Home team 1 visitors 0

            He spotted her in the hotel bar; she was at once serious yet wistful as she looked into her drink. A smile played at her lips as she swirled the bourbon in her glass, at least he thought it was bourbon. He watched her for awhile as he sat in his secluded nook opposite her, a good view of the bar. He would have bet the house that she was in law enforcement by her demeanor. This was just too bad for the four suits who sat at the bar behind her deciding who would get to hit on her first.

            The first suit came up; he wore a spotted yellow “power” tie with his blue attire. He watched her tell him, politely, that she wasn’t interested. To his credit he was quite good looking with wavy blonde hair and a dimple in his chin. The suit turned and strode back to the bar signaling for the bartender. She sipped her drink, her lips cupping the glass as the brown liquid flowed between them. He noticed that her dark lipstick matched her drink

            The suit returned with a drink in each hand to try again. He leaned close around her back and sat the mixed drink in front of her. She took one look at it and informed him that she didn’t want a silly drink with an umbrella and a guy in it. He clearly didn’t get the joke or the insult for that matter but shuffled his feet at her clear rejection of him. He slunk back to his friends, drinks in hand. They clapped him on the shoulder and congratulated him on his dismal failure.

            The woman returned to her contemplation and her drink. She looked out of the window into the cold city night, the snow covering the building and sidewalks. The streets were all but deserted at this time of the night; it made the scene all that more lonely. She absently brushed her hand at a lock of hair that had come loose from the tight bun she had it pulled back in. Her hair was dark chocolate brown almost black, the loose strand curled a bit as if too say that she liked to be all business until she let her hair down. The smooth color of her dark skin said she probably was Latina like a creamy coffee or latte.

            She spotted his stare in the reflection of the window. Her right eyebrow rose in a Vulcan salute at him as she turned her amber eyes to look into his. The breath caught in his throat as he took on the full impact of her attention. He smiled slyly and held up a napkin mark home team two, visitors zero. Her puzzlement deepened until he pointed his finger slightly to her left. She frowned and then her eyes rolled in exasperation as she realized who he was pointing at.

            This guy was better dressed in a professional Armani style suit, bark grey with an electric blue paisley. He put his hand on her shoulder leaning down and whispered something in her ear. A look of revulsion painted itself on her face and she removed his hand like he bore the plague. She looked up at him and said no.

            “You never know you might like it.” The Armani guy leered.

            She politely told him to go to hell in so many words. He looked as if she had stood up and slapped him across the face. He turned around and walked back to his friends like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. She watched him go, turned back to a drink and almost choked as she saw the updated score. She laughed and her white teeth sparkled in her mouth as she grabbed a napkin to dry her mouth.

            Round four started as the third Suit stood up in his somewhat rumpled attire, very relaxed with a thin black tie and cyan colored jacket and strolled over. She was about to say something when Mr. Smooth stepped in front of her and apologized for the behavior of his friend. He introduced himself and shook her hand and then sat down next to her. She said something quietly and he leaned in as if the words were an invitation to a kiss. Her left hand balled into a fist revealing why the men were so eager to hit on her, no rings.

            Finally as he continued to talk and push towards her, she held up her hand giving him a gentle but steady push back into his own chair. He stared at her in disbelief as she told him goodbye and waved with her right. The guy started to say something but she shushed him with her left index finger. He stood up and trudged back downfallen.

            When she looked back across at him she gave a small celebratory punch at the new napkin sign. Home team 3, visitors zip. She looked down at her drink for awhile and then making a decision bent to pick up her purse. When she came back up the fourth suit had arrived for round four.

            He sat down opposite her handing her a fresh glass of bourbon. He was infinitely casual and smooth; he began with some gestures at his pals who in turn raised their own cups to her. She smiled and nodded then turning back to him knocked her empty glass off the table. As suitor four reached down to get it, she looked straight over and mouthed “help” before he could straighten.

            The moment of truth had come, he left his nook, grabbed his book bag, jogged over to her table and into battle.

            “Sorry I am so late, Detective” he said arriving at her table as if he had just run all the way there. He silently hoped that the suits had not seen him. ”The crime lab guys took their own sweet time with it-as usual.”

            “Well, it’s about time.” She said with mock anger and getting the frustration into her voice.

            “I hope I am not interrupting anything Detective?” He said looking down at the surprised man sitting opposite her.

            “Ted was just going, weren’t you Ted?” She said pulling out the chair next to her. Her shoulders relaxed as she fell into the drama.

            “Todd, its Todd.” The guy said almost squirming, throwing him a glance as he sat down.

            “You don’t mind if I interrupt then Ted?” taking his cue about Todd’s name from her. “This will just take a few minutes then you two can get back to your drink and talk. He gave Todd a wide smile, as he fumbled with the zipper on his bag. She made a slashing sign with her hand but had to cover it as Todd looked back at her in bewilderment.”

            “Ok I guess I can wait a bit.” his confidence flooding back into his voice while she shot them both a look of anger.

            “Detective, I have the crime scene photos you requested here.” He said turning back to her and winked. “I am sorry about the blood stains on them; Delaney had a bleeder in the morgue. Blood went everywhere, including on the table where I was comparing them with Office Douglas.”

            “Blood?” Todd said nervously, no make that peevishly, the color drained from his face.

            “Yeah,” he said nodding as he reached into his bag, pulling a stack of paper out. “A real bleeder, massively obese- the pictures will explain it better.”

            “I- ugh- got to go.” Todd stumbled to his feet. “Oh God, I think- I am going to be- sorry.”

Todd ran past his friends and out of the bar. She looked at him as if for the first time, reevaluating him. His friends laughed after Todd, and then they all got up as if to come over and find out what the joke was about.

            “A floater.” She said loudly. “How many days was he in the river?”

            “At least six, he was so bloated that we had a hard time identifying his sex.”

            The trio stopped dead, drinks in hand, stunned expressions.

            “It was bloated so bad that the body popped when McCourt fished him out of the river and onto the dock.”

            “Popped?” She asked trying very hard to keep a straight face.

            “That’s how Owen described it afterward. Guts went flying everywhere, McCourt was screaming, covered in most of it and the coroner fainted face first into the mess.”

            The trio of guys backed away slowly until Armani made a dash for the men’s room followed by the two others. She burst out laughing and gave him a high five. She continued until tears rolled down her face. He laughed at her laughter.

            “That was amazing.” She said when she could speak again.

            “Thanks, but you’re still ahead in points of rejection.”

            “How did you know?”

            “That you are a cop?”

            “I am, or rather I was.” She said rolling her glass around in her hand. “I just became a US Marshal.”

            “An educated guess, and you just look like a cop-” Her eyebrows rose slowly “or rather there is this air that says to me- I am the Law in these here streets, pal.”

            “Really? Wow that’s better than the other compliments I have gotten tonight.”

            “Gee, thanks, I figured I was toast when you caught me looking at you earlier.”

            She laughed again.

            “No, I only burn white bread when it comes spread with cheesy pick up lines.”

            Her eyes sparkled.

            “Now that was a great comeback, I will need to write that down.”

            She blushed as he said it, she looked down at her drink and then back into his eyes. He could get lost in those eyes. She sat back in her chair, and looked him up and down as if to decide if she would eat him or just take him home. Then as if a thought had just occurred to her; she leaned forward until they were face to face.

            “That was quite a little con you just pulled. How did you come up with it so quickly?”

            “You could say that I just wrote it.”

            “You wrote it?”

            “With your help, of course.” He answered, feeling the wisps of her breath on his nose.

            “Of course.” She said enjoying the intimacy. “So you’re writing a book. That is so cool.”

            He was sure they were about to kiss.

            “Will I be in it?” She said her eyes closing slightly.

            “Why you are the book.” He said as he kissed her.