Chapter 8 – Perfect Evening

Saturday Morning

Kensi arrived at Deeks' apartment at 8:45 a.m. They went for a long run with Monty, then returned to the apartment. Deeks engaged in one of his favorite household activities, vacuuming, while Kensi showered. Then he showered while Kensi and Monty sprawled on the couch and watched TV.

Next they went out for brunch and to run errands. Monty needed dog food and heart worm medicine; Kensi wanted to stop at her nail salon to buy five new shades of polish.

"Don't you already have red polish?" asked Deeks.

"This is not red," said Kensi in an indignant tone. "It's Firecracker Extraordinaire."

Deeks wanted to laugh, but stifled the urge. "Pardon me. Guess I'm not attuned to the fine points of nail polish."

"Maybe you shouldn't comment on things you don't understand," Kensi pointed out.

Deeks nodded slowly and grinned. "Agreed."

When they returned in the afternoon, Kensi hesitated at the front door. "Aren't you coming in?" asked Deeks.

Kensi tried not to smile. "I need to go home. I have a date tonight." And I have to pick up my new shoes!

"Big date?"

"Huge."

"And it's going to take hours to get ready?"

"Definitely."

Deeks whistled. "Lucky guy. Is he worth all that effort?"

Kensi shrugged. "Maybe. Only time will tell."

"Good to know." Then he closed his eyes and put his hands to his forehead. Was he having a psychic vision or getting a migraine? "I'm sensing your date will arrive around 7:30."

"You have ESP now?"

"Maybe."

"Even better to know," nodded Kensi. "Now I know how long I can soak in a bubble bath."

Deeks shuffled his feet as he imagined Kensi reclining in the tub, scented bubbles lapping at the top of her breasts. She would have candles lit and her techno music blaring. He almost wished he could join her, but minus the bone-jarring music. He would have insisted on soft jazz.

Kensi chewed her bottom lip for a few seconds. Finally, she said, "Okay. Gotta go."

7:45 p.m.

Kensi opened the front door and found Deeks standing there in a three-piece suit and tie. He was gorgeous!

She checked her watch. "Fifteen minutes late. You're ESP is a bit off."

Deeks chuckled. "Sorry. Heavy traffic. But I planned for that. Our reservation's for 8:15."

"Smart guy." She couldn't stop staring at him.

"You like what you see?" asked Deeks.

"I do. Nice suit. You look like you're going to a wedding." She felt herself blushing. "Or . . . or maybe an interview or business meeting," she quickly added.

Why did I say wedding?

"A wedding." Deeks looked down at himself. "Yeah, I could see me getting hitched in this . . . with the right woman."

Kensi toyed with her earring. "Do you think she's out there somewhere?"

Before he could answer, Kensi's cell rang. She glanced toward the coffee table. "That's probably my mom. I called her earlier."

"Sure." Deeks came in and closed the door. Yeah, I'm looking at the right woman.

While she was on the phone, he had a chance to admire her. Black, silky halter-top dress. The front plunged, hinting at her cleavage. A jeweled clasp held the neck together. Another jeweled clasp held her hair up in a fancy twist. Diamond stud earrings. Black clutch lying on the coffee table. But one thing was missing.

Where are those sexy new shoes?

"Yeah mom, we're going out to eat. Deeks is here now. I'll call you tomorrow. Okay. Love you, too."

She ended the call and slipped the phone into her clutch. "Almost ready."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He pointed to her feet.

"The finishing touch," she said in a flirty manner. She sat on the couch and reached for a shoe box from Mimi's Shoe Salon. Out came a pair of red peep-toe stilettos.

"On a scale of one to ten, those are off the chart," said Deeks as he sat beside her.

Kensi started to put one on, but Deeks took it from her hand. "Allow me."

Naturally, it was a shameless excuse for Deeks to caress Kensi's legs and they both knew it. He grinned up at her as he slid each shoe on. "Perfect," he murmured.

Kensi's pulse was beating double-time. "The shoes?"

"Yeah, those, too."

For a moment, neither moved. Their gazes were locked on each other. Finally, Kensi spoke. "Shouldn't we be going?"

"We should." Deeks took her hand and pulled her up. He paused to examine her nails. "Is this Firecracker Extraordinaire?"

"Absolutely."

"Looks like red to me."

"Ugh, men!" she snorted.

"Wait, what's going on here?" On her left thumbnail was a K in tiny rhinestones. Her right thumbnail sported a rhinestone D. "Is this what I think it is?"

"What do you think it is?" Kensi tried to sound nonchalant about the decorations.

He held up her left hand. "Kensi." Then he lifted her right hand. "Deeks."

Kensi shrugged. "Maybe I just picked out random letters."

"No way. So, since I'm on your right hand does that mean you're acknowledging I'm the right one for you?"

Kensi ignored the question. "Let's go. I'm starving."

"Me, too." He ran a finger slowly down the valley between her breasts. Kensi drew an unsteady breath and her nipples tightened.

"Are the girls secured? I'd hate for you to experience a wardrobe malfunction."

"They're fine. But thank you for your concern."

"Always concerned about my partner," grinned Deeks as they headed for the door.

The Steak Place

Despite its unassuming name, The Steak Place was an upscale restaurant in Malibu. Deeks had never been here, but his friend Kip highly recommended it.

"Dude, you gonna pop the question to that fine lady of yours?"

"Relax, Kip. We're just having dinner."

Kip shook his head. "What are you waiting for? Don't let her be the one who got away. In fact, if you don't propose to Kensi pretty soon, I may have to step up to the plate."

Deeks grinned. "All in good time, my friend. All in good time."

Kensi and Deeks were escorted to a table by a picture window overlooking the ocean. The restaurant was crowded with couples and families having a night out. Conversation and laughter floated around them.

The waiter took their order and in no time they were digging into thick, juicy steaks, drinking too much wine, and generally relaxing and enjoying themselves. Earlier, Deeks had noticed the wait staff putting several tables together on the opposite side of the room in preparation for a large party. Now that party was arriving.

He almost dropped his steak knife. No, it can't be.

Talia Del Campo arrived with what must be parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and several kids. An elderly woman with a cane tugged her arm and Talia bent down to receive a kiss on the cheek.

Fortunately, this was happening behind Kensi and she was saying something about dessert, or maybe it was a desert. Did she want to have dessert in the desert? Deeks wasn't quite sure. All he knew was he had to get control of the situation before their perfect evening was ruined.

"Hey Kens, why don't we go dancing?" he interrupted. "Maybe salsa. We could take your new stilettos for a spin." He made some jerky movements with his arms.

Kensi burst out laughing. "What was that? It looked like you were having a seizure."

Deeks laughed, too. "Okay, so I'm not the most coordinated guy on the dance floor, but you can show me your moves."

"Show you my moves?" For an instant, Kensi wasn't sure if he was talking about dancing . . . or something else.

"I know Hetty had us twirling around the gym that time, but it's been a long time and I should really brush up. Never know when we might have to go undercover as dance instructors."

"Dance instructors who need to catch bad guys?" Kensi was trying to wrap her mind around that scenario.

"Yeah, dance instructors who are, in fact, terrorist money launderers or bomb makers when they're not doing the tango or rumba."

"Your imagination is really out there and you do need practice. Okay, let's do it. Woo-hoo! I'm feeling fine," said Kensi.

Deeks signaled the waiter. "And you're looking even more fine."

"Let me go to the bathroom first."

"Okay, I'll meet you by that fountain." There was a large, ornate, tiered water fountain and arrangement of potted palms near the restrooms.

Cautiously, Deeks looked toward Talia's group. He breathed a sigh of relief. Her back was to him and she was occupied with her family.

The waiter returned with his credit card and he moved swiftly around the corner to wait for Kensi. Come on, Kens. We need to leave now! I hope you're not in there comparing nail polish or shoes with other women.

Almost before he finished that thought, Kensi came out. "I'm ready." She shook her hips and twirled around. Deeks eyebrows shot up. "I can see that."

Two little boys ran around the corner. "I bet they have goldfish in there," one shouted. They didn't see Kensi and Deeks and collided with Kensi. She teetered precariously on her stilettos. "Deeks!"

"Watch out! Don't knock the lady down!" said Deeks. He shot out an arm to grab Kensi before she fell into the fountain. Her clutch did not fare so well. SPLAT!

"My purse!" shrieked Kensi.

"I got it," said Deeks. "Jungle cat reflexes." He stooped and scooped it up, but he almost pulled Kensi down with him. "Deeks, stop it!"

"Justin! Roberto! What are you doing? We're about to cut abuela's cake," called out a strangely familiar voice. Heels clicked on the tile as a woman approached.

One little boy called over his shoulder. "We're hunting for goldfish. Oh look Auntie Talia, there's one!"

Kensi looked at Deeks with wide eyes and a startled expression. "Come on," he hissed under his breath. He pulled her further into a dark corner and clamped a hand over her mouth before she yelled or said something inappropriate about kids.

"Don't worry. When we have kids, they'll be better behaved," he whispered. Kensi rolled her eyes. He wasn't sure if that was directed toward the "having kids" part or the "better behaved"part. She was mumbling against his hand.

The maître d' glided up to Talia. "Is there a problem, ma'am?"

"I'm sorry. My nephews. You can dress them up, but you can't take them out."

The boys looked up the tall man in the tuxedo with mouths open. "Now boys, why don't we let the goldfish go back to their dinner and you go have some cake," he said in a smooth tone. No doubt he was used to dealing with far worse situations than inquisitive kids on a regular basis. He produced a white handkerchief from his pocket and bent to dry their little hands.

One of them spoke up. "We didn't hurt the fish, mister."

"Sir," corrected Talia. "Now apologize." They looked sheepishly at Talia.

"I'm sorry, sir," said the older one.

"Me, too . . . sir," said the little one. "And we didn't mean to scare that lady."

"What lady?" asked Talia.

"A pretty lady. And there was a tall man, too."

"Tall man?" Talia's eyes narrowed. "Was his hair the color of Uncle Mark's?"

"Yeah, it was," said the older boy.

She looked around, but saw no one. However, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She had a funny feeling she was being watched. And she thought she'd seen Deeks and Kensi when her family first entered the restaurant. But with the confusion of getting everyone seated and orders placed, she temporarily forgot about them. It had been a long day and these boisterous family gatherings were often trying.

If it was them, they're gone now.

"Come on, boys. I'm ready for some cake." And more wine.

In the corner, Deeks knew that Talia was staring in their direction. It was like having a gun's laser sight trained on him. Finally, her heels clicked away. "If I move my hand, you won't freak out, will you?" whispered Deeks.

Kensi shook her head from side to side. Deeks moved his hand. "I don't want her ruining our perfect evening, so we're not going out the front."

"Kitchen door?" said Kensi.

"Exactly."

"You're a fun date."

"I try." He glanced around. "Alrighty then. Looks like the kitchen is around the other corner. But I got this." He pulled out his LAPD ID. "Come on."

He took Kensi's hand and they made a mad dash in front of the fountain and around the corner toward the kitchen.

From her peripheral vision, Talia thought she saw something, but she wasn't sure. Maybe I haven't had enough to drink. A waiter was hovering nearby. "Excuse me, can I get a vodka martini, please?"

Deeks and Kensi burst through the swinging kitchen doors. Deeks held up his ID. "LAPD. Where's the exit?"

A shocked Hispanic cook dropped the plate he was holding and raised his hands. "Green card . . . in wallet, Señor."

Deeks was momentarily taken aback. "Uh, good for you. But I'm looking for the exit."

The man pointed and the pair sprinted around and past the bewildered kitchen staff. "Sorry. Excuse me. Coming through," called Deeks. "We're not Immigration," he yelled. "Not Immigration."

They reached the dark alley behind the restaurant and Kensi began laughing hysterically. "What a night! But we missed dessert. I totally need my dessert," she said.

"What about dancing?"

"Dessert, then dancing. That's what I want." Suddenly, Kensi yawned. Deeks wrapped his arms around her. "Are you sure?" The excitement of the evening and the wine seemed to be catching up with her.

She studied her nails. "You were right. This is us. I thought it was . . . cute." Then she looped her arms around Deeks' neck.

"I like it," he said. He was about to kiss her, and Kensi was waiting for it, when the kitchen door opened and someone tossed a garbage bag into the dumpster with a thunk. The man gave them a strange look. So much for the LAPD emergency.

"Come on. I know a good place for dessert. They have apple pie, cherry pie, coconut cream pie, chocolate chiffon pie, lemon pie . . ."

"Where? Why are we standing here?"

Deeks laughed. "All I have to do is mention food and you're putty in my hands."

"I guess I am fairly shallow that way."

They began walking toward the front of the restaurant and the valet parking. Kensi stumbled and once more, Deeks caught her. "My heel snapped off. Damn pothole! My new heels," she whined.

She picked up the heel and glared angrily at it. "I paid a lot for these."

Deeks took it from her and turned it over in his hand. "I can fix this."

"Well, somebody needs to fix it or I'm . . ." Again, Kensi yawned.

"Let's get you to the car." With Deeks' help, she limped and hopped to the valet station. The valet brought the car around and Deeks helped her inside. At the same moment, Talia and her family were spilling out of the restaurant. Justin and Roberto were running around like hooligans.

"I knew it," she said when she saw Deeks and Kensi. She clenched her fists. My gut feeling is never wrong.

"Knew what, sis?" asked her older brother.

She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud. "Uh, I knew the party would be a success. You always do a great job planning these things."

"Thanks. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves."

Deeks was preoccupied and failed to notice Talia. His only concern was to show Kensi a great time. He drove to a little café known for its fabulous desserts. Before they went in, he reached over to the glove compartment. "What are you looking for?" asked Kensi.

"Some super-duper super glue. See, it says NASA even used it on the space shuttle. So I think it'll take care of your heel."

"Fine," sighed Kensi. She handed him the shoe. "But you're not a NASA engineer, so why do you need it?"

"You don't know what I do when I'm not with you," he said mysteriously.

"Yes, I do. You surf, play basketball, and search out new pizza and sushi places."

"Wow. You know me better than I thought." He looked at her and smiled.

"It's my job to know you, partner."

Deeks twisted off the cap and squeezed. Unfortunately, a larger than expected glob spurted out. Kensi's dress had ridden up and the blob landed on her exposed thigh. They looked at each other and then down at Kensi's leg. Suddenly, Kensi lost it.

"Do something, Deeks! Get it off!"

"Hang on." He opened the center console and dug around until he found a small wet-wipe package. "This is probably left over from the last time we went to that barbeque joint downtown."

"Stop babbling! I don't need a provenance. Just open the stupid thing!"

"Right." He ripped it open and started scrubbing Kensi's leg. She tried to help and they finally got the glue off her leg. Kensi leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "I know you're only trying to help, but maybe you shouldn't."

Deeks felt terrible. "I'm really sorry, Kens. I have a first-aid kit in the trunk and it has some antibiotic ointment."

Before Kensi could protest, Deeks had retrieved the cream and was rubbing it on her leg. "Is that better?"

"Yeah. Sorry I freaked. It was just so . . . unexpected."

"I get it. I should have been paying more attention, but your leg distracted me."

Kensi glared at him. "I'm not claiming any responsibility for that."

In a couple minutes, he had her heel fixed. "Here you go. Good as new."

She checked it out from all angles. "You're pretty handy. Would you like to do the honors?"

"Of course." Deeks got out and came around to Kensi's side where she already had the door open. Deeks squatted and slipped the heel on. "Put some weight on it to make sure it holds." She extended her hand and he pulled her up. "Perfect," she said.

They were shown to a booth in the back and he blew out a sigh.

"No Talia. We can relax now," he said. They both giggled and Kensi checked over her shoulder to be sure. "Now to more important things." She read the menu with intense interest. "Yummy."

"I'm gonna have the apple pie," said Deeks. "And coffee."

Kensi took a few more minutes to decide and ultimately picked the chocolate chiffon pie. "And coffee," she added.

"Wonderful," said Kensi when she finished her pie. She got every last crumb off the plate.

"You still up for dancing?" Deeks did his crazy arm movements again and Kensi laughed.

She considered it for a moment and yawned. "Another time. I'm ready to veg out."

"Your place or mine?"

"Doesn't matter."

Twenty minutes later, they're standing outside Deeks' front door. No nosy neighbors were out smoking or walking their dogs so Deeks pulled her into his arms. "Did you have fun tonight?"

She slowly smiled. "On a scale of one to ten, tonight was off the charts."

"That good, huh?"

"In spite of everything, it was a perfect evening because I was with the perfect guy."

He reached up and toyed with the clasp of her halter dress. "It doesn't have to end."

"Careful. That might cause a wardrobe malfunction," warned Kensi as she threaded her hands into his hair.

"In that case, we should go in. We wouldn't want the neighbors to see that. They think I'm a nice guy."

"They must be misinformed," laughed Kensi as they stumbled through the door.

At the end of the parking lot away from the streetlight, a dark-haired woman in a Fiat witnessed the lovey-dovey scene.

So that's where he lives.

She waited fifteen minutes to see if Kensi would leave or stay. In her gut she already knew the answer. With a final glance at Deeks' door, she started the car and slowly drove away.

THE END