Horner Springs Retirees #02

She picked up on the first ring, "Crisis Center, How may I help you?"

"About my crisis..." Lee began.

"Oh, thanks for calling me back Lieutenant, The line is good and I read you five by five."

Lee blinked and said, "Oh okay. Look..."

Rachel didn't let him finish but interrupted him and said, "Yes, I wanted you to test the lines, No one has called all night and I was getting a bit lonely."

"Well that just won't do, will it?"

Softly she said, "No, we could discuss it later, I usually have breakfast after shift, I get off in about an hour."

By now, Lee realized that Rachel could be overheard in the Dispatch office. Lee said, "That would be fine. Where should I meet you?"

There was a pause, "How about you give me a lift home, the La Baron is on the fritz."

"I'll meet you in the parking lot?"

"Perfect, yes the volume is much better now. Goodbye." She said, a bit loudly.

Lee hung up and sat thinking about that last puzzling bit of conversation. He started the Cruiser and revved the engine, just to clear the carb's and feel the rumble in his seat. He grinned and checked the pickup; it was still bouncing so he shifted into reverse, backed out and made his way slowly down the hill.

He was distracted and put the bottle he had confiscated from Games in box #327. He didn't think about it really, he was thinking about soft warm breasts, actually.

~oOo~

Rachel was grinning at her computer screen, well she wasn't thinking of the screen, with the picture of Lee, in his uniform that popped up when he had called. She was thinking of him as he apologized for the spilled coffee and his consternation at seeing her, and not being able to hide the anaconda in that lovely silk suit.

She didn't notice when Lois walked up behind her and snickered at her grinning with Lee's picture on her screen. "I guess you won't need a ride home tonight?" Lois said.

Rachel turned slowly and smiled at her, "No, I'll be fine."

Lois winked at her and placed a couple of condoms in Rachel's hand. "Don't say I don't care about you Rachel." Lois smiled at Rachel.

Rachel looked at her hand and, said, "Oh, Thanks, but I won't need these tonight," and handed them back to Lois.

Lois just folded Rachel's fingers over then condoms and said, "Sooner or later, you will. Just keep them handy. They said they're Papaya flavored."

Rachel looked at the foil packages and glance up smiling; she tucked them into her purse and nodded, then stared at her screen, dealing with her own crisis.

~oOo~

Lee was driving slowly across the river, after having fish tailed every time he tried to hurry back to the station. The Turbo Cruiser would spin its tires in any gear unless you were very careful on the accelerator.

He cruised through town and checked the stores and back alleys as he watched the minutes stretch out until he could pick up Rachel. He wasn't just doing his job; not really, he was trying to get control of Mr. Johnson who was sure that a dark chocolate cherub was in his future. Lee wasn't so sure, but there was hope in his heart.

He pulled into the parking lot and went into the police station to put away the surveillance equipment, fill in the log on the Turbo-Cruiser, and hand off his shift to the graveyard detail. He hurried to the locker room, picked up his suit to take to the cleaners, and rushed out to his car.

He put the suit in the trunk, of his Monte Carlo, and moved the car so he could see the back door of station. Letting it idle to warm up, he waited, watching the back door for Rachel and fighting the images that Mr. Johnson was sending him.

Rachel stepped out the door and looked around. Lee hopped out of the Monte Carlo and waved at her. She saw him and smiled. Lee drove the car over to her, then hopped out, and ran around to open the door and put her into his car.

As he got behind the wheel, Rachel said, "I didn't realize that Monte Carlos came in a two-tone finish like this."

Lee smiled and bucked his seat belt, "Well I had it painted, I used it for undercover work and I had to fit into the 'hood."

"That explains the whirly hub caps then?" She grinned.

Lee nodded, "It fit the image I was using. I bought it from the City when I left Chicago. It's a little flashy but I needed a car coming out here, and the price was right."

"It runs, which is more that I can say about my La Baron."

Lee laughed, "Chrysler quality, I'm a Chevy man myself."

"Like a Rock, isn't that the slogan?" Rachel said and glanced down at his lap.

Lee reached over, pulled her seatbelt around her and buckled it. Rachel let him reach across her, looking into his eyes. They were so close to her, and his lips were so very close, but she kept her cool, outwardly. Inwardly, her need was telling her to kiss those lips, but she resisted the impulse.

Lee wanted to kiss her, but he too resisted the impulse, lest she get the impression that he couldn't be trusted. Trust was one of the foundations of a relationship, he had read, and he did want, at least, relations with Rachel Washington. "You should always buckle up," he said as he sat back and wished Mr. Johnson would settle down.

Rachel smiled and instructed him on how to find her house that was tucked up behind the village. He drove slowly, partly because he was still spooked from spinning the Cruiser out this evening, and partly because he liked the smell of her in his car. Her perfume was light and flowery, but had an intriguing effect on him. It had a powerful effect on Mr. Johnson, which was distracting to Lee as he tried to drive and look at the way the shoulder belt separated her breasts causing her blouse to expose her lacy red bra just a bit, in the passing streetlights.

"Here we are, that one," Rachel said and pointed out one of the gingerbread Victorian cottages that had been repainted in accordance with the Cities' redevelopment plan. In the light from the new high output street lamps, it looked a bit garish, the pinks were bright purplish, the yellows dull and it looked like a gingerbread house decorated by five year olds.

Lee pulled in front of the house and got out to hand Rachel out of the car. She smiled as she let him open the door and reach across her to unbuckle her seat belt. Again, his lips were so very close and her need surged a bit, which made her throat tighten and her breathing stop, until he stepped back.

She looked down and took a deep breath as she got out of the car. When she looked back up at Lee, she saw that he was staring at her boobs. She lifted his chin and smiled, "We haven't talked about your crisis, maybe you should come in and I'll fix us some breakfast. We can discuss it." She was watching his face, which was showing exactly what he was thinking. Rachel smiled and said, "You're still having trouble concentrating, aren't you?" She gave him her empathic look, to which she added a slight pout of her full lips.

Lee looked at her and nodded, it was all he could do. Those lips, all red and juicy, her big brown eyes, and her calm demeanor were driving him crazy.

She smiled and led him into her house. She let him remove her coat and hung it in the closet, saying, "Why don't you go ahead and take off your vest and gun belt, there's no need of them here. I'm going to go upstairs to change, there's a bathroom just there." She indicated a door and stepped quickly up the staircase.

Lee watched her go up the stairs and wondered just how much she was going to change as he stepped into the tiny bathroom and removed his gun belt, with his handcuffs and all the other cop equipment, so he could take off his shirt and the thick bullet resistant vest. His tee shirt was damp, and he waved it to get it to dry out a bit. He checked himself out in the mirror. He didn't think of himself as handsome, or ugly for that matter, He was reasonably fit and had been muscular ever since High School, where he had gotten into wrestling and weight lifting. As he put his uniform shirt back on he decided to leave it untucked to hide the traitorous Mr. Johnson.

He stepped out of the bath, put his belt, and vest behind a chair in her living room. He glanced around and saw that she had an exercise machine in front of her flat screen TV, next to her computer, a chair and loveseat, and not much else in the sparsely furnished parlor. One wall had her Diploma from Futter Institute and several certifications from the State University in Crisis Management, all neatly displayed in tasteful frames on one wall.

~oOo~

Rachel was having trouble deciding how she should dress, She took off her bra and looked in the mirror, she decided that topless would be unprofessional, slipped off her slacks and hung them up, she glanced in the mirror and decided that she had to change her panties, the ones she was wearing were too damp. Actually, they were wet, but she preferred the term damp.

She slipped into a dry pair of panties and selected a thin black running suit, with a zippered jacket, the seams had white piping and the stripes down the legs were slimming. She wanted to take her hair out of the bun, but thought it would make Lee get the wrong or maybe right idea, but tonight was not the time for too much escalation.

She did adjust the zipper of the jacket so that it allowed a nice view of her cleavage, although without a bra, she had to let it way down to get the effect she wanted. She stepped into the bath and made a quick pass with her underarm deodorant, hoping that it wouldn't affect the pheromone perfume she had applied just before she left the station.

She checked her lipstick and stepped back, "Oh Rachel, you devil," she thought and blew herself a kiss, before she slipped into a pair of black flats and went down stairs.

Lee heard her on the stairs and was coming to greet her when she made the turn and saw him in her parlor, he was so solid looking, and she noticed that his shirttail was out, hiding one of his most endearing features. That thought made her smile even wider as she said, "Well Lt. Johansson, how about some coffee, decaf but pure Colombian beans?"

Lee grinned briefly, "Sure sounds great." That sounded lame to him, but then he did have trouble concentrating as Rachel turned and had to wait for her tit's to catch up before she stepped off through the Cafe doors into her kitchen. Lee followed her, mostly to look at her from the rear.

"I thought we'd have crepes, Do you like crepes?" Rachel said as she turned in her kitchen to face him.

She moved and then her breasts swung and she rocked from side to side slightly, causing Lee's throat to grab and his covered erection to pulse. He smiled and nodded.

She smiled a comforting smile, "So tell me about your crisis. What do you think caused it?" She looked at him as if he was a lost puppy, her lips a little pouty.

Lee took a breath and let it out before he could say, "I, I, I like crepes."

"Wonderful! Then you know how to make them?" Rachel said and put on her apron.

Lee frowned, "No, I always have them out, like at I-Hop."

Rachel smiled and said, "Then tonight you'll learn." She grinned at him as if enjoying a little joke that Lee missed. "Here I'll get you an apron so you don't get any mess on your uniform." She opened a closet, pulled out a frilly apron, and held it out to him, "Sorry the only spare I have is a bit fancy, but it will protect your clothes."

Lee took the apron, which was more than decorative, although the pink cabbage rose pattern, the starched frills on the shoulder straps, bib and down around the lap panel made it quite attractive, on Rachel he supposed.

Rachel, loaded the coffee maker, checked her recipe file for the ingredients and put her crepe pan on the stove to heat. Lee was putting on his apron and watching Rachel move about. She seemed to be jiggling a good deal, he thought.

Rachel said, "Come, you can be my mixer." She got out a large bowl and whip and had Lee hold it while she added the flour and egg. While Lee tried to blend the egg and flour, she got out the milk, measured out a ¼ cup and added a ¼ cup of water from the tap. While Lee whipped the mixture, she slowly poured in the milk and water. She got out the butter and sliced off about a tablespoon, put it in a small bowl and popped it into the microwave for a few seconds.

She brought back the melted butter, added it with a bit of salt, and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, while Lee continued to mix the batter. She looked up at his face as he concentrated on his whipping.

"His concentration seems to have improved, with routine tasks," so she knew that his crisis wasn't completely overwhelming, yet. She smiled at him and said, "You see it's not hard, is it?" Then she pouted her lips, just a little.

Lee had gained some composure as he whipped the mixture. Trying to keep it all in the bowl and not all over the kitchen at first, had challenged his Swedish reflexes. When she looked at him and pursed her lips like that, he had a more southerly reflex. "No, not really" he lied a bit breathlessly.

Rachel took the bowl from him and said, "Why don't you pour us some coffee, I'll cook the crepes."

Lee smiled and said, "That, I can do." He stepped back and let her take the crepe batter to the stove while he, got two mugs off the mug tree that sat beside the coffee maker and looked over at Rachel.

She was frying the first crepe and was facing the stove; her fine wide bottom captured his attention. So much so, that he almost poured coffee on the counter, because he lost his concentration. Fortunately, he caught himself at the last moment and avoided another coffee mess.

Rachel said, "So what made you loose your concentration. You avoided it the last time I asked, but if I am to help you, I need to know what it is that caused it." She hadn't turned, but kept her face to the stove.

Lee found it easier to talk to her backside than her distractingly attractive face. "Well, I guess it's being a newcomer, really. I don't know many people here and I guess I feel a bit isolated."

Rachel flipped the crepe in the pan with a deft flip of her spatula, then turned and looked at him. "So, you don't want my help?" She asked giving him a slightly hurt look.

"Oh yes, I, I do!" Lee blurted and blushed. He offered her a mug, "Do you take cream?"

Rachel looked at the mug, then up at Lee's face, and smiled, "Then you should let me tell you what causes your problem, after all I'm the professional. And I do feel obligated to help, it is my job." She took the mug and smiled, "I do like cream and sugar, but I only have nonfat and sweetener. A girl has to watch her calories."

Lee turned quickly to the fridge and pulled out the milk. He just had to not look at her, he thought. When he looked into her eyes or thought of her naked, he couldn't talk. He looked at her mug while he poured her some milk. "I think you are doing an excellent job." Lee said then looked into her eyes.

Rachel had a puzzled look on her face, "What do you mean?"

Those eyes, those big red lips, trapped Lee and he just stared at her, as she brought the cup to her lips and looked over the rim of the mug at him. Lee sipped his coffee, it was very hot and burned his tongue, but he choked it down so as not to embarrass himself again. "What I meant to say is that I think you're very nice looking and shouldn't have to watch every calorie." He was pleased with himself, at least he hadn't stuttered.

"Oh Mr. Johansson, you're just flattering me." She bit her lower lip and glanced down, then up at his eyes, and pursed her lips. That seemed to shake his tree, and she was getting good at it.

Lee looked away and sat his coffee down, for insurance against another coffee catastrophe. He risked a glance at her, she had turned back to her crepe pan again and Lee breathed freely now. He leaned back against the sink and said, "It's not flattery if it's true." "Good one," he thought.

Rachel looked over her shoulder at him and laughed, "You wouldn't say that if this was your butt." Then she slapped her ass and it took a while before the quivering stopped. She turned back to her cooking.

Lee was quivering as well, although it was well hidden now. "There are people who prefer a voluptuous woman." Lee gave himself points for picking such a positive word on the fly. "In fact whole civilizations had risen or fallen, because of voluptuous women."

Rachel turned and reached for her coffee, "I suppose you're talking about ancient civilizations, because today, skinny is in, chubby is out."

Lee risked looking at her eyes again. "They were honest eyes," he thought, "her lips were just made to be kissed, her breasts to be caressed, fondled, and, her ..." He couldn't finish that thought because he could feel the heat of his erection on his belly. "I think you allow the talking heads to influence you too much, if you think that."

She snickered, "Perhaps, Do you like cherries?"

Lee smiled and said, "I can take them or leave them, I prefer more experienced women." Oh, good, suggestive and yet pointed," he thought.

Rachel flipped her crepe and said, not looking at him, "I was speaking of fruit. There's a can of cherries in the cupboard, if you open it we can put them in our crepes." Her voice was calm and even.

Lee cringed a bit and looked through the cupboards, wondering if he had stepped on his crank with that last comment. He found the cherries and asked, "Where's your can opener?"

Rachel turned and looked at him, "Top drawer on the right." She picked up her coffee and sipped it. "Pour the juice in a cup; I like my cherries fairly dry."

Lee didn't risk looking at her as he opened the can, drained the juice off and sat the can down. He turned and saw she was finishing the last crepe, he said, "I'm sorry if my humor offended you?"

Rachel slipped the last crepe onto a plate and turned, giving him a soft smile, "I wasn't offended. I prefer an experienced man as well. Neophytes just don't have the necessary stamina, don't you find?" She busied herself with rolling the crepes and cherries and arranging them on plates, as Lee stood out of her way and watched, afraid to open his mouth. She turned and said, "Do you like sour cream on them? I have some fat free in the fridge."

Lee said, "Yes that would be nice." Hoping to minimize the damage and thinking about what she said, and how she had almost chuckled as she said it. She made him wonder how much stamina she required?

Rachel got the sour cream and spooned it on the crepes, she turned smiling, "There why don't you take off your apron. I think we're passed the dangerous part now."

"If you don't mind, I'll wear it while we eat, this is my last clean uniform and I want to make sure I don't soil it." He smiled at her, "Besides it makes me feel pretty," he said and batted his eyes at her.

Rachel laughed and almost spilled the crepes on the floor. She said, "Sure, but if you dribble on it, you have to iron it. All those ruffles are a bitch to iron out."

Lee smiled and thought, "At least I made her laugh, and it is my last uniform." "Let me help you," he said and reached for the plates.

Rachel handed him the plates, "I'll get our coffee." She removed her apron and hung it on the hook inside the pantry.

Lee nodded, turned and sat the plates on the small table that was tucked into her kitchen. He waited to let her sit first and adjusted her chair, before he sat down. The view down her jacket was heavenly.

Rachel grinned at him, "You're right."

"About what?"

"The apron, it does make you look, pretty." She chuckled, "Although I prefer you in that brown suit. You looked very distinguished in it.

Lee smiled at her, "You think so?"

"Oh, yes, it's very stylish and shows off you physic very attractively."