A Smile Is Just
A Smile
By Maria P
Mike sauntered into the Waterfront Bar, weaving through the early Saturday evening crowd. Waving hello to Rachel and Tim, he was about to take residence on his favorite bar stool when he recognized the woman in black. "Karin?" he asked, surprised.
She turned and smiled at him. "Hey ya' partner." she greeted, unusually sunny.
"What are you doing here?" "And all dressed up like that." He slid into the seat next to her, looking over her attire: slim strap, form-fitting, square necked black dress that hovered over the top of her knee, sheer hose, high heeled sandals, and a blue bead anklet on her right leg. She had her hair up in a free form French twist; her dark auburn highlights shimmered in the low light of the bar. She wore delicate jewelry: a double pearl illusion necklace with matching earrings.
"Oh," she said, somewhat amused, "I have a date tonight."
"With Eric," he thought flippantly, ordering himself a shot of Jim Beam, "What are you doing with him? He's all wrong for you." Mike remembered seeing her chastise her boyfriend for being disrespectful to him; only thing was she didn't know that. Seeing how she felt about police needing to be respected, he found it odd that she continued to date the conceited "acquisitions specialist". "So," he inquired out loud. "Is he meeting you here?"
"No." Karin dragged out the word in a low voice, sipping lightly on her drink.
"He stood you up?" he asked, pleased by the thought.
"If he did, I'd kill him." she deadpanned.
"You confessing?" he said playfully. "'Cos if you are, I need to read you your rights detective."
She shook her head and laughed heartily. "You gonna cuff me officer?"
"Sorry, left them at my desk."
"Hmm." She took a large swig of her Cosmopolitan. Rachel made it the way the cop liked it: extra vodka and cranberry juice. Without a grain of regret in her voice, she said simply, "I dumped him tonight."
Mike stopped for a minute, looking down his shot glass then at her. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Yep, told him it wasn't working out, so au revoir bebe." She waved a hand nonchalantly.
" I feel sorry for her, so why am I so happy?" Mike sipped his whiskey, wondering where that leap of joy he was feeling came from." Well, she doesn't appear too broken up about it." "How are you doing? Holding up okay? "
"Yeah, doing all right. I mean…it hurts a little." "Hurts a lot, admit it. Never easy leaving a lover, especially when you got to do it yourself. Although he deserved it, telling me I didn't have to do this job. Like what, I'm supposed to be his little arm decoration? Call that a job description? Why do I always attract these losers who think they can run my life?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like I was madly in love with him. I loved him, a bit, some…we just didn't mesh. He didn't understand that my job is 24/7, you know. We slept together a couple of times…" "Yeah, and it wasn't exactly great, just good. No bed banging against the wall, fingers scratching the back kind of sex. Just sex. I guess some sex better than none. Why did I tell Mike that? Bright Karin, very bright."
"Thanks for sharing." he thought bitterly, attempting to shake off the image of her naked under the sheets. "Okay, I'm confused. You spent two months with this guy, and you made love with him."
"Had sex." she corrected.
"Great, there you go again. Everything's a distinction with you." "…and you say you only loved him a little?" he asked incredulously
"I don't fall in love easily."
"But I do, unfortunately. "You believe in love at first sight?" He was eager to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Not since I was twenty-two." she droned. "And where did that get me?" "Lust, definitely. Don't know how you could love someone without getting to know them."
"C'mon, you don't believe that."
"Oh… so you believe in love at first sight?"
"Sorta, I mean, you see someone." He swirled the remaining Jim Beam in his glass slowly. "And your eyes meet and you just know, here." He pointed to his heart. "All you can do is think of how you can get that person to notice you, then to fall in love with you and then maybe…" "What? Make love all night? Drop to your knees and shout 'Praise the Lord?' Live together? Get married?" "It's chemistry," he mumbled off-handedly, "chemistry is important."
She harrumphed. "That explains it."
"Explains what?"
"Eric and I." She picked her glass and smirked. "It's not like we set the world on fire when we were together. It was nice, but…."
"But what?" He patted her shoulder, trying to appear sympathetic.
"Truthfully…." she began, pausing to finish her cocktail. "It should have ended a couple of weeks ago. We had a fight after we left this place, didn't say a word all the way to theatre. He kept trying to appease me, but he only made me madder." "Then he had the nerve to ask me if he could sleep over." "Suppose I'm a bit of a romantic after all. I have this bad habit of sticking around longer than I should."
"Get in line babe." Mike smiled to himself, "Like me and Juliana. Could of spared myself the pain, but the sex was good… I think."
"Delivering that bracelet to the squad room," she mumbled, "that was the capper."
She motioned for another Cosmopolitan and a shot for her partner. "I don't know what it is about you men that makes you think if you buy your girl an expensive gift all will be forgiven."
"What, you telling me it didn't turn your head?"
"Please." she stated contemptuously. "My love can't be bought."
"Hi Mike, Karin." Rachel placed their drinks in front of them. "How are you doing tonight?"
"You know me," he half-smiled. "Always looking for a good time."
"And someone to have it with." Karin added blithely
The bartender laughed lightly. "Put it on your tab Mike?"
"I'll get it." Karin opened her purse and put a $10 bill on the counter. "Keep the change."
"Thanks." Rachel moved swiftly down the bar to the next customer.
"How about a toast?" The lady detective raised her glass. "To us, Mikey and Karin, the few, the proud, the romantically challenged."
He nodded his head, clinking his drink with hers. He noticed the sly curve of her smile. Her eyes were lit up, laughing.
Quietly, they consumed their liquor. Finally she said. "Wanna hang out with me tonight?" She glanced at him expectedly.
"Say yes Mikey. C'mon she just asked you out. She's beautiful and likes to have a good time…"
"Are you going to answer me or what?" Karin held her breath, hoping for an affirmative response.
"Then again, maybe this means…no, no don't think that! Kellerman, when are ever gonna learn? The whole crap with Juliana started with too much booze and too quick sex… Maybe if we didn't…" Snapping out of his inner dialogue, he took a good, studied look at her. "She's your partner Mikey, you don't wanna cross that line. If you do, it'll change everything…God, Karin looks hot. And she smells good too. "
"Look," she argued, "we're a couple of healthy, fun-loving, attractive, single people…"
"Attractive?" Mike's heart skipped a beat.
"…with fascinating jobs. It's Saturday night, and we don't have shift until midnight tomorrow. So what do you say partner?" She grinned devilishly, "Who knows, we might get lucky and forget about what's their name?"
"Who?" He joked.
"I guess that's a yes?"
"Uh huh."
"'K. How about starting with some dinner? I am starving. I am thinking something spicy and hot. I'm in the mood for enchiladas. Sounds good?"
"That'll work." "How did you know that I liked enchiladas?"
"So let's blow this joint, get us some nosh, and see where the night takes us?" "Why is there this fluttering in my stomach? We're just a couple of friends hanging out, right? It's not a date or anything…"
"I'm with ya partner."
They stepped down from the bar and said their goodbyes to Tim and Rachel. They greeted Munch as he strolled in.
John watched them as they walked to their cars. "Did I just see Mike and Karin leave together?" His voice had a tinge of suggestion to it.
Tim shook his head. "Hey, how about some help here John?"
************
"Now we're talking." Mike grabbed the extra hot salsa and dumped it on his food.
"Hey, save some for me." she protested, playfully grabbing the container away from him.
He took a bite, munching slowly and smiled. Moments later, his tongue was ablaze. He chugged his water down in one swoop, much to her delight. "Oh, that's funny to you?"
"Mr. Tough Guy," she intoned, imitating a macho voice, "can't handle his salsa…."
"This stuff is hotter than I thought."
"Uh huh." She smiled mischievously.
"Okay, sweetheart." Mike took a spoonful of the sauce, holding it up in front of her. "You try it."
"Ah, so now we are playing truth and dare?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "If you wanna."
"'K…you start."
"Truth."
"Yeah?"
"You ever have a one night stand?"
"Well, this was your idea Karin." She pretended to ponder the question for a moment, electing to down the salsa instead. He was quite surprised that she didn't reach for liquid refreshment.
"You're cheating." he muttered, offended
"Umm you're right." Karin put a spoonful of beans into her mouth. "The answer is….."
Mike smirked at her. "No, it's probably no. Knowing you, it has to be no."
"Yes. Once and only once."
He looked disappointed at being wrong.
"See, I just got out of a disastrous relationship, and I got this urge to get the hell out of Balamer. So I loaded up my car with a couple of week's worth of clothes, some beer, some snacks and took off. Just drove and drove and drove with nowhere in mind."
"Where'd you end up?"
"Seattle." She shrugged her shoulders. "Heard it was a nice place."
"And this is where this rendezvous happened?"
"Actually, no." She shoved a mouthful of cheese enchiladas with sour cream sauce into her mouth. "It happened on my way back home. In Wyoming."
"Wyoming?" "Heck of a place for a fling, but guess there's not much to do out there."
"Yeah, I know." She chuckled to herself. "Anyhow, I stopped at this real dive of a motel, cheap little roadside joint, kind of place truckers hang out…There was a restaurant/bar next to the motel. I walked in, had a meal and one too many brews when I noticed this really great looking guy giving me a twice over. Now, were I sober I probably would of hit him. But like I said, I was four sheets to the wind, feeling sorry for myself…." "And my asshole of a hubby had just shattered my sexual confidence all to hell..."
"You invited him back to your room." he concluded
"Uh huh."
"And you screwed him."
"Yes, down one side and then the other. I woke up with bruises and scratches." "Best damn fuck I ever got, sad to say." She knocked back half of her iced tea. "In the morning, I was hung over, horrified, and feeling guilty as hell. He asked for my number, said he came to Maryland every now and then and thought we could get together. I showed him the door, grabbed a shower and checked out as fast as I could."
"Babe, you got nothing to feel guilty about. But you probably did."
"'K, my turn." Karin eyed him wickedly. "Truth."
"Okay." Mike motioned the waitress over for a beer.
"Where is the weirdest place you had sex?"
"You want the truth? It's about to be on this table in front of all these people. There you go again, Mikey…" "Do I hafta answer that?"
"Yeah, you do. Or else it's the salsa for you partner." "Yeah, Kellerman, heard you got a bit of rep for being wild. I want to know if it's true."
"Up against a fence in the dead of night."
"With your girlfriend?"
"No, never got her name."
"Really?" "Looks like we are both a little guilty of having no self-control. Speaking of which…"
"I think we need to change the subject." he mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Although I am curious as hell about what you like in bed, see if my preconceptions of you are right. Probably one of those cool as ice women at work, but…" "What cologne are you wearing?"
"You like it?" "Are you flirting with me?"
"Yeah."
"Contradiction." she answered, enjoying the irony.
"Contradiction?" He bit into a large piece of chicken enchilada. "Well it fits."
"And that is supposed to mean……….what?"
"I don't know. It just sounds like you."
"So you think I have some sort of split personality?" She lifted up an eyebrow.
"No, just that people behave one way on the job and another off the job." "Like I said, cool as ice…"
"Not necessarily." Karin finished off her rice. "You do inject a bit of your personality when you're working."
"True, but like now. Look at us." He gestured by opening his palms in front of him. "If we were on a call, or at the office, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Sure, we'd be joking around, but there would be a definite boundary to it."
"True, true."
"But here, we are talking about sex. There is no way we would talk about sex during shift unless it involved a case."
"Yeah, well…got to keep things professional."
"Exactly."
"You're it." She poked him in the shoulder.
"Dare."
"Dare?" she asked intrigued.
"After dinner, we are going to the Cat's Eye, and I dare you to go onstage and karaoke."
"Why am I suddenly relieved…a little?" "You got it Mikey. But I'm warning you, I can't sing."
"Something you can't do?" he queried with his usual smart-ass attitude.
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in." she mumbled
After coffee and some sopapillas for desert, Karin paid the bill. "Drinks at the Cat's Eye are on you."
"Fair enough."
"I'm going to the ladies and freshen up. See ya in a few."
"I'll be waiting."
"You have to, we came in my car." She winked, strutting her way to the back of the restaurant.
"Meldrick, you are so right. She does have a sweet strut."
************
The Cat's Eye pub was almost full when Mike and Karin walked in. A live band was performing, singing drippy adult contemporary music. The clientele as a whole did not get into it too much, deciding to engage in conversation that almost drowned out the combo. The detectives elbowed their way to the bar, ordering their usual choice of poisons.
"Are you gonna do it?" he asked.
"Sing?"
"Yeah."
"What if I don't?"
"Then I will have to come up with a suitable punishment." There was a devilish twinkle in his eyes.
"Like to see ya' try." She leaned close to him, flashing a cocky grin at him.
"She has to be a great kisser, I mean, look at that mouth. She's so close…just go in and.." "Are you daring me?"
She answered with the kind of smile that left him more confused than ever.
The group mercifully got off stage, to be replaced by a karaoke machine. An employee challenged the patrons to step up and show their stuff. Mike pointed to Karin and shouted. "Hey, over here."
She gave him an annoyed look. "'K, Mikey, I accept your dare."
Excusing herself as she made her way through the crowd, the female cop boarded the stage. Grabbing the microphone, she addressed the patrons. "Hey guys, I want you to know that my friend over here dared me to do this." She pointed over to Mike. He gave a smug smile and waved. "So if any of you end up with hearing damage, blame him."
The song she selected cued up: Lady Marmalade by Labelle. "If you're going to make a fool out of yourself, might as well enjoy it. Always can blame the booze."
"He met Marmalade down in old New Orleans,
Strutting her stuff on the street."
On the next line, she pointed at Mike, winking at him sensually. "She said 'Hello, Joe, wanna give it a go?' Um hmmm."
Two women joined Karin, forming a motley back up group. For whatever reason, she got into her performance, strutting, dancing, taking down her hair, running her slim fingers through it.
"She sings better than Annie, but not by much." Mike found his eyes glued on his partner. Clearly, she was having a great time, and he enjoyed watching her. "She sure can move." Entranced, he didn't notice she was finished until she walked back to him.
"What did you think Mikey?"
"Huh?"
"I said what did you think?"
"Oh, don't give up your job."
Karin punched him in his arm. He feigned pain, then punched her back.
"Don't girl, don't do it! I can't look at them. It always starts with the eyes." She focused on them unwittingly, seeing the orbs gleaming in boyish mischief. "You did it…great! But they're so blue, so light. Oh God, Mikey, you got the sexiest eyes …" Looking away, she ordered another drink. "I get to choose the next destination." she mumbled, still distracted.
"Club Orpheus? She comes here on her own?" Mike was familiar with the Fells Point club. More like a hangout for punks, Goths and young kids than a place a grown woman like Karin would go to. The couple in front of them sported multiple tattoos and body piercings, dressed in retro punk style The doorman acknowledged Karin by name, inquiring about her day. She introduced Kellerman to the solidly built man. He smiled at Mike as if to say, "any friend of Karin's is a pal of mine."
She dragged him around the place, holding his hand. He wasn't sure how to interpret that. He half thought of slipping an arm around her waist, but decided against it. "She'd kill me if I tried. Think I better let her make all the moves, safer that way."
"Cool." She smiled broadly, recognizing the tune. "Crystal Method. I love this song." Swaying to the music, she didn't notice right away that a young twenty something woman was offering to buy Mike a drink.
"You with someone?" the girl inquired, taking a quick assessment of his body.
"So how do I answer this? Yes, I am, but she's just a friend…a friend I want to get to know better. But she didn't say we were 'together', and this girl is kinda cute. Not as hot as Karin, but Karin is my partner and…" "I'm just hanging out with my buddy." Mike pointed at his fellow detective. "She just broke up with her boyfriend, I'm trying to make her feel better."
"Then she won't mind if I get you a brew. By the way, my name is Courtney."
"Hi, I'm Mike." He shook her hand.
"Hi Mike." Her manner was unusually friendly. "I can tell that you haven't been here in a while."
"How's that?" "Oh yeah, Karin can definitely move."
"You look intimidated." The young woman ordered a couple of domestic draft beers.
"This isn't really my kind of music. It was my friend's idea. She likes this techno, ambient, whatever you call this stuff."
"This is trance." she explained, "meant to take your mind off the misery of your everyday life. Here ya go." Courtney handed him his drink. "What do you do Mike?"
"I'm a cop."
"Really?" The girl's heavily lacquered mouth morphed into a flirty smile. "And your friend?"
"She's a cop too, actually, she's my partner." "Which is why I'm talking to you. If Karin wasn't my partner, I'd be hitting on her." "What do you do?"
"I own a shop, body piercing, tattoos, bondage gear."
Karin turned to say something to Mike, and an uneasy feeling invaded her body. "Who the hell are you?" She attempted not to cast an icy stare at Courtney. "He's with me, wait…why am I jealous? He's not my boyfriend, or my date. We're just friends, yeah, that's all. And I should be happy for him. He's getting noticed. That's it, I'm just jealous that he got hit on first and not me. Right? Right! No, not that at all. Dammit, he is with me. We're together tonight." "Hello, I don't think we've met."
The cop's jealousy amused the girl. Mike wished he could slink away, although the attention was flattering.
"I'm Karin."
"Nice to meet you." Mike's potential companion didn't hide the insincerity in her voice.
"Uh huh." "Don't let him see you like this. He's going to use to his advantage the sob! He'll never let me forget this…" "Well, if you two don't mind, I'm going to dance a bit. See ya in a couple Mikey." The words spewed forth with a venomous edge.
"Great, wonderful. Just blew it again Kellerman. There's no chance with her now. Oh well, Courtney's here so it's not like I don't have any options."
Mike trained one eye on his partner, intently watching her on the dance floor. She had her hands in the air, punctuating the beat by pumping her arms up and down rhythmically. She shut her eyes, lost in the music, entranced by the mellow groove. She began to move her head about, swirling in tight little circles, smiling. "Take a look at this partner. See what you're missing? You want to play with a girl or a woman? Like I need you. I don't. I don't need any man. I can get anyone I want to sleep with me, and toss him out of bed the next morning without regret. All I have to do is smile and he's mine for the taking. You had your chance Kellerman. Now deal with it."
"Buddy, don't think about it." Some barely legal age kid slithered up to Karin, leaning into her ear, saying something with a smug expression on his face. He was dancing a little too close to her for Mike's comfort. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" He gulped down his beer, barely noticing that Courtney had touched his shoulder. "Hey, more power to you. It's not like I am jealous or anything…okay I am. So what? We both get laid so what the hell? Well babe, hope you check his id before you take him home."
"What kinda cop are you? Narc or something?"
"What?" he said, still distracted.
"Are you a narc?" Courtney slid her fingers down his arm.
"No, murder police. Homicide." "That feels nice."
"Homicide?" The girl was almost bouncing with glee. "Cool! Hey, ya think you can arrange a visit to the morgue for me?"
He looked at her, somewhat disgusted, but not surprised. "I..don't know. I'd have to talk to Griscom…"
Karin and her dancing partner joined Mike and Courtney at the bar. "Hey partner, I want to meet Chad. Chad, this is my friend, Mike Kellerman."
"Courtney! Hey hey!" The young man's demeanor lit up exponentially.
"Hey hey!" The girl hugged him. "Long time no see."
"Yeah, yeah I know. How's business?
"Great, fabulous, just hired another part time employee."
While their new acquaintances chatted, the detectives stared at each with chilly countenances. "What do you think you're playing at, huh?" they thought simultaneously.
"They're playing our song!" Chad shouted enthusiastically. "Come on."
"Mikey, don't go anywhere." Courtney winked her eye at Kellerman as her friend led her by the wrist.
"Back in a few hon." Chad kissed Karin on her cheek before bounding off to the dance floor.
"Yo bunk, go back to pre-school and pick up someone your own age." Mike pursed his lips, annoyed at the gnawing feeling in his gut. "Since when do you play with boys?" he spat.
"You are jealous! Well, well…" "I don't." she answered back self-satisfied.
"I dunno know sweetheart…I think…"
"Careful Kellerman," she sang playfully , "you're turning green.".
"Yeah? At least Courtney isn't just outta kindergarten." "Turning green my ass."
"Hey, I was just dancing with him." "As though I need to defend myself to you!"
"I don’t think he sees it the same way you do." he countered, swallowing his brew.
"Is that your deductive prowess speaking?" she murmured sarcastically.
"He wants you." he answered flatly.
"And Goth girl wants you, so what are you bitching about?" "I never send a boy to do a man's job." she said coolly, leaning into him.
"Man's job?" He felt a sudden shot of electricity down below. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"
"Are you going to ask me to dance or what?" she said into his ear, impatient and annoyed.
"Dance to this stuff?"
"Come on…"she growled, dragging her reluctant partner over to a small, unoccupied patch of the dance floor.
The rest of the evening was spent at an after hours dance club, where Mike and Karin spent more time nursing "smart drinks" on a well worn couch in a "chill out" room than dancing; trading observations about the revelers. Clearly, a small number of the patrons were enjoying the party with the help of chemical agents. The heavy bass beat made the walls reverberate. A bank of strobe lights and lasers brought the psychedelic paint job of the place to life at regular intervals. Mike noted that Karin and he were just about the oldest people in the establishment. A pair of young men cruised by them repeatedly, doing a poor job of pretending not to survey the detectives. "We're not narcs." Mike informed them impatiently. "Well it is the truth. Not gonna waste my weekend arresting a couple of X-heads. Don't feel like doing the paperwork." That was enough to dissuade the interlopers for the rest of the morning.
A couple of slow tempo house tunes roused them. He took the initiative, maneuvering her to the room with the dance floor. He pulled her into a back corner of the floor. He pressed the palms of his hands together with hers, swaying slowly, getting as close to her as he could without the rest of their bodies touching. The musky, masculine scent of his sweat caught her attention. "This is nice. No pressure, no expectations. I can't remember the last time I went out with a guy who wasn't expecting something. This time it's me, imagine that!" She gazed at him, smiling tenderly until they returned to the other room.
Later, they adjourned to a 24-hour coffee shop, eating an early breakfast. He delivered his repertoire of bad jokes earnestly: some eliciting hearty guffaws from her; other times blank stares. She fed him bits and pieces of his tacquitos, releasing her fingers before he could bite them.
She informed him that she wanted to see the sunrise over the Harbor with him.
They sat on a park bench, looking out, seeing the sky lit up infinitesimally, and changing colors as the sun made its ascent over Baltimore. The sounds of fishing boats making early morning trawls echoed in the late summer air. Mike perched himself on the top of the bench. Karin tucked her long legs under her body, trying to fashion her hair in some semblance of order.
"This is great, wonderful." He sipped his coffee quietly, lost in a comfortable, joyous mood that reminded him of his childhood. "When is the last time I actually enjoyed looking at a sunrise with a beautiful woman? Juliana and I, we were usually sleeping off the night before."
She was lost in her own dreams, eyes half shut imagining…"I wonder what you look like, waking up in the morning, with your hair all mussed up, your scent on the sheets. I can see us in my bed, our limbs…God no, don't even consider it Karin. Yeah, he's cute, but it is so against the rules. Wouldn't you know? Damn my luck! Got to be the most unlucky woman at romance in all of Charm City."
"I haven't done this in so long." he mused.
"What?"
"Stayed up all night, going out on the town, dancing, looking at the Harbor at sunrise." "Not since Annie left me." Mike snorted to himself. "Juliana hated dance clubs, they were too noisy for her."
"So did Eric. If we went dancing, it was usually at some restaurant with a swing band or something." "What did I see in him? Am I that afraid of being alone? Has Phillip made me feel so less of a woman that I go from man to man? Why Karin? And why are you suddenly having these wild thoughts about Mike Kellerman? You said no more cops, remember? In front of Tim and Rach, swore up and down." "Maybe we ought to introduce them to each other." she stated sarcastically.
He chuckled, thinking somehow that their exes probably would get along fine.
"I think I'm going to quit dating for a while." she hummed lazily.
"Why? I mean what if?" He looked quizzically at her.
"It's too much trouble, worrying about whether or not I make a good impression, what he's thinking, what I'm thinking, should I kiss him, how long should I wait before I sleep with him?"
"Yeah, it's rough." he agreed. "I never seem to do the right thing. Either I move too slow or too fast." He rubbed his eyes nervously. "Probably explains why I haven't been involved with anyone lately. I can't figure out how to get past that first date."
"Hmm." "I understand, believe it or not, dating has never been easy for me." "You know, in the past two years, I haven’t been alone really, for any appreciable length of time?"
"You bragging?" he stated jealously.
"Well I don't know...maybe. I would be if I didn't pair up with the wrong men." "I went from living with and being engaged to Rob, then breaking up with him, to dating a couple of guys from Hopkins, then to Eric. I just need to time to myself, you know, to think."
"About?"
"What to do with the rest of my life."
"I know what you're gonna do." "And I know what I would like you to do."
"Yeah?" she challenged. "So tell me, Mr. All Knowing, All Seeing."
"You're gonna still be a cop. Put in your twenty, maybe twenty-five, and retire down in Florida."
"Ya think?"
"Don't we all?"
Karin smiled, sighing. "The rest of my life…eternity. Wow. All I know is that I don't want to spend it alone."
The sun made its full, glorious appearance in the morning sky, leaving a trail of light upon the still water. The Harbor came to life, the sound of boats being started up, people walking down the piers, fishing poles in hand, water taxis preparing for the day's customers. Mike and Karin got up from the bench, strolling down the Harborside. "We never finished our game." She tilted her head at him
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I didn't get my turn."
"Okay, fair is fair."
"Dare."
"Dare?"
"Uh huh."
"Okay."
"I dare you…" she began firmly, then switching to a more gentle tone. "…to give me the sweetest, most passionate kiss you can."
"There's your chance Mikey. You've been wanting to kiss her all night…so go ahead." He stopped just ahead of her, facing his partner. He snickered, embarrassed more than amused.
"C'mon Mikey, it's just a kiss." she prodded, light-hearted. "What? Are you afraid of me?"
"Of you? Never. Of me? Terrified." "What if I don't take up the challenge?" he asked smugly.
"Well then, " she drawled, grinning, "I will have to come up with an appropriate punishment."
"Since you put it that way…" Kellerman bent down and pecked her lips quickly.
"Oh come on," she whined, "you can do better than that." "You barely woke me up."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I can. But do I wanna? Because if I do, I might want to hold you and never let you go. But I guess as long as I don't touch you below your shoulders."
"Men! Why do you always have to hit them upside the head for them to get a clue?" Karin closed her eyes partially, opening her lips slightly. "If you don't understand this, then the hell with you."
He lifted her chin tentatively, inching closer to her. He hesitated, his mouth hovering over hers, nervous but ready to fulfill her request. "Just a kiss, well it's the least I can do…." Mike placed a light butterfly kiss on her mouth twice, still not sure if he should. Karin answered that for him, taking his mouth fully, gently. The kiss left him breathless. He melted into her, closing his eyes, savoring the sweet taste of her mouth. He raised a hand, resting it on the left side of her face. "Better than I imagined. Your lips are so soft Karin. I could kiss you all morning. If you knew what I was thinking, you'd throw me in the water to cool me off."
She clasped her hands behind his neck. "Mmm, Mikey, I guess it's true. This is nice, so nice. I haven't been kissed like this since…well actually I never been kissed like this." One kiss turned to two, then three: until ten minutes came and went. He finally pulled away, hearing her exhale quietly, contently. For a minute their eyes met, unsure of what the next step should be.
"He was an idiot." Mike whispered, cupping her face with his hands.
"Who?
"Eric, for letting you slip through his fingers." "If you were mine, I'd never leave your side."
"So was Juliana…really, really stupid." "A pity she never realized how terrific you are Mike. Oh well, her loss, my gain."
"Well, I ..uh guess we should call it a night." He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, speaking as if he was issuing an apology. "I'm worn out."
"Yeah me too."
He took one of her hands, weaving their fingers together. He was surprised by how natural it felt. "Chemistry all right. You have it or you don't."
They took their time walking back to their cars, quietly eyeing one another. Both were terrified, elated, wondering what this meant.
Mike opened the car door for her. "I had a great time."
"Good! So did I."
"We should do this again, hang out." he added, smiling gently.
"I agree. Definitely." "If you promise to kiss me like that again. "I'll see you tonight, at the stationhouse, huh?"
"Yeah, see ya then. Well…bye." He brushed away a loose strand of her silky, black hair away from her face.
"Bye." she whispered.
Karin climbed into her Grand Cherokee, Mike closing the door for her. She sat for a minute, drumming her fingers slowly on the steering wheel. "Wow." Flipping on the ignition, she cranked her air conditioning up to full blast cold. "Better get the freon recharged, seems not to be cooling well. Funny, it worked fine last night. Maybe I got a leak in the system somewhere." She grabbed an envelope from her glove compartment and fanned herself furiously. Pulling out of the parking lot, her head still swirling from his kiss, she headed home, not sure if she would be able to get any sleep.
Mike plopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He could still feel the warmth of her mouth and skin, promise of something more he hoped. As much as he tried to rationalize why being with her would be detrimental for the both of them, he couldn't deny the spark that was set off by her kisses. "Get some sleep, think about something else. Like what? I can't. Well I have to. I gotta work tonight."
All was fine until he had a vivid dream: Karin laying next to him, her dark hair splayed on his pillow, his lips dropping kisses on her baby soft skin, the gentle bend of her contented smile. How the sheets were wrinkled and soaked from the heat of their fervor. The feel of her fingertips on his skin: her lips caressing his face.
"I need some air." Mike bolted out of his bed, stepping off of his houseboat hurriedly. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked down the pier, half-heartedly greeting his neighbor. "What am I gonna do now?"
Karin changed out of her dress. Inexplicably, she got the urge to rummage through her lingerie drawer. Pulling out a red and black lace silk chemise, she put it on slowly, examining herself in the mirror. "I don't usually wear something like this unless…unless I have a man. Which I don't. So why not do this for me? I don't need a man to wear this."
She slipped into her antique, king-sized brass bed, pulling the satin sheets against her body. "All alone in this big bed…Hey, I like sleeping alone. No one stealing my covers, or knocking me on the floor for a change." She slipped into slumber, unperturbed until she had a vision of Mike: His strong, rough hands touching her, sliding the strap of her chemise down her forearm while he caressed it, re-tracing his finger's route with gentle kisses. "Mikey…" His name drifted sweetly in the air, as if she was weaving a lover's spell.