Chapter Six:
Sticks and Stones
Olivia threw the door open
so forcefully that it rebounded behind her, slamming back into it’s frame with
a rattling crash that startled the few people loitering outside of One Hogan
Place. Ignoring their surprised stares,
she pushed past them without so much as an ‘excuse me’ as she slammed down the
steps to the sidewalk.
When she reached the curb,
the detective pulled herself to a stop, sucking in deep breaths of cold air
that she expelled from her mouth in plumes of white steam. Turning back, she stared up at the building,
her heart aching in her chest as she tried to process what had just happened.
How could a situation go
from wonderful to crap in so short a time?
Part of her, the part that
had been kicked in the teeth enough in her life, wanted to say fuck it; to just
wash her hands of the whole mess. But a
larger part of her could not ignore the way she had felt when she held Alex in
her arms. The way her self doubts, her
fears, hell even the rest of the world, had ceased to exist. For the first time, sex hadn’t just been
sex. For the first time, she had
actually understood what everyone else was talking about.
Sighing, she tried to rein
in her anger. She knew Alex was scared,
she just couldn’t figure out why or of what.
But then she was a
detective, right?
Her phone rang and Olivia
reached into her jacket, pulling it out to tap it against her forehead a few
times before finally answering it.
“What?” She barked.
“Whoa! What
crawled inside your boxers and died?”
She ground her teeth and
counted to ten before answering. “I don’t
wear boxers. What do you want?”
“Are you ok?” She could hear the concern in
Elliot’s voice and tried to drag her frustration down a notch. “What
happened? Did Cabot chew you out or
something?”
Olivia snorted, a bitter
laugh escaping her lips. “Something like
that.”
“So I take it we’re not getting the warrant for
Tate’s financials?”
“No, I got it. She said it would be there within the
hour. Can you get the ball rolling on
that? I have to stop off at my apartment
on the way back.”
Elliot laughed lightly. “You
always did have a way with Cabot. From
now on you get to go whenever we need anything.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can you cover for me?”
“Sure, but what’s at your apartment?”
“My common sense?” She sighed.
“I just got too close to the curb and a cabbie decided to give me a
bath. I need a shower and some dry
clothes. I’ll be back at the precinct
within the hour, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.
I’ll see you then partner.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Olivia stepped out of the
shower, using a towel to dry her hair before wrapping it around her torso. She pulled open her medicine cabinet and
dipped her fingers into a jar of gel on the bottom shelf. Closing the mirror, she leaned in close as
she tumbled her brown locks between her fingers, scowling at herself for a
moment before stepping back. When she
did, her eyes grew wide as she took in the pale purple bruises scattered across
her shoulders.
Reaching up, she touched
them gently, surprised that she had marked at all; usually her skin coloring
hid that sort of thing. For them to
show, Alex’s grip would have to have been intense.
Swallowing, she closed her
eyes as memories of that afternoon flashed through her mind. Alex’s hands in her hair, wrapped around her
shoulders… digging into her back. She
opened her eyes and stared at herself as she remembered the taste of blood on
the blonde’s tongue. She gently pulled
at her lower lip, wincing when she saw the angry red line of the cut that had
been reopened when Alex bit her. She
hadn’t felt it at the time; she had been busy feeling too many other
things. But now that she was aware of
it, it stung like a bitch and she knew it would drive her crazy.
Not just because of the
pain, but because it would make her think about what she had shared with the beautiful
young lawyer who now seemed to want nothing to do with her.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Liv!” Elliot grinned at his partner as she walked
into the observation room. “Jackpot!”
“DNA match?” She asked in disbelief.
“Well, no.” He shook his head. “Serra Tate was not the mystery guest in
Wainscott’s bed that night. But this is
almost as good.”
Olivia glanced through the
two way mirror and saw Serra sitting in the same position she had been in
earlier. “Has she been in there this
whole time?”
“Huh?” Her partner glanced at the blonde and
shrugged. “I guess so why?”
“Because she’s not a perp,
Elliot! She’s just a girl that found
herself in a bad situation!”
“More than one, apparently.”
Olivia arched an
eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
He handed her a
printout. “This came over five minutes
ago from First Mutual.”
She read over the
information, a sinking feeling in her stomach when she realized what it
was. “Come on.”
Elliot followed her into the
room, standing attentively beside Tate this time as Olivia slammed the paper
down on the table in front of the startled blonde.
“You want to tell me what
the fuck that is, Serra?”
“Wha…what?” She leaned forward and glance at the
printout, paling slightly. “I can
explain.”
“You can explain?” Olivia rolled her eyes before dropping into a
chair. “Ok, then please explain how a
hundred and fifty thousand dollar check from Preston Industries managed to find
its way into your bank account a month and a half ago?”
Serra stared down at the
statement, her mouth opening and closing as though she were trying to think of
something to say.
“Spill it!” Olivia ordered. “Otherwise you’re definitely going to need
that lawyer you mentioned earlier!”
“Samuel Wainscott.” She whispered.
“What?”
She covered her face with
her hands. “Samuel Wainscott! He paid me
off. He gave me that money to leave
Sammy.”
Olivia’s forehead furrowed
in confusion. “You’re telling me that
Sam Wainscott gave you a hundred and fifty thousand dollars to leave his
daughter a month and half ago? That
doesn’t make any sense.”
“You think I don’t know
that?” Serra snapped. “When that asshole he had following me showed
up at the bookstore with the check, I thought it was some kind of trick. I mean, why would he pay me to leave her when
I already had?” She rubbed her temples.
“I figured it was just a bribe to keep me away from her; Sammy had been pretty adamant about me coming
back when I first left. Anyway, I was
broke… I didn’t work while I was with her and there was no way I was going to
make my tuition next year-“
“So you took it.” Olivia’s lip curled in disdain.
Serra squared her shoulders
and lifted her chin. “I said I wasn’t a
dog, detective, I didn’t say I was a fool!
Look, I know it wasn’t my best moment, but that man made us miserable
every chance he got. He belittled her
and harassed me all because he thought that I had corrupted his little
girl. And no matter how many times Sammy
told him that she had pursued me, he kept hanging onto the idea that I was the
antichrist! I deserved something for the
hell he put us through.” She
shrugged. “It isn’t like I broke the
law. He offered the money and I took
it. I wasn’t with Sammy anymore so it
wasn’t even under false pretenses.”
“And that makes it ok?” Olivia asked softly.
Serra stared at her for a
long time before replying. “No. It doesn’t.
But it made it easier.”
The brunette sat back in her
chair as she watched the young woman closely.
She knew in her gut that Serra was telling her the truth. “Alright.” She stood up. “You’re free to go.”
“What?” Elliot and Serra both barked in
disbelief.
“What about the
assault?” Her partner demanded.
Olivia locked her eyes with
Serra’s. “I’m not pressing charges at
this time.” She pointed at her. “But you stay local, and you let those
friends of yours know that if we come looking for you and they start playing
games, it’s going to land your ass right back behind bars. Deal?”
Tears of relief flooded
Serra’s eyes. “Deal.” She nodded eagerly. “Detective?”
“Hmm?”
“That woman I told you
about… the one Sammy was involved with.
Who ever she is, she knows more about Sammy’s life over the last few
months than I ever could. She knows all
of the dark stuff that I couldn’t stomach.
I have to live with the fact that I walked out on Sammy, probably when
she needed me the most. I couldn’t live
knowing that her killer got away with it.
Find her… please.”
The detective looked at the
young woman compassionately. “I intend
to.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Saturday 06:11 PM
Olivia looked up at the
non-descript exterior of 1655 Park West and then down at the clothes she was
wearing. She doubted her skin tight
Levi’s, corded Henley and black leather jacket would make much of an impression
on the doorman, but if Zoey had been telling her the truth, she had an
automatic in.
Stepping up to the door, she
almost laughed when the uniformed man raised his eyebrows at her in
surprise. His hand came up automatically
and he opened his mouth to speak.
She didn’t give him the
chance; instead she pulled the keychain from her inside coat pocket. She allowed the ring to slide down her middle
finger so that the crystal dangled in the center of her palm, creating a blood
red halo as it reflected the light from overhead.
His whole countenance changed
in an instant, going from slightly disdainful to warmly respectful in a blink
of an eye. Smiling, he opened the door
for her as he bowed slightly and said, “Have a pleasant evening, ma’am.”
When she got to the
penthouse, she was surprised by how empty it was. Glancing at her watch she realized that it
was only a little after six, still pretty early as far as the bar circuit
went. Her eyes quickly scanned through
the women present, taking note of everyone and everything.
“She’s not here.”
The familiar voice made her
turn towards the bar where Zoey was polishing glasses, getting ready for the
Saturday night rush. “I know.” She nodded as she slid onto a stool. “That’s why I am.”
“Ouch!” The bartender
grimaced. “I take it you’re still on the
outs with the beautiful Ms. Cabot?”
“Not for lack of
trying. I… talked to her this
afternoon.”
“Talked?” Zoey gave her a knowing wink. “So how’d that go?”
“Pretty well at first.” Olivia didn’t understand why she felt
comfortable talking to the younger woman, but she was grateful for her presence
and her ear. “Then I got
blindsided.” She sighed. “Maybe… maybe I’m just barking up the wrong
lesbian, you know? Like you said, she’s
got the Big Three. What have I got? A tiny apartment, a city wage, and a job that
takes up ninety percent of my life… I
mean look at me! The doorman wasn’t even
going to let me in here until I flashed that lucky charm you gave me.”
“I know some other thing’s
you’ve got.”
“What?”
Zoey tossed the bar rag on
the counter and leaned on her arms.
“You’ve got a killer smile, incredible eyes, and you look pretty damn
good in a leather jacket.” She
grinned. “And since Cabot knew you
before you came in here and still planted that kiss on you? I’d say there’s a whole lot more to you than
just the way you look.”
Olivia blinked. “Why would you think that?”
“Velvet gets best of high
society, Olivia.” She smirked. “The lesbian cream that rises to the
top. Cabot’s been coming here for a
while; I’ve seen people approach her and I’ve watched her shoot them down. That woman has sent back enough drinks to
stock the bar for a year. But I have
never seen her look at another woman the way she looked at you. And I have also never seen her cross the bar
to talk to anyone. For her to do that,
you would have to be very special indeed.”
The detective shrugged,
turning to hide the faint blush that crept into her cheeks.
“Sexy and shy!” Zoey chuckled. “Something tells me I’m meeting the real
Olivia now.”
She grinned ruefully and held
out her hand. “Detective Olivia Benson,
and yes, this is the real me. I swear too much, I laugh too loud and I live
in jeans and t-shirts six days out of the week.” She glanced around. “Guess I’m not what you would consider your
regular clientele.”
“Ooo a cop!” Zoey laughed.
“I wish.” She placed a shot glass
on the bar and filled it up with Jack, nudging it towards the detective when
she didn’t reach for it immediately.
“Believe it or not, this isn’t exactly what I pictured when I decided to
open this place.”
“What did you picture?”
“Something simple, a little
more down to earth; but then my grandmother always said that buildings have
souls of their own. I may own it; I may
have designed the layouts, but the spirit… that was always here.”
Olivia nodded, then Zoey’s
words registered and she looked up in mild shock. “You…own the building? The whole
building?”
She nodded.
“Who the hell was your
grandmother?”
“Ivy Merrin.”
“Merrin, Merrin..” The detective racked her brain trying to make
a connection. “Never heard of her.”
Zoey laughed. “Why would you? She was a secretary.” Her eyes sparkled as she realized what the
older woman meant. “Ahhh! You were trying to find the royalty in my
family tree. Let me save you the
trouble, there isn’t any. My father was
a truck driver and my mother was a hair stylist.”
Olivia blinked. “Then how…?”
“A royal line has to start
somewhere right?” The bartended refilled
her empty glass. “I was an art major in
college. Ran into some luck when I was
bumming around Versailles my first year out.
I found a patron who was very… appreciative of my skills. She taught me how to paint what would sell,
among other things. I came back from
Europe with some serious coin in my pocket and the even more valuable skill of
being able to remain friends with my exes.”
“I don’t understand.”
Zoey sighed. “Well, when I got back, I met and fell in
love with two very successful women.
First it was Natalia, plastic surgeon to New York’s elite, and then it
was Francine, the investment banker with a heart. The relationships didn’t
last, but the friendships did. I showed
them my business plans and they jumped at a chance to invest. I own fifty two percent of this place, they
split the difference.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows. “Color me impressed!” She downed the second shot. “So, what do you do with the rest of the
building?”
“The first three floors are
office space; gay owned businesses mostly.
They get a good deal on rent; I get to do my part for the community and
take a tax write off on the shortfall.”
She shrugged. “The rest of the
floors are cut up into studios, lofts and apartments. Again, there are rent shortfalls but the
income from the rest of the building more than makes up for it.”
“The rest…?”
“Yeah, the penthouse… and
the basement.”
Olivia blinked. “What’s in the basement?”
Zoey looked at her with a
blatantly wicked expression on her face.
“Why… Hell, Detective.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The elevator opened into a
dimly lit hallway. Sconces lined the walls on either side and red bulbs shining
up at the ceiling gave the small space a surreal quality. Olivia could see a staircase curving up out
of sight at the other end. “Where does
that go?” She pointed.
“Up to the street.” Zoey grinned.
“But we’re going this way.” She
led the detective to a large ornate iron door to their left and Olivia had to
stifle a laugh when the bartender produced an elaborate skeleton key to slip
into the lock.
“You’re joking with that key
right?”
The blonde shrugged. “Appearances are everything.” The door swung open into complete darkness
and Olivia reached out, placing her hand within an inch of Zoey’s back, using
the younger woman’s body heat to follow closely behind her.
There was the sound of some
kind of switch being thrown and a series of lamps lining the ceiling started to
glow dully as they began to heat up.
After a few moments, Olivia was able to see clearly enough to make out
the large space around her.
It left her speechless.
The basement was the same size
as the Penthouse, but set up in an entirely different layout and theme. Where Velvet was all chic and ambience, gauzy
curtains and light colors, the basement was decked out in deep blues and
purples, the walls were painted black, the mood lighting supplied by the dozens
of wrought iron fixtures strategically scattered throughout.
To one side was the main
room, which had a bar made of black and gray marble, surrounded by red
leather-covered stools and snooker tables with black felt and crimson colored
balls. There was also a dance floor and
a small raised stage that looked like it had been well used.
To the other side was a
hallway made up of thick midnight blue and black drapes that hung from the
ceiling on iron rails. The same types of
drapes had been used to create small private alcoves along each side, complete
with either couches or beds; the back wall of each alcove was exposed brick
that had been fitted with numerous iron hooks at various heights.
“What the hell is
this?” Olivia breathed.
“This?” Zoey turned in a
half circle, her arms held out. “This is Suede.”
“Suede?”
“Like I said before, if
Velvet is heaven, then Suede is hell.”
She shrugged. “This is Natalia’s
baby. Her own private little dungeon.”
The detective’s eyes
narrowed. “What goes on down here,
Zoey?”
The bartender held up her
hands. “Nothing like that, detective!” She tsked as though she were offended. “People can bring their own toys. The can play at bondage and domination, they
can spank, tickle, tease… whatever… but NO sex.
If the bouncers catch that going on, the client is eighty-sixed
permanently.”
Olivia turned in a circle,
her mouth opening and closing slowly. “I
don’t even know what to say. How do you
get insurance for this place?”
“We have strict safety
policies in place. Anyone who walks down
that hallway has to have reservation and a signed waiver and declaration of
intent on file. We keep good records and
so far, we’ve never had a problem.”
“So… when you said to stick
to Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays it was because…”
“Because the rest of the
week Velvet is dark and Suede is open.
We had them both open six days a week at first, until it turned out that
a lot of our clientele wanted to use both clubs, but didn’t necessarily want to
be seen jumping the gates. So we gave
Suede its own street entrance and didn’t allow traffic between the two
anymore. Except of course, when someone
like Alex Cabot needs an out…” She
teased. When she didn’t get a response
she waved her hand in front of the brunette’s face. “Olivia?”
The detective’s demeanor had
changed completely. “I can’t believe she
didn’t tell me about this.”
“Who? Alex?”
Olivia nodded sullenly.
“Look, Liv,” The bartender
shook her head. “Alex didn’t really know
about this place. Suede has a pretty
specific crowd and it is by invitation only. The one time I approached her
about it I got as far as the word ‘leather’ and the look on her face told me in
no uncertain terms that drinks with the girls was all good, but anything else
was not an option. It’s not like Suede
is a place to hang out and relax.” She
smirked. “Well, not that kind of relax…”
“This is where Samantha
Wainscott came to play, isn’t it Zoey?”
“Sammy? Yeah, she spent time
here.” She said cautiously. “Why?”
Olivia felt like slapping
herself. She had been so busy spilling
her guts to the younger woman that she had ignored one of the cardinal rules of
investigation.
The bartender always knows something.
“Okay, let’s start
over.” She took a deep breath and pulled
out her shield. “I’m Detective Olivia
Benson, and I need to ask you some questions in regards to the death of
Samantha Wainscott.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Olivia sat quietly at the
black marble bar, watching Zoey as she downed her fourth shot. The bartender had called upstairs an hour
earlier to tell her bar back, Melissa, to cover for her and then proceeded to
crack open a very expensive bottle of tequila.
Olivia had matched her for the first three shots and then stopped,
wanting to keep her head at least somewhat clear, even if she wasn’t
technically on the clock.
“I can’t believe Sammy’s
dead.” Zoey whispered sadly. “I mean, the girl had issues but she was a
good person.” She gave the detective a hard
look. “You know you could have told me
you were investigating her death. You
could have trusted me.”
Olivia had the grace to
flush slightly. “I am sorry, Zoey. But I have to follow standard procedure. If it makes you feel any better I was going
to talk to you about it tonight. Serra
gave us some information about a woman that Sammy was seeing, that she had met
her at ‘the bar’. I just assumed the bar was Velvet.”
“Sammy never brought anyone
to Velvet but Serra. I know she got
approached by a lot of other women…”
“This one would have had an
affinity for black leather gloves.”
Zoey’s eyes met hers quickly
and then slid away.
“You know who I’m talking
about.”
“I don’t know her name. The only time I ever saw her upstairs was
when she was on the hunt. And her prey
was usually Sammy. I know she spent a lot of time down here, but like I said
Suede is Natalia’s domain. What people
choose to do is their own business, as long as they don’t try to do it to
me. And I don’t watch.”
Olivia nodded slowly. “But you have records. If they spent time in one of those alcoves
together you would have their signed waivers and both their names on the
reservation right?”
Zoey nodded slowly.
“Well?” Olivia’s patience was wearing thin. “Can I see the records?”
The bartender sighed. “Yes… with a court order.”
“What?” The detective’s jaw dropped.
“Look, Olivia, I like you, I
do. And if it were just my ass on the
line, I would give you the files. But
our clients rely on our discretion and this is a business where all that
matters is the client. I can’t just hand
out their private information because you asked me for it. I won’t fight a court order, but you have to
understand why I need you to get one.”
“Fine.” Olivia muttered under her breath. “You do realize what I have to do to get it
right?”
The spark returned to Zoey’s
eyes for the first time since she learned of Samantha’s death. “Let me guess… you have to ‘talk’ to
Alexandra Cabot again?” She snickered. “Is that such a bad thing?”
The detective glared at her.
“Ooookay!” She poured them both another shot. “In that case, I say we stay right here until
we figure out a plan to get you back into that woman’s good graces.”
Olivia picked up her shot
glass and knocked it back. “I don’t
think you have enough tequila for that.”
Zoey slapped the shot
glasses aside, setting two tumblers in their place on the bar. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”
* * * * * * * * * *
Oh my god…
Olivia groaned loudly as she
cracked her eyes open, only to quickly slam them shut again when the light from
the open window made her brain feel like it was three sizes too big for her
skull.
Grabbing a pillow from the
other side of the bed, she slammed it down on her face; willing to risk
suffocation if it meant blocking out the sun.
After a few moments, the pain receded slightly and she was able to think
again.
Unfortunately, the first
thought that popped into her head was that the pillow on her face smelled like
someone else’s hair, which caused her to pull it away quickly, letting the
sunlight back in.
Sitting up, she rubbed her
temples firmly with her fingertips as she looked around the room.
Queen sized bed, dresser,
end tables, and a door leading to the bathroom… yep, it was a bedroom.
Too bad it wasn’t hers.
She pulled the blanket away
and looked down at herself. T-shirt
but no bra, briefs but no jeans… Damn, that could mean anything!
“Good morning beautiful!”
Olivia turned towards the
voice to find Zoey standing in the doorway holding a glass. Her hair was tousled, her body covered by an
oversized t-shirt that left far too little to the imagination. “Shit.”
She grumbled.
Zoey laughed. “Well, aren’t you a little fucking ray of
sunshine?”
“Sorry.” The detective mumbled. Then she stared at the blonde
suspiciously. “Why the hell do you look
so good? You drank more than I did!”
She climbed onto the bed
next to Olivia and held out the glass.
It was filled with a thick looking sludge that seemed to glow a bright
orange-green color. “I call it The Bitch
That Bit Ya. It’s kind of like ‘the hair
o’ the dog’ times ten.”
Olivia leaned forward and
sniffed the contents of the glass, pulling her head away quickly as her
nostrils began to burn. “What the hell
is in that?”
Zoey patted her gently on
the leg. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.
I suggest plugging your nose, closing your eyes, and downing it in one
big gulp.”
“I don’t think so…” She tried to push the glass away from her.
“So you want to go see Alex
looking like ten pounds of wet dog shit and feeling like a bucket of fuck?”
Olivia blinked. With a sheepish look, she took the offered
glass and brought it to her lips.
“No, really, close your
eyes.” Zoey smirked. “Otherwise the
color will make you dizzy.”
The detective did as she was
told. The liquid had the consistency of
hot fudge and a flavor she would be eternally grateful that she had no frame of
reference for. She was barely able to
hang on to her gag reflex by using every trick she had ever employed at a crime
scene.
When she was finally done
and fairly certain that the vile concoction wasn’t going to reappear, she
handed the glass back to Zoey, arching one eyebrow curiously when the bartender
leaned over the side of the bed and dropped it into the trash can.
“I’ve never been able to get
the smell out of the glass.” Zoey
smirked.
“Wonderful.” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “How long will it take to get it out of my
mouth?”
The younger woman smiled,
leaning in so close that Olivia could feel her breath against her lips. “Do you want to find out?”
The brunette looked down at
the hand still lying casually on her leg, swallowing when long, supple fingers
started stroking softly up the inside of her thigh. “Uh…”
She pulled herself up against the headboard. “What the hell happened last night?”
Zoey followed her, keeping the
distance between their bodies to a minimum.
“You mean you don’t remember?”
“No… “She grabbed the hand
that had jumped up to her belly.
“Zoey! Look, you’re a nice girl
and all, but whatever happened… I-“
“Passed out.” The bartender finished for her, before
kissing her sweetly on the lips.
“Passed out?”
“Yup!” Zoey grinned.
“We’re in my crash pad, one floor down from Velvet. I had to have two of the bouncers help me get
you up here. You should have told me you
don’t do well with tequila.”
“So… Nothing happened?”
“Well, you did spoon me all
night. But I thought that was kind of
sweet.” She laughed at the flush that
colored the older woman’s face. “Other
than that, you were a perfect gentleman; which is a good thing, because you’re
really not my type. I like my women a
bit less perfect and a lot more needy.”
She patted her on the shoulder.
“Besides, I don’t mess with women in love…”
“Whoa!” Olivia held her hand up to stop the
snickering blonde. “Who said I was in
love?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Like
you need to say it, Detective Obvious?
Or would that be…Detective Oblivious?”
She laughed and jumped away when Olivia lunged at her. “Don’t even try it! I’m younger and quicker. Now get dressed. You have to go see your woman!”
Chapter Seven:
Playing With Fire
Sunday 09:27 AM
“One-Six, Tutuola.”
“Hey Fin.”
The detective sat back in
his chair. “Yo, Liv. What’s up?”
“Where’s Elliot?
I tried his desk but I got the box.”
“He called earlier. Kathy’s sick so he’s Mr. Moms today. I told him I’d cover since we’re pretty much
just spinning our wheels at this point.”
“Maybe not.” Olivia pulled a couple of bills out of her
pocket and handed them to the cabbie as she climbed out of the taxi. “I’ve
got a possible lead on Samantha’s mystery guest the night of her murder. Apparently she was a regular at a leather bar
with this woman every week. The bar
owner has pretty tight records. They should
give us a name.”
“Why do I feel like there’s
a big ‘but’ coming on?”
“Because there always is? The owner wants a CO for the records. I’m on my way to Cabot to see if I can get
her to work her magic for us.”
“On a Sunday?” He snorted.
“Better hope your shit’s wired tight.”
“Always.” She assured him. “How’s
Morales doing with Samantha’s computer?”
“Not too good. Apparently Little Miss Sunshine used it for
her side gig with Preston Charities. The
whole thing’s encrypted so it’s taking him forever to punch his way through. I’ll stay on top of it though.”
“Call me if anything develops?”
“You know it. Later.”
Olivia listened as the line
went dead. She held the phone to her ear
for a few more seconds and then snapped it shut, sighing as she looked up at
Alex’s building.
This was so going to suck.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Alex Cabot pulled open the
drapes on her penthouse windows, squinting as bright sunlight streamed into her
living room. Carrying her glass of
orange juice over to the couch, she dropped into it with a deep sigh. There had to be some kind of evil force in
the universe ensuring that whenever she was sullen, moody, and/or bitchy, the
day outside had to be as beautiful as possible, with brilliant blue skies and
white fluffy clouds.
There was just something so
utterly depressing about spending a gorgeous Sunday afternoon alone, not that
she wasn’t used to it; but the fact that this one could have been different
made it that much harder to bear. With
an ease that was more than slightly disturbing, her mind pieced together an
image of Olivia. The detective had her
head back, a look off intense pleasure suffusing her features as her bare chest
rose and fell quickly beneath a light coating of sweat.
Swallowing heavily, she
raised the glass to her lips, grimacing at the acidic taste. For a moment, she considered adding a shot of
vodka, but as usual propriety won out.
Drinking at nine thirty in the morning was not an activity an
emotionally stable, upwardly mobile professional indulged in.
And that was the driving
force in her life, right? Being upwardly
mobile?
“What the hell is happening
to me?” She mumbled to herself. It had
always been about the job, about proving herself, about getting where she
wanted to be without letting anything get in the way. Her heart was never something that could be
safely factored into that equation.
So she left it out, along
with everything that came with it.
Sure she would see her old
college friends with their full and happy lives, their two point four kids and
the house in the suburbs. And late at
night, when she was alone and she let herself think about it, she would admit
that there was something appealing about the idea, about having someone in her
life to share her accomplishments with.
But love was something she
had never learned to balance. That made
it dangerous. Too dangerous.
And in the grand scheme of
things, what did love really bring to the table anyway? You couldn’t eat it, it wouldn’t pay the
bills and it wouldn’t keep her warm at night.
Her breath caught as several
images ran through her mind, each of them depicting a different way that Olivia
could successfully raise her temperature.
Okay, so that was a bad
example.
She was attempting to
recover from her mental slip when the sound of her door buzzer cut through her
internal monologue. “What the
hell?” She couldn’t imagine anyone who
would be brave enough to ring her bell before noon on the one day of the week
she took for herself.
Then again, a good argument
was exactly what she needed to burn off some of the tension running through her
body. Barring the alternative of course,
which would have been preferable…
Alex’s thought’s ground to
halt as her front door swung open to reveal Olivia, standing in her entryway
with her hands stuffed in her pockets and a sheepish look on her face.
For a moment, it was all the
ADA could do to
keep her hands from tangling into the detective’s short mop of brown hair and
using it to tug her gently through the door and into her arms.
Sucking in a deep breath,
she crossed her arms to hide the fact that her hands were shaking and stared
down at the floor. “What are you doing
here, Olivia?”
“I need to talk to
you.” The detective stepped inside,
pushing the door shut behind her. When
Alex didn’t move, she carefully stepped around her and settled herself against
the back of the couch.
The blonde shrugged. “What is there to say?”
Olivia rolled her eyes
slightly. “Oh I have plenty to say to
you, but right now would probably not be the best time to say it!” She snapped.
“I’m here about the case.”
Alex’s cheeks flamed bright
red and she drew the robe she was wearing more tightly around herself, double
checking the knot. She was suddenly all
too aware that she was naked beneath it; the fabric teasing her skin,
especially where it rubbed against her nipples which had hardened in response
to the passion in Olivia’s voice. “What
about it?”
“I… We need a court order for Zoey Merrin’s client list.”
Alex’s jaw dropped
slightly. “Zoey…?”
Olivia nodded. “Apparently Zoey and her two silent partners
have been running a leather club called Suede in Velvet’s basement. We have good reason to believe that those
records will provide the name of the woman Samantha spent her last night with.”
“And those reasons are?”
“Two separate witnesses have
described an older woman, dark hair, gray-blue eyes, with a penchant for
wearing black leather driving gloves.
Forensics found a piece of black leather embedded in the handle of one
of the paddles collected at the crime scene.”
Alex arched one
eyebrow. “Who are these witnesses?”
“Zoey Merrin for one.”
“And the other?”
Olivia sighed. “Serra Tate.”
The lawyer dropped her head
as she laughed. “Serra Tate? Who up until now was your prime suspect?”
“She was never my prime
suspect.” The detective shook her
head. “She was a person of interest at
one point but her alibi is solid. Our
search of her financial records revealed that Samuel Wainscott paid her a
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to leave his daughter. That
was the secret she was hiding.” She was
gratified to see the barely hidden shock on the ADA’s face.
Alex tried to absorb this
new information. “And you think her willingness to be bribed increases her
credibility as a witness?”
Olivia frowned. “She had a moment of weakness. She and Sammy were already separated and she
talked herself into believing she deserved some kind of compensation for what
she went through. Not the most
upstanding behavior but understandable all things considered. Regardless, Zoey Merrin is a credible witness and she is willing to help.”
“You know the CO won’t hold
up. We’ll never be able to introduce the
client records in court based on the evidence you have now.”
“I don’t need the records to
be admissible. I just need the name!”
Alex studied her for a
moment. “And Zoey won’t fight us on this?”
“No. She just wants the ink.”
“All right.” The blonde shrugged in resignation as she
picked up her cell phone and dialed her assistant. “Rebecca?
I need paper and I need it ASAP.”
Olivia listened with a small
smile on her face as the ADA
went to work. Alex was a beautiful
woman, but there was something about the power she exuded when she was doing
her job that made her nearly irresistible.
Tearing her eyes away, the detective looked out the window.
“No, you go to Judge
Kramer. Tell him Alexandra Cabot is
calling in that favor. If he plays dumb, tell him you can spell it out for him
but the letters you would use will land his son in a very public rehab facility
for the next six months and community service for a year. Got that?
Good, call me back as soon as you have it.” She snapped her phone shut, absent mindedly
slipping it into the pocket of her robe before she met Olivia’s expectant
look. “Rebecca’s good. She’ll get it. I’d say an hour at the most.”
The detective glanced at her
watch, then around the room. “I should
probably head to the precinct then, wait for the CO there-“
“Olivia.”
Her softly whispered name
brought her up short, cutting off her nervous rambling and drawing her gaze to
the lawyers face.
“I… I owe you an apology.” The blonde continued her voice quiet. “What I did… What I said… it must have made you feel-“
“Like an easy lay?”
Alex laughed sarcastically
as she ran her fingers through her hair.
“This is anything but easy for me, Liv.”
“Oh and I guess you think
it’s a cake walk for me?”
“No!” Alex felt her temper rising. “If you’d just let me finish what I was going
to say-“
“Why?” Olivia cut her off again. “So you can tell me how it didn’t mean
anything? That it was just sex? Thanks, but no thanks, Alex. I already feel shitty enough.” She turned and headed for the door.
“God damn it, Liv!” She grabbed the detective by the arm and
pulled her back. “It isn’t that… I
don’t…” Frustrated, the blonde’s voice
rose higher. “I just don’t have room for
this in my life right now!”
“Room?” Olivia’s eyebrows knitted together. “Room for what? For this?”
She slid her hand around the back of Alex’s neck, pulling her forward
forcefully until their mouths met in a violent clash of lips and teeth. She felt a brief flash of resistance in the
slim body she held against her own, but then it was gone and Alex’s arms were
around her back, her thigh between her legs. The blonde growled deep in her
chest as her lips parted to allow Olivia’s tongue inside while her hands yanked
the leather jacket down off her arms.
When the detective felt cool
palms slide around her stomach, she trembled violently. Alarms went off inside her head and she tried
to pull back, only to feel her mouth go dry as Alex untied the belt of her
robe. She felt her heart rate increase
wildly as unbelievably smooth, pale skin was displayed before her. When she didn’t move, Alex took her hands and
pulled them to her breasts.
“Alex…” A soft groan tore itself from Olivia’s lips
as she felt the dusky peaks of the blonde’s breasts grow hard beneath her
touch. Then all of her trepidations
melted away as Alex’s fingers swiftly unbuttoned her jeans and slid inside to
caress her lower belly. With a fierce
groan, she pressed herself into the lawyer, pushing her backwards towards the
dinner table behind them.
It wasn’t ideal, but it
would do.
Without pausing, Olivia
pushed Alex onto her back before shimmying out of her jeans and briefs. Climbing onto the table, she straddled her
hips as Alex unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it aside, followed quickly by her
bra. Completely nude, Olivia lowered
herself until the entire length of her torso was pressing against the younger
woman’s body, the course hair between their legs tangling sweetly
together. Her lips descended on Alex’s
with a hunger that was almost frightening as she dovetailed their legs
together, moaning in satisfaction when the blonde brought her knee up, pressing
her thigh into the growing wetness between the detectives legs. She whimpered when the hands caressing her
body disappeared, until she realized that Alex was simply pulling them out of
her robe, leaving them both completely naked on top of the think silk. For a moment, she was wondered which was
softer, the expensive fabric or the incredible skin pressed against her body,
then the blonde’s hands slid down to cup her ass and all rational thought fled.
Alex pulled her lips back in
a feral grin as Olivia attacked her neck with her teeth. Her hands tightened on the older woman’s ass,
using her grip to pull the strong body more tightly against her, moaning at the
wet warmth that slid along the length of her thigh. “Liv…”
She whispered. “I need your hands
on me… please…”
The plea tore through
Olivia’s body like a bullet, setting her blood on fire and her pulse
racing. She pulled her hands from where
they had been buried in soft blond hair, pulling back slightly so that she
could cup the small perfect breasts offered up to her. Unable to stop herself, she devoured Alex’s
lips hungrily. Never in her life had she
felt so out of control, so at the mercy of her emotions. And more frightening than that, was that she
couldn’t have cared less.
Alex arched her back as
Olivia’s left hand trailed down her stomach.
For a moment, it stopped to play in the dark blond hair between her legs
and she whimpered her frustration, earning a soft grunt from the woman on top
of her. When the detective’s fingers
finally slipped into the wetness between her thighs, Alex slammed back against
the table, her head falling to the side to allow the brunette access to her
throat again.
Olivia stroked softly at
first, enjoying the silky feel of the wet skin her fingers traveled through as
her teeth raised angry red marks down Alex’s neck. When the tips finally traveled over the small
bundle of nerves at the top of the blonde’s folds, she felt the body beneath
her begin to shake.
“Livia…”
That one breathless word was
all the permission she needed. With one
fluid movement, she slid her hand down and inside, burying her fingers deeply
as hot velvet closed around them.
“Jesus…” She whispered as ripples
of pleasure wound through her own body, shocking her.
Alex was beyond words. The fingers within her curved, moving almost
roughly against the spot deep inside of her that Olivia seemed to be able to
find without error. Her body writhed
uncontrollably, pressing up into the detective, her thigh grinding into
sensitive flesh. The cries of pleasure
this earned her were echoed by her own when Olivia took a hardened nipple
between her lips, suckling it with her tongue before closing her teeth on it.
“Oh, Jesus!” Alex tangled one hand into the short brown
locks, pulling them sharply as she held Olivia’s mouth against her.
The brunette pushed down
hard with her hips, the pleasure running through her increasing as the younger
woman’s cries resonated in her chest.
She used her own thigh to push herself deeper inside of the blonde, her
fingertips pressing against the slick spot that made Alex tremble
violently.
“Liv…oh my god…”
Alex’s fingers dug into the
muscles of Olivia’s back, leaving angry red trails as she slid them down to cup
her ass again, her orgasm growing strong within her. Using all her strength, she pulled the older
woman against her, desperately wanting to feel her come at the same time.
Olivia closed her eyes,
losing herself in the pleasure building inside of her and the heat of the woman
wrapped around her fingers. When she
finally went over the edge, it was amplified by the feeling of Alex’s body
tightening beneath her and the blonde’s cries echoing in her ears.
“Oh my god, Olivia….!”
Their bodies strained
against each other for several long moments as both of them were caught in the
grip of their release, then they collapsed together in a tangle of sweat
covered limbs and panting breaths.
“Oh my god, Olivia.” Alex whispered again, her lips pressed
against the hot skin beneath the older woman’s left ear.
“While I appreciate the
sentiment, you don’t have to start worshipping me quite yet.” Olivia grinned and flipped over, settling
onto her back before pulling the blonde down on top of her. A soft laugh
escaped as her spine protested the cool hardness beneath it. “We’re going to have to try this in a bed
sometime.”
Alex felt her chest tighten
as a familiar rush of panic filled her. Silently, she untangled herself from
the older woman’s embrace and sat up.
“Alex?”
She could hear the concern
in Olivia’s voice but the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears drowned
it out. Grabbing the brunette’s shirt,
she slid it on.
“Oh you have got to be
kidding me!” The detective jumped
up. She positioned herself between the
lawyer’s legs, taking her chin in her hand, forcing her to meet her eyes. “You can’t keep doing this Alex! You can’t sleep with me and then shut me out
like some trick you picked up at a bar!
I deserve better than that!”
The blonde’s eyes filled
with tears, her voice a broken whisper.
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Alex frowned sadly, her
shoulders shaking as the older woman took her in her arms. She wanted to explain, but didn’t even know
where to begin. Sighing, she laid her
head on Olivia’s shoulder. “I guess I’m
just a lost cause”
Olivia brought her hands up
to gently cup the blonde’s face. “If there’s one thing you should know about me
by now, it’s that lost causes are a specialty of mine.” She kissed her gently. “I won’t give up on you.”
Alex looked up at her, and
expression of wonder on her face. “You
won’t?”
“Never.” She placed a series
of soft kisses on her lips before trailing across her cheek to her ear, where
she whispered, “I want this. I want
you. I have for longer than you would
believe. I’ll give you whatever time and
space you need to figure it out.”
Alex felt her eyes overflow
with fresh tears. Taking a deep breath,
she gripped the older woman’s hands tightly and looked directly into her
eyes. “Olivia-“
The ringing of her cell
phone cut off anything else that she might have said. Growling in frustration, Alex slid off the
table and searched through the clothes on the floor until she found it. “Cabot!” She barked.
Her expression and voice softened immediately when she heard her
assistant on the other end. “Rebecca,
I’m sorry. You just caught me in the
middle of something. No, it’s ok. Did you get a hold of Kramer? You did?
And?” She glanced at Olivia,
nodding at the questioning look the brunette was throwing at her. She arched one eyebrow, watching in amusement
as the older woman pulled on her briefs, followed by her tight black jeans. When Olivia sat down on the floor to slide on
her boots, it was all Alex could do not to laugh out loud. There was just something absurd about the
normally stoic detective sitting topless on her floor while she tied the laces
on a pair of police issue tactical boots.
And something completely
alluring about the skin that stretched tautly across her abdomen when she rose.
Shaking her head, she
brought her attention back to the conversation.
“What? Oh, I need you to take it over to the one-six. No not Benson.”
At the mention of her name,
the brunette froze, her bra hanging limply from her fingertips. Her lips formed a perfect ‘o’ of surprise
when Alex reached out and took it from her, tossing it onto the couch.
“Detective Benson is going
to be occupied for the rest of the day.
I believe Tutuola is catching at the precinct. All right, Rebecca, thank you.” She snapped her phone shut, dropping it onto
the table before pressing Olivia up against the back of the couch. Her fingers slid over the brunette’s
shoulders, her nails scratching lightly as she dragged them down her arms. “Do you need to call someone Detective
Benson?” She leaned in, her teeth
nibbling on the sensitive patch of skin just below Olivia’s left ear. “I suggest you do it now, because in ten
minutes…” She kissed her lightly,
allowing her tongue to flick into the older woman’s mouth. “In ten minutes your lips will be otherwise
occupied.”
Olivia shivered at
everything implied by Alex’s honeyed tone.
She grabbed up her cell phone, dialing the precinct’s number quickly.
“One-six, Tutuola.”
“Hey, Fin…gahhh…” Olivia’s voice trailed off as the lawyer’s
teeth closed on her earlobe.
“Liv? That
you?”
“Uh…hmmm… yeah.” She turned her head to the side, moving her
ear out of reach only to expose the line of her neck to the blonde’s questing
lips. “Oh…”
Fin’s eyebrows knitted
together. He glanced up as his partner
wandered back into the precinct with a bag of sandwiches from the corner
deli. Munch raised his chin in question
and Fin mouthed the word ‘Olivia’.
“Everything cool, Liv?”
“What? Oh
yeah…definitely.” There was a pause. “Listen,
I need you… I need you to take care of
something…”
The detective listened
carefully, jotting down notes on his pad as he did so.
Munch watched curiously as
his partner’s pen stalled after every couple of words. When Fin finally hung up the phone, a small
smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“What’s up?”
“We got a CO coming over
from Cabot. Benson wants us to move on
it as soon as it gets here.”
John blinked. “What’s so amusing about that?”
“It ain’t what she said,”
Fin laughed. “It’s how she said it.”
“And how was that?”
“In a language your old ass
wouldn’t even remember!”
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday 12:37AM
Something was dragging
Olivia back from the edges of a particularly pleasant dream.
At first it only registered
as a light pressure; something warm and soft being pressed against her
lips. Then she felt the softness begin
to move, tracing around her mouth, leaving a trail of wetness behind. For a brief moment, she was confused, but
even through her sleep induced haze, Olivia recognized the scent that went
along with that wetness. It invaded her
senses, making her nostrils flair as her lips parted in a soft moan. She reached out with her tongue, wrapping it
around the long, smooth finger that was touching her gently, pulling it into
her mouth.
A groan worked its way up
from Olivia’s chest as she sucked hard, her arms moving to wrap tightly around
the body next to her. Deep auburn eyes
blinked open and the sleepiness in them darkened into something different
altogether as they met the crystal blue gaze of her lover.
Alex smiled wickedly as she
pulled her finger from the brunette’s mouth.
“Good morning.” Her voice was low
and husky.
Olivia closed the space
between them, throwing her leg over the blonde’s hip, using it to tug the
luscious body tightly against her. “What
was that, counselor?”
“Exhibit A.” Alex whispered, her breathing becoming ragged
as the detective’s proximity wreaked the same havoc on her as it had the day
before.
“Oh…So you were presenting
evidence?” Olivia raised her
eyebrows. She ran her hand over a taut
stomach, loving the way it quivered beneath her fingers. “Am I being accused of
a crime?”
The blonde nodded, unable to
speak as her body arched into the contact.
Olivia’s laughter died as
soft skin was pressed tightly against the entire length of her body causing a
flood of moisture between her legs. She
swallowed. “Any other evidence you’d
like to produce, counselor?”
“You’re the detective…“ Alex reached down with one hand, pulling
Olivia’s thigh roughly between her own as she growled into her ear. “Find it
yourself...”
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday 6:09AM
Olivia rolled over onto her
back, her hand shooting out to slap at the alarm clock next to the bed, only to
feel it come down hard on the table top.
Shaking her stinging fingers, she sat up, realizing that this wasn’t her
bed and the alarm clock was actually on the other side.
She looked down at the long
form beside her, her heart pounding heavily in her chest as a bright smile
graced her lips.
Alex was sleeping peacefully
on her stomach, all of her back and most of one ass cheek exposed to the cool
morning air by covers they had tossed aside the night before. Blond hair was fanned out across her pillow
and she had one hand hidden beneath it while the other lay next to her
face. She looked so incredibly young, so
incredibly innocent with all of her intellect hidden away behind eyelids tipped
with soft golden lashes that for a moment Olivia actually felt a twinge of
guilt twist in her chest. Then she
thought about the things they had been doing together and the twinge moved
decidedly lower.
Where their first encounter
had been fevered; wild with an almost desperate passion, the second had been
slow and achingly sweet. They had spent
all of Sunday in bed, with a brief respite to order Chinese food from a little
place up the street, managing to make it through the egg rolls before deciding
that there were more important things than food.
Closing her eyes, Olivia
pictured Alex beneath her as her back arched, the blonde’s long fingers digging
into the muscles of her back. She felt
her cheeks flush as a liquid heat coursed through her veins, leaving her
trembling and filled with a desire so strong that it took her breath away.
Smiling at her own libido,
she gently leaned across her sleeping lover and turned off the alarm
clock. As she was moving back to her
side of the bed, Alex rolled over beneath her, grabbing her by the shoulders to
pull her down into a deep, passionate kiss.
The blonde released her
several long minutes later, a deliciously wicked smile on her lips. “Good morning.”
Olivia, her head still
spinning, could only smile in response.
Alex laughed. “I take it that means you enjoyed last
night?”
“Last night, yesterday
afternoon… yesterday morning…” The
detective lowered her body until she completely covered the younger woman. “I more than enjoyed it, counselor. I loved it.”
Alex blinked. She swallowed quickly before giving the
brunette another quick kiss. “We need to
get up.”
“I know.” Olivia groaned. “But I don’t want to.”
Alex traced the older
woman’s jaw with her fingertips. “I
don’t either.” She whispered. “Nothing
would make me happier than to stay right here with you for… the rest of the
day.” She sighed then shook her head to
clear it. “But, with any luck you have a
suspect to interrogate and I’m due in court in ninety minutes.”
“You’re right. I just need one more…” Olivia closed the space between them and
kissed her gently, trying to convey everything that the last twenty four hours
had meant to her. When Alex parted her
lips, she slipped her tongue inside and played gently for a moment before
tearing herself away. “Okay!” She
dragged herself out of bed. “Can I use
the shower first? I’m due at the
precinct in forty-five minutes.”
Alex nodded and watched her
walk away, her stomach tightening as she took in the view. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply,
reveling in the scent that permeated the room around her.
“Oh my god!”
The blonde grinned. “Something wrong?”
“Oh, you did not do this to me!”
She rose gracefully, pulling
a robe around her body before stepping into the bathroom doorway where she
leaned up against the frame, an innocent look plastered on her face. “Whatever could you mean?”
Olivia turned to stare at
her accusingly as she pointed to the large red blotch on the side of her
neck. “What is this?”
Alex turned, grabbing her
glasses off the dresser. She settled
them lightly on the tip of her nose as she leaned in for a closer look. “I believe that is what occurs when excessive
suction is created between lips and skin.”
She looked up at the detective over the top of her frames.
Olivia swallowed, feeling
moisture flood the juncture between her legs for the third time that
morning. Moving closer, she slid her
hands inside Alex’s robe, letting her fingers trail across the smooth skin of
her abdomen. “And how did it get there?”
“Well,” The blonde tugged
the knot free, allowing the garment to fall open so that she could feel
Olivia’s skin pressing tightly against her own.
“In my ‘expert opinion’? I would
have to say that the perpetrator was ordered to put it there.”
“Objection, Counselor. Hearsay.”
She kissed Alex, nibbling lightly on her lower lip.
“Overruled.” She could hear the laughter in the ADA’s voice. “The witness was an active participant in the
aforementioned conversation.”
“I maintain that the witness
was not in full possession of her mental faculties at the time.”
Alex leaned back, her lips
quirking adorably as she smirked at Olivia.
“Actually, from the lack of fine motor control and the inability to
speak, I would posit that you were the one not in possession of your full mental
faculties at the time in question.”
“There should be laws
against this type of cross examination.”
Olivia’s lips trailed down the blonde’s neck to bite lightly at her
pulse point, enjoying the tight strum of excitement that was threading through
her body.
“Sorry, detective. Spousal privilege won’t save you until you
marry me.”
Olivia froze, feeling Alex’s
body immediately stiffen with tension as well.
Slowly, she extricated herself.
For a moment, they merely looked at each other. Then Alex kissed her lightly on the lips. “Get ready for work.” She whispered.
“Right!” Olivia nodded more vigorously than she
intended to, feeling relief flood though her as the tense moment passed. Neither of them had given voice to any
feelings other than their shared desire.
The detective knew what she felt ran deeper than that. Just how deep was something she was no where
near ready to begin discussing.
“Do you have a shirt I can
borrow?”
Alex’s eyes focused on her
chest. Smirking, she turned and left the
bathroom. She returned a few moments
later, the requested garment in hand.
Olivia held it up by its
shoulders, rolling her eyes when she realized it was a t-shirt. “I was hoping
for something more like a turtleneck.” At least it wasn’t pink.
Alex shrugged; the innocent
look firmly back on her face. “Guess
they’re all in the wash.”
“Right.” The brunette
scowled. “You know I’ll never live this
down.”
The ADA took Olivia’s face between her hands,
kissing her sweetly before running her fingers over the sore spot just above
the detective’s jugular. “Well, let me
see what I can do…”
* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter Eight – The Wolf With The Red Roses
Monday 7:06 AM
Elliot looked up as his
partner entered the squad room, his eyes immediately going to the pale beige
patch that ran along the side of her neck.
He watched her expectantly as she hung up her jacket, got herself a cup
of coffee and finally seated herself at her desk.
Olivia felt Elliot watching
her and when he didn’t speak she raised her eyebrows at him in exasperation. “What?”
“Problems shaving?”
She flushed as the corners
of her mouth tugged upwards into a rueful grin.
“Fuck you, Stabler.”
“No thanks.” He smirked.
“I’m a happily married man.”
“And if it weren’t for the
last word in that statement, you wouldn’t be.”
Elliot laughed at the
exaggerated leer she shot across the desk at him. Her complete lack of sexual interest in him
had been rough on his ego at first but he had to admit it made them much better
partners. Besides, her being into women
gave him so much more to tease her about.
He stood up and walked around his desk, leaning down on hers with one
hand. “So… what’s got you in such a good
mood?”
“Who says I’m in a good
mood?”
“Hey, I got a wife. I know what it looks like when a woman’s
gettin’ some.”
“How could you? You were gone before I went to see Kathy this
morning.”
“Aw!” Elliot clutched his chest and staggered
slightly. “That was brutal, Liv! Is that how it’s gonna be today?”
She shrugged. “Hey, you mess with the bull…”
Before she knew what was
happening, Elliot reached out and snatched the band-aid from her neck. “And what?
She gets horny?” He laughed as he
held the bandage just out of her reach, staring at the dark red splotch against
her normally flawless olive skin. “I
amend my statement. Forget the razor…you
must have tangled with a Hoover! Look at the size of that thing!” He snorted as she grabbed the bandage and
re-affixed it to her neck. “Yeah, like
that helps!” He went back to his chair,
putting his feet up on the desk as he enjoyed watching her squirm. “You know, with a bruise like that you could
file charges. How would we write up a
lesbian attack? Assault with
batteries? Would it even be a violation
of the ‘penal’ code?”
Olivia bit her lip to keep
from laughing. “You’re an idiot.”
Elliot snapped his fingers.
“I know!” He reached for his phone, picking up the receiver as he pretended to
dial. “Let’s ask Cabot!”
Olivia’s grin vanished and
Elliot watched in shock as she blushed to the roots of her hair, her eyes
sliding away from him to focus on the file that was lying open on her desk.
He slowly dropped the
receiver back onto its cradle, his eyes growing steadily wider as he stared at
her. “You can’t be serious!” A very
pleasant mental picture formed in the back of his mind, causing his jaw to
drop. “Liv?”
“What?”
He lowered his voice. “Cabot??
Are you serious?”
With a deep sigh, Olivia
nodded.
“Oh my god.” He felt like his brain was going to
explode. “I mean, I know I tease you
about her but, outstanding whack off material aside, do you know what you’re
getting yourself into?”
The brunette scrunched up
her face in disgust. “Okay first off,
you’re a pig. Secondly, yes I do.”
“Do you?” He leaned forward, his concern for her
written plainly on his face. “We’re
talking about Alexandra Cabot here. The
Ice Maiden? The woman who told a perp
she planned on being the one to answer the Governor’s phone when the call came
through to stay his execution? That
woman has political aspirations that don’t exactly gel with the lesbian
lifestyle. You really think you know what you’re doing?”
Olivia shrugged
nonchalantly, trying to hide the depth of emotion she felt for the lawyer. “It’s not like that, Elliot.”
“Not like what, Olivia?”
“Why do I have to be a
detective involved with an ADA? Why can’t we just be two people trying each
other on for size? Why does it have to
mean everything? Jeez Stabler, can’t you
separate?”
His eyebrows rose
skeptically. “Because I know you,
Liv. For god’s sake we breathe the same
air every day of the friggin’ week. I
know that look. And regardless of what this means to Cabot, I
know it already means a hell of a lot to you.”
She shook her head but
didn’t answer.
Sighing, her partner ran his
hand over his face. Jesus,
could shit get anymore complicated? “Look, just… tell me you haven’t fallen head
over heels for her? Tell me you’ve been
able to hang on to at least a little
of that Benson reserve?”
Olivia tried to muster a
cocky grin but an image of Alex naked and sleep tousled popped into her head
and she ended up with something that looked like a cross between extremely
satisfied and hopelessly love sick.
Elliot groaned and leaned
back in his chair. He studied her for a
few moments. “So this is it huh? The real deal?”
“I dunno….” She shrugged but
the soft smile on her face spoke volumes.
“I think so.”
“You know,” He smirked. “If I had a clue that all it would take to
settle you down was blonde hair and blue eyes I would have set you up with
Kathy’s cousin a long time ago. Keep it
in the family and save us all from Cabot’s wrath when you inevitably piss her
off.”
Olivia snorted. “If you had a clue I’d be on the phone with
Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”
“Har Har.” Elliot rolled his eyes before locking them with
Olivia’s intently. They stared at each
other for a minute, silently conveying everything they would never say to each
other. With a final nod of acceptance,
he broke the connection. “Well, all I
have to say is she had better be good to you.
Or her successor will have to pick one hell of a jury.”
She gaped at him in mock
horror. “You know, it probably wouldn’t
be good for your career to be heard making death threats against your own ADA.”
“I’m not making death
threats against the ADA. I’m making death threats against your
girlfriend.” He smiled. “Jeez Benson, can’t you separate?”
Hearing her partner refer to
Alex as her girlfriend made Olivia smile brightly.
“Christ, you’ve got it
bad.” Elliot snorted. “Listen Casanova, while you were out getting
your wheels greased, the rest of us were working…”
“Working?” She smirked.
“Did that work involve a grilled cheese sandwich and an iron by any
chance?”
He ignored her. “Fin and Munch picked up our mystery
woman. DNA already came back a match.”
Olivia’s head shot up. “Who is she?”
“Name’s Kate Hansen. And she’s waiting on us in room one.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Olivia studied the woman
across from her silently, taking in the short cropped dark auburn hair, the
intelligent gray-blue eyes, and the proud bearing in her posture.
The long, supple fingers of her hands had interlocked as soon as she sat down,
going immediately to her lap where they still remained. Originally those fingers had been hidden
beneath black leather gloves, but they had forced her to remove them before
leading her into the interrogation room.
She was gorgeous; obviously older and yet ageless in a way that was both
disconcerting and blatantly sensual.
If Olivia had to guess her
age, somewhere between forty and sixty would be as close as she’d be able to
get.
Kate Hansen was a study in
self composure. She had not asked a
single question since Munch and Fin had brought her in the night before. She had not complained or railed against
being kept in the cage overnight. She
had not lost her temper, or even the small smile that had graced her lips since
they had brought her to the precinct.
And most importantly, she
had not asked for a lawyer.
Olivia was impressed. If the woman was guilty of something, she was
the coolest criminal she had ever seen and from what she could tell, it wasn’t
an act. A few quiet questions to the
officers on cell duty the night before confirmed that Hansen had been a model
detainee and that everyone else in the cage had cut a wide swath around her.
Even now, the detective
could feel the subtle influence Hansen was exerting; waiting them out, offering
nothing, making them come to her…so to speak.
Olivia glanced at her
partner who was standing to one side of the room, looking at the regal women with
distaste.
She sighed. Sometimes Elliot could be so black and
white. “Ms. Hansen,” She began. “Could you please tell us where you were last
Tuesday night until early Wednesday morning?”
Sharp eyes focused on her
and a small smirk played around that sensual mouth. “I believe you know where I was,
Detective. Otherwise I wouldn’t be
here.”
“Humor me.”
Hansen sighed. “If you insist on playing this game then
fine, I was with Samantha Wainscott at her apartment from late Sunday night
until three thirty Wednesday morning.
Then my driver, Joseph, picked me up and took me home.”
“And ‘Joseph’ will confirm
that?” Olivia stared at her intently.
The woman’s gaze never
wavered. “Of course.”
“What was the nature of your
relationship with Samantha Wainscott?”
Elliot growled, tired of the woman’s condescending attitude.
Kate Hansen didn’t even
bother to look at him. She kept her eyes
locked on Olivia. “She was mine.”
“Your what?”
She laughed softly. “Just mine.”
Elliot snorted. “So, she was your property?”
“At times.”
“Well, your property is
dead, did you know that?” He snapped.
There was a small crinkling
around the woman’s eyes, so minute that Elliot didn’t see it. But Olivia did.
Pain.
“I am aware of that
detective.” Hansen raised her chin. “I read it in the newspaper.”
“How did you know it was
Samantha?” Olivia asked softly. “We haven’t released her name.”
The steel returned to the
older woman’s eyes, almost as if she had caught the gentleness in the
detective’s tone and found it offensive.
“It was her neighborhood, Detective Benson. And when she didn’t return any of my phone
calls or emails I made a few well placed inquiries. I am not without resources.”
“I’m surprised you cared
enough to check.” Elliot spat. “You don’t seem too broken up that she’s
dead.”
“You don’t know me,
Detective Stabler, or my world. I
suggest you withhold your small minded opinions.”
He lost it, slamming his
hands down on the table as he leaned in close to the woman’s face. “You’re right! I don’t have a clue about your sick little
world and trust me when I say that I ain’t losing any sleep over it!”
“Elliot.”
Olivia’s voice was soft, but
commanding and he looked over at her to see her incline her head towards the
door. With a scowl, he pulled away from
the table and left the room.
Hansen hadn’t even
flinched. Her gaze was still locked
tightly on the female detective in front of her. “And what do you know about my world?”
She shrugged slightly. “Enough to realize that everything comes in shades
of gray.”
The older woman smiled and
nodded slightly. “I cared for Samantha a
great deal, even if we were no longer together.”
“Not together?” Olivia’s brow furrowed. “Her bed sheets tell us a different story.”
Hansen laughed. It was a
deep, throaty sound; captivating and altogether charming. “Come now, detective. You can’t tell me you’ve never had a last hurrah; a final tryst of passion that takes
you both by surprise? Those last few
days we spent together… they were the first in over a month and they were quite
accidental. We ran into each other and
fell into bed. It happens.”
The brunette fought back the
flush that was trying to crawl up into her cheeks. She knew perfectly well what the woman was
talking about and found it completely disconcerting that Kate Hansen seemed to
have no trouble whatsoever getting under her skin. “So who ended it, and why?”
There was another brief look
of pain. “I did; because it wasn’t a
safe relationship for either of us anymore.”
“Can you explain that please?”
Hansen sighed. It was the first overtly emotional response
she had displayed since the questioning began.
“The world I live in… is often misunderstood, detective.” She met Olivia’s eyes and held them. “When I first met Samantha she was so new she
didn’t even understand it herself. She
needed someone to take her in hand, to teach her her place as a submissive.”
“Was that a role she wanted
to play?”
“Desperately. But she didn’t even understand the
fundamentals of the game.”
“Which are?”
Hansen’s back straightened
and her chin rose slightly, as though she were about to explain something basic
to a very naughty child. “Most people,
like your Neanderthal partner, mistake the nature of the roles we play. They look at it merely as individuals inflicting
pain upon each other. But nothing could
be further from the truth. It isn’t
about that at all. It’s about control;
the illusion of who has it, and what you can do with it. I am a top, a master. I create a fantasy where my submissive feels
safe enough to allow herself to be dominated by me and me alone. Samantha and I never allowed anyone else into
our world. She was mine and I was hers,
when we were together. And the real
truth of my world, Detective Benson, is that the bottom is always the one who
is really in control.”
Olivia found herself
drowning in the woman’s voice. It was
like smoke over gravel; like the voices of the older women from the bars she
had frequented in her twenties. Whispers
soaked in whiskey and rough from cigarettes.
It triggered something feral within her and she felt heat bloom within
her chest as well as between her legs.
Blinking, she realized that this woman could probably read her the
phonebook and get the same response. “By
means of a safe word?”
Hansen’s eyes narrowed but
she smiled. “Exactly.” Her gaze became intense. “That is the reason so many women who are
dominant in their everyday lives enjoy being submissive in bed. They know that all they have to do is speak
that one word and the control shifts back to them.”
An image jumped unbidden
into Olivia’s mind. Alex looking down at
her, her hair wild around her face, her eyes sparking with heat and desire as
she held the detective’s arms immobile above her head; all while whispering ‘Tell me you want it. Tell me you need it…’.
She swallowed hard. “Did Samantha use her safe word often?”
The older woman looked away
for the first time as sadness filled her features. “She never used it. Not once in all the months that we were
together. That should have told me
something was wrong. But she just kept
asking me for more, to do more, to cause more damage. A few weeks after she got that bench… that’s
when I realized that she and I were not playing in the same world anymore. Mine was about control. Hers was about pain. So I ended it.” She sighed again. “It would have ended eventually anyway. Samantha was in love with someone else.”
“Do you know who?”
Hansen smirked. “Yes and so do you. We’ve done so well together, Detective
Benson, please do not begin insulting my intelligence now. Samantha and I spoke at length about the
young Miss Tate. She loved her and she
never hid the fact that she intended to win back her affections. Giving up me and my world is what it would
have taken to do that. So our split was
mutually beneficial.”
Olivia pursed her lips. “Not being the center of her universe… that
must have been hard on you.”
“Samantha was up front from
the beginning. She told me
everything. Even when she changed her
will, it was me she ran to when her father went ballistic.”
The detective’s head shot
up. “What did you say?”
The older woman looked at
her sarcastically. “I am sure you
noticed that Samantha’s father is not exactly the most open minded individual
on the planet. According to her he
nearly went into cardiac arrest when she told him she was in love with a
woman. When he found out about her…
interests, through a very ill-timed visit on his part, he was very nearly
apoplectic. I can only imagine the
extent of his reaction when his little girl informed him that she intended to
leave the family fortune to ‘that little dyke’.
In any event, Samantha was inconsolable.
Apparently he said some very harsh things to her. She would not repeat them but the state of
hysteria she was in told me all I needed to know.”
Olivia blinked in
confusion. “What about you? Samuel Wainscott had plenty to say about
Serra, but he never mentioned you.”
“He didn’t know about
me. The time he walked in on us… Well,
let’s just say the view he got wasn’t of my face.” She smiled. “Plus, Samantha never told him that she and
Serra had split up. She was so sure she
could get her back… She didn’t want her
father to get used to Serra not being a part of her life.”
Olivia was silent as her
mind worked back through all of the information she had just received. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock
on the glass behind her.
“Excuse me a moment please,
Ms. Hansen.”
“Actually, my dear,” The
older woman smiled charmingly. “You can call me Kate.”
The detective’s eyebrows
tried to crawl off her forehead but she merely nodded and left the room,
surprised to find Dr. Huang flipping through the case file as he waited for
her. Elliot, Alex and the Captain were
also in the room. To her credit, she
simply nodded in Alex’s direction and managed to turn her attention back to the
psychiatrist.
She smiled. “About time you got back here!”
“Good to see you too,
Olivia.” He closed the file slowly.
“So what do you think?”
He raised one eyebrow, a
small smile on his face. “What do you think?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. Friggin’ Psychs. “I
don’t think she did it. Or that she was
even involved.”
Huang nodded. “I agree.”
“How did you two come to
that conclusion?” Cragen grunted.
The psychiatrist inclined his
head towards the woman sitting in the other room. “She is the quintessential ‘top’. She truly believes in, and abides by, the
rules and rituals that her world is wrapped up in. And while that world does revolve around the
concept of control, even more than that, it relies on trust.”
“You make it sound almost
noble.” Elliot snorted.
Huang nodded. “In a way it is. For a relationship to work between two people
in the bondage community, it requires that they trust each other implicitly;
enough to be one hundred percent honest about what they want and what they are
willing to give to get it. They have to
believe that their partner will abide by the limits they have set and honor the
safe word established to end the play should it become too much for one of them
to bear. Not only would this type of
relationship leave a person completely open and vulnerable to their partner, it
opens them up to the possibility of scorn and ridicule should information
regarding their proclivities be made public.
What Hansen and Samantha had required an enormous amount of faith, from
both of them. How many so called
‘normal’ relationships would stand up under those same requirements?”
The room was silent.
“Kate Hansen simply does not
have a motive to kill her. She gains
nothing from her death and according to Warner she even supplied first aid to
the victim when their sexual encounters caused physical damage. It was Sam that wanted to take the games
further, to an extent that made even her top nervous. Add to that the over abundance of artificial
lubrication and the tears to the vaginal opening itself and I would say that
she wasn’t even getting sexual gratification from the acts anymore. That isn’t a description of your typical
submissive. It sounds to me like Samantha
Wainscott was suffering from a form of masochistic-contrition.
“What the hell is
that?” Cragen asked.
“It’s the act of initiating
masochistic tendencies for the sake of providing emotional release, akin to
contrition; generally leading to the relief from some form of guilt.” He looked at Cragen thoughtfully. “Much like the propensity for young
emotionally unstable girls to cut themselves.
Did Samantha ever engage in that kind of behavior?”
The Captain looked
stricken. “She used to show up at police
functions with her father. Sometimes she
would have bandages on her arms. Samuel
always explained that she fell off her horse or caught her arms in the rigging
on her sailboat.”
“And it stopped as she got
older?”
“Yeah.”
Huang nodded. “She outgrew that particular avenue of
relief… and began looking for another.”
“That may all be true,”
Olivia opened the file in his hands and pointed at a picture of the body. “But you can’t tell me she did that to
herself!”
“No, of course not; I was
merely stating my reasons for believing that Hansen wasn’t involved.”
Olivia looked at
Cragen.
“Fin called in ten minutes
ago. He confirmed her alibi with her
driver, Joseph Ruiz. He picked her up at
Sammy’s apartment at three thirty in the morning and took her straight home
where she remained for the rest of the night.
He’ll testify that there wasn’t a drop of blood on her. Even let Munch take a look through the car. It’s clean.”
Olivia threw her hands up in
disgust. "So we're right back where we started!"
"Maybe not."
George looked at her pointedly. "I have some theories about the
condition of her body, if you’re ready to hear them.”
"What about
her?" Cragen nodded towards Hansen.
“Cut her loose.” Alex spoke
up for the first time. “We don’t have
anything to hold her on.”
Olivia looked at the ADA curiously, noting the
strange tone in her voice. “Hey El, can
you…”
He rolled his eyes but
nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take care of
it. She was looking at you like you were
a hunk of angel food cake anyway. If we
send you back in there she’s liable
to ask you out.”
The brunette waited until
Captain Cragen had followed Huang into the conference room and then took her
lover by the hand, pulling her gently into the next observation room and
closing the door behind them. “Hey… are
you ok?”
“Hmm?” Alex chewed on her bottom lip. “Yeah.”
Olivia settled her hands on
the blonde’s hips, using them to pull their bodies close together. “What’s wrong sweetheart?”
Alex laughed lightly,
resting her arms on the smaller woman’s shoulders as she blushed. “She was
looking at you like you were dessert.”
The detective’s jaw dropped
slightly. “You were jealous?”
“No!” She shook her head adamantly. “Not jealous… exactly. Cabots do not get jealous.” Her ears turned even pinker as she mimicked
Hansen’s tone right before the detective had left the interrogation room. “You
can call me Kate.”
Olivia laughed. “Riiiight.
You’re not jealous at all.” She
smothered the other woman’s objection with a passionate kiss, invading her
mouth with her tongue and nibbling on her bottom lip before finally releasing
her. “That’s ok. I kind of like you jealous.” She winked and headed off after Cragen and
Huang.
Alex watched her go, the
happy smile slowly fading from her lips as soon as Olivia was out of sight.
Go To Part V