It Was Bound To Happen, Wasn't It?

Summary: Tony goes out looking for female companionship. (Was on a date last Saturday and started thinking. LOL)

Category: General

Rating: T (Not graphic, but words and sexual hints)

Warnings: Some words and mention of sexual situations (Not graphic)

Disclaimer: Someone else owns everything NCIS. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.

All mistakes are mine.

The blond green-eyed woman smiling at him was older than the ones he usually preferred. Although he was mid 40, Tony DiNozzo liked his partners under 35 years and under 30 was even better. His good looks and natural charm had rarely let him down and he knew the woman sitting next to him now was under his spell as well. They'd met casually at the bar. He had a bottle of beer and she had something golden in a glass, which he found out was bourbon when he asked the bartender for refills for them both.

Cindy wasn't a cougar. He speculated their age difference was probably only about five years, with her being older than him, but Tony knew he was sometimes wrong. She had a few small lines around her eyes and mouth and he could tell she exercised and was in generally good shape. For a woman her age. One night stands were normal for him, with all of them taking place at inexpensive motels or at the women's residences. He never took anybody to his place and planned to keep it that way. With no other prospects for the evening, Tony chatted with Cindy and found her funny and smart. She smelled great too and had a vast cinematic knowledge which fueled his curiosity and relaxed him. The last week had been hectic and Friday night with the weekend off was just the prescription he needed.

At 0100 Cindy excused herself and he watched as she walked to the restroom down a short hallway. Her curves were nice, a little more pronounced than he usually preferred, but she wasn't overweight by too much. She didn't have a hard trim body, but her breasts were nice and her skin looked luscious. With no other prospect, he found himself thinking seriously about getting her back to her place or to a motel he knew around the corner. It was that or go home to a shower and his own hand.

When she returned he tried not to act surprised when she thanked him again for the drink and announced that she'd be leaving as soon as her cab arrived. He had thought she was looking for a hook-up and couldn't keep his disappointment hidden. With a warm smile she explained that she never sleeps with a man on the first meeting, especially when it's not even a date. She followed it with the information that she'd be back that evening around seven if he'd like to join her. Tony nodded a maybe just as the bartender called out "cab for Cindy" and then she was gone. He didn't know much of anything about her, not even her last name, but he was intrigued and left wondering if he should show up that night.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

At 1830 the place was packed and the smell of food enticing. Tony had grabbed a hot meatball sandwich and downed a soda a couple of hours earlier, but knew he could at least snack a little. The bar had bowls of popcorn and pretzels and he noticed two new jars of pickled eggs on the shelf above the beer taps. The noise from the small kitchen became obvious when the swinging door opened, but was gone just as quickly when the door closed. A gal about 25 was carrying two trays, both laden with baskets and Tony wondered if they contained chicken strips and fries or sandwiches and ruffled potato chips. He didn't see any dill spears sticking up so guessed it wasn't sandwiches. The place had limited, but really good choices that included BLT, pastrami and club sandwiches, along with chicken strips, fries and onion rings. He watched her take the food items to two tables next to each other where seven people were waiting. They already had their drinks and cheered and clapped when she put the baskets on the table.

A stool opened up at the bar and Tony quickly stepped up to claim it. He liked one with a back rest and sank comfortably into the dark maroon cushiness. The bartender was down at the other end, but Tony knew the man wouldn't be long since he'd want every sale and tip he could get. Swiveling slightly, he turned to get a better look at the people, hoping to see some young women he could chat up, but also curious to see if Cindy had come back as she said she would.

Thirty minutes later when Tony's beer was almost gone, he heard Cindy's voice and looked to his right, a little startled that he hadn't seen or heard her before then. She was smiling and looked pleased to see him, but the seats next to him were still occupied so she didn't have anywhere to sit down. Tony stood up and offered her his stool, but she shook her head, instead asking him if he'd like a table. He told her sure, but knew there hadn't been any open tables, all of them emptying and filling again before they'd ever get a chance. Cindy wasn't fazed at all by the possibility of nowhere to sit when she took his hand and led him to a corner around the side. Sure enough she had no reason to be fazed because as soon as the couple at the small table saw her, they gave up their seats. No introductions, just quick hugs and her saying thanks and they were gone, out the door into the evening.

The next two hours flew by as they talked and nibbled on snacks. Tony drank one more beer, but Cindy only ordered a salty dog without the tail. He wondered if she was making sure to have a clear head, or perhaps she didn't drink much that often. Either way he was fine because her company was better than any he had enjoyed in a long while. They talked about films, directors and actors and even the possibility of going to a local theater to see a current release, but his goal was still to get her into bed. He'd jacked off when he got home and again when he woke up and while the actions were mildly satisfying, they weren't even close to what he craved.

When Cindy put a $10 bill on the table, leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss and wished him goodnight, he was disappointed again. Was he losing his touch? He couldn't even bed an almost cougar.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

The next week flew by with several cases and lots of paperwork to keep him occupied during the days and evenings, and sleep when he could get it. The team was normal, he was normal, Abby, Ducky and Jimmy were normal and soon it was again Friday night. They were on call for the weekend, but unless it was something life or death, he knew his weekend would be free, and his thoughts went to looking for a hook-up.

Arriving at one of his usual haunts, Tony was confident as he walked from his car. Lots of women were looking for the same thing as him and tonight he'd get what he needed before going home. Two hours later he was tired of being shot down. The women were pretty enough, even nice enough, but none seemed like good candidates to go out the door with him. And while he usually could count on an overt offer, none of them had even hinted at the possibility of wanting to have sex with him. Soon he was driving back to the establishment where he'd met Cindy, wondering if she would be there.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

Tony and Cindy exited the theater into bright sunshine and both reached for their dark glasses. They had just laughed through the latest blockbuster comedy and were now going to get a bite to eat. He'd found her the night before and after talking and knowing she wasn't going to sleep with him yet, he'd decided to ask her on a casual date. Movie and early dinner he'd said, leaving out what he hoped would happen after that.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

It was Saturday afternoon when Tony woke up. He stayed still on the crisp sheet and soft pillow just enjoying the peace and quiet. The week before had been bad, but Friday night into Saturday morning had been brutal and he'd finally crawled into bed at 0715. After a bit he lifted his arms above his head and stretched his back, shoulders and legs, trying to work out the stiffness he was feeling. Surprisingly he wasn't stiff somewhere else. He and Cindy had not had sex yet and during the week he hadn't jacked off at all. Exhaustion, both mental and physical, had kept his libido at bay and even now he wasn't hard. Okay, he sometimes had an erection in the morning when he woke up, but not always and only sometimes jacked off before going into work. Still, it had been three weeks since he'd been with a woman and decided now that he was moderately refreshed, he would settle his mind on how to get someone to sleep with him. It seemed to be getting more difficult the older he got and he wondered how old unmarried guys managed to survive. Did Gibbs still have morning wood?

Arriving earlier than usual, Tony got a table instead of a padded bar stool and waited. It wasn't long before several women seemed interested and even stopped to chat a little, but every one of them had only been waiting for someone else, either someone they knew or someone besides him. At about 8:30 Tony was ready to head to a different bar when Cindy appeared at his table. She wore a colorful sundress and her hair looked soft and inviting. Before he could stand, she had sat down, not waiting for an invitation.

An hour later, after he had another beer and she had her grapefruit juice, the conversation changed. She told him she liked him a lot and he smiled and told her the same. It wasn't a lie. He did like her, but he also wanted to have sex with her and knew he needed to tell her something. The noise level went up suddenly as there was a short scuffle near the front door, but soon things were back to normal. Not quiet, but less loud, and a while later the two were on their way to her place.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

Cindy was snuggled against him when Tony woke up, her arm over his chest. The sex had been fantastic and as his arousal grew, he vowed to give more notice to 'older' women in the future. For now, he had a live one in bed with him and he was ready to go again.

NCIS~NCIS~NCIS

Six weeks later Tony was on Cindy's doorstep. He knew he probably should have called first, but hoping she liked surprises, he elected to just show up. He'd finally gone back to the bar looking for her after not being able to get her by phone, only to have the bartender and server both tell him she hadn't been there for at least three weeks. In the six weeks since he'd been with her, he'd only been with one other woman and that experience only took the pressure off, it didn't really satisfy him. For some reason he kept thinking about Cindy and wanted to see her again. Wanted to have sex with her again.

The door opened and Tony was speechless. The woman was not Cindy. She had blond hair like Cindy, but her eyes were blue and she was much younger.

"Hello." she said, smiling.

"Hi," he tentatively smiled then stumbled a bit as he said, "I'm...uh... I'm looking for Cindy."

She grinned at him, knowingly. "You're Tony."

His mouth opened at her words and stayed that way for several seconds until he finally replied, "Yeah, I am."

"I'm Sharon, a friend of Cindy's."

Tony relaxed a little. "Oh well, it's nice to meet you. Is Cindy here?"

She shook her head and said, "No, she's not. My husband and I took over her lease."

"What?" He stared at her, trying to figure out what had happened. "Why?"

Sharon smiled and stepped out to the small porch. "Cindy transferred to Tokyo. She's going to live and work there for at least a year."

Tony knew that Cindy worked for a major airline, had for more than 20 years, but he hadn't had a clue that she was looking to leave the DC area.

"Oh. I didn't know," he admitted, disappointed.

Sitting on the top step, Sharon motioned for him to do the same.

"You know, she liked you."

Tony beamed. All women liked him. Before and especially after sex. He knew he was that good.

"Told me all about you."

Not much to tell because he hadn't told her much. Did she mean about their night and morning together? Did she tell Sharon about the sex?

"You were more than a one night stand."

That was good to know, wasn't it?

"You made her list."

What? What list? Cindy had a list and she told her friend about it? He needed to know more about Sharon. "You're a close friend?"

She smiled or was it a smirk. "Yeah, for a long time. She's like a big sister to me and sisters tell things to each other."

Tony knew that. Just like he and his frat brothers told each other things and he and McGee told each other things. Did women share intimate details?

He cleared his throat so his insecurity wouldn't transfer to his voice when he asked, "Her list?"

Sharon laughed. It was an easy, relaxed laugh. "Yeah. You're in the top seven."

Tony's eyes narrowed. Top seven? Why wasn't he number one? It had to be a sex list. He knew she could see his confusion and disbelief and probably thought he was a typical male, thinking he was always the best at everything. Problem was he didn't think he was the best, Tony knew he was the best.

"Cindy's been having sex since she was 16 years old." The bold statement had nothing except truth attached. "You have to be pretty special to even get on her list and then to be in the top seven, well, Tony, she really liked you."

He smiled, feeling a little better about it. After all, he'd been with lots of women and while he didn't tell anyone where they had ranked, he did kind of keep a mental record. A DiNozzo list. Cindy was at the bottom for age and body, but in his top ten for willing to do anything and everything and in his top five for oral. It hadn't just been because he was needy and maybe a little desperate, but because she was that good. The memories were transferring to his groin and Tony bit his lip to stop what was happening. He was curious about who could be number one on the list. Certainly not a Bruce or a Paul or a Tim.

He had to ask. He just had to. "Do you know who's number one on Cindy's list?"

Her small smile turned into a big grin. "Jethro is number one in every category."

Tony's eyes bugged out until he noticed the discomfort. His throat squeaked out, "Jethro?"

"Kind of a funny name, but a super nice man. Smart, funny and drop-dead good-looking."

Gibbs wasn't funny and not particularly smart. He did have that hair that even Abby liked. But how many guys named Jethro could there be?

Slightly recovered and now more curious than ever, Tony asked, "You've met him?"

"Oh sure."

Dying to know if the guy could be his boss, Tony inquired, "How long ago were they together?"

Sharon's smile was a knowing one. He'd revealed his insecurities.

"Oh, don't worry." she placated. "It's been over five years since they were anything except friends. Now they only see each other at church."

Did Gibbs go to church? Tony didn't know for sure if Cindy's Jethro was his boss and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. But apparently a Jethro was ahead of him on the list, the sex list. It was a sex list, wasn't it? And a Jethro was ahead on him.

"Cindy's list." Hesitation. "It's a sex list?"

"Of course," she exclaimed with a saucy smile. "Cindy says Jethro has it all. He's first in every category."

The statement floored Tony. Gibbs and Cindy? She wasn't a redhead, but maybe she had been. On the other hand, Colonel Mann hadn't been a redhead. But how could a functional old mute have it all? "Jethro was a smooth talker?"

Sharon giggled. "No silly. He calls her Cin and she told me he says more without words than anyone she has ever known in her whole life."

Oh god, it couldn't be, could it? Had he had seconds after Gibbs and didn't measure up? Tony knew it had to be a nightmare and started willing himself to wake up. Finally he blinked and saw Sharon gazing at him.

"Are you okay?"

Still feeling uneasy, he smiled anyway. "I'm fine... just can't help wondering about... Jethro."

"Oh you men. Always a competition."

He scoffed. "Not always." He knew he was lying.

"You only think about length, girth and stamina."

Ever hopeful, Tony asked, "You mean those things aren't categories?"

"Of course they are," she quipped, as if it was a silly question.

Tony couldn't stand it anymore. "Did Jethro have gray hair?" He silently chanted, Please say no, please say no, please say no.

Shaking her head Sharon replied, "No, it's more silver and cut kind of strange for a guy not in the Marine Corps any longer."

The End

Salty dog without the tail is grapefruit juice without gin and there's salt on the rim of the glass.