by Grey, Priya
“Thank God,” I reply.
While Mingus is slowly waking up, I write a letter to the vet’s daughter, Amy. Then I call Kade and tell him to park his car in the back of the clinic. When Kade shows up forty-five minutes later, Mingus is fully awake and running around like nothing has happened.
I can’t hide how happy I am… Mingus is okay, and Kade is here.
“Thank you so much for coming,” I tell him as he walks in the room.
“No worries,” he replies with a smile.
Kade gives Mingus a soft pat on the head and asks, “He okay?”
I nod, still grateful.
Kade looks at me and I instantly feel safe. “You ready?” he asks.
Using the back door, Kade quickly walks Mingus and me to his car, a really beat up Toyota Corolla.
As we pull out of the back alley of the clinic, Kade apologizes for the car. “I know it’s a piece of shit.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” I tell him. “Right now, it’s a chariot whisking me away from all this madness.”
He pats the dashboard of his car. “Did you hear that? You’re a chariot.” Then he looks at me. “You alright?”
I nod, as I look down at Mingus and give him a kiss on the head. “I really freaked out back there.”
“Well, it’s all good now. Mingus is back to normal, and you avoided the sharks.”
I hold Mingus up and give him a scolding look. “No more socks for you, buddy.” He licks my mask without a care in the world. I laugh. I’m so happy he’s all right.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you really laugh,” Kade remarks.
“It’s been a while,” I reply. I glance at him. As I watch the passing car lights highlight his face, I admire how arrestingly handsome he is. He catches me looking and smirks.
“You realize what you did?”
I shake my head. “What?”
“You left your house, all on your own.”
It takes me a moment to process it all. It happened so fast. I was so worried about Mingus that I stopped being paralyzed by the outside world.
“You’re still wearing the mask, though” Kade remarks.
I sigh. “Kade, the other night with you was a big step. I’m not ready for the whole world to see me, not yet.”
“Okay,” he says with a shrug. “Baby steps.”
“That’s right,” I tell him.
He reaches to turn on the radio. A song by Adele is playing. Her strong voice fills the night. The neon city lights of Los Angeles pass us by. With my arm dangling outside the car window, I feel the cool breeze against my skin. Then we pass a Mexican restaurant, and I inhale, savoring the aroma of good food. I look at the stars in the sky. I’ve been a prisoner in my house for so long; I’ve forgotten how vibrant LA is. I’ve forgotten what the city’s beating heart sounds like. I miss it.
When Adele’s song finishes, it’s followed by another song… one of mine. One of the new ones. I immediately switch off the radio.
Kade shrugs and looks at me. “Pretty weird, huh? Hearing your voice on the radio.”
“I should be happy that it’s getting radio play. But right now, I just want to forget who I am.” Then I ask him, “Do you think we can go somewhere for a bit? I really don’t feel like going home, not yet. My property is probably swarming with reporters.”
Kade mulls over the possibilities. “I don’t want to take you to my place,” he says. “It’s a shit hole.” He shrugs, then looks at me and smirks. “You want to check out my gym? It’s the middle of the night so no one’s there.”
“Sure.”
“Welcome to Kade’s Cage,” he says with a smile. He unlocks the front door and turns on the lights. The space is larger than I expected. I’m surprised to see it’s equipped with an octagon-fighting cage and a boxing ring in the far back.
“I’m impressed,” I tell him. “This is a serious gym.”
“It’s my pride and joy,” he replies. And I can tell by the look on his face, as he scans the room, that he’s not lying. “We’ve got everything you might need. If this gym were in a better part of town, it would probably be a huge success. But I’m not complaining. We keep adding new clients every month.”
As we walk around, I decide to let Mingus stretch his legs. I lower him to the floor and he takes off, exploring every corner of the gym. “Mingus, don’t eat anything!” I shout at him.
He yelps a reply.
“If you’re going to go on tour, don’t you have to start training? Get your body in shape?” Kade asks.
I shrug. “For half my songs, I sit at the piano. I’m not like Beyoncé. I don’t have all these intricate dance routines.” Then I realize something. I put my hands on my hips. “Hey, are you saying you don’t think I’m in shape?”
Kade holds up his hands in defense and smirks. “Hey, I dig your body, Melody. But if I could have my way with you, I’d get you so lean and mean. You’d be one hot, kick ass beauty.”
“I like the way that sounds,” I admit.
He approaches me and takes my hands, moving in closer. “I’d get that body of yours so strong, so flexible, that during sex, we’d be able to really go the distance. If you know what I mean.”
“Now, that’s the best pitch for personal fitness I’ve ever heard.”
He laughs.
We continue walking around. “How long have you had this place?”
“A couple of years.” His expression changes. The sense of pride is replaced by regret. “I don’t own it anymore, though. Like I told you the other night, I signed it over to Shane in exchange for money to pay for Max’s medical bills. I just manage it now.”
His disappointment is palpable.
“I still love this place, though,” he says with a sigh. As he looks around, he admits, “The war really fucked me up in the head. This place and that cage,” he points to the octagon at the end of the gym, “helped me channel all that anger – all the shit that comes with PTSD –into something more constructive. I guess you can say the cage saved me.”
“Like my music saved me.”
He looks at me and smirks. “Yeah. Same thing.”
We walk toward the cage and step inside. I notice the eight fenced walls surrounding us.
“Do you think you can ever get the gym back?” I ask him.
“There might be a chance,” he confides. His mood changes again. A dark cloud comes over him.
“What’s wrong?”
He looks at me. I sense he wants to tell me something, but then shakes his head. “Nothing. I just have a decision to make,” he mumbles.
There’s a long silence and I can see the tension in his body, around his neck. It must be about getting his gym back, which involves Shane. But Kade doesn’t want to divulge anything more.
“Kade?” I say. He looks at me and I can see the strain in his eyes.
He shakes his head. “Forget it. It’s something I need to deal with. It’s not a big deal.” He looks at the ground, avoiding my gaze.
It obviously is a big deal, but he doesn’t want to tell me. In order to lighten the mood, I change the topic of conversation.
“So, do you really think you could get me lean and mean?”
He looks up. His face softens. He nods with a smirk. “Most definitely.” A curious expression fills his eyes. “In fact, why don’t we start now?”
“A workout?”
He shrugs. “Why not? You don’t want to go home because of all the paparazzi. We have the gym all to ourselves with some time to kill. Why not get a workout in?”
He’s serious.
“Look at me,” I say pointing to my pajamas. “I’m not dressed for a workout.”
“Who said you needed to be dressed?” Kade replies with a grin.
He steps toward me. Slowly, he begins unbuttoning my pajama top. He slips it off my shoulders, exposing my breasts. He takes his hands and cups my breasts, giving them a firm squeeze. With an appreciative growl, he remarks, “I love your tits.”
“I love your hands on them,” I admit.
He kneels down and slides my pajama pants over my hips. I kick off my flip-flops. He tosses my pajama bottoms to the side. All that remains is my underwear. Kade moves in closer and grabs my ass. He leans in, pressing his nose against my crotch. Then, he looks up at me. “You know what I love more than your tits, Melody?”
“What?” I ask my voice filled with desire.
“The taste of your cunt. And it’s smell.”
He presses his nose against my panties and inhales. He curls his fingers over the waistband and slides them down, exposing my sex. I’m so turned on. Before I know it, Kade’s tongue presses against my lips. My pussy welcomes the pleasure he’s set off. I press the back of his head further into me.
I can’t believe it. I’m in an empty gym, standing in the center of an octagon. The hottest man on earth is kneeling before me, licking my most prized possession. I definitely never thought I’d be here.
I’m so turned on. I can’t wait to replace his mouth with his cock. Kade stops working magic with his tongue. He glances at me then stands up.
He looks into my eyes as he wipes some of my pussy juice from his lips.
“You know what I want more than anything, Melody?”
“What?”
“To kiss you,” he says. “May I?”
He looks deeply into my eyes and I see his compassion.
I slowly nod.
I reach behind my head and loosen my mask. Kade gently lifts it off.
He drops it to the floor. He tenderly holds my face with both of his hands. He leans forward and kisses me. He slips his delicious tongue into my mouth.
After relishing his kiss, I ask, “You know what the best part of taking off this mask is?”
Kade slowly shakes his head.
“Now, I can finally suck on your cock.”
He smirks with pleasure.
I glide my hand down his broad, muscular chest. Slowly, I slide it over the bulge in his pants. Through the fabric of his sweatpants, I give his manhood a squeeze. It’s incredible how comfortable I am in Kade’s presence. It’s hard to believe I’m standing naked in his gym, with my mask off. And now, finally, I’m going to be able to suck on that gorgeous cock of his. I slide my hand under the waistband and grab his semi-hard shaft. I pull from the base all the way to the tip and feel it jump to life. As it gets hard in my hand, Kade releases an appreciative moan.
“I can’t wait to wrap my lips around it,” I confess. I give Kade’s luscious lips one last kiss before dropping to my knees. Now it’s his turn to be pleasured. I pull his sweatpants down.
I open my mouth and lean forward, wanting to take in his impressive shaft. I clasp his balls and swirl my tongue over the tip of his cock. Then I begin to slowly take him in. I love having his hard shaft in my mouth. I open wide relaxing my throat. As I slowly pull up with my mouth, my hand grips his shaft tightly. When I reach the tip, I go down again, and then up, finding a steady pace.
“God damn, your good with your mouth,” Kade moans. “Thank God you took off that mask.”
I pull back and catch my breath. I look into his eyes then take him once again. Kade’s groans grow louder as I bob my head, sucking and lathering his manhood. My pussy is drenched.
“Fuck that’s good,” Kade growls.
I increase the pace. I’ve missed having a cock in my mouth. And I’ve wanted his since the first time I saw it.
After I give his cock one good, long suck, I pull my head back and run my tongue over the tip of his shaft. I look at him and simper.
“Kade?”
His face is flush. I can tell he thoroughly enjoyed my blow-job.
“What?” he asks breathlessly.
“Will you please fuck me, now?”
With a rumble, Kade strips off his sweatpants and shirt. He kicks off his sneakers. He yanks me onto my feet and presses his body against mine. We stumble backwards. My back collides with the fenced wall of the cage. Kade leans in and passionately kisses me.
Then he pulls his head back and looks at me.
“I want you so fuckin’ badly,” he growls.
The way he stares at me makes me feel like there’s nothing wrong with my face or my body. Then his passion is suddenly interrupted by a moment of tenderness. He gently slides a strand of my long brown hair behind my ear. He smirks and then shifts forward. I feel the head of his cock press against my crotch.
“It’s about time,” I say with a smile.
He leans forward and kisses me.
Then he slides himself inside me. I wrap my arms around him and welcome his girth. As he stretches me wide, I whisper into his ear, “I’ve never been fucked in a cage before. I think I like it.”
He lets out another growl and says, “Where have you been all my life?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“I’m so sorry,” says Suzie as she rubs Mingus’s head. We’re sitting on my living room couch. Family Feud is playing on the television. “I should've been paying attention to my phone,” she says, apologizing. “I slept at Bradley's place last night. It was our third date. And you know how I like to have sex by the third date to know if the relationship is going anywhere.”
“And?” I ask.
Suzie lets out a sigh. “It looks like our third date will be our last,” she says with disappointment. “Bradley’s really hot. But when we went back to his place and had sex, he was checking out his abs in the full-length mirror in his room the entire time. I can't date someone whose that in love with himself. Anyway, you must've called when we were in the middle of you know… fucking.”
It looks like I wasn't the only one having sex last night. Although, based on Suzie's account, I at least enjoyed my experience. I’m still surprised that Kade finds me attractive. He wants me, even with all my imperfections. He accepts me, and he desires me for who I am, what I look like. I never thought something like this would be possible after the accident.
“I can’t believe you went out by yourself,” says Suzie, clasping my hand. “I know it must have been terrifying, but I’m really proud of you.” She shrugs. “Maybe it was a good thing I was too busy having lousy sex to answer your call. This was a big step. Now, we just have to work on getting you comfortable so you can stop wearing that mask.”
Even though I’ve revealed my face to Kade, I’m not prepared to take off my mask for anyone else, even Suzie. I still wear it around the house.
“But still,” says Suzie, shaking her head. “You’re paying me to be at your beck and call, and I wasn’t. I’m sorry.”
I see by the look on her face that Suzie feels terrible. I tell her Mingus and I are okay now, hoping it makes her feel better. “He just got a tube sock lodged in his throat, and the doctor removed it.” I scratch Mingus’s head and he happily yips. “Anyway,” I tell her, “You have a life to live, too. I can’t expect you to be at my beck and call every minute of every day.”
Suzie shoots me a surprised look. “Excuse me. Did you get kidnapped by aliens on your way to the animal hospital last night?” She giggles in disbelief. “You gave me a raise five months ago, so I would always be at your beck and call.”
I shrug. Then, with a hint of a smile that Suzie can’t see, I reply, “Well, maybe it's time I start doing some things for myself.”
Suzie's jaw drops. She shakes her head. “Okay, you're definitely not telling me the whole story. What happened last night, besides taking Mingus to the hospital? After Kade got you out of there? I assume you guys fucked again. But that’s not all. Is it?”
Suzie had seen some of the coverage online and all over the social media networks this morning. The news had broken that Kade had come to my rescue at the animal clinic.
I blush. I’m grateful the mask hides my emotion. Suzie shoots me an imploring look. She wants all the details. I'm about to tell her what happened when the buzzer at the front gate goes off.
Annoyed, Suzie hands Mingus to me and gets up from the couch. She walks
to the intercom on the wall and presses the button.
“Hello?”
“It's Randy. Let me in.” She sounds angry.
Suzie looks at me. I nod. “Let her in.”
She presses the button on the intercom. A few minutes later, Randy storms into my living room. She shoots me a glaring look and snatches the TV remote from my hand. She flips the channel to the Star Central Network.
I've never seen Randy this angry, and I mean, never.
“What's wrong?” I ask, getting up from the sofa with Mingus in my arms. She holds up her hand, indicating I'm not to speak. She raises the volume on the television. All three of us gather in front of the large screen as footage of my visit to the animal hospital plays in front of us.
“Reclusive pop star, Melody Swanson, was seen late last night leaving her mansion and racing to a local animal hospital. Star Central has confirmed that the pop star’s puppy, an English bull dog, was ill. The dog is doing fine now.”
I glance at Mingus, who is resting in my arms, and scratch his head. “I think you've gotten me into a little bit of trouble,” I mutter. He licks my fingers. I’m so grateful he’s okay.
I turn my attention back to the television. The reporter continues giving a blow-by-blow account of my trip to the vet. Even with all the problems that exist in the world, it appears people are extremely interested in my sighting.
“Our sources report that Swanson appeared in a frenzied state at the animal hospital,” continues the reporter.
“I wasn't that frenzied,” I mumble.
“Shhh,” says Randy. Her eyes are fixated on the TV. Her demeanor is very serious, focused. Suzie and I exchange a look. Randy is on edge; and as the news reporter keeps talking, we find out why.
“But it appears the pop star, who suffered a horrifying accident a year ago and currently wears a mask, was calmed down by the presence of a man named Kade Turner. Mr. Turner arrived at the animal hospital and helped escort Melody and her puppy away from reporters that had descended onto the scene.”
“How did they get his name?” I ask.
“That's not all they got,” snaps Randy.
My stomach drops as we continue watching the broadcast.