by Lily White
“You never told me you have a brother.”
Silence, and then, “Do you have a sister, by chance?”
I flinched in response to the question. So many emotions I couldn’t handle whenever Emaline was brought up. Although, at that moment, I was more curious as to how she knew that. “Why do you ask?”
“Your last name.”
She was hiding something. I could tell by her hesitation to answer, the pitch in her voice when she finally did.
“I remember a girl with the last name Carter who used to come to lessons with my parents.”
It’s a common last name, nothing that should have given away the connection. She knew something, but didn’t want to admit it. My hand fisted beneath my head, yet I refrained from acting on the anger inside me.
“I had a sister,” I confessed on a heavy breath. “Her name was Emaline.”
Amelia’s breath caught, the reaction telling me the name meant something to her.
The puzzle pieces, by that point, weren’t difficult to put together. Ben was the son of a bitch that drove my sister to killing herself. He was also the asshole who had Amelia luring men to a dark alley to be mugged without giving a damn that his virgin sister was being molested by a stranger in the process.
My jaw locked at the thought that Amelia would return to her home tonight, most likely because her brother had an issue with her staying out.
I was going to kill the fucker the next time I saw him.
Amelia must not have picked up on the tension in my body. Instead, she allowed her mind to meander back into the past, her lips to part on words that were tearing my heart from my chest.
“She was gorgeous. Emaline was. I was a lot younger, obviously, about seven, maybe eight. But I remember every time I saw her, I thought she was a princess. It was her smile, you know? Like something you’d see in a movie.”
Eyes closed, I pictured that smile, darkness crawling out of all the places inside me where the loss of Emaline had been locked away. It lingered just beneath my skin, a pain so thorough that I was crushed beneath the weight of it while Amelia kept talking.
“I’m sorry about what happened to her. We were upset to learn what she did.”
Hands clenching beneath my head and over my stomach, I fought not to hurt Amelia just to force her to shut up.
Taking a breath while reminding myself none of this was her fault, I spoke behind clenched teeth, fighting back the monster I knew existed inside me. “It’s probably best we don’t talk about this right now.”
“Oh...”
She fidgeted over the bed, her bare breast brushing over my ribs. “I’m sorry.”
There were three outlets that would help expel the frustration I was feeling: fighting, music or fucking.
Regardless of the consequences, I chose the one in closest proximity. Amelia needed to learn who she was dealing with regardless. There was no better time than now.
Rolling over, my weight pinned Amelia down to the bed, my hand closing over her throat. She cried out, part shock, part fear, her teal eyes so wide I could see myself in them.
Still, she submitted perfectly.
“Are you sore?” My lips were pressed to her ear, my voice a dark whisper that asked the question while giving away the fact that I didn’t give a damn about the answer.
“N-no.” So brave, this girl. Or incredibly stupid.
“Good.”
The first time had been about her. The second was all about me.
“Do you remember the last time we were like this?”
Her throat worked to swallow against my palm, head nodding before she opened those pretty pink lips. “In the alley. The first time we met.”
Not that it had been that long ago. Barely a week and I already had her in my bed. Naked. Pinned. Her tits brushing my chest as I leaned down to kiss her with my hand still locked over her throat. She moaned as our tongues swept together, her legs spreading out of the same instinct that had my cock swelling with need.
Only this time, her sassy mouth wasn’t demanding I get off her. Instead it was meeting me on neutral ground, the tip of her tongue still shy, her body learning to surrender.
I hadn’t guessed teaching could be so much fun.
“Touch me.”
Her eyes met mine when I released her wrists, a growl emanating from my chest when she didn’t immediately obey.
So shy, this girl. It both turned me on and annoyed me.
Eventually, she moved her hand down between us, both our gazes following the motion to watch as she brushed her fingers over my cock. Her hand was shaking, her chest beating with raspy breath as she wrapped her hand over it.
Although my dick was demanding immediate relief, I allowed her to explore, to familiarize herself with the male anatomy.
It killed me to let her take it slow. But eventually, my patience ran out.
I was always safe when it came to sex. Nobody wanted little Lennons running around causing havoc, and for that reason, I kissed her one last time before shifting to pull from her hold.
“Stay,” I demanded against her lips, pushing away from her to grab a condom.
She shifted when I stood from the bed, just enough to draw my attention, her arms over her chest, shyly covering her breasts. I’d already figured out Amelia was uncomfortable being exposed, a damn habit that wouldn’t do. Eyeing my pants, I rounded the end of the bed, grabbed them and pulled the suspenders free.
Glancing over my shoulder, I found that her eyes were wide and locked to my ass. I cocked a brow. “See something you like?”
Her cheeks blazed red, gaze darting to mine so quickly it made me laugh softly. But then those eyes drifted down to what was in my hand and I knew she was thinking about being bound to the piano.
My imagination was running wild with all the possibilities. Displaying her over the piano while I played first and foremost in my thoughts.
I wondered if she was ready to be hog tied, remembered that she’d only had sex once, and closed my eyes to calm down and be patient with all the devious plans I had for her.
A nudge of my chin. “Arms above your head, Amelia.”
Her head shook as if to deny me at first, cheeks blushing deeper, but then she lifted shaking arms above her head, her fingers wrapping around the iron bars of the headboard.
Breath expelled from my lungs on a heavy rush, such beauty in a woman who obeyed even when it scared her to do so. I grabbed a condom from a side table drawer as I made my way back to the bed.
Straddling her chest, careful not to crush her, I used the suspenders to bind her wrists and tie her to the headboard, not missing how her gaze studied my cock like it was the first one she’d ever seen up close and personal.
Damn it...it probably was.
I was more than happy to let her get more familiar with it, but not now. Now I wanted to devour her. Wanted to enjoy the shy little girl who was learning how to properly fuck.
Moving down once she was secured, I kneeled between her thighs, the urgency I’d felt earlier settling into a desire to explore, to study her body, to look at a woman who was just as comfortable stealing as she was sharing her soul through the music she played.
The anger had already dissipated inside me, the monster locked away again as my focus dragged over her supple tits, flat stomach and curvy hips.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, my eyes meeting hers in the low light, the truth of my appraisal clear.
My fingers wrapped over my cock, forearm flexing as I pumped it a few times while looking at her. Amelia tried to hold my stare, but her curiosity got to her, that teal gaze dragging down to watch me work my dick. Lips parting, she blinked, and I had the desire to know what it would feel like between those full lips.
Later...
So many ideas I had for her.
After rolling on a condom, I grabbed her hips and lifted them from the bed, my eyes on hers as she watched me thrust my cock inside her, her stare locked to the point where our bodies connecte
d and her thighs were spread wide.
Innocence lost in that stare, her mouth opening wider on an exhalation of breath as her head rolled back, her chest arched forward and I rolled my hips between her legs, fucking dying to go slow and not hurt her.
Amelia would be sore in the morning and I didn’t want to leave her walking funny in front of a family that would notice.
“How does it feel to know I own this tight pussy?”
Her eyes flicked up to meet mine.
Without giving a damn that her cheeks were tinting pink at my words, I continued thrusting inside her, my voice a gritty whisper. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want with this. With you. You have no idea how many dirty things I plan to do to this body.”
Leaning forward, I pumped my hips while tasting her breasts, my teeth grazing the hard nipples before my tongue licked away the pain. Amelia’s arms pulled at the suspenders that bound her as an orgasm threatened to break her apart.
“Lennon...” Spoken like a prayer, she lost the battle and gave in to the waves of pleasure rolling through her.
As soon as her pussy clenched, the muscles rippling greedily over my cock, I lost the ability to hold on as well, my climax rough as I pushed deep one last time.
It took several minutes for both of us to catch our breath and before walking into the bathroom to toss the condom, I tugged the suspenders free to release her.
It wasn’t until I came out of the bathroom that I understood just how quickly she needed to return home.
“Leaving already?” Leaning a shoulder against the bathroom door, I watched Amelia getting dressed. She must have run downstairs to grab her clothes and run back up.
A curtain of hair fell over her face as she buttoned her shirt. “I would have gotten dressed downstairs but I didn’t want you to think I’d run away.”
She looked up at me. “But yeah, I need to go. It’s getting late and -“
“Your family will worry.”
“I told them I was at a piano lesson.”
Eyes closing, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from asking who, exactly, it was in her family that was so protective of her.
Protective, I reminded myself, unless of course it involved sending her out dressed in a barely there dress to lure men into the shadows.
Rather than demanding the information, I convinced myself to let it go...for now.
I grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the closet and emerged to find her fully dressed. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
Something unsaid glimmered in her eyes. For a moment I thought she might reveal her thoughts, but then her jaw locked and she nodded her head.
Silently we made our way to her car. I kissed her goodnight, trying to ignore her rush to leave and get home. Watching her drive off until her taillights disappeared around a turn, I tilted my head up to the night sky and clenched my jaw.
Everything came rushing back.
Emaline.
Ben.
The pain I’d endured for ten years.
And now a girl I somehow knew would be in danger if she weren’t freed from her brother’s grip.
The music flowed through me again. Except this time, instead of a melody filled with longing, it was a beat driven by intense anger.
Amelia
“Jillian Bates.”
My eyes lifted to Lennon’s face as he called the names of the five remaining students in class. Another week had passed, the roster being whittled down once again. I hated that Jillian was still in the running. She flirted shamelessly in class, flipping her long blond hair and always wearing clothes that showed off her perky breasts and round ass.
The only relief I felt when watching her smile wide at him, giggle at all his jokes, or show off her talent on the keys while giving his small, promising glances, was knowing that it would be me he fucked after class was over, my body teased and taunted over and over until I was begging him to drive inside me.
“Krista Cross.”
Ugh. She was another one, although her advances were shyer, less in your face than Jillian. Krista was a pretty redhead with pale skin and a splattering of freckles across her nose. Best friends with Jillian, she went along with the game they played, of both competing to gain Lennon’s attention the most.
“Amelia Dillon.”
A snort of disgust burst from Jillian when my name was called. She and Krista immediately launched into whispers, their heads angling together before they turned in unison to glance back at me.
Lennon glanced up from his roster, his observant gaze locked on the two girls who looked down on me because I didn’t dress as nicely as them and didn’t drive a car worth more than the scrap metal that could be gained from it.
“Is there a problem, Ms. Bates?”
I recognized his stern tone of voice, the sound forcing a shiver down my spine. It was the same one he used with me before spanking me for disobedience, mostly on the days I was distracted and wasn’t playing to the best of my ability.
Lennon didn’t know about my problems at home, and despite agreeing to a rule of no secrets, I kept them regardless. I was too ashamed to tell him how shitty my family situation was.
And Ben, my ever watchful brother, was beginning to question my late night practice sessions more and more.
“No, Mr. Carter. There’s no problem.”
Sugar sweet, Jillian’s voice, her shoulders rolling back as her chest pushed out. Lennon didn’t so much as flick a glance down at the view she was blatantly giving him.
One part of me wanted him to launch into her in my defense, while the other knew he needed to let it go in so he wouldn’t be accused of favoritism. Jillian would love nothing more than to have a reason to challenge my standing in the competition, and if anybody discovered my relationship with Lennon, I was as good as gone.
He knew that, and after glaring at her for another few seconds, his eyes returned to the roster, his deep voice smooth over the next names. “Jackson Peters and Keith Williams.”
The five students who weren’t selected made a few groans of complaint, their bodies shifting over their seats to begin gathering their things.
Lennon set the roster down and locked his hands together behind his back. As usual, he was wearing an odd combination of clothes, the loops of his suspenders free at his hips.
I loved every damn thing he did with those suspenders, and I understood wearing them was more a matter of sexual convenience than a fashion statement.
It didn’t matter when or where, he always had a tool to use against me when I smart mouthed him or acted in a way he didn’t approve.
“To the five who weren’t selected, I think it goes without saying that you are quite talented on the piano. Rather than taking this moment as a rejection, I hope you’ll see it for what it is. You made it this far, which says a lot about your progress as musicians. Don’t give up.”
The students who were leaving nodded their heads, disappointment lining their faces. They shuffled out quietly, leaving Lennon and the five of us who remained. Jillian straightened in her seat, front and center like always.
“For those that remain, I would be a liar to tell you it’s an easy road from here. By the end of next week, only two will be left. Eventually, I’ll scale that down to one. The student who is selected to compete for the scholarship will then work privately with me for the remainder of the summer.”
Hell if I’d let that student be Jillian. She was licking her damn lips at the thought of having all that time alone with Lennon.
“Hastings has provided a list of approved music for you to master for this next round. Each piece is the same in regard to technical difficulty. However, as all of you have now learned with me, it’s not solely your skill that I’ll judge. If I don’t feel that piece, it means nothing and you will be let go. I want you to select which one you’d like to play and take the sheet music home with you to practice this weekend. Beginning Monday, I’ll work with each of you individually every day to improve your performance. As
such, I’ve created a schedule, which is attached to the white board. Select your music, note your time on the schedule, and I hope you all have a good weekend.”
As usual, I took my time packing my bag, hoping like hell that Krista and Jillian would leave so I could stay behind with Lennon. It was getting more difficult to find excuses to be the last one in the classroom. We had to be careful not to be caught, and Lennon was good about always giving me the last slot on his schedule.
“Mr. Carter. I bought tickets to see the symphony performance you’ll be soloing in next week.”
Jillian’s saccharine voice rang through the room, my ear pricking to listen, although I refused to look up and acknowledge I was interested in the conversation.
“I’m so excited to see you on stage. I bet you look stunning in a tux. Maybe I can visit backstage after the performance? It would be good for me to see what happens behind the scenes.”
She was so fucking annoying, mostly because I didn’t even know Lennon would be soloing. Not that I could afford tickets, but why hadn’t he told me? I would love to see him on stage, would give anything to sit in an audience and stare up at a man who seduced me every time I was near him.
Leaning against the front of his desk, Lennon smiled politely at Jillian. “I’m not sure I could get you backstage, but I’m glad you’ll see the performance. Every person in here should see what’s expected of a professional.”
Everybody but me, apparently. He hadn’t mentioned the possibility of me being there to see him play.
“Well,” she practically sighed, “I guess I’ll see you Monday at one. It’s exciting to have come this far.”
Nodding his head, Lennon dismissed her with his silence. The room emptied except for the two of us, my eyes lifting to meet his. “I didn’t know you were performing.”
Blue eyes glimmered from across the room, his strong arms crossed over his chest. “I wasn’t sure your family would approve of you being out so late.”
There was accusation in the statement, although I wasn’t sure why. Every time my family was brought up, Lennon’s gaze would shadow with anger, the storm inside him rolling to the surface.
