Since Kathy left, Elliot has been tossing and turning at night, his bed feeling too big and cold without her. Yet tonight, he feels his body crashing from exhaustion, dragging him quickly into a deep slumber and dreams of Liv…

The bar is empty except for the two of them. She is sitting on the edge of the pool table, cross-legged, resting on the palms of her hands. Her dark eyes follow him, the heel of her boot swinging from side to side.

Elliot's eyes trail over her body as he walks over until he is standing in front of her. His hands rest on either side of her.

"Liv?"

In his dreams, she says what he wants to hear most. Tonight, she leans forward until her lips are almost near his. She murmurs, "Elliot, I want you."

Elliot's lips crash onto hers. Her lips fall quickly to take him in, responding to the push and pull of his mouth. His hands tangle through her hair. Hers hook into the loops of his jeans, pulling him in closer, making her desires for him clear. Her lips are like berries when he bites into her, soft and lush. He drinks her in, tasting every part of her. From her mouth down to the crook of her neck.

She tilts her head back, a deep moan parting her lips. "El…"

She wraps her legs around his waist and pulls him in further, her hips rising up to meet his. She wants him, right there and then on the pool table. She begs him to take her there.

His dream quivers and changes. Elliot is now sitting on the lounge, watching her undress in front of him. She's flirty in her dreams, just like in his fantasies. She bites her lower lip as she slowly takes off her top. She bends over as she goes to slip off her skirt then her bra and panties, her eyes never leaving his.

Elliot lets her leave her boots on.

She walks over to him slowly, a sway in her hips. She bends forward and rests both hands on the side of the lounge. Her lips brush against his as she whispers, "Do you want me El?"

Elliot answers her by pulling her down towards him, their lips meeting in a heated kiss. She goes to straddle his waist, her hands running down his chest and pulling at his shirt. His hands sculpt down her curves and squeeze her arse, pulling her hips towards where he needs her the most.

Then he has her lying underneath him, his hands and mouth tracking every curve and slope of her body that he had been eyeing every evening he saw her at the bar. When he thrusts into her, long and hard, he releases a strangled moan from her throat. He begins to ride her, his pace quickening with hers. She arches her back, nails racking down his skin. Her moans come in peaks and slopes, rising and falling with the waves of pleasure building throughout his body.

"Oh God…Elliot…"

When Elliot wakes up, he is slick with sweat. His sheets are wet as well. He can still feel his heart hammering in his chest. He presses his head back against the pillow and squeezes his eyes shut. He tells himself that it's just a dream, a meaningless dream.

Finally, Elliot manages to drift back off to sleep, with Liv still on his mind.

As planned, Elliot picks his daughter up Friday night to have her over for the weekend. Elliot takes her to the zoo and upon her request, they spend the evenings together, watching Disney movies and eating takeout. It's a much welcome distraction from Liv.

Yet when he drops her off Monday morning to a cool and guarded Kathy, he finds himself already making plans to see Liv again.

It's busy tonight at the bar and they're short on staff. Elliot sips his drink slowly as he watches Liv clear drinks from the pool table. He dreamt last night that they had fucked right there on the pool table. Heat creeps up his neck as he watches her lean over the pool table, the dream replaying in his mind.

Elliot shuts his eyes. It's bad enough that he's dreaming about having sex with her to begin with. It's wrong for him to be thinking it when he's awake, watching her.

Elliot tells himself that it's just pent up frustration. It was hard this morning, dropping Kathleen off and watching her cast him a sad smile and a weak wave as he drove off. She's only six and unable to understand why Daddy can't be with them. He misses waking up to her in the morning and making her panda shaped pancakes. He misses Kathy. Elliot isn't sure how long this break will last, and the lack of communication is torturous.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Elliot startles and raises his head to Liv. She smiles at him, already reaching for a bottle of scotch to top up his drink.

Elliot accepts the drink. "Yeah."

"It's just that you seem a little distracted."

Her eyes soften as she studies him. Elliot is suddenly worried that she can see right through him. Perhaps he was staring at her a little too long tonight, making his lust for her clear.

Then she says, "How are things with your family?"

His body relaxes. "Well, Kathy's still not ready to talk about us. I think it hurts her every time she thinks about it…we've started seeing each other again for Kathleen's sake. I had her over this weekend actually, I took her to the zoo. I let her have my phone for the day, so she went crazy taking photos of the animals."

Seeing Liv's eyes light up with interest, Elliot takes out his phone, searching for the photos. He offers it to her.

She scrolls through the photos, smiling. "She's beautiful El."

El. It's the first time she calls him that, yet it falls from her lips so naturally. Liv doesn't even notice it herself or the smile that touches his lips when she says the endearing nickname.

She continues looking through the photos, her dimples reaching her cheeks. "She has your eyes as well." She glances briefly at his eyes, before returning back to the photo. "She's lucky. I would have killed for blue eyes at her age."

Elliot studies her mahogany coloured eyes, warm and gentle. He has to stop himself from questioning her, thinking just how beautiful her eyes are. Thinking that if he stared long enough, he could fall right into her eyes.

Her light chuckle grabs his attention once more. "She's quite the artist."

She shows him the series of photos Kathleen had taken without Elliot's awareness. Photos of Elliot lounging on the couch, popcorn on his shirt, and mouth open in a snore, asleep. Photos of him hunched over the table in his flannel pyjamas, his mouth full of cereal.

Elliot quickly reaches for the phone, shocked and a little embarrassed.

"God, I had no idea she had taken them."

She breathes out another laugh. "She's sneaky. It looks like you two had a fun weekend though."

Elliot pockets his phone. "What about you? Did you get up too much?"

She parts her lips to speak and then pauses, as if changing her mind. "You know, the same old. I caught up on some sleep and ran some errands."

Elliot notices a change in her body language, her arms folding together and eyes lowering as her voice trails off. He has noticed that she seems to close up whenever he asks about her life.

Elliot pushes her a little more. "That's it? No big plans or dates?"

She tilts her head to the side at his curiosity. "No, nothing like that."

"I find that hard to believe."

Her eyes bloom with surprise, then softens with interest, studying his eyes once more.

Elliot isn't sure why he cares about her relationship status. But he suddenly finds himself needing to know, wanting to learn more about her.

"Livinia!" One of the waitresses calls for her from over the bar. "Robert's here, wanting to see you."

Elliot doesn't miss the steady breath she takes, then sees her body softening, releasing tension as she exhales. Elliot himself suddenly feels his body tense up at the mention of Robert.

He tries to keep his voice calm when he says, "Robert?"

Liv doesn't miss the hint of tension in his tone at his enquiry. "Just a regular customer, he's taken a bit of…interest in me lately."

Elliot follows her gaze to a group of men settling into one of the lounges. He notices one man in particular who's currently flirting with one of the waitresses. He's in his forties, with salt and pepper hair, sharp features, chisel jaw and stone-grey eyes. The man is clean shaven and like the other two men sitting next to him, wearing a pressed suit.

Elliot gathers that this is Robert, as he hears the man calling out for "Livinia" again. His fingers curl to the side, his body tensing.

Elliot can't help himself. The words roll off his tongue before he can register thinking it. "Does every customer take an interest in you like this?"

Liv raises her eyebrows, surprised. "Not all of them." She leans over the bar, her eyes batting in a hint of a wink when she says, "Just the married ones who love their scotch."

Elliot meets her stare from above the rim of his glass. He doesn't miss her light tone and the flirtatious smile she casts his way, knows that she is trying to keep things light to ease his concern.

Then she turns, tilting her head over to the bar. "I better go see what he wants."

Elliot follows her gaze to Robert once more. There's something about the man that puts him on edge. "Hey Liv," Elliot quickly calls to her, stopping her. Elliot's surprised at the urgency in his tone. Judging from her wide eyes, he can see that she is as well. He tries to recompose himself, speaking in a calmer tone. "This man…who is he?"

Liv steps forward, sensing his concern. "Like I said, he's a regular. He's harmless really." She hesitates, as if deciding how much she should share. "He's like any other customer here. Unfortunately, he's a friend of the boss and brings in a lot of business from clients and associates. So, I have to make sure he gets what he wants."

That's exactly what Elliot is worried about. He glances at Robert again and then back at Liv. "You sure that what he's wanting isn't you?"

"Oh, I don't doubt it. But I can handle him."

Then she walks off. Elliot takes a steady breath and downs the rest of his drink in one gulp.

He knows his concerns for her is ludicrous. She's not his girlfriend. He shouldn't care so much. Besides, he knows that she's right. He's seen the way she carries herself and interacts with the other customers. She's never afraid to put others in place.

Yet he can't shake of the gut feeling telling him that she's in trouble.

Elliot turns his attention back to Liv. She's sitting on the edge of the lounge Robert is sitting back in, laughing at something he said. Robert is nursing his glass with one hand while the other moves to rest on her thigh.

It's not the first time he's seen a customer touch her inappropriately. But it's the first time he's seen Liv ignore it.

Elliot signals to the waitress for another drink. When she comes over, he asks, "Hey, who's that guy speaking to Liv?"

The blonde waitress frowns and follows his gaze. "Oh, you mean Robert? He's a regular here, some big financial advisor on Wall Street. I haven't actually spoken to him much since Livinia started working here."

Elliot frowns. "What do you mean? You mean she hasn't always worked here?"

The waitress tilts her head to the side, looking at him incredulously. "No, of course not. She started working here a few months ago. They hired her as our manager, which makes no sense since one of the positions should have gone to one of us. It's no big surprise," she adds after Elliot's puzzled stare. "Most of the girls here don't stay long. We've lost three girls in the last six months. Anyway, before Livinia started, Robert used to ask for me." She says this almost proudly, tossing her hair to the side. "Of course, that was when my hair was darker. Robert's into brunettes."

Elliot lets the information sink in, processing.

The blonde clears her throat to catch his attention again and asks, "Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you hun?"

Elliot doesn't miss the flirtatious smile and suggestive look in the girl's eye. He shakes his head and passes her a polite smile. "I'm fine, thanks."

She pauses, shifting her gaze between Elliot and Liv. "You should know, she's not like the rest of us. Livinia doesn't go home with customers, especially married men." She leans over the counter, her tone dropping an octave. "But not all of us care."

Her eyes linger on his wedding ring. Elliot buries his hand in pocket, a little uncomfortable under her gaze. His voice is firm when he speaks, "That's not why I'm here."

The blonde raises her eyebrows, casting him a doubtful look. She stands back up, straightening herself. "I see the way you look at her. You're not fooling anyone."

Her words continue to linger in his mind after she exits. I see the way you look at her. You're not fooling anyone.

Elliot swallows and takes another swing of his drink. Is it that obvious? Guilt claws its way back up his stomach once more, twisting his insides uncomfortably. Elliot tells himself that it's just lust, coming from his frustrations over his marriage with Kathy. Yet if it's just lust, why has he never been tempted by any one of the other girls?

Elliot closes his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh. He's not doing anything wrong by looking. Elliot takes another drink and thinks about leaving.

Yet he finds himself staying there, finishing his drink, then calling for another one and another one. Occasionally he checks his phone for any messages from Kathy and sometimes chats to the other waitresses, accepting the welcome distraction. But mostly he watches over Liv, his concern for her never easing.

The night drags on slowly. Elliot is five drinks in when he hears her name from Robert's lounge at the back of the bar.

Elliot swings around in his stool so he's facing them. Liv had left the bar moments ago with a few bags of trash in hand. Elliot can see that Robert is red in the face and laughing with his other colleagues. Elliot leans in forward, trying to hear them better.

It's one of his colleagues who speaks. "You serious Robert?"

Robert's speech is slurred when he speaks. "Yep. All the cash on me tonight which is, uh…" he reaches for his wallet, fumbling as he does so, but finally pulls out green bills and slams them onto the table. "Two hundred dollars and my recent stocks in Newstead that I take Livinia home tonight."

His other friend chuckles, shaking his head. "I don't know why you try. She's frigid. Besides, the other girls are way hotter. What about Jess?" He cocks his head over to the blonde who was speaking to Elliot moments ago. "You know she's been eyeing you all night."

Robert's lips pull into a smug smirk. "I don't want her. I want Liv. She will tonight too, if she knows what's good for her."

Elliot stomach churns with disgust, his fingers clenching at the sides.

But Robert doesn't stop. He takes another drink before saying, "Besides, they're all the same. Women here only want one thing. Tell them how much you make, and they'll do anything for you."

Elliot almost breaks his glass. He doesn't realise that he's standing and storming over to their table. He only sees red. His features are hardened with the rage that is pumping throughout his body and slamming in his chest.

Robert is in mid-conversation when Elliot grabs the glass from his hand, slamming it onto the table. His voice is cold and laced with hostility when he breathes, "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell Liv what you just shared with your homeboys over here and apologise for every disgusting and depraved thing you said. Then you and your friends are going to leave her a lengthy tip and get the hell out of here. Otherwise, I'm going to smash your face into this table, glass and all. And I can promise you, not all the plastic surgery you can afford will fix the mess I'll make out of it."

Robert doesn't even bat a lid. He leans in closer, smirking. "Who do you think you are?" His smirk widens into a grin. He leans back into his chair, tilting his head to the exit door. "Go on, tell her when she gets back in here. I dare you too. Liv knows who I am, and she's no different from any of the other whores who throws themselves at me." He shows his teeth as he grins, clearly enjoying the rage quaking in Elliot's heavy breathing and shaking throughout his body. "Tonight, I'll have that slut on her knees for me."

Wham!

Elliot's fists collide into Robert's face, slamming his head back against the sofa. Robert's friends immediately stand up to restrain Elliot, but he doesn't stop there. Elliot shakes, pushes and throws his friends off him, reflexes he gained from his years as an NYPD officer kicking in. Elliot manages to slam one of Robert's friend into the table and punches another guy's face, making him hit the ground.

Then he launches back into Robert. He punches him again. And again. With a growl, Robert manages to reach for a glass and smashes it into Elliot's face. While Elliot staggers back, Robert gets onto his feet, throwing one punch then two at Elliot.

The two are oblivious to the screams, cries and scampering of feet from the other girls, who try to flee the scene. They're oblivious to the drunken cheers from the other customers who are urging them on.

It's only when Liv arrives does Elliot finally break out of it.

"What the hell is going on?"

Elliot turns to see Liv standing at the door, pure horror shattering her features. Elliot's panting. He suddenly realises just how heavy he is and leans forward, feeling as if his weight might give into him at any moment. He drops the beer bottle and reaches up for his cheek where he feels a slight burn. He touches blood.

Elliot turns to look at her. The horror on her face fills him with shame.

Robert isn't looking any better. His face is bruised and cut everywhere. His eyes are livid, his features twisted with hatred. Yet he doesn't say anything to Elliot.

Instead, Robert staggers over to Liv and whispers, "Just wait until I tell your boss. You're done here."

He spits on the ground and leaves. His friends soon follow, groaning and staggering behind him.

"Shit," Liv whispers. Her gaze shifts between Elliot and Robert. She hesitates, then quickly comes over to him, assessing his cuts and injuries. "God, what have you done?"

Elliot lets her help him onto the lounge, groaning. "You didn't hear them…didn't hear what they were saying about you."

Liv is crouching next to him. She shakes her head, her eyes closing for a moment. "You shouldn't have done that. I told you I could handle myself."

"Liv, I heard him, I saw the look in his eye. The sick fucker was going to rape you."

"And I never asked you to look after me."

Elliot clenches his jaw at her raised tone. "Right. Noted."

Remorse immediately passes her features. "Elliot, I-" She pauses, her eyes softening onto his. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just…you don't know who these men are. You don't know what they're capable of." She reaches towards his cut and bleeding cheek, then pulls back. She sighs, closing her eyes once more. "Shit. I need to go after him before he says anything else."

Ellipt snaps his open. "What? No-".

"Stay here," she says firmly, her hands reaching for his shoulder, pulling him back onto the couch. "I promise you that I will be safe. I'll call for one of the girls to help look after you and take you to a doctor, but I need you to stay here."

Elliot wants to protest. But he sees her eyes soften with sincerity, pleading with his. So, he eases back into the couch, nodding.

Elliot lets her go, a million questions racing through his mind. Elliot swears he can hear her muttering as she runs off, her tone sounding more scared than angry.

"God Elliot…you have no idea what you've done."

Bit of a longer chapter this time. I always love an Elliot who's quick to defend Liv's honour (not that she needs it). After writing and then reading this, I honestly wonder how long Elliot can hold on before he makes a move. He's clearly falling for this woman.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in a week. I said it would be a bit of a slow burn….but kindda wanting them to hurry up and make out now you know?