Intentional End

Chapter 1

August 18

Saturday Morning

The smells of fresh coffee and bacon made their way from the kitchen to Bobby's nose. He sniffed deeply and turned onto his side, reaching for her, but her side of the bed was empty. She's cooking, he thought with a smile and opened his eyes.

Bobby and Gleason had been married nearly a year and were the happiest they had been since they met eighteen months before. They had survived just about anything a couple could survive – a stalker, a shooting, a miscarriage, infidelity, depression, living apart, bouts of drinking, and the day-to-day misery that comes with being in love. Nevertheless, they survived it all and were stronger for it.

Bobby rolled out of bed, pulled on his flannel sleep pants, stopped in the bathroom, and then padded toward the kitchen. "Ah, you are about your wifely duties, are you?" he said, sneaking up behind her in his bare feet, taking her in his arms, nuzzling her neck.

"I am, sir; and if you will let me, I'll prepare the rest of your breakfast so that we might be about our last weekend together," she replied, leaning back against him, relishing in his breadth and warmth.

"Oh, don't say it out loud," he moaned, "I don't want this to end." Gleason and Bobby had lived together in the New York apartment since the end of the spring semester, late May. She taught neither of the two summer sessions, so the couple had taken their honeymoon the last week of July and first week of August, months after their autumn wedding.

Gleason turned and answered, "I don't want it to end either. I'm home until Wednesday and then you'll come to Evanston Friday evening and we'll have next weekend together." She looked at his bare chest and ran her fingers through the sparse silver curls sprinkled over it.

Bobby took her head in his hands and kissed her, his tongue licking gently at her lips. Gleason opened to him and her hand slid from his chest to his waistband, slipped inside and dipped for his penis. It responded to her touch and he moaned, spreading his legs, allowing himself to grow in her hand. "Jesus, Glea-," he whispered against her head.

Suddenly, she withdrew her hand and turned back to the cooker, "I need to get these eggs on, Love. Go get dressed."

"Turn them off and let's go lie down," he said softly, trying to turn her again.

"No, go get dressed; we have lots to do today. Go on, go."

"If you come with me now, we can shower together and save time."

"Bobby! Go get dressed, please!"

"Ok, don't get mad. Geez." Bobby stepped away and walked slowly toward the bedroom, his erection withering.

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Late Saturday Afternoon

"I'll be just a few minutes," Gleason told Bobby as she headed toward the bedroom.

"I'm going to run down to the car and get my phone."

Bobby left and Gleason stripped, dropping her clothes on the bed. This was going to be a wonderful evening – she and Bobby were going to a graduation party for the Captain's oldest daughter, Kathryn; Deakins and Angie had reserved the Palm Room at the Crown Plaza in Times Square.

The water sluiced over her skin as she lathered her body with the loofa full of cinnamon scented suds. Gleason felt incredibly sensuous and enjoyed grooming in the bath. She shaved her legs and washed her hair.

"Honey, how much should we put in the card?" Bobby asked from the bathroom door. The water stopped and the curtain moved aside, she looked like a water goddess.

"I didn't hear you, what did you say?" she said, reaching for the towel.

Bobby stared at her wet nakedness and felt the stir in his trousers, "Uh, the card, how much in the card?"

The towel moved slowly over her body and she watched his eyes follow it. A grin broke her face as she turned and bent away from him, rubbing her hair with the towel. Bobby stepped to her and ran his hand down over her bottom, his fingers sliding toward the space leading to her opening. "We are in a hurry, remember?" she said, turning to look at him over her shoulder, seeing the look of innocent lust on his face.

"Oh, Glea-," he breathed.

She straightened and wrapped the towel around her head. "Go put what you think is right in the card. I don't know about these things. Go." She shooed him from the bathroom and noticed the small tent in the front of his pants.

Gleason dusted her body with the spicy powder Bobby had gotten for her in Perthshire on their Scottish honeymoon. He had picked the scent and said it served as an aphrodisiac for him when combined with her cinnamon soap; he always did have an acute sense of smell.

A naughty thought made her smile as she turned the corner from the bathroom into the bedroom. As quickly as she opened the second drawer of her chest of drawers, she closed it, without removing a single item. Oh, she was feeling mischievous!

The new dress was perfect – three layers of thin, summer weight material flared from the waist where it met the two long fabric bands reaching from the full back and criss-crossing her just-enough breasts. The peachy-rose colour was perfect for her skin and hair. She slipped on the dress, tied the front, adjusting her breasts to fill it to their best advantage, then slid her feet into her new flat sandals and returned to the bathroom to do her hair.

"Ready?" she asked as she entered the living room, shaking out the length of creamy, light wool for her shoulders.

Bobby stood reading the paper, looking wonderful in his dark blue suit with the button-down collar dress shirt open at the neck. He looked up and his breath caught, "Gleason, you look wonderful." The newspaper fell onto his chair and he stepped to her, took her arms and bent to kiss her gently. "Oh, God, you smell so good," he groaned.

He pulled her close and she resisted him with a smile saying, "We're going to be late, let's go."

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The party was under way as Bobby and Gleason arrived. "Bobby, Gleason, thank you for coming," Angie said as she met them at the door to the huge room. "Kathryn … Kate! Come here please," she called and beckoned to her daughter, the lady of the hour.

"You remember Detective Goren and his wife, Dr. Wintermantle. This is our daughter, Kathryn."

The young woman shook each of their hands and thanked them for coming. Bobby handed her the card and she uttered another thanks. "Is it too late to congratulate you on your marriage?" Bobby and Gleason both smiled and returned the thanks. "I should go mingle. Thank you again for coming and for your gift." With that, she slipped back into the surprisingly large crowd.

"Come, come and get something to eat, something to drink. I'll find Jimmy – you can rescue him from his mother." She smiled and disappeared into the crowd as well.

Bobby took Gleason's hand and together they stepped into the mix. Bobby was tall enough to see over almost everyone's head. He spotted Eames and led Gleason that way, noticing that his partner was with that Detective Peter Something from the one-seven – the fellow who interprets for the deaf. Eames stood very close to this guy and Bobby hoped he was not her rebound from Sledge.

"Hey," she said and it was clear she had had more than several glasses of wine.

"Hi, Alex," Gleason said, smiling, looking from Bobby's partner to the short man beside her. When Alex didn't introduce them, Bobby did.

"Can I get you each a drink?" Peter asked after the formalities.

Alex replied first, "Actually, Peter, you can get me another one of these." He smiled at her and then smiled at the other two. A look passed from Bobby to Peter and Peter understood that her next drink was going to be club soda.

Bobby and Gleason declined Peter's offer but waited with Eames until he returned with the two innocent drinks.

"We'll catch up with you later," Bobby said and led Gleason away again.

They found seats at an empty table near the back and Gleason sat while Bobby went to get them each a drink. Gleason was excited to be here as she had had so few opportunities to attend events such as these. The reception upon her hiring at Northwestern had actually been the first one that she could remember; it may have been the first one ever. Then, the gathering with Bobby's co-workers the Friday evening following their wedding had been an informal, yet festive affair. And now this, she felt like a girl at prom.

"Thank you, Love," she said, taking the wine glass from Bobby. He sat beside her, leaned in whispered, "You are the loveliest woman here and you are mine." He inhaled her scent and felt himself stir.

The music started up and he said, "Let's dance. Come on." He took her hand, pulling her to her feet, and headed for the dance floor.

"Bobby, Bobby, wait!"

"What?" he asked as he took her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Bobby, I've, I, I don't know how to dance. Please, let's sit down." She tried to pull away but he held tight.

"It's easy; just follow me; I'll hold you close. Come on." And with that, he held her and she let him glide her over the floor. "There, this isn't so bad, is it?" he said smiling down at her.

She smiled up at him and said, "You are very good at this, Mr. Goren. Where did you learn to dance like this?"

"It was the only way I could get my hands on girls in high school. So, I watched the other kids and learned."

Gleason had never been happier.

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