Bass nuzzles Charlie's neck, trailing kisses up to her ear. Pressing his lips there, he whispers, "As much as I want to stay right here forever, I should probably make an appearance downstairs."
They are naked and happy, legs and arms entwined - soaking up the afterglow of a particularly amazing reconciliation. Charlie runs her fingers through his curls. "Well, I guess if you have to go, you have to go..." She agrees quietly. Then she kisses the tip of his nose, and even though it shouldn't be erotic, it is.
Bass growls and rolls Charlie onto her back. "Maybe I have time for a quick follow-up before I join the party?"
She giggles against his throat, feeling him settle between her thighs – hard and ready once more, "Mmmm, yeah maybe you do." She purrs, arching her body in welcome as he enters her fully with one deep thrust.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Later, she watches as he dresses in the suit from before. "You are beautiful." Her voice is soft, her eyes appraising.
Bass looks at her, and grins, "Not true." His hands stop mid-buttoning as he watches her. Charlie is rumpled and sexy. Her hair is mussed. Her lips are swollen. She's wrapped loosely in his sheet. Bass feels a surge of possessiveness. He makes a mental note of this moment. He'll sketch her like this later. "You Charlie. You are the beautiful one."
"Debatable." She chuckles. "Now get out of here so that I can get dressed and try to look less, you know…" her smile is so sexy, he almost loses all resolve to leave her.
"Less like someone so freshly debauched?"
"Yeah, that." She grins wickedly then, standing tall and letting the sheet drop before walking his way to straighten his collar. "Maybe later you can debauch me some more?" She bites her lip and looks up at him flirtatiously.
He groans and pulls her into a deep kiss. When they break apart, their eyes lock and he shakes his head. "I don't want to leave you."
"Good." She says quietly, "But you need to anyway. Go see your people. Sell some paintings. Mingle." She turns and heads toward the foot of the bed where her dress and undergarments lie. "I'll be down soon."
He goes to the door and looks back once more. "I'll be waiting." And then he's gone.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charlie works her way back into her lingerie and the white dress. She does the best she can to tame her hair, refreshes her lipstick and slips on the red shoes. She looks at her reflection in Bass' bathroom mirror and decides she looks presentable. Her lips are still swollen from all the kissing. She touches them gently and smiles, remembering how amazing it was to make up with Bass.
Charlie is still smiling as she heads down the stairs and into the party. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs she sees Miles and gives him a little wave. He has a strange look on his face, and glances away for just a moment. Charlie follows his gaze and freezes.
Bass is standing in front of one of his paintings. He is surrounded by people. Standing next to him is none other than Duncan Page. She has one hand on Bass' arm.
"You have got to be kidding me." Charlie is stunned and her step falters. Bass looks up and catches her eye. He looks pained. She doesn't wait around to see if he's going to follow her. This time she doesn't think she cares. Charlie pushes her way through the crowd toward the exit. She bursts out into the summer night, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She lurches to the curb, raising an arm to hail a taxi when she hears a voice behind her. It's Miles.
"Kiddo, don't take a cab. I'll give you a ride home."
Bass comes running out of the gallery. He looks desperate. "Charlie, stop. God, don't go."
"I'm taking her home Bass. You better go back to your show." Miles wraps an arm around Charlie's shoulder and leads her to his car. He looks at Bass and sends his friend a death glare. Miles has had it with all this Duncan bullshit.
Bass watches as Miles' car disappears into the night. His heart feels like it is being ripped from his chest. He can't go through this again. He can't. He runs back inside.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miles tries to talk to Charlie on the ride to her apartment, but she only stares out her window silently. When they get to their destination, she tells him she just wants to be alone.
His heart breaks as he watches her walk into her building. Miles is kicking himself for ever thinking this match was a good idea. He's kicking himself for not already beating the hell out of Bass.
He puts his car into gear and starts to leave his parking space when a yellow taxi come screeching to a halt next to him. Bass jumps out and is running toward Charlie's building before Miles even sees it's him. Miles throws his car into park and turns off the ignition. He jumps out and runs after Bass, catching him just before he hits the buzzer on Charlie's building.
"Stop." Miles yells at his oldest friend. His voice is ice cold.
Bass turns and Miles' anger diminishes. Bass looks like a truly desperate man. His eyes are haunted, his cheeks are wet. He's carrying a package with a grip so tight his knuckles are white. "Is she up there?" Bass asks.
"Yeah, but just give her a minute okay?" Miles puts a calming hand on Bass' shoulder. "She's pretty upset."
Bass covers his mouth with his hand, as if stifling a scream. He is clearly beyond upset himself, but Miles also sees frustration. "How could she even think there's anything going on between me and Duncan? I mean after tonight…"
"Don't say any more words." Miles warns seeing the look on Bass' face. "I don't want to know that stuff."
"Whatever, I thought we'd talked it out. I thought she understood that I'm not interested in Duncan like that." Bass sounds like he's on the verge of tears again.
"Well shit Bass." Miles is never comfortable around emotions, so having Crybaby Monroe as his best friend has always been a challenge. "You've told Charlie what Duncan isn't… Have you ever told her what Duncan is…?"
Bass shakes his head. "Gonna do that now." He says this with conviction and holds up the thing in his hands.
Miles looks at it and nods slowly. "So you're gonna tell her everything?"
"Yeah, I am."
Miles feels a flicker of hope for these two after all. "Bout damn time."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charlie had just stepped out of the shower when she hears the buzzer from the apartment building's main entrance. She knows without even checking that Bass is here.
She ignores the sound and gets dressed in faded jeans and a tank top. She pulls her damp hair back in a loose ponytail and goes to her apartment's second bedroom which she's set up as a painting studio. The space isn't huge, but it's big enough for her needs. Charlie flips on her cd player. The haunting voice of Jeff Buckley fills the space.
And maybe I'm too young to keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind so you never know
She gathers the paints and brushes she needs to get started. A few brushes fall to the floor. She doesn't even notice. Charlie removes the light-weight tarp that has rested over her easel and appraises the work in progress. It is a portrait of her mother. Charlie has used bold colors reminiscent of Warhol's work. So far, she's pleased with the image that's evolving, even though she knows she'll never show it to anyone. She hears the buzzer ring again. Charlie continues to ignore it as she gets lost in the painting.
Sometimes a man gets carried away, when he should be having his fun
And much too blind to see the damage he's done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that really, he has no one
When she hears a pounding knock on her apartment door, followed by Bass' angry voice, "Charlie! God-damnit let me in!" she realizes she can't ignore him anymore.
Charlie walks out to the front of her apartment, and goes to the door. She leans her forehead against the wood, and says very quietly, "Just go away."
She knows he's heard her when he replies through the door, just as quietly, "I'm not going to leave until I've talked to you…until I've explained."
Charlie stands there silently for a while, not saying anything. She knows he's still there. She can feel his closeness even through the door.
"Please." He pleads his voice barely a whisper.
So I'll wait for you…and I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh will I ever learn
Oh lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late
She carefully unlocks the door and then walks away from it. She does not look back, but hears him open and shut it quietly behind him. She is sitting in her window seat staring out at the night sky when he finds her.
"Nice place." He says absently, devouring her with his eyes, not even looking at the space around them.
Charlie ignores his comment and continues staring out the window. "You said you want to talk. So talk."
Bass takes a deep breath and moves closer. He doesn't touch her, but he's close enough he can smell the apple soap she uses. He closes his eyes, inhaling the fragrance, gathering strength from being near to her again. "Well I want to start by showing you something."
Charlie finally turns to him. She sees the pain on his face. She sees the red-rimmed eyes that match her own. She quickly looks back out the window. "What do you want to show me?" she asks.
"This." He places something in her hands. She looks down. It's loosely wrapped in brown paper, but from the feel, she knows it's a canvas.
"What is it?" Charlie doesn't try to remove the paper. He leans in and takes it off himself, revealing one of his military portraits of a fallen soldier. She vaguely remembers this one. The guy in the picture is laughing. He has dark hair and friendly eyes. The white cross in the background says 'Darin La Paglia 1980 – 2010'.
"That's Darin. Miles and I served with him in Afghanistan on our last tour. He was the funniest guy… always cracking jokes and laughing. Everybody loved him." Bass shrugs out of his suit jacket, tossing it on the back of the couch before sitting there, hanging his head in his hands. He looks suddenly very tired. "We'd had a rough month. Lost six guys in a span of twelve days. Then a week passed and we lost two more. We were all having a rough time, but Darin was not doing well at all. Maybe because he was pretty young? Maybe because it was his first tour? I don't know. Maybe it was just because losing eight guys who were your friends and your brothers… well, it sucks..." Bass looks up but his eyes are wet and unfocused. "Whatever the reason – we all recognized that he was really struggling. We were all worried about him."
Charlie feels a lump forming in her throat. "What happened?"
"We were a week away from coming home. Darin and I were on a routine patrol. It was the kind of thing we did every day without incident. We were talking about how glad we'd be to get back to the States and all of a sudden these two Taliban guys came out from where they'd been hiding behind an old school and their guns were pointed right at us. It all happened so fast. Darin just…" Tears are streaming down Bass' face now, and Charlie is pretty sure he doesn't even know it.
"He just what? What did he do?" She prods quietly.
"He jumped in front of me and he said, 'Not losing any more.' And then they started shooting and he was hit and he sort of fell back into me and I was able to shoot around him and…" he pauses, still not looking at her. Bass takes a deep breath, "I killed those fuckers. Both of them, but when it was all over, Darin was dead too."
"I'm sorry Bass. That's…" she doesn't even know what that is. There aren't words. "awful." She finishes, not knowing what else to say.
"Yeah. It should have been me Charlie. He died for me. I think he'd just had enough… enough of watching his friends die. Don't think he could take any more….."
Charlie looks down at the painting still in her hands. She stares into the smiling face of the man who gave his life to save Bass and she chokes back a little sob. She stands and puts down the painting. Walking to him, she lowers herself to the couch and pulls Bass into her arms. He sinks into her embrace and he cries and Charlie cries with him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Later, she is stroking the hair at his temple when he starts to talk again. His voice sounds stronger. "When we got home, Miles and I went to visit Darin's family. We wanted them to know how brave he was and how proud we all had been to serve with him. His Mom and Dad were there and also his sister."
Pieces of this big puzzle suddenly fall into place inside Charlie's head. She closes her eyes, "Duncan is his sister, isn't she?"
"Yeah, Duncan LaPaglia changed her name to Duncan Page when she started her band. I didn't know she was his sister before that day. I don't remember that he ever talked about her much." Bass closes his eyes and leans back on the couch.
"So what happened when you met her?" Charlie's voice is soft. She is snuggled into his side.
"Duncan was grieving when I met her and she seemed as broken up about losing him as I was. We bonded I guess. I told her the whole story of how he died. She accepted it, or seemed to at first. We had an okay time the first few weeks we were together."
"That changed?"
"Yeah, the more I got to know her, the less I liked her. God I tried to like her, for Darin. She was just nothing like him at all, but still I tried. Duncan was self-absorbed and bitchy. She could be sweet when she wanted to, but she didn't want to very often. I was more miserable with her than I'd been when I was grieving on my own. Miles hates her, by the way. Calls her my 'black hole'." Bass chuckles a little at this. The tension around his eyes seems to be fading, "Anyway, it didn't take long for us to realize that we had nothing in common other than losing Darin."
"So you ended it?"
Bass nods, "I could see she was really angry and bitter about his death. She started to say things that made me think she blamed me. After that the end was inevitable, but I blamed me too, so I made her a promise. I told her I didn't want to date her anymore, but I said that if she ever needed anything at all, I'd help her out. Things didn't work out for the two of us as a couple, but I still felt I owed her."
"So, what did she need you to help her with?" Charlie still doesn't understand why Duncan is here now.
"I hadn't talked to her or seen her in more than three years. She emailed me and said she was dropping by for lunch. It was that day you and I were…" he looks at her and smiles a little, remembering. Charlie feels a blush tint her cheeks pink. She nods for him to continue. "I forgot all about the email until she was in my studio. I'm not even sure how she tracked me down exactly." He runs a hand through his hair. "While you were getting dressed she said that she'd been dating this guy Scanlon. He had turned into a total asshole and she was trying to shake him loose. He wasn't taking a hint, so she told him she was seeing someone new – me. She hoped he'd throw in the towel I guess. She asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend for a few weeks and then she'd leave me alone."
"Bass." Charlie says with a brow cocked, "That is just weird."
"I know. What was I supposed to do though? She asked for a favor. I'd promised her I'd do whatever she needed. You ran off before I could explain."
"No Bass. You don't get to blame me for any of this. You could have told me the truth."
"You mean like all those times I called and left messages or sent you texts?" Bass is getting aggravated, "Because by God Charlie, I tried. I called and texted. You'd never given me your email and you wouldn't talk to me when I saw you… What was I supposed to do?"
"You could have come here." Charlie's voice is small. She'd always wondered why he didn't bother coming to her place. He knew where she lived.
"Duncan was hoping to get our picture in the paper. She thought that would sell her story better. She paid a photographer to camp outside the studio and take pictures whenever he saw either of us. I didn't want that asshole following me to your place."
Charlie sighs, laying her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to your messages."
"I'm sorry I didn't follow you. I should have figured out a way."
They sit in silence for a while. She strokes his cheek with a soft caress. "Bass."
"Yeah?"
"You don't owe her anything. You know that right? I mean, down deep… you have to know you don't owe Darin's sister anything."
He shakes his head. "You sound just like Miles."
Charlie smiles, "Well, there are worse people I could sound like." She hesitates before continuing softly, "Listen Bass, the only person you owe anything to is Darin."
Bass turns to face her, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"You don't owe Duncan anything. You owe Darin because he saved your life. Do you want to know how you pay him back?"
Bass is getting teary-eyed again. "How?"
"You live the life he saved, and you do it in a way that makes you happy." Charlie holds his gaze.
Bass takes a deep breath and nods slowly. "Maybe you're right."
Charlie smiles, "Oh, I'm right." She leans in close and kisses him softly, "One thing though."
"What?" he asks absently, trying to deepen the kiss.
She pulls back and he looks in her eyes. "You have to tell her to back off Bass. I get that you two had a connection and that you felt you owe her or whatever, but this shit has to stop. I may be inexperienced and young and out of my league here, but even I deserve a man who isn't willing to set me aside for a fake girlfriend." She juts out her stubborn chin and he has to hide a smile.
"Okay." He says, keeping his voice as serious as possible.
"Okay?" Charlie looks skeptical.
"Charlie, if you want her gone, she's gone. I cannot watch you run away again. You are so important to me. She is nothing. There is no contest Charlie. You are the one I want. I don't want her. I can't stand her. I certainly don't love her."
"What?" Charlie's eyes are wide. "What do you mean?"
Bass takes a deep breath. He really hadn't meant to say anything yet, but what the hell… He pulls her close again, and brushes his lips against her temple. "I can't explain it Charlie." His voice is just a whisper, "I know it sounds crazy and I know we haven't known each other very long." Bass brushes kisses across her cheek. "I don't even know when exactly it happened or why… but I love you."
She pulls away to look in his eyes. "Okay." She smiles coyly.
"Okay?" he laughs. "That's all I get?"
Charlie stands and holds out a hand, "I was thinking I'd show you my response instead of just telling you." Their eyes lock and Charlie grins at him when he stands.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She leads him to the narrow hallway off the living room and toward her bedroom which is at the end. Bass stops, pulling back on her hand. "I smell paint." He says, cocking an eyebrow in question. "What's in there?" he points to the closed door he's now standing next to.
"It's nothing Bass. My room is down here. Come on."
"Nope. I smell paint. I want to go in here first." He points again; his expression is determined and stubborn.
Charlie just watches him for a moment. Her art has always been a very personal thing…. A thing she never shares. Tonight Bass has bared his soul to her. Clearly if she's going to show her work to anyone, it should be him. Charlie makes a decision. "Fine. Let's go in."
Charlie opens the door and walks through it. Bass follows, his eyes everywhere at once as he takes in the room. There are two large windows along one wall. The blinds are shut, but he can imagine how great the lighting is in this space during the daytime. The hard wood floor has been covered in canvas drop cloths. There are two easels and one wall is lined with shelves. The shelves are full of various supplies, sketch pads and art books. Against the remaining wall, finished canvases lean in rows. There are a lot of them. They are neatly organized by size, and have been covered with a clear plastic protective sheet. Based on the paint splatter covering both the clear plastic and the canvas on the floor… Charlie likes to get messy when she paints. Bass looks at her, clearly excited, "Charlie this is a great studio." Then he goes right over to the closest bunch of paintings that lean against a wall. Without any hesitation, he pulls back the plastic and starts to thumb through her finished work.
At first he is glancing at each piece quickly, pausing only for a moment before looking at the next painting. He says nothing. Charlie was nervous about coming in here from the beginning. Now her heart is pounding and her palms are sweaty. "You hate them." She says.
He turns to face her, his expression shows surprise. "No. Charlie, these…" he holds up two smaller canvases. Both are portraits. One is of Miles. The other is of Danny. Charlie's style is clearly inspired by Warhol as she'd mentioned. She uses vibrant color to define contour and line. "These are amazing." He sounds stunned. "You told me you couldn't paint. Damn Charlie, you are really talented." He puts down the first two he'd held up and now is inspecting a larger piece. It is of the Chicago city scape. Once again she has used brilliant color, but in this piece she's made parts of the painting look smeared. It has the effect of looking through a window on which a picture has been painted, but the paint is now sliding away in a rain storm. "This is beautiful." He continues to look and toss out comments.
Charlie doesn't know what to say. Finally she sits on the floor next to one of her easels, just watching him as he makes his way through her paintings, carefully inspecting each one. After he's gone through the stacks, he turns to the easels. On the first is the painting of her mother. Charlie has been working on it for weeks, and finally feels it's complete.
"I just finished that one tonight. The paint is still wet."
"It's so beautiful. You really have a way with portraits. I didn't know your Mom well, but you've so accurately captured her image here…" he shakes his head a little, as if in awe. Then he walks to the other easel. Charlie feels her cheeks redden.
He looks at the canvas and then over at her. When he sees the painting is of him, he smiles a little, "I didn't expect this one." He leans close to better see the details. "Charlie, this is… You have this uncanny ability to capture emotion." He points to the painting, "I look really happy here."
She shrugs, "It was the night at the Bean. I think you were really happy. We both were." Charlie is having trouble meeting his eyes. She stares down at the drop cloth and picks at dried bits of paint with a fingernail.
Bass walks over and sits down beside her. "I was happy there. I'm happy here. I'm always going to be happy when I'm with you." He leans close and kisses her softly, his lips barely touching hers.
Charlie whispers against his mouth, "Thank you Bass."
"For what?" he's pressing tiny kisses against the corners of her mouth and along her jaw line.
"For not laughing at my paintings… for being nice about them."
He pulls away enough to meet her gaze. "I wasn't being nice Charlie. I was being honest. You have an amazing gift. You shouldn't hide it. Why do you doubt your abilities in the first place?"
"I've just never been very good with it. When I was seven, Mom and I took our last art class together. She laughed and said maybe I'd better plan on being an accountant since I sure couldn't paint." Charlie's face splits into a sad smile.
"Charlie, seven year olds aren't usually all that talented. The fact that you weren't Picasso in first grade doesn't mean you aren't incredibly talented now. If your Mom was here and could see these, she'd want you to show the world what you can do."
"I don't know Bass."
"Yeah you do. Down deep you do. Why hide your talent? Why restore other people's art when you can create it?"
"We all have our reasons. What about you? Your military pieces… why hide art under a tarp when you have a gallery that would display it?"
"That's different." He frowns, but soon his frown morphs into a hesitant smile, "Or maybe it's not..." He shrugs slightly, "Maybe we both need to think about what we want to do with our art."
Charlie bites her lip nervously, "I know what I want to do right now…and it doesn't really have anything to do with art."
"I like how you think." His eyes drop to where she's holding her lip between her teeth. Captivated by those lips, he carefully cups her cheek with his hand, leaning in again. This time the kiss is deeper.
Charlie parts her lips in a sigh and he slides his tongue through the opening she has provided. She gasps when his tongue touches hers. He buries his hands in her hair, holding her close. She returns his intensity with her own, sucking on his tongue before biting down lightly on his lower lip. Bass moves his hands around her and pulls her down to lie beside him on the floor. Charlie's breath quickens and she wraps her arms around him, running her fingers along his shoulders and down his arms. Overcome by the events of the evening, Charlie feels an almost irrepressible urge to touch every inch of his body. She wants to make him feel as good as he makes her feel every time they are together.
He leans in and kisses her neck, sucking lightly at the flesh under her jaw. His thigh moves between hers. Bass gently squeezes one of her breasts through the thin shirt she wears. Charlie moans softly, arching against his hand as he works his way down her ribcage, grasping her hip to pull her closer. Charlie feels wetness pooling in her panties, as his hand travels farther down.
Without breaking away from the simmering kiss, Bass unsnaps and unzips Charlie's jeans. She, in turn, unbuttons his dress shirt, working the fabric over his shoulders, stroking the heated flesh below. Impatiently, Bass sits up and pulls his shirt the rest of the way off. Charlie does the same with her tank. Their gaze locks. Eyes are dilated. Breathing is heavy. They both grin and then the kissing starts again in earnest as they lie back down on the floor. Bass reaches behind her and unfastens her bra with one hand, before moving his mouth down her throat and to the hollow between her breasts. He bites the flimsy fabric between his teeth and pulls it from her body. Charlie quivers when she sees him grin around a mouthful of her lingerie. He tosses the bra aside and moves to take a nipple between his teeth. He pulls the little bud until she moans. Charlie grabs a handful of his curly hair and presses his face firmly into the soft mound of her breast.
He chuckles, nuzzling deeper, "Impatient?"
"You have no idea, and this is great…" she pauses as he sucks on her nipple, flicking it with his tongue, "but you know I have a bed just down the hall?"
He moves up and presses his forehead against hers, "We'll go there later. I promise. Down the hall, I bet you don't have this." He holds up a fan brush that he's found in the folds of the drop cloth that covers the floor.
She giggles, "What are you planning to do with that?"
Bass rolls over so that he's above her. "Oh you'll see."
Bass pulls her jeans and panties off her body. He sits back on his heels to appraise her nakedness. He smiles wickedly, before moving close again. He takes the dry brush and runs the bristles ever so lightly across the hollow of Charlie's collar bone, and over the curve of her breast. Bass watches as she closes her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. He teases each nipple until they are tight little buds. She's groaning now, but he doesn't rush. He worships the tender flesh of her breasts with the brush before slowly dragging it across her abdomen. He makes circles around her belly button with the soft brush and then pulls it lightly down her thigh. The feel of the tiny bristles against her sensitive skin sets Charlie on fire.
Bass gazes intently as he spreads her knees with his hands. Charlie watches him as he sees her sex, swollen and wet with want for him. He takes the brush and starts at the inside of one knee; slowly he ghosts the bristles along the tender flesh of her inner thigh. He gets close to her center, but moves the brush to the other knee, repeating the pattern. She lifts her hips, biting her lip to keep from crying out. He watches her reaction and revels in it.
"God that feels so good." She moans and writhes a little under the ghost like touch of the brush. Her mind is hazy with desire, but Charlie props herself up on her elbows to watch as Bass strokes her flat stomach with a focused determination that sends shivers to her core.
Without warning, Bass drops the brush and leans in. He begins to lick and suck at her clit, laving at the engorged labia, pushing into her heat with his probing tongue. She can't focus, the feel of his mouth between her legs is almost more than she can take.
The voice of Jeff Buckley echoes softly through the studio:
I know the tears we cried
Have dried on yesterday
The sea of fools has parted for us
There's nothing in our way
My love
Don't you see, don't you see?
You're just the torch to put the flame to all our guilt and shame
And I'll rise like an ember in your name
Her hands are on the move once more. She pulls him back up to cover her body so that their bare chests are touching and his mouth finds hers again. She reaches a hand up to the curve around the back of his neck, and pulling his head down a little, firmly bites down on his earlobe. She slides her hands between their bodies, and begins to work the buckle on Bass' belt. Once his pants are unfastened, he wriggles out of them without breaking away from her.
I know everybody here thinks he needs you
I'll be waiting right here just to show you
Oh let me show you
That love can rise, rise just like embers
Love can taste like the wine of the ages, oh babe,
And I know they all looks so good from a distance
But I tell you I'm the one
I know everybody here, well, thinks he needs you
Think he needs you
And I'll be waiting right here just to show you.
Naked, they fall back into each other's embrace. Charlie feels his cock, thick and ready against her hip. She feels her heart beating fast and the pulse of it echoes to her core. He kisses her urgently, his hand moving over the curve of her breast, down her ribs and over her flat belly before reaching the sandy blond curls. Bass slides a finger into her heat, stroking deep and steady, using his palm for friction against her sensitive clit. Charlie moans, arching into his hand, "Faster please." She begs him.
"No Charlie. Not faster." He keeps his pace steady, adding another finger.
"Bass?" she pleads.
"Nope." He continues to fuck her slow and easy with his fingers.
"Please." Her voice is unsteady now as an orgasm builds. When it happens, Charlie bites down on her own hand to keep from screaming. Bass watches her shudder through it, his fingers still moving until she collapses limply into the floor.
Just like the fiction
Rushing in your riverbed
Arise like applause in my head
And in the half-light
Where we both stand
This is the half-light
See me as I am
"Was that okay?" he asks softly as he moves close, his mouth sliding across her neck to suck at the flesh behind her ear. She feels a shiver that starts at his mouth and coils in her still tender sex. His teeth scrape her skin and she sucks in a breath.
Just like the ocean
Always in love with the moon
It's overflowing now
Inside you
We fly right over
The minds of so many in pain
We are the smile of light that brings them rain
In the half light
Where we both stand
In the half light
You saw me as I am
Bass grasps her shoulders and pulls her over him as he rolls. He catches her off guard and her arm hits the nearby easel. A tub of yellow paint falls and splatters a couple feet from them. Neither care. They laugh, eyes locked. Slowly her smile fades, replaced by longing. Bass is now flat on his back with a very naked Charlie straddling his lower belly. She can feel his dick pulsing against her ass.
She feels a little nervous. "What do you want me to do? I'm not sure how to go about…"
Bass' gaze is hot and intense as he puts his hands on her hips, "Let me show you, Charlie." And then he lifts her higher with his hands. "Reach down and… yes, like that." Bass closes his eyes as Charlie takes his throbbing cock in her fingers, positioning it at her velvety wet entrance. Bass uses his hands to then guide her down. He groans as Charlie impales herself on his dick.
He guides her, helping Charlie find a rhythm. She is so tight and so hot. So wet. "That's…perfect. Just a little…" and then he attempts to speed her up a bit.
"No Bass. Not faster." She teases him with his own words, smirking. She moves up, pulling almost all the way off before settling slowly… so very slowly….back down on him
"Charlie, please." He bucks his hips up in an effort to hurry her. She punishes him by slowing down even more, loving the way he fills her with each downward stroke.
"Nope. Not gonna happen Bass." she laughs as she rides him, gaining more confidence with each movement.
Charlie reaches up to touch her breast, tweaking the nipple with one hand. The fingers of her other hand move down to her clit.
Watching her pleasure herself while she rides him is driving Bass crazy. He grasps handfuls of canvas drop cloth, urging her with his hips to go faster.
When she finally complies a little – still not fast, but faster…. Bass cries out. He's reaching for new handholds when he feels the wet of the spilt paint on his fingers. He can't help but smile a little, but then his smile fades. Charlie is getting close. His hands are back on her, smears of yellow paint appearing on her side and hip under his touch. He guides her through her orgasm. She shudders, throws her head back and whimpers. When she looks down at Bass again, her eyes are soft and unfocused.
He is so close and knows he'll be following her soon. "Will you go faster now?" he begs. "Please?"
She grins and then picks up her tempo. It is perfect and when his balls tighten, he pulls her down hard – shoving his dick so far inside her he feels the bump of her cervix as he spills his load against her womb.
Charlie settles there, still full of Bass' cock, watching his face. She leans forward to kiss his lips, pulling away only far enough to see his face. "That was amazing."
"You are amazing Charlie."
"That makes two of us." She teases.
Bass pushes her back to a sitting position. His cock has softened but it's still inside her, and he loves the way her pussy holds him in place. He reaches over to the spilled paint and puts his hand in it. Bringing it back to where they are he begins to trace letters across her abs and stomach.
"What are you doing?" she asks, looking down.
"Staking my claim, Charlie. You are mine now. You are just for me." When he's done, the yellow letters spell 'Bass'. He smiles, very proud of his work. His hand still has a lot of paint on it, so he presses it slowly against her breast, leaving a perfect handprint there.
"Yours huh?" She's grinning at him.
"Yes. Mine."
"And you are mine Bass." Charlie dips her own fingers into the spilled paint and drags them from his collar bone to his belly button. "I'm never going to be okay with sharing you. Not ever." She runs her yellow fingertips along his arm, leaving a trail of stripes in her wake.
"You are the only one I want. I'll never do that to you again, okay? No other women. No other fake girlfriends. Nobody but you. Just me and you."
"Never, huh?" she asks softly.
"Never."
"That's good because there's something I need to tell you…"
He doesn't say anything but looks at her curiously.
Charlie leans down again so that her forehead rests against his. Their eyes meet and hold. "I love you too Bass."
He grins and his eyes crinkle. He pulls her down for a lingering kiss.
Suddenly, Charlie jerks away from his lips. "Bass, your show! You are missing your show." She starts to get up, but he pulls her close once more.
"I don't care about the show Charlie. This is the only place I want to be." He rolls them over so he is hovering above her. "Now, what was that about my debauching you some more?"
Author's Note: No, this still is not the end! Haha. There will probably be two more chapters to finish this story out. Please be patient with both Priya and I regarding time between updates. We are fully invested in finishing this story but we have both become very busy in real life lately. You'll still get your new chapters – just don't be surprised if you have to wait a little longer than a week between them. -Lemon
Songs featured in this chapter are all by the late Jeff Buckley: "Everybody Here Wants You", "Opened Once", and "Lover You Should Have Come Over".