Woo woo woo ...
Jenny groaned as she caught sight of the flashing blue lights in her rearview mirror. The motorcycle cop gestured, his meaning unmistakable -- YOU, pull over!
"Damn, that is the last thing I needed first thing this morning," she muttered, turning on her blinker to signal her intention to pull over to the shoulder of the road.
She rolled her window down as he approached the driver's door.
"Good morning, Officer...Gregory," she said, smiling winningly as she read his name tag. "Was I speeding?"
"No, ma'am. I pulled you over because your inspection sticker is expired." He didn't return her smile.
Jenny fought the urge to slap herself across the forehead.
"Oh, no! How could I have been such a ditz?! It came in Friday's mail and I tossed it on the counter intending to put it on over the weekend. Then my dog got sick and had to go to the emergency vet and my kitchen refrigerator died and my mother called and needed..." she trailed off. She realized she was babbling, probably due to blue-light-induced adrenaline.
Smiling again, ruefully this time, she continued, "But that's no excuse for breaking the law. I'm sorry."
He still didn't smile.
"I'm going to have to write you up, ma'am."
Jen nodded bravely, trying not to think of more points going against her license. She had enough already, thanks to her new convertible and her lead foot.
"But," he finished, "if you can show me the sticker by end of shift today, I won't turn the paperwork in."
She beamed at him, "Oh thank you, thank you so much!"
She finally saw him smile a bit at her ebullience. And she was pretty sure he stole an appreciative glance at the silky gold lingerie-style top that peeked out from under her suit jacket. The adrenaline haze had cleared slightly and she noticed he had a nice smile and even white teeth. She also couldn't help admiring his great build which showed to advantage in his blue shirt and well-fitting motorcycle pants. She'd always been a sucker for a man in uniform.
He gave her the ticket and instructions on where and when to find him that afternoon, then touched the visor of his helmet.
"You have a nice day, ma'am."
She couldn't resist twisting in her seat to get a look at his butt as he strode back to his bike.
"Lord, woman, get hold of yourself. Jonesing on a stranger like that, even if he is a police officer." Brief self-scolding complete, she eased back into the flow of traffic.
The episode made her late for work and she played catch-up the rest of the day. Even so, she did find herself thinking about the handsome officer a couple of times. What color were his eyes behind the dark sunglasses? His hair? And what did he look like under that starched uniform?
She wrapped up one last phone call, told her boss she was leaving early, then ran by her apartment to grab the inspection decal. As she headed for the police station she realized she was actually looking forward to seeing him again.
As she headed into the station she was glad she'd worn her new shoes that morning. They were pointy-toed, stiletto-heeled, and made her feet hurt like hell, but they did amazing things for her long legs in the short black skirt.
She caught him just as he was signing out for the day.
"Well, hello Ms. Headley," he greeted her.
She waved the decal triumphantly.
"I had a feeling you'd be here so I didn't enter this." He tore up the ticket and handed her the pieces.
"Thank you so much! You just made my day."
He smiled, a real one this time, and it was lethal. The vivid blue eyes, tanned skin and close-cropped dark hair combined to make him even more attractive than she'd thought.
"I'll walk you out and make sure this is affixed properly before you take to the streets again," he said. She slid him a sideways glance, trying to gauge his meaning. Was he just being nice or did he actually want to prolong the encounter?
As they reached her car, she said, "I really appreciate your giving me another chance. I, uh, can't really afford any more tickets right now."
He looked at her shiny new Corvette and said wryly, "I can imagine."
"I'm only twenty-six. I'm having my mid-life crisis while I'm still young enough to enjoy it," she quipped.
Jennifer had a lively curiosity about people, plus she instinctively liked Officer Gregory. And it didn't hurt that he wasn't wearing a wedding ring.
"What's your first name? Are you a native? How long have you been a police officer? Do you like it?"
"Tim, yes, two years and yes, very much," he responded. "I'm like what I'm doing now but my real goal is to make Detective. Things are going pretty well for me and I hope that will happen in the next couple of years."
They chatted amiably for awhile, discovering several things in common. They'd actually attended the same school several years apart and had a few mutual friends. They both came from large families, loved baseball and admitted to being secretly addicted to reality TV.
Finally she glanced at her watch.
"Omigosh, I've kept you for thirty minutes. My mom always said I could talk the ears off a mule."