Don't Know What Love Is...

I couldn't beleive it!  The great Reed Nelson was playing San Juan....and his original keyboard player...Kerry "88" Moore was back with him too...

Except for "88" the rest of the band was brand new...a new guitarist, bass player, drummer, percussionist and saxophone player and a male singer!!! I was shocked... Bone Hampton , who usaully played Trombone was missing....That was because he was doing double duty with the Liquid Love band....They had been here in May...

Me?  I'm a big fan....My name is Nick Munez, Detective Nick Munez....I was at the club watching them perform... The promoter, Salizar Rodriguez  is the uncle of a woman I thought I was in love with...Detective Mercedes Rodriguez...

She had mentored me when I was a patrolmen detailed to the Homicide unit...she had inspired me to take the detectives test....I took it and passed with flying colors...Then there was the times I rode with her in her car on murder cases...She taught me how to run an investigation, how to collect evidence and how to get the trust of an informant.

The whole time I was learning from her,I was loving her from afar...I didn't want to make how I felt about her known.... I remember a week when her cousin from Philly, Carlotta and her fiance, a D.A.named Keith Wallace  were here visting...I changed my mind..

''So you're about to make Detective eh?" he said.

"Yes...Detective Mercedes has been mentoring me." I said with pride..

"So...How long you been in love with her?" he asked.

I looked a little taken back, then he shrugged his shoulders..

"You know huh?" I said.

"I know the look." he said.."I had it when I met her cousin ,Carlotta."

"I've loved Mercedes ever since I've known her...but uh, she'd never give me the time of day." I told him.

"You'll never know if you don't ask her..." he said.

''She's out of my league." I told him..

"And what league is that? The league you put yourself in? Tell her how you feel..What have you got to lose? If she's not feeling you, Well you didn't have her anyway...But what if she is?" he said.
"Hmmmmm." I mused..

"Don't waste too much time thinking on it." he said and patted me on the back...

I smiled thinking about his advice...He meant well...and Mercedes and I had one very special night together , but after that she distanced herself from me...Said it wouldn't look good for two detectives to be involved with one another..

II-

Reed's band finished their set and took a recess as the House band replaced them on the stage...

I walked up to Reed and shook his hand...

"I'm a big fan man....Nick Munez....I'm a Detective.." I said.

"Heyyyy that's great man....Now I know that we are safe." he joked...

"I see You and 88 are back together.." I said.

"You're a real fan Nick...Yeah..That's my partner...We always gonna be together in some form." said Reed...

"Can I buy you two guys a drink?" I said.

''Sure!! Come on over and meet our wives." said Reed.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw the first woman...She had the most amazingly large and shapely breasts...

"This is Mabel Jenkins Moore....88's wife...She owns two restaraunts in Philly....If you're ever there you need to check her out." said Reed Nelson.

I was already checking her out....Aye caramba!!!

"I was in Philly a few months ago...Working on a case with the Philadelphia Police.. I wish I had known then." I said.

''Maybe you'll visit us again." said Mabel.

''And this is my wife, Debbie.." he said.

She was equally beautiful....Maybe I should have been a musician....

"I know who you are...You write a music column with your sister." I said.

"Ouuuuu, he really is a fan!!I like him!!!And he's cute too." said Debbie...Mabel laughed....

By Now 88 had joined us and we all sat down at a booth and laughed and talked...I ordered them all drinks and Beef and Chicken Fajitas....and paid for their expenses...

''Aww Man, you don't have to do that...We makin good money here." said 88.

"It's okay...This is the only chance I may have to meet with you guys and I've been following you for so long." I said.

One of my friends snapped photos of me sitting with them with his camera phone...

III-

It had been a perfect night.....Then she walked in... Detective Mercedes Rodriguez!! I hadn't seen or talked to her in a month...She seemed surprized to see me...

"Detective Munez...What a surprise seeing you here?" she said.

"Really Mercedes?? I don't work around the clock...Every now and then I like to have something called a life outside of my work.."I said.

"Okay.....I didn't mean anything by it...I was just making conversation." she said.. She seemed a bit taken aback by the way I had said what I said...

"Uhh this here is Reed Nelson, his wife Debbie, "88", his keyboard player and his wife, Mabel." I said.

She smiled and shyly asked for their autographs which they freely gave...

"I didn't know you knew them Nick." she said.

"A lot of things you don't know that I know." I said.   I was surprised by the harshness of my tone myself...

"Well uh...it was nice meeting you all....I'll let you get back to your afternoon." she said and headed for the bar.

"So...Did she break your heart?" asked Reed Nelson...

"Huh, what?? Nooooo..She's just another Detective on the force...Someone I know."I protested...

Mabel and Debbie gave me the side eye...

"Uh...Uh....You two have history.....You can't hide that Nick...And she was kind of hurt by the way you kind of snapped at her...I could see it." said Debbie.

"You don't know her....She doesn't get hurt...She's not emotional like that." I said.

"She did hurt you....and you kind of hurt her...What you need to do is go talk to her...buy her a drink....At least apologize....Don't be rude...I think she has feelings for you of some kind." said Reed Nelson...88 shook his head in agreement.

"Plus...She keeps looking over here..." said Mabel...

IV-

Reed ,88 and the band returned to the stand to do their last set......

"Ladies and gentlemen...We are going to perform our new song.....Featuring vocalist,
Matt Demby....He and I and my producer, who is in Philly named Meek Rollins wrote this number...It's called-''Don't know What Love is." he said.

He started the song off with a beautiful trumpet solo...

I walked up to the bar...Mercedes was drinking alone...I whispered to the bar tender to send her another of whatever she was drinking...

She turned and looked at me...

"Ohhhh, so you're through showing off for your new friends huh?" she said.

"Yup!....Have you been well Mercedes?  Oh, How would I know? No call....Didn't answer several messages sent..." I said.

"I'm sorry..I've been busy...Just like you,You know...Solving crimes....Went to my cousin's wedding in Philly!!...SOLVING CRIMES!" she said again..

"So busy you couldn't return a text message?" I said.

"Stop whining Nicky....It's not sexy...Makes you sound like a woman." she said.

"Yeah?...Good night Mercedes." I said....

I was about to walk away when she grabbed my arm...

''Wait!, Wait Nicky!..Don't go!! I didn't mean that last remark!....Sit and talk to me." she said.

I sat down next to her..

The singer had stopped singing and Reed was blowing a hell of a solo...

"You're asking me to sit with you?" I asked...

"I don't like to drink alone......If I don't have to.." she said and laughed.

I sat down and ordered a beer......

''So how have you been Mercedes?" I asked.

"Overworked...Under paid...You know...Everybody's blues." she said.

"I've missed you." I said.

"I know you did...I could hear it in your sarcasm over at the booth." she said.

"As a girlfriend,You're a good detective. " I said.

"I'm not your girlfriend...We are just friends remember?  Friends with benefits! Don't be mad...We had a great night at my brother's loft two months ago, didn't we?  I told you not to get too excited...Not to catch any feelings...And you said you wouldn't....But you did didn't you?" she said.

"I've had those feelings for you already.. You knew that...You know how I feel about you. I don't hide it."I said.

"Well I'm not ready to go there yet..." she said.

"Okay...I'm not asking you to." I said.

"That doesn't mean  we have to be enemies...I thought I was still your friend." she said and ran her index finger across my lip..

"Friend? Friends don't make love like we did..." I asked.

"Well...We are friends with benefits...At least I thought that was the agreement." she said.

"I don't recall any such agreement." I said.

"Well I do...You just weren't listening." she said.

" I definitely don't remember that." I said.

''Well , you know now right?" she said and smiled.

''So we are friends with benefits huh?"

''You know..You can sit here and be mad at me for not calling you every day or you can make up with me and get some more of those benefits." she said and winked...

"I'm just a booty call for you aint I?" I said.

"You could do worse on a Friday night." she said.

I looked at the bartender...

''Check please." I said....I was not a fool! Sex with Mercedes was off the hinges..Even if I knew she was using me and that the next morning there would be a big letdown when I had to get up and leave...

Mercedes laughed.....She knew she was blowing my mind in and out of the bed...Part of me hated the effect she had on me...She knew I was never going to say no to her.

V-

Reed was still playing...He saw me and Mercedes getting up to leave...He smiled...

So did 88...At their table...Mabel and Debbie gave me a thumbs up and smiled...

I followed Mercedes in my car to her brother, Boxer Ernesto Rodriguez's loft in downtown San Juan...Ernesto was ironically enough in Philadelphia for a big fight...

"He lets you hold the keys to his spot ?" I asked her..

''Yes...His house is my house...I'm his little sister..Why wouldn't he?"she said..

I just laughed and shook my head as we entered...

I pulled Mercedes to me and kissed her for a long time......

"Ummmmmmmm....You are such a good kisser..." she moaned...

I unzippered her skirt....and unhooked her blouse....She kissed my neck, my shoulder, my chest and my lips....

She unzippered my trousers...

My bulging very erect penis practically jumped out at her!

"Ohhhhhh myyyyyy papi......ohhhhh, I can't believe that I still get you like that..." she said...eyeing it and rubbing it gently with one hand as I eased out of my trousers and slipped off my shirt...Within minutes we stood in the middle of the loft's bedroom nearly nude and embraced in a long , tender kiss...

''Ohhhhhh Mercedes, I missed you sooo much.." I moaned..

"Ohhhhhhhh Nicky, I missed you toooooo....." she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as we continued to kiss...

She moaned , all the while holding my penis with both of her hands and rubbing it....

I kissed her, thrusting my tongue practically down her throat and rubbing her breasts...I could feel Mercedes trembling....and moaning softly....I eased her panties off of her slowly....

I lifted Mercedes up and layed her across the bed...my bulging very erect penis practically jumped up at her!

"Ohhhhhh myyyyyy........." she said...eyeing it and rubbing it gently with one hand as I eased out of my trousers and slipped off my shirt...Within minutes we were  embracing in a long , tender kiss...that grew hotter and more passionate by the second...

''Ohhhhhh baby, I missed you sooo much.." I moaned..

"Ouuuuuu show mami how much papi" she cooed....

I opened her legs and I entered her very slowly...Surprisingly, she was already wet and I began to maneuver very easily inside of her...

''AYE DIOS MIOS...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she moaned..

Mercedes held me and wrapped her legs around my back as I really begin going in and out of her....

"OHHHH MY GOD.....You are sooooo huge...OHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." she screams!

Now I'm moving faster and faster...and Mercedes is screaming to the top of her lungs...


"Ohhhhhhhh Nicky, I missed you toooooo....." she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as we continued to kiss...and I continued to stroke her masterfully...

The bed just rocked from side to side.....

Two or three hours went by before we both climaxed mightily and furiously and dozed off to sleep on top of the bed in each others arms...I looked at her and to my complete surprise..Mercedes was crying....tears just running down her face...I kissed her and she
grabbed me and kissed me passionately for a few minutes and then snuggled up under me and drifted off into a very peaceful sleep...I grinned...I cradled her head in my arms and she snuggled up closer to me! She might want to rethink being "Friends with Benefits" after tonight I thought....Of course I would find out that I was wrong!

As I drifted off to sleep...I could still hear Reed Nelson's solo playing in my head...

(To Be Continued...)