Chapter Nine
KNOX
When I used to play with the band regularly, I would sometimes get this feeling of surety come over me.
Like my body experienced a premonition of success.
The last time I experienced that sensation was when we opened for Cinder and Cress years back at Soiree Theater.
That night felt like our next big break, and I remember a feeling of lightness hovering over me the entire time we were on stage.
I got that same feeling tonight, the moment I started to sing.
Quickly finishing the drink I’ve been nursing for the last forty-five minutes, I toss the cup into the trash on my way out of the coffee shop. Hovering back near the outdoor seating for another few minutes, I see Raven leave for the parking lot.
I rush across the street, staying in her blind spot. As I approach, I move back into her line of vision, so I don’t startle her. I decide to go with the most innocuous of greetings, hoping it puts her at ease.
“Hello, Raven. Fancy meeting you here.”
She still jumps a little at my greeting, turning to me quickly.
Her expression races through a half dozen emotions.
Flipping her braids over one shoulder, her face at last settles into impassiveness.
Last time I saw her, her long braids were ombre purple, clearly themed with the event.
Now, however, they are a solid pink that hangs almost to her hips.
“Knox,” she says, her voice somewhat accusatory. “What are you doing here?”
I shrug, “Nothing in particular.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh? I wasn’t aware that the area was off limits to me.”
“No, I mean…” She scoffs, impassive, turning to annoyance. “You played hours ago. What are you still doing here?”
“We decided to grab a drink after the audition as a band. Give us a chance to discuss what went well.”
That’s only half true. The first coffee I had with Zeke and Via. The two after that were me killing time. Waiting. Hoping to catch her.
“You did fine. Like I said at the beginning, you’ll hear from Danica or me tomorrow after we’ve made the final decision. Goodnight.”
Turning away from me, Raven reaches into her bag to pull out her keys.
I scratch at my beard like I’m deep in thought. “You did fine. Not exactly the glowing review I was hoping for,” I tease.
“You did great, Knox. You should go home, get some sleep.”
“It’s still early. The sun hasn’t even completely set,” I observe, glancing in the direction of the mountains.
“Then don’t go home. Go wherever you like.”
“There is this one place I’ve been wanting to visit since I got in town.”
I smile.
“Good. Go there.”
“Hmm…happily.”
I lift an eyebrow before taking a step towards her.
I take my time looking her body up and down.
She’s wearing all black, her jeans hugging her round ass just as effectively as the dress she was wearing the night we met.
She wears the same gold necklace as before, nestled perfectly between her breasts.
The top few buttons of her shirt are open, and the metal catches the light, drawing my focus downward.
Her eyes widen behind her glasses, understanding my implications.
“I have pepper spray,” she bursts out.
I actually chuckle. I can’t really blame her for thinking the worst. After all, I just spent the last two and a half hours waiting for her across the street.
I questioned myself several times, knowing I might freak her out and get the exact reaction I’m getting in this moment.
But each time I considered getting up and leaving, I felt my feet turn to lead, keeping me in the chair and ordering another latte.
It’s been over a week since that night in the alleyway, and I still can’t stop thinking about that encounter.
“A sound life choice, I imagine, given the state of the world. But you don’t need pepper spray, Ven. Not against me.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the last thing I’ll hear before the strong scent of chloroform takes over.”
I laugh harder this time.
“Did you know that chloroform is actually a subpar anesthetic compared to some more recently discovered organic compounds?”
Raven’s expression shifts again. “How and why would you even know that?”
“I have spent a lot of time in bars playing trivia.”
“Hmm…” she muses aloud, “That actually tracks.”
She crosses her arms and leans up against her car’s hood.
The action pushes her breasts together, and my gaze immediately falls to them.
They look absolutely perfect, the glow from the street lamps and dying sunlight creating a subtle shine on her skin.
I feel my dick stiffen in my pants as I imagine all the things I want to do to those perfect pillows.
“So… now that you’re back in town, how about we go get that drink we were never able to share?”
Not that I need another caffeinated drink, but I don’t care.
“I’m not back in town,” she answers quickly.
I look around the parking lot, pretending to be confused and concerned.
“You’re not? Then what am I speaking to? A highly advanced robot?”
She rolls her eyes. I decide in that moment it’s my favorite look of hers. I can tell she rolls her eyes to hide her amusement, her lips turning up for a moment before pressing back into a line.
“What I mean is, I’m in town but only for a few weeks and for work. Then it’s back to Los Angeles for me.”
“And how is that any different from before?”
“It’s not, I guess,” she says, looking caught. But she quickly finds her next excuse. “But you work for me now. I’m your direct supervisor. That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Feigning surprise, I say, “Oh, I do? I thought I would hear from you or Danica tomorrow if we got the job?”
Raven looks utterly flustered, blood rising to the apple of her cheeks.
Taking advantage of her distracted state, I move into her space.
She smells like that night in the alleyway, like rosewater and lilacs.
The passing traffic fades completely into background noise for me as I watch her. She blinks rapidly, her breath uneven.
I decide to push my luck.
“Why are you acting like I don’t know how wet you can get? Or like I don’t know what your pussy feels like stuffed with my fingers?”
Her dark skin takes on a noticeable pink hue, the tip of her nose turning almost Rudolph red.
“Yeah, that was a mistake. You caught me in a moment of vulnerability.”
“I’d love to catch you in another one.”
Raven clears her throat, standing up straight. The action brings her heart-shaped face closer to me. I want to lean in and bite her lip like she did to me that night, but I can tell she’s right on the edge of running away completely. Or grabbing that pepper spray she mentioned.
God, I so want to grab her shoulders and press her against the hood of her car.
I let my imagination run wild for a few more seconds, thinking through the order in which I would remove her clothes.
Even if she was fully willing, we’re fairly exposed out here, overlooked on all sides by buildings that are five and six stories tall.
That is not the kind of attention I want on us.
The semi-private alleyway was right on the edge of what I’m willing to do.
So instead of doing what I actually want to do, I sigh and shrug lightly.
“But maybe you’re right.”
“About what?” she asks.
“If we’re going to work together, keeping things strictly professional is probably the best choice.”
“Right,” she says.
Raven sounds almost disappointed.
“Well, boss,” I smile down at her, “Looking forward to our first day on the job.”
Walking away without turning back to her, I can still feel her eyes track me across the parking lot to my bike. Pulling on my helmet, I rev the engine, passing within a few feet of her as I leave, joining traffic on the main road.
I have never felt so wrecked from a simple conversation.
Everything between us felt so charged with energy, and the sensation lingers in my body, desperate to get out.
In years past, I would direct that energy to all kinds of bad behaviors and choices.
Drinking too much, legal and illegal drugs alike, sex, and driving too fast.
Now I only allow myself two addictions. Exercise and coffee.
Still wired from the three coffees I drank while I waited for Raven, I head to the gym closest to the band’s rented house. But an hour on the treadmill and a half hour on free weights have barely tamped down the energy in me.
The showers at the gym offer privacy. As soon as I close the curtain and the hot water hits my skin, I grab my bar of soap.
I pull on my cock, already semi-stiff and sensitive.
Pre-cum weeps from the tip of my cock, the natural upward curve giving me the perfect view of the nearly clear liquid.
The veins look angry to my eyes, blood pumping rapidly through my dick.
I’m rock hard after just a few strokes, my mind quickly pulling forward images of Raven.
Some of them are real, memories from that night in the alleyway or from tonight.
The way she smelled. The way her hair lay against her shoulder. The way her thighs hugged my body.
Some of them are full-blown fantasies, things I can literally only dream of doing to her and with her.
For a moment, I imagine it’s her hands wrapped around the base of my shaft, stroking me slowly but firmly.
I imagine her hands and her mouth and her legs and her everything on me, my release cresting.
My cum is quickly washed away by the running water, my ragged breathing covered by the sounds of an active shower room.
I finish scrubbing down, but feel only marginally more stable than when I walked in.
Back home, lying in bed, my mind continues to comb over every little detail of our interaction.
Unable to sleep, I grab my phone, fully intending to scroll my various socials until my brain is so overloaded that it will have no choice but to shut down for a few hours.
Instead, I open my notes app and begin typing.