Clayton

 

With some time to myself, I strip down to my boxers and stretch out on the bed. After the dream last night, I couldn’t get back to the deep, full sleep I so desperately needed. My muscles are tense, and exhaustion is taking over my body, but the events of the day—one in particular—still scroll through my mind.

Her soft tentative lips allowing, responding, then meeting my forceful pace. The way her body pressed against mine—rubbing ever so slightly. My dick hardens and pokes through the slit in my boxers. I grasp my length and glide down, then up, and give it a couple jerks. The aching need for release builds with every stroke, tightening my muscles, and my balls.     

My phone rings, halting my hand. I drop my head back, release a deep breath, then lean over, grab it off the nightstand, and place it against my ear without looking at the screen.  “Yeah!” I bark out before I’m met with her tentative tone.

“Hi, Clayton. Is now a bad time?”

I raise up in the bed when I realize it’s Lacy and my lips turn up at her question. “It’s never a bad time when you call. Did you manage to make it to work on time? I hope I didn’t keep you too long this morning.”

“You didn’t keep me any longer than I wanted. I enjoyed spending time with you.”

“That’s what I like to hear, although…you left me in quite the predicament.” My voice is deep, and even though she can’t see me, I emphasize my statement with a quick tug of my rock-hard shaft.

“Oh…how so?” Her tone is light and playful.

“I thought I had made that quite clear this morning, but if you need a reminder…”

The silky sound of her exhale sends chills over my otherwise heated skin.  “Well, it’s been a busy day, and this morning is a little fuzzy, maybe a reminder is exactly what I need.”

With my hand still on my shaft, her words bring me close to the edge, and mine come out on a growl.  “Careful what you’re suggesting. I’m more than willing to make the short drive to your apartment and clear things up.”

“While that sounds enticing—wait, what? My apartment? You know where I live? And you’re staying nearby?”

I chuckle at her rapid-fire questions. “Yes, I know where you live, and yes, I’m staying nearby.”

“But how? And why?” Her voice is now full of concern, the playful tone from earlier gone. Along with my erection.

Adjusting myself, my free hand drops to the bed and I sit up to explain. “I’ve had the information since shortly after I saw you at Magnolia Woods…when I took down your license plate.” My deep sigh is audible and a twinge of guilt pinches at my chest. “As I said before, something about you seemed familiar and I needed to know who you were. There’s no need for concern, Lacy. I wasn’t planning on taking advantage of that information—not until now.”

The line is silent for several moments before she speaks again. “I’m not sure what to say. I’m not happy you didn’t mention you had that information, but I trust you, and I’m not so much concerned, just surprised.” The confidence in her tone fades as she continues. “Knowing you can get that kind of information actually brings me to the reason I called. I called to…um…” she sighs. “This is so hard. I need to ask you something—for a favor.”

My brows crease in confusion, curious at what kind of information she could possibly need and on who. “Whatever it is, just ask. I’ll let you know if it’s something I can or can’t answer.”

“I appreciate that you’re even willing to listen to me,” she says, then blows out a breath. “You already know about most of what happened with my mom, but what you might not know is my mom was my world. Dealing with her loss has been difficult, and over the past couple weeks, I just haven’t been myself. And with my breakdown today, I knew I had to take some action, so…” she lets out a deep breath, “I made an appointment for tomorrow, with a therapist.”

The mention of a therapist brings me back to a time when my emotional state was on the edge of depression. Our needs for a therapist are different, but the fact that we both have the need puts us on common ground.

“I can’t say I know what you’re going through, but having worked in law enforcement, I’ve seen and experienced things no one should have to. The fact that you recognize you need to talk to someone is a huge step, Lacy. Understanding how to deal with the feelings of such a loss will help you mourn in a way that’s best for you.” With the phone stuck to my ear, I swing my legs off the bed and head to the mini fridge to grab a water. “But I’m not really sure what any of this has to do with me.”

She lets out a puff of air before responding. “Well, I’m kind of nervous about spilling my mind and soul to someone I don’t know, so I was wondering…well, I mean, I know you used to work for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation so—oh hell…do you know someone who could do a background check on the therapist?”

The bottle of water is inches from my lips, but never makes it to my mouth. Why would someone want a background check on a therapist? My thoughts drift back to the conversation I heard earlier, and I begin wondering if the two are related.

She begins speaking again, but I only catch the tail end of what she’s saying.

“…I realize the therapist is here and you were a detective in Colorado, but I thought since he was in the medical profession, there might be some nationwide database or something. I can only get so much information on the Internet… Clayton? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. If you can get me the doctor’s name, I can initiate some searches this evening.” Air hisses through my teeth as the cool surface of the cheap desk chair meets my back and legs when I take a seat to fire up my laptop.

“Thank you, Clayton. This will really put my mind at ease. The name of the doctor is…” The long pause makes me wonder if she’s reconsidering. When I hear who it is, I wish she had. “Ackerman, Dr. Ackerman.”

The muscle in my jaw ticks as his name permeates my ear. I have a strong feeling whatever I find is not going to be good.  From what I heard today, he comes off as a cocky bastard. I don’t want Lacy to have any involvement with him whatsoever. “My searches shouldn’t take but an hour. If you expect to still be awake at that time, I can swing by with my laptop and we can go through the information.”

“Um…that’s pretty late and I don’t want to interfere with your work or anything.”

Her hesitation at my invitation makes my lips quirk upward and my dick come to back to life. “It’s no problem for me. I’m pretty much a night owl, and really, the information shouldn’t be shared over the phone.”

“I hadn’t thought of not sharing the information over the phone. I guess if it’s no trouble, then sure…that sounds good. I’ll make coffee.”

“I’ll text you before I head over.”

“Okay, see you when you get here.” Her response is quiet and unsure, but I also don’t miss the hint of excitement.

As I disconnect the call, Dr. Ackerman’s face flashes on the screen of my laptop. His perfectly groomed salt-and-pepper hair is a stark contrast to the black soulless eyes staring back at me. When I think of those eyes on Lacy, even in a nonsexual way, it makes my stomach churn. With my phone still in hand, I’m tempted to call her and tell her to cancel her appointment with him. Instead, I squeeze the phone so hard; the case cracks in half. “Fuck!”