Page 6 of Jackson
They were sitting in a corner booth at IHOP, both eating more carbs than they usually did.
“So if I understand correctly you and Chris aren’t compatible, except you are.” Paula stared in confusion at Kate. “I don’t get it.”
Kate stirred her coffee and nodded, deep in thought. She slowly closed her eyes and drew a long breath through her nose, held it, and let it escape.
When she opened her eyes, Paula noticed how her beautiful green eyes glimmered and were surrounded by dark circles. She reckoned she didn’t look much better herself.
“It’s hard to explain if you’re not in the lifestyle,” Kate said slowly.
Paula nodded. “The lifestyle? You mean that whips-and-chains stuff?
Kate cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “Not always whips and chains, but yes the lifestyle. What do you know about BDSM?”
“Not much. I’ve seenFifty Shades”—Paula held up her hands at Kate’s disgusted expression—“and you’re not the first one to tell me it isn’t a good example of BDSM.” Tapping a finger to her lips, she tried to piece together what little she knew about James and Laura. Nothing came to mind. She shrugged and looked over to Kate helplessly.
“Okay, let me try to explain. Laura and James are a D/s couple. ‘D’ stands for Dominant and ‘s’ for submissive. The fullacronym has a lot of meanings and there are almost as many forms of BDSM as there are people who practice it, but let’s stick to this part for now. James’ need to dominate matches Laura’s desire to submit. They fit together because their needs and wants fulfill each other.” Kate took a small sip of coffee and continued. “Chris and I are both dominant, so we don’t fit.”
“I thought all Dominants were men.”
Kate looked at her quizzically and started laughing. “Okay, that shows you know next to nothing about BDSM. Dominants come in all sexes and orientations. It’s not about men dominating women unless that’s how both parties want it. Some people switch roles, depending on mood or partner. Anyhow, Chris and I have incredible chemistry going on, and yesterday was one of the best sexual encounters I’ve had in my entire life, but we wouldn’t work as a couple.”
“This stuff is way more complicated than I realized, but what’s wrong with a night of hot sex?”
Kate’s shoulders slumped, and Paula had to strain to catch her whisper. “Because I’ve been fucking in love with the man for as long as I’ve known him, and I can’t go back to the friend zone with him after this.”
Paula had absolutely no clue what to say to that.
One thing was certain, she wasn’t about to unpack her own mess with a way-too-compelling, far-too-young blond Adonis. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to dump her baggage on Kate, not when the woman clearly had her own problems to deal with.
No, she’d be the kind of friend who listened without judgment, offered useful advice, and kept her own drama neatly tucked away.
As for Jackson Cagney? She’d handle him. And it definitely wouldn’t involve going to dinner.
CHAPTER THREE
Paula decided she would avoid the ‘Cagney problem,’ as she considered it, by hiding at the precinct to catch up on her paperwork. She was sure he wouldn’t think of looking for her there, but she was surprised to see her boss, Captain Walter Morris, there. She poked her head into his office to say hello and let him know she wasn’t there for overtime then went to her desk and got started with her paperwork. An hour later, she returned to his office.
She slammed a paper on her captain’s desk and pointed to it. “I want it.”
“It” was a request from the State Police Division of Drug and Crime Control for an undercover officer to investigate possible human trafficking linked to a police department in Southeast Missouri. The division was chronically understaffed, and these sorts of requests were not uncommon, however few cops wanted to investigate other cops.
Captain Morris raised his gaze from under his bristled eyebrows then looked pointedly to the chair in front of his desk.
Paula crossed her arms in front of her but wordlessly sank onto the chair. He was going to make her wait, if only to annoyher. She couldn’t fault him for that since she’d barged into his office and sprung her demand on him.
The captain finished reading his report, placed his signature with a few practiced strokes, and closed the file he had been busy with. He placed his hands on the folder and made eye contact with her. “Why?”
Paula bristled. “I’m qualified for the job, and I care about human trafficking. I helped with that ring we broke up last year. Those girls had been through hell.”
Her captain sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. It was the only sign he was getting older. Unlike many other high-ranking officers, he still boasted a lean, muscled body, even though he spent most of his working hours behind the desk that sat between them. “On paper, yes, and you speak Spanish. You’ve never done a long-term undercover op, though. Are you sure you know what you’re getting into? This is going after dirty cops. Most officers would look at this assignment as akin to joining the rat squad. Do you want that rep?”
“I don’t care who’s doing it. Human trafficking is evil, and we need to take every opportunity to stop it, even if cops are involved.Especiallyif cops are involved.”
He nodded. “Fair enough, but there’s more to it than that. You don’t turn up here on a Sunday afternoon to catch up on paperwork then storm into my office brandishing a flyer that’s been circulating for the last two weeks with no takers. What I want to know is why you’re so anxious to take it?”
“I’d like to get away for a bit. I feel like I’m getting stale. This will be a change of pace for me.” All of this was true, but not the main reason.
The real reason had a name and hands that knew exactly what they were doing, a mouth that had left her breathless more than once, and a body she was definitely not thinking about.
