by Anna Scott
Bringing up our jobs seemed to be the salve to tamp down the unsettled feeling between us. We talked for a long time, stilted at first, but it eased and we were able to be casual with each other once again. I was glad that we’d been able to turn it around before I took her home.
Dawn didn’t invite me in, so I walked her to the door, and when she reached up to hug me, I held her for as long as I could and kissed her cheek. Striding back to my truck, I felt eyes on me, once inside, I looked up and saw that she was still on the porch, staring at me. She hadn’t moved, and that gave me hope that things were moving in the right direction.
I watched her as she went inside, and flashed the porch light, which made me chuckle. That had been the universal sign when we were kids. It either meant, it’s late, get your butts in the house, or I’m in and the door is locked. Even after she was inside, the feeling of being watched didn’t leave me.
Starting the truck, I looked around, trying to figure out what was causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I saw a few cars and trucks, lining the street and parked in driveways. I couldn’t see inside very many, so I had no way of knowing if anyone was in there watching, but why would someone be looking at me, or watching Dawn?
Jesus, if it was Zach, being some kind of creepy douche, I’d lose my shit. I put the truck in drive and drove away, slowly, watching for any change. It looked like a shadow moved near the entrance to the green belt trail, about five or six houses down.
Deciding to be safe, I circled the block, but when I came back around, I didn’t see anything to worry about. One good thing, I didn’t see Zach’s rental car.
Later that night, I lay in bed, unable to get Dawn and the eerie feeling I’d had when leaving out of my mind. Rolling over, I grabbed my phone and sent her a text.
Gavin: Thank you for tonight, beautiful, sleep well.
I lay in bed, waiting for her reply for a full five minutes, wondering if she was ignoring me or already asleep. Finally, giving up hope, I set the phone down and almost immediately, it dinged with an incoming text. Thank god, because I was about to get my ass out of the bed and drive over there to check on her.
Dawn: Goodnight, thank you for dinner.
Well, it wasn’t much, but I’d sure as shit take it.
I couldn’t explain the feeling, but I didn’t like it, not one bit. Maybe it was the uneasy feeling left from Zach’s odd behavior and his questionable departure, but there was something going on, and if I had to guess, I wouldn’t have bet on it being Zach. I was actually worried that Hope’s ex, who was still outstanding, was now going to stalk one of the other girls, who weren’t so carefully protected, which could only be Amber or Dawn. Though, I knew if Amber would let him, Trent would be protecting her every night.
***
Wednesday night, I walked into the bar where I met the other guys for drinks almost every week. Jake was missing, which wasn’t a surprise. I knew that he and Hope were on some kind of a break and he was in the middle of a huge case.
After seeing her Saturday night, taking her to the hospital and Freedom House, I knew that she was torn up over all the shit swirling around them. I hadn’t seen Jake, but I could only imagine how he was doing. He’d be a mess without that girl.
Trent slid onto the stool beside me, we were all in the back corner of the darkened bar and I’d been sitting back, drinking my beer and observing, which was my normal style.
The strange niggling feeling crept up the back of my neck again, the same as I’d had Sunday night, after dropping Dawn off at home. Casually, I glanced around the bar, taking stock, but not making any sudden movements. If someone was watching, I didn’t need them to know I was on to them. I’d seen an old picture of Hope’s ex, so if it was him, I assumed I’d be able to pick him out well enough.
Aside from our group, there were a few people sitting at the bar, mostly regulars, old timers and a few men stopping in for a beer before heading home to their dreary lives. A group of early twenties guys, sat in a group near the front door. They were boisterous and drinking a bit too much, but no one looked around, or seemed out of place. A few more of the after work crowd were scattered around at tables, as well as the standard hook ups, cheaters and general asshole types. A lone biker sat in the other back corner across from us.
He was alone, and as I watched him, he didn’t look up, never looked my way, but there was something oddly familiar about him. His beer rested on the table, and one meaty, tattooed hand, held it loosely, while the other traced the edges of a cardboard coaster over and over again. The movement seemed nervous, somehow out of character for him, though I didn’t know him and had no way of knowing what was in character.
Dragging my attention back to the group, Reed asked about Hope and we all listened with rapt attention.
Every one of us was worried about her, and the crazy stalker who was following her and leaving her creepy ass notes. Assuming it was her abusive asshole of an ex, I was especially worried about her and what would happen to her if the guy got ahold of her. I glanced around the bar once more, remembering the strange feeling I’d had earlier. I didn’t see anyone that resembled her ex, the biker was gone too.
I’d seen what my father’s abuse had done to my mom, even after he died, my mom was jumpy and fucked up for years. I never understood how a man could treat a woman like that.
Hope had done well in the self-defense class that Trent taught with Christine Gates. I helped out when I could, empowered women were breathtaking, and I would do whatever I could to help get them to that point. Regardless of their age or fitness level, a strong, self-assured woman was an amazing sight.
That was one thing I loved about Dawn. She was fierce, she didn’t cower when Zach cornered her, she was angry and let it fly. I didn’t know what had happened in Dawn’s life over the past eight years, but she had grown into a glorious creature. I could sit at her feet and be enraptured with her beauty and strength every day for the rest of my life.
Wait, loved? Did I, no, I meant liked, of course. I had barely seen her, what, like four or five times now, in eight years. I didn’t love her.
Luke talked a little about Hope too, about his run-ins with Jake and how fucked up he was. Since Hope with staying with Luke and Aurora, Luke saw her the most and was the one who was most active in her protection. As a group, we discussed things we were looking for from the law enforcement angle, measures we could take to ensure the safety of the other girls, and how fucked up Jake would be if he didn’t get back into Hope’s good graces.
A while later, Trent turned to me. Reed and Luke were talking quietly across from us, not paying us any attention, which apparently was the perfect opportunity for him to interrogate me.
“So, what’s up with Dawn?”
“What do you mean?” I hedged, having no idea how much to tell him.
Trent had been my best friend since basic, so it was impossible for me to get anything by him. He just waited, knowing I’d crack eventually. We’d been in some serious shit together, both in the sandbox and at the SO. He was the one person I’d told all about Dawn. He knew better than anyone how I’d felt back then, and could most likely guess how I felt about her now.
“Fuck,” I grumbled after a few minutes of weighted silence. Trent chuckled, but waited a little longer.
“All right, fucking fine.” My tantrum was like a toddler’s at this point, but I didn’t give a shit.
“I don’t really know. We had dinner Sunday, we’re supposed to have lunch tomorrow. There really isn’t anything going on.”
Trent’s raised brow challenged me. Cocky bastard, he knew too damned much. Deciding to turn the tables on him, I shot back, “what’s going on with you and Amber?”
I watched as Trent’s cheeks colored. He actually blushed. My best friend, six-foot-five, tattooed, pierced, bad ass, blushed over talk of the sweet Amber. That shit was so funny, I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. Of course, that caught Luke and Reed’s attention, stopping their hushe
d conversation and directing their focus on us.
Reed’s questioning look made Trent squirm, which again, made me bust out with a laugh. Being the good friends that they were, a little ribbing was in order.
“Trent, are you blushing?” Reed asked, a mock-serious look on his face.
“He is; he’s blushing like a virgin. What are you guys talking about?” Luke asked.
I stayed quiet, not wanting to out him, but this shit was hilarious. Just reminded me why these nights out were necessary. They provided plenty of comic relief.
“Shut the fuck up, I’m not blushing, it’s hot it in here.” Trent replied defensively.
“You wouldn’t be talking about Amber would you?” Luke taunted, causing Reed to start laughing too.
Instead of giving the guys any more ammunition, Trent motioned for the waitress and ordered another round. She walked over, putting a little too much sway in her hips and pressed her huge fake tits into Trent’s face as she leaned over and took his order. She couldn’t have been more obvious if she’d tried.
Badge bunnies weren’t uncommon, there were a couple of bars around that were Law Enforcement supporters, lots of officers from the different local agencies hung out there, but I hated those places.
Any woman who would willingly sign up for a life with an officer, simply because he was one, was suspect to me. It wasn’t glamorous, and it sure as hell wasn’t easy.
That thought made me wonder if Dawn would be able to handle the life of a deputy’s wife. My hours could be long, they could be spontaneous, I worked some weekends and plenty of holidays. We were more fortunate than those guys in the military, at least we were home for our children’s births, but still, it was a stressful job.
I wanted to pull my phone out and text her, but resisted. The last thing I wanted was the guys' attention to focus on me.
“Well, seems like if you can’t get Amber on board, you could get that waitress to take care of your – needs.” Reed cajoled with no little humor in his voice.
“Fuck off.” Trent had lost his comeback skills, it seemed. I didn’t really know what was going on with him and Amber, they’d been dancing around each other for months. There was something there, but it didn’t seem like Trent was going to tell me, surely not now that Luke and Reed were listening. I saw a quick flash of pain in my friend’s eyes, but he masked it quickly and I wondered just what in the hell had happened between him and the lovely Amber.
After leaving the bar, I noticed it was almost two, so calling Dawn was out. It was completely out of the way, but I found myself driving past her house, just checking on her. With all the shit swirling around Hope, my worry was on heightened alert, especially after the shit my brother had pulled. All was quiet.
I made a mental note of the vehicles, and thinking back to the ones I’d seen there on Sunday. Nothing stood out as odd, but I did look a little longer at the entrance to the trail than was necessary. I still didn’t know what had caused the strange feeling Sunday, or the one earlier at the bar, but something was going on. I just didn’t know what the fuck it was.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I swung past Hope’s house too. Though she hadn’t stayed there in weeks, it was late and if someone was going to cause trouble, this seemed like the perfect time. All was good there too. With nothing else to do, I drove back to my own lonely house and settled in for another night alone.
I dreamt of Dawn that night, the images were blurred, but it was so erotic, I woke up completely hard. It was early, and I needed a run, but I had to take care of my issue before I could. Climbing into the shower, I turned the water to hot, soaped up my hand and ran it over my turgid flesh, teasing the piercing at the head. Pulling on the ball always got me going, I tugged and pulled my hard shaft and imagined holding myself just this way, standing over her laid out on my bed and cumming all over her perfect skin.
I could see the image almost perfectly, her long, flowing blonde hair rumpled and messy from my hands, her legs spread, her pussy dripping, begging for me. I could imagine the feel of her hand stroking me, of her hot, wet mouth, draining me dry, the pull of her tight pussy milking me. Would she be shocked by the sight of my piercings? The frenulum and the apadravya, would make her scream in ecstasy when I finally got inside her.
The image of her wide, surprised eyes, looking up at me with innocence shining as she opened her mouth and I shoved inside, pushing in, fucking gagging her, oh Jesus. In the shower, my hand on the wall over her head, as I pressed in, fucking her mouth, making her huge tits jiggle and bounce, the sound of her wet flesh slapping echoing across the tiled room.
I could see it all, my eyes were shut tight, squeezing I could see it all. My pace increased, tightening and relaxing around the shaft and then the head, as I jacked myself to orgasm I moaned out her name and leaned into the wall, being careful to hold my body away from the sticky mess I’d just spurted all over it. In my daydream, it was her face and tits that got sprayed, the image was so hot, it was almost enough to get me hard all over again.
I’d relaxed after my session in the shower, gained clarity and focus for my morning run. It was crisp and clear today, and though it was much earlier than I would have liked, it did me a lot of good. My mind kept focusing back on Dawn. I wondered if she was asleep now. I longed to know what she looked like, what she wore, when she slept. It was difficult to run with a hard-on, so I did my best to think of other shit, but it didn’t work.
When I walked into my office that morning, I knew that my day was going to be fucked. Dawn and I, had lunch plans; plans I was looking forward to, but they were not to be.
Calling her and telling her that I had to cancel was the last thing I wanted to do, but hearing the disappointment in her voice bolstered my courage and gave me a renewed hope for our future. I promised I’d call her later and we disconnected, so I could get down to business.
We’d had two homicides overnight, one probably related to the dealers Jake was trying to bust and one, an older local business owner. His housekeeper had come in this morning and found him. The house had been destroyed, and obviously there was more to this apparently straight-laced guy than met the eye. It was a long day.
It was late when I finally climbed into my bed. Probably too late to call Dawn, but I sent a text, hoping that it didn’t wake her if she was asleep.
Gavin: Hey, Beautiful. Sorry I didn’t call you earlier. Hope you had a good day.
A few minutes later, her sweet response came.
Dawn: Are you okay? I’ve been thinking about you all day. Don’t worry about it, I know your job can be busy. You must be tired.
Gavin: I am, and yes, it was busy, but I’m fine. Tomorrow will probably be busy too, can I see you on Saturday?
It took her so long to answer, I didn’t think she would, but when I switched the TV on to catch Sports Center, I heard the vibration of my phone.
Dawn: I’m off this weekend, do you want to have lunch on Saturday?
Gavin: Of course, that would be great.
We texted back and forth for a few more minutes, we planned a late lunch so she could get some things done around her house. At first, I’d been a little irritated that I was getting lunch, instead of a dinner date, but then realized that I’d have more time to spend with her. Maybe I could turn lunch into the rest of the day and then into dinner and beyond.
Saturday morning couldn’t come soon enough. Shit had gone down the night before with Jake’s case, but since it happened in Dallas, I wasn’t involved. His partner had gotten shot and Jake was fucked up about it, but it seemed like he was starting to pull his head out of his ass.
I was antsy, unable to hold still, so I went for a long run to try and clear my head. I didn’t need to seem like a kid hyped up on sugar when I picked Dawn up later.
Pulling up to her house once again, I walked up to her door, before she came out this time. Walking slowly, I scanned the area, again, taking note of the cars and all the neighbors out on a mild Saturday, playing with kids
and doing outside chores.
I’d helped at the self-defense class again, which had been good, it gave me something to do. But when Trent asked me to go to lunch with him and Hope, I happily declined and left them to it.
Dawn opened the door, she was beautiful, as always, but the wide smile on her face took my breath away. She was aiming it right at me, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. She seemed easy today, relaxed in my presence. I was grateful that the friend thing seemed to be working. I was going to amp it up today.
As we walked toward the truck, I placed my hand at the small of her back. When I helped her into the cab of the truck, I let my hand linger on her thigh longer than was necessary and kissed her cheek when she was settled. I watched as her cheeks flushed and I prayed that was a good sign. If she wanted me once, I could get her to want me again.
Our lunch was going really well. Dawn was animated, talking to me with ease and even demonstrative as she’d been when we were young. When she told a funny story about a client at the store, her eyes sparkled and her hands flailed around with her explanation. She touched me several times, laying her hand on my arm, putting her hand on my shoulder and even touching my hand with hers, all as she spoke. She didn’t shy away from me either, the afternoon was going perfectly.
We’d both finished, and pushed our plates away when my phone rang. I looked at it, saw it was Trent, so I ignored the call, not wanting to be interrupted. This time with Dawn was much too precious to listen to Trent be an idiot.
Not ten seconds after the phone stopped ringing, I got a text and it began to ring again. I glanced at the text and felt my entire body go rigid.
Trent: Answer your fucking phone, Hope has been attacked.
Grabbing the phone off the table, I swiped the green button as it began to ring again. “What happened?” I asked sharply, looking up to meet Dawn’s worried gaze. She hadn’t seen the text, but she could read me well enough to know that something was seriously wrong.