by Harmon, AJ
“Sit on me,” he growled, as he lowered her down, his penis at her entrance.
Katy placed her hands on his chest and filled herself with him as she sank down onto him, lower and lower until she couldn’t go any more.
“Damn,” she breathed.
“Thank you,” he grinned as they both sat there for just a moment reveling in the exquisite feeling.
Mark felt as though he was home. It was a strange thought but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as Katy began moving in a slow circular motion. He knew she was almost ready and all he had to do was let go of his control and he would go right along with her.
Mark watched her as she moved. Her head was back, her eyes closed, and she bit her bottom lip. He watched her breasts bounce up and down with each movement and he grabbed them in his hands and squeezed.
Katy gasped and looked down at him, their eyes locked. She changed the rhythm and slowly moved up and down, squeezing her muscles every time she slid up the length of him.
“Shit,” he breathed as she moved over and over again. “I’m, I’m gonna…Katy, damn!”
Just at that moment she pushed herself down onto him hard and threw back her head and cried out as her orgasm exploded through her. Mark grabbed her hips and thrust into her one more time and went completely rigid as he came right along with her.
“Fuck!” he panted as Katy collapsed onto him. “Wow!”
He couldn’t catch his breath. His eyes couldn’t focus. All of his bones had melted into jelly and wouldn’t move. It was the singular most incredible sexual experience of his life, one that he knew could not be outdone. And it was with the woman who owned his heart. The woman he could never have.
*****
Katy caught her breath and then excused herself. She slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. It had been all she had assumed it would be. Mark was an exceptional lover and she was happy she had asked him to have sex with her and relieved he had said yes. But the experience was bittersweet. She had found a knight in shining armor, only he wasn’t hers. And she didn’t see how that could ever change. What it came right down to is the way they met and Katy didn’t think that either of them would ever be able to get past that. She would just have to take this one perfect moment and hope it would keep her warm for the rest of her nights. Because now, even if she did decide to put herself back out there in the dating world, nobody would ever measure up to Mark. Nobody. Ever.
12.
They were supposed to meet Sarah on Thursday morning at 10:30am as the sentencing hearing was at 11:00am. Matt and Janie had left before Mark, they were going to walk the few blocks. Janie had some nervous energy she needed to get rid of and Matt thought walking might help.
Mark had put Katy in a cab the evening before. There wasn’t very much talking after they had gotten dressed. Katy said she needed to go home and write her statement, so Mark had paid the cab driver and let her go. He’d wanted to pick her up this morning but she’d graciously declined.
I should have insisted, he thought as he stood outside waiting for a cab. I should just sit her down and tell her how I feel.
A cab pulled in front of the hotel and the doorman opened the door for him. He told the driver where he was headed and sat back and thought about his options; when to talk to her and how to tell her topped his list.
We’ll just get through this morning and then I’ll figure it out.
*****
Katy was running up the steps to the front door of the courthouse when she saw Mark step out of a cab.
Oh shit! she thought. Be cool. Be very, very cool.
She stood and waited for him to catch up to her.
“Hi,” he smiled.
“Hey,” she replied and turned and continued to the door. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her breathing was short and shallow, but she didn’t know if it was nerves for the hearing or seeing Mark.
Last night had been so much more than she had anticipated. He had made her feel wanted and desired and the sex was over-the-top fantastic. And then when it was all over she had been terrified. She knew she had to get out of the hotel before she became that sixteen year old airhead that confessed her undying love for the boy of her dreams only to have him laugh in her face at the absurdity of the idea. She couldn’t take his rejection. That would break her. And she didn’t want to break. So she’d left, quickly, and now here she was trying to play it cool. She really did feel like she was sixteen again and that thought made her nauseous.
“You okay?” he asked as they walked to the elevator.
“Yep,” she said as she pushed the call button. “I am so ready to have this all over and done with.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine,” he said.
They didn’t talk on the way up to Sarah’s office and as the elevator doors opened she turned to him and smiled.
“Thanks for coming today.”
“Of course. I’m here for you Katy.”
*****
Sarah had the two women in her office and was giving them a quick rundown of what was about to happen in the sentencing hearing.
“Do you have your statements ready?” she asked.
Janie nodded. “It’s short, but I’m ready.”
“The length doesn’t matter,” Sarah explained. “Just the content. Katy?”
Katy sighed. “I wrote a few things down but I think I will just say whatever comes to me in the moment.”
“No pressure, Katy, but this is the time when your voice is heard. Don’t hold back. Let the judge know how you feel.”
Katy nodded. She would try to do her best.
“Ok, let’s go.” Sarah stood and gathered some files from her desk and stuffed them in her briefcase and the three women left her office, Mark and Matt joining them in the hallway.
Matt immediately took his wife’s hand in his and Mark placed his hand on the small of Katy’s back and opened the door for her into the courtroom.
“You amaze me,” he whispered in her ear. “You are my hero.”
Katy looked at Mark bewildered. “Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
Sarah ushered them to the seats behind the railing and went and sat behind the table. There were a few other people scattered in the courtroom and anxiety hit Katy full on. This was it. She was going to have to face Danny. But she wasn’t here alone; Mark was on one side and Janie and Matt on the other.
Here we go.
*****
The Honorable Judge Maria Glazer sat at the bench. And then, as Katy’s breakfast almost came back up, Danny Salvo was escorted into the courtroom in shackles. She looked down at her lap and Mark put his arm around her. His other hand clenched in a fist at the sight of the bastard.
The proceedings began and each of the attorneys spouted off legal jargon that nobody but the judge understood.
After just a few minutes, the judge addressed the gallery, asking for the statements from the victims. Sarah turned to Katy and Janie and nodded. It was their turn. Katy kept her eyes forward, Mark’s arm still around her and tried to just focus on breathing.
Janie stood and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. She took a deep breath and then began to speak, trepidation in her voice.
“I have known Danny Salvo since October of 2006. He was a quiet neighbor that never bothered us. Although in hindsight I recognize peculiarities that I wish I’d noticed back then and maybe we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
She took another deep breath and Matt put his hand on the back of her knee, an offer of support. Janie looked down at him and smiled.
She continued. “I knew that he bothered Katy and I kept telling myself that he was harmless, but now we know that isn’t true, is it? When she rejected his advances he lured her to his house with a lie and then kidnapped her.” Her voice hitched and she smothered a small sob.
“When I went to find her, I didn’t think that he would ever hurt me, but again, I was very wrong. The real Danny Salvo presented himself and I
found myself tied up with rope and a nasty gash on my head. But that was nothing compared to what he had done to Katy.” She wiped a tear from her eye and tried to continue reading.
“This man is unpredictable and dangerous and I cannot imagine any woman having to face what Katy did. Please don’t allow him to hurt anyone else. Please don’t let him hurt us anymore. Thank you.”
Janie sat and Matt wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her temple. Sarah turned and looked to Katy. It was now her turn.
With her eyes still staring directly ahead, Katy stood slowly and looked at the judge. If she just stared at the judge she could do it. She took a breath in and then exhaled gradually, letting all the tension out with it.
“I work as a nurse. I see accidents and injuries all day long. I see blood and broken bones and bacterial and viral infections. I see every kind of physical ailment out there and one of the reasons I love my job is because with drugs or surgery or other medical procedures, those physical conditions can get better and the patients go back to a happy and healthy life.”
Katy took another deep breath and Janie grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.
“On August 14th of last year, I was kidnapped by the man sitting over there and held for thirty hours against my will. I was stripped of all my clothes and my wrists and ankles were tied to a bed so that I couldn’t move. I was groped and touched and molested to the point that I wanted to just die. I wanted him to kill me so that it would just end.”
Mark squeezed his eyes shut, his teeth were gritted and his fists clenched. Her words had pierced his heart and he felt completely helpless knowing that he couldn’t make it all better, that he couldn’t make her whole. He wanted nothing more than to beat Danny, slowly and painfully, to death. The thought scared him a little. He’d never felt such violent thoughts about another human being, but then he really didn’t consider the piece of garbage a human being.
“And while I physically survived, part of me didn’t,” Katy continued. “He didn’t just steal my freedom for those thirty hours; he stole my sense of security, my sense of freedom. He stole my trust in men and my sense of adventure. He took my future. And no amount of surgery or medication will ever get that back. It is gone and he took it. Please make him pay for that.”
Katy sat down and the trembling began. She had said all she could and now her body released all the emotion as Janie cradled her, soothing her and telling her it would be okay. The judge said that she was ready to pronounce the sentence.
Janie and Katy looked to the front. Katy blew her nose. Danny stood.
“I have reviewed the case and I have listened to the victims. I understand that you have agreed to a plea and that the recommended sentence is fifteen years. However, with the prior assault charge from 2005 and the nature of this crime, I hereby sentence you, Danny Salvo to the maximum sentence of twenty-two years.”
Katy gasped and Janie reached for her hand. He’s going to prison for a very long time. There was some more talking but Katy didn’t hear any of it. Her mind was letting go of all the fear and anxiety. He would be in prison and she was free. I am free!
The judge banged the gavel and left the courtroom and the guards walked towards Danny to return him to the county jail to await transportation to prison. He looked back and yelled, “bitch”.
Katy stood and without thinking stepped over Janie and Matt and walked to Danny. With a confidence she had not felt in a very long time, she stared him down and spoke very slowly.
“You had me for thirty hours but you didn’t break me. You also didn’t rape me because you are a weak little boy. But I know that when you walk into that prison for the first time, all the other bastards there will smell fresh meat and I know it won’t take them thirty hours before they rape you over and over again. Think about that tonight and every night for the next twenty-two years.”
Katy turned and walked back to Janie who hugged her tightly. Danny was removed for the room and Sarah quickly ran to Katy and hugged her.
“I wish every woman had the balls to do what you just did,” she exclaimed.
“Thank you Sarah. Thank you for this. We have our justice.”
13.
Katy sat on the bench outside the courthouse; the others had started walking to a Chinese restaurant around the corner for lunch. Mark had offered to stay with her but she’d needed a moment alone.
It was over. It had been the longest and most difficult five months of her life. And she was grateful it had only been five months. Sarah had told her that if the case had gone to trial it could have been dragged out for over a year, so she was relieved it was over. She could sleep easy knowing he was in prison. The death penalty was obviously too much to hope for.
Katy smiled as she looked up at the sun. Now she needed to get back to living.
Sarah startled her as she sat down on the bench next to her.
"Hi," Katy smiled.
"I love it when we get a day like this. It makes the winter livable," Sarah sighed.
"Yeah, I know. Sarah, thanks again for everything. I really do feel at peace."
"It's my job," she said. "But you're welcome."
"It must be difficult dealing with this crap every day. How do you do it?"
Sarah took a deep breath. "I’d been practicing law for about seven years and was a partner in a law firm on Sixth Avenue. I'd been working pretty late for a few nights in a row and was really tired so I guess my guard was down one night when I headed down to the garage to go home. I didn't see him. He jumped out from behind the car parked next to mine and forced me into the back seat. He stabbed me three times after he raped me. I really thought I was going to die."
Katy was horrified as she heard Sarah speak.
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"That was eight years ago. They never caught the guy. Every time I prosecute a case, I wonder if the perp is him. I wonder how many other women he has tortured."
Katy was speechless.
"Anyway, I knew that I could make a difference so now I do everything I can to make sure women like you get the justice that you deserve. The fact that you now feel peace, gives me a little peace too. And that's why I do it every day."
"Oh, Sarah!" Katy threw her arms around the tough ADA and the women just held each other in the warm sunshine on a January day in Portland.
*****
Katy slipped into her seat at the restaurant and felt like a massive weight had been lifted. Janie immediately noticed.
"You look cheerful," she grinned.
"I feel cheerful," Katy smiled.
"Well then we need to celebrate!" Mark laughed. He called the waiter over and ordered champagne. The waiter apologized because they didn't have any.
"Well then, four beers," he shrugged, as everyone laughed.
Matt had already ordered for the table so within just a couple of minutes the food started arriving. They ate and laughed and ate some more.
"When do you go back to work, Katy?" Janie asked.
"Monday," she replied.
"Big plans for the weekend?" asked Matt.
"No. Derek is coming for dinner on Saturday."
"Tell him hi for me, will you?" Janie smiled.
"Sure thing."
The waiter arrived with the check and Matt handed over his credit card. A little more small talk and Matt had signed the receipt and was helping Janie with her coat.
"I'll call you before we leave on Sunday," Janie said, walking around and giving Katy a hug. She and Matt left, hand in hand. Katy watched them with a twinge of envy.
Mark cleared his throat and then turned to face Katy.
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," he began.
"Yes," she interrupted. "Thank you so much for helping me with that. You exorcised some demons for me and I really am grateful.
"Grateful?" he said.
"Yes. It will be much easier moving forward with my life now. Thank you." Katy stood and lifted her coat from the back of the chair. She stooped and
kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye Mark."
Grateful? he thought as he sat there and finished his beer. Grateful? What the fuck?
Mark scratched his head unable to wrap his brain around her words. He grabbed his jacket and ran after her but she’d already disappeared.
Walking slowly, he headed back to the hotel. He had a plane to catch back to New York the following morning. He would get back to work. The Atlanta project was waiting.
*****
Katy ran out of the restaurant and called Dr. LaVaughn. Her receptionist answered. She explained she needed to see the doctor, only to find out that she didn't have any openings this afternoon.
"I did just have a cancellation for tomorrow morning at 10:30."
"I'll take it," said Katy as she turned the corner, heading to the parking garage to get her car.
*****
Dr. LaVaughn was truly happy for Katy. She was satisfied with the sentence Danny had received and she was glad that Katy was satisfied with it.
"I feel like I can actually start again. I know I can't go back but I think I can move forward and leave this behind me. I want to move forward. I feel hope. I finally feel!"
Dr. LaVaughn smiled. "That is what every therapist wants to hear. There were some sessions I wondered if we would ever make it to this point."
"I know. I'm not a very good patient," Katy sighed.
"Not at all," Dr. LaVaughn corrected. "You are the perfect patient! You came here hurt and skeptical, but you tried and that's all I ever asked. You’re the one who has made huge strides in your therapy. My job is to just facilitate it. You did the work. But I'm not saying that you're done," she grinned, "just that you’re well on your way."
"I slept with him."
"With whom?"
"Mark," Katy sighed. "I told him I needed to sleep with him so I could move on. But it wasn't what I thought it would be."
"What did you think it would be?"
"I thought we'd just have sex, but it was more than that, at least for me. What’s that condition called where you fall for your rescuer?"
"I guess you could be talking about transference, but I don't think that's what's going on here. You have developed a bond with him over the past few months. You have to figure out what those feelings are. Is it love? Is it gratitude? You need to work that out."
