Duplicity

by Lisa J. Hobman

  When I’d initially walked into the rehearsal studio, I’d immediately felt intimidated. Strange, considering I could stand up in a courtroom and defend someone with utmost confidence and come across as a very together, even arrogant, guy. But being there with the band was nothing like I expected. I was thinking church hall, pub function room. A professional rehearsal studio in a converted warehouse was not something I’d anticipated. Stupid really, when I knew the guys were adults and not some teenage wannabes being let out for a couple of hours by their parents. I really needed to increase my expectations.

  Especially those I placed on myself.

  I needed the fresh air, and so Star and I walked home across the city, taking in the atmosphere of the place as the Friday night revellers sang in drunken unison about some football team or other that allegedly wore the opposing team’s mothers’ underwear. We laughed as they walked past us, and one of them grabbed Star and spun her around, waltzing her across the precinct as his friends cheered him on. Luckily, there was no malice in them.

  Once they were out of sight, I pulled Star into a darkened doorway and kissed her passionately, but she stiffened in my arms. I asked if I had done something wrong and she began to explain.

  “My last boyfriend, Mick the prick, as Alec called him…he dumped me just before my birthday because we were apparently moving too fast and he needed some alone time.”

  “Ah. But the doorway?”

  “Yeah, I’m getting to that. I was walking home one night after work, and I spotted him and one of the girls from the bar where he worked. They were making out in a shop doorway. It was pretty X-rated stuff from what I could see. It just proved to me that I have to be more careful who I trust, I guess.”

  I smacked my head. “Aww, fuck. And then I come along and drag you into a doorway. Shit, I’m sorry.”

  She smiled, but it was fleeting. “No, don’t be. You didn’t know any of that. It’s fine.”

  But her expression told me it wasn’t fine at all. We began to walk again and I cringed and regretted my attempt at romance.

  As we walked in silence, I could feel her eyes on me, and when I turned my head, she was chewing her lip, a distinct mask of worry on her face.

  I stopped and pulled her into my arms. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “I think I may have overreacted about the doorway thing. I’m sorry.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “God, you’re too sweet, you know that?”

  Shyness replaced the anxiety on her face and she tilted her head to one side. “Am I?”

  “You are.” I leaned in and ran my nose down the length of hers, finishing the gesture with a tender kiss to her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed as I told her, “Mmm, you taste sweet too.”

  Her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed up at me. “I love that Stabbing Westward song you sang earlier.”

  “Hmm, I seem to remember a chat we were going to have back at mine.” I grinned at her and ran my thumb along her bottom lip.

  She sucked my thumb into her mouth, sending a jolt of pleasure right to my groin. She released my thumb with a pop. “I seem to remember that too.”

  My erection grew, and I had to change the subject before I dragged her into another doorway. “If you can think of any songs you’d like to hear me sing, you’ll have to tell me, you know? Especially songs that have that effect on you that you mentioned earlier.”

  She smiled up at me and my heart melted. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

  I had to get her home. And the sooner, the better.

  The rest of the journey back to my apartment was made in comfortable silence. We were both lost in thought, absorbing the weekend atmosphere of the city we called home with its buzzing restaurants and pounding basslines that made the pavements outside the clubs vibrate. Every so often, we shared knowing smiles and glances, and the anticipation of getting her alone almost made me break out into a run.

  We reached my apartment block and she pulled me into the doorway and crushed her mouth against mine, her tongue sliding inside. So, doorways are back on the table, hmm? Once she had finished devouring my mouth, she let me punch the security code into the exterior pad and then pulled me through the space created as the door automatically opened.

  We silently took the stairs up to my floor, and once inside my apartment, I pushed her up against the wall, feeling a little more comfortable in my own surroundings. “So, you were going to tell me about the effect I have on you when I sing.” My lips hovered over hers as I slipped my hand down her side and lifted her thigh.

  She gasped. “I…I get shivers. The edge to your voice makes me want you.”

  “It does, eh? Tell me more.”

  She pulled her full bottom lip into her mouth and let it slip out as I watched. My eyes fixed on the plump, pink flesh. Her breathing rate increased. “My heart beats faster. I close my eyes and imagine your mouth next to my ear, your hot breath on my neck.” Oh, she was getting into this and, of course, I was too.

  I moved to her ear and whispered. “Like this?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Passion. I hear passion in your voice and you sing the words like they mean something to you. It doesn’t matter which song you’re singing. I feel every emotion you express. Whether it’s anger…or…or…lust.” Her voice wavered and her chest heaved as I caressed the silky exposed skin of her thigh. I slipped my hand further and further until I reached her bottom, and squeezed as I pressed myself into her body, my erection thickening as she spoke.

  I flicked my tongue at the shell of her ear and then spoke in a husky whisper that belied my desperation to take her. “I see. And when I make eye contact with you when I’m singing?” I nibbled a trail from just below her ear down to her collarbone and felt her shiver as I kneaded the flesh under my fingertips. Her hips rotated into me, creating a tantalising pressure.

  She half sighed, half groaned. “Hmm…I get caught in your stare. Your eyes…they undress me…piece by piece…until I feel exposed to you… soul deep. Naked.”

  God, she had a way with words. I was so turned on, and I ground my erection into the apex of her thighs, making her gasp again. I lifted her and she automatically wrapped her legs around me, making her short skirt ride up her body. As I carried her to my bedroom, we kissed breathlessly and our tongues caressed, tasted and teased each other. I couldn’t get enough and doubted I ever would.

  When I placed her gently down on my bed, she unbuttoned her fitted shirt until her black satin-covered breasts were free for me to feast my gaze on. She pulled herself up and removed the shirt, letting it drop from her fingertips to the floor, and then she climbed up onto her knees and unbuttoned my shirt, slowly and seductively, keeping her eyes locked on mine. Once my chest was exposed, she leaned in to place kisses between my pecs and down to my happy trail—which I now wanted to rename my ecstatic trail.

  She deftly freed the button and zipper on my jeans and shoved them down my thighs, along with my boxers, as she continued to place gentle kisses over my sensitive flesh. I sucked air in through my gritted teeth as I let my head fall backwards. The pleasure was so intense that I almost lost myself in the depths of ecstasy, and a groan escaped from my throat when she suddenly ceased her ministrations. Feeling rather bereft for a moment, I lifted my head and shifted so I could look down at her.

  To my surprise, she had somehow discarded her remaining clothing and was laid back, naked and pleading with me, although not with words. Her intense and penetrating gaze spoke volumes. Kicking off my jeans, I bent to grab a condom from my nightstand and then lowered myself to the bed. She reached up and dragged her nails down my torso, leaving light white marks that faded soon after. I sheathed myself and positioned my body between her thighs.

  Words rushed around my head and begged for escape from my lips, but what the hell would she think if I set them free? She’d no doubt think it was some horny, clichéd expression of emotion attached to the desire and need I had to find
my release. The last thing I wanted was to fire benign and seemingly empty words at her. Not that they would actually be empty. The feelings I had for her were like nothing I had ever experienced before. But in all honesty, the words in my head just didn’t seem enough. And so I lowered my body and entered her, whispering sweet words about how she made me feel into her ear as she gripped my shoulder with one hand and my arse with the other.

  Slowly, I began to move inside her. The pace was deliberate. A kind of self-inflicted torture. I needed to make it last. I needed to feel every sensation intensely until I could hold back no longer. Only then would I really know what I had suspected for a while now.

  I was in love.

  Star

  The day that followed Fin’s first rehearsal with Hydde was bright and sunny. But to be honest, if it had been raining and cloudy, I truly wouldn’t have cared. The intensity of our love-making the night before had gotten to me so much that, once again, I had that stupid grin on my face. I’d stayed over, and luckily I’d had the common sense to pack fresh underwear and clothes for work the next day.

  I walked into the coffee shop to find Alec already there. I was humming “Strange and Beautiful” again, and my boss/best friend rolled his eyes when I walked through to the back to take off my coat.

  He followed me, and I knew he was about to start digging for information. “Hmm, someone looks like the cat who got the cream. I just hope the cream was caught in a condom.”

  I gasped at his gross remark. “Ugh! Alec, my God you can be so disgusting!” I threw a dish towel at him. It’s good it was the only thing in close proximity.

  “Well, I’m just saying. You don’t know where he’s been.”

  I flared my nostrils and placed my hands firmly on my hips. “Actually, I’m only his second sexual partner, if you must know. Not that you need to know anything of the sort. The men I sleep with are my business, Alec McVey, and I’d be happier if you’d stop poking your nose into my affairs.” He held his hands up in surrender but my good mood was ruined.

  He picked up the dish towel that had landed on the floor and threw it onto the laundry pile. “I’m just worried about you, Twinkle, that’s all. You trust so easily, darling.” He slowly walked toward me, hands aloft as if approaching a startled mare in a corral.

  He was like a big brother to me, and I needed him. In spite of what I’d expressed only moments before, I was kind of glad he was around and he had my back.

  I sighed and softened a little. “I know. And I do appreciate it, Al. I really do. But you’ve got it wrong about Fin. He’s sweet and funny and kind. He makes me feel good and I love to spend time with him.”

  He took another tentative step. “I know, hon. It’s just it worries me how fast this is all happening after how he treated you before. I know I’m not responsible for you, but you’re like family to me. If anything was to happen…”

  I closed the remaining gap between us and slipped my arms around his waist. Resting my head on his chest, I told him, “I’m a big girl, Al. But I love you, and I’m grateful to have you looking out for me.”

  His arms came around me and he squeezed me tight. “I’ll always look out for you, babe. You know that.”

  The day was busy yet uneventful until around three in the afternoon when my cell rang. It was Fin’s number, and a shiver of excitement passed through me.

  “Hey.” My voice was breezy and a little breathy. This was the effect he had on me.

  “Hey, your sexy self.” Oh my God, I loved his accent. “I have news.”

  “Oh? I hope it’s good news.”

  He chuckled and I could imagine the smile playing on his oh-so-kissable lips. “Well, I think it’s quite exciting.”

  “Come on then. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  “Na, I’d rather keep you in suspenders.” His husky whisper made my muscles clench in anticipation.

  “Fiiiiin,” I groaned, and my nipples were suddenly awake.

  “Okay, maybe that’s a conversation for another time, eh? Okay, so there’s this rather posh charity ball thing in a couple of months. McKendrick Law attends every year. It’s run by a children’s cancer charity, and I really want to go. I’d like you to go with me as my date. What do you think?”

  Ugh. Events like that weren’t really my kind of thing, but I didn’t want to let Fin down. The fact that I wouldn’t know anyone there preyed on my mind, along with visions of being left with a table full of strangers whilst Fin went to mingle.

  I realised I had been silent for a while and cleared my throat. “Um…yeah. Yeah, sure.”

  Fin sighed. “Do I sense a bit of hesitation, Star? If you’d rather not go—”

  “No, I’ll go. I’m just being silly. Events like this are something I don’t normally attend because I don’t really fit in at such things, but for you, I’ll go.”

  There was a pause at his end this time before he continued. “Hey, I don’t want you to feel pressured into going. I just…I want to show you off.”

  Heat rose in my cheeks even though he couldn’t see me. I wanted so much to kiss him right then. “You’re so sweet.”

  “When it comes to sweet, I think you win, hands down.”

  “Don’t you know that flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Hunter?”

  He chuckled. “Well, I certainly hope so.” His deep voice sent a shot of pleasure straight to my sex, and I had to breathe deeply in through my nose to calm myself. “Look, if you really don’t want to go, that’s fine. And it’s a while away so I don’t want to put pressure on you so soon.”

  Why was I hesitating? This was Fin saying that he saw our relationship as meaningful. That he was looking beyond the next week and believing that perhaps we were going to last. Why else would he want to take me to such an important event?

  I mentally pulled up my big girl panties. “Fin, I’d honestly be delighted to go with you. And besides, it gives me an opportunity to go shopping for a fancy outfit.” Why the hell did I say that? I hate shopping.

  “Look, you’re a beautiful woman, and I don’t care what you wear. Don’t feel you have to be all conservative. Just be you. It’s you that I lo—I mean it’s you that…”

  My breath hitched and I covered my mouth. He almost said he loved me. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. It was too soon. Much too soon. But damn if I didn’t feel it too.

  “It’s okay, Fin. I know what you mean. And I promise I will be myself.”

  “Good. Now when can I see you again?”

  Fin

  Just the thought of seeing Star all dressed up for the ball turned me on and made my heart do somersaults in my chest. I hoped she would wear something really sexy underneath her clothes so I had even more to look forward to when I took her home and peeled her out of whatever she was wearing. Although, I knew whatever she wore, she’d look stunning.

  We arranged to see each other a couple of nights later and go to DeBasement again, and I found myself counting the hours until I could see her.

  When the day arrived, I was sitting at my desk, staring at the view of the vast city, coffee cup in hand, having a break and fantasising about her when there was a knock on my door which yanked me from my daydream.

  “Hi, Fin.” Alasdair’s bright and breezy voice caught me off guard.

  I spun around on my chair. “Oh, hi, Alasdair. I was just…um—”

  He held his hands up and laughed. “Will you please stop panicking every time I walk into your office?”

  I ran a hand through my hair and huffed the air from my lungs through puffed cheeks. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

  He shook his head and rolled his eyes, smiling. “I came in to ask if you and your lady friend would like to meet Colette and me for drinks next weekend. I thought perhaps…sorry, what’s her name?” He cringed.

  “Star,” I informed him with a cheesy grin.

  “I thought perhaps Star may feel a little more comfortable knowing a couple more faces at the charity ball.”

  This guy never ceased
to amaze me. “That’s…that’s really kind of you, Alasdair. Thank you. Where were you thinking of going? And when? We could meet you there.”

  “Oh, I was thinking somewhere quite relaxed. Maybe just a bar in the centre? How about Deacon Brodie’s on the Royal Mile? Say eight, a week on Friday? We can grab a bite to eat too if you’re okay with that?”

  “Sounds great. I’m seeing her tonight so I’ll mention it then.”

  “Great stuff.” He turned to leave. “Oh, and Fin, I heard about the work you did on the Henderson case. The ideas you came up with really turned things around. It just shows you what a new perspective on a case can achieve. Well done, son.” And with that, he left.

  I sat there, wide-eyed and with a knot of excitement in my stomach. Once again feeling that I had done Alasdair and the company proud made me feel on top of the world.

  I could get used to this.

  Fin

  I knocked on Star’s door on the evening of our next date, and when it opened, I was greeted by a stern-faced man. Confusion briefly washed over me until I remembered she mentioned her male roommate and best friend, and even though Star and I had been seeing each other a while now, I was yet to make his acquaintance.

  I smiled warmly and held out my hand. “You must be Alec. It’s good to finally meet you.”

  He seemed reluctant but shook my hand. “Fin.” My name fell from his lips as though it tasted bad. “You’d better come in.”

  I frowned and nodded before stepping past him through the doorway and into the lounge area. “Is Star ready?”

  “She won’t be long. Have a seat.” He gestured to the couch and I suddenly felt nervous, like a teenager meeting a date’s father for the first time. My palms began to sweat and I wiped them down my jeans. I sat as instructed and peered up at him where he hovered over me.