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She stood quickly to get their meal, clearly grateful for the interruption. Jackson let it go. For now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“Coming!” Paula yelled when the doorbell rang the following morning. If she’d remembered the schedule, the physical therapist would be coming to work on Jackson’s leg, however she hadn’t expected her this early.
Paula swept her wet hair out of her face and rushed to the front door.
“I wasn’t ex—” The sentence died on her lips when not Sandra, but Captain Morris was standing in front of her. “Sir?”
“Good morning, Paula.” He held up a folder. “You didn’t sign your papers, so I thought I’d drop them off.”
“Papers, Sir?” She didn’t understand. She stepped away from the door. “I’m sorry, I’m forgetting my manners. Please, come in, Captain.” Her mind raced. Was she ready to introduce Jackson to her captain? It looked like she didn’t have a choice.
He rested a warm hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I just dropped in. Is this a bad time?”
“No, no, Sir. I wasn’t expecting you, that’s all.” Paula went into the living room, where Jackson was ensconced on the couch.
“We have a visitor, Jackson.”
Jackson looked surprised when Captain Morris came in behind her.
Jackson started to move, and Captain Morris stepped around Paula. “Please don’t get up on my account,” he rumbled. “Looks like you need the rest.”
There was an awkward silence as the men sized each other up.
“Jackson, this is Captain Morris, my CO. Captain, this is Jackson Cagney from the Drug Interdiction squad.” Jackson frowned and she added, “and my—er—boyfriend.”
Paula turned her full attention to the other man in the room. “Please have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee? I just made a fresh pot.” Jackson’s mug was almost empty. “Would you like more coffee, S— Er, Jackson?” Her cheeks heated as she almost called him “Sir,” and a smirk replaced Jackson’s scowl.
“No thank you— Paula.” The deliberate pause before her name was a clear taunt Paula chose to ignore as she hurried to get the coffee.
When she returned, the captain and Jackson were discussing the local meth lab problem. She placed the coffee mug in front of her CO, and he focused his attention on her. “Thank you, Paula. If the taste is as good as the smell, I’m in for a treat.”
Paula smiled and fidgeted with her hair, not knowing what to do with her hands. “Strong and black, if I recall correctly.”
Jackson patted the seat next to him, and she went to sit down with him. Another silence followed, and this time the captain filled it. “So… boyfriend?”
Before Paula could answer, Jackson squeezed her upper leg. “Fiancé, actually.”
“That’s… unexpected.”
“Yes, we were keeping it under wraps with all the gossip at the PD, but with the explosion, it’s out in the open,” Jackson answered with his hand still on her leg.
Paula shifted in her chair, unable to get comfortable.
“You mentioned papers, Sir?” Paula asked.
“Yes, I did.” Captain Morris gestured to the folder on the table. “I got your paperwork from HR, and your time off is approved. You just need to sign the forms. You can’t use FMLA, as Detective Cagney isn’t related to you, but you do have four weeks’ vacation, so you can use that. If you need more time, we can work it out in a month. For instance, if you’re living together full time by then, I may be able to get you the FMLA leave, and you could use your sick leave to cover some of that.”
Paula wanted to slap her forehead. How could she have forgotten those? “I’ll get a pen and sign them right away.” As she handed the papers to the captain, the doorbell rang, and Paula jumped up. “That must be the physical therapist.”
Paula returned with Sandra, and Captain Morris got up. “I’ve taken enough of your time, and I need to get to the station. It was good to meet you, Detective Cagney.”
“Thank you so much for bringing the papers yourself, Captain. I could have come in to sign them.”
“No trouble at all, Paula. Call me anytime.”
Paula escorted him out and returned to hear Sandra saying, “I may be submissive at the club, but here I’m the one in charge. I need you to promise you won’t try to throw your Dom weight around with me.”
