No Shame, No Glory

"Oh, gawd! Is he really...he is!" Frida's groan turned into a shriek when the start of the song started to play.

A well-dressed, handsome man with short, styled black hair and coal-black eyes started to sway with the instrumental chords. As his hips moved back and forth, his eyes scanned the admiring crowd of ladies watching him with rapt attention. He ignored the eye-rolls and laughs from several sections of the room. The man knew he was handsome and that he would have many options to choose from for his late-night fun.

"Sugar, sugar. She sits alone waiting for suggestions," the dark-haired man began to sing the song as he moved over toward where Tamsin sat. "His lips are, her heart is gently pounding. Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking."

Startling everyone in the back room of the pub, the man spun around until he came close to the clapping Chastity. Holding the microphone close, he began to circle the busty, bubbly blonde as the hook hit.

"If you want my body and you think I'm sexy
Come on sugar let me know
If you really need me just reach out and touch me
Come on honey tell me so
Tell me so baby."

A sizeable number of the single, lonely, and **** women in the room roared with approval as he crooned out the bars by Rod Stewart. His showmanship also sent their hearts beating as he left Chastity and made his way over to a table with four women. In the far corner of the room, Frida shook her head at the man's choice and antics.

"Leave it to that ass to pick this song," the chef remarked.

"I don't know, he is fairly good-looking," Mary commented.

"Ooh! Mary wants to bang our Rod Stewart impersonator!" Wanda announced, earning shocked looks from the table around them.

"I didn't say that! I said he was fairly good-looking."

"Fairly? He's damn hot," Diane blurted out. She swiftly covered her mouth with her hand.

"And there we go!" Wanda laughed, pointing at her friend. "It looks like someone at this table is going to fucking ride that hottie tonight."

"Not so loud!" Harmony hissed, glancing around in embarrassment. "Maybe you should cut back on the drinks."

"Cut back? I've barely started!" Wanda responded. "You're the one that needs to play catch up."

"Who is the guy?" Cheryl asked Frida.

"He's a ra--oh, shit!" Frida started to answer, but then she saw the guy move toward Fiona at the bar.

"They wake at dawn 'cos all the birds are singing. Two strangers, but that ain't what they're thinking," the man sang, moving closer to the silver-haired beauty. His free hand reached out toward bare skin left exposed by her off-shoulder, silver-pink dress.

"He better watch that hand," Frida forewarned.

SLAP

"And you were right," Kimberly chuckled as Fiona slapped away the man's roaming hand.

It didn't seem to affect him as the man shifted his attention to the blonde standing next to Fiona. Winking at her, he slid across the room toward another table with only women. This one, Cheryl had informed them earlier, consisted of staff from the hospital. The man raised his leg, placing a foot on the chair between one horrified but thrilled nurse's legs.

"If you want my body and you think I'm sexy
Come on sugar let me know
If you really need me just reach out and touch me
Come on honey tell me so."

Under the prodding of her friends and coworkers, the blushing recipient of the man's attention did so. She tentatively raised her hand, running it around his knee. Feeling brave--possibly from liquid courage--the nurse's hand shot out to cup the singer's bulge before she snatched her hand back as if it had been burned.

"You go, Joyce!" Cheryl cheered the nurse. She added an extra laugh as she saw one other nurse at the table scowl in jealousy, and commented on it. "That's Barb; she always gets pissy if someone else gets attention."

"So, who's the hottie, Frida?" Wanda inquired again, shooting a teasing look at Diane. The singer moved away from the hospital table as an extended instrumental break hit. "I'm asking for a friend."

"Boone Slover. He's a ranger out at Silver Lake Park," Brooke supplied before Frida could. "He might be handsome--"

"And he has that cocky swagger that you love." Kimberly poked Brooke with her finger.

"But he's full of himself, really vain. He walks around in the summertime as if every female visitor wants to jump his bones," Frida stated. "Ranger Slover has been trying to push out Chief Jensen for the last couple of years. He thinks he should be in charge and makes sure that everyone knows it."

"Shit, I don't think a lot of these women care about that this minute. They just want him to bang away some cobwebs," Wanda cracked, nudging Diane, who blushed.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Harmony grumbled as she watched the singing ranger saddle up to his next target.

"If you really, really, really, really need me. Just let me know. Just reach out and touch me," Boone encouraged the waitress that was passing through the room. A young-looking waitress. A barely legal waitress.

"That pervert, she's one of my students," Harmony hissed.

"That's Hazel!" Mary exclaimed.

Wanda shrugged. It's not like Hazel is an innocent virgin. We've all heard the stories.

The Literature and Math teachers watched in horror as the ranger took the teenager's hand. He spun her around and then pulled her close to his body. With the song winding down, Boone finished the last lines.

"If you, if you, if you really need me. Just come on and tell me so." Leaning forward, Ranger Slover prepared to kiss the sexy teenager, but he suddenly found her pulled away from his light grip.

"I think she's far too young for you, buster," Mary Moreau declared, after dashing over to save her student. Turning to the teen, she suggested that she get back to her job. Hazel quickly nodded and walked away while pulling her phone out of a pocket.

"I meant no harm, Miss..." Boone remarked, hoping to learn the attractive redhead's name.

"Miss Nothing to you, Ranger," Mary curtly responded, turning around to walk away.

"You have the advantage on me, Miss Nothing. I accept the challenge, and will learn your name," Boone flirted, bowing at the retreating Mary.

"That was nifty-rifty, Ranger Smith," clapped an ecstatic Chastity. She held out her hand to get the microphone back from the singer.

"It's Ranger Slover, Boone Slover," he said into the microphone, gazing into the eyes of several admiring women.

"Jellystone! I made a Boo Boo," Chastity launched into a short burst of giggles at her own joke. "Who wants to top that awesome performance? How about you two ladies?"

Likely around the cutoff age of thirty for the mixer, the two women glanced at each other, nodded, and stood up. Chastity beamed as people appeared more interested in karaoke compared to her earlier games. Before handing over the mic, she asked their names.

"I'm Kiki, and this is Macy. We both teach grade school."

"Aww, I love little kids," Chastity added.

Back over at their table, Brooke sat up straighter. Recognizing the names, she informed the others what she knew.

"Those are Sarah's friends from work. She's quite worried about them. It sounds like they are overworked and don't get out enough."

"Maybe we should take a video and send it to her," Kimberly suggested.

"That's a great idea! I bet Sarah would get a kick out of it," Brooke responded. She started to get off her stool, but Diane interrupted her.

"I can get it. I need to stretch my legs."

Brooke thanked her, but Wanda couldn't let the opportunity pass without another tease.

"Sure, you just want to sneak off with Mr. Sexy Ranger."

The doctor and single mother flipped her friend the finger in response, causing the table to roar in laughter. As Diane left, Tamsin replaced her by coming over to the women.

"Wanda, are you getting all these text messages too?"

"Probably worse than you," the school nurse replied. "At this point, I'm going to assume that little Ashley is making Fawn send them."

"Ashley can turn into a little ball of energy when she's into her matchmaking," Brooke commented with a chuckle about her daughter's close friend.

Well aware of how their current predicament came to be, Harmony and Mary nodded at each other.

"I've got no clue what I'm supposed to keep on writing back. What should I tell Fawn?" Tamsin questioned toward not only Wanda but the rest of her table. "I'm kind of busy keeping Chastity reined in here. You would never believe some of the stuff she wanted to do."

"Oh, I know. I walked into Ashley's emergency planning meeting at the manor last weekend with her and the others. Chastity's a sweetheart, but she acted like this thing was for grade-schoolers," Frida revealed.

"Well, what I should tell Fawn? I've given a few updates on the games," Tamsin said, holding her hands up in uncertainty.

"Just make some stuff up," Kimberly suggested, waving over to Chet, her personal bartender for the night. "Get me another one!" she told him, shaking her nearly empty glass.

"You do that, and we'll have both Ashley and Fawn abandoning their dates to run over here," Wanda remarked. Then she thought about it for a moment. "That might not be such a bad idea. Fawn can suffer with us, and Ashley can take over for Tamsin."

"Ashley's not old enough to be in here at this time of night," Harmony insisted.

"Ah, who's going to say anything," the school nurse shrugged off.

"Cancel Christmas over here! I found a table full of grinches! You gals should be ashamed of yourselves," Chastity scolded with a rare mad face. She held the look for about five seconds until a smile cracked through the angry act. "Get ready, ladies, I've got a superduper idea!"

Brooke, Kimberly, and Frida glanced at each other before turning to send a questioning gaze at Tamsin. The short, no-nonsense brunette and second-in-command of the mixer had no answer. She merely shrugged back at them. Knowing that Chastity had already announced her intention to find a man for them, Harmony and Wanda handled their fear in different ways. Fretting, Harmony began picking her fingernails, while Wanda took a large gulp of her cocktail in preparation.

Figuring that someone had to ask, Cheryl bit the bullet.

"What's the idea, Miss Kupp?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it," the bubbly honey blonde held her hand over their table while she sang along to Beyoncé. "Don't be fuddy-duddies! We're all single ladies, so join in!" Chastity told them, pointing back over to where Kiki and Macy sang the song without glancing at the karaoke screen.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really a singer," Harmony politely informed the mixer's master of ceremonies.

"Now, don't be a spoilsport, Harmony. The least we can do is sing along," Wanda remarked, shocking the rest of the table. While Chastity hopped with joy for her apparent interest, the school nurse whispered to Mary and Cheryl. "If we do this, she might leave us alone."

Those hopes crashed immediately.

"Yaaaay! That's the spirit! I'm still working on a plan for finding love for our two teachers," Chastity revealed, beaming at Harmony and Wanda. "Cupid's first arrow of romantic bliss is aimed at Ms. Isidro."

Frida briefly closed her eyes while she groaned internally. Opening them, she found Chastity pointing at her. Then the honey blonde pointed at Cheryl, Harmony, Kimberly, and Brooke. They were the oldest women at the table and realized that connection.

"I have the perfect song for you five--fantastic five!--to sing. Just wait until you see," the bubbly blonde beamed in anticipation.

"You know Hayden Peel is over there," Frida announced. "I should check out how he and his daughter are doing. Um, Harley is a junior varsity cheerleader...ah, I know her through Heather."

The Ravers Manor chef grasped at her excuse and bolted out of her seat.

"I'll agree with Mrs. Griffin. I'm not much for singing--" Brooke started to say. She quietly cursed Frida for using her daughter's cheermate as an excuse. I really need to learn the names of Heather's extended friends!

"Wowie! Heather said you would be a picklepuss, Mrs. Ravers...I mean Mrs. Silverfield, argh! No, I meant Mrs. Lakeswallow--oh, drat!"

"Brooke, just call me Brooke, Chastity," the former Mrs. Ravers and current Ms. Lakefield informed her.

The whole table watched as Chastity appeared to be slapped in the face by Brooke's words. She staggered back a few steps as her jaw dropped. The blonde's beautiful face morphed through several emotional states. With a quivering lip, she hesitantly clarified.

"I can call YOU by your first name?" the stunned receptionist double-checked. "L-like a fr-friend does?"

"Miss Kupp, you're mother and grandmother have been integral members of the Ravers Enterprises' family for more than fifty years," Brooke reminded the young woman, who looked on the verge of tears. "You're not a little girl anymore, Chastity. So feel free to call me by my first name. Okay?"

"O-Okay...Okey dokey, Brooke!"

"No, no, it's Vokey."

"Huh, now?" Chastity asked the muscular, blond man, who came out of nowhere to join their conversation.

"My name, it's Simon Vokey."

"Shut the barn door! Your name rhymes with okey and dokey?"

"It sure does," Simon responded with a toothy grin. "Your friend came over to talk with my coworker," he gestured over his shoulder to Frida and Hayden. "So, I thought I could take his spot over here."

"That's okay. Chastity and Tamsin are filling in for Frida," Kimberly stated.

"Well, that's too bad. I would've found myself in Xanadu at this table."

"Xanadu?! Like the awesomest movie of all time?" Chastity questioned.

"Uh, yeah...yes! Just like the film," Simon lied. He had no clue the term also referred to a movie, but if the blonde with huge tits loved it, then so did he. "I take it you're another fan?"

"Am I ever?! My mom made me watch it all the time growing up. Olivia Newton-John is amazing!"

"That's incredible. My, uh, older cousin did the same to me," Simon made up on the spot. "How about the two of us find a song to sing together?"

"Magic!"

"Wonderful," Simon replied, not understanding that Chastity meant the song from the film by that name. He glanced at the area that served as sort of a makeshift stage. There, Kiki and Macy unleashed a torrent of pent-up energy as they bounced around madly as Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" approached its end. "It looks like they're almost done. Shall we?"

"Shucks! I need to tinkle first," Chastity admitted, blushing.

"We all have to go at some time. We can have our turn when you return, okay?"

"Okey dokey, Vokey!" the honey blonde giggled. "Tam, can you handle karaoke for a few minutes?"

"Sure. I'll try and find someone fun to sing next," Tamsin replied, knowing that's what her fellow coworker wanted.

"But not these five! I have a special song for them to raise the roof with," Chastity winked as she left the room, and Tamsin departed the table.

After the muscular man that Sarah Woodsen warned them about moved over to the bar, Kimberly let out a breath of relief.

"That was close. I pretty much assumed he was going to sit down and not leave."

"Uh, shouldn't we say something to Chastity?" Mary inquired.

"About what?" Wanda questioned.

"Sarah Woodsen did warn us about that Vokey man," Cheryl reminded her.

"Oh, that one? She'll be fine."

"You don't know that!" Mary exclaimed.

"No, Miss Zee--I mean Wanda is right. That slimy lawyer doesn't know what's about to hit him. Chastity Kupp deals with sleazy men all the time at the front desk of RE. That girl is so oblivious to them it drives them nuts," Brooke explained, recalling past incidents with amazement.

"Well, I still--"

"Va-va-voom!" Wanda interrupted, jabbing her finger toward the karaoke area.

"Private eyes
They're watching you
They see your every move
Private eyes
They're watching you."

The two Hall & Oates wannabes were handsome, toned, athletic, and far younger than allowed inside the over-thirty mixer. If Boone Slover's arrogant performance had the single ladies squirming in their seats, then the two hunks of manhood signing had those same women's panties dampening.

"Now we're talking!" Kimberly nudged Brooke with a hard elbow.

"Tell me that one of you knows who they are," Cheryl piped in.

"Sheesh! It's only--" Wanda started to say in annoyance.

"Oh, my! Is that Rory Colcord?" Fiona questioned, after rushing back over to their table.