Later on, in the bath, Beth's phone chimes with a text notification, interrupting the music she had on. She frowns, wondering who it could be since all her friends already said goodnight and her parents will be asleep. Drying her hand of bubbles, she reaches for it and clicks open the message.
So, did you help your friend earlier?
What? What? Her eyes flick up to the sender to find there's already a contact name in her phone, simply as Daryl.
Beth: How did you get my number? You put yours in my phone?
Daryl: I'm good at memorising. That okay?
Is it? Beth thinks to herself before she replies: yeah, I helped her.
Daryl: From a story you was reading, right?
Beth: Yeah.
The messages ping between them rapidly, as if they're both hovering over the keyboard of their phones and Beth feels a weird excitement churn in her stomach, agitating her enough to twirl her toe over the hot tap.
Daryl: I looked it up when I got home.
What do you think? She texts with a grin.
Daryl: Good. Real good.
Beth laughs and sinks deeper into the bubbles. Right up your alley, officer?
Daryl: Something like that.
She contemplates what to reply. The story is from one of her favourite fiction writers who writes pieces for her favourite show and the one pairing of characters that she always wanted to see get together. In the piece Daryl has started reading, the characters were teasing each other, mostly with lollipops, until the guy snapped and fucked the girl out in the open, on her hands and knees.
The sex in the story is rough and harsh, biting and clawing involved, dirty talk that made Beth blush to read. It's a certain kind of area of sex, more on the rougher side and if officer Di- Daryl, says it's up his alley, then he must like sex like that. Like she does. Beth flushes, even though there's no one to see and the bath water is now luke warm at best. It's been a while since she's text and it seems that Daryl gets impatient because another text chimes through her phone.
Daryl: It up your alley, Greene?
Oh, Christ.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
But all she texts is: something like that.
She waits, but there's no reply from Daryl and she has work in the morning, so she drains the bath and clambers out, ensures her outfit is ready for tomorrow and then crawls into bed after brushing out her hair. Her phone is on loud for her alarm, but no more texts sound.
Work the next day is busy. Beth would love to be living the dream and singing in recording studios, but there's also reality and she has to pay the bills, so Tanner&Co is where she works her ass off, making calls and writing emails, hauling her ass to and from the kitchen to get her boss's coffee and doing just about everything else Daniel Tanner wants her to do as his personal assistant. He's a pain in the ass and works her to the bone, but he's the CEO and he pays her well, so she keeps her mouth shut and her head down.
Usually, he leaves her alone, communicating only enough to add something else to her towering pile of things to do, but today he's on a flirty vibe and is trying to make as many crass comments as he can. Beth takes it because again, he pays well and the more he wants her interest the bigger her bonus is, but today it's irritating, more than usual because overall, she is irritated. It's irrational, but she's annoyed that Daryl didn't text back, which is silly and weird. The whole situation is weird, frankly. Being let off her ticket and the fact that he took her number, put his in her phone and then text her too, a little flirty if she's being honest with herself.
But now she's been checking her phone nearly every minute since it's on silent for work and yet still, there are no texts from him. It's stupid to expect one and she knows it, but she's still waiting. By the time five o'clock comes and goes, blending into six and then seven, she's tired and fed up, her boss having run her down with his flirtations and innuendos, on top of his actual demands in the workplace. The drive home is through blurry, tired eyes and when she gets in, her stomach grumbles for food, since she hasn't eaten since her lunch around one o'clock this afternoon, but she flops on her bed instead, kicks her heels and groans.
Then her phone buzzes.
Beth thinks about ignoring it. Possibly it's Daryl, but possibly it's Jessie, giving her the latest on Matt. Still, she can't resist and she heaves herself up on a groan to grab her phone out of her bag.
Daryl: That story was good. Reading Caught now.
Beth bites her lip, fingers hovering over her phone. She's at a loss. She's been waiting practically all day for him to text, but she expected a simple 'hey' that they could expand from. It turns out she doesn't have to reply though because he sends another message and then she thinks her heart stops.
Daryl: Wonder how well you can sext, without the story to cheat with. Why don't you show me? Work for that ticket I let you off of.
Beth: Are you serious?
Without even a second, Daryl replies: Yeah.
Fuck.
Beth has no fucking clue how to sext. She's gawky and downright awkward, with the chest of a twelve-year-old. Her life if full of work and sleep and eat, no fun and sexy times for her and especially not sex like she reads. How in the hell is she meant to sext this man? This officer, who is gorgeous and rugged.
Beth: I'm not a good sexter. Don't do it. Just read porn on the internet.
Daryl: So you're a bad girl, huh?
Christ. Her stomach is flipping with excitement and she sinks down onto her bed. What can she say?
Beth: I can be.
She snorts to herself. Yeah, right. The baddest thing she ever did was text and drive and that only happened last night. This whole thing is going to crash and burn.
Daryl: You know what I do to bad girls? I lock them up.
Beth: You saying you want to tie me up, officer?
Oh my God, who even is she? She takes a breath and pulls her coat off, her phone vibrating in her lap as she starts to undo her shirt. It buzzes again so she picks it up with one hand and unbuttons her shirt with the other.
Daryl: And other things.
Daryl: You want to be tied up, Ms Greene?
Beth: Only if you think I deserve it, officer.
Daryl: I would prefer 'sir' Ms Greene, I am a man of the law.
Beth snorts, her shirt off and on the bed behind her as she texts: Yes, sir.
Daryl: What you wearing?
She glances down at herself. Is it really sexy to say her granny bra and the sweaty tights she's been in since seven o'clock this morning? No.
Beth: Just got in from work. Undressing.
Daryl: You in a pencil skirt?
God knows what makes her do it, but she texts back: Yeah. You wanna see?
Daryl: Don't tease a man, Ms Greene.
Beth smiles to herself and stands, walking to the full-length mirror in her bedroom. Quickly, she changes into a more flattering, lacy bra and then takes several photos in the mirror, covering her face and only revealing her body. It takes a while to choose a good one and then she finally picks it and sends.
She's a nervous bundle of energy as she waits for his response and then finally, she gets it.
Daryl: Wow.
Beth throws herself back on her bed with a giddy laugh as she texts back.
Beth: No more. Got paperwork to finish and food to eat.
Daryl: Skip paperwork. I'll order in and then I can tie you up.
Sweet Jesus.
Beth: Down, boy. It's Thursday night. We both have work.
Daryl: Play hooky.
She laughs again and throws the phone on the bed whilst she gets undressed, slinging her bra off with a groan and sliding into some pyjamas. Whilst she puts her things away, she thinks of her reply to Daryl and then she picks up the phone and takes it with her into the kitchen.
Beth: It's Friday tomorrow. Why don't you come over after work? I'll cook.
Speaking of cooking, she's going to have to go shopping after work tomorrow, since there's barely anything in. So, what to eat tonight? She's starving so she pulls open her drawer and searches through the take out menus. Tomorrow, she'll eat properly, but tonight, she wants to pig out. Using her phone to order, it's not until a couple of minutes later that she see's the text.
Daryl: I'll bring the beer.
Beth grins and taps rapidly: Steak?
Daryl: My kind of girl.
She smiles and puts her phone down on the coffee table, looking at the paperwork she brought home Monday and she still hasn't gotten around to. It needs to be done so that she's free to come home on time tomorrow, so she sits down, waits for her food and gets to it.