#onechance

Give to yourself the self inspiration, and self love and care. Be happy.

They had two days, two days before Flip went to the first in-person meeting with the Klansman that Ron had been talking with on the phone. The team prepared with diligence, they looked up the name that the guy on the phone had given Ron, the bar he asked Ron to meet him at, went over the transcripts of their conversations over and over again, debated on what the contingency plans would be, how to get Flip out of there if anything went wrong, best and worst outcomes.  

The hours were grueling and demanding, they often didn’t stop for long, even when they took breaks. The team worked from early in the morning to late into the night. The conversations were peppered with humor and were always interesting, food was shared and Coffee flowed like a river. Ron was funny and level-headed, a little too invested in the case but it was hard not to be. They bonded well, over the anxiety, ambition, hunger, lack of sleep and tiring hours. It felt like they had always known each other like this wasn’t new.  

Lola felt exhausted from just doing all the research and thinking, she couldn’t imagine how Flip felt. He was hard to read, complex because he swung from being serious, guarded and private to friendly, funny and suddenly opening up when you least expected it. She stared at him, lost in her analysis of him, the dark hair that wove around his head, wild and crazy, the expressive eyes, the long nose, and the fullest lips she had ever seen on a man. He wore warm, comfortable flannel plaid shirts with jeans that highlighted his broad shoulders, and long, muscled legs. He was attractive, to say the least. Lola tried to not to think about that. She was here with a purpose and being able to work on this case was an absolute treat, the fact that the officer working the case was a complete dreamboat was just an added bonus.  

She forced herself to drag her eyes away from him and refocus on her task. Reading and re-reading the local files for any details she missed on Walter. The decision that Lola wouldn’t go with Ron and Jimmy was not her favorite, but she was a researcher, not a cop. She would only be a burden and a liability without the proper training. She would have to wait till the next day to know what happened but Ron promised to call her if something went wrong.  

She looked at the clock and realized that it was time to get going. She motioned to Jimmy and they silently rose to bring in the mic and tape system. The team was quiet now, minds occupied by the impending events of the night.  

They were in a small room, the door closed, each lost in their own thoughts until Jimmy made a joke and broke the tension. Lola walked up to the Flip who was sitting on the desk with the mic and a piece of tape in her hand.  He looked up slowly, surprised to see her in front of him. Their eyes locked, as he slowly unbuttoned his red flannel. She looked at him with renewed interest as she stepped even closer, she could smell the clean smell of aftershave, and the oil that he used to tend to his gun holster that was now on the table. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of the man who she tried not to be attracted to. When she opened her eyes, she noted that he was looking at her with equal interest.  

He peeled off the shirt off of his back and sat on the table in his undershirt without moving. She put her hand flat on his chest as an anchor and started sticking the mic to his chest. The board muscles under her palm tempted her to move her hand, touch him more, explore his expansive chest and shoulders but she took a deep breath to steady herself. Her mind screaming at her to act nonchalant even though her body wanted more.  

She suddenly remembered all the times his fingers lingered on hers as they passed papers and files, how he looked at her every day when she came in and always talked to her immediately when he noticed another officer looking at her, how he had asked every day if she needed a ride home and dropped her home when she said yes. The funny jokes he made as they worked together and the seriousness in his work when he focused on it. She suddenly felt scared. Scared for him. Her fingers brushed the attached mic and his chest one more time even as she told herself to stop touching him.

Their eyes met again. Fear bloomed in her. What if something happened to him tonight? Something happened to him before she could see if they had a chance. Oh no. In a rush, she realized that she had a crush on Flip and never acted on it and now he was going to walk out of this room on an undercover operation infiltrating a group of dangerous people.  

Lola took several steps back as she slowed her thoughts and tried to figure out a way to do something without giving too much away. The team broke up after a quick discussion and reiteration of the plans.  

Ron left to load up the covert listening system into his car, Flip walked to the door, trying not to think of her warm and soft fingers brushing over his shirt for that little extra second that seemed too short to him. He tried to still his thoughts, a cold numb feeling taking over him as he knew that the next few hours depended on him being collected and in control.  

“Flip?” her voice cut through his thoughts.  He turned around wishing he could say something to her. He wanted to talk to her a little more, ask her out maybe? Hell, he didn’t have time to date, between leading investigations for the intelligence team and remembering to feed himself, he never really cared for relationships with women. He had sex with a girl who was a waitress at a local pub once in a while but that was just sex. No strings attached. Lola’s bold humor, loud laughs, big dark eyes and curvaceous body with her long legs made him want to touch her and see her more.  

“Do you want to get some Coffee and Donuts sometime? Just you and me?” She asked looking a little unsure of herself.  

“Coffee and Donuts?” Say yes, not ask questions his mind screamed at him as the words left his mouth.

“I heard rumors that it was the preferred cuisine” She smirked at him.

He burst out laughing. He opened his mouth to respond, mildly surprised that she had asked him out but loving that she had. He was always direct about his thoughts and appreciated the same from other people.  

Jimmy cut in. “Maybe not the best idea to be seen with someone who looks like you while he tries to join the Klan?” He said it in a friendly tone but Lola’s face dropped. For a second a different Lola came to surface. Eyes filled with pain and lips trembling as her teeth bit down, her face crumpled. Then just as quickly a carefully doctored mask replaced the raw emotion Flip witnessed. A new smile, tight and without the ease of her usual smile stretched on her face. She nodded.  

“Of course.” it was barely a whisper but she turned away before Flip could say anything.

“Best of luck boys! I’ll see you tomorrow” she announced cheerily as she walked out of the room.

Flip cursed under her breath, this wasn’t the right time for this but he hated the glimpse of pain that he saw her face.  

He hadn’t ever thought about how the color of a woman’s skin could dictate who she could be with. He shook his head as he felt a sliver of the pain she felt.  

Flip let out a long sigh, he was in his truck driving back home, the joining form for the KKK nestled in the pocket of his jeans and it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He was giving that damn thing to Ron the first chance he got the next morning. The whole encounter shook Flip, he worked with the gory and the gruesome on a day to day basis but never encountered so much hate in one night. He felt drained, the beers he drank in the bar with those racist assholes did nothing to calm his mind or heart. Suddenly he felt a huge weight settle on his chest, he couldn’t shake it off or let it go. He was wound up too tight, emotions flooded his mind, something that seldom happened.  The slurs, the cruelty, the hate for people, people like Ron, people like Lola and most surprisingly people like him.  

Lola! He replayed what happened at the station in his mind, her face, dammit. He took a different turn, swerving off the path to his ranch-style house in a more secluded part of the town. He drove the rest of the way lost in his thoughts and only realized what he was doing as he rang the doorbell.

A small woman with short brown hair and a friendly face opened the door almost immediately, she looked at him quizzically.  

He felt stupider by the minute, he didn’t even know what time it was.  

“Umm, I’m here for Lola?” he asked uncertainly of what was happening.  

The door opened wider and the woman turned around and walked into the house, not waiting for him to follow.  

“Are you the guy she works with?” She asked voice pleasant.

He nodded not knowing what to say.  

“Lola’s upstairs in her bedroom” she walked away towards the kitchen, sizzling sounds filled the air as an aroma freshly cooked food wafted through the open doorway.  

Flip looked around for the stairs, feeling more and more stupid. He scaled the short flight of stairs two at a time and looked up and down the landing, soft music played from one of the rooms that had its door half open. He felt an odd thrill of excitement, more excited than anything he felt lately and knocked as the voice of Aretha Franklin flowed from the room.

“Come in” Lola yelled over the music.

He entered wishing he had said something more to make sure she knew it was him. Well too late now.  

There was a burst of color that was everywhere in her room, posters, plants, Knick-knacks, and books covered the surfaces and a queen bed with colorful bedding sat against the wall and Lola was laying down in the middle of it with a book in front of her. The pastel-colored cotton nightgown contrasted beautifully with her deep skin tone, her hair was flowing down to touch the sheets and her eyes were focused on the page.

“Is dinner ready?" She mumbled. When she didn’t get an answer, she looked up and gasped as surprise filled her eyes. She jumped off the bed and grabbed a robe that was hanging off the wall on the hook and quickly draped it around her curvy body and fastened it.  

Flip just stood still, watching, not knowing what to say, he had come because he was emotionally drained after the events of the night. He wanted to be with her, laugh at her clever jokes and take his mind off of work. That’s what he told himself. Looking at her bare long legs, he could think of a hundred other reasons why he was in her bedroom.  

“Hey” he murmured trying to figure out what to say.  

She moved to him, with long strides, “Hey, is everything okay? Are you okay?” her concern overwhelmed him, after blocking all his feeling for most of the night, emotions came at him like angry swirls of hot water barraging a dam wall. He broke, face filling with emotion as he stepped into her path. She hugged him and it felt natural. He sunk into it, letting her warm soft body comfort him. Her hands reached around him and rested on his back. She stood still letting him regain control of himself. He could smell her now, a clean, fresh citrusy scent that infiltrated his senses. He buried his head in her hair.  

“Yeah, I just wanted to come to see you,” he told her, hoping that it would be enough.  

She nodded understanding. It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t been thinking about him.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was going to say yes. For the coffee and donuts”  

She pulled back from the hug and moved away, he missed her instantly.  

“Maybe it's not a good idea, you heard what Jimmy said” she added the last part looking away from him.  

“Since when did you let a middle-aged white man tell you what to do?” the humor in his voice making Lola laugh.

“I would hate for anything bad to happen to you because of me.”

“That is my line. I’m the secretive cop”

She smiled at him, the walls she set up around her melting.  

“Are you sure?” she still sounded a little unsure.  

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you out but am glad you asked first.”

“Why? Because you would never ask otherwise?” They both burst out laughing.

They went down to eat, Flip met Lola’s roommate, Roxie and enjoyed the simple pasta dinner with them. The conversation flowed, the women were educated, witty and funny. Flip found himself relaxed and at ease for the first time that night. They teased each other about the classes they took, their friends and the people in their lives.  

Hours later when she walked him to the door, the harrowing events of the night seemed a little less scarring. They stood in the empty room, in dull light, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He knew he had to leave but didn’t want to leave and he couldn’t get his feet moving out of the door.  

She suddenly seemed nervous as well, unable to think of words to fill this magical moment that stretched between them, when Flip leaned in, Lola reminded herself to breathe just as his warm lips touched hers. That was the last thought she had for the next several minutes.  

Fireworks went off in Flip’s head as her soft lips molded to his, she was in his arms, he let his hands rest on her hips as he entwined himself in her smell, her hair, and her soft body. He kissed her slowly at first, exploring, her sweet taste flooded his senses and he needed more.  

He pushed at her lips with his tongue and she opened her mouth for him, dipping her head back with a small mewl that zapped his body into hyperfocus. He explored every inch of her mouth languidly, with his tongue and lips. She moved in his arms, unable to stay still while this stallion of a man uncovered her inch by inch. Her responsiveness was the answer that he was looking for. He walked her back, not breaking the kiss, not letting her go until her back hit a wall.  

He broke the kiss then, moving his lips to her jaw, kissing as he explored her soft skin. She mewled again low and soft, he pulled back to see her eyes closed, lips parted, and trying to catch her breath.

He dragged his warm lips from her jaw to her neck and kissed and nibbled on her soft glowing skin as he moved down till he hit her collarbone. He couldn’t stop, not after he got her taste swimming in his head. He felt her arch against the wall for him, her face moving to the side to give him more room to find the treasures he knew only she would hold for him now. She didn’t know how to respond, no words formed in her head so she wrapped one leg around his hip. He loved it, loved how close to him she was, trapped between him and the hard wall, he moved his arm to help her wrap her other leg around his hips and just like that she was off the ground.  

His hands fisted in her sides as he pinned her against him and explored her body, lips moving further and further south. His fingers brushed her soft and supple breast and heard her gasp.  

His lips, tongue, and teeth attacked her with renewed passion. She moaned soft and sensual, the feminine sound drove him crazy.