A Woman Undone: Part 76/?
Good morning, everyone! So it's almost 1:30am here. I started writing this update several hours ago and found myself to be on a role, so even though I have to get up in about five hours, I couldn't resist finishing the chapter and posting it for you all. I'm very anxious to see what you think and can only hope it's not a disappointment. Thank you everyone for your enduring support, both with the story and elsewhere. It's amazing how friends can come out of the most unexpected circumstances. To kazza: Thank you for your heart of gold. You know I will cherish it always. And now...Part 76...............
Part 76
“So where do you want to go to celebrate?”
Alex looked up from her desk and the papers scattered there to see Olivia standing just inside her office, leaning against the doorframe. Since she had left the courthouse earlier in the day, her afternoon had been no less busy even though her workload was technically one case lighter. She’d been called into a meeting with DA Nora Llewin and Bureau Chief Elizabeth Donnelly to discuss the outcome of the case as well as Tennyson’s sentencing. Though word had spread quickly of Alex’s performance in court, overall, both Llewin and Donnelly were pleased with the verdict no matter how it had been reached. She had won a very high profile case, her first since her start with SVU, and it was a pivotal moment in her career, especially since the win had been against the much-revered Richard Lewis. She’d spent the better part of her day sorting through her other cases against other attorneys, which now seemed like a walk in the park compared to the trial she had just finished. Her confidence, not only in her career, but in her personal life too, was at an all time high, and much of that was owed to the woman standing in her doorway.
“Celebrate? Is there something important to celebrate?” Alex asked, pretending not to understand.
“Oh, well maybe not so much,” Olivia said playfully with a big smile as she shut the door behind her and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Alex’s desk. “I guess I could just go home alone and heat up a TV dinner. A very glamorous evening.”
“I like the first part of that sentence - the going home part,” Alex said with a sly grin as she got up from her chair, walked around her desk, and sat on the edge of it right in front of Olivia, “But not the alone part. Definitely not that part.”
“So you don’t want to go out and have a nice dinner somewhere?”
“It’s a Friday night,” Alex reminded her. “Unless you have reservations somewhere, it’s very unlikely that we’d get into any nice restaurant in this city.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing that I’ve already made reservations, now isn’t?” Olivia said proudly.
“You made reservations?” Alex asked in complete surprise. “Where?”
“It’s a secret,” Olivia replied, “But I promise you’ll love it.”
“Well in that case, I am completely and utterly yours for the evening,” Alex said as she leaned down and brushed her lips lightly against Olivia’s.
Both of them moaned at the contact, having gone most of the day without it since this morning. Olivia wasted no time in deepening the kiss as she gripped Alex’s knees and moved her hands slowly up her thighs. At her touch, Alex opened her mouth a little wider, letting Olivia’s tongue explore between her lips and against her own tongue. Sitting on the edge of her desk, Alex spread her legs and pulled Olivia up from her seat. The detective didn’t hesitate to position her hips between the ADA’s thighs as she continued to devour her mouth. With their arms wrapped around each other, all that could be heard was their heavy breathing and not so discrete moans.
At a most inconvenient moment, just as Olivia’s hand had made its way to Alex’s center and was pressed hard against her, a quiet knock on the office door interrupted them. The two of them quickly disentangled themselves from each other, wiped their mouths, and straightened out their clothes. Olivia walked over to the couch and sat down while Alex remained leaning against the edge of her desk, though her legs cross were crossed in front of her.
“Come in,” she instructed the caller.
“Ms. Cabot, I’m sorry to interrupt,” the short brown-haired woman said, “Are you still not taking their calls?”
“Their calls?” Olivia asked from where she was sitting.
“The press,” Alex explained. “They’ve been calling since the trial ended today, and poor Dawn here has been warding them off all afternoon.”
“Yes, and I have to go home at some point this evening,” Dawn said with worry in her voice. “Should I expect a mailbox full of voice messages come Monday morning?”
Alex smiled and stood up from her desk. “I’ll tell you what,” she told her, “The next media person who calls, tell them I’ll set up a press conference first thing tomorrow morning.”
“But tomorrow’s Saturday,” Dawn said with a confused look on her face.
“Exactly,” Alex answered. “If they really want an interview, they’ll have to work the weekend for it. Otherwise…” she said with a shrug.
Dawn nodded her head, relieved at the ADA’s words, and exited her office, closing the door behind her.
“No, it’s okay,” Alex called after her. “You can leave it open.”
The woman did as she was told and politely stepped away.
“Might this be Alexandra Cabot’s first press conference?” Olivia asked as she stood up and approached her.
“The first one since I’ve been here, yes, but if you’ve been through one, you’ve been through them all,” she replied with confidence. “So about that dinner…”
“Yes, dinner,” Olivia said going along with the quick change of subject. “When do you think you’ll be getting out of here?”
Alex looked at her watch and then at the papers on her desk. “Give me about half an hour. I’ll meet you at your place.”
“Sounds good. You have a key,” Olivia said as she leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“That I do,” Alex said with a smile.
“So you can let yourself in.”
“That I will.”
Olivia laughed at Alex’s playfulness, and kissed her one more time on the lips before turning to leave her office. Before she left, she took one last look at the ADA who was leaning against her desk again with a teasing little grin on her face, and it took every ounce of willpower that she had to hold off on the better things to come. Flashing her one last grin, Olivia left Alex’s office with an extra bounce in her step.
* * *
“Alex, c’mon,” Olivia hollered to her from the living room. “Our reservations are in half an hour, and I don’t want to be late.”
Alex had reached Olivia’s place later than she had expected, leaving her less time to get herself ready for their evening out. Right after Olivia had left her office, Donnelly came in to discuss another case that required Alex’s attention now that the Tennyson trial was over. What started out as an overview turned into a detailed conversation, and the next time Alex looked at her clock almost two hours had gone by and not much had been accomplished.
“Alex, you keep looking at the time,” Donnelly said, noticing how fidgety the ADA had become. “Am I keeping you from something?”
“Well, sort of,” Alex responded politely. “I have plans tonight, and they’re rather important.”
“Celebration plans on a job well done?” the Bureau Chief asked with a kind smile.
“Yeah,” Alex answered proudly.
“Well then I’ll let you go. This can wait until Monday.”
“You sure, Liz?”
“You shouldn’t question me on this one, Alex,” Donnelly teased. “My leniency is not always extended.”
Alex laughed, knowing her boss was right, and promised her that first thing Monday morning she would dive into this case and sort out all the details. Donnelly nodded her head in approval and left the ADA’s office. As soon as she was gone, Alex immediately picked up the phone and dialed Olivia’s cell phone number.
“I know I’m late, but I’m on my way now,” she said in a rush without even saying hello. “Will we still make our reservations?”
“Yeah,” Olivia answered, “As long as you don’t take forever getting ready.”
“I won’t,” Alex promised. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Alex!” Olivia yelled again as she stood up from the couch after having stopped pacing in her apartment, waiting for her to be ready to leave.
“I’m almost ready,” Alex hollered back from the bathroom.
“You said that like half an hour ago. What’s taking so…?”
Suddenly Olivia stopped in mid-sentence as Alex walked into the living room. She was wearing a beautiful white cocktail dress cut just above the knees and clung to her body like it was painted on. Olivia couldn’t help but stop and stare at her with her mouth slightly open. She was the image of perfection, standing there in the doorframe with her hand on her hip and a coy little smile on her face.
“Well?” Alex asked, waiting for approval.
“Wow,” Olivia said as she slowly walked towards her. “Definitely worth the wait.”
Alex spun around, showing off her beautiful dress on her beautiful body. Half way through her turn, Olivia grabbed her from behind and held her close, burying her face in her neck.
“God, you smell good,” she said as she kissed her just below her ear.
Alex moaned softly as she closed her eyes, embracing the feel of Olivia wrapped tightly around her waist. She could feel her hands start to travel up the front of her body, sliding smoothly over the silk fabric of her dress, and just as Olivia’s hands were about to slide over her breasts, Alex turned around and grabbed her by the back of the neck, kissing her hard. It was Olivia’s turn to moan now, the sudden attack on her lips causing her knees to shake a bit. It didn’t take long for her breathing to become erratic as her hands explored even more of Alex’s body while her tongue explored the inside of her mouth.
Breaking the kiss, Alex grinned and breathed in heavily. “We’re going to be late,” she whispered.
“So?” Olivia asked, trying to reach Alex’s lips again. “What’s a few minutes?”
“We have reservations. C’mon,” Alex giggled as she reached for Olivia’s hand and tried to lead her towards the door.
Olivia pulled Alex towards her, not letting her get too far, and kissed her again. “And what if I’d rather just skip to dessert?”
“No, no. You promised me dinner, and a good one from what I gather.”
“Damn me and my promises,” Olivia joked as she let go of Alex’s hand and watched her walk to the closet to grab a wrap.
Alex looked back at her and mirrored her pouting lips as she slipped the cloth around her shoulders. “Little Liv doesn’t like to have to go out,” she said in a baby voice.
“Little Liv doesn’t like to be denied,” Olivia corrected her, “Especially when she wants something as bad as she wants you.”
“Well, I tell you what,” Alex said as she walked back towards her, “You come with me now, and I promise to cum with you later.”
The difference between the ways she said the word ‘come’ and the word ‘cum’ brought a beaming smile to Olivia’s face.
“Well then, by all means let’s get this night started,” she replied as she quickly headed for the door and opened it.
Alex couldn’t help but giggle again, and just as she was about to follow her out, her cell phone rang in her purse.
“Shit, it’s Richard,” she exclaimed, less than enthused.
“Don’t answer it,” Olivia advised her.
“Look, why don’t you go downstairs and get us a cab. I’ll take care of this,” she said as she lifted up her phone.
Olivia nodded and left just as Alex answered the call.
“What do you want, Richard?” she asked rather curtly.
“You have big plans tonight to celebrate your win?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m just about to head out, so I really don’t have time for this.”
“Well, I just wanted to say congratulations one last time,” he said, his tone full of anger and sarcasm.
“Great. Thanks,” she answered quickly as she took one last look at herself in the mirror, straightened out a strand of loose hair, and headed for the door.
“Hey, Alex…”
“Look, I have to go,” she interrupted him. “Goodbye, Richard.”
And with that, she hung up the phone with a sense of satisfaction, and put it back in her purse. As she looked at the inside of Olivia’s apartment from the doorway, this incredibly warm feeling suddenly washed over her, as if she was home, as if this was her home. Breathing in and smiling to herself, she was finally ready to go - in more ways than one - and stepping out into the hallway, she closed and locked the door.
“Hi, Alex,” a voice said from behind her.
“Tommy, hi there,” she greeted him happily as she turned around to face him.
“Wow, you look fantastic,” he exclaimed. “You’re obviously heading out.”
“Thank you,” Alex replied. “Yeah, a wee bit ‘o celebration tonight,” Alex said.
“Yes, I heard. Congratulations. That’s really great.”
“Thank you. It’s really good in a lot of ways,” she said with a more serious expression on her face.
Tommy nodded in agreement, understanding her meaning, before he asked, “May I walk with you outside?”
“Absolutely,” Alex said, welcoming his company, and the two of them turned and headed down the hall towards the elevator.
* * *
It was a beautiful night outside that greeted Olivia when she opened the front door to her building. It wasn’t too cold. It wasn’t too warm. It was just perfect. This whole night was going to be perfect. She had made dinner reservations at a very elegant French restaurant that she had remembered Alex mentioning once, saying that she’d never been there but really wanted to go. She was excited to bring her there and to share it with her for the first time. She was excited to be out with her. She was excited to just be with her, no matter where they were. Yes, things had finally fallen into place. Things finally felt right and secure and…
“How long have you been fucking her?” a voice suddenly asked, shattering the silence and perfection of the night.
Olivia quickly turned around to see Richard stepping out of the shadows and into the light in front of her. Much to his dismay, his appearance was less than intimidating to her, and being annoyed with his presence, she answered him with displeasure in her tone.
“Not as long as I’ve been making love to her,” she said with a smile.
Richard took another step forward with his hands in his coat pockets and stared directly at her. “Well that’s a stupid thing to say, detective. You’d think that a person in your position and in your line of work would be smarter than that, but I guess not.”
“Well, I’m not a sleazy defense attorney who’s mastered a way with words, so I guess you’re just better at that than me. Although, today didn’t really prove that, did it?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, ready for anything he could possibly say.
Richard snorted a laugh and clenched his jaw, absolute malice radiating from his eyes. Just as he was about to retort a response, Alex and Tommy exited the building, but both froze in their place when they saw him.
“Billy Thompson,” Richard said with a wicked grin as he turned towards him. “Well, what do you know? How have you been, kid?”
Tommy didn’t say a word or move a muscle. He just stared at him with pure disgust. When Richard saw that he wasn’t going to get a response, he turned his attentions towards Alex who was focusing on Olivia, trying to make sure she was okay.
“Hello, sweetie,” he said with the same evil grin.
“Richard, what are you doing here?” Alex asked, trying to quickly regain her composure after the shock of seeing him there. “How did you know where I was? Did you follow me?”
“You forget, Alex. I’m Richard Lewis. My list of connections is endless,” he answered with sickening arrogance. “But you got me this time. You really did fool me - me, a man who is not easily fooled. I didn’t figure it out until the very end,” he lied, knowing that he hadn’t figured out anything - that he’d been, in fact, told everything.
“Go home, Richard,” Alex said sternly as she walked down the steps and stood by Olivia. “Let’s just let the night be, okay?”
“Oh no. No, no, no, no,” he replied as he took a step closer to the two of them. “Perhaps you should have talked to me on the phone because now…now we have to do this in front of everyone. You humiliated me in court today. Now it’s my turn to humiliate you.”
“I humiliated you?” Alex repeated in utter disbelief. “That’s a joke, right? All I did was do my job, and this time you didn’t have anybody to intimidate, did you?” she said as she glanced over at Tommy. “You didn’t have any victims to beat down to force a win because this time your client killed them both.”
“Are we still in a courtroom, Alex? Are you still trying to argue your case?”
“No, I’m done with all the arguing, but most of all, I’m done with you.”
“You’re done with me?” he asked, his face starting to turn red with anger. “You think I’m just going to let you go that easily?”
“Richard, just stop, okay? What does this solve?”
“Oh, I’m not here to solve things, Alex,” he said viciously. “I’m here to end them.”
In the blink of an eye, in the still of the night, and without a moment’s hesitation, Richard pulled out a .357 magnum revolver from his jacket pocket. Holding it with a steady hand, his finger firmly on the trigger, he first pointed it at Alex and then at Olivia and then back at Alex again.
“I’m here to end things,” he said again, angry tears forming in his eyes as he pulled back the hammer on the gun.
“Richard!” Alex gasped, suddenly very much aware of how serious he was.
Olivia, who hadn’t said a word since Alex and Tommy had come outside, slowly stepped in front of her, trying not to incite any sudden reaction from Richard. Tommy watched from the steps, unsure of what to do, but Olivia’s body language told him not to make any quick movements.
“Richard, you’re a smart guy,” Olivia said, trying to make her voice as soothing as possible. “You know there are other options to choose.”
“Shut up!” he yelled as he quickly pointed the gun in her direction. “You know it didn’t have to be this way, Alex,” he said as he aimed the gun back at her. “I was willing to give you everything. And what do I get in return? This bitch entering our lives and ruining the best thing you ever had going for you.”
“Richard, stop it,” Alex pleaded, her tone very much changed from before. “Put the gun down.”
“Alex, be quiet,” Olivia said. “Richard, c’mon. You’ve got a chance to do the right thing here, so what’s it going to be?”
“Richard,” Alex begged. “Please don’t do this.”
“Alex!” Olivia snapped at her.
Richard kept moved the gun back and forth between the two of them, the chaos and panic and noise growing with every passing second.
“What are you going to do?” Olivia asked him again.
“Richard, please!” Alex begged.
“Alex, be quiet!” Olivia snapped.
“Richard!”
Aiming the gun in her direction one last time, his words cut through the noise like a knife. “Say goodbye, Alex.”
With Richard’s finger set firmly on the trigger and the barrel pointed directly at the ADA, Tommy suddenly spurred into action. Leaping off the steps, he tackled him from the side, though not hard enough to knock him down or the gun out of his hand. The two men struggled as Olivia quickly rushed forward to try to pry Richard’s fingers from the handle, but his grip was set tight. The three of them fought for what seemed like the longest time as Alex screamed and watched in complete helplessness and fear.
And in the darkness of the night, on an evening meant for perfection, a single shot was heard...
Part 76
“So where do you want to go to celebrate?”
Alex looked up from her desk and the papers scattered there to see Olivia standing just inside her office, leaning against the doorframe. Since she had left the courthouse earlier in the day, her afternoon had been no less busy even though her workload was technically one case lighter. She’d been called into a meeting with DA Nora Llewin and Bureau Chief Elizabeth Donnelly to discuss the outcome of the case as well as Tennyson’s sentencing. Though word had spread quickly of Alex’s performance in court, overall, both Llewin and Donnelly were pleased with the verdict no matter how it had been reached. She had won a very high profile case, her first since her start with SVU, and it was a pivotal moment in her career, especially since the win had been against the much-revered Richard Lewis. She’d spent the better part of her day sorting through her other cases against other attorneys, which now seemed like a walk in the park compared to the trial she had just finished. Her confidence, not only in her career, but in her personal life too, was at an all time high, and much of that was owed to the woman standing in her doorway.
“Celebrate? Is there something important to celebrate?” Alex asked, pretending not to understand.
“Oh, well maybe not so much,” Olivia said playfully with a big smile as she shut the door behind her and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Alex’s desk. “I guess I could just go home alone and heat up a TV dinner. A very glamorous evening.”
“I like the first part of that sentence - the going home part,” Alex said with a sly grin as she got up from her chair, walked around her desk, and sat on the edge of it right in front of Olivia, “But not the alone part. Definitely not that part.”
“So you don’t want to go out and have a nice dinner somewhere?”
“It’s a Friday night,” Alex reminded her. “Unless you have reservations somewhere, it’s very unlikely that we’d get into any nice restaurant in this city.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing that I’ve already made reservations, now isn’t?” Olivia said proudly.
“You made reservations?” Alex asked in complete surprise. “Where?”
“It’s a secret,” Olivia replied, “But I promise you’ll love it.”
“Well in that case, I am completely and utterly yours for the evening,” Alex said as she leaned down and brushed her lips lightly against Olivia’s.
Both of them moaned at the contact, having gone most of the day without it since this morning. Olivia wasted no time in deepening the kiss as she gripped Alex’s knees and moved her hands slowly up her thighs. At her touch, Alex opened her mouth a little wider, letting Olivia’s tongue explore between her lips and against her own tongue. Sitting on the edge of her desk, Alex spread her legs and pulled Olivia up from her seat. The detective didn’t hesitate to position her hips between the ADA’s thighs as she continued to devour her mouth. With their arms wrapped around each other, all that could be heard was their heavy breathing and not so discrete moans.
At a most inconvenient moment, just as Olivia’s hand had made its way to Alex’s center and was pressed hard against her, a quiet knock on the office door interrupted them. The two of them quickly disentangled themselves from each other, wiped their mouths, and straightened out their clothes. Olivia walked over to the couch and sat down while Alex remained leaning against the edge of her desk, though her legs cross were crossed in front of her.
“Come in,” she instructed the caller.
“Ms. Cabot, I’m sorry to interrupt,” the short brown-haired woman said, “Are you still not taking their calls?”
“Their calls?” Olivia asked from where she was sitting.
“The press,” Alex explained. “They’ve been calling since the trial ended today, and poor Dawn here has been warding them off all afternoon.”
“Yes, and I have to go home at some point this evening,” Dawn said with worry in her voice. “Should I expect a mailbox full of voice messages come Monday morning?”
Alex smiled and stood up from her desk. “I’ll tell you what,” she told her, “The next media person who calls, tell them I’ll set up a press conference first thing tomorrow morning.”
“But tomorrow’s Saturday,” Dawn said with a confused look on her face.
“Exactly,” Alex answered. “If they really want an interview, they’ll have to work the weekend for it. Otherwise…” she said with a shrug.
Dawn nodded her head, relieved at the ADA’s words, and exited her office, closing the door behind her.
“No, it’s okay,” Alex called after her. “You can leave it open.”
The woman did as she was told and politely stepped away.
“Might this be Alexandra Cabot’s first press conference?” Olivia asked as she stood up and approached her.
“The first one since I’ve been here, yes, but if you’ve been through one, you’ve been through them all,” she replied with confidence. “So about that dinner…”
“Yes, dinner,” Olivia said going along with the quick change of subject. “When do you think you’ll be getting out of here?”
Alex looked at her watch and then at the papers on her desk. “Give me about half an hour. I’ll meet you at your place.”
“Sounds good. You have a key,” Olivia said as she leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“That I do,” Alex said with a smile.
“So you can let yourself in.”
“That I will.”
Olivia laughed at Alex’s playfulness, and kissed her one more time on the lips before turning to leave her office. Before she left, she took one last look at the ADA who was leaning against her desk again with a teasing little grin on her face, and it took every ounce of willpower that she had to hold off on the better things to come. Flashing her one last grin, Olivia left Alex’s office with an extra bounce in her step.
* * *
“Alex, c’mon,” Olivia hollered to her from the living room. “Our reservations are in half an hour, and I don’t want to be late.”
Alex had reached Olivia’s place later than she had expected, leaving her less time to get herself ready for their evening out. Right after Olivia had left her office, Donnelly came in to discuss another case that required Alex’s attention now that the Tennyson trial was over. What started out as an overview turned into a detailed conversation, and the next time Alex looked at her clock almost two hours had gone by and not much had been accomplished.
“Alex, you keep looking at the time,” Donnelly said, noticing how fidgety the ADA had become. “Am I keeping you from something?”
“Well, sort of,” Alex responded politely. “I have plans tonight, and they’re rather important.”
“Celebration plans on a job well done?” the Bureau Chief asked with a kind smile.
“Yeah,” Alex answered proudly.
“Well then I’ll let you go. This can wait until Monday.”
“You sure, Liz?”
“You shouldn’t question me on this one, Alex,” Donnelly teased. “My leniency is not always extended.”
Alex laughed, knowing her boss was right, and promised her that first thing Monday morning she would dive into this case and sort out all the details. Donnelly nodded her head in approval and left the ADA’s office. As soon as she was gone, Alex immediately picked up the phone and dialed Olivia’s cell phone number.
“I know I’m late, but I’m on my way now,” she said in a rush without even saying hello. “Will we still make our reservations?”
“Yeah,” Olivia answered, “As long as you don’t take forever getting ready.”
“I won’t,” Alex promised. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Alex!” Olivia yelled again as she stood up from the couch after having stopped pacing in her apartment, waiting for her to be ready to leave.
“I’m almost ready,” Alex hollered back from the bathroom.
“You said that like half an hour ago. What’s taking so…?”
Suddenly Olivia stopped in mid-sentence as Alex walked into the living room. She was wearing a beautiful white cocktail dress cut just above the knees and clung to her body like it was painted on. Olivia couldn’t help but stop and stare at her with her mouth slightly open. She was the image of perfection, standing there in the doorframe with her hand on her hip and a coy little smile on her face.
“Well?” Alex asked, waiting for approval.
“Wow,” Olivia said as she slowly walked towards her. “Definitely worth the wait.”
Alex spun around, showing off her beautiful dress on her beautiful body. Half way through her turn, Olivia grabbed her from behind and held her close, burying her face in her neck.
“God, you smell good,” she said as she kissed her just below her ear.
Alex moaned softly as she closed her eyes, embracing the feel of Olivia wrapped tightly around her waist. She could feel her hands start to travel up the front of her body, sliding smoothly over the silk fabric of her dress, and just as Olivia’s hands were about to slide over her breasts, Alex turned around and grabbed her by the back of the neck, kissing her hard. It was Olivia’s turn to moan now, the sudden attack on her lips causing her knees to shake a bit. It didn’t take long for her breathing to become erratic as her hands explored even more of Alex’s body while her tongue explored the inside of her mouth.
Breaking the kiss, Alex grinned and breathed in heavily. “We’re going to be late,” she whispered.
“So?” Olivia asked, trying to reach Alex’s lips again. “What’s a few minutes?”
“We have reservations. C’mon,” Alex giggled as she reached for Olivia’s hand and tried to lead her towards the door.
Olivia pulled Alex towards her, not letting her get too far, and kissed her again. “And what if I’d rather just skip to dessert?”
“No, no. You promised me dinner, and a good one from what I gather.”
“Damn me and my promises,” Olivia joked as she let go of Alex’s hand and watched her walk to the closet to grab a wrap.
Alex looked back at her and mirrored her pouting lips as she slipped the cloth around her shoulders. “Little Liv doesn’t like to have to go out,” she said in a baby voice.
“Little Liv doesn’t like to be denied,” Olivia corrected her, “Especially when she wants something as bad as she wants you.”
“Well, I tell you what,” Alex said as she walked back towards her, “You come with me now, and I promise to cum with you later.”
The difference between the ways she said the word ‘come’ and the word ‘cum’ brought a beaming smile to Olivia’s face.
“Well then, by all means let’s get this night started,” she replied as she quickly headed for the door and opened it.
Alex couldn’t help but giggle again, and just as she was about to follow her out, her cell phone rang in her purse.
“Shit, it’s Richard,” she exclaimed, less than enthused.
“Don’t answer it,” Olivia advised her.
“Look, why don’t you go downstairs and get us a cab. I’ll take care of this,” she said as she lifted up her phone.
Olivia nodded and left just as Alex answered the call.
“What do you want, Richard?” she asked rather curtly.
“You have big plans tonight to celebrate your win?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m just about to head out, so I really don’t have time for this.”
“Well, I just wanted to say congratulations one last time,” he said, his tone full of anger and sarcasm.
“Great. Thanks,” she answered quickly as she took one last look at herself in the mirror, straightened out a strand of loose hair, and headed for the door.
“Hey, Alex…”
“Look, I have to go,” she interrupted him. “Goodbye, Richard.”
And with that, she hung up the phone with a sense of satisfaction, and put it back in her purse. As she looked at the inside of Olivia’s apartment from the doorway, this incredibly warm feeling suddenly washed over her, as if she was home, as if this was her home. Breathing in and smiling to herself, she was finally ready to go - in more ways than one - and stepping out into the hallway, she closed and locked the door.
“Hi, Alex,” a voice said from behind her.
“Tommy, hi there,” she greeted him happily as she turned around to face him.
“Wow, you look fantastic,” he exclaimed. “You’re obviously heading out.”
“Thank you,” Alex replied. “Yeah, a wee bit ‘o celebration tonight,” Alex said.
“Yes, I heard. Congratulations. That’s really great.”
“Thank you. It’s really good in a lot of ways,” she said with a more serious expression on her face.
Tommy nodded in agreement, understanding her meaning, before he asked, “May I walk with you outside?”
“Absolutely,” Alex said, welcoming his company, and the two of them turned and headed down the hall towards the elevator.
* * *
It was a beautiful night outside that greeted Olivia when she opened the front door to her building. It wasn’t too cold. It wasn’t too warm. It was just perfect. This whole night was going to be perfect. She had made dinner reservations at a very elegant French restaurant that she had remembered Alex mentioning once, saying that she’d never been there but really wanted to go. She was excited to bring her there and to share it with her for the first time. She was excited to be out with her. She was excited to just be with her, no matter where they were. Yes, things had finally fallen into place. Things finally felt right and secure and…
“How long have you been fucking her?” a voice suddenly asked, shattering the silence and perfection of the night.
Olivia quickly turned around to see Richard stepping out of the shadows and into the light in front of her. Much to his dismay, his appearance was less than intimidating to her, and being annoyed with his presence, she answered him with displeasure in her tone.
“Not as long as I’ve been making love to her,” she said with a smile.
Richard took another step forward with his hands in his coat pockets and stared directly at her. “Well that’s a stupid thing to say, detective. You’d think that a person in your position and in your line of work would be smarter than that, but I guess not.”
“Well, I’m not a sleazy defense attorney who’s mastered a way with words, so I guess you’re just better at that than me. Although, today didn’t really prove that, did it?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, ready for anything he could possibly say.
Richard snorted a laugh and clenched his jaw, absolute malice radiating from his eyes. Just as he was about to retort a response, Alex and Tommy exited the building, but both froze in their place when they saw him.
“Billy Thompson,” Richard said with a wicked grin as he turned towards him. “Well, what do you know? How have you been, kid?”
Tommy didn’t say a word or move a muscle. He just stared at him with pure disgust. When Richard saw that he wasn’t going to get a response, he turned his attentions towards Alex who was focusing on Olivia, trying to make sure she was okay.
“Hello, sweetie,” he said with the same evil grin.
“Richard, what are you doing here?” Alex asked, trying to quickly regain her composure after the shock of seeing him there. “How did you know where I was? Did you follow me?”
“You forget, Alex. I’m Richard Lewis. My list of connections is endless,” he answered with sickening arrogance. “But you got me this time. You really did fool me - me, a man who is not easily fooled. I didn’t figure it out until the very end,” he lied, knowing that he hadn’t figured out anything - that he’d been, in fact, told everything.
“Go home, Richard,” Alex said sternly as she walked down the steps and stood by Olivia. “Let’s just let the night be, okay?”
“Oh no. No, no, no, no,” he replied as he took a step closer to the two of them. “Perhaps you should have talked to me on the phone because now…now we have to do this in front of everyone. You humiliated me in court today. Now it’s my turn to humiliate you.”
“I humiliated you?” Alex repeated in utter disbelief. “That’s a joke, right? All I did was do my job, and this time you didn’t have anybody to intimidate, did you?” she said as she glanced over at Tommy. “You didn’t have any victims to beat down to force a win because this time your client killed them both.”
“Are we still in a courtroom, Alex? Are you still trying to argue your case?”
“No, I’m done with all the arguing, but most of all, I’m done with you.”
“You’re done with me?” he asked, his face starting to turn red with anger. “You think I’m just going to let you go that easily?”
“Richard, just stop, okay? What does this solve?”
“Oh, I’m not here to solve things, Alex,” he said viciously. “I’m here to end them.”
In the blink of an eye, in the still of the night, and without a moment’s hesitation, Richard pulled out a .357 magnum revolver from his jacket pocket. Holding it with a steady hand, his finger firmly on the trigger, he first pointed it at Alex and then at Olivia and then back at Alex again.
“I’m here to end things,” he said again, angry tears forming in his eyes as he pulled back the hammer on the gun.
“Richard!” Alex gasped, suddenly very much aware of how serious he was.
Olivia, who hadn’t said a word since Alex and Tommy had come outside, slowly stepped in front of her, trying not to incite any sudden reaction from Richard. Tommy watched from the steps, unsure of what to do, but Olivia’s body language told him not to make any quick movements.
“Richard, you’re a smart guy,” Olivia said, trying to make her voice as soothing as possible. “You know there are other options to choose.”
“Shut up!” he yelled as he quickly pointed the gun in her direction. “You know it didn’t have to be this way, Alex,” he said as he aimed the gun back at her. “I was willing to give you everything. And what do I get in return? This bitch entering our lives and ruining the best thing you ever had going for you.”
“Richard, stop it,” Alex pleaded, her tone very much changed from before. “Put the gun down.”
“Alex, be quiet,” Olivia said. “Richard, c’mon. You’ve got a chance to do the right thing here, so what’s it going to be?”
“Richard,” Alex begged. “Please don’t do this.”
“Alex!” Olivia snapped at her.
Richard kept moved the gun back and forth between the two of them, the chaos and panic and noise growing with every passing second.
“What are you going to do?” Olivia asked him again.
“Richard, please!” Alex begged.
“Alex, be quiet!” Olivia snapped.
“Richard!”
Aiming the gun in her direction one last time, his words cut through the noise like a knife. “Say goodbye, Alex.”
With Richard’s finger set firmly on the trigger and the barrel pointed directly at the ADA, Tommy suddenly spurred into action. Leaping off the steps, he tackled him from the side, though not hard enough to knock him down or the gun out of his hand. The two men struggled as Olivia quickly rushed forward to try to pry Richard’s fingers from the handle, but his grip was set tight. The three of them fought for what seemed like the longest time as Alex screamed and watched in complete helplessness and fear.
And in the darkness of the night, on an evening meant for perfection, a single shot was heard...