Do Not Disturb...For a Lifetime

Of all the nights for her 18th birthday to fall on...it had to be the worse of any birthday she had ever had. Not only was it the night of her Senior Prom, but everyone in her family had made plans that would keep them out late. Some of it she could forgive, her sister's spring piano recital had been planned since last fall, and since her father was a member in good standing of the local chapter of the Fire and Police Benevolent Society and tonight just happened to be their annual charity ball, well that was just her bad luck.

As far as her Prom went, she had known the minute the date was announced that she would not being going. Not because of her birthday, but because she wouldn't be asked. Having a father who was big, burly and carried a badge as well as a gun did not make her the most popular girl in town. It was a common complaint that both her older sisters had suffered as well, and her younger sister would suffer in her turn.

Actually, what had taken place so far had been good, there had been a very special dinner catered by the best pizza parlor in town, free flowing soda, salad and cake with ice cream as well as balloons. Not to mention a variety of presents from both family and those people who were brave enough to call her friend, all of which had stopped by on the way to the prom to show off their dresses, Tux's and again ask her why she had to be so damn stubborn. Her reply had been the same she had given them from the beginning. There was no way she was going either as a second partner to one of the others, or alone. There was no way she would go out as a third wheel with any of her friends, and the idea of going stag might work for a guy, but not for a girl.

Sitting back on the couch, Kali Collins turned the television with the remote and tried to get interested in an old Bogie movie. Normally she would have had no problem, this one was one of her favorites, one of the best romantic movies she had ever seen. When Bogie said "here's looking at you kid" to Ingrid Bergman, you just knew that he was so in love with her, something was going to fuck it all up in the end. It was also one of the movies that she could turn on when her dad and brothers were around because there was plenty of action too.

She knew that she was no Ingrid Bergman, and she would never find her Bogie, being her father's daughter being one thing, but besides that, she had been cursed with being a definitely female version of him. Except she was way prettier and she was a solid size 18-20 where her dad had to have all his uniform shirts and pants custom made. Where she was five feet ten, He was six feet plus and had barely made it under the height limitation. They shared the same amber colored hair and eyes. Her dad told her over and over that it was a good thing she had taken her golden skin, narrow turned up nose, full lips, high cheekbones and long golden lashes from her mother. So okay, lousy body, great face...which in this day and age was a death warrant for a teenage girl.

Tonight she had problems though, it was after nine, and she was feeling lonely. Her kid sister was spending the night with her best friend Ki-Ki and her older sister Jasmine was off for the weekend with her boyfriend Fred. They were the only two who still lived at home besides Kali and while she enjoyed being on her own for a while, the house just felt way to quiet.

The doorbell rang and she sighed as she stood, now what? Going to the door, she peeked out the window on the side and saw a tall, extremely well built frame wearing a police uniform. As the daughter of a cop, she thought the worse as she unlocked the door but left the chain connected. "Can I help you...?"

He was even better looking than he was built, nicely tanned skin, bright obsidian eyes, a full mouth, and a soft looking 5 o'clock shadow. His name tag said S. Harrison, and his official identification verified that he worked out of the same precinct as her dad, since she seldom had a reason to go downtown she wondered what she had been missing. He gave her a brilliant smile and took off his hat, he would be even cuter if his hair was just a little bit longer, but it was a fresh haircut, so maybe in a week or two... "Hi, are you Kali Collins...I have a delivery for you..."

"A delivery? You look more like a cop than a messenger..."

He laughed. "Well tonight I am both, do you know about the big charity raffle the police department held about two months ago?"

"Sure, my dad buys enough tickets every year to make mom insist he sleep on the couch for a week, did he finally win?"

"I take it that's why your mom makes him sleep on the couch."

"Yeah, hey hang on a minute." She shut the door, took off the chain then opened it back up, "sorry, I know all the rules about opening your door at night and all, but that chain is a pain, and since you're a cop I guess it's safe...so what did dad win? Two tickets to the opera or something, he would really love that."

"Well, actually this is in your name, it's a certificate..." He looked a little taken back suddenly.

He held out a big red envelope with her name scrawled across the front and Fantasy Inc. stamped in the upper left hand corner. "What is Fantasy Inc.? Never heard of it..." She had never seen a man like him blush in her life, but there it was and she wondered if it was some adult toy shop or something like that... What the hell had her dad put her name in a raffle for? "Come on in, unless you have to go deliver another one of these..."

"No, this is my last delivery, I live not too far away so actually I'm on my way home."

That meant he probably had a girlfriend or wife and a couple kids waiting for him. She bet they were tall, blonde and as beautiful as he was handsome. "Oh, well you're probably in a hurry to get home."

"No, not really, there's nothing there that can't wait."

She glanced at his left hand, no wedding ring, and no ring line either, but that didn't prove anything, a lot of police officers didn't wear their rings for personal and professional reasons. She wondered if it had something to do with the envelope. He followed her into the living room and sat on the sofa. She got her nail under one corner of the flap and slipped it along the crease.

The certificate was printed on expensive card stock and there were all kinds of decorative designs on it.

"Congratulations:

This certificate is awarded to Kali Collins as First prize in the 25th Annual Metropolitan Police Department's Charity Drive, all proceeds of which are donated to various children's charities in the surrounding metro area.

As winner of this prize you are hereby notified that you have won ONE FREE 72 HOUR FANTASY.

This certificate is valid for one year from date of award and can be used for one fantasy of your choice, see back for limits and regulations."

Turning it over, she saw not only the paragraph outlining the limits and regulations, but a variety of suggestions, all of them leaning to the very erotic.

She looked at Officer Harrison and smiled. "You have got to be kidding, I could actually look at you and say, hey, I want you in my bed for 72 hours, and you would be required to oblige...?"

Officer Harrison smiled, "well actually, that would be arranged for a later date and but yeah, quite a few of the male and females volunteered for duty...I'm just sort of an example if that was what you decided that was what you wanted. Of course you could meet the other officers if you did."

"I bet your wife or girlfriend loves this one. Or do you have an open relationship...?"

He shook his head. "Can't have an open relationship when you aren't in one, and I haven't been in five years, I'm divorced."

Kali swallowed. "What kind of fool let a man like you get away from her?" She blushed as she realized what she had said. "Sorry, I...it's none of my business..."

"It's okay, I'm over it..."

"That's good, my brother got divorced last year, he walked in on his wife and a co-worker going at it in his bedroom, he wouldn't have minded so much, but it was another gal."

"You're kidding."

Kali shook her head. "No, though it does sound like some joke or something, believe me, my brother did not find it the least bit funny." Looking back at the certificate, she put it back in the envelope. "I don't suppose they could award this to someone else huh?"

"I think it says non-transferrable, or refundable."

"Well it will make an interesting decoration on my wall, because to be honest, I'm not interested in a fantasy...At least not the kind they're offering, now a week in Tahiti or in the bed of some famous actor yeah, but not this way." She lit cigarette, something she didn't do very often. "Tell you the truth, if I was interested, I don't think I would want my fantasy to end after 72 hours."

"How long would you want it to last...?"

"A lifetime and it's not a real fantasy, it's more like a wish for my future, and whether or not it comes true, well if it does great, but if not, I don't think I will think much about it."

He looked at his hands. "Yes you will Kali, you'll think about it every day of your life, you'll feel regret and loneliness and you will always wonder what if. Believe me, every person on Earth has some kind of dream in their lives and when that dream doesn't work out. You spend the rest of your life wondering why and how could you have changed it."

"Is that's what it's like for you...?"

He nodded. "But this isn't about me, it's about you and why you won't accept a three day fantasy..."

She sighed, "I won't accept it because I would know all the time that when it was over everything would go back to the way it was before. There is nothing permanent about a fantasy or a dream, you only have reality, and even that can change day to day, but not as easy as a fantasy or a dream. I can sit here and see a gorgeous man in front of me, and think of all the things I want to say to him or do to him, and that is a fantasy. Or I can sit and talk and listen to him and learn about him and that is reality. In a fantasy he would feel all the things I want him to feel and think all the things I want him to think. But in reality you never really know what that other person is thinking or feeling, unless of course you believe in ESP."

"I hate to say it, but you make sense, but let's just for one minute, talk about what you want. How do you know that it would end, how do you know it wouldn't go beyond the time limit?"

"Because you can pretend to love someone, even desire them, but if it isn't real, it ends. It's like eating a pizza in a way, you can smell it, you can taste it, but when it's gone, it's gone."

That made him laugh, "So basically you're saying that the smell and the taste are the fantasy, but the end result is an empty plate and memories."

Kali nodded. "That is another way to put it; I just have this bad habit of dragging things out. Been doing it since I was a kid, it's always drove me dad crazy, he's more the down to earth, tell it like it is kind of person. Maybe that's what makes him such a good cop..."

He looked at her in surprise. "Your dad is a cop?"

"Yeah, he's a detective down at the metro precinct. Norm Collins."

"Then that's why..." He got a strange look on his face. "Kali, tell what your deepest desire is. I know it sound crazy but please..."

"I want to fall in love, and I want to be loved in return. I want to meet a man who will be a friend, a lover, a husband, a father to our children, and someone I know will be there at the end of the day, take me in his arms, and tell me everything is all right. Most importantly, I want to meet a man who will take me as I am. I know I'm cute, everyone tells me that, but I also know my body isn't perfect, I talk too much at times, and I am a really sore loser when it comes to games I know I should be able to win, but don't."

"What about the man you would choose if you could, what would he be like?"

Kali had no idea why Officer Harrison was suddenly so interested in what she was like or what type of man she was interested in. It wasn't like he would ever be, not with his looks or his body.

"Well, tall of course, I have this thing about guys whose faces end up square in the middle of my bust line. I keep thinking they're going to take a bite. And I like guys who are kinda slender, not really too skinny or too big you know what I mean? Just somewhere in the middle, and they should have long hair. I think long hair on a guy is the same as most men think of long hair on a woman, but that is really no big deal, I mean what if he had to keep his hair short, or something for his job. Dad had long hair when he met mom, but then he went to work for the police department, and he had to cut it all off, mom cried for weeks. She still keeps in a box upstairs; all braided up and tied with this leather thing that he used to tie it back all the time. Looks are really no big deal, I mean everyone likes looking at a nice face, but let's face it, not all men or women are movie star material. The main things I would look for the most part, are a good heart, a sense of humor and a lot of understanding."

"What if he had scars, not so they really show except when he was undressed or such?"

This was really beginning to bug Kali, why was he asking all these questions? "No big deal, scars are a part of life, the ones on the inside and the ones on the outside. We all carry them, unless you've grown up locked away in a padded room."

To her surprise, he stood up and began to unbutton his shirt. She watched in fascination, and yet when he was free of his shirt, she understood his question. His chest, shoulders and stomach were a mass of scars. Some deep and well healed over with scar tissue, some not so bad, but you knew he had been in pain for a long time waiting for them to heal. Getting up to stand in front of him, she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch them. "What happened to you Officer Harrison...?"

He grinned at her, "Kali considering you are standing in front of me, touching my bare skin, I think you can call me by my given name, it's Sam, Sam Harrison. And what happened is I was a rookie, fresh out of the academy, I had just been assigned to a patrol unit, and my partner and I went to answer a call, domestic dispute, I am sure your dad had told you what those can be like." At her nod, he continued, "Turned out to be an interesting set up, two gals and a guy, we got there; found him on the floor bleeding from multiple stab wounds, the two women were still fighting, with knives. They were just starting to calm down when my partner called in for back up and medical response. That did it; both of them went berserk, they didn't care that they were going to be arrested, it was the idea we wanted to get the guy bleeding all over their floor some help. Next thing I know, I'm on the floor, this crazy woman is slicing at me with her knife and I am trying to keep her from killing me the same way she had stabbed her boyfriend. I hear my partner yelling, warning the other bitch to stay back, and then his gun goes off. The gal on top of me sticks the knife in me, and that's when I passed out. Luckily she didn't hit anything vital, but I ended up intensive care for three weeks because of blood loss, and I was in a coma for over a month, it took me another three months before I was strong enough to go home, but when I went home my wife, and my kids, they were moved out.. She told me that she couldn't stand to look at me anymore, that my body revolted her."

"You are totally shitting me; she told you that, after all you had been through? What kind of crazy lady were you married to? I mean true the scars are there, but didn't she have any feelings for what you had gone through, the pain you must have been in...?" She shook her head; she couldn't understand how someone could be so callous, so unfeeling. He had risked his life, been wounded, almost died, and she knew that was true, the blood loss alone must have left him weak and out of sorts. "I'm sorry Sam; I shouldn't judge her, but still..."

He moved closer to her and shook his head, "It's over and done Kali, she's happy now, and I keep looking for someone, who like you, will take me as I am...unfortunately, most women see the face, but don't want to touch the body...in fact it's been a long time since anyone has touched me the way you're touching me right now."

Without thinking Kali ran her mouth over one of the worse scars on his shoulder. It was funny to feel the difference in textures of his skin, but it felt good too, moving her lips up to his throat she kissed it gently. "You've been looking for the wrong kind of woman officer Sam Harrison..."

His chuckle was soft and low as he ran his hand along the side of her body, "Have I really Kali Collins?"

She shivered as his hand cupped her breast and squeezed it gently. "Oh definitely, I think you feel very, very good, and you taste even better."

"Do I? Well since I have yet to taste you, I think it's time I did...give me your mouth..."

She gave it willingly and the pressure of his hand increased as he ran his palm over the nipple area. A moan escaped, but neither of them were quite sure who it had come from, all Kali knew was how good it felt when his fingers slipped under her tee shirt, and touched her bare skin. The hunger between them grew until it felt like someone had lit a bonfire under their feet. Keeping his body pressed to hers, she drew back her head just far enough to speak. "Officer Harrison, Sam, about that 72 hours...I don't suppose you have the next three days off do you...I mean it seems a waste not to take advantage...of such a good thing, don't you agree?"

"Oh, I agree Kali, I agree that it would be a great waste, I been thinking that since you opened the door and I saw you standing there..." His hands slid down her back and cupped her ass cheeks. "And as luck would have it, I just happen to have more than 72 hours to spare right now, how about a lifetime?"

"Oh Sam, I like that idea..."

When Kali's parents arrived home later that night, they were startled by what they found. First was the police hat and next to it an officer's uniform shirt, along with their daughter's tee shirt that she had wearing the last they saw her.

Knowing how to follow a trail, Detective Norm Collins looked for his next clue, he found it on the staircase leading up to the family bedrooms, a pair of officer's uniform pants, and a little past that, Kali's jeans. Shoes, socks, and underwear led directly to his daughter's door. He didn't bother to knock, from the sounds coming from the inside; he simply looked at the sign taped to his daughter's door. Someone had printed in tall bold letters, "Do Not Disturb for 72 Hours", then the 72 Hours had been crossed out and in its place the same hand had scribbled in shaky print, "...A Lifetime."