Chapter 2 - The Bait
Ross didn't sleep much Thursday night. What little rest he managed to
get was intermittent. The anticipation of Friday night's date kept him up most
of the night, and the one time he did settle into a deep sleep, his roommate
Scott stumbled into his room by mistake after a serious mid-week party. Despite
his lack of sleep, Ross woke up Friday feeling more alive than ever. The
schedule was tight, but it would be worth it. His plan was to gas up the car,
wash his clothes for his date with Susan and study for Monday's Advanced
Physiology final until he had to get ready for their date.
Ross quickly showered and dressed. On his way out of the house, he
glanced into his roommate's bedroom. Scott, still dressed in his shorts and
Hawaiian shirt, was lying face-down in his bed.
"He must have had fun last night." Thought Ross as he headed out to his
car.
Ross opened the garage door to a wall of heat. It was 11:00 am, and the
temperature was pushing 90 degrees and quickly climbing. Ross was smart to wear
cut-offs and a T-shirt. He threw his laundry in the back of his 1984 Volkswagen
Diesel, and he was off to the gas station.
The closest gas station to campus that sold diesel fuel was in a nearly
abandoned industrial section on the far east side. Not surprisingly, he was the
only customer that morning. As he watched the meter tick away his money, a
bright yellow Chevy truck pulled into the station parking lot. He couldn't help
but notice the beautiful blond as she stepped down from the cab. Her entrance
was particularly noticeable because of the anticipation caused by the fully
tinted windows. In addition to her striking appearance and theatrical entrance,
she parked on the far side of the convenience store and walked the entire length
of the empty parking lot to get inside. At this desolate station, he would have
parked as close as possible to the door if he looked like her. Before going
inside to pay, he made it a point to park beside her truck in hopes of getting a
closer look.
As luck would have it, he didn't need to move his car to get a better
view. He ended up directly behind her in line. He couldn't quite place it, but
she looked strangely familiar. For a moment, he wondered if she was some kind
of celebrity. She paid for her coffee and turned back to the self-service
counter to add some cream. Ross paid for his gas and an iced cappuccino, and
they ended up meeting at the front door. Ross, being the gentleman, opened the
door for her, and they silently walked to their cars together. Of course, he
wasn't so gentlemanly that he didn't sneak a peek at her ample, glistening bosom
stretching the seams of her silk blouse as she passed in front of him.
At his car, Ross inserted his ignition key and looked through his
passenger window at the woman and her truck. "Another day, and I'd have asked
her out." he thought. He turned his attention forward, and a flash of light
caught his eye from the right. As the woman had opened her door, a reflection
from a pair of handcuffs attached to her rear view mirror reflected the sun in
his direction. Ross' Dad used to have a pair in his truck to show support for
his fellow police officers. Ross even had a pair for a while in high school.
Hoping to get a clue as to where he knew her from, Ross rolled down his
passenger side window and said "I couldn't help noticing your mirror decoration.
Are you in law enforcement?"
"Not directly, their my Dad's old cuffs. He used to work for the city,
but now he runs a private security company. The lock on lower cuff is broken,
so I just keep them around to remind me of him and to start conversations like
this."
"Look, I know this sounds like a line, but I could swear I've seen you
somewhere before. I'm kind of on the clock, but If you don't mind taking a few
minutes, maybe we could talk while we finish our drinks, and I could figure out
where I know you from."
"Why not. Come on over. We can sit in my truck since it's air
conditioned."
As he walked over to her passenger side door, he felt a bit put off that
she had just automatically presumed that his car wasn't air conditioned. He
would have protested, but of course, it wasn't.
He climbed up into the passenger seat, and the polar breeze from the
dashboard hit his face, instantly drying the sweat that had started to form on
his brow. Of course, a part of him wished they were sitting in his car. It
would be hot, but the heat would keep her glistening.
"My name's Jennie, by the way." She started. "Do you really think we've
met before, or was that just a ploy to meet me... or maybe it was a ploy to see
my handcuffs?"
"Yes, I really think we've met before. Besides, I don't need a ploy to
see handcuffs. My Dad's a cop. That's why I noticed them hanging from your
mirror." Ross replied. "Actually, I used to have a pair hanging from my
mirror, but they attracted way too much attention."
Jennie nodded in agreement. "That's one reason for the tinted windows."
"I'll bet you get hit on all the time because of these... and of course,
your other assets." Ross said glancing downward.
"Yeah, but all of the guys who hit on me because of the cuffs want me to
wear them." Jennie said smiling back. "Of course, they're always disappointed
when I tell them the lock on the lower cuff is broken."
"Well, I must admit, you would look great in them, but you'd look great
in just about anything." Ross said.
"Gee, now that you put it that way, I'd be tempted to model them if they
worked." Jennie said blushing.
"What's wrong with them? Are they permanently locked?" Ross asked.
"No, actually they are permanently unlocked. Watch." Jennie said, and
she swung the hinged lower arm through the locking mechanism until it swung
through and hung loose, again. The ratcheting sound was just like in the
movies.
"That doesn't prove anything. They're supposed to work like that. The
locking mechanism is designed to prevent the arm from loosening, not tightening.
Loosening would be in the other direction."
"Well, trust me. It's broken." Jennie replied shortly, and with that,
she took his left hand in hers and held his wrist up to the dangling cuff.
Looking up from the handcuffs, their eyes met.
"Oh, I trust you." Ross said slowly. "I can't say why, but I trust
you."
Before he could say or do anything else, Jennie had swung the free arm
of the cuff around his wrist, and the telltale ratchet sound announced that the
cuffs were indeed in perfect working order.
