Badge of Dishonor Ch. 20

Passion In James County X: Badge of Dishonor

Chapter twenty

Lise was at her desk typing furiously on the computer keyboard, trying to get the report she was working on finished before she went home. She knew she was going to be late leaving the office, but Alex said he needed the report and she wanted to have it finished for him when he came in in the morning. Normally, she wouldn't have worked late, but her kids were staying with her folks, so she didn't have the pressure to get home she usually did. She had asked her folks to take the kids because she thought it was best they not be home until Rod decided what he wanted to do about their marriage.

"Hey, Lise," a male voice said, "It's quitting time. Aren't you going to go home?"

Lise looked up, saw Luke Thomas standing by her desk, and felt herself blush. "Oh, hi, Luke," she said. "I...I guess I was too involved in what I was doing. I need to get this done so the Sheriff can have it in the morning."

Luke smiled at her and shook his head. "You work too hard, Lise," he said.

"It doesn't seem that way," Lise replied. "I really like working here. Sheriff Martin is the nicest boss I've ever had." She shut off her computer. "I'm done, I guess I better get going"

She wasn't sure why she was in such a hurry to leave since she there was no reason to rush home now that she and Rod had separated.

"Well, I better be going. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at lunch time," Luke said. Ever since he switched to working days, he had been eating lunch with Lise and, every day he found himself looking forward to seeing her and talking with her. The more time he spent with her, the stronger his feelings for her grew. The fact that he had begun a sexual relationship with Lorrie caused him considerable inner conflict. He didn't quite feel right about sleeping with one woman while he was enjoying the company of another, even if she was married and they weren't any more than friends and never would be.

"Yes, of course," Lise told him. She straightened up her desk, got her coat, left the office, and drove home. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd do alone all night, but she knew there was laundry to do and some cleaning that needed to be done. She could probably find something to occupy herself.

When she turned the corner onto the street where she lived and saw Rod's police cruiser parked in their driveway, her heart sank. In spite of what he said the night before about giving her some time alone to think, he was home. She wondered what his being at the house meant. He was there a lot earlier than he'd been in months. Did it mean he had decided to work on their marriage? Or was he going to try and bully her into keeping things the way they were. She hoped he wasn't angry that she was late! Filled with dread, she pulled into their driveway, got out of the car and walked into the house.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rod roared when Lise walked through the door. "Do you have any fucking idea how late it is? And where the hell are my kids?" He was standing in the kitchen, holding a can of beer in his hand.

When Lise saw the beer in her husband's hand, her spirits dropped even more. Rod didn't drink much, but when he did drink, he got ugly. Tonight could very well turn out worse than last night was. She shook her head sadly and didn't reply to his question immediately.

"Well," her husband demanded, "where the hell were you?"

"Look, Rod..." Lise said. She felt a spurt of anger. "I had some work I had to finish for Alex, so I got out of the office a little late. And traffic was worse than I thought it was going to be. I'm not that late. And...and the kids are staying with my parents."

"Yeah, sure, you had to work late. I heard that before!" Rod retorted. "And what's this Alex shit? What's goin' on? You and your new boss got something going already?"

"Rod!" Lise replied. She was shocked by the venom in her husband's voice and the accusations he was making. Her eyes filled with tears. "Rod, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" He'd always been possessive and a little jealous, but she'd never seen him like this. It was almost as if he'd gone mad.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?" Rod demanded. His voice got louder and shriller as he did. "You're at the fuckin' office, trying to get your goddamn boss to screw you and you got the fuckin' nerve to ask what's wrong with me, you bitch?"

Lise realized she was shaking with fear. Rod was acting angry, so violent, so out of control. She was positive she wouldn't be safe if she stayed there trying to argue with him. She knew she had to get away before something happened, so she turned and started for the door.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Rod bellowed. He lurched toward her. "You stay right where you are! We got some fuckin' talkin' to do!"

"I'm not going to stay here and take abuse from you, Rod!" Lise snapped. She managed to dash out the door before he could reach her. She slammed the door behind her and stood on the porch, gasping for breath and trembling. While she stood there, she heard something hit the door with a loud "Thud!" and realized Rod had thrown his beer can at her as she left.

"You fucking slut!" she heard him yell, "Do you really think you can get away from me? You better come back right now, bitch, or you're in deep shit!"

When she heard Rod fumbling with the door, Lise ran down the steps with tears streaming down her cheeks, got in her car, started it, and drove off. She had no idea where she was going and didn't care. That didn't matter right then. She had to get away from Rod so she'd be safe. She wasn't sure she could. What if he came after her with his police car?

She drove around Jamestown aimlessly for some time. While she drove, she thought about the way her husband had been behaving ever since she went to work for the Sheriff's Department. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She wasn't going to let this happen to her. No way! She knew other women tolerated abusive relationships. Too often they were physically abused and some of them even wound up dead. There was no way she was about to let that happen to her. Rod's irrational behavior tonight proved he had no intention of changing, and no intention of trying to save their marriage.

She finally decided Rod wasn't coming after her and, since she was hungry, she stopped at a little diner on the edge of town to get something to eat. Once she was seated in a booth, she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing. Most of the other people there were roughly-dressed men, who looked like they'd just come from a construction site. They all gazed at her with interest when she came in, which made her feel out of place and nervous.

A waitress appeared and stood in front of her expectantly. "Can I get you something?" the woman asked.

"Oh, I don't know, um, how about a hamburger and a cup of coffee?" Lise stammered. She glanced around and realized that several of the men who were sitting on the stools at the counter had turned and were continuing to stare at her. She folded her hands, laid them on the table in front of her, and gazed at them, but knew the men were still looking at her.

When the waitress brought her food, Lise sat there, picking at it. Why was she doing this? She should go to her parents' place for the night, but she wasn't sure what their reaction would be. Her father was really upset when she told her parents she and Rod were separated. He argued that she wasn't giving Rod a chance, that she was foolish to leave a man who worked as hard as he did. She had a feeling that if she told them how her husband had behaved tonight, they wouldn't believe her because they'd never seen their son-in-law drink even one beer. And besides, seeing her upset would upset her kids.

"Hey, beautiful, mind if I join you?" The rough male voice abruptly jolted Lise back to reality. She looked up into the face of a heavy-set, bearded man wearing work clothes who was standing next to her booth.

Without waiting for Lise to reply, the man slid into the booth next to her. "Ain't seen you in here before," he said, "What's your name?"

"Ah, it's...ah...Lise," she replied and was immediately sorry she had. She didn't like the looks of this guy, whose breath smelled strongly of alcohol. She'd run away from one drunk and didn't want to deal with another one. All she wanted was to be left alone. Maybe he'd go away if she ignored him.

"Come on, Lise-baby," the big man said. He reached across the table and took her hand. "Talk to me. You wanna have a beer with me?"

As the man spoke, his alcohol-sodden breath filled Lise's nose and nauseated her. "Please, I'm not interested," she said. She tried to tug her hand from the man's grasp.

"Hey," the man's voice got louder and his grip on her tightened so much it was painful, "You think you're too good for me, you snotty bitch?"

"No. No, that's not it," Lise said. She was scared and embarrassed. The last thing she needed was to have the guy make a scene there in the diner. "It's just that I've had a bad day and I really don't feel like going dancing."

"Look, baby," the man said. His voice now had a menacing tone. "You think I don't know why you're out alone? Don't give me that shit."

Lise looked around and realized most of the people in the diner were staring at them. She was beginning to think she had no choice but to acquiesce to the man''s demands.

"Excuse me," a new voice, soft, but commanding, and to Lise familiar, joined the conversation. "I don't think the lady wants your company."

Startled, Lise looked up and saw that Luke Thomas, in uniform, was standing next to the booth.

The drunk lurched to his feet, almost knocking the table over. "Look, pig," he said as he stood there, swaying a little. "You got no business stickin' your nose in where it don't belong. I ain't doin' nothin' wrong. I was just talkin' to this chick, so you just fuck the hell off." He reached out, as if he was going to push Luke away.

Lise had no idea how it happened, but the next thing she knew, the drunk was falling. He hit the floor with a crash. Before the he could move, Luke was atop him with his knee on the lush's throat.

"Not 'chick'," he said softly, "Lady. You were talking to a lady. Don't forget that."

The drunk seemed to be having a lot of difficulty breathing. His face was turning a little blue and he was making gasping sounds while he struggled for breath.

"If I let you up," Luke continued, "do you think you could crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from under, and stay there?"

The drunk nodded as best he could considering the position he was in.

"Good," Luke said. "I could arrest you for assault on a police officer, but I'm really not in the mood to do a lot of paperwork tonight, so you got lucky. But, if you ever try to harass this lady again - and I do mean ever - I will be only too happy to lock you up. You understand?"

The drunk nodded again. Luke stood up, removing his knee from the man's neck. The drunk got to his knees, crawled a safe distance away, then struggled to his feet. With one last glare at Luke, he walked to the counter, sat down, and didn't look back.

"Well, Lise," Luke said, "I sure didn't expect to see you here."

"I...I'm sorry," Lise stammered. She was acutely embarrassed. "I...I just...I just stopped to get something to...to eat. I..." Tears filled her eyes and she knew she was going to lose it.

Luke, not sure what had upset her, slid into the booth next to her. "Hey, come on," he said. "Everything's OK now. I'm glad I decided to stop for coffee on my way home. You want to go somewhere else? If you want, you can talk about what's bothering you and I'll be happy to listen."

Afraid she'd burst into tears if she tried to talk, Lise nodded.

Luke took her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said.

An hour later, Lise sat in the front seat of Luke's cruiser in the parking lot of a fast-food outlet, telling him what had happened that night. She hadn't intended to tell him about the troubles in her marriage, and the way Rod had been acting, but Luke was such a good listener, and seemed so concerned about her, that once she started talking, she couldn't stop.

"I never knew things were that bad," Luke commented when she finished, "it sure sounds like you and Rod have some serious problems. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lise glanced at him, startled. "I...I don't know what you could do," she said.

"Well, if nothing else, I can lend a sympathetic ear from time to time," Luke said. "And I'll give you some advice, too. You need to get a restraining order, and report the way Rod acted tonight to his supervisor on the Patrol."

"But...if...if I did that...report Rod, I mean, do...do you really think they'd listen?" Lise asked. She had met some of Rod's bosses and knew they were a lot like her husband. She didn't think they'd take her complaints seriously, and when Rod found out she had reported him, it would make things worse for her.

"I sure as heck hope they'll take it seriously," Luke said. "They're supposed to be keeping an eye on stuff like that because of that complaint a wife filed against them last year, remember?"

"Uh, no," Lise said. "I...I don't. Rod never mentioned that."

"That doesn't surprise me," Luke said, "Meanwhile, what are we going to do to keep you safe tonight?"

"I...I don't know," Lise replied.

"You want me to take you over to your folks' house?" Luke asked.

"I...I can't go there," Lise said. "They...they, my dad, anyhow, doesn't think there's anything wrong with Rod. And my kids are there. They'll get upset if they see me like this."

"Well, I suppose we could get you a motel room," Luke said.

"I...I can't afford a...a motel," Lise said. "I...I don't have enough money with me."

Luke smiled. "I've been working a lot of overtime, so I've got a couple of bucks extra," he said. "As long as you don't want to stay in some really fancy place, I suppose I could swing one night."

"I...I don't know what to say, Luke," Lise said. She was overwhelmed with gratitude at his generous gesture.

"You don't have to say anything," Luke replied. "We're friends, and friends help each other out when they need it. Come on, let's see what we can find for you."

Luke drove to an inexpensive motel on the outskirts of town. While Lise sat nervously in his patrol car, he went inside and got her a room.

Lise got out of the cruiser when Luke came out of the motel office and he walked her to her room. He opened the door, then handed her the key and stood there.

"Luke, I...I don't know how I can thank you," Lise said. Impulsively, she kissed him on the lips, intending it to be a "Thank You" kiss. To her surprise, the kiss became much more than she intended it to and lasted far longer than she planned. When the kiss finally did end, she stepped back. She having a lot of difficulty breathing and her heart was pounding. She had never felt like this after being kissed. "I...I'm sorry, Luke," she said, "I...I don't know what came over me."

Luke, who was also experiencing a considerable amount of inner turmoil, forced himself to smile. "No need for an apology," he said. "That was wonderful."

An uncomfortable silence followed while they stood there, looking at each other, for a long time.

Finally, Luke cleared his throat. "I...I guess I better get going," he said. He turned and started toward his patrol car.

Lise found herself fearing being alone. "Luke..." she said softly.

He stopped and turned. "What?" he asked.

Lise shrugged. "I...I...I'm afraid...of...of being alone," she said. "What...what if Rod finds me?"

"Would you like me to stay with you a little while?" Luke asked.

Lise nodded.

"If you're sure that's what you want," he said softly.

She smiled, nodded, and backed into the room. Luke followed her and closed the door behind them.

The motel room was not fancy, but it was clean. It contained a large bed, a table, a couple of uncomfortable-looking chairs, and a TV set.

Lise felt a bit funny about having Luke there after their incredible kiss. But, when she sat down on the bed she was no longer able to hold back her tears and began to sob.

Luke, looking concerned, walked over, sat next to her, and began rubbing her back.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Lise turned and put her head against Luke's chest. Having him rubbing her back felt nice. He held her and rubbed her back and, eventually, her sobs abated, then ended.

"Are you feeling better now?" Luke asked softly.

Lise nodded.

Luke, gazing into her eyes, felt overwhelming emotions sweeping over him. Even though he wasn't sure he should do it, he took her chin in his hand, then once more their lips came together in a kiss.

The strength of the feelings the second kiss evoked unnerved Lise. She was unaware how desperate for tenderness she was, and Luke was extremely gentle. The second kiss stirred embers of need which had been smoldering inside her into a free-burning conflagration of need. Shaken by the powerful feelings which were sweeping over her, she didn't know what to do, so she surrendered to the powerful forces.

Luke, thrilled by what was happening, held the kiss and continued rubbing Lise's back. Sensations of warmth swept through him as he did. When the kiss ended he acted almost as if he was in a trance. His trembling hand cupped one of Lise's breasts.

When Luke's hand wrapped around her breast, Lise at first opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but then his soft touch began to send incredibly sweet thrills coursing through her and all she could do was moan softly.

Luke pressed lips against Lise's again and his tongue probed into her mouth, seeking hers. When her tongue began lashing his, he began to unbutton her blouse.

"Ohhhh!!!" Lise moaned. She finally found the strength to end the kiss. She knew she shouldn't be allowing this to happen. She was still married. "Luke...Luke, we...we shouldn't, I shouldn't be..." Wonderful feelings continued to wash over her, feelings she didn't want to end. "Ohhhhh!!! Oh, God!!" she groaned, "That feels so wonderful...please...please don't...don't stop!!! I...I don't want you to stop!!!"

Luke, more aroused than he'd ever been in his life, spread her blouse open and tugged it out of the waistband of her skirt.

Lise again murmured softly when Luke's warm hands cupped both her breasts through her bra. She could feel her nipples extending against the bra, which suddenly felt as if it was a couple of sizes too small. Leaving a trail of tingling flesh, Luke's hands slid around to her back, undid the bra clasp, and her breasts sprang free. Gasping for breath, Luke slipped her blouse and bra off, then he sat there, staring at her. Lise felt herself blushing. Luke was the first man, other than Rod, to see her naked breasts. She felt more than a little ill at ease.

"God, Lise, your breasts are gorgeous!" Luke said reverently.

Lise felt her face get even hotter.

As he spoke, Luke reached out and began to twirling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

Lise shuddered and murmured softly. It felt as if there were a high-voltage electric line running between her breasts and her vagina, and Luke's touch was sending continuous powerful bolts of rapture along that line. "Yesssss!!!" she moaned, "Please, Luke!!! Oh, please!!! Play with them, touch them!" She'd never felt this way before! She couldn't believe how wonderful Luke was making her feel!

Luke lowered his head, then warmth and wetness engulfed first her right nipple, then the left one. He kept it up and soon had Lise so aroused she couldn't tell which nipple he was suckling. It was as if her body had turned into one giant, sensitive nipple, and Luke was a huge mouth, nursing on it.