| Choices Chapter 10 |
| Everybody's Talking . . . |
| Jack woke up early Sunday morning, supremely happy to find Lennie snoring softly beside him. He rolled onto his side and gazed at the sleeping form, knowing it was much too early to even consider waking him. So he laid there, thinking about everything that had happened. This thing with Mike Logan. Lennie said it wasn�t serious, and Jack believed him. But it was important to Lennie, of that Jack was sure. He had a feeling it wasn�t going to be going away any time soon. But then, if it was that important to Lennie, maybe it shouldn�t. He kind of liked Lennie�s analogy of Jack as the main course with Mike as dessert; leave it to Lennie to get food into the picture! Then there was that club they had gone to. Jack wasn�t sure which parts of that disturbed him more � Mike taking Lennie someplace like that, Lennie going along and enjoying it, or the vision of Abbie as a dominatrix. Although he had to admit he�d probably pay for the privilege of seeing what they saw that night! He really had never thought of her as a potential lover; but he acknowledged that she was a very beautiful woman, and that particular image was tantalizing, to say the least! He was more than a little surprised to find himself becoming aroused thinking about it. //Damn, it, Jack, not again. That�s how you got us into this mess. // But maybe, if he told Lennie about it, shared the fantasy, they could play it out together, instead of letting it push them apart? He hadn�t even realized he had rolled over onto his back, lost in his thoughts. Now it was Lennie on his side, watching, realizing Jack wasn�t asleep, just thinking. Thinking interesting thoughts, based on the tent the sheet made over his crotch. Lennie�s fingers slid under the sheet, up the side of his hip, and feathered gently over the tent pole. He laughed as Jack�s eyes snapped open. �Penny for your thoughts, lover!� Jack fell back into his pillow, laughing. �When did you wake up?� �About 10 minutes ago. You looked so far away �what were you thinking about?� Jack grinned sheepishly. �Abbie.� Lennie nodded. �Can�t get that picture out of your mind, can you?� Jack shook his head. �And I didn�t even actually see it!� Lennie laughed, his fingers still tracing lightly over Jack�s stiff rod. �I�ll let you in on a secret.� Jack�s eyebrow became a question mark. �I had the same response.� He gently squeezed Jack�s cock to emphasize his point. The eyebrow went ballistic. �I though you decided women didn�t do it for you?� Lennie shrugged. �Not for dinner, no, but cheesecake for dessert? Hell yes!� Jack laughed and shook his head. �You and food!� He reached up and pulled Lennie down to kiss him. Lennie crawled on top of him, their bodies in full contact for a long, passionate kiss. Eventually he moved, his mouth on Jack�s neck as his hands teased his nipples and their hips rocked together, pressing against each other, so hard now. Lennie sat up, ready for the main course. �Lean back on the pillows, will you?� Jack gathered the pillows and used them to prop himself up as Lennie got the lube. He handed it to Jack, turning around to give him access. �Do me?� Jack ran his hands over Lennie�s ass before squeezing the lube onto his finger and handing the bottle back to Lennie. He spread the lube, pushing gently, letting his finger slide inside. He sighed as he felt Lennie spreading the lube over his cock, returning the favor by thrusting his finger in and out a couple of times. He slipped it out and grabbed a Kleenex from the dresser, wiping his hand off. Lennie straddled him again, pulling him in for a kiss. �You ready?� Jack had the weirdest sense of d�j� vu. Danielle had done it almost exactly the same way � He grinned at Lennie and nodded, watching as Lennie positioned himself. They moaned in stereo as Lennie slowly sank down onto him. Lennie sat there for a few minutes, not moving, just feeling Jack buried deep inside him. Jack�s hands were on his sides, holding him steady, now pulling him forward for the kiss. Jack began pushing up towards him, craving the movement. Lennie knelt there, letting Jack do the work, moaning with the pleasure. Hands found his cock, stroking him. He began moving, each thrust hitting two high points, inside and outside. �Oh, Jack!� he cried as his partner picked up the pace, his own climax near. He pulled Jack to him just as he came, their arms wrapped around each other, Jack holding him close as they came together. Jack held him as they recovered, not wanting to let go. It had been so similar to that night with Danielle, and yet impossibly different. This was Lennie � this MATTERED. What he and Danielle had was fun, but the feelings beneath it just weren�t there. That�s what was different, not the simple body parts issues. �I love you, Lennie,� he whispered, still holding close. �You too,� the voice whispered into his ear. Finally, Lennie let go and crawled off. Jack grabbed some more Kleenex and got the worst of the mess out of the way, then Lennie snuggled under his arm. They laid there for a little while, his fingers absently playing with Lennie�s hair. �Jack, can I ask you something?� �Sure.� �Did you and Danielle actually do it?� �Yeah.� �And?� Jack laughed softly. �Are you reading my mind, Lennie? That�s what I was just thinking about.� Lennie�s hand came to rest on his chest, fingers tracing lazy patterns in his hair. He didn�t say anything, waiting for Jack to continue. �It was good, Lennie. I guess I was relieved that I still could get aroused by a woman. But there was something missing. I think I just realized that what was missing was the love. I like Danielle, I�m attracted to her, but I wasn�t even starting to fall in love with her.� Lennie�s hand settled over his heart; he covered it with his own. �What if she was dessert, Jack, not the main course? Would that make a difference?� Jack thought about it, tried to see the sex as a separate thing from the love. If he was already getting all the love he needed from Lennie, could he just enjoy sex with a woman as an occasional diversion? That �missing piece� wouldn�t be missing anymore. �I think so. It wouldn�t need to be �everything.� But I have a feeling what Danielle wanted WAS the everything version.� �Yeah, but at least you understand now. That�s what matters for us.� He sighed. �But you know what?� �What?� �All this talk about dessert has got me hungry. What�s for breakfast?� They had a nice morning together, fixing breakfast and cleaning up, sitting reading the Sunday paper for a while. But finally it had to end. Lennie folded the sports section and looked over at Jack. �You know, I hate to do this, but I think you�d better give me a ride back over to Ed�s. I�ve got a bunch of stuff I need to do this afternoon.� Jack looked up at him, disappointed. But he could see the look in Lennie�s eyes that said he wasn�t taking no for an answer. �I�m not going to talk you into staying, am I?� Lennie shook his head. �I think I like dating you, Jack. Let�s have some fun with this first before we get all serious again.� �Such as?� �Call in sick Wednesday and catch a Broadway matinee.� �Are you asking me on a date, Lennie?� Lennie grinned. �Yeah, I am.� Jack smiled back at him. �I�d love to.� �Then you really better take me home so I can work on getting tickets.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jack sat at his desk, staring out the window. He knew he wasn�t going to get any work done until he got this over with. He had spent most of the previous evening thinking about Lennie and Mike Logan. He really did believe Lennie�s assertion that it �wasn�t serious.� And yet it was obviously still very important to Lennie. He�d decided that what he needed was to talk to Logan himself. Lennie had said he�d just been reassigned to the 116th precinct homicide division. He made a decision. A little while later, he walked into the 116, and the desk sergeant pointed him to a desk. Logan sat there, talking on the phone, the charm turned on as he tried to wheedle information out of whoever was on the other end. Jack hung back, out of his line of vision, until he hung up the phone. �Detective Logan.� Mike looked up at the familiar voice. �Counselor! What brings you out to this neck of the woods?� Mike�s words were friendly, but his face was wary. �I was hoping to have a few words with you.� �OK, let�s grab an interview room.� Jack nodded, grateful for the privacy. Mike closed the door behind them as Jack perched on the edge of the table. �Jack, if this is about Lennie �� �Of course it is. I need to know, Mike. Lennie says it�s not serious between you two. Is that how you see it?� Mike smiled. �Jack, you don�t know me well outside of the job. I don�t DO serious relationships. Never have.� �But you and Lennie are close.� �Of course. We�ve been through hell together, Jack. We were partners. But it was always more than that � we were friends. I don�t have very many friends, Jack. Lots of acquaintances, but very few friends.� Jack didn�t like the sound of that. �So if you DID want a serious relationship, Lennie would be a top candidate?� Mike sighed. �No, he wouldn�t. You know why? Because he�s so totally in love with you I don�t think he�d even notice if I tried to push it. Look, Jack, I care about him. I guess you could say in my own way I love him. I want him to be happy. And that means with you.� �But you still want to have sex with him.� Mike shrugged. �Jack, you�re still thinking like a straight man. From what Lennie tells me, you�re more like me � bi. The world is your smorgasbord, and you want to limit yourself to one man? Think about it, Jack. This recent situation � what if you could have satisfied your curiosity about women without hurting Lennie? Wouldn�t that be a good thing? There are so many possibilities out there, Jack. I can tell you, Lennie�s curious. He wants to explore, try new things. �So what if he and I get together once in a while? It�s fun, it�s different, a change of pace, maybe I show him a few tricks you�ll appreciate later. As long as we all know the rules, nobody gets hurt and we all enjoy the game. In fact, I just had an idea . . .� Logan�s grin got downright predatory. �You say you�re bi, but I�m willing to bet Lennie�s the only guy you�ve ever touched. Maybe you should join us sometime � you might just find you like it.� Jack�s face was turning deep red. Was Logan reading his mind? Last night, thinking about them, Jack had let himself fantasize about them together, trying to see if he got jealous. He didn�t get jealous � he got horny. Mike recognized the signs. �Hit a nerve there, didn�t I?� He laid his hand on Jack�s thigh, gently caressing, looking into his eyes. Jack couldn�t believe what was happening here. Mike�s hand on his leg was having a definite impact. �Mike �� Logan grinned. �Yup. You like it.� He took his hand away. �It�s your choice, Jack. If you want Lennie all to yourself, he�ll let you. He�ll do whatever it takes to stay with you. But I think you�ll both be a lot happier in the long run if you can relax the rules a little. Now, I�d better get back to work before people start wondering about US.� Jack sat there in the interrogation room for a few minutes after Mike left, trying to compose himself. Mike certainly had some interesting ideas � ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monday afternoon, Lennie and Ed were digging through a pile of leads on their latest case, trying to find some connection between their suspect and the victim. A delivery guy came in to the station, and the desk sergeant pointed him to their little corner of chaos. �Detective Briscoe?� Lennie stood up and stretched, reached for the package, and scrawled for the receipt. Ed looked across the desk. �What�s that?� �How do I know? Haven�t opened it yet!� He finally got it opened, revealing a box from a very high-end candy store containing 3 perfect strawberries dipped in chocolate: milk, dark, and white. �Whoa, Lennie, somebody likes you!� Ed teased. �Who�s it from?� A card was stuck to the lid. �You�re still my favorite dessert. But variety can be nice for a change � Jack� �You want to explain that one?� Lennie grinned. �No.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lunchtime Tuesday, Jack sat across from Abbie. He�d had to laugh at her suggestion of restaurant: the Cheesecake Factory. Lennie and his dessert fetish again . . . He�d had a rough moment when she first got there, his subconscious trying to paint the picture Lennie had described from Friday night. Abbie realized right away that something was making him uncomfortable, and she had a good idea what it was. �So Lennie told you about Friday night, didn�t he?� The redness was creeping back up his neck. �Yeah, he did mention running into you at the club.� �I really didn�t intend for you guys to see that particular part of my life, Jack. But you have, and in a way I�m glad. Maybe it will make it easier for us all to talk about this stuff.� Jack looked away. �I don�t know about that � I keep trying to picture you in that outfit �� She laughed and took his hands. �Jack, I�m still me. Abbie. Your friend. That persona I wear at the club is part of me, but just a part. Now talk to me, Jack. You sounded like you had a lot on your mind.� So over lunch he poured out all the jumble banging around in his head. How things just hadn�t worked the way he thought with Danielle. How scared he�d been when he first heard about Lennie and Mike. How happy he was when he realized Lennie and Mike weren�t serious. He told her about Lennie�s dessert analogy, including the cheesecake comment, which got a laugh, but he was pretty sure there was a particular sparkle in her eye. Then finally he told her about his conversation yesterday with Mike, and his unexpected response. �So what do you think about making it an open relationship?� �I have to admit it seems to make a lot of sense. It certainly could have saved us a lot of pain these past few weeks.� �No, not really. Because two weeks ago you would never have considered it. I know this has been hard, Jack, but I think it�s been well worth it. You�ve both learned things about yourselves you never expected were there. But are you sure you can live with this long term? Jealousy can be an ugly thing.� �You know, I�ve been thinking about that. Thinking back over all the relationships I�ve had over the years. They all tended to be very intense, but I couldn�t remember even one situation where I had been jealous. My ex-wife left me, not for another man, but because I worked too much. Things got nasty there at the end, but not because of jealousy. And many of the others I�m still on good terms with. For all my reputation for �passion,� jealousy just doesn�t seem to be on my radar. And I have to admit I�m intrigued by Mike�s suggestion. I guess Lennie isn�t quite the �exception� I though he was.� Abbie smiled. �You weren�t expecting that, were you?� Jack shook his head. �Hell, no. I truly never even considered exploring that side of things.� �Well then, it sounds like this will be good for both of you.� Jack smiled. �Now all I have to do is figure out the perfect way to ask him.� �I think you�ll figure something out!� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday afternoon, Lennie and Ed pulled back into the station after spending the morning chasing down some leads they had come up with yesterday which had unfortunately gone nowhere. Lennie flopped down into his chair dejectedly. �Don�t people even open their eyes anymore, Ed? I swear if I talk to one more person who �didn�t see anything� I�ll �� His voice trailed off as he noticed a bag from �The Cheesecake Factory� and a single red rose on his desk. He laughed as he opened it, finding a slice of one of their ultra-decadent desserts inside. Ed looked across the desk at him, wondering what was so funny, then decided he really didn�t want to know � Continue to Chapter 11 Send me some feedback Back to the Story Index Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
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