#hellacosima

“Deep breaths, Alison. You’ve got this.”

Alison Hendrix inhaled deeply, her lips pursed into a pout as she held her breath before exhaling slowly. Brushing off imaginary lint from her black blazer, she straightened up, her back ramrod straight before striding through the opened glass door, exuding confidence with each step.

Her hand methodically came up to brush at her bangs while her high ponytail swished from side to side; each strand of her deep burnish copper locks immaculately in place. Pausing by the barred window of the reception, Alison cleared her throat lightly to catch the attention of the officer on duty.

“I am here for the secretary position?” She asked, her tone brusque.

“One sec.” The early forties, female officer held up a hand while she picked up her desk phone. “I’ve got another applicant for you.” The officer spoke into the receiver as she gave Alison the once over, taking in the myriad of earthy colours of her blouse beneath her blazer and tucked into her dark slacks. “Yeah. Alright.” The receiver was set down with a snap and the officer returned her scrutinising gaze to Alison.

“Head on down the hall. First door on your left.” She instructed and returned to her paperwork without waiting for an acknowledgement.

Alison wrinkled her nose in mild disdain at the gruff dismissal, almost on the verge of giving the officer a lecture on customer service but thought better of it at the last moment. Her lips pressed into a thin line and with a huff, she made her way down the hall, fastidiously ignoring the curious stares sent her way.

Raising her fist, Alison knocked gently and pushed the wooden door open; promptly stopping dead in her tracks. A woman, not much older than she was, stood leaning over several opened files scattered across the wooden conference table. Dark brown hair fell in a cascade, framing a face with minimal makeup that attempted to hide the dark circles beneath the brunette’s eyes. Slim fingers danced across the folders, flipping the beige cover shut and shuffling them into a pile. The black long-sleeve, form fitting top clung to each curve, further accentuating the brunette’s slender frame and Alison found herself really liking the colour black for once. Not on her of course, she very much preferred bright colours like pink. But black might just be her new favourite.

“Hi, I’m Detective Childs and I’ll be your interviewer. Close the door, will you?” Beth greeted without glancing up, her attention focused on skimming the resume in her hands as she slumped into her seat.

Alison mutely did as told, her mind completely blanked out from the stunning vision of the detective. Detective Childs, Alison decided, was far too beautiful to be coop up in a dingy police station or out on the streets putting away criminals. But perhaps it was that fragile beauty that endeared the detective so much more in Alison’s mind.

“I’m Detective Bell, as my partner has so considerately mentioned.” Art chimed in sarcastically, a brief glint of amusement flickering in his eyes as Alison jumped at his words, clearly just noticing his presence in the furthest corner of the room.

Beth rolled her eyes. Art can be so infuriating at times and she really did not need his self-assured remarks right now. They had been interviewing candidates all day for the damn secretary position. Normally, she would be the one sorting through files and making copies but with the new serial murderer case, they were ridiculously backlogged on paperwork and desperately needed someone to sort the reports to its respective crime file. What with the sensitivity of the work, the pool of prospective candidates had been rather limited and they were down to their last candidate after Art, being the dipshit he is, had so conveniently scared off everyone else through sheer intimidation.

“So, Miss Hendrix. Tell me about your past work experience.” Beth asked, the question ingrained into her memory from the numerous time she had repeated it that day. Her eyes flicked towards the relevant section on Alison Hendrix’s resume that she was perusing, waiting for the inadvertent verbal regurgitation.

There was a long pause and mildly annoyed, Beth finally glanced up at her interviewee.

Blood rushed to her ears, when Beth met Alison’s gaze; her mind barely registering that her interviewee appeared to have gone into a state of shock, vibrantly painted red lips slightly parted, eyes widened to saucers. It was at least another ten seconds before Beth recovered enough to compose herself. Nerves were something that she was quite familiar with and it would be a lot easier for her pounding heart to treat this interview as a casual interrogation.

“Alison, may I call you Alison?” Beth began gently, smiling when the brunette nodded her assent. “This is just a casual chat, alright? I – we just want to get to know you and see how well you fit in with our needs, yeah?” She smiled again in encouragement, resisting the urge to grin when Alison visibly relaxed.

“So, let’s try again. Tell me about yourself, Alison.”

Alison swallowed the lump in her throat, willing herself to recall the response that she had spent the better part of yesterday and the day before preparing for. Her voice came out a little shriller than she anticipated and she blushed furiously before reciting her well-scripted answer.

Beth stared, occasionally doing the obligatory nod or hum as she pretended to listen. She was paying attention, not to the context behind Alison’s words, but to the sound of the brunette’s voice and the way those plump lips moved. She could feel Art’s questioning gaze burning holes into the side of her head but she resolutely ignored her partner. Alison could be sprouting gibberish for all she cared; she had already made her decision to offer the brunette the job. It wouldn’t be too hard to convince Art; on paper, Alison was by far the best candidate they had and if she was as competent as her resume states, there would be no problems. Except for the glaringly obvious fact that Beth wanted very much to leap across the conference table and press Alison against the furniture.

“That’s good to hear, Alison.” Beth commented after Alison had finished elaborating on her achievements during her previous employment. “Just a few questions, if you don’t mind. I noticed you did not include any personal details in your resume. I’m sure you understand the confidentiality required in this position and I am obligated to ask if you are able to abide by them. This means no discussion of any case, closed or active with your spouse, partner or family. Will you be able to do that?” Beth tilted her head as she regarded Alison, desperately wishing that the brunette will take the bait and disclose her current marital status.

“Yes, of course. There’s no spouse or partner in the picture. It’s just me.” Alison rambled, mentally berating herself for disclosing unnecessary details about her personal life. Then again, wasn’t that what the gorgeous detective was really asking?

Beth grinned, already doing a mental fist pump in triumph. “Great, great. That’s all from me then.” She turned to Art, who had been silently observing the exchange with an amused smirk on his face. “Anything to add, Art?” She glared daggers at her partner, daring him to speak.

To his credit, Art simply shook his head.

“Great. Fantastic.” Beth gushed, well aware that her ears were burning under Alison’s intense gaze. “Could you give us a minute while I confer with my partner?”

Alison nodded and literally bolted from the room, the door hissing shut behind her.

“That was very entertaining.” Art remarked, causally crossing his feet by the ankles on the table. “I was almost certain the both of you were going to rip off each other’s clothes what with all the eye-fucking going on.”

“I was not eye-fucking her.” Beth replied tersely, grateful that her hair hid her blazing ears.

“Really? You can’t fool me, rookie. I’ve been on the force much longer than you. Your sexual frustration is rolling off you in waves.”

“Are we really going to discuss my sex life, Art? While we are at it, do you want a full statement from me with dates included as well?” Beth sighed exasperatedly. “I know I’ve been a real pain to work with after the whole deal with Paul went south, but I’m working on it, alright?”

“Well, I’m sure Miss Hendrix wouldn’t mind being of assistance. I’ll leave you to tell her the good news.” Art winked and rose from his seat, slipping out of the room and leaving Beth to flush a brilliant crimson.

It takes two to eye-fuck and seeing that Art’s observation skills were unparalleled…that could only mean one thing.

xxx

Alison practically hyperventilated as she waited outside the conference room. Her nails were digging into the underside of the chair she was seated in, her right knee bouncing from the adrenaline still coursing through her body. Truth be told, she couldn’t remember a single thing about the interview; she wouldn’t be entirely surprised if she had completely messed it up. Detective Childs was simply too distracting. Now that she had a moment to herself, she wasn’t certain if she wanted this job anymore. Sure it was definitely a huge step up for a recent college graduate from babysitting and she could certainly use the money. But that would mean spending a minimum of eight hours at least five days a week in close proximity with a certain brunette with eyes that seemed to shine with mirth.

The door to the conference room clicked opened and Alison jerked in her seat, sitting up straighter, her posture relaxing slightly when Art emerged from the room and offered her a smile before disappearing around a corner. Alison slumped back in her seat only to sit up again when the door swung opened once more.

Beth’s smiling face greeted her and Alison found herself giddily returning the smile as she rose from her seat.

“Congratulations. You got the job.” The detective flashed a dazzling smile that lit up her eyes as she held out a hand and Alison had to fight the stupid grin from stretching across her face.

Taking the detective’s outstretched hand, Alison shook it firmly; both women holding on a little too long. A passing officer interrupted their moment and they simultaneously pulled away, Alison taking the brief respite to nervously wring her hands while Beth tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh, I’ve got some paperwork that you can take home with you to fill up. Just bring them back in on Monday.” Beth held out a thin folder, a small shiver racing up her spine as Alison’s fingers brushed against hers before closing over the folder.

“Thank you, Detective Childs.” Alison murmured, averting her gaze.

“Beth.” Beth interjected, eliciting a shy nod from Alison. “So, uh. How about you let me buy you a drink in celebration?”

“That – that’d be nice, Beth.”

Alison let the detective lead her out of the stuffy police station and towards a dark sedan.

Monday was a long way away and they had a whole weekend to get fully acquainted. Alison had never been one to experience much sexual attraction to another individual; the idea of getting intimate with a person almost repulsive. But that was the old Alison. This Alison couldn’t wait to throw caution to the wind and discover for herself just what makes Beth Childs tick.