Author's Note: Okay, I'm so excited. On this day one year ago, the very first chapter of this story was published after a final rewrite. Yay!
Also, if you're looking for Valerie's interview with Whitney Morgan in the future, it will have to be held over for at least two chapters. Originally, Valerie was going to be going on dates with Mace, and a "threesome" date with Sundown and Highway all this chapter. But as I was starting the "date with Mace" scenes this chapter, a part of me told me to go back and emphasize on this, planning preparation, and all. (See what I mean about written outlines? You easily change your mind like this during composition time.) Anyway, the date scenes got a bit long here, so the Sundown-Highway-Valerie thing will be reserved for next chapter. So you'll have a long wait before you find out if those two C.O.P.S. get spared an investigation, once Valerie bares her soul to the media about Tom.
Oh, and about the club scene. First, all songs mentioned (Econoline Crush, Chemical Brothers, Cathy Dennis et al) were not written or performed by me; I'm just using them as part of the scene. No lawsuits please. And the mention of Class of the Titans is in reference to this awesome new offering on Teletoon Canada on Wednesday and weekend nights. I was just imagining them one of those squeaky clean pop acts (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, etc, in their heyday) if this were really true, they'd be one of those acts responsible for bubblegum pop (eventually) coming back into fashion on the music scene.
Anyway, that's all I have to tell you. Read and review.
Chapter 22
The next day, at the start of her lunch hour, Valerie e-mailed her revised radio script to Rhonda. Shortly afterwards, her phone rang. She was surprised to see Mace on the video when she answered.
"Mace!" she said. "Don't you have police work to do, or are you on lunch break as well?"
"I've just come back from my assignment," he replied. "Suspect barricaded himself in a motel room. Had the whole SWAT team helpin' me out. We finally got him into police custody, and I've just submitted my report. You?"
"I've just sent copies of my radio commercial script to some voice actors I've selected," she replied. "It's a light rock station playing only slow stuff and easy listening, JEWEL-FM. You wouldn't be interested."
"Ugh!" he replied. "I don't listen to that crap. If yer gonna do a commercial fer a radio station, inquire a hard rock or heavy metal one. Now that's the stuff that gets me goin'. BEAST 96.4 FM, now that's a good station here in Empire City."
"Well, Jewel just came by and asked me to do this, that's all." But Valerie could tell the reason why Mace called. "I suppose you've called just to ask me for a date, right?"
"I've got a shift tomorrow until five in the afternoon," Mace told her. "So after, I'll take ya to my place, cook up a nice steak dinner wit some corn, then we'll see a movie – I'll surprise ya – then there's this nightclub, Electric Bullet. It plays rock, techno and pop, anything that's fast. We'll go dancin'."
"Sounds great!" she said. "I was inwardly hoping we'd go dancing."
"Awright, so how 'bout I pick you up from yer work tomorrow?"
"I'd love that. Oh, but you're so sweet to me. I can't wait. See you tomorrow, sweetheart." She kissed her screen and hung up.
Valerie was just about out of her office when the phone rang again. She picked it up, and was horrified to see Big Boss. "Jesus Christ!" she cried. "How the hell did you get my number – and my extension?"
"Now, Valerie, is that any way to greet a potential suitor?" Big Boss replied. "Yer secretary actually paged me through."
"Okay, if I see Teresa in the lunch room, I'm going to kick the crap out of her?" she said. "What do you want?"
"I was callin' to see if youse was free Friday night, see?" Big Boss replied. "Dinner at Vivaldi Florentine, then an evenin' of enchanted entertainment at the White Apple Palace. They're doin' piano classics from the 1940's, see?"
"Look, I understand that you're pretty rich and all," she said, "but Vivaldi Florentine is much too expensive for my taste, and while I'd love to go to the White Apple Palace, I'd rather go with anyone but you. Or your cronies. And don't tell Nightshade, but I'm going to be seeing Mace that night."
Big Boss started screaming. "Auuuuuugh! Blast you, Valerie! When will ya quit acceptin' date offers from those damn C.O.P.S.?"
"Hey, it's not my fault you have shitty timing skills! And I guess it'd be a bad time to say that Mace is picking me up from work."
"Hmmm," Big Boss said. "That gives me an idea." He suddenly hung up.
Valerie wanted to feel sick. Her instincts immediately told her that Big Boss wanted to spy on her and her date. But she tried to kill these thoughts. She thought of her date, and recording her commercial tomorrow. "Just relax, Valerie," she told herself. "Tomorrow will be the best day of your life."
The next morning, Valerie was in the recording studio with Rhonda and Nicole, recording the "dialogue" part of the commercial. They had been there all morning, doing more than forty takes. Rhonda kept making mistakes; either her tone was too forceful at her more demanding-sounding lines, or she kept missing cues. Nicole was more dramatic and witty-sounding, though they also tried different tones with her, and Valerie was impressed. She joked to the audio producer in between takes, "So, you think Nicole could be the only one in my family with a future in performing arts?"
"Perhaps," the producer replied, "if she were a little more patient with her castmates."
"She hasn't complained," Valerie said.
"Yeah, but I can sense the vibes," he said. "She wants to kill her mother for constantly screwing up."
Valerie rolled her eyes. "My fault, I distinctly told Rhonda that no acting experience was required."
"Don't worry, Valerie," Rhonda assured. "My acting skills are just as dusty as yours. I haven't done drama since starring in the school play nearly thirty years ago."
"There's nothing to it, really," Valerie said. "Just be firm, but speak at a normal rate. Don't sound too angry, and don't overdramatize."
"Right, I'll try not to." She felt calmer reading her lines over again.
Finally, they were ready. When the recording light turned on, Nicole started up by whining her line, "Aw, Mom, not more of your cheesy 80's stuff."
"Well, I'm getting sick and tired of your rock and roll," Rhonda replied as Valerie instructed.
"I know!" Nicole declared. "Let's listen to JEWEL-FM."
"JEWEL-FM?"
"Yeah, it plays a whole variety of our favorite stuff." Then, Nicole began listing of Rhonda's favorite artists according to the script, and stayed silent for ten seconds before mentioning her favorites. During this ten-second interval, Nicole looked like she was wincing. She suddenly remembered Nicole e-mailing her, saying she hated Purple Rainbow and Davina Dallas.
Afterwards, Valerie pointed at Rhonda, and she said her line, "Well, I guess it's not that bad, now is it?"
Nicole grinned as she said her line, "So, Mom, you think I should crank it up when we get to my music?"
"I beg your pardon?" Rhonda tried to sound peeved without being overly disapproving.
"Kidding, Mom." Nicole decided to add a giggle.
Valerie smiled as the audio was paused. "That was perfect," she said. "Paul Quinette and Melissa Shores are definitely going to go for your performances."
"Now, Ms. Boston," the producer said, "what I'm going to do is I'll keep the CD of songs you made, and see if I can reduce your scripted selections to ten-second intervals of the choruses. It'll take an hour, tops. Oh, and while I think of it, we need to tie on this slogan of yours at the end. Why don't you record it?" Valerie nodded, and joined her sister and niece in recording area.
When she was ready, she leaned towards the microphone and said softly and simply, "JEWEL 104.9 FM. It's music everyone can agree on."
Soon after, Valerie, Rhonda and Nicole all shook the producer's hand, and he said. "I'll call you when the final product is ready, say around three?"
"Sure thing," Valerie replied. She wrote down her extension number, as well as her cell phone number. "I should be in my office when you call. I'll be waiting for the commercial."
Outside, Rhonda asked, "So tell me the truth, sis – do you really think I should consider acting lessons, because I was thinking of a career change lately. I really do need it. Selling houses has been giving me a headache."
"Given how much time we took," Valerie said, "I don't think you'd last a day even in beginner's college. You'd better stick to your real work."
Late that afternoon, Valerie was waiting in the front of the building, waiting for Mace to pick her up. She retrieved the finished CD of her radio commercial from her briefcase. Should she have Mace listen to it in her car? Probably not, she decided. She remembered how disgusted he was when she first mentioned it. Mace doesn't even look like the kind of man who listened to easy listening and pop-like rock music, she realized. She saw his car stopping outside the front doors.
She rushed to the passenger door, and noticed a black limousine in the parking lot, back seat window rolled down. Probably another client waiting to take Mr. Lancer and Mr. Sussex out for a dinner meeting, she guessed. And she wondered why the window was rolled down, was the air conditioner not working? But she didn't have time to think of any of it. She got into Mace's car.
"Hi, Mace," she said, then kissed him quickly. "I'm ready to unwind."
He started to drive off. "Another productive day at work?" he asked.
"Productive, yet easy. How about you?"
"You've gotta be kiddin' me. It was another damn circus wit Big Boss today. Oh, of all the days fer Barricade to not be here! This time, his henchmen were raidin' diners an' restaurants, an' pawn shops, an' anywhere else they'd find teenagers an' young adults workin' part time. We got calls from all those places beggin' fer assistance."
"Don't tell me," Valerie said. "They were going to take them right out of the places! Oh, if Sarah, Drew or Sheldon were working, I hope they were the ones who called you! God, I can't wait until school starts!"
Meanwhile, in the limousine, Big Boss was watching Mace drive off. "There she goes," he muttered to himself. "Oh, but I have to get her away from those damn C.O.P.S." He turned to his driver. "Squeaky, follow that car!"
When they arrived at Mace's apartment, he offered for Valerie to put her briefcase on the dining table. She did, and rested her purse on a chair. She retrieved her CD, and he said, "Is that yer commercial?"
"Yes, and Mr. Sussex was partly impressed," Valerie answered. "I told him yesterday about putting Rhonda and Nicole in it, that I wanted to try the nepotism thing again, and he was surprisingly supportive. Which is a relief, because I was sure he'd let me have it about not putting on real auditions. He told me, 'The nepotism worked last time, I don't see why it shouldn't again.'"
Mace put some steaks and ears of corn on the barbeque he had on his balcony. "Why are you so worried, Valerie?" he asked. "You ain't never had a rejection here so far."
"Yeah, but the Escapade thing barely got accepted," she replied. "Out of the eleven board members at that particular company, only six approved of it. I am still shocked, now that I think about it. Can you believe some of the comments Lancer repeated to me? Those that accepted were impressed by the computer graphics in the real-time background. But those who opposed said there wasn't anything different, that in this day and age of high-tech editing, it wasn't anything they haven't seen before, it wasn't anything new." She joined him on the balcony. "I can't have that with JEWEL-FM. And Mr. Sussex said some harsh things about Rhonda, saying she had no acting talent, that it sounded forced. On the other hand, he said Nicole was a convincing teenager. I'm just worried about what Paul Quinette and Melissa Shores will think." She shuddered and repeated some previous comments. "Nothing they haven't seen before, nothing new. Sure, all mothers and daughters have arguments over music, but I haven't heard them in a radio commercial."
He put down the barbeque lid. "Awright, put it in, an' I'll tell ya what I think."
Valerie put the CD into the player, and they sat down on his sofa. After around forty seconds, Mace said, "Ah, yer sister ain't much of a performer, but she does sound like a typical mother. An' yer niece really sounds the part there. She's actually pretty convincin'."
"Well, Nicole's not nearly as rebellious as she sounds," she replied, "but she can be a real drama queen at times."
"Kinda like some of my older nieces," Mace grinned.
He went to the kitchen. "Would ya like fries or potatoes with the steak?"
"When it's steaks and burgers," Valerie said, "I prefer to have fries. Real potatoes do not go well with them."
"Sure, I'll put 'em on later."
A few minutes later, they heard a knock. Mace smiled and said, "Stay right there, beautiful. I'll see who it is." He went to the peephole and received a horrid shock.
"Shit," he whispered! "It's Big Boss!" He locked the deadbolts right away.
Valerie retrieved her CD from the player, then placed her briefcase on the sofa with her. "I'll bet he wants me to leave here with him right now," she suggested.
"Valerie," Big Boss said from the hallway. "Valerie, pookiekins, come on out to see me."
She shuddered as Mace sat down with her. "Pookiekins!" she muttered. "I haven't been called that since I was Jeremy's age." But he shushed her.
"Valerie," Big Boss said again. "Valerie, sweetheart, open the door."
"Damn, but why won't he leave me alone?" she whispered softer. "How many times does he need to be told?"
After a few more moments, Big Boss spoke again. "Valerie, you can't leave me standin' out here all night. I ain't leavin' without ya, see? Now, make things a lil' easier on me, and come outta there."
Mace took her back on her balcony with her briefcase. "Let's just stay out here until these are ready. We can put the French fries in the microwave."
"The question is, when will the Big Boss give up?" Valerie asked. "I really can't go up there and tell him to go away, can I?"
"You'd better not," Mace told her. "He just might break in here."
They stayed outside for another twenty minutes, when the steaks were ready. Valerie crept back into the apartment with the corn, and waited for a response from the hall. She tiptoed into the kitchen to set the corn on the counter, and get a plate and the bag of French fries. When she put her plate in the microwave, she met up with Mace and asked, "Do you suppose Big Boss already left? I'm a little scared to look."
He put the steaks next to the corn, and went to the door to look through the peephole again. He saw the outside empty this time. "Nope, he's gone."
"Thank you, God," she declared. She unhooked the deadbolt, then took her bags off the table. "I do not want him kidnapping me for some forced date. I wouldn't be able to enjoy it."
When her fries were done, her steak selected, her corn buttered, she placed her meal on the small dining table just outside the kitchen. She said, "It's too bad you don't have a table out on the balcony for your lawn chairs. Another nice evening. We could be eating outside."
Mace put his plate of fries into the microwave. He looked outside, and noticed it began to get cloudy. "It ain't like that no more, Valerie, baby. It's buildin' up pretty quick."
He'd picked up the newspaper and read the weather report to her. "Yep, they're callin' fer rain this evenin'," he replied. "The movies will be no problem, but we might wanna pack an umbrella, just in case the line fer Electric Bullet is long. Luckily, I have one in the front hall closet."
She took the paper and studied the weather map. "It's also raining in Washington, D.C.," she noticed. "Oh, I'll bet poor Jeremy was stuck inside some hotel room all day."
Mace was pouring red wine into two glasses, and bringing them to the table. "Then again, he an' Barricade were probably havin' fun in some indoor pool." She noticed he still looked peeved about his day.
"Hey, he can't just fly home immediately because the crime wave has been uncontrollable today."
When Mace had his plate prepared, the two sat back down. "I'm sorry if this table don't look romantic," he said. "I don't have no candles, wax or electric. And this table ain't big enough for any centerpieces."
"You really think I care about stuff like that?" she asked. "Only in a nice restaurant, where they have everything laid out for you. Not at home. When you're raising a child – especially one like Jeremy, and by yourself – fancy decorations are the last thing you should be thinking about."
She ate two bites of steak, and said, "Oh, this is delicious. I never knew how skillful you were with the barbeque. But then again, most men are."
"You like the steak?" he asked. "I think I cooked it medium rare – how do you usually take yours?"
"I don't care," she replied. "It doesn't matter if it's medium rare, pink in the middle, whatever. Just don't burn it to a cinder." She took two bites of corn. "And obviously, this turned out well. It tastes as beautiful as it looks."
"Thanks," he replied. "See, this is what I love 'bout ya, Valerie, your lack of materialism. You don't go crazy over expensive things all the time, you've got no demands over food preparations, and you don't complain if things don't look fancy fer special occasions." He reached across to take her hand. "I love how yer so down to earth."
"Well, I just like a man who can cook so the food at least tastes edible," she said. "Especially in areas where I'm at a total loss, like the barbeque. I can turn things, no problem, but I'm lousy with timing. If only that thing came with such instructions on certain things, I'd be all set."
She thought back to when she still lived with Tom. Every barbeque season, they'd have horrible arguments because Valerie would leave hamburgers and steaks burning on it for twenty minutes. She just didn't know the intervals in which to turn them. And she was very forgetful when it came to things like that. She remembered Tom would try to teach her, then yell at her when she forgot to turn meat at a certain time. This was why she never used the barbeque in her backyard at all this summer.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Mace asked.
"Oh, nothing," she answered. "Just how miserably Tom would treat me when it came to the barbeque." She thought she was getting emotional, so she quickly ate more steak and fries.
They spent the rest of the meal just talking intimately. Mace had noticed her purple vest and white long-sleeve blouse, and blue skirt, all silk and said, "So, what made you decide to wear that to work? I've never seen you look so chic. You gotta have a million different outfits in yer closet if you keep lookin' that beautiful. So sorry if I didn't say nothin' before, but then again, I shouldn't have to say how beautiful you are every time I see you. You always are."
She became ecstatic. "Oh, Mace," she whispered. "I'm always beautiful. That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me."
"Tom never said that to you?" he asked. Valerie shook her head.
He got up and walked slowly to her. "Well, I guess that's just the kind of asshole he was." He caressed his hands on her neck. "But you just be glad that part of you is gone now. You're with a real man tonight, and don't you ever forget that." He kissed her lips softly, slowly, then commented, "Your lips taste like strawberries. Is that scented lipstick?"
"I don't think there's any such thing," she laughed. He kissed her a few more times, then she looked over at his half-finished plate. "Uh, maybe you should go back and finish your serving before it starts to get cold. Maybe, if possible, you can request a slow dancing song at the club, and we can kiss as we sway."
He laughed at her and replied, "You've never been to a nightclub in ages, have you? They don't play slow music at a rock and techno club."
They didn't say much more as they had their second servings, just glanced at each other intimately. At one point, they reached across to the middle of the table to hold each other's hands. "So, do you know what movie you're taking me to?" she asked. "Have you searched through the papers? Called the theater? It just got into my mind, and I'm just dying to know."
"I told ya, babe," he said, "I'm gonna surprise ya."
"You know, I know guys like you go for action flicks," she said, flirting, "with guns and car chases, and lots of fighting and tough-guy talk. But you think maybe you can break from that for me, and go see a nice romance. I'd really love that."
After dinner and doing the dishes, Mace checked the entertainment section of the newspaper. He simply said, "I think maybe we should leave for the 7:45 show," but still wouldn't tell Valerie what they were going to see. Yet, he excused himself to change clothes. Valerie immediately began to touch his body. She said, "You sure I can't come and watch?"
He nudged her away. "Then you'll be all over me like jewels on velvet."
She watched him disappear into his bedroom, then looked back at the newspaper. She wondered if she should peek through it, to settle her curiosity. She decided not to, for even if she did, she'd see so many movies in the "show times" promoting matinees at different theaters to be shown at 7:45. She went to the living room and turned on the TV. She saw the time displayed on the screen. 6:20 P.M. He probably was going to put on something classy for the show and club, and decide how much money he needed for both. Maybe a little extra for an in-between snack somewhere. Most dance clubs don't start up until around ten-thirty.
Soon, Mace came out, dressed in a white Ralph Lauren polo, and the same black jeans he wore the time Nightshade snuck into her house. To pass some time, Mace turned off the TV and put in a CD of slow dancing rock songs. "Only fer you, my sweet," he said. He joined her on the sofa, and they began making love, all the while keeping track of the clock
Almost an hour later, the CD stopped, and Mace checked the clock on the VCR. It was the perfect time to leave, he decided. "Ready to hit the town?" he grinned. Valerie smiled and picked up her briefcase by the sofa. He said, "Yeah, better take yer briefcase. We can lock it away in the trunk 'til I can take ya home."
Outside the apartment, they saw the same black limousine Valerie saw in her work parking lot, parked across the street, the back window rolled down partway. Valerie immediately felt scared, and ran all the way to Mace's car.
"Christ!" she cried. "Has that driver of his been parked there all this time? Is that even legal? What in hell did he tell police to get out of a ticket?"
"Big Boss probably went back to his headquarters to plot some more, then broke all the other crooks out of prison," Mace guessed. "Who knows? My apartment don't face this street. I'm guessin' that's been there for ten, fifteen minutes now. Why would he sit an' wait fer two whole hours?"
"Jesus, it seems like he's been there forever," she said. She jumped into the passenger seat.
Meanwhile, with the limousine revved up, Big Boss was watching Mace and Valerie drive out. "There they go again, Squeaky," he said. "Follow 'em again." Wordlessly, Squeaky Kleen backed into the entrance way of the building they stayed in front of, and drove out.
Nightshade was sitting with Big Boss this time, looking more perplexed and vengeful than ever. "Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on them both," she said. "He's not escaping from me this time."
The traffic was moderate as Big Boss followed Mace and Valerie to the movie theater. He said, "Squeaky, see if you can move into the next lane. I wanna catch up to ol' Mace there, see?" Squeaky obeyed, and yet when a car moved up a little, there was plenty of room for the limousine to fit.
Big Boss and Nightshade peeked through the open window, looking for Mace and Valerie together. It wasn't long before they were passing a blue Sedan that carried a familiar blonde woman in the front passenger seat. But they couldn't tell who was driving, her head and hair were obscuring him. Big Boss rolled the window all the way down, then waited for her to turn their way.
Meanwhile, Valerie was busy fixing her makeup and brushing her hair. She looked up and noticed the front of the limousine in the windshield. She turned to her window, and screamed when she saw the two crooks looking back at her.
"Christ, Mace, look!" she screamed. "It's him again! And how in the hell did Nightshade get out of jail after what happened last time? I don't think she's going to give up on you, will she?"
"Not unless I tell her to lose my address and number," he replied. In his rear-view mirror, he noticed a large space in the lane to his left. He activated his turn signal, moved into the lane and sped up a little. Valerie smiled at the cars passing by them now, blocking the two crooks.
"Don't worry, baby, we're almost there," Mace said.
In the limousine, Nightshade was screaming, stomping her feet on the mat. "Damn that Mace! Fucking shit, fucking shit, fucking SHIT! This is fucking madness! Oh, but I could just–"
"Now, Nightshade, there ain't no need to git all hot an' bothered now," Big Boss told her. "Squeaky, keep your eyes on the blue car that just pulled out, and don't let it outta yer sight fer a moment. Wherever that car's goin', that' where we're goin', too."
Mace and Valerie pulled into the Imperial Center, Empire City's biggest shopping mall, and parked close to the entrance of the accompanying Golden Gate movie theater. One of a small handful of parking spaces left. Valerie looked around as Mace locked the car. She noted, "I guess they're all shopping for last minute school supplies."
He took her hand and led her to the doors. Just before they went inside, they saw the limousine pull into the lot. He looked out at all the parking and chuckled. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he assured her. "Big Boss will be circlin' fer hours to find a big enough parkin' space."
Inside the lobby, Valerie looked around at all the movie posters, all the movies scheduled to be released in the fall, and Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. She was enthralled by the poster promoting the movie Beautiful Life, due to come out in November. A group of human fairies guiding two dreaming sisters around the world, it looked like. Jeremy would love that, she decided. She tapped Mace's shoulder, pointed at it and said, "Look, I'm sure that one of you guys would love to take Jeremy to that."
"Depends on if you choose one by then," he replied, trying not to hint He brought her to the ticket counter and said, "Two for Little Police Brat, please?" He paid for them, then the ticket taker pointed in the direction of theater number eight, and they went for some popcorn and drinks.
Valerie was a little amazed. "Wow," she said. "Something we can both agree on, right? Wow, combined with this and Hearts of Blue, I can tell this was the summer of cops who care. So, tell me about this movie. Is it something of an action-comedy?"
"Yeah," Mace answered. "Think of an orphan who gets passed around a group of officer brothers who shoot down his murderous widowed dad. He's still grievin', an' takes his feelins out on the good guys. Don't think we should take Jeremy to see this."
Valerie laughed. "I don't think he'd get any ideas. He'd probably thank the officers who killed his father."
Just minutes before the movie started, Big Boss and Nightshade ran inside, to the counter. Nightshade said, "Excuse me, but did you see a man with light brown hair and brown eyes, around six-foot-three, thirty-four-inch chest, fifteen-inch biceps, around early-to-mid forties, speaks in a deep gravely voice? He's here with a busty blonde bimbo, says she's a few years younger than he is, but looks about ten years younger?"
Big Boss tried to emphasize. "They probably didn't give their names," he said, "but they are Mace Howards and Valerie Boston. Nightshade's descriptions of Mace are accurate, see, but Valerie has blonde hair halfway down her back, about a thirty-five-inch chest an' a size three, probably. Usually dresses in business chic."
The ticket taker tried to think. "I did see a couple that matched your descriptions; they went to see Little Police Brat in number eight, about ten minutes ago," she said. "But you need to get tickets at the door there. I can't admit you without them." Nightshade memorized the title, then went back to punch in the selection. She presented the tickets as Big Boss paid for them.
"Just in time," the ticket taker said. "The movie starts in only a few minutes."
Inside the theater, Mace and Valerie were holding hands and making out to the slow music playing in the background. They were among few people sitting in the back rows, and were unaware of Big Boss and Nightshade's presence. It wasn't until the music stopped and the previews started on the big screen, that they noticed the crooks, as they took seats directly behind them.
"No!" Valerie whispered harshly. "So much for being alone. Let's see if we can find a seat in the front."
"Not so fast, Valerie," Big Boss objected. "First, yer gonna tell me why ya keep throwin' me an' my men over."
"And you're going to tell me why you keep throwing me over for your little bitch, Mace!" Nightshade added.
A few seats away, some movie patrons began to shush them.
"Do you mind?" Valerie whispered at them. "We're going to be watching a movie here. You have the wrong time and place, so I suggest you save it until after."
"Uh, no, sweetheart," Big Boss said. I think we should discuss this now." He was shushed again.
"Fuck you, fat ass!" Valerie hissed. "This can damn well wait two hours, and if you don't stop bothering us…"
"I ain't gonna quit buggin' ya 'til ya give me some answers, Valerie," Big Boss insisted.
"And neither will I, Mace!" Nightshade added.
Some patrons sitting far in Mace and Valerie's row came over to them. They glared at Big Boss and Nightshade. One of them said, "Listen, some of us are trying to watch a movie. If you two don't stop talking…"
"Beat it, buster!" Big Boss snapped loudly. Now, the patrons in the front rows were shushing, too.
Valerie turned to the patrons and suggested, "Maybe you should get the manager. I want these two gone." She pointed at Big Boss and Nightshade. "They've been harassing us ever since we got to my date's place for dinner. Well, the fat one has, anyway."
Another standing patron had a better idea. "Maybe you should sit down in the front rows, where they won't bother you anymore." Mace and Valerie nodded, and moved to the front. They looked at the crowd, saw areas with two adjoined seats vacant, and decided to sit there, to "blend in with the crowd." Once they were settled, they mentally decided to just hold hands and watch the movie. Why bother making out in front of strangers?
Meanwhile, Big Boss and Nightshade were watching the movie. They became furious at the dating couple's new location, they'd noticed only one vacant seat in the row behind them. They pouted, slouching a bit in their seats, forcing themselves to concentrate on the movie. Big Boss didn't particularly enjoy this one, with the police theme. However, he did laugh at a scene where the young orphan boy was talking fresh in a police officer's house. He laughed at the boy's quote: "My dad said your wife tried to rip him off for a bunch of western novels. Who the hell pays fifty dollars for a dozen? Anyway, he said he'd agree to pay twenty if she took him up on his offer, if you know what I mean. I still can't believe she took it. And she still made him pay fifty. Dad said she was a total bitch!"
When he stopped laughing he leaned towards Nightshade and whispered, "That kid's a hoot. He's how old, eight?"
Fifteen minutes later, they saw a girl sitting behind Mace and Valerie get up to leave. There was one empty seat beside her, they noticed. The crooks decided to move down. In that row, Big Boss was squashing other patrons, stepping on the feet, not even bothering to say, "Excuse me." Mace and Valerie immediately noticed when one teenager screamed after his foot was stepped on. But they forced themselves to keep concentrating as Big Boss and Nightshade sat in the vacant seats.
"Excuse me," whispered the boy now sitting next to Nightshade. "You're in my girlfriend's seat. She only went to get a drink and popcorn."
"Bite me!" Nightshade snapped back. She was glaring at the back of Mace's head.
"Mace!" she said aloud. "I want to know why you won't take me back!" Several people around her shushed at her, but she kept on talking.
"You think I'm going to go away, but I'm not. Talk to me, dammit!"
"Will you be quiet?" the boy whispered harshly. "I'm trying to watch a movie!"
"Piss off!" Nightshade spat.
Soon, the girlfriend came back with her wares, and was not happy to see Nightshade. "Excuse me," she whispered, "but I was sitting there. Will you and your little friend go back to where you came from?"
Nightshade pointed at Mace. "Not until I get some answers from my estranged lover sitting there!" she answered aloud. Everyone except Mace and Valerie shushed her again.
"An' then, I'm gonna get some answers on why this one won't talk to me, see?" Big Boss added, pointing at Valerie. But he was shushed, too.
The girl gave the drink and popcorn to her boyfriend, while she left again. Minutes later, she came back with an usher, and they went back to Nightshade and Big Boss. The usher told them, "Excuse me, but you're going to have to go to the top rows. We've got a complaint that you're bothering patrons with loud talking."
Valerie could hear this, and she stood up and pointed at Big Boss. "Excuse me, sir," she said, "but that man has been harassing me since I've been to my date's apartment." She had Mace stand up with her. "And that man and his accomplice there followed us here, and has been bothering mostly us since the movie started."
The usher stared at Mace and Valerie, then turned back to the crooks. "I'm sorry, but if you're just here to harass this couple, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Go fuck a cow!" Big Boss imploded. The usher tried to take his arm, but soon realized he was too heavy to drag. Big Boss responded by shoving the usher back past a few seats, so that he tripped over a patron's feet. Wordlessly, Big Boss picked him up by his clothes and said, "Now youse listen here. I ain't leavin' here until I speak to Valerie Boston 'bout why she won't go out wit me, see?" He threw him down, went back to Valerie, and the usher immediately reported both crooks to security.
In thirty seconds, the guards came into the theater and, escorted by Mace, managed to find and take hold of both Big Boss and Nightshade. Amidst their yelling, they were forcefully escorted out, and the patrons went into a loud applause. Mace and Valerie sat back down in their new seats just as the usher went in front of them to announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Golden Gate, I'd like to apologize for tonight's disruption. The instigators are being photographed and interrogated for permanent banning right now. If you find it difficult to enjoy this film as a result of this showing's melee, inform us at the front desk, and we will have them pay any refunds. Thank you." Then he left.
It was quiet for the rest of the movie, but Mace and Valerie – as well as those around them – couldn't really enjoy it. Big Boss would be paying for refunds indeed.
Two hours and ten minutes later, the couple was standing on the top steps to the entrance of Electric Bullet. Valerie was swaying her body to the dance music that could be heard from inside. Mace was staring at her.
"What?" she said. "This music takes me back to when I was still in college and going to parties on Saturday night. You should've seen me then, you could not get me off a dance floor. Even in my mid-twenties, I was still energetic enough to still party when I wasn't working. I intend to prove that I haven't lost it fifteen years later."
She noticed that he was looking back in the crowd every once in a while, to see if their stalkers were somewhere in the line. They weren't, even when they were third in line from the entrance. So she said, "Would you relax, Mace? Big Boss and Nightshade wouldn't dare look for us here. As far as they know, we're back at your place, making love with a CD of rock ballads playing. It'd take them all night to search every spot in the city, and I don't think Big Boss can stand for all the music." She prepared her driver's license and registration to show at the door.
When they were inside, Mace told a worker, "I'll be the designated driver." Then to Valerie, "A gentlemen drives a lady home. A woman like you deserves to be all loosened up."
She laughed and replied, "I don't plan on getting totally drunk. But thanks for being so nice."
They went to a vacant table near the bar, Valerie staring at a blue cloth surrounding the dance floor. Mace was looking at sports news program on a nearby TV, showing highlights from a pre-season football game. Valerie looked up at the screen to see if there was a time being shown. No time, just scores from the day's games. She noticed a clock above the bar reading quarter to eleven. She guessed the dance floor will be open in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, she was bopping her head around to an old Aerosmith song. It was "dance fever."
Soon, Mace asked, "I'm bringin' back somethin' to drink. Maybe a straight Pepsi. You want anythin'?"
She thought quickly and answered, "A rum and Coke would be nice." He nodded, went to the bar, and came back in just under three minutes.
She sipped her drink slowly, moderate sips in between forty-second intervals. She started to dance in her seat to some techno-pop music playing. She stared at the blue cloth again, wondering how much longer before some staff member takes it down. It was very thin, so she could see the empty dance floor and lights flashing. She wanted to lift it up, run through it, start the party up herself. She looked at the clock again. Five minutes to eleven. She took a bigger sip from her drink, seeing if she could loosen up. She was starting to feel tense and restless from sitting around. She always felt restless if she was sitting around when tempted to dance.
She decided to walk around to see what else was there. Hopefully, there would be a pinball machine to keep her busy. She saw a television playing a music video, a band of college-aged singers performing a dance routine with extras in a flashy nightclub. She shook her head, suddenly wishing she were still in college. Back then, she would play music and fantasize videos for the songs. She hadn't watched music videos since she married Tom.
How was she going to occupy herself for the next few minutes, she wondered. She noticed two men, probably in their thirties, playing a game of pool. But she was turned off; she knew how to play, but could never shoot with a cue properly. She wondered if any of the C.O.P.S. could teach her how. Maybe she could ask Mace when they took a break from dancing.
She went back to Mace, and just chatted while she drank some more. A few minutes later, they saw workers taking the cloth down, and club patrons coming onto the dance floor. All heard the deejay announcing song requests, and saying, "It's about time we heated things for all the younglings here this wild Friday night. Now I'm sure you all remember this from ten years ago, they were responsible for bringing back the squeaky-clean dance pop that dominated the late 1990's. Here's the Class of the Titans with their first hit, God of the World."
Valerie remembered this band from when her cousin Laura visited over a decade ago (when they were still speaking.) Her daughter, Lisanne, had her listen to this song when she was talking with her about new music. As well, this was Sarah's favorite group when she was younger. Valerie was dancing in her chair as she finished her drink, then turned to Mace and said, "I'm going to go dance. Want to come?"
"Nah," he replied. "Teen idol pop artists don't do it fer me. Never have."
"Suit yourself." She rushed out to the floor and danced with a group of younger adults, around mid-twenties.
The deejay played another big hit song by Class of the Titans, and Mace was looking at the people still dancing, including Valerie. He wondered how they could still be popular. As he went for another drink, he said to the bartender, "Lookit all them people out there dancin' to that old music. I'll bet they were all fans in the band's heyday. You'd think they've outgrown that stuff already."
"Yeah," the bartender agreed. "That Titan band must've been real big. They broke up several years ago. I mean, do you think anyone cared about the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC after they disbanded?"
After Class of the Titans, Mace heard a steel guitar mixed with an electronic beat from the speakers, and the deejay announce some old Econoline Crush. It sounded like a techno version of All That You Are. He drank up his second Pepsi and searched the floor for Valerie. He grinned and said, "Wanna dance?" She took his hand without a word, and went to the center. The next five songs were basically rock, so they kept dancing the whole time. During the third song, Valerie noticed a stage sometimes reserved for rock bands. She saw several patrons climbing on to dance.
"Do you want to dance on stage with them?" she asked.
"I think we should blend in with the crowd, just in case our stalkers show up," he answered.
"Come on," she said, then grinned. "I dare you to get up there and strip for the ladies."
"Valerie! You're shameless!"
"Just kidding. You don't strip for anyone but me."
After the rock dancing, the deejay began to scratch records, and increase the tempo on the beat. Mace picked up Valerie and swung her all over the floor. But it was a techno mix of punk rock and dance pop. Valerie laughed, and when she was back on the floor, she said, "You're crazy! I don't hear any swing jazz."
"Hey," he replied. "Just wanted to liven up the routine."
"Still, that's like doing the Macarena to the B-52's." She began to move her hips in a circular motion, going down to the floor, then leaning back, and groping Mace's upper legs, thighs and ribs as she came back up. He grabbed her hands and replied, "Tryin' to be crazy an' sexy at the same time, are ya? Must be the rum and Coke talkin'."
Towards the end of the deejay's piece, Mace and Valerie's good time turned horrific, for they saw Big Boss and Nightshade entering, along with Turbo Tu-Tone and Rock Crusher. Valerie grabbed her date and moved further along the floor. But Mace wanted to be further away from the steps, insisting, "If any of them see us, they'll damn well snatch us up." They found themselves joining the dance group, only to be bumped out of them. Sometimes, they'd even shift themselves to dance in their places. They went back to the center, and were happy when more of the regular patrons came out onto the floor. Soon, many of the tables were empty and the floor was full. The couple was happy; the crooks would never be able to find them now.
Unfortunately, they never counted on Big Boss' followers to actually look for them there. In the middle of a "currently on the charts" hip-hop track, Mace felt a long nail tap his shoulder. Valerie was fearfully unable to speak when she saw Nightshade. Mace turned to her and just yelped.
"Nightshade!" he cried. "What the hell are you an' Big Boss doin' here! Didn't ya learn yer lesson when you were kicked outta the movies!"
"You didn't think we were giving up that easily, did you?" she replied.
She excused herself, and came back minutes later with her accomplices. "Valerie," she said, "these boys say they'd like to dance with you. Why don't you be with them for a couple of songs while I work with Mace here?" She took his wrist and went to another part of the floor.
Valerie felt uneasy looking at Turbo, Crusher and Big Boss. She tried to look for Mace and Nightshade in the crowd, but Turbo forced her to look at him.
"Youse ain't gonna worry 'bout that damn copper, baby," he said. "Once he's putty in Nightshade's hands again, you'll be all ours."
"Yeah, but what's this bullshit playing?" Big Boss asked. "I'm gettin' outta here 'fore I get a migraine." He took Valerie's arm. "C'mon, sweetheart, I'll buy ya a drink."
They sat at the bar, and Big Boss ordered, "Shaken martini fer me, an' a strawberry wine cooler fer the lady." While the bartender made up the rounds, Big Boss said to her, "Now let's get one thing straight, see? I loved ya ever since I saw ya in that picture Buttons sent to me. I don't know why yer bein' so resistant."
"Please!" she retorted. "Looks aren't everything anymore. See, I'm only nice to people who treat me nicely."
"No problem. I'd treat ya like a queen, baby."
"Right. And remember, I have a special needs child who easily gets scared and hypersensitive. And last I heard, you and your followers scare him so much." She mentioned the incident at the mall seven weeks ago, when Jeremy ran off after seeing Big Boss and Dr. Badvibes on all the televisions. She also added Jeremy comparing Big Boss to a troll living under the bridge.
He laughed so loud, she was sure everyone on the dance floor could hear him over the music. Soon, they received their drinks. Valerie said, "Well, your slicked-back hair and expensive suits are the only things attractive about you. You're so fat, it's scary. I know weight shouldn't be an issue, but I'm afraid to let you sit down anywhere in my house, because I'm afraid you'll break my furniture." She swigged her cooler a bit. "If you tried to have sex with me, you'd crush me to death. I could be hospitalized. Would you be able to take care of Jeremy?"
"Sure I could," Big Boss answered. He tried to smile, but it looked more like a sneer to her. "I'm sure he's a special lil' guy, unlike my idiot nephew, whose brain is a goddamn bag of bricks."
"But taking care of my son does require a great deal of patience. He gets stressed out over any pressure, including if you get harsh with him. I could not take that from my ex-husband or any discipline-happy members of my family." She drank some more cooler. "And if what they're saying about you is true, you're not all that patient."
"Wait!" he said. "You said 'ex-husband.' You talkin' 'bout Jeremy's dad? I saw on the news that two of yer men shot him to death in the Empire City Zoo parking lot. How come you never told me about him? This might sound crazy, but I would've helped them take care of him fer you."
She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable in this conversation, so she took an even bigger drink, almost a guzzle, of her cooler. "You're right, that is crazy," she replied. And, given my utter disinterest in you, it's none of your damn business!"
Suddenly, Turbo emerged from the dance floor to the bar. "Care to dance, sugar?" he grinned.
Valerie stared at him, then at Big Boss. "I suppose so," she replied. "It'd be better than spending all night trying to convince your boss I don't want him!" She rolled her eyes, finished her drink, then took Turbo's hand.
When they got there, Turbo said, "Let's find a spot away Mace an' Nightshade. Wouldn't want ya to be tempted by the fruit of another, or to have a catfight."
They found a spot, but Valerie wouldn't start dancing when Turbo did. She knew they were in the middle of a song when she came back to the floor, so she just spent the rest of it staring at Turbo's feet. She saw how big they were, judging by his boots.
"My, what big feet you have!" she called over the music. "Let's just put some distance between us! I wouldn't want you to accidentally step on me!"
Soon, an old "technotronic" track started to play. Valerie was amused, she remembered this from the summer parties she went to while at college, and spring break vacation. Then, the deejay announced, "Here's a song going out by request, it's the Chemical Brothers, with Let Forever Be!"
She was dancing at least a foot away from Turbo, just dancing normally, swaying her body as she listened to her high heels tap the floor. She refused to dance sexy for a crook. She tried to concentrate on the song; this was one of her favorites. Unfortunately, at the second verse, Rock Crusher came in between them and grabbed Valerie's arm. She screamed fearfully as he began to swing her around wildly.
"Jesus frigging Christ!" she screamed. "What the fuck are you doing, you big ox?"
Crusher brought her towards him so fast, she could feel her head bump onto his chest. He said, "Aw, I just want you to dance wit me, that's all." He put his arms around her before she could escape, and she felt her air supply being closed off in her chest.
"Crusher, let go!" she begged. "I'm turning purple."
Turbo saw this and went over to them. He pulled Crusher's arms away, then grabbed Valerie below her chest. He yelled at him, "God, Crusher, what the hell's wrong with you. Don't you know you shouldn't squeeze a lady so hard, jerk?" He took Valerie's hand, "C'mon, baby, let's find another place to dance."
She quickly snatched her hand away and gave him a hard, long glare. "First of all," she said, "I have a name. Learn it, use it! Secondly, I came here with Mace. I'm going to go find, and get him away from that bitch, Nightshade!" Suddenly, she spotted Nightshade rushing through the dancing crowd, up the stairs to the deejay. She looked like she was talking in his ear.
"She's probably asking him back to her place to spend the night," Valerie said to herself. "And she says I'm the slut for dating her ex." She started searching the crowd for her date, and saw Mace coming up the steps, back to their table. She ran to sit down with him, and held his hand.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "Did that bitch try to sexually torture you?"
"You have no friggin' idea!" he answered. "I'm an officer of the law, she's a goddamn thief. She just don't get it. I was a fool for thinkin' my love could change her. She was bein' just as devious in the last three months of datin'. God, I think she was just usin me 'cuz I've got a good enough shape."
Suddenly, they felt presences on either side of the table. They looked both ways, and saw Big Boss standing on the side facing the bar, Nightshade on the side facing the dance floor. Both looked like they were glaring and pleading at the same time.
"You don't think I mean it, do you, Mace?" Nightshade said. She sat in the unoccupied chair beside her, and squeezed his hand so tightly. "Mace, darling, I haven't had any desire to return to Big Boss for the whole time we've been dating. You still remember that charity ball robbery? That was the case that brought us together, remember? And after I helped you, you swore that you'd love me for a lifetime, and that it would help reform me."
"Nightshade, piss off!" Valerie spat.
"You shut your mouth!" Nightshade spat back, then returned to Mace. "Darling, what have those damn colleagues of yours been telling you? Whatever it is, I'm sure they're lying."
"You're not fooling anyone, bitch!" Valerie said. "Once a crook, always a crook. That's what my father taught me and my sisters when we were growing up, at least!"
"Valerie!" Big Boss scolded. "Now you know it ain't polite to butt into an important conversation, see? I'm sure Mace can speak fer himself. If yer that restless, why not come talk to me? I'm still lookin' fer you to give me another chance."
Valerie turned quickly and shot at him, "I have nothing to say to you!"
"Look, Nightshade," Mace said, "I'd been hearin' rumors all around my team that you'd been datin' other men just to take their money. What, are ya fuckin' them, too?"
"That's a damn lie!" Nightshade shrieked. "You know I've always been committed to you!"
"An' if that weren't enough," he continued, "all the rings and chains you've given me as gifts, I've heard that you've stolen 'em from jewelry stores. They say yer reformin' yer old ways."
"That is shit!" she said. "If – and that's a big 'if' – I've been stealing jewelry, it's only for you. You think I'd go running back to Big Boss on his first call all on my own? Why would you return and refuse it like you did?"
"I had to, after what I heard," Mace replied. "Ya know, Bulletproof may not have said this, but some of my fella C.O.P.S. said that you would never change yer criminal ways, an' I've been believin' it."
"Nightshade, why don't you go dance with Turbo Tu-Tone and Rock Crusher?" Valerie suggested. "I'm sure they'd be more your type."
"Go to hell, Valerie!" Nightshade blasted. "You stole my man, and I'm going to get him back, regardless."
"What did he just tell you?" Valerie replied. "It's been over for months. Get over it."
Nightshade went to invite Big Boss to play some pool, while Mace gave Valerie another drink. They searched from Turbo and Crusher in the dancing crowd, and just noticed them getting slapped by a couple of young girls who just "goosed" them.
"Would you look at that?" she laughed. "Obviously, those two are the epitome of pigheadedness. I just hope that teaches them a lesson. However, Turbo will never comment on my breasts again."
She saw Mace watching Big Boss and Nightshade's game. Nightshade had just shot a ball into the pocket and cheered. Valerie turned his face away from the game and said, "Never mind that. I'm sure they're just grumbling privately about us."
The crooks game had just ended, when they all heard the opening bars to a familiar song. Mace looked concerned as he glanced at Nightshade, who looked joyful. Suddenly, he and Valerie heard the deejay announce, "Here's a oldie from the early 90's, going out by request to Mace from Nightshade. This is Cathy Dennis' All Night Long." During that, Nightshade came over and said to him, "Our song, remember, baby?" She pulled him from the table, out to the dance floor.
Valerie stood up and went to the landing. She kept focused on Mace and Nightshade while the song played. It was certainly coming back to her. She heard this song playing from upstairs the night she caught Nightshade in her house, seducing Mace. Obviously, this was their favorite sex song; she wondered how indecently the jewel thief would act this time. She moved over so she could see their whole bodies moving, but their bottom halves were largely obscured by crowds of people dancing around them. Suddenly, she saw Turbo rush up to her.
"Babe, whatcha doin' just standin' there?" he asked. "Come dance." He grabbed her, but she insisted on leading.
"We have to find Mace and Nightshade," she said. "I want to know what the hell she's doing with him."
They spotted them at least fifteen feet across from the deejay. Mace was dancing normally, as an obligation to please his ex, Valerie guessed. Nightshade, however, was thrusting her pelvis, swinging her hips in a full circular motion. Valerie was seriously disturbed. She'd been watching her competition for only a minute when she called, "Hey, bitch, don't you dare put your back up to him, if you get my drift! And stop shifting your body around like that. You look like a working stripper!"
"Excuse me!" Nightshade replied, and went up to Valerie. "What did you just say to me?"
"I said you look like a stripper when you thrust your pelvis around and hump the air like that!" she replied. "It looks disgusting, degrading, and you look horny for Mace. I'm surprised you're not getting the attention of every other guy in the club." She looked over at Mace. "How'd you like it, big guy?"
He went over and put his arms around Valerie. "Babe, I missed you. Every moment we were apart here seemed like forever." He glared at his ex-girlfriend. "Nightshade, your dance made me uncomfortable. I could see the desperation. Hate to break it to ya, but I ain't takin' you back."
Nightshade became furious, and forced herself between the couple. Before anyone could speak, Nightshade shoved Valerie into another couple so hard, she knocked all three of them over. She picked Valerie up and punched her face three hard times. Turbo took her just as several bouncers arrived, called for Crusher, and they took her away from the floor. Big Boss saw this, and he rushed out to Mace, to shield him from taking Valerie back.
"Don't even try, sucker!" he sneered, then turned to bouncers. "And none of you try to git her, either, see? She's all mine now, and I'm takin' her back to my lil' home."
But Valerie was even more horrified. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!" she screamed. "Let go of me! Mace, help!" Nightshade and Big Boss caught up with them, and they all were on their way out.
Mace was already on his cell phone to dial C.O.P.S. headquarters, reporting the kidnapping to Bulletproof. "Big Boss and his gang came here to harass us on our date, and they're tryin' to make off wit Valerie," he said.
He informed the bouncers, "Alert the door security, we have an attempted kidnappin'. Seal off all the exits quickly!" They nodded and contacted the door staff immediately. "Nobody gets in or out until the police arrive!" Within seconds, they received the word, and Mace relayed it to Bulletproof.
Meanwhile, Valerie had been struggling to free herself and stay in the club. Just as they got to the front doors, she stepped on Turbo and Crusher's feet the hardest, then as they let go, slapped them both across their faces.
"You assholes!" she yelled. "When I say I don't want you, it means I don't want you!" She was nearly in tears now. "Leave me the fuck alone. You've ruined my date!" She shoved through Big Boss and Nightshade, and ran back to find Mace. She saw him on the landing to the floor and ran to embrace him, crying.
"Oh, Mace, it was horrible!" she sobbed. "They didn't say anything, but I was sure they were going to make me their sex slave. Rape the hell out of me! Oh, I hope you called the police."
"I did, and they're on their way," he said. He took her back to their table.
Valerie practically clutched onto Mace's hand, so he called to the bartender, "Bring a large glass of water fer the lady here. She just had some emotional trauma!" She nodded in full agreement as he caressed her with his free hand.
Minutes later, they could hear faint screaming of law officers from the entrance. Valerie drank and said, "Aren't you going to help apprehend them?"
"Bulletproof would've asked me to stay wit you," he said. "And when they come here, let me do the talkin'. You only answer if they ask you questions, okay?"
"Right, and can we go home after the interrogation?" she asked. "Big Boss and his creeps sucked all the fun out of this for me."
Just then, Mace saw Sundown and Highway, and flagged them to their table. Valerie smiled at them as Highway said, "So, I hear you had a rough date. Care to tell us about it?"
"Oh, it was rough, all right," Mace said. "The whole night, it was about Valerie resistin' Big Boss' advances." He explained about Big Boss showing up at his apartment door while dinner was being cooked. "He left just 'fore we ate, and we thought we'd seen the last of him. But there he was, outside my apartment buildin' two hours later, just as we were about to leave fer the movies. And you can imagine my shock when I saw Nightshade wit him. The whole time, they wouldn't leave us alone, kept interruptin' the movie, askin' us why we won't go out wit them. Even when we moved down in front, they still wouldn't leave us alone. And they were so loud; it was the most shushin' I'd heard in a movie theater." He explained the violence Big Boss committed with the ushers, then explained their actions in the nightclub.
When they finished their note-taking, Highway said to Valerie, "Sugar, rest assured that the C.O.P.S. will have prison security keep a close eye on them."
"Thank you," she replied.
Just before they left, Sundown had an idea, and he whispered in Highway's ear. He nodded and spoke to Valerie again. "Oh, and one last thing, Valerie. Sundown and I have tomorrow night off. How would you like to go out with the both of us?"
Valerie gasped in surprise. "You're kidding!" she replied. "Go out with the both of you? Well, I've never been on a threesome date before, but I'm willing. Where will you take me?"
"That'll be a surprise," Sundown replied. "How 'bout one of us calls ya tomorrow afternoon? See ya." Mace glared at them as they left, then glared at Valerie as she stood up.
"What?" she asked. "You're not the only one who's in love with me, you know. They're free, I'm free, they asked me out, what did you expect me to say? Besides, I think you'll be working tomorrow night, won't you?" She finished her water.
Mace sighed. He remembered he was serving the graveyard shift tomorrow. "Can't argue wit that part." He waited as she excused herself to the ladies' room, then left together when she returned.
A/N: Just a reminder that the C.O.P.S. 4-DVD box set will be released to the public exactly a month from now. Please reserve your copies if you haven't already done so. Thanks.