Caller on the Line

by: Savage

This is the second story we have written. We would appreciate your comments, but please be kind.

Happy reading and enjoy!

===========================================================================

     It was happening again. Chris was walking towards a dimly lit room. There was no furniture, only a pallet of blankets laid out in the center of the room. The contrast between the dim light of six melting candles and dark, draping shadows gave the room a certain ambiance; an atmosphere filled with anxiety and anticipation of the unknown.

     Chris cautiously entered the room through the doorway that was strung with beads.

     "Hello?" He called out...there was no answer, but Chris could feel a presence in the room with him. "Is some one there?" He called out again. His voice seemed to echo a thousand times. Suddenly Chris felt a hand on his shoulder. Responding to his natural instincts Chris spun around, ready for a possible attack. However, instead of an attacker he came face to face with the most beautiful pair of green eyes he had ever seen. Eyes that could only belong to one person.

     "Sam? What are you doing here...?" A surprised Chris began to inquire, but his voice trailed off once her got a full view of her.

     The sheer black nightgown hung from her shoulders by two thin straps and came just above the middle of her thigh. The silk material, teased with lace clung perfectly to her every curve. Her wavy chestnut hair hung just to her shoulders. All this seemed to be accented by the flickering light of the candles.

     "Rita whats going on here?" Chris managed to ask, once her regained his composure. Rita didn’t say a word, instead she walked passed him to where the pallet was laid out.

     "Sammy what is this about?" Chris persisted as he turned to follow her. As he approached her she sun around, now their lips coming within inches. Chris attempted to speak again but his voice froze in his throat as Rita began to trace the out line of his lips with her finger tips.

     "This is about us Sam." She whispered as she sealed his mouth with her own. A surge of electricity shot through Chris’ entire body as the kiss deepened. His heart pounded like a drum as he felt her hands slide under his shirt.

     "Rita..." Chris breathlessly began as he pulled away, but he was once again silenced as Rita began to place light, gentle kisses behind his ear and down his neck. She pulled him down to the floor with her as she slid his shirt off his shoulders, her kisses intensifying as she reached his chest. Chris couldn’t stand it a minute longer, he pulled her closer bringing her mouth within inches of his own.

     "Make love to me Chris." Rita whispered. Desire was burning in her eyes as she slid her hands down Chris’ stomach and unzipped his pants. "Make love to me." She said again as their lips met. Any shred of control that they had left was quickly disposed of as he laid her down on the soft bedding. Chris was on fire, he wanted her then and there. He slid out of his pants as he placed a stream of hot passionate kisses down her neck. Neither of them could wait a second longer. Rita guided Chris’ mouth back to hers, their passion building with every passing moment. Chris’ mouth fell onto Rita’s in a passionate kiss as...

===========================================================================

     Chris was awakened by the blaring ringing of the phone on the night stand. He sat up straight in bed and looked around as he slowly re-entered reality. Chris groaned as he reached for the phone.

     "Yeah." Chris yawed into the receiver.

     "Lorenzo!!" The voice of Captain Lipshitz bellowed on the other end.

     "Whats up cap? I thought I didn’t have to be in until noon today." Chris said as he looked at the clock. It was 9:15.

     "Yeah I know Lorenzo but we got a homicide on 3800 Bayshore ave. And this one has your name on it."

     "Ok, Ok. You called Rita yet?"

     "Yeah, she’s on her way."

     "Great, then so am I." With that Chris hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. Regretfully leaving behind a far from finished dream.

===========================================================================

     When Chris arrived on the scene Rita was already there. As he entered the plush, upscale apartment Chris quickly spotted her standing by the covered body, that had already been placed on the gurney. Forcing the dream he had to the back of his mind for now Chris walked over to her. "Focus Lorenzo." He said to himself.

     "Hey partner!" He said as he came to stand next to her.

     "Hey Sam, what took you so long." She said smiling as she turned to face him.

     "Uhh, I had a little trouble getting up this morning." Chris said clearing his throat.

     "Oh yeah? Anyone I know?" Rita said as a mischievous grin spread across her lips.

     "Sam!!" Chris said, surprised at her remark. "Ok. So, what to we have here?" Chris said as his voice began to take a more professional tone. Rita removed the bright yellow covering from the body.

     "Kate Garrison, age 33. She was shot four times three to the back one to the head." Rita said pointing the bullet wounds on the body of the woman. "The M.E. puts the time of death around 6:00 this morning."

     "So what do you think, robbery maybe?" Chris asked as they turned from the body and began to walk towards the living room.

     "No way Sam the husband said nothing has been touched."

     "Where is the husband?"

     "Over there." Rita said pointing to the man that was slumped over on the couch across the room. "He said he came in and found her in the shower, he called 911 but she was already gone."

     "Isn’t that Richard Garrison?"

     "Yeah that’s his name. Why, do you know him?"

     "No not personally but he has his own radio show on 91 FM."

     "Wait a minute, this is the Richard Garrison, from Palm Beach Speak Out?"

     "Yeah Sam the one and only. This guy as an attitude the size of Florida and an ego to match."

     The two continued across the room until they reached the man sitting on the couch.

     "Mr. Garrison." Rita said

     "Yes?" The man said never looking up.

     "I’m Sgt. Lance this is this is my partner Sgt. Lorenzo. We’re very sorry for your loss."

     "Yeah, well so am I." Mr. Garrison said as he desperately tried to choke back his tears.

     "Mr. Garrison I know this is difficult for you but we need to ask you some questions." Chris said.

     "I can’t believe this is happening!" The man sobbed "Why her? Why my Kate? Why?"

     "Mr. Garrison..." Chris began again, but it was no use the man just stood, completely ignoring the both of them and walked out of the room.

     "Oh man." Chris sighed shaking his head

     "Yeah this one is gonna be tough."

     "Umm maybe I can help." A voice behind them spoke. Chris and Rita turned around to face a very attractive man. He was about Chris’s height, maybe a little taller, with sandy blond hair and deep green eyes. He was built but not overly so, and he looked about 30.

     "Hi. Uhh, my name is Steven Evens. I’m Richard’s sound editor, and his best friend. Maybe I could answer some of your questions."

     "Hi Mr. Evens I’m Sgt. Lance this is my partner Sgt. Lorenzo."

     "Please, call me Steven." The man said as smiled and shook Rita’s hand. "I want to help out in any way I can." He held her hand a little longer than needed.

     A sudden jolt of uncontrollable jealously shot through Chris’ entire body. The way this guy was looking at Rita, his Rita sent fire running through him. But there was nothing he could do about it except clench his fists and try to control his anger.

     "Mr. Evens, how long have you known Richard?" Chris asked through gritted teeth. Rita immediately picked up on Chris’ hostility. She looked at him confused but she said nothing.

     "About three years." The man answered "We met when we first started the show."

     "Do you know where Richard was around 6:00 this morning?" Rita asked turning her attention back to Steven.

     "He was with me. We do the show live and the news starts at 6:00."

     "Do you know of any one who might have wanted to kill Kate Garrison, Mr. Evens?" Chris’ voice was growing colder with every word.

     "No, I can’t think of a sole. Every one loved Kate. She was the warmest most giving person I have ever met."

     "What about Richard?" Chris asked.

     "No way. He and Kate were so happy. They had been married for almost five years now and they still acted like a couple of newlyweds. Every day after the 6:00 show, Richard would rush home just to be with her. And now that the show is going national, they were planning on building a house." Chris and Rita nodded as they took all the information in.

     "Thank you Steven. If there is any thing else you can think of just give me a call." Rita took out one of her cards and handed it to him.

     "I’ll do that......Rita." Steven said smiling as he looked at the card which had her full name printed on it. Chris rolled his eyes in disgust. He was about two seconds away form belting this guy. He had to get out of there. He turned and walked away he couldn’t stand to hear another word. Rita started to follow but Steven took her arm.

     "And if there is any thing else you can think of..." With that he took out one of his cards and handed it to her.

===========================================================================

     Once they were out side the building Rita caught up with Chris and began to inquire about his behavior towards Steven.

     "What the hell was that about Sam?!" Rita asked as she stepped in front of Chris, preventing him from opening the car door.

     "What are you talking about?" Chris asked as he put on his shades.

     "You know damn well what I’m talking about! Why were acting like that!?"

     "Like what Rita?" The sarcasm reeked in his voice.

     "Chris don’t play dumb with me!" Rita was getting frustrated with his attitude.

     "OH! Well pardon me!! I didn’t know I was required to throw myself at the feet of the charming Mr. Steven Evens!" He turned and began to walk towards a different car. Rita followed him grabbing him by the arm before he got more than three steps away.

     "What the hell is that supposed to mean." She said as she turned him around. Then Chris did something Rita would have never expected. He took her by the shoulders and pulled her closer so that they were only inches apart. The grip he had on her arm was so strong that it was cutting off her circulation.

     "Your the one that’s supposed to be so freakin’ perfect!" He whispered harshly. "You figure it out!" with that he released her, actually it was more of a hard shove as he let her go.. He then turned from her, got in his car and sped away.

     Rita didn’t know what to feel. She was hurt (not so much physically as emotionally), confused, and angry all at once. She couldn’t understand why Chris had reacted the way he had. Some thing about him seemed different, and some thing between them was changing. And that what scared her most of all.

===========================================================================

     When Rita walked through the double doors of the Palm Beach Homicide division she found Chris already seated at his desk. His head was buried in a file. Wiping away a leftover tear Rita walked over and took her seat at her desk. Chris knew she was there. Ever sense he had gotten in the office he had been trying to think of a way to apologize to her. After a few moments of silence Chris finally spoke.

     "I’m sorry Sammy." He kept the folder in front of his face.

     Rita didn’t answer. Chris put the folder down so he could see her. Her head was down and she was writing in a file.

     "Rita..." Chris said as he stood and walked over to her desk. He bent over and tried to get her to look at him. "I know I acted like a total jerk back there and..."

     "Don’t Chris." Rita said finally turning to look at him. Chris’ heart immediately shattered when their eyes met. Even though she was no longer crying the pain in her eyes was still present. Never in a million years could have Chris believed that he would be the one to cause that pain.

     "I don’t want to hear it. Not now Chris." Her voice was so cold. She had never used that tone with him before. Chris started to get scared, his best friend was slipping away right in front of him.

     "Sammy I never meant to hurt you." His voice trembled as he spoke. Rita’s expression never changed. "I..I wish I could take it back Rita." She didn’t say a word. He knelt down beside her, taking her hands in his own. His hands shook as he desperately searched her face for some clue of what she was feeling.

     "Tell me what I can do to make it better Sam and I will. In a heart beat." Rita still didn’t say anything.

     "Rita please!" Chris pleeded.

     "Chris I can’t tell you that." She spoke in almost a whisper. "I accept your apology Sam, but your the only one who knows how to make this right Whatever it is that is bothering you, it’s some thing that you’re going to heve to figure out on your own."

     "I can’t lose you Rita. Your the most important thing in my life." Chris said as he held her hands tighter.

     "Chris, you know you’re never gonna lose me." She stood up and he did the same. She pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.

     "I’ll make it right Sammy..." Chris whispered as he hugged her back. "I promise."

     "I know you will."

===========================================================================

     Latter on that Chris and Rita sat in front of the Roach Coach eating lunch. Rita was flipping through the autopsy reports on Kate Howard. Things had for the most part returned back to normal for them but Chris was still feeling guilty.

     "Rita, you know you mean the world to me right?" Chris said as he looked up from his bowl of chili. "I mean I never would hurt you like that it’s just that I wasn’t thinking straight and..."

     "Chris!!" Rita interrupted him. "What is this, like the hundredth time you apologized?" She took off her shades. "Look Chris I said I forgive you. So could you just let it go."

     "I can’t let it go Rita. It’s like no matter how many times I say I’m sorry its like its never going to be good enough. I just feel so rotten."

     "Good." Rita said smiling "You deserve it." Rita cell-phone suddenly began to ring.

     "I know I know." Chris said returning to his chili.

     Rita answered the phone on the third ring.

     "Sgt. Lance....Steven, hi."

     Chris looked up from his bowl at the mention of his name. He had to grind his teeth to stay in control, he knew not to make the same mistake twice.

     "Ok Steven where....Uhh hu...Ok great....yeah sure....thanks... see you then."

     At these last three words Chris had to clench his fists. ‘Calm down Lorenzo’ he said to himself.

     "So whats up?" Chris said clearing his throat.

     "That was Steven he said Richard wants to talk, and that he has something at the studio he wants to show us."

     "Great." Chris said as he stood and put on his jacket. "How about I go see Steven and you can take care of Richard."

     Rita started to protest but then realized Richard would be more likely to confide in her than in Chris.

     "Ok, I’ll meet you back here then, say around 5:00?"

     "Great see ya!"

===========================================================================

     Rita met up with Richard Garrison at Ocean Park. They walked over to the swing set and each sat down in a swing.

     "She was so beautiful." Richard began. "She was so full of life, she never even dream of hurting a thing." His voice was filled with sorrow. "It’s not fair."

     "I know this is hard for you Mr. Garrison, but we need your help to find your wife’s killer."

     "I know, I know." Richard said trying to choke back the tears. "Ask me any thing you want."

     "Mr. Garrison where were you around 6:00 this morning?"

     "Are you telling me that I’m a suspect in this!!" His voice took on a defensive tone.

     "No, I am just trying to eliminate you as one."

     "My radio show starts at 6:00. I was at the studio from 5:30 to about 8:30."

     "Who all saw you there?"

     "Lots of people, Steven, the receptionist, the janitors."

     "Mr. Garrison do you know of any one who would want to kill Kate?"

     "No, no one." He bent over, taking his head in his hands as he spoke. "Every on loved her there wasn’t a person in the world that would..." His voice trailed off and he sat up.

     "What is it?"

     "There is one person, but I don’t under stand how..." He stood up and began to pace back and forth. Rita waited patiently for him to finish.

     "You see, when I do my show, the one at 8:30 at night, we allow people to call in and give their opinions." He continued to pace as he explained. "Well for the past two months or so there has been this one caller..." He paused for a moment, not quite sure how to continue.

     "What about this caller?" Rita stood

     "Well she always calls between 9:00 and 10:00. She flirts with me on the air, tells me how bad she wants me. At first it started out as a joke, she would call in every once in a while, things would get a little crazy. It was good for ratings. But lately she has been calling every night. Telling me her plans for us to be together. Its starting to really freak me out."

     "Do you know this woman’s name?"

     "She calls her self Destiny."

     "Ok Mr. Garrison what I think we should do here is set up a tracer tonight on the caller line."

     "You can do that?"

     "All we need is your ok."

     "Well you got it. This woman is the only person I can think of that would do some thing like this to Kate. I loved her more than any thing in the whole world Sgt. I’ll do any thing it takes to get the person who did this to her."

     They turned from the swings and began walking towards their cars.

     "Chris and I will be at the station around 8:00 tonight."

     "Great, thank you Sgt." Rita started to turn and walk towards her car when Richard stopped her.

     "Sgt. Lance?"

     "Yes." She turned back around to face him.

     "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

     "Not at all."

     "Have you ever been in love?" The question took Rita a bit by surprise. It also brought about a sudden rush of emotions that she didn’t realize she possessed. Emotions about her partner, her best friend, about Chris. Rita hesitated a moment, she wasn’t quite sure how to answer the question. Richard saw right away that she had a lot of conflicting feelings on that matter.

     "Cherish him Sgt., every moment. True love only comes around once...if your lucky. And even then it could all be over in a heart beat." With that he got in his car and drove away.

     Rita once again found her self standing alone in a parking lot and feeling very confused.

===========================================================================

     Chris and Rita met up in front of the Roach Coach as planned. However Chris was running a little late. It was 5:30 when he got there.

     "Hey where ya been."

     "No where." Chris said with a playful smile on his face. Rita caught his expression and was going to ask about it but she knew they were short on time. They still had to get Lipshitz to authorize the tracer. So she decided to let it go, but before she could Chris pulled out a single rose and handed it to her.

     "Chris...you didn’t have to!" Rita said with a blushing grin.

     "Well I did any way." Chris was smiling like an idiot. He was so happy to see her smile at him ‘that way’ again. He pulled her close and hugged her gently.

     Rita felt so good being in his arms, but it also made her feel a little nervous. After her small conversation with Richard, she wasn’t sure about how she really felt.

     "Well, what did Steven have to say?" Rita said as she pulled away.

     "Nothing at least to me. He thought you were coming." Chris shook his head. The very thought of Steven making a play for Rita made his stomach churn.

     "Oh I see. Well, Richard was a little more helpful. I’ll tell you about it on the way." She began to walk towards police headquarters.

     "On the way where?"

     "We have to pay a little visit to Cap."

===========================================================================

     Two and a half hours later after a short talk with their captain and a quick change of cloths, Chris and Rita were setting up at 91FM radio station.

     "Ok Richard, just proceed as normal. Try and forget that we are here." Chris said testing the sound on his headphone set.

     "Were on in two, Richard." Steven called from the sound booth.

     "Ok." Richard took a deep breath.

     "Just try and relax." Rita said in a reassuring voice.

     Palm Beach Speak Out went on as always. Different people called in griping about their problems and opinions and Chris and Rita waited for the mystery woman to call. Before long it was 9:45. The show only had 15 minutes left and the woman still hadn’t called.

     "Were back from commercial in 3...2...1..." Steven’s voice could be heard from the sound booth.

     "And we’re back with Palm Beach Speak Out. Caller on the line, lets here what ya got!" Richard hit the button that allowed the caller’s voice to be heard on the air.

     "Hello lover." A sultry voice on the line was heard. Chris quickly put on his headphones as Rita turned on the tracer. "It’s your Destiny."

     "Caller... what do you have in store for us tonight.?" Richard stood up and began to pace back and forth.

     "Oh! Tonight? Didn’t you get the surprise this morning?" Richard’s eyes widened at this.

     "What the hell is that supposed to mean." Richard looked to Chris and Rita for support. Rita gave him the signal to keep going and to try and stay calm.

     "I heard about Kate, I’m so happy for you baby."

     "WHAT!?"

     "Well now you and I can finally be together!"

     "You’re sick you know that!!" He was about to hang up but Chris shook his head. The number had come up on the tracer but they still needed the address.

     "You know what lover." The voice whispered. "I have a secret...I know who killed her." Chris and Rita looked at each other and than at Richard. They knew what was coming next.

     "WHO!!" Richard screamed "WHO KILLED HER!!"

     "Do you really want to know lover?"

     "YES DAMN IT TELL ME!!!"

     "I killed her." The woman sort of giggled.

     "You liar." Richard’s voice suddenly turned cold.

     "No baby I’d never lie to you." All Chris and Rita could do was listen in horror. They had dealt with psychos before but this was a new one. This person was truly sick.

     "You BITCH!! What did she ever do to you!!!" The emotion was growing in his voice with every word.

     "She kept us apart baby. she was in the way of our love."

     "OUR LOVE?!!! I DON’T LOVE YOU!! I COULD NEVER LOVE YOU!!" His voiced cracked as he was overwhelmed by the fact that he was talking to the person who had taken away the one thing he had truly loved.

     "You wanna know how I did it?"

     "YOU GO TO HELL!!" Tears were streaming down his face.

     "I snuck up on her." She laughed as she spoke. It was all a game for her. "She never saw it coming!"

     "YOU BITCH!!! DAMN YOU!!" He screamed through his tears.

     "And I shot her!"

     "YOU LIAR!! YOU FUCKIN’ LIAR!!!"

     "Then I shot the bitch again, and again and AGAIN."

     "HOW COULD YOU!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!!" Richard fell to his knees as he screamed into his headphone set. Steven burst through the studio doors, unable to believe what he was hearing.

     "It was for us."

     "US!! THERE IS NO US!!"

     "You want to know what that little whore she said before she died?"

     "What, what did she say?" His voice became low and monotone as he tried to regain his composure.

     "Are you sure baby?" Rita couldn’t stand to hear another word. She took off her head phones and left the studio. Chris was in shock. He remained listening almost unable to move.

     "TELL ME WHAT SHE SAID!!"

     t size="3">"I don’t know....."

     "TELL ME!!"

     "She said..." she paused and for a moment there was complete silence. " ‘Richard.’" the cold voice whispered.

     "OH GOD!! OH GOD!! DAMN YOU!!" Richard threw his headphones off and they shattered against the wall. Every ounce of strength he has was drained at that moment as he fell to the floor sobbing uncontrollably.

     "We got an address Chris said as he looked at the tracer. Is he gonna be Ok?" He looked at Steven who was now huddled over Richard trying to calm him.

     eft">"He’ll be fine, just go get this psycho."

===========================================================================

     Less than ten min later Chris and Rita pulled up in front of 600 Ocean Port circle. They were followed by four patrol cars, one of them carrying Cap.Harry Lipshitz. Chris bammed on the door of the small condo.

     "PALM BEACH POLICE!! OPEN UP!!" There was no answer. Chris motioned for one of the more hefty uniformed officers. The tall stout man came forward and almost without any effort kicked the door in.

     Chris and Rita, followed by Lipshitz and the other officers entered the through the broken down door, their weapons drawn. Seeing no immediate danger Chris and Rita proceeded slowly. Harry motioned for the uniformed officers to check around out side.

     "I’ll take the living room." Rita whispered. Chris and Harry nodded and proceeded for the stairs in the opposite direction.

     Upon entering the small, blandly decorated living room Rita quickly spotted the open sliding glass door. She took another quick look around the room and quickly assessed that Destiny, or who ever she was, was gone. She put her gun back in it’s holster and began to look around the room. Seconds latter Chris and Harry came bounding down the stairs.

     "Any luck?" Harry asked putting away his gun.

     "Nope looks like we missed her." Rita said indicating the open glass door.

     "Well, we couldn’t have by much." Chris said as he walked over to a small table where a phone was positioned. He took out a handkerchief and carefully picked up the receiver, which was off the hook.

     "Ahh, looks like she was in a bit of a hurry." Harry said, looking at the phone over his glasses. "Lets get forensics in here."

     "Sure cap." Rita said as she took out her cell-phone.

     Less than 15 min later the small house was swarming with police officers and forensics experts. Chris, Rita and Harry were up stairs checking out the bedroom.

     "Let me tell you two," Harry began as he slid on a pair of rubber gloves. "I’ve spent more than twenty years chacing down these wackos, but this one has to take the cake."

     "You said it cap." Chris said as he removed a drawer from the small dresser in the corner of the room.

     "So exactly what are we looking for anyway?" Cap walked over to join Chris.

     "Well... I think this might be some thing we can use." Rita said in an unusually quiet voice. Chris and Harry spun around to see what she was referring to. She was standing at in front of the open closet, her face was as white as a ghost. From where Chris and Harry were standing they couldn’t see what was causing the look of complete and utter disgust on her face.

     "Sam what is it?" Chris asked. When she did not answer he began to walk towards her. Lipshitz did the same.

     "Oh man!!" Chris said almost in a whisper when they reached the closet. Nothing could have ever prepared them for what they were now witnessing. In the closet a small shrine was set up. Ten, black, melted candles encircled an incredible array of photographs of Richard Howard. Next to this was a small alter, laced with wilted roses, and grotesquely decorated with blood stained, partially burned pictures of Kate. And in the center of it all was a small 32 caliber revolver.

     "Lets get some one up here to check this out." Harry said shaking his head in utter disbelief.

     Chris and Rita decided to let the forensics team handle the rest of the house. It had been a long day and there was nothing else they could do until the next morning.

===========================================================================

     "So ya wanna come in?" Chris and Rita stood at the doorway of Chris’ loft "I think I may have some left over take-out in the fridge." Chris turned the key in the lock, opened the door and walked in. Rita remained outside.

     "No it’s pretty late....umm...I should probably get home." She couldn’t help but notice that Chris was unusually tense

     "Common Sammy." Chris persisted as he took her arm. "I need to talk to you about some thing." He gently pulled her over the threshold and closed the door. He then took her hand in his and led her over to the couch where they both sat down.

     "Ok...." Rita gave him a playfully suspicious look. "What’s up?"

     "Well, a lot of things." Chris began turning to face her. "First off I want to talk about what happened this morning..."

     "Oh no! Sam!" Rita moaned as she turned away from him and leaned back on the couch. She shook her head and grinned as she looked up at the ceiling. "Not again! Look it’s no big deal Chris. You don’t..."

     "No! Rita please. I need you to hear some thing."

     He pulled her up and their eyes locked. The smile immediately faded from Rita’s face. Chris was dead serious, and the intensity in his eyes made it evident that this was not going to be a light conversation. Chris took a deep breath before he began again.

     "Rita, this morning I know I acted like..."

     "A jerk." Rita finished for him. She was desperately trying to keep the mood from getting too serious. She couldn’t help but remember what Richard had said to her in the park.

     "Yeah, a jerk." Chris sighed as he slowly became more at ease. "And well, Sam, I don’t totally understand why but, I think it was because of you." he stated matter-of-factly

     "Me!!" Rita scooted away from him a little she couldn’t believe he was serious.

     "Wait gimme a chance to explain." He moved closer and put his arm around her. "Now, I have a confession to make."

     "A confession?" Their voices began to grow softer.

     "Yeah, a confession. See when I saw you with Steven I don’t know why but I just lost it Sam." He took her hand in his and interlaced their fingers.

     "You were jealous?" Here voice was almost in a whisper.

     "Uhh...yeah...I was...totally. I really messed up too. Instead of talking to you about how I felt. I took out all my frustration on you and just ended up making both of us miserable."

     "It sounds like you’ve really been thinking this through."

     "Yeah I have..." Chris pulled her closer and nuzzled into her hair. "And I’ve been thinking about the promise I made to you."

     "Promise?" Rita asked. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the tension between them.

     "Yeah Sammy. I promised you that I was going to fix things between us...make things right again...and..." His voice trailed off as he searched for the words to express what he was feeling.

     "And?" She said softly. They were so close that she had to lean back a little to look into his eyes.

     "And..." Chris whispered as he pulled her back to where she was before. "I think I finally figured out how."

     With that Chris pulled her closer still, eliminating the distance between her lips and his own. As he kissed her he prayed that she would respond the way he had dreamed. His prayers were answered more than he could have ever imagined when she deepened the kiss. He released her hand and began to run his fingers through her hair. His deepest hidden desires for her surfaced all at once as Chris leaned forward and laid her down. He released her mouth and began to run a stream of slow breathless kisses down her neck.

     Rita was unable to hide her hunger for him a moment longer. She began to feel all self control slowly slipping away as Chris’ mouth moved further down to her chest. Chris made quick work of the three buttons of her blouse and continued his hot passionate kisses to focus on the sensitive skin between her breast. The sensations running through Rita’s body quickly began to cloud all rational thought. She knew she had to slow things down before it was too late.

     "Chris...." Rita began in a breathless whisper. He came back up to her so that they were once again face to face. Their eyes locked in unsuppressible passion.

     "This is crazy." Her voice shook a little.

     "I know.....It’s insane..." Chris said between breaths. "But it feels so good Sammy...." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "and I want you so bad." He had barely spoken the words before his lips were once again pressed against hers.

     "We should stop Sammy." Rita breathed as she pushed him away again. Chris could barely tare himself away from her. Every inch of his body ached in desperate need to ease his overwhelming desire for her.

     "Do you want to stop?" Chris was almost beyond speaking. He kissed her neck gently as one hand slid down her thigh. Chris wrapped her legs around his body, and let the full extent of his arousal be known to her. Rita’s entire body tensed as Chris’ excitement pressed against her. She was suddenly overcome by and uncontrollable, urgent need that could not be denied.

     Rita couldn’t stand it a moment longer. Her entire being, body and soul was burning for him.

     "I don’t want to stop Chris." She finally whispered. Her hands trembled as they slid down his chest to his waist. She untucked his shirt and unfastened his belt. "I want this."

     Chris couldn’t believe that this was really happening. He stared into her eyes, unable to move as she unzipped his pants. A wave of electricity flew of his spine as, for a moment he felt the gentle caress of her hands.

     "Make love to me Chris." Rita said softly as she brought his mouth back down to hers. Hearing these words sent Chris over the edge-- He had waited so long to hear them from her. He tore himself away from her embrace just long enough to remove his shirt and slide out of his jeans, all the while helping her undress as well.

     Being deprive of his presence, even for what may have been only a few seconds, seemed like and eternity to Rita. She quickly pulled him back down to her just as he had discarded her jeans on the floor. Their mouths collided once again as overwhelming desires washed over them. Their bodies worked in perfect sync. Each movement taking them both further into ecstasy. Their passion was like wildfire, uncontrollable and unstoppable.

     Chris mind was reeling with emotion. He wanted more than any thing to be with her but some thing in the back of his mind kept telling him to stop. He pulled away from her and took a deep breath--desperately trying to stay in control.

     "What is it?" Rita asked breathlessly as she stared up at him through eyes dazed with desire. "Why did you stop?"

     "Sammy..." Chris began. He couldn’t resist placing a gentle kiss on her neck, he felt her body tremble as he did so. "are you sure about this.....I don’t want to push you."

     Rita guided his mouth up to hers. She traced the out line of his lips as she spoke.

     "I want this Chris." Her hand slid down his chest to his waist. "I want you."

     Every muscle in Chris’ body tensed as he felt her legs wrap around him. All at once an uncontrollable, frantic need for her vibrated through every inch of his body. The unyielding intensity between them grew as she pulled him back down to her--their eyes still locked. What Chris saw in her eyes was enough to do away with any doubt he may have had. permanently. The one thing he had been searching for his whole life was right there in his arms. And now that he had finally found it, he could never let go.

============================================================================

     That’s the end of part1!!! Hoped ya liked it!! Be sure to let us know what you think, good or bad. (Mostly good please) Part 2 should be up soon. See ya! = D