Nocturnal Obsession

She rapped on their door. “Who is it?” she heard Sasha ask. “It’s me. Open up. You’ve got to hear this!” Sasha opened the door. “What’s up, amigo?” “It’s amiga,” Teresa corrected as she stepped inside. Kate was on the couch flipping through a magazine. “Hey, what’s up, girl?” “You will not believe what I just saw,” exclaimed Teresa breathlessly. “Your pervert neighbor being abducted by aliens?” Sasha joked. “That would be nice, but no. Instead, I saw the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” “Really?” Sasha and Kate both asked at once, their curiosity piqued. “Have you guys seen the new guard?” “Yes, we did,” said Sasha with a bright smile. “Ah, so she likes a babe in uniform, huh?” teased Kate. “I’ll bet you anything she’s one of us, too,” Sasha said with confidence. “How do you know?” “Honey, it takes a lesbo to know a lesbo. She’s a lesbo, trust me. Ladies are very much her cup of tea. One down, one to go.” “What’s that mean?” asked Teresa. “It means that now that you know she’s a lesbian, all you have to do next is hope she’s not taken.” “It’s Monday night,” Kate said, “so there shouldn’t be too many people out and about.” “What am I supposed to do, though? Go up to the guardhouse and say, ‘Excuse me, ma’am. I think you’re utterly gorgeous, and my friends are so sure that you’re a lesbian, so what do you say we get to know each other if you aren’t taken?’” Sasha and Kate giggled. “No, silly,” said Sasha. “You don’t have to be that direct. Just be out there so you can casually bump into her.” “Go to the pool later on when most people head in for the night,” suggested Kate. “I’d love to, but you know how it is. See, you’re the manager in a restaurant,” Teresa said, nodding towards Sasha, “and you’re a secretary in a law firm,” she motioned towards Kate. “When you guys come home, your work is done. Meanwhile, a computer hacker’s work is never done.” “Perhaps,” said Sasha, “but sometimes I think we oughta get a computer ourselves, have you train us, and hack out a living right along with you.” Teresa chuckled. “People make time for what matters to them most. You’ll find the time to run into her if you’re that interested,” assured Kate. “Oh, I’m that interested,” Teresa said with a smile before she headed back to her place. As faithfully as always, Mark stood waiting for her. “Hi, Teresa,” he said. “I was waiting for you because I wanted to know if you wanted some pizza. I ordered a large one, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I’d hate to waste it.” “No thanks, Mark,” Teresa said, unlocking her door. She stepped inside and shut the door, leaving Mark to stare at the closed door. Why me? Teresa wondered, wishing the hot guard she saw could be swapped with this obnoxious human parasite. It then dawned on her that this guard could simply be filling in for Dennis just for the night. She may never see her again, for all she knew. Unfortunately, she didn’t run into her again when she went to throw her clothes in the dryer and then bring them back to her studio when they were dry. With her laundry put away, she fired up her computer. Tuning out Mark’s music, which to her was a rather obvious way of trying to get her attention since he couldn’t do so in other ways, she set to work. By 9:30, all was quiet. Teresa was glad that Mark went to bed early, for she was always a night person. She had always enjoyed the peaceful quietness of the night while most of the world slept. Teresa stood up and powered down her computer. She turned the fluorescent light off in the kitchen, then she turned off the lamp that her mother had sent. Now her four-hundred-square-foot studio was engulfed in total darkness. The only sound was the hum of the air conditioner. Moving slowly through the darkness, Teresa positioned herself by her bedroom window and peered through the slats of the blinds. Ordinarily, she’d have preferred an upper-level apartment. A maze of sidewalks wove through the complex, and one of the main sidewalks ran just a few feet away from the studio’s two windows. The sliding glass door, which was parallel to her front door, faced the parking lot. She didn’t like the idea of people passing by her windows as often as they did, but tonight was an exception to the rule—or at least she hoped it would be, for she didn’t know exactly what the guard’s routines were. However, she knew they did rounds at set intervals. In the darkness, she sat, waiting hopefully. Gosh, I feel like such a little spy, she thought to herself. This is the type of thing Mark would do. Teresa was just about to give up and turn the lights back on and do some reading when she heard the approaching sound of the walkie-talkie cackling. A moment later, she appeared. Despite the dim lighting and only seeing her for about ten seconds, Teresa couldn’t help but think she looked fine, just fine. “Oh, Officer Garrett, we do have to meet,” Teresa said aloud once she’d passed by and was out of sight. “Please don’t be straight and please don’t be taken!” Unable to concentrate on reading, Teresa decided it was time for bed. She stripped down to her silky panties and plopped herself down on her foam mattress. She shifted onto her back as images of the guard came to mind. She closed her eyes as a pleasant smile crossed her face. Then slowly, her hand reached down between her legs. The next day, Teresa made it a point to sleep in late so she would have more energy for the night ahead—the night in which she had a mission to hopefully accomplish. The thought of it made her both excited and nervous. Her plan was simple—hang out by the pool. She considered hanging out on her front porch, but she knew that if she did, Mark would be hanging out there with her plenty long enough to give the guard the wrong idea. Mark couldn’t see her porch from his studio or from his own porch, but the pest was always coming and going in hopes of running into her, from the time he got home from school to the time he went to bed. He’d come and go from the vending machines, the pool, the laundry room, the mailboxes, etc. Teresa continued to hope he’d get a girlfriend just as desperate, but somehow she tended to believe the dude spent the bulk of his time alone. At a little past 8:00, she slipped into her blue thong sandals and headed out, book in hand, clad in purple shorts and a colorful halter. Her face was made up, and her wavy red hair, which fell to the middle of her back, was brushed out neatly. Sure enough, the pest just conveniently happened to have to go out right at the same time she did. “Hi, Teresa. Going out?” “Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Mark looked offended by Teresa’s sarcasm. “Hey, I’m just trying to be friendly.” “And I’m just trying to be a sarcastic little bitch,” said Teresa with a smug smile. “Really, Mark. With all the fish in the sea, you can do better than me. Don’t you think?” Teresa left Mark to ponder what she’d said and headed for the south pool. She was pleased to find it virtually deserted. First, she wanted to stop at the soda machine so she could sip on something while she read at the table by the fence. The guards didn’t often go into the fenced-in pool area, which meant she’d need to find a place to sit that was close to where she’d walk by if she were even on duty. If she were on duty, she’d be almost a half-hour into her shift, since the guards worked from 7:30 PM to 3:30 AM. If she remembered correctly, it had been about 8:00 when she saw the lovely S. Garrett pass by. It was still quite warm, but not scalding hot, since the sun was now beginning to set. She inserted the coins into the soda machine’s slot and made her selection. The can wouldn’t come down. “Hello,” called out a cheery voice from behind her. Teresa turned her head. It was her! “Hi,” she said with a smile. Then she turned back to the soda machine with frustration. “Having trouble?” she asked. “Uh, yeah. Actually, I am,” Teresa told her. “Usually, you just gotta give the thing a swift swat and your soda will fall down to where you can grab it.” Teresa watched as the guard slugged the machine. Her heart raced. What a body! she thought. She was slim, tall, solid, tanned, and oh so gorgeous. She could easily see most men as well as women being attracted to her, for she was certainly well above average in looks. When her soda finally trickled down to the slot, the guard reached for it and pulled it out. “Here you go,” she said, handing it to Teresa. “Thanks,” Teresa said, gazing into her face. It was the first time she really got to study her facial features. They were just as beautiful as the rest of her. Her makeup was perfectly applied. She had a wide smile, straight white teeth, a perfect nose, and eyes that made her heart dance in a way it never had before. Her uniform was a desert tan color. Around her waist was a thick black belt that held a variety of objects such as handcuffs, keys, mace, a walkie-talkie, and a stun gun. “And your name is?” she asked. “Teresa,” she said, extending her hand. “Teresa Anderson.” “Officer Garrett,” she said with a smile. “You can just call me Sabrina.” Her handshake was firm and warm. “Nice to meet you,” Teresa said, trying to keep her voice even and the red heat out of her blushing face. “You filling in for Dennis?” “Actually, I’m replacing him altogether. He was transferred to another complex.” “Oh, so you’ll be on Monday through Friday?” “Sure will. From 7:30 to 3:30 till Officer Garrett becomes Agent Garrett in the fall.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah, I’ll be joining the FBI’s local training academy just after Labor Day.” “Cool.” Sabrina smiled. “Got a place here?” Teresa nodded. “I’m in a studio in building three.” Sabrina raised one arm slightly overhead and placed the palm of it against the outer wall of the laundry room while she placed the back of the other hand on her hip. Sexy, thought Teresa. “Mind if I ask how old you are, Teresa?” Teresa shook her head. “I’m sure I’m older than you think.” “Then you’re older than eighteen?” “Yes,” said Teresa with a chuckle. “I’m twenty-four. Would you like to see some ID, Officer?” Sabrina laughed. “Oh, no. That’s okay. I believe you.” “How old are you?” “Twenty-eight.” “Oh.” After a few seconds of silence, Sabrina ran a hand through her dark, glossy hair. “Well, it was very nice chatting with you, Teresa, but I must be on my way.” “Ok, thanks for getting the soda for me.” “No problem,” Sabrina said with a smile as she headed off. “Perhaps I’ll see you around.” “Sure. Anytime you get bored and want to chat or feel you need some coffee to get you through the night, I’m in one-oh-two south.” “One-oh-two south. Gotcha.” Teresa turned and headed back towards her place, so excited she could’ve skipped the way back, while Sabrina headed off with a light, happy bounce to complete her rounds. Sabrina was no idiot. She knew that the girl had been attracted to her—the girl whose green eyes had seemed to blend in with the lush landscape around them, whose fiery red hair had seemed aflame in the sunlight, whose angelic face and graceful body had seemed to speed up her heartbeat. But there was one problem. Carly.