40. Phone call

When Olivia returns from work, using her key card to enter the building and operate the elevator alone for the first time, she's dead on her feet. It's almost 10.30 pm. She's missed dinner and had texted Gene, who had promised her that he'd have some leftovers for her. She smiles. Gene's leftovers can no doubt pass for a four star meal. Still, she appreciates that he's made the effort and that he hasn't complained too loudly that she was going to be late. When the elevator doors slide open, she steps into the gallery and looks to her left and right, trying to determine where to find her boyfriend. Their penthouse is just so big, she isn't used to living in so much space yet. She turns right, in the direction of the kitchen and the living room when she hears Gene's voice. Apparently he's on the phone with someone, and as she approaches, she can make out what he's saying.

"I'm sorry, Marissa … Yeah … no. No, I can't … No. Not next week either."

He chuckles then and makes a humming sound. Olivia has stopped dead in her tracks. He must be talking to one of his former bedroom companions. He sure is using his bedroom voice.

"I know … Yeah … Good times."

She closes her eyes. They seem to be reminiscing about their time together and Olivia doesn't know what to feel. Good times. Is he going to miss those times after a while? And is he going to stay in touch with these other women?

"That's right … Yeah, I know."

Olivia leans against the wall that separates Gene's little office nook from the gallery. She hears him chuckle again, and hum.

"That's true, Marissa. Very true."

After another pause she hears Gene sigh. Would he want to go out with this woman? This Marissa? Will his old habits come back once he's settled into their new routine? Or when he gets tired of her coming home this late at night, or sometimes not at all?

"Sounds like your kind of party. Am I gonna see you on the society pages the day after?"

He laughs out loud then and Olivia's stomach clenches. She hates how he's talking to this woman as if he's known her intimately for years. He probably has and she feels like punching something. How dare that woman call him! And how dare he just chat with her as if he isn't in a serious relationship now!

"No, I'm sure I can't come, Marissa. Stop asking me that, please. I already told you … Exactly. I didn't think that would happen either but here we are … Yes … Yes, I'm sure."

Olivia frowns, still listening intently. What are they talking about now? He didn't think what would happen? And then she hears him say,

"She's the one, Marissa. I'm off the market for good."

Olivia releases the breath she'd been holding. He's talking about her now and relief washes over her, almost making her emotional. He's off the market for good. Because he's with her now! When Gene continues talking, the corners of her mouth tug up a little.

"I knew she was different from the first time we met. I just didn't want to admit it, you know? Because a woman like that isn't going to fall for a man like me!"

He listens while Marissa responds and lets out another soft chuckle.

"Great sex isn't everything, Marissa," he says seriously then, before suddenly laughing out loud again. "I know! I tried to tell myself that that was all that mattered. Boy, was I wrong!"

He sighs then and Olivia swallows hard. She can feel the emotion in that one sigh. She knows him so well already. His next words still rock her, simply because he's talking about her.

"I do. I love her. I didn't know I could love someone this much, you know?"

Olivia blinks furiously now to keep her tears at bay. He loves her and he's ready to tell the world. What more could she ask for?

Gene ends the call with Marissa after another minute and the moment she hears him toss his phone on his desk, she steps around the corner. Before Gene can even process that she's there, she jumps into his arms and wraps hers around his neck. It only takes Gene half a second to give in to her embrace. He nuzzles her neck while wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Welcome home baby," he says softly and Olivia just nods against his neck.

She is home. This is her home now, because he is her home.

"I love you," she chokes out and then Gene seems to catch on.

"You heard me on the phone just now, didn't you?"

She nods again. Gene kisses her softly below her ear and whispers,

"I meant every word baby. I'm never looking back."

Olivia turns her head then and captures his lips with hers. He kisses her back eagerly and doesn't hesitate when she mumbles against his lips,

"Take me to bed."

...

It had been strange to talk to Marissa again. He remembers being with the woman but those are distant memories. Fragmented, like data with no experience attached. But somehow, he remembers every single time he's been with Olivia, even though their first time was longer ago than his last time with Marissa. His memories of her are seared in his brain and he can't get enough of her. He remembers dancing with her in a jazz bar, being all over her in the limousine and then when they got back to his hotel room … her mouth on him … just thinking about it still makes him hard for her every time.

She's slipped out of bed to use the bathroom quickly and when she returns to their bedroom, she smirks when she sees him, stretched out naked on their bed, sporting a fresh erection. He grabs himself and looks at her invitingly. She bites her lower lip seductively and saunters towards the bed in all her naked glory.

"Ready for more already?" she asks huskily, blinking slowly while her eyes peruse his naked form.

"If you're not too tired," he challenges.

He'd been pleasantly surprised earlier. He had assumed Olivia would be too tired after such a long day, but she had been fire and passion as soon as she'd gotten him naked. And like him, she isn't done yet. She laughs darkly and then climbs on the bed, moving to sit between his legs on her knees. Gene spreads them a little wider eagerly, hoping that she is planning to do what he's been thinking about.

"I can see what you want," she says seductively, and his cock twitches in his hand.

Her eyes flick down to his excited member and back up to his eyes. Her smile renders him weak as if all the blood in his body is now pooling in one place. And that place is her intended target.

She licks her full lips slowly and he swallows hard. When she moves to cover his hand with hers around his throbbing cock, he wants to pull his hand away but she grips him tighter and then starts moving his hand slowly with hers. She moves him up and down slowly, deliberately. She is leaning forward, resting her weight on her left arm while pumping him with her right hand, her full breasts swaying a little with their combined movement. He sees the love bite he's given her earlier on her left breast and he wishes he could suck on her breasts again.

"I want you," he grunts.

"You're mine now," she replies, moving her face closer to his bobbing tip.

"All yours," he manages to choke out just before she wraps her lips around him. After that, nothing intelligible leaves his mouth for a while. She finally releases his hand when she takes him in deeper and he lets his head drop back on the pillow then, closing his eyes. He remembers how she'd knelt for him that first time and he'd thought it was incredible that a woman would want to do that for him on their first night. She'd been all over him and he had just assumed she hadn't had any sex for a while. But all these months later, she is still devouring him. He knows now that she loves him and it's only made their sex life better.

When his hips begin to move, Olivia moves with him, adjusting to his rhythm and he can feel the tension grow in his body. His balls are already tightening again. Olivia pulls back a little and licks his tip slowly, moving her tongue across and around it a few times before looking up at him.

"Liv …" he croaks, and she smirks mischievously.

"My turn," she whispers, and again he is reminded of that first night with her.

It had been his words then. He had been so eager to taste her, to please her and hear her moan with pleasure. But things have changed. She doesn't wait for him to pleasure her anymore; she tells him what she wants, either with or without words.

He caresses her sides and her hips when she crawls over him and gives her room to manoeuvre when she plants her knees on either side of his head and grabs hold of the iron frame of the bed. Gene's arms now hug her thighs from below and he helps her sink down on his face, his mouth already open to receive her. His hands move to her firm ass once she finds her balance holding onto the frame, and he feasts on her softness, alternating between long strokes and short flicks with his tongue, and then sucking on her clit again until she squirms and pants above him. When she begins to grind down on him he latches on to her and caresses her insides as far as he can until she cries out his name.

And that's when he stops.

"Fuck."

Olivia sits back on his chest and looks down at him, her eyes glowing with desire.

"You want me to finish the job like this?" he asks her, and he is genuinely curious what she'll say. He is used to her always being mindful of his needs as well as her own but he hopes she will allow herself to just go for what she wants for herself every once in a while. While he waits for her answer, he slides his hands up from her hips until he's cupping her breasts. He traces the outlines of her nipples lazily and feels the muscles in Olivia's legs contract. Her breathing is shallow and she is watching his hands. He drops one hand down and moves it between her legs. She is opened up completely for him and he slides his thumb across her swollen clit, just once.

She moans instantly and although she hasn't answered his question, he thinks he knows her answer; her real answer.

"Just tell me yes," he whispers and he finally sees something tick over in her head.

She nods then, and he accepts her answer. She is humming with want and one day she will just say yes. He just knows it. He moves his hands underneath her ass again and she moves with him willingly. She lets out a small yelp when his mouth closes over her sensitive core again and then sinks down on him once more. He doesn't hold back this time and neither does Olivia. She is going to come just like this and they both know it.

Her hips begin to move and Gene eats her out hungrily, caressing her ass and thigh with one hand and moving his other hand up to squeeze her breast. Olivia's moans are getting louder and her hips move faster. Gene breathes hard through his nose, not wanting to stop now that she's so close. His tongue flicks across her clit a few times and then dives into her hot entrance again and again until Olivia cries out his name. The bed is shaking with her as she comes hard, grinding down on his face while he laps at her, pushing his tongue into and against her hard to increase her pleasure. When she finally stills and sits up slightly to allow him to breathe, she rests her head on her arms against the iron frame, still panting. Gene caresses her thighs and her back, giving her time to come down from her high, and then helps her climb off of him and lie down. He kisses her on the lips then, and she deepens the kiss, no doubt tasting herself on him. Her hand drifts down his body until she finds his raging hard-on, and she wraps her hand around it.

"It's okay," he tells her. "You relax for a little while."

"I love you so much," she mumbles, her eyes drooping closed.

He guesses her long day is finally catching up with her after two orgasms and he smiles. He kisses her closed eyelids and lays down beside her, just watching her for a while. He's still hard for her but he can wait a little longer. He knows she won't fall into a deep sleep. He's heard her stomach growl earlier and he will enjoy feeding her in bed. But first he will wait a few minutes and then make love to her while she relaxes beneath him. He knows she will want to pleasure him in return but it's enough for him just to know she's his.

When her eyes open a few minutes later, he crawls over her silently. Olivia immediately opens her legs for him and smiles up at him.

"Okay?" he asks her, just to be sure.

"Okay," she replies calmly.

He pushes into her slowly then, knowing that after what he's just done to her she will be ready to receive him. And he's more than ready to be inside her again. His eyes close when he feels her body gripping him tightly and he hides his face in the crook of her neck when he begins to move.

He makes love to her slowly, languidly; gradually coaxing her into coming with him one last time. Once he feels her body beginning to respond again, he speeds up, allowing himself to finally let go. He whispers her name when he comes, giving more of himself to her each time they make love.

He wants only her now. He never wants to go back to that life he was briefly reminded of earlier. He wants to start a family with her. He wants to …

"Gene?"

He has turned them around and Olivia is still sprawled out on top of him.

"Hmmm?"

"About that phone call earlier …"

He opens his eyes and looks at Olivia, but all he can see is her hair, fanned around her face on his chest.

"What about it?"

"How many more of those am I to expect?"

Gene takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. The honest answer is that he doesn't know. He has given his number to so many women over the years, that he wouldn't know how many of them still have it and would still call him. He decides to just go with the truth.

"I don't really know, Olivia. I'm sorry."

She is silent for a long time then. A few times, he thinks she wants to say something, but each time she seems to reconsider. And then finally she speaks.

"Gene?"

"Yes baby."

"Would you consider changing your number? For me?"

Her voice sounds so small suddenly that he has to look into her eyes now. He rolls her off of him until they are lying face to face and he can look at her. He tells her very seriously,

"I told you, I would do anything for you, Olivia Benson. I love you with every fiber of my being. I will change my number for you. I'll call Jonathan tomorrow to arrange it. And I'll delete any numbers I may still have that are not connected to my business."

Olivia smiles but one corner of her mouth twitches a little.

"Were you nervous about asking me this?" he asks her.

She averts his gaze then, looking at his chest instead.

"A little," she admits. "I didn't know how badly you'd need that number for business."

"That's not important. If someone needs me, they'll find a way to reach me."

She stares at him and he quickly adds, "For business, I mean."

Olivia caresses his cheek and kisses him softly on the lips.

"Thank you Gene."

"Anything for you, Olivia. Remember that. Anything."

"That's a dangerous promise to make," Olivia observes quietly.

"I know," he whispers before kissing her back. "But you're worth the risk."

...

To be continued