Lockhart

by A. E. Murphy

  “About death… he’s not doing his job properly.”

  “Crackers.” He shakes his head, smiling still. “Come on, I’ll take you for a protein smoothie. On me.”

  “Literally on you?” I jest and he shoves me so hard from him in retaliation that I fall sideways into an unsuspecting Lockhart. I didn’t even realise he was here.

  He places hands on my elbows to steady me but he isn’t looking at me, he’s glowering at Enri. “Careful! You could have hurt her.”

  “I’m pretty sure you did worse last night,” I mumble out of the side of my mouth so only he hears.

  “Sorry, Cerise,” Enri laughs, yanking me from Lockhart and tucking me under his arm. He’s laughing so hard all of him is shaking. “You’re light for such a chunk. I didn’t expect you to go flying like that.”

  “Chunk?” Lockhart snarls, offended on my behalf as Enri guides me past the powerful man of my desires.

  “Don’t worry, boss man. He’s just keeping my ego in check.” The door opens and a kind man I recognise from the canteen holds it open as Enri guides me out into the hall. Lockhart follows close and the moment he gets chance, he pushes us apart.

  “You’re in a foul mood today,” Enri comments. “What’s wrong? Didn’t get laid last night?”

  “Why are you removing me from the gym?” I butt in, trying to steer the conversation. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’ll discuss that in my office,” Lockhart bites. He really isn’t happy with me.

  “What about Dane and Kai?” I frown.

  Enri assures me, “They’re already there, waiting for us.”

  “Don’t you ever switch your phone on?” Lockhart snaps. “We wouldn’t have had to come looking for you had you used the device which was built for that purpose!”

  “I left it at home.” I shrug.

  Enri pushes the button for the elevator as Lockhart stands beside me, berating me with his eyes. “Take your damn phone with you!”

  “You didn’t have to come,” Enri laughs. “I said I’d get her myself.”

  When Lockhart doesn’t reply, I wonder if he doesn’t like the thought of Enri alone with me and that’s why he came. The thought gives me some small amount of satisfaction; I can’t deny. Not that I believe it to be true at all, but it is an interesting thought how little ole punk gal me could be the centrepiece of such a remarkable, brooding, sexy, powerful man’s thoughts.

  “I really wish I’d had the chance to shower first.” I sigh, shivering when the cold finally touches my damp body. My heart rate is returning to normal and so is my body temperature.

  “You’re fine.” Enri takes a sniff of his white t-shirt. “My stench is probably covering up yours so it’s all good. Besides, sweaty and exhausted is a good look on you.”

  “Enri!” Lockhart snaps loudly and gives him a pointed look.

  Enri holds his hands up in defence. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

  “Do you want a sexual harassment suit on your hands?”

  Enri rolls his eyes and I cough into my hand to cover my laugh.

  The elevator doors shut behind us and I stand in the corner, my arms tightly wrapped around myself in a bid to warm up. I can’t stop yawning. Last night and today have wiped me out. I just want to go home, curl up on my bed and pass out.

  “For goodness sakes,” Lockhart hisses and I watch as he shrugs his jacket off.

  “Such a gentleman.” I grin when he drapes it around my shoulders. It buries me and it smells so good. I almost feel bad for soiling it with my sweat.

  “Your chattering teeth were beginning to annoy me.”

  Slipping my arms into it, I button up the front and start to check the pockets as the elevator rises to Lockhart’s floor.

  “What are you doing?” He grips my wrist as I place my hand into the inside pocket.

  Grinning up at him, I pull out a wad of cash and reply, “Looking for money.”

  Enri snorts but it turns into laughter when I tuck the folded notes into my bra.

  “Dibs.” I smile and reach for the other pocket.

  Lockhart doesn’t even ask for the money back, nor does he stop me from searching the others. When I reach into a hidden pocket in the lapel, I find something that makes my heart do a funny jolt. A condom. I don’t need to look at it to recognise the shape of the foil packet.

  He sees me find it and raises his brow in challenge, to see if I’ll say anything. I don’t. That’s none of my business, though if he carries condoms around with him constantly, why didn’t we use one last night? I’m starting to panic a little bit about my sexual health now. I shouldn’t have been so careless. It’s unlike me to make such stupid errors in judgement.

  “You are fucking wild,” Enri chuckles when I double pat my sports bra clad breast to make sure the money is secure. If he doesn’t ask me for it back by the end of the meeting, I’m genuinely keeping it.

  There must be at least two hundred, maybe three, in twenties. Although will taking this cash so soon after fucking him be solicitation? Because I don’t want to be a hooker.

  I’m way overthinking this.

  “Finally,” Kai groans when I step into Lockhart’s office after Lockhart. “Use your bloody phone, Cerise.”

  “My bad,” I laugh and sit between him and Dane. Enri walks to the bookshelves behind the desk and begins messing the book order up for some peculiar reason.

  “Sit down!” Lockhart yells at him and Enri, now laughing so much he can hardly breathe, takes the seat beside Dane. “Long story short, Enri wants you all to open for him. Who’s in agreement?”

  “Fuck yes!” Dane hollers as Kai asks, “Shouldn’t rep be here for this?”

  “You aren’t signing anything; we’re just setting the ground rules down.” Enri explains.

  I nod and then ask, “So we’re touring the UK? Or are we going to the US too?”

  “US too, but that’s not for a while yet. We’ll see how you do around the UK.” Lockhart looks at us all and waits for our responses. None of us speak; we only silently permit him to continue. “You’ll share a bus for now, until you bring in enough sales to cover the costs of your own, should you so choose.”

  “Is that okay with you?” I ask Enri, not wanting to impose.

  “My castle is your castle. On wheels or not.”

  “Cool man, that’s real nice of you,” Kai responds and Dane thanks him too.

  “It’s fine. It’ll be nice to have somebody with me other than my grumpy as fuck publicist. We can make music together.”

  “Speaking of music…” I bite on my lip and look to Lockhart. “Reckon one of your team can loan me a new keyboard until I can afford one of my own? Mine is on its last legs.”

  “Can’t you just use the ones provided at the venues?” Enri asks curiously.

  I shake my head. “I have to get used to one to play it perfectly each night. Every keyboard is slightly different. If the keys are off by a millimetre, it can affect my playing.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Lockhart responds, writing it in his notebook. “Anything else? Any other demands?”

  We all look each other and shake our heads.

  “I’d like more of that toffee vodka,” I mutter, though Lockhart gives me a look that tells me it isn’t ever happening. “Clean bedding and a mattress that isn’t lumpy.”

  “Anything else?” He actually writes that demand down. This could be fun.

  “That’s fine, thank you, Mr Lockhart.” Kai’s tone tells me to stop. Normally I’d dismiss his chastisement but I have a feeling he’s already on the edge of a meltdown so I let him have a rest from my attitude.

  “Bottled water,” Dane adds. “Lots of bottled water.”

  “Since when do you deal with this stuff anyway?” Enri asks, standing and stretching with a yawn. “Where’s Rick?”

  “Busy,” Lockhart responds curtly. “That’s all you want?”

  “We’re easy enough. All of my belongings fit into one small case or one large r
ucksack. Though I prefer a case because then my clothes stay folded,” I ramble. “And then I can sling my keyboard onto my back.”

  “Yeah, what she said,” Dane adds and Kai mumbles his, “me too.”

  “Just give us somewhere to sleep, shower and eat and we’re good to go.”

  “Excellent.” Enri slaps his hands together. “This should be fun.”

  “So where are we going first and when?”

  “Manchester, two nights, Friday and Saturday,” Enri answers. “Come on, I’ll fill in all of the blanks. You guys need to call your rep.”

  “I’ll be sure to email him all of the details.” Lockhart waves us off and clicks on the screen of his computer before taking the mouse into his hand.

  I follow the others, glancing at Lockhart over my shoulder as I go. He’s either avoiding me or just doesn’t care to look at me.

  He’s so difficult to read.

  It isn’t until I get to the elevator that I start to feel better and then realise that I’m still wearing Lockhart’s jacket and I still have his money in my bra.

  Darn it.

  “I’ll catch up.” I hop backwards away from the elevator doors.

  “How are you going to catch up without a phone?” Kai asks, frowning.

  “I’ll meet you at home, then.” I start to unbutton the jacket.

  “Or we could wait here?” Dane asks but the elevator doors close, trapping them inside and leaving me on Lockhart’s floor. This will give me the chance to clear the air between us.

  I rush past his receptionist who looks like she wants to say something, but I don’t give her the chance. I push the door open and quickly shut it behind me.

  Lockhart, still at his computer, looks up and quirks a brow.

  I remove his jacket and after a few long strides I reach the chair I just vacated and drape it over the back. “Sorry, I almost stole this.”

  “I don’t need it back. If you’re cold, take it,” he answers flippantly.

  “Okay.” I bite on my lip, contemplating how to approach this subject. “So… we fucked.”

  We fucked? What the fuck is wrong with me? If I could face palm right now I would… with a frying pan.

  He finally looks at me, his eyes dragging down my body so slowly I shiver. “We did.”

  “I just want to make sure that we’re okay.”

  “Okay?” He asks, narrowing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. “Define ‘okay’.”

  “As in, not awkward because of what happened.”

  “Oh.” He smirks, though it isn’t a happy smirk. I detect a hint of disdain. “You mean after we ‘fucked’, as you so aptly put it, and then you all but threw me out of your flat?”

  Gulp. “That’s not how it was.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No.” I place my fingertips on his desk and quietly tap a drum beat. In my mind a dramatic symphony plays the background music to this equally dramatic scene.

  “What exactly happened then?”

  “Basically what you said but without the ill feelings.”

  “Without the ill feelings?” He loosens the dark blue tie around his neck and stares at me with little to nothing in his eyes. I don’t like this.

  “Please don’t make me regret last night,” I beg, stopping the drumming and placing both hands flat on his desk. “We’re both adults. We can have sex and get over it, right?”

  He continues to stare. I don’t like it.

  “Lockhart,” I plead, blowing out a breath and rolling my eyes down to the floor where my black trainers look grey in contrast to the black tiling of his floor. “This is silly.”

  “You’re right,” he agrees and my head snaps up. His face is still the same. “It is.” Phew. I’m already starting to feel better. “Yet here we are.” What? “I don’t take well to rejection, nor do I take well to being thrown out.”

  “I can see that and all I can do is apologise.”

  He finally stands and mimics my stance by placing his hands on his desk and leaning in towards me. “You could always make it up to me.”

  “Excuse me?” I breathe, pressing my thighs together as they abandon my common sense and begin to ache for what he gave me last night.

  “You know exactly what I said and how I meant it.” He leans even closer, so close I can feel his minty breath on my face. “And by the way your pupils are slowly expanding, I know you want it too.”

  “I can’t,” I whisper and my womb gives a painful clench of protest.

  “Why?” He grins, standing straight and moving around the desk, one slow and careful step at a time. “Worried you’ll fall in love?”

  I open my mouth to argue but I can’t, because that’s partly the issue. The heartache I felt because of he-who-must-not-be-named has put me off any kind of relationship for life. I can’t do that to myself again. Especially with somebody that I know will destroy me when he gets bored, and he will get bored.

  “Don’t be.” He reaches up and touches my cheek with the tips of his fingers. I yelp when the same hand that just caressed me so gently suddenly tangles in my hair, under my messy bun, and yanks my head backwards almost violently, baring my throat to him and forcing my lips to part. “I’m too much of a bastard for that to ever happen.”

  My tongue tastes his before I realise he has my mouth. There’s no escaping him now. Not a single part of me will allow it.

  As quickly as he started kissing me, he turns me, his hand still in my hair. My breasts are crushed against the hard surface of his desk and my leggings are around my ankles. I know what’s coming but I do nothing to stop it. There’s a sick and twisted part of me deep down that wants it, despite the fact my skin is still sore from the night before.

  Crack. His hand hits the upper curve of my rear and I clench my eyes shut to stop myself from crying out.

  “You didn’t come here to return the jacket,” he states, this time hitting me with his left hand. “You came here for this.”

  “No!” I protest against his words, not the beating I’m receiving. My pussy is clenching and begging to be filled. I need it. I need this. Why do I need this?

  His hand finds my hair again and pulls me backwards until my back is arched and my head is against his shoulder. “You need to stop saying no to me.”

  “No.”

  He bites my neck where it meets my shoulder and his fingers sink inside me while the others release my hair and grip my breast, holding me in place. “I’ll tame you yet.”

  “Tame me?” I breathe, moaning loudly when he forcefully fucks me with his fingers. Good Lord, holy fuckery. I can’t take this.

  “Yes.”

  I don’t even know what he means and I don’t care. I’m too close to coming. So close.

  “Not yet, wild one,” he whispers in my ear and removes his fingers. “You’ll scream when I decide, or what kind of punishment would this be?”

  “Punishment?” He thinks this is a punishment? “Am I not supposed to be enjoying this?” My voice is hushed from my lack of breath. “Because it’s the best I’ve felt in years.”

  “Wild one,” he mutters and I’m back against the desk. “Maybe I’ve met my match in the bedroom?”

  “I doubt it. I couldn’t do this again tomorrow.” I spread my arms out, waiting for him to use my body in any way he wants. As long as I orgasm at the end of it, I don’t even care. He’s right, I am wild. “Besides, we haven’t had sex in a bedroom yet.”

  “Be quiet,” he laughs, slapping my arse playfully.

  I grin, though it vanishes when he thrusts inside me so quickly I actually do scream. With his chest against my back and his hand over my mouth, he silences me.

  “I told you to be quiet.”

  My eyes squeeze shut. My body is exploding. I don’t think he realises that he just made me orgasm and I’m not going to tell him either.

  Then he stills as I pulse around his cock, which seems so much larger than last night, and he mutters, “You are, aren’t you?” And I know the j
ig is up. “You’re done.”

  “I couldn’t help it,” I laugh. “Have you felt you? Christ… if your dick vibrated, you’d be lethal. I’d be dead. Not even kidding. D.E.A.D. Dead.”

  I feel his body shake and this time he collapses onto my back. Not because he’s fucking me but because he’s laughing into my shoulder blades.

  “But you were wrong. I’m not done,” I tell him, trying to rise up onto my elbows. “Just because I came doesn’t mean I’m done.”

  He finally sobers and shoves me back down onto the desk. “Good,” he states and, with his hands on my hips protecting them from hitting the wooden edge, he begins thrusting into me with such abandon I feel it in my throat. No kidding. I feel it in my fucking throat. It’s so deep and powerful it borders on the edge of painful, but hell if I don’t love a bit of pain.

  Our skin slaps together and my moans become increasingly uncontrollable. The tingle is too much. Way too much. Because I’ve already orgasmed recently, I have this constant burn that makes my legs shake. I’ve only ever felt this during personal masturbation. He really knows how to please.

  “You feel unbelievable,” he tells me, hissing through his teeth. “You’re ruining my willpower.”

  I don’t respond; I only bury my face in my arms and push back against him. It’s coming. It’s building. At last. That painful, brilliant burning is ending only to be replaced for the explosion I’ve already felt once in the past half an hour and it isn’t until I feel him swell, feel him begin to pulse and start groaning, that I tip over the edge. There’s just something about such a powerful, wanted bachelor finding pleasure in my body that really sets my orgasm alight. I feel as though I’ve been plugged into a socket.

  “Stop. Saying. No.” He bites out with each sharp, powerful, final thrust.

  “No,” I answer and whimper a pathetic moan when he leaves my body and flips me over.

  The warm wetness of his orgasm lands on my stomach and on the V of my groin as he pumps his visibly throbbing cock over me.

  My limp leg rests on the crook of his elbow and as he finishes spilling his seed onto my body, he pushes back inside my delicate, sensitive folds. I shudder and close my eyes from exhaustion.

  “See? If you’d have permitted me to stay last night, we’d have probably spent the entire day doing this.”