Chapter Two-Bobby
As the women entered the restaurant, Mary was taken aback by the sheer volumn of people amassed inside. Large crowds always made her a little nervous, only because she was only comfortable with loved ones, but also since she was a tad clausterphobic as well. She tightly clutched her purse and followed closely behind the other women as they made their way towards the kitchen. As they neared their destination, Stacee instructed them to go to bar and order drinks while she went into the kitchen to check on her staff and see if they needed anything. Mary, Beth, and Terra knew Stacee well enough to know that she was going to be working for the remainder of the evening, so they sat at the bar and placed their orders. Terra ordered a martini, Beth a strawberry daqueri, and Mary's drink of choice was Sex on the Beach. Their drinks were ready within moments and as the three ladies sampled their treat, they look in their surroundings.
Stacee's was easily their favorite restaurant in the city, not only because their dear friend and cousin owned the place, but because of its unique design, delicious food, and festive atmosphere. The first level of the restaurant consisted of the kitchen, bar, and dance floor, as well as some tables and booths. Customers did dine on the first floor, but this part of the restaurant was geared more towards dancing and socializing than eating. A winding metal staircase with rose detail led to the second floor, which was vastly different from the first floor. Once customers stepped off of the staircase, they found themselves standing in a carpeted hallway, with restrooms to the left and a large wooden door in the center. Standing behind a hostess stand was a hostess, who would verify reservations and led patrons to their tables.
Once the door opened, they were greeted with the sight of a quiet, elegant dining room. The door drowned out the music below, so the only sounds in this dining hall were of classical music or jazz. This dining room was decorated in jewel tones, the furniture dark, study wood. The theme of this room was elegant ambience, which everyone agreed was carried off with perfection. An elevator led to a second dining room, only this one had a lighter, more etherial feel to it.
As opposed to the darkness of the first room, this one was decorated in cream, sage, and gold, the furniture in a lighter finish to complement the room. There was an elevator on the first floor, so if customers were dining in the second room, they had the option of using the staircase or the elevator. Anyone could dine on the first floor, but reservations were required for the remaining three floors. The fourth and final floor of Stacee's was considered the lounging room, reserved for cocktails and entertainment. Cards tables, dart boards, and billard tables were set on one section of the floor and the other had sofas, arm chairs, and love seats.
It was decorated in purples, browns, and pinks and had that same welcoming, calming feel as the other two rooms. All floors had a bar, but only the first one had a kitchen, since Stacee wanted to closely monitor her staff to ensure the quality of the meals being served to her customers. There was an elevator in the kitchen that led to the other floors, so customers would have their meals within minutes. To ensure that the food stayed warm, their plates were placed on warmers, so everyone was guaranteed a hot meal.
"Am I the only one who finds it strange that we're sititing at the bar drinking when we just polished off a few bottles of wine at home?" Beth asked.
"Yup," Terra replied, signaling the bar tender so she could ask for a basket of hot torilla chips and five cheese dip.
"A typical wine bottle size is 750 ml that contains 25.4 fluid ounces. The glass size determines how many servings. Since we used four ounce wine glasses, there were approximately six servings in each bottle. We only drank two bottles of wine, so that's twelve servings divided by four, which equals three glasses each, if we drank an even amount of wine. Stacee and Terra had four glasses each, which leaves two a piece for us. I don't consider two glasses of wine excessive, especially considering the fact we were consuming food with our drinks."
"Thanks for the drinking lesson, teach," Terra said before stuffing chips and cheese into her mouth.
"If it makes you feel any better, these are the last drinks you and I will most likely have this evening," Mary said to Beth. "within minutes you and Terra will be out on the dance floor grinding with good looking strangers and I will either sit at the bar or go to the lounge, where I will either nurse this one drink all night or order water."
"That *does* make me feel better," Beth said.
It was sometime later and the evening was still in full swing. True to form, Stacee was manning her station in the kitchen, making certain everything was done to her exacting standards and Beth and Terra were on the dance floor with their new friends David and Chris. Mary was sitting at the bar, picking at Terra's abandoned chips and sipping the water that replaced her barely touched drink. When Mary ordered a drink when she went out, it was mostly for show, and so she would have something to hold in her hand. She didn't mind kicking back at home and having a few drinks, but in public she liked to maintain as much control as possible.
She took a long drink of water and studied the crowd, quietly taking in the action around her. Everyone was in high spirits, drinking, laughing, and dancing happily into the night. She watched as David moved behind Terra running his hands up and down her slim frame as she seductively rotated her buttocks against the front of his pants. Beth and Chris had their arms around each other, swaying to the music and kissing passionately. Mary loved spending time with the girls, but the club scene left her cold and uncomfortable.
She wasn't much of a dancer and the idea of some stranger running his hands all over her body made her sick to her stomach. She reached over for a chip, but recoiled her hand, having lost her appetite. She didn't want to leave the restaurant alone or ask the girls to leave with her, so she decided to go up to the lounge and have some quiet time. As she stood up, something caught her eye. She looked up and feelings of anger, loathing, and disgust flowed through her body as she set eyes on Mike Alden.
Mike was about 5'11 with a slender frame and tanned complexion, which was the result of hours spent at the tanning salon. His mousy light brown hair was dyed chocolate brown with blonde highlights and light blue contacts concealed the natural brown color. He wore snug fitting dark blue jeans and a blue, button down dress shirt with leather shoes. Mike thought he was God's gift to women, but Mary thought he was little more than a reality-star wannabe.
"Scott Disick called: he wants his tan and his hair gel back," Mary replied as he stormed over to her.
"I hope you're happy now, you frigid, judgemental bitch. My wife left me today and it's all your fault!"
"*MY* fault?" Mary demanded, looking incredulous. "you lied, cheated, and used my cousin for eight years and it's *my* fault that she finally realized what a *loser* you are? Mikey, if it had been up to me she wouldn't have gone out with you at all."
"You're just jealous because Stacee was able to land a hunk like me while you're alone, as you always are. I've known you for eight years, Mar, and I can honestly say I've never seen you with a man other than Daddy Dearest and your sister's pussy-whipped boyfriend. Tell me, Mar, have you *ever* been with a man? D you even know what men are, or are you too busy sticking your nose into everyone's business and judging them?"
"Mike, you are *not* to call me "Mar". "Mar" is a nickname only loved ones are allowed to use and trust me, love couldn't be further from how I feel about you. In fact, the only thing I would love about you is if you disappeared and never came back."
"Ohh, fiesty," Mike said with a sickening grin on his face. "you know, for being a sexually repressed, prissy bitch you can be quite sexy when you're angry. How would you like me to show you what a real man can do?"
"Mike, be serious!" Mary scoffed, looking at Mike with disdain. "first of all, you wouldn't know the definition of manhood if Webster Dictionary sprouted legs and kicked you in the head with which you make all your brilliant, well thought out decisions. Second of all, there is no scenerio in which making physical contact with you sounds even remotely appealing. In fact, if you and I were the last two people on Earth, I would do what I could to ensure the world's population dropped further still."
Mike rolled his eyes and Mary continued speaking, her anger and disgust preventing any remote chance of silence. As Mary spewed her hateful monologue, she was oblivious to the set of dark brown eyes observing her with fascination. Those eyes belonged to a tall, full figured man with grey hair and the beginnings of a beard. He had been watching her for a while, observing her gregarious nature with the three other ladies, her pensiveness alone, and now her well-articulated rage. He also observed the target of her rage, carefully studying his reactions and ready to intervene if he went too far. He set down his beer and leaned forward, ready to make his move.
"Michael, just accept the fact that Stacee is finally seeing you as the opportunistic snake you've always been. You may have kept her from me for eight years, but now she is back with her family, where she belongs, and you will never be a part of her life again."
Mike slammed his hand on the bar and moved closer to Mary, so that he was towering over her. Mary's older admirer rose from his seat and walked towards them.
"When are you going to stop blaming me for your estrangement from Stacee and realize it was your nagging, bitching, controlling, domineering nature that drove her to me in the first place? All you do is boss people around and never listen to what they have to say? All I had to do to charm her was keep my mouth shut and pretend to listen as she rambled. She isn't leaving me because doesn't want to be with me: she's just doing it so you'll shut the fuck up. As for being "her family", that isn't true, it's never been true. You are nothing more than a..."
Mike raised his hand to strike her and Mary met his gaze, not flinching an iota as his hand moved towards her. As she raised her arms to block his blow, she felt a gust of wind and the soft brush of cotton against her skin as Mike's hand was snapped backwards. Mary lowered her arms and watched in amazement as the older gentleman shoved Mike's arms behind his back and slammed him into the bar, holding both his wrists in one of his large hands. She stared, looking as wide eyed and bewildered as Mike, who was suffering from not only the pain of having his head slammed into the heavy wooden bar, but also a bruised ego. Mary might be able to match or beat him in a battle of wits, but when it came to brute strength, he had the advantage, no matter what her over inflated sense of self suggested. He was quite looking forward to putting that little bitch in her place, only to have some busy body interrupt his plans.
"Hey, grandpa, get the fuck off me man. What's the matter, did you take one too many viagras or something?"
"That is *Detective* Grandpa to you," Bobby said, slamming him into the bar again. "and the only thing in my system is contempt for punks who get their jollies off of hitting women."
Mike looked at Bobby, understandably shaken as he studied the badge he had managed to dig out of his pocket. Mary simply stared at the two men, uncharacteristically speechless as Bobby pulled Mike up, holding his wrists with one hand and using the other hand to hold him up by the collar of his shirt.
"Is there anything you would like to say to this young woman?" Bobby asked, shaking him slightly for emphasis.
"Let me go you crazy bastard! I'll have your badge for this!" Mike howled, trying to wiggle free of his grasp.
"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first time," Bobby said, tightning his grip on Mike as he looked at Mary.
"What is your name, ma'am?" he asked, his masculine voice velvety smooth as he addressed her.
"M...Mary. Mary Mayfield," Mary said, looking from Bobby to Mike.
"Does this punk have a name?" Bobby asked.
"His name is Mike Alden and I had the displeasure of him marrying into my family. Thankfully my dear, sweet, intelligent cousin finally saw him for the cretin he is and left his ass. I hope you enjoy your time at the apartment Mikey, because you won't be there for long."
"Are you going to let her talk to me like this?" Mike demanded, looking at Bobby with indignation.
"Absolutely," Bobby said, not missing a beat. He then turned his attention back to Mary. "please continue Ms. Mayfield."
"But Stacee can't kick me out of the apartment! I'm her husband and I have rights!" Mike hissed.
"Is your name Ms. Mayfield?" Bobby asked.
"N...no..."
"Well then shut up and let her speak or you will be tasting black walnut again and we wouldn't want that now would we?"
Mike shook his head and Mary continued speaking. "Stacee may not be able to kick you out of the apartment, but she *is* allowed to remove her name from the lease and pay her half of the remaining lease. So yes, the apartment will soon be yours, but good luck paying for it because as of a few hours ago, your name was taken off of all of the accounts. I would love to see the look on your whore's face when she realizes there will be more shopping sprees on your *wife's* credit card. Have fun meeting anyone with no money and very soon, no apartment."
"I'm having fun thinking about it," Bobby said, smiling at Mike, enjoying his misery.
"Yeah well, who asked you, Moses?" Mike said. "why don't you go back to building your arc and leave us alone?"
"Moses didn't build the arc you dimwit!" Mary exclaimed. "*Noah* built the arc and Moses freed the slaves out of Egypt! It's such a shame a flood or a plight of locus can't come down and finish you off."
"We may not have plagues or floods at our disposal, but I *do* have a set of handcuffs and a cell with your name on it if I catch you in here again," Bobby said to Mike. "do you understand? If Ms. Mayfield or her cousin tell me you have so much as taken a breath without their expressed consent, you will be sharing a cell with men that make me seem like the damn tooth fairy. Am I making myself clear?"
"Crystal," Mike said.
"Wonderful: you aren't nearly as stupid as I thought," Bobby said, releasing Mike and letting him fall on the floor. "now get out and find yourself a nice rock to hide under."
"I would suggest a family of rats," Mary said. "they are easy enough to find in the city and I always think it's best for species to stick together."
Mike gave Mary another long, hard glare as he stormed off, his ego badly bruised and his skull not feeling so hot either. As he left, Mary studied her new companion, her guardian angel of sorts. He was so rough and intimidating with Mike, but that personna was gone, replaced with a man looking at her with gentleness and concern.
"Are you alright, Ms. Mayfield? Did he hurt you?"
"He didn't lay a hand on me and please, call me Mary, Detective..."
"Goren, Detective Robert Goren, but you can call me Robert or Bobby."
"I figured your name wasn't Grandpa."
"Has your relationship with Mr. Alden always been so volitale?"
"What you saw tonight is tame by our standards. Mike and I mesh as well as a poacher at a PETA meeting."
"Have your altercations ever gotten...physical?"
"Mike has shaken and pushed me against the wall a few times, but he's never laid a hand on me. Part of me wishes he had, because if I had visable markings, I would have enough cause to press charges. Is it wrong that all I want is to make him suffer?"
"Not as long as you have other activities and hobbies with which to amuse yourself."
Mary cracked a smile and Bobby ordered them both fresh bottles of water. He handed a bottle to Mary, who thanked him before taking a sip.
"I have to admit this is an odd scenerio for me: being the damsel in distress. I usually prefer handling things on my own," Mary admitted. As thankful as she was to Bobby was interveining, she was also a little embarassed. She didn't want Detective Goren's first impression of her to be that of a helpless female in dire need of a man's assistance.
"Mary, I think "damsel in distress" is the last description that would be applied to you. You went toe to toe with Mike and if I hadn't intervined when I did, you would have taken him on physically as well. You didn't seek out my assistant: even when I did enter the equation, you continued to spar with him, putt him in his place. You have never been a hand wringer and you never will be."
"Well, thank you for those kind words, Bobby," Mary said. "I may not be a damsel, but I did enjoy watching you smash Mike's head into the bar. I'm not sure I would have been able to do that, so it was a beautiful sight to behold. This is much more fun than sitting at the bar alone watching my cousin and best friend gyrate against strange men."
"I gather you are more comfortable at home, curled up on the sofa with a book or working well into the evening."
"Detective Goren, have you been stalking me?" Mary half joked, wondering how he was able to know so much about her.
"I studied profiling before I became a cop, so I'm good at sizing people up."
"Sizing me up was probably faster than saying that sentence," Mary joked, referring to her petite frame.
"You and your friends may jest about your petite frame, but you don't mind your small stature. You're practical and impatient, so you appreciate the fact that you are able to buy clothing off the rack as opposed to having it tailored or custom made, which is what you would have to do if you were more statuesqe."
Mary looked at him with bewilderment, so Bobby continued. "The simpleness of your outfit suggests fashion isn't a priority, but the detailing on your clothing shows your attention to detail and your appreciation for quality. You're only 5'2, but you prefer flats over heels for comfort and out of concern for your health, since you are not the type of woman to cause damage or discomfort to your feet for fashion. You ordered a drink but merely sipped at it, indicating you want to fit in, but maintain control of your behavior and stay alert to your surroundings. You don't like to dance and you're uncomfortable in crowds, which is an indication of clausterphobia, and the careful way in which you watch your friend and cousin demonstrates the protectiveness you feel for them.
You are obviously a take charge person, so you are most likely the oldest in the group, as well as the firstborn in your family. You were able to divide your attention equally among the three ladies, so you probably have a large family and your ability to bond so well with those women indicates you most likely have sisters. Your family obviously means a great deal to you, since that charm bracelet you're wearing was a gift from a family member," he said, pointing to the white gold bracelet she wore on her left wrist, from which several charms hung. "it's high quality, so it was most likely given to you by your mother.
You have three "big sister" charms on your bracelet and the stones indicate they were born in June, August, and November. Since you like to keep things in their precise order, the way in which they are hung from your bracelet tells me they are in order of age. You don't have a "little sister" charm, so that proves you are in fact the oldest. You have a cat charm hanging from your bracelet, so obviously you have a pet, and the computer charm shows you work in the computer industry, most likely as a programmer or software designer.
I know your father is Stephen Mayfield, who is co CEO of Mayfield-McCavern Incorporated, and as Stephen's firstborn you feel compelled to push yourself, proving your worth not only to your father, but to yourself. You don't want to be seen as the spoiled CEO's daughter who was handed a pushy office job, so you stay up until the wee hours of the morning working on your latest project. I can tell you're not getting adaquet sleep due to the palor of your face and the dark circles under your eyes."
"That was quite...impressive, Detective," Mary said, looking stunned. She was caught between feeling impressed and wanting to enroll in the Witness Protective Program. "I know profilers are trained to study people, but you're almost venturing into psycic/secret stalker territory. You haven't been following me and hiding in my bushes have you?"
"I'm just very good at my job," Bobby said, smiling sheepishly at her. He decided against telling her he had been studying her for a while, since he didn't want to unnerve her further.
Before Mary could respond, Terra, Beth, and their new male friends walked over to Mary and Bobby. Mary took one look at the girls and knew what they were going to say next.
"Mary...Dave and Chris want us to hang out with them at their place. You don't mind going home alone do you?" Terra asked, giggling as Dave began kissing and sucking on her neck.
"Will you tell Stace that we left?" Beth asked, blushing and shrieking with laughter as Chris's hands moved into the top of her dress, cupping her breasts.
"I'm fine, ladies, go forth and reep the benefits of your singular, sordid evening of passionate lovemaking with intoxicated strangers," Mary said, waving them away with her hands.
Bobby said nothing, since his silent profiling of the men showed that despite their wayward behavior, they were not dangerous. The worst thing that would happen to Mary's female companions was a hang over, and perhaps post coital regret, but he didn't sense any danger from these men. Mary, Beth, and Terra said their goodbyes and Mary watched as they left the restaurant with their booty calls. She looked over at Bobby and gave him a shy smile.
"I should get going as well," she said. "I have an early morning tomorrow and my day is going to be nonstop, so I should probably go home and get some sleep."
"I'll take you home," Bobby said.
"Detective Goren..."
"Bobby, please, call me Bobby."
"Alright...Bobby. Bobby, that is a kind offer, but totally unnecessary. I don't live far from here and I'm sure Mike is long gone by now."
"I'm sure he is too, but I would still feel better if I escorted you home. It's late and it isn't safe for a long woman to walk the streets of this city alone."
Mary raised an eyebrow, not liking that he thought she couldn't handle a fifteen minute cab ride alone, but truthfully, she did appreciate his offer. She was embarassed to admit it, but despite being almost thirty years old, she was still afraid of the dark. When she did go home alone, there was always a slight pit in the bottom of her stomach until she was safely locked inside her apartment. Under normal circumstances she would never allow a man she just met to take her home, but since Bobby was a police officer, she felt safe.
"Alright Bobby, you can take me home, but let me say goodbye to Stacee first."
"Alright," Bobby agreed.
He waited patiently for Mary as she slipped into the kitchen to say her goodbyes. Mary hadn't wanted to go into details yet, so she was glad when Stacee waved her off, too busy to chat. Mary returned to Bobby's side and they walked towards the door, which he politely held open for her. She expected he would hail a cab, which was customary for those in the city, but instead he suggested they walk home. Mary was taken by surprise, but agreed.
"It's such a beautiful evening so I thought the fresh air would do us some good," Bobby said. The truth was, he wanted to make absolutely certain Mary and her friends would be safe that evening and he felt patrolling the street on foot was his best option.
"Are you always this solicitious of strange women you meet in bars or are you just walking me home out of a sense of duty, detective?"
"I do want to ensure your safety, Mary," Bobby admitted. "I protect and serve the public all day, so it's difficult to shut that off just because I'm off the clock. And for the record, I don't think you're strange...yet. You aren't a lifelong resident of the city, so there's a good chance you are immune to the quirks that inhibit the occupants of the city that never sleeps."
"How did your voodoo magical profiling powers deduce I haven't lived in the city my entire life?" Mary asked.
"You are a practical woman, so I know you see the merits of profiling and are just calling it "voodoo" to mess with me," Bobby began. "when you're not screaming at your cousin's estranged husband, you have a quietness, a softness, about you. I know you love the city, but you still grapple with the sheer volumn of people and crave your own space. You were raised in the suburbs, weren't you?"
"Yes. I was six when Dad and I moved to Scarsdale. I was born in North Carolina, but Dad and I moved to Washington soon after. After spending a year in Kentucky, we lived in Colorado for three years before moving to New York."
"Your father was a Green Beret?" Bobby said, rather than asked. There were five Green Beret groups throughout the word and they were stationed in North Carolina, Washington, Kentucky, and Colorado.
"Yes. He joined the army after high school and after he completed his college education he decided to train for the Green Berets. He was an Intelligence and Operations Sergeant and then a Warrent Officer. When he retired, however, he had reached the rank of brigadier general. Terra's dad was a brigadier general as well, so that's how our families became so close. In fact, Terra's mom Linda would look after me when he and Uncle Mark were stationed oversees."
"Do you live around here?" she asked, wanting to talk about something other than herself.
"I live in Brooklyn," Bobby replied.
It was at that moment that they arrived at Mary's apartment building. It was a large, impressive sight that Bobby quietly took in as they walked up to the door. Given the fact that they were on Upper East Side, he was surprised there wasn't a doorman waiting to let them in. He stood beside her, watching their surroundings as Mary unlocked the door and they walked inside.
"Your building doesn't have a doorman?" Bobby asked as they walked the two flights of stairs to her apartment.
"We do, but he's only here until eight o'clock. After that residents let themselves in with keys or have rooommates buzz them in."
"I see," Bobby said, frowning thoughtfully.
"Well, thank you for walking me home, detective. I can rest easy tonight knowing there are law enforcement offers like you keeping our streets safe."
"It was my pleasure, Mary," he replied. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it, presenting Mary with his business card.
"If you have anymore run ins with your wayward, estranged cousin-in-law, please don't hesitate to give me a call," he said.
"I will do that. Thank you," Mary said.
After wishing each other a safe and pleasant evening, Mary opened her door and stepped inside her apartment, all under Bobby's watchful gaze. Once he was assured of her safety, he turned around and exited the building, beginning his journey back to his car so he too could go home for the evening.