Plea Bargaining
Mulberry St
Manhattan
8.50 pm Wednesday 22 November 2006
"I thought you might not come," Casey said, breath steaming in the cold as she and McCoy walked side-by-side. "I thought I'd made a complete fool of myself."
"What would you have done?" McCoy asked. "If I hadn't come?"
Casey shrugged. "Had a cup of coffee and gone home," she said pragmatically. "Are you sure we shouldn't get a cab?"
"We're here," McCoy said, taking her elbow to steer her up the steps of his building.
They stood self-consciously apart from each other in the elevator, although they were the only passengers. Casey let him lead the way down the hall. He unlocked the door and let her into a hallway with a study visible on one side and a kitchen on the other.
"Take your coat?" McCoy said.
Casey shut the door behind her. "Nice place," she said. She dropped her bag near the coat rack and took off her coat. McCoy took it from her hand, his fingers lingering over hers. He hung it up next to his own.
"Do you want a drink?" he asked.
"No," Casey said, and without further ado, grabbed his shirt and shoved him up against the wall. She kissed him hard, teeth catching his lower lip, pushing herself against him. McCoy responded in kind, crushing her to him, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Casey moaned as McCoy slipped a knee between hers and pressed against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him to her, hips rocking involuntarily as the heat inside her spiralled upwards. McCoy kissed her neck, her collarbone, ran his hand up her waist to cup her breast.
Casey pulled away from him enough to get her hands in between them and fumble with his belt.
"Wait," McCoy panted.
"Can't," Casey said.
"Bed," McCoy said, and pulled her down the hallway.
"Sissy," Casey said breathlessly, letting him tow her. When they reached the bedroom she spun him around and pushed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him. McCoy groaned and arched his back as Casey straddled him. She started to undo his shirt, then gave up and ripped it open, leaning forward to trail kisses downwards.
Then she stopped. "Jack," she said, "there's something I need to know."
"Top drawer," McCoy said hoarsely.
"No, I mean, a real question." She shifted her weight a little and McCoy's hips jerked.
"You choose now to get inquisitive?" he asked incredulously.
"I want an honest answer." She traced a pattern on his chest with one fingernail. "And I presume I have your full attention?"
"Not in the way of answering questions, no," McCoy said. He ran his hands over her thighs and then began to slide her skirt higher. "I'll tell you whatever you want to hear – I mean, know. Later." He reached her for but she captured his hands with her own, lacing her fingers through his.
"Now, Jack," Casey said, "While you're still highly motivated." She moved a little, to reinforce the point, and McCoy's grip tightened in hers.
"This is why you're here?" McCoy asked, a little hoarsely.
"Have you heard the saying, men lie before sex, and they lie after sex?" Casey said. "That means they only tell the truth during. And I want you to tell me the truth."
"Can I take the fifth?" McCoy asked, and then gasped and closed his eyes as Casey shifted her weight again. "God, Casey – you're merciless."
"Pay attention, Jack," Casey ordered. "Why did you pick Regan Markham to run your scam on Neil Gorton? And not me?"
"That's what you want to know?" McCoy asked disbelievingly.
"Is it because she's a better lawyer?" Casey persisted.
"She isn't half the lawyer you are, Casey," McCoy said.
"Then why?"
McCoy managed to free one hand and evade her efforts to recapture it, sliding his hand under her blouse where it had pulled free from her skirt. "Do you really want to talk about this now?" he asked with a suggestive leer.
"Come on, Jack!" Casey said, trying to ignore his fingers working their way up her waist.
"I'm trying," McCoy said. "Are you going to co-operate?"
"I could be very co-operative, counsellor," Casey said, "If you answer my question. You made a big play. You shut me out. Why?"
"No-one ever wonders what you think, Casey," McCoy said. "For example …" His hand crept higher and Casey let out an involuntary moan, leaning into his touch. McCoy chuckled. "I needed Regan to tell the lie. I needed you to sell it." He ran his thumb over her hardening nipple, scattering her thoughts. Casey tried to concentrate, difficult as it was with McCoy's fingers raising trails of fire under her skin that ran straight down to her belly.
"So she's – a better – Oh, god, Jack – a better liar, that's why?" she gasped.
Casey was taken by surprise when McCoy flipped them over, ending up with Casey the one pinned down. "She keeps more secrets," he said, looking down at her with a smug smile. "And now, counsellor, I think you're the one at a disadvantage."
"Really?" Casey said, rubbing one foot up the back of his leg and arching her back to press against him. "It looks to me more like a win-win situation."
McCoy pressed his lips to her neck, then to her collarbone. "Does that mean you are amenable to a plea bargain, counsellor?" He began to unbutton her blouse.
"Is that a – a bargain where I say – say please a lot?" Casey asked, arching her back at his touch.
"I'm sure we can include that among the terms," McCoy murmured. Casey laughed, and then as McCoy began to work his way down from her collarbone her breath caught and she heard herself make quite a different noise.
.oOo.
A/N: In the next chapter I'm going to try something different: instead of staying with one point-of-view for the whole chapter, I'm going to use a number of short 'grabs' from different characters. The different points-of-view will be separated by lines like the ones above. I hope this works, but if you read it please let me know what you think – about that or about anything!
