The Miseducation of Calleigh Duquense

Chapter 3

The door bell had rung three times before Calleigh opened it to see Tim standing there with a slightly irritated look on his face. She dropped her head as she gestured for him to come in, feeling the heat come to her face.

" Tim, I am so sorry. I was in the bathroom," Calleigh said as she closed the door behind him. She watched him as he walked down the hall and into the living room, feeling the electrifying presence that he carried with him.

" It's ok, Calleigh. I wasn't really out there for a long time. So , this is your place?" Tim asked as he looked around . He was impressed with her style of decor , leather couch and hard wood floors, with minimal lighting. He definitely thought that she would've had something with a down home feel. She was southern after all. But he liked the simplicity of it.

" Yeah, this is home. It's a little too artsy for me . Olivia decorated, but I like it. So what do you have in store for us tonight?"

" Well I thought that we would go for dinner then see where that takes us," Tim said as he took in the black pants and shirt that she wore The shirt was buttoned half way, exposing areas that were usually left to the imagination. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that swayed with every turn of her head. Again , simple but effective.

" Am I dressed okay?"

" You are... stunning. You could wear a paper bag and still be a knock out," Tim said candidly. He smiled at the brief image that ran through his mind.

" No dirty thoughts , Speedle."

" What? I was just admiring your attire..."

"Right, let's go before we ruin this." Calleigh said as she grabbed her bag. She couldn't help but smile at his thoughts of her.

" There's no way this night can be ruined," Tim said as he followed her out of the door. Calleigh opened the door and let him pass through , smelling the slight aroma of his cologne. She closed her eyes and concentrated on not passing out. When she opened them, she saw him standing by a bright yellow motorcycle. It was pristine and she could tell that he spent a lot of time with it. He picked up his helmet and then produced another one.

" I checked the weather in hell, it's snowing," Tim said smirking as he handed her the helmet.

Calleigh shook her head and put a hand out, " I don't ride motorcycles."

" What's the big idea? It's just transportation with two wheels instead of four. I won't let anything happen to you. C'mon Calleigh , it'll be fun." Tim said as he pushed the helmet towards her again. Calleigh thought about it for a moment, and to her surprise relented. She grabbed the helmet roughly and shook her head. What has this man done to me? she thought to herself.

" I'm trusting you with my life. Don't do anything stupid," Calleigh said in her strongest southern drawl.

" You are in good hands, Ms. Duquense. Can you get on okay?"

" I think I can figure it out, Tim," she replied irritably. There was no way in the world that she would've ever gotten on one of those beastly machines, but something inside of her trusted him. She waited until he got on and started the bike then she slipped behind him. She inched up closer to his back, feeling her senses tumbling over themselves. She then threw her arms around his chest, squeezing hard. Tim gently loosed her arms and slid them down around his waist. He was positively giddy at having her this close to him.

" Ready?" Tim shouted over the loud engine. He glanced back, feeling her grip tighten around him. She shook her head as she braced against his back. What am I thinking, Calleigh asked herself.

Tim backed the bike out of the driveway then pointed it towards the bright lights of Miami. As he screamed through the night , he could faintly hear Calleigh screaming from behind him.

CD

Olivia smiled at the thought of her friend finally going out on a date with someone. She had been there when Calleigh had broken it off with Max ,and it hadn't been pretty. As she remembered, the smile disappeared. Maxwell Stratton was a scary customer. She had often asked Calleigh why she got involved with him, but Calleigh could never give her a straight answer. Only when she had enough of Max, did Calleigh tell Olivia the horrors she went through with him. Olivia pulled the afghan over her arms as she sat on the couch, to warm herself. Whenever she thought about what happened, she got shivers.

Flashback

" Calleigh, open the door. He's not here," Olivia said as she pounded on the door to the bathroom . She had come to visit Calleigh before returning back to Miami ,and she walked in on Max hitting Calleigh and grabbed a vase, smashing it against his skull. He left shortly afterwards, mumbling incoherently. " He's gone, honey. He's not going to come back."

There was silence as Calleigh slightly opened the door, exposing a very black eye. Olivia , took in a ragged breath and felt a tear come to her eyes. For as long as she knew Calleigh, she had always had a rough life.

" Oh, Cal."

Calleigh opened the door fully and let the tears fall down her bruised face. She felt weak and embarrassed. At work, she was this tough as nails detective , but at home she couldn't defend herself against him. Olivia looked at her though sad eyes and put her hand up to wipe the tears away, seeing Calleigh flinch.

" Cal, it's going to be ok. He's not going to hurt you anymore. I'll see to that," Olivia said as she went to the sink to retrieve a wash cloth. She sat on the floor with Calleigh and wiped away the blood. Calleigh sat silently, letting the tears speak for her. " Tomorrow, I'll go to the court house and see if I can get someone on Max.. He has no right to do this to you."

" No, Olivia, I can't get you involved. This is my mess..."

" I'm involved. There's nothing he can do to me, that hasn't been done before. I am a lawyer, remember?" Olivia said lightly.

Calleigh smiled and grabbed her hand, " Thanks, Liv. For everything."

" That's what friends are for, Cal. I'll always be there for you..."

Present

Olivia shivered again as the memories of the past left her. She had put herself out on the line for Calleigh, but she didn't care. Calleigh was her best friend and she had been there through her rough times as well. She continued to watch the television, thinking to give Calleigh a ring on her cell phone, instead she dialed the number to her house. Hearing the machine pick up, she smiled devilishly at herself and said, " I see you're out . Don't do what I wouldn't do. Wait, scratch that, go for it! Give me a call when..." The lights and the phone had went out, surprising Olivia. She got up from the couch to look outside to see if anyone else lights had gone out. When she saw that they hadn't, she sighed to herself and went up stairs to look at the fuse box. I've got to get the super to look at the wiring in this place, she thought as she felt her way upstairs.

Getting to the top of the stairs she cursed when she bumped into the wall. She had left the flashlight in the drawer in the kitchen. She put her hands out in front of her as she continued to walk down the hall to her bedroom. As she got to her door , she heard the floor creak. She stood still for a moment, listening for another sound. Shrugging, she started to turn the knob. All of a sudden, she felt rough hands over her mouth as his body pushed against hers forcing her into the room. He threw her on the floor and slammed the door. She would not escape.

CD

" Dinner was great, Tim. Honestly." Calleigh said as she walked out of the restaurant . She had a smile on her face and her eyes twinkled. She couldn't remember the last time she had this muchfun with a man.

" I still think that the meal should've been free. The waiter almost drowned you in wine, for Pete's sake." Tim returned with a scowl on his face.

" He said he was sorry. I'm glad that I wore black. Wine stains are murder on a white pair of pants."

" Are you ready for the next part of the evening?" Tim asked as he took her into his arms. He had never felt like this with anyone. It was like there were no pretenses with Calleigh. He wanted to be with her for as long as he could.

Calleigh looked at her watch and tried to stifle a yawn, " There's more? I thought dinner was eventful enough."

" Ha ha, very funny. I have to redeem myself. And stop looking at your watch, it's only 10:00. If I can recall, you were out later last night," Tim said as he moved to kiss her.

" You have been perfect. There's nothing more that you have to do," Calleigh said as she inched her lips closer to his. They connected in a passionate kiss and Calleigh grasped him by the nape of his neck. She felt his arms around her waist then cradling her back. She didn't want this to end.

Tim pulled away gently from her and looked into her eyes getting the signal he wanted. He grabbed her hand and led her to the bike.

" Where are we going?"

" You'll see. Get on." Tim said as he put on his helmet. Calleigh was about to do the same thing when she saw a tall brunette walking over to them with a fierce look in her eyes.

" Hey Tim!" the woman said as she stood by the bike. She glanced at Calleigh and rolled her eyes.

Tim looked up and sighed. This could not be happening to him. Not now. He took his helmet off and sat it on the bike. Calleigh stood by and watched intently.

" I thought you said you were sick? You look healthy to me. Who is she?"

" Pam, I said that we were finished. Can't you catch a hint?"

" So you called me to tell me that we were through? I'm sorry , but I'm sick sounds nothing like we are through."

Calleigh shook her head and put the helmet down. She knew that this was too good to be true. No matter what she had felt for Tim, he had been like the rest of them. Tim noticed her and reached for her hand. She snatched it back and started to walk away.

" Calleigh, wait. I can explain."

" No, Tim. You don't have to explain to me. We just met ,remember?"

"Calleigh..."

" Why don't you give her a ride on your bike? I'm finished with this," Calleigh with tears in her voice as she walked away pulling out her cell phone.

"Calleigh!"

" Lose my number Tim," Calleigh called back as she put her phone to her ear. She would call a cab and go home. Her trust in men had dwindled back to nothing.

TBC...

A/N: I think it's about time I shook things up a bit... :)