Part 18 (1/2)

I'll see you tomorrow.” She turned back to James. ”I'll follow you home now.”

”Wait a minute. Walk in a straight line,” James told her.

”What? Not you as well. I'm not drunk!”

”Please, just humor me.”

Mitch wondered why James was paying particular attention to the way Janet walked. No, surely he's not looking for signs of-d.a.m.n, that Ryden boy sure was protective. He didn't blame him.

Janet paced ten yards then back again. ”See?”

”Just had to check. Maybe I overreacted. Just make sure that you do treat her right, Mitch.”

Mitch nodded and James turned to head home, but didn't resist a parting comment.

”Oh, and, Deputy, do up your fly.”

f.u.c.k.

135.

Chapter 8.

The first thing Janet wanted to do when she woke up at 6:45 a.m.

was to call Mitch. She knew that he had finished his night s.h.i.+ft at 6:00 a.m. and should therefore still be awake. Sitting up in bed she dialed his number. He answered on the second ring.

”Hey, Janet. I was just thinking about you. I wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet so I planned on waiting until eight.”

”Aren't you tired?”

”Yeah, but I wanted to speak to you before catching some Zs. Are you okay, babe?”

It was typical of Mitch to put her comfort before his own. He may look like a WWE wrestler, but he was all heart.

”I'm fine, although something interesting happened last night. I was stopped by a cop on my way home from Rachael's.”

”Is that so?” He sounded amused.

”Yes. He was a big and mean and he made an inappropriate search of my person. It was police hara.s.sment. I'm thinking about laying charges.” She fought hard to keep her voice level and not laugh.

”I'm thinking about laying you.”

She giggled. ”Me, too. It took me a while to get to sleep last night.”

”I think that I'm gonna have the same problem. Look, I'll call you later this afternoon about tonight.”

”Okay. Sweet dreams.”

She was thrilled at the prospect of seeing him and of finally being with him. At least today she could keep herself busy so that the time would pa.s.s quickly.

136.

Next, Janet called Joshua. She wanted to tell him about Rachael's predicament and hoped that he could help. Janet knew that Rachael wouldn't ask for help herself. She was far too independent to do that.

She also guessed that Rachael didn't know the extent of Joshua's influence in business and agricultural circles. If anyone could help, it was her big brother. Unfortunately, Joshua didn't pick up his phone.

She tried a few more times with no success, so she decided to seek out James in the meantime and start learning more about the family business, hoping that Joshua would call back as soon as he could.

The early morning Wednesday meeting had dragged. It was noon before Joshua could check his BlackBerry for any messages. He saw that there were several missed calls from Janet and immediately called back. He listened quietly while she told him about the Crossling situation and Rachael's problem with the Veterinary a.s.sociation.

”I'm sorry to disturb you at work, but I thought you'd want to know. I've seen the way you are together, and I know that she's becoming important to you.”

”She is. Thanks for letting me know. I'll call Colin and see what can be done. Don't mention this to Rachael.”

He'd be d.a.m.ned before he let Crossling hurt Rachael's professional reputation. He knew how important it was to her. He also knew that he was acting out of self-interest. If Rachael couldn't practice in Texas, she may think about leaving, and he didn't know if their fledgling relations.h.i.+p was strong enough yet to keep her here without her work. It was time to call in a few favors and secure Rachael's position.

137.

Mitch had managed to get a few hours sleep, but he was unsettled and couldn't get his mind off Janet. Her revelation last night had shocked him because he had a.s.sumed that she had lost her virginity long ago. Her brothers were not exactly slackers in that department, and he again had a.s.sumed that she had few inhibitions regarding s.e.x.

Well, it appeared she had one-him. Janet had waited for him and that made him feel ten feet tall and worried at the same time. He was not a small man, and he knew from experience that his c.o.c.k was much thicker than average. How was he going to make love to Janet, a virgin, and not hurt her? He decided to do some Google research.

Mitch found a lot of information on the subject. It appeared that, for some women, the first time could be painful, and there would be blood when the hymen torn, but for others there was no pain at all, particularly those who had been active cycling or horse riding because the hymen was already broken. The more that he read, the more he realized that all women were different but that lots of foreplay and lubrication were always recommended. Well, at least he could do that.

He loved to do that, but it still didn't solve the issue of his size. Even if she weren't a virgin, his girth would still be a problem but less so because her muscles would have already been stretched. With male logic, he reasoned that they needed to begin with something smaller than his d.i.c.k. Obviously, a vibrator or d.i.l.d.o of some kind would be ideal but there was a snag. He didn't have one and, as deputy of police, he sure as h.e.l.l wasn't waltzing into the local s.e.x shop to acquire one. He racked his brain for a solution. What could he use that would progressively stretch her with the minimum of discomfort? He grabbed his keys and headed out to the grocery store.

By late afternoon, Janet had finished making notes about some of the new things she had learned that day. She decided that there was definitely material here that she could use in her last a.s.signment, 138 scheduled for the end of April before the final examinations. She could kill two birds with one stone: learn more about the family business and get good research done for her studies.

She closed her laptop, sighing because she had found it hard to concentrate, her thoughts constantly returning to Mitch and what they were planning to do that night. She was excited and a little nervous, not because she wasn't ready-she was most definitely ready-but because she realized that Mitch was a big man. The only way it wasn't going to hurt was if he couldn't get it in. If I'd known, I might have gone out and got myself laid in preparation. But even as she thought it, she knew it wasn't true. Lots of boys had expressed an interest, but she had never wanted to make love to any of them; all she thought about was the deputy, with his gun belt strapped on and his tight, s.e.xy trousers. Just as she was daydreaming about him again, her cell rang, and it was Mitch.

”Hi, Jan, you okay? Still on for tonight?” He sounded almost anxious.

”Absolutely. Did you get some sleep?”

”Some, but I've been a bit preoccupied.”

”Oh, really? Funnily enough, so have I.”

He chuckled. ''Do you want me to come and pick you up?”

”No, I'll head out at six o'clock. I can't wait to see you.”