The Scarlet and the..... Grey? Part Four
Alistair
looked down at Alex, sleeping peacefully in his arms. He couldn't believe what
had happened the night before, couldn't believe Alex was still here in his bed.
He had driven her back to his house, where they'd cooked dinner together and
talked. It had almost been like old times, only better, because the sexual
tension that had been ever present had dissipated somewhat, leaving Alistair to
wonder if the sex in the office had been a one off.
He
needn't have worried. Over dinner, they caught up with each other. Alex admitted
she'd married when she left university at 21, but had caught her husband in bed
with the best man 6 months later. A speedy divorce ensued, and that was when she
had joined Strathclyde police in Glasgow. She'd got out of uniform and into CID
by the time she was 24, was a Detective Sergeant at 28 and now a Detective
inspector at 32, the youngest D.I. in the Metropolitan Police.
Alistair
talked about his own failed relationships, his frustration at not making D.I.,
and finally admitted to Alex why he had left Perth. He had thought that would
put her off totally, but, instead, she leaned across the table and kissed him
passionately.
"I
don't blame you, Alistair. The age gap was a lot back then. I was really just a
kid with a massive crush on you."
Alistair
looked at her in surprise.
"Don't
tell me you never noticed, Alistair? Why else do you think I put up with those
Highland dances?"
She
grinned at him before taking a sip of her Chardonnay. Alistair reached for her
hand across the table, gently stroking the back of it with his long fingers.
"I
never realised! And I'm amazed you didn't know that I wanted you back then
either! I didn't exactly make a total secret of it!"
Alex
laughed. It seemed as thought they had both had their wires crossed back then.
"Then
again, Alistair, if we had done something about it back then, do you think we
would still be talking to each other today?"
He
smiled at her and shook his head.
"No,
I don't suppose we would!"
Suddenly,
he got up from the table, walked around to Alex and took her by the hand.
"Come
on, let's go for a walk. Like we used to do back in Perth. Only this time, I can
do what I wanted to do back then."
Alex
had borrowed a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a T shirt from Alistair, and they
rummaged around in his wardrobe until they found a pair of running shoes that
had been left behind by an ex girlfriend. They had walked hand in hand through
streets unfamiliar to Alex until they came to a walled garden. Snow was starting
to fall, lightly frosting their hair and eyelashes.
"Hey,
Alistair, let's do what they did in "Notting Hill"!"
Alex
quickly pulled herself up over the wrought iron gate, leaving Alistair giggling
on the pavement, before he got up the nerve to follow her in. She grabbed his
hand as soon as he was over the gate, pulling him into her arms.
"Let's
make love, Alistair. Right here..."
She
pulled him down onto the frosty grass and kissed him until he relented...
And
here she was, still in his bed, still snuggled up, naked apart from a pair of
his boxer shorts that she had appropriated. He stroked her hair back from her
face as he kissed her, causing her to murmur in her sleep. Her eyes slowly
flickered open and she looked up at Alistair before kissing him softly in
return.
"Morning,
Guv," joked Alistair.
Alex
slapped him lightly on his arm before pulling him down into her arms…
************
Tim
looked out of place as he walked through the CID office, trying to find Alistair
Greig. He saw the detective standing in Alex McPherson's office, totally at
ease, laughing and joking with his superior, a far cry from the strange
atmosphere of the previous day. He noticed Alistair put his hand on Alex's and
squeeze briefly, before noticing that he was standing in the doorway.
"Tim!
Come in!"
Alex
was all smiles as she indicated that he should sit down. Tim grinned slightly as
he noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as the day before, minus her
pantyhose.
"Hi.
I, uh, hope I'm not too late..." he mumbled, as he sat down heavily.
Still
jetlagged, he was finding it a struggle to keep his eyes open, but he knew that
he had to be here today. Alistair sat next to him and grinned, looking like the
cat that got the cream. No prizes for guessing what these two had done the night
before...
"We
were just about to start collating all the common factors before you and I go to
meet Jolie Thibideaux this afternoon."
Alex
smiled at Tim as she passed him a coffee.
"Alistair?
Coffee?"
There
was an undeniable chemistry between Alex and Alistair this morning. Shame,
thought Tim. He'd rather liked the look of one of them.
"Look,
if you don't mind, I'd like to come along this afternoon. I think I ought to be
more involved with this than Chris Deakin was. Is that okay?"
She
looked directly at Tim, knowing that Alistair was going to consent. Tim nodded,
knowing exactly what Alistair saw in her now. The air of confidence and total
control could be very alluring, while at the same time she was being very
feminine.
"No,
it's fine. You're more than welcome to come along. And I know I'd like a fresh
perspective on this."
Tim
looked at Alistair, as if seeking his consent.
"It
would be good to have you along, Guv."
Alistair
smiled as he remembered the events of the night before, and hoped that it wasn't
obvious to everyone in the office.