"Dang it Claire - you sure you're alright?"
That was the thing about Skeet. He'd drop the n-word regularly and the f-word at least every two sentences but saying the word 'damn' outside of a genuine emergency was unthinkable! Just the sort of bullshit that she would soon be happily leaving far behind her. He was genuinely concerned for her though. She did appreciate that.
"Girl you just ain't been nothing like yourself over the last few weeks. Most everyone has been saying it - even the fucking Chief noticed. Is there anything wrong? Is there anything you need to tell me?"
The hairs rose up on the back of Claire's neck. Instinct. Why was Skeet asking her that now? His concern certainly was genuine for her but she was also aware that if Skeet and the boys knew the truth then their attitude would flip in a heart-beat. She'd be just like the McDaid girl to them. A jungle bunny, a race traitor, someone less than human. To be despised and to be expelled. Did he suspect the truth? She and Skeet had worked together very well but even so she wasn't sure she could put a limit on his potential reaction to finding out the real situation.
The situation since she had met Julius Moore, the man they called the 'Closer.' Since she had seen him in that run-down apartment in a notorious part of an already notorious city. Since she had watched him fucking Jean Butler, the missing woman she had gone in search of. Since she had returned to that flat repeatedly. Since she had seen the Closer plant his seed deep in his 'little bitch' again and again. Since she had learned that his seed had fulfilled its destiny, had made Jean just the latest of his many white baby-mommas. Since Jean, that new Black life already growing within her, had gone out of her way to recruit Claire herself as the Closer's new white bitch.
Since Jean had succeeded in doing so. There was no doubt in Claire's mind now that she was just marking time out here in Milvern County. She belonged in the city - she belonged to the Closer. He had shown her another life and her mind and body had reacted to that offer. She hadn't wanted to admit it to herself, sometimes she still didn't, but the evidence to the trained eye was undeniable.
Most obvious was the fact that she just couldn't keep away from that apartment, from him. She had called in sick to be with Julius Moore - something she had never dreamed of doing before. Her Police career had always been everything to her. It had won out over her marriage for sure. Yet here she was throwing it all away for... what? She knew there was no-one who would understand, no-one she could talk to about this. No-one outside of Jean Butler. Jean knew, the Closer's other women all knew. She knew.
The first thing she had done when she had finally got home was to set her phone up to film as she opened her cupboard and removed her newly acquired birth-control pills. She was careful to show the camera that the box was unopened. Once opened she removed the pills and carefully showed that all remained in place. That done it was a simple task to pop each pill out of its packaging and down into the toilet. Once the last of them had dropped into the water she had flushed them all away. She didn't waste time considering the wisdom or sense of her actions. Julius wanted it this way and what the Closer said is how it went. Besides, from the moment he had ordered this it had just seemed right. She shook her head a little at her own naivety. You didn't go with a man like the Closer and waste time with birth-control. There were no half-measures with a man like Julius Moore.
Another proof was the fact that Skeet had noticed that something was up. Plenty of folk had ended up behind bars by under-estimating old Skeet. He was not nearly so dumb as he sometimes liked people to think. Maybe he had sensed or understood more than she thought. That was dangerous, potentially very dangerous. Skeet and the boys had some deeply-held beliefs on such matters. She had already most definitely crossed the line with them. It was just as well that this situation wouldn't continue much longer.
"I'm sorry Skeet. I just don't seem able to shake this. I know I'm not really up to the work at the moment. I've been thinking about extended leave or maybe just handing in my badge."
Skeet's eyes narrowed just a fraction. She knew in that instant that he did not believe her or at least that he knew that she was not telling him something. They were officially only temporary partners but they had worked together for years. Skeet knew her and he knew something had changed.
"I'm serious here. What's got into you girl?" He seemed to be asking himself that question as much as her.
She didn't answer him. The truth was that nothing had - yet. She aimed to put that right at the earliest opportunity.
***
The young man on the corner held up a hand to her as she left her vehicle. He and his friends would keep an eye on her wheels. She knew he had been there last time she was here. No wonder he remembered her! She considered that as she walked over to the familiarly ugly building. Only once she had pressed the buzzer and been admitted did her attention turn fully to the Closer.
It was early afternoon - as the Closer had ordered. The building was quieter than before, the doors all closed as she passed them. Even old Desiree was not at her post. She reached the top floor and moved to the well-known door. She noted that the lock was still broken. One thing was certain - the Closer did not live in fear.
She knocked on the door.
A few seconds later the door opened to reveal Julius Moore, the Closer himself. She was again struck by what a big bear of a man he was. His gold tooth gleamed as he smiled. "Looking good there five-oh bitch. Show me it all." He spun a finger in the air to indicate his meaning.
She felt a thrill of pride as she slowly turned to allow him to check her out from every angle. She had not arrived in her uniform or her undercover outfit today. She had carefully picked out this look. She wore a pair of her own heels, less lethal than those he had provided for her but still a distinct change from her usual practical flats. Her regular pants were also discarded. Instead she wore a new pair of sheer thigh-high stockings and a dark grey skirt that ended half way down her thigh. She wore a matching dark-grey jacket over a scarlet silk blouse. Both blouse and jacket were opened to allow a generous display of cleavage. Her nail-polish and lipstick were selected to match the vivid scarlet of her blouse. She wore a little more than her usual minimal make-up. Just enough to make a girl feel special. Just enough to let her man know that she had made an effort to look good for him. She wore her red hair up.
'Hmmn - hmmmnnnnn." Julius let out a low hum of pleasure. Again Claire felt the thrill of pride at having pleased him. She knew this man was a connoisseur of the female form and it was a real ego-boost to have impressed him. She completed her circuit and stood in front of him. Julius casually moved a hand to the front of her skirt and then down to its hem. Claire felt her pulse quicken as the Closer moved his hand up under her skirt. He raised the material a little and she knew he was savouring the contrast of the pale flesh of her thighs with the darker material of her stockings. He moved his hands to the top of her thighs and a moment later his fingers gently touched the entrance to her bare pussy.
Claire let out a ragged breath. Her eyes seemed drawn to his deep brown ones. Once they met she knew that she couldn't look away. His eyes were as powerful, as magnetic, as the rest of him. She remembered Jean's obvious exhilaration at having the Closer as her man. She remembered and she understood. She eased her legs further apart and just slightly bent her knees. His exploring fingers teased the lips of wet pussy and then slipped inside.
Julius Moore nodded. His new bitch was playing by the rules. Looked damn fine - like some billionaire's PA. Nah - she looked better than that. Looked like a billionaire's PA in a porn film. Dressed classy but definitely down to fuck. He always liked it when everyone knew just what they was here for. Talking of which.
"What you here for Officer Doyle?"
"To be with you - to be your bitch."
