Reality Show
by Jalabert
elcome back," Jackie Janczyk said to Liann as the
tall Chinese agent entered the conference room. Liann
ignored her and tried unsuccessfully to mask her
contempt as she took the only available seat at the
table, between Vic and Mac.
It was a fairly typical scene: Vic sat reading the newspaper while Mac sipped coffee from behind a pair of reflective sunglasses. Jackie sat at the end of the table observing the threesome, smiling at something only she understood.
"Hey, Liann," Mac said with a disarming smile. Vic, still smarting from her hurtful remarks two weeks earlier, glanced up and gave her the barest nod of acknowledgment.
"Welcome back, Liann," the Director said as she entered the room. "How were things in the great north?"
Liann bit off the nasty retort that sprang to her lips and pasted on a smile.
"Oh, just lovely this time of year. How were things here?" she said recklessly, too angry to worry about consequences. "Vic, Mac, have you two picked out a china pattern yet?"
"Well, Vic found something he liked in Spode, but my heart is set on something a bit more modern," Mac quipped.
"Spode?" Jackie gushed. "Vic, like that is such an old fart company!" she laughed as she slapped his shoulder. Mac also laughed till Vic raised an eyebrow; the younger agent quickly sobered.
"You can exchange shopping tips later," the Director drawled. "I have an assignment for the four of you." She rose and slowly circled the table, placing a folder before each agent. "You are aware of the upcoming summit of the countries participating in the North American Free Trade Agreement. If you've been watching the news you are also aware that several groups plan to protest at the summit, which will be held at the Sheraton on the Falls Conference Center. What you probably don't know is that specific threats have been made against the trade minister and his family. I want the four of you to go undercover as part of the on-premises security."
Vic flipped open his folder and groaned inwardly. Mac took a peek inside his and rolled his eyes. Liann skimmed the contents of her folder and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. It was Jackie, however, who was the first to voice a protest of the assignment.
"Why are you sending us in as married couples? I mean I can mix and mingle much better on my own."
"Yeah, and Jackie would definitely put a crimp in my style," Mac agreed.
"Why not pair Mac and Vic?" Liann said sarcastically. "They're so cute together."
The Director slammed her palm down on the table.
"This is not a democracy, children. You will go where I tell you, when I tell you and do what I tell you to do. You will be two young couples on vacation. You will mix and mingle in pairs. You will provide surveillance—end of story. Oh, and Liann, if you can't learn to play well with others, I have a few other assignments available north of the tree line."
Mac and Vic looked up quizzically and exchanged a glance over Liann's head. Mac shrugged in confusion and Vic turned his eyes to the Director, who refused to meet his gaze. Liann, meanwhile, shut her mouth firmly and stared at the folder before her.
"You will all comport yourselves according to the profiles established in your folders. Do not deviate, girls and boys. Have I made myself clear?" The Director looked Vic in the eyes, then, before turning her imperious stare on Mac, who swallowed audibly.
"Gotcha."
"Hey, I'm not the deviant around here," Liann muttered to herself as she collected her folder and rose. "Coming?" she said aloud to the others.
The four agents were kept busy the rest of the morning, sitting in on a briefing with members of a joint U.S.-Canada security task force, obtaining false IDs, signing out cars and other items necessary to establish their covers, and boning up on relevant information about the trade minister and the other officials they'd be guarding. Finally, they were dismissed and sent home to prepare for their departure the following morning. Vic went to his place to pack and then drove over to Mac's apartment to spend the night.
"Hey," Mac said as he stepped back to allow Vic to pass through. But Vic wasn't about to miss an opportunity. He pulled Mac into his arms and closed the door.
"Is it me or has this been the longest day of our lives?" Vic asked between kisses to Mac's succulent mouth. Mac smiled and grabbed hold of his head to draw him into a long, uninterrupted kiss. He briefly came up for air and then leaned in for a second kiss before turning Vic toward the living room and giving him a light push.
"You got the better end of the deal," Mac said as he went to the refrigerator to grab a beer for Vic. "I spent the day having my ear chewed off by Little Miss Valley Girl."
"At least she's talking to you. Being with Liann all day was a slow torture."
"Well, if nothing else, Jackie is useful for keeping up on the latest gossip. I got the skinny on what's got Liann so pissed," Mac said as he handed Vic the bottle and flopped onto the couch. "It seems she made a scene in the Director's office—a very ugly scene."
"Why?" Vic asked curiously.
"Jackie didn't have any details, but it's easy to guess that Liann voiced her objections to our relationship. All Jackie could say with certainty was that she heard the Director give Liann a thorough dressing down for barging in unannounced and making demands about things that didn't concern her. The next day she was shipped out to a place so remote she had to be flown in. That's where she's been the last two weeks."
"No wonder she was in such a pissy mood," Vic sighed and slid down to rest his head on Mac's shoulder. "She all but refused to speak to me at first and then she nearly took my head off when I asked what she'd been up to lately."
"She probably assumed that we knew about her punishment. Hell, she probably holds us responsible for it."
"Oh, I'm sure she does," Vic said. "The next three days ought to be just peachy. Liann and me in close quarters..."
"You won't backslide on me, will you?" Mac teased. Vic reached over and pulled his face down to kiss.
"No way in hell! You're stuck with me, now, remember?"
"Why don't you remind me?" Mac challenged. Vic checked his watch before scrambling to his feet and reaching for his partner's hand.
"What are you checking your watch for?" Mac frowned.
"There's a Blue Jays game at 7:30," Vic said. "But don't worry; we've got plenty of time."
Mac checked his own watch.
"Forty minutes? You come to spend the night and you're giving me forty fucking minutes?"
Vic kissed Mac's pout, which refused to yield under his ministrations.
"You'd be amazed at what I could do for you in forty minutes—fucking and otherwise."
"I'd better be," Mac insisted.
"I tell you what," Vic purred as he began to trail kisses along his throat. "If the Blue Jays win, I'll give you another forty minutes after the game. How does that sound?" he asked playfully as he began to unbutton Mac's shirt.
"What a sport," Mac said sarcastically as he began to draw Vic towards the door to his room. "I've got a counterproposal."
"What's that?" Vic asked as he somehow managed to walk, nibble Mac's earlobe and pull his shirt out of his pants simultaneously, a task made more difficult by the fact that Mac was trying to undress him at the same time.
"How about if we just wait and see if you want to get out of bed in forty minutes?"
Vic grinned and allowed himself to fall backward onto the bed. Mac dove on top of him and they began to wrestle with the rest of their clothing. Mac won the challenge; Vic completely forgot about the game until Mac opened the doors separating the sleeping area from the living room so they could watch the last five innings of the game on his big screen television from the comfort of his bed.
The following morning, the couple rose early and indulged their passion one last time before they dressed and went their separate ways—Mac to pick up Jackie and Vic to meet Liann at her apartment.
"You're late," she said as she handed him her bag and got into the car.
"I got stuck in traffic," Vic replied.
"Between here and Mac's place?"
"Look, Liann, you made your point—now would you just give it a rest?" Vic sighed.
"Just tell me why," Liann replied calmly.
"Why what?"
"Why Mac? If you decided to take a walk on the wild side, fine. Why drag Mac into it?"
"I didn't 'drag' Mac into anything," Vic protested. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm a corrupting influence?" he sneered.
"Mac was completely straight last time I looked."
"Yeah, well you apparently didn't look too closely. I wasn't his first male lover, Liann."
"That's a lie!"
"You really believe that, don't you?" Vic said with a glance over at her. "Well, believe what you will. The bottom line is this: Mac and I are together and—."
"It won't last," Liann said with more certainty than she felt. "You may swing both ways but you've always preferred women—or so you told me," she said. "As for Mac, you're just a novelty that will wear off quickly."
"Mac?"
"Yes, Mac—you know he's incapable of staying in an exclusive relationship for more than two weeks. He changes partners as often as he changes his clothes."
"His partying behavior since his return was his way of compensating for his loneliness, Liann, that and the fact that it was impossible for him to form a lasting relationship with anyone given his line of work."
"Is that what he told you?" Liann sneered. "I can't believe you bought that bullshit."
"You're talking about the Mac Ramsey who left the Tangs rather than see you forced into marrying another man. The Mac Ramsey who spent eighteen months mourning you because he thought you'd been killed in that blast and who spent a whole year trying to win you back after he found out you were still alive. The way I heard it, you and Mac had a very exclusive relationship for years. He wanted to marry you, Liann!"
"And so did you at one point. Now you want me to believe that you two are in a serious relationship?"
"What, you think that just because we had a committed relationship with you that we can't possibly have a committed relationship with each other?"
"You're just playing some sick, twisted little game."
"Will you listen to yourself?"
"You were both in love with me!"
"Operative word Liann: 'were'! We both got over you. Is that what's bothering you? That we've both moved on? Or is it the fact that we've moved on with each other?"
"You haven't moved on! The two of you are just doing this to spite me! Just because I wasn't giving either of you what you wanted—."
"Oh, here we go! This just has to be about you, doesn't it?" Vic scowled. "You can't even envision the possibility that Mac and I simply fell for each other without any regard for you whatsoever."
"Without any regard for me whatsoever," Liann repeated. "Neither of you stopped to think about how I'd feel about this."
"It's not about you, Liann! We were thinking about ourselves for once, about what we needed."
"And you think you need each other."
"Yes, we do."
"I don't believe it"
"You don't have to believe it, Liann. You just have to accept it."
"No I don't."
"Fine, then don't. It's your choice, but don't expect us to give up what we have just because you don't approve of it."
"Have you thought about how this will affect our working relationship as a team?" Liann assayed a few minutes later.
"Why should it affect our working relationship any more than my involvement with you did?"
"The team's relationship was unstable at best when we were involved," Liann continued. "You have to admit that we've been a much better team since you and I broke up."
"I grant you that."
"So it stands to reason that we work best when none of us are romantically involved."
"That remains to be seen, Liann," Vic said calmly. "We do know that the three of us did well even when Mac and I were at each other's throats. I expect us to do even better now." Liann grimaced and the pair rode on in silence.
Mac and Jackie had a much easier time of it. They talked about music, the scenery and about the cars on the road. Or rather Jackie did. Mac quickly grew weary of Jackie's hyperactive mouth and hoped that the traffic would remain light so as not to prolong the length of the trip. He pulled into a rest stop to stretch his legs while Jackie used the facilities. It was the same place where he and Vic had indulged in some very risqué sex on their way back to Toronto. Mac smiled as he remembered Vic practically dragging him into the woods just off the road and how his fears quickly turned to enthusiasm. Mac had, in fact, become so enthusiastic that his shouts of ecstasy very nearly brought unwanted attention to their little tryst.
"So Mac," Jackie said, interrupting Mac's reverie and nearly making him jump out of his skin. She leaned on the car beside him. "Is it true what I've heard about you and Vic?"
Mac sighed and pushed up his shades before he turned around and got back into the car. Jackie walked around to the passenger side and got in as well.
"What have you heard?"
"I heard that you two are doing the nasty," she leered. Mac made a face.
"Who told you that?"
"Let's see: Dobrinsky, Liann, the nurse in the health office who gave you two your physicals yesterday..."
"Liann didn't tell you that," Mac said perversely.
"Well, she didn't say it exactly, but the looks she was giving you boys at our meetings yesterday confirmed what everyone else was saying."
"So why ask me, then?"
"I want to hear it straight from the source."
"Vic and I are doing the nasty. Are you happy now?"
Jackie smiled.
"I knew it! So who's the top? No, wait—you take turns, right? I mean you look like a natural bottom but Vic's a polite guy and he'd let you top if you asked nicely. Not to mention the fact that everybody knows that the guy on the bottom is really in charge anyway and, nice guy or not, Vic likes to be in charge. I bet he likes to be ridden hard and put away wet. You, you're more the kind of guy for long and slow, lots of kissing and foreplay, with the occasional walk on the wild side."
Mac's mouth fell open. He turned his eyes to gape at her for as long as the road and traffic would allow.
"Am I right or am I right?"
"I am so not answering that," Mac mumbled to himself.
"Oh, you two must look so hot together. I wonder if Di has tapes. More importantly, I wonder if you boys are into threesomes..." Mac glanced over his sunglasses at her. "I'm always available if you're interested."
"No offense, J, but neither of us were interested when we were interested in girls." For some reason, Jackie found this revelation hilarious. She slapped Mac's shoulder so hard he had to struggle to maintain control of the wheel.
"You're thinking about it now, though, aren't you?"
Vic and Liann were the first to arrive at the conference center, having exceeded the speed limit for the better part of the trip. Vic couldn't wait to escape the confinement of the car, even if he could not escape Liann's company.
"There's only one bed, but I'm more than willing to share," Liann said brazenly. "I could refresh your memory about a few things."
Vic refused to rise to the bait.
"No need; the Director has assured me that the sofa opens out into another bed. And I threw a sleeping bag into the trunk of the car, just in case she lied." Liann sullenly turned and walked away. Vic opened his phone and punched up Mac's number.
"Hey," Mac said by way of a greeting.
"Where are you?"
"Just outside of town. Hey Vic, do you realize where we are? I mean the conference center can't be more than a few miles from where we stayed a couple of weeks ago."
"Try one mile; you'll pass it on your approach to the center."
"Feeling nostalgic?" Mac smiled impishly at the memory of the five days they'd spent at the resort.
"In other company, I might. In my present company all I feel is bitterness."
"Sorry to hear that, baby face."
"Mac," Vic said warningly, his cheeks coloring in spite of the fact that he was alone in the room.
"We'll be there in about ten. Why don't we hook up for lunch when we've settled in? What's your room number?"
"We're in 517, one floor above the trade minister. Your suite ought to be in the opposite wing on the same floor so you'll have a good view into his rooms."
"Gotcha. I'll give you a call once we've checked in. Oh, and Vic? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Is strangling Liann on your list?"
Mac chuckled and slipped the phone into his pocket. He adjusted his sunglasses and turned off the highway. As the car came to a stop at a light, he glanced over at Jackie, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat.
"Baby face?"
"Aw, shit." Mac rolled his eyes.
"What does he call you in the throes of passion?"
Mac winced.
"Would you believe he calls me Mac? Creative, huh?"
"No, but I bet he's all breathy and hot and he grunts it through gritted teeth as he's pumping you hard. Then he chants your name repeatedly as he gets close to his peak and then just when he's about to crest that hill he lets loose with a Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaac!"
Mac covered the ear nearest the screaming woman with one hand as he tried to hold the car steady with the other. For a few seconds, he thought his wishes had been granted and he'd been struck deaf.
"At least that's what I'd do," Jackie said with a slight shrug as she checked the map.
"You are one seriously freaky woman," Mac sighed.
Lunch was a tedious affair. Vic and Mac squirmed uncomfortably under Jackie's unabashed scrutiny. Liann fumed silently, intent on not giving anyone the satisfaction of hearing her voice her displeasure aloud. For the sake of their cover, the foursome agreed that they should meet only casually in future, exchanging brief conversation in passing or spending a few minutes together when circumstances brought them into the same sphere. That evening, Jackie and Mac wormed their way into a reception for the Canadian contingent, while Liann and Vic circulated among the guests and staff of the conference center looking for possible suspects.
The U.S. president arrived the following morning and the security cordon around the conference site tightened considerably. Since their movements at the center would be more constricted, the four agents moved into the next stage of their assignment and began to scout the local area.
Vic felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he strolled through the town's main drag, although he was hand in with Liann rather than with the man he loved. He felt a sudden pang of guilt as he realized what he was thinking. Of course, Vic had known that he was in love with Mac before he'd ever broached the possibility of a relationship with him. Yet while Mac had blurted out his feelings for Vic their second time together, the older man had yet to tell Mac that he loved him. He looked over at Liann and wondered if she was responsible for his reticence.
Liann's abrupt abandonment left deep emotional scars, so deep that Vic had buried his growing feelings for Mac for months before fate brought the two of them together. Vic was thrilled with the outcome; he was happier than he'd ever been in his life. So why couldn't he say those three simple words? He had no reason to fear Mac's rejection. Mac made his feelings abundantly clear every time he and Vic were together. Why, then, had Liann's taunts about Mac been haunting him since their argument in the car? Vic was jolted out of his reverie when Liann threw her arms around his neck and kissed them. He would have thrown her off had she not held him so tightly.
"Vic," she said sweetly, before he could form words. "Stop staring at me like that! I love you too, honey, but I don't gape at you on the street. It's embarrassing!"
"Huh?" Vic cleared his throat and pasted on a smile. He was supposed to be a man on vacation with his loving wife, after all. "There's nothing else in this town worth looking at," he said with all the warmth he could muster.
"There's a man across the street who's been staring at us rather intently," Liann whispered in his ear. Vic turned, but he only got a fleeting glimpse of the man as he disappeared into the crowd. "You're supposed to be looking for suspects," Liann said sharply as she released her hold on him. "We're on assignment, remember? Of course, if you're having an epiphany of some sort—."
Vic's eye became as cold as steel.
"As a matter of fact I was, though I doubt you'd be interested in hearing it," he said as he took her arm and continued down the block. Liann had no answer for that, so she reigned in her anger and continued to walk.
The pair headed back to the hotel so Liann could try to find a match for the face of her suspect on the agency database. Her search was fruitless and she finally conceded that she might have been entirely mistaken about the man. Vic, however, trusted Liann's instincts, so when he ran into Mac and Jackie in the lobby later he passed on her description.
The foursome met innocently the next morning at the primary tourist spot in the area—Horseshoe Falls. Jackie was in awe of the massive waterworks. Mac and Vic, of course, had seen them only recently. Liann, buoyed my Vic's vote of confidence, diligently searched the crowds for the man she'd seen the previous day. It didn't matter that the likelihood of a potential assassin taking interest in Liann and Vic was rather remote, unless, of course, he was someone already known to the two agents. Liann scanned the crowds with a renewed sense of purpose, for which Vic was profoundly grateful.
He and Mac also scanned the crowds while Jackie did a perfect imitation of a newlywed. She was a bit too convincing for Vic's liking, frequently pawing Mac and incessantly vying for his attention. When she kissed him it was all Vic could do not to punch her lights out. Mac's eyes met Vic's over her head and he turned away.
"There he is!" Liann cried and all heads swiveled to the spot where she pointed. A heavy-set man in a white shirt and dark pants glanced over his shoulder and the disappeared into the crowd. The foursome discreetly gave chase, to no avail.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Mac said. "If this guy is after the trade minister, what's he doing stalking you two?"
"He could be a shooter for any number of people we've dealt with over the last few years. Maybe he's made us and wants to take us out before we can get him," Liann said.
"Did any of you recognize him?" Jackie asked.
"You know," Vic said, "now that I think of it, that guy did look sort of familiar."
After a conference call with the Director up in Liann and Vic's room, the four agents decided on a strategy to flush the suspect out into the open. The plan was to draw him out and trap him before he could get anywhere near the summit. Vic checked his guns and prepared for a violent confrontation. The others did a check of their weapons.
"Ready? Let's light this candle," Mac said as he rose and headed for the door.
"Wait Mac," Vic said. "I think we ought to make one change in our plan. You and I will flush him out. Liann and Jackie will provide the backup."
Liann and Jackie immediately began to protest, but Vic held up his hand.
"I think I know where I saw that guy before. Mac and I will flush him out into the open. You two be ready."
"But—."
"Trust me, Liann. If you and I are out there together he'll never come near us."
"What makes you say that, Vic?" Mac asked.
"Yeah," Jackie seconded. "Like, how do you know?"
"Call it a hunch. I don't think this guy's our shooter, but stay close, just to be on the safe side."
"So are you going to let me in on your little secret?" Mac asked as the pair strolled along the street where Liann had first seen the strange man. Vic reached out and took hold of his hand. Mac looked down at their joined hands, surprised by the spontaneous gesture. "Hey, is that wise?" Vic squeezed the hand and drew Mac a bit closer.
"It's exactly what's called for under the circumstances. Look sharp. We've got our guy at ten o'clock and closing."
"Got him," Mac replied. He tried to pull his hand away, but Vic held fast.
"Stay loose..."
"Hey, I know that guy!" Mac whispered. "Wasn't he the room service guy at our hotel?"
"Right in one," Vic said as the stranger closed the distance between them.
"Hello boys," the waiter said mildly. "Out for an evening stroll?"
"Good night for it," Mac said conversationally.
"I'm surprised to see you two back in town so soon after your last visit. Traveling with the ladies this time, are you?"
Vic glanced at Mac and he returned a smile as the final pieces fell into place. They weren't dealing with an assassin, just a run of the mill blackmailer. Vic let Mac's hand go.
"Guilty as charged," Vic said easily.
"I'd bet that pretty little playmate of yours would just love to know about the wild party you two had on your last night in town," the would-be blackmailer said.
"I just bet she would," Mac chuckled.
"And your wife? No offense, Mr. Mansfield, but if I had her to warm my bed I wouldn't go looking for another playmate, much less a guy."
"Oh, but Mac is quite a guy," Vic said.
"Jackie seems to think so," Mac affirmed.
"Well, I doubt she'd think so if she knew you two were doing the wild thing just a few weeks ago. What kind of idiots are you, anyway, bringing your women to the same place where you two had your little freak show?"
"Oh, we're the kind of idiots who make assholes like you think that you can blackmail us," Vic replied.
"How much were you planning to ask for?" Mac asked.
"How much is it worth to you to hold onto that prime little package?"
Mac snorted at the question. He couldn't well answer that he'd gladly give Jackie away for the asking.
"Why don't you just name your price?" Vic chided.
"How does $50,000 American sound?"
Mac and Vic laughed before Vic wrapped an arm around Mac's shoulders and drew him closer.
"I'm afraid you've made a big mistake. You see, I happen to be very much in love with Mac," Vic said as he gazed into Mac's eyes. "There isn't enough money in this world to make me give him up."
"Ever hear of the words 'divorce court,' buddy?" the waiter asked.
"I was planning on leaving Liann for Mac, anyway," Vic said as he continued to stare intently into Mac's eyes. "Life's too short to postpone joy." For his part, Mac was too stunned by Vic's revelation to speak.
"What about you?" the blackmailer asked Mac. "Are you prepared to go through an ugly divorce, one in which your adulterous affair with a married man would be exposed and your sudden change in sexual orientation will become common knowledge to all your friends?"
"Hell, Mac met Jackie in a gay bar. They both swing both ways, buddy," Vic volunteered.
The man was dumbfounded. So were Jackie and Liann, who sat a short distance away in a surveillance vehicle. They couldn't make out much of what was being said, but the gaze between the two agents was intense enough to melt steel. Liann was aching to know exactly what was going on but they hadn't brought along equipment that would allow her to listen in on their conversation.
"Ain't love grand?" Jackie said as she watched the scene unfold before her. "I so want to do those guys! Say, have you ever had the two of them together? Oh—duh—I forgot. You are so yesterday's news. Say, what do you think Vic calls Mac in bed? Mac said that Vic just calls him 'Mac' but I think he's got a cute little pet name for him, don't you?"
"Shut up, Jackie."
"Why?"
"Shut up." Liann opened the car door.
"Come on, you guys must be bluffing. You can't possibly be serious. I mean—."
"Hey, just yesterday Jackie was begging for a threesome with me and Vic," Mac said, finally finding his voice. Vic's eyebrows flew up and Mac shrugged. "She thinks we're hot together and want to join in the fun."
"Like I said, they're a very freaky couple," Vic shrugged.
"So what are you, some sort of swingers? Do you come into town regularly for your kinky sexcapades?" the waiter asked with sudden interest of a very different sort.
Across the street, Liann sighed heavily and got out of the car. Mac was the first to notice her approach and he gave Vic's arm a squeeze. The waiter looked over his shoulder and smiled. He'd at least have the satisfaction of blowing one lid out of the water, even if he couldn't turn a profit from it.
"I told you to stay back at the hotel," Vic said sternly. Liann pursed her lips and glared first at him then Mac.
"Why, so you could sneak off for a few drinks with your buddy?" Liann played along. She had no choice, she realized.
"Lady, these men aren't out for drinks," the waiter said. Once again, Liann turned her glare on Vic. The failed blackmailer opened his mouth but Vic beat him to it.
"He's right, Liann. I wasn't going to tell you about this till we got home. I didn't want to ruin our vacation," he said. After a dramatic pause, he looked into her eyes. "Liann, I've fallen in love with Mac."
"And I'm in love with Vic," Mac added with a affectionate glance at his partner.
Liann didn't have to pretend. The words hit her like a stone. Her mouth fell open and she tried vainly to close it. Finally, she managed to close it long enough to swallow hard.
"Then it's really over between us," she said firmly. Vic nodded.
"It has been for some time. You've just never accepted it before now."
It was Liann's turn to nod.
"I want to go back to the hotel," she said dully.
Vic released Mac and took hold of her arm. As the waiter looked on, Mac wrapped his arm around her shoulders and the trio walked away. They reached the corner and Mac looked back.
"He's gone."
"Good," Liann said. She stepped out from between the pair and joined their hands. "I'll ride back with Jackie. You two finish your walk." She gave them a weak smile and got into the car. Jackie took her away.
"That was harsh."
"She had it coming," Vic said unrepentantly.
"Yeah, but—hey!" Mac's smile practically lit up the night sky. "You used the big 'L' word, Vic-man."
"You had it coming," Vic said with a sheepish grin. "I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. I fell in love with you ages ago."
"I know."
"I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud."
"I know. 'We can be happy now.' Someone told me that recently," Mac said as he hooked his arm in Vic's.
"Brilliant guy."
"I don't know—he thinks rather highly of himself sometimes," Mac teased.
"What do you think of him?"
"The world," Mac said. He kissed Vic lightly on the lips and the two headed back to the hotel.
The End
