My quiet night was interrupted when in front of me, a yellow widebody vehicle approached. It slightly swerved across the median lines. I noticed the sharklike figure picking up speed the closer it got to the area where I was parked. I knew the driver couldn't identify my patrol car since I parked far off in the grass adjacent to the freeway. Although speeding during late nights was extremely dangerous, what worried me more was the sharp left-right movement of the headlights flashing brightly against my windshield. 

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Yellowbird halted in the middle of the street. "Is this fool crazy? What if a car comes flying out of nowhere. Why is this damn car stopping? That ain't no parking spot dummy." I cursed underneath my breath, then pulled out of my hideout and crept around. By the time I edged close enough, he was rolling again. No longer did the car race along the pavement but flowed within normal limits, so I was able to safely tail the driver. Maybe I'll check on the individual and let them off with a warning. 

A pool of red and blue lights flashed from my car before the clown swung into a vacant parking lot of an abandoned bodega. 'DManTMB' filled the space on my laptop when I ran the license plate. It wasn't long before I got the 911 on a Mr. Tavious Bennett. The inscribed '18 below the PSU logo on his plate told me the owner of the vehicle graduated last year from Pristine Stanford University. And from the looks of this new model Corvette, this car had to be gifted to him.

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Marching up to the driver's side, the passenger side window remained obstructed due to the dark tint. A ticket could be generated from that alone. I tapped twice, and no answer. What the heck is going on? I panicked for a second, this part of the job always had me on edge. My lids closed on the third attempt only for my knuckles to miss the mark. A cooling sensation stirred my senses, but it wasn't from the sharp winter breeze. It was from my closed hand, touching his cold cheek.

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"Excuse me, Mrs. Officer. I don't think it's proper protocol to walk up to an unknown vehicle and assault an innocent man." Nowhere did I plan on having my knuckles hit his face. This was so unexpected. And embarrassing… shit, that's not what I intended to do, weirdo. 

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"Excuse me? What was that?" I jerked my hand back, gazing into lustrous eyes. This light-skinned brother was very charismatic. Charming for sure, but cocky as hell. His tongue swept over ample pink lips, then he smirked. His lengthy arms separated from the steering wheel onto his grey sweatpants. All of a sudden, the windows descended entirely, allowing me to view his matching neon interior. Splashes of yellow smeared the black leather seats and dashboard. He seized the stick in the center, easing his nerves before speaking, "I was very effective in my narrative, officer." The seat adjusted with a glide forward and his eyes squinted upward so he could inspect my badge. Strangely, he looked on with a sense of familiarity. As if he recognized me. But I for sure had no idea who he was.

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Distressing emotions assaulted me when I realized that I hadn't done my duty after pulling him over. It's like I settled onto another planet. He had me so flustered with the way he was looking at me that I hadn't mentioned more than two words to him, and neither of those words was protocol. Get it together, Mel, I told myself before leaning in. "License and registration, please." 

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He stared then exploded into laughter. "Are you serious? I didn't think you'd be this vicious. You sucker punch me then come for me." Again, his tone suggested that this was lighthearted banter between two people who knew each other.

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Stance remaining firm, I decided not to entertain him and repeated myself, "Again, license and registration, sir." He didn't fight it but shifted to the glove compartment to grab and hand over the items. It took no time at all to run his information. Tavious Miguel Bennett was born on November 1, 1995. 1995? Damn, he's young as hell. The top faded coily fro on his license was different than the low cut connecting to the face full of hair he currently rocked. Nothing adverse came back from the search, but his residential address was familiar. The condominium where he resided was only a few miles from my home and mostly held two-income families. Maybe buddy still lives with his parents.

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Dark optics reflected from his rearview mirror while I accosted, "You never disclosed the reason for me being pulled over, Mrs. Officer." No man has ever turned me on by referring to me as such, and this was hardly the first, or tenth time that I've heard the tired line. Except for this time, I felt my nipples harden. Thank God my uniform and undershirt are thick enough to disguise the evidence of my body betraying me on the job. He cleared his throat, and his baritone voice streamed beautifully. "I didn't peg you as a woman of few words. From my recollection, you had a lot to say."

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What did he mean from his recollection? I've been a cop for over five years, so it's plausible that we have crossed paths, but I felt like I would have remembered. But none of that matters. I need to keep this strictly business, so I decide to ignore his comment and finish up protocol. "Mr. Bennett. I pulled you over for speeding and swerving. The limit in this area is 45 mph, and you were going at least 65." I handed him his documents back and asked him to step out of his vehicle.

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He snickered. "Wow! Step out? Is this really necessary?"

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Is he serious? "Yes. Have you been drinking tonight? You were zigzagging in and out of lanes." There's nothing safe about that, and I needed to get to the bottom of it. I know he wasn't drunk because he invaded my personal space when he put his mouth in my face, accusing me of having ill intent for pulling him over. If my espresso stained skin wasn't rich enough, he would have caught me blushing at that accusation. "I will have you perform a field sobriety test." I needed to focus.

It's not like me to freeze in my position, but he had me stalling once he stepped out of the car to his full height. I was about to possibly arrest him and should have been focused on that, but something about this Bennett boy made me curious.