Avoiding the Badge

by Dorothy F. Shaw

  “Good. Now, get going. Before I drag you back into that house and have my way with you. Again.” He gave her another quick kiss before he let her go and opened her driver’s side door. “Your chariot awaits.”

  Again... Lust filled her stomach like warm honey. As appealing as that threat sounded, she needed to get to work, so she tamped it down and focused on other things. Rayna smiled. Her chariot. He’d said the same thing last night when he opened his truck door for her.

  Who said chivalry was dead? Definitely not Derek Hansen, that was for sure. With a shake of her head and a smile that practically made her cheeks hurt, she slid into the driver’s seat of her car. “Thank you, good sir.”

  “Anytime, m’lady.” He gave her one more quick peck on the lips. “Have a good day, Doc.”

  After he’d closed the car door, Rayna hit the ignition button and watched him in the rearview as he started up his truck and then backed out of her driveway. The exhaust rumbled as he pulled away from her house. With a sigh, Rayna donned her sunglasses, put her car in reverse and backed out, too.

  Good grief, she was going to be sore. She could already tell by the minor ache in her abs when she twisted to look over her shoulder while backing up, and then straightened to put the car in drive. She’d used muscles in the last six hours that she obviously hadn’t in... Rayna tried to think back to the last time she’d had sex.

  Sheesh, had it really been four years? She stopped at the traffic light at the main intersection just outside of her neighborhood. There had to have been another time and she just couldn’t remember. Right?

  Ugh, she could call Tish and ask her, but the thought of doing that was just...no way. It was bad enough Rayna likely had cobwebs between her thighs. She should’ve sent Derek in there with a Swiffer Duster, for goodness’ sake.

  Rayna laughed out loud and shook her head at her silliness. Well, he’d certainly done a darn good job of cleaning house for her. Three, or was it four orgasms? Yes, the shower this morning made for four. More orgasms than she ever remembered having with anyone.

  Safe to say, the cobwebs were long gone, and Derek had knocked the dust off of every inch of her body. And now, according to his declaration, she was a unicorn. She supposed that meant her vagina was now coated in glitter.

  As she stopped at the next intersection, taking her to the freeway, Rayna laughed out loud once again and turned up the news on the satellite radio. She glanced to her right, and the guy in the car beside hers was watching her, a flirtatious smile on his face.

  What the? Baffled, Rayna cocked her head back and frowned. Why on earth was he— A horn blew behind her. She jerked her head back in the direction of the road and noticed traffic had already moved forward through the light. She and the gawking guy in the car next to hers were both holding up traffic.

  Good grief. Rayna rolled her eyes and hit the gas. Getting her head back in the game, she made her way to work. For the first time since she’d opened the practice, she was going to actually leave the building for lunch.

  Apparently the “firsts” hadn’t come to an end. And maybe, if she was lucky, they wouldn’t. Then again... A thread of insecurity spun through her mind. Officer Derek Hansen could be too good to be true. Rayna frowned and rubbed her forehead. Insecure wasn’t a sandbox she ever allowed herself to play in.

  Letting out a sigh, she focused on hope—whether foolish or not—and helped it form its own thread alongside doubt. So far the man was showing her he was everything she never knew she wanted. But oh, she sure wanted it now.

  Maybe Derek was a unicorn, too.

  Chapter 10

  “Did you put a tracking device on my phone or truck?” Derek laughed as he pulled out of Rayna’s neighborhood.

  He hadn’t gotten more than a quarter mile from her house and his cell was ringing, Jeff’s number showing up on his nav screen in the dash.

  “Negative. But if I said yes, it’d be damn fun watching you try and find it.”

  “Asshole.”

  Jeff laughed. “Love you, too, Shirley.”

  Derek smirked and pulled out into morning traffic. “Why are you up so early? More important, why are you calling me?”

  “Duh, I want the deets. Did you two like...ya know, dooo ittt?”

  “You are such a chick.” Derek chuckled. “All I’m gonna say is she has a really nice house.”

  “Tease.”

  “Yeah, yeah. What about you and Tish? Any sparks?” Derek merged onto the freeway.

  Jeff let out a groan that practically rattled the truck’s speakers. “That woman, she’s fine...F. I. N. E. Fine as they come, thank you, Steven Tyler. But she is one hundred and fifty percent blind to me. Closed off like Fort Knox.”

  Derek frowned. “You sure about that? I mean, I thought Rayna was blind to me, too, but turns out, she wasn’t. Maybe you should do like you told me to do: ask her out.”

  “Shewww. Yeah, that’s the thing. I never take my own advice, my friend. I’m usually full of shit.”

  Derek nodded, even though Jeff couldn’t see him. “I’m well aware.”

  “Yes, yes you are. Anyway, you gonna see the good doctor again?”

  “That would be a hell yes. I’m planning on taking her to lunch today. It’s still early, so I figure I’ll go home, take Axle on a run and then head to the gym.” He changed lanes.

  “Sweet! Rio and I will meet you at your house in fifteen.”

  “Okay, but—” The screen went back to the radio display. Derek chuckled. He and Jeff often worked out together, but they didn’t usually run together. Maybe his best friend was feeling a little lonely after not hitting it off with Tish.

  By the time Derek pulled into his driveway, Jeff was waiting for him. Rio, his canine partner, sat at attention beside him, Rio’s rare gray coat with black patches shining bright in the sunlight.

  After shutting the truck down, Derek got out and headed for the pair. He clasped Jeff’s hand and glanced down at Rio. Derek bent forward and stroked over the dog’s fur. “The ladies are gonna start calling you silver fox, my man.”

  Jeff chuckled. “Pfft, too much of a baby for that yet.”

  Rio’s tail wagged side to side, sweeping any dust from the driveway. “You ready to go hang out with Axle?” Derek straightened. “Let’s go get him.”

  After heading to the front door, Derek unlocked things and moved into the house. A few feet in and Axle was right there, sitting in the entryway to the front room. “Brought you a friend, dude.” Derek turned and looked back at Jeff.

  Jeff stepped inside, Rio hot on his heels, nearly knocking him over to get to Axle. “Hey, Rio! Jesus, trying to walk here!” Jeff shook his head, frowning. “Excuse him. Like I said, he’s still a baby.”

  “He’s four, Jeff.” Derek laughed and continued past the dogs into the kitchen and tossed his keys down on the table.

  “Exactly.” Jeff grinned. “Barely off the boob.”

  Derek rolled his eyes and gave a short whistle. Axle came running and stopped in front of Derek. Staring down at his partner, Derek crossed his arms. “You been good?”

  One ear going floppy, Axle tilted his head to the right.

  “Perfect. You keep the bad guys away while I was gone?”

  Axle hurumphed and then tilted his head to the left.

  “Good job.” He stepped away from Axle, opened the freezer, grabbed an ice cube from the bin and moved to the small rug he kept on the floor in front of the sink. “Just because you were a such badass watchdog when I was gone, you get your treat.”

  Axle’s ears perked straight up.

  “Hier!” As Derek dropped the ice cube onto the small rug, Axle obeyed the German command to come and ran over, snatching up the ice cube in the blink of an eye and crunching it in his strong jaw.

  “Still can’t believe his treat is ice cubes.” Jeff stood in the kitchen do
orway, arms crossed. “Craziest shit I’ve ever seen.”

  “Right? But he loves them.” Derek headed toward his friend. “Just gonna get changed.”

  “Don’t do your hair, Shirley. It’s warming up out there. We need to get a move on.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I won’t shave my legs, either.”

  Jeff chuckled. “How’s Megan enjoying her summer vacay?”

  “She’s good. I think they spent a few days in Deadwood this week,” Derek called over his shoulder as he entered his bedroom.

  “Damn, that must be awesome. Always wanted to go there.”

  Derek stripped off his clothes and tossed them on the floor by the bed. After grabbing what he needed from his dresser, he pulled on a pair of his tight spandex running shorts, and then a pair of loose shorts over the top. Last was a shirt, socks and his running shoes.

  He came back to the kitchen. “I know. I gotta say, it’s really cool she gets to RV all over the country this year. Hannah is big enough for it now, so that’s why they took the opportunity.”

  “Nice.” Jeff stretched his arms over his head. “You ready?”

  “Yup.” After hooking Axle’s leash to his collar, he moved to the front door. “After you.”

  Side by side, Derek and Jeff started their jog down the street until they made it to the three-mile path that weaved around and through Derek’s neighborhood. The paved trail wasn’t as good as running along the Western Canal that stretched from Tempe to Mesa, but it got the job done when time was limited.

  Nearing their second mile, Jeff spoke up. “How old is she again?”

  “Who?” Derek glanced at his friend.

  “Megan? Your daughter?”

  “Oh, that was random.” Derek cleared his throat. “She’s ten. How do you not remember this?”

  “Come on. I remember, I just forgot. Besides, how is that random? We were just talking about her at the house, remember?”

  “I know. I just...forgot.” Derek gave his best friend the side eye.

  Jeff chuckled. “See? Anyway, what’s that face for? Wait... Did you think I was talking about your doc?”

  Derek frowned as annoyance pricked the back of his neck. Because he did in fact think Jeff was talking about Rayna. “No.”

  “Uh-huh. But speaking of, how old is the doc?”

  Called that one. Derek shook his head and chuckled. “Christ, you’re nosy.”

  Jeff laughed. “Nah, I’m just bored.”

  “Nosey and bored.” They turned the corner and proceeded along the stretch of path that ran behind the neighborhood. “She’s thirty-two.”

  “That’s adorable.”

  Derek glanced over at Jeff. “Adorable? Really? I take that back, you’re not nosey and bored. You’re nosey, bored and incredibly weird.”

  Jeff laughed. “I love you, too, Shirley. But I really think you should stop flirting with me like this.”

  Derek blurted a laugh and almost stumbled. He caught himself, thank God, because kissing the pavement and jerking Axle to a sudden halt while he tumbled ass over teakettle was not his idea of fun.

  “Careful, Cinderella.”

  “Yeah, yeah. If you’d shut up, I’d be fine.” Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Two more miles to go.”

  “Did you tell her about Megan yet?”

  Derek drew in a deep breath. “Seriously? We just had our first date.”

  “So.”

  “Let me guess, you think I should just come out and be all, ‘Hey Doc, so you like kids? Yeah, I’ve got one. She’s ten and awesome and does that work for you?’”

  “Pretty much.” Jeff coughed. “Not sure what the big deal is.”

  “No wonder you’re single.” Derek swiped his palm over his forehead. “It’s not a big deal, I just don’t think that’s first date information.”

  “Shirley, did you sleep with the girl?”

  Derek glared at him but didn’t answer.

  “No need to answer, I can see it in your eyes. It’s a big fat affirmative. So sleeping with her is first date acceptable, but telling her you have a daughter isn’t? You make no sense.”

  “Jesus, it’s not like Megan’s a secret or anything. It makes plenty of sense to get to know each other first. I’ll tell Rayna about my daughter soon enough.”

  “All right, fine. But note, I’m not saying you need to intro her to Megan, but my advice would be to at least tell the woman you have a daughter sooner rather than later.”

  “I thought we established that you were full of shit, so your advice doesn’t hold much credibility.”

  “That only applies to me, myself and I. For you? I’m spot on. Every time.” Jeff chuckled.

  Derek drew in an exasperated breath. So he hadn’t told Rayna about his daughter yet, so what? As he’d said to Jeff, it wasn’t as if Megan was a secret or anything. Derek just didn’t think it was the right time to bring something like that up. Not yet anyway.

  Plus, if Rayna had no issue with him having a child, she’d probably want to meet Megan, and he couldn’t do that until he knew things between them were a sure thing. After all, once he told Rayna about Megan, he’d also have to tell her about his ex, Stephanie. That could be a risk, too. Not all women were interested in divorced fathers his age, nor did they want to deal with the possible drama of an ex-wife.

  Even though Derek and Stephanie were only good friends, and as a result, they co-parented their daughter way better than even the courts dictated people do. Concerns aside, Derek had nothing to hide.

  He’d tell Rayna about his daughter...as soon as the time was right.

  * * * *

  Rayna: He’s taking me to lunch today.

  Tish: Awwww! How sweet! But tell me what I really want to know: Was it good?

  Knowing exactly what her friend was digging for, Rayna rolled her eyes. Normally she’d ignore the question, pretend Tish hadn’t asked. But the truth was, Rayna was nearly busting at the seams to share.

  Unfortunately, her office staff was not on the list of people she could tell something like this to. In fact, the only person on the list was Tish. Which meant Rayna was going to gush all over the place, or as much as texting would allow anyway.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she typed a reply.

  Rayna: Good doesn’t even come close to describing what I experienced last night.

  Tish: Wait, are you saying it sucked? Because if it sucked, that’s really going to suck.

  Rayna: What? No, it didn’t suck. How on earth did you come to that conclusion?

  Tish: Oh! Sorry. LOL I thought you were being sarcastic.

  Rayna: LOL I swear, you are the reason why people shouldn’t converse via text because you interpret everything incorrectly.

  Rayna: To make it as specific as possible for you: It was amazing, earth shattering, unbelievable! And every part of my body aches today and in the best possible ways. Better?

  Tish: HOLY WOW! Yes, totally better! And I am sooooo jealous.

  Rayna: LOLOLOLOL!

  Good grief, Tish was nuts and always way too open sexually. But she was nuts in a way that made Rayna want to be as open as her friend was. There wasn’t anything Tish was afraid to do, or experience—or not do, for that matter. Last night with Derek was the first time Rayna could ever recall coming anywhere close to being as open as Tish was. It felt really, really good.

  Rayna: So, I take it no fireworks with Jeff last night then?

  Tish: Oh, hell no. That guy. No. Completely turned off by him. I wouldn’t let him come near me with someone else’s dick.

  Rayna: Oh, wow. I’m sorry. =( Okay well, I’ll text you after lunch. Maybe we can find time for a call.

  Tish: No worries. And yes, if I block some time on my calendar just for you, will you share all the naughty and delicious details? Pretty please? With sugar on top?


  Rayna laughed again. She’d already shared a lot, and giving the intimate blow by blow to Tish wasn’t in the plan. But since Rayna had opened the door by sharing what she had, it seemed the slope was a slippery one. Getting into the nitty-gritty was going to happen regardless.

  Rayna: I’ll do my best.

  Tish: YASSSSS!

  Rayna: I swear, you really scare me sometimes.

  Tish: I know. But you love me anyway. Talk later!

  Rayna shoved her phone in the back pocket of her scrub pants and pushed away from the desk in her small office. It was time to get to work. Hopefully the day would be smooth and she’d get to have lunch with Derek.

  Rayna exited her small office and moved to the tech counter—smile firmly in place. “Good morning, Gina.”

  “Morning, Doctor. You look happy this morning.” Gina smiled as she checked medical stock in the cabinet above her.

  “Thanks. A little tired, but what’s not to be happy about? It’s Friday.” Rayna slid the stack of patient files closer so she could go through them. “What do we have on the docket today?”

  Andrea came over. “Late night?”

  Rayna glanced at her. “Yes, actually. Tish talked me into going out last night. We had fun, though.”

  Andrea laughed. “Something tells me with Tish, there’s always fun involved.”

  “This is true.” Rayna held up one of the files and looked at Gina. “How’s Sparkles doing this morning?”

  “Looking pretty good, though he’s moving a little slow. He ate some soft food when I came in. So far he’s tolerating it.”

  “Great. I’ll check him after I get done with this first patient.” Rayna stepped away and headed for exam room three to do a yearly checkup on a six-year-old corgi named Sampson.

  The first few hours of the morning flew by, patient after patient, dogs, cats and one teddy bear hamster named Brittany—who actually turned out to be a boy. As Rayna filled another cup of coffee, her cell vibrated in her back pocket.

  She pulled the phone out and swiped the screen.

  Derek Hansen: Thought you were going to text me your schedule?

  Oh, no! Rayna’s eyes went wide. She’d been so busy texting like a silly schoolgirl with Tish when she first got in to the clinic, and then reviewing patient files, she’d completely forgotten to message Derek. Considering she’d barely stopped thinking about him all morning, she was baffled by how she’d managed to screw up one simple little task.