He had been quite bemused that she had offered him a ticket in the first place, she and Miller had ganged up on him and at first he had been dead set against going but they had been right, if he was going to be here for a while, he may as well settle in although settling in meant he had accepted the fate he had been handed, or was it punishment for what had happened? Being sent to a small town after being on a big city force seemed like punishment but that was what you got for taking the rap on something you didn't do.
As Rose hung onto his neck though, it didn't seem too bad. She was wearing an amazing dress that complimented her figure and her perfume was quite alluring and she was paying a lot of attention to him. He looked down at her every now and then, when he wasn't looking at everybody looking at them. She knew how to get attention herself. He knew very little about Peter Tyler but knew this woman couldn't possibly be interested in him, a police detective when she could have anyone in her own class of society.
He had not been happy about the lecture from Miller but knew enough about his new DS to know she meant business. Even up until an hour ago he hadn't been sure whether to turn up but Rose Tyler had impressed him the other day and he did feel a tiny bit sorry for her if she didn't have a date.
After the second dance, they made their way off the floor, he could see this Nigel skulking in a corner, watching them as they walked past where Miller was sitting, calling after her friend, inviting her to sit with them but she declined and still holding onto his hand, they made their way to a table at the back that had just two chairs and he asked what she wanted to drink. She said she wanted a white wine spritzer so joining the queue at the bar, he had one eye on where she was sitting and the other on the crowd of people in the room, making sure this Nigel came nowhere near her or he wouldn't be doing his job of warding him off. He was just about to be served when he saw the other man near their table, Rose was looking in her purse for something, probably trying to ignore the approaching man and he just hoped he would get back there to avert Rose having to fend him off again.
Paying for the drinks, he was just in time to see Nigel about to sit opposite Rose but on his approach, the other man did a u-turn away and just looked blankly at him, a goofy grin on his face. Rose didn't seem bothered, she was probably relying on him to rescue her again which he would gladly do if it got him another kiss on the cheek or maybe she would get even more grateful later on after a few more drinks. He was only drinking non-alcoholic beer, doctor's orders until he was completely recovered but he could have the odd whiskey if he felt the urge but since he was driving and he might get lucky and take her home afterwards, he needed a clear head. He would buy her drinks all night though if she wanted, what were the chances of meeting her, here in Broadchurch? He would have to keep in mind whose stepdaughter she was to avoid the wrath of Peter Tyler if he chased her and then broke her heart and even hiding here wouldn't get him off the hook.
He put the drinks down and Rose said, "Thanks Alec and thanks for earlier and just now. Honestly, he doesn't know when to quit. So, you know who I am, what about you? Tell me about yourself. How did you end up here?"
So he told her the circumstances that had brought him to the town, omitting certain parts he didn't want anyone to overhear. Rose wanted to dance again, he hoped he could keep up the pace. This one was a bit faster and he was grateful he'd gone for the operation otherwise she would be picking him up off the floor. It was the operation or be invalided out on a pension and be bored out of his skull and maybe have six months to a year to live and he'd lost enough after his messy and painful divorce and wasn't about to fully give in. When he'd gone in for it, he wouldn't have known about if he didn't come out but something had made him survive and maybe now it was all worthwhile to be here, dancing with the Vitex heiress.
She was clinging onto him again, another slow song, a Diana Ross song, Rose was leaning on his shoulder as he put an arm around her and she moved closer. A younger man in his twenties, carrying a camera came up and asked them if he could take their photo. Rose said he could take one of her but didn't want Alec to be in it, she explained the young man was from the local paper and she didn't want his name associated with hers, it would put undue pressure on him so Alec agreed and stepped back, then they resumed dancing. She was right, if this didn't work out, it would get messy.
Another drink later they were back dancing again, considering he hadn't wanted to dance in the first place they had hardly been off the floor all night. He tried to get her to sit down and have another drink but she wanted to keep dancing. He asked if she was driving home.
"No, I got a taxi here. Why, are you offering to take me home? If you are, the answer is yes but you don't have to get me drunk to ask me if you can give me a ride home. You are a Policeman after all."
She took another sip of her drink, very sexily he thought.
That wasn't the only thing going through his mind, taking her home and being invited inside amongst them and maybe some snogging, what exactly was snogging? He had never indulged in snogging, heavy kissing and petting yes but snogging? Maybe Rose could teach him but heavy petting was definitely up there at the top of the list, after learning to snog and maybe some tonguing.
"How about one more dance Alec, then you can take me home, it will be all finishing soon anyway and you won't get your car out," she said, finishing her drink and licking her tongue around her lips.
He couldn't help but stare at her. "I parked the car somewhere I can get out, I've got a police sign in it" he said smuggly.
Rose smiled, got up and grabbed his hand and dragged him back for a last dance or 'the last waltz' more like as they danced cheek to cheek. Alec had enjoyed this more than he could have imagined and if he got to take her home, he could make his move on her, better her than the local hotel owner where he was staying who had been trying to chat him up. Rose Tyler was indeed classy, a notch up from hotel owners, well several notches up really.
Little did either of them know that the local reporter had ignored Rose's remark about keeping the detective out of the picture when he had seen them dance closely and when Alec's hand was almost on her bottom had taken a photo of the two of them as Alec's other hand was on her back and he looked like he was just about to kiss her as they looked at each other.