CHAPTER EIGHT

Following the Las Vegas Fire Department's three songs, the audience was in high gear and demanding the second offering of talent compliments of the Las Vegas Police Department.

The police officers were into their third and final song "Slow Ride" by Foghat, which Iris thought a bit odd, but by then the female audience couldn't get enough of the men in khaki. As with the fire department team, the officers had shown more of their professional assets, and as they finished the last song the women were cheering for more.

Women flowed to the stage to place money onto their favorite singer/dancer as with the fire department before. As the music faded, they quickly bowed and exited the stage.

The emcee walked back out microphone in hand. "Now, ladies, we have saved the best for last. You have seen Vegas' finest in the police and fire departments. For your viewing and listening pleasure, we are pleased to present the Crime Scene Investigation unit. Gentlemen, start your engines!"

"Cheesy windbag…should've gotten someone better," Catherine said to Sara.

All of the women focused their attention on the curtain as it went up.

Warrick stood in the middle flanked by Grissom, Nick, Greg, and, to Iris's surprise, Brass.

"Catherine, I need to ask a favor," Iris said as loudly as she could to Catherine just short of yelling.

"Sure, name it," Catherine said back, as Iris continued her request.

Team CSI was all dressed in black-and-white tuxes, very handsome, very hot to the audience before them as they didn't have an official uniform per se and agreed the tuxes were the way to go. The all-female audience let them know they appreciated the view indeed.

As the music to "She's a Lady" began, Warrick began to sing as if he were Tom Jones, with hip gyrations and like movements echoed by the other guys.

"Well she's all you'd ever want,
She's the kind they'd like to flaunt and take to dinner.
Well she always knows her place.
She's got style, she's got grace, She's a winner.
She's a Lady. Whoa whoa whoa, She's a Lady.
Talkin' about that little lady, and the lady is mine.
Well she's never in the way
Always something nice to say, Oh what a blessing.
I can leave her on her own
Knowing she's okay alone, and there's no messing.
She's a lady. Whoa, whoa, whoa. She's a lady.
Talkin' about that little lady, and the lady is mine.
Well she never asks for very much and I don't refuse her.
Always treat her with respect, I never would abuse her.
What she's got is hard to find, and I don't want to lose her
Help me build a mountain from my little pile of clay. Hey, hey, hey.
Well she knows what I'm about,
She can take what I dish out, and that's not easy,
Well she knows me through and through,
She knows just what to do, and how to please me.
She's a lady. Whoa, whoa, whoa. She's a lady.
Talkin' about that little lady and the lady is mine.
Yeah yeah yeah She's a Lady
Listen to me baby, She's a Lady
Whoa whoa whoa, She's a Lady
And the Lady is mine
Yeah yeah yeah She's a Lady
Talkin about this little lady
Whoa whoa whoa whoa
Whoa and the lady is mine
Yeah yeah She's a Lady
And the Lady is mine."

Warrick had focused his eyes on Catherine as he sang. Catherine slowly stood up and came to the stage and tossed her rose up to Warrick. She gave him an arched eyebrow and a "come hither" vampy look. He gave her one of his killer Warrick smiles in return. The crowd went wild at that move and was shouting for more. The men complied by slowly, very slowly removing their jackets, all of them smiling.

The men rotated their order out as the next song "I Can't Help Myself" and Grissom came to the forefront. The others formed a line behind him moving in the choreographed routine they'd been hard at work on. Grissom knelt down as he began to sing the first verse looking directly to Sara, one hand over his heart as he did so.

"Sugar pie honeybunch,
You know that I love you.
I can't help myself.
I love you and nobody else.
In and out my life

You come and you go,
Leaving just your picture behind,
And I've kissed it a thousand times.

When you snap your fingers
Or wink your eye
I come a running to you.
I'm tied to your apron strings,

And there's nothing that I can do.

(Can't help myself.
No, I can't help myself...)"

The audience was quiet except for occasional oohs and aahs being heard. Grissom had his head cocked a little to the side, the way he did when he was very intent, his concentration solely on the prize before him. Sara was spellbound and her eyes were only for him in return. Without hesitation, she stood up to present Gil with her rose that he accepted with a slight bow and caressed her hand in turn. The audience ate that up.

'Cause Sugar pie honeybunch,
I'm weaker than a man should be.
I can't help myself.
I'm a fool in love you see.

Wanna tell you I don't love you,
Tell you that we're through,
And I've tried.
But every time I see your face
I get up all choked up inside."

He then went back into the line as Greg stepped forward to take on the second verse. He projected a very soulful interpretation of his portion of the song and was rewarded by Jacquie's rose which he held to his chest with a shy grin as he went back to the line and all resumed the final verse and chorus. During this, the tux shirts were also slowly unbuttoned and removed. The audience was nearing a fever pitch.

"When I call your name,
Girl, it starts the flame.
(Burning in my heart,
Tearin' it all apart.)
No matter how I've tried
My love I cannot hide.

'Cause Sugar pie honeybunch,
You know that I weep for you.
Can't help myself.
I love you and nobody else.

Sugar pie honeybunch,
Do anything you ask me to.
Can't help myself.
I want you and nobody else.

Sugar pie honeybunch,
You know that I love you.
Can't help myself.
No, I can't help myself."

At this point, Nick stepped up with a live microphone. "Ladies, we just wanted to thank y'all for coming out tonight for a wonderful cause and we dedicate our last song to you. This is "Kiss You All Over" by Exile." Nick stepped back as the music began and took his turn at lead singer. He made sure his eye contact with Breanne was set.

"When I get home, babe, gonna light your fire
All day I've been thinkin' about you, babe
You're my one desire

Gonna wrap my arms around you
Hold you close to me
Oh, babe I wanna taste your lips
I wanna fill your fantasy, yeah

I don't know what I'd do without you, babe
Don't know where I'd be
You're not just another lover
No, you're everything to me

I wanna kiss you all over
And over again
I wanna kiss you all over
Till the night closes in"

Breanne leaned over to Iris to say, "Wow, he's good!" Nick continued to stay fixed on Breanne as the object of his attention. He put all he had into his moves and facial expressions, finding that Breanne was slowly standing to go the stage edge with her rose. She looked up at Nick with a smile that dazzled him as she lifted up her rose to him. He shot her a wide grin and held the rose close to him as he slowly made his way back to the rest of the team.

Surprisingly, Brass took over the last half of the song and, though he wondered how he'd be received, the women in the audience roared their approval again. He searched for the face that meant so much now to him. Iris looked up to lock eyes and send her encouragement to him in a radiant smile complete with dimples. She left her chair in one fluid movement, lifting her rose up to Jim and as he leaned down for it caught her hand and kissed it. She inclined her head to him, knowing she was in red-alert blush mode.

"Ev'rytime I'm with you, baby
I can't believe it's true
When you're layin' in my arms
'n' you do the things you do

You can see it in my eyes
I can feel it in your touch
You don't have to say a thing
Just let me show how much
Love you, need you, yeah

Stay with me, lay with me,
Holding me, loving me, baby
Here with me, near with me,
Feeling you close to me, baby

So show me, show me everything you do
'cause baby no one does it quite like you

Love you, need you, oh, babe"

The audience responded with a crescendo of clapping, stomping, whistling and hollering. Jim stepped back into the grinning line of the CSI team as they moved to conclude their presentation. In unison, they all grabbed their tux pants held only by Velcro and whipped them off to reveal silk boxer shorts adorned with symbols of magnifying glasses and question marks. Again, women thronged to the stage to put bills of varying amounts and even hotel keys toward the bemused male CSI team. They bowed simultaneously and quickly exited the stage. The crowd thundered their approval to them.