She flashes a weak smile. “I don’t know. It’s not really my scene. And I have a lot of work to do on my sketches.”
I stand in the middle of the doorway, making all the guys walk around us. “You showed me those sketches this afternoon. They’re perfect. Come on, let’s go celebrate.”
She scrunches up her nose and pulls her eyes away. “I don’t know…” she starts, but I cut her off.
“One drink. Come on. Show the new boss a good time. I’ll let you ride in the cruiser. And I’ll turn the lights on for ya,” I joke, and it works.
She laughs. “Okay. Fine. One drink.” She points her long, index finger my way, and I hold up my hands, showing her my palms.
We load up in the cruiser, and her scent slowly fills up the cab and drifts my way. Again, she smells of fruit and fresh laundry, with a hint of woodsy smoke. I don’t know why, but I love that smell more and more.
I used to come home from bonfires, annoyed that the smell had clung to my clothes, but just the hint of it on her has me wishing I had a strong glass of bourbon to go with it. I bet the sweetness of her and the robust bourbon would mix like a dream come true. I force myself to focus on the road instead of her sitting at my side as she lazily twirls the ends of her blonde hair, like I make her nervous.
I park the cruiser, and she looks over at me as she unclasps her seatbelt. “Hey, you said you’d turn on the lights.”
I laugh. “Really?” I ask, tilting my head to the side to examine her.
Her brows raise. “Well, are you a man of your word or not?”
I roll my eyes but reach up on the dash and turn on the lights. “Happy now?”
“Where are the sirens?”
“Different switch. And I didn’t include it in the deal, so you’re out of luck.” I can’t help but smile over at her.
“Just my luck,” she teases, holding her hands in the air.
We both walk into the building, and the bar is already lined with our men. I motion toward the bartender. “A round of drinks on me.” I turn to look over at Nina. “What’ll you have?”
“Just a glass of red wine, please.” She goes to sit at a table while I order her red wine and a glass of bourbon for myself. The bartender stops pouring beers for the guys to wait on me. After she gives me my two glasses, I take them and walk over to where Nina is sitting. The bartender goes back to pouring beer for the guys.
Nina takes a sip as she looks over at all the excited men. “You’re really winning them over. You know that?”
He chuckles. “It’s the least I can do. I figured if there was a designated playtime, it would help to keep things professional around the office.”
She nods as a smile tugs at her beautiful, plump lips. “I have noticed fewer shenanigans lately. Brian hasn’t even brought out the whoopee cushion.”
I laugh as I hold up my glass. “To the youth center.”
She nods and taps her glass against mine. “Hear, hear.” We both take a sip.
As much as I’d love to spend the entire evening talking to only her, I’m afraid it may create gossip amongst the rest of the guys. I don’t want them to think I pick favorites. “Enjoy your wine. I’m going to go catch up with the guys. Make sure everyone feels welcome and invited. We’re a team, you know. That includes you. Get up and mingle.” I shoot her a smile before standing and walking toward the bar.
As I talk to the guys, my eyes keep going back to her. I want to sit across from her, see those blue eyes shining at me, see the way her lips turn up when I make her laugh. I want to talk and find out everything there is to know about her, but I also know it is wrong, and I shouldn’t get any closer to her than I do all the other guys. I’m torn between making her feel welcome and keeping up appearances.
After an hour or so of talking to the guys, I look over just in time to see Nina get up and leave the table. I ask for a cup of coffee, not wanting to get too buzzed. There needs to be a line with these guys. If they see me getting hammered and acting a fool, it will only invite them to act the same. Even though this is our playtime, we’re still the police force and remain responsible so as to earn the respect of the town.
I take my cup of coffee over to her table and have a seat across from her. “Didn’t feel like mingling?” I ask, taking a sip before setting it back down.
She shrugs one shoulder. “I’m pretty tired, so I think I’m just going to call it a night. Thanks for the glass of wine, though.”
I look to see her glass of wine only half empty. It seems she had the same thought about drinking as I did. She stands to climb out of the booth, but her hips knock against the corner. My coffee cup wobbles and spills into my lap. Luckily for me, it is no longer piping hot.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry,” she says, grabbing napkins out of the dispenser on the table. She takes a handful and starts to wipe the table while I pick up my coffee cup and set it upright. I don’t even see it coming. I’m too busy picking up the mug and looking down at my soaked stomach and crotch. Her hands somehow end up in my lap. They’re full of napkins as she tries drying up the coffee on my thighs. She brushes against my dick, and it twitches. She must feel it harden because she suddenly looks up, her blue eyes locking with mine. Her lips part as her mouth drops open. She realizes exactly what she’s doing.
She stands up straight and drops the wet napkins onto the table. “I'm sorry about that. I was just…trying to clean up my mess. Clearly, I overstepped some boundaries. I’m going to go die now.” She quickly rushes out the door.
I look from the door that she just walked out of to the bar where all the guys are lined up. They’ve all turned around and are staring at me with goofy smiles on their faces.
“Alright, show’s over,” I say, using my finger to make a spinning motion for them to turn back around.
I need to go home. I can’t walk around this place looking like I pissed my pants. I walk up to the bar and pay the tab. “Alright, you’re drinking on your own now, guys. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” I wave and head for the door.
I walk out to the cruiser, surprised she’s not waiting for a ride back to the station. It’s not far. She must have walked. I climb behind the wheel and drive back to the station to find that her car is already gone, confirming my suspicions. I park the cruiser, lock it, and move to get into my truck. I don’t like driving the cruiser when I’m not on duty. There’s no better way to slow down traffic than a police car.
I get in my truck and start heading out of town, up the mountain. The sky is dark now that it’s pushing nine o’clock, but it’s a bright, cloudless night. The moon is big and bright as it hangs high in the sky, with millions of tiny stars surrounding it. Up ahead, something shiny catches my eye. I slow my truck down as I approach, finding that it’s a silver car. Her car. It’s broken down on the side of the road. I pull in behind her and turn my hazard lights on before climbing out. I look in the window, but she’s not behind the wheel. The hood is popped, so I step around to find her beneath it.
“Need help?” I ask, causing her to jump.
“Shit. You scared me.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Sorry, I just saw you pulled over with the hood up and figured you could use a hand. What’s the problem?”