NY Legal Ch. 01

"Donnie?.." She sighed.

Donnie appeared to be attempting to control his anger. "OK. You know what? We both know I got a temper. I'll do my best to keep it in check while you tell me what happened. OK?" She gave a mistrustful nod. "Then, we can -discuss-" he said with exaggerated calmness. "The best way to proceed." She nodded again. "So, you just, go ahead and I'll shut up."

"...You remember Councilman Hoffman?..."

"That son of a bitch!" He hit the dashboard.

"Donnie!?"

"Sorry." He held his hands up to her. "Sorry. Please. Continue."

Jackie rubbed her face before continuing. "So I went to see him to tell him about our catching Timon and to say thanks."

"Why?"

"What?" She looked at him.

"I don't mean 'why' like it's your fault. I mean why did you have to see him at all. Why go?"

She shook her head in thought. "I... wanted to." She gave a small shrug.

"What like, you liked him? Maybe go out for drinks afterwards? That kinda thing."

"I guess... maybe... Yeah. You know what? Yes. I liked him."

"OK." Donnie nodded.

"Anyway, I found out he was in the basement having a smoke so I went down to the basement. He grabbed me. Took me down. Tore my clothes off and had at it." She stated in a "matter of fact" tone.

"Alright. So... Why am I not driving over to City Hall and beating this guy's brains out?"

She gave a big embarrassed shrug. "Becausssse I liked it?"

"Jackie! Just because this guy made you... go woohoo..."

"I know. I know." She looked out the window. "We deal with this stuff every day. Oh my God." She looked back at Donnie. "We deal with this stuff every day. What does that say about this city?"

"Hey! Focus. Alright?"

"I really liked it, Donnie. Yeah, he was aggressive. And he wouldn't stop when I ordered him to. But... I could have made him stop and I didn't." Donnie nodded. "I didn't bite him. I didn't work to get my gun. There was a point where he let my hands go and all I did was put em on his chest, for God's sake."

"So, you "Liked it" liked it." He said more than asked. Jackie nodded. "OK, then why are you off in wonderland so often?"

She shrugged. "...I... I feel like a sell out. If that makes any sense. I always promised myself I wouldn't be one these women, you know? We pull up on the scene. She's got two black eyes and a busted lip and all she can do is yell 'Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him."

"...What can I do?"

"Nothin." She shook her head. "This isn't somethin you can fix."

Donnie rubbed his head. "Well, here's what I can do. You daydreamin in the car is fine but the minute we're in a situation where guns may clear leather I need you here. AND I'm gonna do what I can to make sure your here. OK?" She took a breath and nodded. "And if anything happens, you tell me. You're my partner. I love ya."

"Aw." She smiled. "I love you too, you big lug."

"Yeah, don't let it go to your head." He smiled as he put the car in reverse and backed out to leave the lot. "I tell my kids I love em every day. Doesn't stop me from wantin to kill em."

Jackie sat in her kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee. She was sure Ray would be by. He had come by the office but she told the Desk Sergeant to tell him she was out. She'd never told him where she lived but something told her... he knew.

There was a knock at the door and her hands began to shake. "Stop it." She scolded herself as she set the cup down before checking the peephole of the front door to her apartment. It was Ray. She took a breath and opened the door.

He was still dressed in his black suit, white shirt and black wool overcoat from work. He looked angry. Not necessarily at her. Just in general. She couldn't be sure. They stood there staring at each other until she had to break the silence.

"I missed you." She said.

Ray stepped in, pulled her close and gave her a deep kiss. He kicked the door closed as he carried her to the couch and laid her down. She managed to break her mouth free of his.

"Ray, stop!" He tore her blouse open sending buttons flying. "Ray!?... Raymond!" He lifted her brazier up so he could slip her left nipple into his mouth. "Oh! Ahh... Ray!... Fuck." She could feel him undoing the button on her slacks.

'Click-click-click.'

Ray felt the barrel of the pistol pressed against his stomach just as he heard her cocking it. He let her breast slip from his mouth as he pulled away just enough to see what she was doing. He could see Jackie had a .38 revolver pointed at him.

"I find myself saying this to you alot. Get off of me."

"Are you going to shoot me?" He asked flatly.

"Ray?" she warned.

He leaned in a little. "If you say you're going to shoot me, then I will get off of you."

"Don't..." She shook her head.

"Just say it and I'll get up. Tell me you're going to shoot."

He could see her eyes begin to tear up. "Get off me Ray." She whispered.

He nodded. Then he eased her gun hand away from his body and held the hammer while he pressed her trigger finger to decock the weapon. He took the gun away from her and stuck it back between the couch cushions where he assumed she kept it. Once it was stowed he pulled both of her hands together over her head and kissed her again. She barely heard him lower the zipper of her slacks but when his middle finger slipped inside of her, her back arched as she moaned into his mouth. Ray released her mouth and returned his attention to her neglected nipple. Jackie writhed on the couch as his finger rubbed her delicate insides and his thumb played havoc with her clitorus.

He continued his molestations until she vocalized her climax. "Ahhhh Raaaay mmmmm."

The Councilman stepped away from her long enough to yank her shoes off. He forced her slacks and panties down and off of her legs and then repositioned himself between her legs. Jackie shook her head as she watched him unfasten his belt and undo his pants. When he unlimbered his cock she finally found her voice.

"Stop. You can't just come into my hoooommmmme..."

He leaned forward and slid right into her in one motion. He began a hearty thrusting session that kept her clinging to him and grunting anytime he adjusted his angle in her. The apartment was quiet. Only the street noises from outside and the smacking of flesh from the couch reached Jackie's ears. She could almost become numb to it, she thought. Until the thought came to her 'Ray can just fuck you whenever he wants.' Jackie gritted out a nice hard orgasm into his ear. He picked her up and sat back on the couch with her riding him.

"You can't keep doing this." She gasped as he bounced her up and down on his lap.

He grabbed the back of her head to pull her towards him but she resisted. He pulled harder but she did all she could to keep him from winning their tug of war.

"Your mouth."

"No."

"Give - me - your - mouth."

She wasn't sure why she obeyed him but she relented and Ray pulled her mouth to his as they bounced along. She could feel him slip what remained of her blouse from her shoulders and pull it off. Then he worked at the clasp of her bra until he removed it as well. He broke their kiss.

"Help me get this off." He motioned to his shirt.

He gripped her hips to keep her bouncing while she groggily fumbled with his buttons. She loosened the tie and then pulled it tight against his neck. "I could strangle you with this." She slurred.

"I'm not into that." He said as he pulled the tie away from her and took it off.

"I wasn't being erotic!" Jackie whined just before he pulled her back in for another deep kiss.

After another quick climax wracked her body, Jackie buried her head in Ray's neck and whined. Ray was enjoying himself immensely. To the point that he wasn't sure when Jackie had passed out. One moment he was in heaven, the next her head was slumped on his shoulder and her arms were hanging limp.

"Jackie?... Jackie baby?" He whispered.

Nothin. She was dead to the world. Ray sighed before kissing her on the cheek and lowering her down to the couch. Once he slipped out of her, he removed the rest of his clothes before getting the comforter off of her bed. When he returned, he spooned with her and pulled the comforter over them before going to sleep.

Raymond woke to the calming symphony that was New York morning traffic. The squeal of brakes, the honking of horns and the unmistakable "FUCK YOU!" of pedestrians almost getting hit. He smiled and looked down at Jackie. Somewhere in the night she had rolled over and was resting on his arm while the rest of her seemed to be wrapped around him. Her hair was a knotted mess while her mouth hung open and drool ran down his arm to form a puddle on the couch.

"OK. That is disgusting." He commented to himself and smiled.

He couldn't resist reaching over and stroking her cheek. Jackie slowly came to and lifted her head. She looked at Ray still half asleep. He smiled. She rubbed her mouth and realized she had been drooling. She looked for a cloth but settled for the comforter. She wiped her mouth, hands and Ray's arm.

"I told you I wasn't very pretty first thing in the morning." She croaked.

Ray smiled. "I think you're breathtaking." He said as he stroked her cheek again.

Jackie smiled, obviously flattered. Then he saw her demeanor change to a sick kind of angry. He knew she'd just remembered that she was mad at him and WHY. She sat up taking most of the comforter with her to wrap around herself. They sat in silence as she stared out the window across the room.

When she finally spoke it was in a flat tone. "I'm going to shower. Collect your things and go."

"Jackie..."

She looked as if she was about to scream. "What Ray?!... What?... I'm sorry?"

"No!... It's just..."

"What?" She was shaking her head "How long do I have before you hit me?"

"What?!" He sat up.

"How long do I have? A week? A month? How long before I'm one of those women with a busted lip begging Donnie not to arrest you?" She let out a cynical laugh.

"I'm -never- going to hit you."

"Really? Because you've raped me twice now."

He nodded in frustration. "You pointed a gun at me last night. Did I hit you then?"

"No." She shook her head. "No. You just made a point to show me I couldn't even lie to keep you from assaulting me."

"That is not what I was..." Ray lay back down and rubbed his eyes before looking at her again. "That is what I was doing. "I'm sorry."

"There it is!"

"Damn it, Jackie!"

"What?"

He sat back up, grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. "I NEED you."

"You NEED me?" He nodded his reply. "So, you don't want to lose me?" She stated more than asked.

He shook his head. "No."

It was her turn to nod. "OK." She said while biting her cheek. "Well, if you NEED me... If I'm important to you... then you had better do as I ask and not be here when I get out of this shower." He let go of her arms as his dropped to his sides. "Am I clear, Ray?"

He took a breath. "Yes." He gave a cruel smile. "Very clear."

She watched him a moment before getting up and walking naked to her room. When he heard the bedroom door close he fell back on the couch again. "That sucked."

Police Commissioner Tom Fonta waited in his office for the arrival of City Councilman Ray Hoffman. A few minutes later there was a knock at his door just before Sergeant Hawkers stepped in.

"Councilman Hoffman to see you sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant." He replied just as Hoffman stepped into the office. Hawkers nodded and closed the door as she left. "It's good to see you, Ray." He smiled as he walked to him and shook his hand.

Ray wasn't smiling. "Whatever it is, it must be bad if you're making nice."

Tom gave a slight shrug. "We're friends. I'm always nice to you." He motioned for them to sit around his coffee table. Ray put his briefcase on the table and took a seat on the couch while Tom sat in the chair near him. "And who says I'm mad at you?"

Ray was pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher. "I do. Five years and you've never just called me up here out of the blue. You want one?"

"Um, no. Thank you."

Ray took a sip. "So what is it?"

The Commissioner knew from past experiences that the best way to deal with Ray was head on. "...It's about Detective Esposito..."

Ray waited a moment. "Is she OK?"

Tom shrugged. "That's what I'm trying to find out... My son is worried about her." Ray nodded. "And after what he told me, I'm pretty concerned too."

"...We haven't talked about how things are for her at work. What's happening?"

"She's distracted. Donnie's worried she's gonna get herself hurt..." Ray nodded. "I could throw out the obligatory 'and he's worried about himself blah blah blah' but he's not."

Ray was staring at the table. "I didn't know that."

Tom crossed his legs and looked at Ray. The man had never struck him as selfish. "How is the relationship?"

Ray shrugged. "The sex is great. Everything else is... complicated."

"Donnie describes it as "unconventional." Ray gave a small laugh and nodded again. "How unconventional are we talkin, Ray?"

Ray took a sip of water and set the glass down. "She could pursue two counts of sexual assault if she wanted to.'

"Jesus, Ray!" The Commissioner balled up his right hand into a fist. "Please tell me the reason she isn't doing that, isn't because you threatened her?!"

"No! God, no." Ray shook his head in thought. "I went to see her a couple of days ago. We stared at each other for few moments after she opened the door and then she told me she missed me."

"Huh." Tom grunted as his eyes got big. "Maybe 'complicated' is the right word." Ray picked up his glass and took another sip of water. "I can't have her damaged, Ray. Jackie's been Donnie's partner for years. She's practically family."

"I know." Ray nodded. "I know."

"People's lives depend on her being mentally healthy. So you get her healthy..." Ray was still nodding. "Or you leave her be."

Ray stopped nodding. "...I'm not strong enough for that." He said cooly.

"You?!"

"Yeah! That's not the same kind of strength. And you know this!" The last part he said in an angry incredulous tone. "You weren't married to that woman for all those years out of some sense of duty! You NEEDED her."

It took him a moment but eventually the Commissioner had to nod his head in agreement. "...I did. But this is different. She's a good cop with a promising future. I would go so far as to say, the NYPD 'need's' her..." Ray nodded again. "And, I know this isn't fair, but our need trumps your's..."

"You got any scotch?"

Tom laughed. "I'm on duty."

"I'm not."

The Commissioner got up to get a bottle and a couple of glasses.

City Councilman Raymond Lewis Hoffman, known as one of the strongest men in New York City, stood braced against the doorframe of Jackie's apartment trying to stave off the cold sweats and shakes that threatened to overtake him. When he realized his efforts were useless,

"I'm a pathetic piece of shit." And then he knocked on her door.

When the door opened he could see she was barefoot with thin lavender pajama pants and a purple tank top that said "Slut" in glitter paint across her breasts. All of that was forgotten when she stuck the .40 Smith & Wesson automatic pistol in his face and thumbed the hammer back.

"I will fucking kill you, Ray." She said in an almost manic tone.

He nodded. "I know."

"I mean it."

"I know. I believe you." He kept nodding.

She looked as if she was about to start crying at any moment. "I can't be this woman." Ray kept nodding. "I can't allow this to go on."

He nodded some more. "I know."

She put the gun down. "No matter how much I want it to." She moved like she was going to raise the gun again but just couldn't muster the strength.

"I'm not going to touch you. I just wanted to talk." He shook his head for emphasis. She looked exhausted. "Can I come in?" She didn't really answer. She just gave a shrug and walked back to her couch to sit down. Ray closed the door behind him and locked it. He saw that she had drawn her legs up to her chest and was hugging them. She still held the gun in her right hand. Ray sat down next to her. "I talked to your Commissioner today."

She gave a short nod, "Donnie told me."

"It was selfish of me but it never occurred to me what effect I might be having on your job."

She gave a cruel laugh. "Really?.. You don't give a damn about what happens to me as long as you get what you want."

"That is not true." He heard another cruel laugh but he continued. "You want that to be true so you'll feel better about giving me the boot."

"You - are - a - USER - Ray." She said as she pointed the gun at him. "And it is just a matter of time before you start knocking me around to get your rocks off!"

"Can we..." He eased her gun hand away from him. "Can we put the gun down? Or at least decock the damn thing if you're going to use it to talk with?"

Jackie decocked it and went to set it on her coffee table. She stopped at the last moment and looked at him. "If you make me regret this... I will do everything I should have done to you in that fucking basement."

"I am not going to touch you."

She set the gun down and sat back on the couch.

"Jackie, you're never going to be one of those women that takes a beating. OK?"

She crossed her legs as she turned towards him on the couch and pulled him to her by his lapels. "I already am, Ray. Don't you get that?" He was shaking his head. "You could knock my teeth out right now and you know what would happen?"

"No. No you..."

"You'd storm out of here and come back in an hour..." Ray was still shaking his head. "I'm sorry, baby. Please forgive me I won't do it again..."

"You wouldn't take that."

"...It's just that you make me soooo mad."

"Jackie..."

"And you know what I'd say? I know, baby. I'm sorry. I'll - do - better." She let go of his lapels.

Ray rubbed his face with both hands. "OK... OK... But you know what? Knowing you would do that is not the same as actually doing it." She laughed and turned away from him. He grabbed her shoulders gently and eased his hands up to her cheeks to turn her back. "Baby, look at me... Please." She did. "All that means is that you love me." She seemed to soften a bit. "And I love you. OK?" She gave a small nod. "OK. So, instead of feeling bad that you would let me beat you. Instead you accept it..."

"Ha! Excuse me?!"

He was smiling. "Let me finish. This parts important." She gave a disbelieving nod. "You go to your partner and tell Detective Fonta you know you won't be able to stop me if I beat you so, if that happens, you need him to step up and do what he has to do." She gave a genuine laugh. "And you know what he'll say?"

In her best 'Donnie' voice, "Absofuckinlutely, sister."

Ray laughed and nodded. "Exactly... " He leaned in and kissed her. "You don't have to be strong enough to handle everything. You have people around you who love you. They can handle the stuff you can't. Right?" She looked unsure. "You would do it for them." He watched her until her head cocked to the side as her eyebrows went up and she nodded that "You've convinced me" nod. He pulled her close and leaned back into the couch with her head on his chest.

Jackie slipped her arms around him and rested. Feeling safe around him for the first time since she'd met him. Many minutes passed before,

"You want sex, don't you?" She stated more than asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you." But he kept sitting there, holding her. He kissed the top of her head and looked down at her even though he couldn't see her face. "Do you want sex?"

"Yes, but..."

"...But what?"