“We wouldn’t want a woman to check our six. I’ve heard that before.”
“This is not the same. The police have had women for years. Do you know we don’t even have a women’s shower at the firehouse? Every time she goes to wash, we have to stand outside and wait for her to finish. You don’t think we don’t wonder what she looks like naked? She has this tight, tight little body.” He hit back, knowing a curvy woman like Isadora would be furious.
She was. “She’s your teammate. It’s inappropriate.”
“You’ve never seen a guy on PD without his shirt and wondered what he’s like in bed? Not a single time?”
She flushed. “I can’t say that.”
“Never slept with another guy in PD?”
“That’s not any of your business.”
“Exactly. The same way how many MetroGen nurses I slept with isn’t your business—and trust me, it was a lot. But you’re jealous of some woman that I’ve never touched, never made a move on, simply because I have to work closely with her every day.”
“I saw your face.” Isadora’s words hung in the air, sharper than a knife.
“What does that mean?”
“When you went to go get her by the minivan, I saw your face. So don’t tell me there’s nothing there.”
“Does it matter? I’ll never go near her because I don’t want to fucking sacrifice my career for a roll in the hay. But just like every other guy’s wife or girlfriend, you’ll never stop wondering if I want to sleep with her more than you.”
She grimaced, "You think that low of me?"
“I think she’s a complication no one needs. My life and my career would be easier if she disappeared.”
“I can’t believe you would consider writing a report deliberately to get her fired!” Her thoughts were crystal clear on her face.
“You tell me you’ve never been forced to choose between your career and what’s right? How about your cousin? How’s he doing?
Here they were, back in time three years ago when they’d attended the funeral of her cousin Benicio, who’d gotten mixed up in gangs. “Low blow. It was nothing like that.”
“Your career wasn’t easier with him out of the picture? Think of all those times the force asked you about him and the Ñetas gang? Did someone else earn their promotion because of the intel you gave them? Did they advance on your back—on your blood, sweat, and tears?”
“I did what had to be done with Benicio. I never used anyone else to get ahead,” she denied hotly.
“Then maybe you should have. You’d be sergeant by now.”
She scowled, “Oh fuck you!”
“Isn’t that what you were here for? With your no bra and your missing panties? Are we over now because I failed your secret test of character?” He could play dirty if necessary.
“Hell yes, we’re over. And it’s not ‘my secret test of character.’ It’s a test of character period. Which obviously you’re failing.”
“And you can leave the way you came.”
“I will. Thank god, I learned now you’re an impotent limp-dick.” She gave him the type of look one gave a discarded tampon. “I don’t care how often you can get it up or every single nurse you fucked in the past. When it comes to a single woman in power, it dares to threaten your manhood. If she shrinks your balls by just existing, then it tells me more about you than her.”
She stepped out and slammed the door so hard it shook his ceiling.
Great, he was pissed and horny. What he needed to do now was go to the nearest bar and find some chick to relieve this tension. His stock would never be so high as it was as the hero of the bear attack. He could probably take three women home, and they’d love it.
That’s exactly what he’d do.
First, he’d better clean up the bed. No need for other women to react when they found out he was an anti-feminist asshole. Like any of them had room to lecture him on the rights and wrongs of feminism if they went home with him to have sex with a random stranger.
He resolved to find a blonde. No chestnut-haired bombshells or loudmouth redheads.
