It was a damned good thing that all this intrigue was convieniently occurring within a dozen city blocks, because it allowed Tai Anne Roper to blaze on over to her room at the North Beach Motorlodge in record time to get ready for her date with Matt McClintock.
Upon kicking the door shut behind her, Tai once more unbuckled and unzipped her boots and her leathers, padding naked into the bathroom for another quick shower. She didn't usually take three showers in one day, but she also didn't want Matt McClintock to taste Taffy Chu if he kissed her either.
One quick shower and towel dry later, Tai was going to her knapsack and pulling out a sealed, titanium steel cannister about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long that she carefully unscrewed before reaching in for her secret weapon.
It was a woman's most lethal tool. The Little Black Dress. In Tai's case a Nicole S Miller original that she had bought in New York over a year ago. Indomitable and wrinkle-proof, it was the perfect combination of both style and spandex.
She started with a pair of black silk, thong-cut panties from Vickies, followed by black, seamed pantyhose. Then came The Dress. A perfect fit, from bustline to hemline. It was strapless, leaving her tanned and toned biceps, shoulders and acres of cleavage free to be seen and enjoyed by all.
She snapped the hem. It was just tight enuff to cup her bottomcheeks and appear drum tight across her thighs. And it was also just short enuff to cause traffic accidents.
Tai brushed out her long mane of black hair, still damp from the shower. There was no time for anything fancy, just a quick flip back and over her shoulders. In an instant she was 10 times sexier than if she had spent all afternoon in a hair salon.
She ran a little wet-look red gloss over her lips, a shade of blusher on her cheeks and a trace of mascara over her eyelids and suddenly she became an object of beauty. Something to die for.
She buckled on the simple ankle-strapped high heels of shiny black patent and slipped the small, matching black patent purse over one shoulder. It was just big enough for her Nokia cell, McClintock's plastic and a little folding money.
Last came the simple silver and pearl wrist watch and the matching silver neck choker with pearl accents. Both were Cartier. Both had been gifts from a a grateful Lady Esperanza.
And then she was ready.
Tai picked up her cell and clicked on to see if her limo had left yet when the phone suddenly chirped in her hands, startling her.
"Hello?"
"There you is, sistahgrrl!" Iwana Binder growled in her ear. "Where the eff have you been all damn day, and why the eff don't you keep your damn phone turned on!"
"I've been out solving this case," Tai retorted, "and the reason I don't keep my phone on is cuz you call me every five freakin' minutes!"
Iwana's earthy chuckle echoed in Tai's ears. "OK, sistahgrrl, I had that one com'n. But I did wanna get back t'you on those two baddies you axed about."
"That was quick." Tai looked out the window for any side of her ride. "What'd you get?"
"This Dr. Fiendly is a Brit national, but hasn't played with the boyos in the IRA for many a year. He moonlights for the Brit secret service, tho. Mostly unauthorized 'wet work'. If he does a few favs for 'em they let him alone to do his thang.
"Fannikins Wenche comes up as a known associate of his. She's American. Real name Nikki Slattery from Chapel Hill, NC. She a po' lil rich girl apparently kidnapped by Fiendly a few years back and fell vic to the so-called 'Stockholm Syndrome'. Kinda sad..."
"Anything recent?"
"Yeah, two weeks ago these two mooks got arrested in Key West, Florida for attemptin' to kidnap some BBC infobabe. She pressed charges, but a local big shot with deep pockets got 'em both kicked."
"This BBC infobabe got a name?"
"Yeah... um, Drew Thrasher."
"Never heard of her," Tai said. "What about the big shot with deep pockets?"
"Joe Weskler. He runs an international chain of health spas and gyms. Get this, he's a direct competitor to McClintock's ex, Fiona Jacklin! Really gets in her face too. Likes to open a fitness center across the street from one of hers and go head to head with it."
"I've heard of this guy," Tai said. "Isn't he heavy into promoting female body building?"
"Yeah, he sponsors most of the national titles," Iwana replied. "You want me to keep diggin' on this joker?"
"No thanks," Tai replied. "But I do need a criminal background check on a professional dominatrix that operates out of the bay area. Goes by the name of Lady Ashtoreth."
"Got it."
"Anyway I can get this in a few hours?"
"Sistahgrrl, have ah evah let you down?"
"No," Tai smiled. "Not ever."
"Dat's right. Now, where exactly is this roach motel you're stayin' at?"
"Um, on Vallejo, a block east of Columbus. Why?" Tai asked with a growing sense of doom.
"Cuz ahm gonna be there tomorrow A-M," Iwana replied. "Sittin' here all by my lonesome playin' 'Tomb Raider' is for the birdies."
"I thought you had the dayshift all this weekend?"
"Wail, lets just say the watch commander gave me a three day holiday... without pay," Iwana said. "Remember that lil altercation me 'n the gals had planned for the Dr. Laura booksigning in Westwood? It got outta hand."
"How outta hand?"
"Your basic riot... a few cars got rolled and torched. Dr. Laura accidentally got peppersprayed, cuffed and taken downtown..."
"Ouch!"
"Hey, sistahgrrl, it was worth it! 'Sides, now I get to help you out!"
"But that really isn't..."
"Sistahgrrl?" Iwana growled. "Are you even gonna try to deny me?"
Tai sighed. "No, Iwana."
"Good girl. Now, whachoo got planned for tonight?"
"A meeting with the client, then I have to follow up on a lead," Tai said. "I might have the case cracked by tomorrow..."
"Good, then we can go home together," Iwana said. "Anything else?"
"No, Iwana."
"Then ah'll get what I can on this mystery domme in a couple of hours. Call me." Iwana paused. "And, sistahgrrl?"
"Yeah?"
"Ah do remember from mah wild days what The City was like on a Saturday night," Iwana snickered. "You be good, or Mama spank!"
A click and the line was dead. Tai stared at the phone until she realized a horn was honking outside in the motel courtyard. She looked through the blinds. Her limo had arrived.
Tai slipped on her black velvet shoulder wrap and stepped out into the night.
***
After checking the chauffeur's hack license and calling the Sir Francis Drake to confirm, Tai got into the back of the ridiculously long, luxurious chariot and tried to enjoy the ride.
It was still early in the evening and already the streets were jammed. The City on a Saturday night was indeed something that had to be seen to be believed. Teenagers in their parents' SUVs competed with players and pimp daddies in tricked out Porsches and Beemers, as they all cruised down Columbus to the Broadway strip in search of a good time.
Tai hardly noticed. This was the first chance since she had gotten up this morning that she hadn't either been rushing around running late, or chatting somebody up for a little info.
She took a deep breath. So was she just a total slut or what? Whats the dealio with these... feelings for Matt McClintock? What about what Jeb had told her? Should she confront this man she thought she loved on what was basically unsubstantiated rumors?
And what about that scene with Taffy? That was more than just gathering intel. She had already spilled her guts when Tai had gone to her knees and made her come in her face.
And what about Iwana? Tai closed her eyes. Well, one thing wuz fer damned shure... Once Iwana hit town, she wasn't going to be let out of her sight. So anything that needed doing, had to be done tonight.
Tai Anne Roper opened her eyes as she felt the limo slow down. It was pulling up to the Powell Street entrance of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
The Beefeater doorman grandly opened the door for her and she stepped out, walking towards the lobby. Once again Tai Anne Roper shoved aside her fears and doubts and plunged headfirst where angels feared to tread.
And on her way into the lobby, a cabbie who had been eyeballing her rear-ended the limo with his Yellow Cab.
The same concierge was on duty, but this time he was singing a different tune.
"Ah, Miss Roper! So good to see you again! My aren't you looking lovely tonight! Mr. McClintock is expecting you! James here will escort you up to the Starlight Room. And do have a lovely evening!"
The same express elevator with James at the helm shot her up to the 21st floor, home of the famous Starlight Room, one of the premier nightspots in The City.
Tai exited the elevator into a long, narrow hall with teakwood walls, rich, burgundy carpet and blazing crystal chandeliers. This is where crowds of well-dressed people usually waited for their seats, but tonight there was only Gretel --Matt McClintock's muscular valkyrie-- who was wearing a long, black satin strapless evening gown that left her broad, corded shoulders and biceps free, while her long blonde hair was done up in a French twist.
"Guten tag, Fraulien Roper." Gretel managed a curtsy. "Comen ze..."
Tai walked beside her. "You look lovely tonight, Gretel."
"Danka..." Tai smiled as Gretel blushed.
Strange, where were the other guests to this little wing-ding? Walking down the hall, Tai could hear the house orchestra in full swing playing a bluesy version of 'Mack the Knife', but that was it.
"I'm not early, am I?" Tai asked.
"Nein, Fraulien. Right on time."
"No body search this time?"
"Nein! Mitter McClintock has cleared you to the highest level of security." She looked at her. "He trusts you completely."
Tai blinked. Well, wasn't that sweet.
From the other end of the hall, Hansel appeared, wearing a black tux. He was escorting two well-dressed men in formal attire in the opposite direction, towards them.
Tai noticed that the two men were eyeing her with great interest. One of the men was mid-forties or so, broadshouldered and solidly built, wearing a white ice cream suit and a red fez on his head. The other was about the same age, but built a little closer to the ground. He wore a gray tux with a European cut and rose colored pince-nez glasses.
She could tell that both Hansel und Gretel intended them all to pass like two ships in the night with nary a word between them. Which made Tai want to chat them up all the more.
Tai stopped as she came abreast of them, shifting her black velvet wrap further down her shoulders. She smiled. "Good evening, gentlemen!"
Gretel almost rear-ended Tai, but managed to skid to a halt. Hansel looked helplessly at Gretel as the men turned and homed in on Tai like a couple of Tomahawk missles headed for downtown Kabul.
"Good evening to you," the man in the ice cream suit enthused in a Middle-eastern accent. "You must be the beautiful young woman that Mr. McClintock so uncerimoniously booted us out for!" He laughed heartily. "But now that I see you, I can't say that I blame him one bit! Eh, mon ami?"
"Non! Not at all!" the other said in a French accent as he eyed Tai's breasts with unbridled interest.
Tai nodded. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tai Anne Roper."
"Ach! Where are my manners!" Ice Cream Suit said. "My name is Samarkand. And this is my friend and associate... The Marquis."
Samarkand took Tai's hand and kissed the knuckle. He looked her over. "Nice dress."
"Thanks," Tai replied. "Nice... fez."
Then it was The Marquis' turn, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Enchante, Madamoiselle!" he purred.
"Are you two... um, business associates of Mr. McClintock?" Tai asked, evading Gretel's subtle grip to move along.
"No," Samarkand said. "Actually, the Marquis and I specialize in the... ah, acquisition and redistribution of... precious treasures and commodities."
"Mon dieu! Well put!" The Marquis said.
"Sounds interesting," Tai smiled. "It's a shame we can't chat longer."
"Oui!" The Marquis said. "But perhaps our paths will cross again, mon cheri!"
"One can hope," Tai kept smiling as the pushing and comealongs from both Hansel und Gretel began to lose their subtlety. "Goodbye, gentlemen."
"Au revoir!" The Marquis managed as Hansel picked both men up and started to cart them down the hall to the elevator.
Tai and Gretel continued down the hall, with Tai untangling herself from Gretel's grasp.
"Was that really necessary?" Tai hissed.
"You don't unnerstand," Gretel whispered. "When Mitter McClintock finds out you talked vit doze men... I vill be severely punished."
Tai looked at Gretel, slipping her hand into hers and squeezing it. "Well he won't find it out from me."
"Danka. You are a kind woman," Gretel replied. "I... I look forward to serving you in the future."
They reached the open doors leading to the Starlight Room, and Tai got another suprise for the evening. The orchestra was there in full force on the stage, but the dance floor was empty as where the dozens of tables and booths.
Matthew McClintock stood in the center of the dance floor, looking awesome in a black tuxedo. Feeling like she was almost floating across the polished floor, Tai went to him.
"My God," McClintock said as he looked her over. "You are the most beautiful and enchanting woman on earth!"
"Thank you, Sir." Tai felt her resistance disolve under his gaze.
"May I have this dance?"
And so they danced. Tai melted into his arms and let herself be swept away by feelings she couldn't name if her life depended on it.
Several songs later, she realized that the band had added a vocal soundtrack of Tony Bennett crooning his signature piece 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco'. As he sang of little cable cars, going halfway to the stars, Tai looked up into McClintock's devastating hazel eyes.
"Great sound system," Tai said.
"The best." McClintock nodded over her shoulder. She looked and saw that the real Tony Bennett had joined the orchestra on stage. He winked and raised his highball glass to her.
"Only the best for you, Tai," McClintock said as he kissed her deeply, making her glad she had taken that third shower and brushed her teeth.
***
Dinner was an elegant affair. They sat in a corner booth with a view of San Francisco even more spectacular than the one in McClintock's suite, except at night the lights of The City looked like diamonds on black velvet.
While Mr. Bennett sang 'Stella by Starlight', they sipped vintage Dom Perignon champagne as a waiter wheeled over a silver tray bearing a massive steamed lobster that looked like a special effect from Toho Studios and contained enough succulent meat within its tail and claws to feed Somalia.
The conversation was casual and relaxing, until McClintock broached the subject of his missing daughter.
"And Jessica? Any news?"
"Yessir," Tai answered. "I did have some luck today. For starters, I am convinced that her disappearance was voluntary. That there was no foul play."
He nodded. "I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not. I always considered that more of a probability that a possibility. Can you tell me anything else?"
Tai mulled that one over. Telling him about his daughter's dalliances with BDSM and possible enslavement to a leatherdyke prolly wouldn't help his appetite any. "Not at this time. But later tonight, I hope to follow up on a strong lead, and maybe even make contact with Jessica."
"Excellent!" He nodded. "When you do, I want to be there."
"Sir," Tai said gently. "Try to understand that the reason I was able to get this far, this fast, is that I work solo. Using... um, methods unavailable to the police."
"You're right of course." McClintock replied. "But once you get a location on Jessica, you will tell me."
To Tai, that seemed more like an order than a request. "Sir, you do realize that because Jessica is an adult, I can't compel her to come with me, or even meet with you."
"Just tell me where she is, I'll handle the rest."
"Sir..."
"I... know what you're going to say," McClintock said, taking a sip of champagne. "But you have to realize Jessica is my only daughter, and the only heir to a company worth millions of dollars. I have to be sure she isn't being... used."
"That's understandable," Tai admitted.
"When the time comes, use your best judgement," he said. "I trust you."
Tai dunked another piece of lobster meat into a silver cup of lemon butter. "That brings me to two other things I need to discuss with you."
"Shoot."
"The first concerns the 'other' PIs you've hired," Tai said. "Fiendly and Wenche."
"You know them?"
"Yes, and I ran into them today," Tai said as she chewed. "The circumstances were less than ideal."
"What about them?"
"I've dealt with them before. And while I'm not at liberty to discuss the particulars, I have reason to believe that they can't be trusted. Given the opportunity, they will betray both you and Jessica if the price is right."
"'Nuff said!" A cellphone appeared in McClintock's hand as he quick called a number. "Hansel? Contact Fiendly and tell him he's fired. Also tell him that if either he or that slutty girlfriend of his come near this investigation --or Miss Roper-- again, I'll have them both arrested. Got that? Good."
He clicked off. "And the other matter?"
"Ummm... this one is a little more difficult," Tai sighed.
"Just ask."
"Okay," Tai said. "Is there any truth to the stories I've heard that both you and your ex-wife engaged in experimental genetic manipulation that slowed your aging processes, and that both you and Ms. Jacklin are quite a bit older than you appear to be?"
McClintock smiled and again refilled their crystal champagne flutes. "Tell me, Tai, how old do I appear to be?"
"Mid to late thirties."
"And how old do you think I am?"
"Sixty-eight."
He scooted around the booth til he was beside her and took her hand into his. He placed her hand under the table and onto his lap. "Now, does that feel like the hard-on of a 68 year old man?"
Tai gulped. It felt like a steel pipe. A long, thick one.
"Ummm... ahhh..."
"Yes," McClintock said. "I am 68 years old. But you see, growing old isn't a fact of life. It's a disease. Like cancer. And I have found the cure. I am still a young man, Tai. In every sense of the word."
"S-So I... s-see."
"Now, what does this have to do with finding Jessica?"
Tai slipped her hand back onto the table. "I have to consider the possibility that whatever genetic experiments you and your wife participated in, might have affected Jessica in some way..."
He laughed. "I can assure you, Jessica is perfectly normal, and totally unaffected by the procedures Fiona and I took part in. She doesn't even know of their existance."
"Okay."
"I was going to tell you. At the right time." McClintock took her hand into his. "Because I want you to know everything about me. I want... no secrets between us." He looked her in the eyes. "Because I love you, Tai."
He kissed her.
"Jiminy Crickets," Tai whispered.
"I know you feel the same way... I can see it in your eyes." He held up his right hand, and Tai's heart skipped a beat when she saw the gold engagement ring with a diamond big enough to choke a polo pony. "Will you marry me, Tai Anne Roper?"