Release
| Release | |
| Number II of Captured | |
| Louise J | |
| Louise J (2013) | |
| Tags: | Captured |
Release
(Book 2 in the Captured Series)
By Louise J
Release
Copyright © 2013
by Louise J
First Edition
All rights reserved
.
No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.
This book is a work of fiction. Any
references to real people, historical events, or real locales are used
fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are products of the
author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons
living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.
Cover image by Rahim Mercy at rahim.net
Cover image
Copyright © 2013 by Louise J
All rights reserved.
Model; Jessica King
Cover design by Louise J
For questions or comments about this book,
please contact the author at
[email protected]
,
or visit
louisejbooks.blogspot.com
for more details about the Captured series, or the author.
Nicola, you are
my Su, my Leona, and my Kayla all rolled into one. What would I do without you?
Thank you for your endless support and input throughout the process of creating
Release. Your passion for Dane, Brooklyn, and their journey as well as your
constant feedback and encouragement mean more than I can ever tell you. Thank
you for being there when my confidence hit rock bottom, and for being honest
enough to tell me when I was pulling apart a story I fell in love with from the
first word I wrote. I’d have messed up this story and published something that
wasn’t true to my heart if you hadn’t been so truthful with me. Thank you
beyond words!
Sam, you and
that smart brain and those blue eyes that found and corrected the things I
missed – thank you for taking the time to read Release and for helping me keep
it as error free as possible. I appreciate your positive encouragement and your
feedback, which was greatly needed. Shag Machine has officially made an
appearance in Release.
Mr. J, thank you
for sharing me with Dane. And the others, of course! No way would this story
exist the way it does without you and my experience of a love so deep and true.
Thank you for listening to my endless talk about this book. Thank you for the
multiple reads, and your regular and valuable input and assistance. Thank you
for telling me when you knew I could do better. Thank you for telling me when I
got it right, too. Your honesty helps to shape me. Your belief in me keeps me
going.
This one’s for
you Mr. J, my love and my life.
Dane
I wake up to wet heat all over my dick. Looking down
the length of my body I find Mia feasting on me. I glance over at the clock on
her nightstand. Damn, it’s barely seven thirty a.m. This woman is insatiable!
I’m pretty sure we only stopped fucking two minutes ago.
Shhhit
... with
head game like this, fuck sleep right now.
Home and shower fresh, I lay back on the sofa ready to
read the third installment of
The Millennium Trilogy
. My cell phone
beeps a text alert; it’s from Gerard. That dude can fuck off. I do actually
want to sleep this weekend, even if he doesn’t. I don’t reply just yet,
instead, I flip open my book. I’m no further than the first word when my cell
rings. It’s tempting not to answer, but after a sideways glance at the name
flashing up on Caller ID, I grab it.
“Hey, big brother,” Saffron
chimes cheerfully down the line. “Big brother” means she wants something from
me.
“What’s up, Saff?” I ask as
I sit up and drop my novel on the coffee table.
“Nothing much, wondering
what you’re doing tonight?”
“That’s yet to be decided.”
“How ‘bout a night out with
Adam and your little sister?”
“Night out?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“A show.”
“What show?”
“C’mon, Dane, just say yes.”
“I will when I know what I’m
saying yes to.” I suppress the yawn that’s threatening. Damn, I do need to
sleep.
Saffron sighs, unimpressed.
“A dance show. Did you watch the last season of
All about the Dance
?”
“I haven’t seen any seasons
of
All about the Dance
and I don’t particularly wanna go see it either.
Sorry sis.”
“No, it’s another show
altogether, but some of the contestants are in it. That’s not why I’m going.
It’s Ella and Kayla’s production, and I’ve got other friends who’ll be
appearing in it also. It’s their opening night and I want to support them.
They’ve worked so hard on it. The problem is Tracy and Rebecca can’t make it
now, so I have two tickets going spare. They’ll go to waste, and you know how
much I hate things going to waste. I want Adam to come, but he won’t be the
only guy. Joe’s having Nathaniel for us and Jack is here, so he can’t come, and
no way in hell am I asking Gerard. I need you. Just come,
please
, you’ll
love it. It’s contemporary, modern, fun.”
“Contemporary
and
modern? For real? And there was me thinking they meant the same thing. The show
sounds awesome, Saff.”
She huffs down the line, and
it doesn’t sound very ladylike. “Don’t make fun of me, you know what I meant.”
I was never going to say no.
I don’t want to go, but I only say no to my sister if there’s a good enough reason
for it. She knows that too.
“Okay, what time?” I’m
already regretting this.
“Thanks Dane. You’ll need to
meet us at seven-thirty. I’ll text you the details. Oh and, big brother, be on
your best behavior.
Do not
switch numbers or take anyone home with you.
If I don’t know a performer, one of my friends will. I don’t want you shitting
on my doorstep, got it?”
I curse the day she stole
that line from wherever it was she first heard it and decided to start using it
on me. I should’ve known this was coming the second she refused to ask Gerard.
After I agree to the terms,
my sister hangs up happy that she doesn’t have tickets going to waste, and her
husband, Adam, has company.
Hold the fuck up!
Have I
really
just
agreed to go to a dance show?
I arrive outside the theater, and Saffron and Adam are
here with our friend, Su. Saff organizes parties and events, so generally
associates with dancers and DJs and such. Many of them she’s become tight with.
They’re her outer circle of friends beyond the ones she’s closest to. Some of
those people are gathered here.
Adam and I back up to the
wall and light up a cigarette.
“Man, how’d we get roped
into this?” I ask him.
Now, I’ve got nothing
against dancing, I love to dance, but I’m not into this new breed of TV talent
shows. If this production is in some way connected, I’d rather not be here.
My buddy laughs on an exhale
of smoke. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”
“How long’s this thing?”
“Ninety minutes. She wants
to go for drinks after.”
“Fuck it, let’s bounce now
and meet her at the bar.” I’m semi-serious on that.
Inside, I’m pretty impressed
with our front row position. It’s hardly surprising with Ella’s involvement in
the show, but nonetheless I’m happy with the seating arrangement. It’s quite a nice,
intimate feeling theater I conclude as I look around. The four huge chandeliers
hanging from the ceiling seem to dazzle in the opulent violet light we’re
bathed in, and row-after-row of red fabric covered seats are filled with
people. A sell-out first night it turns out.
Saffron notices me checking
out the building’s interior. “It’s nice in here, ain’t it?” she says with
enough excitement to make up for Adam and I put together.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.” I take
off my jacket, straighten out my dark green, button-down shirt and relax in my
seat.
“Come on already, I can’t
wait for this to start,” Su chirps. She starts muttering names of specific
dancers she “can’t wait to watch” tonight.
“Does Zack know you’ve only
come to eye-fuck the male dancers, Su?” I ask. There wasn’t a single female’s
name on her little list.
“Kiss my ass, hater. I’m
allowed to look.”
“Hater? Hold up,” I lean
forward, peering beyond Adam and Saffron to get to Su. “Why the hell isn’t he
the one using up the spare ticket? Why the hell do I have to be here?”
“He already had plans, which
is good,” the curve that shapes her lips makes her look like a woman who’s up
to no good, “eye-fucking hot male dancers isn’t as much fun when your husband’s
sitting beside you.”
I sit back, chuckling.
“Looks like you got it wrong with your choice of seat fillers, Saff. You’ve got
your husband next to you.”
“
Look, but don’t touch
is the agreement. Anyway, I see guys like these all the time. I’m immune, and
none of them are as hot as the man I’m married to.”
Adam smugly pops his collar.
“I have nothing to add to that.”
Now I’m thinking sitting
here isn’t such a good thing after all. If we were in the back row, I could
whip out my cell phone and play some Tetris. I hate that game, it’s way too
addictive, but it’d suit me perfectly right now. I think I’ll see where
Gerard’s at, since I’m already out.
I start to slide my cell out
of my jeans pocket and there’s a sudden, gradual depression of illumination.
The audience’s chatter simmers to a deafening silence as the floor length
burgundy curtains in front of us begin to open. The only source of light is an
ice-blue spotlight in the center of the stage. Crouched down beneath it, with
her palms on the floor and her head bowed, is a petite woman with short,
pixie-styled red hair. I can feel the anticipation all around me as we wait for
whatever’s about to happen. It’s as though it’s in living form.
A sad, enchanting voice
starts to sing and the performer rises up and starts kicking her tiny legs in
the air, twisting around, and moving about looking as weightless and free as a
feather swept up in a summer breeze.
I can appreciate the girl’s
talent, but I’m really not into this. Tetris is so close, right there in my
pocket, but I can’t be so disrespectful. Why did I say yes to this?
The redhead elegantly sweeps
off the stage and a guy comes on with two chicks, the glow around them now a
passionate combination of red and purple. This looks tricky. I think it’s a
love triangle, and the guy is faced with an ultimatum of having to choose
between the brunette and the blonde. I want to laugh, what a fucking situation?
A couple more performances
pass; one African inspired and the other with a Latin vibe to it. This is
actually a story, each dance is connected. It’s obvious that love is the theme.
I’ve got to admit, I’m impressed with the level of thought and creativity
that’s gone into the production so far. The parts I’ve focused on have been
fascinating, eccentric.
The curtains close, cloaking
us in darkness as slow, sensual instrumental music plays. I look down at my
watch, which is a stupid thing to do with it being so dark in here. I’m
guessing we’re about thirty minutes in.
The stage is revealed,
again, this time lit in white and indigo with a rectangular block positioned in
the middle. It’s dressed with pale blue sheets and pillows. Oh damn, it’s a – I
observe it all again, just to be sure – yup, it’s definitely a bed.
Interesting. The partners are sitting on the prop, facing each other. As a
soulful voice fills the theater, the guy cups the woman’s cheeks between his
hands. She pushes against his chest, furiously, and leaps off the bed, away
from him.
As the piece progresses, I’m
getting from the song and the dancing, which is angry and at times
affectionate, that this is some kind of breakup or fight between lovers. Nice
concept.
The chick is wearing a
short, satin nightie. It’s navy with thin straps and leaves very little to the
imagination. I’m even getting flashes of her black panties as she skillfully
throws herself over the bed. Now she flings herself at the guy and he catches
her in an amorous, frustrated embrace.
She’s unbelievable.
They both are, but I’m more
interested in watching her. This is the first time I fully focus on the facial
expressions. With her it’s passionate, almost pained, and I can see that she’s
feeling every word of the song and every move she makes.
A woman with a talent,
whether it’s a physical skill like this or a smart head on her shoulders, is
something I find extremely attractive. Talent, a beautiful face, and an amazing
body are exactly what are in front of me right now.
This is the ultimate
temptation, has my sister done this to me on purpose?
By the end, it looks as
though the couple have made up.
There’s a fifteen minute
intermission now. Saffron and Su, who’s gushing over that last dude, head off
to the bathroom while I talk shit with Adam. Before we know it, the show starts
back.
The girl with the pixie
hairstyle is up again with some guy and they’re doing a street dance routine.
This is the third time she’s been on. Makes me wonder if that one who did the
bedroom dance will be back on. I may not be allowed to talk to her, but it
doesn’t mean I can’t look. Though, my version of looking isn’t as innocent as
Su’s.
Next, I get what I was
hoping for.
She’s with a different male
partner, no props, just the two of them enveloped in violet light. As the music
starts, the guy lifts her up with his hands clasped at her waist and they spin
around, before holding each other passionately, her arms and legs wrapping
around his body and her long, straight brunette hair cascading down over her
shoulders.
Instead of fighting, I’m
seeing that they’re falling in love. It’s intimate and tender at times, and
they’re so good at acting it out, you could easily believe they really do love
each other.
She probably has men falling
for her all the time, on and off the stage.
She’s breathtaking.
I wonder how close to the
doorstep she is.
A series of performances
later, it’s all over. The dancers line the stage and take a bow while the
audience erupts in applause; many standing in their obvious appreciation. Fuck
it, I’m doing the same thing, that show was the best thing I’ve seen in a long
time.
The dancers take it in turns
stepping forward, their name is announced.
I hold on to the only one
I’m interested in knowing.
Brooklyn Scott.
I help myself to one final
glance at Brooklyn as she vacates the platform in a long, peach and yellow
dress, the split up the center opening with her strides, making way for the
most amazing legs I’ve ever seen. Three times I got to see her do her thing
tonight.
Once the curtains close, and
the theater is lit in amber, most of the people are ready to leave within
seconds. I return to my seat for now.
“I’m so proud of Ella and
Kayla for coming up with such an incredible production,” Saffron says to Su.
“No doubt about it, Brooklyn would’ve won
All About the Dance
with Owen
if she didn’t get injured.”
“She totally would have. I
can’t imagine the devastation of making it to the final three and then getting
a horrible injury like that. She’s so hot. I’m so glad Owen is gay.”
I can’t help but laugh at Su
and her little crush.
Saff leans forward in her
chair, looking at Adam and me. “Do you guys wanna go for a drink? Ella, Kayla,
and their dancers are going.”