Cory smiled inwardly when she heard the long slew of colorful expletives from Stewart as she turned away from the desk to follow the man he called Mendez. She didn’t know who Mendez was yet but if she was going on looks and politeness, he was clearly tipping the scale. She followed him through a side door, down a corridor and then into a room that looked like some sort of classroom.
“Have a seat please, ma’am,” he offered. Cory gladly took the seat, resting her expensive handbag protectively on the desk in front of her.
He sat on the edge of the same desk, looking down at her. He pulled out a couple of tissues from a box sitting on the desk and handed them to her. “Urr, you have some stuff running down your face, ma’am,” he said.
“Oh, God,” Cory groaned in embarrassment. This was the very reason she didn’t like wearing makeup. The black mascara was probably running down her cheeks in torrents. She felt like a fool and probably looked like something out of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, too.
“Thank you,” she muttered quietly when she took it from his outstretched hand and started dabbing vigorously at her cheeks.
“Are you okay now, ma’am?” he asked, concerned.
Cory nodded. She was getting there at least.
“Good. Firstly allow me to apologize on behalf of the officers here for the utter disrespect directed at you by Officer Stewart. There was absolutely no need for him to be speaking to you in that manner, ma’am.”
Shocked, Cory couldn’t respond. Was this guy for real? Was he actually apologizing on behalf of the police? To a member of the public? Certainly, this had never happened to her before. Ever!
“And you might be?” Cory asked him. He must have a high rank or something, she thought.
“Well, as you could see, clearly I’m not a police officer.” He smiled as he said this. “I’m second lieutenant Adrian Mendez. You know, ma’am, I wouldn’t have liked to witness you being arrested out there just now.”
“Arrested for what?” Cory cried out in utter amazement. “For standing up for my rights?”
“Actually, you looked like you were about to clobber Officer Stewart,” he laughed. Cory was beginning to feel at ease with him. Strange enough, his words were warming to her. She felt comfortable. She felt comfortable and safe for the first time since she’d stepped foot in this Godforsaken place.
He continued, “Look, I’ll be honest with you, ma’am. I really don’t have a clue about taking stolen car reports.”
“So why did you ask me to follow you, then?” Cory asked.
“You really looked like you needed some help.”
Okay, so was second lieutenant a high rank? Cory wondered. Not that she really cared, but it sure sounded that way. And he certainly was very professional. Not to mention gorgeous. Cory was admiring the thick veins running through his folded hands as he crossed them against his wide chest. The way his military jacket fit snugly around his muscular arms. Please look at the man’s face, Cory, she mentally warned herself.
But then again, he had the most unbelievably piercing eyes that followed her every move. Cory clutched her blouse at the opening. As if sensing her sudden discomfort, Adrian asked her about the make, color, and license plates of her vehicle. Cory gave him the details he asked her for. She noticed he wasn’t writing anything down, either. So typical!
“Look, I already gave them all the information,” Cory sighed.
“I know, Cory. But as Officer Stewart told you, the investigating officer, the one who took your initial report, Officer Franklin, isn’t here right now. However, when he comes in I can find out what’s the latest on your car for you. That’s the most I can do at this point, I’m afraid.”
“Well, I guess I have no choice, do I?” Cory muttered.
Diverting her gaze from his muscular body for the first time, Cory’s eyes settled on the gray skies outside through the windows. Unbelievable! The sun had been shining a few minutes ago when she came in. Now, the clouds looked a menacing dark gray-black color, threatening to burst and unleash their fury over the city at any time. If it started raining, she didn’t have an umbrella and she’d have to take a taxi back to her office.
“Oh, just great,” Cory once again muttered to herself. She stood up and grabbed her handbag. “Well, if we’re done here, I have to get back to work now.”
Adrian stopped her. “Wait! Do you have a ride?”
“Oh yeah, but it was stolen, remember?” Cory shot back.
“So where’re you heading? Maybe I could offer you a lift. I was on my way out, anyway,” Adrian said. “If your boyfriend wouldn’t mind.”
Boyfriend? “Fortunately, I don’t answer to anyone,” Cory retorted.
“Well, I can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that,” Adrian said.
Though I’d love to ride you … ride with you! What was wrong with her head? “No offense, but I really don’t know you, okay,” Cory coolly offered.
“But you know my name and rank. And where you could find me, too,” Adrian said as he walked out with her.
“True. But that doesn’t mean that I know you.”
“I know. But I’ll never allow any harm to come to you, Cory. Look, if anything happens to you once you’re with me, you could always come back and report me,” he added with a broad smile on his face.
Cory started laughing despite her foul mood.
“So you haven’t answered me yet. Do you need that lift or not?” he pressed.
Cory realized the guy wasn’t giving up. He seemed different from the others. She knew she felt at ease with him. For someone so soft spoken, he had quite a commanding presence about him.
She stared at the sky again. The thick saturated clouds were heavy with rain, just waiting to burst. Cory knew all it took was a short but consistent shower to wreak havoc in this city. Flash flooding, heavy traffic jams, and stranded commuters were the resulting chaos.
Cory weighed her options. She could wait out the impending shower with Officer Stewart throwing comments left, right, and center or she take a taxi back to the office. Or, she could just accept the lift offered by this gorgeous soldier.
She looked at Adrian again. Then a sudden louder than usual crack of thunder rolled, causing Cory to nearly jump out of her skin. That sealed the deal. Maybe that thunder was a good sign, Cory reasoned. She knew she didn’t want to stay here another second. “Okay, I’ll go with you,” she began hesitantly. She didn’t want to come off as too desperate to him. Even if she was at the moment! “And only because it’s going to rain and I don’t have an umbrella with me right now.”