Melodie's Song [The Black Dahlia Hotel 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 4

  He grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack in the kitchen area and picked up two glasses. He took her hand and guided her toward a door that opened onto a narrow stairway leading to the rooftop. When they had climbed the stairs and he’d unlocked the door to the roof, she stepped through.

  “Oh, Logan, I had no idea you had a Hudson River view. You can see the wharves. That’s the West Side Highway down there, right? People pay millions of dollars for this view.” She raised her arms and spun around. She spotted the sitting area, surrounded by small trees and plantings in big casks and various large industrial type containers. There was a profusion of flowers blooming in the slanted late-evening sun. “This is terrific.”

  “I didn’t pay millions, but it wasn’t cheap, nonetheless. But it provides everything the band and I need. I had a little help from the trust established by my grandparents. That also paid my living expenses and tuition to Juilliard as well. Having a mother who was a graduate and in the music biz didn’t hurt my chances for acceptance, either. Have a seat, and I’ll pour the wine.”

  When she was settled on a teak bench covered with an all-weather cushion, he handed her a glass of wine. She looked up at him, and they clinked glasses. “Here’s to us, and a fresh start.”

  “Here’s to us, beautiful lady. I see good things coming.”

  They chatted and he watched her continue to relax. The two glasses of wine on top of those they’d consumed at dinner certainly helped. As the sun slipped behind the buildings on the other side of the river, he pulled her into his arms again. She came willingly and, he thought, eagerly. He glided his lips down her neck and into the vee of her shirt collar. They coasted over the tops of her breasts. He unfastened the top two buttons of her shirt, reached in, and flipped the front catch of her bra. Her ample breasts spilled into his hands. She was glorious. She moaned as he reached down and took one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth. “I’m going to love putting a set of nipple clamps on your breasts.” At her startled look, he said, “Don’t worry. It will be a while before I do that. You have lots to experience before then.”

  “Right now I want to experience you, Logan. Just you.”

  “Then we’d better go inside. Some of those tall buildings have an excellent view of this rooftop.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go to bed.” She followed him back down the stairs into the apartment. In the kitchen, he leaned up against the black granite island and kissed her again. He ran his hands down her back and over her butt. He brushed the hair that was hanging in her face back behind her ears. “Don’t hide your beautiful face from me, Melodie. There is nothing you can show me that will horrify me. Everybody has scars, baby. Some are just on the inside where they can’t be seen, but they are just as painful. I’ve seen the worst of your wounds, and your scars are so much better than I thought they would be.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to kill the mood. We’re so close.”

  “Believe me, there is nothing that could kill this mood. I’m taking you to bed and having my wicked way with you.” He gave her a comical leer that had her laughing.

  “Oh, goody. I can’t wait.”

  “Then this way.” He took her hand and led her to the steps going up to the raised sleeping area. When they had ascended to the platform he finished unbuttoning her shirt. She reached out and undid the buttons of his black denim shirt. And then they were all rushing fingers and panting breath.

  “I can’t wait to feel you inside me, Logan. Hurry.”

  He made quick work of the rest of her clothes and then his. Finally, they were naked. They just looked at each other. When he continued to stare and said nothing, she said hesitantly, “Are you disappointed?”

  “Are you crazy? There is nothing to be disappointed about. If you keep that up, you might be getting a taste of that spanking you’ve been worrying about.” He grinned and shook his head. “You think I didn’t know that you were worrying? Your future Dom knows all.” He backed up to the edge of the bed and fell back, taking her with him. She landed solidly on his chest, and he put his arms around her.

  He moved fast. Before she could protest, Logan had rolled her under him and had his muscled thigh firmly planted between her now-open ones. She looked up at him in surprise.

  “Relax, baby. We have all night. I’m going to play with you for hours. By the time I let you come, you’ll be begging.” He proceeded to explore every inch of her sensitized skin with his lips. He was going to try to take his time. He flicked his tongue over her raspberry nipples. He knew it was his imagination, but he could swear they tasted sweet. And then he got serious.

  He felt the wetness of her pussy and slid his body down until he was between her soft, spread thighs. He had dreamt of this many times. Over the last two years, she had never been far from his thoughts. He took her little pleasure button between his lips and started to suck and nip. Melodie began to toss and turn, but his shoulders kept her spread wide for him, and his arms controlled her thrashing legs. “Easy, honey. Just lay back and enjoy. You can’t come until I give you permission.”

  She raised her head and looked down her body into his eyes. He could see the surprise in hers. “Really? How can I control that?”

  “Try. I’m just giving you a little preview of the D/s dynamic. Don’t worry about it. We’re just playing.” He went back to work between her legs. He felt the quickening of her pulse as he continued to circle her clit with his tongue. He ran his tongue through the ruffled pussy lips that were slick with her juices. They tasted sweet to him as well. She tasted like heaven. He knew she would be begging soon. Now that would be music to his ears. She continued to thrash as she tried to gain closer contact with his mouth. “When I take you under sub training, you’ll learn that that is topping from the bottom and is not allowed.”

  “Please, Logan. I need you inside me. I’m burning up.”

  “Soon, baby. Soon. You are going to have to learn patience. You have to wait until I decide the time is right. I’m the one in control here.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that, Logan. Please fuck me.”

  That was it. He couldn’t hold back any longer himself. He was dying to sink into her sweet, wet heat. He moved back up her body, took her wrists in one hand, and held them over her head while he braced on his forearm. His rampant cock was primed and ready and homed in on the destination. He nudged her slick opening. He took his shaft in his hand and guided it home. Soon he was seated up to his balls. Her hot, wet pussy grasped his hard cock, and he could feel her interior muscles gripping him.

  Oh, God. It was amazing. He knew he would never have enough. He had fantasized about taking her hard and fast many times, but now he found he wanted to make this last to the absolute last possible second. He felt his balls tighten as he began to stroke long and slow. He had to concentrate. Melodie met every stroke. Their bodies instinctively knew each other’s rhythms, and they were in perfect sync.

  “Harder, Logan. Faster.”

  He knew he should keep her wanting just on general principles, but she wasn’t a trained sub and couldn’t know she was breaking the rules. He began to speed up his strokes. Her legs were wrapped around his back, and she struggled to take him even deeper, if that was possible.

  * * * *

  Melodie was coming apart. She had never experienced anything like this before. She was desperate to run her hands down his back and grab his ass, but he still had them clasped above her head. For some reason, she found that incredibly erotic and exciting. She wanted to take him as deep and hard as possible. He was big and her pussy was stretched to the maximum, but she loved the fullness, the friction. She just wanted more. She wanted it all.

  Logan was all hard, demanding man, and he played her body like one of his instruments. Even as a girl, she had never been one to have crushes on musicians. She had enjoyed the music, but that was all. She could see that was about to change. Was she going to be a thirty-five year old groupie? She started to giggle. When that got a lowered-brow look
from Logan, she burst out in a delighted laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” he gasped as he intensified his strokes.

  “Nothing is funny. I’m just so happy. I think I’m going to be a groupie.”

  “God forbid.”

  She felt her pulse quicken and the ripple of her inner walls around his cock. And then he started to laugh as well. They both blasted over the edge into spine-tingling orgasms that left them breathless to the lingering sound of their laughter. When the storm had subsided, he said, “I feel like a beached whale, Melodie. Am I too heavy on you?”

  “No. You feel just right.” She felt her muscles unclench and her breathing begin to return to normal.

  Melodie relaxed in Logan’s arms. The aftermath of sex had never felt so right, so warm, so safe. Instinctively, she knew this was where she was meant to be. She also knew she had better get some rest because Logan was not a one-shot guy, and the night was just beginning.

  * * * *

  Logan said, “That was extraordinary.”

  He rolled off her and pulled her up tight against his chest. This was where she belonged, and he was going to do his damned best to make sure she stayed there. He didn’t want to examine his feelings too closely right now. It was enough to know they were there, lodged around his heart.

  Chapter Five

  Backstage at Rumsey Playfield, SummerStage Concert Series, in Central Park, New York City, New York, Saturday late afternoon, July 4, 2015

  Melodie was backstage at the Rumsey Playfield band shell with Logan and the other members of Dark Place. She was trying to stay out of the way as they checked equipment and lighting and did sound checks in preparation for the evening’s concert. She enjoyed watching Logan do his thing. He wasn’t obnoxious, but it was clear he was in charge, although the band members were not shy about giving him a hard time. They were particularly ruthless in their teasing about her. Apparently, it was true that they had prodded him into finally contacting her. They were quite a sight—five gorgeous, hot, alpha males in tight T-shirts, butt-hugging jeans and scuffed motorcycle boots. There was just something about musicians that she had never quite appreciated before, and these particular musicians were Doms, as well.

  “Let me introduce the guys. These are the other members of Dark Place—Billie Crockett, Keith Ransom, Guy Penrod, and Tyler Easton. I’m the lead guitar and lead singer. Billie plays keyboard and is the backup vocalist. Keith plays second guitar. Guy is bass guitar and sax or trumpet, and Tyler is our drummer and multi-instrumentalist, including xylophone, cymbals, and tambourine.”

  Melodie was greeted with playful hugs and smacking kisses by all of them. She could see that Logan wasn’t too happy about her being manhandled by the guys, but he just shook his head. She now knew that they had been there to help him clean her blood off his hands and get him into the shower after the attack when he had stumbled back to the loft and could barely stand himself. That certainly lent an added air of intimacy to her association with them.

  She observed the joking, backslapping, and male group dynamics with a smile. Billie Crockett was tall and thin with a mop of shaggy, curly brown hair and brown eyes. Keith Ransom was of medium height with a muscular build and short, spiked blond hair and hazel eyes. Guy Penrod was tall, with a cut physique, classically handsome features and blue eyes that she bet drove the girls crazy, and Tyler Easton was shorter than the others, but well built, with red hair and green eyes. There was always something extra sexy about the drummer in the band.

  Suddenly there was a flurry of activity around the stage as the Coldplay roadies arrived to set up as well. She peeked out through the proscenium and saw that some intrepid concertgoers were already staking out the choice seats. Melodie had attended numerous events at Rumsey before the attack, but she had not been back since. The Summer Concert Series, sponsored by ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday nights, was located there and was very popular. She had also enjoyed attending The Public Theater’s free “Shakespeare in the Park” performances at the Delacorte Theater just off 80th Street on the southwest corner of the Great Lawn. Since the attack, she had been reluctant to mingle in large crowds. Logan had seemed to know that and understand without her having to say a word. He’d set her up in an out-of-the-way corner and given her a walkie-talkie so that she could contact him, should she need to.

  Melodie and Logan had spent Thursday night at his apartment, and her body was still humming. She had never enjoyed sex that was as intense as that she had shared with Logan. He was amazing and totally tuned in to her reactions and her body. She wondered if that intuitive skill had anything to do with being a Dom, or if it was just Logan. She had slept securely tucked in his arms. The next morning, he had awoken her with kisses on the back of her neck before daylight and had taken her over the moon again. He had refused to let her leave until dawn, when he’d gotten up to walk her home so she could change for work. He had picked up his copies of Rolling Stone, Variety and The New York Times, and they had stopped for breakfast at a little café along the way. She had been thrilled to see that Dark Place’s participation in the Saturday night concert had been mentioned favorably in Rolling Stone, and they had gotten a big mention in Variety as well. They had had their first release on a major label, and they appeared to be on their way. Of course, the big news was the appearance of Coldplay. Just being invited to appear on the same stage was a huge boost to the band’s name recognition.

  Melodie became more and more unsettled as the time for their opening number drew near. Logan and the guys were calm and ready, but she was a nervous wreck. She knew that, as in any business, marketing was uppermost. They had to get their name out there, and this appearance with Coldplay was a big break. Although the band was extremely popular within the BDSM and alternative-lifestyle communities, they wanted to cross over into the general music market.

  Finally, it was time. When they went out on stage and picked up their instruments the applause was deafening. She peered out over the crowd and was amazed. She had been in the audience herself, but she had never seen the action from this perspective. The screaming throng was a writhing mass of humanity, and she was a little afraid. Would the guys be safe out there?

  They struck a jarring chord and suddenly, the crowd seemed to quiet. Another chord sounded and they broke into their first number, Dark Places in My Soul, the single from their first album. The mob went wild again. Logan was the front man, and she was amazed by his presence and vitality on stage. She really hadn’t expected that. Most of the time, except in bed, of course, he seemed sort of stoic and reserved. But on stage, he was a force to be reckoned with. He had gone from quiet and in-control backstage to a whirling, jumping bundle of energy and sound—muscles gleaming and hair flying.

  His voice was deep and complemented the pounding rhythm of the drums. This was her first opportunity to actually hear the music. While the throbbing rock wasn’t really her musical style, she could appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of the pieces. She thought the group had a very good chance of making it really big. It was more presence and perception than anything else—and they definitely had presence on stage.

  When they had played three songs and an encore, they retired from the stage and were replaced by the main act. She was jumping up and down and applauding with the rest of the crowd. Logan picked her up and whirled her around, and then the guys surrounded her for their chances to give her exuberant hugs and cheek kisses.

  Logan had told her that two of them had collared subs and two were still trolling in the uncollared sub corner at the club. None of the subs had been allowed to come backstage, and Melody realized she had been granted a special treat. They were usually too busy getting ready for a performance and then breaking down and packing up to have women underfoot.

  Logan was standing with her securely held up against his chest when there was a scuffle, and security removed a dark-haired woman wearing all black who had been trying to get backstage. “Shit. It’s Karin Sanders again. When is she going
to get it? The restraining order I got last month hasn’t seemed to penetrate.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it penetrating any time soon. That woman is crazy. She’s not a fan, she’s a stalker.” Guy looked concerned.

  “Yeah. Those letters she sent you are just bizarre,” Keith said. “The woman is dangerous.”

  Melodie could feel her eyes going wide. Was this the other side of being a celebrity—even a minor one?

  Logan turned to her. “Melodie, this woman, Karin Sanders, has tried to get into the loft, and she follows me on the street. She has become a major nuisance, but I really don’t think there is actually anything to worry about. I met her when I participated in a bachelor auction last year at Le Club Eastside-Manhattan. We’re all members of the club. One of the Dommes, Barbara Brown, organized the auction for charity and strong-armed me into participating. Karin bid on me, and we had one scene and one dinner out. She built it up into a major romance in her head. It never was that for me. When she continued to be a pest, I got a restraining order. That’s the story.”

  “Yeah,” piped up Billie, “and he’s stickin’ to it.”

  “Oh, be quiet, Billie. You are not helping.” Logan gave him an annoyed look.

  “Never meant to.” Now he was slapping his thighs and bending over in laughter, which served to break the tension.

  Guy said, “We’re going to Le Club later. Do you two want to come?”

  “No, thanks. I think we’ll go back to the loft and play in the dungeon there for this first time. What do you say, Melodie?”

  She knew her eyes were still wide from the stalker incident, and now they got wider. The dungeon? Yikes. Am I ready for that?

  “It’s okay if you want to wait for our first scene. Really, I don’t want you stressing out over it.”

  She took a deep breath. “No. I think I’d like to try it. Really.” Who was she trying to convince? Him or herself?