His voice was a harsh whisper. “Why are you so damn careless?!”

Regina couldn’t answer. His hand was still over her mouth and he’d pressed her against the refrigerator. She was barely able to breathe with his large wet body pressed so hard against her.

He took a deep breath and cursed, “Damn you smell good.” His lips attacked her neck and Regina could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach. Damn he was tall and damn his lips felt so good. His hand moved away from her mouth, but was quickly replaced with his lips. He tasted like mint, lots of mints, like he’d sucked down a whole package of mentos.

She giggled at this correlation as she relished in the deep kiss. It felt like his tongue was trying to lick her tonsils and she didn’t care because wanted to feel hi deep in her mouth and she hoped soon deep in her body.

He must’ve read her mind and lifted her by her rear, moved over to the counter and situated herself there, where he could make quick work or taking his shirt off an opening his pants, while she quickly removed her nightgown.

“Damn you woman,” he mumbled between kisses.

Regina could see he was angry. His rough hands and the force of his kisses were stronger than normal, but also there was so much passion in all he did and made her feel. She was aroused beyond belief. His ease of entry inside of her clearly showed both of them there was no resistance in her soul. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Holding on to his shoulders tightly and locked her legs around his waist, bracing for his apex carrying her over the edge of ecstasy. He groaned uncontrollably and then kissed her with an abandonment sending just through his lips his need to be with her more than just frivolously, but forever.

He again lifted her and she didn’t care what happened. She was deliriously weak in sexual bliss. He laid her on her bed and then finished undressing.

“I’m going to fuck you all night long, woman,” he vowed.

She hoped he kept his promise.

***

A door slammed abruptly waking her and she gasped jumping out of bed looking desperately around.

No one was around her, in the room and as she grabbed her robe and ran around her home, no one was in the whole place. Going in her kitchen where the night had started with the stranger, she could still see her rear imprint on her stainless steel refrigerator.

“You should get some clothes on,” her mother said behind her startling Regina half to death.

“What are you doing in my house?” she asked accusingly.

Suspiciously her mother looked at her. “Regina, I have the key and you weren’t answering your phone.”

How deep of a sleep was she in? She always heard her phone ring. Going back to her room, she found her phone was by her bed, but someone had touched it. Usually she faced it towards her but somehow the phone was on the edge of the nightstand ledge and the ringer was turned off.

What’s going on with you, Regina?” her mother demanded to know.

“You’ll know when I know,” Regina said under her breath.

Her mother walked closed behind her and grabbed her shoulders forcing Regina to turn around and stare at her. “You’ve been acting very strange late and I thought yesterday would be reason enough, but there’s something else isn’t there?”

Regina was not about to tell her mother she slept with the killer again.

She hated to lie to the woman. She hated to keep things concerns, but this was something she couldn’t admit to herself… she enjoyed sleeping with some strange man that could possibly be killing people around Detroit.

Shame crept through every inch of her soul.

“I guess guilt is weighing me down   about the whole thinning, Mother.”

“There’s nothing to feel guilty about, Regina. A lax in judgement, a moment of sexual arousal and it happened. People have sex all the time and there’s nothing to feel bad about.”

She looked shocked at her mother.

“What?” her mother asked, “I’m an adult and an upstanding community member, not a religious zealot. Lust is a wicked and addicting thing, Regina. Just face the facts you liked it and it’ll never happen again.”

Regina picked up her phone. “I need to take a shower.”

Her mother didn’t pester her about the subject and allowed her to go into the bathroom alone.

Getting into the water, she was able to think about a lot of things. Mostly about the fact she had used unprotected sex with the stranger and should probably do something aobut it.

Just as she was stepping out of the shower, her mother knocked on the door.

“Do you think we should make an appointment with Dr. Jefferson? He’s this new GYN all the women are raving about. He was featured as the one of the Most Eligible Bachelors in Detroit. I could get an appointment with him by tomorrow.”

How did her mother read her thoughts? And dammit if that wasn’t an excellent idea.

She opened the door to the bathroom with just her robe wrapped around her. “Yes, please,” she insisted “Will you be coming?”

“Unfortunately I can’t, Regina, unless you want me to cancel my meetings for tomorrow.”

“No!” she insisted… “I’ll be fine.” After closing the door, Regina leaned against the wood in relief. She needed to see the doctor. She might be pregnant!

Through the door, her mother said, “While you’re there, you could ask him to be your arm candy for the policeman’s ball coming up.”

Rolling her eyes and coming out of the bathroom, she said sarcastically, “That sounds nice, Mother. While he’s fiddling up my coochie, I could say, Hey Doc, how about you be my arm candy in two weeks.”

Her mother looked disgusted. “I seriously think you need to stop hanging around Lola. You’re starting to sound like her.”

“I’m not. It’ll just be an awkward time to talk to him, Mother, but I’ll see what I can muster.” Regina really had no intention of talking to a doctor while his face had been between her legs, but if it would shut her mother up and get that woman out of there, she’d agree to anything.

Juanita followed her daughter back into the bedroom. “After Mason, I think I doctor would be perfect to come to my inaugural commencement. I can just see the front page now.”

Regina always felt funny when her mother got that strange look in her eye. It was as if Juanita really didn’t care about Regina, but everything she had done for Regina had really been about herself and what she could gain politically. Not caring she wasn’t wearing any underwear, she jammed her legs into a pair of jeans and then put on a t-shirt. “Thanks for straightening my room, Mom,” she said. “Do you really think you’re going to win so easily?”

“Easy? Nothing’s worth having if it’s easy to acquire, but I worked hard to get that political seat and I intend to take what’s mine.”

She was tired of feeling uneasy about this subject and just wanted to talk about something else, but Regina really only had one thing on her mind.

Saved by the doorbell, Regina rushed out grateful anyone was at her house.

Lola walked in looking like she had been out all night. “Good you’re dressed. I’m hungry and I need breakfast.”

“It’s almost noon,” Juanita said disapprovingly.

“I need to eat too,” Regina said, looking grateful at Lola. “Let me get my coat, Lola. Stay right by the door. Don’t get comfortable.”

“I’ll wait in the car,” Lola said.

Regina returned to her bedroom very eager to get out of there. Juanita was right behind her.

“Is there something you need to tell me, Regina?” Juanita asked suspiciously.

“No, Mother, there isn’t anything.”

“Look, I know you’re upset and embarrassed about yesterday, but they checked out your story and found nothing to verify everything.”

“Not even the black van?”

“Realistically, there are thousands of vans around the county that could’ve broken down over there, Regina. We can’t expect the Detroit Police to go after all of them.”

“Sounding like a real police officer there, Mother.”

Juanita smiled. “I had breakfast with the chief of police this morning. He is very concerned, but he can’t press what they can’t prove.”

Regina was almost tempted to tell her mother about last night and about the fact that the stranger’s DNA was all over the place, including all over Regina, but she didn’t. “Could you lock up for me, Mother?” She didn’t wait for a response, but grabbed her purse and left.

Getting into Lola’s car, she frowned at what Lola had grabbed from her house to keep occupied while she waited. “Why are you looking at those old photos?”

Lola put the photo album in the back seat. “I should be asking why you aren’t. They seem to tell a lot of stories.”

“I found nothing interesting except my mother in every photograph trying to look like the star she thinks she is.”

As her friend drove to the nearest iHop, Lola asked, “What’s got you in a pickle, G?”

“Ever since my mother showed me that, in the back of my mind, I’m starting to think my mother tells me whatever she wants to tell me to get whatever she wat s from me. I’m not her daughter, I’m a voter. I’m just starting to slowly not believe one damn thing out of her mouth and no longer feel I owe her the truth since she’s not telling me the same.”

“Wow. Really in just a couple of days you feel like that?”

Looking back at the album, Regina said, “Maybe you’re right. We should look at this album a little better when we get to the restaurant, but while we’re on the way, I have something to tell you.”

Lola looked very excited. “I’m all ears, gurl. Spill the beans.”