Songbird Caged

by Lisa Edward

He smiled. It was the same smile I had seen from Cole a thousand times. “Please, Tara, call me Victor.”

  I beamed at him, feeling like I already knew him.

  “So, you’ve met my dad?” He was asking me, but looking at Cole, eyebrows raised. I didn’t know if I should answer or leave it to Cole.

  “I took Tara to meet Pops the other week. We had lunch there. In fact—” He squeezed me to him. “—we’ll be going there again when we get back to Melbourne.”

  His mother was giving me her best intimidating glare, shooting daggers at me the entire time we were talking.

  “You know, Victor, Prue was so upset you had to leave before her birthday. I’ve invited her and her family over for dinner next Saturday night. Of course, you’ll be attending. You don’t want to start your marriage on the wrong foot.”

  I think she attempted to smile, but it came across as a sneer. Yes, I knew Cole was supposedly promised to Prue, so if she was expecting me to get upset and run out, she would be sadly disappointed.

  “Well, Mum, I play with the band on a Saturday night. We go on at around nine pm, but I guess if you can make it an early dinner then sure, we’d love to come.” He turned to me. “Wouldn’t we, Tara?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. He wasn’t going down without a fight. My eyes darted to Cole’s dad. He had that cheeky expression that Cole pulls when he knows he shouldn’t laugh at something that’s really funny.

  “Yes, that would be great, thank you for inviting me, Mrs Michaels.”

  The chimes rang and the lights dimmed on and off, indicating it was time to take our seats. We let Cole’s parents choose their positions before we took up ours. As it turned out, they preferred the back row, which was fine with me. It meant I could lean over the balcony, and do some more people-watching.

  Cole looked a little bored, being unfamiliar with the opera and unable to understand what they were saying. I leaned over and started explaining who the main characters were, and giving him a brief outline of what they were saying. That piqued his interest.

  The opera was about a wealthy man named Ricardo, who falls in love with a poor peasant girl named Isabella. They have a beautiful love affair, but the man is destined for another, so eventually has to leave his true love to be with someone he has no feelings for.

  Cole listened intently as I explained the storyline. “Don’t go getting any ideas. Our story is not like this.” He reached over, taking my hand that was resting in my lap.

  I heard his mother clear her throat. The frost coming off her made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  Cole raised my hand to his lips kissing each finger. Then he wrapped his full lips around two fingers and sucked, the way he had last night.

  I exhaled a ragged breath as memories came flooding back to my mind. Closing my eyes, I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, remembering how he had tasted.

  “I can’t stop thinking about last night,” he whispered, his hot breath in my ear giving me goose bumps. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever tasted. I want to taste you again. Only this time, I want to cut out the middle man.”

  I moaned softly, the thought of his mouth directly on me was making that ache in my body grow stronger.

  People were applauding, which snapped me out of my fantasy. The lights were coming back on for intermission.

  I felt flushed, and quickly tried to fan myself to cool off. Cole was watching me, cool, calm and collected as always, with an innocent grin on his face. Thankfully, his parents had already left the box so we were alone.

  “What do you mean I’m the only girl you’ve tasted?” I asked as soon as I knew there was no one else around. “All those hundreds of girls you’ve been with? I can’t be the first.”

  He screwed up his face. “Do you really think I would go down there with my mouth?” he asked in disbelief. “Babe, you know I always use protection, so if I wouldn’t touch a girl with my dick without a condom, why would I put my mouth there?”

  I stopped for a moment. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?

  “So, you don’t go down on all the girls you sleep with? Really?”

  “God, no! I’m in and out as quick as possible, I’m not there to make a love connection!”

  I bit my lip to stop the laugh that was threatening.

  “Wow, my opinion of you as a potential lover has just gone way down,” I teased.

  “Do you think of me as a potential lover?” he queried with raised eyebrow.

  “Well, not anymore I don’t.”

  He smirked at me. “How many times do I have to tell you, you’re my exception? I would willingly kiss and lick every single inch of your body if you would let me.” He rested his forehead against mine. “Over—and over—and over again.”

  He was nibbling my ear when his parents came back into the box. His dad handed us a glass of champagne each, giving Cole a sly wink in the process.

  My favourite aria was coming up, and I leaned into Cole to tell him. It was a piece where Isabella sings to Ricardo, begging him not to leave her.

  “Can you translate what they’re saying for me?” he asked, wanting to know why I loved it so much.

  I leaned over so I could whisper without disturbing his parents.

  Oh my darling, senza di te non c’e luce

  Oh my darling, without you there is no light

  Darkness fills my life like there is only night

  But the stars have abandoned me

  The moon does not shine

  I live to feel your touch, your tender kiss

  But your arms are not all that I will miss

  Your smile, your voice breathes life into me

  You are forever my true love

  Mentre il tempo passera, i pezzi vuoti del moi cuore

  As time shall pass, the empty pieces of my heart

  Will follow you, for if you go you take them with you

  My body aches at the thought of your touch

  Please don’t leave me here alone

  Tu sei sempre il moi vero amore

  You are forever my true love

  Tu sei sempre il moi vero amore

  You are forever my true love

  I had been whispering in Cole’s ear through the entire aria. When it was over I leaned back a little so I could read the expression on his face. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me back over to him.

  “Tu sei sempre il moi vero amore,” he said in extremely bad Italian. But it was the most wonderful Italian I had ever heard. I rested my head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck.

  The finale was a lively vibrant piece and we sat up and watched excitedly. He was still gripping my hand in his lap, occasionally lifting it to his lips to kiss my palm or fingers.

  “You’re my Isabella,” he whispered with a cheeky grin. “Only I think I’ll call you Isa-booba in that dress.”

  I laughed. “Oh very funny, Ricardo, or should I say, Dick-hardo?”

  He threw his head back and laughed out loud before his mother gave him one of the icy stares she’d been throwing my way all evening.

  Boy! It must have been fun growing up in that household.

  We said goodbye to his mother. I knew she didn’t like me, so I decided not to care. Cole had already warned me that she was a tough old bird, but whether she liked me or not it wouldn’t matter, he would still love me. I smiled as I remembered how awkward that moment had been when he’d tried to back pedal.

  I told her it was an absolute pleasure meeting her, and I was looking forward to having dinner with them next weekend for Prue’s birthday. She glared at me. I sweetly smiled back.

  Cole’s dad was much warmer towards me. He shook my hand, giving it a little squeeze, and said it was lovely to meet me. He seemed genuine.

  Then he turned to Cole, and gave him a hug. “See you next weekend, Dick-hardo,” he scoffed in Cole’s ear before giving a hearty laugh that mimicked Cole’s to a tee.

  LAYING BACK on t
he bed, still fully-dressed, I reminisced about the evening. The opera had been wonderful, and I had instantly liked Cole’s dad, especially at the end when he called him Dick-hardo—classic!

  His mum was a total bitch, and would be a problem. At least now I understood why redheaded girls were completely off his radar. They probably reminded him of his mother!

  Rolling onto my side, I propped myself up on my elbow, enjoying the scene playing out in front of me as Cole undressed. He’d kicked his shoes off. His jacket, bowtie and shirt had been tossed over the back of a chair. He was just unbuttoning his pants when he raised his eyes.

  “You are so totally checking me out right now, it’s not even subtle,” he teased with a massive grin on his face. “Would you like me to turn around for you, maybe strike a pose?”

  “Yes please, maybe flex those biceps a little,” I replied with a straight face.

  He jokingly gave me his best bodybuilder bicep pose, and I swooned in response, as any damsel would do in an old black-and-white movie.

  He unzipped his pants and dropped them to the floor. “I’ve got another muscle I’d like to flex for you,” he joked as he hooked his thumbs into his boxers.

  I held my hands up to stop him. “No, you can’t just walk around naked in front of me. Leave them on.”

  “You’ve already seen everything, and you said you liked it. Are you worried you won’t be able to control yourself?” He gave me a wink. “That’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to control yourself. In fact, I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

  He held out his hand to help me stand, and then turned me around so he could access the zip on my dress. He slid it down slowly, letting the dress fall to the ground, pooling around my feet.

  I stepped out, but stayed facing away from him. My heart-rate quickened as his hands ran lovingly across my bare shoulders, and down my arms, until he was holding my hands. One hand laced with mine, the other, lightly holding the fingers that were escaping from the end of the plaster.

  His lips lightly brushed against my neck, and I allowed my head to tilt to one side as my eyes closed. He let go of the fingers on my left hand, and ever so slowly ran his hand from my hip, up over the bustier, to just below my breast.

  He nipped at my earlobe as his hand cupped my breast and squeezed lightly.

  He was taking his time, knowing if he moved too fast I would put a stop to it. I knew I should put a stop to it now, but the warmth of his breath on my neck, the heat radiating through my body rendered me unable to speak or move. All I wanted was to keep my eyes closed, and feel his touch.

  “Is this okay?” he whispered.

  “Uh-huh,” I murmured.

  He reached down and snapped the suspenders undone at the back in one move. He pressed up against me, and I inhaled sharply. I could feel how hard he was already, the piercing pressing up against me. I turned to face him.

  “Kiss me,” he murmured.

  His face was so close to mine, I could feel his lips brush against my cheek as he spoke.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why? Don’t you like my lips?”

  I closed my eyes, and inhaled his scent again. “I love your lips.”

  I pulled my head away from his so I could look into his eyes.

  “They’re full. Seductive. Soft.” I ran my fingertips gently along his lower lip. “I love the curve of them when you smile at me.”

  He ran the tip of his tongue along his lower lip where my fingers had just been, leaving it moist.

  “I love the sound that comes out of them when you talk or when you sing. That deep, gravelly voice of yours, it’s so sexy.”

  “So why won’t you kiss me?”

  I looked up into his eyes again. He was gazing at me so intently that I couldn’t look away. How did I tell him that if I kissed his lips, I would never be able to go back? A simple kiss on the cheek would never be enough once I had fully tasted him.

  I couldn’t tell him.

  “Because a kiss doesn’t mean anything to you. You pull girls up on stage all the time and kiss them. You kiss girls when you don’t even know their names. It doesn’t mean anything to you, but it means something to me.”

  “That’s not true.” His lips brushed my cheek again. “Just holding your hand means more to me than sex with someone else. Kissing you would mean everything.” He brushed his lips against my cheek. “Kissing your lips, your body … I want to kiss all of you, everywhere.”

  I groaned softly and closed my eyes, the thought filling my head and igniting my body. How long had it been since anyone had touched me in that way? How long had I wanted Cole to be the one?

  Cole’s lips found my forehead, and kissed it gently. He trailed soft kisses down my nose to the tip, then moved to my neck. He sucked languidly on my earlobe, and nipped tenderly along my jaw until his lips were brushing against mine.

  “Kiss me—please,” he murmured once more.

  I could feel his breath blending with mine. I partially opened my eyes, just enough to see his lips. They were parted and poised, only a hair’s breadth away from mine.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. Leaning forward, I ever so gently brushed my parted lips to his. He exhaled raggedly but stayed still, letting me take control.

  I brushed against his lips again, holding it a fraction longer. He moaned, but still stayed perfectly still. Then the tip of his tongue ran along his bottom lip, and I lost it.

  I stepped into him, ran my hands up into his hair, and my lips were on his. As soon as he realised I had given in his hands were on me, pulling me closer so our bodies were meshed together.

  His kiss was passionate, urgent, like he couldn’t get enough. He sucked on my bottom lip before plunging back in for another taste. He moved his kisses to my throat, not soft as they had always been, but fervent and needy.

  “I want you. Fuck, I want you, Tara,” he moaned as his lips found mine again. This time, they stayed there as his tongue searched out my own.

  I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. All I knew was that I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anyone in my life.

  The back of my legs hit the edge of the bed, and I realised my feet were off the floor and he was carrying me. Then we were on the bed, all the while our lips never parting.

  Cole ran his hand down the side of my body as he scissored one leg in between mine. I pushed up against his thigh and he pushed back, rubbing against me. I moaned into his mouth before pulling away, trying to catch my breath.

  “You can tell me to stop,” he breathed into my neck. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” I said without hesitation. “But we can’t have sex, okay?”

  He nodded, his eyes huge and black, searching my face. “Okay.”

  He manoeuvred himself in between my legs and found my lips again. I could feel his hard body pressing against mine as he licked down my neck to my chest before finding one hard nipple under the fabric of my bustier. He nipped with sheathed teeth, and I moaned. Then he bit down lightly, making me buck up underneath him at the sensation.

  He was moving his mouth down further, licking my stomach and along the edge of my thong. His focus was still heading south, and although I wanted him to, I knew I couldn’t.

  I ran my hand through his hair. “Not that,” I whimpered. “Underwear stays on.”

  He never missed a beat as his kisses outlined my thong, but never touched the delicate fabric.

  My body was on fire, and I unashamedly didn’t hold back. Cole was just as heated. He worked his way back up until I could feel him pressed hard between my legs. He moved up subtly, and the hard titanium balls of his piercing rubbed against me, making me shudder. He stopped and looked at my face, then did it again, this time deliberately.

  I exhaled as my body trembled. His eyes widened as he realised just the smallest of movements was having such an impact.

  “Could you come like this?” he asked, as he rubbed himself against the thin fabric once more.

  “Yes, oh God
…” He had done it again, and I was barely holding on.

  “I want you to come. I want to make you come,” he said longingly.

  He pressed his lips to mine again as his momentum increased.

  I couldn’t believe the sensation of the little metal balls rubbing just in my most sensitive spot. His breathing was increasing to match mine.

  “Could you come?” I breathed.

  He had buried his face in my neck for a moment. “Any minute now,” he growled into my ear. “Just feeling you underneath me …” He raised his head, his gaze holding mine. “It feels so unbelievable, Tara.” His hand squeezed my hip bone, kneading my flesh.

  I could see from the look in his eyes that he was close, but he was trying to hold on. His breath against my cheek was shallow, but he stayed looking deep into my eyes.

  My hand ran down his muscular back until it found his ass. I could feel him clenching as he rubbed against me, and I gripped tight, wanting to push him further into me.

  His hand ran up the side of my body and cupped my breast, then guided it into his mouth where he once again bit down lightly. With a slight shift in position, he ran his hands under my hips, and lifted them higher to meet him.

  That was it, I couldn’t wait. I ran my fingers into his damp hair, directing his swollen lips back to mine. My body was bucking under his, every stroke driving me further towards ecstasy. With one final thrust, my body shuddered, and I let out a guttural sound as my muscles went into spasm. I fisted his hair as my legs gripped around his hips.

  “Oh God, Tara.” He was looking down at me with absolute awe. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.

  Cole’s body tensed as he grunted his release, his eyes never leaving my face before he relaxed, totally breathless.

  We lay there, quietly trying to catch our breaths, Cole’s weight still pressing down on me.

  “Fuck me,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Not quite,” I said, smiling.

  He rolled off to lie beside me, and wiped his hand over his stomach. I looked down at mine, the fluid already going cold now that his body wasn’t pressing against mine providing heat. He jumped up and went into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a towel and a huge cheesy grin plastered on his face.