This has been in the works for... yikes, over a year now. The original story pretty much went kersplat but, meh, when's that ever stopped me before. This is a follow up but you don't need to have read the original story to follow this one (http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?t=36902&highlight=Apollo if you do want to read it).
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"Bad news I'm afraid" said Jason as he entered the small lounge of the hotel suite. "All flights in and out of the country have been grounded for at least the next two days, something about a terrorist threat."
"You have got to be kidding." Amy replied, unable to hide the exasperation from her voice.
"Nope, sorry. We've talked to a couple of airlines and as soon as they're allowed back in the skies we're booked on the first jet to the states, but until then we're stuck here."
"Somebody better tell MTV we ain't gonna make it." Ben drawled from his seat by the breakfast bar.
"Already done." Jason replied, "In fact, they're having discussions right now with the BBC to see if they can borrow the Top Of The Pops set for a live link up, we'll know more tomorrow morning. In the meantime I suggest we settle back, relax and see what happens."
"Oh come on Jason." Amy sighed, "we haven't got out of this damn room for the last two days, there's got to be something we can do to in the big wide world."
"It ain't that easy Amy. For one thing we've got about an hour until most of the major gigs and the like kick off around here, for another I'd suggest that one of the hottest bands on the planet shouldn't really be walking into a club full of people without at least some prior planning and security available."
"Ummm, sorry to interrupt, but I've got a really dumb suggestion." A head came into view in the doorway followed by the body of their chauffeur who'd been waiting patiently in the corridor for the last few hours.
"Dumb or not, if it gets me out of here I'll take it." Amy grinned, turning to face the obviously nervous young man.
"Well, some friends of mine are playing a small pub gig about an hour or so drive from here. Only a couple of hundred people max, and as they're mostly doing a metal set you'd all blend right in."
"Now that," Amy said walking over to him, "is definitely not a dumb suggestion. It'll be nice to watch someone else work for a change. Thank you." And with that she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss. "You guys up for it?"
Jason and Ben looked at each other for a moment. "Umm, well, actually, if it's all the same to you, we'll hang around here, there's a... club we thought we'd check out."
"Ah ha, just try to remember the no touching rule this time, I really do not want to have to bail you two out again, okay?" Their embarrassed smiles were proof enough they remembered that incident all too well.
There was no mistaking they were in the right place as they pulled up outside a pub that seemed to be on the verge of collapsing from the combined mass of people inside and the sonic assault on the bricks and mortar. Amy stepped out and, walking quickly around to the drivers side, hooked Paul's arm with hers. He glanced down at her, clearly surprised but enjoying the game nonetheless. The bouncer on the door took one look at Paul and waved them in, pausing only to throw him a thumbs up and none-too-subtle smirk before turning back to watch the show.
Inside there was a mass of people moving and twisting as one, heads pounding to the beat as the band on stage were flying through a pretty damn good Metallica medley. Paul led her round the edge of the crowd to the bar. The landlord flipped up the old style countertop and they walked down behind the bar, flipped the matching countertop at the far end and stepped into the front row just as the last chords of Battery echoed through the pub and a round of applause and cheers threatened to tear the roof off the place.
"Hello my friends." The lead singer called as he stepped up to the mic. Something in his voice seemed to pluck at Amy's soul and she tried to shuffle a little closer for a better view. "We'd just like to say thanks to everyone for turning up, it's been about six months since we've had a chance to play down here and damn you guys make us feel welcome."
Again the crowd roared, but Amy hardly noticed, her attention was firmly locked on this man who she was sure she knew but just couldn't place. His face was hidden by a mass of long brown hair, but something about him was sounding a very loud bell in her mind. Of course, she thought, that might just have something to do with the fact that, from the neck down anyway, he wasn't exactly hard on the eye. While he was more chunky than trim there didn't seem to be an ounce of excess fat on his black-clad body, bare arms showing some pretty impressive muscles.
"Now, I know we're only a small band in the grand scheme of things, but we'd like to take this opportunity tonight to send a little message to all those wannabe rock bands that seem to be storming up the charts every week." He paused, glancing around the room. "Be Quick or Be Dead!". So saying they launched into the Iron Maiden track of the same name and the whole room went nuts. Amy was still trying to get a good look at the guy and he seemed to pick up on the interest, heading over to the microphone on her side of the stage, fingers flying as he kept up the rhythm guitar riff. Reaching the mic he flicked his head back, clearing his hair from around a face that struck Amy like a thunderbolt.
Oh yes, she remembered him alright, in fact the only real change since she'd first met him over two years ago was the longer hair and the addition of a goatee. Of course, the last time she'd seen his face it had been a confused mix of sheer delight and tormented laughter, but that was beside the point. Their eyes locked and the flash of recognition she saw from him made it more than obvious he remembered her as well. Amy felt a warm glow wash over her as her body remembered exactly what they'd got up to that night, the feeling of power as she'd driven him to his knees in front of nearly 4,000 people and the sense of total peace as they'd rested in each other's arms hours later. Plus the nights that had followed hadn't been half bad either. In fact she was so lost in thought she didn't even notice that the song had finished until a very familiar piece of music rang out.
While she'd been dreaming James had been battling his own shock and surprise at seeing the dark angel that had ensnared his soul so easily. He'd found himself dreaming of her everywhere he went, only having to close his eyes to see her before him, calling him, seducing him. In truth, while he'd tried his best to move on, there simply wasn't anyone else who could compare, and he'd practically given up on finding someone like her again in his lifetime. And now, here she was, standing in the front row like a waking dream. Quickly he called a set change to the rest of the band and, with a deep breath, slung the guitar off his shoulders to their lone roadie and grabbed one of the front mic's out of its stand.
To Amy it sounded almost alien at first, as James let his voice slide to its natural deep pitch as he picked up the vocal line to a song she'd never thought she'd hear sung live by anyone but herself. The key was turned down to a point she knew she'd have difficulty matching it if she were to even try, and yet with the guitars moved down to match it seemed to work. "Oh, can you see into my eyes, like open doors?" the first line came out pitch perfect and she saw the band as a whole relax as they found their rhythm. Indeed, it seemed to be contagious as Amy found herself leaning back and relaxing with them, finally giving herself over to the music as she started to truly enjoy herself. Swept up by the music all the usual headaches and problems that went with living on the road melted and as one song roared into another she joined the crowd, head pounding to the beat as the small pub struggled to contain them.
Finally the last of the crowd had left, the band mingling in amongst them as they headed for home. Amy sat on the edge of the stage, staring out at the now empty room, still only dimly lit by the small sidelights. A brief conversation had been all it took to talk the landlord into letting her stay after the gig and to convince Paul she could find her own way back to the hotel. From behind her she heard footsteps and it took every last shred of self-control she had not to simply turn and throw herself at the man she knew was standing behind her.
"Hello Amy." James said, two simple words conveying more emotion than she'd ever thought possible. Slowly she stood, taking a deep breath before turning round to face him.
"You know I thought you said you weren't interested in doing this any more." She replied, knowing even as she spoke her words were harsh, tinged with the bitterness of the road not taken yet unable to stop herself from speaking them.
"I wasn't." He replied, and the hurt on his face echoed in her soul. "After that night at the Apollo, nothing else would... hell, you heard us, we're good but not good enough to make it professionally."
"Bull. You had them eating out of your hand tonight. I've seen stadium acts that can't do that."
"It's a little different playing to two hundred than fifty thousand lass. And... wait, this is ridiculous. You didn't come here tonight to talk about my career. Don't dance around the issue Amy, something's on your mind, spit it out."
"It's... it's just that... well, damn it this shouldn't be so hard." Amy paused, collecting her thoughts. "You know, I really didn't know what I was getting into with this whole business. Every night a new town, everyone wanting to take a piece of you home, seeing your own face everywhere you turn. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's flattering and all but it's a little... overwhelming at times. Everything you want is just there, ready for the taking, no matter what it is.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment she just wanted to turn away, to run away and hide. But now she'd started this she knew full well she couldn't simply stop.
“And you know something? It kills you. One little piece at a time, day by day, night after night, it kills you. And you can feel it happening, little bits of you flying away every time you step on stage, every time you stare into a TV camera or do an interview another piece of you vanishes until you wake up one day... and there's nothing left. Until you look in the mirror and don't have a damn clue who you are or why you're there or what you want.”
Amy half turned, staring down at the floor, her hair falling like a curtain over her face, hiding her features but not the sob that ripped through her.
“For two years, ever since you said you didn't want to work with us, for two YEARS I woke up and felt an empty bed alongside me. Every night for two years there was always that sense of something missing. And every morning for two years I hated you a little more.”
“I'm sorry Amy.”
“Sorry? What the fuck are you sorry for? It wasn't anything you did that made me hate you! You just had the guts to get out and I didn't! Every day I woke up, stared at the ceiling and wished a little harder that I had that sort of courage. To just walk away, get out and start enjoying myself again. But every time I thought I could something else came along. Another step on the ladder, another hit, some other fantasy offered up on a silver platter. Everything I could ever dream of, anything I could ever want and all I had to do was ask.”
“And yet, somehow, the one thing... the one person... I really wanted..... I lost."
She brought her eyes up to his and the pain he saw there overcame all his reservations. A quick step forward and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she dissolved into gut-wrenching sobs against his shoulder.
For several long minutes they stayed like that, the only sounds Amy's muffled gasps and his quiet reassurance as he held her. Eventually the tears stopped, as all tears must eventually, and she twisted slightly, relaxing into his body, her head pressed to his chest. "God... I'm sorry, it's just I... well, I missed you."
"Sorry? Don't you dare be sorry lass. I told you then that I'd always be there for you when you needed me, and if this doesn't count as 'needing' then I don't know what does. There is one thing though, if you don't mind a really intrusive question?”
Amy giggled in his arms, a peculiar half-laugh that was on the very edge of tears, but a laugh none the-less. “Ask away.”
“Well, uh. why me exactly? I mean, you must have your pick of anyone you want right now, so....?"
"But they only want to know me because of who I am! They want Amy Lee the star, hell sometimes I think that even if I was the best fuck in the world they wouldn't be happy unless I started singing as I came. With you though... you didn't judge me, didn't expect anything, you were just... just there for me. You treated me like... I don't know... like a person, an equal. That meant a lot you know. Plus there's the usual checklist...."
“Huh?”
“You're smart, funny, kind, sweet and turn me on like you probably wouldn't believe.”
"Oh. Uh....I don't know quite what to say to that. Thank you seems poor and inadequate. For what it's worth, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
"Really? You're serious?"
"Hell yes, Look Amy, the truth is, no-one else even comes close to you. You're gorgeous, bright, talented and every other tick box on the 'ideal woman' chart, but the fact is you're something far more important than any of those things. You're a... a good soul, and, well, to tell you the truth, I have never felt myself more relaxed and free then when you were around. And....
"Yes?" Amy teased, recognizing the shyness start to creep in to his voice, that almost child-like tone that kicked in whenever he was embarrassed about something. She tilted her head to catch his eyes, her best 'innocent puppy dog' look on display.
James sighed, knowing that one way or another he was going to tell her anyway. "As far as I'm concerned, you are the best fuck in the world."
She laughed at that, turning to face him, her arms looping up over his neck. "Really?" She asked, her voice as soft as the finest silk.
"Really." James laughed, enjoying her blatant manipulation and the spirit in which it was intended. "Even if I did think you were going to kill me by the end of the night."
"Kill you?"
"Absolutely. God, whoever thinks sleeping with aerobics instructors is tough has never met you!"
"Oh, right, gotcha. And here was me thinking you meant whips and chains..."
"Ummm, could you not do that please?"
"Why not, don't you like it?"
"That's the problem. It's hard enough not to just jump you here and now when you're this close. Thinking of you in full-on dominatrix mode at the same time you're doing that hip wiggle is
enough to leave me breathless..."
"You know, I remember something else that leaves you breathless...." Amy teased, her fingers dropping to the back of his neck. Before she could do more than wiggle a single nail against his bare flesh she found herself overtaken by a wave of laughter. As her knees buckled under her she realized with a growing horror and delight that he'd managed to sneak his hands into her armpits and, as wrapped up as she was in his words and her teasing, she'd completely failed to notice.
"As I recall...." he said, his hands following her wilting body towards the floor. "That particular method works damn well on you too!"
"You.... you ba.... come on..... no..... I" Amy babbled, twisting and writhing in a bid to escape only to find those evil, wonderful fingers following her every move, never leaving her flesh other that for the split second it took for them to find a new spot to torment in the warm depths of her pits. Her strength failed and she fell first to her knees, then forward until she was lying on the floor, wriggling like a fish on the shore.
"You know something love, as nice a sight as it is seeing your denim-covered ass jerking and bobbing like this, I really need you to be a little less active for what I've got in mind..." came the voice from above her, and she shivered as she heard the steel beneath his playful words. The next thing she knew a weight settled over her hips and she realized he was physically sitting on her to hold her in place. His hands left her underarms and, much to her surprise didn't resume the tickling assault, at least not immediately. Instead they wandered to her back, gathering her long luxurious, waist length black hair into one long braid. As she lay gasping for breath, still trying to recover from the unexpected, but not unwelcome, laughter that had been forced from her, she felt her arms pulled behind her, wrists crossed just above the small of her back. With a quick twist, James wrapped her hair around her wrists and, with a final flourish, tied the braid off to itself. Amy slowly shifted her arms away from her back, her wrists firmly bound together, until she felt a tug on her hair. He'd left her enough slack to be able to wriggle about, enough to account for her natural reactions to what he had planned, but not enough to even think about escaping.
She felt James slip his weight backwards, sitting on her thighs now as his hands trailed down her back, ducking and diving around her hair and trapped arms, not tickling outright, just tracing the outline of her flesh and sending shivers throughout her body with every single touch. A groan escaped her lips as his fingers trailed around the inch of bare flesh exposed between her top and jeans, caressing and teasing her body with a sureness that defied the years that had passed since last he'd touched her. For a moment a single digit drifted inside her jeans, beneath her already-soaked panties and touched her warm, aching flesh.
At that single touch her whole body seemed to shiver at once, every muscle and nerve crying out as the ghosts of their time together overtook her. And as that shiver passed through her the probing digit withdrew, a moan of disappointment spilling from her, quickly replaced with excitement and anticipation as fingers popped open the button of her jeans and slid the denim over her hips.
“I don't think we need these anymore.. right love?” He teased, guiding the jeans down the curves of her thighs, his fingers trailing ever so slightly behind to tease and tantalize her flesh. The only reply was a low groan of desire that turned into more of a purr as she felt the jeans slip over her feet. To her surprise the denim was back against her skin barely a second later, wrapping around her left ankle, being pulled tight and tied off. A moment later she felt a slight pressure on her leg and a quick experimental tug confirmed he had tied the other leg of her jeans to something very solid indeed.
A rustle from above was her only warning before she felt the warm embrace of cotton wrapping around her left ankle, her leg being pulled out before being tied off, leaving her spread-eagled and exposed to his attentions. She heard a gentle sigh and almost jumped out of her skin as he whispered in her ear “You know, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful you look like this...”
“R...Really?”
“Oh yes.” He chuckled and she felt a shiver race through her just at the sound of his voice. “Although...”
A hand slipped under the hem of her t-shirt and started gently tracing her spine
“I do seem to remember...”
The hand slipped around her ribs and she arched her back to give him as much access as she could.”
“That you look even better...”
The hand cupped and teased her tits, playing with her nipples and gently, oh so gently, teasing the spot just underneath her breasts. Amy fought for a moment to maintain her self-control before abandoning all civilized notions to the wind and within seconds was panting with delight at the sensations he was sending through her body.
“..... screaming....” he whispered the last so quietly that she took a second to process it and by the time she had it was far, far too late. The hand that had been caressing her suddenly dropped a few inches and scuttled back to attack her ribs full force. Amy howled, caught utterly off-guard, her normal resistance overtaken by the terrible, and wonderful, urge to laugh. She wriggled as best she could but there simply wasn't much she could do. The bonds on her legs held firm, her wrists were well and truly trapped in her mane and James's body was still pinning her down as he perched over her hips.
A second hand joined the first and now fingers flew across her flesh so quickly it felt as if six hands were tormenting her. All Amy could do was laugh, her head up to relieve some of the pressure on her arms, mouth wide as she felt the almost-forgotten feeling of her lungs starting to ache for air as she tried to breathe and laugh simultaneously. Up and down, up and down, up and down his hands flew:
teasing her stomach with long, light, fleeting strokes
tormenting her ribs with quick, crab-like pokes and prods
torturing her armpits with diving, swirling, flicking patterns.
Over and over he came at her, and on and on she laughed. Her head swam as she fought to find something, anything, other than her hysterics to concentrate on. Her pulse quickened and a sheen of sweat covered her skin. Yet moment by moment, minute by long, agonized minute, she could feel herself relaxing, enjoying every instant as if they were making up for every night they'd been apart in one glorious rush. Spots danced in front of her eyes as his fingers found her waist, sweeping round her hips in long, luxurious strokes that sent her into renewed hysterics every time her voice started to falter. The spots grew and blackness started to creep into her vision, her head dropped...
And suddenly the tickling stopped. One hand was still resting on her hip, the other was elsewhere, somewhere she couldn't feel. Dimly, as she gasped for air, she felt him slid down her bare legs, the warmth of his body calling her. She grinned to herself as, even as her body fought to suck in oxygen, she felt his erection through the jeans as he slipped off her and to one side, his bare stomach pressed against her right thigh. For a long moment they stayed like that, an odd embrace as he held her, in total control of his bound slave yet, at the same time, totally dedicated to her needs and desires.
Then, as her breathing started to return to normal, she gasped with surprise as his fingers once again found her dripping core, a gasp that quickly turned into a deep moan as she realized this was no passing trip, not this time. Almost immediately he slipped two fingers deep inside her, twisting and turning his hand to explore her and find that one particular spot. His fingers fell into place as if they'd never been away and he gently started rubbing against her, his thumb reaching and finding her clit. Within seconds she felt her desire peak and, to her delight, James indulged her, increasing his stimulation as she came, his own libido being fed by the sight of his goddess thrashing alongside him as her moans of passion inflamed his senses.
Amy, felling the orgasm begin to fade away, half turning her head to thank him, was caught by surprise again as his fingers continued and increased their stimulation, aided and abetted by his other hand teasing and tickling her waist, thighs and ass. Within seconds she plunged headlong into a second orgasm, her eyes wide at the force with which it hit her. This time he never gave her a chance to recover but simply increased his stimulation as soon as she came, his tickling fingers flying down to her knees, scrabbling around and around, from front to back, front to back, no letup or break now.
Time and again Amy found herself riding the very heights of pleasure, only for James to find new ways to increase her stimulation at even the slightest hint of her slowing down. A third finger joined the two already inside her, stretching her just to the point of pain as he slowly pumped them in and out of her soaked pussy. His other hand traveled back up, tickling all the way, to tease and torment her tits, gently pulling and twisting her hard nipples, racing under the heaving flesh to tickle that special spot. His lips kissed her hips, her ass and thighs, an eager tongue tracing delicate patterns that both tickled and excited her at the same time. Even when his skilled mouth was concentrating solely on her pleasure the stubble on his chin scritched and scratched its way along her flesh to ensure new and devastating ticklish sensations were always present. All she could do was surrender to the raw sensations and delight in the seemingly never-ending pleasure.
Finally, as spots once more swam in front of her eyes and her entire body was feeling almost numb, he slowed down. Gradually, gradually he eased back, bringing her down gently over the course of about ten minutes before sliding his fingers out of her at last. They were coated in her juices and, with a wry smile, he offered them to her waiting mouth. Greedily she sucked them clean, taking one finger at a time between her lips to let her tongue dance and lick along their length. As soon as she was done he reached back and, in a few seconds, freed her from the makeshift bondage before taking her in his arms.
“Oh.... oh..... oh.... my..... god.....” Amy panted, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared up at the ceiling.
“You approve?” He asked, chuckling.
“Approve? My god... no-one, NO-ONE, has ever made me feel like that in my life.“
“Amy....”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask, I mean, I know it's really bad timing and all but, I'd just like to know...”
“James, honey, whatever it is just ask it, okay?”
“Well... Where do we go from here?”
Amy was silent for a minute, gathering her thoughts. “I don't know. I do know that I'm not flying home any time soon, plans be damned. As for the rest... we'll work something out love. I know I don't want to loose you again, I can't. If you'll have me that is?”
“Have... Amy, you're everything I've ever wanted in a woman, never even think that question again, okay?”
“Okay” She laughed, rolling over to lie on top of him, her eyes locked on his. “I do know one thing though...”
“Oh, and what might that be?”
Again, that wonderful laugh, this time accompanied by a look that could melt steel at a hundred paces. “I know where I'm going right now...” she growled as she slid down his chest....
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"Bad news I'm afraid" said Jason as he entered the small lounge of the hotel suite. "All flights in and out of the country have been grounded for at least the next two days, something about a terrorist threat."
"You have got to be kidding." Amy replied, unable to hide the exasperation from her voice.
"Nope, sorry. We've talked to a couple of airlines and as soon as they're allowed back in the skies we're booked on the first jet to the states, but until then we're stuck here."
"Somebody better tell MTV we ain't gonna make it." Ben drawled from his seat by the breakfast bar.
"Already done." Jason replied, "In fact, they're having discussions right now with the BBC to see if they can borrow the Top Of The Pops set for a live link up, we'll know more tomorrow morning. In the meantime I suggest we settle back, relax and see what happens."
"Oh come on Jason." Amy sighed, "we haven't got out of this damn room for the last two days, there's got to be something we can do to in the big wide world."
"It ain't that easy Amy. For one thing we've got about an hour until most of the major gigs and the like kick off around here, for another I'd suggest that one of the hottest bands on the planet shouldn't really be walking into a club full of people without at least some prior planning and security available."
"Ummm, sorry to interrupt, but I've got a really dumb suggestion." A head came into view in the doorway followed by the body of their chauffeur who'd been waiting patiently in the corridor for the last few hours.
"Dumb or not, if it gets me out of here I'll take it." Amy grinned, turning to face the obviously nervous young man.
"Well, some friends of mine are playing a small pub gig about an hour or so drive from here. Only a couple of hundred people max, and as they're mostly doing a metal set you'd all blend right in."
"Now that," Amy said walking over to him, "is definitely not a dumb suggestion. It'll be nice to watch someone else work for a change. Thank you." And with that she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss. "You guys up for it?"
Jason and Ben looked at each other for a moment. "Umm, well, actually, if it's all the same to you, we'll hang around here, there's a... club we thought we'd check out."
"Ah ha, just try to remember the no touching rule this time, I really do not want to have to bail you two out again, okay?" Their embarrassed smiles were proof enough they remembered that incident all too well.
There was no mistaking they were in the right place as they pulled up outside a pub that seemed to be on the verge of collapsing from the combined mass of people inside and the sonic assault on the bricks and mortar. Amy stepped out and, walking quickly around to the drivers side, hooked Paul's arm with hers. He glanced down at her, clearly surprised but enjoying the game nonetheless. The bouncer on the door took one look at Paul and waved them in, pausing only to throw him a thumbs up and none-too-subtle smirk before turning back to watch the show.
Inside there was a mass of people moving and twisting as one, heads pounding to the beat as the band on stage were flying through a pretty damn good Metallica medley. Paul led her round the edge of the crowd to the bar. The landlord flipped up the old style countertop and they walked down behind the bar, flipped the matching countertop at the far end and stepped into the front row just as the last chords of Battery echoed through the pub and a round of applause and cheers threatened to tear the roof off the place.
"Hello my friends." The lead singer called as he stepped up to the mic. Something in his voice seemed to pluck at Amy's soul and she tried to shuffle a little closer for a better view. "We'd just like to say thanks to everyone for turning up, it's been about six months since we've had a chance to play down here and damn you guys make us feel welcome."
Again the crowd roared, but Amy hardly noticed, her attention was firmly locked on this man who she was sure she knew but just couldn't place. His face was hidden by a mass of long brown hair, but something about him was sounding a very loud bell in her mind. Of course, she thought, that might just have something to do with the fact that, from the neck down anyway, he wasn't exactly hard on the eye. While he was more chunky than trim there didn't seem to be an ounce of excess fat on his black-clad body, bare arms showing some pretty impressive muscles.
"Now, I know we're only a small band in the grand scheme of things, but we'd like to take this opportunity tonight to send a little message to all those wannabe rock bands that seem to be storming up the charts every week." He paused, glancing around the room. "Be Quick or Be Dead!". So saying they launched into the Iron Maiden track of the same name and the whole room went nuts. Amy was still trying to get a good look at the guy and he seemed to pick up on the interest, heading over to the microphone on her side of the stage, fingers flying as he kept up the rhythm guitar riff. Reaching the mic he flicked his head back, clearing his hair from around a face that struck Amy like a thunderbolt.
Oh yes, she remembered him alright, in fact the only real change since she'd first met him over two years ago was the longer hair and the addition of a goatee. Of course, the last time she'd seen his face it had been a confused mix of sheer delight and tormented laughter, but that was beside the point. Their eyes locked and the flash of recognition she saw from him made it more than obvious he remembered her as well. Amy felt a warm glow wash over her as her body remembered exactly what they'd got up to that night, the feeling of power as she'd driven him to his knees in front of nearly 4,000 people and the sense of total peace as they'd rested in each other's arms hours later. Plus the nights that had followed hadn't been half bad either. In fact she was so lost in thought she didn't even notice that the song had finished until a very familiar piece of music rang out.
While she'd been dreaming James had been battling his own shock and surprise at seeing the dark angel that had ensnared his soul so easily. He'd found himself dreaming of her everywhere he went, only having to close his eyes to see her before him, calling him, seducing him. In truth, while he'd tried his best to move on, there simply wasn't anyone else who could compare, and he'd practically given up on finding someone like her again in his lifetime. And now, here she was, standing in the front row like a waking dream. Quickly he called a set change to the rest of the band and, with a deep breath, slung the guitar off his shoulders to their lone roadie and grabbed one of the front mic's out of its stand.
To Amy it sounded almost alien at first, as James let his voice slide to its natural deep pitch as he picked up the vocal line to a song she'd never thought she'd hear sung live by anyone but herself. The key was turned down to a point she knew she'd have difficulty matching it if she were to even try, and yet with the guitars moved down to match it seemed to work. "Oh, can you see into my eyes, like open doors?" the first line came out pitch perfect and she saw the band as a whole relax as they found their rhythm. Indeed, it seemed to be contagious as Amy found herself leaning back and relaxing with them, finally giving herself over to the music as she started to truly enjoy herself. Swept up by the music all the usual headaches and problems that went with living on the road melted and as one song roared into another she joined the crowd, head pounding to the beat as the small pub struggled to contain them.
Finally the last of the crowd had left, the band mingling in amongst them as they headed for home. Amy sat on the edge of the stage, staring out at the now empty room, still only dimly lit by the small sidelights. A brief conversation had been all it took to talk the landlord into letting her stay after the gig and to convince Paul she could find her own way back to the hotel. From behind her she heard footsteps and it took every last shred of self-control she had not to simply turn and throw herself at the man she knew was standing behind her.
"Hello Amy." James said, two simple words conveying more emotion than she'd ever thought possible. Slowly she stood, taking a deep breath before turning round to face him.
"You know I thought you said you weren't interested in doing this any more." She replied, knowing even as she spoke her words were harsh, tinged with the bitterness of the road not taken yet unable to stop herself from speaking them.
"I wasn't." He replied, and the hurt on his face echoed in her soul. "After that night at the Apollo, nothing else would... hell, you heard us, we're good but not good enough to make it professionally."
"Bull. You had them eating out of your hand tonight. I've seen stadium acts that can't do that."
"It's a little different playing to two hundred than fifty thousand lass. And... wait, this is ridiculous. You didn't come here tonight to talk about my career. Don't dance around the issue Amy, something's on your mind, spit it out."
"It's... it's just that... well, damn it this shouldn't be so hard." Amy paused, collecting her thoughts. "You know, I really didn't know what I was getting into with this whole business. Every night a new town, everyone wanting to take a piece of you home, seeing your own face everywhere you turn. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's flattering and all but it's a little... overwhelming at times. Everything you want is just there, ready for the taking, no matter what it is.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment she just wanted to turn away, to run away and hide. But now she'd started this she knew full well she couldn't simply stop.
“And you know something? It kills you. One little piece at a time, day by day, night after night, it kills you. And you can feel it happening, little bits of you flying away every time you step on stage, every time you stare into a TV camera or do an interview another piece of you vanishes until you wake up one day... and there's nothing left. Until you look in the mirror and don't have a damn clue who you are or why you're there or what you want.”
Amy half turned, staring down at the floor, her hair falling like a curtain over her face, hiding her features but not the sob that ripped through her.
“For two years, ever since you said you didn't want to work with us, for two YEARS I woke up and felt an empty bed alongside me. Every night for two years there was always that sense of something missing. And every morning for two years I hated you a little more.”
“I'm sorry Amy.”
“Sorry? What the fuck are you sorry for? It wasn't anything you did that made me hate you! You just had the guts to get out and I didn't! Every day I woke up, stared at the ceiling and wished a little harder that I had that sort of courage. To just walk away, get out and start enjoying myself again. But every time I thought I could something else came along. Another step on the ladder, another hit, some other fantasy offered up on a silver platter. Everything I could ever dream of, anything I could ever want and all I had to do was ask.”
“And yet, somehow, the one thing... the one person... I really wanted..... I lost."
She brought her eyes up to his and the pain he saw there overcame all his reservations. A quick step forward and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she dissolved into gut-wrenching sobs against his shoulder.
For several long minutes they stayed like that, the only sounds Amy's muffled gasps and his quiet reassurance as he held her. Eventually the tears stopped, as all tears must eventually, and she twisted slightly, relaxing into his body, her head pressed to his chest. "God... I'm sorry, it's just I... well, I missed you."
"Sorry? Don't you dare be sorry lass. I told you then that I'd always be there for you when you needed me, and if this doesn't count as 'needing' then I don't know what does. There is one thing though, if you don't mind a really intrusive question?”
Amy giggled in his arms, a peculiar half-laugh that was on the very edge of tears, but a laugh none the-less. “Ask away.”
“Well, uh. why me exactly? I mean, you must have your pick of anyone you want right now, so....?"
"But they only want to know me because of who I am! They want Amy Lee the star, hell sometimes I think that even if I was the best fuck in the world they wouldn't be happy unless I started singing as I came. With you though... you didn't judge me, didn't expect anything, you were just... just there for me. You treated me like... I don't know... like a person, an equal. That meant a lot you know. Plus there's the usual checklist...."
“Huh?”
“You're smart, funny, kind, sweet and turn me on like you probably wouldn't believe.”
"Oh. Uh....I don't know quite what to say to that. Thank you seems poor and inadequate. For what it's worth, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
"Really? You're serious?"
"Hell yes, Look Amy, the truth is, no-one else even comes close to you. You're gorgeous, bright, talented and every other tick box on the 'ideal woman' chart, but the fact is you're something far more important than any of those things. You're a... a good soul, and, well, to tell you the truth, I have never felt myself more relaxed and free then when you were around. And....
"Yes?" Amy teased, recognizing the shyness start to creep in to his voice, that almost child-like tone that kicked in whenever he was embarrassed about something. She tilted her head to catch his eyes, her best 'innocent puppy dog' look on display.
James sighed, knowing that one way or another he was going to tell her anyway. "As far as I'm concerned, you are the best fuck in the world."
She laughed at that, turning to face him, her arms looping up over his neck. "Really?" She asked, her voice as soft as the finest silk.
"Really." James laughed, enjoying her blatant manipulation and the spirit in which it was intended. "Even if I did think you were going to kill me by the end of the night."
"Kill you?"
"Absolutely. God, whoever thinks sleeping with aerobics instructors is tough has never met you!"
"Oh, right, gotcha. And here was me thinking you meant whips and chains..."
"Ummm, could you not do that please?"
"Why not, don't you like it?"
"That's the problem. It's hard enough not to just jump you here and now when you're this close. Thinking of you in full-on dominatrix mode at the same time you're doing that hip wiggle is
enough to leave me breathless..."
"You know, I remember something else that leaves you breathless...." Amy teased, her fingers dropping to the back of his neck. Before she could do more than wiggle a single nail against his bare flesh she found herself overtaken by a wave of laughter. As her knees buckled under her she realized with a growing horror and delight that he'd managed to sneak his hands into her armpits and, as wrapped up as she was in his words and her teasing, she'd completely failed to notice.
"As I recall...." he said, his hands following her wilting body towards the floor. "That particular method works damn well on you too!"
"You.... you ba.... come on..... no..... I" Amy babbled, twisting and writhing in a bid to escape only to find those evil, wonderful fingers following her every move, never leaving her flesh other that for the split second it took for them to find a new spot to torment in the warm depths of her pits. Her strength failed and she fell first to her knees, then forward until she was lying on the floor, wriggling like a fish on the shore.
"You know something love, as nice a sight as it is seeing your denim-covered ass jerking and bobbing like this, I really need you to be a little less active for what I've got in mind..." came the voice from above her, and she shivered as she heard the steel beneath his playful words. The next thing she knew a weight settled over her hips and she realized he was physically sitting on her to hold her in place. His hands left her underarms and, much to her surprise didn't resume the tickling assault, at least not immediately. Instead they wandered to her back, gathering her long luxurious, waist length black hair into one long braid. As she lay gasping for breath, still trying to recover from the unexpected, but not unwelcome, laughter that had been forced from her, she felt her arms pulled behind her, wrists crossed just above the small of her back. With a quick twist, James wrapped her hair around her wrists and, with a final flourish, tied the braid off to itself. Amy slowly shifted her arms away from her back, her wrists firmly bound together, until she felt a tug on her hair. He'd left her enough slack to be able to wriggle about, enough to account for her natural reactions to what he had planned, but not enough to even think about escaping.
She felt James slip his weight backwards, sitting on her thighs now as his hands trailed down her back, ducking and diving around her hair and trapped arms, not tickling outright, just tracing the outline of her flesh and sending shivers throughout her body with every single touch. A groan escaped her lips as his fingers trailed around the inch of bare flesh exposed between her top and jeans, caressing and teasing her body with a sureness that defied the years that had passed since last he'd touched her. For a moment a single digit drifted inside her jeans, beneath her already-soaked panties and touched her warm, aching flesh.
At that single touch her whole body seemed to shiver at once, every muscle and nerve crying out as the ghosts of their time together overtook her. And as that shiver passed through her the probing digit withdrew, a moan of disappointment spilling from her, quickly replaced with excitement and anticipation as fingers popped open the button of her jeans and slid the denim over her hips.
“I don't think we need these anymore.. right love?” He teased, guiding the jeans down the curves of her thighs, his fingers trailing ever so slightly behind to tease and tantalize her flesh. The only reply was a low groan of desire that turned into more of a purr as she felt the jeans slip over her feet. To her surprise the denim was back against her skin barely a second later, wrapping around her left ankle, being pulled tight and tied off. A moment later she felt a slight pressure on her leg and a quick experimental tug confirmed he had tied the other leg of her jeans to something very solid indeed.
A rustle from above was her only warning before she felt the warm embrace of cotton wrapping around her left ankle, her leg being pulled out before being tied off, leaving her spread-eagled and exposed to his attentions. She heard a gentle sigh and almost jumped out of her skin as he whispered in her ear “You know, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful you look like this...”
“R...Really?”
“Oh yes.” He chuckled and she felt a shiver race through her just at the sound of his voice. “Although...”
A hand slipped under the hem of her t-shirt and started gently tracing her spine
“I do seem to remember...”
The hand slipped around her ribs and she arched her back to give him as much access as she could.”
“That you look even better...”
The hand cupped and teased her tits, playing with her nipples and gently, oh so gently, teasing the spot just underneath her breasts. Amy fought for a moment to maintain her self-control before abandoning all civilized notions to the wind and within seconds was panting with delight at the sensations he was sending through her body.
“..... screaming....” he whispered the last so quietly that she took a second to process it and by the time she had it was far, far too late. The hand that had been caressing her suddenly dropped a few inches and scuttled back to attack her ribs full force. Amy howled, caught utterly off-guard, her normal resistance overtaken by the terrible, and wonderful, urge to laugh. She wriggled as best she could but there simply wasn't much she could do. The bonds on her legs held firm, her wrists were well and truly trapped in her mane and James's body was still pinning her down as he perched over her hips.
A second hand joined the first and now fingers flew across her flesh so quickly it felt as if six hands were tormenting her. All Amy could do was laugh, her head up to relieve some of the pressure on her arms, mouth wide as she felt the almost-forgotten feeling of her lungs starting to ache for air as she tried to breathe and laugh simultaneously. Up and down, up and down, up and down his hands flew:
teasing her stomach with long, light, fleeting strokes
tormenting her ribs with quick, crab-like pokes and prods
torturing her armpits with diving, swirling, flicking patterns.
Over and over he came at her, and on and on she laughed. Her head swam as she fought to find something, anything, other than her hysterics to concentrate on. Her pulse quickened and a sheen of sweat covered her skin. Yet moment by moment, minute by long, agonized minute, she could feel herself relaxing, enjoying every instant as if they were making up for every night they'd been apart in one glorious rush. Spots danced in front of her eyes as his fingers found her waist, sweeping round her hips in long, luxurious strokes that sent her into renewed hysterics every time her voice started to falter. The spots grew and blackness started to creep into her vision, her head dropped...
And suddenly the tickling stopped. One hand was still resting on her hip, the other was elsewhere, somewhere she couldn't feel. Dimly, as she gasped for air, she felt him slid down her bare legs, the warmth of his body calling her. She grinned to herself as, even as her body fought to suck in oxygen, she felt his erection through the jeans as he slipped off her and to one side, his bare stomach pressed against her right thigh. For a long moment they stayed like that, an odd embrace as he held her, in total control of his bound slave yet, at the same time, totally dedicated to her needs and desires.
Then, as her breathing started to return to normal, she gasped with surprise as his fingers once again found her dripping core, a gasp that quickly turned into a deep moan as she realized this was no passing trip, not this time. Almost immediately he slipped two fingers deep inside her, twisting and turning his hand to explore her and find that one particular spot. His fingers fell into place as if they'd never been away and he gently started rubbing against her, his thumb reaching and finding her clit. Within seconds she felt her desire peak and, to her delight, James indulged her, increasing his stimulation as she came, his own libido being fed by the sight of his goddess thrashing alongside him as her moans of passion inflamed his senses.
Amy, felling the orgasm begin to fade away, half turning her head to thank him, was caught by surprise again as his fingers continued and increased their stimulation, aided and abetted by his other hand teasing and tickling her waist, thighs and ass. Within seconds she plunged headlong into a second orgasm, her eyes wide at the force with which it hit her. This time he never gave her a chance to recover but simply increased his stimulation as soon as she came, his tickling fingers flying down to her knees, scrabbling around and around, from front to back, front to back, no letup or break now.
Time and again Amy found herself riding the very heights of pleasure, only for James to find new ways to increase her stimulation at even the slightest hint of her slowing down. A third finger joined the two already inside her, stretching her just to the point of pain as he slowly pumped them in and out of her soaked pussy. His other hand traveled back up, tickling all the way, to tease and torment her tits, gently pulling and twisting her hard nipples, racing under the heaving flesh to tickle that special spot. His lips kissed her hips, her ass and thighs, an eager tongue tracing delicate patterns that both tickled and excited her at the same time. Even when his skilled mouth was concentrating solely on her pleasure the stubble on his chin scritched and scratched its way along her flesh to ensure new and devastating ticklish sensations were always present. All she could do was surrender to the raw sensations and delight in the seemingly never-ending pleasure.
Finally, as spots once more swam in front of her eyes and her entire body was feeling almost numb, he slowed down. Gradually, gradually he eased back, bringing her down gently over the course of about ten minutes before sliding his fingers out of her at last. They were coated in her juices and, with a wry smile, he offered them to her waiting mouth. Greedily she sucked them clean, taking one finger at a time between her lips to let her tongue dance and lick along their length. As soon as she was done he reached back and, in a few seconds, freed her from the makeshift bondage before taking her in his arms.
“Oh.... oh..... oh.... my..... god.....” Amy panted, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared up at the ceiling.
“You approve?” He asked, chuckling.
“Approve? My god... no-one, NO-ONE, has ever made me feel like that in my life.“
“Amy....”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask, I mean, I know it's really bad timing and all but, I'd just like to know...”
“James, honey, whatever it is just ask it, okay?”
“Well... Where do we go from here?”
Amy was silent for a minute, gathering her thoughts. “I don't know. I do know that I'm not flying home any time soon, plans be damned. As for the rest... we'll work something out love. I know I don't want to loose you again, I can't. If you'll have me that is?”
“Have... Amy, you're everything I've ever wanted in a woman, never even think that question again, okay?”
“Okay” She laughed, rolling over to lie on top of him, her eyes locked on his. “I do know one thing though...”
“Oh, and what might that be?”
Again, that wonderful laugh, this time accompanied by a look that could melt steel at a hundred paces. “I know where I'm going right now...” she growled as she slid down his chest....
