Songbird

by Jamie Campbell

  But just like all the other times, I told myself it didn’t really happen. The photograph was old, the picture was taken out of context, it was just a friendly kiss, just a groupie that took it a step too far. I convinced myself there was nothing going on, which only let Braydon get away with it. – again.

  I tried to push the memory from my mind, I had a show to do. The biggest concert of my career and I was thinking about Braydon? He didn’t deserve it, I didn’t deserve it, the fifty thousand people waiting for me didn’t deserve it. I had to let it go.

  The crewman counted me down as I got into my final position. On one, I plastered on my smile and stood there, being raised into the stage. My knees were shaking from the nerves. I could do this, I had to be able to do this.

  Forest played his first chord above, telling the crowd it was time to get started. It made them scream even louder. They were all waiting for me, just me. My hands started to shake around the microphone now too.

  My eye line reached the floor of the stage and I got my first peek at what was to come. All the faces were just dots, separated by the stairways at regular intervals. It was hard to believe they were people, all there to see little old me.

  When I was completely up, the sound was deafening. All those people collectively screaming and whistling from all sides conglomerated into one big din. Cameras flashed at me like a million shining stars. It would have been beautiful if it wasn’t so terrifying.

  The platform stopped moving and I stepped off as the band moved into the first song. I pushed my earpiece in further, trying to hear over the crowd. I guessed it would be rude to ask them to quiet down. I stole a glance at Forest as he led the band. He didn’t seem at all fussed by the amount of people there.

  The moment the audience recognized the song, they got even louder again. I didn’t even think that was possible. I almost forgot my cue I was so lost in them all. I started singing, forgetting about everything but the song. If I concentrated on the lyrics, it didn’t matter if there were four or fifty thousand people standing in front of me. It was about the music, that’s why they were all there.

  The circular stage was a bit of a challenge at times, I had to remember to give all sides equal time. But once I got my strut on, it was easy.

  Forest seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. He played up with his guitar like he was completely in his musician zone. God, it was sexy. Every time I got a glimpse of him I just wanted to jump on him.

  By the time the show was over, I was sweating and tired but it was a rush like I had never had before. I had entertained a small town, they never got any quieter so they had to be enjoying themselves. It swelled my heart to have done it.

  I closed the show and disappeared down the trap door. The screams didn’t stop, if anything they might have even grown louder. Demi was waiting for me under the platform.

  “Can I do an encore?” I asked, sad to be leaving the stage.

  “You can’t, the show’s over.”

  “I can do a few more songs, I don’t need a band or anything, I can do it with my guitar.”

  Demi shook her head resolutely. “There are strict time and noise restrictions for the arena, you can’t. We had to stop at eleven o’clock or we’d be breaking the rules. You don’t have time, now come on. We have to get you out of here before we’re caught up in all the traffic.”

  I reluctantly followed her through the underground tunnels. She didn’t even let me change before throwing me into the back of my shuttle van. We sped out of the arena as quickly as the growing traffic problem allowed.

  Back at the hotel, there was no way I wanted to sleep. I called Forest. “Hey, what have you guys got planned for tonight?”

  “We were going to find a place to have a drink. Do you want to come?” Forest still sounded happy from the high of performing.

  “Yeah, I do,” I replied. “I’m at the hotel.”

  “Already? We’ll probably be another half hour. We’ll drop by and pick you up.”

  We clicked off. I had just enough time to shower and change before they pulled up outside the lobby. I jumped in and we found a bar that didn’t seem too busy. Between us, the band, and the crew, we took over the whole place.

  I stuck to soda, refusing any drinks headed my way. I wanted to celebrate but Demi would kill me if I was hung over tomorrow. I could already hear the lecture about letting my fans down. I didn’t need that kind of drama, the soda was just fine.

  “Come dance with me,” I told Forest as I grabbed his hand. I didn’t give him a choice in the matter. He left his drink and followed along.

  The area with no tables that acted as the dance floor was full of bodies writhing together to the beat of the music. I pulled Forest closer so our bodies were pressed against each other. It was crowded there, we didn’t have much of a choice. There would be no room for fancy moves.

  I looked up at Forest, his five o’clock shadow shading his strong jaw. My stomach did a back flip, he really was the definition of hot. If we were alone, he wouldn’t have his clothes still on. I would make swift work of ensuring he was as naked as the day he was born.

  Between the music pumping, Forest’s hard chest against my own, and the euphoria of the concert, I was giddy with joy. I felt like doing something crazy and wild just for the sake of it. Consequences were not on my radar.

  Forest slid his arms around my back, swaying along to the throbbing beat. I let my hands that were around him move lower, surprising him by squeezing his cute little butt. His eyes grew wide open as he grinned.

  Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. “Keep that up and I’m not going to be able to control myself.”

  “Maybe I don’t want you to control yourself.” I squeezed him again to make my point. A lopsided grin spread across his lips, that sexy, devilish grin.

  “You’re going to get yourself into trouble.”

  “Trouble is my middle name.”

  “And I thought it was May.”

  “Damn Wikipedia,” I teased. I had to stand on tiptoes to reach his lips, but was rewarded with a passionate kiss for my efforts. I wanted him naked so bad but wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Not when it was a night to celebrate.

  The dance floor grew hot under the lights and in amongst the crowd. Forest obviously noticed it too after a while. “Do you want a drink?” He asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music. I nodded and reluctantly let him go.

  I swayed along to the music while I watched him. His walk was so damn sexy. There wasn’t one part of that man that was mediocre. And I was certain he would break my heart one day, but not today. Tonight, it was just time for some fun.

  Standing at the bar after ordering, a bunch of women started to gather around Forest. They were hanging off him in no time, draping their arms casually over his, touching his back. There was no way I was going to allow that. Forest was mine, all mine.

  I hurried across the room, trying to keep the thunder from my face. If I could have, I would have pulled them all away from him. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be a nice headline the next day. Instead, I approached equally as casually.

  I pushed my way to stand at Forest’s side. I placed my hand on the back of his neck, tickling it intimately. “Drinks coming along?”

  “Yeah, he’s making them now,” Forest replied. I leaned in closer, staring each of the women down in turn. I wanted it clear that I owned him and they never would. He was my territory, they had no business touching any part of him.

  I earned some hated looks for my troubles. Two of the women left, the other three remained in place. I wanted to slap their hands away, when were they going to take the hint? There was no battle here, I was already the winner. They just needed to acknowledge that.

  The bartender placed our drinks in front of us. Mine was just a straight cola, Forest’s looked the same but I could smell the rum in his. We downed our drinks in no time.

  “Want to get out of here?” I asked, suddenly over the noise and crowds. There was only one p
erson I needed right now. And I needed to prove to him that he didn’t need any of those other women – even if they were gorgeous.

  Forest nodded and took my hand, leading me outside. We grabbed a cab and hurried back to the hotel. My stomach was buzzing with anticipation. My head still felt light from the night and his cologne was making me dizzier.

  We fell into my hotel room, our lips melted together and unmoving. I wasted no time in pulling off Forest’s shirt. The material had felt like a barrier all night and it needed to be gone already. My clumsy hands started with his pants next. Just like I pictured, he was in nothing but his boxers in no time flat.

  “That’s not fair,” Forest groaned against my neck.

  “What’s not?” I asked, not really caring about anything being fair at that point. My skin was flushed with heat and I yearned for him to be pressed against me. That’s all I cared about.

  “You’re still dressed,” he replied, laughing. His breath skimmed my skin, sending up goosebumps. I held up my arms, waiting patiently for him to slip my dress over my head. “That’s better.”

  I agreed. Our bodies collided and Forest walked me backwards until I tripped over the bed. I fell back with a start, my cry quickly muffled as Forest’s lips found mine again. He hovered over me on all fours, tracing a line down my ribcage with his fingers – teasing me.

  I grabbed his hand and placed it over my breast, demanding some attention there. He finally leaned down and his hands roamed everywhere.

  Forest started kissing my earlobe, moving downwards and leaving a trail of kisses along my neck. I arched up, cradling his neck and pulling him closer. I didn’t want him to break contact with my skin, his lips were too delicious to stop their exploring.

  His hand slid down my stomach, stopping just shy of reaching my heat. I could feel his erection pressed against my belly, giving me a taste of what was to come. I moaned, unable to suppress it any longer. I wanted him inside more than I needed air.

  “You feel so good, Brierly,” Forest whispered, so close to my ear again. His breath tickled. I laughed, my giddiness only increasing tenfold.

  I moved my head to the side so I could catch his lips. I opened my mouth, our tongues playing together in a silent dance. My God he was the world’s best kisser. He wouldn’t have to do anything else to get me begging for him, one kiss was all it really took. Everything else was just an added bonus.

  “Don’t talk,” I breathed, barely more than a whisper myself. I had much better uses for his mouth than talking. We could do that anytime.

  He grinned, leaving a line of wonderful kisses from my mouth to my neck. From there, he only got lower. Taking each of my breasts in turn, he gently nuzzled them, kissing the tight buds until I was going to explode.

  He continued his exploration, caressing my ribs to lean down and trace a line down my stomach. It excited me to think of where he was heading. His slow movements only made me want him more as I grew desperate for him.

  He reached my heat, gently easing my legs apart so he could have his way with me. He gently kissed my folds, flicking them back and forth with his tongue. Each one sent a bolt of lightning through me. I was so close to the edge that I wanted to scream out for him to hurry.

  I writhed under his touch, pulling Forest closer but not as close as I would have liked. His tongue explored further, deep into my heat. I felt myself losing it, I was going to plunge over the edge before I could stop myself. My body shuddered as I exploded with joy. Stars swum in front of my eyes as I rode it out. Warmth shot through every one of my limbs, a happiness that could never be described.

  Forest didn’t move until I had grown still and stopped moaning. He slid up against me to look me in the eye. “You are so beautiful right now.”

  “Compliments will get you everywhere, Mr. Knight.” I laughed back. I was hoping to sound seductive but I think it came out more school girl. I don’t think he noticed.

  “Good, because I was going to go everywhere,” he whispered, that gorgeous cheeky glint to his eyes. He returned to kissing my neck as he slid inside. Every movement he made was amplified by my sensitive heat. I clenched, trying to keep from going over the edge again until he was ready.

  The movements came quicker, Forest sped up with anticipation. He filled me so completely, both body and soul. If we could have stayed in that bed forever, I would have been happy. I didn’t need anything else except Forest, not one thing.

  We tumbled over the edge together, flying high through the ecstasy. My body twitched with the effort, the energy expelled. We were one person, fitting together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle.

  When Forest slid out and wrapped me in his arms, it was complete bliss. I closed my eyes and settled into him, finding a new favorite place to be in the world.

  It could have been the euphoria of my accomplishment from the stadium concert, it could have been the hormones and endorphins coursing through my body, but whatever it was I was extraordinarily happy. If Forest was the reason for that, then I never wanted him to leave.

  In that moment, I knew I had completely fallen for him. Despite how careful I had been, I had handed over my heart on a silver platter. It no longer belonged to me, but to the owner of the arms holding me so tight against his naked body.

  I loved Forest. There was no way I could deny it from myself any longer. Just because I told myself I shouldn’t be thinking about it, it didn’t mean it didn’t exist. And I got the feeling that no matter how much I resisted, my love was only going to get stronger.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Someone was knocking. I didn’t care where. Was it on the walls? The door? The roof? I didn’t want to open my eyes and find out. If I pretended I was still asleep, then I could pretend they weren’t there.

  I had everyone I needed right next to me in the bed. I opened one eye, making sure he was still there even though I could hear his gentle breathing.

  Forest looked so peaceful asleep. Nothing moved, not even a twitch or eyelid flutter. He was completely dead to the world. If the sheet wasn’t moving up and down with his breathing, I would have checked for a pulse.

  The knocking continued, I realized it was on the door. My alarm hadn’t gone off yet, I still had a good half hour before I had to get up. Nobody had the right to take that away from me, I planned on spending every single one of those minutes in bed with the guy I loved.

  The decision was taken away from me when Demi burst through the door. I reflexively pulled the sheets up to my neck, even though I was already covered. “What are you doing in here?” I asked. There was a boundary there somewhere that she had crossed, I was sure of it.

  “You didn’t answer the door, I thought you’d been murdered or something,” Demi replied, the concern still evident on her face. She dismissed the concierge who had helped her break in. Apparently they were more scared of her than of me.

  “Well, I’m clearly alive.”

  Her eyes flicked to Forest, only now noticing him in the bed. He was stirring awake from the noise, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

  “What’s he doing here?” She asked, nodding his way.

  “What do you think he’s doing here?”

  Forest sat up, stretching and seeing Demi. “Oh.”

  “Oh’s right, buddy. Get out,” Demi said, not mincing words or worrying about manners. It had been a long time since I saw her so assertive.

  “He doesn’t have to get out,” I protested, placing a hand to stop Forest’s forward movement. “What’s wrong with you this morning? Did something happen?”

  She held up the morning newspaper, that was never a good sign. Demi needed to learn to sleep in so horrible things waited until breakfast. Whatever was in the paper could wait, it would still be there in an hour’s time.

  “What’s in there?” I reluctantly asked. Forest was fully awake now, sitting next to me like a beautiful statue.

  Demi let the newspaper fall open, revealing the two-page photo array. The headline of the day was ‘Pop star relapses’.
The photos accompanying the dubious article showed me at the bar last night, drinking and dancing. Except you couldn’t tell the drink was soda and the guy I hung off was my boyfriend.

  I was torn between anger and disappointment. Mainly I just hated the reporters and photographers for making stuff up when they didn’t have any facts or truths. They never seemed to even care about finding out what was really going on.

  “Anything you want to confess?” Demi demanded. Even though I knew she had to ask, I still resented the question. I thought Demi knew me better by now. Surely my recent good behavior should have counted for something.

  “I was drinking soda all night. Forest will back me up on that.” I looked at Forest, begging him to say something. Demi had her eyes focused on me, pretending he wasn’t even there.

  “She was drinking straight soda,” Forest finally said. “There wasn’t a drop of alcohol in any of it.”

  “So what happened at the bar then?” Demi asked, her voice still holding its hard edge. “Why does it look like you’re drunk in these photographs?”

  I’d had enough of the accusations. It was way too early to be dealing with it. “Demi, how can you even ask these questions? You know I didn’t relapse, you know I’m taking care of myself now. Don’t pretend like I’m the enemy here. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “These pictures tell me another story.”

  “Since when do you side with tabloids over me? I pay you to be on my side.”

  “You pay me to keep you out of trouble, which means you aren’t supposed to lie to me.”

  “Perhaps I should go,” Forest said, sliding out of the bed. “You clearly have stuff to talk about. I’ll see you on the bus, Brierly. Demi.”

  I kept staring at Demi as Forest picked up his clothes and left. Neither of us spoke until the door thudded closed. I climbed out of the bed, sliding on some clothes of my own.

  “I wasn’t lying to you, Demi,” I said through gritted teeth. “I was drinking soda and all I’m guilty of is dancing with my boyfriend at the bar. Nothing else happened. I was happy about the concert going so well and wanted to celebrate with my crew. That’s it, end of story. If you’d bothered to come along, you would have seen it with your own eyes.”