Chapter 20 – Grant
CHAPTER TWENTY
GRANT
“Officer Malone?”
“Yo.” I shove my chair out and wheel across the aisle so the receptionist can see me.
“Delivery for you.”
Nate eyes me from across the aisle of desks, and I shrug. “For me?”
“Who’s subpoenaing you now?” he asks.
“Beats the hell outta me,” I say as I grab the manila envelope and turn it over in my hands. There’s no return address on it.
“Hey, Sue?” I call to the receptionist before she retreats back to her desk.
“Yeah?”
“Who delivered this?”
“Some guy. Kinda cute if you like the tall, dark, and handsome vibe.” She flashes me a smile.
“Yeah, sounds just like my type.” I roll my eyes and get a few laughs from the guys as I slide a finger beneath the flap and open the envelope.
There are waivers filled out with my name and yellow “sign here” tabs everywhere a signature is required. At first, I’m confused as to what all this is. Then the gift certificate works its way out from between the papers.
“Blue Skies Skydiving School Gift Certificate: Good for one tandem flight with lead instructor, Emerson Reeves. Unless of course you don’t trust her . . .”
Look who just stepped onto the playing field with a Hail Mary right off the bat.
Took her long enough.
I chuckle, which has Nate narrowing his eyes at me. “I gotta make a call,” I say as I stand and make my way out of the station away from the other officers who like to gossip like little old ladies.
“Blue Skies, this is Emerson, how may I help you?” Her voice sounds like goddamn sex. And she’s doing it on purpose because her caller ID tells her exactly who’s calling.
“You tell me. How can you help me?”
She murmurs a sound that I swear to God sounds like how I imagine her fingernails scratching over my balls would feel, and that thought alone tells me I’m so far fucked when it comes to her it isn’t even funny. “I see you got my gift.”
“I did.”
“Just thought I’d pay a little token of appreciation to our officers who protect and serve.”
“I think I’m the only one here who received a gift certificate, though.”
“Yeah, well, you’re a special case.” She laughs. I can picture her standing on the tarmac with that damn flight suit on, her baseball cap pulled low as she peers down the stretch of runway from behind her aviators. “Are you calling to schedule your flight time?”
“Not hardly. I told you, I don’t trust anyone, especially when it comes to jumping out of an airplane.”
“Not even little ol’ me?”
“Especially not little ol’ you.” I laugh, imagining she has a dartboard somewhere with my picture on the bull’s-eye.
“What’s wrong, Malone? Should I call you Daisy ?”
“Touché.”
“What then? Are you that afraid of a woman being in control?” Her voice is coy, playful, but I can hear the underlying tone of curiosity in it.
“Not in the least, Em. I actually think it’s sexy as hell. What’s even sexier is a woman who demands control from everyone else except for the one she’s with behind closed doors because she trusts him implicitly. Now that? That’s a turn on.”
I hear her suck in a breath in reaction, and I love knowing that I’ve gotten to her somehow. “Well, I guess we both have control and trust issues we need to work through, don’t we?”
“I thought that was what we were doing.”
With a chuckle, I end the call and let out a long, controlled sigh.
Fuck . I may be getting the upper hand, but hell if I’ll take any hand about now so long as it’s hers.