Ladies of Interest

"Do you think" asked Fusco, slurping some coffee and breaking the silence, "That Root gets freaky in bed?"

Reese turned incredulous eyes to his partner, not really believing what he had just heard. "What the hell, Fusco! Where did that come from?"

"Well" explained Fusco "She's not got much in the boob department so I figure she might compensate in other ways. I know she's kinda skinny but there's something about her I like. Nice ass for a start. I'd really like to…"

Reese interrupted hastily before Fusco got carried away "I have never thought about it. I will never think about it. I suggest that you do the same, Lionel".

Fusco chose to ignore the tension in Reese's voice and continued "Now Shaw HAS got curves, nice ones too. I've seen her in an evening dress a couple of times and she fills it out in all the right places. I figure she's pretty straightforward about sex – gets what she wants and leaves. Probably doesn't even bother with getting warmed up".

Reese's jaw dropped as Fusco warmed to his theme "Mind you, her's are not as nice as Zoe Morgan's; she's a real woman with a great body and a whole lotta class. I was at a police function once and the top brass were all drooling over her. She'd be a 5-course meal (at least) in bed. Of course you know all that as she's your girl, well off and on".

Reese's brain finally processed all that Fusco had just said and he whispered, in his most intimidating manner, "If I hear that you've been bothering Root or Shaw or Zoe, Fusco, I will not be pleased".

"Get real, Reese" scoffed Fusco "How much of me would be left for you to beat the crap out of? Root or Shaw could take me apart easy and Morgan knows people who know people, which would be worse, believe me".

"That's the most sense you've made so far" said a slightly mollified Reese "Were you like this with Carter?" he wondered.

"Of course not" replied Fusco in a wounded voice "Carter was my partner; she was a nice person, a good person".

"Don't worry Reese I'm not about to hit on any of the girls. They probably talk the same way about us anyway. Well, you really, I don't think short, fat guys get a mention" he ended morosely.

"What's up Lionel, you got an itch that needs scratching?"

"Let's put it this way, Reese" grinned Fusco, rather unpleasantly, "You're lucky I'm not gay"

Reese was getting somewhat uncomfortable with how things were going. He hoped their number would leave the bar they were watching soon and provide some distracting action.

"Yeah" yawned Fusco "I'll need to see a working girl soon, I think. I could get it free, seeing as I'm a cop, but that never seems fair. They make damn-all money as it is. Hey, I got some names and phone numbers if you are interested. For when you aren't bang… seeing Zoe Morgan"

"Maybe I should check the bar, in case he went out the back" said Reese, desperate to escape the sex-crazed monster that Fusco was turning into and hoping that his hormones wouldn't remember all the women they had helped over the years.

"Don't bother" said Fusco seriously "The back alley's a dead end so we'd see him however he left".

Fusco's thoughts had obviously circled back to their starting point. "While we're on the subject, I had a weird dream about kissing Root" he confided "We were in a room – you, me, Root, and Finch – and there was a whole bunch of shooters outside judging by all the bullets coming through the door. We were all set to charge out when I up and kissed Root, hard. Then it all gets fuzzy the way dreams do. A kiss before dying I guess, do you think she'd be flattered?"

"No" Reese said shortly, hoping that Fusco would take the hint and keep quiet.

Reese's luck was out that night as Fusco nibbled at a doughnut thoughtfully "That Grace now, Finch's girl, I bet she's really wild; she's an artist and those creative types can be pretty imaginative. Can't see why she'd go for a dry old stick like Finch – chalk and cheese, really – but I suppose opposites can attract. I can see why Finch likes her; she's got a nice bod too"

Their number stumbled out of the bar and Fusco turned professional again in an instant "OK, here we go. You follow him on foot, Reese, and I'll drive up to the corner and wait. Don't lose him".

Reese gave a sigh of relief and stepped out into the rain.