by Emma Lea
“Inside me, now,” she breathed, dragging her mouth from his.
He reached over and opened the drawer finding the brand new box he’d purchased a week ago in anticipation of them actually acting on the sexual tension that had been pinging between them. He ripped the box open and fumbled with the contents before pulling one free triumphantly.
Her eyes sparkled as he held the small foil package aloft like he had just conquered the world for her then he tore it open and sheathed himself in the prophylactic. He dropped down, hovering over her, supporting himself on straight arms, and looked into her eyes. They had already had sex, but this somehow felt more significant than the blowing off of steam and adrenalin that had happened in the studio. He wanted this to mean something, even if it was only a temporary fling between them. He needed it to be something that she would look back on and remember with a smile.
She reached up and twined her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her and kissing him deeply. He slid into her, welcomed by her slippery heat, and paused when he was fully seated. She clamped around him and they both groaned as he began to move. He rocked into her, not the frenzied pumping of before, but a languid slide making use of every inch of him against every inch of her.
It was so easy to get lost in her and he could gladly, happily, spend hours getting to know her body finding out all its secrets, discovering the things that made her moan, the things that made her make that little mewling sound in the back of her throat. He loved that she was vocal and hearing her passion expressed in her husky voice did incredible things to him, turning up his desire and causing him to increase his rhythm.
He lifted one of her legs, pulling it up over his hip and changing the angle so he could go deeper. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts up, teasing him with the hardened tips. He reached down and drew one into his mouth, biting down gently before sucking hard. Breath hissed out of her mouth and her fingers tightened on his shoulders.
The tingling started in his back and he knew he was close to climax but he absolutely refused to give into it until she came.
“Touch yourself,” he whispered and her eyes opened, searching his. “Touch yourself Stevie, make yourself come on my cock.”
She smiled and closed her eyes, slipping her hand between their bodies until she found where they were joined. He felt the extra friction as her fingers played with her clit and it didn’t take long before he felt her climax gather, her muscles contracting around him. He took her other nipple in his mouth and bit it, tugging on it until she cried out and he felt her shatter beneath him. Only then did he let go and let his own orgasm blast through him. He may have even blacked out for a second or two as his world tilted.
Nate rolled them to the side, not wanting to pull out just yet and not wanting to crush her with his weight. He just needed a moment to hold her, to feel her heart pounding in concert with his own. She grounded him, kept him there in the reality that they had created between them. An alternate reality it might be, but for now it was all his messed up brain could comprehend. Sex had never been like that for him and he doubted that it would be the same with anyone else. But he couldn’t think to the future, he couldn’t think about what it meant that the woman he had betrayed was the only one who had ever been able to reach into his very soul. All he could think about was how to keep the real world from intruding on this very special moment.
She cupped his cheek with her hand and as he gazed into her blue eyes, he knew that she must be feeling a little of the same. He saw the yearning there that he had no doubt was reflected in his eyes. He wanted to say something, to reassure her somehow, but how could he when he needed reassurance as well? Instead, he kissed her and then pulled away, ostensibly to take care of the condom, but in reality because he couldn’t deal with the expectation he saw in her eyes.
“I got you a gig at The Bluebird!”
“Wait. What?” Nate wasn’t even sure if he was actually awake yet.
“I got you a spot to play The Bluebird,” Mabel repeated over the phone. “It’s a late spot, but still, it’s The Bluebird.”
Nate scrubbed a hand through his hair and down his face trying to make sense of what he was hearing. “I’m going to play The Bluebird?”
“Yes! Haven’t you been listening to me?”
“Listen Mabel, I’ve only just woken up and haven’t had my coffee yet, you’re going to have to be gentle with me.”
“Fine,” she said and he could imagine her rolling her eyes. “Tuesday night at The Bluebird. I thought you could debut your song with Stevie and then follow up with a couple of other tracks from your new album. Do you think Stevie will be up for that?”
“Maybe,” Nate said turning to look at the rumpled sheets on his bed where Stevie should’ve been but wasn’t. “Listen Mabel, can I call you back when I’ve got some caffeine in my system?”
“Sure,” she said hesitantly. “Are you okay…? Do you want me to call Stevie and see if she’s interested?”
“Leave it with me,” he replied. “I’m in the studio with her today, so I can ask her…um…what about the rest of the band?”
“The Bluebird will only allow you to have you and two other people on the stage and no drums, so maybe talk to them about it and see what they say.”
“Okay. Thanks Mabel.”
He disconnected from her and then took another look around the room. He listened to see if he could hear her moving around in his apartment, but the place was quiet. She was gone. He flopped back on the bed and groaned, covering his face with his hands. What had he done? At the time it had seemed so right, but was sleeping with Stevie a big mistake?
Things had gotten kind of intense after they had made love in his bed. It had almost become too big, but when he’d come back after disposing of the condom and cleaning himself up, Stevie had snuggled in to him and the demands he’d thought he’d seen in her face were gone. He relaxed into the bed, holding her close and let himself drift off, content to just be with her.
He’d reached for her in the night and she had come to him willingly. They made love again, both in that soft place between sleep and awake and their climaxes had been gentle but powerful and then they’d simply gone back to sleep again with barely a word spoken, each content in what they had shared together.
The expectation of another round this morning had been in his mind, but she was gone and he didn’t know what that meant. Was she gone for good? Did she regret what they’d done? Would working with her be awkward now? He’d just found her again after all these years, had found his muse in her, he couldn’t lose her again. Too much was riding on this album.
He picked up his phone from where he had dropped it on the bed and brought up her name. Should he call her? Send her a text? Or should he wait? Maybe she had just gone home so that no one would know they’d spent the night together, maybe she was just trying to keep up appearances. But if that was the case why hadn’t she woken him to tell him she was leaving, why didn’t she leave a note?
He was making himself crazy trying to work out what was going on. He’d thought they had an understanding, but it wasn’t the first time he’d misread a situation with a woman and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
He heard a noise at the door and he sat up, cocking his ear. He got to his feet slowly and walked on light feet into the living area and towards the door. No one had a key to his apartment, he’d had the locks changed since the incident with Natasha, and he’d specifically given the front desk instructions not to let anyone up to his room without his express permission.
He stood in front of the door, arms and legs akimbo and watched the handle turn and the door push in. Just as he was about to yell at whoever was breaking in to his home, he caught a glimpse of a blonde head and the whiff of a familiar perfume. Stevie looked up at him and smiled, her hands full of take away coffees and a bakery bag.
“Now that’s a way to greet someone,” she said, running her eyes over his body.
He looked down and
realized her was as naked as a jaybird and he grinned. “See something you like?” he asked with a wink.
She dangled the paper bag in front of him, the smell of bacon and barbecue sauce wafted in the air. “I need sustenance first,” she said, “And coffee.”
Nate took the cup she held out to him and then grabbed her empty hand to pull her into his arms. “I didn’t know where you were. I thought you left.”
She looked up at him, her eyes soft. “I’m not that kind of girl,” she said and then pecked him on the cheek.
“You don’t regret last night?”
She pulled away from him and busied herself putting down her bag and sipping from her cup. “Why, do you?”
He stepped up behind her and nuzzled her neck, liking the way the tension leaked from her body as she melted into him and leant her head back against his chest. “I regret nothing,” he whispered before sucking on the spot behind her ear that made her sigh.
“Neither do I,” she said, turning to face him.
“Good. Now let’s eat, I’m starving. You wore me out last night.”
She laughed and followed him into the kitchen with the bag of egg and bacon sandwiches.
Chapter Eighteen
Nate dropped Stevie off at the bar where she had left her car the night before and then went on in to the studio. He hadn’t told her yet about the gig at The Bluebird. He thought it would be better to talk to the whole band at once. They were trying to keep their relationship a secret, if you could call it a relationship, and if he seemed to have spoken to her before the others they might get suspicious.
He was keen to play the new song for an untried audience, but The Bluebird was a big deal and he felt the stirrings of the stage fright that had plagued him on his last tour. He knew the song was good, but he also knew that he had played fast and loose with his fans. Country music fans were loyal, but they didn’t forgive easily. He would need to win them over and he hoped that having Stevie there would help.
Coming back to Nashville to lick his wounds after his aborted tour had been good for him, but it had also highlighted how weak he had been to let Gina railroad his career. He had never set out to be a rock star per se, but he had wanted to be famous and had been prepared to do whatever he had to to achieve it. Jumping ship from country to more mainstream rock and then pop had damaged his credibility with his fans and it would be a long road back, but he was prepared to put in the hard yards and grovel to his fans if necessary. He could never be an artist who could successfully straddle that line between country and pop and if he was honest, he didn’t want to. His heart had always been for country and always would be.
“Hey guys,” he said as he entered the studio and set his guitar case down. “We ready to lay down that track?”
“About that,” Jace said, shooting a look at his sisters. “We wanted to run something by you.”
He sat down on one of the leather armchairs and tried to look casual, but the nerves in his stomach were beating an irritating tattoo and his ears began to buzz. He took a couple of discreet breaths to try and calm himself and then smiled at the three Court siblings. “Shoot,” he said.
They shared another glance between them before Jace spoke again. “We wanted to wait for Stevie, to run it by her too—”
“What do you want to run by me?” Stevie asked as she came into the room out of breath like she had been running.
“I want you both to listen to something,” Jace said, turning to press a button on the desk.
The familiar strains of ‘No Good for Me’ began to play. It was the live recording from yesterday and Nate closed his eyes and let the music flow over him. It was good, the best they had recorded so far. There was a different sound to a live recording than one that was laid down track by track and he had to admit that the live recording seemed to suit this song. The energy was different, the result of having an audience, Nate was sure.
When the song finished he opened his eyes and looked to Jace, raising his eyebrows in question.
“Ness and Nadine and I were thinking that, well, maybe we should release this version instead of trying to record it again.”
He glanced at Stevie and the corner of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “I like it,” she said.
He nodded slowly, his nerves turning into excitement. “I do too,” he said. “And on that note, I have something else to discuss with y’all.”
“What?” Jace asked looking between him and Stevie as if they were going to confess something. Stevie shot him a quick glance with a quirked eyebrow and he knew she was worried that he was going to spill the beans.
“I had a call from Mabel this morning,” he said and noticed Stevie relax slightly. “She has gotten a gig for me at The Bluebird on Tuesday night.”
The collective gasp made him smile.
“Mabel was wondering about debuting the song that night, the only catch is that there can only be three of us on stage and no drums.”
“So a cut down version,” Jace said thoughtfully.
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“Let’s do it,” Vanessa said, bouncing in her seat.
“So who’s going to play—”
“Well you and Stevie, obviously,” she said, “and Nadine. The song needs the violin.”
Nate looked at Jace. “Do you agree?” he asked.
Jace exhaled a long breath and nodded. “Yeah, I agree.”
Nate felt the pressure in his chest lift. He and Jace didn’t always see eye to eye and he knew that the other guy was extremely protective of his music. For him to agree not to be a part of the song’s debut was a big step.
“Okay, so do you want to work on the arrangement today seeing as though we’re not recording?” Nate asked, wanting him to have a bit of control over the song.
“That sounds good,” Jace said. “Man, The Bluebird.” He shook his head, slowly. Nate understood.
The Bluebird Cafe was a big deal. Everyone who was anyone had played The Bluebird at one time or another. Some of the biggest names in country had been on that stage when they were first starting out. Their open mic nights were almost impossible to get into and it was an absolute miracle that Mabel had been able to get them a slot on a regular night so quickly. She was worth every penny of what he was paying her.
The rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon was working through the cut down arrangement and by then end of it, Nate was feeling good about the song and the performance. There was a good chance he wouldn’t get booed off the stage and for that he was grateful.
Stevie had let Darla do her hair and makeup for the gig at The Bluebird, but had reined in her creativity. Dressing up to do karaoke was one thing, but this was The Bluebird and she needed to get her look right. YouTube videos of tonight would be all over the web tomorrow and Stevie was determined to make a good impression.
She never used to get nervous before a gig, but it had been so long since she had played a live audience that she was feeling a little anxious. Besides, it was The Bluebird! The fucking Bluebird! She didn’t think she would ever get to play there, let alone this early in her career.
The week had gone quickly, days filled with rehearsals for their performance, as well as for her upcoming tour. Marci had booked them into some bars and festivals to refine their set before the tour started and to get some buzz going for them as a band. Their album was doing well, but they were still relatively unknown and they needed these shows to boost their sales. The tour would launch them, but first they needed to win over the country faithful.
That was another reason the performance at The Bluebird was so important. It may have been Nate’s set, but it was showcasing her as well. They would be doing ‘No Good for Me’ as well as two other songs from Nate’s upcoming album with her and Vanessa performing with him. They may not be on the final album, but this could go a long way to cementing their reputations as serious contenders on the country music circuit.
They all sat together at a table, well two tables
pulled together, with Darla and Tom and Stevie kept quiet, not wanting to strain her voice on one hand, but too nervous to do the whole small talk thing on the other. She sipped her warm lemon, ginger and honey concoction letting it gently warm her vocal chords. Their set was the last one on the docket. It was late, almost too late, but a gig was a gig and it was The Bluebird.
The name of the cafe kept rolling around her head. The Bluebird, The Bluebird, The Bluebird. She said the name so many times that it began to sound funny, like it wasn’t made up of real words, just random sounds. A warm hand on her leg made her jump and brought her back to the present. She turned to look at Nate and he smiled encouragingly at her. She smiled back and took a deep breath. She could do this. She had played worse crowds in her time, less sympathetic audiences who preferred redneck anthems than the soft ballads she and Nate had played. Playing the Bluebird would be a piece of cake.
“You okay?” Nate whispered in her ear.
She nodded and sipped her drink. He knew she wouldn’t talk. It was a ritual that they had played out many times. In fact, sitting next to him with Darla and Tom while they waited for their set was like slipping into a comfortable old pair of slippers. It really didn’t matter that it was The Bluebird and she was silly to get so uptight about it. This was just her and Nate doing what they had done so many times before. The stage might be a bit nicer and the audience a hell of a lot more receptive, but it was just another performance and she loved performing. Any time she got to make music was a good day.
“Next up we have Nate Nash with some brand new material.”
There was a half-hearted smattering of applause and Nate looked vaguely sick before he plastered a smile on his face and got up to move to the stage. Stevie and Vanessa followed him and readied themselves on the stage, the three of them sitting in a row on tall stools. The lights were bright and hot, but not bright enough to blind her and she could see Darla’s grinning face behind her phone as she held it up to record.
