They had a lot of fun, and all enter with a smile on their faces. I am pleased to see that Valérie has been included in the group, I mean, how could they not like her? If she doesn’t think too much about everything and goes with the flow, then she is very easy to handle. It’s only when she starts to analyze everything and thinks too much that things go wrong. Then she puts up that terrible wall around her.
Although I have the feeling that I have been able to break through that wall a little in the last few days, I intend to make it disappear completely this evening. Every time I want to explain to her what she means to me, she shuts herself off. So I decided to do it tonight with a song I wrote especially for her. On the one hand, I am terrified of her reaction, but on the other hand, I hope that she finally realizes that I mean it. I will do everything within my power to make her happy.
I go to her and immediately see the panic appear in her eyes. The band may know about our nightly visits to each other’s rooms, but she still doesn’t want us to be seen in public. Not because of me; I don’t care who knows that Valérie is mine. On the contrary, I would like to shout it from the rooftops. But Valérie insists that we keep this secret from the outside world, and no matter how hard it eats at me, I know that if I don’t respect her opinion, I will lose her. I need to ease her into realizing that I want to be with her. I want to be able to hold her hand and kiss her in public. I want to be able to take her on a real date, not something that looks like an interview between two people, but like a date between two lovers.
I stop when I stand in front of her, but I don’t touch her even though her lips look delectable with the pink lip gloss that she has on. I know from experience that it tastes like cherries and it makes me want to lick every last bit of it from her lips. To distract me from those thoughts, I quickly take a sip from my beer bottle, but when I see her eyes go to my mouth, I know she feels it too.
I lick a few drops of beer with my tongue and grin at her when I see her swallowing. “Had a nice day?”
She holds the shopping bags up to me and nods her head. “Yes, it was a fantastic day.”
I point with my beer bottle to one bag that stands out. “What do you have in that bag?” She doesn’t have to tell me. I may not be a fashion guru, but I can easily recognize this bag by the white letters on it and the red inside.
“I bought a little thing for myself.”
“Can I take a look?”
Surprised she looks up to me. She probably wonders why I would be interested in what she bought. To be honest, it’s not for her, but for me. The bag she is holding is one from Louboutin, so I suppose she bought a pair of new shoes. I fantasize how she can put on those new shoes tonight... only those shoes. She may dig those heels into my ass while I fuck her, and that is a pain that I will gladly accept.
From the bag, she takes out a tiny, brown box with a key ring in it. I wait and see, thinking that after that she will pull out a pair of shoes, but she hangs the key ring on her finger and shows it to me.
“I still needed this one for my collection.”
“You didn’t buy shoes?”
Embarrassed, she averts her eyes down and puts the key ring away again. She indifferently shrugs her shoulders.
“I didn’t find what I was looking for.”
She turns around and walks to the fridge to get something to drink. Out of nowhere, my sister appears next to me.
“You know that was not true, right?”
Normally, I always keep an eye on the fact that nobody listens when I have a conversation with Valérie, but my little sister doesn’t miss a thing. “What do you mean?”
“The lie Valérie just told you. She had found a pair of fantastic shoes, but she didn’t buy them. I think that she couldn’t afford the shoes. When I suggested buying them, she refused to accept it.”
Shit, I hadn’t thought about that at all. Those shoes cost a small fortune, so it’s more than possible that she has no budget for them. But I know how crazy she is about shoes. I look in the direction of Valérie, and when I am sure she is not looking, I turn around to Jolene again. I take out my wallet and give her my credit card. My sister laughs from ear to ear. “Do you remember what size she was and can you go back and buy them for me?”
She takes the card and looks at me intently. Just as I think she is going to judge me, she says something I didn’t expect. “Be careful with her. She is a very sweet girl; I don’t want her to be hurt.”
I nod. “I only have the best intentions with her.”
“I thought so already.” She wants to leave, but I put my hand on her arm. “Don’t say anything to Valérie; she still insists that this secret remains.”
Jolene’s eyes sparkle and I’m sure she remembers the time when she and John kept their relationship secret from everyone. She doesn’t need to know that Valérie thinks this is not a relationship. “I would never violate your trust. I’ll bring the shoes to your room when nobody’s around.”
“Thank you. You are the best sister.”
She laughs. “You only have one.”
“Then I can only be glad that you are the one.”
THE LIGHTS IN THE CONCERT hall go out, and the now familiar sound of wild fans rises. I’m ready under the stage on the platform that will lift me up. The music starts to play, and the platform slowly starts to rise. Once I’m on stage, I wait until most of the fog has disappeared.
I sing the first song, and all the fans go completely crazy. You never get used to this. After all these years I still get a big adrenaline rush with the first song of every concert. That thousands of people found the time in their busy lives to come and listen to us... That’s something I will never get used to. When I step aside, I see Valérie standing backstage. Her eyes are wide. I can imagine what it looks like for her; she has never seen that trick with the platform. I wink at her and she starts blushing.
At the end of the first song, we get a deafening applause. The cuddly bears and lingerie pieces fly onto the stage.
As usual, I briefly introduce all the band members. Not that they don’t know who we are, but I love to give everyone in the band his moment of glory. The rest of the concert goes through our usual routine. We are at the end of a long concert series, so we know the order completely by heart. When we’ve finished the last song, I realize it’s time. This is the moment we have been practicing for. I’m addressing all the fans in the hall, but I’m especially curious how one specific lady will react backstage.
“Tonight is a special evening,” I start. “There is one person in particular here tonight who is close to my heart.”
It gets so quiet in the hall that you can almost hear a pin drop. They realize that they can experience a unique moment. I look to the side and see that Valérie is looking at me intently.
“Someone I lost sight of a long time ago, came back into my life and I wrote a song for her. We’ve practiced this all day and I would like to sing it for her now. What do you think, do you want to hear it?”
There is cheering, screaming, roaring...
One of our crewmen comes on stage with a stool so I can sit on it. It seemed more intimate to me to sing the song while sitting down. Once I am seated properly, I look at the audience. There is a charged atmosphere as they realize that they are about to witness a once in a lifetime occurrence. A lot of cell phones are already appearing, and I’m sure the song will be viral on YouTube in a matter of minutes. I adjust the microphone position to the correct height and talk to them.
“After the death of my parents I learned that every day could be your last,” I say emotionally. “A drunk driver who ignores a red light may be enough to end your life, so I have set myself the goal of enjoying life every day. And the last few days I have realized that I can’t live without her, even though she doesn’t want to see that for herself.”
The whole room laughs, and I look at Valérie, who is standing behind the scenes looking at me. I can’t gauge the emotion on her face, but our gaze connects, and for a
moment it seems as if we are the only two people in the room. I give her a wink before I turn back to the audience.
“We are honored to have a guest musician helping us out for the piano part, and today we play our new single ‘Waiting’!”
All the lights in the room go out again and the only light left on is the big spot and it’s directed at me. I feel Valérie’s look burning through me. The music starts, and I close my eyes. The words flow out of me as if she is right in front of me and I sing this only to her.
I want you more than I need you,
And I need you so bad
Are you coming back?
Are you coming back?
I’m waiting
Haven’t had a dream in a long time,
Haven’t been able to sleep
I find I’m lost without you,
It’s still something I belong to,
Are you coming back?
Are you coming back?
I’m waiting I’m waiting
I want you more than I need you,
And I need you so bad
Are you coming back?
Are you coming back?
I’m waiting
I’m waiting
I’m waiting
I’m waiting
I want you more than I need you,
And I need you so bad
I want you more than I need you,
And I need you so bad
I said I want you more than I need you,
And I need you so bad
And I need you so bad
And I need you so bad
During the whole song, there was not a sound. But now that the last note of the song is fading, the applause rises from the audience. All the fans are crazy and cheering and screaming. But there is only one person whose reaction I want to know, and that is Valérie. I want to go backstage as soon as possible.
“Thank you, everyone; you were fantastic.”
After these last words, the lights go out. I get up from my stool and go backstage. Valérie is looking at me with tears in her eyes. This is the moment when I will find out. Will she fight for us? Or will she put up that damn wall again and was all this a lost cause, to begin with?
16
Valerie
I’m at a loss for words. As soon as the venue grew dark and the spot only shone on Max, I knew. I can no longer fight against this feeling I have. My whole body is buzzing. I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest. Max’s words have touched me deeply.
When Max left to start Full Moon, I was deeply hurt. There was a void in my heart, and no matter how hard I tried to fill it, it never left. But now that I am here and Max is back in my life, that emptiness has been filled. He was what I was looking for all this time.
Max appears backstage, and I can no longer hold back. I run toward him and jump into his arms. Luckily his strong arms catch me, after which I wrap my legs around him and kiss him with all the emotions that run through me. When I break the kiss, I look him straight in the eyes.
“That was... I find...” I don’t know what to say to him; there are too many emotions flowing through me at the same time. I unwrap my legs and Max puts me down but holds me until he’s sure I’m able to stand. Once he’s sure that I’m steady, he stretches his hand out to me and waits until I accept it. He takes me to his dressing room and as soon as we enter, he pushes me against the door.
“There is only one person for me, Valérie, and that is you. Ever since the moment I saw you again, I have wanted you, and there is nothing or nobody who will stop me.”
I want to tell him that that is exactly what I want, but he puts his index finger over my lips to silence me. “This time you’re going to listen to me, and only when I’ve said everything I need to say, can you say what you want. But for now, I want you to listen to your heart and turn off your mind. Give me this night and tomorrow we will look for a solution that we can both agree on.”
I raise my mouth slightly and bite his index finger which is still lying over my lips. My gesture darkens his gaze, and that is one of the things I love about him. Everything I do affects him, and I can’t get enough of it. Recently, he has kept to the only rule I set. I really appreciate that. Even tonight, because he didn’t say for whom the song was... although I’m sure that everyone in the band realizes that it was for me.
“What do you want me to do?”
He grins from ear to ear. He grabs the key to his room out of his pocket and gives it to me. “I want you to go to my room; there’s a present waiting for you. I want you to see what’s in the package and then wait for me on the bed.” I swallow and take the key from him. Is it just me or has it suddenly become very hot in here? I want to turn around and leave the dressing room when he stops me.
“Don’t forget it; I want you to wear what’s in the box... and only that. I have to finish here, but I’ll be there within twenty minutes. Make sure you’re ready for me.”
BUTTERFLIES DANCE IN my belly as I enter the hotel room. I still can’t believe that Max wrote that song especially for me—and sang it tonight. If I had any doubts about his intentions, those doubts have just been dispelled.
I insert the key card in his hotel room door and go inside. My eye immediately catches the bag sitting on his bed. That’s a bag I would recognize anytime, anywhere. I drop the key card on the floor and quickly go to bed. With my fingers I stroke the brown bag with white letters. When I open the it, I see the familiar red colored shoe box, and I take it out of the bag. When I open the lid, I gasp for air. This is not possible... How did he know? I suspect that Jolene is responsible for this. She must have told him, and he asked her to help.
I don’t know why it bothered me so much that the band would know about me and Max. I’ve gotten to know the band a lot better by now, and I know they would walk through fire for each other. As long as my bosses and the rest of the outside world do not know what is going on, the coast is clear.
I only have twenty minutes, so I don’t have time to waste. Piece by piece I start taking off my clothes. When I’m completely naked, I take the Louboutin shoes out of their box. They are black patent leather with a peep toe. They have a super high heel and of course the trademark red sole.
I’ve always had a weakness for shoes and a pair of Louboutin shoes shouldn’t be missing from your collection, but I’ve never had a pair before because I didn’t have the money to spend on it. Max has no idea what this means to me, and I intend to make it clear to him right away that he also means a lot to me.
When I hear the door open, I immediately turn around and stand face-to-face with Max. He closes the door behind him, and even before I can blink my eyes, he has me cradled in his arms and presses his mouth on mine. We kiss and caress; it seems like time stands still and yet goes too quickly all at the same time.
Max’s strong hands glide over my body. They caress every inch of my skin, and I enjoy the sensations that flow through me. He breaks the kiss and carefully places me on the high heels. When he is sure I can stand upright, he walks around me in a circle. Where first his hands caressed me, now his gaze wanders over every inch of my naked body.
“I want you, Valérie,” he says with an intense longing in his voice. “I want every piece of you. The good and the bad. I’m going to do things with you that you’ve never done before, and I’m not going to stop until you cry out in ecstasy.”
His words make me shudder in excitement. I have no doubt he can make me shout with pleasure. His skillful hands glide over my skin, and I can’t wait for his mouth to follow. He lifts me up and lays me down in the middle of the bed. He gets up again and can’t take his clothes off fast enough.
First, he takes off his shirt, quickly followed by his shoes and pants. Now he stands at the edge of the bed in only his boxer shorts, which can hardly contain his erection. When he also takes off his boxer shorts, I see his steel length bob free. I don’t think I can ever get enough of him.
The whole package is before me. He has
a handsome face; a six-pack with a clear V that makes me want to explore every inch of his skin with my tongue. He crawls on the bed and stalks toward me as if I am his prey and he wants to devour me tonight.
With his finger, he glides over the contour of the shoes. “I must say that this was the best gift ever; you look damn hot in these shoes.” He looks at me before he goes on. “I’m going to fuck you with your shoes on. And every time you wear these shoes again, you’ll remember it.”
He always knows how to wind me up with just a few words. I long for him so much that I can’t wait anymore. “Max, I have to feel you inside of me. Please, don’t make me wait any longer.”
He grabs my right shoe and lifts it. With his tongue, he caresses just above the shoe and continues up along my leg. When he arrives at my thighs, he skips my most sensitive spot and continues upward, across my belly along my navel until he arrives at my breasts.
First, he takes the right nipple in his mouth while tweaking the left nipple between his thumb and index finger. He has made a direct connection with my clit. If I thought I was on fire before, I was not prepared for this sensation. He switches and gives my other nipple the same treatment; I am completely lost. I’m trembling under him, and if he continues any longer, the orgasm that lurks will rush through me in full force.
I lift my hips, hoping to convince him to enter me. He releases my nipple from his mouth with a pop and looks at me.
“It seems that you’ve already forgotten who’s setting the pace here.”
“Please, Max. Please don’t tease me any longer.”
Never thought I would turn into a begging heap of desire. But in such a short time Max has shown on many occasions that he is a master at playing my body. He knows he has me where he wants me, and right now I would do everything I could to get him to give it to me. Just as I think he will give me what I want, he withdraws and crawls off the mattress. I could scream in frustration.
Max chuckles, grabs both my feet and pulls me to the edge of the mattress. “Patience, Valérie. I’ll give you what you want... but not before I’ve tasted you. I want to feel those heels of yours pressing into my shoulders when you come over my tongue.”
Say You Crave Me (Full Moon, #4) Page 12