The Black Market Baby Scandal
(Chapter Seventeen: Set Up)
Olivia sat at the bar in her white knee length dress sipping a Shirley Temple. Her hair was pinned up and her makeup done perfectly as she stirred the straw in her drink and waited. She couldn't believe she had let her daughter talk her into this.
She turned on her barstool as her eyes scanned the room, but she didn't see him. She took a deep breath and exhaled her annoyance as she stared into her empty class and ordered another drink.
She let her fingertips dance across the bar until they reached her cell phone then she dialed the apartment number to check on Sarah.
"Hey."
"Hi, Olivia. How's your date going?"
"Not so well. I am sitting here by myself."
"He's late?"
"Honey, I am not so sure being set up on a date by a couple of eleven year olds was a good idea."
"Liv, I'm twelve."
"Sorry."
"And trust me, it was a good idea."
"You have met this guy?"
"Yes. And he is handsome and he likes kids."
"That is good. And this is your friend Niccole's dad?"
"No, Amy."
"Oh, but I have never met Amy or her dad?"
"No."
"Sarah, sweetheart, I really appreciate everything you are trying to do here. But I really think maybe you and Amy should leave the dating arrangements to the grown ups."
"I thought you wanted to go?"
"Honey," Olivia exhaled, "I came because you were so excited about the idea. But to be completely honest Sarah, I hate blind dates. I think I am going to come home."
"No! Just give him a few more minutes, please! You are already there. Maybe he is just nervous. Or traffic was bad or something."
"Sarah, this is Manhattan. When isn't traffic bad?"
"Please. Ten more minutes. Please."
"Okay, ten more minutes. Then I am coming home, taking a hot bath and going to bed."
"There aren't any guys there with a white rose?"
Olivia turned around to scan the room again. "Nope."
"Hmm. I'll call Amy and find out if he has left yet. Then I will call you back. Don't leave!"
"Okay." Olivia laughed at the fact that she was now taking direction form a bossy twelve year old as she hung up the phone. She laid the phone on the bar in front of her as she pressed her lips together. She pulled a mirror from her purse and checked her makeup one more time. Just then her phone rang again.
"Hello."
"Liv, he's on his way. Don't leave. He will be there in just a few minutes."
"I don't know what I was thinking letting you talk me into this."
"You were thinking the same thing I was. It has been a long time since you had a date."
Olivia laughed. "Yes, it has. But no more of this, okay? I will do it this once. No more set ups. Deal?"
"Okay, deal."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Let me talk to Maureen for a minute."
"Okay. Maureen, my mom wants to talk to you."
"Hi, Liv. How's your date going?"
"Well, it hasn't really started yet. The guy is late."
"Have a little faith, I am sure it will be fine."
"Everything is alright there?"
"Yup. We're about to watch a movie."
"Okay, I'll call you later to check on her."
"Talk to you later, Liv."
"Bye, honey."
Olivia hung up the phone and took another drink from her straw. She tapped her fingernails against the bar and just as she was about to give up all hope and turn in for the evening….
"Excuse me, Miss."
Olivia smiled. Here we go, she thought to herself. He sounded sexy. She sat her glass down on the bar and turned her barstool around to look at her date for the evening.
"You're late," she said with a smile as her eyes shifted to meet his. She was speechless.
"Ahhh," he laughed. "How did I not see this coming?"
Olivia laughed. "They played us."
"You mean you didn't know?"
"No clue."
"Well done kids," Elliot replied as he took a seat beside her at the bar.
They both laughed.
"You look nice," Elliot said handing her the rose. "This is for you."
"Thank you."
"So, what do you say we get the hell out of this bar and go get some dinner?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, might as well enjoy this blind date. Now that the pressure's off. I could at least take you to dinner. Wouldn't want word to get out that I am a bad date."
"That's right. You're a bachelor now. Reputation is important."
"Come on," he said tugging at her arm and tossing a ten dollar bill down on the bar to cover her tab.
Elliot drove them around the city for a while as they tried to decide where to go and eat. Twenty minutes later they found themselves overdressed sharing a table in their favorite burger place.
"So, you think maybe they are trying to tell us something?" Olivia asked him.
"The kids?"
"No El, those two teenagers in the booth across the room. Yes, the kids."
"I guess they are trying to say we need to get out more. Maureen gave me this big talk about how it was time I moved on and found someone to care for. She told me that she was arranging this date with someone she was friends with at school. She has been trying to talk me into it for weeks."
"At least Maureen is an adult. I was set up by a twelve year old. With her friend Amy's dad."
"You went along with that?"
"How could I tell her no, Elliot?"
"You gotta work on that. Or she's gonna walk all over you when she's older."
"I know. And I have it under control."
"Looks like it," he said reaching across the table taking her hand in his.
Olivia smiled at him as the waitress sat their food down in front of them. She watched him for a moment as a few random thoughts raced through her mind.
"It's not like we have been exactly honest with them anyway, Elliot."
Elliot tossed a French fry into his mouth and smiled back at her.
"You feel guilty?"
"I didn't say that."
"What do you want, Olivia? What do you want? I mean we have had three dates. We met once for drinks and a couple of times for dinner. It isn't like we snuck off and got married and forgot to tell our kids. We are just trying to figure out where this is going before we involve them. There is nothing wrong with that."
"Then why do I feel so guilty about it?"
"Relax. We are not doing anything wrong. Lets try to have a little fun tonight," he said flagging the waiter and ordering a couple of beers.
After dinner Elliot took her for a moonlit walk through the park. They stopped by a little place between some trees and talked in the moonlight. Elliot watched her smile and realized how quickly he was falling for her. The same Olivia Benson he had been partners and friends with for so many years had now become the object of his affection.
Before long they had gone back to his place for drinks and a little conversation. But one thing lead to another and they quickly found themselves making out on the couch.
Elliot pressed his mouth to hers kissing her passionately as he slipped his hand up under her dress, begging her to let him go just a little further. Moments later she was clawing at his shoulder and moaning softly as he moved two fingers inside of her.
"El," she whimpered breathlessly as she pressed her forehead against his shirt and twisted his tie in her hand. "Elliot wait," she mumbled between kisses.
He raised up and looked down at her. Olivia stared into his eyes then shifted her attention down the hallway toward his bedroom.
"Yeah," he said nodding his head as he stood up. He lead her down the hall by the hand and laid her across the bed where they continued. Elliot kissed her and touched her body in places he had never seen.
Olivia moaned softly at his touch and unbuttoned his shirt pushing it back from his shoulders and exposing his bare chest. She kissed across it and moved her hands over his back.
The next thing she knew her dress laid in the floor beside his clothes and she was down to her bra and panties. "What time is it?" She mumbled against his mouth.
Elliot turned his head to look at the clock on the night stand. "Just after ten." He looked into her eyes and could see she was a little distracted. "Liv, we don't have to do this."
She leaned up and hugged him pressing her forehead against his chest. "I want to, Elliot. I just don't want to get back too late."
Elliot laughed and kissed her again. "We could wait if you want. Plan this out a little better. Make it more romantic."
"I am with you. That makes it romantic. Elliot, we have waited so long. I want to do this."
"Okay," he said kissing her tenderly. He smoothed his hands up her back and unclasped her bra tossing it aside.
They kissed and explored each others bodies in the dark. Then it was happening. They were making love. And they were good together.
Olivia moaned softly and tipped her head back as she felt him inside of her. She closed her eyes and listed to the sounds he made while he made love to her. She opened her eyes and stared into Elliot's. So calm and blue. He moved so confidently now and it felt as if they had been made for each other.
He knew exactly where to touch her and kiss her to drive her crazy. And he did just that. They made love for an hour. Kissing and touching and exploring. Doing all of the things they had only dreamed of doing over the years.
And when they had finished. When neither of their bodies could handle anymore. She fell against his chest and closed her eyes, her body still trembling from their exotic bliss. She laughed a little and looked up at him.
Elliot smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He closed his arms around her and held her tight as he kissed the top of her head. He rubbed his nose against hers and kissed her lips.
"Wow," he said with a smile.
Olivia laughed. "Come on. Don't tell me that you didn't already know that would be amazing."
"I knew that. But knowing it ad actually feeling it are so different." Elliot moved his hands over her back and kissed her again. "It feels good, doesn't it?"
Olivia raised her head to look up at him. "What's that?"
"To know. To finally know beyond a doubt what we are like together."
She smiled and laid her head against his chest kissing it softly.
"We're incredible," she said as he hugged her. "El, can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"I know that we aren't really together or anything…"
"We're not?"
She looked into his eyes. "We're not, are we? A couple, I mean."
Elliot stared at her for a moment. "I'd like to be."
"You would?"
"Yeah. I mean I kind of thought that we were….dating."
"You did?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then why did you agree to meet some other woman in a bar fro a blind date? I told you why I was there."
Elliot laughed. "To be completely honest, I wasn't too enthused about it either."
"Then why go at all?"
Elliot kissed her softly. "Because I can't tell my little girl no either."
Olivia smiled. "I felt guilty going. And I didn't intend for it to go anywhere. I had already decided I wasn't even going to let him kiss me goodnight."
"You weren't huh?"
"No. I wasn't really sure what was going on with us. But I wasn't going to let it go anywhere because I already knew I wasn't interested in him. I had already fallen for you."
Elliot grinned. "I am such a lucky man."
"What are we going to tell the kids? I don't want to lie to them anymore."
"We're not lying to them, Olivia. There are just some things parents don't tell their children. It's different than lying."
"We're lying to them, Elliot. By sneaking around and keeping it a secret, we are lying. I don't like this. I want a better relationship with my daughter that." She raised up and looked into his eyes.
"So lets tell them the truth."
"You want to go back there tonight and tell them we had sex?"
He laughed again. "Not exactly. I mean tell them that we are interested in each other and that we want to try dating. Then they know and we are not sneaking around. But the sex part, I really think we should keep to our selves."
"Yeah," she said with a smile.
Elliot kissed her forehead. "It's getting late. And you know as well as I do they are waiting up for us to get back. I should get you home."
Olivia smiled as he leaned over the edge of the bed and handed picked up her dress. She got dressed and he drove her back across town to her apartment where the girls sat waiting.
Inside the apartment they answered questions about their date. But when Sarah asked if he kissed her, that was the end of the Q&A session.
"It is past your bedtime," Olivia said smiling down at her daughter.
"Okay," Sarah answered.
"I need to get back to the dorm. I have to work tomorrow morning. Night dad," she said hugging him.
"Good night baby," Elliot replied.
"Good night, Liv."
"Good night. Thanks for staying with Sarah," she said handing her some cash.
"No problem. If you two decide you want to go out again, just give me a call," Maureen joked.
"Actually, we talked about it." Elliot said watching the reaction of both girls. "And we decided that maybe we would like to go out again sometime."
"Really?" Sarah asked in excitement.
"Really," Olivia answered.
"Yes! I mean, cool."
Olivia laughed. "Bed."
"I know, I know." Sarah said her goodnights and headed to her room.
Elliot and Olivia found themselves alone in the living room watching television and drinking wine. Elliot wasn't watching anything but her. And the third time she looked over and caught him staring at her she laughed.
"What?" She asked with a smile as if she couldn't guess what he was thinking about.
"I'm sorry. It's just, everything is different now. You know?"
"It is?" She asked nervously.
Elliot sat up and pulled her back into his arms and just held her for a minute. He kissed her soft full lips and gazed into her eyes. "Yeah, it is. We have seen each other in a different light. You know? We made love," he whispered into her ear as she smiled. "And it was incredible. And now we are dating. We are right?"
"Yes," she said with a smile.
"You are my girlfriend. And I have never been so excited to be in a relationship with anyone. So forgive me if I get distracted by your beautiful smile and I stare. I mean it as a complement."
Elliot held her for a while on the couch as they watched television. Eventually Olivia fell asleep in his arms.
"Liv," he said softly as he kissed her.
"Hmm?"
"I should go," he whispered. "And let you get some sleep."
She opened her eyes and yawned. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said looking into his eyes.
"It's okay. It has been a long day. A long and eventful day."
She sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes. "I should check on Sarah," she said leaving the room for a moment.
"How is she?" Elliot asked as she appeared in front of him again.
"Sleeping."
"That's good. It's getting late."
Elliot stood and took her by the hand. He lead her to the door and leaned against the wall beside it to tell her good night. He leaned in to kiss her tenderly and one thing kind of lead to another.
"Elliot," she whispered softly against his collarbone between kisses, "stay."
He broke their embrace for a moment to look into her eyes as she stared back at him. "Stay?"
"Stay," she said once more and she turned to lead him down the hall to the bedroom.
Olivia closed and locked her bedroom door then turned to look at him sitting on the edge of her bed. She unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall to the floor. She walked to the edge of the bed where Elliot kissed her body. He kissed her abdomen and moved his hands over her back.
Olivia moved her fingers in his hair. Elliot unbuttoned a few buttons from his shirt then Olivia pulled it over his head and dropped it into the floor. He unbuckled his belt and kicked his pants off. Olivia pushed him back in the bed and moved in over him.
"Oh yeah," Elliot whispered with a smile as she laid across him and kissed him.
She sat up and unhooked the clasp of her bra.
"You are so beautiful," he said kissing under her neck as she moaned softly.
Elliot rolled over and laid her down on the bed. He kissed up her belly and under her breasts. He moved his way down her body and slipped off her lacy bikini underwear, sliding them down her long leg. He kissed his way back up her leg, across her thigh.
Olivia gasped as she felt his tongue slip inside her. She closed her eyes and clawed at the sheets on the bed as she panted. He slid one hand up her body to caress her breasts as the other rubbed across her stomach.
Elliot raised his head to look at her. He moved one hand up her knee as he kissed back up her body resting his lips against hers as she stared into her eyes. Olivia slipped her arms around his waist and pushed his boxers down his body.
"Elliot," she mumbled between kisses.
"Yeah?"
"Make love to me," she gasped staring into his eyes.
Several hours later Olivia woke up naked and wrapped tight in Elliot's arms. She stirred a little and he opened his eyes. Elliot kissed her shoulder and hugged her tight.
"I'll be right back," she whispered between kisses. She stood up and walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later Olivia returned wearing her robe and sat on the edge of the bed.
"You are so beautiful," Elliot said sitting up and leaning forward to kiss her.
"Elliot, it is after five thirty. Sarah will be awake before long." She looked at him and shook her head. "I don't want her to see us like this."
"Okay, I'll go."
Olivia looked at him. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't want you to think I'm kicking you out."
"Olivia, I want to do this right. I care about Sarah, too. And you're right. She shouldn't see us like this." He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "I am crazy about you."
Olivia smiled and kissed him again. She pulled him back over her on the bed and they made love once more. Elliot held her tight as they watched the sunlight begin to peek through the blinds on the bedroom window.
"I have an idea," Elliot whispered as he kissed against her cheek and nipped at her earlobe.
"What's that?" Olivia rolled onto her back and stared up at him as she moved her fingertips over his bare chest.
"Why don't I go crash on the couch for a couple of hours. When Sarah wakes up I'll fix breakfast and then the three of us can spend the day together. What do you think?"
Olivia smiled. "I think I like that idea."
Elliot kissed her again. He stood up and put his clothes back on. "You know, Liv. If you get lonely in here in that big bed all by yourself, I am right down the hall on the sofa." He winked at her.
"Oh," she said sitting up in the bed holding a pillow in front of her. "Well, if you get lonely in there on the couch….take a cold shower," she said with a smile throwing the pillow at him.
"You are bad," he said as they both laughed. "Bad."
"Get some sleep. Sarah will be up in less than two hours," Olivia said laying back down in the bed as he made his way down the hall. She laid there alone staring up at the ceiling and exhaled. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. As she did and her mind began to wonder, Elliot was the last person she thought of before finally drifting off to sleep.