Mick's Little Dilemma
Mick knew he was in serious trouble. His "little problem" had moved around again. This time it had positioned itself in such a way that he could no longer sit comfortably. He'd had a meeting today with a high profile human client, the CEO of a high security courier service that did a lot of business with Kostan Industries. They were looking for someone outside the company to run background checks on their couriers so they could be bonded. It was a lucrative contract and it should have been a breeze. But to his embarrassment, he'd fidgeted like an antsy two year old the whole time. Finally after nearly being unable to drive home, he knew he had no choice. He had to do something and there was only one person he could trust enough to turn to for help given the nature of his problem: Beth. Now all he had to do was work up the nerve to ask her.
At last, he was back at the loft, arriving before Beth. To his relief, they'd planned a quiet evening in, just dinner and a movie. Maybe they could relax and talk for a while first. It would give him time to plan how best to approach Beth. In spite of their newfound romance, he was reluctant to just come right out and bluntly ask her, especially considering the delicate nature of his request. He took off his jacket and gingerly lowered himself to the butter soft leather of the couch. He couldn't hold back a sigh of relief as he sank into its well-worn softness.
While he took great pride in his classic Mercedes Benz, the hard seats had done him no favors. By the time he'd gotten out, even walking was uncomfortable. If Beth wouldn't help him, he might actually have to break down and pay a visit to Guillermo to get rid of it. The very notion almost made him cringe. The sound of the elevator had him reaching for his key remote to let her in. Normally, he greeted her at the door, but right now he was reluctant to move at all. It might shift his problem again and make it worse.
Beth was surprised when Mick called loudly "Come on in, Beth" rather than opening the door for her. She was more surprised when he didn't bother to get up from the couch to give her a kiss of greeting as she entered. They'd only been seriously dating for less than a month; surely he wasn't getting so comfortable already that he felt he didn't need to bother. To her dismay, he made no effort to get any closer either. After exchanging a few words of greeting and some pleasantries, she took a seat on the couch next to him, still missing the customary kiss.
"Is everything ok, Mick?" She could tell something was on his mind. "How did your meeting go?"
"Fine." He replied, frantically racking his brain for a way to broach the sensitive topic. "It was… fine."
Mick's cool greeting and evasive behavior worried Beth. To her way of thinking, it could only mean one thing. He was getting cold feet or having second thoughts about them. After all the progress they'd made, she wasn't about to go down that road again. Impulsively, she threw herself into his arms, hoping to catch him off guard and find out what was wrong.
For Mick, it was like being hit with a cattle prod. White hot pain shot up his whole body and had him surging to his feet at vamp speed. Poor Beth was nearly thrown across the room like a cowboy being bucked off a wild bronco. Only a last second grab thanks to vampire reflexes saved her from injury. After catching her breath, she glared at him as his silvered eyes and fangs dissolved into an expression of supreme embarrassment. "Gee, Mick, I'm guessing there's something you need to tell me." She remarked sarcastically as he lowered her back to the couch.
Deciding, it was more prudent to remain standing, Mick finally came clean. "You remember the bail jumper I went after last week?"
"Sure, the one that bondsman friend of yours hired you to track down?" She nodded in response.
"Yes, well, I had a little trouble. He was hiding out at his grandmother's house, and when I came to take him in, she wasn't too pleased."
This time Beth quirked an eyebrow. "What happened? Did she try to stake you or something?"
"No." He hesitated "She… well, she shot me."
"So? She shot you. Mick, you're a vampire. This may come as a shock, but bullets can't kill you." This time she couldn't hold back a grin.
"Ha, ha! Very funny! That wasn't the problem. I had to wrestle the guy to the ground. I was bending over him putting on the cuffs when it happened."
It took a few seconds for Beth to process exactly what Mick was telling her. When she finally got his meaning, she almost fell off the couch from laughing so hard. Mick could only glare fiercely as she held her stomach and laughed until she was breathless. "Oh no! That is just too rich!"
"It's not funny, Beth!"
"Of course it is! The big bad vampire detective got shot in the ass by a little old lady! It's not just funny, it's hysterical!"
"You might not think so if you still had a bullet in your behind!" That brought her up short.
"Wait, you still have the bullet in you?" He nodded grimly. "Why?! Couldn't you just pull it out?"
"Well, that's a little hard for me to reach it." He snarled, hurt by her insensitive attitude.
She shrugged, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Then why didn't you get Guillermo to remove it? He's patched you up in the past."
He sighed heavily in reply. "Because if I go to Guillermo, Josef will no doubt hear about it before I get out of the building."
Beth's eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "And if he finds out, you'll never hear the end of it."
"Knowing Josef, it would be centuries before he'd let it go." His sour expression plainly told her how much he dreaded that prospect.
Predictably, Beth agreed to help and Mick went to get the medical supplies they'd need. As he walked, Beth noticed something very unusual. "Mick, you're limping!"
"Yes, this damn thing hurts like hell. It must be pressing on a nerve or something."
Instantly she regretted her earlier teasing at his expense. " I'm sorry! Here I was laughing at you and all this time you've been in pain! Tell me what I can do to help." Her contrition went a long way to making him feel better on the spot.
"I just need to get this bullet out of me." Then he gave her one of those adorable little boy grins she loved so much. "But I wouldn't turn down that kiss I didn't get earlier." Carefully, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his in a warm and tender joining.
As she pulled away, his grin widened. "I feel better already."
After some debate, they decided to set up in the living room. Beth turned away and laid out the instruments on the coffee table while Mick positioned himself on his stomach on the couch, his jeans resting at the top of his thighs. As she turned back to him, she paused unable to take her eyes off the sight that greeted her. She'd always known he had a nice derriere; more than once she'd admired the way he filled the skin tight jeans he was so fond of. But seeing his well-rounded cheeks in all their glory was more than a little impressive. The man had a butt that gave new meaning to buns of steel!
"Beth?"
Embarrassed she'd been ogling him, she mentally shook herself. But as she turned back to her task, almost immediately she discovered there was a problem. "Mick, this isn't going to work."
Mick swallowed hard. He'd been more than a little uncomfortable exposing himself this way to Beth. He wasn't used to being this vulnerable to anyone but he'd gathered his nerve, reassuring himself that this was his Beth. If she couldn't handle this, it didn't bode well for their future.
Taking a deep breath he tried to reassure her "Beth, I know this is awkward. I mean we haven't exactly… you know… but…." He struggled to come up with the right words. Behind him, Beth rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"No, I mean this won't work literally. I can't even see the bullet, let alone remove it. We are going to have to try something else." After looking around, she came up with an idea. "Let's move to the kitchen table."
"The kitchen table?!" He actually sounded nervous.
"Yes, and you'd better lose the jeans too."
Suddenly, Mick didn't feel so confident. "Beth are you sure…?"
She folded her arms and glared at him. "Do you want this thing out or not?"
"Yes. " He agreed and reluctantly followed her suggestions.
In no time, he was stretched out on the long table, a throw from the couch covering most of his legs. In the brighter lighting, she quickly found the offending object. "There you are! Oh Mick, you poor dear! No wonder it hurts so much! This thing is digging right into the bottom of your spine! Just give me a second and I'll have it out."
Beth rested one hand on the small of his back as she leaned over him. The soft touch of her gentle flesh on his momentarily made him forget to feel uncomfortable. "Got it!" Beth grinned in triumph and he couldn't help returning her smile, his current awkward state temporarily forgotten. They were both so caught up that neither heard the loft front door as it opened.
When Josef Kostan received a call from his business associate complaining about his recommendation of Mick St. John, he was mystified. The nervous fidgety man the associate described was nothing like the cool, calm professional he knew the vampire detective to be. Something was definitely amiss with his old friend. Knowing Mick, it probably had to do with a certain blonde. Since he was already out for the evening, he decided to pay him a visit and hopefully discover the source of his agitation. When he opened the door, the sight that greeted him froze him immobile. Considering his age, he'd thought nothing could shock him. He was wrong.
Mick was stretched out on the kitchen table like a Thanksgiving turkey, his stark white rear plainly visible while the rest of his lower half was swathed in some sort of blanket. Beth stood over him, a flashing metal tool one hand, the other resting somewhere unseen near the blanket. They were both grinning widely. But their smiles disappeared when they noticed they were no longer alone.
Then, it was his turn to grin. "Well, this is unexpected. Here I had you two kids pegged as the old fashioned type couple who only did things missionary style in dark secluded locations. Color me impressed." Beth blushed as crimson as the blouse she wore and Mick never put his pants on so fast in his entire life.
After the odd events of the evening, Beth and Mick decided it might be better to call it a night. Josef made a call while Mick walked Beth down to her car to say good night in private. "Thank you for helping me, Beth. I'm just sorry our evening was spoiled. Maybe we could try again tomorrow night?"
"I think I'd like that. And Mick? Thank you for trusting in me and what we have enough to ask for my help tonight. I know how hard it was for you to open up and be that vulnerable. You won't regret it." She gently moved to kiss him and he returned it eagerly. "Good luck with Josef." She smiled impishly as she got into her compact.
Mick visibly winced. "Yeah, something tells me I'm going to need it."
He waited until she drove away to head back upstairs. Bracing himself, he stepped back into the loft where Josef was sitting, enjoying a drink.
He waited for the inevitable. "Well, go ahead Josef. I know you're dying to make some snide comment. You might as well get it out of your system."
The older vampire swirled the contents of his glass, his expression deceptively benign. "Actually, I thought I might let this one go for now, Mick. I figure it's the least I can do considering the fact you not only helped me win back that million I lost to Guillermo on the Super Bowl back in 1982 but managed double my money."
"HUH?"
"Guillermo and I made a bet shortly after you and Blondie started dating. He said it would take at least six months for you two to get physical and I bet him double or nothing that she could get you out of your pants in less than a month. Tonight, I won."
"You bet on my relationship with Beth?!" Mick almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What? I was just being a supportive friend. I backed Beth, didn't I? How much more supportive can you get?"
"But we weren't… we didn't… nothing happened, Josef!" Mick sputtered in outrage.
"Irrelevant details, my friend. The point is I won. And regardless of how it happened, I'd say you definitely made some progress at least from where I was standing. Maybe next time you can get Blondie out of her pants too. Trust me, it will make sealing the deal a lot easier."
After Mick got rid of his unwanted guest, he had time to think and decided that in spite of the bizarre events of the evening, he and Beth had cleared a hurdle of sorts. While he might not be ready to "seal the deal" yet, the thought of getting closer to Beth in a physical sense no longer seemed quite so daunting. He couldn't hold back a grin as he headed up to his freezer for some much needed peace and quiet.
Across town, Josef was in his limo mentally congratulating himself on a highly successful evening. Not only had he made a nice profit, but he'd gained some very juicy ammo that would no doubt prove very useful in the future. He had a pretty good idea of what went on in Mick's loft thanks to his 400 year old vampire powers of perception. Yet as entertaining as it might have been to vex his friend at that time; even someone as jaded as Josef could tell the couple had taken an important step forward tonight. But that didn't mean he was going to forget what he'd seen or would never bring it up again. After all, he was Josef Kostan.