Author's Note: Thank you again for the feedback on my first two chapters. I love hearing from readers about what they like or don't like. I'm a fairly new writer so all feedback is helpful. This chapter is for mature audiences.

Chapter 3

Lulu felt renewed and reenergized when she woke up the next morning. She and Dante had reconnected and she had his support for her new job. He woke up really early, kissed her awake and they made love one more time before he went to the station. She headed off to work with an extra spring in her step.

When she arrived at the paper, she found the DVDs of the surveillance from Johnny's club on her desk. She watched them all morning but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was just a lot of half naked women with men leering and trying to grope them while they danced. After she had been at it for a little while, Preston asked to see her in his office to discuss what she had so far. Lulu explained how she interviewed Roxy, the bartender and Johnny. Then she told him about the surveillance DVDs. He was extremely pleased with her progress so far and decided to make the story a series of features for below the fold on the front page. The first one would go in tomorrow detailing the first few attacks and the PCPD's general lack of interest in solving the case until recently. Lulu was a little nervous about the PCPD angle but since she knew they were hard at work trying to solve the case now, it shouldn't be too big of a deal.

"Write up a piece this afternoon and we'll get it in tomorrow morning's paper. Have it in by 4pm so we can get it edited and in the layout." Preston told her. "The next part of the series should be profiles of the women attacked. Get me the first one by tomorrow afternoon. One other thing, since your husband is a detective, I don't think you should use his last name as your byline. Something more mysterious would be better. How about LL Spencer?"

Lulu felt a little uneasy not using her new married name but Preston was right that it might look a little strange that the wife of a detective was writing this series. "Okay, LL Spencer it is." She agreed.

Lulu got to work on her first piece. She wrote about the series of attacks. All were reported to the PCPD and according to the dancers, nobody had showed up at the club to ask questions until last week. She included quotes from Roxy and Johnny.

She filed her story at 3:59pm. She knew Dante might be upset about the PCPD angle but she had to tell the story as is and use the facts. The facts were that the PCPD had really dropped the ball on investigating this case until he was assigned to it. It was important for the public to know that these attacks were happening.

"Congratulations Lulu!" She was startled out of her thoughts by Jared. "I heard you just filed your first story. That's great! On the front page and everything!"

"Thank you! I'm so nervous about it." Lulu said.

"It is natural to be nervous about your first one. It will get easier and soon enough you won't even think about it. You will file the story and move on the next one. Is your husband going to take you out to celebrate?" Jared asked.

"My husband doesn't even know yet. He hasn't returned any of my calls or texts today so he must be really busy at work." Lulu had been trying to get in touch with Dante since her meeting with Preston. "I'll just fill him in later at home I guess."

"We could go get a drink to toast your success." Jared offered.

"That is so kind of you to offer but I have an interview with the first victim this evening. Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure, we can have lunch or something tomorrow instead." Jared went to pack up his laptop. "I'm done for the day, have a great night Lulu."

"You too Jared. Thanks for helping me out these first couple of days. It has really made this place a lot less intimidating."

Jared smiled and said good-bye. Lulu packed up her own laptop and headed off to meet Brandy.

Lulu met Brandy at a coffee shop near the club where they could talk without all of the noise. Brandy was a beautiful girl in her early twenties with dark hair and dark eyes. She told Lulu how she was walking home from work and was grabbed from behind and dragged into an alley. The guy was wearing a ski mask and proceeded to beat her until she was unconscious. Someone found her lying in the alley bruised and bloody with her clothes ripped and took her to the hospital. She has no idea what happened to her after she was knocked out. She was out of work for weeks because she had bruises and cuts all over her body that took a long time to heal. Lulu asked Brandy a series of questions about her life. Where she came from, why she started dancing. She told Lulu that she was dancing to pay for college because her parents died when she was a teenager and she was left with nothing.

"I was alone in the world and needed to do something to make money. Dancing pays for school so I won't have any student loans after I'm finished. Johnny paid me for the six weeks I was out so I wouldn't have to drop out. I know he has a bad reputation around town as a ruthless mobster but he really takes good care of the dancers at the club. We all have good insurance. He hired extra security to try to keep us safe. He wants to find the bastard doing this just as much as we do." Brandy explained.

"I know Johnny actually and I know he is a good guy deep down." Lulu said without going into details of exactly how well she knew Johnny. "He has been very open with me and helpful for the articles."

"I just wish the police were as interested in finding this guy as Johnny is." Brandy lamented.

"Tell me about that. Did you put in a police report?"

"Yes, a uniformed cop came to the hospital and took my statement. He was probably there all of ten minutes. He didn't ask any follow up questions and then I never heard from the PCPD again until last week. Two cops, neither of which was the same as the guy that took my statement, came into the club nor started asking questions. It was dark haired Italian looking guy and a woman. The man was nice and respectful but the woman had an attitude on her."

Lulu didn't want to tell the woman that the man was her husband for fear that she would clam up.

Brandy continued. "It finally seems like the police are doing something about it but it almost seems like too little, too late. Several girls have been attacked by now."

Lulu wanted to say something reassuring but she wasn't sure what to say. The PCPD had really dropped the ball on this. Several women had been attacked after Brandy and it may have been prevented if they had taken more of an interest in the case. She also saw the other side. The department was down two Detectives because Lucky was off in Ireland finding himself and Dante had been shot. They just didn't have the manpower to solve every crime. This one should have been made a priority though. Especially as soon as it became apparent that it was a pattern.

"Thank you so much Brandy for your time. I'm sure we will be seeing each other again soon. I'm going to be around the club interviewing all of the women that were attacked."

"Thanks Lulu for getting the story out there. People need to know what is going on in this town."

Later that night, Lulu woke up to find Dante asleep in bed next to her. She tried to wait up for him but had eventually given up and gone to bed alone. She sat up in bed to look at him. He looked so handsome sprawled out next to her in bed sleeping peacefully. She had to tell him about her story before he read it in the paper tomorrow and saw her byline.

"Dante?" she whispered. She stroked his hair but he didn't stir. She ran her hand down his chest and then squeezed his side. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Dante, can you please wake up? I need to tell you something."

He finally stirred and cracked one eye open to find her staring at him. "What is it baby? Is something wrong?"

"No. Well not really. I don't know." Lulu stammered.

"Obviously something is bothering you since you woke me up in the middle of the night and I don't think it was to have sex since you are still wearing underwear." Dante smiled at her. "Tell me what's going on."

"My first article is going to be published in tomorrow's paper." Lulu confessed.

"That is fantastic! I'm so proud of you!" Dante said and pulled her down to kiss her.

Lulu pulled back. "There is something else. Well, a couple of things." Dante sat up in bed and looked at her expectantly. Lulu continued, "The first is that Preston didn't think I should use Falconeri as my byline. He thought it might look strange having a detective's wife write this particular story and it would be better if people didn't make the connection."

"You aren't using my last name?" Dante said, trying not to look hurt and failing.

"It is going to be LL Spencer." Lulu sighed. "I'm sorry. It doesn't have anything to do with our married life. I'm Lulu Falconeri one hundred percent. This is just for my writing." She grabbed his hand. "There is one more thing. The PCPD doesn't come off looking that great in the article. These assaults were reported and nobody followed up to investigate until you were put on the case."

"Oh." Was all Dante could come up with.

"I knew when I took this job that it might cause some conflicts for us since your job is to solve the crimes that I'm going to be reporting on."

"I guess we are experiencing that first conflict already." Dante said sullenly.

"Honey, please don't be upset. My job is to report the facts and unfortunately those are the facts. These women need their story told." Lulu pleaded.

"I'm not upset. I'm just surprised. This stuff didn't even occur to me when you took this job. It is just something we'll have to adjust to I guess." Dante said as he stroked his thumb over her hand.

Lulu launched herself at Dante to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his neck. "I just love you so much."

"I love you too Lu, more than anything. I'm so proud of you for getting your first article published." He reassured her as he held her tight. He didn't like the idea of her writing about the PCPD or not using his last name but he would adjust. This job seemed to really be something she was passionate about and that's all he wanted for her.

His hands slid down her back and inside her panties to squeeze her ass. "Since we are up anyway, we may as well make the best of it." He grinned at her while tugging her panties down. "I think getting your first article published calls for some celebrating."

"If you insist." She said as she lay back on the bed. Once he had removed her panties and tossed them across the room, he spread her legs open wide and gazed at her sex glistening in the moonlight. "You are so beautiful." He said as he kissed the insides of her thighs. Lulu propped herself up on her elbows so she could watch him as he pleasured her. His eyes met hers as he licked up her seam slowly. He spread her open further and licked her voraciously. Lulu moaned loudly and started grinding herself against this hot mouth. She fell back on the bed and put her hands on his head to push his face into her. He could do amazing things to her with his mouth. He suckled on her clit and she came with a scream, squeezing his head with her thighs and grinding against his tongue. She shuddered one final time and her legs fell open, releasing his head from her grasp. Lulu was panting and trying to catch her breath. "You make me feel so good. Your tongue is like magic." Dante laughed as he slowly kissed his way up her stomach, between her breasts, up her neck until he reached her mouth. She could taste herself on him as his tongue danced with hers and her sex clenched. "I need you inside me right now Dante." She begged. He reached between them and used his cock to tease her folds. "You like that?" He growled in her ear. Lulu moaned and tried to push herself onto him. "Don't tease me Dante, I need you." She reached down and grabbed his ass hard. "Fuck me now!" He obeyed her command and slid inside her. They both sighed in pleasure and Dante started to move over her. He slid in and out slowly while kissing her deeply, amazed at their connection. He wanted this to last as long as possible but she felt so good wrapped around him. He pulled back from their kiss to look into her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She breathed and pulled him into another searing kiss. "Harder" she said against his mouth. He did as she asked and his gentle thrusts turned into more forceful, deep thrusts. "Yes, just like that." Lulu moaned. "Fuck me just like that Dante." He could feel his balls tightening and started thrusting faster. "I'm almost there baby." She held on to him tight and wrapped her legs around his waist. After a few more powerful thrusts, she screamed his name as she came again. Her insides gripped him hard as he kept pounding into her. He came inside her moments later. She kept herself wrapped around him to keep him from pulling out. "Don't leave me." They kissed passionately for several minutes with him still inside her, her hands running up and down his back and squeezing his toned ass. Eventually he pulled out and rolled off of her, pulling her in close to his side. She cuddled into him, entwining her legs with his as he stroked her hair. "You can wake me up anytime if it results in mind blowing sex like that." Dante teased. She laughed against his chest. "Sex with you is always mind blowing. Do you think it will be like this forever?"

"I think it will just keep getting better and better." Dante said. Lulu kissed his chest and drifted off to sleep with a satisfied sigh. Dante followed her shortly after and they stayed like that until morning.

Lulu woke up bright and early because she knew the paper would be delivered and she wanted to see her article in print. She quietly climbed out of bed and picked up Dante's shirt from the floor to put on so she could open the door and get the paper. She took a deep breath and then spread it out on the table. There was her story right on the lower half of the front page as Preston had promised. She was so engrossed in reading that she didn't even hear Dante get out of bed and shuffle over to her sleepily. She was startled when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and put his chin on her shoulder. "There you are baby, right on the front page. Congratulations!" He said and kissed her neck.

"Thank you, I can't believe it!" She turned around to kiss Dante good morning. He looked so adorable with his hair sticking up everywhere and barely awake. "I'll make us some coffee."

Dante sat at the table to read what she wrote while Lulu busied herself in the kitchen making coffee. He felt a little kick in the gut when he saw her story credited to LL Spencer. She was his wife now and he wanted everyone to know it. The story itself was very good though. She had a talent for writing.

Olivia had purchased them a Keurig for a wedding gift so the coffee was ready in a flash. She brought the two mugs over to the table and placed them down and then Dante pulled her onto his lap. "This article is great, I'm so proud of you."

"You aren't upset about what I said about the PCPD?" Lulu asked him worriedly.

"I would be upset if it weren't true. We were down two detectives and this case fell through the cracks for awhile." Dante admitted. "Hopefully you will have more positive things to say once we solve it."

Lulu cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too. What do you say to a shower with your husband before work?" Lulu shrieked with laughter as he stood up with her still in his arms and carried her off to the bathroom. He took her up against the wall of shower with her legs wrapped around him as the hot water rained down onto them. When they were finished he let her down and they washed each other's hair and soaped each other up and then they rinsed off and got out of the shower. Dante kissed Lulu one more time and went into the bedroom to get dressed while Lulu dried her hair.

When they were both dressed, they sat down at the table to finish their coffee. Lulu looked at her husband sitting there reading the sports section. "Doesn't it seem like the sex is hotter now that we are married? It is like I can't get enough of you. No matter how many times we have sex, I want it again. Even now when we just had sex twice last night and once in the shower this morning and I know we don't have time, I would love nothing more than to rip your clothes off and get back into bed."

Dante looked at her heatedly. "I know what you mean. I have always felt like I couldn't get enough of you but since we got married it is like an incessant need. I think about it all day when I'm at work."

"We had better get going before we can't help ourselves and then we are both late for work." Lulu sighed. She went to grab her coat and bag while Dante put their coffee cups in the sink. He walked her to her car and she was about to get in when he turned her around and pressed her up against it. His lips met hers and then he thrust his tongue in her mouth. He pulled back slightly and said, "Have a great day baby." and then kissed her one more time before releasing her. He grinned as she tried to catch her breath and then opened her car door for her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said as he closed her door. She drove to work trying to think about anything but her hot husband and what she planned to do to him later.