A force to be reckoned with

As soon as D kissed me, I kneed him right in the groin rather hard. He dropped to the floor immediately, crying and moaning in pain. I left the interview room and told Al what had happened. Al laughed hysterically when I told him that D dropped to the floor in pain.

“I know I’ve done quite a bit to piss you off over the years and pushed you harder than others but I’m grateful that you never dropped me to the floor like you did with your former boss. But then again, I never tried to kiss you! Ha ha. What would you like me to do with Bozo in the interview room?” Al asked.

“Give him the aggravated assault as well as assault of a police officer….with a deadly weapon,” I said with a Cheshire grin.

“Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I love your humor, my friend. But I take it that you’re serious,” Al said.

“I have a sick sense of humor but it works. Yes I am serious. Do you think that the assault of an officer will stick?” I asked.

“I doubt that it will but I’ll go for sexual harassment. Is that ok if the other won’t stick?”

“Sure. What a scumbag. Whatever. I’m off unless you need anything else?”

“I’m good although I’m hoping that you could dispel a rumor for me.”
“Sure” I say.

“What’s this I hear about you being pregnant?” Al asked.

“It’s true. I’m stepping down from negotiations for now but still will be with the homicide department and the assistant chief. I’ll tell the FD that I can’t work with them anymore. I’m getting stretched thin with here and the new company. I was only freelance with them anyways.”

“Sounds like a smart move on your end. I’ll update everything. Take it easy and I’ll see you in a few days.”

I nodded and found Vince in my office sleeping. I woke him up and we left for the apartment. Once inside we popped in a movie and relaxed for the rest of the day.

On holiday

Dear Readers,

I’m sorry to delay posting anything recently. I’ve been taking a holiday away from most electronic belongings (i.e. desktop, laptop, cell phone and ePad) due to work and being sick.

I hope your holidays have been pleasant and enjoyed spending time with your loved ones.

There should be a continuation of the blog soon.

Xoxoxox

Deppgrl

Bargaining

“To me, it sounds like the aggravated assault was an accident. Once your former boss talks to his lawyer, we’ll see if we can drop it to simple assault. If he doesn’t accept, we’ll offer negligent bodily harm. If he doesn’t accept, we’ll offer community service,” Al said.

“I doubt he’ll plead guilty to either, Al. I worked rather closely with him for almost a year. Never once had he become violent. Once I started working here, I did an extensive background check on him. He’s had a few tickets but that’s it. I’ve spoken with previous girlfriends. He never laid a finger on them to hurt them. He’s got a temper though,” I said.

“Did he get violent with his temper?” Al asked.

“Not once, not even with me. I kept pushing his envelope by standing up for myself and everyone he was inconsiderate to but he never got violent. Did he yell? Sure but so did I. He is not a violent person,” I said. “The last thing I want to do with you, Al, is to tell you how to do your job. You’re the chief for a reason.”

“And you’re a lieutenant and the assistant chief of police. Obviously I trust your judgment enough to promote you who knows how many times in the decade you’ve been working here at the PD,” Al said. “Please, tell me what’s on your mind. What do you think we should do?”

“Look…..I think the first thing we do is suggest negligent. If he refuses, offer him community service of the victim’s choosing; as long as it’s in reason and is 200 hours. Do you think that sounds fair, jefe?”

“I trust your judgment on him. Once his lawyer gets here, I’ll talk to them about both ideas. Before you leave, get him something to drink and eat and then bring him to the holding cell,” Al said.

I nodded and walked to the corner pizza joint to buy a personal pizza, soda and water for D. Once I arrived back to the PD, I went to the interview room where I left D with the list of lawyers and his phone.

“Hey, buddy. Look, I got you some food and soda. Go ahead and eat in here so you can have some privacy. Vince and I will be just outside in the hall if you need anything or need an escort to the men’s room; I’ll have Vince escort you,” I said.

“Thanks, Deppgrl. I appreciate you getting the list of lawyers, my cell phone and the food. I appreciate you taking the time today to help me out,” D said.

I said that it wasn’t a problem and that Al would be in a little bit to speak with him and his lawyer. I gave him a spare charger I found laying around in my apartment for his phone as he was waiting for his lawyer to arrive. I figured his phone might be on the brink of losing its power.

“Before we leave, is there anything I can do for you?” I asked as I was getting up from the table.

“Vince, would you mind if I spoke to your wife privately?” D asked.

“Go right ahead. Just don’t stress her out, ok? She’s pregnant,” Vince said; D nodded in agreement.

“So you actually married him, huh?  You know you coulda had a husband who would live longer if we married,” D said.

“If you’re going to continue to bash my husband, the father of my baby, I’m leaving. Don’t bother getting in contact with me anymore. You’re as rude as ever, if not more so. You couldn’t thank me when I came here. You couldn’t thank me for speaking to the chief asking him to lower the deal for you. You couldn’t thank me for bringing food for you. All I can think is: “Seriously?” D, you are the rudest person I have ever met! You don’t have any manners whatsoever! You’ve been like this from when I first met you. To be honest, you’re an arrogant ass!!” I said as I got up from the table and headed to the door.

The next thing I heard was the chair that D was sitting on scraping the floor and falling over. He grabbed my wrist and spun me around. He kept walking closer into my personal space and I kept backing up until I hit the door. As he placed both hands on my shoulders, I told him:
“If you come any closer, buddy, you’re going to regret it!”

D kissed me.

An urgent call from the former boss

We can all agree that Vince was in utter shock once he heard that I was worth more than he thought and more than I informed him of. I think he was also shocked of how much that I do with the money, the shelters – for pets and humans – the repairs of apartment buildings, paying rent for people, paid for my brother’s restaurant, etc.

After getting back to the apartment with our left overs, the gelato and the bazillion cheesecakes, we had the point people and their assistants swing by to take the cheesecakes to their respective places. Once everything was taken care of, Vince and I just plopped on down on the couch to watch TV; we didn’t care what was on. I was kinda dozing off when my personal phone went off. As I was reaching for it, Vince asked me to not answer it; I did anyways.

“D. What’s up? This better be an emergency,” I said. “It’s my one day off this week and I don’t want to be bothered.”

“Well, it kinda is. Let’s just say that you’re my one phone call,” D said.

“Ok,” I replied. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Whoever arrested me found out I used to be your boss and had asked me if I wanted to call my lawyer or if I wanted to call you. Since I don’t have a lawyer, I figured I’d ask you. Would it be possible for you to come down here?”

“Look. It’s my day off. I’m at home with my husband and I’m supposed to take it easy because I’m pregnant. Is this a misdemeanor or are you charged with something more serious?” I asked.

“They’re telling me that I need to get off the phone. Please just get here! I need you,” D said.

“Fine. My husband and I will be there soon. I can’t guarantee that I can get you out of this and there’s no way I’m letting you use my lawyer,” I said and hung up.

I quickly explained the situation to Vince. He wasn’t too thrilled in going to meet my former boss but he agreed to come with me. I hopped into the shower to wake up and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a turtle neck, a sweatshirt, a baseball hat and a pair of running sneakers. While Vince was in the shower, I threw my phones, my wallet and two bottles of water into my purse. Moments later, Vince appeared and we walked in silence the two blocks to the PD.

When we entered, I showed my badge and we were waved through and headed to the chief’s office.  I ran to the chief’s office and found him on the phone. As soon as he saw me, he hung up the phone.

“Al, what’s going on?? Why was D arrested?” I asked.

“Come in, close the door and have a seat,” Al said. I did as he had asked.

“What’s this about? Why was I called?? Why couldn’t he call a lawyer? I know he has one on retention,” I said.

“He was arrested for aggravated assault,” Al said.

“I can’t see that! What did he use? A toothpick?” I asked.

“People aren’t always as they seem and you know that. He actually used a revolver,” Al said.

“Did he shoot anyone?” I asked.

“No,” Al said. “It’s better if you play twenty questions with him instead of me.”

I nodded and left the office. I headed to the holding cell where D was being held. I asked one of the officers to bring D into one of the interrogation rooms so I could speak with D privately. The officer rudely asked me who I was. I smirked and showed him my badge and PD identification. The guy immediately escorted D.

“Uncuff him and offer him a bathroom break,” I said.

“Who do you think you are?” the officer asked.

“I out rank by a few miles, buddy. I can have you suspended for disobeying orders of superior. And in case you didn’t read my id like you were supposed to, I am one of the lieutenants of the Homicide Department and one of the five Assistant Chiefs,” I said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said shakily.

“I don’t have all day and neither do you. You have a limited amount of time to charge him with something before the three day period time is over,” I said as I saw him struggle. “You know what, give me the key and I will uncuff him myself as well as escort him to the men’s room.”

“My apologies, ma’am,” he said as he gave me the key. “Please forgive me. It’s my third month on the force.”

“Vince, watch D,” I said as I walked to the young officer. “How old are you?”

“Ma’am?” he asked.

“How old are you?” I asked again. “I want to know how old you are.”

“I’m 25, ma’am,” he said.

“The ma’am thing is getting old; just call me Lieu, ok? I was 20 when I joined the force and I’m 30 now; my birthday is in a few weeks,” I said. “I understand that you’re nervous and that you’re a bit afraid of my authority. Do you have an older officer as a mentor?”

“No, Lieu, I do not,” he said.

“Ok. Here’s my business card. My private number is on the back. When you’re ready, call me or text me and I’ll mentor you. How does that sound?” I asked.

“Very good, Lieu,” he said. “Oh. Lieu? My name’s Joe but everyone on my block calls me Joey.”

“Joey? Well, now that you’re an officer, I think that you should go by Joe. Try encouraging the guys from East Harlem do the same,” I said.

“How’d you do that, Lieu? How’d you know that I’m from East Harlem?” Joe asked.

“Accents and languages are my thing. I’m originally from Jersey but doesn’t sound like it; it’s like I lost my accent. I speak Italian, Czech, Russian, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Polish and Lithuanian fluently,” I said.

Joe was impressed and said so. I urged him to call me tomorrow and he promised to do so. I gave him his handcuffs and the key back. He took both and escorted D into the bathroom; as they emerged a few minutes later, they were laughing.

“Thank you, Joe. I can take it from here,” I said.

“But he’s a dangerous criminal,” he said.

“And he’s my former boss,” I said. “Have you heard of Charles Manson? Do you know what he’s done?”

“Yes, I do, Lieu,” he said.

“Well, Joe, Charlie’s the dangerous criminal.  I interviewed Charlie face to face for five days. With a criminal record like his, I was not allowed to have my weapon nor my badge nor a radio nor my cell; he was also uncuffed. My safety was at risk every second that I was alone with Charlie in a 4 by 6 cell. That first day, I grew a pair. Let me tell you about D.

He’s a terrible boss and short tempered, but he is NOT dangerous. D didn’t lay a finger on you since you arrested him and he sure as hell didn’t lay a finger on you in the men’s room. I can guarantee you that D is harmless,” I said.

Joe nodded and walked away. Vince joined us and we went into the interrogation room. I briefly stepped out to make sure no one was around and re entered the room. I locked the door from the inside just to make sure that no one entered.

“Okay, D. Here’s the deal. Right now, I’m not a cop; I’m only here to listen what happened,” I said. “I need to know everything just in case we need to call you a lawyer.”

“A few buddies and I go to a local bar to watch the football game. Quite a few people are there. Well, everyone’s drinking more than they should and everyone’s getting loud. Someone said something to insult another patron. At that point my buddies and I paid our tab to leave; we didn’t want to get involved with insults and a possible brawl," he said.

"What happened next?" I asked.

“I’m not entirely sure how it started but as we left, we got into a scuffle which turned into a fight. Someone pulled a gun and I fought for it. I won and I back handed the guy who I wrestled for the gun. Part of the butt of the gun hit him. Sometime during the scuff turned fight, the police were called and eventually came. The one guy was sent to the hospital; the one I wrestled for the gun and back handed. I heard he needed stitches. I was arrested and here I am,” D said.

“Look, D. You need a lawyer. I can’t get you out of this. It has nothing to do with my rank and position. Okay, so the guy pulled a gun and he didn’t threaten you or your buddies with it. He tried to use it as a scare tactic. It worked for you because you wrestled him for it. IF you were threatened, I can see you back handing him. But you weren’t threatened and your life wasn't in danger. It would’ve been a simple assault if you just used your hand. It got upgraded to aggravated because the gun hit him even though it was an accident,” I said.

“Could I use Kay as my lawyer? I got rid of mine,” D said.
“No you can’t. It would be a conflict of interest. She’s not only my bestest friend in the entire world but she’s also my lawyer. If you used her services, it would appear that I either pressured you to use her or I’m paying her to help you. I’m not willing to risk her career and reputation, nor mine for that matter. What I can do is give you a list,” I said as I pulled a list out. “We’ll step out so you can take your time. By the way, here’s your phone.”

He took the list and his phone. Vince and I left and went to the chief’s office. We explained the situation.

Sharing the news and even more food

I can’t believe that Vince thought I was pregnant with someone else’s child. It was a one night stand and we used protection. Do I regret that night? 99% of it I do but the 1% I don’t. Why? Because I have a business that I’m now running.

As I ate the crackers and drank more water, I did some reading that I felt like I was behind in. I was still exhausted since I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep so I set the alarm on both of my phones and fell back asleep.

While I slept, it was dreamless. I was thankful because I knew I was getting solid sleep that I desperately needed. I did have a strange feeling that Vince had joined me in bed and was holding me; occasionally caressing my body. I sorta woke up and in that state; I knew that Vince picked the lock. That booger; guess he was paying attention when I was teaching him how to pick locks!

“Hey, dear,” Vince said as he was nibbling my ear.

“Hey, boo,” I said.

“I’m sorry I hurt you by offending you earlier, honey. It was stupid of me to assume that our baby was not mine. Please forgive me!” Vince said.
“Only if you kiss me, “ I replied, with a wink.

Vince chuckled and obliged me. We cuddled up together, Vince’s hands covered my stomach in a protective but cute way.

“Babe?” I asked.

“Yes, love?”

“Are you happy?” I asked.

“I’m ecstatic, really! And a bit nervous,” Vince said.

“I’m scared shitless myself. Why are you nervous, babe?” I asked.

“This will sound stupid but I’m 19 years older than you. By the time this child will be out of high school, I’ll be in my 60’s and when they’re out of college, I’ll be close to my 70’s. I don’t want to make our child be embarrassed by me,” Vince said.

“Silly, yes but not stupid. You’re a wonderful and loving man who’s stuck with me. Our kid will have an entertaining upbringing. A mother who’s held jobs with the PD and FD, bouncer, bar tender, Broadway show going, Jack Daniels drinking and pasta eating Italian woman. Fine; a quarter Italian. A father who loves more of the classical and jazz type of music, loves rom –coms, drinks sherry and gin and tonics, pasta eating straight laced Italian man.” I said.

“Babe, I don’t think that this child will be allowed to leave the house or date or get married,” Vince said laughing.

“Why?”

“Um, let’s see……you’re with the po – po and the calendar men of the FD. I’m super strict. What did you call me when you were my student. Oh that’s right. A ‘straight laced, no fun having, jack ass who’s got a broom shoved so far up his ass, he can’t sit down’. Did I get that right?” Vince asked.

“Part of it. Yes I did call you that, but when you broke up with me 8 years ago,” I replied.

“Ah. See what happens when you get old? Can’t remember much,” Vince said.

“No….that happens when people have children. We have much to look forward to in 9 months, babe! Our child will be sucking our brain cells from us!”

“Scary thought!” Vince said chuckling.

“I’m sure there are certain things that you’d rather have sucked before our baby comes!” I said suggestively as I reached for his thick manhood.

We ripped our clothes off in a heartbeat and I started to give Vince the best bj he’s ever had. In a matter of seconds, I had him moaning my name. He flipped me over onto my back, spread my legs and entered me and we climaxed together.

After laying in each other’s arms for a bit, we got up, showered (together) and got dressed. We gathered our stuff to take a ride on my bike. I headed to my brother’s restaurant so Vince and I could have an early dinner.

My brother greeted me once we walked in. Someone from his staff took our helmets before my brother brought us to my favorite table in the far corner.

“Mio caro fratello, Vince e ho una grande notizia da condividere con voi. Il mio medico personale ha fatto una telefonata casa perché non mi sentivo bene. Dopo l'esame, il medico ci ha detto che sono incinta e un mese lungo (My dear brother, Vince and I have some great news to share with you. My personal doctor made a house call because I wasn't feeling well. After the examination, the doctor told us that I'm pregnant and a month along),” I told my brother.

“Congrats little sister. Did the bastardo make sure he moved up here to take care of you?” my brother asked.

“Hey. No need to call me a bastard, stronzo. I moved up here the day after we got married,” Vince said.

“Boys!! Enough!! Leave the testosterone outside. Gesù, Giuseppe e Maria!” I said. “Look, bro, I know that you don’t like the fact that MY husband is nearly 20 years older than me but you gotta get used to it, or at least try to! Just be happy that I found someone who loves me, respects me, takes care of me, encourages me to continue my jobs at the PD, FD and the office and will stand by my side when no one else will,” I said.

My brother just nodded and let it go. We talked about the restaurant, my jobs, what Vince is going to do. My brother offered Vince a job as the manager of the front of the house (the dining area) at $45 an hour. Vince said that I make more than enough to last he and I two lifetimes and suggested $30 an hour. My brother conceded and they shook hands on it. Vince would start this coming weekend to help. I raised an eyebrow towards my brother as if to say: “See? It wasn’t so hard was it?”

“Bro, you know how Vince was when we were in high school. He didn’t change when we dated 8 years ago and still hasn’t changed. If you have any problems with him, text me,” I said. “I have my ways to make him see my way!”

Vince blushed and was SO red. My brother laughed. After he caught his breath, he asked if we wanted what I usually order.

“The brussel sprouts are a must, two orders. The peppers  and both sopressatas  for Vince, the olives for me of course and the Sunday gravy also for me, the Carbonara for Vince, the rigatoni in the Vodka sauce for us to split,” I said.

“Wow. Changing it up, I see! Lemme guess. For dessert, two slices of cheesecake and the hazelnut gelato for dessert. You’ll be taking home 200 cheesecakes for the PD and FD and several gallons of the hazelnut gelato for you,” my brother said.
“Yep,” I said.

“You know, I had the feeling that you’d be in today so most everything is just about ready. I’ll bring out what’s ready when it’s ready,” my brother said.

“Sounds good,” Vince said. “Um, how are we gonna bring the leftovers, the cheesecakes AND the gelato home?”

My brother and I looked at each other and laughed.

“Should you tell him or should I?” my brother asked.

“You can. It’ll be funnier and it’ll keep me out of the dog house!” I said snorting with laughter.

“She takes the gelato home with her on the bike and then she gets a limo driven by Maxwell to bring the cheesecakes to her house,” my brother said as he begins to snort with laughter.

“How does she get the cheesecakes delivered to the PD and FD?” Vince asked.
“That’s easy. I have a designated person from both the PD and FD who’ll swing by with an assistant who’ll deliver the cheesecakes to the right place,” I said.

“Wait. You spent $8,000 plus tax and tip to order 200 cheesecakes from your brother’s restaurant, shell out an additional $200 to Maxwell to pick up and deliver the cheesecakes to you and you give him a $100 tip. On top of that, you pay your designated people and their assistants a total of $1200 to sort the cheesecakes and to deliver them ? That’s $95,00! You do that for 52 weeks? Hon, that’s $4,940,000 a year!” Vince said.

My brother and I are laughing even harder, both snorting so loudly.

“You wanna tell him?” my brother asked.

“Yeah I’ll tell him,” I said as I was trying to catch my breath.

“Tell me what? What’s so funny?” Vince asked.

“When I was 19, I bought stock in Coach, Versace, Kate Spade and Michael Korrs. Then they all hired me to run protective services on the heads of these companies. They all loved me so the heirs of these companies made me co heir. I’m worth money, honey!” I said. “I’m worth trillions!”

Vince looked at me and thought I was nuts.

“What do you do with all that money?” Vince asked.

“Well, I paid for my brother’s restaurant. For Thanksgiving and Christmas I buy turkeys and everything for the shelters and soup kitchens, provide bedding for the shelters, help food pantries out when they’re running low. I help low income areas by paying rent for a year and a half and hire a construction crew to fix up buildings. If hospitals need money, I donate some or if they need supplies, I ship the supplies to them. Right now, I’m trying to get the approval from all 5 boroughs for animal shelters to build 6 no kill animal shelters in each borough. So far, I have approval of 4 boroughs and 24 shelters are going up. The supplies are in storage, the staff have been hired; including several vets and vet techs for each shelter,” I said.

“Wow,” Vince said.

Stress.....or is it something else?

“Wow. I’ve heard some strange things in my life but yours is something else completely!!  How did you know that you and Vince were meant to be?” Kat asked.

“You know, the only way I can explain it is with what I went through after the break up, the life I was living and the few semi serious boyfriends I’d had before getting married, the guys couldn’t even compare to Vince. Most of the guys were assholes, some were sweet but they just weren’t in the same league and they didn’t understand me. They wanted me to leave the PD and the FD, stay at home, go out and get mani – pedis, go shopping with the girlfriends, that kinda thing. That isn’t me, Kat.  There’s nothing wrong with staying at home, mani – pedis or go shopping with the girls….but to be honest?? It’s too girly for me. I mean, sure, I go shopping at Tiffany’s but I do it because I can afford it and can afford to give my loved ones the best presents. I’m not gonna give up my jobs with the PD and FD….nor my job here. Vince knows that and although he doesn’t completely understand my decision, he loves me and respects me enough that he supports me. He’ll give me guidance and advice when I ask for it…..but at the end of the day, he’ll always tell me that he loves me no matter what” I said.

“What if you decide to start a family? What will you do about the jobs with the PD and FD?” Kat asked.

“We’ll talk about it. If I kept the other jobs on top of this one or even cut down to two jobs, Vince would be happy to be a stay at home dad since he retired early,” I said. “And yes, Kat, we’re working on it!”

She left my office and I did some work but I was beyond exhausted. After working for another hour, I left and went back to the apartment. Once inside, I went into the kitchen to drop off my travel mug and grabbed a bottle of water and went to my room.

Vince was just chilling there, reading a book. He saw me come in and greet me. I stripped down to my birthday suit and joined him in bed.

“What can I do for you?” Vince asked as I was taking a drink from the bottle of water.

“I need some sleep. Well……you do too. Sorry about screaming and waking you up. Why don’t you just hold me?” I asked.

He nodded and put down his book and I put down my water. We curled up under our thick, fuzzy flannel sheets and my darling hubby just held me. We fell asleep rather quickly; I had a dreamless sleep for which I was thankful. About 3 hours later, I woke with severe stomach pains. I texted my doctor as I ran to the bathroom to vomit. I showered and brushed my teeth and used mouthwash a million times. 

The doctor examined me and saw this strange look on his face.

“Give it to me straight, doc. I can’t be pregnant. It’s only been a few weeks that I’ve been married and Vince is the only guy I’ve been sexually active with Vince for the past few weeks. It’s stress, right?” I asked.

“As you know, I’ve been doing this a long time. To a degree you’re stressed and need to slow down a bit,” he said as I was making faces. “I’m not asking you to stop working at all but you need to slow down. And to be quite honest, my dear? You’re pregnant.”

“What?” Vince and I asked in unison. I hadn’t heard him enter the room.

“Vince, your wife is pregnant. Congrats to the both of you,” my doctor said.

He gathered his things and left. I just sat there on the couch in my robe.

“Are you ok, babe? You don’t look so excited,” Vince said.

“Other than an awful stomach, I am. I’m rather surprised actually,” I said.

“Um, I hate to ask this,” Vince said.

“I know what you’re going to ask,” I said. “And yes, I’m offended that you’re actually thinking it. No it’s not my former coworker’s. We used protection. How could you even think such a thing?” I said.

I got up to grab some crackers and another bottle of water and straight back the bedroom, locking the door as I was back in.

Some hard issues to share

“I was friends with benefits with this one guy who was a friend of our mutual friend who’d introduced a number of years ago at church. We’d hung out a few times until the one time I was over at his house; we had a few drinks and eventually had sex. It was a continual thing after that. When he left to go to Iraq, I was free to have sex with whom I wanted; which was no one. When he came back, he was only having sex with me.

I was on the verge of ending the friends with benefits that night but I didn’t have a chance. I let myself into his house and went straight up to his room. I didn’t find him, there was a buddy of his there as well. I was ambushed as I tried to leave. I was raped and beaten by both of them that night. They left my face alone. They said that the only reason why they left my face alone was because it was my only beauty.

 They left a few minutes after that. Sometime later, I managed to get dressed and go to the police. I explained what happened. I was escorted to the hospital by the police but thankfully I was able to drive myself there.

I was escorted inside a private room where a nurse and a doctor performed the rape kit and checked me over. I had bruises all over my arms and ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a few cracked ribs. They put my shoulder back into place and wrapped up my ribcage. I was given the emergency contraceptive pill just be safe as well as treatment for any STIs that I may have contracted.

The police came back in to question me and I explained everything. I, again, gave the name of the friend with benefits but was unable to give the name of his buddy. They went to run a background check and they noticed that he was a Marine and just came back from Afghanistan a few weeks before.

They told me that they refused to arrest someone from the military because of bondage sex. I said that it was NOT bondage sex because I wasn’t into that and it was rape; just ask the doctor and the nurse. The police didn’t believe me. The following Monday, I went to the local prosecutor’s office to explain the situation. He didn’t believe me. I kept going back and forth between the police and the prosecutor’s office. They didn’t do anything because they accused me of lying and that an upstanding Marine wouldn’t do such a thing.

After going back and forth for close to a year, I gave up going back and forth. That’s when I decided that I wanted to work for the PD. I’d finally get justice for myself as well as other victims of rape. Once I went through the academy and hired by the PD, I went back to the hospital to see the doctor and the nurse that examined me and collected the rape kit. They still had it. I asked one of my buddies in the PD to process “Jane Doe’s” rape exam. He got the ok and when the results came back, the lab confirmed  that it was the former friend with benefits.

The prosecutor back home and took up the case and it went to trial. I went every day in my dress uniform; he could see me. On the day I was scheduled to  testify, the judge announced that the guy was murdered in jail as he was waiting to be transported to the courthouse,” I said.

“Oh, baby girl. I have nothing to say but I’m sorry that you went through that and I’m glad that you’re okay!” Vince aid. “How did you overcome everything?”

“I’m a fighter and don’t give up easily,” I replied. “I need to go to bed. I have to get up in 2 hours for work; I desperately need the sleep.”
I slid back into bed and Vince wrapped me in his arms; his own way of protecting me. I was grateful that I married him. I knew he was shocked and hurt with the rape and the beating but I knew he’d accept it and move on.

About 45 minutes later, I woke myself up by screaming. I scared the shit out of my poor husband.

“Babe, are you ok?” Vince asked

“Of sorts,” I hoarsely replied. “I had a nightmare of the rape.”

“Oh, honey!” Vince said.

I shrugged my shoulders as I got out of bed. I put on my robe, went into the kitchen to start the coffee and then headed on over to the bathroom to take a shower. I knew that I showered only a few hours ago but I felt dirty after having the nightmare. I just stood in the water for a good 30 minutes before I started washing my hair and the rest of my body. I scrubbed and scrubbed until my body was pink. I toweled off, put my robe back on, brushed my hair and teeth and headed back into the kitchen for the coffee. I filled my travel mug of coffee, adding sugar and creamer, then proceeded to get ready for work.

“Babe, I’m  going to work. I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” I said, Vince nodded his head to acknowledge me. I grabbed my stuff and headed for my bike.

As soon as I got to the office and closed the door behind me, I sighed. I sat down in one of the big comfy couches and closed my eyes for what felt like a few minutes. A light knocking on the door wakened me.

“Come in,” I said. The door opened and it was Kat.

“Your husband called. He asked me to check in on you. You ok, boss lady?” she asked.

“Grab a seat; I won’t bite,” I said nodding to the section of the couch next to me.

“Thanks!” she said, chuckling.

“Last night, after leaving, Vince surprised me with two tickets and two back stage passes for Maroon 5. We had an amazing time. As we got ready for bed, I let something slip from my past and he asked about it. I told him and 45 minutes after falling asleep, I woke the both of us from a dead sleep from me screaming; remembering the past. I got up and got ready to come here,” I replied.

“Oh my God,” Kat exclaimed. “Now I recognize you! You were in the paper about the Marine and his buddy raping and beating you. I heard he died in jail. The bastard deserved it after doing what he did to you!”

“Oh, Kat! I appreciate you being in my corner but after seeing a good therapist, I’m good…..except for when I talk about it and get terrible nightmares afterwards. I tend to shut people down after they ask me what happened. My poor husband!” I said

“From what I know about him, you know, from when he called? He sounds like a good man; like he’s so in love with you! Hell, I would be too if I were him!” Kat said.

“He is a very good man. We have a long history together. I was 14 when we first met; he was 33,” I said.

“How did you meet him,” Kat asked.

“I was a freshman in high school and he was a teacher at the high school. The first week there, I was desperately lost and not paying attention to where I was going, I literally smacked right into him, nearly causing the both of us to fall. He caught himself and then steadied me. I looked up at him and was ready to apologize but my jaw just dropped to the floor. He said that it was a pleasure to meet me and hoped I’d be in his class the next year. I asked how he knew me and he said that my brother announced the previous year that I’d be at the high school. I thanked him for steadying me and I went on my way. The school year went by so slow; I just wanted to be a sophomore so I could be in his class. The rest of the year I looked for him but when I saw him, I was too scared to say anything to him.

Thankfully, the school year ended and the summer went by fast. The first day that I was in his class, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going AGAIN and collided into him; it was like he was ready for it. He caught me before I tumbled to the floor He jokingly asked if I were to continue to fall at his feet. I chuckled and responded with: “Something like that!”. After class he asked me to stay and I did. I was a nervous wreck but he didn’t seem to notice. He just wanted to know how my summer was.

During my sophomore, junior and senior years, I was his student. Those years went by SO fast. Not a single one of my friends knew I was interested in Vince,” I said.

“What happened next?” she asked.

“When I was 22, I was running an errand for my parents. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking and I literally bumped into him again - can you tell that this is a theme for he and I? – and we got to talking. He asked for my number and I gave it to him. A few hours later, he’d called me. My hands were wet from doing the dishes and my mother picked up my cell phone. She was shocked to hear that Vince was calling because she remembered that he was my brother and my teacher. She almost hung up but didn’t. She walked into the other room with him on the phone, I was so embarrassed….Mom was questioning him. After a few minutes, she came back and handed my phone back to me.

I apologized for having Mom answer and he said it was fine; he understood that a good Italian mother questions any guy who wants to date her daughter, especially if he was 19 years her daughter’s senior. Anyways, we dated for a year but we broke up……Vince was scared that I’d say no if he proposed. I didn’t see him for a good 9 years. I had heard that his brother died unexpectedly so I went to the memorial service and funeral. The day after the funeral, I moved into his sister in law’s house at her request. She was having a hard time with the kids so I helped her out for 3 months. It was a little tense when Vince came over.

After the three months were over, I moved back here and was barely able to save my job with the PD. A friend of mine reached out to me a few weeks later to ask if I wanted to join him at the local high school football game; it was between our high school and our rival high school. I said I’d go with him. During half time, Vince and I spoke for a bit and I stormed off. I met him at his house after the game. I stormed out of his apartment after being in a disagreement. The following day, he asked if he could come over and I said sure. We were married that weekend” I said.

An amazing surprise

I finally got to the office just before my 11 am meeting with a few of the corporate staff members. I was introduced to the staff, forgetting most of the names along the way. I asked my assistant to call my brother’s restaurant to have him cater in a variety of things for lunch and to ask him to actually bill me this time. She left and called my brother to place the order.

A few minutes later, he sent me a semi angry text telling me to give him some notice before I call for him to cater to the new job. I told him that it’s only a few people. He asked how many is a “few”. I replied that it was 8; including myself.  He sent a picture of him flipping me off. I replied that I knew it was last minute but the more people who know about his restaurant, the more people who’ll go. He agreed but he still was mad that I didn’t give him enough time. I understood.

“Sorry about that, folks. I was just texting my brother who’ll be catering lunch for us today. I didn’t give him enough time. He should have the food delivered soon; he’ll text me when someone’s here. Anyways, let’s get down to business. What I’d like to know is what you guess expect from me and what I should expect from you. I was just told I authorize things, go to meetings, sign payroll checks and do some pencil pushing. Is any of this true?” I ask.

“For the most part, you’ll have meetings twice a week; a total of 8 to 10 hours.  You’ll sign payroll once the hours are verified which should take you a few hours….maybe 2 or 3 hours. You’ll also need to authorize the ad campaigns before they go out. You’ll be here 4 days at most. If there’s ever a need for you to be here, one of us will get a hold of you. It won’t be often that we’d contact you when you’re not here,” Kat said. She’s the only one whose name I remembered.

“Sounds good to me. Oh food’s here!” I said as I got up to open the conference room doors. In walks my brother with enough food to feed an army.
“There's enough food here to last a week but we'll enjoy it all today. Here is three hundred dollars. If it doesn't cover the cost, let me know and I'll give you more.” I tell my brother. He nods at the money to say that it’s more than enough. We hug and he leaves. I encourage everyone to eat; since there’s a ton of food, we invited the remaining staff to join us. I’m grateful that I have a staff of 12 people, not just to help with the food, but it’s easier to remember everyone’s names. After eating lunch, we get back to business.

“Ok. So now I know what you guys expect of me. Now, it’s time for me to share what I expect of you guys.  First and foremost, I expect everyone to be professional from the time you guys enter the building until you leave the building. No slang or foul language is allowed to be spoken or even typed in an email. Second of all, many of you are on your cell phones for a good chunk of the day. Consider this the first warning. If I catch anyone on their cell phone for more than an hour a day, I will send you home for the rest of the week. The second time I catch you, empty your desk and leave. Thirdly, all of you have my work number. Use that number to reach me directly if you’re going to be late or calling out sick. Please give me as much notice as possible. You will hear my personal phone go off throughout the day. I am one of the few lieutenants of the homicide department with the PD as well as one of the assistant chiefs of police. I also do some free lance work with the FD.  With that said, most of the time I will be coming in as you see me now…. jeans and a t shirt just in case I get called to a case. I usually have my badge and weapon with me but today, everything’s at home because I didn’t want to scare anyone off. Fourth thing. I’ll have a construction crew to come in and build small closets in your offices. The reason behind that is so you can have a personal and private place to store your jacket, briefcases and purses as well as professional attire. As of now, you are more than welcome to come to work in jeans and t shirts as long as the jeans are in one piece, stain, rip and tear free. The shirts must be in the same condition. Fifth thing is I’ll  update the system for clocking in and clocking out. Instead of using time cards, the new system is state of the art. And the final thing is, the last Friday of every month, we’ll have a meeting to discuss that month’s sales.”

I got a few grumblings about the cell phones, with the new way to clock in and out, as well as the meetings.

“If any of you don’t like the cell phone rule, the new way to clock in and out or the monthly meetings, there’s the door; don’t let it hit your butt on your way out!” I said.

A few people stood there with their mouths wide open but after a few seconds, they picked their chins off the floor. Everyone scurried over to their offices so I headed to mine. I called Vince to let him know I’d be home soon. He was happy to hear that I’d be home since he had a surprise planned for me. I smiled and told him that I couldn’t wait. I knocked on everyone’s door and asked them to join myself and the others. Once everyone was there, I told everyone to go home for the day and to think about the rules I set up and what I expected of them.

“ Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you all in the morning,” I said.

I left and hopped on my bike. I took my time and arrived home 15 minutes later. After handing my keys to the valet staff, I ran up the stairs to the apartment.

“Baby, I’m home! What’s the surprise?” I asked.

“Hey, Mami. You still smell a little smokey from earlier. Go hop in the shower; I’ll be there momentarily,” Vince said as he kissed me. After a few minutes, he pulled away. “Mmmm, baby girl, if you keep kissing me like that, you’re gonna wind up pregnant in a little bit!”

“I sure hope I will by the end of the night. Plus it’s been a few days. Baby, I need you tonight no matter what your surprise is!” I said.

“Let’s go, I’ll join you in the shower now. I can’t wait any longer either,” Vince replied.

As he turned the water on, I dropped to my knees and grabbed his long, thick member. I started to stroke him and he began to moan in pleasure. When he grabbed my hair, I placed his member into my mouth, licking and sucking. He began to pump his member deeper into my mouth. After a few seconds, he pulled me up off my knees, turned me around and leaned me over the counter.

“Spread your legs a little bit more, baby. I want to see you dripping wet for me,” Vince said as he began to stroke my wetness. 

He adjusted himself, grabbed my hips and thrust his hard, long, thick member into my wetness. I screamed in pleasure. Vince was taking his time but I knew he was close.

“Hurry, babe. I’m so close,” I said.

Vince started thrusting into me harder and faster, making me moan and him groan. I clenched my muscles and we climaxed together. I could still feel him unload jets of hot baby batter in me minutes after our climax. He shuttered as he spewed out the last bit of baby batter and helped me into the shower; I was unable to get in myself. The hot water felt great as we showered.  After getting out and drying off, Vince left for a few minutes and came back to get me.

“I have the first surprise for you in the bedroom. Let’s go, I want to see your reaction!” Vince said as he grabbed my hand.

 I followed him and on the bed was the lingerie set that I’d always wanted. I shrieked and hugged him. I quickly put on the silk thongs and as I was putting on the bra, I noticed it was a little too small for my chest size. I was about to say something but he stopped me.

“I know the right size, which I also got, but for tonight, this is what you’ll be wearing,” Vince said as he was caressing my breasts.

“Baby, we won’t be able to continue with your surprise for tonight if you keep touching me,” I said.

I put the bra on and once Vince saw that I was ready, he led me into the dining room where he had a bottle of Dom Perignon chilling and a fire going in the fire place. He poured me a glass and led me over to my favorite chair and place a blanket around my shoulders. I sighed and realized how grateful I am that I have such an amazing husband.

“So I was going through your CDs and the music on your iPod the other day. That’s when it hit me. You work too hard, baby girl. You need to have a fun night out and go to a concert. Guess who has two front row tickets to your favorite band and two back stage passes?” Vince asked.

I jumped right off the chair, dropping the flute as I went to hug and kiss Vince.

“Babe, how did you manage two front row tickets and two back stage passes last minute to a Maroon 5 concert? They’ve been sold out!” I ask.

“I made a few phone calls.  The crazy thing is that I got their manager on the phone who has actually met you. He said something about you helping him a few years back; something about a home invasion and you came flying out of nowhere on your bike. You jumped off your bike, jumped on the intruder and tackled him to the ground…..your bike skid for a while, hit something and exploded,” Vince said.

“Oh. That guy is their manager? I should’ve recognized his name at the time but I didn’t” I said.

“I told him that we recently got married and he said that he, Adam and the gang would love to give us a wedding present….so they gave us the tickets and the back stage passes,” Vince said.

“Vince, you are AMAZING! You’re the best husband, EVER, and I love you!” I said.

Vince laughed a bit at my exuberance. I went to the bedroom and saw the clothes that Vince had bought for me earlier today. My hubby has great taste! Brown leather biker boots (knee high), tan skinny jeans, a thin black low cut sweater (hence the smaller bra) and a brown leather jacket that matches the boots.

After getting dressed and doing my make up, I grabbed my camera and threw it in my purse. I headed over back to the dining room to join my fantabulous husband for more Dom before the limo picked us up.

“Babe? I’m ready,” I said as I entered.

“My God, babe. You look amazing. I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands off you all night,” Vince said as he kissed my neck. “Let’s go before we miss the concert.”

We headed out to the limo and enjoyed our ride there. The ride didn’t last long since Vince received the ok to have us get a police escort from my buddies at the PD.  Once there, Vince helped me out. I remembered my purse just in time!! Vince and I put the back stage passes on lanyards and around our necks so we wouldn’t lose them. We were escorted in to our seats.

We had the whole row to ourselves! It was amazing!! The manager of Maroon 5 came out and pulled us up on stage and through one of the wings to go back stage to meet Adam, Jesse, Mickey, James and Matt pre concert.

It was amazing to meet the guys before the concert even though it was brief. Their manager pulled me aside for a moment so Vince could speak to the guys. I kinda feel bad that my hubby really doesn’t know their music but he got the tickets because he loves me. While talking with the gang, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of me.

When we got back to our seats a few minutes later, we were told we could have whatever we wanted free of charge; it’d be a wedding gift from the band.
The band got on stage and took a few minutes to tune their instruments, I had my camera ready. After a few minutes, Adam went up to the mic thanking everyone for coming out to the concert and said that he has a special announcement.
“A number of years ago, our manager’s house had an intruder while he and his family was home. A lone motorcyclist saw someone break into the home and flew off her bike to tackle the intruder. Not only did this person save our friend and manager, she saved a family. Little did anyone know at the time, she was an off duty police officer and she’s here with us tonight with her husband. Would you welcome our hero and her husband on stage…..Deppgrl and Vince!” Adam said.

We went up on stage and received a standing ovation. I went up to the mic to say a few words.

“Thanks everyone. I couldn’t, in good conscience, do nothing; I did what I felt was best even after a long shift. Both Vince and I are grateful that no one was hurt that night and that we’re here tonight. We hope that you’ll enjoy the concert as much as my husband and I will!” I said.

We were escorted back to our seats and the concert began a few minutes later. Mind you, most of the concerts I’ve attended lasted about 90 minutes but the concert tonight was close to 3 hours long. Just before they played the last song, Adam went up to the mic again to make another quick speech.

“Earlier tonight, you guys met Deppgrl and Vince. Well, just before the concert the band and I met with them. Vince had asked us before the concert started to play a certain song to end tonight’s show. Vince gave us a brief history. He and Deppgrl dated for about a year when she was 22 and he was 41. He was scared that she’d reject his proposal so he broke up with her. About a year ago they were reconnected after Vince’s brother passed suddenly. From when they last saw each other 9 months ago to 3 weeks ago, they hadn’t spoken. They were at an event and bumped into each other. Long story short, they got married that weekend. The song that Vince asked us to play to end tonight’s show, well, we haven’t played it in a while but it’s one of our favorites. Deppgrl, this song’s for you!” Adam said.

They started playing “She Will Be Loved”. It’s one of my all time favorite songs by the guys. I’m not sure how Vince knew that but he just knew that it’s my favorite songs. Vince stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist, humming along to the song. By the time the band hit the chorus for a second time, I realized that Vince knew this song. The sweet part is the band sings “She will be loved” but Vince changed it.
He sang it as:

“I don’t mind spending every day out on your corner in the pouring rain,

looking for you with the broken smile, ask if you want to stay forever.

And you will be loved, and you will be loved”

I couldn’t stop crying. Vince was so sweet to think of me, making sure I took a break, wear some new clothes, see my favorite band and sing my favorite song to me.

I turned around to face my wonderful husband and just hugged him. He held me in a tight hug for a long time. I’m not sure how long we were like that but most every concert goer was gone. I leaned up and kissed my sweet husband and thanked him for a wonderful night.

“We still have to go back stage, babe!” Vince reminded me.

“Yes. Yes we do, bub. I am SO lucky to have you for my husband. Let’s go, old man!” I said.

“I’m not that old, honey. I can still keep up with you!” Vince said as he winked. I turned beet red.

We headed back stage to hang out with the band for an hour since they played a long show. As we made our rounds of hugging and shaking the hands of the band, we were given SO many things, sweatshirts, t shirts, hats, jackets, 2 sets of ALL their CDs – signed by the way - one set of CDs for each of us. We had so many bags that we had to use our arms to carry everything back to the limo.

We climbed into the limo and fell asleep on the way back to the apartment. Maxwell woke us up and helped us carry the bags upstairs. I gave him an extra $200 after whatever Vince gave him earlier. Once we got all the bags in, I hung up my clothes and got into my nightgown. After  I slid under the covers, Vince joined me.

“Babe?” Vince asked.

“Yes, love?” I asked.

“I, um, want to….” Vince started.

“You want to what, babe? Get me pregnant?” I asked, winking.

“Yes,” Vince said.

“Please do,” I replied as I started to stroke his thick, long member.

In no time whatsoever, Vince is moaning and getting close to climaxing. He ripped my nightgown off, gently spread my legs a little bit and rammed his member deep into my wetness. As he was pumping hard and fast into me, I threw my legs over his shoulders so he could go deeper inside me. Vince and I started to moan in unison.

“Baby,” I beg. “Hurry.”

A few seconds later, we climaxed together for the second time that day. I still felt Vince shooting jet after jet after jet of hot baby batter deep inside me. He shuttered and shot out the last few jets of baby batter into me.

“Baby girl, I love you so much. You have no idea what you do to me. I could just stay in bed with you all the time and make love all day,” Vince said.
“As long as I don’t have to go to work on those days,” I said as I began to stroke his thick member again. “I’ve quit the gym so I can spend more time with you in bed.”

Vince couldn’t say anything except for moaning in pleasure. He stopped me, threw the sheets back, slid down my body, he threw my legs over his shoulders and started performing oral sex on me. He’s so talented that in a matter of seconds I was close to climaxing. He stopped and slid up my body and thrust his hard thick member into me with such force repeatedly that we both exploded at the same time, screaming each other’s names as Vince kept shooting jets of baby batter deep inside me; it took him a long time to finish filling me with baby batter. Once he was done, he kissed me then started sucking on my breasts.

“Baby are you up for another time? If you’re sore, we don’t have to,” Vince said.
“Have your way with me, bub.” I said.

Before I could continue, Vince flipped me over to my hands and knees, grabbed my hips and rammed his member into my ass briefly. It felt so good but he stopped, lifted my hips and began to pound my dripping wet apex. With each thrust, I was coming closer and closer to climaxing.

“Babe, I can’t stop,” Vince said. “I’m close”

“So am I,” I said.

A few seconds later, we climax together. Vince takes his time to unload baby batter in me; he shutters and is done.

“Baby?” Vince said as he held me.

“Yes, love?” I said.

“This may come as a surprise to you but you’re the only woman I’ve been with sexually,” he said.

“You’re kidding me, right? Babe, you’re absolutely amazing,” I replied.

“I’m not kidding. I’m as amazing as you are and you’re incredible.”

“Thank you. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve had too much practice,” I said.

“What do you mean that you’ve had too much practice?” he asked.

“After you broke up with me, I was heartbroken. I thought that you didn’t want me anymore and that you didn’t find me attractive any longer. So I went out with people whom I thought were my friends. Their goal was to get me drunk enough that I’d pick up random guys. It worked. While I was getting drunk and picking up random guys, I thought I was getting lucky because of my personality. Later on did I realize that most guys that are jerks won’t pass up on sex with a drunken woman. One night, it was awful. It changed my life significantly. I stopped drinking for 6 months; I became selective with whom I was involved with,” I said.

“Wow. Will you one day tell me what happened that night that changed?” Vince asked. I shook my head no and started stroking his member again. I wanted tonight to be the night I conceived his child. 

We spent the rest of the night having unprotected sex; he had me in every room more than 4 times and the fire escape 6 times. I was sore but I didn’t care....my legs were spread for my husband. By 9 am the following morning, we were exhausted and I fell asleep. 

I was out cold until mid morning. I woke up to a shaking bed, thinking it was an earthquake but I realized that it was Vince riding me very hard again. I spread my legs even wider for him. I was trying to moan his name but I was so hoarse I couldn’t. He noticed I was awake; he told me that he’d been emptying his balls in me for over an hour. I managed to whisper: “Yesssssssssss. Fill me up, baby. I want every single drop of your thick baby batter in me!” 

He nodded and continued to ride me for hours. He took a break because he claimed that he needed to rest; he took a magic blue pill. Once it kicked in, my sore and raw apex was ready for him. I started to spread my legs again and he slid himself deep down my throat to throat fuck me. No matter how much I was gagging, he didn’t care....it turned him on. 

When he was done, he flipped me face down on my bed and took my ass from behind; he was like a jack hammer.

He finally took my apex. I spread my legs for him and then he took his time filling me up. I lost count to how many times he’d unloaded into me since last night but I know that when we done around 3 pm, I was pregnant. 

The best nose ever

The chief came over, leaving Vince out by the chief’s SUV.

“Deppgrl, I can’t smell the gasoline at all. I don’t know how you can smell something that’s not there,” the chief said.

“Al, trust me, I smell gasoline,” I said.

“How can you be so sure?” he asked.

“Because I’m allergic to it,” I replied. “I can smell it a lot better than most; you’d have to be on top of it to actually smell it.”

“You’re allergic to gas? What else are you allergic to?” Al asked.

“Yes I am and a ton of things. You’re losing focus here, Al. I smell burnt gas here as well as charred plastic, wood and cleaning chemicals; of course I smell the smoke too. I want you to follow me as I finish checking; I need another set of eyes,” I said.

The chief nodded his head and helped me check the rest of the burnt apartment complex. As we headed to the back of the apartment, I saw a gasoline can haphazardly hidden underneath a bush.

“Al. You see a gas can by that bush?” I asked the chief.

“Yes I do. Mind sniffing it out?” Al said winking at me; teasing me about my sensitive nose.

“I’m not even 25 feet from the can and I can smell a trail of gas along the base of the apartment,” I said. “Someone used it as an accelerant to burn the apartment. It’s definitely arson. My best guess is that someone wanted to burn the apartment for any number of issues. Too high rent, a broken lease, no pets allowed, too loud parties, a problem with the manager. It could anything, boss. Do what you gotta do, Al, but I gotta go. The gas fumes are killing me; I gotta take my asthma inhaler,” I said.

“Vince already warned me that you have asthma and gave me your inhaler. Here you go; better take it right now. Depending on how you feel in a few minutes, can you check the structure on the inside?” Al asked.

“I’m not 100% FD, Al. I’m not going in; I don’t have the authorization to do so….on any structure that burns. Get one of the FD guys go in. I gotta get home so I can go to my new office,” I replied.

I hated telling Al what needed to be done and what levels of authorization I have. Once I got back to Vince, I ripped my gear off and stored it in my bag. I found the chief’s personal assistant to hand over the radio. I jogged back to the bike, strapped the bag on, climbed on, nodded to Vince to hop on and away we went back to the apartment. We hopped off, grabbed my stuff, leaving the key with the valet staff and headed back up to the apartment.

“Ugh. I hate going to fires. The chief is always asking me to go because of my nose but I can’t always go. I’m only authorized certain things with the FD but not what the chief wants me to do. That’s beside the point. As you know, it was your building that burned down. Thankfully your cats were with family and they’re safe. After I shower, I’m gonna text the managers at different department stores that you shop at so you can replace your clothing. You’ll be authorized to use my credit cards within those stores. Unfortunately, you’ll have to go alone since I have several meetings at the office today. Once you’re done, just text me and I’ll meet you wherever you are,” I said.

“Thanks, babe,” Vince said.

I nodded my head and started getting ready for work. I’m grateful for my position that I get to wear what I want to work as long as it isn’t stained, ripped, torn or looks like it’s on its last life. After my shower, I throw on a pair of jeans, a t shirt, sneakers, a baseball hat and throw my wallet, keys, both phones, my badge and weapon into my purse.

Vince and I head outside to grab a taxi. Thankfully, there was one there waiting for us. I was dropped off at work and Vince headed to the store. I’m glad that I was at work instead of shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be with my husband but I’d rather NOT have shopping involved