GirlNextDoor (2 page)

Chapter Two

For a change, John got a good night’s sleep before his next
shift. He got to the medic shed a little before seven. Night shift still had
the squad out.

Originally the rescue squad had been housed in the main fire
station. But the firemen had acquired new trucks, and pushed the paramedics out
to an old two-car outbuilding at the back of the courtyard. One garage bay had
been remodeled—badly—into a ready room. There was a full-sized refrigerator and
a sink, a coffee pot and an ancient microwave. Someone had brought in an old
dining room table and some chairs. Someone else had donated a battered couch.
There was a decent TV, one of the old bulky kind that wasn’t worth stealing.

At the back of the room was a very small office with an
ancient desk and chair. They kept their extra forms there, but not much else.
There was a tiny locker room and a tinier bathroom.

The fire station was much more elegant, with bunks and
recliners, a full kitchen, showers and a large-screen TV. The paramedics were
welcome to wait for calls there, but they rarely had that much spare time.

There was half a pot of coffee on the burner. Krulak sniffed
it suspiciously. It looked like mud and smelled like an old sneaker on a coffee
plantation. Clearly it had been made the night before and left on the hot
burner for hours. He dumped it out and started a fresh pot.

Before it was done, Garcia and Lawson came in from the
firehouse across the courtyard. Garcia was red-faced with excitement, which was
normal for him. “Krulak, I heard a rumor, a terrible, terrible rumor. You have
to tell me it’s not true, John! You have to tell me you didn’t turn down a
willing woman!”

John shook his head. He should have known the guys in the
bar would blab. There were damn few secrets in the department. “I turned down a
willing woman, Garcia.”

Lawson grabbed at his chest. “Say it ain’t so!” he gasped
weakly. “We all heard the story, but we knew it couldn’t be true.”

Krulak shrugged. “It’s true.”

“She was a dog,” Garcia suggested. “Please tell me she was a
dog.”

“She was okay.”

“Too drunk?” Lawson offered. “Underage?”

“Worse,” John told them. “She was determined to bang a
fireman
.”

Both of the firefighters looked temporarily affronted, but
it passed. “You could have lied to her,” Lawson said.

“I thought about it,” John admitted. “But then she bent over
and showed me her breasts and I just couldn’t.”

Garcia was panting for breath in mock panic. “Why, John? In
the name of all that’s holy to men, why?”

John made a show of looking around to be sure they were
alone. “It’s like this. We’re in this bar, and over by the door there’s a whole
table of these guys from Twenty-One. And they’re, well, you know, they got no
chance. Because they’re all, you know…firemen.”

“If you’re about to tell me,” Garcia said, “that you took a
pity pass, I’m going to have to punch you in the kidneys.”

Krulak grinned. “Like you could even find my kidneys. It
wasn’t pity, exactly. But there I am with this woman who keeps saying how much
she wants to fuck a fireman, and I tell her I’m a paramedic like fifteen times
and she keeps going back to wanting a fireman.”

“I am not seeing your point,” Lawson said.

The shed door opened and Nolan Crane came in. He looked, as
always, bright-eyed and freshly washed and much too clean for the job. He waved
his greeting and went to stow his lunch.

“The thing is,” John went on, “the whole time she’s talking,
I keep thinking I know her from somewhere. Her face is familiar, you know? And
then she shows me her cleavage and it hits me. Remember last week when
Gossip
Tonight
had that story about Crush Segura having another mistress?”

“Hey,” Garcia protested, “the man’s the heavyweight champion
of the world. He can afford as many mistresses as he wants.”

“He could,” Lawson answered, “until his last wife took every
dime he had because she found out about it.”

“I thought they were in marriage counseling,” Nolan added as
an aside. His tone said he wasn’t very interested.

“They were,” Garcia confirmed. “And then this story came
out, he’s got a new one on the side.”

John grinned. “Right, right. Anyhow, I’m looking at this
woman, and she’s giving me all the right signs, and all I can think about is
how much she looks like Crush Segura’s new mistress.”

The two firemen paused, looked at each other. “He was in
town last week,” Lawson admitted slowly.

“Yeah. That fight promo,” Garcia agreed.

Lawson turned back to Krulak. “So wait. You had a chance to
bang the mistress of the heavyweight champion of the world and you took a pass?
Man, that had to be some quality ass there.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it was,” John agreed. “But I’ve seen Crush
Segura hit. And I am telling you, it was not quality enough to risk that kind of
beating.”

“You’re sure it was her?” Garcia insisted.

“Not positive, no. But sure enough that I wasn’t going to
touch her. And besides, she really, really wanted a fireman.” He threw his
hands up. “So of course I had to send her over to Twenty-One’s table.”

The firemen burst out laughing. “You are such a bastard!”
Garcia said.

“Hey, you guys are always saying how tough you are. If one
of them wants to take a beat-down from Crush, I am not going to stand in his
way.”

“I wonder if it was really her,” Lawson mused.

“Call Twenty-One and ask them.”

“Shit.”

“You had us worried,” Garcia said. “We were afraid you were
off the skirt. And if John Krulak goes off the skirt, there’s just no hope for
the rest of us.” He glanced at the other paramedic. “Right, Nolan?”

Crane shook his head. “No hope for me anyhow,” he answered
dryly.

“Coffee’s done,” John said. He got down a mug for himself
and another for Nolan. Lawson pushed past him and got down two more. “What the
hell, guys? You just come over here to get fresh coffee?”

“Yeah,” Garcia answered. “And to bust your balls a little.”

“Damn shame,” Nolan offered. “That big fancy firehouse with
those recliner chairs and that wide-screen TV, and they have to come out to the
medic shed to get a decent cup of coffee.”

“Just goes to show you,” John agreed. “It’s all about your
priorities.”

Armed with fresh coffee, the firemen finally went away. John
sat down at the small table. The linoleum top had been white once. Now it was
stained and yellow and looked as if it belonged in the little shed. “How was
your day off?” Krulak had picked up an extra shift the day before, partnered
with a part-timer named Neibecker.

Nolan shrugged. “Same old same old.”

He sounded just a little defeated, a little sad. John knew
his partner had spent his day off alone, missing his longtime lover. “You
should get out more, Nolan.” His partner just shrugged. “See people. Make new
friends.”

“Yeah.”

“He’s been gone for six months, Nolan.”

Crane flinched and looked away. “It’s not him, John. It’s
not Kevin anymore. It’s just…figuring out where I want to be now.
Who
I
want to be.” He shrugged. “We were together a long time. Even when I don’t miss
the cheating bastard, it’s still hard starting over.”

John stood and refilled his mug with the last of the fresh
coffee. He immediately went through the routine of starting a new pot. Coffee
was the lifeblood of first responders. He wished he could say something
intelligent or comforting to his friend. They had been together, Kevin and
Nolan, for ten years. Last fall, Nolan had stopped by their house in the middle
of a shift to get a clean shirt and found Kevin in bed with another man.

“This,” John said, “is why I don’t get into long-term
relationships. Love ’em and leave ’em. No complications. No rebuilding to do.”

Nolan smiled tightly. “Yeah, I know.”

“No, you don’t. You’re already looking for your next true
love.”

“Maybe.” Nolan sat down at the far side of the table. “So,
what’s the real story with the woman in the bar?”

John shook his head. “I told her I wasn’t a fireman. She
didn’t care.”

“Why do you care that she didn’t care?”

“What, you think I want to be lumped in with those
knuckleheads across the yard?” John gestured with his mug. “Those guys’ll hump
anything that doesn’t run away.”

“Oh yeah,” Nolan nodded. “Whereas you have higher
standards.”

“Well maybe I’m working to
develop
higher standards.”

“Riiight.”

“And maybe I’m just getting too old to tag every doe that
crosses my path.”

Nolan still looked skeptical. “Crush Segura’s mistress,
huh?”

John sighed. He couldn’t tell Nolan the truth. Not after
Kevin, the way he’d been hurt. Hell, he couldn’t even tell
himself
the
truth.

The motor that raised the overhead door beeped twice in
warning and then slowly opened the door. “Night shift’s home,” John said in
relief.

“Oh hell,” Nolan muttered, “Bennett was on last night.”

John growled. Bennett was a pig. The squad would be trashed
whether they’d had any runs or not. He could think of better ways to start a
morning than by throwing away someone else’s greasy fast-food trash.

He could think of a
lot
better ways.

* * * * *

Lucy Bellino said, “Let’s go out. Let’s go to a club or
something.”

“Ehh,” her lover answered, “I don’t feel like it tonight.”

“You didn’t feel like it last night.”

“But I worked all day,” Alex complained. “You know how it
is. Besides, the game’s on. I thought you liked baseball.”

“I like baseball,” Lucy answered. “But not every night.”

Alex smirked. “Yeah, honey, I know what you like every
night.”

“True enough.” Lucy gazed at the TV, not really paying attention
to the game. Two weeks ago Alex couldn’t get enough of her. Now she was just a
distraction. “So is that why you asked me to come over?”

He grinned without looking away from the screen. “For the
hot sex? Hell yeah.”

Lucy unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse. “Then
let’s get to it.”

“Uhhh…” Alex finally glanced at her. He grinned even wider.
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he said. “Just, uh, just one more inning, okay? We’re
tied in the ninth.”

“Oh. Okay.” She slid to her feet and buttoned her blouse.
“I’m just going to go then.”

She was at the door and slipping her shoes on before he
reacted. “Baby, don’t be that way. C’mon, come back here. Just watch the end of
the game with me, and then we’ll play some games of our own.”

“No.” Lucy shook her head. “Goodbye, Alex.”

“I’ll call you, okay?”

“Don’t call me.” She let herself out, closed the door softly
behind her. She didn’t wait to see if he’d come after her. She knew he
wouldn’t. And honestly, she didn’t care. She was as tired of Alex as he was of
her.

She walked to the end of the hall and pressed the call
button for the elevator. While she waited, she tugged her skirt down. It was a
little too short, a little too tight. Just the way she liked it. Just the way
Alex had liked it, two weeks ago.

There was a time
when I would have driven myself
crazy wondering what was wrong with me. Why can’t I meet a nice guy? Why do
they get tired of me so fast? But not anymore. They’re all alike. All on the
look-out for the next thing. And I’m just like them.

It’s all about the thrill of the hunt.

The elevator came and she stepped on, pressed the lobby
button. As expected, Alex hadn’t come after her. Most of her lovers lasted a
little longer than this. Usually a whole month passed before they got bored
with each other. She’d known this was shallow from the word go. But he had the
biggest blue eyes she’d ever seen.

Maybe if you stopped picking men based on their eye color
or the size of their hands, you’d find one that’s worth more than one calendar
page.

She shook her head as she walked across the lobby.
No
point in a man that lasts more than that, is there? Even if he wasn’t tired of
me, I’d be tired of him.

The only man I wasn’t completely bored with at the end of
a year was gay.

Thinking about Nolan made her smile, shook off some of her
funk. She hadn’t heard from him in a while. She should check up on him.

But first, she decided, she was going out dancing.

* * * * *

One minute they were sitting at the little table, drinking
coffee, and the next they were on their feet and John’s hand was on the back of
Nolan’s head and he was drawing him closer. His eyes were warm and intense, and
in them Crane could see his own desire reflected.

“John…” he said warningly.

“Shhh,” his partner whispered. His lips were very close now.
Nolan could feel his breath on his face. He smelled like coffee, like good
fresh coffee, but also like John—delicious, strong, passionate. Nolan’s heart
lurched.
Finally, finally.
He closed his eyes and felt John’s lips on
his. They were gentler than he expected. Soft. He wanted more.

“John,” he said again. And then, though it was the last
thing in the world he wanted to do, he leaned away from his partner’s kiss. He
opened his eyes and looked into John’s. “Not here,” he said regretfully.

“Okay,” John answered, and leaned to kiss him again.

It was dangerous. Foolish. Anyone could walk in, anyone
could catch them. Nolan closed his eyes and gave himself to the kiss. John’s
hand drew him closer. The kiss deepened. Nolan’s lips parted and John’s tongue
slipped between his teeth, exploring eagerly. But there was still no demand in
the kiss.

He’s letting it be my choice.

He wrapped his arms around John’s waist, slid one upward to
his shoulders to pull his closer. The kiss deepened as he’d hoped. He felt
John’s fingers stroke through his hair. Felt his other arm on his shoulders.
Their lips and tongues fought gently to be closer still. Nolan’s skin felt
alive, alert, his whole body aroused, aching for this man.
Finally, finally.