Chapter 6
BODY TALKS
Zed awoke late the next morning to the warm Malibu sun shining on his face and a cool empty bed. He sat up and ran a hand sleepily through his hair, a large smile spreading across his face as he thought back to the night before. Not even in his wildest dreams (which there had been a few over the last month) could he have imagined the things they had done. If he hadn't thought he was in love with her before, he definitely was now. Love, lust, admiration, and awe...it was a hell of a combination. He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a guitar being played somewhere nearby. He stood up and looked around the room for his clothes. Nothing. He smiled and shook his head, remembering that they were somewhere downstairs. He walked out of her room and followed the sounds to the adjacent room. The music stopped. Slowly he pushed the door open. He'd seen her in various states of undress and completely naked, but the sight of her sitting on the glossy black bench of a baby grand piano, writing, wearing the sexiest black lace bra and panties...nothing prepared him for that. She dropped the music sheet onto the floor and let out a heavy sigh as she turned towards the open balcony doors.
"Morning, Gorgeous."
Jumping a little at the sound of his voice, Addison turned towards the door to find him standing there wearing nothing at all. She bit her lip and smiled.
"What were you thinking about?"
"What do you mean?" she asked scooching over and patting the bench next to her.
"I mean, you were sitting there looking far too contemplative after a night of mind-blowing sex," he offered, walking further into the room and sitting down next to her.
"Mind-blowing, huh?"
"You think differently?
"Out-of-this-world sex is more along the lines I was thinking," she said softly, leaning over to kiss him. "I didn't know how right I was calling you trouble...I think I may have finally met my match."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"It's a very good thing," she bit his lip. "It's a thing I wouldn't be averse to continuing..." She closed her eyes and leaned back in, capturing his lips in a fiery kiss. "Which is why I was in here."
"You wanted to continue on your piano?" he asked as his lips moved to her jaw.
Addison let out a soft giggle. "No...although that idea is certainly worth exploring," she moaned as his hand moved up her thigh. "I needed to sort out my feelings...so I was writing."
"Can I hear?"
"You really want to hear it?"
He nodded his head and started to trail kisses down her neck and nipping her collarbone.
"Guitar..." she moaned, holding his head against her.
"Hmm?"
"I need...guitar..." she whimpered as his mouth trailed down lower.
Zed looked up to see her blindly reaching for her acoustic next to the piano. With a soft laugh, he stopped his oral exploration of her body and grabbed the guitar for her.
Addison shook her head to clear it. "Thank you," she whispered before smiling. "You really are trouble..."
He threw her a wink. "Show me whatcha got, baby."
Addison leaned over and picked up one of the pieces of sheet music littering the ground, resting it on the bench between them. She leaned over for a quick kiss before starting to strum out a tune.
"It's electric how my lipstick
Makes its own way right into your kiss, and
It's pathetic how we both get
Kinda fucked up, hanging on each other
We're ahead now, should we slow down?
Should we slow down now?
'Cause I'm getting some kind of shake without you
Uh-huh! I think you're movin' in too close
But I think that it's my body wanting it the most, like
Uh-huh! I don't know what it is I feel
But I know it's my emotions going in for the kill, like
Uh-huh! (Uh-huh!) Uh-Huh! (Uh-Huh!)
But I know it's my emotions going in for the kill
It's electric how symmetric
We both get when you lay beside me
It's phonetic how our mouths grip
Almost too tight to the words we're sayin'
We're in deep now, should we slow down?
Should we slow down now?
'Cause I'm getting some kind of shake without you
Uh-huh! I think you're movin' in too close
But I think that it's my body wanting it the most, like
Uh-huh! I don't know what it is I feel
But I know it's my emotions going in for the kill
Goin' in for the kill
Goin' in for the kill
It's rare when the panic in my mind
Feels so damn good
Woo!" She popped the strings of her guitar to still them, shyly looking over to him.
"So...you think we should slow down?" He asked holding his breath.
She shook her head. "Quite the opposite…"
Zed grabbed her face and kissed her hard. When he finally pulled back for air, he found himself almost giddy with happiness. "So can I call you my girlfriend?" he could have cursed himself for how juvenile that sounded, unsure of why it had suddenly popped out. But the gleam in her eyes made him feel better.
Addison giggled and set the guitar down. "I'd like that..." she smiled. Slowly, her smile turned into a confident smirk. "So...just what does the title of 'girlfriend' entail?" she challenged.
Zed's grin turned predatory. If the previous night had taught him anything about the gorgeous girl next to him, it was that she could go from submissive, letting him have complete control of her body, to demanding and barking out orders, letting him know exactly what she wanted without one shred of modesty or shame- she truly was amazing. He leaned in and breathed his reply into her ear. "It's a very demanding role. During the days and evenings, you and I would have to do all the things normal girlfriends and boyfriends do, like school, dates, movies, and concerts." He moved to press a light kiss under her earlobe. "But the nights...those would be spent pleasuring each other to new heights, experimenting with just how long and how hard we could go, and then push things further." His voice was gravely as his hands cupped her breasts through the thin lace and began to knead them, his lips still planting kisses around her ear.
Addison could barely think, much less respond as she gave herself over to his words and actions. She could only moan as he bit her earlobe, soothing it quickly with his tongue. "I bet you say the same to all your girlfriends," she whispered out breathlessly.
"Only you, baby...You're so sexy, Addison, and I want to learn just how wanton and wild you can be in my arms," he continued as his hands moved lower, loving the way she was whimpering underneath his touch. "You seem so innocent and sweet at school...but now, I know better."
Addison moaned louder as he lifted her leg, pulling her onto his lap. Her back was pressed against the keys. He leaned down and sucked the flesh of her neck into his mouth, enjoying the way her pulse beat against him.
"Ugh...Do you know how painful it's going to be when I tell Bree she was right?" A voice called out.
They both stopped and looked towards the door to find Mason standing there. Zed held her a little tighter, trying to cover her as much as possible.
"Oh, so now you remember the gate code?" Addison laughed.
"I told you I knew it..." Mason shrugged. "And by the way... the front door was unlocked."
She rolled her eyes and flipped him off.
"Nice La Perla, Adds..."
"Dude!" Zed called over to him.
"What? She's my best friend...like I haven't seen the goods before. I was probably there when she bought them."
Addison just smiled. "At least this set covers more than some of my swimsuits."
"Speaking of swimsuits...Stop making out and let's go chill by the pool. It's a beautiful day and I just lost a hundred bucks to Bree...It's the least you two could do for me at this point."
Addison laughed again. She pulled Zed's face down to hers and kissed him softly. "I'll go grab you a pair of trunks, handsome. I'll be right back." She swung her leg up and over him to stand up. "Eyes off my ass, Mason. This one here has a hell of a right hook," she smiled as she walked out the room past him.
"You might want to grab the discarded clothes in the foyer too!" Mason called out after her with a laugh. He turned back towards Zed and shook his head. "So..." he said as he walked into the room and sat down behind the drum kit. "Does this mean the two of you are together, together or was it just a get it out of your system one night type thing? Not judging or anything...just trying to gauge how often I can expect to walk in and find two of my best friends naked together."
"To be fair, Addie had some clothing on..."
"Unlike you...unless we're counting nail scratches down your back as clothing...seriously, you look like you were attacked by a wild animal."
Zed ran his hand through his hair and smiled. "Basically….And we're together, together."
"And your girlfriend back in Seattle?"
"Broke up with her last night."
"Must have been a hell of a night."
"You have no idea," he smiled even wider. "But I should have broken up with her after the first time Addison and I kissed."
"Or the second."
Zed shrugged his shoulders. "Third time was the charm, I guess." They were silent for a moment before he asked, "You going to be okay with this?"
"A little late for my opinion, but as long as you treat her right I will be. If not, I've got a .45 and a shovel...I doubt anyone would miss you."
"Clueless?"
Mason shrugged and laughed. "Bree and I watched it last night."
"Dude...you do know there are other movies, right?"
"Oh, lord," Addison said as she walked back into the room now dressed in a bright red string bikini. "Are we talking about Clueless?" she tossed a pair of black trunks over to Zed. "Bree told me you made her watch it again last night."
Mason laughed and smiled. "What? I like the movie. It's a classic!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...And you give me a hard time for loving horror movies...at least that's an entire genre," she giggled, waving him off as she watched Zed get dressed. Zed caught her looking and winked before walking over
and picking her up, capturing her lips in a kiss.
Mason made a gagging sound. "I really hope you two move past the obnoxious new couple phase quickly."
It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon. The hot California sun was shining, and the sound of the ocean surrounded them as they lounged in the pool talking about anything and everything.
"Oh! Adds, I completely forgot to tell you," Mason said as he rolled off his air mattress into the pool to cool off. "My Dad is playing the Hollywood Bowl Halloween show. You wanna come?" he asked splashing her.
She let out a small laugh and splashed him back. "Mase...It's Halloween and the Hollywood Bowl...literally two of my favorite things. Of course!"
"What about you?" he asked Zed.
"Sure. I've never been."
"You'll love it!"Addison said, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. "What are they doing this year?" she asked Mason.
"Zed...you might want to cover your ears..." Mason laughed. "Nightmare Before Christmas."
"Mase...Don't mess with me... You know that's my favorite animated movie..."
"I'm not! That's what they're doing!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" she launched herself off of her raft and hugged them both.
"I told you to cover your ears," Mason joked pushing her off of him.
Zed shook his head as he scooped her up in his arms. "Why am I not surprised you love that movie?"
"You don't?"
"I do actually...I'm pretty sure I went as Jack Skellington for Halloween every year for about five years."
Addison's jaw dropped for a moment before she threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Be still my heart," she giggled "I did too!"
Mason rolled his eyes. "You two are so alike, it's scary….And both of you give me a hard time for liking Clueless?!" Mason teased. "At least I'm not all dark and twisty!"
"I am not dark and twisty!"
Zed smirked at her.
"Okay, maybe a little," she shrugged as he pulled her down for a kiss.
"Ewww..."
Addison and Zed exchanged a look and nodded before splashing him.
"Oh, it's so on!" Mason called out as the three of them started splashing and laughing.
"There's my Sweet-pea!"
"Daddy!" Addison exclaimed. She jumped out of the pool and ran to hug her father. "You're home early!" She threw her arms around him, soaking his entire front. "Today just keeps getting better!"
"Ahhh! I knew I should have changed into my trunks before I came to find you," he laughed hugging her tight. "I missed you."
"I missed you too!"
He kissed the top of her head and looked at the two young men getting out of the pool. "Mason...why am I not surprised to see you here," he smiled, shaking his head. He looked over to Zed and pointed. "You, I don't know. But, I'm assuming you're the owner of the motorcycle parked outside the front door."
"Yes, sir. Zed. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said holding out his hand.
"Ah, the infamous Zed," Dale smiled shaking his outstretched hand. "My daughter has definitely mentioned you."
"Daddy!"
"What?" he asked, throwing her a wink. He turned back to face Zed. "She tells me you're quite the musician."
Zed ran his hand through his wet hair. "I'm still a work in progress, Sir."
"Modest and polite..." he looked over to Addison and mock whispered. "I like this one..."
"They're dating!" Mason called out with a laugh.
"Mason!" Addison pushed him back into the pool.
"I take my previous comment back, you're a motorcycle riding hoodlum, stay away from my daughter…."
"Sir, I...I..."
Dale let out a laugh. "I'm just fucking with you... But you're officially on notice."
"Daddy…." Addison whined. "Really?"
"What?"
"You've never threatened any other guy I've dated."
"That's because you've never dated a musician, Sweet-pea. I work with them all day, every day...Never trust a musician."
"I thought your saying was 'Never trust an actor',"
"Them either," he said with a wink.
"Says the man who married one..."
"And if I hadn't I wouldn't have the real love of my life," he smiled, booping her nose.
"Don't butter me up, old man…"
"Who are you calling old? I'm only fifty!"
"Don't forget...I'm your only child. I get to pick your nursing home!" she teased, trying her hardest not to smile.
"Aww, Sweet-pea..."
She narrowed her eyes and pretended to glare at him.
"Alright, alright…." He held his hands up in surrender. "What's it going to take for me to get back on your good side?"
Addison smiled victoriously. "Got any new tracks that need work?"
Dale let out a laugh. "As a matter of fact, I do."
"Woo! Jam session with Daddy Dale!" Mason exclaimed, jumping back out of the pool.
"For the last time Mason, don't call me that," Dale laughed. "And grab a towel! If you get that set wet, your actual Dad is going to be pissed," he called out chasing Mason into the house.
Addison looked over to Zed. "You wanna show him what you've got?"
"Bring it on, Gorgeous," he said with a wink.
She bit her lip and smiled up to him. "Let's go then..." They walked back into the house and up the stairs to the second floor. "Daddy!" Addison called out. "We're going to go grab guitars!" She continued pulling Zed along to her music room on the third floor. When they crossed the doorway she spun around and pulled him down for a kiss, lacing her fingers through his hair. "I'm so happy I can kiss you anytime I want."
"Is that all you want to do?" he asked grabbing her ass and picking her up.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and smiled. "You know it's not...but right now I really want to see you play shirtless..." she ran her hand down his abs. "You're not the only one with rock n roll fantasies..." Addison whispered into his ear before she bit down.
Zed let out a moan. "Does this mean I get to see you play in those boots and your leather jacket?"
"Maybe one day...Which guitar do you want to use?"
"I don't think I could pick..."
Addison smiled and hopped down, walking around the room and picking up a solid white flying V bass. "I'm playing this one...but all the others are up for grabs."
Zed began to scan the room. His jaw dropped open. "You have a Bubblegum fade, Gibson Les Paul, too?"
She nodded and smiled. "That one and the blueberry one at my mom's house were both presents from my godfather."
"All I ever get from my godfather is an iTunes gift card."
Addison shrugged. "He has a bit of a Les Paul obsession. It's all he ever uses when he's recording or on stage. He gave me this one after he crashed in my room while recording Living The Dream."
Zed stopped and looked at her. "Wait… Living the Dream...Les Paul guitars..." he let out a soft gasp.
"Addison… is your godfather someone I would have heard of?"
Addison giggled. "You may have heard of him...Long curly hair, usually wears a top hat...Stage name rhymes with Dash..."
Zed looked at her again. "Are you telling me your godfather is Slash?"
She shrugged. "I just call him Saul...but yes. He and my Dad became fast friends during the Use Your Illusions recording sessions. It was the first major project my dad worked on." She gave him a coy smile. "Do you want to play it?"
"Really?"
"I mean, I understand if you don't want too...it is pink..."
"I don't give a shit what color it is! It's a Les Paul! The answer is Yes!" he said with a large smile spreading across his face. He walked over and pulled her into him, kissing her hard. "I love that I get to kiss you whenever I want."
"Is that all you want to do?" she asked biting his lip and giggling.
"I adore you."
"YO! Are you two coming or not?!" Mason called up the stairs.
Addison smiled and kissed him. "Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs to the second floor. "Daddy's office is that way," she said pointing to the right. "Recording studio is this way," she added pulling him down the left side. "Have you ever been in a booth before?"
Zed shook his head.
"You're going to love it!" she smiled as she kissed his cheek and opened the door. She watched his face as he walked in.
"This is better than anything I could have ever imagined..." he whispered as he took in everything around him. The room was large with plush couches lining the walls. A large mixing board sat against a plexiglass divider that looked into the actual recording room.
"There you two are!" Dale said walking over to them and handing them each a piece of paper. "We're doing this jam session style."
"What does..." Zed asked suddenly confused.
Addison patted his shoulder. "Just look over the music. We'll all go in together and whatever we play we put down on tape. Easy peasy. It gives it a more organic feel."
He nodded his head and sat down on one of the couches looking over the song.
After about fifteen minutes, Addison, Zed, and Mason walked into the recording room.
"You ready?" Addison asked as she plugged into the cabinet amp.
He nodded his head and did the same, his hand shaking as he did so.
"Don't be nervous…" she leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, "Since it's your first time, I promise I'll be gentle."
Zed couldn't help but laugh. "Not your style, Adds."
It was Addison's turn to laugh. "You're right...Just be your typical cock...y self and you'll be great." Her eyes trailed down his body as she spoke.
His eyes widened. "I've never been happier to be holding a guitar in front of me..."
"You three ready?" Dale's voice filled the room.
The three of them nodded and took their spots.
"Whenever you're ready..."
Zed took a deep breath and exhaled, stealing a glance at Addison. She blew him a kiss, making him smile. He started strumming out the intro…
"Your eyes follow like a spotlight
Two eyes like the sun
Go ahead, keep your distance from me
Soon you're gonna come"
Mason picked up the beat on the drums as Addison stepped closer to her microphone.
"When you flick your hair like you don't care
And you ask me where I'm from"
"That game that you're running, baby
You've already won," Zed sang as he blew her a kiss.
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "I need to know, know, know
What do you need, need, need?
What do you like, like, like?"
"'Cause I'm gonna be it tonight…
You can be cool, you can be shy
Say what you want, say what you like...
'Cause ooh, your body talks, your body talks..."
"Ooh, ooh, your body talks
You can pretend you don't wanna know
But I read the signs from your head to your toes
Yeah, you don't need to say a word 'cause..."
"Ooh, ooh, your body talks..." Zed pointed to her to take the verse.
"Your lips are a conversation
That face is a song...
If it's my imagination,
Stop me if I'm wrong, yeah..."
He turned to face her and joined in. "I need to know, know, know
What do you need, need, need?
What do you like, like, like?"
Addison turned towards him and smiled. "'Cause I'm gonna be it tonight
You can be cool, you can be shy
Say what you want, say what you like
'Cause ooh, your body talks, your body talks..."
"Ooh, ooh, your body talks
You can pretend you don't wanna know
But I read the signs from your head to your toes
Yeah, you don't need to say a word 'cause
Ooh, ooh, your body talks..."
They both started to move closer together as they sang the bridge together.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ooh
ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ooh"
"Yeah, you know, oh, you're into this
Yeah, you can try to hide it, but you know you can't deny it..." she sang leaning over and using his microphone.
"Ooh ooh, your body talks, your body talks."
"Ooh, your body talks, ow!" Addison sang out with the best rock cry Zed had ever heard. He bit his lip and winked at her before picking the chorus back up.
"You can be cool, you can be shy
Say what you want, say what you like
'Cause ooh, your body talks, your body talks..."
"Ooh, ooh your body talks..."
They moved even closer together, facing each other and using the same microphone as they sang together.
"You can pretend you don't wanna know
But I read the signs from your head to your toes
Yeah, you don't need to say a word 'cause
Ooh, ooh, your body talks
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh, oh
You don't need to say a word
You can be cool, you can be shy
Say what you want, say what you like
Yeah, you don't need to say a word 'cause
Ooh, ooh, your body talks..."
They rested their foreheads together both panting and trying to catch their breaths.
Mason grabbed the symbol, silencing it. "That. Was. AMAZING! Daddy Dale! Did you hear that!... We need to do this for the Spring Revue!"
Dale's voice filled the room. "I'm with Mason on this one….Can't believe I just agreed with that kid," he muttered. He quickly shook his head. "But, he has a point. You three are great together. You should definitely do this for the Revue."
"Only one problem with that," Addison said looking over to her father. "The play is the same night. And, guess what Mom made me audition for?"
"Ah...which one is it this year?"
"Great Expectations."
"That's strangely fitting..." he ran his hand through his hair. "I'll work on your mom, Sweet-pea."
"Thanks, Daddy."
"Woo!" Zed grabbed Addison and swung her around. "That was so much fun!"
Dale's voice filled the room once more. "Addie, Zed..."
He set Addison down and they faced the glass divider to the control room.
"Have you two sung together at school before?"
Addison shook her head. "Nope! This was the first time." She looked back over to Zed and smiled.
"Really?!... That was intense...You two play well against each other..."
Mason barked out a laugh. "Aren't they ridiculous? They've had that same chemistry since they met. Why do you think Bree and I set them up?"
"MASON!" Addison turned back towards him and glared.
Dale chuckled from the control board. "Zed..."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Why don't you plan to stick around for dinner, son…I have a feeling I should get to know you better...Oh, and call me Dale."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so only three more full flashback chapters left (I think) before we catch up to their characters presently. I hope everyone enjoyed the double chapters this week! Drop me a review and let me know!
MUSIC USED:
Uh-Huh- Julia Michaels
Body Talks- The Struts ft. Ke$ha