From: "Czajka, Marguerite" <czajkm@uf5387p01.ChicagoIL.ATTGIS.COM>

Tess comes into the bar - she has good news and wants to take Buck out
to a new restaurant to share it with him.  Buck can+t go, he has plans.
Tess is a little put out at this news and hopes his plans include a root
canal.  He asks about her news and she tells him about Jared getting her
the new building.

Azure comes up to see what Tess had wanted her for earlier - Tess tells
her the ad campaign for Tendress is in and they wanted to run it by Azure
first (do new models really get this much input into an ad?).  Azure heads
off to the agency and runs into a model who compliments her and heads
to Tess.  They introduce themselves and Tess tells her it+s nice to meet
the competition and asks what brings her to the City bar.  The model tells
her that it+s the bartender and kisses Buck, while Tess looks irritated. 
 The
model Tells Buck about this new restaurant (the one Tess was raving about
a the beginning), Tess tells her the food there stinks and walks off.

Tony and Ally are making out when Molly stomps in.  She hates it when
people lie to her, especially when she knows their doing it.  Ally and Tony
instantly realize that Danny is the subject of her mini-rant.  She wonders
why they assume it+s Danny, then admits that it is.  Tony leaves Ally to
deal with it and heads to the bar.  Molly tells Ally about Danny lying
about the meeting with Syd.  She+s upset about Danny acting like Sydney+s
pet dog, jumping through hoops for her.  Ally says she has an idea about
what she should do - just talk to Danny.  They go down in the elevator,
where Molly goes to get the mail.

Tess walks over to Tony - she says "Tony", and he mimics her with
"Tessy" (it was a cuter moment than it looks in words.)  He covers up the
paperwork he+s working on.  She tells him that she asked Buck out but
he+s already been hogtied and tells Tony that the woman runs a porno
gallery down the street.  Tony teases her about being jealous, which she
denies, claiming she+s too busy with business to be jealous.  Tony warns
her to be careful with Jared - Tess brushes off the warning.  Tony
changes the subject and asks Tess for advice about what to do if a guy
is friends with a woman and then it becomes more than platonic...
Tess guesses it+s Ally and tells him that some of the best love stories 
start
out as buddies.   She says it+s all in the timing.  He says he+s has been 
lousy
lately - she says it must be something in the wine (which they both have
a glass of).

Buck apologizes to his lunch date for keeping her waiting.  She+s glad to
be leaving since his friend Tess has been looking daggers at her, she
asks if they are dating - Buck tells her they are just buds.

Jared makes some snide remarks to Danny and Sydney about their
meeting which he obviously doesn+t believe is business.  Danny tells
him that he just dropped by and in reality wanted to see Jared to sell
him on the coffee bar idea because Syd told him that Jared had reservations
about the idea.  Jared wonders what else Syd has told him and she says she
just told Danny that Jared was uncomfortable with the idea.  Danny tries
to charm Jared by telling him that he realizes that to someone of his
position a coffee bar seems small but they make a lot of money - that
it+s a growth industry.  Jared is cool towards Danny so he takes his leave. 

Jared tells Sydney that they+ll have to turn up the thermostat since "that
young man just tried to snow me."  Sydney tells him that Danny just
wanted to make a good impression.  Jared wonders how impressed Sydney
was with Danny.  She tells him not enough to do business with him if
Jared doesn+t want her to.  Malcolm arrives and Sydney asks what happened
to his face.  He+s tells her nothing serious, just an accident.  "How
fortunate"  Sydney says with fake sincerity.  She then excuses herself
to give them privacy.  Malcolm wants them to get what they want out
of the building and get the hell out of there.  Jared says he+s almost got
Tess+ agency, and that things are going well with Sydney.  Malcolm
interrupts Jared+s little fantasy about wedded bliss with doubts about
trusting either Sydney or Tess.  Jared claims he has them both in the palm
of his hand.

Malcolm tells Joc to tell Alex about her being a hooker, then stands
there as Alex winds up and punches him in the face (apparently
Malcolm thought Alex was just stretching so he didn+t move at all.)
Jocelyn gets between them and sobs that it+s true.  Alex shoves
Malcolm out the door and looks stunned.  Jocelyn starts sobbing out
excuses, while Alex can only repeat "You+re a prostitute."  She sobs
that she+d like to explain and he tells her she can start by telling
the truth (I+d like to know too - where does she get mascara that
stays on through months of crying?)   Jocelyn finally tells the truth
about hooking, including her return to seeing Malcolm because he
was blackmailing her.  Alex realizes that Joc worked for Verushka
and that she was the hooker he was supposed to meet that night in
the hotel.  He puts together all the pieces about the stolen book and
decides he was an clueless idiot.  She tells him she wanted to protect
what they had - what they have.  He asks her what they have.  She
tells him that she loves him and that even though she doesn+t deserve
him, she thinks he loves her too.  He asks if there was anyone else
besides Malcolm.  She tells him just once and that sometimes she gets
to scared she just has to.... "Turn a trick?" he asks.  He tells her a part
of him just wants to... (he grits his teeth here) and then part of him
wants to hold her and tell her it+ll be all right.  He tells her he has to
think - she offers to make him coffee or pour a glass of wine, but he
needs to be alone and leaves her crying.

Meanwhile, back at the bar Ally is talking to Tony about  Malcolm+s
papers.  He asks how things are between them - she says things
have just been crazy and then recognizes the name of the man
they found dead in the rug when the show first moved from Corinth.

Syd goes down to Danny+s, he tries to show her facts and figures.
She thanks him for handling Jared so well and wonders if there+s
anything she can do.  He suggests getting her hands on the big guy+s
checkbook.  She tells him she+ll see what she can do and kisses him,
just as Molly appears with the mail.

Marguerite

