God she'd had a bad day. Lori had worked overtime on a big project, and it was already nearly dusk on this beautiful, hot August evening. After presenting what she KNEW was an excellent proposal, her boss's response was barely lukewarm. He wanted his ass kissed on a daily basis (and she suspected he wanted more than that from her)... and the taste in her mouth got worst by the day. No matter how good she managed his affairs, he was either taking credit for her work, or telling her she could be better - (especially if she'd just dress a little sexier). If she wasn't making such damn good money she'd fire her boss and hit the road for good.
To make matters worst, Lori was tired of living with her boyfriend, but unfortunately couldn't quite afford to be out on her own yet. She'd incurred major debt during her divorce. This new guy was nice enough, but after a fun few months he'd turned out to be a work-alcoholic by day, and a borderline alcoholic by night. Their occasional bland sex was irritating and unfulfilling. be passed out before she got home tonight, and that was just fine with her. Besides, she found herself satisfying herself in the bathtub better than he could in the bedroom. AND she was determined to NOT to be caught up in another bad relationship (no matter how gentle this man seemed). She prayed one more time that this endeavor into her first novel would be her ticket to freedom - from her job... from her life.
God he'd had a bad day. Rauck's sergeant assured him this stint in this quiet, classy suburb of Toledo would only be for a few months, "until the bad press died down." He wished for the umpteenth time he'd have not snapped that day. Following up on a domestic violence call... the worst call a cop can go on, the apartment he walked into was a rat infested, trap. That day, he'd given into the urge to hit a woman. He'd been to this apartment before, where the couple beat on each other often, in one drunken stupor or another. Their little girl was bleeding and crying when he arrived, and the wife wasn't in much better shape.
Rauck had just finished cuffing the drunk husband when the woman came after him with a broom, and got him once, hard across his back. In pain and with a blind fury he didn't know he possessed, he turned on her - and hit her. She went down in a heap on the floor, and lost a couple of teeth. The little girl begged him through blackened eyes to not take her daddy - and please don't hurt her mommy anymore. Sickened and ashamed he cradled the little girl in his arms and told her he was sorry, and held her until the ambulance and back-up arrived. Rauck would never understand how a mother could allow that to happen to her child.
The media was relentless - and an inquiry followed. He was eventually cleared, but they pulled him off his inner city beat and put him on patrol on the outskirts of town. When he was in the city - he'd felt good about getting "trash" off the streets, not to mention that there were women aplenty to keep him occupied. There wasn't any "trash" out here... just an occasional speeder, or rich kid or two getting busted for dope in the backseat of an SUV. The women were shitty to him for the most part out here... he angrily felt most of them considered him beneath them.
Each night, he went home to an empty apartment after his 2nd shift ended. His on again, off again girlfriend left him for good, just over a month ago. She said she couldn't stand being with an angry man anymore (she said many other things that he tried to keep out of his mind - but tonight he couldn't forget her "angry all the time" accusations). Right now, he hated his life. If it weren't for his limited success as a part-time fitness trainer, where beautiful, lonely married woman in their tights and low cut spandex stroked his ego (and occasionally more), he wasn't sure where he'd be mentally right now... he suspected in a dark, dark place.
"Detour ahead." "Damn," - Lori had forgotten about the detour. She just wanted to go home, have a beer, maybe write a few chapters in her book. She abruptly made a left turn onto a side street, heading towards a dirt road that skirted around the cornfields on the East Side of town. She vaguely heard a horn blaring and caught a flash of white out of the corner of her eye. Near miss. "Fuck em."
Rauck slammed on his breaks and nearly skidded into the little red Chevy. He stared incredulously at the back of her car as she sped away. If he'd been in an accident in a patrol car NOW, god only knew where he'd end up. Probably at a friggin desk job for the rest of his life. He gunned the accelerator and skidded around the corner in pursuit of her. For some reason, he didn't call dispatch or turn on his siren & flashers. He was suddenly so pissed off.
Lori was speeding along the side of the cornfield, lost in thought when she saw the patrol car through her rear view mirror coming around a curve. SHIT - she was NOT in the mood for a ticket today. She quickly turned up a dirt road that ran in between the fields that she'd driven through earlier in the summer a couple of times - praying he hadn't seen her speeding.
Rauck briefly glimpsed the tail end of the Chevy turning down the dirt road in the fields. Luckily he saw her - there was no dust kicking up, it had been a wet August and the road was moist. He slammed his foot down on the accelerator in anger and anticipation. He was going to catch the bitch...
The road was muddy, and 3/4 of a mile into the cornfield, with husks growing high above her little car - she sped around a slight bend in the dirt road, and promptly sunk deep into tractor ruts in a little clearing. Lori kept her foot on the accelerator, willing the momentum to get her out. She was completely screwed if she got stranded out here - having forgot her cell phone at home this morning. The car bogged down and slowed. "SHIT." She yelled, pounding her fist on the steering wheel. Her car sunk more, and her tires were spinning, deeper and deeper until she was no longer moving.
Rauck slowed as he approached the curve... and stopped his car behind hers. He smiled - she had hit a deep spot in a clearing and was stuck. His eyes flashing dangerously behind his sunglasses, he got out of his patrol car and walked to her open window.
She was almost relieved when she saw him... at least she wouldn't have to WALK out of here. "Great," she thought... now her insurance rates were going to go up. This would be her 2nd ticket this year. She turned off the car.
"Get out of the car lady," Rauck spoke menacingly through her open window - noticing her low cut tank top, and ample cleavage rising up and down in the summer heat. An expensive looking suit jacket was flung carelessly in the passenger seat, and diamond stud earrings sparkled under chic brown wisps of hair. A beautiful, creamy white heart shaped face turned towards him with pouting pink lips. He couldn't see her eyes behind designer sunglasses. "Great." He thought. Another rich bitch.
Lori's first instinct had been to try and charm him... it had worked a couple of times in the past for her. However, when he spoke to her and told her to get out of the car, in that shitty, dark voice, she snapped. She'd had enough of men using her and treating her like crap. She didn't give a damn if he WAS a cop.
"You don't need to use that tone of voice with ME" she snarled at him, as she crawled out of the car, struggling not to sink in the mud in her heels and skirt.
He'd had it... the events of the past few months caught up with him, and this bitch talking DOWN to him like he was some piece of trash was too much for him. He grabbed her and yanked her to him. In an instant he'd twisted her arm up behind her back and shoved her towards the patrol car. She stumbled - and he wrapped his free arm across her body to steady her, his hand covering her breast...
Angry and snarling at him, she still couldn't help but notice as she started to get out of the car his SIZE. He had to be over 6'2," and he was massive... with short, dark hair and chiseled features. Although he wore dark sunglasses, he looked pissed. She wondered if maybe she should have tried harder to be nice... his olive skinned arms bulged through his short sleeved "cop" shirt, and his patrol pants hugged every exquisite muscle and bulge in his body. "Oh my," she briefly thought to herself....
It happened so fast - she gasped as he effortlessly pulled her the rest of the way out of the car, twisted her arm behind her back. She stumbled and would have fallen had he not wrapped his other arm around her, but his hand was over her breast. She felt a stirring in her crotch and cursed under her breathe... this was CRAZY, he had NO right.
