Gang! Quick news and house keeping items.
I am burnt. . .fried to a crisp, I can't even remember how to spell my name – No joke! I misspelled my last name on the Final today! Yes, what an idiot!
1. It's OVER! I am DONE with classes! YAY! I know I passed this one for sure I passed the practical, massage part. The teacher was pleased! So I start Clinic on Weds and we'll be getting extra Clinic hours working at a Chinese New Year Expo this weekend, which is good!
2. 67 Hours + 45 Patients until I graduate and go for my boards.
3. I have the comprehensive in the way. Which is bad for YOU! Why! Am I going to make you take a test! Hmmm. . .Would be a good idea. Answer me this. . .What is the sound of the controlling element for metal? Followed by: What is the source point of the yang aspect of the Jueyin system? Confusing! Good! - Anyway. .
For the next. . .two weeks or so don't expect much of an update. I need to go over six months worth of information to pass my comprehensive test for the school which is very important. I fail, I have to pay $100.00 to take it again AND it will throw back my time to take the Board exam. Bare with me, please and thank you for dealing with all of this craziness this year. You guys rock!
Anyway. . .If you want the FULL chapter of this one, with the obviously smutty parts missing. E-MAIL ME directly or put your e-mail in the review. :D K! Good!
Jackie – Who will soon be drunk! Yay!
PART 4 – Couple's Therapy
December 1, 2010
2125 Local
Mac and Harm's House
San Diego, California
"Alright, what gives?" Mac asked, finally annoyed enough with the odd looks Harm had been giving her all during dinner. "You keep shooting me these weird looks."
It wasn't as much of an odd look as it was Harm trying to figure out how to ask another favor of her. A work related type of favor which, in the past, tended to take a turn for the dangerous. While this one had similar elements, the danger factor wasn't so high. "What do you think about couple's therapy?"
He was sure Mac had never done that eyebrow thing so quickly. Thankfully she wasn't chewing on anything at the moment. Surely, she would have choked. "Couple's therapy?"
"Yes." Making her squirm was probably the wrong thing to do, but it was amusing. Hopefully she wouldn't rip him to shreds for it.
"Do you think we need it?" Mac's voice cracked terribly, her face blanching with each passing second. "Am I that out of synch with you that I just didn't notice it?" She was horrified that they would even need such a thing so soon. Maybe this wasn't in the cards? No, that couldn't be. . . "Harm?"
"It's for a case." Smirking, he studied her again, waiting for realization to kick in. Alright, so toying with her wasn't a good idea, especially about their relationship, but he couldn't help it.
"A case?" Was her snippy reply as her face took a look of slight anger. "You want us to go to couple's therapy for a case?" Really, hadn't his past two cases with her dictated that maybe they weren't the best team? Still, curiosity got the best of her. If Mac were truthful, it sounded sort of. . .fun? But, she couldn't be that obvious. "Dare I ask?"
Harm grinned knowing that she couldn't resist. As much as they had talked about a 'normal' and 'quiet' life together, the two of them were adrenaline junkies. "A client of ours thinks that their therapist is having an affair with his wife. . .So far, all attempts to get the two on film haven't been productive. . .Sooo. . ."
"You wanted us to go in, pretend to have problems and see if the therapist hits on me?"
Yup, there was another reason why he loved her. "Exactly."
To her credit, Mac wasn't willing to throw caution to the wind and just give in. The past dictated that certain things tended to go a bit. . .sketchy when the two of them worked on investigations together. Still, they always managed to come out alright at the end. And if Harm needed her. . . She glanced up at him, a grin replacing the frown she had earlier. "You know, this may be a bit crazy, but it sounds like fun."
Saturday
December 4, 2010
1445 Local
Dr. Jeffery Hughes' Office
Mission Valley, California
At the window of his office, situated on the top floor of a four story building, Dr. Jeff Hughes stood with a pair of binoculars, checking the scene below. The police had been called as, what appeared to be a slight fender-bender, took a turn for the worst. The accident involved a woman, conservatively dressed to the nines with a classy 'Suzy Home Maker' outfit and a gentleman that 'Yuppie Nerd' plastered all over him.
He chuckled as the woman launched herself at the man, giving him quite the beating with the purse she was holding. "Ah, never a boring day around here." To his dismay, the man and the woman, now looking more like a couple than strangers, headed towards the building. In the pit of his stomach he felt something that said this wasn't a good omen. "They can't be coming up here." There were several other businesses in the building. Wasn't there an accident lawyer on 4B?
No less than five minutes later, his secretary was paging him that Mr. and Mrs. Lawless had arrived. What stepped into his office just seconds later could be described as chaotic. The man – aka: 'Yuppie Nerd' – pulled the door open, holding it for the woman – aka: 'Suzy Home Maker.' However, the woman had other ideas and chose not to walk in. "Will you go inside!" He yelled at her, earning him another smack over the head with her purse.
"Don't YELL at me!" She yelled back, yanked the door (and nearly the handle) out of his hand and held it open for him. "You go inside."
The man glared at the woman and a standoff of sorts ensued. "I'm the man, not you. . .Which means you're supposed to go in first. . . And will you stop hitting me with your flippin' purse!"
Hughes stared at the pair with great worry, surely this had to be a joke? Right? "Ah, sir, ma'am. . .there are two doors, why don't the two of you just step in at the same time." He offered, slightly perturbed. This was certainly a first. Yes, he'd had couples argue and even a wife that attempted to stab her husband, but this. . .it was going to be a long day.
With that, it was almost as if they'd realized, for the first time, that they were not alone. The woman was the first to recover with a bright smile and a complete change in demeanor. "Oh, hello. . .You must be Dr. Hughes." She crossed the room and over enthusiastically took his hand. "I am Angie Lawless, this is my husband Jessie."
Mac and Harm had worked quite hard in perfecting their dysfunctional couple routine. She was to be an overbearing, yet kind and innocent looking housewife. Harm was going for the nerdy, spineless husband who could quickly become the domineering male pig. The fake arguments they had practiced at home had them both in stitches. The idea to cause a scuffle in the parking lot was Mac's. She figured that having them seem dysfunctional even outside of the establishment might give it more of a realistic feel.
Stepping next to his 'wife,' Harm took Hughes' hand out of hers and shook a little harder than he should have. "Jessie Lawless. . .Nice office." He glanced around at the cold, yet cozy environment that Hughes called an office. It was modern looking with an all glass and metal desk and dark, masculine leather furniture. "Can we sit down? Thanks!" Neither he nor Mac waited for the good doctor to offer a seat. They headed to a rather comfy sofa and sat so close together that there was barely a seam. His hand clasped one of Mac's.
Hughes was sure he'd entered the twilight zone. Never had he seen anyone do such a quick about face. "Umm, yea. . .Just-just. . .hang on." He pointed a finger at them and disappeared to a small bathroom adjacent to the main office. If he was going to handle those two loons, he definitely needed a pick-me-up. From a hidden compartment on the side of a heavy, wooden towel rack, he extricated a small vial and mirror. Expertly, he poured out two lines and immediately took both hits. Hughes placed the paraphernalia back in its place, then stared at his reflection in the mirror. Through the years he'd become an expert at certain arts, hiding his cocaine addiction was one of them.
When Dr. Hughes stepped outside he was the epitome of a caring, concerned and understanding doctor. Fancy that. "Sorry about that. . .You caught me off guard."
Mac smiled cheekily. She needed to seem interested but hard to get. "Oh, it's fine. . .Jessie and I are used to it." Feigning annoyance, she slid her hand out from under Harm's and then removed his hand from her thigh. "Don't." She admonished, then turned towards Hughes, smiling again. Just looking at the man it was obvious that any straight woman would be interested. The pictures that Harm had in the office just didn't do the man justice. Hughes had shiny green eyes, slicked dirty blond hair and a build that could only be maintained by daily visits to the local gym.
Harm sighed dramatically, then adjusted his black rimmed glasses. The polo shirt, khaki pants and wool sweater draped over his shoulders added to that nerdish look which complimented Mac's conservative, yet slightly sexy, skirt and blazer outfit. Those who knew them as Harm and Mac would have probably thought this was some Halloween outfit. Nevertheless, at the moment, they looked their parts.
Hughes took a seat on an oversized arm chair which was situated just across from the sofa. On the side was a small coffee table that housed a secret compartment where he kept his clip board, pens and tapes from client meetings. Taking a folder which was clipped to the board, he scanned it quickly. The Lawless' had been married for a little less than a year and, according to the 'details', problems started when Jessie's job took him away from home. It was a common scenario in his profession – the caring husband stupidly spends too much time away from home – the needy wife starts to get pissed and decides to leave. Nothing uncommon about that at all. "Well, I like to start by getting some information from each of you. . .Now, I realize this must be new to the two of you, but please be patient. This is a process." Alright, so there wasn't much argument there. "I have a few rules. . .first, when one person is talking, the other is listening. Second, I need the two of you to sit on separate ends of the sofa, it avoids problems should their be a confrontation. And lastly, I will send you off with some homework to do. . . for this therapy to be a success, I expect you to do that homework and report to me in our next session. Understood?"
In unison, Harm and Mac shook their heads, agreeing. "Good, let's begin with Mrs. Lawless."
"Angie." Mac stated giving Hughes a rather cute, indulgent look. "Mrs. Lawless is my monster-in-law."
Astounded, Harm's head whipped towards Mac. Damn, that was a good one. "Angie, mom is not a monster, she loves you. . .If you would get your head out of your as. . ."
"Excuse me!" The therapist yelled, stopping a potential. . .hell, a sure argument from happening. "Please, no talking unless I question you and no talking to each other." Maybe if he pulled out a couple of punching gloves and a ring? How long did they say they were married? Whatever, they wouldn't be lasting long. "Mrs. Lawless. . .erm, Angie. . ." Apart from the obvious – "Why is it that you believe you and your husband need couple's therapy."
Her deep, annoyed and somewhat, concerned sigh came out in short bursts. Mac was trying to pretend things were off kilter, a difficult feat when things were quite well at home. "Well. . ." Alright MacKenzie, time to put on a show. "He doesn't love me. . ."
Harm's mouth opened and closed as he feigned surprise. "But. . ." Hughes' troubled look quenched any comment.
"The only thing he cares about is his stupid computers. . .All day, all night, it's computer, computer, COMPUTER! On our honeymoon. . .do you know how many times we made love?"
Oh God. Hughes thought. This is going to be one of those crazy marriages where they knew each other for three days before getting hitched. Why are people so stupid? "Doctor!" Mac's annoyed voice cut through his internal reverie. All he could do was shrug. "ONCE. We made love ONCE. . And that was on the night of our wedding, from then on. . .The man has not touched me."
Hughes turned towards Harm. "You haven't made love to your wife since your wedding night."
"Ah. . .well, we have. . .She's over exaggerating. . .We've made love twice since then."
This was certainly unbelievable. In fact, he would have claimed them both to be a fraud if it wasn't for that argument they'd had in his presence. "And you've been married how long?"
"About a year. . .Hey, it's not that I don't want to. .. I mean, she's hot. . .it's just that."
"Work!" Mac said, reaching into her purse to pull out a hanky which she used to blotch fake tears. "He's never home. . .Also. . .Oh God!" She let the water works run, squeezing a few drops of artificial tears from a small bottle she hid under the hanky. Doing that 'female' shoulder quivering thing, seemed to always work wonders with men. Not that Mac liked to have anyone see her cry, but the few times she'd faked it, the shoulder thing was in. "He says I'm. . .that I'm. . ." For effect she drew in a shaky breath and let it out with a guttural cry. "FAT! He says that I am FAT!"
Are you insane! He wanted to scream at 'Jessie' while knocking his lights out. Unable to stop himself, Hughes took a long, good, look at 'Angie's' curvaceous body. At first, he'd only noticed that she was attractive, but there was nothing really drawing him in. Now, as his mind shifted from being a therapist to that of a heterosexual male with needs, he noticed everything. Her skin tone was a slight olive color giving off an air of exotic beauty that wasn't too common with the women he normally sought after. Her legs, Hughes could tell, were the types that went on for days, probably curving into a nice, rounded behind which he could sink his teeth in. The conservative outfit covered his more favorite. . .areas of the female anatomy, but by the slight mound on her chest, it was obvious that Angie Lawless had quite a rack on her. As for her build, if that jack off thought she was fat, he definitely needed glasses or a good ass kicking. "Jessie, have you said such a thing to your wife?"
Harm shifted nervously, though they had gone over certain arguments, the ones that Mac was pulling out of a hat were pure genius and slightly amusing. Fat! He wasn't sure there was even an ounce of fat on her. . .and Harm would know, he'd checked various times. "Well. . ." Trailing off he turned to Mac and smiled. "You do have a tendency to wolf down several unhealthy meals, hon. . .That tends to add a pound or two to your tushy." He actually had the audacity to reach over and pat her side gently. "Doc, she. . .well. . .she's like a bottomless pit. . . And she doesn't work out, I mean, how am I going to look if I take a fat wife to our company get together." He let out a nerdy, snort of laughter and adjusted his glasses for good measure.
Mac, for her part, just started crying again. "See! He doesn't love me!"
"I do love you, baby." He took Mac's hand, which he pretended was covered in mucus from her tears. With a look of disgust, he placed her hand back on her lap and wiped the 'goo' off of his hand with her shoulder. This just made her cry louder. "Babe, can you tone it down?"
Hughes was horrified, which, he figured, was better than Angie's state. One thing was a problematic couple, these two made a dysfunctional couple seem like the perfect pair. Talk about work! "Let's try to get through a few more questions. . .My first sessions I like to get a feel for the couple so that I can then go home and figure out the best plane of action. . .It's almost like a military maneuver."
The words froze both Harm and Mac who found it too coincidental that he'd used the term 'military maneuver.' It was Harm who had the courage to speak first knowing it was impossible for Hughes to know who they really were. "Well, what else do you want to know, Doc?"
"How did you two meet?" That was a very easy question and normally one that evoked good memories and pleasant feelings.
For a few moments, Harm sat there with a silly grin on his face. He and Mac had come up with a good cover story, but it really wasn't that pleasant. His current idea was nicer and, at least, had a hint of romance. "We met in a rose garden." To his left, he could sense Mac tense up and that was a good thing. He was sure she was remembering as well. "In the old company I worked for, my partners were always coming and going. . .Well, my boss brings this lovely woman to me and the rest was over. . .Ah, about the rose garden, our office was having a mixer at one of the local parks. . .we were introduced amongst the roses."
"Angie, what was it about Jessie that you found appealing?" Nothing that he could think of would be appealing on 'Jessie' though the man had possibilities. But, with those nerdy glasses and that nineteen eighties yuppie outfit. .. ugh, what did she see in him?
Mac grinned, if it was one thing on Harm that she found appealing it had to be, "His eyes. . .He has these beautiful eyes. . .captivating really."
Hughes resisted the urge to shrug, he didn't see it. "How long did you two. . .court before marrying?" Did he actually use the word 'court'? Jesus Christ, this couple was making him loony!
It was Harm's turn to deliver the bad news. "Well. . .I think. . .it was. . .well. . .well, two days really."
"We met and two days later. . .Down the aisle we went!" The enthusiastic timbre of Mac's voice was a stark contrast to the angry, hurt tone from before. Talk about doing one eighties. In Hughes' mind, it was probably a good idea to check the psych wards and make sure no crazy twosome had disappeared. One thing was for sure, they were perfect for each other. . .save for one or two details.
He was going to go on using that infamous 'wasn't that too soon?' question, but chose to end the session there. Ten minutes with the couple and already he was feeling drained. Next time, he'd have to take a pick-me-up before attending these sessions. "Alright, we're good for now. . How's Monday sound?"
Slowly Mac turned to Harm. Timing sucked with both of their jobs. Yes, she could leave as she pleased but that wasn't something a commanding officer did. "After five would be good." Normally things were dead around four, unless something major happened.
"That's fine with me." Being the type that liked to space appointments out greatly, five was the perfect time. It would last an hour and right after, he could hit happy hour with his flavor of the week. "We'll see each other on Monday then." Perturbed, he watched as the couple just stood and headed off as if nothing had happened. From his spot at the window, he saw 'Jessie' opening the door for 'Angie' and then bending over to give her a kiss through the open car window. "Christ, is this some sort of test of my abilities?" He would never know that at some time during the course of their first session, Harm had slipped a small disk under the sofa which would allow them to hear every conversation in the room.
1630 Local
Rabb and Galindez Investigative Services
Pacific Beach, California
The SUV screeched as it came to a full stop in front of Harm's designated parking space. "Damnit, Rabb. . .Control yourself." Uh huh, that was easier said than done. Hopping out of the vehicle, he barely made sure the door was closed before he keyed in his password and sauntered into the office. Mercifully, it was closed as they had the custom of closing on the weekends. Pertinent cases not withstanding, the place was usually a ghost town on Saturdays and Sundays.
Walking into his office, his first step, as usual, was to log in any information on his person. He did so with shaky fingers who couldn't quite hit the right letters on the keyboard. "Argh!" He groaned out, flicking his wrist a few times in hopes to get some semblance of control. "You're no caveman!" He said to himself and by the time he thought he'd regained control, the object of his manic actions appeared at the doorway. That was it, he couldn't hold it anymore. "Damnit, Mac. . .Do you know how much I want to rip those clothes off of you?" Harm's voice was husky, he was practically panting.
Despite how covered her body was, her soft curves could easily be seen moving under the fabric. Okay, maybe not easily, but knowing what Harm knew about Mac's anatomy – his brain was filling in all of the right kind of details.
Her response was breathless. "Probably as much as I wanted to rip those clothes off of you." In a flash, she crashed into his arms, kissing him hard and passionately, moaning as his tongue meshed and dueled with her own. The way back to his office had been a bitch. She managed to hit every single, damned stoplight on the way which made her all the more antsy. This rendezvous wasn't planned to be a fulfillment of sexual needs. No, they were to head back to change into normal clothing and log in all of the info so that they could clear the rest of the weekend. But, his outfit and all of the play acting had snapped something inside of her which she learned to calm while at work. This time, it hit her full force.
Mac sighed happily when his fingers began working on the buttons of her jacket. The damned outfit had a lot of layers. . .too many if you asked her. "I've never been so turned on." It was completely illogical, the man looked like a total nerd and yet, knowing his true self. . .maybe that was the allure? "Well, I have been this turned on, but. . ."
"Yea, I know." He struggled to take it slow while removing the layers of clothing. Next time, he figured, she would wear something conservative, but not so layered. "Damnit, Mac. . I want you so bad. . ." He had the jacket off and then contended to the blouse. Mac's own hands managed to slip underneath his shirt and onto the muscles of his back. She smoothed a hand upwards and then raked her nails gently over his skin. Damn, that drove him wild. "Maacc." He groaned out, then gave her a grin of triumph as he managed to FINALLY get the blouse off.
Mac watched with fascination, the intensity of his eyes. They'd done this several times before, gone completely crazy with lust to the point that only good monkey love was the cure. She didn't mind, on the contrary, it kept the spice in their sex life. Not that they needed it. Who would have thought that six months later they were still carrying on as if they'd just met? Sighing, her head now rested on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him. "Harm?" She murmured softly, her voice still taking on that breathy tone.
"Uh?" He grunted out.
"That was. . .athletic." In fact, it was the best work out she'd had all week.
"Oh yea."
"Want to go again?"
He pushed off of her slightly, taking in that sexy as hell grin on those full, swollen lips of hers. Harm's rough hands held onto her hips, his thumbs caressing her skin and for the first time he realized that Mac was wearing thigh high nylons. "Damn. . .You had these on?"
Unsure what he was talking about, she moved back slightly and noticed his eyes on her lap. "You didn't notice?" She giggled when he shook his head. "Wow, you really must have been hard up, flyboy."
Raising his head he looked her in the eye. "Me? Mac, when you walked in here. . . Marine on a mission, I. . . I was like filet mignon on a platter."
The comparison made her chuckle. Yup, sometimes he was like filet mignon and she couldn't wait to devour him. "Yea, I guess, sometimes I can't help myself."
Nearly an hour later, the pair lay on the floor of his office, laughing. A USN throw – which was usually draped over an arm chair in the corner – was covering their nakedness. "I'm never going to be able to look at this office the same way again." That wasn't the worst thing. How the hell was he going to concentrate in here when they'd 'christened' his space? Harm could already imagine long nights at work taking even more time than usual because his mind was in the gutter which was turning into a nice place to be. Especially if Mac was there.
"I would offer to christen my office at work, but we're a little picky. . .there's always someone there. . .not to mention those cameras."
He rose a brow in question. "Camera? In your office?"
Mac shook her head. "Notinside my office, but in the halls and stuff like that. . .It would look odd if you'd come in with me at odd hours and left the way we look now." She sighed in remorse, her office sometimes needed some sort of new life. Grinning, she leaned in and captured his lips with her own. One thing was for sure, she could kiss him forever. Locking her ankle around his own, she used a quick momentum to roll him over. Straddling his waist, Mac let the throw slide off of her shoulders as she bore her naked flesh to him.
Harm's hands left a trail of fire up her thighs as he inched closer to. . . "And this is Harm's office. . ." A familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks. Peaking from behind Mac, he found Gunny and Kim Sundin, the nurse who had been very instrumental on getting him back on his feet after the accident in the office. As Gunny had promised, the two had begun dating when he was ready to. The two made a very cute couple – nauseatingly cute. "Mac. . .Harm." He leaned casually against the doorframe and grinned. "Quite the surprise."
Grinning embarrassedly, Harm pulled up the throw over Mac's shoulders and sat up. She closed her eyes tightly and to him it looked like she was wishing Gunny and Kim away all the while chuckling. "Hey guys. . .Mac and I. . ."
Mac pressed her body onto Harm's, hoping to hide her nakedness as she turned slightly to face their visitors. Gunny was enjoying himself and Kim seemed more embarrassed than the two of them. "Oh, Harm don't bother making excuses. . .Nothing wrong with hot, monkey love." Nope, nothing wrong with that at all.
