Rebound (4/6) Sequel to “Crossing the Line”, “Confused” and “Death”
 
AUTHOR:  Shirley 
 
E-mail: sgoates2607@charter.net
 
RATING:  R (WARNING: Explicit sexual content)
 
CONTEXT:  This story continues where “Death” ends.  These stories are based on 
the premise that the events portrayed in “The Beginning” have not yet occurred.  
Mitchell Lichtman and Nathan Caldwell are working at Fallin & Associates which 
is still under the managing partnership control of Burton Fallin.  
 
DISCLAIMER:  Some characters have been shamelessly borrowed from “The Guardian” 
and others are totally the figment of my runaway imagination.  Any resemblance 
to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
It had been a month since Lulu’s accident.  Nick had tried on several occasions 
to see her but she refused to take his calls.  A few days after her release from 
the hospital she had taken a medical leave and gone to New York to stay with an 
Aunt while she recovered from her injuries.  Alvin had been the one to tell him 
that she had left the state.  Nick was sick about the loss of the baby and 
broken-hearted about what appeared to be the end of any possible relationship 
with Lulu.  Through it all he did what he did best—work.  Oh, Alvin had tried to 
get him to talk about it, but right now it was just too painful a subject.    
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick pulled into his assigned parking spot in the parking deck just as Barry 
Sands pulled into the adjacent stall.  He glanced over and recognized Barry but 
the car was new.  Barry usually drove a sensible three year old Lincoln Town Car 
but today he was driving a Mercedes S600.  That was quite a leap.  Nick thought, 
‘Barry must have come into some money somewhere.’  
 
Nick gathered his briefcase and got out of the car.  He touched the remote to 
set the alarm as Barry was getting out of his car.  Nick waited to walk in with 
him.  He saw Barry cast an appreciative glance back over his shoulder at his new 
car as he walked towards the elevator.  Barry then noticed Nick waiting for him 
and nodded.
 
“What?  Did a rich uncle die?”  Nick asked and laughed, raising his eyebrows and 
nodding his head towards the S600.  
 
Barry followed Nick’s nod then said, hesitantly.  “No.  I just happened to get 
lucky in the market lately.”  He ducked his head and kept walking.  Nick hadn’t 
had any dealings with Barry so he didn’t really know that much about the guy.  
He did know that Sands hadn’t really bonded with any of the other associates 
since his arrival at the Firm and he never showed up at The Incline like the 
rest of them did, occasionally, after work.
 
They quietly rode up in the elevator together.  Nick watched Barry and noticed 
he was trying to avoid eye contact.  As they exited the elevator, Nick pretended 
his hand was a gun and pointed it at Barry, saying, “Go get ‘em.”  He made a 
clicking sound and winked.  Barry turned and scurried away.  
 
Nick grabbed his mail from the front desk and thumbed through it on his way to 
his office.  One envelope contained a signed contract which he had been waiting 
for but the other correspondence was routine stuff.  With the signed contract in 
hand, he located the file, and headed for his father’s office.  
 
Burton was ending a phone conversation as Nick entered the room.  He 
acknowledged Nick with a nod as he hung up the phone.  “What is it?” he asked 
noting the file in Nick’s hand. 
 
“Just got the signed contract on the Bryson Technology deal.  We can go ahead 
with the closing papers now.”  He handed the file with the contract to his dad 
who quickly reviewed it. 
 
“Good work, son.  Very good work.”  
 
“Dad, you gotta second?”  Not waiting for permission, Nick plopped down in the 
chair in front of his father’s desk.  
 
“Yeah.  What is it?”  He looked at Nick over his glasses, perched on the end of 
his nose. 
 
“I just saw Barry Sands drive up this morning in an S600.  That’s a pretty hefty 
leap from his three-year old Lincoln.”  He was watching his dad for any change 
in expression.  Nick continued.  “Has he come into some money somehow?”  
 
Burton sat back in his chair and removed his glasses.  “If he has, I hadn’t 
heard.  What are you thinking?”  Burton knew Nick well enough to know that he 
wasn’t just making idle conversation.  
 
Nick squirmed a little in his chair.  He might be really out in left field but 
he thought his father should know.  “Well, I jokingly asked him if his rich 
uncle had died and he said, ‘No’.  He told me he had gotten lucky in the 
market.”  He paused to see if this brought a reaction from Burton.  
 
Burton sat straight up in his chair.  After a moment, he asked, “Wasn’t Barry 
handling that merger deal with PowerTech and SunSystems, Inc.?”  Nick nodded 
affirmatively.  Burton continued, “I watched SunSystems’ stock go from $10 a 
share to $60 in two days.”  
 
Nick grinned slightly and raised his eyebrows.  
 
Burton said, “Are you thinking he might have invested in SunSystems?”  His face 
showed concern.  If that was true, it could give the Firm a black-eye with the 
SEC.  Especially after Jake’s little screw up a few months ago.  “Could he be 
that stupid?” Burton added.  After Jake’s fiasco, Burton had called a meeting 
and reiterated the serious penalties for trading on insider information without 
mentioning Jake’s personal situation.  It was handled more like a training 
exercise for the new recruits.   He was sure that Barry Sands was included in 
that group meeting.  
 
“Dad, I didn’t say anything at the time, but about a month ago I took Jamie 
Collins to LeMont’s and I ran into Barry.  Well, actually, he didn’t see me.  He 
was with a broker from Cooper-Greene Investments; you know—where Jamie works.  
Jamie told me the broker’s name is Adams.”  Nick waited for this information to 
sink in. 
 
“Jamie?” Burton cast a glance at Nick.  “I always liked that girl.  How’s she 
doing?”  Secretly he wondered why Nick didn’t settle down with a girl like 
Jamie.  She had everything going for her.  If he was a few years younger 
himself, well…….  His thoughts faded off.  
“She’s doing great.”  Nick thought about telling his dad what Jamie had said at 
the restaurant about him but decided against it. 
 
Burton’s attention returned to Barry Sands.  He leaned back in his chair and 
swiveled towards the window.  He bounced his fingertips together, deep in 
thought.  He turned to Nick, who had been watching his father go through the 
thinking process.  
 
“What are you thinking?”  He finally posed the question to Nick.  
 
“Well, I think we ought to put an investigator on him.”  
 
“You got somebody in mind?”  This was completely out of Burton’s bailiwick.  
Nick knew all these shady types and Burton didn’t ask any questions.  
 
“Yeah, Butch McFerrin.  He’s ex-FBI.  Worked white-collar crime along the 
eastern seaboard before retiring from the Bureau seven years ago.  He set up his 
own P.I. outfit in New York.  He moved back to Pittsburgh about two years ago to 
be near his sick mother.  Needless to say, he has lots of valuable contacts and 
inside knowledge of white-collar schemes.  He’s expensive but you get what you 
pay for.”
 
Burton had to ask.  “How do you know him?”  
 
“Oh, I used him on one of my very first cases at Swann & Cranston.  I knew he 
had relatives in the Pittsburgh area so when I moved back I contacted him to let 
him know.  Then when he moved back in 2000, he called to let me know he was in 
town.” 
 
“Sounds like the right man for the job.  Let’s do it.”  Burton let out a deep 
breath.  “Let’s be sure we keep this under our hat.”  
 
Nick grinned and said, “Sure.”  He got up and scooted out the door.  
 
Back in his office, he made a few phone calls and, grabbing his briefcase, he 
walked out the door.
 
~~~//~~~
 
On the way to Legal Services, Nick dialed Butch’s cell phone number.  It rang 
several times.  
 
“Hello,” said the voice on the other end of the phone.  
 
Nick recognized Butch’s raspy voice and said, “Hey, this is Nick.”  
 
It took Butch a few minutes to place the voice then he said, “Well, I’ll be.  
Nick Fallin.”  
 
“How’ve ya been, Butch?”  
 
“Can’t complain, can’t complain.  Whatcha been up to?”  Although Butch dealt 
with the underbelly of society, he was a very jovial guy.  He never met a 
stranger.  That was probably one of the secrets to his success.  He could talk 
to anyone and they would spill their guts to him.  
 
“Up to my chin….”  Nick laughed.  “If ya got time today, I’d like to see you 
about something.”  Nick didn’t want to discuss it on a cell phone.  
 
“Hey, I can make time.  Where’re ya thinking?”  
 
Nick thought about it for a minute and finally said, “You know that little 
college dive on 5th Avenue near Pitt?  You know where the college kids hang out? 
 Great seafood and great looking waitresses.”  He smiled thinking about some of 
the parties he had been to there.  That was in his drinkin’ days.  Things would 
get pretty wild.  Police raided the place more than once.  Nick had been lucky.  
He had never been grabbed up in those raids.  He was past that now.   But he was 
looking for a place where he would be least likely to be spotted by any of the 
people he worked with.  He doubted any of the high-rollers he associated with 
ever frequented this place.  
 
“Oh, yeah.  Do I ever remember that place!  You mean it’s still there?  That was 
my hangout when I went to Pitt.  What time ya thinking about?”  
 
“Well, you wanna grab lunch?”  Nick asked.  It was about 11:00 already.  “Say 
around Noon?”  
 
“Sounds great.  See ya there.”  Butch disconnected.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick parked the car and hurried into Legal Services.  He had a few minutes to 
spare before the meeting with Butch.  
 
He charged into Alvin’s office.  “Alvin, I’ve only got a few minutes before a 
luncheon appointment.  Did you get that file from Social Services that I asked 
about… on that kid, Danny Moon?  I’m trying to work an adoption for him and need 
that previous file for background.”
 
“Yeah, they had to dig it out of their storage files.  Laurie’s bringing it over 
later today.”  Alvin noticed that Nick seemed a little peeved with the delay.  
He hurriedly added, “Oh, did you hear?”
 
“Hear what?”  Nick was turning to leave.  
 
“Lulu’s back.”  
 
“Oh.”  Nick didn’t know what to say.  He thought she might call him when she got 
back to town but he hadn’t heard anything.  “She doing okay?”  
 
“Seems to be.  She’s in her office if you want to say hello.”  Nick thought 
about it for a minute.  
 
“I really don’t have time right now.  I’m meeting somebody for lunch.”  He 
walked towards the elevator and found his eyes wandering over the office to see 
if he caught a glimpse of Lulu.  He noticed her door was shut.  He punched the 
elevator button.  It immediately opened and discharged its load of passengers.  
Nick stepped on and pushed the button for the first floor.  Before the doors 
closed, he noticed Barbara was sitting at her desk, watching him.  He glanced 
down as the doors closed.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick pulled into the parking lot of the Panther Den.  He remembered the name had 
changed several times over the years but it still remained one of the main 
hangouts for the students of the University of Pittsburgh.  It was obviously a 
popular place for lunch since the parking lot was already two-thirds full.  He 
wasn’t sure what kind of car Butch was driving these days so he decided to wait 
inside.  
 
Before he opened the door he could hear the juke box was cranked up good and 
loud.  Might be hard to talk in here.  He hadn’t thought about that.  It was 
predominantly a bar but they served great seafood, good sandwiches and a large 
choice of beers.  He stood at the door waiting for his eyes to acclimate to the 
darkness and then began looking around.  He didn’t recognize anyone.  He spotted 
a small booth across the room where he could watch the door.  He walked over and 
settled himself in the booth and was immediately greeted by the waitress; 
probably about 20 years old, maybe 5’5”, dark hair, great figure and a 
delightful smile.  
 
“What can I get ya, Mister?”  She smiled and winked.  She was obviously flirting 
with him and it made him a little uncomfortable.  Co-eds used to be his thing 
during his “cocaine” binges.  He remembered the college girls were uninhibited 
and weren’t after a long-term relationship.  And you never had to struggle to 
make conversation.  They didn’t really want to talk.  “Mister?” she repeated 
when he didn’t answer. 
 
“Oh, I guess I’ll have coffee right now.  I’m waiting for someone.”  Her face 
took on a serious look.  
 
“You wanna wait to order when she gets here?”  
 
Nick smiled.  “Well, it’s a guy I’m meeting and yes I will wait ‘til he gets 
here to order.”  Her smile returned.  She left the menu and turned to walk to 
the kitchen.  She glanced over her shoulder once to see Nick admiring her legs.  
He flashed her his best crooked smile.  She tossed her head and continued to the 
kitchen. 
 
About that time Butch walked in.  He was having trouble seeing in the dark.  
Finally he noticed Nick motioning to him across the room.  They shook hands and 
exchanged greetings.  
 
Nick noticed the waitress was headed back to their table with his coffee and an 
extra menu which she handed to Butch.  She gave Nick that little smile again 
then turned to Butch.  “What’ll ya have?”
 
“You ordered yet?” he asked Nick.  
 
“No, I was waitin’ for you.  Go ahead, what ya gonna have?” he nodded at Butch.  
Nick had already decided. 
 
“Well, Missy, I think I’ll try a burger with fries and a beer.”  He handed her 
the menu.  
 
“And I’ll have your fried shrimp with a small salad on the side.”  Nick said, 
handing her his menu.
 
“Any special beer, Mister?”  She looked back at Butch. 
 
“Nah.  Whatever you have on tap’s fine.”  As she walked away Butch noticed that 
Nick was checking her out.  “Well, Nick, what’d ya wanna talk to me about?”  
 
“I’d like to hire you to follow someone.”  
“Okay.  Whatcha got?”  
 
Nick pulled three sheets of paper, folded together, out of his inside coat 
pocket.  “The subject is Barry Sands.  He’s an Associate at my Firm.  Here is a 
partial copy of his personnel file,” he said handing Butch the papers.  “It’ll 
give you all the pertinent information that we have on him.  I’ve also included 
a summary of the merger deal he handled recently as well as other information 
that might be important.”  
 
“What’s he up to?”  
 
“I can’t be sure, but I think he might be trading on inside information.  We 
noticed a drastic shift in his lifestyle in recent months.  We are not aware of 
any windfall from family or insurance or anything like that.  He actually told 
me that he had gotten lucky in the market.  We all know how the market’s been 
acting, so he’d have to have been pretty damn lucky.  Now, it could all be 
benign.  Naturally we want this all kept in the strictest confidence.”
 
“What exactly do you want me to do?”  He took out a pad and pen.  
 
Nick noticed the waitress returning with their lunch.  They decided to wait and 
discuss the matter after they ate.  Nick learned that Butch’s mother had passed 
away shortly after he moved back to Pittsburgh.  Butch was about 62 years old, 
widowed, with a grown daughter living in New York.  He enjoyed sports but, other 
than catching an occasional game, his work was his life.  
 
“I wanna find out who this guy is seeing, talking to, socializing with.  I’d 
like photos.  Can you check his bank records for large deposits or money 
transfers?  Oh, and I’d like to check his phone records.”  
 
“Well, Nick.  You know some of that stuff you ask for may be a bit above the 
law,” he grinned.  He had his sources and could get just about anything.  
Sometimes you had to stretch the law to make it fit the situation.  
 
Nick glanced around to make sure no one was watching or listening in on their 
conversation.  “Butch, we may have to report this to the SEC so I don’t want to 
get too far out on a limb, if you know what I mean.  You’ve worked white-collar 
before so you know what I need here.  Do what you can.”  Nick paid the tab and 
they walked to their cars.  They shook hands and parted.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
On his way back to Fallin & Associates, Nick dialed Jamie at her office.  
 
“Jamie Collins, please.  Nick Fallin calling.”  He waited.  
 
“Nick.  So good to hear from you.  What’s up?”  Just the sound of her voice 
brightened his day. 
 
“Well… I thought you might like to buy me dinner tonight.”  
 
She thought a moment and then said, “I’ve got a better idea.  Why don’t you come 
over to my place and I’ll fix you a home-cooked meal.  When’s the last time you 
had a home-cooked meal?”  
 
“Oh… I guess I was about 10.”  He laughed out loud.  “Just kidding,” he added.  
But it did seem that long ago.  
 
“Well, I’ll make it very special.  How’s that?  Shall we say 8:00?”  
 
“Eight it is.”  
 
Back at the Firm, Nick poked his head into his dad’s office and simply said, 
“It’s done.”  
 
Burton looked up from his desk and nodded.  
 
Nick pulled the SunSystem,Inc/PowerTech merger file and locked himself in his 
office.  He scoured the file for anything out of the ordinary.  He noticed that 
Mitchell Lichtman’s signature appeared several places in the file.  He made 
mental notes and returned the file to the cabinet. 
 
~~~//~~~
 
It was around 5:30 when Nick returned to Legal Services to pick up the file on 
the Moon boy he had requested earlier from Social Services.  Barbara was still 
there but the others had all left with the exception of two lawyers, conferring 
on a case in the conference room.  
 
“Nick.  Alvin left this file for you.  It’s from Social Services—on a Danny 
Moon.”  Barbara handed him the file.  
 
“Oh, thanks.  I tried to get over here earlier but just got tied up.”  He opened 
the file and glanced at the contents.  He shoved the file in his briefcase and 
said, “Well, see ya.”  He turned to go.
 
“Nick?”  He turned to face Barbara.
 
“Would you like to get a drink at The Incline?”  Nick wondered where this was 
coming from.  Surely Barbara didn’t think they had that much in common.  
 
He rocked from one foot to the other, obviously agitated.  “Well, I have an 
appointment at 8:00.”  
 
“It won’t take but a minute.  I just want to talk to you about something.”  
Barbara was not in a joking mood.  Must be something serious.  Well, he liked 
Barbara a lot and if he could help her he would.  
 
“I guess,” he said.   They walked the half-block to The Incline.  
 
Barbara managed to get them a table in the corner away from most of the noise.  
They ordered drinks.  
 
Nick finally started the conversation.  “Barbara, do you need help with 
something?”  
 
“It’s not about me, Nick.”  
 
“Oh, well, then what’s it about?”  Nick was curious.  He hoped that Russell 
wasn’t in trouble again. 
 
“Lulu.”  She watched Nick for a reaction.
 
He pursed his lips and squirmed in his seat.  He looked up at Barbara with a 
pained look in his eyes.  
 
“What’s going on with you two?”  She was not shy about jumping into this 
situation.  
 
“Whadaya mean?”  Nick averted his eyes.  This is a subject he didn’t feel 
comfortable talking to anyone about least of all someone he worked with.  
 
“Nick, you don’t have to act coy with me.  I know you’re crazy about her.  In 
fact, everyone in the office knows you’re crazy about her.”  Nick jerked his 
head up to look at her.  
 
“Jeez, that’s just great.  That makes everyone, BUT Lulu.”  He shook his head.  
 
“That whole thing about Brian—the quickie marriage and even quicker divorce.  
What was that all about?”  She was fishing.
 
“You’re gonna have to ask Lulu about that.”  
 
“Have you seen her since she got back from New York?”  
 
“No.  I didn’t even know she was back until Alvin told me today.  She never 
bothered to call me.  There’s not much I can do if she doesn’t want to be around 
me.”  He sounded resigned. 
 
He took a sip of his drink then looked at Barbara.  “Listen,” he said.  “I’m not 
sure we should be talking about this.  I’ve made my feelings clear.  The next 
move is hers.  I gotta go, Barbara.  You goin’ back to your car?”  
 
“I think I’ll stick around awhile.”  
 
Nick left a $20 bill on the table and headed out the door.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
He got home around 7:00 o’clock.  He checked for messages.  Nothing.  He hopped 
in the shower to wash off some of the grime from the day and slipped on a pair 
of dark brown wool-blend slacks, a 100% silk heather-brown mock-turtleneck 
sweater and his Dark English Tan colored ankle boots which zipped on the side.  
He was really looking forward to an evening with Jamie.
 
He arrived right at 8:00.  He had gotten better about being on time.  He rang 
the bell.  Almost immediately the door opened.  It startled him.
 
“Boy, you must be psychic,” he said, smiling.  She gave him a peck on the cheek 
and, grabbing his arm, steered him to the sofa.   He noticed she was wearing a 
fitted white sleeveless blouse with two rows of pin-tucks on either side of a 
center button placket.  The shirt was worn out and over the waistband of a very 
short red skirt.  He also noticed she didn’t wear stockings with her open-toed 
sandals. Very casual, very sexy.  He breathed in deeply.   
 
Nick looked around and noted that Jamie had taken care to make the lighting very 
romantic.  He saw the table set for two with a single red rose in the center.  
Candle votives were scattered around the table and it was set with her finest 
china service.  
 
“What will you have to drink?”  And before he had a chance to answer she said, 
“How ‘bout just a little glass of wine?  I promise I won’t let you drink too 
much.”  
 
He thought about it and figured ‘why not’.  A couple glasses never hurt him.  
“Sure,” he finally said.  
 
“I’ll be right back.”  She headed for the kitchen.  
 
Jamie’s condo was one of the larger corner units.  You entered directly into the 
living room.  It had a large fireplace which served the living room and the 
master bedroom, which backed up to the fireplace wall.  A hall leading off to 
the left as you entered the front door led to two other bedrooms.  The spacious 
kitchen was open to the living room and the dining room was just off the 
kitchen.  A large window in the dining room provided a spectacular view of the 
rivers and the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area.    
 
Nick walked over to the dining room window and was looking out over the city 
when Jamie came up behind him holding his glass of wine.  He took the glass and 
raised it saying, “To you, for what’s sure to be a memorable evening.”  He 
indicated the candles and romantic table setting and took a sip.  She looked 
into his eyes.  He set his glass on the sideboard.  Her tiny face was framed by 
a mass of loose blonde curls.  He slipped his hand beneath the curls and, 
drawing her head near, he bent to kiss her tenderly on the lips.  
 
“That was nice,” she said, slipping out of his grasp. “I’d better serve dinner 
so we can get that out of the way and get on with more important things.”  She 
glanced over her shoulder and winked as she headed for the kitchen.  
 
The meal was wonderful.  They were sipping the last of their wine when she 
asked, “Nick, why did you want to see me?”  She was hoping he just wanted to be 
with her.  
 
He almost hated to bring up a work issue but that was the whole purpose for this 
evening.  He said, “You remember when I asked you those questions about insider 
trading?  Last time we had dinner?”  
 
“Yeah, I remember.  You wanted to know if a brokerage company had a way of 
tracking that kind of activity.”
 
“That’s right.  Well, I have a big favor to ask of you.”
 
“I see,” she said, a little dejected.  And this evening had started out with 
such promise.  “What’s the favor?”
 
“I believe an Associate at my Firm and your Mr. Adams may be passing information 
back and forth.”  
 
She reflected for a moment then said, “You know, Adams has only been with 
Cooper-Greene for about two years.  I don’t know that much about him.  Did you 
want me to see what I can dig up?”  
 
“Would you?” he whined.  She loved it when he acted like a little boy.  He 
grinned that half-grin of his that just killed her.  
 
“For you?  Anything.”  She blew him a kiss across the table.  
 
He helped clear away the dishes.  She poured another glass of wine, his third.  
He made a mental note to slow down.  Since he didn’t drink that much any more, 
he felt the affects much faster.
  
Nick settled into the corner of the sofa with his right arm stretched along the 
back.   He was turned slightly sideways.  Jamie lay down across his lap resting 
her head on his left arm.  He gazed down at her.  With her left hand she pulled 
his head down and kissed him passionately on the lips.  He nibbled her top lip 
then her bottom lip and finally his tongue found hers.  He embraced her.  They 
kissed deeply.  With his right hand he began unbuttoning the tiny little buttons 
on her blouse.  She shoved her hand under his sweater.  His muscles quivered 
beneath her touch.  
 
Without warning, she suddenly jumped up. “We need mood music.”  She walked to 
the entertainment center, to the right of the fireplace, and started to look 
through her CD collection.  Nick slipped up behind her and, brushing her hair 
aside, he kissed the nape of her neck.  Putting his arms around her waist, he 
held her to him.  She set the CD down and turned in his arms.  With her arms 
around his neck she kissed him, pressing her body into his.  He was kneading her 
hips and thighs.  His hands moved up her body and he deftly removed her blouse 
and then her bra.  Jamie pushed up his sweater and their flesh touched as they 
embraced.  Nick kissed her passionately.  
 
He asked breathlessly, “Do I need protection?”  She answered, equally 
breathless, “Taken care of.”  He then pushed up her short skirt to her waist and 
slipped off her panties as she stepped out of her sandals.   He backed her up 
against the wall and pressed his body into hers all the while kissing and 
touching her.  They were breathing heavily.  She felt his engorged penis press 
into her abdomen.  She grappled with his belt buckle and quickly unbuttoned and 
unzipped his pants.  With one hand Nick helped her free his penis and in the 
next moment she had her legs wrapped around him and he was inside her; pumping, 
pumping.  Nick nuzzled and kissed her breasts. ‘It must be the wine’, he 
thought.  He felt himself losing control.  He tried, in vain, to halt a 
premature ejaculation.  Instead, with a final thrust he groaned to a climax.  He 
buried his head in Jamie’s neck and held her tightly while he expended his load. 
 He breathed in the scent of her hair.  She kissed the side of his face and, 
taking his head in her hands, she looked him in the eye.  He said sheepishly, 
“Sorry.”  She kissed him on the eyes, nose and mouth and said, “I’m not worried. 
 The night is still young.”  
 
With her still clinging to him, he carried her to the bedroom and gently laid 
her on the bed.  She wriggled out of her skirt while he finished undressing.  
Completely naked, she pulled back the covers on the bed then went around the 
room lighting candles.  Nick lay down on the bed, his hands behind his head, 
watching and admiring as she moved about the room like a cat.  She turned to 
look at him from across the room.  He patted the bed next to him.  She made her 
way to the bed and stretched out beside him.  
 
Nick took her breast in his hand, gently squeezing.  With his tongue, he circled 
the nipple then gently sucked and nibbled while he ran his hands down her body.  
 Jamie had her eyes closed and she was breathing through her mouth, her body 
moving beneath his touch.  He kissed her lips.  Slowly he traced her lips with 
his tongue.  He kissed her eyelids.  Her hands moved across his body and then 
she took his limp member in her hand and began to massage it.  It didn’t take 
much stimulation to bring it back to life.  Now Jamie was straddling him and he 
was swelling inside of her as she rocked back and forth.  He had reached the 
deepest penetration yet.  She was finding her rhythm and it was driving Nick 
insane.  He closed his eyes, carried away by the ecstasy.  Their bodies were 
glistening with sweat.  He drew Jamie to him and rolled over until she was 
beneath him.  He began slowly, deliberately to bring Jamie to climax, their 
bodies moving in unison.  Finally they lay still, savoring the moment.  They 
kissed.  Nick pushed back a few damp tendrils of her hair which were clinging to 
her face and kissed her again, gently.  He then rolled over on his back.  
 
Jamie reached for the sheet and pulled it up over their naked bodies.  She 
nuzzled at his side and he hugged her to him. She kissed his chest.  He twisted 
a strand of her hair in his hand.  As they lay in each other’s arms, Nick’s mind 
began to wander.  He suddenly found himself thinking about Lulu.  He tried to 
shake the image but to no avail.  He was worried about her.  Since the accident 
she hadn’t been herself.  
 
Jamie had raised herself up on her elbow to look into his eyes.  She asked, 
softly, “What are you thinking about?”  
 
 Nick felt guilty as he was suddenly jolted back to the moment.  For a minute, 
he said nothing, then “Oh, I was thinking how you wear me out.”  
 
She laid her head on his chest and said, “Hmmm.”  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick stayed the night.  The next morning he quickly dressed and drove home to 
shower and get ready for work.  As he walked through the front door he 
encountered Connie, who had already arrived.  “Well, well,” she said, raising 
her eyebrows.  She had noticed his bed had not been slept in.  “Late night?” she 
asked with a sly smile.  
 
“I guess you could call it that,” Nick said, with a big grin, racing up the 
stairs.  “I guess there’s not much for you to do today.  I gotta get ready for 
work.”  He disappeared into his bedroom at the top of the stairs.   
 
Connie called after him, “I’ll drop back by in an hour or so.  I’ll still be in 
the neighborhood.” 
 
Nick appeared at the top of the stairs, already shirtless.  “That’ll do,” he 
said and ducked back in his bedroom.  
 
As Connie let herself out, she heard the sound of the shower.   
 
~~~//~~~
 
Two days later Nick was at Legal Services.  He literally bumped into Lulu as he 
was coming out of Alvin’s office.  This was the first time he had seen her since 
she had returned from her leave and she acted as though she had never left.  He 
wanted to ask her how she was but she immediately began asking him about a case 
she was working on.  He was concentrating on what Lulu was saying when the 
elevator opened and Jamie stepped off.  Nick happened to glance up at that 
moment and saw her striding towards him.  He glanced at Lulu and back to Jamie.  

 
“Hello, Love,” Jamie said as she raised her face to Nick for a kiss.  He bent 
over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.  
 
He then introduced the two women to each other.   He noticed Lulu looking at him 
and then back at Jamie.  
 
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Jamie said, “Nick, I called your 
office this morning and they said you were over here.  Since I was coming this 
way anyway I thought I would see if you wanted to have lunch.  I have that 
information that you wanted.”  
 
Lulu saw a slender blonde woman, dressed in a perfectly tailored navy blue suit 
with a crisp white blouse.  Her long blonde locks were pulled back and secured 
by a large barrette at the nape of her neck.  She had stunningly beautiful blue 
eyes.  She was carrying a black leather briefcase with a small handbag over her 
shoulder.  From her appearance and bearing, she obviously had money and 
breeding.  And for a moment, Lulu felt a wave of jealousy.  
 
“Oh.  Yeah, lunch would be good.”  He glanced at his watch.  It was 11:45.  
 
Lulu looked at Nick and said, “Listen, Nick, we can talk about this case another 
time.”  
 
Jamie then piped up, “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
 
“No, you didn’t.  We can talk about it later,” Nick said, very uncomfortable at 
this point.  He looked at Lulu and pursed his lips, hands on his hips.  
 
“Sure,” Lulu said, turning and walking to her office.  Jamie noticed how Nick’s 
eyes followed her.  He finally turned his eyes back on Jamie.  She smiled and 
walked towards the elevator.  Nick followed.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
At The Incline, they ordered lunch.  Jamie removed a manila envelope from her 
briefcase.  She said, as she handed the envelope to Nick, “Nick, I had to use a 
little skullduggery to get this information.  I could get into a lot of trouble 
if someone found out where the information came from.”  Nick looked over the 
documents and asked a few clarifying questions then deposited the envelope in 
his briefcase.
 
“Well, they will never find out from me.”  Nick placed the napkin on his lap and 
took a large sip of water.  
 
“Old girlfriend?”  Jamie asked, looking fixedly at Nick.  He looked up from the 
table to find her peering at him.  
 
“What?”  Nick asked; a puzzled look on his face.  He wasn’t sure what she was 
talking about.  
 
“Lulu?”  She continued to gaze at him.
 
He answered much too fast.  “No,” and took another sip of his water.  
 
“Nick, don’t forget I’m a woman.”  She paused.
 
“There’s no question in my mind about that,” he said with a lascivious grin.  
 
Her face was serious.  “No, Nick.  I mean a woman can tell when another woman 
has feelings for a man and she definitely has feelings for you.”  
 
“There’s nothing between us so you needn’t worry.”  
 
“Oh, I’m not worried.  Remember—our relationship has no strings attached.  I 
only bring it up because unresolved feelings can leave an emotional vacuum and 
make it impossible to have a healthy relationship with anyone else.”  
 
“Well, as a matter of fact, Lulu married another man.”  He neglected to tell 
Jamie that she had also divorced him just as quickly.  “So I guess, if there 
were unresolved feelings, they are now resolved.”  He shrugged his shoulders.  
 
In order to change the subject, he said, “Jamie, about this stock trading issue; 
I have an investigator on this and may eventually turn it over to the FBI.  I 
just wanted to give you a heads up.”  
 
“I don’t have any problem with Adams getting his due, IF he is involved.  I just 
don’t want to be fingered for getting the information from his computer and 
giving it to you.”  
 
“You have my word.  Do you mind keeping your eyes and ears open for any more 
trades that Adams might be involved in similar to the SunSystems trade?  Stock 
trades involving large swings in the stock prices over a very short period.”  
 
She nodded that she would and then said, “Boy, you owe me big time.”  She 
flashed him a big smile.  He smiled back.
 
~~~//~~~
 
After lunch, Nick called Butch McFerrin and arranged to meet and discuss the new 
information.  This time Butch named the place, which was situated across town.  
They set the time at 3:30 pm.  Nick consulted his PDA and noted he had a meeting 
at the Firm at 1:30 pm; a closing.  Then he wanted to get back to Legal Services 
to see if Lulu still needed his help on a file, before she left for the day.
 
The meeting place was a little pub on the outskirts of town called “Bud’s Beer & 
BBQ”.  It was small and dark but quiet.  After Nick had noticed Mitchell’s 
signature in the PowerTech/SunSystems file, he had copied parts of Lichtman and 
Caldwell’s personnel files, late one night, and now provided these new names to 
Butch.  When Butch saw the Senator’s name, he just raised his eyebrows.   Much 
of his career with the FBI had been spent in and around Seats of Government, 
Harrisburg was no exception.  And although Caldwell was State Government and the 
FBI was Federal, well, Government was Government.  Caldwell’s name was 
frequently bandied about on the ‘cocktail circuit’.  There were a lot of things 
you could say about the Senator but ‘squeaky-clean’ was not one of them.  He 
didn’t mention this to Nick.  Nick’s interest in the Senator appeared to be only 
related to the insider trading issue.  Butch’s policy was never to reveal more 
information than necessary to get the job done and satisfy the client.  All the 
unused information he kept in reserve.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
It was about 5:15 pm when Nick returned to Legal Services to talk with Lulu 
about the file they were discussing just before lunch.  He found Lulu still in 
her office.  Her door was ajar.  The office staff was beginning to leave for the 
day.  
 
He knocked and pushed the door open.  “Oh, come on in, Nick.  I was just looking 
over this file again.  I guess it’s not as complicated as I originally thought.  
I think I can handle it.  Sorry to waste your time.”  Nick looked disappointed.  
He didn’t get many opportunities to be around Lulu any more since she seemed 
bent on avoiding him.  
 
“I don’t mind, if you want me to look it over, since I’m already here.”  He 
raised his eyebrows and smiled a genuine smile.  
 
“Okay, if you’re sure.”  He shut the door behind him and she handed the file to 
him across the desk.  He sat in the chair facing her and opened the file before 
him.  She briefed him on her planned approach.  As he was reading the file, Lulu 
got up and came around the desk to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder.  
She leaned over, rubbing against him, and pointed out something in the file.  At 
her touch, Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  He still got those 
feelings when he was around Lulu… the unresolved feelings that Jamie was talking 
about at lunch.  Nick made a few minor suggestions and closed the file.  Lulu 
was now standing beside him, leaning against her desk, facing him.  He knew he 
should excuse himself and leave but instead he leaned back in the chair and 
looked up at her. 
 
She reached out and put her hand on his, which was resting on the arm of the 
chair.  She said, “Thanks, Nick, for always being there for me.”  
 
Haltingly he said, “I wasn’t there when you needed me most.”  He was remembering 
the events immediately following the accident and the loss of their child.  How 
she had refused to see him and then left town suddenly severing all contact.  
 
“I didn’t give you much chance, Nick.  I thought of it only as my loss when 
truly it was ours.”  She squeezed his hand.  “I wanted our baby more than 
anything.”   She brushed a tear from her eye.  She turned and walked to the one 
window in the room.  The setting sun was obscured by the surrounding tall 
buildings, casting everything in shadows, but occasionally you could see a glint 
of light as it was reflected off a window pane.  It would be dark soon.  
 
Nick quietly rose from the chair and walked up behind Lulu. He put his hands on 
her shoulders.  She turned towards him.  
 
“Oh, Nick,” she said as she began to cry.  “I’m so sorry for everything.”  She 
leaned against his chest and he encircled her with his arms.  He kissed the top 
of her head.  
 
“I wish you hadn’t shut me out,” he said sadly.  Lulu could hear the pain in his 
voice.  He lifted her chin and kissed her gently on the mouth.  
 
“Nick?”  There was so much she wanted to say to him but he put his fingers on 
her lips to quiet her.  
 
“You think you know what you want right now, but you’ve been through so much 
with Brian and the baby.  I don’t think you really do know what you want.  You 
need to give it some time.”  Nick was trying to be as kind as he knew how.  
Sure, he knew Lulu could be his right now.  But would that change tomorrow or 
the next day, dashing his hopes again?  He wanted to see Lulu take charge of her 
life; get back to the spunky girl he remembered when they first met.  He finally 
said, “Regardless of how things work out, I will always be your friend.”  
 
Lulu began to sob quietly.  
 
To be continued… (The Plan 5/6)