Chapter 1: Breaking the Silver Lining

“So, rookie, you think you can beat me at eight ball?” Sara Pezzini taunted her blonde haired partner as she grabbed a pool cue and chalked the tip.

From beside her, Jake McCarty grabbed his own pool cue, the look on his young, tanned face making it seem as if he could murder anyone by just glancing at them. He wanted to prove himself once and for all worthy of her affection, and it seemed that beating her at pool was the only way to do it.

“I’ve been practicing, who knows?” Jake replied as he made his way around Sara in the crowded pool hall near the 11th Precinct, where they both worked as homicide detectives along with their other partner, Danny Woo, who couldn’t make it to tonight’s get together because of a family thing with his wife and kids.

“Whoever loses buys the next round of beers,” Sara said as she got into position and hit the cue ball, scattering the various colored balls across the table, some landing in the pockets. A large smile was across her face as she looked up at him, satisfied that she had taken a great first shot.

Jake swallowed hard. Maybe he had made a mistake by challenging Sara to a game that he knew she was good at. Football probably would have been a better choice, but who the hell played football in the dark? And with two players none the less. Maybe basketball. The thought rolled around in Jake’s mind as Sara continued to roll balls into each pocket, stopping only to calibrate her next hit before moving on.

It was no use. Jake sat down at one of the chairs beside the pool table and watched as Sara continued her game. If she missed now, it wouldn’t matter. This game was hers for the taking. All Jake could do was check his pockets to see if he had enough money to pay for the beer Sara had requested. The waitress came by and took his order, and by the time she came back Sara was already sinking the eight ball in the corner pocket.

“That’s yet another win for me,” she said, the smirk on her face blinding.

The waitress put down the two beers at Jake’s table and he instantly grabbed one, handing it to Sara as she sat beside him. “Thanks, rookie,” she replied, taking a big swig and standing up once more to start another game against someone else.  

“I wanna try again,” Jake spoke up boldly when he saw that she had no takers.

“Jeez, McCarty, you never give up, do you?” Sara asked, gathering the balls from their pockets and arranging them in the center of the pool table. “Alright, you can break this time.”

Jake concealed his smile as he positioned himself, striking the cue ball and instantly shattering the formation of the other balls Sara had neatly racked. Just like before, a couple went into pockets. “Same bet as before?” he called to Sara, concentrating on his next move instead of her response.

“Let’s make this one a little more interesting,” she replied, pulling up the sleeves of her sweater. “How about loser buys winner drinks for the rest of the night?”

“You’re on,” Jake answered as he continued to blindly whack at the balls with his cue. The game reached a heated pace before either Jake or Sara knew it. Both were hitting hard shots and not sinking anything. After about half an hour, Jake was in the lead by only a ball. Sara continued to take as many shots as she could against him, but every time she lost her turn, he always managed to catch up to her. Neck and neck, they battled for the eight ball until finally, Sara sank it, corner pocket.

“You played a good game, rookie,” she said, drinking whatever was left of the first beer Jake bought for her. “Now, how much money do you have with you?”

Jake shot her a look from across the table, reaching into his pocket to see if he could pay off this large debt by the time the night was over. “I’ve got enough for a couple more drinks, but that’s it,” he replied, seeing that he had several small bills in his wallet. “What do you want?”

“I was thinking that tonight I’d try a couple new drinks, if you didn’t mind. My first choice being a vodka martini, James Bond style, shaken, not stirred,” Sara giggled as she grabbed the table to steady herself. Jake knew she was already way past going home by herself, but he didn’t dare stop her from drinking.

That week had been a nutty one fore both of them. Three murders in a thirty six hour period, all with the same MO, white male in his 30’s with two gunshots to the chest and fingers chopped off the hand to make identification harder. After the first murder, Sara came up with a crazy hunch that pinpointed Tommy Gallo, noted New York mob boss, as the main suspect, even though he didn’t necessarily kill them. Jake trusted her and her instincts, remembering that she was usually right about these kinds of things, so he ran with it.

Jake shot Sara a look when he heard her begin to laugh. “What’s so funny?” he asked, turning and facing her. She merely continued to laugh, her eyes glazing over as the alcohol continued to circulate through her system. “Okay, time to go,” Jake said as he gently eased his arms around her waist and helped her off the chair. Sara’s laugh subsided to a giggle as they walked out of the pool hall and towards Jake’s car. He gently placed her in the passenger’s seat and rolled down her window just in case she became a little sick during the short trip home.

Even though Sara seemed to have passed out the moment her head rolled onto the back of the seat, she soon became quite animated as Jake picked her up and carried her up to her loft. She giggled, mumbled, and began to say incoherent things that made him want to get her upstairs even quicker. This side of Sara really got to him unlike any other. She was okay when she was sober, but when she got drunk, nothing was safe.

“Jake, you’re a great guy,” Sara mumbled into his shoulder as he reached her door. “Why don’t you stay the night?” Jake had to do a double take in order to make sure he was hearing her right. “Come on, you know you want to.” He merely shook it off as he grabbed her keys and opened the door.

“I know you want me,” Sara finally blurted as he entered the loft. He almost dropped her that instant. She was really making Jake nervous and hot under the collar at the same time. He did want Sara, he had from the moment they first met and found out that she’d be training him. Jake had to admit, she was beautiful. Her deep green eyes sent shock waves through him whenever their gazes met, and her long, dark chocolate hair felt silky smooth whenever he had the privilege of running his fingers through it, merely by accident or just to brush it away from his face when they were too close to each other and it was windy.

‘NO!’ Jake yelled at himself as he placed her down on the bed. Then he looked down at Sara and saw those soulful green eyes staring up at him, the desire and passion burning deep inside calling to him, begging him to come to her.

“Jake,” Sara whispered, reaching out and grabbing his shirt. She pulled him onto the bed and into a deep, passionate kiss. Jake was no longer able to hold his composure. He kissed back with the same intensity, his lips almost crushing hers as they wrestled with each other on the soft bed sheets. He pulled away suddenly, out of breath and out of his mind.

“No, Sara, we can’t do this,” Jake panted, sitting up and escaping her grasp. She glared at him, her eyes like daggers piercing into his skin.

“Why not?” Sara whined, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Because…” His mind just couldn’t come up with the reasons. Jake was already too far gone with that kiss. He couldn’t believe her lips tasted so sweet and her skin felt so soft against his fingertips.

When moonlight crawls along the street
Chasing away the summer heat
Footsteps outside somewhere below
The world revolves I let it go

“You can’t resist me,” Sara purred as she grabbed his shirt again and pulled him in for another lusty kiss. Jake pulled away again, this time to merely suck in a few breaths of air before his lips came down on hers again. Her hands were all over his body, touching, grabbing, feeling her way around him, exploring him, charting his every curve and creating a mental map. And as Sara slid her hands beneath his shirt, her nails gently grazing his skin, Jake could feel the shock wave radiating throughout his body. She pulled it over his head and threw it to the floor. Seconds later, his pants and boxers followed.

We build our church above this street
We practice love between these sheets
The candy sweetness scent of you
It bathes my skin I'm stained by you
And all I have to do is hold you
There's a racing in my heart
I am barely touching you

“Very nice,” Sara whispered as she caught a glimpse of his rock hard erection.

Turn the lights down low
Take it off
Let me show
My love for you
Insatiable
Turn me on
Never stop
Wanna taste every drop
My love for you
Insatiable

“Your turn,” Jake replied as he began to pull and tug the clothes off her body. Within seconds, they were both naked on the bed, their bodies entangled and entwined. He held Sara in his arms, his eyes taking note of all her curves, all her textures, and all her wonderful features. She was absolutely beautiful, and this was just the beginning of a night Jake knew he’d never forget. Sara had been his fantasy for these last few months, and now finally having her made all that waiting worth it.

The moonlight plays upon your skin
A kiss that lingers takes me in
I fall asleep inside of you
There are no words
There's only truth

She giggled as he gently slid his hand down her torso, his fingers feeling every bit of flesh on her body, his tongue tasting every little inch of skin it could reach. “Mmmmm…. Jake,” Sara moaned as his mouth made its way to her breast. “I want you so bad.” That was all he needed as encouragement for his aching body to nearly explode. He pulled himself over her body and held her down again as he slipped his throbbing erection into her.

Breathe in Breathe out
There is no sound
We move together up and down
We levitate our bodies soar
Our feet don't even touch the floor
And nobody knows you like I do
The world doesn't understand
But I grow stronger in your hands

Sara gasped, a wave of pleasure and pain coming over her. It had been so long since she had felt a man deep within her. She wrapped her legs around Jake as their bodies began to sway. Their kisses came wild and free as they danced together, their hips grinding slowly, dipping, then moving faster as they were on the edge of ecstasy.

Turn the lights down low
Take it off
Let me show
My love for you
Insatiable
Turn me on
Never stop
Wanna taste every drop
My love for you
Insatiable

Jake pulled Sara into him and guided his pelvis so he could thrust into her faster. He was caressing her breasts with his tongue, savaging her mouth with his passionate kiss and letting his hand loose in her glorious hair, the other hand staying on one supple hip as he guided her.

We never sleep we're always holdin' hands
Kissin' for hours talkin' makin' plans
I feel like a better man
Just being in the same room
We never sleep there's just so much to do
Too much to say
Can't close my eyes when I'm with you
Insatiable the way I'm loving you

They were both so sexually excited and moaning, dripping with sweat, their bodies iron-hard with desire and tension. “Oh, oh, oh, oh, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake!” Sara screamed as she climaxed.

Turn the lights down low
Take it off
Let me show
My love for you
Insatiable
Turn me on
Never stop
Wanna taste every drop
My love for you
Insatiable

“Oh god, oh god, oh god!” Jake howled right along with her. They collapsed, panting, onto the bed and Jake leaned heavily against her. He was unable to move, unable to breathe. The experience had been so wild and unexpected that it was all his mind could think about. As he finally raised himself off of Sara, Jake discovered that she had passed out. He shook his head and rolled over onto the other side of the bed, still reeling. His only hope was to get through the morning without something being hurled at his head. If he knew Sara at all, she’d probably regret the entire evening and kick him out of the loft without a second thought.

*~*~*

The sun had barely crept over the clouds that morning when Sara felt its rays fall upon her eyelids, sending a jolt through her body as her head began to throb. She turned over, pulling the blanket over her head and trying to fall asleep again. That’s when she heard the bathroom door creak open and someone step out. Sara shot up, clutching the blanket around her body, which she just realized was completely naked beneath it. As she turned her head, she saw Jake walk out of the bathroom, a towel draped around his hips, another one used to dry his blonde hair.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sara yelled, startling him and making him jump back nearly a foot from where he once stood. Jake stared at her, surprised by her foul mood, which, actually, shouldn’t have surprised him considering the circumstances.

“I… I… I was…” he barely managed to say before she interrupted him.

“You were what?” Sara barked, her eyes narrowing in an angry glare. Then, something clicked in her mind. She began to remember remnants of the previous night, drinking, several games of pool, more drinking, and finally Jake carrying her up to her loft where she made the advances. Sara’s mouth fell open when she put everything together. “Oh, my God! We slept together…” her voice trailed off as she put her hand to her aching head. “Oh, this is not happening. This is not happening. I didn’t just sleep with my partner.”

Jake cautiously sat down beside her. “I know, Sara, and I’m sorry. Things just happened so fast and everything just got so heated…” he started again, but soon shut up when he realized she was giving him her “death stare.”

“You should have stopped me!” Sara cried. “You should have had the balls to ignore my advances and kept me from doing such a stupid thing! You men are nothing but fucking animals, in all senses of the phrase! You can’t keep your damn pants on! Uh!” She ran an irritated hand through her hair and looked up at him, her gaze still lethal. “Get out,” she said as calmly as she could even though her voice was trembling. When Jake didn’t move, she made her point clear as day. “Get the fuck out of here!” Sara yelled at the top of her lungs as her finger pointed to the door.

Jake quickly grabbed his clothes from the floor and decided to change in the other room, far from Sara fearing that she might grab her gun and shoot him. From the living room, he could hear her muffled cries as she rambled, “What have I done? What have I done? This was such a mistake. A big fat mistake. I never want to drink again. I never want to see him again. He’s going to tell everyone and I’ll never hear the end of it! Oh, I wish last night didn’t happen. I wish last night didn’t happen.”

Jake could feel his heart sink when he realized the weight of her words. Sara was right; last night was a big mistake. It shouldn’t have happened, and he knew it was his fault. If only he had been the gentleman and restrained his desires, Sara wouldn’t be so angry with herself and with him. Jake would have given anything to take back what just happened, but the past was the past, and there was no way of changing it.

A/N: Music: "Insatiable" by Darren Hayes

Chapter 2: Torn Existence

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