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Chapter Twelve – A Time to Run For Cover
Having the house to themselves was an unexpected gift. Sam had planned to take Andy out for a ride, in the car he had been working on all weekend, just to be alone with her. He wasn't going to have to do that, but Jenny was still in the house. He asked for more details about Andy's training, teased her about all her new conquests, and just enjoyed watching her as she moved around the kitchen fixing her brunch. He had work related things to talk about but they would have to wait.
On her way to the garage, Jenny passed through the kitchen, told them she'd be back at four and to treat the house like it was theirs.
When Sam finally heard the garage door opener returning the door to its closed position, he spoke. "We need to talk about this undercover." Andy waited. She knew he had been spending all the time, since she left, working on it. There were lots of things she probably needed to be made aware of. She hadn't expected what he did say.
"Changing your identify is really hard, documents and records can be altered. That's the easy part. What's hard is how we see ourselves, and for us, it's how we see each other." He paused, reached across the table and put his hand over hers. He looked her directly in the eyes before he said, "You slipped in front of Jenny. It was an honest error and she isn't a threat to us but we're going to be with people who could be threats." He tightened his hold on her hand. She looked away and bit her lip. He continued, "I've never done a long undercover operation with a partner either. We are both going to learn a lot."
"I'm sorry, Sam, it's hard. I'll do better, promise." Of all the things in the world she did not want to do, disappointing his was at the top of the list.
"Your name is not Carol. I know that, I know it automatically. When I speak to you or about you, and definitely in my head, Carol is not the name that comes out." She said nothing, she did nod. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "We're going to have to change that. I'm going to have to be Jimmy in public and in private. You're going to have to be Carol, in public, in private and in my thoughts. We can do this. I know we can." Andy knew he was right but she didn't like being reprimanded even if he did it in his most loving way. She knew she had to work on the names problem and she got an idea how to accomplish that feat and still enjoy her sweetheart's company.
Andy's big smile told him to prepare. She had a devilish thought, it was written all over her face. He just smiled and waited. She pulled her hand from under his and put it on the top before she leaned forward and started sultry talking. "Jimmy, I have this ex boyfriend, dark haired hunk like you, he was so good in bed. I just get turned on thinking about it. I'm not saying this to make you jealous or anything. I just have a question to ask you and if your answer is 'yes' I want you to know I have really high expectations. Not to intimidate you or anything." She leaned back in the booth, crossed her arms across her chest and asked in the most serious voice she could muster. "Do you want to go upstairs and go to bed with me?" To her credit, she kept a straight face.
He crossed his arms across his chest, imitating her. He cocked his head to the side, looked toward the ceiling on the left and then toward the right before returning his gaze to her. She didn't know what kind of answer she was expecting, but definitely not the one she got. "Are you any good?"
The smile snuck out before she could stop it. She got it back in the bottle before she answered. "You want to know if I'm any good?" She did disbelief admirably. "Is that what you just asked?"
"It is. Girls are a dime a dozen. I'm a busy man. Just 'cause some hot babe wants a piece of me doesn't mean I'm going to roll her around in the sheets for an inferior product. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a musician. Jimmy has his pick."
"Well, I'm not going to pay you!"
"I wasn't suggesting that!" His eyes flashed.
"I don't have any letters of recommendation! Is that what you're looking for?"
"It's a thought." A smile did sneak out.
"Let me tell you something, Jimmy Teah, musician, cutie pie, my ex knew a good thing when he saw it. I spent one night with him and he made up lame excuses to keep me from ever leaving. I'm that good! He serenaded me and he cooked for me. I'm that good. He folded my underwear. He gave me my own personal keys to his new truck. I'm that good! He even protected me from bad guys." She paused and furrowed her brow before continuing. "Well, maybe I protected him." She pressed forward with her list of accolades. "No, he protected me. I'm that good! He followed me all over Canada and then followed me to the states. I'm that good!" She put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I think your problem is I intimidate you. Jimmy Teah, do you have a size issue?"
"I'll show you size, woman. Get out of that booth!" He was out of his seat and reaching for her in a flash.
She went all innocent and Southern Belle on him. "I just love a masterful man. Jimmy, I just know you're gonna do me right." She batted her eyes as she sided up to him.
"Jimmy's going to do his best. Come on Carol, let's get acquainted." Sam put his arm around her shoulder as they ascended the stairs.
The name charade continued through the foreplay and because of the taunts and bravado from downstairs the partners were more playful than usual.
"Ooh, Jimmy, you are good. Don't stop."
"You like that, do you Carol?"
"Jimmy, you're good enough to make my ex a distance memory."
"Carol, you're not so bad yourself. You didn't tell me you trained as a gymnast."
"I wanted to keep a few surprises for later. Were you surprised, Jimmy?"
"Carol, you are a constant surprise."
Foreplay and name games worked fine, but when the action got serious the game was history. So, when in the throes of passion, Andy called out Sam's name; he certainly didn't stop to correct her.
When the last little bit of tingle had passed and they lay sweaty and comfortable in each other's arms Sam spoke. "Carol, when you called me by your ex's name it almost threw me off my game."
"You are such a liar, Jimmy. A bomb couldn't have distracted you then." She said matter-of-factly.
"You know me to well. I don't even know why I remembered it. Maybe..." He kind of laughed. "No maybe to it, I know exactly why I remembered."
"That was…" she asked.
"When you call my name out all breathy, like you do, that gives me more pleasure than any other single thing you could do. I know I got it right. Giving you pleasure is very stimulating, very." If he had been looking at her, he would have seen the blush. He wasn't looking.
"I can't call you Jimmy then. You aren't Jimmy then. If I did it, I'd feel like I was cheating."
"I have a little name issue about that time as well. It's something we're going to have to work on. But, Carol, other than that it needs to be Jimmy and Carol. You can do that can't you?"
"I'm going to have to."
They, Jimmy and Carol, spent the afternoon lying around in the bed talking about all the background information he had gathered while she was out of town. When Andy finally looked at the time, "It's after three, I really need to get cleaned up and dressed. I should help Jenny with dinner since we won't be here to help clean up. You are going to take me to work, aren't you?"
"Wouldn't miss it. I need to check out this bartender. You told me a lot about the guy from the weekend but not a word about the Hilton help." His look conveyed the 'what haven't you been telling me' question as well as his words had.
"I'm not as worried about you checking out the bartender as I am about the bartender checking you out. She likes her men. I think that's why she's working at the Hilton. But you can check. I'll protect you."
"If she's a looker, maybe I don't want to be protected."
"Don't forget, Stud, I know where Joe keeps his gun." She warned as she headed to the bathroom.
He followed. "Stud? Is that what you said, Stud? Now that's a nickname I can support. That wouldn't throw me off my game." He teased.
"Men!" and she stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain.
He dropped his shorts, pulled the curtain back and stepped in behind her. "You didn't think I was going to let you shower alone did you? The stud is here to help."
They were lounging on the back porch with a beer when Jenny got home. She stuck her head out the back door and spoke. "I see someone has already started on dinner. What a blessing. We had so much fun shopping I lost track of time. Let me put these packages down and I'll join you for a minute."
When Jenny sat down she had a beer in one hand and a department store bag in the other. The bag, she handed to Andy. "Don't take it out. It's a gift for you and a treat for Jimmy. Joe would have appreciated that when I was younger and slimmer." The knit fabric was white with black flowers outlined on it. Andy could see black straps and a band of black lace around the bodice with a white ribbon threaded through. Sam…, Jimmy would like it. She closed the bag and tucked it under her chair.
"Thank you, but you really shouldn't have." Andy was truly touched by the thoughtfulness.
"Oh, hush, we never say 'shouldn't have' when it comes to shopping. You remember that Jimmy. I also never ask if I really needed it. That's only for the grocery store. But, I don't spend money we don't have."
"Well, thank you anyway." Andy said.
"I'll thank you tomorrow, after she models." Sam added.
"Oh, Jimmy, the only one you're fooling here is you. I've seen the way you look at her. She could be wearing those awful uniforms we put police women in with work boots, next to no make-up, and her hair in a granny bun and you'd think she was beautiful. You'll love it."
"You're probably right. Police uniform, huh? As long as she didn't arrest me." He teased.
"You'd probably love that too. What do you think, Carol?"
"I think you've probably made my Halloween decision for me. That's what I think." Andy answered and thought how easy deception was becoming.
"Carol, if you'd come help me with the salad and the table maybe Jimmy would make sure the gas is turned on to the grill and the grate is clean enough to use."
"He took care of that when we first came out. He's a really good cook, outside and in. I think that's why I keep him around."
"Yeah, and the smile and those dimples, they're just extra, right?"
"Just extra." Andy was laughing when she walked through the door.
Joe was still wearing his uniform when he arrived home a short time later. He greeted Andy when he come into the kitchen, kissed Jenny, grabbed a beer and joined Sam on the porch. When he sat down he wasted no time saying what had been on his mind all day. "You know, Jimmy, I did some undercover when I was a young police officer. That is until Jenny came along. I was looking forward to the adventure, but I wasn't so sure how I'd handle the other identity. I got used to being called by another name easier than I expected. The deception was harder. Lying to criminals wasn't really a problem. I didn't think they deserved any better, but I did run into a few decent folks. Lying to them made me feel dirty until a veteran cop got hold of me and set me straight." He stopped and looked at Jimmy as though questioning whether his message was getting through.
"That must have been an interesting experience. What did the old cop tell you?" Sam asked.
"He said as long as the lie didn't put them in danger I shouldn't worry. I really was working for their benefit even if indirectly." He stopped, took a draw on his beer and continued. "I never worked undercover with a partner. I'm sure having back-up would have been a blessing, but trying to keep the identities straight would be a bitch. I could pretend I was anybody but my wife's name is Jenny. It's not Dolly or Susie or Jane. I don't know how well I'd do having to look at her and call her by a different name."
"That is an interesting problem. I bet you've thought of a solution." Joe was a veteran cop, he recognized what was going on and he had a suggestion. Sam knew he would be a fool not to listen.
"I think I'd take her around good people who didn't know us, but who wouldn't hurt us if we slipped while getting used to our new identifies. I think that's what I'd do. Of course it's all speculation since I don't have that problem."He finished off his beer before continuing. "I've been Captain Bishop for long enough today. I think I'll go change." Joe stood and headed back in the house but before he opened the door he turned. "I hope I didn't bore you with cop talk, Jimmy. I just can't seem to leave the job at the station." He opened the door and was gone.
Sam smiled, drank his beer and thought about what good people the Bishops were.
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