CHAPTER 2
Steven
I settle into the booth in the back giving me a good vantage point to watch the entire coffee shop before steepling my hands. After all these years of being a cop these things come naturally, completely on instinct.
But the minute I see her through the glass approaching the entrance something entirely different comes naturally out of instinct, and it’s pointing skyward just like my fingers.
My fingers curl and my hands clasp together and I bite down on my fist.
Three words come to mind. De-lish-us! And it’s three words and not one because my brain is completely freezing up at the sight of her.
Wow, has she ever grown up. It’s been a half a decade or more since I last saw her and I can immediately see exactly what I missed.
She was a cute kid in high school, maybe a bit awkward. Not any more. The way she moves as she approaches…oh my god. Those childbearing hips swinging back and forth, but damn…I lean to the side trying to get a better angle at that juicy booty of hers.
I quickly lean back and try to regain my composure as she pulls the door open.
Childbearing hips? What in the world has gotten into my head to make me think of such a thing? I’m the eternal bachelor, not the guy who’s ever going to have kids. It’s not that I don’t like them or something, it’s just that in my line of work it makes no sense.
A latchkey kid for a cop? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Not to mention my line of work is unpredictable and the last thing I want to do is leave behind a widow and a child, or worse yet an orphan, which tragically is what she became after my best friend and his wife died. Damn, the thought of it still makes me angry. I miss that guy. He was a true friend. My best friend, and his wife was a real gem.
But I never met a woman like his. I just don’t have any time for myself. My job is everything to me and it gets all my time. Being a cop isn’t a job, it’s a calling. And I’m on call 24/7. And you can bet I get calls at any and all hours here in L.A. Vegas or New York might be the cities that never sleep, but L.A. is definitely the city that never sleeps when it comes to crime.
But the only crime right now is the thoughts I’m having about my buddy’s daughter. This just isn’t right.
I try not to stare as she approaches, but damn…I’m a big guy and her chest is right at my eye level from my seated position. I never checked her out back when she was in high school, but I know for sure she was not filling out a sweater like this.
I know she went east to study, but I didn’t know she graduated at the top of her class at the University of Hotness. How did she change so much?
And why didn’t I keep in better contact with her these last few years?
What’s wrong with me? I can’t be thinking about her this way. And she’s probably got a boyfriend anyways. The kids at school must be beating down her door.
As she nears I slide out of the booth and start to stand, but quickly realize that’s not going to be a good idea at all.
“Good to see you, May,” I say in kind of a half standing half sitting position. It almost passes as natural as I quickly sit back down hoping she didn’t see the rise in my Levi’s.
And it’s not just a rise. I am in absolute pain. My groin feels like it’s going to explode just at the sight of her. It takes every bit of discipline I have, and I have a lot, to keep my eyes locked on hers. I want to just devour her with one look, but I don’t want her to think I’m a complete animal. Not that I ever was in my life up until about ten seconds ago.
“Good to see you, Mister Shield,” she says. “You look so…fit.”
“Thanks. You’re looking mighty fine, I mean fit, I mean did you find the place alright?”
I’ve interrogated some of the toughest, craziest, cold-blooded killers you’d never want to meet, but this girl is causing me to stumble over my words like I’m completely tongue-tied. This has never happened.
“Um yeah,” she giggles.
“What’s so funny?” I ask as she settles in across from me.
“I was the one who picked it,” she says.
“Oh right. Well, sometimes Google maps is wrong you know.”
“True, but I used to come here all the time. Did you get a chance to look at the—“
“Two menus,” the waitress says.
“Oh, that’s different,” she says. “Thank you.” She turns back from the waitress to me. “You used to have to order at the register.”
“See. There you go. Things are always developing. I mean changing. You know new technology and all.”
“Yeah, new developments,” she says. Developed isn’t even the right word. Neither is blossomed. It’s more like she exploded as in boom! As in she’s just a woman from head to toe now.
And am I ever thankful this place has a waitress. There’s no way I can stand up right now. The situation in my pants has gone from bad to worse, or good to great depending on how you look at things. I have never been this hard in my entire life. So much for old guys losing a step.
“How was college?” I ask.
“Yeah, it was good. Thanks.”
“That must have been fun. Surrounded by all those boys.” What’s wrong with me? It’s like I’m covertly digging for information about her personal life. I’m more of a come right out and say it, or ask it, kind of guy. But for some reason I’m using interrogation techniques on her right now. And I’m not exactly delivering them very smoothly. Call me Captain Obvious with the way I not so subtly telegraphed that deep dive for personal information.
“Yeah, there were lots of boys, as you mentioned. But you know. Boys will be boys.”
“I know all about that. Boys will be boys is probably responsible for half of my arrests if not more.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if guys were just more mature and acted grown up? It would be better for everyone.”
“Well it might not be good for my job security, but yeah…the world would be a better place,” I say. Is she insinuating what I think she’s insinuating? Why exactly did she call this meeting anyways? Is there something that she wants to tell me?
I just want to cut through all the red tape and ask her straight away, but I can’t. I feel like there’s some sci-fi shield in between us that’s just flashing the words “best friend’s daughter” reminding me she’s completely off-limits, even though it’s very obvious she’s come into her own as a woman now.
The waitress comes back and takes our orders. When May looks up to speak with her it gives me the perfect opportunity to sneak a peek at her. Her body is…wow! But she looks so elegant in the way she smiles at the waitress. The way the light hits her eyes from the side really shows off her brown eye color. It’s brown like mine, but a lot lighter. And her skin looks so soft and creamy. And her hair might just be even softer. I swear I can smell it from here. Is that even possible? Am I turning into some kind of animal who’s on high alert for breeding season right now? It’s like all my senses are heightened and I just can’t get enough of her unless I can take her home right now and get all of her.
“And I know exactly what I’d like to do with…” I look up at the waitress who’s looking down at me. “…a coffee black. I’d drink it right down. That’s what I’d do with it. I hear they’re delicious here,” I say.
The waitress’ eyebrow raises letting me know she’s completely suspicious of my sporadic and weird behavior as she reaches for my menu and then quickly turns and walks off.
“You heard the coffee black is good here?” May asks.
“Yeah, you know. Yelp and all. You can really learn a lot about a place just by downloading the right apps these days.” I have no idea what I’m talking about.
May holds her look at me and then out of nowhere the edges of her lips come up into a big smile and she lets out a laugh so big she snorts. “Downloading the right apps?” she asks.
“Yeah, you know. Just download some apps and a world of knowledge is right there in your pocket.”
“Riiiight, Mister Shield.”
“Please, we’re both adults here,” I say trying to make the idea of what I want to do with her seem less weird. “Call me Steven.”
“Wow. Okay. Steven. I like that name. I’ve never called you that.”
“First time for everything,” I say.
“That’s what I was hoping,” she says.
I breathe out through my nose as I try and not so obviously adjust myself in my seat. I swear these pants aren’t made to stretch like this.