Silently, she handed him the contact sheet. The pictures looked more incriminating than the act itself had been. In real life it had been a hazy shimmering moment that slipped an inch too far. Captured on film, the photographs showed Jon with his face in her crotch. Her hand on the back of his head was pulling him closer. There was no ambiguity, no room for explanation or denial.
Tam’s face hardened. A muscle in his jaw twitched. The hand that had been massaging Kara’s shoulder slowed to a halt and dropped away. Silence fell in the bright reception hall, with nobody meeting each other’s eyes.
‘Is Ruby at home?’ Kara asked Jon.
‘Yeah. She doesn’t want to see anyone.’
‘And the session?’
Jon shrugged. ‘There’s three of us here.’
Three of us barely talking to each other, Kara added mentally.
‘We’ll just need to lay down what we can and fill in the rest later.’
‘Tam?’ Kara asked, curling her hands into fists. ‘Are you ready to do this?’
‘I said I’d be here,’ he answered. ‘And I keep my promises.’ He paused, waited for the room to start clearing before he whispered to Kara in a low voice, ‘One of us has to.’
13
SHE WASN’T FEELING it. They’d messed up half-a-dozen takes already – Kara kept missing her cues and forgetting the words.
‘This isn’t even new material,’ Tam said through gritted teeth. He was downing his third coffee, leaning on a high stool and glowering at her. ‘You wrote this stuff, Kara. You should know how to sing it.’
On the other side of the soundproof glass, Mike crouched over the board next to the engineer and watched everything. Kara hadn’t spoken to him since he dropped her off – she didn’t know where to start or if she’d be able to stop once she did. Now, she ripped off her headphones and slammed her way out of the studio. She rapped on the door to the control room. It swung open and Mike frowned at her.
‘What is it?’ he said. ‘The clock’s running, Kara. This is all costing me and we’re behind schedule already.’
‘I need to talk to you,’ she hissed.
Mike waited, swinging in his seat. ‘So talk,’ he said.
Kara hung on the door, chewing her bottom lip. She glared at the engineer, who finally muttered an excuse and scuttled out of the room. Alone with Mike, Kara took a deep breath and spat our her question. ‘What’s with all the ex-fucks?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Judy, Lina. All the exes you have stashed away in here. Is it some kind of sex cult?’
Mike blew out a breath. ‘Get a hold on yourself, Kara.’
‘I didn’t know Judy worked here,’ Kara hissed, crowding close in to Mike. She was close enough to reach out and rake her nails across his arm.
‘Is that a problem?’
‘It’s incestuous,’ she said. ‘It’s seedy.’
‘What, that I’ve been involved with someone I work with? Why should it matter to you?’
‘We’re surrounded by them! All the knowing looks and secret little smiles. The place is lousy with sex. It’ll drive me crazy.’
‘It’s never been a problem up until now,’ Mike said, leaning on the door frame and drumming on the wood with his fingers. ‘We’re all adults here, Kara. I’ve always managed to keep work separate from my private life.’
‘Doesn’t look like that from where I’m standing.’
‘And you think letting Ruby’s boyfriend bury his face between your legs is less seedy? Less likely to screw up the chances of your band succeeding?’ Mike leaned in close now and spoke directly into Kara’s ear. ‘At least be a bit discreet next time.’
‘That’s bullshit!’ She pulled away. ‘Lina engineered that whole ridiculous mess. She’s poisonous.’
‘I think you’re jealous.’
‘I think you’re fucking me around.’
Mike smiled. He swung round and pushed the door open, gestured for Kara to leave. ‘Play the game, Kara. Get back in there.’
She retreated into the studio, aggravated rather than relieved. She should know better than to have expected Mike to placate her. He was all about winding her up – pushing her buttons and watching her spin. Kara slid the headphones on, keeping her eyes fixed on Mike. Behind her, Tam ran through chords, repeating the same riff over and over. Though the headphones dampened the sound, she recognised the refrain instantly.
‘Hold that song for a minute,’ she said, into the standing mike.
There was a hiss of static as Mike opened the channel that connected directly to her. ‘We’re not finished,’ he said.
‘Later. We’ll do it later.’ Kara shook her head dismissively. ‘I’ve got a new track for you right now.’
‘Kara –’
The line clicked as he flicked the switch back to silent. Through the soundproof glass, Kara could see him swearing. The sound engineer was cracking his knuckles and frowning.
Kara smiled. ‘This is brand new,’ she said, jutting her chin towards Tam. ‘Tam, pick it up as we go, OK?’ She closed her eyes for a moment, nodded her head to a silent beat.
‘You want a click track on this?’ the engineer asked.
‘Shh. No,’ Kara said. She took a deep breath. ‘OK. Roll.’
Everyone waited. Kara listened to the thick silence in her headphones. She let the tension in the room swell until it started to warp. Then she snapped her eyes open and looked straight at Mike.
At last, she sang in a low, sugared voice:
‘Think you’ve got it?
Think you’re it.
But since I saw you last week I’m spitting out grit.’
She glanced behind her and nodded at Tam. Lifting his chin, he chimed in with an E chord. Kara’s voice swelled to match it, rising and growing stronger.
‘I can tell you, Mister slick,
This is not the bitch to spurn.
She’ll fight you right back, and give you one hell of a burn.
And like the rest …’
Kara threw her head back and closed her eyes, just as Jon picked up a melody on the keyboard. The song was taking over.
‘She’ll bend over,
she’ll spread her thighs,
but like the rest,
Mister slick,
she’ll be counting the ties …’
Kara broke off and leaned in close so the microphone was tight against her lips. Mike watched with his arms folded. His skin was dust coloured and his mouth a thin pinched line as Kara sang on.
‘… to the men
who would hold her
and the boys who would try.’
Her hips swayed and Kara felt the relief surge through her at last as she curled over the microphone and purred the last line:
‘It’s not so much the secrets as the lies that hurt.’
She fell back, breathing fast, and watched the booth with a mix of attitude and uncertainty.
Mike said nothing. He stood with his shoulders rigid, staring at Kara as though he were thinking hard. Eventually the sound engineer broke in and defused the stalemate.
‘Sweet,’ he said, shrugging. ‘We could use it as filler. Little end track.’ While he fiddled with the mixer and asked Jon to replay the keyboard riff, Kara watched Mike out of the corner of her eye.
He leaned forwards to open the channel. Again she heard the static in her headphones and Mike’s voice coming through as smooth and calm as ever. ‘Clever trick, Kara. You’ve got a shining talent.’
There was another subtle shift in the sound as he hit more switches and then his voice came through as dark and sweet as chocolate. ‘And I do enjoy watching you lead Tam around by his prick.’
Kara started, widening her eyes and spinning round to see Tam’s reaction. There was none. Then she heard the low chuckle in her ear.
‘I’ve isolated the channel, Kara. You’re the only one that can hear me.’ Through the glass, Mike was leaning back in his seat. The engineer had his head bowed over his mixing desk
. ‘But, of course, it would take just the flick of a switch to open Tam’s headphones. You wouldn’t want him to hear our private conversation, would you?’
You bastard, Kara thought. She flailed and reached out to grab hold of the microphone stand, needed to hold on to something cold and solid. Hearing Mike’s voice when no one else could disorientated her and the thought of the things he could tell Tam made her feel sick. Pressing her lips tightly together, Kara shook her head.
‘Good. So you’ll do as I tell you.’ Mike smiled. He had her caught like a fish on the end of a line. Worst of all, Kara couldn’t speak back, only stand there and mime her responses without letting Jon or Tam know what was going on. She was boiling inside, but Mike’s voice continued in her ear. ‘We’ll go back to “Turn on Me”,’ he said, ‘but this time I want you to do it with feeling.’ His smile twisted unpleasantly and he bent in low to whisper in the microphone. ‘Turn him on, Kara. Make his prick hard and I’ll keep all the seedy details between us.’
Kara frowned and shook her head violently. She must look like she had a flea in her ear, she thought, but there was no way she was going to make a fool of herself in front of everyone. Tam was still in cool-and-aloof mode, his blank indifference hiding God knows how many shades of contempt.
‘I know you can do it,’ Mike coaxed. ‘Get Tam’s dick hard and you win my silence.’
He flicked the channels open, called out for the band to start the song and watched from his chair like a film director. Screw you, Kara thought, but she also felt the familiar lightness in her arms and legs, the horny adrenaline rush Mike’s games always gave her.
The opening chords reverberated through her ribs and Kara closed her eyes, trying to calm her breath. She needed to tap into the rage and the arousal both at once, the memory of how Tam and she would spar and scowl at each other; the way it felt to have him slam her up against a wall and slide down her body, tugging at her clothes as he went.
She turned to him as she started singing the verse, watched his blunt fingers trip over the fret board and his face set in concentration. He wasn’t even looking in her direction. The distance between them made her hurt and she felt her knees get weak, prayed that Mike would drop his new game and let her just get on with the song. If she worked hard enough maybe she could forget about Tam for the next few hours.
‘Get closer to him,’ Mike whispered, and she knew he was speaking to her alone.
She circled closer, stood in front of Tam and looked down at his guitar. It was slung on his lap, held close to his body. Like a shield, she thought. He wouldn’t face her, kept his head bowed over the instrument and his eyes turned down. Did he know what was going on? Could she touch him?
‘Let’s try that again,’ called the engineer, and the song broke apart, sputtered to a pause and started again.
The intro played out, but Kara held off. She was waiting. At last, when they’d repeated the refrain twice already, Tam looked up.
‘Lick your lips,’ Mike said in a low voice.
Kara hesitated, then did as he said, flicking her tongue over her top lip and biting down on her lower. Tam continued to play the melody, watching her now from under his dark brows.
‘Don’t forget to sing, Kara,’ Mike reminded her.
Although her voice caught in her throat, she obeyed him, forcing the words out with a voice much huskier than usual. It was about Tam, for Tam, and she’d always sung it with him in mind. Only this time it was different. When she sung about being as wet as silk, she felt it. Between her legs and in her very centre, just below her heart.
‘Touch yourself,’ Mike said.
His words blazed in her mind and her hand flew automatically to her neck. She stroked her pulse point, felt the tremor of her voice as it rose in her throat.
‘Lower,’ he insisted.
Kara let her hand slide down over the swell of her breast.
‘That’s good,’ Mike said. ‘You’re listening well.’
Kara could hear the sweet irritant of certainty in his voice, like an over-sugared drink she couldn’t stop sipping at. She stroked light circles over her breasts, cursing Mike even though it felt good.
‘Do it harder. Rub your nipples.’
Closing her eyes, Kara scuffed the point of her tit with her palm and gave herself little zings of sensation.
‘Make them stiff,’ Mike said, his voice gaining an edge. ‘Let Tam get a good look at you. Let him see how horny you are.’
Kara’s voice nearly broke as she played with herself, knowing that Tam was watching her, sure that he was just as keenly aware of her body as Mike. Desperate, she pinched herself hard, twisted a nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Somehow, she thought, a little jolt of pain might fix the rising agitation she felt, or soothe the hunger of her sex, or satisfy Mike. Her nipples burned, the pain white hot and achingly good.
‘Now drop your hands. By your sides. Let him see you.’
As the song finished, Kara opened her eyes and dared to look at Tam.
At least she’d caught his attention. His gaze was stuck on her breasts and his mouth hung slightly open, those delicate lips parted just enough that she could see the edge of his teeth. This was a Tam she recognised and the realisation sent hope shooting in sparks straight from her heart. Was he as turned on as he looked? She imagined his cock straining against the backboard of his guitar, his balls tightening like a fist. She wanted to lean into him right there and then, let him take her nipple in his mouth and trap it between those sharp white teeth.
‘OK, guys, let’s move it on. “Sweet Street”, from the top.’ Mike’s voice broke rudely into the moment.
Bastard! Kara thought. Tam swallowed and averted his face, frowned as he fiddled with the tuners on his guitar.
‘Tam,’ Mike said, and Kara’s heart tripped a beat. ‘We’re not picking you up so well. Could you stand up and move closer to the mike?’
As he moved, Kara caught a slight scent of Tam – his own mix of hot skin, coffee and Dax-wax coconut. She wanted so badly to walk up and bury her face in his chest, feel the springy muscle under her cheek and inhale that smell deeply. But Mike wasn’t finished yet.
‘Bring it up a little higher – I want the fret board right up tight for a moment, just to check the levels.’
Tam shouldered his guitar and lifted it towards the microphone that hung from the ceiling. Instantly Kara’s eyes dropped to his crotch. Under the seam of his jeans, his cock curved hard against his thigh, sticking out bluntly and stretching the denim. As he strummed a few notes, Kara resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. Not here, not now, she said to herself. Not when it’s part of one of Mike’s twisted games.
At least she knew she still had the power to get him hard. That must mean he still wanted her, on some level. For the moment, that was enough.
‘That did the trick,’ Mike said, apparently as aware of Tam’s hard-on as Kara was. She felt ashamed, suddenly, to be sharing his voyeurism. What she and Tam had was complicated, but it wasn’t something she wanted to share with anyone else.
‘Don’t like me looking at your fuck-buddy?’ Mike said. ‘Wouldn’t you even like to see me bend him over and take him?’
Kara’s heart caught in her chest. The room seemed airless suddenly, as close and hot as a sauna. She could picture it so clearly. Mike had a way of turning his words into pictures in her head and at that moment she could see Tam gritting his teeth, picture the way his face would screw up as Mike’s cock nudged at his asshole.
‘I need a break,’ she said heavily, tearing the headphones off and leaving them swinging from their tether. She crashed across the hall and into the bathroom, running to the sink. For a few moments she breathed out through her mouth, trying to calm her breathing.
Behind her, the door swung slowly open.
‘Cooling off?’ Mike asked. ‘Or were you just about to jam your hand down your knickers?’
Kara whirled around and would have run straight back out if Mike hadn’t bee
n blocking her path. He shifted so that his wide shoulders filled the door frame and crossed his arms.
‘I’m impressed.’ Mike said.
‘I’m delighted,’ Kara replied, making an ineffectual effort to push him out of the way. But he wasn’t letting her go. He stood immovable in front of the door.
‘You’re insatiable, aren’t you? Such a horny little slut.’
His words stung, but something in Kara responded to the harshness of the phrase. She blushed, and it wasn’t lost on Mike.
‘Oh, you like that too, don’t you?’ Mike’s face grew sober. ‘Undo your zip. Take your skirt down.’
Kara looked at him coolly. She could refuse. Of course she could. But for some reason she found she was pinned to the spot, unwilling to give in and unable to tear herself away.
‘What, you’re scared someone might see us? There are not many people in the building that haven’t had the pleasure already, Kara. Or are you just shy?’ His voice was as mocking as a playground bully.
Of course that was the quickest way to make her react. As soon as he taunted her, the rebellion flared in Kara’s chest and she got reckless.
She popped the button on her skirt and tugged it open. She was naked underneath – yesterday’s knickers were stuffed into the bottom of her handbag.
Swiftly, Mike moved to her and stuck his hand down the front of her skirt. His middle finger slid expertly between her lips and dabbled in the wetness that had gathered there. He hooked his finger inside her. Made a beckoning motion that pressed against her pubic bone, and reached for her clit with his other hand.
‘This is what you need, isn’t it? Good girl,’ he said, as Kara sagged against him, clinging to his arm. He tugged firmly at a tuft of her hair and pulled her closer in to him until she moaned out loud.
‘You just want to be fucked, don’t you?’ he murmured, pinching her clit and rubbing it. ‘You wouldn’t care who it was, just as long as they were inside you.’
His fingers had found a rhythm now and played it, dipping in and out of her, flicking her clit back and forth.
The New Rakes Page 12
