For any of you who might actually have read this serial four years ago, this entry will be new because there was such a huge jump in time in the first one that I thought I might fill up a bit.

Did you miss last night’s installment, the very first? Find it here.

The Night I Spent in Jail

Being in a jail cell would probably be a jarring experience. Being in lockup with a group of women all picked up on vice charge is eye opening. And, well, truthfully, kind of fun.

At first, I thought I’d just sit on the hard wooden bench and contemplate my sins, but, except for that third Manhattan, I don’t have any sins. I live the most boring life in the world and up until this moment I was happy with it. But life isn’t about just staying safe, is it? It’s about getting out and truly living it, enjoying it, having experiences. And, I don’t know how to do that.

One of the women eyes me. “What you in for?”

“Prostitution,” I say quietly.

She looks me up and down and then starts laughing. “Old Dominic must have been hard up tonight. He really thought—” She doesn’t finish the thought. She shakes her head and hoots out a laugh.

“I could be a prostitute,” I say, although I’m not really sure that’s true, not with my prolific use of antibacterial wipes and squeamishness about just the thought of sharing bodily fluids with strangers.

“Sure, you could,” she says. “I bet you can twerk too.”

Oh, dear. I’m sure my expression is deer in the headlights. “Twerk? Um. Do you use your mouth?”

Her laugh booms. “Oh, honey, we are here for your education. Now come here.”

I smile, shake my head, and put my hand up. “That’s okay. No need. I don’t really need to—”

“Niquia, show the new girl how to twerk.”

A slim woman stands and then starts moving her body. She’s agile and lithe and I’m immediately jealous of how her body moves. How does she shake her butt like that?

“Now, you try it,” the woman says.

What the hell, I think. I do. I try to twerk, which makes them laugh. But I keep moving, which is how I come to be shaking my booty at the cell door when the cop who arrested me enters the area. I don’t see him, but I do hear: “What the hell is going on?”

I let my head bounce down and stare at him from between my legs. Even from here he’s gorgeous. Crap. I overbalance on the stupid heels and go toppling.

He hides his face in his palm. He’s either rolling his eyes or laughing. From his shaking shoulders, I’m pretty sure I know which one it is.

“You’re free to go,” he says, opening the door unable to hide his amused expression. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to hide it.

“Why’s she getting off?”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“I got a misunderstanding too.”

He nods. “I know.”

He leads me out to the front of the police station where I see Tina waiting.

“Be careful in the future,” he says, his voice like honey, so sweet.

I stop. I’m thinking about the revelation I had that I haven’t sinned, that my life is made up of books and quiet and being safe, except for tonight. “You are very cute,” I tell him. “I’m pretty sure that if we went out, we’d have a fun time.”

He grins. He has a dimple. Sigh. “You are?”

“So, what do you say? Want to take a chance on me?”

“Are you propositioning me?”

“Nope, been there, done that evidently, and didn’t get much out of it. Well, unless you consider that I now know how to twerk. I’m asking you out on a date. Let’s go out for dinner.”

And that’s how I ended up going on a date with cute vice cop Dominic two days after he threw me in jail. This girl is going to start taking chances!