Flirting With Magick

by Bennett, Leigh

  “I guess there’s no point in offering you more coffee. Excuse me.” I chitchatted nervously while attempting to squeeze past him to get to my bedroom. “I think the phone’s in here, hang on.”

  He placed his hand firmly on the side of my waist, preventing me from getting past him, and silently met my eyes before leaning down to kiss me. Once tentatively. Then again full on the lips for a kiss that kept me wanting more. I felt his thumbs brush my nipples through my knitted top. Oh, what the hell. I couldn’t wait any longer; I grabbed him by his jacket and dragged him into the bedroom.

  CHAPTER THREE

  WE TOOK OFF our shoes and slid under the covers. He cupped my face with his hand as we explored each other’s mouths, my heart thumping wildly. I’d never done this before; sure I’d had sex, but never this quickly with someone new. By the soft light of my bedside lamp, he slowly undid the buttons on my top, my skin tingling with the touch of his warm hand.

  “God, you are so sexy,” he murmured into my neck, moving his mouth down my chest while running his hand over my stomach and fumbling with the button of my fly.

  “Yeah, right.” I wasn’t new to flattery; I’d heard it all before. “You can stop the crap now, you got me here.”

  He paused. “No, seriously, I was checking you out from the stage. I couldn’t believe my luck when Luke introduced us. How the hell do you get this off?” He tugged at my zipper, and I lifted my hips, allowing him to pull my jeans off, saying a silent prayer of thanks for the intuition to continue with the leg and bikini waxing– and a mental note to thank Kate for making me buy the sexy lingerie that Scott was now admiring. I held my breath as he reached behind me and released my breasts from my new lacy bra, tenderly stroking my back as he did so. I took his cue and slid my hand under his t-shirt to stroke the smooth skin beneath, unintentionally scratching him when he cupped my breast and gently pinched my nipple. He smiled as his fingers found the waistband of my new underwear and pulled them down, putting those fingers to work.

  It wasn’t long before my whole body shook with climactic waves, and I slowly returned to consciousness.

  He watched me for a moment before he pulled me up on top of him, and I lifted his T-shirt over his head, taking the opportunity to trace my tongue down his taut stomach. He removed his jeans as I reached over to my handbag and pulled out the offending condom from earlier in the night. Our eyes met, and we both grinned at the awkward memory. I lowered myself onto him, rocking gently with him until I felt another wave envelope me. Moments later, he gripped my hips hard as I felt his whole body tense. Then he moaned softly before relaxing his hold on me, kissing me gently as I lay back down. I fell asleep to his gentle stroking on my back.

  ***

  It was late on Sunday morning when a knock on my door startled me out of my sleep. Scott was still sleeping as I scrabbled with a robe to answer it. Kate was dressed and makeup free, although her just- slept-in strawberry blonde curls were still sticking out all around her head like a lion's mane.

  “Come downstairs to my place. Nathan’s making pancakes for breakfast.” Her face reddened.

  I scratched out some sleep mixed with eyeshadow from the corner of my eye and regarded it casually, pausing for effect before speaking. “Great. I’ll just make myself look presentable... and wake Scott... and we’ll be right down.” Her eyes widened while I chuckled and walked back inside.

  Scott looked even more gorgeous in the light of day as he dozed peacefully on my bed, the sheet wrapped loosely around his waist. I left him to it while I showered and applied my natural-look makeup. It was still a little too soon to let him see my unmade-up face first thing in the morning.

  “Scott.” I shook him gently when I was finished. “Kate’s invited us down for breakfast. She’s with Nathan.” He stretched, his gaze sliding over me much like the shower’s warm, soothing water had done, then smiled, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed my hip, and in one swift move, I was under his warm, muscular chest. “Later,” he said before kissing me again.

  Nathan and Kate were arguing playfully when we let ourselves into her unit. Despite having showered, we still looked bedraggled and exhausted. “So what happened to Luke?” I squeezed syrup onto my pancake, dying to know if my ménage-a-trois prediction was correct.

  “We left him there with his two groupies. Scott, you could be in for a rude surprise when you get home.” Nathan turned to his bandmate, who smiled knowingly behind his damp, dark locks and took small, silent sips of his coffee.

  “What have you guys got on today?” Kate asked. It was easy to tell she was hoping to get rid of them as soon as possible so we could share stories.

  “We’ve got to go into the studio later this afternoon,” Scott replied. “Just some patch up work to do with a couple of tracks.”

  When the pile of pancakes was down to a few crumbs and the coffee decanter empty, they decided to make the move to go to their respective homes; Scott to brave the consequences of Luke’s predicted night and Nathan to the unit he shared with his student brother.

  “So?” Kate didn’t wait long after kisses and phone numbers were exchanged and we had waved the men off in their taxi.

  We sat back down at her table. “You did well to find someone who cooks you pancakes in the morning.” I deliberately avoided answering first. “Are you seeing him again?”

  “Yep. We’re having dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Hmm, nice.” I knew it didn’t mean anything. Kate enjoyed being single too much, so I fully expected that next week she’d be on to someone new, and Nathan would be old news. “So... was it as good for you as it was for me?” I said smugly.

  “Apparently NOT.” She squealed, seeing the smirk on my face. “So I take it you’re finally over Josh?”

  I couldn’t lie and pretend the last three years had magically disappeared. “I’m definitely getting there.”

  “So what’s happening now? With Scott?”

  “Well, from some stuff he said last night, I know he doesn’t want a relationship. So we just said our goodbyes, and he invited me to watch them play next weekend,” I grinned. “Oh and I said I was available and not after a relationship, if he wants to do this again sometime.”

  Kate’s mouth dropped open. You couldn’t blame her; it was so unlike me. When I was with Josh, I had always gone on about how I felt sex was a sacred act between two people who loved each other blah, blah, blah. Kate had constantly tried to explain to me the merits of a sexy, single life in which I, up to now, did not believe. I knew this had come to her as a huge surprise.

  “I think it’s time for a change,” I announced.

  “Oh, Abs. Good for you. That’s fantastic.” She gave me a huge hug. “Operation: Over Josh is well and truly underway.”

  “You never liked him anyway.“

  ***

  My work-free week began with the usual rain-and-sleet-filled day for the middle of winter. The opportunity was there to catch up on the housework that I had neglected to do, having spent my Saturday impulse shopping. As my house became tidy, so did my head as I went over in my mind the weekend’s events, especially the events with Scott— his eyes, his hands, his mouth...

  The spell obviously wasn’t directed at him, not in the romantic way anyway. But he would be a nice distraction, at least until I felt ready to reopen my heart to someone when the time was right. Perhaps this was just what was needed-– a good time without the uncertainty and pain that an emotional attachment often brought with it.

  Maybe Kate was right. It was perfect.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MY MOBILE PHONE shattered my attempt at a rare mid-week sleep-in. I fumbled for it, and my stomach somersaulted when I saw the text message:

  “Hey, Abby. It’s Scott. What RU doing today?”

  “Nothing.” I wrote back, biting my lip as I hit the send button. Too available? Too casual?

  “Want to come over? ;)”

  There were too many mistakes in my hurry to write, so I kept it short an
d sweet. “OK :)”

  My heart felt like it was going a million miles a second when I pulled up to the address he gave me. It was a small block of about six units, painted white in an effort to make them look more modern than their twenty odd years. I took a deep breath as I ambled past the trellis’, looking for number four and narrowly avoiding a stumble on the overgrown ivy. It was easy to find, as it was the only one with music blaring from its interior. I had hardly begun to knock when the door flew open and Scott pulled me into his arms, giving me a ravenous kiss. When we finally broke free, I stepped back, not wanting to waste the effort I had put into getting ready to meet him; my hair worn up and styled in such a way that it looked like it was done in five minutes, rather than the actual forty, and makeup carefully applied to look like I wasn’t wearing any. I had also braved the short denim skirt Kate had bullied me into buying, resisting the urge to tug it down at the hem.

  “You look great,” he said, justifying the hour it took me to preen. “Pity I’m about to take it all off.” He ran his hands up the back of my thighs then lifted me up and carried me to his room.

  Afterwards, I lay naked in his arms, going over in my head again what he had just done—twice. “I think I might get a Brazilian wax,” I said out loud without really meaning to.

  “What?" He sat up. "Down there? All off? Doesn’t that hurt?”

  “You deserve it after what you just did.”

  He laughed. “Have you had breakfast?”

  “No, I’m starving.”

  “Wait here.” He pulled on a pair of shorts and rushed out of the room, returning only minutes later with a plate of croissants and a jar of strawberry jam. “Coffee’s on its way.”

  Taking a hungry bite of my sticky, buttery breakfast, being careful not to spill crumbs on Scott’s sheets, I observed my surroundings for the first time since I arrived. It was small and quite cramped, with his double bed and musical equipment, including a keyboard; something with knobs, slides and a million cords coming off it; and speakers sitting next to an old desk. Nothing surprising here, he was a musician after all. A closed door on the opposite wall was, I assumed, his wardrobe, and I recognised his electric bass guitar propped up next to the window alongside a regular acoustic guitar.

  “I tidied up before you arrived,” he needlessly explained, getting up to fetch the promised coffee.

  The bedside table contained the usual, a clock radio and lamp. I also noticed a fantasy novel sitting atop a spiral bound notebook, which I guessed was for his song writing.

  “Good book?” I gestured to the novel when he returned.

  “I’m rereading it for the third time.” He blew at a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes and handed me my cup before settling back down on the bed.

  “That good, hey? I actually reread the third Harry Potter book yesterday. It took me all day, but it was too cold to go anywhere.”

  “’Azkaban’ is my favourite in that series.“

  I was mildly surprised. He didn't seem the type to read Harry Potter, much less share the same favourite as me. I pictured him to be more of a serious horror or crime reader. I guess the gothic look threw me a bit.

  “So, Miss Lady-of-Leisure,” he blew at his fringe again, “what have you got on for the rest of your week?”

  “Tomorrow I’m booked in for a facial... and a manicure and a pedi— oh, just girly crap. Nothing planned on Friday, and I haven’t even thought about the weekend yet. You said you were playing?”

  “We’ve got a nightclub gig Friday night if you’re interested. I think Nathan said that Kate was coming.”

  “Sounds great. So what happened to Luke the other night, anyway?”

  “You were right. The three of them were in the living room when I got home.”

  “Lucky him.”

  “Nah, overrated,” he said mysteriously, his tone indicating the abrupt end to the conversation.

  Breakfast was over, and we lay back down, enjoying the opportunity to cuddle and be lazy.

  “Do you prefer blondes, brunettes, or redheads?” I asked, twirling a lock of his black hair around my finger.

  He smiled and twisted a strand of my own hair around his finger. “I actually don’t have a preference.”

  “What’s your natural colour?” It was difficult to tell, and I was curious.

  “Brown. I dyed it myself last time. Shit job. You can see a bit I missed.” He pointed to a section on the front of his head. I could make out a few strands of chocolate, only just visible amongst the black.

  “It’s not that noticeable, really. You can hardly see it.”

  “My mum’s a hairdresser, so she usually does it,” he continued, “but it grew out too much since she visited last, so I just did it myself. Now, enough with the personal questions, young lady.” He reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out another condom.

  I was looking slightly more tousled than when I had arrived by the time he walked me out to my car. “So I guess I’ll see you Friday,” he said. “Enjoy your week.” Then his lips met mine in a sweet goodbye kiss.

  ***

  I woke up on Friday morning with a flutter in my stomach. Not because it was the last weekday of my holiday; it was the sort of nervousness that comes when you know that later that day you’re going to, to put it bluntly, get laid. It was a nice nervous, like normal third date jitters, but without the apprehension or uncertainty that came with dating someone in the conventional way. I was excited about seeing Scott. I loved the adorable way his hair fell over his face and looked forward to falling for his sexy on-stage presence all over again. I couldn’t wait to feel his lips on mine, feel the suppleness of his skin under my palms, inhale his warm, masculine scent, and listen to his calm, deliberate way of speaking. This wasn’t love; this was way better.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “WE SHOULD HAVE TOLD THEM we were with the band.” Kate remarked, annoyed at the forty-five minute wait we had in the queue before finally entering The Village Nightclub. She had also baulked at the twelve-dollar cover charge.

  “We’ll try to remember next time.” I shoved an alcoholic beverage into her hand in an attempt to placate her. “We’re helping the band out this way. Should we let them know we’re here?”

  Loud music had been pumping as more and more people congregated in the club. The band members, minus Daniel, were on the stage, fiddling with their instruments. We could occasionally hear the odd guitar screech or dull thud of the bass drum above the thumping dance beat. I managed to catch Scott’s eye and waved hello. His brows shot up, and he smiled, mouthing ‘hi’ before going back to concentrate on the strings of his bass guitar.

  “Hey.” Luke jumped off the stage and captured Kate and I in a hug. “Great that you could make it. Did you tell them you were with us? We put your names on the door.”

  I shrugged. “We didn’t know.”

  “Bugger. You could have gotten in for free.” The already muted overhead lights dimmed a little more, indicating the performance wasn’t far away. “I’ve got to go. Come backstage afterwards.” He briskly headed for a door to the side of the stage, slapping a heavy set man guarding the entrance on the shoulder as he went through.

  The crowd waited expectantly for a few minutes as the lights darkened even further and the loud techno, along with the low murmur of voices, faded out to silence. Nathan’s drumsticks counted in the beat, and Reckless Choice launched into their first song of the night. The dark stage suddenly lit up with an assortment of coloured flashing lights that synchronised perfectly with the intricate riffs and beats.

  I was more impressed by their performance tonight than I had been at their last gig. I supposed much of it was due to actually knowing them in person this time around. Daniel expertly excited the crowd with his banter in between songs so that by the time the final song started, the whole nightclub was a sea of people dancing, screaming, and generally having a good time. Luke, ever the show-off, took full advantage of a lengthy guitar solo while Scott, with his d
ark coolness, and Nathan, protected behind the drums, proficiently did their thing behind the two extroverts. It was clearly quite hot under the bright lights of the stage; Scott’s hair stuck to the side of his head, Nathan had taken his shirt off, and I could see patches of dampness under Daniel and Luke’s arms.

  Two encores later, the DJ put on the doof-doof music again, and the coloured lights flashed across the crowded dance floor, making the whole club look like the inside of a fast moving kaleidoscope. Kate and I made our way through the throng to the backstage door, my excitement mirrored in her eyes, only to have it quashed by the sturdy security guard eyeing us suspiciously.

  “We’re friends of the band,” Kate announced. He gave us a look that said, 'yeah right, I hear that all the time,' which made me have to stifle a giggle. They weren’t that famous!

  “This is Luke’s cousin,” she continued hopefully, batting her eyelashes at him, which I was sure only made the situation worse. Just then, through the slightly open door, we saw Silas walk past.

  “Silas!” We both yelled to the band’s manager. He turned and, not yet recognising us, also gave us a questioning look.

  “We’re Abby and Kate,” I declared quickly before he could turn away again. “I’m Luke’s cousin. We met at Springers.”

  His face slowly but surely morphed into recognition. “It’s okay, Andre.” He patted the bouncer's arm. “They can come in.”

  We thanked them both profusely and stepped through the entrance to the backstage rooms. Reckless Choice wasn’t a huge band yet, but it was still exciting to be invited to a more rarely seen part of their public world. Silas led us down a short hall, past some toilet and shower doors, to a small dressing room. A slim and pretty blonde was standing inside the entrance to the room talking to a stylish, petite woman with a dark, chin-length bob. I recognised the blonde from a soap-opera on TV– Daniel’s girlfriend. He was nowhere to be seen as people squeezed past. Neither was the rest of the group.