A tremendous Thank you to TheShadowsEdge for her help with all this story: bouncing ideas and correcting my many mistakes.
This one is a more "Classic" one, we'll go back to craky chapters soon ahah
McGinnis
She really hated those symposium things, and ever more the diners that followed ever more. It was why she had refused to become head of SOB for so long. Unfortunately Howard had to run to DC to his wife and that left her in charge to go to that stupid thing. So here she was, waiting for the last 10min for the elevator to come. No way she would go down the stairs in heels, she might have followed Raydor's dress code but she wasn't as crazy as the other woman. No way she would risk her ankle's integrity! She fidgeted more, tugging on her impractical and uncomfortable dress. What the heck was going on with that stupid elevator ?! And why did she have to wear such …
Her thoughts stopped their course as the small ding signaled the lift was finally here. She lifted her head, getting ready to enter the small vehicle but stopped dead in her tracks. In the far corner of the elevator stood Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn, kissing like there was no tomorrow. It wasn't indecent, far from it. It was a slow, deep, sensual kiss. She saw the Captain's lips gently suck on the man's upper lip before tangling her tongue with his, drawing a moan out of both of them. She could tell it conveyed more tenderness than sexuality. They must not have notified the door opening because when they slightly pulled apart it was only for the Captain to snuggle in her lieutenant's arms, hiding her face in his neck while he enveloped her in his big strong arms. He deposed a long kiss at the top of her head, his eyes still closed, visibly enjoying their connection for as long as they could.
It nearly brought tears to her eyes. Oh, how she missed her husband. How she missed cuddles and tenderness. She had had sex, since his passing, and a lot of it. While it helped in some ways, while it was easier to deal with physical intimacy than emotional connection, it was what she missed the most. She would do anything to find solace in his arms, one more time. Just one more time.
She brought her hands to her eyes, wiping the few tears that managed to slip away and clear her throat without thinking. « Oh Ann… » She heard and when she lifted back her head, the couple had moved away. She felt bad for disrupting them. She could see that Sharon needed the tenderness. She did not know how she knew that, but she did. In fact, it was her years-long relationship with the love of her life that gave her that perspective. She would bet her new E-Mustang that the couple before her had sex only minutes ago and did not have time for tenderness afterwards. She casted a glance towards them, only to confirm her suspicions: Raydor's cheeks were pink, her chest still flushed too. At least, he had been worth her time. Her hair was less tamed than usual and she wore it down. It was her usual look for work but Ann was pretty sure that the older woman usually took time to have a more elaborate hairdo for these kinds of outings. Flynn looked quite the same, except that he had a few buttons in the wrong hole on his shirt. It didn't catch the eye easily and if she was not looking for something she would surely have missed it.
She smiled. There was a first for everything : for the very proper Captain to appear embarrassed and not 100% put together, something the Commander had never witnessed in the nearly 20 years they both had been on the force. Another thing the commander was witnessing for the first time was the romantic relationship between these two. Of course she had heard about it, after all, the rumors circulated quickly and widely, even in a male dominated environment. At first, she had thought it was that: just rumors. Months passed by and she heard more and more about it. She had a hard time believing it. They seemed so… so.. Ill fitted. Really, she couldn't see them together. She had been on the ot
her hand of Flynn's charms more times than she could count. Oh he was charming, the fucker, but that was all. She was sure that the moment she would have spent the night between his sheets, she would be of any interest to him any longer and the whole LAPD would have known. But Raydor was not reckless, far from it. Ann knew a bit of the other woman's life, knew how she suffered being seen as the cheated on wife for years and years. Sharon was careful, she was pragmatic, she was more directed by her mind than her emotions. So, what made her fall for Andy Flynn?!
Ann could only guess. And she was pretty sure it was something that did not catch the eye. She heard about them being together but never got any details. She heard about people seeing them outside, heard Taylor being notified by them. It never came from Flynn. He did not say a word, he never bragged. She had come to interact with Major Criles several times since their relationship became public and if she did not know about it, she would not have had any clue. They all worked quietly and effectively like they always did. She saw Raydor bounce ideas with her team, she saw Provenza direct operations on the field, like always. No hands holding, no sweet names, no lovey eyes, nothing. And now… she saw them kiss. She saw them hug. In that interaction, she saw tenderness and commitment. In their gaze, she saw love for one another. She guessed that was the difference. Love.
