by Sol Crafter, Diana Sheridan, Talya Andor, Lacie J. Archer, Angel Propps
"Don't take it personally. You really do look a lot like Lila, and she stole Dee right out from under Olivia's nose. Now, let's stop gossiping and get to work."
Kara headed for the vocal booth, and as she positioned herself in front of the mic, she caught Dee looking at her with a strangely yearning expression on her face. Something about Dee called to her. It was such a strong sexual attraction, but it was more, too. There was something there that was beyond anything she had ever felt before.
*~*~*
She was falling. The ground was rushing closer, and the smell of hot tar and asphalt was terribly vivid. She could see the building as the floors sped past and she tried to reach out, but there was nothing to hold onto.
The ground was hard; incredibly, unbearably hard. Something jabbed into her, tore away flesh, and her head hit with a crack that made a blinding white light appear in front of her eyes for a moment. Then it cleared and she could see the balcony again and the shine of the moonlight on the strings …
Kara sat bolt upright. Her hands came out helplessly and she felt her own flesh, desperate to ascertain that she was whole and unharmed. Sobs exploded from her mouth, so violent that they caused her chest to ache. Her limbs felt weak and rubbery, and her mouth was horribly dry.
The hotel room was tiny. Regret had set her up in it as part of the agreement with the label and Kara really liked it. It was situated in the heart of the Village, and the whole place had a quaint old world charm, right down to the shared bathrooms on every floor. She went to the sink that sat in the corner of her room, drew water for a cup of tea and huddled into the room's small chair while she waited for it to brew. Weak gray light filtered around the blind, letting her know it was nearly dawn, and she sighed and buried her face in her hands as an aching loneliness threatened to overwhelm her.
*~*~*
They were five weeks into recording the album and the atmosphere was one of eager anticipation. Everyone had a good feeling about the record, and it was no wonder. The songs were incredible. Kara had managed to pull off blending pop-punk hooks and riffs with heavy metal style solos, thanks in no small part to a bassist and drummer who had been working together for years and who could slide effortlessly into the pocket, staying locked together in perfect time no matter what Kara laid on top of their grooves. She also had a fantastic rhythm guitarist and a co-lead player who really understood what it was she was going for.
And Dee added the final touches that made it all magical. Kara stood behind Dee, listening to her latest mix–down and trying not to smell the masculine cologne that rose up from her skin. She was failing miserably at that last, however.
The studio was empty but for the two of them. Everyone else had gone home for the day, and Kara was wracking her brain trying to think of something to say to Dee. The attraction that she had felt for her from the moment they had met had grown stronger throughout the long twelve hour workdays. It had become nearly unbearable. Kara knew it was not one-sided; Dee would often touch her in small ways, flicking a finger across her wrist or against the skin of her waist in passing. There was always a sense of breathless waiting between them, and she was ready for it to become more.
"So you are going to be doing a promo tour, I hear," Dee said.
"Yes, Regret booked me for six weeks out with …" She named a popular female artist and Dee nodded approvingly. "It should help boost sales when the record drops, and we will be doing some singles as digital downloads beforehand, too."
"The way the business is these days, you have to run ahead of the record," Dee replied and then she turned her chair around.
The abrupt movement took Kara by surprise. Her breasts were at Dee's eye level, and Dee's knees were pressed into hers. For one second, time stood still. Then the desire between them erupted.
Dee stood up. Her hands traveled up the curve of Kara's waist, and then she pressed her close. Kara tilted her pelvis forward, her eyes closing even as her lips parted. Their mouths met and meshed; their tongues twisted together and then separated. Heat bloomed and spread through Kara's belly as Dee tilted her head to one side a bit roughly and began to bite and kiss the soft skin of her neck.
Their clothes hit the floor as they half walked, half fell over to the long leather sofa. Kara felt herself being wedged down into the softness of it, and she responded by moaning and arching her hips upward as Dee's tongue skated across her sensitive pink nipples. Heat enclosed the light pink buds as Dee began to suckle and tease them, her tongue and teeth causing sensations of mild pain that were instantly wiped away by the lust that was rushing through Kara.
Dee slid lower and Kara gripped her hair, her nails digging into Dee's scalp slightly as she laid fiery trails across her belly and then parted her legs. Dee licked softly at the seam of Kara's pussy, opening it, and then she held open the thin fold of labia, licking them as well before turning her attention to the hardened bud of her clit.
Kara moaned and began to arch her hips faster, grinding her mound against Dee's mouth. A finger slid inside her, then two. Kara jerked forward and began to sob as friction and heat built and built. Her legs shook and her body went rigid as an orgasm crashed through her. Fluids dripped and ran from her, soaking the leather below her.
Her moans eventually stopped and Dee climbed up to her, holding her close in her muscular arms. They lay there for a few minutes, kissing occasionally and murmuring small words. Kara tried to touch Dee more intimately, placing one hand on her breast, but Dee caught her hand and kissed her fingers.
"Not this time," she said softly. "You can do that another day. Today is just for you."
"I am glad you finally decided you like me," Kara teased.
Dee did not have time to answer that. The door crashed open, and Olivia stared down at them. Hatred spewed from her eyes and she spat out, "I would have thought you would have learned your lesson about fucking rock stars by now, Dee. Maybe you want her to end up dead, too!"
Kara lay frozen in fear as Dee stood up and said in a tight voice, "Go home, Olivia, and mind your own business."
Olivia slammed out, and Dee helped Kara to her feet. Neither of them spoke as they dressed hastily and cleaned up the sofa. Dee did walk her home, however, and when they stood in front of Kara's building, she gave her a long and lingering kiss before walking away.
Kara stared after her, feeling frightened and alone. With a sigh, she went into the front door of the hotel, but even in the heated hallways, she still felt very cold and alone.
*~*~*
The next day Kara was walking to the studio when a form rushed out of the alley and grabbed her. Terror flooded through her as the black clad figure shoved her against a wall and then slammed her face into the bricks.
Blood trickled down from a cut in her forehead and into her right eye. Her body slammed into the wall, making her chest feel like it was caving in. The adrenaline from fear kicked in, and she fought back suddenly, her hands coming out and grabbing at the knitted cap her attacker wore over their face. There was a muffled screech that had an unmistakable feminine ring to it, and then the weight was gone.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" a man shouted, and the attacker fled. Kara could hear their footsteps pounding away.
Kara sagged to the filthy ground, the knees of her jeans landing on cigarette butts and an old flattened food carton. Tears poured down her face, and when the young man with the sedate business suit bent over her, asking if she was all right, she could barely manage a shaky yes. He helped her out of the alley and into a cab, and when she arrived at the studio, she staggered in, fell across the sofa and began weeping in earnest.
Dee helped her to sit up, and one of the band members brought her water. Regret came in a few minutes later wearing a pissed off look on her face, but when she saw Kara, her expression immediately became one of concern.
"What happened?" she asked.
"She was mugged," Dee said, and Regret narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
Olivia walked in. Kara stared at
her; she wore a pair of black jeans and a black hoodie as well as her typical boots. Could she have attacked me? Kara wondered, recalling the outburst of the night before. Regret said Olivia was pissed at Lila because she stole Dee; could she have …
Could she have pushed her off the balcony?
That thought made her skin crawl, and so she shoved it away ruthlessly.
The attack began to fade as other thoughts crowded in. The feel of Dee's hands on her flesh, the way her cologne smelled. After she had regained her composure a bit, she stood up and went to the booth. That day they were working in some harmonies, and even though her voice was focused on the task at hand, her mind was not. She kept looking over at Olivia and then at Dee, unable to stop herself from wondering.
*~*~*
That night, Dee walked her home. Out in the sharp air and the hustle and bustle of the crowds, the event of the morning seemed to have happened a million years in the past, and her thoughts about Olivia seemed outlandish and even silly.
"Are you hungry?"
Kara nodded and buried her hands deeper in her coat's pockets. In truth, she had wanted to speak to Dee all day, but there had been a feeling of tension and discomfort between them all day. She was grateful it seemed to be dissipating finally.
They went into a crowded little diner, took a booth and ordered huge breakfasts. Dee took a long sip of her coffee before speaking. "Olivia, Regret, Lila and I were all members of a rock band back in the very early eighties. I was sixteen then." A smile crossed her lips at the memory. "I won't give you all the gory details, but basically we were a bunch of talented people being used by some very bad people to make money, and we usually had nobody to count on but ourselves.
"The label sent us to Japan for a year. We were all originally from LA, so being so far from home was hard. Olivia was my first girlfriend, in case you are wondering. After the label dropped us, we all stayed in touch despite having drifted to different parts of the world. Regret was the only one who was having real success, at least until the day Lila dropped her album.
"I was the engineer. I was also still with Olivia. Lila and I had an affair, if you are wondering, and in the end, I chose to leave Olivia for Lila. I am not proud of that. Olivia and I had a rather odd arrangement; she is bisexual, and she had a husband right around then, too. I should have been honest with her, but the truth is she was always nearly insanely jealous. She didn't care that she had a husband. She felt like I should be with her and only her. Her jealousy was really bad when it came to Lila.
"Mostly, it was because Lila was so damn beautiful. She had this uncanny ability to make people love her. She was so full of life and this great big ambition. She was larger than life; she was what every rock star should be. Olivia … Olivia was the rarely noticed drummer in a band where all the other girls were considered beauties. She hated Lila because she was the prettiest, but also because, as lead singer, she got the most attention."
"Did you sleep with me because I look like Lila?" Kara asked.
"No. I slept with you despite that fact. I loved Lila, and it was hard for me when she died. I still blame myself because I didn't go out on the balcony with her. I was talking to a person whose name I don't even remember now. She went out there all alone, and she died because of it. I should have been there for her. To tell you the truth, Olivia was there that night and if she had not stopped me, I may have jumped from the same balcony."
"You could not have known," Kara said softly and reached across the table to take Dee's hand, her own fingers stroking Dee's chilled ones.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while their food arrived. Biting into huge and fluffy waffles, Kara asked, "Are you sorry you slept with me?"
"I'm only sorry I didn't repeat it later that night."
Kara's cheeks warmed at that remark and she took a hasty sip of her coffee while she considered what to say to that. "I guess I can't let you pine away with sorrow …"
"That would be awful." Dee grinned.
"So, would you like to walk me all the way home?"
"Hell yes, first thing in the morning. I have been in that hotel you live in. The walls are paper thin and the radiator never puts out enough heat. My place is not far, if you want to see it."
"I would like that very much," Kara replied.
"Eat your waffles," Dee said, and an evil grin crossed her full lips. "You're going to need your strength."
*~*~*
Dee's apartment was stunning. It sat inside an old brownstone, and the rooms were all large, the windows looking out over the quiet street below. Kara wanted to kick herself when she realized that Dee's place was only two streets over from her hotel room.
The living room was filled with bookshelves that ran floor to ceiling on two walls. A long sofa dominated the room. In one corner a desk and chair took up space. The walls were covered in incredible sand paintings depicting deserts and twisted cacti.
"I lived in Arizona for a time after Lila died. I simply could not stay in LA anymore, and I wasn't ready to deal with music again, either. I moved out there so I could go out to the desert and just take some time to grieve and think."
The kitchen was spare and clean. The hallways led to the bedroom and the bath. The bedroom was what interested Kara, though. The bed was enormous, draped in silk and satin of all different colors and textures. The carpet was soft and thick, and the curtains were as well. When Dee hit the lights, they were soft and glowing. The whole room spoke of peace and calmness, and seduction as well.
Dee undressed her slowly, kissing every piece of flesh as it was revealed. Kara gasped and whimpered as her belly was exposed to the air. Her pants slid over her hips, and Dee's fingers stroked the lace of her panties, testing out the wetness there on the flimsy fabric.
Kara let herself be laid down on the bed, and she watched with greedy eyes as Dee undressed and then slid into bed with her. Their lips met, and the kiss was demanding and fierce. They were both starved for the other and it did not take long for them to be entwined together.
This time, Kara took the lead. She placed her mouth on Dee's nipples, stroking and sucking the pebble hard peaks. Her hands caressed Dee's breasts, kneading and squeezing a bit upon occasion and smiling when gasps of pleasure escaped from her lips.
Her mouth slid down, and she opened the juicy pocket of Dee's pussy, stroking and licking along the seam until it opened to her. Dee tasted sweet; her fluids were already dripping down her ass crack as Kara began to flick her tongue back and forth on the swollen nub of her clit.
Kara slid her fingers inside Dee, relishing the feel of that tightness around her knuckles. Dee's slick walls pulsed and throbbed with an impending orgasm, so Kara worked her hand and mouth faster and harder. Dee's heels dug into the mattress and her fingers dug into Kara' scalp. Her hips arched in fast piston-like motions and groans were breaking from her lips as come spurted from her and across Kara's lips in sticky waves.
Dee did not give herself any time to recover. Just as Kara came up to kiss her, Dee swung a leg over her and flipped her neatly onto her back. Kara writhed under Dee's hands, her back arching and her own orgasm cresting, but Dee was not finished.
She rolled over, reaching for the nightstand, and Kara smiled when she heard the happy jangles of the harness being buckled into place.
Dee lifted Kara's hips so that she could control the angle of penetration, then she entered her. She thrust in, hard and deep, and Kara sobbed out a yes and wrapped her legs around Dee's waist, her feet banging on the smooth skin of her back with every thrust.
Friction built and then crested. Kara cried out, pushing herself upward so that she could feel every single inch of the hardness inside her. She could feel the pulsations of her orgasm, feel her walls opening and contracting. They ended it with a long and slow kiss that made Kara feel slightly dizzy.
They cuddled together, enjoying the heat and softness of each other's bodies. They drifted off to sleep, neither of them aware of the black clad figur
e standing outside the brownstone with a look of utter rage on her face.
Dee was shaking her and Kara grunted as she came awake with a muzzy "whaaa…" coming out of her mouth.
"We have to go; there is some huge crisis down at the studio. The last three tracks got totally wiped out, and we have to have them done and down for the label by nine A. M. There is no way we can do it unless we go now."
Kara sat up. Her head ached, and the smell of sex seemed very strong. She had a peculiar feeling. Something felt very wrong for some reason, but she could not seem to decipher what was making her feel that way. Dee hustled her out of the warm bed and into her clothes, but Kara could not feel like she was awake. She felt like she was trapped in some bizarre dream.
The street was deserted and the wind blew icy needles against their faces, making Kara's cheeks feel raw and abraded. No cabs were about as they trudged up the blocks towards Fifth Avenue. Cabs cruised there and one stopped. They piled in, shivering and huddled over. Just as they pulled away from the curb, a gust of sleety rain hit the windows, obscuring the street, and Kara shivered. Dee held her close and Kara tried to smile but that feeling of something going very wrong just would not leave her alone.
The studio was dark. Dee frowned as she unlocked the door and hit the lights. A cup of coffee sat on one side of the huge console. Dee said, "Olivia would not have left. She just called me fifteen minutes ago."
Olivia, Kara thought. Olivia who was so crazy jealous and who was there the night that Lila fell to her death. Her eyes closed and a wave of nausea spiraled up.
The door to the studio opened and Olivia came in. She wore a strange and frantic look on her face as she closed the door tightly behind her. Kara could feel cold dread creeping through her vitals as Olivia approached them.
"You have to hide," Olivia said, and her voice was oddly thick and hoarse. "You have to …" Her hands pressed into her lower belly and Kara realized that the crimson there was a spreading bloodstain, not a pattern on the blouse itself.