You may like to watch series 2, episode 7 "Set a Thief" the first two chapters run through this episode but don't reiterate the story on screen.
He was flirting again and as much as she didn't want to admit it Harry was enjoying his messing around. As the paper came down in front of her and his arms reached around her not for the first time that week Harry asked herself where she thought Dempsey was going. Was this auto pilot for him or was he deliberately taking chances?
Dempsey felt relaxed, that meant he was playful and Harry was a good target. She always managed to draw him close and push him away in the same breath. He wished she had shorter breaths so she just drew him in – she was real sexy. She let herself fall back into Dempsey as the paper came down, that was the instinctive part; then, as always, reason woke up and Harry found herself looking around as if to check if anyone was watching.
She didn't have time to think but if she had it would have been the same as before, half hoping someone would see this hunk flirting with her as if to make the flirt fact, it couldn't be denied if someone else saw it. The same glance was also to ensure no one saw it because it mustn't be allowed to happen, such an unwise route to take. Her eyes saw the car moving towards the girl, as she felt the gentle kiss on her hair she shouted 'Dempsey' fearful it may hit him. It wouldn't be until she got ready for bed that she would touch her hair and remember the brief kiss.
It had been one of his bolder moves and so rudely interrupted by a random stranger mowing a girl down in a hit and run attack. Dempsey was frustrated; frustrated at the interruption and frustrated because he didn't know why he persisted with the flirting, he knew it was unwise, unproductive and also unsuccessful but his instinct always remained uppermost there was something about Makepeace that he couldn't let go of.
Dempsey half sat, half leaned against the bonnet of Makepeace's car reading his New York Times whilst he waited for the ambulance crew to clear the body. Makepeace walked back over to him "So how's yesterday's news?" she asked
"Interesting" he looked straight into her eyes "seems that men are still better at some jobs than women"
Makepeace grabbed the paper and scanned the page for whatever he was reading, but failed to find it quickly.
"George Guilder article" Dempsey informed her and Makepeace spotted it, she skimmed the first few paragraphs "Women seem to be crowding into sectors of the work force traditionally occupied by men" she quoted.
Dempsey grabbed it back off her and read from further down the article "Female physicians, for example, see 38 percent fewer patients per hour and work fewer hours than male physicians; female professors write fewer books and research papers than male professors."
Makepeace snatched the paper back, as she looked for Dempsey's quote she found her own "single men and single women are about equally successful in the extent to which they exploit their earnings capacity" she triumphed
Dempsey didn't snatch the paper back, this time he wrapped his arm around her back, leant across her and pointed to another line as he read "Regardless of the evidence of polls and of labor-force-participation rates that include part-time workers, women do not seem to be behaving like men in the labor market."
"Huh - you can't even spell labour" Makepeace trumped him.
"Err excuse me" the ambulance driver approached the feuding pair "are you accompanying the body to the hospital?"
Makepeace stood up smartly and coughed "No, no – we have her purse we'll process that and keep you informed" She moved around to the drivers door and Dempsey folded his paper and, still smirking, sat in the passenger seat.
********
Spikings still couldn't understand how Dempsey could attract so much crime; no other copper leaving a local newsagent would end up firing a weapon in a residential street - he decided to look at the abandoned car himself. Dempsey barely hid his frustration at the sight of Spikings and was nearly provoked into displaying his anger at Spikings' suggestion that he, Dempsey, had somehow been responsible for the hit and run. Dempsey's ears pricked up as he heard Harry say 'chief' he looked over to see the repercussions and grinned. So often Spikings had given him that lecture and it had been like water off a duck's back so now even the boss had given up chiding him. It was a small thing but it raised his mood and Dempsey made his way across to Spikings 'Harry and me' he'd grown to like that phrase.
********
Dempsey's mind was in overdrive, Harry in sexy underwear; he could picture her now and was rather taken with the images in his head. He wondered if she was wearing some now but she was wearing a jumper, one of those semi transparent blouses would have been better.
Harry wondered why she laid herself so wide open to teasing or taunts. She would pay for that revelation for months if not years yet part of her wanted him to know that she wasn't a boring, frumpy police woman. The other part of her wanted to know why she wanted him to know about her lacy bra and knickers! She tried to remember what she had dressed in that morning, nothing quite that special but she knew she would tomorrow.
Dempsey looked at the photos of Janine, she was quite a doll, but each photo prompted his imagination – what would Makepeace look like?
He put his feet up and mused "You know Makepeace maybe you're in the wrong business"
"Is that a compliment?" she asked, she thought it would be, at least in his eyes.
Dempsey thought about that for a moment, his mind's eye now picturing Harry posing on the motorbike from the studio earlier, it seemed Janine had also done so "No" he decided still enjoying the views in his hand.
He was brought back to the present by Makepeace and Janine's passport. Makepeace insisted they called Chas and a proper formal search of the flat made, that frustrated Dempsey – they could have just finished it off themselves. This is just the sort of thing she annoyed him about. He was still frustrated as they drove back into the office – didn't she get it that the best way to work was to work the crime yourself? Her compliance and obedience to protocol started to wind him up again and the prospect of desk work did nothing to enhance his mood and everything to irritate him more.
As she drove Harry was becoming equally vexed at Dempsey's relentless ranting about rules and regulations and she drew great pleasure from pulling over on the Albert Bridge to drop him off some place – that would teach him.
A riled and frustrated Makepeace was almost as sexy as an aroused and frustrated Makepeace, her skin was flushed and her wide eyes penetrating, the tension crackled and boy did it feel hot. Dempsey climbed out of the car rather enjoying the reaction he had provoked.
********
It never took a long for time for either Dempsey or Makepeace to mellow and just two hours apart had softened each of them. Makepeace drove to Covent Garden and searched for the coffee shop Dempsey had given her. As she walked in she glanced around looking for him and jolted when her gaze spotted the overfamiliar grazing of Dempsey's hand cruising somewhat intimately around the informant's thigh. 'How' Harry contemplated 'did Dempsey get away with his hand there in the middle of a street café? Good god had he no sense of proprietary?'
As she chided him about the level of professional conduct there was something within that wanted to be able to let go and do likewise; she passed comment about 'loitering with intent' and wondered if he would ever change – she rather hoped he wouldn't although she would never let herself fall into his clutches.
What was it with Dempsey and his words, he complimented her on her driving and she laughed; why, she wondered, did she do that? Right now she had had to bribe the workshop guys to drop everything else to beat the panel dent out of her car whilst they interviewed Davis. Even with all her charms the car wouldn't be ready until the next day.
The interview with Davis was going nowhere apart from into brutality when Chas interrupted proceedings. Now Dempsey trailed both Chas and Harry down the stairs -
Harry who yet again failed to stand up for him. He found her compliance irritating, along with her inconsistency of running wild with him and then stepping sideways like now! She had known he'd get a bit rough and they'd get something out of Davis but as soon as Chas had passed comment Harry had switched sides. Suddenly 'still trying not to sir' flooded back into his mind and now her clever comments were irksome but on the other hand her jealousy inwardly pleasing – it's implications taught him to hope.
Colonel Danby gave the duo someone to unite against and harmony between Dempsey and Makepeace was once again restored. As they left the Foreign Office Harry suggested they leave everything until the next day. "You want me to drop by and pick you up?" Dempsey checked
"Please" Makepeace looked at her watch "You'd better make that early, say 6.00 so we can get back onto Davis before someone discovers where we've hidden him."
"Sure" Dempsey took a piece of paper from his jacket and looked at it
"You want to ride in my taxi, it'll go close enough to your part of town" she offered
Dempsey looked up "Oh sorry, no thanks – I've got a…, I 'm not going in that direction yet"