"Wounded by Her"

Chapter 1

1993

Tonight is my first night of a four night rotation and damn, this is going to be a long night. Not a great start to the work week. Every time I feel like I can breathe, another call comes in. Is it a full moon tonight? It has to be, I swear it is gonna take half of the day tomorrow to finish all of this paperwork. Maybe if I can finish filling out  this form in the next few minutes, I can run in here to Subway and grab a quick bite to eat before I get another call. If anything, I could possibly get something to snack on between calls.

Tap,tap,tap

Startled, I look sideways at my window. Yes, it startled me. Being a cop doesn't always mean you are safe. Actually, it makes you more of a target. 

I roll my window down to address the young lady standing beside my car fidgeting. She looks nervous, which actually makes her kind of cute as she chews on her bottom lip. Wait, cute is an understatement; fuckable, that's a little more like it. Shit, I can't have those thoughts, she may be in trouble or need help.

"Hi there." she says meekly trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hello."

Stammering, she continues, "My name is Jordan and I really hate to bother you but..."

"I'm Gavin, nice to meet you." I cut her off.

Gaining her bearings a little more she asks, "So you are the new cop in town, Huh?"

New? Not hardly.

"Yeah, I guess you could call me new, but I’ve been on the force for a year now." I answer. No need to burst her bubble already, she is just now starting to look comfortable talking to me.

Standing a little straighter she replies, "Oh, well I didn't mean to take you from your paperwork but my friends dared me that I wouldn't get your phone number."

Well she may seem timid but I have a feeling she is the”Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” type.. 

"How old are you?" I question when the realization hits me that this young lady has me intrigued.

"Eighteen." 

Legal!

Okay, so now intrigue turns into interest. "Do you always act on dares made by your friends?" I ask her.

"It depends."

Little daredevil.

"On what?" I ask, my attraction to her getting stronger each time she speaks. 

"On whether I think the dare is worth it or not." She answers straight forward and I get caught up in her gaze.

"So, I am guessing you think I am worth it?" 

"I sure hope so." Okay, now she has me. The timid kitten that approached me has turned into what appears to be a hellcat.

The jingling of the bell over a door causes her to turn away. I glance in the direction of the bell and see two females walking out in hysterics.

That must be the other two  daredevils.

Jordan turns back to me before quickly saying, "I guess it's time for me to go, especially before those two make it to your car. You will never get any work done with them. I am sorry to have bothered you." 

"Wait!" I assert even though it is in a hushed tone. "You don't want to leave without completing the dare, would you?" Quickly I slip her my name and phone number scribbled on a sheet of paper. "That is only for your use, not anyone else."

She palms the paper and smiles politely before turning and making her way back to the car she is driving. I watch as all three of them buckle up before pulling out of the parking lot. Knowing that I still feel like I’m in a daze and will not be able to concentrate on anything for the next few minutes, I get out and lock the patrol car up before I head into Subway to get something to eat. 

I get my food to-go hoping I can work on some more paperwork before I get another call. Getting into the car, I rip the piece of paper out of my notebook where I scribbled down her license plate number and stuff it into my wallet. I am not sure what it is but this girl has really left an impression on me. Most of the women I meet are either too stuck up to talk to me, much less know me, while the others run for their life as if I were going to hunt them down or something. That is just them being afraid of getting arrested, but it still hinders a man in getting laid every now and then.

Managing to eat almost three quarters of my meal before getting another call, I head off to handle a disturbance of the piece complaint. This paperwork is going to have to wait until the morning since now I have so many new things on my mind. Of course, a few of those 'many new things' involve a particular cinnamon haired eighteen year old female.

∑ ∏ ∑ ∏ ∑ ∏

I am dragging ass by the time I get home from work the next morning. I ended up staying at the department an extra two hours after my shift was over to finish paperwork. On my way out the door I catch Randy headed to the Gym. Randy is brand new to the force and after a twenty minute conversation, I am informed that he went to school with Jordan. He also gives me the 'lay of the land' with regard to her and little info about her past. Being that I served my country while in the Army and of course the things I see on a day to day basis as a cop, I know life can be very trying; but this girl has been through Hell. 

Randy also tells me where she works and I make a mental note as I nod my head to him and make my way home. Knowing I still have three more nights to go before I have time off, I head straight to bed without even checking the answering machine. I need sleep to safely function at my job and I am already a few hours behind. I guess I will spend the rest of my weekend playing catch up.

I am getting ready for tonight’s shift when I notice the light blinking on the answering machine. I hit 'Play' and return to the bathroom to brush my teeth when that voice drifts through the bedroom loud and clear.

"Hi, this is Jordan. We met earlier tonight and although I am pretty sure you were just trying to keep me from being embarrassed in front of my friends, I am calling to leave my number..."

I choke on the toothpaste and spit before stepping into the doorway to hear the rest of the message. 

"...I will not be offended if you delete this message but I would be happy if you returned my call. My number is..."

I scramble to the bedside table to jot down her number as she calls it out. Just my luck, the power would go out tonight and the machine would be erased. I return to the bathroom with a little more "hitch" in my "giddy-up" and finish getting ready for my shift. 

Though tonight is just as busy as last night I manage to sneak a trip through the restaurant parking lot that Randy had told me Jordan worked at. Her little Chevy Cavalier is no where to be found so I carry on with my night. 

If I can't catch up to her at work I will just have to give her a call Tuesday morning.

∑ ∏ ∑ ∏ ∑ ∏

It stays busy the rest of the weekend so I don't get a chance to try and run into Jordan but as I am headed by her work on Monday night, I catch her vehicle pulling out of the parking lot. 

Damn, I wanted to catch her before she got in her car, or at least be able to leave a note on her windshield. She probably thinks I am not interested, which would totally be fucked up since all I have been able to think about all weekend is her. I don't know how many reports I had to rip up because my mind kept wandering.

I decide to follow her for a moment and see if she stops at a store or anything like that where I could happen to 'run into her' but when her route begins to take her in a more rural direction, I figure that it's now or never. I hit the switch for my siren and blue lights and flash my high beams to alert her that she is being pulled. Hopefully no one from the department sees this desperate attempt.

When she signals that she is pulling over my heart skips a beat. She comes to a stop and I guide my car in behind hers. I leave my lights on but shut the siren off in an effort to keep from getting hit while I speak to her but not disturb the peace with the siren. It is a little late for the old folks around here to be hearing that atrociousness. I hop out of the car and make my way to her driver window . Her driver window is down and I catch her rummaging through her purse as she speaks.

"I don't think I was speeding officer."

Grinning, I respond; "No you were not speeding." Her head jerks around and she locks eyes with me.

"So what did I do then?" she questions.

"Nothing, I was trying to catch you before you left work but didn't succeed. Where are you headed, home?"

Damn, I'm such an ass. She looked like she was  scared to death when I walked up. I will have to make up for it sometime.

"No, I was going to hang out with my cousin, why?" 

""Well if you’re not in a hurry, I was going to lunch. Would you like to join me?"

Please say 'Yes". Please say "Yes". Damn I sound like such a dork.

"Lunch? Isn't it a bit late for lunch?" She questions looking like the cat that got the canary.

Well aren’t you a smart ass!

"Well then dinner. I am headed to dinner, would you like to join me?"

I watch her suck in her bottom lip as she ponders what she should do. Damn it’s sexy as hell. I find myself wishing it were my lip she was sucking on. 

"Umm...okay. I'm not really hungry but I can join you. Where are we going?"

I show off my award-winning, cheesy as hell dimples as I ask her if Subway would be okay and she agrees to follow me there. I head back to my car hearing her giggling and know that I am so screwed. This "date" ought to be interesting, even if I am using the term "date" loosely.

When we arrive at Subway, Jordan informs me that she only wants a soda and finds us a booth in the corner. Grabbing the order, I sit across from her and begin to lay my sub out. Studying her closely, I notice that she’s a bit fidgety; a telltale sign of nervousness. In criminal justice class we were taught that is a sign of guilt. I can't help but wonder what she feels guilty about. The only thing I can possibly think of would be her lying about her age. Seventeen is not a deal breaker and I am not even going to think about how stalkerish I seem to be with her. 

After a few minutes of silence, she finally gathers the courage to speak. "I left you a message but you never called back. Then tonight, you suddenly stop me and ask me to dinner. Why?"

I explain the crazy shift that I work and that I sleep most of the day during that time. I really feel like a criminal when I let it slip that I followed her from work tonight. When she asked how I knew where she worked, I knew I had to come clean. The tension slowly dissipated between us as she joked with me about running her tags illegally. The conversation lands in the gutter with the mention of handcuffing her so I quickly turn the tables and concentrate on her acting on dares.

Thirty minutes flies by when you are enjoying the company you are with. Before I know it, I have finished my meal and it becomes blatantly obvious that we are just sitting here enjoying each others company. Truly, I feel like I could sit with her all night but unfortunately I have to head back to work. We walk out together and just before she opens her door, I spin her around and gently land a kiss on her lips. Electricity surges through me before I can release her leaving me wanting. I retreat and open her door  while letting her know that I look forward to calling her tomorrow. 

She pulls out as I get into my car. No matter what happens on duty tonight, I doubt anything can spoil my mood. I pull onto the road and head to the next call while the lingering taste of pineapple from her lips keeps my head in the clouds.

Damn I can't wait to call her tomorrow and find out when I can see her again.