Bribed

"I can have both of your badges for this," you say sternly.

"No, please, sir," Hernandez says, clasping his hands together and begging you. At the threat of losing his job, he's suddenly caved and stopped with his strong front. Pia mirrors his actions and begs you too.

You get up and pretend to leave, turning your back to them and walking slowly to the door. "Begging's not going to work. Save your breath. Also, you 2 know that fraternizing among officers is not allowed, right? That's more than enough counts to kick you both off the ****."

"No! We're not fraternizing! We're just friends!" Pia protests. You peek over your shoulder to see Hernandez looking at his fellow officer and clearly disappointed that she would deny the existence of any relationship so quickly and fervently.

You pause near the door and smirk at them. "There's no need to lie. Come on, I've seen this many times."

"No! It's not true! Jorge, tell him!" Pia urges Hernandez.

Reluctantly, Hernandez nods. "It's not true. We're just friends," he says. "Please, I was just hungry and wanted company. Don't blame officer Miller. You can kick me off the ****, but please give her another chance."

Pia looks grateful at the comment and you half expect her to make the same case, but she doesn't.

You pretend to be considering your judgment as they wait for you to speak or leave. You look over at the kitchen door and you notice the waitress peering out. She seems to be waiting for you all to leave.

"Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. Doesn't matter really," you say, pushing on the door to leave.

"No! Wait!" Pia pleas with you, rushing over to you and getting close enough that you can smell her perfume. Then, she lowers her voice so that Hernandez can't hear her. "Is it true what they say about internal affairs?"

You raise your eyebrows, unsure of where this is going but curious to find out. "What have you heard?" you ask in a similar low whisper.

"That internal affairs looks the other way for female officers if they..." Pia whispers, biting her lower lip. You wait for her to go on. "... offer a special arrangement."

You look at Pia for a while before you smirk. "Well, if you're offering... yes. Let's discuss this somewhere else. Somewhere... private," you whisper. Then, you look at Hernandez. "Officer Hernandez, that will be all. You'll be hearing from internal affairs soon."

He looks confused. "What about Pia- I mean, officer Miller?" he asks.

"She has asked to plead her case, so we're going to go back to my office to continue this conversation. Have a good evening," you say, opening the door and motioning for Pia to leave first. Then, you follow her to her police car.

"Where's your car?" Pia asks as you 2 get into her vehicle.

"My partner dropped me off," you lie.

"Where to?"

"Do you live nearby?"

"I do... but... I live with my sister, so we can't go back to my place."

"You don't bring guys home?"

"Not for 1 night stands..."

You chuckle. "Officer Miller, if you're serious about this, it better happen soon. Please don't waste my time," you say.

"Of course not, sorry. Please," Pia says, looking flustered. "There's a motel nearby on my route. They charge rooms by the hour."