Tuesday Night with Kenzie
Authors: Denise and Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Romance
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: All of these characters are owned by DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al.
Summary: Response to Denise's challenge. AJ finds out how Mac spends her Tuesday nights.
Author's notes: I asked to write this challenge, and Denise sent me what she had written. I cleaned it up a bit and added some stuff. I have to say, collaboration is so much easier than writing alone (and it's fun, too!). Enjoy!
It was Tuesday night, but the small bar was packed. AJ Chegwidden had a simple plan: have a few drinks and forget about the day. And it had been one hell of a day. He had just let go of the woman he thought he was going to ask to marry him. Why? Because her dead ex-husband... wasn't. She was so torn, he did the only thing a gentleman could do... he let her go. He just wanted to quietly drink himself into oblivion, and catch a cab back to the hotel room he had rented for the night. He was off for the rest of the week. Vacation--hah! And to really kick him in the balls, the previous Friday he had lost the best Chief of Staff he had ever had--to the CMC himself. Finally, the one assignment he couldn't convince himself wasn't good enough for her.
"What can I get for you tonight?" the bartender asked.
"Beer; whatever's on tap." AJ looked around the crowded room. "Full house for a Tuesday night," he commented to the burly bartender.
"Always is when Kenzie's in town."
"Kenzie?"
"You aren't from around here, are you?"
"No."
"Kenzie is a sight to behold. She's come here every second Tuesday of the month, as long as she isn't out of town on business, for the last 2 years. She needs to be seen to be believed. Sad story," the bartender said. Smiling, he continued, "But, damn, if it isn't the best night of the month. All the way around. Did you know that I make more money on the Tuesdays she's here than any other day of the month?"
"Sounds like she's something else," AJ said absently, not really
caring.
"Kenzie is definitely that. And you are about to see for yourself." Just then, the lights lowered, and a single spot light focused on the figure on stage. And what a figure! AJ's eyes were glued to the sultry woman who began to sing, his beer held frozen halfway to his lips.
He heard the bartender chuckle behind him, "I see Kenzie hasn't lost her touch."
AJ put his beer down. Suddenly, he wasn't in the mood to get drunk. Suddenly, he wasn't depressed about his life. All because of a beautiful woman in a shimmery gold dress that revealed a hell of a lot more than it covered.
He really tried his best not to stare. Looking around, he realized he was the only one NOT staring at the beautiful woman on stage. Finally, he gave in and studied her. She was slender, curvy, well endowed, with finely toned legs that went on for miles. They reminded him of another slender, curvy, well-endowed woman with incredible legs.
Then it clicked.
He studied her again.
It couldn't be.
Trying to act casual, he asked, "So what is her story?"
"Don't know all the details; she's pretty private. She comes in, sings a few songs, drinks a few drinks, flirts a little, and leaves."
'Drinks? Oh, no.' "What does she drink?"
"Tonic with a twist of lime. She's a recovering alcoholic. And don't even think of buying her a drink. She won't accept it."
"Does she come in alone?"
"Yep. And she leaves alone. No one touches Kenzie."
"I would think there were a few that would try."
"At first, there were. But it only takes a couple of broken fingers before people get the point. Now, they just enjoy watching her... every one of them hoping she will change her mind. But she never does. Says she's tired of lying to herself and everyone else. She came in right after she called off her wedding. It seems she was in love with someone else, and was tired of settling."
AJ was getting depressed again.
"She says there's only one man for her... but he's off-limits. So she just comes in here and sings away her pain."
'Off-limits... since when is Rabb off-limits?' "Why off-limits?"
"It seems our little sexy songbird is in love with her boss."
The bartender left to take care of another customer, and it took every ounce of control for AJ to stay seated.
He turned to study the singer again. Yep, that was Sarah under the long auburn wig and heavy makeup. He had no doubt whatsoever. He knew those legs, fantasized about them... wrapped around his waist, over his shoulders... 'Get control, AJ,' he ordered himself. AJ shifted in his seat, trying to relieve the pressure building in his groin. 'Damn it, she does this to me when she's in uniform... I don't stand a chance with her looking like that!'
Mac was having a great time working the crowd. She loved letting loose this way. She sang what she never had the chance to say. It happened innocently enough. After she left Mic, and the mess with Harm fizzled... why on earth did she ever try Harm, anyway? Talk about rebound. Mic was rebound, if you could call it that, from the Admiral. She couldn't have him--damned regs--but it all came down to the simple fact that if he wanted her, he would have found a way... and since he never even tried... Anyway, Harm was the rebound for Mic. She finally realized her problem was that she hated being alone. That was why she was here. She could sing, flirt, and have fun... but nothing was serious, and they all knew it. Kenzie came alone, and Kenzie left alone. The bartender even walked her to her car to ensure that she wasn't accosted in the parking lot.
Mac was sad tonight. She was going to have to give this up soon. Her new assignment was too high profile to allow her to keep doing this. She lost him and her Tuesday fix all in one fell swoop. So she put on her sexiest dress and sang her heart out.
Mac stepped off stage and headed towards the bar, trying her best not to let the tears fall. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him... 'No, he wouldn't be in a place like this.'
"Hey, Jack, hit me."
Jack, the bartender, put a tonic with lime in front of her. "What's going on, Kenzie?"
"I got a new job, Jack."
"That's great! What does 'Mr. Bossman' think about this?"
"I have no idea. Probably doesn't think much about it, aside from losing an employee. More than likely won't even notice I'm gone." Mac knew she was wrong. He would notice... just not in the way she wished he would.
"Trust me, he'll notice."
"Yeah, right." She wanted so much to believe Jack at this moment. She wanted to believe that she meant something to the Admiral, aside from being on his staff.
"Well, one good thing: you've a new fan."
Mac smiled. "Really; a new fan?"
"Yeah, older gentleman over there..." He pointed to the empty seat that AJ had just vacated. "Never mind. I thought for sure he was going to try something stupid like try and buy you a drink or ask you to dance."
Mac laughed, remembering all the "lessons" that she had had to teach stupid men.
"God, Kenzie, if I wasn't married, I'd be stupid for you, too. A man isn't a man if doesn't at least think about trying with you."
Mac reached up and kissed the burly man on the cheek. "Thanks, Jack. You really know how to boost a girl's ego. I had better get going; I have an early day tomorrow." She didn't really--she was off for the rest of the week--but she felt the tears starting and wanted to cry alone.
Jack motioned to his assistant, and walked Mac out to her car. "Take care of yourself, Kenzie."
"Will do. Thanks again." She hugged him and got in her car to start the long trek home.
AJ watched as she went to the bar. All the men watched, but none approached her, as if to do so was a capital offense. He decided to leave before she saw him. He ducked into the men's room, and then called a cab. Drinking himself into oblivion no longer held any allure for him. He needed to talk with Mac.
'Old man, just what are you going to say to her?' his subconscious nudged.
"I haven't a clue," he muttered in the silence of the taxi. The driver looked at him strangely, but said nothing.
Once he was back at his hotel, he grabbed his bag out of his room, left the key, and got into his Escalade. It was a long drive, and Mac had a forty-minute head start on him.
****
Mac heard her doorbell ring and an insistent knock as she stepped out of the shower. "Who the hell could that be?" she muttered to herself. Mac looked through the peephole and saw the Admiral. She opened the door quickly. "Sir, is there anything wrong?"
"Ah, Sarah, do you always answer the door in a towel?"
Mac had an instant to decide how to deal with the fact that HE was here and that obviously, nothing was wrong.
"Only when I have an admiral pounding on my door. Come in, please. I'll get changed."
He wanted to say, "Don't get dressed on my account," but lost his nerve at the last minute.
Mac took a few minutes to figure out what she was going to wear. She looked at the lacy negligee she had pulled out earlier. She always felt sexy in it. Reluctantly, she decided against it, and pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts.
She walked back to the living room. AJ was standing by the bookshelf, looking at the few pictures sitting there in frames. He looked up when he heard her enter the room. The vision of her in that gold dress floated through his consciousness, but he forced the thought away.
Mac smiled uncertainly. She asked, "Would you like something to drink, Admiral? I have water, soda, tea..."
"No, no thanks," AJ replied. The tension in the room was nearly suffocating. They just looked at each other for a few seconds, and then AJ said, picking up a picture frame, "This is an interesting picture. Where was it taken?"
"Hmm?" Mac forced her gaze from AJ's face and looked at the photograph. She smiled. "Oh, that was at Red Rock Mesa, about 18, 19 years ago." She looked at him sharply. "But you didn't come here to talk about my photo collection. Why are you here, sir?" She gestured for him to have a seat.
AJ sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. "Um... I... well..." 'Stop stammering, AJ!' a little voice screamed in his mind. "I heard something... interesting... tonight," he said pseudo-casually.
"Really? Like what, Admiral?" Mac's heart started beating faster. 'What could he have...? Oh, no, that can't be it. It couldn't have been him!'
"Well, I went to this little out-of-the-way bar to unwind from the day, away from any prying eyes. Little did I know, the place would be packed--on a Tuesday night, no less."
'No, no, no...' Mac started chanting in her head.
"I talked to the bartender for a while; he had quite an interesting story to tell. It was about this gorgeous woman in a gold dress, who went there to sing her sorrows away."
Mac could feel the bile rise in her throat. 'Oh, God...'
"It seems that she started going there after her wedding was called off, about... oh... two years ago."
Mac swallowed. It was obvious that he knew; there was nothing she could do about it now. 'I wonder if I could transfer somewhere overseas? Say, Alaska?' She cleared her throat. "Did he say why she cancelled her wedding?" Mac's voice was calm, but AJ was adept at reading her moods after seven years, and could see that she was
terrified.
"He told me something... but it didn't make any sense."
"Wh... what did he tell you?"
"Why don't you tell me... Kenzie?"
Mac swallowed hard. Tears escaped from her eyes. He closed the distance between them. She closed her eyes as she felt his hands frame her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears.
"Sarah... why?"
"You know why..."
"I need to hear it from you. Please."
She opened her eyes. "Because I'm in love with you."
If he hadn't been listening intently, he would have missed her whisper. "Thank God." He crushed her to him. Holding her tight, he whispered, "I love you too, Sarah."
He felt her body convulse as she started crying in earnest. "Did you hear me, sweetheart?" He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Then what's the matter?"
"I don't believe you," she muffled into his sweater. This made AJ chuckle. "What are you laughing at?" she asked. She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her go.
"If I hadn't heard you singing tonight... I'd never have believed that you could possibly in a million years love this cantankerous, bald, old man."
She smiled. "How could I not love a kind, considerate, strong, gentle, sexy, intelligent, confident, sexy... have I mentioned sexy... man like you?" Her tears were gone, and her arms wound around his neck, pressing her body against his. Their kiss was gentle at first. It took AJ a moment to process her words... but it wasn't much more than that moment before he was participating fully.
She felt his erection pressing into her stomach... and moaned her pleasure into his mouth. AJ took control of the kiss... dominating her mouth... demanding more. He stopped when he realized that he had pushed her against the back of the sofa. He knew that he was quickly losing any control he might have where she was concerned. He needed control now.
"We have to stop, Sarah." Even as he said it... his hand was under her shirt caressing her bare breast. Her leg was wrapped around his waist and he was slowly rubbing against her. But she didn't believe him. She didn't believe that he loved her. There couldn't be any doubt that he lusted after her... but he had to prove to her that she was special to him.
"Why?" she choked.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry." She was breaking his heart. "You just got finished saying you didn't believe that I loved you."
"But I thought you were showing me..."
"Before we make love... I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt how I feel about you."
"But..."
He pushed away from her and ran his hand over his head.
She was completely confused. She felt cold with the absence of his body against hers. Her fantasies didn't compare to the actual feel of him. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. 'No! I won't cry again!'
"Sarah." His voice was low and husky.
She opened her eyes, only to find him down on one knee.
"Sarah MacKenzie, will you marry me?"
Mac opened her mouth to speak, but shock froze her vocal cords. She closed her mouth and began nodding wildly. AJ stood, smiling broadly. Mac threw her arms around him and laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" AJ asked.
"I don't know! I'm just so happy..." Mac replied, smiling brilliantly. She broke away from his embrace and took him by the hand, pulling him back onto the couch. They sat, Mac tucking her feet under her and resting her head on AJ's shoulder. She played with the buttons on AJ's shirt. "When do you want to get married, sweetheart?" AJ asked quietly.
"I don't know."
"How about Saturday?" he asked as he pulled her closer into his embrace.
"Saturday?" She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. "Why Saturday?"
"Well... because I don't think I can wait much longer than that to have you."
She pulled away from him. "Who says you have to wait?"
"I do, my love. I told you, I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what you mean to me before I make love to you. I love you." He took her face in his hands and kissed her. "You never answered my question. How about Saturday?"
"Saturday sounds wonderful," she sighed.
"Where?"
"Your house. Small ceremony," she said between kisses.
She had moved into his lap... straddling his thighs, kissing him deeply. His brain function was quickly going out the window as his hands crept under her shorts and squeezed her buttocks.
"You want to invite the office?"
"Mmm-hmm," she said, loving the feel of his hands on her. Suddenly she was very alert. "Unless you want to keep it a secret for a while, considering I just left your command last week. Do you think they would believe we haven't had an affair all along?"
"Darlin', personally, I don't care. We know the truth, and if we have to I'll tell them the truth."
"But, AJ, I don't want anything to happen to you... I don't want your reputation to be ruined. I've ruined too many men... I couldn't stand to ruin you, too." She looked like she was going to burst into tears again.
"Oh, darlin', you can't ruin me," he smiled gently, reassuringly.
"What truth?" Mac asked.
Her change in subject took him by surprise. He smiled. "The truth that I went to get drunk, but instead I found out that a wonderful, beautiful, sexy, intelligent, compassionate, sexy, woman was in love with me. Did I mention sexy?" She graced him with a brilliant smile. "And that I couldn't wait to make her mine forever."
"Oh, AJ, I love you so much."
