| A Matter of Trust |
| Jack laid in bed, enjoying the simple pleasure of sleeping in on a Saturday morning. He couldn�t help smiling as he watched Lennie sleep beside him. The detective had had a late night; he and Rey had caught a case right at the end of the day, and it had turned nasty very fast. Lennie had called him at 9 o�clock to tell him not to worry, and not to wait up. It had felt strange to go to bed alone. Somehow, without actually planning it, Lennie had all but moved in over the past couple of months. Over the holidays, Lennie had again brought up the subject of finding a bigger place that they could officially share. Lennie didn�t have that much stuff, but the combination did seem to have this place bursting at the seams. And a bigger bathroom � with a shower they could comfortably share � was looking like a very good idea. But as much as Jack wanted to, there was that one nagging doubt at the back of his mind. Five months since the rape, and he was still testing HIV-negative. But he couldn�t be sure until six came and went. So he had compromised � agreeing to start looking, but he knew he wouldn�t be willing to sign anything until he was SURE. And now here they were, at that six month mark. They had gone to the clinic last weekend for the final test, and he was nervously awaiting the results. It always put him on edge, but this time seemed worst of all. The letters had actually arrived yesterday, but he refused to open them without Lennie there. It was driving him crazy, and more than once last night he�d reached for the envelope, but forced himself to put it back. He looked down at Lennie again, obviously still deeply asleep. It had been close to 2AM when he�d finally come home and crawled into bed, trying unsuccessfully to not wake his partner. Jack had pried one eyeball open to glare at the clock, then simply pulled Lennie close and fell right back asleep. Watching him sleep now, Jack decided that his nervousness shouldn�t override a well-deserved sleep-in, so he crept quietly from the bed. After the obligatory pit-stop, he pulled on his robe and headed to the kitchen to start some coffee. As it brewed, he reflected on the simple pleasures of having somebody to share your life with. He couldn�t believe he�d spent so much of his life avoiding this. He truly was a different man than he�d been six months ago. David Blaise had turned his life upside down by assaulting and raping him. But then Lennie had turned it back around again, this time on a different path. He knew he could never forgive Blaise for what he had done, but he also realized that if it hadn�t happened, he doubted he would have been able to make this relationship with Lennie work. Jack had thought he was �recovered� when he was able to let Lennie make love to him. But it soon became obvious that there were deeper scars that would take longer to heal. They had joined a rape-recovery group led by a therapist who specialized in working with abused men. Daniel Sandhu, the other victim, had also joined with his new partner, Damian Jade. Lennie and Damian were already good friends; sharing the therapy sessions brought Jack and Daniel together as well. The four of them had become quite close over the past months. But the lines were clearly drawn; Jack found that all of his jealousy of Damian was misplaced. The owner of the Jade Palace was completely devoted to his partner, despite the fact that Daniel hadn�t been as lucky as Jack. He had already tested HIV-positive. Seeing Damian�s devotion was almost enough to convince Jack that Lennie would stick with him even if the worst happened � The urge to run and get that envelope was suddenly very strong, but instead, Jack forced himself to pour a cup of coffee, distracting himself with the simple process of adding milk and sugar. All along, they had opened the letters together. He wasn�t going to break that winning streak now. To keep himself busy, he rummaged in the freezer for a pack of bagels, pried one apart, and put it in the toaster. They were out of cream cheese again; have to do some grocery shopping this weekend. He settled for butter instead. While the bagel was toasting, he stuck his head out the door and recovered the morning�s paper, eventually settling down at the kitchen table to read it as he ate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie slowly drifted up to consciousness. There was nothing he liked more than sleeping in on a Saturday. Although the ultimate was waking up to find Jack beside him. And he wasn�t. Lennie thought about grumbling until he remembered just how late he�d been last night. Glancing at the clock, he realized Jack must have been up for quite a while. Since there was no pressing reason to stay here, he rolled out of bed and shambled into the bathroom. Splashing some water on his face and running his fingers through his night-tangled hair helped wake him up. He suddenly remembered the pair of envelopes he�d noticed sitting separate from the rest of the mail. //God, he must be going nuts waiting. // He�d been thinking about showering before making his appearance, but quickly scrapped that idea. Instead, he kicked himself into gear and headed out to the kitchen. Jack was sitting there in his bathrobe, reading the morning paper and nursing a cup of coffee. Lennie smiled; Jack was always such a sharp dresser at work that seeing him like this, disheveled, that gorgeous silver hair still mussed from sleep, never failed to amuse him. And turn him on. This was HIS Jack, the one only he got to see. Seeing that Jack was engrossed in an article, he crept quietly up behind him, finally leaning over the back of the chair, his arms sliding down Jack�s chest in a reverse hug. �Morning, love.� Jack sighed happily as Lennie began kissing his cheek, nibbling on his earlobe, and working down his neck. The newspaper was forgotten as long fingers stroked his chest, sliding inside the robe to tweak his stiffening nipples. �Morning �� he finally remembered to say. Lennie let go and came around to perch on the edge of the table. �I saw the letters on your desk last night, Jack. I know you�ve been waiting for me �� Jack looked up at him, not sure if he was annoyed at the sudden shift of mood. But Lennie knew him better than he knew himself. Get this over and done with, one way or another. The loving would still be there no matter what was in that letter. Looking up at Lennie, Jack realized that he finally believed it. He held out his hands to Lennie, who took them and pulled him up from the chair. Together they went into the living room and Jack retrieved them from his desk, handing Lennie the one addressed to him. For five months now, they had followed the same routine. Lennie opened his first and smiled, holding it up so Jack could see the text pronouncing him clean. Jack�s hands trembled as he ripped his open, desperate to see the same words, but afraid they�d be different. He found this time he couldn�t look. �Lennie, you read it �� Lennie gently took the envelope from Jack�s shaking hand, and withdrew the letter inside. He quickly unfolded it, his eyes seeking out the familiar format. His smile was all Jack needed to know what was there. �Oh, thank god!� He snatched the paper out of Lennie�s hand, now needing to see the words for himself. He was free. Six months had passed since Blaise had done the unthinkable, and he hadn�t developed the virus. Finally, his life was his own again. The emotion overwhelmed him; he looked up at Lennie with eyes bright with tears. Lennie pulled him close, holding tight, knowing what this moment meant. Freedom from the death sentence hanging over him like the sword of Damocles all these months. Now they could really start planning their life together. As the trembling stopped, Jack felt an immense joy and love for this man who had stuck by him from the beginning. He wanted to give Lennie everything he deserved for his loyalty and love. He lifted his head from the broad shoulder supporting it, and leaned in to capture Lennie�s lips in a passionate kiss. Lennie returned it in full measure, breaking away only to drag Jack back to the bedroom. As he entered the room, his eyes fell on the clock, and he suddenly remembered something. �Oh, shit! We don�t have time for this now!� Jack practically ran into him when he stopped suddenly. �What do you mean? We�ve got all weekend!� �Uh, not exactly. I kinda made an appointment for noon to go look at this loft �� Jack was obviously surprised. �You what?� Lennie looked sheepish. �Well, we�d pretty well hashed out what we want, so I�ve been keeping my eyes open. Profaci�s sister is a real estate agent, she told him about this place. It�s just about halfway between the Precinct and Hogan Place. Not the greatest neighborhood, but getting better, so the price is reasonable � at least by your budget. I�d sure as hell never be able to afford something like that �� Jack shook his head, stunned. He hadn�t expected to really start anything until they got the results. Lennie obviously had been counting on the letters arriving this week, with the correct news. // Or even if not � // Jack realized again. They were together, come hell or high water. Then the irony of the situation finally hit him. He finally found his voice. �Wait a minute. Did you say Profaci helped you find this?� Lennie laughed. �Yeah.� �So he got over his homophobia?� Lennie shrugged. �Not really, but he�s decided on a �don�t ask/don�t tell� approach with me. As long as I don�t make an issue of it, he�ll ignore it. It�s a good thing you don�t spend much time at the 2-7. I don�t think he�d be too happy seeing us together.� Jack chuckled. �Whatever works.� Lennie grinned. �So, you game for checking this place out? You know how real estate is around here, a gem like this won�t be on the market for long �� Jack sighed. His libido was frustrated again, but he could see how much the meant to Lennie. And it sort of felt right, going out to look for THEIR place today. �Ok, ok, so go shower already.� Lennie grinned evilly. �The loft supposedly has a huge master bath with a walk-in shower big enough for an orgy �� Jack couldn�t help laughing at Lennie�s expression. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They met Anna Profaci at the entrance to the building. Short, dark hair, and not exactly model-slim, she looked an awful lot like her brother. Lennie was a little worried at what her reaction would be when she realized his �partner� was another man, but he needn�t have worried. �Lennie, so nice to meet you. Tony�s told me all about you. And you must be Jack?� She turned to shake his hand as well. She led them down the hall to an elevator in the back and used a key to access the fourth floor, the top of the building. The doors opened directly into a loft apartment. It was empty now, mostly one wide open space including a kitchen in the corner. There were a couple of doors on the back wall, probably the bedrooms and bath. Large, almost industrial-looking windows looked out over the street below, letting in the wan January sun. �It�s an amazing bargain for the price. I know it�s not the best neighborhood, but the local merchants are trying to revitalize it. I wouldn�t recommend it for a young family, but it�s the perfect place for a cop like Lennie, and having you both here will help the community establish some order.� Jack raised an eyebrow. �Is the community likely to welcome an openly gay couple?� �Frankly, Jack, I think they�d be more interested in having their own cop than what you do in the bedroom.� �Hey Jack, come here!� Lennie had wandered off into the bedrooms while they were talking. Jack followed his voice and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the master bedroom. The room was spacious, plenty of room for a king-sized bed and enough dressers for them both. And a nice big TV. Two doors opened off the wall opposite the big window. Lennie was standing in one of the doorways, staring into the master bath. It was huge, with the promised orgy-sized walk-in shower. Not overly fancy, no marble countertops or gold fittings, which suited Jack just fine. �Wow!� was all he could manage to say. The other door led into a huge walk-in closet. �I think we�ll both fit in this one!� Jack laughed at Lennie�s comment; his suits were getting kind of wrinkled in the crowed closet at his place. Anna could see they were hooked, so she headed out to the kitchen area to wait for them. Once alone, Jack came up behind Lennie, wrapping his arms around his lover. �You really love it, don�t you?� Lennie turned around to look at him. �Don�t you?� Jack laughed. �Yeah, I have to admit, it�s just about perfect. So how much are they asking for this?� Lennie told him, and Jack was surprised to find it actually within their budget - barely. He was kind of surprised Lennie had brought it up. In discussing the idea, Lennie had been thinking of renting someplace, not realizing that Jack owned his condo. Lawyers, even public servants like Jack, made a LOT more than cops. Lennie was a bit uneasy about Jack bearing so much of the expense; he felt it should be a 50/50 split. He looked carefully at his partner. �You sure about this, Lennie? About the money?� Lennie took his hands. �I realized something the other day. When Gloria and I got married, we bought a house. I didn�t expect her to pay half of the expenses; we were a family. I � I want us to be a family too.� The simple need in Lennie�s eyes grabbed his heart. Jack took a deep breath as he realized he was finally ready to take that step as well. He caressed Lennie�s face. �Me too, Lennie. I�m finally ready for that.� They came together in a kiss full of love that rapidly ignited the passion they�d interrupted earlier. Lennie pulled away with a grin. �I�ve got an idea �� He grabbed Jack�s hand and dragged him out to the kitchen where Anna was waiting. �We�ll take it!� Anna laughed at his eagerness. �I thought you might say that, so I�ve been filling out some of the paperwork for you. But I�ll still need you to do some of this �� They spent the next half hour filling out forms sitting at the built-in breakfast bar. Jack could barely believe this was happening, but it felt more right than anything he�d ever done before. Finally, all the forms were done, and Anna gathered them up. �I�m going to call this in to the seller; knowing how fast things go these days, I should have an answer for you in a few hours. Where should I call when I have news?� Lennie�s evil grin was back. �Anna, can I ask a favor? Could we just wait here?� She knew that look � the �dreaming of what we can do with this place� look. // Or was that IN this place? // She stifled a giggle, wondering what her big brother Tony would think. She knew he didn�t like the fact that Lennie was gay, but had learned to live with it. In real estate, you had to deal with all kinds, she couldn�t afford her brother�s narrow-mindedness. And actually, she thought they made a very cute couple. �I guess so. There might be other agents coming by, but as soon as I get to the office I�ll flag the place as �contract pending.�� Jack noticed the expression on Lennie�s face, getting an idea of what was going on in that devious brain. He smiled and shook Anna�s hand. �Thanks, Anna. Let us know as soon as you have word.� She nodded and made her exit. As soon as the elevator doors shut behind her, Lennie pulled Jack into his arms, kissing him with all that pent-up passion. When breathing forced them to separate, Jack grabbed Lennie�s hand and dragged him back to the bedroom. �So, where do we put the bed?� Lennie laughed and studied the room. The sunlight came in the almost-ceiling height window overlooking the street. Since this was the tallest building on the block, there�d be plenty of light. And from the angle, Lennie guessed it to be facing approximately east, so they�d get morning sun. Good for a couple of early risers. But they�d need good curtains for the weekend � �Well, if we want the TV against the wall and directly opposite the bed, have to do them on the �side� walls. That�ll make it easier to get to the window shades too.� Jack moved to stand against the wall where they envisioned the bed, then quickly dropped to the floor, stretching out as if trying out his new bed. Lennie grinned and came to lay beside him. Soon, arms and legs were tangled together as kisses once more inflamed their passions. Jack felt almost euphoric, knowing that this was truly the first day of the rest of their lives. He didn�t even make the connection between this empty apartment and the one Blaise had taken him to six months ago. Neither was particularly aware of exactly when and how clothing was cast aside. Finally, they were naked, bodies pressed close together. Lennie�s hand slid over his aching cock as he sat up slightly. Jack grinned. �I presume you brought supplies?� Lennie smiled tenderly down at him. �There�s lube in my pants pocket, yes. But don�t need that yet.� Jack looked confused. �Condoms?� Lennie shook his head. �Jack. We both tested negative. We�re clean. As long as we�re faithful to each other, we don�t need those damned things anymore.� Confusion was replaced by surprise. Jack simply hadn�t been able to think that far in advance. �Oh �� was all he managed to say. Lennie reached out and caressed his face. �Jack, you�re the only man I want. This is going to be our home. We�re making a commitment here, aren�t we?� The words rattled around in Jack�s skull, finally resolving into sense. Not just sharing an apartment, but buying it together. Building a life together. He was amazed that the idea didn�t scare him at all. He looked up into Lennie�s expectant eyes and smiled. �Yes. We are.� Lennie let out a sigh of relief, bending down to kiss him, first on the lips, then in the hollow of his throat. Lennie�s lips left a burning trail down his chest and stomach, finally coming to his throbbing cock. Very gently, his tongue snaked out, licking away the drop of pre-cum beaded at the tip. Lennie wondered at the slightly bitter, salty taste of it. Blow jobs had just developed into an entirely different sensual experience for the giver. The dimension of taste had been added. He let his tongue swirl around the head, pleased to hear Jack�s moan. It felt so hot against his tongue. And the smell, no longer masked by the artificiality of latex. He inhaled deeply, completely aware now of the unique masculine scent. It sent a jolt to his own cock. He simply couldn�t resist any longer, lowering his mouth over that hot, salty hardness. Jack cried out with pleasure as he felt the warm wetness of Lennie�s mouth envelop him. It had been so long since he�d felt anything like this. How could he have lived so long without it? Safe sex was a pale imitation. But could there be anything safer than committing himself to Lennie? He couldn�t even begin to imagine such a thing. Not that he was capable of true coherent thought at the moment in any event. All the fits and starts of the day combined with the unbelievable sensations to rip away any control he might have had. It was a matter of minutes before he exploded into that hot mouth, his come dripping out of Lennie�s mouth as his lover desperately tried to swallow the overwhelming volume of surprisingly salty liquid. Lennie sat up, choking slightly, but delighted by Jack�s reaction. He sat there, his hand gently stroking Jack�s chest, as both of them struggled for breath. When he had enough air, he grinned down at his partner. �A little messier this way!� Jack laughed, still panting. �Yeah, but oh, my God! Damn, you're good, Lennie!� "Had a good teacher." "Naw... that's talent... Everybody can learn music but it takes talent to become Mozart..." Lennie felt himself blushing at the compliment. "Mozart?" Jack chuckled. "Yeah... Mozart. Now, Maestro if you'd be so kind as to move, sometime today?" Instead of freeing him, Lennie bent over him, kissing him, letting him taste the remnants of his come in Lennie's mouth. Musky, salty, it brought back forgotten memories. He realized that his lover was clearly still quite hard. He reached out and stroked it, enjoying the feel of it. He looked up at Lennie. �My turn?� �I saw some toilet paper in the bathroom; let me clean up this mess first.� Jack watched as Lennie disappeared into the bathroom, coming back with a clean face, and a fistful of damp toilet paper. On the way, he stopped to fish the lube out of his jeans. After he gently cleaned up Jack�s mess, he looked into his lover�s eyes. �I want to make love to you, Jack. I want to feel myself inside you, nothing between us.� Jack closed his eyes, imagining Lennie riding him bareback. �Oh, yes!� he sighed. Lennie bent down to kiss him, drawing him up from the floor. Jack took the hint, sitting up, and when they broke apart, he �assumed the position� on all fours, presenting his ass. Lennie smiled and settled down on the floor behind him. It amused him to think of a couple of geezers like them fucking on the bedroom floor in the absence of a bed. He pulled Jack�s cheeks apart and began kissing and licking the tender skin between them, working his way towards the rosebud in the center. Jack�s gasp as his tongue slid over it sent another jolt to his already aching cock. He knew the more he lingered now, the less time he�d have later, inside. So he focused on getting Jack ready ASAP, lubing up one finger and sliding it in as he�d done many times before. By the time Lennie had Jack stretched out and ready, his cock had started to come back to life. Lennie could see it jutting out from Jack�s body, hanging down toward the floor. The vision of Jack, on his knees, offering himself so openly was about all Lennie could take. But he didn�t want this first time to be rear entry; he needed to see Jack�s face. He placed one last kiss on Jack�s ass, then squirmed around beside his lover. �How about you on top?� Jack was good and ready, eager to feel Lennie inside him. He would have said yes to just about anything at that point. Lennie squirmed around again, leaning his upper body against the wall. Jack got up and crawled over him, positioning himself above Lennie�s well-lubed cock. He lowered himself, slowly impaling himself on that long shaft. Lennie groaned loudly at the feel of that hot, tight channel gripping him. The absence of the latex layer between their bodies intensified the pleasure at least tenfold. He drew up his knees, helping Jack to balance on top of him. It took a little while for them to find the right balance, but eventually Jack began bouncing up and down, setting Lennie on the path toward oblivion. He was barely coherent enough to grab Jack�s now fully-erect cock as it bounced in front of him. Once again, Jack couldn�t believe the sensations coursing through his body. Lennie was buried inside him, they were joined as completely as two men ever could be. He felt so much love, so much passion for this man. And when he felt the hot, wet explosion inside him, he almost thought he could feel it spreading Lennie�s love through his entire body. Joined, bonded. Who needed a public ceremony when they had this? When the stars cleared from in front of his eyes, Jack slowly disengaged and climbed to his feet. This time it was his turn to clean up in the bathroom and bring back supplies for Lennie. After the mess was gone, he pulled Lennie up off the floor and kissed him tenderly. Finally, he let go. �We�d better get dressed; who knows when Anne will get back �� Lennie nodded reluctantly, and they gathered up their clothes and got dressed. // How the hell did my socks end up over THERE? // They were sitting at the breakfast bar wondering who delivered around here; Jack had had his bagel, but Lennie had missed breakfast � and lunch now � entirely. Just as they were about to set off in search of food, they heard the elevator. In a few moments, the doors opened and Anne stepped out with a grin on her face. �It�s yours!� They got up and immediately grabbed each other in a tight hug before realizing Anne was watching. Lennie let go rather suddenly, embarrassed. �Uh, sorry, Anne �� She laughed. �I�m not my brother, Lennie. It�s ok. But we do have a little more business. The owner has accepted your offer, assuming you�re planning on selling Jack�s current condo. I need your signed statement of that intent before we can schedule settlement. Jack, do you have an agent yet?� Jack laughed; he knew a business proposal when he saw one. �Actually, no. We had JUST decided to start looking when Lennie turned up this place �� �Well, I have a sale contract with me as well, if you�re interested? I�m sure we can get you top dollar in very little time. It really is a seller�s market these days.� The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. �You�ve got a deal, Anne. But can we handle the details later? We kind of missed lunch �� Anne chuckled; Jack realized that she knew exactly what they had been doing while waiting for her. �Sure. In fact, there�s a great deli just around the corner, you might want to pick up their delivery menu.� Jack and Lennie grinned at each other. Just what their new home needed � a good deli that delivered. Lennie reached out and took his hand. �What say we go meet some of our new neighbors?� As they walked hand-in-hand down the street that would be their home soon, a gentle snow began falling. "Hey, Jack, you think we could put in one of those free-standing fireplaces? Be nice to cuddle up in front of on a cold winter night." Jack smiled, completely entranced by the vision. They stopped at a street corner, waiting to cross. He reached out and caressed Lennie's face. "Anything you want, my love, as long as I've got you." They stood there on the street corner, kissing tenderly as the snowflakes danced around them � Finis. If you have enjoyed this story, please send me some feedback. It's been a long labor of love ... Back to the Story Index Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Chapter 37 |