Ruby rolls her eyes as her overly cheerful sister whistled while she made her morning coffee. She'd been like this since she'd arrived home last night. "Any happier Charlie and you'd be floating away."
"I can't help it." She turns to Ruby. "I've never felt this way before."
Ruby had been amazed when Charlie had told her she'd been with Joey and that they were now together. After the sacrifices Charlie had made to come back and look after her when their parents had died, she was happy that her sister had finally found someone she truly loved and with the way she gushed about Joey, about it being forever, while it was kind of nauseating to her young ears to hear her sister so sappy about someone, Charlie was most definitely in love and maybe a bit more. It had worried her in the past that her sister frittered from woman to woman, but right from the start, it had been different with Joey and even though she hadn't known until recently about their first night together, she knew something had happened to affect Charlie. She usually didn't believe in all that soul mates stuff, but now, watching her sister whistling happily away, maybe that's what Charlie and Joey were, soul mates.
"I really am happy for you Charlie, if anyone deserves happiness, it's you."
"Thanks Ruby."
"What about Angelo and work?"
"It's out now and probably all over town, but Angelo can hardly be judgemental after what he's been up to and he's going to have other things to deal with after his assault charge."
"Well Bianca obviously hasn't changed." She shakes her head at her sister, "I still don't know what you ever saw in her."
"I'm putting it down to temporary insanity."
"Joey's bi like her though, aren't you a little bit worried about ignoring your motto about women who like real cock?"
"Not this time," Charlie says confidently while giving Ruby a reproving look for saying 'cock'. "Joey told me it was different with me, that I made her realise what she'd always been missing with sex, made her feel things she never had with anyone else."
"I suppose there are always accessories you can use if the need ever arises."
Charlie sprays out the mouthful of coffee she'd just taken. "Ruby!"
"I'm just saying," she replies innocently.
"I think we need something else to talk about."
Angelo's lawyer had been lucky enough to catch the magistrate before he went home so Angelo could be bailed and not have to spend the night in jail and while that had pleased him, especially as the line of coke he'd done before he'd headed to the station had worn off, he'd been pissed to come home and find that some of Joey's stuff was missing. It infuriated him that she thought she could just sneak in, take what she needed and leave her keys on the table, it was like rubbing it into his face that she was leaving him. Even doing the last line of his stash hadn't helped take the edge off. It wasn't fair.
His thoughts are distracted by a knock on the door. He half hoped it was Joey crawling back, begging for him to take her back. "What the fuck do you want?" he demands when he comes face to face with Bianca instead.
"We have business to discuss," Bianca calmly replies, moving past him before he'd even had a chance to stop her.
"What business, it's all over town about us, so there's nothing left to blackmail me over."
"I had heard about the little Mrs leaving you for my ex," she teases.
"Which fucks up your blackmail."
"Those photos though, wouldn't look good in divorce court, especially the ones of you snorting coke." She smirks at him. "A judge probably wouldn't hesitate to approve the divorce then and there and the drug use on top of assaulting a police officer," she shakes her head sadly. "I have a feeling it wouldn't just be the end of your marriage, it would also be the end of your career."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Simple, I like money and you have it."
"You really are nothing more than a whore."
"Then that would make you my john and you even more of a corrupt cop."
"I'm not corrupt."
"You're hardly a poster child for honesty or appropriate police behaviour and aren't you supposed to have been devoted to your lovely wife?"
"I am. I love her more than anything."
"You just like to fuck around on her." It was men like Angelo, who went on and on about how much they loved their wives yet were happy to cheat on them, that made Bianca feel not one bit of guilt at her own actions. If they weren't snivelling, cheating bastards, she wouldn't have anything to blackmail them with so it was their own fault when they got trapped. "Face it Angelo, you don't have a choice in this."
He advances on her menacingly. "What's to stop me from just getting rid of you?"
"My partner and copies of the photos."
"Someone else knows?" he asks worriedly.
"Let's just call my partner a security clause in our agreement; anything happens to me and my partner makes sure you go to the top of the suspect list." She runs her hand down his front, squeezing his balls. "You're mine Angelo."
"I'll pay you to disappear, as much as you want."
"Oh, you'll pay." She smirks when she feels him harden against her hand. "You really can't help yourself, can you?" She sizes him up. "How about I make you a little happier about this situation?" she unzips his fly.
"Charlie!" Joey greets her with a huge grin, more than happy at the surprise visit and it certainly made her feel a whole lot better after the nausea she'd felt upon waking.
"I can't stay but I couldn't go to work without doing this." She pulls Joey into her arms, her mouth hungrily seeking hers.
When the kiss finally ended some minutes later, both women were breathless but wearing satisfied grins. "That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done," says Charlie. "I've just tortured myself for the rest of the day."
Chuckling, Joey kisses her again, this time it was short but tender. "Come by after work and I'll relieve you of that."
Charlie's heart races at the desire in Joey's eyes, desire she was sure was in her own eyes. "I feel like some love struck teen unable to concentrate or behave in a rational way and you know what," she grins. "I absolutely wouldn't change a thing."
"Neither would I."
Their lips meet again before Charlie reluctantly backs away. "I'll see you after work."
Joey nods, leaning against the door for support while she watches Charlie walk away. She suspected she still had a silly grin on her face, but she didn't care, she felt too happy to let anything affect her.
Walking into the station, Charlie's surprised to see her cousin there.
"Don't worry, I'm not staying," Georgie gets in first. "I'm just here to type up my statement for yesterday, then I'm going home to put my feet up for awhile."
"Are you ok after what happened?"
"Yeah, it's just a bruise on my hip, but it's how upset Martha got at me being hurt again, that hurts more."
"I know it was an accident, but you really should take it easy and not push yourself so much at times."
"That's what Martha said and it's why I'm taking the day off. I should really get this statement finished, Martha's shopping now but she's going to be by to pick me up shortly."
"Well, I'm glad you're ok. What about you?" she asks Aden when he joins them.
"A little more swing and he may have actually broken my jaw." He smirks at her. "What about you?"
"What about me?" Charlie says in confusion.
"You, Joey, no marriage in the way," he makes a few gestures that has Charlie blushing furiously. "I'm surprised you're capable of walking with all those months to make up for." She blushes even more furiously. "Look Georgie, she's like a traffic light."
"Stop it," Charlie mutters. She was about to say more when Inspector Joyce walked into the station.
"Snr Constable Buckton, I'd like a word with you in Rosetta's office." His authoritative and no nonsense tone made Charlie swallow. The Inspector rarely visited unless it was for something important and he didn't look happy at all. "Now Senior!" he ordered.
Charlie hurried after him, even more worried now with the way he had called her by her rank and not her name like usual. Filled with trepidation at what might be about to happen, she closes the door behind her.