Chapter 6 - Strangers in the Night and one of our characters introduces a new game.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.
Ms. Carter had always looked wonderful in her dresses, but her outfit this evening took Reese's breath away.
She was clad in a sleek black catsuit that showed off every inch of her incredible body, her long legs, tiny waist and full breasts elegantly silhouetted against the lights lining the pathway.
It wasn't just the way she was dressed tonight, Reese thought, it was the way she moved, with power and purpose, yet with grace and femininity.
She had owned Reese, from the moment he first saw her, but watching her now, Reese realized that she owned the night, as well.
What would it be like to have a woman like that by his side, he thought, not only his friend and lover, but fighting along beside him, working with he and Finch and Bear, helping people?
Reese shook his head, adjusting the pack full of weapons on his back; it was just another one of the thousands of fantasies that he'd had about Ms. Carter, thoughts and hopes and dreams that would never, could never come true.
He glanced at the camera in his hand; Reese had quickly taken several photos of Ms. Carter as she approached – photos and fantasies might be the only things he'd have left of her.
She'd gotten an incredible offer from one of the top schools in the world – Ms. Carter had built the Machine High Auto Shop department from nothing into a model for schools around the country; at Fitzhugh Quinnell with a budget fifty times what she had here, she and her students wouldn't just be fixing cars, they'd be creating the next generation of transportation.
Reese had told her to take it. Ms. Carter had done a great job here, but now it was time for her to move on.
He also knew that there were plenty of men who wanted to move on with her romantically as well.
Reese noticed how Detective Szymanski held the Auto Shop teacher's hand a little too long when offering his condolences at the service and while he was in the men's locker room, changing back into his uniform, the Cafeteria Lady had overheard a group of fellow staffers speculating on her availability now that Beecher was gone.
"John?"
Reese slipped the camera into his pocket as he stepped out from the shadows. "Evening, Ms. Carter."
"You're here late, John."
"Just heading out. Waiting for Finch and Bear."
Ms. Carter smiled. "The Three Musketeers. I even have you all listed that way on my phone."
The Cafeteria Lady smirked. "More like The Three Stooges, most times, but yeah...they're good friends."
"It must be nice…" her voice was soft, wistful, "to feel like you belong."
Reese couldn't help himself – he stepped close to her. "I didn't for a long time - some days I still don't, but – having someone to talk to, helped."
The Auto Shop teacher looked off into the distance. "Do you really believe that, John? Some things," her big brown eyes slowly met his, "are hard to talk about, even harder to forgive yourself for."
"I do." And for the first time, Reese knew he meant it. He wanted to share his past with her, wanted to tell her everything. "Ms. Carter, Joss, I –" he stepped even closer to her, "I have something that I need to do tonight, but I'd like to talk, really talk to you. And…" he touched her hand, "I'd also like to listen, to whatever you want to talk about."
He saw the internal battle in her eyes. "John, I –"
"It turned out so right, for strangers in the night…Do be do be do, do do da de da, da da da da da*," Bear gamboled up and rolled over on his back next to Ms. Carter, whining softly.
Ms. Carter stepped away from Reese, bending down to rub the Security Head's belly. "Hey, Bear…I bet that feels good, after a long day patrolling the halls, huh, boy? Yeah? Oh, you are just wiggling like a fish!...Lower? Okay…"
Bear winked at Reese, as her slender hands traveled down his stomach, snuffling and groaning happily, while the Cafeteria Lady cursed himself, for once again, letting another man come between himself and Ms. Carter.
After a few moments, Ms. Carter straightened up, her gaze guarded and resolute. "Thanks for the talk, John. Good night." Giving Bear one last pat, she walked away.
Reese raised an eyebrow as the Security Head rolled over and stood up. "Really, Bear?"
Bear's tail wagged furiously. "As the saying goes, 'Don't hate the playa, hate the game.'"
"You learn that while you were roaming the halls?"
"This is an institution of 'higher' learning, is it not, Reese?"
"Where apparently you learned how to lure unsuspecting women into inadvertently touching your genitals," Coach Finch said, as he joined them.
"Jealous?" Bear asked as he trotted off ahead of them towards the parking lot.
The Cafeteria Lady and the Coach looked at each other. "Yes," they admitted simultaneously.
"I am so going to enjoy kneecapping someone tonight," Reese said, as the two men followed their friend.
"Normally, I abhor violence, Mr. Reese, but this evening, I might join you," the Coach replied.
"Don't hate the –"
"Heard you the first time, Bear!" Reese growled.
As they drove away, Reese kept thinking about the look in Ms. Carter's eyes. Every instinct told him to follow her and find out what was bothering her, but they needed to deal with the new Number first.
*Strangers in the Night is a 1966 studio album by Frank Sinatra. It marked Sinatra's return to #1 on the pop album charts in the mid-1960s, and consolidated the comeback he started in 1966. The single "Strangers in the Night" also reached #1 on the pop single charts.
At the Grammy Awards of 1967 Sinatra garnered two Grammys for his efforts on this album, including the Record of the Year for the title track, as well as Best Male Vocal Performance for the same song. - Wikipedia
Keep the lyrics in mind in future chapters:
Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wondering in the night
What were the chances we'd be sharing love
Before the night was through
Something in your eyes was so inviting
Something in your smile was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you
Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment when we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
And ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
Ever since that night we've been together
Lovers at first sight, in love forever
It turned out so right for strangers in the night
Do be do be do, do do da de da, da da da da da
Next, Three's Company