Lori walked along the virtually silent corridor from Shirley's office to the coffee room.
She had met Shirley at the courthouse just as they were both leaving for the day. They had headed back to Shirley's office for a drink and wound up raiding Denny's liquor cabinet as he had gone fishing for a few days. Shirley had assured her he wouldn't miss some vodka which he rarely drank anyway. As she pointed out he mainly used it to get women drunk, which was exactly the use they intended to put it to. After a neat vodka with ice Lori, not a regular spirit drinker, had needed something to mix it with and had went in search of some orange juice.
It was strange to be back at Crane Poole & Schmidt, the place looked the same as the day she left. Much as she had felt, at the time, she had to get away from the craziness of the place she sometimes missed it. Last week, in her new firm, an email had been circulated among the partners (Lori had been a partner for the last six months) asking for opinions on whether staff should be allowed to wear 'brightly coloured jewellery' to the office. It sort of depressed her, though she appreciated the calmer, more conservative work environment. The real truth was she could have taken Denny Crane's benign sexual innuendoes. He was an old man and if the rumours going round the courthouse were true, a sick one. It was Alan Shore that was the real problem. Her crush on Shore made her feel like she was fourteen again – and rarely in a good way. One of the incidents that led her to make the complaint about Denny had not concerned Denny at all. She had gone into the library (at 10am on a Wednesday morning if you please) to find Alan with his hand up Tara's skirt. Judging by Tara's face it had been there for some time. It was all a little too High School, not least because Lori had spent the next half hour in the ladies room crying hot tears of jealousy.
Feeling a little dehydrated Lori stood for a few minutes in the coffee room and drank half a bottle of water.
' Lori Coulson. When I heard someone in here I thought it was a paralegal I was planning to proposition but this is a pleasant surprise.'
Lori nearly choked, her hand jerked up causing the water to splash everywhere. Alan Shore was standing in the doorway head on one side looking at her like; well, like Alan Shore (or Denny Crane for that matter) would look at a lone, slightly drunk, female he found late at night in a deserted office. She had assumed he would be with Denny or she would never have walked through the office alone.
'Alan – Still harassing junior staff then?'
'Well, I would prefer partners ideally. I understand you made partner at your firm, perhaps you would be interested in…'
'You're inappropriate – and hopelessly optimistic.'
'Inappropriate, always. I would have to take issue with hopelessly optimistic though.' He said, holding her in his confident stare.
Lori's heart sank a little as it was obvious, as it had been all along, that he knew that she wanted him.
You're not fishing with Denny this week?' Lori tried to change the subject.
'He has gone with some republicans. He is ashamed of me.' Alan gave a mock hurt look.
Lori laughed nervously. Alan Shore walked across the room and stood in front of her, a little too close. With the counter at her back the only way away from him would be to shuffle sideways and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction so stood her ground. He reached past her to the counter for a napkin and used it to catch the dribble of water that was running down her neck.
'Lori, you are glowing.' He ran the napkin, ever so gently, across her chest which was now starting to redden. She had forgotten how good Alan Shore smelled. She would never admit it to anyone but she once spent half an hour in an airport duty free shop trying to figure out what cologne he used. Alan's eyes followed his hand, the tips of his fingers now brushing across her collar bone. He looked up at her and she saw the beginnings of a self-satisfied smile, no doubt because he could see the mixture of desire and discomfort in her eyes.
'Alan, you are kind of in my space.' She said softly.
.
He stayed completely still for a second. A familiar warmth was spreading through Lori, focusing between her legs. She badly wanted to reach out to him and she could see from his eyes and slightly quickening breath that, despite his mocking tone, he was interested in more than banter.
'I apologise.' He said stepping back but still staring.
'Here dry your sweater and anywhere else where you are…damp.' He handed her the napkin and walked out.
She let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding and leaned back against the counter. Furious at him but mostly at herself she grabbed the orange juice and headed back towards Shirley's office, badly needing another drink or possibly a few minutes alone in the ladies room. Halfway along, she realised Shirley was on the phone so she hung back for a few seconds. From the other end of the corridor she could hear Alan, moving round his office probably getting ready to leave for the night.
After the months of awkwardness and discomfort at Crane Poole and Schmidt and more months of blushing like a schoolgirl whenever she ran into him at the courthouse the decision to have sex with Alan Shore was taken in a matter of seconds. She tried to engage her logical brain and work out how much of her desire was down to alcohol. She decided that she was what her college roommate called goldilocks drunk. Drunk enough to do things you wanted to without inhibition but not so drunk that you would do things you would never even think about sober, in other words 'just right'.
Lori walked along the corridor and stepped through the open door of his office closing the door quietly behind her.
Alan gave her an incredulous look as he glanced up from his paperwork 'Has Shirley sent you to discipline me?' Seeing that Lori was locking the door his expression changed.
'Alan I have been thinking, you and I have a chemistry...' Her voice wavering with arousal and nerves making it lower than usual. She walked smartly into the centre of the room, trying to dominate the space, as she would do in court.
'Lori, if you are trying to call my bluff you will be disappointed, ask Denise Bauer.'
He walked out from behind his desk and around behind her, looking at her like he was assessing an opponent. It occurred to Lori, too late, that courtroom tactics would be of little use here, Alan Shore was the master.
Shirley had told her earlier of the rumour that Denise, after a few weeks of constant innuendo from Shore had tried to bring matters to a head by going into his office and coming on to him, thinking he would back down. He had been quite ready to go through with it, right there on the desk. Thinking of it now made Lori more confident, her worst fear, with men in general but especially with Shore, was that she would be rejected.
Alan closed the space between them, standing close behind her. Lori could still hear Shirley's voice drifting along the corridor.
'Actually, I really don't think I would disappoint.' He spoke millimetres from her ear, his breath on her neck causing a delicious shiver.
It was the voice, the voice of a thousand closings, low and refined but with a hint of gravelly edge, which finally pushed her over the edge. Lori turned around and pushed him roughly against the wall. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, pressing her body against his as much as the position would allow. His mouth yielded immediately and he kissed her back with an urgency and skill that turned her to jelly. Her right hand slid down to brush across his crotch, she was delighted to find he was already hard. She broke the kiss, her breath uneven.
'Shirley will be finishing her call soon – then she'll come looking for me.' Lori said walking over to the desk and perched on the edge expectantly.
Alan quietly opened the office door and leaned out, listening intently for a few seconds before shutting and locking it again. He smiled at Lori, smoothing down his tie.
'What?'
'We may have a little more time than we thought.' He looked at her hungrily.
'You see, Shirley is speaking to John Logan. He is a client here, was one of mine actually, but this afternoon I offered to represent his ex-wife in a civil action against him, a nasty business. So I expect Shirley will be a while yet trying to calm him down.' He walked over to her and firmly but gently ran his hands up from her hips to her chest and started unbuttoning her shirt.
'If we are lucky, once she has finished that call, she will be so incensed she will have to call Paul Lewiston to talk about firing me.' He started to plant kisses down the side of her neck and along her collarbone.
'Then, if I am really lucky...' He had now completely opened the shirt and started to extend the range of his kisses to her breasts.
'Shirley will come along here to discipline me. You can go for that part – or not. I'm good either way.'
He came back up to kiss her on the mouth while his hands reached down and began to drag the hem of her skirt up towards her waist. Shore made a delighted noise as his hands discovered she was wearing stockings rather than pantyhose. Lori's one feminine concession in an otherwise conservative wardrobe, she hated pantyhose. She hoped he didn't think the stockings were for his benefit. He knelt in front of her running his hands and mouth up her inner thighs.
She suddenly realised where he was going with this and shifted uncomfortably, that was not her thing. Feeling her discomfort he looked up at her, his chin resting on her knee.
'Sorry. Its just I don't enjoy – that.'
'That?' He said mockingly.
Lori's flushed skin darkened, this time with embarrassment.
Can you trust me Lori?' he looked into her eyes, running his fingers over her thigh ever so lightly.
'Trust you?'
'I don't mean in general, or in court – especially not in court. Just with this, can you trust me with this? I am very good at few things, closings, and that however – really anything where my tongue needs to pick up speed towards the end.
Lori laughed waving her hand in a gesture of acquiescence. She steadied herself by laying her palms flat on the desk behind her and relaxed back.
He resumed his attentions. Considering the circumstances he took his sweet time. Lori felt almost unbearably tense as he seemed to take whole minutes sliding her underwear off, gently lifting each foot to remove it completely.
Cliché though it was, Lori was not surprised a man making as good a living as he did with his mouth was good at this. It was an exquisite sensation, as if she could physically feel all her blood flowing to where her flesh met his. Once she started to move her hips and Alan knew she was close, he moved his tongue in a firm insistent rhythm until he felt it happen. Lori came in a rush of wetness.
She recovered for a few seconds with her eyes closed, still sitting on the edge of the desk. When she opened them again Shore was across the room, sitting on the sofa looking through his trial bag. For a second she thought this was some sort of game he was playing, feigning disinterest, until she realised he was dealing with a pack of condoms. She wondered briefly about why you would keep condoms in a trial bag, and then remembered what had gone on (allegedly) in the courthouse elevator.
'Now I want you inside me.' Lori walked across the room and straddled him.
His hands ran up her thighs and he made a low growling noise.
'Lori, why were you never this much fun when you worked here? When I think of all those nights we were both working late and would have welcomed..distraction.'
'I was fun – you were just too busy having fun with Tara and Sally, and others, to notice.'
He kissed her again deeply. She gasped as Alan slid one finger inside her opening and pressed gently forward. He gave a satisfied smile.
'One moment.' He said, reaching for a condom. Lori took it from him and put it on him with shaking hands.
She then lifted herself on to him, enjoying the sensation as his length slid inside her. She adjusted for a moment, enjoying the feeling of fullness before beginning to move. She had a sense that Alan would not last long but he used his hands to guide her, encouraging her to lean further back and slow the pace, this caused him to rub against the spot his finger had found earlier. Lori could feel another climax building.
'I won't last much longer Lori.' Alan gasped his hands holding her hips tighter.
Close herself, Lori grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her clitoris. He started to move his thumb in a quick circular motion that quickly pushed Lori over the edge. Seconds later Alan's body stiffened and she felt the contraction of his own orgasm.
After getting their breath back for a second Alan surprised her with the tenderest of gestures by brushing her hair back out of her face and refastening her blouse. Surprised, she kissed him gently on the lips before climbing off his lap.
There was an awkward moment as they both tidied themselves up.
'Goodnight Alan.' Lori whispered as she practically ran for the door, her confidence fading.
'Goodnight Lori – You know I work here late most nights. Tomorrow night I think I will work late from my hotel say from eight thirty?
Lori smiled at him broadly before walking out closing the door behind her.
'You're back I thought you were growing the oranges.' Shirley glanced round briefly as she poured out vodka into glasses full of ice.
'I heard you on the phone I got talking to one of the cleaning crew.'
Shirley looked at Lori again and took in the slightly mussed hair, creased blouse and most of all, the glow, a glow that in her long experience came from only two things a very expensive spa facial or a powerful orgasm.
'Oh my God Lori – Alan Shore?'
'Shirley, you can tell no one about this – especially not Denny. It just sort of happened. '
'It does seem to and often on the firm's time, do you know we pay him $375000 a year? Anyway, your secret is safe with me, on one condition.' Shirley sat down beside her on the sofa handing her a large vodka.
'You must tell me absolutely everything.'