Forbidden Fantasies (Erotica)

Mel went first, leaving the door open, and I followed her to the stairs, stopping as she descended to the main hallway that ran down the middle of the house. I could quickly head out the front door-or pretend I’m just coming home-but I wasn’t dressed for going out and didn’t have my boots on. I peered over the railing, and Mel motioned for me to come down, then pointed to the door leading to the garage.

“They’re in there,” she whispered.

“Are you sure?” I asked, straining my ears to see if I could hear anything. “I thought Amanda didn’t go in there very often.”

“She doesn’t, but Emily is out, so It has to be them. I’ll go in, and if it is them, I’ll close the door so you can get by,” Mel said.

“Sounds like a plan,” I gave my white-haired sister a thumbs up.

“You’re such a dork,” Mel giggled.

I crept down the stairs quietly before Mel opened the door to the garage and poked her head through. A second later, she stepped inside and closed the door. I heard Craig’s voice as the door opened, but it cut off as soon as Mel closed it behind her. The soundproofing in the garage really was quite remarkable. I made my escape through the house, out the back door, and up the incline in the backyard to the relative privacy of my little flat. Once inside, I stripped out of my clothes and dressed in running shorts, sneakers, and a tank top. I had to make it look like I was out for a run-or trip to the gym-to explain why I wasn’t anywhere in the house when they came looking for me.

“Nick, are you in there?”

I stepped out of my small bedroom to see Amanda poking her head through my now open door. She smiled when she saw me and stepped through. Craig hot on her heels.

“Hey, what’s up?” I said, trying to sound as calm as possible. I would have loved an extra minute or two to sort myself out. Although I probably looked a little flushed from my encounter with Mel earlier, so the ‘out for a run’ scenario might not be so hard to pull off.

“You got back just in time,” Amanda said. “Craig has something he wants to ask you.”

“Hey, dude,” Craig said, stepping past Amanda dismissively, giving me a nod. “Manda says you’re quite a killer on guitar. Wanna join my band? We’ve been looking for a second guitarist for a while now, but no one we’ve tried out really suits the band.”

The offer from Craig was completely unexpected. I had played with a few bands back in England, but nothing serious. Even if Craig’s band wasn’t that serious, they still had enough songs for an album, even if it was roughly recorded and edited. I’d also hardly spent any time talking to the guy.

“I guess I could give it a crack,” I nodded.

“Awesome,” Craig grinned. “I think you’ll be a perfect fit.”

I wasn’t so sure about that myself. Craig was a bit of a dick, and I really didn’t like the way his brother looked at Emily and my other sisters. The only one in the band that seemed like a half-decent guy was their bass player, Dan. I’d only met him briefly, but he was courteous to others around him and seemed friendly enough. I knew what Craig was after, though. He was all about that image, regardless of my skill and how well the band got along.

“Like I said, I’ll give it a go and see what happens. I haven’t played much over the 12 months, so I might be a bit rusty.”

“Sounds good,” Craig said, then handed me a USB thumb drive. “All our music is on that. If you need any tabs or sheet music, I can get Dan to send them to you.”

“Nah, I won’t need that stuff,” I said, taking the USB stick. “I usually go by ear.”

“If you say so,” Craig chuckled. “Anyway, I gotta bounce.”

I shook Craig’s hand when he extended it-adding a nice firm grip-only to be polite and not cause any animosity between us. Craig wrapped his arm around Amanda’s waist and walked her out of my flat, but not before she shot me a warm smile over her shoulder.

I didn’t know if I was going to bother trying out for Craig’s band. I didn’t like him enough to want to spend even more time around the guy. But I did miss playing music. The few jam sessions with Emily had been amazing, but they only served to light the spark in me to play with a band again. I’d never made it on stage before, and the fact that Craig’s band-which I still didn’t know the name of-already had material written and recorded meant all I had to do was learn half a dozen songs, and we could be on stage within a month or two.

That prospect alone was enough to push me into accepting the try-out.

I headed down to the house and into the garage to fire up one of Amanda’s electric guitars-with music on the brain-since I still needed to re-string mine. I grabbed the same Jackson Kelly I had been using already, plugged it into the MESA amplifier that I’d already tweaked to my liking, and lost myself in the shredding and harmonies of my favourite bands.

I lost track of time as I played-lost in my own world-but my hands knew when it was time to stop. I rolled the volume back on the guitar and switched the amplifier to standby before powering it down. I took a deep breath as I let reality come back into focus, and only then did I notice I had gained an audience. Sitting on the couch against the wall sat Emily and Jen, her best friend. Jen had been the first woman I’d slept with since I came to Australia, and while she was insanely hot, I found her to be a bit of a bitch.

“Hey, I didn’t know you two were here,” I said, placing the guitar on the rack beside me.

“We’ve been here for about ten minutes, but we didn’t want to disturb you,” Emily smiled.

“You’re really fucking good,” Jen said, a little awe in her voice. “Like, really good.”

“Better than I was a few days ago. Emily has been practicing with me,” I said, unsure how to interact with Jen. She would have been my type physically, but not her personality. Even if she wasn’t a bit of a bitch, I had no interest in her after what had started between Erica, Mel, Emily, and myself.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

“Take a compliment,” Emily giggled. “You are excellent.”

“Okay,” I laughed. “Thank you, both of you.”

“Amanda had dinner in the oven when we came home. It’ll probably be ready soon,” Emily said.

“Wait… what time is it?” I asked.

“Nearly six-thirty,” Jen answered, checking the time on her phone.

“Holy shit,” I gasped. I knew I had lost track of time, but I didn’t realise it had been nearly four hours since I spoke with Craig. My hands were protesting, though. I worked my fingers into fists and flexed my wrists to dispel the cramps I felt coming on. I hadn’t felt a thing while I was playing, swept up in the moment, but it was flooding in now like a vegan at a BBQ talking about their life choices. The thought of BBQ made my stomach rumble, and I realised I was really fucking hungry.

“Come on, I’m starving,” I said to the girls.

I left ahead of Jen and Emily and beelined it for the kitchen. The garage door not only dampened the sound from the garage, but it also cut off the wonderful aroma wafting through the house, originating from the kitchen. I let my nose take control as it guided me to the kitchen and the promise of a mouth-watering meal.

“Good evening,” Amanda greeted me with a warm smile. “You’re just in time.”

“Oh damn, that looks good,” I said, leaning over the kitchen counter to take a whiff of the baking dish holding the treasures I was seeking.

“It’s nothing special,” Amanda shrugged.

“It sure smells amazing. What’s in it?” I asked.

“Beef mince, pasta, cheese, and a homemade pasta sauce Dad used to make,” Amanda explained with a broad smile.

“Oh, fuck yeah,” Mel exclaimed, strolling into the kitchen, still in her PJ’s. “I am so looking forward to this. Amanda makes an amazing pasta bake.”

“I thought you couldn’t have much red meat?” I asked my white-haired sister.

“Not often, but this is my red meat day,” Mel grinned and clapped her hands.