The Bad Cop

I could feel my heart beating rapidly as I spotted the freeway exit I'd been instructed to take. Friday afternoon traffic into Seattle had been even heavier than usual but I'd left early knowing the potential consequences if I showed up at the meeting spot late. I silently cursed myself again for having gotten into this situation as I put on my turn signal. At the top of the exit ramp, instead of taking a left turn that crossed over the freeway and into suburbia I turned right onto a gravel road and drove a short distance to a heavily wooded dead end just out of sight of the freeway. I saw her standing by a black SUV parked there. I pulled in beside it, turned off the engine, and took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I got out.

"You made it, Laurie," she said with a broad smile. "I was worried you might get stuck in traffic." I managed a weak smile in return. The woman's name was Megan Danielson and despite the smile she had the intense, confident look of someone used to being in charge. I would have known instinctively that she was a woman not to be messed with even if I hadn't already known she was a cop. Unlike the first time I'd met her though she was wearing street clothes rather than a uniform.

"Are you ready to do this?" she asked.

"I guess so," I replied.

"Good. Go ahead and get undressed."

"Now? Right here? I thought I wouldn't need to get naked until, you know, until it was time."

Megan shook her head. "I'll be driving you to where we're going. You won't be needing your clothes for awhile."

"Yeah, but why can't I take them off when I get there?"

Megan spoke sharply now. "Listen you want to get this thing behind you don't you?" I nodded. "Then you're going to have to do what I tell you to do for the next couple of hours. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said quietly, biting my lip. This was already more than I'd bargained for.

"Good," she said. "Now take off your clothes. Every stitch. Put them in your car and lock it up. Be sure to stash the key somewhere where you can find it later." She looked down at my feet. "You'll need your shoes."

I slowly began unbuttoning my blouse and thought back to that night a week ago that had gotten me into this mess.

BIRTHDAY GIRL

The thumping bass of the live band reverberated through the walls of the ladies' room as I stood in front of the large mirror. I could barely believe it was the same person that I'd seen staring back at me from mirrors for most of my life.

"She has such a pretty face, if only she lost a few pounds." Those were words I'd heard all of my life. I'd been overweight ever since I can remember. Baby fat had turned into adolescent fat which turned into adult fat. "It's just your metabolism" my mom told me and looking at her it sure seemed that being overweight was my genetic fate. Everyone in my family was big and I was no exception. Of course my mom's cooking may have had something to do with it as well. There were always plenty of delicious carbohydrate rich pastas, soups, and breads at our dining table and my willpower rarely exceeded my desire to eat. I'd always been self-conscious about my body and dreaded being seen in even a one-piece bathing suit on trips to the pool or the beach. Wearing a bikini was totally out of the question.

The one constant that I'd always had in my life was Mark. We'd known each other since grade school and began dating our sophomore year. Mark never seemed to be bothered at all about my weight and he made me feel comfortable when I was around him. He was one of those guys who stayed about ten pounds overweight no matter how much or how little he ate so he never bothered at all with diets. Me, I was always on some sort of diet or another. I'd lose five or ten pounds only to gain them back seemingly overnight as soon as I deviated from them. He used to laugh at my constant dieting and told me he'd always love me no matter what I looked like.

After graduating from college we moved in together, much to the disapproval of my family. They wanted us to get married and, the truth be told, that's what I wanted too. But Mark had said he wasn't ready for marriage yet and so I agreed to move in with him. At first I tried to continue my various attempts at dieting but Mark always had to have pizza, chips, beer, and other junk food around the house so I was fighting a losing battle. After awhile I gave up any pretenses of dieting and we settled into a comfortable existence together. Our nights usually involved watching DVDs, playing video games, or going out to party with friends. We continued to talk about marriage and I always assumed that my future would include Mark and a big loving family full of chubby little children.

But something happened on the journey to what I saw as my inevitable future...I kept gaining weight while Mark stayed the same. My extra twenty pounds turned to thirty, then forty, then fifty. Mark's girth, by contrast, stayed the same no matter what he ate. By our third year living together all of my body shame had returned in full force and I could barely stand to look at myself in a mirror. The difference now though was that Mark no longer joked off my concerns. I once again began a series of diets but with Mark's junk food constantly around the house it was a hopeless effort.

Then came the day when all my dreams of the future came crashing down. "Laurie, we need to talk," Mark had said and in my heart I knew what was coming. After stuttering for awhile about how much he cared for me I finally blurted out, "just say it, Mark."

"Okay. Um, I've met someone, Laurie." Even though I'd suspected something was going on it still hit me like a body blow. "It's not that I don't love you Laurie, but you've, well, you've just gotten too fat. I never thought it would bother me, but it does." Through the tears I slowly began packing up my belongings, determined not to spend another night in the house with the man I thought I'd be spending the rest of my life with. As I walked out the door I knew that my best chance for love was gone.

The next month was a blur as I moved into a small apartment and lost myself in the only things left that comforted me...food and alcohol. I took a job doing bookkeeping for a painting contractor that allowed me to work from home. I spent my days with TV soap operas on in the background and my nights wallowing in food, booze, and self-pity.

Then one day I turned on Country Music Television for background music for a change of pace, even though I wasn't a big fan of country music. The videos were filled with beautiful women in tight jeans and I wondered what it would be like to be one of those women for even a day. For some reason the words I'd heard so often, "she has a pretty face if she'd only lose a few pounds" came into my head and I walked to a mirror. For the first time in a long time I really looked closely at my face and I realized that the pretty face was still there although it was connected to a body I hated. It struck me that I was still a young woman and I could become one of those slim, attractive women in tight jeans if I could only summon up the willpower to do it. For some reason that image of a slender me in tight jeans stuck in my mind and never left. For the first time in my life I was determined to be that woman and nothing would divert me from my goal.

THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR

Nearly a year later I found myself in front of that bar bathroom mirror looking at the woman I'd dreamed of becoming so long ago. I turned back and forth examining myself in the mirror and especially loved the view of my breasts in profile to my body. Although I'd always had fairly good sized breasts I'd never really thought of myself as having great boobs until I saw how they hung over a flat stomach. The difference was remarkable and I'd made sure that they were accentuated tonight with a white tank top that displayed just enough cleavage to keep guys wishing they could see more. And those tight jeans I'd seen on those country music women were now displaying my own firm ass. My straight black hair that I'd always kept chopped short now spilled down over my shoulders. I could barely believe that was me staring back in the mirror.

The change in my body wasn't a miracle, just a lot of hard work. I'd thrown out the fad diets and simply went back to the basics: I ate less and exercised more. It was as simple as that and slowly but surely the weight began coming off and the muscles started firming. The long hours in the gym had all been worth it as I took another turn in the mirror and laughed giddily. The door opened at that moment as two women entered the restroom and I blushed at being caught in such a narcissistic moment.

As I walked out of the restroom into the bar I could feel the eyes of the men nearby following me as I returned to the table to join my friends and co-workers. I'd given up the lonely life of working at home several months before and with my newfound self-confidence had landed a much better job as a bookkeeper at an advertising agency. "Happy Birthday, Laurie!" I heard my friends shout. I looked down at the tray of shots that had been placed on the table and rolled my eyes. "Just one," I said with a laugh and quickly downed it as a toast was made in honor of my 25th birthday.

Moments later I saw him walk in. It was Mark with the slut he'd left me for. I hadn't seen him since I'd left him but it was no coincidence that I ran into him tonight. When my friends had asked me where I wanted to celebrate my birthday I'd purposely chosen one of Mark's favorite hangouts hoping he would show up. I have to admit that I was more than a little happy to see that the tramp he was with had packed on a few pounds herself since the last time I'd seen her.

"Hey Laurie, let's dance," I heard Jeff, one of my co-workers, ask me. "Sure!" I grabbed Jeff's hand and made sure to drag him past the table Mark had taken nearby. As I walked by I saw him take a double take and thought his jaw was going to hit the table. I couldn't suppress a smile as I walked past. I could practically feel his eyes boring into my back as I walked onto the dance floor.

I made sure Jeff kept me out dancing long enough to work up enough of a sweat to make my tank top cling to my body and then walked past Mark again on my way back to the table. "Laurie!" he shouted at me over the music. I just smiled and flipped him the finger as I walked on past. I'd made the point I'd wanted to make. I had no desire to talk to him now or ever again.

I groaned as I saw another round of shots on the table but by this time I was feeling too good to stop partying.

This was my night.

FLASHING LIGHTS IN THE MIRROR

I was still feeling sky high on the drive home when it all came crashing down. As I saw the flashing blue and red lights in my rearview mirror I thought back to all the rounds of beers and shots and knew I was totally screwed. My friends had tried to talk me out of driving home but I'd assured them that I lived nearby and wouldn't have any trouble getting home. I put on my turn signal and pulled over to the side of the road as I began rehearsing what I was going to say, hoping I wouldn't slur my words.

As the officer walked up to my window I could see it was woman. So much for any thoughts of using charm and sex appeal to talk my way out of this. I rolled down the window and began my spiel. "Hello officer, is there a problem?" Pretty good I thought. Not slurring too badly.

"License and registration please," she said curtly. "Yes, ma'am," I said and handed them to her. A quick glance at her nametag revealed her name: Officer Megan Danielson. She had an attractive face framed by short dark brown hair. Probably a dyke, I thought but then forced myself back to concentrating on what I would say next. A second police car with flashing lights pulled in front of me and I saw a male officer get out with a flashlight. I'm screwed, I thought to myself again.

"Can you step out of the car please," I heard the female officer say.

"Is there a problem?" I asked again.

"Yes, ma'am you were weaving. Please step out." I opened the door and carefully got out trying mightily not to stagger or fall as I did.

"Have you been drinking tonight?"

I sighed knowing she could probably smell it on me. "Yes, I've had a couple of drinks. It's my birthday tonight."

"Yes, I saw that from your driver's license. We're going to administer a roadside sobriety test. Do you understand what this means?"

I nodded and forced myself to focus.

"I want you to start out by reciting the alphabet for me."

I closed my eyes and began: "A-B-C-D-F-E-G-H-I-K-J-N-M-L-O-P...

"That's okay, I've heard enough. We're going to take you in for a breathalyzer test, ma'am. Please turn around and place your hands behind your back."

Oh, God, I thought. I'm going to jail. I gasped as I felt the cold steel from the handcuffs placed on my wrists. "Is this really necessary?" I asked.

"It's standard procedure," she replied as she led me to her car, opened up the rear door and placed me in the back seat. The door slammed shut and I watched her walk back to talk to the male officer standing in front of my car. The tears began streaming down my cheeks as my magical night had suddenly become a nightmare. After what seemed like forever the female officer finally returned to the car. Instead of getting into the driver's seat though she opened up the rear door and slid in next to me in the back seat.

"We both know you're not going to pass that breathalyzer test, don't we?" she said to me. I just nodded as the tears flowed again. Her voice softened. "Thanks for being honest with me. Since it's your birthday tonight I might be willing to offer you a deal." I looked up quickly, almost hoping beyond hope that I might be able to get out of this somehow. "Wh-what kind of deal?" I blubbered.

"There are two ways this can go, Laurie. You're done driving tonight but I can either drive you home or I can drive you down to the station. If we go to the station you'll be booked on a DUI and spend at least 24 hours in jail. It'll cost you at least $4000 in lawyers and fines and you'll lose your license for a year." She let that sink in for a minute before continuing. "What I'm doing now can get me into trouble so you need to promise me that this conversation will remain confidential. If you tell anyone about this I'll deny it and I'll make your life a living hell. Do you understand?" I nodded, willing at this point to listen to just about anything that might get me out of this mess.

"Okay, this is the deal. We've got some friends coming into town next week from Boston. They're police officers with the Boston PD. We're throwing them a party and, as a joke, we need someone to streak the party. If you agree to do it I'll let you go."

I looked at her uncomprehendingly. "Streak? You mean naked?" I asked.

She laughed. "Yes, naked. That's what streaking means. Don't worry, it won't last long and you won't be forced to screw anyone or anything like that. We just need a pretty girl to get naked for a couple of minutes. If you're willing to do it I'll drive you home now and you'll be off the hook. If not we'll head for the station and if you open your mouth about this you'll wish you hadn't."

Even with my new body I was mortified by the thought of being naked in front of a bunch of people. "C-can I think about this?"

"Sure," she replied. "For about 30 seconds. Then I'm going to get into the front seat and drive you down to the station to be booked."

I was stunned by the suggestion but the alternative seemed much worse. "I'll just have to streak? I won't have to do anything else?" She nodded. "Okay," I heard myself say, a little shocked that I'd just agreed to something like this. But what choice did I have? I couldn't afford a DUI and I had no idea how I could live without my car for a year.

The cop moved in close to me and stared into my eyes. "You need to understand, Laurie, that if you agree to do this you can't back out later. If you try you'll regret it, I can promise you that. Are you sure you're willing to do this?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'll do it." Even in my inebriated state though I had the gnawing feeling that I was making a big mistake.

"Good girl. Now let's get you home. Make sure you have your schedule cleared for next Friday night and I'll be in touch."

THE NAKED RIDE

Less than a week later I found myself riding naked through rush hour traffic towards downtown Seattle. This wasn't part of the deal, I kept thinking to myself; I was just supposed to streak a party for a couple of minutes! I didn't say that out loud, of course...I was miles from my clothes now and completely at Megan's mercy.

I was seated in the back seat of the SUV and the rear windows were tinted so I guess I was thankful for that anyway. I could see Megan glancing back at me in the rearview mirror every so often and at first I kept my hands covering my breasts, but that didn't last long.

"One of the ground rules tonight Laurie is no covering up. Let anyone who wants to look get a good show. Put your arms down at your sides and leave them there." I complied of course. What else could I do? I was in no position to argue with someone who could potentially put me out naked by the side of the freeway if I pissed her off.

"Can I ask where we're going?"

"You'll see," she said with a smile and I can't say I was comforted by that. We picked up speed as we crossed Lake Washington on the I-90 bridge and downtown Seattle began looming closer. During the week I'd nervously pictured myself running naked through some private home out by where I lived but now I was starting to wonder if this party was going to be in a bar or a hotel somewhere downtown. I could feel my anxiety rising at that prospect and with it came an unwanted wave of arousal at the feeling of being so utterly exposed and vulnerable. I looked down and could see my nipples hardening and saw Megan smiling in the mirror as she noticed too. "I think you're going to enjoy this more than you'll admit," she said. I stifled the urge to cover my breasts and took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself.

My anxiety rose another notch as Megan took an exit ramp off the freeway and, after driving for about a mile, pulled into a bar parking lot. Visions of running nude through the bar flooded into my mind and I began to squirm in my seat at the thought. "Is this it?" I asked. Megan turned and shook her head.

"Nope. We're just going to pick someone up. But maybe you'd like to streak the bar as a warm-up? It might make it a little easier when you have to do it later. What do you think?"

"No, that's okay. Once is more than enough."

"Suit yourself," she replied as the front passenger side door opened and a man slid into the front seat with Megan. I immediately recognized him as the other cop from last week and he leaned over to kiss Megan. Maybe she's not a lesbian after all, I thought. The guy turned around and looked me up and down. I felt the urge to cover myself but remembered Megan's warning. "Nice," he said.

"Eyes front sailor," Megan smirked and then turned to me. "This is Dave. I think you might remember him?" I nodded. "Good."

"So how are the Boston boys?" Megan asked Dave.

"They're getting shitfaced, of course," he said and then turned and gave me a wink. "I think they'll get a kick out of this though."

"Well just make sure they stay sober enough to enjoy it," Megan said. She looked at me in the rearview mirror as she put the car into gear again. "Not too much farther to go, dear."

The SUV pulled out of the parking lot and began moving again toward the city center. The deeper we went into downtown Seattle the more unsettled I became. "Why is there so much traffic tonight?" I asked nervously.