WLUV Box Set: Ignited, Consumed, Burned (26 page)

But his
mind continued to wander back to the WPBN news lady.

Instead of
seeing Fetters barreling toward him in that Impala he was fantasizing about
what Fawn Clawson looked like naked and in his apartment.

It was the
day that, from the view of Grand City residents, started his political career;
the day most cops would tell war stories about; but every time Brick Cooper
looked back on it in the years to come, he remembered the image of Fawn, not
Fetters, and not his own heroics. She was the indelible hallmark of that
Valentine’s day.

Fawn fifteen
years ago…

Fawn
showed up at The Bunker, the cop bar, and strolled casually up to Patrolman
Brick Cooper.  He was in the midst of a celebration; retellings of the day’s
events were well underway. Fawn cloaked herself in her trusty unapproachable
demeanor. She wasn’t interested in hanging out at the place or in yukking it
up. Her slightly snooty outward appearance kept some guys from hitting on her.
Others, well, they’d hit on anything with legs. Fawn was not, up to this point
in her life, very impressed with men.

She knew
she gave off a stay away vibe. It was a combination of the way she looked, her
father’s Nordic genes her mom always said, and her genuine disinterest in most
men.

Brick Cooper,
though, he was something else. Cocky, yes, but he backed up his self-assurance
with action. Oh, and he was damned handsome. Fawn wasn’t sure if she’d ever
seen a man as gorgeous. Short wavy hair, a twinkle in his blue eyes, and a
cleft in his chin that she had to admit, she’d wanted to touch… Fawn liked the
way Brick Cooper was put together.

 She
didn’t bring a friend, she didn’t ask advice. The decisions she made that night
were based solely on satisfying her curiosity. She knew she wanted the same
thing Cooper wanted and that was for him to take charge of her. She wasn’t
supposed to want that, but she did. Fawn had had boyfriends in college, high
school, but the key was boy. She was compelled to see if Brick could live up to
the bold way he’d approached her.

Generally
she wanted nothing to do with men, especially the ones her age. They just
didn’t do anything for her. They seemed immature whereas she, just twenty-four,
was working hard to establish herself as a serious journalist.

But Cooper
was different. He’d just saved the town for god’s sake. He’d shot Todd Fetters
in the middle of rampage, cool as you please, then handled the interview with
her with humility and charm. Charm enough to have her feeling weak in the knees
and forcing herself to stop looking at his shoulders, his hips. Focusing on the
job was a bit of a problem when the handsome Brick Cooper spoke to her.

Then he
did something that changed the game, he told her exactly what he wanted –
ordered her actually – and her curiosity was too much to ignore after that. She
showed up, where he said, when he said.

They’d had
one drink, hadn’t talked, hadn’t touched, and then went to his place.

Since
she’d taken a cab to the bar, he drove. There was no way she could risk
drinking or driving with her job, so she didn’t. She also couldn’t risk it
being seen wherever it was they were going.

Brick
guided her to the front passenger seat and she’d still said nothing. He belted
her in, and lightly tugged the shoulder strap across her chest. Something the
way he did it set her blood humming. Then he drove to his apartment complex. As
he parked the car she moved to undo her seatbelt.

“Wait.”
Brick put up his hand, gesturing for her to stay put, then exited the car and
came around to her side. She did what he instructed, allowing him to help her
out of the car like they were living in another time. No man had ever helped
her out of a car, and she wouldn’t have wanted them too. But this was
different. Brick offered his arm as they walked across the parking lot so she didn’t
trip on the uneven pavement.

She had no
impression of his apartment. Her focus was on these charged moments, completely
outside of her character. This was not what she’d planned for when she went to
work this morning but from the moment Brick whispered in her ear it was
thoroughly unstoppable.

 “Take off
your coat.” His voice was low and again it wasn’t a request. Fawn had a
reputation of being argumentative in just about every other situation, the
epitome of a noisy reporter. But she didn’t question him. Nor did she bristle.
She did what he told her while his eyes stayed locked on hers.

“Take off
your dress. Slowly, baby. I want to see what’s under all that proper,
buttoned-up vibe you give off.” He had already removed his own jacket.

Fawn wore
a wrap dress. Did she have some sixth sense this morning that her night was
going to take a naughty turn? She untied the dress and it fell easily to the
floor. And there she stood— heels, thigh-high hose, and her matching black lace
panties and bra. This was the raciest thing she owned, by far, and somehow it
was what she’d picked out before she’d ever even heard of Brick Cooper.

Standing
there while his eyes moved from hers to take in what she’d presented to him
Fawn felt a tremor of nerves, fear even, that she’d gotten herself into
something that she had no experience handling. Did he think her legs were too
skinny? Were her breasts too small? In her job everyone had their two cents
about her appearance; it could do a number on a woman’s confidence. She was not
perfect, but she was supposed to appear to be so.

Any doubts
she had about Brick’s reaction to her body dissipated when she saw his jaw
clench as he took her in.

“My god,
are you a dream?”

He moved
in and put his hands on her neck. It was a slow approach, almost glacial in its
pace, but it lessened the space between them. And then Brick tilted his head,
so Fawn tilted hers the opposite way.

There’s
always that first moment of uncertainty, right before the first kiss. Would
their two lips meet and fulfill the promise of the fantasy they’d both been
having, or would it be too soft, too hard, or just… off?  Fawn hadn’t been
impressed by any of her previous kisses. Would kissing Brick live up to the
heat she’d imagined?

Their lips
met and it was soft at first, his breath moved from him into her, and Fawn
exhaled it back. Brick pressed in closer with his lips, they both grazed across
each other’s mouths.

It was
immediately right. His lips on hers sent heat to every part of her.

Fawn
didn’t consciously decide to lean her whole body into Brick but it happened.
Her chest pressed against his. She wasn’t particularly musical or even all that
sensual, she thought, but she swayed into him with her hips. He returned the
motion. She wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing them to be closer still.
His hands slid from her face to her back as they moved to music only they could
hear. Brick’s hands roamed down to her hips, the sway that had started as
almost a swoon grew more intense.

The breath
they exchanged heated and quickened. Brick’s hands locked her hips to his, but
still their lips remained the focus of the contact between them. Their hips
undulated back and forth together as the kiss became its own force, making them
both hungry for more.

Brick
moved from her lips to her neck. She gulped in air. He pressed kisses from
under her earlobe to the top of her collarbone, but he didn’t hurry. It was
like he wanted to take in every inch of her skin.

He took a
step, forcing her to move backwards. He was pressing her towards his bed, she
realized. The room was dark, but other than that she noticed little about her
surroundings. What permanently imprinted in her mind and physical memory was
his body on her body. He kept his attention on her neck and Fawn was lost in
the sensation. He hadn’t touched her breasts yet and she became somewhat
obsessed with the thought.

Brick’s
shirt was still tucked in neatly. The disparity of him clothed while she was
not added to the sense that he was in charge. But she decided she wanted to feel
his skin as much as he was feeling hers so she reached up and undid his shirt
buttons. She fumbled and he somehow helped her so that his bare chest lowered
onto hers on the bed. The more skin connection they shared, the more intense
Brick became. His clothes were the last remnant of self-control that she was
able to strip away.

He levered
himself over her, his hips locked on hers. She wrapped her legs around him and
finally he began to play his hands over the thin fabric of her lace bra. She
didn’t have much up top, but Brick moaned in response to her when he lowered
his mouth from one peaked nipple to another. She moved her hips against him as
his tongue worked over the lace and freed her breasts from the cups. His nails
scraped across her shoulders as he pulled down each strap.

Brick’s
mouth was free for a moment and Fawn couldn’t help lean up to him and kiss him.
She knew she was insistent. But that was the way she felt. Normally sex was
something she wanted to like, but it always wound up as something she just
wanted to finish. This was entirely different. She wanted Brick to take her and
she wanted to take him right back.

Her
increased intensity did not go unnoticed. Brick’s hands were everywhere somehow
and the bra was gone, the panties disappeared. She felt exposed as hell but
more sensual than she knew she could be. She moved against him, amazed at
herself. She wasn’t embarrassed or inhibited. She wanted him, and soon.

“I wanted
to take you slow this time, but you’ve got me on fire, baby.”

“Yes please,
yes.” Fawn wanted nothing more.

He swiftly
put on a condom and before she’d taken another breath, Brick was inside of her,
hot, hard and to the hilt. She felt herself pressing up against him and
practically coming apart at the first stroke.

His first few
thrusts were slower and she felt she might break open. But she adjusted to him
and they moved together. In spite of herself, she clawed at his shoulders.
Brick kissed her as they moved. She heard a moan. It must have been from her
own throat.

He moved again
to her breasts, taking small bites, Fawn felt a pressure gather in her, a heat
that she didn’t think she could stop. She writhed like something wild
underneath his weight and watching her becoming unhinged had the same effect on
Brick. Gone was the rhythm or any pretense of taking anything slow. He pounded
into her with such force she had to hold on to the rails of his headboard to
avoid being smashed into it.

“I can’t
hold on,” she whispered into his ear.

“Fuck
yeah.” His growled response was enough to push her over the edge. White spots
exploded in front of her eyes as she felt a clenching so powerful she had no
idea where it came from.

“Oh my
god,” she was pretty sure she screamed it.

“I’m right
here with you,” Brick said, and buried himself in her again and again. His
rough hands now hooked around her shoulders as he came at the same time she
did. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt. Hell, she had no idea this
sensation even existed.

They
slowed down together as they both struggled to catch their breath.

“You’re
amazing.” He nuzzled her neck, smoothed her hair.

“I never
had…” She didn’t have the words for it.

“Oh man,
did I hurt your head?” They both laughed at the question.

“No. I’m
good.”

“Oh you’re
more than good. Way more than good baby,” and they both fell asleep.

Brick
Cooper Today…

Mayor
Brick Cooper. He still couldn’t believe Mayor was his new job. It had been a
long time coming. Some said he’d been groomed for this from the day he was
born. His dad was a labor leader in Grand City, his law enforcement resume
showed real accomplishment instead of bureaucratic bullshit, and he had friends
who genuinely wanted him in office. These were all components that took decades
to cultivate but had finally come together.

Brick’s
only misstep, according to his dad – and his dad’s cronies – was his love life.
He didn’t have the wife and kids needed for your standard campaign commercials.
It annoyed everyone around him. He didn’t give a damn, though. He’d almost
married someone with money a few years back just to shut them all up and maybe
make fundraising a little easier, but he couldn’t do it. So he didn’t.

The
campaign hacks learned to work around it. Sure, there were whispers all the
time about who he was seeing, sleeping with – or, more recently, dancing with
at a charity gala – but none of it was too serious or damaging. Brick was
certainly a promiscuous young kid when he first joined the police force but
over the last few years his wandering eye and his desire to get laid just for
the hell of it had evaporated. Though this was good for his spotless resume,
and it ensured that there were never October surprises in his campaign, it was
not so good for Brick Cooper’s heart.

Now that
he’d been sworn in he had to actually live in the mayor’s residence in the
Orchard Hills section of the town. The “mansion” was small by mansion
standards, four-thousand square feet, but it wasn’t the size that seemed odd,
it was the formality of the place. It was not Brick’s style to be so starched.
Each room seemed to scream that it was empty. Never had Brick’s singlehood been
more apparent as when he moved into The Residence, as the press called it.

He found
himself spending most of the time in the servant’s kitchen. No servants
occupied the space, but it was a holdover from the 1900s when Mayor Flanders
“Straight Arrow” Jones built the house and donated it to the city for all
future mayors to inhabit. The kitchen was homier than the formal dining space.
He grabbed a beer and thanked god for Delany, who’d stocked the fridge, and
headed to the small “study.” Brick would make that his TV room for now.

He clicked
on the screen to see the coverage of today’s mayoral inauguration. There he
was, looking like quite the big shot with the Judge. Despite being uncomfortable
with seeing himself in the formal role, his heart was where it should be for
this job, at least he hoped. Brick loved this town and the people in it; he
loved showing the rest of the world the great things about Grand City and knew
it was worth fighting for. He hoped he had what it took to return Grand City to
its glory days like it’d been when old Straight Arrow Jones was in this very
spot. He also knew that it was what the voters wanted too. They wanted him to
help Grand City be amazing again.

After his
segment had completed he lingered on the newscast. He shouldn’t, but he did.
WLUV was not his station of choice in years past; in fact they were a fucking
joke. He also avoided Fawn Clawson, and this was her station. In a medium-sized
town, he always figured the two of them would run into each other now and
again, but they didn’t. She seemed to be just as good at staying away from him
as he was at not looking at her face on television.

Looking
around the The Residence he resolved that now that he had the big job he needed
to fix the rest of his life. He knew what was missing.  He also knew he only
shared the heat, the connection, the sparks – whatever it was – with one woman,
Fawn Clawson. It was so long ago when they were together, and it had been so
brief. He still didn’t know what he’d done wrong, but she’d turned the switch
on him, fast.

His
revelry about his night with Fawn was interrupted by the woman herself, there,
on his screen. She was cool and beautiful, her long blonde hair from back in
the day sleeker now, cut just below her ears. The style revealed that lovely
long neck. Fawn’s voice was mellow but authoritative and had that little bit of
huskiness in it. Her intelligence made her sexy as hell, as did her legs, her
hips. Brick struggled to just concentrate on the screen. He remembered her
lilac scent and he wanted to get close enough to her to find out if she still
smelled that good. No wonder he didn’t watch her on television— it was enough
to drive him nuts.

Brick had
caught a glimpse of the anchorwoman in person at his sister’s fundraising Gala
and she practically sprinted out of the place when he got close to her table.
That encounter was enough to solidify his resolve when it came to trying again
with Fawn Clawson.

Brick
Cooper had a one-hundred day plan to get his initiatives underway for Grand
City. At the same time he began to think that he also needed a plan to bring
Fawn back into his life, back in his bed, because if he was honest with
himself, she’d never left his heart even after all these years. If he only knew
what he’d done wrong with her, he could fix it.

**

Fawn
fifteen years ago…

It had to
be four in the morning when they woke. Fawn didn’t know if she was the one
awake first or Brick, but it didn’t matter. They spooned as he stroked her
breasts and she thrust her backside into him.

The heat they’d
felt just hours ago had returned. Brick was just as insistent, if not more so,
than their first time together, “I can’t get enough of you,” he said into her
ear and she reached behind her head so he could have unfettered access to her
with his hands.

They made
love again, this time he maneuvered them so Fawn faced forward on his lap. He
held her hips, kissed her shoulder blades and whispered naughty little
suggestions on how she should move in her ear. Fawn was not one who took
direction very well but when Brick told her to be still, to move slowly,
quickly, or come with him, she did, in that order.

When
morning came, Fawn woke to the smell of coffee but found herself alone in the
bed.

Brick
walked through the door as she sat up with just the sheet as a cover. He didn’t
say a word, just picked her up sheet and all and set her in the bathroom where
a warm shower was waiting. He let her be alone which she one-percent
appreciated. Maybe he knew she had stretched herself beyond her typically very
rigid boundaries. He’d even left two fluffy towels for her. As she dried off
she heard him call to her.

“I’ve got
breakfast going when you’re ready.” Brick was warm and lovely when he said it
but the old nerves were creeping into Fawn’s stomach. What could she even wear?
Her clothes were somewhere on the floor in his living room. She found her
panties and bra and then peered inside his closet. She spied a long flannel
shirt and decided it was probably her best bet. It smelled like Brick and the
memories of last night flooded her brain. She knew she was blushing and was
thankful that he was in the kitchen. He appeared to be humming…was it Frank
Sinatra?

She wanted
that coffee but was a bit worried that in the light of day she’d be too
embarrassed to talk with the man she’d just exposed everything to.
Inexperienced at the walk of shame, Fawn was at a loss. Probably best to fake
like she was comfortable and just get out there, she figured.

“What’s
the tune?” Fawn asked as she padded into the kitchen. Brick was at the stove,
GCPD sweatpants slung low on his hips, no shirt. He was so sexy that she
couldn’t help but blink her eyes to be sure he was real. He was singing some
old song about a come-hither stare. Come hither?

“Ah, you
like-a my Sinatra?”

“Wow, not
bad, the singing policeman. You always sing in the morning?”

“Well, I
always sing when I cook, and it has to be Sinatra because my parents
always
listened to Sinatra and Dean Martin. My older sister danced and I sang. Anyway
something about your eyes and that way you bat those lashes just reminded me.”

“I see.”
Fawn wondered about his family, his sister. She did not know one damn thing
about him.

“Do you
have a big family? What do you like to cook? Give me a lead on my Fawn Clawson
investigation.”

“No, just
me and my mom. My dad died when I was 12. And I can’t cook.” Fawn eyed the
heaping plate of bacon and eggs Brick Cooper had deposited between them. He
handed her a fork and lifted his own.

“It‘s a
start, anyway. Here, we’re going to share. Fork cheers,” and they clinked
forks. Brick’s playful nature and easy demeanor helped her settle down. She
didn’t think she could eat a thing but found herself digging in.

“You make
a very good breakfast.” Fawn looked up from her plate and saw Brick staring at
her mouth. Did she have egg on it?

“You make
a very good everything.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And yes you did have a
little scrambled egg right there.”

He touched
her lip and she looked down, suddenly shy. “God, those eyes – those lashes –
Sinatra was singing about you, baby.” Brick studied her face again.

“Thank
you. I think you’re really charming and that is really dangerous. I need to get
home and get ready for work. My mother will be wondering where I am since I
usually check in with her.” Fawn smiled despite herself.

“You
giving me the brush off,” Brick joked with her.

“I don’t
know.” Fawn felt she might be sharing a one in a million type of connection
with this man but worried it was like this for all of his conquests. Maybe he
was really good at this; it was like shooting, and he had great aim.

“If you
are trying to get rid of me, too bad, you won’t be able to shake me, baby. Not
after last night.” Fawn felt relief. So he wanted to see her again too. Good.
That was good.

“I suppose
we can see each other again. If you insist,” this time she deliberately lowered
her lashes.

“Unh. Do
not do that with those eyes again unless you want to be on my counter top with
scrambled eggs flying through the air.” He looked serious.

“Is that
an order?”  She decided to tease him.

“No,
here’s the order, do not bat those eyelashes at anyone else. Got that?” Brick
grabbed her by the collar of his flannel shirt and kissed her deeply. She felt
drunk from it.

“We’ll
see.” Fawn decided it was time to go or she would for sure do something to mess
up this perfectly sexy little breakfast. She pulled back.

“I’m going
to have to get going.” She walked over to the living room, where her dress had
landed and then decided to go one step further than she would have gone with
anyone else. Fawn presumed that Brick could have and probably did have any girl
he wanted, “Now where is my dress?”

She’d come
unglued with him last night, and this morning he still seemed very into her,
but she wanted to leave him wanting even more. Maybe it was an insurance policy
against whoever threw themselves at him today. “Oh there it is, on the floor.”

Brick
watched from the kitchen as she unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it at her
feet. She was now in the slightly worse-for-wear lace bra and underwear from
the night before. She made a big, slow production of turning around and bending
over to pick up her dress. She wanted Brick Cooper to know he wasn’t always in
control.

“Good
god,” she was pretty sure those were the words he growled.

Fawn slid
into her dress, ran a hand through her hair and then grabbed her coat and bag.
She slowly walked to where he stood with his mouth hanging open. Good. Let him
think she was the boss.

If she’d
learned anything from her time on television was that confidence could get you
through. So she leaned in and took a kiss from Brick, her hand on his jaw. Then
she moved her lips to his ear. “Thanks for fucking my brains out. Give me a
call some time and I’ll return the favor.”

“Is that
an order or a request?” Brick answered.

“An order.
This is a request. Drive me home?” He grabbed the shirt she’d just discarded
and his keys and followed her out the door.

He brought
her home and they exchanged numbers. Fawn felt proud of herself for playing the
end of her wild night perfectly. She also felt pretty sure she’d be seeing
Cooper again, really soon. She blushed in the car next to him even thinking
about it.

“See you
on the news, baby.”

She didn’t
let him in. There was no need for him to meet her increasingly crazy mother, or
see the decidedly less-than-sexy life she actually lived. Her life was more
about responsibility and obligation, not wild sex with a person she’d just met.
She still couldn’t get over the whirlwind of the last day.

“Thanks
for the ride.”

Brick
Cooper stayed in the car but kept his eyes on her to be sure she made it in the
door. Gallant, she thought.

Fawn
closed the door, convinced, and a little nervous, that her encounter with Brick
Cooper was the beginning of something amazing.