The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) Read online

  His friend grumbled something inaudible and went to take an order from the pool players.

  “I thought it was seven weeks,” commented the lady bartender.

  “Indeed it was, my dear Jill,” Alex replied smugly. “You know it and I know it. And of course, so does your dear Tony. I was just trying to get him wound up enough that he’d say it in front of everyone.”

  The gorgeous blonde shook her head, “He’s gonna pound you one of these days.”

  “For what?”

  “Embarrassing him in front of his clientele,” she replied.

  “Oh really?” a look of disbelief swept over Alex’s face, “And I suppose him using me for a substitute barbell in front of the ladies isn’t embarrassing? I mean, let’s face it, women want to talk to the weightlifter, not the weight.”

  “The dead weight,” corrected Tony, walking by at that moment.

  Alex glared at his back and then turned to Jill with a hurt expression.

  “Poor Little Man,” she cooed patting his head in a motherly fashion.

  “Oye, I’m not THAT little!” he protested and then added, “Especially not in certain areas.”

  “Really?” she asked in amazement, “So the microscope Ronnie bought the other day really was for your nephew?”

  Alex gave her a look and said, “Neither of you are going to let me keep even a shred of dignity are you?”

  Jill contemplated this for a moment then shook her head, “Nope!” and went to fetch more glasses, leaving him to stew without a good comeback. A moment later, Tony sidled up next to him saying, “There goes the cruelest woman on earth.”

  “Who, if I’m not mistaken, verbally emasculated me just now,” Alex complained.

  “Yeah, she did,” Tony clapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off the stool. Then he walked off to take some more orders.

  “You do realize I hate the pair of you with a passion of biblical proportions,” Alex called after him. “In fact, once I get home I’m going to sick the four horses of the Apocalypse on both your rotten arses.”

  “Don’t you mean the Horsemen, Brit-boy?” his friend replied from the somewhere in the crowd.

  “No just their horses. First I’m going to feed them and then park them on each of your lawns. I’m sure the steeds of War, Famine, Pestilence and Death will leave very interesting gifts behind.”

  Oddly enough no one laughed. In fact the room had become awfully quiet.

  Thirty years of existence had taught Alex that this could mean only one thing. “There’s someone scary behind me, isn’t there?” he said to the room at large.

  He watched several patrons suddenly become very interested in their drinks. This did not bode well in his book.

  “Excuse me sir, but we do have laws around here about letting your animals do their business on someone else’s lawn,” said a cool voice from behind him.

  He turned to see a policewoman staring pointedly at him, wearing shades and no nonsense expression on her lovely face. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and stood about 4 inches taller than him. “Now, I’m sure I didn’t just hear you threaten the owners and of this fine establishment,” she continued.

  “Fine establishment?” Alex repeated and looked around. Maybe her shades were rose-tinted?

  At least several people snickered, including Jill.

  The officer folded her arms and waited patiently.

  Finally, he said, “Well if you’re sure you didn’t hear me say any such thing, I guess neither of us has anything to worry about.”

  “Too bad,” the policewoman remarked, taking off sunglasses to reveal a pair of fetching green eyes. Then she removed her helmet and the pins holding up her mass of deep red hair. “I was looking for an excuse to slap my handcuffs on you and haul your ass back to my place.”

  Alex stared at her for a moment. Then he began rummaging through his pockets, muttering. “I know I’ve got the Horsemen’s phone number around here somewhere...”

  Veronica raised an eyebrow in amusement, but said nothing.

  “I’ll get their horses on those lawns in no time flat,” Alex promised, still searching desperately. Finally he yelled, “Is a there a priest in the house?”

  Tony came to his rescue, “Officer, I’d like this man removed from the premises. He’s violating the rules of the bar.”

  “Which one?”

  “No shirt, no shoes… No UGLY.”

  Alex glared at him, and then turned to Veronica, “I guess you’ll have to take the barkeep, too.”

  “I own the place,” Tony reminded them.

  “I was referring to your partner.”

  Jill’s indignant voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd, “EXCUSE ME?”

  “Okay, causing a public disturbance, let’s go,” Ronnie announced and grabbed Alex by the shoulder. “And don’t try resisting arrest either,” she warned, then added playfully, “Or else.”

  ‘To resist, or not to resist,’ that is the question, thought the young man, as he was handcuffed none too gently.

  “I’m so glad I decided to resist,” Alex sighed contentedly with his arms were stretched above his head. This was not by choice though. The handcuffs that were still attached to his wrists looped around a bedpost.

  “Me, too,” replied an equally content voice from behind him.

  “You’re out of uniform,” he remarked.

  “So?”

  “So you shouldn’t have left these handcuffs on me,” he explained. “What would your boss say if he found out his second-in-command was using official police equipment for frivolous and immoral purposes?”

  He felt Ronnie’s lips brush up against his ear and say, “Good point. I’ll go fetch some duct tape and use that instead.”

  Alex’s eyes widened as the thought of how much arm hair would be lost suddenly sank in. “Then again, anyone can purchase handcuffs these days. I mean, go to any Magic Shop for instance,” he said quickly.

  “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t be using my equipment for anything except official police business,” his lover replied and rolled him onto his back. “And I just bought a couple of rolls the other day. Now you stay put.”

  “Like I’ve got a choice?” he replied, as he watched her head for the door. Suddenly, she paused to look back at him while cocking her head thoughtfully.

  “What?” he murmured uneasily. “I know that look. What are you thinking, Oh Light of My Life?”

  “Duct tape…. Bikini line…” she smiled evilly.

  Alex paled at the thought. “Me screaming my bloody head off like little gir…” he stopped as a thought struck. “Oh wait, duct tape over the mouth would take care of that.”

  The redhead waggled her eyebrows and smiled. “Or, I could just do this!” With a couple of quick steps she launched herself onto the bed and her prisoner. Within moments they were involved in another round of deep kissing.

  When they broke for air, she was straddling him.

  “Sexpot!” he gasped.

  “Submissive!” she breathed.

  “Bully!”

  “Weakling!”

  He made a face, “Nympho!”

  “Sex Toy!” she shot back, then titled her head and thought aloud, “Although, most toys don’t usually talk back.”

  “True,” he conceded, “but you’re saving a bundle on batteries with me around.”

  “Maybe, but I usually get them in bulk at the discount warehouse store,” his lady replied dismissively.

  “Oye!”

  Ignoring his protest she continued, “And of course that kind of toy doesn’t need a recovery break.” She folded her arms under her breasts, lifting them just so.

  Alex stared at her, torn between arousal and annoyance. “You bitch.”

  “True,” she nodded and began to move her hips forward and back slowly. “And that bothers you?”

  “Certainly not now,” he breathed heavily. “Um… a little slower please.”

  “I thought so,” she smiled.
After a few moments she leaned down and whispered, “Actually I prefer sex toys that don’t need batteries. They’re more fun to cuddle.”

  “Oh well,” he shrugged, “nice to know I possess some advantages over….”

  “Shut up,” she whispered, and kissed him hard.

  She was in one of her moods all right. He had figured that out the moment she showed up at the bar. After four years together they had come to know each other very well. Plus, he had already sensed her distress.

  He’d been able to do things like that since he was a child. It had started with his mother, when he was barely two. They were able to understand one another without using words. But he had not been able to do this with his father or sister. His father simply believed his wife’s skills at understanding their son was simply proof that she was an extraordinary mother.

  Not that Veronica knew about any of this. He’d never told her.

  Now he could feel his lady’s shoulders begin to shake. Whatever happened this morning had left her emotionally and physically distraught. And he needed to help her let it out. He wouldn’t ask any questions about what happened. She would tell him in her own time.

  Her lips moved away from his, and slid down his neck to his shoulder. He could feel the tears now. Quietly he picked the locks of the handcuffs, and reached down to stroke her mane of red hair.

  He had only seen her like this on a few occasions, and each time there had been a death involved. But those hadn’t been where someone passed away quietly in their sleep or died from natural causes. No, they had been the stupid, senseless, preventable deaths. Those were the ones that got to her. And if it involved any of ‘her kids’ from the high school, then it was worse. And from what he was sensing, this was indeed the case.

  Her shoulders were shaking even more now and he could feel her gripping the sheets and twisting them. After several minutes she relaxed and said quietly, “Thanks.”

  “I can honestly say that it was a pleasure,” he replied lightly. She could be unpredictable on these occasions. She could burst into fresh tears and head to the workout room where she would beat the shit out of her workout dummy Eric. Or, she could open up and start talking about what had happened.

  “Why do people have to be so stupid?” she asked quietly.

  “I could tell you it was because when the brains were being handed out, they forgot to set the alarm clock that morning,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “But the more likely reason is that humans have a knack of not using the brains they queued up for in the first place.”

  “And ignore their own damned common sense,” she added and fell silent for a few moments.

  Alex could sense there was more to come and simply held her closer.

  “It was a bad one,” she murmured, “It practically happened right in front of me.”

  He rested his head on hers and said, “I’m sorry.”

  She gave a sad little chuckle, “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “And it wasn’t yours either, Luv,” he pointed out, nuzzling her reassuringly.

  After a few moments of quiet she sighed, “They’d only graduated a month ago.”

  ‘Damn!’ he thought to himself. His lady viewed herself as more of a big sister than a cop to the town’s teenage population. She got on well with just about all of them and they trusted her. They would turn to her whenever they needed an adult, who wasn’t a parent or teacher, to talk to. So she took it very hard whenever something happened to one of them. And if it was because of an error in judgment on their part, she’d feel as if she had somehow failed them.

  “They were so young. Either one of them could’ve been mine. Provided I could have children of course,” she murmured absently.

  “I understand,” he told her, knowing that he was powerless to do anything except be there for her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I know,” she replied gratefully, “I guess that’s why I love you so much.”

  “The feeling is very mutual,” he told her.

  “God only knows why,” she sighed.

  “Well, one thing springs to mind,” he answered with a smirk that could be heard in his voice.

  “Oh? What?” she asked curiously.

  “The thing we’ve been doing for the last hour and a half,” he replied innocently.

  That made her smile. “I don’t hear any complaints,” she observed.

  “After three times, you’re not bloody likely to,” he breathed and then asked seriously, “Are you going to be okay?”

  She nodded and put her head on his chest, “Just as long as I’ve got someone who doesn’t mind having an old bit of fluff.” She had picked up some British slang from watching the BBC on cable.

  “Fine wine,” he replied, reaching down and running a hand along her arm and shoulder. Occasionally a finger would brush across the tip of her breast, accidentally of course.

  “Bullshit,” she told him. “I’m 45 and you’re 30. There are a lot of girls your own age who wouldn’t mind doing this with you.”

  “True, but the ones with the handcuffs charge extra,” he quipped and instantly regretted it. One of his lover’s hands suddenly reached down and grab his member tightly making him gasp, “Darling, you’ve been working out again.”

  “I also bite,” she warned.

  “They charge extra for that too,” he groaned, then felt her begin to chuckle against his chest. Eventually her grip relaxed, slightly.

  “And how do you know so much about that kind of stuff?” she asked curiously.

  “Tony did an awful lot of complaining before he met Jill,” he replied quickly. At least she was distracted for the moment. Hopefully she wouldn’t fall back into her earlier mood.

  “And here I thought I was going to have to interrogate you some more,” she said raising her head and looking him in the eye.

  “Could we shower off first and give me about an hour to recover?” he pleaded jokingly. Well, not completely, he was worn out and really could use a break. But if her mood turned dark again, he was ready to do whatever he could for her.

  Luckily she seemed more at ease. Letting go of his cock she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Then she stopped and said quietly, “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Alex looked over and saw she was keeping her back to him. Not a good sign.

  “Look, we can go back to the bar and you can ask Tony yourself…” he began.

  “You know what I mean, Alex. Why did you settle for me?” she turned giving him the look she reserved for interrogating suspects. “I’m fifteen years older than you.”

  “Exactly,” he answered simply, “you’re more experienced.”

  Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “At life,” he added quickly. “You don’t want to just talk about the latest movie or TV show. You don’t go on about your last shopping trip or gossip about someone else’s most recent dating disaster. You talk about things that are real and you do something about them.”

  She dropped the look of annoyance and exchanged it for one of modesty.

  He continued, “You like books.”

  “And porn videos,” she remarked, curious to see if he would rise to the bait.

  Alex took no notice as he continued, “You have a great mind and you use it.” He paused, looked at her with true affection and smiled. “And your love is deeper and more real than anything I’ve ever known.”

  She smiled back, “And the fact that I keep in such good shape?”

  “Icing on the cake,” he replied waggling one eyebrow roguishly at her.

  “Your sister doesn’t think much of me,” she pointed out.

  “My dear Veronica,” he sighed dramatically, “she doesn’t think that much of ME. So you’re in good company.”

  “She wouldn’t mind seeing you with Sassy-Cassie.”

  He had expected this. Cassandra Elliott was the daughter of a billionaire family who were big in the hotel and shipping industries. He had met Cassie when his father
, a respected architect, had been called in to draw up the plans for some expansions on the family’s mansion in Port Helena on Long Island. Cassie was six and he was ten, but in spite of the age difference they had become close friends.

  His only problem with her was that she was constantly making overt plays for him in front of Veronica. Unfortunately, his own sister acted as her cheering section, believing he suffered an Oedipus complex from their mother dying when they were both very young.

  This was not the case, but trying to convince Sharon was another matter entirely. But now he needed to reassure Veronica of that fact. “I suspect Cassie wouldn’t mind being with you as well,” he mused aloud.

  That took his lady by surprise as she whirled around and stared at him, “She’s bi?”

  He loved it whenever he could get her off balance. Especially, if it meant, that he was able to help her past one of her rough spots. “I’ve had reason to believe so for a while now.”

  “Sassy? Bi?” she shook her head, “I never would have guessed.”

  “And here I thought police officers were observant.”

  Veronica raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  “You make the same mistake my sister does,” he smiled, “She takes Cassie at face value. But, you have to watch her.” He had, many times in fact. Every so often when they went to lunch, he would notice her taking a particular interest in one of the waitresses. Not that she said or did anything, but her eyes would keep straying to the lady in question. Hell, now that he thought about it, she spent more time eyeing girls than he did.

  Oddly enough he wasn’t completely sure that Cassie even realized what she was doing. She kept out of the public eye, being labeled the “Boring Heiress” by the media. No scandals, no sexcapades, just a nice attractive girl who happened to belong to a very rich family. The only times she even graced the magazines was when she had been seen in public with a celebrity at a charity function or for when she had acquired another failing hotel and turned it into a success story.

  And of course there had been the accident with her car on Christmas Eve, five years ago. It had been a solo incident with no drugs or alcohol involved, much to the disappointment of the paparazzi and other newshounds.