"Oranges have never smelled so good." she said, smiling
Padding out of the bathroom and into her walk in closet, she pulled out her footwear; black stirrup motorcycle boots. True, it was a bit goth of her, but the outfit worked perfectly; the elegance of the dress contrasted by the boots and her choice of hair style. Checking her silk stockings, she made sure they were straight and smooth. In her ear, she replaced her usual diamond studs with one sapphire and one emerald stud. Picking up her atomizer, she sprayed a bit of CK-One on and set out for the living room. Just as she cleared the living room into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. As Funky Town played in the house, she could hear Jim laughing.
Opening the front door, Cyan was stunned and floored. There was Jim, wearing a black suit with a cobalt blue dress shirt and a black tie with same shade blue Italian squares. He was truly a vision of male perfection. As she stood in the doorway with her mouth hanging open, Jim did some drooling of his own. As he looked at her from her beautifully curly locks down to the bustier and finally, the boots, he gave a slight frown. Thinking to himself that she was perfect, save for the boots, he decided not to push his luck and take what he was being given. From behind his back, Jim brought his hand forward to reveal a single red rose. No sooner had she seen the rose, than she sneezed.
"Aagh...kchoo!! Excuse me." she said
"I should have asked. You're allergic, right"
"Yeah, but it was a wonderful thought." she said, taking the rose, snapping the stem from it and putting it in her hair
Taking her cell phone from the small table by the door, she handed it to Jim and smiled.
"You take this, and I'll take this." she said picking up a small zippered pouch
Jim set his house keys on the hall table and took the cell phone from her, placing it in his pocket. As he looked at the small pouch, he wondered where she was planning on putting it.
"What are you going to do with that?" he asked, pointing to the pouch
"Ahh...well, this goes here." she said, lifting up the hem of her dress
Slowly and rather seductively, she inched the hem of her dress to reveal a thigh strap high up on her thigh. Jim's eyes widened as he followed the slow and seductive dance of her fingers as she exposed her upper thigh. Placing the pouch on the velcro strip on her inner thigh, she looked up and caught Jim staring. Smiling, she commented.
"This dress leaves little to the imagination."
Swallowing hard, Jim managed a few words.
"Oh,...uh...I'm imagining a lot right now." he said, wiping the corner of his mouth
"Stop drooling." she snapped, jokingly
Jim's mind swimming with several less than virtuous thoughts, he snapped back to reality when he felt her hand on his arm. Looking at her hand on his arm, Jim managed a sexually frustrated smile and followed her lead as she led him out of the house. Making sure the door was locked, she closed the front door and headed to Jim's car. Remembering his manners, Jim placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the passenger side door. Opening the door for her, he held it open while she seated herself and buckled in. Closing the door after her, Jim walked around to his side and got in. Turning the ignition, he looked over at Cyan and grinned.
"You look amazing." he said, taking her hand and planting a kiss on the back of it
"Thanks. You look rather handsome, yourself. I love the suit; it highlights your eyes." she replied
Backing out of the drive, they headed for dinner. Driving down the strip, he growled when they came to the restaurant and it was closed. Parking in front of the vacant building, Jim sighed.
"So, where to now?" he asked, flustered
"Well, dinner is your thing. Dancing is my deal, so, wherever you want to go is fine with me, as long as we're properly dressed." she said, gazing at Jim's reflection in the windshield
"How bout' the Tangiers?" he asked
"That's Braun's place. If that's where you want to go, that's cool."
Turning around and heading for the other end of town, Jim opened his cell phone and tried to dial. When he saw a different speed dial list, he frowned and handed the cell to Cyan. She dialed Sam Braun and waited while the phone rang. A few moments later, he picked up.
"Sam Braun"
"Mr. Braun, this is Cyan"
"Hey, hun. What's up?" he asked
"Do you have any tables left in the restaurant"
"Well, there's my table, why"
"My dinner plans fell through and we're in a crunch." she explained
"Take my table. It'll be ready when you get here"
"Thanks, Mr. Braun. We'll be there in about ten minutes." she said, then hung up
Pulling up in front of the casino, Jim got out and handed his keys to the valet. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Cyan, guiding her with his hand on her back. Inside, they were greeted by Sam and led to their table in the back. It was dimly lit and really kind of romantic and as they were seated, a waiter came with a bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses. Standing by their side, Sam smiled down at the handsome couple.
"Tonight, you're guests of the house; whatever you want is on the house." he said, beaming
"Thanks, Mr. Braun. I appreciate it." she said, sweetly
"Its no trouble, after all, you're saving me a bundle on my taxes; its the least I could do. And don't forget my offer from earlier." he said, winking
"I'll consider it." she replied
And with that, Sam was gone; out onto the casino floor to make sure he wasn't being robbed. Jim picked up the champagne bottle, poured into the glasses and raising his glass, offered a toast.
"To possibilities." he said
Cyan mirrored his gesture and reciprocated.
As Jim looked at Sam walking away, he wondered what he had been talking about when he mentioned his "offer". Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he asked her.
"So, Sam made you an offer"
"Yeah, he wants me full time. I told him I'd think about it." she replied
"What's to think about? No doubt, he's gonna offer you a fat package, like a huge salary, benefits and maybe some other stuff. Besides, if you stay on with him..." Jim trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought
Cyan had an idea as to what he was going to say and didn't want to encourage him. She knew he liked her, and truth be told, she liked him too, but this was all too new for her. Besides, who's to say that anything would develop between she and Jim; this could be just dinner and dancing between two friends. If she had things her way, she and Jim would develop a wonderful and beautiful relationship, but since she didn't know the extent of his feelings for her, she wasn't going to get her hopes up. Instead, she was just going to enjoy a magical evening with a devastatingly handsome man.
When the menus had been brought and the champagne poured, Jim and Cyan perused their options and settled on their meals; he would have the chicken Alfredo and she would have the tomato salad. While they waited for their meals, they made small talk about Grissom's little problem.
"Yeah, he's frustrated as hell. He thinks they guy is playing with us." Jim stated
"Well, what can you tell me? Maybe I can help." she offered
"Well, the last two times, he's left a mark behind. What that mark is, I can't tell you, but its got Gil pissed." Jim replied
"Well, one thing I might suggest is that he research the mark left. I assume its a mark he's seen before, and after that he might find other things that are important to the perp. For example, if he leaves a rune behind, he's most likely interested in mythology or history, as runes were used in mythology as well as hundreds of years ago by the Anglo-Saxons and Germanic people. Does that make sense?" she asked
Considering her words, Jim smiled. This woman was truly brilliant. Honestly, he was surprised that Grissom had not thought of this first. He would have to call him when he got a free moment. Steering the conversation away from the case, Jim ventured into hobbies and interests.
"So, speaking of interests, what types of subjects interest you"
"Well, mythology, for one; sports for another. I like ice hockey, rugby, extreme hiking and camping. How bout' you?" she asked
"Well, I like history as well as ice hockey and the outdoors, so I guess we've got quite a bit in common after all." he said, smiling
"I never said we didn't. It sounds like you've been doing some mental wrestling." she commented
"Yeah, a bit, but its all good." he replied
Just then, the waiter brought their meals and they ate in companionable silence, save for the odd compliment on the quality of the food.
Walking out of the casino to have their car brought to them, Jim noticed Cyan shiver in the cool night air. Taking off his suit jacket, he draped it over her shoulders. Turning her head slightly and taking a whiff of the residual cologne, she sighed.
"I love this cologne. It makes me wild." she said, softly; but not as softly as she'd liked
"Well, if something's not broken, don't fix it." he replied
The car was brought around and Jim opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb in, closing the door after her. Seating himself, Jim tipped the valet and drove off. As they waited at a red light, Jim noticed Cyan fiddling with something on her leg. He watched as she rubbed her leg from her ankle to her thigh and back down to her ankle.
"What's the matter? Your thigh strap bothering you?" he asked
"No, its this damned thing." she said, removing something from her boot
Jim's eyes popped open as he looked over at the previously concealed Baby Glock that Cyan set in her lap. She switched the holster from her right ankle to her left one and replaced the gun in its holster. Previously unaware that she was packing, he was momentarily speechless. Finally, when he regained his faculties, he addressed the subject.
"You've got a gun in there, too"
"Yeah. A woman can never be too safe. Besides, I'm registered to carry a concealed weapon." she explained
"Well, I've got mine, so why don't you leave it in the car or let me hold onto it." he suggested
Turning to Jim, she pouted.
"I like you, a lot, and I'm sure you think you could protect me, but I'm not sure I want to turn my gun over to you. Besides, we've only just met." she replied, jokingly
Seeing that she was going to be a tough nut to crack, so to speak, he pulled out the big guns, figuratively.
"Look, I hate to do this, because I'm having a really good time, but if you don't relinquish your weapon, I'm going to have to cut this night short and return you home."
Seeing the look of duality on his face, Cyan conceded.
"Ok, I'll hand it over, but I want it back later, and I don't mean later as in a week or so, but when we get back home" she countered
"Fair enough." he said, extending his hand
She gave him her gun and he tucked it in the waistline of his slacks. He thought to himself that this woman was a surprise a minute, in that she had a gun and he didn't even realize it. Normally, he would be able to tell if someone was holding, as they would carry themselves differently or overcompensate in some way, but Cyan didn't even walk differently. She just walked normally, which could mean one of two things; that it wasn't bothering her or she was used to it. Both of these possible reasons made him consider this woman beside him.
Deciding to change the topic, Jim brought up dancing.
"So, where to?" he asked
"The Hovel." she replied
Jim turned right and headed down towards Nellis Air Force Base and when they were three blocks from it, he turned left and parked the car. Getting out, he waited for Cyan at the hood of the car. His jacket still draped over her shoulders, Jim wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the front door. When they reached the door, she took off his jacket so as not to draw attention to either side arm. Jim graciously took it back and slipped into it. As he opened the door, they were greeted by a rather large man dressed in black holding a metal detecting wand. As Cyan passed through the detector, Jim flashed his badge and was granted entry.
They walked down a flight of stairs and when they reached the bottom, Jim heard the unmistakable sounds of "Mama Mia" piping through the speakers. She turned to him and smiled.
"So, Cappie. How do you feel about disco?" she asked
"Disco? You mean there's no Rollins Band or Led Zeppelin"
"No, I'm a disco nut. As if you couldn't tell by my doorbell?" she quipped
"Ok, what are the chances that they'll play the "Rollerskate" song? You know, "I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates..." he sang in a voice that sounded like a strangled cat
"Hey, that's one of my favourites, along with "the Rubberband" song and the one from The Full Monty, you know, Brown Sugar, or whoever did it. I could never remember that one." she said, laughing
As they passed through the doorway, Jim felt like he'd been transported back about 30 or so years and landed in a velvet and lava lamped den of iniquity. For as far as he could see, there were leisure suits, butterfly collars, platform shoes and polyester.
"Don't take the brown acid." Jim said, jokingly
"That's not funny." she replied
Heading over to the bar, she was halted by Jim's hand on her arm. Turning around, she saw him smiling wide.
"I'm going to step outside and call Grissom. You know, tell him your theory?" Jim said
As she watched Jim leave the club, she continued her way to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Leaning against the bar, Cyan was alerted to the presence of someone looking at her in a less than savory way. She got chills up her spine as she turned to see a dark skinned brother in a baby blue leisure suit glaring at her. This man was obviously deficient in the \ life skills necessary to pick up women, as his line was as dated as his clothes.
"Did it hurt?" he asked
"Did what hurt?" she replied
"When you fell from Heaven; did it hurt?" he replied, grinning, to reveal a big gold tooth right up front
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I'm here with my husband"
"Well, he's not much of a man to leave you here all alone"
"I can take care of myself, thanks." she snapped
Realizing that he had a potential fight on his hands, the man turned away and chatted up the woman next to him.
"Yeah, Gil, this is Jim"
"Hey, Jim, where are you? I hear The Bee Gee's"
"I'm at a real disco-tech, with real disco music." he replied
"Oh, I see you found the Hovel." he joked
"Yeah, I did. Anyway, here's a thought about the case"
"Yeah, if you've got any, I'm willing to listen." Gil stated
"Research the All Seeing Eye. A friend of mine suggested that if he's interested in that, he might know more about other icons and talismans. Does that make sense?" Jim asked
"I'll do that. Thanks." Gil said
"Ok, let me get back in there." Jim replied
"Rock on, man." Gil joked
"Funny." Jim said, hanging up
As Jim re-entered the club, he could see that Cyan had her hands full with some leeches that had gathered since he'd gone outside. Listening to their conversation, he could hear Cyan say that she was here with her husband and that he'd be back any minute. Jumping into his role, he approached the leeches and winked at her.
"Hi, honey. Sorry I took so long." he said, walking up to her and planting a kiss right on her lips
Evidently, Jim was very deep in his role, because he captured her mouth with his and plundered her with his tongue. Their display was so effective, in fact, that his hands began to wander to places of her body that were barely covered. As his hand slid up her thigh to her barely covered buttocks, he squeezed her slightly and grinned inwardly when she gave a low groan. Several long moments later, they separated and when Cyan opened her eyes, she was seeing stars; stars dancing around, mingled with his eyes. Catching her breath, she sighed.
"Man, you really are a gem, Jim." she said, breathlessly
"Well, I was inspired." he replied
"If that was you being inspired, I'd hate to see what would happen if I was really in trouble." she joked
Turning back to the bar, Jim watched the leeches peel off and go their separate ways. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he drew her to him and inhaled deeply.
"Your hair smells like oranges. Hmmm...good." he sighed
"Its my hair treatment." she replied simply
Looking down the length of the bar, searching for the bartender, she spotted him and called out.
"Hey, Julian, can I get two Ice's"
"Sure thing, sweet cheeks." he replied
Jim glared at the bartender and gave him a disapproving look. Fishing out two beers, he set them before Cyan and Jim. Turning to Jim, she introduced them.
"Jim, this is Julian. Julian, this is Jim." she said
"So, this is Jim. I've heard a lot about you, man." he replied, extending his hand
Taking Julian's hand and shaking it a bit harder than he should have, Jim made his intentions known, in that Cyan was with him and that he should treat her with respect. From behind an evil eye, Jim spoke.
"What sort of name is Sweet Cheeks?" Jim asked
"Oh, that's nothing, you should hear her name for me." Julian replied
"What's that?" Jim asked, turning to Cyan
"Fuzzy Britches." she said, smiling
Jim laughed so hard, he nearly blew beer out his nose. Cyan smiled her thanks to Julian and took Jim's hand, leading him onto the dance floor. No sooner had they stepped on the floor, than a nice slow dance song came on. Jim and Cyan set their beers on a nearby table and returned to dance. Her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist, they snuggled up and danced slowly to the wonderful sounds of ABBA's "Fernando". Cyan rested her cheek on Jim's shoulder and soaked in his essence.
Driving home for the evening, Jim was sober as a judge, while Cyan was a bit on the tipsy side; having tossed a few back in competition with Julian towards the end of the evening. As they drove past the lab, Jim's cell phone rang. Fishing through his pockets, he pulled out Cyan's phone and set it in the drink holder, followed by his own cell phone. Flipping it open, he answered it.
"Its 03:00, this better be good." he growled
"Jim, its Gil. Where are you?" he asked "On my way home. Why?" he enquired
"Well, turn around and go back to the club. We've got another one"
"Ok, I'm on my way." he said, closing his cell
Flooring the gas pedal and carefully negotiating traffic, Jim turned to Cyan, who was looking at him, a confused expression on her face. Placing his hand on her knee, he rubbed with his thumb.
"We've got to go back to the club. There was an incident." he said
"Ok, that's cool. I mean, not that its cool, but that its cool, you know?" she said with slightly slurred speech
Jim laughed to himself and just nodded his reply. As they pulled up in front of the bar, Cyan hopped out and found Julian standing across the street with the others from the club. Catching Jim just before he went inside, she called to him.
"I'll be with Julian"
"Ok." he replied, disappearing inside
Inside, the scene was a mess with half empty drinks and broken beer bottles and such. Jim quickly found Grissom and crew hovering around the body. Patting Gil on the shoulder, he yawned. Standing up, Grissom sighed.
"Sorry to have called you so late, but I thought you'd want in on this." he said
"You bet I do." he replied
"So, where's your date?" Sara asked
"Across the street with a friend." Jim stated
Looking down at the body, Jim stifled a gasp when he saw who, exactly, it was. Picking his head up and heading outside, he found Cyan and Julian sitting on a cinderblock wall, leaning on each other. Approaching her, Jim held out his hand.
"You mind if I borrow her for a minute, Jules"
"As long as you take care of her." he replied
"Always." he said, winking
Taking Cyan by the hand, Jim lead her inside and prepared her for what she was going to see.
"I'm going to show you someone that I think you've seen before. If you have, just say so, if not, just say so." he explained
Passing the officers and news media, Jim and Cyan went downstairs and headed for the scene. At the foot of the stairs, she could see a man lying on the floor in a crumpled sort of position. Moving closer, she recognized the baby blue leisure suit and the platform shoes. Covering her mouth with her hand, she gasped aloud. Gesturing to the dead man, Jim sighed.
"This is one of the leeches, no?" Jim asked
"Yeah, its him; gold tooth and all." she replied
"You know this man?" Gil asked, not looking up from the body
"Yes, Mr. Grissom. His name is Rico Martin; local purveyor of all things recreational." she explained
"He's a dealer?" Grissom asked, standing and looking at her
"ADD? Is that you? You look so...um..."
"Yeah, well, that having been said, let's get you back outside, shall we?" Jim said, hurrying her outside
Once outside, Jim returned her to Julian and went back inside to Grissom and the others, no doubt, to field questions about his date, among other things. As Jim approached the team, he was greeted with whistles, hoots and hollers. There was also a comment made by someone about Jim cruising the junior college for girls. He could have sworn it came from Nick, but as he was on the other end of the bar, he just glared at everyone else.
Having photographed the body, Grissom moved on to the bar, where Rico had been standing. Picking up a drink that had been identified as Rico's, Grissom turned it over in his hands, looking down the neck of it. Reaching into his kit, he pulled out a pair of long nosed tweezers and poked them into the bottle. As he pulled them out, he saw something that made his face light up.
"I know there's no bug in there, so it must be a clue. " Jim called out from where he stood
"I never thought I could be so happy to see a piece of paper, ...but, ...here it is." he replied
Looking the scrap of paper over, it was the same as from the night before; an all seeing eye, from the back of a dollar bill. Pulling a bindle from his kit, he placed the scrap of paper in it and closed it up, placing it back in his kit. Looking around, he noticed that Jim was gone, so he asked after him. Sara having told him that Jim was outside interviewing witnesses, he went back to his work.
Outside, Cyan was still with Julian, and she was getting a bit tired, so she went to the car and climbed in. Looking to the cup holder, she saw that her phone was gone, so, she reached into Jim's jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. Flipping it open, she dialed.
Jim was interviewing witnesses when he heard his phone ring. Pulling it from his pocket, he noticed that it wasn't his, but when he checked the caller ID, he saw that the incoming call was from his cell phone. Flipping it open, he answered it.
"Brass"
"James, Julian's gonna take me home." she said
"Oh, so now its Jimmy? What happened to Cappie?" he joked
"I'll call you whatever you want me to." she said, a bit light headed
"Can I get that in writing?" he asked
"Ha Ha, Sweet Ass"
"What?!??" he asked, stunned
"What?" she replied
"What did you call me"
"I dunno. Jules gonna take me home. I'll see you later"
"Ok, sorry about tonight. You know, the scene and all"
"That's alright, its part of your job, and you, more or less, are your job. Besides, you can make it up to me." she said in a tone that made Jim flushed
From under the flannel sheets of her king sized bed, Cyan could hear something that sounded like a knocking, but it was faint, like in a dream. As the knocking got louder, she opened her eyes and looked at her clock: 05:00hrs. Wondering who would be knocking at this ungodly hour, she put on a t-shirt and padded down the hall to the front door. More knocking came, so this time, she shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold your wad."
She reached her hand out for the knob and as she turned it and the door opened, she yawned.