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| Fandom: | Houston Knights |
| Series: | Playing For Keeps |
| Rating: | NC-17 |
| Pairing: | Joe/Levon Slash! |
| Archive: | Starwinder's |
| Title: | Frustrations |
| Author: | Starwinder |
| e-mail: | |
| Standard Disclaimer: Houston Knights belongs to Jay Bernstein and Michael Butler and Columbia Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fan fiction, written out of love for the shows. I am making no money off this. I have no money so please don't sue me. Any original characters who may appear in these stories are the property of the author. | |
Frustrations
By Starwinder
The uniform officers took Callie Barton out of LaFiamma's apartment in handcuffs. She had cursed him when they came to take her away. He hadn't responded, just turned his back and stood there like a statue while she swore at him. Now he stood at the bar facing away from the living room and the door. Head bowed, eyes fastened on the floor he refused to look at anyone.
Lundy closed the door behind the uniform officers and turned to face his partner's back. He was still holding his hat in his hands. He turned it over slowly as he tried to think of something to say that might help. He wanted to yell at LaFiamma, tell him what a fool; what an idiot he'd been, explain to him in graphic detail just how badly he'd screwed up, but looking at the rigid set of LaFiamma's back he just couldn't get the words out. Seeing the shame and humiliation that was so obvious in LaFiamma's stance all he wanted to do was reach out, take his partner into his arms, stroke him, caress him, tell him everything would be all right. [Wipe her memory off him.]
He stepped closer to LaFiamma, desire flaring in him. [Shouldn't be feeling this, shouldn't be wantin'... ] he forced his mind back to what needed to be done. Clearing his throat he was about to speak when LaFiamma turned to face him.
"Go on! Say it! Say you told me so! Tell me what a fool I am! Tell me I ain't good enough to be your partner! You wanna another partner? Fine! Tell the Lieutenant!" LaFiamma's voice was harsh and bitter, raw with pain. He tried to push past Lundy.
Lundy grabbed his arm spinning him around so that they were face to face. "Whoa, Boy! I ain't said none of that!"
He tossed his hat aside and caught LaFiamma's other arm, holding him, pulling him close. [Too, close!] a little warning voice screamed in his mind. There were mere inches between them. Looking into LaFiamma's eyes, the clear blue clouded now with desperation and dispair, he spoke softly, "I reckon a man gets lonely enough he's bound to do something stupid ... . We've all done stupid things."
"You...?" It was the barest of whispers. LaFiamma wasn't really certain what he was asking. His mind was on the look in Lundy's eyes.
"Don't reckon I've ever done anything quite this stupid...." His voice trailed off. He moved closer, pressing his body against LaFiamma's.
LaFiamma's eyes went wide. He could feel Lundy's erection pressing against him, could feel Lundy's body shift as he started to close the remaining inches between them. He trembled slightly, involuntarily. His eyes closed, he couldn't have held them open if his life had depended on it, his lips parted slightly in anticipation of being kissed. He forgot to breathe.
Lundy's breath caught in his throat as he saw LaFiamma's eyes close, saw the lips part, felt his partner's body relax against him, surrendering to him. He ran his tongue across his lips to moisten them and closed the final inch between them, his own eyes closing as at last his lips touched LaFiamma's, softly, gently, ever so lightly.
The phone rang---loud and jarring in the silence of the apartment.
LaFiamma jerked like he'd been shot. Tearing himself out of Lundy's grip, he took two staggering steps toward the phone and grabbed it off the hook. "LaFiamma!" his voice sounded strangled and ragged. He had to remind himself to breathe.
Lundy stood frozen. His heart pounding, whether as the after effect of the kiss, or the abrupt, shattering ring of the phone he didn't know. [Kiss? Almost kiss? Did I actually...?] It was maddening. He wasn't certain. By the time he'd recovered his equilibrium LaFiamma was hanging up the phone.
"Lieutenant wants me downtown ... Now." His voice sounded strange to him. He could only wander what it sounded like to Lundy. His heart was still pounding. He really didn't want to drive himself back to the station ... didn't want to face the lieutenant ... alone. But didn't dare ... didn't feel he had the right to ask Lundy to take him.
Lundy cleared his throat. "I'll take you." He said, stepping to the couch where his hat had landed and picking it up. He turned back to LaFiamma, reached out and laid a hand on his arm, "Are you okay, Partner?" he asked softly.
LaFiamma looked at him for just a moment before replying, "Yeah, I'm okay ... Partner." The voice was dead calm.
Lundy frowned, uncertain, what to say or do. He turned away heading for the door, still trying to decide. [Did I kiss him? Or didn't I? Damn phone! Nearly gave me a heart attack!]
LaFiamma trailed him out the door. His lips tingled.
Lundy wove the Jimmy through traffic, his mind racing, [Why don't he say something? Was I imagining things. He closed his eyes. Relaxed against me. He wanted me to kiss him! He did! Oh, God! I want him so! ] He tightened his grip on the wheel to keep LaFiamma from seeing his hands tremble.
LaFiamma saw Lundy's hands tighten on the wheel, the knuckles turning white. He quickly turned to look out the window, suddenly afraid ... but not certain what he was afraid of.
Lundy parked the Jimmy in front of HQ. LaFiamma was out and halfway to the door before he could get out of the vehicle. He trailed his partner in and caught up to him at the elevator. The doors opened and they stepped in. He wanted to reach out and touch LaFiamma, reassure him that he was still on his side but they weren't alone. There were other people on the elevator from the time they got on till they stepped off at the Major Crime Unit's floor.
LaFiamma plowed straight ahead into the lieutenant's office without pausing for anything, without giving Lundy a chance to catch up, a chance to say or do anything that might help.
He started talking as soon as he was in the office, "Lieutenant. I know I've screwed up! I don't know what to tell you. It was a mistake! I know it was a mistake! I'm sorry! I didn't have any idea ... she ... I ... I'm sorry." He trailed off miserably.
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Sergeant." Lieutenant Beaumont snapped. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" She didn't give him time to answer. "You slept with a suspect!"
"She wasn't a suspect..." LaFiamma protested.
"She is now. You knew that she was at the crime scene! You knew from the get go that she could become a suspect! But you couldn't---" she broke off and turned away from him, "You couldn't keep your hands to yourself. You've jeopardized this entire investigation for...." She turned back waving her hands in a gesture that plainly said 'For what?'
Lundy had followed LaFiamma into the office and closed the door behind them. Now he said in a placating voice, "Callie Barton is a beautiful woman, Joanne." He spread his hands in a gesture asking for understanding, "Woman like that throws herself at man... most any man'd fall for it... and LaFiamma ain't got the support network of friends and family that most of us do to help him resist something like that."
Beaumont stared at Lundy in disbelief, "Are you defending what he's done, Levon?"
"No ma'am. Just saying that I can see how it happened." He turned toward LaFiamma, "I reckon me and Carol teasing you that morning didn't help none...." He trailed off, wanting to say more but not wanting to say it in front of the lieutenant.
LaFiamma looked down at the floor and shook his head slightly. He was confused and upset and scared.
Beaumont looked from one to the other and sighed resignedly. "All right. I'll let this go for now. But understand this, LaFiamma you are on thin ice here. One more misstep ---"
"I understand Lieutenant." LaFiamma replied.
"Okay. Get back to work." She turned away, dismissing them.
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Lundy stood in the middle of LaFiamma's living room holding the morning paper, looking down at the picture of Joe on the front page, waiting for LaFiamma to come out of the bathroom.
Finally his partner emerged and walked past him to the bar.
Lundy watched him. He looked disheartened. [And this ain't gonna help.] Lundy tossed the paper on the bar, "You seen this."
"No." LaFiamma refused to look at the paper.
"Might better read it. You're gonna be hearing about it all day ... and some people ain't ever gonna let you forget it."
LaFiamma looked at him then picked up the paper. He stared down at it for a minute then tossed it back on the counter. "I don't wanna forget."
Lundy raised a brow. "How's that?"
"I don't wanna forget." LaFiamma repeated. "I want to remember. I want to remember the shame and the humiliation. I want to remember how I couldn't tell in bed that she didn't love me. I want to remember that just because a woman looks like an angel, it don't mean she is one. That way I won't be such an easy target for a beautiful woman with ulterior motives." His voice was bitter. He looked down at the paper, maybe reading it.
Lundy had come around the counter to stand at LaFiamma's side. Reaching out, he lay a hand on his partner's arm. "Just because she was using you, didn't care nothin' about you, LaFiamma, it don't mean that no beautiful woman would ever want you. You can't go thinkin' that. You're a handsome man...." his voice dropped, turning husky, "A real handsome man...."
LaFiamma turned to face him, the beautiful blue eyes, looked deep into his, searching. He stepped closer to Lundy. The arm that Lundy's hand rested on moved forward, the hand coming to rest on Lundy's waist.
Lundy shifted, bringing them closer still, reaching up to caress LaFiamma's face. His eyes went soft, filled with desire and hope.
LaFiamma leaned forward, tuning his head slightly to avoid bumping noses as he bent to brush his lips across Lundy's, barely touching them.
Lundy surged against him, desperately seeking a firmer kiss.
The phone rang.
"Shit!" LaFiamma pulled away, turning, to snatch it off the hook. "LaFiamma!" he snarled into the receiver.
Lundy stood leaning against the bar, holding on to it for support, trembling with frustration. [Not again! Not again! Damn! Damn! Damn!]
"Lieutenant." LaFiamma took a deep breath. His voice calmed, became almost civil. "Yes, ma'am." He hung it up.
Lundy turned to face him.
"I've got twenty minutes to be in the Deputy Chief's office." He looked at Lundy. "If we hurry we can make it." He turned and headed for the door.
Lundy trailed behind him, still a little shaky.
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The morning after they had caught the drug dealer's shooter, Lundy stood in front of LaFiamma's door, trying to stop his hands from shaking, so nervous he could barely breath. [ I'm gonna do it and it's gonna be all right ... . He'll be all right with it. He almost kissed me. Ain't nothing bad gonna happen if I kiss him. I'm gonna do it ... and if that damn phone rings ... .]
He raised his hand to knock ... and the door opened.
"You're here. Good! Lieutenant called. Deputy Chief wants to see us." LaFiamma stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him.
For a minute all Lundy could do was stand there.
"Well...." LaFiamma prodded. "Are you coming?" He headed for the elevator.
Lundy finally got his legs to work and followed him, his mind still churning.
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Lundy sat on the couch in his living room and stared at the glass of whisky he held. Turning the glass in his hands, he regarded the liquid gloomily. Strangely he didn't want it, didn't even know why he had poured it. What he wanted he wasn't about to get. [What I want... make that who I want... is off with someone else... someone that I set him up with.] He sighed.
He rose from the couch and went over to the liquor cabinet. Reaching over he found the whisky bottle. He took the top off and carefully poured the whisky back into the bottle. He shook his head. [First time for everything!] He thought, with a chuckle.
He turned out the light and headed for the bedroom, undoing his shirt as he went. [Ain't no use in sitting up. Ain't like he's gonna call and tell me all about it.... Thank God! He's too mucha gentleman for that.]
He'd already pulled his boots and socks off, took his belt off and was unbuttoning the waistband of his jeans where he heard the sound of a car turning off the highway, the tires crunching on the gravel in his drive. He glanced at the clock. After midnight. [Who'd be coming here at this time of night?] Instantly he was in cop mode. Not taking time to redress, he grabbed his pistol and moved back toward the living room, barefoot, shirtless, his pants half open.
He flicked the lock open. Standing to the lock side of the door, left hand on the light switch, right hand gripping his pistol, listening.... Footsteps crossing the porch the... creak of the screen door....
Lundy flicked the porch light on and opened the door, standing back out of the light where he could see his visitor but the man on the porch, blinded by the sudden light, couldn't see him.
"LaFiamma!" He gasped in surprise at his partner standing in the doorway blinking as his eyes adjusted.
"Hi, Lundy, Uh...." LaFiamma grinned self consciously. "Can I come in?" His eyes dropped to take in the slightly disarrayed hair, the bare chest, the unfastened jeans, even the bare feet.
A little disconcerted, Lundy stepped back into the room, letting him in and shoving the door closed behind him. Turning his back so that LaFiamma couldn't see the confusion in his eyes, he lay his pistol down on a nearby table.
"You lost, Boy? I thought you and Carol'd be out later than this." He tried to make it sound casual, like he wasn't so jealous of her that he hated himself... hated himself for being jealous and hated himself for setting LaFiamma up with her.
"Carol's a nice girl... but...." LaFiamma trailed off, quietly stepping up close behind Lundy.
Lundy turned to look at him, and found himself practically standing in LaFiamma's arms.
LaFiamma reached out, and very lightly ran a finger along the center of Lundy's chest, downward to just above the bellybutton.
Suddenly Lundy couldn't breath. LaFiamma's touch felt like electricity playing across his stomach. He looked into LaFiamma's eyes, for just a moment they looked back at him, hot and hungry till the eyes dropped, shying away.
Time seemed to stand still.
Then LaFiamma was kneeling, head still bowed as he reached out to tug the open jeans down past Lundy's hips, freeing the rampart cock, trapped inside. He hesitated as the cock sprang out, almost touching his face.
Lundy wanted to scream, to reach out and grab LaFiamma, force his mouth down on his cock but he restrained himself, leaning back against the table, gripping the edge to keep his hands from grabbing LaFiamma of their own accord. Even more than he wanted LaFiamma to suck him; he wanted the man to do it of his own free will.
LaFiamma raised his head, looking up at Lundy, eyes questioning.
Lundy suddenly remembered the look LaFiamma had given him before he'd left with Carol. It was the same look! He was asking permission! [He needed to be sure I wanted him to go with her same as he needs to know I want this!] "Yesss." It came out as a whispered hiss.
LaFiamma lowered his head again, reaching out to close his hand around Lundy's cock and guide into his mouth.
Lundy moaned and reached down to stroke LaFiamma's hair, the hand coming to rest on the back of his partner's head, guiding him as he bent to his task. [Oh, God!] "Oh, yeah! That's good, Boy! So, good." He murmured. His eyes closed in ecstasy. His mind began to shut down.
The phone rang.
LaFiamma sat back in his heels, releasing Lundy's cock.
Lundy blinked, disoriented, "Wha---?"
LaFiamma grinned up at him, "The phone, Cowboy." He said in a perfectly conversational voice, "Better answer it. Could be the Lieutenant." He remained where he was, obviously not going to return to sucking Lundy's cock till Lundy answered the phone.
Lundy grabbed the receiver off the phone on the table beside him. "Hello!" He paused. "No ma'am. It ain't!" He slammed the receiver down and reached for LaFiamma.
LaFiamma gave him a questioning look before returning to his task.
"Wrong number." Lundy told him.
Then as LaFiamma's skilled mouth went back to work on his cock, he added. "But you sure got the right number, Boy!"
The End