Sparta Nights

Author's Note: This verison of Sparta Nights has been slightly modified to comply with FanFiction's content guidelines. For the racier verison, please feel free to drop a message in my inbox. Other than that, read, review and enjoy the ride...:)

Sometime before sunrise, Bubba awoke and sat up on the side of the bed. A smile came over his face as he glanced down at the woman who had shared her bed with him last night. They would both have to be at the station that morning.

He hated sneaking around, but unfortunately this was the way it had to be.

Their relationship would never be accepted in Sparta. It made him sick to his stomach the way folks had held up their noses and scowled at Chief Gillespie and Ms. DeLong. He did not want to subject her or himself to that type of scrutiny.

It had started out quite innocently. They were alone at the station one rainy night. She had been assigned to monitor the radio desk while Parker was on vacation. Virgil had gone home to Althea and the twins. Lonnie and Sweet were out on patrol. He was at his desk completing some reports that were due the next day.

They had always joked around with each other, even when they were out on stakeouts. However, something was different about that night. She was still down in the dumps about a case they had solved a few weeks ago. A biracial baby had been abandoned by its drug-addicted mother and left in her care. To her it was a blessing; the doctors had long ago told her she would never be able to have one of her own. On top of that, she had earned the scorn of her mother when she had become heavily attached to the little one. Unfortunately, when the baby's mother was located, the baby was placed into foster care until she could get clean.

As a result, they had ended up having a heart to heart conversation. Somewhere in between he asked her why a nice-looking girl like herself wasn't married by now. When she turned the same question on him, he was completely tongue-tied.

"A hunk like you should have a wife and a brood of kids by now yourself," she said as her eyes traveled slowly up his massive chest and rested on his dark brown eyes.

Bubba felt a flush go up his neck when she said that. She had never looked at or talked to him in such a manner.

"I, uuh better get back to my report." Bubba ran his hand through his hair and buried himself back into his work.

She giggled and turned her back to him. Inadvertently, he glanced back up and realized that she had a helluva little figure on her. He shook his head and quickly put some ungentlemanly thoughts out of his mind. Man, she is like a little sister to you. He scolded himself.

When their shift was over, he had walked her out to her car. Out of the blue, she turned to him. "Thanks for talking to me; you made me feel a little bit better, Bubba." A lone tear found itself rolling down her right cheek. She gave him a hug and turned to open the door to her car.

He placed his hand on the small of her back, gently spun her around, tilted her chin toward him and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He half expected her to knee him in the groin or push him away, but she did nothing of the sort.

Her purse and keys dropped to the pavement with a jingle as she returned his kiss, slow and steady. To this day he didn't know what had come over him. She wasn't his type or so he thought before that night.

The flame had been lit; he followed her back to her apartment and spent the first of many enjoyable nights with her.

This one had been no different. Her shift had ended earlier that evening. As soon as he was able to tear himself away from a meeting with the chief and Virgil, he had made his way over to her apartment. She greeted him with a kiss.

"Eww, you stink Bubba." She cringed and held her nose.

He came in and threw his hat on the couch. "You would too, if you had to bring in Junior Baldwin."

"The guy that lives out by the pig farm?"

"Yep, that would be the one," he grinned as he made an attempt to wrap his arms around her.

She scurried away from him just in time. "Well, you get yourself in the shower and I'll have your plate ready when you get out," she laughed.

"Care to join me?" he asked as he headed in the direction of her bedroom.

"And get my hair wet?" she shouted from the kitchen.

"Women…"

"I'll make it up to you later, I promise," she pouted.

"You betta…"

Bubba showered, threw on an old Sparta High tee shirt and a pair of cotton sweatpants. The aroma of red beans and rice, fried chicken and collard greens hit him before he made his way to her dining area.

He sat down at the table. "Mmmm…. "

She batted her eyes. "Is that for me or the food?"

"Both." He pulled her down to his lap and planted a hungry kiss on her mouth. She moaned as her lips parted beneath his. Their tongues became intertwined. She gasped as he used his free hand to undo the button to her jeans.

She pulled away. "We better stop before the food gets cold," she whispered.

"We can heat it up later…"

"Bubba, who likes cold chicken?" she winced.

He was just happy to finally get some time alone with her. Things were so hectic down at the station; they barely got to see each other. On the rare occasion that they were alone, they had tried hard to keep things professional.

He smiled inwardly as he thought about the stakeout they had conducted a few nights ago. During a moment of downtime, they had figured it wouldn't hurt to steal a little kiss. However, one thing had led to another and they ended up sharing his seat in the unmarked car. The image of her hot, little body straddling his, hair cascading down into her sweaty face (her usual updo was destroyed, bobby pins were strewn throughout the car), shirt opened just enough to give him a peek of her mahogany breasts was forever burned into his memory. He was just as disheveled as she. She had reclined the seat, thrown his shirt onto the backseat and was in the process of unbuckling his thick, black leather gun holster. Too bad Parker had interrupted and radioed them to return to the station due to the fact that Lonnie and Sweet had apprehended the suspects they were looking for.

"Ol' Parker got a way of spoiling things, huh?" he whispered, clearly out of breath.

"Wouldna wanted to be the one to clean this car out tomorrow morning if he hadn't called us," she giggled.

"Are we still on for Thursday night?" He reached up and caressed the side of her face.

"I don't see why not." She leaned down and placed a final chaste kiss upon his lips.

The next day at the station, he couldn't help but steal a glimpse of her as she worked the front desk. It drove him crazy how her uniform gripped her petite, voluptuous figure. Small things like smelling her perfume as she passed his desk or grazing her hand when they had both reached for the same doughnut in the breakroom had made him anxious to see her tonight.

"Somethin' else gonna be overheatin' if you get my drift," he growled as he nuzzled up against her ear.

She giggled, "I see what you mean." She hopped up, grabbed his hand and led him into her bedroom.

Despite the fact that he towered over her and was almost twice her size, she was not intimidated by him at all.

He picked her up gently and placed her on the bed. She rose quickly to her knees, pulled him up close and wrapped her arms around his neck. Next, she delivered a sweet, lingering kiss on his lips. A low, rumbling moan escaped his throat. That always turned her on.

His wandering hands summoned a trail of heat down the length of her body; one found its way to her ample bottom. The other worked frantically at her zipper.

"You seem to be in a hurry, Captain Skinner... do you have another stop to make?" she purred and cut her eyes up at him.

"Um um…." He shook his head slowly and tightened his grip on her. "Nope, just this one right here.…."

Their lips came together once more into a smoldering kiss. He lowered her gingerly to the bed, nestling his massive body between her waiting legs. She closed her eyes as he began to nibble into the crook of her neck. She sucked in her breath.

"Mmmmmm…" She wrapped a leg possessively around his trim waist.

Damn him. He knew that was her weak spot. In addition, she almost lost control as he pressed his hardness into her. She reached up and lifted the ratty tee shirt over his head. It landed beside the bed. Her fingertips danced across his muscular back.

"Bout time we got rid of these here things." He tugged at her jeans once more.

"Yes sir," she said breathlessly.

He rolled beside her. "Hey, you know we're not down at the station, you can call me by my name."

"I plan on doing just that." She shot him a wicked look as she wiggled free from her jeans.

"Oh…" He caught sight of the skimpy, red thong she wore. "Oh yeah, you will and then some," he drawled.

"You like?" She unbuttoned her shirt and flashed him seductively. Her breasts were barely contained behind a lacey red bra.

"I can show ya betta than I can tell ya." He retook his place on top of her.

Once again, his tongue found its home in the crook of her neck. It was the most vulnerable part of her body (save for the other that would receive some much needed attention from him later). Judging by her withering figure beneath him, he knew it would not be much longer before she surrendered to his advances.

However, he did not want to rush things. Luann was a beautiful woman who deserved to be pampered and savored. Like him, she would often become emotionally tied to whatever case she happened to be working. Unfortunately, that left little or no time for her to develop personal relationships outside of her job. The situation with Rocket, the idiotic name the baby's mother had given him, had left her bitter, angry and frustrated. She would have made an excellent mother to the little one if she had been allowed to keep him.

Her breathing intensified as he delivered kisses down her cleavage. Luckily for him, her bra opened from the front giving him easy access to her shapely breasts. He sucked on one of her nipples and teased it until it stood at full attention. A moan escaped her lips as he began to nibble at the other one. Once he was done, he slowly placed a trail of hot kisses down her stomach. She called out his name.

"I ain't done nothing yet." He grinned and looked up at her, then continued down further.

"The hell you say," she panted.

Shit. Shit. Shit. What in the hell was she doing? Or better yet, letting him do to her, for that matter? She hadn't put much thought into it since their relationship had started on that rainy night two months ago.

Losing Rocket had taken so much out of her, but as always she had put up a strong front at the station. That night, she had been so vulnerable, let her guard down. Bubba had listened to her—something her own mother or wayward brother had never taken the time to do. So when she had felt his big, strong arms wrap around her, she threw caution to the wind and invited him to follow her back to her apartment.

Being with Bubba felt so natural. She loved the way that he held her, protected her, and made sure all her needs were met.

Their first argument had occurred when he attempted to schedule her for a slew of desk duty verses being out in the field. A smile had spread across her face when she saw a peace offering— the small, brown Magnolia Cafe bag in the center of her desk; he knew of her weakness for Joanne's famous bread pudding. She remembered that night how they had "conveniently" ended up in the evidence room together.

Sure, she knew of his history with several ladies around Sparta. He never seemed to be very lucky with love. She hoped to change that. Her feelings for him ran deeper than a fling and her intuition told her that the same was true as far as he was concerned also. She promised herself that she would make him happy during whatever time they had together.

"Mmmmmm….that hit the spot," he rambled as he crawled back up her body.

"Oh, yes it did." She ran her hands through his damp hair and pulled him down for a deep kiss.

"I take it you ready for the main course?" He mumbled as he nibbled on her neck.

A small yes was all she managed to squeak out. Damn him.

Bubba was the first to wake. Luann lay nestled by his side. She looked so peaceful and content. He hated that he would have to wake her soon. They were due down at the station early that morning.

A couple more minutes won't hurt none. Bubba thought. He wished that they could lie like this all day. No woman had ever made him feel this way before. She was smart, beautiful and independent, not like most of the "damsel in distress" types he had dealt with in the past. A kindhearted soul, she always placed the needs of others ahead of her own. It was time for her to be taken care of for a change. He wanted to be her man, protect her, and love her. Love her? Yes, this little lady had definitely stolen his heart and he didn't mind one bit.

If only the town of Sparta was ready to accept another interracial couple. It made his heart ache knowing that they would have to keep their relationship hidden from their family and friends.

Bubba eased up and sat on the edge of the bed. Luann remained unfazed. He smiled. Guess I kept her up a little bit past her bedtime.

He showered, changed into a fresh uniform (sans white socks—Luann had teased him about his MJ look) and decided to prepare them a small breakfast before they reported to the station. A grin spread across his face when he saw that their intended meal from last night still sat on the stove. She's not gonna like that cold chicken. He thought. He packed up their lunches and placed them and the rest of the food into the fridge.

The aroma of grits, scrambled eggs and bacon lured a sleepy-eyed Luann to her small dining area.

"Good morning, Bubba. You didn't have to…." He pulled her into his arms for a deep kiss. "Mmmm…"

"If we didn't have to be at the station, I would take you back in there." He swatted her bottom.

She stared dreamily into his eyes and played with the hem of his old tee-shirt that she had conveniently thrown on. "I wouldn't mind…."

He backed her against the wall, leaned down and planted another smoldering kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in closer. He lifted her up. Her legs snaked around his waist. His lips found her neck. Just then, his cell phone went off. He grumbled and reluctantly let her down. She gave him a peck on his cheek and sauntered into the kitchen to fix their plates.

He recognized the number and placed his phone on speaker.

"Hello, Captain Skinner, here."

"Hello, Bubba." Gillespie's raspy voice leapt from the receiver.

"I was just about to leave for the station….." He smiled sheepishly at Luann.

"Well I'm glad I caught you before you left. I've got word about a new drug cartel that has set up in Sparta. I hear it may have ties to a larger national group. "

"Dammit, when will these knotheads stop using our town for a jumping-off point? "

"I need you to grab a hold of Luann and yall go down to the Bottoms to see if anything funny is going on down there. I tried to reach her, but her phone kept going to voicemail."

Bubba blushed and looked over at Luann. She stifled a laugh as she dug into her breakfast.

"What was that, Bubba?"

"Err...nothing, Chief. Sounds like our friend Jimmy Dawes could give us some info."

"Yeah, I already sent Sweet down to talk with him."

Bubba laughed. "For some reason, Sweet always has a knack for finding him."

"Ah, listen Bubba… Luann's been doing a swell job down here. I never thought we would've gotten over the lost of Christine a while back….What I'm saying Bubba is I want you to protect her. She'd hate me if she knew I asked you to do so. I know she's strong-willed and a tough cop, but I don't think I can stand to lose another girl."

"I understand, Chief." He reached over and held Luann's hand.

"She's like a daughter to me, Bubba."

A single tear made its way down Luann's cheek. Bubba brushed it away and placed a tender kiss upon her lips.

"Bubba?"

"Yeah, Chief I heard you; she'll be safe if I have anything to do with it." He caressed the side of her face.

"Thanks, Bubba."

Bubba hung up and stared over at Luann.

"You know he's right. I wouldn't know how to deal if something ever happened to you."

"I'll be fine; you guys worry too much about me." She slid over onto his lap and gave him several small kisses. She could feel his arousal growing.

"Mmmmm… I hate to stop this, but if we don't we won't ever get down to the Bottoms today. You think you can give ol' Bubba a rain check? "

"Sure Captain Skinner….Imma hold you to that." She straddled him and laid one more sizzling kiss on his lips before dashing off to shower and get changed into her undercover attire.

"Bill…?" Harriett shot Gillespie a worried look across their dining room table.

"Yeah, honey? I didn't mean to ignore you or anything."

"I know that look, something's bothering you. What is it?"

"I'm worried about Luann; it's not like her not to pick up. I hope she's okay. I oughta send someone out to her place just to make sure."

"You told Bubba to get a hold of her, right?" She asked matter-of-factly.

"What makes you think he'll have better luck than me?"

She gave him an all knowing look, leaned over and took a swig out of her coffee cup.

"Why dear, you look like the cat that swallowed the canary. Is there something I'm not aware of?" He drawled.

"Has it dawned upon you that maybe Luann was in the company of a young man?"

"No…and what does that have to do with Bubba?"

Harriett smirked and took another sip of her coffee.

He suddenly realized what she was hinting at. "Now Harriett, I think you're way off-base about that one."

"Why do you say so?"

"Well, for one I don't think Luann's his type…"

"What, because she's Black?"

"Naw, that ain't it, you know Bubba's history with women…it leaves something to be desired. And I don't think Luann's most likely to put up with any of those kinda shenanigans."

"You know the right woman can change a man." Harriett reached over and rubbed the back of her husband's hand.

He smiled back at her. "I wasn't that bad, besides what makes you think they're seeing each other?"

"Well for one, I've seen them over at The Magnolia for lunch a couple of times."

"That doesn't mean anything; many people on the force eat there together."

"No… this was different. A few weeks back I was meeting Althea there for lunch and she was running a few minutes late..."

"Oh Lord, don't tell me you've got her in on this, too."

"Hush, Bill and let me finish. When I walked in, it seemed like they were in the mist of a heated discussion. I could have sworn I saw him reach over and try to take her hand, but she just jerked it away from him. When they realized I was there, they ate rest of their meal in silence. You should have seen the way they looked at each other. If looks could kill…. Call it my woman's intuition."

Harriett continued. "She was the first one to leave, brushed right by me. Bubba did speak, but was quite short. …just sat there and stared absentmindedly into his coffee cup. A few minutes later, he had Cheryl bring him a small to go bag before he headed back over to the station."

"Ahh, Harriett… they could have been discussing a case…"

"Trust me on this one, Bill." She got up and placed a kiss on his lips before heading back upstairs to dress for the day.

Even though he blew Harriett off, Gillespie stored this piece of information away for future use. If true, he of all people would not have a problem with his captain of police dating one of the best rising officers on the force. He just wished that they wouldn't have to go through the same mess he and Harriett went through when they took their relationship public.

Luann retrieved her old ten-speed bike from her storage shed in back of her apartment building. It was not a big deal for her to use it to ride down to the Bottoms. Besides, she could always hitch a ride back to the station with Sweet.

It was hard for her not to think back to the night before, but duty called. She decided that she would talk to a couple of her contacts (Sweet wasn't the only one who had them) and if she received any good leads, ride through the heart of the Bottoms to scope out any suspect activity.

After failing to locate two of her contacts, she met in an abandoned farmhouse with Roberta Strutt (formerly known as Topaz), an ex-prostitute she had befriended when Charmaine Rogers, a fellow prostitute had been murdered down in the Bottoms a few years back. Luann was proud of the progress that Roberta had made since then. She had cleaned herself up, got off drugs and alcohol, and enrolled into Sparta Community College. Through the years she had provided Luann with valuable information that helped take down several drug dealers and other miscreants around Sparta. Maybe this case would not be any different.

Unfortunately, Roberta had no information on the case that Luann could use, but she told her that Angie Dupree, a contemporary of hers who was still turning tricks down in the Bottoms could help her. Luann hugged her and wished her well on her new endeavors.

She returned to her bike and headed for the worst kept secret in the Bottoms, the little whorehouse where Sparta gentlemen of all ages, races, and economic statuses tickled their fancies with some of the town's choice ladies of the night. Bubba had told her that he had once been propositioned by one of them right there on its front porch! I wish one of those heifers would….. She caught herself before she could become distracted.

Just then her cell phone rang. Speak of the devil. She smiled and pulled to the side of the road.

"Hey, just checking in on you. Any leads?" Bubba's baritone voice blared from the phone. Her heart skipped a beat.

She composed herself. "Thought I had one, nothing yet...you?" She kept her impending trip down to meet with Angie to herself. She didn't want him worrying about her or jeopardizing her lead—if there was one.

"Nope, I patrolled the area a bit. Actually, I'm parked here over off of Peach Blossom Lane. Still haven't heard from Sweet, yet. I told Lonnie to get over to Sparta High to see if something funny is going on there. You know the school's one of the first places that these idiots will try to peddle their poison. "

"Maybe we'll turn up something soon." She said wistfully.

"Yeah… you know, I just remembered that I left our food in the fridge. Maybe we can meet back at your place for lunch." He fidgeted with nape of his neck, hoping that she would accept his offer. Man, get a hold of yourself. He chided himself.

"Sounds good to me. I'll meet you there in a few, I'm famished."

"Even for a little cold chicken?" Bubba chuckled.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"See you then," his voice dripped with anticipation.

Her heart swelled. "Okay."

She made a mental note to get down to the Bottoms as soon as she could. Luckily, she was not too far away from her place. It was a good thing Bubba called, she was notorious for over-working herself—even on an empty stomach.

As she approached her apartment, she saw Bubba's patrol car parked out in back of her building. It really did not surprise her, he was known for having a leadfoot. To this day, she holds on for dear life whenever she is assigned to ride with him (which occurs more often now).

After she stored her bike, she trudged up the stairs to her third floor apartment. Before she could knock, the door opened and Bubba greeted her with a tender kiss and pulled her into the living room.

He eyed her bright red halter-top and cut-off shorts ensemble. "Is that what you wore down to the Bottoms?"

She turned to lock the door. "Well, hello to you, too…" His arms were still wrapped around her.

He dipped down and whispered in her ear. "Ol' Bubba didn't mean anything by that. "

She rolled her eyes. "Hmmph."

"It's just that you're really turning me on right now." He ran his hand over her stomach.

She turned to face him. "Really?"

"Yep." He kissed her forehead lightly.

It literally drove him wild not to be able to carry her off to her bedroom. He was hypnotized by her smooth, dark skin, muscular legs and thighs that peeked out from under the acid-washed jean shorts, her ample bottom, the sweet-smelling fragrance she wore….

"Bubba?"

"Oh yeah, let's eat." He took her hand and led her to her dining area.

Bubba had successfully salvaged their dinner from the previous night. He took extra pains to get the chicken just right. They began their meal.

"Mmmmm…." She finished a second piece of chicken. "You really outdid yourself. I owe you big time."

"You mean that?" A sly smile crept across his face.

"Bubba, we're on duty…" She pleaded.

"Mmmmmm…there's a little lunch time left. I think we can work something out." He walked around the table and reached down to her.

"We have a meeting down at the station in thirty minutes…" She squealed as he tossed her over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm the one that called it…"

"We can't be late. Besides, I have to get changed. I can't go down to the station with this get-up on."

"Yeah, I might have to check a couple of the boys," he laughed and let her down.

"Sorry to disappoint you." She pouted.

"Maybe we can meet up at my place tonight," he bent down placed a kiss upon her lips.

"That would be nice." She melted into his arms. They stood there and held each other for what seemed like hours.

"It's gone be hard not being able to be this close to you for the rest of the day," he whispered.

She reluctantly let him go. "Well, I guess I'll go get dressed. See you down at the station." He attempted to follow her into her bedroom.

She turned and placed her hand firmly on his chest. "Where do you think you're going, Captain?"

He smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You can't hurt a guy for trying." He turned to leave.

"See you down at the station, love you…" She gasped after she realized the words that had left her mouth. "I'm sorry…"She looked down at the floor.

He tilted her head up toward him. "You don't have to apologize; I've been aching to say the very same thing to you for the longest." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Really?"

"Yeah….."

She broke the silence. "Can you say it to me now?"

He looked her square in the eyes. "Dammit, I love you, Luann. I ain't never felt this way about anyone—ever."

"Me either…." She buried her face into his chest.

Bubba spoke into his communications device. "Hey Parker, Imma push that meeting back to two-thirty; something came up."

"You need any backup?"

He looked down at Luann. "No, not on this one."