The Men of CLE-FD updated (24 page)

Mark stretched. “Well, I’m going to take off if you’re okay?”

“Mark, thank you again.  I’m sorry I was mean to you at lunch.  You never know when your time is up and should always be kind to others.”

“That was a close call.  I was going to skip out of town without saying anything to my family.  I think I will give them a visit before I leave.”

May one of these tree branches fall and strike me on the head for asking him this, but he did help me through a crisis
.   She fiddled with a spot on her blouse and asked.  “Have you called Naomi?  You should let her know what happened and that you are okay.”

“I will do that later.  I don’t want her to worry her in her condition.  Regan, this was a wakeup call.  I need a vacation and somewhere far away from the bustle of work.  And a place with no cell phone reception is looking quite good right now.”

She patted his hand. “I hear ya.  I’d love to be on the beach right now listening to the ocean waves smashing on the shore; no one around but me and Orlando, a bottle of champagne and maybe some romantic island music.”  Her daydream could have dragged on but she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

Orlando approached from a distance.  “Is everyone okay?”

Regan turned to see him.  She had never seen him dressed in full gear; just the t-shirt and blue uniform pants.  The authoritative appearance it gave him, made her shiver under the warm breeze.  The coat and pants were dirty from the years of battling fires.  The thick rubber boots made his feet appear larger than what they were.   Even his helmet was singed and worn.

She got off the ground aching to embrace him, but she didn’t since technically he was on duty. “I’m grateful to be alive.”  Mark cleared his throat to get their attention.  “Oh, honey, this is my ex-husband, Mark Richards.  Mark, I’d like you to meet Lieutenant Orlando Torres of the Cleveland Fire department.”

Mark was the first to offer his hand. “Lieutenant, I’ve heard nothing but praises about you from Regan.  Thank you for getting us out of there.”

Orlando removed his helmet securing it under his arm.  He returned the handshake. “I’m sure Regan exaggerated somewhat, but you’re welcome.”

Mark shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Well, I’m going to go. I’m staying at the Ritz so that is in walking distance for me.  Regan, it was nice seeing you again,” he said kissing her on the forehead.  “Take care of yourself.  Lieutenant, take good care of her.  She is one hell of a woman and deserves better than what I put her through the last few years of our marriage.”

Orlando hitched his chin. “Don’t worry about Regan.  I got it covered.”

Regan drank the rest of the water in the bottle.  She couldn’t look at either man without showing the pain she was experiencing.  Mark was going away from her life for good and it hurt.  It didn’t matter how much she loathed him in the past, he was her first love, and the first ten years of their marriage was blissful.  Losing him meant losing a large chunk of her past and the memories she shared with him.

As Mark walked away, Orlando spoke softly.  “Sweetheart, are you sure you don’t need to be transported to the hospital?  Is your breathing okay?  Are you experiencing any chest pain?”

She blinked away the tears.  “Really, I’m fine.  I lost my shoes but other than that, I’m not hurt.  I will admit I was sacred as the dickens and thought I would die.  Thankfully, Mark kept me calm until you got there.  He said you would find me.”

“He was right about that.  Regan, you can mourn that part of your life being over.  I’m not that oblivious and know you two actually loved each other at one time.”

Tears welled in her eyes.  They were tears of sorrow and joy waiting to be released.  “I’m okay.  I will have a good cry later, but I’m okay.  I’m just glad to see you,” she said not able to resist hugging him any longer.

His wrapped his arms around her shaking body.  He looked up to see Mark looking at them shaking his head and doing a slow turn to continue his walk to the hotel.   Orlando kissed her cheek. “Baby, I have to get back to work.  Oh, I have your shoes on the rig. I’ll bring them over to you and walk you to your car.   Where is your car?”

She looked around the chaos surrounding Public Square.  She had parked in a lot currently blocked by Cleveland Police and other emergency service vehicles.  “Well, it’s in that lot police have blocked off.  How am I going to get home?  Will I have to sit in this park until police clear the area?”

He chuckled. “Nah, you can sit on the rig and ride back to the station with me.  Once I’m done here, I’ll take you home since I’m officially off the clock.”

Bouncing on the balls of her bare feet, she exclaimed.  “Oh boy, I get to ride on a fire truck!”

He placed his helmet on her head. “Yup, you get to ride with the men of CLE-FD.”

“I love you so much,” She said looking into his eyes.

He tipped her chin up with his finger. “I love you too, and don’t ever forget that, Regan.”

Chapter Eleven

Orlando put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and checked the backdoor before grabbing a beer from the fridge.  Walking through the dining room, he stopped to close the windows since it was raining outside.  He looked around.  He couldn’t believe he shared this house with Maggie.  The bay window he’d installed had changed the character of the room.  The furnishings Regan selected gave it elegance but not too much.  All the furnishing in the home was tasteful.  The paintings on the walls and the artifacts on display showed she traveled the world.

Damn, there is no way my salary will afford her these luxuries
he thought as he replaced the crystal vase in the center of the dining room table.  In the living room, he sat on the sofa and clicked on the television to watch a west coast baseball game.  Regan was napping in the bedroom and he didn’t want to disturb her after the day she had experienced.  The doorbell rang as he popped the cap on the beer.  Using a coaster, he set it on the coffee table to answer the door.  It was probably Lincoln coming to check on Regan.

He opened the door to be almost knocked down by Maggie.  She jumped in his arms.  “Hey, baby, I’m home.”

He unpeeled her arms from around his neck. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I had a feeling you would be here.  I went to your apartment to give you some information I have, only you weren’t there.  Orlando, I got something to tell you.”

He frowned attempting to keep his voice under control. “Maggie, have you been drinking?”

She stumbled by him and into the living room.  “I might have had a few drinks tonight. Hot damn,” she said in a loud drunken voice.  “Your bougie girlfriend got taste!  This shit is nice.  Nicer than how we had it when we lived here.”

Orlando stood by the door glancing at the stairs making sure Regan wasn’t coming down. “Maggie, you need to go.  I told you to say away from this house and Regan.”

“You wouldn’t listen when I warned she would hurt you.  I saw your perfect princess today.  She was walking downtown around midday.  I have to say she was dressed nice.  I couldn’t follow her since I was on my way to work and I don’t know what building she went into either, but you need to watch your back, Orlando.”

He put his hands on his hips knowing Maggie didn’t have a clue what she was talking about and he wasn’t going to give her any details.  His face was set hard as he glared at her drunken disposition. “Did you drive here?”

Her hands went in the air waving in a sarcastic manner. “How else do you think I got here?  I sure as hell didn’t fly.  Now are you gonna listen to what I think the pampered princess was doing downtown today?”

His dark gaze was intense, and the expression in them was one Maggie was familiar with.  Suddenly it occurred to him.  Maggie was not after a second chance with him but the opposite.  “No I don’t want to hear whatever you have to say about Regan and I’ll call you a cab since you’re too drunk to drive.”

She staggered to the sofa and flopped down laughing. “Yeah, like it wouldn’t make your day if I crashed and burned in a car accident.  Yup, call me a cab, Torres; I’m not ready to make your day yet.”

He watched a streak of lightening through the windows fly across the sky. “Seeing you dead wouldn’t benefit me one bit.  Maggie, I figured out what you are doing.”

Her eyes closed when her head slumped on the arm of the sofa. “What have you figured out genius?”

He sat next to her pulling her up to look at him. “You don’t want us back together.  What you don’t want is to see me happy with Regan because you’re unhappy with your life.  Lee is gone and I’ve moved on.  Now you’re alone with no prospects on your radar.”

“You don’t know what’s going on in my life so keep your hypothetical thinking to yourself.”

Her red-tinged eyes clung to him almost drawing sympathy.  Maggie wasn’t a bad person but misguided.  With classes in charm and grace, she could make a man a good partner or spouse.  Although, a man would have to have the endurance of steel to work with her.

He hesitated at first but touch her hand with his.  Her skin was cool and soft. “You have to stop this self-destruction.  Now you’re drinking to cover your pain.  Maggie, you’re stronger than this.”

Her bottom lip trembled and tears fell from her eyes. “I just want to be loved.  Why am I so hard to love, Orlando?”

“I’m gonna be honest…you choose to deceive instead of approaching a man the right way.  Why do you have to use trickery to get what you want, Maggie?”

“Are you saying the tart upstairs didn’t deceive or try hard to impress you?”

“Leave Regan out of this; you asked me about you.  Maggie, all you have to do is polish yourself and change your ways.  You would be kicking men to the curb.  You have the sex-appeal, the beauty.  All you are lacking is the confidence to believe in yourself.”

She caressed his face.  Running her hand around his thick neck, she pulled him into a kiss.  Her soft lip pressed against his to dart a tongue inside his mouth.   Orlando pulled his head away ready to scold her, but she put a finger to his lips silencing him.  “That wasn’t a come-on.”

Hastily he moved from the sofa.  He tasted the liquor she’d been drinking as he wiped his mouth.  “Then what the hell was it?”

She eased off the sofa drying tears from her eyes. “A goodbye kiss and I mean it this time.”  She sighed. “However, you are wrong; I am still carrying a torch for you.  I messed up and let another woman tap your heart; I have no one to blame but me for that.”

“Maggie, we had no connection outside of sex.  I have a deep connection with Regan. We enjoy doing things together whereas you and I did nothing together but argue.  Once you find a man you really care about, you will see what I am talking about.”

She sucked her teeth. “Damn, Torres, you must really be in love with her.  All right, call me a cab.  Tell the bougie princess I’ll get my car tomorrow.”

He gave her a small warming but crooked, smile.  Taking his cell phone from the table, he dialed the local taxi company.  He’d memorized the number for this very reason.  The guys could get carried away and drink excessively when they partied together and he would not allow them to drive. “I don’t know what the future holds but right now it’s looking bright for me and Regan.  I hope you find the same.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not holding my breath.”

Securing the house once Maggie had left, Orlando showered and brushed his teeth.  He eased into bed not wanting to disturb Regan.  She rolled over to drape a heavy arm and leg across his body.  “Is she finally gone?” She asked in a sleepy voice.

Surprised she was awake, he asked. “You knew Maggie was downstairs?”

“God, yes, the woman is not exactly a whisperer when she speaks.”

He found himself chuckling a lot from Regan’s sense of humor. “Why didn’t you come down and join the party?”

“No baby, you needed to handle that without me.  Anyhow, I thought we would have our own private party once she left.”

Her fingers crept between the gap created by the bedding and clasped his semi-erect shaft. “Oh, baby,” he gasped, when her hand enclosed his thickness.

“After today I regret we didn’t do this more,” she told him, her tone sultry and soft as her hand began to move up and down his hardening length.  “It is so true that tomorrow is not promised.  I’m going to love you like it is our last days on Earth from now on.”

“Damn, baby, you got me thinking about marriage again,” he crooned as her hand worked magic on his body.

Her mouth found his consuming it in a kiss.  Rolling her over on her back, he cupped her neck with his hand holding her head against the pillow to devour her neck.  She writhed beneath him and cried out when he penetrated her in one thrust.

He was for sure this is what he wanted.  He wanted to marry Regan Richards.

Chapter Twelve

The crowd around TowerCity had swelled waiting for the firefighter’s challenge to start.  Numerous fire departments from around the city had entered the challenge.  All the teams hoped to win a chance to break the record or set a new record for next year’s challenge.

Regan and Lincoln had a view at the front of the crowd.  From where they were standing, they could watch the firemen loosening up and plotting strategy.  Regan bounced nervously. “I hope Orlando’s team wins.  I had no idea he would be competing against all these other departments.”

Lincoln fanned her face.  The heat wave returned to reclaim its hold over Cleveland, and at ten in the morning the heat index neared eighty-five degrees.  “Yeah, it is a lot of them and plenty of younger men.”

“That’s okay, our guys got this.  They are in excellent shape and Orlando has the stamina of a twenty-one year old.

Rolling her eyes, Lincoln muttered. “He HAD the stamina of a twenty-one year old before you started rocking his world every night.”

“Sister dear, the rocking is not one-sided.  I swore I would never compare another man to Mark in the bedroom, but Jesus! There is no comparison when it comes to Orlando.”

They turned their attention to the activity in front of them as the firefighters lined up to enter TowerCity.  The men and women of Firehouse 30, their personal cheering squad, released loud whistles and cheers as Orlando’s team passed by.  Regan’s heart raced. “There they are! Wait, they have to wear full gear plus carry a heavy hose?”