Rossi sat staring at the phone. Staring.
I should call her, he thought. I should. I have to call her eventually. But I hate her so much.
He thought back to the last time he talked to her…
"Strauss! You're being so unreasonable!" Rossi screamed.
"Dave. Calm down."
"Calm down? Calm down? You're threatening to fire me!"
"Sit down," Strauss ordered. "I'm not threatening to fire you. You have options."
"Yeah, temporary retirement."
"It's a good deal, Dave. You're already a star. Your books are bestsellers. This is the perfect opportunity to promote them and yourself."
"And if I don't go?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to expose you and the scandal."
"But you're involved, Erin. You'll come down, too."
"Those in charge are more likely to believe me. And you'll be out of the FBI before you can say anything if I get to them first."
"Fine, Erin," Rossi said reluctantly. "But mark my words, I'll come back to the BAU. And you'll be sorry you 'fired' me." And he stood up and stormed out of her office…
What a hypocrite, Rossi thought. I should have just gone to her supervisor first. It was her fault, anyway. A week before my "retirement," she was happy to see me…
"Dave…" Strauss crooned as her walked into her office and shut the door.
"Great news, Erin." He grinned. "The divorce is final."
"Dave, that's fantastic…"
"Wife number 2 is history. On to you," Rossi said as he walked toward Strauss. He grabbed her in his arms and kissed her. He stroked her soft, blond hair and rubbed her neck. Her neck was her soft spot. His soft spot was the middle of his lower back. Strauss had discovered that on their first "date." He loved massages…
I can't believe she led me on like that, Rossi thought. What did she want from me anyway? Money? Love? Sex? It was always about her. All about her…
"Agent Rossi, can I see you in my office?"
He followed her in. "What do you need Strauss?"
She shut the door, her eyes shifty. "Listen, Agent Rossi… Dave. I know you're going through a divorce right now, which must be tough. So if you ever need some company, or someone to talk to…" She undid her bun and shook her hair out, winking subtly yet seductively at him. Rossi was a sucker for winks.
"But, Strauss-"
"Come on, Dave. I've seen the way you've looked at me."
Truthfully, Rossi was never really into Strauss. But how could he pass up an opportunity to, er, get to know her?...
Maybe she won't remember, he thought. No, that's dumb. She's like an elephant. Oh, screw it. I'll just have to get this over with. And I'm not doing it for her. It's for the team.
And he picked up his phone and dialed her number.