All I Want

All I Want

*Author's Note: No one has ever asked me to write a story about a Roman Catholic or the Amish or any other religion, but I've had a surprising number of readers ask me to write more stories about Mormons. As I've previously said, my best friend in high school was a Mormon. I've also shared that my first-time experience was with a married Mormon woman, a story I called Bagging Lauren, a title I now regret as she was an amazing woman, and that made it sound like some kind of conquest which it was not.

I have no animosity against the religion or anyone in it. I'm not a theist, one who believes in a god that gets involved with human affairs. I am, perhaps, a Deist, as I see the handiwork of design all over life on earth. Things either were designed, or as Richard Dawkins says, "Biological things give the impression of having been designed," (but aren't.) As a Libertarian, I don't try and tell anyone what to believe or how to live and expect the same.

As I've also said, the only reason I write is for my own enjoyment, and for some reason, I find the Mormon angle to be of interest. This story just hit me out of the blue, so for you who've been asking for more, this one's for you.

Lastly, for new readers, if you feel the need to point out something in a story I write, please read another story I called Literotica, after the site. That will save us both some time.

For them and everyone else, I hope you enjoy it.

*******

Provo, Utah. Population: 115,000. December 21, 2023

"Hey! There he is! How you doin'...Sarge?" a uniformed officer announced.

The dozen of so people in the Provo, Utah, precinct stood up and clapped.

"Come on, stop it!" the newly-promoted sergeant said.

Ross Cash had been with the department for 14 years. He went through the academy when he was 26 after a four-year tour in the US Marine Corps which came after a two-year mission for the Mormon Church.

He'd loved being a plain old patrolman. A beat cop. He'd never had any interest in being anything more, mostly because it seemed like sergeants and lieutenants did nothing but push papers all day, and he hated doing that. But he'd recently decided it was time to finally think about settling down, and while he'd put a fair amount aside, he wanted to have a nest egg for whenever he met that special someone.

He'd come close about six years before making sergeant, but the woman he loved decided she loved...other men. And as he later learned she'd loved a lot of them while claiming to love only him. Since then, he turned his full attention to becoming the best man he could by taking care of himself mentally, physically, and emotionally. The promotion, along with the attendant paperwork, was the latest step in his life's new direction.

When he got ready to sit down at his new desk for the first time he noticed that everyone was still watching. Knowing how cops, like Marines, were pranksters, he checked the seat cushion first which drew a laugh. But the moment he sat down he knew.

"In event of paper cut, break glass."

It was a little doodad someone had made to warn him of the greatest danger he now faced.

"Ha-ha," he said as everyone had one more laugh at his expense.

He couldn't blame them, though. He'd have done the same thing or worse, and on numerous occasions, he had. He set the little homemade knickknack on his bookshelf for all to see then said, "What are you staring at? Get back to work!"

"Yes, sergeant!" another former Marine called out as he rendered a snappy salute.

"Knock that off. I'm no officer. I work for a living," Sgt Cash said.

"Not anymore!" the former Marine quipped under his breath but loudly enough to be heard getting a third and even louder laugh.

With the obligatory promotion 'hazing' out of the way, Ross shook his head then sat there and stared at the stack of paperwork in front of him and groaned.

"I think I may have seriously screwed the pooch," he said to himself as someone dropped two more files in his inbox.

"Sergeant Cash!" Ross heard causing him to look up immediately.

Everyone knew the voice of the precinct's lieutenant, but Officer Cash had rarely ever reacted to it. Now that he was Sergeant Cash, he was working directly for him and was required to.

He got up, walked to the lieutenant's office, and waited for instructions.

"First off, congratulations again on the stripes," the lieutenant told him. "Second. Get ready for your first 'I want a supervisor call'."

Ross knew this was coming. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanted to see a supervisor these days. He thought back to his early years on the force when no one would even ask for a supervisor let alone expect one. Now, it was becoming the norm, and the department's policy was to accommodate the request as often as possible. Since the new sergeant was available he was up.

"Oh, goody," Ross said.

"Get used to it," the lieutenant said with a chuckle. "Heck, with any luck, I'll get called out to another traffic stop while you're handling this one."

"Yeah, maybe we can get the captain out there, too. Or the friggin' mayor."

His boss laughed then wished him luck. He offered no guidance or advice as Cash had been doing this a very long time. The lieutenant knew he'd back his officers except in the most bizarre cases, and those were extremely few and far between.

"Officer Kendall," Ross said as he left his boss's office.

The 30-year old police officer laughed as she said, "Let me guess. Someone is demanding a supervisor."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go fire up the squad," he told her as he grabbed his heavy coat. It was around 38 degrees outside, but for now, the roads were clear. It was dark, but there wasn't any ice and there was no snow in the forecast.

Ross knew that Katie Kendall had a thing for him. She'd all but said so a week ago when she joined him in the gym. He was doing a serious workout when she asked if she could tag along with him.

His first thought was, "You couldn't do 10% of what I'm doing," but that was now borderline harassment, and he was just days away from making sergeant, so he told her 'sure'.

He'd thought she might have her eye on him for a couple of months, and he'd even heard a rumor that she did, but it wasn't until the workout was over that she casually mentioned it.

She'd been unable to do almost everything, yet she did her best, and he admired that. He told her that when he was through, and that's when she said, "Thanks, Ross," before hesitating and then asking if she could tell him something.

"Sure. What's up?" he asked as he stopped outside of the men's locker room.

"I was wondering if you might want to, you know, maybe do something...together. Sometime."

He didn't let his surprise show as he asked her if she meant 'on a date'.

"Well, yeah," she told him, a hopeful smile on her face.

Katie wasn't unattractive, and she had a decent body. She just wasn't the kind of woman he was interested in dating, and after a short period of mindless hookups after his one true love bailed on him, he wouldn't date anyone he wouldn't marry.

He was 40 years old and really getting tired of being alone. He'd dated a handful of women here and there, but he'd found some kind of fatal flaw in all of them. He knew he was...picky...a word he hated but which accurately described him where women were concerned and had no interest in compromising or settling.

A good friend had recently told him that no woman would ever be good enough to satisfy him, and while the criticism had stung, Ross knew it might well be true. It made such an impression on him that he made a checklist which he'd revised numerous times as he wrestled with a few things that he thought were deal-breakers but turned out not to be. They were important to him, but none of them, in and of themselves, would be sufficiently important to rule out someone.

At one point he'd gotten frustrated with it and added, "Eats crackers in bed," to the list.

Just over the last few days he felt good about what he'd come up with, consisting of his 'must haves' along with 'nice to haves' and ending with 'not important'. He'd juggled a few things between categories, but after spending time thinking about each one, he now had a very good idea what he was looking for. Unfortunately, Officer Kendall didn't have any of his 'must have' qualities.

Like so many others in Provo, Katie Kendall was a Mormon. Ross was, too, but only in the most technical sense. He'd long ago stopped believing in the teachings of 'the Church', as Mormons called it, but he'd never asked to have his name removed from the Church's roles. He just didn't think it mattered, and that was that.

As she drove them to the location of the traffic stop, Katie gingerly asked him if he'd given any more thought to her offer.

"Oh. You know, I'm probably not a good match for you," he told her as nicely as he could.

"May I ask why?" she probed, just as carefully.

"I'm not active in the Church," he told her, hoping that would end the discussion. She knew he wasn't, but they'd never discussed it.

"That can change," she replied with a warm smile. "People come back all the time."

"I don't think so," he told her just as nicely but with a little more firmness.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" she asked, sensing he wasn't telling her everything.

He prided himself on being honest, but that didn't mean he enjoyed being hurtful. He was getting ready to tell her the reasons why she was correct, but she filled in the blanks herself. Or at least one of them.

"I'm out of my league, and I know it," she told him, a hint of resignation in her voice. "You're a very good looking guy, And...Sarge. And I'm kind of a...."

She thought for a moment then said, "I'm...comfortable looking."

He thought that was about as spot on a description as there good be. She really was 'comfortable looking'.

"I'm not out of your league," he began.

He was indeed a good looking guy, and since he'd gone on the health and fitness kick, he had a body to match the handsome face. He wasn't a freak with muscles 'in his shit' but he had a decent chest, nice shoulders and traps, and flat stomach. He kept his sandy blond hair short and was clean shaven with a very masculine jawline. His blue eyes were his best feature, but he also had a nice smile with two small dimples.

"It's okay. No big deal," she said as she forced a smile as she glanced over at him. "Besides, looks like we're here."

The lights from two squad cars were flashing up ahead. Ross saw three young women in coats standing outside of a passenger car and rightly assumed they might be college students.

Katie parked a few yards away then wished her new boss good luck. He thanked her as he grabbed his hat and gloves and stepped outside.

The officer in charge of the situation gave him a quick brief.

"Okay. The vehicle in question was all over the road. It rolled through a stop sign then nearly went off the road altogether in the turn. I ran the plate and initiated a traffic stop. I smelled alcohol as soon as the window came down and asked the driver to step out. She demanded a supervisor, and...here you are."

"How about the other three?" Ross asked as he looked over at them.

"I know two of them were also drinking. I'm not sure about the fourth. All of them are being cooperative except the driver who's being a little...testy."

Ross sighed then walked over to the vehicle and introduced himself.

"It's about fucking time!" the driver said.

"Ma'am. I'm going to need you to step out of the car," he told her just as the officer had.

"For what? I haven't done anything wrong!" she spat. "You can't just pull me over and make me get out! I know my rights!"

"There's a Supreme Court case known as "Mimms v Pennsylvania" that says I can. Any police officer can order a driver out of a vehicle during a traffic stop for any reason. So please step out...."

"Fuck you!" the girl screamed. "I don't have to get out. I don't feel safe, and I'm not getting out!"

"Ma'am," he said again to the young woman who looked to be about 25, "if you don't get out voluntarily, we will remove you from the vehicle and you'll be arrested for obstruction."

"I'm not fucking ob..shtricting!" she yelled, her esses slurring badly.

"Not obeying my lawful order to get out IS obstruction," he calmly informed her.

"No! I'm NOT getting out!" she screamed at the top of her lungs before rolling the window back up and locking the door.

He grabbed the officer in charge and told him to make several more efforts before breaking the window and removing her. He'd noticed one of the girls wasn't even wearing a coat and wanted to check on her. The officer said he would, and Ross walked over to the other three young women.

"Evening, ladies. I'm Off...Sergeant Cash with the Provo Police Department."

He got a 'hey' from one of them, and the girl with no coat looked down as she tried to warm herself with her hands.

"Young lady? Do you not have a coat?" he asked.

She was a very pretty girl with long, dark hair and an even nicer body. She had to be freezing as she was wearing a white, ribbed crop sweater that left her midriff bare. She had on a short skirt and heels, and he felt bad for her even as he admired her physical beauty.

"It's in the car," she told him as she frantically ran her hands up and down her arms. "The other officer said I have to wait."

"What? That's bullsh...hold on."

He went over and took control and again and politely asked the woman to let him grab the coat in the back seat. When she lit into him with a string of profanities, he said just loudly enough to be heard, "That's it."

He pulled out his baton and in just three whacks, caved in the window. He reached in and unlocked the door then flung it open.

"Get her out of here!" he barked as he then reached for the coat.

As he passed his squad, he told the Katie to get out and go search the driver and kept walking.

"Here you go," he told the attractive young woman as he helped her put it on.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm SO cold!"

"Do you feel like telling me what's going on here?" Ross asked with compassion.

She looked at her two other friends then said, "Can we get out of the cold? Please?"

He barked at another officer who came over for the two women he pointed at then took the third to his own squad. His partner was out doing what he'd ordered her to, so it was just the two of them. Ross let her sit upfront with him as he asked again what was going on.

"I don't why I came. I shouldn't even be here," the woman began.

"Why not?" Ross asked as he turned the vehicle on to let it warm up.

"We...all of us...we just graduated today. Mid-semester."

"From...BYU?"

"Yes. We're...Mormons. All of us. But the driver, well, all of them but me, hate the Church. I don't. I mean, I don't know if I believe in it anymore, but I don't hate it."

He didn't say anything about his own journey out of Mormonism. He just let her talk.

"So after finals, Terri--the driver--said we should all go, you know, get drunk."

"So you're all over 21?"

"Yes. But drinking can get us expelled, and it can get us disfellowshipped from the Church."

Ross knew that excommunication was far more severe, but the Mormon Church could 'disfellowship' a member for doing things like violating what it called The Word of Wisdom, a supposed revelation to 'the Prophet Joseph Smith' that forbade tobacco, alcohol, and 'hot drinks' which were later interpreted to mean coffee and tea of any kind. But not colas or chocolate that also contained caffeine.

"But since you met all of the university's requirements, you weren't too concerned about that, right?"

"Right. Well, I was. I've never drank alcohol before."

She looked over at him then added, "Never. But I've been so...confused lately, that I decided to go with them."

"Are you drunk?" he asked as nicely as he could.

"No. I don't think so. I had two Margaritas. Could that make me drunk?" she asked naively.

"No. But if you don't drink at all, it can make you pretty buzzed."

She was warming up and felt better and even laughed a bit.

"I'm definitely that. Or at least I was when we left the bar, another place I've never been to in my life."

"Did you grow up in the Church?" he asked just as nicely.

"No. I'm a convert. I was 16 when I joined."

She looked at him again then said, "There was this boy. A senior. I had the biggest crush on him and he was LDS."

Not sure if Ross understood she clarified.

"Latter-day Saints. Mormons."

"I know," he said with a smile.

"Anyway, I feel really guilty. I'm even dressed like...some kind of sl...."

"Don't say that," Ross told her before she could finish the word.

He waited for her to look at him then said, "I think you look...very nice."

It was too dark to tell, but she seemed to blush as she quickly looked away.

"My top. It's way too short, and so is my skirt. I guess this was my way of rebelling even though I'm not sure what I'm rebelling against."

"Would it surprise you to know I've been that myself?"

"You're LDS?" she asked, looking right at him.

"Technically. I'm still on the Church's roles, but I quit going, oh...maybe ten years or so ago."

"May I ask why?"

"That's a long story, and...."

His partner for the evening tapped on the glass.

"We're done out here," she said loudly enough so he could hear.

"I'd like to hear about it," the girl told him as he told her it was time to get out again.

Ross smiled at her then said, "I don't even know your name."

"It's Dana. Dana Mallory."

"I'm Ross, and it's nice to meet you, Dana. I wouldn't normally do this, but if you do want to talk about that...or anything else related to it...."

He fished out a business card then wrote his cell number on the back.

"Call me at this number."

He gave her a serious look because he knew she wasn't drunk then said, "When you've sobered up."

She smiled at him in a way that caused a small stir that embarrassed him because she was so young, and yet he found himself smiling back.

"I'll walk you over to one of the other cars where an officer will take you home."

"I'm not in trouble?" she asked rather pensively.

"You're over 21, and you weren't driving, so no, you're not in trouble. Just be more careful from now on, okay?"

"I will. I promise," she told him.

Katie had come around to open her door, and saw that she was ready to get out.

"You driving, Sarge?" she asked when she got in.

"Yeah. I think I will, but first let me walk this young lady over to Ed's cruiser. Be right back."

He handed her off to another officer then said, "I really do know what you're going through, Dana."

She looked at him in a way that told him she was searching for something. He didn't know whether or not he had answers for her, but if his own personal experience could be of help, he was happy to try.

As he walked back to his own squad, he suppressed thoughts about how attractive Dana was, and that he'd only offered to make himself available because she fit his ideal of a woman. At least in terms of her outward beauty and the way she dressed even though she said it made her feel...trashy.

"Everything okay? With the other suspect?" Katie asked, that look of hopefulness still on her face.

"Her? She's not a suspect. Just a confused kid. That's all."

"Yeah. Sure," his partner said, feeling ridiculous for feeling a pang of jealousy over a college girl, and yet she was very attractive, and Katie knew she...wasn't, and that made it hurt all the more.

Back at the precinct, Ross sighed when he looked at the stack of sh...stuff on his desk and thought about the incident reports from just this one event. Other calls were always coming in, and nearly all of the paperwork generated from them would come across his desk.