Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals

by Archer, Julie

  “Okay, no worries, we can go back.”

  Edie knew he was only saying that so as not to upset her. But Billy intrigued her, and she wanted to find out what was going on in his dirty little mind.

  “I've got a bit of a headache,” she said. “You go; I'll just get an early night.” She gave him a lingering kiss goodnight, making sure that both Billy and Caro saw her.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The courtyard was in darkness as Edie tiptoed her way across the gravel, trying to be careful. To her, each of her footsteps were like claps of thunder. As she turned the door knob, the scent of dope assaulted her nostrils, signalling that Billy was already there. Her heels clacked on the stone floor as she made her way into the studio.

  Billy was lounging on one of the big black leather producer’s chairs, a joint dangling from his lips, pupils already heavily dilated. “You took your time.” He stubbed out the cigarette before grabbing her hand and pulling her onto his lap, his mouth on hers. He broke off for breath and looked her in the eye. “Take your dress off.”

  Edie stood up again, tossing her scarf at Billy and sliding out of her black wool dress. She was naked underneath, her nipples already standing to attention. She put her hands on her hips and smiled, twisting and turning for his benefit. Billy's eyes roamed over her naked body. He got up and manoeuvred her back towards the chair, pushing her into the seat. He tied one end of the soft cashmere scarf around her left wrist, before looping it around the back of the chair and then fastening the other end around her right wrist.

  “Hey...” she protested. Her arms were pulled behind her, the length of the scarf making her position slightly uncomfortable but not painful. She twisted fruitlessly against the bonds. As she wriggled around in front of him, getting more and more aroused, she could see Billy's cock pressing hard against the zip of his jeans. Moving towards her, he gently traced a line around her breasts, taking one of the nipples between his thumb and forefinger and squeezing it tightly, causing her to squeal. He bent his head and took it in his mouth, alternately sucking, trailing his tongue and nipping with his teeth, his other hand moving towards her pussy. Edie felt herself teetering on the brink of orgasm and pushed herself towards him, wanting to feel him inside her; fingers, cock, tongue, she didn't care. He pulled back and took a step backwards.

  “Jesus, don't stop,” she said, struggling against the material holding her in position.

  He gave a lazy smile. “Don't stop what, Edie?”

  “You know what!”

  “Do I?” He raised an eyebrow. “I want you to beg for it, Edie, I want you to tell me what you want.”

  “Please, Billy...”

  “What?”

  She arched her back, brazenly pushing her shaven pussy at him. “Make me come, Billy... please...” Her clit throbbed. “I want it... I want you... fuck me...”

  She didn't recognise the person she was at that moment, restrained and controlled. Edie Spencer-Newman didn't beg for anything. If only Alik knew... As that thought came into her head, Billy lunged, his fingers delving into her wetness, probing, stroking, caressing, pinching. Her senses went into overdrive, pleasure and pain fusing together, shuddering as she finally reached a shattering orgasm. Billy unfastened one end of the scarf, setting her free. He stepped out of his jeans, struggling to free his cock and rested against the mixing desk.

  “On your knees,” he said.

  She did as she was told, realising what he wanted, and crawled towards him, her arms aching from being in an unfamiliar position. The scarf trailed across the floor behind her. As she reached him, she placed her palms on his thighs.

  “Tie your hair away from your face,” Billy said. “I want to see what you're doing.”

  Edie obeyed and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, untying the scarf from her wrist and using the item to secure it. She took his cock in her mouth, feeling his hands on the back of her head, stroking her hair. It only took a few short seconds before he exploded in her mouth. Edie swallowed quickly, making a face. She sat back on her heels, and looked up at Billy. “Please, sir, I think I'd like you to make me come again, would you fuck me?”

  A crooked grin crept across Billy's face as he pulled Edie to her feet, flipped her round and pushed her down over the mixing desk. The various controls pressed into her skin. He grabbed her ponytail, pulling her head back, and slammed into her from behind. She groaned as she felt the thick length of his cock inside her, grinding her mound against the edge of the desk. As he thrust into her once again, she was sure she saw stars.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Pit certainly lived up to its name.

  The slightly tatty exterior did nothing to draw customers in and the interior was no better: Dark, dingy, and distinctly dangerous. As Alik, Nate, Poppy, and Caro descended the stairs into the tiny, sweaty matchbox of a club that was pumping out System Of A Down, they certainly felt as if they belonged.

  It was busy but they managed to cram themselves into a booth that was being vacated by a group of college kids, who nudged each other and pointed at Alik and Nate.

  “Hey, didn't you play at the Wilde Park Festival? I saw your set online, it was awesome,” one of the lads said. “Should have kicked seven shades out of that dick who was moving in on your bird.”

  Alik laughed. “She's not my bird, but thanks, I thought I did a good enough job of that. I got banned from the rest of the festival, remember?”

  The boy nodded gravely. “Hope you play again though, might get to see you next time. Okay if I get a picture with you guys?” He gestured to his mates and they pulled Alik and Nate in for a shot that would no doubt end up all over their social media pages.

  Once they'd done their rock star duties, Alik went to the bar, returning with four bottles of beer.

  “It was beer or beer; they didn't seem to have much of a choice.”

  The music was cranked up, making conversation almost impossible. Another couple squashed into the booth with them and Alik was suddenly acutely aware that Caro was crushed up against him. His arm rested on the back of the seat and the angle meant that his hand kept brushing the back of her neck.

  “I think I'm going to dance,” Caro yelled, pushing her way out of the cramped space and out into the main body of the bar.

  Poppy pushed him. “Go after her, you know you want to.”

  It wasn't much of a dance floor; more a space where people were milling around, sort of in time to the music. As Alik reached the periphery, he scanned the crowd for Caro. After a few moments, he found her, dancing in the centre of the floor, her hips swaying seductively to the music, her face hidden by her gorgeous mane of hair. He had never seen Edie lose herself in the moment like that. The music changed abruptly and so did Caro's movements; the harsh pulsating beat reverberating through his whole body as he watched her. The whole move seemed deliberately sexy, geared towards attracting the attention of any watching males.

  And she was certainly doing that.

  Alik pushed past the crowd and joined her. She flung her hair back and stared straight into his eyes, teasing him, drawing him in. She didn't resist as Alik slid an arm around her waist and pulled her body towards him as her eyes met his. They stopped moving. She lifted a hand to his face, tracing a line down his cheek and along his jaw, moving her thumb softly around his lips. His tongue flicked in and out, occasionally catching her skin.

  “God, I really want to kiss you,” he said, leaning close to her ear.

  He felt her stiffen in his arms, desperate to touch her, taste her again, have her surrender to him.

  “You usually tell me to stop now,” said Alik, his voice low, his breath brushing the skin behind her ear.

  “What if I don't want you to?”

  Their lips hovered millimetres apart, teetering on the brink of something, maybe something they couldn't come back from.

  “Caro.”

  He didn't get a chance to say anything else, as Caro's mouth was on his, taking command, her tongue insisten
t, probing. Alik's hand shifted to her buttocks, caressing the gentle swell of them, sliding his fingers in towards what he really wanted. He felt her gasp against him and he increased the pressure. His lips brushed down the side of her neck, a millimetre or so from her skin, causing her to shiver. A small circle had grown around them, leaving them alone - or at least as alone as they could be in a crowded club. No-one on the dance floor was really paying that much attention to them, they were all involved in their own mating rituals.

  Abruptly, Alik drew back, grabbed Caro's wrist, and dragged her out of the bar into the corridor. He pushed her against the wall and kissed her again, hard, one of his hands cupping her breast, his fingertips toying with her. His dominance both scared and excited him and he could feel himself becoming aroused as he pressed against her.

  Caro shoved him away. “Wait,” she said, breathlessly. “We have to stop.”

  “What the fuck are you doing to me?” Alik said. “I thought it's what you wanted.”

  “We can't do this to Edie,” she said.

  “Come on, Caro, we're amazing together and you know it. Whenever we're around each other, you know how that feels, how much I want you.”

  “And don't think I don't want it too. Jesus, I'm not made of stone you know.”

  Poppy came over to them. “Um, Nate and I were thinking of heading back now.”

  Caro linked arms with her friend. “Good idea, let's go.”

  As the pair of them walked away, Alik sank back against the wall, shaking his head in frustration.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The following day in the studio, it was all Alik could do to stop thinking about Caro. When he'd got back, Edie was already asleep, snoring gently. He had lain beside her, tossing and turning for the best part of the night, his mind working overtime. Just thinking about what had almost happened in The Pit was giving him a hard on. He was glad that his role that morning simply involved him sitting behind a desk, listening to the others.

  “Dude, what's with you this morning? That bass line is jumping up and down all over the place like Pharrell Williams or something. It sounds happy,” said Alik, as Billy laid down the rhythm to ‘The Imperial Kill.’ It was meant to be a grinding, dirty backing track but it seemed that the bassist's mood was anything but. “Go again.”

  Alik rolled his eyes at Dion as he sat back in the black leather producer's chair.

  “Billy, did you get laid or something last night?” asked Nate. “I thought I saw you flirting with that chubby barmaid.” He sank down on a stool beside Billy, reaching down to get his guitar from its case on the floor.

  Billy chuckled. “Ha, ha, you guessed it, mate. She was gagging for it.”

  Alik wasn't surprised. Billy's reputation in that department went before him, definitely the love 'em and leave 'em type; the band member with the biggest libido and the smallest heart.

  “I might even hook up with her again tonight.”

  And if even Billy was getting together with someone, Alik realised he should probably try to make more of an effort with Edie. He had just left her to her own devices the last couple of days, although he had warned her that he was at the farm to work, not have fun. Well, not too much fun anyway.

  * * *

  Edie was lying in her bed trying to make sense of what had happened the previous evening. At the festival, she had felt vulnerable and out of place, watching Alik and Caro whispering together as if they were the couple, not her and Alik. The chance one-off with Billy there had been just that - or so she had thought. Her irrational jealousy the previous evening in the pub, of the plump, badly-dressed, barmaid had caught her off guard. And her behaviour in the studio had been totally out of character. She would never usually behave like that but with Billy it felt right. Her hand hovered over her phone. She toyed with the idea of calling Billy and getting a repeat performance. Replaying some of her actions in her head, she felt a flush come to her cheeks as she remembered kneeling in front of Billy and asking him to fuck her. With other men, Alik included, there had never been any need to ask, it had always just happened.

  But even Alik didn't make her feel like Billy did.

  Just imagining being tied up and having Billy manually manipulate her into coming was making her squirm. She felt herself getting slick between the legs, wondering what else he might get her to do if they ever got together again. Sneaking a hand inside her pajama shorts, she began stroking herself, gently bringing herself to a small, but satisfying, orgasm

  There was a sharp knock on the door and it swung open. Poppy walked in.

  Edie sat up, pulling her arms above the duvet and trying to ignore the throbbing in her clit. “Oh, hi, Poppy.”

  The other girl sat down on the bed.

  “Caro and I are going into Westbourne Deane to get coffee, you want to come?” she asked. “There's not much going on today, looks like the boys are going to be locked in that studio for hours, probably until this evening.”

  Edie thought through her options for a minute, to stay in her room and think about Billy taking her in every which way possible or heading out with Poppy and Caro to talk about weddings.

  “Give me half an hour and let's go,” she said.

  * * *

  An hour and a half later, the three women were sitting in the courtyard outside The Deane Deli in the market place, drinking lattes and taking advantage of some late morning sunshine. Caro's eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses. She couldn't bear to look Edie in the eye after what she'd done at The Pit last night. A couple of giggling teenage girls came up to their table, having recognised Edie, and asked her for a picture. Caro and Poppy exchanged a glance as she posed politely and chatted to them for a few minutes. While they were still there, a young lad of about sixteen ambled up. He was dressed all in black, with Doc Martens and a couple of ear piercings.

  “You're Caro Flynn, aren't you? I saw your picture in my sister's magazine. You're opening that club in North Ridge.”

  “That's right, The Indigo Lounge,” replied Caro. “Is that that sort of music you're into?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I love Blood Stone Riot and Slipknot.”

  Caro stifled a giggle. She bet that Alik would love being put in the same sentence as Corey Taylor. “You must know that Edie is going out with Alik Thorne then?” she asked, gesturing towards Edie.

  The boy gave Edie a cursory glance. “No offence, but I don't think you really go with him, you're a bit posh.”

  Poppy practically choked on her latte at the gall of the child, tears of laughter in her eyes. “Oh, Edie, the shame of having your love life dissed by a teenager!”

  “Michael, stop bothering those ladies. We're going to be late for lunch, come on!” A woman, presumably his mother, called from the corner of the market.

  “Could I get a picture?” Michael asked.

  Caro smiled. “How could I refuse?”

  * * *

  As Michael walked away, Edie thought of his comment about her and Alik. Sure, the kid was only young, but even he could see that they were a mismatched couple. She wondered if he would think any differently about her and Billy. Turning her attention back to Caro and Poppy, she sighed, wondering how much longer it would be before she could have a glass of wine. She had no idea what the three of them were going to do until dinner.

  “Hey, it looks like there's a bridal shop in Broadkeys.” Poppy was flicking through a discarded local newspaper and waved the advert in Edie's face. “It could be fun trying on dresses, after all I am still looking for one. Hey, Edie, maybe you'll even get Alik to pop the question.”

  Edie didn't think there was much chance of that, considering that she was currently spending a lot more time thinking of Billy and he was probably thinking about Caro. “Sounds good. Do you think we'd need an appointment?”

  As it turned out, Serendipity Dreams wasn't exactly very busy on a weekday afternoon in the early summer. When Poppy called to politely ask on the off-chance that they could be squeezed in for a fittin
g, they couldn't do enough to help her. The three of them had the place to themselves and the shop owner had arranged for a bottle of Buck's Fizz for them to drink whilst trying on dresses. Edie and Caro made themselves comfortable on the plush, overstuffed, cream sofa, while the assistant helped Poppy with the dresses. There were creations in ivory, white, egg shell, snow, alabaster, pearl, chalk, anything they could think of. And there was silk, tulle, taffeta, satin, lace... Edie was getting a headache just watching all the choices, choosing instead to neck the free drink. Anything to get away from the fact that she was sitting there with Caro.

  Poppy appeared every so often in a frock, twisting this way and that, showing the others the options. Edie hadn't seen anything that she liked, but then reminded herself that this wasn't about her, it was about finding Poppy the Perfect Dress. She nodded rather noncommittally at most of the dresses, until Poppy came out in a ruffled full-skirted off-white number with a boned, strapless bodice, edged with silvery lace.

  “Oh, wow, Poppy.” Edie sighed. “You look gorgeous! That dress is just perfect!”

  “Yeah, um, you look lovely,” said Caro, with slightly less enthusiasm.

  “You look like a princess,” said the assistant.

  The bride-to-be frowned. “Are you sure? Isn't it a bit... frou frou?” The hint of Australian in her accent became a bit more pronounced as she expressed her concern.

  “God, no! You want to be the centre of attention, don't you?” said Edie, jumping up and fluffing the skirt with her fingers.

  “I feel like the centre of a toilet roll holder,” said Poppy, under her breath. She turned to the assistant. “Um, how much would this be?”

  A tiny smile crossed the assistant's face as she mentally did some sums. “That particular style is three thousand six hundred and eighty pounds.”

  Edie didn't bat an eyelid at the cost, although she noticed that Caro and Poppy did.