Page 31 of The Music in Me

I looked through the groceries left in the fridge and came up with a meal for dinner. Nothing fancy, just pasta and sauce with some of the leftover grilled steak. With the food taken care of, I went to work on my outfit. Nothing I had brought with me would work for what I wanted to do, so I went to Leon’s bedroom and checked the closets. I found nothing but Leon’s things.

I hit the jackpot in the third closet, and my jaw dropped when I saw all the outfits. There were ball gowns and cocktail dresses, little black dresses, and simple summer outfits. The closet was packed with a dozen different categories of outfits, all from my favorite designers, and every single one looked to be about my size. I felt like a kid as I dug through the closet, putting on each outfit and checking myself out in the mirror.

Leon had said nothing about me not going through his closet, but something told me what I was doing was going to earn me a stroke or two. It left me feeling naughty and gave me a burst of adrenaline as I continued my raid. There were too many outfits for me to try on every single one, but I eventually settled for a white baby doll dress that was so short that I spent a few minutes looking for the bottom half before realizing it had none.

Standing in front of the mirror, I debated the wisdom of greeting Leon at the door wearing something so skimpy and calculated that chances were he wouldn’t wait until after dinner to rip it from my body. I had a feeling he would not be able to help himself and hoped that distracted him enough that he forgot about punishing me altogether. Well, a little punishment wouldn’t be too bad.

Setting the dress aside, I continued my exploration of Leon’s bedroom. There were signs of him all around, from the gray sheets on the bed to the watches and cufflinks on the dresser. The clothes in the closet smelled of him, and I buried my face in them and took a deep breath, locking his scent in my memory.

The painting hanging above the bed was a birthday gift from me three years ago, and I recognized several records I’d given him over the years among the impressive stack next to the record player. There were books on a shelf and a work desk in the corner. It made me realize this was more than just a getaway for Leon. It was his second home, and I wondered how often he came here. And how often he came alone.

A flare of jealousy burned my stomach, and I pushed it away. We both agreed that this was temporary, and I had no right to make such a claim. It didn’t stop me from being jealous but reminded me that I couldn’t do anything about it.

I opened the top drawer of his dresser and found the gag he’d used on me the night before and the pleasure balls. Curious to find out what other toy he had hidden, I looked around the room for them. Under the bed, I found a big leather box and pulled it out. It was unlocked, and my heart raced as I opened it.

Was I crossing a line? It was hard to tell, but I was too curious to stop now. I gasped when I saw the toys in Leon’s box. There were cuffs and restraints, floggers and whips, ball gags and blindfolds. Nipple clamps and pleasure beads, jeweled plugs, and multiple vibrators. I didn’t recognize some toys and couldn’t figure out how they would be used. Leather, wood, metal, and silicone. It was clear Leon loved variety, and I realized he was keeping a lot from me. He was going to use these things on some other woman, and again, I was almost consumed with jealousy.

It wasn’t fair that I was only getting three days with him, and for an instant, I explored the possibility of extending our arrangement past the agreed date. Why stop at three days when we had the rest of our lives to explore this path he’d put me on? I knew it was because he was my manager and friend, and when we left this cabin and returned to the world we left behind, that was all we were going to be.

Perhaps it was because Leon didn’t do long-term relationships, and I knew I would not be the one to break that streak. Or it was because I had not gotten over my breakup with Anthony, and I was not in the right place to start a new relationship.

I snapped back to reality with a shake of my head. I knew I had gone too far into the rabbit hole when I was thinking of a relationship with Leon. I was smart enough to know better. Returning to the plan, I continued checking out the items in his sex box. Finding a hidden compartment, I pushed it open and saw a leather choker with silver buckles and a guitar pick hanging from it.

I recognized that pick instantly. It was the one I played my first big concert with. I’d given it to Leon as a gift, and a slow smile spread across my face as I ran my fingers around the pick. The words “Daddy’s Girl” had been engraved on it, and it felt like a full-circle moment to see a gift I’d given him be made into something for me. And yes, this choker was mine. I didn’t care what Leon said. I planned on taking it with me when I left. A small reminder of the weekend when I was his girl.

Decision made, I took the choker and closed the box before pushing it back under the bed. The dress and the pair of heels I’d chosen for the occasion also came with me. I bathed and got dressed, then sat in the living room, reading a book to pass the time as I waited for Leon.

I dozed off and was woken up by a noise at the door. Jumping to my feet, I quickly rearranged my dress and fluffed my hair. I heard the noise again and realized someone was knocking on the door. I wondered why Leon was knocking on the door and assumed he’d forgotten his keys. Moving closer to the entrance, I unlocked the door and opened it.

“Anthony!” I squeaked, shocked to see my ex standing in front of me. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“Hey, Kira,” Anthony said, holding a bouquet and flashing that trademark smile at me.

As a teen, that smile was the first thing I saw every morning when I woke up, flashing at me from the poster of my favorite boy band. Anthony was the lead singer of his band and they’d released a couple of hits when I was a teen. That was a long time ago. Anthony was no longer the star he used to be, but that smile was still as sexy now as it was then. Maybe even more.

It was that smile aimed my way at the after-party of an award show that had captured my attention. We spent the whole night talking and laughing, and he asked me out a few days later. I fell in love pretty quickly and was too blinded by my feelings for him to notice the things going on right under my nose. Everyone knew he was cheating on me long before I did, and I probably would have remained in the dark if his last affair had not been exposed by the media.

His smile didn’t make my knees weak and my insides melt like it used to, but I was ashamed to admit that a part of me still tingled.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, forgetting what I was wearing.

“It’s Leon, isn’t it?” Anthony asked as he took in my outfit. “You’re fucking Leon.”

“What?! I don’t…” I coughed and spluttered. “That’s none of your business,” I finally blurted out. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

“How can you do this to me, Kira?” he said, his bottom lip quivering. “I didn’t want to believe it when I saw the pictures.”

I jerked back. “What pictures?”

“The ones of you kissing him this morning.” He shook his head. “I always knew that bastard had his eyes on you. Sick fuck…”

“Shut up!” I snapped. “Talk like that about Leon one more time and I’ll rip your head off.” He took a step back, and I saw fear in his eyes. I didn’t care. “How did you get those pictures?”

“We still share a cloud account,” he said quietly. “The pictures were uploaded, and I saw them.”

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. “That’s how you found me.”

He nodded. “Your locations were tagged in them. I almost didn’t believe it. I know you hate the countryside.”

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