The group laughed, drank and chatted about nothing; Dempsey got through his beer.
"What song's this?" asked Billy
"James Brown - Living in America" Dempsey said
"You're quite a music expert aren't you" commented Harry
"Trust me – I'm right"
"Yes Yes, don't go running across the room again" she turned to Tom who had just rejoined them "He's quite the spoilt brat if you question his convictions"
"Well like I said before: I'm always right!"
"You know you must be damn impossible to live with" Harry teased
"Damn impossible to live without sweetheart"
"Oh I think I can survive" Harry raised her eyebrows and put on a sweet sickly smile
"But not damn impossible to work with?" Tom asked Makepeace quietly
"Frequently yes" she entered into a conversation with Tom "but he is a very good cop"
On the other side of Dempsey another conversation got underway
"Have you ever done that coast to coast thing across America?" asked Dave
"Not all the way" Dempsey replied "but" he said raising his glass to his lips again and downing the end of his pint "the roads are long and straight – your M1 is like a side road"
"When do you reckon you'll go back?"
"Not quite yet – I need to wait a bit" then he grinned "– There's quite a lot of women over here!" he put his glass down "Whose buying the next round?" To his surprise Tony jumped out of his seat and volunteered.
"So will you take me for my one dance of the night then Harry?" Tom asked
"Of course" Harry smiled and led Tom onto the floor.
She came back and persuaded Chas then Watson to dance and finally Tony and Dave she dragged to the floor together; they had no idea what to do or where to rest their eyes and so stood making jerking movements staring halfway up into space.
Harry obliged a few other offers she had and finally she returned to sit down she picked up her glass of champagne and then tilted it, noting that it was empty "who's drunk my drink?" she asked, not that she really cared but for some reason Billy owned up.
"It was me" he braved "you did offer it around"
Harry smiled "I did" she reassured him as she picked up a napkin and wiped the rim of her glass before pouring herself another.
Fry tapped Billy on the shoulder "she never wiped Dempsey's germs away"
"What does that mean?" Billy asked; Fry shrugged
Dempsey returned to the table (his strategy had been to dance with three or four women at once; in this manner he had already covered half the tables on the floor). He lifted Harry's champagne glass and drank half of it.
"Oi" Harry took the glass from his hand "There's your beer, or there's an empty glass – pour your own" she waved her hand holding the half full glass towards the table and bottle before putting the glass to her lips.
"See - she just drank from it" Fry nudged Billy
Dempsey poured some champagne and Harry noticed his unsteady hand
"What's the time?"
"11.30"
"Doesn't this do finish at midnight?"
"That's early"
"That's fine"
Dempsey walked around to Fry; he stubbed his foot twice on chairs as he went. He leaned on the table and into Billy and Fry as he spoke "In a moment you will have to go and tell those girls you've got your gun and you're ready to fire"
Fry gulped
Dempsey swung his arms around until they vaguely pointed towards the women he had set them up with at the beginning of the night "When the next big song comes up Fry go for it" he advised "they liked you before, I bet they'll dance again"
The band came back from their ten minute break and struck up Survivor – Eye of the Tiger; Harry dragged Dempsey and shooed Fry and Billy
It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger
Sure enough the dance floor filled and although Harry was keen to move quickly Dempsey seemed content to step more slowly. She matched his movements instead. The last set of songs were based on being big and popular
Let's get physical, physical, I wanna get physical, let's get into physical
Let me hear your body talk, your body talk, let me hear your body talk
Dempsey swung Harry out and as she came back to him she slowed her movements "Oh no! Sorry this is so cheesy" she cringed
"So don't it speak for you Makepeace" Dempsey kept the pair of them moving
"Whether it does or doesn't is immaterial the song is trite"
"Well I have to say the words have a certain truth for me at the moment" he searched her face "You want to get physical?" he asked with eyes that had become very alert
She didn't respond
"I'm telling you Makepeace 'I've been patient, I've been good, tried to keep my hands on the table'" he quoted as the band sung "So yeah – the words are speaking"
She stopped and looked at him in amazement; he smiled at her astonishment "Ok" he concluded "– the tune is crap!"
Dempsey spun Makepeace around so that he could lean forward against her back, his chin on her shoulder and pointed her towards the SI10 table and to where Spikings had reappeared. He swayed her gently in front of himself and slid his hands down from her shoulders, down her arms onto her waist, down to her hips and forward crossing them and holding her firmly well into her lower belly. As per all night long Harry didn't care; she had come with the express intention of having fun and she certainly was.
She covered his hands with hers – they were quite low enough and the gentle pressure that his hands in front and his body behind her exerted was, to put it politely, just in danger of arousing her.
"I see the boss is back amongst the pack" he spoke into her ear
"You know I feel a bit sorry from him - He's been edgy all night if you ask me" As Harry spoke she tipped her head back so Dempsey could hear
"He don't have to worry – we're a crack team!" Dempsey nuzzled her neck but she appeared to remain firmly in control and unresponsive.
"We're a crack undercover team – what they see here ain't work" he declared then mischievously asked "You want to have some fun?" and blew gently across her neck
"What are you thinking of?"
"Well the boss has been a bit on edge about us and the guys seem to have jumped to certain conclusions…"
"I have no idea why"
"Don't you?" He kept her swaying and pressed himself forward
She giggled "– well maybe"
"Anyway what about showing them a bit of undercover?" he rubbed his chest against her back and pulsed the pressure his hands were making.
She turned in his arms and looked up into his face "how?"
"Let's show them how Debbie Smith and Danny Salaputro danced together" he traced a line up her arm, across her shoulder and down her neck line; as he was considering at what point he should stop he asked "Debbie Smith?"
"Yes Danny Salaputro"
"Shall we dance?"
The music slowed: Ebony and Ivory
"More cheese!" Harry moaned
"Relax" he whispered, one hand gently massaging the nape of her neck, the other holding her against himself
"I suppose it's a bit like you and me" she conceded
"You know I don't think you're quite that white Debbie and I know I'm not so black as you think I am" he spoke softly as his hands cruised over her bare back
"You smell divine Debbie Smith – but it's not the same perfume as last time"
She giggled "No it wouldn't be that was Dune"
"By who?" he asked as he deliberately ran his face around her neck
"Christian Dior – why? And this is Calvin Klein Obsession I only use it for special occasions.
"Obsession good name" Dempsey murmured "Now let me see what else did Danny Salaputro discover last time?" He grinned and bent lower twisting his head to the side and catching her earlobe lightly with his teeth.
Harry caught sight of Spikings as the thrill shot through her body "Spikings is looking worried" she noted
"So he should be" Dempsey breathed as he leaned back slightly to observe Harry's reaction so far. It pleased him.
Spikings observed the dance floor "Looks like the police dating agency" he said to Chas "good grief is that Fry hanging on for dear life with a woman!"
"Seems so"
"Humph – And where is bloody Dempsey or Makepeace I assume they both had a train of people after them; I've suffered all night – the worst of it was they all had the same line which they thought so damn original. And sitting there with the bloody commissioner didn't stop them coming either – Christ knows what he thinks of our department now."
Dempsey continued to gently massage the nape of her neck again with one hand and explore the shape of her back, waist and hips with the other. He leaned over her and she pulled him firmly into herself with a tight grip on his back. Dempsey started his long monologue "You know Harry you're a damn fine cop – in fact you're the best partner I've ever had." His speech slurred "I know I might not say it very much" he stopped in a drunken way and then continued "ever; but you're good with a gun and car and even good with a man..."
"Now you've slid into double meanings" Harry told him as her hands slid down towards holding his behind
"O god Harry I think I'm not pretending any more…" Dempsey kissed her neck and she twisted, to his delight her movement was not away but to allow him fuller access; his tiny light kisses ran around her neck and under her chin. Then he pulled back but all Makepeace did was to tighten her arms back around his neck and nestle herself into him. His hands ran around her waist and this time as he brought his left hand up he ran it forward catching the weight of the edge of her breast and his finger finding the tape line.
"It's still there" he said
"It was designed for protection"
Spikings was on the edge of his seat; he had finally spotted Dempsey and Makepeace together "good god" he was muttering
Totally unconnected the Deputy Commissioner stood and signalled the band to stop mid song. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming and for the very generous amount raised towards the Children in Need Charity…" he continued to drone on but under his breath Spikings was almost singing 'hallelujah'.
