Cheryl sits at the bar with her head propped up on her hand, her drink nearly empty. She'd had the worst day of her career since the team was set up by Escobar, and dozens on the task force were mowed down.

This wasn't nearly as bad, but it was still an absolute shit day.

The empty stool next to her is suddenly taken and Javier's voice cuts through the noise.

"Another for the lady," he tells the bartender.

Cheryl looks into Javier's tired eyes.

"I'm surprised to see you here," he says.

"Yeah. Bad day."

"You don't have to tell me. That's why I'm here."

He softly spins his glass on the bar top.

"Diet Coke," the bartender says as he places Cheryl's drink in front of her.

Javier's eyebrows lift. "Diet Coke?"

"You know I don't drink."

"Yeah, that's what you said. I just figured since you were here…"

"To be honest, I thought about it. I just wanted to feel good and forget about today, but the more I thought about it… I don't know. I just decided not to."

"Drinking doesn't always make you feel better, anyway."

Cheryl slides her gaze down Javier's neck, and along his jaw until she reaches his lips. She'd always been attracted to Javier, but his reputation put her on guard. She put her foot down early on about keeping things between them professional, and he eventually agreed. They worked well together, and they didn't want to mess that up.

"I don't want to feel better. I could feel better than I do now and still feel like shit. I want to feel good."

Her eyes trail down his arms. When he moves his hand to his thigh, her eyes follow, and he turns to face her.

"I could make you feel good."

"Peña…"

"What? I thought you wanted to feel good?"

"Is that why you're here tonight? Looking for someone to fuck?"

"Maybe I wanna feel good, too."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have any problem finding someone to help you."

She gulps half the new drink.

"Come on, Cheryl." He grips the edges of her stool and turns it so that she's facing him. "You think I don't see you looking at me?"

"There are people here from the office. I won't be the new gossip topic, Peña."

"How about this? I'll go back to my table over there. When you leave, if you want me to follow, leave your jacket on your stool. I'll run out like I'm bringing you your jacket."

"You're crazy." She laughs, but she's not really joking.

"You like me when I'm crazy."

Cheryl looks down and sighs. "I can't be one of your one-night stands, Javier."

He smiles. "You called me Javier. I like it."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. When was the last time you heard any of those rumors about me and women?"

"It's been a while."

"I'm not doing that shit this time around. I'm done fucking hookers and coworkers."

"Then why are you hitting on me right now?"

"Because you're definitely not a hooker, and you're more than a coworker."

She laughs. "Get real, Peña."

"Look at me, Cheryl." He waits for her eyes to connect with his. "I didn't come here tonight for sex. I came here to get drunk. I was on my second whiskey when you came in. No women."

"Your reputation is pretty well established. Why should I believe you?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Cheryl looks away and nods. The answer to that is never. He's never lied to her. Even when she wished he had.

"I'm going back to my table. When you leave, you know what to do if you want me to follow."

Javier walks away, and Cheryl stares into what's left of her drink. Nothing about soda is making her feel good right now. That's for sure.

She fingers the jacket in her lap. All she has to do is leave it behind. Is Javier watching her right now? Waiting? She can't make herself look for him in the crowd.

She puts her jacket on the stool next to her and digs into her purse for a few singles and leaves them on the bar. She takes one more sip from her drink and walks out.

Halfway to her car, she's still alone.

"Peña, you bastard."

She waits, eyes scanning the area out of habit, then sighs.

"Forget it."

She starts walking back to the bar when Javier walks out with her jacket in hand.

"Hey," he says. "Forgot your jacket."

The smile on his face makes her laugh. "Almost thought you weren't coming."

"Had to wait a few minutes. I couldn't be obvious about it." He takes a step closer. "I had to at least pretend I wasn't watching you all night."

"You know where my place is?"

"Yeah."

"Meet you there."

She takes her jacket and gets in her car. Javier is in her rear view mirror the whole way home, until she parks. He drives past her and walks back to her place.

She's never been more nervous. She'd daydreamed about Javier. If the rumors of his prowess are even half true then she is in for a good time. But what if they aren't. Can she look him in the eye again if she thinks it's horrible? Can she look him in the eye again if she thinks it's amazing? He could say what he wanted, but this would change their relationship.

He tosses his jacket onto the chair in her living room and puts his hands on her waist from behind.

"Peña…"

"I preferred it when you called me Javier."

He kisses her neck, and pulls her back into him.

She turns around and puts a hand on his chest.

"Peña…"

Javier takes a step back and puts his hands in his pockets.

"Second thoughts?"

"More like tenth thoughts. I don't do one night stands, Peña."

"Who said it's a one night stand?"

Cheryl blinks. "It's not?"

"Cariño," he takes her hand, "working with you made me realize what an amazing woman you are. One night wouldn't be enough." He brushes his fingers along her cheek, and she closes her eyes. "Right now, Cheryl. What do you want right now?"

"To feel good. To let go of the bullshit… the fear and desperation of this place."

"That's what I want. Why don't we give that to each other?"

He brushes his thumb over her lips, and she nods.

He moves slowly, pulling her to him and framing her face in his hands before he captures her mouth with his own. The touch of his lips triggers something in her, and she opens herself to him without anymore hesitation.

He groans into her mouth and pulls her tighter to him.

"Bedroom?"

Cheryl pulls him toward the room, but doesn't break the kiss. Her hands wander from his chest to his back, then up to his face.

Once they reach the bedroom, Javier is pulling at her shirt. She takes over unbuttoning it while he runs his hands under the hem of her skirt, up her thigh.

Her breath stutters and he smiles against her lips.

"It's been a while," she admits.

"Even better."

He pulls the covers down as he captures her lips again, and he pushes her back onto the bed. He runs his hands down her legs and pulls off her heels, then slides his hands back up, placing a kiss on her knee.

He starts to unbutton his shirt, and Cheryl kneels in front of him to help. Her hands slide down his bare chest to the zipper on his slacks.

The more clothes that come off, the faster they seem to go. Now that she's got him here like this, she can't imagine ever hesitating.

Both of them fully bare, he lays her back on the bed and settles between her legs. His mouth moves to her neck, and she buries her fingers in his hair.

"Javier…"

"Keep saying my name, baby."

He squeezes her breast as his tongue trails up her neck.

"Keep giving me a reason to."

He moves down her body and pulls her nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue over it. She gasps.

"Javi!"

Javier groans and brushes his fingers over her core.

"I could listen to you saying my name like that all night."

He kisses down her torso until his head is between her legs, and he stays there until she's panting his name.

Cheryl starts to get impatient, urging him to give her more, but Javier pins her hands to her sides.

"Slow down, sweetheart. You got somewhere to be?"

"I told you, it's been a while."

Javier kisses his way back up to her lips and slides into her.

"How's this?"

"Oh, fuck, Javi!"

He lifts her leg over his hip and grinds down.

He goes slowly at first, but then she purposely clenches around him as he pulls out, and he growls.

"Playing dirty," he whispers next to her ear.

"I need you, Javier. We can go slow next time."

Javier looks down at her.

"Next time?"

He brushes his thumb over her lips and she pulls it into her mouth, flattening her tongue around it and sucking.

Javier's mouth falls open as she lets it slip from her lips.

"So many things to do next time," she whispers.

Javier widens his knees, opening her up to him even more.

"Then let's get to next time."

He doesn't hold anything back now, and she's panting, whining, and moaning. When she comes undone he pulls her into his lap and holds her, still firmly inside of her, and her legs wrap around him. He kisses across her neck and chest as she comes down, then he lays her back.

"Got a little left for me, sweetheart?"

She bites her lip and nods. As Javier reaches his peak, Cheryl whispers his name in his ear, over and over.

Then he's spent. She holds his face to hers as he pulls her on top of him.

"You know you can't wear that skirt anymore," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because I know what it feels like to slip my hands under it now. I'll never look at that skirt the same way again."

Cheryl laughs. "Would you honestly know the difference between that skirt and my others?"

He shrugs. "So, wear pants."

She lifts herself up to look at him.

"Is that really what you want?"

Javier breathes deeply. "Fuck, no." He kisses her, then brushes his nose along the side of hers. "So… next time. Is that tonight? Tomorrow?"

Cheryl laughs. "What do you want, Javi?"

His head sinks into the pillow beneath, and he rubs her arm.

"I want a lot more than you think."

Cheryl stares into his eyes, searching for a lie, but she doesn't find one.

"What do you want right now?"

"A shower. Wanna join me?"

"Absolutely."