Strip Search (Tap That)

He flashed a light in her eyes.

“What the heck?” she asked, pupils dilating. “That kind of hurts.”

“I need you to hand me your purse. What prescription drugs do you take on a daily basis?”

Leighton frowned. “None.” Well, birth control, but that was none of his business. She was starting to think something was wrong here. “Where did you get an actual patrol car from? That’s very impressive.” That must have cost a ton of money. She had witnessed Sadie go to great lengths to create elaborate pranks on staff members but this seemed extreme even for her.

A niggle of concern started to rise in Leighton.

Maybe Sadie would fire her before she went to these elaborate lengths. This was an elaborate scheme, even for a TV host with a full crew at her disposal. Now she was full of doubt about everything.

“Okay. You’re coming with me.”

Axl grabbed her arm and she had to admit she felt a shiver that had nothing to do with concern. His strong grip was arousing. But then he whirled her around and slapped handcuffs on her left wrist.

“What—”

So she had joked about spreading them. She hadn’t actually meant it. They weren’t in a club at a strip show. This was the side of the road.

Her other wrist went into the cuffs.

Her concern increased dramatically.

“Just stand still. I’m patting you down then I’m putting you in the car to run your license.”

This felt a little too real. Leighton swallowed hard and leaned against her car. She gave a startled squawk when he spread her legs. “Um, what is going on?”

She was torn between feeling a little aroused by how hot Axl was and how he was running his hands over her calves, and at the same time feeling like: one, something was off, and two, she could not let a total stranger dive under her dress even if it was part of his script.

It wasn’t a particularly comfortable position with her hands behind her back and her body off-balance, relying on her rental car to hold her up. Axl’s hands were rising higher and higher and she grew seriously alarmed. When he touched her inner thighs just above the knee she jumped.

And tried to move away. She wasn’t sure if he was intending to go any further but she wasn’t sticking around to find out. Leighton jerked her body to the left, slamming into the mirror and wincing, stumbling backwards.

Suddenly without warning, she lost her balance and without her hands to right herself, she went down hard, right on her butt. It hurt. Like, a lot. “Ow.” She sat there stunned, hair in her face, dress up over her thighs, hands cuffed behind her back. “Okay, I admit it. Sadie wins. This isn’t fun. I’m not fun. F the f word. Maybe I am not cut out for this.”

“Are you okay?” Axl asked, bending over.

She nodded. “I think so.” She was going to have a hell of a bruise on her ass, but she would live.

“I’m going to touch you to help you up, okay?”

He was talking to her like she might spook if he laid a finger on her.

That’s when she heard the radio in his car crackle and a very official sounding voice come on mentioning codes and something about a patrol car needed downtown.

Leighton frowned. She had a horrible sinking feeling. “Wait a minute. Are you a real cop?”

Axl hauled her to her feet in front of her car. “What do you mean? Of course I’m a real cop. These don’t give these cars, a badge, and a gun to just anyone who asks for one.” He was eyeing her like she was insane or an idiot.

She wasn’t certifiable but she still felt pretty stupid. “I thought you were a stripper,” she said. “You were stripping last night,” she added, in case he had stumbled up on stage during an amnesia episode.

But now that she blew her hair out of her face and studied him from head to toe, he did look very legit. He had a gun. He had very shiny shoes. And a uniform that had an official-looking insignia. His hat had a patrolman’s number on it. She swallowed the enormous lump that had started crawling up her throat.

Well.

This could be bad.

“It was a charity event,” he said. “For breast cancer awareness. The owner of the bar, he and I and the other guys go way back, to grade school. Sullivan lost his wife to breast cancer two years ago so this is the second annual ‘Tap That’ charity event.” He did the actual air quotes.