"What he don't know won't hurt him," Johnny said on their way home. He would have to talk to his uncle eventually, he couldn't just steal one of the showgirls for his own private amusement. But, no one would know until a few days anyway.
No one had to know.
Johnny smiled as he looked over at his little Mia, reaching across to squeeze her hand.
"Hey, you're safe remember. Let's go home."
They made it back to the strip club, and he took her upstairs to his suite.
Safe... yeah She smiled to him and held his hand. Whimpering slightly when she saw where they were going but "trusted" him for now and brushing her hair from her eyes she followed him when they got there unsure of what to expect but her hand never left his till they got to his door.
Eric Graves had been searching all night. He was down a few hundreds bucks and had little more than whispers of rumors. Most of the girls hadn't even known what he was talking about when he began to ask question. Girls disappearing, Faith, underground sex slaves.
He stepped into his own bar, only a few blocks down from his house. He had quit searching now, and only wanted a nice drink.
"Beer, whatever is on tap," The bar tender began to pour as Eric sat down. He let his head rest in his hands, releasing all the tension from his shoulders. Things had just been falling apart the past few weeks, and she just kept slipping further and further away from him.
He drank the beer far too quickly and asked for more.
He hoped to limp home drunk and forgetting about everything that happened tonight.
An old old war vet homeless "local" came in... everyone called him Tagg. It was all that was still visable on the old camo jacket he wore...
You looking for pretty Faith lady... Her daddy good man watch out for us... Lexi knows everything she works for Jack... or Dane... whoever shes not mad at... Lexi even works for charlie but she doesn't know it... they won't tell her she just too crazy to know about hat part of her brain... its half gra... Faiths Daddy always helped us...
He looked at him the scraggly old beard and empty dead eyes from years of who knows what kind of drugs and sickness on top of him never fully coming back from the war mentally. People would see him walk up to the phone poles or billboard pictures and salute and talk to them as if he were back in the war. Harmless but helpful with what little sense could be made from what he said.
He wandered further into the bar mumbled to a few people saluted the bartender and walked out with a bag of peanuts like he did every weekend.
Graves cocked an eye towards the drunk old man who just left. The man didn't sound altogether there, but some of the words he said made sense. Perhaps they'd both been drinking too much though. Graves didn't know. The alcohol felt good in his belly, so he wasn't complaning at the moment.
He pulled out his cellphone and dialed up Lexi's number. Apparently she wasn't picking up, so he left a message
"So someone said you have information about Faith," He said, incredibly, it didn't make much sense she would know about it, or if she did why some old homeless guy would know about it either, but Graves had seen longer shots come together before.
"I've got money," Graves obviously sounded drunk. He wished he had made this call a few hours earlier when he was more sober, "If you know something maybe we can make a deal."
He hung up, and looked at the bartender for another round.
That old drunk got it right... She placed a call real quick to Dane and told him she would find out what she could from an old acquaintance of hers and get back with him on how much the cops knew about local operations or the interstate ones and get back with him. Purring into the phone at the offered affections and said she would collect later.
She then called Eric that seductive whisper of a voice she knew he knew well. hoping he would pick up. It was time to play. She knew that he was looking for Faith and she suspected that the psycho had gone undercover and finally gotten herself in somewhere that could her killed and while that might just drive him back into her arms permanently she could not deal with all the drinking he would do till he got over that bitch.
Eric... honey its Lexi... What ya need darlin? Its been way too long loverboy... SO why ya calling sounding so drunk and whats wrong with Faith?
"Yeah, I heard you had some information about her?"
Graves took another drink from his glass, setting it down on the counter. Apparently he had had enough, he was about to start seeing double. He should be heading home soon.
"I haven't heard from her. Thought tonight I could find a lead... but..."
He hadn't. The city had just swallowed her up and let him alone to worry about her. Graves took one more consolitary drink for Faith and then got up from the stool. He left a twenty for his tab, walking out into the cool night air.
"Been looking all night, and I got drunk. So, now I'm going home. Just thought I'd try my one last lead before I went to bed."
My place is closer to the bar than your come on over darlin... Lets talk
She smiled as she spoke remembering their history together before the force and before Faith. Getting him there at her place she knew what would happen especially with him being drunk it would be easy to "get him hooked" again especially with little bits of info about Faith... just enough to keep him returning to her.
"Sure," It was only a couple of blocks. Graves turned direction and made his way east. The night had grown silent now. Most people were in bed, only a few bars and clubs were even open, catering to the town's simple vices.
Grimes knocked on Lexi's door. He adjusted his shirt, to make himself look something more presentable. It wouldn't change anything. Graves had been out drinking and in various strip clubs for the past 6 hours. Only a nice hot shower and a change of clothes would change his look now.
"So," He said as the door opened, "What do you know about Faith?"
She stood there in a nearly sheer gown as she helped him in.
I know she was at a club in Seattle a few days ago... Something went down and the employees were scattered through out the operation and the club was burned down.
She helped him to the couch and massaged his shoulders like she always did when he had been drinking too much and got into a fight or whatever. Her fingers kneading the muscles she knew all too well as she faintly whispered a kiss to the back of his neck.
Lexi looked good. Even in his state Graves could see that. She always looked good though. Toned body and curves in all the right places. The simple thing she wore only clung to her skin. Why it didn't fall just fall off, Graves didn't know.
He found his way to the couch and eased out of his jacket. Lexi spoke to him and her fingers worked their way into his sore shoulders. He had been out searching for hours on end, and the gentle touch felt euphoric to him. He moaned, relaxing instantly.
"Seattle? Club?"
How did she get to Seattle? Was she ok? So many questions running through his mind now, partly being blocked by the alcohol. He couldn't think about that right now.
"I need to find her..." He said softly, a moan escaping as he thought he felt something sweet slip along the nape of his neck.
She kissed his neck again as she continued to massage his shoulders trying to distract him more.
Yeah thats what I last heard it was some blonde they are bouncing around it sounded like Faith... It might be here.
She moved sitting there close to him her warm breath dancing over his neck as she rested her cheek against his head whispering. Eric... I hate seeing you like this... wan't it better before you became a cop? You remember that night we spent the whole night in that cabin near Grants Pond?
Graves laid back against Lexi. He didn't think about it when he held one of her hands to drape over him, nuzzling against her neck. His eyes closed and he let out a moan of relief from the exhausting day.
"I remember," He said, laughing, "We went skinny dipping at midnight. And then made love for hours on end by the fireplace. That was one of the best nights."
Before he became a cop.
He had been a different person then. Before he met Faith. Before the world had opened up and swallowed him whole. He used to call himself Eric before. No one ever called him Eric except for Lexi, but he had left a lot of his old world behind when he became a cop.
"Am I really that different?" He asked, his finger trailing along Lexi's arm, forgetting where he was, what he had come here for, and what he was doing. His mind had already drifted elsewhere.
Yeah... you left shortly after that night to become a cop. Leaving me here in the old neighborhood. You only came around when you were on the job or if you needed info. Then you met her and never came back till now. She goes missing and the old neighborhood is suddenly good for info again.
She smiled pressing a kiss to his brow as she whispered in his ear...
Graves felt a pull in his stomach when she asked him what he wanted to do. The thought of finding Faith came to his mind, springing up like a single sober bubble inside of his drunken haze at this moment. He had no motivation to perform this action, but it was on his mind.
"I'm drunk," Graves slurred, looking up at Lexi, "I need to sober up and find her. Maybe get some sleep. I should get going. I don't want to bother you anymore than I have."
He tried to get up. His legs wobbled for a second and then buckled under him. He fell back into Lexi's arms. The world spun around him for a second as he laid back, unable to do much else.
Looks like you will be staying right here tonight Eric...
Lexi smiled and moved a little where his head lay on her breasts. No more looking for Faith tonight love... tonight is mine she thought as she moved a little more to lay there with him letting him feel her body against his as she snuggled close her arms draped around him as she kissed his brow again.
Is there anything you want us to do Eric...
she spoke softly her hands slowly caressing him softly.
"Us? It took Graves a moment to understand her question, computing each word until it made sense in his mind. He focused too much on standing and now even the simplest of things were getting to him.
He had to go home, but he couldn't. He had wandered in here and here he would stay.
"Just sleep," He smiled, brushing his cheek against hers, "I can crash here on the couch. I won't bother you any, just need to sober up."
That's it. Those two thoughts were running through his mind. Get some sleep. Get sober. Tomorrow he could follow up on Faith and everything would be all right.
"I don't want to be a bother," He looked up at Lexi, her soft glance touching upon him. It made him smile.
Remember what you used to say... no better way to get sober than burning off the booze the good old fashioned way.
With that she pressed a kiss to his lips. Hoping their past would flood his mind. Encouraging that result she moved to help him stand up and nearly carrying him back to her room.
No need for you to sleep on the couch there is plenty of room back here with me. She helped him drape his arm around her till his hand rested on her breast. She was beginning slowly to make him want her again and she felt it was working with the next kiss she gave him pressing him against the wall by the door to her bedroom.
Graves felt a bunch of things happening at once, and he didn't understand them all. He could feel himself finally getting up to his feet, the weight of Lexi helping him. She couldn't keep her hands off of him, first caressing his shoulders and then pulling his hand down to her breast.
He kneaded it in his hand, through the flimsy fabric. The nipple at once hardening to his simple touch.
She kissed him. Graves tried to say something but he felt her lips on his. Instead he kissed her back, her taste sending old memories flooding through him. At once he seemed to stand taller, move forward. His entire body responded from that kiss. Her simple touch awaking and arousing him.
He grabbed her hair and pulled on it, nibbling at her lip. His hands began to wander across her body, slipping underneath her lingerie, trying to peel it off of her.
He wanted this. He needed this. How many lonely nights had he spent? The soft touch beckoned him further.
She wondered if he and Faith had ever become intimate. She suspected that they had with how close they seemed to be in the pictures in the papers at city hall and with the Mayor and at the funeral of long time family friends or her father. If She had been a violent person she sometimes wondered if she would have eliminated Faith to make him come back... It had to be his idea... or at least he had to think it was... thats the way she always got whatever she wanted out of him.
She purred at the feel of his hand on her breast at first through the fabric and then the one hand in her hair as she tilted her head back at his gentle pulling and gasped softly into the kiss as his other hand seemed to want to nearly tear the nearly sheer gown from her body. He was remembering more of her and less of Faith... Good she thought as one hand reached out grabbing a bottle of bourbon like they used to drink like fish together so long ago. Once his latest kiss broke she purred seductively to him...
"You," He really wasn't thinking. His mind had turned off, giving into the lapsed emotions running through him. His cock throbbed with desire, his body heated through a simple touch. He hadn't felt like this in ages.
He took a drink of burbon and let it pour from his mouth and onto her neck. He began lapping it up, his tongue rough on her skin as he cleaned up the mess. She tasted of alcohol, he had always wanted someone who tasted like that.
"What do you want, baby?" He asked her the same question back. Isn't this what she wanted? Isn't it what he was giving her?
She leaned her head to the side as he licked the bourbon from her. No one had done that to her in years. She gasped as they got to the bed and she helped them both to lie down. She began undressing him as they lay there. She poured a little bourbon on his chest and licked it from him purring softly as she did so. She then stood up and slithered from what was left of her gown and let her hair fall down around her shoulders she smiled to him.
Its been way too long baby...
Was all she said as she lay back down beside him taking a drink of the bourbon and offering him the bottle.
"It has been so long," Each night just trying to find Faith, and coming home empty. That cycle had run for far too long. Graves had forgotten what a comforting bed even felt like, but here and now he understood what had been missing with him for so long.
Graves closed his eyes, moaning as he felt the soft lips come down to lick his chest. He wasn't sure how but his clothes were gone, discarded from his body. It left him naked, his cock straining for attention.
Graved ran his fingers through her hair. He took the bottle and drank deeply from it. He was drunk, he shouldn't have more, but the sweet taste already on his lips could not be denied. He had tried so hard to resist, why keep trying? Wouldn't it be easier to give in?
She moved further down nipping and suckling at his manhood and nipping teasingly. She knew him all too well as well as them knowing each others bodies well also. She had no idea that he and Faith had been intimate before. She didn't want to think about that she wanted him right now... No more no less.
She suckled at him for a bit then moving back to his earlobe and lips she whispered. Make love to me Eric... just like you used to.