Rose sat down opposite her mother in the department store caf , the same one she had met her friends over two years ago.
"Hi Mum, have you been ok?" She was trying to avoid using the term 'have you seen Mickey?'
"Fine, what's wrong, you're being secretive, what aren't you telling me?"
Rose kept quiet, sipping her latte and waiting for her lunch.
"I saw Micks this morning when I was waiting for the bus, he asked about you."
"So what? I don't care Mum, I told you, I've got a new boyfriend, he'll be here soon so be nice to him. Look, I know I don't keep men for more than a week or two but I'm not going back to Mickey. He turned up last night where I work, did he tell you that? I think he was spying on me since his latest girlfriend dumped him but I had him thrown out of the club. I've met Alec, he's nice, he's kind and he accepts what I do for a living."
Jackie was stunned by her daughter's outburst. Rose didn't normally defend herself when she had a new boyfriend, well not like that.
"I wasn't implying for you to go back with him, well not if you have someone else but you don't hold the record in keeping a man since you split with Mickey."
Rose was thankful their food arrived and was hoping Alec wouldn't be long. After the waitress left, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a kiss on her neck.
"You ordered without me? Oh I forgot, you only had toast this morning, well so did I. Hello, you must be Mrs Tyler, I'm Alec Hardy."
Alec held his hand out to a stunned Jackie Tyler, who for once was lost for words and the man's familiarity with her daughter as to have known what she had for breakfast. Was he implying he knew because they'd had it together? Jackie knew Rose never invited men back to her apartment.
Alec assumed Rose's mother didn't want to shake his hand so he sat next to Rose and took the menu, getting his rimless glasses out of his top pocket and Rose thought they made him look even more sexy than she had previously thought.
"I think I'll have what you're having but with cheese," he stated, looking at Rose's jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn. "I have to eat healthily."
Jackie could tell, he looked as thin as a rake and could do with some meat on him if he was going to handle Rose.
"So you're Alec that Rose told me about. What sort of policeman are you then?"
He thought Rose would have already told her but he humoured her. "Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, to be precise. Pleasure to meet you. You and your daughter look very much alike. I'll just go order my food then Rose, we could go look at that suit I was telling you about, see if you like it."
He got up, putting his hand on her shoulder and went off to the counter.
"Blimey Rose, what's with him? He's all smiles and charm. Where did you find him?"
Rose cringed, should she admit it, her mother might even find it amusing.
"His mates brought him into the club on Thursday night for his birthday, we met when I was inbetween my turns on stage, I let him escort me home then he came back again last night."
There, she had almost admitted it, apart from leaving out the fact she was dancing almost naked in front of him, goodness knows what her mother thought she actually wore in the club.
"So did you stay with him last night then, since he knew what you had for your breakfast?"
"What if I did? I'm not a kid any more. Just leave it Mum, I'm going out with him and that's that."
Alec came back and they chatted over the remainder of their meal. Jackie finished and Alec was still eating.
"Rose, come to the ladies with me?"
Rose knew what that meant. Her mother wanted to talk about Alec and not actually to him. Rose excused herself, kissing Alec's cheek and asked him to wait at the table until she came back. He knew they were going to discuss him, he'd seen it before. At least Rose's mother hadn't seemed too bothered by his presence.
Once in the ladies room, Jackie made sure they were alone. "He's a bit different than your usual tastes, what's so special about him?"
"He accepts who I am and he doesn't care that I'm a dancer. Did Mickey say anything about me, when he said he saw me last night?"
"No, should he have done?"
"He made a scene when I asked Alec to come backstage and he almost picked a fight with him. Honestly, did Mickey think I would seriously go back to him, especially after that? Who is he kidding?"
"Why would Mickey pick a fight with him? What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing. The point is Alec's not like that, he didn't grow up on a council estate, he's not rough and ready like Mickey and I don't want him getting hurt in a fight if Mickey keeps going on at him." She couldn't say she was afraid his heart would suffer if he did.
"Rose, there's still something you're not telling me, what is it Sweetheart?"
"Believe me Mum, if I told you, you'd disown me."
"Why would I do that? Is it your job?"
Rose remained silent, looking in the mirror and noticed a red mark on her neck where she hadn't realised Alec had got her last night. His revenge for her biting his bottom lip she supposed though she didn't remember him sneaking that one in.
Jackie laughed. "Just as long as you don't tell me you dance naked." Then she stopped and looked at Rose.
"Oh Rose, please don't tell me that's what you do? How could you? And Alec approves? What sort of blokes go in such a place like that and what's more, Alec's ok with it? How could he be ok with it?"
Rose already knew he didn't actually approve but he accepted it. "I said he accepted me and what I do, I never said he actually approved but he knows that's what I do, he doesn't have to like it and he did come to the club, he took me home and I let him stay and do you know why?"
Just then, the door opened and two women came in. Rose leaned against the sink.
"If you don't like it then fine, I'm not asking you to. Alec is the only one who understands. Call me, if you want to talk about it."
Rose walked out and back to Alec, who was wondering why they were taking so long.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
"Not exactly but she'll get over it."
Alec got up and helped Rose on with her jacket. "You told her then?"
"More like she guessed. Let's go see that suit you were on about, was it in here?"
"No, the store near the police station."
Then he thought so much for keeping her away from where he worked but there wouldn't be that many people around. Just his luck one of his colleagues had been lingering and spotted Alec and Rose after he had driven her to the shop and were just going inside. The man swore it was one of the dancers from the club they had taken Alec to. He was going to have so much fun with this on Monday morning when he told the others.
Rose approved of the suit but asked what the occasion was.
"Do I need one?" Alec smiled, looking in the mirror at himself.
He did look younger and he felt it, Rose was doing wonders for his ego. She persuaded him to give in and get a pair of jeans, not tight enough for her liking but close enough and a purple t-shirt although he wouldn't get one with a logo on it. She was going to have to work at that.
While they had been having lunch and getting Alec his new suit, Mickey had been hard at work, looking through the local police website to find anyone called Alec and finally found him under one from Scotland. Mickey thought he must be recently transferred or the website badly needed updating. He found his name, Alec Hardy but he still didn't know where he was assigned to, there were several stations around the town so that would need investigating.
He had made his mind up to go back to the club, even though it would cost him, he'd have to skimp on going to the pub next week but he was determined to talk some sense into Rose. If not, he would find where the detective worked and confront him or make sure his mates there knew who he was going out with, he wasn't much bothered which. Why would a detective inspector even bother going to one of those places?
Rose took Alec back to her place, offering his spare key back to him but he told her to keep it. Rose didn't have a spare for her place but said she would get one on Monday.
"You may as well keep it Rose, if you don't want me to come out and get you every night, you can come and wake me up."
"Alec, it's not that I don't want you to, it's just not fair to ask you to come out at that time and it's not fair to wake you up either. Maybe I should just go home the nights that I work?"
Alec put his arms around her. "Are you trying to say you don't want to see me after you finish work Rose?"
"No, it's not that but you need your rest and I'd rather not wake you up."
"Well why don't we compromise? I'll come over and let myself in here when you get a key and if I wake up then all the better and if not, you'll be here when I do. I'll still have to leave early to go get changed or even better still, you come to my place and we'll do the same, not every night though, if you don't want to."
"Well you come to my place tonight, leave the door unlocked after you've taken your new clothes home. Why don't you leave your jeans and t-shirt here for tomorrow then tomorrow night, I'll stay at yours?"
"Aye, we'll do that then. See, it wasn't so bad, was it? We can work out the finer details later so does this make it official?"
"Make what official Alec?" she asked as she went to get ready to go to the club.
"So are you my girlfriend?"
Rose was going to tease him. She hadn't really thought about it. "Oh I don't know Alec, does it? Are you sure you're ready for that?"
Alec moved over and put his arms around her waist, noticing the red mark on her neck. "Where did you get that from?" he asked, kissing over it so it stung slightly.
Rose giggled. "I was going to ask you the same thing, I don't remember you doing that last night."
"Well, don't ask me, I was too busy, I may or may not have done it. It must have been while you were groping my arse again, I do tend to get a bit carried away when you do that."
Rose swatted his arms away and went to get ready to go out. Alec drove her to the club, agreeing he wouldn't come and watch her tonight, he knew he couldn't handle it and they agreed Rose would get a cab back and wake him up if he was already in bed. She only needed the code to get in downstairs anyway and he could leave the door unlocked without any problems. She went to get changed and ready to be tormented by the other girls as any type of gossip travelled fast in there.
A few of the girls teased her about locking horns with a police detective since they had got Mick to reveal who he had let backstage for the last two nights and about the almost fight last night, him being annoyed nothing had come of it. Mick asked her if he would be picking her up again.
"No, not tonight, it's not really a good idea if he comes every night. If that other creep comes around though, keep him out will you? And let Jerry know as well, only Alec is to be let in if he does come into the club."
"Sure thing Rose, I'll let him know. So he's your boyfriend now is he? About time."
Rose smiled. She was third on tonight and dreading it if Mickey did show up again. She wasn't sure if her mother was talking to her or not, she hadn't rung. Maybe she would calm down in a few days and accept it.
After Rose had left her mother, Jackie had gone home despondent. How could her little girl do such a thing? Show herself off like that to men and a police detective be ok with it as well. Had she herself failed Rose when she was growing up? To think she had accepted money and holidays because Rose was doing well and all the time she was getting money to do that. She had called Mickey when she got back, angry and upset.
Mickey had been sympathetic. "I know Jackie, I should have said something. Imagine when I went in there last night and saw her, then there was that man she went off with, what's his name, Alec."
"I met him today, seemed a decent bloke as well. Why would he be ok with Rose dancing like that? I don't understand it."
"Yeah well, I'm going back tonight to try to talk some sense into her, get her to quit."
Jackie knew her daughter was headstrong and he'd have his work cut out for him. Mickey made his way to the club and waited for Rose coming out, sitting at the back so she wouldn't see him. He noticed Alec wasn't there, good, Rose wouldn't be going off with him then, he had brought his car tonight and would offer to drive her home, find out where she lived. If that Alec wasn't there, maybe he had no taste watching women dancing like that, well maybe apart from watching Rose and he expected most of the men in there had come in to see her.
Well if he had any say in it, she wouldn't be doing it for much longer. If he could get her back, he wouldn't let her parade herself on stage like she was doing now. She never used to be like that with him when they were going out. Her last turn came and Mickey prepared himself to go backstage, even set money aside to pay that awkward bouncer who wouldn't let him last night but had let that Alec through, probably because he had shown his badge or something.
Mick barred Mickey's way as he approached the door through to the dressing rooms. Rose was about to go inside when she heard Mickey's voice again.
"Look, I'll even pay you if you let me in to see her," Mickey pleaded, waving a twenty pound note around in front of Mick's face.
Mick was sorely tempted to take his money then throw him out but he was in a good mood, he had stopped a fight earlier.
"I told you, she doesn't see anyone so don't waste your money."
"But you let someone in last night, I bet he didn't even pay you."
That was true but he had promised Rose he wouldn't let anyone else in. "It's up to her who she sees, now do yourself a favour and forget about her. Why don't I see if any of the other girls will see you?"
"No, I just want to talk to her."
"Look mate, all the time she's been here, she never sees anyone, it's just how it is. When she's on stage, it's different but when she finishes, it's up to her."
Just then, Rose came out of her dressing room, having promised Alice that she would have a good few days off as she was spending most of the evenings with Alec. She saw Mickey.
"When are you going to get it Mickey? Go away or you'll get thrown out and I'll get into trouble."
Trust Donna to come out of her office and suss what was going on.
"Rose, what's this? No sneaking boyfriends in that don't want to pay."
"Donna, he's not my boyfriend. My boyfriend is waiting at home for me, this bloke is just causing trouble because Mick won't let him in after I asked him not to let anyone come back and see me. He won't take no for an answer."
Mickey saw his chance. "That's not true, I was going to pay but her boyfriend came back here last night and didn't pay."
"What? Is that true Mick? Are you going soft or something?" Donna laughed.
"No Donna, Rose asked me, as a favour, not to charge him for coming backstage to meet her to take her home, it's the first time since she's been here, I swear."
Donna tossed her hair back. That was a first, Rose having a boyfriend. "Well, if that's the case, if Rose doesn't want anyone coming back, rules are rules so whoever you are, I don't advise you trying again."
She turned to Rose. "You didn't let your boyfriend into the club without paying did you Rose? Swear to me you didn't."
"I swear Donna, he paid to come in last night and the night before, his mates brought him for his birthday."
Donna was satisfied and went back in her office, scowling at Mickey for causing a commotion and reckoning it was him making all the noise last night but she hadn't bothered seeing what it was, there were always men griping about the dancers not thinking they were good enough for them.
Rose got a cab home and quietly let herself in and found Alec asleep on the sofa, his sexy specs on the bridge of his nose and the TV volume on low. He looked so peaceful, she didn't want to disturb him but she thought he looked uncomfortable and took the specs off his nose and folded them, putting them in his jacket pocket that was draped over the chair by the window. Then she leaned down and kissed his cheek and he stirred, swatting her away.
Rose smiled and went into the kitchen and heard him moving, probably wondering where his glasses had got to and thinking he had lost them down the back of the sofa.
"Rose?" he called out, making his way into the kitchen in his bare feet. "Is that you? Where are my glasses, I fell asleep with them on and I can't find them."
Rose met him in the doorway and put her arms around his waist. "Relax, detective, you don't need to launch a full-scale enquiry, they're in your jacket pocket. Are you ok?"
He leaned down and kissed her neck. "Now you're back yes. I don't think I can do this Rose. I didn't want to go to bed in case you didn't wake me. Was everything ok?"
"No, he turned up again, can you believe it? My boss heard him carrying on when Mick wouldn't let him past and he tried to cause trouble. I don't know what I'm going to do Alec."
She buried her head into his chest. He was rubbing her back just like her mother used to do when she was younger.
"Well, you're off until next week and he doesn't know that so if you're not there, he'll get the message and from now on, I pick you up. I'll have an hour's nap before I come and collect you, I'll be fine. If I'm not there when you leave, call a cab and ring me."
Rose clung hold of him. "Ok, we'll do it that way then. I'm just going to make a drink, you go to bed if you want."
"Well, I'm awake now." He leaned down and lifted her chin. "So snog me senseless."
Rose was only too happy to oblige. As they got into bed, Rose letting him go on top for a while as he kissed his way across her skin, Rose giggling then they swapped places as they made love and Rose tried to calm herself as she came down from her high.
"Let's go out for the day, forget about everything, we could drive somewhere if you like?" Alec offered as Rose settled on him.
"Mmm, great, just what we need. I know just the place."
After spending the day out, they went back to Alec's flat so he didn't have to rush out to get to work the next morning but when he got there, after Rose sent him off with a good snogging and her promising to be there when he got back and have dinner ready for him, he was in for a shock. One of the DS's who he had been out with him cornered him in the break room.
"So, Sir, you did go out with one of the dancers then?"
"What? So what has it got to do with you? It was my birthday, remember? That was the reason I let you drag me there."
"I don't mean the other night, that I can understand but I saw you on Saturday afternoon, going in the menswear store with her. Come on, taking one of them home for a quicky is one thing but being seen out with one of them? Really?"
Alec lost his temper. Rose had not been 'just a quicky' as he so aptly put it, she was now his girlfriend. He pushed the other man against the wall.
"Mind your own business Jenkins, who I see in my own time had nothing to do with you or anyone else. Got that?"
The other man pushed Alec's hand away and brushed himself down. "Hey, take it easy, right? Who you see is up to you but you can do a lot better than someone like her."
"What does that mean?"
"Come on, do you really want everyone to know you're going out with a stripper?"
By now, people had seen Alec pushing Jenkins back against the wall and poking his finger at him.
"Don't you dare call her that, she is not what you say she is, she's a dancer. If you're going around saying that, you'll know about it."
One of the other DS's came into the break room and pulled Alec back. "Hey Sir, come on, take it easy. No need to make a scene over it. We all know."
Alec shook himself free. "What? What have you been saying? You were the ones that took me out the other night, were you setting me up for this?"
Alec couldn't believe it. Had they arranged for Rose to see him backstage and take him home? He pushed past everyone who were now watching and went into his office, slamming the door behind him. It was all making sense now, why else would Rose have let him in to meet her, taken her home and had taken him to bed? He was a thirty eight year old divorced detective, 100's of miles away from home and not in the best of health. Why would she bother with him?
He made his mind up to confront her when he got back and tell her to leave, get his key back and if she had got a spare for her place, she could keep it. Why was she even still bothering keeping up the pretence? Then it struck him. No-one else would go out with her seeing she danced naked in front of all those men and wondered how many more she had entertained in their own homes by dancing just for them? He thought he had found someone but she was just using him, to prove she could get a boyfriend even in her line of work. She had even probably arranged for her ex to show up.