By the end of the day Gene was wondering if there had been any point in dragging everyone up here to this damn conference when most of their time was being wasted listening to a load of ponces in suits talking about business strategies when he needed to be out there getting some damn proper policing done. Still, after a day of utter boredom everyone would be ready to let their hair down, get a few drinks down their necks and become loose with their tongues. Someone would let something slip, and he'd find them and get to the bottom of this. Somehow the company arranging these events had to be behind it all. How else could it be that each and every company who'd lost money had sent delegates to the conference only months before things started happening? The answer had to be here somewhere.

Seeing as Ray had managed to sleep through most of the afternoon's proceedings he was wide awake and questioning a couple of lovely ladies at the other side of the bar. Whether he was questioning them about the case or not was another matter. Most people were still in their rooms getting ready for dinner so Gene was lent at the bar with a single malt in hand, keeping a watchful eye on Ray and wondering how long DI Drake would take tarting herself up. She'd been a welcome distraction from the boring speeches today as she'd sat there next to him in that tight little black skirt, too riveted by the psycho analysis prospects of customer relations to notice his gaze. It had been torture sitting so close to her, that black stockinged thigh almost touching his, causing him to hold his breath in anticipation every time she moved just in case it did. He'd felt like a teenager at the cinema, never plucking up the courage to reach an arm round his date and sitting agonising over it the whole night instead. Back then he'd just gone for it, but in the grown up world you couldn't always do what you wanted, he knew that. He met that feeling every day of his working life, knowing some bastards never deserved to be on this earth and yet being unable to touch them or pin anything on them. You just had to stand back and wait for them to do the one thing every bone in your body urged you to prevent. Only then could you get them. He drained the glass and was so lost in his angry thoughts that he didn't notice DI Drake walk up and join him at the bar until she suggested he buy her a drink.

They carried the drinks over to a sofa in the corner of the bar to await the time to join the crowd for dinner. From there they could see everyone who walked into the room, and Ray's progress with various women he seemed to be quite successfully chatting up. Alex envying the flirting and Gene wishing he could be happy just accepting the attentions of any of those women and not focusing all his energy on someone so excruciatingly out of reach. Alex watched Gene go quiet for a moment, swirling the drink in his glass and thinking. He was wishing that the time for them to get up and join everyone at dinner would never come. As eager as he was to get the job done, right now he wanted just to sit alone with her, chatting things over as they did at Luigi's and not have to share her with a whole table full of people. It was cosy here and almost... he cringed at thought existing in his head... romantic. He had the urge to buy her wine, treat her right, charm her... seduce her. They were in a bar full of drinks, in a hotel full of beds. And of all the bottoms that would be bouncing up and down on the springy hotel mattresses tonight, by rights one of them should be his... testing out the springs on DI Drake's lovely big double bed.

As if sensing the direction his thoughts were leading in, Alex leaned forward and giggled conspiratorially as she cast her gaze about the room over the scene they were meant to be a part of. "You know there are some bosses who only go to these things so they can shag their secretaries."

"Is that an observation or a suggestion Miss Drake?" he asked in character, as he was fast loosing grip over his real life persona and it couldn't be trusted to behave rationally anymore. His mind was running away with itself if he gave it too long to think. Best to keep talking and not let it get a thought in edge ways.

"Maybe I was wondering why my boss was taking so long to make a move on me when he's gone to all the effort of bringing me here." she said, leaning a little closer and running her fingers along the edge of her necklace so that her fingertips traced across her neck and slowly down the soft white skin towards her cleavage.

"Why would I go to all the effort of bringing you out here when I could have you at home?" He wondered if that his own actual thoughts kicking in this time. Luckily she hadn't noticed.

"Ooh sir, what would your wife think!" she giggled playfully.

"I don't think she'd care seeing as she's already run off and left me." He wasn't going to dwell on that thought and decided to dwell instead on the "...nice big empty bed waiting for you." She locked on to those words far too quickly and firmly, longing to join him in his big empty bed back at home, wherever that was. "Or maybe I could just keep you over late to finish off a bit of paperwork. And then take you right there on my desk." He knew this one all too well, he'd spent many distracted hours thinking it over. And he'd have done it too if he worked anywhere other than a bloody police station with people wandering around 24 bleedin' hours a day. He could imagine her now, right there on his desk...

"It'd be quite a scandal back at the office if everyone knew the boss fancied me" she whispered seductively, playing the game and not realising it was the truth. He went quiet for a moment wondering just how many people had seen the rather explicit drawing on his note paper and realised it was his. Probably everyone but DI Drake.

Now he found himself leaning in to her, so close that he could feel her breath on his face. "The big question is whether she knows how much I fancy her."

Their gaze locked upon one another and as he felt the depth of his need for her truly rushing through his body he noticed her face and chest beginning to glow with a lusty pink tint.

Just as it was all getting too close to draw back everyone started bustling about around them heading off to dinner. Gene knew he had to get his work done, stood so quickly from the sofa that he almost sent Alex tumbling to the floor, and nodded at Ray across the room. Standing to one side to let Alex pass, Gene gently placed his hand on her bum as they walked across the hall into the function room. "Got to keep up appearances Miss Drake" he whispered. She didn't dare to react.