Good gracious, Valerie thought, of all nights to have a flat. She stood on the side of the interstate and kicked her Blazer, she felt like screaming but knew that would be absolutely useless. It was a terrible night out and she had had a terrible day at work. She really just wanted to get home, take a long hot shower, munch on whatever she could find in the refrigerator and curl up in her bed with a good book. But now this, a flat tire.
Valerie got back in her vehicle and rummaged through her purse for her cell phone, finding it she placed a call to the Chevrolet roadside service number. The call made her even more frustrated. The bored sounding customer service representative informed her that it could be as much as an hours wait because of the bad weather and so many other service calls. Now she really felt like screaming, but instead she made herself comfortable and settled in for what was apparently going to be a long wait. There was no one else she could call and even if there was she was not about to leave her Blazer parked on the side of the interstate on this rainy, sleeting and icy night. She would just wait. She dozed off listening to the radio and what woke her up was the sound of a vehicle stopping behind hers.
Her windows were iced over so she was unable to see who had stopped, but whoever it was had bright lights shining in her vehicle. She straightened in her seat and reached in her purse for her pepper spray. She could see just a little out her side window and was looking in her side view mirror when the driver side door of the car behind her swung open. She breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness it was a policeman.
"Good evening ma'am." the officer said.
"Hi Officer. Gosh I am glad to see you."
"Is your vehicle disabled ma'am?" the officer asked.
"Yes, I have called the roadside service, but they said it would take a little while, maybe even more than an hour." Showing the officer the pepper spray Valerie laughed and said, "But I was ready for whoever that was stopping behind me."
"Smart lady." The officer said removing his wide brimmed hat so that Valerie got her first real look at him. She felt her heart pitter-patter in her chest when she looked into the most beautiful big brown eyes she had ever seen on a man. She was staring at him hard while nasty thoughts ran through her head. The officer leaned in closer to her car and she could smell just a slight whiff of his cologne. Valerie checked out the hand that rested on the side of her truck, she had a pet peeve about hands, and saw well taken care of hands. Nice neat nails, no scars and no calluses. "I hate to leave a damsel in distress stranded on a night like this, so if you like you can come back and sit in the cruiser with me. I see your fuel needle is on empty and it would not be smart to keep your engine running until the service guy gets here."
Valerie was still checking this hunk out and it took a few seconds for his statement to register. Glancing at her fuel needle she realized he was right. "Sure, let me get my purse." She unlocked her door and got out pulling her purse out behind her while the officer waited.
"This is a terrible night to be out." the officer said to her. "Are you on your way home?"
"Yes, I am." The officer opened the passenger door for her and as she was turning to get in she saw his nameplate for the first time. Officer M. McCoy it read. "This is so very kind of you Officer McCoy."
"No problem ma'am. No problem at all. It is part of my job duties, to protect and serve." he said before closing the door. Officer Mark McCoy took his time walking around the car to his side. He hated working nights like this; cold, rainy, sleety and icy. Of all the people he could have happened upon that needed his assistance he smiled at the thought of the beautiful women he had just put in his car.
She was shorter than he usually liked his women but she was fine. She stood about five feet five inches in high heels, and was shaped like an hourglass with a set of knockout legs. She looked prissy though to him, the type that might say don't mess up my hair, or watch the makeup. He could also tell that she was a businesswoman, having observed the attachΓ© with a laptop on the front seat of her vehicle. Well he would converse with her and find out if she would be worth attempting to get to know. Sliding in the vehicle he asked her to hold on a minute while he made a call in to his dispatcher and informed them of his current status and position.
"Sorry for that ma'am, I have to let them know of my status at all times, just procedure."
"No problem. But listen, my name is Valerie, please stop calling me ma'am, it makes me feel old."
Officer Mark laughed and replied, "I didn't mean to make you feel old, because that you definitely are not. Did you call your husband and let him know where you are? He is probably worried." he was fishing for personal information now.
He is checking me out personally Valerie thought. "I am not married. So there is no one worrying about why I am not home yet."
"Everyone needs someone to worry about them." Officer Mark commented. "But there is no one at home worrying about me either." They looked at each other and a knowing smile passed between them. Mark felt a tingle of excitement trickle through him whenever he looked directly into her smiling face. She looked like a living breathing doll baby. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything Valerie, but has anyone told you today, that you are a beautiful woman?" He could not believe he had said that, but it was true, she was beautiful.
Valerie blushed and looked down into her lap. "Thanks Officer McCoy, that is very nice of you, and no. No one has told me in a long time that I am beautiful. I tell myself everyday, part of my daily affirmations, but it's not the same as having an extremely handsome man like you tell me." she smiled slyly back at him.
They sat in uneasy silence listening to the local R&B radio station, each feeling the attraction between them. Valerie wondered if she could ask for his number while he was in uniform and if he could give it, or maybe she should wait and see if he asked for hers. Mark wanted to ask for her number but knew he shouldn't while in uniform, but he wanted her number. Unsure how to proceed Mark sat and puzzled over his next move.
Valerie feeling a little mischievous glanced at Mark and saw his look of confusion. "So Officer McCoy, what do you do for fun?"
"Please call me Mark. Nothing unusual. Football, basketball and baseball games with the fellows usually. Bar hop on my days off...sometimes, if I feel up to it, if not I do the movies alone or the library. Just the normal boring stuff."
"For sure you've got a woman to break up some of that boredom?"
"Valerie, the truth is, I haven't been with a woman in over four months. I don't even remember how a woman smell."
Laughing Valerie held her wrist under his nose and let him sniff. "That's what this woman smell like." She said grinning slyly.