Jack took a step closer. "What Shannon doesn't know won't hurt her, or Starsky. We could find a nice out of the way place and they would never find out. It would be our little secret."

As he stroked the front of Hutch's shirt, the blond jerked back. "I said, don't touch me. Leave me alone, Jack. I'm not interested. Stay away from me, or I'll have a little chat with Shannon. How do you think she'll react when I tell her that her husband made a pass at me?"

Jack's brown eyes flashed. "And how do you think everyone else will react when I tell them your sordid little secret? How much longer do you think you'll be Dobey's fair-haired boy if he finds out you and Starsky are more than just... friends?"

Hutch stood still, stunned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play innocent with me, Hutchinson. I know exactly what you and Starsky are to each other." With a malicious grin, he sang a bad imitation of Charlie Rich. "And when we get behind closed doors, he lets his hair hang down. And he makes me glad that I'm a man. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors." Then he laughed insanely. "Except me, that is. I thought you looked adorable covered in mud. Of course, it would have been more exciting if you hadn't rolled around so much, but I have a very vivid imagination. I'll bet you're a very accomplished lover, Hutch. Starsky is a lucky man."

The puzzlement Hutch felt turned to dread as he realized the meaning of Jack's words. He thought back to the previous night. He and Starsky had been horsing around, but to Jack's demented mind, it could have looked like foreplay.