Chapter 36

Bryant and David got the Kozlov family settled at the Seaside Inn before heading in opposite directions. David and Maria were going out to an intimate dinner at the Stone Crab Resort. The teenage girls had planned an evening of miniature golf and go-kart racing.

Jan and Bryant settled down at her house for a quiet evening at her house.

"Did you get all the invitations out for tomorrow?" Bryant asked.

"I told Linda," Jan replied. "That should be enough."

Bryant laughed aloud and nodded his agreement at her logic.

"That'll do it," he said. "Can we make sure that Billy and Dixie Bruckman get a notice?"

"Do you want to see her in a halter top and short-shorts?" Jan asked with a grin.

"Wouldn't hurt me any," Bryant agreed, trading a smile with Jan. "But I actually have a different reason. David is interviewing there later in the week."

"I got Alan Stewart and his wife from the Chamber on the list," Jan agreed. "I ferreted that out from Maria. She said David was looking too but she didn't say where. I'll invite Dixie and her famous boobies, too. You know they're not real, don't you?"

"I have it on good authority that they are," Bryant shot back wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh?" Jan inquired. "And on whose authority is that?"

"Confidential," Bryant replied.

"Dixie Bruckman does not screw around!" Jan exclaimed.

"Nope," Bryant agreed. "At least I don't think so. But I heard that she put herself through college as a go-go dancer."

"Bullshit!" Jan said. "If she had been a stripper everyone in town would know about it."

"I heard it from someone who doesn't live around here," Bryant said. "He's a cop in Columbia. He was one of the guys who came down to investigate the old regime. He saw Dixie in town and thought he recognized her. We ran into her again and it hit him. He said he went to Ole Miss with her and she was an exotic dancer. She called herself Whitney Bubbles or something. He said she was a big deal in Oxford. The guy left the next day and I didn't think anything more about it. I had no idea who she was. I mean, I'd heard of Bruckman's but I didn't know Dixie. I don't think I was introduced to her until a few months later. Even then it didn't register she was the same women. I didn't make the connection from one to the other until a few months ago."

"You could probably have gotten her into the sack if you had threatened to expose her past," Jan joked.

"That would be blackmail and rape, Lady," Bryant replied with a laugh. "Besides, it's just freaking creepy. You're the only other person I've told."

"Whitney Bubbles?" Jan asked as she pulled her laptop toward her. "I'm going to Google that."

Seconds later she looked up at Bryant.

"She was younger but I think you're right!" she said, turning the computer around. "That's Dixie Bruckman!"

Bryant shrugged. He didn't think the guy was making something up.

"How old do you think she is?" Jan asked.

"I don't know, 35 or so," Bryant said. "Why does it matter? You were flashing your boobies at everyone on the beach last week."

"I just can't believe no one ever noticed," Jan said, shaking her head. "I mean someone had to have put that together."

"I don't think anyone really cares about that stuff anymore," Bryant replied. "Hell, you have half the college girls in America with nude pictures on the internet. If I had boobs like hers, I'd show them to random people on the street."

Jan slapped him on the arm.

"You laugh like I'm joking," Bryant remarked.

"You're terrible," Jan said. "How would you like it if I showed my boobs to everyone I met."

"How'd you like me to beat up everyone you meet?" Bryant asked with a wink.

Jan beamed at him.

"How would you like me to show my boobs to you?" Jan asked slyly.

"If you put them out there, I'm going to nibble on them," Bryant replied.

"I would hope so," Jan remarked. Bryant looked at her expectantly but she made no move to lift her shirt.

"Can I ask you something?" Jan finally asked. Bryant drew his gaze upward from her chest to her eyes.

"Sure," Bryant answered immediately.

"I want you to be honest with me," Jan insisted.

"I think I've always been honest with you," Bryant told her.

Jan nodded but remained silent for a moment.

"Was I ... was I okay last night?" she asked hesitantly.

"You were better than okay," Bryant insisted. "Jan, it was wonderful. I think you were absolutely right. It was just another step in our evolution."

Jan smiled slightly.

"I worried," she admitted. "I mean, I know you seemed really into it but I wanted to be sure."

"You don't need to worry," Bryant said.

"What about this morning?" Jan continued.

"This morning?" Bryant wondered.

"In the shower," Jan added. "When I ... when I tried to suck you off."

"Uh, I'm not sure what you're asking," Bryant admitted.

"I know I wasn't very good," Jan told him. "I also know that you won't say anything. I want you to know that I would enjoy doing that to you. But I'm going to need your help to get good enough to be able to get you off that way. I need to know what you like and how you like it."

Bryant blushed slightly.

"It's not really about what I like," he said. "It's the fact that we're doing it together. I mean, it was never really about the physical act. It was – at least for me – it was about who I was with. That was more important than what we were doing. Did I do something that you didn't like? Is that why you're asking?"

"God no!" Jan said forcefully. "I only wish I had more experience so we could do it again this morning. I really enjoyed everything you did. You were gentle and considerate. I had a great time and I really want to do it again – like, immediately. It's just ... well ... I haven't done that before. I mean, what I did in the shower. I want to be good at it for you and Holly suggested I ask you for pointers."

"Holly?" Bryant croaked. "You spoke to Holly about this? Jesus, Jan, how would you like it if I brought in Barry Chumley and discussed this with him? Holly works for me!"

Jan blinked hard.

"I didn't mean... ," she stammered. "I didn't know ... I wasn't sure who else to talk to about it! I needed information so I went to someone I like and respect."

Bryant sighed and shook his head.

"So when I get back to work on Tuesday I have to wonder what Holly is thinking or worry about who she's told!" he said. "It's going to be awkward enough without having the situation dissected down to the slightest detail."

"We have the same friends!" Jan said angrily. "Who in the fuck should I have asked? Bryant, I know absolutely nothing about sex! Don't you understand that? I have no clue if I'm doing something right or wrong. I don't know if what I'm doing is disgusting or interesting. I can't really count on you to tell me so I went to someone who would talk to me about it."

"She's a damned lesbian!" Bryant exclaimed. "You went to a lesbian for advice? That doesn't really track with the reasons you've given for talking to Holly."

"I figured she was as inexperienced as I was," Jan shot back. "I asked her if she had ever done stuff with a guy when she was younger. Okay? It's embarrassing to admit that I'm 38 years old and I've never given head! It's humiliating to tell someone that the first time I've ever cum from another person was last night. It's humbling as hell to admit that I've gone from only fingering myself once or twice a year to wanting to get naked every time I think about you. I thought Holly might have some insight because of her sexuality. When she admitted to herself that she liked girls and not guys, she went through the same thing."

Bryant let out a long sigh as his anger abated. He and Jan had fought before over professional matters any number of times. Some of their arguments had been legendary in the squad room where they'd worked. This was the first time that they argued over anything personal.

"Was she helpful?" he asked.

"Fuck no!" Jan groused. "She said I should ask you how I should do it."

"Maybe we should try that," Bryant told her. "I'm still not sure about things you might like or that you might find, I don't know, degrading."

"Like giving head," Jan said. "Every magazine I've ever read says it's degrading to women."

"You need to read new magazines," Bryant said with a laugh. "I can't think of a single thing that gives a woman more power than having her teeth that close to a guy's wiener."

Jan laughed and shook her head.

"So what do you think I'd find degrading?" she asked.

"That's just it," Bryant stated. "I wasn't sure if going down on you would bring back memories."

"It will bring back fond memories from here on out," Jan said. "For the record, I liked everywhere you put your mouth last night. I didn't know my nipples were so sensitive."

"Good to know," Bryant said. "I didn't know your nipples were so pointy. They are really sexy."

"Good to know," Jan rejoined. "What else?"

"Well, I was a little unsure of what positions you might like," Bryant said. He wasn't embarrassed by the conversation and he found that a little odd.

"I liked them all!" Jan exclaimed.

"I wasn't sure if you'd like me hovering over you," Bryant admitted. "That's why I suggested we start with you on top. I wanted you to have control."

"I liked that," Jan told him. "I got tired and I liked it the other way, too. I know there are thousands of ways to do it. I'm not a complete novice. You think that some of them might make me uncomfortable?"

"I wasn't sure how you might feel about doggy style," Bryant said. "I'd been looking at your butt for several days and I thought it might be nice to see it closer."

"I think I'd be okay with that," Jan said. "I'm not sure that I want to do it in my butt."

"No," Bryant agreed. "I'm not really interested in that either. I mean, if you change your mind, we'll try it. I don't have a lot of hang ups about stuff like that. But if we start something that you don't like, let me know."

"How about if we start something I do like?" Jan asked with a grin.

"I think it would be good to know that, too," Bryant replied.

"So what did I do wrong when I was going down on you this morning?" Jan inquired.

"It wasn't anything wrong," Bryant answered. "I mean, it wasn't a matter of technique or anything like that."

"So it was a matter of enthusiasm?" Jan said. "I really did want to do that."

"No, no," Bryant said. "I understood that. I'm not really sure I can explain it."

Jan nodded slightly for a brief moment before she reached for the string that held his shorts up.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Jan said as she pulled the drawstring.

"You don't have to," Bryant said.

"I want to," Jan said. "Now scoot you butt forward so I can suck your cock. Do you like dirty talk?"

"It depends on who's doing the talking," Bryant answered as he dutifully slid forward to let Jan pull down his shorts and his underwear.

Jan awoke nude for the second day in a row. Also for the second day in a row, she had her lover nestled behind her. She and Bryant had confined their activities to oral sex only because Jan was still a little sore between her legs.

It had been an instructive session. She had directed Bryant as to what actions felt best to her. He had done the same to her. He had brought her to two more orgasms and she had managed to coax Bryant into two orgasms – one with her mouth and one with her hand. He had spent a lot of time playing with her nipples and nibbling on her neck. She had learned that Bryant's nipples weren't nearly as sensitive as hers.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to let him cum in her mouth. She had wanted to but instead had pulled back at the last moment and accepted his seed on her chest.

"When I was a little girl I heard a girl say that a guy's juice on her chest would make her boobies grow," Jan had joked. "Think it's too late for mine?"

She smiled again as she remembered it. She had run her finger through the liquid and then to her mouth. She had always heard that the taste would be salty. It really wasn't. She didn't find it disgusting but she knew she would have to work her way up to swallowing.

She felt Bryant's strong hand on her warm breast and his breath on the top of her head. Rather than pull away, she nestled in closer to him and sighed contentedly, pushing her bottom back against his midsection.

"I need to get up," she said. "We have a lot to do."

Sunday brought the long-awaited cookout at Jan's house. The event started shortly after church. Most of Emerald Cove attended Sunday morning services but those who didn't were at the house shortly after noon. Jan had the grill fired up early and a plate of hot dogs and hamburgers already off when Chuck O'Bannon and Louise Weller arrived. Chuck wouldn't open the bar until 1 p.m., because he couldn't sell alcohol until two o'clock on Sundays.

By three, almost everyone had made an appearance. The Kozlovs had arrived the day before and made a favorable impression on everyone. Maria had talked to the Chamber of Commerce director and David had talked to Billy and Dixie Bruckman. True to form, Dixie wore a tight tank top and a pair of short shorts and every male eye in the place was on her every time she moved.

The biggest surprise was when Barry Chumley came to the party with someone who wasn't Moira Schreckengost. Mark's girlfriend had come up from Georgia for the day and they arrived with Barry and the principal from one of the local elementary schools. Regina Cole's daughter attended the school and Regina had made the introduction.

"I'll finish my criminal justice associate's degree in December," Mark informed Jan after he shook her hand. "You'll have my application by the first of January."

"I'll look forward to it," Jan said. She held his hand a moment longer to keep him from walking away. "But you have to do something about that temper."

Mark nodded.

"I only have a temper when I am around people like Mayfield," he said. "Normally, well, I've tried to model my behavior on Barry's since we moved back to Ohio."

"Then you'll be just fine," Jan replied, smiling up at the man. "I hope to secure enough funds to add more officers next spring."

Mark thanked her again for inviting him and apologized for his mother's absence.

"She just figured out that nice guys don't come around every day," he said. "It looks like you found one. She let one get away. I hope she gets a second chance."

"Me, too," Jan said sincerely. "I've only met your mother a couple of times but I like her. I hope she finds happiness."

Mark shrugged.

"That's entirely up to her," Mark said, looking back over his shoulder toward Barry and his date. "Barry and Tasha are good together."

"You and Amy seem good together, too," Jan noted.

"We're young still," Mark admitted. "I like her; she likes me. It might grow into more. She's a senior and she'll graduate in the spring. We'll see where we are then. I want to be a cop and I'm not sure that will be good enough for her."

"Have her talk to Allyson," Jan said. "I hope that you and I get the chance to know each other in the coming years."

"Me, too," Mark said, smiling. "Whether I work for you or not, you're the type of person I want as a role model. With Barry, you, Chief Hawkins, Mr. Attenborough and Ms. Granger to look up to, I might just turn out OK."