Seven Days: The Complete Story (13 page)

“And mine.”
Nicholas adds.

Okay. That’s a
little too much information.

We leave the
cliff top and approach the large stone tower. Nicholas opens the
timber door and stands aside so I can step inside before him. I
pause, taking it in — the thickness of the walls, the circular
nature of the building. The sheer size of the staircase as it winds
around the walls is daunting. “Are we going up?”

“Sort of the
point,” Joel says.

“Are we
allowed?” It looks like a private home to me.

“Yep. Nick
knows the caretaker. It’s cool.”

I stare up
into empty space above. There’s a few levels, obviously with some
type of rooms, but the void is expansive. It’s a long way up. A
long way to fall back down and land SPLAT on the flagstone floor.
“I don’t think I’ll bother, but you go. I’ll wait here.” I plop
onto the bottom step as if to signal my decision.

Joel quirks an
eyebrow. “Are you scared?”

“Petrified. I
hate heights. Enclosed spaces are fine, you know like with windows
all around but any place where I might fall literally freaks me
out. Those stairs are giving me the creeps just looking at
them.”

“Do you think
we’d let anything hurt you? After last night?”

There he goes
getting all deep again. “No, but that doesn’t make it any less
scary.”

“Would it make
it easier if we told you there’s a surprise at the top?” Nicholas
says.

“Not if it’s a
naked man. I’ve seen enough of those in the last twenty-four
hours.”

The boys
laugh.

“It’s better
than that,” Nicholas says.

What could be
better than that?

Nicholas sits
on the step beside me and takes my face gently in his hands. “It’ll
be okay, Sadie. I won’t let you fall, I promise.” The touch of his
lips on mine is tender and instantly I know — just like last night
— I’m going to do it. I’ll climb that staircase right to the top,
even if I have to do it with my eyes closed because I’d follow
Nicholas into space if he asked me. I’d go BASE jumping if he asked
me. Without a parachute. Okay, well, maybe not that but you get the
idea.

I give a
feeble nod and we begin the long climb to the top of the
stairs.

By the time we
make it to the first level, which is still a long way from our
goal, we’ve settled into a rhythm. I’m walking closest to the wall
and farthest from the stair rail because it opens onto nothing but
air. Nicholas is on the side closest to the rail, shielding me and
holding my hand while Joel brings up the rear only one stair
behind. His hand is on my arse, which is kind of bizarre, but it
makes me feel cosseted between them and very safe. I don’t mind
that they’re helping me either. In fact, I like that they are. It’s
an emotion that’s completely at odds with anything I’ve felt
before. Normally, I’m independent and self-sufficient. I like to do
everything for myself and take pride in the fact that I can. But
the boys bring out something softer in me, a more feminine urge to
be protected and nurtured. It’s nice.

“Do you want
to stop here for a minute?” Joel asks, pointing to a doorway into a
tiny round room built next to the spiral of the staircase.

I poke my head
in the door. There’s a long thin rectangular window set into the
wall. It has a blind pulled over it so it’s dark, there’s nothing
to see apart from something that looks like a desk below the window
and an armchair. I’ve no idea why we need to stop. “Let’s
keep—”

Before I can
finish my sentence Joel has dropped his backpack on the floor in
the doorway. He’s stepped towards me, his body half covering mine
as he guides me into the stone of the wall. His eyes catch mine and
I’m frozen, unable to move, even if I wanted to. Slowly, he takes
my hands and slides them above my head where he holds them in his
big hands.

“Let me feel
you,” I beg. “I need to feel you.”

“Not part of
the deal. You know that. Not when you’re eyes are open anyway.”
Joel’s lowers his lips, covering me in kisses. He takes my bottom
lip into his mouth, gently biting it. He sucks at my tongue as if
his mouth is fucking my mouth. I have a vague recollection of
feeling something like this last night. Was it Joel that did it? I
have no idea; it was such a jumble of body parts. All I know is my
lips are swelling at his touch and my body is arching, wanting more
of the same.

Joel’s kiss
deepens as his tongue explores my mouth. I find myself responding
with equal fervour. It’s amazing how quickly he can turn me on. The
breath has been stolen from my lungs. My blood is on fire; my veins
are set to explode with the desire he’s igniting. I twine my
fingers in his and caress his knuckles. I feel him wince when I
accidentally touch the cut on his hand and I want to feel every
part of him, know every part of him. I want to savour him if only
he’d let me.

Then, I feel a
hand skittering along my side and down to my waist and hip.
Nicholas is tracing the silhouette of my skin through the fabric of
my t-shirt and my body is tingling in the wake of his fingers.
Having reached their destination, he presses himself close to my
other side. I feel his fingers between us, pushing the hem of my
t-shirt up to gain access to my bra. He exposes my torso and I feel
the tiny hairs stand to attention as a rush of cool air touches my
skin. His hands reach behind me, flicking the clasp of my bra open
and letting my breasts spill free. Any thought of stopping this
becomes a distant memory. The need to be adored by them both is
becoming stronger with each touch, each kiss.

“You’re so
beautiful,” Nicholas says. “So perfect.”

Then with Joel
devouring my mouth, Nicholas bends his head and tentatively takes
my nipple in his mouth, fondling it with his tongue before he
begins to suckle. A surge of heat shoots through me as he squeezes
my breast with his fingers. The sensation of being kissed and
sucked by both men simultaneously is overwhelming.

Oh God. I want
them. I want them both.

“Close your
eyes,” Joel whispers as his lips continue their trail of demolition
around the right side of my mouth and neck. “Please. I can’t go on
if you don’t close your eyes.”

And that’s
when my good sense kicks in. “No,” I gasp, barely able to speak.
“We can’t do this here. What if someone comes?”

Ignoring me,
Nicholas moves his attentions to the other side of my neck. He nips
at the skin below my earlobe. He knows full well this sends me over
the edge because he experienced it last night. I can’t think
straight when he kisses me there. I can’t.

“Nobody’s.
Going. To. Come,” he’s saying. “It’s almost dusk. And if someone
does, we’ll hear them. We can stop.”

“Or shut the
door,” Joel adds.

Somewhere in
my sex-addled mind, I agree with them. At least, I think I do.
Thinking and reasoning sort of disintegrated when I climbed those
stairs.

“Have you
never had sex in a public place?” Joel asks me.

“What do you
think?” My breath is ragged but my appalled reaction has to be a
pretty big clue.

He smiles.
“Then let’s make this a first. You’ll love it. It’s a huge turn on,
knowing you could be caught at any minute.”

That’s the
part that worries me the most. It’s not that I don’t want to do it,
I’m afraid of being caught. “I’m gathering you’ve done this
before?”

“Once or
twice. We thought you might like to try something new, given your
current mood for experimentation. You don’t have to if you don’t
want to. It’s your call.”

I cast my eyes
to the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything, which is
incredibly difficult when all I can think about is having them
inside me. But I know they’re telling the truth. If I say stop,
they’ll do it without hesitation. Imagine the torture I could
inflict being the bearer of such power. I nod.

“Is that a
yes?” Nicholas questions.

Oh, what the
hell. I know I said I couldn’t do this again but what the hell. You
only live once.

While Nicholas
slides my t-shirt and bra over my head, leaving me naked from the
waist up, Joel bends into his backpack, retrieving the blindfold I
wore last night. “Precautionary,” he states. “We don’t want you
knowing who’s the better lover, now do we? Especially when we know
it’s me.”

“Do I have
to?” I plead. “Can’t I see you this once?”

“You did. Just
then. Blindfold on or no sex.”

I pout as the
blindfold is slid over my eyes. It’s totally not fair but they have
me right where they want me. I’m literally in the dark as two sets
of lips bend to my now naked breasts and suckle. I concentrate on
the movements, trying to commit them to memory because it feels
like Nicholas’ mouth on the left and I love the way his mouth feels
on my skin, the things he can do with his tongue. Then a hand
unzips my shorts. It delves into my knickers and begins to rub the
tender skin between my legs while a second hand squeezes my bum and
slides my shorts to the ground. Is that Joel? I think, shortly
before I feel the second pair of lips between my legs and give
myself over to the sensations.

It’s good, so
good. I push myself against the mouths in front of me. I bit my
lip, trying to delay the inevitable. I’m getting wetter; my longing
is building into something that needs to explode.

“Do you want
it, Sadie? Do you want me to make you come?” Someone whispers and I
ponder how absurdly alike the voices sound when my sight is
gone.

“Yes. Please.
Yes. Do it.”

Through the
sexual fog, I register a set of footsteps on the metal stair, loud
clomping footsteps.

I freeze, my
desire gone. I’m appalled that at any second I will be discovered
semi-naked and practically orgasmic. “Who’s that?”

“
Shhh
.”

“Get off me.”
I try to push the body in front of me away. I need to get this
blindfold off and get some clothes on. A hand stills me. Lips love
my neck again. The tongue between legs slides over my clitoris and
two fingers slip inside me. Oh fuck, now that’s not fair.

“Shush, Sadie.
It’s okay. Honestly. Just be quiet and she’ll leave.”

“No, she
won’t. Don’t you remember what happened this morning with Emily?”
The footsteps are getting louder, closer. My heart is jumping out
of my mouth. My insides are clenching and quivering. This might be
okay by the boys but I can’t be found like this. I won’t.

“We have to
stop.” My voice is a frantic squeal, which the boys ignore. They
suck harder, the fingers increase their tempo and my excitement,
filled with the fear of discovery is about to push me over the
edge. The footsteps are outside the door. Oh God. I’m going to
come. The wave of orgasm is furious and I bite my lip to stifle the
scream.

Suddenly
everything ceases. Everything stops. I’m bereft. Alone. Panting and
pulsing for more.
Nooooo
. Where have they gone? I know I
said I wanted them to stop but not now.
Nooooo
. Why the hell
did they stop?

Afraid of what
I’m going to find as I do, I slip the blindfold away. I spot
Nicholas through the open crack of the door. Joel is leaning
against the wall next to me, his arms folded and grinning like he’s
played the most amazing practical joke ever. Was it him with his
tongue between my legs? I could have sworn it was Nicholas but I
have no idea now. God, I hate this blindfold thing. I want to
know.

We listen to
the voices outside the door. Nicholas is chatting to what sounds
like an older lady. He’s thanking her for allowing him the use of
the lighthouse. He’s complimenting her new hairdo and asking has
she lost weight, cheeky bastard. I can almost see her preening.

Then the
footsteps retreat down the stairs.

I turn to Joel
who’s still leaning against the wall. I’m cross, so cross that
they’ve played me. “Did you know about this?”

“Maybe.”

“You planned
it? Did you do this to get me here and embarrass me? Is this some
kind of joke you have running? Geez, Joel, that lady nearly caught
us.”

Nicholas opens
the door, closing it quietly behind him.

“Who was
that
?”

“Mrs Schmidt.
I’ve known her since I was a kid. Her husband was the lighthouse
keeper until it was un-manned. Now they run it as luxury holiday
accommodation.”

That old lady
lives in the bay? She probably knew me when I was a kid or knew Mum
at the least. This can’t be happening. It can’t. “She didn’t see
me, did she?”

“Nah. It’s too
dark in here for that.”

One small
mercy.

“But you knew
she was coming? You stripped me bare and got me worked up and you
knew the entire time that she’d be popping by at some stage.”

Nicholas’ lips
press together. “When I asked her this morning if I could bring a
special someone here to see the view she was pretty keen to meet
you.”

“I’m not going
out to meet some ancient Italian lady looking like I’ve just been
shagged. She heard me moaning, Nicholas. She has to know what we
were doing.”

“It’s alright.
She’s gone. I told her you were in the shower.”

I fold my
arms. I glare at them both.

“Why am I
here? What do you want from me?”

“I told you. I
thought you might like to see the view. The fact that we get to see
a view of you is a bonus. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I meant
to turn you on.”

“You did
that.”

“So, do you
still want to see the view?”

“Will we be
interrupted?”

“I’ve locked
the door.”

“Does seeing
the view involve seeing the two of you?” Suddenly, I’m up for it
again. I want to continue this adventure.

“Not a
chance,” Joel chuckles. “But you’ll definitely feel us.”

*****

The uppermost
floor of the lighthouse is walled in glass. There’s a table set for
three and a small bar fridge filled with food and drinks. White
gauzy curtains billow against an open window and on the far side,
behind the disused lamp there’s a bed. It’s the type of romantic
setting a couple might have for a honeymoon.