Safe With Him (6 page)

He took her in, all that incredible red hair loose and falling all around her, her face made up in a way that was sexy as hell. The shirt, hell, he wouldn’t even call it a shirt since it barely covered her. He could see the tops of her breasts, all that creamy skin on display, but with her hands on her hips it stretched it within an inch of its life. Showing off the outline of her bra, the curves of her perfect breasts. Scanning down, he caught the twinkle of a small stone at her stomach, then that tight, way too fuckin’ short skirt, legs covered in black stockings, and fuck-me-heels a mile high.

The whole of her didn’t make a man just think of sex. Fuck, it made the man swear she invented sex. Then it hit him. The scraps of material covering her as his eyes whipped back to her chest, and sure as shit, right across her chest in some fancy assed script was one word—“Stripped.” He took a step back, eyed her from bottom to top one last time, and then caught her eyes.

“You’re a fuckin’ stripper?” he asked in disbelief but again didn’t wait for an answer. “All that bullshit, the sweet, funny, sexy but always with that little bit of innocent act you pulled at my place, it was just that! A fuckin’ bullshit act.” He stood there, shaking his head in disgust. “A fuckin’ stripper.”

“Better than a cop.” She shot back with the same look of disgust on her face. “At least I don’t go around breaking the law when it suits me,” she hissed.

“Sweetheart,” he snarled, “a half an inch in any direction and I could arrest you for indecent exposure.”

“Well, yip-a flippin’-yay for half an inch!” She fired back at him. “Since my attire is legal, guess I’m not breaking any laws. So until I do, you can take your self-righteous, narrow minded, narcissistic, over-rated, nobody-asked-for-opinion, and shove it.” She whirled around and stomped off.

Draco stood there staring at the now empty spot where she had been. He could not believe that she was the same woman that was at his house just two weeks ago. “Oh, we are not done,” he voiced to the empty spot, turned and walked to the breezeway.

She was already a bit ahead of him, but he saw when she banged on Storm’s door once then turned to the door across the hall. Storm stepped out of his door about the same time she opened the door she was standing in front of. Draco watched her step inside about the same time he heard Storm growl.

“What the hell, Ree?”

Bree was enraged. “The nerve of that man!” she hissed aloud to nobody as she stomped down the breezeway.
He’s a cop. A freakin’ cop! And he was judging me!
“The nerve!”

She’d seen the look of the disgust on his face, heard the disgust in his voice, and felt it like a slap in the face. “He does
not
know me. Doesn’t know a thing about me! Spending a few hours together, once, didn’t give him the right to judge me or what I do or do not do.”

She reached Storm’s door, raised her fist and slammed the door once, then turned to her door, unlocked it and stomped through, just as she heard, “What the hell, Ree?” growled from behind her.

She whipped around as Storm entered her apartment. “Your
friend
…” she dragged out ‘friend’ in loathing, “is a hypocritical, sanctimonious ass,” she spat out each word, then thundered toward the hall.

She had only gotten middle way of the living room when Storm stopped her when he started to speak. “We’ll talk about who-the-hell-ever you’re talkin’ about next, but first I wanna know why the hell you’re still dressed like that?” he questioned, but before she could say a word, he continued, “We’ve had this conversation before. I get you dressin’ like that for work. Don’t like it, but I get it. You are to change your fuckin’ clothes before you walk out of that damned place. I know what kind of asswipe you can attract and not even know it till it’s too late. Some dumbass motherfucker follows you home and jumps you in the damn parkin’ lot, what the fuck you gonna do, Ree?” He still didn’t wait for her to answer. “What the fuck you think I’ll do? I’ll tell you what I’d do. I’d have to hunt some shitbag down and kill their sorry ass,” he finished in a huff.

“Don’t you start too!” She walked away from him down the hall to the bedroom all the while talking, knowing Storm could hear her just fine. “I got caught up studying before I realized the time so by the time I got ready for work I was running late.
Real
late. And I forgot to grab my bag with my extra clothes in it, but I was careful when I left and even had two of the bouncers not only walk me to my car but also check the parking lot before I even went outside.” She explained to Storm as she changed her clothes. Then she walked into the bathroom to wash her face. “And the only asswipe jumping me in the parking lot was that high and mighty, egotistic, judgmental jerk that you call a friend.” She jerked her hair back, twisted it into a knot, and used a scrunchie to hold it in place.

She was reaching for the face wash when Storm appeared in the open doorway. “Who the fuck was messin’ with you?” he demanded fiercely.

“That would be me.” She heard ‘his’ voice coming from her living room.

Storm was immediately gone from her view, but she could still hear him. “What the hell, man? You fuckin’ with my sister?” She heard Storm growl, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “You all right, but you start fuckin’ with her I will not hesitate to beat the fuck outta you,” he warned.

She rushed back down the hall, heading straight for the living room. “Not in here, you will not. You want to kick his ass, do it in the parking lot, and not near my car.” She made it into the living room and moved to stand between Storm and Draco, but had her back to Draco, and was only talking to Storm. “I just got it back.” She then turned to face Draco. “And you can get out.” She addressed her brother again. “See, I told you, damn cops think they can do any damn thing they want, just like always.” Looking back over her shoulder, she eyed Draco. “He’s no different than all the rest,” she stated with distaste.

“Go wash that shit off your face, Ree. I got this,” Storm told her but was looking menacingly at Draco.

*  *  *

Draco watched Bree head back down the hall. She had, he noticed, changed clothes. She was now wearing another pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting T-shirt, but he couldn’t get the image of her standing in the parking lot out of his head.

She stopped and looked back at Storm. “No fighting in here.” She glanced toward where Draco was, but not at him, and gestured, flinging her arm in his direction. “And get
that
out of here.” Draco watched her look back at Storm, then caught Storm giving her a chin lift before she moved out of his sight.

Draco cut his eyes back to Storm, who was looking at him like he would tear him apart. “How the fuck can you let her do that shit?” he hissed at Storm, trying to be quieter.

But Storm was already moving to the door, he reached it, opened it, then he looked back at him. “C’mon.” Storm stood there, holding the door wide open.

Draco walked over to the door, then through it into the breezeway. He didn’t know if Storm wanted him out only because Bree just didn’t want him in there, or if he was planning on fighting him and Bree didn’t want fighting in her apartment. He didn’t want to fight Storm. He would, but he sure as hell didn’t want to.

Storm walked out and shut Bree’s door, checked the knob to make sure it was locked, headed to his apartment, but left the door open for Draco. He followed suit and repeated his question, “How can you let her do that shit?” As he watched Storm walk into the kitchen.

In a flash, Storm whipped around. “First off, Ree is a grown woman and no one ‘lets’ her do any-damn-thing. Second, I may not like where she works at, but I know she’s smart, and I know she knows how to protect herself. I should. I taught her. And third, and most importantly, I respect my sister enough to let her make her own choices without condemning her,” he barked at Draco.

“Respect?” Draco shot back. “How the fuck can you respect that—” was all he got the chance to say, because Storm’s fist connected with his face.

“I don’t know what the fuck your problem is with my sister, but you need to stay the fuck away from her, and if you’re gonna talk shit about her, you can stay the fuck away from me,” Storm finished sternly, fist balled tight at his side.

Draco thought about punching him back, wanted to, but in the end it wouldn’t prove anything and would probably cause more problems. So he turned and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. He stomped back to his own house, all the while fuming at himself, Bree, Storm, and fuckin’ life in general.
How the hell could things get so fucked up, in two weeks, over a damn woman
? A woman he hadn’t even fucked, had only kissed once, and had only been in his life for a few hours.
This is what happens when you break your own damn rules.
Don’t bring a bitc…
Fuck, he still couldn’t refer to Bree as a bitch, even if she had called him every name in the book. Yeah, he had heard every damned thing she had called him; to his face and to her brother.

He picked up the water bottle he had left sitting on the steps and walked back into his empty house once again, alone, just the way he liked it. At least that was what he tried to convince himself.

Later that morning he awoke to a ringing phone. “What?” he grumbled.

“Well, good mornin’ to you too.” He heard Velgada say, then Lee added, “Wake your ass up, I’ll be over in thirty. Got a file.” Then nothing but dead air.

Draco rolled over and looked at the clock. Eight forty-five, Saturday morning. “This fuckin’ day won’t ever end,” he grumbled as he got up and headed for the shower.

Thirty-one minutes later he opened the door for Velgada and grabbed one of the two coffee cups Lee held, then the file. Five minutes after that, they were headed out the door.

*  *  *

Bree was so tired she couldn’t see straight. While walking down the breezeway, even the lights looked a little blurry. Saturday nights were always the busiest nights of the week, but this one seemed to be even busier than normal. Or it might be that her lack of sleep had something to do with it.

After she had washed her face last night and went back into the living room, both Draco and Storm were gone. She had just walked into the kitchen when she heard Storm knock on her door and call her name. She opened the door to a pissed off looking Storm.

“Now you wanna tell me what the fuck is goin’ on with you and Draco?” he snapped at her.

“Did y’all get into a fight?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No, Ree, we didn’t get into a fight. Now answer my question,” he demanded.

“I already told you nothing is going on.” She walked the rest of the way into the kitchen opened a drawer, pulled out a sandwich bag, grabbed a handful of ice from the freezer, and dumped it into the bag. “I have not seen him or talked to him since I was there that one time two weeks ago. Until tonight.” She turned back to face Storm. “Sit.” She pointed at the kitchen table. He jerked a chair out and sat down just as she walked over to him, grabbed his wrist, and laid the ice bag over his knuckles. “No fighting, huh?” She stared at him, waiting.

“I may have punched him once.” He didn’t sound the least bit sorry about it, she noted.

“Damn, Storm, did you forget he’s a cop? What if he presses charges, or worse?” she asked, beginning to worry.

“He’s not, Ree.”

“You don’t know that! You know as well as I do what kind of shit a cop can pull. There’s no telling what this cop will try.”

“He won’t pull anythin’. He’s not that kinda cop.”

“There’s only one kind of cop, Storm.”
What the hell was he thinking
? He knew just as she did. Hell, probably more than her, because he always tried to protect her from that, but she’d seen enough and had heard more than enough.

“Not all cops are like them. They were bad. I know they pissed on their badges and used it to their advantage, but, Ree, I’m tellin’ you, the cops around here are not like that.”

“Yeah, right,” was all she said. “Do you want something to eat?”

“No, I’m good, just wanted to check on you before I…you, went to bed.” He stood and held out the ice bag to her.

“Keep it, use it.” She walked up to him, rose up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. “Love ya, always,” she told him, still worried about him. She couldn’t lose him; it would kill her if something happened to him. She knew he heard the worry in her voice, but she just couldn’t hide it.

“Trust me, Ree, it’ll be fine. I promise you.” He kissed her cheek. “Love ya always,” he said right before he left.

She didn’t see him anymore that day or night before she had to leave for work. Now finally work was over, and Sundays were her one day and night that she had completely off. Nonetheless, all she wanted to do was see Storm and eat, then go to bed and sleep for the next week.

When she reached Storm’s door she knocked once, turned to hers, unlocked it and walked in, leaving the door open, thinking Storm would be right behind her.

She walked into the kitchen and saw the note on the refrigerator. She jerked it off and read it.

Ree,

Got some shit to do.

Will be back Monday.

Call me as soon as you get home.

Love ya always, Storm.

She turned around to shut her door and froze. Standing in the doorway was a man she had never seen before. One she instinctively knew she never wanted to see again, and he hadn’t even opened his mouth yet.

“You that cop’s woman?” he asked in a voice that matched his looks; greasy, sleazy, and just plain mean.

His hair was slicked back with oil, grease, nastiness, or way too much hair product. She wasn’t sure which, but she didn’t ask either. She just stared at him, because she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, ‘cop?’ What cop? Draco? She was so not Draco’s woman. But what if this guy was after Draco? Or was he working with him? Or was Draco pulling some crap with this guy? Questions went round and round in her head.

When she didn’t say a word he took a step in. “Are you?” he barked.

She jumped and answered quickly, “No!”

“You sure about that?” he asked. “Seen a few hanging around here.” He took another step toward her. “Or are you
all
the cops’ woman?” He looked her up and down.

“No!” She fired back, then added more calmly, or at least she hoped she sounded calm. “I don’t know any of the cops around here. I mean, I know of them, but I don’t know them, and I am most definitely not a, or more than ‘a’ cops’ woman.”

“Then why is it you think they’re all of a sudden hanging around here?” He was still looking at her like he was trying to picture her naked.
Ewwww
.

“I don’t know. I do know they have been hassling some guy that lives here in the building.” Shrugging her shoulders like it didn’t matter one way or the other to her.

“This guy, the one they been hassling, do you know why?” he questioned.

“Nope, not my business. You make it your business, next thing you know you got cops hassling you too. Don’t need none of that,” she stated like it was completely true, and hoped he bought her act of indifference.

He looked her up and down one more time. “Damn shame, would’ve been fun...having something of that damn cop’s.” He walked back to the door, and then turned back to her. “Cops start hassling you, you tell them Hugo wants a word.” Then he was gone.