Chapter 3

Before we find out who the Mystery Man is… Let's see what's happening behind those curtains….

Elliot's POV.

He tried to make as little contact as possible as he followed behind Cassandra. It was definitely a little bit more friendly back behind the curtain now that there was a sea of bodies and sensual sounds coming from every corner. His eyes tried to avoid the newly exposed crowd of skin that surrounded them. Instead, he focused on the small seductress that was guiding him even deeper into the club. He could tell that she was working to put on him under her magical spell. But that only reminded him that he was there to work.

When he saw a seemingly innocent-looking love seat he paused in front while she motioned him to have a seat, still leaving enough room between them. The gentle brushes she was using to inch her body towards him made their conversation more intimate. His leg crossed away from her but her hand gently pressed against his open knee. They fell into a natural rhythm of banter, which came easily for Cassandra. He thought if it have had been Munch that took his place, she'd be laying it on just as thick, so he might as well have a little fun. Somehow they rolled through taking about Jerry onto another subject.

"I never get jealous…" Cassandra purred. "I mean, what's the point if you're not open to everyone and everything?"

He chuckled, "I tell that to Olivia all the time ". Yeah, like he wasn't the jealous type…

When his eyes were drawn to her scar on her neck, his hand had a mind of its own as the outside of his fingers ran across her smooth skin. He thought about another scar he could never touch like this. Olivia's. He wondered for a brief moment if anyone ever paid attention to it after all these years. It's faded since it was healed all those years ago with Gitano. But he could see it every now and then when she'd stretch her neck at the end of the night before leaving the her desk. That moment of quick release flashed in his mind before coming back to reality.

Cassandra began telling him about how her jealous ex, Doug, had marked his territory with the scar on her neck. And Elliott fell back into a trance as she described how Doug barged into the bar few nights ago, having a confrontation with Jerry. Elliot made sure to memorize the key details to check in with Olivia at the end of the night. He couldn't help but see how poor Jerry got sucked into this lifestyle. It was definitely not as vanilla as how Mrs Bullard had made her relationship at home appear. Even the energy around Cassandra screamed sex and danger, but it wasn't Cassandra he was hoping to play with by the end of the night.

And then he felt it. Right below the belt. Well actually, his belt. The latch had gotten loose and he held back a reaction, trying to keep the listening device from being noticed while he quickly drew his hand to his waist to catch it. His eyes never left Cassandra's, but she saw him shift in his seat. The sudden movement brushing his bent knee towards her. He hid his reaction well, the seductress oblivious to him running his fingers quickly to detect if the blinking on the device would be visible now that it was broken in his lap. But he quickly realized he'd need to really look at it, impossible to do in the darkness of the playroom without drawing attention.

She thought his fidgeting was hinting at taking this conversation further and she was more than happy to play. Instinctively she began to move in more intimately towards her company, mimicking the magnetic vibe of the many couples that surrounded them. He was suddenly aware of how many of those couples where in far more compromising positions, but also how naturally Cassandra's body language seemed to become more sultry. Soon, Elliot's left knee wasn't the only body part getting the warmth of her hand as she slowly rubbed the inside of his thigh in small circles, but now it was moving more and more towards the inseam of his dress pants.

"How about we get more comfortable? I do hope you are here to do more than just watch..." Cassandra said in a hushed voice, nearly begging Elliot to lean in just to hear her over the soft moans that came from the crowd in the background.

"Liv and I only agreed to watch tonight. But. What did you have in mind…?" He shifted again, quickly shoving the broken belt latch into his right pocket, keeping his eyes on hers as he flashed a curious smile. He hoped she picked up on his nervousness as a newbie and wouldn't see him discretely add more space between them that she was continuing to trying to eliminate. Determined, her hand still kept it's position holding him in place while she played a cat and mouse game to pull him in closer again.

"Well, to get you more comfortable, I'll let you choose… Truth or Dare?" Her eyebrow rose as she waited for her answer.

Did she really just challenge him? He cleared his throat while he tried to read her eyes to see which would be a safer choice. But now neither seemed to be safe. "Truth."

She nodded as she accepted his choice. Licking her lips as she thought about how to get inside his mind.

"Are you here because you are totally comfortable sharing your wife, or, because you've wanted someone other than your wife..?"

He paused. He wasn't sure if his listening device was still recording, so he may have a pass to answer however honestly. In training, you only lie when you have to so your cover is easier to maintain. He thought of his actual wife, and how he may have immediately responded to nip this conversation in the bud. But tonight he wasn't married to Kathy, he was Olivia's husband. And that wasn't a question he was prepared to address. He wanted to make sure the little indicator light on the possibly broken device was still working before he would fathom an answer. But before he could reach for his pocket to make sure, he felt he warmth of her hand on his knee started to make small circles waiting on his response.

He quietly huffed through an uncomfortable smirk, "Why can't they be both true?"

She chuckled with a slightly predatory smile while she leaned in again, "Elliot, you can only answer the question with an answer, not another question. But that's okay, you're new, the rules here are flexible. Let me be more direct then… Have you ever shared Olivia with anyone before?"

"Uh, nearly. Well actually, yes, once." His eye roll didn't go unnoticed. He thought of their night going undercover with an animal trafficking ring with Bushido, then a more recent encounter came to mind.

"Hm, so you do get jealous." Cassandra said, tilting her head like she discovered his secret weakness.

"But I wasn't on board with it in the beginning. I never thought I would be comfortable watching Liv's lips on someone else. I guess I'm still working on that to be honest." Which was honest. His nose still flared at the thought of Olivia kissing Dale Stuckey right in front of him nearly two years ago. It was to distract the knife wielding tech long enough for Elliot to kick the murderer to disarm him. But did she really need to make eye contact with her partner as she kissed him? Even still presently lost in his thoughts, his current company luckily seemed satisfied with his answer and didn't press further.

Instead, she turned her attention to the bartender who was bringing them a round of drinks. She certainly had admirers in every room she entered. He hadn't even remembered her making an drink order since they arrived. So he assumed someone ordered for her. But she had signaled she wanted something from the bartender before he quickly moved to honor her request.

"To keep the game along, we'll get the official cards for Truth or Dare Swing Set edition out here. That way if you like, we can get to know each other better." She explained as she turned back to Elliot, raising a fresh glass to him. "Seems that your wife didn't want us to be thirsty, so cheers!"

Her hand returned to it's place on his knee, resuming her small circles towards his inseam while she sipped. But as he grabbed his new tumbler of club soda, he felt it. In the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, but not with him. He could handle a few questions and a wondering hand, he trusted himself to not react to Cassandra's touch.

But something felt off. Like his partner. Where was his partner? Was Olivia okay?

Olivia's POV

Where we last left off…

"Olivia?"

The warm breath still hung over her ear, but her body was frozen. Damn. She had never been made as a cop while undercover before.

And then the curly haired gentlemen that was wrapped around his date reached out to shake the hand that was still holding Olivia's wrist.

"Mr. Trevor, we haven't been graced with your pleasure in weeks. You can always spot the newbies, huh?" He winked towards Olivia. "Would you like a drink?"

Trevor..? She thought. Langan..!? Well the height was about right, the cologne could have been him… but here? Tonight? Oh, the look of surprise couldn't be held back as he pressed against her, effectively shaking the gentlemen's hand on one side of her body and pulling his other arm around her hip while he distanced them from the table.

By then, she realized she hadn't even turned to face him, but then his unmistakable voice confirmed it.

"Thank you, I'm good on the drink but I'd love a dance" he said with a smile. It was more of a demand rather than a request. His arm securing she walk backwards with him towards the music, just out of earshot. God, the heat from this man was intoxicating.

Then the warmth of his breath dipped to her ear even closer, "Join me, I'd love to have at least one dance before you slip out on me again."

She abandoned her drink, barely able to push it from tipping over the ledge as she made her escape from the entangled couple. Her body was firmly in his strong grasp, but she didn't feel in danger. He knew if she wanted space, Olivia Benson would make it known. But as they slinked away from the table, she wondered if the busied couple even realized their prey had vanished into the lights on the dance floor.

When the tension she wasn't aware she was holding melted away, so did the warm arm that was wrapped around her hip. He was giving her time to collect herself before they spoke. But she didn't speak yet, just listened to the light hip hop beat as she swayed to the music. Their bodies didn't grind against each other, but somehow she knew he was watching her move. The music was upbeat, and there quite a few couples around them, so Olivia took a scan of her new surroundings before she looked at who just possibly blew her cover.

When he softly moved his hand to her midsection towards her front, just a bit higher than where he grabbed earlier, she quickly turned on her heel to look directly at him. Their eyes met. And if looks could kill. He'd be in a coffin. She almost dared him to speak first, but he could handle her.

"So you're here with your husband? Who extended the invitation this time?" Peering his eyes under a cocked brow looked down at the ring on her left hand, but his smile was staying head on. He wasn't smug, but his humorous tone removed any danger of her cover being blown. Maybe she wouldn't have to kill him.

"This time? I'm a newbie, didn't you hear? A friend of my husband's said we should check this place out" she coyly tossed her hair back as she closed the space between their bodies. She lowered her voice, giving him a face usually reserved for a perp to cut through any games, "I'm not here to play tonight."

He nodded as he flicked his eyes towards hers. He understood. But she had a feeling he wasn't going to let her off that easily.

"So… you come here for the dancing, huh?" she said partly thanking him for pulling her away from the couple earlier. It made him smile. He just looked into her deep brown eyes, almost having an entire conversation without words. Their bodies still moved in rhythm to the music, but not touching. Just staring into each other's eyes. She hadn't noticed the reflective specks in his green eyes before, but they made her forget to breathe for a moment.

The music slowed down, and Olivia could feel the crowd of bodies around her get closer. And then she felt his hands pull her into him surprisingly close. As they silently slow danced together, Trevor choose to ignore her question earlier. She was thankful for the moment to clear her head. Especially as she glanced at the table she just escaped, watching the couple still in a lip lock that otherwise most people would be arrested for in public. Guess this place really drops your inhibitions, she thought. After a few more beats, the music got a little more intimate, setting a different mood in the club.

While scanning the room, she noticed how comfortable she felt moving against her dance partner. He didn't brush himself into her body, but he slowly dragged his hand across her back, sending warm electricity through her core. Maybe this club was lowering her inhibitions.

"Let's grab a drink, shall we?" Trevor said as he ushered them away from the dance floor. They walked to two empty barstools that faced away from main area of the club but looked towards the veiled playroom Elliot has disappeared into nearly close to an half an hour ago. She wondered if her partner was still okay or if he was ready to go soon. She'd been able to see him sweat a perp and get a confession faster than it took to order a pizza, so surely he didn't need much longer to get enough intel for them to find a lead on the case.

But as she turned her head back to her present company, she realized he was talking to her. "Oh- I'm sorry Langan, you where saying..?" her hands clasps on top of his as she gave him her full attention.

"First, um… no last names, okay? Be cool." his smirk was cute. Her eyes dropped down to his lips as he spoke but she mirrored his smile now. "Ah. Understood."

"And second. If you wanted to play, all you had to do was ask. You keep looking, and we both know what's back there." His eyebrow raised, remembering her statement earlier on the dance floor. She was giving a look meant to intimidate but was an underlying turn on for the defense lawyer… but he knew she probably needed to get back to whatever she came to do tonight.

"Why don't I have our drinks brought to the playroom while you check on your "husband"? Hmm?" she didn't even answer before he was signaling to the bartender their order. She briefly wondered how often he did actually come to this place… but the thought of getting back to the case and following up on leads where a much better idea though.

"Yeah, that would be great. We really should be going soon any ways. Just a club soda for me, thanks. Could you also get a final round out to my husband as well please?" she could tell Trevor didn't want her to rush off anytime soon, but silently understood she was working.

Outside of the courtroom, and her arrest back in the day, she hadn't seen Trevor Langan socially before. Well, accidentally when she and Elliot crashed his date with Alex Cabot to brief her on a case. But that was awkwardly tucked away in her mind. She never got a chance to ask Cabot if they continued to see each other, but now if he's hanging at a swingers club in the middle of the week, he probably didn't have commitment on his mind with the blonde ADA. Olivia took a minute to study his features to get a read on him. He seemed like a lawyer, poker face at the ready, but she still didn't know much about him passed their work run-ins. Man, he must have been able to read her better than she thought, because she caught him acknowledging he was being watched. He didn't falter under her stare.

Then as she sighed and looked again towards the curtains of the playroom, Olivia wondered if she could get out of there as smoothly as he helped her escape that couple earlier. She'd be happy to get back to the case. But something was still on her mind.

"Actually, before we head to the back Trevor, did you want to tell me who extended your invitation..?" She made sure she punctuated his first name.

"Oh, I thought you knew. Me and one of the partners at the law firm are silent backers for this building. It's a good catering spot during the day time. The sandwiches are great here if you hadn't tried the menu yet." She held back a small laugh at Elliot's request to stay away from the finger foods, and nodded at Trevor's admittance at being a patron at the club.

"So... am I in any danger tonight?" He didn't want to say too much in the public space at the bar. So he gave her a knowing look. He quickly looked over her body to check for any wires or where she'd hide a weapon if she was duty. "I wouldn't imagine I would need to find a reason that work would be mixed with play in a place like this." He chose his words carefully, but she could sense his curiosity.

"Well if you play your cards right, I wouldn't see why you would be in any trouble." Her voice was laced with flirtation. She was well aware that being a newbie she would have eyes on her so she didn't want to give away her cover for any onlookers.

She leaned in closer to him, her own curiosity taking over… "Where you here when the club first opened?"

That made him pause as he cleared his throat. The bartender was turned away getting their drinks prepared behind the bar so Trevor took this opportunity to motion them towards the veiled curtains.

"Come on, we'll walk and talk."

She slid out off of the stool, and he offered to help, still holding her at her elbow as he walked by her side. Leaning in as they sauntered to the playroom.

"I thought you knew it was me who had sent the invites out to a few of the pretty faces of NYPD. I had asked your female desk sergeant if you'd like your name on the list and was surprised to see it added for the event. But you where too busy with your group. I apologize for being a bad host that night and not speaking. It was very chaotic with the opening. And before I could steal a moment of your time, you where gone." He explained with a bit of disappointment in his voice. She hadn't even realized he was there that night, let alone the reason behind the invite. She'd have to remember to ask the desk sergeant how those two knew each other. But that was for another time.

"I don't talk about events while at work, and had slipped my mind to ask if you had a good time when I saw you next. Plus. It didn't seem appropriate to bring up when pulling a new client out of a squad room." He chuckled. She didn't know he'd be so relaxed and laid back. Tonight was full of surprises.

"You're probably right, saying something in front of my Captain would be awkward." Olivia said as she tilted her head to look at him. She didn't want to give away her listening device in her earrings, but had to send a message. Olivia was very much aware that everything could be reviewed later, and didn't want to have to explain anything personal to her squad. But she had to admit, she was enjoying the feeling of his arm now wrapped around hers as they walked through the club together, just like when she had walked in with Elliot earlier in the night. "But off the record, I did have a great time." She smiled, slightly contradicting the look in her eye that said it was the end of the conversation.

He got the hint that the subject was now off the table.

The bartender had already headed to Elliot behind the curtain to get their drinks to them as quick as possible, so they took their time to search for him. She wasn't nervous that they were walking deeper and deeper into the club. Trevor walked with a confidence that she was feeding on, and the crowd's intense energy hadn't seem to faze him. She felt suddenly overdressed among her new company as Trevor had subconsciously began to loosen his tie with one hand but kept his arm tightly wrapped around hers. She scanned the room to find her partner nowhere to be found in the mix of orgies and various tangled couples. He would have definitely told her he was leaving if he was uncomfortable… Olivia got worried as moments passed that they hadn't come across their target. Trevor walking slower as they turned into another seated area.

And suddenly she couldn't believe her eyes.

She had been used to the gymnastic style positions they'd been walking past, so the sea of bodies hadn't surprised her. But finding Elliot looking down to Cassandra between his legs, his torso blocking the view of whatever she was doing that had him lifting his half unbuttoned white dress shirt up towards his chest. He was facing her while she sat on the somewhat isolated love seat, only her hand wrapped his waist indicted she was holding him still. That… gave Olivia pause.

What the hell was she doing to her husband? Better yet, what the hell was HE letting her do that had him mumbling…?

"We need to… Cassandra don't… Liv doesn't.."

Oh the many, many, things "Liv doesn't" do ran through her mind as her eyes roamed over Elliot's body, whom was still partially hiding away the slim space between him and Cassandra's actions that had him losing his words...

" 'Liv doesn't' what, El?" Olivia said sternly into his ear. Her body now pressed into his back. She didn't remember dropping Trevor's hand, and she knew she caught her partner off guard.

And Elliot's head snapped looking forward.

"Shit."

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