Page 60 of Road Trip
Against a wall
in the shower
from behind
on my lap, facing me and backward
on the balcony of our hotel room
in a hot tub
These all came through on separate texts. My grin kept getting stupider.
I like how your mind works. What are your thoughts about butt plugs?
I had to try to throw him off.
For you or for me?
That made me giggle. So business-like.
Either. Both.
It took a moment for him to get back to me that time. I laughed out loud at his response.
Thank goodness I’m already through security. They might be concerned about the bulge in my pants.
Oh, poor guy.
They’re calling me for boarding. I wish I were with you right now, beautiful. There’s so much I want to say…sleep well. Be safe.
I woke up late the next morning, grateful I’d remembered to close the drapes. I had to be out in a short amount of time, so I showered and dressed in my last sundress. A knock at the door startled me. I checked the peephole before opening it like a good girl and called out to the woman.
“Ma’am, I have Mr. Graham’s laundry.”
I opened the door and fumbled for tip money.
“Thank you so much. I hope you both had a wonderful stay.”
I thanked her and handed her the tip. After she left, I hurried to get packed up. I looked around the room and sighed sadly, wishing we were leaving together instead of him having to face the music alone. I wanted to be by his side. What did that mean? I was a pretty independent chick. Did I really want to give up my privacy and have a man with me all the time? I honestly thought when I finally settled down it would be with a chick because I didn’t think I could handle all the dudeness. But Kelly was different. He was more male than most of the guys I’d been with, but more sensitive and generous than most of the women. There was nothing feminine about him except for his sensitivity maybe.
I got another surprise when I checked out. Kelly had left me an envelope with money, instructing me to use it for gas and whatever else I needed. I was blushing and stammering when I said to the desk clerk, “Can I leave a tip for the—”
“He took care of that already as well. We hope to see you back again, Mrs. Graham.”
I balked at first, but decided to play along.
“Thank you! It was great. I hope we come back.” To myself I said, “Maybe I would be Mrs. Graham when we returned.” Then I kicked myself physically and mentally for that little gem.
Before I got on the road, I sent Kelly a quick text to let him know and sent a silly selfie with my glamour sunglasses on and my bright red lipstick. He seemed to be a fan of the lipstick.
Kelly
Returning to the department was like being doused with ice-cold water. It was hard to hold onto the warmth I’d felt in Abra’s arms as I ran through the necessary elements of my trip. I was shown a lineup and I recognized the tattoo of a dagger in a heart that number seven had on his neck. I spoke to the detectives who were handling the case at length about the assault, and then I prepared myself for a grueling conversation with my lieutenant and my partner, Manny.
“So this is some shit, Graham. I can’t believe these fucking guys followed you, man. You need to watch your back.” Lieutenant Reynolds was pissed off beyond belief. She had a thing about people messing with cops.
I knew the department had my back, but something bothered me.
