Chapter One:

Elenora could feel the bottoms of her boots stick to the floor as she walked. The years of spilt drinks and shotty cleaning leaving a film across the surface that wanted anything that touched it to become a permanent fixture. Her palms sweated as she stepped towards the bar, and she wiped them against her jean clad thighs, hoping to quell her nerves and the moisture. She should not be this nervous. She already had the plan formed in her head as to what she was going to say. "Hey, remember me, I'm that random girl staying with your boss, but we never really talked cause I think you're cute, and I didn't want to embarrass myself. So see, my friends are stupid and as part of a scavenger hunt, I need to get a hot guy's phone number. So here I am! Saying you are hot, like do you on the bar counter right this second. Think about you fucking me in the elevator every time I'm at the courthouse." "God, I can't say that," Elenora muttered to herself. Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her dark blue skinny jeans, she took a deep breath. Thankfully, she had thrown a flannel over her tank top so maybe he would not notice the sweat that was forming under her arms.

When she approached the bar, she leaned against the wood with an elbow and turned herself to look at the man she was about to pester. "Evening Marshal." Elenora greeted before giving a side eye to her friends. The group of girls were sitting in their booth at the opposite end of the building, chin in hand and elbows on the table, staring at her with wide eyes and cat like smiles.

The man swiveled himself around on his chair, his hands still rested on the bar top wrapped around his beer bottle as if it was too much of an inconvenience to lift them. The motioned drew Elenora's eyes back to him. Elenora watched as his eyes connected with hers before slowly running down the length of her body and back up again. He squinted and his finger pulled at the label on the beer bottle subconsciously.

Elenora raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. "You look familiar, and you know I'm a Marshal." His face relaxed, and a smile tugged at his lips. "Wait. You're that uni girl stayin' with Art, aren't you?" He swiveled around fully now, his feet resting on the step of the stool and his knees spread wide. His left hand was free and now resting on his thigh.

"Yup, except right now, I need you to pretend like you don't know me, and I am just some stranger hitting on you at the bar." Said Elenora pushing off from the bar top and took a small step closer to the man. "You aren't supposed to know this, but I require your phone number for a stupid scavenger hunt, and I really want to win."

"This has got to be the strangest pick up line I have ever heard." His smile betrayed the tone in his voice, telling Elenora that he was actually enjoying this. "Tim, by the way."

"Elenora."

Tim's smile got even larger. "Can't say an eighty-year-old has ever asked for my number."

Taking a larger step forward than she had before, Elenora put herself between Tim's legs. A surge of confidence overtaking her brought on my the smile on Tim's lip and the mischievous glint that was now in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure this eighty-year-old could give you all sorts of new experiences." Elenora reached out and ran her hands up Tim's shoulders before pulling lightly at the collar of his polo to straighten it before dropping her hands back down to her sides.

"Ma'am, don't tempt me with a good time. So this scavenger hunt?" Asked Tim. "You just need my number, or do you require my assistance with anything else? Say that picture of you skinny dip'n in the founder's fountain?"

Elenora's eyes went large. How could he know? Out of instinct, she went to take a step back, but Tim quickly threw his arms out, looping his thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans and splaying his hands on her sides of her ass. "Woah girl." Tim whispered. "If you've done it I didn't see, you just aren't the first to come up to me tonight trying to fill that card of yours."

Relaxing, Elenora rested her palms on Tim's forearms. "So I'm too late to the game, then is what you are telling me?"

"Hardly. I don't give my number out to just anyone." Said Tim as his eyes once again locked onto hers. "However, being in the charge of Art and all, I feel as though it is my duty to help you with your task."

"That would be mighty fine of you." Elenora responded. Her hands had worked their way up his arms till her wrists rested on his shoulders. With a turn of her head, Elenora looked back towards her friends who were all watching her with interest, waiting to see what happened next. "Pretty sure you just made me the talk of the night, Marshal."

"Got your phone?" Tim asked as he slid his hands out from her jeans and brought them to rest on her hips.

Elenora reached up into the pocket of her flannel and pulled out her blackberry. She spun the device in her fingers and held it out to Tim, who then plucked it from her grasp. With both hands, he punched in his name and phone number before holding it back out to Elenora, but when she went to reach for it, he pulled it back with a flick of his wrist. "Now, I'm trusting you with this. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Got it. No late night booty calls, rebound requests, or drunken confessions of love."

"Exactly. Only recommendations for lunch, who won Sundays game and is there a cover band playin' at Rusty's?" Said Tim as he held the phone back out to her.

Taking it in her hand, Elenora looked at the device and then at Tim. "Thanks, Tim."

"Don't be afraid to ask about those cover bands." Elenora smiled and took a step back from Tim before turning back towards her friends. "And Ma'am, I do apologize."

The next thing Elenora felt was the slap of a hand on her ass, and she was pretty sure the shock caused her feet to leave the floor. She whipped her head around to look at Tim, who was just retracting his hand and had a smile on his face.

Elenora made her way back to her friends and sat down before handing her phone to one girl, who promptly started clicking away on her phone. Elenora picked up the glass of gin and soda she had left at the table before going to talk to Tim and eyed said man out of the corner of her eye. He had just reached for his beer when his detoured and reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone, reading the message that came through he turned to look at the table and gave a wave, just as Elenora knew he had been instructed. Now came the embarrassing part.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The girl with Elenora's phone asked.

"Do it. I want that apartment." Elenora downed her drink in one swallow and tipped her head down so that her fell over her face to hide the blush that she was sure was currently forming on her cheeks.

"Nora, he's coming over!"

Elenora's head shot up, and she turned to see Tim walking towards her. A stern look on his face and his hand resting on his firearm that was holstered at his side. His badge was clearly visible from where it was hooked into his jeans on his right hip.

"Shit, he's a cop!" one girl said in a hushed tone just as Tim approached the table.

"Oh, you're screwed, girl." Came the voice of another girl from across the table.

His phone was still in his other hand and he presented it to Elenora once he was at the table's edge. "Ma'am, is this you?"

Looking at the phone screen, Elenora saw a picture of herself, naked as the day she was born, standing in Lexington's founders fountain. "Umm, yes."

"Do you know that indecent exposure is illegal, especially on State owned property, and carries a criminal sentence?"

"No, but that would make sense." Elenora's cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she could feel herself breaking out in a sweat.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to come with me," Said Tim as he pocketed his phone and waved Elenora out of the booth, his hand resting on his pistol the entire time.

"Officer, please, you can't do this. It was just a stupid thing for her to get this apartment. I mean, it's a really nice apartment, but she can't go to jail!"

"Ladies, let me introduce myself. I am Deputy United States Marshall Tim Gutterson, and I am going to take you friend here into custody. Now come Ma'am if you will come with me, we are going to have a little talk about our good State's laws and if I feel as though you will not be a repeat offender perhaps there will not be any paperwork to file."

"Yes, Marshall." Said Elenora as she slid from the booth and grabbed her small leather purse from its resting place on her seat.

Tim placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her to turn around. "Hands behind your back, please."

Elenora felt the cool metal rub and lock against her wrists. 'where had he been hiding handcuffs' she wondered?

"Ladies, enjoy the rest of your evening." With that, Elenora felt Tim touch her, gently pushing at her lower back as he directed her towards the door. Once they were almost there, she felt Tim press himself against her side and his head come into view next to hers. "There now you can cross off being arrested, too."

"You fucker!" Elenora ground out in a hushed tone. "How did you know?"

"Now Ma'am. You are speaking to a Deputy U.S. Marshal, so let's watch the language, and I already told you, you weren't the first girl to come up to me tonight." Tim said this with a humor to his voice and Elenora could only roll her eyes as the two stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the night air.

Once Elenora knew she would not be seen by her friends, she stepped out of Tim's grasp and turn on him. "I didn't pay my tab, Tim. I'm never gonna be allowed back in there now."

"Don't worry, I took care of it before I came over. Now come on, SUVs just over there." Said Tim as he removed his hand from where it rested on his firearm and pointed towards an SUV parked about a half block away.

"Wait, you are actually arresting me?" Elenora's eyes went wide and while she was sure her cheeks were still flushed, she imagined the rest of her was following.

"Hell no, I don't wanna do that paperwork. It's a school night; but if your friends walk out right now, this is gonna look mighty suspicious."

"Good point. Lead the way, Marshal." Tim moved and placed his hand on her shoulder and the two walked the short distance to his SUV. Opening the door, Tim helped Elenora into the SUV and once he was tucked in behind the wheel himself, he pulled out the keys to the cuffs.

He held them up and Elenora turned herself around to give him access, but when she did not feel Tim unlocking them, she craned her neck slightly to look at him. "Are you gonna uncuff me, Marshal, or is this something I need to worry about? Being in a vehicle with a stranger?"

When Tim did not answer, Elenora bounced her way around in the seat to look straight on at him. Her mind playing through every horrible scenario her daddy had ever told her. Till finally a smile rose from his lips. "I just need to know. You really doing all this for an apartment? Havin' a criminal record worth that?"

As he talked, Elenora had pulled a bobby pin from her back pocket and had already had it wedged in the teeth of her left cuff. "You haven't seen the apartment. Studio, with these giant picture windows and a rooftop patio..." Elenora let out a grunt as she squeezed the cuff on her left hand closed even more than it already was, until she felt the release of the mechanism which she had jammed. "There were twenty of us that applied to her to take over her lease, so she came up with this stupid game." With her left hand now free of the cuff, she brought her hands around to her front and she watched as Tim's eyes narrowed at the now empty cuff dangling from her right wrist.

"How'd you do that?" Tim asked, pointing at the cuff with the key he still held in his hand.

"A girl's gotta' have some secrets."

Tim gave a nod of his head and reached forward to unlock the remaining cuff. "Understandable. I mean, I have seen you naked already, and we haven't even been on a proper date."

A laugh escaped Elenora's lips. "You tellin' me, Marshal, that this is your idea of an improper date, then?"

"I don't normally get the phone numbers of my perps before arrestin' them, although maybe that's how your daddy does it. I'm guessin' he was also a Marshal, and that's why you're stayin' with Art?"

"Still is. Daddy doesn't make many friends. Felt it was safest for me to head out this way. Uncle Art was nice enough to offer me a room and protection. His ex-wife lives out here too. We get along well enough, but not enough for me to be spendin' any time in that home."

"That meaning she aint your momma?"

"No, that woman died when I was eight, and the state contradicted the bullshit I'd been told of my father. And guess what? He was, in fact, alive and well. Didn't even know I existed."

Tim's face scrunched up and his shoulders gave a shrug. "Ouch, well, at least he wasn't an ass."

"See, that's how I know you've never met him. I love him, but he's the biggest ass I know."

Elenora noticed Tim's eyes narrow, and he leaned slightly to the side as he watched something from behind her. "Time to go, unless getting caught in this ruse won't lose you this amazing apartment?"

"Nope, let's go Marshal," Said Elenora as she quickly situated herself in the seat and threw on her seat belt.

Tim quickly backed up the SUV and pulled out of the stall, heading down the road with no destination in sight. "Technically, it's Deputy, but you know I'm not actually arresting you. There is no need for the formality."

"Maybe I like it. Maybe it's the gin talkin', but callin' you, Marshal, means I'm less likely to be thinking any impure thoughts about you and this improper date."

Tim's wrist rested on the top of the steering wheel and his other laid on his thigh, his thumb drumming against his leg. Elenora figured it was a nervous tick or an unconscious way to keep his hands busy. Lots of Marshals had military backgrounds and the way he called her ma'am made her believe he might be one of them.

He remained silent for several seconds until the hand on his leg jumped up and gripped the wheel. Turning it with a sharp pull, Tim brought the vehicle into the parking lot of a dimly lit park and brought it to a stop in one of the parking stalls. He pushed up on the shifter, putting the SUV into park before turning to look at her with a starved look. Like she was water in the desert and he had been stranded for weeks.

"Ma'am, I'm not one to touch someone without their consent unless I'm working, so I need you to tell me you are okay with me kissing you right now. If not, I'll drive you to wherever you wanna go and we can go abo..." Tim did not get to finish the thought. Elenora had unbuckled herself so fast she wasn't even sure she had done it till she was already sitting astride Tim, her face an inch from his.

"I'm gonna keep callin' you Marshal, if you keep callin' me, ma'am."

"Understood." Replied Tim, who then brought his hands up to hover just above her hips.

A giggle left Elenora, and she put her hands to Tim's chest. "While I, and the women of the world, appreciate your views on consent, I'm sitting on your lap, Tim. You have my permission to touch me."

With that, his hands clasped down on her hips, and his lips were on hers. His hands pulled at her tucked in tank top till he could get his hands on the skin of her back, where he let them rest as he continued to kiss her. Elenora was seeing stars. The kiss was intense. It felt as though she was the only thing he had ever wanted to kiss. Her body shivered as his thumbs rubbed at the skin on her side, just ghosting towards her stomach. Her hands, on the other hand, had moved up his chest, one now rested on the side of his neck while the other sprawled into his hair.

Elenora could taste the whiskey on his lips, and she felt Tim pull on her, sliding her further into his lap, and to where she could feel him hardening underneath her.

They pulled apart from each other slightly when finally they were so out of breath they could not continue. Elenora dipped her head and bring her lips to his neck where she peppered kisses up towards his ear, and in response she felt a hand slide up her back, coming to rest once his fingers had poised themselves at the clasp of her bra. When her teeth reached his earlobe and she bit down, Tim let out a long groan. "Not to sound too desperate here, but it's been a while," Tim began in a whisper. "So if you are gonna keep kissing me there, this might be over real fa... shit."

"What?" Asked Elenora as she pulled back and looked down at Tim.

"Never thought I wish to be a teenager again, storing condoms in my glove-box."

"I have an IUD, so we are safe, as long as you are clean..."

"Have to be having sex to get anything..."

"Well then, Marshal, looks like we're all set." Elenora rocked her hips into Tim's and then brought her lips back down to his.

A knock sounded on the glass, and both Elenora and Tim jumped apart in unison. Both turned to see a man dressed in a black police jacket and the butt of a flashlight resting on the window. Extracting his hands, Tim rolled down the window and flinched as the officer spun his flashlight to shine into the SUV. "Okay love birds, this isn't... Deputy Gutterson, is that you?"

Elenora squinted at the light till finally she had to turn her eyes away and cast them down at Tim's chest. "Oh hey, Thompson. Yeah, we were just..."

"Not in the park, man." Said the officer with a laugh.

"We were just leaving." Replied Tim.

Elenora noticed the light from the flashlight disappear with a click. "You to have a good night and be safe now."

A few moments later, Elenora felt fingers under her jaw and, after a slight pressure, bring her head back up to face the man in front of her. "Well, if that was a mood breaker, I don't know what is." Tim let a laugh out and Elenora followed. The giggles left her lips until Tim's lips captured hers once more, his hands pushing into her hair as he increased the intensity. She let the kiss go for a few seconds before pulling away.

"Well Marshal, is this the point in the night you drive me home or do we go back to your place? Because I would really rather not be arrested for a second time tonight."

"I didn't really arrest you." Whispered Tim as he pulled a hand from her hair and used his thumb to rub lightly at her the spot on her chin right below her ear.

Smirking, Elenora squirmed in Tim's lap, and the man beneath her let out a groan. "You did put me in handcuffs." Elenora pecked at Tim's lips. Tim let out another groan. However, this one caused Elenora to pull away and narrow her eyes at him. "What?"

"See, I know I should take you home, the home of which my boss lives at, but all I can think about right now is how good you looked in that photo naked."

"Well then, the next choice seems like it's up to you."