Chapter 07
Nancy pulled up her phone again and started filming, and I realized how absurd this all was. Two older women, acting like eager teenage groupies, as they coaxed a song out of a handsome but brooding young man.
My mind was filled with these thoughts and others, and as always filled with self-conscious worry and anxiety. But the moment Dillon sent that first perfect note into the air, it whisked me away into a world of his making. My eyes filled with the sight of his face, ears with the sound of the guitar and his voice, and my heart filled with emotions so powerful I thought it might burst.
What I hadn’t been prepared for was the reaction my body had to the chorus, sung in a deep and throaty voice. The vibrations coming from Dillon reached down into the core of my being and lit a fire, where one had longed to burn. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nancy writhing in her chair, but the awareness was far off and faint. All of my attention, on the sweet sounds coming out of Dillon and the guitar.
He sang a love song, but one about the hope of love, instead of the claiming of love. It began slow, the pulse low and throbbing as his voice picked up in passion and rhythm. As he drew near the bridge, his emotions layered a roughness to his voice that caused the deep vibrato. By the time he reached the song's crescendo, my sex was a quivering mess, and my thighs were pressed tightly together, for he sang of desire with such purity that I felt it mirrored within myself.
When the song ended, I sat in stunned silence for long moments, unable to do more than breathe and try to get a handle on my wild emotions. I’d never been affected on such a deep level by music, hadn’t thought it was possible, even after hearing his first song so many times. Blinking, I realized my eyes were filled with tears, and I wiped my cheeks hurriedly.
“That was…” I began but was forced to clear the lump from my throat before going on, “That was beautiful, Dillon.”
“It was brilliant,” Nancy said with fierce passion, “You have a God-given talent… that needs to be shared with the world.”
“I don’t know about that,” Dillon said, blushing, “but I appreciate the compliment.”
“She’s right,” I said, nodding, “Dillon, you have a rare gift… the world needs to hear it.”
“You’re serious?” He asked, with a half-laugh.
“You’re going to be famous,” Nancy said, nodding, “The next coming of Elvis if I had to say. I hope you’re ready to have women throwing themselves at your feet and recording execs throwing money, because your life's about to change.”
“That’s a nice dream,” he said with a laugh and a deep blush.
I didn’t fail to notice his quick glance between the two of us when she mentioned women throwing themselves at his feet, and a wild idea slipped into my brain and wouldn’t go away no matter how hard I tried. I felt my cheeks burn flaming red and was about to open my mouth to offer an indecent proposal, when Dillon stood abruptly, his manner awkward and stilted.
“Thank you again for everything, but I should get the chores finished before turning in,” the dismissal was apparent, and even more so when he held open the door for us.
Nancy and I got up hurriedly and packed our things, apologizing for staying too long.
“Not at all,” Dillon said as we stepped out, “I loved having you both over.”
“We’ll have to do it again,” Nancy said, pulling him into a one-armed hug and kissing him on one cheek. “Ciao!”
The young man had grown stiff when she kissed his cheek, and as I slipped out of the house and past him, I inhaled the aroma of sweat and musk that was all him. Looking up, I tried to offer my thanks as well, but when those pale blue eyes stared down into mine, words dried up on my tongue. I stood there for long seconds, unable to break away and unwilling to do more, fearing what I might allow myself to do.
I couldn’t hide from the naked intensity of his stare, nor the desire I saw there. Still weak from the effect of his song and unsure of myself, I offered a faint smile and then hurried to my car. I could feel his eyes on my back as I got in but couldn’t bring myself to look back. My stomach was filled with butterflies, and my heart was racing as Nancy and I drove down the driveway.
“I was talking to an old friend of mine who is A&R for a record label, she’s willing to hear some samples if we can get her something of good quality,” Nancy said, sounding a touch distracted, just as I felt.
“Don’t you think that’s getting ahead of ourselves a little bit?” I asked with a nervous laugh, “I mean, he’s just a kid and only started playing a few days ago. He might not even want to post anything online.”
“Amanda don’t get greedy,” Nancy said with a frown, “Do you really think he shouldn’t share his gift with the world? What if this isn’t some fluke, and he has other songs in him, maybe even better than this one?”
“You know what will happen when people hear him,” I said, a touch of anxiety entering my voice, “Of course I don’t think he should keep it to himself, but we don’t know anything about him. Dillon might not be ready for that kind of fame and notoriety. It already sounds like he’s been through a lot.”
“He has us now,” Nancy said, “and we won’t let him be forced to live that ever again.”
I felt strangely empty inside, a sadness growing with each mile that passed beneath the car’s tires. A sound broke my reverie, and then I grinned at Nancy as she played the song she’d recorded earlier.
The first perfect note rang out inside the car, and I pulled over to the side of the road, too distracted to drive. Nancy and I grinned at one another as we hunched over the center console and watched the small phone screen, as Dillon played. Once more, the song reached into the core of my being, only this time, Nancy was mere inches away.
When Dillon hit the chorus, his voice taking on that deep, vibrating richness that touched the center of my body, I felt Nancy shiver beside me.
“You too?” I asked her, whispering it, not wanting to break the song's spell.
“Oh god, yes,” Nancy said, turning her soft eyes on me, thick lips curving in a hungry grin, “He works some kind of magic… makes me think crazy things.”
“Like what?” I asked, staring into her eyes, a charged tension growing between us that I’d never felt before at the office.
“Like… this…” Reaching up, she cupped my cheek with one soft hand, eyes asking the question and filled with a fragile hope when she saw my answering smile.
The music had us in its spell, Dillon’s voice caressing our ears and souls even through the tiny speakers. It wiped away the last of my hesitation, and our lips met with a surge of unexpected pleasure. A thrill shot down my spine and made me shift in my seat.
I’d never kissed a woman before, although I’d dreamed of it from time to time. I was surprised at how soft Nancy’s lips were, and how eager her little tongue darted into my mouth, tracing fire across mine. Pulling her close, I felt her soft, but firm body pressed to mine, the center console awkward, between us.
Moans of pleasure escaped my throat as we made out, my hands slipping down her sides to cup and fondle her firm breasts, and then grip her small ass. Like teenagers kissing in the front seat, a wild desire filled me that I’d never felt before, and yet something felt off, missing.
“This isn’t right,” Nancy said, pulling back and drawing in a ragged breath, “we need...”
I stared into her eyes and saw the same wildness there, as in my own. For a long moment, we stared at one another, each wondering if we had it in us to do what we knew we both wanted. It was the music, playing in the background and sweeping us away with its spell of love that settled it.
“Turn around,” Nancy said a little breathlessly, sitting back in her seat, “Oh dear Lord, we’re really going to do this. We are, right?”
In answer, I threw the car in drive and did a U-turn right there and sped back down the way we’d just come— heart hammering in my chest. Nancy’s small hand gripped mine, and I flashed her a quick grin, feeling a fluttering in my chest at the genuine desire I saw mirrored in her answering smile.
Fingers laced in one another’s I drove back down the narrow driveway, wondering what in the hell I was going to say. Some madness had undoubtedly taken the two of us, for even contemplating what we were doing was insane. Or perhaps the boy’s music casts a real spell. Whatever the reason, Nancy stopped me before I got out of the car, gripping my hand tightly in hers and pulling it close.
“Thank you, Amanda,” she said, “for bringing me with you today… for being my best friend… for not judging me.”
“I love you, Nancy,” I said, smiling at my friend and feeling a thrill at the thought of what we were about to do.
“I love you too… but promise me,” she said, eyes burning with passion, “that we won’t let anything come between our friendship.”
“I promise,” I said, cheeks heating.
“Ok then,” she said with a deep breath, “let’s go give that magical boy the night of his life.”
“And the night of ours,” I said, throwing open the door.