Ginger parked her car on the quiet, tree-lined street. She glanced at the address on the back of the business card, peered through the dark at the bronze house numbers that stood out in relief on the white stucco wall, and thought, Spanish tile roof, yeah, this has to be the right house. She checked her make-up in the rear view -- she'd tried to keep it subtle tonight -- and finger combed her auburn hair nervously. Jeez, she thought, not like it's our first date or anything...well, sort of...
Unless she counted their first date as: Ginger shoplifting to get herself caught on purpose by the sexy security guard she'd been lusting after for weeks; being dragged upstairs to the store office by said security guard, handcuffed, threatened with arrest, dominated, and spanked for being such a bad, bad girl; then being cuddled and finger-fucked and having her pussy eaten until she was nothing but a helpless, quivering, puddle of girlie ecstasy. She shivered deliciously at the memory, thinking, well, okay, I guess *that* probably counted as our first date.
After trying on twenty different outfits, she'd finally settled on an emerald green silk blouse and stylishly faded blue jeans, hoping she'd dressed appropriately for the evening. She'd even given up her combat boots for demure flat sandals. It was unseasonably warm for February, but a breeze made her shiver and hug her arms around herself; maybe she should have brought a jacket.
An arched opening in the wall in front led to a neat little courtyard with a brick patio. There was a small fountain with beautiful mosaic tile work and a few comfortable-looking chairs -- one containing a sleeping Siamese cat who suddenly yowled, jumped down from the chair, and stalked off into the bushes. Just as Ginger raised her hand to knock, the front door opened.
Dana grinned at her, leaning against the door frame. "Hey baby, have any trouble finding the place?"
Ginger looked startled. "How did you...?"
Dana said, "Oh yeah, Urusai always lets me know when someone's here. I should have named him 'Doorbell'."
Ginger raised her eyebrows. "Urusai?"
"Yeah," Dana replied. "It means 'Noisy'. Or 'Shut Up'." They both laughed. It was strange but really nice to finally see Dana out of uniform. She wore a Bob Marley t-shirt, black jeans, and she was barefoot. Her dark curly hair hung down her back and over her shoulders, and she just looked so...huggable...Ginger impulsively threw her arms around Dana's neck and squeezed her tight.
"Wow! Well, Happy Valentine's Day to you, too!" Dana pulled her close and kissed her on the tip of the nose. And her cheek. And her lips...Dana pulled Ginger inside the doorway by her belt loops and maneuvered her up against the wall, placing a hand on either side of Ginger's shoulders, and she leaned in for another kiss, and another, and...
"Well, hey, Dana, aren't you going to introduce your friend?"
Ginger's eyes flew open and she blushed furiously; Dana didn't seem all that surprised at the interruption, however, and just rolled her eyes. "Alrighty -- Kendra, this is my friend, Ginger. Ginger, this is my nosy neighbor Kendra who was just leaving, right Kendra?" she said, good-naturedly, but pointedly.
Kendra had a beautiful smile, gleaming white teeth in contrast to her deep cocoa colored skin. She was tall and slim, with hair in neat, elegant braids. "Very nice to meet you Ginger...Dana's told me SO much about you."
"Oh god, I hope not!" Ginger blurted, replaying in her head the embarrassing details of the night Dana caught her shoplifting. There was an awkward moment of silence. "Alternative Girlfriend" by the Barenaked Ladies was playing on the stereo, and they all heard the singer's next line, "I have a job in a shop, I'm an undercover cop, make sure the customers aren't thieves..."
Kendra burst out laughing, a rich, musical sound. Ginger looked genuinely distressed, and Dana tried hard to hide her smile as she apologized, "Oh Ginger, honey, I swear, that wasn't intentional..."
Kendra patted Ginger's arm and said, "Don't you worry, sugar, I think you had a very creative way of getting Miss Dana's attention -- and from the things she's said, she's had her eye on you for quite some time...I've heard about some of your real cute outfits..." Dana shot Kendra her best "you can shut up anytime now" look, but Kendra continued cheerfully, "And if Dana's cooking dinner for you, you must be something special..."
Dana interrupted loudly, "Well, it was nice seeing you Kendra, sorry you have to be going now."
Kendra put up her hands in mock protest, "Oh, no, I can stay..." and grinned at Dana's exasperated expression. "Okay, okay, I can take a hint, I'll leave you two alone. Dana, don't forget -- my party is next Saturday night."
"Yeah, yeah," Dana said, ushering her out the door. "If I have a date."
Kendra winked over her shoulder. "Oh I think you might be able to find someone."
Dana rolled her eyes again. "Maybe, we'll see. G'night Kendra," and she shut the door. Dana pulled Ginger close again and kissed the top of her head. "Don't mind Kendra, we've been neighbors for years. She's a really good friend." She ran her hands over Ginger's shoulders and down her back to cup her ass.
Ginger felt herself melt into Dana's embrace, her nipples peaked into hard little points, and she felt goose bumps rise up on her arms. How does she do this to me? Ginger wondered. It just feels so right, so fucking good...
Dana brushed Ginger's hair from the side of her neck, and nuzzled her ear. "Mmmm, you smell so good...I could just eat you up." Ginger squeaked a little when Dana nipped lightly at her earlobe, then slid her lips down to the sweetly ticklish spot where her neck and shoulder met, and began lifting at the bottom of her shirt, sliding the smooth silk up over her bare tummy, her ribs and...
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP
"Damn interruptions!" Dana kissed Ginger once more quickly, reluctantly pushed away, and headed toward the kitchen. "Gotta check dinner...living room's down the hall, watch your step, I'll be there in a minute. Want something to drink?"
Ginger, feeling a little light-headed and dizzy, managed, "Sure, okay...that sounds good." Even though she hadn't been asked, she slipped off her own sandals and left them in the tiled hallway. A graceful arched opening led into the living room, and as Ginger stepped down she was glad she had taken off her shoes, wiggling her toes on the soft, plush carpet. There was a solid L-shaped sectional sofa, a sizeable flat screen TV, an impressive stereo, and an inviting fireplace. All around the room, built-in shelves were set into the walls. There was an open door off to the side that revealed an impressive home gym. Made sense; Dana was curvy but obviously fit and strong, and looked like she worked at it.
She scanned the CD rack -- everything from Bach, to Billie Holliday, to Tool -- eclectic tastes, she thought, filing that tidbit away in a corner of her brain.
She moved on to the bookshelves, which were filled with true crime non-fiction, and rows of mysteries and detective novels, many with a paranormal slant. Ginger smiled to herself; thinking, what else would you expect from an ex-cop?
Some shelves looked like museum displays, with one or two foreign and exotic objects displayed -- a basket, a piece of pottery, a primitive figurine, colorful stones. Behind them were various framed photographs. Some were of beautiful and unfamiliar landscapes; others featured Dana, alone or with a group of friends. Dana, in khaki shorts, climbing the steps of a Mayan pyramid; Dana, under gray skies, with a group of people at Stonehenge; Dana haggling with a merchant in a bazaar -- maybe in Egypt?
"That one was actually taken in Morocco," Dana said behind her, handing Ginger a wineglass.
"Thanks," said Ginger, "You read my mind, I was just wondering about that. You've traveled a lot."
"Yeah, when I can," Dana replied. "I traveled a lot right after I retired from the force."
Ginger sipped her drink -- cold, light, and sweet, but not cloying, with chunks of fresh fruit. "Wow, this is great, what is it?"
Dana grinned. "White sangria -- white wine, peaches, grapes, apples -- glad you like it."
Ginger nodded, still scanning the shelves. "Aren't you a little young to have retired?" Something caught her eye on a lower shelf, close to the floor and she crouched down to get a better look. There was a small framed case, containing awards for valor, ensuring public safety, life-saving, and a Purple Heart for injury in the line of duty. "What are these?" Ginger glanced up at Dana, who frowned a little.
"Oh, that, yeah." Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she shrugged, reaching down a hand to help Ginger stand up. "Well, I got injured in the line of duty. There was a settlement, an insurance payment, so I put money down on this place, and traveled a bit. But then I had to work for a living again, so I took a job doing security for my friend Jade at her store. Better than getting shot at, huh?" She gave Ginger a quick kiss on the cheek, and the kitchen timer beeped in the background again. "Dinner is served."
After the best enchiladas Ginger had ever tasted, they settled down on the living room sofa with more icy sangria. Dana placed a small silver covered tray on the coffee table. "For dessert, a little surprise for later," she said with a wink.
"So..." Ginger tucked her feet up under her and took another sip of wine. "How did you get hurt? What happened?"
