Sometimes 'the moment' seems endless.
"But we can't. And you know it better than I."
Dani Reese had spoken. And when Dani Reese said a thing like this in this precise tone of voice there's nothing in the world that anyone could do to make her change her mind.
But her reaction meant she wasn't surprised, he noticed. He guessed that she had thought about it as much as he had. Maybe would be worth insisting some more. He had just had an idea.
"But 'til midnight it could be different," He said tentatively.
"What?" she frowned.
"Listen" He pointed his blue eyes at hers. "We are travelling on this 'road' together, huh?" Dani looked at him questioningly. "Normally this road is too much narrow and too much straight, and we cannot change our course nor stop just a little bit, but…" his look became even more intense "-'til midnight we are not cops. So we could just be Dani and Charlie."
She didn't say a word, she didn't move, she didn't even blink. Charlie wasn't able to read anything beyond those dark eyes.
He knew his partner was a tough nut to crack, but he had thought that since she felt the same things he felt, she would have accepted his (crazy?) suggestion.
Dani was still looking thoughtfully at him.
He waited in silence for her answer, but after a while his eyes hardened and he said bitterly, "It doesn't matter. It…I…I was just crazy." He staightened up and shifted his look from her eyes to the sand on his right.
Unknown to him, she finally opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything they heard some voices near them. "Hi! Sweetie! We meet again, it must mean something!" A cheerful Nina came into sight behind Dani's back, followed soon by her friend Mina.
"Uh…hi!" Charlie smiled goofily, but it didn't reach his eyes-they were still as cold as ice.
Nina glanced at Dani and then said to Charlie, " Seems to me that your date isn't very happy to be here with you, is she?"
Dani didn't spoke or move at all, but her body clearly stiffened.
Charlie looked down at her. She had glistening hair, red attractive lips, but dark eyes. She would have accepted my father's advance but not mine. She would have accepted my father's advance but not mine the thought that kept turning in his mind. No he decided, she hasn't the right to make me feel like this.
"So…" Charlie turned his attention to Nina and Mina and putting an arm around each girl he added "…what do you suggest to do about this?" He shifted his glance from the blonde to the brunette with a charming smile on his lips.
"Oh I have a couple of ideas…" answered Nina laying her head on his chest and looking straight into his eyes, "Why don't you buy us a drink, just to begin?"
"That's a good idea," nodded Charlie, then looking back at Dani he added "Reese, see you later!" his eyes shone briefly.
"Bye Reese!" teased Mina waving her hand.
"We'll take care of him better than you would have ever done," added Nina winking at Dani, then she put firmly her hand on Charlie's buttocks just to underline her aims.
"Oh girls, slow down, I'm shy…" joked Charlie, squeezing Nina and Mina against him. He walked away latched onto them.
Dani was angry. "Crews!" she called him.
He stopped and turned his face to her. Nina and Mina were still laughing and clinging to him.
Pure fury burnt in her eyes as she thought, You cannot just leave with these two bitches after saying a thing like that! but they were words that remained unspoken.
Charlie waited. He was hoping she would have said something, anything to make him change his mind.
But she just turned her back to him and said, "You. And me. Later. Here."
He stood there speechless. She was giving him an order, but the message that reached his ears sounded more or less like "You belong to me." And he liked that. A lot.
It's strange how she's able to always attract him even when she's pushing him away
xxx xxx xxx
Olivia was standing in front of the mirror, trying to put her string of pearls on.
A knock on the door startled her. "Come in," she said to the reflection of the door in the mirror.
Ted tentatively entered the room, his former rush of anger leaving him alone just as he opened the wings.
"Oh hi Ted! So nice to see you!" a surprised Olivia smiled as she turn to face him.
"Hi Olivia, you…you're beautiful…" he babbled, looking at her cream- coloured wedding dress.
"Thanks…" her smile grew bigger.
They stared at each other for a little while, then Olivia broke the ice, "Could you help me with my necklace, please?" She handed the string of pearls to him before turning her back.
"Sure!" he nodded.
He held the jewels from his hand and hesitantly encompassed her with his arms, feeling her hot breath on his right forearm.
"What are you doing here, Ted?" Olivia asked slowly.
"Er…I…" he stuttered, "uhm…do you…"
Olivia turned to face him. Her face was so near he could count all those little sparkles of light that danced in her eyes.
"…do you always look at him like this?" he murmured without thinking. That wasn't the question he had in mind.
"Sorry?" she smiled surprised.
He decided to follow that train of thoughts.
"Do you love him?...I mean do you really love him?" he felt his hand moving upward, and resting on her astonished cheek.
"Ted, we had this conversation before…" she blinked, but she didn't do anything to stop or remove his hand.
"No…I mean, YES of course we had, but..ehm…I think I had something to tell you er…about him."
"Ted, I'm marrying him in about an hour."
"But he doesn't deserve you. He is a bad man."
"Ted, I know what your feelings for me are but…"
"No Olivia that's not about me and you but about him and-"
"Ted, enough!" she moved away her face from his touch.
He opened and closed his mouth without saying a word.
"Please, go away, I…I don't want to hear anything else," she stated.
"But Olivia-"
"Please, Ted"
They looked at each other.
"You didn't answer me, you know?" Ted turned on his heels and exited the room.
xxx xxx xxx
Charlie was sitting between Nina and Mina, sipping his drink and laughing without knowing why.
He had chosen that couch because from there he could see Dani in the distance through the big window.
She was pacing back and forth near the water and he could tell she was seething with rage.
Mina and Nina had put their hands on his thighs and maybe that thing succeeded in distracting him from his thoughts about his partner.
"So, Detective Crews…" said Nina starting slowly her path from his knee to his crotch "...tell us how you spend your time when you're not 'fighting crime.'" She squeezed his leg a bit, smiling slyly.
Charlie felt the urge to clear his throat. "Eh-ehm…well, what can I say girls?" he sensed Mina's hand moving up on his other thigh. "I just live my life!"
The two girls laughed at what they thought was only a joke, ignoring the thin truth beyond his words, and nuzzled his neck, tickling his soft skin. In the meantime, Charlie noticed a dark handsome man approaching Dani. He tensed immediately.
Charlie could guess the stranger's intentions from his gestures and his close proximity. His senses focused all on his partner, Nina and Mina's hands were suddenly forgotten.
That man was putting an hand on Dani's shoulder and Charlie knew without actually seeing it that she had given him her icy-stare, because he removed eagerly his hand.
Charlie couldn't help but smile.
The stranger talked with her a little bit, but when she shook he left her alone finally.
Then she wrapped her arms around herself, hands on her elbows, staring at the ocean. He gazed at her shaped body, hypnotized by her hair waving in the breeze. He thought that in that position she appeared fierce, but also lonely and vulnerable. He would have given all his money away to be there with her, hugging her, kissing her. He knew his place was near her.
"..here?"
Mina's voice came from a very remote place.
"No, out there…" answered Charlie pensiveness, following his thougths. Then he realized he had answered the wrong question so, looking at Nina he added "Sorry?" trying to appear not too much distant.
It was too late.
"She said you seem not here! And she's right," Nina declared.
Then he came abruptly in the present: two easy girls were groping him and smothering him with kisses while Dani was out there waiting for him to go back.
"Sorry girls, I must go…" he stood up quickly, feeling their hands fall off his thighs and ignoring their whines.
"But, Charlie…" a disappointed Nina started to say.
"See you later girls, I'll save a dance for you, I promise!" winking he waved his hand and made for the beach.
xxx xxx xxx
"Have you had fun?" Dani asked casually when he came back exactly where she had said him to. She didn't lift her eyes, her gaze was fixed somewhere between the gazebo and the ocean.
He felt like she had treated him like a yo-yo: she had unrolled his string and simply had waited there for his return.
"Dani..."
"Let's go and sit down, it's late, your father is at the gazebo yet." She took a step in that direction but she couldn't move. Fast like he learned to be during his days spent in prison, Charlie had reached out an hand and had catched her by the arm forcing her to look at him.
"Dani. I'm sorry." He freed her arm when he obtained her attention "I shouldn't have gone away in that way, with them, leaving you alone…but I was mad at you and-"
"Crews! Stop talking please." Her tone was still hard, but she wasn't able to repress an half smile as she added "You're here now. And it's better to take a seat". Saying that she walked away.
Charlie eagerly followed her raising the sand at every step: that reminded him of their very first meeting, when a fierce, amazing and resolute young woman that he didn't succeed in fascinate turned her back to him and guided him in his new life. Except that now her back was more intersting to see.
xxx xxx xxx
Ted caught up with Dani and Charlie few minutes later, sat down and let out a sad sigh.
"Where have you been Ted?" asked Charlie, then noticing his expression, he added, "What's up?"
"Women…I don't understand them…" Ted tilted his head "You know, they do things, they send you all these messages, they made you feel all those…feelings, huh?" As he spoke, he searched Charlie's eyes. His redheaded friend nodded slowly and Ted went on, "So you think you understand everything and you do certain things, and then turns out that you hadn't understood anything, and that they are mad with you and you don't know why…"
"I know, Ted. Sometimes I think they aren't aware of what they do to us, and that maybe they doesn't matter, either…" said Charlie bitterly.
"Hey, I'm here, I can hear you!" exclaimed Dani, annoyed.
Charlie looked quietly her in the face, "I know."
An astonished Dani gaped, and couldn't say a word.
"Charlie, I think I messed up everything…" Ted let out in one breath.
"Maybe not everything-everything…" smiled Charlie pointing at something in the distance. Ted lifted his head and following his friend's gaze spotted Olivia at the window, waving a hand in their direction. "Come here," that gesture said.
Ted stood up and with a questioning look headed for the hotel.
Dani turned her head and looked at Charlie's profile.
"So you didn't understand women," she finally said.
Charlie thought for a while before replying her. He knew that she still owed him an answer.
"I know one thing or two about women. For example I know that women usually dresses to kill to make a hit with someone." He turned his eyes to meet hers. "When I saw you this afternoon I wondered who had been so lucky to be in your thoughts when you had put this exciting dress on, and then you told me you chose this stimulating outfit for me." Incredibly enough, he saw her blushing. "So if I had had any doubt about what to do with you, your confession left me with none, and I said you those things." Charlie watched as his words made her uncomfortable. "Then you made me unbelievably happy admitting you felt the same things I felt, and you made me think that there could be something between us until…until you built that indestructible wall of silence that drove me mad."
She blinked. Twice, but she didn't say a word.
xxx xxx xxx
Olivia was waiting for Ted in the hall, all the bridesmaids opportunely sent away with an excuse.
"Olivia…" started Ted.
"Wait, wait." she hushed him "I know, I didn't answer you-" Ted opened his mouth to speak, but Olivia put her small hand on his lips "- no Ted, let me finish, I don't have much time!" He nodded and the redheaded girl removed slowly her hand.
"I must ask you a favour. Please Ted, don't do anything to stop this wedding. There's a reason if I'm doing this, even if I can tell you nothing for the moment. But trust me, please. And promise me you won't do anything stupid."
"Olivia…"
"Ted, please…"
They exchanged a deep look. "Okay. But this is not the end for me." Ted replied.
She caressed his face. "Thank you," she said, and leaning forward she put a light kiss on his lips.
xxx xxx xxx
The marriage ceremony was fast and without unexpected interruptions. Ted was tempted to say something when the minister asked them if anyone was against the wedding, but he changed his mind as he considered the promise he'd made to Olivia.
Dani stayed quiet for all the divine service. Her mind was wavering between two options: to run the risk of ruining her relationship with Charlie by going to bed with him or to run the risk of ruining her relationship with Charlie by avoiding going to bed with him. That was the problem. So Shakespearean in its essence.
She was his superior in rank. She saw him everyday. He was supposed to execute her orders, not to treat her like his lover. And, most of all, she didn't know where getting it on with him would lead them.
But she wanted him. Badly.
He was there and he was more than willing. And, he was definitely hot. And, Zen masters know all your secret places. And, she loves sex so much.
And, thinking over better, maybe there was a solution.
xxx xxx xxx
Fish or chicken were always served at wedding receptions, usually cooked in the strangest way possible. Charlie loved the lobsters with orange sauce, he stole even the slices of orange from Dani's plate when he discovered she wouldn't eat them.
But above all, some good wine helped in easing their situation. Ted started exchanging jokes with Charlie again, and Dani, who was forbidden to drink wine, began to roll her eyes at them again.
The soft light that filled the room made Dani appear even more beautiful and Charlie couldn't stop looking at her. He noticed that she appreciated that though, and even more often she reciprocated his gazes. At a certain point, after the wedding cake, while Ted was dancing with a redheaded girl that had introduced herself as Charlie's cousin, he felt her left knee lean against his own under the table and stay there while she captured his eyes with hers.
"Reese." Charlie said like a statement.
Her blazing eyes didn't leave his while she put one hand on his right knee, caressing it slowly.
"Dani." He whispered blocking her hand with his own, a dangerous look in his eyes.
She freed herself from his vicelike grip and repositioned the hand upper on his thigh.
"Dani. Don't play this game with me if you're not able to finish it." He spoke clearly.
"I'm not playing." She leaned forward as she murmured in his ear "Not cops. Just Dani and Charlie, until midnight." Her words were a hot and wet whisper that made his head tingle.
It took a few seconds to metabolize her sentence. In the meantime her hand had reached his crotch.
He looked down at her lips, they seemed so soft in the semi-darkness. He couldn't believe what was happening between them. Her hand caressing him through his pants, her inviting lips, her nose nuzzling his jaw, but most of all, her implied promise made his blood boil.
"Dance with me." Not a question: an order.
He took her cheeky hand and stood up, hoping the low light concealed his beginning erection until he could dance with it pressed against Dani's stunning body.
