threw it over the side.

  Ram pulled me to him with an arm around my waist and kissed me slowly, wetly and I felt his hand move over my breasts. His lips moved to my neck as his hands cupped my breasts from underneath before zeroing in on my nipples, lightly tugging, sensuously twisting.

  My hips moved without volition. When my hips bucked, Ram released my breasts and moved his hands downward, one cupping me tightly between my legs to rub and the other to caress and squeeze my bottom.

  My breath began to hitch as his hands moved.

  "You are so wet for me, Pyari," I heard him mumble against my neck.

  My body was on fire for him.

  He laid back in the center of the big bed.

  "Come to me, Pyari. Let me taste you."

  Crawling to where he lay, I straddled his waist. Ram grabbed me by my hips and pulled me upwards. I grabbed the headboard and felt him tug me down.

  His hot tongue darted inside my folds, licking, stroking, swirling over and around my swollen clit. Pressing upward with firmer pressure, he feasted on me. I rubbed myself on his mouth, whimpering as I clung to the headboard.

  The sweet pressure of my orgasm began to move through me, and I couldn't help my moans as I writhed on his face while his tongue play continued.

  I ground out his name when my climax crashed through me, my pussy convulsing on his face. I lifted myself upward and moved down his body still panting as the echoes of my orgasm shuddered through me. As soon as I was fully pressed against his body, feeling his hard cock pressed against my belly, Ram turned us so I was on my back.

  "That was beautiful, Pyari." He whispered before capturing my mouth. I clung to him, winding my fingers through his hair, holding him close.

  He lifted his head and moved to get a condom from the drawer. I felt him still, his whole body frozen.

  "What's wrong, honey?"

  "I just remembered something. The last time we made love, Pyari," his eyes turned to mine. "We didn't use a condom."

  My whole body stilled as well at the words. I remember that time very clearly be
cause I remember thinking it was the best sex we'd ever had. I could feel everything as he moved within me.

  Everything, as in an uncovered everything.

  Uh oh. I blinked at him.

  "I'm sorry, Marianne. I didn't even think to put one on last time," he said, moving back to me. He put the condom on and raised his eyes to mine. "I'm truly sorry, Pyari."

  "Let me hold you, Ram," I said. My brain was trying to process the 'what if' scenario but since it was in the past, there was nothing much we could do about it now.

  He moved and I held him with my arms and legs, rubbing his back and neck as his mouth moved on my neck. It didn't take long and both our minds had moved on. Our bodies followed suit and soon he was sinking himself deeply within me.

  I loved the feel of having him inside, hearing him moan as he stroked himself within me.

  He lifted himself up on one arm and watched as we moved together, his eyes roaming my face and body then back to our churning hips. He ran his other hand over my breasts, teasing my nipples before sliding down my belly and thumbing my clit.

  I held my breath and my body bowed as the release rushed through me.

  Ram was seconds behind me, dropping back down to my chest, his mouth against my neck groaning as he came.

  We clung together as the boneless feeling of satiation moved over and through us.

  Ram lifted his head and used a hand to brush my hair back before he stroked my cheekbone, slid along my jaw and rubbed my bottom lip. He raised his eyes to mine and we got lost in our shared gaze.

  "I love you," he murmured.

  "And I love you, Ram."

  "I am so sor…" I put my fingers on his mouth.

  "Please stop. It's all good. We're all good." I said gazing up at him.

  He dropped his mouth to mine to rest on it lightly.

  "You're right, Pyari. We are all good," he said against my mouth.

  Epilogue

  Three Weeks Later

  We had gotten there late.

  Even though Ram had changed his schedule, there were times on a Saturday afternoons when things had come up he was required to do or to be there to oversee.

  Things which cut into our time together. I didn't usually mind as our plans were, normally, pretty flexible.

  But tonight was different.

  Tonight we had plans with a capital "P".

  Crys was singing with her friend Gabe in Enrique's Bar.

  I had been on the phone with my Posse for most of the day. We'd already gotten Crys decked out after she decided that life was too short and began to change from a girl into the woman she wanted to be, on her own terms.

  All because of Crys having to be hospitalized after Human Hieroglyphix, the tattoo shop where she works, was attacked by a couple of whacked out professors who were out to break up Leila and Dex. Long story. There's a book about it. It'd be better if you read it, I'd only mangle it in the retelling.

  But, we had totally forgot about decking ourselves out. Frankie finally sent a text to the rest of us simply saying, "Ass hugging jeans & classy top. Don't 4get FMPs!"

  Perfect!

  Then there was the seventy-four thousand texts regarding whether Crys should or should not slam back one or two shots of Cuervo Gold just to calm her nerves? It was empirically decided as a 'no' but Crys really wanted it. Leila finally told her to 'put on ur big girl panties & walk toward ur dream clear eyed & thinkg str8t'.

  Crys texted back that Leila could, "STFU Now!" Which, since we all speak 'Crystal', knew was Shut the Fuck Up Now, and meant she was getting emotional.

  As the time to go kept getting closer and closer, I was texting like a mad woman. I was so hoping to get a good seat but the bar was small. So small that our little group with our significant others could probably fill it.

  Ram had said I could go on ahead and he would meet me there, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted to go with him, be with him.

  This was a big deal to me and I wanted him to share it.

  Finally, he got off work and we were able to hit the road although the big Kahuna, the Chief of Police, who couldn't get a traffic ticket if he freaking tried, had to go the speed limit. He found my requests for speed funny and, at one point, slowed down to a crawl just to show the difference between going the speed limit and going slow.

  Whatever.

  Then parking was a bitch.

  Enrique's little car park was, of course, full so we had to use one of the downtown garages which didn't have any parking until the third freaking floor. Ram didn't find it funny that I was tugging him towards the stairs, saying I was going to break my neck because of my shoes.

  But, I happen to know that my man LOVED these heels. Even had me keep them on and wear them in the bedroom. But you already know about that.

  We did get a table, but it was only because Frank had a talk with Dee Dee who worked reception at his salon and waited tables here. She had the busboy roll another table directly in line with the last edge of the bar and drag over four chairs.

  It was great because our table was right next to Frank and Stan.

  I saw Ram slip the busboy a ten and Dee a twenty, for going out of their way, and he did it without any fanfare or fuss. It was a restaurant and Ram was in his 'Ramjet Suave' mode.

  I liked him in that mode, especially if he mixed it up with the 'Street Fighting Ram' later.

  He did the bar run for the evening and I got an eyebrow lift at my request for a virgin Margarita. Even knowing tomorrow was our Sunday, the only day when a person could stay in bed all day without guilt. I just nodded and turned back around.

  Being at the far end, the farthest away from the stage end, I was sure would suck. But, actually we kind of had the best seats in the house.

  Crys and Gabe hung out at the end of the bar, the speakers were at the end of the bar pointing towards the stage and we had plenty of leg room.

  Poor Leila had to sit on Dex's lap in order not to block the view of others.

  Yeah, like she complained about her seating arrangement. I was so glad to see them back together, happy and so obviously very much in love.

  They were sharing a table with 'Mr. and Mrs. Gorgeousness', as Crys called Caitlin and Jake. From my viewpoint, Jake never stopped touching Cait, fiddling with and pulling her hair away so he could talk to her with their heads pressed together. I don't think either one of them noticed or even cared other people were watching. Cait and Jake had their own little world.

  We ended up sharing a table with Paul and Sara who had come together but Sara insisted was not a date.

  Paul looked at me with a smile and a wink.

  Oh yeah, Sara was toast.

  I was sitting close to Ram, kind of angled towards the stage but more facing the restaurant and I happened to see two people outlined in the frosted panel that separated the restaurant from the bar. A male silhouette leaned towards the female, her silhouette leaned towards him and the next thing you know, someone is pressed up against the frosted glass divider, their arms bent up by their head.

  Strangely, the head was slowly moving.

  Being unnaturally curious, as Ram says, I watched and waited.

  Gabe rounded the corner first, using his fingers to wipe his mouth and Crys followed him. Her eyes were dreamy and unfocused as she moved, loose limbed and wiping her own mouth.

  My, my, my. Who knew, right?

  She stopped behind me, using my chair as a prop before leaning down with a double arm wrap around my shoulders.

  "Love you, you know?" she whispered next to my ear.

  "Love you back, Baby Girl," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Break a leg."

  She released me and began moving through the crowd, making her way to the stage but in typical Crys fashion, she had to say 'hey' to everyone there.

  Gabe had already finished tuning, had done a sound check and was three chords into their opening number when Crys was just making her way to through the front rows and up to the stage.

  I glanced back
at Gabe just in time to see him give Crys a look, his face soft, then broke out in the biggest smile as he shook his head at her antics.

  Blackbird, the old Beatles classic, sung so sweet in Crys's alto was what they started with and it was a hit. I don't know how they created the sound they did with just their two voices and a guitar, but they were really good.

  Ram and I both found it funny that Crys and Gabe tried to shush the crowd when the applause got too loud.

  "People eating, you know," Gabe rumbled into the microphone in his deep man voice, though he couldn't have been much older than Crys.

  They moved to the Gin Blossoms', 'Until I Hear It From You' and the audience joined in with soft claps and singing with them on the chorus.

  But it was the magic of the two of them, weaving their voices, the sweet looks that caught and held before skittering away that wove the spell.

  Which continued through Cruisin' and ended with Crys singing her heart out to Pink's, 'Who Knew', slowed way down from the radio version and that caught you in that deep place we all have. It's the special space we shove all the 'love gone wrong' memories into. And sung in Crys' sultry alto, it had more than a few of us with tears in our eyes.

  Ram, who had his arm draped around my shoulders, leaned forward and said how good they sang together. I nodded and Paul joined in, "Gosh, good music in a Podunk town. Amazing!" I didn't understand why Ram and Paul laughed so hard and from the look on Sara's face, she didn't either.

  Whatever.

  There was a break and Ram wondered if we should get some appetizers to hold us over. We'd planned to eat after the performance but Frank said that they were going to be doing three sets. Oh yeah, appetizers were definitely needed.

  The couple at Frank and Stan's table were introduced as Trevor and Zoe who are co-owners of Bewitchments, our town's only sex shop. I'd never been in it, but I will admit to going to their website. Once. Maybe, twice.

  Zoe was, there are no other words for it, stunning. She was tall but shapely and had hair which fell in auburn waves down to her waist but with long layers, a Frank trademark. It was her eyes, though, that you caught in, large dark green eyes that you mistook for brown at first.