Chapter 105 - Distractions

Jon quietly sipped his coffee as he sat watching her sleep.

Cate was curled on her side, cradling a pillow in her arms and under her cheek, facing him. Her expression was serene, sweet. Jon’s eyes traced over her thick brown lashes, down her nose, to her soft, full lips. He smiled at the little curve at the corners of her mouth. Framing her face was a riot of chestnut and chocolate hair, thick waves lying gently across her cheek.

She was so beautiful, so peaceful, that the sight made Jon’s soul ache.

After they made love this morning, Jon had gathered Cate to his chest and held her close as he prayed for time to stop so he would never have to let her go. She had nestled against him and almost immediately drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

As Jon listened to her deep, rhythmic breathing he had willed himself to relax and sleep for the extra hour until the alarm sounded. But he had too many thoughts racing around his brain. Finally, after fifteen minutes of holding Cate as she slept, Jon had gently disengaged himself from her and slipped out of bed.

He had made coffee, checked his messages, and retrieved the newspaper from the doorstep. But he found himself drawn back to the bedroom. To Cate. He didn’t want to wake her by crawling back into bed and wrapping his arms around her, so he had settled into one of the chairs in the small sitting area near the patio door.

As he watched Cate sleep Jon’s mind went back to the events of last evening. Once they had diffused their aggression with their passionate encounter at the range, her walls had slowly started to come down. She had opened herself again to his words, to his touch, to his affection, to their undeniable physical attraction. Hell, she had let go enough to give him the most amazing blow job he had ever had in his life. Jon smirked at the memory as he felt a little surge in his groin.

But even more importantly, she had let her guard down enough to come back here and spend the night with him, and to tell him about the terrifying event that had driven her from his bed after they had first made love. His heart clenched as he realized the sense of security Cate must have felt lying in his arms, for her to share that painful memory with him. It squeezed even more when he realized that she did it partly to assuage the guilt he felt for thinking he had done something to drive her away.

Jon smiled gently to himself as he remembered the words she had whispered after her painful confession, when he had promised to chase away any demons that dared creep into her dreams. She had called him “Superman,” and said she would let him protect her. She would let him protect her. She trusted him. And he had meant it with all his heart when he told her that he would be her guardian, her Superman, as long as she would let him.

As Jon sat gazing at Cate the ghosts of their whispered words swirled around in his head. He recognized that familiar nudge of his subconscious, that artistic part of his soul that was always awake. The words started to form phrases, poems in his head.

Jon smiled once more at his peaceful muse, then rose from his chair and crept from the bedroom, sliding the doors quietly closed behind him. He crossed the living room, grabbing a notepad and pen from the sideboard against the wall.

Picking up the remote, Jon clicked off the television and sank down onto the soft suede of the sofa. Poising the pen over the blank sheet of paper he paused, pursing his lips slightly as he waited for the words to present themselves. A moment later he began to write.

*****

Cate felt something warm and soft brush against her cheek. She stirred slightly, then turned her face toward her pillow to escape the tickle. She felt the touch again, this time gently brushing hair back from her face. Then she felt warm breath in her ear. She smiled dreamily as the husky purr pulled her from sleep.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” Jon murmured gently. “Time to rise and shine.” He pressed a gentle kiss against Cate’s temple, then smiled as he watched her eyes flutter open.

“Hi,” Cate said softly, her voice gravelly with sleep. She turned her head and blinked at Jon, then smiled as she focused on his handsome face. “Mmmm…. Guess I fell back asleep, huh?” She let her eyes drift back closed for a moment as the sweet memory of their lovemaking flooded back over her. “Sorry, Baby,” she murmured.

She heard Jon chuckle. God, this is such a nice way to start the day…. she thought happily. Feels great to not be up at the crack of dawn….. Oh, SHIT!!!!

Cate’s eyes flew open and she bolted upright, clutching the sheet over her breasts, her eyes scanning the nightstand for the clock. “Fuck!” she swore frantically. “What time is it?”

Jon laughed at her panic. “Calm down, Baby. It’s a little before nine. You’re not late, promise. You don’t have to be in until ten, right?” He leaned forward to silence her attempted protest with his lips against hers. He felt Cate relax slightly as she drew in a breath, then sighed as she responded to his kiss.

After a long, sweet moment, Jon pulled back and raised his hand, offering her the coffee mug he held. “Here,” he smiled. “Now, you have a little over an hour to shower, dress, and get to your meeting. Plenty of time.”

Cate accepted the mug and took a sip, sighing inwardly at the rich taste of the perfectly-mixed chocolatey beverage. She glanced again at the clock, then back to Jon’s gentle smile. “Yeah, but I don’t have any work clothes. I was planning to go home to shower and change. All I have are PTs.”

“Change at the office,” Jon suggested. “Don’t you have clothes in your locker?”

Cate shook her head. “Not clean ones. Somehow I’ve been a little too busy to actually DO my laundry,” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Since somebody came to town and distracted me from my normal routine.” She couldn’t help but smile at Jon as his grin widened.

“I’m not gonna apologize for that,” Jon replied. “I’d like to think spending time with me is a little more interesting than doing laundry on a Saturday night,” he teased.

Cate chuckled at his tease. “Yeah, well… I still have to figure out what I’m gonna do now. I don’t have time to go home before I have to be at the office.” She sighed. “Guess I’ll just have to see if I have something in my locker that doesn’t look – or smell – too bad, at least to get me through the Cred Board. After that I can go home and change, since you’ll be with Mandy’s class.”

“So I guess you have to shower here, then,” Jon purred suggestively. His gaze met Cate’s as he drew a finger gently up her arm.

Cate chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I’ll have to. But alone,” she said firmly. She smiled at his pout. “You know damned good and well that neither of us will get to work on time if we go in there together.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jon agreed begrudgingly. “But you’re gonna be all dirty again by the end of the day, aren’t you?” he teased slyly, drifting forward until his lips brushed against her check. He nuzzled at her jaw, then smiled as he purred in her ear. “I know I’m gonna need another shower later….”

Cate giggled and shivered slightly at the tickle of Jon’s breath in her ear. “Yeah, I’m sure you will, Dirty Boy,” she teased. “But that’s later. Now….” She glanced at the clock. “Shit! Now I gotta get moving!”

Jon pulled his face back slightly and gave her a quick, smacking kiss on the lips. “Okay. Go. I’ll give you a little privacy.” He rose from the edge of the bed and gave her another happy smile. “See you in a few.”

Cate nodded and watched him stroll across the room. With another smile and a wink, Jon slid the doors closed behind him as he passed through them into the living room.

Cate sighed dreamily, then slipped out from under the covers and headed for the bathroom.

*****

An hour-plus later Cate tore into her parking space at FTB. Grabbing her range bag from the front seat, she leaped out of her Mustang, slamming the door closed behind her as she sprinted toward the building. She quickly pulled open the door and hustled down the empty hallway. She could tell from the uncharacteristic quiet that her colleagues had already gathered in the conference room.

Cate barged through the locker room door, already pulling her t-shirt up over her head as she pushed the door closed with her foot. Not bothering to turn the lock, Cate dropped her bag on the bench and yanked open her locker door.

She hauled the mesh basket holding her dirty clothing from the bottom of her locker and sorted quickly through it. She pulled out her navy range pants, shaking them out and holding them up for inspection. Good. No visible dirt or stains. They were wrinkled, but she could try to smooth out the worst of the creases. Cate pulled the pants to her face and inhaled. And they don’t smell too bad….

Cate swiftly stripped off her sports bra and dropped it in the basket. Leaning into her locker, she reached way in the back of the high top shelf, her bare breast brushing against the cool metal of the door frame and making her shiver slightly. Cate’s fingers closed around the silky fabric and she pulled out the soft garments. Cate said a silent “thank God” for the extra bra and panties she always kept stowed in her locker, hidden from the male practical jokers who inhabited the building.

She quickly hooked the bra around her middle and slid it around to pull the straps up over her shoulders, then pushed her track pants and panties down over her hips as she toed off her cross-trainers. She stepped out of the pants and slipped into the clean panties, then stepped into the range pants. Now, a shirt…

Cate pawed through the basket and pulled out an FTB polo shirt. She swore breathlessly as she noticed the large, dark stain on the front. Damnit! She continued her search through the basket, looking for a reasonably clean shirt, without success. Fuck!

Cate growled with frustration, then looked to her right. Danny’s locker was two doors down from hers. She swiftly stepped over and pulled open the door, praying that he had picked up his laundry.

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the maroon polo shirt folded neatly on the shelf. Cate snatched the shirt from its resting place and shook it out, tugging it over her head and down her torso. It was too big, but it was clean. It would have to do for now.

Cate crammed the bottom of the shirt into the waist of her pants, then with fumbling fingers fastened the button and zipper. She yanked her belt and gear from her range bag and quickly threaded the belt through the loops, assembling her gun and other gear in the proper places on her waist. Finally, she wiggled her shoes back onto her feet and shoved the basket and clothing back in her locker, then slammed the door with a loud clang.

With a quick glance in the mirror to ensure her damp ponytail wasn’t wildly mussed, Cate grabbed her range bag and strode for the door.

She hurried to her office, unlocked the door, tossed the bag on her desk, and snatched her leather portfolio and a pen from her desk drawer. Detouring only to grab a Diet Coke from the break room fridge, Cate practically sprinted down the hall to the conference room door. She paused outside the room, forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath. Then she opened the door and slipped inside.

Cate glanced at the clock on the conference room wall as she tiptoed to her seat at the table. It read 10:05. Bobby had already begun his introductory remarks, and he gave her a little smile but didn’t pause as she sunk into her chair.

Cate shot a guilty look at Floyd, who raised his eyebrows questioningly at her, then smirked slightly. He looked away from her, turning his attention back to Bobby.

To her left, Cate heard Danny chuckle softly. She could feel his gaze on her, but she didn’t dare look at him. She knew that she would lose her composure and further interrupt Bobby’s presentation if she did.

Cate opened her portfolio and busied herself writing the date at the top of her legal pad. She laid down her pen and picked up her soda can, moving it under the table and carefully popping the top open before raising it to her lips for a sip. Drawing in a breath, she set the can on the table and turned her gaze toward Bobby, focusing on his words.

Out of the corner of her eye Cate could see Danny smirking at her. She saw him pick up his pen and scribble in the margin of his own legal pad. Finishing the task, Danny discretely pushed the tablet toward Cate. She glanced downward to see what he had written.

That my shirt?

Cate felt a slight flush creep to her cheeks as she returned her attention to Bobby, who was now explaining a PowerPoint chart projected on the whiteboard at the end of the room. She nodded slightly in response, and heard Danny chuckle again. She reached for her Diet Coke and took another drink.

Two minutes later Bobby finished his introductory remarks and distributed student training files to the instructors gathered around the table. Danny gave Cate a grin and a wink as he took a file from the top of the pile, then offered the remainder to Cate. As she reached up to take the stack from Danny’s hands, Cate’s gaze met his and her cheeks reddened even more.

Danny leaned slightly forward, ducking his head toward Cate’s as he handed her the files. “Nice hickey,” he whispered. “Where’s Jon’s?”

Cate’s eyes flew open in surprise and her mouth dropped open. WHAT!?!? her gaze silently demanded of Danny. He grinned and nodded in response, then reached up with his hand, pretending to scratch the side of his own neck slightly above his collar.

Cate winced and blushed deeply as she slid a file folder off the top of the stack to the table in front of her, then handed the stack to Steve on her right. She swallowed hard and shrugged her shoulders, trying to pull the collar of Danny’s shirt up higher on her neck to hide the proof of her intimacy with Jon.

She heard Danny snort out a little laugh at her discomfort, and she shot him a little sideways glare before opening the training folder in front of her. Leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table, Cate pressed her fingers against her temples and lowered her gaze, attempting to focus on the papers in front of her.

She felt Danny sway toward her, lightly bumping his shoulder into hers. Shifting her left hand slightly from her temple, Cate looked sideways at her friend. Danny gave her a knowing grin and a little nod. “Good Girl,” he mouthed silently.

Cate couldn’t help but smile at his smugness. She nodded slightly in acknowledgement, then turned her attention to the task at hand.

*****

In a classroom across the Center, Jon sat in the back of the big lecture hall, scribbling busily in the notebook on the table in front of him. He paused occasionally to glance at the PowerPoint slide on the screen behind Mandy, but mostly he was focused on what she was saying as she explained the techniques of evidence collection.

Jon had watched his share of CSI-type shows, but he was surprised to hear there were so many specialized procedures and techniques for collecting different kinds of evidence from a crime scene. He was trying to soak up all the knowledge he could in this lecture so he would have some clue as to what he was doing when he joined the BATs in their exercise this afternoon.

Despite his focus on Mandy’s lecture, Jon found images of Cate creeping into his thoughts. He was unaware of the little smile that crept to his lips as he remembered their parting this morning.

Cate had escorted Jon to this classroom and handed him over to Mandy with a promise to meet them both at the Dining Hall for lunch. Before she left Cate had given him the sweetest, happiest smile. The soft affection in her expression as their eyes met had made Jon’s heart flip.

Jon was sure Mandy had noticed the exchange between them, because as Cate turned to leave Mandy had winked at him and excused herself for a moment. Jon had taken the hint and followed Cate out of the classroom.

Glancing quickly toward both ends of the long hallway and seeing that there was no one within immediate proximity, Jon had pulled Cate into the empty classroom next door to the lecture hall. Before the door even closed behind them, Jon and Cate were joined in a breathless embrace. He had kissed her deeply, his heart soaring as he felt the willingness in her response.

After a good five minutes Cate had finally torn herself regretfully away from him and fled the room, not looking back so she wasn’t tempted to stay.

And Jon hadn’t stopped smiling since.

He paused again in his note-taking, trying to comprehend what Mandy was saying about the use of Luminol to detect trace evidence of blood. As he squinted up at the slide on the wall, Jon felt his Blackberry buzz on his belt. Without taking his eyes from the screen, he pulled the device from its holster and pushed the button to view the message.

Holding the Berry discretely under the table, Jon glanced down at the glowing little screen. He drew in a breath, tensing slightly, as he saw the text message from his agent.

[10:43 am] Talked to studio reps. Told them your demands. Good news & bad.

Jon growled under his breath. He didn’t need to be distracted by this stupid Hollywood game-playing shit right now. But he had no choice but to reply, if he was ever going to get this deal worked out. He dropped his pen and moved his other hand under the table to type a reply.

[10:45 am] And?

[10:46 am] They really don’t want you to quit. They are almost desperate to keep you.

Jon rolled his eyes.

[10:47 am] They don’t agree with all of your requests. But are willing to compromise.

This time Jon couldn’t stop the little snarl that escaped from his lips. He looked guiltily up at Mandy, but saw that she hadn’t noticed as she answered a question posed to her by one of the BATs. He again moved his hands to reply.

[10:48 am] What part of that was good?

[10:49 am] Tell those MFs I don’t compromise. Agree to all or I walk. By tomorrow. Tick Tock.

Jon snorted triumphantly at his ultimatum, then shoved the Berry back into its holster. He brooded for a moment, wondering if the studio suits were really so stupid and stubborn that they would try to call his bluff.

Well, if they were, he would gladly show them that he wasn’t bluffing. He was fully prepared to walk away from the film. In fact, a small part of him almost hoped they wouldn’t acquiesce to his demands.

Because then he could stay here, with Cate. At least for awhile, until they could figure out what to do about the rest of their lives.

Again Jon’s lips curved into a little smile at that thought.