Linda patiently waited for Danny at his desk. She sat down, put the food on the desk and waited. She wondered where he was- was he with a witness?
"He better not be with that Sabrina girl," she mumbled, then frowned at herself. She was a grown married woman, jealous of some skimpy model (who probably had a myriad of sex diseases, Linda would like to point out).
She gasped when she saw Sabrina walking towards her. "You're Danny's wife, aren't you?"
Damn right I am! "I am." And don't you forget it!
"I just thought you'd might like to know that he danced with me. He was dirty dancing with me. Oh wait..." Sabrina looked like she was confused, "you probably wouldn't want to know that." She pointed to the bag on the desk. "What's that?"
"Roast beef," she said through gritted teeth.
"Oh... yeah, I'm not surprised he chose to dance with me. Enjoy your... beef." She sneered and walked away.
Linda felt her heart stop; Sabrina had to be lying- she had to be. Danny would never do anything like that!
"Hey, babe," Danny sounded only slightly surprised to see her.
"Expecting someone else?" Linda turned her cheek away from his kiss.
He frowned, "no..."
She turned back to him and smiled, "good." You're being ridiculous, Linda! "Let's eat."
How could he? How could he?! Linda slammed the car door shut, biting her lip to keep from doing something rash. How could he get her that dress? He knew she didn't like wearing those tiny things in public! And how the hell did he even know about that boutique?
"Danny Reagan doesn't know anything about fashion! Or what dress compliments my eyes or skin tone or whatever the hell else he said! Great, now you're talking to yourself!"
Her inner voice told her, oh shut up, Linda! Everyone talks to themselves!
Linda cursed her husband loudly when she started to cry. She was being ridiculous- she knew she was. But wait... she did smell perfume on Danny, and it wasn't hers or his own cologne. Where had she smelled that earlier?
"Sabrina. It's Pure Poison by Dior! Sabrina was right..." she started to cry, angry at herself and Danny, and furious and Sabrina.
Erin crossed her arms, giving her sister in law a disapproving look a day later. "I never thought I'd see Linda Reagan jealous of some tart."
"I know, it's awful!" She hid her face in her crossed arms on the table.
"Danny's been nothing but faithful to you for fifteen years. Why are you upset?"
"Because she's hot!"
"So are you."
"No I'm not."
"Linda, have you ever heard of the term MILF?"
"No. What's that?"
"Mother I'd like to f*."
She gasped, "Erin! I didn't know you swung that way!"
"No, I don't- what the hell is wrong with you?"
Linda shook her head, her new short hair swishing at her chin. "Erin, I think I'm losing him. What am I going to do?"
Erin rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "So he shared one dance with her. So what? That doesn't mean he's screwing her."
"But it means he likes her!"
"Are we in high school now? You're a thirty seven year old Mom with two kids and a loving husband."
"Exactly! I'm old, and she's not!"
"You are not old, Linda, okay? You can still have kids and you still have a period every month. You don't reach 'old' until you can't have kids anymore and you don't have a period anymore."
"Erin, what am I gonna do?"
She sighed, and mumbled, "take a reality check? If you're so upset about this, give him his own medicine."
"What?" She looked up at Erin, flicking the lone tear from her cheek.
"He danced with a hot, young model... so can you."
"I don't want to dance with Sabrina."
Did she take stupid pills this morning? "I meant a hot male model. As in a strip club?"
Linda looked offended and her cheeks turned pink. "No! I can't go there!"
"Why not? Cause Danny won't let you?"
That was only part of it. "First off, Danny doesn't let me do anything. I can decided for myself! Second, I just don't want to go there. Because if I danced with some hot guy, I wouldn't be any better than Danny."
"So what're you going to do?"
"I don't know."
Erin sat next to Linda, "can I ask you a question?"
She turned to look at her sister in law, and Erin realized how tired and sad Linda's eyes were.
"Why are you so bothered by this? You've been fine when Danny has had a hot witness before."
"Because he danced with her! He danced with her... and that means he didn't think how I would feel. And that means..." she whispered the last part, "that means he's thought about cheating before."
Erin hadn't thought of it that way. "I didn't think of it like that."
Tension hung in the air as silence filled the room. Linda was so mad at her husband; it was so unlike him to let a witness or subject get to him like that. It was so unlike her to react this way.
"Come on," Erin stood and pulled Linda up by her arm.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going shopping."
"Shopping? Where?"
"Victoria's Secret. You'll just simply have to show Danny what he's going to miss if he keeps acting that way."
"Sex isn't going to solve the problem." She tried to resist Erin pushing her out the door.
"No, but you'll show him how much you love him, and he'll remember who he is: Danny Reagan, husband of Linda Reagan!"
Despite herself, Linda laughed at Erin's reasonings and enthusiasm. "It won't hurt I guess..."
Danny frowned when Erin's name lit up his phone screen. He picked it up, "Erin-"
"You need to talk to your wife."
"I'm busy with a case right now."
"It's about the case."
"Whatever you wanna tell me just do it already."
"Linda thinks you're cheating on her with Sabrina."
"What?" He sounded offended.
"You asked for it."
"Why the f* would she think that?!"
"Ask her." Erin hung up, hoping Danny would get his head out of his ass.
After he told her he wouldn't have his life any other way, they had made love. But now that that was over, he needed to know. "Erin told me you told her that you thought I was cheating. Is this true?"
Linda closed her eyes, ashamed at herself. "Yes," she said quietly, feeling embarrassed.
He sat up in bed, turned on the light. "Why would you think that?"
Great, he's offended. She sat up too, the sheets falling from her naked form. "What was I supposed to think, Danny? I heard how your voice changed when you talked to her. You looked completely guilty when I asked who you were talking to on Sunday! And then I smell her perfume on you, and you give me that awful dress! You acted like you'd rather spend time with that- that little ho!"
"You're jumping to a lot of conclusions, Linda."
"I am not jumping! I took a few steps and there conclusions were!"
"I didn't cheat on you."
"No," she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You were just dirty dancing with her."
"Did she tell you that?"
"Yes! And it's one hundred percent true! I smelled her perfume on you."
"Sabrina gave me her number on a cocktail napkin." He hated how Linda looked like she had just been shot through the heart. "I gave it back to her. She asked me what you have that she doesn't have. You know what I said?"
"Two kids and a pasta obsession?"
"What? No. The one thing you have that she doesn't have is me."
She raised her eyebrows, a mixture of emotions on her face. "You said that?"
"Yeah, I did. And it's going to remain that way. She can have everything you have- two kids, a house, a pasta obsession... but she'll never have me." He leaned close to her face for a few seconds, then kissed her passionately and laid her against the mattress. "I'm all yours."
She let Danny have his way with her- even letting him spank her for being ridiculous and jealous (something she agreed she deserved). She was in his arms after round two of make up sex when she apologized, "I'm sorry, Danny. I shouldn't have doubted you."
"I probably deserved it. I shouldn't have danced with her."
"I forgive you. Forgive me?"
"I do."
Linda was dozing on her side many minutes later, about to slip into a peaceful sleep when Danny spoke up.
"Linda?"
"Hm?"
"I like your hair."
She smiled and blushed, and moved back in his arms. She vowed not to get so jealous again, and up until a few years later, she kept that promise. She would not be a happy camper when Marianne Romano would take up all of Danny's focus.