Officer Off Limits

by Tessa Bailey

  Staring into space, Hayden continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Something no one would expect.”

  “I don’t feel like you’re grasping the urgency behind my karaoke idea.”

  She gulped down her drink. “Oh, fine. One song. Maestro!”

  Story and Hayden wobbled onto the stage and handed their request to the young man running the karaoke equipment. For some reason, he moved them right to the front of the line and microphones were placed in their hands on the spot. From their viewpoint, the bar looked much bigger and as if on cue, everyone turned to face them.

  “Oh, shit,” Story said out of the side of her mouth. “I thought we’d have time for one more drink before we did this.”

  “This was your idea, Story girl. No time for regrets.”

  “No regrets. So I’m taking lead? Crap, I haven’t sung this song since college. I barely remember the words.”

  Hayden patted her shoulder. “Oh honey, they’ll come up on the screen.”

  “Right. Right. God, I’m drunk.”

  Their song selection popped up on the screen accompanied by squeals of excitement from some women seated at surrounding tables, which went a long way in boosting Story’s confidence.

  With Hayden singing backup, Story launched into the all-time classic song about not wanting any scrubs.

  …

  “So what’s her name?”

  Daniel dragged his attention away from the invisible pattern he’d been tracing on the table and answered Brent. “Story.”

  “Story? What the hell kind of name is that?”

  “She’s from California.”

  “Ah.”

  Matt caught the last part of the conversation as he returned from the bathroom. “And besides the fact that she’s Brooks’s daughter, what exactly is stopping you?”

  Daniel stared at him. “Are you serious? What other reason do I need?”

  “You think Jack would disapprove?”

  “I know he would. He told me straight up to keep my hands off of her.”

  “Oh shit.” Brent shook his head. “He laid it out for you. You can’t pretend to misinterpret that.”

  Looking highly curious, Matt tipped his beer bottle in Daniel’s direction. “Since when do you mope around like a midcentury poet over a girl? Shouldn’t you have already found someone else to move on with?”

  Daniel could barely hear Matt over the godawful singing that had started at the back of Quincy’s. Jesus. Karaoke night. He’d forgotten. “I’m not moping.” He waved halfheartedly toward the bar. “There’s just no one here that interests me.”

  Brent gave an exaggerated shrug. “Fine. Just sit there picturing her on the lap of some Wall Street finance mogul. I’m sure Jack would prefer someone like that over you, anyway.” He squinted as though he could see Story’s evening with an imaginary man take place before his very eyes. “They’ll be amazed how much they have in common. You like blueberry pancakes? I love blueberry pancakes! Then they’ll go back to his place and spend hours discovering what other things they have in common, if you know what I—”

  Daniel shot to his feet, jostling the table. “Fuck this. I’m going to go find her.” He dug into his wallet to extricate some bills, frowning as he realized every man in the bar had started cheering and whistling. He’d been so deep in thought, it had escaped his notice that the male customers now stood on their feet, facing the rear of the bar. “Jesus, what the hell is going on?”

  Looking over his shoulder toward the back of the restaurant, the wallet slipped from his hands.

  Story, along with a brunette, stood on a makeshift stage under the bright spotlight singing into microphones. Justifying his earlier worry, she still wore the flimsy white dress from that morning, only now, thanks to the spotlight, her bra and panties were almost completely visible through the thin material.

  Fists clenching at his sides, he kicked a chair out of his way and approached the stage.

  Chapter Eight

  Eyes focused on the blurry screen with lyrics scrolling past on its surface, it took Story a moment to notice the hush falling over Quincy’s. Abruptly, customers stopped singing along. Beside her, Hayden ceased chiming in with backup vocals. The TLC song continued playing, but without their voices, it merely sounded like a continuous thump of bass.

  Following her friend’s confused line of vision, Story’s eyes slowly tracked downward to find Daniel standing at the foot of the stage, scowling up at her.

  His hair stuck out at one side, looking as though he’d been harassing it with his fingers all night. She could smell his rich cologne. The knowledge that it smelled different on his skin clouded her mind. In jeans and a gray T-shirt with the police department logo, the hard body she’d imagined existed underneath his work clothes was revealed to perfection. He looked rough and ready, as if he’d stepped right out of her naughtiest fantasies.

  “You’re interrupting my song,” she informed him. And the entire bar, since she still held the microphone up to her mouth.

  Before she could blink, he’d climbed on stage with her and easily pulled the microphone out of her hand. “You’re welcome.”

  She made a sound of outrage. “This is exactly how Taylor Swift felt when Kanye West stole her thunder at the VMAs.”

  His scowl deepened. “I don’t know who or what those things are.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “You’ve had too much to drink.”

  A new song started, drawing her attention to the screen. Story’s lips spread into a smile. “And you’re holding the microphone. You have to sing the next song. House rules.” She looked at the DJ, who confirmed with a nod.

  “If you think I’m going to participate in the drunk Olympics, you’re crazy,” Daniel leaned in close and scoffed.

  “If you sing, I’ll let you take me home.” Ho-ly shit. Where had that come from? That honest part of one’s psyche that only makes an appearance when one is half in the bag, apparently. In that moment, she realized that whether or not the thought had been a conscious one, she’d been hoping to see him tonight. Now, he stood right in front of her looking broody and handsome and frustrated. She wanted nothing more than to go home with him and give him something to smile about.

  Daniel’s eyes flared at her statement and he went perfectly still. Around them, bar customers laughed and high-fived in their seats. Apparently, once again she’d issued her challenge directly into the microphone. Awesome.

  She raised an eyebrow to let him know she was waiting for his answer. “Well, what’s it going to be, big boy?”

  His jaw flexed. “Nothing will ever be easy with you, will it?”

  “I hope not.”

  The lyrics came up on the screen. After a long-suffering sigh, Daniel began to sing. Or tried to, at least. His voice came out sounding mostly flat and monotone, but it still counted.

  Story stepped off the stage next to Hayden in order to watch him, positive that she was grinning up at him like a complete lunatic. In between verses, wherein he sang about a guy named Mickey being so fine he blows people’s minds, he cast dark looks in her direction, only succeeding in making her grin wider. To her right, two men she assumed to be Daniel’s friends were doubled over laughing as they watched, wiping tears from their eyes. As much as she was enjoying herself, after about a minute passed of what had to be torture for Daniel, she decided to put him out of his misery,

  Story climbed back on stage with the intention of helping him finish the song, but he looked so grateful for her intervention that she had the sudden urge to kiss him. Rising onto her tiptoes, she locked her arms around Daniel’s neck. Then she laid a kiss on him that sent the entire bar into an explosion of boisterous applause and shrill whistles. A couple of customers even pounded thunderously on the bar, cheering them on. Story didn’t register any of it, however, because after a brief moment of surprise, Daniel’s arms circled her waist, lifting until her feet were off the ground, her body flush against his larger, muscular frame.

&n
bsp; He tore his mouth away. “I can’t do it. I can’t stay away from you,” he growled, barely audible among the yells and catcalls being leveled at them.

  “Good.” She planted another swift kiss on his lips. “Daniel?”

  “Tell me, sunshine.”

  Inhaling his scent like a lifeline, she leaned in and spoke urgently against his ear. “Take me home. Make it better.”

  His answering groan rumbled against her chest. He sank his hands into her hair. “Oh baby, I’m going to make it so much better.” Then his mouth descended on hers, kissing her more urgently than before. Story’s pulse pounded in her ears, drowning everything else out. One strong hand dropped to her waist, pulling her tightly against him as she moaned into his mouth.

  He anticipated every movement of her lips and tongue, somehow already having become an expert on what she liked. Had she honestly thought to deny herself this?

  “Hey, kids? Just a friendly reminder that we’re in a public place.” Hayden’s voice pierced the haze of lust obscuring any trace of rational thought in her head.

  “Yeah,” a deep, male voice laughed. “You going to introduce us, Danny boy?”

  Daniel pulled away with a sound of irritation, keeping hungry eyes locked on her. “No. Fuck off.”

  As the reality of their surroundings finally began to intrude, Story somehow found the willpower to unwind her arms from around Daniel’s neck. Every pair of eyes in the establishment was trained on them with interest, their song having long since ended.

  Noticing her blush, Daniel’s lips twitched in amusement. He reached down to take her hand, then pulled her out of the spotlight toward the front of the bar and the exit. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Hayden following in her wake alongside Daniel’s two friends, currently grinning like a pair of court jesters. Hayden’s expression communicated two things: What the fuck? And I want one!

  Once they’d pushed through the door onto the sidewalk, Daniel stopped abruptly. Story stumbled into his chest with an oof. When she attempted to pull away, he locked an arm around her shoulders to keep her pressed to his side. Their three friends piled out after them.

  “Hell of a show. We could have charged at the door for that,” the bouncer commented with a wink as they passed. Daniel’s friends erupted into laughter again. Story turned her head into Daniel’s shoulder and groaned.

  He frowned. “All right, all right. Has everybody gotten it out of their system?”

  “Hell, no,” the bulky, dark-blond one said. Next to him, his familiar-looking friend shook his head. “You’ve got weeks of this coming,” the blond said. He reached a hand out toward Story. “You must be Story. We’ve heard so much about you.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You have?”

  “Brent,” Daniel warned.

  “Nice to meet you, Brent.” She shook his hand. “Did you enjoy my song?”

  “Loved it. You’re a real talent.”

  She squinted at him. “You’re very lucky I’m buzzed or I would take issue with your sarcasm.” Ignoring Daniel’s impatient shifting beside her, Story smiled at the other man. “I remember you from this morning. Matt, right?”

  He nodded, looking highly amused by the entire situation.

  “Story, I just realized I have an early hair appointment tomorrow. Mind if I take off?” Hayden asked, none-too-subtly sending her a hint. Still, she hadn’t seen her friend in forever and it didn’t feel right abandoning her for a man. Chicks before dicks, and all that good stuff.

  “But Hayden, are you sure—?”

  “She’s sure,” all three men interrupted at the same time.

  Story looked up at Daniel and frowned.

  “Oh, no. After what I just did in there, you don’t get to frown at me.” He turned and addressed his buddies. “Can you guys make sure Story’s friend gets home all right?” They bobbed their heads like good little soldiers, so he turned back to Story. “Ready to go?”

  She opened her mouth to reply, but Daniel had already started pulling her down the sidewalk. “Bye, Hayden!” She called over her shoulder.

  “If you don’t call me tomorrow, consider this friendship over!” Hayden yelled back. Story laughed and stumbled a little in Daniel’s wake.

  Then they were finally alone, practically jogging down the street, cabs whizzing past on the warm summer evening. Passing traffic created a soft breeze, teasing the hair from her shoulders and carrying myriad smells. Cigar smoke, Daniel’s cologne, fresh baked bagels. Loud bursts of music and conversation washed over them as they passed packed bars and nightclubs, customers pouring out onto the sidewalk. New York felt electric this late on a Friday night, and Story relished being part of its magic.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Your place. Mine is farther,” Daniel answered brusquely.

  Story looked around. “I don’t recognize anything.”

  “We’re only two blocks from your apartment.” Holding her hand tightly, he steered them down a side street, leading to the East Side. “Please tell me you were planning on getting a cab home and not walking alone.”

  “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  He gave her a dark look.

  She chuckled at his expression, already regretting what she was about to say next. And unable to care. “I think in the back of my head, I knew you were going to show up at some point. To take me home.”

  Before the words were completely free of her mouth, Daniel had backed her into a darkened doorway and pinned her there with his hard body. “Is that right?”

  Biting her lip, she nodded, loving the way her answer made his eyelids droop, his breath quicken. A fierce ache moved through her, originating where their lower bodies pressed together intimately. The way he so easily commanded her body’s response left her dizzy.

  Daniel dipped his head and bit the flesh just beneath her ear, then licked it to soothe the sting of his teeth. “Were you waiting for me like a good girl?”

  Again, she nodded. As he slid his teeth up and down the column of her neck, she lost control of her head and it fell back against the door.

  “No. You weren’t.” His hand reached under her dress, kneading the inside of her thigh. Her belly tightened in response, dampness spreading between her legs. “You misbehaved a little, didn’t you, gorgeous?” His hand slipped higher. “What are we going to do about that?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me,” she breathed, afraid saying the wrong thing might make him stop. Finally, his fingers ever so slightly brushed the juncture of her thighs. Story whimpered at the simple contact. He teased her with soft brushes of his fingertips against the front of her panties while continuing to torture her neck. Holding his shoulders for balance, she tried to kiss him but he denied her with a stern shake of his head.

  “No kisses yet. I didn’t like those men looking at you. And you’re going to suffer a little for it first.” Using the heel of his hand, he massaged her core with slow circles of his wrist, making the material of her underwear slide against her swollen clitoris. She cried out at the perfect pressure, but he ignored her. “When I get you home, I’m going to sink into your pussy, nice and deep. Then I won’t move. I’ll let you wiggle and squirm underneath me, dying to come, but I won’t let you. Until I get the image of you half-dressed on a stage out of my head.”

  He bit her ear hard, pulling it with his teeth. It should have hurt, but instead it felt like an attack on every erogenous zone in her body. Her knees buckled underneath her, but his weight kept her upright.

  Daniel laughed darkly, palming her roughly once before removing his hand from between her legs and yanking her dress back down. “Who am I kidding? When I finally get inside you, I’m going to fuck you until your voice is hoarse from screaming my name.”

  He grabbed Story’s hand once more and pulled her from the doorway. They walked in charged silence the remaining block to her building. She continually stole glances at him, curious over the intense strain on his face. A man like Daniel probably had more sexual
partners in one week than she’d had in her whole life. Why, then, did being with her hold such urgency? His desperate behavior made no sense to her. Was he like this with all women?

  They entered the building and stepped into the elevator a moment later. Daniel’s arms encircled her from behind, pulling her back against his warmth. He pushed his hips against her bottom so she could feel his arousal. Feeling bold, she reached back and slid her hands over his ass to pull him closer.

  Daniel groaned above her head, moving with her. “I’ve thought of taking you this way a thousand times in the last two days.”

  Her breath caught. “You have?”

  “God, yes.”

  She knew her next question might make it seem like she was fishing, but she asked it anyway, needing her curiosity appeased. “Is it always this way for you?”

  He gave a pained laugh. “Never.”

  Story turned in his arms to judge his sincerity, but witnessed only honesty in his steady gaze. Something changed in the air between them. Without second-guessing her instincts, she jumped into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him eagerly. Whether she did it to keep the emotions on her face hidden or purely out of desperation to be closer to him, she didn’t know.

  The elevator doors rolled open, and without releasing her mouth, Daniel walked them out into the hallway and toward the apartment. Somehow, he found her keys to open the door. The next thing she knew, they were tumbling onto the bed, Daniel’s rock-solid body coming down on top of her. Still wedged between her thighs, he immediately started rocking against her, sending shocks of pleasure racing through to her center. They finally broke their kiss to groan out loud at the friction of his jean-encased erection rubbing against her silky panties. Spreading her legs wider in his hands, he pushed against her most sensitive spot, allowing her to writhe against him. She panted and moaned as sensations assaulted her.

  “I know. I know you like that, baby.” Reaching down, he stroked his thumb across her right nipple as it strained against the material of her dress. Again, he began to move, grinding his hips over hers. “You let me know when you’re ready for the real thing. But not until you’re dripping.”