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Kendra's Knees Buckle

By: egmontgrigor2010



CHAPTER 1

Riding on the 8:17 into London, Jo Hart watched the broad shouldered blond guy approach down the aisle and resumed painting her finger nails, timing the brush strokes with the sway of the carriage.

The guy stopped, picked up her handbag that lay beside her on the outside seat and tossed it on to the floor beside her feet and sat down.

"Hey what are you doing? That's my handbag."

"Young lady I paid for a ticket to ride this train seated. Did you buy a full fare ticket to ride your handbag on that seat?"

"Of course not."

"Then stop your bitching."

Jo was furious but suspecting it was a confrontation she was unlikely to win, she attempted to shrink away from him and continued with her nails.

Now the asshole was watching what she was doing.

"Stop watching?"

He made no reply and kept on watching.

She was livid.

The guard came through and Jo called, "This rude man is staring at me doing my nails."

"Sir please be polite to this young lady."

"She'd not lady. Move her to another seat will you."

"How dare you," Jo flared.

"Which of you was seated first?" asked the guard diplomatically.

Jo said with a superior air, "I was."

The guy lied and said was seated first and when she arrived the pushy girl had demanded the window seat.

"You two sort it out will you?" said the guard and walked off, checking his watch.

Jo gave the insufferable guy a withering look and he winked at her.

He winked. She couldn't believe it.

She put away her nail varnish and they both sat staring straight ahead for the remainder of the journey to her stop at Bethnal Green Station.

The guy followed her out of the carriage but so did probably thirty other people.

Jo hurried off, not looking back. She turned sharp left on exiting the station and was \confronted by an unshaven guy with strong body odor. He grabbed her handbag.

She hung on to the dislodged shoulder strap with all her strength.

The guy grunted, "Let go or I'll punch out your lights."

"Go to hell."

Someone brushed past Jo and smacked the asshole with an almighty punch over the heart and the hoodlum drooped like a stone and lay groaning.

Her white knight grabbed Jo by the arm and waved down a taxi and said, "Come on unless you wish to be talking to cops for the next hour giving your lying statement."

"You?" she yelled.

The guy opened the back door of the taxi, pushed her in hard and followed her in and kissed her.

"That's assault," she yelled.

"My daughter is having her monthly," the guy said, using the tone guys use to guys when putting down women. "Tell the driver where you wish to go darling."

Jo gave the name of her destination without thinking and then swore.

"Yeah my missus swears too but usually only when she's on heat," said the driver.

Jo snorted through her nose to indicate repulsion.

Her savior handed five pounds to the driver and pulled Jo out of the taxi.

"Well I suppose I should say thank you?"

He blue-eyed her and smiled and said he supposed so.

"That was wonderful what you did for me. Thank you. Would you like coffee?"

"Please."

She said she worked nearby. They crossed the street to Lucy's joint she called a café. Well perhaps it could pass for a café. 

"Two coffees Jo?" asked the jaded woman behind the bar and Jo grunted and paid. She walked to a window table ahead of the guy who obviously had been staring at the backs of her legs because he said great legs.

"Thank you Lucy. When seated she said, I'm Jo Hart and you are?"

"It's of no consequence to you but I would like to see if you really can smile. You have been so bitchy this morning."

Jo gave up on the idea of trying to kick ass and smiled.

"That's better and you'll feel better."

Surprisingly, she did feel better.

"Would you accept a reward for dealing with that would-be thief and thereby saving the loss of my cash, my business cards, my keys and especially my Little Black Book that is so import to me?"

"No."

"Oh I wonder why I'm not surprised. Then will you meet me for lunch?"

"No for dinner and I'd like you to cook for me."

"When," she asked nervously.

"Whenever you feel like unbending. You are so uptight."

She flared. "Well you'd be uptight if your boyfriend had just dumped you."

"Excuse me but I don't have boyfriends of the intimate kind."

She couldn't help it. She giggled.

And that made her feel even better.

"I live in Fenton and share a flat with another female. I couldn't bring you into our home without knowing who you are and knowing something about you."

"I live in Aston Meadows."

"Oh one station closer to the city and that's a swanky place."

"But there are no meadows because of bloody urban sprawl. Still it's better than where I used to live abroad."

"Where?"

"Here and there."

"Oh in the business capitals of the world?"

"Actually I was with the Army."

"Oh."

He frowned and she shut her mouth thinking perhaps that surprised oh was taken as an insult.

"I'm nineteen."

"I'm forty."

"Oh same age as my... um... my flatmate."

He looked bemused and asked had she forgotten her flatmate's name and she said no of course not.

She said pointedly, "You know my name."

"I'm Mac McLaughlin."

Jo thought it was like extracting water from stone but slowly she was getting somewhere.

"What is your role in the Army?"

"I'm ex-Army. I was instructed to shoot naughty people before they shot us. It's called peacekeeping."

She lowered her head and grinned as the coffee came, quite a bit slopped on the saucers.

"Thanks Meg."

"We don't usually deliver to tables but mom told me to do it because you were with a gentleman."

"He's no... um he used to shoot people."

"Holy shit."

Jo said kindly, "Thanks Meg."

Mac looked at Jo closely.

"You are both defensively and aggressively developed for such a young person."

She flared and asked what the hell did that mean and was told precisely what he'd said.

"Are you attempting to come on to me?"

He said no, that he'd be too big for her.

"That's so fucking vulgar," she snorted and was told he'd meant in body weight and she began giggling and apologized for being so rude to him after having misinterpreted what he'd been trying to say.

"That's fine and your mistake is understandable. I should have said when making the comment I would be too heavy for you. Do you fuck indiscriminately?"

Jo dumped two sugars into her coffee and stirred and then said defiantly, "Yes."

"See what I mean about being defensive? You ought to have said yes in a normal tone."

"I responded like that because you were prying."

He was blue-eyeing her again, his eyes crinkling in the corners to show the birth of a smile.

"Is that so? I bet the egg from my pet rooster to your ten pounds that you are beside yourself wanting to know what I do for a job in civilian life and am I married with kids and how much money I have?"

"Roosters don't lay eggs."

"Yeah well there's no way you'd give me a tenner in losing that bet."

"I had wondered if you were married."

"There's no way I'd marry you, a 21-year old."

"I'm almost twenty."

He appeared ready to duck under thrown coffee and asked, "Are you a prostitute?"

Jo sniffed and said no, an entertainer.

"Please explain the difference."

"I work for an agency across the street. Bored businessmen phone in for a girl to go to their office to pull them out of their Blues and that usually means wifey is not giving it to them. So I go in, he locks the office door and I offer to jerk him off, or to sing or dance or to blow him off. The jerk costs him fifty pounds, a sing and dance twenty-five and the blow job is seventy-five."

"Ah but why is the sing and dance the cheapest when technically both arts require greater skill than the jerk and blow?"

"Because I can't sing and dance very well but I do the partial strip okay."

He grinned.

"The blowjob costs more because most guys have a smelly crotch."

Mac rolled his eyes and Jo say sorry but it was the truth.

"Do you have a good telephone technique and can you write legibly?"

"Does that mean write good enough so people can read what I write?"

"Yes."

She replied yes.

"Our business is picking up. We need an office assistant because we are losing business by relying on an answer phone when we have our mobile phones switched off when with clients or whatever."

"I could be interested. Blowjobs or jerk-offs would cost you guys."

"What if I were to say my partner is a woman?"

"They still liked to be blown or jerked off."

Mac looked quite astonished and made Jo smile when he said he didn't know that.

"Mrs Francis is an ex-cop who worked for years in the fraud squad and her husband is our forensic scientist. She and I have half share in Sapphire Private Investigations."

"I bet she named the business."

"Correct. I bought into the company when she advertised for a partner. We only work for Government agencies, companies and other business enterprises hit by asset striping, cyber fraud, espionage and sabotage. She'd lifted business volume after being inducted into a Rotary Club and made wonderful contacts."

Jo asked what did Rotary Clubs do and nodded hesitantly when Mac smiled and said rotate.

She fiddled with her coffee cup and asked why should she work for him.

"My guess is because you don't have advanced educational qualifications you haven't be able to find a proper job and you lie to your mom you work in an office."

"How the hell do you know that? Has my mom been talking to you and has my agent dubbed me in to you?"

Mac pulled the cup and saucer away from her before she wore the glaze off the cup.

"Now is it likely I know both your mom and your agent?"

"Not at all likely but I had nothing else to go on. It's impossible for you to be that smart."

He sighed and said, "The dumber you think you are the dumber you get."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"I prefer you to answer my question, would you like a real job?"

"I might."

He grinned and continued patiently. "Mr Francis could probably subsidize your wages if you jerked him off each lunchtime."

Jo smiled and said actually he was quite funny.

Mac said seriously, "On that occasion I wasn't being funny. My partners Mrs Francis had a boyfriend who leaves her practically legless."

"You?"

"Jesus Jo, give me a break. Mrs Francis is sixty-six."

"Are women still interested in sex at that age?"

Mac smiled and said he had the impression Mrs Francis thought she was and Jo said he really did have a great sense of humor, even when serious.

That evening Mac went by cab to the address Jo had given him. She answered the doorbell dressed in very little and with her hair combed and looked quite pretty. So when he handed her the two bottles of wine and she stood with her hands full Mac kiss her and squeezed a tit.

"Are you interesting in getting it from me?" she asked in surprise.

"No, you just enchanted me by looking rather sweet and girlish tonight, that's all."

She nodded and said she would come and work for Sapphire but he wasn't to say anything about that to her mom.

"I'm unlikely to meet your mom.," he said and she just sniffed.

Mac handed Jo his handkerchief and she sniffed, giggled and said she didn't have a cold. She just sniffed when nervous.

He decided not to ask what was making her nervous, thinking that most likely would intensify her nervousness.

They entered the living room just as a woman around Mac's age came from the kitchen. She was rather beautiful and had stunning knockers and that was something Mac never over-looked, being focused by his fetish.

"Mac McLaughlin this is my flktxmtmat."

That last word was indecipherable.

The woman smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Kendra Hart, Jo's mother.

Mac's jaw dropped and Jo darted off to the kitchen.

"Hi Mac. If you don't mind me saying so, don't you think you are rather old for Jo?"

"It's not like that. We have sat together on the train and I stopped a guy from attempting to snatch her handbag outside the railway station this morning when we arrived in the city. I think she invited me to dinner to thank me."

"Omigod a bag-snatcher. I'm so glad you intervened. What did you do?"

"I stopped him."

"But those guys are evil, determined and very quick."

"I was trained to immobilize scum but please don't dwell on that. These things happen. You have wonderful breasts."

"What?"

"You have a wonderful breadth of er understanding about the little problems that worry us in the big city environment that can, er, only get better with increased policing."

"Oh for a moment.... well yes, you are so right."

Kendra called, "Jo please come out and be with our guest."

Joe arrived with an opened bottle of wine and three glasses, looking ready to be pilloried but in fact nothing was said.

The threesome drank, had dinner and drank more wine and then had dessert and liqueurs. 

They sat of a sofa together and Kendra said, "Coffee Jo."

Jo giggled drunkenly and said what's coffee?

They giggled and even Mac in his melancholic mood thought that was funny.

He opened his arms and the two females giggled and fell against him and he thought that was very okay until Jo unzipped him.

Jesus.

Mac jumped to his feet, smiled and said he must go.

"This, this is so s-sudden," Kendra said huskily, drawing a hand across a breast softly.

Mac thought she was ripe for shafting but not in front of her daughter.

"I must go," he smiled warmly. "It was a lovely evening, great fare and company and I so very much enjoyed meeting you."

"Me," Kendra said looked quite bewildered. And then sounding a little softer said, "But no one is interested in me, a divorced woman."

Mac had news for her but decided now wasn't the time to deliver it.

"Bye," Jo said, kissing him. "I'm glad you have seen where I live. I'll see you on the 8:17 in the morning."

"Bye," Kendra said, standing and swaying a little. "It was lovely having you visit."

"I loved it," Mac said, staring at them and hoping she'd notice.

"Take care," Kendra said and stepped behind her daughter.

Mac was very happy. 

Kendra's face had turned fire engine red.

She knew!

Jo greeted him warmly on the train next morning.

"That was a great night. This morning mom couldn't stop talking about you."

"What about her suspecting I have been doing more with you than riding beside you to work."

"No she mentioned she'd accepted your assurance you hadn't touched me. God mothers can be so embarrassing when they go overboard with parental concern. Actually she said you were sexy and had eyed her up."

"Eyed her up? What the hell does that mean?"

Jo giggled and said, "You tell me. I bet she'd be a really good poke."

"Jo," Mac said aghast. "You can't talk about your mom like that."

She said that she'd just had done so and they laughed.

"Well buddy," Jo sniffed. "It's over to you. She's all hot, waiting for it."

Mac quenched the urged to retort that Jo didn't know what she was talking about but he didn't believe she was way off beam.

He sniffed.

Mac called his partner about having found a possible office assistant. He turned to Jo and, placing his hand over the phone microphone, said Mrs Francis could see her this morning.

"Fine. I have only a guy booked in for a jerk at 9:30. I could be with her by 10:30.

The interview was arranged. Jo wrote something on the back of a receipt and handed it to Mac. "Here's my mom's school office number. Phone her."

He looked at her. "I can't."

"Just say you are calling to thank her for last night's hospitality."

"Oh yeah."

"And if she's wanting you between her legs she'll suggest something."

"Like what?"

"Christ Mac, I have no idea. It's mom who's out to have sex with you, not me."

Mac cringed and sniffed.

They parted outside the station, kissing, and a little over an hour later while on the phone Mac saw Jo enter the office. He waved but she didn't see him and one of the investigators questioned Jo at the counter and took her to Pam Francis.

Jo got the job and was introduced to the three other ex-police women and Mrs Francis' husband Jack who was collecting empty teacups.

Jo then came over to Jack and said thanks, that Mrs Francis had said she'd been told Jo didn't have a work record because she'd only just dropped out of university and her bag had been snatched and her academic records and CV were in the bag.

Mac grinned and Jo smiled, "God you are a liar."

Mac scratched his neck said it was more important that she got the job.

Jo said Mrs Francis had sighed and said it really did not require post high school education to answer telephone calls and if Jo ever lied again about having her bag snatched she'd be dismissed for lack of integrity.

"How the hell did she know it was a lie my documents were in my bag that was snatched?"

"Mrs Francis served forty years as a frontline policewoman. She can sniff a liar at forty passes and probably knows your bra size, when your panties were last washed and that you specialize in sucking cock."

"Omigod then why did she hire me?"

"Because I told her if she didn't I'd tell Jack the identity of her boyfriend."

"Who's Jack?"

"This guy who's bringing in fresh tea, her husband."

"But you said her husband was a forensic scientist?"

"He is and we're a flexible team around here. My chief job is breaking and entering to gather evidence and squeezing confessions out of lying suspects. I also empty trash cans and I clean the office windows but thank god Jack cleans the urinal."

"I-I cannot believe this. The name Sapphire screams out that it's a sophisticated private investigation business with the tight team of highly trained professionals."

"Have you been reading our Yellow Page ad?"

"No."

"Well our ads say something like that. But can't you understand we have to cut costs while building the business and so someone has to clean the toilets, the windows and take their turn one night a week sweeping and dusting the office? We all have chipped in part of our salaries so that Pam could not only employ you but pay you."

"God I had no idea that's how business operates."

"Jo this is England," Mac said proudly.

He then said it was approaching lunchtime. "Sweetie go on to the streets around here and watch what young women coming out of offices are wearing. They will be wearing a range of clothes and you should dress roughly like them. I suggest that wearing that little black skirt short enough to expose your stocking tops when you are walking and a T-shirt with the words 'I Suck' emblazoned on the front would have confirmed to Mrs Francis that you are indeed dedicated to cock-sucking and I know she will have expected me to have a quite word with you and I'm doing that right now."

"Omigod, thank you for your advice Mac. I hadn't really given a thought as to how I should fit in with the office scene in Whitechapel."

"It won't take much adjustment and being young it will be acceptable for you to show plenty of covered leg but of course not the bottom of your arse."

"Right. Well I'll see you tomorrow. A kiss please."

Mac kissed her and squeezed a tit to give the watching ex-cops the urgent to arrest him.

"Bye Jo."

"Bye Wendy," Jo said in surprise.

"Bye Jo."

"Bye Margaret."

"Bye Jo."

"See you in the morning Lydia."

"Yes dear. I suggest you dress with a less tartish look now you'll be working here. This place is not a brothel."

"All taken care of Lydia. Mac is already anxious to get me out of these clothes."

She smiled and winked at Mac and left, aware the three ex-cops were now narrowly eyeing Mac, their mouths tightening.

Jo arrived home and walked into the bathroom with a gin and tonic with a slice of floating lemon for her mom who was in the bath. Jo eyed the beautiful breasts and her mouth watered and she wished her mom would not push her away whenever she moved to suck them.


Kendra's Knees Buckle



"Hi darling. How did drudgery in the soup kitchen go today?"

"I worked in a bookshop wrapping and dispatching orders," Jo lied but I resigned today. "I'm going to work with Mac."

"Is that wise darling? Your cute and charming man is not the urbane suburban bloke he makes out to be."

"What are you talking about?"

Kendra told Jo to go look on her bed.

"I did a web search today and oh hello. His name as Macville McLaughlin and he was convicted and fined £275 pounds for breaking Lord Mellow's jaw when Lord Mellow pulled down the front of his wife's gown at a cocktail party in front of Mac and other people."

"Oooh my hero."

"One of our scumbag newspapers pointed out that our fun guy Mac had been photographed two weeks early dancing with Lady Mellow at 4 am on the lawn at St James Palace and Lady Mellow is the former porno queen Susan Lancer-Smith.

"Oooh our hero."

"Ah yes. Go read the dirt darling."

Jo read the newspaper cutting in growing shock.

Indeed Captain 'Mad Mac' McLaughlin had been a hero in several engagements in the Middle East as a tank commander and was later called home and trained to become a warfare intelligence specialist. He went on to serve in Afghanistan but after nine months was sent home in disgrace for fraternizing with the enemy, namely two voluptuous wives of a local warlord.

The photograph showed McLaughlin handing back two Distinguished Conduct medals to his commanding officer on the eve of his forced retirement from the Army. However he retained three high commendation awards for bravery and various other service medals.

Jo returned to the bathroom. 

"Mom he was just a naughty boy that's all and if the truth is known he was probably gaining important information from the enemy while using his sexual skills."

"He's just a crude seducer."

"Mom Mac is a skilled operator so there will be nothing crude about his seductions. Try him out and let me know what you think."

"I shall be staying well away from that beast."

"Mom don't be stupid. Befriend him and judge for yourself before deciding whether to accept or reject him. He's fascinated with your tits," Jo said, darting out of the bathroom.

"What, what did you say? Jo come back here this instant."

Kendra's phone went. She almost fell out of the bath stretching to grab it off the chair.

"Hello?" she puffed.

"Working out?"

"What was that?"

"Hi it's Mac. You sound to be puffing as if you're on a treadmill."

"No nothing like that."

"What a dildo?"

Kendra's mouth opened in shock and stayed open.

"That comment didn't offend you did it?"

She swallowed and thought about cutting the call but squeaked no.

"Nevertheless I do apologize. My flippancy sometimes gets me into trouble. I was calling to thank you for that wonderful evening last night. It was just like... just like being with family."

She'd caught the slight hesitation and guessed he must be lonely.

She said kindly, "It was nice having you, um I mean you being our guest. Should we go out for lunch at the weekend?"

"I'd like that. Shall we motor down to lunch with my parents on Saturday?"

"Parents? But I thought you were lonely?"

"I didn't say anything about being lonely. I have a younger brother and two sisters here in England and another sister living in New Zealand. I married twice but both women were fed up with me being posted overseas and went off with other guys who were around to give them what they wanted each night and morning."

"God morning too?"

"Yes don't all women want it morning and night?"

"Ah I didn't know... um didn't know other women were like that."

"You are very sexy Kendra."

"Me?"

"I can bring it out in you if that's what you want?"

"Bring what out?"

"Your God-given sexiness."

She clutched her throat and whimpered, "Omigod."

"Oooh," he said softly. "You sound like first-rate material."

"I-I would like a drive in the country on Saturday. Um with you."

"So that means I'm not to invite Jo?"

She said firmly "Yes. Do you think that's me being awful?"

"No."

She fluttered, "Oh."

"Kendra I'm sensitive enough to know you'd not like being seduced in front of your daughter."

"Oh of course not. So sensitive."

She heard him cut the call without saying goodbye and knew he'd done that so she'd concentrate on thinking about her last comment. 

God he was so smooth and yet so much to the point. He'd made it quite clear he intended fucking her on their first date. God where had that word come from... she never used it? Um until now. She must ask him if his disgrace with those two married women in Afghanistan had been a threesome. Well she might ask when she knew him better, er intimately.



CHAPTER 2

At 11:00 that night Mac and the youngest and fittest of the ex-cops, Margaret Wall, both dressed in black including black hoods, stood in the shadows looking across at the Bulk Storage Number 5 Building.

She said, "My inside information is the building's entrance and emergency exit and all ground floor windows are alarmed and that's it and the adjoining warehouse is fully alarmed with scanners everywhere."

"So we should be right by pulling down the fire-escape and going through an upper floor window Marg?"

She nodded and said she hoped he had long arms.

"I'll have to go back to our van to get a grappling hook. God you look sexy in black."

"Oh yeah, with breasts hanging down like mine do."

"Yummy."

"Eff off, I'm married. Aren't we supposed to be cracking a case?"

"There's a time for everything Mrs Wall."

Mac arrived back with the four-prong hook and tossed it up and on the second throw it caught and held. He pulled the attached cord and then jerked it sharply and the sprung-loaded extension second came down almost to the ground. Mac pulled the extension towards him sharply and the upper mechanism locked.

"God how do you know all this stuff?"

"I attended army counter-insurgent training sessions while you guys in the police were lectured about police regulations."

"Yeah, you probably right although we did get field training and as newly sworn trained recruits we were attached to experienced officers but at no time were we trained to break into buildings. We could go down for doing this."

"Yeah, yeah but you know that only occurs if we get caught."

Up on the fire escape Margaret suggested Mac jemmy open the door rather than attempt to smash through it.

"First things first," he said, turning the door handle and the door opened.

Margaret gaped and Mac said, "Some fucker who went out on to the landing for a smoke forgot to lock the door... probably a female.""

"You asshole," said Margaret, now unimpressed.

The police fraud squad had investigated the reported theft of a quarter of a million pounds of medical drugs from the warehouse. The loss had been discovered during an audit of the inventory. The squad had come up empty handed and the owners of the business had called in Sapphire to investigate. Margaret had gone though the two-level admin building with Pam Francis and after going through single-level warehouse and questioning supervisors they uncovered nothing of note. However Pam had a feeling the chief executive office was unnaturally uneasy and very resentful they'd been called in. So she'd asked Margaret to go back at night and take Mac with her to do the breaking in and to get her away safely if security guards entered and attempted to apprehend them. 

Using hooded torches Margaret led the way to the CEO's office.

"Pam suspects the answer lies in here but don't bother with the content of drawers and in storage files. We have to look where the fraud squad guys didn't think of looking."

"Agreed," Mac said and went into the tiny bathroom and removed the top off the cistern and checked that carefully without knowing what he was looking for, but knew it would be something hidden, something out of place.

He found nothing.

Mac checked the walls, floor and ceiling but found no sign of trapdoors. He went out and helped Margaret pull back the loose carpet but found nothing but dust and bodies of long-dead insects.

They worked hard to get the carpet back carefully.

An hour later they were stymied, having found nothing.

Mac started at the heavy filing cabinet.

"What?"

"Why does that filing cabinet capture my attention?"

"I have no idea," Margaret yawned. "Check the drawers if you wish."

Mac did that and turned to her and grinned.

"What?"

He turned back and pulled the cabinet out from the wall and said, the bottom two drawers are only three-quarters as long as the top three."

Margaret rushed over and they stared at the screwed metal panel near the bottom of the cabinet."

"What is it?"

Mac said he had no idea but guessed it was a cache for the records of medical equipment that had been stolen and re-invoiced on orders addressed to the CEO's dummy company."

"How do you know that?"

"It's the only thing I can think of."

"Oh monkey-brain telegraphy?"

"Joke if you must," he sighed and Margaret said she'd look for a screwdriver.

"No leave it. This cabinet goes back into position. Tomorrow you talk to one of your police contacts disguising your voice and get the fraud squad back here and tell them where to look."

"But they'll know it's me?"

"They might suspect you were the informant but use a public telephone box some distance from here and then pray tell me, where will be their proof?"

"Oh clever, you're right. God Mac you ought to be working for Scotland Yard."

"No thanks, the police force is no place for me. I like the flexibility that private enterprise gives its workers."

They left the building without being detected. Mac manipulated the end of the ladder and the steel extension rolled back up into place in storage mode.

They walked back to their vehicle, removed their hoods and gloves and drove off sedately in their van marked as 'Donna John's Famous Meat Pies' that also incorporated an equally fictitious phone number and address.

"You are awesome, very awesome Mac."

"And these tits are awesome," Mac said. 

Margaret allowed him a 4-second grope and then smacked his hand away and said to eff off.

Mac was a little disappointed. All he was doing was trying to show the 48-year old he liked working with her and that she was still marginally sexually attractive because he thought that would boost her self-confidence.

He sighed and though there was no helping some women.

Mac arrived home and found a telephone message from Kendra. He called her in the morning.

"Oh hi," she yawned.

"Hi. Um I've been thinking about going south on Saturday?"

"Oh yes," Kendra said carefully.

Mac jumped in. "I don't know what you think but I think it's a little unfair not asking Jo if she'd like to accompany us."

"Oh that's what I was calling you to discuss."

He said, "I'd feel guilty..."

Kendra said, "Jo is all I have since my husband left me and then divorced me. She has been such fantastic company and support for me."

"I'll invite her this morning on the train."

"Oh thank you darling... ooops, I mean Mac."

He pretended he'd not heard that. "We'll have a lovely time I'm sure."

Kendra said she was absolutely confident about that.

* * *

On Saturday Jo looked out of the window and called to her mom, "He's here."'

She looked again and gasped, "Omigod, we're going in a classic car, an Aston Martin DB5 from the 1960s."

"What's that?"

"Mom prepared to be seduced by a car. I've only come close to a couple before at car shows and now we ride in one."

"A car is a car darling. All one requires is comfortable seats in a reliable vehicle and the driver to drive safely."

Jo sighed.

Jo opened the front door and kissed Mac and said, "Nice wheels."

He smiled and then frowned.

"What?"

He said carefully, "Um my parents."

"What about them?"

"They are conservative country people. Perhaps a longer skirt and buttoning over at least two thirds of your boobs?"

"Oh Jesus. Okay. Mom Mac is waiting for his grope."

Kendra came out looking slightly apprehensive. 

"You didn't believe what she just called out did you?"

"Nope and I've sent her away to dress more conservatively."

"Thank goodness. I told her we were going south which wasn't London but she said well they'd better be prepared for reality."

"Perhaps one day she will settle down, like in ten years."

Kendra giggled.

Mac swung her into his arms and kissed her sweetly.

Her legs buckled and she had to hold on for support.

"Jo called out you had a wonderful car."

"Oh it's all right."

"She made out as if it were the Royal Coach, calling it classic."

"Well yeah."

Kendra smiled and said she didn't know much about cars and Mac smiled and said he'd rather gathered that.

Jo came back, more formerly dressed, but looked pissed off.

"Jesus you almost look as good as your mother."

The youngster actually blushed and looked at him and said, "Well yeah."

"Right we are an hour-plus south-east of here from the Surrey Hills where my folk have a 145-acre farm of pastures and woodlands. They have horses and there are many riding trails in the region."

The two females looked a little scared.

"Um some of the horses are small and some are so quiet they don't really want to move."

The females smiled approvingly.

"Oooh, this seat is wonderfully comfortable," Kendra said while Jo said it was a bit tight in the back.

Mac explained, "It's a two-plus-two Jo."

"I know. No need to apologize. Ram your foot down and off we go."

They skirted the country town of Guilford because Mac knew everything would be slowed to a crawl on Saturday morning and finally they entered a forest and came out and they saw the huge modern home, probably no more than thirty years old, ahead of them. Many of the substantial farmhouses they'd seen looked 150 years or more old.

Mac's two much younger sisters who still lived at home came out with their parents to meet them.

Everyone and the two dogs were friendly and Mrs McLaughlin led the way into the 10,000 sq ft home that had a detached large glass-roofed indoor swimming pool behind it.

"Oooh this home is beautifully spacious and elegant," Kendra cooed and Mrs McLaughlin said, "Thank you Kendra. Are you attempting to marry my son?"

"That couldn't be farther from my head; I've only just met him."

"Then why has he brought you here with your daughter?"

The younger daughter Lucy said, "Mom she's great looking and has big breasts."

"Oh yes of course," Mrs McLaughlin said, as if that comment answered her query completely.

"What does that mean?" Kendra whispered to Lucy who said, "You should have seen Mac's first and second wives. They were great lookers but I think your tits are just as big but have much better shape."

Kendra was appalled.

"Do you girls live here with your boyfriends?" Joe asked, apparently having noticed no wedding rings. "This place is isolated from nosy cops. You could really do drugs big time here."

Lucy and Annabelle were the ones who now looked shocked and Kendra held back a giggle.

Mac's father Scott said to Kendra as she sat in the lounge and looked out onto fields sloping away from them into the mid-distance, "A gin and tonic my dear?"

"Um it's only 11:30."

"We drink slowly into lunch that will be served around twoish."

"Well just the one thanks."

"I only every serve a person one drink at the time."

"Oh," she giggled and the father leaned over her and whispered, "God you are attractive. Great tits."

Kendra smiled politely and thought so Mac's fetish was inherited.

"A Fallen Angel Jo?" asked Annabelle. "Dad doesn't believe in serving anything but beer, whisky or gin and tonic."

"God yeah Annabelle. Can I come out with your guys? I think your dad wishes to be alone with mom."

Mac re-entered the room with his mother and called sternly, "Dad are you harassing Kendra."

"No just mixing her a drink."

They had a great lunch and went horse riding for ten minutes before Kendra fell off after going to sleep in the saddle, having consumed three strong gins and four glasses of wine during lunch.

Scott said he'd take Kendra back and put her to bed but his wife said she better accompany him, leaving Mac and his two sisters to canter off with Jo trotting on her horse behind them yelling, "Hey wait for me."

Near eight that night as the Londoners neared Kendra's flat, Kendra was wide awake and talked about the beautiful time she'd had in the country, obviously unaware she'd been asleep most of the afternoon.

Jo diverted Mac down a nearby street and asked him to stop at a house up ahead.

"This is where my friend Bridget lives. I've arranged to stay with her and her parents become mom would like you to sleep with her tonight."

"Oh god Jo," Kendra groaned.

Mac jumped out to allow Jo to step out of the two-door vehicle. They kissed and she told him to have fun.

"Oh this is so embarrassing," Kendra said as they drove off.

"You should save your embarrassment for other things," Mac said diplomatically. "I'll fuck one of your pillows if you don't want me to fuck you."

"Omigod," Kendra shrieked in laughter.

"Is it okay if I have a shower?" she asked, when they got inside the flat.

Mac said yes of course.

She re- emerged just in a gown and said she'd make coffee. He said he'd have a shower and she said to use any towels.

He came back into the living room and said, "Nervous?"

"No, I've had time to re-gather. I've done this before as well you may have guessed. It's just that Jo can be so damn embarrassing."

"Yeah I know. Undo your gown and show me what you have."

"No you do that."

Mac was glad she sounded really back in control.

He sat on the sofa and pulled her gently over and met her halfway and they kissed.

Kendra remained passive but opened her mouth for him and their tongues tapped together. When their kissing became wetter he thought that was good. He had no idea what she thought.

They kissed uninterrupted and he felt her hand on the move and it ran down his thigh and began tracing the outline of his hidden erection. 

He dug a hand down and up over her panties and pushed two fingers into a slightly hairy and very wet cunt and she groaned and her hand rammed down the front of his pants and cupped his hairy balls.

They were away.

Oh so good.

He sucked her tongue and when she got it free she puffed, "Oh boy."

"When did you last have cock?"

"Almost four months ago. I'm really ready for this Mac. I need you to really bang me."

"Oh boy," he said, as if Christmas had just arrived.

She laughed and her hand withdrew from inside his pants and she unzipped him and then undid his belt, managing rather impressively working with only one hand; her other hand was usually pressing into his lower back but if that's what she wanted to do that was fine by him. For all he knew Kendra might be as experienced at sex as he was but he wondered when women could free up that amount of time. They always had other things to do, running a different set of priorities to a guy who had eating as number one priority and chasing after pussy as number two.

Kendra whispered perhaps it was time to go to bed.

Mac stood and pulled her to her feet and holding her out from him said clearly and unequivocally, "Those are the best pair of breasts I've ever seen."

Kendra's knees buckled but he caught her easily and asked has she been masturbating much too excessively.

Kendra was the most embarrassed she'd ever been in her life.

But that soon dissipated and she told him she loved being in a crouch in the middle of the bed in her hands and knees. "Then you come in behind me but be careful which orifice you use if you are not wearing a condom.




Kendra's Knees Buckle



Mac thought that was the best offer he'd ever received on a first date.

Mac awoke in the morning to discover she was on her side propped on an elbow staring at him.

"You looked beautiful and innocent when you are sleeping," she said.

"And when I'm awake?"

"Well I'd have to say you look more attractive than Frankenstein."

He lunged and grabbed her.

She squealed and struggled to break free and yelled she needed to have a pee first.

"Pee over me if you can't hold," he invited, as he slopped saliva on to her cunt and slowly pushed in.

When she began banging back at him she said, "You deserve the Nobel Prize for Artful Seduction, repeatedly delivering it to a girl when she really needs it. I'm at my softness for a morning fuck and feel every stroke, every caress right to my core."

"That sounds as if it's the peak of your receptiveness. Shall I attempt to impregnate you?"

"You can try but you'd be luck. I'm forty."

"It's been done before."

"Then please don't try. Put on a condom and I'll roll over. I haven't had anal for years and I guess by your robust nature anal is not unknown to you."

"No it isn't. You have a sweet ass so this could be memorable."

"Go to it lovely man."

* * *

Lovely man?

That could be questionable. Some men and women wouldn't like Mac at all because of the irreverent attitude he displayed toward women, looking and talking about their breasts as if they were his personal property for god sake and being rather too upfront and even rude with them.

The men would have little else to complain about because despite Mac being swallowed in the army all those years and living shoulder-to-shoulder mostly with men, he didn't really associate with males socially. He practically ignored men while he constantly befriended females and even kept the social relationship going with many of them even if they couldn't or wouldn't have sex with him. While some men shy away from women Mac would walk up to them, even to a bunch of them and say hi and that opener seemed to really work because in the main women weren't used to that.

Well his eccentric mother did dress him in female clothes until he was four... she'd been expecting a baby girl. As well, his mom had five younger sisters while his father had four and one brother whom Mac regarded as effeminate. The family had their suspicions about Owen because he painted and was rarely out of his painting smock and his hair was shoulder length and he associated with guys called Nigel, Felix, Kyle, Tristan, Colin, Bernie, Doris and Willy and numerous Dicks and even two Macs and that had Mac worried.

Interestingly when at primary school Mac became the center of numerous complaints from girls he'd attempted to interfere with them but never did any guy complain or is it guys don't complain? At high school the complaints from females had disappeared and the girls who wished to be interfered with knew they could always rely on finding Mac hovering near the bicycle shed or the back of the boiler house. Not many know this but during that time his nickname was Mr Reliable (for always being there) but oddly enough it was only the females who called him that.

Now in the case of Kendra Hart, a stable, sensible woman with a MEd, it might be difficult to envisage her being so taken with Mac, taken exhaustively as it happened on that first night they'd slept together no long after they'd first met.

Well first of all there was the influence of her daughter Jo who'd practically hated all men because one man, Willy Hart her father, had dumped her mother (and then divorced her) when Jo was seven to run off with his best friend Richard. And yet just the other day she'd called her mom to say she'd met this powerhouse of a man who was handsome with winning ways who had offered to get her a more secure job. Although Kendra struggled to think of a more secure job for Jo with her limited education than wrapping up books for dispatch, she'd caught the excitement in Jo's voice and then Jo had said Kendra would really like being banged by this guy.

Kendra had almost dropped in surprise. Usually Jo got all grumpy and withdrawn when she knew her mother had temporarily attached to a man. They were always married men and always are when you're divorced and looking for a new guy to jointly unfold a respectable relationship. She'd known beyond all reasonable doubt that with her daughter saying this guy was well-built, her age and was good looking to boot, it really had sounded she should bang this guy. Perhaps repeatedly. 

Kendra, who taught English literature to seniors at an exclusive girls' school, wasn't due to teach till the second period and was traveling to school just after 9:30 when Jo called from her new workplace.

"How did it go mom?"

"Great."

"I mean what's he like at banging, were you too big for him, all that kind of stuff?"

"We had a great evening Jo and it was lovely. That's all I'm prepared to say. Exactly what kind of business is this you now work with Jo?"

"Aargh mom. I wanted all the juicy bits in a blow-by-blow erotic description of mattress mayhem."

"You have never shown this interest before in fact quite the opposite."

"Hot diggity mom. This guy is so different to the usual pathetic types that attach to you. Did he go for your tits first or zero on the slippery box?"

"You read too many of those filthy paperbacks young woman. Now tell me what does the company you work for do to earn its income?"

Jo yawned sitting at the two phones on her desk. There was no switchboard. "We deal in asset striping, cyber fraud, espionage and sabotage to name some of the things as well as drink lots of tea."

"Darling I must say goodbye. I can't waste my time listening to that nonsense when I have this splitting headache."

"Bye mom," Jo sighed.

Jack the scientist came in beside Jo to deposit a fresh cup of tea. She looked up at the boss's husband and rubbed her hand down the front of his pants.

"Jack if this ever requires some attention just give me the nod.

Jack licked his lips and asked, "Do you blow dick?"

Jo's answer was to smile at Jack, her lips formed into a beautiful big 'O'.

"Is thirty pounds a blow okay Jack?"

"Gee I don't know. That's a little stiff."

"I only blow when it's stiff Jack."

He chuckled and his wife, a former policeman, came out and barked, "Jack Francis you're loitering."

Mac came in from a job just before I:00, looking a little better than he had on the train that morning. 

"Lunch?"

"Yeah but please don't ask me if I want tea. I'll want coffee."

* * *

Mac and Jo was strolling along the footpath looking for a cheap place dishing out noodles and coffee that smelt like coffee when they heard a violent bang in the jeweler's shop they were passing.

Mac raced inside and in a flying tackle brought down a masked man who'd just blasted a hole in the ceiling with his shotgun.

Jo yelled in fright, "Don't leave me" and followed him into the shop.

Another masked man came racing towards her with his shotgun and a sack. Jo ducked to avoid the gun and the gunman flipped over her back and landed on the tiled floor, winding himself.

The shop's alarm was blaring, scaring Jo even more.

Feeling the shotgun under her hand Jo picked it up, straightened and clubbed the fallen guy's head with the butt.

The shotgun went off blasting another hole in the ceiling.

"Jo!" Mac yelled, attempting to subdue the big guy wrestling him.

"I'm okay," she yelled and spotting the head of the guy grappling with Mac she whacked it with the butt of the shotgun yelling, "Take that asshole."

"Hold it Tiger, don't whack anyone else, all the bad guys are down," Mac said. "Jesus you were impressive. Who trained you?"

The business owner and his wife, as terrified witnesses, said later, "I said this at the time and I'll tell you gentlemen of the media this and it's no disrespect to Allah. I said Allah be praised and Mr Mac said no Rashid, her name is Jo."

The media cracked up at that.

Mac called Pam when the two villains were being taken off by the police and said they'd witnessed an attempted robbery and had to go to the police station to made formal statements.

"Can't you get out of it? You two have been away from the office long enough."

"The cops insist."

"Well make it snappy and try to work the name of our company into the statements and we might get a bit of free publicity out of it."

* * *

Kendra was at her parent's place for dinner that evening when the third item during the evening news about an attempted robbery came on.

"Oh look it's Jo," said Mrs Morris.

Kendra and her father gathered around and gawked as the story was told and plucky Jo was praised for her courage in taking out two notorious robbers than the police had a big team engaged in attempting to apprehend them.

"I can't believe it," Kendra said. "Jo is more timid than brave and she told me she now worked for some sort of fraud investigation agency and I didn't believe her."

"Well Jo has really distinguished herself now," said her proud grandmother. "Kendra why don't you get an introduction to that guy Jo was with. He looks the type who might be a longer-lasting husband than Jo's father. He might also know how to deliver good sex."

Kendra studied the ceiling, deeply embarrassed.

* * *

Jo was having dinner with her friend Bridget and family and instead of wandering off said she'd like to watch TV news.

Bridget said, "You never watched the news claiming you don't like being educated."

"Tonight's different. I'll be in a news clip."

"Hey guys Jo's on TV news tonight."

Mr and Mrs Winstone, Bridget and her older brothers Pete and Alec watched the interview in awe and even Jo was proud of herself, knowing she'd unintentionally given the impression she did this sort of thing every day.

They all enjoyed the bit when Mac became confused and thought the business owner was meaning to be praising Jo rather than Allah.

"Geeze Jo," Alec said. "You were so fast and showed nerves of steel. Want to go to the movies with me Friday night?"

"I suppose so providing Bridget can come too."

But her friend said, "No you go alone, have a proper date Action Girl."

Alec said, "It's okay. Spider Watson has dumped Ivy so I'll get him to make up the four with you Brickie."

"Steve Watson? Omigod," Bridget breathed.

* * *

Pam and Jack were watching TV when the faces of Jo and Mac came on screen as the newsreader said, "These two employees of aptly named Sapphire Private Investigations foiled a brazen lunchtime jewelry shop robbery today when two shots were fired. Investigation agent Miss Jo Hart courageously felled a 160 lb criminal and dodged his shotgun blast and as the assailant lay winded she gave him a very big headache with the butt of the shotgun. She then raced to the aid of her fellow agent who was struggling with his 220 lb opponent who'd already sent a shotgun blast into the ceiling. Miss Hart, who is only nineteen, also sent that guy to sleep with the crack of a shotgun butt perfectly stuck over his right ear. Both robbers have been the center of a prolonged police hunt but they came to grief today when they tangled with Sapphire private investigator Jo Hart."

Pam's mouth had dropped open each time the Sapphire was named.

"Mr McLaughlin is the hero," Jo told the media conference. Mac is a former tank commander and war hero and just charged in when hearing the shotgun blast, knowing someone was in trouble. I just tagged along as I always do because I'm only McLaughlin's sidekick. Actually I don't like the rough stuff because it might break my nails. Mac was grappling with the really big guy and the bad guy's accomplice charged at me lifting his shotgun. I ducked low and he flipped over me like we did to unsuspecting kids when fooling around at school. He appeared to be getting to his feet. The impact had left me shaken but I checked and couldn't find any parts missing, not even any sign of blood but I had a [bleep] sore back. So I bopped him with the butt of the shotgun and it went off scaring the [bleep] out of me and I bopped the guy who was trying to pin down Agent McLaughlin. Nothing to it really. Sapphire Investigations expects us to perform top class."

"Hello gentleman of the media, I am Rashid, owner and principal jeweler of this store. Miss Hart was a very, very brave young woman. My wife and I were petrified and yet we saw it all. Miss Hart flips the guy and hits him with the gun, saying take that asshole. Mr Mac had rushed in when hearing the shotgun blast that was meant to scare us into unlocking the safe. Mr Mac tackled the guy and they were in a maul when Miss Hart she comes and slams the butt of the second shotgun over the ear of the big thug and he drops like solid concrete, eh?"

"Mr McLaughlin," asked a reporter, "What have you to say about your sidekick?"

"I feel safe in walking the streets of London with her after this, and that's the truth mate. She was a heroic little dynamo."

Rashid jumped in. "I said this at the time and I'll tell you gentlemen of the media this and it's no disrespect to Allah. I said Allah be praised and Mr Mac said no Rashid, her name is Jo."

The media guys off-camera could be heard laughing when the presenter said, "well that's the end of this delightful story about yet another crime being nipped in the bud."

Pam looked at her husband. "Oh god, we'll be in trouble with the authorities. Although there's no requirement for licensing in the UK as an investigator Jo looks little older than a school kid."

"Tell the authorities TV stuffed it up calling her an agent, that we only have ex-police or ex-army trained investigators. She's Mac's driver and personal assistant."

Pam looked at her yawning husband. "That TV interview will be worth the equivalent of thousands and thousands of dollars of free advertising to us and it will be in newspapers as well."

"Yes I reckon that too. We are very lucky to have had Jo come and work for us."

"Yes very lucky. She seems to be friendly with you. Keep close to her darling, we don't wanted to have her head-hunted."

"Yes certainly dear but I don't know what we have in common."

"Think of something dear. It need not be anything sophisticated."

"You mean something very basic?"

"Yes exactly Jack."

Jack went out to get more tea muttering, "Something I can get my teeth into." 



CHAPTER 3

Sapphire was swamped with new business enquiries but alas about only one in twenty of them converted into profitable business. 

At least half the callers asked for Agent Hart and that told Pam she needed a new junior on the phone and she attached Jo to Mac as his assistant. Surprisingly Jo turned out to be a good driver and at times that allowed Mac to doze, such was his confidence in her driving ability in the asphalt jungle. Some new clients specifically asked for them to be assigned to their case before they would sign.

Only two weeks after McLaughlin and Hart began gestating into a credible team, the police swooped and took Mac in for questioning.

After Sapphire had been called in and cracked a suspected case of theft of medical supplies, the arrested CEO had puzzled over who could have been the anonymous tipster who'd led to his arrest after a police squad in charge of an inspector arrived at his office and demanded to once again search his office. 

The CEO had smirked and agreed and the search team began their work. Two officers spun the cabinet around and one of them smiled knowingly at the CEO and called, "Hey inspector we may have uncovered a secret apartment."

The panel was unscrewed and the searchers found invoice books and other documents and a large amount of money for which the CEO Bob Giles had no explanation. He was arrested on suspicion of theft from his employer. Police soon found the dummy company, named on the invoices and other documents, was registered to the same Bob Giles as sole owner/operator. No taxes had been paid on his ill-gotten gains and so he also was charged also with tax fraud, with other charges pending. A bank account containing £631,740 in the name of Bob Giles had been frozen.

Giles and his legal team pondered over how could the two women investigators from Sapphire have broken into the office and made the search. Then after the foiled attempted robbery of the jeweler, Mac McLaughlin was suspected as the possible break-in artist. Giles' team called in their own private investigator who found scuffs on the end of the moveable extension of the fire escape and those were tested as being of very recent origin.

Excited by this, the team worked out how the intruder or intruders could have carried out their illegal entry of the building and then successfully searched the office uninterrupted. The lawyers had already found by a discovery process that the police had acted on information supplied from an anonymous informant where incriminating documents were hidden in that office. That together with the break-in theory the team lodged a formal complaint with the police. Macville McLaughlin was named as the chief suspect.

The police had no option but to take Mac in for questioning.

Because he'd not been charged, once Mac realized what the line of questioning was about he asked for a recess and called Jo.

"Thank god they have let you use your phone. Are you okay?"

Mac was momentarily stunned by Jo's apparent level of concern. "Yes but this is serious. Watch what you say because all phone calls are recorded. Now consider this carefully, you know how I sometimes doze beside you?"

"Yes."

"You know who's called Brickie?"

"Of course."

"Why not drive there and park securely, very securely, and then return to your post?"

"Got you. Leave everything intact?"

"Yeah exactly. Very bright you are. Bye. Oh expect a visit."

"Right bye. Waste of time if that happens eh?"

Mac smiled and thought she was very bright indeed. The cops would be wasting their time with her.

The cops couldn't fault the allegation against Mac. It was very plausible theory and the only thing lacking was evidence to prove the theory. Even a confession would be helpful.

Mac lied when asked had he been in the offices or in the adjoining warehouse, had he ever been in the dependant's office and had he committed the crime in breaking and entering the premises. Mac didn't mind lying because otherwise he'd give the slimy defendant the satisfaction of being instrumental in sending Mac to jail.

By the time that interrogation was over Mac knew that Jo would have parked the van with everything in it intact, behind Brigit's parents' detached stand-alone garage. Jo had mentioned to him that Bridget's father had twice had his driver's license suspended and fined heavily in court after being found guilty of driving at excessive speeding so was very likely to hide the van for as long as Mac wished because he would be sore about the cops.

The police advised Mac he remained a material suspect and was allowed to leave the police station. Mac returned to the office and took Jack out for a beer and related how he'd broken into the building and searched the office.

"By yourself?"

"No."

"With Jo; she started with us about that time?"

"Would you expect me to incriminate another person?"

Jack shook his head. "Okay tell me everything including what you wore, how you executed the break-in and exactly what you did in the CEO's office."

It took an hour doing that including Mac answering Jack's questions.

"It sounds pretty clean to me unless the CEO's teams plants incriminating evidence but that's unlikely to be done by a law firm with a good reputation so I doubt that there will be any dirty tricks. Providing the cops don't find the clothes you two wore there is only one thing that will save you from a judge ruling circumstantial evidence is enough to send you to trial and that's the door at the top of the fire escape. Of course if they find your grappling hook and manage to link that back to you, you'd be wasting your time pleading not guilty.




Kendra's Knees Buckle



That afternoon the police executed a search warrant on the premises of Sapphire Private Investigations as Jack had said they would. He and Mac had briefed everyone.

The officers located a white van in the loading dock at the rear of the offices but found it belonged to a fishmonger who was a friend of Jack's. They searched it thoroughly and came up with little more than two very old herring skeletons.

One thing Jack, Mac and Pam had overlooked though was the file relating to the chemical warehouse investigation. The cops took away that file but as Pam said to the relief of Mac and Jack the file contained no report of the break-in because no report had even been written because Mac wasn't that stupid and there was no documentation from her about it because she'd not found out about the crazy nocturnal bust-in until after Giles' arrest.

"It does record our fat fee although we were unable to claim the bonus for successfully solving the case," she smiled. "We were just happy to nail that bastard."

The next day Mac was called to the site of the alleged crime. He took Jack who also possessed a law degree and had worked as a solicitor for eight years before turning to forensic science. Also there was police team and the legal team without their client who understandably was cooling his heels in custody, awaiting his next court appearance or the hearing of the appeal against his interim detention, whichever came first.

The head of the legal team had a metal grappling hook and decided to show how it was done. He was a little astray and his first shot smacked into the brickwork, narrowly missing breaking a window.

The uncovered metal clanged against the metal fire escape causing a police sergeant to say to his inspector, "That noise would have stirred the dead after dark."

After five failed shots the head solicitor slyly attempted to hand the grapple to Mac and said, "Here you have a try."

Mac said cleverly, "Sorry I'm better at catching than throwing."

The police sergeant hooked the extension first throw and pulled it down.

"See the extension comes almost to the ground. It's just a big step up to it," he said.

The sergeant and the constable went up the ladder, some distance apart, just as Mac and Jo had done that night.

"Moment of truth," Jack whispered. "If that door's unlocked you are in the poo Mac."

The wait was a little nerve-racking for Jack, making him feel like being in a tank with a faulty cannon watching an enemy tank turn to face them.

"The door's locked," the sergeant called.

"Use a skeleton key," yelled one of the solicitors.

"Sorry sir, there's no keyhole. It's a secure internal locking mechanism."

"Aha," said the inspector to the legal team. "A very plausible-sounding theory gentlemen but unfortunately flawed and it fell at the last hurdle. Shall we go?"

Jack said he'd like to request that the record of Mr McLaughlin's unfortunate involvement by right-thinking lawyers acting on flawed theory be expunged from police records in respect of this enquiry.

The inspector smiled sympathetically. "Please come in to my office at your convenience and fill out the appropriate form and it will by forwarded to the superintendent to consider Mr Francis. I can understand anyone working in the security industry does not wish to be connected with loose-canon enquiries that are rubbished but yet end up in police records."

The head of the legal team sighed. "We would not envisage having any objection to that process ending with a successful application."

As the men from Sapphire drove off Jack said, "Mac I advise you to drive that van at least twenty miles from here tonight and dump those overalls and any other equipment used in that illegal break-in. Evidence remains evidence after the fact. Burn as much as you can and then attempt to make any unburnable stuff unrecognizable before dumping it into a very large commercial refuse skip or preferable several skips at different locations. Fire will destroy any of the CEO's stray hair or skin flakes existing on your overalls or gloves and take particular care in the disposal of the grappling hook."

"I shall bang the tines flat and then cut them into small pieces."

"Perfect Mac. When you do a lovely job always ensure the destruction of lingering evidence in carried out perfectly. Your reputation and possible your freedom depends on that. God Pam almost had kittens after you'd admitted doing that break-in."

"Yeah she gave me a right fucking tongue-lashing but couldn't hide in her eyes that she was damn proud of me although was eager to screw my neck."

"Let's have another pint," Jack chuckled.

Mac called Jo and simple said, "No worries. All over" and cut the call.

"Who was that?"

"Never you mind Jack."

"I have contact who can trace that call for me."

Mac sighed and muttered Jo.

"I thought so. She's a sexy young thing isn't she?"

Mac kept his face straight and said, "Do you think so?"

"Yes she's toying with the suggestion of going away with me for a weekend."

Mac couldn't help it. "Jesus Jack, you are almost old enough to be her grandfather."

"Oh easily old enough but that doesn't appear to worry her and I'm damn sure it doesn't worry me."

Mac just rolled his eyes. He supposed it would be useful experience for his 19-year old sidekick who'd turn twenty next month. Being a scientist, Jack could probably name all the parts for her and she then wouldn't have to use such crude terms.

When Jack and Mac returned to the office, Jo kissed Mac in front of everyone but the other women knew Jo loved doing things to shock them. Although being ex-cops, they all missed the look that passed between Jo and Jack and that warned Mac he'd have to talk to Jack about how to act covertly a tall times when engaging in adultery with a young woman right under his wife's beady eyes.

It was still lunchtime at the school so Mac called Kendra.

She complained she hadn't seen him for three days. "Have you gone off me."

"Take hold of your pussy."

"Jack!"

"Go on; it won't fall off."

"Okay," she sighed.

Jack grinned and said, "Now say these words: This is Jack's pussy and he's very unlikely to forget that."

Laughing Kendra repeated those words.

"So what have you been up to?"

He said obviously not having sex and she giggled. He said in recent days he'd been very involved in running into brick walls but that was the name of the game.

"Exactly what do you do?"

"When other people give me free rein I assist in the investigation of all types of theft and we have a pretty impressive clearance rate with cases the cops have been unable to solve."

"I had an idea that's what you really did."

"And Jo."

He squirmed but answered honestly. "Initially she was employed to answer the phone but after that outstanding action by her when we foiled that jewelry robbery we promoted her to my assistant."

"Why do you need an assistant when you mainly run into brick walls and didn't Jo sort out that attempted robbery by herself? You were struggling on the floor under the big guy when she sorted it out."

"Yes dear."

"You sound like you're married."

They laughed but not wholeheartedly.

"We today I made a big of a pal out of Jack Francis. Until now he's always been a bit standoffish with me."

"Oh yes, your partner's son. Jo told me Jack Francis at work has taken a bit of a fancy to her and they might go away together this weekend."

"Son?" Mac said in surprise.

"Yes Jack is Mrs Francis's son and not her stepson isn't he?"

Mac lied and said yes Jack was Mrs Francis's cute son.

"Cute? Oooh lovely. Jo needs to associate with younger people. She tried her friend's brother recently but he ejaculated before he'd gotten much more than an inch in and then there appeared only three more inches to go. Jo was horrified and disgusted and told me young guys were generally assholes."

"Um them am I old enough for you?"

"Oh yes Jack and amply large enough as well, although I have to struggle to remember."

"You told me you have Friday off, right?"

"Yes to mark papers."

"Let me take you away for the weekend. We can fuck, eat and at other times you can mark papers."

"Oh Mac I do love the practical way you think, stripped entirely of emotion and complications. You are such a treasure."

"Christ thanks for that supreme compliment baby."

"It's my pleasure darling. It remains me of being with Jo when she was a baby."

"Eh?"

"Er then I was back experiencing the simple life of not being under undue pressure and having to only deal with one person's absolute focus."

"Oh yeah. I get what you mean, I think."

"Not to worry Mac. I do believe you are highly trainable."

"Eh?"

She laughed and said she'd like to go away for a hot weekend because even at her age she still enjoyed sex and didn't get nearly enough of it.

"Eh? Well let's go away then. You pick and arrange and I'll drive you there and pay and keep my end up."

"Oooh. Must go. I'll make the arrangements leaving here early Friday so we will require early check-in. Bye Mac."

"What happened to darling?"

"Oh I only used that indiscriminately. It's no use becoming ho-hum."

"Right. Bye bitch."

She giggled and cut the call.

Mac moved to arrange to take Friday and the weekend off without dislocation to business. Although it was a 40-hour week job, as one of the two principals he and Pam (and Jack) regularly worked 60-hour weeks.

Understandably Jo said she'd like to take Friday off if her senior wouldn't be at work and by coincidence Jack said to Pam he'd go on Friday to stay the weekend with his sister Thelma, the one Pam detested so in relieve she said off he should go and thanked him for not inviting her.

* * *

Mac stood attentively at the car door while Kendra languorously lifted in long legs and smiled.

"Are you wearing knickers?"

The smile slipped a bit as she said painfully, "God Mac do you ever think ethereally?"

"I suppose I did when we were being shot at or bombed or shelled. But perhaps I mean celestially."

"Omigod," Kendra whimpered. "My poor, poor darling."

She clutched his arm and pulled him down for a perfectly applied deep kiss and Mac walked around the car no longer hiding his devilish grin.

Kendra has refused to say where she'd booked but told him to head for Oxford.

"Ah thank god you didn't pick the Cotswold's. We are not old enough to be that stodgy."

She looked nervous.

"What?"

"Watch the road."

"I'm thinking Gloucester taking the northern route with a stopover at charming Oxford for morning tea."

"Great I love Gloucester but unfortunately it's out of season to go to a game of rugby but I commend your great choice. Anyway we are only going somewhere to fuck."

"Grrrrrr," groaned Kendra.

"And for some culture. Gloucester was established by the Romans in AD 96 so there's some old stuff to look at I guess."

She smiled and said, "You are such a darling. When you think about it you really do try."

They wandered around Oxford a bit and then timed their arrival for lunch at their Gloucester hotel when their room would be ready.

"Um we are a little way from the city center but it's within a brisk walk."

"That's fine. I'm really not one for inner-city hotels."

"We're actually on the edge of the Cotswolds."

Mac said that was fine but the suspense was killing him.

"It's the Ramada Hotel and Resort and is set on 240 acres..."

"I know it. I stayed their a couple of times when in army in a party escorting some of foreign military VIPS. Great place. I'll have things to do while you mark papers."

"I had thought of that. Um a suite is expensive; I'll pay half."

"Right thanks."

"You were supposed to say no way."

He smiled and said he hadn't finished. "But you'll pay nothing if the sex is unbelievable."

"Oooh. No problem. Isn't that the same as paying for it?"

"Or being a stern gentleman. You decide."

"Oooh I'd gladly pay to be seduced by a stern handsome gentleman or two."

"Two simultaneously?"

Kendra giggled and said not to be so disgusting.

The suite was lovely.

Mac licked his lips and said, "Sex?"

"Yes please but let's shower first and then we can wallow."

"Eh?"

"I'm allowed to think about sex too Mac. And allow me to shower alone so we don't waste time."

"Oh right. I really like the way you think about sex."

They were in a tangle of arms and legs having a rest when Mac said he was hungry.

"Actually I am too. Let's shower and..."

"No lets throw on clothes, scuff a comb through our hair, you put on lipstick and we go to lunch smelling like mobile brothels."

Kendra hesitated.

"Come on," he coaxed. "Learn to be naughty even disgusting now and again. Flexibility is good for the brain, self-belief, stimulating your nervous system and various other things that I can't make up on the spur of the moment."

Kendra yawned and said happily, "There's no need to apologize. I can recognize bulldust when I hear it."

Miraculously Kendra got all her papers marked that weekend and yet they a good deal of time together, afternoon and evening and really enjoyed being in each other's company, particularly when connected. As they were packing to head home she asked, "Have you had a good time away with me?"

"Only the best baby, you really participated toward making it memorable. What about you?"

"I had a wonderful time. I have been happy, productive with my homework and enjoyed getting about and seeing things and doing things with you. I think we are very compatible when we try."

"Yeah I think that way too. You have been rare among females in that my humor and teasing has not driven you up the wall."

"Oh I have been tempted to climb the wall but I am mature enough and forgiving enough to not let it really get to me."

"Bullshit, god you're a liar."

She laughed and called him a rude man.

He asked, "Anything else?"

Kendra pursed her lips thoughtfully.

He tried again: "Do you feel truly fucked?"

She laughed and appeared to relax ever more. 

"What a disgusting man. If you must know I was attempting to form the words to more or less describe what you said but being more couth."

"Take my advice Kendra, just let it rip. Course language is more expressive and emerges much more readily that attempting to frame ladylike mini-speeches."

"At least you are consistent," she smiled. "I was confident that you would say something like that, being yet another of your attempts to chip away at my beautiful upbringing."

"Oh well in that case..."

"Don't you dare change the way you speak to me Mac McLaughlin. I have accepted you for what you are. I certainly don't want a rearranged version to posture as a fraud and have me thinking I much preferred the original."

Mac said thoughtfully, "You appear to naturally want to make things appear more difficult than what they need to be."

"Well yes and that's possibly my maternal grandmother's influence. She spoke a great deal about wanting things to be the way she wanted them to be and yet she was far short of being a selfish woman."

"Well at least you and I possess major differences and that's good."

"That's a really intelligent comment my lover. You may well end up massaging my intellect as well as my cervix."

"Eh?"

"It's rather a long reach. Don't even think about it."

Traffic heading back to London was heavy and slow. At about the halfway point Kendra said, "I've been thinking about this a lot. Would you like to move in with me?

"Not at present if you don't mind. My impression is Jo is finding her feet well since I've known her. It's probably having a bit of authoritative male in her life and my view is it will work best if I'm not sitting on her. She regards your flat as her home, very much in fact if you thing about it, and she doesn't have much else to cling to except she now has a worthwhile job that could lead her into other areas of the widely embracing security industry if she chooses to leave us eventually."

"I hear what you say. I had been thinking if you two are together all day at work being together at night as well might strain your relationship. Have you a suggestion?"

"Yes according what Jo says on the train she seems to sleep away from home quite a bit. My suggestion is on those nights you come to my home and sleep, that is if you don't mind living in the home of my last ex-wife. I bought her out. Almost every sign of her is gone."

"No I wouldn't mind that at all. Every time I sleep in a hotel room I think other people have been there before me, including people I'd prefer never to associate with."

"A good answer and consistently contorted. Well let's do it Kendra whenever you feel like it. I regard you as my steady."

"Oooh. Do you mind if I regard you as my steady?"

"Not at all and I realize I have no power to stop you thinking what you wish. I'd love you to feel our intimacy and friendship has now extended our relationship that far and being away this weekend together has been like living with you."

* * *

The casual relationship between Kendra and Mac meandered along, growing closer as both introduced one another to a progressively widening circle of their friends and acquaintances. Casual and formal social invitations began to flow and their personal friends began asking when would they marry.

Kendra and Mac had not yet discussed that possibility.

Kendra had been aghast to find that her daughter's periodic boyfriend, Jack was not Pam Francis's son but her husband.

"You went away for a dirty weekend with a 66-year old man?"

"He'd only sixty-four mom."

"Don't you dare split hairs with me young woman. Oh my god, I can't believe this."

"He's lonely mom and the truth is I only am required to suck his cock."

"Jo Hart if you are going to become vocal about your disgusting behavior please use the appropriate term for that."

"Which is what"

"Oh Jesus I've forgotten... don't pressure me. Oh yes, fellatio."

"That doesn't sound as warm and explicit as...."

"Jo Hart you say those words again and I'll take the broom to you."

Jo told her mom to cool it and asked should they get Mac over to adjudicate.

"So Mac knew about this?"

"Yes."

"And he approved?"

"No. He suggested I didn't do it but added he really couldn't intervene in my private life."

"But the inference was I can and could have had he warned me."

"He said if you found out you'd go crazy."

"Well at least he was correct about that. I don't want you going on any more dirty weekends with that vile man or any other vile man. Omigod, I can't believe I am forced to tell you this. It's so degrading, a disgrace to the family."

"What family? Only you, me and Mac know about it and of course Jack."

"So you are calling Mac family now?"

"I think about him like that. You're going to marry him aren't you? You will be lonely if you throw me out of the flat."

Kendra began crying and that made Jo cry and they rushed into each other's arms and the reconciliation to repair the new tatters in their emotional relationship began.

Later when Jo served Margaritas Kendra said, "Do you really think Mac would want to marry me?"

"Yes but you'll have to do the pushing. He's aware he's been at the center of two failed marriages and I imagine is nervous about failing you but he loves you mom."

"Mac loves me?"

"Christ mom, the guy adores you. Open your eyes. Gee he jumps up each time you enter the room like a fucking jack-in-the-box."

"I-I have noticed that. But isn't that respect rather than love?"

"Mom do you really know anything about love?"

"I... well yes of course dear. Please let us chat on about this. God you are being so supportive to me."

Jo boggled but decided not to comment and thought she really must avoid using the name Jack again. Jesus her mom had just about exploded when Jo had mentioned Jack-in-the-box a few minutes ago; her face had turned purple. What color it would turn if Jo mentioned Jack subsidized her earnings each week for two sessions of cocksucking er fellatio was impossible to imagine. She must be careful.




Kendra's Knees Buckle



The next night Jo said to Kendra, "Mom I'm telling you this but it's very, very confidential. Mac and I tomorrow evening begin a 6 pm to 6 am stakeout from two positions for possibly two weeks and I'll arrive home before 7:00 and will sleep most of the day. You know what a stakeout is don't you?"

"Special surveillance."

"Yes, good girl. And you are mature enough to know that Jack and I will be watching separate entry-exit gates and will be too preoccupied to have sex don't you?"

Kendra appeared undecided.

"Mom!"

"Yes of course. I am that trusting."

"Thank you. Now that's all I can say."

"Come on darling, just a clue."

"Mom shut up."

Mac extended the stakeout for a third week and on the 27th night, bingo. Two men pulled up in a black pickup just down from Jo and the passenger jumped out and unlocked the gates and rolled both open and his mater drove into the yard. 

Jo called Mac on her mobile phone.

"It's begun at my end. Alert the police to be on standby. Two guys have entered driving a black pickup and they were both dressed in black and wore hoods."

"Jesus, this is it."

"That's what I said. What's more both gates were rolled back and remain open."

"Good girl. I'm calling. No wait, two guys have arrived at my gate. Jesus both are carrying shotguns. My pick is a lorry will enter one gate, be loaded and exit from the other ate, but which one? We'll need that information for the cops for when they swoop."

A truck approached slowly without lights and turned into the gate Mac was watching. He called the Flying Squad, reporting at least some of the men were armed. The vehicle being used was a white DAF closed box truck and he gave the registration number he'd picked up using night binoculars.

After a 30-second delay Mac was informed the truck had been reported stolen yesterday. "We have three cars on the way in minutes," said the night commander.

Mac called Jo and told her to sit tight. She had the fishmonger's van, much to her disgust.

Three minutes later she called Mac. "Jesus the truck is coming out already. They must have had the loot already loaded in containers. Stored out in the open...Jesus that's how they get away with loot without having to deactivate alarms and thereby alert security. Brilliant!"

"Shit," yelled Mac. "I'll give the cops the hurry up."

Jo jumped out with a torch and raced over to the gates. She stood in the middle between the gateposts waving her torch and as the truck gathered speed she pulled off the hood of her parka and put the torch under her chin so that the driver could see she was female, thinking the hoodlum driving might have a daughter or a young sister.

The truck gathering speed ground up the small hill towards her and she prepared to jump but then heard the squeal of brakes and the driver changing down gears. The driver braked to a stop, jumped out and ran off to permanently elude capture.

The pickup was held up behind the truck trapped and at least two people in the truck box were yelling what was the hold-up.

Jo called Mac and told him the pickup would be heading toward his gate. 

Mac hurriedly drove his van to block that exit. The pickup arrived before Mac had quite stopped and two guys jumped out without attempting to ram his vehicle and ran down the street, stupidly still wearing their hoods. 

They were easily identifiable even in the dark and were picked up by guys in the first squad car that came screaming around the corner of the near-deserted industrial street. Two other police cars roared up and stopped at either gate and cops from those vehicles apprehended Mac and Jo.

Mac and Jo produced their IDs and officer in charge checked details on his information sheet and ordered the release of Jo and Mac. 

Jo pointed where the driver had fled and two constables ran in that direction but returned empty handed and called for a dog tracker unit. 

The metal roller door at back of the truck was opened and the two guys inside climbed down and were arrested. A cop climbed up and found another guy wearing a suit and glasses hiding and he too was arrested and was believed to be the person in charge of the hoist.

At the media conference at 8:00 that morning the police assistant commissioner announced a crime gang of Government employees had been broken with the arrest of five men including the ringleader. The gang had made eight successful raids over the past year stealing £4 million of computers and other electronic equipment from supposedly secure Government bulk storage depots around London. The ill-gotten gains were sold on the black market. He said the latest department to be targeted had engaged a Sapphire Private Investigations to monitor the premises at night after management had decided they could be hit next.

Mac and Jo were then introduced to the media and a female TV journalist called out, "On no not you two again."

Headlines and comments on the theme 'Oh not your two again' appeared in the news media over the next twenty hours. 

Jo appeared on late morning TV that day being interview about the place of women in crime fighting and crime prevention and both she and Mac were interviewed on national TV news that evening. Next day Mac received an invitation from top brass to reapply for membership of the exclusive Officers Club, the army hierarchy apparently having forgiven his indelicate indiscretion when he was serving in Afghanistan. 

When Jo had left for the 11 an interview Mac called the headmistress at Kendra's school. Miss Ascot-Sutton vaguely remembered Mac as 'the big gentleman' she'd met at a recent school staff social evening and Mac told her what had happened overnight and that Kendra's 19-year old daughter would be interviewed on TV about crime prevention in forty-five minutes.

"So you're asking me to release Kendra from class so she can watch TV."

"Yes please."

"I'll consider the request."

But Miss Ascot-Sutton did better than that. She ordered the entire senior school to assemble in the school hall by 10:55. 

"Girls," rumbled Miss Ascot-Sutton. 

More than 800 senior girls in that huge hall fell silent.

"In a few minutes you will be watching a live TV interview of an 19-year girl. Too often today we hear about girls that age running wild and indulging excessively in liquor, sex, drugs and clubbing. Well here we have an example of youth that is rising as the cream and Mrs Hart you will be particularly interested in this because the person being interviewed live is your daughter Josephine almost straight from her big crime fighting adventure over night."

"Omigod," cried Kendra.

"Tut-tut Miss Hart," said the headmistress. "That is rather strong language to be used in front of my girls."

It was a brilliant interview and clearly struggling with fatigue Jo performed very well. When it ended the senior school stood and applauded.

"Thank you girls," that is enough celebration," said Miss Ascot-Sutton. "I have no wish to see you girls become over stimulated."

"Mrs Hart you have the floor."

"Girls thank you for acknowledging my daughter Jo, my only child. What you have just seen is inspirational and Jo's commitment to her job and to try to do it well warms my heart. But please don't picture her as some kind of avenging angel. At home Jo spends half her time teasing and arguing with me. Although she's almost twenty I like to know where she is but does she tell me where she'd going? Oh no I have to lever it out of her and endure the plaintive rebuke of 'Oh mom'. She cusses occasionally, wears outrageous clothes and sometimes I see more skin than clothing but lo, on the rare times when I don't feel well my exasperating daughter turns peculiar, completely unrecognizable. Jo converts into becoming a near-angel and she'll even cancel a hot date to look after me despite my protests. And the mess she makes of my tidy house. Oh dear. But I tell you this, my woefully disappointing daughter had brought a lovely man into my life, the guy she now works with and you'll doubtless see them pictured in newspapers today and in the morning and being interviewed together on TV tonight. She even told me, 'I've found the right man for your mom'. Of course I didn't believe her and you girls will know the feeling when you know you're so right and yet your mom or guardian won't accept that, at least not initially. Oh god I'm so proud of my daughter," Kendra said, bursting into tears.

The girls rose and delivered sustained applause and Miss Ascot-Sutton who was hugging Kendra and softly smiling back at her girls, made no effort to end their remarkable outburst, with some of the girls now dabbing at their eyes.

When it ended Miss Ascot-Sutton said, "Well I believe in this hall this morning we have all been involved in one of those magic moments in education. Back to your classrooms girls and please behave like young ladies."

"Take the remainder of the day off Kendra."

"Thank you but no. I can't wait to get back to my classrooms and enjoy the aroused emotions of my students."

"Oh god," Miss Ascot-Sutton faltered.

"It's how it's meant to be Amy. And you're just enjoyed feeling it."

Kendra raced home during the lunch break and tiptoed into Jo's bedroom only to find she was asleep. She was halfway down the passage when Jo called, "Is that you mom?"

"Yes darling," Kendra yelled and raced back to her daughter.

"Jesus someone's told you. Fucking Mac I bet."

"No I haven't heard from you but he called Miss Ascot-Sutton and asked that I be allowed to watch your TV interview and explained what it was about. Amy ordered the entire senior school and their teachers into the hall and we all watched together and they all stood and clapped at the end. It was wonderful."

"Well I hope that lot of misbehaving brats took good notice of the bad scum that permeates our city and at least some of them will consider joining the police or work in the security industry."

Kendra gaped at her daughter. Was this her misbehaving brat growing up?

During the afternoon break between change of classes, Kendra called Mac.

"Hi I hope I haven't woken you?"

"Nah I became over-stimulated because of we had a bit of success with out sit-out last night so I have been back of work all day."

"A bit of success? But you'll be exhausted."

Mac sounded pained and pointed out he was army-trained, that he could still operate reasonably effectively after three days and nights without anything more than catnaps. He asked rudely, "What do you want that's this urgent?"

She flared, "I have to get back to class but I called to ask will you marry me?"

"What? Oh it's okay I heard you. I've been waiting for you to ask."

"Damn you," Kendra flared and cut the call and sat tapping her fingers, waiting for him to call back. But there was no return call. She called back and when he answered she snorted, "Well?"

"My apologies for not calling back. I was testing your commitment. Yes you can marry me or is the correct form to say yes I'll marry you?"

"It doesn't matter to me. You have given me a positive enough reply. I'll go round to your place when I'm finished here and prepare a beautiful dinner. Phone me when you are on your way home and I'll run a bath. After dinner you can go to bed and sleep and I'll watch over you."

"What about sex."

"You'll be too tired."

"Says who?"

She giggled and told him Jo had said she'd been persuaded by a senior recruitment officer to join the police. "She'll be joining the next intake at training school in five weeks."

"That means she'll be moving out?"

"Yes but will store her possession at home."

"And that means you want the wedding on the eve of her going off?"

"God you can read my mind."

"Bullshit. It's just logical and the typical tactical thinking of a woman."

"Oh."

Mac laughed and said he'd be home early.

"Oh yes for sex."

Surprised he said, "God you can read my mind."

"Bullshit. It's just logical and the typical tactical thinking of a man."

They laughed and Kendra almost wet herself when he said, "I do love you."



THE END