by Kat Long
“Yeah, she plays piano too,” Jake said, ignoring my other comment. “She can pretty much play anything she picks up. There’s a technical term that I don’t know for what she can do, but that’s what it boils down to.”
“Wow, and she just stopped because someone got hurt? Sounds like a copout. What, they fell or something? Why would that make her quit?”
Ace returned with two more shots. But I pushed mine away, not wanting to drink anything else. I could feel Jake’s eyes boring into mine as I watched her hands dance across the keys.
“That’s a shitty thing to say, Max. You don’t know the whole story. Hell, I don’t know the whole story. And I won’t pretend to understand her reasons.”
Shaking his head, he downed the shot and slapped his hand on the table.
“That’s all for me. Are you going to dance with her?”
“No, man. I’m not.”
“Okay, Max,” he said, clearly not believing me.
Annaleigh’s voice cut through my foggy haze as she brought the piano mic to her lips.
“Thanks for listening to us tonight, Folks! I’m Anna, and these handsome boys behind me are The Gravel Tracks. Usually, they like to finish with a classic, but tonight they gave me the reigns to play one of my favorites. I was recently told I shouldn’t stop doing something I love just because of the past. And it made me think about adjusting priorities and love. And when I think about love, I can’t think of a better song than Whatever It Is by the Zac Brown Band. Thanks again for letting me play tonight, y’all!”
The song started, and her body slowly swayed as she played. Her eyes were closed as the too-close cowboy sung. Those were the words I said to her that afternoon in the office. Did I help? Did I make her think about love?
The song ended, and she stayed on stage, talking to the band. This was too much. I had to get out of here. I was getting too many mixed signals, and the combination of liquor and beer wasn’t sitting well.
Standing up to leave, I didn’t notice her until I smelled oranges and felt her fingers stroke across my back. With a breath, I turned to tell her goodnight when she pulled my hand to the dance floor.
“Come, Max.” Her words sparked all kinds of dirty thoughts. “Dance with me.” Leading me into the crowd, I resisted for a minute, but she turned with a blissed-out expression on her face. “Please.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a request. An invitation to touch her, out in the open, where everyone could see. I took her hand and pulled her closer, stepping to the far corner of the floor, away from the crowd. Holding her tight, I pressed my hand against her back, drawing her so close there wasn’t room for a sheet of paper between us. Clasping her other hand in mine, I brought them to my chest and moved. I recognized this tune, Garth Brooks’ The Dance, but the words turned to background noise as I held her.
“You amaze me,” I said, drown into her orbit, her universe.
“Thank you for dancing with me, Max.”
“I can’t seem to say no to you,” I said, swaying with her.
“Do you want to say no to me?”
“No, Blue. I don’t.”
“Good,” she said, laying her head on my chest, “Because I think I made a mistake, Max. Ask me again.”
“Ask you what, baby?”
I didn’t mean to call her baby. The word slipped out before I could catch myself. But she didn’t seem to mind. We were barely moving now, locked together. The song had changed to something faster, something about a body and a back road, but we were in our own world. The bar, the music, and the crowd faded away as she spoke, her voice nothing but a whisper against my chest.
“Ask me on a date, Max. Ask me to be yours,” she said, looking up at me.
“Anna. Blue, are you sure?” My hand moved from her waist to the back of her neck, tilted her head up so she couldn’t look anywhere else. She needed to be sure. If she wasn’t, this couldn’t go any further.
“No, but I want to be. I’m tired of fighting this,” she answered, standing up on her toes. Her hand fisted my shirt, and she pulled me down, brushing her lips against my cheek. Her kiss was soft, as if she was waiting for me to push her away or pull her closer.
“You need to be sure, Blue. You won’t be my secret,” I said, breaking away.
“I never asked to be a secret. I asked to be yours. I’m sorry, Max. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ll go,” she said.
People circled us, smiling and line dancing across the floor, but she pushed further away. Her smile was gone, and her eyes were glassy. I froze, playing back the last thirty seconds in my head to figure out where it went wrong. But like waking up from a dream you couldn’t remember, she drifted away in the background, leaving me grasping at nothing.
No!
Not this time. I was not going to let her walk away. She was moving quickly, running out of the bar, eager for distance. I followed her outside and lost her in the sea of bodies before spotting her about twenty feet in front of me, walking as fast as she could in those boots. I ran towards her, pushing past bystanders until I caught up and grabbed her elbow.
She turned to pull away, but my grip was firm, and I pushed her to a narrow passage between two buildings. Smaller than an alley and shrouded in darkness, I slammed her against the brick wall, suddenly aware of how close we were. I caged her in my arms, giving in to the staggering amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Not again, Blue. No more running away. You want this, and so do I. It’s time to stop playing games.”
Her pulse fluttered, and her eyes widened, but there was no time for over-thinking as I launched myself toward her lips. Nothing made sense except threading my fingers into her braids and kissing her like she was oxygen. Energy crackled down my spine, chasing out all rationale except her. This moment was more important than a hundred thousand others, more important than anything I’d ever felt.
Unforgettable.
Mine.
Annaleigh fisted my shirt and gasped, pulling my face to hers. I swallowed the sound and swiped my tongue across her lips, demanding entrance. I could feel her need mirroring mine and the heat of her body as she pushed herself closer. She was so unbelievably beautiful, knocking the breath from my lungs and leaving me dizzy with need. She was all soft curves and smooth skin, with lips I wanted to lose myself in every day. Trailing one hand down her back, I gripped her waist and kissed her wildly, using my teeth and tongue to taste her.
And holy shit, her mouth tasted like whiskey, spicy and sweet. I was addicted to her taste, addicted to those sweet cherry-stained lips. I pulled away sharply and pulled her further into the darkness. This time, when her back hit the wall, she dragged me down to her level and threw one leg over my thigh.
I bunched her white blouse around her waist, and I pushed my hand under the material, feeling her hot, toned skin on my fingers. Lightning ripped down my hand where our skin connected. I nipped her bottom lip, stroking her tongue, her taste bursting across my lips. She was everything I wanted. My chest was rapidly rising and falling in sync with hers. She was so right, so familiar. I wanted to see her, see all of her. Know all of her. Make her mine.
Desperate little moans escaped her mouth as she kissed me back with such ferocity, I hoped my lips always carried her burn. I was hard as steel, my cock surging towards her core that was pressed so perfectly to me. One thrust. Two. Three. I was desperate to relieve some of the pressure. My palm grazed higher, finding the fabric of her bra and stroking the cotton and lace.
I wanted more skin, needed more contact. But this wouldn’t go further unless she knew she was mine. Forget her past pain and forget whatever bullshit was going on with Benjamin. She was mine, from her beautiful body to her breathtaking soul. Slowing the kisses, I pressed lingering ones along her lips and jaw before grasping the base of her neck and pressing our foreheads together.
“I’m a
sking you again, Blue. Whose are you?” I dropped my voice low. Pulling on her braids lightly to tip her chin, so her seafoam green eyes met mine. I needed her to see there was no hesitation, no second-guessing, no going back.
“Yours,” she answered.
Breathless. Beautiful. She brought her hands to my face and ran them over the curve of my jaw, so much gentler than I was with her.
“I need more, Blue.”
“Max, I need more too.” She used that moment to grind on my cock, making my eyes roll back in my head. Pushing her harder against the wall, my hands slipped under her ass, and she wrapped her legs around me, giving me blessed, sweet relief. But she deserved more than a hard brick wall. It took every ounce of strength I had to stop. I lowered her to the pavement, my legs all but numb because all my blood was currently in my cock.
“I will not fuck you against a brick wall, Annaleigh.”
“You don’t want this as much as I do?” she asked, voice husky with lust.
“Trust me. You do not know how much willpower this is taking. I want nothing more than to fuck you against this wall, then take you back to the hotel, get you naked, and lick every inch of your body.”
To show her how serious I was, I took her hand and pressed it against my cock, letting her feel me. She cupped it and squeezed, making me groan. Pulling away, I took her hand in mine and led her back to the street, looking left and right before heading back to the hotel.
“Go out with me this week.”
“Okay,” she said, with swollen lips and flushed cheeks.
“Good baby.” I squeezed her hand, not letting go as we walked, wanting to savor every alone moment I had with her.
“You were stunning tonight. I remember you saying today would be rough, mind if I ask why?”
Broadway Street was emptying, so I slowed down as we walked, wanting to hear her story and needing to adjust myself. My slacks were cutting off circulation to my cock.
“Yes... I mean no,” she said, taking a breath and glancing down as I rearranged myself. She bit her lip and gave me a sly smile before continuing. “Remember how I said someone I know got hurt?”
“Yes, I do,” I stopped to give her my full attention and my cock time to chill the fuck out.
“Well, I blamed myself. I told you that, and I still do. Anyway, in the accident’s aftermath, I got drunk. Really drunk. Like ugly-crying, snot-bubble, sloppy drunk.”
“I’m sorry I missed that,” I said, bending down to kiss her neck.
“Ass!” she giggled, pulling away and slapping my shoulder. “A damn broke that night, Max. I put our life on paper. I stayed up all night, writing and editing, then drinking and writing more. The next morning, I stumbled on a Twitter post from Serin, the Popstar. She was advertising a lyric contest, encouraging fans to send them in for a chance to be featured on her next album.”
“You entered?”
“Yes, I entered. Then forgot about it and passed out. About a month later, someone from her entourage reached out. I had won and was flown out to meet her.”
“What an accomplishment, Annaleigh, but why was that a bad thing? You sound like you’re embarrassed or ashamed. Tell me more,” I said, taking her hand back in mine.
“Well, Serin is really down to earth. She just called off her engagement and had writer’s block. She asked if I had written more than the song I entered in the contest, so I showed her everything from that night. It was unbelievable, Max. She loved it and said it was just what she was looking for. She ended up using everything I had written for an album.”
“Blue, holy shit.”
“Yeah?” she said as if she didn’t believe it was a huge fucking accomplishment. She wrote an album! My girl wrote an album!
“That’s phenomenal, babe.”
“The album’s called Beautifully Broken, and it ended up being her most successful one to date, going double-platinum,” she said, looking down.
She still looked guilty, and it finally clicked. “You feel like a sell-out,” I said.
“Yes! Exactly Max! I sold what happened, used our story. Every time I get a freaking royalty check or hear a song on the radio, I feel so guilty I can barely breathe.”
“Did the person mind that you used their story?”
“Bird? Not at all. Wouldn’t take a penny for it either,” she said, throwing one hand in the air.
“You’re the bravest person I know,” I said. “You put yourself out there, opened yourself up, and shared your soul. I could never do something like that.”
We were right outside the hotel, but I wasn’t ready to go in. I wasn’t ready for this night to end.
“I get where you’re coming from, Blue, but if Bird doesn’t blame you, you need to let go of the guilt. Don’t let it consume you,” I said, running my hands up her arms.
“I know. Tonight helped. It helped so much. And you help, Max,” she said, reaching up to kiss me.
She took my hand and pulled me through the doors. We walked through the lobby to the elevator. Her floor was below ours, and I held her hand tighter as we stepped in. She pressed her body to mine and put her head on my chest like she belonged there.
All too soon, we were at her door. I didn’t want to let her go, so I took my time, running my hands up her arms and over her collarbone. She leaned into my touch, pressing a kiss to the side of my mouth, but I turned my head to catch her lips.
“It was a privilege watching you play tonight. Thank you for telling me about the album,” I said, breaking away and running my nose along her neck. My cock was back to full attention, and I was so tempted to push her inside her door and finish what we started in the alley.
“Thank you for listening, Max. Goodnight.”
“Night, baby,” I said, pressing my hands to each side of the door. With one last smile, she turned, and I didn’t walk away until I heard the distinct click of the lock, silently hoping Jake was asleep so I could handle this fucking hard-on.
As much as I wanted to learn every nuance of her, I still hadn’t felt her under me, and it was slowly driving me insane. But she was worth the wait. My blue balls just needed to get the memo. I adjusted my cock on the elevator, grateful all was silent when I opened the suite door.
My phone pinged from my pocket, and I stopped in my tracks, sucking in a harsh breath and scrubbing my hand across my face when I saw the message.
Blue had sent me a picture. It wasn’t dirty, and it wasn’t of her delicious tits or smackable ass. It was a picture of her pointer and middle finger, soaked with her wetness, glistening in the flash of her phone’s camera. Underneath was one simple word that was my undoing, sending me sprinting to the backroom, desperately unbuttoning my pants to grab my cock.
Yours.
God, this woman—she was everything.
- 19 -
SHADOWS FLICKER
Annaleigh
On the plane heading home, we had our hands threaded together underneath a sweatshirt on my lap. He was so warm, and I selfishly kept my shoulder pressed to his, wanting as much contact as possible. We were going to give this a try—give us a try. I was content. Happy. Ready to move on. With him. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that we were together, but there were still so many uncertainties.
But I pushed those aside and focused on the present. Talking to Bird, singing at the bar, and afterward with Max had filled something in me. It was hard to explain, but it felt like I was whole. I laid my head on his shoulder, glad no one was near us. Max leaned down and kissed the top of my head, so gentle, so intimate, making me fall a little more.
“Can I ask you something?” he said, removing his hand and taking his glasses off.
“Yes, of course.” I sat up to meet his eyes.
“On my first day, you said you would always be honest. Is that still true?”
“What? Yes, of course.” I could
n’t read his expression, but his eyes were dark, and he had a crease between his brows. I reached over and squeezed his hand, nodding for him to continue.
“Well, if we’re being honest, yesterday, before the bar, I saw something on your laptop about Benjamin.”
“You were looking at my laptop?” I said.
Oh, no! He saw that damn sticky note. Jake was furious when I told him, and Max would blow a gasket if he knew.
“Did you ever go out with Benjamin? I saw his name and tonight at seven o’clock. Is he the reason you were hesitant the morning after the gala?” Max asked, putting his glasses back on and reaching out to twirl a strand of hair that escaped my bun.
My palms were sweating, and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks. I could not start this relationship with lies, but I was so embarrassed about the meeting Jake and I had with Human Resources after the Gala.
“Oh my God, Max. No. That morning, in your kitchen, all I could think about was how right it felt, being with you… like we were in sync. And honestly, it scared the shit out of me. You’re my superior, my boss, and I don’t want to compromise either of our jobs. Please know, nothing is going on with Benjamin, and there never has been.”
I reached up and grasped his hand, bringing it to my lips. The corner of his mouth tilted up a millimeter, so I squeezed harder, doing my best to reassure him.
“Then what is happening tonight at seven o’clock?” he pressed.
“Nothing,” I said.
That was the truth. My lights would be off, my doors and windows locked, and my car parked around the corner. Nothing was going to happen tonight.
“I plan on being in the tub with a frosty glass of something alcoholic,” I said, smiling as best I could.
“You sure about that? Are you not telling me something?” he said, pulling his hand away. I could hear the irritation in his voice. It was like he knew I was holding back.
“Listen, Max,” I said, “We’ve, um, never been together. But after an incident at the Gala, and we had to involve Human Resources. I can’t say anything more than that.”