by Meg Buchanan
“Really?” Natalia could put a lot of sarcasm into one word.
“Yes, really. People find me completely acceptable. I’ll bring her a present. I’ll say, Hi, I’m Noah. I’m your mother’s boyfriend.”
Natalia laughed then stood. “And what will my Eva say in this scenario?”
“Hi, Noah. It’s lovely to finally meet you.”
Another scornful noise from Natalia. “No, I suspect that is not what she’d say.” She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The satin of her gown slid against the fine cotton of his shirt. “But we’re not going to find out, because you will stay away like I ask. I won’t allow anything to come between me and my daughter. Even you.”
“Come between you? Why would I come between you?”
“Because you are twenty years younger than I am, and I love her too much to let her find out about you.”
He turned in her arms, so he could see her face. His plans for the holidays had tumbled down around the breakfast table, so he hit out.
“Love her! You never see her! She lives in New York!” he shouted. If he’d thought about it, how could Natalia live here and let her little girl live so far away?
Natalia dropped her arms and stepped back. “Don’t be hurt, Noah. My Eva is a virtuoso. I needed to find her a violin teacher who could develop her talent. The teacher I found lived in New York. A sacrifice I made so she could reach her potential. I love her so much, I will allow nothing to spoil the bond I have with her. Even you, Sweet Boy.”
Common sense won. He couldn’t fight a mother’s love for her child because he wanted to fuck. He’d do as she asked. “When exactly is she coming? When am I banished?”
“She will arrive here on Saturday. You will leave on Friday.” Natalia’s pronouncement sounded final.
“But then we’ll only have six nights together.”
Natalia nodded.
Chapter Three
He walked to Luke’s father’s factory to pick up his car. He couldn’t believe Natalia wanted him to stay away for six months. How was that right? He saw Luke’s car there too. Either Luke worked this morning and had started bloody early, or he didn’t want anyone to know where he spent the night either.
Luke came walking around the corner just as Noah unlocked his car door and put the guitar and violin in the back seat. They were the same age and much the same height, but Luke was blond and skinny.
“Where were you last night?” Noah asked. Tessa, Luke’s girlfriend, was his flatmate, and he knew Tessa was still in Hamilton. She had some internship to do during the holidays and wouldn’t be home. He liked Tessa, and she wasn’t just Luke’s girlfriend. They were engaged. And Luke had been cheating on her for at least six months from what he’d seen.
Luke fished in his pocket for the keys. “I could ask you the same question.” Okay, Luke had a point. None of his business. He got in the car. Nobody knew anything about this thing with Natalia, and he’d keep it that way.
“See you at Isaac’s in an hour or so,” he said.
“Yeah.” Luke finally found his keys.
At his parents’ house, everything seemed to be pretty much as he’d expected. They were due to fly out of Auckland at four in the afternoon. Working backwards, if they got to the airport two hours before their flight, allowing two hours for the drive there and a bit of time just in case, they should be planning on leaving the house in about three hours. But that wasn’t going to happen. With his mother’s obsessive fear of being late, his parents would be leaving soon.
Two suitcases were open on the couch in the lounge and looked almost packed. His mother came out of the laundry.
Her face lit up. “You’re here, darling. I hoped you’d make it before we had to leave.” She had a pile of freshly ironed shirts in her arms, so her hug felt awkward. “Your father says he won’t need these, but I think he should take them, don’t you Noah? Tell him he’ll need to look tidy when we are travelling around Italy in the bus.”
His father wandered into the kitchen and started getting cups out. “I’ve packed enough clothes. I’m sure there are laundries in the hotels.” He had the jug boiling. “Besides, I wear a shirt and tie to work. I don’t see why I should do it on holiday.” He looked up as Noah came into the kitchen. “Do you want to have a cuppa with us before we leave?”
“Nah, just had coffee.”
“How did the clubbing go?” His father poured boiling water over the teabags.
“It was good.” He got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it from the tap. Lies, endless lies. After Eva had gone, he’d make sure a few things changed. “I’ve just called in to say goodbye. I’m going around to Isaac’s soon.” Through the door to the lounge, he saw his mother put the shirts into one of the suitcases. It looked like his father would be tidy on the bus whether he liked it or not.
His mother came into the kitchen. “Will you be all right on your own while we’re away, sweetie?” His mother had always called him sweetie. Not a lot different to dear Sweet Boy. He’d have to get the females in his life to call him something manlier.
“I’m sure I’ll manage, Mum. You two got your passports?”
His father tapped his shirt pocket, and his mother checked her handbag.
They had their cup of tea. While he sat with them, he studied his mother, as different from Natalia as the houses the two women lived in. His parents’ house open and modern, a huge light-filled box with pale grey walls and soft carpet. Natalia’s house like a womb. Dark and filled with rich fabrics and dark timber, embroidered tasselled shawls draped over light-shades and velvet rugs thrown over the backs of chairs. And his mum, always calm and happy, open and affectionate, not strung up so tight she needed careful handling like Natalia.
But Natalia made up for that in passion. And she knew a lot more about fucking than he did. And she was exciting and beautiful.
But now he couldn’t be with her. She’d banished him. It didn’t seem fair during his holidays when he wanted to be with her so much.
After their cup of tea, his mum and dad shut the suitcases, loaded them in the car, and left about two hours earlier than they needed to by his calculations. That was the way it always was going to go.
He watched as his father backed carefully out of the driveway then headed for Isaac’s.
At Isaac’s place, Noah grabbed his guitar and the violin and went to the back door, found it open, and went inside. The house looked about the same as his flat, a bit worn and pretty messy.
In the lounge, Isaac hovered over the laptop. “Where’s Adam?” he asked.
“He texted. He’s driving over from Hamilton. He’s almost here. Luke’s on his way too.”
Isaac had set the laptop up on the sideboard. “Only the five of us today. Jess had to work.”
“Something on?” Cole was already here and on the couch.
“Yeah, a game of rugby at the college.” Isaac looked as nervous as he did the first time he’d let them listen to the songs he’d written. “Her boss rang and asked her to do an article about it.” Isaac shrugged “I don’t know what the hell he thinks my wife would know about rugby.”
Noah joined Cole on the couch. Then Luke and Adam came into the lounge carrying their guitars.
Luke put his down and leaned against the doorframe. “I’ve got an announcement.” He always liked to make an entrance.
“Yeah?” Cole leaned forward, elbows on knees, and linked his fingers.
“Harry rang. He wants us to play at the pub every Saturday from now on, not just during the term. And Fridays as well.”
“How come?” Adam sat on the only unoccupied chair, put his guitar case on the floor and opened it.
“The crowds are so big when we’re there, he wants to cash in on it. He thinks they’ll come if we’re playing.”
“Is he going to start paying us a bit more?” The accountant’s son in him had made Noah ask. They’d all play at the pub even if they weren’t getting paid.
Lu
ke nodded. “He’s willing to double the money.”
“But he’s just more than doubled the hours.” Cole tapped his fingers together.
“Yeah,” said Luke. “So, he’ll be paying us five times what he’s paying now.”
Adam puffed out a breath. “Amazing. Are we going to do it?”
Luke shrugged. “I’m keen.”
Everyone nodded except Isaac. “We’d be in Hamilton all weekend, every weekend?” he asked.
Luke nodded. “Yeah, you’d have to stay Friday nights at least.”
“You could stay at the flat,” offered Noah. He looked at Adam. Adam nodded. “Jess could come with you if she wanted to.” He guessed Isaac couldn’t use the same technique for getting a bed Cole did. Cole never seemed to have any trouble finding somewhere to sleep on Saturday nights.
“Okay,” said Isaac.
Luke stretched and yawned. “We agreed? I’ll let Harry know we’ll do it?”
“Agreed.” Isaac turned back to the laptop. “Now, let’s see what you think of this.” He hit play. He’d only been back playing with Stadium for a few weeks, and this was the first number he’d written for close to a year. The old numbers had been great. They still made up most of Stadium’s repertoire. Hopefully, this one would be as good.
Luke settled on the floor by the door and leaned against the wall.
The introduction started with the screech of a violin then flowed into a mashup of spoken prose, sung lyrics, guitar, everything.
The track seemed to move seamlessly through every music style, classical, jazz, hip hop, then he’d invented a few as well. Brilliant.
“Jesus, Isaac,” said Luke when it had finished. “How are we meant to play that in a pub?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“Of course. I like it. It’s stunning.” Luke looked around the room and got nods of agreement.
“What’s it called?” asked Cole.
“’Train-Wreck’.”
Luke scratched his cheek. “But it’s nothing like the stuff we’re doing. Nothing like what you wrote before…” he trailed off like he’d been going to say, ‘before Isabelle died’, but thought better of it. Neither Isaac nor Jess ever mentioned their little girl who died, so no one else did either. Instead, Luke said, “Wrote last year.”
Isaac shrugged. “I thought I’d try something different.” he said quietly. He’d always been reserved, but now he seemed a shadow of himself.
Noah filled in the silence. “It sounded amazing, Zac. I think we should try it.” Natalia thought Isaac was the best musician in Stadium. When she told him, it had pissed him off, but Natalia had laughed. ‘Isaac came here for violin lessons, Sweet Boy,’ she’d said. ‘And he practiced.’
She might have had a point. It was a wonder he ever learned to play. Lucky for the first couple of years he went to her house, she actually gave him lessons for the whole hour.
“Yeah, nobody thought ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ would fly when Queen recorded it,” said Cole.
Isaac snorted. “It’s hardly ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.”
“Close.” Adam played a few chords. “Have you got the score, Zac?”
Isaac nodded and picked up a sheaf of papers lying beside the laptop on the sideboard. He handed them out. Collins, their old music teacher from school helped Isaac with the song writing, so he must have seen something in Isaac too. Maybe Isaac was as good as Collins and Natalya thought. Why the hell did he work for Luke’s dad building and doing joinery?
They all got to work and tried to figure out how to play this thing Zac had written. The guitar, the keyboard, and Luke trying out the lyrics made a clash of sounds.
Noah had a go at the violin part. He drew the bow across the strings. The chaotic noise in the room reflected how he felt. How could Natalia still want to keep him a secret? She shouldn’t still be ashamed of him. They’d been together five years.
His fingers danced on the neck of the violin, the bow on the strings. Isaac’s melody wailed out in sync with his thoughts.
He’d let her get away with making the rules for too long. She really thought she could control him.
The anger he felt at her consumed him. He’d been too submissive. He’d take control. He needed to be a man. By the end of the afternoon, he’d decided he’d show her she couldn’t treat him this badly. He’d teach her to respect him.
Chapter Four
He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell the way Natalia insisted he did if he came to see her during the day. He always had to act as if he had come for a lesson. He’d obey that rule until she let him inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to watch the traffic go down the street. But it would be him making the rules the moment he got through the door.
From inside, he heard high heels on the wooden floor and then the door handle rattle.
Natalia appeared, as beautiful and as perfect as she had been when he started coming here at thirteen. Dressed now, midnight hair pulled back into a sleek bun, red lipstick, the plain black sleeveless dress she wore in summer. It skimmed her body and finished at her knees. Fine black silk stockings and today the fine red shoes with the heels as high as skyscrapers.
“Noah?” she asked puzzled. “I said not to come back until this evening.”
He nodded. “I want to talk.” He could hear the rumble of anger in his voice. How dare she dismiss him so casually just because her daughter was coming to stay?
She must have heard the anger too. She stepped back from the doorway. “You can come in for a moment. I have another student coming soon.”
He stepped inside. And when she shut the door behind him he pushed her against the wall hard and kissed her. Rougher than he’d usually be with her. When he finally felt her kiss him back, he hoisted her up and her legs curled around his waist. Her skirt hiked up over her thighs. Her arms tightened around his shoulders.
He felt his anger slowly recede. He wouldn’t go through with his plan after all. This is why he really came here, to make love to her again. She broke off the kiss and leaned her head back against the wall.
“You are breaking all my rules, Noah. You can’t come here during the day.”
His anger seeped in again. Fuck her rules. He’d make the rules this time. She still wanted him to be a guilty secret when he’d loved her for years. He’d stick to the plan to punish her. She deserved it.
He lowered her until her feet touched the floor again, stepped back, and watched her catch her balance.
“Kneel,” he ordered abruptly.
“Noah?” she looked puzzled.
He stepped forward again, put his fingers under her chin.
“Dear. Sweet. Boy,” he corrected. He emphasised each word. “Now kneel,” he ordered again.
She stood there, still puzzled, watching him. He put his hands on his belt and started to undo the buckle. Maybe she’d play along. She liked role-play, but usually only when she started it.
He pulled the belt out of the loops and folded it. Held the buckle and end in one hand and slapped the fold against his palm.
She looked at her watch. “Noah, I have another student in half an hour.”
He stepped back to the door, reached out and locked it, then undid the button on his jeans. “I’m sure you can satisfy me in thirty minutes. If you can’t, they can wait.”
She looked at the locked door, then back at him. “You’re angry?”
“Just do it,” he ordered. “Kneel.”
She studied him as he started on his zip. Then a slow lazy smile tugged at the corners of her lips. So sexy.
Instead of kneeling, she looked a challenge at him, then slid her hands downwards over her dress. It looked like she’d decided to play along.
She held the black linen, and slowly lifted the hem, so it slid up the silk clad thighs. “Is this what you came back for, Noah?”
“Dear. Sweet. Boy,” he corrected again.
She nodded. “My dear, Sweet Boy.” Better.
She lifted her
skirt higher. First, she revealed stocking tops, where the suspenders held the stockings, then the creamy white thighs, then the sleek nakedness where she kept the hair removed. She never wore panties. He’d asked her about that. She said it made her feel sexy. She slowly raised the hem of her dress until he could see the suspenders, her bare stomach, her hips and waist.
She moved her feet out a little, so her legs were apart still holding the dress up with one hand. She licked the fingers of the other, slid then her hands with the long red painted fingernails down her body and between her legs, and stroked herself.
He stayed impassive and watched.
Finally, with a move as graceful as a dancer’s, she pulled the dress over her head, revealing the black bra, her long slender neck, her beautiful face framed by the sleekly pulled back hair.
She dropped the dress to the ground and took the pins out of her hair. As it unfurled, she ran her fingers through the soft strands and tipped her head back, her hair settling in soft raven black curls on her shoulders. Then she stood in front of him better than naked.
He wanted to touch the softness of the silk stockings, the way she’d always let him, stroke the smoothness of her skin, slide his fingers between her legs the way she had, and feel the wetness he knew had to be there by now.
But that wasn’t the way it would be today. He slid the belt over the palm of his hand again. He had other plans.
He nodded at her. “Turn and brace yourself against the wall.”
She smiled again and turned, then, legs straight and still apart, she bent at the waist and leaned against the wall, so he could see all the secret places of her.
“What do you want now, Sweet Boy?” He could hear the smile in her voice. She wasn’t taking this seriously enough. She still thought she could control him. She thought he’d fuck her. She thought that’s what he’d come for. But he came to punish her for not caring enough, and that’s what he’d do.
“The shoes.” He nodded at them.