A Little Beer Goes a Long Way
What a day. Andy sank into a chair between Traci and Dove at the Black Penny, chasing a double whiskey with an enormous gulp of Canadian before setting the glass on the table. "Remind me again why we wanted this job?" She groaned.
"The comfortable uniforms?" Traci's response was muffled by the straw in her mouth. She was on her third vodka tonic since getting off shift forty minutes earlier. Leo was with his father until Sunday and she was off the next day so there was no reason to hold back.
Dove said nothing, just raised his glass in a silent salute before draining it in a single go.
They'd been part of Division 15 for nearly eight months now, and in some ways it had gotten easier. They'd all made their first few collars, and their first few dozen mistakes. In other ways it was harder. They were rookies no longer. And yet, despite their months of work they were still at the bottom of the heap and that meant grunt work. Everything from undesirable stakeout posts to coffee runs to paper work fell to them.
This week the Division was busy, icy roads and a white out blizzard meant two dozen car wrecks in under a week. Car wrecks meant incident reports, minor injuries, and endless sorting out of who hit who and who was at fault. Most of which took place outside in sub zero weather. And the worst of which was assigned to the rookies. About the only thing to be grateful for these days was that they weren't traffic cops and didn't have to spend endless hours directing cars around the wreckage.
Today Andy had taken a statement from a woman whose only son, barely six years of age, was killed in a drive by shooting. Afterwards she'd wanted nothing more than to curl into the fetal position and never stop crying. The one problem with that plan was that the expression in the woman's eyes was now tattooed on the inside of her eyelids and she wasn't sure she would ever sleep again. She'd soldiered on, they all had, but now it was Tuesday night, they had tomorrow off and she planned to start the six day leave by getting black out drunk.
Halfway through her second pint of beer Andy remembered she was supposed to be having dinner with her father. She fumbled for her phone, but it wasn't in her pocket. "Shit," she checked all her pockets again, "Trace?"
Traci, tilted her head sideways so she could look at Andy without moving her body. The room was already tilting and she planned to last at least another hour until Jerry got off shift. Sudden movements were not part of the plan. "Yeees?" she drew out the word with a goofy smile.
"Can I have you phone? I think I left mine at the station."
"Sorry, I left mine in Jerry's car."
"Damn!" Andy downed the rest of her drink and stood, too quickly. "I'll be back in a minute."
The walk to the station was just long enough to take the edge off the tipsy, floating feeling in Andy's head. A slip and fall a block away that soaked one side of her body in icy water definitely helped the process. She entered through the back door and made her way as quietly as possible to the women's locker rooms. Most of the senior officers were putting in overtime these days and she really didn't want to run across one of them dripping wet and smelling like alcohol.
She cracked open her locker and after a quick call to tell her dad she couldn't make it, rummaged through her things for a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans. When all she came up with was the leopard print shirt Traci had given her months ago for the utter failure that was her first attempt at UC and a pair of loose fitting black sweatpants she groaned aloud.
"Sexy," Sam's dry voice from the doorway caused her to jump.
"You scared me!" She said, leaning to pick up the clothes she'd dropped on the ground.
"What the hell are you still doing here?" Sam asked, coming to stand a few feet away. "No showers where you live?" There was a twinkle in his dark eyes and the corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to laugh.
"Forgot my phone," she said, holding the grey flip phone up to his face as proof.
"And decided to start the search at the bottom of a puddle by the looks of it." This time he made no attempt to hide his amusement.
"I fell."
Sam had the grace to ask her if she was alright through his laughter.
"Fine thanks." She surveyed the meagre clothing in her hands mournfully.
"I have an extra t-shirt in my locker if you want it." Sam offered, smirking at the leopard print, "Although the leopard print is very nice."
Andy rolled her eyes, "T-shirt please."
"Be right back," he backed out of the room, teasing smile on his face.
She wasted no time shucking her wet jeans and replacing them with the sweat pants while he was gone. It was cold outside and the wet fabric was sending a steady stream of icy liquid into her left sock.
Sam returned just as she was tightening the drawstring on the pants. He paused once he was already inside the room and knocked. "You decent, McNally?"
He walked right up to her and handed her the t-shirt. Light grey, and probably tight on him, it would fit her smaller frame comfortably. It wasn't the sexiest look, but it would be much more comfortable than jeans and a tank top when she woke up the next morning, snuggled up on the bathroom floor with one arm around the toilet.
"Thank you." She held the shirt in both hands waiting for him to leave.
He didn't. "Any time."
"I should –" she lifted the shirt in her hands a few inches to indicate he should leave to she could change.
"Right," Sam shifted his weight back as if he were going to walk away, but he didn't move.
She met his eyes and for a moment she forgot about the half wet shirt clinging to her belly like a second skin. Why has she never noticed his eyes? She took an involuntary step forward.
Sam swallowed, audibly. His lips parted. He reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "McNally," he drew her name out, a verbal caress, a question.
Andy leaned towards him. Her face serious, she brought her left hand up to rest against his uniform; one finger running absently against his name badge. Her gaze darted to his lips and then came back up to lock with his eyes. She half stepped, half stumbled into his chest, and in seconds her lips were on his.
For a perfect moment she wasn't wet or cold. She was floating three feet above the floor on a perfect mix of alcohol and lust. She ran the fingers of her right hand through his thick black hair – definitely gel.
The crackle of his radio brought them both abruptly back to reality. Andy stepped back against the locker, eyes wide, panting.
"Andy I-" Sam rubbed his face with both hands.
She shook her head, "No… don't even -." She smiled ruefully. "I should…" she picked up his t-shirt off the floor and tilted her head towards the door.
Sam nodded and gave her a half smile. "I've got some paper work to finish but I should be done in twenty, want to grab a drink?"
"You buying?"
"I might." He backed out of the room, watching her until he was at the doorway.
She smiled, "See you at the Penny then."
Andy changed quickly. Sam's t-shirt smelled of him. It was a warm, familiar smell and she held it to her face for a moment and breathed it in. She remembered the first time she really noticed Sam's smell, months earlier, on one of the worst nights of her life. The same night they had kissed for the first time. She stuffed her wet clothes in a bag and slung it over her shoulder for the walk back to the Penny.
"God, what happened to you?" Traci asked when Andy pulled up a chair across from her.
Andy groaned, "I fell in a puddle."
"Seriously?" Traci's voice dissolved into laughter when Andy nodded. "Well you're two drinks behind, girl."
"On it," Andy said, pushing up from the table and heading to the bar.
When Sam and Jerry entered the Penny half an hour later, Traci and Andy were in the middle of an arm wrestle to determine who would pay for the next pitcher of beer.
"Well this looks like fun," Sam said, grabbing a chair from the next table and flipping it backwards so he could rest his forearms on the back of the seat while he watched. "What are we wrestling for?"
"Beer," they spoke in unison, not breaking their game faces or their focus.
Jerry pulled a fourth chair to the table and held out a crisp twenty dollar bill to Sam. "Twenty bucks on Nash."
"I'll take that bet." Sam snatched the bill from his friend's fingers. "Alright McNally, you got this."
Traci's arm began to shake and it was less than thirty seconds before Andy slammed it down to the table. She threw her arms up in victory, ignoring Jerry's cries of foul.
Sam pocketed Jerry's money, a wide grin on his face. "Next round's on Jerry." He slapped Andy on the back as he passed her, headed to the bar for a pitcher of beer and a couple more glasses.
When he returned a few minutes later, Andy was alone.
"Where's Nash?"
Andy shrugged, and gestured vaguely towards the back entrance.
"More for us then." Sam didn't press the issue. Jerry had been moping about Nash for weeks, if they were back together that could only be a good thing. Besides, he hadn't come to the Penny for Jerry.
They played three rounds of darts, getting progressively worse as they worked their way through two more pitchers of beer, before Sam offered Andy her coat. "Want to get out of here?"
She nodded and followed him out the front doors. Neither of them was in any shape to drive and Sam pulled out his phone to call a cab as soon as they exited the noisy bar. Andy stopped him with a hand on his arm. "My place is just a few blocks away." She said, indicating the direction with a tilt of her head.
Despite the warm fuzz of alcohol dulling his thought process, Sam hesitated. "Andy..."
For a moment Andy looked uncertain. "If you don't want to-"
That was all the reassurance Sam needed. Not caring if anyone else saw, he pulled her into a kiss.
She melted into him, arms sliding around his waist, lips opening under his. He could taste the beer on her tongue, feel the heat of her alcohol flushed cheeks between his palms. The thought that he would never be able to do this if they weren't both slightly drunk stopped him in his tracks and he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.
"We shouldn't." He said, forcing himself to take a step back, letting the cold night air fill the space between them. Sam kept his eyes on the pavement between them, if he looked at her he wasn't sure he would be able to step away again.
Andy's arms dropped to her sides, severing all contact. "I'm not your Rookie anymore, Sam." Her voice was a mixture of frustration and resignation.
"I know that." He met her eyes and was horrified to see tears gathering at their edges.
"Then, what? What is it?" She crossed her arms and stared him down defiantly. Her eyes daring him to explain.
It took several seconds longer than it should have for Sam to realize she wasn't angry with him for kissing her. She was angry at him for stopping. His mind raced trying to remember why a minute ago it had seemed to important to him that they not do this tonight. "We've been drinking," he said at last. It sounded like a feeble excuse even to his own ears.
One side of Andy's mouth twitched as if she were fighting a smile. Keeping her gaze locked on his she brought first her right index finger and then her left up to touch her nose. "Is that enough or should I recite the alphabet backwards?" When he didn't answer immediately she found a mostly straight crack in the sidewalk and walked it with tightrope precision, reciting as she went, "Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, Q... wait.. R, Q, P-"
"Okay!" Sam held up both hands in surrender. "I'm an idiot."
"You said it." She teased, favouring him with a genuine grin. "Now can we please get out of here?"
"Lead the way."
It was a chilly night. A perfect excuse in Sam's mind to wrap an arm around Andy and pull her against his side as they walked slowly, and not quite steadily, towards her apartment. He knew the way, it was hard to be partners with someone for eight months without knowing where they lived, even if you didn't have a hyper awareness of their every movement. But even knowing the way, he nearly missed it. There was something deliciously distracting about his hand on her hip, one finger brushing bare skin where the t-shit she'd borrowed had ridden up a centimetre above her sweatpants. Twice he stopped dead and pulled her into a kiss.
It took Andy several tries to get her keys in the front door. The cold air and the walk had cleared her head of any remaining tipsy haze, but Sam's hands on her hips and lips on the nape of her neck made it incredibly hard to focus. When the door finally opened under her hands she stumbled forward slightly. Sam's hands steadied her before letting go so he could shut the door behind them.
The first thing Sam noticed in Andy's apartment was her bed. Unlike his townhouse which had a separate bedroom, Andy's apartment was one open space with a kitchen on one end, and a queen sized bed on the other. The only light in the apartment was that filtering in from the streetlights outside, yet he could tell it was incredibly tidy.
Sam couldn't help comparing it to his own home. He wasn't a messy guy, and he kept his apartment pretty well. He pictured it now, the stack of dirty dishes sitting beside his sink, the towel that hadn't quite made it to the hamper in his bathroom and the rumpled covers of his hastily made bed, not messy, but not exactly fit for female company.
"Want a drink?" Andy asked. Now that they were in her apartment and the majority of the alcohol had worn off, she felt awkward. For all Traci teased her about being a slut, she'd never actually brought a man who wasn't her boyfriend home to spend the night before. She wasn't quite sure how this was supposed to go.
Sam shook his head, closing the distance between them. He cupped her face gently between his palms and lowered his mouth to hers, barely brushing his lips against hers before pulling back. The last time they'd almost done this had been hurried. A rush for pleasure, a rush to forget the day... This time was going to be different.
He tangled one hand in her hair, the other dropping to rest at her waist as he leaned in again. This time Andy snagged the collar of his shirt with three fingers on one hand and there was no pulling back. Still Sam kept the kisses gentle, close lipped and slow. His fingers at her waist slipped inside her shirt, tracing small circles against her warm skin. He'd waited eight months for this, he was going to enjoy every second.
He trailed kisses across her jaw and down her throat, pausing to taste her skin where her carotid pulsed rapidly. He grazed the sensitive skin with his teeth and then soothed it with his tongue.
The prickly stubble of his five o'clock shadow tickled Andy's neck and she couldn't stop the giggle that burst forth. She could feel an answering smile against her skin. This was how it was supposed to be. Not running away from guilt and pain. Just revelling in each other. Laughter and warmth and skin on skin. Right now she needed more of the latter. She slid both hands up underneath his t-shirt, running flat palms across his abs and around to the small of his back, drawing him closer.
His lips found hers again and this time she deepened the kiss. She could taste the beer on his tongue, but she didn't care. It felt right. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt impatiently and they broke apart for a moment as she pushed his t-shirt off and wiggled out of her jacket. Before she could slip the t-shirt she wore over her head, Sam captured her hands with his, trapping them behind her back and stopping any protest with his lips on hers.
Andy let him back her up until her back connected with the wall of her apartment and Sam released her hands. Before he could change his mind, Andy made quick work of Sam's belt and pushed his jeans down so all he had left were white cotton briefs. Once again Sam captured her hands in his, pinning them above her head with one of his, dropping the other to cup her breast through the thin cotton t-shirt she still wore.
She could feel wetness pooling between her legs already. There was no denying the pure lust coursing through her body in waves. Sam dropped his mouth to her collar bone, and her knees went weak. That was going to leave a mark, but she didn't care. "Oh God, Sam," she gasped, arching towards him so his erection brushed against her body.
Sam kissed her roughly and released her hands so he could push the grey t-shirt over her head. Andy was briefly aware that her once-black bra was two years old and more brown than black, but he pulled it off too and then his mouth was on her breast and the only thing that mattered was that he never ever stop doing that with his tongue.
He made short work of her sweatpants and soon they were in a pile around her ankles. She kicked them free. At least her panties were new, and lace. Sam used both hands on her ass to lift her so she could warp her legs around him and she wondered briefly if they would even make it to the bed this time. And then he slid one hand in between their bodies, running two fingers across the sensitive flesh between her legs and all she could think was that they were still wearing too many clothes.
She rocked against him without conscious thought, seeking to increase the pressure against her clit. Sam bit her earlobe gently and whispered, "Patience, McNally. We have all night."
Andy had never really understood what was sexy about talking during sex until that moment. Sam's voice was rough with lust and it sent shockwaves of need through her entire body. She turned her head to capture his lips in a kiss, pulling his lower lip into her mouth and biting it none too gently.
Sam seemed to take the hint, he grasped her hip with one hand, her ass with the other and turned away from the wall, keeping her anchored against him. He lowered her onto the bed and kissed her soundly before straightening up to kick off his underwear. It wasn't the most graceful move Andy had ever seen, and she fought the urge to laugh. She'd always assumed he was something of a player, but that was one move he definitely hadn't practiced.
His own underwear discarded, Sam hooked two fingers in her panties and pulled them off, tossing them on the floor before joining her on the bed. There was an awkward scramble as Andy scooted up so her head was resting on the pillow and Sam followed. And then he was hovering over her, supported by arms braced on either side of her head and it wasn't awkward at all.
Andy slid one hand behind his head, pulling him down into a searing kiss. She could feel his erection against her thigh. She shifted restlessly underneath him and reached one hand between their bodies to stroke his length. He twitched against her and she smiled against his lips as she closed her hand around him, tightening just enough to make his groan as she slid her hand back and forth over the satin smooth hardness.
Sam turned his head and trailed kisses down her jaw and along her throat. When his lips fastened onto her left breast she released him and brought both hands to his hair, grazing his scalp with her fingernails as he bit gently on the sensitive peak of her nipple.
His fingers found the tangle of soft curls between her legs, slipping into her folds rubbing the warm wetness over her clit. She opened beneath him, spreading her legs to give him better access. He slid one finger into her and then two, his thumb rubbing her clit in maddeningly slow circles.
"Sam," she whimpered, arching her hips into his touch. She needed more and she needed it right that moment.
She felt rather than heard his chuckle. It vibrated through her entire body and she thought she might cum just from that.
Just as she was considering how she could take control of the situation, he pulled himself back up, capturing her lips before pulling back to roll on a condom. He held her gaze as he thrust into her in a single motion. For several exquisite seconds they were still and then in tandem they began to move.
Like everything else that night, it started slow. Sam pulled nearly out of her before slowly sliding back in. She could feel every inch of him contacting every inch of her. It wasn't long before Andy could feel an orgasm building. Sam maintained the slow pace, steadily thrusting as her muscles tightened around him. She threw her head back and gave in to the wave of pleasure, calling his name.
When she opened her eyes again he began to pick up the pace. His control could only hold out so long. She clung to his back, fingers digging in tightly enough he was sure he would have marks in the morning but he didn't care. He could feel the telltale tightening in his scrotum, he was on the edge. He dropped one hand between them to rub her clit in time with his thrusts.
She moaned against his lips and in two more thrusts he came, shouting her name to the heavens. He continued to stroke her clit until she came again and then pulled out. He disposed of the condom quickly and returned to bed.
Andy was curled on her side, watching him with a contented smile on her face. She'd had sex with other men. Bigger, longer lasting, more skilled, but she had never felt this complete. Something about Sam, about her and Sam was so right.
He climbed into bed behind her, pulling her against his chest with both arms. Exhausted and sated, she let her head fall against his chest. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "You are a hell of a woman, Andy McNally." He said softly.
Andy turned to smile up at him. "You're not so bad yourself."
In minutes they were both sound asleep.