The cell phone murmured itself annoyingly into her conscience. Sleepily, she fumbled for it and switched it on. "Yes?"
"Brenda...? This is Fritz."
"What...?" Confused, she looked at the man lying beside her. Oh shoot!
"Don´t hang up," Fritz pleaded. "We really have to talk."
It took all of her strength to follow that plea. Not because she was still mad at him but because she felt in no mood to talk to him. She felt in no mood to talk to anybody. In addition, she was well aware of the firm arm which lay heavily on her waist and the strong leg resting between her thighs. Not good. Not good at all. "Fritz...I don´t want...I mean...I can´t talk right now..." She shifted slightly, trying to wriggle out of bed. "...let´s do this later...OK?"
"Later, I´m busy. I thought I could come over for just a minute..."
"No!" she burst out. The handsome face next to hers twitched. The hand on her waist moved higher and higher, until it was touching one of her naked breasts. Ticklish, she bit her lip to repress a giggle.
"Why not?" Fritz asked, perplexed.
"The house is a mess. I´m a mess. I don´t want you..."
"I see."
The man in her bed moaned and squeezed her breast with delicate tenderness. She didn´t feel ticklish anymore - by far not. "Fritz, please, let´s meet later...much later...maybe for lunch?"
"Still too early," the man at her side disagreed, while he opened his beautiful, black eyes.
"What?" Fritz asked, confused.
"Nothing," she replied quickly, and slapped the teasing hand off her breast.
Her lover grinned and grabbed her by the shoulders. Brenda dropped her cell. It made a soft chud hitting the ground. Fritz´s voice became a faint murmur. She tried to reach for the cell but her lover held her back. Swiftly, he pulled her into his arms and captured her lips. For a few seconds, she gave in to him, enjoying her weakness, but then she struggled free, which wasn´t easy, because the kiss wasn´t forceful but sweet and tender. "Sergeant..." she breathed, trying to sound strict, trying to be in command. The mild look which was given in return made clear she wasn´t at all convincing. Again, she tried to reach for the cell. Easily, he snatched it away and turned Fritz´s babbling off.
"That wasn´t smart. He´ll come over here now," she complained, slightly irritated.
Insistently, he caressed her milky skin. "Still enough time." He muted her with another sensitive kiss.
Anyhow, her body answered instinctively to his endearments, she pushed him off and jumped out of bed. "Stop it!"
David viewed her nakedness with shy pleasure. "Showing off like this I..."
Hastily, she crawled back under the blanket, but when the heat radiating from his body took her breath away, she wished she wouldn´t have.
"Sorry, Chief."
She giggled. The fact he was calling her chief was too much.
"I don´t think this is funny..."
"It´s not."
He squirmed under the blanket. "Ah...Chief...don´t come so close or I..."
"Oh shoot!" Pulling back, she stole the blanket. The display of his brilliant black body was the drawback. "Turn around." She had to get dressed. Now - or maybe never.
He frowned. "What for? I saw everything last night. So did you."
"I don´t think so..."
He tore the blanket off her. It landed on the ground. "Now I have."
Her glare was in vain.
He was right.
They had enough time.
***********************************************************
A loud hammering at the door interrupted their intimacy at last. "Brenda! Open up!"
"See," Brenda growled at her lover, even they were both already dressed.
He shrugged. "It´s just me."
She grimaced and headed for the door.
Fritz burst in. "Why did you just hung up?" Seeing David Gabriel, he stopped in his tracks. "What are you doing here?"
"The Sergeant came here to pick me up," Brenda said. "I told you not to come over."
"Hello, Agent Howard," David greeted politely.
Fritz nodded briskly at him. "Would you be so kind..."
"Please wait for me in the car, Sergeant," Brenda ordered honey-sweet.
"Sure - Chief," he said with a touch of sarcasm and went out.
Outside, he put his sunglasses on, and enjoyed the warmth of the early morning. One fantastic morning. He got into the car and switched the radio on. Johnny Cash sang I saw the light. He lolled in the seat, waiting for Brenda to get rid of her ex. Fritz Howard. The FBI man. David snorted. The perfect boyfriend. The day I met him I thought I´m out of the race. He smiled. And see me now. I did a very naughty thing, and still, I feel better than I did in months. No surprise. The last night had been....
Brenda jumped in, gasping as if she had been running, and threw a tie against his chest. "There! Fritz found this - in my bedroom."
He raised his eyebrows. "What was he doing in your bedroom?"
"Looking for his stuff, damn it." She jerked her seatbelt on. "This was the first time and the last time. Do you understand me?"
"Okay." Smoothly, he put the tie on. "Did Agent Howard say anything?"
"I mean it, Sergeant," she ragged. Face flushed, she rummaged furiously through her purse. Finally, she found her sunglasses and flung them on.
"I know." He started the car and focused on driving for the reason he would have kissed her senseless otherwise.
"Promise me."
"Sure." No way.
"Thank God, Fritz didn´t say a thing."
"I see." David repressed a smile. I like that.
************************************************************
Suspended. Punished. Rejected. The shame was killing him. The shame because of her. The second, she had come into his life, she had turned his world upside down. She wasn´t the way he had expected her to be. She wasn´t like anyone he had ever known. Oh no. Not at all. Right away she had driven him into despair. Her attitude was more than anyone could bear. Everybody at the department was pissed off frequently because of her. Frankly, he had been, too, because she had treated him like a schoolboy, who had to follow her rules without question. Worse, at the beginning, he had behaved exactly the way she had treated him.
For the hundredths time, David turned around in his bed, trying to relax, trying to stop thinking about her.
Ironically, despite all her failures, and his irritation, she was always on his mind. Even the one night they had made love hadn´t been enough to kill his desire. No. Now he desired her even more. He didn´t get it. He always had been reasonable in his career and his love life. The women he had dated he had chosen conveniently. But with her he got lost to an excitement he had never experienced before.
Swearing, he turned around again. He would get over this sensation. He wouldn´t jerk off because of Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. No. He wouldn´t....
******************************************************
"Sergeant Gabriel...." Once more, she had called out his name, though, he wasn´t even around. The curious and amused looks of her team were burning holes in her back. No surprise. She behaved like a fool. How could she miss him that much after what he had pulled off? How could she miss a man who had broken the rules so violently? Why did she want him back anyway? She didn´t need him. She had enough men on her team to get the work done. But all these rational reasons didn´t matter. She wanted him back at her side. Gabriel. Her guardian angel. Oh David, why did you do what you´ve done? Why did I do what I´ve done? Isn´t my life messy enough?
"Chief?" Flynn frowned at her. "Are you with us?"
"Certainly, Lieutenant." She returned his stare. "I´m thinking over the evidence."
"Right, and there is plenty," he declared, and threw another nut into his mouth.
She tried to stare him down. "Yes, Lieutenant, I don´t know what you´re implying?" Sassy Flynn. Always watching. Always noticing the little things. Oooh how I despise him.
"Don´t you?" His chewed with pleasure. "Mmh?"
She went to her office and smashed the door shut. "Impossible!"
****************************************************
David was back to work, ready to do his duty. This and nothing else. His partnership with Brenda was very important to him. He didn´t expect it to change after what had happened between them. This wasn´t Brenda´s style. He didn´t want her to change, though, he dreamed of meaning more to her than a one night stand. But it could be worse. She could have him transferred to another squad.
"Hey Gabriel, happy to be back the chief´s favorite errand boy?" Flynn greeted him cheerfully.
"I´m nobody´s errand boy," he replied coolly. He didn´t like Flynn, and had no intention to talk to him.
"Miss Atlanta is already in." Flynn smirked. "Itching for your arrival."
Particularly not about her. David left him in the rain and walked on. A discussion with such a man was fruitless.
"Sgt. Gabriel!" Brenda rushed into him like a hurricane.
Well. That´s her. David gulped. "Hey." She looks gorgeous. I wish... Never before he had felt this awkward around her. Every pore of his body sensed her presence. Don´t do this to yourself. Just let it go. "How´s it going?"
"Just fine," she belied, nervously straightening her hair "What did Lt. Flynn tell you?"
"Nothing of importance." I´m not lying. "He was just teasing me."
"About me?"
"Yeah. Don´t bother."
"I don´t." But her eyes were flickering, and her lips were twitching.
He didn´t like to see her losing it. "Chief...?
"Don´t worry, David."
Hearing his given name from her lips made him all mushy. God, I want... That´s why he had to tell her. "Chief...Brenda...I..."
"It wasn´t fair to scare me like that." She grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him to her office.
Despite the curious glances of everyone, and Flynn´s utter gloating, a smile touched the corners of his mouth. "I scared you?"
"Certainly, Sergeant." She closed the door and shut the team out from listening any further. But they were being watched closely. "Don´t you know I care for you?"
His heart skipped a beat. "No."
"I missed you driving me around...holding my purse...covering my back..."
"...and making love to you?" What the hell?
Blushing, she started rummaging through her purse, hiding her face behind her hair.
"Sorry. There is Agent Howard, of course."
"You know very well, we´ve separated." She almost submerged in her purse.
"Frankly, I know nothing." Only that you´ve slept with me. But maybe you just used me for cold comfort? Maybe you still cry over the FBI man? "Why exactly did you break up?"
"He accused me of having my priorities wrong." She pulled a folder from her purse and looked at him.
"Ah." Yeah, right!
"Like right now." Busily, she leaves through the folder, dismissing the intimate matter for good. "Let´s focus on the new case."
"Sure." He turned around, ready to face the stare of his co-workers.
Flynn was giving high five to Sanchez and Provenza.
What are the odds that a bet is going on? Unsure if he should feel angry or amused, David toughened himself for the time to come.
***********************************************
Two days later, he was sitting in his car, watching her house. A low-burning anger was eating him up, while he was waiting for her to come home. The entire two days, all they had been busy with was work, work, and work again. He had enough. Tonight, he had come here to be with her, to kiss her and to hold her. Tonight he just wanted to feel. But he had found her gone. He had no fucking clue where to, but he was certain with whom. Posterboy Fritz Howard. Did she go back to him? Did they make up? Are they doing it right now? Nervously, he drummed his fingers on the wheel. What would he do if? What would happen? He knew he had a fucking temper, though, he kept it hidden pretty well most of the time. But not always.
Finally, he saw a car pulling to the sideway. Agent Howard´s car. First nobody got out. David couldn´t see what was going on inside the car. Are they kissing? Does he ask her if he can come inside? Will she let him? What if? What then? At last, the door opened, and Brenda stepped out, heading for the house. The FBI man started the car and drove away. David sighed, relieved, and quickly, he left his car and walked over. Briskly, he raped at her door. Don´t mess this up. Be calm. Be nice.
The door shot open almost instantly. "I told you, Fritz..." Her eyes widened. "What are you doing here? Fritz just left. He could have..."
"Can I come in?" he interrupted impolitely, and didn´t wait for an answer as well, invading her home.
She slammed the door shut. "This is no game, Gabriel!"
"I´m not playing any games. I never did."
"Don´t make this harder than it already is. We can´t see each other anymore."
"Why not?"
"Don´t be irrational."
"I´m not." He loosened his tie. "Let´s take this discussion to a more comfortable place."
"You don´t d..."
He swept her off her feet, claiming her lips fervently, invading her.
"David - stop!" She punched him.
"No."
"That´s an order." A few more punches to his chest. "I´m your boss."
"We´re off duty."
"We...are...never...off...duty." They landed on her bed.
He caressed the curve of her back. "Be still."
"You have to obey me," she moaned, wriggling, slapping his shoulders.
"Not here." He smiled. "Not doing this." His kissed her neck. "And this."
"No. No. No."
Again, he kissed her pouting lips, this time longer and harder than ever before. A kiss that left her gasping in surprise. "Oooh..."
"I held back the first time. I won´t tonight."
"Oh God...David...I´m begging you...please...."
"Sure...."
********************************************************
The morning came too fast. Wrapped up in messy sheets, he didn´t feel the need to get up and ever go to work again.
Brenda sighed, distressed. "This is wrong. We have to stop."
"O-kay," he agreed wisely, not even trying to persuade her otherwise.
That pissed her off even more. "I´m serious..."
"Fine." He folded his hands behind his head, bathing in her exhilarating fury.
"Gabriel...David...I´m dead serious."
"I know."
"Promise me you won´t come here again."
"Are you sure?" He put a hand on her thigh, gliding slowly upwards.
"Y-yes."
"Mmh." He bent over her. "Let´s test how much." This second her cell rang. Hastily, she seized it and switched it on. "Yes?"
David leaned back, utterly amused.
"Yes, Lieutenant. We´ll be there as soon as possible - What? Of course, I´m alone, Lieutenant." Fiercely, she switched her cell off.
David smirked. "He´s one clever guy."
"Oh shut up and get dressed."
"Still enough time."
He was right again.
