At the Bargaining Table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by BuffyAngel68

Title: At The Bargaining Table

Author: BuffyAngel68

Rating: NC-17 m/m/m

Categories: Est. Relationship/ First Time/ Humor

Warnings: Threesome: J/B/S

Summary: Simon won't acknowledge the root of his recent bad mood, but everyone else has guessed. It takes a fateful miscalculation and some serious persistence from Jim and Blair to make him accept the help he needs.

Disclaimer: I'm making no money from this story. I don't own any of the characters used here (well used; as in ridden hard and put up wet) but I adore creating plotlines for them and I believe if they were real, they'd thank us for tossing them into bed with each other so often.

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"Would you mind repeating that.... detective?"

The complaint Jim Ellison had just mumbled to himself was nothing he would be willing to have the entire conference room hear, so he briefly raised his head, responded, then ducked his eyes again.

"No... sir."

"Let me re-phrase the request. Would you mind repeating that... officer?"

Jim's expression distorted for a moment, regret over the ill-considered comment settling heavily in his gut. Despite knowing the threat was groundless, he glanced up and tossed out a spur of the moment little-white-lie.

"I was just wishing the meeting would get over, sir. It's been a long week for me and Blair.... we really need to head home and get some sleep before we leave for the weekend."

"Oh? Well, in case you've forgotten, you and your partner are not the only two people in this room, Ellison! Your colleagues have as many unsolved crimes on their plates as you do and this meeting will be over when they're done updating me! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Crystal."

"Good! Detective Rafe! Report!"

"Umm... I already did, Captain."

"Okay, okay, who's next? Speak up!"

"Mine was the last one, Simon." Rafe added.

His eyes mere slits, Simon Banks' gaze shifted around the table, falling on every one of his team for at least a few seconds. The stronger ones met his glare evenly, the smart ones looked away.

"Well? What are you waiting on? Get the hell outta here, all of you!" Banks finally shouted, waving his arms emphatically toward the door.

Not one member of the group hung around longer than it took to gather their papers and folders. In seconds the room was empty except for the glowering, obviously furious police captain seated at the head of the table.

As they hurried away, eager to escape the explosive atmosphere, Brian Rafe grabbed Jim's arm and leaned close to him, a conspirator's smile sliding onto his face.

"Okay... I know that was a cover up, brother. Not that I blame you, but.... what'd you really say?"

"No way."

'C'mon, Ellison. After the last two weeks suffering under the tyranny of his high holy pissed-offness, I really need a laugh. Give it up..."

Slipping into his jacket, Jim shot a quick look around the room to ensure himself he was safe, then he gave the other man the truth.

"I said I wish he'd just get laid so things can get back to normal around here."

Rafe smothered his guffaw behind one hand and patted Jim on the shoulder with the other.

"Not like we aren't all thinking the exact same thing, Jim. You're a brave man to let the sentiment pass your lips, though. A very brave man..." the other chuckled as he walked away to pass on the tale of courage to the rest of their tight knit group of friends.

"Jim. You ready to slide on outta here?" Blair asked, returning from the men's room.

"Hell, yeah. Outta here... and into someplace I like a whole lot better. Someplace dark... and hot.... and tight...." Jim breathed into his partner's ear as he slid behind Blair and headed for the elevator. Sandburg whooped quietly, mouthed 'Thanks God' at the ceiling and raced after Ellison.

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THE FOLLOWING MORNING:

Bent forward over the back of the couch, Blair groaned, sighed and reflected that Jim hadn't even given him time for breakfast before stripping him of his robe and sweet-talking him into a pre-dawn love-making session. A moment later he reflected that if this was his replacement, he might never eat breakfast again.

"Jim... we were.... supposed to be... gone an hour ago.... oh, shit...."

"Changed my mind, Chief. We can fish anytime. This week was way too long... and I need you too much. I'm not even sharing you with the chipmunks and squirrels...." Jim replied, nudging a little deeper into Blair, drawing a gut-level groan out of his Guide. "That okay with you? If I don't feel like sharing...." he added, pulling away then thrusting back in shallowly. One hand came down to gently caress Blair's thigh in slow circles and the younger man shivered.

"God... yeah... whatever you want.... I'll... I'll do anything.... if you'll move.... God, please move, Jim..."

"Tell me why, Blair. Why should I move?"

"I-I need you to. I need to feel your... balls slap my body.... I need y-your cock sandblasting my prostate.... I love you Jim.... please...."

Slowly, the taller man smiled down at his lover and acceded to his request. Minutes later, lost in endless waves of release crashing and surging through them, neither man heard a key turn almost silently in the lock. They did, however hear the thunderous oath that emerged from the visitor standing just inside the door.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"

Utterly shocked, Jim straightened quickly, backed up a step and half turned, pulling out of Blair before the other was entirely ready.

"Owww! Damn...."

"Blair... God, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. I'll be fine. Go chase down Simon."

Jim glanced back at the door to find their captain had stormed out. After reassuring himself once more that his partner was not badly hurt, Jim wrapped a robe around himself and went in search of Simon Banks. He found his friend a few steps to one side of the elevator doors, both hands braced on the wall and his head tucked in as he tried to recover his composure.

"Simon...."

"Go back inside, Jim."

Simon's weary tone, not to mention the use of Ellison's name instead of his police rank, told Jim the problem might not be what he was assuming it was. Carefully, he pressed the issue just a little.

"Simon.... I'm really sorry. We weren't supposed to be here, but with all the stress this week neither of us felt like driving or setting up camp... so we decided to stay home."

"Forget it, alright? It's partly my fault. You gave me the key for emergencies, not so I could.... I never should've come."

"Why did you?"

"I ran out of books to read. I wanted to check out that Dick Francis mystery you were talking about last month and... I just thought I'd find it and go."

"C'mon back in. I'll see if I can dig it up for you."

"No. I don't think so."

"Simon... so you saw something you weren't expecting. No big deal. It's not like you didn't suspect...."

Simon finally raised his head and met Jim's eyes.

"You knew?"

"Of course. You and I... we know each other better than any two people in that station know us. If you hadn't picked up on what everybody else missed... I'd think there was something wrong with you." Jim replied, smiling lightly.

"There is..." Simon whispered, his pain making him temporarily forget Jim could hear even his softest words.

"No. I won't believe that. You just need to get... close with somebody again. That's all."

"Close. Nice euphemism." Simon grunted, straightening up to his full height and shaking his head slowly.

"C'mon. Come back in. I'll find that book, pour you some good coffee.... we'll talk. I guarantee, Blair's dressed by now and he's probably making breakfast."

Banks produced a short laugh containing little real humor, but he turned and followed Ellison back into the apartment. Contrary to Jim's statement, however, Blair was not in sight. Concerned, Jim moved to the closed bathroom door and knocked.

"Blair?"

"Yeah...."

"You alright?"

"Umm.... pretty much."

"Hang in. Be with you in a second."

Turning back to his captain, Jim encouraged him, then quickly entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. "You know where the coffee and the mugs are, Simon. Take your coat off and have a seat. I'll be right out."

Banks threw the room in general a skeptical look, somehow feeling he should be running as fast as his legs would carry him, but after a minute or two, he slipped off his coat, hung it up and moved for the coffee-maker.

When Blair and Jim finally emerged, the younger man moving slowly and with obvious discomfort, Simon was seated on the couch, sipping carefully at a generous serving of caffeine and staring into the middle distance, letting his formidable mind work through the implications of what he'd seen and heard. Unable to miss the way Blair was walking, Simon raised an eyebrow.

"What's the problem, Sandburg?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Uh-huh." The other responded, clearly disbelieving.

"It's just... when you yelled, it surprised Jim and I didn't get a chance to relax before he.... disconnected."

"Oh.... Damn, kid. I.... I'm sorry. I never meant..."

"It's okay, Simon. You weren't expecting to walk in on us like that. It's only natural you'd wanna share the shock. I'll be back to normal in a couple days."

"Hmmph. You won't be coming to the station 'till then, I assume."

"To those hard chairs? Crap. I didn't think of that. Guess not. Teaching I can do standing up, but..."

"We can always tell the guys you got outta line and shot off your mouth, so I had to paddle you within an inch of your life." Jim suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, like that'll be any less embarrassing than announcing that *Simon* caught us en flagrante and *you* pulled out too fast." Blair countered, laughing and smacking Jim with a convenient throw pillow. Jim grinned and snatched the offending item away.

"You really up to a full-on pillow fight with an ex-army man, Junior?"

"Not 'till I can walk normally again. Okay, okay. I give. Uncle."

"Good choice." Jim replied, slapping the pillow against Blair's chest. The young man trapped it with one hand then dropped it back onto the couch. Gazing at Simon, Blair's heart twisted slightly at the expression of uneasiness on his captain's face.

"Look, Jim, forget the book. I'll just... take off.... give you two some privacy."

"We're not gonna be doing anything private for a while, Simon, trust me. You stay right there. I'll go see if I can remember where I put that book when I got done with it."

"I mean it, Jim...."

"So do I. What happened earlier is over and done. Drink your coffee and relax. I won't be long."

Before Simon could launch another protest, Jim was up and gone. Blair moved around the sofa and, after several hisses and one or two colorful expletives, gradually managed to take a seat beside the police captain.

"So... how long have you known, Simon?"

"I didn't. Couldn't be positive. I've been speculating for a few months now."

"I'm sorry you had to get the truth thrown in your face like that. Especially with what you're going through."

"Me? Don't make this about me, Sandburg. I'm fine."

"Okay. I hear that." Blair said, holding up his hands. "I just thought you should know that while you were wondering about Jim and me.... the rest of MC is wondering about you."

"Oh are they? Wondering what, pray tell?"

"Why you've been so crank... I mean so tense lately. Actually, it's gone beyond wondering. Most of them have made up their minds."

Banks smiled tightly.

"And what conclusion, exactly, have they come to?"

"Promise not to separate my head from my shoulders."

"Sandburg..."

"Okay.... What I've been hearing.... is that they're ready to toss you in a cell with the next prostitute that gets collared, lock the door and hide the key 'till your mood improves."

Simon's smile vanished instantly. He wrapped his hands around the front edge of the sofa, ready to push off, stand and leave, but Jim returned just then with four books in his hands.

"Simon? What's wrong?"

"Thanks for the reading material, Jim. I'm grateful. See you on Monday." he said, accepting the novels and rising to his feet.

Jim looked at Blair accusingly.

"What'd you say, Chief?"

"He deserved to know what everybody at work is thinking, Jim...."

"Brilliant. Simon, don't go."

"It's better if I do."

"Don't listen to him, damn it. Not every cop in Major Crime thinks...."

"Thinks what? That I'm sex-starved? Not that it's any of your business, either of you, but I can take care of myself in that department, alright? Maybe I'm not in a relationship right now, but nothing's going to turn midnight blue and fall off as long as my.... personal resources stay intact!"

Gingerly, Blair rose and moved to stand a few inches from the captain. Gazing up into the tall man's eyes, Sandburg laid a tentative hand on Simon's wrist. When it wasn't immediately shaken off, he felt confident enough to speak.

"Yeah, but.... eventually your hand isn't enough, or you run out of fantasies... or the loneliness just gets so strong you stop even trying. I know. I was celibate almost ten months before Jim and I got together."

This earned Blair a look that said he was the boldest liar Banks had ever met. "I know, as far as you knew, I was willing to chase anything in pantyhose. I played that role so well, even the women believed it. I made it to the bedroom a few times, but they were dismal failures. I performed fine, but I wasn't thinking about them and they knew it. I gave up, resigned myself to dreams of Jim and an eventual case of carpal tunnel syndrome in my dominant hand. Then Jim and I finally bought a ticket for the clue-bus and... here we are."

"I'm not like that. I'm not gay. I was married... I have a child, for God's sake!" Banks countered, backing away one step.

"It's not necessarily that clear cut, Simon. Not for us at least." Jim replied, joining the discussion again. "We decided we're... something else. We don't get turned on by women *or* other guys.... only each other."

Blair grinned.

"Pardon him for the long-windedness. He means we're in love."

Jim cracked his partner with the pillow again. "Okay... I'm a little less in love than I was a minute ago."

"No you're not."

"You're right. I'm not." Blair said stretching his head back for a quick kiss as Jim strolled up behind him.

"Love.... love is a thousand miles beyond me right now, Sandburg." Simon admitted, pacing toward the kitchen then turning and moving back. "I can't even think about love when I'm so..."

"Deprived? Depressed? Disgusted?"

"All of the above. I just... can't see my way clear of it anymore. I don't know what to do."

"Are you taking suggestions?"

"If it'll help me shake loose from the way I've been feeling lately.... I don't think I can turn down any reasonable idea."

Jim smiled and spoke up.

"Define reasonable."

"Define... do I want to know what you're thinking, Ellison?"

"The same thing he's thinking. I hope."

Banks turned his slightly suspicious gaze back on Blair.

"Go ahead, Sandburg."

"Well... the way I see it, before you can make a start on the emotional side of your problems, you have to.... relax. You know.... relax? As in..."

"Stop! I get it. It doesn't work. It's like you said.... any women I wanted to get.... intimate with could tell I just wasn't.... invested in the situation. I tried helping myself, but...."

"Of course none of that worked, Simon. For one thing, self-gratification is less likely to show results when you're already stressed out, and if anything stresses a guy out.... it's having a woman give you the 'It's not your fault, it happens to every man sometime.' speech. Besides, they were strangers. Deep down, you knew they didn't really care about you or what you needed."

"Blair...."

"Hang on. Let me finish, okay? The loft could be the ideal setting for this to work, Simon. You know this place, you're comfortable here.... and you trust us. If you wanna give it a shot...."

"I... I don't think...."

Blair raised his hands in supplication once again. When he spoke, Simon could hear the sincerity in his voice and he had to fight down a sudden and powerful surge of emotion.

"Hey, it's alright. It was.... a thought. That's all. We won't say anything more about it. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, man. I really hope I haven't screwed up our friendship..."

"No... God no. I'm trying to...."

Simon turned away for a long moment, composing himself and gathering together his scattered thoughts. Eventually he decided that, despite his fears, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting his frail self-confidence in the hands of his best friends. Facing them again, he breathed deeply and plunged in.

"What do I do?"

Blair smiled brightly. Jim slipped his hands around his partner's waist for a moment, squeezed gently and dropped another kiss on Sandburg's cheek. Once Jim released him, Blair took Simon's faintly trembling hand and led him to the couch.

"Nothing. You do nothing. That may be the secret to getting you past this roadblock." The younger man explained, slowly kneeling on the floor between Simon's legs. "You've been trying to force it.... thinking control was the answer, when what you really need to do is let it all go. No more frustration, no more struggling to get back what you think you've lost. Your part of the fight's done. Let Jim and I take over, okay? Let us lead...."

As Blair softly caressed Simon's face and temples, his eyes slipped shut and his head gradually fell back. While Blair moved on to points south, Jim eased a pillow behind his captain's neck and murmured softly to him.

"That's the way, Simon. Good.... listen to Blair. He's a master with words.... if anybody can talk you through this, he can. Let his voice guide you...."

Blair took his time unbuckling Simon's belt and releasing the button and zipper on his pants. He moved slowly, giving the other man time to adjust to every shift of clothing and stroke of fingers over his skin. All the while, he talked quietly, gentling Banks through each stage.

"Good.... really good. Let it go. Open your hands, Simon. Fists are no good. You can't punch the fear and make it go away." Blair said as a cue to Jim, who began soothing and uncurling Simon's hands. "Wow. I had no idea your skin would be so soft. I could spend hours just touching you and never get enough. Mmmm." Blair hummed, leaning close. "You smell different... a little spicy. I love it. I'll bet you have a beautiful chest.... with dark, sensitive nipples."

Jim, beginning to pick up on his cues faster now, unbuttoned Simon's dress shirt and spread the halves apart, exposing an expanse of skin the color of bittersweet chocolate. After a moment, he began to stroke his thumbs over and around the nipples, finally eliciting a moan. By this point, Blair had carefully drawn out Simon's flaccid cock and was beginning the verbal and physical work of bringing the captain to orgasm. "Your cock is beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that? It's huge... so heavy in my hand.... I know it gets bigger, though. Longer and harder... I can show you. All I have to do is wrap my hand around you... and slide it up and down. Feel the wetness between my skin and yours? That's your pre-come, Simon. I'm using your fluid to make you harder.... doesn't it feel fantastic? You're getting so hard now.... your scent is so strong. Can you smell it? Can you smell how close you are? Let it go, Simon. Release all the fear and tension and stress when you come. So close.... your balls are tightening.... it's on the way.... don't fight against it, man.... there... good.... so good, Simon...."

Blair and Jim both talked Simon through his release, soothing him with words and gentle touches. When it was over, Blair reached up and gently wiped a tear from Simon's cheek.

"You're okay, Simon. Everything's okay. Take it easy."

"God... I was so sure it wouldn't happen.... that it couldn't...."

"It did. You were amazing."

"Blair... will this...."

"What?"

"Will it mess up you and Jim?" Simon asked cautiously, sitting up and beginning to re-settle his clothing.

"No way." Jim answered. "If it was just one of us, and they didn't tell the other.... maybe, but we both wanted to help you. It was a mutual agreement."

"And... if I wanted to renew that agreement at some point in the future? Maybe even expand the scope?"

Blair's smile shone bright enough to light Las Vegas.

"I think we could negotiate. Jim?"

"Definitely. We could definitely do that."

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END