A/N: Thanks for the love on this story thus far with the amazing Mayzee and Brooke! Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter. This chapter is rated M.

Chapter 11 - Barefaced Cheek

She was throwing him the stink-eye from across the room as he woke up late the next morning, feeling well rested and refreshed. The back pain was down to a tedious, humdrum ache now. His eyes flew to the camera in the room. He wasn't quite sure if the towel that had been on it had been a delusion from the muscle relaxers Wylie had given him, or if it actually occurred.

The same could actually be said of the purple panties and bra Lisbon wore to give him a wonderful surprise. Whatever the hell Wylie had given him, he sure couldn't tell what was real and what was not reality. Judging by the look Teresa was giving him, he was sure the bra and panties had been real, and he probably messed up in some way.

'You're awake,' she said grumpily, placing lotion on her hands as she walked towards him in a fluffy hotel robe. 'Nice dreams?'

He cleared the thickness in his throat and nodded. 'Yeah. I dreamed you were wearing the sexiest pair of undergarments I had ever seen. It was wonderful.'

'Pretty vivid of you to remember,' she said, casting him a reproachful look. 'Funnily enough, I was wearing those exact things last night when we were enjoying ourselves before you fell the hell asleep!'

He got up immediately and closed the gap between them. He reached out for the belt keeping her robe together, his fingers rubbing the cloth. He bent to ghost his lips over her cheek, feeling the tension and frustration in her jawline as he traced kisses up to her ear. He pulled at the belt, letting it open as he inhaled the fragrance of her skin; the mix of strawberries and mint mingling with the slight dampness of her. His eyes flickered to the camera, making sure the red light was off before he pushed the gown from her freckled shoulders. She was completely naked underneath.

'You're not wearing them now,' he whispered in her ear. 'How very, very disappointing. I thought I would make up for whatever it is I did last night.' He kissed her earlobe. 'Or attempt to.'

'Not right now, sleepyhead!' she told him, pushing on his chest and repositioning her robe, closing it sourly. 'We have to go talk with the bartender. Find out what we can get on Lenny Thomas, the bar manager. I think we require a second meeting to rule him in or out, do we not? It was on the list to do so-'

'Really?' he breathed out, defeated. 'Sometimes I genuinely hate this job.'

'What I really hate is the fact that since we've… connected on a different level here, I have broken a soap dish, nearly got caught topless by our own colleague, and have you fall asleep just as things were getting pretty good.' She laughed without mirth. 'I am getting pretty goddamn frustrated! And I mean in every sense of the word!'

'Did they fix the soap dish? Because if they did—Hey! It was merely an idea!' he called after her as she turned and huffed away from him and back into the bathroom.

His eyes jerked back up to the camera and he could see that the red light was blinking again, indicating it was on. He was growing very annoyed with that. He sighed and turned round, his eyes falling to the floor where two black stiletto heels were lying. Beside them, in a small pile, were the panties and bra he had seen her wearing. He wanted to face palm at his own imbecility, but he would just have to make it up to her… well, to them, as he was sure he'd enjoy the making up as much as she would. He groaned at how close he came to having finally consummated their budding romance, only to ruin it with falling asleep as they were just getting into their groove.

Half an hour later, they made their way back down to the lobby, heading for the bar area set just inside the lounge. They bypassed the ballroom, which was set up for the masquerade ball they were to attend. The interior was being decorated in sage green and white strips of ornate streamers, sage green balloons, and they could see two men lifting a large glass chandelier up to the middle of the ballroom, the diamonds in the light fixture the same shade of green as everything else. There were two balconies that overlooked the view of the falls in the distance.

'I didn't realize it was going to be so fancy,' Lisbon told Jane as they worked their way past the open room. 'It looks beautiful.'

'Nothing will look as beautiful as you, Teresa,' he enjoined her, slipping a hand easily around her waist, pulling her to him. 'It's impossible.' He kissed her on the side of her head.

'Don't ass-kiss,' she told him with a little humor in her voice. 'Trying to sweet talk me out of forgetting what happened last night.'

He laughed softly at that. 'No. I don't believe I could ever make you forget that. But I am attempting to make up for it. I hope to,' he told her softly. 'We won't be kept apart forever. Just think of when we finally do come together.'

She only glared at him as he led her into the bar just off the lounge. It was lunch hour, and the bar was moderately full, with two bartenders working the crowd as some soft rock jazzed out from the jukebox in the corner of the room. They rolled up to the bar and waited for the barman to tip his chin at them and ask them what they wanted to drink.

'I'll have a Piscola, and my lovely wife will have a Long Island,' he told the young man. 'Thanks, uh...'

'Jeff,' the barman told him.

'Jeff,' Jane repeated. 'Hey! Can you tell me what the Piscola is garnished with?'

Jeff looked a little taken aback by the question, but shrugged. 'Ordinarily a flower floating on top or just a bit of lime on the glass.'

'Good. Thank you, Jeff,' Jane told him, watching the confused man walk further down the bar.

'A Long Island Iced Tea? What do I look like?' Lisbon said once the barman was out of earshot. 'I am not a soccer mom fixing to go on a bender, Jane!' She whipped her hair at him, which happened to be in a tight ponytail.

He obviously wasn't paying attention. Something was obviously on his mind. He tapped on the bar with his hand and captured the attention of the other barman, who was adding ice to a shot glass. He came over and leaned against the bar in front of them.

'I was wondering if you could tell me where Lenny Thomas is? He's the manager of the bar, is he not?' Jane asked. 'I just want to ask him a question about the bar setup tonight for the ball. We can't rightly set up the bar if he doesn't tell us where to put the fold-up counter, now can we?' he laughed.

Lisbon saw that the first bartender was heading their way with their drinks. She knew she needed to distract the barman, because Jane had told him he was there with his wife. If he overheard that Jane was getting information, he might get distrustful. She left Jane's side and walked over to the end of the bar where Jeff was fixing her drink. Leaning her body across the bar, she bit her lip and batted her eyelashes at him, capturing his attention.

'I don't know why he insists on ordering me such girly drinks,' she said softly, reaching out a hand to play idly with material of his shirt. 'He's always doing stuff like that.'

'Is he some kind of professor or something?' Jeff asked, looking down at Jane who was eying him and Lisbon closely now. 'I mean…the dude is wearing some weird ass clothing. No offense, miss.'

'None taken. Ah, but I do find those suits endearing. But I like a man in a nice white T-shirt, too,' she said, lifting a finger to caress the barman's chest. 'I like seeing muscles in a man.'

'Really?' Jeff said, interested. 'Are you sure you and your husband-'

Lisbon took a glance down at Jane, who was alone now at the bar. Lisbon reached over the bar for a napkin, and reached to pull a pen Jeff had resting on his ear, writing down something and passing it to him. She winked at him once more, before taking both their drinks in her hands and making her way back to Jane.

'There,' she told him, handing him his Piscola as she sipped her iced tea. 'Distraction complete.'

'He was into you,' he told her, narrowing his eyes a little over his drink. 'You were convincing.'

She tilted her head and smiled at him. 'I was, wasn't I? Well, no harm done.'

'What did you slide over to him?' Jane pressed, his jealous curiosity getting the best of him. 'He looked intrigued.'

'Our room number,' she told him, taking a satisfying sip of her tea.

Jane choked on his drink, spitting it everywhere as he reached over for a napkin to wipe his mouth and vest. 'You what?'

'I gave him our room number. Well,' she said, setting her drink down on the bar, 'I gave him a number. Don't know whose number it is, but I am sure they will be having a great time.' She laughed as she helped him wipe off his vest. 'Better time than we will.'

'Oh, please don't doubt me, Teresa,' he told her, stilling her wrist. 'Yes, we have had mishaps and we have had troubles, but never count me out. I promise you we will have fun tonight.'

She looked up at him and could see he was being very serious. She nodded her head and smiled broadly. 'You are too cute when jealous. You have this little tell.'

'Tell?'

'Yeah. You narrow your eyes to thin slits. It's cute.' She finished dabbing at his vest and placed the wet napkin on the bar. 'So what did you find out about Lenny Thomas?'

Jane picked his drink back up and downed it in one gulp. 'He won't be around until tonight at the ball. He's out getting stuff for it. But I think I have a clue, at any rate. That's the good news.'

'Good news?'

'Yeah. I am thinking, Teresa. When I figure it out, I will let you know.'

'So what do we do now?' she asked. 'It's still a few hours until we have to get ready for the ball.'

'I have to go get my tuxedo,' he told her, leading her away from the bar. 'You can come along with me. Help me pick one out.'

'I don't want to be your damn handbag holder!' Lisbon told him. 'Or whatever it is you men call us women when trying clothes on.'

'Please?' he asked her softly. 'I'd like to match you. Especially since in the olden age, masquerades were done as fancy balls for socialites. They often matched outfits with their partners so they could find them within the crowd even when wearing masks. It was done as to save awkward incidents, I suspect.'

She frowned, but relinquished. 'Fine.'

'Great. Let's get going. We have about two hours.'

The hotel dress and tux shop was open when they arrived, but there was hardly a soul around. They passed the lady manning the registers who had her back facing away from them, and Lisbon led Jane back toward the men's department. He stood back as she ran her hands through the racks of tuxedos, using her gaze to scrutinize each and every one she saw.

'So many here,' she commented. 'My dress is a deep royal purple color. I'd like the vest to match. I mean,' she said, glancing back, 'if that is okay with you. Since you insist we match.'

He simply smiled and watched her continue her search. Finally, toward the end of the rack, she found two tuxedos that were black, tapered in the back with a matching purple pocket square the color of her dress. She pulled them down and handed them to him.

'These two look the best. We can always find a purple vest to match once we see if these will fit and look good,' she told him. 'The dressing rooms are back there.' She pointed to a small area with two curtained cubicles. 'I will wait here.'

He smiled at her and headed down toward the dressing area, disappearing in the last cubicle, closing the curtain. Lisbon looked around while she waited. She supposed it was because of the ball, but the place was deserted. Even the cashier that had been there a few minutes ago was gone. She sighed and looked at the clock over the doorway leading back to the dressing rooms. She must have been sitting there for five minutes at least before she heard his voice from the back.

'Teresa!' he called out. 'Can you help me please? I—I think I am stuck!'

She sighed and rolled her eyes upward. She got up and walked back to the cubicle, leaning against the partition. 'What's going on?'

'I need your help,' he called out. 'Where are you?'

'I am outside the-'

She felt the curtain move aside, and before she could register what was going on, she was being pulled into the cubicle, the curtain drawn and her body gently pushed against the wall as the cold surface registered against her blazing hot body. His lips were on hers immediately. She could feel his chest rising, each breath more erratic than the one before. He pushed her hard into the wall, his hands slipping into her chestnut hair pulling her face to his. Unadulterated lust and need taking over as her own hands came up to press the back of his neck, pushing him harder into her with a moan escaping her lips when he allowed her to come up for air. He lifted her onto the small bench they had there for items, letting her legs dangle as he stood in the middle of them.

She noticed for the first time that he was divulged of all his clothing bar his boxers, his hot chest and legs blazing holes through the material of her pants and shirt where they touched. She tilted her head as he lifted his lips from hers and went to nibble and nuzzle her neck. His three-piece suit he took off was thrown in the corner with his shoes and socks.

'I promised you we would have fun, Teresa,' he whispered in her ear. 'And so we shall.'

'In—in here?' she asked, breathless. 'It's public!'

'Nobody is here,' he told her against her skin. 'Plus, if you are quiet, nobody will know.'

His hands fell from her hair to her hips, grasping them as his mouth trailed back to her lips and he deepened it. For as much as she was not liking the public nature of this impromptu get together, she was giving as good as she got. Her body was humming with burning fire through her veins as her hands traced his neck, down his back, following the curve of his spine and resting her palms on his barely clad hip bones.

'This is probably our only chance,' he whispered, moving his hands around from her hips to her button and zipper on her jeans. 'The soap dish, the camera, Fischer… Do I have to go on?'

She shook her head slowly. 'No.' She felt him pop the button on her jeans and heard the zipper pull down. 'You don't.'

He smiled at her before kissed her forehead, over her cheek and landing at the corner of her mouth. 'Good.'

She felt the material of her jeans being tugged from her hips, pushed down to her knees, leaving her pressed against the cubicle by Jane in nothing but her blouse. Jane's fingers slid up her bare thighs, up over her sides and over to the buttons holding her blouse closed from his probing fingers.

'You know,' he told her quietly, making idle conversation as his fingers flexed around each button. 'I really dislike these things. I want shirts on you that I can discard easily. I do like working for my prize, though. But in situations like this where time is of the essence, it's a little hard...'

'Next time you want to take me by surprise in a place like this, I will surely remember to wear a regular shirt,' she replied back, watching as he came to the final two buttons, popping them from their slots easily.

'Don't be mean,' he told her with a smile. His hands slid from her shirt to her bare skin, his warm hand pushing the coolness of the cubicle from her mind. 'I am only observing.'

'What if someone sees us?' Her eyes searched his.

'They won't. Nobody is coming in today.'

'How do you know?'

'Well, when we walked in, the sign was turned to closed. Accidental most likely,' Jane told her snickering. 'I think that is reason enough to quell your fears.'

She was about to produce a snarky reply when his hands found her breasts, pulling the material of her bra up to expose them to his conscientious eye. She arched her back with the pleasurable sensation his palms were doing on her, rubbing her breasts roughly with his hands as a long smile unfurled across his face.

'You're an idiot,' she told him, unable and unwilling to stop herself from pushing out her hands to pull on the cotton of his boxers. She pushed down on them and let them fall to his feet. She saw him move to kick out of them. Her hands were everywhere; on his chest, around his shoulders, on his naked hips.

'I assume you are enjoying this idiot and his idiotic plans?' he asked, dipping his head to take her breast into his warm mouth.

She gasped at the pleasure of feeling his tongue flick the bud, nipping her with his teeth as he pulled on her. He kissed the skin between her breasts as her hands discovered every inch of flesh she could reach. She could feel the hardness on her belly; a delicious mix of warmth and need letting her know just how ready he was.

'You don't need this,' he told her, pulling his head back and reaching his hand up to pull on the elastic band holding her ponytail together. 'I much rather it fall down around your beautiful face.' Her hair fumbled and fell in a cascade down her bare shoulders. 'Better.'

Her shaking hands fell to his muscled hips, rubbing a lazy pattern across the indentations. 'We better hurry,' she whispered. 'We have a ball to catch.'

'Hmm,' he muttered as he possessed her lips once again. 'You are absolutely right, Teresa. We do.' His breath was hot and moist against her as he trailed his hand down, ghosting over her breasts, rib cage, abdomen and thighs before he stepped back just enough to take hold of his base and position it at her warm, wet core. He was about to press into her when the curtain flew back and the cashier from earlier yelped in surprise at the two of them naked and locked together. The cashier's eyes fell to Jane holding onto himself.

'Oh! Oh, my god!' the cashier cried out.

'Jesus!' Jane exclaimed, reaching both hands down to cover his privates.

'You're naked!' the poor woman replied, pointing at the two of them.

'Wow, you are very sharp!' Jane retorted. 'Do you mind?' he asked, facing his naked body away from her so that he covered Lisbon.

'You can't do that in here, sir!'

'Goddamn it, lady! I would like it very much if you'd go fold something for ten minutes so I can not do this in here?' he replied angrily, listening to Lisbon groan in embarrassment. 'She's got what you got, I am sure,' he told her as he watched her small, beady eyes flash up to an undressed Lisbon before she yelped again and closed the curtain quickly. Jane turned, looked down at himself and then at the closed curtain and face palmed on her shoulder. 'Damn it to hell.'

Lisbon pushed on Jane's chest, her hands coming to cover her exposed breasts. Jane stumbled back and cursed silently under his breath as he watched her pull up her pants and zipper them before reaching to close her blouse. He started laughing. It started out as a small chuckle, but before he knew it, it was a roar of laughter. Lisbon was unamused by his satirical laugh.

'You think this is funny?' Lisbon threw at him, doing up the last button. 'This isn't funny anymore, Jane!' she told him, her eyes filling with tears. 'I get caught up in you, and this stuff happens!'

Jane stopped laughed and took to putting his clothes back on. 'Seems we are having no luck, Teresa,' he agreed in defeat.

'She saw things! She saw naked things!' Lisbon was telling him in a shrill voice as he buttoned up his vest. 'How am I going to go out there? How can I face that poor woman?'

'Teresa,' Jane called, putting up a hand. 'Calm down. It'll be fine. We aren't going to see her again.'

'She saw your muscled ass!' She shook her head. 'She saw all of this!' She motioned to her breasts.

'Teresa,' said Jane with a sigh, 'I am pretty sure the woman was too traumatized to look really well. We have to leave here sooner or later.'

He grabbed the suits and slung them over his arm. He waited for her to move as he walked over and pulled back the curtain, but she didn't. Her cheeks were red and her head was bobbing slowly, her arms crossing tightly across her chest.

'No,' she told him. 'I am not facing her, Patrick Jane!' Not after she saw us about to...Oh, god!

'Teresa,' he told her. 'We really should get out of here. The sooner we do it, the sooner it will be over.'

'You know what? Just don't try anymore spontaneous romantic crap anymore!' she yelled at him, uncrossing her arms and marching past him.

When they got up the counter to pay for their purchases, the cashier was so red in the face Jane thought she might not be taking breaths. When he handed her his credit card, she picked it up by the corner and scanned it into the machine before dropping it on the counter and letting Jane pick it up.

'Have a great day,' he glanced at her name tag, 'Meg.'

'You, too, sex….I mean…. I meant sir,' she corrected uncomfortably.

Lisbon walked away from them as Jane laughed at the slip up from the cashier. She paced outside until he caught up to her, pushing his tuxedo over his shoulder.

'This is the most embarrassed I've been! I quit!' she told him.

'Oh, no, you don't!' Jane told her. 'Admit it. That was exciting. I can see the blood pumping to your face. You found it erotic. Should I invite Fischer in? I think she'd enjoy—OUCH!'

Lisbon had reached up and smacked him upside his head. 'Stop with the jokes.'

'You hit me,' he said childishly. 'It hurt.'

'Good. Next time we are caught naked in a goddamn dressing room, it won't be your head I hurt!'

She huffed away toward the elevators with Jane right behind her rubbing his head and left to feel the embarrassment he didn't allow Lisbon to see earlier.

They hurried back to their room, knowing that the ball was to start in a little over an hour. They knew they couldn't touch the way they had just done so with the camera in the room, and Wylie would be suspicious if they out the towel up there again. Jane pulled his tux from its hanger while she hurried into the bathroom with her dress and shoes, also taking her panties and bra that matched with her.

As she stood under the hot water, she replayed what happened in the dressing room in her head. Patrick Jane had almost had sex with her! And not just sex, but probably good sex. Amazing, mind-blowing sex. She could almost feel the way his fingers lingered on her skin even now. It was gentle and rough; cold and hot. She was sure given the chance with minimal interruptions from colleagues, medication and cashiers; he'd take her to even higher places.

Her hands felt around her hips and abdomen, and slowly rose to her breasts where he had touched her and nibbled her. They had almost been able to express the love they felt for one another. No Fischer or cameras…

'Teresa,' Jane called through the door. 'We have to go now. They are expecting us!'

'Coming!' she called out, losing her train of thought. She turned off the shower, stepped out, and dried off.

Slipping the dress onto her slim body, she brushed her hair into a soft updo, pinning it in place with a silver comb. It complimented her dress, she thought. She put on her heels and walked out of the bathroom, walking into the main area as Jane was fixing his purple vest. His eyes raked over her body.

'You look stunning, Teresa!' he told her. 'Like a princess.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know. Someone stole my tiara,' she rebuked.

'No! No! I really like it. It fits you perfectly.' He gazed up into her eyes. 'You are glowing, my dear Teresa.'

'I wonder why?' she said frowning. 'Embarrassment, maybe?'

'Perhaps, my dear,' he said with a smile. 'It'll fade. Shall we go now? Maybe after the ball, I won't turn into a mouse and we can find somewhere to finish this fairy tale?'

'I'd like that,' she whispered, watching as he lifted his arm for her to take. 'Maybe I will get to surprise you, then. Maybe I'll have the whole hotel take a peek at your bare ass and my breasts!' she replied.

He chuckled as he led her out of the room, letting the door close behind them.

The ball was just starting to swing into action when they got there. The sage green and white theme stretched to every part of the décor as they handed the receptionist stationed in front the passes that Sheridan had given them. The receptionist smiled at them and gave them each a mask to wear. Lisbon's was made of white and sage, with three gems on either side of the eye holes. She put it on and waited as Jane placed his on his face. His mask was sage and white, but his mask had oriental embossing on the front, covering it in a fine pattern with sage sparkles that shone off the lights in the ballroom.

They made their way inside and heard soft, mystical music play through the speakers, and saw a few couples dancing in the dim room, only illuminated by the chandelier they had seen earlier. They walked to the side of the room, Jane's eyes keenly surveying the bar area on the far side of the room for the manager, Lenny Thomas. So far, Jane didn't see him.

'Want to dance?' Lisbon asked, her hand in his. 'I mean… it is a ball, after all.' Though her mood was less than stellar after being caught with her literal pants down, she knew they had to act like an adoring couple who were having sex every night.

He smiled at her, reaching out with his free hand to caress her chin. 'Teresa, of course. I'd love to dance.'

He led her to the dance floor as the music started a new song. He positioned his hands at ten and two, relishing the feel of her against him once more. The thoughts of what happened earlier were still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't wait until he was obstacle free to let her feel more of him. They danced in a slow pace, their masks going askew as they bounced and bobbed. As they turned to face the bar area, Jane got a glimpse of Lenny Thomas. Lenny Thomas was at least 6'5 in height and very, very skinny. Hard to miss, really. He was unloading something from a hand truck.

'Lenny is here,' he whispered in her ear. 'I want to go find out what he knows.'

'Now?'

'He might leave before I get a chance, Teresa,' Jane said. 'There's a young man in a mask over there! I'll see if he can occupy you until I get back.'

'Jane!' she called out.

It was too late. She watched as he walked over to the guy and whispered in his ear, pointing at her. The man in the mask nodded his head and made his way over to her.

'Uh,' he said. 'I know this is kind of awkward because of yesterday… uh… me seeing your… uh...' he stammered.

'Wylie?' Lisbon asked, shocked.

'Yeah,' he said. 'Want to dance? Jane said he'd be back.'

'What are you doing here?' Lisbon asked, allowing Wylie to touch her waist and hand.

'Well, I kind of walked in here to help set up, see if I could get the read on anyone, and well...'

She shook her head at Wylie. 'It doesn't matter anyway. Did you find anything out?'

'No,' he said. 'You and Jane?'

'What about us?' she asked defensively.

'Did you find out anything?'

'Oh. Oh, right, sorry. Not sure yet. He's over there talking to the bar manager,' she told him.

They danced for a few silent minutes before Jane came back. He excused Wylie and took over dancing duties. He was quiet until the song ended. Then, 'He's suspicious. Very suspicious behavior. Nervous and too friendly. Plus, when I brought up the murders, he was a little too concerned about them. Not to mention the fact he is wearing evidence.'

'How so?'

Jane held up and daisy petal. 'Found this on his clothing.'

'He runs the bar. They use that for garnishes?'

'Yes,' Jane agreed. 'But the killer also uses it after he kills people.'

'How do we find out which one it is?'

'This is where you come in,' he told her. 'I need you to distract him as I go back into the bar area in the lounge and look around. See if I can find something more concrete.'

'How?'

He smiled warmly at her. 'I think old Lenny there would love a dance or two from a very beautiful woman.'

She scoffed at that. 'No! Oh. No! No, Jane!'

'If you ever want to get out of here and finish the storybook...'

'I hate you, Jane. God, I hate you!'

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