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| To Live is to Die | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: March 5, 2008, 12:49 am (59,973 Views) | |
| maisy blue | March 19, 2008, 10:50 pm Post #76 |
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Some Kind Of Monster
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P.S. and the Cohen song? so freakin' heartbreaking.... |
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| Lucifer's Angel | March 20, 2008, 9:06 am Post #77 |
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Heavy Metal Seanchai
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Damn those fuckers are out on parole? I hope nothing happens to her James is just being weird, and Fran is acting all strange :wacko:
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| Fade_To_Black | March 20, 2008, 4:00 pm Post #78 |
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Bad Seed
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I love Charlie!! Shes a proper gal and Pepper is so cooool!! Lovin this story!!!! Cant wait for more!!!!
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| PurpleRose | March 20, 2008, 9:26 pm Post #79 |
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Frantic
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I'm addicted to this story and I'm loving the long updates...can't wait for more
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| Metalicious | March 21, 2008, 10:01 am Post #80 |
Blackened
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I didn’t want to watch him leave, so I turned back to the bath, and heard him jog downstairs and close the front door as he left. I grabbed one of the bottles of painkillers Pep had purchased on Thursday and popped two of the pills. I lit a candle and some incense, and turned off the lights. When the bubbles had nearly reached the top of the tub, I unwrapped my ankle and climbed in carefully. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and tried to think about what James had said. I liked Lars. Did I like Lars? I slept with James. Repeatedly. But I’d always worried about what Lars was going to think about that. Why? I realized my fingers were tracing over my lips where James’ mouth had been minutes before. James. I thought back to our time at the cabin, remembering his touch, his scent, how secure I’d felt wrapped up in his arms. Was I just caught up in the fact that he’d helped me over my ‘demons’, as he’d put it? Dammit, my head was starting to hurt. “Charlie? Where you at, baby girl?” I heard Pepper calling out from downstairs, and ignored him, figuring he’d find me on his own. Sure enough, a few seconds later I heard him bounding up the stairs, and he stopped as he entered the bathroom. “Hey, sugar, you okay?” I smiled and nodded. “You get a chance to talk to James?” I sighed. “Yeah. He’s…he and Fran…” I lifted an arm out of the water and waved my hand around, trying to think of the words. “Married. Staying married. No more sex with James. But,” I pointed a finger at Pep, “apparently I like Lars, so the whole sex ban with Hetfield shouldn’t be a problem.” He shot me a sideways glance. “Darlin’…I’m a little confused.” “Me too!” I whined. “Hey, where’s Trish? And how was the gig? You didn’t call!” I scolded him. He shot me a huge grin. “Trish is great. She and Lars are downstairs. And the gig was cool. Lemmy joined us for a couple songs, crowed fucking loved it. Look, get dried off, come downstairs, and you can tell me what the hell’s going on with James.” He bent down and kissed my cheek. I pulled on his sleeve as he stood up. “Lars is here? In my house?” I whispered. “Now?” He laughed. “Yeah, he came to the show tonight. Guess we can put that whole you liking him theory to the test, huh?” I waited til he’d left and hauled myself out of the tub. Pulling on what I’d been wearing earlier, I re-wrapped my ankle and made my way downstairs to find Pep laying on the floor of the lounge with the dogs. “Where’s Lars?” I asked in a low voice. He chuckled. “Anxious to find out, are we?” I glared at him and he smiled. “Relax, darlin’. He’s outside with Trish getting the fire going. I told them I needed a minute with you. So,” he moved to sit on the couch and patted the space beside him. “What the hell is all this business about Lars, and what’s going on with Het?” I ran through the events of the evening for him. He was silent until I’d finished. “So…you hung out all night, played a duet of ‘Hallelujah’, he kissed you – twice – and then you got him to leave, even though you didn’t want him to,” he said, face shrouded in disbelief. I nodded slowly. “And he thinks you like Lars?” I nodded again. He softened his tone. “Darlin’, who do you think knows you better? Me, or Hetfield?” No contest. “You, of course.” He stood and pulled me up with him, slinging an arm around me as we walked into the kitchen. “That’s what I thought. You know what else I think?” I shook my head. “I think you do have some pretty strong feelings for somebody. And it ain’t Lars.” He kissed my forehead and went outside to join Trish and Lars by the fire. I slumped into a chair at the table. Picking up two bananas from the fruit bowl I kept as a centerpiece, I stood them facing each other. “Hi Lars,” I said in a high-pitched voice as I wiggled the banana in my right hand. “I know I spent three days in a cabin having hot sex with James, but I really like you…” I lowered my voice and moved the other banana back and forth. “What? You crazy focking woman, what the fock…” I looked up as Trish cleared her throat in the doorway. “Talking bananas?” she grinned at me. “Role play,” I explained. She laughed and leaned against the counter. “James came by tonight. We talked. He’s staying with Fran.” I gave her a quick rundown of what I’d told Pep. Trish frowned and came to sit beside me at the table. “And you’re okay with that?” I thought about it. “You know, I’m not sure about this, but I don’t think I really get a say in it. They’re married, they have kids…I don’t exactly factor in to the equation all that much.” I looked over at her. “He says we’re still gonna be friends.” Still frowning, she said, “That’s something you definitely have a say in. Do you want that?” “Want what?” We both jumped slightly and Lars laughed. “C’mon outside. Pepper’s just poured some lighter fluid on the wood, it’s really goin’ now!” He turned and headed back to the fire. I glanced at Trish. “Apparently, I want that,” I gestured at Lars and she laughed. We stood to join the guys outside and she grabbed a bottle of Crown from the cupboard. “Nooo…I can’t have that. I’m already on, um, oxy…conti…meladron…inam?” I said slowly. “Or something.” She grinned. “It’s not for you. It’s for me. I’m gonna get all liquored up and let Pep take advantage of me.” I laughed and followed her out. The fire was blazing, thanks to Pep’s addition of lighter fluid, and Lars was standing so close to it I feared he might be minus an eyebrow or two if he stayed there. “Back it up, Danish, I don’t want Cliff Burnstein suing my ass cause you got too close to the fire.” He came over and put an arm around me. “Hey, little one. How’s the ankle?” He squatted beside me and lifted my pantleg, touching the tape gently as he peered up to me. “This hurt?” I shook my head. I limped over to one of the chairs beside the fire and eased into it, pointing for Lars to do the same. “Cop a squat, buddy, tell me about the concert. This guy any good on stage?” I looked over at Pepper and he just smiled. “I couldn’t actually hear the music over all the screaming girls who were beside me. Never going to a gig with your rugby buddies again. Christ, they’re loud!” he chuckled. “Your girl there was the loudest of them all, weren’t ya.” Trish shot him a grin and I smiled as I saw Pep’s hand reach out for hers. “She was just being enthusiastic. And singing along,” he said. She sent him a sideways glance and he nodded. “Oh yeah, I saw you singin’. Also saw you mess up the words for ‘Wiseblood’”, he laughed. “Aww…I’m jealous I missed it.” I stretched out in my chair and lolled my head towards Pep. “When’s the next one?” I saw him exchange looks with Lars and in some secretly choreographed move, they got up at the same time and switched places. “Uh…what’s up with the musical chairs?” Pep ran a hand through his hair before replying. “The next one’s actually the day after tomorrow.” He paused. “In Vancouver. We got asked to do a few more shows in between ones that were already scheduled, and we’re gonna do ‘em. And since we gotta get all the stuff up there, and sort out where we’re gonna stay…” “You’re leaving early.” I looked at him and he nodded. “When?” “Tomorrow morning,” he said quietly. “Charlie…you could come with us. Please? I’d feel so much better about all this shit that’s going on right now if you were close by.” He lowered his voice even more. “Might be a good opportunity for you to get some space from Het for a bit. Give you time to think?” I took his hand and squeezed it. “I know you’re just looking out for me, sweetie, but I can’t come with you. I gotta stay here and…do stuff.” “Oh yeah? What stuff?” I tried to think. “You know…stuff. I’ve got two jobs, Pep. I can’t just up and leave. I have obligations. And what about the dogs? They’d miss me. And you’d get sick of me.” The last one was a blatant lie and we both knew it. If six months of spending almost every hour of every day together hadn’t wrecked the friendship, nothing would. “Stop looking for excuses and tell me why you really don’t want to come,” he said seriously. I sighed. “I need to stay here, babes. I can’t run away just because things have gotten…unbelievably confusing. But look, I’ll fly out and see you in a few weeks, wherever you are. Would that be okay?” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “More than okay. Come out anytime, you’re always welcome.” “What’s up, chickadee?” Trish came over to sit beside us. “You look all sad.” I smiled and took the unopened bottle of whisky from her, breaking the seal and taking several swallows before replying. “Pep’s just asked me to go on tour with him.” “What?” She laughed and kicked Pepper’s shin. “How come I didn’t get an invite? Is this because I screwed up the lyrics?” He chuckled and shook his head. “She said no, anyway. She’s got things to do, apparently,” he grinned at me. “I don’t,” Trish said softly. Pepper looked up, slightly startled. “What?” I tried not to giggle, knowing exactly where this was headed. “I don’t have things to do,” she replied. “I’ve got two weeks vacation coming up, and a few of your tour dates actually coincide with places I need to go for work. I could come with you.” I watched with amusement as Pep’s mouth opened and closed several times. “I…I guess…do you wanna? You wouldn’t be bored?” She tilted her head at him and winked. “Darlin’, I am NEVER bored. And I’m never boring, either. I’m gonna go pack, I’ll be back in a few hours.” She bent and kissed him quickly and took off through the house. He looked at me, stunned. “How…what?” I hooted with laughter. “Ohhhhh, darlin’, you walked right into that.” I patted his hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll have an awesome time. She’s not lying, she doesn’t get bored and she is never, ever boring.” I giggled. “I just hope you can keep up.” I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, listening to Lars and Pepper begin a discussion about Motorhead. The fire was warming my legs and Pep’s hand was running over my arm gently, and I’d started to doze off when I heard my name mentioned. “…I just hate leaving her here when there’s all this shit going down with those guys getting out on parole. I know she’s got the security system from hell, but they can’t be with her all the time. I’d rather have her come along with me where I can keep an eye on her. I mean, Jesus, she goes away with Het for 72 hours and gets fucking shot.” Lars’ voice was equally quiet, but I could hear the anger in it. “WHAT shit with the guys on parole? Who’s on parole? Those fuckers who raped her?” Pepper must have nodded because Lars continued. “Are you fucking kidding me? It hasn’t even been two years!” “Don’t get me started,” Pepper warned. “Christ. Look man, don’t worry. We’ll look out for her. She’s always welcome to stay with me, or at James’ place, any of us would be happy to have her.” Pep sounded unsure when he responded. “Yeah…that’s good. I mean, now that Trish is gonna be away too…I don’t want her being isolated. As long as she knows that she can go to one of you if she needs some company or somebody to talk to.” He tapped my arm gently with one of his fingers and I knew he knew I was awake. “I’ll make sure she knows. Don’t sweat it, Pep, we’ll make sure she’s looked after. We care about her too, okay?” I heard the chair creak as he stood. “I gotta take off, man, but I promise, I’ll call Charlie tomorrow and check in.” “Cool,” Pep answered. “I’d appreciate it.” He was quiet as Lars walked off, and the door to the kitchen opened and closed. “You get all that, baby girl?” I opened my eyes. “Yeah,” I whispered. “Thanks.” “Promise you’ll fly out? I don’t know where we’ll be yet, since the damn schedule keeps getting added to, but I’ll be sure to call and let you know.” I nodded. “Good.” He looked at his watch. “Jesus, it’s almost three. I gotta be outta here in about six hours. You ready for bed?” I yawned and he laughed. “Guess that’s a yes.” Putting out the fire, we went inside and he helped me upstairs to my room. Lifting the blankets for me, he waited til I’d snuggled under them, and then kissed me softly. “I’ll be gone when you wake up, doll, but Trish and I can call you when we get there, see how you’re doin’. Love you, baby girl.” I lifted my arms to hug him. “Love you too, Keenan. Take care of my girl.” “Will do, sweets. She’ll miss you almost as much as I will.” He stroked a hand over my hair and I closed my eyes. “Miss you both, too. Night Keenan.” “Night doll.” Another kiss, this time on my forehead, and he was gone. I woke at nine, feeling sleepy and depressed. The sun was shining, there was literally not a cloud in the sky, and all I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and go back to bed for a week, or until I’d stopped feeling sorry for myself. Whichever came first. I heard panting at my door and looked over to see Fire sitting in the hall, with his head tilted to one side. “Morning, pup,” I said to him, and he took that as an invitation to come in my room, something I rarely allowed. He sniffed my hand as I moved to pat his head, and gave a soft whine that meant he wanted me to get up and play. “Fine. I’m up. But we can’t go for a run, buddy, my ankle still hurts.” I threw back the covers and stood, putting a little weight on it to see how it felt. He whined again. “Okay, maybe a little walk. On the beach or something. Go tell Duke,” I pointed to the stairs. I laughed, as he seemed to understand me perfectly, turning and heading back downstairs. Changing quickly into a bikini and shorts, I rewrapped my ankle and pulled my Yankees hat over my tangled hair. The dogs waited patiently as I debated about shoes, muttering about sneakers and flip-flops, and then raced to the truck ahead of me once I’d grabbed the keys. We headed to Baker’s Beach, one of my favorites because of its view of the bridge. It was deserted, and I let the dogs off their leads, watching them play in the surf. I walked along the water, taking my hat off so the wind whipped my hair around my face. I tried to make a mental list of things to do for the day, to keep busy. Failing miserably, the only thing my brain could manage was to scroll ‘James…Lars…’ across my thoughts like a damn stock market ticker. The dogs ran around for another half hour while I sat near the water’s edge, and then with the help of a few dog biscuits, I managed to coax them into the truck, and we headed home. Passing St. Dominic’s on our way, I realized I hadn’t set foot in a church in weeks. Once we’d arrived at the house, I took the dog’s food to the backyard, and filled their water dishes before heading upstairs and changing again. Slipping into a white skirt and a black t-shirt, I raked a comb through my hair and took off for St. Dom’s. Their next service didn’t start until 11:30, and it was just past ten when I arrived. I sat behind two well-dressed women and the church was so quiet, I couldn’t help but hear their conversation. The woman on the left started speaking first. “So…are you telling him about the gardener?” The woman on the right seemed to choke for a minute before answering. “No, I am certainly NOT telling him about the gardener.” She reached a hand up and adjusted her chignon before asking, “Are you telling him about your accountant?” “God, no,” the other one responded. “I’m also not telling him that I bought the three cakes for Jack’s bake sale even though I said I made them, I’m not telling him that I put a ding in the BMW last week and lied to Mark about it, and I’m not telling him that I cried to get out of a speeding ticket. Twice.” The woman on the right turned to her and grinned. “What, exactly, ARE we going to tell him?” “I have no idea. Wanna grab a coffee instead?” They laughed quietly and left the pew, giggling as they walked out of the church. The curtain of the confessional was drawn aside and an elderly man hobbled out. I waited until he’d passed me and then made my way into the little booth, pulling the curtain closed. The priest waited for me to sit, and then began speaking in a deep, lilting Irish accent. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” I took a deep breath. “Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It’s been…well, I’ve never actually confessed before. Every time I come in here you tell me I’m not a Catholic so I shouldn’t be coming to you but if you’d just listen-” The panel between us was yanked aside and Father Sean stared at me in disbelief before bursting into laughter. “Good heavens, girl, I haven’t seen you in ages. What are you doin’ here? I’ll be finished in half an hour, you could have come to my chambers.” I smiled. “I was feeling impatient. Couldn’t we try the whole confessional thing? Just this once?” I pleaded. He chuckled and shook his head. “Not unless you’re willing to switch faiths and be confirmed, darlin’. Tell you what, though, go get yourself a cup of tea in my office and I’ll join you in a little while. You can tell me your tales then, a mhuirnín.” I agreed, and made my way to the back of the church and into his office. Boiling the kettle, I picked out a mint tea bag from the selection he kept in a little gold tin and poured the water into a delicate china cup. I couldn’t imagine his large, wrinkled hands holding anything so tiny, but then again, I’d only ever seen him drink from the hip flask he kept in the top drawer of his desk. Sitting in the one armchair in the room, I gazed around the small room, taking in the same pictures I’d seen dozens of times before. Photos of his family back in Ireland, portraits of his children and grandchildren, and numerous pictures of the Pope. “Well then,” Father Sean boomed from the doorway. “What brings you here on this fine day? You should be outside with your doggies, chasing boys and such.” He winked at me. “Or did you finally catch one, nár lige Dia, and that’s the trouble?” I laughed. “God forbid, indeed. Yes, there are boy troubles, but that’s not why I’m here. At least, that’s not the only reason." I glanced at the clock on his wall. “Time flies when you’re a Catholic, eh? Thought you had half an hour to go?” He smiled at me and sat on the edge of his desk. “I finished early, church was empty. Father Mike can take over if anyone comes in. Now then, it’s far too lovely a morning to stay inside. Let’s take your Protestant behind out to the garden and you can tell me about these boys.” “Worried about me being struck by lightening in your house of worship?” I trailed behind him to the back door. “A wee bit, aye,” he grinned as he held open the door for me. We walked slowly through the garden and sat at the far end on a stone bench. He fumbled in his robe and drew out a pack of smokes, offering one to me before lighting one himself. “I thought you didn’t smoke,” he said as he lit mine. I shook my head. “I don’t. I just like waving it around while I talk.” He laughed. “Long as it’s only the one then, can’t have you wasting my good nicotine.” He inhaled deeply and blew out smoke rings before he spoke. “So, my dear, will you be tellin’ me what’s on your mind, then? And don’t leave out any details. It was a very slow morning for confessions, I haven’t had any entertainment.” I told him briefly about the women who’d left the church before I saw him, and he grinned. “The accountant and the gardener, eh? Well THAT would have livened things up, I wish they’d come to see me.” He blew some more smoke rings and then glanced at me. “Go on then, unload on me, child. Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad.” Noting the blank look on my face, he translated. “A light heart lives longest.” I flicked my cigarette and told him the whole story of the last two weeks, taking care to ignore his ‘details’ request, instead being very vague about the trip to Montana. I finished with the events of the previous night, and Pep and Trish taking off at the same time. “I just don’t understand…” he said slowly. “Who names their child after a spice?” I giggled. “He’s from the South,” I said, as if that would explain it. He sighed and turned to face me. “I understand that you care for James, but the fact remains, he’s a married man. I realize, being Protestant, you’re already on a fast-train to hell,” we both laughed at that, “but I think you know in your heart, as well as I do, it’s not right to try to pursue this. And I think he may be right, it sounds as though you do have feelings for…Lars, was it?” “Father, you live in San Francisco. You can’t expect me to believe you don’t know who they are.” He looked at me with mock horror. “My child,” he said gravely, “I do not indulge in the sins of rock music. It is surely the devil’s work.” I could see him struggling not to smile. “Particularly ‘Battery’, or… ‘Frantic’. And that one they cover… ‘So What’? Absolute filth.” He lowered his voice. “Bloody brilliant filth, though. Specially that bit about the goat.” He coughed violently and I patted him on the back. “You should stop smoking.” “Aye, and you should stop shagging married men,” he replied through his cough. We walked back towards the church and he laid a hand on my shoulder as he opened the door. “I think you know what you want, love, you’re just afraid you’re not going to get it. But you won’t know until you try, will you?” We said our goodbyes and I exited the church feeling happier and more relaxed. I pulled out my cell phone as I reached the truck, and dialed. He picked up immediately. “Charlie?” I grinned. “Hey, Danish.” I leaned against the driver’s side door. “Are you busy? Is now a bad time?” “No, sweetheart,” he assured me. “It’s never a bad time if it’s you. I was actually gonna call you, but I thought you might still be sleeping. Are you at home?” “Nope. Town.” “Hmmm…I’ve got a plate of brownies with your name written all over it. Got time to swing by for a visit?” I smiled. “Yeah, that’d be good. I’ll see you in twenty.” “Thirty,” he replied quickly. “Don’t speed.” Laughing, I hung up the phone and started the truck. I swung by the Ferry Building farmer’s market and grabbed some fresh fruit and veg and pasta, and then headed to Lars’ place. He was stretched out in one of the chairs on his patio when I arrived. Hanging up his cell phone as I closed the door to the truck, he stood and took the bag from me. “What’d you bring me, little one?” “Ingredients. Figured if you hadn’t eaten, I could make you lunch.” I held the screen door open for him and followed him into the kitchen. “Excellent plan! C’mere,” he put the bag down on the table and pulled me into a hug. “How you doin’? Pepper told me last night about those assholes getting out on parole. That must be kinda scary.” He kept hold of me as he talked, one hand rubbing my back, the other lifting stuff out of the bag. “Ooooh, olives!” I laughed and watched as he attempted to open the container with one hand. “Here, sweetie, let me.” I wriggled out of his arms and took out the rest of the food. “Veggie lasagna okay? Unless you’ve got meat I can add to it.” He glanced at the things I’d laid out. “No tofu?” “None.” I smiled at him. “Sounds good! Want some help? I can cut stuff.” He rummaged around and hauled out a cutting board and a big knife. I took them from him and shook my head. “Nah, I’ll do it. You can pace around and talk to me. Wave your hands a lot, stuff like that. Keep me entertained,” I grinned at him. He laughed and sat at the table, chatting as I rapidly sliced peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. He raised an eyebrow when I started shredding the spinach, but kept talking. Once I’d popped the whole thing in the oven and tided the counter, I leaned against the table. “We’ve got forty-five minutes til that’s ready. Wanna go for a walk?” He looked surprised. “Yeah, sure. Your ankle’s okay?” I nodded. “You gonna be okay to walk in what you’ve got on or you wanna go change?” “I’d better change. Just give me two minutes.” I raced upstairs and raided the closet, pulling on a pair of soft, worn jeans and a pair of black Puma sneakers. I tossed my skirt on the bed and ran back down to the kitchen. “Okay, ready.” We headed for the woods behind his house, and Lars led me to a little path he’d made with his dad before he’d moved in. It twisted and wound its way to a little stream, surrounded by spruce and redwood trees. Lars sat on a boulder and watched as I removed my shoes and socks and rolled up my jeans, wading gingerly into the water. I looked around, taking in the quiet, serene setting, and the dense woods surrounding us, thinking back to the book James had been reading in the cabin. “This is like something out of a Stephen King novel,” I said. “All we need now is a short-wave radio with a BoSox game on, and a wild animal chasing us.” “You lost me, babe,” Lars laughed. “Aren’t your feet getting cold?” I looked over at him and smiled. “Not a bit. Well, the tape on my ankle’s keeping that one warm, but it’s not bad. C’mon in, the water’s nice.” He obliged, kicking off his shoes and stepping in across from me. “Careful though, it’s a little slippery on the…” I watched helplessly as his feet went out from under him and he landed on his butt with a splash. “…rocks,” I finished. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing as he swore and sputtered and slid around more, trying to get up. Offering him a hand, I looked away so he wouldn’t see the grin on my face. “Funny, is it, little one? This is amusing to you?” He yanked on my hand and down I went. I was convulsing with laughter as he finally stood, and helped me up. “Christ, woman. Can’t even go for a simple walk in the woods with you, turns into a freaking wet t-shirt contest.” I looked down and saw that my wet t-shirt was indeed clinging to me, and though I’d said the water was warm, my body, particularly my chest, said otherwise. I crossed my arms in front of me and giggled. “Should we go back to the house, then, Danish?” His mouth fell open. “What? You’d continue? You wanna walk some more with soaking wet clothes on? C’mon, crazy, let’s go dry off and get changed. Focking hell.” He stomped off ahead of me, and I gathered my shoes and socks, erupting in a fresh bout of giggles every few yards. By the time we’d both dried off and changed and I’d dried my hair, the lasagna was ready. I ripped apart a stick of french bread and set it on the table beside a little bowl of olive oil, and put a dish of olives beside it. Poking around in the cherry-wood wine rack Lars kept in one corner of the kitchen, I found a burgundy that suited the meal, and picked two wine glasses from the cupboard. Placing them on the table, I caught Lars watching me, a little smile dancing on his lips. I pushed up the sleeves of my black sweater and shoved my hands in my pockets, rocking back on my heels. “Okay, I’ll bite. What are you staring at?” He laughed. “Nothing…” Walking over to me, he put his hands on my waist and kissed my cheek. “Just noticing how comfortable you are here. It’s nice.” Moving past me, he got a corkscrew from the drawer and opened the wine. “You gonna be okay drinking this early in the day?” I checked the clock on the stove. Not quite two p.m. “I might need a nap later. But it’s Sunday, and that’s what Sunday afternoons are for. Reading the paper and having naps, and drinking tea…eating brownies,” I grinned at him. Smiling at me, he pulled out my chair and slid it under me as I sat. We ate slowly, with Lars jumping up every so often to take a call on one of his three cell phones. He stayed in the room while he was on the phone, pulling faces at me and making rude hand gestures as I tried not to laugh too loudly. I poured the last of the wine into his glass as he hung up from the sixth or seventh call. “Busy guy, lots of people wanting to talk to you, huh?” I sipped at my own glass and he shot me a grin. “Want me to turn ‘em off?” I nearly spit out my wine. “Jesus, no, Lars. I wasn’t suggesting that.” I laughed. “And I think you’d last about five minutes before you turned them on again. You need to feel connected, and you have a lot of stuff going on, it’s fine.” He stared at me for a moment. “Is that a challenge?” He put all three phones on the table and switched each of them off. “Ha!” He smirked at me. And then frowned. “Oh, hang on. I just need to call Kirk for a second. But then, HA!” I giggled and cleared the table, filling the sink with soapy water, and putting the rest of the lasagna in containers in the fridge. Lars came up behind me as I was dicing a pineapple. “More eating? Charlie…I’m getting kinda full.” I ignored him and kept chopping, tossing the pieces of fruit in a bowl. I added kiwis, bananas, mango slices and then threw in the little box of raspberries I’d picked up. When I turned to face him, he was staring at the bowl, holding a spoon. “Can I have some?” he whispered and I laughed. “Yeah. S’what I thought. ‘Full’, my ass,” I muttered, rinsing the knife in the sink. He picked a raspberry out of the bowl and lowered his gaze, peering around me. “Yeah, your ass is kinda full. I’m not sure you should have any brownies.” I held up the knife and he laughed, backing away. “Don’t mess with me, Danish. And tell me where the brownies are.” He pointed to the tupperware container on the counter, and I opened it, inhaling the heavenly scent of chocolate. “Ooohhhh, that’s nice.” I put two on a plate and he grabbed the bowl of fruit. “Movie time? I know it’s nice out, but I feel too lazy to do anything other than sit around and eat more,” he said through a mouthful of kiwi. I nodded and followed him into the lounge. He popped in ‘The Usual Suspects’ and sat beside me, and then immediately stood up. “Tea! I forgot tea. I’ll be right back, hang on.” He reappeared a few minutes later with two steaming mugs of Earl Grey. “Hot and sweet, just for you, babes.” I giggled. “You mean, just LIKE me. Hot and sweet and,” I winced as I took a sip, “scalding on the tongue.” He tossed a raspberry at me. “Hey! Don’t, it might stain. These jeans are new, you know. My friend Danish bought them for me.” He grinned. “And aren’t you lucky to have such a nice friend? Buys you clothes, lets you drink their vintage red wines – that was a late 1962 that we polished off earlier, by the way.” He laughed as my mouth fell open. “Yeah, didn’t think of that, did ya.” I gasped. “I’m so sorry, Danish. I had no idea. I mean, it was awesome but I didn’t even think to check the date on it, God, that’s horrible. I can find you another bottle, I promise, there has to be somewhere on the internet we can order from-” “Charlie! It’s fine, I have about a dozen bottles of the stuff. Don’t worry about it,” he laughed. “I was just teasing you. Relax.” I took a deep breath and exhaled. “God. Don’t scare me like that! You’re right though,” I put my mug on the floor next to the empty brownie plate. “I am really lucky to have such a nice friend. And that was exceptionally good tea, Danish, thanks for that too.” He smiled and held his arm up, waiting until I’d curled up beside him before starting the movie. I snuggled up to him as the opening scene commenced, and closed my eyes, listening to the beating of his heart, and the sound of a gunshot killing the Dean Keaton character. I must have fallen asleep shortly after the movie began, and I woke to find I was stretched out along the couch, behind Lars, who was still sleeping. The time on the dvd player said it was just past five, so the film had probably just finished. I bent my head near Lars’ and whispered harshly in his ear, “Keyser Soze!” Much to my delight, he jumped and opened his eyes, looking startled. “Hey, sleepy,” I grinned at him. He yawned and rolled onto his back, and then pulled me onto his chest, stroking a hand over my hair. “Hey, little one,” he murmured. “Good nap?” “Yeah, very good. But I might fall back asleep if we stay here, so we should get up.” I lifted my head up and turned to face him. “Aww,” I laughed. “You’re still tired. You can stay in here, I can entertain myself.” He yawned again. “I’ll take that as agreement. You relax, Danish, I’ll let you sleep.” I moved to get up and was pulled down again. “No, I’m fine. Just gimme a minute.” I relaxed against him and slid an arm around his waist. He chuckled softly. “Or we could stay here. That works for me too.” He rolled so we were side by side, facing. “What would you like to do for the rest of the evening?” “I don’t mind,” I told him. “We can stay here, hang out, maybe play some Scrabble, or sleep through another movie, or we could go out somewhere.” He smiled at me. “Going out sounds good. Wanna get dressed up?” I grinned at him. “Hell yeah!” I jumped off the couch. “How dressy?” “There’s a black dress in your closet. That oughta do it.” He looked at his watch. “We’re kinda early for dinner, but we can go for cocktails first. Go get ready, I’ll meet you in the kitchen in an hour.” I clapped my hands and squealed with delight and ran upstairs. The black dress was hanging at the back of the closet. “Wow,” I said quietly to myself as I held it up. It wasn’t very…substantial. Flimsy would describe it pretty well. I laid it on the bed and took the little pink basket of toiletries into the en suite, which Lars had mentioned was finished. I washed and conditioned my hair, and wound up taking slightly longer than an hour to get ready. When I finally made it to the kitchen, Lars was on the phone. Wearing a suit. I smiled as he turned and saw me, and turned when he made a little circle motion with his finger. He gave me the thumbs up and kept talking. “Yeah, so sort that out, and call me tomorrow if the details change. I can do Thursday or Friday of that week, but that’s it.” He paused. “No, I’m gonna be busy this evening, unreachable. Has to be tomorrow,” he grinned at me. “Okay, we’ll talk then.” He hung up and came over to me, running his hands down my arms. “Nice, little one. You might need a jacket though, that dress doesn’t look particularly…warm.” “I’ll borrow yours if I get cold. You can be chivalrous, can’t you?” I raised an eyebrow and he laughed. “That I can. Alright, sweets, let’s go.” He held the door for me and I saw he’d called a car for us. I climbed into the backseat with him and he put his arm around me. “On a scale of one to ten, how drunk am I getting you this evening.” I sighed, thinking. “Well, Pep’s left me, Trish has left me to be with Pep, the fuckers who raped me are out on parole and missing, and I broke a nail in the shower. Frankly, Danish, it’s been a very trying day,” I giggled. “I think it’s gonna be an eleven. At least.” He grinned and leaned back against the seat. “Excellent.” Six hours later, we staggered through the door to his house, giggling hysterically about absolutely nothing. We’d started the night at the Redwood Room in the Clift Hotel, where I discovered something called a Key Lime Tartini, a drink I instantly fell in love with. After the third or fourth one, I whispered loudly to Lars that I wanted to marry it and have tiny, Tartini babies. It was so delicious, like drinking dessert. From there we moved on to the Matrix on Fillimore St, where we stayed until nine. By then, my tongue was numb from alcohol and I didn’t taste the gorgeous dinner we had at Fleur de Lys, instead spending most of the meal trying to convince Lars to get the same tattoo that James, Pep and I were supposed to get (also a Fleur de Lys), before venturing over to the Tosca Café. By the time we crawled into the car to head back to Lars’, I couldn’t focus my eyes, and couldn’t talk without slurring. “Larsh…” I leaned against him as he turned the lights on in the kitchen. “I mean…Danishhhh,” I smacked my lips several times, trying to regain my powers of speech. “I’m wearing your shoot. Suit. I’m wearing it. Part of it. When did that happen?” I looked down at the suit jacket that I had wrapped around myself. It was longer than the hem of my dress, making me look like a sort of flasher. He turned me and propped me up against the counter as he rooted through the fridge. “I think it was sometime after we ate. You were cold. And you were muttering something about my shirt. So I gave you the jacket.” I squinted at him, frowning. “You’re shober. Slober. Dammit! Sober!” I accused him. He laughed and poured me a glass of water. “Howzat possible? You drank s’much as me.” “I’m not sober, sweetheart. I’m just less vocal about my drunkenness than you.” He watched as I attempted to inhale the water. “Slowly, babes, otherwise you’ll be sick.” I pouted. “Got news for you, Danish. I might be sick anyway. I drank a looooooooottt”. He kissed my forehead gently. “That’s alright, little one. You let me know if you’re gonna be sick, I’ll take care of you.” He grasped the lapels of the jacket and slipped it off my shoulders. “Wanna go get into your pjs?” I grinned and nodded, looping my arms around his neck. “And then can we have tea?” I whispered. He laughed and agreed we could. “Yay! Okay, I’ll be right back.” I ran upstairs, only falling twice on the way. I yanked the dress over my head and put on a pair of soft pink satin pajamas. Swiping at some of the eye makeup that had somehow defied gravity and traveled upwards, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and raced back to the kitchen. I tripped on the last step and did a face plant on the landing. “Ouch,” I said loudly as I stood up. “Your stairs suck,” I stuck my tongue out at Lars as he handed me a mug. “Sorry, sweetie.” He hugged me and guided me into the lounge. “Your ankle alright?” I nodded, still pouting. “Okay, get comfy. What do you fancy? Wanna watch a movie or whatever’s on right now?” “Movie,” I stood shakily and grabbed at the arm of the couch for support. “Lesss watch…um…THAT one.” He held up the one I’d pointed to and gave me a long-suffering look. “This one?” He sounded so unimpressed that I couldn’t help but laugh. I nodded. He read the title, spitting out each word. “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie?” “Heeee…yay!” He shook his head and put the movie down, putting in ‘The Living Daylights’ instead. “Oooh, also a good choice, Danish. This is the movie that made me wanna play the cello! See, cause the chick in it, she plays the cello, and they go sledding down a mountain on the case and…and then a bunch of other stuff happens.” I lowered my voice. “It’s awesome.” Apparently it was not awesome enough to keep me from passing out. Lars was halfway up the stairs with me when I came to again, struggling so much that he almost dropped me. “Easy, sweetheart. Almost at your room. You feeling okay, or you still feeling a little sick?” I shook my head slightly as he put me down outside my door. “I’m okay. Do I have to go to bed now? I’m not sleepy. I got my second wind. Let’s stay up. C’mon,” I giggled. He smiled and leaned against the doorframe, reaching out a hand as I started to sway. “You’re tired, little one. Trust me.” I stuck out my lower lip. “Don’t wanna.” He laughed and placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the room. He held up the covers for me and tucked them in around me when I’d crawled under. “Not tired,” I yawned. “I can stay up. Don’t wanna stop hanging out.” He got up to turn off the lights and came back to bend of the bed, kissing my forehead. “We’ll hang out again. Anytime you like.” He closed the door behind him as he went out, and I wriggled on the bed for several minutes, trying to get fall asleep. Where had we gone first that evening? Redback? Red One? Redrum? Redrum! Ohhhhh shit. My head was suddenly full of flashbacks from The Shining. That spooky little kid, the freaky twin girls… “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy”, I whispered, thus completely freaking myself out. I hastily threw back the blankets and opened the door. The hallway was dark, and there was no light showing under Lars’ door. I knocked softly. “Come in, Charlie,” he called. I opened the door slowly and saw he was lying in bed, with the radio on low. “I’m scared. I…the twin girls…and Jack Nicholson, and then the lady in the bath…” I could see he was confused, but he patted the space on the bed beside him. I quickly accepted the invite and rolled across the bed to his side. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I can sleep in my room, it’s just…I need a few minutes.” He put an arm around me, drawing me close to him. “It’s okay. You can stay in here.” I snuggled against his chest, closing my eyes. They flew open again as I realized what was on the radio. “Dude…” I said slowly. “You’re listening to Warrant?” He was silent. “Don’t be coy with me, Danish. That’s ‘Tie Your Mother Down’!” I looked up at him and he laughed. “I can’t help it! They’re having a Warrant marathon, I thought it’d be fun to listen to. I can change it if you want.” He rubbed my back and I arched into his touch. “No…s’fine. Listen to whatever. I’m gonna go to sleep now, ‘kay?” I tilted my head and kissed his cheek. “Night Danish.” “Night little one.” I closed my eyes, all thoughts of scary children in abandoned hotels forgotten, listening to ‘You’re the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised’. I wondered briefly as I drifted off, what James was doing at that moment. Was he curled up to Fran like I was to Lars? Were they listening to the Warrant marathon? That thought made me snort with laughter and Lars shifted, peering at me. “Nothing, Danish. I’m fine. Night.” I slipped into a drunken half sleep. I was still aware of Lars shifting every so often on the bed, and I felt a hand stroking my face, and heard lyrics being sung quietly, not just on the radio. “Darling I know you're sleeping But there's something that I've just got to say Wonder if you'll hear me while you're dreaming”. I couldn’t tell who was singing, the voice was too quiet. Only person who’d ever sung to me was… “James”. I felt an arm pull out from under me and I woke fully to see Lars getting off the bed. He walked over to the window and I heard him sigh. “Fucking Het,” He muttered. “You’re not even in the damn room and you still get the girl.” Oh shit. I slipped the sheets down and got out of bed, going over to stand behind Lars. “Danish?” I whispered and he turned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who was singing. I didn’t mean to say…that. I was just confused. And drunk. And confused again. I’m sorry, sweets.” He shook his head. “It’s fine, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have been singing, anyway. I’m awful at it.” He gave me a little smile. “Go back to sleep.” I took his hand in mine. “Are you gonna go back to sleep too?” I started to move backwards and he stopped me. “No…think I might go downstairs, I’ve got stuff I can do. I feel really awake now.” He pulled his hand away and started to make for the door when I stepped in front of him. “Please stay?” I asked softly. “I’m awake too, we can talk.” I moved closer to him. “Or…do other stuff? We don’t have to talk.” I slid my arms around his waist, running my fingers over his warm skin. He hesitated for a moment and then bent his head slightly and soft lips met mine in a gentle kiss. I opened my mouth slightly and his tongue darted in, tasting mine. “Mmm…vanilla,” he chuckled softly. I giggled. “Key Lime Tartini! Guess that makes me a Key Lime Tart.” I led him over to the bed, kissing him again as he lay down beside me. I couldn’t seem to stop touching his skin, running my hands over his body wherever I could reach. He laughed as I touched a ticklish spot, and I grinned. “Sensitive, baby?” He watched, amused, as I shifted positions and straddled his waist. He looked less amused as I started to lift my pajama top off. “Charlie…wait. Don’t do that.” He gripped my waist and lifted me off him. I scrambled off the bed, feeling foolish and ashamed. “Sorry, Danish. I shouldn’t have.” I adjusted my top and reached for the door, tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. I felt his hand on my shoulder and shrugged it off. “I’m fine, Lars. I was being stupid. I know we’re just fooling around, I shouldn’t have pushed it. I’ll go sleep in the other room.” He turned me around slowly, taking my chin in his hand and forcing me to look at him. “No, Charlie, you weren’t being stupid. But you’re bordering on that now.” He stepped closer to me, sighing. “I wasn’t fooling around.” He kissed away the tear that rolled down my cheek. “Please don’t cry, little one. There’s nothing to be sad about. We’ll get there, if this is what you want. I just think it’s too soon right now.” He pressed his lips against my forehead. I tilted my head up and he smiled, kissing my mouth lightly. “Be patient, sweetheart? Please?” I nodded and let him lead me back to the bed, snuggling down under the covers. He rolled me to face him and traced a fingertip over my lips before kissing me again. “Keep that up, Danish, and I won’t be patient,” I smiled at him. “Sorry.” He grinned and rolled me away, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. “There. Easier not to kiss you if I can’t see your lips. Sleep well, darlin’.” I squeezed the arm that was around me. “You gonna sing to me again?” He laughed. “No, don’t worry. I’ll be quiet. Night sweetheart.” I wriggled back against him a final time and closed my eyes. “Night Danish.” When I woke, several hours later, I was alone in the bed. I’d been awake for about five seconds when the events of the previous evening came flooding back to me. I groaned softly and pressed my face into the pillow. Christ. I’d kissed Lars. And then I’d tried to take things further and he’d stopped me. What the hell was wrong with me? Barely a day after Het gave me the boot and I’d already thrown myself at someone else. A variety of derogatory terms raced through my head and I pulled the covers over me, as if the sheets and duvet would serve as protection from the awful names inside my mind. The sheets were pulled back slowly and I saw Lars standing over me. “Morning. I made breakfast, you gonna come down?” I didn’t say anything, not sure if I should apologize for the night before or brush it off like nothing happened. He gave me a half-smile and walked over to the doorway. “I gotta leave for the studio in about half an hour. I’ll be in the kitchen til then if you wanna come down. Otherwise I guess I’ll see you later.” Going from dumb to dumber, aren’t you, girl, I said to myself. I got up and didn’t bother showering. I had less than half an hour to make things with Lars normal again. Putting on the jeans and sweater I’d worn the day before, I quickly made the bed and went down to the kitchen. He was on the phone when I walked in, and gestured to the plate on the table. He’d made omelet’s, and put out the fruit salad from the night before. Two brownies were wrapped up in cling film beside the bowl of fruit. He hung up the phone and I picked up the brownies. “For me?” He looked embarrassed. I walked over to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” I whispered, kissing his flushed cheek. He pulled back a little, keeping his arms around me. “For what? The brownies?” I leaned my head on his shoulder, letting the scent of his shampoo and cologne wash over me. “Not just the brownies,” I said quietly. “For last night, for not letting me…do what I was gonna.” His hold on me loosened somewhat. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I didn’t think that’s what you really wanted.” What? Oh, no. Back peddle, Charlie, back peddle! Where the hell was the reverse on this conversation! I moved so we were face to face. “Danish, I do really want this.” He looked down, his arms dropping to his side. “You said James’ name, Charlie. You said another guy’s name, while you were with me. Do you know how that made me feel?” “I…I was drunk, okay? I’d had about seventeen drinks, I was drunk. And exhausted. Not to mention, confused. You were singing!” “So? You were in MY bed! With me! Fock’s sake, Charlie.” He sighed. “Fine, you were drunk. I’m just…I’m not sure it’s a good idea to start anything between us right now.” He turned around and started punching a number into his phone. I grabbed the phone out of his hands, holding it out of his reach. “You don’t think it’s a good idea to start anything?” I hated how my voice was shaking. “You kissed me. You let me kiss you. Why…?” I dropped his phone on the table. “Fine. Whatever.” I lowered my voice and started muttering. “James doesn’t want me, you don’t want me, I should drop by Rob’s and Kirk’s places and see if they’ll reject me too. Fuck.” He spun me around and gripped my arms, shoving me against the wall. His lips were on mine before I could react, his tongue forcing its way inside my mouth. I felt his fingers digging into the back of my arms, almost to the point of pain. His whole body was pressed against mine, letting me feel how much the kiss was affecting him. He stopped, and backed away, eyes wide. “Fock,” he gasped. “FOCK!” He whirled around, grabbing his keys off the hook by the fridge. I watched as he slammed the screen door open and two seconds later I heard his car revving. “Christ. Fine, Lars, kiss me and leave. That’s fine. I’ll take a cab. Jesus.” My eyes fell to the second hook by the fridge, and the keys dangling from it. “Or I’ll take the Porsche.” |
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| Metalicious | March 21, 2008, 10:02 am Post #81 |
Blackened
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I sped all the way home. I almost hoped I’d get a ticket, just so I could pass it on to Lars. I just wanted to get home, call Pep, and forget all about Metallica for the rest of the day. Maybe the week. I burst through the door and pressed ‘play’ on my answering machine as I went to let the dogs in. I came back from the deck to hear James’ voice. “Hey Charlie, it’s James. Um…I’m calling to invite you to dinner. Tonight. Monday. At six. Okay? It’ll be good, you can hang out with Castor some more, he’s really excited to see you. And don’t worry about Fran. She’s…looking forward to seeing you too. Six o’clock. See you then. Bye.” So much for forgetting about them for the rest of the day. I was tempted to call him and say I couldn’t make it, but part of me was anxious to get the awkwardness with Fran out of the way. And another part of me just wanted to see him again. I fed the dogs and changed into my bikini, hoping a swim would help clear my mind. I kept the door to the kitchen open in case Lars called, and placed my cell by the diving board. An hour of laps later, and he hadn’t phoned, and the only thing that was clearer was my anger at the way both of us had handled things. I spent the rest of the day in the backyard, hoping that pulling weeds and laying a coat of primer on the fence would take my mind off the male species in general. By five pm I was covered in dirt and paint and was giving serious consideration to running away to join a convent. “Stupid boys,” I muttered as I walked to the house. Duke barked at me. “Not you, baby. You’re a lovely boy.” I reached down to pat him and he wagged his tail, nuzzling my hand. I went upstairs and showered, trying to scrub the paint off my arms while I attempted to figure out what would be appropriate to wear to dinner with the man I’d slept with…and his wife. I left the house in dark skinny jeans, a black tee shirt and a green crewneck sweater that matched my eyes. Checking myself in the rear-view mirror, I did a final check of hair and makeup, and pulled out of the driveway. The Porsche was fun to drive, and I almost wished the drive to James’ place was longer. Parking beside the Beast, I saw Castor race out the door. He stopped when he saw me and laughed. “You’re not Lars. Papa said Lars was here.” I grinned and picked him up, holding him under my arm like a football. “Hey, buddy. I stole Lars’ car for the day.” He giggled and squirmed and I put him down as James came to stand in the open doorway. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Guess I’d better hide the keys to the Lincoln.” “Nah, you’re safe. I can only drive one at a time.” I gave him a loose hug. “Hey, Papa Het.” He pressed a kiss to my temple before letting me go. “Hey yourself,” he said softly. “Come on in. Dinner won’t be ready for a while, but I can get you something to drink if you’d like.” “Triple whisky sour?” I muttered under my breath as I walked behind him. He turned and grinned. “Sorry. Whatever you’re having would be great. Just a little nervous, that’s all.” He led me into the kitchen and put the kettle on, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms. “So how come you’ve got the Porsche today?” I was saved from answering as Fran came into the room. She stopped abruptly when she saw me, but recovered quickly. “Hi, Charlie. I didn’t realized you’d arrived. How’ve you been?” She stood beside James, putting an arm around his waist. “Fine, thank you.” She moved her head slightly and the earrings she wore sparkled. I leaned my head forward slightly and smiled. “Are those – your earrings – are they by Cisco Kid Jewelers?” Her hand went to one ear and she touched the light blue stone dangling from it. “Yes. This is my favorite pair. James bought them for me last Christmas. You’re familiar with their work?” James poured the water into a stout blue teapot as we talked. I nodded. “One of my rugby mates designs for them. She gave me a pair for my birthday. They’re similar to those, very pretty.” “Well, I don’t know. They’re certainly not Swarovsky like that bracelet Pepper gave you.” I saw James glance over, narrowing his eyes as she said it. “Where is Pepper tonight? I thought he might come as well, he’s more than welcome if you wanted to invite him.” I looked from her to James and back again. “You didn’t know? The band got asked to play extra gigs. I thought…I thought he would have told you, James. They left yesterday morning.” A great deal of shouting erupted from another part of the house and James excused himself to go referee the kids. Fran poured the tea and motioned for me to follow her into the living room. “I’m glad you could come tonight. James wasn’t sure you’d want to, he thought it might be awkward.” I stuck my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting. “I was a little worried about that, too, actually. But thank you for inviting me, it’s very kind of you.” “You should know, Charlie, that I don’t hold you responsible for what happened,” she said quietly as she sat at one end of the couch. “I know James can be very persuasive. I’m sure you hardly had a say in the matter.” I started to object and she just kept speaking, changing the subject. “So Pepper left, hmm? That was awfully sudden.” “Yeah, apparently they were supposed to have the next few days off, Motorhead were gonna skip the opening band thing, but things have been going so well that Lemmy asked them to do the Canada shows too.” I glanced around the room, taking in the family photos and the moose head that was mounted on the far wall. “I’m surprised you didn’t go along with him, especially in light of everything that’s happened recently.” She sipped her tea and then continued. “I just mean with those men on the loose, Charlie, that’s awfully frightening.” She gave me a tight smile. “James says you have excellent security, though, that must be reassuring.” “It is. I’m very fortunate to have them.” “Tell me, do you really need all those men looking after you? Or is just an attention thing?” Her smile stayed in place. We both looked up as James cleared his throat. He was standing in the doorway, with Cali at his side. “Mama! Castor’s pulling Barbie’s head off, make him stop,” she pouted. Fran got up and rolled her eyes, taking off in the direction of Castor’s peals of laughter. Cali came over and stood by my knee. “Hi,” she said softly. “You’re Charlie.” I smiled. “I sure am. And you’re Cali.” She grinned. “Wanna come see my room?” I nodded and got up to follow her. James mouthed ‘sorry’ at me as I passed him, and I patted his arm, shaking my head. I trailed behind Cali, and we turned a corner and she stopped as we faced a huge pink and blue bedroom. “This is it,” she whispered. We went in and sat on her bed, and she immediately offered me a pixie stick. “S’from my friend’s birthday party, her mom gives out the best treat bags,” she informed me as she popped a love heart in her mouth and sucked on it. “Thanks, dude.” I took the stick and tilted my head back, the tart powder filling my mouth. “Sour!” I pulled a face at her and she giggled. “Did you draw all those?” I pointed to the crayon and marker covered papers on the walls. She nodded. “They’re awesome, Cali. You must have your dad’s talent for drawing. I really like the ones of the princesses.” Her eyes lit up. “Wanna see my princess dress-up stuff? Most of it’s baby stuff, for Cella, but some of it’s kinda cool.” She stood and held out her hand, and I took it, following her out of the room. Twenty minutes later, the two of us were happily playing in the downstairs den, pixie stick wrappers littering the floor around my sweater, which I’d discarded to better fit into my costume, when James appeared in the doorway. “Hey, guys, dinner’s gonna be ready…oh my God, Charlie, what are you wearing?” I looked up at him, batting my eyelashes. “What? I’m a fairy princess.” I waved my plastic wand rapidly at him. “This is what fairy princesses wear.” The doorbell rang and Cali grabbed my hand, pulling me after her. We ran upstairs where she threw open the front door and let go of my hand to hug Lars. “Charlie’s here!” she exclaimed as he picked her up. He stood, speechless, in front of me. I did a little twirl and grinned at him. Cali slid out of his arms and raced off again. Lars’ eyes traveled down, taking in the pink tutu that was far too small, especially as it was over top of my jeans, the sparkly makeup, the fairy wings over my tee shirt, the plastic tiara and the wand. I could see the corners of his mouth twitching, but he managed to keep a straight face as he leaned forward to kiss my cheek. “You look lovely.” Lowering his voice, he said, “We’ll talk later about this morning, okay? I was an ass.” I nodded, and he leaned against the doorframe. “So, is this what you always wear when you’re about to be taken in for grand theft auto?” I grinned. “I can only assume you mean the game, Danish. Otherwise I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “My Porsche? Outside? Parked beside the ugliest truck known to man?” “Hey!” James boomed behind me. “Watch what you say about my cars, man.” Lars moved past me and they hugged, slapping each other on the back. “Dinner’s almost ready, Charlie, you might wanna…I dunno, lose the glass slipper? Undo the spell? Whatever it is you need to do to be normal-looking again?” James gestured at my clothes. I watched Lars head towards the kitchen. “You mean I can’t wear this to dinner?” I looked down and straightened my tutu. “But it’s so pretty.” Looking back up I saw he was watching me with a little smile. “Sure is,” he murmured. He tilted his head towards the hall. “Bathroom’s down there. You can wash off the glitter, at least. Otherwise this,” he reached a hand over to touch the sparkles on my cheek, “might fall into your food. And I’m pretty sure sparkles aren’t edible.” I quickly washed my face and ran downstairs to get my sweater. Cella was down there alone, picking up random pieces of the dress-up gear. She held out a blue cape, saying loudly, “Princess!” I laughed and picked her up. “You sure are, sweetie. I think it’s dinner time. Wanna go see?” She nodded frantically and we headed up to the kitchen. James looked up as we came into the room. “Ohhh, you changed.” He pretended to be disappointed. I grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t wanna be the only one who dressed up for dinner.” I burst out laughing as Castor rounded the corner in a pirate’s outfit, followed close behind by Cali, in her ballerina costume. “Dang! I should have stayed with what I had on.” I put Cella down and she wandered over to Lars, who picked her up and proceeded to plant big, loud kisses all over her face, much to her delight. We moved into the dining room, and Fran seated me between herself and Cali. Cali leaned over and asked in a very low voice, “Do you like broccoli?” I responded in an equally low voice, “It’s not my favorite, but I don’t mind it. Why?” “If we have broccoli, will you eat mine?” I heard James snort and looked up to see him watching us. “Yeah, okay, but if we have brussell sprouts, you gotta eat mine.” She wrinkled her nose. “Ew! No way!” James laughed. “Easy on the wheeling and dealing over there, girls, we’re having fajitas.” Cali was silent for a moment, and then leaned over again. “Do you like onions?” I caught James’ eye and smiled. “Yeah, I’ll eat your onions.” Dinner itself was very loud, and very busy, with several hands passing dishes back and forth, and chatter overlapping other chatter. Cali and I discussed the merits of the Harry Potter books versus those of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Castor got out of his chair every few minutes to come over and see what we were talking about. Lars and James were busy working out a date to go see The Mars Volta, who were doing a tour of the States and Fran busied herself with running back and forth to the kitchen to replenish the food. Towards the end of dinner, there was a tug on my shirt and I looked down to see Cella standing beside my chair. “Up,” she raised her arms. I picked her up and placed her on my lap, where she promptly snuggled up to me and stayed there for the rest of the meal. “Whatcha got there?” James crouched beside my chair, stroking a lock of Cella’s hair off her face. She’d fallen asleep during dessert and her small fist was holding onto my sweater. “Can I keep her?” I whispered. He smiled, his gaze still on the little sleeping form on my lap. “Nope. Not a chance. But you can come visit her anytime. She must like you, she doesn’t normally do the lap routine with anyone other than me or Fran. Guess she realizes how special you are, too.” He sighed. “I should probably put her to bed. She didn’t have a nap today, she must be pretty exhausted.” I reluctantly let him take her, and watched as he tucked her against his chest, kissing her forehead tenderly. “Be right back,” he told me. Lars came over and sat in the chair next to mine. “Wouldn’t let ya keep her, huh?” “Nope. But I’m gonna wait til they’re not looking, and then sneak her out of the house, and find a box, and put her in the box, and mail the box to my house, and then come back and be all ‘Cella? Who’s Cella? What? You only have two children’. Brilliant.” I grinned at him and he laughed. “I’m sorry about this morning, Charlie. I shouldn’t have left like that. I was upset, but I know you didn’t mean to say what you did last night. I was a dick, and I’m sorry.” He dropped his voice. “Look, I’ve been thinking. I promised Pep I’d look out for you while he’s away, and as it turns out, I have to go to New York for a few days, leaving on Wednesday night.” He put a hand over mine. “I think you should come.” “Come where?” James asked as he placed mugs of coffee in front of us. Lars stood. “New York. Just for a week or so. I don’t like the idea of you being alone in the house, Charlie. And I promised Pep.” I shook my head. “Lars, don’t be ridiculous. I can’t go to New York with you. I have obligations here, and who’ll take care of the dogs? Danish…c’mon, don’t be-” “Het can take care of your dogs.” He looked at James, who looked surprised, but nodded. “Any other obligations can wait til we get back.” He grinned at me. “Please come with me? It’ll be fun. We can go sightseeing and shopping! I know you like shopping…” I opened my mouth to object and he carried on talking. “And maybe we can fit in a play or something. Yeah, I’ll phone ahead and see if we can get tickets. Something on Broadway. Or maybe off Broadway. You like musicals? I’m not a big fan, but we could go if you like…” he continued rambling as James left the room. I held up my hands in surrender, laughing. “Fine, fine, I’ll go. But please, God, no musicals.” He started to say something but stopped. Fran and James were yelling in the kitchen. I could only make out snippets, but it didn’t sound at all pleasant. I sighed and Lars caught my eye, reading my mind. “Don’t worry, babes. It’s probably nothing to do with you. They fight about other stuff too,” he gave me a tired smile. “Okay, I gotta take off, so I’ll call you tomorrow to sort out flight times.” “You gotta take off?” I repeated, suddenly not sure I had made the right decision about New York. Where could he be going on a Monday night? “Hot date?” I tried to smile, and failed. He blinked at me, and then smiled. “Yeah, really hot. Long, dark hair, beautiful brown eyes,” he chuckled, “does a mean crab walk on stage.” I finally caught on as he patted my cheek softly. “I’m meeting up with Rob tonight, we’re having drinks with some of his buddies from Suicidal.” He bent and kissed the top of my head. “Talk to you tomorrow, little one.” He left and I heard him interrupt the yelling in the kitchen to say goodbye to Fran and James. Cali and Castor bounded into the room, carrying two DVDs. I grinned as I saw one of them was ‘The Emporer’s New Groove’. “Papa said before that you could stay and watch one of these with us, if you wanted. But…you don’t have to. Just, if you wanted. To stay. Do you wanna?” Cali shifted her weight from foot to foot in front of me. I reached for the DVD and turned it over. “This is my absolute favorite movie, hands down. I would LOVE to watch it with you guys, if you’re sure it’s okay with your folks.” She clapped her hands in delight and ran off with Castor again. I picked up my coffee mug and went into the kitchen, trying to make as much noise walking as possible so they’d hear me coming. “Um…Cali mentioned something about watching a movie with her and Cas, she said you’d already okay’d it,” I glanced at James. “So if it’s alright, I’ll hang out with them, and keep an eye on Cella if you guys wanted to go somewhere and…talk?” My voice had become awfully quiet, and the two of them just stared at me. “Or I can go. That’s fine too.” I looked down at the mug in my hands. James spoke first. “That would be great, Charlie, thank you. I’ll show you where Cella’s room is.” I put my mug on the counter and followed him out. He led me down the hall and upstairs to where Cella was sleeping peacefully on a little bed in the shape of a car. James saw my expression and smiled. “Yeah…takes after her old man, she loves anything with a motor.” He chuckled softly. “When she’s tired, she tells us she wants to go ‘vroom vroom sleep’.” I smiled at him. “She’s beautiful James, she’s like a little angel.” He raised an eyebrow and it was my turn to laugh. “Only when she’s sleeping?” He nodded. “She’s such a little terror! Fran found her covered in oil the other day, running around with a wrench like it was a toy. She’d been into my stuff in the garage.” I giggled. “Maybe you should buy her a little set of her own tools? I’m sure you could get a plastic set she could play with. Aww, James, she’s gonna be a little biker chicky. That’s so cute!” He motioned for me to follow him to the downstairs lounge, where Castor and Cali were busy setting up for the movie. All the cushions had been dragged off the couches and were spread over the floor, with a ton of pillows on top. I sat down and Cali and Castor plunked themselves down on either side of me, holding up their faces to James. He kissed both of the kids in turn and hugged me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “See you in a bit. Be good for Charlie, guys,” he warned. It was after midnight when James woke me up. Castor was snuggled up to my side, and Cali was curled up behind me, her hand in mine. I shifted as James shook me gently, and the kids stirred slightly. “Hey,” he whispered. “You wanna stay here tonight?” I mumbled my agreement sleepily and he smiled. “Okay, lemme get these guys settled and I’ll make up the bed for you in the guest room.” I shook my head. “S’fine, James, I can just sleep here. I’m comfy.” He didn’t look convinced. Picking up both kids, he carried them upstairs and I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Reaching in my bag for my cell phone, I tried Pepper’s number. He would have finished a couple of hours before, and I figured I’d be able to catch him before he was too drunk and incoherent. James came back in as I was trying for the third time, unsuccessfully. “Pretty late to be callin’ a 976 number, babe. That’ll cost you a fortune from a cell phone,” he winked at me. I laughed. “I’m trying to get a hold of Pepper. Wanted to let him know I’ll be in New York in case he tries calling the house. I don’t want him to worry, but I can’t seem to get through.” James settled into the couch beside me, looking serious. “What?” “Nothing,” he said quietly. “I just wasn’t sure you were gonna go with Lars, that’s all.” I ran a hand through my hair, yawning. “Yeah, I think it’ll be good. I haven’t been there in a while, it’ll be fun.” I closed my eyes and yawned again. “I’ll let you get some shut eye, then,” James said softly, standing and laying a blanket over me. “Night, Charlie. Sleep well.” I smiled at him. “Night, Het. Thanks for letting me hang out with your kids, I had a ball.” I watched as he gave a little wave and left the room. When I opened my eyes again, the clock on the DVD player read 2:30 a.m. I lay still for a moment, trying to figure out what had woken me up. Turning my head slightly I saw a pair of bright blue eyes trained on me. James was sitting on the edge of the couch, still fully dressed. “Hi,” I whispered. “Hi.” I shifted slightly to make room for him on the couch, and he slid down to sit by my feet. “I’m sorry I woke you.” “S’fine,” I mumbled. “What’s up?” “Don’t go to New York,” he said softly. I sat up fully, about to protest, and he continued. “You have no idea what you’re getting into, Charlie. It’s too far away. New York is huge, and Lars will probably lose you or something.” I laughed. “James, I’m not a child. He won’t lose me, you’re worrying over nothing.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not worrying over nothing, Charlie, I’ve traveled with Lars before. He gets in his own little world and forgets about everyone else. He’ll be running all over the place to clubs and fucking art galleries, and you’ll be left to fend for yourself. You may as well stay here where I can keep an eye on you.” I rolled my eyes. “James…” “I’m serious. You can’t go, it’s too dangerous. And what about Pep? You said so yourself, you can’t even get a hold of him. How do you think he’ll feel when he finds out you’ve taken off without telling him? How’s he supposed to know where you are?” I pushed the blankets down and stood up, walking over to the sliding doors that led to the back yard. I heard James get up and he came to stand behind me. “He’ll be fine, James. And if he can’t reach me on my cell, he’ll call you, or Jackson, or any one of the other phone numbers I’ve given him to use when he can’t get through to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling cold. James turned me around and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my head. “I just have a bad feeling about this. Just stay here, okay? Where I can look out for you?” He sounded slightly pissed that he wasn’t getting his way. I pushed back slightly so I could see his face. “James, it’s sweet that you’re worried about me, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. It’s only for a few days, there’s no reason to think I won’t be safe.” His gaze hardened. “I’m sure you thought the same thing when you left the bar without Pepper that night. ‘Just a little walk, I’ll be safe.’ And look what happened.” A huge lump formed in my throat and I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He shrugged. “I’m just saying. You might not be as safe as you think, that’s all. I know you think you can take care of yourself, Charlie…I just wish you’d stay here, instead.” I backed away and turn around again, the tears starting to fall. “Fine. I’ll think about it.” I wiped at my eyes and recrossed my arms. “You should go to bed, James. Fran will be wondering where you are.” He put a hand on my back, and I could see his reflection in the glass doors. “I just want you to be safe, Charlie. I’m only trying to look out for you.” He patted my shoulder and left the room again. I curled up on the sofa once more and pulled the blanket over me, sobbing into the pillow. I left the next morning before anyone was up, leaving a note on the kitchen counter thanking them for dinner, and saying it was lovely spending time with the kids. I had a voicemail on my phone later in the day from James, saying he hoped I’d think about what he said, and I promptly deleted it. I also had two messages from Lars, about flight times and hotels, and how excited he was to be going. I smiled at the second message, he said he’d arranged for a surprise that would knock my socks off, and maybe everything else. I spent the afternoon at Benny’s, and when we’d finished the work, we cracked open a few beers and I told him my dilemma. He immediately said I should go to New York, that it would be good to get away for a bit, even just a week, and he offered to take care of the dogs if I didn’t want James to do it. I said I’d think about it, and after he invited me for dinner, I spent the evening watching old movies with him and Mike. By the time I got home it was almost midnight, so I was surprised when my phone rang. I picked it up on the third ring. “Hello?” “Hey, little one. Did I wake you?” I smiled. “Nah, Danish, I’m just getting in. What’s up?” “Woooohoo! Look at you, little miss out late! Where ya been?” I laughed, he sounded half joking and half worried. “Out with my boys, Benny and Mike. Drinkin’ beer and talkin’ ‘bout women. What about you?” He chuckled. “Same, really. There’s been kind of a change of plans, though. I have to fly out tonight, cause one of my meetings got switched to tomorrow, but I assumed you’d still wanna come on Wednesday, so I left your ticket for then. Is that okay? Cause if it’s not, I can change it.” “No, no, that’s fine. Don’t change anything, I’ll still come on Wednesday.” I paused for a moment. “Danish…are you sure you want me to tag along? I don’t want to be in the way, or slow you down. I’m sure you have a lot of stuff to do and a lot of people you wanna see…” “Charlie…” he said slowly. “I definitely want you there. I’m excited to hang out with you, just the two of us for a few days.” He sounded a little sad. “Are you having second thoughts? Cause you don’t have to come…I just…I’d really like you to be there with me.” Some of the anxiety I’d been feeling eased as he said it. “I’m not having second thoughts, Danish. I’m excited to hang out with you, too. It’ll be fun. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you. But it is! So that’s great. Now…I gotta go to bed, but I’ll see you in two days.” I lowered my voice. “I’ll be the drop dead gorgeous blonde with the sixteen bags of luggage.” He laughed. “Excellent. I’ll bring the stretch limo to pick you up so we can fit it all in. I’ll see you in a couple days, little one.” We hung up and I headed to bed, sure that I was doing the right thing. By Tuesday afternoon, I still hadn’t been able to get hold of Pep or Trish, and the anxiety was beginning to surface again. I couldn’t even get through to his voicemail, so I couldn’t leave a message. I met up with Jackson for dinner, and he promised to relay info to Pep about where I was staying if he heard from him. I declined drinks after dinner, since I knew it would lead to a ridiculously late night, and took a cab home instead. I threw on a random mixed cd and started to pack. I wouldn’t quite need sixteen bags, but I’d definitely need a couple. New York with Lars meant clothes for shopping, art galleries, plays, museums, dinner out, clubs, chilling at the hotel…which in all fairness, probably could have been narrowed down to just a few outfits But that wouldn’t have been as much fun. The cd changed songs, and Astronomy came on, James’ voice startling me out of the trance-like state I’d been in staring at my dresses. I sighed. “And then came you, huh? Fuckin’ right you did.” I hadn’t heard from him since dinner, other than the two messages he’d left, and that suited me fine. If I didn’t see him, I didn’t have to tell him I was going to New York, and I didn’t have to hear more about how unsafe and dangerous I was being. It was nearly eleven by the time I’d finished packing. I lugged my bags downstairs and shoved them in the hall closet so they would be out of the way til I left, and went into the kitchen. Boiling the kettle, I rooted around the cupboard for my favorite mint tea. My cell phone rang just as I found the little green box, and I saw it was Chief. “Evening,” I said when I answered. “Hi, kiddo. I’m sorry to call so late, I just had some news in and I wanted to let you know. There’s been a sighting, Charlie. Two of them were seen at diner in Oakland. They attacked a waitress as she was closing up.” I moved to stand beside the sink, terrified I might be sick. Jesus. So close. “When was this?” I tried to ignore the quiver in my voice. “Last night. We think they’re staying at a motel near the diner where they were spotted, but until we find them…I need you to be extra careful, okay? The slightest thing seems off to you, I want you to call me. We clear on that?” “Yeah,” I said quietly. “We’re clear. Is she…is the woman okay?” He coughed a little and cleared his throat before answering. “She’s gonna be fine. She’s in the hospital right now, but it wasn’t as bad as what they did to you, Charlie.” I swallowed hard. “Okay,” I whispered. “Thanks for letting me know.” “That’s my job, kiddo. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be fine. Call me as soon as you get back from New York, I’ll let you know if we’ve got any updates.” I hung up and put the phone on the table. Hoisting myself onto the counter, I sat with my back to the corner. My heart leapt into my throat as I heard the front door open, and if I’d had a gun at that moment, it’s entirely possible that I might have shot James as he came into the room. “Jesus H Christ, Hetfield!” I cried, placing a hand over my heart. “You scared the shit outta me. God, don’t you knock?” He looked apologetic. “I did knock, sweetie, there was no answer. I figured I’d come in, leave you a note or something.” He crossed the room quickly and put his hands on my shoulders. “You look white as a sheet, babes. Everything okay?” I nodded, still a little shaky. “You just spooked me is all. I’m fine.” “You don’t look fine,” he said softly. “Sure you don’t wanna tell me what’s wrong?” He brushed a hand over my hair and I closed my eyes, feeling tears threaten. God, how many times was I going to fall apart in front of this man? “I’m fine,” I said in as firm a voice as I could muster. I blinked back the tears and looked at him. “What are you doing here, anyway?” He held up my green sweater that I’d worn to his house the other day. “You left this behind.” Tossing the sweater to the table, he put a hand on either side of me, leaning against the counter. “And I wanted to see you. Tell you I’m sorry for what I said the other night. I didn’t mean that you can’t take care of yourself, Charlie. I know you can. I just worry about you, that’s all.” I thought about the phone conversation I’d just had, and wondered if I should tell James he had good reason to worry. That would probably just make things worse. “Thanks for bringing my sweater back. It’s one of my favorites.” I quickly wiped at the tear that had somehow managed to escape. He nodded. “Matches your eyes. The very same eyes,” he tilted my face so I was looking at him, “that are crying right now, even though you said you’re fine.” His fingertip ran down the wet path on my cheek. “Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong, darlin’?” I sat, helpless, as another tear rolled down my face. “I can’t. It won’t do any good. And it’ll just upset you.” He took my face in his hands and stared at me. “Not if it helps you to tell me, Charlie.” He kissed my forehead and looked at me again. “You know you can tell me anything. Please, darlin’? Let me help?” I tried to shake my head and he stopped me, instead moving my head so I was nodding. I gave a watery smile and he kissed my cheek. “Want me to leave you alone, then?” Hell, no. The last thing I wanted was to be alone! “Can you stay, just for a bit? Is that okay?” He put his hands on either side of me again and rested his forehead against mine. “That’s fine,” he murmured. “I’ll stay as long as you want.” I closed my eyes and ran my hands up and down his arms, relaxing slightly with him standing so close. James was strong. James was safe. James was…kissing my neck? I opened my eyes and my breath caught in my throat. I’d seen that look in his eyes before, but the last time I’d seen it, he’d been lying under me, inside of me. He kissed me again, lips softly brushing against my neck, just below my ear. He kissed along my jaw and his mouth came to rest on mine before he looked at me again. “Do you want me to stop?” His voice sounded as unsteady as mine had earlier. I breathed out slowly, unsure of what to say. “Charlie,” his eyes met mine. “Do you want me to stop?” The house phone started ringing and I ignored it, keeping my gaze locked with his as my hand traveled down his arm and came to rest on his left hand, thumb rubbing over his wedding band. The answering machine kicked in and Lars’ voice thundered through the kitchen. “Hey, Charlie! Just thought I’d let you know, I’ve arranged for you to pick up the ticket when you check in, instead of sending it to the house. Flight leaves at 4pm. Can’t wait to see you, babe. Bye!” James’ eyes widened and the look of desire was gone, replaced by one of fury. He stepped back, shaking his head at me. “Jesus Christ, Charlie. You’re fucking going?” I jumped off the counter and slowly walked towards him. “James, calm down. It’s just a stupid trip, there’s nothing to get upset about.” He turned and headed for the hallway. “James!” He whirled around, glaring at me. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “What the hell is wrong with ME? I’m not the one lying about what’s bothering me. Christ, Charlie, you could have just told me. Shoving it off like ‘ooh, it’s nothing, ooh, it’ll bother you,’. I can fucking take it, okay?” I stood in the middle of the lounge. “Of course you can fucking take it, because there’s nothing to get upset about! I’m just going to New York with Lars! For a week! Why should that bother you?” He was silent. “Answer me, Het. Why the hell would that bother you? Cause I’m only supposed to hang out with you? Only supposed to be YOUR fuck buddy? You do know that that’s over, right? Because you still have a WIFE! And yet here you are, waltzing into my house like you own the damn thing, and fucking KISSING ME! What’s wrong, Hetfield, couldn’t have my body so you decided to fuck with my mind instead?” I was spitting the words at him, furious that he had the balls to be angry with me after what he’d done. His eyes burning, he yanked off his ring and held it up. “You act like this is the reason you wanted me to stop,” his voice was low and hoarse, and seething with rage. “But the real reason is that you’d feel unfaithful to Lars! So don’t be getting all high and mighty and pointing out a piece of fucking jewelry when you tell me to stop touching you, Charlie. At least have the nerve to tell me the truth. Cause it’s got nothing to do with THIS!” He hurled the ring at me and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. I stood, shaking in the middle of the room, one hand rubbing absently over the skin near my left eye where the ring had hit. I knelt down, picking the small gold band off the floor and looked at the inscription. ‘Love always’ was repeated all the way around the inside. I blew out a breath. “Fuck’s sake, Het. Not if you show up at home without this.” I grabbed my keys and pulled my boots on. Not bothering with a coat, I ran to the truck, noticing that the dark clouds had turned to rain. I threw the truck in gear and cursed James for showing up at my door. I pulled onto the main road and jerked the steering wheel as the truck slid a bit. The fresh rain had made the roads slick and the lack of weight in the back of the truck made it harder to control. I slowed my speed and peered through the windshield. I saw brake lights flash in front of me and pumped my own brakes lightly. The truck started to skid off the road, hydroplaning on the layer of water covering the pavement. I pulled desperately at the steering wheel, to no avail, and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was the huge redwood I was hurtling towards. _______________________________________________________ I felt wetness on my face when I came to, and gingerly put a hand to my skin, praying I wasn’t covered in blood. My hand came away clean, and as I lifted my head I saw that the windshield had shattered, and rain was pouring into the cab of the truck. I sat up slowly, gasping as I saw how the front of the truck had crumpled like an accordion. I tried to open the driver’s side door and found it was stuck. Passenger door as well. I took off my boot and used it to knock away the glass that had covered the dashboard, and putting the boot back on, I climbed through the windshield and slid to the ground, cutting my knees slightly in the process. Looking around me, I saw I was on a deserted road, in the middle of the night, with no access to a phone. I glanced back at my truck. No way to get home, either. The front of it had been totaled. If I hadn’t been wearing my seatbelt, I would have shot through the windshield and been totaled as well. I tried to draw a breath and found that my lungs seemed to have quit on me. I managed to walk about a dozen steps along the side of the road before I sank to the ground. Breathe, I told myself. Just breathe. You’re fine. Any minute now, a police car, or a helpful little old lady, or someone else completely unthreatening will be along, and they’ll take you home. I lowered my face to my knees and put my hands over my head, rocking slightly, and then I heard the sound of brakes screaming. I got to my feet slowly, wondering if I’d only gone partially off the road, and the end of the truck was actually sticking out and had now caused someone else to get in an accident. “Charlie?” I could hear James’ voice, loud and panicked. “James…” I couldn’t seem to manage more than a whisper. I looked for him but all I saw was rain and dirt and sky. He called my name again and I tried walking in the direction of his voice. “James,” I said as loud as I could. Still nothing more than a whisper. Why didn’t I have a fucking whistle, like that chick when the Titanic went down? “I’ll never let go, Jack,” I giggled to myself. Oh shut. Giggling couldn’t be good. “James!” I whispered fiercely. “CHARLIE!” He was screaming my name, he sounded so close. I finally saw the headlight of his bike and headed towards it. My boots crunched on the gravel beside the road, and he turned at the sound. He had his helmet in one hand and he dropped it as he raced towards me. “Oh, God, baby…Charlie…” He cupped my face in his hands. “Are you alright? Is anything broken? Where did you land?” Land? What the hell was this guy on? I didn’t fucking fly here. He stared at me, his eyes huge, and I realized I’d said that out loud. “Oops,” I whispered. He pulled me into the stream of light from his bike and supported me with one arm as he looked me over for cuts and broken bones. “I’m gonna call 911, okay sweetie? I wanna make sure you’re alright.” I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just wanna go home.” I leaned against him, wishing desperately for somewhere to lie down. “Tired, James. Please?” He pulled me back, his eyes bright as he studied me. “You might be in shock, baby. I can’t tell, so I’m gonna get someone out here real quick, and then I’ll take you home.” He pulled his cell phone out and I started to walk away, stumbling over my own feet. He caught me as I lurched forward and he hauled me back against him. “Stay with me, Charlie, don’t wander off.” I listened as he gave the details of where we were to someone on the phone, and closed my eyes as he ran his hand over my hair. Closing his phone, he led me over to the bike and sat me on it. “You’re shaking, sweetheart.” He removed his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders. “Mad,” I muttered. “Broke my stupid truck. You’d think it was made by fuckin’ Tonka, the way it crinkled.” I laughed bitterly. James lifted my head, looking more alarmed than before. He pulled me against him, rubbing my back slowly. I was starting to doze off when I saw the ambulance lights appear. Two uniformed men jumped out the back and James backed off to let them inspect me. After lots of prodding and shining lights at me, they proclaimed me to be in mild shock and instructed James to take me home and put me to bed, waking me every few hours to ensure I wasn’t too fuzzy. I felt James’ helmet slide over my head and started to protest, but he ignored me. Helping me onto the bike, he gunned the engine and waited for me to link my arms around his waist. He turned his head and yelled above the noise, “Don’t you dare let go. It’s not far, babes, so hold on tight, okay?” I nodded against his back and we headed back to my house. A few minutes later he parked in my garage and gently took the helmet off for me. Using his key, he opened the front door and escorted me into the house. I stood in the hallway, dripping rainwater all over the floor, shivering. Taking one look at me, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to my bedroom. Placing me on the bed, he knelt at my feet. “How did…” I was still whispering. “How did you get behind me? I thought you went home. I thought I’d have to catch up to you.” He shook his head slowly. “I was low on gas, I stopped to get some at the end of your road.” He ran his hands over my arms. “You’re freezing, Charlie. I’m gonna run you a bath, okay?” I nodded, taking tiny, shallow breaths. I heard him run the water in the tub and he came back out again. “Want bubbles?” He shot me a weak smile. “Don’t care,” I said softly. He came over and took hold of my wrists, supporting me as I stood. Cupping my cheek with one hand, he looked at me. “Why, baby? Why did you try to follow me? This is dangerous weather to be driving in.” I lifted my right hand to my face, lightly touching the mark by my eye. I’d totally forgotten. Raising my left arm, hand still clenched in the fist my fingers had curled into when I’d run out the door earlier in the night, I felt tears slide down my face as I held it out, unfurling my fingers. The ring I’d been clutching for the last hour lay in my palm. I watched as James’ eyes fell to the little gold circle. “I thought you might need this.” He looked up at me, his fingertips tenderly touching the skin the ring had broken. “So sorry, baby,” he whispered softly, his eyes filling with tears. “So sorry.” I pushed my hand against his chest, and he took the ring from me. Backing away, I pointed to the door. “You need to go,” I told him. He took a step towards me and I shook my head. “Please, James. Just go.” “Charlie, I can’t leave you. You’re in shock, it’s not safe for you to be alone. I’ll stay in one of the other rooms, but I’m not leaving you.” The tears came faster as I shook my head again. “No,” I gritted my teeth. “You have to GO!” My voice broke on the last word and I started sobbing. “Don’t you get it? Don’t you understand that I’m not like you, James?” He looked so lost, so confused, it only made me cry harder. “I can’t do this,” I waved my hand back and forth between the two of us. “I’m not strong enough to do this, and not care. It hurts too much!” He took another step towards me and I shoved him away. “LEAVE!” I screamed at him. He stared at me, tears streaming down his face. Drawing in a ragged breath, he turned, and I watched him walk out of the room. |
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| Lucifer's Angel | March 21, 2008, 10:10 am Post #82 |
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Heavy Metal Seanchai
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The bit with the priest was funny But the accident, damn Poor Charlie, she's gone through a lot of shit, poor girl What's going to happen between her and James? :wacko:
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| maisy blue | March 21, 2008, 9:56 pm Post #83 |
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Some Kind Of Monster
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So much to say, so tired... The argument between James and Charlie when he started touching her- beautifully written. Loved it- so full of rage and anger and exactly what I was thinking.
I'm so mad at James for the way he treats Charlie. I know that he's concerned about her because she's Cliff's daughter (and he secretly loves her) but if he truly wanted to get back with Fran, he wouldn't be playing Charlie the way he is. It's all a giant clusterfuck. And I'm not happy about Lars' change of plans in NY- I want Charlie to be traveling with someone and with someone at all times. It just seems... not right. You wrote it with a bit of foreboding. So I'm worried and anxious to see what happens in NYC. I'm also unhappy with the rapists running amok. It scares me a lot, only because I know certain criminals get easy time for hideous crimes. You wrote the children wonderfully. They sound completely sweet and good natured. I loved how Charlie just got down on her hands and knees and dove in. So few people *really* do that with kids. Just lose themselves and PLAY. BTW, I wrote something a few days ago regarding Maddy, Cali and candy and so I hope you don't think I am copying you when I finally edit it and post it! When I read about the pixie sticks, I thought "oh no..." This is such a great story. Charlie, despite her perfection and her terrible luck, is still believable. And heartbreaking. This girl needs some happiness. |
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| Metalicious | March 25, 2008, 4:18 pm Post #84 |
Blackened
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I waited until I heard his bike leave before I went into the bathroom to drain the tub. Crawling into bed, I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes. I didn’t open them again until I woke at noon the next day. Duke was sitting by my bed, head tilted to one side, looking as if he’d been waiting for me to wake up. “Hi buddy, how’d you get in here?” I pushed back the covers and stood up, pleased that I didn’t feel any ill effects from the accident. Duke waited patiently as I got dressed, and accompanied me downstairs. To my surprise, Benny was in the kitchen, reading the paper when I wandered in. “Afternoon, sunshine,” he said without looking up. “Hi…how did you, um, get in?” I was going to drop off a key on my way to the airport, but apparently he already had one. “Your friend came to see this morning. Said you’d had a little run in with a tree last night and customized your truck in a rather,” he glanced at me, “unique way.” He folded the paper and leaned back in the chair. “He had the truck towed to my place. Don’t know that I’ll be able to fix it, but I can try.” He stood and gave me a tight hug. “I’ll take care of the dogs, darlin’, you just go and have a good time in New York.” I watched him leave, and locked the door behind him. I tried Pepper’s phone again as I made a salad, and when there was still no answer, not even voicemail, I hung up and took my lunch outside. I almost always read a book or a magazine if I was eating alone, but this time I just sat, and thought. Thought about James, about Lars, about Pep and Trish, about New York, and whether or not I was doing the right thing. I finally gave up trying to eat, and went inside to get a pen and a pad of paper. The lawyer in me needed to examine this like a case. I wrote everything down: people, places, things and events, pros and cons, ignoring the way I felt and just writing down the basic facts. When I’d finished, one thing was clear. James would only ever break my heart. If I wanted to be happy, I belonged with Lars. The phone rang about five minutes before I had to leave for the airport. I considered not answering it, thinking it might be James, but picked up anyway. “Hello?” I sighed as I answered. “Hey, baby girl. Miss me yet?” He burst out laughing as I screamed into the phone. “Easy, darlin’, I need my hearing!” “Oh my God, I’m so glad you called! I’ve been trying to call you for days!” He laughed again. “Sorry, baby girl. Turns out my phone doesn’t work in Canada. I’m calling from the hotel right now. Sorry it took so long, our schedule’s been ridiculous. You doin’ okay?” I considered telling him everything that was going on, and decided against it. He’d only worry, and he couldn’t do anything from where he was. “I’m great. I’m actually heading to New York in an hour, gonna spend some time with Lars.” He was silent for a moment before he replied. “You’re gonna give that a go? That really what you want?” I smiled. “Yeah, I think so. Things have been good with him the past few days, so…we’ll see, I guess. But that’s why I was trying to call you, cause I won’t be home for about a week. I didn’t want you to get upset if you couldn’t get hold of me.” “Hey, now, don’t you worry about that. I know who to call if I can’t find ya. I would have tracked you down eventually,” he chuckled. “Everything else alright?” “Yeah, it’s all good. How’s things with you and Trish? You takin’ care of her?” I could picture the grin on his face when he answered. “She’s takin’ care of me, actually. She’s so cool, Charlie, we’re getting along wickedly. We went to a party last night and she was the star of the damn show, I swear.” His voice softened. “She could have had any of the guys who were there last night and she still wanted to leave with me.” “Aww, Pep, of course she did. Who wouldn’t? Doesn’t matter who was there, I’m sure you were the pick of the litter,” I laughed. “She seems to think so. I’d put her on but she’s still sleeping.” ”Okay babes. I gotta take off or I’ll miss my flight, but I’m so glad you called. Give her a big kiss for me, okay? I miss you guys.” “Miss you too, baby girl. Both of us do. We still gonna meet up in a couple weeks?” “You bet. Name the place, I’ll show up. Love you, buddy.” “I love you too,” he said softly. “Talk to you soon, sweets. Have a good time with Lars.” “Will do.” We hung up and I smiled, feeling relieved that we’d finally touched base. Glancing out the window, I saw the limo Lars had arranged for me had arrived. I grabbed my bags and locked the door behind me. I landed at JFK at eleven pm. Lars lifted me off my feet in such a tight hug that I lost my breath, and I had to squirm away so I could get some air. He was even more energetic than usual, if that was possible, and grabbed my suitcase from me, hustling out to a waiting limo. He didn’t stop talking once during the ride to the Astoria, nor did he stop talking as we took the elevator to the penthouse, and he kept babbling as he showed me into my room in the suite. “…and then I went to this awesome little gallery in the Village, Charlie, it’s fucking amazing, they’ve got these brilliant prints by totally unknown artists, it’s unbelievable…” I listened to him talk as I hung up my clothes and picked an outfit to wear for the rest of the evening. He wanted to take me to a club one of his friends owned. I held up a short, pink, silk dress for his approval, as I had no idea what would be suitable, and he abruptly stopped talking. I waved the dress at him. He wiggled his head in a sort of nod. “That’s…very pretty. Yes. Wear that. I’ll wait in the lounge. Want a drink?” I thought about it. I was tired from the flight, but it was still early according to my body. “Yeah. Gin.” “And?” “Gin.” I replied. He laughed. “Okay, gin and tonic. Thanks, Danish.” I watched as he closed the door behind him, and then undressed, slipping the soft dress over my head. Another halter style, it had a drop waist and flared out at the hips, stopping several inches above my knees. I changed my earrings and put on the bracelet Pepper had given me. I picked up a pair of strappy heels and walked out to where Lars was sitting with the drinks. He gave an appreciative whistle and handed me a glass. “Now I feel like I should dress up,” he grinned at me. He was wearing black jeans and a t-shirt I’d seen him photographed in a hundred times, black with a red star on it. I thought he looked incredibly sexy. “You look very nice,” I assured him. “Although…” He looked up. “When was the last time you wore eyeliner?” Twenty minutes later, we were in the limo again, and Lars was wearing more eye makeup than I was. I had never been a fan of men wearing makeup, but ever since Until It Sleeps came out, I’d thought he looked seriously hot with eyeliner. We arrived at a brick building, and Lars got out, holding the door for me. He spoke quietly to the enormous man at the door of the building and seconds later, we were inside. His hand slipped into mine and he led me to the bar, ordering me another gin and tonic. I tried to remain calm as I looked around. I couldn’t count the number of famous people I recognized, and quickly turned around again before I started squealing. How uncool would THAT be. “You okay?” he leaned over and spoke in my ear so I could hear him above the music. I nodded. “You don’t look okay,” he said and stepped back, eyeing me with a worried look on his face. I smiled. “I’m fine. Just…” I gestured around the room. He immediately caught on and yanked me over to him, hugging me as he bent his head to mine. “Just act like you own the place, doll. Pretend you’re wearing that tiara again. It suited you. Might have to start calling you ‘princess’ instead of ‘little one’.” A hand tapped his shoulder and he let go of me, letting out a yell as Sully from Godsmack grabbed him in a hug. They hollered above the music and Sully motioned behind him. Lars nodded and took my hand again, winking at me. I snagged my gin and tonic and followed. We entered a smaller room where the music was low enough to hear people talking, and I quickly noted that the ratio of famous, to non-famous people was ridiculously high. We sat on one of the leather couches and Lars introduced me to Sully, who was also staying at our hotel, before the two of them started chatting. I felt the couch depress on the other side of me and looked over to see Shannon, also from Godsmack, sitting down to my right. “Hey. I’m Shan. What’s your name?” He held out his hand and gave me a friendly smile. “I’m Charlie. Big fan of your drumming, actually.” I returned the smile and shook his hand. “Thank you. What about you, would I know any of your stuff?” He raised his eyebrows and I burst out laughing, feeling both amused and flattered that he thought I might be a musician. “Sorry to disappoint. I’m a lawyer. I’d like to be a drummer, but I have an appalling sense of rhythm.” I took a sip of my drink and then recounted the story of Harley’s to him. He grinned at me and pointed to the side of the room, where a little stage was set up, drum kit and all. “Maybe I could teach you later? I wouldn’t wanna step on Ulrich’s toes or anything, but if you’re interested?” Lars turned at the sound of his name and stood up, moving to sit between Shannon and I. “What’s this about my toes, motherfuck?” I giggled and slid down the couch to chat to Sully. An hour and four gin and tonics later, I was seated behind the drum kit, with all three men standing around me, giving me advice. The rest of the room had pretty much cleared, thankfully. I waved the drumsticks wildly and shushed the guys. “Quiet! Quiet, quiet, I’m gonna play. Hang on.” I righted myself as I slipped off the stool a little, and then launched into a drum roll. It lasted for about five seconds and the hysterical laughter behind me had me stopping. I turned and saw Lars leaning against the wall, tears in his eyes. He finally got a hold of himself and giggled a little as he pointed at me. “You’re sooooo bad,” he laughed. “God, woman, how can you play any instrument at all? I’ve heard you on piano and cello, you rock! What the hell is so hard about drums?” I hit him across the forearm with a drumstick and turned back to the kit. “Jackass,” I muttered and heard Sully try to cover his laughter with a cough. I tried again and Lars actually began howling with laughter. Shannon pulled him out of the room on the pretext of getting more drinks, but I suspected he just wanted to avoid being witness to a homicide. Sully pulled up a stool behind me and gripped the sticks over my hands. “Here,” he said quietly. “Like this.” I moved my foot so he could reach the pedals, and let my arms go limp. I watched, amazed, as he slowly led me through one of his songs. I started quietly singing along and stopped when he rested his chin on my shoulder. “Easy, girl, first we’ll do the drums, and then you can add the lyrics. Otherwise you’ll throw yourself off,” he chuckled. He started playing again and I kept my mouth shut, watching my hands move with his. The song finished and I leaned back against him, turning slightly so I could see his face. “You’re good.” I giggled a little. “I…am not.” He smiled. “You’re trying, though. And you got a little better, so that’s something.” I reached up to touch the star tattoo on his cheek. “Didn’t this hurt an awful lot?” He nodded. “Yup. Good thing it’s only little. You gonna kiss it better?” I laughed again. “No, Sir Flirts-a-lot, I’m not.” He leaned in and crossed his eyes at me, grinning. “Don’t you find me attractive?” I laughed harder and was about to respond when I heard a noise by the door. “Shut, sorry, I’ll come back later.” I looked over at the door and saw Lars’ back as he lit out of the room like his ass was on fire. Dammit. I glanced at Sully, and his eyes widened. “You and…Ulrich? Oh shit, Charlie, I’m sorry. And now he’s gonna think…oh shit. I didn’t know, he just mentioned you were a friend from San Fran.” He looked awfully apologetic. I shook my head. “No, it’s not…we’re not. I, um, I don’t even know what we are. I think I’d like us to be something, I’m just not sure how to tell him. It’s fine, Sully. I should probably go find him, though. Thanks for the drum lesson.” I stood and he joined me, walking behind me as we went into the main area of the bar. Lars was nowhere to be found, and when we caught up with Shannon, he said Lars had taken off back to the hotel, muttering something about the same old routine. I leaned against the bar and cursed myself for screwing up again. Half an hour later, I jumped out of a cab and raced into the hotel, Sully hot on my heels. Still slightly reeling from all the gin, I wobbled unsteadily as we waited for an elevator. I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Sully watching the buttons for each floor light up as he braced me. “What floor are you on?” I asked as the lift finally arrived. “Eighteenth. You? Let me guess, penthouse?” He grinned at me. I nodded. “Want me to come up with you?” I smiled at him. “No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine.” We were quiet until we hit the eighteenth floor. “Thanks for the drum lessons,” I bit my lip as he moved past me. He turned and cupped my cheek with his hand. “Anytime. Sorry about the what happened. Now go sort things out with Lars.” He put a hand against the door as it started closing. “You gonna tell him what you told me?” I looked down at my feet and then back at Sully. “I don’t think so. If I told him tonight it’d just sound like I’m trying to distract him from what he saw.” I shot him a grin. “Fancy working out a little true love spell for me with your Wicca ways?” He grew serious. “We could try that, but I don’t think you’ll need it.” He stepped back and let go of the door. “Blessed be, doll. Might see you tomorrow.” He smiled as the door closed between us. I leaned back against the mirrors as the elevator kept its ascent. When the door opened again at the penthouse, I took a deep breath and tried to slow my pulse. Dropping my bag in the lounge, I called out for Lars. I walked into each room, and found them all empty. I sat on my bed and toed off my high heels, relishing the feel of the soft carpet under my bare feet. I stepped out of my dress, and fishing out a pair of faded jeans, I pulled them on and pawed through the small selection of shirts I’d brought. They all seemed either too dressy or too new. I was in the mood for comfort. I made my way into Lars’ bedroom and picked up his black ‘Circus’ t-shirt that he’d left on one of the armchairs. It was soft and smelled like him. I pulled it over my head and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked as drunk as I felt. Grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-bar as I passed it, I went to the balcony and stretched out on one of the lounge chairs, staring out at the city. The phone in the lounge rang, startling me out of my thoughts, and I hurried inside to answer it, hoping it would be Lars. “Danish?” I asked quickly. “Uh…no. Sully. Just got word from Shan that Lars took off to another club after he got back here. Wondered if you wanted to come down and hang with us, instead of staying in your room. We’re about to start up a serious game of poker.” I heard Shannon’s voice yelp something in the background. “Okay, scratch that, we’re about to start up a serious game of go-fish, since Shan doesn’t know any real card games.” I sighed. “Sounds good, Erna, but I’ve just changed out of my dress, I don’t feel like putting my shoes back on, and my makeup appears to have slid right off my face.” He laughed. “Barefoot and barefaced is fine. Long as you’re not bare-ass, we can handle it.” He lowered his voice slightly. “If you still wanna do that spell…” I giggled. “No, it’s fine. But I should leave a note or something for when he gets back. Should I tell him to come down and join us?” I picked up my cell phone and tucked it in the back pocket of my jeans. “Yeah, sure. I did try calling him just before I called you, and left a message when he didn’t answer, but go ahead and leave a note too. Then get your barefoot butt down here, and bring some money, cause I’m feelin’ lucky!” He laughed. “Room 1812.” I hung up and grabbed my wallet, and the key card, and pressed the button for the elevator. I found the room easily enough, and was about to knock when I saw two girls peeking around the corner at me. “Are you…waiting for someone?” I directed the question at the short brunette. She gave me a shy smile and nodded. “Shannon,” she said quietly. “We don’t wanna bother the guys, we just figured…if they came out to get, like, ice or whatever, we might ask for an autograph or something.” I thought for a minute. “Either of you any good at card games?” They looked at each other and then grinned at me. “My dad runs the Palm casino down the street,” the brunette replied. “I’ve got a decent poker face.” “Excellent,” I returned her grin. “I’m Charlie. I’m about to lose a hefty amount of cash unless you both wanna come in and help me win a couple hands of poker…or go-fish, depending.” The redhead stepped up and stuck out her hand. “I’m Erin. And that’s Lucy. Do you know the band really well, then?” She raised an eyebrow and I laughed. “Not in the way you’re implying!” I assured her. “Just met them this evening, friend of a friend sort of situation.” I knocked on the door and watched the girls out of the corner of my eye as Shannon opened the door. “Hey! You brought reinforcements! Also known as the two ladies who’ve been lurking outside our door all night,” he winked at Erin and she blushed. I laughed. “Don’t be rude to my new friends. They’re here to ensure you don’t rob me blind.” I pushed past him into the room and went to stand by Sully, who was on the phone. He mouthed ‘Lars’ at me and smiled. “Yeah, she’s just arrived. And I think she’s wearing one of your shirts,” he laughed. “Want me to put her on?” he paused for a moment. “Okay, I’ll tell her. See you soon.” He clicked ‘end’ and stood up. “This is from Lars, I swear, I’m not flirting,” he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “He says sorry for running off, and he’s about to leave the club he’s at, so he’ll pop in when he gets back.” He put an arm around me and turned so we were facing Shannon and the girls. “I see you made some friends on the way in.” Lucy came over and stood in front of us. “Hi, I’m Lucy. I’m here to make sure you don’t rob Charlie blind.” She pulled out a sharpie from her back pocket. “My dad always tells me not to accept money when gambling, so you can pay me in autographs,” she grinned at him and Sully laughed. We settled in a circle on the floor, and Shannon dealt the cards. Erin and Lucy got over their initial shyness almost immediately and engaged the guys in a conversation about their new album. Sully got up briefly to open a bottle of whiskey, and poured everyone a glass. I choked mine down in one swallow, coughing at the burning in my throat. “Easy, girl, can’t have you choking to death before I win all your money,” Sully rubbed my back until the coughing eased, and then poured me another glass. By the fourth round of cards and drinks, I was laying on one of the beds with my head hanging over the end as I sorted my cards. A cowboy hat had somehow appeared on my head, and I was singing along loudly to a video on CMT. Sully sat down beside my head and ruffled my hair. “Doing okay, cowgirl?” I nodded and peered up at him from under the hat. “Wanna be my ‘big cat daddy’? I can be your ‘little miss honky tonk’,” I shot him a grin and he laughed. “Stop trying to look at my cards, Erna. No cheating.” I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket and yanked it out, trying to figure out the blurry number. “Helloooo?” I answered, slurring a little. There was laughter at the other end before Pepper spoke. “Been into the tequila, have you?” I giggled. “Nope. Glen...” I rolled over and almost fell off the bed before Sully caught me. “Glen? Aren’t you there with Lars? Glen who?” he sounded pissed, and confused. “Fiddich!” I answered happily. “Whiskeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Lars is…Lars is not here. But he’ll be here in a bit. Least, I think he will. That’s what Erna said. But he’s a liar. Bastard cheats at freaking go-fish.” I pretended to glare at Sully and he laughed. “What…Erna? As in Sully? Godsmack Sully?” Pep sounded flustered and I couldn’t help but laugh. “What are they doing there? Are you in your room?” I giggled more. “They’re stealing all my money. We’re in their room. Me, and Sully, and Shannon, and Erin, and Lucy,” I grabbed the whiskey bottle from Shannon and took a swig, “and Glenfiddich.” I sighed and swung my legs off the bed, standing up too quickly. Sully’s hand reached out to steady me and I nodded my thanks at him before heading into the bathroom. I closed the door and sat on the edge of the tub. “Ahh. Much better, nice and quiet. How come you’re callin’ me again?” I lost my balance and yelped as I slid down, into the tub. “Oops,” I said quietly. “Wanted to see how your flight was, make sure you were doing okay. Wondered if you’d had any chats with Lars lately…is that why you’re drunk? Few shots of courage?” “Take it easy, Keenan, I only had a couple of psychologicals.” He laughed. “I’m drunk because we went to a bar and I had a lot of gin. And then Sully was teasing me at the drum kit and Lars got the wrong idea and left the club and then we came back here and Lars was already gone so we’re playing cards and drinking whiskey and I’m not wearing any socks.” His voice got serious. “He left you at the club? I’ll fuckin’ kill him. Promises to look after you and then takes off and leaves you in the middle of the city with a band from fuckin’ Boston. Christ.” I giggled. “It’s fine, sweetie. It was just a misunderstanding. Don’t worry, I’m hanging out with…with…I dunno, like four people, I’m not alone. It’s fine. Lars’ll be back soon. Let’s talk about you!” He laughed. “Nah, I’ll call you later in the week and we can talk about me. I should go, babes, but call me if you need anything. Okay?” I needed to get the hell out of the bathtub, but I wasn’t sure he could help with that. “Okay, Keenan. Thanks for calling! Love you!” I said as I slid down the end of the bath yet again. God damn, was the thing glazed in Vaseline? “I know, I love you, too. Take care, sweets, I’ll talk to you soon.” We hung up, and I dropped the phone on the floor. “Sullyyyyyyyyyyyy,” I hollered, and hoped he’d come rescue me. The door opened and Lars peeked around the side, laughing when he saw me. “What IS it about you and bathrooms?” He crouched down and tilted my hat up. “You okay? You look a little flustered.” He took my hands and helped me up. “Better?” I threw my arms around his neck, practically sobbing with gratitude. “Thank you! That tub is so evil!” I stepped to the floor carefully and leaned against the sink, trying to focus my eyes. “I’m sorry about before…at the club. I didn’t…it wasn’t what it looked like, he was just kidding around…and then you left, and I…f*ck Lars, I’m really sorry.” He rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry about it. None of my business who you kid around with, or anything else,” he said quietly. “Anyway, Sully explained on the phone. Apparently he’s attracted to pretty girls who can’t drum worth shit.” He grinned at me. “Did you wanna hang out here some more or are you ready for sleep?” I pushed the bathroom door open. “Sleep. Definitely sleep.” I deposited the cowboy hat on Erin’s head as she kept chatting to Sully, and we said our goodnights, promising that we’d try to meet up in the next couple of days. I took Lars’ hand as we stepped out of the elevator. “So where’d you go when you left the first club?” I led him out to the balcony and leaned against the railing. The entire city was still bathed in lights. Lars stood beside me, gazing out over the cityscape before answering. “Friend of mine has a bar near Broadway. I popped in for a few drinks, bit of a chat. Just catching up, really.” He turned to face me. “I shouldn’t have left you at the bar, Charlie, I’m sorry. I brought you here so I could look out for you, and then I ditched you your first night in the city.” “I don’t mind, Lars. Contrary to what everyone else in the world thinks, I can take care of myself.” I noticed his eyeliner had smeared and I ran a fingertip under his eye. “Want me to help you get this off? I have eye makeup remover in my bag.” He nodded and we went back inside. I sat him on the edge of my bed while I rooted through my things, digging out a q-tip and dipping it in the little bottle of liquid. Bending slightly, I cupped the back of his head and slowly ran the q-tip along the bottom of his eye. “God, you’ve got pretty eyes, Danish.” He smiled at me. “Try not to poke ‘em out with that thing, then, drunk woman.” I stood up straight and looked down at him. “I would never hurt you, Danish. Not on purpose, anyway.” I sighed and dipped the clean end of the q-tip for his other eye. “All the stuff that’s happened, God, I keep screwing up and hurting your feelings, and that’s the last thing I wanna do.” I leaned forward again and he gently wrapped his hand around my wrist. “Would you stop that?” His voice was soft and pleading. “Stop what?” “Stop beating yourself up about what happened with James. Nobody’s upset with you, Charlie, least of all, me. James told me about your last entry in that book you showed us. What happened between the two of you helped you feel better about everything, helped you get past it. If that’s what it took for you to heal, for you to move on, then I’m happy.” He stood up and went into the bathroom, turning at the door to wink at me over his shoulder. “I just wish it’d been me.” I sat on the bed and flopped back, stretching my arms out above my head. “I wish that too,” I whispered. I lay there for several minutes, my eyes closed, just thinking. I heard Lars come out of the bathroom and laugh softly, and then felt his hands at the waist of my jeans. He unbuttoned them and pulled down the zip, gently tugging them down my legs. His arms went under me and he shifted me up the bed, folding the blankets over me. “God, woman,” I heard him mutter quietly. “Don’t know how you do it but you look sexier wearing my ratty old t-shirt than you did in that pretty little dress.” He kissed my forehead and then I felt the briefest touch of his lips at the corner of my mouth. “Sweet dreams, little one.” My eyes flew open and I grabbed him, pulling him down on top of me. “I’m not sleeping, I’m awake! Let’s play!” He laughed. “Sneaky! No, no playing, little one. You’re tanked…it wouldn’t be right.” I whined, grabbing at his shirt as he moved to get off me. “Please Lars?” I sat up and looped my arms around his neck, tilting my head to one side as I stared at him. “You don’t like me anymore?” I asked sadly. He bent his head forward and kissed me softly. “Don’t be silly. Of course I like you. You’re here, aren’t you?” I closed my eyes as his tongue flicked over my bottom lip. “I just refuse to take advantage of the fact that you’re hammered. Now be a good girl and go to sleep.” He stood up and I held out my arms. “Hug!” I demanded. He chuckled and sat again, letting my slide my arms around his waist. I rested my head on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Love you, Danish.” He shifted so he could see me, and I immediately lowered my head, unable to meet his eyes. “Wanna run that past me again, little one?” He cupped my cheek and I looked up, smiling at the confusion I saw on his face. “I know I’m drunk, Lars, but I just…I did a lot of thinking today. I’ve been confused about stuff lately, but the one thing that’s constant in everything that’s been happening, is how good you are to me, and how you always take care of me. And,” I took a breath, “I know it’s too soon for you to know what you think about us, or if there’ll even be an ‘us’, but I wanted you to know, I care about you. A lot. Regardless of what happens between us. I just…yeah, I wanted you to know. That’s all.” I moved backwards on the bed and looked down again. “Charlie,” he said quietly, reaching out to touch my cheek. “Look at me, little one.” I raised my head and met his gaze, and saw he was smiling. “Thank you,” he whispered. “We’ll figure out the rest as we go, but it means the world to me that you trust me enough to say that, and that you care about me that much.” He paused. “It’s…as a friend, right?” I nodded. “For now. Don’t wanna rush it. That okay?” He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine in a tender kiss before answering. “That’s perfect.” Pushing my shoulders gently, he waited until I was lying down before bending to kiss my forehead. “Sleep, baby. Sweet dreams.” “Night Danish.” “Night little one.” I heard him close the door as he left, and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my lips. I woke ridiculously early, considering the fact that I should have been jet-lagged. I glanced at the clock on my phone and saw it was barely past six. Pulling on the jeans I’d worn the night before, I wandered out to the lounge and saw Lars’ door was still closed. I ordered breakfast and went out to the balcony to check the weather. I’d only been standing out there for five minutes when there was a soft knock on the door. I opened it to find a young hotel employee with the cart of breakfast. “Good morning,” I smiled as I stood aside to let him in. “Morning, Miss. Where shall I leave the cart?” He clasped his hands in front of him and waited for instruction. I motioned to the balcony and popped into my bedroom to grab money for a tip. When I returned, he was standing at the balcony railing, looking down. I moved to stand beside him and handed him the money. “Beautiful morning,” I noted. He nodded. “I love watching the city wake up. Been here six months and it’s still amazing to me how early things get going.” He pointed downwards and I leaned over to see what he was looking at. “That guy? On the corner? Opens his deli every day at five. Serves the best coffee on the block.” He glanced at me. “Other than our hotel, obviously.” I grinned at him. “Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to pop by there later and grab a cup. Speaking of coffee, would you like some?” I poured the coffee into two of the china cups and held one out to him. “And then you can tell me more about the deli guy.” He smiled and took the cup from me. “Thanks.” He turned back to the rail and continued talking. “He also makes amazing cheese and tomato sandwiches. I know they don’t sound that exciting, but they’re great, and cheap. Not that you need cheap,” he turned to me. “I mean, you’re staying in the penthouse. Do you know,” he lowered his voice, “that a whole bunch of famous guys are staying with us this week? Couple guys from Godsmack, and one of the guys from Metallica, and I think somebody from Pantera might be here too. God, I love my job,” he grinned at me before taking another sip of coffee. “So you’re a Met fan? Cool,” I nodded and sipped my coffee. “Me too.” “Oh yeah? Check this out,” he turned and untucked his shirt, lifting it to show me the bottom of an enormous tattoo of the whole band. I bit my lip to keep from grinning. “Wow. You ever meet any of them?” “Nah. Been to a lot of their concerts though. They’re so great live.” He glanced at his watch and put the cup back on the tray. “I should really get going. But thanks for the coffee. My name’s Colin. You need anything else, just call and ask for me.” I thanked him and walked him out. Stopping at Lars’ door, I opened it slowly and stuck my head in the room. He was still sleeping, a pillow over his head and the covers a mess around him. I watched his back rise and fall slowly and wondered what he was dreaming about. I hoped it was pleasant. I closed the door quietly and went back to my own room. Showering quickly, I popped back out to the balcony to grab a croissant off the tray, and almost had a heart attack when Lars came up behind me. “Morning, little one,” he hugged me from behind and kissed my cheek. “Sleep okay? I see you’ve already organized breakfast.” Sitting on one of the chairs, he poured us both some coffee. “Slept great, thanks for last night, Danish, I had a really good time.” I smiled at him and sat down, making sure my towel was secure. Taking the cup he offered to me, I took a bite of croissant and washed it down with the coffee. “Welcome,” he said softly as he sipped from his cup. “So…you remember last night? You weren’t too out of it from drinking?” “I remember... did I make you uncomfortable with what I said? I didn’t mean to make things awkward, I just wanted to tell you.” He shook his head, smiling. “Okay... I’m gonna get dressed. Are we hanging out today? Or do you have stuff you need to do?” I stood again and put the croissant on a plate, along with a few strawberries and kiwi halves. “I cleared my schedule, so I’m all yours. Tomorrow will be busy, but we can meet up for dinner and I got us tickets to a play. I thought maybe for today we could do some shopping, bit of sightseeing, maybe…” he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket, “go see a baseball game?” He pulled tickets out of the envelope and I dropped the plate of food. “Holy shit, Danish…are those…did you…for today? We can go? Yankees?” I raced after him as he walked inside. He turned and looked puzzled. “Yankees? I could have sworn James told me you’re a Mets fan. Aww…you’re not?” He looked down at the tickets and then up at me, grinning. “Good thing these are Yankees tickets then!” I squealed with delight and ran over to him, tackling him in a tight hug and wound up knocking us both to the floor. I pinned him to the carpet, planting kisses all over his face as he laughed. “You are the BEST!” I straddled his waist and grabbed the tickets from his hand. “Danish, there are three tickets. Who’s the third one for?” He shook his head. “Tell me…” I warned him. He shook his head again. I bent down so our faces were almost touching. “Danish…” “Charlie…your towel’s coming off, doll.” He nodded his head at the top of my towel, which had indeed started to come untucked during our tumble to the floor. I grabbed at it and stood up. “Fine, you’re off the hook.” I shot him a grin and took off to my bedroom. Shopping and sightseeing…hmmm. I opened the dresser and grabbed my favorite white cotton skirt, a white tank top and a wide, brown belt to sling around my hips. Plugging in the fat curling iron I’d brought, I applied a bit of makeup as it heated up, and then quickly gave myself some loose curls. I leaned around the corner of the doorframe to see Lars reading the newspaper I’d requested with breakfast. “We walking all over or taking cabs?” “Walking,” he replied without looking up. Comfortable shoes would be needed, then. I pulled on my favorite pair of brown cowboy boots. Swiping on some lipgloss, I grabbed my bag and stood in the doorway. “Okay, I’m ready,” I announced. He looked up, surprised. “Already? That was fast. Damn.” Getting up from the couch, he picked up his wallet and the room key and held the door for me. We saw Sully and Shannon in the lobby, and went over to say hello. Sully pulled me aside and gazed at me intently. “Didn’t tell him, did ya,” he said quietly. I wiggled my hand in a 'sort of' gesture. He laughed and tugged on my hair. “Hmm…curls today.” He tilted his head and started to half-sing the rhyme: “there was a little girl, with a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead.” He tugged on my hair again. “When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad, she was-” “Awesome,” I finished for him, grinning. He laughed and threw an arm around me, walking me over to Lars. “Your girl’s flirtin’ with me again, Ulrich.” He gave me a little shove towards Lars, who caught me, smiling. “She’s not mine, and she’s certainly free to flirt with whomever she likes, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why she’d flirt with an ugly fucker like you,” Lars laughed. I giggled and pulled Lars away towards the front doors of the hotel. “See you guys later, have a good day!” We made it to the end of the block and I remembered what Colin had said about the deli’s coffee, so I ran inside and got two steaming to-go cups of the stuff, and almost swooned with pleasure when I took the first sip. We walked slowly, enjoying the sunshine. Park Avenue was long though, and I wasn’t surprised when Lars hailed a cab and hustled me inside. I was surprised, however, when he asked that we be driven straight to Bloomingdale’s. “You’re asking for trouble, Danish. Once I go in there, I may never come out.” He laughed. “Yeah…you think it’s funny, but you haven’t seen me shop. I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep up!” I was mistaken. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime. Not only was he able to keep up, but he held my bag for me without me asking, offered helpful comments when something didn’t suit, and picked out things for me to try that I wouldn’t have given a second glance on the hanger, but looked fabulous on. Three hours later, Lars called the hotel’s car service and arranged for the numerous bags we’d accumulated to be taken back to our room. We found a tiny bistro nestled between two enormous buildings and ducked in for an early lunch. “Enjoying yourself, little one?” Lars asked after we’d ordered. I reached across the table and took his hand in my own. “Couldn’t possibly be happier. This is wonderful, Danish, thank you. I love New York anyway, but being here with you…” I trailed off. “Being here with me…what?” he smiled. “I…it’s…well, you’re such a good shopper, I mean, it’s perfect. Not even my girlfriends can handle a three-hour stint at Bloomingdale’s.” He laughed. “Glad I’m good for something.” He laced his fingers through mine. “I like shopping with you, too. Now, after lunch…” he pulled out a map of the city and started listing places he wanted to check out. I sat back in my chair and watched him as he talked, his hands moving all the time, those gorgeous jade eyes looking up at me every few seconds, those lips never still. Whoops, what was he saying? “Charlie? Babes? You listening? I asked if you’d be okay with visiting a gallery this afternoon. There’s one in SoHo I’d like to see.” “Yeah, that’s cool. There’s an artist showing at a gallery that I wanted to pop into over there, anyway. They’re probably not far from each other. The Agora Gallery?” He let go of my hand. “Nigel Bowen-Morris?” I shook my head. “Ew, no. Madalina. But it’s the same gallery. You like Bowen-Morris? His stuff’s so abstract!” I wrinkled my nose and then moved my hands off the table as our food arrived. He took a bite of his panini and mumbled through it, “Madalina sucks. So boring. At least my guy paints shapes. All she does is use color. Blah,” he grinned at me and I giggled. “For a man who has such exquisite taste in clothes – for me, anyway – you like some pretty crappy art, Danish.” He laughed and kept eating. When we’d finished our meal, we hopped into another cab and headed to the gallery, spending the next two hours arguing over paintings and trying to decide if either of us actually wanted to buy anything. I left Lars chatting with the manager of the gallery and made my way over to speak with the assistant. “Hi…would you be able to be me a favor? I’d like to purchase the Bowen-Morris over there,” I pointed to the wall beside Lars. “But it’s actually for that guy, and I don’t want him to know. Could you arrange to have it shipped to San Francisco for me?” She nodded and wrote down Lars’ address, and subtly took my credit card from me as Lars rambled on about mediums and shading with the manager. He was still talking when I walked up to him ten minutes later and tapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think I’m gonna go for a wander. Meet you back here in half an hour?” “Sure, that’s fine. You’re alright on your own?” He looked a little anxious, but I could tell he wanted to stay where he was. “I’m fine. I’ll see you in a bit.” I kissed his cheek and stepped out the door into the sunshine again. The afternoon was heating up, and I was glad I’d worn light clothing. I found a sidewalk café not far from the gallery and bought a double espresso. Pulling my book out of my bag, I settled into the little foldout chair just outside the door of the café and began to read. “Wow. ‘Paris, 1919.’ Looks like somebody likes a little culture with their caffeine.” I glanced up and squinted in the sunlight, and my jaw fell open. Phil laughed. “Hey, Trouble.” I put the book down and continued to stare at him as he hauled a seat over to sit by me. He lit up a smoke and waited for me to speak. I was having trouble forming words. “I…you…man.” I drank the whole espresso in one gulp. “Guy at the hotel mentioned there was somebody from Pantera staying there…didn’t think in a million years it’d be you.” He flipped his long, dark hair over his shoulder and took a drag, turning his head away from me as he exhaled a long stream of smoke. “Had some things to attend to, you know? Couple interviews, shit like that. I talked to Pep a couple days ago, he said he’d stayed with you for a bit, said you’re doin’ well.” He gave me one of his rare smiles. “Looks like he was tellin’ the truth.” I tilted my head at him. I wasn’t aware that he and Pep were in contact these days. “And how are you? Seemed you were pretty shaken up after Darrell’s death. You doing okay?” I’d read the statement he’d written on his website, and was moved by the amount of emotion he’d displayed in it. He took another drag of his cigarette and nodded slowly. “Getting there,” he murmured. I stood up and lifted the tiny cup off the table. “I’m gonna get another drink. You want anything?” “Sit, I’ll get it.” He waved for me to sit down again, and stubbed out his smoke before going inside. A minute later, he appeared with two cappuccinos. “Little easier on your nerves than another espresso,” he said quietly. “So…Pep filled me in on the news about Cliff bein’ your dad. That’s some heavy shit, Trouble.” I smiled at his use of the nickname he’d given me when I’d stayed with Pep. During the whole six months I’d been there, I’d probably only seen him a dozen times, but each time he was very quiet and gentle with me. “Yeah, it still sort of boggles my mind. But it’s good, I mean, it seems to have turned out well. I met his folks the other day, that was pretty cool.” He nodded. “Good for you. You deserve to have some happy shit happening, after all the…um, stuff.” He lowered his eyes and then looked at me. “Sorry.” I smiled at him. “No worries.” He’d never been comfortable discussing what had happened, choosing instead to fill our conversations with discussions about music and books, and teasing Pepper. That suited me fine at the time, I was usually glad for a change of subject, since Pep and I were wearing the issue of the rape into the ground. He glanced at his watch and set his cup down on the table. “I should take off, darlin’. Meeting with some guy from…God, I don’t even know.” I stood and waited as he shoved his pack of smokes into his back pocket. Flipping his hair again, he bent slightly and pulled me into a tight hug. He smelled good, like booze and smoke mixed with the scent of his shampoo and whatever cologne he’d splashed on. “You’re staying at the Astoria?” he asked as he let go of me. I nodded. “We should meet up. Have dinner or something. Catch up.” “Sounds good. Leave me a message at the front desk about when you’re free.” I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “S’good to see you again.” “You too, Trouble. Later!” I watched him stride away, and picked up my things, figuring I should go back to the gallery to meet up with Lars. Downing the last of my cappuccino, I slipped on my shades and headed down the street again, thinking about Phil. He was the one who had found me that night, on his way to join us at the bar. He’d carried me back to the house, unconscious and bleeding all over the place, called an ambulance and then called Pep. I’d tried thanking him for that before, and he never wanted to hear it. We’d gotten as far as “well you were practically dying in the middle of the road. What was I gonna do, fuckin’ leave you there?” so I didn’t push it. Still, if he hadn’t found me when he did…I didn’t want to think about that. I saw Lars standing outside the gallery as I approached. He smiled as he saw me. “Hey you. Good wander?” “Excellent. Good chat with the manager?” He looked all happy and excited, I wondered if he’d purchased something. “Yeah. The painting I wanted was actually spoken for, somebody bought it today, would you believe. But they’ve got a couple more artists I’m interested in, showing later in the week, so I’m gonna come back. What’d you get up to? Aside from the caffeine I can practically see pumping through your veins,” he shot me a grin. We started walking down the way we’d come. “Had a really brief encounter with Phil Anselmo, actually, it was so random. He’s staying at the Astoria too. Fuckin’ everybody’s staying there this week, it seems. But if Axl shows up, I’m outta there,” I warned him and he laughed. “You know Phil from your time staying with Pepper, then, I take it?” He took my hand and swung it between us as we walked. “Yeah.” I gave a little sigh. “I hadn’t seen him since then.” I stopped walking and let go of Lars’ hand. I pushed my sunglasses up on my head. “Can I have a hug?” He looked worried and quickly put his arms around me. “Course you can. You alright? Did Phil say something to upset you?” I stepped back slightly, keeping my arms around his shoulders. “No, I just needed a hug. Women have needs, Danish,” I smiled at him. “I happen to have lots of them.” He laughed and tightened his hold on me. “I bet you do.” He leaned his face closer to mine and I saw his eyes widen. “You’ve got freckles.” One of his arms left my waist and his fingertips traced over my nose and cheekbones. “All over here, you’ve got freckles. Just like Cliff.” He pulled me against him again. “Sometimes I forget…that you’re his,” he said quietly against my cheek. “And then you’ll smile, or move your head a certain way, or appear with a bunch of freckles dusting your nose, and it hits me. God, I miss him, Charlie.” He leaned his head on my shoulder and I ran a hand over his hair. “I know, Danish. But, look – you’ve got half his genes in a tidy little package right here.” I stepped back and spread my arms in a ta-da gesture. “All yours for the bargain price of a single Yankees ticket!” He grinned at me. “All mine?” I giggled and leaned in quickly and kissed his cheek. “Okay, mostly yours. Trust me, there are parts of me you don’t want.” I winked at him. “I doubt that,” he muttered as I walked ahead of him. “So, wait…which parts are mine?” We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around SoHo, popping in and out of little boutiques. By five o’clock, I was getting tired, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap before the game. “You wanna eat before…kick-off, or whatever it is in baseball?” Lars cocked his head at me as I settled onto the couch in the main room. I laughed. “The first pitch? Nah, we can eat after, unless you’re hungry now. Or we could grab some food at the game. Couple of jumbo dogs, maybe some beer…?” I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned. “Don’t think so. Dinner afterwards is a better plan. You go ahead and rest, little one, I’ve got some calls to make.” He picked up his cell and started dialing, and I heard him launch into another language. I took my boots off and curled up on one of the couches, smiling as Lars walked over, still on the phone, and laid a blanket over me. Forty-five minutes later, he was hollering at me from his bedroom, yelling that we should get a move on. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, confused, as the game wasn’t until seven. “Danish?” I stood in the doorway of his bedroom. “We have plenty of time, it’s not like the seats are going anywhere. What’s the rush?” I watched as he hurried around the room. He’d changed into black jeans and a black long sleeve t-shirt, and he kept pushing up his sleeves, making his bracelets clang against his watch. He looked over at me. “You better put something else on, woman, it’ll be cold later. And we have to hurry cause I said we have to hurry. Stop asking questions and go change,” he winked at me. Closing the door to my room, I changed into the new pair of Earl jeans I’d bought earlier in the day, and was standing by the dresser in my jeans and bra, pondering which shirt to wear when Lars burst into the room. “Fock’s sake, hurry…oh. Shit, Charlie, sorry.” He turned, somewhat slowly, and left the room, not closing the door behind him. I pulled my black cashmere sweater out of the drawer and layered it over a black, snug tank top. Securing my hair in a high ponytail, I hastily put on some makeup and zipped up my black knee-high boots. Lars came into the room again as I was pulling my jeans down over the boots. “Sorry about that,” he said quietly. “I should’ve knocked. “Lars, please, it’s fine. You’ve seen me in a bikini, it’s practically the same as a bra. Don’t worry about it. Now,” I did a little spin for him. “how do I look?” He smiled. “Beautiful, as always.” Ahh yes, there went my stomach, flip-flopping all the way down to my boots. I made a mental note to fish for compliments from him more often. “Thanks. I’m ready to go. You all set?” He nodded and held out his hand. Taking it, I followed as he led me to the elevator, grabbing his jacket on the way. We rode down to the lobby in silence, and I waited until we’d climbed into the back of the cab he’d called before I spoke. “So…the third ticket…” “Not telling.” He was looking out the window on his side but I could see him smirking. “Gimme a hint.” “Nope. You’ll find out when we get there.” He turned to face me. “How do you know it’s even for a person? Maybe I just wanted to have a seat between us, to balance the…what was it? A couple of jumbo dogs and beer.” I gasped. “That’s the best plan ever!” He laughed. “Seriously, Danish, now I’m gonna be all disappointed if there’s somebody sitting there.” The cabbie dropped us a block from the stadium, saying it was too crowded to get any closer. We walked quickly and I was practically jumping up and down with excitement as we started down the stairs to our seats. I had no idea how he’d done it, but Lars had managed to snag killer seats, right next to the Yankees’ dugout. Lars gestured for me to go first as we found our row, and I checked my ticket, then sat down next to a guy wearing a Red Sox hat. I was about to make a smartass comment when he turned to face me. “Lemme guess…you wanna borrow my hat,” he grinned at me. I shrieked with delight and stood up at the same time as he did so he could hug me. “Oh my god! You’re here! What…why? Aren’t you working? How come…? Did Lars…?” I couldn’t seem to complete a thought as Tim finished hugging me and held me at arm’s length, looking at me. “Well, you look great, honey, but you seem to have forgotten how to speak in full sentences. Or should I just chalk that up to the excitement of the game?” He reached past me to shake Lars’ hand. “Nice to finally meet you. Been a fan for a while now, this is quite an honor.” Lars grinned as they shook hands. “Good to meet you, too. I’m gonna go grab some beers while you two play catch up, I’ll be back in a bit.” He took off back up into the stands and I turned around again to face my uncle. “I can’t believe you’re here! Tell me you didn’t come up for the sole purpose of watching your team’s ass get kicked, that’d just be sad,” I told him as we sat down. He chuckled. “I’ve had meetings with a couple clients for the past two days, I’m actually flying back out tonight, but your friend tracked me down yesterday and we arranged to do this. It’s great to see you, sweetheart, you’re looking very well. Things are going okay? You sounded a little stressed the last time we spoke.” I smiled. We’d spoken the day after Pepper had left, and I was feeling sort of lonely and anxious. “I’m great. Lars has been a blast to hang out with, and I’m supposed to go meet Pep and Trish in a couple of weeks, possibly somewhere near here. I’ll call you if we’re within driving distance, I know Pep would love to see you.” Lars returned just as we were standing for the national anthem, and I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for this, Danish. You’ve no idea what an awesome surprise this was.” He grinned and passed Tim and I a beer, and then slipped his hand into mine, where it stayed for most of the first three innings. He was uncharacteristically quiet, while Tim and I hollered at the players and the ump. I laughed as one of the Red Sox players struck out on an easy pitch. “Wow…when did the Sox get a ten-year old girl on the team?” Tim laughed and took a swig of beer. “I dunno, but Nixon’s gonna be pissed she’s wearing his uniform.” Tim took a break to get more beer at the top of the fourth inning, and I squeezed Lars’ hand. “You gotta cheer louder for my guys or Tim’ll think you like Boston.” He laughed and squeezed my hand in return. “Okay. You having fun?” My eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? I’ve got you on one side of me, Tim on the other, I can see Jeter and the boys close up, the Yanks are up by two, and I’ve had three beers. I’m having a great time! What about you? I know baseball isn’t really your favorite sport…are you getting bored?” He shook his head and smiled. “Just watching you is pretty entertaining. I didn’t know you knew that many swear words. I’m sure the guy on second base will rethink his actions after the reaming out you gave him in the last inning.” I giggled. “Awww…you said ‘second base’ and ‘inning’, it’s almost like you know what you’re talking about.” He laughed and turned his gaze to the field as Tim returned. He was slightly more vocal during the rest of the game, yelling when I yelled, although he usually followed the yelling with a bout of laughter, generally directed at me. My boys won 5-3, and I did my best not to rub it in Tim’s face as we filed out of the Stadium. “Your, um, team played well,” I tried to keep a straight face as he scowled at me. “What? They did. They got three runs, that’s very good,” I giggled. He kissed me goodbye and then did the half-handshake, half-hug thing that guys do, with Lars, and we watched him walk away. I leaned against Lars and put an arm around his shoulder. “Thanks for bringing him here, Danish, it was really awesome to see him. And the game was pretty amazing, too. You hungry?” He clutched his stomach and groaned. “God, yes! I was contemplating getting one of those horrible looking hot dogs. Let’s find somewhere to eat.” We wandered for a few blocks until we came across an Italian place that looked good. One bottle of red wine and two plates of lasagna later, we staggered out into the street again, full and happy. “Wanna walk around some more, babes, or are you tired?” I shook my head. “I’m good. That little nap gave me extra energy. Let’s walk for a bit. I doubt we’ll be able to get a cab around here anyway, it’s still pretty busy from the game. Besides, it’s nice out.” He nodded his agreement and put his jacket around my shoulders. We walked in silence for a few minutes, and Lars turned his head to look at me. “This is nice. It’s a good night for walking.” He rubbed his stomach. “And maybe we can work off some of that artery-clogging amazing lasagna.” I giggled and was about to respond when there was a huge roll of thunder, and rain began to pour down. We were drenched in about three seconds flat. For a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other, and then we burst into laughter. “Oh yeah, Danish, this is really nice.” I grabbed his hand and we ran down the street, still laughing. We managed to get a cab ten minutes later, and walked into the hotel, shivering and soaked to the skin. Lars chuckled as he saw our reflections in the elevator’s mirrors. We stepped into the room and he shut the door behind us, immediately peeling off his wet shirt while I dropped his jacket from my shoulders. “ ‘Let’s walk’, she says. ‘It’s nice out’, she says.” He laughed as he pulled off his shoes. “Shut it, Danish, she says,” I returned, laughing as well. “You were the one who jinxed it with all the ‘oooh, it’s a good night for walking’. It’s totally your fault. God, I’m freezing!” I pulled my sweater over my head and shook my hair out. Lars tossed me a towel from the bathroom and I wrapped it around myself. He stood in front of me and rubbed his hands over my arms through the towel. “Better?” he asked softly. I shook my head. “Still cold.” He drew me against him and rubbed my back. I breathed in the scent of his bare skin, resting my head against his shoulder. “Better?” he asked again. “No,” I mumbled against his neck. “Still cold.” Without warning, he picked me up and carried me to the ensuite in his room, plunking me down in the shower, and climbed in with me, cranking the hot water on full. He grinned as the water cascaded over both of us. “Better?” he yelled over the noise of the water. I wiped the hair off my face and blinked at him, and then broke into a huge grin. “Much!” I yelled back. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back under the spray. I felt Lars’ hand on my cheek, and his thumb traced over my mouth. He leaned in and spoke in my ear, sending little shivers down my neck. “Makeup’s coming off, your lipstick’s smearing.” I pushed him up against the shower wall. “Guess it won’t matter if I do this, then.” |
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| Metalicious | March 25, 2008, 4:19 pm Post #85 |
Blackened
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Warning: Dirty. And? Slutty. *********************************************************** I pressed my body against his and bent my head to his neck, nipping gently at the tendons. I felt his body go rigid and wondered if I’d overstepped the mark, if he actually didn’t want this. That thought disappeared from my mind as his hands grabbed at the hem of my tank top, and pulled it over my head. Wrapping his arms around me, he turned so we were both standing under the water again. “God…Charlie…fuck, sweetheart, want you,” he gasped as we broke apart. I cupped the back of his head with one hand and kissed him hard while my other hand went to the button on his jeans. He pulled away and smiled. “No, little one, our first time together isn’t going to be in the shower. I wanna be able to take my time with you.” He tilted his head and licked a path from my shoulder to just below my ear. “Wanna get you all warm and relaxed,” he kissed along my jaw as his hands ran over my stomach, “and then get you all hot and flustered.” He captured my lips with his own and I moaned softly, opening my mouth to let his tongue flick against mine. Pulling on my hair gently so my head tilted back, he started sucking lightly on my neck. I fumbled with the button on his jeans again, only to have my hand swatted away. “Quit doing that,” I laughed, sliding my arms around his waist. He lifted his head and grinned at me. I reached behind him and turned off the water, brushing my lips across his cheek as I did so. “Okay…I’m warm. Can we play now?” He took a towel off the rack beside the shower and wrapped it around me. “Yup. We can play.” We both stepped out of the shower and I waited as he threw a towel over his shoulders. “Charlie…” he hesitated as I started to leave the bathroom. I turned and saw his playful look had been replaced by one of anxiety. “Are you sure you want this?” I let my towel fall to the floor as I slipped my arms around his neck, pressing my chest against his. His skin was radiating warmth from the shower. “Please, Lars?” I scratched gently at the back of his neck with my nails, eliciting a long, slow hiss of breath from him. “I do want this, I want you.” I cupped his chin with my fingers and turned his face so he’d be able to see us in the mirror as I kissed his cheek. “Please let me?” I raked my nails down his chest and this time he didn’t stop me as my fingers slid under the top of his jeans. “Please, Danish?” I whispered as I undid the top button and slid the zipper down. He nodded slightly and continued to watch our reflection as I pushed his jeans and boxers down his hips. Once I’d managed to tug them off, I tossed them in the corner where they landed with a slap of wet fabric. Keeping my hands firmly on his waist, I looked him in the eye, an unspoken question hovering in the air. “It’s your show, little one,” he said quietly, a smile playing on his lips. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.” I kissed him, sucking slightly on his bottom lip before answering. “I’m comfortable with you,” I said as I ran a hand down his stomach and gripped him firmly. “All of you.” I started to drop to my knees and he grabbed one of the belt loops on my jeans, hauling me back up, chuckling. “Okay, little one, it’s whatever you’re comfortable with, but if you do that, I’ll last about three seconds.” He kissed me again, tongue delving into my mouth as his hands roamed my back, before speaking. “I don’t want this to be over quickly.” I watched, taking shallow breaths as he struggled with the top of my jeans. He stopped suddenly and ran a hand over my cheek. I met his gaze, wondering if he’d changed his mind. “Lars? We don’t have to do this…” He shook his head. “It’s not that. You’re just so damn beautiful like this, all wet and tousled, your mouth swollen from kissing. Are your eyes always this green?” I smiled a little. “They get brighter if I’m upset or…excited.” He laughed and kissed me. “I hope you’re not upset, sweetheart. Cause they’re pretty fuckin’ bright.” Licking my bottom lip, he finally managed to undo my jeans and slid them down my legs. I kicked them off and he stood back slightly, still staring at my eyes. “I wonder if they get brighter when you come,” he whispered. Turning me around so we were both facing the mirror, he nudged my legs apart with his knee, and one hand caressed my breasts while the other traveled lower. I leaned back against him, dropping my head back on his shoulder so I could nuzzle at his throat while he touched me. His fingers slid inside me and I gasped, bucking against his hand. “Please…Lars…don’t make me wait…” I moaned into his neck. He turned his head and kissed me tenderly, his fingers slowing. “You sure, sweetheart?” I nodded. He licked along my neck, murmuring in my ear. “Still your show, little one. How do you wanna do this…?” I bent forward and braced myself against the marble sink, catching his eye in the mirror, and winked at him. “Christ, Charlie, are you trying to kill me?” he laughed, gripping my hips. “Okay, baby, your show…your choice.” He slid into me slowly and I pushed back against him, trying to get him to speed up. He chuckled and brushed my hair off my neck, biting my skin lightly. “Your choice, MY speed.” He withdrew and slid back into me so excruciatingly slowly that I wanted to kill him for being such a tease. Reading my mind, he grinned at me in the mirror and squeezed my hips before speeding up ever so slightly. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he locked eyes with me in the mirror and placed his hands beside mine on the sink. “That feel good, baby?” he whispered in my ear, and I whimpered a response. His hips started pistoning faster, and my head fell forward. “M-m-more…Lars, please…” I could barely form the words. “Shhh, baby, I’ve got you,” he murmured as he sped up. “Come apart for me, sweetheart.” His hand slid down between my legs to stroke me as he sped up, and I turned my head to kiss him, leaving us both gasping for air as we slid over the edge at the same time. Lars collapsed against my back, resting his head on my shoulder, his body still shuddering. I stood up straight and reached a hand into the shower to turn on the hot water. He laughed and got in with me, pulling me down to sit in the base of the tub. “I don’t think I can stand, little one.” Turning me to face him, he took my face in his hands, kissing me lightly before resting his forehead against mine. “Thank you,” he said quietly. I slid my arms around him, kissing the skin at the base of his throat. “Anytime, Danish.” We stayed in the shower until the bathroom was filled with steam. Drowsy and warm, we eventually made it into my room. I crawled under the covers as Lars closed the blinds, and then got in with me, slipping an arm around my waist. “So…what IS it about you and me and bathrooms,” he whispered, smirking at me. “I’m starting to think you have a fetish.” I laughed and ran a fingertip down his nose, resting it on his bottom lip. “I wanted you. I didn’t feel like we needed a change of location. You seemed to manage just fine, and then the shower was close by for the clean up.” He grinned at me. “So smart, aren’t ya.” He ran a hand over my hair and tucked my head against his chest. “Sleep, little one,” he murmured, rubbing small circles over my lower back. I closed my eyes and snuggled closer. “Night, Danish.” Lars was already gone for the day when I woke at nine. A note on the coffee table in the living room told me he’d be back to pick me up for dinner at six, and we’d be going to a play at eight. I called down to Sully’s room to see if he wanted to meet up for brunch, but there was no answer. Deciding breakfast among strangers would be better than dining alone in the room, I quickly threw on jeans, flipflops and a worn-in Stones ‘40 Licks’ sleeveless shirt I’d had since I was fifteen. Pulling a baseball cap over my unruly hair, I headed down the street to the deli with the heavenly coffee. Much to my delight, they also served homemade waffles, and I was up to my eyeballs in syrup when Sully plunked himself down in front of me. “Mind if I join you?” I blinked at him. “Did somebody stick a homing beacon on me when I wasn’t looking? Do I emit a high pitch that only drummers and lead singers can hear? How the hell do you people keep finding me?” He laughed. “I wasn’t looking. Some guy that delivered the paper to our room this morning said this place serves amazing coffee, so I thought I’d give it a try. Why? Who else has found you?” I shook my head and grinned. “Nevermind. Man, Colin should get commission from this place, he tells all the guests about it! I called you earlier to see if you wanted to hang out. You busy today?” “Nah, not til tonight. Hanging out sounds good. But I think you should let me try your waffles first.” He stole a fork off a nearby table and stabbed at a piece of my breakfast. “Oh man…okay, I dunno what you had planned for the day but we should definitely stay here longer so I can order some of those.” By ten thirty, we’d gone through three plates of waffles and numerous cups of coffee. “Ugh…think you could just roll me down the street?” I giggled as we stood. “I’m not sure I can walk.” Sully bought two bottles of water on our way out, handing one to me as we stepped onto the sidewalk. “Drink some of this, it’ll help. Where to, girl?” I sipped at the Evian and looked down the street. “Central Park?” ____________________________________________ We took a bus to the park, and I watched, amused, as half the women on the bus stared at Sully. “Looks like you’ve got some fans,” I said to him quietly as we approached our stop. “Nah, they’re lookin’ at you,” he assured me. “Oh really?” “Yeah. They’re thinking…how the hell did a girl dressed like that get a guy as hot as him,” he winked at me and ran out the door as the bus pulled over. I laughed and followed him off. “Cheeky bastard. I’m incognito, I’ll have you know.” He grinned at me. “What? I’m the famous rock star, darlin’, you’re the lawyer. If anybody should be incognito, it’s me.” We walked under the shade of the trees, watching the moms with their kids in strollers, and the runners flying by us. We passed a homeless man, and I was touched when Sully offered him the unopened bottle of Evian. The man accepted gratefully, shaking Sul’s hand before we walked on. “That was kind of you,” I told him. “Yeah, well, it’s a hot day, and the fountains are like, way at the other end of the park, so…” he shrugged it off. We walked on, talking about tattoos, music, and Massachusetts. He was startled to find out I’d been born in Boston. “We moved when I was about two, though, so I don’t really feel like I’m from there. I’m a country girl at heart,” I confided. “But you live in San Francisco and hang out with Metallica. How’d you meet them, anyway?” He took the water bottle from my hand and drank from it, waiting for me to respond. We were walking along the edge of the park and I glanced across the street and saw a café. “Let’s grab some coffee, I’ll tell you all about it.” We sat outside, snagging two seats under a giant oak, and I told him everything, starting with the meeting with Met and their lawyers, and ending with the trip to New York. He was silent when I’d finished, and I wondered if perhaps I’d said too much. He was just so damn easy to talk to. “Sully?” “Sorry…it’s just…” he looked up at me. “I can’t believe you shot a buck from a hundred yards. I’m gonna have to call Het and check with him,” he laughed. “I think you might be makin’ that up.” We spent the rest of the day walking around the city, popping into shops and little cafes if we got hungry, and returned to the hotel just before six. “Going out with Ulrich tonight?” he smiled at me as we stepped into the elevator. “Yeah,” I smiled and felt myself blushing. “Ohhhhhh,” he laughed and leaned against the elevator wall. “It’s like that, is it? Finally get yourself sorted out? I thought you were lookin’ kinda satisfied today,” he grinned at me. “Hush, you,” I hissed at him. “None of your damn business,” I tried to sound serious but couldn’t help but giggle. “Okay, fine, you’re right, but don’t say anything to Lars, he’d probably freak if he knew I’d told you.” We reached Sully’s floor and he stepped off. “Have a good night, doll. Might see you tomorrow?” I nodded and he smiled, waving as the doors closed. I reached the penthouse and was surprised when I saw Lars curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. I walked over as quietly as I could, and bent down to kiss his cheek. He stirred slightly and his eyes fluttered, but he kept sleeping. “Awww, tired little Danish,” I murmured. I went into my room and called room service. I wasn’t sure if he’d made dinner reservations, but dining in the room would allow him to sleep a little longer before we went to the play. When I went back to check on Lars, he was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. “Hi, little one,” he said softly. “Gimme a few minutes and we can go,” he stifled a yawn and I smiled, moving to sit beside him. He leaned against me and I brushed a hand over his hair. “I ordered room service, Danish. Thought you might wanna rest some more before we go out.” He opened his mouth to protest and yawned again, making me laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Go back to sleep for a bit, babes, I’ll wake you when the food gets here.” He nodded, sliding back down the couch and laying his head in my lap. I flicked the tv on, turning the volume down, and played with his hair as his breathing evened out. When the food arrived half an hour later, I shook him gently and let him wake up as I brought dinner over to him. We ate quickly and when we’d finished, Lars looked me over, smirking. “You gonna wear that to the play?” He ran a finger down my arm, and then down my leg, coming to rest on the worn knee of my jeans. “Matter of fact, I just might,” I grinned. “Why…do I need to dress up?” He nodded, smirking even more. I shot him a sideways glance. “You’re scaring me with that look, Danish.” I went into my room and showered quickly, trying to decide what to wear. When I stepped into the bedroom, clad in just a towel, Lars was leaning against the doorframe, one of my black dresses hanging from one of his fingers. I walked slowly over to him and took the dress from his hand. “You’re suggesting I wear this?” He grinned. “Any other suggestions?” He lifted his other hand and I burst out laughing when I saw he was holding a pair of my highest heels. “Fine, Danish. Get outta here while I change.” I slipped into the dress and did my makeup. Putting my hair up, I stepped into the heels and opened my bedroom door. Lars was sitting on the couch, waiting. He stood as I walked out. “Damn, woman,” he said softly. “You know…I’ve heard this play isn’t very good. I’m starting to think we should skip it and just stay here.” He slid an arm around my waist and I felt his breath hot on my neck. “What the fuck are you wearing? You smell like…I don’t even know. Heaven?” I choked on my laughter. “Christ, Lars, want some wine with your cheese?” He blushed and I bent in quickly to kiss his cheek. “So cute when you blush for me, Danish,” I whispered, nipping his ear gently. He moaned and I found myself pressed up against the wall, being kissed so fiercely I couldn’t breathe, much less think. When his lips finally left mine, I gasped for air and tried to focus. “Right…so…what are we doing? Staying here? Excellent plan.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom and he laughed, pulling me back away from it. “C’mon, we’ll be late.” He put both arms around me and kissed me again, softly this time. “Thanks for letting me sleep, little one. I had reservations at La Valla, I’m sorry we didn’t get to go.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t come here to go to fancy restaurants. I came here to be with you.” I paused. “And go shopping.” He laughed. “And hang out with Sully.” He laughed again and tickled me. “Okay, okay, I only came here to be with you. Can we go now?” Lars had called a limo, and I gazed out the window as the buildings flew by. I felt his hand squeeze mine and I looked over. “You look beautiful,” he said quietly. “Thanks,” I grinned. “I’ve just remembered, I’m not wearing any underwear. Dunno how I forgot to put any on,” I said lightly, turning to look out the window again as I tried not to laugh. His grip on my hand tightened and I turned to face him. “What?” I said as innocently as I could. He just shook his head, his eyes wide as saucers. We arrived at the theatre, and I saw with delight that we were seeing ‘The Woman in Black’. I hadn’t even read that many reviews of it, but it was rumored to be excellent, and very scary. We picked up our tickets and I very nearly bounced all the way to our seats, which were a few rows from the front. Lars was laughing behind me. “Easy there, little one. Want anything to eat or drink before this starts?” “Um…water? And maybe some candy?” I clapped my hands. “I’ll go get it. You stay here.” I walked quickly to the bar and bought two bottles of water and a bag of M&Ms. When I sat down beside Lars, he took one look at the treats and burst out laughing. “Are you five?” He took one of the bottles and opened it. I shook the bag of M&Ms at him. “Hey…don’t insult the candy. It’s yummy. And,” I lowered my voice and whispered in his ear. “It melts in your mouth, not in your hand. Kinda like me.” I sat up in my seat again. “Although if you wanted to try the melting in your hand thing, there’s really nothing standing in your way since I forgot to-” I broke off as he gripped my thigh with his hand, staring straight ahead. “Sorry,” I giggled. The house lights dimmed and the audience grew quiet. I watched the stage as the first act began, Lars’ hand still on my leg. I soon forgot about his hand on me though, as the play drew me in, and everything else sort of faded away. By the time intermission came, I was enthralled. I looked over at Lars and saw he was staring at me, a little smile playing on his lips. “Enjoying yourself?” I nodded and felt his hand squeeze my leg. “You?” I grinned at him and he turned in his seat so he was facing me. Keeping his eyes locked with mine, he ran his hand down to my knee and drew it back up slowly, pushing up the hem of my dress when he reached it. I immediately put a hand overtop of his. “We’re in public, Danish,” I said through my smile. He bent his head close to mine and whispered, “I know, little one. But I haven’t been able to concentrate on what’s going on up there,” he jerked his thumb at the stage, “cause of what you said in the limo. Now, that’s not very fair is it? What if I were to tell YOU some things? Get you all riled up…” I giggled. “You? Get ME riled up?” I looked at him seriously. “Please don’t. It wouldn’t be fair. I just wanna enjoy the play, Danish, I don’t want to be distracted.” I bit the inside of my cheek as his face fell. “And if I were to think of all the ways I’m gonna run my hands over you when we get back to the hotel, I might not be able to give the play my full attention.” I slid a hand up his leg and let it come to rest at the top of his thigh. His mouth fell open and I raised an eyebrow. “What?” He narrowed his eyes at me and bent his head towards mine again, his voice dropping so only I could hear it. “Stop being so naughty,” he hissed. “Anyway, who says you’re gonna be allowed to run your hands over me,” he whispered. “You’ll be too busy enjoying what I’m doing to you.” His fingers gently ran back and forth across my thigh, slipping under the hem of my dress every few seconds to touch my bare skin. “Too busy enjoying the way I’m sliding my fingers into you,” he dug his fingers into my leg, “and the way I move down between your legs to taste you, licking your sweetness, sucking on you so gently,” he laughed softly as I squeezed my legs together. “That’s it, little one, you’ll be squirming just like this when I touch you.” His voice got even quieter. “Can’t wait to feel you get all wet for me, baby.” His tongue darted into my ear and I just about slid out of my chair. “Christ, Danish, do you WANT me to throw you down on the floor and take you right here in the theatre? Cause I will if you keep that up.” He laughed softly and I hit his leg, hard. The lights dimmed again and I struggled to keep my attention focused on the play. Audience members screamed as the scary parts began, but I barely noticed. All I could concentrate on was Lars’ hand gently rubbing my leg. I glanced over and saw he was watching the stage, smiling slightly. “Bastard,” I muttered and saw him bite his lip and look over at me. When the play ended, we stood and waited for our row to clear out. I wrapped my arms around Lars’ waist and rested my head on his shoulder. “You better have memorized what happened in the second act, babes, cause I’ve got no idea what the hell was going on.” He chuckled and nodded, patting my hands. We walked out slowly, waiting for the limo to pick us up. Lars brushed a hand over my hair. “So, if you weren’t paying attention, what were you thinking about, little one?” he asked quietly. “Anything in particular?” I shook my head. “Nah, nothing important.” I leaned against him and kissed his neck lightly. “Just you. And me.” He rubbed my back and sighed. “That’s nice, sweetheart. Shame all that’s gonna have to wait. I told Sully and Phil we’d meet up with them for drinks at the hotel bar. We’re due there in about ten minutes.” I staggered backwards, staring at him in disbelief. He just smiled innocently at me. “You….we’re…drinks? DRINKS?” I practically spat the word at him and he laughed. “You are the meanest boy EVER!” I hissed at him. “Fine, Danish,” I said haughtily. “Two can play this game, baby. And don’t think for a second that you’re gonna win it.” He took my hand as the limo pulled up, and we got into the back. Immediately, the window between us and the driver was raised, and I found myself being pushed down to lie on the seat, with Lars hovering over me. “Meanest boy ever, hmm?” he asked with a smirk. I nodded. “If I were really that mean, would I do this?” He bent down and kissed me gently, chuckling as I moaned against his soft lips. I opened my mouth and it was his turn to moan as I sucked lightly on his tongue. I grabbed at his shirt to untuck it, and slid my hands over his back before moving them to touch his chest. His eyes closed and he sucked in a breath as my fingers flicked his nipple ring. He yanked the strap on my left shoulder down and kissed his way from my neck to my breast, his tongue making little swirls around my nipple. I arched into his mouth and tangled my hands in his hair. He looked up at me and smiled wickedly before moving lower. “Lars…” I warned. “Don’t, we’re almost at the hotel.” He lifted his head as he inched the hem of my dress up. “Yeah, I know. He’ll just keep circling the block until the divider goes down.” He tilted his head at me. “Speaking of going down,” he grinned and I laughed. He slid my dress further up and kissed the inside of my legs. “Hey…you were telling the truth. How ‘bout that.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as he started licking between my thighs. “You taste so good, sweetheart,” he whispered as he slid his fingers inside me. I moaned his name and felt his mouth on me again, sucking at my flesh in time with the thrust of his fingers. I lifted my hips and he pressed them back against the seat, sucking harder, and I bit back a scream as my climax slammed through me. When my breathing started to even out, I opened my eyes and smiled down at Lars, who was resting his head on my hip, his fingers tracing little circles over my knee. He glanced up and saw me watching him and grinned. “Gotcha,” he said, smirking as he sat up. I moved over and straddled his legs. “Maybe a little. Oooh, look at the time. We should go.” I pressed the button for the divider to the chauffeur to come down and laughed as Lars’ mouth fell open. We were right in front of the hotel and I opened the door and stepped out. “C’mon, Danish!” I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the sidewalk. He glared at me, but I could tell he was doing his best not to smile. “Gotcha,” I whispered in his ear before running into the hotel. Sully, Shannon and Phil were all huddled into a booth in the Bull and Bear, one of the hotel’s lounges, when I pushed open the door. I hugged the three of them and went to the bar to order a round of drinks. Sully immediately appeared beside me. “What’d you do to Lars? He looks like he’s about to cry,” he said, laughing. I giggled. “Nothing, we’re just playing a little game. Send him over here, would ya? Hey,” I called after him, “you want whiskey?” He nodded and bent over to talk to Lars, who stood and came over to me. “Hello, little one,” he sighed. “Getting some drinks?” I nodded, not sure if I should apologies for being such a tease. “Excellent. I’ll have a double of whatever you’re having.” He bent his head to my ear, and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’ll just be over there, plotting how I’m gonna get back at you.” I brought the drinks over to the table and Sully stood up so I could sit between him and Lars. I placed Lars’ drink in front of him and he ignored me, continuing to talk to Phil about some past night they’d spent drinking in San Francisco. Sully nudged me and I turned to face him. “You’re all dressed up, doll. Where’d you guys go tonight?” He sipped his whiskey and nodded his head at my dress. “Um…a play. ‘The Woman in Black’.” I hitched up one of my dress straps that kept falling and took a little sip of whiskey, savoring the taste in my mouth before swallowing. Sully laughed as my strap fell down again, and tugged it back up on my shoulder for me. “Thanks,” I smiled at him. “What about you guys, I thought you said you were busy tonight. You finish early?” “We had a couple of interviews to do, and then Shan mentioned Lars had said we should all meet up tonight for drinks. So here we are. That okay? We’re not crampin’ your style, are we, darlin’?” I shook my head. “Not at all.” I started sliding my glass back and forth on the table between my hands, caught Sully watching me, and stopped. Lifting the glass to my lips, I drained it and motioned for him to move over so I could get to the bar. He shot me a lazy grin and shook his head. “Nah, think I’ll keep you where you are. The waitress’ll come over in a bit. In the meantime, you can share mine.” He held his glass to my mouth and I laughed before covering his hand with my own, and taking a sip. I felt Lars’ hand settle on to my leg and jumped. “Y’alright?” Sully looked slightly concerned. I nodded, and then blushed as his gaze fell to my leg where Lars’ hand was gently massaging me. He smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. “I…erm…have a torn quadricep, Lars is just, um, helping me,” I took another sip of whiskey and willed myself to stop blushing. Sully leaned in and murmured in my ear, “You’re the worst damn liar I’ve ever met. Relax, girl, you’re not doin’ anything wrong.” He sat back and tilted his head at me. “Now tell me about this play you saw. Any good?” I started to relax again, and I told him about the play, and we started to discuss other ones we’d seen, and were just debating musicals versus non-music based plays, when Lars slid his hand further up my leg. I stopped mid-sentence and blinked at Sully. He burst out laughing, and gestured for me to continue. The waitress appeared, and we ordered a double round of drinks. Half an hour later, Shannon had taken off, and Sully and I had moved on to chatting about books. I was giving my opinion on trashy romance novels, and he was listening intently, moving his hand up to my shoulder every now and then when my strap fell. Eventually his hand just stayed there, fingers gently rubbing my skin, his thumb running over my collarbone. I was doing my best to ignore how good his hand felt, combined with the pressure of Lars’ fingers on my leg, when Lars moved his hand even further up, and I completely lost my train of thought. I glanced over my shoulder and saw he was still talking animatedly with Phil – as animatedly as he could with only one free hand. Phil appeared to be oblivious to what Lars’ other hand was doing. When I turned back to Sully, he grinned. “He gettin’ to ya?” He laughed softly. “Just a little,” I muttered, draining another tumbler of whiskey. “Want me to kick his ass?” I briefly considered saying yes, and then shook my head, smiling. He leaned in and breathed against my ear for a minute before asking, “Want me to distract you?” I tensed and he moved back slightly to meet my eyes, his hand still rubbing my shoulder. Phil chose that moment to announce he was leaving to go meet up with some other friends, and both Lars and Sully lifted their hands, and waved goodbye. I felt relieved and disappointed, and was about to excuse myself to get some air, when Lars turned to me. “Having fun, little one?” he smirked, and his hand went straight back to where it had been, just grazing the very top of my leg. “Having an excellent time,” I assured him, stealing Sully’s glass and drinking from it quickly. “Slowly going mad,” I muttered, “but having an excellent time.” Lars chuckled and leaned in closer. I felt Sully’s arm go around me, and he started rubbing my other shoulder. “Maybe that’ll teach you to dress properly when I take you out,” Lars said quietly, grinning from ear to ear. “What are you talkin’ about, man? She’s dressed properly, she looks great!” Sully leapt to my defense. I groaned. Now Lars would have to explain what he meant. “She’s not fully dressed,” he said sternly. “She is missing an integral part of the outfit!” he admonished me. “But at least it makes for easy access, eh baby?” He glanced at Sully. “We had a fun limo ride, but it’s Charlie’s fault that we were late.” Sully laughed and his grip on me tightened. “I thought you had a little glint in your eye, girl. Makes sense now.” He bent his head to my ear again. “Still needing that distraction?” I dropped my head in my hands, and both of them laughed. Lars started talking about one of the gigs on the tour where Godsmack had opened for Met, and the two of them were soon engaged in a conversation about various shows, all the while still touching me. I glanced around the bar and saw it was pretty empty, and thankfully quite dark, so no one else could really see the debauchery happening at our table. Sully’s arm had slipped down and his fingertips were lightly running up and down my ribs, and every so often he’d run them higher, brushing them against the swell of my breast. I was fairly inebriated by this point, but still felt alert, and aware of the situation. Then I realized that all the talking had stopped. Lars was watching me, and I could feel Sully’s breath hot on my neck. “You okay with this?” Lars asked me, looking serious. I nodded a little. “Yeah,” I murmured. “You?” He leaned in and kissed me softly before he nodded as well. I tilted my head back and looked at Sully. “And you?” He smiled. “It’s fine, doll. We’re not gonna do anything, scary, okay? Don’t even have to leave the bar.” He kissed my forehead and nudged me so I was sitting up more. I leaned back against the cool leather, and closed my eyes. Soft lips touched my cheek, and Sully ran the back of his hand over my face as he murmured in my ear. “Just relax, babe.” His hand dropped to my stomach, and then my hip, and then my knee. Lars started rubbing my other leg, and I opened my eyes a little to see him watching me intently. Sully moved back slightly and Lars leaned in this time to whisper in my ear. “Can I touch you, baby?” he asked softly. I moaned my consent and he slid his hand higher, fingers barely touching me. I shifted in my seat, trying to gain more contact, and heard Sully moan behind me. “More?” Lars asked, and slid a finger inside me when I nodded. Sully moved me so I was leaning against him, and brushed a stray lock of my hair aside as he kissed my neck. “Does that feel good, Charlie? Do you like what he’s doing?” His voice was low and quiet, and I dropped my head back on his shoulder, mumbling my response as Lars slid another finger in. “Charlie?” I turned my head to look at Sully. “You okay with what we’re doing?” “Mmmhmm. Please don’t stop,” I whispered. He smiled and kissed my cheek, then my neck, and I felt his hand sliding down my stomach before coming to rest just below my waist. My dress was hitched up around my thighs, and I watched as Sully lifted it a tiny bit higher with his finger, and then stroked me lightly as Lars continued thrusting. The combination of the two of them touching me at once, and the way Sully kept murmuring in my ear all the things he thought Lars should do to me later, was too much for me. I closed my eyes, and bit my lip to keep from screaming as I came hard, bucking against both their hands. I felt Sully’s arms go around me, holding me against him and I opened my eyes to see Lars getting up from the table. “Be right back, little one,” he smiled at me. I watched as he made his way to the bar to get the bill. “Wellll…” Sully said slowly. “That’s gonna fuel some pretty sweet dreams for me later, I think.” I laughed and turned my head so I could see his face. “You okay, doll?” he kissed my temple and I smiled. “Yeah,” I said softly. “I’m good. I’m not sure how Lars is able to walk, but I’m good. You?” “I’m gonna be struggling with the walking too,” he chuckled. Lars came back to the table and held out his hand. “Ready to go?” I stood, wobbling a little from the alcohol and the aftershocks of my orgasm, and Sully steadied me. Taking Lars’ hand, I leaned against him as the three of us walked to the elevator. I was surprised when we stopped on the 18th floor. “You’re leaving?” I asked as he stepped out. He nodded. “I’m gonna let Ulrich take it from here.” He leaned in and kissed me lightly on the mouth. “Might see you tomorrow though, hey?” The doors closed and Lars and I rode in silence to the penthouse. I dropped my bag on a chair and headed to the balcony, Lars right behind me. He brushed a hand over my hair and pulled me close to him. “You alright, little one? That was kinda intense.” I smiled and kissed his neck. “I liked it,” I said in a low voice. “A lot. I thought maybe you were gonna ask Sully to come up here. But now it’s just the two of us…you want me all to yourself?” I licked a trail down from his ear to his shoulder, pulling at his shirt to get at his skin. He slid his hands down to my butt and squeezed. “Hey, naughty,” I laughed. His eyes widened and he staggered backwards, grinning. “I’M naughty? You’re the one who just had two guys get you off in a BAR, and I’M motherfucking naughty?” Grabbing me again, he spun me around and kissed me hard. “And yeah, I want you all to myself. I’m an only child,” he grinned. “I don’t share well.” He pressed me up against the balcony with my back to him, gently pulling my hair out of its elastic and sweeping it off my shoulders. Kissing the back of my neck, he slid his hands over my body, pinching my nipples as I moaned. “Remember what I said at the theatre?” he whispered. I leaned against him, and lifted my dress to my waist, grinding my butt back against his groin. “Fock, baby,” he groaned. He reached a hand between my legs and stroked. “So wet for me. Fuck, wanna slide inside you right now, feel you all tight around me.” I turned swiftly and shoved him back on one of the lounge chairs. Straddling his legs, I unbuttoned his pants and pulled the zipper down. I was about to take him inside me when he stopped me. “Charlie…hold on baby.” He put his arms around me and kissed me, a long, deep kiss, and I felt like my mouth was melting into his. “I want you, baby, but…as hot as this is, I’ve had a picture of you in my head all night. If I tell you what it is, can we do that?” I nodded slowly, and he stood up to lead me inside. Ten minutes later, I was laying on Lars’ bed, naked, with a sheet covering me. The room was lit from the light in the bathroom. Lars was sitting on a chair beside the bed in a tee shirt and boxers. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at him. “You’re too far away,” I whined. He laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m fine where I am.” He leaned back in the chair and slid a hand in his boxers. I watched as he stroked himself slowly, keeping eye contact with me. He smiled, nodding towards the sheet. “Keep up, little one.” I narrowed my eyes at him and ran a hand up my leg, over the sheet. Closing my eyes, I lay back on the pillows and lowered the sheet to my hips. Sighing softly, I slipped one hand down between my legs and rubbed a finger over the wetness there. Lars moaned and I opened my eyes to watch him. He was still going slowly, eyes trained on my hand, and I slid two fingers inside myself, grinning at him as he bit his lip. “Just keepin’ up, baby.” I closed my eyes again and was startled when there was a loud knock on the door to the suite. “You expecting company?” Lars shook his head and left the room to answer the door. I heard him laugh and Sully’s low voice greeting him. I drew the sheet back up, and grinned as they both entered the room. “Am I interrupting?” Sully smiled at me. “No,” I said quietly. “You’re just in time.” Lars went back to where he’d been sitting, and Sully came over to the bed, leaning down to kiss me softly. I caught Lars’ eye and he nodded, grinning. Sully kicked off his shoes and laid down on the bed with me. “So what were you doing before I showed up?” Lars’ phone rang and the three of us jumped. He grabbed it and annoyance flashed across his face. “I gotta take this, guys, I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.” He winked at Sully. “Don’t have too much fun without me.” He left the room, closing the door behind him, and Sully settled onto the pillows beside me, his hand laying over my own. Turning his head sideways to look at me, he smiled. “Wanna wait for him?” I gave him a serious look. “Ohhh, no. I think we should get started immediately. Very important.” I grinned. “Take off your shirt, Erna. I wanna see those tattoos.” I unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged it off. With the sheet between us, I leaned down and kissed the tat around his belly button, and then licked a path up to his chest. He drew my face up to meet his and kissed me, sliding the sheet down so my body was pressed against his bare skin. I ran a hand up his chest, coming to rest on his necklace. “You wear this…all the time. I think every picture I’ve ever seen of you has you with it.” I rubbed the metal between my fingers. “It’s a Wiccan symbol, yeah?” He smiled and rubbed his hands over my back as I turned the necklace over in my hand. “Yeah. A pentagram. The five points of the star are for all the elements.” I frowned. “All…five of them? Earth, air, fire, water…and…?” He put a warm hand on my chest. “And spirit,” he said softly. “It’s supposed to symbolize power, and protection. That’s why I wear it all the time.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why do you need protection? Who’s after you?” He bent his head and nipped my shoulder. “Girls like you!” He laughed and rolled me onto my back, pinning me down with my arms above my head. Seeing the fear in my eyes he immediately let go. “Babes?” I shook my head and smiled. “Sorry, it’s fine. Just surprised me is all. It’s fine, Sul, I trust you. Continue,” I winked at him. He wrapped the sheet around my waist and pulled me close, laying soft kisses all over my face. “Skittish, hmmm? That’s fine, baby, we’ll take it slow.” He bent and sucked lightly at my neck, running his hands up and down my back. I pressed a hand to the back of his head, and then felt the bed dip behind me. “Everything alright?” I turned my head slightly to look at Lars, as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He nodded, and kissed my back. I turned to face Sully again. “As you were,” I grinned at him. He began kissing me again, slowly, teasingly, running his tongue over my bottom lip, and rolled my nipple between his thumb and finger as I squirmed with pleasure. Lars had apparently lost the shorts before he’d come to bed, and I could feel him pressed hard against me. He lowered his hand to between my legs as Sully continued his assault on my mouth and breast. “Please, baby,” Lars panted behind me. “Need you…need to be inside you.” Sully’s mouth left mine and he pushed himself away a little, giving Lars and I more room. I rolled onto my back and Lars positioned himself over top of me, yanking the sheet off me entirely. My head fell to the side as he slid into me, and I saw Sully watching with half-closed eyes. I reached out a hand, moaning as Lars slammed his hips against mine, and grabbed Sully’s arm, pulling him closer. “Lose the jeans, Erna,” I instructed. He did so, and lay next to us, keeping eye contact with me as he touched himself. I ran a hand down his chest and gripped him, smirking as he groaned and thrust into my hand. I looked up at Lars. His eyes were dark, and he lowered his body so he was almost laying on me. I lifted my head slightly to kiss him, and he opened his mouth, stroking my tongue with his own, in time with the movement of his hips. I could feel Sully thrusting faster, and bucked my hips against Lars harder, wanting them to come at the same time. Both of them sped up even more, and Sully cried out just as Lars collapsed against me. We lay like that for a bit, Lars breathing heavily on top of me, and Sully beside us, one arm slung over his face, panting. Lars eventually got up, and I heard the shower running, and Sully laid a hand over my stomach. “Go,” he nodded to the bathroom. “It’s proper threesome etiquette,” he grinned. “You gotta shower with the main guy.” I laughed and sat up. Looking over my shoulder, I said quietly, “Don’t leave, okay?” He smiled and shook his head. “Not goin’ anywhere, doll. I don’t think I can walk.” I padded into the bathroom and stepped into the shower behind Lars, sliding my hands around his waist. He turned and kissed me, holding my face in his hands. “You trust me,” he said softly. I nodded, confused. “You trust me enough to do THAT,” he pointed out to the bedroom. I nodded again. Why was he pointing out the obvious? “That means a lot to me, Charlie.” I kissed his nose and turned the water on hotter. “Course I trust you, dork. And Sully too.” I kissed him again, this time on the mouth. “The idea of two guys was kinda scary at first, but that,” I gestured the bedroom, “was awesome. So you don’t mind sharing after all, hmm?” He grinned. “I didn’t really share. Just your hand.” He pulled me into a tight hug and we stayed like that under the water until I thought we’d both overheat. “Bed,” he murmured. I toweled off and followed him out, and we both stopped as we saw Sully curled up on one side of the bed. Lars chuckled. “Poor guy. You wore him out.” I pulled on one of Lars’ tee shirts and lay down beside Sully, smiling as I felt Lars curl up behind me, one arm slung over my waist. “Night, little one.” He kissed my shoulder. I squeezed his arm, and then leaned forward to kiss Sully’s cheek. “Night boys.” I woke a few hours later, with Sully’s leg draped over mine, and Lars still curled up to my back. I ran a hand over Sully’s hair and kissed the top of his head. He stirred a little, and I waited until he was still again. Untangling myself from the both of them, I slid down the bed and stood up. Going into the main room, I grabbed a bottle of water from the minibus. Downing half of it before I took a breath, I eased onto the couch. I’d just closed my eyes when I heard my phone ringing in my bedroom. I jogged in to get it, and hesitated when I saw the number. “Hey,” I said softly. “Hey, yourself,” James’ voice was equally quiet. “Did I wake you?” “No, I was up. Getting, um, water.” I grabbed a blanket off my bed and headed out to the balcony. I settled onto one of the lounge chairs and tucked the blanket around me with one hand. “What’s up?” He sighed. “Nothing. Just thought I’d call and see how you’re doing.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m good. Um…went to a Yankees game, Lars invited my uncle, so that was, um, that was cool. Yeah.” Silence. “How are you?” “Lonely,” he said in such a low voice that at first I thought I’d misheard him. “I miss you, Charlie.” He was quiet for a minute before continuing. “I’m sorry about what happened…before you left.” I leaned back in the chair and stretched out. “It’s fine,” I tried to sound lighthearted. “I never really liked that truck anyway.” He laughed a little, but still sounded sad when he spoke again. “I’m not really talking about your truck, though I’m sorry about that too. I mean I’m sorry about the yelling, and…kissing you. I know it was wrong, baby, I’m sorry.” My heart flipped at his use of the word ‘baby’, and I patted my chest. “So…how long are you staying out there?” “I think we’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday. Something like that.” He was quiet, and I couldn’t help myself. “James?” More silence. “I miss you too.” “Then why are you all the way the fuck out there? You’re so far away…” his voice was a little louder this time. “Why couldn’t you just stay here?” Louder still. “You had to run three thousand miles to get away from me? To be with Lars? Doing God knows what with him. Fuck, Charlie-” “Bye, James,” I hung up the phone and quickly turned it off. Stupid, Charlie, I scolded myself. Playing right into his hands. I rubbed my face and sat up as I heard Sully clear his throat behind me. He swung a leg over the chair and pulled me back against him. Turning so I was laying sideways, I snuggled up to his chest. “So…” he said slow. “That was James…Brown?” I giggled, and shook my head. “James…Taylor?” I shook my head again. “James Dean? James Earl Jones?” I was nearly in hysterics laughing. He lowered his voice. “James Bond?” I wriggled against him and he grinned, kissing my cheek. “You okay, doll? Sounded a little upset when you hung up. Het not behaving?” “Nah, it’s fine. He’s just…I dunno. Why are you up?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Cause I woke up alone in a bed with Ulrich, that’s why I’m up. Was a little fuzzy on the details for a second and thought I’d been punk’d.” He ruffled my hair and hugged me to him again. “How come you’re up? Other than to take phone calls from Papa Het.” “Couldn’t sleep. Needed some air,” I lied. He saw right through me. “Feeling a little weird about earlier?” I nodded. “I can’t tell you how to feel, doll, but please don’t think you did anything wrong.” He punctuated his words with a kiss to my forehead. “I wanted you, Lars wanted you, and you trusted both of us enough to do that. Nothing wrong with trusting.” “What about being a slut?” I murmured. “Anything wrong with that?” He tilted my face up and kissed me, opening my mouth with his tongue. I moaned into the kiss and shifted so I was laying alongside him, and ran a hand over his chest. “Tryin’ to make a point here, Sul?” I chuckled. He grinned. “I think I had a point…but now…I just…I don’t …” He kissed me again, and I slid a leg in between his, rubbing my thigh against his groin. “Baby,” he whispered. “I dunno if Lars would be cool with this. He seems like he might be a bit…possessive of you. You and him and me watching is one thing…you and me fucking on the balcony while he sleeps…” he shook his head a little. “I’m not sure about this.” I kissed him again and stood up, holding out my hand. “C’mon back to bed, then.” He took my hand and followed me inside. Lifting the blankets for me, he waited til I was comfortable, and then got in beside me. Lars rolled over and pressed himself against my back and Sully laughed softly. “See? Possessive! Even in his sleep.” I laughed and gestured for him to come closer, and he moved over beside me. I kissed him a final time, and closed my eyes. With Lars snuggled up behind me, and Sully’s warm body lying beside me, I drifted off to sleep, all thoughts of Het forgotten. |
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| Mina | March 25, 2008, 5:12 pm Post #86 |
Morgenstern
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HOT HOT HOT! Fhew, that was great, really *meow* I really want to see her together with Lars, he makes her happy and he's good for her. I don't want her to fall for James again, James can't decide, he's hurting her and is oblivious to that, at least it seems like that to me. Keep it up, you're such a good writer, I wish I could write as good as you. (I'm not patient enough to write such long fictions) And please be aware that I'm always reading your fiction and hardly can wait for an update, even if I don't comment every single update. I'm so hooked, really
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| Lucifer's Angel | March 26, 2008, 9:50 am Post #87 |
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Heavy Metal Seanchai
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Yeah, that was hot I hope she does go with Lars, James is a jerk, and he's whipped by Fran
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| Verity | March 26, 2008, 11:25 am Post #88 |
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The Story Girl
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Woooooowwwww!!! That was most steamy hot. How do you write this without getting all hot and bothered yourself? That’s what I wonder about the authors on this forum who do so amazing writing sex scenes. Not only do they make them very vivid but each one is different, and I like that. I find it very hard to find different ways to describe numerous sex scenes, but you do it so well. I’m impressed. I scratched gently at the back of his neck with my nails, eliciting a long, slow hiss of breath from him. “I do want this, I want you.” I cupped his chin with my fingers and turned his face so he’d be able to see us in the mirror as I kissed his cheek. Awesome!!!! Erotic, steamy, yet beautiful at the same time. I also loved the bit with the waffles and syrup. This makes me desperately want waffles now. It also makes me want to go to NYC again. Whenever I'm there, it's always rushed with ninety million work related things to do, I seldom ever get to enjoy it.Lars joking the Charlie looked 5 with her water and M&M's also made me laugh, especially the "melts in your mouth, not in your hands" bit. I'm the same way. I love candy, and I always get candy at a play or movie. I respect that Charlie is young at heart. I know you mentioned that Charlie gets a little slutty in this, Lars hit it right on the nail when he said this: His eyes widened and he staggered backwards, grinning. “I’M naughty? You’re the one who just had two guys get you off in a BAR, and I’M motherfucking naughty?” Even though Charlie is a bit naughty, she's such a fucking fun character. She's sooooooo full of life. How could one not like her, or want to hang out with her? I like fun, over the top, characters, actually they are my favorite kind of characters. I'd love to hang out with Charlie, but I'm not sure I could hold my own with her in the bedroom. Anywho, totally fantastic, fantabulous, writing! I wish this were a steamy book that I could take with me on an airplane or on a vacation somewhere. I love how it's dripping with drama. It's awesome!! I'd write more, but I MUST go practice now. |
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| maisy blue | March 27, 2008, 12:10 am Post #89 |
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Some Kind Of Monster
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YIPERS!! I have to re-read this when my husband is not around. This is the third time I tried reading today and the second I hit the spicy stuff, my jaw drops open and my husband goes "what?" and wants to know why I'm blushing. I'm VERY happy my daughter can't read yet. She always wants to know what I'm looking at.Maybe after husband goes to bed I'll get a chance to sit down with some tea and really read these chapters like I want to!! More soon!! |
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| maisy blue | March 27, 2008, 1:46 am Post #90 |
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Some Kind Of Monster
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I got to read it without looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was peaking! First of all, for such erotic stuff, you did an amazing job with it. I definitely don't know what the hell I am going to do when Maddy gets to that point. Mine will be, like, "he grabbed her boob, she grabbed his butt, and they had sex... now on to the next morning." I can't imagine being able to sit down and write erotica as beautifully as its been written here and in other stories. I especially wanted to thank you for writing a Male-Male-Female threesome. I know most guys would prefer the whole M-F-F setup (and a lot of fictions go in that direction), but let's be honest- most of us women would prefer it the other way. SPI-CEEE. I don't know if the Waldorf Astoria has a spa (been years since I went there) but Charlie deserves a day in one. And tell Lars to stop overreacting! Just because she makes conversation with someone nerby when you keep freakin' LEAVING HER doesn't mean she's out to break your heart. And oh James, GET OVER IT. Too bad for you, so sad for you. I have more to say, but my sleepy happy pills are kicking on, so I best go while they letters on the keyboard make sense...
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I hope nothing happens to her
James is just being weird, and Fran is acting all strange :wacko:

and Pepper is so cooool!! Lovin this story!!!! Cant wait for more!!!!
But the accident, damn
Poor Charlie, she's gone through a lot of shit, poor girl
I hope she does go with Lars, James is a jerk, and he's whipped by Fran

8:39 PM Jul 10