The Guardian

decipher this for you.
    Am I just a one night stand, an occasional thing, a friend with benefits, a long term deal? You know. Where. Is. It. Going.”
    “Well, geez, you’re not just a one night stand. Come on, you should know better than that.”
    “How would I know that exactly? I came on to you as I remember. I have no idea what your feelings are on even that. I should know what they are if any for me.” She had turned in the seat and was facing him now.
    “I was shooting from the hip because I was picking up some nonverbal from you. I presumed, or at least hoped that you had the same feelings for me.” She added.
    “Yes, of course, I guess I know all of that. And you’re right. I have feelings for you. I guess it was just a shock thing I was doing.” He admitted.
    “Well, thank God for that. I was beginning to wonder if I was playing like a whore or something. I don’t know if you appreciate how hard it was for me to even go through with that.”
    “Actually, yes I can. I mean, well, nobody thought, I mean, the impression was, well, you know what I mean.”
    Laura was starting to have fun with this now. “No, what does everybody think? That maybe I’m a lesbian or something?”
    “Oh God no, well, yes, maybe. I don’t know exactly. They just think that you’re a hard catch. They think that you’re pretty particular about who you hook up with is all. I was just feeling pretty damn lucky if you must know the truth.” He was avoiding the gay thing completely. He didn’t even want to go there.
    “Look, I’m not trying to put you on the spot here, and I’m not really trying to pressure you. It’s just that, as hard as it was I guess I’d just like to know how you feel about me. If we are going to keep going with this, is that so bad? Don’t worry John. I know the guys at the department think I’m gay. So what, I haven’t had any of the female officers who are gay hit on me.”
    “No, no you’re right. Hell, nobody wants to hit on you. I’m sorry.” He said as they pulled into the nearest parking lot he could find. He put the car in park and turned to face her.
    “Look, I really like you, a lot, really. The truth is I don’t ask you for assistance because you’re damn good looking or that you’ve got a great body and all. A lot of it has to do with your qualifications as a cop. That’s also a widely known fact. You’re damn good at what you do and everyone says so.
    “Aside from that, I really like having you around me. However, the downside to that is that I’ve had a failed marriage because of this job. I’m just like a lot of other guys and I’m afraid that if we hook up and it fails, the working relationship we have as partners fails too. So I’m really on the fence here. Does that make sense?”
    “Jesus, John, that’s the most you’ve said to me in I don’t know when. And yes, that all makes sense. We won’t know unless we try. Quite frankly, I think that we should try, don’t you?”
    John just smiled at her. “Well, yes if you think we should. I mean, why the hell not. The sex is killer, and anyway, what else have we got to loose?”
    At that, he leaned over in the seat and took her in his arms. He kissed her deeply, passionately, holding her tightly. They stayed like that for what seemed a very long time.
    They pulled apart, Laura breathing heavily. “Wow, we better stop before I take you right here.”
    “Ya well, I can’t walk in anywhere looking like this.” He said looking down at the front of his jeans.
    “Did I do that?” She asked shyly.
    “I would say yes, you certainly did.”
    He kissed her again, pulled away, and decided that they’d do a drive through at Jack-In-The-Box. They would do a take out, go home, and eat. After all, he had other things on his mind, and it wasn’t work.
    Chapter 99
    Gwen wasn’t an exceptionally attractive woman, but she wasn’t chopped liver either. She had a nice figure, despite the little bit of a gut she had. That was from the booze and she knew it. It didn’t matter that much. She still had her share of lovers that found her attractive. The truth be known, they just found her easy. Hey, any lover is better than no lover she always said.
    The crows’ feet around her eyes and hairline wrinkles around her mouth were from the cigarettes she smoked. Her voice had that raspy, deep, whiskey edge to it from smoking and drinking too much. She thought it made her sound sexy. Her best feature was her piercing blue