The brush of Jon’s mouth against hers jolted Cate back to reality. She felt her fury rise as she realized her surprise attack had failed miserably. Somehow she turned her head slightly to the left, so Jon’s lips slid to her cheek.
“Let go.” she ordered. Jon didn’t move, savoring the salty taste of her warm skin on his lips. “I said, LET me GO!” Cate’s voice was now a snarl.
Jon sighed, breathed in her scent, loosened his arms, and pulled back his leg. Cate swiftly pushed away from him and sprang to her feet. Jon rolled to his back, arms flung out to his sides, breathing heavily.
He watched her as she stalked over to the other side of the room. There was no doubt she was good and pissed now. He pushed himself up to sit, then stood, never taking his eyes off Cate. She was visibly trembling, and Jon wondered whether it was from anger or desire.
Jon watched her snatch her towel from the floor, swipe it over her chest and face, then pick up her t-shirt and put it back on. It was all Jon could do not to march over there, shove Cate against the wall, and kiss her stupid. But then again, with her skills he’d probably end up on the mat groaning in agony if he went on the offensive.
Cate was completely confused. On one hand she was so angry she was ready to scream. Jon’s refusal to take this training – her training – seriously was maddening. How DARE he? On the other hand, he had pulled her close, pressed against her, and tried to kiss her. Jon. Bon. Jovi.
The fact that her head was spinning and her heart was pounding and she wanted so much to go over there and pounce on top of him, to resume where they had left off, infuriated her even more. She felt herself shaking and willed her body to stop its betrayal of her sinful thoughts.
Cate took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gathering herself. What the hell am I going to do now? She glanced up at the clock above the door and saw that it was almost 1500 hours. Then an idea dawned. She turned to Jon, willing herself to keep her expression neutral. “Grab your gear and come with me,” she said evenly.
Jon silently strode over to Cate. He stopped in front of her and met her gaze as she stared up at him. Cate was startled at the fire she saw in his eyes – not anger, but need. Her heart leaped, but she remained silent. Without a word, Cate turned, picked up her bag, and led Jon to the door. She flipped off the lights as they left the mat room.
*****
Jon was surprised when Cate took him not back to the PT office, but to another mat room. When she opened the door he found 25 pairs of eyes upon them; one face familiar, the others not.
“Got room for one more?” Cate asked George, walking up to him in the center of the room. She ignored the gasps and whispers of the students as they realized who had followed her through the door.
“Sure.” George grinned. He leaned in close. “Was he too much of a handful for ya?” he whispered, winking.
As it turns out, yeah…. “Not at all,” Cate lied, whispering back. “I couldn’t get him to punch me. So we are at an impasse. Is it okay if he sits in on your class? I’ll help you teach.”
George nodded. “It’ll be nice to have the help,” This was the same group of students who had been on the firing range this morning. “If they fight like they shoot, this could turn into a loooong afternoon!”
Both George and Cate looked at the students, who were now murmuring and giggling, staring at Jon. Jon stood by the door, watching the group with an amused smile. Cate gave George a quick nod and walked back over to stand beside Jon.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen!” George’s voice boomed out. “Stop acting like a bunch of chuckleheads.” Immediately the giggling and talking stopped. “As you can see, we have a visitor. For those of you who don’t recognize him, this is Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer of – you guessed it – the rock band Bon Jovi.”
Cate resisted the urge to roll her eyes as a couple of the female students sighed and blushed. George shot them a warning glance, then continued. “Mr. Bon Jovi is visiting the Center today to learn about what kind of training we do. He is going to sit in with our class, and maybe even practice some DTs with y’all.”
Jon raised his hand in a small wave. “Hi everybody. Sorry to disrupt your training, but I heard this is a cool class. Mind if I join you?” He smiled the million-watt smile, causing the women to giggle again and the men to grin in response.
“Come on in and join the gang,” George invited. Jon dropped his bag on the floor and walked over to the students, greeting a couple of the guys with handshakes and nods. Then he turned his attention to George and stood quietly.
Cate moved back to the center of the room to stand by George. Jon caught her eye and smiled. She nodded back at him, but didn’t return his smile. She wasn’t quite over her indignation at his refusal to go along with her training plan.
George got the class started, giving an introductory review of weapon retention tactics. After a couple minutes, Cate crossed over to the wall where she and Jon had dropped their bags.
She tucked her t-shirt into the waist of her track pants, then pulled out her nylon web belt, heavy with gear. She quickly strapped it around her waist, securing it firmly with the wide Velcro tabs, and adjusted the holster, magazine cases, cuff case, baton, and spray holster so that everything sat correctly, the weight balanced. She was so used to carrying all this crap around her waist that her movements were second nature.
Jon saw what Cate was doing and quietly walked over, still listening to George. He gave Cate a questioning look, pointing at his own waist, and she nodded. Jon pulled the belt and gear Cate had given him out of his own bag and gave it a once-over. Cate could see he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. She took the belt from his hands and silently helped him assemble the various pieces in the correct order on the belt, then handed it back to him.
Jon tucked his shirt in and strapped the belt around his middle. Cate quickly moved the pieces to the correct positions on Jon’s waist, then pulled the red rubber gun from his bag and pushed it into the holster. Cate saw Jon’s abs contract as he drew in a quick breath at her touch, but she didn’t look at his face. She didn’t need to be distracted right now, nor did he.
Cate walked back to the center of the room and stood slightly behind George, who was now questioning the students on various points of their reading assignment. Jon rejoined the students along the wall. After a few more minutes of Q & A it was time to begin practice.
George and Cate worked together to demonstrate several different defensive techniques designed to help an officer protect his weapon during close contact with a suspect. Having taught together many times over the past year, they moved easily and efficiently, like dance partners. As she worked through the presentation, Cate watched Jon out of the corner of her eye. He was quiet, clearly concentrating on the lesson, a serious look on his face.
As Cate had done with Jon earlier, after demonstrating each technique she or George called a student to the front to practice the tactic in front of the class. George went first, having a large male trainee attempt to pull the red rubber gun from the holster on George’s hip. In a flash, George delivered a stinging strike on the student’s forearm then rammed the young man with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
The class giggled nervously at their peer as he sheepishly rose from the mat. Then George played the attacker and gave the student the chance to atone for his embarrassment in front of the class. The BAT did well, and the class clapped in support.
Then it was Cate’s turn. She called up a petite blonde female student who looked like she was about to faint with anxiety. Jon recognized the young woman as the BAT Cate had sent back against the wall on the range earlier in the day. Cate drew her rubber gun and pointed it at the trainee, instructing her to attempt to take it away.
As soon as the student’s hands touched the gun, Cate struck her forearm, pulled the weapon back toward her hip to protect it, and pushed the BAT in the chest so that she staggered backward. The trainee gave Cate a fearful look and turned red.
Again the class tittered. Jon felt sorry for the young woman; he couldn’t believe Cate had singled her out to pick on her again. He wasn’t sure he liked this side of Cate.
Cate stepped close to the trainee and spoke to her in a low voice, so quietly that the rest of the students couldn’t hear. The she stepped back and prepared to play attacker. The BAT drew her rubber gun and pointed it at Cate. Cate nodded at her, then swiftly moved in to grab the gun.
The young woman responded quickly and whacked Cate’s forearm with her own. She pulled the gun back to protect it, then gave Cate a hard shove in the chest with her other hand. Cate staggered backward and fell flat on her ass on the mat. As her classmates cheered, the trainee stared at Cate, stunned.
Cate gave her a wide smile, climbed to her feet, and praised her effusively for a perfectly-executed tactic. Jon smiled to himself, recognizing Cate’s concealed motive of giving the BAT a chance at redemption in front of her classmates. He clapped and whistled along with the students as the smiling young woman returned to the group.
George and Cate continued to call out students to demonstrate various tactics. As the class proceeded the students became more enthusiastic, volunteering to come forward.
Cate explained to the students how to subdue a suspect after retaining a weapon, then asked for a volunteer. As she scanned the group, looking for a good candidate, her eyes fell on Jon. He had his hand raised, a cocky smile on his face. Oh, so NOW you want to play? she thought. Okay, Rock Star, game on.
“Mr. Bongiovi, come on up.” Cate said, a slight dare in her voice. She was careful to keep her expression neutral; it wouldn’t do to have the students recognize that she was still displeased with him for what had happened in their private session. Nor would it be good for them to see what she what she was trying NOT to think about…the velvety feel of his lips on hers….
Jon stepped forward to stand beside Cate. The other students murmured and giggled gleefully. They were excited to see if the celebrity would be able to take down their instructor. Jon kept a slight smile on his face as Cate turned to face him.
“So, you are going to attempt to disarm me by taking the weapon from my hands. If you get it away from me, you will force me to the ground with an appropriate tactic, then put the weapon on target.” She gave Jon a direct look that said “and you’d better not wuss out, Candy-Ass.”
Jon nodded and took a few steps back, allowing a bit of distance to start the exercise. Cate drew her rubber gun and pointed it at Jon, holding a perfect tactical stance. Jon grinned and stepped toward Cate. He made a half-hearted attempt to grab the gun, missing it completely.
Instinctively Cate pulled the gun back to her hip to protect it, raising her left arm like a bar in front of her. Jon grinned and raised his hands in mock surrender. The students giggled at his ineptitude.
Cate felt her temper flare. Oh HELL no, he did NOT just patronize me in front of my class! “Mr. Bongiovi, that was completely ineffective. In fact, it sucked,” she said sternly, fixing him with an irate glare. “Try again. And this time make an effort. You may be here to play, but these students are here to learn.”
Her tone was icy, and Jon saw that she was seething at his antic. He gave her a hard look, is temper rising a bit at her rebuke. Fine. He thought. You know what I’m capable of.
He took a few steps back and gave Cate another pointed look as she raised the fake gun at him. She nodded, and Jon charged forward, grabbing for the gun.
In a flash, Cate chopped down on his right forearm with her left, pulled the gun back to her hip with her right hand, shoved Jon’s shoulder with her left hand, then swung her right foot forward and delivered a hard angle kick to the peroneal nerve of Jon’s left leg. His knees buckled as his head buzzed, and he fell to the floor, rolling onto his back, his hands palms-up.
“STAY DOWN!” he heard Cate bark. He blinked dazedly and tried to focus. Then he realized that, approximately a foot from his face, was the muzzle of the fake weapon.
He looked past it, up Cate’s tensed arms, to her face. He saw fire in her eyes, her lips a hard line. She really did look like she could kill someone. Jon knew he should be angry, or at least embarrassed, but he couldn’t help himself. He was turned on.
“Let go.” she ordered. Jon didn’t move, savoring the salty taste of her warm skin on his lips. “I said, LET me GO!” Cate’s voice was now a snarl.
Jon sighed, breathed in her scent, loosened his arms, and pulled back his leg. Cate swiftly pushed away from him and sprang to her feet. Jon rolled to his back, arms flung out to his sides, breathing heavily.
He watched her as she stalked over to the other side of the room. There was no doubt she was good and pissed now. He pushed himself up to sit, then stood, never taking his eyes off Cate. She was visibly trembling, and Jon wondered whether it was from anger or desire.
Jon watched her snatch her towel from the floor, swipe it over her chest and face, then pick up her t-shirt and put it back on. It was all Jon could do not to march over there, shove Cate against the wall, and kiss her stupid. But then again, with her skills he’d probably end up on the mat groaning in agony if he went on the offensive.
Cate was completely confused. On one hand she was so angry she was ready to scream. Jon’s refusal to take this training – her training – seriously was maddening. How DARE he? On the other hand, he had pulled her close, pressed against her, and tried to kiss her. Jon. Bon. Jovi.
The fact that her head was spinning and her heart was pounding and she wanted so much to go over there and pounce on top of him, to resume where they had left off, infuriated her even more. She felt herself shaking and willed her body to stop its betrayal of her sinful thoughts.
Cate took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gathering herself. What the hell am I going to do now? She glanced up at the clock above the door and saw that it was almost 1500 hours. Then an idea dawned. She turned to Jon, willing herself to keep her expression neutral. “Grab your gear and come with me,” she said evenly.
Jon silently strode over to Cate. He stopped in front of her and met her gaze as she stared up at him. Cate was startled at the fire she saw in his eyes – not anger, but need. Her heart leaped, but she remained silent. Without a word, Cate turned, picked up her bag, and led Jon to the door. She flipped off the lights as they left the mat room.
*****
Jon was surprised when Cate took him not back to the PT office, but to another mat room. When she opened the door he found 25 pairs of eyes upon them; one face familiar, the others not.
“Got room for one more?” Cate asked George, walking up to him in the center of the room. She ignored the gasps and whispers of the students as they realized who had followed her through the door.
“Sure.” George grinned. He leaned in close. “Was he too much of a handful for ya?” he whispered, winking.
As it turns out, yeah…. “Not at all,” Cate lied, whispering back. “I couldn’t get him to punch me. So we are at an impasse. Is it okay if he sits in on your class? I’ll help you teach.”
George nodded. “It’ll be nice to have the help,” This was the same group of students who had been on the firing range this morning. “If they fight like they shoot, this could turn into a loooong afternoon!”
Both George and Cate looked at the students, who were now murmuring and giggling, staring at Jon. Jon stood by the door, watching the group with an amused smile. Cate gave George a quick nod and walked back over to stand beside Jon.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen!” George’s voice boomed out. “Stop acting like a bunch of chuckleheads.” Immediately the giggling and talking stopped. “As you can see, we have a visitor. For those of you who don’t recognize him, this is Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer of – you guessed it – the rock band Bon Jovi.”
Cate resisted the urge to roll her eyes as a couple of the female students sighed and blushed. George shot them a warning glance, then continued. “Mr. Bon Jovi is visiting the Center today to learn about what kind of training we do. He is going to sit in with our class, and maybe even practice some DTs with y’all.”
Jon raised his hand in a small wave. “Hi everybody. Sorry to disrupt your training, but I heard this is a cool class. Mind if I join you?” He smiled the million-watt smile, causing the women to giggle again and the men to grin in response.
“Come on in and join the gang,” George invited. Jon dropped his bag on the floor and walked over to the students, greeting a couple of the guys with handshakes and nods. Then he turned his attention to George and stood quietly.
Cate moved back to the center of the room to stand by George. Jon caught her eye and smiled. She nodded back at him, but didn’t return his smile. She wasn’t quite over her indignation at his refusal to go along with her training plan.
George got the class started, giving an introductory review of weapon retention tactics. After a couple minutes, Cate crossed over to the wall where she and Jon had dropped their bags.
She tucked her t-shirt into the waist of her track pants, then pulled out her nylon web belt, heavy with gear. She quickly strapped it around her waist, securing it firmly with the wide Velcro tabs, and adjusted the holster, magazine cases, cuff case, baton, and spray holster so that everything sat correctly, the weight balanced. She was so used to carrying all this crap around her waist that her movements were second nature.
Jon saw what Cate was doing and quietly walked over, still listening to George. He gave Cate a questioning look, pointing at his own waist, and she nodded. Jon pulled the belt and gear Cate had given him out of his own bag and gave it a once-over. Cate could see he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. She took the belt from his hands and silently helped him assemble the various pieces in the correct order on the belt, then handed it back to him.
Jon tucked his shirt in and strapped the belt around his middle. Cate quickly moved the pieces to the correct positions on Jon’s waist, then pulled the red rubber gun from his bag and pushed it into the holster. Cate saw Jon’s abs contract as he drew in a quick breath at her touch, but she didn’t look at his face. She didn’t need to be distracted right now, nor did he.
Cate walked back to the center of the room and stood slightly behind George, who was now questioning the students on various points of their reading assignment. Jon rejoined the students along the wall. After a few more minutes of Q & A it was time to begin practice.
George and Cate worked together to demonstrate several different defensive techniques designed to help an officer protect his weapon during close contact with a suspect. Having taught together many times over the past year, they moved easily and efficiently, like dance partners. As she worked through the presentation, Cate watched Jon out of the corner of her eye. He was quiet, clearly concentrating on the lesson, a serious look on his face.
As Cate had done with Jon earlier, after demonstrating each technique she or George called a student to the front to practice the tactic in front of the class. George went first, having a large male trainee attempt to pull the red rubber gun from the holster on George’s hip. In a flash, George delivered a stinging strike on the student’s forearm then rammed the young man with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
The class giggled nervously at their peer as he sheepishly rose from the mat. Then George played the attacker and gave the student the chance to atone for his embarrassment in front of the class. The BAT did well, and the class clapped in support.
Then it was Cate’s turn. She called up a petite blonde female student who looked like she was about to faint with anxiety. Jon recognized the young woman as the BAT Cate had sent back against the wall on the range earlier in the day. Cate drew her rubber gun and pointed it at the trainee, instructing her to attempt to take it away.
As soon as the student’s hands touched the gun, Cate struck her forearm, pulled the weapon back toward her hip to protect it, and pushed the BAT in the chest so that she staggered backward. The trainee gave Cate a fearful look and turned red.
Again the class tittered. Jon felt sorry for the young woman; he couldn’t believe Cate had singled her out to pick on her again. He wasn’t sure he liked this side of Cate.
Cate stepped close to the trainee and spoke to her in a low voice, so quietly that the rest of the students couldn’t hear. The she stepped back and prepared to play attacker. The BAT drew her rubber gun and pointed it at Cate. Cate nodded at her, then swiftly moved in to grab the gun.
The young woman responded quickly and whacked Cate’s forearm with her own. She pulled the gun back to protect it, then gave Cate a hard shove in the chest with her other hand. Cate staggered backward and fell flat on her ass on the mat. As her classmates cheered, the trainee stared at Cate, stunned.
Cate gave her a wide smile, climbed to her feet, and praised her effusively for a perfectly-executed tactic. Jon smiled to himself, recognizing Cate’s concealed motive of giving the BAT a chance at redemption in front of her classmates. He clapped and whistled along with the students as the smiling young woman returned to the group.
George and Cate continued to call out students to demonstrate various tactics. As the class proceeded the students became more enthusiastic, volunteering to come forward.
Cate explained to the students how to subdue a suspect after retaining a weapon, then asked for a volunteer. As she scanned the group, looking for a good candidate, her eyes fell on Jon. He had his hand raised, a cocky smile on his face. Oh, so NOW you want to play? she thought. Okay, Rock Star, game on.
“Mr. Bongiovi, come on up.” Cate said, a slight dare in her voice. She was careful to keep her expression neutral; it wouldn’t do to have the students recognize that she was still displeased with him for what had happened in their private session. Nor would it be good for them to see what she what she was trying NOT to think about…the velvety feel of his lips on hers….
Jon stepped forward to stand beside Cate. The other students murmured and giggled gleefully. They were excited to see if the celebrity would be able to take down their instructor. Jon kept a slight smile on his face as Cate turned to face him.
“So, you are going to attempt to disarm me by taking the weapon from my hands. If you get it away from me, you will force me to the ground with an appropriate tactic, then put the weapon on target.” She gave Jon a direct look that said “and you’d better not wuss out, Candy-Ass.”
Jon nodded and took a few steps back, allowing a bit of distance to start the exercise. Cate drew her rubber gun and pointed it at Jon, holding a perfect tactical stance. Jon grinned and stepped toward Cate. He made a half-hearted attempt to grab the gun, missing it completely.
Instinctively Cate pulled the gun back to her hip to protect it, raising her left arm like a bar in front of her. Jon grinned and raised his hands in mock surrender. The students giggled at his ineptitude.
Cate felt her temper flare. Oh HELL no, he did NOT just patronize me in front of my class! “Mr. Bongiovi, that was completely ineffective. In fact, it sucked,” she said sternly, fixing him with an irate glare. “Try again. And this time make an effort. You may be here to play, but these students are here to learn.”
Her tone was icy, and Jon saw that she was seething at his antic. He gave her a hard look, is temper rising a bit at her rebuke. Fine. He thought. You know what I’m capable of.
He took a few steps back and gave Cate another pointed look as she raised the fake gun at him. She nodded, and Jon charged forward, grabbing for the gun.
In a flash, Cate chopped down on his right forearm with her left, pulled the gun back to her hip with her right hand, shoved Jon’s shoulder with her left hand, then swung her right foot forward and delivered a hard angle kick to the peroneal nerve of Jon’s left leg. His knees buckled as his head buzzed, and he fell to the floor, rolling onto his back, his hands palms-up.
“STAY DOWN!” he heard Cate bark. He blinked dazedly and tried to focus. Then he realized that, approximately a foot from his face, was the muzzle of the fake weapon.
He looked past it, up Cate’s tensed arms, to her face. He saw fire in her eyes, her lips a hard line. She really did look like she could kill someone. Jon knew he should be angry, or at least embarrassed, but he couldn’t help himself. He was turned on.
Jonny is playing in class and not listening to his teacher! LOL! Bad boy Jonny! I think Cate needs to give him detention!
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