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From: "Wine Maker" <wine_maker@eknifeshop.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} Finding Elvis Chapter 06 (MF, FF, MFF, Slow, Romantic Thriller)
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Author's note:

It's the time of year to vote in the Golden Clitorides! I encourage you
to go vote for me in the Best New Author category. If think someone
else is more worthy, in any area, go vote for them instead! Just go
vote to help start the awards back up.

Please go to:  http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Clitorides/www/GCA_2005.htm

Vote in the Best New Author category for me, if you like.

Wine Maker   http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Wine_Maker/www/

Also, the Silver Clits have been resurrected for stories ending in the
months of January and February, 2006. Go out there and vote! If you
think my story, The Lady in Blue, is worthy vote for me. If not, vote
for someone else, but vote!

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Gamera/www/SilverClits/SCA_Current.html

Wine Maker
The Lady in Blue
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Wine_Maker/www/

Vote early and vote often. For someone. And tell your friends.

Thanks.

Wine

-----

A Hawk Romantic Thriller. A romantic thriller that starts slowly, but
the passion builds as the plot unfolds. Homicide detective Lieutenant
Shauna Hawkins is in Vegas with her friends Ted and Lisa and has to
find out just who got married last night. As a lesbian, that might be
awkward. A series of dead bodies makes it a lot more serious. This has
a real plot and three dimensional characters. It's more than just a
wanker.

Read this story on several sites and vote on each for me. Voting for my
stories encourages me to write more. Remember to vote for each chapter
on Literotica and on the last chapter on Storiesonline.

http://storiesonline.net/auth/Wine_Maker

http://english.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=560253&page=submissions


Chapter 6: Coming out
(c) 2006 by Wine Maker

To say he was surprised would be like saying that linebackers were a
bit bigger than me. He didn't let go of Gretchen, but he did look like
a fish out of water.

"Jesus, Gretchen! You're going to give him a heart attack!" I said with
a shake of my head. "Look Hans, I realize this is a shock, but it just
sort of happened. Are Ted and Lisa still here? This will be easier if
we just go through it once."

Gretchen laughed gaily in her father's ear. My father-in-law, I thought
to myself; this was going to take some getting used to. Hell, it would
be easy to accept compared with getting used to the Wicked Bitch of the
West as a mother-in-law.  That went way beyond 'getting used to'
and into the realm of 'life changing miracle.' I wonder how many
other newlyweds took a poke at the in-laws on the same day they got
married.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Gretchen said, looking not a whit contrite. "I
just couldn't help springing it on you like that," Gretchen laughed
again. "Oh, you should have _seen_ your face, Daddy!"  She didn't
give Hans a chance to respond, but turned and waved at Devon to join
us. "Daddy, this is Devon, my new driver. Devon, while we talk, why
don't you raid the kitchen for something."

Hans rolled his eyes heavenward, as if begging for strength. He placed
his hands on Gretchen's arms, gently turning her back to him.
"Hogwash, Gretchen," he said to her face. "You simply can't resist
trying to shock me. You've been playing this game with me ever since
you were a little girl, although I have to admit this is over the top,
even for you.  One of these days you'll find out that you've gone too
far." He let go of Gretchen's arms and nodded to Devon. "Devon."

"I think we passed 'too far' several hours ago," I muttered to
myself as I started past them and walked into the house. Stopping just
inside, I looked around in a mixture of awe and mild repugnance. The
entryway was marble, leaded glass and a mixture of antiques even I knew
should never be in the same house, to say nothing of side by side in
the same room. The difference between Gretchen's house and the entry
was that a lot more money had been spent on just the entry and none of
it showed the least bit of taste. While I was sure that every single
piece was one of the finest of its kind, and that each likely cost more
than I made in a year, the room as a whole clashed so violently that it
looked gaudy in a way that made everything within seem cheap and showy.

"Who does your decorating? Anna Nichole Smith?" I asked, still turning
my head from side to side. It was so awful I couldn't stop myself
from staring.

Hans chuckled and shook his head. "No, Kat picked everything out. I
admit it's a bit overdone for my taste, but I've learned to live with
it."

"It looks like a Turkish harem scene in a sci-fi movie," Gretchen said
with a sniff. "A bad movie. Done by people who think the Shriners are
authentic Turkish." She stalked into the house like she owned the
place, past the monstrous central staircase with the obligatory
chandelier, veering to the right of the stairs and into a more intimate
room. Hans and I followed her, eyeing one another curiously. Hans
somewhat absently pointed Devon toward the kitchen, and he headed that
way.

The room we entered was much more tastefully done. Dark leather seats
were scattered around the room with small tables at strategic points.
Gretchen picked up the phone and waited for a moment before speaking.

"Ivan," she said, "I need you to bring Ted and Lisa to the Brown Room.
Thanks." She hung up, went to a bar and started pouring drinks. "That
was Daddy's butler, Hawk. His name is spelled I-v-a-n, but pronounced
'Evon'."

"This will best be discussed over a drink. Daddy, I'm making you a
single malt whiskey. I'll make it a double. I think you're going to
need it.  What do you want, Hawk?" Gretchen asked me with a raised
eyebrow.

I sat down in one of the seats and sighed. It was soft and comfortable.
The dim lights in the room contributed to making me feel more relaxed.
I thought I could learn to really like the Brown Room. "I want the
entire bottle," I told Gretchen, "but I don't think I should be
drinking."

Gretchen nodded emphatically. "Right, I wasn't thinking. How about a
soda?"

"Yeah, toss me a diet cola," I said with a sigh. I was really, really
longing for a shot of something, anything, but with a baby inside me
that wasn't going to happen. I stared at the can in my hand. This
sucked.

A tall, almost cadaverously thin man, in his late thousands and dressed
like Lurch, opened the door and led Ted and Lisa in. "Here they are.
Welcome home, Miss Gretchen," Ivan said, in a voice from beyond the
grave. He then wordlessly backed out and closed the door behind them.

Ted and Lisa smiled at me in surprise, and my stomach did a slow,
queasy roll. Lord, this could go wrong in so many ways. I might be
about to alienate my best friends forever.

Lisa came over and hugged me. "Hawk, I didn't expect to see you up
here!" She sat down in the chair that shared a table with mine. "I
thought you were in Vegas looking for Elvis, but I'm glad you came to
Boston. I bet you found out what happened, like we did just an hour
ago." Ted sat across from us and crossed his legs, watching quietly.
Gretchen took their drink orders and leaned them toward heavier stuff
before sitting down next to her father.

"Yeah, well that's a story all its own," I said to Lisa, my eyes
shadowed. "You first."

Lisa's eyes opened wide with concern. "That sounds ominous. Well, Ted's
been calling the county clerk back in Vegas every morning to see if
anything has been filed. It looks like a marriage certificate arrived
by mail this morning. What would you do if I told you that Ted and you
are married?"

"Throw up," I said sickly. "Please tell me you're yanking my chain."

Lisa threw her head back, laughing. "Relax! You're safe. It looks like
I need to get used to being Mrs. Stansbury, and you can stop looking
for the missing Elvis. Ted and I have been talking the situation over
and mutually decided to see how it works out."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that I can stop looking for Elvis just yet," I said
quietly. "I need to find him so I can kick him in the balls. Well, I
have some good news, some bad news and some _really_ bad news. Which do
you want first?"

Lisa's brow knitted in a frown. "That doesn't sound promising at all.
Let's start with the good news, then."

I looked at Gretchen and Hans. She was posed in a relaxed posture, but
I could see her fingers turning white with tension as she tightly
gripped the glass. Hans was leaned forward, waiting. His eyes were
bright, but I couldn't read emotions in them. I took a gulp of my diet
cola and set it down on the dark stone coaster.

"The good news is that I got married to Gretchen this morning. I
suppose it's a good thing I wasn't already married."

Lisa leapt to her feet, squealing, and yanked me to my feet and into a
wild hug. "Ohmigod! Ohmigod! I never thought it would happen so
quickly!" Then she held me out at arm's length and scowled at me. "Why
wasn't I invited?"

I hung my head. "Because it just sort of... happened. I have a
confession to make to both of you. Elvis ran here to Boston with his
wife, and Gretchen and I followed them. We've been here looking for
them for almost a week."

Lisa's mouth dropped open and she made an indignant noise. "Why didn't
you call us? We could have helped you find him!"

"That's why I didn't call you," I admitted. "You two had enough on your
plates without me disrupting you. I'm sorry."

Lisa shook me a little. "I'm not happy with that answer, Hawk. You
should have called us anyway." She sat back down and wagged her finger
at me. "Now, tell me all about your wedding and why we weren't invited.
And you better make it good."

I looked at Gretchen for a moment, but she was no help. I threw up my
hands in surrender. "We were going to play a prank on Hans," I said
tiredly. "We picked up a marriage license to scare him with on Monday.
It turns out the prank was on us. We tracked Elvis to the county
clerk's office." I rubbed my face tiredly, wanting this be over and
knowing I hadn't even gotten to the hard part yet. "Somehow, he
spotted us and was listening when I told Gretchen not to lose the
stupid license. His wife distracted us while he took it out of
Gretchen's pocket, and they signed the damned thing and filed it
_right in front_ of us."

"Holy shit!" Lisa exclaimed with a shocked expression on her face. "Are
you going to get it annulled?"

I shook my head and looked at Gretchen, feeling a smile come to my face
for the first time. "I don't give my word lightly and my word is what
signing that paper meant, regardless that I thought it would never get
filed. We talked, and we agreed that we would give this a try." I
looked at Hans, who looked like he had been run over by a truck. "Hans,
I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you had in mind when you hired me to
talk to Gretchen. Forget the fee. I'll understand if you're pissed as
hell about this."

"Screw that, Hawk!" Gretchen objected. "You did exactly what Daddy
asked you to. You convinced me to make a real effort to make up with
Daddy, and I will not see you toss your pay away on principle."

Hans shook his head. "No, Hawk, Gretchen is right; a deal is a deal. Do
you know what the most common trait shared by the wealthy people that
made their own fortunes is?"

I shook my head.

"Integrity," he said firmly. "When I make a deal, I stand by it
even if it works out differently than I'd hoped." He looked at
Gretchen, and his voice softened. "I'll be honest; I don't know how I
feel about this. It's too sudden, too much for me to absorb quickly.
What I do know is that I won't argue with you about it, no matter how I
decide I feel. It's your life to do with as you choose. I think I've
learned that much.  I lost you once because I tried to make you see
things my way, do things my way, and I'll not do that again." He looked
back at me. "I'll welcome you to the family, Hawk, though I don't think
Kat will be very happy."

Gretchen tossed her head and snorted. "Daddy, nothing I do will make
her happy, so it's just something we'll have to deal with. You and I
have both let Kat come between us, but Hawk has convinced me that we
can make our relationship work if we focus on just you and me and not
try to include her. I have to accept that Kat is a part of your life,
whether I like it or not, and you have to accept she's never going to
be any part of mine. If we can do that, if we're willing to try, then
we'll make it." Gretchen looked so fragile right then, and I wanted to
reach for her, comfort her. There would be time for that later.  Right
now, she needed to mend this fence, alone with her father.

Hans slowly nodded, thoughtful. "I think I can do that," I could see
Gretchen let out a breath, "but there will be times that we'll be
together, Kat and me, while you are there. I can't tell _her_ what to
do, anymore than I can tell you, so what should I do?"

"Let us settle it ourselves," Gretchen said bluntly, any hint of
fragility gone. "She and I will never get along. And she will never
accept my wife," she said with a smile at me. "We'll argue, we'll
fight. That's obvious to anyone that knows the two of us. You'll
_have_ to stay out of it. I promise I won't start trouble, but I won't
let her push me too far; and heaven help her if she pushes Hawk. Hawk
pushes back."

Hans winced. "After last week, I don't doubt you may fight. Do try not
to leave any permanent injuries." A smile ghosted across his face.
"I'd like my wife back in roughly the same condition as you find
her."

"Done," Gretchen said with a laugh before turning back to me. "Sorry
for the interruption, Hawk. Go ahead."

I smile at her affectionately. "Thanks." I looked at Lisa. "Ted, Lisa,
this might be awkward, but you have a right to know this, too. There's
no easy way to say this, so... I'm pregnant."

For a moment, Lisa frowned as though not understanding what I was
saying. Then her eyes flew wide in shock and she leaned back as though
shoved in her chair. "What?!? You mean..." Lisa stared at Ted, whose
open mouth spoke of his shock, as well.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "That's the really bad news. Ted is the father."

The silence in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife until Ted
cleared his throat. "Well, this is a shock, but it was a possibility
from the very beginning, I suppose. I guess one of the condoms didn't
work as well as we'd hoped."

"I found one in the bed in Vegas after the night you two got married.
It was split, but we had other things on our minds, if you recall.
Lisa, I'm sorry." I looked at her beseechingly, feeling more vulnerable
than I had thought possible. "I don't want to lose you as my friends."

Hans really looked bowled over, looking at each of us in turn, but
saying nothing.

Lisa looked really troubled, but came over to kneel beside my chair. "I
don't know how all of this will affect us, but I do believe that you
don't want to come between Ted and me. You're going to have the baby,
right?"

I closed my eyes. "Of course I am. Abortion isn't something I can
do." I looked at Gretchen. "Even if I weren't married, I would have
this baby. Since I'm married, Gretchen would chain me to the bed for
nine months to make sure everything went well."

"Damned straight," Gretchen said firmly. Then she smiled slyly. "Not
that I promise not to chain you to the bed anyway."

Hans rolled his eyes, this time his prayer for strength aloud. "Dear
God, help me. Please, no details on your sex life." Gretchen just
laughed.

Gretchen looked back over at me. "Hawk and I do have some negotiating
to do about that, but we'll keep the details mum, Daddy."

"So, when you have the baby, then what?" Lisa asked again.

"If you're asking if I want child support or something, the answer is
no. If you're asking if I want Ted as more than an occasional lover if
everyone agrees, the answer is no. I still would like to be part of
your sex life, but no more than you are willing to allow and only if
Gretchen approves. Like she said, we have some negotiating to do. On
the flip side, though, I'll be raising the baby. Ted and you can be
part of his or her life, in fact, I would want you to be, but it's _my_
child."

"_Our_ child," Gretchen said. "I'll tell you both the same thing I told
Hawk; I'm the daddy, and I am as much a part of this as Hawk is."

"You _aren't_ the daddy! I'm the alpha!" I retorted.

Gretchen just grinned and continued. "Look, if we can agree right now
that no one is going to horn in on the other's relationship, I think we
can settle the details when this all has time to soak in. Hawk and I
will not be a wedge for you, and you will not be one for us. Agreed?"

Lisa looked at Ted and slowly nodded. "That, 'driving a wedge,' as
you put it, was what I was really worried about. I can agree with your
suggestions." She looked back at me. "I don't want to ruin our
friendship either. I think we can make this work, as long as we all
respect each other's boundaries we agree to."

Ted nodded, still obviously mulling fatherhood.

I almost collapsed with relief. "Thank God!" Climbing to my feet, I
pulled Lisa into a hug. My legs felt all weak and wobbly.

"Shhhhh," she whispered in my ear. "We'll make it. Sit down, and we'll
fill you in on what's been happening with us."

I sat back down heavily and took a sip of my diet cola. I _really_
wanted a whiskey. Sighing in frustration, I made a face. "Maybe one
drink?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Gretchen said. "It's no booze and a healthy
lifestyle for you, or I start looking for good chains, my pretty."

"Feh," I said sourly. "This is going to get tedious. Well, Ted, how are
things on your end?"

"Could be worse," he said with a smile. "I could be pregnant."

"Bastard," I mumbled and bounced the cola cap off his head. "Keep
working it, and we'll see whose ass gets kicked. I meant how are thing
with Hans, bright boy."

Ted looked over to Hans, who nodded. "Well, we're still working out the
details, but it looks like Hans will be funding a very large
distribution deal for Stansbury Vineyards. Along with that, he's going
to make a sizeable loan to expand the growing acreage. A lot. It takes
seven years before new vines are really producing, and then it takes
time to craft a fine wine, so he's making an investment that will pay
off in a decade or so. I'm pretty pleased, since I have a new wife to
keep in the fashion to which she'd like to become accustomed."

Lisa shook her head. "Funny man. On my side, Hans is making me a sweet
offer of either a partnership in a very prestigious law firm in Houston
or backing me in a run for the District Attorney's office in Galveston
or Houston. Thus far, I'm still resisting his blandishments, but I'm
weakening. He's playing me like a fish on the line."

"That's great!" I said. "You two deserve it." Then I looked at Hans.
"Now what?"

He smiled. "Now I get my revenge for you both springing all this on me.
I'm having a social get together here tonight for an old friend who's
running for the US Senate. I want to announce your marriage and
pregnancy here tonight."

Now it was my turn to goggle. "Why?"

"That's simple," Hans said. "First, because it will get out anyway and
it's always best to be as up front as you can be. If you two are not
ashamed of it, I'm not going to be either. Second, I have wanted to see
Gretchen married for years and I'm getting to be an old man." He smiled
at Gretchen. "I was beginning to despair at ever having a grandchild.
I'll be the first to admit that the, um, _complexity_ of the parentage
may present some interesting challenges, but I believe it can be worked
out."

Hans looked over at Ted. "Depending on a number of factors, I suspect
that the media will dig you out as a likely candidate for being the
father. It might be for the best if that were disclosed up front. That
sort of thing is done on occasion. From a legal standpoint, I believe
you should make clear what limits you all wish concerning the child."

He looked around the room at all of us and smiled dryly. "I suppose
with all these surprise weddings, no one has any prenuptial
agreements?"

We all shook our heads.

"Then that makes things very interesting on a number of fronts for
Gretchen. And in the spirit of all the surprises today, I think I'll
announce my surprise after we make your announcements," Hans said with
a smirk as he stood up. "It's only fair, really. Now, if you will
excuse me, I have some things to get ready for the party tonight. Dress
up."

I expected Gretchen to hound him for the details, but she just shook
her head in exasperation, letting Hans escape.

After he closed the door behind him, I threw up my hands. "Why didn't
you tackle him and ask what that means?"

"Because I know my father, and I know it wouldn't do any good,"
Gretchen said, rising to her feet. "He is as stubborn as I am and if he
says he'll announce it tonight, torture won't drag it out any faster.
So why fight the inevitable? Besides," she smiled mischievously,
"it's only fair to let him have some fun, too."

I leaned back in my chair.  "I'm doomed to a life filled with
pranksters for family," I moaned.

Gretchen gave me a wicked grin, but ignored me.  "Ted, Lisa, I know
we'll have many more chances to get to know each other, but I need to
take my wife shopping. We simply have _nothing_ to wear. Daddy can turn
you loose in one of his cars and you can find some good places to shop
here in Boston."

"Why can't they come with us?" I asked. "There's plenty of room in the
Hummer."

She shook her head and looked at me pityingly. "Because they need time
and space to talk about all this privately, Doofus. Not everyone is
like you, bulling their way through it all in one sitting. Let them
have some space to think things through without us breathing over their
shoulders. Right?"

Ted and Lisa both nodded. "She's right, Hawk," Lisa said. "Ted and I
need to talk about it so that we can be frank with each other, and that
means we need to do it privately. You can take us shopping together
later. Right now, I need to do this my way." She pulled me to my feet
and kissed me on the lips. "It doesn't mean anything bad. I still love
you. Don't over-analyze."

Pots and kettles, Lisa!" I interrupted.

Lisa just smiled. "Give Ted a kiss and get out of here. We only have
a few hours to shop. Though, if you don't see us at the party until
later, don't worry. We might be late."

Ted kissed me while Gretchen and Lisa embraced in a hug. "Don't worry,
Hawk. Everything will be fine," he whispered in my ear before releasing
me and giving Gretchen a hug as well. "You two have fun. Be back here
before seven. That's when the party kicks off." They opened the door
and walked out, arm in arm.

"You think it'll be that easy?" I asked Gretchen.

She pulled me into a hug and kissed me lightly. "You think this is
easy? This is the most complex, unlikely chain of events I could have
ever imagined. Life _is_ stranger than fiction. Come on. Let's go pry
Devon out the fridge and get a move on. We need to get your hair done,
find the perfect dress and go shopping for shoes." Then she kissed me
again, but this time deep and hard, leaving me breathless. "And we need
to stop at Victoria's Secret, too. Tonight's my wedding night and I
want it to be perfect."

"My hair? What's wrong with my hair?"

-----

The next few hours were a blur of motion and people. Gretchen took me
to an upscale salon where she seemed to know everyone by name. It was
like some kind of reunion. Everyone was hugging and laughing. When she
told them I was her wife, and that we were going to a social to
announce it tonight, everyone stopped in shock. Then she told them we
needed to be dazzling and dressed _fabulously_ before seven.

I have never seen people bustle into motion like that. Before I could
protest, I was dragged off into a side room and my clothes were
virtually ripped off my body. Measurements were taken and I was given a
robe to wear. A man that triggered my gaydar off the scale came in and
blanched at the sight of me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Oh, dearie, I need two weeks, not two hours."

He started running his hands through my hair and tisking.  "You
don't get your hair done, do you, darling?"

I snorted. "No, I just use scissors to take it off when it gets too
long."

"Yes, that's obvious," he sniffed. "Well, thank God it's long
enough to do something with. I should be able to make this work without
losing more than a couple of inches in length. You should be glad
Vanity is here to save you from yourself, Hon. Even then, it will take
all my skill to pull this off."

I frowned at him. "No one else complains about my hair, and what the
hell kind of name is Vanity?"

"That's because they're terrified you'll break them, you sweet brute.
Gretchen told me how you punched her mother-in-law. I wish I'd been
there to see it. In any case, I call myself Vanity because it's what I
am and what I do." He struck a stereotypical gay pose, right down to
the tilted head and limp wrist.  I laughed, and after a moment, Vanity
joined me. "Now, darling, you sit down here so I can salvage
_something_ from this."

I'm surprised I wasn't chained to the chair. He and his assistants, who
seemed to ghost in and out, did _things_ to my hair. Then they were
rubbing my face down with something smelling of lime and almonds. When
my robe was pulled open, I tried to balk and was told that he was gay
and my virtue, such as it might be, was safe, "so shut up and let me
make you beautiful for your wedding night." More lotions were spread
over my skin, and I couldn't believe I actually sat still as he trimmed
my bush while chattering away as though everything was perfectly
normal. Perhaps it was, for him.

When Vanity was done, women started in with clothes. First the
frilliest set of black panties, that looked like they were made of
silk, and a matching half-cup bra. Then came a parade of dresses, all
in dark colors. Vanity kept saying no to perfectly good dresses,
including a few that made me drool. None met his 'vision,' though,
and I was about to put my foot down when he finally found one he liked.
A little black number that looked too small for me.

"Put that on, Hawk. I think we can work with it," he said critically.

I was afraid I was going to tear it when I slid it down my body. It
dropped down to my mid-thigh and emphasized my smaller than average
chest. I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. "This works," I
said, putting my stamp of approval on it.

Shoes and purses came next and shortly the ensemble was complete.
Makeup and the final touches were quickly applied and everyone except
Vanity made their escape.

"You look delicious, darling!" he exclaimed. "If I was even a little
straight, I'd be drooling all over myself. Let's go show you off to
your wife."

He led me out from the back room and into the main salon. Gretchen was
sitting there in a sea green sheath of a dress and her hair was piled
up on top of her head. The way her eyes lit up and then devoured my
body made me shiver with need.

"God, Hawk, you look good enough to eat. I think we should just skip
the party and go somewhere private to talk about our honeymoon," she
said huskily. Then she stood up and came for me, her hands reaching to
touch me.

"Oh, no," I said, grabbing her hands. "You told Hans that we would go,
so go we will. But, you can dance with me till your legs fall off."

Her laughter gurgled in her throat. "Oh, this is going to be fun." She
waved at Vanity. "Thanks, V. I don't know what I would do without your
genius. Bill me!"

-----

When we arrived back at the mansion, the party must already have been
in full swing because there were cars and people all over the place.
Uniformed young men and women parked cars and were keeping the drive
clear for new arrivals.

Gretchen climbed out and looked back into the Hummer. "Go out on the
town and have a good time on us, Devon. We'll be staying the night, so
you can call my cell tomorrow afternoon if you haven't heard from us."

"Have a good evening, eh," he said with a grin and drove off before
someone tried to wrest the Hummer away from him.

At the door, we were checked against a guest list and admitted without
incident. My sharp eyes picked out a couple of inconspicuous guards
inside the door. Likely a ready response team in case someone tried to
crash the party. I cataloged the heat they were packing with approval.
I'm sure there were others scattered through the house, among the
guests and out on the lawn. They probably had us identified before we
stopped in front of the house.

Lurch was waiting just inside the door, as well. His eyes hinted at his
disapproval before they moved over to Gretchen. "Miss Gretchen, Miss
Shauna, the main party is in the Crystal Room."

"Hawk," I told him. "And don't call me Miss."

He sniffed at me. He _actually_ sniffed at me. "I don't use nicknames,
Miss Shauna. It shows an inappropriate familiarity."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away before I could grind
my teeth down to the nub. I could tell that _we_ were going to have
trouble, and I didn't know what to do since he was too old to just
beat into shape. Gretchen didn't even seem to notice how it riled me.
She took my arm and virtually dragged me off behind Lurch.

The Crystal Room was huge and, as expected, glittering with crystal. An
obnoxiously large crowd of men in penguin suits and women that were
dressed to the hilt maneuvered in some complicated dance of
conversation, dominance and challenge among each other. The women were
a mixture of matrons with a haughty air and young women that fit more
into the category of mistresses or escorts. That brought my eyes back
to Gretchen.

She smiled back, misinterpreting my glance. "Don't worry, Hawk. I know
this looks intimidating, but it's not that bad."

Then Lurch cleared his throat. "Miss Gretchen Werner. Miss Shauna
Hawkins."

I started to turn on him, but Gretchen just grabbed my arm and pulled
me inside. "Did you hear what he just did to me?" I snarled,
exasperated. "Now _everyone_ will be calling me Shauna!"

"So," she asked with a smile as we started mixing with the other
people. "It _is_ your name, and I think it's very pretty. Like you."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'm doomed."

A cheery man with short brown hair and a genuine smile stepped up to us
and threw his arms around Gretchen while she made happy noises.

"Uncle David! I didn't know you would be here! This is Hawk. I have the
most amazing story to tell you, the best news!"

He laughed and kissed her cheek. "No time, Gretchen. The matrons are
right behind me and I have to meet with the guest of honor."

He held out his hand to me and smiled.

"David Stein. Gretchen's mother was my sister. It's a pleasure to meet
any friend of hers." He kissed her cheek again and let her go with a
wave as he dodged back. "Wait for me after the party."

Her response was cut short by the arrival of a herd of older women with
young men in tow. Almost ruthlessly, I was split away from Gretchen and
by some process of crowd movement I didn't quite catch, shuffled to the
outside of the group. Gretchen squawked, and I started back in before
it occurred to me what this was. These old women were trying to foist
their sons on what they thought was a very eligible woman.

With a grin and a wave at her, I let the eddies at the outer edge of
the whirlpool push me clear. She rolled her eyes at me before
succumbing to the people talking to her. I bet that would keep her busy
for a few minutes. With a half turn, I spotted the wet bar and started
for it before stopping in my tracks with a curse. No booze. I kept
forgetting.

I was still weighing my options when a woman in her late thirties or
early forties stepped up beside me and handed me a glass of champagne.
I turned and looked her over as she smiled at me. "Good evening," I
said with surprise that someone in this crowd would even talk to me.

"Good evening. I'm Vanessa, Hawk. You don't mind if I call you that, do
you? I'm Hans' chef. You've met my father, Ivan. I brought you a diet
Sprite so you would have something to drink."

With a sigh, I sipped the Sprite. "Thank you. Yeah, I've met your
father. Forgive me, but he seems to enjoy irking me."

Vanessa quietly laughed. "He does that with everyone. Contrariness was
invented for him. Still, he has a good heart under that stony exterior.
You'll see. Hans wanted me to make sure that you knew he was planning
on making the announcement about fifteen minutes after you arrived."

"I really wish we didn't have to do this," I muttered. "Fine, that will
make me a really popular person, I bet. I don't see this crew taking it
too well."

While we were talking, a nice looking man in his mid-thirties stepped
up behind Vanessa. "Your canap�s are divine, as always, Vanessa.
I'll have to keep working to get that recipe from you." His voice
was a nice, deep tenor.

Vanessa turned with a wide and genuine smile. "Kirk, you devil. You
know it's a trade secret, but I'll tell you what. If you win the
election I'll give it to you with my compliments."

"Actually, I was hoping to make an attempt at getting it over dinner
tonight, after the party," he said silkily.

She laughed delightedly. "Kirk, you're the most eligible bachelor
here at this party. Why would you want to go out to dinner with me? You
must have asked me a dozen times in the last month."

"And you keep saying no. I'm not used to such stiff resistance and
it entices me."

"You, of all people, should know why I've been hesitant about
dating," she said with a little strain in her voice.

Kirk's eyes glinted and his jaw firmed. He nodded. "Yes, I suppose
I do." He half turned and looked over at the edge of the room at
someone. "And believe me, there are ways to deal with people like
him."

Looking over Vanessa's shoulder, I saw Kat locked in earnest
conversation with an older man. They were hunched over a small table by
the wall. He had distinguished silvering in his hair and an imposing
face. His suit bulged around his waist, but it was obvious he used to
have a decent figure.

Vanessa turned and followed my gaze. "That's former Senator Cartwright.
A very powerful man in some circles," she said without inflection as he
looked back over the crowd with a predator's smile. He wasn't looking
at me. He was looking in Gretchen's direction. Uh, oh. That didn't look
promising. "Personally, I'm not very fond of the old bastard,"
she said. "He took me out once and it was not something I'd care to
repeat."

"And if I have my way, you never will have to," Kirk said coldly.
"That man is a blight on the face of the Earth and we would all be
better off if he met the fate he so richly deserves. Don't judge all
men by him, Vanessa."

Kirk shook it off and turned to look at me with a smile, reaching out
to shake my hand. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Kirk Craig
and I want to be your senator." That last was delivered with a smile
and bit of ironic, tongue-in-cheek wit. I liked him.

"Then you better get ready to move to Texas, Kirk. I'm Hawk."

"I thought Ivan said you were Shauna," he asked, casually slipping
his arm onto Vanessa's shoulder. She didn't shrug him off.

"Yeah," I muttered darkly, "he and I are going to discuss that
later. Good luck on your run for senate."

When Cartwright excused himself from Kat's table, she had a smile of
evil triumph on her face. Whatever she just did, it did not bode well
for Gretchen, or me, I was sure.

"Excuse me," I said to Vanessa and Kirk. "I see trouble coming. You
should go tell Hans that sooner might be better than later on that
announcement, Vanessa.

Without waiting for a reply, I dove back into the swirl of people
around Gretchen and fought the current to swim deeper into the swirl.
Outraged squeals and exclamations trailed in my wake. I ignored them
and forced my way in.

Through the crowd, I could already see that the Senator had cut through
like a bullet through ballistic gel. He expertly plucked Gretchen from
the clinging women and deftly guided her clear. He moved her to the far
side of the group, of course, which only made it harder to force my way
through. I set my drink on a passing tray and pressed on.

In the minute it took me to wade through them all, Cartwright had
pulled Gretchen over to the more dimly lit area near the wall and was
talking with his back to the room, blocking my view of Gretchen. As I
approached, I could hear Gretchen responding to something he said.

"No, Everett, I won't. I'm not here to be your plaything and upping the
amount of money won't change my mind. Just because we've had a
professional relationship in the past does not allow you to put your
hands on me and demand sex. Please take your hand off my breast." Her
voice was calm and distant, with no anger. Firm, like one spoke to a
dog.

I felt like I had caught fire with anger. No one touched my wife like
that. I grabbed his arm and spun him around with a cry of surprise
ripping from his throat. "Didn't you hear the lady?" His hand was still
on my woman, but had been pulled back to her shoulder. "She said back
off. If you want to keep all those fingers, you pull that hand back
right now."

Perhaps that was the wrong way to speak to the rich and powerful, but
I've never really been good at knowing when to back off or be subtle.
Cartwright only tightened his grip on Gretchen's arm. "This is between
her and me, young lady. Go back to whatever man brought you here and
mind your own business."

"Take your hand _off_ of her," I growled out through my clenched teeth.


Gretchen wrenched her arm free and slid between us.

He glowered like a boxer in the ring. "You haven't seen the last of me.
I get what I want and no two bit tart tells me no. There will be
consequences." He stalked off and Gretchen held me back.

"No, Hawk. Fighting here isn't worth it. I'll deal with him, and he
won't like it," she said with a cold look in his direction. "Besides,
I can guess who set this up. I'm going to kill Kat for this."

I let her start calming me down. "I don't know about this, though,
Gretchen. The thought of you sleeping with him makes my skin crawl. We
need to have a long talk about your job."

She raised her eyebrow. "Certainly, Darling. We can talk about yours at
the same time."

"My job?" I asked incredulously. "What does my job have to do with
this? This is about people like that porking my wife. Being a cop
doesn't compare with something like that."

"Doesn't it?" she asked with a serious look. "You could come home dead
some day. That seems to affect me a lot more than what I do affects
you. People like him won't be _porking_ me, as you call it. He's
blacklisted as soon as I make a phone call. The other few I do have sex
with are purely professional. Will you be having any sex with the
father of our child and his wife? Will we? Hawk, I won't sleep with
someone you object to, but I won't be told to change my life by someone
else. Not Kat, not my father, not even you. You knew who I was, and
what I was, when you met me."

"My job and your job aren't the same," I grumbled, "and neither is my
sleeping with friends and you sleeping with clients."

"No," she agreed. "They aren't. But we're both very stubborn people, so
let's not start with demands and ultimatums. I said we'll talk about it
and we will. We have a party and our wedding night to get through
first, though."

"Fine, I won't make demands, but we _are_ going to talk about this," I
said.

-----

It was more like half an hour before Hans was tapping a glass at the
head of the room to get everyone's attention. My gut was clenching and
I sipped at the latest in a row of diet Sprites that Vanessa had
delivered to me. I was going to have to make a trip to the can soon,
and I wished Hans would get moving.

"Everyone, I have several announcements to make this evening. May I
have your undivided attention? Thank you!" He said, beaming at the
crowd.

Off to the right, I could see Kat glaring at us in sullen anger. What
did Hans see in her? I smiled back at her, earning a snarl. She truly
was the in-law from hell.

Hans drew my attention back as he began speaking again. "You all know
my daughter Gretchen." A murmur of agreement came from the crowd as he
motioned for her to come up front with him. He slid an arm around her
waist as she stepped up beside him. "I am pleased to tell you all that
she was married earlier today in a private ceremony."

A flood of chatter and surprise came from the crowd as they did a
collective blink and began looking for the spouse. I hid a grin about
the rest of what Hans had said, because he was right big time. The
ceremony didn't get more private than when even the happy couple didn't
know.

"Allow me to introduce her spouse," he said with a smile at me.

I walked up and stood beside Gretchen, putting my arm around her waist
with her father's. Hans was about to continue when Lurch stepped up and
raised a glass.

"A toast for the happy couple. To Gretchen and Shauna Werner!"

The crowd was dutifully repeating that outrageous toast and drowned out
my protest. "I am not her _wife_, you cretin!"

His self-satisfied expression told me that it didn't matter how much I
objected. He had planted the seeds and I would be weeding the garden
for the rest of my damned life.

I waved my arms until the crowd calmed down. "We are not..."

Gretchen smoothly cut in and over-rode me. "What my beautiful wife
means is that we haven't made a final decision on whether to share a
last name or not. Let's just stick with Shauna Hawkins for the moment."

"Hawk!" I protested. "My name is Hawk."

"Not in this crowd," she murmured back. "They're as bad as Ivan. Good
thing you have a nice first name. It'll be all over the social pages in
the morning. You'll be lucky if you aren't Shauna Werner, too."

I groaned and covered my face. "That bastard. How does this stuff
happen to me? What have I done to deserve this, God?"

Gretchen quirked an eyebrow at me.  "I assume that was a rhetorical
question?" she asked.

"Everyone," Hans said again, cutting off any reply I might have made
"I'm not done yet. I have a few more important announcements." The
crowd quieted down, wondering what other news could top Hans' first
bombshell. I saw Senator Cartwright in the crowd, glaring.
Surprisingly, it wasn't us he was glaring at. He was shooting daggers
toward Kat who ignored him with more aplomb than I would have been able
to.

"The next bit of big news," Hans said, "Is that they are expecting!
Shauna is pregnant!"

"Hawk," I protested into the confused good wishes. "My name is Hawk!"

"The child is obviously one that is provided via an alternate
fertilization process, but it will be welcomed and loved by all of us
as Gretchen's child of the flesh!" Hans exulted.

The crowd was looking less and less certain as the facts started
sinking in. This might be the state where it was legal, but I could
tell that it wasn't universally accepted. Murmuring was breaking out as
they talked about us with each other. I wondered what rumors would be
started before dawn.

"And last, but not least, I have one final bit of good news for the
happy couple," Hans said, slipping in between us and sliding an arm
around each of our waists. "I made a promise to myself a long time ago
that when my little girl finally got married, I would show her and her
spouse how much I was pleased to see it happen. At that time I had a
trust created and I made arrangements to name them both as co-trustees
of that trust this afternoon."

I frowned, not really understanding what he was talking about. Gretchen
obviously knew more than I did, as she gawked at him in surprise.
Whatever a trust was, that seemed to make up the minds of the crowd as
they surged forward to heap congratulations on us both.

I fended off the first couple and stuck beside Gretchen with a grip of
iron as Hans abandoned us to the sharks. My mind rapidly became numb
from all the smooth blather. It was only when I heard a nasty voice
that I focused back in on the people around us.

Kat leaned in and hissed at Gretchen. "Enjoy it while it lasts. I know
something that will destroy your life and this cow's, too." She deftly
avoided Gretchen's grab and pulled back into the crowd. Gretchen bulled
after her and I tried to follow, but the people were too thick.

It took me several minutes to finally fight clear and by then, neither
of the women were anywhere in sight. I roamed the room, looking without
luck. Then I spotted Vanessa talking with Lurch, who was drying his
hands with a towel. She looked worried. He buttoned the sleeves on his
shirt and slipped his jacket back on as I walked up to them.

"Unbuttoning in a crowd? Pretty informal, Jeeves. Have either of you
seen Gretchen or Kat?" I asked.

"I spilled something on my shirt," he sniffed. "The mistress went
upstairs a few minutes ago," Lurch told me. "I'm not sure about Miss
Gretchen."

I managed to nod my thanks and went out into the hall and up the
stairs. This house was so huge; I still might not find them easily. I
had just reached the second floor landing when I heard a blood curdling
scream from down the hall to my right. I reached for my weapon, which
of course I didn't have, and cursed. Then I bolted down the hall and to
the only open door ahead.

Inside the bedroom, I saw Gretchen. Her back was to me and she was
backing up.

"Gretchen?"  I asked, looking around. She was backing up from the door
to the attached bathroom.

Gretchen half turned and my blood ran cold. In her hand was a kitchen
knife. A long, bloody kitchen knife. Her face was white with shock, and
she dropped the knife from her bloodstained fingers. I stepped up
beside her and looked into the bathroom, my face grim.

Inside, lying on the floor in a pool of blood was Senator Cartwright.
He had been stabbed in the chest. To make a bad situation worse, Kat
Werner was sprawled beside him, also stabbed in the chest. Both of them
had their eyes open, staring in death with a horrified expression on
their faces that I had seen in far too many murder victims.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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