No, Schmelzer is persistent

Schmelzer smirked. Despite her best efforts, he could sense her tension. McKenna was many things, but her poker face was mediocre at best and the tiny narrowing of her eyes just as she had turned away had told him that he was on the right track. Stepping closer, he peered over her shoulder. He could smell her scent, a heady mix of a citrus-y shower gel and a delectable lavender shampoo that accentuated her own warm, feminine fragrance. He felt her tense up as he leaned in, reading the report on her screen.

“Bar fight, huh?!” he chuckled, pointing at the mugshot of the suspect, a heavyset Latino man in his early forties, his neck and chest covered in a labyrinth of cheap, fading tattoos, “That’s one attractive fella…”

Turned away from Schmelzer, Nancy allowed herself the luxury of biting down on her own cheek. His smell of cheap instant coffee and clothes that were in need of laundry was nauseating, straining her sensitive nose, yet she held her tongue while he read her report.

She jumped a little when Schmelzer laughed shrilly. “You beat him up?!” the wiry man squealed like it was the funniest thing he had ever read. His hand slapped her shoulder jovially, pushing her restraint to the outer brink, “You beat that guy up, McKenna?! Come on, now!”

“What?!” she hissed, finally breaking her silence, feeling her face flush at his shrill laughter.

“Yeah, yeah, sure, McKenna!” Schmelzer’s obnoxious, neighing laughter continued, “What are you, 120 pounds soaking wet? And you beat that guy up? Dios mio, McKenna, at least make your lies believable!”

It wasn’t the first time someone had questioned her competency based on her being a woman and usually, the insulting question would have simply rolled off her, but she was still sensitive after the hit her ego had taken just a few days ago at the hands of this man. The retort came out between clenched teeth before she could stop herself. “Fuck you, Schmelzer, I’m a veteran! Petty Officer First Class, asshole!”

Her face reddened even worse when she realized that she had lost her composure. She was engaging him, defending herself.

“Sure, McKenna, I read that. They gave you a fucking Navy Cross too… Let’s be real, McKenna, you’re a hot slut is what you are. You got what you have because of those full blowjob lips of yours. They gave you that Cross because you are a spicy Latina and it’s good publicity these days to have a pretty puta all medaled up, not because you are so skilled,” he snorted, “It’s cute that you convinced yourself though. That you’re more than eye candy on the LAPD’s PR profile…”

Despite her best efforts, Nancy seethed. “Mr. Garcia’s face here begs to differ…” she growled, gesturing towards the suspect’s pictures, one of his eyes heavily bruised and turning purple where her hook had caught him.

Schmelzer was unimpressed and his mocking grin only worsened her rage. “What did you do, cold-cock him when he was cuffed?! You shameless little skank. If you need to cover up your indiscretions, at least have some humility…”

Humility! Nancy huffed. Years of kickboxing, judo and jiu jitsu and she still had to listen to misogynistic fuckfaces questioning her competency. She took a deep breath, calming her temper. She had met guys like him thousands of times. “I could beat your ass…” she mumbled under her breath before turning back to her work, trying to return to her briefly-successful strategy of ignoring this irritating man.

“Prove it!”

She gave a little huff, nothing more. She didn’t need to prove shit to this man.

“Seriously, Petty Officer First Class McKenna! If you are such a badass, beat me up!”

“Fuck off, Schmelzer!”

“I’m serious!” he was insistent, leaning in close to her ear, “The gym downstairs is empty right now, should be another hour or two before there’s anyone bothering us. Let’s go downstairs and climb into the ring and move around a little…”