Duplicity

by Lisa J. Hobman

  Alec snickered. “Do I make you nervous?”

  I narrowed my eyes. What a bizarre question to ask of another adult. “No, not nervous. I just feel a little hostility coming from you and I’m wondering why.” Nothing like being honest.

  He folded his arms across his chest. “Let’s just say I didn’t appreciate the way you treated my best friend after your first date. And it worries me that you’re stickin’ around if you’re planning to do the same again.” By first date, I knew he meant our almost one night stand, and it sort of figured why he was being so arsey.

  I nodded and smirked. “Okay, so you’re giving me the big brother talk?”

  His frown deepened. “I don’t think it’s funny. Star is a very special person. She has a heart of gold, and she deserves the best. She deserves to be respected and loved, Fin. Not tossed out like trash.”

  I stood to face him, feeling that I needed to be on equal footing. “Look, Alec. I know I fucked up the first time around, okay? But, not that it’s really any of your business…” I lowered my voice in the hope that the confession I was about to make was only heard by him. I wasn’t ready to confess it in my own actual words to the object of my affections. “But I think I’m falling for her. No…I know I am. She is special. You’re right. And I feel like shit about how I reacted after our first encounter, but I’ve been going through a really difficult time lately. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say, I realised my mistake and I’m ready to do anything it takes to not hurt her again.”

  Suddenly, he stepped toward me, and I flinched, ready to strike back, but instead he grappled me into a hug. “I knew it. I bloody knew it.” He slapped my back and I stood there for a moment before returning the hug. He pulled away, and with his hands resting on my shoulders and sincerity in his eyes, he pleaded, “Just don’t break her heart, okay?”

  I hoped my eyes held the sincerity I felt. “I don’t intend to.”

  “What’s going on here? Are you trying to steal my man, Alec McVey?” Star’s beautiful voice was filled with humour.

  Alec laughed and slapped me on the back, hard. “No, Twinkle. Just warning him that if he hurts you, I’ll open a large can of whoop ass on him.” He winked at me and I returned his friendly slap on the back with one of my own—maybe using a little too much force.

  Star

  The strange atmosphere between Alec and Fin seemed to dissipate, and I was relieved to see them laughing and joking together as I pulled on my boots. When I was ready, Fin and I left the apartment under the watchful gaze of my best friend.

  As we exited the building, Fin’s voice broke the silence. “Sheesh, he’s pretty intense, eh?”

  Dread washed over me and I stopped. “Oh, God. What did he say to you? I knew he’d said something. Tell me.”

  Fin stopped, turned to face me, and placed his hands on my upper arms. “Nothing. It’s fine. He just wants you to be happy and not to get hurt. I completely respect that.”

  I lowered my head. “He really did threaten you, didn’t he?” I couldn’t make eye contact with him. How embarrassing. I was going to kill Alec for this.

  He tilted my chin up so I met his concerned gaze once more. “Look, don’t worry. I didn’t take it seriously. He’s a decent guy and he has your best interests at heart. I’m glad of the fact.”

  “Urgh! He’s so overbearing. He seems to think he’s taking my dad’s place or something. It’s bullshit, Fin.” I thankfully stopped short of stamping my foot like an errant teenager.

  The sexy smile that spread across his lips made my stomach flip. He leaned in, slipped his hands into my hair, and kissed me. It was gentle at first but gained fervour, and I gripped at his leather jacket, doing my best to stifle the moan of pleasure bubbling up from within me.

  When he pulled away, he locked his gaze on mine. “Fuck, you’re hot when you’re angry.”

  “Angry? Was I angry? I don’t remember.” I almost swooned on the spot.

  “Come on. Let’s go watch people murder our favourite songs.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I was relieved when my legs remembered how to function after that underwear-igniting kiss.

  Star

  The club was buzzing when we arrived. Some older guy was on stage rocking out to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and the crowd loved him. He could’ve given Robert Plant a run for his money, no doubt. Fin still clutched my hand as he led me through the throng.

  Suddenly he stopped and turned to me. He leaned in and spoke directly into my ear to make himself heard. “Okay, please don’t be angry, but I wanted to introduce you to my best buddy, Tom. Remember I told you about him? He’s the guy who—”

  “Runs the gallery. Yeah, I remember.”

  The annoyance must have been visible on my face as he cringed. “Look, I really want you to believe how talented you are. And I figured I stepped out of my comfort zone with the whole singing thing with your help and so I thought—”

  Irritation prickled at my skin. He had a very fair point. “You thought you’d drag me kicking and screaming out of mine? Well, I’m just not ready. I’m sorry to let you down, Fin. I think maybe I should go.” I tried to turn away, intent on getting the hell out of Dodge.

  How much of a hypocrite was I?

  He gripped my shoulders. “Star, please? He’s my best mate and I want you to meet him anyway. You don’t have to agree to anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  I sighed, feeling more than a little bit stupid. “Fin, you’ve clearly got him here under false pretences, and I told you I didn’t want exhibitions and notoriety. I trusted you to accept that.”

  A pained, sorrowful look appeared on his handsome features and I felt shitty for my overreaction.

  He dropped his arms from my body. “Forget it. I’m really sorry. I just wanted to help you like you helped me. But the last thing I’d ever want to do is upset you, Star. You mean too much to me. Do you want me to walk you home?” The dejection in his eyes caused my insides to knot and I wanted to take back all of my negativity. I wanted to suck the words right back in and say that I would love to meet his best friend as I should have.

  I softened, stepped toward him, and cupped his cheek. “No, Fin. It’s me who should be sorry. I reacted like an idiot. Of course I don’t want to go home. I want to be here with you. And…and I want to meet Tom.”

  His eyes widened and he smiled. “You do?” He pulled me into a hug. “I promise I won’t mention exhibits or photography or anything.”

  He gripped my hand and squeezed it, and I followed him through the crowd once more until I was suddenly pulled around to his side.

  “Hunter! You made it.” A handsome dark-haired guy pulled Fin into a man-hug and slapped his back. “I thought you’d changed your mind. Oh, hey. You must be the girl who’s stolen my best buddy’s heart.”

  He had smiley dark eyes. I guessed they were brown, but the club lights were kind of dim. He seemed sweet and was obviously one of those guys who didn’t mind PDA as he pulled me into a hug and kissed the side of my head.

  My cheeks heated as I glanced briefly at Fin. “Um…hi. I’m guessing that makes you Tom.”

  He grinned. “It sure does. Hey, Hunter, go get your girl a drink, mate, and give us a chance to get to know each other, eh?”

  Fin glanced at me and his face contorted in an ‘are you sure you want me to leave you?’ kind of way, but I nodded. “Jack and Coke please, Fin.”

  He disappeared in the direction of the bar, and Tom gestured for me to sit down at the table he had commandeered.

  “So, Star. Fin tells me you are the elusive S.A.M? Totally fate that you met, if you ask me.”

  I didn’t ask you. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Now, hows about you exhibiting in my gallery? You must have loads of fantastic pieces hidden away that deserve to be seen, and my gallery is the place to show them. What can I say to convince you?” He winked. Clearly, he was expecting me to jump at the chance to have an exhibition. Who wouldn’t?


  Me, apparently.

  I shook my head. “Oh, no, that’s okay. It’s just a hobby is all. I don’t exhibit.”

  His eyes widened and he leaned toward me. “Take it from someone who knows about this stuff, Star. Your work is stunning. Fin’s been a fan for a while now, and I know for a fact that people would want to see it. Will you just think about it? An exhibition, I mean.”

  Jeez, talk about a dog with a bone.

  I shook my head and wished Fin would return. “Look, I told Fin—”

  He halted me with his hand. “This has nothing to do with Fin. This is me asking as a gallery owner and art expert. Please can I exhibit your work? Just think about it.”

  My stomach did somersaults at the thought of my photos coming in for criticism, but the look in Tom’s eyes told me my worries were unfounded. He was confident it would be a success, even if I wasn’t.

  I swallowed the nervous knot in my throat. “I’ll think about it. But I’m promising nothing.”

  He held up his hands. “That’s all I ask.”

  Fin returned and placed a drink in front of me. He leaned over and kissed my head. “So, did you two get to know each other better whilst I was gone, eh?”

  Tom grinned at me. “We’re working on it, mate. We’re working on it.”

  Star

  After a while, a few more of Fin’s friends arrived. They were a rowdy but great bunch. I particularly liked a girl called Siân. She worked with Tom at the gallery, and I got the feeling she had a bit of a crush on him. She hung on his every word, but once she’d had a few drinks, she told me he was a real womaniser. It explained why she appeared to only adore him from afar.

  “He says he wants your work for the gallery. You gonna go for it?” Siân’s strong Glaswegian accent didn’t seem to fit her delicate features and pixie haircut. She looked so demure, but her accent was so thick, and I loved it.

  I sighed and shook my head. “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think so. It’s just not my scene. I’m not a showy person, you know?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “That coming from the girl with pink hair and tats?”

  I laughed as I heard Fin’s words echoed in his friend’s. “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to believe, but I’m kinda shy when it comes to my photos.”

  She leaned toward me and conspiratorially glanced around. “Look, Tom may be a skirt chaser but—and for God’s sake don’t tell him I said anything nice about him—he really knows his art. You should put your faith in yourself and Tom and give it a trial run at least. I’ve seen your work, and let me tell you, it’s of a higher standard than most. You should be proud of it, not hiding it away and selfishly keeping it locked up.” She nudged me and I thought about what Fin had said about our respective comfort zones. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps meeting him was meant to draw me out of my shell—in more ways than one.

  Taking a deep breath, I leaned over and slapped Tom’s arm. He swung his head around and the glare in his eyes told me he was about to shout expletives.

  Thankfully, he realised it was me, and he grinned. “Hey, Starlet. What’s up?”

  Come on, Star. You can do this. “I’ve been chatting to Siân. She’s convinced me. I’ll do it.”

  Suddenly, he picked me up and spun me around, and my stomach almost let go of its alcoholic contents. Once he had placed me down, he tugged on Fin’s arm and told him the news.

  Fin turned to me, cupped my face in his palms, and placed a luscious wet kiss on my mouth. “I’m so proud of you right now.” Before I could reply, he turned and walked away with purpose. I watched as he disappeared through the hordes of people dancing to someone’s rendition of Kiss’ “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”. He disappeared from sight, and I figured he had gone to buy another round of celebratory drinks.

  I turned back to Tom, who was hugging Siân. She glanced over at me, and I couldn’t help but smile at her face-splitting grin.

  The audience cheered as the pseudo Paul Stanley left the stage, and I wondered absently who would be up next. A familiar gruff voice broke through my thoughts, and I spun toward the stage once more.

  “This goes out to my shining Star.” A simple piano intro began, and a shiver travelled down my spine. The familiar lyrics to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” began to fall easily from Fin’s full lips. A lump formed in my throat, and once again, everyone else within the room disappeared, and my shy, reluctant rock god bravely locked his gaze on me and sang as if showing me that stepping out of his comfort zone was getting easier thanks to me.

  Commanding the stage as he always did, the crowds of people stopped chatting amongst themselves and watched in awe, as did I. Something profoundly moving about the lyrics and the way he sang them to me made tears well in my eyes, and I observed in wonder as he once again told me his innermost feelings through song.

  When the song was finished, Fin jumped from the stage and made a beeline for me, avoiding all of his well-wishers. Without speaking, he slipped his hands into my hair and crushed his mouth to mine in a kiss that took my breath—and my heart—away.

  Fin

  We arrived back at my place after a really fun evening. I was relieved Tom’s enthusiasm over her art hadn’t made Star run for the hills, and I was so excited at the prospect of seeing her work displayed for everyone to see. But all I had wanted to do from the moment I stepped off the stage was to bring her home and make love to her.

  Once inside my flat, I pulled her flush with my body, and without speaking, I gripped her bottom and lowered my face to cover her mouth with my own. The taste of her was like a drug to me now, and I was highly addicted. How the hell I had fallen so quickly was beyond me, but I wasn’t about to fight it anymore.

  After moving away from her briefly to flick on my iPod in its dock, I led her to the couch and laid her down. As the original version of the song I sang to her earlier in the evening played in the background, I worshipped her body with mine and we made love slowly, relishing in our connection and not caring about art exhibitions, band rehearsals, or how fast things were moving.

  As I moved inside her body, I locked my gaze on her, desperate to say the words that were on the tip of my tongue. But it was too soon. Or at least I thought it was. And so I mumbled words of affection and told her how good she felt beneath me, in my arms, and around me.

  Sliding my hand between our sweat-slicked bodies, I found her sensitive flesh with my fingers and watched as she soared, clenching around me, pulling me closer until the sight of her ecstasy brought me my own divine release.

  We lay in each other’s arms for a long while after, just holding each other close until a loud rumble from my stomach made us both break out into giggles.

  She pushed herself up and gazed down at me. “I think maybe we should eat.”

  I trailed my gaze over her smooth tattooed skin and became aroused all over again. I couldn’t get enough. But she was right. My empty belly was protesting and I need to sate it, and not just my sexual appetite. But I allowed myself a few more seconds of taking in the astoundingly sexy sight of her nakedness above me.

  A blush spread from her chest to her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around herself. “You’re staring, Hunter.”

  I nodded slowly. “Oh, I’m well aware of the fact. You’re so much more beautiful than any photograph I’ve ever seen. Even your own, and that’s saying something.”

  The pink in her cheeks intensified and she slapped my arm playfully. “I think hunger is affecting your eyesight. Go eat.” She slid off me and dashed to the bathroom.

  I pulled on my boxers and T-shirt and went to find something…anything edible in the kitchen. I was distinctly lacking in the grocery department and plumped for cheese on toast. I prepared the meagre meal whilst I heard the shower running and waited for Star to return.

  We sat at the little kitchen table and munched away on our Welsh rarebit, silently contemplating…well, whatever.

  “Oh, my boss would like us to meet him and his wife for drinks in the c
ity next week. He thought you might feel more comfortable knowing more than just me at the ball.”

  Her eyes widened. “Your boss? Oh shit, really?”

  “Really. He’s a great guy. You have nothing to worry about.”

  She pushed the crumbs around on her plate. “I suppose it’s sweet of him to want to put me at ease.”

  “It is. I’ve never known anyone like him. He’s just so…respectful and respect-worthy. I mean, the people at work just get the job done. No need for cajoling. No shouting. No ridicule and humiliation. It’s just the best place to work.”

  Her responding smile was warm and she reached out and stroked my arm. “That’s how it should be. It’s what you deserve. And yes, I would love to meet your boss and his wife.”

  Fin

  Spending time with Star was by far one of my favourite things to do. Our weekends together consisted of long talks, walks through the city, and passionate hours tangled together between the sheets where we learned to please each other in every possible way.

  Seeing the city through her eyes was awe-inspiring. Intriguing. She told me she wanted to take me to one of her favourite places, and as soon we had the opportunity, I was excited to discover this place she loved so much. Armed with her camera, she led me through the bustling city on a sunny Sunday morning. Distant church bells sounded, adding to the idyllic day in all its sunshine and glory. For a while, we walked without speaking, hand in hand, content in each other’s silence down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood. I watched Star in my peripheral vision. It was fascinating to see the expression of awe on her face as she revelled in the exquisite diversity and beauty of the city—the place I had called home for all of my life. Seeing her joy made me smile.

  Since meeting Star and allowing her to show me the place through her eyes, I had started to look at Edinburgh in a whole new light. I no longer walked around with my eyes veiled, but instead I began to appreciate the myriad of architectural styles all around me, seeing something new along each and every well-trodden route. This also applied to the people that graced the city streets. The more I people-watched, the more I realised my fortune at finding Star—of us finding each other—out of all the endless possibilities surrounding us.