Culture Shock (5 page)

Cynthia grimaced. "I know…what's going on right now is way too close to home. I'll get a lock right away, and I promise I won't wait for the super."

Alex glanced at his watch. "Well, it's getting late, already eleven o'clock. Maybe I should get going."

Was that a note of reluctance she detected in his voice?

"I suppose if you have to leave..."

Was that a look of disappointment on his face when she didn't object?

Alex grabbed the doorknob. "Thanks for a nice evening. I really enjoyed myself. Next time, dinner will be my treat." He paused for a moment before opening the door.

Was he going to kiss her? Although a pleasing thought, she didn't want to move too quickly.

"Good night, Cynthia." His eyes held hers captive and his words deflated her dream.

Her mind raced. If he wasn't going kiss her, maybe she should kiss him. No! Absolutely not. That would be way too forward.

"Good night, Alex." She tried not to sound disappointed. "I enjoyed tonight too, and I'll hold you to your offer of dinner."

She closed the door behind him then did a happy dance. The evening must have gone well because he wanted to see her again. At least, he intimated he did.

***

Lurking in the shadows had become his habit.
He
ducked around the corner and waited for the man she called Alex, to unlock his door and slip inside. He grew tired hanging around outside her apartment, straining to hear their conversation and hoping no one saw him. They'd had quite a time tonight, the two of them. He'd heard enough to know that he'd have to make his move soon. She was just too charming for her own good.

***

Cynthia opened her eyes and thoughts of the previous night flooded her mind. Her mouth curled into a smile thinking of Alex, and she hugged herself beneath the covers. The faint aroma of his aftershave lingered on her hands, so she knew the evening hadn’t been just a dream.

Rays of sunlight filtered through a separation in the curtains. Cynthia pulled an arm from beneath the blanket and swatted the dust motes dancing along the beam of light.
She couldn’t wile away time in bed all day with her thoughts lingering on time spent with Alex, so she threw off the covers and stood.  Her body‘s impression remained in the sagging mattress, but for some reason, she found nothing to complain about. Instead, she wanted to dance with glee. A little voice inside niggled her that maybe he hadn’t shared the same feelings.

She shook her head with vigor. “I’ll not feel any negativity today,” she proclaimed, and grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed. She pulled on the chenille garment and meandered into the kitchen. While filling the pot with water and measuring out the grounds, she kept focus on
the end table where the telephone sat. Every minute that ticked by without hearing his voice was torture. She rolled her eyes at feeling so invested in someone after such a short time.  Was she being an idiot?

While waiting for her morning brew to finish, she washed, dried, and put away the leftover dinner dishes. She poured herself a cup of coffee and moved into the living area. Even the dingy furniture held more appeal this morning, and Alex's seductive aftershave lingered more heavily around the dilapidated sofa. She sat on the same cushion where she had sat last night and pretended he still sat next to her. "Girl," she chided herself, feeling like a foolish schoolgirl, "you are one sick puppy. Get a grip and drink your coffee! Maybe the caffeine will shock you back to reality."

She sipped from the hot liquid and slopped a little on her lap when the ringing phone startled her.  She ignored the burning sensation in her hurry to answer.

“Hello." Her heart race while she blotted the soggy spot on her robe and massaged the sting on her thigh.

“Good morning. This is Alex. Hope I didn't wake you." His sexy voice raised goose bumps on her arms.

Cynthia's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, Hi Alex! No, you didn't wake me." She tried to suppress the excitement in her voice. "I've been up for a while. I was just sitting here having my morning coffee." She stopped short of adding she was thinking about him and praying he‘d call. Curling her legs up beneath her robe, she waited through a lengthy pause.

"I called to thank you again for last night. I had a great time."

"Me, too. It was probably the best Saturday night I've spent in quite a while." So ask me out already, she agonized internally. Please, Please, Please.

"And to think our date all started with an exciting trip to the trash dumpster." He laughed and she forced a chuckle to avoid being rude.  Was he calling to ask her out or just talk about garbage cans?  She thrummed her fingers on the coffee table while leaning her arms on her knees.

"Yeah! Did I remember to thank you for the personalized tour?" Cynthia forced herself to say something to end the silence.

"Not a problem. Always happy to help."

Another pause.

Funny, they hadn't had a communication problem the previous evening, so why did they both suddenly become tongue-tied? She struggled to think of something unrelated to trash to keep the conversation going. She had to. If he called to ask her out, she sure didn’t want him to lose his nerve?

"So, what are you doing up so early on a Sunday morning?" She wasn't about to let him hang up.

"Couldn't sleep. I can't quit thinking about the case I'm working right now, trying to piece it all together. Seems I always wake up early when I don't have to. Ticks me off! During the week, I have to drag myself out of bed, and here it is the weekend and I'm up with the sun."

Her curiosity piqued. "Are you by chance working on the case involving the missing women?"

"Yep, that's the one that keeps me up late and wakes me up early. What gets you out of bed?" Clearly, he wasn't going to discuss any details with her. Maybe that was a good thing. She didn't really want to hear anything that was bound to feed her fear.

"Oh, I've always been an early riser. It's the afternoons I dread. I tend to run out of steam around two-thirty. Gee, we make a great team. I can keep you awake in the morning and you can keep me from dozing in the afternoon." She rolled her eyes. He probably thought she was trying to hook him.

His laughter danced across the phone lines, and she imagined the twinkle in his eyes. "Are you offering to come over every morning and throw me in the shower?"

A
image of his unclothed body flashed through her mind, and warmth climbed her neck. She swallowed hard at such out-of-character thoughts. "Only if..." She stammered, "you come by my office every afternoon and bring me strong coffee."

"Would you mind if I brought a handcuffed suspect with me on occasion?"

The shocked look of her co-workers flashed through her mind. "Well, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea after all. I can imagine the gossip in the office."

Dead silence ensued. "Are you still there, Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm trying to work up the courage to ask you out. Is it too soon? It's been quite a while since I've been in the dating scene. I think I've forgotten everything I ever knew about it."

Cynthia leapt off the couch and did her happy dance around the coffee table. "No, it's not too soon." She faked composure and sat again. "I'd love to spend time with you again. Maybe you can tell me more about your work." She tamped down her eagerness, not wanting to frighten him away.

“Is lunch today a possibility?”

Her heart fluttered.  “Let me check my calendar.”  Had she just said something so cliché?  If he only knew how dead her social life had been until now.  She paused a moment and rustled the newspaper on the coffee table.  “As luck would have it, I happen to be free.”

Chapter
Three

The sun was setting when they got back to the Cairns.  Alex held the door open.  “Here we are, back to reality.”

Cynthia stepped inside, but paused at the bottom of the stairwell.  “Does reality have to smell so musty?  I’d prefer something more pleasant.”

He smiled.  “I agree, but the reality I referred to is we both have to work tomorrow, and that sucks.  I wish I’d been born rich instead of handsome.”  He flashed a wink.

Did he know how attractive he was?  His good looks had drawn the admiring stares of so many women during their outing…and they all envied her
, little ol’ Cynthia Freitas.

He followed as she climbed the stairs.  She paused at the first landing and faced him. “Too bad we can’t have everything we want, but I’d say today was a great ending to the weekend.”  She smiled.  “Seriously, this was a great afternoon.  I really enjoy looking in all the stores, although I can’t believe I didn’t find anything I wanted to buy.  Maybe I should see a therapist.”

He shook his head and grinned.  “Maybe, but push on, my dear.  We have another flight to climb, and dogs are barking.”

At her apartment, Alex took her key and unlocked the door.  “I had a great time too.  If it wasn’t Sunday evening we could have made our time together last a little longer. Maybe we can do this again another time?”

Her excitement bubbled to the surface.  “That would be wonderful.  Hey, as a matter of fact, my brother Kevin and his girlfriend, Sara, are coming to visit in a few weeks.  They want me, of all people, to show them around the city.  Would you be interested in joining us?”

She held her breath hoping he wouldn't decline. She'd like to show Kevin she did have some confidence in herself.

"I'd like that very much." He leaned down and brush his lips against hers.

Her heart skipped a beat then resumed its normal pace. She took a quick breath. "That was nice."

"Good. I was hoping I wouldn't offend you."

"No offense taken." And no defense either. Her knee
s turned to jelly. She opened her door, but paused, hoping for maybe yet another, and longer, kiss.

Instead, he took her hand and held her knuckles to his lips. "Goodnight," he whispered, warming her hand with his breath. He smiled and walked toward his apartment.

Cynthia went inside her place, closed the door and rested against it. She pondered the emotions Alex stirred within her. She feared falling for him, too afraid of what might happen if he didn't reciprocate the feelings. Could she handle rejection?  She had no idea.

After making sure the door was locked, she went straight to the bedroom.  Alex’s reminder about the deadbolt flashed through her mind.  She’d buy one tomorrow and ask him to install it.  His offer of help provided more opportunity to be with him, and she'd take him over the super any day.

***

Lying in bed with hands folded behind his head, Alex stared into the darkness. Funny, he hadn't noticed how many blonde women lived in San Francisco. He'd seen a shitload of them during the day with Cynthia. Sweet Cynthia. She was an  unexpected find. And how sick was he? Even after the great time they had, he couldn't stop thinking about the damned case and the victims. What complicated things: Cynthia way too closely resembled the missing women.

Just thinking about her caused a stirring in his groin. Instead of giving her just a quick goodnight peck, he wished he had taken her into his arms and thoroughly savored her mouth. Tomorrow was Monday, and he wondered how he would manage to see her during the week, how he could steal another kiss. They obviously didn't leave for work or arrive home at the same time, so how could he casually run into her?

He planned to take things slow…not scare her away, but kissing her hand?  How lame was that? Still, she acted as though she felt an attraction to him, but as proven by his last romantic liaison, he wasn’t the best judge of women’s feelings.  Grumbling, he turned over and pulled the blanket up to cover his bare chest.  “Go to sleep, Alex.  You can worry about Cynthia tomorrow.“

***

Alex stood in front of his locker and changed into his uniform, then checked his gear. He loaded ammunition into his nine millimeter, and fastened the gun in his holster. His thoughts constantly strayed to Cynthia. He couldn't get her off his mind.

"Hey, Alex!" His patrol partner, Mike, interrupted some pleasant thoughts. "I can't help but notice a smile on your face this morning. Usually, you're grumpy as hell on Monday." He dropped his jeans and changed into his own uniform.

Alex finished adjusting his tie and turned. "So, grumpy am I? How come you never mentioned it before?"

"I just figured it was your normal Monday routine, but you shot that theory all to hell. So, tell me…what’s changed?”

Alex closed his locker and started toward the exit. "None of your damn business!"

"Aha! A woman. I knew it!"

“You think you're so smart. What makes you think it's a chick?"

"What else could it be? You got laid didn't you?"  He tagged after Alex through the rows of metal cabinets, yapping at his heels like an
annoying  dog.

Alex snorted. "I wish. It's been so long, I'm not sure I'd remember what to do."