She didn’t know how she was going to choose.
“Let me see how Diana’s night turns out first,” she told Ryan finally. “If she strikes out, she’ll probably want to come to my house, and that will decide it. But if she hooks up with someone, I’ll be alone…” Candy’s eyes batted seductively. “I’ll let you know.” She reached back and discreetly squeezed Ryan’s butt, then left for the ladies room.
She walked down the hallway, the sounds of laughter and clinking beers becoming more muted. She wondered where Mark was. She’d assumed he’d be here, too, and that he would have found her by now.
Maybe her choice had been made for her…
As she neared the ladies room, an arm reached out from the utility closet and yanked her in. Before she could scream, a palm cupped her mouth and muffled the sound. She smelled cologne…it was familiar and enticing. Hands ran up and down her thighs in the darkness; lips nuzzled her neck passionately, then found her mouth and covered it hungrily. She was pushed up against a shelf, disinfectant and paper towels fell to the floor as the man in the shadows clutched her dress, hiking it higher and higher as he pressed into her.
“God, Mark,” she said breathlessly, “you’re an animal.” Her hands worked his belt buckle and unfastened his pants. Warning bells sounded in the back of her mind; she knew someone might hear their noises and could open the door at any moment to discover them there, entangled with one another. The thought caused equal parts anxiety and arousal. “Don’t stop, she moaned.
“Not a chance,” said Mark in a low, husky voice.
Candy giggled as Mark’s lips traveled over her neck and down her neckline. She gripped the edge of a table for balance. Mark lifted her up and thrust deep inside her. He covered her mouth with his to silence her moans. He pushed harder and deeper, until he finally shuddered in a violent climax. He buried his mouth in her neck as his breathing gradually slowed. “You’re amazing,” he told her.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Candy whispered as she smoothed her dress back down. She gave him one last kiss before she cracked the utility room’s door, made sure nobody was coming, and left for the ladies room.
***
The lounge was in full party mode, voices having become loud white noise to those who weren’t actively trying to listen to a conversation. This made getting to know Candy’s friend Diana difficult for Curt. He had a flirtatious side but was basically a quiet guy. When Jack left to go talk to his old work buddies, Curt turned toward Diana.
“So,” he said smiling. “Diana…the goddess of love.”
Diana smiled. “Wrong goddess,” she said. “You’re thinking of the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt.”
Curt’s eyebrows rose, “Really? Well, that could be interesting, too.”
Diana nodded and smiled. She sipped her drink while her eyes wandered the room.
“Are you from Reno?” Curt asked. The noise level in the room had begun to rise, making conversation difficult.
“No,” Diana answered. “You?”
Curt nodded, though clearly he hadn’t heard her answer. It seemed as if their chatting wasn’t going to get much deeper. So Diana excused herself, her reason not really making it to Curt’s ears. He shrugged and turned back to the bar for another beer.
Curt was not the type of guy who needed to be entertained, so Jack’s leaving him on his own to socialize didn’t bother him. But he was definitely glad to see his friend walking back to the bar. “Good times?” Curt asked.
“Sure…fun catching up with the guys,” Jack replied. He signaled the bartender for another beer. When he turned to face the crowd again, he was surprised to see Mark walking toward him.
“Hey, Jack,” Mark chimed, flagging the bartender for a beer of his own. “When did you get here?”
“Been here a while,” Jack said, “milling about. I didn’t see you out there.”
Mark smiled. “I was…around. I saw you talking to Candy earlier.”
“Yeah. She stopped by to say hello.”
Mark looked around the room. “I don’t see Amy.”
“You won’t,” Jack said. “She’s not here.”
“So you two didn’t get back together?” Mark asked. “I thought you might have…that maybe that’s why you were back in Reno.”
“Nope.” Jack shrugged. “Just wasn’t in the cards for us.”
Mark leaned against the bar. “I have to admit, I’m kind of sorry you’ve left the force. I always thought we’d be teamed up, sooner or later.”
“Ryan said the same thing.”
Mark looked over his shoulder at Ryan who was across the room, then back at Jack. “That guy’s an asshole.”
Jack ignored the comment.
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “I always liked working alone.” He tilted his head toward Curt. “I’m making an exception for this one.”
Curt squinted. “Gee…thanks.”
Mark took a swig of his beer and set the bottle on the bar. “Well, however it worked out, I’m glad you’re back, Jack.”
“Thanks.” Jack followed Mark’s gaze, both men watching Candy as she returned from the ladies room. She looked slightly disheveled as she made her way to Ryan. “Are you leaving?” Jack asked.
“Nope,” Mark said with a smile. “Going to go rescue me a damsel in distress.”
“You sure she needs rescuing?”
Mark winked. “From what I can tell. I’ll see you two later.”
Jack turned toward Curt, who was notably more alone than he had been when Jack had left him. “What happened to Diana? I thought you two were hitting it off.”
Curt shrugged. “She was more interested in what her friend was doing than anything I had to say. Plus, it kept getting louder and louder…we could barely hear each other.”
“So why didn’t you go sit down somewhere?”
“I actually suggested that, but she said no. Then just like that she took off.” He swigged his beer. “All my animal magnetism must have freaked her out.”
“Yeah right…that was it.” Jack laughed.
Curt didn’t.
Jack clomped his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, well. I say it’s her loss. All the way.”
***
Ryan smiled as Candy grew near. He whispered in her ear, “Did I tell you how hot you look tonight?” She smiled. “I have never in my life wanted a woman to get laid as much as I want your friend to tonight.”
“What?” Candy asked, almost choking on her own breath.
She seemed to have forgotten their plan. “So we can have your place to ourselves,” Ryan reminded her.
Candy laughed and pushed him away playfully, trying not to make a scene. That’s the problem with this one, she thought; a few drinks, and suddenly he thinks he’s being quiet, when he’s actually being louder…and he thinks he’s being discreet, when he’s actually being obvious.
Candy knew how observant cops were, and if the majority of them in the bar hadn’t already known that Ryan Gleason wanted into her pants, they certainly knew now.
Diana joined them, raising her voice at Candy to be heard. “Is he the other guy?”
There was no way Ryan could have heard Diana over the noise, but Candy steered her a few feet away just to be certain. That was the last thing she needed: Ryan hearing Diana refer to him as the other guy.
“Yes,” answered Candy, giggling, “among others. You won’t believe what I was just doing.”
Diana didn’t seem as amused as Candy did. “Try me.”
Candy raised her eyebrows suggestively, laughing as she said, “Let’s just say that I…oh hell—I just had sex. In the utility closet. And it was awesome.”
“You did what?” Diana asked. She looked over her shoulder, but Ryan was oblivious, chatting away with the other officers. “With him?”
Candy laughed again. “What? No—with Mark. He pulled me into the utility closet on my way to the ladies room...how hot is that?”
Diana
wasn’t a prude, but listening to Candy talk about her sexual encounters just irritated her. “Wow, that’s great. I might as well be a leper, and you’ve got the two best-looking guys in the room either climbing in your panties or wishing they could.”
“What happened with Curt?”
Diana shrugged. “He seemed nice enough, but he isn’t my type.”
“Do you even have a type?”
Diana groaned. “Don’t be mean, Candy. Yes…I definitely have a type. And he isn’t it.”
“I’m sorry, Diana,” Candy said sympathetically. “You’ll find someone. Maybe not here, but there’s someone out there for you.”
Diana smiled. “Thanks.”
“So…are you planning on coming around tonight? Things didn’t work out for you with Curt, so I’m guessing the answer is ‘yes’…” Candy glanced over her shoulder. “Ryan really wants to, if you’re not.”
Diana seemed a bit disappointed, but not surprised. “And do you want him to come over, or me?”
Candy paused. “I don’t know. Does it make me a huge slut if I get laid by two different men on the same night?”
Diana smiled. “Do I really need to answer that?”
Candy eyed Ryan again, and giggled. “Nope.”
“Invite him over, if that’s what you want. I’m going home. I have some thinking to do.”
Candy eyed her friend suspiciously. “What does that mean?”
Diana frowned. “Nothing. Just…nothing.”
***
Candy entered her home through the kitchen door. She dropped her keys and purse onto an island in the middle of the room, then looked out the window over the sink. Lightning lit the sky. She pulled a napkin from her coat pocket and tossed it onto the counter before taking off her coat.
The party had been fun. Between the quickie she’d had with Mark and Ryan lavishing her with attention, she’d also enjoyed a few minutes of serious flirting with Jack’s friend Curt. She sensed that, just like Mark and Ryan, he’d wanted to come home with her. If he’d suggested it, she might have let him. What could she say? She was young, single, and liked the company of big guys.
Seeing Jack again had been nice too. He’d always treated her respectfully when they dated. Her thoughts drifted to Mark. He’d approached her and Ryan but, to her relief, had changed course. All evening long, he’d tried to get her attention again, probably hoping for another tryst in the utility closet. She’d chosen to ignore his signals.
Ryan seemed always to be nearby. Whenever she looked at him, he was sure to be looking at her, too. Sometimes the intensity of his stare was disconcerting. He’d asked again if she wanted him to stop by after the party, but she’d told him no, blaming Diana’s lack of luck in finding a date. He hadn’t taken her refusal well, but it was a good thing she’d said no. If she’d said yes, he’d probably have left with her, or shortly thereafter…which would have been extremely touchy. As she’d walked to her car, Mark had followed her out. Like Ryan, he’d wanted to go home with her and had gotten really loud in the parking lot when she’d refused him. He’d even grabbed her arm as she opened her car door. She’d shook off his grip and left him standing there, staring after her. That was the problem with dating cops, she thought; all that testosterone is great most of the time, but they get so possessive so quickly. God only knows how Ryan would have reacted if he’d seen Mark pawing her in the parking lot.
On top of all this, Diana had been in a pissy mood the whole evening. She hadn’t hooked up with any of the available guys at the bar. Then again, she rarely did no matter where they went. She’d left early, which was a good thing for Candy. She was definitely expecting company.
She looked down at her purse. Her cell phone was inside, and she could hear the first lines of her ringtone, “Pretty Woman,” chiming from within. She smiled.
“Hello?” she answered.
“It’s me. Is it okay if I come to your place tonight?”
Candy sighed. “No,” said Candy, “not tonight. It’s late and I’m tired.”
“I’m just up the street. I can be there in under a minute. Come on…please.”
“No, really, not tonight.” She tried not to sound too aggravated. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Fine.” It was a clipped and unhappy response.
“Thanks for understanding.”
Candy hung up and walked into the living room. Standing at the end of the couch, she gratefully slipped out of her shoes.
The ringing of the doorbell surprised her.
Looking out the little window by the front door, she was annoyed to see Ryan standing outside. She hesitated opening it, but finally gave in.
He didn’t wait to be asked in. Instead, he took Candy into his arms and carried her over to the couch. “Jesus you’re beautiful,” he said, setting her down roughly. “I’ve never seen such perfect white skin.”
He reached both hands up under her dress, gently kneading her breasts. Then his mouth and tongue sought her warmer spot.
Candy sighed with pleasure. She was tempted, but she raise herself up, leaning on one elbow and pushing her dress down with her free hand. “Ryan, what are you doing here? Didn’t I already tell you not to come over?”
“You said I could come over if your friend Diana didn’t hook up with anyone.” He began kissing her neck.
“No—I told you if she didn’t hook up with anyone, she’d be coming back here with me.”
Ryan didn’t look up. “Well, I don’t see her anywhere.”
Ryan was huge in every respect, which in itself was very sexy…and he could do amazing things with his tongue. But there wasn’t a lot of time. She was expecting someone else, and it would be really bad if Ryan was still here when he arrived. She was eager to avoid an awkward accidental encounter between the two men.
Candy pushed Ryan away gently. “What are you doing?” Ryan asked.
“You have to go, Ryan.” She stood and tugged on his elbow, then steered him back towards the front door, feeling a little guilty.
She could tell he was buzzed by the way he pulled out of her grip. He was always less gentle when he’d been drinking. He ran his hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. “You’re a she-devil—you know that? A witch or something and I’m…I’m under your spell.”
Oh yeah…he was definitely buzzed. “I’m not a witch because I don’t feel like having sex, Ryan.”
“You mean, you don’t feel like having sex with me…right?”
Anger had crept into his voice now. Candy didn’t know how to respond. Was he alluding to Mark, or was he being overly-sensitive to her not being eager and willing to spread her legs for him just because he’d shown up at her door, ready to go? Either way, he had to leave. She hoped he didn’t know about Mark…but Mark was her business, not his.
If he was pissed because he wasn’t gonna get sex, that was his own problem.
“Time for you to go Ryan.”
Even as she closed the door, he poked his head back. “Are you sure? Really, really sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Fine, then!”
Candy listened as Ryan’s car burned rubber out of her driveway and down the street. Now her nosy neighbors would be bitching and moaning to the homeowners association. With Ryan finally gone, she went upstairs to her room, sat on the end of her bed and began brushing her hair. One hundred times each night—that was her ritual. She’d swear on a bible it was what made her hair so shiny.
Thirty minutes later, Candy finished with her hair and went back downstairs to the kitchen. Her cell phone rang again.
“Hello?’
“Can I come over? We could just talk.” The voice on the other end didn’t sound happy.
“No,” said Candy. “I don’t have time to talk right now.”
“Why? Is someone there?
“No.”
“You’re expecting someone, though?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I knew it. Unbelievable. Well, who is
he then?”
Candy ignored the question.
“Will he be there soon?”
“Soon enough, okay?” Candy answered.
“I’m nearby, you know…not that far. I just want to talk. When will you realize what your behavior does to me?”
Candy tried to smooth out the situation as best she could. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what you want from me. I’m just living my life…you have to understand that. And it’s my life to live, however I choose. Okay?”
She was relieved to hear the click of the caller hanging up. “Hello?” she said, just to make sure.
Nobody responded.
“Drama, drama, drama,” she said out loud. “It’s always something in my life.”
She was just about to get a drink when the doorbell rang again. She checked the clock. Ten twenty-five. A little early. This time, she knew exactly who it would be. She walked toward the front door and said loudly, “Come in.” The door opened. “Oh, it’s you,” Candy said, working to keep the irritation from her voice. “What are you doing here?”
Her guest didn’t answer.
“I told you, this isn’t a good time.”
With a few strides, a shadow was upon her, and a strong hand gripped her arm. She flinched and pulled away, but lost her balance, bumping into an end table near the couch and knocking it over.
“Damn it!” Candy said. “Look what you made me do.” She yanked her arm free.
“We need to talk about us.”
“What are you talking about?” said Candy. “There is no ‘us’…you need to go home now. We can talk tomorrow if you want, but this isn’t a good time for me.”
Candy walked toward the front door, ready to open it and show her guest out, but found herself spun around violently. She hardly knew the person standing in front of her; anger had transformed familiar features into those of a stranger.
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