Chapter 8

This time, out of an abundance of caution, Starsky allowed the valet to take his car keys and whisk the TransAm away to the parking lot. The man had done a double take at the damage on the hood of the car, but otherwise was too professional to make a comment. Or maybe it was the look in the curly haired cop's eye that challenged the valet to speak. Either way, Starsky tossed the keys to the guy and stood on the sidewalk looking up at the huge gold bird over the door to the restaurant.

Something in his belly was shaking and his legs felt like rubber. Dave Starsky had never felt so unsure of himself since he'd asked Ruth Rubens out to the prom at school. Then, he'd been a gawky six footer with a shock of curls and a crooked grin. Always popular with his friends, he'd been unsure of himself around girls in that typical teenage way. It wasn't until he'd turned 15 or so that Starsky's confidence with the opposite sex had grown. Now he felt 13 again and the prospect of going into the restaurant by himself was bad enough. Going in and asking Jade if she wanted to go out on a date seemed preposterous in the extreme.

Starsky wanted to turn tail and go back home. He wanted more then anything else to turn back the clock to the days before Gunther; before the shooting, when he could have had his pick of women. Then he revelled in his body. In those days, Starsky had been supremely confident that he could pleasure a woman so that at the end of a night of love making she would yearn for more of him. In those days he had had a steady stream of women. Now, he couldn't get past the thought that Jade would take one look at the wreck that his chest and back had become and would smile, give him some excuse and disappear into the night.

Ok Davey, enough already! Starsky chided himself for the maudlin thoughts. So life had dealt him a bum hand. He was alive wasn't he? He had the rest of his days ahead of him and it wasn't in the brunet's nature to sit back and let the world revolve around him. Why have your life back if you weren't going to live it to the full? And in Starsky's case, living life to the full meant women. Tonight was a test.

No, strike that. It wasn't a test. Thinking about it that way put extra strain on an already uncomfortable time. It was merely an evening out with a beautiful girl, and the advantage of this beautiful girl was that she hadn't known him before the shooting, so she had no emotional baggage to bring with her –no "oh Dave what did they do to you?" to contend with.

With that thought in mind Starsky squared his shoulders, took a deep calming breath and walked into the restaurant. Once through the doors, the cool conditioned air wrapped around him in a refreshing embrace and the smell of the food assailed him. The brunet looked around, checking to see if Kim and his men were sitting in their booth near the kitchen. The space was empty and Starsky turned his attention back to his first intention for the evening.

Jade was standing in her usual place by the tall table at the opposite side if the door but tonight her costume had changed. Gone was the high, tight pony tail of the previous evening and in its place, her glossy jet black hair cascaded around her face and down her back like an ebony waterfall. Only the blunt cut fringe saved the hair style from looking severe –that and the shining, startling emerald green eyes. Only once before had Starsky seen such piercing green eyes. They had looked out from the handsome, rugged face of his friend Thomas Traff Trafford, but they had the same effect of making one lose oneself in their watery depths. Starsky shook himself from his thoughts and brought himself back to the present. Gone too was Jade's traditional Chinese short sleeved satin dress. In its place, she wore a long, full gypsy style skirt in deep moss green with a pretty white blouse along with a pale green bolero whose sleeves reached to her wrists. The blouse was buttoned demurely to just below her throat. The effect was romantic and floaty in a princess sort of way and it took the brunet's breath away just as much as the skin tight Chinese costume had the previous evening. Jade looked up as the new patron entered the restaurant and smiled as she recognised the handsome if slightly bruised man of the night before. Starsky smiled back and walked over to the maitre table.

'Do you have a reservation?' Jade asked, scanning her diary.

'No, I don't but I enjoyed the food so much last night that I wanted more. I didn't realise I needed to book ahead.'

She smiled and reached for a menu. 'You usually do, but I have a table for two available.'

'Two?' Starsky made it a question.

Jade blushed. 'I assumed the other gentleman would be with you?'

'The other…. Oh! You mean Hutch.'

'Yes. You seemed very um…."together". I assumed you and he…..'

It was the brunet's turn to colour up and he stuttered a little. 'Me and… no! No, you got the wrong idea about us. We're just good friends…..I mean not good friends but……well yeah, we're good but we aren't um….we're partners……work partners not the other sort. We….. hell, I'm making a mess of this aren't I? Let me start again.' Starsky held out his hand to the girl. 'Hi, my name's Dave. Do you have a table for one?'

Jade laughed, a genuine, girly laugh and bowed her head in traditional fashion, the curtain of her hair falling around her face so that it was held in semi darkness. 'Of course Sir. Right this way.' She turned away and Starsky followed as she threaded her way through the tables to a small booth set away at the back of the room. It was intimate and cozy and had place settings for two people. Jade indicated a seat and laid the menu on the bright white linen table cloth. Starsky sat down and then stood up again.

'Um….I was wondering if um….. do you get any time off during the evening? Or maybe afterwards?' Starsky mumbled, suddenly even more unsure of himself.

The smile left Jade's face for a moment and her hand went up to brush her cheek, although it was still covered by the waterfall of her hair. She seemed to come to a decision and nodded briefly, her eyes never leaving the man's for a moment. 'I work until eleven and then I finish. Why?' There was something about this man's face, some hunger and something else in his eyes that made her pause, wanting to take things gently. The face that looked back at her was handsome in a rugged sort of way. The smile that greeted her was genuine but it was those eyes that held her captivated. She had always been aware of eyes. Her own had brought her so much attention that she naturally focussed on the eyes of others. Those in front of her now were piercing dark blue, like the ocean after a storm when everything is once again peaceful and calm. That was the feeling she got from looking into those eyes, as though the owner –Dave- had been through a storm of his own and was emerging from the maelstrom into calmer waters. Those eyes held such longing….. and maybe a little fear and something low down in her belly flipped so that for a second she had trouble breathing.

Starsky watched the play of emotion flit across Jade's face. What was she thinking? Did she like what she saw? Or was she desperately trying to think of some excuse so that she didn't hurt his feelings?

'I just um…..wondered if…… if you'd like to go for a drink after work?' For long seconds there was silence and Starsky was on the brink of telling her that maybe meeting him was a bad idea after all when suddenly she seemed to come to a decision.

'I think I would like that very much' she said quietly. The reply surprised even Jade. Was she doing this out of sympathy for this man? Was it a way to get back at her brother to show him that she had rights too? Or was it that she genuinely liked this bruised enigma of a man? Starsky looked fit and healthy. He carried himself with a confident air and yet, bubbling just below the surface she could detect uncertainty. The combination intrigued her and far from being put off by it, Jade vowed she would like to find out more about this handsome guy.

Her answer seemed to have the right effect on him for Starsky was smiling broadly up at her and she had to ask him to repeat what he'd said because she'd once again got lost in the depths of those indigo blue eyes.

'I'm sorry?' she apologised.

Starsky grinned, feeling something of his old self surface like a long lost friend. 'I said I'd like it too. I'll meet you outside at eleven.'

'Don't you want to eat?' Jade asked.

'Eat? Oh……um do I have to?'

She giggled. 'The table isn't booked so no, I guess not. Could I at least get you a drink from the bar?'

'A soda would be great, thanks.' Starsky watched the girl walk away feeling happier than he had done for a while. First step over Davey – she didn't laugh you off the face of the earth. Yeah, but just wait till you have her alone. What's she gonna say when she sees all the scars huh? Will she still want you then? What kinda girl would date Frankenstein's monster huh?

Starsky's stomach did a little flip. He'd come this far on pure nerve but now that Jade had actually accepted the offer of a date, what would happen next? The brunet reasoned with himself that not every date had to end with bed and full on love making. He'd had good times with a girl when they'd simply enjoyed cuddling on the sofa and watching "I Love Lucy" on the TV. Maybe Jade was one of those girls. At the back of his mind however, Starsky still had that niggling doubt. Could he perform? Could he give the girl as much pleasure as he knew he used to be able to give to his women?

Watching Jade come back with his drink, her hair like a soft black satin curtain around her shoulders, keeping her face in shadows so that her mystery gathered around her, Little Davey let it be known that he could, if encouraged, perform adequately. Starsky wriggled in his seat, his jeans suddenly tight around his hips and he grinned up at the woman. As she set his drink down on the table, he caught her hand and raised it to his lips, brushing the back of it in the whisper of a kiss. Jade's hand stayed where it was for a second longer than was absolutely necessary, both encouraging Starsky and telling him that it was ok to flirt.

Eventually she pulled away gently. 'I need my hand for a while yet' she smiled and backed away, turning to go to greet some more customers who'd just come in. Starsky sighed and rested his chin on his hand as he watched her move. Who needed food huh? Who needed a three course meal when he could go home with a beautiful girl, albeit one who must have been ten years his junior. She seemed to like him and that's what counted.

Starsky was content for the first time in a long time. Hutch had several times tried to fix him up with some girl or other, but they had all been the same –more interested in the bullet wounds than the man who owned them. Most of the girls had known Starsky before the attack and expected him to be just the same. For the most part he was. Still fun loving, still a little childlike sometimes, but now the months of pain and the knowledge that he had been given a second chance at life had added a new dimension to the brunet –and one that those women couldn't fully understand. Starsky was always grateful to Hutch for trying, but now he'd managed to get a date all on his own, and that was even more of an achievement.

The fingers on the clock above the door to the kitchen crawled around to eleven. Occasionally Jade would come to sit by Starsky for a few minutes and during that time the big man who stood by her at the door scowled and watched her every move. Finally, the hour struck and Jade got a silk shawl from the shelf under her table and signalled Starsky to join her. The burnet stood stiffly. The couple of hours of waiting had taken its toll and now his chest protested and he felt the urge to massage the huge bruise. He resisted, but took a surreptitious stretch instead before following the girl to the door. As he leaned on it to open it for them, he was pushed back by a tall blond man entering.

Starsky did a double take.

As did his partner. Hutch stared at the brunet with undisguised disapproval.

'What the hell?' they both said at the same time.

Hutch stood back. 'You first. What happened to "I'm tired an' I'm gonna have an early night?" huh?'

'I got hungry' Starsky said defensively, feeling stupidly like a kid caught dating on a school night. 'What about you?'

Hutch blushed. 'I was just um…..I was well….. That's not important right now. You should be resting.'

'So should you! Your arm needs resting too.'

Hutch glared at his partner and then his eyes fell on Jade at Starsky's side and his feelings softened. In truth, he hadn't been able to keep the raven haired beauty out of his thoughts and had come to the restaurant tonight in an attempt to get a date. That he had been pipped to the post would have been terrible had it not been for the person doing the pipping. Something in the brunet's eyes made Hutch's heart skip a beat. It was something he hadn't seen for such a long time and looked suspiciously like happiness –and far be it from Hutch to spoil Starsky's night.

He put on his best angry face, not wanting Starsky to see how relieved he really was. 'Fine! Take the most beautiful girl in the room! Go on then, but don't get crabby with me in the mornin' huh?'

Starsky grinned. He knew the game Hutch was playing and played along for effect. 'No Mom. I'll be good Mom.' He leaned forwards so that he could whisper in Hutch's ear. 'I promise to be good……I'll be even better than good –I'll be fuckin' amazing' he muttered as he took Jade by the arm and asked the valet to bring his car around.