[Ramesh_Rocky]

I noticed a male waiter stick his head out from the entrance to the kitchen and look toward us, but his glance went to the man and I noticed him shake his head and the waiter duck his head back inside the kitchen.

Paula Donnally took a deep breath and I realized she knew what she was doing. She was playing on the knowledge that I had seen her sex tape. A small quasi smile played on lips aching to be bruised.
“We need to talk, Mr. Maitland, but I hope you don’t mind if I take a precaution first.”
She nodded to the man in the suit and he rose to his full six-foot-four height before ambling over to us. I could see the bulge under the right side of his coat and I knew if I looked in his wallet I’d see the star that marked him as a homicide detective.
As he approached us, his hand went into his jacket and came out with a wand-looking electronic device.
“I do mind, Paula.”
I looked up at homicide sergeant Hec Powell and said, “Go away Sergeant.
I’m not going to let you check me for recording devices.”
“You’re not here officially Maitland, and Paula tells me you’re not going to call in the cavalry because you can’t afford any publicity. A lot of my friends still think you’re a dick for what you did to Shawn, so don’t think that being an asshole prosecutor is going to cut any ice with me. Just sit there, shut your mouth and let me check you out.”
I looked from his taut grin to the small smile on Paula’s face and said, “You wanted privacy so you brought in your private muscle to keep this room empty and check me for bugs. You thought I’d go along with this because asshole is tall and carries a gun? Is that the short version?”
“Any trouble, Mr. Maitland, and the first casualty will be your friend’s marriage. Also there are two of us to tell the press that you came here to try to get a taste of what Mr. Brandon and Matthews got at the Hyatt. You’re pretty famous, but I’m pretty hot and a lot of people would be just as happy to tear you down as build you up. Why don’t you let Hec check you out and then we can conduct our business?”

“I don’t think so, Paula.” Powell began, “You damned-“

“I always thought you were a stupid frigging idiot, but I didn’t think you were this stupid.”
Powell looked around to see Sergeant Bob Hastings standing behind him. He was in his patrol uniform, his hand resting casually on the Glock on his hip. Hastings was shorter than Powell, but the Glock seemed very big.


“I always thought you were a stupid prick who thought with his dick and that you only made detective because you pimped for the top brass, but this? You’d risk your whole career going up against Maitland for a piece of ass?”
Powell regained his confidence looking down on Hastings.
“You’re out of your area,” Powell said. “This isn’t the Westside. I’ve got just as much authority here as you do, and if you want to make something out of it, why don’t we step out back and I’ll be happy to kick your ass for sticking your nose in where it has no business being. Let’s just keep it man to man, Hastings. Or are you man enough?”
“Okay, Powell. When, and if, you take Bob, try me on for size.”
I couldn’t help grinning a little bit as Powell swung around again and looked up into the broad, unfriendly features of Narcotics Task Force Lieutenant Bobby Martin. Martin was blonde and 6-6 easily and as broad across as Powell. Moreover, he out-ranked him.
“What the - what are you doing here. You have no business.  ”
“So what’s your business here, Powell? Why are you showing the shield and ordering civilians around and acting like a private gun for this piece of ass? Not that it’s not nice, but you know cops can’t go around doing this. Furthermore, doing it in front of the top prosecutor for this county? If he goes to Knight, you’re going to wind up walking a beat in black town.”
Powell tried to bluster.
“This is none of your damned business, Martin. Go back to chasing crack heads or whatever the hell it is you do.”
“Why don’t we step outside and you say that when you’re not carrying. Unless you want to try and draw on me—and Hastings. Are you that stupid, or is her pussy the best in the world? It better be, because you’re throwing away your career for it. If you’re stupid enough to go for a gun, you’re throwing your life away.”
“It’s okay, Hec. This is not worth you getting in trouble. Go on, get out of here and I’ll call you later.”
The big cop’s glance bounced over each of us, finally settling on Paula’s beautiful face. She smiled at him to take the sting out.
“Come on, baby. Thank you for being here for me, it was worth a try, but I’ll be alright. I don’t want to get you in trouble. I know you could take both of them, but it would cost you your job. Don’t do that.”
“Listen to her, Powell,” Hastings said. There was almost a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Man, I know how they can get into your head, into your blood, but walk away, be smart.”
It looked like he was going to say something more but he stopped himself, gave Paula a little hand wave, turned and walked out. A few nervous waiters


popped out to watch him leave.
“You’re getting to be more trouble than you’re worth,” Martin said to me. “It’s a good thing that I know Howser really liked you. I’m only here because I knew he would have said, ‘back him up’.”
Hastings just looked from Paula to me, shook his head and, with a slight grin, said, “You and those pretty women. I don’t know what you have, but I wouldn’t mind having a little bit of it.”
Then they were gone and Paula Donnally and I were alone, because I noticed none of the waiters came around until I gestured at one and he approached tentatively.
“Bring me coffee and for the lady  ”
“White wine.”
A couple of minutes later I was sipping my coffee while she swirled the golden liquid and then took a swallow. She put the glass down and said, “I shouldn’t have done that, but I learned to be careful. I realized just now that it really didn’t matter. You can tape me, but no jury is going to do anything to me. I’m a heartbroken and guilt-stricken wife who almost destroyed her husband’s life and is doing everything she can to make it right. Any good attorney would get me off.”
“What and who the hell are you, Paula? How do you know the things you do? How did you just walk in and twist two professionals around your little finger and get them to walk away from their professional duties In a couple of hours? How could you come up with a million dollars cash? You’re just a housewife - the wife of a publicist for a small private college.”
She rubbed one bruised lip and placed a hand over mine. It didn’t feel sexual or like a come-on. It was just a small, intimate gesture that made it feel like we were the only two people in the world at that moment.
“I’m very smart, Bill. That’s part of it. Not as smart as I think, sometimes, because I thought I was smarter than you, yet you were ahead of me. They told me I have an IQ of 170 or 180, genius level, whatever that is. I never used it because when you’re a college slut banging everything that moves, you don’t really need to be a genius. When you’re a soccer mom raising two kids it doesn’t matter either, but when I went into real estate, and I started using my brain and my body, I found out there’s no limit to what you can do, how much money you can make.”