Lessons of Love

Chapter 12 Liquor and Lingerie

Standard disclaimer: I don't own Monk.

Notes: Finally, the bachelor/bachelorette parties! So sorry for the delay in posting but, grrrr, this chapter would not cooperate (there're still a few rough patches but it's time to quit obsessing, LoL).

FYI: For those non-drinkers, a Long Island Ice Tea contains no tea but lots of liquor (& an extra-long has an even higher alcohol content, so watch out!). ;)

Thanks everyone for the PMs and reviews- Ya'll are great!


Adrian felt overwhelmed merely crossing the club's threshold.

The hot, smoke-laden air assaulted his lungs. The combination of raucous voices and thumping music, a pulsating beat slow and seductive, deafened his ears. Had he raised his head and let his eyes wander, he surely would have been tempted to gouge them out.

It was thus fortunate that, as promised, he kept his eyes averted, focused on the ground.

Nervously following the members of the bachelor party into the depths of MINX, his heart wildly thudding in his chest, Adrian welcomed the scuffed shoes and the un-swept floor, littered with crumpled cocktail napkins and the odd cigar and cigarette butt. The floor was disturbing and revolting but, for once in his life, he was grateful for such a distraction. His peripheral vision, a blur with shimmering lights and swirling silhouettes, warned him what surrounded him was worse, much worse.

Had he scanned the room (as alas he eventually would, later that evening), the world's best detective would notice every infinitesimal, inconsequential detail. Disconcerting images that would become seared in his memory. Details he would eventually, sheepishly, share with Natalie.

Details such as the imposing mahogany bar, complete with mirrored backdrop, running along the entire left wall, mobbed by drinkers and manned by several tattooed bartenders. Then, opposite the bar, a tiny, empty stage, outfitted with a microphone and karaoke machine, the only bastion of quiet. Further in, towards the middle of the club were three pool tables, the stick-wielding players circling the drab felt, the sharp crack of balls like gunshots. And then finally, along the back wall, a spot-lit raised stage, occupied by limber dancers twirling around chrome poles in the most spellbinding ways.

But ultimately, it was the people who would capture Adrian's attention: The bartenders; calm yet intimidating, casually filling orders but on the alert for the first hint of trouble… The waitresses and dancers; slinky and catlike, heavily made-up, attired in high heels and skimpy outfits that barely covered generous curves…Then the numerous patrons- the businessmen, seated alone and in clusters, their ties loosened, rumpled and weary… the melancholy barflies, quiet with downcast eyes, carefully nursing their drinks … the inappropriately giddy tourists, boisterous and crude, hands clutching and waving dollars bills as they clustered around the dancers' stage at the back of the club.

But right now, before he made the mistake of letting his eyes stray, Adrian blindly shuffled forward, numbly following his friends deeper and deeper into the club. They needed to go, Benji insisted 'down front', 'towards the good seats' Jonathan agreed. In other words, Adrian silently lamented, into the belly of the beast.

The group eventually found an empty table, near the stage but off to the side. Jonathan and Benji immediately claimed the chairs facing the stage. Randy grabbed the chair beside Jonathan and the Captain steered Adrian to the lone chair that faced away from the stage. When Adrian remained standing, Leland placed a guiding hand upon his shoulder and, pushing down, physically maneuvered Adrian into the seat.

Although still anxious and fidgety, Adrian felt immense gratitude for Leland's thoughtfulness. He folded his hands together on his lap (because, despite the pack of wipes in his pocket, he didn't want to risk touching a single thing), and attempted to reign in his tumultuous emotions.

The Captain slid into his chair and leaned close, a look of pity on his face. He raised his voice over the noise, "You okay, Monk?"

He wanted to admit 'no'. He wanted to beg 'can I leave now?' But Natalie's words echoed in his mind- 'These parties are for our friends.' Adrian cringed, remembering how he had ruined Leland's bachelor party. And that's precisely why Adrian had, despite his anxieties, given Leland free reign for this party. Tonight he was determined to make it up to his best friend.

"Adrian?" Concerned, Leland lifted an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath and fixedly ignoring his surroundings, Adrian looked at his best man and croaked, "Just peachy." With trepidation, Adrian then asked, "Now what?"

"Well Monk, now we have fun- you know, drink, eat, tell dumb stories, maybe shoot some pool, and maybe-" Leland leaned back and his gaze momentarily strayed over Adrian's shoulder, "maybe you don't notice your friends noticing the, ahh, entertainment." The reluctant guest-of honor mutely nodded in agreement.

Having claimed the chair on the other side of Adrian, Randy stood and waved towards the bar before dropping back into his seat. He then placed his hand protectively on the back of Adrian's chair and shouted, "You alright, Monk?" From across the table, Benji and Jonathan momentarily forgot their surroundings and eyed his curiously.

Adrian sighed; this night was going to be a slow-motion disaster if his friends kept fussing over him. Oh, if he could only be invisible. Adrian's eyes jumped around to the concerned faces, "Randy, everyone, I'm fine. Please just enjoy your night of-" his shoulder twitched involuntarily, "debauchery."

A hand suddenly slipped across 'groom' on Adrian's back and a female voice cackled, "Debauchery? You boys sure came to the right place for your bachelor party!"

Startled, Adrian reflectively glanced up, his eyes washing over the waitress who had materialized out of thin air. Oh God, why did he look up? He averted his gaze but it was too late, he had already seen the lush dark-hair, the exotic violet eyes, the pouty mouth, the charm-laden silver necklace resting against her ample cleavage….

Shame engulfed Adrian; he had not been in the club five minutes and had already broken his first promise. I'm sorry, Natalie. Sorry, sorry, sorry... Head down, sinking into his own private world of mortification, Adrian didn't see Leland's shrugs and hand motions, non-verbally asking the waitress for patience and understanding.

"A shy one, eh?" The server's amused eyes darted from Adrian to the Captain then glanced around the table, "My name's Roxy, what can I bring you boys?"

"I'll have a beer, and so you know, Roxy-" Leland pointed at Benji, "this young man's our designated driver, so nothing alcoholic." The Captain winked at Benji and was rewarded with a scowl and eye-roll.

From the tiniest of pockets, Roxy magically produced a slender, six-inch long, bright yellow slip of paper and sashayed over to the teenager, "Great! Let's put this wristband on you, my responsible friend, and you'll get free sodas all night."

While Roxy affixed the neon-colored band around Benji's wrist, the Captain touched Adrian's arm, "Listen buddy, I thought I saw the guys from the precinct near the bar. I'm gonna go bring them over here- order something to drink when the waitress comes around to you." Leland stood up to leave then hesitated, quietly adding, "She's just a girl and I promise, won't bite. Don't Monk-out on her, okay? My advice, channel Frankie DePalma."

After dismissing the repugnant thought of being bit- the health department would surely close the club if that heinous act was ever perpetrated, so no, it would never happen- annoyance swelled in Adrian. Frankie DePalma again? First Natalie and now the Captain?

Granted, impersonating DePalma had saved him from some pretty shady predicaments, situations that would have normally incapacitated the tender-hearted detective. And admittedly, as Frankie, Adrian had commanded respect, intimidated gangsters and, he chuckled to himself, man-handled Harold Krenshaw.

Okay, Adrian grudgingly admitted that maybe they were right to suggest his alter-ego. Since he didn't want to be here, he could conjure up the late hit-man's persona to get through this night. Adrian steepled his fingers and squared his shoulders. Just play it cool, Frankie!

"Okay, sweet thing, what can I get you?" Roxy suddenly appeared at Adrian's side.

Adrian fought off a twitch as he stared at the table. What to drink? His thoughts flew back to the FBI strategy room in LA; he pictured himself shaking a drink at Randy, demanding and haughty and overconfident.

"Sweet thing?" He growled with a cold indifference, "The name's Monk, Adrian Monk, and I'll have an iced tea."

Though he appeared unruffled, Adrian's heart beat double-time, shocked by his bravado. He had done it!

The girl's tone turned deferential, "Okay, Mr. Monk. Was it a traditional Long Island you wanted? Or did you want something different- Jersey, Tokyo, Peach, Cali or Pittsburg, maybe?"

Frankie's confidence faltered. No! Why did there always have to be choices? Adrian brought a hand to his brow, shrugging helplessly, "I, I don't know…Natalie would know."

The server demurely placed her hand across her chest as she leaned down to speak with Adrian, "Natalie's your girl?"

Caught off guard by her kind voice and thoughtful question, his lifted his gaze. Unlike his first glance of a nameless waitress, he now allowed himself to focus on the person before him. Under all the makeup she was just a girl, not much older then Julie. And her eyes, they were surprisingly warm, filled with a happy curiosity. Adrian's anxiety instantly melted.

He forgot all about imitating DePalma's steely aloofness and eagerly answered, "Natalie's my, my everything. We're getting married Saturday, here in Tahoe."

A smile lit Roxy's face, "That's great! Congratulations!" From the next table, a man bellowed her name and she sighed, "I better go- I'll get you a plain Long Island extra-long, okay? Be back in a jiff." After getting the other drink order, she headed towards the bar and passed the Captain returning to the table with four of SF's finest.

Recognizing that they were inebriated, Adrian graciously accepted their tipsy congratulations and heavy-handed pats on his back. He didn't begrudge their starting the celebration early; ultimately he was elated that his fellow officers, his friends, had simply shown up. Meanwhile, amid the commotion, Roxy returned with the drinks and unobtrusively set them on the table.

Bottle in hand, Leland stood and cleared his throat, "I'd like to make a toast." The men whooped and howled and Adrian cringed, shrinking bashfully into his seat.

The Captain, raising a hand, shushed the boisterous men, "No, calm yourselves, fellas. Despite where we are, I'm not going to do the normal bachelor party thing and make rude, disparaging jokes about marriage…Even though, Lord help me, I have lots of first-hand experience."

The Captain waited for the snickers to die down before addressing the bridegroom, "Monk, what can I say? I've been your friend for over twenty five years- I've watched you go through some unbelievably rough times- tonight included- but it didn't make you bitter, it made you better. You never gave up, and I'm so proud of you."

Leland paused, unexpectedly choked up. Sloughing off the snickers and sympathetic murmurs, he pressed on, "Anyway, I'll save the rest of my sappy speech for the wedding. Right now, let's raise a glass to Adrian and Natalie- he was brave enough to give her his heart and she was brave enough to accept it."

The men clinked glasses and heartily echoed, "To Adrian and Natalie!"

Taking a sip of his ice cold drink, Adrian felt a sudden warmth flood his chest. Thanking them for their wishes, Adrian relaxed back into his chair. Surrounded by friends, feeling their honest affection, he was calm and grateful and, yes, happy. This party was a good idea after all!

After taking yet another, longer swig of his beverage, the now completely-relaxed groom felt utter contentment. Without though or anxiety, his gaze drifted past his friends and he became hypnotized by the shimmering lights and swirling action.

~~~~~LOL~~~~~

With over two dozen guests, Natalie's party room was crowded, overflowing with laughter and music and giddy conversations. The bride was overjoyed to see so many faces from her past and eagerly made the rounds introducing Julie, or rather, re-introducing Julie, "Now a college co-ed!"- to her girlfriends.

While introducing Julie to Terri, on of her oldest friends from high school, Natalie jumped when something slithered across the back of her neck. A pink fluffy boa! She laughed and turned, finding Sharona and TK slyly grinning. "What's this?"

"Our guest of honor needs to be properly outfitted for her party," TK asserted. While cradling a wineglass in one hand, TK held out a rhinestone tiara and Natalie graciously donned the accessory.

Quickly downing her mixed drink, Sharona held out a small bag and mischievously added, "And properly un-outfitted for the honeymoon!" Natalie reached for the gift but Sharona teasingly pulled it back, "Time to get this party started, girl!"

Amid a swell of catcalls, whistles and whoops, TK clasped Natalie's hand and led her to a chair decorated with balloons. "Let's open a few gifts before we play some games!"

Natalie eagerly sat and Sharona and a few women waved small gift bags in front of her. Winding the pink boa around her neck, the bride snatched the bag from Adrian's first assistant and peered inside. Inhaling a gasp, she reached in and withdrew an exquisitely made, yet incredibly transparent, piece of lingerie. Catching Julie's embarrassed gape, Natalie squirmed, "Thank you Sharona, its beautiful…and so sheer."

Sharona gave a wide smile, "Hopefully Adrian will be too distracted to notice if any of the stitches are uneven."

Distracted is putting it mildly, Natalie though as she tucked away the diaphanous garment. She opened several more presents, each some variant of intimate apparel, and couldn't help but notice the bright blush blooming across her daughter's cheeks. While Natalie had expected gifts of lingerie, she hadn't expected everything to be so sexy and, judging by her obvious discomfort, neither had Julie.

Putting aside the latest present, Natalie said, "Let's take a quick break, okay?"

"Wait, one more!" her friend Terri insisted, dropping a gift bag in Natalie's lap.

Moving aside the gift paper that was protruding from the bag, Natalie looked inside then immediately shoved the paper back in place. This was a gift Julie did not need to see.

Natalie stammered, "This is, ahh, I mean, thanks, I think." This had to be a gag gift, or her friend obviously knew nothing about the man she was marrying!

"Come on, what is it?" TK asked.

"It's nothing," Natalie barked, clutching the bag on her lap. Like a bug under a magnifying glass, she felt the curious eyes burning a hole in her. She started to put the bag aside but was too slow.

"Let's see!" In one deft motion, Sharona unexpectedly tugged open the bag and shoved her hand inside. Recognition lit her face and, dropping her voice, she asked Natalie in mock disbelief, "This is nothing?"

A chorus of voices begged, "Well?" "Tell us!" "What is it?"

"Oh, bracelets!" Laughing, Sharona pulled her hand from the bag. Dangling from her fingertips was a set of handcuffs covered in pink faux-fur.

Over the giddy squeals and racy comments, TK teased, "Wow Natalie, your handcuffs are prettier than Adrian's."

"Okay, time for a bathroom break!" Natalie lurched from her chair and slid past Sharona. Weaving through the group, she grabbed her daughter's arm, "Join me, Sweetie?"

In the privacy of the restroom, Natalie hesitantly asked, "So, how're you doing?" Murmuring an 'okay', Julie shrugged then looked away.

Natalie took a deep breathe, determined to confront the complete awkwardness of the situation. "Julie, please here me out, and please don't get mad, but… I think maybe it's a mistake for you to be at the party. Believe me, I know you're a grownup, a mature young woman! And I love you, sweetie! But maybe this environment isn't appropriate…What do you think?"

Julie met her mother's gaze and gave a flustered grin, "I think you're right. I don't want to put a damper on your party Mom, but it is really weird seeing you get slinky lingerie and-" Julie suddenly began inspecting her manicured fingernails, "sex toys."

Natalie groaned, "Julie, its not-"

"Mom stop!" Julie looked up, bright red, "I'm not judging, really! I just do not need to know what you, I mean, any consulting adults do in the privacy of their own home…and obviously, you know, not doing when their daughter is home for a visit...So if you promise to behave and be careful at the party, maybe I'll just call it a night and go up to my room?"

"See how mature you are!" Natalie quickly hugged Julie, "I knew you'd understand!"

Julie winked at her mother, "But you know, I really wouldn't mind going to another bachelorette party. Like Sharona's if she and Randy ever get married, okay?"

"Deal!" Natalie released her and Julie made a move towards the door. Stepping towards a stall, Natalie chuckled, "Wait honey, I really do have to use the facilities!"

Checking her reflection in the mirror, Julie jumped and spun around when the bathroom door flew open and a woman marched in. Julie recognized her from the party but, since Natalie hadn't introduced them, her name was unknown. Meeting the woman's intense gaze, Julie gulped, "Who are you?"

"Where's your mother?" Without waiting for an answer, the woman charged over and began knocking on the stall doors. "Mrs. Teeger, are you in here?"

"One moment please!" Natalie growled through the door. After a minute, she emerged and headed for the sink, "Relax Deputy Alexander, I just had a-" she smirked at her inside joke, "a nature alert."

The undercover deputy retorted with impatience, "Miss Teeger, how can I ensure your safety if you sneak away?"

"I don't sneak, Deputy." Drying her hands, Natalie's bluster faded and, turning contrite, she admitted, "But I guess I should apologize for ignoring you at the party. Your presence reminded me of the murder investigation plus, I confess, I was annoyed at having a 'babysitter' skulking about. I'm sorry."

"No problem, Mrs. Teeger."

"Natalie," The bride insisted.

"Natalie...And you can call me Alex," The deputy cautiously replied. "Well, shall we return to the festivities?"

Natalie glanced at Julie, "Actually Deputy, Alex, if you could first escort my daughter upstairs to her room, I'd be eternally grateful." Exiting the bathroom, the deputy nodded and Natalie added, "And when you return to my party, consider yourself a guest."

"Thank you, Natalie, but, well, Mr. Monk specifically asked me to remain vigilant tonight."

"He did, did he?" Natalie grinned. Though she prided herself on her independence, she was secretly delighted by Adrian's over-protectiveness. She chuckled, knowing that at that very moment the Captain was guarding Adrian with the same vigilance by her request.

When Deputy Alexander returned to the party, Natalie handed her a glass of wine and did her best 'Monk summation'. "Here's the thing, Alex. Everyone's safely accounted for- Julie's in her room, I'm here with you, TK, Sharona and a whole mob of tough girls and my Adrian is surrounded by the best cops in California. So unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not, tonight's going to be wonderful."

~~~~~LOL~~~~~

His gaze unfocused and his surroundings inconsequential, Adrian didn't notice the waitress's return. While his hand reflexively encircled the fresh drink placed before him, Adrian was held captive by some sort of mirage. Liquid and shimmering, images of Natalie flit through his mind- her beautiful face, delicate and radiant, enthrallingly asymmetrical yet flawless to his eye. And her body, coltish but graceful, the simple touch of her hand melting his heart and then the perfection of her limbs wrapped around him, coaxing his surrender…

Adrian startled from his trance when Jonathan, hovering behind his chair, grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, bro-" The younger man gestured towards an empty pool table, "let's go play some nine ball."

"Nine?" Adrian hesitated.

Rolling his eyes, Leland interrupted, "Nine ball is for amateurs, Jon. You all should play ten ball."

Delighted by the game's name, Adrian happily looked from Leland up to Jonathan, "Ten ball?" Upon getting his nod, Adrian shot from his seat. Although the world seesawed and whirled, he eagerly followed his future brother-in-law to the table.

Jonathan methodically racked the balls, automatically straightening them so all the numbers lined up. "So the goal is to sink the balls in numerical order, from one to ten. And if you hit a ball out of order, it's placed back on the table and you lose your turn." He lifted the rack and then fetched two cue sticks, handing one to Adrian, "Got it?"

Without a thought of using a wipe from his pocket, Adrian took the cue stick, giddy. "One to ten… in numerical order? I think I got it." He followed Jonathan's lead in chalking the stick then, without antagonizing over the impending disarray, lined up a shot and sent the cue ball sharply across the felt. As the balls scattered, Adrian felt an odd elation. He had somehow crossed over into uncharted territory- happy and free and unafraid.

~~~~~LOL~~~~~

"Thanks for checking in, Mom," Julie's voice floated through the dark room. "Love you."

"Love you too, angel." Standing in the doorway that connected the two rooms, Natalie yawned loudly, "Sweet dreams and I'll see you tomorrow." She started to pull the door closed, but Julie's voice stopped her.

"Hey Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"You promise to tell me about your party someday?" Julie murmured from the warmth of her bed

Natalie hesitated, "I'll tell you everything…on the night of your daughter's bachelorette party, okay?"

"Thanks," Julie huffed, burrowing deeper into her bed.

"Night, Sweetie." Closing the connecting door, Natalie yawned once more then quickly washed up and changed into her pajamas.

Though tired, on a whim she draped the pink feather boa around her neck and idly sorted through her new lingerie. With her fingers caressing the silk and satin, her mind imagined Adrian's hands sliding along fabric, his grip warm and firm, and his eyes, dark and possessive, slowly taking in every detail. Then, his skilled fingers unhooking the single fastener…

Shaking herself from her fantasy, Natalie removed the pink boa and coiled it on the bureau. After turning off the lights save by the bedside, she looked at the phone and was happily surprised to see the red message-light flashing. Adrian called! How did she miss that when she first entered the room?

Pressing the button, Natalie sighed in disappointment hearing her mother's voice and, by the end of the message, the bride was livid. Typical Peggy Davenport!

Pushing away her displeasure over her mother's unexpected interference, Natalie thought's returned to Adrian and she eagerly dialed room 410. Through her brain hummed concern and curiosity and yes, maybe more than a hint of jealousy about Adrian's night at MINX. After calling and getting no answer, she extinguished the bedside lamp and fatigue prodded her into the cozy bed.

Blue moonlight snuck between the curtains and spilled across the room but Natalie hadn't the will to get up. Her heavy eyelids fell shut and vivid images from the party began flitting through her mind- the ribald game of 'I Never', the risqué shaped cake, and the pinnacle of the evening, the very muscular and very handsome 'Officer Goodlove' and his easily-shed police officer's uniform.

Banishing those images from her mind, Natalie's last conscious thoughts were of her future husband, his gentle smile and warm eyes. Soon however, as she surrendered to sleep, her mind became fitful. In her dream, 'Officer Goodlove' returned and approached Adrian and, without warning, the buff 'officer' morphed into a buxom female cop, complete with scanty uniform and pink handcuffs.

Natalie shot upright, her heart galloping, her eyes wide open. She made another call to Adrian's room, again unanswered, then lay back under the covers where she proceeded to toss and turn. After chiding herself that Adrian would never do anything improper, her heart began to slow. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, it wasn't long before she was quietly snoring.

~~~~~LOL~~~~~

Thanks to Randy's enthusiastic singing, it took the elevator, in Adrian's estimation, an eternity to reach the second floor. A gentle chime finally ended the impromptu concert and the door slid open. With Randy's arm thrown over Benji's shoulder, the teenager led Randy out, both shouting their goodbyes as they stumbled down the hallway. The elevator door whooshed closed and it was blissfully quiet.

Adrian swayed and braced his hand against the Captain's arm, "Are we there yet?"

Leland hit the button for the fourth floor, "Hold on Monk, we're almost home."

Adrian moaned his response, the insignificant bounce of the elevator feeling like a rocket liftoff. Leaning against the back wall, the woozy groom closed his eyes. Home - to Natalie!

When the elevator stopped at Adrian's floor, the Captain grabbed his arm, "Come on buddy, let's get you to your room."

Adrian let Leland guide him down the hallway, but, as they neared Natalie's room, Adrian slowed. He wanted, no, he needed to see her! He slipped from the Captain's grasp and crashed heavily against her door. Knocking loudly, excitement raced through his veins. His tongue loosened by liquor, he shouted, "Natalie, I'm home! Open the door, baby!"

"Monk, stop it, let Natalie sleep!" Leland hissed loudly as he grabbed Adrian's arm, trying to wrestle the intoxicated bridegroom away from the door.

Struggling against the Captain, Adrian again banged on the door, "Nat! Wake up, woman!"

The door flung open and Leland jumped back, letting Adrian stumbled against the doorjamb.

Natalie, wearing just a tank-top and sleep shorts, her hair a mess, glared at both men, "What's going on?"

Adrian pushed off the doorjamb and careened against Natalie, giggling, "I missed you, Nat-lee." Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he leaned his weight against her, "Did you miss me?"

Natalie swayed under his weight, "You're drunk?" Adrian snickered, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Over Adrian's shoulder, she shot the Captain a look, "Leland, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"It was an accident, I swear! When I wasn't looking, this fool ordered a Long Island ice tea. Well, two actually."

Muffled against Natalie's shoulder, Adrian chuckled, "Lee-Land's in trou-ble."

"Shut it, you twit." Leland placed his hand on Adrian's back. "Don't worry Natalie, I'll get him to his room."

"No!" Stumbling behind Natalie, Adrian's arms encircled her waist, "No, no, no. I'm staying here… with my girl." He tightened his embrace, holding Natalie prisoner between himself and the Captain.

Leland gave Adrian a threatening growled but Natalie flashed a tired smile, "It's okay Captain, he can stay here tonight." Looking over her shoulder, she pried Adrian's hands from her waist, "Why don't you go get comfortable?" Chuckling happily, Adrian bounded away into the dark bedroom.

Stepping out into the hallway, Natalie pulled the door partially closed behind her, "Well, how bad was it? I mean, besides you letting him get drunk."

The Captain reddened, "Yes I messed up, Natalie. I'm sorry. And I know he's going to be sorry tomorrow... But actually, it wasn't bad at all. We had a pretty darn good time."

"Elaborate please," Natalie crossed her arms across her chest.

Leland glanced to the ceiling before meeting her piercing gaze. "I plead the fifth, bachelor party code of silence, you understand… But ask him, you know he'll tell you everything."

Without a word, Natalie's blue eyes flared and she squared her stance.

The highly-decorated police captain was no match for The Look.

Leland rubbed the back of his neck, "Okay fine!"He squirmed,his mouth suddenly on autopilot, "So yes, he may have had a few drinks and yes, he may have noticed the, ahh, entertainment. But he was a perfect gentleman." He barked a laugh, "In fact, Monk didn't even look at the dancers until Randy, uh, never mind."

The air turned tense. "Randy did what?"

He snorted, "Alright, so you know, Monk was on his second drink and Randy had already had more than a few and they were leaning against each other, feeling no pain. Just giggling and laughing over the dumbest things. Randy had returned from singing some karaoke, I think the song was-"

"Now, mister!" She demanded.

Leland shuddered, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you….and you can thank Randy for the disturbing impending visual…but it seems our young friend is taking yet another, ahh, an unconventional exercise class. So anyway, Randy began explaining the different pole dancing moves, how difficult it was, pointing at one of the girls and-" the Captain stopped and snickered.

"And?" Impatience dripped from her one word.

The Captain sheepishly grinned, "And Monk watched one girl for a minute, and, and no need to get upset Natalie. His face was blank, serious, like he's looking at a crime scene. He didn't say anything. Then Randy begins asking, 'Well? What'd you think?'" Leland chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

Dropping her hands to her hips, Natalie huffed, "And what did he think?"

"Well, after a pause that seemed to last an eternity," Leland brought his fist to his mouth, covering a laugh, "Adrian asked, all wide-eyed and guileless, 'I wonder if Natalie would want to try that?'"

Suddenly self-conscious of her skimpy pajamas, Natalie gripped her shoulders, her arms pressed tight against her breasts. "Oh, and then what happened?"

"Nothing, Natalie. Your brother got him to play some pool but otherwise, he pretty much moped all night long. He completely missed you." Leland's eyes twinkled and he grinned, "But how was your party, missy?"

"It was… alright." Natalie shrank under a wave of guilt. She realized she hadn't given one thought to how Adrian felt about her party with the girls. What if he was jealous, or worse, hurt?

"So I don't need to bail my wife out?" Leland's voice brought her from her thoughts.

"No sir, everyone's home, safe and sound." She nodded down the empty hallway, "I bet TK's up waiting, so you better get going. Thanks for everything, Leland."

Raising his hand to his brow in a salute, Leland ambled away and Natalie turned and entered her room.

Locking the door behind her, it took her eyes a few seconds to adjust from the bright hallway to the moonlit room. Shadows gathered into forms and the room fell into place. Along with her usual clutter, she noticed the recently deposited pile of Adrian's clothes on the chair, the shoes haphazardly left by the dresser, and the form sprawled on the bed - fluffy pillows bolstered against the headboard, his elbows jutting out with his hands tucked behind his head, the white of his undershirt glowing brightly against his olive skin, the impossibly cute boxers, the bare legs crossed at the ankle.

Her heart aflutter, Natalie silently approached the bed. Thinking he was asleep, she tisked quietly, "What am I going to do with you?"

Adrian's eyes slid open, dark and glimmering, "I have a few ideas."


A/N: Sorry to break here - A&N's night will continue in the next chapter!