The Men of CLE-FD updated Read online

  She smelled the mint nicotine on his breath. She hated that smell on people. Although, coming from him, it wasn’t as offensive. “I’m flattered you would think I flip men the bird.”

  “Have you ever done it?”

  She laughed. “Yes, I have once or twice, and I am not proud for doing it. So, why are you standing outside holding up the wall?”

  Orlando removed a piece of chewing gum from his pocket. Peeling off the foil, he stuck it in his mouth. “I needed air,” he said offering a piece of gum to Regan.

  She refused the gum and said, “And apparently to smoke. I find it hard to believe you would put toxins in a body you obviously work hard to keep in shape.”

  He nodded. “When I get stressed, I get the urge to smoke. I switched to smokeless cigarettes to battle the bad habit I quit years ago.”

  “I heard those aren’t good for you either.”

  “The verdict is still pending, but these are better than the real thing,” he said with a chuckle.

  She looked up to the night sky. It was dotted with endless stars and a bright full moon. Very little clouds hovered above, and no rain had fallen in weeks. The weather had been perfect for her visit home.

  She shifted the silence that had fallen between them to the weather, a safe topic. “The sky is so beautiful tonight. The weather is perfect for sitting outdoors listening to crickets chirp.”

  “Yeah, it is a nice night. But the dry conditions make for bad fires. We could use a good drenching rain to rehydrate the ground and grass.”

  Regan folded her arms under her chest not pleased with herself for ditching Sherman, but she’d had enough of science chat and wanted to know about the mysterious Orlando Torres. “It’s amazing what you and Anthony do. How can you run into a burning building not knowing what you’re facing on the inside?”

  “People tend to call us heroes, but the secret is we’re usually stoned or drunk,” he said with a sarcastic tongue.

  “I’m serious, Orlando. Don’t you worry about your safety?”

  “Never. I trust my team and their instincts. There is nothing like the rush of pure adrenaline kicking in no sooner than we jump in the trucks and roll out of the firehouse.”

  Regan hesitated acting on the idea bouncing around in her head. Would she come off as too forward? Or, would he take it the wrong way and expect more than the coffee she was offering to buy? She bit the tip of one manicured fingernail trying not to overthink an obvious harmless, but tricky question since they’d just met.

  “Orlando, how would you like to ditch the party and go for coffee? Of course, it will be my treat.” Ohmigod! What if he turns me down? The afterthought of blurting out the request had her shivering in the eighty-degree night heat.

  “You want to ditch your party filled with friends and relatives to have coffee with me? What about Pee Wee Herman? Isn’t he your pre-arranged date?”

  “Anthony is keeping him company. Besides, you were a pre-arranged date, and I’m choosing you to spend the rest of my birthday with. I would love to get to know you better if that is okay with you?” What in heaven’s name is going on? My mouth is running loose before first consulting my brain.

  He rubbed his chest grinning. “You caught me with my mouth open.”

  She flirted openly with him. “Close it before a fly wanders down your throat.”

  He paused and swallowed. “Damn, are you always so quick at making choices?”

  She wiggled her finger. “You will have to get to know me better and find that out for yourself.”

  His deep voice lowered to a spicy drawl. “Now you have me shaking a little. You pack a lot of power in that tiny body of yours.”

  Regan ran a finger down the front of his t-shirt and winked. “Wait here whilst I get my purse and tell my sister I’m leaving.”

  He backed up until he was resting in his original position against the wall. “I’ll be holding up the wall until you get back,” he said with a crooked grin.

  Regan blushed holding her grin inside. She knew he was watching and checking out her behind. The heels of her shoes clicked hard across the concrete ground as she walked. Her ankles felt weak and hoped she wouldn’t fall before making it to the front door of the club.

  Lincoln was standing at the bar. Regan was glad she wouldn’t have to hunt for her sister and risk running into Sherman. “Hey, Lincoln, I’m getting ready to go.”

  “Go? Where are you going?”

  “Orlando and I are going for coffee,” she said unable to contain the excitement in her voice.

  Lincoln’s voice was high when she shrieked. Anyone standing in earshot would hear her over the music. “I knew you two would hit it off.”

  “It’s just coffee, Lincoln.”

  “All right, sister. Are you covered?”

  “Covered for what? I have money if that’s what you mean.”

  “Oh for Pete’s sake, Regan; you have been sheltered by Mark too long. Do you have any condoms? I’m sure Orlando carries some, but to be on the safe side, we have to protect ourselves if the moment arises,” she said digging through her purse and producing a pouch containing condoms. She fished three from inside the pouch handing them to her sister. “This should hold you if he runs out.”

  Regan hurried and covered Lincoln’s hand holding the condoms before anyone could see the multi-colored packages. “Damn, how many do you expect me to use in one night! Besides, I’m not planning on having sex with Orlando. I want to get to know him first.”

  “Oh please. He’s a dreamboat, the moon is full, which means the freak in you should come out, and you’ve been dry for how long? Here, take all of them just in case a little somethin’ does jump off.”

  Regan sucked her teeth taking the condoms and tucking them under the flap of her purse. “These won’t be necessary because nothing is going to happen.” She turned to leave and stopped. “Oh, don’t wait up for me; I might get home really late.”

  Lincoln laughed and gave her the played out three finger-snap. “You go girl!”

  Regan questioned her sanity. She was leaving a place filled with people she knew to spend an evening with a man she knew nothing about. Her common sense angel could not override the bad girl angel screaming in her ear to take that handsome firefighter, and have an adventurous night of fun with him.

  Chapter Four

  Orlando spread the blanket on the dry grass evenly. He kept blankets and other emergency supplies in the trunk of his car as a precaution. Nothing had happened to him personally, but a fellow firefighter had come across an accident on his day off during bad weather. Because of the stash of emergency supplies he carried in his truck, he was able to assist the injured until help arrived.

  Once he had the blanket situated to his liking, he took the tray of coffee and pastries from Regan and set it carefully on the ground. He watched her take off her shoes and sit on the blanket folding her legs behind her. The dress was snug around her thighs as she tucks it under her.

  He was getting slightly aroused watching her and overheating in the dark clothing he had chosen to wear. Who wears heavy black clothing in the dead of summer? He said to himself wishing he could shed the t-shirt. Only he would do that and now he was sweating like a horny pig in a blanket.

  Orlando was a man with a healthy sexual appetite he’d put on ice. Lately though he’d been starving for female attention and didn’t know why. Nothing in his routine had changed and he had not been out partying until tonight. It was his own fault his sexual needs weren’t properly fed. He could have any woman he wanted with a snap of a finger, but his anger towards his ex-wife ruined his sex life and his attitude towards life in general.

  Back in the day, he’d broken many women’s hearts using the love ‘em and leave ‘em tactic. When he joined the fire department, his quality for doing that intensified. Maggie was the one woman to rope him into a solid relationship. She had tricked and deceived him into believing something wonderful had come from their affair. When in hindsight it hadn’t. Th
e marriage lasted two years, but he started loathing her six months into the marriage before finally filing for divorce.

  He sat on the blanket crossing his legs as he lay back using his elbows to support his upper body weight. The sky was glowing with billions of stars as Regan had pointed out earlier. They ended up on the grassy knoll overlooking the cliffs of Lake Erie after the coffee shop closed kicking them out.

  Regan sucked in a breath. “It is beautiful here. Do you come here often with your dates?”

  “Nah. I come here alone to clear my head sometimes.”

  She fingered strands of hair from her face. The fragile hairdo had served its purpose and was flopping strands at a time to settle around her face. “I see why. If it’s this peaceful during the day, I would never leave.”

  Orlando sat up taking a coffee cup from the cardboard tray. That’s right drink a steaming hot cup of coffee while you’re already sweating to death…moron. He ignored the voice and asked. “Was Lincoln mad you left?”

  “She practically jumped out of her shoes when I told her I was leaving with you.”

  He blew his breath over the hot liquid cooling it down. “That’s strange given she doesn’t know me that well. We’ve only met a couple of times.”

  Regan mimicked him blowing on her coffee. “She trusts Anthony’s judgment. Anyhow, should I be afraid I am alone in the dark with you?”

  “You should always be leery of strangers,” he said drinking the coffee and staring blankly ahead. He had no idea why he brought her to his spot. This was where he came to meditate on what was going on in his life or to unwind after a hard shift ended.

  Regan removed the last of the hairpins to let her hair fall short of her shoulders. “You’re not scaring me, Orlando. If I didn’t feel comfortable with you, I would have stayed at the club and let Sherman put me in a coma.”

  He looked at her. Her hair that was pinned tightly to the crown of her head earlier had fallen and now framed her oval face. Soft brown eyes, a perfect straight nose and full lips curled in a confident smile, took his breath away. Flawless brown skin smoothed over slender shoulders and muscular, but feminine arms. She was as pretty as he remembered minus the blood and bruises. Stop looking at her like that; you’re not looking for a relationship. Who’s talking about a relationship? Looking never hurt anyone.

  He stopped arguing with himself and answered, “I’ve never had to revive a person in a coma so it’s good you left.”

  “I feel badly I left my sister to suffer in his company, but she is resourceful and will figure how to get away from him.” She joined him in looking at the stars. “How good are you at naming constellations?”

  She had moved the cup holder sitting between them and scooted closer. He got a better whiff of her perfume; it smelled expensive and sweet. His eyes traveled down the front of her dress to rest on the view of her cleavage. She was holding well in that department too. Regan’s bare leg touched his thigh and he felt a rush of blood travel to his manhood. His jeans were relax-fit and if she made another move, he wouldn’t be able to hide what she was doing to his libido.

  He cleared his throat dragging his eyes from her breasts and to the stars above. “I can name the big and little dippers other than that, you have to get the science guy to gaze stars with you.”

  “I’m not interested in him,” she said using a finger to trace his lower lip.

  In a swift move that caught him off balance, Regan jumped on his lap attaching her lips to his. Her soft tongue entered his mouth, probing with aggressiveness. His arms braced against the hard ground to support his weight. It was also a way to keep his hands off her luscious firm body. The way she grinded her body against him caused him to bloom into a full erection—a painful erection.

  He fought the urge to have his way with her. It didn’t feel right to him. The move was too assertive for a woman like her. She would not have to throw herself at a man. Her personality and beauty would make a man bow at her feet.

  Her lips slid across his, nipping him with her teeth. Her hands traveled his body. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t take advantage of her when it was obvious something else going on in her head.

  Orlando moved his head away breaking their contact. “Whoa, Regan—what is going on?”

  “Come on, Lieutenant, you’re not new at this. Don’t you find me attractive?”

  She attempted to resume the foreplay. He had to hold her by the shoulders to get her to listen to him. “I find you very attractive but I’m not about to jump your bones like a dog in heat. At least let me buy you dinner first.”

  She stopped and rolled over on the blanket standing to her feet quickly. “What am I doing? I feel like an idiot attacking you,” she said closing her arms around her body.

  Orlando let her walk away putting space between them. When she reached the edge of the cliff, he went to her. “You are not an idiot. I am maybe, but not you.”

  “I’m sorry, Orlando. This is not who I am.” She sat on a rock burying her face in her hands.

  “He knelt in front of her. “So tell me who you are, Regan.”

  She curled her fingers into her palm to create a pedestal for her chin to rest. “I’m a thirty-two year old divorcee whose world has crumbled and I don’t know where to start to rebuild it. I convinced myself to be free and wild and throw caution to the wind for my birthday, but I’m not the type of person that would do that. I have to have structure in my life.”

  He didn’t want to laugh in her time of pity, but he couldn’t help himself. “Ah, so you’re pretending to be a sex-starved maniac? That is funny.”

  “This is not funny! Anyway, you don’t understand because you’re a man. Men will close their eyes and do anything that breathes as long as it is female and willing.”

  “Well damn,” he said sitting back on his legs. “To you I guess all men are nothing but dogs. Not all of are that way and I think I just proved that you.”

  Regan rubbed her arms and bashfully looked at Orlando. “That was a mistake to say that about all men. You are being a perfect gentleman.”

  “Regan, I understand being lonely, but this game you’re playing is dangerous. What if I had taken the bait? Would you feel any different about yourself if we’d had sex five minutes after meeting each other? Somehow, I don’t think you would’ve felt good about yourself if you’d done that. I could tell you were forcing it.”

  “Please don’t lecture me. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

  “I’m not trying to lecture or embarrass you but warn you about the dangerous men in this world who prey on lonely women. Hell, we have plenty of them in the city of Cleveland. You gotta be careful.”

  “I know it was stupid. This is my first birthday without my husband and I guess I was trying to cover the pain. Even though I hate his guts, I miss him for some reason today.”

  “Let me assure you, it gets easier as time passes.”

  “You’re divorced?” She asked.

  “Yeah. That’s how I know what you’re going through.”

  “God, I don’t know how to start over with meeting someone and then dating and doing what I just tried to do to you. This was not part of the plan when I got married. It was supposed to last forever.”

  Orlando stood up stretching. It was late and he was tired after working a full shift. “Well life goes on after divorce. There is nothing saying you won’t meet another man and get married again. Just be careful about the men you choose to date.”

  “Orlando, may I ask you a question?”

  “Go for it.”

  “Are you bitter?”

  He narrowed his brow knowing she could fully see his expression under the bright moonlight. “Why would you ask me that? Do I act like a bitter person?”

  “Well, you seem a little stand-offish. Inside the club before we danced you made the first move, but now that we are alone I feel as though I am doing all the work to get to know you.”

  He ran his hand over his short-cut hair. “I’m not bitter. M
y divorce was nasty and it did harden me a bit, but I’m not bitter at all. Honestly, I didn’t think I was being elusive about myself either; I guess I’m not that exciting of a person.”

  “Okay,” she said walking to the blanket and putting on her shoes.

  “Wait, did I say something wrong?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t meddle in anyone’s business but my own. If you don’t want to talk about yourself, I understand.”

  He heard his voice grow loud in the quiet night air. “Hey, you asked me a question and I answered it. I’m a nice guy with a few issues I’m working on, albeit slowly but I’m working on them. Regan, really, I’m not trying to be a jerk.”

  “I gotcha,” she said folding the blanket in half. “I cast no stones since it is clear I have major problems of my own.”

  Orlando was losing control and he didn’t like losing control or his cool. “Wait. Why don’t we start over? I might come off a little rough around the edges, but that’s me. I’m blunt. I say what is on my mind and don’t lie to spare anyone’s feelings.”

  Regan shook her head. “Was that the cause of your divorce?”

  “So you are assuming my divorce was my fault?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You implied it.” He closed his eyes taking in a deep breath. “Forget it. I’ll take you home if you are ready. I worked a full shift today and I’m a little tired. Maybe that’s why I seem cranky to you.”

  “Fine, you can take me home,” she said storming to the car.

  He exhaled tapping his fist against his forehead. Women! No wonder I’m staying the hell away from ‘em.

  *****

  The next morning Regan got up before Lincoln and Anthony. She assumed Anthony spent the night since Lincoln had placed blankets, a pillow, and her nightgown on the sofa. She only did that when Anthony stayed the night. Otherwise, they shared the bedroom that had two twin-size beds.

  Going into the spare bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was pale after a restless night’s sleep. She’d spent the night journaling where she’d gone wrong with Orlando. Attacking him was a major mistake and one she wished she could erase from her memory. He could have easily had sex with her or tossed her off the cliff, but he did neither. Instead, he took the time to explain why he didn’t take advantage of her.