Author's Note: Hi, friends, I'm here with Chapter Five! So I promised that Valerie's romances would start to get hot and, as you can see by the pool scene in this chapter, I delivered. CAUTION: This chapter contains romantic sexual scenes, but like I said earlier, it's not pornography. And the romance is only going to get steamier as the story progresses. So, to all the God-obsessed, uber-Christian, religious fanatic readers who are so afraid of even a HINT of sexuality, (think Margaret White from Stephen King's Carrie) if you don't like what you read here, I invite you to stop at the end of Mace and Valerie's dinner and go read something a little more toned-down. I do NOT want to get into trouble and have this story (and possibly my ID) removed because some obsessive whack-job decided to read this chapter and "report possible abuse" at the bottom of their screens. I will be quite upset if I see this happening to me. To everyone else, read and enjoy, and don't forget to review.
Chapter 5
Friday afternoon, 2:30 PM. Only three and a half hours until her date with Mace. Valerie was looking forward to it all week, and her Saturday with Barricade and Sundown. She was hoping her commercial assignment wouldn't conflict with any of it. Especially not Saturday afternoon, when they'll either be still working on set design or starting filming. She didn't want to stand Barricade up. She thought about Jeremy. When she told him of her plans the morning after she made the dates, he was screaming with happiness.
"Please, Mom," he begged. "Please say… you'll… marry… one of… the C.O.P.S. I want… one of… the good guys… for a… dad." Then, his eyes began to look like that of a baby deer. "Please?"
His cousins laughed. "You really do like them that much, don't you?" Caleb asked. "Which one do you want your mom to marry?" Jeremy just looked at his cousin and mother with wide eyes, and a pout that looked more like a puppy dog plea. Obviously to Valerie, he didn't care, just so long as that man wasn't romantically involved with anyone.
She decided she didn't want to deny her son a chance to bond with Barricade, at least. She couldn't. She asked Matt about the commercial.
"Uh, Matt," she said, "about the commercial, you and I won't be working on it over the weekend, will we?"
Matt laughed very loudly. "Well, let's see," he replied. "You gave me the script Tuesday morning, which I approved of immediately after reading. Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday, you did casting calls, we selected the music, and I researched all the set designing companies and called the best one. Yesterday, we went over locations, selected Empire City Park, and got a city permit. They've just started building the set, which I'm supposed to help oversee. You will be in charge of production, which we're doing on Monday. So, I'm the one who has to work all weekend, not you." He chuckled, then grinned. "I take it you have plans."
"Big ones." She never told him about whom she was going to be with that weekend. She didn't like to talk about her personal business during working time, about as much as she didn't like to hear about anyone else's. Instead, she just said, "Let's just say I'm taking a major jump back into the social scene."
"Without me?" he teased. "Listen, Val, I'm just as divorced as you are. You could always make a date with me. How about dinner and a drink, babe?"
"Not that kind of date," she laughed. "It's the kind I don't do with co-workers."
An hour and a half later, Valerie was driving home, her spirits high enough to be sitting on clouds. She was listening to some old pop music, the kind teenaged girls listened to back in the 1990's and early 2000's. She was listening to a song by Hoku, Perfect Day. The song fit her happy mood. Not only did she have her date, but today, she finally found a school for the handicapped that would see her about Jeremy. She was trying to concentrate on her driving, but was singing along to the music. She threw herself a dance party in her head.
She suddenly stopped singing when she stopped at a red light. Her appointment with Jeremy's school was Wednesday afternoon. Did she remember to tell Mr. Lancer that she needed that afternoon off? She turned down the music, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed the agency. She heard Teresa answer and rolled her eyes.
"I need to speak with Mr. Lancer please?" Valerie said.
"All right, but first, you must hear this juicy piece of gossip I just heard from one of my secretarial crew, Selma," Teresa replied. Apparently, her neighbor, his girlfriend, and a few of her preachy mother friends…"
"Now, Teresa!" she ordered. Teresa put her on hold, and she heard Mr. Lancer's voice seconds later."
"Mr. Lancer, it's Valerie," she said. "Listen, before I left, I forgot to tell you that I have an appointment with Prince Richard's School for the Handicapped at 1:30 this coming Wednesday afternoon." She was checking her calendar. "I'm supposed to be going with Jeremy, and I was wondering if I could have the afternoon off. I know I haven't earned it… yet, but this is really important."
"I see," he answered. "Well, Matt says you're supposed to be filming on Monday, and considering all the work you've done this week, I say we're going just as scheduled. Of course you've earned this appointment. You've kept us on top as usual."
"Thank you, sir," Valerie said. Just then, she heard another car honking the horn. She excused herself and turned her head out the window."
"Let's move it!" he screamed. "The light just turned green!"
"I'm on my cell here!" she screamed back. "Don't you try to rain on my perfect day!" She quickly concluded her conversation, hung up and rolled up her window. "Dumb fucktard."
She got back to the house with Jeremy at just after 4:30. Less than ninety minutes until her date. She needed a shower, a bathing suit and towel, a change of makeup, and a kicky, yet dressy evening outfit.
After her shower, she went to her bedroom. Just as she was putting her underwear back on, she heard a knock. She opened the door a peep and saw Rhonda.
"May I come in?" Rhonda asked.
"I'm in my undergarments, Rhonda!" Valerie replied hostilely. "Jesus, I need my privacy." She slammed the door. "We can carry on a conversation through the door if we talk loud enough. What is it?"
"I still don't understand why Mace isn't picking you up," Rhonda said. "What kind of gentleman doesn't pick up a lady for dinner?"
"God, Rhonda, you're so old-fashioned," Valerie replied. "Mace and I just agreed to meet at Vivaldi Florentine, that's all."
"That's another thing, sis. Do you even know where Vivaldi Florentine is? You've only been here two weeks."
Valerie opened her door just a little, revealing part of her face and her bare left arm. "Well, I secretly told Elise about this when I asked for directions to the restaurant. She said it's located on Amazon Avenue, where all those fancy restaurants and hotels are. It's about six streets north from the one Lancer and Sussex is on." She closed the door again. "I haven't driven past it since I started taking Jeremy to Karen's before work. I used to when I took him to Mother's, though."
"Speaking of Karen," Rhonda said, "I called her on my lunch hour, just to see how she is. She's been sounding awful chipper since she came home. That's pretty quick for a mother like her to recover. Sheldon's still in the hospital."
"Well, looking after Jeremy obviously worked wonders for her, didn't it?" Valerie replied. "She's said that looking after Jeremy makes her so happy." She paused. "Anyway, so Elise couldn't believe it when I told her I've never been down Amazon before. It's about twelve buildings away when I turn right on Knightley, the street I use on my route to work and back. She and Longarm had been to Vivaldi the weekend Jeremy and I came here, and she recommended this chicken spaghetti dish to me. She says it tastes fabulous."
She opened the door and stuck her hand out. "While you're out there, could you also hand me a large, fresh towel from the linen closet? Mace also wants to go swimming."
"Hang on." Rhonda opened the closet for a plain purple towel, extra large size. She went to the kitchen for a plastic grocery bag, stuffed the towel in it, and brought it back to her sister. "There. You want to borrow a bathing suit, too?"
"Nah, I've got lots here. Thanks." She took the bag in her room and shut the door.
Twenty minutes later, Valerie came out of her room in a white dress with colorful circles linked together like a chain. She was wearing a necklace and earrings made of sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds. Her hair was curly, and her scarlet red lipstick and blue mascara were beautifully noticeable. She was holding her bag with swimming gear.
"Oh my God!" Rhonda exclaimed. "Is that my sister, or is that Sarah Jessica Parker from way back when?"
Valerie laughed and replied, "Actually, I think I look more like Jean Harlow from those old movies."
Rhonda followed her into the living room. "Come on, Val. I don't think Jean Harlow would wear clothes like that."
When they arrived, they noticed Nicole, Caleb and Jeremy watching television. Valerie clapped her hands, and they turned to see her.
"Wow!" Caleb exclaimed. "That is beautiful. Mace is going to love it."
"Who's Mace?" Nicole asked. Caleb elbowed her in her ribs.
"He's on Bulletproof Vess' team of C.O.P.S.," he reminded her. "We've seen him and others around, remember? And Aunt Valerie has a date with him tonight."
Nicole slapped her head. "Oh, right!" She studied her aunt's look. "Um, Aunt Valerie, I must say I love that dress. You think it'll fit me when I have my prom night? But I think the lipstick may be too much." She folded a piece of paper and had Valerie bite on it. Afterwards, "Much better."
Rhonda looked at the time on the VCR. It read quarter after five. "How about I drop you off at the restaurant at a little after five-thirty?" she asked. "Because if I know Mace, being that he's a man and all, he'll be showing up in one of his fancy cars, ready to whisk you around town from the restaurant."
Valerie chuckled. "Or it could be an ordinary blue Honda," she suggested. "I doubt someone like him would drive anything so flashy."
She never said anything more until they left. She was thinking about Karen, and how happy she'd been since Jeremy started spending days at her house. She remembered the houses she looked at on her first weekend in Empire City. She wondered how many already got sold. She thought about 181 Turin Lane, the one with the blue living room, the candy in the refrigerator, and the purple bedroom. She wondered if someone else had already taken it. She decided to ask Rhonda about it.
In Rhonda's car, just as they turned the corner off her street, Valerie asked, "Rhonda, remember all those houses we looked at my first weekend here? The ones in Karen's neighborhood?"
"Have you decided already?" Rhonda asked. "You haven't even looked at all the other available houses."
"Yeah, well I've been thinking about it," Valerie said, "and seeing Karen's face light up every time I drop Jeremy off, and hearing all the wonderful things they've done together when I pick him up – well, it's finally convinced me that it's time to move into that new house. I know it's only been three days, but I think that's good enough."
Rhonda thought about it at a red light. "Well… if you think it's best."
"Besides," said Valerie, "if my date with Mace goes well, it may lead to something more, and I'll be needing space of my own. I can't… well… you know… under your roof."
Rhonda's eyes widened. "I see," she said. "Well, I hope you're not interested in those two shit pits on Seville Street. One of them had all that mold and rotting wood, and the electric fixtures were installed all wrong. Those last homeowners must have moved out in a motherfucking hurry. And that other one with creaking stairs, and weak wood fixtures that also creaked in the basement ceiling. I suspect the wood was also rotten, and all the Plexiglas was soaked and moldy. I've tried getting City Hall to get the real contractors to go out and fix this, but that fucking Mayor Davis is too goddamn preoccupied with cutting costs for some stupid political gains! I hope Wesley Silverfield – he's one of Empire City's most passionate, caring lawyers – runs for office and gets him the hell out!"
"Actually, I was talking about 181 Turin Lane. You know, the one with the living room that looked like the ocean, and that master bedroom I wanted to decorate in purple? The very first house we looked at?"
Rhonda's eyes widened again. "Oh, that one! Well, yeah, it's still available. I've showed it to other clients, and mentioned that you wanted it as well. There was this middle-aged couple that agreed with you about that wall unit in the living room. They said it should be tossed out, and a fancier one put in, one to give the room that 'ocean' feel."
"I'll take it!" Valerie said excitedly. "And you and I can meet with Karen on Sunday to see about furniture." Rhonda nodded and replied, "It's a deal."
They arrived at Vivaldi shortly after. When Valerie got out, she said, "There won't be any need to pick me up, sis. I'm sure Mace will be able to drive me home. See you later tonight." She watched Rhonda drive off.
She looked at her bag of swimming gear and checked her watch. It was close to six, and Mace hadn't shown up yet. She didn't know what kind of non-police car he drove. She shrugged and took her bag into the restaurant.
"Table for two, please," she told the seating person. She gave him her swimming bag. "I am waiting for a man named Colt Howards; he also goes by the nickname, 'Mace.' Would you please have the valet put this in the trunk of his car when he arrives?"
She was led to a table in the back of the room. It had a white tablecloth with red and green stripes, reminiscent of the Italian flag. The silverware was wrapped in a red napkin with a white bow. In the middle was an electric candle. She sat and waited.
Minutes later, she heard a man call her name in a gravely voice. She turned to see Mace. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a silver and black tie, and no cap or sunglasses. He had a big, happy smile, and kissed the back of her hand.
"Ooh, but you look so beautiful tonight," he cooed. He sat across from Valerie.
"Thank you, Colt… or do you prefer Mace?" she said.
"Please, call me Mace," he said. "Everyone else does."
A formally dressed waiter came, filled two waterglasses for Mace and Valerie, and presented two menus. Valerie opened it to the pasta section while Mace ordered champagne. "The best brand you have here," he said.
When the champagne bucket arrived with two glasses, Valerie said, "Look what it says for the chicken spaghetti. 'Angel haired noodles mixed with roasted chicken breast in a creamy fettuccine alfredo sauce.' Elise said it is fabulous." She immediately turned to the waiter and took her order.
Mace, however, wasn't ready to order yet. He looked at the price for Valerie's order. It cost seventy-five dollars. He looked in his wallet. Thank God he had a MasterVisa card. Still, he decided to find something less expensive. He found a lasagna with meatballs platter that cost fifty dollars. Minutes later, the waiter came back and Mace took his order.
After he poured the champagne, Mace said to Valerie, "So, Valerie, tell me a little more about yourself. I already got this 'divorced with a kid' thing."
"Well," Valerie began, "I'm project manager at the Lancer and Sussex advertising agency. It actually came with the transfer. Back in Parrish, I was just one of the workers being supervised, but I've gotten great performance reports my whole career – which I earned, mind you. They said I was very creative with the best ideas, tireless and a quick worker, often getting things done a day before the deadline."
"Impressive," Mace grinned. "I like a hard-working woman."
Valerie blushed and continued, "After I filed for divorce from Tom, I threw myself into the agency, getting more done in my eight-hour workdays. I felt I had to, since I knew I would be on my own with Jeremy, and I couldn't trust Tom to raise a barn with fifty Amish men. In mid-April, my old boss told me that I was being transferred here with this position and a higher salary." She proceeded to tell him about her first assignment.
"That's so wonderful," Mace said. "I can't wait to see your ads in magazines."
She decided against telling him about her current project. She knew people could bore dates if they talked about their careers too much, no matter how exciting they could be. But before she could say anything more, Mace said, "So, tell me about Jeremy. The C.O.P.S. team and I met him through Tyler at the picnic before you came to pick him up. He seems like a special little boy."
"You don't know how special he is," Valerie replied. "He's had Shaken Baby Syndrome since he was an infant. He's very smart, but he doesn't apply himself very well at school. He can't run very fast, he's not athletic at all, and he talks very slowly, although I can understand what he's saying. But that all comes from the brain damage he has."
She started telling him about how Tom left her when she was pregnant, and the cruelty she endured after Jeremy was born. She was getting so emotional as she told him about the beatings Jeremy endured, and the put-downs and harsh criticism Tom lashed at her about her parenting. Mace rubbed her shoulder, stopping her before she could start crying.
"Don't get all worked up," he said. "Your husband's gone now. I know all about it, and believe me, I ain't happy with it either."
Now Valerie looked like she really wanted to cry and scream. She hated doing that in public, it always embarrassed her. She suddenly wished she never told Cindy and Elise about Tom when she was telling them about herself. Before she could, Mace got up to hold her.
"If I ever see him, I'll kick his goddamn ass," he promised her. "I'll make him pay child support if you want me to."
"No, I don't want his dirty money," she said.
"He has to, you know that!" he insisted. "Whether he wants to admit it or not, Jeremy's his kid, too."
She stared at his solemn face. "Yeah, Mace, I guess you're right."
"No, Valerie, I know I'm right. I may not know much about kids, but I know a father has to take responsibility for his kid if there's ever to be a happy family."
Valerie became happier when the food arrived. The spaghetti and chicken looked appealing to her in the fettuccine sauce. "Oh, it looks so much better than it would in tomato sauce," she commented.
"I heard they used to use tomato sauce in the chicken spaghetti until this year," Mace said. "They must've changed to fettuccine sauce at customer's suggestions."
She tasted some spaghetti laden with the sauce. "Oh, the customers were right!" she said ravenously.
Then, she stared at Mace's dinner. "I've never seen lasagna with meatballs before. Since when were they doing that?"
"They've been doin' that for years now," he answered. He tipped his plate in her direction. "Wanna try some?"
"Only if you're willing to try my spaghetti," she grinned.
They made room on their plates, then each took a forkful of noodles and a couple pieces of meat, and gave them to each other. She ate a lasagna noodle covered into sauce and a meatball at the same time. He ate a sauce-covered spaghetti noodle with some chicken.
Valerie could feel her throat getting hot. "My God, that's so spicy!" she said softly. She took a quick drink of water and a sip of champagne. "Honestly, I don't know how you men handle it."
Meanwhile, Mace had a good feeling with the spaghetti. "Oh, the sauce tastes so right with this chicken and noodles," he said. "Who recommended this to you?"
"Elise did, as soon as I told her you were taking me here," she answered.
"Damn, I can see why!" he exclaimed. "Next time I come here, I'm orderin' this."
Valerie drank some more champagne and said, "So, Mace, why don't you tell me a little more about the case you and the other C.O.P.S. are working on. The one about the tapes hypnotizing youths to steal. The day you asked me out, I learned that these tapes caused some thieving students to hurt my nephew, Sheldon."
Mace smiled and said, "Today, we managed to catch the person sending them to the schools. We got a call from a junior high school in the suburb of Taylor Heights. A twelve-year-old boy came into the front office and managed to take off the man's hat, while he was arguin' with the school principal about playing the tape he sent. The principal locked the man into the copier room while his secretary called us. After we arrested him, we also had a confession from Dr. Badvibes that he was the voice hypnotizin' the kids."
Valerie smiled back. "That's great! Now I won't have to worry about my other nephews, Drew and Caleb. Or my niece, Nicole. Or Jeremy." She paused. "Um, you never got any calls from Nicole and Caleb's schools have you? Broad Silver Star High School and Peter Lowell Middle School?"
Mace shook his head. "Nope. Never got calls from those places. At least I never heard anything about them from Bulletproof."
She looked at her spaghetti and had an idea. "Oh, Mace, you remember that really old kid's movie Lady and the Tramp? Remember that scene where they were at that restaurant eating the spaghetti? You want to try that?"
"How do you do it?" he asked.
Valerie invited Mace to move his chair over next to hers. She forked out one really long strand of spaghetti, and put one end of it in her mouth. He caught on to it, and put the other end in his mouth. When they were ready, they nibbled the strand bit by bit as their lips got closer to each other.
The next they knew, they met in the middle of the strand and found themselves kissing. It was a deep and passionate kiss, one they seemed lost in each other in, and wondered how long they'd keep up. Valerie could feel Mace's big, strong hands holding her as his mouth stayed on hers.
"Oh, Mace," she whispered.
She started believing that he must have dated a lot, if he could kiss like that. But did she really want to ask about his personal past? The way he held her when she talked about Tom, and the things he said, made her believe that he cared about her. Now with this kiss, she believed that maybe it was love, that he really loved her.
She knew Mace was very good-looking and physically strong. She'd heard that this cop had a tough attitude on the job. But tonight, she learned that the strong and tough in duty lines can be sweet and loving when off their jobs.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by their waiter. "I hate to interrupt this private moment," he told them, "but your dinners may be getting cold."
Mace and Valerie looked at their food, and realized he was right. Mace quickly moved his chair back, and they finished quickly, yet mannerly.
"I can't believe it!" Valerie exclaimed as she and Mace got into his car. "Two hundred sixty-five dollars just for one meal? Our food didn't even cost all that much! I should write to the fucking restaurant bureau! One hundred forty dollars for a bottle of champagne? I can understand that if this were Naples or Rome, Italy! But that's too damn much for America! Thank God they took your credit card, Mace!"
"Hopefully, the rec center pool will be cheaper," Mace said. "Sorry if that was a bit much for you, Valerie."
"Next time we go out for dinner, let's try a hotel restaurant, okay?" she suggested. "It'll be less expensive. I don't like it when a man spends so much cash on me. And I hate women who make men think they have to afford them. As if men are made of money!"
"Yeah, I don't like to spoil women too much, either," Mace agreed. "It can only forecast what she'll want to do with our kids!"
Valerie looked at Mace driving. He should be okay, she thought. He only sipped one glass of champagne. That's not too bad, is it? She only had two, not enough to get drunk, but enough to probably get stopped and charged for driving while under the influence. She hated taking those kinds of risks. She put her arm around Mace, thankful for such graciousness.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Empire City Recreation Center. As Mace parked his car, he spied two really ugly men getting out of a black van across the street, about fifteen feet away. He and Valerie got out, and they stared at the men for a few minutes. Their backs were turned to them, but Mace could identify them by their clothes. A tall man in a purple fedora and trenchcoat, and a muscular blond younger guy in a blue jacket and white pants.
Valerie squinted at them and asked, "Who are those bozos?"
Mace pointed at them and answered, "The one in the trenchcoat is Buttons McBoomBoom, and the guy in the blue and white is Berserko. I'd be careful around those guys if I were you. They're really sharp crooks, they work for the Big Boss, and you don't know what they're capable of." He retrieved their bags of swimming gear.
Suddenly, they saw Buttons and Berserko look up at them. Horrified, Mace said, "Shit! Valerie, they saw us! Quick, let's get inside! I don't want those two dirtbags ruinin' our date!" He took her arm and they rushed into the center.
Buttons and Berserko were on an assignment to find the jewelry store with an expensive jewel called the Diamond Sun in the window, and steal it. When they saw Mace and Valerie together, they suddenly forgot about the diamond and walked to that building. It was Valerie they wanted.
Inside, they were stopped by the workers at the front desk. One of them said, "Hold it. We got word about you two from a Sgt. Colt 'Mace' Howards. We're to turn you in to the police." But Buttons stopped them.
"It ain't the cop we want," he said. "We're interested in the girl he's with." He found Mace's name in an open page in the registration book. "Ah, so they're at the swimmin' pool. That's good. Do you have a long rope an' a grapplin' hook?"
Just before they went into their locker rooms, Valerie said to Mace, "Listen, I don't think you should report those two guys to Bulletproof, at least not yet."
"Are you nuts, sweetheart?" Mace objected. "What if those two are armed? They usually are! What if they come after us? I may be off duty, but I still have to report their presence in this area."
They looked down the pool entrance hall. All they saw were three people walking past, probably going to the washrooms.
"Mace, we came here to have fun," Valerie insisted. "Share some romance. Forget about them for a while." She grinned. "You probably will when you see me in my swimsuit."
She took only five minutes to change clothes. It was a purple bikini with a button hook at the front. There was no mirror, so she looked down at her body. She couldn't see her stomach beyond her double-D bosoms. She headed to the shower to wet down her face and hair. After two minutes, she stepped onto the pool deck. Mace hadn't shown up. She waited outside the men's locker room.
Moments later, Mace came out in black and white-striped Speedo, soaked from his shower. Valerie was immediately attracted to his beefcake chest and abdominals. He turned sideways and flexed for her, grinning. She was fanning her face, as if she was suddenly getting hot. She tried to suppress her sexual feelings, wanting to unleash them in the pool. She thought she was feeling the effects from her shower drying up.
"Oh, Mace!" she moaned ecstatically. "Mace, you're gorgeous!" She put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him long and lustrous. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her back. She moved her hands down to his biceps and grabbed onto them. She'd wanted to feel his "pipe" muscles since he flexed. Until she saw him in his swimsuit, she never realized just how sexy Colt "Mace" Howards could be.
He broke the kiss just long enough to whisper to her, "Baby, you look gorgeous, too. You look so beautiful in that bikini."
They went out to the shallow end of the pool. No one else was there but them. Valerie asked Mace, "Is this how you planned it? A private swim, just the two of us?"
"I personally requested it," he answered. "I thought it'd be nice if we used this otherwise public spot as our own personal aquatic love lounge."
She swam out to a deeper part of the pool. "You've thought of everything."
She looked up at the ceiling. It was mostly a large dome with six columns of five windows each. They all had bright fluorescent lighting in between them. Valerie had never seen a dome like that before, but she was enamored by the colors of the evening sky.
"Look how beautiful it is, Mace," she said. "Oh, but I could stare at this all the time."
Mace brought her head down so she was looking at his face. "It will never, ever be as beautiful as you," he told her. "Never." She put her hands around his neck and kissed him.
Unbeknownst to Mace and Valerie, Buttons and Berserko were on the roof, looking at the lovers through the windows. Buttons was talking with Big Boss on his cell phone. He had reported that he found, "something much better than the Diamond Sun."
"One of those C.O.P.S. just came here with a beautiful woman," he'd told him. "At least, I think it's one of the C.O.P.S.; they rushed into this place as soon as we saw them."
"Really?" Big Boss asked in his gangster accent. "What she look like?"
"Uh, all I can see is her blonde hair," Buttons answered. "Long an' beautiful, though." He spoke lower, "C'mon, baby, look up for Buttons."
"Hey, look, Buttons!" Berserko called from the other side. He was staring at the floating devices. "That pool's got them little surfboards and big colorful rods. And look, they've also got them big floating beds."
"Shut up, Berserko!" Buttons hissed.
Valerie was still swimming with Mace, looking away from the ceiling. She was straddled on his back as he was swimming as fast as a dolphin. He dove underwater, and Buttons followed them along the pool's edge, waiting for them to come up.
But Mace and Valerie didn't come up for about three minutes. When they did, it was only to get some air, wipe the water out of their eyes, and kiss sensually for only a minute. They still didn't know that Buttons and Berserko were watching them. Soon, Valerie pressed on Mace's chest. He was leaning back down into the water, and she went under with him, preparing for more lovemaking.
Buttons started getting impatient. "Dammit!" he mused. "I'll bet they went back down to fuck some more!"
"Well, she better hurry up and show herself!" Big Boss snapped. "I can't take the suspense!"
Mace and Valerie stayed down for two more minutes. All they did during that time was make passionate love, writhing around body to body under the water. Though they never took each other's clothes off, they were touching and kissing each other's bare skin. He was kissing her neck, shoulders and cleavage, while she was kissing his neck, still pressing on his chest.
When they came back up, they were in the deep end of the pool. They noticed some rafts shaped like beds, and Valerie asked, "Do you want to get one? Lie on it as we float? Then we can look up at the beautiful sky through the glass ceiling." Mace agreed, so they swam to the steps, and climbed out. They saw a raft big enough for two people, lying on the far side of the deck. They carried it back to the shallow end, still not noticing Buttons and Berserko watching them.
Meanwhile, Buttons was ready to give up. "When the fuck are they gonna look up?" he muttered. "It shouldn't have to take this long for her to notice us. C'mon, sweetheart, show us your tits, and show us now!" Suddenly, "She's getting out now, Big Boss.… Whoa! She's got some curves." He was staring at Valerie's cleavage.
"Hey, Buttons!" Berserko observed. "The two lovebirds is getting one of those floating beds!"
"What!" Buttons soon noticed Mace and Valerie carrying their raft back to the pool. "Great, now maybe she'll finally look up.… Okay, Big Boss, now they've got the raft into the pool, they're getting on, they're… oh, shit, they're on their sides, doin' it again. Oh, but I do like what I see here. Check out those legs!" He put the cell phone to the window so Big Boss could have a look.
Big Boss was immediately smitten by the sight of Valerie Boston. But he looked at her raftmate, and immediately identified him as Mace. He paused the video so he could print out a picture of the two. He immediately started thinking about his "jewel thief" follower, Nightshade.
He said to Buttons, "Buttons, that is one of the C.O.P.S. she's with! That's Mace, isn't it?"
Buttons stared at Mace and said, "I can't tell, Big Boss. I ain't ever seen any of those C.O.P.S. with their clothes off before."
"That is Mace! I can tell by the hair color and body mass!" Big Boss insisted. "Didn't Nightshade say something about having a romance with that guy?"
Meanwhile, at the pool, Valerie was positioning herself on her back, looking up at the sky. She saw Buttons and Berserko looking at them through the windows and screamed. She pointed at them and shouted, "Look, Mace! Peeping toms!"
Mace looked up, and was not happy with what he saw. "Shit!" he cried. "It's Buttons McBoomBoom and Berserko! What the fuck are they doin' here? And is that a video cell in Buttons' hand? Don't tell me the Big Boss is gettin' a look at us, too!"
Buttons and Berserko, however, seemed to enjoy Valerie's horrified reaction, though it was actually her body they were concentrating on. "Jackpot!" Buttons declared, "Christ, Big Boss, willya look at those tits? Not a bad-lookin' bikini either! Now if only she could take off that top!"
Furious that two of Big Boss' followers were spying on him and Valerie, Mace started to get off the raft. "I have to go tell Bulletproof," he said.
But Valerie had an idea. She quickly positioned herself on top of him and said, "You can tell Bulletproof later! Let's distract them. Maybe if they get the idea you're already taken, they'll go away. She soon felt her breasts pressed against his chest, and started to kiss his lips and chin.
But Buttons was enjoying this sight, too. "Wow, thanks for the back view, baby!" he said. "Now, there's an ass I'd like to tap!"
After a few moments, Big Boss decided he'd seen enough. "Forget the Diamond Sun, youse guys," he said. "It's that woman I want now! Come down from there and get back to my headquarters now!"
"Right, boss," Buttons said. He clicked the cell phone off, grabbed Berserko, and they climbed back down.
Meanwhile, Valerie was so enamored by Mace's body. She was kissing and rubbing him all over his shoulders, chest and abdominals again. She brought her hands back upon his chest, circling around his nipples with her index finger. She was gliding her finger down to his belly, swirling around his belly button until her finger went into it.
"Oh, Mace!" she whispered. "Mace, I still can't get over that gorgeous body. Oh, Mace, I love you."
After fifteen minutes, Mace noticed Buttons and Berserko were gone, so he said, "Uh, Valerie. Baby, I think they're gone. Now, may I call Bulletproof and tell him what I saw?"
She looked up and realized he was right. She smiled and said, "Don't be silly. Let's not let those two assholes spoil all our fun." She looked at the Jacuzzi in the far corner. "How about an hour in the hot tub, then you can call him when we leave. Those privacy-invading perverts will still be fresh in our minds then, I'll bet."
They got out of the pool, went to the Jacuzzi, lifted the cover off, then Mace turned on the jets. He put his foot in. The bubbly water felt like a hot bath or shower. He stepped in, took Valerie's hand to bring her in, then they sat down and continued to make out.
"Oh, if only we had champagne and two glasses, this would be completely romantic," she said. Without replying, Mace kissed her, and they continued making love. They were in there for what seemed to be over an hour; they didn't care about losing track of time. After the Jacuzzi, Mace decided it was time to take Valerie back to his home, to finish off the night.
Yeah, I originally wanted to add Valerie's dates with Barricade and Sundown here. But as written here, I had some other stuff to show at the start of the chapter, and it got a bit long in the process. So they will be carried over into the next chapter. See you then, and have a happy Easter! ;)