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Novel
Journey to the UnderWorld
Find her short stories in the following anthologies:
Three Times Lucky-“Darkest Dreams”
Lucky Stars-“The Last Date”
Persephone’s Song-“Persephone’s Light”
A Shot of Love-“Love Without Boundaries”
Cupid’s Chokehold-“Master’s Hood Ornament
MILF & Cookies-“An XXXmas Carol”
Children’s Book
My Daddy Wears His Art
Only music and passion can satisfy her hunger for the past.
Hungry Like the Wolf
by
Louisa Bacio
Dedication
For all the boys in the band. My teenage heart belongs to you.
Acknowledgements
To all the contributors in this box set: I know you share a passion for the music, and the band.
Thanks to Kim Carmichael who took my Facebook post about doing this box set, and made it a reality.
To my beta readers Kerry Adrienne and Alyssa Breck.
To Tamara Eaton for the editing prowess, and Solera Winters for making everything run smooth.
Finally, to all the readers: Let the music play.
A Note From the Author
Who knows where my fascination with the paranormal and shifters began. Duran Duran’s “Hungry Life the Wolf” personifies that wild, romantic spirit so many people chase after.
Hungry Like the Wolf
“I SWEAR, THIS MUSIC keeps you young,” Mary yelled over the music of the club to be heard.
The pulsating beat of the Eighties reverberated through Janie’s body. Palm against her chest, and the boom-boom-boom of the percussion vibrated. It pumped up her juices and her adrenaline ran high. She swayed, knowing she’d already caught the attention of the DJ. They made eye contact – her amongst the masses and him up in his DJ booth – and he gave her a small salute and wave. Each song he spun was like a love message in a bottle meant for her.
The Friday night crowd pressed against them on the dance floor, and Janie’s friend bounced along with her. Mary shook her head, and leaned back over to talk directly in her ear.
“I gotta take a break,” Mary said.
She gave her rhythm buddy a thumbs-up and kept on dancing. In her zone, Janie connected with the music. Sure, it brought her back to another time when life seemed so much more dramatic, but actually was way less complicated. And then there was Tyler. Ah, all six foot, four inches of him. It would be a stereotype to say she’d dated the star football player. He wasn’t the Jack to her Diane. Nope, he’d rather pick up a guitar and fly solo. He didn’t like to be told what to do, and hell if he was going to listen to any “pussy-ass coach” tell him the way it was. His words. Not hers.
His carefree attitude landed him with the in crowd, while Janie drifted with the more creative types. They met through drama. While she worked on scripts, Tyler helped with the music. Different social circles be damned. The attraction between them was too much to keep them apart.
The same carefree qualities made him not quite the best long-term boyfriend in the world. He wasn’t into being held down, and he certainly didn’t plan ahead for the future. Then again, holding him down didn’t make her the best girlfriend. When she left for college, that was about it between them. She moved on. Over the years, she’d heard various rumors, but she never gave much weight to gossip.
The music shifted to another smash hit, and Janie spun round and around, growing dizzy from the exertion. The dance club spun with her, a mixture of faces and the laughing and chatter of the crowd echoed. Her loose skirt twirled, and she whipped her hair. The audio stopped, and she breathed heavy, drawing in huge gulps of air, until she focused on someone walking across the crowded floor.
Damn. No way. She’d just thought of him, and here he was, a sight for sore eyes. Excitement pooled low in her belly. It couldn’t be possible. Maybe she was dehydrated, and he was a mirage. His faded jeans hugged his hips, and the black T-shirt was tight enough to show his broad shoulders. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the fantasy. Janie knew better than to push her limits, and should have fed long ago, but the older she got, the more stubborn she became. She liked to see how long she could go between eating. If seeing Tyler, almost twenty years after high school looking exactly the same was any indication, then damn. She couldn’t go this long.
His smile brought her back to Friday night football games, sitting on the hard wooden bleachers, his warm body against hers, and the smell of popcorn and a bottle of whatever concoction of alcohol she could sneak out of the house in her purse. Now, they suspended and expelled students for drinking at games. Back then? Well, it was a bit more allowed.
She stumbled over an imaginary something – her own feet – and Tyler was right there to catch her. She landed in his embrace, way too familiar territory. His scent triggered nostalgia. His strong arms supported her, and she allowed a few beats to pass, and enjoy the feeling, before standing on her own.
“Whoa, I got you,” he said, that grin eating at her psyche.
They both looked down at the same time, at her ample cleavage ready to pull a Janet Jackson Super Bowl malfunction. Fortunately, everything stayed tucked where it was supposed to be, and Janie righted herself pretty quickly.
Reaching up, she rubbed the palm of her hand along his Miami Vice-inspired scruff. She leaned in. “Are you really here?” If I look down, would he be wearing loafers without socks?
“What did you think I was? A figment of your imagination?” His dark green eyes sparkled with flecks of gold in the club’s low lighting.
She really wanted to feel the edge of his short brown hair. It had gotten darker over the years. She kept her hands to herself. A steady thump reverberated in her chest. Did he ever get her blood pumping. Along with the restricted diet, she was exploring a self-imposed celibacy. She thought of it as testing the waters to see if it heightened the experience. Rather than being controlled by her hungers, she wanted to be the one in charge. The result hadn’t turned out quite the way she’d hoped. About now, she hovered on the edge of being extremely horny. Seeing Tyler gave her that final push.
“If that was true, I would have seen you before now,” she said. From behind, someone bumped into her, pushing her back into Tyler’s chest, and they both “oomphed” with the impact.
“Come on, let’s move off this dance floor before we’re both taken out,” he said. With his hand on the small of her back, he led her toward a curtained-off area of the club where the VIPs sat. Janie had glimpsed the digs on occasion, when she went back and forth to the bathrooms down the corridor, but she’d never ventured behind the velvet rope. The cordoned-off area was intimidating. What if she tried and was turned away?
The effect of going into the VIP zone proved to be a bit disappointing. So it looked like the rest of the restaurant dining area, except the booths were a bit bigger, the music tuned down lower and there actually were places to sit. She thought about Mary briefly, but she’d stopped dancing first and was most likely holding her own for now.
They slid into a horseshoe-shaped booth, and Tyler placed his warm hand on her thigh. “Can I order you something to drink?” he asked.
She started, shifting the weight of her leg away. It felt awkward and way too familiar after all this time – his touch. Right now, with how she was feeling, she didn’t trust the memories or her emotions.
“How about a vodka cranberry?” she asked. Alcohol didn’t affect her much. It wasn’t food she needed, but a different type of sustenance and Tyler was looking pretty tasty.
&n
bsp; He looked down at her leg pressing close against his, and opened his mouth and then closed it. Dancing his fingertips across her thigh, he sent a whirlpool of sensation throughout her body.
“Sure,” he said, and then raised two fingers up into the air until a waitress came by. After placing their order, he turned his attention to Janie. “So tell me, come here often?”
Audibly, she scoffed at him. “Now that’s some pick-up line,” she said. “Want to try again?”
“I only mean, I’ve been here a few times, and I haven’t seen you,” he said. “So I’m wondering, really bad luck or maybe you haven’t been here before.”
“Must be the former. I’ve come a few times with girlfriends since it opened. Never noticed you either.”
They lapsed into silence. The waitress served their drinks, and Janie sipped the tangy-sweet concoction a bit too fast.
“You know I missed hanging with you,” he said. “Do you remember sneaking under the bleachers during the football game with me?”
The drink tickled the back of her throat and red liquid flew everywhere as she sputtered. He pounded his hand on her back. “Easy there. Didn’t mean to throw you off,” he reassured.
Finally, she caught her breath, and glared at him. “Don’t flatter yourself. It went down the wrong pipe. It’s been so long since then. I’m not sure if we’re the same people.”
“I hope not.” His accompanying wink sent all sorts of shockwaves through her system.
* * * *
THE SOUNDS OF SNEAKERS hitting the wooden bleachers echoed through the darkness. The chilly November night closed in upon them, but with Tyler’s arms wrapped around her body, Janie stayed warm. She sat tucked between his legs, his thighs pressed tight to the outside of hers.
Leaning back, she gazed at him. Sandy curls peeked out from under his brown fedora, more resembling Nick than John from her favorite band. His tall, lanky frame and often-worn long brown coat mimicked the latter.
And those strong fingers from playing the guitar...
Above them, the crowd cheered as someone made a touchdown. The light flashed, and the band geared up, playing “We will rock you.”
“Time for another celebration kiss,” he said.
Make-out football. It was their version of a drinking game. Except for each touchdown, they scored too.
All outside sounds dinned with the press of his lips against hers. She sighed against him, opening to allow his tongue access. He tasted a bit like the beer he’d snuck out of his parents’ fridge mixed with the clove cigarettes he smoked. But mostly like him. As if she was addicted to some chemical in his body, each swirl of his tongue stretched out the sensations pumping through her.
Before him, she’d only kissed a few other boys. None of them made her feel like Tyler. Her first had been a total disaster. He went to French and she kept her lips pressed tight, and ended up with a wet mouth.
Nothing awkward ever happened with Tyler. They clicked right away. It was as if she’d been waiting to meet him her entire life, and he’d become her whole existence. Concentrating on homework or anything else didn’t matter as much. Her parents constantly nagged that she was spending “too much time” with “that boyfriend” of hers. As if they couldn’t even say his name after so long. He was a “bad influence” and she needed to be careful.
It wasn’t like she was going to get pregnant and ruin her life. She’d known friends that “made a mistake” and got shipped off to the alternative school. She never saw Carol with her bleach-blonde hair, and wrists jangling with metal bracelets a la Madonna, again. Just because she was into Tyler, didn’t mean she was going to be stupid about it.
They broke apart, breathing heavy, and Tyler ran his thumb over her lower lip. “You feel amazing, you know that?” he said.
“So do you,” she cuddled closer, “You know, we’re missing the whole game being down here.”
She felt him shrug. “I don’t care about that much. What about you? Lately, it feels like this is the only time we get to spend alone together. You’re always so busy.”
“Not really. It’s more like we’re on opposite schedules. Ever since you started working at the restaurant, we don’t get a lot of nights together.”
“True. I had to trade shifts for tonight, but no way would I miss taking my girl to the homecoming game,” he said. “Plus, we needed some special time.”
Tyler nipped the soft flesh behind her ear, sending a shot of pleasure through her body. The hard planes of his body grew harder against her. He shifted, moving one of his hands under her breast, to cup the mound.
Slowly, but persistently, he maneuvered her over until she was lying on her back on his jacket, and he was on top of her. He continued to kiss her, while feeling up her breasts. The banana clip in her hair pressed into the back of her head, and she attempted to either adjust it or ignore it. It would be so easy to get lost in the feel of being with him, but her conscience nagged at her. She didn’t want to get naked out here, under the bleachers at a football game amidst spilled popcorn and dripped soda. When Tyler’s cold fingertips brushed under her bra cups and touched her nipple, she flinched.
She pushed him off, moving his hand. “Tyler! What are you doing?”
“Oh, come on, Janie. My hands are cold, and you have the best warmers around.”
“I don’t think so. You’ll try anything to get into my bra.”
He grumbled something she couldn’t hear. It had been like that the last month. Although they’d been dating steady for almost a year, the more they planned for after graduation, the more persistent he became. It was as if he knew once graduation hit, his chance of getting into her pants would be over.
“Maybe if you’re not going to respect me, you should take me home,” she said.
He stilled above her, rolling onto his side and pulling down her shirt. The absence of his touch left her feeling cold, and afraid for the future. What would it be like when she went away to college, and he did whatever he was going to do … drifted until he landed who knows where? Every time they talked about it, he clammed up. Didn’t want to talk. She’d given up, so many times. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the last few months together before all of that happened.
They had plenty of time to worry about the future.
“Hey, don’t drift away,” she said, running her fingertips along the inside of his pants. The soft cotton left nothing to the imagination, and his parachute popped right up.
The closer she got to the apex of his legs, the more he sucked in his breath. He stared at her, full force, willing her to keep going and touch him. For some reason that didn’t seem as serious as him slipping his hand into her pants.
Placing his hand over hers, he guided her to where he wanted her to be. Beneath her palm, he twitched and she pulled away.
“He’s not going to bite you,” Tyler said. “Won’t you please touch me?”
Although she might say no to sex, she couldn’t fool herself. She lay in bed at night, wondering what he looked like, completely nude. Over his jeans, and sometimes when they kissed, bodies pressed against each other, he felt so hard.
Hell, she was going for it. She slipped her hand under the elastic waistband, and into his boxers. With her fingertips, she lightly brushed the soft skin, and rubbed her thumb over the tip. She was surprised that he was wet. She used the moisture to rub him some more, until he was guiding her motions, pumping him, up and down. She gripped his shaft.
“Harder,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to hurt me. He’s tough, and he likes it when you’re a bit rough.”
She obliged, fisting him harder and harder until he threw his head back and shivered. His cock erupted in thick, white streams of goo that she used to keeping stroking him. His body shuddered and his face flushed.
Afterward, she removed her hand, wiping it in the grass, and lay next to him on his jacket. He kissed her softly on the lips.
“I’ll love you forever, Janie.”
Bright lights flooded the
stadium, and footsteps picked up the pace as the mass exodus began.
“Oh shit,” she said. “The game’s over.” She sat up, removed her clip and then leaned over, letting her hair hang over her face while she fastened it back up. Her parents already suspected the worse. She didn’t need to come home in various stages of undress to prove them right.
After standing up, Tyler reached down to grab her hand and help her up. She bounced up, leaning against him and stealing one more kiss. Her heart thundered. He said he loved her, and she hadn’t said anything in return. She didn’t want to jinx it.
“I love you too.”
* * * *
A MONTH BEFORE HIGH school graduation, and to Janie’s surprise, he’d enlisted in the Army as his ticket out of town. Tyler didn’t even walk during the ceremony. He shipped out to basic training a few days before, and Janie went on to college – free to date whomever she chose. No one ever lived up the high heat of young love. Over the years, their paths had crossed more than a few times, and now he sat here in front of her.
Tyler stretched his arms across the black vinyl seat, checking out the comings and goings, and not responding to her statement on how they’ve changed. “So, you look good,” he said. “I swear, you haven’t aged a day.”
“Me?” she said. She kept her red hair long, about mid-back, and she knew time passed easily on her olive-toned skin. “Look who’s talking?”
She focused on his beautiful mouth, the cupid’s bow on top and plump lower lip. What she wouldn’t do to suck that delectable mouth? Pushing down the urge she focused on something else. It wasn’t the time or the place. She needed to keep the cravings under control until she could let her desires out. If she climbed on top of him right now, she might not be able to stop.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked, leaning into her and knocking her with his shoulder.
Come Undone: Romance Stories Inspired by the Music of Duran Duran Page 21