Rookie Officer Kevin Ryan looked up and stared at the gun pointed straight at him. His own gun. The one that was taken from him by the man holding it right now and aiming at Kevin's chest. How on earth did that man disarm him so quickly and easily? It was as if he had appeared from nowhere. Kevin's nightstick, radio and gun were now in possession of the man who smiled as he pointed the police-issued revolver at him. Somehow Kevin ended up knocked down to the ground, his weapons and radio taken from him, and now he was helpless as he looked up at his assailant.
Captain Robert Richardson would probably chew out Kevin for failing to wait for backup instead of charging ahead alone into the robbery in progress. But there was no time, Kevin would say. Not that it mattered now. Kevin could only think of how he'd never be able to see his family or friends again. His life was about to end any second now.
"Any last words before I shoot you?" asked the man. He was about forty years old, sandy-haired, medium build and medium height. Not that Kevin would be able to tell that to anyone, but he was used to noticing things like that during the course of his work as a police officer.
Suddenly another man rushed over and grabbed the gun away. The newcomer was tall, dark-haired, and had a muscular build. He scowled at the man who was about to shoot Kevin.
"The last thing we need is to have every cop in the city hunting us down for killing one of their own!" the dark-haired man said to sandy-haired one. "Now get over there and help the others move the loot!"
The sandy-haired man scowled back, but he did was he was told. He dropped the nightstick and radio to the ground as he walked away.
The dark-haired man picked up the nightstick and radio. He put these items along with the revolver into a cloth sack.
"You'll get these back after we leave," he told Kevin. "Sorry you got mixed up in this. Just sit tight, we'll be on our way, and you can go on with your life." Then he used duct tape to bind Kevin's wrists and feet. He tore off another piece of tape to cover Kevin's mouth. The whole time another member of the robbery gang was aiming a rifle at Kevin to keep him from breaking free.
How humiliating, thought Kevin. He lie there bound and gagged while the five men finished what they were doing. The cloth sack containing his radio and weapons was placed near the door. A few minutes later they left, leaving Kevin to wait for someone to come find him.
The captain is not going to like this, thought Kevin. Just last night the captain was commending him for the fine job he did arresting another potential rapist. Kevin being so young and having such a pretty face was a natural for decoy duty, so for the past two weeks he was sent out into the city park while disguised as a young woman. He succeeded in getting almost a dozen potential attackers off of the street and put behind bars. But Kevin doubted any of this would matter once the captain finds out about this.
Sure enough, Kevin was suspended for a week. He sat alone in his studio apartment feeling very sorry for himself. To top it off, his girlfriend Traci stopped by earlier and told him it was time for them to see other people. Meaning she wanted to shag other guys, but she wanted him to wait for her in case she decides later that she wants to take him back. Kevin told her to shove off and never call him again. She called him a few choice names and stormed out of his studio apartment.
"My NEXT boyfriend won't live in something like this dumpy shabby studio!" were her final parting words of endearment before she slammed the door.
Actually, it was a nice studio. Kevin just preferred to live modestly. He didn't own a lot of things, as he felt that things tend to own people. He liked living simply. Maybe that was one of the things that made Traci decide to dump him. She liked worldly possessions and pouted when Kevin failed to spoil her with some new gift or trinket of some sort whenever they got together.
"Good riddance," thought Kevin. He decided to go visit the nightclub. Not to hook up with anyone. Just for a change of scenery.
The nightclub was filled with young people dancing or looking for new partners. The music was loud. Kevin had to lean forward so the bartender could hear him order a drink. He sat at the bar and watched the people around him dancing.
He was halfway done with his drink when he needed to use the facilities. "I'll be right back," he told the bartender. The bartender nodded and turned back to finish putting away clean glasses.
No one noticed the sandy-haired man quietly walking over and slipping some powder into Kevin's drink. He walked away and disappeared into the crowd.
Kevin returned to his place at the bar and finished his drink.
Dizziness came over Kevin. He couldn't think straight and felt very disoriented.
The sandy-haired man returned. "There you are, pal! Oh, not feeling well, are we? Let's get you outside for some fresh air."
He smiled at the bartender. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."
He led Kevin out of the nightclub and outside into the alley where a dark green van was parked. Kevin didn't know what was happening to him. The sandy-haired man placed Kevin inside the van, shut the door, jumped behind the steering wheel and drove away.
The van stopped at a warehouse on the edge of the city. Kevin was carried out of the van and into the warehouse by the sandy-haired man and another fellow. They were both from the robbery gang earlier.
They placed Kevin on the floor in the middle of the warehouse. He lie there in a daze, not knowing where he was. The sandy-haired man went over to an office and knocked on the door. The door opened and a dark-haired, tall, muscular man appeared. It was the same man from the robbery.
"Jason, I brought you a present," said the sandy-haired man. "Sorry I didn't have time to have him giftwrapped." He grinned and pointed at Kevin. The other man who helped carry in Kevin grinned, too.
Jason eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Are you insane? Hook, how could you do this? Tell me you didn't drug him!"
"Of course I drugged him. Saw him at the nightclub, and thought it would be fun to give him to you as an early Christmas present. Don't you want him?"
"Why would you think I'd want him?"
"What? Would you have preferred a Chia pet instead? Or how about the Clapper? Jason, you don't fool me. You could have shot him way back earlier when he stumbled upon us at the robbery, or you could have least hit him in the head with his own nightstick, but no. You only tied him up and let him live. I saw the way you looked at him. You want him. If you won't admit it to me, at least admit it to yourself."
"Think about what you just did, Hook. You drugged a police officer, kidnapped him and brought him here to our hangout. Do you think that was smart?"
"Fine. Don't bother writing me a thank you note. Ingrate. I'm leaving." Hook turned and walked out of the warehouse. The other fellow who helped Hook carry in Kevin left, too.
Jason sighed and walked over to Kevin. He knelt down beside the young officer and studied his features. Such pretty, delicate features. That fine, soft blond hair. And that slender, lean, wiry build. Jason couldn't deny that he was attracted to him. He searched Kevin's pockets and found a wallet. He opened it and found Kevin's driver's license that revealed where Kevin lived.
"Let's get you safely home, Officer Kevin Ryan," said Jason. He would decide what to do to Hook later, but for now he needed to make things right.
Jason gently placed Kevin into the backseat of his car. He searched Kevin's pockets again and found a bunch of keys. One of them must be the key to the front door of his home. He drove over to Kevin's apartment building and carried Kevin to the door.
When he got to Kevin's studio, he unlocked the door, opened it, turned on the light, carried Kevin inside, closed the door, placed the keys on the nightstand and put Kevin on the bed. Kevin moaned, but he was still unaware of what was going on around him.
Jason removed Kevin's shoes and jacket, then pulled the coverlet over Kevin to keep him warm. He placed the shoes on the floor at the foot of the bed and hung the jacket on the back of a chair.
He stood there for a few minutes just staring at Kevin. Then he turned and left the studio, turning off the light and locking the door behind him.
Leave it to Hook to think of pulling such a stunt, thought Jason as he drove away in his car. Jason had known him for years. Hook seemed to have this private game between the two of them. Now and then he would do something totally outrageous just to see how Jason would react. This one was a doozy, thought Jason. Might have known Hook would have noticed how attracted Jason was to the young officer. Jason could almost hear the wheels turning in Hook's mind when he must have come up with the idea of presenting Jason with this drugged cutie-patootie. What would really have made Jason totally lose it and deck Hook would be if Hook had first stripped the young officer of all of his clothing and given him nothing to wear except bright red Christmas ribbons and a big red bow covering his genitalia.
The next morning Kevin awoke with a terrible headache. He was surprised to find himself back in his studio. The last thing he remembered was having a drink at the nightclub. He sat up and thought for a while. Then he got out of bed and headed for the bookcase.
What Jason didn't know was that Kevin kept a motion-detector activated video camera in his studio to record any unauthorized activity in his home. Kevin placed the videotape into his VCR and sat down in front of the television to view the tape.
He was shocked to see himself being carried into his home by the same dark-haired man from the robbery. When the tape was finished, Kevin had a lot to think about. He wondered who that man was who brought Kevin safely home, put him to bed and left without ransacking the studio. After all, he was the same man from the robbery earlier. Kevin looked around. True, he didn't have much to steal, being a man of few possessions. Kevin checked his wallet. Everything was intact. ID, credit card, cash. Strange. It baffled Kevin.
Wouldn't do any good to check for fingerprints. Kevin noticed while watching the tape that the dark-haired man wore gloves during the entire time he was in the studio.
Then a sickening feeling of fear came over Kevin. What if something happened to him BEFORE he was brought back home? It wouldn't be recorded on tape. Kevin went to the bathroom, got undressed and checked his body for any bruises. There weren't any. He hadn't felt any pain, so he wasn't surprised there were no bruises, but he wanted to be sure.
"And now he knows where I live," Kevin said to himself.
The next morning Jason and Hook were having breakfast at a popular diner. Hook wanted to know how it went last night with Kevin.
"So how'd it go?"
"How'd what go?" Jason replied innocently.
Hook gave him an exasperated look. "Your early Christmas present! Did you have fun playing with him?"
"Hook, you make it sound like you gave me a puppy. I appreciate the thought, but nothing happened. I put him in my car, drove him home and put him safely to bed."
"And?"
"And I left. That was it. You know it's not my style to take advantage of someone in that condition."
"No, Jason. Actually, I don't really know that. Sure, you and I go back a while, but there might be a whole side of you that I really don't know."
"Take my word for it. That's not how I want my relationships to be."
"Who said anything about a relationship? Why couldn't you just enjoy him for a few hours while you had him right then and there?"
"Because that's not how I'd want to be treated, so I don't treat other people like that. It's that simple. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. You going to eat that toast?"
"Yes. Keep your hands away from my toast. And one other thing, Hook. Next time you want to get me a present, there's something you might want to know."
"What's that?"
"There are places in this city. They're called 'department stores'. People go there to select and purchase items during this time of year when they do their Christmas shopping. They do not go to nightclubs, slip drugs into unsuspecting folks, and carry them off to be given to strangers as holiday gifts."
"Really? Thank you for enlightening me."
"Promise me you won't ever do something like that again."
"Okay. I promise."
"And you owe that young officer an apology."
"What?! No way!"
"I mean it, Hook."
Meanwhile back at the studio Kevin decided to take a walk to help him think things over. He put on his shoes and jacket, grabbed his keys from the nightstand and went outside. He walked in one straight direction for about ten blocks. Then he realized he was very hungry, as he hadn't had any breakfast and it was now about nine o'clock in the morning. He saw a diner on the next block and it was open for business. He headed over there.
What Kevin didn't know was that among the customers having breakfast at that very same diner were Jason and Hook. It was one of several of Jason's favorite breakfast places, and this morning he happened to pick this one to meet with Hook. Jason was having eggs, bacon, toast and pancakes. Hook was having hash browns, eggs and ham. The waitress was bringing them their coffee when Kevin entered the diner. Hook gently tapped Jason's arm and discreetly pointed toward the door. Jason turned and saw Kevin. Kevin hadn't noticed either of the two men. He was feeling weak from hunger, so he sat down at the nearest booth. Another waitress came over and gave Kevin a menu. Kevin quickly ordered eggs, toast, bacon and hot chocolate. He asked the waitress if she could please hurry, as he was very hungry. She smiled and said she'd see what she could do.
Then Kevin realized he didn't have his wallet with him. After he had checked it earlier to see if everything was intact, he had placed it on top of his dresser. He checked his pockets now. No wallet. Shit, he thought, I don't have the energy to walk all the way back home to get it. And I'm starving!
Hook observed Kevin checking his pockets, and guessed from the expression of panic on his face that he wasn't going to be able to pay for his meal. Hook whispered to Jason. Jason turned and looked at Kevin. The young officer was looking worried and uncomfortable. Jason made a decision. He got up and walked over toward Kevin's booth.
Kevin looked up in surprise to see the dark-haired man from the videotape. The same dark-haired man who stopped the sandy-haired man from shooting him at the robbery scene. The same dark-haired man who tied him up with duct tape and left him there to be found later by his fellow police officers.
If Captain Richardson hadn't suspended Kevin and made him turn in his badge and gun, Kevin would have arrested Jason right there on the spot. But as it was, Kevin just stared at him, not sure what to do.
"Hello, Kevin," said Jason. "We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Jason Burke. Would you like to be my guest for breakfast this morning? Please come join my associate and me. I'll introduce you to him."
Kevin was too weak from hunger to argue with Jason. He nodded, got up and followed Jason to the booth where Hook was seated. Hook smiled and motioned for Kevin to sit with them. They seated themselves. Kevin couldn't help staring at the food on the table.
"Kevin, you don't look well. Would you like a slice of toast while your food is being prepared? Please, I insist. You look like you're about to faint from hunger." Jason handed Kevin his toast. Kevin took it. He couldn't stop his hand from shaking as he took the toast and brought it to his mouth. He tried to eat it without rushing, but he was very hungry.
"Kevin, this is Hook Walker, my associate."
Kevin nodded and extended his hand. Hook took it politely and they shook hands.
Kevin wondered why they were acting in such a civil and polite manner, considering not long ago Hook was pointing a gun straight at him and Jason had gagged and tied him with duct tape at the robbery scene.
This whole thing seems so surreal, thought Kevin. I should be placing these two under arrest right now. Wish I wasn't so weak from hunger. Wish I had my gun.
Hook and Jason sat quietly and waited while Kevin ate. They politely refrained from staring at him. When he finished Jason spoke.
"Feel better now?"
Kevin nodded. "Thank you. My blood sugar drops quickly when I go too long without eating."
Hook looked around and asked, "What now? A group hug?"
Jason gave Hook a stern look.
"What?" asked Hook. "Oh, all right. Well, isn't this lovely? We're all here having a nice, civilized time enjoying breakfast."
The waitress saw that Kevin had moved to their booth, so she brought Kevin's order over.
Kevin smiled with relief and ate his breakfast. Jason and Hook made pleasant small talk while they ate.
Weird, thought Kevin. They must recognize me from the robbery scene. They must know I'm a cop. But they don't seem to be in any rush to leave, thought Kevin. Guess I could just finish eating to get my strength back, then slip away to call for some units to come over and arrest these two.
Then Jason turned to Kevin and spoke.
"Kevin, Hook has something to say to you." He looked at Hook and gave him a look that meant, "Well, go on. SAY it."
Kevin looked at Hook. Hook didn't look comfortable, but he could see that Jason was serious, so he reluctantly began to speak.
"Kevin, I'm sorry I drugged your drink at the nightclub last night in order to get you out of there. I did it so I could hand you over to Jason as an early Christmas present. But you have to know that nothing happened. Jason didn't take advantage of you in your condition. He told me so, and I've never known Jason to ever lie."
Kevin stared at Hook, then at Jason. Right in the balls, thought Kevin. I should just take Hook out in the alley right now and kick him right in the balls. "You GAVE me to Jason as a holiday gift? Haven't you ever heard of department stores?"
"Funny you should say that, Kevin. I was just telling Hook earlier -- "
That's when it happened.
It was like a scene straight out of the movie 'Pulp Fiction'. A woman customer climbed up on top of a table. She whipped out a large gun and yelled for everyone to freeze or she'd blow their heads off. She freely interspersed vulgar language while she yelled at everyone. Her accomplice, a man armed with a gun, then yelled that they were robbing the diner and that everyone was to hand over their wallets, purses, jewelry, watches, etc.
Hook scowled and glanced at Jason and Kevin.
Hook whispered to Kevin, "You're a cop. Aren't you going to do anything?"
Kevin whispered back, "I can't. I got suspended for a week, thanks to you two. The captain took away my badge and my gun."
Jason whispered, "I don't know what you're talking about, Kevin."
Of course, thought Kevin. These two aren't going to admit they were involved in that robbery. It's their word against mine.
Hook stared at the pair of armed robbers. They were forcing the manager to empty the cash register. Some of the customers were crying and begging for the robbers to not hurt them.
Hook slid down beneath the table. Kevin wondered what he was planning to do.
Suddenly Hook was no longer under the table. Kevin couldn't believe his eyes. One moment he had seen Hook sliding down in his seat, the next moment he was way over by where the robbers were near the cash register. And Hook was firmly pushing a gun in the back of the male robber. Kevin turned to Jason, only Jason was no longer seated in the booth. Jason was now moving quickly toward the woman, and he aimed his gun and shot her three times in the chest. The other customers screamed. She fell to the floor. The man yelled and tried to break away from Hook. Not a wise move. Hook shot him dead. More screams from the other customers and employees.
The manager picked up the phone and called the police.
The next day Kevin was on the phone with his parents apologizing because due to the heavy snowstorm, all flights leaving the city were cancelled. He would not be able to be with them for Christmas. The roads were also blocked due to heavy snow.
Kevin sat alone in his sparsely furnished studio apartment. It wasn't how he had planned to spend Christmas Day. A couple of weeks ago he had expected that he and Traci would spend Christmas with his family. That was out.
Kevin decided to step out for a bit. He grabbed his heavy coat, scarf, and hat and put them on. He left his studio, headed downstairs to the lobby and went out the front door. That's when he ran into Jason who was carrying a giftwrapped package and was headed toward Kevin's building.
"Kevin, where are you going? I was on my way to drop this off at your place," smiled Jason.
"You're giving me a Christmas present?" Kevin asked.
"Saw it at Macy's and I wanted you to have it."
"Uh, thanks."
"Do you want to try it on to make sure it fits?"
"Sure. Uh, want to come inside?" Kevin couldn't believe he was inviting Jason into his home. The words just came out.
They went upstairs to Kevin's studio. He unwrapped the box and opened it. It was a beautiful blue sweater.
"It matches your eyes," said Jason.
"Fits perfectly," said Kevin as he checked his reflection in the mirror. "Sorry, but I didn't get you anything."
"That's okay." Jason stood there smiling and looking a little awkward. He looked around the studio apartment. "Nice place you have here."
Kevin thought for a few seconds. "Come to think of it, I do have something for you. But it's not giftwrapped."
"Kevin, you really don't have to give me something just because I surprised you with that sweater."
Jason watched Kevin walk over to the bookcase and select a videotape. Kevin handed it to Jason.
"Merry Christmas," said Kevin. "Want to view it now?
Jason was puzzled. "Okay." Kevin took the video and popped it into the VCR. He turned on the television and hit 'play'.
Jason and Kevin sat on the couch and watched. Kevin turned to Jason and studied his reaction as the tape played. It was the same tape that recorded what happened that night when Jason brought Kevin safely home and put him to bed. Jason looked surprised.
"It's part of my security system," explained Kevin. "You can keep the tape as a souvenir of your earlier visit here."
Jason looked embarrassed. "You can see that nothing happened. I'm a man of my word, Kevin. I'd never take advantage of you in a drugged condition, much as I do find you so damned attractive."
"I believe you. And thanks for the compliment. You're not such a bad-looking guy yourself."
"I'm not?" Jason grinned. He had a nice smile.
"But, Jason, I don't want you to get the wrong impression. Up until a few days ago I had a girlfriend. We broke up."
"Oh. Sorry to hear about your breakup. Are you okay about it?"
"Yeah. She and I weren't right for each other, so it was for the best."
There was a knock at the door.
Kevin walked over and asked, "Who is it?"
"Open the door, Kevin. It's Traci!"
Kevin turned to look at Jason.
Jason shrugged his shoulders.
Kevin opened the door. There stood Traci dressed in a heavy winter coat sprinkled with snowflakes that were now melting.
"Kevin, I've decided to give you one more chance, what with it being Christmas, so I'll forgive you."
"Forgive me? For what?"
"For telling me to shove off and never call you again, you idiot. I'll even accept your Christmas present, which I'm sure you bought for me earlier in hopes that we'd get back together."
Jason listened to all of this with great interest. That's when Traci noticed that Kevin wasn't alone. She pushed Kevin aside and stepped into the studio. Jason stood up and smiled.
"Oh, I didn't know you had company, Kevin," said Traci. "Who's this?"
"Traci, this is Jason Burke. Jason, this is Traci Morgan."
"How do you do, Jason?" said Traci, extending her hand which Jason gently grasped and shook.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Morgan."
"Miss Morgan? Why so formal? Call me Traci."
Kevin came over and took hold of Traci by the arm. "Traci, could you please step outside with me for a moment? I need to speak with you privately."
"If you two need to talk, I could leave," said Jason.
"No, Jason. You stay. Please. I'll be right back," said Kevin, leading Traci out the door. He closed the door, but left it slightly ajar.
"What is it, Kevin?" said Traci in an annoyed voice. "Hey, where'd you get this sweater? It looks new."
"It is new. Jason gave it to me a few minutes ago for Christmas."
"Oh." Traci looked puzzled. "I thought I knew all your friends, which aren't many. How come I never met Jason before?"
"That's not important. Traci, you and I aren't getting back together. We're just not suited for each other, and you were right to say we should see other people."
"What?!"
"Good-bye, Traci. Have a safe and happy holiday season." Kevin stepped back inside his studio and closed the door.
Traci stood in the hallway for a few seconds in total disbelief. Then she banged hard on Kevin's door.
"KEVIN! OPEN THIS DOOR!"
Kevin opened it. "Yes?" he asked calmly.
"Not funny, Kevin! You can only carry a joke so far! But toying with my feelings and on CHRISTMAS of all days, is just NOT funny!"
Jason walked over and put his arm around Kevin's shoulder. He smiled at Traci.
"Kevin, dear, couldn't we at least offer Traci a cup of eggnog before you send her home?"
Traci eyes bugged out when she heard Jason speak to Kevin in such an affectionate manner.
Kevin sighed. "Well, I suppose I could do that. All right."
"Don't bother, Kevin. I see what's going on here. I'm leaving now. Good-bye." She stared at them as Jason placed both hands on Kevin's shoulders and gently massaged them in a very friendly manner.
"Oh, Traci, must you leave so soon? Well, do have a safe journey home. It was lovely meeting you," said Jason.
Kevin closed the door.
"You're awful," he said to Jason.
"I thought I was very nice to her. What do you mean, 'awful'?"
"You know what I mean."
Jason sat on the couch and smiled at Kevin. "Will you join me here?"
Kevin sat beside his new friend and looked at him.
"What's going on here, Jason?"
"What do you want to be going on here?"
"I don't know. I really just don't know."
"That's okay," said Jason softly. "You don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing. I like you, Kevin. I'm having a very nice time just being here with you. Just wanted you to know that."
Kevin smiled. "I'm having a nice time with you, too. That surprises the hell out of me considering that not long ago you were binding my wrists and ankles with duct tape."
"I'd never do that again, Kevin. Unless you want me to." Jason smiled wickedly.
"Again? So you admit you did do it! It was you and Hook at that robbery scene!"
Jason sighed. "Come on, Kevin. We were having such a lovely time here. Don't spoil it."
"I'm still a police officer! Sure, I'm still on suspension, but I have to uphold the law."
"Come here."
"Are you listening to me?"
"You're beautiful when you're angry."
"Stop that!"
"Come here." Jason got up and put his arms around Kevin, pulling him close.
"What are you doing?"
"Shhhh," said Jason softly. He gently kissed Kevin on the lips while embracing him and slowly running his hands up and down Kevin's back.
Kevin was surprised to find himself kissing Jason in return. Jason continued kissing Kevin on the lips, then moved down along his neck. Kevin closed his eyes and shuddered and moaned with pleasure. Jason led Kevin toward the bed and gently pushed him down onto it. He continued kissing Kevin as he covered the younger man's body with his and fondled his pelvic region. Jason took hold of the zipper of Kevin's dark blue jeans and pulled it open. He reached in and gently played with Kevin. Kevin moaned louder.
"Do you want me to stop?" whispered Jason.
"No, you bastard," said Kevin. "If you stop, I'll kill you, so help me I will."
Jason smiled and kissed Kevin hard, pushing his tongue into Kevin's mouth and probed inside. Kevin had a sweet mouth and Jason was enjoying it very much.
"You are adorable, you know that?" whispered Jason. "I wanted you the first moment I saw you."
"You mean at the robbery scene?"
"No, before that."
Kevin pushed Jason off of him and sat up.
"What do you mean? When did you ever see me before that?"
"At the city park. When you were disguised as a young woman. I noticed you then, and I saw the fellow about to attack you. I was about to step in to help you, but when I saw you were quite capable of defending yourself, I paused. Then I saw you arrest him. That's when I realized you must have been working undercover on some sort of decoy duty."
Kevin stared at Jason.
"Wow. I had no idea. So you knew I was that same person when you saw me later?"
"Yes. You have an adorable face, Kevin. I couldn't get you out of my mind." Jason kissed Kevin again over and over. "Let's get undressed now, okay? Please?"
Kevin breathed heavily. "I don't know, Jason. I like you, but this is still all new to me."
"We can go slowly, I promise. I just want so much to see you in all your splendid glory, to feel you close to me without any barriers. Please? I promise we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We can just cuddle, if you like. I want to hold you close to me, Kevin. Please? You're so beautiful!"
Kevin looked at Jason's pleading expression.
"I bet you say that to all the cops."
"Just the cute and pretty ones." Jason pulled Kevin close to him again and kissed him passionately.
Kevin sighed and smiled at Jason. "What the hell." He removed his sweater and placed it on the chair. Jason grinned and helped Kevin remove the rest of his clothing.
They were very quiet as they rested afterward. Kevin had one arm wrapped around Jason's waist as they cuddled together in bed. Jason had kept his word. He hadn't tried to make Kevin do anything he didn't want to do. In fact, all Jason did was spend the past hour pleasuring Kevin in ways no woman in Kevin's life had ever been willing to do for him.
Jason's cellular phone rang. He got out of bed to answer it. He looked at the number displayed on the screen.
"Excuse me," he said to Kevin. "I have to take this." He spoke into the phone. "Yes?" Pause. "They did? Are you sure?" Pause. "That's great! Really great." Pause. Looked at Kevin and smiled. "Yes. Thank you very much for telling me. I appreciate it. Merry Christmas. I'll be seeing you soon. Good-bye."
He shut off his phone and put it back into the pocket of his jacket.
"I have to leave now, Kevin. Thanks for letting me stay. I had a great time with you. I mean it." He kissed Kevin and gave him a big hug. "Do you have a pen and notepaper handy? I'll jot down my cell phone number so you can call me later."
Kevin motioned to the nightstand. "Top drawer."
Jason nodded and opened it. He pulled out a pen and a pad of paper. He wrote his cell phone number and placed the paper on top of the nightstand.
"Wish I could stay longer, but I really have to run." Jason quickly got dressed. "Do you want to get together later for dinner?"
"Uh, sure," said Kevin. "Thanks again for the sweater."
"You're welcome. It really does look nice on you. 'Bye." He gave Kevin one more kiss, then rushed out the door, closing it behind him.
Kevin stared at the door. He thought about what just happened with Jason here in his bed. He did have a great time with Jason. Yet this all seemed so surreal.
"He's a criminal, for God's sake!" Kevin said aloud to himself. "What the hell was I doing inviting him into my home and letting him share my bed?"
Then his telephone rang. He picked up the receiver.
It was Captain Richardson telling Kevin to come down to the station right away.
"Merry Christmas to you, too, sir," said Kevin trying to not sound too sarcastic.
"Just haul your butt down here now, Officer Ryan. I can do without any of your attitude."
"Yes, sir. I'm on my way." Kevin hung up the phone. He quickly got dressed.
The snow had stopped falling. Kevin was still a block away from the station when he noticed two men up ahead also going in the same direction toward the police station. He could see their profiles as they turned to speak to each other. Kevin recognized them as Jason and Hook. He was very surprised to see the two men enter the police station. Kevin picked up the pace and followed them.
It was warm inside the station. A huge beautiful Christmas wreath decorated with a big red velvet bow and pine cones hung on the wall. It was the first thing anyone noticed entering the station.
Kevin headed for Captain Richardson's office. Jason and Hook were ahead of him. They were headed for the captain's office.
That's strange, thought Kevin. Are they going to turn themselves in?
Suddenly Jason and Hook stopped. They had seen Kevin in the reflection of the glass door of the captain's office. They turned and smiled at Kevin.
"After you, Officer Ryan," said Hook.
Jason smiled and motioned for Kevin to enter the captain's office first.
Kevin knocked on the door.
"Come in," said the voice inside.
Kevin opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Jason and Hook.
Captain Richardson greeted them. He opened his desk drawer and brought out two items. He handed them to Kevin.
"Kevin, you're no longer suspended. Here are your badge and your gun. Welcome back."
"Thank you, sir. Uh, is there something I should know?" Kevin motioned toward Jason and Hook who were standing by the door.
"Oh, yes. Kevin, I'd like you to meet Detective Lt. Jason Burke and Detective Lt. Hook Walker. They were brought in from San Francisco to work here undercover to infiltrate the robbery gang. We very recently succeeded in busting the entire gang. And we couldn't tell you or anyone else in the station about Burke and Walker because there was a leak somewhere here in the station. Now that leak has been found and arrested."
Kevin stared at Jason and Hook as he absorbed all this news.
"I wasn't really going to shoot you, Kevin," said Hook. "Just had to make it look real in front of the other robbers."
"You okay, Kevin?" asked Jason.
"Uh, sure. Just need a few minutes to take in all of this."
"Captain, we'll be heading back to San Francisco in a few days, now that this operation is complete," said Hook.
"It's been a pleasure working with you two," said the captain. "Merry Christmas. Have a safe trip back."
Kevin left with Jason and Hook.
"I'm going back to the hotel," said Hook. "See you later, Jason."
Jason waved and continued walking with Kevin.
"Undercover? So it was all a pretense?" asked Kevin.
"Not all of it," said Jason. "What happened between us at your place was certainly no pretense. You do believe me, don't you, Kevin?"
Kevin didn't say anything. He just looked at Jason and continued walking back to his apartment building. Jason walked alongside him.
"We're okay, right? I wish I could have told you earlier who I really am, but I had my orders," said Jason.
Kevin still didn't say anything.
They reached his apartment building. Kevin unlocked the door and was about to step into the lobby. Jason stood on the sidewalk and looked at Kevin.
"Aren't you coming in?" asked Kevin smiling at Jason.
Jason grinned. "Try and stop me." He rushed over, threw his arms around Kevin, and they went inside.
