by Geonn Cannon
As always when the wound was mentioned, Ari bent down and kissed the spot where Dale had been shot in the head. There had been a few terrifying moments when Ari thought the wound was fatal. The gun went off. Blood flew, and she could smell the copper in the air as Dale slumped to one side. She still sometimes saw it slowed down in her dreams. Dale’s limp body collapsing into the bushes, blood on the side of her face. Even though she did get back up, Ari never wanted to forget just how lucky they’d gotten.
She focused on the present and pictured Dale with shorter hair. “I think you would look cute.”
Dale pulled the hair over her shoulder. “Butch?”
“No, you’re too adorable to be butch. Pixie, maybe.”
Dale said, “Pixie’s not too bad. Besides, if it’s short, it’ll cut down on how long I have to spend washing it.”
Ari smiled. “Babe, out of the entire day, this is not the chore I want to shave time from.”
Dale grinned over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah? You like it, huh?”
“It’s good.” Ari smoothed the hair over Dale’s shoulders and down her back. She rested her hands on Dale’s hips and Dale responded by pressing back tighter against her. Ari slipped her hands around to Dale’s belly.
“What are you doing, puppy?” Dale whispered, her voice barely audible over the spray.
“Hm? Nothing. Take down the showerhead.”
Dale took it down and ran the spray over her breasts, letting the water wash over her stomach before it was dammed by Ari’s hands. Ari kissed Dale’s neck.
“Short hair would make that better, too,” Dale pointed out.
Ari said, “How so?”
“It wouldn’t get in my eyes when I’m looking down at you.”
“Mm, then I’m sold.”
Ari’s hand went to the matted red hair of Dale’s mound. Sex in the shower wasn’t feasible. But everyone masturbated in the shower from time to time, and all Ari was doing was providing a helping hand. She extended two fingers between Dale’s thighs and stroked her. Dale aimed the water so it washed over Ari’s hands, wetting Ari’s fingers and trickling down her thighs. She reached back with her other hand, but Ari intercepted it.
“Nope… hand on the soap dish. We don’t want you to fall again.”
The porcelain dish was built into the wall and had a short grab-bar on the top. Dale wrapped her fingers around it and bowed her head as Ari continued to tease her. Ari kissed across Dale’s shoulders and pulled her closer, feeling every tremble in Dale’s body as she neared orgasm. She nipped her earlobe and whispered Dale’s name as her middle finger parted the lips and began slowly thrusting.
“Two,” Dale said.
Ari added a second finger and moved her hand to Dale’s breast. She brushed her thumb over the nipple as Dale tensed and rolled her head back. Her breath came in short gasps before she turned her head. Ari found her lips and kissed her. After a few final tremors Dale twisted in Ari’s embrace to kiss her properly. She kept the showerhead in her hand, the water washing over Ari’s ass.
“Your turn,” Ari said.
“Do I have to do it in the shower?”
“Well, I’d hate to stifle your creativity.”
Dale kissed her again. She dragged one finger down Ari’s chest, breaking their eye contact to watch as the beads of water were smeared by its passage. “Finish up in here. Take your time drying off. I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”
She stretched to hang the showerhead back up. Ari took the chance to admire Dale’s body, patted her hip as she left the stall, and moved under the spray. She washed her hair and turned off the water just after it turned cold. She dried off but left her hair smoothed down and dripping as she went out into the bedroom. Dale was sitting on their bed in a V-neck T-shirt with a pillow over her lap.
“You know, if I had my hair cut short, we could do all kinds of roleplay.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
Dale moved the pillow to reveal she was wearing the strap-on. “You know how you always wanted to be Sandy in Grease?”
“That’s not a fantasy I ever recall having,” Ari said as she moved closer to the bed. “Besides, you’d need a leather jacket for that, stud.”
“So it’s a work in progress. C’mere.”
Ari straddled Dale’s lap and sank down, letting the toy bump against her thighs as she bent down for a kiss. She reached between them and moved the tip so she could sink down onto it. Dale put one hand on Ari’s thigh, the other in the small of her back, and bit her lip as Ari settled on top of her. Ari wrapped her arms around Dale’s shoulders and began to move against the dildo in a slow rhythm. She kept her eyes locked on Dale’s face until she sensed the attention and looked up.
“What are you doing, puppy?”
“Looking at you.”
“Oh?” She kissed Ari’s breasts. “Like what you see?”
Ari moved her hands up into Dale’s hair. “Mm, very much. You?”
“I wish you were wearing your collar… but otherwise… very nice.”
Soon the threat of a cramp in Ari’s right leg forced them to change positions, with Ari lying on her stomach underneath Dale. They finished quickly after that, Ari hugging the pillow as Dale thrust into her from behind. Afterward Dale collapsed on top of her, kissing her face through the hair that had fallen over it like a shroud. They stayed like that for a moment before Dale withdrew the strap-on. Ari gasped as it brushed against hypersensitive flesh and Dale whispered an apology.
“S’okay…”
Dale took the condom off the dildo and tossed it in the trash. When she twisted to take off the harness, Ari reached up and did it for her.
“Thank you, puppy.”
“Sure.” She smoothed her hand over the red marks the strap had left on Dale’s hip. She put the toy away, slipped on a pair of boyshorts, and rejoined Ari in bed. She spooned her from behind and kissed her shoulder. “No run tonight?”
“Not tonight.”
“Okay. Night.”
It didn’t take long for Dale’s breathing to become steady and slow, but Ari kept finding distractions that kept her from falling asleep. They’d spent the day learning the new security features in the office so neither of them would accidentally set it off. A sudden burst of paranoia had led her to ask Fogerson if there was any way Cecily could use the new tech to spy on them.
“You mean like a back door?” Fogerson had asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Something like that, yeah.”
He said, “Even if there was a way to do that, I wouldn’t include it. It would be unethical.”
She had apologized for the insinuation, but her mind wasn’t entirely at ease. Now, hours later, she was still thinking about it. Cecily was in charge of putting the cameras in, so she might have included something that wasn’t disclosed. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Dale’s hand slid over her stomach and the fingers curled into a loose fist. Ari stroked Dale’s arm and stared at the ceiling. She could hear movement above them in the main house, Neka moving through the kitchen or dining room. Her mind began to wander, so she let it move through various subjects until it landed on the thing that was keeping her up.
It didn’t take long. She kept thinking back to Cecily Parrish’s offer. When her probation ran out, she was going to be presented with a choice. A regular paycheck, an office at GG&M, and regular casework. It felt like selling out, giving up everything she’d built from scratch in exchange for something easy. How was that different from taking money from her mother? Then again, it was technically a lateral move. She would still be a private investigator, a job she loved, so what did it matter if she had a boss? She liked being her own boss. She was proud of what she and Dale had turned Bitches into over the years. But lots of people worked for someone. It didn’t mean they had given up.
But the money… the money, the money. No more worrying about the rent or praying the sound coming out of the car’s engine would go away on its own. Becoming GG&M’s in-house inves
tigator equaled peace of mind. They could build up their savings and still afford to move into a house or an apartment. Something more worthy than some college student’s basement. Dale had found their current home perfect because it was like a wolf’s den; it was underground, it was like a cave, it was perfect for the wolf side of Ari’s personality. But was it perfect for a redheaded Human from Pennsylvania? Dale deserved a yard, a picket fence, a view of the water. She deserved something better than living in a literal hole in the ground.
As if sensing Ari’s thoughts, Dale snuggled closer to her. Ari stroked her back and held her, letting Dale’s head find a comfortable place on her shoulder. She didn’t have to make a decision that night, and she probably wouldn’t be asked to until after her probationary period ended. She could talk it over with Dale, who would be most affected by whatever road she chose.
It was very hard to imagine a job where Dale wasn’t her partner and Bitches wasn’t in her life, but she had to figure out if that sentimentality was going to end up holding them back.
#
Eric Wiseman called the next morning not long after Ari and Dale arrived at the office. They mutually decided to skip the morning jog so they could go a little - okay, extraordinarily - out of their way for breakfast tacos from Chinook’s. It was raining, so on the way back Dale drove them past the sidewalk where a website called Rainworks had left a piece of invisible art. The image - Peter Pan flying over the motto ‘Never Grow Up’ - was only visible when it was wet, and similar surprise illustrations had been popping up all over Seattle the past few months.
Back at the office, they had just set everything up to eat together at Dale’s desk when the phone rang. Dale washed down her first bite of taco with a sip of milk before she answered.
“Bitches Investigations, how may we help you? One moment please.” She put the receiver against her shoulder. “Eric Wiseman from GG&M.”
“Thank you, Miss Frye. I’ll take it in the office.”
Dale batted her eyelashes and asked Eric to hold for a moment. Ari took her food into the main office and stepped around her desk. The line was flashing as she took a seat.
“This is Ari.”
“Hello, Miss Willow. Eric Wiseman. We spoke yesterday.”
“I remember.” She picked up a piece of bacon that had fallen from her taco and popped it into her mouth. “Did you discuss my involvement with your client?”
“I did, and they agreed to bring you in. You may be aware that Seattle is finally getting a hockey team. The Totems. They’re scheduled to make a grand debut this summer before joining the league in October. They were recruiting players while the ink on the deal was still wet, but they’re keeping the names quiet until the whole team is officially signed. They want to reveal themselves as a complete entity, you know, not some patchwork creation.”
Ari took a bite of her taco; it was clear Eric didn’t plan to let her talk for a while.
“So it’ll be a grand unveiling of the Seattle Totems for the entire world to see. But here’s the problem. The team is plucking up these guys from all over the place. We’ve got Swedes, Russians, a Czech. But the majority of the guys are coming from Washington. You know, homegrown athletes. Get the crowd behind them right away. The owners are interested in making sure they’re picking the right lineup. They want players who will not only lead the team to victory, but will represent the city of Seattle in a good light in the media. You know Kevin Durant?”
“Basketball player.”
“Right. Great basketball player, but off the court, he’s a genuine guy who loves his mother and plays pick-up games with local kids. The team doesn’t need anyone to be perfect, just someone the people will want to support.”
Ari said, “You want me to look into them, see if there are any skeletons in the closet.”
“Exactly. Criminal records, too many traffic tickets, six kids in six different states, anything that would look bad on the front page of the Sports section. I’ll send you a copy of what we have. Players names, where they’re from, what the team has managed to figure out on their own. It should be a jumping off point, at least.”
“Am I allowed to talk with the team directly?”
“Absolutely. Set it up with me, I’ll talk to the team owner, they’ll—”
Ari said, “Those are a lot of go-betweens. I’d rather be able to contact the players directly if I have any questions.”
Wiseman hesitated. “Okay. Yes, of course, that makes sense. I’ll include their contact information in the email. But the owner would like you to be as discreet as possible. If word gets out that you’re investigating them, they might start covering stuff up.”
“That makes sense. What’s the timeline on this?” Ari asked. “I figure there are quite a few players on the team, and digging into all of them will take a while.”
“The press conference to reveal the roster is scheduled for three months from now. If you find anything that requires a player to be substituted, the team will need time to find someone. Would six weeks be reasonable?”
“For how many players? I’m not a hockey girl.”
“Twenty.”
Ari said, “Yeah, that’s doable. I’ll keep you updated as I go. If I find something damning tomorrow, your client will have the whole three months to find a replacement.”
“Fantastic. I just hit send on the packet.”
Ari turned and tapped her keyboard to wake the computer up. The screen flickered to life and she logged in, clicked to her email, and found the message.
“There it is, safe and sound.”
“Do we need to discuss your compensation?”
“Cecily deals with that. I’m paid to be available whenever someone needs me and, now that you need me, I’m earning my paycheck.”
Eric said, “Okay, then. We’ll be in touch, Miss Willow.”
“Ari. If we’re going to be talking a lot, I don’t want to feel like I’m talking to my principal.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. Anything else?”
“I think that’ll take care of it.”
“Good luck, Mi… Ari. Although I guess I should say bad luck since I’m hoping you don’t find anything damning.”
Ari smiled. “I get paid either way, so maybe you should just wish I don’t get too bored.”
“Done.”
She said goodbye and hung up. She opened the file and skimmed the list of names, none of which meant much of anything to her. There might be people all over Seattle willing to give their left hand to see these names. She glanced toward the ceiling as if she could see evidence of the security system Cecily had installed the day before. Maybe she had a point about beefing up their protection. She didn’t think anyone would actually break in to read a roster, but it was nice knowing the information was safe.
Ari made a copy of the list and saved it to her phone. She would get Dale to help her out with some of the computer stuff, since she was so much better at scouring the internet and building profiles of people. If they split the work, she could spare the time to give everyone a thorough investigation and still turn in a final report well before the deadline. She’d start on the first name immediately.
Just as soon as she finished her breakfast taco.
Chapter Three
“You have the roster of the Seattle Totems on your computer as we speak?”
Ari was taken aback by Dale’s enthusiasm. She was sitting on the edge of Dale’s desk to fill her in about the conversation with Wiseman, but as soon as the team was brought up, Dale reached out and grabbed her arm.
“I didn’t know you cared so much about hockey. I’ve literally never heard you mention it.”
“No, I probably haven’t. But my Dad loves it. When I was a kid, he was at work all the time. But the three hours a hockey game was on, I knew he would be in the living room in his recliner. So that was where I would be. It didn’t even matter if I didn’t have his whole attention. He asked me about school and my friends and everything over the comme
rcial breaks. So no, I don’t like hockey. I like the commercial breaks.” She smiled. “Dad’s extremely excited that Seattle’s getting a team. He mentions it in all of his emails. I guess I’m mostly excited on his behalf.”
Ari leaned over the desk to kiss the top of Dale’s head. “You’re adorable. Do you want me to keep the list to myself so you won’t be tempted to tell him anything?”
“No, I think I can restrain myself. I’d hate to make you do all that work on your own.”
“Because it’s a lot of work?”
“Because I’m better at it.”
Ari gasped in fake offense. “How dare you. I taught you everything you know.”
“And then I re-trained myself to do it right.”
“We’re fighting now.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
Ari grinned and went back into her office. “The roster’s in your email. Look it over, see if anything jumps out at you. Do we have anything going on right now?” The agreement with GG&M was that anything they brought to Ari became her top priority, but she didn’t want to just ignore other paying clients just because something else came along.
“We’re in a lull. We do have that surveillance thing for Dickerson, but that’s only Sunday nights. You can do both, right?”
“Yeah. Research by day, stalking by night.” She finished logging out of her computer and let the screen go black before she returned to Dale’s desk. “So, what do you think?”
Dale was scanning the screen. “Anticlimactic. I don’t recognize any of these names. But looking it over, a handful of them live in Canada so it will take some time and effort to get into their files. We’ll put them off for a while. One of them lives in Chicago. One of them is in Boston. But a good chunk of them either live right here in Seattle or nearby.”
“Wiseman said that was a big draw. Root, root, root for the home team, you know.” She put her hands on the edge of the desk and leaned over so she could see the screen. “I’m leaving it up to you, Dale. Who should be our first victim?”